332 
TRAVELS m AFRICA. Chap. XLVIII. 
houses, were visible from hence. The river here forms 
a long reach from south to north, but higher up, 
beyond Miskin, comes from S.S.E. The bank on 
this side was very low, which is the reason that the 
river during the inundation spreads over a greater 
extent of country. The ground shelves very gradu- 
ally, and the river seemed shallow at a considerable 
distance from the beach, but its depth on the other 
side may be the more considerable, the opposite bank 
on which the town of Biigoman stands being rather 
steep. 
The town, seen from this distance, seemed to be 
rather in a state of decay, — at least as regarded the 
wall; but it was pleasantly adorned with a variety 
of trees, among which deleb- and dum-palms were 
the most conspicuous. It was market-day, and in 
the cool of the morning numbers of people were col- 
lected on the south-eastern beach, where we had ar- 
rived, awaiting the return of the ferry-boats : so that 
altogether it exhibited quite an interesting scene. 
But gradually the bustle subsided, and the heat of 
the sun on the sandy beach became almost insup- 
portable ; for, notwithstanding my warning, we had 
left the green border of trees and herbage far behind 
us, and had advanced along the broad sandy beach, 
which at present was dry, to the very edge of the 
water. My escort, together with the two servants 
of Zerma, had gone into the town to announce my 
arrival, and to inform the head man of the order of 
the lieutenant-governor, that I was to await here the 
