On the 4th of August, the chief of the village came to see me, and brought me some colat-nuts and yams for my supper. The caravan was preparing to depart for Jenné, and my foot was not yet healed. The rains were incessant. I had to pass through a country intersected with rivers and large streams, which at this season overflow their banks, and marshes flooded with water. All this would of course render the journey dangerous and disagreeable. I reflected leisurely what plan I should adopt. I thought that with my wounded foot, which was getting worse and worse, I should incur the risk of being left on the road, or perishing in the marshes; for the Bambaras, who are an idolatrous people, would not willingly have allowed me to stay among them, and would probably have robbed me of all I possessed. I therefore determined to let the caravan depart without me, thinking it best to pass the month of August at Timé, and even to remain there until my recovery. I informed my host of my resolution, telling him that I would make him a present of a beautiful piece of coloured cloth and a pair of scissors, with which he appeared very well pleased. I was informed that there was a market once a week in the village, where I might purchase any provisions I wanted. The Bambaras of this part of Africa, which must be traversed in proceeding to Jenné, are poor and wretched. They do not trade beyond their own country. Not having joined the standard of the Prophet, they cannot travel but at the risk of being captured and made slaves. They are in general indolent. Their soil, unlike that of the Foulahs of the Wassoulo, is ill cultivated, and their villages are disgustingly dirty. Their food is very bad; they eat all sorts of animals, dogs, cats, rats, mice, serpents and lizards; nothing escapes their voracity. They cultivate a little cotton, which they exchange with the Mandingoes for salt. I observed weaving in some of their villages; but they make little cloth, scarcely enough to clothe themselves, for they go almost naked. They may have as many wives as their means enable them to support. They have but few slaves, and are always armed with bows and arrows.
These people are governed by a multitude of petty independent chiefs, who often go to war with each other. In short, they are in a savage state, compared with the nations which follow the religion of the Prophet. They have no idea of the dignity of man. If I had been obliged to remain among them, my merchandise would have roused their cupidity, and being unrestrained by any sort of fear, they would probably have robbed me without scruple. Among the Musulmans, on the contrary, I was protected by the shield of Mahomet. In the little village of Timé I found every thing very abundant. The market, which is held once a week, enabled me to procure any thing. This market is supplied by the Bambaras of the neighbourhood, who come hither to dispose of the surplus of their provisions. Among other living things they bring fish, which they catch in the streams that water their plains.
On the 5th of August, the Mandingo merchants, who intended to set off for Jenné, put fresh leaves to their colats, to keep them damp, and counted them all over. They are also in the habit of damping them with water to preserve them.
On the 6th the caravan set off in a torrent of rain. The travellers about fifteen or twenty in number, both male and female, carried each of them on their heads a load of three thousand five hundred colats, a weight which I could scarcely lift. They bring back, on their return, salt in the form of loaves or flat cakes. The inhabitants assured me that the value in salt of three thousand five hundred colats, when brought back to Timé, was the price of two slaves; but the profit, as I subsequently ascertained, is not considerable; for great expenses are incurred on the road, not only for subsistence, but also for duties of transit. The price of the colats, a fruit which does not grow in this country, varies considerably. On returning from these journeys, the traders travel far into the south to procure colats, with salt and cloth, which they manufacture with cotton purchased from the Bambaras, and spun by their women.
On the 17th of August, Baba gave me a large hut to live in. Here I installed myself as well as I could. A mat spread on the damp ground, over which I laid my cotton wrapper, was the only furniture of the place. This hut also served as a warehouse and contained yams and rice.
On the 8th, I found myself very ill in consequence of the badness of the food, and I had an attack of fever. I took a few doses of sulphate of quinine, which had the effect of abating the fever for a few days. My host seemed much concerned at my indisposition. He searched through some old books which contained verses of the Koran, and brought me a scrap of paper well fumigated on which was written a charm in Arabic characters, assuring me that it was an excellent remedy for the disorder under which I was suffering. He directed me to copy it on a little piece of wood which he brought me; then, to wash off the writing with some water which I was to drink: he observed that this would to a certainty relieve me. To please him I copied the writing as he directed and when he was gone washed the bit of board; but instead of drinking the water I threw it away, which had quite as good an effect, for next day I found myself tolerably well. My host, of course, attributed my amendment to the efficacy of his remedy. I often received visits from the Mandingoes of the village. They were as troublesome as those of the Kankan, asking me continually for paper, powder, and various other things. The women tormented me for glass trinkets. They thought my skin very white, laughed at the length of my nose, and played me some childish tricks. In short, I agreed very well with the inhabitants of Timé, and was tolerably comfortable, with the exception of their food, which was detestable, chiefly on account of the want of salt. However, I purchased a little salt for my own use, and by degrees I became accustomed to the simple mode of living in this country.
On the 14th of August, the chief came to visit me. He begged me to write him an amulet, and in order to render the grigri or charm the more efficacious he made me a present of a kid. The amulet which he wished to have was to preserve him from diseases in general: I promised to exert all my skill to satisfy him. It would have been imprudent to refuse what he asked; for, in spite of the precaution I had taken of telling him that I had left my country extremely young, he imagined that I could speak and write Arabic very well. Five or six Mandingoes of the village immediately seized the kid and skinned it. They took care to reserve for themselves the stomach of the animal, which they put on the fire and broiled without taking the trouble to wash it. They shared this dainty morsel with some persons whom curiosity attracted round them. They were very expeditious and had soon cut up the kid; and without ever asking my leave on the subject, they made presents of small pieces to the neighbours and relations of my host; for in this country meat is a great luxury and is only eaten on festival days. The people eat the flesh of goats and sheep only, for they have no bullocks. The negroes gave the old chief a shoulder of the kid for his supper, and the remainder was reserved for me and Baba’s family. Baba asked me what I intended to do with the skin of the animal. I consigned it to his disposal, and he immediately went and exchanged it for a lump of salt to season our meat, which was boiled in a large pot, and was destined to be kept for several days. The old negress, named Manman, a name very common throughout all the country, performed the office of cook. This good creature was very kind and attentive to me. She brought me herself twice a-day a little rice and tau, the food which composed all my meals. I gave my host a pair of scissors, with which he appeared much pleased: it was an article of great rarity and high price at Timé.
On the 15th, I went to thank the chief for his present and gave him the amulet, which he received very gratefully. He immediately wrapped it up in a piece of cloth, which he rubbed over with wax and then enclosed it in another envelope, consisting of a piece of tanned sheep-skin. He tied this precious object with a little piece of string and hung it round his neck. He overwhelmed me with thanks and wished me a speedy return to my country.
The sore on my foot, instead of healing, grew worse. The month of August continued stormy: the rain poured down day and night: the sky was cloudy and the air heavy and cool. At intervals an east wind blew and was followed by a small, cold rain. The sun but rarely appeared. My hut was exceedingly damp. The water filtered through the wall which was made of earth and very thin. I was in a continual vapour bath and frequently ill, owing to the insalubrity of the air and the inconvenience of my new dwelling, in which I could not kindle a fire on account of the intolerable smoke. Throughout all the interior of Africa, the negroes never make chimneys. They kindle their fires in the middle of their huts, and leave the smoke to find its way through the roofs, which are in consequence thickly lined with soot.
During the rainy season, the Mandingoes scarcely ever go out of doors. They lie all day in their huts beside a great fire, and sometimes make coussabes to amuse themselves. When any circumstance obliges them to go out, they wear a kind of clogs with wooden soles two inches and a half thick, which keep their feet dry. The women pursue their occupations, going out to procure wood and water without any regard to the state of the weather. They never wear any covering on their feet whether the ground be wet or dry.