In A Few Hours, However, They All Because
Reconciled To Me.
With these worthy people I spent the remainder of that and the whole
of the ensuing day, in feasting
And merriment; and the blacksmith
declared he would not quit me during my stay at Kooniakary - for
which place we set out early on the morning of the 14th of January,
and arrived about the middle of the day at Soolo, a small village
three miles to the south of it.
As this place was somewhat out of the direct road, it is necessary
to observe that I went thither to visit a slatee or Gambia trader,
of great note and reputation, named Salim Daucari. He was well
known to Dr. Laidley, who had trusted him with effects to the value
of five slaves, and had given me an order for the whole of the debt.
We luckily found him at home, and he received me with great kindness
and attention.
It is remarkable, however, that the king of Kasson was by some means
immediately apprised of my motions; for I had been at Soolo but a
few hours before Sambo Sego, his second son, came thither with a
party of horse, to inquire what had prevented me from proceeding to
Kooniakary, and waiting immediately upon the king, who, he said, was
impatient to see me. Salim Daucari made my apology, and promised to
accompany me to Kooniakary the same evening. We accordingly
departed from Soolo at sunset, and in about an hour entered
Kooniakary. But as the king had gone to sleep we deferred the
interview till next morning, and slept at the hut of Sambo Sego.
CHAPTER VII - INTERVIEW WITH KING DEMBA SEGO JALLA
About eight o'clock in the morning of January 15th, 1796, we went to
an audience of the king (Demba Sego Jalla), but the crowd of people
to see me was so great that I could scarcely get admittance. A
passage being at length obtained, I made my bow to the monarch, whom
we found sitting upon a mat, in a large hut. He appeared to be a
man of about sixty years of age. His success in war, and the
mildness of his behaviour in time of peace, had much endeared him to
all his subjects. He surveyed me with great attention; and when
Salim Daucari explained to him the object of my journey, and my
reasons for passing through his country, the good old king appeared
not only perfectly satisfied, but promised me every assistance in
his power. He informed me that he had seen Major Houghton, and
presented him with a white horse; but that, after crossing the
kingdom of Kaarta, he had lost his life among the Moors, in what
manner he could not inform me. When this audience was ended we
returned to our lodging, and I made up a small present for the king
out of the few effects that were left me; for I had not yet received
anything from Salim Daucari. This present, though inconsiderable in
itself, was well received by the king, who sent me in return a large
white bullock. The sight of this animal quite delighted my
attendants; not so much on account of its bulk, as from its being of
a white colour, which is considered as a particular mark of favour.
But although the king himself was well disposed towards me, and
readily granted me permission to pass through his territories, I
soon discovered that very great and unexpected obstacles were likely
to impede my progress. Besides the war which was on the point of
breaking out between Kasson and Kajaaga, I was told that the next
kingdom of Kaarta, through which my route lay, was involved in the
issue, and was furthermore threatened with hostilities on the part
of Bambarra. The king himself informed me of these circumstances,
and advised me to stay in the neighbourhood of Kooniakary till such
time as he could procure proper information respecting Bambarra,
which he expected to do in the course of four or five days, as he
had already, he said, sent four messengers into Kaarta for that
purpose. I readily submitted to this proposal, and went to Soolo,
to stay there till the return of one of those messengers. This
afforded me a favourable opportunity of receiving what money Salim
Daucari could spare me on Dr. Laidley's account. I succeeded in
receiving the value of there slaves, chiefly in gold dust; and being
anxious to proceed as quickly as possible, I begged Daucari to use
his interest with the king to allow me a guide by the way of
Fooladoo, as I was informed that the war had already commenced
between the kings of Bambarra and Kaarta. Daucari accordingly set
out for Kooniakary on the morning of the 20th, and the same evening
returned with the king's answer, which was to this purpose - that the
king had, many years ago, made an agreement with Daisy, king of
Kaarta, to send all merchants and travellers through his dominions;
but that if I wished to take the route through Fooladoo I had his
permission so to do; though he could not, consistently with his
agreement, lend me a guide. Having felt the want of regal
protection in a former part of my journey, I was unwilling to hazard
a repetition of the hardships I had then experienced, especially as
the money I had received was probably the last supply that I should
obtain. I therefore determined to wait for the return of the
messengers from Kaarta.
In the interim it began to be whispered abroad that I had received
plenty of gold from Salim Daucari, and, on the morning of the 23rd,
Sambo Sego paid me a visit, with a party of horsemen. He insisted
upon knowing the exact amount of the money I had obtained, declaring
that whatever the sum was, one-half of it must go to the king;
besides which he intimated that he expected a handsome present for
himself, as being the king's son, and for his attendants, as being
the king's relations.
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