SABLE BEAUTIES. 375 



in the water ; a dangerous practice, from the risk 

 of their being bitten by the alligators. The 

 town extends into the bush a considerable dis- 

 tance along the banks of the river ; it is named 

 Owhyha, and appeared to contain about two 

 thousand inhabitants. I observed a great num- 

 ber of interesting females paddling their canoes 

 with great dexterity. The appearance of several 

 of these sable beauties was particularly modest ; 

 more so, indeed, than any I have yet met with. 

 In one canoe was a very stout woman with um- 

 bilical stroma, (rupture) : her ancles were orna- 

 mented with immense rings of ivory, about five 

 inches broad. She had a male slave in the ca- 

 noe, a native of Kacundah, or Ibbodah, whom 

 she repeatedly desired us to purchase, and was 

 much disappointed when we gave her to under- 

 stand that we never purchased human creatures. 

 A gun, some powder, and a few yards of printed 

 cottons, was the price demanded for this poor 

 fellow. 



Being much annoyed by the noise of so many 

 people, each striving against the other to get 

 alongside our boat, and frequently upsetting each 

 other's canoes, I resorted to an infallible method 

 of getting rid of them. I presented the muzzle 



