This Town Stands In A Valley, And The Country For
More Than A Mile Round It Is Cleared Of Wood
And well cultivated.
The inhabitants appear to be very active and industrious, and seem
to have carried the system of
Agriculture to some degree of
perfection, for they collect the dung of their cattle into large
heaps during the dry season for the purpose of manuring their land
with it at the proper time. I saw nothing like this in any other
part of Africa. Near the town are several smelting furnaces, from
which the natives obtain very good iron. They afterwards hammer the
metal into small bars, about a foot in length and two inches in
breadth, one of which bars is sufficient to make two Mandingo corn-
hoes. On the morning after our arrival we were visited by a slatee
of this place, who informed Karfa that among some slaves he had
lately purchased was a native of Foota-Jalla, and as that country
was at no great distance he could not safely employ him in the
labours of the field, lest he should effect his escape. The slatee
was therefore desirous of exchanging this slave for one of Karfa's,
and offered some cloth and shea-butter to induce Karfa to comply
with the proposal, which was accepted. The slatee thereupon sent a
boy to order the slave in question to bring him a few ground-nuts.
The poor creature soon afterwards entered the court in which we were
sitting, having no suspicion of what was negotiating, until the
master caused the gate to be shut, and told him to sit down.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 145 of 167
Words from 39054 to 39327
of 45368
