274 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. LX. 
most wholesome articles of food for a European tra- 
veller in these regions during the rainy season, we 
obtained also a couple of fowls. 
Wednesday, Our road, on leaving Denga, led through 
July 6th. underwood, which was gradually succeeded 
by dense forest, the view being bounded towards the 
right by heights. Among the trees of the forest, 
there was soon conspicuous that large beautiful tree, 
a species of acacia, which the inhabitants of Shawi 
and Makari call korgam, and from which they build 
most of their boats, while a kind of vegetable butter is 
made from its core, It grew here to an altitude of cer- 
tainly not less than eighty feet, with a wide-spreading 
crown, but not very dense foliage. It is here called 
" mur," at least by the Arabs ; its native Songhay 
name I did not learn till some time subsequently. 
Amongst the underwood, the most distinguished 
was the bush here called " kfrche," with its small, 
white, edible fruit, which is extremely pleasant when 
taken in small quantities, but, from its very sweet 
taste, soon becomes unpalatable ; there was, besides, 
the " mekhet," as it is called by the Arabs, the fruit 
of which is much liked by the natives, but it was 
not yet ripe. The wilderness was interrupted by a 
village of considerable size, called Gongiingo, sur- 
rounded by a living fence of bushes, and exhibiting 
a good deal of cultivation, principally Zea Mais, while 
a single diim palm attracted our attention. Here the 
sun broke through the clouds, spreading life over, and 
enhancing the cheerful aspect of, the landscape. 
