Strange As This Story May Appear, I Have No
Doubt Of The Truth Of It:
It was told me at Malacotta by the Negroes; it
was afterwards related to me by the Europeans on
The Gambia; by some of
the French at Goree; and confirmed by nine slaves who were taken
prisoners along with Abdulkader, by the watering place in the woods, and
carried in the same ship with me to the West Indies.
CHAPTER XXVI.
_The caravan proceeds to Konkadoo, and crosses the Faleme River. - Its
arrival at Baniserile, Kirwani, and Tambacunda. - Incidents on the
road. - A matrimonial case. - The caravan proceeds through many towns and
villages, and arrives at length on the banks of the Gambia. - Passes
through Medina, the capital of Wolli, and finally stops at Jindey. - The
Author, accompanied by Karfa, proceeds to Pisania. - Various occurrences
previous to his departure from Africa. - Takes his passage in an American
ship. - Short account of his voyage to Great Britain by way of the West
Indies._
On the 7th of May, we departed from Malacotta, and having crossed the _Ba
lee_, "Honey river," a branch of the Senegal, we arrived in the evening
at a walled town called Bintingala, where we rested two days. From
thence, in one day more, we proceeded to Dindikoo, a small town situated
at the bottom of a high ridge of hills, from which this district is named
_Konkadoo_, "the country of mountains." These hills are very productive
of gold. I was shown a small quantity of this metal, which had been
lately collected: the grains were about the usual size, but much flatter
than those of Manding, and were found in white quartz, which had been
broken to pieces by hammers. At this town I met with a Negro, whose hair
and skin were of a dull white colour. He was of that sort which are
called in the Spanish West Indies _Albinos_, or white Negroes. The skin
is cadaverous and unsightly, and the natives considered this complexion
(I believe truly) as the effect of disease.
May 11th. At daybreak we departed from Dindikoo, and after a toilsome
day's travel, arrived in the evening at Satadoo, the capital of a
district of the same name. This town was formerly of considerable extent;
but many families had left it in consequence of the predatory incursions
of the Foulahs of Foota Jalla, who made it a practice to come secretly
through the woods, and carry off people from the corn fields, and even
from the wells near the town. In the afternoon of the 12th, we crossed
the Faleme river, the same which I had formerly crossed at Bondou in my
journey eastward. This river, at this season of the year, is easily
forded at this place, the stream being only about two feet deep. The
water is very pure, and flows rapidly over a bed of sand and gravel. We
lodged for the night at a small village called Medina, the sole property
of a Mandingo merchant, who, by a long intercourse with Europeans, has
been induced to adopt some of their customs.
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