A Little
Before Sunset We Arrived At The Town Of Samee, On The Banks Of The
Senegal, Which Is Here A Beautiful But Shallow River, Moving Slowly Over
A Bed Of Sand And Gravel.
The banks are high and covered with verdure;
the country is open and cultivated; and the rocky hills of Felow and
Bambouk add much to the beauty of the landscape.
December 28th. We departed from Samee, and arrived in the afternoon at
Kayee, a large village, part of which is situated on the north, and part
on the south side of the river. A little above this place is a
considerable cataract, where the river flows over a ledge of whinstone
rock with great force: below this the river is remarkably black and deep;
and here it was proposed to make our cattle swim over. After hallooing,
and firing some muskets, the people on the Kasson side observed us, and
brought over a canoe to carry our baggage. I did not, however, think it
possible to get the cattle down the bank, which is here more than forty
feet above the water; but the Negroes seized the horses, and launched one
at a time down a sort of trench or gulley that was almost perpendicular,
and seemed to have been worn smooth by this sort of use. After the
terrified cattle had been plunged in this manner to the water's edge,
every man got down as well as he could. The ferryman then taking hold of
the most steady of the horses by a rope, led him into the water, and
paddled the canoe a little from the brink; upon which a general attack
commenced upon the other horses, who, finding themselves pelted and
kicked on all sides, unanimously plunged into the river, and followed
their companion.
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