April.] VISIT FROM MAHOOMOO-PELOO. 131 
berg. Since his flight from the colony he had 
been living among different tribes in the interior, 
but confessed he was very unhappy. I offered to 
intercede with his master on my return. He said 
he had got a taste of liberty, loved it, and felt 
reluctant to return to slavery ; if the Missionary 
Society would satisfy his master for him, he 
would work at any of their stations, till he had re- 
paid the amount ; or if his master would consent 
to sell his liberty at a reasonable price, he thought 
he could obtain the amount in elephants' teeth. I 
told him if he chose he might accompany me on my 
journey higher up into the interior, during which 
some plan might be devised for obtaining the 
object of his wishes ; to which he consented. 
At all our meals during the day the front of 
our tent was crowded with spectators to the 
distance of six or seven yards. Mahoomoo-Peloo 
and his wife sat opposite to me when we took 
our tea, and a basin of it with a slice of bread 
was given to him, both of which he divided with 
his wife, and likewise gave a little to the cap- 
tains who sat near him. He had had four wives, 
three of whom had left him ; one of these was 
a sister to Mateebe, who on coming to her 
brother, and telling her complaints, was given to 
one of the oldest captains for a wife. Mahoomoo 
seems to treat his present wife with great kind- 
ness : indeed when they have more wives than 
K 2 
