Favourable As This
Determination Was To The Lady, She Found It A Difficult Matter To Make Up
Her Mind, And Requested Time For Consideration; But I Think I Could
Perceive That First Love Would Carry The Day.
Lemina was indeed somewhat
older than his rival, but he was also much richer.
What weight this
circumstance had in the scale of his wife's affections, I pretend not to
say.
On the morning of the 26th, as we departed from Tambacunda, Karfa
observed to me that there were no shea-trees farther to the westward than
this town. I had collected and brought with me from Manding the leaves
and flowers of this tree, but they were so greatly bruised on the road
that I thought it best to gather another specimen at this place. The
appearance of the fruit evidently places the shea-tree in the natural
order of _Sapotae_, and it has some resemblance to the _mudhuca_ tree,
described by Lieutenant Charles Hamilton, in the Asiatic Researches, Vol.
I. page 300. About one o'clock we reached Sibikillin, a walled village,
but the inhabitants having the character of inhospitality towards
strangers, and of being much addicted to theft, we did not think proper
to enter the gate. We rested a short time under a tree, and then
continued our route until it was dark, when we halted for the night by a
small stream running towards the Gambia. Next day the road led over a
wild and rocky country, everywhere rising into hills, and abounding with
monkeys and wild beasts. In the rivulets among the hills we found plenty
of fish. This was a very hard day's journey, and it was not until sunset,
that we reached the village of Koomboo, near to which are the ruins of a
large town formerly destroyed by war. The inhabitants of Koomboo, like
those of Sibikillin, have so bad a reputation, that strangers seldom
lodge in the village; we accordingly rested for the night in the fields,
where we erected temporary huts for our protection, there being great
appearance of rain.
May 28th. We departed from Koomboo, and slept at a Foulah town about
seven miles to the westward; from which, on the day following, having
crossed a considerable branch of the Gambia, called Neola Koba, we
reached a well inhabited part of the country. Here are several towns
within sight of each other, collectively called Tenda, but each is
distinguished also by its particular name. We lodged at one of them
called Koba Tenda, where we remained the day following, in order to
procure provisions for our support in crossing the Simbani woods. On the
30th we reached Jallacotta, a considerable town, but much infested by
Foulah banditti, who come through the woods from Bondou, and steal every
thing they can lay their hands on. A few days before our arrival, they
had stolen twenty head of cattle, and on the day following made a second
attempt, but were beaten off, and one of them taken prisoner. Here one of
the slaves belonging to the coffle, who had travelled with great
difficulty for the last three days, was found unable to proceed any
farther; his master (a singing man) proposed therefore to exchange him
for a young girl, belonging to one of the townspeople. The poor girl was
ignorant of her fate, until the bundles were all tied up in the morning,
and the coffle ready to depart, when coming with some other young women
to see the coffle set out, her master took her by the hand, and delivered
her to the singing man. Never was a face of serenity more suddenly
changed into one of the deepest distress; the terror she manifested on
having the load put upon her head, and the rope fastened round her neck,
and the sorrow with which she bade adieu to her companions, were truly
affecting. About nine o'clock, we crossed a large plain covered with
_ciboa_ trees, (a species of palm,) and came to the river Nerico, a
branch of the Gambia. This was but a small river at this time, but in the
rainy season it is often dangerous to travellers. As soon as we had
crossed this river, the singing men began to vociferate a particular
song, expressive of their joy at having got safe into the west country,
or, as they expressed it, _the land of the setting sun_. The country was
found to be very level, and the soil a mixture of clay and sand. In the
afternoon it rained hard, and we had recourse to the common Negro
umbrella, a large ciboa leaf, which being placed upon the head,
completely defends the whole body from the rain. We lodged for the night
under the shade of a large tabba tree, near the ruins of a village. On
the morning following, we crossed a stream called Noulico, and about two
o'clock, to my infinite joy, I saw myself once more on the banks of the
Gambia, which at this place being deep and smooth, is navigable; but the
people told me that a little lower down, the stream is so shallow that
the coffles frequently cross it on foot. On the south side of the river,
opposite to this place, is a large plain of clayey ground, called Toombi
Toorila. It is a sort of morass, in which people are frequently lost, it
being more than a day's journey across it. In the afternoon we met a man
and two women, with bundles of cotton-cloth upon their heads. They were
going, they said, for Dentila, to purchase iron, there being a great
scarcity of that article on the Gambia. A little before it was dark, we
arrived at a village in the kingdom of Woolli, called Seesukunda. Near
this village there are great plenty of nitta-trees, and the slaves in
passing along had collected large bunches of the fruit; but such was the
superstition of the inhabitants, that they would not permit any of the
fruit to be brought into the village.
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