A chapter from the Koran was repeated to
him by a mahommedan priest, to which both he and his people seemed to
pay great attention.
Public schools are established in the town of Larro, for the avowed
purpose of teaching the rising generation the rudiments of the
mahommedan religion.
A singular custom prevails in the town, of compelling children at the
breast to swallow a quantity of cold water from a calabash. An infant
was nearly choked on this morning by the injection of more than a
pint of water down its throat. Whether the mothers follow this custom
for the purpose of curing the children of any imaginary complaints,
or, as is more probable, in the hope of rendering them less eager for
their natural food, was not exactly to be ascertained.
The inhabitants possess horses, asses, and mules, though not in any
considerable numbers, they have, however, great abundance of sheep
and goats, which are bred in the town; and their yards and huts are
the common place of resort for those animals, indeed they may be said
to grow up and live with the children of their owners. The Landers
amused themselves during the greater part of the day, in looking at
the gambols of some very handsome goats, which had strayed into their
abode, but the sheep were not near so tame or frolicsome, repelling
all the advances towards a more familiar acquaintance, by timidity
and ill nature. Shrimps and fish, which are caught in the streams in
the vicinity of the town, are daily exposed for sale, and the
inhabitants appear to be in possession of a greater share of the
necessaries and comforts of life, than their neighbours of the sea
coast.
They this day observed the country to be sensibly rising, and
agriculture appeared to be conducted on a regular system, which was
an evident proof of the active and industrious habits of the people.
The gloomy fastnesses and wildnesses of nature, such as they passed
on the first day or two of their journey from Badagry, were less
common as they advanced, and open glades with plantations of bananas,
fields of yams and Indian corn, all neatly fenced, met their view
from the path of yesterday as well as on the present day. The
inhabitants of Larro also exhibit greater cleanliness of person and
tidiness of apparel than the tribes nearer the sea-shore. Those pests
also, the unfortunate beggars, entirely disappeared, for the
inhabitants of Larro appeared to possess too much pride to beg.
It was at Larro that the two brothers began to feel the relaxing
influence of the climate, but still their hearts were good, and they
hoped, by the blessing of Heaven, that their progress through the
country might not be impeded by sickness.
On Tuesday, April 6th, the sun had scarcely risen above the horizon,
and the mists of the morning yet hung upon the hills, than they
quitted the town of Larro, and pursued their journey on horseback.
Three horsemen from Jenna followed them on the path, and they were
enlivened by the wild jingling of their animals' bells, till they got
within a mile of that town, where they alighted at a kind of
turnpike, and fired a salute of two muskets.
