310 PROFESSOR SMITH’S JOURNAL 
from which criminals, as for instance, seducers of the wives 
of the King, &c. are sometimes precipitated. 
August 7th. In the morning we found ourselves between 
Gamba islands. We saw several birds. The mountains con- 
sist every where of mica-slate. These picturesque islands 
are very much visited by hippopotami. At noon a gentle 
breeze carried us a little higher up. The river at Fidler’s 
Elbow is again somewhat more expanded. In its middle 
are some rocks, with scattered trees. The river turns north- 
ward, and is contracted by the mountains. These are here 
somewhat higher up intersected by narrow valleys. They 
are all of the same mica-slate formation, inclining in all 
directions, but commonly towards the west. The inclina- 
tion is at halfan angle (qu. 45°). We observed half-a-dozen 
monkeys, from three to four feet in length, on a hill near 
the southern bank. ‘The breeze seems to die away as we 
pass between the mountains. We anchored on the southern 
bank. ‘The natives of Benda begin already to talk of the 
fall of Yallalla, of which, they tell us, we may hear the 
roar. At one time we could only approach this cataract 
by a journey by land, or by double-boats composed of 
canoes, &r. ‘The river is here broad, resembling the 
Scotch lakes. 
_ August 18th. I went on shore up a narrow valley, 
opposite to us, which, as is usual, forms at its lower end a 
small plain, covered with grass, and higher up a narrow, 
deep ravine, the sides of which are covered with trees. 
Galwey and myself ascended the hill just before us. It 
consists of mica-slate. 
