The Geographical Journal (Journal of the Royal Geographical Society): Volume XVI, No. 6 [‎342r] (36/232)

AN EXPEDITION BETWEEN LAKE RUDOLF AND THE NILE.
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long, in which a school of over a hundred hippopotami disported them
selves. The forest was alive with animal and bird life. The elephants
were, indeed, so numerous that their stench was most disagreeable. From
here to the river the land was so cut up that we did not reach the Omo
until we had made a second march in the afternoon. I may say that
most of our day had been spent in passing around and over little hills
of crumbling clay. The Mursu, whom we found on the banks of the
Omo, had escaped the raids of the Abyesinians, and were in a most
flourishing condition. After we had shot a couple of hippos for them,
they became most friendly, and brought us much food, consisting of
durrha, or sorgham, lentils, beans, maize, and dried tamarinds. I bought
a small tusk or two from them at first to start trade; but when I dis
covered a long line of ebony-like forms bearing about a ton of ivory
upon their shoulders to my camp, I had to cry a halt, as it was im
possible for me to transport more ivory than I then had with me.
The Mursu and Murle are very identical in speech, customs, and
appearance, but the Mursu have more of the warlike spirit of the
Turkana than the Murle. The Mursu shave the hair well up from
above their ears, and also behind the head, a custom observed by the
Dume, Bunno, and other tribes living to the north of Lake Stefanie.
Moving along the river with camels was hard work, owing to the thick
forests, in which much cutting had to be done. Several of my camels
died from eating a poisonous vine, and many were made so ill that they
never recovered. I have found it always dangerous to allow camels to
remain in forests along rivers or lakes for any length of time.
On January 3 we left the river, and, proceeding west, arrived on
the second day’s march at another little pond at a point where several
river-beds unite in one very deep and wide ravine. Thence our route
lay across a fertile river-made plain to the base of a low mountain
range. I have little doubt, from what I saw of the valleys passing to
the right and left of the various mountain ranges and from levels taken,
that Lake Rudolf, the Nile, and the Sobat were once united in a vast
inland sea. A couple of hours’ climb on January G got us over the crest
of the first range of hills and on to ^ valley 15 miles broad, that pro
vided excellent grazing to the numerous domestic animals which the
natives of these parts owned. The waterways contained plenty of
water in pools, and there were many broad stretches of open pasture,
while the lower hills surrounding the plain were almost treeless, but
covered with fine green grass. On the west, a splendid mountain range
ran for 20 miles along the length of the valley ; the highest point, Mount
Etua, over 7000 feet high, stood out in bold relief as a bare-pointed
volcanic remains—a splendid point for surveyors, and a magnificent mass
from an artist’s point of view. We saw this point from the Omo river,
and did not lose it until we were 40 miles the other side.
Almost all the natives fled to the hills on our approach, and seemed