Dwarf cotton. — Coloni. — The Iolas, a Foulah tribe. — Bancousso. — Carabara. — Marshes. — Ropes made of the hibiscus. — Brick-making. — Construction of houses. — Kerina. — Foudouca. — Medina. — Lotus bread. — Touma-dioman. — Manianan. — Arrival at Galia on the banks of the Dhioliba, opposite to Jenné. 423 CHAPTER XVIII. Crossing the Dhioliba. — Abode at Jenné. — Description of the town. — Manners and customs of the inhabitants. — Trade. — English and French goods. — Buildings. — Population. — Schools. — Religion. — Food and clothing. — Geographical details. — Course of the river. — The Massina. — Residence of the sherif of Jenné. — A dinner. — Use of tea, sugar and porcelain. — Preparations for the Author’s departure for Timbuctoo. 443 INTRODUCTION. * * * * * Having cherished from my earliest infancy a strong desire to become a traveller, I have always seized with avidity any occasion that could facilitate the means of acquiring knowledge; but, notwithstanding all my efforts to supply the want of a good education, I have not been able to procure more than a scanty store of information. My thorough conviction of the inadequacy of my means frequently grieved me, when thinking of all that I needed for the performance of the task which I had imposed on myself; but still, while reflecting on the dangers and difficulties of such an enterprise, I hoped that the notes and observations which I should bring back from my travels would be received with interest by the public. I did not, therefore, relinquish for a moment the hope of exploring some unknown portion of Africa; and in the sequel the city of Timbuctoo became the continual object of all my thoughts, the aim of all my efforts, and I formed a resolution to reach it or perish. Now that I have had the happiness to accomplish this design, the public will perhaps grant some indulgence to the narrative of an unpresuming traveller, who relates simply what he has seen, the events which have befallen him, and the facts which he has witnessed. I was born in 1800, at Mauzé, in the department of the Deux-Sèvres; my parents who were poor, I had the misfortune to lose in my childhood. I received no other education than what the charity-school of my village afforded; and as soon as I could read and write, I was put to learn a trade, to which I soon took a dislike, owing to the reading of voyages and travels, which occupied all my leisure moments. The History of Robinson Crusoe, in particular, inflamed my young imagination: I was impatient to encounter adventures like him; nay, I already felt an ambition to signalize myself by some important discovery springing up in my heart.