50 



NEW AFRICAN PLANTS. 



neying some distance, were overtaken by the Abyssinian army, the 

 general presenting them with a letter from the king ordering them 

 to return by the way they had come, and there was nothing to do 

 but to accept the situation, bad as it was. They returned into 

 Somaliland, where they spent Christmas in company with Prince 

 Boris, a Eussian sportsman, whom they chanced to meet. On 

 Feb. 1st they were across the Shebeli again, and on the way once 

 more to Lake Rudolf, moving as quickly as possible to the Juba, as 

 the Abyssinians might be down on them at any moment. Keeping 

 as westerly a course as possible, he reached the wells of El Madii on 

 March 3rd, beyond which lay a mountainous and waterless tract of 

 country for three days (45 geographical miles). This was success- 

 fully crossed, though the expedition suffered from lack of water, and 

 twelve camels died on the way. After going a long way west through 

 the Boran country, and overcoming a temporary outburst of hostility 

 on the part of the natives, they explored the northern end of Lake 

 Stefanie. Going far up to the north they came to a black race of 

 people called the Amars, living high up on a mountain, and it was 

 by their village that he was pointed out the grave of Prince Ruspoli, 

 who had come down from the Juba river, the only traveller that had 

 ever succeeded in getting nearly so far into the country. Gomg 

 farther on, they came to a large river (50 yards broad, with a 

 current of four miles an hour, and S^ ft. deep), which he afterwards 

 found flowing into the northern -end of Lake Stefanie, and he dis- 

 covered that it arose partly from Lake Abeia itself and partly from 

 the mountains immediately about that lake. 



Their further experiences included an attack by a large and 

 warlike tribe called the Arbore, inhabiting half of the valley above 

 Lake Stefanie, who assailed them with javelins and arrows, but 

 were quickly dispersed by the whizzing of a few bullets. There 

 were no roads, and they had to make paths over ridges two thousand 

 feet high above the surrounding country. On July 4th they found 

 themselves without guides in such a bushy country that they were 

 obliged to make five long marches in the bed of a river knee -deep in 

 water the whole time. As their boots were wearing out, they were 

 forced to walk barefooted ; but their spirits ran high — Lake Rudolf 

 was near, and they were to be the first to reach it from the east. 

 After more than a year's wanderings in all sorts of country, and 

 under most diverse circumstances, they found themselves at the 

 goal of their ambition. They reached Lake Rudolf on July 14th, 

 1895. A journey round the northern end of the lake disclosed the 

 fact that the Nianann was the only river emptying into the lake, 

 and that there was no River Bass, as supposed by Count Teleki. 



Mathiola Smithii Baker fil., sp. n. Fruticosa ramosa cortice 

 pallide brunneo ramulis cinereo-pubescentibus. Folia obovata vel 

 oblonga utrinque cinereo-pubescentia vel subtomentosa margine 

 subintegra vel remote serrata, ^-f poll, louga, circiter ^ poll, lata, 

 apice obtusa vel subacuta, lamina ad basin in petiolum attenuata. 

 Flores racemosi, apicem versus congesti interne laxiores. Pedicelli 

 breves validi cano-pubescentes. Sepala externe cano-pubescentia 



