Immediately after the case fell from the man’s head, one of the soldiers placed it on its bottom, and I opened it. The box being pretty closely packed, we managed to preserve a considerable portion of the rum; but I had only two bottles, which I always ordered my own men to carry in their havresacks, filled with water. We poured out the water from these, and filled them with the dirty rum. The bottles having been packed with straw, some of the soldiers wrung out the rum into their calabashes, to drink. The remainder of the rum was distributed amongst my people, with the exception of the unfortunate carrier, whom the caboceer would not allow to taste it; and, as a farther punishment, he was ordered to change his load for a much heavier one. The plain was here thinly studded with palm and shea butter-trees. After marching about thirteen miles, we entered a thick wood, which runs along the base of a second range or crescent of mountains, similarly situated to the Dassa mountains, but of much less magnitude, and thickly wooded to the top. The geology of this differs from the Dassa range, being composed chiefly of limestone, and a beautifully twisted or waved marble of variegated colours--yellow, white, blue, and red. After passing about five miles along their base, under large trees of various sorts, the rain falling in torrents, we arrived at the pass across this second range. The path, though well trodden under foot, was entirely covered with pepper trees, of the small Chili tribe, about ten feet in height. These bushes proved very annoying for a distance of about two miles. The branches of the pepper-trees extended across the path at about four feet from the ground, where they were so firmly interwoven as almost to unseat me from my saddle, and being in full bearing at this season the annoyance was still greater, the seeds coming in contact with the face and eyes, and causing actual torture. It was very agreeable again to see the open plain, which we found at a short distance from the mountains, beautifully cultivated. I forgot to mention, that during our passing over the last range, I observed some very singularly marked monkeys, having a white streak across the upper part of the forehead, white round the mouth, and on the tip of the nose. These were much smaller than the black or brown monkey, and of a slate-grey-coloured body. We passed several large shocks of beans or peas, of a description I had not yet noticed. They appeared to be very prolific, and were about the size of the horse-bean in England, but as white as our white pea; the stalk about three feet long, and also of a light colour. I found upon inquiry that these were preserved for seed, which were to be immediately put into the ground, though they had only been two days gathered. I was told that the seed would produce another crop in the space of two moons and a half. In this country they have also a great variety of the ground-bean and nut, which is also very abundant.