62 



THROUGH JUNGLE AND DESERT 



CHAP. 



their crops, and convey them up and down the river 

 when they so desire. This state of affairs has evidently 

 lasted for many years ; for at present the Pokomo, 

 although preserving their racial characteristics, have 

 not only adopted the language of the Gall a, but have 

 lost all remembrance of their own tongue. The distinc- 

 tion between the two tribes is, however, clearly main- 

 tained, and they never intermarry. In return for the 

 tribute above mentioned, the Galla protect the Pokomo 

 from the raids of the Somali on the left bank, and the 

 attacks of the Wakamba on the right. 



In this neighbourhood, some miles from the left 

 bank. Dr. Peters located on his map the Galla moun- 

 tains and the Friedrich Franz range. These ranges 

 were invisible to us, and most careful scrutiny failed to 

 reveal anything with even the proportions of what we 

 term a hill, in the direction indicated by Dr. Peters. 



Owing to cloudy weather for the last two days. Lieu- 

 tenant von Hohnel had been unable to take observa- 

 tions ; but by dead reckoning we calculated we were 

 near the point where the canoes were to meet us, 

 — Malkakofira. On November 15 we made a late 

 start, thinking we should find the canoes near by. 

 We were prevented from following the river by a 

 dense growth of bush. About noon, fearing lest we 

 had passed our canoes, we decided to cut our way 

 through the bush to the river, cost what it might. 

 From noon until seven o'clock at night every knife 

 and axe in the caravan was at work ; and after a ter- 

 rible day we succeeded in reaching the river. Fortu- 

 nately, there was a small open space of about half an 

 acre at this point ; so we camped there. 



