lO TRAVELS IN THE 
they have named bassi woolima, and the latter bassiqui. These, 
together with rice, are raised in considerable quantities ; be- 
sides which, the inhabitants, in the vicinity of the towns and 
villages, have gardens which produce onions, calavances, yams, 
cassavi, ground nuts, pompions, gourds, water melons, and some 
other esculent plants. 
I observed likewise, near the towns, small patches of cotton 
and indigo. The former of these articles supplies them with 
clothing, and with the latter they dye their cloth of an excellent 
blue colour, in a manner that will hereafter be described. 
In preparing their corn for food, the natives Use a large wooden 
mortar called a paloon, in which they bruise the seed until it parts 
with the outer covering, or husk, which is then separated from 
the clean corn, by exposing it to the wind ; nearly in the same 
manner as wheat is cleared from the chaff in England. The 
corn thus freed from the husk, is returned to the mortar, and 
beaten into meal ; which is dressed variously in different coun- 
tries ; but the most common preparation of it among the na- 
tions of the Gambia, is a sort of pudding, which they call 
kouskous. It is made by first moistening the flour with water, 
and then stirring and shaking it about in a large calabash, or 
gourd, till it adheres together in small granules, resembling sago. 
It is then put into an earthen pot, whose bottom is perforated 
with a number of small holes ; and this pot being placed upon 
another, the two vessels are luted together, either with a paste of 
meal and water, or with cows' dung, and placed upon the fire. In 
the lower vessel is commonly some animal food and water, the 
steam or vapour of which ascends through the perforations in the 
