In the course of my travels I have often had intercourse with the Mandingoes, and, with the single exception of those of Cambaya, in the Fouta, I have always found them arrogant when possessed of any little authority, while they are fawning, mean, and servile, to their superiors. I have seen them, in the passage from Tinné to Jenné, insult the poor Bambaras while selling their merchandise, speaking harshly to them, and even abusing them in their own language; but whenever the Bambaras showed a disposition to resent this treatment, the Mandingoes became all at once silent and humble. The women have the same faults, in addition to which they have insufferably harsh voices. On the 1st of April, the wind continued blowing till four in the evening, when it fell a little. We rowed in a northern direction. Near half past six in the evening we halted at Toï. The river still continued the same; the banks being low and bare, and in many places not a single shrub can be seen. At nine o’clock, we started, and all night advanced towards the north. The river makes a few small windings to the east. On the 2nd of April the weather continued calm. Towards eight o’clock in the morning we passed some large islands, situated not far from the mouth of the lake Débo. The river is here divided by several islands, which separate it into different narrow branches of great depth. Two of these islands are larger than the rest, and might be habitable, for, when the river overflows, they are only partially inundated. On one of these islands, there are the huts of fishermen, and of shepherds, whose numerous flocks find rich pasture on the marshes. These marshes are covered by aquatic birds of every kind. There is an infinite number of other small islands covered with rank grass, and inundated at all seasons. When this immense river overflows all the herbage is under water, and then the lake appears much more extensive; its banks are no longer perceptible, and it might be mistaken for an inland Sea.