90 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXIV. 
joined by a troop of women very heavily-laden, each 
carrying upon the head from six to ten enormous 
calabashes filled with various articles : but they did 
not prove to be agreeable company; for not being 
able to walk steadily for any length of time with their 
loads, they stopped every few minutes, and then went 
on at a running pace, till they were obliged again to 
halt, so that they came frequently into collision either 
with my camel or with the bullock. It is really incre- 
dible what loads the native women of Negroland can 
carry on their heads, but I think no other tribe is equal 
in this respect to the Tapua or NyfFawa. The country 
through which we had to pass along for the first two 
miles was overgrown with underwood, and much 
broken up by the rains, till we reached the stubble- 
fields of Kaferda, where my attention was attracted 
again by a few scattered specimens of the gigina, or 
deleb-palm, which, in these districts, seems to be ex- 
tremely rare. Descending then a little, the country 
assumed once more that delightful park-like appear- 
ance which had so charmed me the previous day ; and 
the variety of the vegetation was extraordinary, — 
goreba, jeja, gamji, rimi, and doka being the principal 
trees. 
The industry of the natives was also well repre- 
sented ; for soon after we had met a troop of men car- 
rying home loads of indigo-plants, in order to prepare 
them in their simple way, we passed over extensive 
tobacco-fields, which had very nearly reached ma- 
turity. Rich aromatic bushes were growing every- 
