By Captain H. H. S. Morant, February, 1902.

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Khartoum——Leaving Khartoum bythe track passing 200 yards west of the westernmost rifle butts,the country for the first 7 miles is quite open, and very slightlyundulating. The soil is poor and sandy, and no attempt atcultivation is visible. At 8 miles the track passes through lowscattered arak bush, which continues to Id El Agaliin, where thereis one well 120 feet deep with a good supply of water. Ahmed ElFaki is the Omda of El Agaliin. Very fair grazing for camels onarak bush. Leaving the Id the country soon becomes open and bare,the soil richer, and traces of cultivation appear. Numerous crosstracks to the river are met with.
Id El Agaliin17½17½
Id Wad El Bella421½One well 120 feet deep; water said to beplentiful.
Sherafat930½A tukl village (allvillages met hereafter are built of tukls) is passed 1¼ miles on W.of track. It has a well. A mile further on arak and laot bushcommence and continue to Id El Orus, where there is one well 120feet deep; water plentiful, but slightly salt. About a mile beforereaching the Id a large village named Debeisa is passed about 1mile to the east. The people here are a mixture of Jaalin, Awamer,&c. Very fair grazing for camels on arak; there is little or nograss here or anywhere else this year.
Id El Orus5½36
7½43½On leaving the Id the same sort of countrycontinues, cultivation and scattered arak bush, the track stillkeeping the same S.S.W. direction. At 7½ miles the road to El Ribibranches off half left, and 2½ miles further on Id El Kereil ispassed, ½ mile off on the right, the village being about the samedistance further W. of the well. The country now becomes perfectlybare (at this season), it being entirely under cultivation, if notthis year at any rate in a good season, and the bush ceasesaltogether. Villages begin to get numerous, and natives are morefrequently met, as from here on to Managil, but few leave theirvillages for the river. This district is known as Gutefab, and thechief village is El Areik (Awamer) which is on the road, the Idbeing a mile to the east.
Id El Kereil2½46
248
Gutefab El Areik452
355About 3 miles on arakgrows and affords the only grazing for camels, but it only extendsfor about ½ mile along the road; the country then become scatteredwith laot bush and naal grass.
257
Goz El Naga259Goz El Naga is passed about a mile on theright. Not much cultivation visible about here.
Dagala362A small village with no well.
1½63½Road branches: rightto Sarhan, left to Wad Abu Kassawi, where lives the sheikh of thesame name; his ancestors are buried close by, and have always beenof a so-called religious nature and used to be at any rate, if notnow, head of a dervish-like Tarika. Village consists of about 100tukls. Low laot bush around here. Leaving the village on bearing216° after 1¾ miles road from Dagala to Sarhan is met and followed;the well of Sarhan being passed close by on the left and thevillage about 1 mile on the right. Country here quite flat, andcovered with naal grass where not cultivated. El Ogda a largeMugharba village with one well of the usual depth, 120 feet. Waterplentiful, 50 camels watered without inconvenience to inhabitants.Leaving the Id, country continues the same flat naal-covered plainwith occasional laot bushes until nearing Wad El Zein (Omda AhmedWad El Zein), where remains of cultivation increase. There is onewell 120 feet deep. Natives, Mugharba. No grazing here for camelsas elsewhere in this neighbourhood. Cultivation occurs atintervals, becoming more general after passing Sheteita a smallMugharba village. Kreimet is a large Arakin village, Omda AhmedYusef. Its two wells are 4 miles further on. Another large Arakinvillage on left of road with a well, as also have two othervillages close on right of road.
Wad Abu Kassawi366½
1¾68¼
Sarhan371¼
El Ogda5¾77
Wad El Zein11¾88¾
Sheteita492¾
Kreimet5½98¼
Wells4102¼
El Tageia1¼103½
Managil3½107The plural of ElMangala, the name given to the village in which the suk issituated. There are some half dozen to a dozen villages closetogether. There are three wells and water never fails,notwithstanding they are 150 feet deep. Here there are inspector’shouses, a Mamur, Zaptia, &c. There is a large mixed population,some of whom were seen playing a game called “tiwa” very likerounders. The plain of Managil is absolutely flat, without a singlebush in sight, the whole in favourable seasons being given up tocultivation. Market days are Sunday and Wednesday. Leaving Managilby the route taken Otgi (Hameg), Dar Nail (Hameg), Wad El Shagl(Faradiin) are passed a mile or more on the right hand, whilstTakala and Um Dugl are passed on the left, before reaching Um Talhaa Faradiin village. All these villages have wells, as have allvillages of any pretensions about here.
Um Talha9½116½
Sheleikha2½119A Shaigia villagepassed on left, and Wad Doka on the right, before reaching El Amara(Hameg), and ¾ mile further on Wad Gangar (Shaigia), Rabaha is 1¾miles further on, and a ¼ mile before reaching it a small suk ispassed. From here on the people are Kawahla.
El Amara3½122½
Wad Gangari¾123¼
Rabaha1¾125
Between Managil and Rabaha the trackappears to follow a low ridge overlooking an extensive and fertileplain to the W. growing a large amount of cotton and dura. J.Maturi is plainly visible.
Khalet5½130½After leaving Rabaha track passes throughlow laot bush which continues as far as Khalet. Two villages,Hellet El Hag and Wad Abdel Rof, are passed about a mile on theright and left of road en route, as also is Sheikh AbdelRof’s tomb. The well at Khalet is the last on the road to Segadi, there are severalother Kawahla villages with cultivation and wells close by. ImamAli is the head Kawahla Sheikh. From Khalet it is possible underfavourable conditions to see J. Segadi. Soon after leaving Khaletthe first kittr is met, it now becomes the prevailing bush.
Wad Mukashfi4½135Called after the sonof the Dervish Emir who captured Sennar, who (son) now lives hereand is said to have only lately come out of prison for dervishpractices. This is the last village in the Managil District of BlueNile Province. The Sennar Province is now entered. After passingthe Mukashfi cultivation, the road leads across an uninhabitedwaterless plain until Segadi is reached. This plain, on whichnumerous camels are grazed during the rains, is, as a rule, openand covered with naal and siha grass intersected at intervals bybelts of kittr, the thickest and widest is in the last 4 milesbefore reaching the hamlet on the north of J. Segadi. Anotheroutlying hamlet is Ereiga, which was passed but not seen, about 4miles from the jebel which strongly resembles J. Kassala on a smallscale. It consists of two main granite masses lying north-east andsouth-west, the wells being between them. There is also one on thewestern side of main jebel. The village, which must contain some1,500 inhabitants, is close to the western face of the largerjebel. The population is very mixed, and many only live here duringthe dry season. Torin Ahmed (Rufaa) is Sheikh of this heterogeneouscrowd. There are said to be caves in the jebels here, whichdoubtless occasionally harbour bad characters from the Gezira andelsewhere.
J. Sejadi24159
1160
Moya13½173½Following the telegraph line which runsE.S.E., Moya is reached in about 13½ miles. Dense kittr is passedthrough en route, but the road is cleared for the wire.Approaching Moya much cultivation is passed in clearings in thebush. The name Moya as applied to this village is an euphemism aswater is particularly scarce, and is obtained from several 15 to 20feet wells under the jebel 1 mile south of the village. In the hotweather the inhabitants (probably 2,000) disperse or else carrytheir water from Segadi. The Omda’s name is El Imam Hadibai, andthe majority of the population are Amarna, a few Hameg and Gowama.There are caves called “maiuba” in the jebel close to the village,said to be used for “fogara.” From the summit of the jebel, J. Daliis plainly visible on a favourable day, bearing 177½° magnetic.There is little shade here.
Road to Teigo3176½After hugging the eastern end of J. Moya,the road to Gule turns nearly due south, the road to Teigobranching off S.S.E., and after traversing a bad belt of kittr bushabout ½ mile in width, the road crosses a plain at first studdedwith kurmet, but later without bush at all.
4180½Road here bifurcates, the left hand trackleading to the river (Blue Nile).
5185½The road from Seneij or Senga to Goz AbuGuma viâ J. Dud crosses the track.
J. Sereig10195½A small granite hill about 200 feet high,the road passes it 100 yards on the right hand.
6201½Scattered bush nowcommences and continues with occasional interruptions untilreaching the bad kittr about 1 mile wide surrounding Jebel Dali, astony hill about 500 feet high. Water is found about half way up,immediately below its highest point. After a good rainy season itlasts till March or April, but there was practically none onFebruary 4th, 1902.
J. Dali19½221
J. Abu Garud22243The road from Sengaviâ Teigo on Blue Nile to Musran and Goz Abu Guma passesby this watering place. Remains of former habitations of Abu RofArabs are visible. Leaving the jebel in a southerly direction aftertraversing a thick belt of kittr, ½ mile wide, J. Teigo is visibleon the left and J. Abu Garud and other hills on the right. AbuGarud is the highest hill seen south of Khartoum. At first thecountry is open, then forest (chiefly soffar) begins and continuestill after passing J. Bozi a long, low hill immediately under thewest end of which the road passes, and then becomes open untilreaching J. Mazmum. Here rain and spring water is found in natural tanks inperhaps half a dozen places. The amount of water of course varyingwith the rains. There was sufficient in a tank at the foot of thesouthern end of the western face of the jebel to water 40 camelsand 40 men for two days. This exhausted this supply. A spring atthe foot of the southern end of the western face, being on theroad, is the one generally used, and the supply is consequentlylow. There is a tank about 20 yards by 10 yards on a detached hill,about ¾ mile N.W. of main jebel. Water was found of an averagedepth of 2 feet, both sweet and clear. This being off the road hadnot been much used. There is said to be always water at Mazmum. Nonatives[21] live here now, though formerly it was headquarters of the Abu Rof Arabs, the remains of whose houses arestill visible. Good shade (200 men), and very fair grazing forcamels near western water tank. From here, Gireiwa and other hillsto the S. and S.E., as well as Bunzuga and Abu Garud are easilyvisible.
J. Bozi9252
J. Mazmum14266
Water Tank1½267½
4271½The track to Gulestill leads south, the country being open for first 4 miles, whennarrow belt of bush is traversed. Five miles further on thicksoffar bush commences which develops into forest, which extends E.and W. continuously for many miles south of Gule. The principaltrees are hashab (very numerous about 20th mile, but decrease asGireiwa is approached), talh, nabag, soffar, kadad, and thepoisonous (to camels) hakabit. Wide clearings along the pathindicate that in the old days this road was much used, but now theyare mostly overgrown, and travelling by night is an unpleasant, ifnot a dangerous proceeding.
5276½
J. Gireiwa21½298Two long low hills running nearly E. andW., and where the road passes between them there is a small supplyof water (spring), 20 yards on right side of road.
El Burun7305J. Gule is firstvisible from here, and is a granite mass about 1,300 (?) feet highand 1¾ miles long, lying nearly E. and W. El Burun a small villageat the foot of northern face of the jebel is first approached, theroad then turns to the west, passing an encampment of Dar AgilArabs, and after rounding the western end of Jebel Gule the villageof Gule is reached close at the foot of western and of southernface. There is a plentiful supply of water, which, however, islargely impregnated with lime and consequently is injurious tohealth. Idris Wad Regab is Sheikh of Dar Fung and lives here. He isa direct descendant of the kings of the Fung, whose formerterritory extended to the south beyond the present limits of theSudan-Abyssinian frontier. The total inhabitants of Gule and itstwo outlying hamlets is about 1,000. The natives are Hameg, andSelim and Dar Agil Baggaras roam about in the neighbourhood. Roadslead from here to Roseires (5 days), Surkum (5 days), Karkoj, andRenk (2 days). There is much fever here during and after the rainyseason. There is good shade about 1 mile east of the village.Little in the way of supplies, not even grain, is obtainablehere.
Gule3308

34.—MANAGIL to SENNAR.

By Captain N. M. Smyth, V.C., 1899.

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Managil——Headquarters of District (videpreceding report).
Abud (Abudia Tribe)9½9½Most fertile land in the Gezirahereabouts. Track runs E. through grass plain. Bush visible 1 mileto S. Two wells 150 feet deep. Track N.E. to Mesellemia, E. to WadMedani, and S.E. to Sennar.
Um Deghina (Kawahla)110½Pond, 60 yards diameter, dry afterDecember. Cultivation commences.
212½Mimosa scrub W. of track.
315½Village of same name ½ mile S.
217½A dry pond. Mimosa 10 feet high, and highgrass on both sides of the road. The Hassanat have a camp in thewinter about 2 miles W. of track, and water at Abud andAtaleih.
Ataleih421½Two wells. A large tree ½ mile N.W.serves as landmark. No good shade obtainable. S. of this, thornyscrub has sprung up on fallow land. A track leading S.W. to Bagadi,Kenana, Digoisab and Hellet El Baragna. Track leads on aboutS.E.
Keteir627½Small village marked by a large tree. Onewell about 150 feet deep, runs dry directly after watering about200 people, 300 sheep and 20 donkeys.
Karatib (Jaalin and Kenana)431½Large village, good well, excellent blackcotton soil extending for 3 miles in all directions. Only patcheshave been cultivated for dura.
233½Thick bush and high grass. View limitedto 300 yards.
Basabir (Jaalin)134½New well being sunk. Cotton and duracrops.
Fahal (Kenana)135½About 50 huts to W. Copious supply ofwater from well. A small khor S.E. of it holds water till December.Wood extends to S.
Fahal Suk136½Consists of rows of straw shantiessituated in a wood. It is chiefly used by Kenana.
El Giseirab238½One good well in a clearing in wood.Easily defended; good bivouac ground.
Tulbakh442½Last mile of approachis open and partly cultivated. Long straggling village. Dry pondand cemetery N. of it. To S.W. the market, and a well and pondwhich dried up about 10th February. Mohammed El Nur of Kenana isSheikh of village. Several hundred sheep, many donkeys, one horse,fowls and pigeons, but no camels. The best marked track leads S.from the Suk, and, bending S.E., passes zeribaed dura fields to ElDoma, where there is a village and a well. It continues, throughshady acacia and fields to Meshra El Dai, whence the Blue Nile canbe reached.
El Doma850½
Meshra El Dai454½
Meshra El Bejirat256½Good halting place on bank.
Sennar965½Banks wooded.

35.—KEILI to SENGA, viâ GULE.

Compiled from a Report furnished by Lieut.-Col. Gorringe, March, 1903.

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Keili, S.W.——Limited water supply from water holes,but more could be had by digging down to 8 feet—cotton soil inplaces and stony in others—single file along track.
Khor Farsia1111Insufficient water at Kukulik, had to goon to Khor Farsia, fair supply of water by digging 4 feet. Afterwhich, no water first 3 miles. Cotton soil, single file. After J.Doya, good hard going cotton soil last 2 miles.
Khor Togu33½44½Ample water 18 feet below surface in KhorTogu, first 4 miles cotton soil. Rest house. After reaching J.Dunkur good hard going for 3 miles, then bad cotton soil, for 1 mile eachside J. Bur-Burka good going, then bad again over cotton soil,insufficient water at first village 4 miles from spot camped at, alittle water half way between village and camp in Khor Togu.
Seraf Dal10½55Ample water running and in pools, singlefile, stony, fair going only, bad in places. Rest house atSoda.
Khor Tamrin762Fair supply of water in pools probablyample by digging, a good deal up and down hill, hard going butstone, single file.
J. Kukur567Good supply of water reported in SerafSahaba, hard going, stony, single file. Rest house.
J. Buk (N.W. end)8½75½Rest house. Fair supply of water in waterholes, cotton soil, single file, bad going. From here on no water,very bad going, hard cotton soil badly cracked, single file, thoughroad has been widened.
J. Gule30½106Residence of Sheikh Idris Wad Ragab.Limited supply of water in water holes, good supply from Governmentwells, very bad going except in few places, soil badly cracked,single file, though road has been widened.
J. Jemam or Ali9115Small supply of water here.
J. Roro (N.E. side)5½120½Plenty of water in water holes 4 feetdeep, going same as before. Continuing, no water but better going,though mostly cotton soil, single file.
J. Werka19139½Small amount of water in holes.
J. Gerebin15½155Very limited supply of water in waterholes in two places at N. side of hill, just sufficient water ineach to water about 100 horses once. There is however a largetank of beautiful water on the top of the hill. This does notlast throughout the dry weather. Going same as before. From here tothe river there is no water, going for the first 7 miles same asbefore, after which it improves, but all marching is in singlefile.
Meshra Gurra (Blue Nile)25180From here good road down L. B. Blue Nileto Singa.
Ramela10190Jaalin village.
Abu Naam3193Village on Blue Nile.
Geneira8201 „ „ „
Seiro7½208½ „ „ „
Senga19½228Head quarters of Senga District.

36.—SENGA to J. JEROK, viâ KHOR OFAT and KEILI.

By Captain C. Roberts, R.A., February, 1904.