160 TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LVII- 
of wells, each with a little round clay house, where 
the proprietor of the well has his usual residence, 
levying on each jar of water a small contribution of 
five shells ; but there are also a great number of wells 
facing the north-western gate, close to the market. 
Leaving a small farm, belonging to my friend e Abd 
el K&der the sultan of A'gades, on our left, we then 
turned round to the north, into the road which leads 
to Salame, and crossed once more the " gulbi-n-rima," 
which takes its course towards Sokoto, exhibiting a 
very uneven bottom, and forming several pools of 
stagnant water. Here a broad plain spread out, at 
present almost bare of vegetation, where my poor 
camels searched in vain for pasture, putting me to a 
daily expense of 800 shells in order to recruit their 
strength by means of " harawa," or bean-straw, which 
furnishes the most nourishing food for the camel in 
these regions, though in general it is regarded as 
unwholesome for the horse. Having thus fed my 
camels for some time, I sent them to a greater dis- 
tance, in the direction of Sokoto, between Dankemu 
and Gida-n-manomi, where better fodder was to be 
procured. 
After the luxuriant vegetation of other parts of 
Negroland, I was astonished at the naked appear- 
ance of the country around the capital, only a few 
kiika or monkey-bread trees being seen ; but the 
country presented a very different aspect on my re- 
turn journey the next year, at the end of the rainy 
season. G6ber is distinguished for its general dry- 
