THE RIVER BAGOE. 399 
veins of grey argillaceous earth, about eighteen inches or 
two feet thick. The Bagoe swells in the rainy season, 
and inundates the neighbouring country, rendering it very 
marshy. Indeed, to some distance over land, the flood is so 
great that canoes pass through it. The river is nearly as 
wide as the Milo at Kankan. li is deep, and navigable for 
large canoes. It has many windings, and after flowing for 
the space of five or six miles W. S. W. it turns northward 
and falls into the Dhioliba. According to the information 
I collected from the natives and Mandingo travellers, the 
Bagoe comes from the south, passes Teute (whither they go 
to buy colat-nuts), and then falls into the Dhioliba a little 
below Sego. We were a long time crossing it, great delay 
being occasioned by the quantity of our baggage, as well as 
by the discussion about the fare, which we had to pay in 
cowries. The negroes, who are naturally chilly, kindled a 
fire, and seated themselves round it, to settle the price to be 
paid for the passage. The Bambara who owned the canoe 
gave to each individual a piece of wood, which was returned 
to him as they stepped ashore ; thus he secured himself 
against any mistake which might have arisen from the con- 
fusion and the number of persons. The canoe in which we 
crossed was tolerably large. It was near noon when we 
reached the right bank. The current was slow, flowing, 
perhaps, at the rate of a knot and a half an hour. 
We continued our course to the N. E., and, about 
two o'clock, arrived at a neat village, called Courounina, 
where we halted to dine. After eating a little boiled rice, 
with some bad herb sauce, and paying the chief the passage- 
duty, we again started, taking a N. E. direction. After 
crossing a little stream, we arrived, shortly before night-fall, 
at Missabougou. The country through which I passed 
during the day resembled all that I had seen for several days 
preceding, and was well cropped with millet, pistachios, 
&c. The inhabitants thronged to see me ; they looked at 
