CHAPTER VII 



A NEW RIVER 



We reached the river after a long and tiring march, 

 accompHshed without incident. I left Agodi in the 

 early morning on my stretcher, and we marched 

 through thin scrub and large acacia trees until noon. 

 After leaving Agodi the ground sloped slightly up- 

 wards towards the south for about three miles, when 

 the crest of the divide was reached. This is the main 

 watershed which divides the valley of the Lak Dera 

 from that of the Guranlagga, and it follows approxi- 

 mately a line drawn between Liboyi, Agodi and the 

 Dibayu Plain. When this is crossed the ground 

 slopes gradually downwards towards the south-west. 

 A thick line of big trees stretching across the plain 

 and showing above the thin thorn scrub was the first 

 indication that we were approaching the stream at 

 last. We crossed the river-bed at four o'clock, where 

 it was dry, but there were large pools above and below 

 as there were in the bed of the small tributary that 

 ran down from the hills parallel to the trail by which 

 we had come. In both rivers trees, shrubs and creepers 

 grew in the most astonishing tangle ; no words of 

 mine could convey an adequate impression of the 

 scene, but some idea can be gained of the tropical 

 vegetation by referring to the accompanying photo- 

 graph of the river. While camp was being pitched 

 I strolled down along the bank of the river and shot 

 F 8i 



