188 
PROVINCE OF TIME I. 
listened in silence to our conversation : we were speaking of 
the christians, who are always objects of contempt among 
these people. The wife of the chief kindly asked me to take 
a little milk^ and then she went to gather some figs and 
bananas, and put them into a clean calabash, which she gave 
to me and my guide. This woman had a pleasing coun- 
tenance, and her dress, which was very clean, consisted of 
two breadths of cotton cloth of the manufacture of the 
country. She had not the offensive smell of the women 
of the roving Foulahs of Irnanke. The hut was large and 
in good order; the floor was adorned with handsome 
designs, made of earth. We passed the night in this pretty 
village. 
At half-past five, on the morning of the 30th of April, we 
took leave of our kind hosts, and proceeded to the S.E., 
crossing an extensive plain, apparently susceptible of high 
cultivation. In descending, we turned an elevated plain, 
situated in the province of Timbi. The plain in this part is 
covered with red rocks, level with the ground ; the country 
is, generally, very open. We saw several hillocks within 
the distance of seven or eight miles round us. We met a 
Bondou negro, who said that he had come from Boulibane, 
the capital of the country, and was going on a trading 
expedition to Kakondy : he had nothing with him but gold. 
I was very much astonished that this man should undertake 
so long and difficult a journey on foot, when he was within 
reach of our establishments at Bakel, which are provided 
with all sorts of merchandise. We proceeded eastward, 
crossing a pretty valley, situated between two hills, and 
containing three villages ; the largest is Telewel : its popula- 
tion is, at most, five hundred. I was overtaken by a Foulah, 
accompanied by one of his wives, carrying on her head 
a calabash full of milk, which he begged me to accept. 
Ibrahim, my guide, having stopped for a short time, had in- 
formed this Foulah that I was an Arab from the neighbo^ir- 
hood of Mecca, and related to him my adventure at Alex- 
