Extracts from the Travels of Mr. Mungo Parke. 



Extracts from the Travels of Mr. Mungo Parke 



in the Interior of Africa^ containing an Account 



of the River Niger. 



ARRIVING at Wassiboo, one of the principal towns 

 in the neighbourhood of the kingdom of Bambarra, I met 

 with eight fugitive Kaartans, Avho offered to accompany me 

 to Satile, and I acquiesced in their proposals; at day -break 

 we set out, and travelled with uncommon expedition until 

 sun-set ; we stopped only twice in the course of the day, 

 once at a watering place in the woods, and another time 

 at the ruins of a town formerly called llla-Campe (the Corn 

 Town.) When we afterwards arrived in the neighbourhood 

 of Satile, the people who were employed in the corn fields 

 seeing so many horsemen took us for a party of Moors, and 

 ran screaming away. The whole town was alarmed, and 

 the slaves were seen in every direction driving the cattle 

 and horses towards the town. It was in vain that one of 

 our company galloped up to undeceive them, it only 

 frightened them the more, and when we arrived at the 

 town we found the gates shut and the people all under 

 arms. After a long parley we were permitted to enter, 

 and as there was every appearance of a heavy tornado, 

 the black governor allowed us to sleep in his grounds, and 

 gave us each a bullock's hide for our bed. Early in the 

 morning we again set forward, the roads were wet and 

 slippery, but the country was every where beautiful, abound- 

 ing with rivulets, which were increased by the rain into 

 rapid streams, we shortly afterwards arrived at Moorja, a 

 large town famous for its trade in salt, which the Moors 

 bring here in great quantities, to exchange for corn and 



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COLLECTION! 



