At One Of These, Called Ganado,
We Took Up Our Residence For The Night; Here An Exchange Of Presents And
A Good Supper Terminated All Animosities Among My Attendants; And The
Night Was Far Advanced Before Any Of Us Thought Of Going To Sleep.
We
were amused by an itinerant _singing man_,[7] who told a number of
diverting stories, and played some sweet airs, by blowing his breath upon
a bowstring, and striking it at the same time with a stick.
[7] These are a sort of travelling bards and musicians, who sing
extempore songs in praise of those who employ them. A fuller
account of them will be given hereafter.
December 15th. At daybreak my fellow-travellers, the Serawoollies, took
leave of me, with many prayers for my safety. About a mile from Ganado,
we crossed a considerable branch of the Gambia called Neriko. The banks
were steep, and covered with _mimosas_; and I observed in the mud a
number of large muscles, but the natives do not eat them. About noon, the
sun being exceedingly hot, we rested two hours in the shade of a tree,
and purchased some milk and pounded corn from some Foulah herdsmen, and
at sunset reached a town called Koorkarany, where the blacksmith had some
relations; and here we rested two days.
Koorkarany is a Mahomedan town, surrounded by a high wall, and is
provided with a mosque. Here I was shown a number of Arabic manuscripts,
particularly a copy of the book before mentioned, called _Al Shara_. The
_Maraboo_ or priest, in whose possession it was, read and explained to me
in Mandingo, many of the most remarkable passages; and in return I showed
him Richardson's Arabic grammar which he very much admired. On the
evening of the second day (Dec. 17th) we departed from Koorkarany. We
were joined by a young man who was travelling to Fatteconda for salt; and
as night set in we reached Dooggi, a small village about three miles from
Koorkarany.
Provisions were here so cheap that I purchased a bullock for six small
stones of amber; for I found my company increase or diminish according to
the good fare they met with.
Dec. 18th. Early in the morning we departed from Dooggi, and being joined
by a number of Foulahs and other people, made a formidable appearance;
and were under no apprehension of being plundered in the woods. About
eleven o'clock one of the asses proving very refractory, the Negroes took
a curious method to make him tractable. They cut a forked stick, and
putting the forked part into the ass's mouth, like the bit of a bridle,
tied the two smaller parts together above his head, leaving the lower
part of the stick of sufficient length to strike against the ground if
the ass should attempt to put his head down. After this, the ass walked
along quietly, and gravely enough, taking care, after some practice, to
hold his head sufficiently high to prevent the stones or roots of trees
from striking against the end of the stick, which experience had taught
him would give a severe shock to his teeth. This contrivance produced a
ludicrous appearance, but my fellow-travellers told me it was constantly
adopted by the Slatees, and always proved effectual.
In the evening we arrived at a few scattered villages, surrounded with
extensive cultivation; a tone of which, called Buggil, we passed the
night in a miserable hut, having no other bed than a bundle of corn
stalks, and no provisions but what we brought with us. The wells here are
dug with great ingenuity, and are very deep. I measured one of the
bucket-ropes, and found the depth of the well to be 28 fathoms.
Dec. 19th. We departed from Buggil, and travelled along a dry, stony
height, covered with _mimosas_ till mid-day; when the land sloped towards
the east, and we descended into a deep valley, in which I observed
abundance of whin stone and white quartz. Pursuing our course to the
eastward, along this valley, in the bed of an exhausted river course, we
came to a large village, where we intended to lodge. We found many of the
natives dressed in a thin French gauze, which they call _Byqui_; this
being a light airy dress, and well calculated to display the shape of
their persons, is much esteemed by the ladies. The manners of these
females, however, did not correspond with their dress; for they were rude
and troublesome in the highest degree; they surrounded me in numbers,
begging for amber, beads, &c.; and were so vehement in their
solicitations, that I found it impossible to resist them. They tore my
cloak, cut the buttons from my boy's clothes, and were proceeding to
other outrages, when I mounted my horse and rode off, followed for half a
mile by a body of these harpies.
In the evening we reached Soobrudooka, and as my company was numerous,
(being fourteen,) I purchased a sheep, and abundance of corn for supper
after which we lay down by the bundles, and passed an uncomfortable night
in a heavy dew.
Dec. 20th. We departed from Soobrudooka, and at two o'clock reached a
large village situated on the banks of the Faleme River, which is here
rapid and rocky. The natives were employed in fishing in various ways.
The large fish were taken in long baskets made of split cane, and placed
in a strong current which was created by walls of stone built across the
stream, certain open places being left, through which the water rushed
with great force. Some of these baskets were more than 20 feet long, and
when once the fish had entered one of them, the force of the stream
prevented it from returning. The small fish were taken in great numbers
in hand-nets, which the natives weave of cotton, and use with great
dexterity. The fish last mentioned are about the size of sprats, and are
prepared for sale in different ways; the most common is by pounding them
entire as they come from the stream in a wooden mortar, and exposing them
to dry in the sun, in large lumps like sugar loaves.
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