Chapter IX: (north-Western Sudan.) (3)

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| Miles. |
Place. +-------------+------+ Description.
|Intermediate.|Total.|
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------
Gabra | — | — |Left Gabra in a N.W. direction,
| | |and after a few minutes emerged
| | |from the trees on to the edge of
| | |the gently sloping plains, and
| | |turned north.
| | |
W. Um Deisis | 5½ | 5½ |After two hours along the left
| | |edge of Wadi Mogaddam, the Wadi Um
| | |Deisis is crossed. It comes from
| | |Gambar Wells and forms the
| | |northern boundary of the Kababish
| | |in the Wadi Mogaddam. It is marked
| | |by some trees and 2 or 3
| | |insignificant water channels, the
| | |only ones seen on the whole road.
| | |
| | |Soon after a low sandy hill, with
| | |a tree on it, can just be made out
| | |in the distance and serves as
| | |direction point. It is passed at
| | |about 5 hours from Gabra, being
| | |left on the right.
| | |
_Bir Hassanin_| 10½ | 16 |A little way further on Bir
| | |Hassanin, belonging to the
| | |Hassania, is passed. It is deeper
| | |than most, being about 144 feet.
| | |
_Um Harot_ | 4 | 20 |From this on we kept well to the
| | |left of the 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 here narrow, is a low black
| | |elevation, called J. Deim Gibur.
| | |
| | |Kept for some miles more or less
| | |in the centre of the wadi, which
| | |is rather ill-defined; slight
_Bir El | 6 | 26 |rises of ground occur at intervals
Simira_ | | |on either bank. Reached Bir El
| | |Simiha, Geriat well, close under
| | |N.W. end of low black hill
| | |partially covered with sand.
| | |
| | |One and a-half hours further on,
| | |keeping to right of Mogaddam,
| | |passed a disused Geriat well
_Fanga Well_ | 5 | 31 |called Um Khenoit, situated in a
| | |bare space that had once been
| | |zeribaed, and 15 minutes further
| | |on reached Fanga well, Geriat.
| | |
Gaerin | 4 | 35 |Still keeping on right edge of
| | |Mogaddam, after another 1½ hours
| | |Gaerin wells are reached.
| | |
| | |There are several wells, about 120
| | |feet deep, in a bare space of
| | |about half a square mile. Wood all
| | |round, including much “selem.”
| | |From this on very little grass was
| | |seen.
| | |
| | |Kept along right edge of wadi, and
| | |after 1¼ hours crossed a wadi
| | |joining from E. Guide seemed to
| | |call it Wadi Teneida, but it was
_Bir El Agami_| 6 | 41 |difficult to catch. An hour
| | |further on the nearest point to
| | |Bir El Agami was passed. This is
| | |the northern Geriat well, and lies
| | |about a mile E. of route.
| | |
| | |After ¾ of an hour, the junction
| | |of the Wadi Melh is passed on the
| | |left.
| | |
_Bir Eminalla_| 10 | 51 |And 3 hours further on the first
| | |Hawawir well, Bir Eminalla, is
| | |reached.
| | |
| | |From here the wadi begins to be
| | |more or less restricted by rising
| | |ground on either side which does
| | |not open out till within an hour
| | |of Um Rumeila.
| | |
_Um Rumeila_ | 12½ | 63½ |This well is situated on a bare
| | |stony patch just where the Wadi
| | |Gumr joins the Mogaddam. Most of
| | |the latter wadi keeps to the E. of
| | |it. From this point the Gumr
| | |hills, which have been visible for
| | |some time, are at their nearest
| | |and appear not more than 20 or 25
| | |miles off. The plain, up to the
| | |sandy foothills, appears gently
| | |sloping and bare. The hills have
| | |the appearance of a long gravelly
| | |ridge of very uniform and no great
| | |height, but it is unlikely that
| | |they are of gravel. A few hills
| | |are visible to the N.W., and a
| | |group of low hills called Mingit
| | |bears 44° magnetic. Salt is
| | |obtained either from these hills
| | |or from the low ridges in their
| | |vicinity.
| | |
| | |Kept down wadi, passing junction
| | |of W. Anderab at about 4 miles, to
| | |junction of Wadi Hamid with
| | |Mogaddam. There is some “selem”
Wadi Hamid | 11 | 74½ |here; from this on it becomes more
| | |and more frequent. The Wadi Hamid
| | |comes from a low hill called Sud
| | |Wad Hamid or some such name.
| | |
| | |A few miles up it is joined by the
| | |W. Abu Sedeir, in which there is a
| | |Hawawir well, which lies on the
| | |road from Um Tub to Hanboti.
| | |
| | |After an hour along the right edge
| | |of wadi kept a little E. of N.
| | |over some broken ground for about
| | |two hours, and then returned to
| | |wadi and kept more or less up its
El Gab Abu | 14 | 88½ |right edge till within the group
Gambur | | |of hills called El Gab Abu Gambur.
| | |
| | |On the E. side of the southernmost
| | |of these hills, on the left bank,
| | |is an ancient enclosure said to
| | |have been built by the Anak. A
| | |semi-circular wall descending from
| | |the steep part of the hill
| | |encloses a bit of gently sloping
| | |ground near the base. The distance
| | |between the two horns is about 120
| | |yards, and the distance from the
| | |line joining the two ends to the
| | |lowest point is about 70 yards.
| | |
| | |The wall is 8 feet or 9 feet thick
| | |throughout, 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
| | |very peculiar appearance from all
| | |the stones being used upright on
| | |their ends. There is a legend that
| | |the Hawawir found a well there
| | |when they first came to the
| | |country.
| | |
| | |About an hour beyond the W. Eishat
| | |comes in on the right. Kept
| | |generally on the right edge of the
| | |wadi, in some places keeping on
| | |the sloping ground above it; a
| | |good many low hills W. of wadi.
| | |Crossed a low saddle on W. of
| | |wadi, which is here much less
| | |wooded, and in places hard to
| | |identify. A couple of miles before
| | |reaching Wadi Mahal junction, wadi
| | |passes between two hills on left
| | |and right bank, known as J. Abu
| | |Mara and Nasub El Abid
| | |respectively.
| | |
Wadi Mahal | 19½ | 108 |The Wadi Mahal joins on right
| | |bank. The Hawawir sometimes
| | |cultivate up this wadi.
| | |
| | |The Mogaddam becomes more wooded
| | |again; a low saddle is crossed on
| | |right bank and then a straight
| | |line is made for Um Tub. A great
| | |deal of “tundub,” some “selem,”
| | |and “samr.”
| | |
_Um Tub_ | 8 | 116 |Um Tub well, 120 feet deep,
| | |situated on a very slight rise in
| | |open plain on right edge of wadi.
| | |A track from here to Bayuda well.
| | |Bad going, 2 days for hamla.
| | |
| | |From here low hills are constantly
| | |in sight, each of which has a
| | |name, but none are conspicuous.
| | |Much “selem” and “samr,” very good
J. El Hueimi | 18 | 134 |going. The general direction is a
| | |little W. of N. J. El Hueimi, a
| | |low hill, serves as a direction
| | |mark from some distance till it is
| | |reached.
| | |
| | |After which J. Abno, on the right
| | |bank of the Nile opposite Korti,
| | |becomes visible and is marched on.
| | |A couple of miles further on the
| | |W. Megeirid joins the Mogaddam
| | |from the E. It looks as if it must
| | |flow out of the Wadi Bayuda, but
| | |it may come from a very short way.
| | |After crossing it, kept over low
Wadi Bayuda | 7 | 141 |gravelly ridges, rather trying for
| | |camels’ feet, till the Wadi Bayuda
| | |was reached. The Wadi Bayuda
| | |appears to come from the hills in
| | |the neighbourhood of Jakdul. It
| | |contains much “selem” and “samr,”
| | |and there was excellent grazing
| | |where it was crossed. It flows out
| | |near Ambukol.
| | |
| | |From here it is best to keep a
| | |little west of the straight line
| | |to Korti and along the right edge
| | |of the wadi, in order to avoid
Korti | 9 | 150 |more gravel ridges; after 1½ hours
| | |a track is struck which leads past
| | |Korti village to the new
| | |Government offices, just west of
| | |the old fort of 1897-98.
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120.—KORTI TO BAYUDA WELLS.

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

[Sidenote: 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.

A little shade is to be got in winter, but practically none in summer.

The distances were measured by wheel and adjusted to the astronomical positions. The hours are those actually marched by light hamla.

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| Miles. |
Place. +-------------+------+ Description.
|Intermediate.|Total.|
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------
Korti village,| — | — |For the first 4 miles one of the
west end | | |tracks leading to Um Tub is
| | |followed, the route then bends
| | |slightly to left, keeping up the
| | |right edge of the Wadi Abu Gia,
| | |which has plenty of “selem” and
| | |other trees, till it crosses it at
| 13 | 13 |13 miles.
| | |
| | |It now keeps along the left side
| | |of the wadi, which has shrunk
| | |almost to nothing above the
| | |junction of the Abu Gia, passing
| | |J. Shankawi at 3½ miles, and
| | |returning to the wadi, where
J. Shankawi | 3½ | 16½ |“selem” bushes reappear.
| | |
| 8½ | 25 |The route keeps on straight near
| | |the southern of the two Sawileil
| | |hills, past J. El Zein, which is
| | |left 1½ miles on the right,
| | |crosses the Wadi El Zein, and a
| | |very low and easy saddle.
| | |
| 14 | 39 |It descends just to the right of a
| | |very small hill called Nasb Um
| | |Handal, passes between J. Um Serre
| | |and J. Barkol, and crosses the
| | |fairly well wooded W. Rahaba, just
| | |N. of the little hill called Nasb
| | |El Rahaba.
| | |
| 8 | 47 |After 5 miles it meets the well
| | |marked track from Merowe, and at 6
| | |miles it crosses a low ridge, and
| | |descends into the valley of the
| | |wadi, here called Wadi Bayuda.
| | |
| | |At 6½ miles it crosses the actual
| | |bed, some 40 yards wide and 6 feet
| | |deep, and at 7 miles the wells are
| | |reached.
| | |
_Bayuda wells_| 7 | 54 |The wells are situated in the bed
| | |of the khor and are filled up,
| | |whenever there is a spate. At the
| | |time of the visit, the Arabs were
| | |drawing water from a hole about a
| | |mile up; but they had begun to
| | |clean out the real wells.
| | |
| | |There are said to be two other
| | |wells, El Nasaib and Um Sideiri,
| | |about 2½ hours up on the way to
| | |Hanboti.
| | |
| | |Just at the wells it is fairly
| | |open, though surrounded by low
| | |hills. Half a mile further up the
| | |khor is closely shut in by hills
| | |covered with boulders.
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121.—BAYUDA WELLS TO TANGASI MARKET.

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

[Sidenote: General Remarks.]

From Bayuda wells to Wadi Abu Gia there is an extremely well marked track, profusely beaconed in the Arab manner. Further N. the stream of traffic divides according to the part of the Merowe district for which the traveller is bound or from which he starts.

The going is excellent throughout; no difficulties whatever.

The route appears to be of recent origin.

Formerly the produce of the Province used to make its way to Berber _via_ Sani, and this new trade route, sometimes called the Hawashawi route, from a hill of that name, seems to have been established to meet the new conditions in the Sudan.

From Bayuda the route keeps straight on, crossing the Goz Abu Delua just before reaching Hanboti, and strikes the Nile near the Shabluka. Between Bayuda and Merowe there are considerable stretches without any camel grazing, and there is no shade of any value in hot weather. The distances were measured by wheel and adjusted to the astronomical positions.

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| Miles. |
Place. +-------------+------+ Description.
|Intermediate.|Total.|
--------------+-------------+------+----------------------------------
Bayuda Wells | — | — |On leaving the wells for the first
| | |mile the Korti track is followed.
| | |On issuing from the hills, the
| | |track, which is well marked,
| | |gradually separates from the Korti
| | |route, making for higher ground,
| | |and keeps on in a practically
| | |straight line, crossing the heads
| | |of some of the small wadis that
| | |join the main one from Bayuda, and
| | |passing over a number of
| | |infinitesimal saddles that
| | |separate them.
| | |
| | |There is nothing of interest along
| | |the road.
| | |
| | |A number of small hills, each too
| | |small to show properly on the
| | |scale, but sometimes forming a
J. Hawashawi | 26 | 26 |mass of considerable area, are
| | |passed; but the only one worth
| | |noticing is J. Hawashawi, which is
| | |said to give a name to the route.
| | |
| | |There is very little camel grazing
| | |on the route generally, and after
Wadi Abu Gia | 7½ | 33½ |this none is met with till the
| | |Wadi Abu Gia is reached, where
| | |there are some “selem” and other
| | |trees.
| | |
| | |The Wadi Abu Gia is the route used
| | |by the Camel Corps in 1885, and is
| | |still known as Sikkat El Ingliz.
| | |The country now becomes still more
| | |bare; the tussocks of burnt up
| | |“tabas” grass, that have been
| | |hitherto seen occasionally, no
Birgat El | 9 | 42½ |longer appear, and with the
Seleim | | |exception of some “selem” bushes
| | |in the neighbourhood of Birgat El
Birgat Wadi | 14 | 56½ |Seleim, a low hill, no green thing
Kurei | | |is seen till the Wadi Kurei is
| | |reached in the neighbourhood of
| | |the Birgat Wadi Kurei, from the
| | |top of which there is a good view.
| | |
Tangasi | 7 | 63½ |From here into Tangasi Market the
| | |route (there is no track) is over
| | |a low gravel ridge and then across
| | |a level plain.
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[Footnote 34: It was in this year that the surveys for the railway were made.]

[Footnote 35: _See_ page 175.]