THE LORIAN 



permanent water ceases at Madoleh, it, as well as the 

 country lying on both sides, is known to the Borana 

 and the Somali under the general name of " Lorian." 

 But since Marti Plateau is about one hundred miles 

 west of the main Lorian Swamp, some travellers have 

 been very much puzzled when told they had reached 

 Lorian by the natives, and they have on several 

 occasions returned without having penetrated farther 

 than Melka Gela — even if they have reached as far. 

 This will probably explain the reports of those who 

 described the Lorian Swamp as a shallow lake or a 

 large expanse of open water. But the greatest con- 

 fusion has been caused by those who, having travelled 

 thither and back again without any attempt to carry 

 out more than a rough compass sketch of their route, 

 if they even did that, do not hesitate to make a map 

 of their journey on their return. Colonel Broun, 

 however, brought back an excellent map of the lower 

 Uaso Nyiro, and my work corresponded very closely 

 with his results, except for a difference as regards the 

 height of Marti Plateau. 



But the country to the east of Lorian, between 

 the main swamp and Afmadu, was quite unknown, 

 and had remained unexplored south of the Wajheir- 

 Afmadu road. The opinion had been held for some 

 time, however, that a river, or, at any rate, a small 

 stream called " Lakdera," did connect the Lorian 

 Swamp with the shallow lake known as the Deshek 

 Wama, which is situated not very far from the mouth 

 of the Juba River, and it had been referred to as 

 "the great watercourse which runs from Lake 

 Lorian." Moreover, it was generally known as the 

 "River Lakdera." The marking of this channel on 

 even the most recently published maps under this 



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