Desert, and sea-salt from the Rio Grande ; the price of each, at this distance from its source, being nearly the same ; and the dealers in each, whether Moors from the north, or Negroes "from the west, are invited thither by the same motives, that of bartering their salt for gold. The gold of Manding, so far as I could learn, is never found in any matrix or vein, but always in small grains, nearly in a pure state, from the size of a pin's head, to that of a pea; scattered through a large body of sand or c la y ; and in this state, it is called by the Mandingoes sanoo munko, “ gold powder.” It is, however, extremely probable, by what I could learn of the situation of the ground, that most of it has originally been washed down by repeated torrents from the neighbouring hills. The manner in which it is collected, is nearly as follows: About the beginning of December, when the harvest is over, and the streams and torrents have greatly subsided, the Mansa, or chief of the town, appoints a day to begin sanoo koo, “ gold “ washing and the women are sure to have themselves in readiness by the time appointed. A hoe, or spade, for digging up the sand, two or three calabashes for washing it in, and a few quills for containing the gold dust, are all the implements necessary for the purpose. On the morning of their departure, a bullock is killed for the first day's entertainment, and a number of prayers and charms are used to ensure success ; for a failure on that day, is thought a bad omen. The Mansa of Kamalia, with fourteen of his people, were I remember so ■much disappointed in their first day's washing, that very few of them had resolution to persevere ; and the few that did, had but very indifferent success ; which indeed, is not much to be wondered a t ; for instead of opening some untried place, they continued to dig and wash in the same spot where they had dug and washed for years ; and where» course, but few large grains could be left. The washing the sands of the streams, is by far the easiest way of obtaining the gold-dust ; but in most places the sands have been so narrowly searched before, that unless the stream takes some new course, the gold is found but in small quantities. While some of the party are busied in washing the sands, others employ themselves farther up the torrent, where the rapidity of the stream has carried away all the clay, sand, &c. and left nothing but small pebbles. The search among these is a very troublesome task. I have seen women who have had the skin worn off the tops of their fingers in this employment. Sometimes, however, they are rewarded by finding pieces of gold, which they call sanoo birro, “ gold “ stones,” that amply repay them for their trouble. A woman and her daughter, inhabitants of Kamalia, found in one day two pieces of this kind ; one of five drachms, and the other of three drachma weight. But the most certain and profitable mode of washing, is practised in the height of the dry season, by digging a deep pit, like a draw-well, near some hill which has previously been discovered to contain gold. The pit is dug with small spades or corn hoes, and the earth is drawn up in large calabashes. As the Negroes dig through the different strata of clay or sand, a calabash or two of each is washed, by
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