300 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. Chap. LXXXI. 
possible to induce it to enter the boats, which were 
not of the same size as those of the preceding 
year. It was thus forced to cross the river by 
swimming alongside, and arrived in the most ex- 
hausted state, the river being about 900 yards across. 
The nearest village being too far off, we were obliged 
to encamp for the night on the gentle grassy slope 
of the bank, which, a little above and below the 
place of embarkation, forms steep cliffs of about 80 
feet elevation. The evening was beautiful, and the 
scenery of the river, with the feathery diim-palms on 
the opposite shore, was lovely in the extreme, and well 
adapted to leave on my mind a lasting impression of 
the magnificent watery highroad which Nature has 
opened into the heart of this continent. Thus I took 
leave of the Niger. 
Thursday, commcuccd our journey along our 
3rd August, fopi^ei^ well-known path, which, however, in 
the richer garment of vegetable life in which Nature 
had decked herself out, presented now a very different 
aspect, and after a march of six miles, we reached the 
village of Tondifu, surrounded by fine crops of millet, 
which were almost ripe, and of the very remarkable 
height of fifteen to twenty feet. In order to protect 
their property from the attacks of the numberless 
swarms of birds, almost the whole population was 
scattered through this forest-like plantation, and 
kept up such a continual noise and clamour, that it 
had quite an alarming effect, more especially as the 
people were concealed from view. 
