As there are no inns in this country, the strangers are obliged to lodge in the houses of private persons, whom they pay in merchandise. They buy wood in the market for their cooking, and as provisions are dear in the town, they send their slaves to the neighbouring villages, where it is procured somewhat cheaper. The fishermen catch many small carp in the surrounding villages. They dry them by laying them on straw and then setting fire to it. This fish is bought by the poor people.
Ségo-Ahmadou, the chief of Jenné, maintains an active war against the Bambaras of Ségo, whom he wishes to subject to the standard of the prophet; but the Bambaras who are a warlike race, resist him. This war is very injurious to the trade of Jenné, because it interrupts all communications with Yamina, Sansanding, Bamako, and Bouré, whence the gold is brought which is circulated in the interior. The town of Jenné can no longer be considered as the central point of commerce. Yamina, Sansanding, and Bamako are, in reality, the entrepôts: those places are visited by trading Moors from all parts of the desert, and by the negroes of the Soudan, from Kong to Galam, Bondou, and the Fouta-Dhialon. Jenné cannot enjoy the same advantage on account of its distance from Bouré. Previously to the war, small canoes used to go from Jenné to Bouré, and return laden with gold. The merchants of Jenné suffer considerably by this war; but they are afraid to complain openly: indeed, they would not better themselves if they did. Several negroes informed me that since the war the Moors are forsaking this town, and taking up their abode at Sansanding.
I often went up to the terrace of the house in which I lodged. As far as the eye could reach, the country was open and marshy; there were to be seen a few clumps of ronniers at a great distance and some tamarind-trees on the most elevated parts of the banks of the river. To the west I could distinctly see a branch of the Dhioliba, which appeared tolerably large. I was told that it came from the neighbourhood of Ségo, and that that town was five days’ journey west, or rather S.S.W. of Jenné. This branch, as I have already said, rejoins the river at Isaca. The island on which the town of Jenné is situated is formed by an arm of this branch, which comes from W.N.W. The island is about twelve or fifteen miles in circumference. I did not go round it, but that appeared to be its extent from my point of view. This secondary arm, or branch, is wide but rather shallow. On the north of the town it cannot be crossed but in canoes; in other places it may be forded; when the water is low it is navigable for small canoes only, for its bed is full of sand-banks; and the inhabitants are obliged to push their large empty canoes down nearly to the river, where the branch is navigable at all times. Thither the merchandise is conveyed in small canoes: this is a long and toilsome process, but the traders are not obliged to hire hands, having their own slaves to do the work. During inundations the branch is easily navigable for large canoes. Round the town I saw a great many canoes undergoing repair.
Jenné is situated in the eastern part of the island, on an elevation of seven or eight feet, which preserves it from the periodical inundations of the river. Its soil is composed of red argillaceous earth, mixed with a great deal of grey sand, among which I saw not a single stone.
Old Kai-mou, my guide, came to pay me a visit; he had been purchasing a fine cotton wrapper of the manufacture of the country. It consisted of narrow breadths sewed together like the pagnes. These wrappers are much esteemed by the negroes, who are very chilly; the Moors do not wear them: they have better which come from Morocco. My guide told me that he had not yet found purchasers for his colats. I asked him to go with me to Timbuctoo, where he could dispose of them more advantageously. He laughed at this, and said he should spend all he possessed before he got thither: I gave him some glass beads and he left me in good humour.
I conversed every day with the Moors, who, as I perceived, regarded the negroes as a race very inferior to themselves. They often used to say to me: “The negroes are ignorant brutes; when they see a Moor they think he is entirely covered with gold, however poor he may be. They imagine that we have gold between our skin and flesh.”
At the distance of three days’ journey N.W. of Jenné is situated the kingdom of Massina, inhabited by Mahometan Foulahs; almost all of them wear their hair in small tresses. They often come to Jenné for the purposes of trade, and sell oxen and sheep for the daily consumption of the town. Their sheep are the finest that I have seen in the interior; they are large and have wool like those of Europe. The fleece is used for making wrappers, which sell at very good prices. These Foulahs also bring milk and butter to Jenné. Massina is very productive in rice, millet, pistachios, water-melons, giraumons, and onions. The inhabitants rear a good deal of poultry, and have a fine breed of horses. Every Moor on the island has his own horse. Massina is governed by a king, who is the brother and ally of Ségo-Ahmadou. The dress of the people is the same as that worn by the inhabitants of Jenné, with the exception of the piece of muslin in the form of a turban. The men of Massina whom I saw had round straw hats with broad brims, and were armed with bows and arrows, and three or four javelins which they always carry in their hands. They sometimes go out without their bows and arrows; but never without their lances.
As I was one day sitting before my door with some Moors, several Foulahs stopped to look at me. They seemed very gentle, and were apparently much interested about me. One of them, perceiving a friend at a little distance, called him, and told him he would give him ten cowries. I was much astonished to see a man call to his comrade in the street, for the purpose of offering him so trifling a present. The man to whom the money was offered did not seem to be in want of it, yet he received it very gratefully. Ten cowries are of about the value of a French sou.
As I had been informed that I should depart for Timbuctoo, by the first opportunity, I selected some articles of merchandise, which I wished to dispose of at Jenné. Not knowing their value, I gave them to the sherif and the Haggi-Mohammed to sell for me. They carefully counted the glass beads, and measured the cloth in my presence, and the sherif noted down the quantities of each on a bit of paper. They executed this commission very well: they were to be sure the principal gainers by it, for they bought the greatest part of the things themselves. Before the bargain was concluded, they did indeed ask me whether I was satisfied with the price they had offered. I was aware that it was too low; but I readily gave my consent to all they proposed, feeling that I was in a situation in which I might need their services. They certainly took advantage of me, but they were merchants who bought merely upon speculation. The Haggi-Mohammed, thinking that I had some other things in reserve, came to my lodging, and tried to prevail on me to shew him the contents of my bag. He asked me whether I had any gold or silver, observing that he should be very glad to hear that I had some, as it would enable me to support myself on my journey home. I assured him that I had none left, and emptied my bag in his presence, having previously taken the precaution of hiding my papers and money, for I expected that I should have to undergo this scrutiny. He saw some glass beads, amber, and coral, which I had reserved, and he again told me that as all those things were brought to Jenné from Timbuctoo, it would be advisable for me to dispose of them before I set out. I at first scrupled to do this, but at length yielded to his urgent solicitations. He particularly admired the amber, all of which he bought at two hundred cowries per bead, (twenty-two French sous), one-fourth of its value at Sierra-Leone, where I had purchased it. He bought part of the coral at a still lower rate; but the glass ornaments and cloth, though they fetched a low price, I sold more advantageously. For sixty coral beads, (No. 4,) he offered me two hundred cowries. On my declining to sell them at that price, he took them up, and putting them into the pocket of his coussabe, said, “I will give you a thousand cowries, (one gourde.)” In this manner he extorted my consent, though I am certain that had I insisted on it he would have returned them. The traders of Jenné obtain mock amber and coral from Timbuctoo, which they sell at very low prices. Haggi-Mohammed, who was very well satisfied with his bargain, gave me half a dozen dates, and shortly afterwards presented me with a very neat white coussabe, made of cloth of native manufacture. In truth I stood greatly in need of it, for my own was absolutely in tatters. He also gave me about two yards of the cloth of the country to roll round my head in the form of a turban.
During my stay at Jenné I was very kindly treated by the Moors. I paid nothing for my maintenance, and was provided with every thing I could wish for. The sale of my merchandise was the only thing of which I had reason to complain. I often sat in company with the Moors, upon a mat which was laid down in the shade before the door, and saw them make their purchases. I also observed many negroes, who, as they passed the sherif, saluted him by kissing their hands. The latter gave them cowries from a little bag, which he kept beside him for that purpose. A young Moor, named Hassan, who was very attentive to me, advised me, when I should get to Timbuctoo, to take the road to Tafilet or Fez, whence I could go to Algiers and afterwards to Alexandria. He informed me that there had been at Timbuctoo a christian, who had been attacked and beaten on the road; that he remained a long time at Timbuctoo to recover, but that he afterwards died, he could not tell how. I asked him what could have induced a christian to go to Timbuctoo: he answered that it was only to write the country, (Jektoub torab.) I concluded that this christian was Major Laing, who I was aware had left Tripoli to proceed to the capital of the Soudan, by crossing the great desert. I deplored the unhappy death of the intrepid traveller, and reflected that in case of my disguise being discovered I should in all probability share the same fate.