Page:Journal of the Royal Geographical Society of London, Volume 1 (2nd edition).djvu/216

188 powder, muskets, soap, Manchester cottons, and other articles of European manufacture, and great quantities of rum, or rather rum and water; for not more than one-third of it is genuine spirit, and even that is of the worst quality. These are exchanged for ivory and slaves, which are again sold to the European traders.'

Near Kirree a disaster befell the travellers on the morning of the 5th November, at a place about forty miles farther down the river, the details of which do not come within the purpose of the present memoir. It will be sufficient to observe that they were attacked by large parties in war canoes, some of which had forty paddles, containing fifty or sixty men. Their canoe was run down, and many of their effects lost.

Kirree is a large town and slave mart, frequented by people from the Eboe country for slaves and palm oil. Eboe is said to be three days' journey down the river. A small stream runs into the Quorra from the eastward, opposite to Kirree; but it is not improbable that it may be merely the re-union of a branch which runs off at Damuggoo. At Kirree, also, a considerable branch of the Quorra turns off to the westward, which is said to run to Benin. Being now on the great delta of the river, a change in the climate had been experienced at a short distance above Kirree. The nights were very cold, with heavy dews, and a considerable quantity of dense vapour covered the face of the country in the morning. The banks of the river were cultivated in some places where they were high, but in most places they were low, and the few villages that were seen were nearly concealed by thick jungle. Below Kirree the river is not so serpentine as above it; the banks are so low and regular that not even a simple rising can anywhere be distinguished: they are assuming a degree of sameness little different from that which prevails on many parts of the sea-coast, in the bight of Benin; and here, for the first time, the fibrous mangrove was seen, interspersed amongst the other trees of the forest. Both banks, however, are pretty thickly inhabited, and there are many scattered villages, which, though encompassed with trees, and invisible from the river, could easily be distinguished by the number of their inhabitants appearing on the beach to trade with the canoe-men.

Nov. 8.—Having embarked long before sunrise, a fog prevented our progress; and from fear of mistaking our way, it was agreed we should return to the land. In pursuance of this plan, we hung on by the shore till the gloom had dispersed, when we found ourselves on an immense body of water like a lake, having gone a little out of the bed of the main stream; and we were at the mouth of a very considerable river flowing out of the lake to the westward, being evidently an important branch of the Quorra. Another branch also ran hence to the S.E. whilst