B A L E Y A. 
245 
CHAPTER IX. 
Description of Bal^ya — Arrival on the banks of the Dhioliba. — Courouassa. 
— Sambarala. — Boure, a mountainous country, rich in gold. — Crossing 
the Dhioliba. — The river Yendan. — Kankan. — Description of the town. 
— The market. — Gold of Boure. — A religious festival. — Ordeal of fire. — 
Critical situation of the traveller. — Diseases of the country. 
The soil of Baleya is an argillaceous sand, compact, but ex- 
tremely fertile, producing all the necessaries of life in abun- 
dance. It is bounded on the west by the Fouta ; on the 
south by Sangaran, through which runs the Dhioliba; on 
the east by the little country of Amana; and on the north 
by forests. All the villages in this part are surrounded with 
a double wall of mud, surmounted by battlements. These 
walls are from ten to twelve feet high. The villages contain 
each from a hundred to a hundred and twenty-five huts, 
made of straw. 
The inhabitants of Baleya were subjected to the laws of 
the Prophet by the Foulahs, since which they annually 
present some cattle to the almamy of the Fouta. They are 
warriors and husbandmen, and have abundance of the neces- 
saries of life, which they obtain by the cultivation of the 
earth, while their cattle supply them with butter and milk. 
They manufacture white cloth, which they exchange with 
their neighbours for salt. Earthenware is made in almost 
every village. The people of Baleya are Dhialonkes. Though 
Mahometans, they are, by no means, so zealous as the 
Foulahs, and drink in private a sort of beer made of millet 
and honey. Lamfia told me that formerly they possessed 
Fouta-Dhialon. The women are lively, pretty, and coquet- 
tish, and bestow much attention on dressing their hair. 
