A village in ruins, and a small town called Nama, where they halted for a short time, were the only inhabited places they passed through during the day, till their entrance into the town of Leoguadda, which was surrounded by a double wall, and in which they passed the night.  The governor happened to be in his garden on their arrival, so that they were completely wearied with waiting for him, but as he did not make his appearance, they themselves found a convenient and comfortable hut; and though they were assailed by a volley of abuse from the mouths of half a dozen women, they succeeded in sending them away, and they remained in tranquil possession of their quarters.  In the centre of their yard was a circular enclosure without a roof, within which was an alligator that had been confined there for seven years.  This voracious animal was fed with rats only, of which he generally devoured five a day.  One of the inhabitants perceiving that John Lander was rather inquisitive, volunteered to go to a river in the vicinity of the town, and to return in a few minutes with as many young crocodiles as he might wish for; but as he had no opportunity of conveying animals of that description through the country, he declined the man’s offer.  The inhabitants of Leoguadda, having probably no vegetable poison, make use of the venom of snakes on the tips of their arrows.  The heads of those serpents, from which they extract this deadly substance, are exposed on the sticks, which are thrust into the inside of the thatch of their dwellings as a kind of trophy.

Leoguadda is almost surrounded by rugged hills, formed by loose blocks of granite; these added to a number of tall trees, always green and growing within the walls, render the town inconceivably pleasant and romantic.  Immense tracts of land are cultivated in the vicinity of the town with corn, yams, &c., and abundance of swine, poultry, goats, and sheep are bred by its inhabitants.  Formerly, also herds of cattle were to be seen in the meadows, but they belonged to Fellatas, who, they were told, fled from Leoguadda some time since, to join their countrymen at Alorie.

They left Leoguadda early in the morning of 11th May, and about the middle of the forenoon reached a walled town of some extent called Eetcho.  This place is of importance on account of a large weekly market which is held in it.  Eetcho had recently been more than half consumed by fire, and would not, it was supposed, regain its former condition for some time.  Like most large trading-towns, it is in as unsettled and filthy a state as can be conceived.  This day’s journey was highly agreeable, the path lay through a beautiful country, varied in many places by hills of coarse granite, which were formed by blocks heaped on each other.  Trees and shrubs of a beautiful green grew from their interstices, and almost hid the masses of stone from the view.