Abyssinia's Moat

HELLHOLE OF CREATION--L. M. Nesbitt--Knopf ($3.75).

If Mussolini's cheering troops had to footslog their way into Abyssinia from the blanketing coast of Eritrea, their cheers would not last long after they hit the Danakil. A natural moat, 400 miles long and 150 wide, it roughly parallels the Abyssinian border, sinks to 400 feet below sea level, boasts temperatures as high as 156DEG in the shade. Before Explorer Nesbitt, no white man had ever succeeded in crossing it, though three expeditions had tried. In Hell-Hole of Creation he tells how he and two Italian companions, with a native caravan, traversed the entire length of the Danakil in eventual safety, though only occasional comfort. In spite of the violent title his narrative is straight-forward and quiet. No racketeering travelogger. Author Nesbitt says little more of himself than: "A mining engineer by profession, my chief qualifications for undertaking this enterprise were a varied experience of men and animals, gathered in many parts of the world, and a habit of placing my trust in Providence."

The expedition set out from Addis Ababa in March 1928, reached its destination three and a half months later. The Danakils, especially those who had no feathers in their hair, gave them many an anxious moment. (A feather stuck in a Danakil topknot shows that a year has not elapsed since he killed a man.) Three of the expedition's carriers strayed too far from camp, never came back. Hottest day's temperature recorded was 168DEGF. Even in the shade it was unwise to touch a rifle-barrel. Because the temperature of the human body is only 98DEG, they found it cooled their hands to put them under their armpits.

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