chief town of Latooka, at which point wag the station
of Ibrahim. We had marched thirteen miles from
Latome, the station of Mahommed Her, at which
place my men had deserted, and we were now 101
miles from G-ondokoro by dead reckoning.
There were some superb trees situated close to the
town, under which we camped until the natives could
prepare a hut for our reception. Crowds of people
now surrounded us, amazed at the two great obj ects of
interest—the camels, and a white woman. They did
not think me very peculiar, as I was nearly as brown
as an Arab.
; The Latookas are the finest savages I have ever
seen. I measured a number of them as they happened
to enter my tent, and allowing two inches for the
thickness of their felt helmets, the average height was
5 ft. 11-^ ins. Not only are they tall, but they possess
a wonderful muscular development, having beautifully
proportioned legs and arms; and although extremely
powerful, they are never fleshy or corpulent. The
formation of head and general physiognomy is totally
different frond all other tribes that I have met with
in the neighbourhood of the White Nile. They have
high foreheads,- large eyes, rather high cheek-bones,
mouths not very large, well-shaped, and the lips
rather full. They all. have a remarkably pleasing
cast of countenance, and are a great contrast to the
other tribes in civility of manner. Altogether their
appearance denotes a Galla origin, and it is most
probable that, at some former period, an invasion by
the Gallas of this country originated the settlement of
the Latookas.
One of the principal channels, if-n o t the main
stream of the river Sobat, is only four days’ march
or fifty miles east of Latooka, and is known to the