This, added to some difference which arose shortly after about a horse, gave Samba such an opinion of Almamy’s injustice and wish to quarrel, that he sent him word not to meddle with his affairs in future.
In this state things remained until the year 1815, when Modiba sent his messengers to Bondoo to receive the customary tribute, which was refused by Almamy, and who, to crown his other barbarous atrocities, put to death the two chief messengers, and sold all their attendants as slaves, with the exception of one, whom he sent back to let Modiba know that the only tribute he might ever expect to receive from him, would be bullets from the muskets of Bondoo.
Almamy, however, did not give the messenger time to reach Modiba’s town in Karta, but assembled his army and marched to Kasson, for the purpose of being joined by the forces of Hawah Demba, and entering Modiba’s territories with as little delay as possible.
Modiba, being advised of this movement, also assembled his army, and, instead of waiting to receive Almamy, left a detachment to defend the frontier, and made forced marches to Dramanet, where he crossed the Senegal, and rested a few hours in order to give Samba time to collect his forces and accompany him.
On entering Bondoo they found nearly all the villages had been deserted by the few men Almamy had left behind, and the women and children; they, therefore, met no opposition until they arrived at Boolibany, and even then so little resistance was made, that they soon laid the whole town in waste, with the exception of Almamy’s palace, which was so resolutely defended by a handful of men that all attempts to reduce it proved fruitless.
They had, however, made a great number of slaves, particularly women and children, and had collected immense herds of black cattle, sheep, and goats, together with an abundant supply of corn for their horses, all which they secured within the half-ruined walls of a part of the town; and, having repaired that part of them, and supposing that Almamy would never dare to face them, sat down to amuse themselves with their captive ladies, occasionally sending small parties in different directions through the country to collect cattle, corn, &c., and pick up all stragglers. In this state they thought of nothing but plunder, in their pursuit of which, and their wanton and barbarous cruelties to the poor defenceless inhabitants who came within their merciless grasp, they expended their small store of ammunition.
Modiba, whose avarice was as great as his cruelty, made many attempts to reduce Almamy’s palace, but always failed, in consequence of an ill-judged threat to all those he brought against it, that if any of them should lay hands on the smallest particle of the treasure he fancied it contained, he would take off their heads.
This, instead of urging his men to great exertions, had the very opposite effect, and deterred them from exposing their lives for an object, the attainment of which could be of no advantage to a people who enter the field of war from no other motive than that of acquiring riches. The consequence was, the chiefs gave it as their opinion the thing was impossible, and dispersed themselves through the country in search of every thing they could remove.
It was in this situation that Almamy, who got intelligence of Modiba’s leaving Karta for Bondoo, found them on his return (a circumstance so unexpected by the Kartans that they did not even secure the prisoners they had taken by sending them to Toobab-en-Canê[19] whence Almamy could never have recovered them), and succeeded in gaining possession of his own palace, being but feebly opposed by those who remained as a sort of body-guard over Modiba.
In this situation both armies remained some days, exchanging shots from the turrets of their respective stations, but the Kartan army having totally expended their ammunition, and a supply sent for to Toobab-en-Canê not having arrived, Almamy made so spirited and determined an attack on their position, that they were unable to withstand it, and retreated in the utmost confusion, leaving such an immense number of stragglers all over the country, so ignorant of what had taken place, that the very women of Bondoo made some of them prisoners, all of whom, on this occasion, and in retaliation for similar conduct on the part of Modiba towards every male his army had taken, were inhumanly butchered. This affair took place in the spring of 1817.