I Will Not, Therefore, Kill You In Cold Blood, But I Will
Retain You As My Slave, Until I Perceive
That your presence in your
own kingdom will be no longer dangerous to your neighbours, and then
I will consider
Of the proper way of disposing of you." Abdulkader
was accordingly retained, and worked as a slave for three months; at
the end of which period Damel listened to the solicitations of the
inhabitants of Foota-Torra, and restored to them their king.
Strange as this story may appear, I have no doubt of the truth of
it. It was told me at Malacotta by the negroes; it was afterwards
related to me by the Europeans on the Gambia, by some of the French
at Goree, and confirmed by nine slaves who were taken prisoners
along with Abdulkader by the watering-place in the woods and carried
in the same ship with me to the West Indies.
CHAPTER XXVI - MEETING WITH DR. LAIDLEY - RETURN TO THE COAST - VOYAGE
TO ENGLAND
On the 7th of May we departed from Malacotta, and having crossed the
Ba Lee (Honey River), a branch of the Senegal, we arrived in the
evening at a walled town called Bintingala, where we rested two
days. From thence, in one day more, we proceeded to Dindikoo, a
small town situated at the bottom of a high ridge of hills, from
which this district is named Konkodoo (the country of mountains).
These hills are very productive of gold. I was shown a small
quantity of this metal which had been lately collected: the grains
were about the usual size, but much flatter than those of Manding,
and were found in white quartz, which had been broken to pieces by
hammers. At this town I met with a negro whose hair and skin were
of a dull white colour. He was of that sort which are called in the
Spanish West Indies albinos, or white negroes. The skin is
cadaverous and unsightly, and the natives considered this complexion
(I believe truly) as the effect of disease.
May 11. - At daybreak we departed from Dindikoo, and, after a
toilsome day's travel, arrived in the evening at Satadoo, the
capital of a district of the same name. This town was formerly of
considerable extent, but many families had left it in consequence of
the predatory incursions of the Foulahs of Foota-Jalla, who made it
a practice to come secretly through the woods and carry off people
from the cornfields and even from the wells near the town. In the
afternoon of the 12th we crossed the Faleme River, the same which I
had formerly crossed at Bondou in my journey eastward. This river,
at this season of the year, is easily forded at this place, the
stream being only about two feet deep. The water is very pure, and
flows rapidly over a bed of sand and gravel. We lodged for the
night at a small village called Medina, the sole property of a
Mandingo merchant who, by a long intercourse with Europeans, has
been induced to adopt some of their customs. His victuals were
served up in pewter dishes, and even his houses were built after the
fashion of the English houses on the Gambia.
May 13. - In the morning, as we were preparing to depart, a coffle of
slaves belonging to some Serawoolli traders crossed the river, and
agreed to proceed with us to Baniserile, the capital of Dentila - a
very long day's journey from this place. We accordingly set out
together, and travelled with great expedition through the woods
until noon, when one of the Serawoolli slaves dropped the load from
his head, for which he was smartly whipped. The load was replaced,
but he had not proceeded above a mile before he let it fall a second
time, for which he received the same punishment. After this he
travelled in great pain until about two o'clock, when we stopped to
breathe a little by a pool of water, the day being remarkably hot.
The poor slave was now so completely exhausted that his master was
obliged to release him from the rope, for he lay motionless on the
ground. A Serawoolli, therefore, undertook to remain with him and
endeavour to bring him to the town during the cool of the night; in
the meanwhile we continued our route, and after a very hard day's
travel, arrived at Baniserile late in the evening.
One of our slatees was a native of this place, from which he had
been absent three years. This man invited me to go with him to his
house, at the gate of which his friends met him with many
expressions of joy, shaking hands with him, embracing him, and
singing and dancing before him. As soon as he had seated himself
upon a mat by the threshold of his door, a young woman (his intended
bride) brought a little water in a calabash, and, kneeling down
before him, desired him to wash his hands; when he had done this the
girl, with a tear of joy sparkling in her eyes, drank the water -
this being considered as the greatest proof she could possibly give
him of her fidelity and attachment. About eight o'clock the same
evening the Serawoolli who had been left in the woods to take care
of the fatigued slave returned and told us that he was dead; the
general opinion, however, was that he himself had killed him or left
him to perish on the road, for the Serawoollies are said to be
infinitely more cruel in their treatment of slaves than the
Mandingoes. We remained at Baniserile two days, in order to
purchase native iron, shea-butter, and some other articles for sale
on the Gambia; and here the slatee who had invited me to his house,
and who possessed three slaves, part of the coffle, having obtained
information that the price on the coast was very low, determined to
separate from us and remain with his slaves where he was until an
opportunity should offer of disposing of them to advantage - giving
us to understand that he should complete his nuptials with the young
woman before mentioned in the meantime.
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