'Transactions of the Bombay Geographical Society, from January 1847 to May 1849. Edited by the Secretary. Volume VIII.' [‎190] (299/496)

s
a
s
190
the pass of “ Grudh Harrireli/' in which is to be seen a large cave, said
to have been in former times the residence of the Gralla Chief Harrireh,
who was expelled from the country by the descendants of Isaakh. The
rock at this part is exceedingly pure and white limestone, and would be
invaluable in Aden were it not for the expense of carriage. In the
valley close to the pass, red granite, porphyry, white marble, and large
fragments of gypsum, are common. It is worthy of remark that the
gum arabic tree at Berbera differs in every way from that exported
from the windward coast, the leaf and the tree both being smaller and
of a different shape. The plain beyond this valley, extending one
hour’s journey S.S.W., is infested with lions, hyenas, and leopards, and
it is considered unsafe for a single individual to cross it at night. The
Somalis who accompanied me when I visited this part of the country
formed a stout thorn fence round the baggage to keep off the lions, who
came close round us during the night, but who left us in peace as soon
as they heard the report of my carbine, which my followers, taking ad
vantage of my having dropped asleep, fired off, much to my annoyance.
At the southern extremity of this plain I reached the valley of Du-
nanjir, a steep ravine, having in its bed a few pools of very bad and
stinking water, almost unfit for man to drink, but which, nevertheless,
proved most acceptable to us after a hot and fatiguing march. Passing
over several low ranges of limestone, through which in many places red
granite had been thrust, I reached another water-course, having very
steep banks of thirty to forty feet high, thickly wooded, and having a
most picturesque appearance. The bed of the water-course was of soft
white sand, in any part of which water was procurable by scooping a
hole a foot in depth. On the range of mountains between Dunanjir
and this valley, I observed many large blocks of very pure white
marble, with an abundance of obsidian gypsum, and large masses of
basalt. The geological formation of the country appeared to be entire
ly without order, and led to the idea that, by some extraordinary con
vulsion of nature, rocks of all kinds had been thrown together in one
large confused heap. A huge natural cairn might be observed of thirty
to forty feet high, composed of six or seven different species of stone, a
block of marble lying over or under an equally large boulder of red gra
nite, and flanked, perhaps, by a fragment of conglomerate or black basalt.
This valley is much infested with lions, leopards, &c., and the traces
of elephants were numerous. The diameter of the lion’s foot was f lV0