2 
THE RIVER DHIOLIBA. 
reception I experienced on my arrival in the capital of the 
Western Soudan. 
Though the heat was beginning to be exceedingly op- 
pressive, 1 remained on deck, for the canoe was very full. 
The river makes several windings; its course is rapid; 
and as it is extremely shallow, we were obliged several 
times to unload the vessel in order to pass over the sand- 
banks. The negroes in the neighbourhood helped to load 
and unload the canoe, and to push it forward ; all this, of 
course, occasioned considerable delay. 
About two o'clock we reached the majestic Dhioliba, 
which flows slowly from W. N. W. At this part it is very 
deep, and about three times the width of the Seine at the 
Pont-Neuf. It takes a turn of about two miles to the south; 
its banks are low and very barren. The distance from 
Jenne to this river is, I should imagine, about ten miles. 
After flowing two miles to the southward, it turns to the 
N, N. E. About four o'clock we arrived at Cougalia, where 
I had previously crossed the river. Aided by the current 
I suppose we made about two miles an hour. 
A little before sun- set we passed Kera, a pretty little 
village on the right bank of the river, containing about 
three hundred inhabitants. It is nearly seven miles from 
Cougalia. Here the river turns to the N. E. A little to the 
left there is a small island submerged during the inundation. 
The river is much wider here than at Cougalia, and it is 
quite as deep. On the plain I observed some slaves tilling 
the ground ; they had pickaxes like those of the Bambaras. 
We continued our course till near midnight. As 1 had no 
compass I observed the direction of our course during the 
night by the polar star. In the evening we stood to the 
N. E., still going at the rate of about two miles an hour. 
When we lay to, the negroes who had the management 
of the canoe sought to pick a quarrel with me : they 
would not allow me to sleep on board. They told me that 
