I gave the captain of the canoe (who since I had lent him some cowries had become more civil) a bit of coloured cloth, to make him a cap, on condition that he would supply me with proper food, till our arrival at Cabra; thus I was much better fed, than I had previously been, for the captain, who was not very scrupulous, took no notice of the Rhamadan, and, indeed, lived very well for that country.
In the course of the night we were awakened by the roaring of wild beasts.
On the 12th of April, at five in the morning, we stood to the east; the river continued narrow, but deep; its width, however, was still nearly equal to that of the Senegal at Podor; about eight o’clock it made an elbow to the south, and became narrower. This part of the river may be called the dungeon, the name given to a particular part of the Senegal which is extremely narrow. The country on all sides is low and damp, and very bare; at the narrow part of the river, I have just mentioned, there are several marshy islands, some of which are flooded all the year round; we also observed four great arms, two on each side. The river seemed to lose itself in the marshes, the banks being so low that, even at this season, they are well nigh overflowed.
These marshes, extending as far as the eye can reach, are covered with pasturage, and frequented by multitudes of water-fowl of every species; by numerous herds of cattle, sheep, and some horses, breaking, by their various cries, the silence of these desert regions. These herds belong to the pastoral Foulahs, who came to the river’s side to sell us their milk; they wanted to barter it for tobacco, of which we had none to give them; we were, consequently, obliged to go without their milk, for they would not accept cowries in exchange.
When, by the overflowing of the river, all the marshes are covered to the depth of eight or ten feet, this immense plain forms a vast lake; at those periods, the tribes of pastoral Foulahs, who have their huts in the neighbourhood, are obliged to retire into the interior, where the pasture is abundant during the rainy season. Continuing our course till ten o’clock in the morning, we found the river bend to the north; at this part, a very wide arm, branching from the river, extended to the east.
About eleven we passed Salacoila, a village of the wandering Foulahs, situated on the right bank; they build their huts on the quicksands. I went ashore with a negro to purchase a little milk, and saw some of the women, who were pretty well dressed; they would not take our cowries, but wanted millet or rice in exchange. They seemed very gentle in their manners; I visited their little habitations; they are of a circular form, made of a very pretty kind of matting, manufactured in the place; this is laid on poles which are fixed in the ground, and which, being flexible, curve inward at top; seven or eight of these huts were surrounded by quickset hedges of celane, a euphorbious plant which grows spontaneously on the sandy shores of the Senegal; these huts were very neat, being cleanly swept in the inside: they had no other furniture than a few mats spread on the ground, by way of bedding: some calabashes, wooden plates and skins for holding milk, were the only domestic utensils I saw. These Foulahs have the same cast of features and the same resemblance one to another as those in the neighbourhood of the Senegal; they, however, speak another language, though they perfectly understand that which is spoken at Timbuctoo. The only dress of the women was an apron tied round their waists. They were all exceedingly clean, and I do not think their hair was greased. They came in crowds to see me, being very curious, and apparently, very devout, for when I was going away they took up some sand in their hands and earnestly requested me to pray over it.[3] I complied with their wishes, gravely muttering some verses of the Koran. They then carefully rolled up the sand in their aprons, with the intention of preserving it as a precious talisman. The nenuphar (nymphæa cærulea) grows in abundance in the immense marshes which surround Salacoila. The largest species of this plant bears a beautiful blue flower. The inhabitants gather and dry the seed, and it affords them a valuable article of food. They also procure grain from the canoes which come from Jenné.
I observed the river sensibly widening. Its direction still continued northward. About two o’clock we stopped for some canoes that were astern of us. At four we again pushed off, steering to the N. E. The river now widened considerably. About ten we halted for the night. Here we again observed many hippopotami sporting about in the water. The negroes hunt this animal and sell its flesh, which they esteem very highly.
On the morning of the 13th of April, we continued our course to the north. I occasionally observed some alligators proudly rearing their heads to the surface of the water, and apparently threatening any one who might be bold enough to attack them. Scarcely had we proceeded three or four miles when we were obliged to halt to assist a canoe which had sunk. The crews of all the vessels were dispatched for this purpose, and the whole cargo was saved, but not without considerable difficulty. Every one assiduously exerted himself to dry the wet merchandise, and stow it again. During this disorder the whole cargo was lying on the shore exposed to the depredations of the sailors, who would have made no scruple of appropriating any article to themselves, had not guards been stationed here and there to watch them. When the cargo was once more in safety, the men who had rescued it were paid with millet. We then prepared to advance, leaving the owners and crew of the wreck to wait till they could get another canoe from Timbuctoo. Fortunately for them there was no village near, or part of their cargo would in all probability have been carried off.
About noon we took an easterly direction; the river continued wide, its banks low and adorned with a few bushes. Along the shore I observed the traces of elephants, who inhabited the neighbouring woods. I was anxious to see one of these animals, but could not gratify my curiosity. It is strange that, during my long wanderings in the interior of Africa, which, according to the accounts of many travellers, is infested with wild beasts, I never met with one. At sun-set the river took a turn to the north. About nine in the evening we stopped to rest for the night; the heat had been excessive.
At five on the morning of the 14th of April we again started. Half an hour after sun-rise we passed two little islands pretty close to each other; here I observed a large arm of the river running W. S. W. At a little distance northward were two hills, which did not appear very high.