The King, who affected to appear ignorant of the whole affair,
demanded an account of the injuries I complained of, and told me
that if any of his subjects should dare to attempt our lives, it
should cost him his own. We were not, replied I, in danger of being
stabbed or poisoned, but are doomed to a more lingering and painful
death by that prohibition which obliges your subjects to deny us the
necessaries of life; if it be Your Highness's pleasure that we die
here, we entreat that we may at least be despatched quickly, and not
condemned to longer torments. The King, startled at this discourse,
denied that he had given any such orders, and was very importunate
to know the author of our intelligence, but finding me determined
not to discover him, he sent me away with a promise that for the
future we should be furnished with everything we wanted, and indeed
that same day we bought three goats for about a crown, and some
honey, and found ourselves better treated than before.



Chapter VII



They obtain leave, with some difficulty, to depart from Dancali.
The difficulties of their march. A broil with the Moors. They
arrive at the plain of salt.


This usage, with some differences we had with a Moor, made us very
desirous of leaving this country, but we were still put off with one