98 Country East of Blue Nile, is none, and wells are few and far between. Mimosa forests cover tlie ground in places, and low hills are occasionally seen. The chief inhabitants are the wandering Shukriyeh tribe, akin to the Hadendoa, but of a lower type. In the early days of Mahdism the Shukriyeh were loyal to Egypt.

South of a line drawn eastwards from Abu Haraz to Tomat, the country changes in character. The ground becomes more hilly and cut up as one proceeds south, and numerous large rivers, full in the rainy season but at other times dry or nearly so, water the region. Of these, "the chief ones are the Rahad and Dinder, flowing north-west into the Blue Nile, and the upper reaches of the Atbara, which is joined at Tomat by the Setit. All these rivers have their origin in the highlands of Abyssinia.

The triangle between the Rahad, the Atbara, and the line east and west from Abu Haraz to Tomat comprises two regions : the northern one is known as Gedaref,* and the southern as Gallabat.f These have been strongholds of the Dervishes for many years, and from these points hostile incursions have been made against Kassala and Eritrea.

(d) Gedaref.

Description. Gedaref is an undulating plain, barren, brush-covered, and generally waterless except during the rains. Here and there low ranges and isolated hills are visible, and in places, especially round Suk Abu Sin, the ground is fertile and capable of much cultivation. Wells are few and far between. The inhabitants are mostly Shukriyeh. There is little pasture, except some scanty herbage for camels and sheep. Horse forage has to be carried. The road from Kassala via Suk Abu Sin to Abu Haraz has been frequently traversed by Europeans, but outside the immediate neighbourhood of this road there is little information available.

[V. "Report on Nile from Dongola," &c, Part III, Route VIII (iii).] Suk Abu Sin (Gedaref market) is situated on the border of immense prairies, which in the rainy season— * Chief town Suk Abu Sin. f Chief town Matamma.