CLIMATE OF ADAL. 393 



a water-shed directs the course of the river Takazza 

 to the Nile, whilst to the south, an oppositely 

 correspondent water-shed is drained by the river 

 Whabbee, emptying itself into the Indian Ocean 

 at Juba. Instead of a mountain range, which 

 usually marks the separations of different water- 

 sheds, we here have a huge fissure of habitable 

 land, drained by its own particular water system. 

 To the west, the high plateau of Abyssinia closes 

 the excavated plain of Adal, but it will be perceived 

 that in that direction the progress of extension is 

 rapidly going on, by the denuding agency of the river 

 Hawash, which is annually removing its courses 

 farther to the west, by the vast amount of the 

 Abyssinian highland, it carries away during the 

 rainy season in that country. 



To this peculiar situation of Adal, therefore, I 

 attribute the great irregularity in the season of the 

 rains, generally so periodical in other intratropical 

 districts. Opportunities of observation have been 

 only afforded me, of becoming acquainted with the 

 fact, but the character of the surrounding countries 

 being known, and the relative position of Adal with 

 these, being borne in mind, I have no doubt meteor- 

 ologists will be able to account, for the irre- 

 gularity and vicissitudes of the climate. 



To the left of our road, a lake called Iruloff 

 was reported to exist, which contained water all 

 the year round. It communicates with the river 

 of Killaloo. My attention was directed to the 



