General Remarks.Except for patches of sand, heavy for infantry and horses, the road is good throughout, with the exception of the Magaga defile. Though the road frequently changes from one bank to the other of the Khor Abu Dom, up whose valley it generally proceeds till it crosses the watershed into the Magaga basin, none of the crossings present any difficulty; but there is always the danger in the summer months of a spate caused by rain near the head.

Firewood and camel grazing are plentiful throughout, but there is practically no grass for horses.

As far as, and including, Kalas the road may be considered as having been traversed at the driest time of year.

N.B.—Party consisted of 1 Squadron (Cavalry), and 1 Company (Camel Corps).

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Merowe——
Ghazali8¼8¼General direction from Merowe, a littleS. of E. No definite track. Troops can take shortest line acrossopen plain, dotted with bushes and tabas grass. At 4 miles the KhorAbu Dom, whose very sandy bed is 100 yards wide, is struck, and theright bank ascended. At 6 miles the low rocky hills close in toform a short, and very easy, defile; the hills soon recede andallow the valley to expand, and at 7¼ miles the first wellis reached, at the foot of a low hill on right bank. A mile furtheron is another well from which a small garden is supplied.There are one or two water holes in between. Water good,plentiful, and near surface. No good camping ground.
Hannek (Upper)22¼30½Road keeps up right bank of khor; Gerenhill at 3¾ miles marks site of well. At 5¾ miles road crosses toleft bank at Um Sayala wells, and after 4 miles of good going throughthickish scrub, Beida is reached. Both Geren and Um Sayala weresaid to have water, but were not visited. Beida well isabout 20 feet deep. After a few minutes clearing out, it supplied adrink for all the horses. Good shade. At 10¼ miles the road leavesthe main khor, and keeps up an affluent called Ab Jowalis, which itleaves by a very low and easy saddle at 14¼ miles, and aftercrossing the heads of many minor tributaries eventually returns to,and crosses the main bed of, the Khor Abu Dom at 20¼ miles. At ¼ to½ mile below the point of crossing is the Lower Hannekwell, which was not visited. After crossing, the track keepsup the right bank to Hannek (Upper) well at 22¼ miles. Thetwo wells here required clearing out, and then gave sufficientwater of rather indifferent quality. Plenty of shade.
Kalas32½63The khor is crossed at ½ mile, and roadthen passes over an open plain, affording good going, until itstrikes the khor again at Um Jueiri well at 8½ miles.After this a few stony bits, and one or two stony ridges arecrossed, with which exceptions road is excellent to well at ElTawila at 14½ miles. Water good; and well, after being alittle cleaned out, afforded a drink for all horses, and some ofthe camels. Road continues good, and follows left bank of khor,except for a few hundred yards at 18½ miles, when the hills closein and drive it into the bed of the khor, under J. Lebarug. At 23½miles it crosses a considerable branch of the khor, and at 26½ itcrosses a low rocky saddle, and returns to basin of main khor AbuDom, in bed of which at 28 miles is situated the well of ElTueina, lying about ⅓ mile to left of direct road to Kalas.From here to Kalas, 32½ miles, the road keeps crossing bed of khor,60 to 100 yards wide, and the narrow basin is enclosed by lowirregular-shaped hills. Two lots of wells at Kalas, about300 yards apart. Water bad. Even after cleaning out, the horses andcamels were watered with great difficulty. Little shade.
Abu Halfa25½88½Road keeps up left bank over some stonyground, and crosses khor at 2 miles and recrosses at 2½. After 5more miles of good going on the whole, the very low and easy saddleforming the watershed is reached at 7½ miles, and on crossing itthe basin of the Wadi Magaga is entered. The road for the next 7miles is down a gradually widening, but always stony, defile, alongwhich it is preferable to lead horses almost the whole way. Thepath is mostly down the actual watercourse, which has all thecharacteristics of a mountain torrent. A dry water hole was passedat 10 miles, and some pools of water at 13½ miles. At 14½miles the road emerges from the stony bed and crosses a low saddleat 15 miles, from which the first view of the plains to the S. isobtained. At 15¾, another low saddle is crossed, and the track thendescends to the plain and keeps along the feet of the hills,crossing patches of stony ground alternating with flat khors,covered with scattered bush and thick tabas grass, to 25 miles,when it turns to left up Wadi Abu Halfa, and strikes the wells at26 miles, close to the junction of a tributary with the main khor,and at the foot of a low—but conspicuous—rocky hillock.[35]There is a large pool, said never to get dry, about ½ mileup the khor. Good camping ground. Some shade. Water plentiful.
Jakdul10½99Road crosses khor at once, and keepsstraight along foot of higher hills, leaving some very low ones onits right. At 8 miles track turns to left up Wadi Jakdul, andreaches lower pool at 10½ miles.
The former descriptions of Jakdul stillhold good, so it need not be described here. Vide [Route 112.]

115.—MEROWE to BERBER, viâ SANI.

By Captain N. M. Smyth (1897) and Colonel Friend (1902).

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Merowe——
El Dughayet1414On left bank of Nile. Shaigia Arabs. Mudhuts, and palms to shade one battalion in vicinity. Thorn bush andgrazing for 1,000 camels.
A well-defined but narrow track, passableonly in single or double file, leads across some rocky hills about150 feet above level of High Nile, till at 6 miles it strikes theKhor Shingawi, which is broad and sandy, with a few scatteredbushes.
Jebel El Dega822Is passed on the right of the road. From6 to 8 miles the ground is firm, and admits usually of marchingcamels four abreast.
El Nus830El Nus is merely the name of a localitywhere the track crosses a spur from the north, whence Jebel ElGhanam is visible 10 miles north and Jebel El Khullal 5 milessouth; no shade. Drainage, after Jebel El Dega crossed, flowssouth-west.
The track generally continues good,mostly over hard shingle or firm sand. In many places severalparallel tracks.
Jebel El Mgarfur (?)1040A rounded hill about 100 feet high, ispassed on the right. This is the first place where shade is to begot from thorn bushes. There is enough for about one battalion ifscattered over about 2 square miles.
Um Geren545The well-known Arab camping ground, UmGeren, marked by a tall tree, is left ½ mile to the north of trackin the wooded Khor Abu Siba.
El Kua1½46½The well El Kua is passed ½ mile north oftrack in the Khor Abu Siba. This well is 25 feet deep, and, thoughliable to run dry in winter, generally contains about 3 feet ofwater from July to September.
El Bar1½48A similar well, El Bar, is passed ½ mileto the north of track in the Khor Abu Siba, which all along here iswell wooded with dom palms, sunt trees and bushes for camelgrazing. Both these wells belong to the Hawawir sub-tribe ofMonasir.
Sani250Sani is a pool of rain-water with rock,sand, and shingle banks. It is said that the water is perennial,and if drunk dry, it refills to three-quarters former depth; morethan 6 feet deep in centre. Water good; contained at time of visitabout 26,000 gallons. Thirty animals can drink at once; if bucketsare used 60 could drink. Sagias and cultivation.
Abu Koreit1464Many old wells, but disused, and watersupply very small.
Kurbai62126Water, but supply bad.
Abu Haraz19145Well; good water.
Berber4149

116.—SANI to EL ZUMA (NILE) viâ JURA.

By Captain St. G. Henry, August, 1897.