Chap. LXV. ARRIVAL AT KA'bARA. 
395 
general, except when the whole country is inundated, 
boats from Kabara which are going down the river 
must first return in a south-westerly direction to- 
wards Korome, in order to reach the main branch. 
Even at the present time, however, when this whole 
region is plunged into an abyss of anarchy and mis- 
rule, the scene was not entirely wanting in life ; for 
women were filling their pitchers or washing clothes 
on large stones jutting out from the water, while a 
number of idle people had collected on the beach to 
see who the stranger was that had just arrived. 
At length we lay to, and sending two of my people 
on shore, in order to obtain quarters, I followed them 
as soon as possible, when I was informed that they 
had procured a comfortable dwelling for me. The 
house where I was lodged was a large and grand 
building (if we take into account the general rela- 
tions of this country), standing on the very top of 
the mound on the slope of which the town is situ- 
ated. It was of an oblong shape, consisting of very 
massive clay walls, which were even adorned, in a 
slight degree, with a rude kind of relief ; and it in- 
cluded, besides two anterooms, an inner courtyard, 
with a good many smaller chambers, and an upper 
story. The interior, with its small stores of every 
kind, and its assortment of sheep, ducks, fowls, and 
pigeons, in different departments, resembled Noah's 
ark, and afforded a cheerful sight of homely comfort 
which had been preserved here from more ancient and 
