They, Therefore,
Assembled About Eight Hundred Effective Men In The Whole; And With These
They Entered Kaarta On The Evening Of The 18th Of June.
June 19th.
This morning the wind shifted to the south-west; and about two
o'clock in the afternoon we had a heavy tornado, or thunder squall,
accompanied with rain, which greatly revived the face of nature, and gave
a pleasant coolness to the air. This was the first rain that had fallen
for many months.
As every attempt to redeem my boy had hitherto been unsuccessful, and in
all probability would continue to prove so whilst I remained in the
country, I found that it was necessary for me to come to some
determination concerning my own safety, before the rains should be fully
set in; for my landlord, seeing no likelihood of being paid for his
trouble, began to wish me away; and Johnson, my interpreter, refusing to
proceed, my situation became very perplexing. If I continued where I was,
I foresaw that I must soon fall a victim to the barbarity of the Moors;
and yet if I went forward singly, it was evident that I must sustain
great difficulties, both from the want of means to purchase the
necessaries of life, and of an interpreter to make myself understood. On
the other hand, to return to England, without accomplishing the object of
my mission, was worse than either. I therefore determined to avail myself
of the first opportunity of escaping, and to proceed directly for
Bambarra, as soon as the rains had set in for a few days, so as to afford
me the certainty of finding water in the woods.
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