BELLAD HY. 167 



ascend a gentle acclivity by a narrow road, which 

 soon altered in character, from that along which 

 we had been travelling for the two hours previously. 

 Numerous stones of very unequal size had to be 

 stumbled over, and when we had gained the summit 

 a dreary prospect lay before us ; a widely-extended 

 country, or table land, covered with large loose 

 blocks, of a black scoreaceous lava. I took a last 

 fond look of the narrow, but beautiful valley we 

 had just emerged from, and which I now found was 

 a little green oasis in the midst of a wilderness of 

 stones. There was no help for it, so with a long 

 hop, as I recovered myself from a severe blow I gave 

 my foot against a large stone, when with averted 

 face I was still looking towards the valley, I com- 

 menced following my companions. I soon came up 

 to them, and found our new position was called 

 Bellad Hy, the country of Hy, from whence I 

 imagine the Hy Soumaulee derive their name, 

 although it forms at present no portion of their 

 domains, being part of the country of the 

 Debenee, who claim all the land from Gurguddee 

 to the valley of Gobard, a few days' journey in 

 advance. 



I noticed on the plain of Hy, many tombs of 

 the circular kind, like those I saw of the Soumaulee 

 at Berberah, with the usual entrance to the south, 

 and the line of the grave in the centre, placed 

 exactly due east and west. These tombs were so 

 numerous that for the last few days of our journey- 

 ing, T had no occasion to refer to my compass to 



