158 AN EXCURSION TO LUR. 



The water-mark at the foot of the mountains showed that the 

 lake had fallen about eighteen inches. 



We halted at 10.17 a.m. near the hot springs. At the 

 foot of the almost precipitous cliffs there is a strip of sand 

 about ten feet broad, covered over with fragments of stone, 

 amongst which I noticed beautiful red-ribbed quartz and much 

 mica ; at high water no doubt the whole of this place is 

 covered. The cliff itself is a very fragile grey stone, split and 

 cleft in all directions, so that one can lift out great pieces with 

 one's hand. The inner surface of such pieces is of a yellow- 

 ochre colour, covered in part by white efflorescence, having a 

 bitter taste. This efflorescence is also found in great quantity 

 on the pieces of stone lying about. From all the rents and 

 crevices of the rock perfectly clear yellowish water exudes ; it 

 smells and tastes strongly of sulphuretted hydrogen. The tem- 

 perature of this water was in one place 1 1 5 ° Fahr. ; in two 

 others near by 128.3° Fahr., the water in the lake being 84° 

 Fahr. The atmospheric temperature was 8 1 . 5 ° Fahr., whilst the 

 aneroid read 27.7 in. (1 1 A.M.) The temperature of the air to 

 a height of 4-^ feet above the ground was very hot, viz., 100.4° 

 Fahr. One could not see any real sediment or animal life in 

 the water, but there was a kind of white slimy substance upon 

 the stones over which the hot water flowed. I took samples 

 both of the rock and of the efflorescence for analysis. Many 

 flowering euphorbias, two small wild date palms, and numerous 

 bamboos grew in the neighbourhood. 



I may be permitted to add here a few words concerning the 

 hot springs in this country ; I know of four, and they all 

 contain sulphur. Going from north to south, the first is found 

 to the west of Lado, not far from the road which leads from 

 Niambara to Makraka ; it is called Rillek, and has been visited 

 and examined by Dr. Junker. The next lies on the north- 

 west slope of Jebel Labilla or Abul Sala, to the E.N.E. of 

 Dufile ; it is very large and very hot (156° Fahr.), and is 

 called by the Madi " Amruppi." This hot spring appears to 

 be either intermittent, or else to vary much in the quantity 

 of water it yields. Near to this spring lies a second, con- 

 taining boiling water. The third warm spring ( 1 3 3 ° Fahr.) 

 is situated in the Shuli district, two and a half days' march to 



