At daylight we departed from Karankalla, and as it was but a
short day's journey to Kemmoo, we travelled
Slower than usual, and amused
ourselves by collecting such eatable fruits as grew near the road-side.
In this pursuit I had wandered a little from my people, and being
uncertain whether they were before or behind me, I hastened to a rising
ground to look about me. As I was proceeding towards this eminence, two
Negro horsemen, armed with muskets, came galloping from among the bushes:
on seeing them I made a full stop; the horsemen did the same; and all
three of us seemed equally surprised and confounded at this interview. As
I approached them, their fears increased, and one of them, after casting
upon me a look of horror, rode off at full speed; the other, in a panic
of fear, put his hands over his eyes, and continued muttering prayers
until his horse, seemingly without the rider's knowledge, conveyed him
slowly after his companion. About a mile to the westward, they fell in
with my attendants, to whom they related a frightful story: it seems
their fears had dressed me in the flowing robes of a tremendous spirit;
and one of them affirmed, that when I made my appearance, a cold blast of
wind came pouring down upon him from the sky, like so much cold water.
About noon we saw at a distance the capital of Kaarta, situated in the
middle of an open plain, the country for two miles round being cleared of
wood, by the great consumption of that article for building and fuel, and
we entered the town about two o'clock in the afternoon.
We proceeded without stopping to the court before the king's residence
but I was so completely surrounded by the gazing multitude, that I did
not attempt to dismount, but sent in the landlord and Madi Konko's son,
to acquaint the king of my arrival. In a little time they returned
accompanied by a messenger from the king, signifying that he would see me
in the evening; and, in the meantime, the messenger had orders to procure
me a lodging, and see that the crowd did not molest me. He conducted me
into a court, at the door of which he stationed a man, with a stick in
his hand, to keep off the mob, and then showed me a large hut, in which I
was to lodge. I had scarcely seated myself in this spacious apartment,
when the mob entered; it was found impossible to keep them out, and I was
surrounded by as many as the hut could contain. When the first party,
however, had seen me; and asked a few questions, they retired to make
room for another company; and in this manner the hut was filled and
emptied thirteen different times.
A little before sunset, the king sent to inform me that he was at
leisure, and wished to see me. I followed the messenger through a number
of courts surrounded with high walls, where I observed plenty of dry
grass bundled up like hay, to fodder the horses in case the town should
be invested.
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