The
Slave Now Saw His Danger, And, Perceiving The Gate To Be Shut Upon
Him, Threw Down The Nuts And Jumped Over The Fence.
He was
immediately pursued and overtaken by the slatees, who brought him
back and secured him in irons, after which one of Karfa's slaves was
released and delivered in exchange.
The unfortunate captive was at
first very much dejected, but in the course of a few days his
melancholy gradually subsided, and he became at length as cheerful
as any of his companions.
Departing from Kirwani on the morning of the 20th we entered the
Tenda Wilderness, of two days' journey. The woods were very thick,
and the country shelved towards the south-west. About ten o'clock
we met a coffle of twenty-six people and seven loaded asses
returning from the Gambia. Most of the men were armed with muskets,
and had broad belts of scarlet cloth over their shoulders and
European hats upon their heads. They informed us that there was
very little demand for slaves on the coast, as no vessel had arrived
for some months past. On hearing this the Serawoollies, who had
travelled with us from the Faleme River, separated themselves and
their slaves from the coffle. They had not, they said, the means of
maintaining their slaves in Gambia until a vessel should arrive, and
were unwilling to sell them to disadvantage; they therefore departed
to the northward for Kajaaga. We continued our route through the
wilderness, and travelled all day through a rugged country covered
with extensive thickets of bamboo.
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