88 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. XLI. 
everything, and even at that time exhibiting a few 
vestiges of human activity and industry in a small 
field of wheat, irrigated from those wells called 
" khattatfr " by the Arabs, which name is given by 
them also to the spot irrigated in this way. Its na- 
tive name, if I am not mistaken, is " Yakallogo." 
We then came to another hollow, formed like an 
ancient circus, and having its soil richly impregnated 
with natron ; it is called Berende. After a short halt 
here, we continued our march; and Overweg and I, 
while our men and camels followed the direct road, 
turned off towards the south, and visited another 
hollow, called " Boro," in whose deep bottom a lake 
is formed, which, according to the season and to the 
quantity of water it contains, like several other 
water-basins round the lake, may be termed a fresh 
or brackish-water lake. 
During the last rainy season but very little rain 
had fallen in Kanem ; and consequently this lake was 
of rather small extent, being about one mile and a half 
round, and limited to the more deeply depressed 
southern corner of the basin, while its northern cor- 
ner, which is rarely inundated, was thickly wooded. 
There was formerly much cultivation here, and a 
small village stood on the border of the lake. Now all 
is desolate and our Kanemma guide, Musa Bede, un- 
willing to make a longer stay in such a spot, hurried 
on, ascending the steep eastern slope, which is at least 
three hundred feet high. Here we obtained a view over 
a great extent of country ; but it was all one desolate 
