My Landlord Observing This, Kindly Invited Me To
Stop With Him A Few Days; And I Accordingly Remained At His House Until
The 14th; By Which Time I Felt Much Relieved, And, Could Walk With The
Help Of A Staff.
I now set out, thanking my landlord for his great care
and attention; and being accompanied by a young man, who was travelling
the same way, I proceeded for Jerijang, a beautiful and well cultivated
district, the Mansa of which is reckoned the most powerful chief of any
in Manding.
On the 15th, I reached Dosita, a large town, where I staid one day on
account of the rain; but continued very sickly, and was slightly
delirious in the night. On the 17th, I set out for Mansia, a considerable
town, where small quantities of gold are collected. The road led over a
high rocky hill, and my strength and spirits were so much exhausted, that
before I could reach the top of the hill, I was forced to lie down three
times, being very faint and sickly. I reached Mansia in the afternoon.
The Mansa of this town had the character of being very inhospitable. He
however sent me a little corn for supper, but demanded something in
return; and when I assured him that I had nothing of value in my
possession, he told me (as if in jest) that my white skin should not
defend me if I told him lies. He then showed me the hut wherein I was to
sleep; but took away my spear, saying that it should be returned to me in
the morning. This trifling circumstance, when joined to the character I
had heard of the man, made me rather suspicious of him; and I privately
desired one of the inhabitants of the place, who had a bow and quiver, to
sleep in the same hut with me. About midnight, I heard somebody approach
the door, and observing the moonlight strike suddenly into the hut, I
started up, and saw a man stepping cautiously over the threshold. I
immediately snatched up the Negro's bow and quiver, the rattling of which
made the man withdraw; and my companion looking out, assured me that it
was the Mansa himself, and advised me to keep awake until the morning. I
closed the door, and placed a large piece of wood behind it; and was
wondering at this unexpected visit, when somebody pressed so hard against
the door, that the Negro could scarcely keep it shut. But when I called
to him to open the door, the intruder ran off, as before.
Sept. 16th. As soon as it was light, the Negro, at my request, went to
the Mansa's house, and brought away my spear. He told me that the Mansa
was asleep, and lest this inhospitable chief should devise means to
detain me, he advised me to set out before he was awake; which I
immediately did; and about two o'clock reached Kamalia, a small town
situated at the bottom of some rocky hills, where the inhabitants collect
gold in considerable quantities.
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