2 FROM LADO TO DUFILE. 



give for the summit of Mount Eejaf a height of about 1770 

 feet, which is certainly far from corresponding with Baker's 

 4186 feet. I am quite sure of the accuracy of my observa- 

 tions, as also of my calculations (this is the third ascent I 

 have made), and cannot, therefore, account for so great a dis- 

 crepancy either through a mistake in reckoning or through 

 any carelessness on my part. 



From a negro chief here who was known to me, I received 

 several beautiful living hyraxes and an " Urn Dikdik " (Neo- 

 tragus Hemjorichianus), also alive. 



The journey from Eejaf to Beden, our next station, was 

 only a short one. It occupied four hours on foot, but five by 

 water, on account of the numerous sandbanks and windings of 

 the river. On both the river-banks, which consist of gently 

 rising, undulating, sandy ground, coarse-grained gneiss, often 

 very like coal blocks, and pieces of yellowish mica are seen 

 here and there. Where the upper crust has been washed 

 away by heavy rainfall, light red clay containing iron is exposed 

 to view. A few tall tamarinds and beautiful detaria laden with 

 golden fruit are scattered about, while at intervals a kigelia 

 swings upon long tendrils its grotesque fruit, the pulp of which 

 is used for dressing wounds. Nearer to Beden the groups of 

 rock become more numerous, the vegetation richer, and well- 

 wooded islands (Seba Jezai'r) adorn the river, into which rocky 

 promontories jut. Many rocks lie just beneath the surface of 

 the water, their presence being marked by small eddies, and 

 rendering the navigation difficult. At last, after passing through 

 a narrow defile, where the water, obstructed by rocky barriers, 

 rushes headlong forward, our boat reached the shore of the 

 island of Beden, once the headquarters of the chief of the 

 same name mentioned by Baker. The small island, situated in 

 the midst of raging rapids, forms a healthy residence for its 

 little garrison, which lives on the best of terms with the 

 surrounding negro tribes, and is of great importance in secur- 

 ing the safety of the transport up the river. All goods coming 

 from the north are disembarked here, and are carried by means 

 of a wire-rope ferry, established by the thoughtful care of 

 Gordon Pasha, to the west bank of the river, where there is 

 a " portage " for about a quarter of an hour to a point above 



