Not A Trace Of Vegetation Remained Behind; The Country Appeared
As Though Covered With A Pall Of Black Velvet.
Returning from my work, I
found my camping place well arranged - beds prepared, and a good dinner
ready of antelope soup and cutlets.
On waking the next morning, I found
that the Turks had all disappeared during the night, and that I was
alone with my people. It was shortly explained that they had departed to
attack some village, to which they were guided by some natives who had
accompanied them from Farajoke.
I accordingly took my rifle and strolled along the margin of the river
to look for game, accompanied by two of my porters. Although it was a
most likely country, being a natural park well timbered, with a river
flowing through the midst, there was a great scarcity of wild animals.
At length, in crossing a ravine that had stopped the progress of the
fire, an antelope (water buck) jumped out of a hollow, and, rushing
through the high grass, he exposed himself for an instant in crossing
the summit of a bare knoll, and received a ball from the little Fletcher
in the hindquarters. Although badly wounded, he was too nimble for my
natives, who chased him with their spears for about a quarter of a mile.
These fellows tracked him beautifully, and we at length found him hiding
in a deep pool in the river, and he was immediately dispatched.
After a long walk, during which I did not obtain another shot, I
returned to my resting-place, and, refreshed by a bathe in the cool
river, I slept as sound as though in the most luxurious bed in England.
On the following morning I went out early, and shot a small species of
antelope; and shortly after my return to breakfast, the Turks' party
arrived, bringing with them about three hundred head of cattle that they
had captured from the Madi tribe. They did not seem at all in good
spirits, and I shortly heard that they had lost their standard-bearer,
killed in the fight, and that the flag had been in great peril, and had
been saved by the courage of a young Bari slave. The ensign was
separated from the main party, and was attacked by four natives, who
killed the bearer, and snatched away the flag: this would inevitably
have been lost, had not the Bari boy of about fifteen shot the foremost
native dead with a pistol, and, snatching the flag from his hands, ran
with it towards the Turks, some of whom coming up at that instant, the
natives did not think it wise to pursue their advantage. A number of
slaves had been captured; among others, several young children, one of
whom was an infant. These unfortunate women and children, excepting the
infant, were all tied by the neck with a long leathern thong, so as to
form a living chain, and guards were set over them to prevent escape.
The Bari natives would make good soldiers, as they are far more
courageous than most of the savage tribes. The best men among the party
of Ibrahim are Baris; among them is a boy named Arnout; he is the
drummer, and he once saved his master in a fight by suddenly presenting
his drumstick like a pistol at several natives, who had attacked him
while unloaded. The natives, seeing the determined attitude of the boy,
and thinking that the drumstick was a firearm, ran off. We started at
daybreak on 13th January, and, ascending the whole way, we reached
Shooa, in latitude 3 degrees 4 minutes. The route throughout had been of
the same parklike character, interspersed with occasional hills of fine
granite, piled in the enormous blocks so characteristic of that stone.
Shooa was a lovely place. A fine granite mountain ascended in one block
in a sheer precipice for about 800 feet from its base, perfectly abrupt
on the eastern side, while the other portions of the mountain were
covered with fine forest trees, and picturesquely dotted over with
villages. This country formed a natural park, remarkably well watered by
numerous rivulets, ornamented with fine timber, and interspersed with
numerous high rocks of granite, which from a distance produced the
effect of ruined castles.
The pasturage was of a superior quality, and of the same description as
that of Farajoke. The country being undulating, there was a small brook
in every valley that formed a natural drain. Accordingly, the more
elevated land was remarkably dry and healthy. On arrival at the foot of
the abrupt mountain, we camped beneath an immense india-rubber tree,
that afforded a delightful shade, from which elevated spot we had a
superb view of the surrounding country, and could see the position of
Debono's camp, about twenty-five miles to the west by north, at the foot
of the Faloro hills.
By Casella's thermometer, I determined the altitude of Shooa to be 3,877
feet - 1,002 feet above the Asua river, and 89 feet lower than
Farajoke. These observations of the thermometer agreed with the natural
appearance of the country, the Asua river forming the main drain in a
deep valley, into which innumerable rivulets convey the drainage from
both north and south. Accordingly, the Asua, receiving the Atabbi river,
which is the main drain of the western face of the Madi mountains, and
the entire drainage of the Madi and Shooa countries, together with that
of extensive countries to the east of Shooa, including the rivers Chombi
and Udat, from Lira and Umiro, it becomes a tremendous torrent so long
as the rains continue, and conveys a grand volume of water to the Nile;
but the inclination of all these countries tending rapidly to the
northwest, the bed of the Asua river partakes of the general incline,
and so quickly empties after the cessation of the rains that it becomes
nil as a river. By the mean of several observations I determined the
latitude of Shooa 3 degrees 04 minutes, longitude 32 degrees 04 minutes
E.
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