Chap. XL VI. ARBORESCENT EUPHORBIACEiE . 267 
grows to a height of certainly not less than from thirty 
to thirty-five feet, its succulent, luxuriant, cactus- 
like leaves contrasting in a very remarkable manner 
with the monotonous and dry vegetation of the mi- 
mosas around. There must be something very pecu- 
liar in the soil in this tract ; for I never afterwards, 
in the whole of my travels, beheld the euphorbia 
attain to such an altitude, the greatest height which I 
saw it reach being twenty feet. This was in the country 
of Miisgu, in an entirely isolated instance ; and even on 
the journey to Bagirmi I did not meet with a single 
specimen of this plant, however small. 
Proceeding through a part of the forest which 
exhibited a fresher appearance, and which was enli* 
vened by a troop of horsemen whom we met, we 
reached the village of Dabuwa at five o'clock in the 
afternoon. Here we were hospitably received, in 
consequence of the persuasive manners of my cheerful 
companion Kago, while the apish grimaces of the 
trooper who formed my official escort were quite 
disregarded. Poultry, milk, and negro corn were 
given to us for our supper in the evening. In this 
place the people are not so badly off for water, the 
well measuring not more than five fathoms. 
When we started, we entered a very Sunday 
dense part of the forest (" karaga tsilim," March 7th - 
as the Kanuri say), with a rich variety of trees, but 
all of middle size, and not a single tamarind- or mon- 
key-bread tree was to be seen. As we proceeded, 
however, the country became a little more open, the 
