EARLY ENGLISH DISC011ERIES. 61 



fused cries, " one great voice would exalt itself, and the rest 

 were all hushed." They mounted the trees to look at th9 

 English, the sight of whom seemed to inspire dissatis- 

 faction; they grinned, shook the boughs violently, uttered 

 angry cries, and when any overtures were made towards ac- 

 quaintance, ran off at full speed. The crew shot one ; but 

 before they could reach the spot, the rest had carried it off. 

 On tracing these creatures to their haunts in the depths of 

 the forest, recesses were found, where the foliage had been 

 so intertwined above, and the ground beaten so smooth be- 

 neath, as made it difficult to beUeve that these " bowers for 

 dancing and disport" had not been framed by human hands. 



Amid these difficulties and adventures, the party ar- 

 rived at Tenda on the 26th January, 1621, where they ex- 

 pected to meet with Buckar Sano, the chief merchant on 

 the Gambia. This personage accordingly waited on them ; 

 but being treated with brandy, used it so immoderately that 

 he lay all night dead drunk in the boat. However, he seems 

 on this occasion to have been merely off his guard, as he 

 acted ever after a very discreet and prudent part. He not 

 only carried on traffic himself, but was employed as an 

 agent in managing all the transactions of others. His good 

 faith, however, seems to have been rendered somewhat 

 doubtful by the accounts which he gave to Jobson of a city 

 four months' journey in the interior, the roofs of which were 

 covered with gold. 



The report of a vessel come up to trade caused a great 

 resort from the neighbouring districts ; and the natives, 

 rearing temporary hovels, soon formed a little village on each 

 side of the river. Speedily there appeared five hundred of 

 a ruder race, coveied with skins of wild animals, " the 

 tails hanging as fiom the beasts." The women, who had 

 never before seen a white man, ran away ; but the sight of 

 a few beads soon allured them to return. Unluckily, the 

 universal cry w.is for salt, — a commodity deficient and much 

 desired through all Central Africa ; but Jobson, not duly 

 apprized of this, had not laid in a sufficient stock. Every 

 thing else was lightly prized in comparison ; and many who 

 were coming to swell the market, on learning this omission, 

 instantly turned back. He obtained in exchange gold and 

 ivory, and could have got hides in abundance, had they not 

 been too bulky a commodity to bear the expense of convey ance. 

 F 



