Chap. LXVIII. A FEW PALM TREES. 475 
had before only formed a narrow ditch-like channel, 
now presented a wide open sheet, affording easy ac- 
cess to the native craft of all sizes. 
Having then mounted in the afternoon, after a 
pleasant ride we reached the town ; but instead of 
directly entering the dilapidated walls, we turned off a 
little to the west, towards a small plantation of date 
trees (marked 9 in the plan of the town), of the exist- 
ence of which I had had no previous idea; for small and 
insignificant as it was, it claimed considerable interest 
in this arid tract, there being at present only four or 
five middle-sized trees, rather poor specimens of the 
hajilij, or balanites, inside the town ; although we 
know that before the time of the conquest of Songhay 
by the Moroccains, the city was not so poor in vege- 
tation ; but the inspector of the harbour having 
fled on that occasion with the whole fleet, the bashd 
Mahmiid cut down all the trees in and around the 
town for the purpose of ship-building. 
The little oasis consisted of three nearly full-grown 
date-trees, but of small size, only one of them bearing 
fruit, while around there were about ten very young 
bushes, which, if not well taken care of, scarcely seemed 
to promise ever to become of any value. The planta- 
tion, poor as it was, owed its existence to the 
neighbourhood of a deep well, of immense size, being 
about thirty yards in diameter and five fathoms deep, 
wherein the water collects. 
Having loitered here a few moments, and visited a 
small and poor plantation in the neighbourhood be- 
