106 TRAVELS IN THE 
Daisy, having consulted with his chief men about the best 
means of repelling so formidable an enemy, returned an answer 
of defiance, and made a Bushreen write in Arabic, upon a piece 
of thin board, a sort of proclamation, which was suspended to 
a tree in the public square ; and a number of aged men were 
sent to different places to explain it to the common people. 
This proclamation called upon all the friends of Daisy to join 
him immediately ; but to such as had no arms, or were afraid 
to enter into the war, permission was given to retire into any 
of the neighbouring kingdoms ; and it was added, that provided 
they observed a strict neutrality, they should always be welcome 
to return to their former habitations ; if, however, they took 
any active part against Kaarta, they had then " broken the key 
of their huts, and could never afterwards enter the door." Such 
was the expression. 
This proclamation was very generally applauded : but many 
of the Kaartans, and amongst others the powerful tribes of Jower 
and Kakaroo, availing themselves of the indulgent clause, retired 
from Daisy's dominions, and took refuge in Ludamar and Kas- 
son. By means of these desertions, Daisy's army was not so 
numerous as might have been expected ; and when I was at 
Kemmoo, the whole number of effective men, according to re- 
port, did not exceed four thousand ; but they were men of 
spirit and enterprize, and could be depended on. 
On the 22d of February (four days after my arrival at Jarra), 
Mansong, with his army, advanced towards Kemmoo ; and 
Daisy, without hazarding a battle, retired to Joko, a town to 
the north-west of Kemmoo, where he remained three days, and 
