e
countenances of both buyers and sellers betrayed a very anxious and
business-like expression. As soon as the curiosity of the Landers was
fully satisfied, they crossed over to the Boossa side of the river,
and landed at a small walled town called Garnicassa, which was
inhabited by the Cumbrie people, and situated about five miles north
of Boossa. At no great distance from this place, and within sight of
it, all the branches of the Niger meet, and form a beautiful and
magnificent sheet of water, at least seven or eight miles in breadth,
and it excited the surprise of the Landers, to know what became of so
extraordinary a body of water, for at Boossa, the river is no more
than a stone's throw across, and its depth is in proportion to its
narrowness, but about an hour's walk from thence, it again becomes a
noble river, and maintains its width, it was reported, even to Funda.
This singular fact favours the opinion, that a large portion of the
waters of the Niger is conveyed by subterraneous passages from the
town of Garnicassa to a few miles below Boossa.

The travellers pursued their journey along the banks of the Niger,
although the path was filled with water, and broken up by the force
of the rains. After an hour's ride they drew near to the walls of
Boossa, and soon arrived at the drummer's house, which had been their
former residence. Here they found the midiki on her knees to receive
and welcome them back again to Boossa in the name of the king, but
they were not permitted to enter and take possession of their old
apartments, for the queen conducted them to other huts, which formed
part of the cluster inhabited by the Fellatas. In the evening they
were visited by the king, who said, he had been apprehensive that
they required a little repose and quietness after their journey, and
therefore he did not like to intrude on them before. They were not
long domiciliated in their new dwelling, before they were informed
that the drummer's wife had excited the envy of the queen, by wearing
round her neck a smart gilt button, which had been given to her, and
that was the only reason why they were not allowed to occupy their
former lodgings in her house. Yet to be even with her _fair_ rival,
the queen had extracted from her little sheep-skin box, wherein they
had been confined for a quarter of a century, a small number of round
and flat golden ornaments, with which she adorned her sable bosom,
and thereby totally eclipsed the