A Messenger Was
Despatched To Ali, Who At This Time Was Encamped Near Benowm; And As
A Present Was Necessary In Order To Insure Success, I Sent Him Five
Garments Of Cotton Cloth, Which I Purchased Of Daman For One Of My
Fowling-Pieces.
Fourteen days elapsed in settling this affair; but
on the evening of the 26th of February, one of Ali's
Slaves arrived
with directions, as he pretended, to conduct me in safety as far as
Goomba, and told me I was to pay him one garment of blue cotton
cloth for his attendance. My faithful boy, observing that I was
about to proceed without him, resolved to accompany me; and told me,
that though he wished me to turn back, he never entertained any
serious thoughts of deserting me, but had been advised to it by
Johnson, with a view to induce me to turn immediately for Gambia.
February 27. - I delivered most of my papers to Johnson, to convey
them to Gambia as soon as possible, reserving a duplicate for myself
in case of accidents. I likewise left in Daman's possession a
bundle of clothes, and other things that were not absolutely
necessary, for I wished to diminish my baggage as much as possible,
that the Moors might have fewer inducements to plunder us.
Things being thus adjusted, we departed from Jarra in the forenoon,
and slept at Troomgoomba, a small walled village, inhabited by a
mixture of negroes and Moors. On the day following (February 28th)
we reached Quira; and on the 29th, after a toilsome journey over a
sandy country, we came to Compe, a watering-place belonging to the
Moors; from whence, on the morning following, we proceeded to Deena,
a large town, and, like Jarra, built of stone and clay. The Moors
are here in greater proportion to the negroes than at Jarra. They
assembled round the hut of the negro where I lodged, and treated me
with the greatest insolence; they hissed, shouted, and abused me;
they even spat in my face, with a view to irritate me, and afford
them a pretext for seizing my baggage. But finding such insults had
not the desired effect, they had recourse to the final and decisive
argument, that I was a Christian, and of course that my property was
lawful plunder to the followers of Mohammed. They accordingly
opened my bundles, and robbed me of everything they fancied. My
attendants, finding that everybody could rob me with impunity,
insisted on returning to Jarra.
The day following (March 2nd), I endeavoured, by all the means in my
power, to prevail upon my people to go on, but they still continued
obstinate; and having reason to fear some further insult from the
fanatic Moors, I resolved to proceed alone. Accordingly, the next
morning, about two o'clock, I departed from Deena. It was
moonlight, but the roaring of the wild beasts made it necessary to
proceed with caution.
When I had reached a piece of rising ground about half a mile from
the town, I heard somebody halloo, and, looking back, saw my
faithful boy running after me.
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