About Ten O'clock We
Came To The River Wonda, Which Is Somewhat Larger Than The River
Kokoro; But The Stream Was At This The Rather Muddy, Which Karfa
Assured Me Was Occasioned By Amazing Shoals Of Fish.
They were
indeed seen in all directions, and in such abundance that I fancied
the water itself tasted and smelt fishy.
As soon as we had crossed
the river, Karfa gave orders that all the people of the coffle
should in future keep close together, and travel in their proper
station. The guides and young men were accordingly placed in the
van, the women and slaves in the centre, and the freemen in the
rear. In this order we travelled with uncommon expedition through a
woody but beautiful country, interspersed with a pleasing variety of
hill and dale, and abounding with partridges, guinea-fowl, and deer,
until sunset, when we arrived at a most romantic stream, called Co-
meissang. My arms and neck having been exposed to the sun during
the whole day, and irritated by the rubbing of my dress in walking,
were now very much inflamed and covered with blisters, and I was
happy to embrace the opportunity, while the coffle rested on the
bank of the river, to bathe myself in the stream. This practice,
together with the cool of the evening, much diminished the
inflammation. About three miles to the westward of the Co-meissang
we halted in a thick wood and kindled our fires for the night. We
were all by this time very much fatigued, having, as I judged,
travelled this day thirty miles, but no person was heard to
complain. Whilst supper was preparing, Karfa made one of the slaves
break some branches from the trees for my bed. When we had finished
our supper of kouskous, moistened with some boiling water, and put
the slaves in irons, we all lay down to sleep; but we were
frequently disturbed in the night by the howling of wild beasts, and
we found the small brown ants very troublesome.
April 24. - Before daybreak the bushreens said their morning prayers,
and most of the free people drank a little moening (a sort of
gruel), part of which was likewise given to such of the slaves as
appeared least able to sustain the fatigues of the day. One of
Karfa's female slaves was very sulky, and when some gruel was
offered to her she refused to drink it. As soon as day dawned we
set out, and travelled the whole morning over a wild and rocky
country, by which my feet were much bruised, and I was sadly
apprehensive that I should not he able to keep up with the coffle
during the day; but I was in a great measure relieved from this
anxiety when I observed that others were more exhausted than myself.
In particular, the woman slave who had refused victuals in the
morning began now to lag behind, and complain dreadfully of pains in
her legs. Her load was taken from her and given to another slave,
and she was ordered to keep in the front of the coffle. About
eleven o'clock, as we were resting by a small rivulet, some of the
people discovered a hive of bees in a hollow tree, and they were
proceeding to obtain the honey when the largest swarm I ever beheld
flew out, and, attacking the people of the coffle, made us fly in
all directions. I took the alarm first, and, I believe, was the
only person who escaped with impunity. When our enemies thought fit
to desist from pursuing us, and every person was employed in picking
out the stings he had received, it was discovered that the poor
woman above mentioned, whose name was Nealee, was not come up; and
as many of the slaves in their retreat had left their brindles
behind them, it became necessary for some persons to return and
bring them. In order to do this with safety, fire was set to the
grass a considerable way to the eastward of the hive, and, the wind
driving the fire furiously along, the party pushed through the smoke
and recovered the bundles. They likewise brought with them poor
Nealee, whom they found lying by the rivulet. She was very much
exhausted, and had crept to the stream in hopes to defend herself
from the bees by throwing water over her body; but this proved
ineffectual, for she was stung in the most dreadful manner.
When the slatees had picked out the stings as far as they could, she
was washed with water and then rubbed with bruised leaves; but the
wretched woman obstinately refused to proceed any farther, declaring
that she would rather die than walk another step. As entreaties and
threats were used in vain, the whip was at length applied; and after
bearing patiently a few strokes she started up and walked with
tolerable expedition for four or five hours longer, when she made an
attempt to run away from the coffle, but was so very weak that she
fell down in the grass. Though she was unable to rise, the whip was
a second time applied, but without effect; upon which Karfa desired
two of the slatees to place her upon the ass which carried our dry
provisions; but she could not sit erect, and the ass being very
refractory it was found impossible to carry her forward in that
manner. The slatees, however, were unwilling to abandon her, the
day's journey being nearly ended; they therefore made a sort of
litter of bamboo-canes, upon which she was placed, and tied on it
with slips of bark. This litter was carried upon the heads of two
slaves, one walking before the other, and they were followed by two
others, who relieved them occasionally. In this manner the woman
was carried forward until it was dark, when we reached a stream of
water at the foot of a high hill called Gankaran-Kooro, and here we
stopped for the night, and set about preparing our supper.
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