^10 DISCOVERIES OF THE ENGLISH. 
Our author now proceeds to Nackway, whicli 
seems to be near the present situation of Pisania, 
and where he was appointed to inspect the beha- 
viour of a Portuguese servant employed by the 
Company. Here he remarks, that the behaviour 
of the natives by no means corresponded to the 
unfavourable reports spread of those who inhabit- 
ed the upper parts of the Gambia. As he passed 
through their towns, most of the inhabitants came 
and shook hands with him, and only the women 
who had never before seen a white man, ran away 
and hid themselves. He mentions, however, 
some singular customs that prevailed. It seems, 
that whatever a man buys may be reclaimed in 
the course of the day, on the price being returned. 
This custom sometimes affords a handle for ex- 
tortion against those Europeans who are not aware 
of its existence. A gentleman having bought a 
cow, happened soon after to cut off the tail. 
This coming to the ears of the person who had 
sold it, he immediately came, and, on some plau- 
sible pretext, requested its restoration. The ani- 
mal being produced, he immediately exclaimed 
against the mutilation it had sufiered, and de- 
manded, as a compensation, three hundred times 
the price originally paid.. The gentleman remon- 
strated against a claim so manifestly unjust ; but, 
finding his opponent seconded by the whole popu- 
lation, he yielded to the law of the strongest, and 
