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In the interim, it began to be whispered abroad, that I had received
plenty of gold from Salim Daucari; and on the morning of the 23d, Sambo
Sego paid me a visit with a party of horsemen. He insisted upon knowing
the exact amount of the money I had obtained; declaring, that whatever
the sum was, one half of it must go to the king; besides which, he
intimated that he expected a handsome present for himself, as being the
king's sons and for his attendants, as being the king's relations. The
reader will easily perceive, that if all these demands had been
satisfied, I should not have been overburdened with money; but though it
was very mortifying to me to comply with the demands of injustice, and so
arbitrary an exaction, yet, thinking it was highly dangerous to make a
foolish resistance, and irritate the lion when within the reach of his
paw, I prepared to submit; and if Salim Daucari had not interposed, all
my endeavours to mitigate this oppressive claim would have been of no
avail, Salim at last prevailed upon Sambo to accept sixteen bars of
European merchandize, and some powder and ball, as a complete payment of
every demand that could be made upon me in the kingdom of Kasson.

January 26th. In the forenoon, I went to the top of a high hill to the
southward of Soolo, where I had a most enchanting prospect of the
country. The number of towns and villages, and the extensive cultivation
around them, surpassed every thing I had yet seen in Africa. A gross
calculation may be formed of the number of inhabitants in this delightful
plain, by considering, that the King of Kasson can raise four thousand
fighting men by the sound of his war-drum. In traversing the rocky
eminences of this hill, which are almost destitute of vegetation, I
observed a number of large holes in the crevices and fissures of the
rocks, where the wolves and hyaenas take refuge during the day. Some of
these animals paid us a visit on the evening of the 27th: their approach
was discovered by the dogs of the village; and on this occasion it is
remarkable, that the dogs did not bark, but howl in the most dismal
manner. The inhabitants of the village no sooner heard them than, knowing
the cause, they armed themselves; and providing bunches of dry grass,
went in a body to the inclosure in the middle of the village where the
cattle were kept. Here they lighted the bunches of grass, and, waving
them to and fro, ran hooping and hallooing towards the hills. This
manoeuvre had the desired effect of frightening the wolves away from the
village; but, on examination, we found that they had killed five of the
cattle, and torn and wounded many others.

February 1st. The messengers arrived from Kaarta, and brought
intelligence that the war had not yet commenced between Bambarra and
Kaarta, and that I might probably pass through Kaarta before the Bambarra
army invaded that country.

Feb. 3d. Early in the morning, two guides on horseback came from
Kooniakary to conduct me to the frontiers of Kaarta. I accordingly took
leave of Salim Daucari, and parted for the last time from my
fellow-traveller the blacksmith, whose kind solicitude for my welfare had
been so conspicuous; and about ten o'clock departed from Soolo. We
travelled this day through a rocky and hilly country, along the banks of
the river Krieko, and at sunset came to the village of Soomo, where we
slept.

Feb. 4th. We departed from Soomo, and continued our route along the banks
of the Krieko, which are everywhere well cultivated, and swarm with
inhabitants. At this time they were increased by the number of people
that had flown thither from Kaarta, on account of the Bambarra war. In
the afternoon we reached Kimo, a large village, the residence of Madi
Konko, governor of the hilly country of Kasson, which is called Sorroma,
From hence the guides appointed by the King of Kasson returned, to join
in the expedition against Kajaaga; and I waited until the 6th, before I
could prevail on Madi Konko to appoint me a guide to Kaarta.

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