frequently lay down the whole day out of his sight, in a field of
corn--conscious how burdensome I was to him and his family in a time
of such great scarcity--yet I found that he was apprised of my
situation; and one morning, as I feigned to be asleep by the fire,
he observed to his wife that they were likely to find me a very
troublesome and chargeable guest; for that, in my present sickly
state, they should be obliged, for the sake of their good name, to
maintain me until I recovered or died.

The scarcity of provisions was certainly felt at this time most
severely by the poor people, as the following circumstance most
painfully convinced me:- Every evening during my stay I observed
five or six women come to the mansa's house, and receive each of
them a certain quantity of corn. As I knew how valuable this
article was at this juncture, I inquired of the mansa whether he
maintained these poor women from pure bounty, or expected a return
when the harvest should be gathered in. "Observe that boy," said he
(pointing to a fine child about five years of age); "his mother has
sold him to me for forty days' provision for herself and the rest of
her family. I have bought another boy in the same manner." Good
God! thought I, what must a mother suffer before she sells her own
child! I could not get this melancholy subject out of my mind; and
the next night, when the women returned for their allowance, I
desired the boy to point out to me his mother, which he did. She
was much emaciated, but had nothing cruel or savage in her
countenance; and when she had received her corn, she came and talked
to her son with as much cheerfulness as if he had still been under
her care.

September 6.--Two people arrived from Sibidooloo, bringing with them