VOYAGE TO THE NIGER. 55 
could hardly make way against it: on the preceding day it 
had only been one and a half or two knots an hour. Towards - 
half past seven we cast anchor at the Ibu (Abóh) creek, 
abreast of the creek leading to the town of Abóh. 
Thursday, August 26.—Early in the morning, the Captain 
and myself rowed about in the Ibu (Abóh) creek, and col- 
lected a few plants. This creek, at present very wide, is 
without a current: the main channel measures perhaps 100 
yards. The right shore is now inundated; the shrubs being 
altogether covered with water, and the grasses immersed to 
their ears, on which snails, ants and small beetles had settled, 
by way of refuge, in great numbers. We had taken on board, 
on the previous day, a man who wanted to go as pilot to 
Abdh : he seemed to be a careful and clever person. Granby, 
our interpreter * for Brass and Ibo,” recognised him as an 
old acquaintance, he (Granby) having lived here a long while 
before being sold to the Europeans. The Ibo man was 
rejoiced to see him again, and expressed his astonishment, 
that a man sold to the Europeans should return; it being the 
general opinion that such slaves were used for food ! 
Large canoes were fastened in the jungle: they had come 
from the Brass country, chiefly to purchase palm oil, for 
which purpose, large casks lay on board, under roofs of 
matting, Abdh is on the opposite side of the shore, here. 
intersected by several small creeks: otherwise it is covered 
to the water’s edge with brushwood, behind which are the 
huts. I gathered on this occasion a few Mimosee, Sapinda- 
cee, and Rubiacee; but the most interesting was a shrub 
(Polyand. Pentag., fruct. placentis 5 parietalibus) apparently 
anew genus of Bixacee. In the main stream, and even in 
the smaller creeks was a Pistia, perhaps Pistia Stratiotes : 
it does not, however, seem to grow here, but to float down 
the Niger, where it may be seen drifting in large masses. 
Some specimens were in flower: fruit I could not discover. 
In the morning we had a visit from King Obi’s son: towards 
noon he came himself, with a lot of noisy followers, and 
