152 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XLIII. 
quite so ethereal as it sometimes seems to be with us. 
Notwithstanding these amorous declarations, which 
sounded very ridiculous coming from such a mass of 
flesh as he was, I was glad when he was gone. 
We were now approaching hostile territory, and in 
the evening a "gangema," or proclamation accom- 
panied by beat of drum, was made throughout the 
whole encampment, to the effect that the train of 
camels and pack-oxen, which previously had greatly 
hemmed in the cavalry, should not start until after 
the former had moved on. Zogoma is the farthest 
town of the Bornu territory in this direction ; and 
the following day we encamped in a district of the 
name of Masa, close to a swamp, thickly covered 
with water-plants, principally the Pistia straliotes. 
Several Shuwa villages were lying about at short 
distances from each other. 
On the road we passed some cotton-plantations 
and stubble-fields. The chief agricultural produce 
of Masa consisted of " sabade," the sweet sorghum 
or Sorghum saccharatum. This sort of grain I had 
not yet seen in the course of my journey ; but in 
Dikowa my friend Maid Ibram had sent me a large 
quantity of it, in order that I might indulge in this 
African luxury. At that period I was surprised 
at the great length of these stalks, some of which 
measured fourteen feet ; but how astonished was I 
afterwards, when, in the course of my travels, in the 
luxuriant valleys of Kebbi I found specimens of 
twice that length ! This evening the vizier treated 
