Abode at Timé. — Weekly market. — The traveller falls seriously
ill of the scurvy. — Is nursed by a negress. — Rainy season. —
The author prevented from joining the caravan departing for Jenné. —
Fertility of the neighbourhood of Timé. — Desperate condition of
the traveller. — His recovery after four months’ illness. —
Description of a funeral.
My guide conducted me to the residence of his brother, who was
from home; but a good old negress, who, judging from her wrinkled
countenance, must have been sixty years of age, received me into
her hut. She spread a bullock’s hide upon the ground for me to
sit on, and gave me some soup, consisting of herbs stewed in milk,
and seasoned with salt; I could not eat much, for I was feverish and
had shivering fits. I lay down on a mat near the fire (it was the old
negress’s bed) and fell asleep; but the master of the house arrived,
and I was soon roused. He appeared very kind, and gave me some yams,
to which he had taken care to add some salt. He then took my bag,
saying he would conduct me to the chief of the village, a venerable
old man of the tribe of the Bambaras, but professing the religion of
Mahomet. The chief received me very well, and made me sit down on
a bullock’s hide, near a good fire, which kept his hut free from
damp. The brother of my guide, who had conducted me to the chief,
was his son. The old man informed me that I must remain with him
until the departure of the caravan, which was shortly to set out
for Jenné. I therefore returned to the humble dwelling of Baba’s
old mother. Alas! little did I think how long I was doomed to be her
guest. I gave the good old negress a piece of raw meat, of which the
chief had made me a present on my visit to him, and requested her to
cook it for my supper. On tasting it I discovered it to be the flesh of
the wild boar. I manifested some repugnance to eating it, and began to
fear I should compromise myself; but my young guide from Sambatikila,
who was less scrupulous, advised me to follow his example, assuring
me that the meat was very good. The Mandingoes, notwithstanding their
superstition, do not scruple to eat the flesh of the wild boar, though
expressly forbidden in the Koran. My host sent me for supper some yams
with a fowl, which he had just killed as a treat for us on our arrival.
On the 4th of August, the chief of the village came to see me, and
brought me some colat-nuts and yams for my supper. The caravan was
preparing to depart for Jenné, and my foot was not yet healed. The
rains were incessant. I had to pass through a country intersected with
rivers and large streams, which at this season overflow their banks,
and marshes flooded with water. All this would of course render the
journey dangerous and disagreeable. I reflected leisurely what plan I
should adopt. I thought that with my wounded foot, which was getting
worse and worse, I should incur the risk of being left on the road,
or perishing in the marshes; for the Bambaras, who are an idolatrous
people, would not willingly have allowed me to stay among them,
and would probably have robbed me of all I possessed. I therefore
determined to let the caravan depart without me, thinking it best to
pass the month of August at Timé, and even to remain there until
my recovery. I informed my host of my resolution, telling him that
I would make him a present of a beautiful piece of coloured cloth
and a pair of scissors, with which he appeared very well pleased. I
was informed that there was a market once a week in the village,
where I might purchase any provisions I wanted. The Bambaras of this
part of Africa, which must be traversed in proceeding to Jenné, are
poor and wretched. They do not trade beyond their own country. Not
having joined the standard of the Prophet, they cannot travel but
at the risk of being captured and made slaves. They are in general
indolent. Their soil, unlike that of the Foulahs of the Wassoulo, is
ill cultivated, and their villages are disgustingly dirty. Their food
is very bad; they eat all sorts of animals, dogs, cats, rats, mice,
serpents and lizards; nothing escapes their voracity. They cultivate
a little cotton, which they exchange with the Mandingoes for salt. I
observed weaving in some of their villages; but they make little cloth,
scarcely enough to clothe themselves, for they go almost naked. They
may have as many wives as their means enable them to support. They
have but few slaves, and are always armed with bows and arrows.
These people are governed by a multitude of petty independent chiefs,
who often go to war with each other. In short, they are in a savage
state, compared with the nations which follow the religion of the
Prophet. They have no idea of the dignity of man. If I had been obliged
to remain among them, my merchandise would have roused their cupidity,
and being unrestrained by any sort of fear, they would probably have
robbed me without scruple. Among the Musulmans, on the contrary,
I was protected by the shield of Mahomet. In the little village of
Timé I found every thing very abundant. The market, which is held
once a week, enabled me to procure any thing. This market is supplied
by the Bambaras of the neighbourhood, who come hither to dispose of
the surplus of their provisions. Among other living things they bring
fish, which they catch in the streams that water their plains.
On the 5th of August, the Mandingo merchants, who intended to set
off for Jenné, put fresh leaves to their colats, to keep them damp,
and counted them all over. They are also in the habit of damping them
with water to preserve them.
On the 6th the caravan set off in a torrent of rain. The travellers
about fifteen or twenty in number, both male and female, carried each
of them on their heads a load of three thousand five hundred colats,
a weight which I could scarcely lift. They bring back, on their return,
salt in the form of loaves or flat cakes. The inhabitants assured me
that the value in salt of three thousand five hundred colats, when
brought back to Timé, was the price of two slaves; but the profit,
as I subsequently ascertained, is not considerable; for great expenses
are incurred on the road, not only for subsistence, but also for
duties of transit. The price of the colats, a fruit which does not
grow in this country, varies considerably. On returning from these
journeys, the traders travel far into the south to procure colats,
with salt and cloth, which they manufacture with cotton purchased
from the Bambaras, and spun by their women.
On the 17th of August, Baba gave me a large hut to live in. Here I
installed myself as well as I could. A mat spread on the damp ground,
over which I laid my cotton wrapper, was the only furniture of the
place. This hut also served as a warehouse and contained yams and rice.
On the 8th, I found myself very ill in consequence of the badness
of the food, and I had an attack of fever. I took a few doses of
sulphate of quinine, which had the effect of abating the fever for
a few days. My host seemed much concerned at my indisposition. He
searched through some old books which contained verses of the Koran,
and brought me a scrap of paper well fumigated on which was written
a charm in Arabic characters, assuring me that it was an excellent
remedy for the disorder under which I was suffering. He directed me
to copy it on a little piece of wood which he brought me; then, to
wash off the writing with some water which I was to drink: he observed
that this would to a certainty relieve me. To please him I copied the
writing as he directed and when he was gone washed the bit of board;
but instead of drinking the water I threw it away, which had quite as
good an effect, for next day I found myself tolerably well. My host,
of course, attributed my amendment to the efficacy of his remedy. I
often received visits from the Mandingoes of the village. They were as
troublesome as those of the Kankan, asking me continually for paper,
powder, and various other things. The women tormented me for glass
trinkets. They thought my skin very white, laughed at the length of
my nose, and played me some childish tricks. In short, I agreed very
well with the inhabitants of Timé, and was tolerably comfortable,
with the exception of their food, which was detestable, chiefly on
account of the want of salt. However, I purchased a little salt for
my own use, and by degrees I became accustomed to the simple mode of
living in this country.
On the 14th of August, the chief came to visit me. He begged me to
write him an amulet, and in order to render the grigri or charm the
more efficacious he made me a present of a kid. The amulet which
he wished to have was to preserve him from diseases in general:
I promised to exert all my skill to satisfy him. It would have been
imprudent to refuse what he asked; for, in spite of the precaution I
had taken of telling him that I had left my country extremely young,
he imagined that I could speak and write Arabic very well. Five or
six Mandingoes of the village immediately seized the kid and skinned
it. They took care to reserve for themselves the stomach of the animal,
which they put on the fire and broiled without taking the trouble
to wash it. They shared this dainty morsel with some persons whom
curiosity attracted round them. They were very expeditious and had
soon cut up the kid; and without ever asking my leave on the subject,
they made presents of small pieces to the neighbours and relations of
my host; for in this country meat is a great luxury and is only eaten
on festival days. The people eat the flesh of goats and sheep only,
for they have no bullocks. The negroes gave the old chief a shoulder
of the kid for his supper, and the remainder was reserved for me and
Baba’s family. Baba asked me what I intended to do with the skin
of the animal. I consigned it to his disposal, and he immediately
went and exchanged it for a lump of salt to season our meat, which
was boiled in a large pot, and was destined to be kept for several
days. The old negress, named Manman, a name very common throughout
all the country, performed the office of cook. This good creature was
very kind and attentive to me. She brought me herself twice a-day a
little rice and tau, the food which composed all my meals. I gave
my host a pair of scissors, with which he appeared much pleased:
it was an article of great rarity and high price at Timé.
On the 15th, I went to thank the chief for his present and gave
him the amulet, which he received very gratefully. He immediately
wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, which he rubbed over with wax
and then enclosed it in another envelope, consisting of a piece of
tanned sheep-skin. He tied this precious object with a little piece
of string and hung it round his neck. He overwhelmed me with thanks
and wished me a speedy return to my country.
The sore on my foot, instead of healing, grew worse. The month
of August continued stormy: the rain poured down day and night:
the sky was cloudy and the air heavy and cool. At intervals an east
wind blew and was followed by a small, cold rain. The sun but rarely
appeared. My hut was exceedingly damp. The water filtered through the
wall which was made of earth and very thin. I was in a continual vapour
bath and frequently ill, owing to the insalubrity of the air and the
inconvenience of my new dwelling, in which I could not kindle a fire
on account of the intolerable smoke. Throughout all the interior of
Africa, the negroes never make chimneys. They kindle their fires in
the middle of their huts, and leave the smoke to find its way through
the roofs, which are in consequence thickly lined with soot.
During the rainy season, the Mandingoes scarcely ever go out of
doors. They lie all day in their huts beside a great fire, and
sometimes make coussabes to amuse themselves. When any circumstance
obliges them to go out, they wear a kind of clogs with wooden soles
two inches and a half thick, which keep their feet dry. The women
pursue their occupations, going out to procure wood and water without
any regard to the state of the weather. They never wear any covering
on their feet whether the ground be wet or dry.
I intended to set out about the end of August; but at that time another
sore much larger than the first broke out on the same foot, I suffered
considerable pain, and my foot was so swelled that I could not walk. I
begged the old negress to procure me some baobab leaves. She boiled
them, and I made them into a poultice which I applied to my foot. This
allayed the inflammation, and in the course of two days I found myself
better. Having no rags for dressing the sore, I was obliged to use
for that purpose pieces of the cotton which formed my turban. The old
negress did not approve of this: she alleged that it would be better
to dispense with the poultices than to destroy such a beautiful piece
of cloth. The baobab leaves soon reduced the swelling of my foot; but
the sore still continued as large as ever, being twice the size of a
six-franc piece. I dressed it with lint which I had already used, and
though I washed it, it was not very clean and did me no good. My host,
who sympathised in my misfortune, sent one of his slaves to procure a
root, which I recognized as having a caustic quality. He boiled it in
water until it became tolerably soft, and then bruised a piece with
a stone, and made a sort of salve of it. The first day he attended
me himself: after washing the wound with the water of the decoction,
he spread upon it some of the unctuous paste produced by the root, and
then, instead of rag, he bound over it a leaf having a strong aromatic
smell. On the following days, the old negress dressed my foot morning
and evening, and she often consoled me with the hope of a speedy
cure. In gratitude for her attention I made her a present of a piece
of coloured cloth, which pleased her exceedingly. She had probably
never before possessed any thing so beautiful; her son presently came
to thank me, and very seriously asked me who had made the flowers
on the cloth. I smiled at his simplicity, and told him that it had
been made by the whites. He answered, still preserving his gravity,
that he thought none but God could have made any thing so beautiful.
I remained a month in my hut, constantly lying on the damp ground,
for I was unable to walk, though I did not suffer very great
pain. The month of September seemed to promise a return of fine
weather; but appearances were delusive. The rains, to be sure,
were not so incessant, but we regularly had rain every day, until
October, when it became less frequent. The rain, which poured in
torrents, always set in with hurricanes, blowing from the east and
south-east. In proportion as the rain diminished the heat increased,
and the air became more salubrious. My foot got better, and I hoped
to set off about the end of the month. It may well be imagined that I
looked forward to the period of my departure with no little anxiety,
and notwithstanding all the kindness that I experienced from my old
nurse, I was impatient for the moment when I might have the pleasure
of bidding her farewell. On market-days I gave her glass trinkets
to purchase my weekly supply of rice and foigné, which she made
her son’s wives cook for me. She herself brought me twice a day a
portion of tau and rice in a wooden platter, and in a little earthen
vessel soup made of herbs or pistachio-nuts, to which I added a little
salt and vegetable butter, without which these messes would have been
scarcely eatable. For a few glass beads, I readily procured vegetable
butter, called in the country _cé-toulou_, which, though collected
in abundance, is not much eaten by the inhabitants, as they prefer
selling it. This butter is tolerably good; but it is necessary to
cook it with the food with which it is eaten, otherwise its flavour
is not very agreeable. The natives use it for pains and sores. I have
seen in the country a tree, which like the cé produces a butyraceous
substance; it is called by the natives _taman_. The butter of this
tree is of a yellow colour, like ours. It is firm, notwithstanding
the heat of the climate, and does not contract any bad flavour. I
liked it better than the butter of the cé, which is less firm, and
of an ash colour. However, the natives assured me that the produce of
the cé is more wholesome than that of the taman, and I saw many who
would not eat the latter, alleging that it made them ill. For my part,
I frequently ate it and never experienced any bad effect from it.
The Mandingoes of this part of Africa have more resources for food
than the negroes who inhabit the neighbourhood of the Senegal, who
have, in fact nothing but millet. Their food too is better cooked,
and, excepting salt, which they have a great deal of trouble to
obtain, they possess all that is necessary for supporting life; yams,
maize, rice, honey, foigné, beans, giraumons, and pistachios, grow
abundantly in this happy land: on the Senegal, on the other hand,
all these things are wanting, though salt is easily procured. The
expence of cultivation in this part of the country is low. The slaves
merely break up the surface of earth, to destroy the weeds, and the
seed is then sown. In planting yams, the ground is trenched up, for
the root does not thrive well in a level soil. Every thing grows here
very rapidly. The soil, which is composed of excellent black sandy
mould, is fertilized alternately by the rains and the tropical heat,
not less than by the numerous streams which wind through every part
of the country; thus the land rewards with interest the labour of
the husbandman. The foigné, which is sown during the month of May,
is gathered in July. This grain is very useful to the negroes, for it
often happens that their supplies of provisions are not sufficient
to last them till the following year. They might make two harvests
in the course of the year, as is done in Wassoulo, if they were not
too indolent. The foigné is abundant throughout the whole of the
south. The women take great pains in separating it from extraneous
matters. They expose the grain to the heat of the sun, after which
they put it into a mortar and clear it from the chaff, which requires
considerable time and trouble. The bran is afterwards extracted in
the same way, as on the Senegal; the foigné is then pounded a second
time, and when the grain is thoroughly cleared, it appears white and
of about the coarseness of gunpowder. It is next washed and drained
through a basket, in which it is allowed to remain until it swells
a little. After this it is again consigned to the mortar, and a few
strokes of the pestle suffice to reduce it to flour. If it were not
wetted, the process of trituration would require longer time. The
flour thus produced is made into a sort of pudding or paste called tau,
which is the sangleh of the negroes of the Senegal. When this tau is
baked it is put into a calabash, and seasoned with a sauce made of
giraumon leaves, various herbs, and allspice; a little gombo is also
added to render it glutinous, but neither salt nor butter is used in
this sauce. The yams are cooked in a different manner. They are first
boiled, and then pounded, and they are eaten with a sauce composed of
dried fish reduced to powder, a little gombo, allspice, and zambala,
or nédé seeds boiled, dried, and pulverized; which gives them a
very agreeable flavour. Though the nédé seeds are very abundant in
this country, yet the women use them but sparingly in their cookery,
because, to preserve them all the year, they must be steeped in brine,
and salt is scarce in this part of Africa. In general the sauces are
strongly seasoned with allspice. At meal-times the guests assemble
round the dish, and each in his turn takes a handful of yams, rolls
it up in his hand, makes a hole in it with his thumb, and dips it into
the sauce. When the rice is well cleaned and boiled in water, the cook
adds to it a sauce made of pistachios and leaves of Guinea sorrel,
but no salt. This article being expensive is used only at festivities,
or on occasion of the visits of strangers of consequence. The people
themselves are so accustomed to dispense with it, that they cannot
feel the want of it as a great privation. Yet they invariably use a
little salt whenever they eat meat, and I have heard them say that
they would rather postpone their entertainments for a few days than go
without salt. When they kill a kid or a sheep, they collect several
of their neighbours, but they do not feast together. Each carries
away his share to regale himself with his family at home.
The inhabitants of Timé are Mandingoes, and they all make journeys to
Jenné. I inquired of them the distance from one city to the other,
to ascertain whether they agree on this point with the people of
Sambatikila. They all assured me that I required two months to go,
and two months to return; but that they could only make two journeys
in the course of the year, because they were obliged to travel to
Teuté and Cani, a fortnight’s journey to the south of Jenné,
to purchase their colats. I also learned that the inhabitants of
those villages themselves go very far to the south, to a place called
Toman, to procure these colats. On their return they cover them with
leaves, and then bury them under ground to preserve them. This fruit
may be kept fresh for nine or ten months by taking the precaution
to renew the leaves. The colat-tree flourishes in the south; it
is very abundant in the Kissi, the Couranco, the Sangaran and the
Kissi-kissi. It is a general article of trade in the interior; for
the inhabitants, having no kind of fruits, highly esteem the colat,
and, indeed, regard it as a sort of luxury. Old men who have lost
their teeth reduce the colats to powder by means of a small grater,
consisting merely of a bit of tin in which they make holes very close
together. The Bambaras are very fond of the colats; but as they have
not facility for going to the country where they grow, they purchase
them with cotton and other produce of their agricultural industry.
The colat-tree resembles the plum-tree in size and form. The leaves
are alternate, and about twice as broad as those of the plum; the
flower, which is small and white, has a polypetalous corolla; the
fruit is covered with a brownish yellow husk or rind, within which
is a pulp, which is at first pink or white; but which, on attaining
full maturity acquires a greenish hue. The same tree bears fruit of
both colours. The colat-nut is of the size of the chesnut, and of
the same degree of hardness. At first it appears to have a bitter
taste; but after it is swallowed it leaves a sweet flavour, which the
negroes like very much. A glass of water taken immediately after one
of these colat nuts, has the effect of having been sugared. The nut
easily splits in two without changing its colour; but if one of the
two halves be broken and exposed for a moment to the air, the pulp
which was previously pink, or white, becomes of a rust colour.
I wished to ascertain the distance from Jenné to Timbuctoo; but
nobody could give me any positive information on the subject. The
inhabitants seemed to think it immense. Their journeys being merely
commercial speculations, they pay little attention to geography, and
very often they do not even know the names of the villages which they
pass through. The negroes in this part of Africa are not so hospitable
as those on the north of the Dhioliba, or even in the neighbourhood of
the Senegal. They are generous only among themselves, and if they shew
any kindness to strangers it is merely from motives of interest. This
I attribute to the numerous caravans which are continually passing
through their country, for, if they were to receive and entertain all
the strangers who visit them, they would soon be ruined. The merchants
purchase their provisions, and get them cooked by the women who follow
the caravans. These negroes dress precisely in the same way as those
who inhabit the regions further to the north. The dress of the women
differs only in the mode of arranging their hair. They generally have
their heads uncovered. Some plat their hair and fasten glass beads at
the end of each tress; others have merely a tuft of hair at each side
of the head; sometimes they take a piece of cotton of the manufacture
of the country, about three yards long, and roll it round their heads,
bringing it very forward upon the forehead.
About the end of October the rains ceased entirely, the days became
exceedingly hot and the nights cool. I observed that the negroes
are all extremely subject to take cold, which I attribute to their
habit of lying near a great fire in their huts, and then going out
thinly clad. My host Baba, who, during the first month of my abode
at Timé, had paid me great attention, no doubt on account of the
pretty presents which I had made him, began to neglect me. When I
was long without giving him any thing, he was constantly begging of
me and manifesting his ill-humour. On the other hand I was tormented
by the women, who came in crowds to ask me for glass beads. I was at
once an object of curiosity and aversion to them. They ridiculed my
gestures and my words, and went about the village mimicking me and
repeating what I said. Their gossip attracted fresh visiters to my
hut; in short, from morning till night they were before my door,
and when I went out I was followed by a troop of women who called
after me in their own language—“The Arab is not good, he does
not give us any thing”—(_Larab-magné atemo-oço_). Sometimes
I got rid of them by giving them a few glass beads; but they soon
renewed their attack. During the first month I was not molested
in this way; but, when they became better acquainted with me,
they grew intolerably troublesome. My sore foot was the object of
their ridicule, and the difficulty I experienced in walking excited
their immoderate laughter. Such are the beings among whom I was
obliged to live. Their treatment of me arose not so much from any
bad feeling as from stupidity and ignorance, for they are little
better than savages. When I occasionally asked such of the women
as most tormented me for water, they would hasten to fetch it for
me. The men were not more hospitable than the women. If they did not
amuse themselves at my expense they reproached me for giving them
nothing. I told them that I had a long journey to perform before I
could reach Mecca, and that the little stock of merchandise which I
had would, perhaps, be insufficient to pay my expenses thither, in
which case I should be unable to proceed. They did not appear to be
moved by these representations, but, pointing to my woollen wrapper
and my leather bag, they said—“Look there, you have a wrapper
and a bag full of stuff and different merchandise. The Arab does not
give us any thing; he is not good”—(_Mi casa fani abeyan nanfoulo
abé. Larab featemo—oço amagné_.) They entertain extravagant ideas
of the wealth of the whites, and even of the Arabs, whom they rank in
the same class; and hence they conclude that a white man travelling
through their country ought to make them liberal presents. I saw a
Mandingo of the village, who had been several times at Gambia and
at Albreda. He spoke of a Mr. Waterman, a merchant at Gambia, and
of M. Jaffrot, of Albreda. He complained bitterly of the want of
generosity shewn by the whites, who, he said, had large warehouses
full of merchandise and yet gave away very little. This negro excited
the curiosity of his countrymen, who assembled round him to hear him
describe the wonders which he had seen on the coast. To convey to
his hearers an idea of the large size of the houses of the whites,
he compared them to ten or twelve mosques like that of Kankan,
which, as I have already mentioned is a square unsightly building,
capable of containing about three hundred persons. He described in
glowing terms the way in which the Europeans dress and eat, which
greatly astonished the simple negroes, who imagined that there were
no other dresses than theirs in the world, and that the custom of
eating with the fingers was universal. When I first arrived at Timé,
I was frequently visited by a negro who asked me a thousand questions
respecting the way in which I had been fed by the christians. He
used to seat himself very close to me, and often upon my baggage,
and on my manifesting displeasure at this, he withdrew somewhat out
of humour, declaring that I was a christian. He, doubtless, hoped to
make me purchase his silence on this subject; but as he was the only
one who troubled me in this way, I was resolved that he should gain
nothing by his insolence. I was a stranger, but under the protection
of the almamy of Sambatikila, which, I suppose, inspired a sort
of respect. The old negress continued very attentive to me, and I
therefore promised to make her a handsome present at my departure,
and in the mean time, I occasionally gave her a few glass ornaments.
By the 10th of November the sore in my foot was almost healed,
and I hoped to profit by the first opportunity of setting out for
Jenné. But, alas! at that very time, violent pains in my jaw informed
me that I was attacked with scurvy, and I soon experienced all the
horrors of that dreadful disease: the roof of my mouth became quite
bare, a part of the bones exfoliated and fell away, and my teeth seemed
ready to drop out of their sockets. I feared that my brain would be
affected by the agonizing pains I felt in my head, and I was more than
a fortnight without sleep. To crown my misery, the sore in my foot
broke out afresh, and all hope of my departure vanished. The horror
of my situation may be more easily imagined than described,—alone,
in the interior of a wild country, stretched on the damp ground,
with no pillow but the leather bag which contained my luggage, with no
medicine and no attendant but Baba’s old mother. This good creature
brought me twice a-day a little rice-water, which she forced me to
drink; for I could eat nothing. I was soon reduced to a skeleton,
and my situation was so deplorable that at length I excited pity even
in those who were least disposed to feel for me.
Suffering had deprived me of all energy. One thought alone absorbed
my mind—that of death. I wished for it, and I prayed for it to God,
in whom I reposed all my confidence, not in the hope of cure, for
that I had relinquished; but in the hope of another and a happier
state. This was the only consolation I experienced during my long
sufferings, and for that I was indebted to the religious principles
which I had imbibed during the numerous adversities of my wandering
life: for, we are so constituted that it is often only in misfortune,
and when bereft of friends, that we turn for consolation to that God
who never withholds it.
At length, after six weeks of indescribable suffering, during which
time I subsisted solely on boiled rice and water, I began to feel
better and to reflect on what was passing around me. I scarcely ever
saw Baba. I could easily perceive that I was a trouble to him and
his family, and that they were tired of the burthen of a man who was
continually ill. The presents which I had been obliged to make them
every now and then were rapidly exhausting my means, and my baggage
was becoming so scanty that I feared I should not have sufficient
merchandise to complete my journey; for, ill as I was, I did not now
renounce the idea of continuing it. I would rather have died on the
road than have returned without making more important discoveries. I
reflected on the best means of proceeding to the Niger, where I might
hope to embark for Timbuctoo, the mysterious city which was the object
of all my curiosity. I never for a moment reproached myself for the
resolution which had brought me to these deserts, where I had suffered
so much misery. I saw with regret the fine season advancing. The roads
were passable and the marshes dried up, and every thing concurred to
make me regret the time I was losing at Timé. Finding that I did not
get better, Baba was moved with compassion and came to see me. He sat
down by me, and, after inquiring how I was, he told me that he would
bring me an old woman who understood my disorder. I thanked him for
his kindness. The old woman came: she examined me attentively, and
consoled me by saying that she would give me a medicine which would
do me good, and that I should soon be quite well. She added that my
disorder was common in the country, and that people who were attacked
by it lost all their teeth if remedies were not promptly applied.
She commenced her treatment by forbidding me to eat meat or salt,
or even to drink the rice-water with which the old negress had
supplied me. In the evening, she brought in the corner of her pagne
some pieces of red wood: this she boiled in water, with which she
desired me to wash my mouth several times a day. I punctually obeyed
her directions. The water was very acrid and had the effect of a strong
astringent. However, I experienced but little relief. My cure promised
to be very slow, and I felt no symptoms of convalescence until about
the 13th of December. The sore on my foot, to which I had applied a
diachylon plaster healed with my improving health. The weather was
fine. The wind blew frequently from the N.E. and sometimes from the
north. I went every day, supported on a stick, to take the air and
amuse myself at the banancoro, a place, which, as I have already
stated, is the rendezvous of idlers. Here it is shaded by large
bombaces. The old men resort thither to spend a portion of the day,
not to smoke like the Bambaras, for the inhabitants of Timé do not
smoke, though they take a great deal of snuff. They amuse themselves
by talking about trade and their former journeys. The young people
also assemble there to dance all night.
I bought some fowls, as I wished to have food at once wholesome and
succulent. The old negress cooked the fowls with a little rice. My
appetite and strength gradually returned, and I was soon able to walk
without a stick. I now anxiously looked forward for an opportunity
to depart; but, as it might be some time before such an opportunity
should occur, I thought it advisable to look out for a guide to
conduct me to Tangrera, a large town which, the natives informed me,
was ten days’ journey from Timé, in the direction of E.N.E. From
Tangrera caravans of Mandingo merchants frequently go to Jenné, Ségo,
Sansanding, and Yamina. I had considerable difficulty in procuring a
guide, though there were in the village numbers of idle Mandingoes,
who spent the whole day in gossipping at the banancoro. At length,
I found one who promised to accompany me, but only, within two days
of Tangrera, which I thought I might easily reach by joining a party
of merchants on the road. I promised my guide a little iron saucepan,
to which he had taken a great fancy, and which I generally used for
my ablutions. He was also to have a pair of scissors, a yard and a
half of beautiful coloured cloth, and two sheets of paper. However,
on the day appointed for our departure, he found some excuse for
absenting himself. I saw that he was trifling with me, and I was
obliged to put off my journey till another day. Baba continued to
behave very ill and often spoke harshly to me. He seldom came to my
hut, and when I bought any thing he contrived to make me pay more than
its value, for the people who sold me provisions were his relations
or friends. I have also one reproach to make against the old negress,
who, in other respects, behaved very well to me. On market days I gave
her some glass ornaments to purchase my weekly supply of grain; but she
always discovered that there was too little. To satisfy them, I ought
to have provided sufficient for their maintenance as well as mine.
One day Baba informed me that his brother, who had departed in the
preceding August, had come home, and that he was gone to Teuté
to procure colats, with the intention of returning immediately to
Jenné. He told me I might go with him. I learned this news with
considerable pleasure. This was about the end of December. Baba had
received from his brother some salt, of which he made little presents
to his neighbours and his wives. The latter came immediately to sell
it to me for glass beads. Baba sent his youngest brother with some
loaves of salt to Kany, to purchase colats and to barter them for
goats or sheep.
I experienced fresh annoyances from Baba. He stole my salt to give it
to his horse, which was not worth his keep. Nothing could persuade
these people that I was not rich. In spite of the privations which
I imposed upon myself, they still persisted in believing that I had
plenty of gold and silver. To destroy this illusion, I determined
to shew them the contents of my bag; but before I gave them this
proof of confidence, I took the precaution of concealing any thing
which might excite their cupidity. They are ignorant of the value
of amber and coral, which their women never wear, and they saw mine
with indifference.
On the 1st of January, 1828, I had the satisfaction to learn that
Baba’s brother had returned from Teuté, where he had been buying
colats, which he was shortly to go and dispose of at Jenné. It was
night when the old negress came to inform me of her son’s arrival. I
saw a dozen Mandingoes who accompanied him. They were covered with
little bells; these, when they walked, made a noise that excited the
curiosity of the people, who all ran out to see them.
On the 2nd of January, the travellers made little presents of colats
to their friends and relations, who had come on the preceding evening
to make inquiries about their journey. Baba’s brother received from
his friends, in return for the presents, two large calabashes full of
tau and rice, together with some meat and salt. The neighbours were
invited to partake of the entertainment. They were about fifteen
or twenty in number, but that did not prevent them from sending a
small portion of the feast to such of their relations as could not
attend. The old negress regularly brought me my little portion,
and as I was soon to leave the place, she paid me increased attention.
Our departure was fixed for the 9th of the month. The interval, during
which Baba’s young brother, Karamo-osla, stayed at Timé, was spent
in rejoicings. Five or six meals were eaten in the course of the day;
for, besides the food sent by friends and relations, the family took
their dinner and supper as usual; indeed, I have frequently seen them
rise in the night to eat. I visited the old chief, to acquaint him
with my intended departure, of which, however, he had already been
informed. He made me sit down beside him in his hut, and gave me some
colat-nuts. He also begged me to accept some yams, which he ordered his
slaves to carry home for me. He said, that since I was going away, and
he should probably never see me again, he would request me, before I
went, to write for him a charm against bad eyes. After satisfying him,
I went with Baba to see a field of yams of his own cultivating. He
had several free Bambaras at work for him. They throw up the earth
into little ridges, as I have before mentioned, without taking the
trouble to remove the young trees, which, when the yams take root,
serve as sticks for them to climb up. We seated ourselves near a large
heap of yams, which Baba had purchased with salt from the Bambaras,
his neighbours, and which he intended to plant in his field. While a
party of the labourers were engaged in selecting those which would be
best for planting, some of the yams were cooked, and we ate them for
dinner. When the proprietors visit their lands, they have no other
food than yams, and the slaves always take care to steal a few and
to conceal them under ground, that they may eat them secretly. The
young lads carried on their heads baskets of yams, to give them to
the men whose business it is to plant them. When they had done work,
I observed that Baba paid his labourers in kind. On leaving me,
each of the poor Bambaras gave me a yam.
A cold north wind had prevailed since the end of December. I could
very well bear my woollen wrapper, and was glad, during the day,
to seek the genial warmth of the sun. The negroes, who are naturally
chilly, covered themselves with the woollen wrappers which they buy
at Jenné; and in the month of December, they kindled larger fires
than usual in their huts. I perceived that at this season the trees
lose their leaves, and the negroes burn the dry herbs which surround
their habitations. The eve of our departure was a grand festival. A
young Mandingo negro was celebrating the funeral of his mother, who
had been dead about a fortnight. On the very day of her death, I had
been attracted to the neighbourhood by the sound of the music. I saw
in the court-yard, two large drums, made like ours, and some persons
were beating them, and clashing cymbals. These cymbals consist of two
pieces of iron, about five inches long, and two and a half wide. The
two negroes who were beating the drums, held these cymbals in their
left hands. Each of the pieces of iron has a ring, one is passed over
the thumb, and the other over the fore-finger, and by a movement of
the hand they are struck together in regular time. The women of the
neighbourhood brought little presents, by way of shewing respect to the
deceased. A large circular basket was placed exactly in the centre of
the yard to receive the offerings. The women, having deposited their
presents, assumed a grave look, and, ranging themselves in a file,
marched along, keeping time to the music, and making motions with
their hands and heads, expressive of sorrow. Sometimes they beat time,
by clapping their hands, while they sang a melancholy song. This scene
continued the whole of the day. I inquired whether the presents which
had been brought in honour of the deceased, were to be buried with her;
for the Bambaras observe this superstitious custom. The Mandingoes
told me that it did not prevail among them, and that the presents
would be appropriated to the celebration of the _dégué-sousou_,
at which I was present, and which I will describe as I saw it.
The son of the deceased bought a lean kid, for the entertainment of
part of the guests, especially the musicians. Early on the morning of
the day appointed for the festival, he called with Baba at my hut,
where I was sitting by the fire, for the morning was cool. They
both sat down by me, and the young man begged me to sell him some
gunpowder to celebrate his mother’s funeral. He told me he would pay
me in cowries,[55] which were beginning to be current at Tangrera,
and without which, I could not purchase food. I had about a flask
of powder, which I had carefully preserved, thinking that it would
be useful to me at Jenné. However, I gave him as much of it as was
worth a thousand cowries; for I thought that by refusing I might render
myself disliked. I had some difficulty in striking the bargain. They
sent about every where in quest of horns for measuring the powder,
and they could not get any large enough. To satisfy them, I must have
given them all my stock. The 8th of January was the day fixed for the
ceremony, which took place near the humble habitation of the deceased,
beneath the shade of large bombaces, to all appearance coeval with
the soil in which they grew. The band of music consisted of four
large drums, as many pair of cymbals, and six hautboys, like those of
Wassoulo, which I have described. The musicians were all Bambaras, for
the Koran prohibits the Musulmans from applying themselves to music.
Four little boys, whose bodies were covered with leaves of
trees, well arranged, and whose heads were adorned with plumes of
ostrich-feathers, held in each hand a round basket, with a handle,
in which were bits of iron and pebbles. They kept time with the
music, jumping and shaking their baskets, the contents of which,
produced a strange jingling. There were two leaders of the band,
who regulated the intervals when the performers were to play. They
wore beautiful mantles of cotton net-work, very white, and fringed
round. On their heads they had black caps, edged with scarlet, and
adorned with cowries and ostrich-feathers. The musicians stood at
the foot of a baobab. The assemblage was numerous, and all were well
dressed. The men were tricked out in all their finery. I saw several
with little coussabes, of a rusty colour, and almost covered with
amulets, rolled up in little pieces of yellow cloth. Some were armed
with muskets, and others with bows and arrows, as if prepared for
combat. They also wore large round straw hats, of their own native
manufacture. They walked all together round the assembled circle,
leaping and dancing to the sound of the music, which I thought very
agreeable. Sometimes they appeared furious, firing their muskets and
running about with threatening looks. The men with bows and arrows,
also appeared as if on the point of rushing on an enemy, and they
pretended to shoot their arrows. The men were followed by a number of
women, all neatly dressed, having about their shoulders white pagnes,
which they tossed about from side to side, while they walked to the
sound of the music, and observed profound silence. Those who were
fatigued withdrew, and their places were immediately supplied by
others. When they left the party, they ran away very fast, and were
followed by some of the musicians, who accompanied them, playing, as
far as their huts, where they received a present of some colats. About
the middle of the festival, all the male relatives of the deceased
made their appearance dressed in white. They walked in two files,
each carrying in his hand a piece of flat iron, which they struck
with another smaller piece. They walked round the assembly keeping
time and singing a melancholy air. They were followed by women,
who repeated the same song in chorus, and at intervals clapped their
hands. Next came the son of the deceased, who was well dressed, and
armed with a sabre. He did not appear much affected, and, after having
walked round the assembly, he withdrew, and the warlike dances were
renewed. The whole festival was arranged by two old men, relatives
of the deceased. They addressed the assembled party, and delivered
an eulogium on the good qualities of their departed kinswoman. The
festival ended with a grand feast, during which, the goat which was
killed in the morning, was eaten. I remarked, with pleasure, the good
order which prevailed throughout the whole of the entertainment, which
was kept up with great merriment. The young people danced almost the
whole of the night. The son of the deceased withdrew from the supper
which he had provided for his friends, and came to partake of ours.
The day, which I had so long and anxiously looked for, at length
arrived. But, before I quit this beautiful country, I will endeavour
to give a description of it, as well as of the character and manners
of the people among whom I lived five months.