She commenced her treatment by forbidding me to eat meat or salt, or even to drink the rice-water with which the old negress had supplied me. In the evening, she brought in the corner of her pagne some pieces of red wood: this she boiled in water, with which she desired me to wash my mouth several times a day. I punctually obeyed her directions. The water was very acrid and had the effect of a strong astringent. However, I experienced but little relief. My cure promised to be very slow, and I felt no symptoms of convalescence until about the 13th of December. The sore on my foot, to which I had applied a diachylon plaster healed with my improving health. The weather was fine. The wind blew frequently from the N.E. and sometimes from the north. I went every day, supported on a stick, to take the air and amuse myself at the banancoro, a place, which, as I have already stated, is the rendezvous of idlers. Here it is shaded by large bombaces. The old men resort thither to spend a portion of the day, not to smoke like the Bambaras, for the inhabitants of Timé do not smoke, though they take a great deal of snuff. They amuse themselves by talking about trade and their former journeys. The young people also assemble there to dance all night.
I bought some fowls, as I wished to have food at once wholesome and succulent. The old negress cooked the fowls with a little rice. My appetite and strength gradually returned, and I was soon able to walk without a stick. I now anxiously looked forward for an opportunity to depart; but, as it might be some time before such an opportunity should occur, I thought it advisable to look out for a guide to conduct me to Tangrera, a large town which, the natives informed me, was ten days’ journey from Timé, in the direction of E.N.E. From Tangrera caravans of Mandingo merchants frequently go to Jenné, Ségo, Sansanding, and Yamina. I had considerable difficulty in procuring a guide, though there were in the village numbers of idle Mandingoes, who spent the whole day in gossipping at the banancoro. At length, I found one who promised to accompany me, but only, within two days of Tangrera, which I thought I might easily reach by joining a party of merchants on the road. I promised my guide a little iron saucepan, to which he had taken a great fancy, and which I generally used for my ablutions. He was also to have a pair of scissors, a yard and a half of beautiful coloured cloth, and two sheets of paper. However, on the day appointed for our departure, he found some excuse for absenting himself. I saw that he was trifling with me, and I was obliged to put off my journey till another day. Baba continued to behave very ill and often spoke harshly to me. He seldom came to my hut, and when I bought any thing he contrived to make me pay more than its value, for the people who sold me provisions were his relations or friends. I have also one reproach to make against the old negress, who, in other respects, behaved very well to me. On market days I gave her some glass ornaments to purchase my weekly supply of grain; but she always discovered that there was too little. To satisfy them, I ought to have provided sufficient for their maintenance as well as mine.
One day Baba informed me that his brother, who had departed in the preceding August, had come home, and that he was gone to Teuté to procure colats, with the intention of returning immediately to Jenné. He told me I might go with him. I learned this news with considerable pleasure. This was about the end of December. Baba had received from his brother some salt, of which he made little presents to his neighbours and his wives. The latter came immediately to sell it to me for glass beads. Baba sent his youngest brother with some loaves of salt to Kany, to purchase colats and to barter them for goats or sheep.
I experienced fresh annoyances from Baba. He stole my salt to give it to his horse, which was not worth his keep. Nothing could persuade these people that I was not rich. In spite of the privations which I imposed upon myself, they still persisted in believing that I had plenty of gold and silver. To destroy this illusion, I determined to shew them the contents of my bag; but before I gave them this proof of confidence, I took the precaution of concealing any thing which might excite their cupidity. They are ignorant of the value of amber and coral, which their women never wear, and they saw mine with indifference.
On the 1st of January, 1828, I had the satisfaction to learn that Baba’s brother had returned from Teuté, where he had been buying colats, which he was shortly to go and dispose of at Jenné. It was night when the old negress came to inform me of her son’s arrival. I saw a dozen Mandingoes who accompanied him. They were covered with little bells; these, when they walked, made a noise that excited the curiosity of the people, who all ran out to see them.
On the 2nd of January, the travellers made little presents of colats to their friends and relations, who had come on the preceding evening to make inquiries about their journey. Baba’s brother received from his friends, in return for the presents, two large calabashes full of tau and rice, together with some meat and salt. The neighbours were invited to partake of the entertainment. They were about fifteen or twenty in number, but that did not prevent them from sending a small portion of the feast to such of their relations as could not attend. The old negress regularly brought me my little portion, and as I was soon to leave the place, she paid me increased attention.
Our departure was fixed for the 9th of the month. The interval, during which Baba’s young brother, Karamo-osla, stayed at Timé, was spent in rejoicings. Five or six meals were eaten in the course of the day; for, besides the food sent by friends and relations, the family took their dinner and supper as usual; indeed, I have frequently seen them rise in the night to eat. I visited the old chief, to acquaint him with my intended departure, of which, however, he had already been informed. He made me sit down beside him in his hut, and gave me some colat-nuts. He also begged me to accept some yams, which he ordered his slaves to carry home for me. He said, that since I was going away, and he should probably never see me again, he would request me, before I went, to write for him a charm against bad eyes. After satisfying him, I went with Baba to see a field of yams of his own cultivating. He had several free Bambaras at work for him. They throw up the earth into little ridges, as I have before mentioned, without taking the trouble to remove the young trees, which, when the yams take root, serve as sticks for them to climb up. We seated ourselves near a large heap of yams, which Baba had purchased with salt from the Bambaras, his neighbours, and which he intended to plant in his field. While a party of the labourers were engaged in selecting those which would be best for planting, some of the yams were cooked, and we ate them for dinner. When the proprietors visit their lands, they have no other food than yams, and the slaves always take care to steal a few and to conceal them under ground, that they may eat them secretly. The young lads carried on their heads baskets of yams, to give them to the men whose business it is to plant them. When they had done work, I observed that Baba paid his labourers in kind. On leaving me, each of the poor Bambaras gave me a yam.
A cold north wind had prevailed since the end of December. I could very well bear my woollen wrapper, and was glad, during the day, to seek the genial warmth of the sun. The negroes, who are naturally chilly, covered themselves with the woollen wrappers which they buy at Jenné; and in the month of December, they kindled larger fires than usual in their huts. I perceived that at this season the trees lose their leaves, and the negroes burn the dry herbs which surround their habitations. The eve of our departure was a grand festival. A young Mandingo negro was celebrating the funeral of his mother, who had been dead about a fortnight. On the very day of her death, I had been attracted to the neighbourhood by the sound of the music. I saw in the court-yard, two large drums, made like ours, and some persons were beating them, and clashing cymbals. These cymbals consist of two pieces of iron, about five inches long, and two and a half wide. The two negroes who were beating the drums, held these cymbals in their left hands. Each of the pieces of iron has a ring, one is passed over the thumb, and the other over the fore-finger, and by a movement of the hand they are struck together in regular time. The women of the neighbourhood brought little presents, by way of shewing respect to the deceased. A large circular basket was placed exactly in the centre of the yard to receive the offerings. The women, having deposited their presents, assumed a grave look, and, ranging themselves in a file, marched along, keeping time to the music, and making motions with their hands and heads, expressive of sorrow. Sometimes they beat time, by clapping their hands, while they sang a melancholy song. This scene continued the whole of the day. I inquired whether the presents which had been brought in honour of the deceased, were to be buried with her; for the Bambaras observe this superstitious custom. The Mandingoes told me that it did not prevail among them, and that the presents would be appropriated to the celebration of the dégué-sousou, at which I was present, and which I will describe as I saw it.
The son of the deceased bought a lean kid, for the entertainment of part of the guests, especially the musicians. Early on the morning of the day appointed for the festival, he called with Baba at my hut, where I was sitting by the fire, for the morning was cool. They both sat down by me, and the young man begged me to sell him some gunpowder to celebrate his mother’s funeral. He told me he would pay me in cowries,[55] which were beginning to be current at Tangrera, and without which, I could not purchase food. I had about a flask of powder, which I had carefully preserved, thinking that it would be useful to me at Jenné. However, I gave him as much of it as was worth a thousand cowries; for I thought that by refusing I might render myself disliked. I had some difficulty in striking the bargain. They sent about every where in quest of horns for measuring the powder, and they could not get any large enough. To satisfy them, I must have given them all my stock. The 8th of January was the day fixed for the ceremony, which took place near the humble habitation of the deceased, beneath the shade of large bombaces, to all appearance coeval with the soil in which they grew. The band of music consisted of four large drums, as many pair of cymbals, and six hautboys, like those of Wassoulo, which I have described. The musicians were all Bambaras, for the Koran prohibits the Musulmans from applying themselves to music.
Four little boys, whose bodies were covered with leaves of trees, well arranged, and whose heads were adorned with plumes of ostrich-feathers, held in each hand a round basket, with a handle, in which were bits of iron and pebbles. They kept time with the music, jumping and shaking their baskets, the contents of which, produced a strange jingling. There were two leaders of the band, who regulated the intervals when the performers were to play. They wore beautiful mantles of cotton net-work, very white, and fringed round. On their heads they had black caps, edged with scarlet, and adorned with cowries and ostrich-feathers. The musicians stood at the foot of a baobab. The assemblage was numerous, and all were well dressed. The men were tricked out in all their finery. I saw several with little coussabes, of a rusty colour, and almost covered with amulets, rolled up in little pieces of yellow cloth. Some were armed with muskets, and others with bows and arrows, as if prepared for combat. They also wore large round straw hats, of their own native manufacture. They walked all together round the assembled circle, leaping and dancing to the sound of the music, which I thought very agreeable. Sometimes they appeared furious, firing their muskets and running about with threatening looks. The men with bows and arrows, also appeared as if on the point of rushing on an enemy, and they pretended to shoot their arrows. The men were followed by a number of women, all neatly dressed, having about their shoulders white pagnes, which they tossed about from side to side, while they walked to the sound of the music, and observed profound silence. Those who were fatigued withdrew, and their places were immediately supplied by others. When they left the party, they ran away very fast, and were followed by some of the musicians, who accompanied them, playing, as far as their huts, where they received a present of some colats. About the middle of the festival, all the male relatives of the deceased made their appearance dressed in white. They walked in two files, each carrying in his hand a piece of flat iron, which they struck with another smaller piece. They walked round the assembly keeping time and singing a melancholy air. They were followed by women, who repeated the same song in chorus, and at intervals clapped their hands. Next came the son of the deceased, who was well dressed, and armed with a sabre. He did not appear much affected, and, after having walked round the assembly, he withdrew, and the warlike dances were renewed. The whole festival was arranged by two old men, relatives of the deceased. They addressed the assembled party, and delivered an eulogium on the good qualities of their departed kinswoman. The festival ended with a grand feast, during which, the goat which was killed in the morning, was eaten. I remarked, with pleasure, the good order which prevailed throughout the whole of the entertainment, which was kept up with great merriment. The young people danced almost the whole of the night. The son of the deceased withdrew from the supper which he had provided for his friends, and came to partake of ours.