TRAVELLING ADVENTURE. 121 
which we had taken in coming, but the woods were so thick 
and the road so ill defined, that we lost ourselves. We tra- 
velled on at random without knowing whither, till ten o'clock 
at night, when we met with a marabout who was tending 
his flock. We requested him to direct us to the camp ; he 
gave us equivocal answers, and told us first one way and then 
another, leaving us more uncertain than ever as to which we 
should take. We suffered terribly from thirst, for we had 
found no water on our journey, and followed the marabout 
for a long time, begging him for the love of God to show us 
the way ; the holy man amused himself at our expense, and 
purposely kept back his cattle. We perceived that he was 
afraid lest we should attend him home, and oblige him to 
give us a supper ; we were very hungry but we assured him 
that we did not want any thing to eat, and cared for nothing 
but a drop of water. He hesitated a long time, and at last, 
yielding to our entreaties, he gave us a cow to serve as our 
guide. As soon as the poor animal was set at liberty, she ran 
towards the camp, lowing • and we soon heard her calf an- 
swer : the cow proceeded to the thorn enclosure, and we to 
the tents, where we were better received than the behaviour 
of the marabout had led us to expect. All the marabouts 
welcomed me with great politeness, and made me recite 
prayers that they might judge of my progress by the num- 
ber I could repeat; after this the marabout's son and I had 
sangleh for supper, but our companions had nothing but milk. 
On the 5th of April, we arrived at the camp it had 
removed three miles to the east since we left, and was now 
near a marsh named Tiartiaka. 
On the 6th, I was told that the governor had passed the 
port on his way to Podor, and that on his return he would 
stop to have an interview with king Hamet-Dou ; I was 
informed also that he had expressed a wish to see me. I 
desired most ardently to have an interview with him and 
did all that lay in my power to set off again immediately. But 
