plenty of provisions, and on the morning of the 21st
we entered the woods to the westward of Worumbang.
After having travelled some little way, a consultation
was held whether we should continue our route through
the wilderness, or save one day’s provisions
by going to Kinytakooro, a town in Jallonkadoo.
After debating the matter for some time, it was agreed
that we should take the road for Kinytakooro; but
as that town was a long day’s journey distant,
it was necessary to take some refreshment. Accordingly
every person opened his provision-bag and brought a
handful or two of meal to the place where Karfa and
the slatees were sitting. When every one had
brought his quota, and the whole was properly arranged
in small gourd-shells, the schoolmaster offered up
a short prayer, the substance of which was that God
and the holy Prophet might preserve us from robbers
and all bad people, that our provisions might never
fail us, nor our limbs become fatigued. This
ceremony being ended, every one partook of the meal
and drank a little water, after which we set forward
(rather running than walking) until we came to the
river Kokoro, a branch of the Senegal, where we halted
about ten minutes. The banks of this river are
very high, and from the grass and brushwood which
had been left by the stream it was evident that at
this place the water had risen more than twenty feet
perpendicular during the rainy season. At this
time it was only a small stream, such as would turn
a mill, swarming with fish; and on account of the
number of crocodiles, and the danger of being carried
past the ford by the force of the stream in the rainy
season, it is called Kokoro (dangerous). From
this place we continued to travel with the greatest
expedition, and in the afternoon crossed two small
branches of the Kokoro. About sunset we came
in sight of Kinytakooro, a considerable town, nearly
square, situated in the middle of a large and well-cultivated
plain: before we entered the town, we halted
until the people who had fallen behind came up.
During this day’s travel two slaves, a woman
and a girl, belonging to a slates of Bala, were so
much fatigued that they could not keep up with the
coffle; they were severely whipped, and dragged along
until about three o’clock in the afternoon, when
they were both affected with vomiting, by which it
was discovered that they had eaten clay.
This practice is by no means uncommon amongst the
negroes; but whether it arises from a vitiated appetite,
or from a settled intention to destroy themselves,
I cannot affirm. They were permitted to lie
down in the woods, and three people remained with
them until they had rested themselves; but they did
not arrive at the town until past midnight, and were
then so much exhausted that the slatee gave up all
thoughts of taking them across the woods in their
present condition, and determined to return with them
to Bala and wait for another opportunity.