THE TROPICAL ZONE. 201 



very much as fields of barley do in England; and formal 

 plantations of the Sugar-cane (which it may be mentioned, 

 in passing, is not a native of the West Indies, but was in- 

 troduced there more than three hundred years ago by the 

 Spaniards) ; we will therefore pass on. 



But taking the map in hand to sketch out some plan as 

 to where we shall continue our excursion, we lay it down 

 again in despair, for the Zahara (or the Desert), spreading 

 over almost all the African part of this zone, is the prospect 

 which lies before us. But though the Desert extends over 

 by far the greater portion, Nubia, which lies on its eastern 

 limit, shows in some parts a very different character; we 

 therefore resolve to resume our journey there, as, in our 

 privileged way of travelling, the nearly three thousand miles 

 of sandy desert is an obstacle soon overcome. Profiting 

 by the warning of travellers who have been there before 

 us, we will keep clear of "backwoods and jungles (we 

 wish they had told us the names of the trees), for to 

 these elephants and lions generally confine themselves," 

 though they sometimes take a fancy to see what human 

 beings are like, and make an occasional call at some village 

 in the neighbourhood. As to hyenas, we will take our 

 dance about them, whilst we take a glance, for we can 



