MR. BROWN'S MISSION ASHORE, 259 



king or Gabbreducco, I was not apprehensive of 

 that, being well aware that the greatest injury 

 they could inflict on me would be to cut off my 

 provisions. Of yams we stood greatly in need, 

 having an allowance of half a pound with four 

 ounces of rice for dinner. I sent for the woman 

 who traded for us, and ordered her to go to 

 market and purchase all the rice and yams she 

 could meet with : she returned, after having 

 purchased a few bags of rice, and thirty or forty 

 very small yams. 



As Abboka had warned me not to comply 

 with an invitation to the king, on the follow- 

 ing day, I requested Mr. Brown to go to him, 

 and make further inquiries into this scheme 

 against us, and to ascertain whether Abboka was 

 deceived himself, or deceiving me. This I 

 could not believe ; for, although he was not li- 

 beral in his presents, which might probably arise 

 from his poverty, he had always behaved as our 

 best friend. 



On Mr. Brown's return, he stated, that Ab- 

 boka, having placed his two fetishes before him, 

 had solemnly confirmed the statement he had 

 already made, and added moreover, that the 

 Eboe people were preparing to plunder the 



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