Of This Present I Made My Dinner, And It
Was The Third Successive Day That I Had Subsisted Entirely Upon Raw
Corn.
In the evening I arrived at a small village called Song, the surly
inhabitants of which would not receive
Me, nor so much as permit me
to enter the gate; but as lions were very numerous in this
neighbourhood, and I had frequently, in the course of the day,
observed the impression of their feet on the road, I resolved to
stay in the vicinity of the village. Having collected some grass
for my horse, I accordingly lay down under a tree by the gate.
About ten o'clock I heard the hollow roar of a lion at no great
distance, and attempted to open the gate, but the people from within
told me that no person must attempt to enter the gate without the
dooty's permission. I begged them to inform the dooty that a lion
was approaching the village, and I hoped he would allow me to come
within the gate. I waited for an answer to this message with great
anxiety, for the lion kept prowling round the village, and once
advanced so very near me that I heard him rustling among the grass,
and climbed the tree for safety. About midnight the dooty. with
some of his people, opened the gate, and desired me to come in.
They were convinced, they said, that I was not a Moor, for no Moor
ever waited any time at the gate of a village without cursing the
inhabitants.
August 16. - About ten o'clock I passed a considerable town, with a
mosque, called Jabbee. Here the country begins to rise into hills,
and I could see the summits of high mountains to the westward.
About noon I stopped at a small village near Yamina, where I
purchased some corn, and dried my papers and clothes.
The town of Yamina at a distance has a very fine appearance. It
covers nearly the same extent of ground as Sansanding, but having
been plundered by Daisy, king of Kaarta, about four years ago, it
has not yet resumed its former prosperity, nearly one-half of the
town being nothing but a heap of ruins. However, it is still a
considerable place, and is so much frequented by the Moors that I
did not think it safe to lodge in it, but in order to satisfy myself
respecting its population and extent, I resolved to ride through it,
in doing which I observed a great many Moors sitting upon the
bentangs, and other places of public resort. Everybody looked at me
with astonishment, but as I rode briskly along they had no time to
ask questions.
I arrived in the evening at Farra, a walled village, where, without
much difficulty, I procured a lodging for the night.
August 17. - Early in the morning I pursued my journey, and at eight
o'clock passed a considerable town called Balaba, after which the
road quits the plain, and stretches along the side of the hill.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 15 of 87
Words from 7468 to 7976
of 45368
