38 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
miles, we found ourselves on the banks of the Webi She- 
beli. But, alas! to our disappointment, we found the stream 
flooded. It was over eighty yards wide, deep, and flowing 
at the rate of over five miles an hour; so I resolved to 
camp, and explore the shores to find a better crossing, and 
if possible to secure guides. I had looked in vain as yet 
for Gallas; the only signs I had seen of them were on my 
journey to the Erer River. There were a few deserted 
Galla huts on the banks of that river; but now that I 
had reached the Shebeli, I could see no trace of human 
beings ever having been here, although I had expected to 
find a large Galla population about the river. Mountains 
containing much iron ore rose precipitously from the nar- 
row valley of the river, the presence of this iron ore causing 
many errors in my compass bearings. The river is fringed 
with groves of dhum palms, those well-known trees which 
furnish both food and drink to so many natives of Africa. 
The fruit of the dhum palm is about the size of a potato, 
hard and pithy, and tasting like dried ginger-bread. We 
had considerable sport fishing, catching one species of 
fish resembling a mullet, which was very gamy, rising 
readily to a spoon bait, and which weighed from three 
to five pounds apiece. To show what a hard time we 
had crossing the river, I will quote from my diary for a 
few days : — 
“ August 25. We have been at work all day ata pointa 
little below ourcamp, where the river broadens out to a width 
of a hundred yards, and where it is from two to seven feet 
deep. My head man, Idris, and Abdi Segard (Fred’s gun- 
bearer) made an attempt to get a rope across from my boat. 
Abdi rowed, and a hard time he had to get over the swift 
current, just managing to reach the bushes on the other 
side, and grab them. Idris pulled in several coils of rope 
and then made a spring for the shore; but the strain on the 
