KOMAYLI— WATER-SUPPLY. 21 



ingii, which at first abounded around ZuUa also, but 

 was gradually extirpated or driven away. Just south of 

 the Turkish military camp at Arafild is a very perfect 

 volcanic cone, evidently of much later date than the two 

 other volcanic hills. It is about 300 feet high, and com- 

 posed mainly of fine volcanic ash. 



On the 7th of January, at the desire of Colonel Wil- 

 kins, I rode to Komayli, the first march on the road laid 

 out to the highlands, to examine the water-supply. The 

 road was similar to that to Hadoda, but much more 

 dusty, in consequence of the trafiic. Long strings of 

 mules and camels, laden with stores of all kinds, were 

 constantly to be seen going and returning. The railway 

 was as yet in embryo, the first steam-engine being landed 

 about this time. Komayli lies at the entrance of a better- 

 defined gorge than that which debouches at Hadoda ; 

 and when the pioneer force first examined the locality, 

 there was running water here also. This had disap- 

 peared ; but wells of no great depth had been dug in the 

 torrent bed, and the little American Norton's pumps, 

 afterwards so largely used, had been employed for the 

 first time. A brief examination of the wells convinced 

 me that there was very little fear of the water failing ; 

 and I was enabled to report most favourably on the 

 prospects of what was, at the moment, one of the most 

 important necessaries for the progress of the army. My 

 report only confirmed that of the engineer ofiicers, who 

 had already examined the spot, and was fully borne out 

 by the results. The wells at Komayli not only supplied 

 ampl^ the immense camp of both men and animals 



