TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
57 
wood and stunted trees. The soil, for the most 
part, is an ocre-coloured clay intermixed here 
and there with small fragments of ferruginous 
stone, which, in several places, makes its appear- 
ance above the surface in the form of large rocks. 
Some small eminences are entirely composed of 
this rock, which the natives say contains a large 
proportion of iron, but, from the facility the river 
affords them of procuring an abundant supply 
of that metal fi'om the English merchants, they 
do not now think it worth the trouble of extract- 
ing. The blacksmiths of the country say, that 
it is more malleable than English iron, and better 
suited to all their wants, were the process of ob- 
taining it not so difficult. 
The king received us hospitably, and, on being 
made acquainted with the purport of our visit, 
promised every protection and assistance he 
could afford us, adding that whenever we wished 
to proceed on our journey, he would furnish 
us with a guide to WooUi. 
On our way to this town, which is a walled 
one, of no very great extent or respectable ap- 
pearance, we passed only two small villages, one 
of which is about a mile from Kayaye, and is 
solely inhabited by Mahomedan priests (bush- 
reens J. 
From the very great want we were in of a 
sufficient number of animals, to transport our 
