river, commences a great forest of palm-trees (_Borassus AEthiopium_). It
extends many miles, and at one point comes close to the river. The grey
trunks and green tops of this immense mass of trees give a pleasing tone
of colour to the view. The mountain-range, which rises close behind the
palms, is generally of a cheerful green, and has many trees, with patches
of a lighter tint among them, as if spots of land had once been
cultivated. The sharp angular rocks and dells on its sides have the
appearance of a huge crystal broken; and this is so often the case in
Africa, that one can guess pretty nearly at sight whether a range is of
the old crystalline rocks or not. The Borassus, though not an
oil-bearing palm, is a useful tree. The fibrous pulp round the large
nuts is of a sweet fruity taste, and is eaten by men and elephants. The
natives bury the nuts until the kernels begin to sprout; when dug up and
broken, the inside resembles coarse potatoes, and is prized in times of
scarcity as nutritious food. During several months of the year, palm-
wine, or sura, is obtained in large quantities; when fresh, it is a
pleasant drink, somewhat like champagne, and not at all intoxicating;
though, after standing a few hours, it becomes highly so. Sticks, a foot
long, are driven into notches in the hard outside of the tree--the inside
being soft or hollow--to serve as a ladder; the top of the fruit-shoot is
cut off, and the sap, pouring out at the fresh wound, is caught in an
earthen pot, which is hung at the point. A thin slice is taken off the
end, to open the pores, and make the juice flow every time the owner
ascends to empty the pot. Temporary huts are erected in the forest, and
men and boys remain by their respective trees day and night; the nuts,
fish, and wine, being their sole food. The Portuguese use the palm-wine
as yeast, and it makes bread so light, that it melts in the mouth like
froth.

Beyond the marsh the country is higher, and has a much larger population.