THE SOORGOOS OR TOOARIKS. 37 
from Jenne. They had been waiting for us sixteen days. 
The Soorgoos or Tooariks would not allow them to pass 
without the payment of a ransom. These robbers daily 
went on board the canoes to levy contributions of food. 
The Soorgoos are a wandering tribe who inhabit the banks 
of the Dhioliba. They contrive to make themselves feared, 
and live at the expense of the poor negroes, whom they 
make their tributaries. I shall describe them more fully 
hereafter. The vessels which had been so long detained, 
joined us, firing muskets in token of their joy. The negroes 
of Dire, who are tributaries of the Soorgoos, informed us that 
the latter were absent, and that consequently we should 
escape the annoyance of their visits. In company with the 
canoes which had joined us, we now proceeded about four 
miles to the north-east, and afterwards turned due east. At 
sun- set we were overtaken by a violent storm, and we gained 
the right bank of the river, to which we moored our canoes 
with pikes made for that purpose. From N.E. to S.W. the 
sky was overspread with clouds driven by a gale, which con- 
tinued part of the night. It did not raise the sand, but the 
heat was very great. 
At six o'clock on the morning of the 15th of April, we 
took an easterly direction, and shortly afterwards I observed 
the river turning S.E. It was still as wide and deep as before, 
and its banks were very low. A few dwarf trees were growing 
in the plains. I was astonished to see so vast a mass of 
water, notwithstanding the idea I had formed of the magni- 
tude of this river before my departure. The Senegal is but 
an ordinary river in comparison with this, which, at the 
season here referred to, was nine or ten feet deep. The 
current is scarcely perceptible ; I should think about a knot 
and a half an hour. About eight in the morning we passed 
an island, on which grow some low shrubs. We proceeded 
but slowly, having to wait for the large canoes, which could 
not advance so rapidly as we did. 
