few days at this place, and the negro merchants here, who are well
acquainted with the value of salt in different kingdoms, frequently
purchase by wholesale, and retail it to great advantage. Here I
lodged at the house of a Serawoolli negro, and was visited by a
number of Moors. They spoke very good Mandingo, and were more civil
to me than their countrymen had been. One of them had travelled to
Rio Grande, and spoke very highly of the Christians. He sent me in
the evening some boiled rice and milk. I now endeavoured to procure
information concerning my route to the westward from a slave
merchant who had resided some years on the Gambia. He gave me some
imperfect account of the distance, and enumerated the names of a
great many places that lay in the way, but withal told me that the
road was impassable at this season of the year: he was even afraid,
he said, that I should find great difficulty in proceeding any
farther; as the road crossed the Joliba at a town about half a day's
journey to the westward of Bammakoo, and there being no canoes at
that place large enough to receive my horse, I could not possibly
get him over for some months to come. This was an obstruction of a
very serious nature; but as I had no money to maintain myself even
for a few days, I resolved to push on, and if I could not convey my
horse across the river, to abandon him, and swim over myself. In
thoughts of this nature I passed the night, and in the morning
consulted with my landlord how I should surmount the present
difficulty. He informed me that one road still remained, which was
indeed very rocky, and scarcely passable for horses, but that if I
had a proper guide over the hills to a town called Sibidooloo, he
had no doubt but with patience and caution I might travel forwards
through Manding. I immediately applied to the dooty, and was
informed that a jilli kea (singing man) was about to depart for
Sibidooloo, and would show me the road over the hills. With this