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:
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