Chap. XLIII. VARIATIONS OF TEMPERATURE. 155 
tical with it, the fruit of which, when boiled, has a 
very pleasant taste, and in some regions of Negroland, 
as far as Timbuktu, forms the principal vegetable 
for seasoning food. 
The long duration of the rainy season here, as well 
as in A'damawa, renders sheds for the cattle neces- 
sary ; and these consist of huts constructed similarly 
to the dwellings of man, but more spacious, with 
the exception that the walls consist merely of trunks 
of trees. The Shiiwa of this village, as well as 
those of a neighbouring one, which after the name 
of a chief is called Haj A'maka, belong to the tribe 
of the Bulgowa, or 'Awislya. The place where we 
encamped was full of brushwood ; and it took us a 
long time to pitch our tents. 
The variation of the temperature was so great, 
that I caught a severe cold ; it was therefore agree- 
able to me that we remained here the following 
day : for while, during the greatest heat, at two 
o'clock, p.m., the thermometer in the ventilated tent 
showed often from 93° to 96° F., during the night it 
generally fell to between 50° and 53°. The vizier was 
kind enough, when I did not come to his soiree, to 
send one of his young slaves with a censer ; but I was 
so unfortunate as to excite the anger of the little 
tyrannical messenger, who wanted me to imitate 
their own custom, which is, to place the censer under 
their wide shirt, and, by drawing the opening close 
over the head, to concentrate the fumes arising from 
the incense under their shirt, and receive it into the 
