12 
TRAVELS IN THE 
ing his strength and faculties to the service of man. When I 
told some of the natives that this was actually done in the 
countries of the East, my auditors laughed me to scorn, and 
exclaimed, Tobaubo jonnio ! (a white man's lie.) The Negroes 
frequently find means to destroy the elephant by fire arms ; 
they hunt it principally for the sake of the teeth, which they 
transfer in barter to those who sell them again to the Europeans. 
The flesh they eat, and consider it as a great delicacy. 
The usual beast of burthen in all the Negro territories, is the 
ass. The application of animal labour to the purposes of agri- 
culture, is no where adopted ; the plough, therefore, is wholly 
unknown. The chief implement used in husbandry is the hoe, 
which varies in form in different districts ; and the labour is 
universally performed by slaves. 
On the 6th of October the waters of the Gambia were at the 
greatest height, being fifteen feet above the high-water mark 
of the tide ; after which they began to subside ; at first slowly, 
but afterwards very rapidly ; sometimes sinking more than 
a foot in twenty-four hours : by the beginning of November 
the river had sunk to its former level, and the tide ebbed and 
flowed as usual. When the river had subsided, and the atmo- 
sphere grew dry, I recovered apace, and began to think of my 
departure ; for this is reckoned the most proper season for tra- 
velling : the natives had completed their harvest, and provi- 
sions were every where cheap and plentiful. 
Dr. Laidley was at this time employed in a trading voyage 
at Jonkakonda. I wrote to him to desire that he would use his 
interest with the slatees, or slave merchants, to procure me the 
