I Could Now Easily Perceive, By The Countenance Of My Interpreter,
Johnson, That Something Very Unpleasant Was In Agitation.
I was likewise
surprised to see Madiboo and the blacksmith so soon returned.
On
inquiring the reason, Madiboo informed me that as they were dancing at
Dramanet, ten horsemen, belonging to Batcheri, king of the country, with
his second son at their head, had arrived there, inquiring if the white
man had passed: and on being told that I was at Joag, they rode off
without stopping. Madiboo added, that on hearing this, he and the
blacksmith hastened back to give me notice of their coming. Whilst I was
listening to this narrative, the ten horsemen mentioned by Madiboo
arrived; and coming to the Bentang, dismounted and seated themselves with
those who had come before, the whole being about twenty in number,
forming a circle round me, and each man holding his musket in his hand. I
took this opportunity to observe to my landlord, that as I did not
understand the Serawoolli tongue, I hoped, whatever the men had to say
they would speak in Mandingo. To this they agreed; and a short man,
loaded with a remarkable number of saphies, opened the business in a very
long harangue, informing me that I had entered the king's town without
having first paid the duties, or giving any present to the king, and
that, according to the laws of the country, my people, cattle, and
baggage, were forfeited. He added, that they had received orders from
the king to conduct me to Maana,[8] the place of his residence; and if I
refused to come with them, their orders were to bring me by force; upon
his saying which, all of them rose up and asked me if I was ready. It
would have been equally vain and imprudent in me to have resisted or
irritated such a body of men; I therefore affected to comply with their
commands, and begged them only to stop a little until I had given my
horse a feed of corn, and settled matters with my landlord. The poor
blacksmith, who was a native of Kasson, mistook this feigned compliance
for a real intention, and taking me away from the company, told me that
he had always behaved towards me as if I had been his father and master;
and he hoped I would not entirely ruin him, by going to Maana; adding,
that as there was every reason to believe a war would soon take place
between Kasson and Kajaaga, he should not only lose his little property,
the savings of four years industry, but should certainly be detained and
sold as a slave, unless his friends had an opportunity of paying two
slaves for his redemption. I saw this reasoning in its full force, and
determined to do my utmost to preserve the blacksmith from so dreadful a
fate. I therefore told the king's son that I was ready to go with him,
upon condition that the blacksmith, who was an inhabitant of a distant
kingdom, and entirely unconnected with me, should be allowed to stay at
Joag till my return: to this they all objected; and insisted, that as we
had all acted contrary to the laws, we were all equally answerable for
our conduct.
[8] Maana is within a short distance of the ruins of Fort St. Joseph,
on the Senegal river, formerly a French factory.
I now took my landlord aside, and giving him a small present of
gunpowder, asked his advice in so critical a situation. He was decidedly
of opinion that I ought not to go to the king: he was fully convinced, he
said, that if the king should discover anything valuable in my
possession, he would not be over scrupulous about the means of obtaining
it. This made me the more solicitous to conciliate matters with the
king's people; and I began by observing, that what I had done did not
proceed from any want of respect towards the king, nor from any wish to
violate his laws, but wholly from my own inexperience and ignorance,
being a stranger, totally unacquainted with the laws and customs of their
country. I had indeed entered the king's frontier, without knowing that I
was to pay the duties beforehand, but I was ready to pay them now; which
I thought was all that they could reasonably demand. I then tendered
them, as a present to the king, the five drachms of gold which the King
of Bondou had given me: this they accepted, but insisted on examining my
baggage, which I opposed in vain. The bundles were opened; but the men
were much disappointed in not finding in them so much gold and amber as
they expected; they made up the deficiency, however, by taking whatever
things they fancied; and after wrangling and debating with me till
sunset, they departed, having first robbed me of half my goods. These
proceedings dispirited my people, and our fortitude was not strengthened
by a very indifferent supper, after a long fast. Madiboo begged me to
turn back; Johnson laughed at the thoughts of proceeding without money,
and the blacksmith was afraid to be seen, or even to speak, lest any one
should discover him to be a native of Kasson. In this disposition we
passed the night by the side of a dim fire, and our situation the next
day was very perplexing: it was impossible to procure provisions without
money, and I knew that if I produced any beads or amber, the king would
immediately hear of it, and I should probably lose the few effects I had
concealed. We therefore resolved to combat hunger for the day, and wait
some favourable opportunity of purchasing or begging provisions.
Towards evening, as I was sitting upon the Bentang, chewing straws, an
old female slave, passing by with a basket upon her head, asked me _if I
had got my dinner_. As I thought she only laughed at me, I gave her no
answer; but my boy, who was sitting close by, answered for me, and told
her that the king's people had robbed me of all my money.
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