JOURNEY FROM KATUNGA TO BOUSSA. 
95 
they have perhaps the greatest right to blame us. The slaves sold 
to the sea coast are generally those taken in war, or refractory and 
intractable domestic slaves. Nyffe at present is the place that 
produces the most slaves, owing to the civil war raging in that 
country. 
The people of Wawa would take beads in exchange for any 
articles their country might produce; also brass bracelets for the 
arms and legs ; brass, copper, pewter, and earthenware dishes ; Man- 
chester cottons of gaudy colours, and calicoes. Their arms are 
bows and poisoned arrows, and light spears. They say they do not 
like war, but appear to be very tenacious in not permitting inter- 
ference with their country ; and they like the F ellatas better than 
their neighbours of Kiama, of whom they are very jealous. They 
have a good character for honesty ; are cheerful, good-natured, and 
hospitable ; and no people in Africa that I have met with are so 
ready to give information about the country as they are; and, what 
is very extraordinary, I have not seen a common beggar amongst 
them. They deny their Borgoo origin, and say they are descended 
from the people of Nyffe and Houssa. Their language is a dialect 
of the Yourriba : but the Wawa women are very good-looking, and 
the Youriba women are not: the men are strong and well made, 
but have a debauched look. Their religion is partly a loose Ma- 
hometanism, and partly pagan. The most pious of the former can 
only say a few prayers, or go through the necessary forms, and are 
called Malem, or learned : the latter are called Kaffirs ; and what 
they worship it is hard to tell ; every man choosing his own god, 
which they pray to that he may intercede with the Supreme Being 
for them ; and they offer sheep, dogs, and sometimes a bullock, ac- 
cording to the benefit they expect. A woman is sent to the market 
and sold, if, when she has a child at the breast, she is known to go 
with a man, and, in addition, loses her child, and is flogged. 
In this country, as well as in all others I have passed between 
