AceôUNT or NEGRO VILLAGES. 
153 
i3om, on account of its great fertility, presents striking advan- 
tages. 
Rubault, after five hours journey through a wood, arrived at 
ten at night at the first village in the kingdom of Barra or 
Manding. All the inhabitants were asleep; and the arrival of 
this little caravan amongst them threw them into such ala?m 
that they took up arms; they were, however, soon appeased by 
the people of the King of Yolof; and the master of tiie village 
conducted Rubault to a hut, served him with supper, and pre- 
sented him with a govjt. 
On the 1st of February he left this village, which was called 
Passe, at two in the afternoon. He travelled over a vast plain, 
which was well costivated, and planted with fine trees. It is in- 
habited by laborious and more civilized Negroes than the gene- 
rahty of that race. The houses were well built, and cîeanhness 
seemed as general amongst them as with the whites. These peo- 
ple are observers of the laws of Mahomet, have public schools, 
and almost all of them can read and wi ite. The children o;o to 
school m the middle of the night, or a few hours before break of 
day. The men in this part drink neither wine nor brandy; they 
all keep the rhamadan with strictness, and have a great partiality 
for agriculture. They live under a sort of republic, which is 
wisely administered by a council of elders; they are faithful, 
good-natured, and humane ; mutually assist each other, and take 
slaves from the other hordes, but never make them amongst 
themselves. When their fellow-citizens have been guilty of 
crimes, they are condemed to slavery and sold ; but it is the law 
which pronounces the punishment. 
With respect to their women, they are less rigorous than Ma- 
homet; as they think, that if the prophet could place in para- 
dise his camel, cat, and many other animals, they may also ex- 
pect their women to enter it. To give them hopes of this event, 
they cause them to undergo circumcision; and in order that their 
natural modesty may not be hurt, the operation is performed by 
women. They teach the females to expect beatitude, but only 
on condition that they are chaste, faithful, and obedient to their 
husbands. 
In this plain, which is covered with trees, Rubault observed 
several of the wild fig kind, which had grown to the vast girth 
of upwards of thirty feet. The trunk, after reaching the height 
of thirty-five or forty feet, divides itself into several large 
branches, which produce an infinity of smaller ones, that are 
loaded with fruit and ieaves : the latter resemble those of the 
walnut-tree are of a light green^ and grow so thick that they 
form an impenetrable obstacle to the sun. Tne fruit of this 
tree is of the shape and size of pigeons' eggs ; it has a faint taste^ 
PURAND.] LT • 
