When The Fast Month Was Almost At An End, The Bushreens Assembled At
The Missura To Watch For The Appearance
Of the new moon, but, the
evening being rather cloudy, they were for some time disappointed,
and a number of
Them had gone home with a resolution to fast another
day, when on a sudden this delightful object showed her sharp horns
from behind a cloud, and was welcomed with the clapping of hands,
beating of drums, firing of muskets, and other marks of rejoicing.
As this moon is reckoned extremely lucky, Karfa gave orders that all
the people belonging to the coffle should immediately pack up their
dry provisions and hold themselves in readiness; and on the 16th of
April the slatees held a consultation and fixed on the 19th of the
same month as the day on which the coffle should depart from
Kamalia. This resolution freed me from much uneasiness, for our
departure had already been so long deferred that I was apprehensive
it might still be put off until the commencement of the rainy
season; and although Karfa behaved towards me with the greatest
kindness, I found my situation very unpleasant. The slatees were
unfriendly to me, and the trading Moors who were at this time at
Kamalia continued to plot mischief against me from the first day of
their arrival. Under these circumstances I reflected that my life
in a great measure depended on the good opinion of an individual who
was daily hearing malicious stories concerning the Europeans, and I
could hardly expect that he would always judge with impartiality
between me and his countrymen.
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