268 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXXX. 
and rich growth. A sort of shallow grassy creek sepa- 
rated from the bank a low island, which, during the 
highest state of the inundation, is under water. 
Two miles beyond Tornare the character of the • 
country changed and deep sandy soil, clothed with 
the herbage called rodam, and destitute of trees, suc- 
ceeded to the fine arable soil ; but after a march of 
about a mile, cultivation again appeared, and even 
extended over the hilly chain which we ascended. 
We then passed a slave village called Gandutan, be- 
longing to the Tarki chief, Mohammed el Amin, 
v/here numerous horses were seen grazing in the 
fields, distinguished by the kind of herbage called by 
the Arabs el debedi, in which my companions were 
delighted to recognize an old friend of theirs, as 
growing also plentifully in the A'beras of Timbuktu. 
Crossing the plain, where we met several travellers, 
we began to ascend the slope of a promontory called 
E^'m-Alawen, and soon reached the residence of the 
chief just mentioned, who is the head of one of the 
two divisions of the Eratafani. The village consisted 
of 150 to 200 huts of matting, with a larger and a 
smaller leathern tent in the centre ; but as it did not 
on'er any cool shade, being perched on the bare hot 
gravel overlying the rock, we thought it very uninvit- 
ing, and preferred descending the steep eastern slope, 
upon the narrow slip of the low shore which stretched 
along the river, and which, being richly clothed 
with hajilij, baiire, and other trees, ofi'ered a very 
pleasant resting-place. We were, however, not allowed 
