A guide is indispensable. With a guide there is no difficulty in marching by moonlight.

Place.Miles.Description.
Inter-mediate.Total.
Gabra——Left Gabra in a N.W. direction, and aftera few minutes emerged from the trees on to the edge of the gentlysloping plains, and turned north.
W. Um Deisis5½5½After two hours along the left edge ofWadi Mogaddam, the Wadi Um Deisis is crossed. It comes from GambarWells and forms the northern boundary of the Kababish in the WadiMogaddam. It is marked by some trees and 2 or 3 insignificant waterchannels, the only ones seen on the whole road.
Soon after a low sandy hill, with a treeon it, can just be made out in the distance and serves as directionpoint. It is passed at about 5 hours from Gabra, being left on theright.
Bir Hassanin10½16A little way further on Bir Hassanin,belonging to the Hassania, is passed. It is deeper than most, beingabout 144 feet.
Um Harot420From this on we kept well to the left ofthe wadi and made straight for Um Harot well, 120 feet deep,belonging to the Geriat.
It is situated on a bare bit of ground W.of the wadi and just where the Wadi Wohad joins it.
On the E. of the Mogaddam, which is herenarrow, is a low black elevation, called J. Deim Gibur.
Bir El Simira626Kept for some miles more or less in thecentre of the wadi, which is rather ill-defined; slight rises ofground occur at intervals on either bank. Reached Bir El Simiha,Geriat well, close under N.W. end of low black hill partiallycovered with sand.
Fanga Well531One and a-half hours further on, keepingto right of Mogaddam, passed a disused Geriat well called UmKhenoit, situated in a bare space that had once been zeribaed, and15 minutes further on reached Fanga well, Geriat.
Gaerin435Still keeping on right edge of Mogaddam,after another 1½ hours Gaerin wells are reached.
There are several wells, about 120 feetdeep, in a bare space of about half a square mile. Wood all round,including much “selem.” From this on very little grass wasseen.
Bir El Agami641Kept along right edge of wadi, and after1¼ hours crossed a wadi joining from E. Guide seemed to call itWadi Teneida, but it was difficult to catch. An hour further on thenearest point to Bir El Agami was passed. This is the northernGeriat well, and lies about a mile E. of route.
After ¾ of an hour, the junction of theWadi Melh is passed on the left.
Bir Eminalla1051And 3 hours further on the first Hawawirwell, Bir Eminalla, is reached.
From here the wadi begins to be more orless restricted by rising ground on either side which does not openout till within an hour of Um Rumeila.
Um Rumeila12½63½This well is situated on a bare stonypatch just where the Wadi Gumr joins the Mogaddam. Most of thelatter wadi keeps to the E. of it. From this point the Gumr hills,which have been visible for some time, are at their nearest andappear not more than 20 or 25 miles off. The plain, up to the sandyfoothills, appears gently sloping and bare. The hills have theappearance of a long gravelly ridge of very uniform and no greatheight, but it is unlikely that they are of gravel. A few hills arevisible to the N.W., and a group of low hills called Mingit bears44° magnetic. Salt is obtained either from these hills or from thelow ridges in their vicinity.
Wadi Hamid1174½Kept down wadi, passing junction of W.Anderab at about 4 miles, to junction of Wadi Hamid with Mogaddam.There is some “selem” here; from this on it becomes more and morefrequent. The Wadi Hamid comes from a low hill called Sud Wad Hamidor some such name.
A few miles up it is joined by the W. AbuSedeir, in which there is a Hawawir well, which lies on the roadfrom Um Tub to Hanboti.
El Gab Abu Gambur1488½After an hour along the right edge ofwadi kept a little E. of N. over some broken ground for about twohours, and then returned to wadi and kept more or less up its rightedge till within the group of hills called El Gab Abu Gambur.
On the E. side of the southernmost ofthese hills, on the left bank, is an ancient enclosure said to havebeen built by the Anak. A semi-circular wall descending from thesteep part of the hill encloses a bit of gently sloping ground nearthe base. The distance between the two horns is about 120 yards,and the distance from the line joining the two ends to the lowestpoint is about 70 yards.
The wall is 8 feet or 9 feet thickthroughout, and 6 feet high at the lowest point of the hill,diminishing regularly to nothing as it ascends the hill.
There is a gate at the lowest point,which is fairly well built, while the rest of the wall has a verypeculiar appearance from all the stones being used upright on theirends. There is a legend that the Hawawir found a well there whenthey first came to the country.
About an hour beyond the W. Eishat comesin on the right. Kept generally on the right edge of the wadi, insome places keeping on the sloping ground above it; a good many lowhills W. of wadi. Crossed a low saddle on W. of wadi, which is heremuch less wooded, and in places hard to identify. A couple of milesbefore reaching Wadi Mahal junction, wadi passes between two hillson left and right bank, known as J. Abu Mara and Nasub El Abidrespectively.
Wadi Mahal19½108The Wadi Mahal joins on right bank. TheHawawir sometimes cultivate up this wadi.
The Mogaddam becomes more wooded again; alow saddle is crossed on right bank and then a straight line ismade for Um Tub. A great deal of “tundub,” some “selem,” and“samr.”
Um Tub8116Um Tub well, 120 feet deep, situated on avery slight rise in open plain on right edge of wadi. A track fromhere to Bayuda well. Bad going, 2 days for hamla.
J. El Hueimi18134From here low hills are constantly insight, each of which has a name, but none are conspicuous. Much“selem” and “samr,” very good going. The general direction is alittle W. of N. J. El Hueimi, a low hill, serves as a directionmark from some distance till it is reached.
Wadi Bayuda7141After which J. Abno, on the right bank ofthe Nile opposite Korti, becomes visible and is marched on. Acouple of miles further on the W. Megeirid joins the Mogaddam fromthe E. It looks as if it must flow out of the Wadi Bayuda, but itmay come from a very short way. After crossing it, kept over lowgravelly ridges, rather trying for camels’ feet, till the WadiBayuda was reached. The Wadi Bayuda appears to come from the hillsin the neighbourhood of Jakdul. It contains much “selem” and“samr,” and there was excellent grazing where it was crossed. Itflows out near Ambukol.
Korti9150From here it is best to keep a littlewest of the straight line to Korti and along the right edge of thewadi, in order to avoid more gravel ridges; after 1½ hours a trackis struck which leads past Korti village to the new Governmentoffices, just west of the old fort of 1897-98.

120.—KORTI to BAYUDA WELLS.

By Colonel Hon. M. G. Talbot, December, 1903.

General remarks.The road ascends generally the wadi by which the drainage of the Khor Bayuda descends. Though, possibly, people living on the river or at a distance call the whole wadi by the name of Bayuda, the local Arabs give each part of it a different name.

From the source to a little below the wells appears to be called Khor Bayuda. Up to this point it has a defined bed, in which water flows after rain. After passing J. Barkol it becomes Wadi Barkol, being now, and remaining, a broad wadi with no water channel. Soon after it becomes Wadi El Zein, till it is joined by the large Wadi Abu Gia, whose name it retains till near Korti. It is not quite clear whether it keeps it to the end or adopts the name Abu Gidean after its junction with that wadi.

The going is extremely good, there being no difficulty whatever.

Though a good deal used, there is no marked track till near the wells. The numerous small isolated hills act as efficient landmarks, so that everyone takes his own line.

Except for the short and uncertain period when green grass can be obtained, “selem” is the best camel grazing in all this country. It is found almost all the way in the wadi.

No supplies were obtainable of any sort on the road or at Bayuda wells in December, 1903.