By Captain J. R. O’Connell, the King’s Shropshire Light Infantry, and Captain W. Lloyd, the Scottish Rifles, January, 1900; with Additions from El Kaimakam J. Butler Bey’s Reports in 1901.

There is no difficulty with regard to grazing or firewood on this road, but camels cannot be watered between El Obeid and El Rahad. The country S. of El Rahad is practically impassable to camels as soon as the rains commence.

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
El Obeid——Leaving the Mudiria, there is a goodtrack over level ground to the S. end of J. Deigo. Bush neverthick, but after the rains the going is bad in places.
J. Deigo88Small fula at S. end. Water does not lastafter November. Track now turns nearly S. and bush becomes thicker.Several large deep khors. J. Kordofan on W. of track. There is apool on top of northern peak which lasts till April (i.e.,in 1901).
J. El Sofaia1018Left to E. of track; bush bad andcontinuous, so to El Rahad.
J. Um Dubabat or ElEin220On W. of track. There is a crack in therock near the road which always contains water, said to come from aspring, but by the hot weather water becomes somewhat foul. Thecountry is flat, bush thick, and there are several deep khors.
Arab cemetery1232By the side of a khor.
Khor Um Dagergur1042A broad, shallow khor, which must be veryswampy in the rains.
El Rahad5½47½Near the lake the road divides in two.That to the E. leads to the villages of Sheikh Adam Maznuk, aGowama. The villages are large and have a small market. The lake isabout 2 miles wide and 5 miles long. When it is dry (as it was inJanuary, 1900) wells are dug in the bottom.
Regela547The road to the W. is the main track andpasses through Regela, and near the remains of one of Hick’s forts.Several large khors are crossed.
Khor Abu Habl9½56½Is 50 feet wide and 2 feet deep, but thebanks are flooded in the rains, and it is said to be impassable attimes.
Egeria (in Jebel Daier)460½A Dabab village, situated in a khor in J.Daier. The entrance closed by high stone walls—now broken—near thekhor. Three hellas, and a small market. Wells in the khor, insidethe wall. Plenty of water.
Leaving the village the track crossesseveral khors; bush thick and between high hills.
Kitra464½A small village buried in the hills. Theentrance is between rocks hardly wide enough for a loaded camel.Gowamas and Nubas. Wells inside the village. Cultivation: dura onplain outside.
Moving near the foot of the hills thebush continues thick.
Sitra5½70A village built on the side of the hills.Good wells with more than enough water for 100 camels. J. Daier isnow left, and the track bears E.S.E. over level country, much cutup by khors, many of which are 10 feet deep. The bush is very thickin places. J. Tagale is seen ahead.
Kodi24½94½After crossing several low hills and somecultivation, Kodi is reached. The village is on the top of a hillwhich commands an excellent view in all directions. The wells arein a khor S. of the village, but large parties of animals have togo to a pool 5 miles S. W., where 100 camels watered without anyeffect on the supply. The track there is very bad, being over arocky path through bush.
The road continues to be much broken bykhors. It goes between high hills and through bad bush, and 9 mileson becomes so bad that it is necessary to dismount and lead thecamels for ½ mile.
Morat16110½A small Nuba village buried in the hills.One bad well with little water. J. Abu Dom is seen to the E.
Path crosses many khors and wanders aboutthrough thick bush; Senadre and Julia are left to the W. KhorJulia, 20 feet deep, with steep banks, has to be crossed.
Ruri11121½The track now ascends some 200 feet oversheet rock and then descends among boulders. This took 200 camelsan hour and a half to cross.
Duris1122½A small hella on the side of thehill.
Keraia (J. Tagale)2½125On descending on to the plain the trackpasses over level country covered with thick bush. It bears almostdue S., and suddenly turns W. into a large cove, the entrance towhich is between narrow rocks. There is a good camping groundinside and fair wells. The village and market is up the hill.Keraia is a large place. Mek Geili has a large and well-built housethere. There are also springs of water near the top of the hill.The camels, however, had to be sent to some wells in a big khor 7miles further S., as these springs only give enough water for theinhabitants.

99.—KERAIA to RASHAD, and thence to J. GEDIR.

As far as Rashad, by Captain J. R. O’Connell and Captain W. Lloyd, January, 1900; Remainder by El Kaimakam J. Butler Bey, March, 1902.

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Keraia (J. Tagale)——Leaving the wells at the bottom of thehill the road turns south along the foot of the hills, crossingmany small khors flowing westwards. Much dura cultivation seennear.
Khor66A large khor, 50 yards wide, coming outof the hills and turning north-east. A mile up this khor areseveral good wells. Watered 250 camels there.
The road now enters a narrow valley;thick jungle for 3 miles, and then ascends a steep hill. Camelshave to be led. Hill terraced for cultivation; now deserted (1900);signs of elephant. Ground stony in places. Many khors, but notdifficult to cross. High trees shut out all view. Nine miles fromthe khor descends a hill, and the road crosses a series of ridgesand khors. Much bush.
Khor El Fedala1319A deep khor. Camel corps had to dismount.Ridges and khor continue, but track improves.
Mernia625Ruined village. Two wells, good water.Jebel of same name near. Road passes between J. Mernia and J. AbuShok on to a level plain. J. Rashad seen due west.
Rashad631Large Nuba village in a valley; both endsclosed by strong sangars. Water quite near the surface in January,1900, but dirty; watered 200 camels. In February, 1902, water wasvery foul. Good shade and grazing. Road turns south; rocky inplaces.
J. Tendik1546Head-quarters of District. Nubas. Well atfoot of hill, road to east of jebel. Fair track.
J. Turum9½55½Track crosses jebel; very bad going.Well. Nubas and Kenana Arabs. Fair going. Four or five miles on alarge forest of deleib palms is entered and continues toGurun.
J. Gurun2075½Well and village of Kenana Arabs. Trackpasses by many disused wells. Very stony in places.
Khor Wad el Hileisa25100½Flows south-east. Good track to villagenorth-west of J. Gedir, leaving J. Girada, inhabited by KenanaArabs, to the east. Then very bad track to Mek Bosh’s village,south of J. Gedir. Two wells.
J. Gedir26126½Village protected by sangars.

From Rashad to J. Gedir there is nowhere enough water for 200 camels.

100.—KAKA (KARWA) to J. GEDIR.

By Colonel B. Mahon Bey, D.S.O., 8th Hussars, October, 1899.

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Karwa——Site of camp on left bank White Nile justS. of Kaka. Good camping ground S.E. of village.
The track leaves the river and runspractically W.N.W., but winds greatly through trees, bush, scrub,and high grass, which requires clearing for camel transport orguns.
6½6½Track continues W.N.W. over a veryextensive shadeless plain, covered with grass 3½ to 5 feet high,but not thick. Until beaten down or burnt, this grass makesmarching difficult for infantry.
Domat, or Domaia, or El Zeif814½There has been a lot of water at Domat,but it is now (Oct.) practically dried up.
At Domat there are two or three groups ofdom palms, which show up well and can be seen for a long distance.From here the hills of Kau and Niaro can be seen bearing about 275°magnetic.
From Domat, for the next 6¾ miles, thereis no track, but, if from the largest group of dom palms on left oftrack you march due W. magnetic after going about 2 miles, a thickclump of dark green bush is seen on the skyline at about 3½ milesdistant, and on the same bearing. A few degrees to the right of theclump, the hill of Fungor can be seen from the same point.
Mohabia or Hobobia5¾20¼Beyond Mohabia, the above-mentioned clumpof bush, J. Fungor cannot be seen again until you arrive withinabout 2 miles from it, except from one point, viz.: Sahab.
From Domat to the commencement of theforest a plain is crossed covered with grass from 3 to 5 feet high.From Mohabia on, the track is again visible through grass, asbefore.
At 22¾ miles the edge of the forest isreached. Track winds through forest and undergrowth, the latter notvery thick. Timber much injured by fire. No good shade.
Sahab4½24¾There was water till recently here; now(Oct.) dried up. J. Fungor visible bearing 275° magnetic.
Track through forest as before.
Safa, or Sufa8¾33½Fine trees giving excellent shade atSafa. Two pools of water in sandstone rocks; one is 27 yards longby 16 yards wide, and 9 inches deep, the other, circular, 20 yardsin diameter, and 9 inches deep. If the water remains as at present,enough to water all our animals.
Path continues distinctly marked andthrough forest without much undergrowth except where one or twograssy khors are crossed. Very good ground for marching.
Within 1 mile of Fungor, country has beencleared for cultivation, and there is some dura and highgrass.
J. Fungor1245½Very good camping ground N.E. of thecentre hill and close to the water.
Several large tanks of good water werefound besides several smaller ones of still better water amongstthe rocks on the hill side. With the assistance of a heavythunderstorm the water supply was ample for two battalions, 500cavalry, and some Camel Corps and transport for 3 or 4 days inOctober, 1899. In fact no impression was made on it.
The village is situated on the E. side ofthe central hill, which is about 350 feet high. The hill is verysteep and difficult to ascend with boots. The inhabitants arealmost all Nubas. Mek’s name Khalil. There are also some AuladHameid under Sheikh Idris.
For the first 2 miles the path windsthrough high grass and very thick bush, crossing one small khor,containing water from previous night’s rain. The bush is of lowsunt, and was evidently once a clearing.
247½The path passes to the right of some lowrocky hills, after which the forest opens out, and the trees,chiefly heglig and acacia, are bigger. The soil is sandy, grassvery low, and little undergrowth.
2½50At about 4½ miles the track is oppositethe S.E. end of the Kau range, which is a ½ mile on the right.Country fairly open; going very good.
Kau2½52½The village of Kau is on the W. slope ofJ. Kau. It contains about 500 inhabitants. Nubawi blacks; neithermen nor women are clothed. Most of the houses are built high upamongst the rocks. Water obtainable from crevices on the rockyhillside. A good many dom palms near the village. A space of about10 feddans to W. of hill was formerly cleared, but is now overgrownwith small dom palms, about 4 feet high. After leaving Kau, thetrack winds through open forest, the trees improve in size, andmore tropical plants are seen. Large numbers of bamboos, ofapparently very good quality, grow in clusters along the smallkhors. Soil light and sandy.
5¾58¼Nearly 6 miles from Kau the soil becomesheavy clay, and the grass is higher. The path winds a good deal,and is full of holes caused by subsidence after rain. It would benecessary to clear a track for guns or transport for the next 1¼miles, after which the path improves and the going is sounder.
Shag el Hagar3¼61½Here there are two large rocks; thehigher, about 50 feet in height, commands a good view; the lower,about 12 feet high, contains a large supply of water in four largeand several small natural tanks, three of these are each about 60feet long and 6 feet to 10 feet wide, and vary in depth from 2 feetto 4 feet. The fourth is 150 feet long and 9 feet wide, and from 4feet to 6 feet deep. The water is excellent; 550 men and 420 horseswere watered twice in 36 hours at these tanks and made littleapparent difference in the supply. As there is no catchment area,except the surface of the rock, it looks as if the tanks were fedby springs. Should the source of supply be capable of giving morewater, the amount retained could be easily increased by building asmall dam across the end of the large tank, which would increasethe depth to 9 feet. One of the other tanks could be similarlytreated, but the result would not be so great. Horses must bewatered from buckets.
Country around is covered with fairlyopen forest of good-sized trees, with a little undergrowth. Nobamboos were noticed after this.
For about 3 miles the track continuesthrough forest. At 19 miles it reaches a large open glade about 2miles wide, with very few trees, and with grass 3½ feet high. It isapparently a clearing made at some time by fire. Track thencontinues through open forest of very fine trees, many of which aretabeldi (Adansonia).
Khor Goz El Tabeldi7¼68¾On this occasion, owing to the recentrain, there was sufficient water in this khor to water the men andhorses, but water cannot be counted on. Country remains open; treesscattered, but sufficient for shade. Grass 5 feet to 8 feethigh.
Khor El Waja4¾73½This is a grassy khor, about ¼ mile wide,quite dry, but said to hold water during rains. It is intersectedby narrow water channels, 3 feet to 6 feet deep. The khor, whosesoil is black clay, would be a serious obstacle to troops in therainy season, and would, I think, be impassable for guns andtransport while in flood.
Khor Melisa174½This is a sandy khor about 17 yards wide,with steep banks 10 feet to 14 feet deep, said to come from J.Girada. In the rains it must be a considerable obstacle. Thecountry continues open, but with grass from 6 feet to 8 feet high,to within 2¾ miles of Gedir, when a belt of thick acacia and kittrscrub, 1¾ miles in width, is crossed. For guns or pack animals, itwould be necessary to clear a path through this belt.
About 1½ miles from Gedir, the sandykhor, Gedad, 8 feet wide and 6 feet to 8 feet deep, said to comefrom J. Girada, is crossed. The last ¾ mile to Gedir is open groundwith few scattered trees.
J. Gedir7¾82¼A rocky horseshoe-shaped hill, estimatedaltitude above the plain 600 feet. The village is on there-entrant. Near the gorge are two wells about 80 feet deep, with alittle water. No other water was seen. There are about 500inhabitants. Many of the men have rifles. They are not naked likethose of Kau, and appear to be a cross between Arabs andNubas.
The Mahdi’s Stone is a large boulder upthe slope of the hill, outside of, and about ½ a mile from thenorthern heel of the horseshoe, and on the way to Girada, of thesame colour as the surrounding rocks, and shaded by a heglig tree,which may account for the Mahdi’s partiality for it. No cultivationwas seen, but the inhabitants said they had some dura fieldsripening.
Jebel Girada appears to be 5 to 7 milesdistant. It is said to have a plentiful water supply.