202 
TRAVELS IN THE 
prize of greater danger than probably I was apprized of ; for, 
although the town of Jenne was, nominally, a part of the King 
of Bambarra's dominions, it was in fact, he said, a city of the 
Moors ; the leading part of the inhabitants being Bushreens, 
and even the governor himself, though appointed by Mansong, 
of the same sect. Thus was I in danger of falling a second 
time into the hands of men who would consider it not only 
justifiable, but meritorious, to destroy me ; and this reflection 
was aggravated by the circumstance that the danger increased, 
as I advanced in my journey ; for I learned that the places 
beyond Jenne were under the Moorish influence, in a still 
greater degree than Jenne itself; and Tombuctoo, the great 
object of my search, altogether in possession of that savage and 
merciless people, who allow no Christian to live there. But I 
had now advanced too far to think of returning to the westward, 
on such vague and uncertain information, and determined to 
proceed ; and being accompanied by the guide, I departed from 
the village on the morning of the 24th. About eight o'clock, we 
passed a large town called Kabba, situated in the midst of a 
beautiful and highly cultivated country ; bearing a greater re- 
semblance to the centre of England, than to what I should 
have supposed had been the middle of Africa. Tlie people were 
every where employed in collecting the fruit of the Shea trees, 
from which they prepare the vegetable butter, mentioned in 
former parts of this work. These trees grow in great abun- 
dance all over this part of Bambarra. They are not planted by 
the natives, but are found growing naturally in the woods ; 
and, in clearing wood land for cultivation, every tree is cut 
