Cultivation of tobacco. — Tangrera. — Fara. — Bangaro. —
Itinerant musicians. — Débéna. — Tiara. — Part of the caravan
proceeds to Sansanding. — Bee-hives. — Siracana. — The Bagoé,
a navigable river. — The Lous. — Bandiarana. — Bridge over
the Koua.
On the morning of the 20th of January, Karamo-osila came to take leave
of me. He made me a present of ten large colats, and again assured me
of his sorrow at parting from me. I was also vexed at the separation,
for I had every reason to be satisfied with his conduct. He always
defrayed the expenses of my living, with the exception of some fowls
which I purchased myself, and I had only given him, as a compensation
for his attention, a cap of coloured cloth, and the silver bracelet
which I received from the almamy of Sambatikila. He left me, after
wishing me a speedy departure and a pleasant journey. In the morning
my host, who was then somewhat recovered from the carousal of the
preceding evening, accompanied me on a visit to the chief of the
village. Unfortunately I did not find the chief at home, and my host
and I called on one of the sherif’s relations, whom we found sitting
on a bullock’s hide, in a large hut, superintending the manipulation
of tobacco. Six stout slaves were employed in this hard labour. Each
was provided with a huge pestle, and the tobacco was pounded in a large
mortar. It had an excellent odour, and was much paler in colour than
ours. The slaves were quite naked, and the perspiration was running
down their bodies. This merchant carried on a thriving trade; his house
was always full of customers, and he had lying beside him a large heap
of cowries, the produce of the day’s sale. The tobacco cultivated
in the country is of a very small species, like that at Timé, and
the leaves are short and narrow. The people pay little attention to
its cultivation, and are not accustomed to cut off the head of the
plant, as we do. At Tangrera, the leaves are dried in the shade, and
afterwards made up into rolls: they thus acquire a pale chesnut colour.
It was about nine in the morning, when we returned home. My host
told me in a very phlegmatic tone that he was tired, and asked me
for colat-nuts. Soon afterwards I went back by myself to visit the
chief, whom I found at home, lying on an ox-hide, in a miserable straw
hut. After the usual salutations, he sent for two women, who had been
to Jenné, to be my interpreters, for he supposed that I spoke the
language of that country, and was exceedingly astonished when I told
him that I did not understand it. I asked him in the Mandingo tongue,
when the caravans for Jenné would start, and he told me that the
merchants who made that journey were gone to Boyoko, to purchase
colats; but that they would soon return, and then if I pleased I
might travel with them. The _soon_ of a negro, however, often means
fifteen or twenty days. I learned that Boyoko is a village inhabited
by Pagans, and that a market for the sale of colats is held there. It
is twenty days’ journey S.S.E. of Tangrera.
Uncertain whether to wait a speedy opportunity for departing, and
fearful of passing a second bad season in the interior, I finally
resolved to rejoin the travellers who had set out in the morning. I
hoped that by going to Sansanding and thence to Kayaye, I should meet
with some opportunity to start for Jenné, and if not, I could leave
Sansanding for El-Arawan, situated in the desert; and on reaching
that town, I could form some definitive plan. I went immediately to
seek the Moor Mohammed, to whom I communicated my project, of which he
entirely approved. He accompanied me home, where I showed him several
beautiful glass trinkets. However he was not tempted by them, and he
even declined accepting a few sheets of paper, telling me I should have
occasion for them on the road. After some persuasion, he at length
consented to take one. He talked for a moment with my host, and they
both went together to the chief’s house, to ask him to send a man
to conduct me to the village, where the merchants going to Sansanding,
were stopping. I was assured that the place was not very far distant.
Tangrera is a large walled village, shaded by great bombaces and
baobabs. A well-stocked market is held there every day. The greater
part of the huts are thatched with straw, but all those belonging to
the heads of families are built of earth and have terraced roofs. The
place is inhabited by Bambaras and Mandingoes, who live together in
a very friendly footing; the Bambaras are the more numerous. They
often meet in the course of the day under trees, to drink their
beer, of which they are very fond. I saw in the village several
wild fig-trees. The inhabitants are traders and cultivators. They
manufacture a considerable quantity of cotton cloth, and hold frequent
communications with the towns on the banks of the Dhioliba. They
rear horned cattle, sheep, and some goats, and I also saw several
fine horses; a rare sight in this part of the country. Cowries are
the only current coin at Tangrera. This village is of the same size
as Sambatikila, and contains nearly the same population. I went with
my host to see the mosque; it is built of earth, and surmounted by
several small massive towers. It is a shapeless edifice, the interior
is dirty, and suffocatingly hot. The Musulmans, whose indolence is an
antidote to their religious zeal, have not even taken the trouble to
clear away the rubbish which was scattered on the floor during its
construction. To be sure, they do not go very often to the mosque;
for they repeat their prayers at home. Several Bambaras invited me
jokingly to drink beer with them, but I affected a great aversion to
that liquor.
In the course of the day, I sold some glass trinkets, to procure
provisions for my journey. My host directed one of his women to
attend to this business; and she took care to reserve a good profit
for herself.
About three o’clock in the afternoon, the chief of Tangrera sent
me the man who was to carry my luggage to Fara, where I was to
rejoin my guide from Timé. My host escorted me out of the village,
when, after wishing me a good journey, he took his leave. He had,
in the course of the day, eaten half my colats, but I was pleased
to find that his wife had taken only a few grains of salt which had
not been put in my bag. My guide informed me that he was the son of
the king of Tangrera. When we had advanced a little into the woods,
he tried to frighten me. He threw down my bag, which was by no means
heavy, saying that he was very much tired, and that either I must
carry it in my turn, or give him some cowries for his trouble. I
promised that on our arrival at Fara he should be rewarded to his
satisfaction. He seemed to doubt the sincerity of my promise, and
made many objections. However, finding me determined to resist,
he took up the bag again, and proceeded on his way; but at such a
quick pace that I could scarcely keep up with him. A little before we
reached Fara, I had the same scene over again. He assured me that we
were yet very far from the village, an assertion which I could the
more easily believe, because Fara is so surrounded by large trees,
that it is not seen until you are close upon it. Though my guide was
much stronger than I, still I persisted in refusing to pay him before
our arrival, well knowing, that if I had the weakness to yield to him,
the prince of Tangrera would have left me to finish the journey alone,
while he indulged a hearty laugh at my folly.
We entered the village towards sun-set, after crossing a little
stream, in which the water did not rise above our ancles. I met
several women of our caravan there, who appeared astonished to see
me. We had travelled five miles to the N.N.E. During three of these
miles the country was but slightly shaded by trees, and the surface
of the ground was covered with stones, which caused me considerable
pain in walking. I observed several cés and nédés. On my arrival
I paid my royal guide, who joyfully returned home. Karamo-osila was
very happy to see me again. He immediately informed all the people of
the caravan of my arrival; they congratulated me on having rejoined
them, and Karamo-osila expressed his regret at having left me alone
among infidels. I gave a description of my host, who drank beer, and
with whom I did not consider myself very secure; they all joined in
laughing and ridiculing him. A fowl was bought to celebrate my return,
and I furnished the salt for seasoning it. These merchants, not having
made much profit, were obliged to be very economical. They seldom
indulge themselves with fowls or fish, or with salt for seasoning
their victuals. Sometimes I heard them say to each other: “It is
a long time since we had any thing good; let us have a little salt
in our supper.” Three or four of the same company often form a
sort of partnership; they then mess together, each in turn defraying
the expense.
At six in the morning of the 21st of January, we left the village
of Fara, and proceeded to the N.W. travelling over a soil composed
of gravel and ferruginous stones. I also observed a good deal of red
sand. The road was very level, and occasionally shaded with trees. I
did not see any trees of very large growth; indeed, none so high
as our apple or pear tree. Bombaces and baobabs, the giants of the
vegetable kingdom in this part of the world, grow only in the vicinity
of villages; I never saw any of them in the woods. Our caravan had
prodigiously increased since leaving Tangrera; and our number was
now between five and six hundred persons, all laden, and all going
to Sansanding and Yamina, besides nearly eighty asses. At ten in the
morning we halted at Bangoro, a small walled town, containing about
three or four thousand inhabitants. On entering the town, four officers
of the customs met us, and, stopping the caravan, they took from each
Mandingo a hat, or some other article, by way of security for the
duties they had to collect. They were armed with sabres, which they
held naked in their hands, but made no use of them. Several negroes
of the village came to their assistance, for they had plenty to do
with such a numerous caravan. A discussion arose between the officers
and the merchants, the latter not liking to be deprived of their hats;
but at length the matter was arranged, and we entered the town. As soon
as we were installed in our abodes, the officers came to receive their
dues, which were paid in colats. A little market was immediately opened
under an enormous bombax. As I was going about, offering glass beads
for sale, I was met by a saracolet from Tangrera, who, addressing me
in the Mandingo language, requested me to follow him. He led the way
to a hut, in front of which several of his comrades were sitting, some
of whom spoke a little Arabic. He informed me that the Moor Mahomet,
whom I had seen at Tangrera, sent his compliments to me, together
with a hundred cowries, of which he begged my acceptance, wishing me
a prosperous journey. The saracolet then presented his hand to me,
saying _Bismilahi_; I understood by this, that he wished me to say
a prayer, and I moved my lips for a moment, then with a serious air
I blew upon his hand, which he drew across his face. He immediately
counted me down a hundred cowries, adding to them twenty of his own,
which were equivalent to a hundred of our country. After expressing
my gratitude for this generous conduct, I took leave of the Moor,
and hastened to communicate the good news to my guide, who loaded my
benefactors with blessings. I immediately spent a few of the cowries
in purchasing a fowl for my supper, of which I invited my guide and
his companions to partake. They however out of compliment declined
doing so, but I made them accept some portion of the fowl. We did
not eat together, for I still bore marks of the scurvy: indeed that
dreadful malady had entirely disfigured me. Karamo-osila had ordered
his women to serve up my victuals apart from the rest, and my guide,
who was very attentive to me, often examined my allowance, and if he
did not think it enough added some of his own to it.
I observed round the village some very high ronniers and several
palm-trees. In the evening about a hundred women assembled in the
market-place. Their dress consisted merely of a pagne fastened round
the waist; and on their heads they had small straw hats, which fell a
little over the ears. Several of them had in their hands tambourines,
made of a calabash covered with tanned sheep-skin, and ornamented with
iron rings, which produced an agreeable sound. They sung wild airs,
and danced together keeping time to their singing and flourishing their
tambourines. In this manner, they danced several times round the place,
and then went off singing. I walked along the streets, which are narrow
and dirty; I saw several men parading about, beating large drums,
and women with tambourines, suspended from their necks; to these
tambourines were affixed small boards covered with bells and little
bits of iron, which being shaken struck against the instrument, and
produced a very pleasing sound. I concluded that all these musicians
were what are called at the Senegal _griotes_, or wandering minstrels,
who make it their business to sing songs in praise of any who will
pay them; those whom I saw at Bangoro were very modest, and did not,
like their fraternity at the Senegal, teaze passengers for presents.
These people are always gay; and their cheerfulness forms a striking
contrast with the dull, gloomy look of the fanatic Musulman.
The women of this place wear on their lower lip a piece of pewter
fastened internally by a plate of the same metal; one end pointed,
about two inches long and as thick as a quill projecting on the outside
of the lip. This curious ornament is a little varied according to the
fancy of the wearers. The custom of piercing the lip is general among
the female sex in this part of the country. It is an indispensable
ornament to beauty, in the lips of these African coquettes and their
admirers. I could not help laughing when I thought of the singular
effect such an ornament would produce on the red and white lips of
my own fair countrywomen.
On the 22nd January, at six o’clock in the morning, we bade
adieu to the merry inhabitants of Bangoro. Our course lay to the
N.W. We travelled five miles over a sandy soil covered with stones,
and crossed two small dried up marshes. My guide told me that, when
he last passed this place, he had experienced much difficulty, the
country being at the time inundated, and that, if I had travelled with
him in the preceding August, I should probably have been left on the
road. The country is in general very naked. About nine o’clock we
halted at Débéna, a town containing four or five thousand Bambara
inhabitants. The place is surrounded by a wall and a market is held
in it. In this market the people of the caravan went to display their
salt and colats, which they exchanged with the Bambaras, who, for the
value of ten cowries, can purchase seasoning for a whole family’s
dinner. However, they seldom indulge in this luxury, and when they
buy salt, they reserve it for festivities and rejoicings. The town of
Débéna is composed of several small hamlets, very near each other,
and the market was held under a large bombax.
In all the inhabited places, situated on our route, we found markets
well stocked with the productions of the country, as well as with fish,
which is caught in the neighbouring streams, but which is never offered
for sale, until it is dried. On my arrival at any village, I always
went to the market, to purchase my breakfast. In all the villages
between Tangrera and Jenné, there are in the markets women who sell
small fried cakes, which are very acceptable to travellers. They cost
one or two cowries a piece, and as soon as the merchants arrive at
a halting station, they send one of their women to the market to buy
some of these cakes, which they eat, while dinner is preparing.
On the 23d of January, at six in the morning, we set off and proceeded
nine miles, first to the N.N.E. and then to the E.N.E. The soil over
which we travelled was composed of hard grey sand and some ferruginous
stones. No vegetation was visible except cés and nédés. In this
part, the country is very level.
We stopped about nine o’clock at Tiara, a village surrounded by a
wall. A little before we reached it, we crossed a small river, which
supplies the inhabitants with water. The village is shaded by bombaces
and baobabs, and the inhabitants cultivate tobacco in the gardens
surrounding their huts. The market is not well stocked, and we had
a good deal of difficulty to procure millet for our supper. In the
evening a man belonging to our caravan came to me joyfully and told
me that we were going to Jenné. At first, I thought he was jesting
with me, but my guide Karamo-osila came soon afterwards to inform me
that it was determined we should take that direction, because there
were already too many merchants going to Sansanding. Our caravan
was indeed, exceedingly numerous. I cannot express the gratification
I felt at this happy news, for it was not without great reluctance
that I had resolved to take the road to Sansanding, a course which
thwarted all my plans, and deprived me of all chance of visiting
Timbuctoo. I made my guide a present, as a token of the pleasure I
felt at his resolution, and purchased a fowl that we might have a
good supper. As my companions had before declined accepting any part
of the poultry I bought for myself, for fear of depriving me of it,
I insisted on their taking this whole of the fowl; but yet, at supper
time, my guide himself brought me my portion of it.
I saw in this village a very large tree, the branches of which were
fringed with small roots. At Tangrera I had observed a similar one. It
also grows in the island of Saint-Louis in the Senegal. This tree,
which is a species of _ficus indica_, is milky and viscous; the
natives hold their banancoro in its shade.
On the 24th of January, at six in the morning, the chief part of our
company took a N.W. direction, on their way to Sansanding. We took
the road to Jenné, proceeding four miles to the N.E. over a very
smooth soil, composed of hard grey sand, covered with ferruginous
stones. We crossed several small streams, the water of which reached
to our knees. The vegetation did not vary much; but I observed a tree
which is common in the neighbourhood of the Senegal; it bears a round
and rather flat fruit, and of the size of a golden rennet. It has
a grey pellicle, and the pulp, of which the negroes are very fond,
is of a greenish colour. The kernel is fibrous, and the leaves of
the tree are pinnate, and as large as those of the ash. The negroes
use the bark in distempers, employing it as a caustic. About nine in
the morning, we arrived at Douasso, where we stopped. It is a small
village without walls, containing about two hundred, or two hundred
and fifty inhabitants.
I experienced great pain in my palate, for the sores occasioned
by the scurvy, were not yet healed. During the halt, I kept myself
apart from my companions, being unwilling that they should witness
my sufferings, or the painful operations which I was myself obliged
to perform, having no one capable of rendering me those disagreeable
services. I drew from my palate a bone, which was connected with the
skull. I asked my guide to procure some of the astringent, which the
natives employ in such disorders. He immediately ordered one of his
women to prepare me some and I used it with success.
Throughout all this part of Africa, even on this side of Baléya, the
negroes place hives in the trees, for bees to settle in. They collect
a great quantity of honey, of which they are very fond. These hives
are made of the bark of trees, and covered with straw. I saw several
green trees, entirely stripped of the bark for this purpose. In the
environs of the village, millet and maize are cultivated. Markets
are not held daily, but some women came and sold us millet and
pistachio-nuts for supper.
On the 25th of January, at six in the morning, we proceeded northward,
at first over a sandy and well cultivated tract, and afterwards over a
soil composed of red earth covered with gravel, and having ferruginous
stones on the surface. This country is full of cés and nédés. We
met a caravan of Mandingo merchants coming from Kayaye, where they had
been buying salt. They had with them many asses, and the animals were
adorned with fine scarlet bridles, which are sold in the markets on
the banks of the Dhioliba. These bridles were studded with cowries,
and bells; each ass had about fifty bells attached to his collar, so
that their approach was audible from some distance. The salt appeared
to me to be rather dark in colour, and very coarse in the grain. It
was made up in cakes of two feet and a half long, one foot broad and
two inches thick. An ass generally carries four of these cakes, and
a negro two and a half; the women carry only two, but their burthen
is augmented by calabashes and cooking utensils.
About nine in the morning, we reached Siracana, a large walled village,
containing from six to eight hundred inhabitants. It is situated
in an open plain. The soil, composed of grey earth, mixed with a
good deal of sand, is in the proper season well cultivated. On my
arrival, the Bambara at whose hut we went to put up would not let
me in, because I was white, and therefore, he said, I might bring
him ill luck. I sat down on a stone near the hut; and here I waited
exposed to the heat of a burning sun, until my guide and three other
Mandingoes succeeded in bringing the simple and superstitious Bambara
to reason. They gave him a glowing account of my adventures, and the
manner in which I had been carried off by the christians. They told
him that I was now on my return to my own country, near Mecca; that
it would be a meritorious action to receive me, and that those who
treated me well would go straight to paradise. The negro, convinced
by these powerful arguments, admitted me into his hut, where I, as
well as my companions, enjoyed the benefit of the shade. The negro
was doubtless delighted by the assurance he had received of going to
paradise, for in the evening he and some of his friends came to see
me, and sitting down by me, they gazed at me attentively. He begged
me to excuse the reception I had met with in the morning, which he
said was entirely owing to a mistake, for he at first supposed I was
a christian. He afterwards requested me to accept a fowl for my supper.
I saw in this village a female trader and manufacturer, a native of
Ségo. She bought cotton and employed her slaves in spinning it. I
visited the market, which appeared very dull; it was scantily supplied,
and we had some difficulty in procuring millet for our supper. I
saw in the market, cotton, earthen utensils, tobacco, and the fried
cakes called maumies: the latter were sold by women, whose dirty
appearance was by no means calculated to tempt customers. There were
not altogether more than thirty women in the market, which was held
under a great bombax. Though there were some cattle in the village,
yet we could procure no milk. There were in some of the huts beds
formed of three or four trunks of trees, raised a little above the
ground; we had one of these beds in our hut. Between the trunks of the
trees, a small intervening space is left, into which I crept with the
intention of taking a nap; but I found myself so uncomfortable, that
I was glad to stretch myself on the floor, covered with my wrapper.
On the 26th of January, at six in the morning, we set out in the
direction of E.N.E. We passed a small marsh, which, being dried up,
afforded pasture for a few sheep. We also forded a river, which runs
into the Dhioliba; the water was more than knee-deep at the part
where we crossed. We pursued our course over a sandy gravelly soil,
the country presenting one uniform aspect for the space of four or
five miles. About eight in the morning we arrived at Sounibara,
a small village, containing a population of about two or three
hundred. Not being able to procure provisions here, we made no
halt. After leaving the village, we passed some wells, fifteen or
sixteen feet deep. The ground in which they were dug was composed
of a reddish kind of sand, mixed with much gravel. I also observed
veins of grey argillaceous earth mixed with gravel, about two feet
and a half thick: the earth nearest to the water was argillaceous,
and contained some flints. These wells afford abundance of good water,
but it has a whitish tint from the clay. We saw a number of women
employed in washing their pagnes. They draw the water from the wells
in small calabashes, attached to ropes made of the bark of trees;
and other calabashes of larger size served them to wash in. I saw
that they used a kind of soap, called in the country _saboune_ or
_safnan_. These names are known throughout the interior, from the
Senegal to Bondou, Caarta, and Cason. The Brakna Moors call their
soap _sabon_. All these words bear a strong resemblance to the French
_savon_.[60] The Bambara washerwomen, whom I have just mentioned,
were stark naked, yet they manifested no shame at being seen in this
state by the men composing our caravan.
We advanced three miles to the south, over a soil composed of grey sand
and gravel. We halted at Fara about one in the afternoon. The country
over which we had travelled was one immense forest of cés. In this
part the cé surpasses every other tree in abundance, and the natives
carry on a considerable trade in the butter which they obtain from
it. They take it to Jenné, where they sell it to the caravans which
stop at that town. In all the inhabited places through which I passed,
I saw women carrying calabashes filled with this butter, some of which
I often purchased. The price of a pound was forty cowries (about four
French sous). The negro, whose business it was to provide millet for
the whole caravan, on his return from the market informed us that
it was much dearer than it had been for several preceding days. The
expenses of each meal for our party, consisting of fifteen or sixteen
persons, had usually been about eighty cowries: in the village of Fara,
it amounted to thirty more. I was informed that the further we advanced
towards Jenné, the dearer we should find provisions. Their high
price is occasioned by the number of merchants travelling this way.
At six o’clock in the morning of the 27th of January, we left
Fara, and took the direction of N.N.E. over a road covered with grey
sand. We next reached the banks of the Bagoé, the White River of
the negroes. Its course is from E.S.E. to W.S.W., its banks, which
are thickly wooded, rise to the height of thirty or forty feet,
and are composed of a yellow kind of sand, mixed with clay, together
with some veins of grey argillaceous earth, about eighteen inches or
two feet thick. The Bagoé swells in the rainy season, and inundates
the neighbouring country, rendering it very marshy. Indeed, to some
distance over land, the flood is so great that canoes pass through
it. The river is nearly as wide as the Milo at Kankan. It is deep,
and navigable for large canoes. It has many windings, and after flowing
for the space of five or six miles W.S.W. it turns northward and falls
into the Dhioliba. According to the information I collected from the
natives and Mandingo travellers, the Bagoé comes from the south,
passes Teuté (whither they go to buy colat-nuts), and then falls
into the Dhioliba a little below Ségo. We were a long time crossing
it, great delay being occasioned by the quantity of our baggage,
as well as by the discussion about the fare, which we had to pay
in cowries. The negroes, who are naturally chilly, kindled a fire,
and seated themselves round it, to settle the price to be paid for
the passage. The Bambara who owned the canoe gave to each individual
a piece of wood, which was returned to him as they stepped ashore;
thus he secured himself against any mistake which might have arisen
from the confusion and the number of persons. The canoe in which we
crossed was tolerably large. It was near noon when we reached the
right bank. The current was slow, flowing, perhaps, at the rate of
a knot and a half an hour.
We continued our course to the N.E., and, about two o’clock,
arrived at a neat village, called Courounina, where we halted to
dine. After eating a little boiled rice, with some bad herb sauce,
and paying the chief the passage-duty, we again started, taking a
N.E. direction. After crossing a little stream, we arrived, shortly
before night-fall, at Missabougou. The country through which I
passed during the day resembled all that I had seen for several days
preceding, and was well cropped with millet, pistachios, &c. The
inhabitants thronged to see me; they looked at me with earnest
curiosity, saying, that they had never seen a Moor so white as I was.
A little after sun-set, as I was standing by the fire, boiling
some pieces of bark to wash my mouth, which was still very painful,
a young negro of our caravan, who had shewn me marks of attention
during the whole of the journey, informed me that I must not stay
out too late, because, if the Lous should see me, they would beat me
unmercifully. I did not know what he meant, and asked him to explain
himself. He told me that throughout the whole of Bambara, there are
men who live all day in the woods, in huts made of the branches of
trees. They have with them boys, to whom they teach the mysteries of
their ceremonies. Every night they issue from the woods, accompanied
by the boys, running about the village, uttering frightful cries,
and making a thousand hideous contortions. On their approach, the
terrified inhabitants shut themselves up in their huts; but there
are some men, added the negro, who are not afraid of the Lous. I
immediately conjectured, that these Lous must be an association
similar to that of the Simos, which I have already described as
existing among the people who inhabit the banks of the Rio Nuñez,
and also among the Timannees. I was confirmed in this supposition,
when the young negro informed me that, on rejoicing days, they give
notice of their intention to shew themselves openly. They come and join
in the festivities of the day, and then return to their habitations,
laden with presents of every kind, which all, and particularly the
women, are eager to bestow upon them. The young negro, from whom I
learned these particulars, had made several journeys through this
country, and had acquired an acquaintance with the manners of the
people, which a stranger can obtain but slowly and imperfectly. He,
moreover, informed me that the Lous drink the beer of the country,
with which they frequently become intoxicated.
In the evening, I heard some strange howlings in the vicinity of the
village. I made no doubt that the Lous had commenced their nightly
incursions, and felt great curiosity to see them. I cautiously crept
out of my hut, and took my station behind a little palisade, whence
I could see without being seen. I soon saw a man advance. His head
was covered with a piece of rag, and from various parts of his
body were suspended bells and little bits of iron, which made a
horrid jingling noise. Before he entered the village, he announced
his approach by running round it, uttering frightful howlings, and
rattling his noisy appendages. He was followed by a number of boys,
dressed like himself. I heard some old men, who were sitting conversing
together at their doors, call out to the Lou, not to go that way,
as there were people there; and he and his retinue immediately turned
another way. During a great part of the night I could get no sleep,
on account of the howling of these savages.
At six next morning, we left Missabougou, and travelled six miles
N.E. Our road was covered with ferruginous stones. About nine in the
morning, we halted at Badiarana, a village containing about eight
or nine hundred inhabitants. The market was abundantly supplied with
all the necessaries of life. The inhabitants maintain a considerable
trade; merchants from Ségo and Yamina bring salt to Badiarana, which
they exchange for cloth of native manufacture, and cowries. Mandingoes
coming from the market of Jenné also traffic at Badiarana, to procure
a supply of cowries for the remainder of their journey. I inquired
of several merchants the distance of this place from Ségo. They
all concurred in telling me that Kayaye, a large commercial town,
was nine days’ journey north of Badiarana, and that Ségo was nine
days’ journey from Kayaye in the same direction.
As we approached the village, the chief stopped the caravan in a field
to count the loads. To guard against any mistake in the payment of the
passage-duties, he gave to each merchant as many pieces of wood as he
had loads. Each load was charged at the rate of twenty colat-nuts, the
price of the latter being from fifteen to eighteen cowries a-piece in
the village. The chief lodged us in some large huts. On our arrival,
I immediately visited the market, where I bought some maumies and
sour milk. The market is kept in very good order. The dealers, who
were ranged in two rows, were neatly dressed, and behaved with great
civility to those who bought their commodities, which consisted of
the produce of the country. Their shops were filled with cotton, raw
and manufactured, salt, millet, allspice, long pepper, pistachios,
zambalas, the fruit of the baobab, and the dried leaves of that
tree, which are used in cookery. I also exhibited my ware, and sold
some glass ornaments and pieces of coloured calico, which strongly
excited the admiration of the negroes. I afterwards went, accompanied
by my guide, to visit the chief. I found him seated in a large hut,
surrounded by some Mandingo merchants, who were engaged in discussing
their affairs. The wife of the chief had seen my glass trinkets, and
she begged her husband to buy some for her. I sold him about twenty
beads, at thirty cowries each. Several women purchased from me little
bits of coloured stuff, measuring about eighteen or twenty inches long,
and four broad, for each of which they paid me three hundred cowries,
worth twenty four French sous. One of the confidants of the chief,
who received the colats in payment of the passage-duties, presented me
with ten very fine ones, which he begged me to accept. This man’s
hands and feet were covered with leprosy. My companions found a sale
for some of their colats. At supper time, as I was taking the air
in the court, I saw the chief of the village stretched upon a mat,
with his head supported on a log of wood, and beside him stood
a young negress, who was attending upon him. Shortly afterwards,
six or seven of his wives brought him by turns a calabash of tau
for his supper. He tasted a little of the contents of each calabash,
distributed a portion to some Bambaras, who were lying beside him, and
the cooks successively carried away the remainder. It is the custom
of this country for the wives of a rich man, each to prepare her own
supper separately, and then to carry it to the head of the family
before she touches it herself. The wives of the poorer class cook the
supper of the whole family, and perform this office by turns. I was
pretty near the chief, and was much astonished that he did not invite
me to partake of the repast, a custom which is so generally prevalent
in these countries. The wells at Badiarana are dug seven or eight
feet deep, in a soil consisting of mixed sand and gravel. There is
grey argillaceous earth at the bottom of these wells, and the water,
though rather white, is pleasant to drink.
On the 29th of January, at six o’clock in the morning, we set off,
proceeding northward, over a road covered with ferruginous stones
and red gravel. After crossing a large stream, we reached Timbala,
where we passed the remainder of the day, being all greatly fatigued.
On the 30th of January, at six o’clock in the morning, we left
Timbala. After travelling some distance N.N.W. I was shewn the road
leading to Ségo and Yamina. We turned N.N.E., taking the road
to Jenné, and, after proceeding eight miles in that direction,
we halted. At a short distance from Timbala, we saw several women
cooking maumies, which they sold to the people of the caravan. They
had some difficulty in supplying us, for we all wanted some,
under the expectation that we should have to travel a considerable
distance without halting. However, this plan was changed, and about
ten o’clock we stopped at Touriat, a little unwalled village. Our
road, during the morning, was over very hard grey sand, and shaded
by bombaces, baobabs, and cés; the latter were very abundant. A
man belonging to our caravan being ill, his companions subscribed
together for the purchase of a kid, for, since our departure, they
had scarcely eaten any thing but tau, and herb sauce without salt. My
guide gave me a bit of the kid, about the size of an egg; for it was
divided among so many, that even my allowance was more than fell to
the lot of some of the rest.
The country round the village is very open, and the soil level. The
cé and the nédé are more numerous than any other trees. Touriat
contains between three and four hundred inhabitants.
On the 31st of January, at six in the morning, after proceeding some
distance N.N.E., over a soil composed of hard sand, and covered
with ferruginous stones and gravel, we arrived at Magna-Gnounan,
where we stopped to dine. In the neighbourhood of the village there
are some pretty little gardens, planted with onions and beans, which
the inhabitants cultivate carefully: they use the leaves for making
their sauces. I also saw some fields of tobacco, which, in this place,
is cultivated no better than at Timé; but it is of a finer kind:
the leaves are broad and very long, and, if it were well attended to,
it would thrive as well as that cultivated in Europe. The village
of Magna-Gnounan is walled, and contains about two hundred and
fifty inhabitants; the environs are well wooded with mimosas and
large baobabs. I saw some cotton plantations; but they appeared to
be neglected. I sat down beyond the boundaries of the village, in
the shade of a baobab, and roasted some pistachios for my dinner,
which I shared with some of my companions.
At the distance of a mile south-east I observed two hills, about a
hundred, or a hundred and twenty fathoms in height: they appeared to
be clothed with fine vegetation. Under the baobabs, on the outside
of the village, a little market is held; but it is ill supplied, and
nothing is sold in it but pistachios and millet. About half-past two
o’clock we left Magna-Gnounan, and proceeded six miles northward,
over a road covered with ferruginous stones and gravel. The butter-tree
still continued to be abundant. We crossed four streams, all tributary
to the Dhioliba. A little before sun-set we halted at Khoukhola,
where we passed the night. This neat little village is shaded by
numerous baobabs, with the fruit and leaves of which the inhabitants
trade. I saw some huts built of bricks baked in the sun.
At six in the morning, we resumed our journey in the direction of
N.N.E. The soil over which we passed was composed of hard grey sand,
mixed with white and pink calcareous stones. After travelling four
miles, we came to a large stream, and next arrived at Kiébala, a
small village, where we settled the passage duties, without being
detained more than an hour. I saw in this village several wells;
pieces of wood were fixed round them to prevent the earth from falling
in. I also observed some tobacco-plantations. The caravan stopped
in a field without the village; not far from this spot I saw a tree,
to the branches of which were tied pieces of string, leather, cloth,
&c. Under the tree were some empty earthen vessels, ranged in regular
order. I was informed that this was a burial place. It is the custom of
the Bambaras to deposit in the graves of the dead, provisions, cloth,
and various other things, keeping a portion of these articles, which
they hang upon a tree near the burial place, and putting the eatables
into earthen vessels. If, during the night, dogs, or any wild animal,
should devour the latter, it is believed that the guardian spirit of
the deceased has been banqueting at his grave. These superstitions
prevail only in some parts of the country.
Continuing our course N.E., on a soil similar to that which we had
passed over in the morning, about ten or eleven o’clock, we arrived
at Sérasso, where we passed the rest of the day. This village, which
contains a population of about three hundred, is situated in a well
cultivated plain, covered with cés, nédés, bombaces, baobabs,
and mimosas. Since we left the village of Fara, yams and rice had
become very rare. They are but little cultivated, owing, no doubt,
to the dryness of the ground; for rains are not so common in this
direction as further to the south. Millet of both kinds and maize are,
however, cultivated here; the former in great abundance.
On the 2nd of February, at six o’clock, we left Sérasso, and
proceeded eastward, in order to cross a bridge at a short distance
from the village. This bridge is built, like that of Cambaya, across
the Tankisso, except that it is covered with straw, and then with a
layer of earth. It had steps on each side, a precaution which I had not
hitherto seen among the negroes. This bridge is more convenient than
any other I saw in the interior. At its entrance were stationed two
negroes, who were sitting beside a little fire, though the weather was
any thing but cold. The heat here is nearly the same as at the Senegal;
but it varies a little. The two negroes received the passage-duties:
they demanded twenty cowries for each load of colats. The Mandingoes
would have preferred paying double the amount in kind; for they had
not much money. The men and women passed gratis. We were delayed for
a considerable time by the stubbornness of the asses; the negroes had
infinite trouble in getting them across; two were carried as far as
the middle of the bridge, and then they darted off at full gallop. The
natives of the country are not required to pay passage-duty; this
contribution is only demanded from foreigners. I asked several persons
the name of the stream we had just crossed. They told me it was called
Koua, a name which I know is common to all streams. We advanced four
miles E.N.E., across a level plain, covered with large trees; the
soil was composed of hard grey sand, and here and there I perceived
some blocks of black granite.
About nine in the morning we halted at Mouriosso. The houses in
this place are surmounted by terraces built of bricks baked in the
sun. Shortly before we entered the village, we crossed a stream, on
the banks of which I saw gardens containing fine beds of onions. These
gardens are cultivated by the women, many of whom were employed in
weeding. They water the ground frequently. Near the gardens are wells,
two feet deep, whence the water is taken in calabashes to which no
ropes are attached. The soil of these gardens is black, rich, and very
productive. They are surrounded by fences of dry briars and thorns,
to keep out the poultry. Several of the women whom we saw in these
gardens had no other clothing than wretched pagnes fastened round
their waists. They came to sell us tops of onions to put into our
sauce. We paid them in cowries with which they bought glass beads to
adorn themselves. They sometimes wear necklaces of chesnut-coloured
beads, which are preferred in the country to all others, because they
are the cheapest.
On our arrival a market was immediately opened under a large tree,
the branches of which were covered with roots, like one I saw on
a former occasion and which I have already mentioned. The market
was supplied with millet, a little rice, pistachios, onions, and
zambalas. There were also some women selling maumies, some of which
we bought, as our dinner was not ready.
The village is composed of numerous little enclosures, each of which
is occupied by one family. The place contains a population of about
two hundred. The people cultivate round their little habitations
water-melons, giraumons, and calabashes, the stems of which they train
up to the roofs of their huts. The fields surrounding the village
are sown with small millet: I saw some persons employed in weaving;
but smiths, if there be any, are not common, for I did not see one.