268 LABOEE TO FATIKO. 



mud. Passing through a broad defile, a beautiful landscape 

 opened out before us. Fresh green fields, with here and there a 

 few majestic trees, were bordered with hills, on the tops of which 

 were bare piles of stones, forming fantastic outlines against the 

 clear sky. Such a scene amply compensates for many difficulties. 

 From a high hill, the burnt rock of which looked like cast-iron, 

 we obtained another good view over the long Latiika range, 

 which runs up from the north, and which is called here by the 

 general name of Lumoga (the g is pronounced like the Arabic 

 gliain). 



We next marched through exceptionally high grass (this 

 country ranks after north Unyoro for the abundance of its 

 grass and thorns), the pointed beards of which penetrated our 

 clothes and pricked like needles. The village of Madi, in the 

 district of the same name, is fenced in by split bamboo, as is 

 the case in all the succeeding villages to the south-east, passion- 

 flowers and Cucurbitaceee twining their tendrils over the fence. 

 The bamboos from the immediate neighbourhood are also used 

 as fuel, wood being scarce. Towards the south some slender 

 doleb palms were visible, and Amomums were plentiful at the 

 Jchor, but unfortunately the fruit was not ripe. The inhabi- 

 tants appear to be keen hunters ; netted hoops were hung 

 before the huts for catching francolins and bustards, which 

 are said to be plentiful. If a bird steps into the hoop and 

 gets caught in the network, it cannot escape. Snares for 

 antelopes are constructed on the same principle, like those 

 seen in Uganda and Unyoro. 



The porters engaged for the next march assembled at mid- 

 night and held a veritable dancing orgie in the bright moon- 

 light, accompanied by all sorts of conceivable and inconceivable 

 noises. Towards morning, however, they fortunately went to 

 sleep, having realised with horror that they were expected to 

 start early, in the cold (64° Fahr.), and to march through the 

 wet grass. Thus it was late when we left Madi, and after 

 marching through its extensive fields, we came to another 

 little village, where all the trees were hung over with straw 

 beehives, showing that we had now reached a Jioney-producing 

 district. While a great deal of honey is obtained in Makraka, 

 its quality, however, being rather deteriorated by the method 



