Chap. XLVI. 
A'FADE'. 
275 
merly a considerable town, called Sul6, on the other 
side of the watercourse ; but this at present is de- 
serted, and its ruins are overgrown by thick forest. 
A little distance further on, the site of another ancient 
town testified to the former importance of this dis- 
trict. We were now approaching the largest town 
of Kotoko; but scarcely any signs of industry were 
to be seen, with the exception of a young plantation 
of cotton, and thick forest approached close to the 
wall of the town, which is very extensive, but fast 
falling to ruins. 
The whole interior of the town of A'fade is one 
vast heap of rubbish, from which only here and there 
a building in tolerable repair starts forth, the greatest 
ornament of the place at present being a most magni- 
ficent fig-tree of the species called " buske," identical, 
I think, with the tree called duwe by the Arabs near 
Timbuktu. I scarcely remember ever to have seen 
such a noble and luxuriant specimen of this family 
of the vegetable kingdom. Spreading its vast im- 
penetrable canopy of the freshest and most beau- 
tiful green over a great part of the square in front 
of the lofty ruins of the governor's palace, it formed 
the chief lounging-place or "fage" for the idle loi- 
terers in this once industrious and wealthy town. 
My quarters, in the upper story of a house, were 
very tolerable, and, besides being airy, afforded me a 
view over the nearest part of the town, from whence 
I had an opportunity of admiring the excellent 
T 2 
