directions, and in such abundance that I fancied the water itself tasted and smelt fishy.  As soon as we had crossed the river, Karfa gave orders that all the people of the coffle should in future keep close together, and travel in their proper station.  The guides and young men were accordingly placed in the van, the women and slaves in the centre, and the freemen in the rear.  In this order we travelled with uncommon expedition through a woody but beautiful country, interspersed with a pleasing variety of hill and dale, and abounding with partridges, guinea-fowl, and deer, until sunset, when we arrived at a most romantic stream, called Co-meissang.  My arms and neck having been exposed to the sun during the whole day, and irritated by the rubbing of my dress in walking, were now very much inflamed and covered with blisters, and I was happy to embrace the opportunity, while the coffle rested on the bank of the river, to bathe myself in the stream.  This practice, together with the cool of the evening, much diminished the inflammation.  About three miles to the westward of the Co-meissang we halted in a thick wood and kindled our fires for the night.  We were all by this time very much fatigued, having, as I judged, travelled this day thirty miles, but no person was heard to complain.  Whilst supper was preparing, Karfa made one of the slaves break some branches from the trees for my bed.  When we had finished our supper of kouskous, moistened with some boiling water, and put the slaves in irons, we all lay down to sleep; but we were frequently disturbed in the night by the howling of wild beasts, and we found the small brown ants very troublesome.

April 24.—­Before daybreak the bushreens said their morning prayers, and most of the free people drank a little moening (a sort of gruel), part of which was likewise given to such of the slaves as appeared least able to sustain the fatigues of the day.  One of Karfa’s female slaves was very sulky, and when some gruel was offered to her she refused to drink it.  As soon as day dawned we set out, and travelled the whole morning over a wild and rocky country, by which my feet were much bruised, and I was sadly apprehensive that I should not he able to keep up with the coffle during the day; but I was in a great measure relieved from this anxiety when I observed that others were more exhausted than myself.  In particular, the woman slave who had refused victuals in the morning began now to lag behind, and complain dreadfully of pains in her legs.  Her load was taken from her and given to another slave, and she was ordered to keep in the front of the coffle.  About eleven o’clock, as we were resting by a small rivulet, some of the people discovered a hive of bees in a hollow tree, and they were proceeding to obtain the honey when the largest swarm I ever beheld flew out, and, attacking the people of the coffle, made us fly in all directions.  I took the alarm first, and, I believe, was the only person who escaped