Indeed, The Danger They Incurred Of Being Seized
By The Moors, And Sold Into Slavery, Became Every Day More Apparent; And
I Could Not Condemn Their Apprehensions.
In this situation, deserted by
my attendants, and reflecting that my retreat was cut off by the war
behind
Me, and that a Moorish country of ten days' journey lay before me,
I applied to Daman to obtain permission from Ali, the chief or sovereign
of Ludamar, that I might pass through his country unmolested into
Bambarra; and I hired one of Daman's slaves to accompany me thither, as
soon as such permission should be obtained. A messenger was dispatched to
Ali, who at this time was encamped near Benowm; and as a present was
necessary in order to insure success, I sent him five garments of cotton
cloth, which I purchased of Daman for one of my fowling-pieces. Fourteen
days elapsed in settling this affair; but, on the evening of the 26th of
February, one of Ali's slaves arrived with directions, as he pretended,
to conduct me in safety as far as Goomba; and told me I was to pay him
one garment of blue cotton cloth for his attendance. My faithful boy
observing that I was about to proceed without him, resolved to accompany
me; and told me, that though he wished me to turn back, he never had
entertained any serious thoughts of deserting me, but had been advised to
it by Johnson, with a view to induce me to return immediately for Gambia.
Feb. 27th. I delivered most of my papers to Johnson, to convey them to
Gambia as soon as possible, reserving a duplicate for myself, in case of
accidents. I likewise left in Daman's possession a bundle of clothes and
other things that were not absolutely necessary; for I wished to diminish
my baggage as much as possible, that the Moors might have fewer
inducements to plunder us.
Things being thus adjusted, we departed from Jarra in the forenoon, and
slept at Troomgoomba, a small walled village, inhabited by a mixture of
Negroes and Moors. On the day following (Feb. 28th) we reached Quira; and
on the 29th, after a toilsome journey over a sandy country, we came to
Compe, a watering place belonging to the Moors; from whence, on the
morning following, we proceeded to Deena, a large town, and, like Jarra,
built of stone and clay. The Moors are here in greater proportion to the
Negroes than at Jarra. They assembled round the hut of the Negro where I
lodged, and treated me with the greatest insolence: they hissed, shouted,
and abused me; they even spit in my face with a view to irritate me, and
afford them a pretext for seizing my baggage. But, finding such insults
had not the desired effect, they had recourse to the final and decisive
argument, that I was a Christian, and of course that my property was
lawful plunder to the followers of Mahomet. They accordingly opened my
bundles, and robbed me of every thing they fancied.
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