The month of August passed over without any remarkable occurrence, save the death of one of the European civilians (Hudson), who died of fever on the 14th.
On the 12th of September, I paid a visit to the Tonca of Tuabo (the capital of Lower Galam), and made him a small present. The river was then so swollen that its banks were no longer capable of containing its waters, which had completely overflowed all the low grounds in its vicinity, and destroyed a large proportion of the corn that was just then coming into ear. Many of the towns had suffered much in their walls and houses, which being wholly composed of clay, when once wet tumbled to the ground. The view of Tuabo at that moment was peculiarly striking: it had all the appearance of a floating town, rendered the more picturesque by being beautifully shaded with dates, tamarind, and other large trees. The inhabitants were in the utmost consternation lest it should rise higher, in which case they would have been obliged to leave the town.
It is impossible to convey an accurate idea of the grandeur of the scene. The Senegal, which is there nearly half a mile wide, and then higher than remembered by the oldest inhabitant of the country, was hurrying along at the rate of four miles an hour, covered with small floating islands and trees, on both which were seen standing large aigretts, whose glaring white feathers, rendered doubly so by a brilliant sun, formed a pleasing contrast with the green reeds around them, or the brown trunks of trees whereon they stood.
The mountains on either side of the river, to whose bases the inundation reached, (forming an extensive sheet of water, on the surface of which appeared the tops of trees nearly covered,) were clothed with the most luxuriant verdure, and, although not very high, added much to the richness of the scene.
On the evening of the 7th of October, Charles Joe returned from Foota, bringing with him the animals, and some of the articles belonging to the mission, which had been left at Fadgar, and gave the following account of his embassy.
On his arrival at Chuloigne, the capital of Foota, he was obliged to wait until the election of an Almamy took place. This delayed him six weeks; when Thieno Biram, a known friend to Europeans, was chosen, and a general assembly of the chiefs then present called, before whom the affair was brought, and, after much discussion, given against Bayla, who was declared to have committed a crime worthy death, but which, in this instance, should be mitigated into banishment from the country. Bayla endeavoured to excuse himself, by saying, that he was instigated to treat us as he had done by Almamy Bondoo; whose letters to that effect he was going to produce, when he was told by Almamy Foota, that, as he was not a subject of Bondoo, nor amenable, in any way, to the laws of that country, he was unwarranted in carrying into effect the orders of its chief, who should have been ashamed of his conduct towards us.
It was also decreed by the assembly, that every thing which had either been given to Bayla as presents, or lost in the country from his misconduct, should be restored or paid for, and that all those who assisted him should receive one hundred lashes, or pay the ransom.
Such things as Bayla had then with him—namely, my horse, sword, and a gun he had received as a present—were delivered to Charles Joe, who, without delay, proceeded on his return, accompanied by Almamy’s brother and son, who received orders to restore every thing they could find belonging to the expedition, and to escort Charles Joe to Baquelle. All this they did, and brought with them the articles mentioned[25]; but, as many others were still missing, I lost no time in furnishing Almamy’s brother with a list of them, and having made him and those with him presents, despatched them. They promised to use their utmost endeavours to find those things, but I never saw them again, which arose, I believe, in a great measure, from Almamy Biram having been soon deposed.
The latter end of November approached without any intelligence from Mr. Dochard, or the arrival of the fleet (from Senegal), from which I was in hopes of being able to procure a supply of the merchandise I stood in need of, to enable me to move forward. To remedy the former, at least as much as lay in my power, I despatched another messenger to Sego on the 9th of December; but to procure the necessary supplies without the arrival of vessels from the coast was impossible: I was therefore obliged to wait until all things should combine to render my moving likely to be productive of any benefit.
In addition to the deaths already mentioned since our arrival at Baquelle, we had to deplore the loss of two of the most useful, and hitherto most healthy Europeans of the mission; the one a sergeant (Duffy), and the other a private (Dodds), of the royal African corps. Nearly all had suffered more or less from the effects of the rains which ceased about the latter end of October, leaving behind them, however, swamps and stagnant pools, not less deleterious in their effects on the constitution than the former, and certainly more immediately unpleasant, by the effluvia arising from such putrid reservoirs of the vegetable matter, which in that country so profusely abounds in all low situations.