"That Finding Their Presents Insufficient To Defray Their Expenses On The Road To Guarie And Bornou, They Were Under The Necessity Of Returning To The Salt Water To Obtain More.

That the chief of Badagry, who is governor of that part of the coast, at which they had landed,

Had treated them so very ill, while they were with him, that he would detain them in his town for the remainder of their lives, if they were to return by the way they had come, and by so doing, that they should be unable to avoid falling into his power. Besides which, the journey thither was so long that they should experience the same, or even greater inconvenience than if they were to proceed to Bornou through Catsheenah. Under these circumstances, they were extremely desirous of travelling to the salt water by a shorter and safer route, and would therefore prefer going by Fundah, as the easiest and likeliest means of accomplishing that end. But as they had heard that the road to that kingdom by land was infested with Fellatas, who live by plunder and violence, they should feel infinitely obliged to him (the king of Boossa,) if he could either sell or lend them a canoe to proceed thither by water, and if so, that they would remunerate him to the utmost of their ability."

They awaited the return of their messenger With considerable anxiety, and if an unfavourable answer were returned, they were resolved, instead of proceeding to Boossa, to push on to Guarie, and thence to Funda, as they originally intended, whatever might be the consequence.

After the usual lapse of time, the Boossa messenger returned, and to their unspeakable joy, informed them that the king had consented to procure for them a canoe, to proceed to Funda, provided the road by land could not be depended on. He, however, candidly stated his inability to protect their persons from insult and danger beyond his own territories, and that they must solicit the good will of the prince of Wowow, and the other rulers on the banks of the Niger, and further, that their own men alone must manage the canoe, because no one at Boossa would be willing, for various reasons, to accompany them on the journey. They were, therefore, in a fair way of accomplishing the object of the expedition. The sultan of Yaoorie, however, put off their departure from day to day, and from week to week, under a variety of nonsensical excuses, and they were persuaded that it was his intention to detain them, until he had drained them of every thing that was valuable. On Monday the 26th of July, however, to their surprise and pleasure, a messenger from the king of Boossa arrived, to ascertain the reason of such unwarrantable conduct on the part of the sultan, and to request their immediate release. One of the inducements urged by this monarch for their longer stay with him, was rather whimsical. He had made them a present of a quantity of worthless feathers, which he had caused to be plucked from the body of a live ostrich, and because he entertained an opinion that if others were added to them, they would altogether form a very acceptable present to the king of England, he informed them that it would be necessary they should wait till such time as the ostrich should regain its plumage, in order for that part of its body, which had not been previously plucked, to undergo a similar operation, for the weather, he asserted, was much too cold for the bird to lose all its feathers at one and the same time, and further to encourage their growth, he would order that two thousand kowries worth of butter, (about twelve pounds weight,) should be diligently rubbed into the skin of the animal.

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