KORDOFAN AND DARFUR.
Section I.—Kordofan.
1. General Description.
The country between the Nile and the eastern frontier of Darfur consists of vast plains broken in places by clusters of hills, which rarely exceed 600 feet in height above the plain. In the north, these plains are intersected by wadis which run down from the hills and gradually lose themselves in the sand. The country is thinly covered with low scrub, which becomes denser in the wadis. Towards the south the khors gradually become less and less, until about lat. 14° 30′ north they cease. Here the real bush country commences, and the surface of the ground becomes more undulating. There is no visible watershed, the rain sinking in where it falls.
The northern plains, occupied by camel-owning tribes, consist chiefly of reddish sand, which, if the rains are good, supports plenty of coarse grass and crops of dukhn. Should they fail, even the grass in the wadis does not afford grazing, and the wells give out (1902-03).
In the undulating country between El Obeid and the river the grey gum acacia (hashab) is the prevailing tree. The soil here contains more clay than further north. Between Id El Ud and Zereiga on the east, and Hashaba and Jebel Kon on the west, is a waterless district called El Agaba, in which grows little but marakh bush and coarse grass.
Between El Agaba and the river the ground falls, at first abruptly, and then very gently, to the river. The sandy soil gradually disappears, and along the bank is replaced by a strip of black soil, in places, 12 miles wide. This soil is rich and is generally overgrown with thick bush. On the river bank, and as far inland as the floods at high Nile reach, large red sunt trees are found. At high Nile these often stand in 3 or 4 feet of water. During the rains this soil becomes a swamp, impassable for camels in most places, the khors fill with water, and the roads near the river go out of use. As soon as the rains stop and the river falls, this soil dries up and cracks, and until the paths have been used for some time the going is very bad.
Dar Hamid.In Dar Hamid, a large district north-west of Bara, there is a series of basins running from north to south, divided by steep ridges of red sand. At the bottom of each basin, locally called a “khor,” the soil is white, sandy earth, containing much lime. Water is here found at a depth of from 4 to 10 feet. These khors were formerly all cultivated by Danagla, who used shadufs or saglias. The whole district, which extends from Ashaf in the south to Shershar in the north, is known as El Kheiran. Date, dom, and deleib palms, as well as limes grow, and in a few places gardens with onions, shatta (red pepper), rigl, etc., have been made.
Southern portion.Though the change is very gradual, south of lat. 13° 15′ the plains become more level. They are broken by deep khors with steep banks, and are covered with thick bush or tall trees up to the foot of the Nuba hills. Further south the bush becomes larger, until huge forest trees are met with. On the edge of the khors there are immense creepers and tangled undergrowth. The soil appears fertile, but is only cultivated near the hills. The rest of the country is covered with jungle, and becomes a swamp in the rains, but afterwards quickly dries up. The timber found is of little value, being chiefly acacia. Game is abundant. Elephant, giraffe, and antelope abound; monkeys and birds are found in great numbers in the woods. Snakes are also said to be common.
Dar Nuba.Dar Nuba is the only part of Kordofan where the scenery can be said to be pretty, and some of the views of the hills looking over masses of forest are really beautiful, whereas most of the rest of the country is wearisome from its sameness. The hills in the north are nearly bare of vegetation. On all the Nuba hills thorny bushes grow between the rocks, except on a few of the more isolated hills, whose summits consist of piled masses of rock devoid of vegetation. They are terraced for cultivation, by the people, to a height of 300 or 400 feet from their base.