DESEKTED BY THE PORTERS. 257 



hills in front of us, which formed part of the mountain system 

 that extends from Dufile, and follows the eastern side of the 

 river as far as Lahore. Cultivated fields and small villages 

 were scattered among the hills, and the scenery was very lovely, 

 so that the march was a pleasant one, especially as the way led 

 over level red clay, free from briars and other obstacles. 



The village of Fagger, the huts of which are scattered over 

 a large circular terrace, is the capital of the Fandiker district, 

 and is encircled by a chain of hills. Crops of durrah, eleusine, 

 tobacco, and sesame grow here, and the little Madi cucumber 

 twines itself about the stalks in every direction. 



Little remains to be said about the road from this point to 

 K^refi and Lahore. The porters supplied to us at Fagger 

 begged permission to start early and go on in advance, in order 

 to get back here again in good time from Keren, so two of our 

 men were sent with them, and we followed more leisurely, 

 through mist, which was so thick that we could only just 

 manage to find the path. We did not, however, lose much as 

 regards scenery, for the open forest, covering consecutive rows of 

 hills, was very uniform, and was only varied at times by a rich 

 growth of vegetation near some of the numerous Ichors. Cross- 

 ing Khor Yibi, a broad stony, dry ravine, we came to the 

 village of Dereto, which was quite hidden in corn-fields, and 

 here we were annoyed to find that the Fagger porters had no 

 sooner laid down their loads, ostensibly to take a rest, than they 

 disappeared. Dereto was quite a small place, and though 

 Chief Yata did his utmost to get our things carried on, he 

 could not find enough porters, so we had to march two hours 

 farther to Keren, and send back some of the porters from there. 

 The path led over red clay completely covered with rubble, and 

 slightly down hill through park land and woods, with here and 

 there a solitary pile of rocks. Keren itself had undergone no 

 change since last year ; I even found my old huts standing. 



The road we took from here to the river deviated slightly 

 from that followed last year. The names I heard for most of 

 the Ichors were different from those given me last year, but I 

 am inclined to prefer the ones told me this year, because my 

 guide belonged to this place, and seemed to be well informed. 

 The red sandy flats which extend from Khor Merve to the 



K 



