It rained a little during the evening, and some thunder was heard, but the storm did not last long. In the course of the night, I heard the joyous songs of the negroes and negresses, who were dancing to the sound of a small drum. Their dance was more decorous than that of the Wolof negroes in the neighbourhood of the Senegal: it was little more than walking in measured time accompanied by motions of the arms and head. The women all wore two pagnes, and their head-dress consisted of a piece of cloth passing over the forehead, and fastened at the back of the head. They plait their hair and grease it with butter. I had not the pleasure of seeing the bride. I was not even invited to the feast; but this I had no reason to regret, for, from what I saw of it, it was not very tempting. At six on the morning of the 4th of June, we set off and travelled four miles to the S.E. among the gorges of mountains of granite. Our caravan consisted of fourteen men and one woman carrying a burthen. We proceeded three miles over a tract of country covered with trees and fine vegetation: the cé or butter-tree was growing in profusion, and I also saw the indigo and nédé. We met a party of Foulah traders returning from Kankan. They took me at first for a christian, and exclaimed with astonishment:—“A white going to the east! Surely, the great men of the Fouta do not know this, or they would not suffer it.” They even wished to prevent me from going further; but Lamfia, my guide, who had lingered a little behind, came up and put a stop to the discussion, which might have become serious, for I could not explain myself very well in the Mandingo language. My guide related the manner in which I had been taken by Europeans, and assured them that I was a real Arab, a sherif of Mecca; for these people had never heard of Alexandria, my pretended country. Lamfia informed them that I had crossed the Fouta in safety, that all the inhabitants had received me well, and even made me presents; that I read the Koran, a thing which a christian would never do. “Besides,” added he, “the christians never travel alone and on foot. They only go by rivers in vessels.” The prevailing idea of the people in the interior of the Soudan is, that we inhabit little islands in the middle of the ocean, and that the Europeans wish to get possession of their country, which is the most beautiful in the world. One of these Foulahs addressed to me a few words in Arabic, to which I replied. This quite ingratiated me with him; as it afforded him an opportunity of proving to his companions that he spoke that language, which flattered his vanity; for the negroes are, in general, fond of shewing their superiority over their fellows. The Foulah then assured his companions that I was a real Arab, and they allowed me to continue my journey.