48 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
On reaching some water-holes called Roko, a chief of a 
village near by, named Jilo Nubonna, rushed out to meet 
us, and implored us to recover a lot of sheep and cattie 
the Abyssinians had just carried off, and which, he said, 
had belonged to his dead brother. I, of course, told him 
it would not do for us to interfere, as we wished to be 
friends with everybody. Fortunately, we were able to get 
plenty of water at the end of nearly every march, but the 
country was very rough for the camels. We marched 
about six hours daily, but only made nine or ten geograph- 
ical miles in a straight line northwest. On September 
12 we arrived at a place called Furza, where two chiefs, 
Oushe Burde and Dardi Hari, of the Wachalli tribes, 
who formerly lived near our crossing-place on the Shebeli 
River, came to us, bringing two fine eating camels, besides 
spears and native ornaments, which I had expressed a 
desire to collect. They told the same sad tale we had 
heard from every Galla. They were very fine-looking 
men, and it was pathetic to the last degree to see them 
break into tears as they described how the Abyssinians 
were reducing them to poverty. Oushe Burde was 
stationed at present in this country by the Abyssinians, to 
collect taxes, as it is the custom of the Abyssinians to 
enlist many natives in government service. 
Our next march, of thirteen miles, took us through a 
very different sort of country from that to which we had 
been accustomed. Here and there would be open plains 
covered with fine green grass up to one’s knees, and 
dotted with trees resembling our apple-trees. But we 
experienced the greatest change when we descended into 
a broad and lovely valley, and camped by some springs 
of good clear water, called Gorgora. Here the vegeta- 
tion was most luxurious, and the variety of trees and 
shrubs infinite. What a delightful transformation in 
