I Now Thought It Necessary, Sick As I Was, To Take Leave Of My Hospitable
Landlord.
On the morning of Sept.
8th, when I was about to depart, he
presented me with his spear, as a token of remembrance, and a leather bag
to contain my clothes. Having converted my half boots into sandals, I
travelled with more ease, and slept that night at a village called
Ballanti. On the 9th, I reached Nemacoo; but the Mansa of the village
thought fit to make me sup upon the cameleon's dish. By way of apology,
however, he assured me the next morning, that the scarcity of corn was
such, that he could not possibly allow me any. I could not accuse him of
unkindness, as all the people actually appeared to be starving.
Sept. 10th. It rained hard all day, and the people kept themselves in
their huts. In the afternoon I was visited by a Negro, named Modi Lemina
Taura, a great trader, who, suspecting my distress, brought me some
victuals, and promised to conduct me to his house at Kinyeto the day
following.
Sept. 11th. I departed from Nemacoo, and arrived at Kinyeto in the
evening; but having hurt my ankle in the way, it swelled and inflamed so
much that I could neither walk nor set my foot to the ground, the next
day, without great pain. 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. The Bushreens here live apart from the
Kafirs, and have built their huts in a scattered manner, at a short
distance from the town. They have a place set apart for performing their
devotions in, to which they give the name of _missura_, or mosque; but it
is in fact nothing more than a square piece of ground made level, and
surrounded with the trunks of trees, having a small projection towards
the east, where the Marraboo, or priest, stands, when he calls the people
to prayers. Mosques of this construction are very common among the
converted Negroes; but having neither walls nor roof, they can only be
used in fine weather. When it rains, the Bushreens perform their
devotions in their huts.
On my arrival at Kamalia, I was conducted to the house of a Bushreen
named Karfa Taura, the brother of him to whose hospitality I was indebted
at Kinyeto. He was collecting a coffle of slaves, with a view to sell
them to the Europeans on the Gambia, as soon as the rains should be over.
I found him sitting in his baloon surrounded by several Slatees, who
proposed to join the coffle. He was reading to them from an Arabic book;
and inquired, with a smile, if I understood it? Being answered in the
negative, he desired one of the Slatees to fetch the little curious book,
which had been brought from the west country. On opening this small
volume, I was surprised and delighted to find it our _Book of Common
Prayer_; and Karfa expressed great joy to hear that I could read it; for
some of the Slatees, who had seen the Europeans upon the Coast, observing
the colour of my skin, (which was now become very yellow from sickness,)
my long beard, ragged clothes, and extreme poverty, were unwilling to
admit that I was a white man, and told Karfa that they suspected I was
some Arab in disguise.
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