This Proclamation Was Very Generally Applauded; But Many Of The Kaartans,
And, Amongst Others, The Powerful Tribes Of Jower And Kakaroo, Availing
Themselves Of The Indulgent Clause, Retired From Daisy's Dominions, And
Took Refuge In Ludamar And Kesson.
By means of these desertions, Daisy's
army was not so numerous as might have been expected; and when I was at
Kemmoo, the whole number of effective men according to report, did not
exceed four thousand; but they were men of spirit and enterprise, and
could be depended on.
On the 22d of February, (four days after my arrival at Jarra) Mansong,
with his army, advanced towards Kemmoo; and Daisy, without hazarding a
battle, retired to Joko, a town to the north-west of Kemmoo, where he
remained three days, and then took refuge in a strong town called
Gedingooma, situated in the hilly country, and surrounded with high walls
of stone. When Daisy departed from Joko, his sons refused to follow him,
alleging that "the singing men would publish their disgrace, as soon as
it should be known that Daisy and his family had fled from Joko without
firing a gun." They were therefore left behind with a number of horsemen
to defend Joko; but, after many skirmishes, they were totally defeated,
and one of Daisy's sons taken prisoner; the remainder fled to Gedingooma,
which Daisy had stored with provisions, and where he determined to
make his final stand.
Mansong, finding that Daisy was determined to avoid a pitched battle,
placed a strong force at Joko to watch his motions, and separating the
remainder of his army into small detachments, ordered them to overrun the
country, and seize upon the inhabitants, before they had time to escape.
These orders were executed with such promptitude, that in a few days the
whole kingdom of Kaarta became a scene of desolation. Most of the poor
inhabitants of the different towns and villages, being surprised in the
night, fell an easy prey; and their corn, and every thing that could be
useful to Daisy, was burnt and destroyed. During these transactions,
Daisy was employed in fortifying Gedingooma: this town is built in a
narrow pass between two high hills, having only two gates, one towards
Kaarta and the other towards Jaffnoo: the gate towards Kaarta was
defended by Daisy in person; and that towards Jaffnoo was committed to
the charge of his sons. When the army of Bambarra approached the town,
they made some attempts to storm it, but were always driven back with
great loss; and Mansong, finding Daisy more formidable than he expected,
resolved to cut off his supplies, and starve him into submission. He
accordingly sent all the prisoners he had taken into Bambarra, and having
collected a considerable quantity of provisions, remained with his army
two whole months in the vicinity of Gedingooma, without doing any thing
decisive. During this time, he was much harassed by sallies from the
besieged; and his stock of provisions being nearly exhausted, he sent to
Ali, the Moorish King of Ludamar, for two hundred horsemen, to enable him
to make an attack upon the north gate of the town, and give the
Bambarrans an opportunity of storming the place. Ali, though he had made
an agreement with Mansong at the commencement of the war, to afford him
assistance, now refused to fulfil his engagement; which so enraged
Mansong, that he marched part of his army to Funingkedy, with a view to
surprise the camp of Benowm; but the Moors having received intelligence
of his design, fled to the northward; and Mansong, without attempting any
thing farther, returned to Sego. This happened while I was myself in
captivity in Ali's camp, as will hereafter be seen.
As the King of Kaarta had now got quit of his most formidable antagonist,
it might have been hoped that peace would have been restored to his
dominions; but an extraordinary incident involved him, immediately
afterwards, in hostilities with Kasson; the king of which country dying
about that time, the succession was disputed by his two sons. The younger
(Sambo Sego, my old acquaintance) prevailed, and drove his brother from
the country. He fled to Gedingooma; and, being pursued thither, Daisy,
who had lived in constant friendship with both the brothers, refused to
deliver him up; at the same time declaring that he would not support his
claim, nor any way interfere in the quarrel. Sambo Sego, elated with
success, and proud of the homage that was paid him as sovereign of
Kasson, was much displeased with Daisy's conduct, and joined with some
disaffected fugitive Kaartans in a plundering expedition against him.
Daisy, who little expected such a visit, had sent a number of people to
Joko, to plant corn, and collect together such cattle as they might find
straying in the woods, in order to supply his army. All these people fell
into the hands of Sambo Sego, who carried them to Kooniakary, and
afterwards sent them in caravans, to be sold to the French at Fort-Louis,
on the river Senegal.
This attack was soon retaliated; for Daisy, who was now in distress for
want of provisions, thought he was justified in supplying himself from
the plunder of Kasson. He accordingly took with him eight hundred of his
best men; and, marching secretly through the woods, surprised in the
night three large villages near Kooniakary, in which many of his
traitorous subjects, who were in Sambo's expedition, had taken up their
residence; all these, and indeed all the able men that fell into Daisy's
hands, were immediately put to death.
After this expedition, Daisy began to indulge the hopes of peace; many of
his discontented subjects had returned to their allegiance, and were
repairing the towns which had been desolated by the war; the rainy season
was approaching; and every thing wore a favourable appearance, when he
was suddenly attacked from a different quarter.
The Jowers, Kakaroos, and some other Kaartans, who had deserted from him
at the commencement of the war, and had shown a decided preference to
Mansong and his army during the whole campaign, were now afraid or
ashamed to ask forgiveness of Daisy, and being very powerful in
themselves, joined together to make war upon him.
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