me to ascend a high seat by the door of the mosque, in order that everybody might see me, for the people had assembled in such numbers as to be quite ungovernable, climbing upon the houses, and squeezing each other, like the spectators at an execution.  Upon this seat I remained until sunset, when I was conducted into a neat little hut, with a small court before it, the door of which Counti Mamadi shut, to prevent any person from disturbing me.  But this precaution could not exclude the Moors.  They climbed over the top of the mud wall, and came in crowds into the court, “in order,” they said, “to see me perform my evening devotions, and eat eggs.”  The former of these ceremonies I did not think proper to comply with, but I told them I had no objection to eat eggs, provided they would bring me eggs to eat.  My landlord immediately brought me seven hen’s eggs, and was much surprised to find that I could not eat them raw; for it seems to be a prevalent opinion among the inhabitants of the interior that Europeans subsist almost entirely on this diet.  When I had succeeded in persuading my landlord that this opinion was without foundation, and that I would gladly partake of any victuals which he might think proper to send me, he ordered a sheep to be killed, and part of it to be dressed for my supper.  About midnight, when the Moors had left me, he paid me a visit, and with much earnestness desired me to write him a saphie.  “If a Moor’s saphie is good,” said this hospitable old man, “a white man’s must needs be better.”  I readily furnished him with one, possessed of all the virtues I could concentrate, for it contained the Lord’s Prayer.  The pen with which it was written was made of a reed; a little charcoal and gum-water made very tolerable ink, and a thin board answered the purpose of paper.

July 25.—­Early in the morning, before the Moors were assembled, I departed from Sansanding, and slept the ensuing night at a small town called Sibili, from whence on the day following I reached Nyara, a large town at some distance from the river, where I halted the 27th, to have my clothes washed, and recruit my horse.  The dooty there has a very commodious house, flat-roofed, and two storeys high.  He showed me some gunpowder of his own manufacturing; and pointed out, as a great curiosity, a little brown monkey that was tied to a stake by the door, telling me that it came from a far distant country called Kong.

July 28.—­I departed from Nyara, and reached Nyamee about noon.  This town is inhabited chiefly by Foulahs from the kingdom of Masina.  The dooty, I know not why, would not receive me, but civilly sent his son on horseback to conduct me to Modiboo, which he assured me was at no great distance.