TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
29 
were in circulation j but it is scarcely possible 
that a being of the most ignorant and unsophis- 
ticated nation on earth could believe them. 
On the 13th, Sergeant Tuft, who was still at 
the king's camp, sent Brahima to inform Captain 
Campbell that as there did not yet appear any 
probability of obtaining permission to proceed, 
he recommended that he should himself see Al- 
mamy, with as little delay as possible 5 and it 
appearing to Captain Campbell, as well as all 
the other officers, that some decisive answer 
should be obtained from the king, he left the 
camp on the morning of the l6th, accompanied 
by Mr. Partarrieau, and four men (natives) with 
a train of carriers, amounting in all to about 
eighteen persons ; they were soon followed by 
the prince and his suite. They had not gone 
long when we received a letter from Lamima, 
the messenger sent to Sego from Senegal in 
18 16, apprising us that he, together with some 
men from the king, were on their way to meet 
us. It was time that some decisive step should 
be taken : our animals were dying fast ; provi- 
sions were extremely scarce j and the wet sea- 
son had that evening set in, by visiting us with 
a heavy shower of rain, which lasted for an 
hour, and proved that our huts were not calcu- 
lated to secure us from a wetting. 
Captain Campbell did not return before the 
