By Captain H. H. S. Morant, March, 1900.
General remarks.From Ambarab to Sogada the road is good enough for camels, and is kept open by frequent small caravans. There was also said to be a route from Todluk to Sogada, which was however described as “bad,” probably hilly.
Beyond Sogada the road itself presents no great difficulties, but the absence of traffic[40] has allowed the thorny bushes to close in on it to such an extent as to very seriously interfere with loaded or riding camels almost the whole way to Gira.
Once the Setit is reached, there is no real difficulty about water, but after the first 15 miles or so below Maietib the water is only accessible at certain places. The further you descend the river, the broader the strip of broken ground becomes on each side of the stream, the further the road keeps from it, and the wider apart are the watering places.
Probably the best plan when marching along the valley is to spend the heat of the day on the river, and the night on the plateau above.
Water should be carried in fantasses, as skins get cut to pieces by the thorns.
Cutting tools are desirable.
No supplies are obtainable nearer than Gedaref on the Setit. There are no settled inhabitants east of the village of Wad Heleiwa, 11½ miles E. of Sofi on the Atbara.
| Place. | Miles. | Description. | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Inter-mediate. | Total. | ||
| Takarashorit | — | — | This appears to bethe name of some wells in the bed of the Gash, about 45 miles aboveKassala. If not constantly used, these wells are quickly filled inby the sand; but as the water is not more than 6 feet to 10 feetbelow the surface, they are easily opened out again. The bed hereis sandy and about 120 yards wide. Ambarab is the name given to agrassy, and in the rains marshy, place about 1½ miles further upstream on the left bank. |
| Ambarab | — | — | |
| There is a road from here to Agordat. Theroad to Sogada leads generally in a S. direction for the most partover level ground covered with more or less thick bush, whichoffers no serious obstacle to camels in single file. | |||
| There are several tracks, used probablyat different times of the year. There are a few slight ascents anddescents, but nothing at all serious. | |||
| Sogada | 18 | 18 | The road passes through some low stonyhills partially covered with thorny bush, and at 18 miles it leavesthe village of Sogada about ¾ mile on the left high up on the S.W.slopes of J. Argoji, the highest hill in the immediateneighbourhood. The village did not appear to contain more than 25tukls. |
| There is a large and deep well at thefoot of the hill, but the water was reported to be bad. | |||
| Khor Angaleib | 1 | 19 | Track now crosses a level plain enclosedon all sides by hills, with openings to the W. After crossing thekhor, signs of recent dura cultivation were seen at intervals onboth sides of the road. |
| Khor Gersat | 3 | 22 | Here there is a large well on the N. sideof the khor, which gives a plentiful supply of good water. Thereare no tukls actually at the well, as the inhabitants prefer tobuild their houses on the hill sides, but there are severalsettlements in the immediate neighbourhood, all of which areincluded under the district name of Sogada. |
| The inhabitants are Baza, or Badein, orKunama. They are very much afraid of the Bazas of the Setit, whoraid them occasionally, they say, under Abyssinian leadership, butthey seem to be friendly with the Beni Amer, whose merchantspurchase dura from them. The Sheikh’s name is Haidar WadIbrahim. | |||
| Dinti | 2¼ | 24¼ | From here the track proceeds nearly dueS., but winds about a good deal amongst low hills and through thickbush, which, with one or two steep-banked khors, greatly impede themarch of loaded camels. |
| The hamlet of Dinti is passed about 1½miles to the left on the slopes of J. Dinti. The inhabitants ofLakatakura were camped in this neighbourhood, but whether they hadleft their home on account of the failure of their water supply, orfrom fear of the Abyssinians, it was difficult to make out. | |||
| 3¼ | 27½ | After some more tedious windings thetrack descends into a level plain, bounded by the Atbara on the W.,and Setit on the S., and on the E. by an apparently continuousrange of hills, at the foot of which lies the Baza village ofLakatakura. | |
| Khor Gullui | 2½ | 30 | This khor is a considerable obstacle,being at least 15 feet deep and perhaps 30 yards wide. The sidesare steep at regular crossing places. A few miles to the W., nearJ. Hamid, the water stands for a long time in the khor after therains. That place is often referred to by natives as Gullui, and itseems to be on the old frontier of Hamrans, Beni Amer andBazas. |
| There is some Baza cultivation near theKhor Gullui. | |||
| J. Sabun | 5 | 35 | From here on to J. Sabun, a smallisolated hill said to be on the frontier between Hamrans and Bazas,the track passes through very thick thorn bush, which greatlyimpedes loaded camels. |
| Khor Sanasaba | 3¼ | 38¼ | The track leaves J. Sabun just on itsright and turns more to the E. The thorns are less troublesome, andpatches of cultivation and open spaces with high grass arepassed. |
| Khor Lakisaba | 3 | 41¼ | Track continuesthrough the same class of country nearly due E., and afterascending the Khor Lakisaba for about 3 miles, it leaves it andascends its left bank, making straight for the hills. Eventually itenters the valley of the Lakisaba, and a halt was made in its bedin a spot enclosed between the hills of J. Komkom and J.Agachina. |
| Halting-place | 5¾ | 47 | |
| There was no better reason for theselection of this halting-place, which was at least a mile off ourroad, than that it was perhaps the nearest point to the water atthe head of the Khor Lakisaba, to which loaded camels could gowithout considerable difficulty. This water, the only water withinabout 20 miles in any direction, is said to be contained in a largecleft in the rock about 1 hour’s camel march beyond thehalting-place. The cleft is high up in the rocks, and all the waterhas to be carried down by hand. | |||
| There were a few Baza families there, whoassisted in the watering of our animals and filling our fantasses,but the delay was very great. | |||
| Lakatakura lies about 3½ to 4miles N. of the Khor Lakisaba. It was deserted, and thewell was said to be dry. | |||
| R. Setit | 21 | 68 | After retracing our steps for a mile westruck off in a S. direction, and followed a track made by anItalian hunting party a few days before. This track had evidentlynot been used for many years, as it was all overgrown with thorns,and was very indistinct in places. Fortunately the hunting partyhad been obliged to partially clear it for their camels, and afterconsiderable difficulties we emerged from the hills after goingabout 12 miles, and reached the Khor Maichhi. Here there are manyhashab, baobab, and sunt trees. Soon after the Khor Maietib iscrossed, and places were seen where it is said water used formerlyto remain even during the hot weather. After a few more milesthrough undulating wooded country the track leads suddenly on tothe bank of the Setit opposite a large pool about 1 mile below itsjunction with the Khor Maietib, which is said to be the oldboundary between the Hamran and Baza tribes. There was some tobaccogrowing in this khor which was said to have been planted by theAbyssinian Baza. |
| About here the Setit averages 100 to 150yards wide, with a good deal of running water in it, thoughfrequently fordable at this season (March). Banks 20 to 30 feethigh with a good deal of tamarisk. | |||
| K. Debebi | 1 | 69 | Following river, downright bank K. Debebi and Abu Osher are crossed. |
| K. Abu Osher | 2½ | 71½ | |
| J. Mudassir | 4½ | 76 | J. Mudassir is left ¾mile on right and after crossing K. Meshra El Gedad J. Elaklei isalso left same distance on right place on right bank named Darfit is passed, andKhor Um Hagar reached, the jebel of same name being 1 mile onright. Soon after crossing this khor, a track leads N. to AbuGamal. Broken ground now begins. |
| K. Meshra El Gedad | 1½ | 77½ | |
| J. Elaklei | 1 | 78½ | |
| Darfit | 1 | 79½ | |
| Um Hagar | 1 | 80½ | |
| Helegim | 1 | 81½ | After crossing theisland of Helegim and marching down bed of river, good shade isreached on left bank. |
| Halt | 1½ | 83 | |
| J. Um Hagar | 2 | 85 | From here, leavingthe river which was running S.W., owing to impossibility ofmarching along it on account of ravines and thick bush, a N.direction was taken to foot of J. Um Hagar, then, turning W.,marched over bad cotton soil chiefly along elephant tracks at footof low ridge of hills left on right till, reaching a shorterdetached ridge, we turned S., passing Hafeira, an old burial groundof Hamrans, and descended to the river at Umbrega, where the Setitflows between white cliffs, Geif El Hamam, on left bank, andprecipitous ground on right bank. The last 17 miles had been nearlyall bad going, and game paths were the only tracks met. Gamebetween Maietib and Umbrega plentiful. Lion, abu ma’arif (RoanAntelope), kudu, water-buck, tétel (tora hartebeeste), bushbuck,ariel, gazelle, oribi, dig-dig, wart-hog, hippo. Numbers of giraffeand elephant tracks were seen, but buffalo tracks only twice. |
| Ridge | 6¼ | 91¼ | |
| Hafeira | 7 | 98¼ | |
| Umbrega[41] | 2 | 100¼ | |