Captain Campbell, who, although a little better than I was, still continued very weak, wished on the 10th to proceed down the river, for the purpose of hiring a vessel to convey the expedition to Sierra Leone, but he was in that state which I conceived must, in case of his moving, prove of serious consequence, and I therefore persuaded him to remain quiet, and send Mr. Nelson in his place.
On the 12th, I again visited him, and was sorry to find him worse, so much so, that he could not speak to me, and so debilitated that I much doubted the possibility of his recovery. My fears were unfortunately but too well grounded; he breathed his last on the following morning, sincerely regretted by every individual of the expedition. We deposited his remains on the 14th, by the side of those of his highly-valued friend and companion, Major Peddie, amidst the tears and lamentations of all present, and which were greatly aggravated by the painful recollection of the untimely death of our former and much-beloved commander.
Thus ended the mortal career of two distinguished officers, who, in the prime of life, and scorning a state of inactivity at home, entered on an enterprise of the most difficult and truly forlorn nature; and who, by their anxiety and exertions for the advancement of the arduous service committed to their care, fell early victims to that inhospitable climate, leaving their bones in the sands of Africa, a sad memento of their own melancholy fate, and of the unfortunate issue of the expedition under their command. To express my own feelings on that occasion, would, indeed, be impossible; the service lost a gallant officer, and I lost a sincere friend.
The sick, who were left at the Panjetta, joined us in safety, and, in order to avoid starvation at Kakundy, and to obtain that relief and rest of which we were all so much in want, we sailed immediately for Sierra Leone, where we did not arrive until our provisions were nearly exhausted, and then, with the loss of two men and nearly all our remaining animals.
On landing at Free Town, his Excellency Sir Charles M‘Carthy omitted nothing that could tend in any way to relieve our wants and sufferings, and it is with particular satisfaction that I take this opportunity of offering my grateful acknowledgments for his marked kindness and attention to myself.
Lieutenant Stokoe, on whom the command then devolved, as soon as he had recovered from the effects of his late illness and fatigues, although in the depth of the rainy season, set out by the Port Logo path, with the intention of going to Teembo, in order to enter into arrangements, if possible, with Almamy, and obtain from him hostages for the free and unmolested passage of the expedition through his country to the Niger. In this, however, he failed, and returned to the colony, to wait until the ensuing dry season would admit of his endeavouring to penetrate by some other route; but he, like his predecessors, was not doomed to see his projects realized, and died at Sierra Leone, after a few days’ illness.
Foota Jallon, of which Teembo is the capital, is a country of considerable extent, lying between the Sierra Leone and Gambia rivers. When it was in the possession of the aboriginal inhabitants, the Jallonkeas, it bore the name of Jallonk, which has been gradually softened into Jallo, to which was prefixed the name of Foota, signifying together the Foolahs of Jallo, or Foota Jallo. The Jallonkeas are now subject to the Foolahs, who conquered the country, under the direction of a family from Massina, consisting of the father, two sons, and a few followers. One of the sons was a Mahomedan priest, and gradually gained such influence among the Jallonkeas, that he converted many of them to his own faith, and by means of his wealth (of which he is said to have possessed much), strongly attached them to his interest. A few years enabled them to make so many converts to their religion, and their riches procured them so much favor, that they planned and carried into execution the subjugation of the Jallonkeas, at least of such as would not embrace the Mahomedan faith; and the usurpation of the supreme government of their country, the first exercise of which was, to oblige those who still adhered to paganism, to pay them a yearly tribute or quit the country which had for ages been their own.
From that family is descended the present Almamy. Karamoka Alpha was the first Almamy of Teembo, and was surnamed Moudoo, or the great, being at the same time acknowledged as the chief Iman and defender of their religion. He was succeeded by his son, Yoro Padde, surnamed Soorie, at whose death the regal power was assumed by Almamy Saadoo, who was deposed by Ali Bilmah and Alpha Salihou, and to whose sanguinary intrigues he afterwards fell a victim. Salihou was next proclaimed king, and distinguished his reign by a succession of predatory excursions against several Cafir or pagan tribes of the neighbouring states, many of whom he destroyed, plundered, or rendered tributary. He was succeeded by Abdulahi Ba Demba, who, having a dispute with Ali Bilmah, sent him in irons to Bondoo, where he vainly thought he could not injure him; but Ali Bilmah contrived to keep up a secret communication with his friends, and was eventually instrumental in removing his tyrannical sovereign from the throne, which was next occupied by Abdoolghader. Ba Demba then retired to Toogumba, a village at some distance north-west of Teembo, and, with the assistance of a few friends, assembled an army for the purpose of attempting to regain his crown, which Abdoolghader on his side prepared to defend; for which purpose the latter marched with a large army to give Ba Demba battle and decide the affair. The latter, aware of his own inferiority in point of number, retreated; but, being pursued and overtaken by his enemies, was killed, together with one of his sons. In an affair which then took place on the banks of the Tingussoo river, his second son would have shared the same fate, had he not been protected by Abdoolghader, who considered himself secured in his possession of the crown, by the death of the father, and he has reigned unmolested to the present time.
The Foolahs, according to their own account, have had possession of Foota Jallo for about sixty years. The government is of a mixed kind, partaking more of the nature of a republic than a monarchy, and is composed of the states of Teembo, Laby, and Teembee, with their dependencies. Almamy, although he has the chief power, cannot decide upon any thing of importance to the country without the consent of those chiefs, each of whom has a voice in the cabinet.
The religion is Mahomedan, and so strict is their observance of its ceremonies that they pray regularly five times every day, and should any one be prevented by unavoidable engagements from attending to his devotions at the stated periods, he must compensate for it by repeating the whole ceremony the exact number of times he omitted it.