Further account of Kankan and its environs. — Council of elders. —
State of trade, and civilization. — Kissi. — Bouré. — Trade
between Bouré and Bamako, Yamina, Ségo, Sansanding, and Jenné. —
Working of gold mines. — Establishment of Bamako. — Passage of
the Milo, and several other tributary rivers of the Dhioliba.
The season was advancing. It was now the middle of July, and in
August it becomes almost impossible to travel, the country being
then entirely flooded: I was beginning to be very uneasy, when,
fortunately, an opportunity occurred of starting for Sambatikila. I
bargained with a Poulh[53] of the Fouta-Dhialon, who agreed to carry
my luggage as far as the Wassoulo, for three heads of tobacco, worth
about ten or twelve sous. My new guide, whose name was Arafanba,
had a high reputation for piety; he appeared very obliging, and I
was indebted to Mamadi-Sanici for recommending him. Our departure
was fixed for the 16th of July; but before quitting Kankan I will
give some further description of the place.
Kankan, the capital of a district of the same name, is a small
town, situated at the distance of two gunshots from the left bank
of the Milo, a fine river, flowing from the south, and fertilizing
the country of Kissi, where it has its source. It runs to the N.E.:
and discharges itself into the Dhioliba, two or three days’ journey
from Kankan. It is broad, deep, and fit for the navigation of canoes,
drawing six or seven feet water. In the month of August it overflows,
and fertilizes the neighbouring country. The following are the names
of the villages which, as I was informed, are dependent on Kankan:
Carfamoudeya, Diocana, Boucalan, Nafadi, Bacouco, Foussé, Sofino,
Dio-Samana, and Kiémorou. The town is surrounded by fine thick
quickset hedges, which protect it much better than a mud or earth
wall. It has two entrances, one on the west, and the other on the
east. The population does not amount to more than six thousand; it is
situated in a fertile plain of grey sand. None but very small hills are
visible in the distance. In every direction there are small villages,
or ourondés, for the slaves. These villages are ornaments to the
country, for they are surrounded by fine plantations, where yams,
maize, rice, foigné, onions, pistachio-nuts, and gombo are grown
in abundance.
The inhabitants of Kankan are governed by a chief, called the
_Dougou-tigui_, who never pronounces any decision without first
convoking the council of elders, which usually meets in the mosque,
and at which I was often present. The greatest silence prevails at
these meetings; and, contrary to the usual practice of the negroes,
each speaks in his turn, and those that do not conduct themselves
properly are turned out. They are always very cautious in coming to
a decision: they are afraid of committing an error, and therefore,
deliberate leisurely. They are all Mahometans, and entertain a mortal
hatred of pagans or infidels.
A market is held at Kankan three times a week, and, as I have before
observed, all sorts of merchandise and necessaries of life are sold
there. The Mandingoes are all traders, and travel a great deal. They
go on foot to Sierra-Leone, Kakondy, Gambia, Senegal, and even to
Jenné. Many of them spoke to me of M. Potin, a merchant at Senegal,
and of M. Joffret, who belongs to the French factory at Albréda, on
the Gambia. Their proximity to Bouré renders the people very rich,
for they bring large quantities of gold from that country. In time
of peace the women of Kankan go to Bouré to sell rice, millet, and
various other articles of food, which they barter for gold. The men go
to Kissi, where they procure handsome slaves, who are purchased each
at the price of a cask of gunpowder, (containing twenty-five pounds)
a bad musket (worth five gourdes) and four yards of pink silk. A
Mandingo who possesses a dozen slaves may live at his ease without
travelling, merely by taking the trouble to superintend them.
A brisk trade is carried on between the Kankan and the neighbouring
countries, and it receives from the Wassoulo white cloth of native
manufacture, which is highly valued in commerce; the inhabitants
possess some hairy sheep, goats and abundance of horned cattle. These
last are not so large as ours, and have a hump on the back, like
those belonging to the Moors who inhabit the banks of the Senegal. The
country also furnishes handsome horses, which, however, are far from
attaining the excellence of the Arabians. I saw at the alkali’s a
mare which cost five slaves and two oxen; it was the finest animal I
had met with throughout this part of Africa. The people rear a great
quantity of poultry, and their cattle supply them with plenty of milk.
In their household affairs they are particularly neat and clean, and
they are always dressed in very white cloth. They manufacture fine
calico from the cotton which the women spin; they seldom sell it,
but use it for their own garments. Each habitation is surrounded by a
fence of straw or a thorn hedge. Within this enclosure are the huts,
and on the outside of it is a small garden, in which the women and
children cultivate maize and some tobacco. The streets are broad
and clean, and the town is shaded by numerous date-trees, papaws,
bombaces, and baobabs.
At the distance of three days’ journey south of Kankan is situated
the first village of the Sangaran, the name of which I have
forgotten. Six days’ journey further on, across the Sangaran,
lies the beautiful country of Kissi, which must not be confounded
with Kissi-kissi, in the neighbourhood of Sierra-Leone. Lamfia,
who made several journeys thither for the purpose of buying slaves,
told me that the country is interspersed with mountains, and watered
by numerous streams. The soil is very fertile, and the inhabitants
cultivate a great quantity of rice, yams, foigné, and every necessary
of life. They are all idolaters, and, like the Bambaras, they make
incisions on their faces and other parts of their bodies. I saw several
of them at Kankan, and I remarked that they all had very sharp and
white teeth. Their hair, like that of the Mandingoes, is woolly, but
they are lighter in colour; their noses are rather aquiline, their lips
thin, and their faces nearly oval. The country is divided into several
small states, which are governed by independent chiefs, who often
wage war against one another for the sake of slaves, whom they sell
at a high price. Some of these barbarians make it a business to lurk
behind bushes, in order to surprise the unfortunate negro husbandmen
in their fields, and mercilessly carry them off for immediate sale.
At the distance of a day and a half to the S.S.E. of Kankan is Toron,
inhabited by idolatrous negroes, of whom I have before spoken. At
two days’ journey to the east, is the beautiful country of Wassoulo
inhabited by Foulahs. At four days’ (or perhaps five) to the N. ¼
N.E. of this city, descending the Milo, you perceive, the country of
Bouré three quarters of a day’s journey distant, up the Tankisso,
upon the right bank of which it is situated. I will give in a few
words the information obtained from the negroes respecting this
country. The city of Bouré is the chief town of the country bearing
the same name. Tintigyan, Bougoreya, Fataya, Setiguia, and Docadila,
are dependencies of it. These villages are not far distant from the
Tankisso; for I was assured that the slaves carried thither upon
their heads the goods brought by vessels, and make several trips in
a day. The country of Bouré, the Mandingoes told me and they had
visited it, is covered by hills, in which are many very abundant
gold mines. The natives, who daily work them, are ignorant of the
extent of these riches. Slaves are continually occupied in raising
the earth; they employ for this purpose, baskets made of the branches
of trees: the women wash this earth in calabashes; they use a great
deal of water, and after shaking it well, they pour it off; thus,
after several washings, the particles of gold are deposited at the
bottom of the calabash, and are collected with great care: this
gold is melted and formed into rings or ingots. By this imperfect
process, it may be supposed that a considerable quantity of gold
remains in the washed earth; but they are not acquainted with the
means of extracting it. Although the soil of Bouré is very fertile,
no cultivation whatever is carried on: the inhabitants buy every thing
of their neighbours; rice, millet, pistachio-nuts, pimento, every
thing is bought with gold: they have horned cattle, and they breed some
poultry. Before the war, Kankan furnished them largely with provisions,
but, the communication being interrupted, no more are brought.
Bouré has a considerable commerce with Bamako, which is six or
eight days’ journey distant, down the Dhioliba. The Moors carry to
this country large quantities of salt and other merchandise which
they exchange. The gold of Bouré circulates throughout the whole
interior, and finds its way to the French and English settlements
on the coasts; while Jenné, which was formerly considered as the
country most plentifully supplied with this precious metal, has
none excepting what is brought from this rich tract: Sansanding,
Yamina, and Ségo, are similarly circumstanced. Opposite to Bamako,
it is said, there is a cataract which the Mandingoes call Fada; but,
according to the accounts I have received, it is not very high, as the
canoes can descend and ascend by a tow-line without even discharging
their cargoes: this is the case during the swelling of the waters,
when the cataract must be entirely covered.
The Mandingoes of Sansanding and Yamina and many saracolets carry to
Bouré salt and European merchandise. A well supplied market is held
every day. This country is inhabited by Dhialonkés, who are partly
idolaters; they have an absolute chief, who has the reputation of being
a great warrior: he has many slaves employed in working the mines;
and, besides the large quantity of gold that his labourers procure for
him, each proprietor who digs for ore is obliged to give him half the
produce of the day’s work. This chief was at this time making war
upon the large villages situated on the banks of the river. Sansando,
a considerable place, and capital of several smaller ones, held him in
check; this village is almost opposite to Bouré, upon the right bank
of the Dhioliba; it is also inhabited by idolatrous Dhialonkés. This
war, or rather this pillage, did much injury to commerce. The canoes,
which arrived loaded with merchandise, were often plundered by the
inhabitants of Sansando, who are extremely envious of the wealth
of Bouré. Boucary is the name of the chief of this rich country:
although not a zealous Musulman, he treats with respect all persons of
that religion, particularly the marabouts or priests. He has the utmost
confidence in _grigris_, and never travels without having his clothes
covered with them. Naturally very suspicious, he has several dwellings,
and never sleeps twice in succession at the same: he has a great number
of wives. At the gate of his court yard there is a triple guard, and,
before any one can reach his presence, he must pass through five or six
more houses equally well guarded. At this moment he was also at war
with the village of Damsa, inhabited by pagans and situated upon the
Milo, between Kankan and Bouré, which intercepted the communication
between the two districts. It is desirable that attempts should be made
to establish a factory at Bamako; this post would command the commerce
of the interior, by attracting the produce of the gold mines, which is
exported in part to Kakondy, the Gambia, and Sierra-Leone. Senegal,
on account of its distance, cannot participate in this traffic,
because the Mandingo merchants would be obliged to traverse Kankan,
Baléya, Fouta-Dhialon, Bondou, Fouta-Toro, and part of Cayor or of
the Wâlo country, to arrive there. It would, in the first instance,
be requisite to ascertain the distance between Bamako and the point
of the Senegal to which vessels can ascend—I mean above the rock
of Felou. After having established a factory near this cataract,
another should be formed where the river ceases to be navigable. It is
to be presumed that from this second station at Bamako it would not
be more than eight or ten days’ journey; and from this important
point the caravans of salt and of European commodities would proceed
to Bamako. It is perhaps to be feared, that the natives would oppose
this plan; but they might soon be brought to think more favourably, by
shewing them the great advantages to be derived from the arrangement,
and by paying them annual duties: the conduct of these people will
always be governed by interest. The Moors, who carry on the greater
part of this commerce which enriches them, would oppose to the utmost
of their power this project of an establishment; but the duties that
would be paid to the negro king would smooth away all difficulties;
for the Moors pay no tribute whatever.
On the 16th of July, about nine in the morning, after having made
a slight breakfast of rice, we prepared to set off; I presented
to my host a little tin drinking mug, which he seemed to wish for,
and with which he was very much delighted. After having escorted me
to the end of the village, he left me with his benediction. I was
accompanied by old Mohammed, who had shown me much kindness during
my residence at Kankan; he had often told me that if he and his son
were alone he would come with me to Jenné. We travelled about a mile
to the east, across a plain, where we saw many little _ourondés_,
surrounded by flourishing fields of maize. We arrived on the banks
of the Milo, which I found very rapid, and as broad again as when
I saw it before. We crossed it, with our baggage, in a canoe about
fifty feet long and exceedingly narrow; it was formed of two trunks
of trees, united lengthwise and fastened together with cords; it was
about eleven o’clock when we reached the right bank. The good Moor
testified great regret at parting and after having broken in two a
colat-nut, which we ate together, he left me with good wishes for
the success of my journey; when he was a little way from the bank,
he turned his head towards me, bade me adieu once more, and wished
me a speedy return to my country.
We left the banks of the river, and directed our course to the east
for a couple of miles, through a well cultivated country. In some
places I perceived, on a level with the ground, red and porous rocks,
which appeared to be of the same nature as those at Sierra-Leone. We
crossed a large rivulet on a very tottering bridge, which was rather
dangerous to the merchants, who were all laden; one of them, having
happily arrived at the further end of the bridge, could not keep his
balance any longer, and fell into the water; but received no injury:
this stream falls into the Milo. We halted at Sofino, a village
dependent upon Kankan, and inhabited by Wassoulo Foulahs; the country
is for the most part covered with nédés and cés; the land round the
village is well cultivated, and more attention is paid to agriculture
than at Kankan. We took up our abode in a hut, the inside walls of
which appeared to have been whitewashed, whether with lime or not I
could not tell, but it looked like it. We roasted some pistachio-nuts,
which we ate while we were waiting till it should be time to set off;
we were to travel by night through the woods, which are said to be
infested by robbers. Our little caravan was composed of fourteen
persons, Foulahs, Mandingoes, and saracolets. It might be about half
past one when we set off, and the weather was cool, dark, and foggy. We
proceeded eastward, walking at a great rate, and in perfect silence,
lest we should be overheard by robbers, who would infallibly have
stripped us. We penetrated into the woods, and journeyed on through
herbage of such height as to be above our heads. We came to the
dwellings of a few Foulahs, whose appearance was not prepossessing,
either as to countenance or dress; their clothes were hanging in rags,
and, though they were almost a quarter of an inch thick in filth,
we could still perceive that they had once been yellow. Their faces
were adorned with a bushy beard, which was likewise very filthy,
and their noses were disgustingly full of snuff. These are detached
families, engaged in cultivating rice, yams, foigné, and pistachios:
the soil is black and fertile; I never met with any at Kankan which was
equally productive. We bought of these Foulahs a few yams for supper,
for which we gave them tobacco and some glass ware. They looked at me
with some curiosity, and when we left them they told us to beware of
the _caffres_ (infidels), who were very numerous in the woods. At
nightfall we were overtaken by rain, which rendered our journey
much more fatiguing and troublesome than it had been. To complete our
discomfort, it became very dark, and we walked without knowing where we
were setting our feet; towards eight o’clock we had lost our road,
and were forced to stop. We sat down under the trees, with the rain
pouring upon our backs, and not daring to cough or clear our throats
for fear we should bring robbers upon us; we were silent and sad. A
little before night we had seen three men without baggage and armed;
they were sitting on the ground and held their guns on their knees;
this attitude, and the expression of their countenances had rendered
us a little suspicious of their intentions, but our number no doubt
deterred them, and they were afraid that they should not be strong
enough. At Kankan, I had been told that robbers continually attack
the Mandingoes who traverse these woods, but never the caravans of
saracolets, because they know that the latter carry guns, and that the
Mandingoes are unarmed: the saracolets, when they cross the forest,
always make it resound with numerous discharges of musquetry.
When the rain was over we contrived to light a fire, though not
without some trouble; one of my companions tore off a bit of his
pagne, laid powder upon it, and then putting it under the lock of
his gun, contrived to set fire to it. We cut off a few branches
of trees, to make a sort of hut to shelter us for the rest of the
night; the rain had no sooner ceased, than we were beset by swarms
of mosquitoes, which gave us no rest. Two of our companions, armed
with poniards and lances, went in search of water, with a vessel
which we had brought for that purpose; when our fire was lighted,
we cooked upon the embers four yams and a few pistachios for supper,
and, after this frugal repast, we stretched ourselves on wet leaves
round the fire. As nearly as I can calculate, we had then travelled
twelve miles from Sofino, in an easterly direction, over a good, but
rather gravelly soil. The rain prevented me from using my sandals,
and I was forced to walk barefoot over the gravel which gave me great
pain. While I was lying by the fire, I could not help reflecting upon
the suffering and fatigues I should have to endure, if I continued my
journey during the season when the rain is perpetual; I thought also
of the danger there would have been in venturing through these woods
with no companion but Lamfia, who had proposed that I should do so,
and would very likely have plundered me without mercy. I had time,
in the silence of this vast wilderness, to indulge my melancholy
reflexions, which were interrupted only by the notes of some night
birds, and by the croaking of frogs. This was a dreadful night;
I got no sleep, and I thought that it would never be morning.
On the 17th of July, day-light at last appeared, dissipating the
vapours of the atmosphere, and reviving all nature. We ate some of
the roasted yams, which we had over from the preceding night, and
after this light meal we set off towards the east, and crossed a large
rivulet by a bridge that was nearly in ruins; every moment we were in
danger of falling into the water, but we got over in safety; it was
constructed on the same principle as that at Cambaya. The inundation
of this stream, the banks of which are well-wooded, covered all the
neighbouring country; the water was up to our knees, and we walked
with great pain, on account of the gravel which cut our feet.
In the course of the day we crossed eight large streams, which are
all tributaries to the Dhioliba. The soil is every where much the
same, but the country was rather less wooded than what we had seen
the evening before. We found plenty of nédés and cés, and I also
remarked some ferruginous stones. We travelled at a very quick pace,
and only halted when our porters were exhausted; we then ate a few
raw pistachio-nuts to refresh us. I had great difficulty to keep up to
this speed; fortunately, however, it did not rain that day. The road
was still so covered with water from yesterday’s rain, that I could
not wear my sandals; I suffered sadly from the gravel, and my left heel
was quite raw. At six in the evening we arrived thoroughly fatigued at
Diécoura, the first village of Wassoulo, surrounded with a wall eight
or ten feet high, and containing eight or nine hundred inhabitants.
We had travelled twenty-four miles, in an easterly direction, since
morning; and, finding ourselves in the Wassoulo territory, we bore to
the E.S.E. for six miles more, over a good soil, capable of producing
excellent crops. When we arrived at Diécoura, I sat down upon an
ox-hide, which had been spread under an orange-tree in front of our
hut. The inhabitants assembled in crowds to see me; they looked at me
with great curiosity, but did not teaze me with troublesome questions,
as the Mandingoes had done. They seemed to agree with the description
of them given by the inhabitants of Kankan, that is to say, to be
exceedingly mild in their manners. They are pagans. The men use large
pipes, with a tube as thick as a man’s little finger, and three feet
long; they are of earthenware, of a grey colour, and very well glazed;
the bowl is as big as a coffee-cup, and the designs upon them were so
well executed that I could scarcely believe that they had been made in
the country; the evidence was so strong, however, that I was at last
convinced. The inhabitants were very inquisitive, and wanted to know
who I was, and whither I was going; but they did not teaze me. They
are naturally lively, and amuse themselves under the great bombaces,
where I saw all the young people assembled; they had a band of music,
such as I had not before met with; twenty musicians were performing
at once, upon separate instruments, several of which were made
of wood, hollowed, and covered with sheep-skin. Mungo Park found a
similar musical instrument amongst the Mandingoes to the north of the
Dhioliba, which he describes as being made of an elephant’s tusk;
these, however, were of wood; they are twelve to fourteen inches long,
and in the shape of a very straight horn; at the narrow end there is a
hole on one side to blow into; and they produce very harmonious tones
with this instrument. They have also a great drum and a tambourine,
made of a small calabash, covered with sheep-skin, with iron rings
round the rim, which make an agreeable jingling. Two little negroes,
gaily dressed, with plumes on their heads, were jumping in cadence,
and accompanied the music by striking two pieces of iron together;
they were dressed almost like the little French tumblers.
The leaders of the band of musicians wore cloaks adorned with Guinea
fowl’s feathers, and they had ostrich plumes on their heads; many
of them were shaking, in cadence, a round calabash, with a handle six
inches long, and covered with net-work, containing some large beans,
which, in spite of the rattle they made, accompanied the music very
well. The musicians walked in a file, playing and moving in time; the
women and children followed, dancing and clapping their hands. I was
greatly amused with watching them, and their dance was free from all
indecency. They passed part of the night in this diversion; and the two
great drums produced a good effect. Since I had left the coast I had
met with nothing that pleased me so much as this scene; I was never
tired of their music, which seemed to me harmonious, although it had
in it something wild: it is worthy of the traveller’s attention. Our
host gave us a supper of boiled foigné, which was accompanied with
herbs, but rather unpalatable for want of salt and butter; we ate our
portion however with a very good appetite, for we had taken nothing
that day but a bit of yam and some pistachio-nuts. The saracolets
bought milk, and cooked their rice, which they invited me to share
with them.
Four days’ journey to the east of Diécoura is Morila, a village
surrounded with walls, where a market is held; and to the E.N.E. of
Morila is the town of Kankary, situated on a river, which runs to
the south and falls into the Dhioliba. This town belongs to the
Bambaras of Ségo, and has a considerable market. I obtained the
above information from the natives of the country.
My goods had gone forward with my guide, who went to Kimba to one of
his acquaintance, but I was so fatigued that I preferred sleeping in
the village to going any farther; we were to rejoin him the next day:
the absence of my baggage preventing me from paying my host, one of the
saracolets was so obliging as to discharge the debt with a few trinkets
of glass, and he would never afterwards allow me to reimburse him.
On the 18th of July, we took leave of our hosts at six in the morning,
and directed our course E.S.E. for about a mile. We crossed the Lin
in a canoe, so ill-contrived, that we thought it would have upset;
it was made of a crooked trunk of a tree, and was very narrow and
leaky; every time we stirred, it inclined so much that the water
came in over the gunwale. The Lin is a large stream from the south;
its current is rapid, and it falls into the Dhioliba. We travelled
another mile in the same direction, over a well-cultivated plain,
and I saw many labourers all around, who were hoeing the ground, and
seemed to break it up as thoroughly as our French vine-dressers; they
were not like the negro slaves of the Mandingoes, who just scratch
up the surface of the soil two or three inches deep, to clear it of
weeds: these men laboured in good earnest for a rich and plentiful
crop. They are well rewarded, for their rice, and every thing else
they cultivate, grows quicker and produces more abundantly than in
Kankan. I have seen them harvesting the foigné; it is cut with a
sickle, and, in many parts, they leave it on the ground exposed to
the rain; they commonly drive two rows of stakes into the ground,
and arrange the crop very skilfully between them, so that it has the
appearance of a palisade; straw is laid on the top to keep off the
rain, and they fetch the foigné from this store as they want it:
nobody ever thinks of plundering a magazine of this kind.
I have seen the negroes tilling the field from which a crop had just
been gathered in, to sow it afresh with another grain. The women were
occupied in clearing away the grass, and in weeding the beautiful
fields of rice with which the country is covered. The people are
industrious; they do not travel, but devote themselves to the labours
of the field, and I was astonished to find agriculture in such a state
of advancement in the interior of Africa: their land is as carefully
cultivated as ours, whether under the plough or not, according as
the position of the soil permits inundation. We arrived at the little
hamlet where my guide had rested; he gave me a very kind reception,
and said that he had been unhappy at my delay, and that he expected
me sooner; he had given his friend notice of my coming and of the
circumstances that occasioned my passage through their country. These
good negroes came to see me every day; they sat by me and looked at
me with curiosity; they were all very dirty and covered with rags,
but there was great sweetness in their countenances. They were not
annoying like the Mandingoes, but contented themselves with staring at
me, and saying to one another: “He is a white! what a good-looking
man he is!” One of them, the head of a family, made me a present of a
sheep, and in the course of the day, of a large calabash of new milk,
in which he had put some dégué, and which I thought delicious. I
offered to share it with my companions, who would not taste it, till
I had finished my meal; I did not expect so much delicacy from the
Mandingoes, for my guide was one.
I walked about in the neighbourhood of our habitation, and was
delighted with the good cultivation; the natives raise little mounds
of earth, in which they plant their pistachios and yams; and these
mounds are arranged with some taste, all of the same height and in
rows. Rice and millet are sown in trenches; as soon as the rainy season
commences they put in their seed around their habitations, and when
the maize is in flower they plant cotton between the rows. The maize
is ripe very early and they then pull it up to make room for the other
crop. If they do not plant cotton, they turn up the ground after the
maize is got in, and transplant the millet into it; a practice which
I never remarked in Kankan. I was surprised to see these good people
so laborious and careful; on every side, in the country, I saw men
and women weeding the fields. They grow two crops a year on the same
land; I have seen rice in ear, and other rice by its side scarcely
above the ground. The country is for the most part very open; the only
trees which are preserved by the husbandmen are the cé and the nédé;
these are very common and very useful to the inhabitants. I never saw,
as I have done in Fouta and Baléya, trees cut off four or five feet
from the ground; the Foulahs of Wassoulo are careful to take up the
roots, and leave nothing in their fields that can be injurious. In
short, as I said before, they are as careful in their husbandry as
our own farmers. I had many visiters all day long; the weather was
stormy, and in the evening there was much lightning in the south,
and a high wind from the S.W.; rain fell in torrents during part of
the night, and the thunder was tremendously loud. In the evening my
companions fell to work to kill the sheep which had been given to me,
and we had a pretty good supper. Many of the Foulahs took leave of
us to go to the market at Morila.
On the 19th of July, at nine in the morning, we left Kimba; our
host’s son served us as a guide. We travelled a mile to the south,
and crossed a wide river, which was running from west to east, at
the rate of two knots and a half an hour; in this place it was eight
or nine feet deep; its banks which are rather high and barren, are
composed of grey argillaceous earth, and in some parts of red earth
mixed with small gravel. I inquired the name of this river, and nobody
could inform me what it was; at last an old woman told me that it was
the Sarano, and that is the same which passes by Kankary. We crossed
in a very long and very narrow canoe, which leaked as if it had been
a basket; I was not particularly well pleased to find myself in the
middle of the river in this frail bark, from which we were continually
baling out the water with a calabash: my guide Arafanba stood up in
the boat and sang prayers out of the Koran with a loud voice; he was
no doubt praying that God would grant us a safe passage. About eleven
o’clock we reached the right bank, without any other damage than
getting some of our things wet. We continued our route to the south,
over a grey sand full of gravel. The surrounding country, which is very
well cultivated, is inundated and covered with nédés and cés; we saw
the rice in flag with its head just above the water. After proceeding
for four miles in this direction, mid-leg in water, we halted at a
neat village, where, for a few strings of beads, we bought milk and
nédé flour which we mixed with it for our dinner; after which we
proceeded two miles further to the south. We came again to the Sarano,
which we had just crossed; at some little distance from its right
bank is a range of hills of no great height, formed of earth and red
porous rock. In this part the width of the river is considerable, and
its course from south to north. We continued in the same direction for
four miles. I perceived some fine fields of rice in ear, and a number
of young herdsmen tending their cattle; they had flageolets of bamboo,
with which they produced very harmonious sounds. Proceeding along
the bank of the river, we reached Mauracé a little before sun-set;
a hut was assigned to us, and the hospitable chief sent up a supper
of foigné, with an unpleasant dish of herbs without salt.
On the 20th of July, at eight in the morning, we bade adieu to our
host; we travelled eleven miles to the S.E. Throughout the whole
country, which is very open, are small hamlets of ten or twelve houses,
shaded by nédés and cés; the surrounding land is well cultivated,
and I saw some fine fields of cotton; upon the whole, less attention
is paid to the cultivation of that article in these parts, than to any
other; they sow broad-cast, and the plants stand so close together,
that they have not room to grow. About half past one, we halted under
the shade of some nédés, near a hamlet, the inhabitants of which
came to sell us milk and the fruit of the nédé, which we ate in
haste, and then continued our route to the S.S.E. for three miles,
over a gravelly soil, on which it was very painful walking, for my
feet were extremely sore. We proceeded through a plain diversified
by a few hillocks and rising grounds, which have no general influence
upon the uniformity of the soil, and crossed a large rivulet, where I
saw some bombaces and baobabs, intermingled with the nédé and the
cé. The day was stormy; we halted at Kandiba, a neat little hamlet
overshadowed by nédés. A hut was allotted to me and my guide, and
another to the rest of my companions; in our’s we had some foigné
straw, which served us for a bed. All the inhabitants of the village
and neighbourhood came to see me in the course of the evening, and
lighted wisps of straw to have a better view of me; they formed a
circle round me, were quite delighted to see me, and paid me many
compliments, which my modesty will not permit me to repeat; they
appeared very gentle and sprightly. The chief sent us a supper.
On the 21st of July, at nine in the morning, we continued our journey,
towards the east, for twelve miles, over a gravelly soil, in some
parts varied by a very productive red earth. We crossed a stream
on the most incommodious bridge I had yet seen, for it was only a
tree, the branches of which hung over the rivulet; my companions,
who had loads on their heads, tottered every instant, but we had the
good fortune to cross without any mishap. At two in the afternoon,
we halted at Sigala, a little village where the prince of Wassoulo
resides; my guide introduced me to his presence; a man went before
to announce us, and we were permitted to enter his hut, where we
found him lying by the side of his dog: the animal, which was of a
long-eared species, with a sharp nose, and red hair, did not seem
pleased with our visit, for he growled much when we approached him;
his master pacified him, and we took our seat near the prince, on
his ox-hide. My guide told him that I had been taken prisoner by the
christians, and that I was returning to my native land; that I had
been very well received in all Fouta, and that the prince of Kankan
recommended me to his care. Baramisa seemed very well disposed towards
me; he appeared very lively, and addressed many questions to Arafanba,
who said, in order to please him, that though I did not know him, I
often asked about him on the way, and wanted to see him, with which
he seemed flattered. I remarked in his hut a tin tea-pot, a copper
dish, and many other vessels of the same metal. From the antique
form of these vessels, I guessed that they might be Portuguese. The
tea-pot was oval, and supported upon a circular rim at the foot;
the handle, which projected a good deal, rose higher than the lid
and the lid itself was crowned with a knob, which ended in a point at
the top. The dishes were round, like those of pewter, used in Europe;
a copper bowl, with a handle and a round pedestal, served to keep his
colat-nuts cool. Baramisa had a large gold ear-ring in his right ear,
and none in his left; he takes snuff, and smokes, like his subjects,
and is not a whit more cleanly; his hut was hung round with bows,
arrows, quivers, and lances, two horse saddles, and a great straw
hat. I did not perceive any gun. Our visit was short; we returned to
the hut allotted to us, and the prince soon afterwards sent a calabash
of milk and _dégué_, which he begged me to accept: I dispatched it
with my companions. Baramisa sent for me again, and I went with my
guide; he received me in his stable, where he was sitting upon an
ox-hide, near a beautiful horse; he made us sit down by his side,
and gave me some colat-nuts, which he had put into a copper vessel,
with a little water. In our presence he distributed among some of his
women a quantity of yams, which had just been dug up. This prince of
Wassoulo is reckoned to be very rich in gold and slaves; his subjects
often present him with cattle: his wives are numerous, and they have
their separate huts, which form together a little village. Before you
reach the residence of the prince, you have to pass through several
large courts, surrounded with mud walls, and kept very clean. His
dwelling is as simple as that of any of his subjects; consisting only
of a few round huts, with mud walls; on the outside of these walls,
a few stakes are driven into the ground to support the timber work,
which is like a pigeon house, and covered with straw; the ground-plot
of these huts may be fifty or fifty-five feet in circumference, and
they are twelve or fourteen feet high. The environs of this little
village are well cultivated, and abounding in pistachios, rice, yams,
maize, and a thousand other useful productions. I saw, for the first
time since I left the coast, a few specimens of the _rhamnus lotus_,
mentioned by Mungo Park. The prince sent us a pretty good supper of
rice, cooked with sour milk, and added a little salt, by way of a
luxury; we had rain all the evening, and the air was damp and cool.
On the 22nd of July, about nine in the morning, we took leave of
Baramisa, making him a present of a little gunpowder, and a few
glass trinkets for his women. We travelled to the S.E.; the soil,
though full of small gravel, is well cultivated; cés and nédés
we saw in abundance. After we had proceeded about thirteen miles,
we crossed a large stream, upon a tottering bridge; the country is
for the most part very open, and, from time to time, I saw a few
small hills of porous red stone. We halted, at five in the afternoon,
at Fila-Dougon, which is the last village of the Wassoulo territory,
towards the east. The kind inhabitants gave us their own suppers, for
we had eaten nothing that day. The Foulahs came in great numbers to
see us; I showed them my umbrella, which they thought little less than
miraculous, not understanding how it was possible that I could open
and shut it at pleasure. Our fore-court was not clear all the evening,
and many of them even came late at night, with wisps of lighted straw,
which amused me extremely; they all exclaimed, with a smile when they
saw me, “How white he is!” and then they repeated the compliments
I had received over-night, adding, “We never yet saw so white a
man.” They inquired of my guide, whether the colour of my skin
was natural; for these simple and quiet creatures, who never travel,
have no idea of white men, beyond what they may happen to pick up from
the Mandingo traders, who traverse their country. They are so frank,
inoffensive, and hospitably generous to strangers, that, I think a
christian might travel undisguised among them without encountering
the slightest difficulty.