Continuing our journey, we turned a little mountain composed of beautiful black granite, and destitute of any kind of vegetation. A little to the E.S.E. we saw some villages in the distance: the country was covered with pasturage, which being watered by small streams grows luxuriantly. These streamlets flow on into the valleys amongst blocks of beautiful black granite. We met a Moor, with whom I conversed for a short time. He asked me some questions respecting the whites, and congratulated me on my determination to return to the religion of my fathers. We descended into a plain and proceeded three miles to the E.S.E. The country still presented the same aspect. At half past four in the afternoon, we arrived very much fatigued at Foudédia. We passed the night at the village and there found the people of our caravan who had gone on before. The chief gave us a good hut and sent us a supper of rice and milk. Several men belonging to the village, who had formed part of the expedition of the almamy Yayaye against Firga, arrived. They said that the almamy had received a check and had lost some of his troops in battle; and that one of the inhabitants of Foudédia was among the number of the slain. This intelligence occasioned great grief. The wives of the deceased, accompanied by many of his relations and friends, paraded the village, singing in a shrill tone and alternately clapping their hands and striking their foreheads. Having continued this ceremony some time, they returned to their huts, followed by a crowd of women imitating their gestures. Their cries seemed to augment their grief: they rolled on the ground striking their bodies and uttering dreadful groans. The children shed sincere tears, but the women merely made a noise; deep as their affliction seemed to be it lasted only half an hour. They then appeared clothed in white; they had a calm and resigned air, and immediately resumed their usual occupations. The men were assembled round the mosque, and seated on the ground. They appeared really afflicted at the death of their comrade, and loudly censured the conduct of their sovereign.
On the 9th of May, at six o’clock in the morning, we pursued our route in an E.S.E. direction. We went two miles, over a soil at first rather stony but which afterwards changed to black sand covered with gravel, till we came to some rocks of white quartz, and crossed a little stream the waters of which reached up to our knees. It flowed to the north over a sandy bed. Its banks were thickly wooded. I observed many tamarind-trees. The soil continued level and covered with gravel. We met many persons going to the market of Labé, to sell calabashes and earthen pots manufactured in the country. These pots appeared to be of good materials and of much better workmanship than those made on the banks of the Senegal. I even saw some that were very well glazed. We proceeded three miles towards the east, crossing very deep ravines. Along all the road I saw troops of monkeys, which leaped from tree to tree, and barked after us like dogs. We arrived at Dimayara, the first village of the Fouta-Dhialon, inhabited by Mandingoes. It contains a population of from seven to eight hundred. It is situated at the foot of a chain of mountains extending from N. to S.S.E. These mountains are not very high. They are composed of granite, and are destitute of vegetation. The village of Faramansa is a little to the left of Dimayara. We proceeded for three miles to the east among the gorges of the mountains. Near the village of Sela I saw many Mandingoes engaged in tanning hides. Pursuing the same route, we arrived near an ourondé, or slave-village, where I bought some pistachios. At the distance of two miles and a half from Sela, we descended a hill covered with large rocks of granite. We sat down for a moment, to wait for some of our comrades who had lagged behind. We afterwards proceeded over a level soil, composed of very hard sand. I passed near an enormous rock of black granite, from a hundred to a hundred and twenty-five fathoms in height, without any kind of vegetation, except upon the summit, where I saw some slender bamboos. This rock rises in the midst of a plain of very fertile grey sand, producing rice, maize, millet, pistachios, yams, onions, and giraumons. We passed near Kouroufi, which has its name from the rock that I have just described. It is a large village, containing between five and six hundred inhabitants, Foulahs and Mandingoes. This village forms part of Kankan-Fodéa, a little province of Fouta-Dhialon. At five o’clock in the evening we arrived at Sanguessa, a little village, five miles from the place where I had bought the pistachios. We had constantly travelled over a very level soil composed of grey sand, in a S.E. direction. Two of our companions were natives of Sanguessa. They were moreover friends of my guide’s, which procured us the advantage of becoming the guests of the chief. He gave us a good hut, and ordered a number of mats to be spread in his court-yard, on which we seated ourselves to converse till supper time. The conversation turned chiefly on me, and afterwards various questions were asked respecting the journey of the Mandingoes to Kakondy. About ten at night, our two friends sent us some supper, at which I played my part, for I had eaten nothing all day, excepting some pistachios and a little of the fruit of the nédé steeped in water. The chief also sent us a supper of rice and sour milk, to which he added by way of luxury a little butter. During the evening Mamadi, one of our companions, introduced me to his wife, and brought all his little children to see me. The neighbours were also admitted. They crowded round me and gazed at me with curiosity. Mamadi, being acquainted with the story which I had invented, took pleasure in relating it to them, and added that I was a Souloca-tigui (a real Arab.) He then showed me over his little habitation. In the garden I observed some feet of ground planted with tobacco and gombo, which his wife had cultivated in his absence. This little village contains from three to four hundred inhabitants.
The whole of the morning of the 10th of May was occupied in paying visits to the friends of my guide. About ten o’clock I was sent for by the elders of the village: I was taken in front of the mosque, where I saw a great assemblage of Mandingoes; they were seated on the ground around two large calabashes, filled with little cakes, or handfuls of bruised rice, moistened with water, and covered with red and white colat-nuts. I seated myself on a sheep-skin which was offered me. I thought, at first, that the generous Mandingoes intended to make me a present; but I was egregiously mistaken. The conversation turned on my residence among the christians, concerning whom they entertained very erroneous ideas; they overwhelmed me with troublesome questions, and wandered widely from their subject. At length a marabout pronounced some prayers over the little cakes, which were thus converted into a sort of holy bread; they were then distributed among all present, and even the absent were not forgotten, their share being sent to them; two pieces were given to me, which, however, I did not eat. I knew not what was the occasion of this kind of treat, but conjectured that it was to celebrate the safe arrival of the traders who belonged to the place: on inquiry, I learned that it was in honour of two boys whose heads had been shaved for the first time. After the ceremony, a good breakfast was sent to us. About eleven in the forenoon we took leave of our companions, who promised to come and see me at Cambaya, where I intended to stop for some days. I was indebted for this mark of attention to the promise which I had made to give them a pair of scissors. We continued our route to the S.E., over the mountains of granite, which extend in that direction, and amongst which there are some very fine plains of sand. We arrived near the Tankisso, a large stream which flows from W.S.W., and runs to the east, making a thousand windings amongst the mountains. The Mandingo negroes, who had made many journeys to Timbo, told me that this stream issued from the Bâ-fing, a little below that capital; that it emptied itself into the Dhioliba; and that Bouré, a country rich in gold, is situated on the left bank of the Tankisso, about half or three-quarters of a day’s journey from the Dhioliba. My companions bathed whilst waiting for Ibrahim, who had stopped behind. Continuing our route, we descended a little mountain of pale pink quartz, the strata of which are eighteen or twenty inches thick. This road brought us into a beautiful extensive plain of firm sand, completely surrounded by high mountains, apparently of granite. In this plain was situated the village to which Ibrahim, my guide, belonged. We proceeded three miles to the east. In some places the soil consisted of grey clayey mould, mixed with small gravel. The Tankisso, after flowing among the mountains, falls in a cascade, and winds through the plain, which it fertilizes by its inundations. We advanced slowly, waiting for night to make our entrance into the village. We recrossed the Tankisso, the water of which was up to our waists. A little after sun-set we stopped to offer up our prayers; my companions then prepared to announce their arrival by a discharge of musketry, which they fired as they entered the village, about three miles eastward of our last station. When we entered the court of my guide’s hut, we were greeted by a second discharge of musketry. Joy was painted in every face; the negroes embraced their children, taking them up in their arms, and inquiring after their health and that of their friends. The women also appeared equally pleased at the return of their husbands, but they did not give way to that natural and sincere joy which would be manifested on similar occasions in Europe: they approached their husbands with an air of timidity, and lowered the knee to the earth, in token of salutation, but without asking any questions. The neighbours ran in crowds to congratulate their friends on the happy termination of their journey; bullocks’ hides were spread in the court-yard, and we sat down upon them in a circle, while the moon shone brightly above our heads. Much conversation took place respecting the circumstances of the journey, and the price of different commodities, especially salt. No notice had as yet been taken of me, but, as soon as I was observed, every one looked at me with astonishment, and the question, “Who is this man?” was repeated from mouth to mouth. Ibrahim was glad of the opportunity to relate my whole history, as I had told it to him; which rendered me still more an object of curiosity: I was importuned with questions, to which my guide had the kindness to reply for me. The court-yard was filled the whole evening, and about nine o’clock, a supper, consisting of rice and meat very well cooked, was brought to us: two of our travelling companions added theirs, and our party consisted of about twenty, for many of Ibrahim’s relations remained without waiting for the ceremony of an invitation. All ate with great avidity, and yet no one seemed satisfied. When the company had retired, my guide sent for me to partake of some couscous, made of very good cow’s milk, and then invited me to retire to rest on a bullock’s hide, which he had ordered to be prepared for me in the hut of one of his wives. Although the weather was very hot, a fire had been lighted in the hut, and I found myself very much annoyed by the heat, and particularly by the smoke, which had no vent but through the straw-covered roof. My guide’s wife lay in the middle of the hut, surrounded by her children.
On the 11th of May, at eight in the morning, Ibrahim came to pay his respects to me, and asked me to go and see his father, the chief of the village of Cambaya. He was an old blind man, and we found him lying in his hut, on a kind of platform of earth, raised six inches from the ground. It was three feet broad and six and a half or seven feet long, and was covered with a mat. At one end of this couch, a smooth plank was fixed, and above that was laid another piece of wood six inches thick, intended to raise the head and serve the purpose of a pillow. The old man appeared to be at least eighty years old. He had been informed of my arrival on the preceding evening, and his son introduced me, saying that I had come to salute him. He raised himself with some difficulty from his couch, and stretched out his hand to me, with the usual salutation, Salam alekoum. He passed his hand over the whole of my person, saying el-arab, el-arab acagnie (Arab, thou art good). He appeared to regret that he could not see me, and asked me if I was quite determined to return to my country, promising me a safe escort thither, and every now and then asking me in a jocose manner to remain among the Mandingoes. He treated me with great kindness, and made me a present of two colat-nuts which Ibrahim ate, for they were too bitter for me. My guide introduced me to several of his friends, who received me kindly. My hut was all day filled with people who came to visit me out of curiosity, and who asked me a thousand questions. Several of them informed me that they had been at Sierra-Leone, where they had seen many whites; adding that I was very like them, and that they did not believe I was an Arab. They said to each other Lo forto, forto, (he is a European). Some said this merely in jest; but others sincerely believed it. However, Ibrahim manfully took my part, asserting that I was a souloca-tigui, tigui (a real Arab) and that a christian would never perform the salam and study the Koran.
In the course of the day Ibrahim desired one of his wives to prepare a warm bath for me. He lodged me in company with an old marabout of Bondou, who had come to this part of the country to officiate as a school-master. He taught the children of the village the Koran. The method of teaching adopted among all the Musulmans of the interior of Africa is to write on small boards verses of the Koran, which are chanted by the scholars as they sit round a large fire. The lesson is written by the master himself, until the scholars are sufficiently advanced to write it themselves. At Cambaya this sort of public school is very well managed: the master maintains the most rigid discipline. The school is attended by girls as well as boys; but the education of females is much neglected. It is thought enough if they know the first verses of the Koran: boys, on the other hand, are required to learn it all by heart, after which a more able master is found for them, and he explains to them the most difficult passages of the sacred book. The scholars, are, in some respects, the servants of their master. They fetch wood and water for him, clean his hut, cultivate his field, and gather in his harvest. The parents of the children make the tutor some little presents of cloth, tabacco, and seed to sow in his garden. The schoolmaster of Cambaya had a high reputation for piety. He was poor and took his meals at the house of the chief, who also sent for me to partake of all their repasts. In the hut of the Bondouké (man of Bondou) I slept on the ground, upon which was spread a mat which Ibrahim had given me. The old marabout every night kindled a fire in his hut, the smoke of which I found exceedingly unpleasant. His religious zeal led him to rouse me every morning at three o’clock, to go to the mosque and return thanks to God; for the old man exercised the two-fold functions of priest and schoolmaster. The Mandingoes were far from being so very devout. They said their prayers in their huts at five or six o’clock. We were often the only persons in the mosque, though the old man used every endeavour to summon the faithful. He complained that the Mandingoes were not sufficiently attentive to prayer. On returning to our hut, I lay down on my mat to rest; but my companion, instead of following my example, spent the rest of the morning at his prayers. The good old man was very kind to me. Ibrahim was not the only person who invited him to eat with him. Many others did the same, and thus, though the old man was poor, he lived very well. I found myself extremely comfortable in the village. The people had become accustomed to my person, and my assiduity in fulfilling my religious duties, banished every suspicion of me. There was, however, one man who persisted in asserting that I was a white. He pretended to speak Arabic, of which he only knew a few words, and those he pronounced so ill that it was with difficulty I could understand him. This vexed me a little, though nobody paid much attention to what he said.
On the 13th, I was sitting at the door of my hut, holding in my hand a small board and some leaves of the Koran which I had brought with me. I was going to write down a souriat, or charm, which I wished to learn by heart, when I saw this Mandingo, who always seemed ill-disposed towards me. I beckoned to him, and, having invited him to sit down beside me, I asked him to write the souriat which I wished to learn. He was flattered by this mark of my confidence, and immediately did what I wished. From that time he became my best friend, and proclaimed through the village that there was no doubt of my being an Arab. When about to take my departure, I went to see him accompanied by my guide. He gave me a grigri, which he said would preserve me from all danger. I accepted the precious talisman with warm expressions of gratitude.
A white infant, the offspring of a negro and negress, was brought to me. The child was about eighteen or twenty months old. Its mother placed it in my arms and I examined it attentively. Its hair was curly and white, and its eye-lashes and eye-brows of a light flaxen colour. The forehead, nose, cheeks, and chin, were slightly tinged with red, and the rest of the skin was white. The eyes were light blue; but the pupil was of a red flame colour. The lips were of a rather dark red. I remarked that the child had very defective sight. I endeavoured to make it look up by drawing its attention to my beads; but it appeared to suffer pain, cried, and held down its head. It was just beginning to cut its teeth. Its lips were rather thick, and, indeed, it had altogether the Mandingo physiognomy. The infant appeared to be in good health. The negroes have no dislike to a white skin; they merely consider it as a disease. I was informed that the children of parents of this kind, that is to say, Albinos, are black.
On the night of the 13th, a gale, blowing from the east, brought us rather a violent storm. We had no rain, but a great deal of thunder and lightning. Next day the sister of the almamy Yayaye came to see Ibrahim’s wife. She informed me that a French christian, named Lesno, had come to Timbo, whither he had been sent by the chief of the Senegal. She spoke highly of the generosity of the stranger, and told me that he had solicited the almamy’s permission to visit the sources of the Dhioliba. This permission, however, was not granted, and, indeed, he was not allowed to go further than Timbo, and had, in consequence, returned to the Senegal. This was said to have happened about a month before I heard of it;—no doubt the name had been corrupted, but I have not yet ascertained who was the traveller alluded to.
On the morning of the 14th of May, Ibrahim fired several musket-shots, as a signal for his friends to come and receive some little presents of tobacco which he destined for them. The court was soon crowded with old men, and as the portions had been made up on the preceding day, there was nothing to do but to distribute them; he also gave some blue Guinea cloth to each of his three wives for their dresses. After this distribution, Ibrahim was overwhelmed with benedictions. The women danced, and sang his praises, and the men offered up prayers for his prosperity. The good old schoolmaster was not forgotten. After our breakfast, which was always equally frugal, Ibrahim and I walked to the ourondé to see the slaves employed in preparing the ground for sowing. The poor slaves work entirely naked, exposed to the heat of a burning sun. The presence of their master intimidates them, and the fear of punishment expedites the work; but they make themselves amends in his absence. The women, who had very little clothing, had their children tied to their backs. They were employed in collecting the dry grass, which, being burnt, forms a kind of manure, indeed, the only kind they use.
Ibrahim assured me that rice in these fields grows to the height of four feet. The soil, which is composed of a very hard grey sand, is fertilized by the inundations of the Tankisso. The uplands, which the inundations do not reach, are planted with yams, cassava, maize, small millet, and foigné, which is much cultivated here. The foigné is sown in the course of May, and gathered in the month of July, at which time the rice is no more than four inches above the ground. Two harvests of foigné may be gathered during the year. But for the foigné, which grows very rapidly, this country would frequently be subject to famine, for the people are accustomed to sow no more rice than what they absolutely need, and very often less; in which latter case they have recourse to the foigné. I sat down for a moment under the shade of a tree, to watch the slaves work. They appeared to perform their tasks much better than the negroes employed by the Europeans on the western coast. They use but one agricultural implement, which is a hoe, made in the country, six inches long by four broad; the handle from eighteen to twenty inches long, is very much bent. Previously to sowing their rice the ground is broken up to the depth of about a foot, but the same preparation is not made for sowing the foigné. They merely cut the grass, and sow the seed broad-cast, before the ground is properly prepared, then draw the grass over the seed, which thus becomes covered. It is the business of the women to perform this simple operation. When the foigné rises above the ground, no pains are taken to remove the weeds which impede its growth. Greater attention however, is bestowed on the rice; the ground in which it grows is carefully cleared of noxious weeds. In the Fouta, I observed that the Foulahs spread burnt dung over the ground which they intend to sow: they also burn all kinds of roots and grass for the same purpose. I approached the Tankisso, the banks of which are well covered with trees: indeed, I saw the branches of several extend across the river, the navigation of which could only be attempted in the rainy season. I bathed, and found the water up to my arm-pits. The banks of the river, I observed, are composed of grey argillaceous earth, mixed with fine sand.