234 
SOKODATAKHA. 
brought no women with them^ and they had no pots for 
boiUng their rice. 
We caught a sheep which had^ no doubt^ strayed from 
its owner. The Mandingoes held a council to deliberate 
whether they should kill it. They agreed that there* would 
be no impropriety in doing so^ since they did not know the 
owner. The animal was accordingly killed^ and we had a 
good supper to help us on our way. In all negro countries 
meat is a great luxury and^ in general^ it is only eaten on 
festival days. The sheep we caught was with lamb ; but we 
nevertheless found the meat very good. 
The place where we encamped was called Sokodatakha^ a 
name derived from the trees by which it is shaded. It is a large 
sandy plain^ covered with trees and beautiful verdure, and 
surrounded by granite hills, nearly three hundred feet high. 
These hills have no vegetation. We passed the night in the 
huts which I have above described, on the outside of which 
large fires were kindled, though the weather was very warm. 
In the middle of the night our rest was disturbed by a storm. 
I could not sleep on account of the rain, for our huts were by 
no means weather-proof. 
At half past six on the morning of the second of June, we 
again set off in high spirits, though our clothes were very 
wet. Our course lay to the east. The country was woody 
and our road rather gravelly. The ce and the indigo are 
abundant in this part. After we had travelled about fifteen 
miles over a hard sandy soil, covered with gravel, we found 
the trees, though still numerous, neither so large nor so high 
as before. We were overtaken by a violent storm from the 
east : the wind was cold and the rain fell in torrents. In a 
moment, the whole plain was flooded with water, through 
which we waded, ancle-deep. I opened my umbrella ; but 
it was impossible to hold it on account of the wind. I was 
drenched to the skin. Fortunately, I had taken the precaution 
