^SS DISCOVERIES OF THE FRENCH. 
for two hours, in the course of which the boats 
were entirely covered with their excrements^ 
Fortunately for the country, a south-west wind 
blew them towards the desert, where they proba- 
bly perished for want of food. 
The next place which our party reached was 
Bit el, which they found to abound with poultry be- 
yond any other district in Africa. The chickens 
here were equal to the best European capons. 
A fat pullet was readily sold for a sheet of paper. 
They arrived next at Tuabo, situated on the im- 
mediate frontier of Gallam. Its vicinity was dis- 
tinguished by the abundance of a species of red 
monkeys, not before observed. They came in 
crowds, from the top of the trees to the extremity 
of the branches, in order to take a view of the boats 
as they passed. They appeared to come in suc- 
cessive parties, and to converse with each other 
on what they saw ; and some even became so fa*^ 
miliar, as to throw down dry branches into the 
vessels. These advances were very ill received by 
the French, who answered them with discharges 
of musquetry, by which several were killed and 
wounded. This caused an extraordinary tumult ; 
some raised frightful cries, while others collected 
stones and other instruments of offence, and threw 
them at these unknown invaders of their haunts. 
The combat had not lasted long, however, till 
they found that it was an unequal one for them, 
