CHAPTER XXI 



MARTI PLATEAU 



It was still pitch dark as the last camel was loaded, 

 and the long string of patient animals moved slowly 

 away from the warm light of the camp fires into the 

 night beyond. Countless stars shone from a clear 

 sky, and the Southern Cross was clearly visible above 

 the horizon. The guide led the way at a smart pace 

 through the open bush, for a chilly wind was blowing 

 from the north over the river, and the dampness 

 of the atmosphere made it difficult to keep warm. 

 When dawn broke, and the surrounding country took 

 shape, I found myself on an open plain bounded on 

 the right-hand side by a tall line of trees that grew 

 along the river bank ; it was covered with a luxurious 

 growth of grass and small broad-leaved plants, bearing 

 a quantity of yellow flowers. There was but little 

 bush, and the ground seemed very rich and even more 

 fertile than at Melka Gela. I was told that during 

 the rains it becomes somewhat swampy, and impass- 

 able for camels, who are helpless in the mud. 



As the light grew stronger, it revealed in the 

 distance the striking outlines of Marti Plateau, whose 

 sides rose precipitously from the bush that surrounded 

 its base up to its broad and perfectly level summit. 

 Its dark colour, due to the volcanic rock of which it 

 is composed, formed a sombre background against 

 which the vivid greens of the bush and the grove of 



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