132 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXXIV 
dually decrease in height, being overgrown with colo- 
cynths, and, further on, with tiirsha, or Asclepias 
gigantea^ and the blue Crucifera or daman-kadda. 
Further on they cease entirely, and give way to 
a low shore, which, during the highest state of the 
inundation, forms a connection between the river and 
the swampy background stretching out behind the 
downs. 
Here, where the river takes a fine sweep to the 
south-east, and forms several islands, was situated in 
former times a town of the name of Belesaro, but, 
at present, nothing but groups of a beautiful species 
of wild fig-tree, called here duwe, mark this spot as 
the former scene of human industry. 
Crossing then a low swampy ground, overgrown 
with rich byrgu and rank reed grass, we reached the 
high sandy downs of Ule-Tehdrge, which had already 
attracted my attention from our encampment in Te- 
harge. On the highest part of these downs the Kel- 
n-nokiinder chose the place for their new encampment, 
and I fixed upon a former fence, wherein I pitched 
my tent, which from this elevated position was visi- 
ble over a great part of the river. But my young 
friend, the Sheikh's nephew, imbued with the super- 
stitious prejudices of his mother, always greatly ob- 
jected to my using the former dwelling-places of other 
people, as if they were haunted by spirits. 
It was a beautiful camping-ground, elevated about 
150 feet above the surface of the river, over which it 
afforded a magnificent prospect, the river here form- 
