776 THROUGH SOUTHERN ETHIOPIA TO THE SUDAN. 



this r:ino-e are covered Avith thick forest, and therefore the fauna, as 

 well as the flora, here contrast sharply with that wliich Ave had found 

 in the dr\' Somali desert between Zeila and Jildesa, situated at the foot 

 of the Harar Mountains. Returning to Harar, the lirst thing- we 

 found was a prohibition to continue our journey to the south, as the 

 countries of the Ennia and Arussi Galla were said to be in a state of 

 rebellion, excited by that of the Somal; and only after a solemn decla- 

 ration on our part to the effect that the Emperor ]Menelik should not 

 be held responsilde for our safety, and thanks to the great assistance of 

 Major Harrington, did we receive permission to continue our journey. 

 Unfortunateh' we were again obliged to put otl' our departure, as a 

 great many of our camels, wliich during oursojoui'n in Harar had been 

 left at a place in the Erer Valley, had died there from the results of 

 eating poisonous herbs and it was impossible to o))tain new animals for 

 some time. We therefore inade a temporaiy camp at Gandakore, in 

 the countr}' of Argobl)a. to the south of Harar. 



It is remarkable that, in spite of their proximity to Harar, next to 

 nothing was known of the interesting Argobha people and their old 

 stone buildings. The remains of this probably once powerful nation 

 dwell on the eastern slopes of the Hakim, a mountain ridge situated 

 to the south of Harar.. Their houses were ])uilt of stone, had high 

 watciitowers in the centei', and were surroundetl by strong v/alls. 

 They ai'e now mostly fallen into decay and are only partly inhabited. 

 The old ruins overlooking the Erer Valley resemble medieval castles 

 and present a picturesque appearance. Scattered amongst them are 

 the straw huts of the Ala Galla, who form the greater part of the 

 popuhition of to-day. Mysterious reports as to the Argoljlxi exist 

 among the Harari and the (ialla. It is said that at certain festivals 

 they devour human tiesh. It is certain that these rei)orts are untrue, 

 as the Argo))ba are strict, even fanatical, jMoluunmedans, l>ut the}' seem 

 to prove that the nation is of quite a dili'erent origin to the inhabitants 

 of Harar. 



On May 22 we set olf southwaid from Gandakore, and on the next 

 day we passed the village of Biaworaba. The Austrian explorer 

 Paulitschke had pushed as far as this place in the year 1884, but since 

 that time no European had reached it or explored farther south, as the 

 Abyssinian Government had strictly forbidden any European to enter 

 that country. South of Biaworaba we entered the country of the 

 Ennia. This people is a mixed race of Galla and Somal. The}' speak 

 a Galla dialect, but have followed the nomadic manner of living of the 

 Somal. For one or two 3'ears the}' build for themselves square huts 

 of cow dung, much resembling those I found during my journey in 

 East Africa in use by the sedentary Masai, the so-called Wakwali. 

 Besides these, they build for their cows and sheep peculiar huts, 7 to 8 

 feet high, resembling a sugar loaf, likewise of cow dung. Sometimes, 



