RIO PON GO. 
183 
tiful grain. We travelled on in an eastern direction until 
we reached the banks of the Kakiriman, a little river which 
runs from north to south^ over a bed of granite. Its cur- 
rent is very rapid and its width may be about seventy or 
eighty ordinary paces. I could trace with my eye the 
course of this river to the distance of three or four miles 
and along that space its breadth did not appear to vary. 
At the point where we forded it the water came up to our 
waists. Having deviated a little from the course taken by my 
companions, I was carried to some distance by the current, 
and the water came up to my arm-pits. The negroes, per- 
ceiving me^ called out, desiring me to make the best of my 
way back again. They all exclaimed with one voice, La 
allah il allah, Mahommed rasoul oullahi^ and appeared 
very much alarmed at my danger. A little further down^ 
the river becomes deep, and, as I could not have contended 
against the current, I should have sunk. At length, by 
managing to ascend a little, 1 gained the left bank in safety, 
but my baggage was completely wet. About eleven in the 
morning we halted not far from the banks of the river, in 
a place covered with hillocks of black sand, on which grew 
numbers of large bamboos. We seated ourselves beneath 
the trees. The poor slaves were dreadfully fatigued, and 
though I had no load to carry I was almost as tired as 
they. I bought some cagnan, a sort of bread which I have 
already described. This was the first food I had tasted 
during the whole of the day. Several Foulahs made me 
little presents. The negroes told me that the river we had 
just crossed was the Rio Pongo. Want of rice obliged us 
to pack up our baggage and proceed to Pandeya, a little 
village inhabited by Foulah herdsmen. On our way we 
met two negroes, each of whom had on his head a cala- 
bash of foign4 (a small kind of grain), which they would 
not sell to us. After travelling eleven miles E. S. E. 
we reached the village about half past twelve. Our road 
had been level and well wooded, but covered with stones. 
