A NIGHT MARCH. 343 of Dinka warriors, and it is said that one Gok can drive ten Agar before him; they therefore call the Agar, in scorn, Tirem (useless.) The Dinka are the only Negroes in our province among whom women are allowed to milk the cows. The clean zeribas of the few Danagla settled here are surrounded by high stockades made of split bamboo, over which there climbs a white flowering, strongly smelling bean, which has been introduced from Khartum. ‘Two kinds of large gourds are grown in the corn-fields, of a different species from those seen in the south; the one is round, the other four-cornered, with a reddish sweet pulp. ‘The people here (Danagla) appear to live on a good footing with the surrounding natives, to judge from the fact that as soon as we requested porters they | immediately appeared; so we were able to utilise a moonlight night to cross the waterless stretch which lay before us. Although such night marches are pleasant on account of the cool air, they are usually followed by fever, especially if several night marches are made one after the other. Therefore, people who are strangers to the country will do well to use caution.

Throughout the district of Jot, into that of Ayell as far as the borders of the river Roa, there stretches a plain, broken here and there by beautiful thickets. ‘Two hours and a half were occupied in passing over the ground, which in parts was flooded by the river. Numerous mushroom-shaped structures made by the termites gave to the country a very peculiar appearance; sometimes whole groups of them were seen. As we approached the river, the road turned sharply to the north, and was bordered by a wide expanse of grass. On the ruins of a cattle zeriba, called Abiai, I noticed flocks of lively plovers tumbling about, and heard the shrill notes of a flock of Senegal magypies and the call of the white-headed osprey. Masses of empty shells covered the muddy ground, over which we could only march slowly, reaching, after five hours and a half, the west bank of the river, where we obtained:a wellearned rest.

We camped upon the steep greyish-yellow loam bank of the river, about ten feet above the level of the water. The eastern bank slopes more gently; the bed of the river is sixty-five feet broad, and the water even now reached to the necks of