My People Were One Evening Invited To A Feast Given By
Some Of The Townsmen, Where, After Making A Hearty
Meal of what they
thought fish and kouskous, one of them found a piece of hard skin in
the dish,
And brought it along with him to show me what sort of fish
they had been eating. On examining the skin I found they had been
feasting on a large snake. Another custom still more extraordinary
is that no woman is allowed to eat an egg. This prohibition,
whether arising from ancient superstition or from the craftiness of
some old bushreen who loved eggs himself, is rigidly adhered to, and
nothing will more affront a woman of Teesee than to offer her an
egg. The custom is the more singular, as the men eat eggs without
scruple in the presence of their wives, and I never observed the
same prohibition in any other of the Mandingo countries.
The third day after his son's departure, Tiggity Sego held a palaver
on a very extraordinary occasion, which I attended; and the debates
on both sides of the question displayed much ingenuity. The case
was this:- A young man, a kafir of considerable affluence, who had
recently married a young and handsome wife, applied to a very devout
bushreen, or Mussalman priest, of his acquaintance, to procure him
saphies for his protection during the approaching war. The bushreen
complied with the request; and in order, as he pretended, to render
the saphies more efficacious, enjoined the young man to avoid any
nuptial intercourse with his bride for the space of six weeks.
Severe as the injunction was, the kafir strictly obeyed; and,
without telling his wife the real cause, absented himself from her
company. In the meantime, it began to be whispered at Teesee that
the bushreen, who always performed his evening devotions at the door
of the kafir's hut, was more intimate with the young wife than he
ought to be. At first the good husband was unwilling to suspect the
honour of his sanctified friend, and one whole month elapsed before
any jealousy rose in his mind, but hearing the charge repeated, he
at last interrogated his wife on the subject, who frankly confessed
that the bushreen had seduced her. Hereupon the kafir put her into
confinement, and called a palaver upon the bushreen's conduct. The
fact was clearly proved against him; and he was sentenced to be sold
into slavery, or to find two slaves for his redemption, according to
the pleasure of the complainant. The injured husband, however, was
unwilling to proceed against his friend to such extremity, and
desired rather to have him publicly flogged before Tiggity Sego's
gate. This was agreed to, and the sentence was immediately
executed. The culprit was tied by the hands to a strong stake; and
a long black rod being brought forth, the executioner, after
flourishing it round his head for some time, applied it with such
force and dexterity to the bushreen's back as to make him roar until
the woods resounded with his screams. The surrounding multitude, by
their hooting and laughing, manifested how much they enjoyed the
punishment of this old gallant; and it is worthy of remark that the
number of stripes was precisely the same as are enjoined by the
Mosaic law, FORTY, SAVE ONE.
As there appeared great probability that Teesee, from its being a
frontier town, would be much exposed during the war to the predatory
incursions of the Moors of Gedumah, Tiggity Sego had, before my
arrival, sent round to the neighbouring villages to beg or to
purchase as much provisions as would afford subsistence to the
inhabitants for one whole year, independently of the crop on the
ground, which the Moors might destroy. This project was well
received by the country people, and they fixed a day on which to
bring all the provisions they could spare to Teesee; and as my horse
was not yet returned, I went, in the afternoon of January 4th, 1796,
to meet the escort with the provisions.
It was composed of about 400 men, marching in good order, with corn
and ground nuts in large calabashes upon their heads. They were
preceded by a strong guard of bowmen, and followed by eight
musicians or singing men. As soon as they approached the town the
latter began a song, every verse of which was answered by the
company, and succeeded by a few strokes on the large drums. In this
manner they proceeded, amidst the acclamations of the populace, till
they reached the house of Tiggity Sego, where the loads were
deposited; and in the evening they all assembled under the bentang
tree, and spent the night in dancing and merriment.
On the 5th of January an embassy of ten people belonging to Almami
Abdulkader, king of Foota-Torra, a country to the west of Bondou,
arrived at Teesee; and desiring Tiggity to call an assembly of the
inhabitants, announced publicly their king's determination to this
effect:- 'That unless all the people of Kasson would embrace the
Mohammedan religion, and evince their conversion by saying eleven
public prayers, he, the king of Foota-Torra, could not possibly
stand neuter in the present contest, but would certainly join his
arms to those of Kajaaga.' A message of this nature from so
powerful a prince could not fail to create great alarm; and the
inhabitants of Teesee, after a long consultation, agreed to conform
to his good pleasure, humiliating as it was to them. Accordingly,
one and all publicly offered up eleven prayers, which were
considered a sufficient testimony of their having renounced
paganism, and embraced the doctrines of the prophet.
It was time 8th of January before Demba Sego returned with my horse;
and being quite wearied out with the delay, I went immediately to
inform his father that I should set out for Kooniakary early the
next day. The old man made many frivolous objections, and at length
gave me to understand that I must not think of departing without
first paying him the same duties he was entitled to receive from all
travellers; besides which he expected, he said, some acknowledgment
for his kindness towards use.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 18 of 45
Words from 17333 to 18372
of 45803
