Chap. LIV. CHE LU'GiWA'.— NATRON LAKE. 45 
the most important market in the territory of Mu- 
niyo is held every Friday. The place contains about 
5000 inhabitants, and was enlivened at the time by 
a considerable herd of cattle. Millet is grown to a 
great extent, although diim bush or ngille, with its 
obstructing roots, renders a great portion of the soil 
unfit for cultivation, and scarcely any cotton at all 
is raised, so that this forms an important article of 
importation. Towards the south lies another place, 
called Deggerari, and to the south-west a third one, 
called Dugura. Granitic eminences dotted the whole 
country; but the foggy state of the atmosphere 
did not allow me to distinguish clearly the more 
distant hills. 
Proceeding in a north-westerly direction through 
this hilly country, and leaving at a short distance 
on our right a higher eminence, at the western foot 
of which the village of New Biine is situated, we 
descended considerably into a hollow of clayey soil 
of a most peculiar character. For all of a sudden 
an isolated date palm started up on our right, while 
on our left the unwonted aspect of a tall slender 
gonda, or Erica Papaya, attracted our attention, the 
intermediate ground being occupied by a rich plan- 
tation of cotton. Suddenly a large " sirge " or lake 
of natron of snowy whiteness, extending from the foot 
of the height which towers over Bune, approached 
on our right, — the rich vegetation which girded its 
border, along which the path led, forming a very 
remarkable contrast to the barrenness of the " sir^re " : 
