After eating some of our dried venison with some roasted plantains, we resumed our journey; and at twenty-five miles, arrived at the river Ofo, but unfortunately we found no canoe, or anything to convert into a raft, to cross it. We were consequently obliged to make preparations for swimming across. One of my people carried a change of linen, and two pair of light trowsers, and some other articles of hardware, as presents, in a small carpet-bag. This we tied with the saddle to the horse’s back. My little horse was an excellent companion in the water, for, by holding the fastening rope of his headstall, he pulled me across with a rapidity scarcely credible. I had an American life-preserver, but that had already nearly drowned me by bursting. I never, therefore, trusted to its buoyancy again. We crossed the river in safety, but of course all our clothes were wet. My bag on the horse’s back was quite wet upon the horse’s first plunge into the water. The two soldiers also got their muskets wet, but saved their powder, by placing it on their havresacks, and tying them on their head. My ammunition was also preserved dry in consequence of keeping it in a water-tight case. Immediately after we had crossed the river, two men from Kosow made their appearance. The caboceer had made no mention of this river, and he undoubtedly expected, by sending men after us, to ferry us across at an enormous charge. It appeared that the caboceer of Kosow keeps a canoe for the purpose of ferrying people across the river, but it is placed at a small kroom, about half a mile higher up the river. Travellers with heavy loads cannot cross this river without employing the canoe. The men seemed much disappointed when they found that we had already crossed. The river Ofo is here thirty-five yards wide, and twenty feet deep, with a sandy bottom. The current is three miles and a half per hour, and runs in a south-east direction. To ascertain the depth of rivers, I had prepared a lead with a bullet, boring a hole through it; through this I passed a small line of twine, leaving the lower side of the bullet countersunk; into this a piece of goat’s tallow is pressed. The twine is then passed through a very thin piece of wood about five inches square. If the river is very wide, and the crossing made by canoe, the line of course may be dropped over board as on board ship, but if you are obliged to swim, the ball and wood may be dropped on the water. The bullet of course sinks to the bottom, and draws the twine through the hole in the wood at the same time, till it reaches the bottom; the line being marked into feet, the depth is accurately ascertained. If a river is not more than forty yards wide, it may also be measured in the same way, by throwing the wood and ball into the middle of the river; taking care to coil the line carefully up previously to throwing it.