were exceedingly kind and
attentive to this Negro, and made him many presents of trinkets, and other
things of small value, with which he was much delighted. I asked him many
questions respecting the country, through our interpreter, and at length
learnt that we were in the country of Gambia, of which Forosangoli was
chief lord; and, by what we could learn from him, the residence of
Forosangoli was at the distance of nine or ten days journey, in a
direction between the south and the southwest. He said that Forosangoli
was tributary to the king of Melli, who is the great emperor of the
Negroes; that there were many inferior lords, who dwelt near the river on
both sides, and, if we pleased, he would conduct us to the residence of
one of these lords, named Battimansa, and would endeavour to negociate a
treaty of peace and friendship between him and us. Being much pleased with
this offer, we carried this Negro along with us, and treated him with much
attention; and, sailing up the river, we came to the place where
Battimansa resided, which, in my opinion, was above forty miles from the
mouth of the river. In going up the river, into which several lesser
rivers fall, we sailed to the eastwards, and at the place where we came to
anchor, we found it much narrower than at the mouth, being not above a
mile in breadth, by our estimation[5]. On coming to this place, we sent
one of our interpreters and the native Negro to Battimansa, with a present
of a handsome garment, called an _alzimba_, made of Moorish silk, in the
form of a shirt; and they were desired to inform him of the reason of our
coming into his country, signifying, "That the Christian king of Portugal
had sent us thither, to enter into a treaty of friendship and peace with
him, and that if he had any call for our commodities, our king would
supply him with them every year."

As soon as our messengers had discharged their commission, Battimansa sent
some of his Negroes to the caravel, with whom we entered into friendship,
and bartered several things for Negro slaves and some gold; but gold was
by no means to be had in any thing like the plenty we expected, from the
account given of this country by the natives of Senegal, who, being
themselves extremely poor, consider that to be a large quantity which we
think very trifling. The Negroes value their gold as a very precious thing,
even at a higher rate than the Portuguese, yet we got it in barter very
reasonably for thing