KISSI. 
283 
for the purpose of buying slaves, told me that the country 
is interspersed with mountains, and watered by numerous 
streams. The soil is very fertile, and the inhabitants culti- 
vate a great quantity of rice, yams, foigne, and every ne- 
cessary of life. They are all idolaters, and, like the Bamba- 
ras, they make incisions on their faces and other parts of 
their bodies. I saw several of them at Kankan, and I re- 
marked that they all had very sharp and white teeth. Their 
hair, like that of the Mandingoes, is woolly, but they are 
lighter in colour ; their noses are rather aquiline, their lips 
thin, and their faces nearly oval. The country is divided 
into several small states, which are governed by independent 
chiefs, who often wage war against one another for the sake of 
slaves, whom they sell at a high price. Some of these bar- 
barians make it a business to lurk behind bushes, in order to 
surprise the unfortunate negro husbandmen in their fields, 
and mercilessly carry them off for immediate sale. 
At the distance of a day and a half to the S. S. E. of 
Kankan is Toron, inhabited by idolatrous negroes, of whom I 
have before spoken. At two days' journey to the east, is the 
beautiful country of Wassoulo inhabited by Foulahs. At four 
days' (or perhaps five) to the N. J N. E. of this city, de- 
scending the Milo, you perceive, the country of Boure three 
quarters of a day's journey distant, up the Tankisso, upon the 
right bank of which it is situated. I will give in a few words 
the information obtained from the negroes respecting this 
country. The city of Boure is the chief town of the country 
bearing the same name. Tintigyan, Bougoreya, Fataya, 
Setiguia, and Docadila, are dependencies of it. These villages 
are not far distant from the Tankisso ; for I was assured that 
the slaves carried thither upon their heads the goods brought 
by vessels, and make several trips in a day. The country of 
Boure, the Mandingoes told me and they had visited it, is 
covered by hills, in which are many very abundant gold 
mines. The natives, who daily work them, are ignorant 
