ENVIRONS OF CANEL. 
139 
close to the head, and the wound in healing- had entirely 
closed the auditory channel. This man was certainly very 
unfortunate from his reputation for kindness, which gained 
him the good opinion of the slaves : he must now be careful 
of his horses, for as he has no ears himself, it will be these 
animals whose ears the fugitive slaves will next attack. 
If it were thought desirable to form a settlement in the 
interior of this country, it would be impossible, in my opinion, 
to choose a more agreeable situation than that of Canel, the 
population of which amounts to five or six thousand souls. 
Bare and lofty mountains rise to the north, crowned with 
sangras entirely destitute of verdure ; to the west flows a 
river, which is hidden from the view by the trees that shade 
it ; to the south and east the horizon is bounded by a thick 
wood. After admiring the pleasing prospect presented by 
this immense village, I proceeded towards the bank of the 
river ; to reach it, I was obliged to cross a spacious plain com- 
posed of alluvial soil of the greatest fertility ; it was then 
covered by large millet, which promised a most abundant 
harvest. 
The banks of the river are neither high nor woody, but 
on either side at a distance appears the most beautiful verdure; 
a sight truly enchanting amid the parched plains of Africa. 
A traveller might imagine himself in the rich meadows of 
Normandy. In the day-time the horses are allowed to graze 
in these pastures : in the evening they are fetched away on 
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