RILEY. 117 



tion of all the African cities, where lofty structures of solid 

 stone, in which consists the magnificence of European ca- 

 pitals, are totally unknown. The queen, immensely fat, 

 »vras rather splendidly dressed in blue nankeen (the fine cot- 

 ton cloth of the country dyed with indigo) edged with gold 

 lace, and was lavishly ornamented with necklaces and ear- 

 rings of gold. The inhabitants, like most negroes, were 

 good-humoured, extremely gay, somewhat dissolute, and 

 passionat-ely fond of dancing, in which they spent great 

 part of the night. Yet they had furious quarrels, in de- 

 ciding which they employed, with desperation, not the fist 

 only, but even the teeth. Slaves, the commodity always 

 most eagerly sought after by the Moors, were procured by 

 those marauding expeditions which are the disgrace and 

 scourge of Central Africa. The citizens were accustomed 

 to set out monthly in parties of from one to five hundred, 

 and usually returned with a large supply. Slavery is, 

 moreover, the punishment for all offences of great magni- 

 tude, though it is not very frequently inflicted. 



James Riley, supercargo of the American brig Commerce, 

 sailing from Gibraltar to the Cape de Verd Islands, found 

 himself suddenly involved in fog and tempest. On the 28th 

 August, 1815, the vessel ran aground in the neighbourhood 

 of Cape Bojador. The crew, on landing, were assailed by 

 a small band of armed natives, whose appearance indicated 

 the utmost degree of poverty and ferocity. They began 

 forthwith an indiscriminate plunder, emptied trunks, boxes, 

 and casks, cut open the beds, and amused themselves with 

 seeing the feathers fly before the wind. The sailors, in the 

 mean while, were endeavouring to patch up their long-boat 

 as a means of escape, but were greatly mortified, on the ap- 

 proach of dawn, to observe from their shattered wreck, on 

 which they had passed a melancholy night, a much more 

 numerous band of these merciless savages. By perfidious 

 gestures addressed to the captain, whom they had recognised 

 as commander, they now induced Mr. Riley to land ; upon 

 which they put their daggers to his breast. He contrived, 

 however, by stratagem, to make his escape to the long-boat 

 which was attached to the ship, when the crew immediately 

 pushed out to sea, resolved to brave all the dangers of that 

 element. Accordingly they worked a little way along the 

 shore, incessantly employed in baling their crazy bark ; but 



