FROM TALLIKA TO KAJAAGA.
TALLIKA, the frontier town of Bondou towards Woolli, is inhabited chiefly
by Foulahs of the Mohammedan religion, who live in considerable
affluence, partly by furnishing provisions to the coffles, or caravans,
that pass through the town, and partly by the sale of ivory, obtained by
hunting elephants, in which employment the young men are generally very
successful. Here an officer belonging to the king of Bondou constantly
resides, whose business it is to give timely information of the arrival
of the caravans, which are taxed according to the number of loaded asses
that arrive at Tallika.
I took up my residence at this officer’s house, and agreed with him to
accompany me to Fatteconda, the residence of the king, for which he was
to receive five bars; and before my departure I wrote a few lines to Dr.
Laidley, and gave my letter to the master of a caravan bound for the
Gambia. This caravan consisted of nine or ten people, with five asses
loaded with ivory. The large teeth are conveyed in nets, two on each
side of the ass; the small ones are wrapped up in skins, and secured with
ropes.
_December_ 14.—We left Tallika, and rode on very peaceably for about two
miles, when a violent quarrel arose between two of my fellow-travellers,
one of whom was the blacksmith, in the course of which they bestowed some
opprobrious terms upon each other; and it is worthy of remark, that an
African will sooner forgive a blow than a term of reproach applied to his
ancestors. “Strike me, but do not curse my mother,” is a common
expression even among the slaves. This sort of abuse, therefore, so
enraged one of the disputants, that he drew his cutlass upon the
blacksmith, and would certainly have ended the dispute in a very serious
manner, if the others had not laid hold of him and wrested the cutlass
from him. I was obliged to interfere, and put an end to this
disagreeable business by desiring the blacksmith to be silent, and
telling the other, who I thought was in the wrong, that if he attempted
in future to draw his cutlass, or molest any of my attendants, I should
look upon him as a robber, and shoot him without further ceremony. This
threat had the desired effect, and we marched sullenly along till the
afternoon, when we arrived at a number of small villages scattered over
an open and fertile plain. At one of these, called Ganado, we took up
our residence for the night; here an exchange of presents and a good
supper terminated all animosities among my attendants, and the night was
far advanced before any of us thought of going to sleep. We were amused
by an itinerant _singing man_, who told a number of diverting stories,
and played some sweet airs by blowing his breath upon a bow-string, and
striking it at the same time with a stick.
_December_ 15.—At daybreak my fellow-travellers, the Serawoollies, took
leave of me, with many prayers for my safety. About a mile from Ganado
we crossed a considerable branch of the Gambia, called Neriko. The banks
were steep and covered with mimosas; and I observed in the mud a number
of large mussels, but the natives do not eat them. About noon, the sun
being exceedingly hot, we rested two hours in the shade of a tree, and
purchased some milk and pounded corn from some Foulah herdsmen, and at
sunset reached a town called Koorkarany, where the blacksmith had some
relations; and here we rested two days.
Koorkarany is a Mohammedan town surrounded by a high wall, and is
provided with a mosque. Here I was shown a number of Arabic manuscripts,
particularly a copy of the book before mentioned, called _Al Sharra_.
The _maraboo_, or priest, in whose possession it was, read and explained
to me in Mandingo many of the most remarkable passages, and, in return, I
showed him Richardson’s Arabic Grammar, which he very much admired.
On the evening of the second day (December 17) we departed from
Koorkarany. We were joined by a young man who was travelling to
Fatteconda for salt; and as night set in we reached Dooggi, a small
village about three miles from Koorkarany.
Provisions were here so cheap that I purchased a bullock for six small
stones of amber; for I found my company increase or diminish according to
the good fare they met with.
_December_ 18.—Early in the morning we departed from Dooggi, and, being
joined by a number of Foulahs and other people, made a formidable
appearance, and were under no apprehension of being plundered in the
woods. About eleven o’clock, one of the asses proving very refractory,
the negroes took a curious method to make him tractable. They cut a
forked stick, and putting the forked part into the ass’s mouth, like the
bit of a bridle, tied the two smaller parts together above his head,
leaving the lower part of the stick of sufficient length to strike
against the ground, if the ass should attempt to put his head down.
After this the ass walked along quietly and gravely enough, taking care,
after some practice, to hold his head sufficiently high to prevent stones
or roots of trees from striking against the end of the stick, which
experience had taught him would give a severe shock to his teeth. This
contrivance produced a ludicrous appearance, but my fellow-travellers
told me it was constantly adopted by the slatees, and always proved
effectual.
In the evening we arrived at a few scattered villages, surrounded with
extensive cultivation, at one of which, called Buggil, we passed the
night in a miserable hut, having no other bed than a bundle of
corn-stalks, and no provisions but what we brought with us. The wells
here are dug with great ingenuity, and are very deep. I measured one of
the bucket-ropes, and found the depth of the well to be twenty-eight
fathoms.
_December_ 19.—We departed from Buggil, and travelled along a dry, stony
height, covered with mimosas, till mid-day, when the land sloped towards
the east, and we descended into a deep valley, in which I observed
abundance of whinstone and white quartz. Pursuing our course to the
eastward, along this valley in the bed of an exhausted river-course, we
came to a large village, where we intended to lodge. We found many of
the natives dressed in a thin French gauze, which they called _byqui_;
this being a light airy dress, and well calculated to display the shape
of their persons, is much esteemed by the ladies. The manners of these
females, however, did not correspond with their dress, for they were rude
and troublesome in the highest degree; they surrounded me in numbers,
begging for amber, beads, &c., and were so vehement in their
solicitations, that I found it impossible to resist them. They tore my
cloak, cut the buttons from my boy’s clothes, and were proceeding to
other outrages, when I mounted my horse and rode off, followed for
half-a-mile by a body of these harpies.
In the evening we reached Soobrudooka, and as my company was numerous
(being fourteen), I purchased a sheep and abundance of corn for supper;
after which we lay down by the bundles, and passed an uncomfortable night
in a heavy dew.
_December_ 20.—We departed from Soobrudooka, and at two o’clock reached a
large village situated on the banks of the Falemé river, which is here
rapid and rocky. The natives were employed in fishing in various ways.
The large fish were taken in long baskets made of split cane, and placed
in a strong current, which was created by walls of stone built across the
stream, certain open places being left, through which the water rushed
with great force. Some of these baskets were more than twenty feet long,
and when once the fish had entered one of them, the force of the stream
prevented it from returning. The small fish were taken in great numbers
in hand-nets, which the natives weave of cotton, and use with great
dexterity. The fish last mentioned are about the size of sprats, and are
prepared for sale in different ways; the most common is by pounding them
entire as they come from the stream, in a wooden mortar, and exposing
them to dry in the sun, in large lumps like sugar loaves. 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
black loaf in boiling water, and mixing it with their kouskous.
On returning to the village, after an excursion to the river-side to
inspect the fishery, an old Moorish shereef 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.
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.
_December_ 21.—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 audience 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 Mohammedan, 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 the 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. When I offered to show him the contents of
my portmanteau, and everything 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. After this I was about to take my
leave, when the king, desiring me to stop a while, began a long preamble
in favour of the whites, extolling their immense wealth and good
dispositions. He next proceeded to an eulogium on my blue coat, of which
the yellow buttons seemed particularly to catch his fancy; and he
concluded by entreating me to present him with it, assuring me, for my
consolation under the loss of it, that he would wear it on all public
occasions, and inform every one who saw it of my great liberality towards
him. The request of an African prince, in his own dominions,
particularly when made to a stranger, comes little short of a command.
It is only a way of obtaining by gentle means what he can, if he pleases,
take by force; and as it was against my interest to offend him by a
refusal, I very quietly took off my coat, the only good one in my
possession, and laid it at his feet.
In return for my compliance, he presented me with great plenty of
provisions, and desired to see me again in the morning. I accordingly
attended, and found him sitting upon his bed. He told me he was sick, and
wished to have a little blood taken from him; but I had no sooner, tied
up his arm and displayed the lancet, than his courage failed, and he
begged me to postpone the operation till the afternoon, as he felt
himself, he said, much better than he had been, and thanked me kindly for
my readiness to serve him. He then observed that his women were very
desirous to see me, and requested that I would favour them with a visit.
An attendant was ordered to conduct me; and I had no sooner entered the
court appropriated to the ladies, than the whole seraglio surrounded
me—some begging for physic, some for amber, and all of them desirous of
trying that great African specific, _blood-letting_. They were ten or
twelve in number, most of them young and handsome, and wearing on their
heads ornaments of gold, and beads of amber.
They rallied me with a good deal of gaiety on different subjects,
particularly upon the whiteness of my skin and the prominency of my nose.
They insisted that both were artificial. The first, they said, was
produced when I was an infant, by dipping me in milk; and they insisted
that my nose had been pinched every day, till it had acquired its present
unsightly and unnatural conformation. On my part, without disputing my
own deformity, I paid them many compliments on African beauty. I praised
the glossy jet of their skins, and the lovely depression of their noses;
but they said that flattery, or, as they emphatically termed it,
_honey-mouth_, was not esteemed in Bondou. In return, however, for my
company or my compliments (to which, by the way, they seemed not so
insensible as they affected to be) they presented me with a jar of honey
and some fish, which were sent to my lodging; and I was desired to come
again to the king a little before sunset.
I carried with me some beads and writing-paper, it being usual to present
some small offering on taking leave, in return for which the king gave me
five drachms of gold, observing that it was but a trifle, and given out
of pure friendship, but would be of use to me in travelling, for the
purchase of provisions. He seconded this act of kindness by one still
greater, politely telling me that, though it was customary to examine the
baggage of every traveller passing through his country, yet, in the
present instance, he would dispense without ceremony, adding, I was at
liberty to depart when I pleased.
Accordingly, on the morning of the 23rd, we left Fatteconda, and about
eleven o’clock came to a small village, where we determined to stop for
the rest of the day.
In the afternoon my fellow-travellers informed me that, as this was the
boundary between Bondou and Kajaaga, and dangerous for travellers, it
would be necessary to continue our journey by night, until we should
reach a more hospitable part of the country. I agreed to the proposal,
and hired two people for guides through the woods; and as soon as the
people of the village were gone to sleep (the moon shining bright) we set
out. The stillness of the air, the howling of the wild beasts, and the
deep solitude of the forest, made the scene solemn and oppressive. Not a
word was uttered by any of us but in a whisper; all were attentive, and
every one anxious to show his sagacity by pointing out to me the wolves
and hyænas, as they glided like shadows from one thicket to another.
Towards morning we arrived at a village called Kimmoo, where our guides
awakened one of their acquaintances, and we stopped to give the asses
some corn, and roast a few ground-nuts for ourselves. At daylight we
resumed our journey, and in the afternoon arrived at Joag, in the kingdom
of Kajaaga.
Being now in a country and among a people differing in many respects from
those that have as yet fallen under our observation, I shall, before I
proceed further, give some account of Bondou (the territory we have left)
and its inhabitants, the Foulahs, the description of whom I purposely
reserved for this part of my work.
Bondou is bounded on the east by Bambouk, on the south-east and south by
Tenda and the Simbani wilderness, on the south-west by Woolli, on the
west by Foota Torra, and on the north by Kajaaga.
The country, like that of Woolli, is very generally covered with woods,
but the land is more elevated, and, towards the Falemé river, rises into
considerable hills. In native fertility the soil is not surpassed, I
believe, by any part of Africa.
From the central situation of Bondou, between the Gambia and Senegal
rivers, it is become a place of great resort, both for the slatees, who
generally pass through it on going from the coast to the interior
countries, and for 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 merchandise, and at Fatteconda,
the residence of the king, one Indian baft, or a musket, and six bottles
of gunpowder, are exacted as the 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 Falemé 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 Falemé.
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 Mohammedan laws;
for all the chief men, the king excepted, and a large majority of the
inhabitants of Bondou, are Mussulmans, and the authority and laws of the
Prophet are everywhere 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 Mohammed 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 Mohammedan children are taught to read the
Koran, and instructed in the tenets of the Prophet, the Mohammedan
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 I 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 Mohammedan faith is also introduced the Arabic language, with
which most of the Foulahs have a slight acquaintance. Their 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 the 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.
But although milk is plentiful, it is somewhat remarkable that the
Foulahs, and indeed all the inhabitants of this part of Africa, are
totally unacquainted with the art of making cheese. A firm attachment to
the customs of their ancestors makes them view with an eye of prejudice
everything that looks like innovation. The heat of the climate and the
great scarcity of salt are held forth as unanswerable objections; and the
whole process appears to them too long and troublesome to be attended
with any solid advantage.
Besides the cattle, which constitute the chief wealth of the Foulahs,
they possess some excellent horses, the breed of which seems to be a
mixture of the Arabian with the original African.