Chap. XLIV. 
THE DELE'B-PALM. 
187 
flight. Already on this day's march we had observed, 
in the distance towards the west, an isolated rocky 
mount ; and here we saw it in more distinct outlines, 
while beyond, at a greater distance, the continuous 
mountain-chain of Mandara became slightly visible. 
Our march at first led through a dense Saturday) 
forest, after which we emerged upon more December 27 * h - 
open swampy meadow-lands covered with rank grass, 
and full of holes caused by the footprints of the ele- 
phant. Great quantities of Guinea fowl were caught. 
Only here and there an isolated mimosa interrupted 
the unbroken line of the savanna. 
It was after a march of six miles that we obtained 
a sight of the first deleb-palm in the Musgu country. 
Already repeatedly in the narrative of my travels I 
have called the attention of the reader to this beauti- 
ful fan-palm; but in all the localities where I had 
before observed it, it was rather isolated. Even in 
A'damawa it is limited to peculiarly favoured locali- 
ties, while in some extensive provinces of that coun- 
try, such as Buban-jidda, it is wanting entirely. But 
here we had reached the country where this beautiful 
and useful tree, probably only a variety of the famous 
Borassus flabelliformis, is the most common and 
predominant representative of the vegetable kingdom. 
The Musgu call it in their language " uray." From 
the Musgu country it seems to spread in an almost 
uninterrupted and unbroken line through the south- 
ern provinces of Bagirmi and Waday, as far as Kor- 
dofan, sending a few scouts and forerunners to adorn 
