Chapter I

Pedestrian journey from St. Louis to Neyreh. — Passage to N’ghiez. — Manners of the inhabitants. — Miraculous stone. — Departure. — Robbers. — Mode of fishing with nets. — The steam-vessel. — The author’s arrival among the Braknas. — Conversation with Mohammed Sidy Moctar, chief marabout to the king. — Reception by the king.

On Tuesday the 3rd of August 1824, at four in the afternoon, I set out from St. Louis, accompanied by two men and a woman, all three inhabitants of N’pâl, to which village they engaged to serve me as guides. About seven, we arrived at Leybar, a village situated two leagues S.E. ¼ E. from St. Louis. We there passed a wearisome night, on account of the musquitoes which devoured us. The weather was stormy; the thunder rolled the whole night, and the rain fell in torrents. We went to bed on our arrival: at ten o’clock we were called up to supper, for which a very good fish _couscous_[6] was provided.

On the morning of the 4th we pursued our journey. My fellow-travellers met with a little incident which delayed our progress: a sheep, destined for the celebration of the festival of the Tabasky[7], escaped from the negress who was driving it; we were obliged to run after the animal, but after several useless attempts to catch it, we continued our route. At ten in the morning we arrived at Gandon, a village only one league E. ¼ S.E. from Leybar. A most delightful country presented itself to our view. I saw many fields of cotton, which the negroes cultivate with success; indigo grows there without culture; there is but little millet in the environs of the village.

We sat down under a great tree, where travellers usually rest themselves till some one comes to offer them hospitality: on that day there was a great number of them, who took me for a Moor, because I wore the Moorish dress; but, being undeceived by my guides, who told them that I was about to become a convert to Islamism, they congratulated me upon my intention.

My companions, who were much grieved at the loss of their sheep, went back to look for it. I rested myself for about an hour, and then proceeding eastward, set out alone for N’ghiez. Between these two villages the traveller who pays any attention to the beauties of nature is enchanted by the view of the groups of verdure scattered over the plain. They consist of mimosas, the thick branches of which support the slender and flexible stems of asclepias and of different species of cynanchum, which, after climbing to their tops, droop down in garlands, and by the diversity of their flowers produce an admirable effect. They frequently meet with other plants; their stems mutually entwine, and their numerous branches become so closely united and twisted together as to form an aerial canopy, through which the eye perceives at a distance other groups, frequently fantastic, but always wonderful. The plain is covered with a carpet of verdure, the pleasing smoothness of which is broken by numerous shrubs, all differently decorated by the climbing plants which grow about them.

The _parinarius senegalensis_, which is very common in the plain, also embellishes the scene, and heightens the interest of the view to the traveller reposing in the shade of its thick foliage. All these beauties, with which nature is adorned, irrestibly lead the mind up to its Creator and fill it with admiration of his profound wisdom.

These delightful plains are intersected by marshes, wherein grow a great number of aquatic plants; as the road crosses these marshes, I was up to the knees in water. I reached N’ghiez about one in the afternoon: I rested there but a very short time: then, continuing my course eastward, I passed through some fields of millet. My way then led me into a desert plain, but clothed with vegetation, and I arrived at N’pâl by sunset, quite tired with my day’s journey, which I had performed barefoot and carrying my baggage on my head. I sought a lodging with a woman of St. Louis, who had her family at N’pâl: she received me very kindly, and thanks to her attentions, I passed a good night, which made me some amends for the preceding one.

On the 5th I remained at N’pâl. I spent the day in visiting the environs of the village, which is charmingly situated, amidst an immense plain, fertilized by the rains of the tropic. The inhabitants grow in abundance all that is requisite for their wants: accustomed to lead a very temperate life, they frequently have a surplus, which they carry for sale to St. Louis, bringing back in exchange fire-arms for their defence, and amber, coral, and glass trinkets to adorn their wives. This village is reputed to be the wealthiest in the neighbourhood of St. Louis. Its population may be estimated at two thousand, all marabouts. The natural advantages of their soil and situation have a visible influence on their manners; less slothful, less insolent, and less treacherous, than the negroes of other parts, they bestow hospitality without ostentation, and always in a generous manner which heightens its value. Every stranger is sure of finding an asylum among them.

Situated between the country of Cayor and Wâlo, twenty miles eastward of Gandon, this village, entirely independent, is governed by a marabout who is its absolute master. At his death he is succeeded by his eldest son; if the latter dies without children, the supreme power devolves to his nearest kinsman. This chief levies an impost on millet, which is paid to him in kind at harvest-time, and amounts to one tenth. The inhabitants are armed with muskets and lances. When the neighbouring villages are threatened with pillage by the damel, or king, of Cayor, their inhabitants seek refuge at N’pâl, where they are not only received, but also find generous allies who take up their defence.

Throughout the whole country the huts are small, ill constructed, and extremely filthy; the door is so low that to enter you are obliged to crawl on all fours. The residence of each family is composed of several huts surrounded by quick hedges, planted at random and without taste: sometimes this inclosure is formed merely of posts and rails, or a kind of palisade of straw. The streets are extremely narrow, winding, and dirty, all sorts of filth being thrown into them. Both men and women are very uncleanly, as in all the negro villages in this country, and they rub a great quantity of butter upon their heads.

Few idle persons are to be seen among them. The men employ themselves in the cultivation of their fields during the rainy season, and in clearing the land required for fresh crops during the dry season: the women have to attend to the household concerns; they spin cotton; some dye cloths blue with the indigo which the country supplies almost without culture; and the cleverest of them traffic in the productions of the soil, which they procure in exchange for the glass beads, amber, and coral, purchased at St. Louis, whither they repair to sell the corn and cloths, by which they make a great profit.

Though better than the other negroes, their neighbours, they are not exempt from superstition: the scarcity of stones in the neighbourhood has given rise to a fable which, being generally believed, may long contribute to the security of the country. There is one, about a quarter of a mile E. ¼ S.E. from the village. The absurd stories which I heard concerning this stone made me desirous to see it. It is by the road side, about eighteen inches in length and eight broad, the top of it projecting about four inches above the surface of the ground: in colour it is ferruginous and it has a volcanic appearance: I would have broken off a piece, but the negro who accompanied me prevented it. According to an ancient custom, all the inhabitants, when they pass this stone, draw a thread from their pagne, which they throw upon it, as a sort of offering which they make to it.

The marabouts assert and firmly believe, that when the village is threatened with any danger, for instance, pillage, this stone moves thrice round it in the preceding night, by way of warning; and all the warriors arm themselves in consequence. The two following tales are related by them in proof of the virtue of their stone. The Moors, joined by the people of Wâlo, advanced to the vicinity of N’pâl with the intention of plundering the place. This was in the dry season. The stone, after making the circuit of the village in the night, caused it to rain so vehemently, and blue flames to issue from the ground in such great quantity, that the Moors, struck with terror, betook themselves to flight: the inhabitants pursued and made a dreadful slaughter among them, and took prisoners a great number of Wâlo blacks, who were sold as slaves and carried to the colonies.

On another occasion, they were attacked by two Moorish kings, who carried off some of the inhabitants into slavery. These two kings, they say, were taken suddenly ill and died by the way: they did not fail to attribute their death to the power of the stone; the slaves were nevertheless carried away and have never returned. In short, the veneration excited by this stone has always been so great, that only ten years ago it was the object of a sort of religious worship. A festival was held and all the inhabitants were obliged to attend it: in the evening, calebashes full of nicely prepared couscous were placed near the stone, and as it was always eaten by the animals, the people believed that a spirit dwelt in the stone, and considered the acceptance of the offering as a happy omen. The greatest part of the day was spent in prayer; after which, on a signal given by the chief marabouts, all present ran away. If any one, in running, happened to fall, the accident was always regarded as an indication of his speedy death.

As I have already observed, the plain through which runs the road from N’ghiez to N’pâl is not cultivated, though the soil is capable of being rendered very productive. The woods consist principally of mimosas; and the various species of grasses which cover the ground attract thither abundance of all sorts of game. The soil in the environs of N’pâl is of two kinds: you meet with hollows in which the rain water settles, and this renders them far superior to the rest of the plain: they are composed of black sand, enriched by the mud which the water deposits, and by the remains of the vegetables which rot in it: these are the most productive spots. The rest of the land, though of inferior quality, is very fertile; it contains fields of considerable extent, cultivated with the greatest care; each marabout has his own, which he tills himself with his slaves. The inhabitants grow abundance of millet, cotton, water-melons, and a sort of beans, of which they consume a great quantity. They have herds of horned cattle, sheep, and goats: they rear great numbers of poultry, wild and tame ducks, Guinea fowl, and several kinds of game, the young of which they pick up in the fields.

The water which they drink is bad: they collect it in ponds during the rainy season, for the wells are at a great distance from the village, and even these furnish water that is by no means agreeable: I meant to go to see them, but a violent storm prevented my making this excursion.

On the 6th I purposed to set out, but it was Tabasky day, and I could not procure a guide. One offered himself for the following day, when I was seized with a fever, which confined me to my bed, and had such pains in all my limbs that I was unable to move. In the rainy season all the negroes are liable to this disorder, for which, however, they employ no remedy.

At length, on the 9th I was about to depart, when I was told that my guide was a thief, and that he would certainly rob me, or arrange with some accomplice to do it. As it was impossible for me to procure another, I deferred my departure till the following day.

On the 10th I availed myself of the opportunity of some persons going to their fields on the frontiers of Wâlo, who promised to put me into the right track. We proceeded N.E. ¼ N. for three miles; there they pointed out the route which I was to pursue, and then went to their work. I stopped for a moment, and then travelled on alone in a north-east direction toward Wâlo. About noon I arrived much fatigued at Sokhogne, a village in the Wâlo country; the route which I had followed was covered with wood. The environs of this village are not cultivated.

After resting myself under a tamarind-tree, I bought some milk and couscous. I went to see the chief of the village, who offered to conduct me to Merina, whither he was going, to ascertain the truth of certain rumours which were circulated, respecting a war between his country and the Peulhs.[8] I accompanied him, in spite of the fever which had not left me, and we arrived there at three in the afternoon. This village is about eighteen miles N.E. from N’pâl. We had still to travel through woods. I was extremely fatigued, and lay down in the shade of a hut into which I had been refused admission. The man, who had acted in the capacity of guide, came and informed me that two men would set out the same evening for Mall, and he advised me to seize this opportunity. He asked me if I could walk well at night, adding that it was as far from that place to Mall as it was from N’pâl to Merina; and he assured me that on the following day I should not meet with a guide. I determined therefore to accompany those whom chance offered me: I arranged with one of them to carry my baggage; he agreed to do so for two quires of paper and four heads or three leaves of tobacco; at sun-set we started.

The direction we pursued was N.E. ¼ E. One of my guides was on horseback; we walked at a good pace. Travelling in the dark was very unpleasant; I ran so many thorns into my feet that I was unable to proceed, and I offered the negro who had the horse the same price to let me ride as I paid for carrying my baggage: the negro accepted it and made me get up behind. I found this position so inconvenient that I was as tired as if I had walked; my feet, however, became no worse.

An hour before we reached the village, we entered some very fine fields of millet, which the moon-light enabled us to perceive. We reached Mall about one in the morning: at the noise made by the dogs on our approach, some of the inhabitants rose to enquire who we were. A good old marabout offered me his hut: my feet were so swollen and so painful that I could not stir a step: the negro lent me his arm, and kindly leading me in, told me to lie down on his humble bed. But for this attention of the humane old man’s, I should not have been able to prosecute my journey on the following day.

Having extracted a great quantity of thorns from my feet, I thought myself capable of starting, when I was suddenly seized with a most violent pain in my left arm, which obliged me to halt that day and the 12th at this village. I saw the lake of Panieh-Foul or N’gher; it is at this part about a mile broad.

On the 13th at sun-rise I set out from Mall with my old marabout, who insisted on accompanying me to Nieyeh,[9] about three miles distant. The whole country between these two villages is highly cultivated. It was eight in the morning when I parted from my guide: I proceeded northward, and about ten arrived at Neyreh. I sought a lodging with the chief of the village, to whom the old marabout at Mall had directed me, and who received me very kindly. He questioned me concerning the object of my journey; I replied that I was going to embrace the Mahometan faith: he highly approved my design, and endeavoured to impress me with the notion that God was extremely gracious to me in thus delivering me from the flames to which the christians are destined. My disguise deceived some persons; for, being in the evening at the door of the hut for the sake of coolness, I overheard a dispute between two women, one of whom asserted that I was a Moor.

On the following day, the 14th, I joined a Moor and three Moorish females who were travelling the same way as I was; they were mounted on carrier-bullocks[10]. At the distance of about three miles, we met a troop of Moors and negroes of Wâlo, who attempted to rob me. One of the Moors thrust his hand into my bundle, which was placed on a bullock, and pulled out a roll of papers, among which were letters of the utmost consequence to me, and carried them off. I ran after him, and had a long struggle with him for the purpose of recovering them, but several negroes interfered and knocked me down: at length the Moor who acted as a guide to me came to my assistance and obtained restitution of my roll. After some altercation they let me go; they nevertheless wanted to force me to give them some tobacco, which they had seen in my bundle; I would gladly have made a sacrifice to get rid of them, but this article was absolutely necessary to me, and I persisted in my refusal to give them any thing. They left us and we continued our route, without any other accident, to the camp to which my guides were bound, where we arrived about two in the morning. By the way I had suffered severely from thirst; I appeased it with milk and water, and lay down under a tent for about an hour, after bargaining with a man to take me on a carrier-bullock to the French settlements for a hundred head of cloves.

I set out and at five in the evening arrived at Richard-Tol, where I waited for an opportunity of proceeding. On the 18th I embarked in the Active cutter for Dagana. The night which I passed on board was as harassing as that which I spent at Leybar: at this season it is impossible to get any rest on board these small vessels unless you are provided with a mosquito-curtain; the mosquitoes settling upon you in countless numbers and inflicting inexpressible torments. In the evening of the 19th I arrived at Dagana, where I sojourned eight days. During this time I took walks in the environs, especially towards the neighbouring _marigot_[11] to the east of the village, where I had occasion to notice the ingenious manner, adopted by the negroes of Wâlo to catch the fish which are very abundant in these waters. They have a net eight or nine feet square, sewed up at one end: two thick flexible sticks are securely fastened at the extremities to the lateral sides of the net in such a manner, that by means of them the net may be shut and opened at pleasure: the upper side is left open or but half sewed up; lastly, the two sticks being held together with the hand, the net has the form of a bag. The negroes drive a row of stakes into the bottom of the marigot, so as to divide it in two: these stakes are placed so close as to allow only very small fish to pass; and they fasten to them, two feet below the surface of the water, wooden cross-bars on which they stand. To catch the fish, they sink the net gently to the bottom, holding the two sticks apart, that is, keeping the net open; then bringing the sticks together, they close it and draw it out of the water: in this manner the fish are taken as in a bag. To manage it with the greatest ease, they take care to let the sticks project two feet beyond the top of the net, and support these ends upon their shoulders; then with their hands they can move it about at pleasure. They have a stick about a foot long, with which they kill the fish, and then by means of an iron hook and a cotton cord they hang it to one of the stakes, to keep moist in the water till they have finished their fishery, which is always very productive. The nets are made of twisted cotton thread of the thickness of sail-makers’ twine.

The fishermen cut open the fish, dry it, and take it for sale to villages at a distance from the banks of the river; carrying on a very extensive commerce in this article.

On the 24th of August the steam-vessel, for which I was waiting to be conveyed to Podor, arrived; we started at seven in the evening of the 27th, and landed there on the 29th at two in the afternoon. It is an ancient French settlement, of which few traces only are now left. I went to lodge at the house of Moctar Boubou, the chief of the village, and minister of Hamet-Dou, king of the Braknas, to whom I wished to go for the purpose of completing my Arabic education, that I might the more easily penetrate into the interior of the country, and visit every part of that immense desert, respecting which we possess but vague and scanty information.

At this marabout’s I found the agents of Hamet-Dou, who had been to St. Louis to receive the customs which the government annually pays to that prince. They were delighted to hear that it was my intention to embrace Islamism, congratulating me at great length upon it, and encouraging me to persist in my resolution. They also promised to serve me as guides in my journey to their king; but, on the 1st of September, when they set out, they refused to take me along with them, alleging that the camp was ten days’ march distant, and that I should not be able to support the fatigue of the voyage. I guessed the motive which induced them to act thus: I offered two _gourdes_[12] to Boubou-Fanfale, the chief of the party; he agreed to take me with him and we started at eight in the morning.

We went back down the Senegal for two miles, towards the factory of the Cock or the Braknas. At the call of my guides, a negro brought us from the opposite bank a large canoe, into which the merchandise was put; we then went on board ourselves, ten in number. They made the bullocks swim after us, pulling them along by the cord passed through their nostrils: in this manner we reached without accident the right bank of the river. The bullocks were reloaded, and about eleven we were ready to resume our journey. The two negroes accompanied us to the marigot of Koundy. Our road lay through a black clayey soil, enriched by the relics of vegetables which cover it. Large mimosas form a thick wood under which the _zizyphus lotus_ grows in abundance. This soil would be extremely fertile if it were cultivated.

Having reached the marigot the negroes began to look for their canoes which they had sunk in the water for concealment: they were very small, and could not carry the baggage across in fewer than six trips, which greatly delayed our journey.

When the negroes left us, the Moors would have obliged me to return with them, hoping no doubt to extort from me a fresh present: but I was firm, and reminding Boubou-Fanfale of the engagement which he made when receiving my two gourdes, I persisted in going along with them. At two o’clock we resumed our journey. We halted two miles N.E. of Koundy, on a pretty hill covered with verdure. The soil consisted of a reddish sand, and the ground was quite open. The bullocks there found abundant pasturage, and they were suffered to graze till five o’clock, when we resumed our route, proceeding N.E. ¼ N. We travelled in the night: the bullocks were already extremely fatigued, and one of them lay down. The Moors, unable to make it rise by blows, had recourse to a method which I have frequently seen used since, and which is always successful: they bound a cord tight round the muzzle so as to prevent respiration and left the animal to itself. It struggled for a moment, and then jumped upon its legs: the cord was immediately removed, its load replaced, and it followed the others. After we had gone nine miles in the same direction, we halted at eleven at night.

We were threatened with a storm: the firmament was on fire in the east quarter, and the thunder rolled incessantly. The Moors dug large holes, into which they put their goods to preserve them from the rain which seemed likely to be very heavy. The wind blew with violence from the east, and raised clouds of sand, which, falling again, annoyed us exceedingly. At length, the wind having ceased, the storm dispersed without rain.

The weather having become calm, the Moors prepared our supper, which consisted of a little couscous, which we took without salt, my guides having forgotten to procure a supply at Podor; but, having eaten nothing all day, appetite compensated the want of seasoning. The soil was of the same nature as at our preceding halting place.

September 2nd. At five in the morning we resumed our route proceeding N.E. Our road led through a delightful country. The ground, diversified by hills covered with verdure, presented, with its numerous valleys, rich in vegetation, a prospect of the most pleasing kind. Game is here very plentiful; the woods abound in wild boars and antelopes. I saw a wild cat, which on perceiving us, set up a loud cry, and then scampered away. The generally received opinion that ferocious beasts are numerous in the desert is erroneous; for, neither did I see any during my residence among the Braknas, nor did I ever hear of any accident indicating their presence. I have since remarked, during my journey to Timbuctoo, that these animals are not more numerous in the interior. It is the inhabited tracts, or those contiguous to the lakes and rivers, which are the haunts of lions and leopards; it is there that they attack cattle, and sometimes, but very rarely, men.

We halted an hour near a pool, by which stands a large baobab (_adansonia digitata_); the water was so muddy, that it was scarcely possible to drink it: the Moors, to render it less disagreeable, mix with it a little treacle. This forenoon we travelled nine miles. At three o’clock we stopped for prayer, and continued our journey for the space of twelve miles to the N.E. over a tolerably rich soil, covered with _zizyphus lotus_ and a species of the gramineous tribe, the prickly seeds of which adhere to the clothes and run into the flesh; I had my feet full of them, and they caused me the most acute pain. This plant abounds in sandy soils; the negroes on the Senegal call it _khakhame_. No person ever visited the environs of that river without having been cruelly tormented by it. Fatigue, however, made me forget my sufferings, and I slept soundly.

September 3rd. About one in the morning I was awakened to take a little _sangleh_,[13] and two hours afterwards commenced the preparations for departure; at five we started. The heat during the day was excessive, augmented as it was by a scorching east wind. My thirst was insupportable; perceiving a group of trees, I ran to them, thinking to find water, but was disappointed; and I must have been quite knocked up had I not met by the way with abundance of _grewia_, the yellow fruit of which, of the size of a pea, is very glutinous, though far from agreeable to the taste. I kept continually chewing it, which relieved me much. At length, about one o’clock, we reached a pool, where we rested ourselves till three. Here I quenched my thirst, and my companions bathed: we had travelled nine miles to the N.E. ¼ N. over an absolutely sandy soil.

Having resumed our route to N.E. ¼ E. we came to solid ground, covered with small flints of a bright red which incommoded us much. We saw several ponds; and I remarked one on the banks of which were six baobabs of prodigious dimensions. At ten we came to a ravine where there was water: here we halted for the night. We were more fortunate in the latter part of the day than we had been in the morning; for there was no want of water, and we found in abundance a plant which I took for an _anona_, a foot high, and bearing extremely green foliage: its fruits is of the size of a pigeon’s egg, and contains several seeds; the pulp, slightly acid, is very good to eat. The Moors fell upon this fruit with avidity and devoured it; I followed their example and experienced great benefit from it, for it is an excellent thing for cooling and allaying thirst.

This day’s journey had greatly fatigued me; the sharp flints on which we had to walk, had cut my feet sadly. In vain did I entreat the Moors to permit me to ride for a short time on one of the bullocks; none of them would give up his place to me, so that I was obliged to follow on foot. Accordingly, the moment we halted, I threw myself on the ground, and slept in spite of the storm which came on.

September 4th. An hour before sunrise we set out, directing our course eastward, and after proceeding three miles we found traces of a camp which appeared to have been left the same morning. We travelled about a mile to the south, to visit a small camp occupied by slaves of Hamet-Dou’s, who had been sent to this place to cultivate millet. In a moment I was surrounded by the inhabitants of this camp, who thronged round to examine me, being the first European they had ever seen. An old marabout, who appeared to be the chief of these slaves, ordered them to retire, and asked me numerous questions respecting my conversion to Islamism: after making me repeat some words of the Koran he directed sangleh to be made. Each family brought us a small calabash full; but had we not been so hungry as we were, we could not have eaten it, for, it was not only without salt, but the poor creatures had not even milk to mix it with. The appearance of the camp gave no high opinion of the magnificence of the prince to whom it belonged: the huts were small and ill built, and they scarcely afforded shelter from the sun. Two very shabby tents were no doubt the dwellings of the marabouts appointed to superintend the slaves, whose only garment was a sheep-skin, which covered them from the waist to the knees: they were about fifty in number and lived in fifteen huts.

A Wolof[14] slave having heard me speak her language came up to me and inquired if I was acquainted with her country: I availed myself of this opportunity to learn some particulars concerning their occupations. She informed me that the wealthy Moors send out slaves every year to sow millet, and that after the harvest they return to the camp of their masters. I went to look at their fields and found them badly cultivated. The negroes were busy weeding the millet; they merely scratched the surface of the ground, which, from its clayey compact nature ought to be turned up to some depth and broken.

At two o’clock we pursued our route to the E. ¼ N.E. and, having proceeded eight miles, crossed a rivulet in which the water was up to our waists: its current, which is very rapid, runs to the N.N.W. I was told that this stream descends from the mountains situated near Galam, the direction of which was pointed out to me to the E.S.E.; according to the Moors, it is absorbed by a lake about three days’ journey from the spot where we halted.

After crossing this rivulet, my guides changed their direction: we travelled five miles to the east over ground covered with khakames, which incommoded me exceedingly. It then became stony and hilly, and we proceeded a mile to the north that we might arrive at water; and about eleven we reached a pool, the water of which was tolerably good. We kindled a fire for the purpose of cooking our supper, but, by the time it was ready, a violent storm came on. The Moors took off their _coussabes_—a sort of tunics—and put them into the pots to protect them from the rain: I did the same, so that we were all naked. We collected wood, made a great fire, and huddled round it, and in this state were drenched with the rain, which fell for two hours in torrents: it was extremely cold, and as it may be easily conceived, we were very uncomfortable. When the storm had ceased, we again put on our coussabes, which were perfectly dry; but a mizzling rain, which lasted all night, incommoded us much. The bad weather having prevented us from getting our supper, we breakfasted at the dawn of day with a keen appetite, though our sangleh had been exposed to the rain the whole night. At sunrise we spread out the goods to dry; all of them had got wet, the soil, composed of ferruginous rock, being too hard to allow us to dig holes to shelter them in.

September 5th. At noon we resumed our route, travelling to the N.E. for the space of twelve miles, and at ten at night we arrived at a camp situated on the bank of a rivulet: here we halted a moment, and one of our people went to apprize the marabouts of our arrival: he soon returned and we entered the camp; I was immediately surrounded. The marabouts made me repeat the usual form of prayer of the Musulmans: _There is but one God, and Mahomet is his prophet_. I was besieged, and could not obtain a moment’s rest the whole evening. The females, squatted behind the men, thrust their heads between the legs of the latter to get a sight of me; but at every motion that I made they drew back their heads with loud screams, at the risk of upsetting the men, producing confusion among the throng which kept constantly increasing. Being warned by my conductors not to leave the centre of the camp, lest I should be robbed, I lay down upon the ground, and covered myself with a pagne, hoping that the Moors would retire; but this precaution was of no avail; they continued to torment me: the women, having grown bolder, uncovered me; the children, after their example, pulled me one by the leg, another by the arm, while others struck my feet or pricked me with thorns. Being unable to endure this treatment any longer, I started up in a rage, and my persecutors run away: I then went to Boubou-Fanfale, and expressed my dissatisfaction at his conduct towards me. I represented to him that I was about to turn Musulman, and that on this account he ought to protect me and to procure me a little rest. He spoke to an old marabout, who had great difficulty to keep off the crowd; I then accompanied my protector to prayers, and on my return lay down upon a mat. A calabash of milk, containing about four quarts, was given me for supper; and more was offered me in case I had not had enough. This was the season when the pastures were in the best condition; there was abundance of milk and we were supplied with more than we could drink.

September 6th. At seven in the morning, we prepared to depart. The women and children had assembled round me; for more than half an hour the rabble of the camp followed at my heels; the women, with their faces concealed by the end of the Guinea cloth which serves them for a garment, affected to take no notice of me, and turned their heads when I looked at them, while the boys pelted me with stones, crying: _Tahale ichouf el nasrani!_ “Come and see the christian!” I faced about several times, and then they all ran away; but they returned the next moment, and were more troublesome than before. At length my guides, weary themselves of these importunities, drove off the crowd, who returned to the camp.

It was nine o’clock when we arrived at the camp of Sidi-Mohammed: we stopped there to obtain bullocks, for ours were exceedingly fatigued. The whole camp thronged round me, and I had to endure a repetition of all the annoyances of the preceding night. To quench our thirst we were supplied with a large calabash full of sour milk mixed with three parts of water; this pleasant and wholesome beverage is called _cheni_ by the Moors, and is common in all the Arab countries that I have visited. We hired two carrier-bullocks, and at ten o’clock resumed our journey. I had walked all the way from Podor to this place; but, as we had increased the number of our oxen, I obtained permission to ride one of them.

After travelling eight miles to the N.E. over a stony soil, we came to a small camp composed of fifteen tents and some ill built straw huts, the dwellings of slaves. The baggage was deposited in a tent, and I was invited to retire to another. To avoid disagreeable visits, I pretended to be asleep, but it was to no purpose; the whole evening I had to endure the same kind of persecutions as I had suffered in the preceding camps. We supped very late; our meal consisted of sangleh, made with fresh milk. Having observed that the grains of which this mess was composed were whole, I inquired the reason, and was told that it was not millet, but _haze_[15], and that at this season the marabouts employ their slaves in gathering it. This grain is very common, and grows naturally without cultivation. Some slaves employed in this sort of harvest were pointed out to me: they were females, provided with a small broom, and two baskets, one of which, less than the other, is of an oval shape and has a handle above. When the haze is in the ordinary state and has not been trampled by cattle, they go along swinging this basket to the right and left, so as to rub the ears of the plants against it by striking them with their hands; the ripe grains fall into the basket, and when they have obtained a certain quantity they pour it into the larger one, which is destined to receive the produce of their labour. This method furnishes the grain in a much cleaner state than the second, but the quantity obtained is smaller, for, as it may be easily conceived, the whole of the grain beaten out does not fall into the basket. When the haze has been trodden, or a first gathering made in the manner just described, they cut the plant with a serrated knife which they have for this purpose, then sweep the grain together upon the ground into little heaps, which they afterwards take up; and, as in this way they get more mould than grain, they separate them by means of the _layot_,[16] which requires a great deal of time. On their return home, they take from the quantity collected (which may be estimated at five pounds of haze in a day) as much as they need for their supper, and carry the rest to their master’s tent. The haze is not pounded like millet: it is separated from the straw, washed several times to clear it from all the particles of earth and made to burst: this grain swells much and makes a very white but not very nourishing sangleh. To reduce it to flour, a little water is thrown upon it, and after steeping a short time, a few strokes of the pestle are sufficient to pound it.

In this camp we passed part of the 7th of December, because we were approaching that of the king, and my guides did not wish to reach the latter till night. We left it at two o’clock, and proceeded northward for three miles upon a soil composed of black sand, covered with ferruginous stones. The country is studded with patches of verdure, which afford pasturage for the cattle.

It was near three o’clock when we arrived at the camp of Mohamed-Sidy-Moctar, head marabout of the king, and chief of the tribe of Dhiedhiebe. He had been apprised of my coming, and had waited for me, he said, with impatience: he came to meet us, took me by the hand, and having led me to the front of his tent, made me sit down upon a sheep-skin. He appeared highly pleased, seated himself beside me, and having sent for Boubou-Fanfale, who spoke Wolof, to act as interpreter, he inquired what were the motives that induced me to change my religion; what I had been doing at St. Louis; of what country I was; whether I had any relatives in France; and lastly, whether I was rich. I was obliged to answer these questions, for I perceived from the way in which they were put, that this marabout had conceived suspicions in regard to me, which, for my security, it was of consequence to remove: I replied therefore, that, having met with a French translation of the Koran, I had there found important truths, with which I was deeply impressed; that ever since I had ardently desired to embrace Islamism, and had been incessantly engaged in devising the means of accomplishing this purpose, but that my father had opposed it; that since I had resided at the Senegal, where I had settled as a trader, I had received intelligence of his death, on which I returned to France to secure what property he had left; and that, being then my own master, I had sold every thing I had in my country, and bought merchandise, for the purpose of carrying my design into execution. I added that, at the Senegal, I had heard the wisdom of the Braknas highly extolled, and had in consequence determined to come and live among them; but that, on entering the Senegal, the vessel which I was in was wrecked, and I had saved but a small part of my goods; that I had left them with M. Alain, who lived at St. Louis and was advantageously known to them, and intended to lay out the produce of the little pack which I had brought with me in the purchase of cattle, for the purpose of settling in their country, as soon as my education should be finished. He seemed satisfied with my answers; the intimation concerning the goods was what pleased him most, and I congratulated myself on having resorted to this artifice. It was agreed that I should remain with him, that he should undertake my education and provide for my wants; and he added, in an emphatic manner, that he already considered me as one of his children.

Several young persons, doubtless with a view to learn my business, invited me to accompany them to prayer; but the chief marabout opposed it, alleging that I was not yet a Musulman. One of the sons of my host came and asked me if I would choose meat or sangleh for supper. I replied that all dishes were alike to me; on which he left me, and at nine o’clock a large plate of meat swimming in melted butter was brought to me: I have since learned that this dish is considered as a great luxury by these people. After supper, Mohamed Sidy Moctar informed me that next day we should set out for the king’s camp, and that it would be necessary for me to bathe before I was presented to that prince; to this I agreed with the greater pleasure, as a bath could not but be very beneficial to me and refresh me much after the fatigues of the journey.

September 8th. When I had risen, I took out of my sack some articles which I had brought with me, and offered them as a present to my host, who seemed highly flattered and accepted them with pleasure. A little milk was brought to us; he then made me mount a camel with him and we set out for the king’s camp. We proceeded to the N.E.; the whole plain was studded with ferruginous rocks, and here and there small islands of sand remarkable for their verdure; they are cultivated by the Moors, who sow them with millet. We passed on the way several camps of zenagues, or tributaries, but at great distances from one another.

I saw some slaves employed in weeding millet; they used an instrument like a chimney-sweeper’s scraper, having a handle a foot long; they knelt to their work.

The motion of the camel fatigued me to such a degree that I was obliged to dismount. The country was open, and intersected by ravines: the soil was composed of a very hard red sand, on which I saw a great number of blocks of white marble; several of these I examined to ascertain their nature. We halted at a small camp consisting of seven tents; the marabout ordered some milk and water to be given to me to quench my thirst. We remained there during the heat of the day; my marabout then desired me to perform the salam[17], and we pursued our journey still in the same direction. Before we reached the king’s camp, we passed near a pond, in which my guide caused me to be again washed by a zenague Moor, to purify me, as he said.

It was three o’clock when we reached the camp of the king: we had travelled twenty-four miles, and that in a very short time, for our camel went at a great rate. The camp was situated at a place called Guiguis, near a pond which served for watering the cattle.

Every body was apprized of my coming; in consequence I was presently surrounded by a numerous concourse. There were in the camp many marabouts who expected presents from this prince; they received me kindly: one of them, the Sherif Sidy-Mohammed, belonging to the Koont nation, proposed to me to take up my abode in his camp, promising to treat me as his son. I thanked him, and told him in answer to his politeness, that if I had not promised Mohammed-Sidy-Moctar, I should have given him the preference. I desired to be presented afterwards to Hamet-Dou; but I was told that this prince was lying down and that I could not see him till he awoke: in a quarter of an hour he sent for me, and I found him with a negro who spoke a little French and served as interpreter. When I entered the king’s tent, he stretched out his hand with a smile, and addressed me with the customary salutation. _Salam aleïkoom_, adding these words of French which he had picked up at the Moorish market—“_Comment vous portez-vous, Monsieur? Bien, merci, Monsieur._” He asked the question, and answered it himself, not understanding the meaning of the words, which he repeated several times; he then asked me many questions, inquiring about the merchants of St. Louis with whom he was acquainted, and lastly about my own profession. I told him the same tale which I had got up the evening before for Mohammed-Sidy-Moctar; he was perfectly satisfied with it, and I perceived (as I had on the former occasion) that what pleased them most was the account of my wealth. He reiterated his questions, to try whether I should repeat the same answers, and concluded by assuring me of his protection while I should remain in his dominions, and particularly against his great marabout. He told me not to be afraid of any of his subjects; to which I replied that I feared no one but God. This answer pleased him; he took my hand with an air of satisfaction, exclaiming at the same time: _Maloum, Abd-Allahi_ (that is right Abd-Allahi[18]) and then dismissed me, admonishing me to rejoin my mentor, and not to leave him again. As it was now dark however, and I did not know where to find Mohammed-Sidy-Moctar, I was lodged in a tent belonging to the king’s suite, many of whom crowded around me.

I was not yet accustomed to the Moorish diet, and the small quantity of milk I had drunk in the morning was very little support; it was now late at night and I was ravenously hungry. I ventured at last, to ask those who were about me for something to eat. One of them repeated the request to the king, who sent for me again, made me say a prayer, and then ordered a slave to milk a cow for me. I had hoped for something a little more substantial, and I told Hamet-Dou, when they brought me the milk, that I should like to eat something before I drank, and that I was more hungry than thirsty. These words excited “laughter unextinguishable” in all those who were in the tent; the king himself laughed as if he would have split his sides, and then told me he had nothing better to offer me, for that he never took any other nourishment than milk. I drank a little, and then returned to the tent which was allotted to me. About ten o’clock at night a Moor brought me some scraps of mutton, which he carried in his hand; they were sent, as I found out, by my marabout, and the bearer sitting down on a mat very unceremoniously partook of the feast. The mutton was boiled and full of sand, but hunger gave it a relish, and I thought it good fare.

In the night between the 8th and 9th, Boubou-Fanfale arrived; they had only been waiting for him to break up the camp.

On the 9th, early in the morning, preparation was made for departure. The queen sent for me, and gave me some milk for breakfast. At sunrise the slaves took down the tents, and loaded them upon camels, together with the stakes, each camel carrying a tent; the rest of the goods were borne by oxen, and the women were conveyed, on camels appropriated to that office. The saddles for this purpose are furnished with a sort of oval pannier, large enough for two persons to sit in, and lined with a handsome carpet; that the journey may be more agreeable to the Moorish ladies, their seat is shaded by an awning of their finest manufactures.

The queen’s saddle was adorned with scarlet and yellow cloth, and her cloth housing embroidered with many colours in silk. Her bridle was enriched with three pieces of copper, which rose like pyramids from the nose of the animal. The camels of the princesses were also much ornamented; and they sit in their saddles cross-legged like so many tailors. This position is so habitual to them, that they never change it, even on the couches, where they sit all the day. On the journey, their camels were led by slaves, and that on which Hamet-Dou rode was led also. The saddles for the men are of a different construction from those used by the women; they are high, narrow seats, on which a single man sits with his legs stretched out and crossed on the neck of the beast. If several men ride on the same camel, only one sits on the saddle, the others are behind; and it was thus that I rode with my marabout.

Our party when on march resembled a routed army, all confusion. The cattle went first, driven by a few men mounted on oxen; the mournful lowing of the animals, the shouts of the men, and the shrill voices of the women, resounded on all sides. Here a camel had disburdened himself of a woman, there a refractory bullock refused to proceed, a little farther a restive horse threatened to throw his rider, and was rearing and plunging amongst oxen and camels; women losing their balance in consequence, were rolling on the ground screaming; the hurly-burly was such, that there was no hearing one’s self speak. At last, after having proceeded three miles towards the north, we halted to pitch our tents, and the confusion subsided. The slaves unloaded the beasts and set up the tents, and as there was no water at this place, they went back for it to the lake of Guiguis which we had just left. Such of the slaves as took charge of the cattle employed themselves in cutting briars to make fences for the calves, and others went to seek fire-wood to light fires before the tents. This article is so rare in this country, that when the camp remains long in a place, the poor fellows are obliged to go a couple of miles in search of it.

The Moors always burn fires before their tents; a custom which is inconvenient on many accounts: in the day time the heat of these fires is unpleasant, and a multitude of grasshoppers and other insects, with which the country abounds in this season, take refuge in the tents and prove a great nuisance.

On the 10th of September, the king left us to carry a present to his brother Sidy Aibi, chief of a tribe of Braknas; he took my marabout along with him. At his departure he directed that I should lodge with his aunt Fatmé-Anted-Moctar, to whom he recommended me. I had not seen her before, but she treated me with great kindness, as did also two of her nieces who lived with her. They were considerate enough to send away all the curious who were incessantly besetting me.

At noon, they gave me some sangleh, the first I had eaten since I arrived at the king’s camp. I was indebted no doubt to the protection of Hamet-Dou for the peace I enjoyed here; the women also were less annoying than I had found them in the districts I had lately traversed; their curiosity was sometimes vexatious, but I was no longer tormented as I had been elsewhere. The wind was high, and it raised a prodigious quantity of sand, which fell like rain on our heads, and incommoded us for half an hour, so that we could not stir out of doors. In the evening we had a shower of rain, and I could breathe more freely again. On the 12th, the king returned; and on the 15th, we made our arrangements for proceeding on our journey, for we had only stopped to give Hamet-Dou the opportunity of visiting his brother.

We advanced nine miles E. ¼ N.E. on a stony ground covered with briars and abounding in pasturage. At noon we encamped in the vicinity of a range of mountains which they told me were called Zirih, but, as I afterwards learnt, Zirih signifies _mountain_.