The Niger now becomes deeper and wider, and soon after Diafarabé it assumes a more northerly direction. We passed several river barges about this time; some are owned by the Government and some are the property of private individuals or French trading firms. For sails they use big, mat-like contrivances made out of grass. These primitive sails look very picturesque. They have the advantage of being cheap and easily repaired, but, of course, they are not very durable. The grass out of which they are made grows on the banks, and is a kind of supple reed. They are plaited around sticks, which are pegged into the ground so as to enclose a hollow square of the area of the required sail. When the wind is not favourable these barges are poled.
The pilots now had an easier time, for the water being deeper navigation was no longer such anxious work. Two of these men used to be on duty at a time. One managed the wheel, while the other stood in the bows of our little craft, pole in hand, ready to take soundings by measuring the depth of water shown by his stick at any place where it shallowed suddenly. These pilots wore rather a picturesque garb, blue and white vests, blue serge, baggy trousers, and a red tam-o’-shanter, the kit somewhat reminding one of the French sailor, from whom it was probably copied. Those not on duty used to spend their time fishing. The fishing tackle consisted merely of a stout line with a hook on the end to which was attached a piece of fish as bait. This line was dropped over the stern and towed behind us as we moved. I cannot say they were very successful with their fishing tackle, for I only saw them make two catches during the whole voyage. Another amusement was to make fish-nets, for which purpose their toes came into great request. The native makes great use of his toes for catching hold of a loose end of rope; indeed, he is often more nimble with his toes than with his fingers.
I used generally to pass the morning writing up my diary, and working out the previous day’s observations; after lunch I would join my fellow-passengers on deck, where it was pleasant to sit and read or watch the changing scenery, with an occasional shot at a crocodile by way of variation. About this time we were delayed by a strike in the engine-room among the stokers. Two of these men were so insubordinate as to necessitate their being put in irons; this left us very short-handed. We stopped at the nearest village to try to get two substitutes, but the new hands were so stupid as to be almost useless. To make matters worse some of the machinery got seriously out of order, and we had to slow down in consequence. The whole of the engine-room seemed to be disaffected, and I could not help thinking that the breakdown in the machinery was purposely done by them out of spite. Unfortunately the skipper was newly arrived from France, and had not much experience of the wiles of the natives; but we were now near Mopti, where villages were less scarce, and the river was widening considerably.
On the marshy, low-lying banks grazed big herds of cattle, followed by an indolent rustic, who turned round to stare in idle curiosity as we approached. Sometimes the launch would let off her steam-whistle, and at the sound of this unaccustomed noise the cattle would career wildly away in terror. Flocks of sheep and goats there were too, but the river banks were often too swampy to permit of the latter grazing near the water’s edge. All this country is extraordinarily flat; for miles in every direction there is an uninterrupted view of a flat, grassy plain through which the Niger slowly wends its way. The fall of this river is very gradual, as can be easily appreciated from the fact that it takes 2440 miles to fall less than 4000 feet in its course from the Tembikunda Mountains to the sea. Hence the current is extremely slow as a rule. The river is here still known by the name of Joliba to the natives, and it is not till it enters the British territory of Northern Nigeria that the natives call it Kwarra, or Kworra, a name it preserves until it reaches the sea.
As the river widened we noticed several large creeks on both sides, until we came to a very large stream flowing into the Niger from the east. This river, which was even wider here than the Niger, was the Bani, and as soon as we entered it we saw in the distance the town of Mopti.
CHAPTER XIII
A land of inundations — River transport in the Macina Province — The “King of Mopti” — Mopti — Prospects of the rice trade — Shooting wart-hog — Native huts — The protection of egrets — A lion as a pet — A dangerous joke — Scarcity of wood — The white ant — The driver ant.
MOPTI is the chief town in the rich province of Macina. The province lies entirely on the right bank of the Niger. It extends on the north to Lake Dhebo, on the east almost to Bandiagara, and on the south to the town of Djenné. The whole country is flat, except for a low range of hills to the northward. The towns are all built on slightly rising ground, in order to avoid the floods which cover the country-side at certain times of the year. Indeed, were it not for this slight elevation upon which they stand, they would inevitably be submerged; as it is, they stand out like islands from the midst of the surrounding plains. Practically the whole province is inundated during the season of floods by reason of its low-lying situation.
Two big rivers are the main factors in producing this state of affairs; one is the Niger, while the other is its affluent the Bani. Besides these two big streams there are numerous tributaries of both which play their part in the inundations. Macina is the richest grain-producing country of the French Soudan. Huge areas of land are under cultivation for rice and millet, large quantities being exported annually to feed the people of the Senegal Colony.
The soil is peculiarly adapted to these two cereals. Rice is grown on the clayey ground found close to the river banks, while the drier, sandier soil found farther away from the rivers is admirably suited to the production of millet.