By Colonel B. Mahon, C.B., D.S.O., December, 1901.

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Foga——There are no people actually living onthe site of the old Mamuria, but there are several Hamar hellasclose by. Foga is a good military position as there are severalsmall sand hills which command the surrounding country, which usedto be open, but is now more or less covered with bush of recentgrowth. There are the remains of hundreds of old wells which can beopened with a little labour, and water got at from 50 feet to 90feet. People say that in the old days water was obtained close tothe surface, but that is not so now; I fancy it was rain-water. Inthe dry weather the people from Kaja Serrug (14 miles) get waterfrom Foga. The old road between Foga and Kaja is quite “dead,” butthere is a good road between Kaja Serrug and Kaja.
J. Abu Dugeia1616From Foga you travel N.N.E. about 16miles with no track until you strike the road from Kaja Serrug,near J. Abu Dugeia. This is all through undulating sandy countrycovered with bush; very good grazing ground for camels.
J. Esmein420A small rocky hill on right of track,after this road dips into valley; soil clay, ground flat, thickbush.
828Small rocky range of hills on left ofroad runs parallel with it for 2 miles; country fairly open andundulating.
Khor Neilut Um Kasus533After this, country becomes more open andintersected with small khors which are thickly wooded; ground sandyand a good lot of stones and rock.
Khor Gelti1144Rather broken ground; road good, thickbush; direction changes here E.N.E.
Um Gelti448This is a well, 80 feet deep, sunk inbottom of dry basin, very little water and bad.
250Here the bush country ceases and trackleads E.N.E. and E. over sand dunes, very heavy for camels; veryfew trees or shade, but lots of grazing, until J. Bakalai isreached.
J. Bakalai2171The road passes N. side of J. Bakalai andruns nearly E. to Kuku. Um Abu Agaga is 6 miles S.S.W. ofJ. Bakalai—a very indistinct track leading to it—but it can berecognised by groups of small hills (rocks): well is near thefurthest one. This is a good well and has water all the year, butwould not water more than nine camels at a time.
Kuku1990Kuku is a village (two villages) ofblacks on the northern side of J. Kuku. These people have a lot ofland under cultivation, but this year all their crops failed. Theyhave no wells but a good supply of water in tanks on the mountains.These tanks are more or less natural but have been widened andimproved by manual labour, and very large rocks must have beenremoved at some time to make them; the people now know nothingabout how they were originally made or have they any tools to dolike work now. All the Kaja district is covered with the remains ofold villages: it must have been at one time very thicklypopulated.
Kaja Soderi797Is 7 miles off to the E.; road runs alongN. side of mountains for 4 miles, then crosses, and the wells areon the S. side. Here there is a plentiful supply of water: wellsfrom 18 feet to 30 feet. During the kharif there is a large lakehere and the wells are sunk annually in its bed.
The whole country between Foga and Kajais very suitable for camels and the Arabs graze thousands thereduring the rainy season and until the fulas dry up.

88.—NAHUD to EL FASHER.

As far as Dam Jamad by Captain B. C. Carter, thence from Native Sources.

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Nahud——See routes [19] and[30.] Nahud is about 310 miles from ElDueim.
Wad Bokhari22Large Gowama village. Wide track, sandysoil. No thick bush.
Wad Shukab68Small Hamar village. Water from Nahud andmelons.
Daglos1018Small Hamar village. A few tebeldis.
Baruda4½22½Ditto.
Track now crosses several sandyridges.
Wad Banda14½37Large Hamar village. Many tebeldi trees.People sell water to travellers. The price varies from 10 burmasfor 1 piastre to 10 piastres for 1 burma (burma equals a largestable bucket). In some places the track now becomes heavy owing tosoft sand.
Sheraya1047⎫
⎪
⎪
⎬
⎪
⎪
⎭		All small places. Here the sandhills open out at intervals into circular flats which arecultivated. The people go to Um Shanga when the water supply fromthe melons and tebeldis is exhausted. Country fairly open and goinggood.
Um Karra4½51½
Daira2½54
Hagera155
Kajana257
Dam Jamad1673Small Hamar hella on the frontier. Thereare 3 other hellas near. Water from tebeldis.
Darfur is now entered.
El Ogud2497Three wells about 100 feet deep; waterplentiful. Inhabitants are Fors.
Jebel El Hella10107Two wells nearly 200 feet deep; waterplentiful. A detachment of three companies of Ali Dinar’s army isquartered here.
A road from Omdurman viâ Kajajoins here.
Burush13120Small Berti village. Four wells about 100feet deep; plenty of water.
Um Kadada15135One large well about 110 feet deep, ormore, but 20 feet of water at the bottom. This depth of water issaid to be constant.
Abiad25160A Geleidat village. Four wells about 90feet deep; water plentiful.
Ergud30190Many wells, water plentiful.
Fashar30220Two wells 150 feet deep; water plentifulin rainy season.
El Fasher16236Capital of Darfur, see Vol. I, [p. 192.]
By road and river, therefore, El Fasheris about 670 miles from Khartoum. Between El Obeid and El Ogud, thefirst wells in Darfur, water is very scarce in the dry season.

89.—NAHUD to BUR ISLAM.

By Captain C. H. Townsend, 18th to 25th December, 1901.

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Nahud——The track leaves Nahud in a northerlydirection, very soon turning N.N.E. The country is fairly woodedand flat, and covered with long grass in most places.
Abu Marega12½12½Road still running N.N.E., passes throughthis village. It is inhabited by the Hamar tribe and is fair sized.Water from tebeldis but the supply is limited, melons fairlyplentiful.
Ahmed Hamdan29½42Leaving Abu Marega the track winds about,but its general direction is N.N.E. by N. Country rather undulatingand fairly wooded. About 4 miles before reaching Ahmed Hamdan, oneleaves the main track, which runs N.E. to Homedo, and branches offN.E., passing through wooded and undulating country.
Ahmed Hamdan is a small Hamar villagebelonging to Ahmed Salam, the Sheikh being Wad Hamdan. Water fromtebeldis, which are few in number; good supply of smallmelons.
Wad Kitna648From Ahmed Hamdan track runs N.W.,country hilly and wooded. Wad Kitna, a very small Hamar villagebelonging to Ahmed Salam. From here Jebel Um Rarib is about 12miles W.
(Returning I did not touch at this placeor Ahmed Hamdan, as they are off the main road.)
Homedo351Between Wad Kitna and this the trackgradually works round N. again and joins the main track close tothis village. The Country is wooded but less hilly. Homedo is asmall village of Hamar people. Water from tebeldis, supplyscanty.
Id?253Track runs N. slightly E., and is welldefined. This is a small Hamar village.
Wad Bakhit1770Road runs N. slightly E., through fairlywooded and slightly undulating country, passing two small Hamarvillages, Mekin and Wad El Beleb, both Hamar, belonging to AbdelRahim Bey Abu Dagal, to Wad Bakhit, a fair-sized Hamar villageunder Sheikh Ibrahim Ahmed, and belonging to Abu Dagal. There is avery good supply of tebeldi water here.
Bur Islam1989Path runs N.N.E., country wooded andundulating, 4 miles from Wad Bakhit one passes a small Hamarvillage, Adam Ahmed, belonging to Abu Dugal to whom Bur Islam alsobelongs, the Sheikh at the latter place being Ahmed El Kagauri.From here Kaja is 1½ days N. There are wells close to this village,but the supply of water is limited, owing to the bottom of thewells being rocky, and there are no implements to cut throughit.

90.—NAHUD to FOGA.

By Captain W. Lloyd, October, 1900; and Major E. B. Wilkinson, December, 1901.