Inferior Tarts of Afrka, 7 1 



<oncerninp; tlie neighbouring nations. At two feveral times 

 •aravans from the wellern Barbaiy pafled through on their 

 way to VangAra. With either of thefe I would gladly havcJ 

 ftole away, but I found it impoffiblc to cffeft my defign. lit 

 One of my rambles I got acquainted with the richeft mci'- 

 chant in the town, named Koobi. This man carried on a 

 confiderable trade, conftaritly keeping t\i^o caravan-teams of a 

 hundred and lixteeri beafts of burden, and a number of (laves 

 on the road. One of his Haves, an ingenious and a6live young 

 man, diverted me at times by relating a variety of circum- 

 i^ances concerning his travels; and, among other things, t 

 «;ot out of him an accurate account of the march-route into 

 I'he greater Barbary.-^NoW came on the rainy feafon, wh^ 

 the king never rode out, going only to the temple and pr6- 

 mulgating his decrees in the court of the palace. I had there- 

 fore more time to prepare fecretly for my flight, by exercifing 

 myfelf in pronouncing the hard words in the language of thd 

 country, learning of the afore- mentioned flave the moll or- 

 liriary expreflions in the langiiage of the neighbouring na- 

 tions, and the like. One day, the king, fnowing me a muf- 

 quet with a broken ihoulderpiece, afked me whether the 

 workman in wood that I was acquainted with was capa- 

 ble of making another. I faid I would fhow him the flock ; 

 and, taking it with me, T myfelf made a new flock, which 

 pleafcd the king fo well, that he prefented me with fifty 

 zimpos. 



*' At the end of the rainy feafon I putpofed to get off by 

 flcalth ; but my defign was fruftrated by the breaking out of 

 a war between my king and the king of Vangara. We 

 haflened to the field as fafl as pofTible, and the army was al- 

 ready muflered by the 24th of July ; and though, as the 

 rainy feafon was not entirely over, the foldiers were obliged 

 to march, for half the day, up to the middle in water, vet 

 thev were fliil alert and courap-eous. The kino; of Vangara 

 perhaps thought it impoflible for our army to pufh on through 

 the valleys overflowed with water, in order to come at his 

 frontiers ; but he was miftaken. — Our king, likewife, made 

 ufe of a ftratagcm to prevent the king of Vangara from know- 

 ing' when his army was to begin their march. On the 22'^ 



