ed there for seven
years. This voracious animal was fed with rats only, of which he
generally devoured five a day. One of the inhabitants perceiving that
John Lander was rather inquisitive, volunteered to go to a river in
the vicinity of the town, and to return in a few minutes with as many
young crocodiles as he might wish for; but as he had no opportunity
of conveying animals of that description through the country, he
declined the man's offer. The inhabitants of Leoguadda, having
probably no vegetable poison, make use of the venom of snakes on the
tips of their arrows. The heads of those serpents, from which they
extract this deadly substance, are exposed on the sticks, which are
thrust into the inside of the thatch of their dwellings as a kind of
trophy.

Leoguadda is almost surrounded by rugged hills, formed by loose
blocks of granite; these added to a number of tall trees, always
green and growing within the walls, render the town inconceivably
pleasant and romantic. Immense tracts of land are cultivated in the
vicinity of the town with corn, yams, &c., and abundance of swine,
poultry, goats, and sheep are bred by its inhabitants. Formerly, also
herds of cattle were to be seen in the meadows, but they belonged to
Fellatas, who, they were told, fled from Leoguadda some time since,
to join their countrymen at Alorie.

They left Leoguadda early in the morning of 11th May, and about the
middle of the forenoon reached a walled town of some extent called
Eetcho. This place is of importance on account of a large weekly
market which is held in it. Eetcho had recently been more than half
consumed by fire, and would not, it was supposed, regain its former
condition for some time. Like most large trading-towns, it is in as
unsettled and filthy a state as can be conceived. This day's journey
was highly agreeable, the path lay through a beautiful country,
varied in many places by hills of coarse granite, which were formed
by blocks heaped on each other. Trees and shrubs of a beautiful green
grew from their interstices, and almost hid the masses of stone from
the view.

The governor of Eetcho welcomed them to his town very civilly; yet
his kindness was not of any great extent, and although in all
probability, he was as opulent as most chiefs on the road, yet he did
not follow their example in giving them provisions, but left them to
procure what they wanted for themselves, in the best manner they were
able. It is the gener