80 Birt- — Gondj)l:oro I'lace.

Sheikh Ijuio's eaat bauk ■illage, Description.

476 700 Lado 19 495 Al)out 200 tukls. Open grassy, s.audy spot ; fairly healtliy ; 5 to 8 feet above water. IMerity of trees and bnsh. Tlie Bari are the inliabitaiits of the district, but are few in iiiMaber ; few supplies. Brick houses. Proceeding up-stream, the river divides, the niain channel running through swamps, and the east channel skirting the villages of Sheikh L;ido, Lowala, and Yemba. The depth is rarely more than 9 feet, though there are occasional pools of 12 to 16 feet in depth. Hippopotami \ised to be extremely numerous and particularly obtrusive, but seem lately to have disa))peared. A few huts are to be seen, chiefly on the eastern shore. Most of these have been recently constructed, as many of the Bari have migrated from the west to the east bank of the river, and have settled ou Sudan territory. At mile 477 the river again leaves the east bank and crosses the swamps. The wiilth of the valley now contracts to some 4 miles. Such a labyrinth of streams winds through these gra.ssy flats that, without an experienced pilot, navigation would be extremely ditticult, more especially as the dejith of water rapidly decreases. As it is, there are so many sand banks that it is difficult to proceed at night. At mile 494 the west channel, mentioned .'is branching off at mile 468, rejoins the east branch, and half a mile up-stream the station of Lado is reached. At this ))oint, with the exception of a moderate- sized inlet some 3 miles down-stream of Lado, the river is confined in one single channel. Capital of the Lado Enclave, taken on and rebuilt in 1898. Formerly an Egyptian post, and atone time head quarters of Emin Pasha. Situated on the bank 10 to 14 feet above river. Very well selected position, protected on the north by a broad swift running khor and 2 foits, and on the south by an iin]iassable morass ; only land ai)proach from the west commanded by a fort. Surrounded on three sides by a rect;ingular jiarapetted enclosure, about 400 by 200 yards, one long face being open to the river. Garrison, about 15 white olficers and 500 men (1904). Euclo-mre contains about 20 good brick straw-tliatched houses, and good tukls for the men. lload leads to Itejaf (broad) and theuce loYei, Ibemboand Mbinia. Native track also to Kiro. Good bamboo and some gum about Jebel Lado. Forest close by. Few or no supplies. The neighbourhood of Lado is a desolate-looking spot, not neaily so picturescpie iis Kiro, but, on the other liand, healthier. A flat plain with bushes stretches from the river for about 2 miles. From here the forest commence.s, and gradu;illy rise-i to the sp\irs of Jebel Lado, which is some 12 miles fr.>m the station. The food for the troops has to be brought from a very long distance. In front of Lado is a low island, upon which vegetables, bananas, and castor-oil plants are grown. This island is 4 feet over low-water level at the south en<l, and was topped by the 190.3 flood. According to the Belgian officers, the flood water cintains but litde sediment beyond sand, and this statement is borne out by the deposit on the flats and banks. They further state that in flood the colour of the water scarcely ch.inges at all. There appears to be no trade whatever, but a good deal of cidtivation. The ivory collected here U small. India-rubber is apparently not found within any reasonable distjince of the Nile. Owing to the two years' <lrought and one year's flood, the nativt s on thp west bank of the river had no supplier. Lado ])Ossessesa fine herd of long-horned cattle for the ue of the garrison. Fever is very |>revalerrt during the rairry months, but does not appear to be of such a deadly type as at Kir'o. In Aprd, 1901, the rairrs had already conniieireed. According to M. Kenier, the moirth of May in this region is orre of abundant daily rainfall, birt this is not alwajs the case.

Proceeding up-stream fronr Lado, the scenery improves. Eleven larrges of irregularly-shaped peaks are visible to the east and soirth-east. Most of them are covered with scrub, and rouid the ba-ses the bamboo is said to grow in luxuriance. From the river bank up to these ranges extends a broad expairse of reeds arrd grass, bounded by a dark forest line. To the west the country rises rapidly irr a series of ridges clothed with forest. The Bahr El .Jebel now avei-ages fronr 250 to 300 yards in width, and the depth rairges f rom 6 to 8 feet. Islands and side cliannels abound, aird in flood tirire it must be difficult to say which is the main stream. The loss of water is comparatively snrall, as the griiss flats are high. Nurrrerous Bari villages on the east bank and on the islarrds, but few on the west bank. Further south, range ujjon range of hills show up irr the distance, one beyorrd the other-. These are rrot very high, but are of striking outlirre and form an agreeable change to the eye, after days j)assed in the dreai-y flatness of the .Jebel marshes. The width of the valley is here about 5 miles from bank to bank. The Bari villages increase irr number on the east bank as the river is ascerrded. Jebel Lado still dominates the western landscape, aird Jebel Rejaf, a pyramidal and sjlitary jreak, marks the point where the reefs and rapids begiir. On ai)])roaching Gondokoro, rravigatiorr becomes more aird more difficult as the water shoals rapidly, arrd the maze of chairnels and islands are perplexing aird intricate ; half a mile from Gondokoro are some bad shallows.