In This,
However, I Was Luckily Disappointed; And My Narrative Now Hastens To Its
Conclusion; For On The 15th, The Ship Charlestown, An American Vessel,
Commanded By Mr. Charles Harris, Entered The River.
She came for slaves,
intending to touch at Goree to fill up; and to proceed from thence to
South Carolina.
As the European merchants on the Gambia had at this time
a great many slaves on hand, they agreed with the captain to purchase the
whole of his cargo, consisting chiefly of rum and tobacco, and deliver
him slaves to the amount, in the course of two days. This afforded me
such an opportunity of returning (though by a circuitous route) to my
native country, as I thought was not to be neglected. I therefore
immediately engaged my passage in this vessel for America; and having
taken leave of Dr. Laidley, to whose kindness I was so largely indebted,
and my other friends on the river, I embarked at Kaye on the 17th day of
June.
Our passage down the river was tedious and fatiguing; and the weather was
so hot, moist, and unhealthy, that before our arrival at Goree, four of
the seamen, the surgeon, and three of the slaves, had died of fevers. At
Goree we were detained for want of provisions, until the beginning of
October.
The number of slaves received on board this vessel, both on the Gambia
and at Goree, was one hundred and thirty; of whom about twenty-five had
been, I suppose, of free condition in Africa, as most of them, being
Bushreens, could write a little Arabic.
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