It Was, However, With Great Difficulty That I Could Keep
Up, Although I Threw Away My Spear And Everything That Could In The
Least Obstruct Me.
About noon we saw a large herd of elephants, but
they suffered us to pass unmolested; and in the
Evening we halted
near a thicket of bamboo, but found no water, so that we were forced
to proceed four miles farther to a small stream, where we stopped
for the night. We had marched this day, as I judged, about twenty-
six miles.
April 26. - This morning two of the schoolmaster's pupils complained
much of pains in their legs, and one of the slaves walked lame, the
soles of his feet being very much blistered and inflamed; we
proceeded, notwithstanding, and about eleven o'clock began to ascend
a rocky hill called Boki-Kooro, and it was past two in the afternoon
before we reached the level ground on the other side. This was the
most rocky road we had yet encountered, and it hurt our feet much.
In a short time we arrived at a pretty large river, called Boki,
which we forded; it ran smooth and clear over a bed of whinstone.
About a mile to the westward of the river we came to a road which
leads to the north-east towards Gadou, and seeing the marks of many
horses' feet upon the soft sand, the slatees conjectured that a
party of plunderers had lately rode that way to fall upon some town
of Gadou; and lest they should discover upon their return that we
had passed, and attempt to pursue us by the marks of our feet, the
coffle was ordered to disperse and travel in a loose manner through
the high grass and bushes. A little before it was dark, having
crossed the ridge of hills to the westward of the river Boki, we
came to a well called Cullong Qui (White Sand Well), and here we
rested for the night.
April 27. - We departed from the well early in the morning, and
walked on with the greatest alacrity, in hopes of reaching a town
before night. The road during the forenoon led through extensive
thickets of dry bamboos. About two o'clock we came to a stream
called Nunkolo, where we were each of us regaled with a handful of
meal, which, according to a superstitious custom, was not to be
eaten until it was first moistened with water from this stream.
About four o'clock we reached Sooseeta, a small Jallonka village,
situated in the district of Kullo, which comprehends all that tract
of country lying along the banks of the Black River, or main branch
of the Senegal. These were the first human habitations we had seen
since we left the village to the westward of Kinytakooro, having
travelled in the course of the last five days upwards of one hundred
miles. Here, after a great deal of entreaty, we were provided with
huts to sleep in, but the master of the village plainly told us that
he could not give us any provisions, as there had lately been a
great scarcity in this part of the country.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 68 of 87
Words from 35261 to 35789
of 45368
