PARK S FIRST JOURNEY. 89 



savage man, he soon found himself involved in a danger 

 still more alarmmg. He was in the midst of an immense 

 desert, in which was neither food nor a drop of water. 

 Having ascended the loftiest tree within his reach, he could 

 see no boundary to the scene of desolation. The pangs of 

 thirst became intolerable, a dimness spread over his eyes, 

 and he felt as if this life, with all its mingled joys and mi- 

 series, was about to close, — as if all the hopes of glory by 

 which he had been impelled to this adventurous career had 

 vanished, and he was to perish at the moment when a few 

 days more would have brought him to the Niger. Sud- 

 denly he saw a flash of lightning, and eagerly hailed it as a 

 portent of rain ; the wind then began to blow among the 

 bushes, but it was a sand-wind which continued for an hour 

 to fill the air. At last there burst forth a brighter flash, 

 followed by a refreshing shower, which being received upon 

 his clothes, and the moisture wrung out, gave him new Ufe. 

 He travelled onwards, passing, but carefully shunning, a 

 village of the Moors, when thirst, imperfectly satisfied, be- 

 gan again to torment him. Then he heard a heavenly 

 sound — the croaking of frogs ; and soon reached the muddy 

 pools which they inhabited, when the thirst both of himself 

 and his horse was thoroughly quenched. He came to a 

 Foulah village, called Sherillah, where the dooty, or chief 

 magistrate, shut the door in his face, and refused him a 

 handful of corn ; however, in passing the suburbs, a poor 

 woman, who was spinning cotton in front of her hut, in- 

 vited him to enter, and set before him a dish of kouskous. 

 Next day he was hospitably received by a negro shepherd, 

 who regaled him with dates and boiled corn ; but happen- 

 ing to pronounce the word Nazarani (Christian), the wife 

 and children screamed and ran out of the house, to which 

 nothing could induce them to return. 



At Wawra, Park considered himself beyond the reach of 

 the Moors ; and, being kindly received, determined to rest 

 two or three days. When he was known to be on his way 

 to Sego, the capital, several women came and besought him 

 to ask the king about their sons, who had been taken away 

 to the army. One had neither seen nor heard of hers for 

 several years ; she declared he was no heathen, but said 

 his prayers daily, and that he was often the subject of her 

 dreams. Leaving this place he came to Dingyee, where 



