in number, most of them young and handsome, and wearing on their heads ornaments óf gold, and beads of amber. They rallied me with a good deal o f gaiety on different sub-’ je c ts ; particularly ¡upon the whiteness of my skin* and the prominency of my hose.- : They insisted that both were artificial.* The first, they said,' was produced when I was an infant,* by dipping me in milk ; and -they insisted that my nose had been pinched every day, till it had acquired its present unsightly and unnatural conformation.; On my part, without disputing my own deformity, I paid them many compliments on African beauty. I praised the glossy jet of their skins, and the lovely depression of-their noses; but they said that flattery, Or (as they emphatically termed it) honey-mouth, was not esteemed in Bondou. In return, however,-for my company dr my compliments ( to which, by the way,-they seemed not-'so-insensible* as they-affected to be), they1 presented me ¡with a ja r of honey and some fish, which Were sent'to* my lodging*' and'I was desired to crime again to the king a little -before sunset. “ I carried with- me some beads and writing paper, it ¿being' usual* to present somd small offering on 'taking leave: in return for'which;';th‘é kiiig ¿’á’ve*!mei;f5!ve draohms of gold ¿ ’Observing*- that it waslBut á'-ffifle',' arid given out of pure friendship.;* but- Would be of use to me in -travelling, for the purchase of provisions. He seconded this act of kindness by -one still 'greater ; poiitely'tellihg me,: that thOugh-it wasdustomary to examinethe baggage of fevéry-traveller parsing through his country," yet* in the presbrit instance, he would dispense* With that ceremony; adding, I £was'at liberty to depart when I pleased. Accordingly, on the morning of the 23d, we left Fatteconda, and about eleven o'clock came to a small village, where we determined to stop for the rest of the day. In the afternoon my fellow-travellers informed me, that as this was the boundary between Bondou and Kajaaga, and dangerous for travellers, it would be necessary to continue our journey by night, until we should reach a more hospitable part of the country. I agreed to the proposal, and hired two people for guides through the woods ; and as soon as the people of the village were gone to sleep (the moon shining bright) we set out. The stillness of the air, the howling of the wild beasts, and the deep solitude of the forest, made the scene solemn and impressive. Not a word was uttered by any of us, but in a whisper ; all were attentive, and every one anxious to shew his sagacity, by pointing out to me the wolves and hyaenas as they glided, like shadows, from one thicket to another. Towards morning, we arrived at a village called Kimmoo, where our guides awakened one of their acquaintances, and we stopped to give the asses some corn, and roast a few ground-nuts for ourselves. A t daylight we resumed our journey, and in the afternoon arrived at Joag in the kingdom of Kajaaga. Being now in a country, and among a people, differing in many respects from those that have as yet fallen under our observation, I shall, before I proceed further, give some account of Bondou (the territory we have left), and its inhabitants, the Foulahs, the description of whom I purposely reserved for this part of my work. Bondou is bounded on the east by Bambouk ; on the south- I
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