XXXIV.] MDABURU. 453 



has now nearly disappeared, and the ground has ahnost entirely 

 been brought under cultivation. 



Mdaburu is another large fertile district, extending as far as 

 the eye can reach, with a large population owning great herds 

 of cattle, and is drained by the Mdaburu nullah — a line of 

 creeks and pools where plenty of good water is to be found 

 even in the driest seasons — becoming in the rains an impetuous 

 stream running to the Rwaha, which was here within fifty miles 

 of our route. 



The soil of the vale of Mdaburu is a rich red loam, and the 

 people are able to cultivate sweet-potatoes and various pulses, 

 in addition to the matama, which formed the main cro]3 of their 

 eastern relatives. 



Between Mdaburu and Unyanyembe lies a tract of country 

 which is known as the Mgunda Mkali, or " Fiery Field," and 

 in former days was considered one of the worst pieces of trav- 

 eling between Unyanyembe and the coast. It was once nearly 

 an unlu'oken mass of forests with few w^atering-places, and no- 

 where could provisions be procured. But now all is changed; 

 and although there are still many long and weary marches to 

 be endured, and caravans constantly suffer from scarcity of wa- 

 ter, much of tlie forest has been cleared by the Wakimbu, a 

 branch of the Wanyamwezi driven from their former homes by 

 war. 



At many of the settlements they have formed, provisions 

 can now be obtained, and water-holes have been dug, and natural 

 watering-places discovered, so that the dreaded Mgunda Mkali 

 of yore, where every caravan expected to leave the bodies of 

 a considerable percentage of its numbers, is now faced without 

 fear, and traversed without nmch difficulty. 



The countr}' immediately after leaving Mdaburu is broken 

 and hilly, the granite showing in sheets and patches on the hill- 

 sides. After three marches the Mabunguru nullah is crossed, 

 very similar in its character to the Mdaburu, the easternmost 

 affluent of the Rwaha passed on the road to Unyanyembe. 



After the Mabunguru, the country rises considerably, and 

 soon the highest levels before reaching Unyanyembe are at- 

 tained. Many pools, mostly dried up, lay on this small portion 

 of the route, and several small water-courses ; but the direction 



