260 LABORE TO FATIKO.

Scattered granite blocks mark the ascent along which our road led up to the ridge of the hills. Open wood and high grass, with bushes of all sorts, Zizyphus, Balanites, and abundant Randia, covered the ground and shut out nearly all view ; now and then we saw for a moment the peaks of Jebel Foki and the broad back of Atikk1.

‘The road wound at random through the rank grass, in which bamboo but seldom appeared. After crossing Khor Tipalanga, a distant view was obtained of a chain of hills, the general direction of which was about parallel to the road, but slight deflections occurred where small streams flowed through gullies to the river. Several small Madi enclosures formed the village of O0, which stood on a ridge above Khor Merve, in the midst of pulse and hibiscus plants. Large quantities of a cucumber called by the Madi wrdzw lay in front of the huts, and a high termite hill in the centre of the village afforded a view over the country, and enabled me to take compass bearings. The rise from Labodre to this place is very considerable; the aneroid here read 27.87 in., while at Labore the reading was 28.02 in. A short march brought us to Khor Kilive, the largest stream in this region; it is probably never dry, for prolific vegetation grows beside it, and crops abound in the neighbourhood. We reached the zertba of Kerefi, our night quarters, after a march of exactly two hours and fifty-two minutes.

The night before our arrival a leopard had made its way into the little village and killed a man, consequently we had the opportunity of witnessing a funeral. A circular hole, about three feet in diameter and five feet deep, was dug in front of one of the huts, and the corpse, clothed in a skin, was placed in it in a squatting position, with arms and legs drawn up. ‘Then earth was shovelled in and stamped firmly down, and the grave was covered over with stone slabs. The bereaved wives, who were now inherited by the son of the deceased, wept in an orthodox manner during the ceremony, and when it was over everybody went about his business. I was told of a curious belief existing in a village not far from here, whose inhabitants are said to have the power of turning themselves at night into leopards and of killing and devouring men. I remember hearing of a