Arrival of Mr. Partarrieau from the Coast — Interview with Almamy
— Arrangements with, and Presents made to him — His false and
deceitful conduct — My Determination and Retreat from Boolibany
— Difficulties on the March — Want of Water, and breach of oath
on the part of our Guides — Enter Foota Toro — Difficulties
there — My March to, and Return from, Baquelle — Affair with
the Foolahs — My Captivity — Departure of the Party for Baquelle
— My disappointment on finding the Camp deserted — My own Return
to Baquelle.
On the 30th of April I received a letter from Mr. Partarrieau,
announcing his arrival at Balla, whence he could not move in
consequence of the loss of a great many of the camels, until
I should send some men and asses to his assistance. I therefore
despatched without delay eleven men with thirty of the latter, and,
having obtained from Almamy one of his nephews as a guide for them,
they left the camp at an early hour the following morning.
About nine o’clock that night, Almamy paid me a private visit, and,
after many congratulatory words on the safe arrival of my friend (as
he called him), said he wished to be informed whether the articles
I had promised to the late Almamy were to become his property or
that of Saada, who contested that he alone had a right to them. When
I had told him that it was to the Almamy of Bondoo I had promised
them, and to whom only I could give them, he took me by the hand,
and said that he then felt convinced I was really his friend, and he
should therefore forward my views in every way he could, adding that
if I remained two days in Bondoo after Mr. Partarrieau’s arrival,
it should be my own fault. This last speech however said nothing
more than if I satisfied his avarice he would be my friend; but to
me this was nothing new, for ever since I had entered the country
I found that those people were actuated by no other principle than
that of self-interest and ingratitude.
As I had found some difficulty in procuring a sufficient supply
of provisions at the capital, on the 3rd of May I sent a sergeant
and one man to Samba Contaye to purchase corn, rice, and cattle,
and went myself with four men to assist in bringing up the caravan
with Mr. Partarrieau. On the following morning I met them at Patako,
a small village about thirty miles WSW. from the capital, which place
we reached on the 6th at 9 P.M. During Mr. Partarrieau’s march
from the coast he experienced the kindest treatment from the kings
of Kayor and Joloff, and was accompanied by a chief from the latter.
On the morning of the 7th we waited on Almamy, whom we found seated
in a small store-room attended by only two of his slaves. After the
usual exchange of compliments, I informed him of Mr. Partarrieau’s
arrival, and that of the present I had promised to his predecessor,
which, together with one I purposed giving himself, I wished to
deliver without delay, and in a few days continue my journey, adding,
that I trusted he would now prove himself to be the friend he so
often professed; to which he answered that he was ready to forward
my views in any way I might require.
The Joloff chief then addressed Almamy, saying he was directed by
the Bourba Joloff to tell him, that in handing us over to his care
and protection he requested we might be treated in the same manner
by him (Almamy), as Mr. Partarrieau was by his master and Damel,
the king of Kayor, and at the same time to inform him that we were
the messengers of a very great white king, who had it in his power
to reward those handsomely who merited it from him, or to punish any
who should ill-treat his messengers, whose only object in visiting
Africa was the establishing of a friendly intercourse between the
two countries. In answer to this, Almamy made a long speech, which
he ended by promising that his conduct should be such towards us as
would merit not only the approbation of the white king, but of all
the surrounding chiefs of Africa.
Having told Almamy that I wished him to send persons to receive
the presents I intended giving him (which he promised to do without
delay), we returned to the camp. Those persons did not however arrive
till near midnight, when it was too late to begin such an affair,
particularly as I had determined that not an article should be
removed before I should be satisfied, by an agreement drawn up in
Arabic and signed by Almamy, that the assistance and protection I
might require, while in Bondoo and in the prosecution of my journey,
would be afforded.
It was not till the 9th that I could arrange with them the amount of
the presents and the form of agreement, when, the latter being signed
by Almamy and some of his chiefs, the former were delivered[20],
together with a handsome double barrelled gun, which was sent by
his Excellency Sir Charles Mac Carthy as a pledge of his esteem
for Almamy.
With this paper in my possession, and the hitherto apparent
inclination of Almamy to comply with its contents, I conceived that
nothing remained to prevent our departure, and therefore having
made every preparation necessary, I went (on the evening of the 10th
of May) to inform him that it was my wish to proceed the following
morning to Baquelle, where, with some assistance from the French,
in the way of paint, rope, &c., of which I was in want, to put my
baggage in a proper state to withstand the rains, I intended making
my final arrangements. But I was sadly disappointed when he told me
that he could not allow me to go there, as the people of that country,
although at peace with him, were not his friends. I endeavoured to no
purpose to convince him that in going there my only object was what
I had just stated, and not to interfere in the concerns of Bondoo,
where I had already been but too long detained.
From that day until the 21st, every means which I conceived at all
likely to obtain permission to proceed, were tried without effect;
presents were given to all the chiefs[21] unknown to each other, in
order to induce them to urge Almamy to compliance, and I even offered
to leave hostages in his hands for my return (after I had arranged
my baggage) to Boolibany, whence I would take my final departure for
the Niger. All would not do. The only thing he would listen to was
that of our immediately following a path in which we should not only
have to contend with a number of petty princes, all his friends and
in league with him to oppose our progress, but where it would have
been impossible to procure provisions, and extremely difficult to
travel, in consequence of the number of rivers to be crossed.
All this, added to his having assembled his army in front of our camp,
and prevented us for a whole day from drawing water from the wells,
and his having in every instance broken his promise, nay oath, bore
such convincing proofs of his hostile intentions that I at length
determined on endeavouring to gain my point by indirect means,
and therefore told him it was my intention to return to the coast
through the Foota Toro country.
My object in adopting this plan was the possibility that presented
itself of being able (when I had once left Bondoo) to change the
direction of march from west to north-east and thereby gain the
Senegal, and, by crossing it, both get out of the power of Almamy,
and reach Baquelle unmolested.
From Baquelle I could have travelled in safety to Karta, where I was
in hopes of meeting some people from Mr. Dochard, and of receiving
permission from Modiba, king of that country, to proceed to Sego.
In addition to Almamy’s other acts of injustice and falsehood, he
had given orders that the people, whom I had sent to Samba Contaye
to purchase provisions, should be arrested and put in irons, and I
had much difficulty indeed in obtaining their release.
We left Boolibany on the 22d May at half after six in the morning. We
were accompanied by Almamy and part of his suite as far as Lewa,
a village, near which we halted for the night.
Here again we were to experience the duplicity and falsehood of this
chief, who, not contented with the delays and inconveniences to which
he had already subjected us, would not now give us the guides he at
first named, and who were the only two of the princes we had found
worthy of confidence, but appointed two men whom we had never before
seen, and who (were we to judge from their appearance) were ready to
comply with their sovereign’s order in any way. When I remonstrated
on this further palpable breach of honour, he said that he could not
then dispense with the presence of two of his war-men (generals)
but would allow one of them to accompany the guides he had named,
and directed the other (who was the very man we wanted) to quit
our camp. This person, named Omar Moosa, a nephew of Almamy’s,
was so indignant at this peremptory order, that he told his royal
uncle he should not be ordered by him or any other man in Bondoo,
and would not leave our camp until he pleased, and then, coming to
our tent, told us to be cautious as to the path we took, for it was
Almamy’s instructions to the guides to conduct us into Upper Ferlo,
a province of Bondoo on the south-west frontier, so badly supplied
with water that the inhabitants were frequently obliged to leave it
during that time of the year: he also advised us not to move from
Lewa until Almamy should return to Boolibany, when all those who
accompanied him, and were attracted by the hopes of being able to
plunder us of something, would leave us. This timely information,
and the loss of nearly all our camels, induced me to remain at
Lewa until the morning of the 24th, having, the preceding night,
destroyed all the men’s old clothing, and furnished them with
new. Some musket-balls and other articles of little value, amongst
which were nearly all my own and Mr. Partarrieau’s clothes, were
also destroyed in order to lighten the baggage as much as possible.
Incredible as it may appear to a person unacquainted with those
people, it is equally true that Almamy, when about leaving us on
the evening of the 23d, came with all possible composure to wish
us a safe journey, and requested me to give him a small present,
which he could keep in remembrance of me. Such was the impudent and
teasing importunity of this man that he obtained one from me merely
to rid myself of such an unwelcome visitor. When gone, we found he
had made free with a snuff-box of Mr. Partarrieau’s which was laid
on the mat on which we were sitting: this, although of little value,
evinced a disposition on his part to turn his abilities in that way
to every possible advantage.
We left Lewa at six o’clock in the morning, and, having travelled
west over a dreadfully parched and uncultivated country for twelve
miles, we reached Giowele, a miserable village, at ten, where a
scanty supply of water was, by means of a large price, purchased
for ourselves and the animals.
At a late hour in the evening I called one of our new guides, named
Doka, to my tent, and, having drawn from him an acknowledgement
that he had received Almamy’s directions to conduct us by the
path leading into Upper Ferlo, I pointed out to him another lying
more northerly, through a village called Dindoody, whither, in
case he would consent to conduct us in safety, I would make him a
handsome present. He objected, on the ground that he feared the other
guide would not listen to it, but we told him to leave that to us,
which he did. Macca, who was one of those guides chosen by myself,
readily consented to our proposal, and, on the morning of the 25th,
he led us into a path in the very opposite direction from the one
pointed out for us. A march of eleven miles NW. brought us to the
village of Gwina, where we halted close to the wells, which supplied
us with excellent water without any difficulty.
Private Dohonoe, who had been affected with dysentery since his
arrival from the coast with Mr. Partarrieau, was so ill during the
last two days’ march as to be barely able to sit on horseback.
As we were about to move on the morning of the 26th, an armed party
of about forty men came running into our camp. They were met by our
guides, who conducted them to me, when their leader said they had
been sent by Almamy to ascertain the truth or falsehood of a report
which was in circulation of our having quarrelled with our guides,
and refused to follow the path appointed by him. We referred them
to Doka and Macca, who assured them the report was false. I did not
believe they were sent by Almamy, but I had strong reason to suppose
they were assembled by the guides with a view of deterring us from
following the path we were pursuing. I was the more certain of this
being the case from my having received information that they had
set on foot a false report of one of the princes having an army at
a short distance watching our movements. An account was brought us
in the afternoon by one of our own men (who had been at the village
and overheard some conversation), that it was the intention of the
men in this posse, headed by our guides, to attack us during the
night. Improbable as it appeared, I placed triple centinels, and
kept on foot myself the whole night, which we passed very quietly,
and, at half after six the following morning, moved forward to the
north. We had not proceeded, however, above three miles, when a
tornado came on so rapidly and violently from the ESE. that we had
scarcely time to secure the baggage by covering it with green leafy
boughs of trees. It continued raining nearly an hour and a half,
when, having cleared a little, we resumed our march to the west of
north for two hours; this brought us to a small miserable village
called Gari-Eli, where we halted for the night. Dohonoe was so ill
when we moved in the morning that he was unable to sit upright. I
was therefore obliged to leave him in care of the chief of Gwina,
with means of subsistence, and directions, in case of recovery,
to send him to Baquelle.
We had not been long at our bivouac, when another nephew of
Almamy’s, named Amady Samba, made his appearance, and said he was
sent by his uncle to enforce compliance with his orders respecting the
path, but to which I only answered that I would not pursue any path
but that I was then following. On this he went off apparently much
displeased, for which I cared the less—as I was determined not to
listen to the tales of those soi-disant messengers, who haunted our
march, merely in hopes of exacting something from us, or plundering
(if occasion presented itself) from our baggage.
We left Gari-Eli at half after six on the morning of the 28th, and
travelled ten miles north by east, over an extremely close country
to Bokey Guiley, a small village. There we halted for the night,
and had considerable difficulty in obtaining a supply of muddy water,
the only quality which the place afforded.
When loading the animals the following morning, Macca sent one of
his satellites to say that as he was ill and could not accompany
us if we moved; he requested us to remain at Bokey Guiley until
the following morning. As I was aware that this was an excuse
dictated by Amady Samba to detain us, so I refused to comply, and,
having sent Mr. Partarrieau to urge Macca’s coming on, we moved
forward at seven o’clock, but had not proceeded above a mile when
one of the men who accompanied Mr. Partarrieau came running in a
great hurry to let me know that the people of the village, at the
instigation of our guides, seemed inclined to oppose his following
the caravan. I immediately selected one sergeant and fifteen men,
and had proceeded about a quarter of a mile towards the village,
when I met the guides and Amady Samba, (and, in a few minutes after,
Mr. Partarrieau,) who informed me that many objections were made to
his joining me, in accomplishing which he had nearly come to blows
with the guides and villagers.
Shortly after this, a large bullock which had been bought at Gari-Eli,
and conducted since it left that place by a Foolah hired for the
purpose, having nearly killed one of our men, was ordered to be shot,
which was not effected until many shots had been fired at him. This
circumstance so trivial in itself was nearly the cause of very serious
consequences, as the men of the villages in the vicinity of our road
heard the shots, and, knowing that we had nearly fought with our
guides in the morning, thought that such was then actually the case,
and came running up from all quarters ready for action,—which they
were with difficulty prevented from commencing by the intercession
of Macca. Many of them, however, accompanied us to Dindoody, where
we arrived at noon, having travelled ten miles NNE.
Although the day was excessively hot, and both men and animals were
much in want of water, we were obliged to endure the privation,
having a well within a few yards of our bivouac; but this we were
not allowed to touch before seven o’clock in the evening, and,
having paid dearly for the indulgence, we found also, on returning
from the well to tie up the asses for the night, that two of them
had been stolen. Macca promised to have them restored, but we never
saw them afterwards.
It appeared to me that our guides were at the bottom of all this
hindrance from water and objections to the path, in which the
inhabitants of all the towns we passed through joined them, (but
particularly those of Dindoody, where we spent the whole of the 30th
in palaver with them), I conceived it better to make them a large
present[22] to induce their acting in compliance with our wishes,
to which they consented, binding themselves by an oath on the Koran,
to which, although little regard had been paid by Almamy, I trusted,
however, that they would remain faithful.
We therefore again set forward to the NE., and, in about two hours,
reached a small village called Loogoonoody, where we found that
the oaths of our guides were of as little avail as that of their
sovereign and his ministers, for we were again obliged to pay for
water before the inhabitants would allow us to approach their wells.
We were met here by two men who stated themselves to be messengers
sent by the chiefs of Foota Toro to conduct us into that country; but,
as the path they pointed out led too much to the west to answer our
purpose, we signified to them that it was our wish to proceed more
eastward, to a town called Gawde Bofê, where we proposed remaining
until a person whom we should send to consult with the chiefs of Toro
could return. To this they would not consent, and intimated that if
we did not comply with their wishes they had orders to oppose us.
As I was well aware of the difficulties we should experience in
travelling through that part of Foota, at a moment when the lawless
disposition of the inhabitants was completely divested of any
restraint by the existence of an interregnum of some duration, which
arose from dissensions among its chiefs, I thought it more adviseable
to move back from Bokey Guiley, where I should be certainly out of
the power at least of the people of Foota, who were even more to
be dreaded by us than those of Bondoo: and I was also in hopes that
my returning there, would by our appearing to have more confidence
in our Bondoo guides, induce them to act more honourably towards
us. I was however deceived, for, during the return to Bokey Guiley,
which was partly performed by night, we were robbed by them of two
asses with their loads and many small articles.
From the first to the fourth of June was spent in fruitless endeavours
to arrange matters with these two parties, who at length became
jealous of each other, and, by that means, afforded us an opportunity
of turning their differences to our advantage. As it was from the
Foota people we had most to apprehend, we proposed their conducting
us to Gowde Bofê, where we promised to remain until the return of
our messenger whom we intended sending from that place with them to
their chiefs; but told them that in case they did not consent, I would
destroy the whole of my baggage, and fight my way to Baquelle. This
had the desired effect; they acceded to our proposal, and the Bondoo
guides, finding that we would no longer listen to them, decamped.
Thereupon we left Bokey Guiley at half after five on the afternoon
of the 4th, and, having halted for the night at Dindoody, at eight
the following morning reached Loogoonoody, whence we despatched one
of our own men, accompanied by two of the Foota people, with a small
present[23] to the chiefs of that country, requesting them to appoint
two or more of their respectable personages to meet us at Gowde Bofê,
in order to make arrangements for our passing through their country;
(which in truth was not at all my intention), but I took that step in
order to make the Foota people suppose we really did purpose entering
their country, and thereby lull their suspicions about our going
to Baquelle. These people left us on the 5th, and on the following
morning at five o’clock, we moved in an easterly direction over a
parched and barren country until near ten, when we reached Siendoo, a
considerable town, where we had as usual much difficulty in obtaining
a supply of water, and where we were met by a strong detachment of
armed men, whose chief informed us that he was sent by Thierno Bayla
(the chief of Hourey, a district of Foota) to oblige us to take the
path to his own town. This I positively refused to comply with, and
told them if they felt inclined to carry their orders into effect
I was ready to receive them. They removed to a short distance from
our bivouac, and remained under arms all night, the greater part of
which was spent by us in endeavours to arrange matters amicably with
them, but which we found a most difficult affair; for what they at
one moment consented to, they refused the next. At length it was
settled that we should send one of our guides with one of them to
Goude Bofê, to know if the chief of that village would allow us to
remain there, as we had proposed, until the return of the messenger
from Foota. They returned at a late hour the same evening, 7th,
bringing for answer that Thierno Amadoo had consented to receive
us as friends at his village, where we might remain as long as we
wished. This did not appear to please the other chief and his party,
who went off grumbling.
I made small presents to all who interested themselves in our behalf
at Seindoo, and, having passed a comparatively quiet night, left
it at half after six on the morning of the 8th June, and reached
Looboogol at nine; but here we found such difficulty in obtaining
a very limited supply indeed of water the first day, that the men
had scarcely enough, and the animals none at all.
Thierno Bayla, the chief who had sent the party to Seindoo, came to
Looboogol on the 9th, attended by a large body of horse and foot. He
paid us a visit in the course of the day, and demanded to be made
acquainted with our intentions in entering the country. I told him
that having been deceived and plundered by Almamy and the princes
of Bondoo, I had decided on returning to the coast through Foota;
but, as there was no reigning Almamy in that country, I did not
think it safe to enter it without permission from the chiefs, to
whom I had despatched messengers, whose return I intended awaiting
at Gowde Bofê.
He objected to our going there, and expressed a wish that we should
accompany him to his own town, which lay about twenty-five miles in
the opposite direction to that we wished to pursue. On our refusal
he went off to the village, and, having directed that none of the
inhabitants should dare to supply us with a drop of water, stationed
several small parties at short distances round our camp, to enforce
the strictest compliance with this order, and to watch our movements.
A tornado with heavy rain, which would at any other time or under
any other circumstances have been an unpleasant visitor, was now the
thing most to be wished for, as it would have served the double office
of supplying us with water, and of driving from their posts those
parties, who, not supposing we would (or rather knowing we never did)
travel during the rain, would still have abandoned their posts, and
have gone to the village, in which case (having prepared every thing
to enable us to move in a moment), we would have loaded the animals,
and taken the direct road to Baquelle, which we computed to be distant
about forty miles. Judge then our disappointment when a tornado,
which bore every appearance of an approaching deluge of rain, blew
off without a drop. It was about six P.M. when our situation became
extremely unpleasant, not to say alarming. The animals had no water
since the 7th, and the men who had but a scanty supply on the 8th,
had none at all on that day, the 9th, and how to procure it without
proceeding to extremities alone remained to be decided upon. I had
too many invalids and weak animals to authorize my forcing my way
to Baquelle with such incumbrances and in absolute want of water;
and to destroy either the whole or even a proportion of my baggage
and animals, was an act which I conceived should be my last resource.
In this dilemma I determined on going myself to Baquelle, in order
to obtain twenty or thirty men from the French vessels then there,
and return with them immediately, either to force our way to that
place, or, by the appearance of such a reinforcement, to intimidate
the natives into compliance with my wishes. I left Mr. Partarrieau
in command of the party, with directions to endeavour by any means
to keep those people at arm’s length, and procure a supply of
water until my return, which I settled should be at a late hour
on the evening of the 12th. I was accompanied by two of the native
soldiers. We left the camp at half after seven, and, having passed
two villages during the night and another at day-break, arrived at
Tuabo, the capital of Lower Galam, at eight on the morning of the
10th, whence we proceeded without delay to Baquelle, which we found
to be more than fifty miles from Looboogol.
I met a most cordial reception from the French officers and merchants,
who, being informed of the object of my visit, said in the most
handsome manner that I should have every assistance in their power.
At Baquelle I met Isaaco[24], the same individual who accompanied
Mr. Park in his last attempt. He proposed accompanying me on my
return to Looboogol and bringing with him three of his own men, whom
I furnished with arms for the purpose. I received fifteen volunteers
from his Most Christian Majesty’s brig Argus, and five from the
Senegal Company’s vessel trading there, and, having hired eight
moors with eleven carrying bullocks for the transport of water, left
Baquelle in a boat at half after two in the evening of the 11th, and
landed at Jowar, a town of Galam, on the south bank of the Senegal,
at half after seven, having found much difficulty in passing the
shallows, which had then only eighteen inches water. The moors and
their bullocks crossed the river at Tuabo, and arrived about half
an hour before us.
We remained at Jowar until two o’clock on the morning of the 12th,
when, being favored by a fine moonlight night, and having loaded
the bullocks with soofras of water, we commenced our march to the
west of south until daylight, when we passed two small villages,
and soon after arrived in sight of Gowde Bofê, where Isaaco (to whom
being lame I lent my horse) proposed going to gain some information
with respect to Mr. Partarrieau’s movements, and give water to the
horse. I pointed out to him the improbability of his again finding
us, as we did not pursue the beaten path, but he assured me he could,
as he knew all that country well.
At half after nine we passed the village of Gangele, and soon entered
a wood which I knew to be the same I had traversed the evening I
left the camp, and which was not more by my reckoning than three or
four miles from us. It was then noon, and exceedingly hot, but as, by
continuing our march, we should reach the camp at too early an hour,
we halted in the woods, and sent two men back to Gangele to procure
some water, and, if possible, a guide to conduct us by the shortest
path to the camp. We waited their return with impatience until half
after three, when the atmosphere to the east became overspread,
and bearing every appearance of an approaching tornado. I moved
back slowly towards the village, with the hope of meeting them, but
the tornado came on with such rapidity and violence, that all was
soon complete darkness, and the path, which was previously not very
distinctly marked, now became imperceptible. We continued marching
east for some time without meeting the men, to whom I began to fear
something unpleasant had happened; but nevertheless we marched
on in hopes of meeting them as long as we could perceive our way
by the compass. During the violence of the rain, four of the men
with the moors, and three bullocks, separated themselves from the
remainder of the party, and, although I fired several shots as soon
as I discovered they were not with us, I did not again see them.
It being quite dark at eight o’clock, we halted in the woods
and lighted a fire, at which we spent the night, and half dried
our clothes which were completely drenched with the rain; and at
daylight the following morning again moved forward to the east,
and in about an hour heard the lowing of cattle in that direction;
fifteen minutes more brought us clear of the wood, when we perceived
a village at a short distance. On our arrival at it we were informed
that Mr. Partarrieau had removed from Looboogol to a village about
four miles from where we then were.
Having procured a guide we moved on at a smart pace, and soon arrived
in front of the village, where were assembled a number of armed men
apparently waiting our arrival; for on our approaching them, they
desired us to keep off, and would have proceeded to force had not
our guide told them our intentions were good. One of the villagers,
apparently a chief, then came forward, and, offering me his hand,
invited me to the shade of a tree, where we were no sooner arrived
than surrounded by a crowd of armed men, who without further ceremony
attempted to tear the clothes off my men’s backs, and their arms
out of their hands. This sort of treatment was too rough to be borne
with sang froid. My men, eleven in number, therefore made some
resistance, and removed in a body to a short distance from where
I was standing, but had scarcely moved when the war-cry was set up
by the Foolahs, and a fire of musquetry opened by them on my men,
whose arms were almost useless from the rain of the preceding night,
and consequently they were unable to make the resistance they might
otherwise have done. Three of them were already wounded, as were
three of the Foolahs, when Thierno Bayla arrived from the village and
offering me his hand said, that if I would go quietly with him, no
one should molest me. I complied, as resistance would have been vain;
but notwithstanding all he could say or do, the rabble endeavoured to
tear my clothes from my back, and my sword from my side. Bayla to no
purpose endeavoured to keep them off. They were become so outrageous,
that three of them snapped their guns at me, but, from the careless
manner in which they did it, I doubted their being loaded.
On entering the town, we were conducted into a hut, and a man placed
at the door to keep off the crowd. By that time Mr. Partarrieau had
been informed of what had taken place, and came to the hut where we
were. He informed me that Isaaco had arrived only the day before,
and, having informed Bayla that I was coming with an army, and left
my horse in his hands, returned to Baquelle. He next told me that he
had agreed with Bayla to be allowed to go to the village of Fadgar,
about ten miles from Gowde Bofê, and there await the return of our
messengers from Foota. The first thing however to be thought of was
my own release and that of the men with me, and for that purpose
Bayla accompanied Mr. Partarrieau to the camp, where it was settled
that we should be permitted to go that evening or the next morning,
and that all the things taken from me or the men would be restored
on our arrival at Fadgar.
We left our prison at seven in the morning of the 14th, as I supposed
to go to our camp, but were not a little surprised at finding that
it was not the intention of Bayla to permit our doing so. I demanded
of him the fulfilment of his promise, but the only answer I received
was an order to mount a miserable looking horse, held by one of his
followers. To refuse would have been useless. Bayla was mounted on
mine, and attended by about one hundred armed men. We moved towards
the camp, where all were ready to move, and apparently waiting our
arrival; but we were not allowed to join them. Having marched at
a very smart pace until two P.M., we reached a large straggling
village, which on enquiry I found to be called Samba Jamangele,
and distant twelve miles west of Fadgar, the place agreed on,
and whither Mr. Partarrieau was gone. This annoyed me a little,
but there was now no remedy, except patiently awaiting the issue.
On our approach to the village, we were met by the women and children,
who came forth in hundreds to welcome the return of their husbands,
fathers, brothers, &c. Many of the young men and boys, who had
never apparently seen a white man before, approached me, and after
examining my face with evident surprise and fear, favoured me with
the epithets of ‘unbeliever’, ‘son of a hog’, ‘hater of God’, and
‘offspring of an unlawful connexion’. One old woman, apparently very
short-sighted, and no doubt mistaking me for one of the people of the
village, approached my horse’s side, and was in the act of giving me
her hand, when she perceived mine to be white, and, shrieking, she
almost fell to the ground with fright.
Bayla, who had gone to Fadgar with Mr. Partarrieau, called in
the afternoon, and told me that he would call again the following
morning, and allow me to return with my men to our camp. But his
promises were made to be broken; I did not see him until the 16th,
when he appointed a person to conduct us to Fadgar.
I left Samba Jamangele at two o’clock on the morning of the 17th
of June, and arrived at the camp at half after five, which, to my
astonishment, I found deserted. The tents were standing, and some
weak asses, and other articles which would necessarily impede their
march, were left behind.
The idea that they had gone for Baquelle, and what place they
must at that hour have been near, could alone compensate for the
disappointment I felt at their unexpected absence.
Bayla’s men, who appeared more taken up with searching the tents,
and every thing else they could lay their hands on, in hopes of
finding money, as they call it, than with the departure of the
mission, wished me to follow Mr. Partarrieau’s steps, which I
would willingly have done could I have prevailed on even one of
them to accompany me. But the hope they entertained of finding some
valuables in the camp, was too sanguine to admit of their leaving
it; in consequence of which I declined doing so, as I was not only
ignorant of the path, but aware that the inhabitants of the first
village I might come to, finding me unattended by any of Bayla’s
people, would stop me, and most probably treat me worse than he had
done. I therefore proposed our immediate return to Samba Jamangele,
where I should endeavour so to arrange matters with Bayla, as to
obtain from him permission to proceed, and guides to conduct me
to Baquelle.
It was some time before I could prevail on these people to return
with me, they were so absorbed in their work of plunder, but that,
not turning out as well as they expected, they gave up with much
apparent disappointment.
On our return to Samba Jamangele, a man was sent to acquaint Bayla
with what had taken place, and to request, at my desire, that he would
come without delay to arrange matters for my departure and that of
my men. He called on me in the evening on his return from Fadgar,
whither he had gone to secure such things as were left behind by
Mr. Partarrieau, and promised that he would appoint people to conduct
us on the following morning to Baquelle, where he had been told,
that Mr. Partarrieau with the whole party had arrived in safety.
In this, as in all other instances of promises made by this man,
I was disappointed, but to which, from its almost daily occurrence,
I was become nearly insensible.
I saw nothing of him until a very late hour on the night of the 20th
June, when, by means of a small present of two gold rings which I had
with me, and the promise of a few other things by the return of the
man he should send with me to Baquelle, I induced him to name a person
for that purpose, and to fix the following morning for our departure.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 20: For the form of agreement and amount of presents,
see Appendix, Articles 6 and 7.]
[Footnote 21: Article 7, Appendix.]
[Footnote 22: Article 9, Appendix.]
[Footnote 23: Article 10, Appendix.]
[Footnote 24: Properly called Siacco.]