RETURN MARCH. 109 There were no leaves or flowers to help in determining its species. A hedge of euphorbia encircled the village. We reached Fatiko in pouring rain, and spent another day there.

It was unpleasantly cold in the morning and evening. Besides this, there was rain daily, an occurrence quite abnormal at this time of the year (January 1879), and only to be explained by the enormous evaporation that takes place during the day from the large surfaces flooded by the river, when the midday tem-‘perature is 90° to 95° Fahr. in the shade. Therefore it is possible that this year the rainy season is setting in earlier everywhere. From Fatiko a beaten road leads past Fadibék to Tarangole, the capital of the administrative district of Latuka. Unfortunately my time did not allow me to make any excursion . to that place, but in order to utilise as much as possible my return journey to Dufilé, I chose a new road, which will now be shortly described.

Behind the mountain Julu, which lies close to the station Fatiko, and at the foot of which stands Gimoro’s village of the same name, we clambered down over blocks of stone, crossed a stream, and found ourselves on very undulating ground, the ridges of which ran for the most part from 8.W. to N.E., and which was mostly covered with open wood and high grass. For some distance Jebel Shua was seen on our right (Linant has placed it much too far north on his map); to the left the mountains of Faloro were clearly visible from the tops of the ridges. As the road cut through the country almost in a straight line we made good progress. We marched along the northern bank of a small khor, past a small zeriba belonging to the village Fauvel, which lies a little farther to the east, and after crossing some ridges of hills and some streams, we arrived at Khor Unyama, which here runs from 8.8.W. to N.N.E. Icy cold water rushes along over smooth stones in the shadow of high-stemmed trees; north of this place there is but little water, and the little there is is bad.

The road now became terribly monotonous; the path led up and down hill through high grass; twice the Khor Unyama approached so close to the road that we could plainly hear its murmur, ‘The brooks which crossed the road were for the most part dry; some, however, contained small pools with a