Ali Was,
However, Disappointed By Not Finding Among My Effects The Quantity
Of Gold And Amber That He Expected; But To Make Sure Of Everything
He Sent The Same People, On The Morning Following, To Examine
Whether I Had Anything Concealed About My Person.
They, with their
usual rudeness, searched every part of my apparel, and stripped me
of all my gold, amber,
My watch, and one of my pocket-compasses; I
had, fortunately, in the night, buried the other compass in the
sand - and this, with the clothes I had on, was all that the tyranny
of Ali had now left me.
The gold and amber were highly gratifying to Moorish avarice, but
the pocket-compass soon became an object of superstitious curiosity.
Ali was very desirous to be informed why that small piece of iron,
the needle, always pointed to the Great Desert; and I found myself
somewhat puzzled to answer the question. To have pleaded my
ignorance would have created a suspicion that I wished to conceal
the real truth from him; I therefore told him that my mother resided
far beyond the sands of Sahara, and that whilst she was alive the
piece of iron would always point that way, and serve as a guide to
conduct me to her, and that if she was dead it would point to her
grave. Ali now looked at the compass with redoubled amazement;
turned it round and round repeatedly; but observing that it always
pointed the same way, he took it up with great caution and returned
it to me, manifesting that he thought there was something of magic
in it, and that he was afraid of keeping so dangerous an instrument
in his possession.
March 20. - This morning a council of chief men was held in Ali's
tent respecting me. Their decisions, though they were all
unfavourable to me, were differently related by different persons.
Some said that they intended to put me to death; others that I was
only to lose my right hand; but the most probable account was that
which I received from Ali's own son, a boy about nine years of age,
who came to me in the evening, and, with much concern, informed me
that his uncle had persuaded his father to put out my eyes, which
they said resembled those of a cat, and that all the bushreens had
approved of this measure. His father, however, he said, would not
put the sentence into execution until Fatima, the queen, who was at
present in the north, had seen me.
March 21. - Anxious to know my destiny, I went to the king early in
the morning; and as a number of bushreens were assembled, I thought
this a favourable opportunity of discovering their intentions. I
therefore began by begging his permission to return to Jarra, which
was flatly refused. His wife, he said, had not yet seen me, and I
must stay until she came to Benowm, after which I should be at
liberty to depart; and that my horse, which had been taken away from
me the day after I arrived, should be again restored to me.
Unsatisfactory as this answer was, I was forced to appear pleased;
and as there was little hope of making my escape at this season of
the year, on account of the excessive heat, and the total want of
water in the woods, I resolved to wait patiently until the rains had
set in, or until some more favourable opportunity should present
itself. But "hope deferred maketh the heart sick." This tedious
procrastination from day to day, and the thoughts of travelling
through the negro kingdoms in the rainy season, which was now fast
approaching, made me very melancholy; and having passed a restless
night, I found myself attacked in the morning by a smart fever. I
had wrapped myself close up in my cloak with a view to induce
perspiration, and was asleep, when a party of Moors entered the hut,
and with their usual rudeness pulled the cloak from me. I made
signs to them that I was sick, and wished much to sleep, but I
solicited in vain; my distress was matter of sport to them, and they
endeavoured to heighten it by every means in their power. In this
perplexity I left my hut, and walked to some shady trees at a little
distance from the camp, where I lay down. But even here persecution
followed me, and solitude was thought too great an indulgence for a
distressed Christian. Ali's son, with a number of horsemen, came
galloping to the place, and ordered me to rise and follow them. I
begged they would allow me to remain where I was, if it was only for
a few hours; but they paid little attention to what I said, and,
after a few threatening words, one of them pulled out a pistol from
a leather bag that was fastened to the pommel of his saddle, and
presenting it towards me, snapped it twice. He did this with so
much indifference, that I really doubted whether the pistol was
loaded. He cocked it a third time, and was striking the flint with
a piece of steel, when I begged them to desist, and returned with
them to the camp. When we entered Ali's tent we found him much out
of humour. He called for the Moor's pistol, and amused himself for
some time with opening and shutting the pan; at length taking up his
powder-horn, he fresh primed it, and, turning round to me with a
menacing look, said something in Arabic which I did not understand.
I desired my boy, who was sitting before the tent, to inquire what
offence I had committed; when I was informed, that having gone out
of the camp without Ali's permission, they suspected that I had some
design of making my escape; and that, in future, if I was seen
without the skirts of the camp, orders had been given that I should
be shot by the first person that observed me.
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