DEMBATCHA 219 



I saw a number of skins of freshly killed bushbuck, 

 reedbuck, and duiker, besides well - tanned hides. 

 Through the centre of the town runs a paved lane, eight 

 feet wide, the walls on either side being overhung with 

 bamboos and creepers, often meeting overhead. The 

 little enclosures and orchards, and the winding of the lane 

 along the hill-side, all reminded me of the villages near 

 Nikko in Japan. In the evening, the Shum brought me 

 a sheep and other provisions in the name of Queen 

 Wisseron Lacutch, to whom the town was presented by 

 Tecla Haymanot, when he was created Negus, Next 

 day, after passing through the town, we descended the 

 ridge and crossed a wide valley, after which we entered 

 dense jungle, where I saw a good many duiker and 

 reedbuck, but did not shoot any. We crossed four 

 streams and camped at the fifth, called Toukorrahar. 

 Much of the country traversed was uncultivated and 

 covered with grass and jungle. 



In the afternoon I went out, hoping to find water- 

 buck, but saw no sign of them. When in a jungle-path 

 some way from camp, we came on a woman carrying a 

 baby and followed by a small boy, I was rather 

 astonished that they showed neither fear nor surprise, 

 though I and my two Somalis must have been a very 

 strange sight for them. In nearly every wild country in 

 which I have shot, if I met any of the women-folk un- 

 expectedly, their first idea seemed to be to bolt into the 

 bush. 



Next day, marching through undulating country, 

 with a good many patches of jungle, we crossed three 

 small streams and camped just below the village of 



