Occasional traders, who frequently come hither from
the inland countries to purchase salt.
These different branches of commerce are conducted principally by
Mandingoes and Serawoollies, who have settled in the country. These
merchants likewise carry on a considerable trade with Gedumah, and other
Moorish countries, bartering corn and blue cotton cloths for salt; which
they again barter in Dentila and other districts for iron, shea-butter,
and small quantities of gold-dust. They likewise sell a variety of
sweet-smelling gums packed up in small bags, containing each about a
pound. These gums, being thrown on hot embers, produce a very pleasant
odour, and are used by the Mandingoes for perfuming their huts and
clothes.
The customs, or duties on travellers, are very heavy; in almost every
town an ass-load pays a bar of European merchandize; and at Fatteconda,
the residence of the king, one Indian baft, or a musket, and six bottles
of gunpowder, are exacted as a common tribute. By means of these duties,
the King of Bondou is well supplied with arms and ammunition; a
circumstance which makes him formidable to the neighbouring states.
The inhabitants differ in their complexions and national manners from the
Mandingoes and Serawoollies, with whom they are frequently at war. Some
years ago the King of Bondou crossed the Faleme river with a numerous
army, and after a short and bloody campaign, totally defeated the forces
of Samboo,
King of Bambouk, who was obliged to sue for peace, and surrender to him
all the towns along the eastern bank of the Faleme.
The Foulahs, in general, (as has been observed in a former chapter,) are
of a tawny complexion, with small features, and soft silky hair; next to
the Mandingoes they are undoubtedly the most considerable of all the
nations in this part of Africa. Their original country is said to be
Fooladoo, (which signifies the country of the Foulahs,) but they possess
at present many other kingdoms at a great distance from each other; their
complexion, however, is not exactly the same in the different districts;
in Bondou, and the other kingdoms which are situated in the vicinity of
the Moorish territories, they are of a more yellow complexion than in the
southern states.
The Foulahs of Bondou are naturally of a mild and gentle disposition, but
the uncharitable maxims of the Koran have made them less hospitable to
strangers, and more reserved in their behaviour than the Mandingoes. They
evidently consider all the Negro natives as their inferiors; and when
talking of different nations, always rank themselves among the white
people.
Their government differs from that of the Mandingoes chiefly in this,
that they are more immediately under the influence of the Mahomedan laws;
for all the chief men, (the king excepted,) and a large majority of the
inhabitants of Bondou, are Mussulmen, and the authority and laws of the
Prophet are every where looked upon as sacred and decisive. In the
exercise of their faith, however, they are not very intolerant towards
such of their countrymen as still retain their ancient superstitions.
Religious persecution is not known among them, nor is it necessary; for
the system of Mahomet is made to extend itself by means abundantly more
efficacious. By establishing small schools in the different towns, where
many of the Pagan as well as Mahomedan children are taught to read the
Koran, and instructed in the tenets of the Prophet, the Mahomedan priests
fix a bias on the minds, and form the character of their young disciples,
which no accidents of life can ever afterwards remove or alter. Many of
these little schools I visited in my progress through the country, and
observed with pleasure the great docility and submissive deportment of
the children, and heartily wished they had had better instructors, and a
purer religion.
With the Mahomedan faith is also introduced the Arabic language, with
which most of the Foulahs have a slight acquaintance. The native tongue
abounds very much in liquids, but there is something unpleasant in the
manner of pronouncing it. A stranger, on hearing the common conversation
of two Foulahs, would imagine that they were scolding each other. Their
numerals are these: -
One ......... _Go_.
Two ......... _Deeddee_.
Three ......... _Tettee_.
Four ......... _Nee_.
Five ......... _Jouee_.
Six ......... _Jego_.
Seven ......... _Jedeeddee_.
Eight ......... _Je Tettee_.
Nine ......... _Je Nee_.
Ten ......... _Sappo_.
The industry of the Foulahs, in the occupations of pasturage and
agriculture, is everywhere remarkable. Even on the banks of the Gambia,
the greater part of the corn is raised by them; and their herds and
flocks are more numerous and in better condition than those of the
Mandingoes; but in Bondou they are opulent in a high degree, and enjoy
all the necessaries of life in the greatest profusion. They display great
skill in the management of their cattle, making them extremely gentle by
kindness and familiarity. On the approach of night, they are collected
from the woods, and secured in folds, called korrees, which are
constructed in the neighbourhood of the different villages. In the middle
of each korree is erected a small hut, wherein one or two of the herdsmen
keep watch during the night, to prevent the cattle from being stolen, and
to keep up the fires which are kindled round the korree to frighten away
the wild beasts.
The cattle are milked in the mornings and evenings; the milk is
excellent, but the quantity obtained from any one cow is by no means so
great as in Europe. The Foulahs use the milk chiefly as an article of
diet, and that not until it is quite sour. The cream which it affords is
very thick, and is converted into butter by stirring it violently in a
large calabash. This butter, when melted over a gentle fire, and freed
from impurities, is preserved in small earthen pots, and forms a part in
most of their dishes; it serves likewise to anoint their heads, and is
bestowed very liberally on their faces and arms.
