It May Be Supposed
That The Smell Is Not Very Agreeable; But In The Moorish Countries To The
North Of The Senegal, Where Fish Is Scarcely Known, This Preparation Is
Esteemed As A Luxury, And Sold To Considerable Advantage.
The manner of
using it by the natives is, by dissolving a piece of this blackloaf in
boiling water, and mixing it with their kouskous,
I thought it very singular at this season of the year, to find the banks
of the Faleme every where covered with large and beautiful fields of
corn, but on examination I found it was not the same species of grain as
is commonly cultivated on the Gambia; it is called by the natives Mania,
and grows in the dry season; is very prolific, and is reaped in the month
of January. It is the same which, from the depending position of the ear,
is called by botanical writers _holcus cernuus_.
On returning to the village, after an excursion to the river side, to
inspect the fishery, an old Moorish shereeff came to bestow his blessing
upon me, and beg some paper to write saphies upon. This man had seen
Major Houghton in the kingdom of Kaarta, and told me that he died in the
country of the Moors. I gave him a few sheets of paper, and he levied a
similar tribute from the blacksmith; for it is customary for young
Mussulmen to make presents to the old ones, in order to obtain their
blessing, which is pronounced in Arabic, and received with great
humility.
About three in the afternoon we continued our course along the bank of
the river, to the northward, till eight o clock, when we reached Nayemow;
here the hospitable master of the town received us kindly, and presented
us with a bullock. In return, I gave him some amber and beads.
Dec. 21st. In the morning, having agreed for a canoe to carry over my
bundles, I crossed the river, which came up to my knees as I sat on my
horse; but the water is so clear, that from the high bank the bottom is
visible all the way over.
About noon we entered Fatteconda, the capital of Bondou; and in a little
time received an invitation to the house of a respectable Slatee: for, as
there are no public houses in Africa, it is customary for strangers to
stand at the Bentang, or some other place of public resort, till they are
invited to a lodging by some of the inhabitants. We accepted the offer;
and in an hour afterwards, a person came and told me that he was sent on
purpose to conduct me to the king, who was very desirous of seeing me
immediately, if I was not too much fatigued.
I took my interpreter with me, and followed the messenger till we got
quite out of the town, and crossed some corn fields; when, suspecting
some trick, I stopped, and asked the guide whither he was going. Upon
which he pointed to a man sitting under a tree at some little distance;
and told me that the king frequently gave audiences in that retired
manner, in order to avoid a crowd of people; and that nobody but myself
and my interpreter must approach him. When I advanced, the king desired
me to come and sit by him upon the mat; and after hearing my story, on
which he made no observation, he asked if I wished to purchase any slaves
or gold: being answered in the negative, he seemed rather surprised; but
desired me to come to him in the evening, and he would give me some
provisions.
This monarch was called Almami; a Moorish name, though I was told that he
was not a Mahomedan, but a Kafir, or Pagan. I had heard that he had acted
towards Major Houghton with great unkindness, and caused him to be
plundered. His behaviour, therefore, towards myself at this interview,
though much more civil than I expected, was far from freeing me from
uneasiness. I still apprehended some double dealing; and as I was now
entirely in his power, I thought it best to smooth the way by a present:
Accordingly, I took with me in the evening one canister of gunpowder,
some amber, tobacco, and my umbrella: and as I considered that my bundles
would inevitably be searched, I concealed some few articles in the roof
of the hut where I lodged, and I put on my new blue coat, in order to
preserve it.
All the houses belonging to the king and his family are surrounded by a
lofty mud wall, which converts the whole into a kind of citadel. The
interior is subdivided into different courts. At the first place of
entrance I observed a man standing with a musket on his shoulder; and I
found the way to his presence very intricate, leading through many
passages, with sentinels placed at the different doors. When we came to
the entrance of the court in which the king resides, both my guide and
interpreter, according to custom, took off their sandals; and the former
pronounced the king's name aloud, repeating it till he was answered from
within. We found the monarch sitting upon a mat, and two attendants with
him. I repeated what I had before told him concerning the object of my
journey, and my reasons for passing through his country. He seemed,
however, but half satisfied. The notion of travelling for curiosity was
quite new to him. He thought it impossible, he said, that any man in his
senses would undertake so dangerous a journey, merely to look at the
country and its inhabitants: however, when I offered to show him the
contents of my portmanteau, and every thing belonging to me, he was
convinced: and it was evident that his suspicion had arisen from a
belief, that every white man must of necessity be a trader. When I had
delivered my presents, he seemed well pleased, and was particularly
delighted with the umbrella, which he repeatedly furled and unfurled, to
the great admiration of himself and his two attendants, who could not for
some time comprehend the use of this wonderful machine.
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