318 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XL VIII. 
shirt, I was promised by the " billama " of the village 
a guide, who early the next morning should conduct 
me to the ferry of Mele. 
Thursday Before daybreak Ave began our stealthy 
March isth. enterprise, and entered the woods, led on 
by a tall, well-made, muscular, and half-naked lad, 
well armed with bow and battle-axe. Passing through 
a district where, besides cotton, a great deal of native 
corn was cultivated, all belonging to the inhabitants 
of the village where we had passed the night, and 
following our narrow unbeaten footpath, we at length 
emerged upon the direct well-trodden track which 
leads straight from Logon to Mele, although it is 
very winding. At first underwood was greatly in- 
termixed with dum-bush or ngille; but after a 
while the aspect of the country suddenly changed, 
the lower ground on our left expanding in fine 
meadow lands interspersed with pools of stagnant 
water, the deposit of the last year's inundation, while 
on our right we had the site of a former town, called 
Yesmeki, densely overgrown with forest. 
Here we came again in sight of that fine river 
which forms the western boundary of the kingdom of 
Bagirmi, and which intriguing men wished to prevent 
me from crossing. The slope of the bank is here 
broken, forming a small terrace before it descends to 
the edge of the water, the upper slope being at pre- 
sent covered with a green turf, while the lower one, 
which rose fifteen feet above the surface of the river, 
consists of loose sand. Here again we disturbed 
