The Mandingoes of Sansanding and Yamina and many saracolets carry to Bouré salt and European merchandise. A well supplied market is held every day. This country is inhabited by Dhialonkés, who are partly idolaters; they have an absolute chief, who has the reputation of being a great warrior: he has many slaves employed in working the mines; and, besides the large quantity of gold that his labourers procure for him, each proprietor who digs for ore is obliged to give him half the produce of the day’s work. This chief was at this time making war upon the large villages situated on the banks of the river. Sansando, a considerable place, and capital of several smaller ones, held him in check; this village is almost opposite to Bouré, upon the right bank of the Dhioliba; it is also inhabited by idolatrous Dhialonkés. This war, or rather this pillage, did much injury to commerce. The canoes, which arrived loaded with merchandise, were often plundered by the inhabitants of Sansando, who are extremely envious of the wealth of Bouré. Boucary is the name of the chief of this rich country: although not a zealous Musulman, he treats with respect all persons of that religion, particularly the marabouts or priests. He has the utmost confidence in grigris, and never travels without having his clothes covered with them. Naturally very suspicious, he has several dwellings, and never sleeps twice in succession at the same: he has a great number of wives. At the gate of his court yard there is a triple guard, and, before any one can reach his presence, he must pass through five or six more houses equally well guarded. At this moment he was also at war with the village of Damsa, inhabited by pagans and situated upon the Milo, between Kankan and Bouré, which intercepted the communication between the two districts. It is desirable that attempts should be made to establish a factory at Bamako; this post would command the commerce of the interior, by attracting the produce of the gold mines, which is exported in part to Kakondy, the Gambia, and Sierra-Leone. Senegal, on account of its distance, cannot participate in this traffic, because the Mandingo merchants would be obliged to traverse Kankan, Baléya, Fouta-Dhialon, Bondou, Fouta-Toro, and part of Cayor or of the Wâlo country, to arrive there. It would, in the first instance, be requisite to ascertain the distance between Bamako and the point of the Senegal to which vessels can ascend—I mean above the rock of Felou. After having established a factory near this cataract, another should be formed where the river ceases to be navigable. It is to be presumed that from this second station at Bamako it would not be more than eight or ten days’ journey; and from this important point the caravans of salt and of European commodities would proceed to Bamako. It is perhaps to be feared, that the natives would oppose this plan; but they might soon be brought to think more favourably, by shewing them the great advantages to be derived from the arrangement, and by paying them annual duties: the conduct of these people will always be governed by interest. The Moors, who carry on the greater part of this commerce which enriches them, would oppose to the utmost of their power this project of an establishment; but the duties that would be paid to the negro king would smooth away all difficulties; for the Moors pay no tribute whatever.
On the 16th of July, about nine in the morning, after having made a slight breakfast of rice, we prepared to set off; I presented to my host a little tin drinking mug, which he seemed to wish for, and with which he was very much delighted. After having escorted me to the end of the village, he left me with his benediction. I was accompanied by old Mohammed, who had shown me much kindness during my residence at Kankan; he had often told me that if he and his son were alone he would come with me to Jenné. We travelled about a mile to the east, across a plain, where we saw many little ourondés, surrounded by flourishing fields of maize. We arrived on the banks of the Milo, which I found very rapid, and as broad again as when I saw it before. We crossed it, with our baggage, in a canoe about fifty feet long and exceedingly narrow; it was formed of two trunks of trees, united lengthwise and fastened together with cords; it was about eleven o’clock when we reached the right bank. The good Moor testified great regret at parting and after having broken in two a colat-nut, which we ate together, he left me with good wishes for the success of my journey; when he was a little way from the bank, he turned his head towards me, bade me adieu once more, and wished me a speedy return to my country.
We left the banks of the river, and directed our course to the east for a couple of miles, through a well cultivated country. In some places I perceived, on a level with the ground, red and porous rocks, which appeared to be of the same nature as those at Sierra-Leone. We crossed a large rivulet on a very tottering bridge, which was rather dangerous to the merchants, who were all laden; one of them, having happily arrived at the further end of the bridge, could not keep his balance any longer, and fell into the water; but received no injury: this stream falls into the Milo. We halted at Sofino, a village dependent upon Kankan, and inhabited by Wassoulo Foulahs; the country is for the most part covered with nédés and cés; the land round the village is well cultivated, and more attention is paid to agriculture than at Kankan. We took up our abode in a hut, the inside walls of which appeared to have been whitewashed, whether with lime or not I could not tell, but it looked like it. We roasted some pistachio-nuts, which we ate while we were waiting till it should be time to set off; we were to travel by night through the woods, which are said to be infested by robbers. Our little caravan was composed of fourteen persons, Foulahs, Mandingoes, and saracolets. It might be about half past one when we set off, and the weather was cool, dark, and foggy. We proceeded eastward, walking at a great rate, and in perfect silence, lest we should be overheard by robbers, who would infallibly have stripped us. We penetrated into the woods, and journeyed on through herbage of such height as to be above our heads. We came to the dwellings of a few Foulahs, whose appearance was not prepossessing, either as to countenance or dress; their clothes were hanging in rags, and, though they were almost a quarter of an inch thick in filth, we could still perceive that they had once been yellow. Their faces were adorned with a bushy beard, which was likewise very filthy, and their noses were disgustingly full of snuff. These are detached families, engaged in cultivating rice, yams, foigné, and pistachios: the soil is black and fertile; I never met with any at Kankan which was equally productive. We bought of these Foulahs a few yams for supper, for which we gave them tobacco and some glass ware. They looked at me with some curiosity, and when we left them they told us to beware of the caffres (infidels), who were very numerous in the woods. At nightfall we were overtaken by rain, which rendered our journey much more fatiguing and troublesome than it had been. To complete our discomfort, it became very dark, and we walked without knowing where we were setting our feet; towards eight o’clock we had lost our road, and were forced to stop. We sat down under the trees, with the rain pouring upon our backs, and not daring to cough or clear our throats for fear we should bring robbers upon us; we were silent and sad. A little before night we had seen three men without baggage and armed; they were sitting on the ground and held their guns on their knees; this attitude, and the expression of their countenances had rendered us a little suspicious of their intentions, but our number no doubt deterred them, and they were afraid that they should not be strong enough. At Kankan, I had been told that robbers continually attack the Mandingoes who traverse these woods, but never the caravans of saracolets, because they know that the latter carry guns, and that the Mandingoes are unarmed: the saracolets, when they cross the forest, always make it resound with numerous discharges of musquetry.
When the rain was over we contrived to light a fire, though not without some trouble; one of my companions tore off a bit of his pagne, laid powder upon it, and then putting it under the lock of his gun, contrived to set fire to it. We cut off a few branches of trees, to make a sort of hut to shelter us for the rest of the night; the rain had no sooner ceased, than we were beset by swarms of mosquitoes, which gave us no rest. Two of our companions, armed with poniards and lances, went in search of water, with a vessel which we had brought for that purpose; when our fire was lighted, we cooked upon the embers four yams and a few pistachios for supper, and, after this frugal repast, we stretched ourselves on wet leaves round the fire. As nearly as I can calculate, we had then travelled twelve miles from Sofino, in an easterly direction, over a good, but rather gravelly soil. The rain prevented me from using my sandals, and I was forced to walk barefoot over the gravel which gave me great pain. While I was lying by the fire, I could not help reflecting upon the suffering and fatigues I should have to endure, if I continued my journey during the season when the rain is perpetual; I thought also of the danger there would have been in venturing through these woods with no companion but Lamfia, who had proposed that I should do so, and would very likely have plundered me without mercy. I had time, in the silence of this vast wilderness, to indulge my melancholy reflexions, which were interrupted only by the notes of some night birds, and by the croaking of frogs. This was a dreadful night; I got no sleep, and I thought that it would never be morning.
On the 17th of July, day-light at last appeared, dissipating the vapours of the atmosphere, and reviving all nature. We ate some of the roasted yams, which we had over from the preceding night, and after this light meal we set off towards the east, and crossed a large rivulet by a bridge that was nearly in ruins; every moment we were in danger of falling into the water, but we got over in safety; it was constructed on the same principle as that at Cambaya. The inundation of this stream, the banks of which are well-wooded, covered all the neighbouring country; the water was up to our knees, and we walked with great pain, on account of the gravel which cut our feet.
In the course of the day we crossed eight large streams, which are all tributaries to the Dhioliba. The soil is every where much the same, but the country was rather less wooded than what we had seen the evening before. We found plenty of nédés and cés, and I also remarked some ferruginous stones. We travelled at a very quick pace, and only halted when our porters were exhausted; we then ate a few raw pistachio-nuts to refresh us. I had great difficulty to keep up to this speed; fortunately, however, it did not rain that day. The road was still so covered with water from yesterday’s rain, that I could not wear my sandals; I suffered sadly from the gravel, and my left heel was quite raw. At six in the evening we arrived thoroughly fatigued at Diécoura, the first village of Wassoulo, surrounded with a wall eight or ten feet high, and containing eight or nine hundred inhabitants.
We had travelled twenty-four miles, in an easterly direction, since morning; and, finding ourselves in the Wassoulo territory, we bore to the E.S.E. for six miles more, over a good soil, capable of producing excellent crops. When we arrived at Diécoura, I sat down upon an ox-hide, which had been spread under an orange-tree in front of our hut. The inhabitants assembled in crowds to see me; they looked at me with great curiosity, but did not teaze me with troublesome questions, as the Mandingoes had done. They seemed to agree with the description of them given by the inhabitants of Kankan, that is to say, to be exceedingly mild in their manners. They are pagans. The men use large pipes, with a tube as thick as a man’s little finger, and three feet long; they are of earthenware, of a grey colour, and very well glazed; the bowl is as big as a coffee-cup, and the designs upon them were so well executed that I could scarcely believe that they had been made in the country; the evidence was so strong, however, that I was at last convinced. The inhabitants were very inquisitive, and wanted to know who I was, and whither I was going; but they did not teaze me. They are naturally lively, and amuse themselves under the great bombaces, where I saw all the young people assembled; they had a band of music, such as I had not before met with; twenty musicians were performing at once, upon separate instruments, several of which were made of wood, hollowed, and covered with sheep-skin. Mungo Park found a similar musical instrument amongst the Mandingoes to the north of the Dhioliba, which he describes as being made of an elephant’s tusk; these, however, were of wood; they are twelve to fourteen inches long, and in the shape of a very straight horn; at the narrow end there is a hole on one side to blow into; and they produce very harmonious tones with this instrument. They have also a great drum and a tambourine, made of a small calabash, covered with sheep-skin, with iron rings round the rim, which make an agreeable jingling. Two little negroes, gaily dressed, with plumes on their heads, were jumping in cadence, and accompanied the music by striking two pieces of iron together; they were dressed almost like the little French tumblers.
The leaders of the band of musicians wore cloaks adorned with Guinea fowl’s feathers, and they had ostrich plumes on their heads; many of them were shaking, in cadence, a round calabash, with a handle six inches long, and covered with net-work, containing some large beans, which, in spite of the rattle they made, accompanied the music very well. The musicians walked in a file, playing and moving in time; the women and children followed, dancing and clapping their hands. I was greatly amused with watching them, and their dance was free from all indecency. They passed part of the night in this diversion; and the two great drums produced a good effect. Since I had left the coast I had met with nothing that pleased me so much as this scene; I was never tired of their music, which seemed to me harmonious, although it had in it something wild: it is worthy of the traveller’s attention. Our host gave us a supper of boiled foigné, which was accompanied with herbs, but rather unpalatable for want of salt and butter; we ate our portion however with a very good appetite, for we had taken nothing that day but a bit of yam and some pistachio-nuts. The saracolets bought milk, and cooked their rice, which they invited me to share with them.
Four days’ journey to the east of Diécoura is Morila, a village surrounded with walls, where a market is held; and to the E.N.E. of Morila is the town of Kankary, situated on a river, which runs to the south and falls into the Dhioliba. This town belongs to the Bambaras of Ségo, and has a considerable market. I obtained the above information from the natives of the country.
My goods had gone forward with my guide, who went to Kimba to one of his acquaintance, but I was so fatigued that I preferred sleeping in the village to going any farther; we were to rejoin him the next day: the absence of my baggage preventing me from paying my host, one of the saracolets was so obliging as to discharge the debt with a few trinkets of glass, and he would never afterwards allow me to reimburse him.