KAUROO ROCKS IX TIIK M Al TNGAIJUSI. 251 



foimed by a couit-al hall, named Cliidonnve, and wliicli is 

 separated* by a wiud-'-ap from the larger Denamwe Hill. 

 A broken chain of flat-topped ontliers of mesa type, extending 

 eio-hteen miles to the north-Mcst, shows that once the tableland 

 continued over a considerable region in that direction, but 

 which has since been cut back by erosion to the line of its 

 present margin, that now stretches many miles to the south- 

 west, where it had been ])reviously mapped by me as the 

 " Great Escarpment " (1). This featiue incliides the Mafun- 

 gabusi Mountain, the wedge-shaped block described above. 

 A vieAv of the eastern side of this dissected plateau, taken 

 from the Mzongwe Drift, is given in Fig. 2. 



To the north-north-east of the mountain the flat country 

 is continuous, M'ith wide mopani forests and baobabs. The 

 soil is deep and cold, and there are frequent patches of well- 

 rounded pebbles and occasional pans. The area seems to be a 

 plain that has resulted from the disintegration and denudation 

 of Karroo beds. Pre-Karroo sedimentary rocks a])pear in the 

 ITmniati around Impali village and at the junction of the 

 Fmtanji, and form the floor of the Kairoo area in this vicinity. 



West of the mountains there is a great change from the 

 above-mentioned conditions. Ph'osion is here relative to the 

 Bume River sytem, 2,000 feet in altitude in the basin around 

 Gorodema. or to the Sesami River system in the Inyoka country, 

 and in both of whicji it has denuded the Matabola beds, so that 

 there are exposed large areas of clays and coals. These rocks 

 give rise to the cold, sun-cracked soils so favoured by mopani 

 forests, or covered by short thorn and a species of burr or 

 " rats-bane." Alluvial deposits in the river banks and creeks 

 are favourable to rich jungle growth, but under cultivation 

 these ])atches produce good crops of corn and tobacco. Soils 

 from the basaltic rocks and the lighter sandy ground from the 

 Forest sandstone are clad Avith almost impenetrable brakes 

 and baobal) trees, but when ])ut to the test and cultivated, as 

 by the Inyoka Tf)bacco Com])any, yield very flue tobacco. 

 Xative-grown " Inyoka tobacco-" put up into conical loaves, 

 has long been desired by the Matabele. The lower altitude 

 and the shutting- off by the mountains of the cool south-east 

 breeze of tlie plateau seem to account for tlie climatic change 

 necessary to a more tropical botanical development. 



Many i)ermanent springs emerge at the base of tlie basalt, 

 but tlie water is absorbed into sandy stream courses after 

 passing but a short distance. 



There Avere at one time several wagon roads into the 

 neiglil)ourhood, hwi they ai'c fallen into disuse owing to the 

 l)revalence of the tsetse fly. Rob's Drift, on the TTmniati. is 

 the terminus of a road from Gatooma. In the absence of roads, 

 travellers have to make use of the native footpaths, and tliose 

 wliich were traversed by the writer are marked in the map. 



