zig-zag pass. The air was most invigorating ; beautiful
wild flowers, some of which were highly scented, ornamented
the route, and innumerable wild grape-vines
hunff in festoons from tree to O tree. We were now in
an elevated country on the range of mountains dividing
the lower lands of Latooka from the highlands of
Obbo. We arrived at the summit of the pass about
2,500 feet above the Latooka valley. In addition to
the wild flowers were numerous fruits, all good ;—-especially
a variety of custard apple, and a full-flavoured
yellow plum. The grapes were in most promising
bunches, but unripe. The scenery was very fine ; to
the east and south-east, masses of high mountains,
while to’ the west and south were vast tracts of parklike
country of intense green. In this elevated region
thé season was much farther advanced than in Latooka ;
I—this was the mountain range upon which I had
formerly observed that the storms had concentrated ;
here the rainy season had been in full play for months,
while in Latooka everything was parched. The grass
on the west side of the pass1 was full six feet high.
Although the ascent had occupied about two hours,
the descent on the west side was a mere trifle, and was
effected in about fifteen minutes—we were on an elevated
plateau that formed the watershed between the
east and west.
After a march of about twelve miles from the top
of the pass, we arrived at the chief village of Obbo-
The rain fell in torrents, and, soaked to the skin, we
crawled into a dirty hut. This village - was forty
miles S.W. of Tarrangolle, my head-quarters in
Latooka,;
The natives of Obbo are entirely different to the
Latookas, both in language and appearance. They
are not quite naked, except when going to war, on
which occasion they are painted in stripes of red and
yellow; but their usual covering is the skin of an
antelope or goat, slung like a mantle across the
shoulders. Their faces are well formed, with peculiarly
fine-shaped noses. The head-dress of the Obbo is
remarkably neat, the woolly hair being matted and
worked with thread into a flat form like a beaver’s
tail, and bound with a fine edge of raw hide to', keep
it in shape. This, like the head-dress of Latooka,
requires many years to complete.
From Obbo to the S.E. all is mountainous, the
highest points of the chain rising to an elevation of
four or five thousand feet above the general level of
the country; to the south, although there are. no
actual mountains, but merely a few isolated hills, the
country distinctly rises,' The entire drainage is to the
west and north-west; in which direction there As a