244 Mr. Park's Journey into Africa. 



againft the current of air which came through the crevices, 

 without fuffering very fenfible pain from its fcorching effect. 

 In the fouthem diftric~ts, which abound with wood and wa- 

 ter, the climate improves ; and in the mornings and even- 

 ings the air is ferene, temperate and pleafant. During the 

 rainy feafon the prevailing wind is from the fouth-weft. 

 The monfoon commonly changes about the latter end of 

 June, and the wind continues to blow from the fouth-weft 

 quarter until the middle or end of October. In this inter- 

 val the country is flooded, and the rains are preceded and 

 followed by dreadful tornadoes or typhons. The com- 

 mencement of this monfoon is the fpring or feed- time, and 

 its termination is commonly the feafon of harveft. 



Among the principal productions of the negroe territories 

 is the lotus. It is rather a thorny fhrub than a tree, and 

 abounds in all the countries which Mr. Park traverfed ; but 

 it thrives beft in a fandy foil. Its fruit is a fmall yellow fa- 

 rinaceous berry, about the fize of an olive, which being 

 pounded in a wooden vefiel, and afterwards dried in the fun, 

 is made into excellent cakes refembling in colour and fla- 

 vour the fweeteft gingerbread. Some of the natives pre- 

 pare from it alfo a liquor delicioufly fweet. 



Of one fpecies of their corn the negroes make excellent 

 beer, by malting the feeds nearly in the fame manner as 

 barley is malted in England ; and the beer which is thus 

 made was to Mr. Park's tafte equal to the beft ftrong beer 

 he had ever drank in his native country. 



In the latter end of April 1797 the ccffie or caravan being 

 at length completed, and our traveller's health re-eftablifhed, 

 he fet out from Kamalia in company with feventy perfons, 

 of whom only thirty-feven were flaves for fale. In nine days 

 they came to Maana, bordering on a branch of the Senegal. 

 In ten days more they reached the fmall but fertile ftate of 

 Dentilla, and crofled in their journey fome of the ftreams 

 that contribute to the great river of Gambia. On the 4th 

 of June they iell in with that river, about two days journey 



above 



