DISCOVERIES OF THE FRENCH. idj 
discovered the whole sky covered with an army of 
locusts, who were taking their flight across the 
river. The passage continued for two hours, in 
the course of which, the boats were entirely cover- 
ed with their excrements. Fortunately for the 
country, a south-west wind blew them towards the 
desert, where they probably perished for want of 
food. 
The next place which our party reached was 
Bitel, which they found to abound with poultry 
beyond any other district in Africa. The chickens 
here were equal to the best European capons. 
A fat pullet was readily sold for a sheet of pa- 
per. They arrived next at Tuabo, situated on the 
immediate frontier of Gal lam. Its vicinity was 
distinguished by the abundance of a species of 
red monkeys, not before observed. They came 
in crowds, from the top of the trees to the extre- 
mity of the branches, in order to take a view of the 
boats as they passed. They appeared to come in 
successive parties, and to converse with each other 
on what they saw ; and some even became so 
familiar, as to throw down dry branches into the 
vessels. These advances were very ill received by 
the French, who answered them with discharges of 
musquetry, by which several were killed and wound- 
ed. This caused an extraordinary tumult ; some 
raised frightful cries, while others collected stones 
and other instruments of offence, and threw them 
