DANAGLA IN SLAVE-YOKES, 385 geissus groves surrounded the village, and swamps of Jwrtur albiventris fluttered about among the huts, apparently filling the place usually occupied by the Zurtwr semetorquatus. Falango, a celebrated tippler, appears to exact prompt obedience from his people, for the porters we requested were at once forthcoming, and he insisted upon accompanying us himself to our next night’s quarters.

The next stretch of country was covered with boulders, and there were many small peaks. Tobacco (Wicotiana Virginiana) is extensively cultivated in this district, and used, as elsewhere, for smoking, whereas the WV. rustica, with the yellow flowers, is mostly chewed. A row of lofty mountains running from south to north was visible from the top of a flat gneiss slab on the hill of Asala. I took compass bearings of the peaks, but was not able to obtain their names, for the mountains he in the Abukaya country, and the Abaka who were with me do not travel. Corn and tobacco, sesame and mrisa, exist in their own country, and they obtain their clothes from the dibbi-tree ; Justus Perthes’s Institute is unknown—why, then, should they travel ?

The swamps on our road were very frequent, and generally knee-deep,—sticky, muddy beds, having nice-sounding names, but being very unpleasant realities. We saw the red-headed dwarf parrot (Agapornis pullaria) in swarms, twittering in the durrah and eleusine fields. Notwithstanding the great beauty of this bird, it is much disliked by the inhabitants on account of its destructiveness. We passed Chief Burtingulu’s new zertba, Ambereko, situated upon a high hill, the flanks of which were covered by durrah-fields. A well-cultivated plain stretched out on all sides, except in the east, where the Abukaya mountains formed an apparently continuous wall. The march from here to the station of Gosa was short but noteworthy, for an incident occurred showing very clearly the present condition of this country. Two Danagla from the Bahr-el-Ghazal had recently come to Ndirfi, but, disturbed by my presénce in the neighbourhood, had endeavoured to cross the frontier at night with five or six slaves. ‘The Negroes living here had, however, defeated them, and put them in slaveyokes (sheba), in order to lead them to me. It is certainly a 2B