RIVER COUCOLO. 
189 
andria. The zealous disciple of the prophet thought that 
he was performing a meritorious action in the eye of God 
by giving me a little milk. When he left us he extended 
his hand to me^ and wished me a speedy return to my 
country. The road now became somewhat more stony, and 
we halted for a short time beneath the shade of some trees 
to wait for our companions. Several women brought us 
bananas and figs, fourteen of which I purchased for three 
glass beads. 
We pursued our journey across a plain, composed of a 
yellow fertile kind of earth, and we next arrived at Bouma, 
a village situated near a pretty little stream; the silvery 
waters flow over a bed of granite in a S. E. direction. This 
stream falls in cascades, the murmur of which is heard 
at a considerable distance. After passing this place, we came 
to enormous rocks of granite level with the ground ; our 
road was interspersed with those little hillocks with which 
all this part of the country is covered. When we approached 
Bouma- Filasso, a village on the declivity of a mountain, I saw 
a great deal of indigo growing spontaneously ; I also saw 
some cotton plantations. The country is clothed with 
superb vegetation, and has a very beautiful aspect. I re- 
marked several spots recently cleared for planting. We 
descended a hill, at the foot of which runs the river Cocoulo, 
which at this part is about forty or forty-five paces wide ; 
it flows rapidly over a bed of granite from N. N. E. to S. W. : 
where we forded it, the water was more than knee-deep. In 
several places its bed is dry, and it is necessary to walk over 
large masses of granite covered with mud, which renders the 
passage slippery and dangerous. At a little distance from 
this place it falls over a precipice to the depth of sixty feet, 
making a terrific noise. I stopped for a short time to con- 
template this cataract. The Cocoulo runs among high 
mountains covered with large trees, among which the native 
plum-tree is very abundant. After crossing the river, we 
proceeded S. S.E. ; we passed near Marca, a small village. 
