The Serawoollies Are Habitually A
Trading People; They Formerly Carried On A Great Commerce With The
French In Gold And Slaves, And Still Maintain Some Traffic In Slaves
With The British Factories On The Gambia.
They are reckoned
tolerably fair and just in their dealings, but are indefatigable in
their exertions to acquire wealth,
And they derive considerable
profits by the sale of salt and cotton cloth in distant countries.
When a Serawoolli merchant returns home from a trading expedition
the neighbours immediately assemble to congratulate him upon his
arrival. On these occasions the traveller displays his wealth and
liberality by making a few presents to his friends; but if he has
been unsuccessful his levee is soon over, and every one looks upon
him as a man of no understanding, who could perform a long journey,
and (at they express it) "bring back nothing but the hair upon his
head."
Their language abounds much in gutturals, and is not so harmonious
as that spoken by the Foulahs. It is, however, well worth acquiring
by those who travel through this part of the African continent, it
being very generally understood in the kingdoms of Kasson, Kaarta,
Ludamar, and the northern parts of Bambarra. In all these countries
the Serawoollies are the chief traders. Their numerals are:-
We arrived at Joag, the frontier town of this kingdom, on the 24th
of December, and took up our residence at the house of the chief
man, who is here no longer known by the title of alkaid, but is
called the dooty.
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