Travels Of Richard And John Lander Into The Interior Of Africa For The Discovery Of The Course And Termination Of The Niger By Robert Huish
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They Have A Few Canoes Of Small Dimensions, Capable Of
Containing Ten Or Twelve People, But Are Not Very Expert
In the
management of them, although they are so far advanced as to make use
of a mast and sail,
Which latter is constructed of a sort of mat.
They seem to be little addicted to the water, and none were seen
amongst them; who could swim. In their fishing excursions, the
natives are generally very successful, and those who pursue this mode
of obtaining their livelihood, are compelled to adhere to it, and
allowed to have nothing to do with cultivating the land. They
exchange their fish for yams, and thus the wants of the fishermen and
the cultivators are both supplied.
On the first visit of ships to this island, very considerable
aversion was shown by the natives to any of their people attempting
to go to their huts, or even to their endeavouring to penetrate into
the woods, although only a short distance from the shore, from a fear
perhaps of their plantations being plundered. Their huts, which are
of the rudest construction imaginable, may be distinctly seen amongst
the trees in small groups, surrounding a clear space of ground, in
which they cultivate the yam, and are formed of a few stakes driven
firmly into the ground, thatched over with the palm leaf, the sides
being completed with a sort of wicker work. They are about ten or
twelve feet long, and half that in breadth, and not more than four or
five feet in height.
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