My Eyes Were So
Riveted Upon This Sovereign Of The Beasts That I Found It Impossible
To Remove Them Until We Were At A Considerable Distance.
We now
took a circuitous route through some swampy ground, to avoid any
more of these disagreeable encounters.
At sunset we arrived at
Modiboo - a delightful village on the banks of the Niger, commanding
a view of the river for many miles both to the east and west. The
small green islands (the peaceful retreat of some industrious
Foulahs, whose cattle are here secure from the depredations of wild
beasts) and the majestic breadth of the river, which is here much
larger than at Sego, render the situation one of the most enchanting
in the world. Here are caught great plenty of fish, by means of
long cotton nets, which the natives make themselves, and use nearly
in the same manner as nets are used in Europe. I observed the head
of a crocodile lying upon one of the houses, which they told me had
been killed by the shepherds in a swamp near the town. These
animals are not uncommon in the Niger, but I believe they are not
oftentimes found dangerous. They are of little account to the
traveller when compared with the amazing swarms of mosquitoes, which
rise from the swamps and creeks in such numbers as to harass even
the most torpid of the natives; and as my clothes were now almost
worn to rags, I was but ill prepared to resist their attacks.
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