* * * * *
ACCOUNT OF A JOURNEY BY LAND FROM ISLE ST. LOUIS, ALONG THE SENEGAL,
TO GALAM, IN WHICH ARE GIVEN THE PARTICULARS OF THE DIFFERENT
COUNTRIES, INHABITANTS, AND PRODUCTS ON THE ROUTE. — OF THE
KINGDOMS OF CAYOR, JOLOF, BARRA OR MANDING, BAMBOUK, JOULY, MERINA,
BONDOU, &c. &c.
ON setting off for Isle St. Louis, I promised that I would penetrate
into the interior of Africa, and decide our doubts as to the state of
that part of the world. The same project had excited the attention
of the English; and I must declare that I was eager to imitate, or
even to anticipate, them in such an undertaking. Nevertheless I did
not wish to venture upon one of those journies which, transporting a
single man, without any fixed object, amidst savage hordes, exposes
him to all sorts of privations and risques, without affording him
proper means of information: but, on the other hand, I was well aware
that those dangers, which often occur, are provoked by imprudence,
or exaggerated by misfortune and a wish to excite interest.
It was, however, my wish to visit an unknown soil, but which I
thought less liable to difficulty and labour; and I resolved to
execute what had, till then, appeared impracticable—a journey
by land from Isle St. Louis to Galam. My intention was, should I
succeed, to travel afterwards over land to Morocco and Tunis[2].
My choice of this journey for a trial likewise had another motive. I
wished to know if the inconveniencies of the route which I was about
to trace through the interior of the country, would not be much
less than those of the voyage hitherto performed along the coast
of the Senegal, to arrive at fort St. Joseph, the most distant of
our factories.
This attempt met with the most complete success. I shall proceed to
give an account of it, in which it will be seen that the Negroes,
though avaricious and needy, received my traveller with affection of
the most hospitable and generous kind; that they appeared with all
their natural good qualities, and the simplicity of the early ages;
and that they every where professed a desire to gain information with
all the efforts of a rude people approaching towards civilization;
while they eagerly expressed their wish, that we would establish
ourselves amongst them.
I must first make known what means were in my power for executing my
project, and what measures I thought would insure it success. I had
no compass in my possession, and was therefore obliged to regulate
the journey by the course of the stars, and the indications of
the natives.
I could not hope for any great accuracy in the observations which
might be made during the journey; but I imposed an obligation on the
person, whom I employed to perform it, to mark the number of days’
march by the rising and setting of the sun, so as to point out, as
nearly as possible, the hour of his arrival at, and departure from,
each station. I also pressed him to note in his journal, the changes
he might experience in the soil, the hills, mountains, forests,
trees, lakes, rivulets, animals, and kinds of cultivation. He was
likewise to observe the different tribes which he might meet with
in his route, and to give an account of their manners, customs,
religion, language, and the reception which he met with amongst
them. My ulterior object was, that, after making all these remarks on
the country, he should prepare the people for a general intercourse
with the French, discover the exact situation of their gold mines,
and continue his route as far as the isthmus of Suez, after which he
might return to France from some of the ports in the Mediterranean.
I have to regret, that the noble enterprize which I had planned,
though equal to my expectations, was far from affording the results
which might have been expected; as, since my departure, it has never
been followed up, and because the principal agent in it became the
victim of an unpardonable negligence.
M. Rubault, the person employed under my orders in this expedition,
left Isle St. Louis on the 11th January, 1786, in company with a
Marabou Moor, named Sidy Carachi: this Moor, from his quality as
priest and doctor of laws, enjoyed, like all his cast, the greatest
veneration from all the hordes in Africa. I gave Rubault two domestic
Negroes, three camels to carry the baggage and convey the travellers,
and ordered him such a supply of provisions, merchandize, and arms,
as I conceived adequate to the undertaking. The party set off from
Gandiolle, whither I accompanied them, on the 13th, at break of
day. After a march of seven hours, over a flat soil covered with
palm-trees, they arrived at a village called Camessou, the master of
whom received them with great kindness, and gave them a preparation
of flour and milk.
Each village, in this part of Africa, has a chief known by the title
of master. In some parts of the country the name does not correspond
with that of master; but the prerogatives and attributes of the
chief are the same. He receives a tribute from all the inhabitants
for his expenses, and is charged with executing the orders of the
king in whatever relates to the police or general justice, except
that recourse is had to the sovereign in cases of condemnation
to death or slavery. This establishment is nearly the same as the
feudality which is said to have prevailed in the earliest times of
the creation. The master is the lord of the village.
On setting out after his repast, at three in the afternoon, Rubault
arrived by seven at another village, named Bety, where he passed
the night; this he left at ten next morning, and at seven in the
evening came to a third village, called Meriné-Giob.
The inhabitants of this village were celebrating the Gammon, which is
an annual festival in honour of the birth of Mahomet; it lasts three
days. Here Rubault was well treated, and proceeded onwards the next
morning at six o’clock. The country over which he travelled this
day was covered with little hamlets. Amongst the trees he observed
a white tamarind, or ape’s bread-tree, of so extraordinary a size
that he stopped to measure it, and found it to be eighty-four feet in
circumference. He next reached Gure, a village governed by a prince
of the royal family; and afterwards that of Hyam-Hyren, where he
arrived at noon, and stopped for three hours till the intense heat
had subsided. The chief here refreshed him, and had him taken to
a couch, where he ordered one of his women to stand and fan him.
On the 16th, after passing through several small Negro villages,
he arrived at that of Meriné, where the inhabitants received him
with acclamations, which testified their great pleasure. The master
and the principal inhabitants came in bodies to salute him, and
kept off their people, who pressed on him through curiosity. At the
same time a prince named Yousoufat, the governor of a neighbouring
village, having heard of the arrival of a white man, came with a
numerous suite of cavalry, and offered his services. This prince
urged him to stop a few days in his village, which he declined,
but was obliged to promise that he would accept the offer on his
return. On the 17th, when he was about to leave the village of
Meriné, the master came with great ceremony to wish him a good
journey: he prostrated himself at his feet, kissed his hands,
and refused to accept of any present whatever.
He next reached the village of Beteldiabi, where the people came
out and danced before him to the sounds of the instruments of their
country, which are the rude kind of drum already described, and one
which resembles our mandolines. It is remarkable, that the Negroes
of the Senegal can never accustom themselves to European drums,
with which they have been acquainted for a length of time.
The village of Beteldiabi is the last in this direction which belongs
to the kingdom of Cayor. Rubault left it at three in the afternoon,
and travelled the rest of the day, and a great part of the night,
through a forest which is near this place. He saw in it a great
number of tigers, lions, wolves, and other ferocious animals, which
came very near to his party at different times, and whose roarings
were dreadful. This forest was composed of palm, tamarind, gum,
and other large trees, of which Rubault did not know the species.
The kingdom is a dismemberment of the Yolofs. The extent of the
latter was so great, that its king, Burba-Yolof, not being able to
govern it himself, was obliged to divide it into several provinces,
and entrust them to lieutenant-generals. The one who governed
the country now called the kingdom of Cayor, soon revolted,
and caused himself to be declared king of the country in which
he was stationed. Some others followed his example; and thus were
composed the states of Brack and Siratick, which formed parts of the
above-mentioned empire, but which are now independent kingdoms. At
length the legitimate sovereign had only the smallest part of his
territories left him, and this was the worst and the most distant
from commercial intercourse. Notwithstanding this almost general
defection, Burba-Yolof always maintained his pretensions to the
countries which he had lost. He found a favourable opportunity for
attacking the kingdom of Cayor, and hastened to turn it to advantage.
The people, irritated at the tyranny of Damel, were disgusted
with his government, and wished to shake off the yoke. Burba-Yolof
fomented this dissension, and speedily raising an army, attacked
Damel, who was killed in the first battle, and his forces were
defeated and dispersed. On this occasion Burba-Yolof gave many
proofs of valour, but he wanted prudence. He entered, it is
true, on an usurped domain; but the people wished him to make his
conquest legitimate by a new election, which could not fail to be
in his favour. Far, however, from adopting this simple formality,
he treated those proud people like revolted subjects; on which
the great men withdrew to Tin, king of Baol, and intreated his
protection against their sovereign, whom they now stigmatized as
an usurper. Latir-Fat-Soucabé, king of Baol, entered immediately
into the views of the refugees, and fearing that he would himself
be driven from his territories, if he gave Burba-Yolof time to
strengthen himself in Cayor, he raised a body of troops, whose
number was rapidly augmented by the discontented hordes who quitted
the kingdom of Cayor. He then conducted them with so much skill and
courage, that he beat Burba-Yolof in several skirmishes, and killed
him in a general engagement; on which such of his army as were not
cut in pieces took flight, so that, in a short time, the kingdom
of Cayor had neither enemies to fear, nor a sovereign to govern it.
Hitherto king Tin had only acted as an auxiliary: he had played the
part of a man who, seeing his neighbour’s house on fire, runs
and uses all his efforts to extinguish the flames in order that
he may preserve his own. He had only taken part in this quarrel to
maintain an equilibrium amongst his neighbours, and to prevent the
most powerful from overrunning the others; but now finding himself
at the head of a numerous army, he wished to possess himself of the
kingdom of Cayor, and to keep it by covering his usurpation with
the veil of a legitimate election. With this view he convoked all
the notables of the kingdom, and, on the appointed day, the people
repaired to a vast plain, on which the army of Tin was encamped. He
addressed them on the necessity of having a king who would govern
them with equity, and protect them from invasion; declared that he
knew no person better qualified for such duties than himself; and
without waiting for their opinions, he added, that whoever did not
immediately approve of his proposition he should consider as his
capital enemy. He even went farther, and pronounced the _Desoulé
Sabai_, which is the most terrible oath in use amongst the Negroes:
it is a violent imprecation; and he thundered it as a solemn defiance
against whoever might oppose his election.
All the electors acutely felt this injury, which was the greatest
that could be done to them. The Negroes never pardon it, and nothing
can efface it but the poniard: they were, however, in the midst of
a conquering army, which would have cut them in pieces if they had
presumed to oppose the wishes of its chief; they therefore looked
at one another for some time in melancholy silence, and seeing
that they had no alternative, they acknowledged him as king, to
the prejudice of the heirs of the sovereign whom he had killed,
and whom they already began to regret.
As soon as he was proclaimed king he distributed honorary titles
to some of the electors, promised rewards to others, and assumed
the functions of royalty without waiting to be bathed in a spring
consecrated to the coronation of the kings of Cayor. He took the name
of Damel, and abandoned that of Tin; he then received the homage
of the great people, who took the oath of fidelity, and appointed
two lieutenant-generals to govern the kingdoms of Cayor and Baol.
At length his usurpation being evident, and his cruelties having
rendered him odious to the whole state, he began to fear that
the principal people might raise the rest against him; to prevent
which he cut off the heads of those whom he suspected, and sought
to gain the affection of his subjects by opposing the demands which
the notables had upon their vassals, and which they had a right to
receive. This measure ruined them, and obliged them to retire to
the neighbouring states. But the people, though relieved from the
tribute, were neither richer nor happier; as Damel soon appropriated
to himself what the great men used to receive. He made himself rich
at the expense of all, and by ruining them all without distinction,
he deprived them of the means of rebellion.
By such conduct this prince maintained himself upon the throne
of Damel until his death. The two states of Cayor and Baol, which
he had united to his dominion, were afterwards divided, but they
remained with his family: that of Burba-Yolof has never been able
to recover its rights, and appears to have renounced them.
The descendants of Latir-Fat-Soucabé still reign at Cayor and
Baol. This family, elevated by crime, has gradually acquired wisdom
and moderation. It has had much influence on our commercial and
political operations, which it still preserves, and nothing indicates
that it will lose its present power and consideration.
I have already touched on the subject of this revolution; but I
have now added some circumstances that were omitted, and which I
think relate essentially to the history of the country.
On the 18th January, after travelling part of the night, Rubault
arrived at four in the morning at Lequekié, the first village in
the kingdom of Yolof, which he left on the 19th; and, after passing
two or three others, he was met, on the 20th, by an envoy from the
king of Yolof, who came to congratulate him, and escort him to the
village in which the king resided: it is called Hicarkor, and our
traveller was conducted to a large square in front of the king’s
hut. Immediately the sovereign approached, followed by his whole
court, and having on his left a great number of those buffoons whom
the Negroes call griottes: there are both men and women who devote
themselves to this profession, for which they are reckoned infamous,
and deprived of burial. Their actions are highly gross and indecent:
there is a party of them for each village; and as they have a right
to insult and injure those against whom they have a complaint, they
are very well treated during their life, and even enjoy a sort of
respect; but at their death the people avenge themselves by offering
the greatest insults to their remains, and generally suspend their
bodies on a tree. At Senegal, however, where the people are more
civilized and humane, they are interred like the rest.
Those who accompanied the king of Yolof sung songs in praise of his
goodness, and celebrated the arrival of a white man. One of them
carried a mat for the king to seat himself on the instant he might
wish to rest. On coming up to Rubault, the king received him with
open arms, and taking him affectionately by the hand, held it a long
time; he then caused a mat to be spread, and placing himself upon it,
made the stranger sit on his right-hand. Then, after a silence of
some time, he asked him what had brought a white man into his states,
where one had never arrived before? Rubault explained that he had
been sent to Galam by M. Durand, and was ordered to salute his Yolof
majesty, and to express the desire of the French government to form
an establishment in his kingdom. This answer pleased the king,
who immediately ordered a hut to be prepared for him, to which
he was conducted to repose. About noon, a prince belonging to the
royal family came with great ceremony, to invite him to dinner at
the hut of the king; on reaching which he observed a young Negress
washing the sovereign’s feet; she left off as soon as the stranger
appeared, and the king then taking him into another apartment, they
sat down together on the same mat. They parted with great ceremony,
and the next day the king expressed the high satisfaction he felt at
the proposition of M. Durand; and assured Rubault that he would do
every thing in his power to favour the French. He then requested the
envoy to accept an axe, and pressed him to remain some days longer in
the village, in order that his subjects might see him, and consign
the fact to their history, that, during his reign, they had had
the happiness to know that a white man had arrived in their country.
On the 23d, the king had a long conversation with Rubault, with the
aid of two interpreters, and informed him, that an escort would be
ready on the 25th to accompany him to Galam. After the conference,
the ladies of the court, with their attendants, came to visit him;
they approached very near to him, seeming to examine him with
great curiosity, and described their sensations to each other in
a very low voice. They all seemed satisfied with the sight, and
expressing their wishes for his health and happiness, retired;
amongst the number were four of the king’s wives.
On the 25th, at two in the afternoon, M. Rubault was ready for his
departure; when he received a most affectionate and pompous farewell
from the royal family, the king declaring that he would himself
write a letter to M. Durand. He then accompanied him to the spot
where his camels were waiting, and taking him kindly by the hand,
said, “I pray the Lord to preserve thee on thy journey.”
The king gave Rubault three men to accompany him to Galam; and
on leaving the village of Hicarkor, they travelled over a large
plain planted with gum-trees, of which the Negroes appeared to know
neither the use nor value. On quitting this plain on the 27th, he was
informed, that for the next four days’ journey, he would meet with
no habitation, but would have to pass through a vast and difficult
forest, all the trees of which were of a thorny nature, and very
close together. Arrangements were in consequence made: they reached
the wood at noon, and travelled in the midst for the remainder of
the day and part of the night. They then waited for the return of the
sun, and reposed, together with their camels, in a space surrounded
by a large fire. They heard, and occasionally saw several lions; but
these animals made off on hearing the slightest noise. M. Rubault
travelled through this large forest from the 28th to the 31st;
and he asserts, that half of it is filled with gum-trees.
At five in the evening he left the kingdom of Yolof, and entered
that of Barra. I have observed that the king promised to write me
a letter, and send it by three of his subjects: this expedition
shortly afterwards took place. I received the three Negroes with
much distinction, and kept them a fortnight at Isle St. Louis;
after which I sent them home with a proper answer, and presents
for the king and his family.
The letter of King Babakoury expressed the delight he experienced
at the sight of a white man, and the superior happiness he should
derive from my acquaintance. It concluded with inviting me to come
and see him. In my answer I regretted that I could not have that
pleasure, in consequence of being obliged to return to France,
but that I expected soon to come back again, and should take the
first opportunity of paying him a visit.
From the dismemberment of the kingdom of Yolof, have not only been
formed several powerful kingdoms, particularly those of Cayor,
Walos, and Foules, which reach along the Senegal, from Galam to
its mouth, but they cut off all communication between the Yolofs
and that river. Hence these people being confined in the interior,
have lost much of their power and commercial influence; but even
as it now is, the Yolof kingdom, on account of its great fertility,
presents striking advantages.
Rubault, after five hours journey through a wood, arrived at ten at
night at the first village in the kingdom of Barra or Manding. All
the inhabitants were asleep; and the arrival of this little caravan
amongst them threw them into such alarm that they took up arms;
they were, however, soon appeased by the people of the King of
Yolof; and the master of the village conducted Rubault to a hut,
served him with supper, and presented him with a goat.
On the 1st of February he left this village, which was called Passe,
at two in the afternoon. He travelled over a vast plain, which was
well cultivated, and planted with fine trees. It is inhabited by
laborious and more civilized Negroes than the generality of that
race. The houses were well built, and cleanliness seemed as general
amongst them as with the whites. These people are observers of
the laws of Mahomet, have public schools, and almost all of them
can read and write. The children go to school in the middle of
the night, or a few hours before break of day. The men in this
part drink neither wine nor brandy; they all keep the rhamadan
with strictness, and have a great partiality for agriculture. They
live under a sort of republic, which is wisely administered by a
council of elders; they are faithful, good-natured, and humane;
mutually assist each other, and take slaves from the other hordes,
but never make them amongst themselves. When their fellow-citizens
have been guilty of crimes, they are condemned to slavery and sold;
but it is the law which pronounces the punishment.
With respect to their women, they are less rigorous than Mahomet; as
they think, that if the prophet could place in paradise his camel,
cat, and many other animals, they may also expect their women to
enter it. To give them hopes of this event, they cause them to
undergo circumcision; and in order that their natural modesty may
not be hurt, the operation is performed by women. They teach the
females to expect beatitude, but only on condition that they are
chaste, faithful, and obedient to their husbands.
In this plain, which is covered with trees, Rubault observed several
of the wild fig kind, which had grown to the vast girth of upwards of
thirty feet. The trunk, after reaching the height of thirty-five or
forty feet, divides itself into several large branches, which produce
an infinity of smaller ones, that are loaded with fruit and leaves:
the latter resemble those of the walnut-tree are of a light green,
and grow so thick that they form an impenetrable obstacle to the
sun. The fruit of this tree is of the shape and size of pigeons’
eggs; it has a faint taste, and is filled with maggots. Animals feed
on it; but the Negroes do not use it. The timber is not fit to burn,
is difficult to saw in planks, and is used by the Negroes for bowls,
platters, &c. The Negroes repose and receive visits under its shade.
There are found in this part of the country all the animals
peculiar to Africa, as well as an abundance of elephants, lions,
tigers, wild hogs, gazelles, civets, tiger-cats, and ounces. The
gazelles partake of the camel, the goat, the deer, and the hare;
their hair is like that of the camel; and, as well as that animal,
they have a black circle above the eyes; their body is like that
of the hind; their bleat imitates that of the goats; and their
legs, like those of the hare, are shorter before than behind. They
ascend with rapidity, but they lose much in coming down a hill,
and when the declivity is steep they often roll down instead of
running. In a flat country they are at their ease, and go well,
extending themselves to such a degree that their bellies almost
touch the ground; they prick their ears at the least noise. Their
horns grow straight till within an inch of the extremity, when they
curve inwards, as if nature wished to prevent them from doing any
harm. They are extremely gentle, and easy to tame. They pass over
Africa alternately, from the northern to the southern part.
The Negroes salt or pickle the flesh of the gazelles; but when thus
prepared, it is not very good; though it is extremely delicate
when eaten fresh. They have a singular manner of hunting these
animals. When the grass is dry, they set it on fire, and place
themselves at the passage which the gazelles must take to escape,
where they watch for them, and when they appear attack them with
arrows, sagayes, and clubs, making prodigious slaughter.
The civet is an animal as large and thick as a tolerably great dog;
it has a pointed muzzle; the eyes and ears are small; the whiskers
like those of a cat; the skip spotted with white, black, and yellow;
while its tail is as thick and long as that of a fox. It is a wild,
cruel, and carnivorous animal, whose bite is dangerous. The Negroes
take them by snares; and those who buy them keep them in iron cages,
and feed them on raw flesh.
This animal is merely an object of curiosity with the Africans, as
they do not eat it. The Europeans derive from it an unctuous liquid,
similar to an ointment, which collects in the males in a bag placed
between the testicles and the penis; and in the females between
the pubes and the anus. This bag is about three inches deep, by two
and a half wide: it contains a number of little glands filled with
odorous matter, which is obtained by compression. The operation is
thus performed:—They seize the tail of the animal while confined
in the cage, and draw it between the bars; they then bring the
hind legs in the same manner, and hold them tight; they then pass
a plank before the animal to prevent him from going forwards; and
in this position they introduce into the sac a small iron spoon,
with which they lightly scrape the internal emissaries. This motion
compresses the glands, and obliges them to evacuate the matter they
contain, which is then removed with a spoon.
This process cannot, however, be performed daily; as the animal does
not produce a sufficient supply of matter; it therefore takes place
every third day, and in certain seasons, once in two days. Each time
affords about a drachm and half, or at the utmost two drachms. When
the substance is first taken it is white, rather bordering upon grey,
but changes imperceptibly to a brown. Its smell at a distance is
sweet and agreeable; but when near, is too strong, and affects the
head. The perfumers prepare it by mixing with it other drugs, which
interrupt the violent volatility of its particles, and thus render
the smell not merely supportable, but to many people delightful.
The Dutch breed a number of civets, and send to Paris all the musk
which they obtain. They feed the animals on nothing but milk and
the yolks of eggs; and it is asserted that this food renders the
Dutch musk whiter than which comes from Africa, or the East and
West Indies, where they feed them promiscuously and abundantly on
different kinds of raw flesh: in other respects, the colour excepted,
all musk has the same qualities. It is, however, almost impossible to
procure pure musk, as the Jews of Holland and Cairo, and indeed all
those who trade in this article, almost always adulterate it. They
gain much by this practice, and we lose nothing: in the way we
receive it, it is equal to our wants, and even to our luxuries.
A great number of civets might be raised in the European factories
in Africa; but it is evident that the rage for musk is past, as
our nerves are become so delicate that we can scarcely think of it;
it is therefore only used in medicine, in which it is administered
for the cholic in children, by applying it to the navel, as well
as in certain female complaints; and, however small may be the
quantity that we receive, we find it sufficient for our consumption.
The ounces are a species of the leopard, and their skin is
extremely beautiful. This animal is very active, runs in a leaping
or cantering manner, and darts like lightning upon its prey. It is
said, that the Persians used them for hunting gazelles, and the
following is the manner in which their chase has been described:
they carried the ounces on horseback, either before or behind them;
and when they perceived a gazelle, they shewed it to one, and let
him loose. The ounce made after it, seized it by the neck, and
strangled it; but if he missed his leap, and the gazelle escaped,
he remained in the greatest apparent confusion. The huntsman then
caressed him, took him again on horseback, and continued the sport,
when the ounce became so eager to retrieve his credit, that the
next animal that appeared was sure to be taken.
The Africans do nothing towards taming ounces, but leave them in
a pure state of nature, so that they are less docile, amusing,
and useful.
This animal is about the size of a greyhound: it has a round head,
a wide mouth, and very sharp teeth. There is nothing ferocious in
its appearance, but it is naturally savage. It never approaches
villages or farms, except at night, and does not attack either men,
women, or children; but every thing else suits its purpose. There
is nothing good about it but its skin.
The tiger-cat in Africa is merely a degenerate species of the
tiger, with which we are acquainted; and though it be smaller and
less strong, it possesses all the untameable ferocity peculiar to
its prototype.
There is also very common in this country, a curious species of
lizard or cameleon; this animal is generally two feet long, from
the muzzle to the root of the tail; and the tail itself is not
less than three feet in length. It lives on fruit and roots; its
skin is covered with little yellow, green, black, and white scales,
which appear as if varnished, so bright are the colours. Its large
red eyes, which are even with the top of the head, seem to sparkle
when you come too near it, or irritate it. When in a state of anger,
its bag, which is under its throat, suddenly swells, and the animal
becomes agitated and furious. Its bite, without being venomous,
is severe; and it never lets go the part which it has seized. If
it be not quickly killed, it carries away the part which it has
caught, and it is not easy to deprive it of life. Blows do it no
harm; but the only part at which it can be mortally wounded is the
nostrils, on which it sheds a few drops of blood, opens its mouth,
and expires. Its feet have five toes, armed with long, strong, and
sharp claws, which serve to climb trees, as well as to attack and
defend itself. Its tail is also a weapon of defence with which it
does much injury. The Negroes eat these animals, and find the flesh
excellent; they hunt them with their ordinary arms, and often take
them with a slip-knot when they find them on the branch of a tree.
The vast plain which Rubault now quitted, is partly under the
dominion of the King of Bambouk. He arrived at seven o’clock in
the evening in the village of Maleme, the ordinary residence of the
king. This kingdom, however, which Rubault calls Bambouk, is not that
which contains the gold mines, which I shall afterwards speak of.
The prince received him with marked attention, and waited on him
at his hut, accompanied by all his court; he told him he was the
protector of travellers, and desired him to inform his countrymen,
that he wished them often to visit him. The next day, the 2d,
he proceeded on his journey, when the king gave him an ox, and
Rubault returned the compliment by a piece of Guinea. On that
day and the third, he passed through the villages of Caffime,
Cambalot, and Caldenne, at which he stopped to procure a supply
of provisions. He observed that the inhabitants of this village
were all dyers, and that they made a quantity of indigo; their
lands were highly cultivated, and were covered in many parts with
gum-trees, as well as with the species which produces incense,
aloes, and mastic. The Negroes are but little acquainted with the
value of these productions; but Rubault considers them if properly
collected, as an inexhaustible source of riches.
The incense is a kind of gum. These two substances, though of a
different nature, are obtained at the same period, by different
processes, from the trees which produce them: the latter also
are very much alike. That which gives the incense is very full of
branches, which are slender, flexible, and covered with prickles;
they have a thin adherent bark, of a grey colour; their leaves
are long and narrow, always green, and coupled, though each shoot
is terminated by a single leaf. The pedicle is red and tolerably
strong. On rubbing them between the hands, they give out an unctuous
liquid of a strong and aromatic smell, and rather an acrid taste. A
great quantity of these shrubs are found near the gum-trees in
the desert, as well as on most spots in this part of Africa. The
greatest consumption of incense takes place in our churches; it is
also used in medicine. The substance called aloes is also sought for
in the isles of the Red Sea, though it may be more readily obtained
on the coasts, and in the interior of Western Africa. The Indians
make much use of this resin as a powerful cathartic. Mastic is
also obtained in great quantities, and the apothecaries employ the
pulverised wood of the trees which produce it, in their compositions.
The people of the state of Bambouk are rigid Mahometans, and their
government is hereditary and absolute.
On the 5th of February, at four in the morning, after a journey of
two hours, Rubault entered the kingdom of Youly, and arrived at
noon at the village of Cambia, the whole of which was surrounded
with a palisade ten feet in height. Here the master gave him a
good dinner, and in two hours afterwards, he reached the village
of Lamcemo, where he passed the night. The next day at dawn, as
he was about to proceed on his journey, an envoy arrived from the
king of Youly, requesting he would visit his majesty at Medine, the
place of his residence. Rubault answered that, although he had the
greatest desire to see his majesty, circumstances would not permit
him, as he was in haste to get to Galam; besides which, he had no
merchandize left worthy of the acceptance of so great a personage.
The envoy, who seemed to attach more importance to the present
than the visit, answered shortly, that this was an unsatisfactory
excuse, as the camels which he saw were loaded with property. It
was in vain that our traveller assured him of his mistake, and he
insisted on inspecting our baggage. Being then convinced, he said,
that his master had been imposed upon by false reports, and he would
set him right. He then suffered the party to proceed, and accepted
the blade of a sabre.
The kingdom of Youly is very mountainous, and the hills are covered
with fine trees. The villages are situated in the vallies, and the
soil is very fertile. The inhabitants cultivate great quantities
of grain, indigo, tobacco, and cotton.
The town of Medine, which is the capital of the kingdom, is of
a considerable size, and contains about a thousand houses. Its
fortifications are the same as those of the other towns in
Africa. These people, like all the rest, are superstitious; and
though most of them are pagans, they place implicit confidence in
the grisgris or amulets of the Mahometans: the reason is, that they
consider the art of writing as magic; and therefore place more faith
in the talent of a magician, than in the sentences of the prophet.
Mungo Park observed at Kolor, an institution which is worthy of
being known, particularly because Rubault speaks of it in more
succinct terms. They both saw suspended to a tree a kind of masked
habit, which they were told belonged to Monbo-Jombo, a name which
they give to a magistrate peculiar to themselves, and whose office
is very singular. It is formed for the purpose of frightening the
women, and is established in almost all the Mandingo towns. When
a husband thinks he has reason to complain of the conduct of his
wife, he disguises himself, or dresses one of his friends, in this
masked dress; then, armed with a rod, as the sign of his authority,
Monbo Jombo announces his arrival by making terrible cries in the
wood near the towns: these cries are always heard in the evening or
night; and the figure on entering the town repairs to the bentang,
or spot, at which all the inhabitants make a point of assembling.
This apparition terrifies all the women; because as the person who
acts the part of Monbo Jombo, is totally unknown to them, each
of them fears that the visit is made to herself. The ceremony
commences by songs and dancing, which continue till midnight,
and then the guilty female is singled out by the mask. Instantly
she is seized by the company, stripped naked, tied to a post, and
cruelly scourged by the rod of the magistrate, amidst the cries
and shouts of all the spectators. It is remarkable, that on these
occasions the women most loudly ridicule the unfortunate person who
is punished. At break of day the mask makes himself known; and the
poor woman, who has almost sunk beneath the stripes, retires confused
and dishonoured. Thus terminates this indecent and barbarous farce.
On the 8th of February, after a journey of two hours, Rubault entered
the kingdom of Merine. He had set off at five in the morning,
and at noon reached the village of Gambia, which belongs to this
sovereignty. He was here informed by the master that he would have
to travel for two days through the desert of Sinbani, where he
would find no habitation; he received refreshments in the village,
but was obliged to pass the night in the wood.
The inhabitants of Gambia informed Rubault of a very singular
custom which prevails amongst them, as well as the whole kingdom of
Merine. These Negroes are travellers; and when one of them is on
a journey, his neighbour takes possession of his wife: the woman
is obliged to receive him, feed him, comply with his wishes, and
take the greatest care of his person. This custom is reciprocally
observed, and the Negroes never fail to conform to it: hence,
as it is general, it does no harm to any one.
Rubault set off from this village in the morning, continued his
journey till ten in the evening, and, as was predicted to him,
passed the night in the forest. This forest appeared astonishing
to Rubault; he spoke with surprise of the numbers, height, and
beauty of the trees, amongst which were all those of the gum
kind. He did not feel the want of water; but all his provisions
being exhausted, he suffered much from hunger, and was obliged to
eat the fruit of a tree called _yonne_: he compared it to potatoes,
with this difference, that it was less compact; he observed that it
was the ordinary and favourite food of wild hogs, of which animals
he met with great numbers, as well as with wolves, apes, tigers,
and lions, but received no harm from them, though they approached
tolerably near to him. He even saw a lioness and her cubs walking at
a very short way from him, while the lion remained at the distance
of musket-shot. Besides these animals, which are very common in
Africa, the country of Merine contains several others which are
found no where except in that state and its environs.
The most remarkable of these is _guiamala_, which is nearly as high
as the elephant, but much less stout: it is a kind of camel; it has a
long neck; the same sort of head; and two protuberances, which form a
kind of natural saddle on its back; it has also extraordinarily long
legs. The horny substance of its foot is black and cleft like that
of an ox; it walks fast, and runs well during a great distance. It
eats little, and is not delicate, but feeds on thistles, reeds,
leaves, and shoots of trees. It is always in a half-starved state;
but the Negroes eat its flesh, which they find very good.
The natives have never attempted to tame this animal, or to make
use of it for carrying burdens; they do not therefore know whether
it is docile, or capable of bearing a load. They do not approach it
without difficulty, and never without alarm. Nature has furnished it
with seven horns, which are straight, black, strong, and pointed; and
in those which are of full age, they are above two feet in length,
but when the animal is young, they are not more than six inches:
they are then enveloped in a rough kind of hair to within two or
three inches of their extremity; but this hair drops off when the
horn has attained a certain length. It resides in the woods and on
the highest mountains.
There is also in this part of the country a species of white
apes, whose colour is as beautiful as that of our finest white
rabbits. They have fine red eyes, are of a small stature, and
are very gentle and docile when young; but as they grow up, their
natural cunning and malignity are developed. They are so delicate,
and so much attached to their native country, that they refuse food,
and starve themselves to death when taken out of it. The French
residents at Galam had several of them; but they were never able
to bring any alive to Isle St. Louis. It cannot surely be said
that it is the loss of liberty which causes them to pine to death:
for they care little about being chained in their own country;
and while in this state, they eat and thrive abundantly; but they
will not leave the territory. This is a great pity, as they are the
most beautiful animals in the world; and setting aside their malice,
nothing is more agreeable or diverting.
The weazle of this country is not larger than that of Europe; but
it is totally white, and so brilliant is the colour, that it seems
to be covered with silver. It is fierce, and naturally untameable:
it bites in a strange manner; and when it gets any thing between its
teeth, it is easier to kill it, than make it let go its hold. It is
long, strong, and slender; and its continual motion gives it such
an extraordinary appetite, that it is obliged to be continually
in search of food. It preys upon birds, fowls, rats, and serpents;
indeed, nothing comes amiss to it; and when it meets with an animal
for which it has a liking, consulting less its strength than its
courage, it springs upon the victim, forces in its sharp and long
claws, and in the end always overcomes it.
The Negroes continually hunt this animal, though with great
precaution, for they have a singular dread of its bite; and to
secure themselves against it, they catch the weazle by snares,
and kill it before they take it from the trap; they then eat the
flesh, and sell the skin to the French at the factory of Galam,
or to the English, by the means of caravans which convey the slaves.
The pigeons of this country are large, and in shape like our own;
but they have this peculiarity, that their plumage is quite green,
there not being a feather of any other colour. At a distance they
look like parroquets. They breed fast, and are very good to eat.
The kingdom of Mériné is not very large: Rubault passed through its
narrowest part. The people are Mandingos, and possess an active and
mercantile spirit. They consist of Mahometans and idolaters, but the
latter are most numerous; they, however, live in harmony together,
and never suffer religious differences to disturb their peace.
On the 10th of February, Rubault set off early in the morning,
and arrived at noon at the village of Talliko, a frontier of the
kingdom of Bondou: this is probably the same village which Mungo Park
calls Tallika, and by which he also entered the kingdom. The major
part of the inhabitants of this village are Foulahs, who profess
the Mahometan religion: they are merchants, who enrich themselves
either by supplying the caravans which pass through their country
with provisions, or by the sale of ivory, which they procure by
hunting elephants, to which they are accustomed from their infancy.
By the 14th Rubault had reached the village of Coursan, the ordinary
residence of the king of the country, whose name is Almami. It is
worthy of remark, that Mr. Park no longer followed the track of my
traveller: for he indicates the residence of the king of Bondou to
be at the village of Fatteconda, on the right bank of the river
Félémé, and at a great distance from Coursan. Both gentlemen
saw the king, and have given a description of the palace which he
inhabited, which exactly correspond; hence we can only reconcile
the difference in the places to arise from the king having palaces
at each of them.
His majesty being at a country seat, the stranger was received by
his prime minister, who supplied him with provisions, and told him
that the king would arrive the next day. On the 14th the queen saw
him, and intreated him to stop a little longer, as she had sent an
express to her husband, who shortly returned with intelligence that
he was coming. An ox was therefore killed; and the king, on arriving,
sent for our traveller.
After asking him the usual questions, as to what had brought him
into his country, he wished to know, if I had not sent him some
present? Rubault answered that I intended to do so, but that he
had distributed all the merchandise which I had given him. He,
however, promised to send the king whatever he might wish for, as
soon as he arrived at Galam. His majesty appeared surprised, and
replied, that his father used to receive great presents from the
factory at Galam; but he had had nothing from them. He concluded
by adding that, as Rubault had brought him no present, he would
not suffer him to depart. The next day, however, he became more
tractable, told him that no harm should happen to him; but insisted
on receiving a present, it being an ancient privilege which he would
not forego. It was at length agreed, that Rubault should send him
a compliment from Galam, which was fixed at two pieces of guinea, a
fine musket, four pounds of powder, one hundred flints, one hundred
bullets, and a pair of double-barrelled pistols. This demand from
so powerful a king was considered as very moderate; nevertheless,
by way of making sure of the articles, he ordered three men to
go with Rubault as far as Galam, under pretence of escorting him,
where they faithfully received the promised allowance, as well as
several magnificent presents for the king’s women.
The queen having reported her opinion to the other women, they all
wished to see the traveller, and he was in consequence conducted to
the square where they resided. Immediately on his entrance, they
all rushed out, surrounded him, and expressed their astonishment
by laughing and shouting. Several of them would touch his eyes,
and others, his hands, nose, &c. at which they expressed surprise
and curiosity: they then asked him a number of questions, as
to the origin of the colour of his skin, as well as about the
white women, their amorous propensities, and the conduct of their
husbands towards them. Rubault satisfied them as well as he could,
and did not fail to flatter them. Indeed, he asserts, that there
were many of them that were handsome and well shaped. Most of them
were young: he endeavoured to count them, but could not, as they
were continually running about him; he, however, supposes, that
there were at least fifty.
The village of Coursan is surrounded with palisades, and contains
about 1200 inhabitants. Rubault then continued his journey; and on
the 17th quitted the kingdom of Bondou. The duties or customs are
very rigorous in this state; and in many of its towns, the value of
a bar in European merchandise is paid for the passage of a loaded
ass. In the part where the king resides, they demand a musket and a
barrel of powder. I lately spoke of the preparations for war, which
this sovereign was making against the king of Bambouk: the expedition
was successful, and the conquered party was obliged to cede all
the countries and villages on the eastern bank of the Félémé.
If it were not for the uncharitable maxims of the Koran, the Foulahs
of Bondou, who are naturally good, would be kinder to strangers, and
less reserved in their conduct towards the Mandingos: my traveller,
however, had nothing to complain of, as he was very well treated.
The government is under the influence of the Mahometan laws, with the
exception of the king and his family; but though the great people
of the state be Mussulmans, they are wise enough not to sanction
religious persecution; and Pagans and Mussulmans consequently live
in peace together.
The Foulahs have a particular language; but almost all of them speak
Arabic: they are graziers, farmers, and merchants, and every where
live in abundance; but at Bondou they enjoy in profusion all the
necessaries of life.
* * * * *