130 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
the return of a messenger he had sent to ascer- 
tain the state of the path by which we were to 
travel, and with many such frivolous excuses he 
put us off from day to day until the S3rd of 
June, when he appointed a guide, and told us 
we might depart when we pleased. Preparations 
were made for moving on the following morning, 
and we had determined that not a moment 
should be lost in getting out of Almamy's power. 
We were however again to suffer disappointment 
and delay, for the same night at a late hour Al- 
mamy sent his son Saada, to let us know that in 
consequence of his having received information 
of the destruction of several of the towns of 
Kasson by the Kartans, he could not allow us 
to proceed until he had sent a messenger to as- 
certain its truth. I endeavoured to shew Saada 
that I thought better of the report, and said that 
T would, if Almamy allowed me, go on even with- 
out a guide ; but it would not do : he said his 
father (who now considered us his friends and 
strangers) dare not permit us to run into danger 
when he could prevent it. This was a very plau- 
sible excuse no doubt, but we were aware that 
the whole was a plan to keep us in his country 
as long as he could. We nevertheless told Saada 
that we would wait a day or two longer in order 
to give his father's messenger time to return. 
The men who had been left at Goodeerie to 
