Here I Lodged At The House Of A Sera-Woolli Negro, And
Was Visited By A Number Of Moors.
They spoke very good Mandingo, and were
more civil to me than their countrymen had been.
One of them had
travelled to Rio Grande, and spoke very highly of the Christians. He sent
me in the evening some boiled rice and milk. I now endeavoured to procure
information concerning my route to the westward, from a slave merchant
who had resided some years on the Gambia. He gave me some imperfect
account of the distance, and enumerated the names of a great many places
that lay in the way; but withal told me, that the road was impassable at
this season of the year. He was even afraid, he said, that I should find
great difficulty in proceeding any farther, as the road crossed the
Joliba at a town about half a day's journey to the westward of Bammakoo;
and there being no canoes at that place large enough, to receive my
horse, I could not possibly get him over for some months to come. This
was an obstruction of a very serious nature; but as I had no money to
maintain myself even for a few days, I resolved to push on, and if I
could, not convey my horse across the river, to abandon him, and swim
over myself. In thoughts of this nature I passed the night, and in the
morning consulted with my landlord how I should surmount the present
difficulty. He informed me that one road still remained, which was indeed
very rocky, and scarcely passable for horses; but that if I had a proper
guide over the hills to a town called Sibidooloo, he had no doubt, but
with patience and caution, I might travel forwards through Handing. I
immediately applied to the Dooty, and was informed that a _Jilli Kea_
(singing man) was about to depart for Sibidooloo, and would show me the
road over the hills. With this man, who undertook to be my conductor, I
travelled up a rocky glen about two miles, when we came to a small
village; and here my musical fellow-traveller found out that he had
brought me the wrong road. He told me that the horse-road lay on the
other side of the hill, and throwing his drum upon his back, mounted up
the rocks, where indeed no horse could follow him, leaving me to admire
his agility, and trace out a road for myself. As I found it impossible to
proceed, I rode back to the level ground, and directing my course to the
eastward, came about noon to another glen, and discovered a path on which
I observed the marks of horses feet. Following this path I came in a
short time to some shepherds' huts, where I was informed that I was in
the right road, but that I could not possibly reach Sibidooloo before
night. Soon after this I gained the summit of a hill, from whence I had
an extensive view of the country.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 138 of 282
Words from 72264 to 72777
of 148366
