Fancy Had Already Placed Me On The Banks
Of The Niger, And Presented To My Imagination A Thousand Delightful
Scenes In My Future Progress, When A Party Of Moors Unexpectedly Entered
The Hut, And Dispelled The Golden Dream.
They came, they said, by Ali's
orders, to convey me to his camp at Benowm.
If I went peaceably, they
told me I had nothing to fear; but if I refused, they had orders to bring
me by force. I was struck dumb by surprise and terror, which the Moors
observing, endeavoured to calm my apprehensions, by repeating the
assurance that I had nothing to fear. Their visit, they added, was
occasioned by the curiosity of Ali's wife, _Fatima_, who had heard so
much about Christians, that she was very anxious to see one: as soon as
her curiosity should be satisfied, they had no doubt, they said, that Ali
would give me a handsome present, and send a person to conduct me to
Bambarra. Finding entreaty and resistance equally fruitless, I prepared
to follow the messengers, and took leave of my landlord and his company
with great reluctance. Accompanied by my faithful boy, (for Daman's slave
made his escape on seeing the Moors,) we reached Dalli in the evening,
where we were strictly watched by the Moors during the night.
March 8th. We were conducted by a circuitous path through the woods to
Dangali, where we slept.
March 9th. We continued our journey, and in the afternoon arrived at
Sampaka. On the road we saw a party of Moors, well armed, who told us
that they were hunting for a runaway slave; but the townspeople informed
us, that a party of Moors had attempted to steal some cattle from the
town in the morning, but were repulsed; and on their describing the
persons, we were satisfied that they were the same banditti that we had
seen in the woods.
Next morning (March loath) we set out for Samamingkoos. On the road we
overtook a woman and two boys, with an ass; she informed us that she was
going for Bambarra, but had been stopped on the road by a party of Moors,
who had taken most of her clothes, and some gold from her: and that she
would be under the necessity of returning to Deena, till the fast moon
was over. The same evening the new moon was seen, which ushered in the
month Rhamadan. Large fires were made in different parts of the town, and
a greater quantity of victuals than usual dressed upon the occasion.
March 11th. By daylight the Moors were in readiness; but as I had
suffered much from thirst on the road, I made my boy fill a soofroo of
water for my own use; for the Moors assured me that they should not taste
either meat or drink until sunset. However, I found that the excessive
heat of the sun, and the dust we raised in travelling, overcame their
scruples, and made my soofroo a very useful part of our baggage.
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