252 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXXIX. 
bordered by low hills, where the crops of native millet 
were just shooting forth, stretched out, nothing but 
retem and ferndn, breaking the monotonous level. 
The hamlet of our host consisted of only six huts ; 
but the district did not seem to be uninhabited, and 
in the course of the day a considerable number of 
Fiilbe and Songhay collected around us, and troubled 
me greatly, begging me to impart my blessing to 
them by laying my hand upon their head, or spitting 
into a handful of sand, and thus imbuing it with full 
efficacy for curing sickness, or for other purposes. 
Even the river did not seem quite destitute of life 
and animation, and the previous evening, while I was 
enjoying the scenery, seated on the cliffs at some 
distance from our camping-ground, two boats filled 
with natives passed by, and procured me an interesting 
intermezzo. 
Saturday, Tlic good treatment that we received here 
July 15th. gggj^g(j please my companions so much, 
that they tried to detain me another day by hiding 
one of their camels behind a bush and pretending it 
was lost. When at length I had found it, and was 
on the point of setting out to pursue my journey, a 
very heavy thunderstorm broke out ; and, although I 
persisted in proceeding, the rain became so violent that 
I was obliged to halt for fully an hour, near some bushes 
that protected us a little from the heavy gale which ac- 
companied the torrents of rain. Here, also, the river 
was obstructed by a great number of rocks, while the 
adjacent grounds were partly cultivated, but only 
