The chief has a very large number of wives, but the principal portion of them are merely employed as his domestic slaves, as indeed are all the wives of the uncivilized Africans. The civilized portion is very limited, even on the coast. The gadadoo made me a very liberal offer for my carbine, but I told him that it would not be of so much service to him as his bow or sabre, unless he had a supply of ammunition; that as I had visited his country partly with a view to ascertain what articles would be most likely to suit their markets, I should, as soon as possible, return with a large stock of suitable merchandise. A story like this was much more likely to be believed amongst savages than any other excuse I could make for visiting their country. If told that my object was merely for scientific purposes, they would not have understood me, and would have been more likely to look upon me with suspicion, as they cannot believe any body can take interest about any thing not of a pecuniary nature. This town contains about nine thousand inhabitants; it is clean and open, but I was informed that after the conclusion of the rainy season fever and small-pox are very prevalent. Small-pox is much dreaded by the natives, and seems to be the principal disease here. I have not observed one case of elephantiasis since leaving Accra, although at Whydah a disease of a similar nature is prevalent, affecting the head, and not unfrequently enlarging the forehead and eyebrows so much as totally to obscure vision. This distortion of nature, as may be supposed, has an extremely repulsive appearance. After remaining about an hour and a half, I gave the gadadoo some small presents, which he received with apparent satisfaction. He and his head men, as well as his two hundred mounted soldiers, then conveyed me some distance from the town, going through their manœuvres of attack at the same time. This was merely a wild rush without any order or discipline, and so far from their being (as has been represented) a formidable force, ten well-mounted and well-disciplined horsemen would easily annihilate the whole party. Here we parted from the most generous and affable chief we had met with since leaving the Mountains of Kong. During this day’s journey, our bearing changed from N. 45° W. to 12° 10°, 35°, 43°, and due West (true). The country now became very pleasant, and the path not so rough under foot. Around us in different directions were numerous hills, giving a relief to the dull sameness of a flat, dreary plain. We crossed several small clear streams, some of which had worn their channels nine or ten feet deep.