210 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



projecting slabs of rock. On one's approach they would 

 suddenly disappear into their rock-dwelUngs. 



Climbing up to the top of the hill, I obtained a glorious 

 view of the Nigerian plains. The air was clear after a night 

 of heavy rain, and far away to the western horizon the mid- 

 day sun searched out every Httle detail of the landscape, 

 bringing out its features in strong rehef. Mies upon miles 

 of corn and millet fields spread over the endless plain, down 

 which a river's course was traced by a broken chain of shim- 

 mering white crescent curves, which died away in the billow- 

 ing sea of green long before they reached the distant Une 

 of silver hills. Clusters of huts hke beehives were thickly 

 dotted in the corn. Truly it was a picture of fertihty, and 

 I thought what a fair land of promise it must have seemed 

 to the Fulani long ago, when weary with years of wandering 

 they beheld the broad prospect for the first time. ' • 



From the Petti Hill I trekked eight days eastward over 

 the outer edge of the liills to Badiko, through a country of 

 luxuriant growth and high grass that choked our path in 

 dense masses on either side. All was dripping wet with the 

 heavy rains, and a few minutes' walking along the narrow 

 paths found me soaked to the skin. Collecting, too, might 

 have been classed as an aquatic sport, and often it was made 

 very troublesome by the thickness of the jungle, which not 

 only concealed the birds but also gave a poor chance of 

 finding them when shot. This was a poor country for game, 

 but (though I had not been on the look out for it) it seems 

 a httle strange that neither I nor the " boys " had sighted 

 a single head since we started from Loko. 



Half way to Badiko we came into more open country 



