190 THE AUTHOR TURNS PHYSICIAN. 
containing from two hundred and fifty to three hundred 
inhabitants^ and situated on a very fertile soil. About three 
o'clock we passed Dayeb. The road was stony from this 
place to Tin-foulasso, a village surrounded by cotton plan- 
tations, in a plain of grey fertile sand. At five in the after- 
noon we halted, much fatigued, at Gnere-temile, having 
travelled twelve miles in the course of the day. During our 
halt a violent storm arose. As I was an object of general 
curiosity, the inhabitants came out in crowds to look at me ; 
some brought me little presents of milk and smoked meat. 
Many of these poor creatures had ulcers in different parts of 
their bodies : 1 became their physician ; and I gave them 
some caustics (nitrate of silver) and lint. They evinced 
their gratitude by sending me a good supper. Ibrahim, 
fearing that I should consume all my stock of medicaments, 
strongly advised me not to give them any more, alleging as 
a reason for this uncharitableness, that they might take me 
for a christian. 
At six o'clock in the morning of the 1st of May, we left 
the village of Gnere-temile, the population of which is about 
two hundred and fifty. The rain of the preceding evening 
purified the atmosphere and added new charms to the sur- 
rounding scenery. We journeyed on cheerfully to E. S. E. 
I saw an ouroud^, or slave village, surrounded by good plan- 
tations of bananas, cotton, cassavas, and yams. We passed 
Maraca, after which we found ourselves in a sandy plain, 
containing several small slave villages, and sat down beneath 
a tree to wait for some of our party, who were lingering 
behind. 
The negroes of the village of Bourwel brought us some 
delicious oranges : after eating them we pursued our journey 
along the side of a deep valley adorned with large trees. 
Having descended a rapid slope, we came to very fertile 
land. About two in the afternoon we halted at Popoco, 
situated in the plain, having travelled eight miles since 
morning. 
