INTERVIEW WITH A SOVEltElGN. 
than its courage, it springs upon the victim, forces in its sharp 
and long claws, and in the end always overcomes it. 
The Negroes continually hunt this animal, though with great 
precaution, for they have a singular dread of its bite ; and to se- 
cure themselves against it, they catch the weazle by snares, and 
kill it before they take it from the trap ; they then eat the fleshy 
and sell the skin to the French at the factory of Galam, or to 
the English, by the means of caravans which convey the slaves. 
The pigeons of this country are large, and in shape like our 
own ; but they have this peculiarity, that their plumage is quite 
green, there not being a feather of any other colour. At a dis- 
tance they look like parroquets. They breed fast, and are very 
good to eat. 
The kingdom of Mérine is not very large : Rubault passed 
through its narrowest part. The people are Mandingos, and 
possess an active and mercantile spirit. They consist of Maho- 
metans and idolaters, but the latter are most numerous; they^ 
however, live in harmonv together, and never suffer religious 
differences to disturb their peace. 
On the 10th of February, Rubault set oflP early in the morn- 
ing, and arrived at noon at the. village of Talliko, a frontier of 
the kingdom of Bondou: this is probably the same village which 
Mungo Park calls Tallika, and by which he also entered the 
kingdom. The major part of the inhabitants of this village are 
Foulahs, who profess the Mahometan religion : they are mer- 
chants, who enrich themselves either by supplying the caravans 
which pass through their country with provisions, or by th^ sale 
of ivory, which they procure by hunting elephaats, to which they 
are accustomed from their infancy. 
By the 1 4th Rubault had reached the village of Coursan, tlie 
ordinary residence of the king of the country, whose name is AU 
mami. It is worthy of remark, that Mr. Park no longer fol- 
lowed the track of my traveller : for he indicates the residence of 
the king of Bondou to be at the village of Fatteconda, on the 
right bank of the river Félemé, and at a great distance from 
Coursan. Both gentlemen saw the king, and have given a de- 
scription of the palace which he inhabited, which exactly cor- 
respond ; hence we can only reconcile the difference in the places 
to arise from the kirig having palaces at each of them. 
His majesty being at a country seat, the stranger was received 
by his prime minister, who supplied him with provisions, and 
told him that the king would arrive the next day. On the 14th 
the queen saw him, and intreated him to stop a little longer, asj 
she had sent an express to her husband, who shortly returned 
with intelligence that he was coming. An ox was therefore 
killed; and the king, on arriving, sent f jr our traveller* 
PiTKA>jD.] " X After 
r 
