Here I Took Up My Lodging At The House
Of A Bambarran, Who Had Formerly Been The Slave Of A
Moor, and in
that character had travelled to Aroan, Towdinni, and many other
places in the Great Desert; but turning
Mussulman, and his master
dying at Jenne, he obtained his freedom and settled at this place,
where he carries on a considerable trade in salt, cotton cloth, &c.
His knowledge of the world had not lessened that superstitious
confidence in saphies and charms which he had imbibed in his earlier
years, for when he heard that I was a Christian, he immediately
thought of procuring a saphie, and for this purpose brought out his
walha, or writing-board, assuring me that he would dress me a supper
of rice if I would write him a saphie to protect him from wicked
men. The proposal was of too great consequence to me to be refused.
I therefore wrote the board full, from top to bottom, on both sides;
and my landlord, to be certain of having the whole force of the
charm, washed the writing from the board into a calabash with a
little water, and having said a few prayers over it, drank this
powerful draught; after which, lest a single word should escape, he
licked the board until it was quite dry. A saphie-writer was a man
of too great consequence to be long concealed; the important
information was carried to the dooty, who sent his son with half a
sheet of writing-paper, desiring me to write him a naphula saphie (a
charm to procure wealth). He brought me, as a present, some meal
and milk, and when I had finished the saphie, and read it to him
with an audible voice, he seemed highly satisfied with his bargain,
and promised to bring me in the morning some milk for my breakfast.
When I had finished my supper of rice and salt, I laid myself down
upon a bullock's hide, and slept very quietly until morning, this
being the first good meal and refreshing sleep that I had enjoyed
for a long time.
August 21. - At daybreak I departed from Koolikorro, and about noon
passed the villages of Kayoo and Toolumbo. In the afternoon I
arrived at Marraboo, a large town, and, like Koolikorro, famous for
its trade in salt. I was conducted to the house of a Kaartan, of
the tribe of Jower, by whom I was well received. This man had
acquired a considerable property in the slave-trade, and, from his
hospitality to strangers, was called, by way of pre-eminence, jatee
(the landlord), and his house was a sort of public inn for all
travellers. Those who had money were well lodged, for they always
made him some return for his kindness, but those who had nothing to
give were content to accept whatever he thought proper; and as I
could not rank myself among the moneyed men, I was happy to take up
my lodging in the same but with seven poor fellows who had come from
Kancaba in a canoe. But our landlord sent us some victuals.
August 22 - One of the landlord's servants went with me a little way
from the town to show me what road to take, but, whether from
ignorance or design I know not, he directed me wrong, and I did not
discover my mistake until the day was far advanced, when, coming to
a deep creek, I had some thoughts of turning back, but as by that
means I foresaw that I could not possibly reach Bammakoo before
night, I resolved to cross it, and, leading my horse close to the
brink, I went behind him and pushed him headlong into the water, and
then taking the bridle in my teeth, swam over to the other side.
About four o'clock in the afternoon, having altered my course from
the river towards the mountains, I came to a small pathway which led
to a village called Frookaboo, where I slept.
August 23 - Early in the morning I set out for Bammakoo, at which
place I arrived about five o'clock in the afternoon. I had heard
Bammakoo much talked of as a great market for salt, and I felt
rather disappointed to find it only a middling town, not quite so
large as Marraboo; however, the smallness of its size is more than
compensated by the richness of its inhabitants, for when the Moors
bring their salt through Kaarta or Bambarra, they constantly rest a
few days at this place, and the negro merchants here, who are well
acquainted with the value of salt in different kingdoms, frequently
purchase by wholesale, and retail it to great advantage. Here I
lodged at the house of a Serawoolli negro, and was visited by a
number of Moors. They spoke very good Mandingo, and were more civil
to me than their countrymen had been. One of them had travelled to
Rio Grande, and spoke very highly of the Christians. He sent me in
the evening some boiled rice and milk. I now endeavoured to procure
information concerning my route to the westward from a slave
merchant who had resided some years on the Gambia. He gave me some
imperfect account of the distance, and enumerated the names of a
great many places that lay in the way, but withal told me that the
road was impassable at this season of the year: he was even afraid,
he said, that I should find great difficulty in proceeding any
farther; as the road crossed the Joliba at a town about half a day's
journey to the westward of Bammakoo, and there being no canoes at
that place large enough to receive my horse, I could not possibly
get him over for some months to come. This was an obstruction of a
very serious nature; but as I had no money to maintain myself even
for a few days, I resolved to push on, and if I could not convey my
horse across the river, to abandon him, and swim over myself.
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