MUSICAL INSTRUMENTS.

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Having made Saféré a small present in acknowledgement of his attention to our wants, we left Kirrijou at four o’clock on the morning of the 24th of March, and travelled north, through corn-grounds, until half after five, on the road leading to Jaffnoo, when we turned off to the right, and continued marching due east through a wood without any path until two P.M., at which hour we reached Moonia, the residence of Bojar, and the place named by Modiba for our halt. The animals were all very much fatigued, particularly the camels, owing to the excessive heat of the day and the roughness of the latter part of our path, which lay over hilly and broken ground covered with sharp loose stones; in fact, ten hours’ march is too much for either man or animals in that country, particularly during the heat of the day.

Bojar who accompanied us from Kirrijou, furnished us, on our arrival, with an excellent dinner of cous cous, milk, and honey, and abundance of fine water, such as we had not tasted since we left the Senegal. Huts were provided for our use until (as Bojar said) some could be erected for us at a short distance from the town. As this indicated our being likely to make a long halt at Moonia, I made known to Bojar my displeasure at the very idea of our being detained there long enough to admit of their completion, and was told by him that two or three days were sufficient for that purpose.

Anxious that a moment should not be lost in making known to Modiba my desire of proceeding to Sego without delay, I wished to despatch Giboodoo to Dhyage the day after our arrival, with presents to him and his head men, but his Majesty’s drinking day being Monday, when no business is ever transacted, I was obliged to wait for Tuesday. Bojar who, like his father, always made a sacrifice of one or more days in each week to the ruby-lipped god, came to see me, bringing with him a large calabash of a sort of beer, made by themselves from fermented corn, but which is by no means palatable, being more insipid than the worst table-beer made in England, but from no bitter being used it immediately sours and becomes intoxicating, which effect it soon had on Bojar and all his followers. They were, however, very good humoured, and so great was the prince’s wish to make me comfortable and feel at home (as he said) that he sent for one of his sisters and presented her to me as a companion to cheer my idle hours, and teach me to speak Bambarran. My want of gallantry upon this occasion was remarked by all present, and I was asked if I had a wife in my own country, or if I did not think the one presented to me handsome enough for my acceptance. An effort to extricate myself from a repetition of such favours, and at the same time to avoid insulting her sable Highness, obliged me to say that I was married, and dare not infringe the laws of my country, which punished with death any man who took unto himself more than one wife. This answer excited more than common remarks on the part of the prince, who said he had been told that white women were so completely mistresses of the men, that the whole care and labour of supporting our families depended on the latter, who dare not even speak to any woman save their wives. Another question of his, namely, should he come to England, would the king give him one of his daughters to wife? drew from me an answer, of which I much doubted the truth, but which, in this instance, I must be excused for not adhering to, as it would not have been proper to hurt the pride of a man who appeared to possess not a small share of it, at least, in his own way, and who thought he was conferring a high favour on the lady, let her be who she may, who might be solicited to partake of his royal protection. After many such questions and answers (by which time Bojar was so satiated with his African beverage that he could not rise from the ground without assistance), he took his leave, and, wishing me a good night, staggered home in company with attendants who were equally overcharged.

Giboodoo, accompanied by Bokari, departed for Dhyage on the morning of the 27th, and took with him a handsome plated tureen, as an introductory present to his Majesty, to whom I sent my compliments, and requested that he would name an early day for my departure, and send people forthwith to receive a present I had brought him. They returned at a very late hour on the night of the 28th, and were accompanied by Modiba’s head maraboo, and one of his chief slaves. I did not see them, before the morning of the 29th, when they informed me that Modiba was much pleased with the present I had sent him, and had despatched them to see the other things I intended giving him, and to assure me that I should meet with no delay whatever from him.

I laid out for their inspection the things stated in the Appendix, and having made them a small present each, desired them, in laying those things before the king, to say, that my only wish was to be provided with a guide to Bangassi, in Foolidoo, and to be allowed to depart immediately. As I was aware of the influence some of the head slaves and two or three of Modiba’s wives had over him, I sent a present by Giboodoo to four of the former and three of the latter, requesting them to impress on their royal master’s mind the necessity of letting me proceed on my journey without delay, and promising them a farther reward, in case they obtained for me what I wanted. They returned on the 1st of April, to say that Modiba was much pleased with the present, to which he requested I would add some silver, amber, and beads; but, in consequence of the road to Foolidoo being said to be then infested by Moorish banditti, he had despatched some horsemen to ascertain the fact, and as soon as they returned, which would be in two or three days, he would allow me to proceed, if not by that road, by one whereon, although there existed a scarcity of water, we should not have any thing to fear from robbers. This answer was perplexing in the extreme, and, from what had already happened in Bondoo, I began to doubt the sincerity of this chief; but still in order that obstacles should not arise on my part, I sent him the articles he requested, and desired Giboodoo to say that if he would only send a party of twenty horsemen with me to Bangassi, I would run all risks of robbers or other impediments, and make a farther addition to his present by the return of those people. As nothing, however, was to be done without securing the interest of the head slaves, I sent them an additional present each, in hopes of stirring them up to exertions in my favour. Giboodoo took those presents to Dhyage on the 3d of April, and returned on the 4th with answer, that his Majesty was satisfied with my conduct towards him, and would immediately settle my business to my satisfaction. With people whose time is not very precious, immediately often means weeks or more; and as I could ill brook such delay, at least in perspective, I despatched Giboodoo to remain at the king’s elbow until he would give a decisive answer one way or other.

In the mean time, I made presents, large and small, to a host of royal personages, amongst whom were two of Modiba’s nephews, men possessing considerable influence with him, and to whose care I was particularly recommended by Samba Congole. One of them named Ely, or Ali, assured me (if such assurance valued any thing) that he would make Modiba do all I wanted; but these fine promises were made only to induce me to make more presents. Isaaco also paid me a visit, and wished much to be employed, but he was in too little repute, not to say worse, with both Modiba and Dha, to admit of my having any thing to do with him; the former having taken, but a few days before, nearly all his goods and slaves from him, and the latter was so much displeased at his leaving Sego without his permission, that Isaaco dare not return there. His object in wishing to have a hand in (or, as he thought, the management of) my affairs, was to replenish his own empty purse, and, by having a voice in my business before Modiba, once more ingratiate himself into his good graces. That I was not more faithfully served by those already employed than I should be by him, I was satisfied: but one, and one only, advantage did Giboodoo possess over him, namely, that of his being (through his brother Samba) on the best terms with Modiba, with whom I found it impossible to communicate in any other way than through this man, who, for all I either knew or could ascertain, appropriated a part of the presents sent by him to his own use: but, remedy I had none. Modiba would neither see me, nor any of my men, in consequence of his being led to believe, by the Mahomedan priests about him, that should he ever look on a white man he must die. I in vain offered to send two of my black men: it would not do; the superstition of those people made them all white, although not in outward appearance, at least in inward disposition.

Precluded as I thus was from a possibility of ascertaining what might be the conduct of Giboodoo at the Kaartan court, I took advantage of the only resource left me, namely, that of appearing to place the utmost confidence in him, and to hold out to him the prospect of a large reward, should he obtain from Modiba the desired escort and permission to proceed. He returned from Dhyage on the 7th, saying, that the king promised to settle my business without delay, for which purpose his head maraboo would come to me the following day: he did not, however, make his appearance until the 10th, when, judge my surprise at being told that Modiba was not yet satisfied with what I had given him.