A NIGHT MAECH. 343 



of Dinka warriors, and it is said that one G5k can drive ten 

 Agar before him ; they therefore call the Agar, in scorn, 

 Tirem (useless.) The Dinka are the only Negroes in our pro- 

 vince among whom women are allowed to milk the cows. The 

 clean zeribas of the few Danagla settled here are surrounded 

 by high stockades made of split bamboo, over which there 

 climbs a white flowering, strongly smelling bean, which has 

 been introduced from Khartum. Two kinds of large gourds 

 are grown in the corn-fields, of a different species from those seen 

 in the south ; the one is round, the other four-cornered, with 

 a reddish sweet pulp. The people here (Danagla) appear to 

 live on a good footing with the surrounding natives, to judge 

 from the fact that as soon as we requested porters they 

 immediately appeared ; so we were able to utilise a moonlight 

 night to cross the waterless stretch which lay before us. Al- 

 though such night marches are pleasant on account of the cool 

 air, they are usually followed by fever, especially if several 

 night marches are made one after the other. Therefore, people 

 who are strangers to the country will do well to use caution. 



Throughout the district of Jot, into that of Ayell as far as 

 the borders of the river Roa, there stretches a plain, broken 

 here and there by beautiful thickets. Two hours and a half 

 were occupied in passing over the ground, which in parts was 

 flooded by the river. Numerous mushroom-shaped structures 

 made by the termites gave to the country a very peculiar 

 appearance ; sometimes whole groups of them were seen. As 

 we approached the river, the road turned sharply to the north, 

 and was bordered by a wide expanse of grass. On the ruins 

 of a cattle zeriba, called Abiai, I noticed flocks of lively 

 plovers tumbling about, and heard the shrill notes of a flock 

 of Senegal magpies and the call of the white-headed osprey. 

 Masses of empty shells covered the muddy ground, over which 

 we could only march slowly, reaching, after five hours and a 

 half, the west bank of the river, where we obtained a well- 

 earned rest. 



We camped upon the steep greyish-yellow loam bank of the 

 river, about ten feet above the level of the water. The eastern 

 bank slopes more gently ; the bed of the river is sixty-five 

 feet broad, and the water even now reached to the necks of 



