to enable me to purchase provisions in the course of my journey; the messenger added, that if my intentions were really to proceed to Jenne, he had orders to accompany me as a guide to Sansanding. I was at first puzzled to account for this behaviour of the king; but from the conversation I had with the guide, I had afterward reason to believe, that Mansong would willingly have admitted me into his presence at Sego, but was apprehensive he might not be able to protect me, against the blind and inveterate malice of the Moorish inhabitants. His conduct, therefore, was at once prudent and liberal. The circumstances under which I made my appearance at Sego, were undoubted such as might ereate in the mind of the king, a well warranted suspicion, that I wished to conceal the true object of my journey. He argued, probably, as my guide argued; who, when he was told, that I had come from a great distance, and through many dangers, to behold the Joliba river, naturally inquir ed, if there were no rivers in my own country, and whether one river was not like another. Notwithstanding this, and in spite of the jealous machinations of the Moors, this benevolent prince thought it sufficient, that a white man was found in his dominions, in a condition of extreme wretchedmess; and that no other plea was necessary to entitle the sufferer to his bounty.

CHAPTER XVI.

Departure from Sego and arrival at Kabba. Description of the Shea or vegetable butter-trec. Arrives at Sansand

ing. Behaviour of the Moors at that place. Pursues his journey East. Incidents on the road. Arrives at Modiboo, and proceeds for Kea, but is obliged to leave his horse by the way. Embarks at Kea in a fisherman's canoe for Moorzan; is conveyed from thence across the Niger to Silla. Account of the Niger, and the towns in

its vicinage, &c.

BEING, in the manner that has been related, compelled to leave Sego, I was conducted the same evening to a village about seven miles to the eastward, with some of the inhabitants of which my guide was acquainted, and by whom we were well received.* He was very friendly and communicative, and spoke highly of the hospitality of his coun trymen; but withal told me, that if Jenne was the place of my destination, which he seemed to have hitherto doubted, I had undertaken an enterprize of greater danger than probably I was apprized of; for although the town of Jenne was, nominally, a part of the king of Bambarra's dominions, it was in fact, he said, a city of the Moors, the leading part of the inhabitants being Bushreens, and even the governor himself, though appointed by Mansong, of the same sect.Thus was I in danger of falling a second time in the hands of men, who would consider it not only justifiable, but mer itorious, to destroy me; and this reflection was aggravated by the circumstance, that the danger encreased as I advanced in my journey; for I learned, that the places beyond Jenne were under the Moorish influence, in a still greater. degree than Jenne itself; and Tombuctoo, the great object of my search, altogether in possession of that savage and merciless people, who allow no Christians to live there. But I had now advanced too far to think of returning to the westward on such vague and uncertain information, and determined to proceed; and being accompanied by the guide, I departed from the village on the morning of the 24th. About eight o'clock we passed a large town called Kabba, situated in the midst of a beautiful and highly culti

* I should have before observed, that I found the language of Bambarra a sort of corrupted Mandingo. After a little practice I understood and spoke it without difficulty.

vated country, bearing a greater resemblance to the center of England, than to what I should have supposed had been in the middle of Africa. The people were every where em ployed in collecting the fruit of the Shea trees, from which they prepare the vegetable butter, mentioned in former parts of this work. These trees grow in great abundance all over this part of Bambarra: They are not planted by the natives, but are found growing naturally in the woods, and in clearing woodland for cultivation, every tree is cut down but the Shea. The tree itself very much resembles the American oak, and the fruit, from the kernel of which, being first dried in the sun, the butter is prepared, by boiling the kernel in water, has somewhat the appearance of a Spanish olive. The kernel is enveloped in a sweet pulp under a thin green rind, and the butter produced from it, besides the advantage of its keeping the whole year without salt, is whiter, firmer, and to my palate, of a richer flavour, than the best butter I ever tasted made from cow's milk. The growth and preparation of this commodity, seem to be among the first objects of African industry in this and the neighbouring states, and it constitutes a main article of their inland commerce.

We passed, in the course of the day, a great many villages inhabited chiefly by fishermen, and in the evening about five o'clock arrived at Sansanding, a very large town, containing, as I was told, from eight to ten thousand inhabitants. This place is much resorted to by the Moors, who bring salt from Beeroo, and beads and coral from the Méditerra nean, to exchange here for gold dust and cotton cloth. This cloth they sell to great advantage in Beeroo and other Moorish countries, where, on account of the rain, no cotton is cultivated.

I desired my guide to conduct me to the house in which we were to lodge, by the most private way possible. We accordingly rode along between the town and the river, passing by a creek or harbour, in which I observed twenty large canoes, most of them fully loaded, and covered with mats to prevent the rain from injuring the goods. As we proceeded, three other canoes arrived, two with passengers, and one with goods. I was happy to find that all the Negro inhabitants took me for a Moor; under which character I should probably have passed unmolested, had not a Moor, who was sitting by the river side, discovered the mistake,

and setting up a loud exclamation, brought together a num her of his countrymen.

When I arrived at the house of Counti Mamadi, the Door ty of the town, I was surrounded with hundreds of people, speaking a variety of different dialects, all equally unintelli gible to me. At length, by the assistance of my guide, who acted as interpreter, I understood that one of the spectators pretended to have seen me at one place, and another at some other place; and a Moorish woman absolutely swore, that she had kept my house three years at Gallam on the river Senegal, It was plain that they mistook me for some other person, and I desired two of the most confident, to point towards the place where they had seen me. They pointed due south; hence I think it probable that they came from Cape Coast, where they might have seen many white men Their language was different from any I had yet heard. The Moors now assembled in great numbers, with their usual arrogance, compelling the Negroes to stand at a distance. They immediately began to question me concerning my religion; but finding that I was not master of the Arabic, they sent for two men, whom they called Ilhui, di (Jews) in hopes that they might be able to converse with me. These Jews, in dress and appearance, very much resemble the Arabs; but though they so far conform to the religion of Mahomet, as to recite in public, prayers from the Koran, they are but little respected by the Negroes; and even the Moors themselves allowed, that though I was a Christian, I was a better man than a Jew. They however insisted, that like the Jews, I must conform so far, as to repeat the Mahomedan prayers; and when I attempted to wave the subject, by telling them that I could not speak Arabic, one of them, a Shereef from Tuat in the Great Desert, started up, and swore by the Prophet, that if I refused to go to the mosque, he would be one that would assist in carrying me thither; and there is no doubt but this threat would have been immediately executed, had not my landlord interposed in my behalf. He told them, that I was the King's stranger, and he could not see me ill treated, whilst I was under his protection. He therefore advised them to let me alone for the night, assuring them, that in the morning, I should be sent about my business. This somewhat appeased their clamour; but they compelled me to ascend a high seat, by the door of the mosque, in order that every body might see

The former of

me; for the people had assembled in such numbers as to be quite ungovernable, climbing upon the houses, and squeezing each other like the spectators at an execution. Upon this seat remained until sun-set, when I was conducted into a neat little hut with a small court before it, the door of which Counti Mamadi shut, to prevent any person from disturbing me. But this precaution could not exclude the Moors. They climbed over the top of the mud-wall, and came in crowds into the court, in order, they said, to see me perform my evening devotions, and eat eggs. these ceremonies did not think proper to comply with; but told them I had no objection to eat eggs, provided they would bring the eggs to cat My landlord immediately brought me seven hen's eggs, and was much surprised to find that I could not eat them raw; for it seems to be a prevalent opinion among the inhabitants of the interior, that Europeans subsist almost entirely on this diet. When had succeeded in persuading my landlord, that this opinion was without foundation, and that would gladly partake of any victuals, which he might think proper to send me, he ordered a sheep to be killed, and part of it to be dressed for my supper. About midnight, when the Moors had left me, he paid me a visit, and with much earnestness, desired me to write me a saphie. "If a Moor's saphie is good,” said this hospitable old man," a white man's must needs be better." I readily furnished him with one, possessed of all the virtues I could concentrate, for it contained the Lord's Prayer. The pen with which it was written, was made of a reed; a little charcoal and gum-water made very tolerable ink, and a thin board answered the purpose of paper.

July 25th. Early in the morning, before the Moors were assembled I departed from Sansanding, and slept the ensuing night at a small town called Sibili; from whence, on the day following, I reached Nyara, a large town at some distance from the river, where I halted the 27th, to have my clothes washed, and recruit my horse. The Dooty there has a very commodious house, flat roofed, and two stories high. He shewed me some gun-powder of his own manufacturing; and pointed out as a great curiosity, a little brown monkey, that was tied to a stake by the door, telling me, that it came from a far distant country, called Kong.

July 28th. I departed from Nyara, and reached Nyamee about noon. This town is inhabited chiefly by Foulahs from