90 Sovihem Atbai.

Wat«r 8upply.

CiiItiTatioD.

Roads.

The grazing on both sides of the watershed is confined to the actual valleys. The watersheds dividing the westward-flowing khors are low rough ridges of black rock and gravel, and are practically destitute of vegetation. After rain, there is frequently grazing in the depressions in the atmurs, such as El Gura, near Tendera. In the khors on the east of the watersheds there is little or no grass until the lower levels are reached, except in the Odrus plain and in the upper part of Khor Adit, near Sinkat.

Throughout the whole stretch of desert, between the hills and the railway, water is scarce. Besides those at the well-known halting places on the Berber-Suakin caravan road — Obak and Ariab — the following wells may be noted : — Garafab. — 50 miles N.N.E. of Abidia, has several shallow wells among sand dunes. Sararat Well. — In Wadi Amur, is 96 miles from Garafab. The well is 50 feet deep, and is lined with stone, but only gives a small supply. This well is probably the same as that marked on the older maps as the " Oasis of Amur." South of the Suakin-Berber road the chief wells are as follows : — Tendera, Mib, and Oi. — There are several good wells at each of these places. The Mib wells are specially good, and lie in a hollow of the hills, reached by a narrow defile about J of a mile long. The water supply at Thamiam is very good, but the wells are dug in the bed of the khor and are liable to fill up. There is sometimes water in the rocks at Rauai, but it was stated not to be sufiicient to water a hamla of 80 camels in November, 1902.

Talgwarab is only a water hole 18 feet deep, and cannot be counted on as a supply at present. The natives state that attempts to dig down deeper are prevented by the light soil falling in.

Near the watershed the wells are more numerous. There are four wells in the upper part of Khor Haieit, and several others in the deep valleys through which the larger khors drain into the Haieit, Amur, and Arab basins. In the upper part of Wadi Amur, above Sararat, wells are reported to be about 1 1 miles apart. On the eastern side, besides the existing wells, water could probably be found at a depth of a few feet anywhere in Khor Arbat. The wells in the lower parts of the khors are frequently brackish. Hoshiri at the foot of Khor Okwat is an example of this.

In years when the rainfall is good there is a considerable area under dura cultivation in Khor Arab near Talgwarab and between there and Thamiam wells. The natives build numbers of horse-shoe shaped dams to retain the water and keep it standing on the ground. There are also signs of the main khor channel having been dammed to divert the water over the flat earthy soil of the valley.

The upper stretches of Khors Barameyu and Erheib and Hareitri are also used for dura growing. There is also cultivation near Abu Goloda, on the eastern side in the head of Khor Haieit, in Khor Adit above Sinkat, and especially in the Odrus Plain, dura is grown.

Near the Atbara River there is a considerable area under cultivation in Khor Abadar.

Besides the main Berber-Suakin caravan road there are well-marked roads leading to Rauai well. The Tendera-Mib-Oi road is also a good track and the surface is fairly smooth, except at the approaches to Mib and Oi wells.

The going on the main Suakin-Berber road is distinctly bad in several places, notably at the head of the Kokreb valley, in Wadi Hareitri and in Khor Hadasana.

Near the hills, communications parallel to the watershed are difficult, as for instance between Haieit and Kokreb. Such a line is very hard on camels, as there is a continued succession of deep-cut khors of varying size divided by hills or ridges of loose shale and black rock, steep and difficult to surmount.

The road leading from Khor Haieit to Khor Garar is a fairly easy one for camels, but Khor Garar itself is very rough.

The chief routes across the watershed are : — From Khor Barameyu to Sinkat — here the gradients are very easy and the surface smooth. A route westward from Sinkat towards Abu Goloda and Rauai has steep stony " agabas." From Abu Goloda into the Odrus plain — easy slopes but rough underfoot in the upper part of the Abu Goloda khor. Wadi Hareitri on the Berber-Suakin road — very rough underfoot. From Wadi Amur into Khor Yudibmany low rough watersheds have to be crossed, and there is no beaten track. From Khor Arbat the maritime plain can be reached either : — (1) By the Tamabaf watershed into Khor Okwat. (2) By Khor Dimm. (3) By Khor Adaia or Khor Bengar.

Of these the, Tamabaf and Khor Dimm routes are easy for camels, but Khors Adaia and Bengar have steep and rough " agabas."