230 MEMOIRSofthe 
muttons to his gpod health ; but all proved of little efficacy, and 
fothe king died, having delivered his fword to the 2)eyy who, in 
the iiiterregnumy was to be the principal man, for the kingdom 
is ek6tivej he alio appointed one of his wives, whom he 
thought worthy of that fatal honour, to accompany him to the 
other world 3 the moft conliderable amongfl them Tent in thofc 
they had a mind to kill in honour of the king. After the king's 
funeral, the next thing was to chule afucceflbrj they pitched 
upon the ^ey himfclf, tho' not of the blood royal, the realbn 
was, as they laid, becaufe he had power enough to do what he 
plealed, and they could do nothing againft him j but the tDey 
r^fufed the honour, on account of the charges it would put him 
to, and he propofcd the brother of the decealed king, lb the 
bufinels ftuck for fome time, but at lad it was agreed, and king 
j4prive\ brother was declared l:ing. 
The manner of their ordinary executions is thus j the criminal 
is made to drink a great deal of palm-wine, and to dance, vvhilft 
in the mean time he is pufhed from one fide to the other j after 
this, he is thrown down with his face into the fand ; then his 
legs are cut off below the knees, and his arms below the elbows j 
after that, his thighs, and his arms below the flioulders, and 
Jaltly his head. When anv one has got new drums or trumpets, 
they mull be conlccratcd with human blood. 
I'he fliore lies almoft eaft and well, wholly expofed to the Tea 
on the Ibuth; the country is hilly, the hills are not very high, 
but lying thick and in cluflers, the vallies between are extremely 
narrow 9 the whole is in a manner covered with certain low, but 
very thick ihrubs^ not the tenth part of the ground is tilled, 
and where they do till, within half a year the ground is over- 
grown as before- for they do not root up the ilirubs, but only 
cut, and lometimes burn them dole to the ground ^ ^o they 
fpring up again in a little time 3 this however is lutficient for 
planting their corn, which they do by making Imall holes in the 
earth at a competent dillance, and putting feeds into them 5 the 
people are entirely lazy, but llibtle, and apt to cheat the unwary. 
The water, which they have in pits, and which is for the moll 
part rain-water, has a mixt tafte of Iweet and lubacid j at Wid- 
d^by one cf the moft unhealthy places in Guinea^ he, that opens 
the ground, runs the hazard of his life, io noxious are the fleams 
arifing from it. The age of the inhabitants is very uncertain : 
Much of the mortality amongft Grangers, is owing to their irre- 
gular diet, whilft they drink to excels of very hot and fpirituous 
liquors 5 and fliould anv one chule cold liquors rather, his llo- 
mach 
