378 
REVENUE OFFICER. 
At three o'clock in the afternoon we left the village of 
Borandou. We proceeded northward, to the distance of 
six miles, over a beautiful open country. In a plain at some 
distance from the village I saw many large ronniers, or 
rondiers. The ce was also very abundant. About sun-set 
we arrived at Syenso a large village, surrounded by walls, 
and containing a population of about six or seven hundred. 
On entering it I saw under a large baobab a man singularly 
dressed. The whole of his body was covered except his 
hands and feet. His dress was entirely black, and his 
trowsers, his waistcoat, and the cap, which covered his face as 
well as his head, appeared to be all in one piece. Tlie cap, 
which was of a square shape, was adorned with beautiful 
white ostrich-feathers and on the part which came over 
his face, like a mask, the eyes, nose and mouth were marked 
with scarlet. I was informed that this man was a sort of 
revenue officer and magistrate, and that he was the 
collector of the passage duties. He was armed with a whip 
and the inhabitants give him the name of Naferi, All the 
strangers of the neighbourhood, as well as the caravans 
which come to the village, pay the passage duties in cowries. 
The men and women stopped as they passed him, and if any 
refused to pay the required contribution he had recourse to 
his whip. Under a tree at a little distance from him I ob- 
served a great heap of cowries, which were guarded by a 
man not masked ; they were, I suppose, the day's receipts. 
The tax is levied according to the quantity of merchandise, 
and varies from five to a hundred or two hundred cowries. 
As the market of Syenso is always well supplied, the duties 
paid by the traders render the chief of the village very rich. 
These custom-house officers are also entrusted with the 
police of the village. They run, cracking their whips, after 
the children who make a noise in the streets but they do 
not exercise their authority unless when they wear their 
uniforms. Our caravan was not stopped at the place where 
