Departure from Timé, January 9th, 1829. — The name of Kong, applied
by Mungo Park to a chain of mountains, is a generic term. — Use of
bells in caravans. — Loubakho. — Cacoron. — Dancing and music
of the Bambaras. — Sananso. — Dhio. — The oil palm-tree. —
Talé. — Customs of the inhabitants. — Borandou. — Grotesque
mask. — Tangrera.
On the 9th of January, after a slight repast of yams, which the
old negress prepared for us, we got ready to leave Timé. I made
my hostess a handsome present, which she received with pleasure,
and I also gave Baba some merchandise, which I had promised him,
as a compensation for the time I had stayed with him.
About nine o’clock in the morning we left the village, after taking
leave of the good old chief, who wished us a prosperous journey.
My guide brought his wife to carry my baggage, which had now become
very light, and his brother Baba was to accompany us a short distance
on the road. We directed our course to the S.S.E. and gained the
foot of the chain of mountains, which is composed of masses of
granite. In crossing this chain, I observed several trees growing
among the rocks, principally the cé. Numerous springs rise in the
mountains and fertilize the country, the soil of which, composed
of black mould mixed with grey sand, is exceedingly fertile. The
country was stripped of all its charms: the grass was burned up,
the trees had lost half their foliage, and the birds had flown from
the woods to the margins of the streams. All was sad and desolate,
and the dreary appearance of the hills of granite augmented the sombre
effect of the scene. We entered a Bambara village named Dsagoé, where
I saw several fine plantations of tobacco, of which the inhabitants
consume a great quantity. We rested for a moment under the shade of
a bombax, and refreshed ourselves with a calabashful of water, given
to us by the inhabitants, who pressed eagerly round me, and kept
their eyes fixed upon me. The morning’s journey had fatigued me,
for I was still weak, and could scarcely walk; which sufficiently
proved that, if I had followed my inclination to set off sooner,
I should not have been able to accomplish the journey. We took our
leave of these inquisitive people, and proceeded towards the S.E. over
a country covered with large rocks of quartz. We saw some Bambaras
preparing the ground for the purpose of planting yams.
After proceeding about ten miles, we arrived about two o’clock in the
afternoon at Kimba, a small village where the caravan bound to Jenné
was waiting. At the distance of about two miles from this village there
is a chain of mountains extending from N.E. to S.W. and as high as
those we crossed in the morning. I at first imagined that these might
be the Kong mountains, mentioned by Mungo Park, though it is impossible
to suppose that he saw them, as they are low, and at a considerable
distance from Ségo. I may also observe that Kong is not the name,
which the natives give to these mountains, for among the Mandingoes,
Kong or Kongké signifies mountain. Park, no doubt, confounded the
general with the particular name. The country is entirely covered with
hills. In the village I saw some tobacco growing. As my breakfast had
been but slight, I went up to a Bambara, whom I saw sitting in his hut
with a calabash of yams, and asked him to sell me a few of them for
some glass trinkets which I shewed him. The good negro immediately took
out a handful of yams, which he put into a calabash with some sauce,
and gave it to me. I presented him with some glass beads in payment,
which he was at first reluctant to accept, but I forced him to take
them as a present for his wife. At night-fall he paid me a visit at
my hut, and made me a present of a very large yam.
With the exception of the good old chief at Timé, who was, indeed,
of the Bambara nation, no inhabitants of that village ever paid me
so much civility, during the time I stayed there.
In the village of Kimba I saw several men, assembled under a tree,
playing at various games, which I had seen played by the negroes of
the Senegal. Small holes made in the sand served for a chess-board,
and bits of wood, five inches long, for the men. In this village I saw,
for the first time since I left Fouta-Dhialon, the women sitting with
the men, and mixing in their conversation, while employed in spinning
cotton. The Mandingo women do not enjoy this privilege. Baba’s
brother prepared us an excellent supper of rice, and sauce made of
pistachio-nuts, with some salt to render it more palatable.
On the 10th of January, about nine in the morning, the caravan prepared
to depart. The women, with heavy loads of colats on their heads,
took the lead, followed by the men, similarly laden. They all had a
bell hung at their breasts; some had as many as a dozen attached to
different parts of their dress. These appendages produce a deafening
jingle, which highly pleases the negroes. They were all armed with
bows and arrows, and marched in a file like a procession. The chiefs
and the proprietors of merchandise leading the asses, closed the rear.
On leaving the village, Baba quitted us: he did not appear much
affected at our separation; however, he recommended me to his brother,
to whom I promised to make a handsome present on arriving at Jenné,
and I placed my baggage on his ass. The negroes give several names
to this city: they call it Dhienné, and often Dhiendé.
We advanced to the S.E., crossing several large rivulets, which
delayed us some time, for the asses threw their loads off their
backs, and the negroes were obliged to push them forward to make
them advance. At length we entered the village of Zangouiriré, which
contains from three to four hundred inhabitants, of the Bambara race,
the only people met with on this road as far as Jenné. We continued
our journey over a level country: the soil was fertile, and composed
of grey sand, mixed with black earth. We had a chain of low hills
both to the right and left of our road. Every minute the asses were
throwing off their loads, which caused great trouble and delay. Among
the female slaves who accompanied our caravan, I observed with pain,
girls of twelve or fifteen years old carrying heavy loads of colats
on their heads. The poor creatures were unable to endure the fatigue,
and sometimes let their burthens fall. The heat was excessive, and an
easterly wind annoyed us extremely; we had, however, the comfort every
now and then of getting some water to quench our thirst. In about an
hour and a half, we arrived at Dioumiégué, having travelled nine
miles. The women belonging to the caravan had gone a little in advance,
and prepared dinner for the men, who had no sooner come up, than they
fell to eating, and then they lay down to rest themselves. The people
came in crowds to look at me. They appeared very gentle and refrained
from importuning me. Some of them made my guide presents of yams,
which we ate for supper; others gave him colat-nuts. In the village I
observed many small herds of oxen and cows. The latter are not milked.
We quitted Dioumiégué on the 11th of January, at six o’clock in the
morning, after paying our passage-money to the chief. We kept to the
east along a very fertile plain, where I perceived some husbandmen
planting yams. Leaving the plain, we crossed a chain of hills,
composed of large blocks of granite, intermixed with white quartz,
veined with bright rose-colour. We crossed many small rivulets, which
made a thousand windings in the passes of the mountains. We travelled
two miles to the east, along very difficult roads, and then descended
into a plain well cropped with yams, and thronged with people engaged
in agricultural labour. After proceeding about ten miles in the same
direction, we arrived about noon at Sinisso, where we halted. This
village is surrounded by a wall, and contains about a hundred huts. My
umbrella, which my guide displayed to the notice of the inhabitants,
greatly excited their curiosity. The hut where we lodged was full
of visiters the whole evening: for those who had obtained a sight of
the wonder eagerly told their companions, who came running in their
turn to behold it. They could not understand how the machine could be
made to open and shut at pleasure. They called it a _libri_, a word in
their language, signifying a hat; but notwithstanding their curiosity,
they were far from being so troublesome as the Mandingoes.
At this season of the year, the women cook in the open air. For this
purpose they kindle fires in their yards, round which the men sit and
take their meals. They all invited me to partake of their supper of
boiled yams.
On the 12th of January, at five in the morning, after paying for our
lodging, we left this village, and directed our course to the N.E.,
over a soil consisting of a mixture of earth and gravel, but which
is, nevertheless, very fertile. Having proceeded about four miles, we
arrived at Salasso, through which we passed without stopping. Again
continuing our course for four miles, we arrived about the middle
of the day at Loubakho, where we halted. Loubakho is a large walled
village, containing from six to seven hundred inhabitants. It is
situated in a beautiful plain of very rich grey sand. About six or
seven miles N.E. of the village, there is a high pointed mountain,
which extends N.W. and E.S.E. The inhabitants of Loubakho keep some
horned cattle, and they brought us milk, which we purchased with
glass beads. In the afternoon I received a visit from a saracolet,
who had come from Sambatikila and was proceeding to Jenné. As it
is the custom in this country to make some presents to visiters, I
directed my guide to give him in my name some colat-nuts, for which
he overwhelmed him with acknowledgments. I also gave my guide a bit
of coloured stuff to make him a cap. In the evening I purchased a
large fowl for our supper. My guide gave it to his woman to cook;
and after boiling it, she made a very good sauce of the liquor with
pistachios, and a little salt for seasoning. I expressed a wish that
we should partake of the fowl together. The Mandingoes, however, out
of respect declined taking any. This was an instance of self-denial,
which I was far from expecting. In the evening it lightened in the
west. The day had been extremely hot, but during the night I could
bear my woollen wrapper.
On the 13th, at four in the morning, we prepared to depart; but,
before I proceed farther, I will endeavour to give a description of
the whole economy of our caravan. It was composed of from forty to
fifty Mandingoes, and thirty-five women, all carrying loads on their
heads. There were eight chiefs leading their asses, about fifteen
in number. With these chiefs were their slaves and women, whose
business it was to carry the baggage and cook at every halt for the
whole caravan. The women always proceeded first, and the men in the
rear. The ringing of their bells gave notice of their approach. The
Mandingoes are very fond of bells, the jingling of which diverts
them on their journey. They make these bells themselves of iron
and copper, which they purchase at Jenné, and in other markets on
the banks of the Dhioliba, where they likewise procure bells ready
made. On arriving at a village, the women of the caravan fetch water
and bruise the millet for dinner. This meal being over, they prepare
warm water for the men’s baths: the water is heated in large vessels,
which they borrow from the people of the village where they stop. This
task being ended, they again set about bruising millet for supper. It
is the business of the slaves to procure fire-wood for cooking. The
free negroes are exempted from all this trouble; they lie down and
rest themselves until their meals are ready: they then go through the
village with their calabashes, containing colats, which they exchange
with the inhabitants for cowries. With these they purchase grain for
the supply of the caravan. The women employ their leisure moments in
spinning cotton, which they purchase with the colats given to them
by their husbands. I have seen them spin by the light of a lamp fed
with vegetable butter; the produce of this labour is their own little
perquisite. On their arrival at Jenné, they sell their spun cotton
for cowries, with which they buy salt and glass trinkets. The women
likewise wash the men’s clothes. The men, as soon as they have rested
themselves, inspect the loads of colats, especially those which during
the journey have fallen from the asses’ backs. They cover the fruit
with fresh leaves, in order to keep it cool; they then go into the
village to dispose of their cloth; they also settle the payment of
the passage money; for all foreign merchants, however numerous they
may be, are obliged in every place they halt to pay for the whole of
the company, a small tax, the amount of which sometimes varies, but
is generally about twenty colats for each load: these twenty colats
are worth two hundred cowries, (about twenty sous, French money). When
the caravan is numerous, which often happens, for it gains accessions
on the road, some person who has but a small load goes forward, and
arrives first in the village to procure lodgings for his companions;
he then deposits his load and returns to meet his friends, whom he
directs to their respective destinations. Those who do not adopt this
prudent precaution have the trouble of seeking through the village for
a place to put up at, and are often obliged to proceed farther. It
is customary for the parties who first reach the village to return
and help the others with their burdens, especially when the journey
has been long.
On the 13th of January, we set out at four o’clock in the morning, in
order to take advantage of the cool air. We proceeded to the N.E. for
the distance of four miles, over a soil composed of very hard grey
sand. The country was pretty flat, with the exception of some granite
blocks, rising six or seven feet above the ground. The cé was very
abundant, but the nédé much less common than in the parts through
which we had previously journeyed. We passed near Couraniso, and then
the road became rather stony. We went on for five miles more without
seeing the least trace of cultivation, and at ten o’clock in the
morning arrived at Cacoron, where we halted. This village contains
from five to six hundred inhabitants, to whom I was an object of
great curiosity. As I had not yet breakfasted, I went to a Bambara
woman, who was pounding boiled yams; I bought some of her for a few
glass beads, and she gave me separately, in a small pot, some gombo
sauce. On dipping my yams into this sauce, I discovered, to my great
mortification, some little paws, and immediately ascertained that the
sauce was made of mice; however, I was hungry, and I continued my meal,
though, I must confess, not without some feelings of disgust. The
negroes, when they take their yams without sauce, never mash them:
those which I bought from the negress were ready prepared. In
the evening I saw many women chopping mice to make sauce for their
suppers. I observed that they gut the animals, and, without taking the
trouble of skinning them, merely draw them across the fire to singe off
the hair: thus prepared, they lay them in a corner of the hut, and it
is not unusual to keep them there for seven or eight days before they
are cooked. The mice, which make their way into the jars of millet,
are caught by the women and children without the aid of traps.
Though there is abundance of poultry at Cacoron, yet the negroes eat it
only on holidays. I wanted to buy some, but could find nobody inclined
to sell any. An old Bambara made me a present of some pistachios and
a yam. I found the people here more hospitable than they had been
represented to me. I am convinced that a European, travelling in a
plain, unostentatious style, would experience no annoyance, that is,
if he were not imprudent enough to display any valuable goods; in
this case, he would run the risk of being robbed: but I am far from
believing that these kind-hearted and simple people would be guilty
of any cruelty towards a traveller.
The neighbourhood of Cacoron is covered with cés and nédés. The
inhabitants make a great quantity of butter, which they sell to
strangers. I scarcely ever saw so gay a people as the Bambaras. At
sunset they assemble under the great bombaces, at the entrance
of the village, and dance all night to music which is not
unpleasant. Attracted by this music, I stopped to observe their
gambols, and was highly entertained. I was with a young Mandingo
belonging to our caravan, who was particularly attentive to me. Men
and women mingled together formed a large circle round a fire, jumping
and keeping time to a band of music, consisting of three great drums
and several hautboys. The musicians were dressed like those of Timé,
having white cotton mantles, and ostrich-feathers on their heads. The
dancers kept time with the music by a careless kind of motion of
their arms and heads. The women had pieces of cotton cloth, which
they held at both ends and waved in the air. The only figure of the
dance consisted in going round the fire. The musicians kept themselves
a little aloof, while the dancers, following each other in a file,
went round the fire, leaping and shaking their legs about. I was much
amused with this dance, in which there was nothing indecent, but I
could not stay to look at it as long as I could have wished, for the
capering of two or three hundred negroes raised an insufferable dust.
Throughout the whole of Bambara, and, according to the account of
some negroes, even to a considerable distance south of Cacoron,
the same music prevails. It is certainly one of the best and most
agreeable I heard during my travels among the negroes. These people
spend the greater part of the night in dancing; their dispositions
are gentle and humane, and they are content with the present, without
troubling themselves about the future. They have scarcely any clothing,
generally wearing a sort of girdle, ornamented with cowries, which,
after going round the waist and between the legs, is brought up in
front to tie. To these girdles are attached fringes of cotton, which
descend to the knee. The old men wear the usual pagne, and generally
in the most filthy state. The women likewise wear pagnes, which are
tied round their loins, and descend to their knees; they plat their
hair in tresses, and rub their bodies all over with butter. The men
shave their heads, like the Mahometans; but some tufts of hair are
left, varying in size, according to the fancy of the wearer. Their
skin is of the same colour as that of the Foulahs of the Wassoulo,
and like them they have aquiline noses, thin lips, woolly hair,
and sharp-pointed teeth; they make incisions on their faces and bodies.
In this country they make a sort of beer, or hydromel, of fermented
millet and honey. They are very fond of this liquor which they drink
till they intoxicate themselves.
On the 14th January, at five in the morning, we left the cheerful
inhabitants of Cacaron, and proceeded three miles to the east over
a level country, the soil of which was composed of very hard grey
sand. We came to a mountain of black granite entirely barren. It
extends north and south, and is about two hundred and fifty paces
high. We advanced five miles further in the same direction. On the
way we passed some large blocks of black granite.
About nine in the morning we halted at Tisso-Soman, a pretty village,
lying between two small hills of very pale granite. In the centre of
this village I saw a number of wells seven or eight feet in depth. The
ground in which they are dug consists of sand mixed with coarse grey
gravel, and at the bottom of the wells is some grey clayey earth, with
pieces of rock, the nature of which I was unable to determine. The
clay is of a whitish grey, and very slippery. I was unable to judge
of its quantity by what was thrown up and left round the edge of the
wells. The water was very good; but rather white in colour.
The women of the caravan seated themselves round these wells to wash
their millet.
After a light breakfast, consisting of tau and a bad sauce made of
herbs, we left the village. About two o’clock we took an easterly
direction, and proceeded about six miles, over a soil similar to that
which I last described. Our progress was somewhat impeded by large
blocks of granite, which we encountered at every step, and on either
side of us were small hills of the same material. At sunset we halted
at Sananso, a large walled village, containing seven or eight hundred
inhabitants. I seated myself near a hut, to rest after my fatigue;
but the chief of the village invited me to sit by him, on some large
clumps of wood, raised a little above the ground and placed near the
door of his hut. Above these seats there was a sort of canopy, made
of branches of trees. The chief had a little fire beside his seat,
and the smoke was so disagreeable that I could not stay longer than
a few minutes. He asked me some questions concerning the whites and
their mode of living, and seemed satisfied with my answers.
The village is situated in a large, well cultivated, and fertile
plain. At a little distance from it there is a mountain of granite
entirely barren. In this village we met a caravan of Mandingoes,
some of whom were going to Jenné and others to Sansanding. Some were
laden with cloth, and some with colat-nuts. The chief of the village
assigned to me a hut built of earth, the only one in the place, the
others being all of straw. He had a fire kindled, and requested me to
go in and lie down: but, on entering, I was nearly suffocated. The
hut had a flat roof covered with earth, and the smoke, being unable
to obtain a vent above, had no outlet but the door. Straw huts are
not subject to this inconvenience. I speedily retired from this oven
in which I could not breathe, and prepared to pass the night in the
open air; but my guide, being informed of the reason which prevented
me from remaining in the hut, explained the circumstance to the chief,
who immediately selected another lodging for me, where I passed the
night with a Mandingo belonging to our caravan. Some strangers sent
us a little supper very well cooked.
On the 15th of January, at six in the morning, we proceeded northward
about seven miles, among rocks of granite on a fertile soil composed of
sand. I observed the cé and the nédé in great abundance and the land
well cultivated. About eleven o’clock we arrived at Dhio, a large
walled village, containing about eight or nine hundred inhabitants. On
entering the place, I observed a number of women assembled in a spot
which seemed to be set aside for their recreation. Some were nursing
their children who were quite naked, and others were asleep. The old
men have also a place where they assemble to smoke their pipes, and
where they spend a great part of the day. It is called the banancoro,
as among the Mandingoes. I also saw some tobacco plantations in the
little gardens adjoining the huts. The village is disgustingly dirty.
At six in the morning of the 16th, we prepared to depart. On going out
I saw some palm-trees of the species which produces oil. They are not
by far so thriving here as on the coast. We proceeded E.N.E. over a
very fertile soil, consisting of grey sand mixed with fine gravel. The
country was woody; I observed some tamarind-trees and many cés. About
nine in the morning, after travelling six miles and a half, we reached
Niourot, a little village, where we could purchase nothing but with
cowries, which are the current money among all the inhabitants of
upper Bambara. They receive them from the European merchants who
trade on the western coasts, and from the Moors on the shores of the
Mediterranean. The cowries are just beginning to be current in this
part of the country. The price of a fowl is eighty cowries. In the
language of the country _kémé_ signifies eighty, and to express a
hundred the people say eighty and twenty, or _kémé nimouya_[58].
We were lodged in a very large hut where I saw, not without
astonishment, two seats resembling sofas, each made out of the trunk
of a tree. I regarded them as curiosities among a people who have
no carpenter’s tools. The legs, the arms, and the back, were all
made out of one piece of wood, which was of a red colour and very
hard. These sofas were really executed with some taste; they must
have been a work of considerable time, but in those countries time
is not so valuable as with us. The people have no other tools than
small hatchets and poniards.
I observed that our host kept about a dozen little dogs, which, when
sufficiently fattened, were destined for food. He had also a number
of chickens; he fed them with termites, which his children brought
from the fields. In general I did not see in this part of the country
those great hills of the white ant (termites) which are found on the
shores of the Senegal, where they are sometimes eight or nine feet
high; those which I saw here are not more than eighteen inches or
two feet high. In this village all the heads of families have huts or
cabins built of earth, like that which the chief of Sananso allotted
to me. The women’s huts are of straw. We procured a little millet for
our supper, for which we paid in colat-nuts. The wells are at a little
distance from the village, and, if I may judge from the rope used for
drawing up the water, they are not above twelve, or fifteen feet deep.
At half past six, on the morning of the 17th of January, we took leave
of our host, whom we had taken care to pay on the preceding evening.
On leaving the village we met several Bambaras, who had about twenty
dogs tied to a single cord; these animals were, I was informed, going
to be fattened. As soon as they saw us they saluted us with such a
loud barking that we could not hear ourselves speak. Our road lay to
the N.N.E. and we passed a large village, the name of which I could
not learn. We continued to travel over a soil composed of grey sand;
the vegetation was the same as it had been for several preceding
days. After travelling about eleven miles, we halted about eleven
o’clock in the morning at Talé, a village containing three or four
hundred inhabitants. They gave us several huts to lodge in. The huts
in this village are not so large as in those which we had previously
passed through; but they are of the same form. I walked through
the streets, which are narrow and dirty. My appearance excited the
curiosity of the Bambaras, but they did not annoy me. The women, who
were exceedingly dirty, have all a bit of calabash, or a thin slip
of wood, stuck into the under lip. I could scarcely persuade myself
that this was a mere matter of taste, and questioned my guide upon the
subject: he assured me that it was the fashion of the country. I was
equally at a loss to conceive how this bit of wood, which was merely
stuck through the lip, could keep its place. The women allowed me to
see that this curious ornament was brought through to the inner part
of the lip, and they laughed heartily at my astonishment. I asked one
of them to remove the piece of wood from her lip; but she told me that
if she did so the saliva would run through the hole. In short, I was
quite amazed that coquetry could induce them to disfigure themselves
in this manner; yet it is the general custom of this country. I saw
young girls eight or ten years of age, who had in their lower lip
little pieces of wood of the circumference of a pen, pointed at one
end and stuck into the flesh. They renew it frequently, and every
time use a larger bit of wood, which gradually widens the hole,
until it becomes large enough to admit a piece of wood of the size
of a half-crown piece. I observed that this singular and inconvenient
ornament contributed to their uncleanliness.
The old men are provided with a bull’s tail for the purpose of
driving away the flies, which are very numerous and troublesome
in this country. I did not see in this part of Africa any of those
musquitoes which are so tormenting to travellers in the neighbourhood
of the Senegal.
The inhabitants of this village are kind, affable, and hospitable: they
invited me to partake of their little suppers of yams and mouse sauce.
Their huts are small and dirty. They cultivate rice and yams; their
crops usually remain in the fields all the dry season, and when
the rains commence they remove them to little straw store-houses,
which are erected in the middle of the court-yards. The people are
poor; they possess but few slaves, and scanty herds and flocks;
but their soil, being fertile and well cultivated, yields them more
than they want. I saw but few horses, and these were miserable-looking
animals. I did not observe that the inhabitants of this village worship
a deity. Like the people of Wassoulo, they have no religion; but they
entertain a high respect for the disciples of Mahomet and the Koran,
which they regard as a sort of magic. They always wear _saphies_,[59]
suspended from their necks and different parts of their bodies. They
hang them up at the entrance of their huts, as a protection against
fire, thieves, and other accidents.
Throughout all this part of the country there are Mandingo villages,
the inhabitants of which are Mahometans. They are independent of the
Bambaras, as at Timé, Sambatikila, Tangrera, and other villages
further southward. The Bambaras call them _Diaulas_ or _Jaulas_,
and though they might, owing to their superiority of numbers, molest
them if they chose, yet they refrain from doing so, and go to their
villages to sell them the superfluous produce of their harvest. The
Bambaras, in general, speak the Mandingo language; but they have a
particular dialect, which, owing to the rapidity with which I travelled
among them, I had no opportunity of learning. This country is at the
distance of a month’s journey from Ségo; but it is independent of
the latter. It is governed by a number of petty chiefs, who receive
provisions by way of tribute; but they are moderate in their exactions,
as they know the poverty of their subjects. The Mandingoes look upon
the Bambaras as great thieves; yet the little store-houses which stand
defenceless in their yards are always respected. But the Bambaras,
like their accusers, whenever they see glass trinkets, scissors,
knives, or locks and keys, things which to them are as valuable as
gold, cannot resist the desire of possessing them; and, being too
poor to buy, they endeavour to obtain what they want, not by force
but by cunning. Throughout all the country I did not see a woman
with ear-rings or a gold necklace. All their ornaments consist of
the glass trinkets, which they procure from the merchants who come
from Jenné. My guide, Karamo-osila, advised me not to shew them the
contents of my bag; but I had no need of this advice. I should have
taken good care not to open it in their presence, for, notwithstanding
my good opinion of the people of these parts, I had no inclination
to put their honesty to the test.
On the 18th of January, at six in the morning, we again set out,
and travelled nine miles and a half northward. The soil still
continued gravelly and the vegetation unvaried. About ten o’clock
we arrived at Borandou, a village containing four or five hundred
inhabitants. The huts are chiefly built of earth and have terraced
roofs, which render them very inconvenient, because the smoke has no
outlet but the door. The streets are dirty, narrow and crooked. There
is a market twice a week for the strangers who happen to be in the
neighbourhood, and whenever caravans pass another market is opened
for the sale of provisions. I exchanged a few glass beads for some
cowries, with which I purchased a little milk. This refreshed me,
for it was long since I had tasted any. I saw some women in the
streets carrying things to sell, which they cried, as in our European
towns. I also observed that the Bambaras hang on the outside of their
huts the heads of all the animals they eat; this is looked upon as a
mark of grandeur. Every morning when they go to the fields they carry
fire with them for roasting yams. They drink river water, and when
they think they cannot obtain it, they bring water from the wells
in calabashes. In the evening I was looking attentively at an old
woman who had a piece of calabash in her lip, and I again reflected
on the singularity of the custom; she and her companions laughed at
my astonishment, and when I rose to go away she beckoned me to stop
for a moment, and fetched me a yam of which she made me a present.
The inhabitants of this village make earthen pots. Their wells are
ten or twelve feet deep, and the ground in which they are dug is
gravelly. They contain good water, of a whitish colour.
At three o’clock in the afternoon we left the village of Borandou. We
proceeded northward, to the distance of six miles, over a beautiful
open country. In a plain at some distance from the village I saw many
large ronniers, or rondiers. The cé was also very abundant. About
sun-set we arrived at Syenso a large village, surrounded by walls, and
containing a population of about six or seven hundred. On entering it
I saw under a large baobab a man singularly dressed. The whole of his
body was covered except his hands and feet. His dress was entirely
black, and his trowsers, his waistcoat, and the cap, which covered
his face as well as his head, appeared to be all in one piece. The
cap, which was of a square shape, was adorned with beautiful white
ostrich-feathers and on the part which came over his face, like a mask,
the eyes, nose and mouth were marked with scarlet. I was informed that
this man was a sort of revenue officer and magistrate, and that he
was the collector of the passage duties. He was armed with a whip and
the inhabitants give him the name of _Naferi_. All the strangers of
the neighbourhood, as well as the caravans which come to the village,
pay the passage duties in cowries. The men and women stopped as they
passed him, and if any refused to pay the required contribution he
had recourse to his whip. Under a tree at a little distance from him
I observed a great heap of cowries, which were guarded by a man not
masked; they were, I suppose, the day’s receipts. The tax is levied
according to the quantity of merchandise, and varies from five to a
hundred or two hundred cowries. As the market of Syenso is always
well supplied, the duties paid by the traders render the chief of
the village very rich.
These custom-house officers are also entrusted with the police of
the village. They run, cracking their whips, after the children who
make a noise in the streets; but they do not exercise their authority
unless when they wear their uniforms. Our caravan was not stopped at
the place where the passage money is usually received; but when we
arrived, the officers came round to collect the duties. The masked
officer looked at me with astonishment, and pointing at me with
his finger, asked the other travellers, who the white man was. He
continued pointing at me until I was at a considerable distance from
him, as if he could not recover from his surprise.
About six o’clock on the morning of the 19th of January, we set off,
taking a north-easterly direction. We travelled about seven miles over
a soil composed of a mixture of sand and gravel; but very fertile. I
remarked several fields which had been recently sown. The country is
very open. On the road we found at least three hundred persons going to
the market of Tangrera, where we arrived about nine in the morning. At
at little distance from the village I saw a man dressed precisely like
the officer of customs, whom I had seen the day before at Syenso. He
pointed at me with his finger and seemed as much astonished as the
other had been. The negroes threw cowries to him, which he counted
very carefully, and when the payments were incorrect he seemed very
much disposed to use his whip. Tangrera is resorted to by numbers of
strangers and is a place of active trade, so that the duties levied
by the chief on merchandise produce a considerable revenue. Every
day a vast concourse of people repair to the market, which is also
visited by caravans from the south, as well as from Ségo, Yamina,
and Kayaye. They bring salt, which they exchange for colat-nuts and
the cloth of the country.
Tangrera is a sort of entrepôt for these goods. The traders who come
directly from the south, and do not wish to go as far as the banks
of the Dhioliba, transact business in this town.
At Tangrera an unforseen disappointment occurred to me. My guide,
on his arrival, took care to ascertain the value of merchandise. He
learned that at Jenné colat-nuts were of very little value, and he
consequently determined to proceed by way of Sansanding. I was much
vexed when he informed me of this resolution, for I was very reluctant
to venture either into that town or Ségo, in both which places I
thought I was likely to meet with some unpleasant adventure. I knew
that several Europeans had travelled in those parts, and, therefore,
there was reason to fear that the inhabitants had become somewhat
suspicious. Besides, that direction did not correspond with my plans,
on account of the war between Jenné and Ségo, which intercepted
all communication between the two countries.
I accordingly resolved to remain at Tangrera, until I should find
an opportunity of going to Jenné. My guide accompanied me to the
chief, to whom the old chief of Timé had recommended me. I was also
accompanied by a saracolet of the country, who had travelled long
among the Moors. He spoke the Moorish language very well, and he told
me that he had been at El-Arawan, which they call Arawani.
Before I visited the chief, who is of the Bambara sect, I had had
a conversation with the saracolet. He advised me to say that I was
poor, and the lightness of my baggage, which was carried by my guide,
sufficiently proved the truth of the assertion. By way of precaution,
I took off my girdle, which contained some pieces of money, for I
was afraid that the chief would examine my property. The chief was
a venerable-looking old man. We found him lying upon a bullock’s
hide, which was spread upon the ground, beneath a large bombax. He
was superintending some labourers, who were employed in building
huts. One of his brothers, a Mandingo converted to Mahometanism,
accompanied us. My guide presented me to the chief, observing that
the chief of Timé had requested him to receive me kindly. He then
briefly related my adventures, the way in which I had been captured
and brought up by the christians, and finally my abode of five months
with his brother Baba at Timé. He described in feeling terms the
illness and suffering I had undergone. The chief was so old that he
could not speak to me; but he manifested his friendly feeling towards
me by signs. When I was taking my leave of him he promised to forward
me on the first opportunity. I was quartered with a saracolet, whom
I supposed to be a Musulman. He had been so formerly, but since his
return from his travels he had been in the habit of drinking the beer
of the country. He lodged me in a neat little hut, and ordered one of
his wives to prepare for me a dinner of rice, with pistachio sauce,
and I gave the cook a little salt to season it. My host took me out
to shew me the village; he conducted me to some Mahometan Mandingoes,
whom I found assembled in large earth-built houses, which served
as places of rendezvous for the men, and schools for the Musulman
children. There are several of these places in the village. When I
entered some were employed in making pagnes, and others in reading
the Koran. They immediately laid aside their occupations, and I became
the subject of conversation. They made me seat myself beside them on a
bullock’s hide, and they sent for a Moor who had come from Sansanding
with a caravan of salt, which he wished to exchange for colats.
This Moor was of a very dark complexion. He said that he was a
native of Waleth. He asked me many questions about my country and
my parents. He inquired their names, which I immediately invented. I
told him that my father was named Mohammed-Abdoulkerim, and my mother
Mariam, and that my father was a merchant at Alexandria. He asked
me whether they were still living. This question was most absurd,
as I had just told him that I had left my country in my earliest
childhood. I repeated this statement, and he replied—“Since you
do not know whether your parents are living, why are you going back to
your country? You might as well profess your religion in any other.”
I replied that I hoped to find a brother who would, doubtless, make
over to me part of the property left by my parents. I added that the
delay which I had experienced in prosecuting my journey was a great
disappointment to me, and that I wished to avoid travelling during
the ensuing rains. He asked me why I did not go to Sansanding. I
observed that that would take me considerably out of my road, and
might prevent me from reaching Jenné, whither I wished to go. He
confirmed the report I had heard of the war between Ségo and Jenné;
“but,” added he, “you might by the road I have mentioned proceed
to El-Arawan and thence to Mecca.” He likewise told me that all the
caravans destined for Jenné had set out, and that I was likely to
remain at Tangrera a considerable time before I might find a favourable
opportunity to depart. He then left me, and in a few moments returned,
bringing a large piece of salt and eighty cowries, which he begged
me to accept, observing that I should find salt very dear on the
road. The Mandingoes, by signs, expressed their approbation of this
generous conduct. This little present was very agreeable to me, for
it served to assure me that, even if my resources were exhausted,
I should find charitable persons inclined to assist me. My host
took me to the market, where I saw a great concourse of people. The
market was well supplied with all the necessaries of life, such
as rice, yams, foigné, butter, animal and vegetable, salt, snuff,
cloths, colats, dried fish, calabashes, butcher’s meat, poultry,
and also bullocks and sheep. I observed too, some European articles,
glass-beads, gunpowder, flints, &c. I saw many women in the market,
with flat earthen plates, in which they sold cakes fried in vegetable
butter. These cakes are called maumies. They are sold for cowries,
the only current money of the country. Cowry is called kaulo in
the language of the natives. I observed in the neighbourhood of
the market-place several poor creatures, sitting at the corners of
streets, asking charity. I had not seen such a thing as a regular
beggar since my departure from the coast. We sat down for a few moments
in the shop of a tobacco-dealer, where a great number of people were
assembled. He had beside him a heap of cowries, amounting, perhaps,
to thirty thousand. These were his day’s receipts. He offered me a
little snuff; I thanked him, but observed, that I did not take it. This
seemed to astonish him, for the practice of snuff-taking is universal
in the village. Throughout almost all Africa, the Mandingoes are the
only people who do not smoke. I never saw a woman use a pipe. The snuff
which I saw in the tobacconist’s shop smelt very well, and, unlike
the usual snuff of the country, it was of a light chesnut colour; that
which I saw in the other villages was green, and had but a faint smell.
Both the men and women who were at the market seemed better dressed
and cleaner than those I had seen on the road from Timé. Very few
of the women had their lips pierced.
On returning to my hut, I saw three men masked, like those I have
already described. They were running after the children, who were
endeavouring to escape from them.
In the evening, I went to see Karamo-osila, and asked him to pay me
for the gunpowder which I had sold at Timé, for the celebration
of the dégué-sousou. It was he who had undertaken to pay me. He
informed me that he could not pay me in cowries, as had been agreed,
because the colats did not sell very well; but that he would give me
merchandise for the value. After a moment’s reflection, he added,
that I had sold my powder too dear, and that I ought to be satisfied
with eighty colat-nuts, which were at that time equivalent to half
a gourde. This did not astonish me, for it was what I expected. The
Mandingoes are invariably dishonest in their dealings with strangers,
especially when they know that they are not running any risk by so
doing. I complained not of this injustice: I knew that my complaints
would be useless. He directed his slaves to select eighty small colats,
and he gave them to me in exchange for my powder, which might fairly
have been estimated at double that value. He assured me, that he
was sorry to leave me at Tangrera, where I knew nobody, and that he
should feel pleasure in conducting me to Sansanding, if I would go
with him. He said he no longer regarded me as a stranger, since I
had lived five months with his brother, who had recommended me to him.
I went to the dwelling of my host, where I spent the remainder of
the evening. He came and sat by me to bear me company. He praised
the honesty of his wife, and requested me to give her the care of my
baggage, as the door of my own hut had no fastening. I was frequently
obliged to go out, and, consequently, might easily have been robbed
in my absence, and I thought I was less liable to incur any loss if I
entrusted it to the care of the woman. My bag closed with a padlock,
and, consequently, it could not be opened without my knowledge. My
host provided for me a good supper of rice, with a sauce of dried
fish; and, in return for his attention, I gave the cook some salt to
season the supper of the whole family. This present more than paid
for my repast. My host, seeing that I had colats, very frequently
asked me for some. I observed that he drank a good deal of beer,
and saw him, with several Bambaras, seated in his hut round a large
vessel of hydromel. They had a little calabash, which they filled,
and passed round one to another. They were all very merry, and my
host was so intoxicated that he could scarcely speak. This habit of
drinking rendered my residence with him unpleasant. His hut was large,
built of earth, with a terraced roof. It had two doors, and a window
in the roof, to admit the air. The cooking was performed at one end,
not in the middle, as is usual in other places in this part of Africa.