KOMAril. 23 



and at Rahaguddy, or, as it was more commonly called, 

 Rereguddy, ten miles below Senaf^, running water was 

 found ; but between these two a march of twenty-nine 

 miles intervened. In order to break this, a well had 

 been dug by the engineers at a place called by the 

 natives Mayen, but subsequently known in the army as 

 Undul Wells (the Undul being a torrent which enters the 

 main ravine a little above). ]\Iy particular duty was to 

 ascertain, as far as possible, the prospects of the water- 

 supply at Mayen, and to inquire if it could be supple- 

 mented in case of failure. 



After some difficulty in obtaining mules, I started on 

 the 10th, and rode across to Komayli. The next morn- 

 ing I started up the pass, with Captain C. B. Smith, of 

 the Commissariat, and Lieut. St. John of the Engineers, 

 who had charge of the telegraph in couise of construction. 

 The latter is an excellent ornithologist, and both on this 

 occasion and often subsequently gave me information 

 and specimens. 



Komayli, as already mentioned, lies at the spot where 

 the long ravine ends, on the verge of the coast plain. 

 The road, on leaving the camp, enters a valley, about 

 half a mile broad at first, but much narrower afterwards, 

 its bottom composed of a deposit of boulders, pebbles, 

 and sand brought down by the torrent, upon which a 

 tolerably dense vegetation has sprung up. The hills rise 

 abruptly from the side ; they are entirely composed of 

 metamorphic rocks. Close to Komayli, gneiss and mica- 

 ceous schist, with garnets, are seen, the lamination 

 dipping east on the south side of the ravine, and north- 



