ioo DUFILE TO FATIKO. 



of rock, between winch the clear water rushes merrily along, 

 and slender doleb palms are reflected in it. On the banks lay 

 many fresh-water shells, which unfortunately were so disfigured 

 by fire that they were unrecognisable. The path now again 

 wound upwards between ledges of gneiss, until the summit of 

 the hill was reached, when a long chain of mountains came 

 into sight on the right. A little pool beside the way harboured a 

 fine Varan (lizard), which would have been caught, had any one 

 dared to go near his long tongue — it is a dangerous creature. 



Open woods of stunted trees with stiff leaves, most of which 

 were much damaged by fire, covered the slopes of the hill, 

 alternating with stretches of high grass, equally stiff and 

 dry. The red ochre deposited along the margin of a stream 

 trickled down the hillside, and its water, upon which played all 

 the colours of the rainbow, proved the presence of iron in the 

 soil. The puddles were choked with water-lilies. Khor Yuba, 

 the last large watercourse before reaching Faloro, with its tall 

 shady trees and luxuriant underwood, presented a woodland 

 scene surprisingly beautiful for this part of the country, and 

 reminded one of the southern khors. Again the path wound 

 up hill in the direction of the mountains. Short stretches of 

 wood and fields followed one another in quick succession : in 

 the latter sesame was spread on platforms to dry. When we 

 reached the top of the hill, an imposing village lay before us, 

 enclosed in a high stockade ; this was Faloro, the goal of 

 our day's journey. 



The chiefs of the place are two brothers, who, since the occu- 

 pation of the place by the Danagla, have borne the nicknames 

 of " Hyasna " (dab be), and " Fox " (bit husein). Dabbe came 

 at once to greet us, and brought two small elephant's tusks as a 

 present. They received presents in return, and promised porters 

 for the next morning. Their mother, an aged dame, who seemed 

 to enjoy great consideration, appeared afterwards to beg for some 

 beads and bars of copper, and to bring her present of beauti- 

 fully white flour made from a light-coloured variety of telabun 

 (Eleusine coracana). Tomatoes, which have grown wild here 

 since the time of the Danagla, as well as bananas, are found in 

 abundance. The Faloro of the present day does not stand on 

 the site of the old Danagla station, the position of which was 



