94 PARK S FIRST JOURNEY. 



Niger. He was told that the next great city along that river 

 was Jenne, which was represented as very flourishing, and 

 larger than Sego or any other place in Bambarra. Lower 

 down, the river spread into an expanse, called Dibbie or the 

 Dark Lake, so extensive that, in crossing it, the canoes for a 

 whole day lost sight of land. On the eastern side the Niger 

 issued out of this lake in two large branches, enclosing the 

 alluvial country of Jinbala, when they again united in one 

 channel, which flowed on to Kabra, the port of Timbuctoo. 

 That town, situated a day's journey north from the Niger, 

 was described to Mr. Park as the great centre of the com- 

 merce carried on between the Moors and negroes, by means 

 of which the former people had filled it with Mohammedan 

 converts ; it was added, that the king and his principal offi- 

 cers belonged to this faith, which was professed there with 

 even more than the usual bigotry. An old negro related, 

 that, on his entering a public inn, the landlord laid on the 

 floor a mat and a rope, saying, " If you are a Mussulman, 

 you are my friend, sit down on this mat ; if not, you are 

 my slave, and with this rope I will lead you to market." 

 The king, named Abu Abrahima, was clothed in silk, lived 

 in great pomp, and possessed immense riches. There has 

 since appeared reason to suspect that, in these reports, both 

 the bigotry and the splendour of Timbuctoo were some- 

 what exaggerated. Beyond this city, eastward, there was 

 said to be a great kingdom called Houssa, with a capital 

 of the same name, situated on the Niger. This also was 

 somewhat inaccurate. There is no city called Houssa ; 

 and the term is applied, not to a kingdom, but to an ex- 

 tensive region comprehending many principalities, and 

 through which the Niger does not pass. 



Having formed his resolution, he forthwith began his re- 

 turn to the westward, and at Modiboo met with an unex- 

 pected and rather pleasing occurrence. While he was con- 

 versing with the dooty, a horse was heard to neigh ; upon 

 which the magistrate asked, smiling, if he knew who was 

 speaking to him — and presently going out, led in the travel- 

 ler's own horse, greatly recruited by rest. Mr. Park at first 

 drove the animal before him, but afterward mounted, and 

 found him of great benefit in passing the swamps and swollen 

 rivulets which obstructed his route. He soon learned that 

 dangers, even greater than he was aware of, had beset his 



