I Waited Accordingly,
And In About An Hour The Boy Returned With The Negro; And We
Continued Travelling Over A
Sandy country, covered chiefly with the
Asclepias gigantea, until mid-day, when we came to a number of
deserted huts;
And seeing some appearances of water at a little
distance, I sent the boy to fill a soofroo; but as he was examining
the place for water, the roaring of a lion, that was probably on the
same pursuit, induced the frightened boy to return in haste, and we
submitted patiently to the disappointment. In the afternoon we
reached a town inhabited chiefly by Foulahs, called Samaming-koos.
Next morning (March 4th), we set out for Sampaka, which place we
reached about two o'clock. On the road we observed immense
quantities of locusts; the trees were quite black with them.
Sampaka is a large town, and when the Moors and Bambarrans were at
war was thrice attacked by the former; but they were driven off with
great loss, though the king of Bambarra was afterwards obliged to
give up this, and all the other towns as far as Goomba, in order to
obtain a peace. Here I lodged at the house of a negro who practised
the art of making gunpowder. He showed me a bag of nitre, very
white, but the crystals were much smaller than common. They procure
it in considerable quantities from the ponds, which are filled in
the rainy season, and to which the cattle resort for coolness during
the heat of the day.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 93 of 167
Words from 25612 to 25869
of 45803
