Chap. XXXVII. BEAUTIFUL COUNTRY. 
521 
village, ascended a neighbouring eminence formed by 
an irregular mass of granite blocks, to the north of 
our quarters. Here I spent two delicious hours in 
the tranquil contemplation of the picturesque scenery, 
which I thought the most interesting I had yet seen 
in this quarter of the world. The accompanying view 
presents but a very faint idea of its peculiar features ; 
but I hope it will give the reader some conception 
of the nature of this country in general, which enables 
the pagan natives between this district and Hamar- 
ruwa to defend their liberty and independence against 
the Mohammedan intruders. These tribes are, after 
the Demsa, who seem to form a tolerably numerous 
body, first, the Mbula, probably the same who have 
given their name to the place situated at some dis- 
tance from Mount Mindif, and mentioned above ; then, 
further west, or north-west, the Bachama, and still 
further west the Tangale, with both of whom Mr. 
Vogel, on his recent journey from Yakuba to Hamar- 
ruwa, has come in contact. 
We made a short but highly interesting Tuesda 
march to the place of our old friend the Jul y Jst - 
mallem Delil. The scenery was rich and beautiful, the 
crops of Guinea corn standing from four to five feet 
high, alternating with fields where goza, a kind of 
yams, were grown, and adorned with fine spreading 
trees, amongst which the tarmu and the kiika or mon- 
key-bread tree predominated; even the rocky emi- 
nences were all overgrown with fresh vegetation. We 
then passed a sort of shallow river, or sel, which is 
