to receive five bars; and before my departure I wrote a few lines to Dr
Laidley, and gave my letter to the master of a caravan bound for the
Gambia. This caravan consisted of nine or ten people with five asses
loaded with ivory. The large teeth are conveyed in nets, two on each side
of the ass; the small ones are wrapped up in skins, and secured with
ropes.

December 14th. We left Tallika, and rode on very peaceably for
about two miles, when a violent quarrel arose between two of my
fellow-travellers,--one of whom was the blacksmith,--in the course of
which they bestowed some opprobrious terms upon each other; and it is
worthy of remark, that an African will sooner forgive a blow than a term
of reproach applied to his ancestors: "Strike me, but do not curse my
mother," is a common expression even among the slaves. This sort of
abuse, therefore, so enraged one of the disputants, that he drew his
cutlass upon the blacksmith, and would certainly have ended the dispute
in a very serious manner, if the others had not laid hold of him, and
wrested the cutlass from him. I was obliged to interfere, and put an end
to this disagreeable business, by desiring the blacksmith to be silent,
and telling the other who I thought was in the wrong, that if he
attempted in future to draw his cutlass, or molest any of my attendants,
I should look upon him as a robber, and shoot him without further
ceremony. This threat had the desired effect, and we marched sullenly
along till the afternoon, when we arrived at a number of small villages
scattered over an open and fertile plain: At one of these, called Ganado,
we took up our residence for the night; here an exchange of presents and
a good supper terminated all animosities among my attendants; and the
night was far advanced before any of us thought of going to sleep. We
were amused by an itinerant _singing man_,[7] who told a number of
diverting stories, and played some sweet airs, by blowing his breath upon