I Waited For An Answer To This Message With Great
Anxiety; For The Lion Kept Prowling Round The Village, And Once Advanced
So Very Near Me, That I Heard Him Rustling Among The Grass, And Climbed
The Tree For Safety.
About midnight the Dooty, with some of his people,
opened the gate, and desired me to come in.
They were convinced, they
said, that I was not a Moor; for no Moor ever waited any time at the gate
of a village, without cursing the inhabitants.
Aug. 16th. About ten o'clock I passed a considerable town, with a mosque,
called Jabbe. Here the country begins to rise into hills, and I could see
the summits of high mountains to the westward. I had very disagreeable
travelling all this day, on account of the swampiness of the roads; for
the river was now risen to such a height, as to overflow great part of
the flat land on both sides; and, from the muddiness of the water, it was
difficult to discern its depth. In crossing one of these swamps, a little
to the westward of a town called Gangu, my horse, being up to the belly
in water, slipt suddenly into a deep pit, and was almost drowned before
he could disengage his feet from the stiff clay at the bottom. Indeed,
both the horse and its rider were so completely covered with mud, that,
in passing the village of Callimana, the people compared us to two dirty
elephants. About noon I stopped at a small village near Yamina, where I
purchased some corn, and dried my papers and clothes.
The town of Yamina, at a distance, has a very fine appearance. It covers
nearly the same extent of ground as Sansanding; but having been plundered
by Daisy, King of Kaarta, about four years ago, it has not yet resumed
its former prosperity; nearly one half of the town being nothing but a
heap of ruins. However, it is still a considerable place, and is so much
frequented by the Moors, that I did not think it safe to lodge in it. But
in order to satisfy myself respecting its population and extent, I
resolved to ride through it; in doing which, I observed a great many
Moors sitting upon the Bentangs, and other places of public resort. Every
body looked at me with astonishment; but, as I rode briskly along, they
had no time to ask questions.
I arrived in the evening at Farra, a walled village; where, without much
difficulty, I procured a lodging for the night.
Aug. 17th. Early in the morning I pursued my journey, and at eight
o'clock passed a considerable, town called Balaba; after which the road
quits the plain, and stretches along the side of the hill. I passed in
the course of this day the ruins of three towns, the inhabitants of which
were all carried away by Daisy, King of Kaarta, on the same day that he
took and plundered Yamina. Near one of these ruins I climbed a tamarind
tree, but found the fruit quite green and sour; and the prospect of the
country was by no means inviting; for the high grass and bushes seemed
completely to obstruct the road, and the low lands were all so flooded by
the river, that the Niger had the appearance of an extensive lake. In the
evening I arrived at Kanika, where the Dooty, who was sitting upon an
elephant's hide at the gate, received me kindly; and gave me for supper
some milk and meal; which I considered (as to a person in my situation it
really was) a very great luxury.
Aug. 18th. By mistake I took the wrong road, and did not discover my
error until I had travelled near four miles; when, coming to an eminence,
I observed the Niger considerably to the left. Directing my course
towards it, I travelled through long grass and bushes, with great
difficulty, until two o'clock in the afternoon; when I came to a
comparatively small, but very rapid river; which I took at first for a
creek, or one of the streams of the Niger. However, after I had examined
it with more attention, I was convinced that it was a distinct river; and
as the road evidently crossed it, (for I could see the pathway on the
opposite side,) I sat down upon the bank, in hopes that some traveller
might arrive, who would give me the necessary information concerning the
fording place; for the banks were so covered with reeds and bushes, that
it would have been almost impossible to land on the other side, except at
the pathway; which, on account of the rapidity of the stream, it seemed
very difficult to reach. No traveller, however, arriving, and there being
a great appearance of rain, I examined the grass and bushes, for some way
up the bank, and determined upon entering the river considerably above
the pathway, in order to reach the other side before the stream had swept
me too far down. With this view I fastened my clothes upon the saddle,
and was standing up to the neck in water, pulling my horse by the bridle
to make him follow me, when a man came accidentally to the place, and,
seeing me in the water, called to me with great vehemence to come out.
The alligators, he said, would devour both me and my horse, if we
attempted to swim over. When I had got out, the stranger, who had never
before seen a European, seemed wonderfully surprised. He twice put his
hand to his mouth, exclaiming in a low tone of voice, "God preserve me!
who is this?" But when he heard me speak the Bambarra tongue, and found
that I was going the same way as himself, he promised to assist me in
crossing the river; the name of which he told me was Frina. He then went
a little way along the bank and called to some person, who answered from
the other side.
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