Chap. LXXX. A FERTILE DISTKICT. 
267 
and we followed a sort of backwater, at some distance 
from the principal branch of the river, and then 
crossed a cavity or hollow, where calcareous rock 
interrupted the granite. The river also, in its present 
low state, laid bare a good many rocky islets, and 
further on divided into five branches, over which, 
from the rising bank, Ave obtained an interesting view, 
with a cone, on the A'ussa shore, towards the north. 
One of the islands was handsomely adorned with diim- 
palms, while the shore was clothed Avith a plant called 
" hekik." 
This district appeared to be extremely fertile, and 
its populous state, after the desolate region which we 
had traversed, seemed the more remarkable ; for soon 
after, having passed a small hamlet, we had on the 
opposite shore the considerable place Tornare, and 
just beyond, on an island, another village called Fi- 
chile, densely inhabited and full of life and bustle. 
Scarcely had we passed this busy place on our left, 
when another hamlet appeared called Kochomere, 
and it was most gratifying to behold the river, 
which, during the greater part of our journey, had 
seemed to roll its mighty stream along without the 
least use being made of it, covered with small canoes, 
which carried over to our shore numbers of people 
who were going to the labours of the field. The 
bank itself also became here beautified by a variety 
of luxuriant trees, such as the kewa, the dingi, the 
baiire, the hajilij, and others of various species, the 
hajilij, especially, exhibiting here a very luxuriant 
