APPENDIX A 



between it and the Lak Dera the country is extremely 

 fertile, and the soil is probably alluvial and undoubtedly 

 very rich, resembling the plains on each side of the Lorian 

 Swamps. With this exception the district is arid in the 

 extreme, covered with dense thorn, and in my opinion it will 

 never be of any great value either for cattle or for farming. 

 The only possibility of improving it and making it inhabit- 

 able, as far as I can see, would be to sink a series of wells in 

 the bed of the Lak Dera and perhaps at Jara, where I am 

 convinced there is a copious underground flow of water. In 

 this connection it is interesting to note that the natives 

 say that two days before water flows down the Lak Dera 

 the bed of the river becomes noticeably wet, and when 

 they see this they know they can take their cattle farther 

 west. 



3. Lorian} — The district known under this name to the 

 natives extends from Madoleh to Marti Mountain, or roughly 

 from longitude 40° E. to 39° E. Throughout this section there 

 is permanent water, and it possesses, in my opinion, great 

 agricultural possibilities. It may be considered as a shallow 

 valley, sloping gently to the south-east, whose floor consists of 

 an alluvial plain of great extent, divided unequally into two 

 parts by the Uaso Nyiro and Lorian Swamps. The valley, 

 which is narrow at its western extremity, and somewhat 

 thickly covered with bush near the river, broadens out till it 

 reaches its maximum width near Arro-Dima. Here there 

 would be no clearing to do, and the whole plain could easily 

 be irrigated from the river. I am sure that rice, cotton, 

 sugar-cane and Indian corn would do extremely well on 

 both banks. Below Madoleh the country again becomes 

 arid and waterless. Twelve miles above the latter place 

 there is a small swamp some five miles in length and about 

 two miles broad when I saw it, but its breadth may be 

 increased some two miles during the rains. A thin line of 

 thorn trees runs through the middle denoting the actual 

 river bed. On each side is a bed of tall grass and reeds. 

 Underfoot it is very swampy, and there were about 6 inches 



^ A full description of the Lorian is given in Chapters XVIII. and 

 XIX. 



