TO ABYSSINIA THHOICJH AN UNKNOWN LAND M J MY MOT TO IIKU ANO KN I tWK MWH PREFACE the highlands of British Bast Africa and the region of Southern Abyssinia is a broad of desolate and unexplored country. Great natural have to be surmounted in crossing this belt. It Is waterless and affords no food for man, and some no for animals, A part of the country in a mass of volcanic debris, utterly uninhabited, and no guides are obtainable. It required a certain amount of persuasion and en eonragement to hearten up my men to the enterprise of this unknown land especially at that period we were without guides. At they were mutinous, fearing that they would die of thimt, and we wore perhaps only saved from that fete by the happy discovery of a water-hole At othar and appeared too worn out to care or to make any effort to reach the next Nevertheless ft great measure of praise is cfoe to My nadE for the manner in which they accom the journey. On M of this sort it is easy enough to lead, vll viti but a very much harder matter to follow blindly and obediently, and o they deserve the highest tribute. With the exception of the two headmen and my hoy they were all highknders men absolutely unsulted to the conditions of life in the low country. Dependent in their villages almost entirely on grain, and used to the cool air of the East African Highland, and no lade of running streams, they suffered terribly from tho heat and thirst of the lava desert and the roducod rationa of food. After passing through thin waterleHB atrip, and reaching the southern borders of Abymsinia, one to a country profuse in little tribes, all differing one another to a greater or degree in oitttoiiw language. Putting aside thosetribes a little off my route, of 1 met only one or two individuals, there war different tribes through whoae country ray me The study of these peoples and their varhxl teristics was to me a most intor sting part of tha Many of these are but uncivilised barbarian but such as the WaJlamu, undoubtedly btow of prung from an old oivilleation, perhaps aaoient Egypt. Another interesting feature ww to see the in the Abysiinians administrate their und the numerous ubject4rlb mettods leave much to be tb y fco rale their territories wiih m ftiil s juttoe which, all wo FltEFACl k All my photographs have been developed and printed by my aunt, Mm Idgar Clark. My moat grateful thanks are due to her for the great skill and patience with which she UOH produced the results here shown. My Ihankn are also due to Major C. W. Gwyim, O. H. G., D. 8. O., ltJl for placing at my disposal materials from which the nketch of the route from the Omo River to Addut Ababa in compiled. My route nketches and observations which appear in the of tho Rudolf dfetrict were based on points fixed by P. Maud, 0,1G, B. B. I ot omit to mention Abdi Hassan, my head ittiifij to whone faithful services the successful issue of the trip WIIH mainly attributable, 0-EL 1910 CONTENTS CHAPTER I TRBPARATIONS FOR TUB JOUENKY - - - - 17 CHAPTER II TRBK TO t. AlKIMA .... 31 CHAPTER, III THE I, AIKI1 IA WJUNN - - - - 41 CHAPTER IV THE 8AMBUKR OOUNTUY - - - - - 55 CHAPTER V TUB BARTA STKlPK - - - - 71 CHAPTKll VI THE BRNDILR OOUNTRV - - 88 CHAPTER VII THB RBNDILK COUNTUV omtinwl - - - 103 OHAPTBB VIII TUB WATKRLWS KLGffitf - - - - - 115 CHAPTER IX MIK BOEANA - - - - - 127 CHAPTEE X MORJK UNKNOWN WATBIt-HOLES - - - - 142 xi xii CONTENTS CHAPTERXI M TTOEPONA WATBR-HOLK - lfi CHAPTER XI WE REACH LAKE RUDOLK - 173 CHAPTER XIII A LUCKY KIND 0V WATKll - - 184 CHAPTER XIV THB LAST OF TUB UNINHABITED TEACT - 196 CHAPTER XV THB RESHIAT ...... 210 CHAPTER XVI THB OMO IUVBU ANT NBRI DB8KRT - - - 230 CHAPTER XVII A MOUNTAINOUS OOUNTJRY - 247 CHAPTER XVIII UBA 263 CHAPTER XIX CROSSING THK MOLHHA - - 380 CHAPTER XX THB WALLAMU . . 392 CHAITEK XXI ON THB ROAD TO ADDIS ABAliA - 304 CHAPTER XXII WE REACH A0WS ABABA - - 316 CHAPTER XXIII THE BND OF THK JOURNKY - . 39 INDJJX - .......