During The Night Some Thieves
Broke Into The Hut Where I Had Deposited My Baggage, And Having Cut Open
One Of My Bundles, Stole A Quantity Of Beads, Part Of My Clothes, And
Some Amber And Gold; Which Happened To Be In One Of The Pockets.
I
complained to my protectors, but without effect.
The next day (Feb. 14th)
was far advanced before we departed from Marina, and we travelled slowly,
on account of the excessive heat, until four o'clock in the afternoon,
when two Negroes were observed sitting among some thorny bushes at a
little distance from the road. The king's people, taking it for granted
that they were runaway slaves, cocked their muskets, and rode at full
speed in different directions through the bushes, in order to surround
them, and prevent their escaping. The Negroes, however, waited with great
composure until we came within bowshot of them, when each of them took
from his quiver a handful of arrows, and putting two between his teeth,
and one in his bow, waved to us with his hand to keep at a distance upon
which one of the king's people called out to the strangers to give some
account of themselves. They said that "they were natives of Toorda, a
neighbouring village, and had come to that place to gather _tomberongs_."
These are small farinaceous berries, of a yellow colour and delicious
taste, which I knew to be the fruit of the _rhamnus lotus_ of Linnaeus.
The Negroes showed us two large baskets full, which they had collected in
the course of the day.
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