V 
Chap. LIX. UNSAFE STATE OF THE COUNTRY. 209 
But our attention was soon diverted from the en- 
joyment of this scenery, to a point of greater interest 
to ourselves. We here observed a solitary individual, 
in spite of the unsafe state of the country, sitting 
quietly at the foot of one of the palm trees, and seem- 
ingly enjoying its fruit. Now, coupling the present 
state of the country with the news we had just re- 
ceived, we could not help greatly suspecting this 
man to be a spy, posted here by the enemy in order 
to give them information of the passers by ; and I 
had the greatest difficulty in preventing my Mejebri 
Arab, who, when there was no danger for himself, 
always mustered a great amount of courage, from 
shooting this suspicious-looking character. 
Proceeding then through a very rich country, we 
reached, after a march of about two miles, the town 
of Giilumbe, situated close to the southern border of 
the valley, and exhibiting extensive fields cultivated 
with yams and cotton. The banana constituted the 
chief ornament of the narrow border inclosed be- 
tween the faddama on one side, and the wall of the 
town on the other, and the gonda or Erica Papaya, 
raising its feathery foliage on its slender, virginlike 
stem, towered proudly over the wall, as shown in the 
woodcut on the next page. The town was walled, of 
considerable size, and densely inhabited ; but never- 
theless the people were in such dread of the enemy, 
that they kept up a continual beating of drums ; 
and although, on account of the smallness of the 
gate, we encamped outside, in a courtyard situated 
VOL. IV. p 
