268 LABORE TO FATIKO.

mud. Passing through a broad defile, a beautiful landscape opened out before us. Tresh green fields, with here and there a few majestic trees, were bordered with hills, on the tops of which were bare piles of stones, forming fantastic outlines against the clear sky. Such a scene amply compensates for many difficulties. From a high hill, the burnt rock of which looked like cast-iron, we obtained another good view over the long Latuka range, which runs up from the north, and which is called here by the general name of Lumoga (the g is pronounced like the Arabic ghain).

We next marched through exceptionally high grass (this country ranks after north Unyoéro for the abundance of its erass and thorns), the pointed beards of which penetrated our clothes and pricked lke needles. The village of Madi, in the district of the same name, is fenced in by split bamboo, as is the case in all the succeeding villages to the south-east, passionflowers and Cucurbitaceze twining their tendrils over the fence. The bamboos from the immediate neighbourhood are also used as fuel, wood being scarce. ‘Towards the south some slender doléb palms were visible, and Amomums were plentiful at the khor, but unfortunately the fruit was not ripe. The inhabitants appear to be keen hunters; netted hoops were hung before the huts for catching francolins and bustards, which are sald to be plentiful. Ifa bird steps into the hoop and gets caught in the network, it cannot escape. Snares for antelopes are constructed on the same principle, like those seen in Uganda and Unyoro.

The porters engaged for the next march assembled at midnight and held a veritable dancing orgie in the bright moonlight, accompanied by all sorts of conceivable and inconceivable noises. ‘Towards morning, however, they fortunately went to sleep, having realised with horror that they were expected to start early, in the cold (64° Fahr.), and to march through the wet grass. ‘Thus it was late when we left Madi, and after marching through its extensive fields, we came to another little village, where all the trees were hung over with straw beehives, showing that we had now reached a honey-producing district. While a great deal of honey is obtained in Makraka, its quality, however, being rather deteriorated by the method