a4 CAPTAIN TUCKEY’S NARRATIVE. 
covered with high reedy grass and scattered palm trees. 
We passed two Negro villages, and at 7 anchored within a 
few yards of the bank in 8 fathoms. 
July 24. At daylight, having a light breeze at S. W., we 
weighed and ran along the edge of Stocking island, com- 
posed (as yesterday) of reedy grassand thinly scattered palms: 
at 8, the breeze dying away, anchored in a little cove in 9 
feet, close to the Negro village of Peter Mesougy, where we 
purchased afew fowls. Here, in searching for something in 
the boats’ cabin, I put my hand on a snake coiled up ona 
bag of clothes; on killing it with a cutlass, it proved to be 
a water snake, and apparently not venomous; though the 
natives asserted that its bite is mortal. 
At noon, we weighed with a light westerly breeze, and 
crossed the channel named “* Mamballa river” (not dis- 
tinguished by any other name than “ Boat’s channel” by 
the natives); the middle of it is filled with dry shoals, the 
channels between which are very winding, so that we kept 
the gig constantly ahead, and had from 1 to 5 fathoms 
water until we gained the shore of Farquhar’s island, 
where there is 7 and 10 fathoms close to the bank. Here 
we saw the first plantation consisting of Indian corn 
about 2 feet high, and tobacco. In crossing the channel, 
a hippopotamus was seen, and, from the shoalness of 
