CAPTAIN TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 151 



below 70°, the sky cloudy, but not Jie least dew. The con- 

 stant dryness of the atmosphere is evinced in the quick dry- 

 ing of all objects exposed to it ; meat hung up a few hours 

 loses all its juices, and resembles the jerked meat of South 

 America; the plants collected by Dr. Smith were fit for 

 packing in a day, while, towards the mouth of the river, he 

 could scarcely get them sufficiently dry in a week. The 

 oxidation of iron also entirely ceases here. The hygro- 

 meter at sun-rise usually marks 50°, at two o^clock in the 

 afternoon in the shade 70^. 



August l6. Finding Mr. Tudor and several of the people 

 were unable to proceed farther, I sent them back to Banza 

 Cooloo in the morning, and with the remainder proceeded 

 onwards. Passing the brook and ascending the hill on the 

 opposite side, we found ourselves on a level plateau at the 

 banza Menzy Macooloo, where we again got a guide to 

 lead us to the river. At noon we had a view of it between 

 the openings of the hills, about two miles distant. Here the 

 people, being extremely fatigued, were halted, while the 

 natives went to the river for water, and I ascended the 

 highest of the hills, which descends perpendicularly to the 

 river : from its summit I had a view about five miles down 

 the river, which presented the same appearance as yester- 

 day, being filled with rocks in the middle over which the 

 current foamed violently ; the shore on each side was also 



