V 
INTERIOR OF AFRICA. 339 
were found to be missing. Every person immediately concluded 
that the slaves had murdered the freeman, and made their escape. 
It was therefore agreed that six people should go back as far as 
the last village, and endeavour to find his body, or collect some 
information concerning theslaves. In the meantime the coffle was 
ordered to lie concealed in a cotton field near a large nitta tree, 
and nobody to speak except in a whisper. It was towards 
morning before the six men returned, having heard nothing of 
the man or the slaves. As none of us had tasted victuals for 
the last twenty-four hours, it was agreed that we should go 
into Koba, and endeavour to procure some provisions. We 
accordingly entered the town before it was quite day, and 
Karfa purchased from the chief man, for three strings of beads, 
a considerable quantity of ground nuts, which we roasted and 
eat for breakfast : we were afterwards provided with huts, 
and rested here for the day. 
About eleven o'clock, to our great joy and surprise, the free- 
man and slaves, who had parted from the coffle the preced- 
ing night, entered the town. One of the slaves, it seems, had 
hurt his foot, and the night being very dark, they soon lost 
sight of the coffle. The freeman, as soon as he found himself 
alone with the slaves, was aware of his own danger, and 
insisted on putting them in irons. The slaves were at first 
rather unwilling to submit, but when he threatened to stab them 
one by one with his spear, they made no further resistance ; 
and he remained with them among the bushes until morning, 
when he let them out of irons, and came to the town in hopes 
of hearing which route the coffle had taken. The information 
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