Chap. LXX. HIGH STATE OF THE WATERS. 
11 
the waters was naturally of the greatest interest to 
me ; and, in order to satisfy my curiosity, the Sheikh 
took me out on the 9th. Emerging from the town 
at about the middle of the western w^all, where 
formerly the b^b el gibleh* was situated, we went 
first to the nearest creek of the river, but found here 
no boats ; and then crossing an extremely barren and 
stony level reached another branch of the creek, 
where eight or ten smaller boats, without a covering 
or cabin, were lying ; the innermost corner of this 
creek not being more than four or five hundred yards 
distant from the Great Mosque, or Jingere-ber. All 
the people asserted that the river, at Kabara, had now 
reached its highest level, and even affirmed that it 
had begun to fall here on the 7th ; but, nevertheless, 
it became evident that the waters were still rising 
during the whole of the month, — almost endangering 
the safety of the town. On this occasion I learned 
that a great inundation in 1640 had flooded a con- 
siderable part of the town, and converted into a lake 
the central and lowest quarter, which is called Ba- 
gindi, a name derived, as is asserted, from the tank 
thus formed having been enlivened by hippopotami. f 
* Shabini, in stating that the bab el gibleh was the east gate, 
certainly labours under a mistake, " gibleh " with these Western 
Arabs signifying the west. With regard to the creek, where we 
saw the boats, see the ground plan, Vol. IV. p. 478, n. 10. 
f The hippopotamus being called "banga" in the Songhay 
language, the name, if really derived from that cause, ought to be 
spelt " Bangindi ; " but the g may be a nasal sound. 
