This Fellow's Name Is
Mahomet; He Is, Doubtlessly, An Out-And-Out Scoundrel; He Is
About Five Feet Ten Inches
In height, and as thin as a live man
can be; he is so crafty-looking, and so wiry and
Eel-like, that
if I were to lock him up I should secure the key-hole, as he
looks capable of squeezing through anything. We slept on the
plain.
"March 20.--Started at 5 A.M., and in three hours we reached the
chain of lofty wooded hills that bound the plain. In a march of
four hours from this point, we arrived at a hor, or ravine, when
we halted beneath a large tamarind tree, and pitched the tent
according to the instructions of our guide. The plain from the
Settite to the base of the hilly range that we had crossed, is
about twenty-two miles wide by forty in length, and, like all the
table-land in this country, it is well adapted for cotton
cultivation. Were the route secure through the Base country,
loaded camels might reach Cassala in six days and from thence to
Souakim. All this country is uninhabited. On arrival at the base
of the first bill, a grove of tamarinds shades a spring, at which
we watered our horses, but the water is impregnated with natron,
which is common throughout this country, and appears in many
places as an efflorescence on the surface of the ground. From the
spring at the eastern base of the hills, we ascended a rugged
pass, winding for some miles among ravines, and crossing elevated
shoulders of the range. Upon the summit we passed a rich mass of
both rose-coloured and white limestone, similar to that we had
seen at Geera; this was surrounded by basalt, and the presence of
limestone entirely mystifles my ideas of geology. Immense
quantities of very beautiful spar lay upon the surface in all
directions; some of this was perfectly white, and veined like an
agate--I believe it was white cornelian; other fragments, of
sizes equalling sixty or seventy pounds weight, were beautifully
green, suggesting the presence of copper. Large masses of
exquisite bloodstone, the size of a man's head, were exceedingly
numerous. Having crossed the hills, we descended to a rich and
park-like valley, covered with grass, and ornamented with fine
timber. Much dhurra was cultivated, and several villages were
passed, that had been plundered by the Egyptians during the
recent attack. This country must be exceedingly unhealthy during
the rainy season, as the soil is extremely rich, and the valleys,
surrounded by hills, would become swamps. From the Settite river,
at Ombrega, to our halting-place beneath the tamarind-tree, at
this spot, is about thirty-five miles south, 10 degrees east."
Our camp was in a favourable locality, well shaded by large
trees, on the margin of a small stream; this was nearly dry at
this season, and the water was extremely bad, having a strong
taste of copper.
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