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ideal ponds for ducks.  On the way over we saw several boat loads of fishing cormorants with their attendents.  The birds sat in a row on the gunwale of the boat, often with outstretched wings.  They were none of them fishing & all were silent.  The species used was a black bird with whitish throat & breast.  We met our caravan at 3 P.M. at a small village a mile above the lake.  It was raining at the time & it continued to rain all afternoon.  We pushed on however.  Our saddle animal were very small ponies much too small for the saddles & bridles so we had much trouble adjusting the saddles or rather the cinches.  Finally we got under way in the rain, the four soldiers carrying our guns.  The road was atrocious, & made of slipper rock pavement often much broken & upturned