About half past two we arrived on the bank of a secondary branch of the Dhioliba, which comes from the north in this part, and forms the island on which is situated the town of Jenné. In fording it the water was up to our waists. Its current is very rapid, and its bed is wide and sandy. We saw a great number of traders crossing the water. They were coming from Jenné and returning to their respective countries with merchandise.
Having crossed this branch of the river, I thought myself on the island of Jenné, but, before we could reach the town, I found that we had to cross a second branch as deep as the other. After crossing the first branch we found ourselves at the extremity of a large island, separated by this marigot, and formed by an arm of the river, which branches off at Ségo and rejoins it at Isaca, a village situated at the distance of a day and a half’s journey from Cougalia. Within this large island is situated the island of Jenné, which is surrounded by a secondary arm of the river. I saw in the port, many large canoes: some afloat waiting for their cargoes and others ashore, to undergo repair. I was astonished at the size of these canoes, of which I shall say more hereafter.
When we landed, there were several negroes assembled at the water-side. My guide addressed himself to one of them, a good-looking Mandingo, and asked him whether he could give us a lodging. He conducted us to his habitation, the outside of which was well enough, but the inside did not correspond with its external appearance. From consideration to me in my assumed character of an Arab, I was lodged in an upper room, where I should not be so much exposed to damp as in the lower part of the house. The room was exceedingly wretched and dirty. It might be about twelve feet long, five wide, and of a proportionate height. The floor, which consisted of planks of rough wood, was better made than any I have seen among the Bambaras. It was, however, very uneven, and covered with rubbish, a heap of which lay in one corner of the room, as the floor was undergoing repair. The only furniture the apartment contained was a mat spread upon the floor. The steps, which led from this room to the yard were of earth, and so narrow and steep as to be very dangerous to descend. My old guide and his people were lodged in the store-room on the ground-floor.
When we were fairly settled in our new abode, Kai-mou called together the master of the house and two or three old men who lived in the neighbourhood, to whom he related the circumstances which had occasioned my journey to Jenné. They listened to his story with great attention, and seemed to be much interested about me. On my expressing a wish to become acquainted with the Arabs who were settled in the town, and to place myself under their protection, they agreed to conduct me in the evening to sherif Sidy-Oulad-Marmou, a Moor of Tafilet, who was reputed to be very rich. This interview being ended, my old guide asked me to go up to my chamber; he ascended before me and seated himself on the mat. He began by congratulating me, and then addressed me in a long speech, in which he assured me that I ought to consider myself very fortunate, in having reached Jenné without experiencing any serious disaster or being ill-treated by the infidels. He said it was very astonishing that, considering my white colour, which was so strange to the people, I should have travelled over so large a tract of country without being robbed. He added that I was in a great measure indebted to him for my safety, and that he trusted I would reward him for his important services. He then paused and looked me stedfastly in the face, as much as to ask me what I thought of his speech. I saw that he wished to be paid without further delay, and I immediately gave him a pair of scissors, two yards of coloured calico, three sheets of paper, and a string of thirty red glass beads for his wives. In France these trifles might have been worth about five francs, but at Jenné their value was at least three times as great.
The old man had partly supplied me with provisions on my journey, for which I made him some little compensation by presents, consisting of bits of cloth. At all events, it would have been difficult to travel cheaper in Africa. Poor Kai-mou was however perfectly satisfied; indeed, my generosity seemed to have exceeded his expectations, and he joyfully overwhelmed me with blessings. I wished to go immediately to the Arab sherif; but he insisted on my staying to dine with him, observing that next day we should have time enough to go and see the Moor, to whom he promised to speak in my behalf. He ordered one of his women to buy some fresh fish and rice, to make amends for our bad living the few preceding days. Our host, who was already prepossessed in my favour, came to accompany me to the mosque, to attend the six o’clock prayer. I saw there several Moors, all of whom were very well dressed. They took no notice of me.
On my return home my guide sent for me, and we sat down together with his people in the middle of the yard, to partake of a supper which we found exceedingly savoury, for it was seasoned with salt. I did not pass a very tranquil night, owing to my anxiety respecting the reception I might experience from my new countrymen.
On the 12th of March, about eight o’clock in the morning, my guide and I went to visit the Moors. Our host, by whom we were accompanied, went first to call on one of his friends. He entered the house and left us at the door, where we remained at least an hour. I was, at first, rather uneasy at this strange conduct, but was afterwards informed that the people of the house were at their breakfast. When the repast was ended, they came to invite us in, and gave to each of us half a colat-nut. After this they presented to us a calabash of couscous, which they had had the politeness to set aside for us. The want of lalo (the bruised leaf of the baobab which is put into the couscous) rendered it very unpalatable. They put on the top of the couscous some bones which they had themselves been gnawing. We afterwards went all together to the sherif. As I was passing through the market, which appeared to be abundantly supplied with all kinds of merchandise, I was accosted by a well-dressed negro. The man knew by my countenance and by my tattered dress that I was a stranger. He asked me whence I had come and who I was. He told me that he himself was a native of Adrar. As my companions were going on first, we had not time for further conversation, and I saw no more of the man. On reaching the sherif’s house, which was near the market-place, I saw four Moors sitting in the street upon a mat and some little round cushions, made of badly tanned sheep-skin with the wool still remaining on it. One of them, a man of about forty, was much whiter than myself.
My companions, without any ceremony, told them who I was and whence I had come, adding that my resources were exhausted and that I appealed to them for hospitality. Their astonishment was extreme. They gazed at me with curiosity and said one to another: Aich kount hadé? (what means this?) I saluted them: they returned my salutation and gave me their hands. They then again asked me who I was. I told them as well as I could, for I spoke their language very imperfectly, that I was an Arab and a native of Alexandria. I added that my father, a zealous Musulman and a very rich merchant, had ships like those of the christians; that I had been made prisoner when very young by the French; but that I had escaped from them, with the determination of returning to my country and embracing the religion of my fathers; that I was almost destitute and had come to claim their protection to enable me to reach Timbuctoo, whence I should proceed to Alexandria, my native city. They paid great attention to all that I said; but they did not appear to be quite convinced of the truth of my story. They observed that Alexandria lay to the east, and that I had come from the west, and they asked me how I had effected my escape from among the christians. Fortunately, I was prepared with an answer: I related a long story in which I said that the christians, having captured me at Alexandria, conveyed me to their country, which is in the north; that they had educated me, and that when I grew up, the christian to whom I belonged took me with him on board a ship, which, after two months’ voyage, brought us to the coast of the negro country. “The whites,” continued I, “possess little villages on the coast, where they have commercial establishments, in one of which I remained a considerable time. I had the care of a store-house and my master who regarded me as his son, reposed entire confidence in me. Profiting by my continual intercourse with the Foulahs, I endeavoured to learn their language, and, after communicating to some of them the secret of my birth, I was induced by their reiterated entreaties to leave the christians and to retire to their country; but before I attempted to execute this plan I wished to earn money sufficient to defray the expenses of my long journey. This object I at length attained, and one night I made my escape with some Foulahs, who conducted me to the Fouta-Dhialon, where I was presented to the king of that country.”
I closed my narrative by a pompous eulogium on the sovereign of the Fouta, mentioning in high terms of praise his generosity and his zeal for the religion of Mahomet. My story appeared plausible enough, and its veracity was no longer doubted. Having left my country so young, there appeared nothing extraordinary in my being imperfectly acquainted with its language. I also mentioned that what little Arabic I knew had been picked up on my journey. The Moors asked me numerous questions about the christians and the way in which they had treated me. They all inquired whether I had been beaten and treated like a slave; whether I had been prevented from praying; and whether I had eaten pork and drunk brandy. I answered that the christians were a humane people; that they treated their prisoners kindly, but that they did not tolerate among them the exercise of the Mahometan religion,[61] “in which,” said I, “they place no more faith, than we do in christianity.” On hearing this they all exclaimed: Allah akbar! (great God!) “What! did you not pray among the christians?” continued they. “No; I left my country so young that I had not learned our prayers, and the christians of course did not teach me them.”—“But did you not pray when you were in the Soudan with the Mahometan Foulahs!” “Yes; but I took care not to be observed.” “Did you sometimes pray to the prophet?”—“I did so internally.”
When I confessed that I had eaten pork and drunk brandy they were all horror-struck and exclaimed in Arabic: “Ah! great God, why did you do that!”—“Because,” replied I, “my master obliged me.” I observed that, had I been willing to continue such a life, I should have remained among the christians; but that it was to avoid the commission of such heinous sins, that I had undertaken my long and perilous journey. “He is right; he speaks truly,” they then repeated, looking at each other. Among other questions, I was asked whether it was true that the christians eat their slaves. This absurd question was not asked by the Moors of Tafilet, who appeared tolerably well informed, but by some roving Moors, who happened to be passing by and stopped, out of curiosity, to hear our conversation. The Moors of Tafilet looked at them with an air of contempt and superiority, and told them that the whites were not cannibals. Those who had asked the question laughed too, and I suppose they had been merely joking. I informed them that the Europeans had no slaves now. They asked me why? “Because,” replied I, “they say that men are all equal in the eye of God, and that there ought to be no slavery.” They admitted that this was very true, and that it was very fine for the christians to think so. “But why,” continued they, “were you detained as a slave?” I replied that I was not detained, and that if I had remained in France until the end of the war, I might, like others of my countrymen, have returned home, but, being in the Soudan with the christian, my master, the latter, who had no child, regarded me as his son and would not part with me. “His fortune,” added I, “could not tempt me. I despised it when I thought of a future life and the paradise of Mahomet.” They congratulated me on these praiseworthy feelings. They questioned me about the food of the christians, in what direction they turn the heads of the bullocks and sheep which they slaughter, whether they knock the animal down or cut its throat, whether the christians eat with their fingers, and sit on the ground. I should fill whole pages were I to repeat all the questions that were put to me.