Accordingly, Every Person Opened His
Provision Bag, And Brought A Handful Or Two Of Meal, To The Place Where
Karfa And The Slatees Were Sitting.
When every one had brought his quota,
and the whole was properly arranged in small gourd shells, the
schoolmaster
Offered up a short prayer, the substance of which was, that
God and the holy Prophet might preserve us from robbers and all bad
people, that our provisions might never fail us, nor our limbs become
fatigued. This ceremony being ended, every one partook of the meal, and
drank a little water, after which we set forward, (rather running than
walking) until we came to the river Kokoro, a branch of the Senegal,
where we halted about ten minutes. The banks' of this river are very
high; and from the grass and brushwood which had been left by the stream,
it was evident that at this place the water had risen more than twenty
feet perpendicular, during the rainy season. At this time it was only a
small stream, such as would turn a mill, swarming with fish; and on
account of the number of crocodiles, and the danger of being carried past
the ford by the force of the stream in the rainy season, it is called
_Kokoro_, (dangerous.) From this place we continued to travel with the
greatest expedition, and in the afternoon crossed two small branches of
the Kokoro. About sunset we came in sight of Kinytakooro, a considerable
town, nearly square, situate in the middle of a large and well cultivated
plain: before we entered the town we halted, until the people who had
fallen behind came up. During this day's travel, two slaves, a woman and
a girl, belonging to a Slatee of Bala, were so much fatigued, that they
could not keep up with the coffle; they were severely whipped, and
dragged along until about three o'clock in the afternoon, when they were
both affected with vomiting, by which it was discovered that they had
eaten clay. This practice is by no means uncommon amongst the Negroes;
but whether it arises from a vitiated appetite, or from a settled
intention to destroy themselves, I cannot affirm. They were permitted to
lie down in the woods, and three people remained with them until they had
rested themselves; but they did not arrive at the town until past
midnight; and were then so much exhausted, that the Slatee gave up all
thoughts of taking them across the woods in their present condition, and
determined to return with them to Bala, and wait for another opportunity.
As this was the first town beyond the limits of Manding, greater
etiquette than usual was observed. Every person was ordered to keep in
his proper station, and we marched towards the town in a sort of
procession nearly as follows. In front five or six singing men, all of
them belonging to the coffle; these were followed by the other free
people; then came the slaves fastened in the usual way by a rope round
their necks, four of them to a rope, and a man with a spear between each
four; after them came the domestic slaves, and in the rear the women of
free condition, wives of the Slatees, &c. In this manner we proceeded,
until we came within a hundred yards of the gate, when the singing men
began a loud song, well calculated to flatter the vanity of the
inhabitants, by extolling their known hospitality to strangers, and their
particular friendship for the Mandingoes. When we entered the town we
proceeded to the Bentang, where the people gathered round us to hear our
_dentegi_, (history;) this was related publicly by two of the singing
men; they enumerated every little circumstance which had happened to the
coffle; beginning with the events of the present day, and relating every
thing, in a backward series, until they reached Kamalia. When this
history was ended, the master of the town gave them a small present, and
all the people of the coffle, both free and enslaved, were invited by
some person or other, and accommodated with lodging and provisions for
the night.
CHAPTER XXV.
_The coffle crosses the Jallonka Wilderness. - Miserable fate of one of
the female slaves. - Arrives at Sooseeta. - Proceeds to Manna. - Some
account of the Jallonkas. - Crosses the main stream of the
Senegal. - Bridge of a singular construction. - Arrives at
Malacotta. - Remarkable conduct of the King of the Jalofs._
We continued at Kinytakooro until noon of the 22d of April, when we
removed to a village about seven miles to the westward, the inhabitants
of which being apprehensive of hostilities from the Foulahs of Fooladoo,
were at this time employed in constructing small temporary huts among the
rocks, on the side of a high hill close to the village. The situation was
almost impregnable, being everywhere surrounded with high precipices,
except on the eastern side, where the natives had left a pathway
sufficient to allow one person at a time to ascend. Upon the brow of the
hill, immediately over this path, I observed several heaps of large loose
stones, which the people told me were intended to be thrown down upon the
Foulahs, if they should attempt the hill.
At daybreak on the 23d, we departed from this village, and entered the
Jallonka Wilderness. We passed, in the course of the morning, the ruins
of two small towns, which had lately been burnt by the Foulahs. The fire
must have been very intense; for I observed that the walls of many of the
huts were slightly vitrified, and appeared at a distance as if covered
with a red varnish. About ten o'clock we came to the river Wonda, which
is somewhat larger than the river Kokoro; but the stream was at this time
rather muddy, which Karfa assured me was occasioned by amazing shoals of
fish. They were indeed seen in all directions, and in such abundance,
that I fancied the water itself tasted and smelt fishy.
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