204 
THE RIVER TANKISSO. 
tained very erroneous ideas ; they overwhelmed me with 
troublesome questions, and wandered widely from their sub- 
ject. At length a marabout pronounced some prayers over 
the little cakes, which were thus converted into a sort of 
holy bread ; they were then distributed among all present, 
and even the absent were not forgotten, their share being 
sent to them ; two pieces were given to me, which, however, 
I did not eat. I knew not what was the occasion of this 
kind of treat, but conjectured that it was to celebrate the 
safe arrival of the traders who belonged to the place : on 
inquiry, I learned that it was in honour of two boys whose 
heads had been shaved for the first time. After the ceremony, 
a good breakfast was sent to us. About eleven in the fore- 
noon we took leave of our companions, who promised to 
come and see me at Cambaya, where I intended to stop for 
some days. I was indebted for this mark of attention to the 
promise which I had made to give them a pair of scissors. 
We continued our route to the S. E., over the mountains of 
granite, which extend in that direction, and amongst which 
there are some very fine plains of sand. We arrived near 
the Tankisso, a large stream which flows from W. S. W., and 
runs to the east, making a thousand windings amongst the 
mountains. The Mandingo negroes, who had made many 
journeys to Timbo, told me that this stream issued from the 
B^-fing, a little below that capital; that it emptied itself into 
the Dhioliba ; and that Boure, a country rich in gold, is 
situated on the left bank of the Tankisso, about half or three- 
quarters of a day's journey from the Dhioliba. My com- 
panions bathed whilst waiting for Ibrahim, who had stopped 
behind. Continuing our route, we descended a little moun- 
tain of pale pink quartz, the strata of which are eighteen or 
twenty inches thick. This road brought us into a beautiful 
extensive plain of firm sand, completely surrounded by high 
mountains, apparently of granite. In this plain was situated 
the village to which Ibrahim, my guide, belonged. We pro- 
