Wednesday, 18th.—At 2.30 we left our encampment, and, half running, half walking along the Soccatoo road, which still skirts the banks of the river or lake, no appearance of inhabitants to be seen, passed the ruins of three towers; and the traces of elephants and other wild beasts were numerous: the soil a deep red clay, mixed and covered with a thin layer of sand. At 2 saw a range of hills extending from south-west to north-east, not of great elevation; as we approached them, the lakes and swamps took a direction to the southward; the soil became clay and gravel, with rocks of clay iron-stone on the surface. At 5 we got amongst the ravines, and beds of torrents at the foot of the hills, and turning to a bend in the hills south, kept winding amongst them, fatigued and tired, until 10 the next morning, when I halted at one of the Fellata’s former encampments. I passed many walking on foot, driving their horses before them, and for several miles before I came to the camp, the foot, some of whom we had now come up with, were lying along the road, unable to move further. My camels, which had got amongst the first, had halted two hours before. Thursday, 19th.—The road still lay over hills of clay iron-stone, imbedded in a dark red clay, for about four hours, when we arrived on their south-west side, where we had to pass about a mile and a half of low swampy ground, before we came to the Zurmie river, which was here broad, full, and running with a current of about two miles and a half an hour to the westward; its depth at the ford about five feet, its breadth about sixty yards. As usual, there was a great assemblage of horses, camels, bullocks, and asses, and of course great confusion, every one striving to drive before the others. I stripped, and taking the bridle of my horse, plunged in, and drove him on before me. I got a severe head-ache, as the water was very cool, and I was warm. I lay down, after I had dressed, under a tree on the other bank, until the camels had fed a little, when I started again. The river below forms a chain of lakes and swamps, skirting the south-west sides of the hills. Our road lay through plantations of cotton and millet. The sides of the road were crowded by the foot, with whom we were now come up. They looked miserable in the extreme from hunger and fatigue: a great many of the horsemen were walking, driving their poor goaded animals along.