Chapter IV: (eastern Sudan.) (1)

* * * * *

14.—KHARTOUM NORTH TO KASSALA, _viâ_ GEILI, RERA EL SADDA,
AND EL SOFEIYA, DIMIAT, ASUBRI.

BY COLONEL HON. M. G. TALBOT (JANUARY, 1900) WITH ADDITIONS BY
CAPTAINS BOULNOIS (MARCH, 1900) AND MORANT (JANUARY, 1901).

_General Description._

[Sidenote: Road.]

At this season (January) the going is good throughout, except for the few miles between Um Ukheita and Um Rueishid and the first 5 miles out of Rera eastwards, which portions of the track are very stony. From El Sadda to Asubri there is at present (1900) no track, so the going is not so good as in other parts, but there is no obstacle to camels. The gradients throughout are insignificant. A great portion of the route is over dark arable soil, which must be impassable when wet, so that in autumn this route must be difficult for camels for at any rate a day after heavy rain.

There is plenty of shade up to El Ereigib; after that it is rarely found and is non-existent for considerable stretches.

[Sidenote: Rivers.]

The Atbara bed lies from 100-200 feet below the level of the surrounding plains. On either side it is bordered by 2 to 4 miles of broken ground covered with scattered bush, through which the track proceeds by easy gradients. As a rule it is unfordable at Asubri from end of June to middle of October. During these months travellers cross by the boat ferry at Suweihil some 5 miles further south.

The Gash is liable to be unfordable for several days together during the flood season which lasts during July, August and September.

[Sidenote: Supplies.]

A good deal of dura is grown near the track and some might be obtainable at the right time of year. Sheep and milk can be got at many places. Firewood is to be found everywhere up to El Giseima (66 miles), after that it is very scarce till the Atbara is reached.

[Sidenote: Water.]

As tanks are very numerous, water must be very plentiful in autumn and early winter.

The wells about El Ereigib are very deep; that at Wad Abu Saleh was found to be roughly 250 feet.

There are still many wells that require digging out and tanks that want repair. Water was of good quality throughout, and all the wells visited had an ample supply.

[Sidenote: Inhabitants.]

The village of Um Dibban and all the country as far as Wad Abu Saleh used to be under El Taib Abd El Salem, the Sheikh of El Soba. Owing to their having joined the Mahdi, the Sheikh of El Obeid family have risen in importance and acquired a certain jurisdiction over the country east of Um Dibban.

A few Batahin were met with as far as El Giseima, after that practically all were Shukria or those living with that tribe, as far as the left bank of the Atbara.

[Sidenote: Grazing.]

There is excellent tree grazing as far as El Giseima, and after that the supply of grass is so great that one can understand how the enormous flocks and herds subsisted, that the Shukria claim to have possessed in their palmy days.

The grass seen was never more than 3 feet high. It is not burnt.

[Sidenote: Cultivation.]

An immense area is capable of growing good crops of dura if the rains are favourable.

[Sidenote: Game.]

There is practically nothing to shoot at this season (January) between the Blue Nile and a few miles of the Atbara.

--------------+--------------------+----------------------------------
| Miles. |
Place. +-------------+------+ Description.
|Intermediate.|Total.|
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------
Khartoum North| — | — |Starting E. from the Artillery
| | |Lines at Khartoum N., a well
| | |marked track is soon struck, which
| | |continues up the Blue Nile cutting
| | |off corners where it bends. It
| | |passes the village of Kuku (whence
| | |a track leads to Sheikh El Amin
| | |and afterwards rejoins this
| | |route), the two villages of
| | |Gereif, where there is some
| | |cultivation, and at about 12 miles
| | |the village of Um Dom. At about 19
| | |miles, after passing some low
| | |mounds covered with frequent
| | |fragments of stone and brick, said
_Old Soba_ | 19 | 19 |to be the remains of Old Soba, the
| | |road bifurcates and the branch to
| | |the left is taken, a clearly
| | |marked track. For the first few
| | |miles the path passes through
| | |thinly scattered trees, which
| | |gradually get thicker, till at 23
| | |miles they restrict the view in
| | |any direction to 200 or 300 yards.
| | |At 25½ miles a well is passed on
| | |the right of the road, and at 27
_Um Dibban_ | 8 | 27 |miles Um Dibban is reached. This
| | |is a scattered but well-built mud
| | |village on perfectly flat ground,
| | |from which all vegetation has been
| | |removed for a radius of 1,000 to
| | |1,500 yards.
| | |
| | |It was formed by a holy man named
| | |Sheikh El Obeid, who established a
| | |school and caused a tank to be
| | |dug. His descendants still live
| | |there and keep up the school, but
| | |they now have hankerings after
| | |temporal power.
| | |
| | |The Sheikh El Obeid family and
| | |followers were early and fanatical
| | |adherents of the Mahdi, and it was
| | |in attempting to surprise them
| | |that Mohammed Ali Pasha and his
| | |forces were cut to pieces in 1884.
| | |
| | |There are two wells about 112 feet
| | |deep, one inside, and the other
| | |200 yards W. of the S.W. corner of
| | |village.
| | |
| | |The inhabitants belong to various
| | |tribes; many have land on the Blue
| | |Nile, and some cultivate land to
| | |the E.
| | |
| | |The road starts slightly N. of E.,
| | |and generally traverses a thin
| | |forest of thorny trees, not thick
| | |enough really to impede troops,
| | |but necessitating a little dodging
| | |here and there. At 4¼ miles it
_Wad Badrub_ | 4¼ | 31¼ |passes Wad Badrub, a well, said to
(Wad Agid) | | |be 140 feet deep, belonging to Um
| | |Dibban. About 200 yards further
| | |on, and again after 4 more miles,
| | |dry tanks were passed.
| | |
| | |The track maintains a general
| | |direction of a little N. of E.,
| | |but constantly makes considerable
| | |changes for short distances.
| | |
_Wad Hedeibab_| 7¾ | 39 |Well.
| | |
_Um Sideira_ | 7 | 46 |Well.
| | |
| 4 | 50 |A dry tank in the Elwan district
| | |is passed. There is said to be a
| | |well of the same name 2 miles to
| | |the S.E. This district originally
| | |belonged to the Shukria, but is
| | |now occupied by the Batahin.
| | |
| | |The country soon becomes more open
| | |and a considerable extent, perhaps
| | |600 or more feddans of dura,
| | |cultivated by the Batahin was
| | |passed.
| | |
_El Ereigib_ | 5 | 55 |There are some wells (which were
| | |out of repair; January 1901) and
| | |several dry tanks, and one with
| | |water about 1 mile N.E. Plenty of
| | |fair sized trees.
| | |
| | |A small number of Mesellemia
| | |Arabs, Sheikh Mahi, were there.
| | |They were originally under the
| | |Shukria, but during the Mahdia
| | |came under Sheikh El Obeid.
| | |
| | |Another rather shorter route is
| | |from Khartoum N. to El Ereigib,
| | |viâ Babekr (11½ miles), good well,
| | |thence passing two lots of salt
| | |works to the village of _El
| | |Melaha_ (13 miles), large tank,
| | |plenty of water (January, 1901),
| | |thence to a second village of _El
| | |Melaha_ (2½ miles), salt well,
| | |thence to a deep but good _well at
| | |Elwan_ (22½ miles), and total
| | |distance to El Ereigib (4 miles)
| | |is 53½ miles.
| | |
| | |The country soon becomes more
| | |open, several tanks are passed. At
| | |3 miles Wad Abu Saleh, good well
| | |250 feet deep, marked by some
| | |small but well built mud houses in
| | |good preservation, said to belong
| | |to the Sheikh of El Soba. About ¾
| | |mile to the left is a tank, said
| | |to hold the largest supply of
| | |water in the neighbourhood. The
| | |country now becomes more and more
| | |bare of trees, and more ground fit
| | |for cultivation is seen. At 6½
| | |miles some Batahin crops are
Wadi Sereria | 6½ | 6½ |passed, and the Wadi Sereria
| | |flowing S. is crossed. A well
| | |belonging to the Mesellemia is
| | |said to be close at hand on left.
| | |At 8 miles a track from Shendi viâ
| | |Wad Hassuna to Rufaa is crossed.
| | |No water along it except tanks.
| | |
_El | 4½ | 66 |A tank about 100 feet in diameter
Giseima_[10] | | |on rather high ground surrounded
| | |by a few trees, 2 feet of water in
| | |it, Hamla 4½ hours. From this on,
| | |no trees are seen till Rera is
| | |reached, except where belts of
| | |“kittr” bushes mark the lines of
| | |Wadis or a small clump of thorn
| | |trees shows the position of a
| | |tank; firewood should be provided
| | |for.
| | |
| | |The absence of trees enables one
| | |to see far over the wide plains,
| | |mostly of arable soil and covered
| | |at this season with dry “Mahareib”
| | |and “Hamra” grass. At 4 miles, an
| | |unusually pronounced drainage line
| | |said to come from Abu Deleig is
| | |crossed. The upper part is called
Wadi Abu Sueid| 4 | 70 |Wadi Abu Sueid and the lower Wadi
| | |Hasit, said to be much cultivation
| | |along it, but none was seen.
| | |Thence across a gravelly plateau
| | |from which 4 miles further on
| | |Geili hill can be seen. At 76th
| | |mile road descends short slope to
Astaneit | 6 | 76 |Astaneit tank, dry, no wood,
| | |water, nor good grazing.
| | |
| | |From here on to Geili, the road
| | |generally makes for the hill. The
| | |main track probably avoids
| | |Astaneit tank, leaving it to the
| | |right. At 80th mile the Khor
Khor Dengalia | 4 | 80 |Dengalia; at 84th mile the Wadi
| | |Nail, and half mile further on the
Wadi Nail | 4 | 84 |Wadi Ankia are crossed, all
| | |flowing south. 5½ miles further on
Wadi Ankia | ½ | 84½ |the N. end of the Geili hill was
| | |reached. The best place to halt is
_Geili_ | 6 | 90½ |½ mile further on at the S.E. end,
| | |where a huge fallen boulder
| | |affords good shade for two or
| | |three persons. It has an ancient
| | |carving in Egyptian style on the
| | |side nearest the hill.
| | |
| | |J. Geili is a granite outcrop
| | |about 250 feet high, rising out of
| | |a gentle elevation in the plain.
| | |On E. and S. are some low knolls
| | |enclosing a small open space, in
| | |which the wells now most used are
| | |situated. There are said to be
| | |about thirty wells round the hill,
| | |varying in depth from 50 to 100
| | |feet, yielding an unfailing supply
| | |of water; some grass near but no
| | |firewood. The only path up the
| | |hill is from the N., and even
| | |there nailed boots must be taken
| | |off.
| | |
| | |From the summit a good view is
| | |obtained. Near the top on some
| | |level ground is a place shown as
| | |the tomb of the “Bint El Mek,” the
| | |daughter of one of the Fung Kings,
| | |who married Sheikh El Din one of
| | |the early Shukria Sheikhs.
| | |
| | |From Geili there are two roads to
| | |Um Rueishid, one of which viâ J.
| | |El Daein makes a considerable
| | |detour. It starts on a bearing of
| | |about 66° from true N. straight
| | |for J. El Daein, passing over good
| | |soil nearly all the way, several
| | |hundred feddans of which appear to
| | |have been cultivated (1901). The
| | |ground is much cracked and off the
| | |path, the going is bad.
| | |
J. El Daein | 22 | 112½ |Two small hills of which the
| | |southern is the higher. There is a
| | |tank, now dry, at its foot on W.
| | |side, Hamla took 8 hours, going
| | |well.
| | |
Um Ukheita | 14½ | 127 |The track now turns slightly S. of
| | |E. and continues over good soil
| | |rather bare of grass to Um
| | |Ukheita, a tank now dry, on a
| | |slight stony rise. Hamla about 5
| | |hours. From here on to Um Rueishid
| | |the ground is covered with angular
| | |stones, and the going very bad.
| | |Camels have to walk. At 2½ miles
| | |J. Rera is seen to the S.E., and
| | |the track makes fairly straight
| | |for it, leaving on the right the
| | |group of small hills known as El
| | |Nawasla. At 6¼ miles the track
| | |descends a gentle slope, and bends
| | |up to the N. to the well of Um
| | |Rueishid.
| | |
| | |The more direct road, which would
| | |appear to be the best in every
| | |way, runs nearly due E. over a
| | |“Nal” grass covered plain devoid
| | |of bush, therefore also of shade
| | |and firewood, to Sofeiya El Wata
| | |(23 miles) a large tank (dry
| | |January, 1901), where there is
| | |excellent shade for a small party.
| | |From here to Um Rueishid (20
| | |miles), track traverses similar
| | |country, though it is occasionally
| | |stony. J. Um Betikh is passed to
| | |the S. of the track.
| | |
_Um Rueishid_ | 8¼ | 135¼ |This well is said to be 30 or 35
| | |feet deep. It is situated on bare
| | |stony ground. A dry tank lies ½
| | |mile to the S. There are a few
| | |small thorn bushes S. of well, but
| | |there is very little shade and
| | |little grazing, and it is
| | |altogether rather an unpleasant
| | |halting place.
| | |
| | |From Um Rueishid there is a track
| | |viâ El Sofeiya and Dimiat to
| | |Asubri. It seems the most direct
| | |line possible, _vide_ description
| | |below.
| | |
| | |The route followed after about 1
| | |mile of stony plain strikes a well
| | |marked track on good cultivable
| | |soil, and makes straight for J.
| | |Rera.
| | |
| | |At 1½ miles it crosses the Wadi
| | |Jerraba flowing S., and 6 miles W.
| | |Rahad, and at 11 miles the W.
| | |Kanan flowing N. All are flat
| | |depressions with cracked soil and
| | |marked by lines of “kittr” bushes.
| | |Parts of their courses are
| | |cultivated. At 18 miles, track
| | |enters ground strewn with quartz
| | |pebbles, and covered with grass
| | |which continues as far as Rera.
| | |
_Rera_ | 22¼ | 157½ |Hamla 9½ hours. The Rera hills
| | |consist of three rocky ridges
| | |almost in line, running E. and W.
| | |and some low subsidiary elevation;
| | |S. of the centre ridge is a well
| | |and a dry water hole. Immediately
| | |to the S. of the W. end of the
| | |eastern and highest ridge are more
| | |wells now in use. On the N. side
| | |of the short and low pass that
| | |leads to these wells from the N.
| | |is a deep dry tank. Before the
| | |Mahdia immense flocks and herds
| | |used to water here. In the eastern
| | |and highest ridge are several rock
| | |tanks containing water.
| | |
| | |From Rera a road goes viâ Dimiat
| | |to Asubri. It is more direct and
| | |better marked than the one
| | |followed, but was not taken as the
| | |rock tanks at Dimiat were said to
| | |be dry (January, 1900). The
| | |eastern ridge is not difficult to
| | |ascend and commands a good view.
| | |The natives say J. Kassala can be
| | |seen from it on a fine day during
| | |the rains. Variation of prismatic
| | |compass about 3½° W.
| | |
| | |There is no marked track for the
| | |first 5 miles towards El Sadda,
| | |and the going is bad over pebbles
| | |and through long grass.
| | |
| | |After that a well marked track is
| | |reached, which continues the rest
| | |of the way.
| | |
Wadi Atiam | 7 | 154½ |At 7 miles, the Wadi Atiam is
| | |passed flowing N. It goes to El
| | |Sofeiya, and as far again beyond
| | |it dies away. Much cultivation
| | |along it. From 7 to 9½ miles the
| | |road is rather bad and stony till
| | |it has passed the Atash hills by a
| | |short and easy gap, and enters an
| | |open plain which extends to El
| | |Sadda.
| | |
| | |Several tanks are passed on the
| | |right, known as El Farsh. Hamla 9½
| | |hours.
| | |
_El Sadda_ | 25½ | 180 |There are several wells here about
| | |½ mile W. of S. end of J. El
| | |Sadda, a low ridge running N. and
| | |S. The one well visited was said
| | |to be 70 to 80 feet deep. Plenty
| | |of grass, but no trees nor
| | |firewood. On the N. and W. of the
| | |hill and close to its foot are a
| | |number of circular stone mounds
| | |neatly built, which appear to be
| | |tumuli, and probably date from a
| | |time anterior to the present
| | |inhabitants. The two biggest are
| | |immediately under the highest
| | |point. From here to the Atbara
| | |there is no track and no water.
| | |Bushes mark the drainage lines,
| | |otherwise the plains are bare of
| | |all but grass. Much of the ground
| | |is cracked and consequently bad
| | |going. The route followed
| | |eventually struck the well marked
| | |track made by the Dervishes from
| | |Dimiat, and kept along it to
| | |Asubri. At 2½ miles from Asubri
| | |the main road along the left bank
| | |of the Atbara is crossed. Soon
| | |after, the track descends into the
| | |broken ground which fringes both
| | |banks of the Atbara to a width of
| | |2 or more miles. The actual banks
| | |at Asubri are 15 to 20 feet high
| | |and 300 yards apart. Crocodiles
| | |are plentiful. The ford in
| | |January, 1901 was 120 yards long
| | |and 2½ feet deep.
| | |
_Asubri_ (R. | 57 | 237 |Hamla took 19 hours from El Sadda.
Atbara) | | |A nice shady camp on right bank
| | |for a very small party. Mosquitos
| | |few, but particularly poisonous.
| | |
| | |Asubri is the name of a strip of
| | |land extending for some miles
| | |along both banks of the Atbara. On
| | |the left bank, near the ford, is
| | |an old cemetery, and ½ mile S. is
| | |a building formerly occupied by
| | |Abdel Rahim Wad Abu Dugal, the
| | |Dervish Emir in command of their
| | |post here in 1897 and early in
| | |1898.
| | |
| | |On leaving camp, the track winds
| | |in and out of khors and up gentle
| | |slopes through bushes, till at 2
| | |or 3 miles it emerges on to the
| | |plain, which is of good soil
| | |covered with scattered bush. The
| | |general direction is straight for
| | |J. Kassala.
| | |
| | |At about 6 miles the track from
| | |Suweihil joins in on the right,
| | |and from this on, the road is well
| | |marked. Many ariel and gazelle,
| | |and a few ostriches seen.
| | |
Um Siteiba | 21 | 258 |At 21 miles, Um Siteiba, commonly
| | |called half way is passed. Here is
| | |a large natural pond for about 4
| | |months in the rains, but now dry.
| | |Serut fly bad when there is water
| | |here.
| | |
| | |About 6 miles from Kassala, the
| | |track turns N.E. and traverses
| | |more thickly wooded country, till
| | |it reaches the bed of the Gash,
| | |now dry, some 700 yards wide,
| | |immediately beyond which lies the
| | |old town of Kassala.
| | |
Kassala | 17 | 275 |The old name, Taka, may now be
| | |regarded as obsolete. The former
| | |town is a complete ruin, of which
| | |nothing remains except the
| | |circular bastions. The new town
| | |has been built close by the S.E.
| | |and consists largely of Tukls. The
| | |Fort, built by the Italians, is
| | |just E. of the N. end of the old
| | |town.
| | |
| | |Telegraph lines from Suakin,
| | |Massawa, and Khartoum viâ Gedaref
| | |meet here.

UM RUEISHID _viâ_ SOFEIYA TO ASUBRI.

Khartoum, N. | — | — |
| | |
Um Rueishid | — | 135¼ |From Um Rueishid where the ground
| | |is very stony, the track which is
| | |well defined, starts at a bearing
| | |of 112° from true N., and very
| | |soon K. Abu Jerraba is crossed
| | |flowing N., it is said to
| | |eventually unite with the Wadi
| | |Khasa.
| | |
Wadi Khasa | 7½ | 142¾ |There are signs of a good deal of
| | |cultivation along this wadi.
| | |
J. Um El Gurud| 1½ | 144¼ |J. Um El Gurud, a low rocky hill
| | |about ¼ mile long is passed about
| | |1¾ miles to S. and 3 miles further
| | |on Sheikh
| | |
Sh. Naim’s | 1½ | 145¾ |Naim’s tomb, conspicuous on top of
Tomb | | |a gentle slope, is passed on N.
| | |side of the road. Open bushless
| | |grass country continued until
El Sofeiya | 9½ | 155¼ |nearing El Sofeiya, where
| | |scattered bush and granite rocks
| | |appear. There are some forty wells
| | |here, though water supply
| | |decreases considerably in the dry
| | |season, they vary from 50 to 100
| | |feet in depth.
| | |
| | |The people here, who are Shukria
| | |under Sh. Ahmed Mohamed Abu Sin,
| | |live in tents made of matting;
| | |there are no permanent buildings
| | |of any sort, and the encampments
| | |are small and scattered. The
| | |direct road to Kassala, which is
| | |difficult to trace for the first
| | |mile or so after leaving the
| | |wells, soon becomes well defined,
| | |having been much used during the
| | |Mahdia, and leads over open flat
| | |grassy land from J. Gurun, which
| | |it leaves about 2½ miles to the S.
| | |Khors Royan (7 miles) and Atshan
| | |(11½ miles) being crossed en
| 15½ | 170¾ |route, flowing N.
| | |
Wadi Giref | 6½ | 177¼ |J. Giref is passed about 3 miles
| | |N. of track and Wadi Giref is
| | |crossed about a mile further on.
| | |
| | |From here to J. Dimiat is about 15
| | |miles, Wadi Girgoja being crossed
| | |at about half way.
| | |
_J. Dimiat_ | 15 | 192¼ |A granite hill about 100 feet
| | |high. There is a natural tank
| | |about half way up, inaccessible
| | |for camels, which after a good
| | |rainy season contains water till
| | |the end of January, but is not to
| | |be relied on. There is a certain
| | |amount of laot bush around the
| | |base of the Jebel, which serves as
| | |firewood, and some detached
| | |boulders give shade for a small
| | |party.
| | |
| | |From here to the Atbara valley
| | |about 33 miles there is no bush,
| | |with the exception of two thin
| | |belts called Ogba El Bagar about 5
Ogba El Bagar | 18 | 210¼ |miles apart.
| | |
| 7½ | 217¾ |The road bifurcates, one to
| | |Gandaua, Sh. Omara Abu Sin’s
| | |village on the Atbara, the other
| | |is the Dervish track to Asubri.
| | |The route taken (January, 1901)
| | |was neither, but direction lay for
| | |3 miles S.E., and then due E.
| | |through scattered bush to edge of
| | |plateau.
| | |
Edge of | 8½ | 226¼ |From this point Jebels Kassala,
Plateau | | |Abu Gamel, &c., are plainly
| | |visible. Also are several small
| | |hills some 10 miles to the S. and
| | |S.W. named Bereirob and El Gatar,
| | |whilst J. Leinun is visible a
| | |similar distance to the N.
| | |
| | |The road now descends a khor by
| | |easy gradients to the bed of the
| | |Atbara at the well known Meshra of
_Asubri_ | 2¼ | 228½ |Asubri.
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------

15.—GOZ REGEB TO SHENDI _viâ_ ABU DELEIG.

BY CAPTAIN W. A. BOULNOIS, APRIL, 1900.

[Sidenote: General Remarks. Road.]

From Goz Regeb, a ruined town of mud houses almost entirely deserted to Sheg el Walia, there is no track, and the country is bare till within 30 miles of Sheg. Hence to Geleita there is a badly defined track and none from Geleita to Abu Deleig. From the latter to Shendi the track is well defined most of the way, and there seems to be a considerable amount of traffic; parties bringing dura from Rufaa to Shendi, and one party from Metemma with goods to sell in Abu Deleig market were met.

The track disappears 10 miles short of Shendi.

The going is good at this time of year all the way; wherever tracts of strong rich soil and wadis are crossed, and there are many, it would be impracticable in the wet season at times.

From Abu Deleig to Shendi the going is good enough, probably all the year round, but many deepish khors would form serious obstacles in the rains.

The Atbara was 2½ feet deep, and 60 yards wide.

[Sidenote: Supplies.]

A fair amount of dura is grown near Sheg and Geleita. It was easily obtainable there in small quantities.

A great deal is grown in Hawad, a very fertile district, and also a certain amount in Abu Deleig in good years, but it all depends on the rainfall. Very little from Abu Deleig to Shendi.

[Sidenote: Wood.]

Firewood is not to be obtained between Goz Regeb and within 10 miles of Abu Deleig; plenty elsewhere.

[Sidenote: Water.]

None from Goz Regeb to Sheg, about 65 miles.

Tanks very numerous near and in Hawad.

Water only obtainable at Ladda, between Abu Deleig and Shendi; but there are numerous tanks, though all dry at this time.

Water is of good quality, especially at Abu Deleig.

[Sidenote: Inhabitants.]

From Goz Regeb to Hawad, Shukria; round Abu Deleig, Batahin; at Ladda, Ababda and Hassania.

[Sidenote: Grazing.]

Very good grazing from Sheg to Shendi.

[Sidenote: Cultivation.]

Large tracts and areas capable of growing good crops of dura if rains favourable.

[Sidenote: Game.]

Nothing to shoot between Atbara and the Nile at this time of the year.

--------------+--------------------+----------------------------------
| Miles. |
Place. +-------------+------+ Description.
|Intermediate.|Total.|
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------
Atbara | — | — |Descending the bank by the hut on
| | |the E. bank the Atbara is crossed
| | |and the W. bank ascended ¼ mile S.
| | |
| | |Elsewhere the banks are steep, but
| | |the bush is not very dense. Track
| | |leads to Goz Regeb. The ruined
| | |brick buildings of the old
| | |Egyptian town are still standing,
| | |and amongst them the decayed tukls
| | |of Osman Digna. A very few
| | |inhabitants, descendants of the
| | |ancient town of Goz are living
| | |there still. The site is on high
| | |ground, and light sandy soil, a
| | |few dom palms, and the remains of
| | |an old garden and cemetery are
| | |still visible.
| | |
Goz Regeb | 1 | 1 |Counting from huts on the E. bank,
| | |the distance to the town is 1
| | |mile. The direction taken, about
| | |260° from the true north, leaves
| | |the town of Goz Regeb on the N.,
| | |and passes from sandy undulating
| | |ground to level rich soil with
| | |very little grass and trees,
| | |getting scarcer through El Uera
| | |district, leaving the two hills of
| | |El Darei on the north side; at
| | |about 9 miles the direction taken
| | |leads straight to Bewadda. Under
| | |the hills of El Darei are bushes
Bewadda | 15½ | 16½ |and grass.
| | |
| | |Bearing from Bewadda to Sabaat
| | |162°, Erembat 81°, Takallaareid
| | |343°. Bewadda is a granite rock in
| | |the middle of a bare tract.
| | |
| | |At 20 miles a ridge about ¼ mile
| | |long, quite low, stands 1 mile to
| | |the N.; hence the ground is
| | |perfectly bare till about 50
| | |miles. Wadis coming from south
| | |begin to empty on the plain, then
| | |the going becomes bad in places,
| | |especially in the cracked soil
| | |near the Wadis. Grass gets more
| | |plentiful.
| | |
| | |At 51 miles Wadi Royan is crossed,
| | |and shortly after Wadi El Doleb
| | |and Wadi Sangareh; dura is grown
| | |about these wadis.
| | |
J. Ikhbeit | 36 | 52½ |Bearing to J. Ikhbeit 209°.
| | |
| | |The broad Wadi El Abil is crossed
| | |at 59 miles; there are bushes and
| | |firewood in it. Four miles further
| | |on the ground becomes stony after
| | |crossing Wadi Wad Masuga, and
| | |rises gentle slope of stony ridge.
| | |
_Shag El | 13½ | 66 |Shag El Walia is reached after
Walia_ | | |crossing a second ridge. It is
| | |generally called simply Shag, no
| | |connection with Sheikh. Four wells
| | |in use out of 14; 120 feet deep,
| | |water constant; 200 camels could
| | |be watered daily. A badly defined
| | |track leads over a valley with
| | |rich soil across Wadi Baseyayi,
| | |then gently up another stony ridge
_Geleita_ | 14½ | 80½ |and plateau down to Geleita where
| | |are 7 wells in use altogether,
| | |about 120 feet deep, water
| | |constant. There are several wells
| | |unopened. A good many flocks and
| | |inhabitants.
| | |
| | |Leaving the main group of wells, a
| | |track is followed down bed of khor
| | |to the foot of the ridge in N.W.
| | |direction, fairly free from
| | |stones, past two wells at ¾ mile,
| | |and one well at 1¼ miles. The
| | |track disappears and rich soil and
_Isna Bir_ | 17½ | 98 |pasture land is crossed to Isna
| | |Bir, where there are 2 wells
| | |giving a scanty supply of water,
| | |and a few people (Batahin); a few
| | |patches of corn were noticed on
| | |the way.
| | |
| | |Hence the direction taken is
| | |nearly W., crossing a very fertile
| | |tract of country; many water
| | |tanks, now dry, then over the rich
| | |land of Hawad, and rising a gentle
| | |slope touches the Khor Girgegi,
| | |which waters the Hawad, about 1
_Abu Deleig_ | 25 | 123 |mile short of Abu Deleig.
| | |
| | |Good shade all round. Large number
| | |of wells.
| | |
| 2 | 125 |The best place for a small party
| | |is 2 miles higher up the Girgegi.
| | |A well defined track, starting
| | |N.W. across Wadi Shilha and leads
| | |over good pasture land with many
| | |mimosa trees and sandy soil to
_Ladda_ | 20 | 145 |Ladda. A large tank hewn out of
| | |the rock in the middle of a grass
| | |plain. Plenty of water, 1/4/00,
| | |diameter about 100 feet, depth in
| | |middle 5 feet, said to last all
| | |the year. Many flocks; Ababda and
| | |Hassania tribes. Tomb of Atali
| | |close to the tank. The track leads
| | |past several stony ridges and
| | |sandy soil, across 3 or 4 khors,
| | |notably Fehed, and is lost about 7
Shendi | 41 | 186 |miles from Shendi, which is
| | |reached descending a long very
| | |gradual slope from the high
| | |plateau at the foot of J. Girenat
| | |and Neheidat. Distance taken to
| | |Gubba Shendi.
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------

16.—EL DAMER TO FASHER (ATBARA).

BY MAJOR BULKELEY JOHNSON, SCOTS GREYS, OCTOBER, 1901.

[Sidenote: General Remarks. Road.]

From El Damer to Goz Regeb the road is stony and sandy, with open desert or open bush. Going: good for horses in open formation but slightly heavy; for artillery, heavy, with a strain on the horses the whole journey. I should suggest some form of detachable broad sand tyre to prevent sinking of the wheels, as suggested in Journal of Artillery Institute, of, I think, September, 1901.

From Goz Regeb to Sofi the road is a single track through long grass on a high plateau, 2 or 3 miles from river, which is difficult of access owing to broken ground gradually sloping to river, which is cut up by innumerable khors, water courses, and bush.

The going over the single track is good for horses, but bad for guns, as both horses and wheels must go through the long grass, and horses’ feet are continually slipping inwards as the track is narrow and generally deep. At times, as between Sofi and Mogatta, the path is completely lost and overgrown with kittr—bad enough for single horses, but still worse for pairs or led horses; the gun horses on two occasions coming in red with blood from shoulders down. I would suggest outside blinkers for gun horses in bush to protect the eyes from thorns.

[Sidenote: Water.]

During first portion of road, El Damer to Goz Regeb, the river is difficult of access owing to thick bush and high banks, except in recognized meshras, often far apart. Water very good; camps good and shady.

On second portion, Goz Regeb to Fasher, river often 3 miles away, and very difficult of access. Meshras very few owing to broken ground, thick bush, and deep khors running in every direction; camps fair and shady.

[Sidenote: Grasses.]

On Atbara up to Goz Regeb, halfa grass is plentiful along the banks. After El Fasher plenty of green abu rokba, abu arid, and neghil, by far the best being abu arid, which, green or dry, is always taken by the natives in preference to any other for horses and cattle. Naal is apparently no use as food, but adaa or false dura is better than nothing.

--------------+--------------------+----------------------------------
| Miles. |
Place. +-------------+------+ Description.
|Intermediate.|Total.|
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------
El Damer | — | — |
| | |
El Basli | 14 | 14 |Road across stony desert. Small
| | |village, 150-200 inhabitants,
| | |about 4 miles S. of Abadar Meshra.
| | |Dom fringe, ½ mile broad; outside
| | |this, stony desert. Two roads—one
| | |through doms, the other outside—
| | |single track over stones.
| | |
| | |From El Busli.
| | |
| | |Outside road taken.
| | |
| ¾ | 14¾ |Meshra Umdebia.
| | |
Amerab | 3¾ | 18½ |Amerab village, ½ mile from river;
| | |50 grass tukls, two mud houses.
| 2 | 20½ |Big house standing alone. Sheikh
| | |Omar.
| | |
Minawi | 1¼ | 21¾ |Meshra very good.
| | |
Goz El Halag | 4 | 25¾ |Opposite to Goz El Halag (meshra)
| | |a few tukls. Road still 2 miles
| | |from river. Country changes. Soil
| | |becomes loamy, with some sand and
| | |scattered bush. River bank lined
| | |with doms.
| | |
Girsi | 5¼ | 31 |Village. Cultivation by sagias;
| | |big meshra 2 miles north. Road
| | |shortly goes through dura (rain
| | |crops), therefore patrol skirted
| | |outside this. Country as before;
| | |open bush, mostly tundub; no road.
| | |
Debbet Bush | 3 | 34 |Opposite to big village Debbet.
| | |Bush W. of outer road; about 2
| | |miles from river. Water from 2
| | |wells.
| | |
Burush | 4 | 38 |Opposite to; a few tukls, meshra.
| | |
Abaka | 3 | 41 |Ditto.
| | |
Helal | 7 | 48 |Ditto, meshra. Cultivation, and a
| | |few tukls fairly close; bush mixed
| | |with doms, about 1 mile broad from
| | |river.
| | |
Shigil | 2 | 50 |Meshra. Cultivation on and near
| | |river. Meshra in a small pool,
| | |nearly dry (Oct. 16th). Island, ½
| | |mile long; plenty of neghil grass.
| | |Village of Shigil, about 20 tukls;
| 1 | 51 |½ mile from river in bush.
| | |
Garada | 1 | 52 |Meshra. Road enters dura 1½ miles
| | |from river; narrow path through
| | |thickets.
| | |
Marzuga | 2 | 54 |Meshra.
| | |
| 5 | 59 |Bush ends. Road enters open sandy
| | |desert which stretches down to
| | |river, on banks of which fringe of
| | |doms, ½-1 mile wide.
| | |
El Rimta | 3½ | 62½ |Arab encampment. (No meshra.) Road
| | |close to river. Road runs along
| | |river bank through doms and
| | |cultivation for ½ mile, then open
| | |sandy desert with sunt and tundub
| | |right down to bank; sand hills.
| | |
_El Awadi_ | 3½ | 66 |Meshra (very good). Good shade for
| | |camp. Heavy going for guns. No
| | |road.
| | |
| 10 | 76 |_Good meshra_. No signs of
| | |cultivation.
| | |
_Adarama_ | 4 | 80 |Meshra opposite Adarama.
| | |
| 3 | 83 |Ferry for Adarama. A fringe of
| | |bush, about 1 mile broad, along
| | |river; outside this, open flat
| | |desert with a few tundub bushes.
| | |Road at times 2 miles from river,
| | |across bends, and approaches it at
| | |mile 97.
| | |
| 14 | 97 |_Meshra_, very good (rocky bed);
| | |shady camp. Fringe of bush
| | |impenetrable (except at meshras)
| | |along bank, about 10 yards broad.
| | |This continues for a long
| | |distance. Road close to river.
| | |
_Amiam_ | 10 | 107 |Meshra, by small khor; sandy bank,
| | |¼ mile broad; no inhabitants;
| | |going, sandy and bad.
| | |
_Taroma_ | 6 | 113 |Meshra. Bisharin tukl village;
| | |about 30 people; flocks;
| 4 | 117 |cultivation of dukhn on sandy
| | |banks. Meshra, good; dukhn on
| | |sandy banks. No signs of
| | |inhabitants.
| | |
| 11 | 128 |No meshra, but able to get down to
| | |river by group of doms; sandy
| | |banks, not much grass (halfa).
| | |Road goes away from river to cut
| | |off bend.
| | |
| 5½ | 133½ |Road divides: right hand to Goz
| | |Regeb direct, left keeping near
| | |river. Followed left; going
| | |becomes worse, with small khors
| | |when near river.
| | |
Auli | 2½ | 136 |Arab encampment. Meshra.
| | |
| 6 | 142 |Very _good meshra_; open space on
| | |bank. Fine view of river part of
| | |Auli. No grass.
| | |
| 2 | 144 |_Meshra_. Arab encampment; dukhn,
| | |plenty of halfa grass. End of
| | |Bisharin tribe.
| | |
| 3 | 147 |Arab encampment. Arteiga branch of
| | |Hadendioa. Great quantities of
| | |sheep, cattle and camels.
| | |
| | |G. Tukwe on west, J. Ofreik on
| | |east, just visible from here.
| | |
| | |Succession of small meshras and
| | |encampments.
| | |
| 4 | 151 |_Meshra_.
| | |
| 2 | 153 |_Meshra_.
| | |
| 1 | 154 |Cemetery; stony ground.
| | |
| 3 | 157 |Path debouches into open alluvial
| | |plain (short grass and tundub
| | |bushes) cutting off bend.
| | |
| 5 | 162 |Approach river, near which country
| | |is broken and stony. _Meshra bad_;
| | |no grass except a little abu rokba
| | |(slightly bitter taste when green,
| | |and of which some horses will not
| | |eat at first until accustomed).
| | |Flocks and cattle. Road from 148th
| | |mile close to river, over very
| | |rough, broken, stony ground, and
| | |at times thick bush. Several small
| | |meshras. Goz Regeb’s two hills
| | |visible for first time.
| | |
Saraf | 6 | 168 |Arab encampment; _meshra_.
| | |
_Goz Regeb_ | 12 | 180 |Meshra—1 mile short of it—under
| | |palms. Camp (bad), 2 miles further
| | |on, at ferry. Camel post opposite;
| | |grass, halfa.
| | |
| | |This road makes Goz Regeb 100
| | |miles from Adarama.
| | |
| | |From Goz Regeb the road proceeds
| | |at about 3 miles from river on a
| | |flat table land, as the ground
| | |between it and the river is rocky
| | |and broken by innumerable small
| | |water courses and khors called by
| | |natives “karrab.” The going is
| | |over alluvial soil, rather heavy.
| | |A single track with naal grass on
| | |either side.
| | |
| | |Distances are given exclusive of
| | |detours down to meshras.
| | |
_Gebuib_ | 18 | 198 |Meshra, very good. Good camping
| | |ground; halfa grass. No
| | |inhabitants.
| | |
| 10 | 208 |To _meshra_, about 3 miles.
| | |
| 6 | 214 |Ditto.
| | |
_Umraho_ | 4 | 218 |Ditto. Very good meshra; deep
| | |khors on either side. Bend in
| | |river to east; ford (27th Oct.
| | |1901). Country near meshra very
| | |broken and rough. On turning down
| | |this meshra the tops of two small
| | |hills are visible on right front.
| | |From here road about 3 miles from
| | |river; going gets harder when
| | |nearing Asubri.
| | |
| 8 | 226 |In line between the two hills and
| | |Kassala hill.
| | |
| 10 | 236 |To _meshra_.
| | |
Omara | 1 | 237 |Small village, about ½ mile E. of
| | |road.
| | |
| 3 | 240 |To _meshra_, good. E. 3 miles to
| | |river. Fair camp; abu rokba, but
| | |no halfa grass.
| | |
| 3 | 243 |To Asubri. The road here divides
| | |at right angles: left to Asubri,
| | |right direct to El Fasher,
| | |described as about 30 miles and
| | |track far from river. Therefore
| | |took river road—very bad.
| | |
_Asubri_ | 3 | 246 |Asubri. From here road goes about
| | |1 mile from river and becomes very
| | |good and hard. Country open with
| | |trees and short grass. After 10
| | |miles becomes “Karrab” (ground
| | |broken by small water courses)
| | |again.
| | |
| 12 | 258 |A _meshra_. Hundreds of camels,
| | |thousands of sheep and goats
| | |belonging to Lahawin Arabs. Good
| | |meshra. Bad camp; no grass.
| | |
| 13 | 271 |El Fasher District. Country
| | |changes to park-like land—short
| | |grass dotted with trees.
| | |
El Fasher | 2 | 273 |El Fasher village and fort. Water
| | |from ford.
| | |
Ford | 4 | 277 |Ford; good meshra and camp. Last ½
| | |mile “karrab”; Abu Rokba grass.
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------

17.—KHARTOUM NORTH TO ABU DELEIG.

COMPILED IN INTELLIGENCE OFFICE, KHARTOUM.

--------------+--------------------+----------------------------------
| Miles. |
Place. +-------------+------+ Description.
|Intermediate.|Total.|
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------
Khartoum, | — | — |Railway terminus, &c. The road
North | | |leads nearly due east, _viâ_ tomb
| | |and well of Haj Yusef (Batahin),
Bir Haj Yusef | 4½ | 4½ |about 80 feet deep, water good but
| | |not plentiful, to Bir Babekr,
Bir Babekr | 4½ | 9 |about 110 feet deep, water good
| | |and plentiful. Scattered salam and
| | |tundab bush. Inhabitants Batahin.
| | |
| | |After leaving Babekr the road
| | |traverses bare level ground
| | |covered with scattered samr and
| | |selem trees. Hafir Medeisis, where
| | |Hassania Arabs live and extract
| | |salt during the rainy season, is
| | |passed, and later Hafir El Wadi,
| | |near which is a low stony hill
| | |named El Gaber. Near Kalamon are
| | |hafirs named Nuba and Um Denun,
| | |where also salt is extracted by
| | |the Hassania.
| | |
Bir Kalamon | 8 | 17 |Well 180 feet deep, water rather
| | |salt, but very plentiful. From
| | |here the direct road passes Hafir
| | |El Kheila, the country is flat and
| | |covered with scattered samr trees
| | |and homra and meharib grass. The
| | |road leads to a stony hill named
J. Dura | 12 | 29 |J. Dura, after which the following
| | |tanks are passed: Jan Kilwa, Um
| | |Gedodeima, and Gala Um Johanis,
| | |over which the road passes; beyond
| | |this is Wadi Safra, where Hassania
| | |Arabs cultivate.
| | |
Wad Hassuna | 30 | 59 |A village of mud houses and well
| | |of this name; also the tomb of
| | |Sheikh Hassan Wad Hassuna, near
| | |which is a large hafir called
| | |Ghobasha. Natives here Hassania,
| | |under Sheikh Hassan Meki. Country
| | |continues flat, and covered here
| | |and there with kitr and samr
| | |trees, also homra and meharib
| | |grass; road is stony and several
| | |khors cross it.
| | |
Hafir Kabarus | 4½ | 63½ |After Hafir Kabarus, three others
| | |by name El Biyut are past.
| | |
Hafir Amria | 7 | 70½ |A very large tank, J. El Sada, is
| | |passed to the south.
| | |
Bir Agab | 8½ | 79 |Two wells, about 90 feet deep,
| | |water good and plentiful.
| | |Mogharba, Hassania, Batahin and
| | |Ababda Arabs live about here.
| | |Several hafirs here, chief of
| | |which are Alatib and Balako. The
| | |latter lies 1½ miles south of the
| | |road, and is said to have been dug
| | |by the “Kufr” or heathen.
| | |
Khor Jegjegi | — | — |After leaving Agab the road soon
| | |runs alongside Khor Jegjegi, which
| | |it continues to follow to Abu
| | |Deleig. Kittr, sayal, heglig, and
| | |samr trees border the khor, which
| | |some 8 to 10 miles further east
| | |joins Wadi Hawad. There are about
| | |50 wells in the Abu Deleig
| | |district, 70 to 100 feet deep, but
| | |in the rainy season water can be
| | |obtained from Khor Jegjegi near
| | |the surface. At Abu Deleig all the
| | |natives live in dom-mat tents, and
| | |here is the residence of Sheikh
| | |Mohammed Talha, head Sheikh of the
| | |Batahin, who are the principal
| | |inhabitants. There is a police
Abu Deleig | 10 | 89 |officer and police post here.
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------

18.—RUFAA TO GEILI.

BY COLONEL HON. M. G. TALBOT, JANUARY, 1903.

There are at least three roads.

The western goes by Abu, or El, Gassas, a district apparently included in another called Rotamat (I am not sure of this). Last water at Abu Gassas. It afterwards passes some cultivation, but no water except in autumn.

The eastern goes by Tundub and Wad Arrak, where last water is, and joins the middle road about 10 miles from Geili.

The middle one was followed, and is described below.

No real road to begin with, simply tracks from village to village. For the first 9 miles, as far as the village of Kemeilab, through cultivation all the way. Several villages on either side of road. Then through thin laot bush, but plenty of cultivation round about.