CHAPTER XXVI.

First Day*s Journey towards Amedeb. — A False Alarm.— Arrival at Amedeb. — • Journey continued.— Khor Baraka.— Another Watch for Lions. — Thrilling Adventure with a Lion. — News of the stolen Rifles and Horse.

Our first day's journey, after leaving the Gash, was about eighteen miles in the direction of Amedeb, where we encamped in the plain away from water. The country was very much like all that part of the Soudan, very barren and hilly, but in places rather less monotonous travelling than we had usually found it to be when leaving rivers or khors such as the Gash. We crossed a number of picturesque rocky khors on the borders of which flourished many large and fine trees in full leaf.

There was a large Base village on our right, some miles off from where we encamped for the night, and we could distinctly see the lights. The next day we arrived at Amedeb, after a long march of over thirty miles. We were up at daybreak, but could not get the camels off until 7.45 ; and it was 11.30 P.M. before we got dinner, a long day. The country through which we had travelled was very agreeable, far more so than we had expected to find it. The road, or track rather, was easy going for the camels, except for one steep stony bit over a high hill, and proved to be an infinitely better one for the camels than that which Lort Phillips and I had taken the first time, we went to Amedeb.

All day we wound between high hills, and for a long time travelled in the bed of a khor called Mogoreb, I never saw a 232