74 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chai>. LIV. 
with the black rejijia and the small sanderling, en- 
livened the water's edge, where it presented a sandy- 
beach. 
A little further on, the meles and kumba were suc- 
ceeded by the tall bulrush called " bus," while beyond 
the north-easterly border of the lake an isolated date 
palm adorned the scenery, which in other respects 
entirely resembled the shores of the sea, a rich pro- 
fusion of sea weed being carried to the bank by the 
billows. Then succeeded a cotton plantation, which 
evidently was indebted for its existence to a small 
brook formed by another source of fresh water which 
joins the lake from this side. From the end of this 
plantation, where the natron lake attains its greatest 
breadth of about a mile and a half, I kept along 
the bank in a south-westerly direction, till I again 
reached the narrow junction between the two lakes. 
Here the shore became very difficult to traverse, on 
account of an outlying branch of the plantation 
closely bordering the lake, and I had again to ascend 
the downs from whence I had enjoyed the view of 
this beautiful panorama on the previous day. I thus 
re-entered the principal village from the north-east 
side ; and while keeping along the upper road, which 
intersects the market-place, I saw with delight that 
the town is bounded on the north side also by a 
narrow but very rich vale, meandering along and 
clad with a profusion of vegetation ; and I here ob- 
served another spring, which broke forth with almost 
as powerful a stream as that near the southern 
