On the morning of the 23rd he sent for me to his house. I took with me my bag, which he ordered one of his people to carry to the canoe, as well as my package of merchandise. He mixed together in my presence a good deal of millet flour and honey. This preparation was intended to be put into water for my drink; and I found it very useful on my passage, during which I was extremely ill-used, as will be seen in the sequel. The young Moor, whom I have already mentioned and to whom I made a present of a pair of scissors, gave me a large supply of wheaten bread, which had been dried in an oven, and told me how it was to be eaten; they first soak it in water and then mix it with a good deal of butter and honey. The sherif informed me that he had paid the master of the caravan three hundred cowries for my maintenance during the whole passage. He, as well as the young Moor, and the Haggi-Mohammed, attended me on board the canoe, which might be of twelve or fifteen tons burden. This canoe was not going to Timbuctoo, but merely to convey us to another vessel of larger size, which was waiting in the river; for at this season the branch was not navigable by large boats. The cargo of our canoe consisted of various kinds of provisions, twenty slaves, women, and children, the stoutest of whom were in chains. On the shore there was a crowd of people waiting to see us start.
END OF VOL. I.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY G. SCHULZE, 13, POLAND STREET.
FOOTNOTES:
[1]A title given to several African sovereigns.
[2]Grigri a kind of writing which these people consider as a talisman.
[3]Negotiations, traffic.
[4]A piece of cotton cloth of the country, six feet long and two and a half wide.
[5]Blue India calico. The pieces are about sixteen yards long.