ALAJI PASS—ATALA. 73 



bedded volcanic rocks ; the subjacent limestones, sand- 

 stones, and metamorpbic rocks never once emerging 

 from beneath the great trappean formations. 



From the crest of the Alaji saddle there is a fall of 

 about 1,500 feet to the valley of Atala. The greater 

 portion of this descent is over horizontal beds, mostly 

 basaltic, a few only being trachytic ; but at the bottom 

 of the valley, just east of the ground occupied by the 

 camp, is a small ridge of basaltic beds, dipping at an 

 angle of 35° or 40° to 30° south of west. These evi- 

 dently belong to a lower series, upon which the horizontal 

 beds rest unconformably, and to which the inclined beds 

 seen in the Meshek valley also belong. Up the Atala 

 valley to the eastward all the beds are horizontal, like 

 those forming the crests of the hills. 



At Atala a large body of Abyssinians, men and women, 

 were assembled. The women, many of whom were not 

 iU-looking, though their beauty might have been greatly 

 heightened by the use of water, were all dressed in a long 

 shift of coarse cotton, and had their hair closely plaited. 

 The men wore the usual toga-like shama, and carried 

 spears and shields. All were much excited. The women 

 were crowded together in the centre, one or two of the 

 eldest and shrillest leading a sort of song, to which the 

 others kept time with much howling and lamentation. 

 The men, evidently much excited, stood around. On 

 inquiry we learned that this was an Abyssinian indigna- 

 tion meeting. The poor people had carried stores for the 

 commissariat, and had been paid, but Walda Yasous 

 or his followers had taken from them a considerable 



