Page 115

27f 60

assured them that I was certainly a white man ; but he was convinced, from my appearance, that I was a very poor one. In the course of the day, several women, hearing that I was going to. Sego, came and begged me to inquire of Mansong, the king, what was become of their children. One woman, in particular, told me that her son's name was Mamadee ; that he was no Heathen, but prayed to God morning and evening, and had been taken from her about three years ago, by Mansong's army ; since which she had never heard of him. She said, she often dreamed about him; and begged me, if I should see him, either in Bambarra, or in my own country, to tell him, that his mother and sister were still alive. In the afternoon, the Dooty examined the contents of the leather bag, in which I had packed up my clothes ; but finding nothing that was worth taking, he returned it, and told me to depart in the morning. July 6th. It rained very much in the night, and at daylight I departed, in company with a Negro, who was going to a town called Dingyee for corn; but we had not proceeded above a mile, before the ass upon which he rode kioked him off, and he returned, leaving me to prosecute the journey by myself. I reached Dingyee about noon ; but the Dooty and most of the inhabitants had gone into the fields to cultivate corn. An old Foulah, observing me wandering about the town, desired me to come to his hut, where I was well entertained ; and the Dooty, when he returned, sent me some victuals for myself, and corn for my horse. July 7th. In the morning, when I was about to depart, my landlord, with a great deal of diffidence, begged me to give him a lock o f my hair. He had been told, he said, that white men’s hair made a saphie, that would give to the possessor all the knowledge of white men. I had never before heard of so simple a mode o f education, but instantly complied with the • request ; and my landlord’s thirst for learning was such, that, with cutting and pulling, he cropped one side of my head pretty closely ; and would have done the same with the other, had I not signified my disapprobation, by putting on my hat, and assuring him, that I wished to reserve some of this precious merchandize for a future occasion. I reached a small town called Wassiboo, about twelve o’clock, where I was obliged to stop until an opportunity should offer of procuring a guide to Satilé, which is distant a very long day s journey, through woods without any beaten path. I accordingly took up my residence at the Dooty’s house, where I staid four days ; during which time I amused myself by going to the fields with the family to plant corn. Cultivation is carried on here on a very extensive scale ; and, as the natives themselves express it, “ hunger is never known.’’ In cultivating the soil, the men and women work together. They use a large sharp hoe, much superior to that used in Gambia ; but they are obliged, for fear of the Moors, to carry their arms with them to the field. The master, with the handle of his spear, marks the field into regular plats, one o f which is assigned to every three slaves. On the evening of the n th , eight of the fugitive Kaartans arrived at Wassiboo. They had found it impossible to live under the tyrannical government of the Moors, and were now going to B b 2


27f 60
To see the actual publication please follow the link above