OF HIS VISIT TO FUNDAH. 257 



herbs in a sort of mortar, mixing them with 

 water, the women sitting quietly looking on. 

 The liquid, which was of a greenish colour, was 

 poured into two calabashes, and the women 

 drank it off without any apparent reluctance. 

 They then commenced walking quickly up and 

 down the court, drinking large quantities of 

 water from a calabash placed in the centre of it. 

 In about half an hour, they both began to stag- 

 ger, and totter in their walk ; and in a few mi- 

 nutes more the tragedy was ended by their fall- 

 ing flat on the ground and expiring in apparently 

 dreadful agonies. The natives seemed accus- 

 tomed to such scenes, and stated that it was the 

 punishment for stealing the king's yams. 



" In the evening I had another interview with 

 the king, and found it impossible to procure 

 either the goods or payment ; indeed, I was 

 abused and threatened ; and knowing that my 

 return would be anxiously looked for by Mr. 

 Laird, I determined to leave in the morning, and 

 demanded horses from the king for that purpose. 

 His majesty, however, would neither lend us 

 horses, nor suffer us to hire them ; and on the 

 30th we departed on foot for our boat. 



" We passed through the city, followed by a 



VOL. I. s 



