156 TOWN OF ADDAKUDDA. 



place. Betwixt two of the blocks, is a landing- 

 place which might have been formed by art. 

 The town contains about five thousand inha- 

 bitants, and, like all the African towns which we 

 have yet met with, is abominably dirty and irre- 

 gularly constructed. The chief, to whom we took 

 the usual " dash," received us very graciously, 

 and presenting us with goora nuts, chatted with 

 us very cordially for some time. I told him that 

 I had opened a market on a sandbank near my 

 vessel, as I had heard his people did not like to 

 trade direct with white men. He assured me of 

 his friendship, and said he was very glad that 1 

 had punished his men when they were detected 

 stealing, particularly his son, whom he considered 

 a great rascal, and who richly deserved it. I 

 was not a little amused at finding thus unexpect- 

 edly that it was the heir-apparent who had re- 

 ceived the chastisement above alluded to. How- 

 ever, the chief was polite enough to show us over 

 a large dyeing-ground, which was placed on an 

 artificial mound of earth raised about thirty feet 

 above the level of the village, and covered with 

 poles and sticks for drying the cloth on as it was 

 taken from the pit. Their process appeared to 

 be exceedingly rude, and was briefly as follows : 



