At First The Good Husband Was Unwilling To Suspect The
Honour Of His Sanctified Friend, And One Whole Month Elapsed Before
Any Jealousy Rose In His Mind, But Hearing The Charge Repeated, He
At Last Interrogated His Wife On The Subject, Who Frankly Confessed
That The Bushreen Had Seduced Her.
Hereupon the kafir put her into
confinement, and called a palaver upon the bushreen's conduct.
The
fact was clearly proved against him; and he was sentenced to be sold
into slavery, or to find two slaves for his redemption, according to
the pleasure of the complainant. The injured husband, however, was
unwilling to proceed against his friend to such extremity, and
desired rather to have him publicly flogged before Tiggity Sego's
gate. This was agreed to, and the sentence was immediately
executed. The culprit was tied by the hands to a strong stake; and
a long black rod being brought forth, the executioner, after
flourishing it round his head for some time, applied it with such
force and dexterity to the bushreen's back as to make him roar until
the woods resounded with his screams. The surrounding multitude, by
their hooting and laughing, manifested how much they enjoyed the
punishment of this old gallant; and it is worthy of remark that the
number of stripes was precisely the same as are enjoined by the
Mosaic law, FORTY, SAVE ONE.
As there appeared great probability that Teesee, from its being a
frontier town, would be much exposed during the war to the predatory
incursions of the Moors of Gedumah, Tiggity Sego had, before my
arrival, sent round to the neighbouring villages to beg or to
purchase as much provisions as would afford subsistence to the
inhabitants for one whole year, independently of the crop on the
ground, which the Moors might destroy. This project was well
received by the country people, and they fixed a day on which to
bring all the provisions they could spare to Teesee; and as my horse
was not yet returned, I went, in the afternoon of January 4th, 1796,
to meet the escort with the provisions.
It was composed of about 400 men, marching in good order, with corn
and ground nuts in large calabashes upon their heads. They were
preceded by a strong guard of bowmen, and followed by eight
musicians or singing men. As soon as they approached the town the
latter began a song, every verse of which was answered by the
company, and succeeded by a few strokes on the large drums. In this
manner they proceeded, amidst the acclamations of the populace, till
they reached the house of Tiggity Sego, where the loads were
deposited; and in the evening they all assembled under the bentang
tree, and spent the night in dancing and merriment.
On the 5th of January an embassy of ten people belonging to Almami
Abdulkader, king of Foota-Torra, a country to the west of Bondou,
arrived at Teesee; and desiring Tiggity to call an assembly of the
inhabitants, announced publicly their king's determination to this
effect:- 'That unless all the people of Kasson would embrace the
Mohammedan religion, and evince their conversion by saying eleven
public prayers, he, the king of Foota-Torra, could not possibly
stand neuter in the present contest, but would certainly join his
arms to those of Kajaaga.' A message of this nature from so
powerful a prince could not fail to create great alarm; and the
inhabitants of Teesee, after a long consultation, agreed to conform
to his good pleasure, humiliating as it was to them.
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