ACCOUNTS OF BAMBOUK. 
^63 
mism. The next era was formed by the arrival 
of the Portuguese, and is placed at the com- 
mencement of the ninth century of the Hegira. 
That nation, it is asserted, entirely overran and 
conquered Bambouk ; but giving themselves up 
to indolence and luxury, were soon so much re- 
duced, that the natives rose, and in a single day 
cut them entirely off. The third grand revolu- 
tion consisted in the expulsion of all the Marbuts 
or Mahometan priests. Since that time the Mus- 
ulman religion has continued indeed to be pro- 
fessed in Bambouk, but its practice is confined to 
the repeating every day a few sentences from the 
Koran, and to the ablutions required by that code. 
In other respects the people have relapsed nearly 
into their original state of paganism. 
The grand object of interest in Bambouk is its 
gold mines. The principal one is that of Nata- 
kon, situated among the mountains of Tabaoura, 
in the south-eastern part of the kingdom. It is 
contained in a hill, about 3000 paces in circum- 
ference, and not more than 300 feet high. The 
whole of this eminence is conceived by Golberry 
to be composed of gold, which occurs in the form 
of small lumps, grains, and spangles, mechanically 
united with earth, emery, and grains of iron ore. 
At the first four feet from the surface there oc- 
curs a fat argillaceous earth, mixed with small 
particles of iron ore and emery, and from which 
