PROFESSOR SMITH’S JOURNAL. 298 
July 25th. A gentle breeze carried us about two miles 
higher up, where we anchored near the shore in a small 
bay. The natives welcomed us. A water-snake about four 
feet in length was caught in the cabin of the Captain. He 
must have swam on board during the night. For the first 
time we saw here the bank of the river rising perpendicu- 
larly about four feet, and consisting of indurated clay 
The surface was thickly overgrown with grass ; but as the 
soil consisted of a hardened clay, it was not so high as 
usual. Groves and forests of Hyphene, mingled with 
some Adansonia, were the only kinds of trees that occur- 
red. The village Condo Tjongo was at a short distance. 
It consisted of huts covered with neat mats, made of grass 
or straw, and supported by poles. We walked about an 
hour in the high grass and between the trees, on which 
calabashes were hanging to receive the juice which consti- 
tutes the palm-wine. I shot a large species of Corus and 
some small pigeons, of which a great number were cooing 
in the trees. We saw numerous traces of buffaloes, and 
were told by the natives that they had seen a whole herd 
of these animals early in the morning. The vegetation 
here is without variety. A gentle breeze carried us some- 
what higher up the river. We crossed the channel, and 
passed to the shore on the right, near Farquhar’s island. 
I had now the opportunity of going on shore for a few 
minutes. Here at length, for the first time, some traces of 
cultivation were seen. <A considerable extent of land was 
planted with maize, and some tobacco, both of which were 
now about one foot high. I collected two new plants, and 
