27S A SPORTING TRIP THROUGH ABYSSINIA chap. 



50 miles to the south of its course, and finally flows for 

 some hundreds of miles in a north-westerly direction, 

 till it joins the White Nile at Khartoum. So far as I 

 know, this is the only river of any size which runs into 

 and out of the same side of a lake, instead of through it, 

 besides flowing round its own source. 



Seven miles oft" the river-mouth lies the group of 

 islands called Derke, the largest of which is about 6 

 miles long by 4 miles broad, and, besides containing a 

 good deal of cultivated land, is celebrated for its fine 

 herds of cattle. Now on all the maps of this part of 

 Abyssinia which I had with me, the name assigned to 

 the largest of these islands is Derke or Dek, and it was 

 only after inquiring the names of the villages on it and 

 that of the rocky hill-top, that I began to doubt this 

 being correct. The villagers told me they called the 

 whole group Derke, but that this name really belonged 

 more particularly to the small island lying to the east of 

 the larger one, which from its bold, rocky outlines is a 

 much more conspicuous object from a distance than its 

 larger neighbour. Several people from different villages 

 confirmed this, but as I find the statement is directly at 

 variance with Dr. Anton Stecker's, who visited these 

 islands in 1881, I have not altered the usual names in 

 my map, but hope that this note may induce the next 

 European who visits those parts to ascertain the true 

 facts of the case. 



As I stood on the hill of Estomete I could see the 

 high mountains of Kuratar rising on the eastern shore 

 of the lake, while in the far north the dim outline of the 

 Gurgorer peninsula could be made out. Various little 



