April 28.—­Early in the morning we departed from Sooseeta, and about ten o’clock came to an unwalled town, called Manna, the inhabitants of which were employed in collecting the fruit of the nitta-trees, which are very numerous in this neighbourhood.  The pods are long and narrow, and contain a few black seeds, enveloped in the fine mealy powder before mentioned; the meal itself is of a bright yellow colour, resembling the flour of sulphur, and has a sweet mucilaginous taste.  When eaten by itself it is clammy, but when mixed with milk or water it constitutes a very pleasant and nourishing article of diet.

The language of the people of Manna is the same that is spoken all over that extensive and hilly country called Jallonkadoo.  Some of the words have a great affinity to the Mandingo, but the natives themselves consider it as a distinct language.  Their numerals are these

One, Kidding. 
Two, Fidding. 
Three, Sarra. 
Four, Nani. 
Five, Soolo. 
Six, Seni. 
Seven, Soolo ma fidding. 
Eight, Soolo ma sarra. 
Nine, Soolo ma nani. 
Ten, Nuff.

The Jallonkas, like the Mandingoes, are governed by a number of petty chiefs, who are in a great measure independent of each other.  They have no common sovereign, and the chiefs are seldom upon such terms of friendship as to assist each other even in war-time.  The chief of Manna, with a number of his people, accompanied us to the banks of the Bafing, or Black River (a principal branch of the Senegal), which we crossed upon a bridge of bamboos of a very singular construction.  The river at this place is smooth and deep, and has very little current.  Two tall trees, when tied together by the tops, are sufficiently long to reach from one side to the other, the roots resting upon the rocks, and the tops floating in the water.  When a few trees have been placed in this direction, they are covered with dry bamboos, so as to form a floating bridge, with a sloping gangway at each end, where the trees rest upon the rocks.  This bridge is carried away every year by the swelling of the river in the rainy season, and is constantly rebuilt by the inhabitants of Manna, who, on that account, expect a small tribute from every passenger.

In the afternoon we passed several villages, at none of which we could procure a lodging, and in the twilight we received information that two hundred Jallonkas had assembled near a town called Melo, with a view to plunder the coffle.  This induced us to alter our course, and we travelled with great secrecy until midnight, when we approached a town called Koba.  Before we entered the town the names of all the people belonging to the coffle were called over, and a freeman and three slaves were found to be missing.  Every person immediately concluded that the slaves had murdered the freeman and made their escape.  It was therefore agreed that six people should go back as far as the last village, and endeavour to find his body, or collect