62 TRAVELS IN AFRICA.

protection which the followers of Mahomet invariably meet with, wherever they go in their trading excursions. Caravans from the interior frequently stop there, on their way to the settlements on the coast, and dispose of their goods to the masters of some of the small trading vessels from St. Mary's, or to the native merchants, who carry on at tliat place, and the towns lower down the river, a very considerable trade in gold, ivory, and bees' wax ; in exchange for which they receive fire-arms, powder, Indiagoods, coral, amber, glass beads, iron, tobacco, rum, and cutlery.

The dress of these people is far from being inelegant or inconvenient : the men wear on the head a white cotton cap, very neatly worked with different coloured silks or worsteds ; a close shirt of white cotton, with short sleeves, next the skin, covers the body from the neck to the hips, and is surmounted by a very large one of the same materials, with long loose sleeves, not unlike a surplice ; this descends below the knees, and is embroidered, in the same way as the cap, about the shoulders and breast. The smallclothes, which are very roomy above, descend about two inches below the knee, where it is only sufficiently large not to be tight. This part of their dress is generally blue. They wear their hair cut close, and make use of none of the