king’s son ; 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 overburthened 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 o f 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 o f large holes in the crevices and fissures of the rocks, where the wolves and hycenas 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 it 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, i' 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. gd. 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 every where well cultivated, and swarm with inhabitants. I At this time they were increased by the number of people that had flowri thither from Kaarta, on account of:the Bambarra war. ' In the afternoon we reached Kimo, a large village, the residence',of N
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