388 A SPORT/ A' G TRIP 'PHROUGH ABYSSINIA 



to Adua. Here they left us to our own devices. In 

 two hours more we had reached the top of the ridge 

 and began to descend into the valley of the Gedgudda 

 through thick bush and luxuriant grass. After crossing 

 the usual red-coloured stream, some 15 yards wide and 

 not knee -deep, we camped close to the bank among 

 hio-h rank orrass. It looked rather a fever-haunted sort 

 of spot, but the mules simply revelled in the luscious 

 fodder. Just before we started next morning, a big 

 caravan arrived, on their way to Adua, carrying loads 

 of coffee, dried chillies, and burnouses ; they also had 

 with them a few oxen and some sheep and goats, 

 which gave them plenty of trouble to get across the 

 river, for the latter had swollen considerably since the 

 previous night. We had to cross it twice more to avoid 

 some bluffs, whose foot it washed : and in the height of 

 the rainy season it must be a formidable obstacle to 

 travellers. An hour's journey brought us to the banks 

 of the Warey, a stream of about the same width but less 

 depth ; v/e next ascended a long, waterless valley and 

 crossed a ridge, at the foot of which we camped. There 

 was plenty of grass here, but for some time we could 

 find no water. For a great part of the day before, and 

 all of this, we had seen no signs of human habitation. 

 I heard afterwards that this jungle was formerly 

 notorious as a haunt of robbers, and is considered far 

 from safe even now, which possibly accounts for the 

 unwillingness of the villagers to find us guides. We 

 saw no game on the way, though we came across a 

 few tracks of bushbuck and pig. In many places there 

 were numbers of a thorn-tree bearinof tassels of white 



