174 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXVI. 
at this time of the year, presented a very dull and 
melancholy appearance, and the most decided contrast 
to that cheerful and splendid scenery which is pecu- 
liar to the landscape round Kano. Nevertheless, it 
seemed to be well inhabited, and we passed several 
places, some of them of tolerable size, and sur- 
rounded with earthen walls, of very inconsiderable 
elevation, and ditches ; the courtyards, especially in 
the first town which we passed, the name of which 
is Kadangare, " the lizard " in Hausa, were wide and 
spacious. A little later in the season the drought 
must be terribly felt in these quarters ; for even at 
present we had great difficulty in watering our horses 
and filling a waterskin. Trees of good size became 
continually more scarce, but the country was still 
well inhabited, and after ten o'clock, near the little 
town Gosuwa, surrounded likewise by a low earthen 
wall, we reached a small market-place, consisting of 
about thirty stalls, where a market is held every 
Sunday ; the town, however, was not thickly inha- 
bited, and near its north-east corner especially there 
were large empty spaces. 
Beyond this place the country became a little 
richer in trees, and we here passed a large village 
-called Gareji, where a path branches off leading to 
Maimagaria, a road generally taken by caravans. 
The population of all these places is composed of 
B6rnu and Hausa people, and many particular cus- 
toms might be observed hereabouts, which are rather 
peculiar to the latter race. Dull as the country 
