RETURN MARCH. 109 



There were no leaves or flowers to help in determining its 

 species. A hedge of euphorbia encircled the village. We 

 reached Fatiko in pouring rain, and spent another day there. 



It was unpleasantly cold in the morning and evening. Besides 

 this, there was rain daily, an occurrence quite abnormal at this 

 time of the year (January 1879), and only to be explained by 

 the enormous evaporation that takes place during the day from 

 the large surfaces flooded by the river, when the midday tem- 

 perature is 90 to 95 Fahr. in the shade. Therefore it is 

 possible that this year the rainy season is setting in earlier 

 everywhere. From Fatiko a beaten road leads past Fadibek to 

 Tarangole, the capital of the administrative district of Latuka. 

 Unfortunately my time did not allow me to make any excursion 

 to that place, but in order to utilise as much as possible my 

 return journey to Dufile, I chose a new road, which will now 

 be shortly described. 



Behind the mountain Jiilu, which lies close to the station 

 Fatiko, and at the foot of which stands Gimoro's village of the 

 same name, we clambered down over blocks of stone, crossed 

 a stream, and found ourselves on very undulating ground, the 

 ridges of which ran for the most part from S.W. to N.E., and 

 which, was mostly covered with open wood and high grass. 

 For some distance Jebel Shiia was seen on our right (Linant 

 has placed it much too far north on his map) ; to the left the 

 mountains of Faloro were clearly visible from the tops of the 

 ridges. As the road cut through the country almost in a 

 straight line we made good progress. We marched along the 

 northern bank of a small Ichor, past a small zeriha belonging 

 to the village Fauvel, which lies a little farther to the east, 

 and after crossing some ridges of hills and some streams, we 

 arrived at Khor Unyama, which here runs from S.S.W. to 

 N.N.E. Icy cold water rushes along over smooth stones in 

 the shadow of high- stemmed trees ; north of this place there 

 is but little water, and the little there is is bad. 



The road now became terribly monotonous ; the path led 

 up and down hill through high grass ; twice the Khor Unyama 

 approached so close to the road that we could plainly hear its 

 murmur. The brooks which crossed the road were for the 

 most part dry ; some, however, contained small pools with a 



