They
Came, They Said, By Ali's Orders, To Convey Me To His Camp At
Benowm.
If I went peaceably, they told me, I had nothing to fear;
but if I refused they had orders to bring me by force.
I was struck
dumb by surprise and terror, which the Moors observing endeavoured
to calm my apprehensions by repeating the assurance that I had
nothing to fear. Their visit, they added, was occasioned by the
curiosity of Ali's wife Fatima, who had heard so much about
Christians that she was very anxious to see one: as soon as her
curiosity should be satisfied, they had no doubt, they said, that
Ali would give me a handsome present, and send a person to conduct
me to Bambarra. Finding entreaty and resistance equally fruitless,
I prepared to follow the messengers, and took leave of my landlord
and his company with great reluctance. Accompanied by my faithful
boy (for Daman's slave made his escape on seeing the Moors), we
reached Dalli in the evening, where we were strictly watched by the
Moors during the night.
March 8. - We were conducted by a circuitous path through the woods
to Dangali, where we slept.
March 9. - We continued our journey, and in the afternoon arrived at
Sampaka.
Next morning (March 10th) we set out for Samaming-koos. On the road
we overtook a woman and two boys with an ass; she informed us that
she was going for Bambarra, but had been stopped on the road by a
party of Moors, who had taken most of her clothes and some gold from
her; and that she would be under the necessity of returning to Deena
till the fast moon was over.
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