By Captain H. D. W. Lloyd, January, 1904.
| Place. | Miles. | Description. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inter-mediate. | Total. | ||
| Meshra El Rek | — | — | Leaving the Nuzl, the track crosses akhor some 15 feet deep, by a bridge partly under water. After 100yards bridge ends and you wade waist deep for 3 miles. |
| Camp | 3½ | 3½ | Always dry, but mosquitoes very bad. Goodwater all the year round. Very bad track leading due S. betweengrass 7 feet high. Ground much cut up by cattle passing in therains. |
| Unangarp | 7½ | 11 | A few Dinka tukls; no supplies N.boundary of Lau district. Head Sheikh Kwitol. |
| Manashin | 2 | 13 | Water holes, which are said never to dryup completely, situated on W. of track. Good camp, well marked by adeleib growing out of centre of gemmeiza tree on track. Nosupplies. |
| Track continues nearly due S., winds agreat deal, and much cut up. Bad going for man and beast. | |||
| War Lai | 6¾ | 19¾ | A swamp, 300 yards W. of track. It issaid never to dry up; 300 by 200 yards. Fair drinking water.Animals easily watered by digging trenches. |
| Fulbar | 6 | 25¾ | Road through an open forest, grass latelyburnt. Track better, but much broken in places by old elephanttracks. Fulbar is a large swamp, said never to dry up. Manyelephant tracks. Good water. |
| Leaving the pool, the track joins themain road a mile on. Fair track. | |||
| Amangnok | 7 | 32¾ | A large swamp, good water, lasts all theyear, on W. of track, which goes S. to Marra Alangjok, passing thevillage of Sheikh Angong Marial. |
| Mana Alangjok | — | — | A large Dinka cattle enclosure,well-known throughout this district. |
| War Gel | 7 | 39¾ | Pools in a swamp. Water said to last allthe year. Bad shade. Half-a mile on Sheikh Tioing’s house is passedon the N. of the road, and Sheikh Malwal Mabior’s village over amile long is left to the W. |
| Haleik | 7 | 46¾ | A swamp, left to W. of road, water saidto last all the year. Track generally good, but cut up by elephantsin places. Sheikh Wal Mabior’s village is entered 2 miles fromAteim swamp. |
| Wal Mabior’s, or Ateim | 5 | 51¾ | A mile wide from E. to W., and 1½ milesfrom N. to S. Very good and plentiful water. |
| Mowok | 2 | 53¾ | A swamp 1 mile E. of road. Very goodtrack through open country. Heglig trees and little bush. |
| Mabior Dod’s | 2 | 55¾ | Large swamps. Good water; called Katoi.Fair shade. Good track through rather open and perfectly levelcountry. Soil sandy in places. |
| Again Well, Ewal Gor’s | 5 | 60¾ | Small water holes, little water. There isa good deal of cultivation about, and Dinka huts every few hundredyards. |
| Sheikh Bak Bong Yep’s | 4 | 64¾ | Four bad and one good water holes. Latterknown as Abaing, after a small tree near it; watered 200 meneasily. The four other holes just satisfied 100 donkeys. Fairshade. Obtained some dura. |
| Teing Teing well | 1 | 65¾ | One fair well, or rather hole; water for30 or 40 men. Good going on the whole. |
| “Dug-Dug” (ruins) | 4 | 69¾ | Site of an old cattle enclosure, markedby some mounds of earth and some usher bushes. |
| Atubbu | 11 | 80¾ | One water hole; dirty water, but enoughto give 200 men a drink. |
| Aweid | 2 | 82¾ | A small swamp, but plenty of fair water.Fair shade under heglig trees. Track passes across an open plaincovered with grass, which in places is 10 feet high. Few trees, buttrees of the Tonj valley seen in the distance to the S. Bad goingfor first 3 miles, then very good. |
| Atang’s (N. end) | 4¼ | 87 | The direct road toTonj Post leads to the W.S.W. Another, down a khor, in which areseveral water-holes strikes the River Tonj. Small camp on leftbank. The river bed is 65 yards wide and 15 feet deep. Water 25yards wide and 18 inches deep. Good water; sandy bottom. Nomosquitoes. |
| R. Tonj | 3 | 90 | |
| Leaving the river the track for 3 milesgoes through long grass, then crosses a plain; grass at first, thencovered with grass and bush. | |||
| Abuior Sheikh Maton’s and WarRual | 9 | 99 | A small water hole (War Rual) on W. oftrack at N. end of Sheikh Matoin’s village (Abui). There are a fewmore wells to the W., but the best water is a mile to the E. in aswamp. Good shade near road. |
| War Tit | 2 | 101 | A pool 50 by 30 yards, now dry. There isa small water hole near the road. |
| Very good track through bush, with manylarge trees, until within a mile of the river, when a belt offorest is entered. | |||
| Tonj River Post | 5 | 106 | |
A great part of the above road is under water during the rains, and only passable to carriers.
52.—WAU to MESHRA EL REK.
By Captain H. D. W. Lloyd, March, 1904.
| Place. | Miles. | Description. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inter-mediate. | Total. | ||
| The following is the Government route andis used by all convoys:— | |||
| Wau | — | — | Crossing the river Jur, the track entershigh grass for a mile until the E. side of the valley is reached.Then thick bush and ironstone ridges. |
| Sheikh Malwal’s new village(Jur) | 4 | 4 | Rest house and well 150 yards S. oftrack. Track continues over ironstone ridges, but bush is much moreopen near the track. |
| P. Rumbashia | 5¾ | 9¾ | A rain pool 30 yards by 20 yards; 3 feet6 inches deep when full; now contains 18 inches water. Haltingplace for bull transport. A quarter-mile on there are 3 more smallpools in the rock. |
| Sheikh Malwal’s old village(Jur) | 1¼ | 11 | Jur name Rurruish. Rest house, 2 tukls, 1shelter, and good well. Water trough. Bush now becomes thick; manydeserted villages passed. |
| Sheikh Moyen’s (Dinka) | 12 | 23 | So called, but he has now moved some wayN. of the road, rest house, 2 tukls, 2 sheds, and 1 rekuba. Wellwith good water. The ironstone formation is left. |
| Track over level plain, now dry andcovered with high grass, would be very wet in rains. A few Dinkahouses are seen, many deserted ones passed. | |||
| Water hole | 9½ | 32½ | Six feet deep, 8 feet in diameter, good,but much discoloured water. Used by Aiyum’s people. |
| Sheikh Aiyum’s (Dinka) | 2½ | 35 | Extensive Dinka village chiefly N. ofroad. Rest house, 2 tukls, 2 shelters, and large tukl for the bulltransport. |
| Open grass-covered plain with scatteredtrees. Swampy in rains. Mosquitoes troublesome. | |||
| Bir El Jaalin (Arab), Malau(Dinka) | 7 | 42 | Old wells in clump of deleib palms, siteof old village. |
| Deleiba | 8 | 50 | Rest house, 3 tukls, 1 bad well; watergave out after 30 men had drawn their water, but well refillsquickly. Many deleib palms. Mosquitoes. |
| Track winds to avoid the bush, which isthick some 200 yards away from the track W. | |||
| “Dug-Dug” | 5 | 55 | Rest house, Dinka name Noi. 3 tukls and 2good wells. |
| Track again winds about to avoid thethick bush. Very thick grass in places. | |||
| Bir El Gurud | 6 | 61 | Rest house, 3 tukls. Two wells (one nowdry), 8 feet deep. Good, but muddy water. After passing through abelt of bush 300 yards wide the country becomes perfectly flat andopen. Covered with high grass and scattered trees. Little bushanywhere. The going is bad as the track from here to Meshra. ismostly under water during the rains. |
| Old wells near single deleibpalm | 7½ | 68½ | Could not obtain name. A well-known placeand site of old Dinka village. |
| Sheikh Gadein’s | 3½ | 72 | So called. Sheikh Bok is the chief man. Alarge village. Rest house, 2 good tukls, 1 shelter. Good water fromwells. Depôt for bull transport. Road and country as before. |
| Gemmeiza tree | 9 | 81 | Well-known halting place, as there is apool 50 yards in diameter which holds water for some 6 or 8 weeksafter the rains. |
| Rest house W. end of Sheikh Mayik’svillage | 6 | 87 | Two tukls and shelter under gemmeizatree. Wells dry 13th March, 1904. Route winds much through thevillage. |
| Rest house E. end of Sheikh Mayik’svillage (Dinka) | 5½ | 92½ | Two tukls, 1 shelter under a singledeleib palm. One well 15 feet deep, 8 feet in diameter, 3 feet ofgood clear water. No people seen; they are said to have gone downto the river with their cattle. |
| Country good, level, and open as before;but track somewhat better. | |||
| Three miles from the rest house there isa water hole 50 yards S. of track near a small deleib palm, 8 feetdeep, 10 feet in diameter; good water. | |||
| Sheikh Madal’s (Dinka) | 9 | 101½ | Rest house at W. end of village; 3 goodtukls, 1 shelter, good well. Dinka name of well Atien ful. Thenative houses are chiefly on the N. side of the wood and ½ a mileaway. |
| War Kul | 4¾ | 106¼ | (War = pool) Pool 20 yards by 10 yards.Good water situated in a swamp now dry. There is a clump of bush onhigher ground 100 yards N., which would be a dry spot for acamp. |
| Sheikh Amien’s (Dinka) | 1¾ | 108 | Rest house. Two tukls and well, at W. endof village which is scattered along the route for 3 miles. Road hasbeen cleared in the village and ruts caused by traffic in rainsfilled up. The going then becomes bad. Black soil; grass, and a fewscattered trees. Three miles from Meshra, high grass and a swamp isentered. Going very bad and water waist-deep in places. Close tothe Nuzl a khor is crossed by a bridge, but it is now 2 feet 6inches under water. |
| Meshra El Rek | 11 | 119 | |
53.—TONJ POST to WAU.
By Captain H. D. W. Lloyd, February, 1904.
| Place. | Miles. | Description. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inter-mediate. | Total. | ||
| The whole of this road is over ironstoneridges, except where it is crossed by khors. The going is good andin many places the bush has been cleared. It is proposed to clear aroute from Tonj Post, viâ Jur Ghatas to Kawagana, andthence follow this route to Wau. | |||
| There was sufficient water everywhere inFebruary, 1904, along this route for 300 men and 100 mules. | |||
| Tonj Post | — | — | The route follows the left bank of theriver Ba, at first, to Morgan Bongo’s house, and thence bearsslightly N. of W. Good track, but thick bush, and grass on both sides until within amile of Aiidu’s wells, when cultivation is entered. |
| Sheikh Aiidu’s | 10 | 10 | A small Jur village, to W. of which isthe rest house; 2 good tukls. Good water from wells. |
| Track continues through thick bush andgrass, crossing some grass covered swamps, now dry. Ironstone, goodgoing. A mile from the next rest house the track descends a steepbank, 81 feet high, and crosses a small khor. | |||
| River house at River Mulmul | 8½ | 18½ | On right bank. One good hut, but littleshade near. Water from pools in bed of river. The track now crossesthe valley of the River Mulmul, which is flat, covered with thickgrass, and very swampy in the rains. There is a khor on the leftbank of valley, and some wells 2 feet deep. Good and plentifulwater. Route passes through Sheikh Agan’s village and over a stonyridge to the rest house. |
| Rest house, Sheikh Agan’s(Jur) | 4½ | 23 | The village is called Mudi. Two goodtukls. Water from wells in River Mulmul. |
| Good track, but much high grass. | |||
| Sheikh Arum’s (Bilanda) | 3½ | 26½ | A small village with little cultivation.Two tukls for rest house. Road now winds a good deal through highgrass and bush, and crosses several places that are swampy in therains. |
| Sheikh Akuong (Jur) | 6½ | 33 | Rest house of 2 tukls and a rekuba; waterfrom well. |
| Munga well | 2½ | 35½ | There is a small rekuba on N. of road.The wells are 300 yards S., and consist of 3 holes 4 feet deep with2 feet of good water, which flows in quickly. Full of frogs.Immediately beyond cultivation and the village commence. |
| Sheikh Kangor’s | 1½ | 37 | Rest house is at N. end of village. Fourtukls, water from Manga well. Bush and high grass. Route crossesone place that must be very wet in the rains. |
| Kawagana | 3½ | 40½ | A rock-pool 60 yards by 25 yards, and 2feet 6 inches deep. Good clean water, said to last all the year.Rain water; no spring. Two tukls, bush thick. The direct road fromTonj Post, viâ Jur Ghatas, comes in here. |
| Khor | 4 | 44½ | 300 yards wide and 30 feet deep,ironstone sides; no water. Only 80 yards show signs of being swampyin the rains. Track crosses another khor and then ascends a ridge(60 feet) which it follows for 2 miles and then descends into KhorMbili, where there is a rest house with ghafir. |
| Rest house in Khor Mbili | 4 | 48½ | Three tukls. Water from wells in khor.Road has been cleared for 2 miles on each side. |
| Khor Tala | 3 | 51½ | 20 yards wide and 10 feet deep, bridged.Route now ascends an ironstone ridge for a mile and then windsround it. Wide valley to the E., with deleib palms. 3¼ miles fromnext rest-house there is a steep ascent of 50 feet. Bad going. Thetrack then crosses greyish soil for a mile and again passes overironstone rock. |
| Rest house, “The Deleib’s” | 9 | 60½ | Eight tukls (4 old). Many deleib palmsabout. Good water from wells. For the next 3 miles there is thickbush. The grassy valley of the Khor Abongo is then struck. |
| Khor Abongo | 4 | 64½ | Khor which is 20 yards wide and 10 feetdeep, bridged. The river Jur is now to the W. of the track whichfollows its right bank, between the high grass which covers thevalley and an ironstone ridge 30 to 50 feet high, covered with verythick bush. Wau is seen on the left bank. |
| East of Wau the track crosses the valley(1 mile wide) through very high grass. The river Jur here is on theW. side of the valley, 100 yards wide with banks from 15 to 20 feethigh. On 3rd February, 1904, there was 2 feet 9 inches water in theford. Sandy bottom. | |||
| Wau | 5½ | 70 | |