make us poor and sick." Lander could not help smiling at the
ignorance of the poor creatures, but such is their firm belief.

They had pursued their course in this manner, which had been
principally to the west, till about three in the afternoon, when they
came to a branch of the river about two hundred yards wide, and
seeing a small village at a short distance before them, they stopped
there for the purpose of obtaining some dried fish. Having supplied
their wants and proceeded on, about an hour afterwards they again
stopped, that their people might take some refreshment. Boy very
kindly presented Lander with a large piece of yam, reserving to
himself all the fish they had got at the village, and after making a
hearty meal off them, he fell asleep. While he was snoring by
Lander's side, the remainder of the fish attracted his notice, and
not feeling half satisfied with the yam which had been given him, he
felt an irresistible inclination to taste them. Conscience acquitted
him on the score of hunger, and hinted that such an opportunity
should not be lost, and accordingly, he very quickly demolished two
small ones. Although entirely raw, they were delicious, and he never
remembered having enjoyed anything with a better relish in all his
life.

There was scarcely a spot of dry land to be seen anywhere, all was
covered with water and mangrove trees. After remaining about half an
hour, they again proceeded, and at seven in the evening arrived in
the second Brass River, which was a large branch of the Quorra. They
kept their course down it about due south, and half an hour
afterwards, Lander heard the welcome sound of the surf on the beach.
They still continued onwards, and at a quarter before eight in the
evening, they made their canoe fast to a tree for the night, on the
west bank of the river.

On the following morning, Lander found his clothes as thoroughly wet
from the effects of the dew, as if he had been lying in the river all
night instead of the canoe. At five in the morning, they let go the
rope from the tree, and took their course in a westerly direction up
a creek. At seven they arrived in the main branch of the Quorra,
which is called the River Nun, or the First Brass River, having
entered it opposite to a large branch, which, from the information
given by King Boy, ran to Benin. The direction of the River Nun was
here nearly north and south, and they kept on their course down the
stream.

About a quarter