On Finding It, He Desired Us To Stop, And
Producing A White Chicken, Which He Had Purchased At Joag For The
Purpose, He Tied It By The Leg To One Of The Branches, And Then Told
Us We Might Now Safely Proceed, For That Our Journey Would Be
Prosperous.
At noon we had reached Gungadi, a large town where we stopped about
an hour, until some of the
Asses that had fallen behind came up.
Here I observed a number of date-trees, and a mosque built of clay,
with six turrets, on the pinnacles of which were placed six ostrich
eggs. A little before sunset we arrived at the town of Samee, on
the banks of the Senegal, which is here a beautiful but shallow
river, moving slowly over a bed of sand and gravel. The banks are
high, and covered with verdure - the country is open and cultivated -
and the rocky hills of Fellow and Bambouk add much to the beauty of
the landscape.
December 28. - We departed from Samee, and arrived in the afternoon
at Kayee, a large village, part of which is situated on the north
and part on the south side of the river.
The ferryman then taking hold of the most steady of the horses by a
rope, led him into the water, and paddled the canoe a little from
the brink; upon which a general attack commenced upon the other
horses, who, finding themselves pelted and kicked on all sides,
unanimously plunged into the river, and followed their companion. A
few boys swam in after them; and, by laving water upon them when
they attempted to return, urged them onwards; and we had the
satisfaction in about fifteen minutes to see them all safe on the
other side. It was a matter of greater difficulty to manage the
asses; their natural stubbornness of disposition made them endure a
great deal of pelting and shoving before they would venture into the
water; and when they had reached the middle of the stream, four of
them turned back, in spite of every exertion to get them forwards.
Two hours were spent in getting the whole of them over; an hour more
was employed in transporting the baggage; and it was near sunset
before the canoe returned, when Demba Sego and myself embarked in
this dangerous passage-boat, which the least motion was like to
overset. The king's nephew thought this a proper time to have a
peep into a tin box of mine that stood in the fore part of the
canoe; and in stretching out his band for it, he unfortunately
destroyed the equilibrium, and overset the canoe. Luckily we were
not far advanced, and got back to the shore without much difficulty;
from whence, after wringing the water from our clothes, we took a
fresh departure, and were soon afterwards safely landed in Kasson.
CHAPTER VI - TIGGITY SEGO'S PALAVER
We no sooner found ourselves safe in Kasson than Demba Sego told me
that we were now in his uncle's dominions, and he hoped I would
consider, being now out of danger, the obligation I owed to him, and
make him a suitable return for the trouble he had taken on my
account by a handsome present. This, as he knew how much had been
pilfered from me at Joag, was rather an unexpected proposition, and
I began to fear that I had not much improved my condition by
crossing the water; but as it would have been folly to complain I
made no observation upon his conduct, and gave him seven bars of
amber and some tobacco, with which he seemed to be content.
After a long day's journey, in the course of which I observed a
number of large loose nodules of white granite, we arrived at Teesee
on the evening of December 29th, and were accommodated in Demba
Sego's hut. The next morning he introduced me to his father,
Tiggity Sego, brother to the king of Kasson, chief of Teesee. The
old man viewed me with great earnestness, having never, he said,
beheld but one white man before, whom by his description I
immediately knew to be Major Houghton.
In the afternoon one of his slaves eloped; and a general alarm being
given, every person that had a horse rode into the woods, in the
hopes of apprehending him, and Demba Sego begged the use of my horse
for the same purpose. I readily consented; and in about an hour
they all returned with the slave, who was severely flogged, and
afterwards put in irons. On the day following (December 31st) Demba
Sego was ordered to go with twenty horsemen to a town in Gedumah, to
adjust some dispute with the Moors, a party of whom were supposed to
have stolen three horses from Teesee. Demba begged a second the
time use of my horse, adding that the sight of my bridle and saddle
would give him consequence among the Moors. This request also I
readily granted, and he promised to return at the end of three days.
During his absence I amused myself with walking about the town, and
conversing with the natives, who attended me everywhere with great
kindness and curiosity, and supplied me with milk, eggs, and what
other provisions I wanted, on very easy terms.
Teesee is a large unwalled town, having no security against the
attack of an enemy except a sort of citadel in which Tiggity and his
family constantly reside. This town, according to the report of the
natives, was formerly inhabited only by a few Foulah shepherds, who
lived in considerable affluence by means of the excellent meadows in
the neighbourhood, in which they reared great herds of cattle. But
their prosperity attracting the envy of some Mandingoes, the latter
drove out the shepherds, and took possession of their lands.
The present inhabitants, though they possess both cattle and corn in
abundance, are not over nice in articles of diet; rats, moles,
squirrels, snakes, locusts, are eaten without scruple by the highest
and lowest.
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