Chap. XLV. CATTLE INDIGENOUS OR IMPORTED. 235 
vial soil caused us in pitching our tents ; but here the 
argillaceous soil was succeeded by loose sand, which 
forms the border of the river. The light troops, soon 
after our arrival to-day, had dispersed in all directions, 
and brought a considerable quantity of cattle from the 
neighbouring villages ; the cattle, however, hereabouts 
are only of middle size, and the cows yield little milk, 
and that of very poor quality. 
It seems remarkable that the Miisgu, as well as the 
Marghi, and several divisions of the kindred K6tok6, 
call the cattle by a name which closely approaches 
that given to it by the Hausa people, while the Batta 
call it by a name which is certainly derived from the 
Fulfulde, or the language of the Fulbe. Such lin- 
guistic relations are not without interest, as they 
afford some little insight into the history of the civi- 
lization of these regions. 
A little variety was given to the monotonous pro- 
ceedings of our rather inglorious expedition, by the 
fact of one of the Shiiwa, who was supposed to 
have been killed a few days previously, being found 
under a tree in the forest, severely wounded but still 
alive after having undergone great hardships and 
privations. 
The whole district in which we had been January 9th. 
roving about since the 30th December belongs to 
Wiiliya, which is decidedly one of the most fertile 
and best-irrigated regions in the world. 
A desolate border-district, consisting at times of 
green swampy ground uprooted by the footprints of 
