Five days’ journey S. ¼ S.E. of Cambaya commences the kingdom of Couranco. According to the reports of Mandingo travellers, the Dhioliba has it source in that country. I questioned them on the subject, and they at first told me that it rises between Bouré and Yamina. I observed to them that they were asserting what was impossible; but I discovered afterwards that they meant the cataract, which they called Sourondo, and that I had erroneously understood this word to signify source in their language. I drew on the ground a line to represent the river, and, pointing to its origin, asked them how they named that part. They answered folou (beginning) and intimated that they had no other word for source. They assured me that the folou of the Dhioliba is in Couranco; only the Bâ-fing and some other small rivers, they said, rise in Fouta. The Bâ-fing passes through the country of Bondou and runs to N’dar (St. Louis in the Senegal). A journey of a day and a half southward brings the traveller to Fryia, or Firya, which consists of several small villages united. They informed me that the Dhioliba passes that place and is of considerable size there. The first villages of Sangaran lie five days’ journey to the S.S.E. Sangaran and Couranco are large countries like Fouta; the inhabitants are idolaters. These countries, I was told, are divided into a number of small districts, which have their separate and independent chiefs, who are often at war with each other. Some Musulmans are settled among them. Couranco extends from east to west and to the south of Sangaran, which also stretches from west to east. I was informed that these countries are mountainous and very fertile. The small country of Kissi-kissi lies to the west of Couranco, at the distance of ten or twelve days’ journey from Cambaya, and in the environs of Sierra-Leone.
In the evening of the 28th of May, a caravan of saracolet merchants passed, on its route from Cambaya to Kankan, where it was to divide into three parties, for Bouré, Ségo, and Yamina. The merchants visited the mansa or chief, and that worthy old man recommended me to their care. They went on, and halted for the night at Bagaraya, about two miles to the east of Cambaya.
The 29th of May was employed in making our preparations. I arranged my baggage, which since my arrival had been left in Ibrahim’s hut, because, that in which I slept was not within the inclosure and had no fastenings. I often examined it, and several times suspected that it had been meddled with; I thought so from the manner in which it was tied up; I had some pieces of stuff which had been cut, some tobacco, and some glass ornaments, which seemed to please the people greatly. I could not however ascertain whether they had robbed me or not, and I chose rather to presume that they had been induced by curiosity to examine my property than to suspect them of theft. I made a little present to the Foulah Guibi, in return for the pistachio bread which he had given me.
In the evening I took leave of the chief who had been so kind to me; I made him a present of some gunpowder, which pleased him much; he gave me his blessing, and offered up prayers for the prosperity of my journey.
On the 30th of May, 1827, I took leave of my friends, (at least, such friends as a white can have among negroes,) and we set out, about ten in the morning, after eating a little rice, which Ibrahim had prepared for me. Lamfia, my new guide, was accompanied by one of his wives, who was to cook for us on the journey: she carried on her head a bag of salt, some calabashes, and an earthen pot. Our caravan was composed of eight individuals. Ibrahim and the Foulah Guibi came with me as far as the bridge across the Tankisso; my old guide carried my umbrella and my satala; the latter contained seven or eight rice loaves baked in the sun, which had been given me on my departure: Ibrahim thought proper to appropriate to himself two of these loaves without my knowledge. I mentioned the circumstance to Lamfia, who censured Ibrahim’s dishonesty, and asked me whether he had eaten much of my merchandise, a phrase employed to express any fraud or breach of confidence. Ibrahim and Guibi parted from us at the bridge: they again recommended me to the care of Lamfia, telling him that, as my resources were but scanty, he must be moderate in his demands upon me, and that God would reward him. They seemed sorry to leave me, and after we had separated they turned round and called loudly after me, Salam alékoum, Abd-allahi: (Abd-allahi was my assumed name). They repeated this salutation three times, and then they exclaimed, Allam-Kiselak! (May God preserve thee on thy journey!) But though both uttered the same words, yet I could easily perceive that Guibi’s regret was more sincere than Ibrahim’s.
We soon reached Bagaraya, which is situated two miles east of Cambaya; our road was covered with butter-trees.[46] The chief of the village received us well: he gave us a good hut, and sent me a supper of rice. He said he had not heard of me all the time I was at Cambaya. The saracolets, to whom I was recommended by Ibrahim’s father, had set out in the morning to cross the woods which separate the Fouta-Dhialon from Baléya. The evening was rather stormy, the sky dark and cloudy, and the heat oppressive. I went to the mosque with my new guide, who shewed me great kindness, and seemed anxious to anticipate all my wishes; he even carried his attention to the length of servility. As I was leaving the mosque the people all thronged round me, and looked at me with great curiosity; Lamfia replied to their questions, and informed them of the circumstances which occasioned me to visit their country: he told them I was a sherif of Mecca,[47] doubtless with the view of rendering me an object of greater respect than I should otherwise have been. The village of Bagaraya is inhabited partly by Dhialonkés and partly by Mandingoes: its population is between three and four hundred. There is a mosque appropriated to the women, who, according to the Mahometan custom, cannot enter that which is attended by the men. On our return to our hut, we had a visit from the chief, who sat a short time with us; he talked very much, and asked me many questions about the way in which I had been treated by the christians: I endeavoured to remove the bad opinion he entertained of us: he imagined that I must have been beaten and ill-treated by the infidels.
We were obliged to stay at Bagaraya the whole of the 31st of May, having to wait for some Mandingo merchants, who proposed travelling in our company; our road to Baléya led through woods which are infested by robbers, and, as our party was not sufficiently strong to resist an attack, we thought it prudent to wait for the merchants who were to join us.
In the course of the day I had many visiters, and received a present of a fowl, together with some rice and milk, which we had for supper. The Mandingoes of Cambaya, to whom I had given medicine and advice, were not by any means so grateful as the Dhialonkés of Bagaraya. These good people told me they were highly gratified in having among them a sherif on his way to Mecca, which place they call Maka. I gave the chief a little cream of tartar, for Lamfia informed him that I had some very good medicines. He sent us a supper, consisting of foigné boiled without being bruised, and a little milk. In the afternoon I observed that two sheep had been killed. I was astonished at this preparation for feasting, and asked the cause of it. I was told that it was to celebrate the marriage of the chief, which was to take place that evening. The chief was a man about fifty or fifty-five years of age, and this was his fourth wife. Several women of the neighbourhood kindled a large fire, for which the friends of the chief sent their slaves to collect wood. On this fire were placed two enormous earthen pots, eighteen or twenty inches in height, and twelve or fourteen in diameter; in the one was boiled rice, and in the other a sheep. Several other women of the village, who came to assist their companions, kindled other fires for cooking a distinct supper for the female friends of the bride. The cooking was performed in the open air; and the cooks were each provided with a large spatula with which they stirred the rice and meat, performing that office by turns. When the rice was sufficiently boiled, it was placed in calabashes of such enormous size, that there were at least a dozen women to each. They arranged the rice in the form of sugar-loaves, smoothing it with their hands, and slightly sprinkling it with cold water. There were provisions enough for at least two hundred negroes, for almost all the inhabitants of the place were to attend the feast, which was to commence at night. The calabashes of rice were removed to a hut belonging to the chief.
Among the Mandingoes, marriages are contracted without much ceremony. When a man sees a woman whom he wishes to marry, he gains the good graces of her parents by sending presents to them as well as to the daughter. The price which the bridegroom is to pay for the bride is agreed upon: it consists of one, two, or three slaves, according to the beauty and other recommendations of the bride. These slaves are given to the mother, who, if satisfied with the price, consents to her daughter’s marriage. The husband defrays all the expence of the nuptial feast, which usually takes place at night, and when it is over, the marriage is consummated, without the observance of any religious ceremony.
It rained a little during the evening, and some thunder was heard, but the storm did not last long. In the course of the night, I heard the joyous songs of the negroes and negresses, who were dancing to the sound of a small drum. Their dance was more decorous than that of the Wolof negroes in the neighbourhood of the Senegal: it was little more than walking in measured time accompanied by motions of the arms and head. The women all wore two pagnes, and their head-dress consisted of a piece of cloth passing over the forehead, and fastened at the back of the head. They plait their hair and grease it with butter. I had not the pleasure of seeing the bride. I was not even invited to the feast; but this I had no reason to regret, for, from what I saw of it, it was not very tempting.
At six on the morning of the 4th of June, we set off and travelled four miles to the S.E. among the gorges of mountains of granite. Our caravan consisted of fourteen men and one woman carrying a burthen. We proceeded three miles over a tract of country covered with trees and fine vegetation: the cé or butter-tree was growing in profusion, and I also saw the indigo and nédé. We met a party of Foulah traders returning from Kankan. They took me at first for a christian, and exclaimed with astonishment:—“A white going to the east! Surely, the great men of the Fouta do not know this, or they would not suffer it.” They even wished to prevent me from going further; but Lamfia, my guide, who had lingered a little behind, came up and put a stop to the discussion, which might have become serious, for I could not explain myself very well in the Mandingo language. My guide related the manner in which I had been taken by Europeans, and assured them that I was a real Arab, a sherif of Mecca; for these people had never heard of Alexandria, my pretended country. Lamfia informed them that I had crossed the Fouta in safety, that all the inhabitants had received me well, and even made me presents; that I read the Koran, a thing which a christian would never do. “Besides,” added he, “the christians never travel alone and on foot. They only go by rivers in vessels.” The prevailing idea of the people in the interior of the Soudan is, that we inhabit little islands in the middle of the ocean, and that the Europeans wish to get possession of their country, which is the most beautiful in the world. One of these Foulahs addressed to me a few words in Arabic, to which I replied. This quite ingratiated me with him; as it afforded him an opportunity of proving to his companions that he spoke that language, which flattered his vanity; for the negroes are, in general, fond of shewing their superiority over their fellows. The Foulah then assured his companions that I was a real Arab, and they allowed me to continue my journey.
After proceeding a little distance, we halted and entered some huts made for sheltering travellers from the rain. These huts are very simple. A row of poles is driven into the ground, and branches of trees are laid in a slanting direction, that is to say, resting against the tops of the poles, and sloping gradually to the ground. They are covered with straw, and defended from the wind by pieces of wood, placed transversely, forming a sort of hedge sloping very much towards the ground, and to the west.
My guide’s wife prepared our dinner. Lamfia provided food for some of the negroes of the caravan, for they had brought no women with them, and they had no pots for boiling their rice.
We caught a sheep which had, no doubt, strayed from its owner. The Mandingoes held a council to deliberate whether they should kill it. They agreed that there would be no impropriety in doing so, since they did not know the owner. The animal was accordingly killed, and we had a good supper to help us on our way. In all negro countries meat is a great luxury and, in general, it is only eaten on festival days. The sheep we caught was with lamb; but we nevertheless found the meat very good.
The place where we encamped was called Sokodatakha, a name derived from the trees by which it is shaded. It is a large sandy plain, covered with trees and beautiful verdure, and surrounded by granite hills, nearly three hundred feet high. These hills have no vegetation. We passed the night in the huts which I have above described, on the outside of which large fires were kindled, though the weather was very warm. In the middle of the night our rest was disturbed by a storm. I could not sleep on account of the rain, for our huts were by no means weather-proof.
At half past six on the morning of the second of June, we again set off in high spirits, though our clothes were very wet. Our course lay to the east. The country was woody and our road rather gravelly. The cé and the indigo are abundant in this part. After we had travelled about fifteen miles over a hard sandy soil, covered with gravel, we found the trees, though still numerous, neither so large nor so high as before. We were overtaken by a violent storm from the east: the wind was cold and the rain fell in torrents. In a moment, the whole plain was flooded with water, through which we waded, ancle-deep. I opened my umbrella; but it was impossible to hold it on account of the wind. I was drenched to the skin. Fortunately, I had taken the precaution to keep my notes in a little portfolio of untanned calf-skin. We took shelter under some huts similar to those in which we passed the preceding night. About three in the afternoon the rain ceased, the sun re-appeared, and the surrounding country was clothed in new charms. We prepared to kindle a fire; but this was no easy task, on account of the wetness of the wood. However, we at length succeeded and dried our clothes. We burned a great deal of straw; for it was scarcely possible to make the wood burn, even after we had dried it at the straw fire. We met some travellers coming from Baléya, who, like us, had braved the storm. They were laden with white cloth of the manufacture of the country, which they were going to exchange for salt in the Fouta-Dhialon.
I had seated myself for a few moments behind a bush in order to make some notes, when I saw the wife of Lamfia advancing towards me. I immediately hid my paper and took up my trowsers which were drying at the fire. She returned to her husband, who asked her whether I was writing:—“No,” replied she, “he is putting on his clothes.” I was near enough to hear this conversation, which sufficiently indicated that they suspected me. I therefore became doubly cautious, and shewed a greater assiduity in the study of the Koran. When, on the road, I sometimes withdrew a little from my companions, I saw them looking at me and endeavouring to discover what I was about; but I always took care to hold in my hand a leaf of the Koran, on which I laid my note paper, and when I saw any one advancing towards me I concealed my writing and pretended to be reading a verse of the sacred book.
We had a little of our mutton left, of which we made a good supper: Lamfia and I ate together, and the other Mandingoes took their meals apart. In spite of the distrust which he appeared to entertain, from his having sent his wife to watch whether I was writing, he was, nevertheless, very kind to me, always taking my part against those who doubted my conversion, alleging that I was a sherif, which seemed to be a satisfactory answer to every objection. He was older than the other individuals of the caravan, and, therefore, had some ascendancy over them. This respect for age is universal among the negroes, who never undertake any thing without consulting the elders of their villages. At the place where we were now encamped the soil was good, consisting in some places of black, and in others of red, mould, like that of Sierra-Leone, mixed with stones. I saw some palm-trees growing here.
At seven on the morning of the 3rd of June, we resumed our course, proceeding a mile eastward along some hills, about one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet high, composed of red, porous stone, like that of Sierra-Leone. These hills extend north and south, and they are the last of the Fouta-Dhialon towards the east. From their summits we discovered a beautiful sandy plain, into which we descended by a very rapid declivity. We now found the surface of the soil covered with reddish sand. Further on, our road became gravelly. We continued our course eastward through a level and very open part of the country. To the north, however, I observed many trees and plants, namely, the bombax, the cé, the mimosa, the nédé, the nauclea africana, and the indigo. We met many travellers on the road. Having proceeded thirteen miles, we halted about four in the afternoon, much fatigued, near a rivulet, the wide and shallow bed of which consists of argillaceous sand. It is dry in some places. The natives call it, the Ba-ndiégué (fish river). It waters Baléya and flows into the Tankisso: two of our party went to buy smoked fish from some fishermen, who were near the place where we stopped. We dried our merchandise which had got wet by the rain of the preceding day, and I was sorry to be obliged to display my pieces of printed calico which attracted, in no small degree, the notice of my companions. In the place where we halted there were not many trees; but I perceived some clumps of nauclea. The ground was covered with a dry kind of grass. I think this place must be inundated in the rainy season by the overflowing of the Ba-ndiégué, the banks of which are well wooded.
On the 4th of June, at six in the morning, we left the banks of the Ba-ndiégué, and found the plain covered with a beautiful white narcissus. We took a very pleasant road to the south-east. About eight o’clock we seated ourselves under a large bombax to breakfast. In this part huts are erected for the accommodation of travellers, and I saw many cés in the neighbourhood. We now heard the sound of a drum proceeding from Saraya, the first village eastward of Baléya. After a good breakfast of rice and smoke-dried fish, we proceeded nine miles eastward over a sandy soil. The country is very open, and its uniform level is not broken by a single hillock. Having crossed the Ba-ndiégué by a tottering bridge made of the branches of trees, we reached Saraya about three in the afternoon.
In the plain in which this village is situated I saw some slaves at work preparing the ground. They had a drum to stimulate them at their labour. It was the beat of this drum that we heard in the morning. In some parts of Africa nothing is done except to the sound of music. Lamfia called to see a man of his acquaintance, who gave us one of his huts to lodge in. On hearing that an Arab sherif had arrived, the inhabitants thronged to see me. They gazed at me with great curiosity, and said that they had seen Soulocas[48] before; but none so white as I was. Lamfia told them my history, and our hut was full of visiters the whole evening. My umbrella, which I shewed them, strongly excited their curiosity. Those who went away, described the wonder to their friends, who came in their turn to get a peep at it. We made a good supper, which I purchased for about three charges of gunpowder.
We stopped the whole of the 5th of June at Saraya, in order to recover a little from our fatigue. My feet were very painful, for my sandals galled me.
I surveyed the village and its neighbourhood. It is surrounded by two earth walls, nine feet high, and eight or ten inches thick. The entrance gate is surmounted by a close range of loopholes for muskets. I also remarked a little sentry box, round which there were holes looking in every direction. This village, which is on the frontier of Baléya, is situated in a sandy plain, level, open, and fertile. I saw in the neighbourhood large bombaces, baobabs, nédés, and cés. Indigo grows here without cultivation, and is employed by the natives for dying their cloths. I shall hereafter describe the way in which they use it. Water is procured here from wells, two feet deep, and though rather thick, it is very pleasant to the taste. The negroes of Saraya, who are all Dhialonkés, came to see me during the day, and brought me little presents of milk, and the chief gave me a fowl, which we ate for supper. I gave Lamfia some glass trinkets to purchase rice and honey, as I wished to treat the people of our caravan. I observed that Lamfia kept some of the glass for himself; but this was a trifle which I did not think worth while to notice to him. I asked him to get the rice pounded, and made into cakes with the honey which I had bought and that which the people had given me. Lamfia and his wife mixed with their dirty hands the flour, honey, and powdered allspice. They made it into little cakes, which, after a great deal of kneading, were baked in the sun, and put into a little bag to be eaten on our journey. To add to my stock of provisions, I bought some salt, an article which was beginning to be very scarce and dear. I learned that the village of Foho, the residence of the chief of Baléya, was a day’s journey E.N.E. of Saraya. The people advised me not to go to Foho, “For,” said they, “the chief is not a Musulman, and he will make you pay transit duties.” In the neighbourhood of the village, I saw some ferruginous stones. I broke one, which contained many particles of iron. These stones are found on the surface of the soil. The inhabitants smelt them to make their agricultural implements, which consist merely of hoes, seven or eight inches long, and three broad. The ends are rounded, and the handles, which are two feet long, are much bent.
The village of Saraya contains a population of about seven or eight hundred. The inhabitants keep many cattle which at night are driven within the two walls that surround their village. I was informed that the great river flows at the distance of a day’s journey south of the village. Fish are caught in it, and, after being dried and smoked, they are used as sauce, and eaten with rice: they make them also an article of trade. The whole evening the young people of this village amused themselves by dancing to the sound of a tambourine, and a small instrument made of bamboo; their dances are sprightly and decorous. My guide and I paid a visit to the chief, who received us very kindly, and offered me a sheep-skin to sit upon. The door of his court was shaded by two bombaces. He afterwards sent us a very good supper of rice and gombo.
At half past six o’clock in the morning of the 6th of June, we proceeded four miles E.S.E., over a fine plain of sand. We passed Fausimoulaya, a village surrounded by a mud wall. The country was covered with cés and nédés. We crossed the Ba-ndiégué, which flows through a fine plain clothed with perpetual verdure. We advanced for two miles in the same direction, over a level plain, composed of red earth, with a great deal of gravel, and some red stone of the same kind as that of Sierra-Leone.
We entered the village of Sancougnan, in order to visit the chief, a ceremony which all travellers are obliged to observe. We found him lying on a large bullock’s hide, with his head resting on a log of wood. My guide told him that I was a sherif going to my native country, near Mecca. This chief, who was said not to be a very pious Musulman, gave us a very kind reception. He assigned to me a very good hut, and asked me to pass the next day in his village. Lamfia met with the son of the chief of Kankan, a zealous Musulman, who had come to Baléya to sell a horse. I was desirous of making acquaintance with him, and with this view I gave him a sheet of paper. He spoke favourably of me to the chief of Sancougnan, who, he said, was a great warrior, and not over-devout, and therefore might make me pay a considerable tribute for liberty to pass. After our interview, which took place in a stable, where he was lying beside his horse, we went to the hut which was destined for us. The mansa, or chief, soon sent me a calabash full of rice, mixed with milk and butter, and sprinkled with salt, which we ate for dinner. I took the precaution of circulating in the village a story calculated to serve my purpose. I said that Mr. Macaulay, a merchant at Sierra-Leone, well known through all this country, had wished me to remain in the English settlement, and for that purpose offered to advance me money to carry on trade; but that I rejected the offer on account of my strong dislike to live among infidels. When in the presence of the chief, I drew forth some leaves of the Koran, which I read aloud, to induce a belief that I was a very zealous Musulman. An old man of Bondou, who was settled in the village, took the leaves of the Koran out of my hands, and wishing to show his learning, he mumbled some words in a low tone, holding the leaves sometimes sideways, and sometimes upside-down. I was so imprudent as to remark upon this, and laugh a little at his ignorance. He was offended, and immediately returned me the leaves of the Koran. He remained with the chief until we were gone, and then he asserted that I was a christian, and not a sherif, as my guide had stated.
In the evening a storm came on, and it rained heavily all night. The chief sent us a supper of rice, cooked like the last. On the morning of the 7th of June we prepared to depart. Lamfia and myself, accompanied by the son of the chief of Kankan, went to see the mansa of Sancougnan, to whom I presented seven or eight charges of gunpowder and some leaves of tobacco; Lamfia added some colat-nuts, which we distributed among the relations of the chief. They were all in their smoky hut, on the walls of which were suspended bows, arrows, quivers, and lances. A jar for water, a bullock’s hide, and some mats, composed the whole furniture of the place.
We left the village about eight in the morning, and were soon after overtaken by the mansa, accompanied by the Mandingo of Kankan; the latter proved very serviceable to me on this occasion. The chief told us that the old Bondouké had assured him that I was a European, and not a Moor; that, moreover, I was too white for a Moor; and, that we certainly intended to deceive him, in order to evade the payment of the passage duties. Here my guide behaved exceedingly well: he assured the chief that I was a real Arab, a countryman of the Prophet’s, and a great sherif, supporting his assertions by the arguments which he had already employed to convince other incredulous persons whom he had met with. The Mandingo of Kankan strongly confirmed the declarations of Lamfia, who manifested much zeal, and asked the chief whether he had ever seen a christian read the Koran; the mansa concluded by saying, that he perceived the old Bondouké had spoken falsely, and that he had no longer any doubt of my being a sherif; then, offering me his hand in token of peace, he wished me a pleasant journey, and returned to the village. We continued our route to the east, over a soil composed of gravel and volcanic stones, black, brittle, and porous. As I went along I reflected on my imprudent behaviour to the old Bondouké, which had irritated him and induced him to seek revenge. I resolved in future to be more circumspect in my intercourse with the negroes, who, being ignorant, are naturally irritable and vindictive.
After travelling two miles, we arrived, at half-past nine in the morning, at Courouman-Cambaya, a village surrounded, like Sancougnan, with a double wall. It contains between five and six hundred inhabitants. My guide, who had many acquaintances in this village, assured me that I had nothing to fear: “These people,” said he, “will not take you for a christian, as they did there,” meaning at Sancougnan: “they wanted to get at your baggage, for they are Kaffres,[49] and but for the son of the chief of Kankan, we should not have come off so well.” We went to one of his school-fellows, who lodged us in a good hut. It was soon filled by people, attracted by curiosity to see a sherif. I was visited by a saracolet, who was on his way from Ségo to Kakondy: he addressed me in the Moorish tongue. I made him a small present of tobacco-leaves. We stopped at this village the whole of the 8th; Lamfia exchanged some salt for cloths. The heat, which had been suffocating throughout the day, was at night succeeded by a violent storm and heavy rain. On the 9th, we had to wait for several travellers who were to join us. Some persons brought me small presents of milk and a fowl, which served for our dinner. Our host was particularly attentive to us. The inhabitants were kind and hospitable: every evening by moonlight they assembled under a bombax to dance. I was much amused by seeing them caper to the sound of a little tambourine and an instrument made of bamboo, resembling a flageolet, and producing a very melodious tone.
On the 10th of June, at seven in the morning, we took leave of our host, to whom at parting I gave a sheet of paper and some tobacco, for which he loaded me with thanks. We proceeded three miles towards the east, over a plain of grey sand, covered with the most beautiful indigo, growing spontaneously. On reaching Siralia, a large village, containing from seven to eight hundred inhabitants, we went to visit the chief, who fortunately was absent: my guide assured me, that if I had seen him, I should have been obliged to make him a considerable present.
The country around the village is well cultivated. We advanced nine miles to the S.E. over a road which was partially flooded, owing to the frequent rains. On our way we saw many neat little ourondés, surrounded by quickset hedges, which are very ornamental. We crossed, up to our knees in water, two streams which flow to the northward, and discharge themselves into the Niger. On the N.E. of our route, a chain of small mountains was pointed out to me. This chain extends from north to east, and separates the Baléya from Bouré. The woods are infested by robbers, who stop travellers, and pillage them without mercy. We proceeded three miles to the S.E., over fine, level, and well cultivated ground, and arrived, at three in the afternoon, at Bacocouda, which contains between five and six hundred inhabitants. This is the last village east of Baléya. I and my guide waited on the chief to ask him for a lodging. We found him seated in a large hut on a bullock’s hide, and surrounded by some saracolet merchants, who had arrived the preceding evening. I confess that I was not quite at my ease at sight of these merchants, for they were the same who had passed through Cambaya, in the Fouta, on their way from Gambia. One of them spoke to me in the Moorish language; I answered his questions, the chief immediately rose and conducted me into one of his huts; he gave us a sheep-skin to sit upon. My guide presently gave him an account of my adventures, to which he listened with pleasure, and approved my resolution. We retired, and went to our hut, where the saracolet, who had spoken to me in Arabic, came to see me. He told me that he had at first taken me for a christian; but that now he saw he had been deceived, and that I certainly was an Arab. He talked very much, and endeavoured to flatter me. I saw that he wanted something, and gave him a little tobacco, promising that on my arrival at Kankan I would present him with a pair of scissors: he proposed to conduct me to Ségo, whence he said I could go to Jenné by water: I told him that was just what I wished, and he took his leave. The chief sent us something for supper, and one of the inhabitants gave us some white yams boiled. The people of this village spent their evenings and great part of the night in performing martial dances. They came to borrow my guide’s musket. The men dance to the sound of two tambourines. These tambourines have each a stick about fourteen inches long, one end of which is fastened to the bottom, and the other to the rim of the instrument, by strings made of sheep’s gut, resembling those of the guitar; at the ends of the stick are a number of small bells, rings, and bits of iron, which make a jingling accompaniment to the sound of the tambourine, and produce a very agreeable effect. The musicians sing, and strike the tambourines with the hand; their songs stimulate the courage of the warriors, whom they exhort to fight bravely, and destroy the infidels. The actors in these mimic wars are armed with sabres, bows, and muskets; they leap and dance to the sound of the instruments, assuming menacing attitudes, as though they would destroy their adversaries: they discharge their muskets, and shoot their arrows, and afterwards, as if they had been victorious in battle, they leap and dance in token of rejoicing, and make a thousand other grimaces of that sort. This spectacle collected together almost all the inhabitants of the place. After looking on for a short time, I returned to my hut, for I was afraid of being insulted. When Lamfia joined me, he told me that the dance we had just witnessed was a representation of the way in which these people make war against the infidels.
CHAPTER IX.
Description of Baléya. — Arrival on the banks of the Dhioliba. — Courouassa. — Sambarala. — Bouré, a mountainous country, rich in gold. — Crossing the Dhioliba. — The river Yendan. — Kankan. — Description of the town. — The market. — Gold of Bouré. — A religious festival. — Ordeal of fire. — Critical situation of the traveller. — Diseases of the country.
The soil of Baléya is an argillaceous sand, compact, but extremely fertile, producing all the necessaries of life in abundance. It is bounded on the west by the Fouta; on the south by Sangaran, through which runs the Dhioliba; on the east by the little country of Amana; and on the north by forests. All the villages in this part are surrounded with a double wall of mud, surmounted by battlements. These walls are from ten to twelve feet high. The villages contain each from a hundred to a hundred and twenty-five huts, made of straw.
The inhabitants of Baléya were subjected to the laws of the Prophet by the Foulahs, since which they annually present some cattle to the almamy of the Fouta. They are warriors and husbandmen, and have abundance of the necessaries of life, which they obtain by the cultivation of the earth, while their cattle supply them with butter and milk. They manufacture white cloth, which they exchange with their neighbours for salt. Earthenware is made in almost every village. The people of Baléya are Dhialonkés. Though Mahometans, they are, by no means, so zealous as the Foulahs, and drink in private a sort of beer made of millet and honey. Lamfia told me that formerly they possessed Fouta-Dhialon. The women are lively, pretty, and coquettish, and bestow much attention on dressing their hair, which is arranged in two tufts, one on each side of the head: many have four tufts. They ornament their heads with coloured glass beads, tastefully disposed; they wear necklaces of small black glass beads, interspersed with a few gilt glass ornaments. The necklaces, which are about three inches broad, encircle the neck like a cravat. The head-dress of these women would be becoming, if their hair was not covered with a layer of butter, with which they also grease their bodies: it renders their skin glossy, but gives them an unpleasant smell. Most of the females have no other dress than a piece of cloth, five feet long and two wide, which they fasten round their waists. On holidays they throw another piece of cloth over their shoulders, and cover their bosoms: they also wear sandals. This is nearly the general costume of the women of Negroland. Their dispositions are gentle and cheerful; their colour is very black; their features handsome, with curly hair, noses slightly aquiline, thin lips, and large eyes. They do all the household work, and are obedient to their husbands.
On the 11th of June, after taking leave of the chief, to whom I presented three leaves of tobacco, which seemed to please him, we proceeded in a S.E. direction. The saracolet merchants, who had asses to carry their merchandise, went on first, having to pass several streams which would retard their progress. The heat was excessive, and a storm came on. The atmosphere was heavy and obscured by clouds. I was attacked with a fever on the journey, and, notwithstanding the heat, I had shivering fits, from which I suffered greatly. After crossing the streams, where the water was knee-deep, we overtook the saracolets. They had bargained with some Mandingoes to carry a part of their baggage, for they were heavily laden. I observed that the country sloped towards the east. We continued in the same direction. The eldest saracolet, having traced some Arabic characters on the ground, and muttered some prayers, assured us that we might pursue our journey without apprehension, as no misfortune would happen to us. The country is a little wooded. The nédé and the cé grow here in abundance. Our road was gravelly. About two in the afternoon we arrived at Courouassa, a village of Amana, situated on the left bank of the Dhioliba. Shortly before our arrival a storm arose. My umbrella and some trees, beneath which we sought shelter, protected me a little. We had travelled fourteen miles in a S.E. direction, and were all much fatigued. Lamfia took me to lodge with the chief, who gave us a kind reception. He provided us with a good hut, and offered us a hide to sleep upon. I bought a fowl for two charges of gunpowder, and we had it cooked for supper. The fever had left me, and I now suffered only from a severe head-ache. I hastened to take a view of the Dhioliba, which had so long been the object of my curiosity. I observed that it flowed from S.W. ¼ S. proceeding slowly to the E.N.E. for the distance of some miles, and then turns due east. A little to the north of the village I saw a sand-bank lying very near the left shore of the river. The channel for canoes is near the right bank. I seated myself for a moment to contemplate this mysterious river, respecting which the learned of Europe are so anxious to gain information.
On the left bank, and pretty near the northern part of the village, there are hills between one hundred and fifty and two hundred feet high, covered with young trees. The soil appeared to be red, and of the same kind as that of Sierra-Leone. Some smiths have established themselves near these hills: they smelt and work up the iron which is found there in great quantities. These hills extend in a N.E. direction. There are some also on the right bank, but they are not so high. The air became cool, and I returned to my hut. During the night it rained a great deal.
We remained at Courouassa during the 12th. A storm came on accompanied by an east wind, which occasioned a suffocating heat. The rain poured in torrents. When it ceased I again visited the banks of the river. I watched its current, which flowed at the rate of about two miles and a half or three miles an hour. At this period it was about nine feet deep. This I calculated by the long pole which the boatmen used to push along the canoes.[50] In this part it appeared as broad as the Senegal at Podor. The right bank is lower than the left, on which the village is situated at an elevation of nearly a twentieth part of a mile above the water. I observed in the village many large bamboos, under the shade of which the old men assemble and spend part of the day in conversation. These people use much snuff; but they do not take it as we do in Europe, with the fingers; some use a small brush, and others a little iron spoon like an ear-pick. The negroes told me that the river begins to overflow in July, and that then they can go three miles over the plain in canoes. A great quantity of rice is grown on this plain. The sand-bank which I had seen plainly on the preceding evening was now no longer visible.
Courouassa is a neat village, surrounded by a mud wall, from ten to twelve feet high and from eight to ten inches thick. It contains between four and five hundred inhabitants. I observed that thousands of swallows, of the same kind as those seen in Europe, had built their nests in this wall. They were collected in flocks upon the trees, and I concluded that they were preparing to depart.
Courouassa is entered by several low and narrow openings which are closed by a thick plank made of a single tree. The town is shaded by bombaces and baobabs, and it is the principal of five small villages situated on the banks of the Dhioliba. This country is called Amana; the inhabitants are called Dhialonkés, and are chiefly idolaters. They do not travel, but occupy themselves peaceably in the cultivation of their little fields, which are fertilised by the inundations of the river. They catch many fish with hooks, which they obtain from travellers coming from our settlements on the coast. They likewise fish with the fouène, an instrument consisting of three branches with darts having teeth like a saw. A large piece of wood forms the handle of this instrument, which the natives use with great address. I saw a species of fish with a number of small bones like the carp. The people dry and smoke this fish, and sell it to their neighbours and the traders who pass through their country.
Bouré is situated at the distance of a five days’ passage down the river, in a canoe. The voyage is thus divided: from Courouassa to Cabarala one day; from Cabarala to Balatou one day; from Balatou to the village of Dhioliba one day; from Dhioliba to Boun-Bouriman, one day; from Boun-Bouriman to Bouré, proceeding a little way up the Tankisso, one day.
Bouré is a mountainous country, containing a number of rich gold mines, according to the account given to me by the natives. I shall speak of it more at length in the proper place. I went, accompanied by my guide, to pay a visit to the chief, who I was told, was a great warrior and dreaded by his neighbours. We found him alone in his hut employed in fastening a point to an arrow. A number of bows, arrows, and quivers, were hung up in various parts of the hut. He asked us to sit down on a bullock’s hide, and Lamfia conversed with him. The conversation turned on me. He promised that we should cross the river next day. Travellers are rowed across by his slaves. He levies duties which are paid in European merchandise, such as gunpowder, tobacco, knives, scissors, &c. He also receives salt in payment of these duties, which render him tolerably rich. He told me that, out of respect to my rank of sherif, he would allow me to pass duty free. The chief was a man about fifty years of age, five feet and some inches high. His countenance was mild, nay even pleasing.
On returning to our hut, we bought some fresh fish for supper. It was of the kind resembling the carp, which I have already mentioned. It measures about eight inches long and four or five broad, and is very bony. The general food of the inhabitants is boiled rice without salt, but seasoned with a sauce made of dry fish minced. They also eat fresh fish. With the foigné they make a sort of thick pudding, which they call tau. This is the sangleh of the Senegal. They eat this tau with a sauce made of herbs or pistachio-nuts; the latter they cultivate very abundantly. As salt is beginning to be dear, they use it on festivals and rejoicing days only. They gather the fruit of the cé and nédé, from which they obtain butter. I saw some heaps of the seeds of these trees freshly gathered and exposed to the rain. They were already beginning to germinate.
On the 13th of June, we crossed the river in canoes, twenty-five feet long, three wide, and one deep. A great number of people were going across, and they were all disputing, some about the fare that was demanded, others about who should go first. They all talked at once and made a most terrible uproar. The saracolets had a great deal of trouble in getting their asses on board the canoes, and the parties who had crossed fired muskets in token of rejoicing, which augmented the tumult created by the disputes of the negroes. I was obliged to remain exposed to the sun the whole morning; for the banks of the river are very open. Along the left bank but one tree was visible. This was a large bombax, under which so many people had crowded for shade that I could not find room. I saw a number of women and girls bathing in the river. They were quite naked, but they seemed to care very little about the presence of the men. Having finished their ablutions, they returned to the village, with pagnes round their waists and calabashes on their heads. There were only four canoes for conveying between two hundred and fifty and three hundred persons, besides luggage. We were not all landed on the right bank until near eleven o’clock. The excessive heat had brought on me a severe head-ache accompanied with fever. We proceeded onwards to the S.E. over good land, leaving behind us a few merchants who had not yet crossed the river. I was so ill that I experienced great difficulty in walking. The heat was intense, and I opened my umbrella to shelter me from the scorching rays of the sun; but some of my travelling companions advised me to shut it on approaching the villages, lest, as they said, it should excite the cupidity of the Kafirs (infidels). We proceeded eastward. The road was flooded, and in several places the water was ancle-deep. We passed Sambarala, a village situated on the bank of the river and surrounded by nédés and cés. We next pursued our course over a sandy soil, clothed with beautiful vegetation, among which I observed tamarind-trees. About three o’clock we arrived at Counancodo, where I saw some fine orange-trees. We had travelled nine miles in the course of the day.
I told Lamfia that I wished to procure a few tamarinds, as I was very feverish. He immediately sent his brother to gather some in the neighbouring wood; but the brother, not understanding what I meant, brought the leaves instead of the fruit. We could procure no milk, for the saracolets had gone before us and bought all that the village afforded. My fever had continued without intermission the whole of the way. For a little powder I bought a fowl, in order to recruit my strength. Our caravan consisted of sixty or eighty men, some carrying loads, others leading asses, and very few walking free from all encumbrance. One of our companions had a slave, whom he said he had procured at Sierra-Leone. He feared that he intended to desert, and begged me to write an amulet to prevent him. The man was very earnest in his request, and offered immediately to furnish me with ink and paper. However, as I did not wish to write European characters, for fear of exciting suspicion, I observed that having left my country very young I did not know how to make grigris, and I begged him to apply to some one more learned than I. Next day I saw the poor slave bearing on his head a burthen which he could scarcely carry, fastened to a rope the other end of which was tied round his leg, so that it was out of his power to run away; for his prudent and suspicious master took care that he should not have a knife to cut the rope.
Our host sent us a good supper of rice, which I added to my fowl. All the evening, and indeed till night was pretty well advanced, the young negroes and negresses amused themselves by dancing to the sound of the tomtom. Their dancing was more decorous than that of the Wolof negroes in the neighbourhood of the Senegal.
On the 14th of June, at seven in the morning, our caravan proceeded onward in the direction of E.S.E. After travelling three miles, we passed near the river, and advanced six miles eastward. We then turned half a mile to the north, to reach the village of Fessadougou, where we halted about noon. This village, which contains a population of about three or four hundred, is situated on the bank of a river, about half the width of the Dhioliba at Courouassa. I at first conjectured that it was a branch of that river; but I observed that the direction of its current, which flowed at the rate of about three miles and a half an hour, was from south to north. The Mandingoes informed me that it falls into the Dhioliba, not far from this place. The river is called the Yendan; its banks are for the most part low and open, but, about six miles from the village, there are, on both sides, some little hills. Fessadougou is a part of the Sangaran.
Our road, during the day, was partly sandy, and partly covered with red porous stones. The country is thickly overgrown with large trees, which renders it exceedingly pleasant. In the neighbourhood of Fessadougou, the cé and the nédé are very abundant; indeed, they are the only trees reared by cultivation, and they are highly useful to the inhabitants. In the vicinity of the village I saw tilled land in very good order. Our host sent us a supper.
On the 15th of June, after paying our reckoning in a little tobacco and salt, as we had done all along the road from Cambaya, we crossed the river in canoes. It was near ten o’clock when we reached the right bank. We then proceeded four miles to the S.E., over a gravelly soil. I had not yet got rid of the fever, but I had enjoyed a little rest during the night.
The heat was excessive, and my guide insisted on my using my umbrella to shade me from the scorching rays of the sun: he himself took the precaution of letting it down, whenever we approached any inhabited place. It was near half-past eleven when we halted at Farancou-Manbata, a village containing between three and four hundred inhabitants. Our road, next day, lay through a tract of country, in which we should have to travel a considerable distance without coming to any villages. A storm arose soon after we entered Farancou-Manbata, and it rained heavily.
At seven, on the morning of the 15th of June, we resumed our journey, travelling twenty-two miles in the same direction, and crossing several little streams. The surface of the ground was covered with red stones and gravel. The country was generally level, but some hills were visible to the east and west.
About half-past four in the afternoon we stopped to rest in some huts, made of branches of trees, covered with straw. We had travelled at a great rate during the day: indeed, we might be said to have run rather than walked, for we were anxious to reach Kankan next day. On the road we met many Mandingo merchants going to the Fouta-Dhialon. They looked at me with great astonishment, but did not inquire whether I was a Moor, or a christian. The saracolets travelled even faster than we: they were going to the ourondé (slave village) of Kankan. On my expressing a wish to go thither also, my guide observed that it was too distant: it is true, we were greatly fatigued by our forced march. I had now the good fortune to be free from fever. In the evening it thundered and lightened, but without rain. We ate our supper with a good appetite, and, though our bed consisted only of a little straw scattered over the stones, we enjoyed a good night’s rest.
At half-past five in the morning of the 17th of June, we proceeded southward, and after travelling three miles and a half, we halted near the ourondé, and joined the saracolets, who were going to Kankan. I saw some well cultivated fields of yams, pistachios, and maize. The foigné was already in a pretty advanced state. We next entered a fine plain. I saw in the distance some little hillocks, and I remarked that the ground sloped gently to E.N.E. Many negroes ran after us to see the caravan. We had gone four miles and a half S.S.E. In some places the soil was red, mixed with gravel, and very fertile. The country is covered with cés and nédés. We crossed a little stream, and about ten o’clock arrived at the town, which is the capital of Kankan. My guide insisted upon my opening my umbrella, to make my entrance into his native place. On the road we had met some Mandingoes on horseback, very neatly dressed, and wearing large straw hats, made in the country, and of a round form, like those worn by the French peasantry. I was told that these Mandingoes were going to the fields to superintend their slaves. Lamfia lodged me in one of his huts, with a Foulah, who travelled with us, and had come to Kankan to exchange cloth for salt. On Lamfia’s arrival, all his family ran to greet him, for he had been absent a considerable time. He called for milk, some of which he gave to me. During the whole of the evening, people thronged to Lamfia’s yard to see the Arab sherif. I was visited by several Mandingoes of rank, and by a good old Moor, who had been settled in the place for some time. I did not go out of my hut for three days, as I wished to recover from my fatigue. I also took some doses of sulphate of quinine.
On the 10th, I went, accompanied by Lamfia and some old men, to wait upon the chief, whom the Mandingoes of this part of Africa call Dougou-tigui. He had already been informed of my arrival. He received me kindly, and made me sit down on a bullock’s hide. I solicited his permission to pass through his country on my way to Jenné, and he replied that he would order me to be conducted thither on the first occasion. I allowed Lamfia to speak for me, for I could only express myself very imperfectly in the language of the country, and he related very circumstantially the stories I had circulated respecting the way in which I had been taken by the christians. The old chief, whose name was Mamadi-Sanici, was the father of the Mandingo who had so kindly helped me out of my scrape with the Bondouké at Sancougnan. After taking leave of the chief we returned home. My guide had ordered a bull’s hide to be laid down in my hut. This served for my bed, and, besides a jar containing foigné, it was the only furniture in the place. When any suspicious persons in the village asserted that I was a christian, and that I was not at all like a Moor, Lamfia warmly took my part, and became very angry with those who sought to injure me. He was particularly kind to me. We ate our meals together, and twice a day we were served with a good mess of rice, with a sauce composed of pistachio-nuts, and a good quantity of onions, which thrive well here. Every evening Lamfia ordered a fire to be lighted in my hut, a custom which is very general throughout all the country. The negroes, indeed, burn fires at all seasons of the year, and keep them up the whole night. On the day of my arrival I made my guide a present, as a reward for his attention to me on my journey. This present consisted of a yard of blue Guinea cloth, which he had expressed a wish to have, three yards of printed calico, and six sheets of paper. He seemed much pleased, thanked me gratefully, and promised to conduct me to the Wassoulo, where I subsequently learned that he had to go on business of his own. He passed part of the day with me in my hut, because he said he did not wish to leave me alone with the strangers who came to see me. He employed himself in sewing together pieces of cloth of the country.
On the market day, the chief of Kankan sent for me. I obeyed the summons, accompanied by my guide. On entering the hut of Mamadi-Sanici, I found assembled a number of old men all well dressed. I must confess that I felt no small degree of uneasiness and anxiety to learn what decision they would pronounce on the fate of an Arab, whom several among them declared to be a christian. First of all a short prayer was said. My guide was questioned as to the way in which he had become acquainted with me. Lamfia spoke a great deal, and said that the chief of Cambaya had directed him to conduct me to Mamadi-Sanici, at Kankan; that I wished to go to Jenné, with the intention of proceeding to Mecca, my native country. He particularly dwelt on the circumstance that Mr. Macaulay, the king of the whites at Sierra Leone, for so the negroes style him, had wished to establish me in trade at that place; but that I had repelled the odious idea of remaining among infidels. I was then asked the names of my parents; whether they were still living; whether I had any other relations, and whether I should know them again on my arrival in my native country. I replied that having left Egypt very young, I was quite ignorant of the condition of my parents, if, indeed, they were still living. After this examination, the old men deliberated together for a short time and then dismissed me, telling me that I must remain with Lamfia, to whose care the chief, Mamadi-Sanici, had recommended me. On leaving the assembly, I asked my guide what decision had been formed relative to my journey. He told me it had been determined that it would be better for me to go by the way of Wassoulo instead of Bouré, as the latter place was then at war with Kankan, and that one of their men had already been killed on that road. He added, that I was to be conducted by the first opportunity to the Wassoulo, whence I might proceed to Jenné, either by way of Ségo, or Sambatikila, whichever I preferred. I was very well pleased with this decision, and returned to my hut to get a few glass ornaments, with which I went to the market to buy some milk.
On the 22nd of June, I went to the mosque accompanied by my guide. The mosque is a square building of earth, with doors on three of its sides looking west, north, and south. It contains several avenues formed by large posts, or pillars, which support the roof. It is not near so neatly built as the straw mosques of the Fouta-Dhialon. The prayers were very short; but the almamy, or spiritual chief, read some passages of the Koran. All the people present were very clean in their dress. The women have a mosque to themselves, for they are not permitted to enter the men’s place of worship. The women’s mosque was not much frequented. Our religious service being ended, I saw some well-dressed old men proceed to the women’s mosque, which is built of straw, and very airy. Thither I was summoned, together with my guide, and we were both desired to sit down in the middle of the assembly. Lamfia was again questioned respecting the circumstances which had induced me to travel through the country. The answers of my guide were repeated aloud by a crier, in order that they might be heard by those who were outside. When his examination was ended, one of the old men asked me whether I had any more to say, or whether all that Lamfia had said was true. I replied that it was. The saracolet, who spoke Arabic, and had travelled with us from Baléya, was then called in; I repeated in Arabic all that my guide had first stated. The saracolet was desired to put many questions to me; but he got rid of this task by saying that the Arabic spoken in my country, was not at all like that which he understood. Lamfia was then praised for the manner in which he had treated me, and the whole assembly unanimously agreed that I was a true Musulman. The meeting had only been held to make all the inhabitants acquainted with my journey through the country, and the circumstances which occasioned it. Thus, I had nothing to fear from those who might take me for a European. The assembly consisted of between a thousand and twelve hundred persons, all very well dressed, and there were many more outside than in the mosque, which is very large. We were informed that we might retire, and we did not wait to be told so a second time. After this examination, I regularly attended the mosque in order to lull suspicion, and when any one entered my hut, I took care to be holding in my hand a leaf of the Koran. I frequently saw the saracolet, to whom I gave the pair of scissors, which I had promised him on the road. He professed a regard for me, and wished to take me with him to Ségo. I thought he wished to extort further presents from me; but, perhaps, I was somewhat prejudiced against him. He and his comrade rested for some days at Kankan. I did not wish to go by the way of Ségo, being apprehensive of detection there, and, besides, had I gone thither, I must, on account of the continual war between the two countries, have renounced all intention of visiting Jenné, whither I wished to go. I must confess too, that I did not like the assiduous attention of the saracolet. His officious kindness appeared to me suspicious, and I determined not to put his honesty to the test, feeling pretty certain that if I did, I should have reason to repent it. I, therefore, allowed him to depart for Kankari, where he was to embark on a river which flows into the Dhioliba, and on landing, to take the road to Ségo. Following the advice I had received from the good old Moor Mohammed, who was perfectly acquainted with the country, I resolved to go by way of Sambatikila, whence I could proceed to Jenné in greater security. I was assured that those who performed the pilgrimage to Mecca always took that road, and that a Foulah of the Fouta-Toro had even crossed the Bondou, a part of the Fouta-Dhialon, Baléya, and Kankan, to reach Jenné, by the way of Sambatikila, rather than go by Kaarta and Ségo. I had, therefore, only to wait for a guide, and a favourable opportunity of availing myself of his services.
On the 23rd of June, my friend, the saracolet, came to inquire after my health. He asked me why I did not call to see him in his hut. He seated himself beside me on a sheep-skin, and after the usual compliments he gave me a small piece of paper, on which there was some writing in Arabic characters. This was a grigri, and he assured me that as long as I kept it about me, I might travel in safety and without fear of illness. I gratefully accepted this precious talisman in return for which I gave a few charges of gunpowder.
On the 24th of June, the saracolet again paid me a visit. He begged me to write him a charm which would make him as rich as the whites. I told him that, having left my country very young, I did not understand the art of writing charms; but if I did I should of course employ my skill for my own advantage. However, I told him that I could give him a piece of advice, and if he followed it he would certainly grow rich. I reminded him that he had often spoken to me of the gold mines of Kankari. “Now,” said I, “when you get there, make your slaves dig up the ore, and when you have got a certain quantity of gold, take it to the christians, and with that talisman you can obtain whatever you want.” He laughed and said he knew of that talisman before, but that it was a piece of advice which it would be very difficult to follow. I thus got rid of this troublesome fellow, and also took my revenge for the falsehood he had trumped up with the view of tempting me to go to Kankari with him; for I was assured that there was no such thing as a gold mine in that place.
On the 25th of June, I inspected my baggage, which I did not keep fastened up. I found that I had been robbed of part of my paper. Lamfia continued to show me so much kindness, that I could not possibly suspect him. When I mentioned the circumstance to him, he seemed greatly astonished and protested that he was not the thief. He went and fetched the things which I had given him, and desired a negro, who was in my hut, to return them to me. But I refused to accept them, observing that I placed too much confidence in him to suspect that he had robbed me. He then told me that he had seen the Foulah, who was my fellow-lodger in the hut, rummaging among my things; for which he (Lamfia) had been very angry with him, and desired him never again to touch the Arab’s property. The poor Foulah, whom he thus accused, had been gone three days on his return to his own country. I passed over this little dishonesty in silence. In the evening I went with Lamfia to see a negro just arrived from Jenné: this man’s hair was indescribably filthy, but in spite of this disadvantage he had an air of pretension about him and appeared perfectly self-satisfied. He moved his head from one side to another, and shook his dirty hair, which was long and platted. I and my guide sat down beside him, and he began to scrutinize me with great curiosity, appearing to doubt whether I was an Arab. He was told whence I came and that I wished to go to Jenné. I inquired of him the distance from that town to Kankan, and begged him to inform me what sort of people I should meet with on the road. He assured me positively that it was a journey of three months and ten days, and when I remarked that it would consequently be necessary to rest by the way, he told me that, on the contrary, the caravans travelled every day. He said that most of the tribes between Kankan and Jenné were idolaters, and that there were very few Musulmans among them. He assured me that I should have many difficulties to encounter; that the negroes would take me for a white; and that they had no great liking for people of my colour. As for the difficulties, which he spoke of, I had made up my mind to meet and to surmount them, but I was somewhat startled by the length of the journey which I should be obliged to perform on foot; I soon bethought myself, indeed, that the negroes never count the time which their journeys take and that this man could not know for certain how long he had been on his. I was desirous of setting off as soon as possible, before the rains became heavier, but I wanted a guide, and I could not find one willing to accompany me to Sambatikila, though I promised a handsome present as a reward. I was therefore persuaded to wait for an opportunity, which would, I was told, soon occur; and I was glad to hear, that there were numerous communications between Kankan and the country to which I was bound.
On the 29th of June, the saracolets and some Mandingoes prepared to set out on their journey through the woods which separate Kankan from the Wassoulo. My saracolet friend came to see me, and asked me if I was ready to go with him, observing that I should not, for some time, meet with so favourable an opportunity for traversing the woods of the Wassoulo, which were infested with robbers. I informed him of my resolution of going to Sambatikila, and thence to Jenné. After inquiring of some Mandingoes, whether that road, with which he was not acquainted, would answer my views, he bade me adieu. I confess I was heartily glad to be rid of him. Perhaps, as I have said before, I was prejudiced against the saracolets, in consequence of what I had seen of their conduct at Sierra-Leone. This man certainly appeared to be very obliging, and possibly might not have been as great a rogue as the rest; yet I could not prevail upon myself to trust him.
Being resolved to take advantage of the first opportunity for departing, I disposed of part of my merchandise, in order to lighten my baggage, and sold a flask of powder, and a piece of Guinea cloth; the rest of my property, consisting of silks, glass trinkets, amber, and coral, I kept to carry with me. I sold the gunpowder and cloth at a profit of sixty per cent.; for I would take nothing in payment but gold, which had became extremely scarce in the country since the communications between Bouré and Kankan had been interrupted by the war. I did not speak the Mandingo language sufficiently well to dispose of the things myself, and I commissioned Lamfia to transact the business for me. He told me that, to make sure of a good sale for his commodities, he was in the habit of writing a grigri on a board such as school-boys learn to write on; then washing off the writing, he sprinkled with the water the articles he wished to dispose of: by this method he said he was sure of a good profit. I believe, however, that an understanding existed between him and the persons who bought my powder and Guinea cloth, and that he gained some little advantage himself by the transaction. He expressed a desire to purchase my tobacco for some trumpery glass trinkets, which he could not otherwise dispose of. To persuade me to strike the bargain, he assured me that, in the countries through which I was about to pass, tobacco would obtain no price, but that glass ornaments, on the contrary, had a very ready sale. In order to get rid of his importunity, I made the exchange, and I observed that he cheated me, setting a very low value on the tobacco. I made a similar exchange with another Mandingo, who treated me better. I was told that there was at Wassoulo a saracolet merchant, going to Sambatikila, who must set off in a few days. It was determined that Lamfia and I should go and join him, and that I should travel the rest of the way with him. We agreed to set out after the festival of the Salam, which would take place in a few days; but it was ordained otherwise as will be seen presently.
I went several times to the market, which is held twice a week in the town of Kankan. I observed in it several people from the Wassoulo, Sangaran, and Toron, who come to trade in this place. They bring cloth, honey, wax, which is carried to our establishments on the coast, cotton, cattle, and gold. The inhabitants of Toron are distinguished by their dress. It consists of a short yellow coussabe, wide trowsers of the same colour, and exceedingly dirty, a large round straw hat, and occasionally sandals. They are all armed with sabres, which they procure from the Mandingo merchants. They have also bows and quivers filled with arrows, and they carry lances in their hand. A linen band is passed round their waists, to fasten the coussabe, which is very short and narrow. They wear beards like the Musulmans, but pay so little attention to cleanliness, that their faces appear covered with filth. They use great quantities of snuff, and smoke still more; habits which increase their natural dirtiness. They do not smoke while travelling, but when they halt they make amends for their self-denial. I was told that they meet and pass whole days under the shade of large trees, in smoking and conversing with one another. They are idolaters. All whom I saw were tall, well made men, and of a warlike appearance. They are as black as the Mandingoes, whom, however, they do not resemble in features. Their faces are rather round, their noses short, though not flat, and their lips thin. I never saw any women of that nation, but I presume that their dress is neither more elegant nor cleaner than that of the men, consisting, I suppose, of a piece of their own cotton cloth fastened round their waists. These people have woolly hair, and wear it platted. The custom of the country allows a man to take as many wives as he can support, but the obligation of giving a large present to the bride’s mother deters them from taking so many wives as they would otherwise do. This custom prevails generally among all idolatrous nations. Toron is subject to numerous petty chiefs, all independent of each other, and possessing despotic authority. The dignity of chief is hereditary. The people rear large herds of oxen and sheep, and keep a great quantity of fowls. Their mountainous country furnishes them with honey, of which they are extremely fond, and which they bring for sale to the market of Kankan. Their fertile soil produces all the necessaries of life; and I was told that they bestow great care on its cultivation. They grow rice, yams, cassava, pistachio-nuts, foigné, maize, and millet. They manufacture a great deal of cotton stuff, not more than five inches broad. I have seen them wear poniards of their own making, and they also make their agricultural implements, but where they get the iron I did not learn. The inhabitants of Toron are often at war with the people of Kankan, who wish to make them embrace the religion of the Prophet. They are naturally brave, and vigorously repel the attacks of the Musulmans, who are not sufficiently strong to keep up a continual warfare.
But to return to the market. It is always well stocked with European goods, brought from the coast by Mandingo merchants, consisting of muskets, powder, printed calico, blue and white Guinea cloth, amber, coral, glass beads, and hardware. I also saw a good deal of white cloth, manufactured in the Wassoulo; earthen pots made in the country; all kinds of provisions, such as rice, foigné, yams, cassava, &c. Fowls, sheep, oxen, and horses, are brought by the inhabitants of other countries. Fire-wood is also sold in this market by slaves, who by this traffic procure for themselves a little salt, which is very dear, but is the principal article of barter. I observed that several merchants had gold, but they attached great value to it, and exchanged it for none but the choicest articles. All the dealers are provided with small scales made in the country, and which appeared to be tolerably accurate. The seeds of a tree which grows in the Fouta-Dhialon, the name of which I have forgotten, are used for weights. These seeds are black and of the size and shape of corossol seeds, but rather heavier. A piece of gold of the weight of two of these seeds is worth six francs. The dealers are never deceived by their weights, which are as accurate as ours. The gold, which I saw in the Kankan, and which I was told came from the mines of Bouré, was made into ear-rings of the value of six gourdes. There are also some worth twenty-five gourdes. I saw likewise gold in small grains, of the size of shot, and even less. These grains were usually kept in quills. Lamfia told me in confidence that the merchants, who possess gold, conceal it in grigris covered with tanned hide, which they fasten round their necks or arms, by a leather thong. They adopt this precaution for fear of being robbed on their journeys. Since the theft which had been committed on me, I had become suspicious, and I never went out without adopting some precaution for the security of what I left behind me. Still I went twice a day to the mosque, that I might appear extremely pious, for I saw the necessity of blinding the negroes, some of whom were not well disposed towards me, and declared that I was a white. The Mandingoes are certainly not fond of the whites, and they hold the name of a christian in abhorrence; and yet they do not despise Europeans. It is religious fanaticism alone that makes them view us unfavourably, and even if they had discovered who I was, it is possible that they would not have ill-treated me, though they would very probably have robbed me, and prevented me from continuing my journey. I found the inhabitants of Kankan as troublesome, and as much addicted to begging, as those of Cambaya, and not more generous. I received only a few colat-nuts from them; but the chief certainly made me a present of a bit of meat, at the solicitation of Mohammed, a Moor who was settled here. I had not asked Mohammed to make this request, but he reckoned on getting his share of the feast; and accordingly he and I made a good supper of the chief’s present.