In a few minutes, the old man, who acted as their speaker, returned with Osman, and coming into my hut, offered me his hand, which I accepted, and sat down, telling me that he was perfectly satisfied with my conduct in this affair, and would wait patiently and peaceably for Almamy’s decision; and to convince me of the truth of what he asserted, he would send the women of his village to the market as usual to-morrow.
The messenger to Almamy did not return before the evening of the 28th, when he was accompanied by one of his ministers, a chief priest, or, as they call it, Alpha or thierno, bringing his sovereign’s decision, which, although conveyed in many more words than necessary, merely went to say, as it appeared to Almamy and his good men[14], as they call his chiefs and ministers (a very ill-placed appellation), that the woman came by her death accidentally, I had nothing more to do than procure a slave woman of as nearly the same age of the deceased as possible, and hand her over to Osman. Almamy also desired Alpha Mamadoo to say, that he was extremely sorry I should have thought it necessary to put my child, meaning Shaw (for so he always called all my men) in prison, from whence he now desired him to be released.
I represented to Alpha the dislike I had to any thing like purchasing a fellow creature, and requested that I might be allowed to give the value of a prime slave. In this, he said, he could not interfere; that what he had told me was by order of Almamy, and he could not alter it; but should the man to whom the slave belonged wish to take the value in merchandize, he was certain Almamy could have no objection. Much entreaty on my part, added to the promise of a present, would no doubt have had the desired effect, were it not that the owner of the deceased was afraid, in case he should accept of merchandize, that Almamy would persuade, nay force him, to give it to him in purchase of a slave, which, most probably, he might never receive.
I was, therefore, reduced to the disagreeable necessity of employing a person for the sole purpose of going round the country in search of a woman slave, and which he, with much difficulty, procured, not in consequence of the scarcity of those poor wretches in the country, but of the enormous price demanded, arising no doubt from their knowledge of the obligation I was under of providing one without delay.
This transaction I could not bring myself to negotiate, as the idea alone of dealing in human flesh was more than sufficiently disagreeable to allow me to see the poor wretch, who, although only changing master, and, from what I could learn, getting a good for a bad one, was nevertheless a slave bought and sold. Osman, who had no scruples of that kind, very willingly undertook to do it for me, and I have no doubt made something by it.
Thus terminated an unfortunate affair which, although wholly providential, was certainly of such an unpleasant nature as to cause deep regret to all our party; but which did not appear to make any more impression on the minds of the natives, than if the deceased had been a bullock; so little is the life of a slave noticed in that country.
The weather had then begun to be more settled and dry, and the sick, with the exception of three Europeans (a sergeant and two privates), were improving rapidly. The approach, too, of the dry season, which was daily making itself more evident, and the hope of being thereby enabled to resume our march to the east, in a great measure alleviated the disagreeable nature of our halt, which had then become extremely irksome to all. The arrival of the French trading fleet from St. Louis, at Galam, commanded by an officer whom I had the pleasure of knowing at Senegal, and who, on his way to Boolibany, had called to see me, also tended, in a great degree, to give new vigour to our proceedings. The idea alone of having near, if not with us, people of our own colour, with whom we may occasionally associate, affords a pleasure which none but those who have experienced the absence, can duly appreciate. I was the more pleased at this arrival of the French to settle near us, for such was their intention, as Captain Dechastelieu told me he had it in command from the officer administering the government at St. Louis, to afford me every service it might be in his power to do; and, in justice to those officers, I must say that, on all occasions, I received the most cordial assistance from them.
By this fleet I received information that Mr. Partarrieau had arrived at St. Louis, but, in consequence of illness and some difficulties he met with in passing through Foota Toro, he did not reach there in time to forward to me, by those vessels, some articles of merchandize I wanted for myself, or the things promised to Almamy. This, however, was not of much consequence, as I was in hopes that his knowledge of the want I must soon be in of the articles sent for, and of my anxiety to continue my march towards Sego, would urge him to make his utmost endeavours to expedite the service he had been entrusted with, and join me without unnecessary delay.
Mr. Pilkington, who was rapidly recovering from the effects of the fever he had at Boolibany, expressed so strong an aversion to accompany the mission any further, and appeared so determined on returning to the coast, that I found it necessary to consent to his doing so, being aware that with such a feeling on his part, his future services (were I to oppose him) would not be satisfactory. Private Nicholson too, who had laboured for several months under chronic dysentery, and was reduced to a perfect skeleton, requested the like indulgence, and was in like manner permitted to return; and as I was informed by Captain Dechastelieu, that one of his vessels would return to St. Louis in a few days, I took advantage of an invitation from him, in the name of the other officers of his fleet, to repair to Conghell, a town of Galam, on the banks of the Senegal, (about fourteen miles from our camp), where they then were, in order to obtain a passage for them, and which was offered by the officer commanding the vessels, in the most handsome manner, before I had time to ask it.
On my return to the camp, I apprised Mr. Pilkington of the readiness expressed by the officer commanding the French vessels to accommodate him in every way possible, and, having placed in his charge some effects belonging to the deceased officers, directed to his Excellency the Governor of Sierra Leone, he left the camp on the 4th of November, accompanied by the sergeant-major, whom I sent to receive some refreshments, which Captain Dechastelieu very kindly offered to supply me with for myself and men, and of which we were much in want, to remove the ill effects and remains of fever and dysentery, from which none had escaped.