5% 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
protection which the followers of Mahomet in- 
variably meet with, wherever they go in their 
trading excursions. Caravans from the interior 
frequently stop there, on their way to the settle- 
ments on the coast, and dispose of their goods 
to the masters of some of the small trading ves- 
sels from St. Mary's, or to the native merchants, 
who carry on at that place, and the towns lower 
down the river, a very considerable trade in 
gold, ivory, and bees' wax ; in exchange for 
which they receive fire-arms, powder, India- 
goods, coral, amber, glass beads, iron, tobacco, 
rum, and cutlery. 
The dress of these people is far from being in- 
elegant or inconvenient : the men wear on the 
head a white cotton cap, very neatly worked 
with different coloured silks or worsteds ; a close 
shirt of white cotton, with short sleeves, next 
the skin, covers the body from the neck to the 
hips, and is surmounted by a very large one of 
the same materials, with long loose sleeves, not 
unlike a surplice ; this descends below the knees, 
and is embroidered, in the same way as the cap, 
about the shoulders and breast. The small- 
clothes, which are very roomy above, descend 
about two inches below the knee, where it is 
only sufficiently large not to be tight. This part 
of their dress is generally blue. They wear their 
hair cut close, and make use of none of the 
