MANNERS OF THE FOULAHS. 
225 
sheep and goats. They have horses of a small breed, a few 
asses, some dogs, and abundance of poultry. They make fre- 
quent journeys to Sierra-Leone, where they sell their cattle for 
the supply of the colony. The soil is prolific of all the neces- 
saries of life; as rice, millet, yams, cassava, caribbee cabbage, 
oranges, bananas, &c. The diseases which I noticed in the 
country are leprosy, swelling of the neck, or goitres, fevers, 
and ophthalmia. I never observed any venereal malady. 
The Foulahs are haughty, distrustful, and of very question- 
able veracity. They are also accused of indolence and of a 
disposition to pilfering. They are however sober and sup- 
port the greatest privations with fortitude. Like all Mu- 
sulmans they are very superstitious, and have great confi- 
dence in their grigris, and when they go to war they are co- 
vered with these charms. They are naturally brave, and 
compel the surrounding tribes either to embrace Mahometan- 
ism or to become their tributaries. During my residence 
at Cambaya, I did not observe that there was any particular 
judge or tribunal established there for settling differences, 
such as Mungo Park has described in treating of the Gam- 
bia ; dis])utes indeed often arose, but they were settled by the 
elders of the village. They do not even go before the chief 
unless when the complaint is of a serious nature, and in that 
case they often refer it to the decision of the almamy of 
Timbo, which is two days' journey to the W. S. W. of 
Cambaya. 
Every married Mandingo is in his own family a re- 
spected chief. His hut stands in the middle of the huts oc- 
cupied by his wives. On entering it, no domestic utensil is 
to be seen except two large jars containing the stock of grain 
for the year, which he deals out in portions to his wives. The 
bullock's hide on which he sleeps is the only furniture of his 
hut, and its only ornaments are his weapons when he puts 
them out of his hands. 
When the master goes to the fields to superintend his 
VOL. I. Q 
