120 The Southern Gezira.

South and south-west of (lule.

Drainage.

Kainfall.

Transport animals.

Roads.

Currency.

Moeqaitos.

Game.

are scattered promiscuously, and rise steeply from the surrounding country. They are generally covered witli detached boulders and stunted trees. The plain itself is for the most part gravelly or stony, and is intersected with dry rocky khors. It is covered near the foot of the hills with a thick low growing forest, but away from the hills the bush is generally thinner. Before it has dried up, the grass among the bush would make it very difficult to leave the paths, but in the dry season there is generally no difficulty in getting through the bush, excepting at the khors. The whole of this country suffers greatly from want of water, and even where there is water in the streams near their sources, it soon disappears into the ground. Water can, however, often be found in many of the stream beds by digging.

South and south-west of Gule stretches an almost uninterrupted plain to the Baro and Sobat, bounded on the west by the White Nile and on the east by the hills on the Abyssinian frontier. In the central and eastern portions of this district there are a few scattered hills, such as Abuldugu, Melkan, Ulu, etc., belonging to the Burun, at each of which there is water, but in the Dinka- country from Jebelein southwards along the Nile, these are conspicuous by their absence. Between north parallels 12° 30' and 10° 30' forest is almost continuous, however, south of 10° 30' the country becomes gradually more open and grassy and continues so, as far as is known, up to the fringe of forest bordering the Baro and Sobat. Water, south of 10° 30', seems comparatively plentiful, both in hafirs made by the Burun or standing in pools in khors.

The width of marsh bordering the Baro and Sobat is often much exaggerated ; it seems generally not to exceed 4 to 5 miles in width along the former, and is more often much less along the latter. Fringing the marsh is a narrow belt of forest, and behind that steppe-like country, which becomes practically treeless in the region of the lower Sobat {vid£ Chap. VI).

Khor Tomat, draining Beni Shangul and Fazogli is the principal khor emptying into the Blue Nile. The more important ones emptying into the White Nile are : — Khor Deleib, source in Jebel Tabi and mouth at Renk ; Khors Rau and Balantega, mouths at Jebel Ahmed Agha, but source conjectural, and Khor Adar or Yal, which empties into the White Nile about 30 miles north of Fashoda, and possibly forms the mouth of both the Yabus and Sonka. Another theory is that the Sonka and Yabus drain into a marsh, from which a certain amount of water is believed to find its way into the Sobat near Nasser. Khor Garre drains into the Baro.

The rainfall over the whole of this area is heavy, especially in the more southern districts, where the rainy season may be said to extend from the end of April till the beginning of Novembsr.

Camels, mules, or donkeys do well throughout the whole of this district, except during the rains, when mules are probably the best. At this season the serut fly is present everywhere, and in the dry season along the Nile there is a small black fly, similar in general appearance to the common house-fly, which is excessively annoying and somewhat injurious to camels. Abyssinian horses are useful, and the ordinary Arab does well, though more delicate.

The only roads* known to exist, with the exception of those from Senga to Moya, and Senga to Jebelein, vid Teigo and Jebel Dali, are described in the route reports in Vol. 2, Chap. V.

In the more northern parts of this region the ordinary Sudan currency is de rigue.ur, but in dealings with natives along the Abyssinian frontier Maria Theresa dollars or gold rings, obtainable at Abu Shaneina (36 Maria Theresa dollars = 1 oz. gold, approximately), are generally required, though in Fazogli, Keili, or in fact in any Arabic-speaking district, Egyptian money is as a rule readily accepted.f Menelek's dollar is only very rarely seen, and his smaller coins never. The Maria Theresa dollar is not, as a rule, accepted unless the brooch on the shoulder is pretty clearly distinguishable. Amongst the Gallas salt bars form the small change (3 bars = 1 Maria Theresa dollar).

In the Dinka country on the White Nile, giraffe or buffalo hides are the best trade goods ; " gianotta "f and other large beads, as well as Egyptian money are also acceptable. Along the Sobat, beads (large amber, opaque white, small white, " gianotta,"J etc.), spear heads, axes, and fasses are all much in request. Money is becoming daily more readily taken.

Mosquitos, or " Ba-uda " as they are called by the Dinkas and by many Sudanese Arabs, are very numerous in places even in the dry season along the White Nile, though here and there there are none even quite close to the water. The natives themselves, though not professing belief in the Anopheles theory, say that if one is bitten much by them they cause fever. The fact of there being a village at any spot may be accepted as sufficient guarantee that there are no, or at any rate, very few, mosquitos there. Most of the villages even in the dry season are a mile or more from the river.

The following species are represented: — Elephant, buffalo, giraffe, hippopotamus, hartebeeste (Jacksonii and tora), tiang, roan-antelope, kudu, waterbuck, reedbuck, bushbuck, cobus leucotis, gazelle, oribi, lion, leopard, cheetah, etc. Specimens of Neumann's hartebeeste are also believed to have been shot near Ahmed Agha.

♦ A new roaxl is being cut (1904) from Senga to Goz Abu Guma, and from Roseires direct to Gule and Renk. + Egyptian money jh accepted in Beni Shangul except by the Abys.siuians. J Black bead with white spots.