^36 
THE RIVER BA-NDlflGUE. 
conversion^ alleging that I was a sheriff which seemed to be a 
satisfactory answer to every objection. He was older than 
the other individuals of the caravan^ and, therefore, had some 
ascendancy over them. This respect for age is universal among 
the negroes, who never undertake any thing without consult- 
ing the elders of their villages. At the place where we were 
now encamped the soil was good, consisting in some places of 
black, and in others of red, mould, like that of Sierra-Leone, 
mixed with stones. I saw some palm-trees growing here. 
At seven on the morning of the 3rd of June, we resumed 
our course, proceeding a mile eastward along some hills, about 
one hundred and fifty or two hundred feet high, composed of 
red, porous stone, like that of Sierra-Leone. These hills ex- 
tend north and south, and they are the last of the Fouta- 
Dhialon towards the east. From their summits we discovered 
a beautiful sandy plain, into which we descended by a very 
rapid declivity. We now found the surface of the soil 
covered with reddish sand. Further on, our road became 
gravelly. We continued our course eastward through a level 
and very open part of the country. To the north, however, I 
observed many trees and plants, namely, the bombax, the ce, 
the mimosa, the nede, the nauclea africana, and the indigo. 
We met many travellers on the road. Having proceeded 
thirteen miles, we halted about four in the afternoon, much 
fatigued, near a rivulet, the wide and shallow bed of which 
consists of argillaceous sand. It is dry in some places. The 
natives call it, the Ba-ndiegue (fish river) . It waters Baleya 
and flows into the Tankisso : two of our party went to buy 
smoked fish from some fi.shermen, who were near the place 
where we stopped. We dried our merchandise which had 
got wet by the rain of the preceding day, and I was sorry to 
be obliged to display my pieces of printed calico which at- 
tracted, in no small degree, the notice of my companions. 
In the place where we halted there were not many trees but 
I perceived some clumps of nauclea. The ground was covered 
