TONGI.-BARBAROUS CUSTOM.

499

Gradually the green shore widened, and formed a swampy ground of more than half a mile in breadth, adorned by a line of trees which, during the inundation, likewise becomes annually submerged by the water. The valley is bordered on this side by steep banks of considerable elevation. As soon as I became aware of the swampy character of the plain, which greatly retarded the progress of my camels, I endeavored to strike across the swampy ground, and to reach the firm bank again, but had considerable difficulty in doing so.

The bank was adorned by a growth of the finest trees, which gave to the river scenery a peculiar character, and invited us to halt during the hot hours of the day. We therefore encamped opposite Tongi, a hamlet lying on a low swampy island, separated from us by a considerable open creek, and ruled over by a man of the name of Sálah, who was a brother of Hamma-Hamma, the very man who was to serve us as a guide, but who had broken his word. The people, who seemed to be called Dekíten, behaved very hospitably, sending us immediately upon our arrival cows' and goats' milk as a refreshment, and giving us, in the course of the afternoon, a bullock for our farther entertainment. I have already mentioned, I think, on a former occasion, how cruelly the inhabitants of these regions treat oxen which have been destined for slaughter, although in general they are rather mildly disposed toward animals. In conformity with their barbarous custom, my companions broke the hind legs of the animal which had been given us as a present, and allowed it to drag itself about in this state until they found it convenient to slaughter it.

While detained here the remainder of the day, I had the pleasure of meeting, among the people who crossed over to us from the island, an old man who had a very lively remembrance of Mungo Park, and who gave me an accurate description of his tall, commanding figure, and his large boat. He related, besides, the manner in which the Tawárek of the tribe of the I'de-Músa, the name of whose present chief is El Getéga, attacked that mysterious voyager near Ansóngho, where the river is hemmed in by rapids, but without being able to inflict any harm upon him, while the intrepid Scotchman shot one of his pursuers, and caused two to be drowned in the river.

It was altogether a fine camping-ground, the talha and siwák being thickly interwoven with creeping plants; but a heavy thunder-storm, accompanied with rain, which lasted almost the whole

of the night, rendered us rather uncomfortable. Besides this circumstance, the fact that the people of the sheikh could only with difficulty be induced to forego the companionship of our guide, lost us here the best half of the day. But I collected a good deal of valuable information, especially with regard to the chief settlements of the independent Songhay, as the famous towns of Dárgol, Téra, and Kúlman, situated between the river and our former route through Yágha and Libtáko, which I shall give in the Appendix.*

But

At length I succeeded, at a rather late hour in the afternoon, in stirring up my companions, and, leading the way, we crossed from this advanced headland a swampy creek which separated us from the main, and then kept along the rising ground, which was richly clad with vegetation, and from time to time formed recesses, as the one called Tennel, the river being now more open. farther on it became obstructed by cliffs and rocks, till at length, after a march of about seven miles, the river, which here formed a fine bend, assuming a southeasterly direction, exhibited an open, undivided sheet of water, and on this account forms the general place of embarkation, called A'dar-andúrren, properly "the small branch," meaning evidently here a narrowing of the river; for people going from Kúlman to this part of A'ussa generally cross here. A little higher up there is a hamlet called Tabáliat, inhabited by sherífs, with a chief named Mohammed. Just at that moment some people were crossing over, but, when we horsemen hurried in advance, they immediately took to flight with their boats, leaving behind them some slaves, and four or five packoxen, and all our shouting was not able to convince these native travelers of our peaceable intentions. Here, owing to a small creek which runs closely at the foot of the hills, we were obliged to ascend the rising ground, and, rather against the advice of our more prudent Kél e' Súki guide, encamped on the heights, which were clad with rich herbage, but covered with great quantities of the feathery bristle. This spot afforded a commanding view over the surrounding country, but on this very account appeared less secure for a small party; and, notwithstanding the elevation, the camping-ground was greatly infested by musquitoes, which almost drove our camels to distraction, and troubled our own night's rest not a little.

But the view which I here enjoyed over the northern end of * See Appendix XV.

IRON GATES OF AKARA'MBAY.

503 the island, round which the river divided into four branches, was highly interesting to me, as being one of the places along the river best known to the natives as scenes where that heroic voyager from the north had to struggle with nature as well as with hostile men. Our fires having given to those poor lads who had been left behind by their frightened masters an opportunity of discovering what kind of people we were, they took courage and came to us, when we learned that they were Kél e' Súk, who had paid a visit to Kúlman, and were now returning home. They also informed us that the crocodiles had devoured one of the packoxen upon their attempting to swim them across the river.

Thursday, July 13th. Breaking up our encampment at an early hour, we descended, when the branch nearest to us again assumed an open character tolerably free from rocks; but after a short time we were again forced by a ridge of sandstone, about twenty feet high, which here formed the bank of the river, to ascend the higher ground. We thus obtained a clearer prospect over the whole valley, which at this spot attains a breadth of from four to six miles, the ground being open, and the view only for a short time shut in by a dense grove of gerredh and talha trees.

Farther on the river afforded a very wild spectacle, a sketch of which is represented in the plate opposite. In the distance before us the iron gates of Akarámbay became visible, bordered by the high sandy downs of Tidejitíten; a grand mass of rock, like an immense artificial wall, with a strong northerly dip, started up from the creek; and from the extensive grassy island of Ansóngho similar masses appeared, which rose to an elevation of from seventy to eighty feet. Gradually the shore became more stony and barren, forming a plain called Erárar-n-tésawel by the Tawárek, and Farri by the Songhay. We passed a deserted hamlet which had formerly been inhabited by the I'de-Músa, and here the river again approached nearer on our left, but after a short time it again. receded and became obstructed by ledges of rocks, especially at the place called Tazóri, where an uninterrupted ridge of cliffs breaks through the surface of the water. Even at this season of it leaves a small channel beyond the grassy shore, which evidently connects the open water above and below the rapids. About 1500 yards below this ledge, in a southeasterly direction, we reached the iron gates of Akarámbay, where the river, or at least this westerly branch of it, is forced through between two considerable masses of rock, at present from thirty-five to forty feet

the year