CHAPTER IV. Some Account of the Inhabitants of Tallika.— The Author proceeds fo r Fatteconda— Incidents on the Road.— Crosses the Neriko, arrives at Koorkarany— reaches the River Faleme— Fishery on that River—proceeds along its Bank to Naye or Nayemow— crosses the Faleme and arrives at Fatteconda.— Has an Interview with Almami, the Sovereign of Bondou.— Description of the King’s Dwelling—has a second Interview with the King, who begs the Author s Coat.-—Author visits the King’s Wives— is permitted to depart on friendly Terms.— Journey by Night— arrives at Joag.— Some Account of Bondou and its Inhabitants the Foulahs. T a l l i k a , the frontier town of Bondou towards Woolli, is inhabited chiefly by Foulahs of the Mahomedan religion, who live in considerable affluence, partly by furnishing provisions to the coffles, or caravans, that pass through the town, and partly by the sale of ivory, obtained by hunting elephants ; in which employment the young men are generally very successful. Here, an officer belonging to the King of Bondou constantly resides, whose business it is to give timely information of the arrival of the caravans; which are taxed according to the number of loaded asses that arrive at Tallika. I took up my residence at this officer's house, and agreed with him to accompany me to Fatteconda, the residence of the k in g ; for which he was to receive five bars; and before my departure I wrote a few lines to Dr. Laidley, and gave my letter to the master of a caravan bound for the Gambia. This caravan consisted of nine or ten people, with five asses loaded with ivory. The large teeth are conveyed in nets, two on each side of the ass ; the small ones are wrapped up in skins, and secured with ropes. December 14th. We left Tallika, and rode on very peaceably for about two miles, when a violent quarrel arose between two of m y fellow-travellers, one of whom was the blacksmith, in the course o f which they bestowed some opprobrious terms upon each other ; and it is worthy of remark, that an African will sooner forgive a blow, than a term of reproach applied to his ancestors : 5‘ Strike me, but do not curse my mother, is a common expression even among the slaves. This sort of abuse, therefore, so enraged one of the disputants that he drew his cutlass upon the blacksmith, and would certainly have ended the dispute in a very serious manner, if the others had not laid hold of him, and wrested the cutlass from him. I was obliged to interfere, and put an end to this disagreeable business, by desiring the blacksmith to be silent, and telling the other, who I though was in the wrong, that if he attempted in future to draw his cutlass, or molest any of my attendants, I should look upon him as a robber, and shoot him without further ceremony. This threat had the desired effect, and we marched sullenly along till the afternoon, when we arrived at a number of small villages scattered* over an open and fertile plain ; at one of these called Ganado we took up our residence for the n ig h th e r e an exchange o f
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