If I
Wished To Follow This Route, He Would Appoint People To Conduct Me To
Jarra, The Frontier Town Of Ludamar.
He then enquired very particularly
how I had been treated since I had left the Gambia, and asked in a
jocular way how many slaves I expected to carry home with me on my
return.
He was about to proceed, when a man mounted on a fine Moorish
horse, which was covered with sweat and foam, entered the court, and
signifying that he had something of importance to communicate, the king
immediately took up his sandals, which is the signal to strangers to
retire. I accordingly took leave, but desired my boy to stay about the
place, in order to learn something of the intelligence that this
messenger had brought. In about an hour the boy returned, and informed me
that the Bambarra army had left Fooladoo, and was on its march towards
Kaarta; that the man I had seen, who had brought this intelligence, was
one of the scouts or watchmen employed by the king, each of whom has his
particular station, (commonly on some rising ground,) from whence he has
the best view of the country, and watches the motions of the enemy.
In the evening the king sent me a fine sheep; which was very acceptable,
as none of us had tasted victuals during the day. Whilst we were employed
in dressing supper, evening prayers were announced; not by the call of
the priest, as usual, but by beating on drums, and blowing through large
elephants' teeth, hollowed out in such a manner as to resemble
bugle-horns; the sound is melodious, and, in my opinion, comes nearer to
the human voice than any other artificial sound.
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