Chap. LXIV. TOWN OF BANA'y. 
385 
and after some time succeeded in getting one which 
measured twenty-one feet. The town or village itself 
is inhabited by Songhay and Fiilbe, the latter being 
in possession of numerous flocks and herds. The cattle 
being just collected on the sandy beach near the river, 
were milked soon after sunrise, and furnished me 
with a draught of that delicious beverage, which 
must always constitute one of the greatest luxuries 
to a European traveller in these countries. 
The chief part of the village extended along the 
bay to the south, at the point where we had moored 
our boat ; but there was a suburb of detached huts, 
chiefly inhabited by Tawarek, and this part of the 
shore was beautifully adorned with large trees. When 
we at length continued our voyage, we observed also a 
great many dum-palms, which served to further em- 
bellish the country, while kadeha, or t6so, seemed to 
form the staple produce of the inhabitants, and thickly 
lined the shores. The scenery was the more interest- 
ing, as, besides boys who were playing in the water, 
a numerous herd of cattle were just swimming across 
the river, which to animals not accustomed to such 
a task, would have been rather a difficult undertaking ; 
and, even as it was, the people who accompanied them 
in boats had some difficulty in inducing them to con- 
tinue their fatiguing trip when they once began to feel 
exhausted, especially as they were accompanied by their 
young calves. However, in these regions along the 
Niger, with its numerous channels, backwaters, and 
swamps, man as well as beast must be accustomed 
vol. iv. c c 
