TANCiO UROM AN. 
309 
my guide wished to reach his own home before night. The 
village is shaded by fine bombaces and baobabs. The poor 
inhabitants were unable to provide us with a fowl, or even 
with milk, and they found it difficult to give us a supper ; 
they brought us a dish of foigne, with a sauce of herbs, which 
they had prepared for themselves, and supped on a bit of boiled 
yam ; after which frugal repast, they fell to dancing merrily 
and kept it up all night. I remarked in our host's court, 
many little bundles of straw supported upon stakes or large 
stones, to keep it from the damp, which is excessive in this 
country ; in these magazines they store their provision of 
rice, millet, pistachio-nuts, and yams, which are never 
plundered. I have not seen a single beggar between Kankan, 
or indeed Baieya, and this place. Arafanba went to sleep at 
Sambatikila ; for my part, I was so fatigued with my day's 
journey, that I staid where I was, with the saracolets and 
a Foulah of Fouta-Dhialon. Our host made a present of a 
fine Barbary duck to my guide, who was considered in this 
country as a marabout of importance ; we should have liked 
very well to eat it for supper, for we could find nothing to 
buy, but he kept it for his own private use. 
On the 27th of July, at six in the morning we took 
leave of our host, after having paid him for our entertain 
ment. We gave him four strings of beads, with which he ap- 
peared to be satisfied. In crossing the village I perceived 
that it was as dirty as its inhabitants ; we were up to the 
ancles in mud. We directed our course to the S. S. E., and 
I saw nothing on my way but some poor fields of foigne, 
yams, and pistachios, in very bad order ; I did not perceive 
any maize, which would be very useful to the inhabitants. 
The greater part of the land is a black mould intermingled 
with gravel ; cultivation is almost entirely neglected. 
Twelve miles to the left of our road, we saw a chain of hilU 
of inconsiderable height extending towards the N. E. A 
