358 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. XXXII. 
the Kaniiri people, and now and then quite arid and 
barren, while at other times it was thickly overgrown 
with prickly underwood, with a tamarind-tree shooting 
up here and there. We then came to a locality covered 
with a dense forest, which at a later period in the rainy 
season forms one continuous swamp, but at present 
was dry, with the exception of some deep hollows 
already filled with water. Here we found some of 
the inhabitants of the district, all of whom are Shuwa, 
busy in forming watering-places for the cattle, by in- 
closing circular hollows with low dikes. One of these 
people was of a complexion so light as to astonish 
me; indeed he was no darker than my hands and 
face, and perhaps even a shade lighter : his features 
were those of the Shiiwa in general, small and hand- 
some i his figure slender. The general size of these 
Arabs does not exceed five feet and a half : but they 
look much taller, on account of the peculiar slender- 
ness of their forms ; for, although I have seen many 
specimens of stout Fiilbe, I have scarcely ever seen 
one robust Shuwa, The forest was enlivened by num- 
berless flocks of wild pigeons. 
We then emerged into a more open country, pass- 
ing several villages of a mixed population, half of 
them being Shuwa, the other half Kaniiri. All their 
huts have a thatched roof of a perfectly spherical 
shape, quite distinct from the general form of huts in 
this country, the top, or " kogi ngimbe," being en- 
tirely wanting. One of these villages, called Ddse- 
disk, is well remembered by the people on account of 
