Korro.  He employs a great many slaves in conveying people over the river, and the money they receive (though the fare is only ten kowrie shells for each individual) furnishes a considerable revenue to the king in the course of a year.  The canoes are of a singular construction, each of them being formed of the trunks of two large trees rendered concave, and joined together, not side by side, but endways—­the junction being exactly across the middle of the canoe:  they are therefore very long, and disproportionably narrow, and have neither decks nor masts:  they are, however, very roomy, for I observed in one of them four horses and several people crossing over the river.  When we arrived at this ferry, with a view to pass over to that part of the town in which the king resides, we found a great number waiting for a passage:  they looked at me with silent wonder, and I distinguished with concern many Moors among them.  There were three different places of embarkation, and the ferrymen were very diligent and expeditious; but from the crowd of people I could not immediately obtain a passage, and sat down upon the bank of the river to wait for a more favourable opportunity.  The view of this extensive city—­the numerous canoes upon the river—­the crowded population, and the cultivated state of the surrounding country—­formed altogether a prospect of civilisation and magnificence which I little expected to find in the bosom of Africa.

I waited more than two hours without having an opportunity of crossing the river, during which time the people who had crossed carried information to Mansong, the king, that a white man was waiting for a passage, and was coming to see him.  He immediately sent over one of his chief men, who informed me that the king could not possibly see me until he knew what had brought me into his country; and that I must not presume to cross the river without the king’s permission.  He therefore advised me to lodge at a distant village, to which he pointed, for the night, and said that in the morning he would give me further instructions how to conduct myself.  This was very discouraging.  However, as there was no remedy, I set off for the village, where I found, to my great mortification, that no person would admit me into his house.  I was regarded with astonishment and fear, and was obliged to sit all day without victuals in the shade of a tree; and the night threatened to be very uncomfortable—­for the wind rose, and there was great appearance of a heavy rain—­and the wild beasts are so very numerous in the neighbourhood that I should have been under the necessity of climbing up a tree and resting amongst the branches.  About sunset, however, as I was preparing to pass the night in this manner, and had turned my horse loose that he might graze at liberty, a woman, returning from the labours of the field, stopped to observe me, and perceiving that I was weary and dejected, inquired into my situation, which I briefly explained to her; whereupon, with looks