Page:A pilgrimage to my motherland.djvu/19

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10
A PILGRIMAGE

on the West Coast. The largest houses are built along the river-side, and present a handsome appearance, heightened by some fine large trees growing before them, and a fine avenue is left between the trees and houses. The streets are wide and regularly intersect at right angles, with sewers for draining; the town, which from being low would otherwise be swampy, is thus kept dry. The white inhabitants, including the officers of the garrison and the missionaries, comprise about thirty persons. There is another small town about one hundred and fifty miles up the Gambia, called Macarthy's Island. The settlements on this river are British, and are garrisoned by African soldiers from the W I. Regiment. The natives are chiefly Jolofs and Mandingas. Many of the latter, who are Mohammedans, read and write Arabic; both comprise some very active and successful traders.

On the 12th we were at anchor in the harbor of Freetown, Sierra Leone, lat. 8° 29' N., long. 13° 14' W., said to be the best harbor on the West Coast of Africa. Affairs were in a bad condition, the yellow fever, or as some say, a malignant form of bilious fever had appeared there, and swept off more than a third of the white inhabitants, while the small pox was busy among the natives. During the two days that the ship continued in the port I bad frequent opportunities of