ATCHIMARY. 169 



At noon of the 9th of December we got 

 under weigh, and in two hours after found we 

 were in shoal water, and could not get out of it 

 till the evening. In consequence of the shallow- 

 ness of the river and haziness of the weather, 

 I had recourse to the plan of sending a boat 

 ahead with a white flag, in order to sound and 

 apprise us of shoal water : we could scarcely dis- 

 tinguish an object at the distance of the vessel's 

 length before her. Since leaving Eboe, the water 

 has been very shallow. 



The next day, the Kroomen were employed in 

 cutting wood ; and in the morning of Decem- 

 ber 11th, we got under weigh, and at 4 p. m. an- 

 chored off a town named Atchimary, the former 

 chief of which place had died about five months 

 ago. The present chief, a stout man, named 

 Assobah, lived at the next town ; and having de- 

 termined on paying him a visit, I landed, taking 

 with me a large looking-glass and a fancy-colour- 

 ed waistcoat. 



On arriving at his house, I was conducted 

 through two apartments into a third, where a 

 mat was placed for me to sit upon. On a small 

 platform, to the right, were the skulls of several 

 animals ; among others, I noticed those of a 



