THE NORTHERN GATEWAY OF SUDAN 403 



British troops have won through some of them ; 

 others lie there still. 



Once the nearer sand-ridge bore traces of tiny water 

 courses. They seemed inexplicable ; but a kindly railway 

 official explained: "That was the rain that fell here 

 last August (seven months ago); before that, five years 

 had elapsed without a shower." So short an interval, 

 however, is exceptional. The average period between 

 rainfalls, we were assured, may be put anywhere between 

 a dozen and a score of years. In this Nature seems incon- 

 sistent ; either leave rain out of her scheme altogether, or 

 send it where it may refresh ! 



During the whole day's vigil I saw but three wild 

 creatures three ravens, birds which need water daily but 

 whose powerful pinions enable them to forage hundreds 

 of miles beyond their base of supply. Vultures also 

 patrol the waste, though I saw none. Twice or thrice, 

 while passing isolated koppies, traces of foot-prints in 

 two sizes crossed the line. Possibly hyenas occupy 

 these crags and some of the smaller fox-tribe, such as 

 jackal and fennec ; though how they sustain life there 

 at all is not apparent in a cursory survey. 



Besides the three ravens, we also saw two solitary 

 camels, and once a camel-caravan in charge of two wild 

 Bedouins that was all in 232 miles. 



It may emphasise the desolation of this vast void, if 

 we compare the above with the " Eastern Gateway of 

 Sudan" (p. 20). In the latter that is, along the desert- 

 railway from Red Sea to Nile at the Atbara there exist 

 at least some evidences of life, however insignificant. 

 There are ibex in the naked hills and one sees, maybe 

 at long intervals, bands of gazelles, a hare or two, and 

 other creatures that bespeak the survival of some minute 

 growth of plant-life, albeit none be visible. There are, 

 moreover, birds suck as coursers, sandgrouse, shrikes, 

 none of which are independent of water. Few, indeed, 

 are their numbers ; the most careful outlook might not 



