The
Neck And Fore Legs Were Very Long; The Head Was Furnished With Two Short
Black Horns, Turning Backwards; The Tail, Which Reached Down To The Ham
Joint, Had A Tuft Of Hair At The End.
The animal was of a mouse colour;
and it trotted away from us in a very sluggish manner; moving its head
from side to side, to see if we were pursuing it.
Shortly after this, as
we were crossing a large open plain, where there were a few scattered
bushes, my guide, who was a little way before me, wheeled his horse round
in a moment, calling out something in the Foulah language, which I did
not understand. I inquired in Mandingo what he meant; _Wara billi billi_,
a very large lion, said he; and made signs for me to ride away. But my
horse was too much fatigued; so we rode slowly past the bush, from which
the animal had given us the alarm. Not seeing any thing myself, however,
I thought my guide had been mistaken, when the Foulah suddenly put his
hand to his mouth, exclaiming _Soubah an alluhi_ (God preserve us!), and
to my great surprise I then perceived a large red lion, at a short
distance from the bush, with his head couched between his fore paws. I
expected he would instantly spring upon me, and instinctively pulled my
feet from my stirrups to throw myself on the ground, that my horse might
become the victim, rather than myself. But it is probable the lion was
not hungry; for he quietly suffered us to pass, though we were fairly
within his reach. My eyes were so rivetted upon this sovereign of the
beasts, that I found it impossible to remove them, until we were at a
considerable distance. We now took a circuitous route, through some
swampy ground, to avoid any more of these disagreeable rencounters. At
sunset we arrived at Modiboo, a delightful village on the banks of the
Niger, commanding a view of the river for many miles, both to the east
and west. The small green islands, (the peaceful retreat of some
industrious Foulahs, whose cattle are here secure from the depredations
of wild beasts,) and the majestic breadth of the river, which is here
much larger than at Sego, render the situation one of the most enchanting
in the world. Here are caught great plenty of fish, by means of long
cotton nets, which the natives make themselves, and use nearly in the
same manner as nets are used in Europe. I observed the head of a
crocodile lying upon one of the houses, which they told me had been
killed by the shepherds in a swamp near the town. These animals are not
uncommon in the Niger; but I believe they are not oftentimes found
dangerous. They are of little account to the traveller, when compared
with the amazing swarms of musquetoes, which rise from the swamps and
creeks, in such numbers as to harass even the most torpid of the natives;
and as my clothes were now almost worn to rags, I was but ill prepared to
resist their attacks.
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