GUIDE DESERTS 383 



some trees, at the mouth of a wide, sandy valley, which 

 seemed very hot after Simien ; and it appeared to have 

 received little rain so far, since hardly any new grass 

 was to be found for the beasts. 



Next day we decided to rest the mules, after their 

 long march. I went up-stream a little, but only saw a 

 few hippo-tracks on shore, and three crocodiles in the 

 river, which latter had fallen quite 3 feet since the 

 previous day. In the afternoon I took some photos, 

 and spent the time looking over the skins and camp-kit. 



We effected an early start next morning, and were 

 soon over a ridge and descending a long, waterless 

 valley, across the foot of which flows the Ghiva, a 

 stream 20 yards across and knee-deep ; this is said 

 never to run dry. Here the guide wanted us to camp, 

 but as we had only done two and a half hours' march, 

 I refused, and, after much talk, he went off, saying, that 

 as we did not take his advice, we might shift for 

 ourselves. This we did, and, climbino; the rid^e on 

 the opposite side of the river by a very bad path, 

 reached a highly cultivated plateau, where, having now 

 marched a total of four and a half hours, we halted 

 under a fine Wanza tree. The rain began at 4.30, 

 which seems the regulation time at this season, east of 

 Simien. The villagers brought us some bread and 

 milk, but although I gave them drinks and a present, 

 and showed them my letters, and although Adarar 

 wasted many honeyed words on them, they absolutely 

 refused to provide a guide for the morrow. So our 

 next march was rather a haphazard one, various country- 

 men giving us different directions, evidently with a view 



