FAREWELL TO AFRICA 435 



Jebba, where we arrived the next afternoon. Near the 

 eastern span of the bridge that here crosses the coffee- 

 colored Niger, stands a monument to Mungo Park and 

 his companion who were lost in the Garafiri Rapids a 

 short distance upstream. Up the river towers the 

 famous Ju Ju Rock, which at one time was a place of 

 sacrifice. In the olden days — not so long ago - at 

 that — it was a custom at a certain season of the year 

 for the w itch doctors to take a youi)g girl to the place 

 of kiUing and there beat her to death against the rock. 

 Her cries were supposed to pacify the gods of the river 

 and prevent harm coming to the rock, which, in its 

 turn, sheltered the island on which they lived in the 

 middle of the stream, safe from the attacks of fierce 

 surrounding tribes. 



Later I attempted to visit this rock, but no reward 

 I could offer would induce the local boatmen to take 

 me there. They said the place was the home of evil 

 spirits and frightful animals. Superstitious tales 

 built up over a long period of time has made of this 

 harmless rock a fearsome place, a haunted region, 

 which is cautiously avoided by all the natives in 

 the district. 



It was interesting to know that, although the Nig^r 

 has its source almost at the Atlantic's edge, it is oire 

 of the longest rivers in the world. It rises in French 

 Guinea, back of a small range of mountains which 

 is visible from the Atlantic port of Freetown, Sierra 

 Leone. From there the river flows northeast to Tim- 

 buktu in the French Sudan, then, making a huge bend, 

 runs in a general east of south direction until reaching 

 Lokoja, where it turns directly south to pour out of 

 many mouths into the Gulf of Guinea. 



