When I Had Finished My Supper Of Rice And Salt I
Laid Myself Down Upon A Bullock's Hide, And Slept Very Quietly Until
Morning; This Being The First Good Meal And Refreshing Sleep That I Had
Enjoyed For A Long Time.
Aug. 21st.
At daybreak I departed from Koolikorro, and about noon passed
the villages of Kayoo and Toolumbo. In the afternoon I arrived at
Maraboo, a large town, and like Koolikorro, famous for its trade in salt.
I was conducted to the house of a Kaartan, of the tribe of Jower, by whom
I was well received. This man had acquired a considerable property in the
slave trade; and, from his hospitality to strangers, was called by way of
pre-eminence, _Jattee_ (the landlord;) and his house was a sort of public
inn for all travellers. Those who had money were well lodged, for they
always made him some return for his kindness; but those who had nothing
to give, were content to accept whatever he thought proper; and as I
could not rank myself among the monied men, I was happy to take up my
lodging in the same hut with seven poor fellows who had come from Kancaba
in a canoe. But our landlord sent us some victuals.
Aug. 22d. One of the landlord's servants went with me a little way from
the town to shew me what road to take; but, whether from ignorance or
design I know not, he directed me wrong; and I did not discover my
mistake until the day was far advanced, when, coming to a deep creek, I
had some thoughts of turning back; but as by that means, I foresaw that I
could not possibly reach Bammakoo before night, I resolved to cross it;
and leading my horse close to the brink, I went behind him, and pushed
him headlong into the water; and then taking the bridle in my teeth, swam
over to the other side. This was the third creek I had crossed in this
manner, since I had left Sego; but having secured my notes and
memorandums in the crown of my hat, I received little or no inconvenience
from such adventures. The rain and heavy dew kept my clothes constantly
wet; and the roads being very deep and full of mud, such a washing was
sometimes pleasant, and oftentimes necessary. I continued travelling,
through high grass, without any beaten road, and about noon came to the
river; the banks of which are here very rocky, and the force and roar of
the water were very great. The King of Bambarra's canoes, however,
frequently pass these rapids by keeping close to the bank; persons being
stationed on the shore with ropes fastened to the canoe, while others
push it forward with long poles. At this time, however, it would, I
think, have been a matter of great difficulty for any European boat to
have crossed the stream. About four o'clock in the afternoon, having
altered my course from the river towards the mountains, I came to a small
pathway which led to a village called Foorkaboo, where I slept.
Aug. 23d. Early in the morning I set out for Bammakoo, at which place I
arrived about five o'clock in the afternoon. I had heard Bammakoo much
talked of as a great market for salt, and I felt rather disappointed to
find it only a middling town, not quite so large as Maraboo; however, the
smallness of its size is more than compensated by the riches of its
inhabitants; for, when the Moors bring their salt through Kaarta or
Bambarra, they constantly rest a few days at this place; and the Negro
merchants here, who are well acquainted with the value of salt in
different kingdoms, frequently purchase by wholesale, and retail it to
great advantage. Here I lodged at the house of a Sera-Woolli Negro, and
was visited by a number of Moors. They spoke very good Mandingo, and were
more civil to me than their countrymen had been. One of them had
travelled to Rio Grande, and spoke very highly of the Christians. He sent
me in the evening some boiled rice and milk. I now endeavoured to procure
information concerning my route to the westward, from a slave merchant
who had resided some years on the Gambia. He gave me some imperfect
account of the distance, and enumerated the names of a great many places
that lay in the way; but withal told me, that the road was impassable at
this season of the year. He was even afraid, he said, that I should find
great difficulty in proceeding any farther, as the road crossed the
Joliba at a town about half a day's journey to the westward of Bammakoo;
and there being no canoes at that place large enough, to receive my
horse, I could not possibly get him over for some months to come. This
was an obstruction of a very serious nature; but as I had no money to
maintain myself even for a few days, I resolved to push on, and if I
could, not convey my horse across the river, to abandon him, and swim
over myself. In thoughts of this nature I passed the night, and in the
morning consulted with my landlord how I should surmount the present
difficulty. He informed me that one road still remained, which was indeed
very rocky, and scarcely passable for horses; but that if I had a proper
guide over the hills to a town called Sibidooloo, he had no doubt, but
with patience and caution, I might travel forwards through Handing. I
immediately applied to the Dooty, and was informed that a _Jilli Kea_
(singing man) was about to depart for Sibidooloo, and would show me the
road over the hills. With this man, who undertook to be my conductor, I
travelled up a rocky glen about two miles, when we came to a small
village; and here my musical fellow-traveller found out that he had
brought me the wrong road.
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