. On horseback through Nigeria; or, Life and travel in the central Sudan . levelled with the surface and all but coveredby the coarse bush-grass. Fragments of galenaand other ores were scattered about the surface, andafter collecting a few as samples I retraced mysteps to the camp, pleased that I had at lastfathomed the mystery of the ancient mines. It was a brilliant moonlight night and our genialhost entertained his visitors to quite a late hourwith the deep-voiced notes of a drum. In themorning we bade him a cordial farewell and setout an our march to Jeb-Jeb, about midwaycrossing the Kudu
. On horseback through Nigeria; or, Life and travel in the central Sudan . levelled with the surface and all but coveredby the coarse bush-grass. Fragments of galenaand other ores were scattered about the surface, andafter collecting a few as samples I retraced mysteps to the camp, pleased that I had at lastfathomed the mystery of the ancient mines. It was a brilliant moonlight night and our genialhost entertained his visitors to quite a late hourwith the deep-voiced notes of a drum. In themorning we bade him a cordial farewell and setout an our march to Jeb-Jeb, about midwaycrossing the Kudu River, shallow and easily ford-able at this period of the year, Jeb-Jeb is a smalland now semi-deserted town, situated on themargin of the saltfield of eastern Muri, where, asin the Awe district, the competition of Europeansalt has largely killed the native industry. Afterthe lavish hospitality of the king of Bashar andhis son, we were vividly impressed by the shortageof provisions in this poverty-stricken town. This,however, only made the carriers the more ready to 132. Wase to Gombe quit it the next morning, and at dawn we set outon a long and tedious march to the country of theLigri pagans. For two-thirds of the way wetraversed still the open grassy plains of the KuduValley. Far to the right rose the misty, peaks ofthe Wurkum hills, while in front were the roundedsummits of the Ligri and Gateri hills, which wewere slowly approaching. As we reached theirbase, the road rapidly became rough and stony,and soon we entered a narrow valley amongst thehills, down which there flowed a clear and gurglingstream. At the head of the valley, however, theroad led almost perpendicularly up a stony path,obstructed by many rocky barriers, to the townof Ligri, built for defensive purposes on the brokensummit of the hills. After much searching I atlast found a vacant space where the soil wassufficiently thick to hold the tent-pegs, and whilemy tent was being erected I interviewed the kingof the
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