164 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
theless a slave bought and sold. Osman, who 
had no scruples of that kind, very willingly un- 
dertook to do it for me, and I have no doubt 
made something by it. 
Thus terminated an unfortunate affair which, 
although wholly providential, was certainly of 
such an unpleasant nature as to cause deep re- 
gret to all our party ; but which did not appear 
to make any more impression on the minds of 
the natives, than if the deceased had been a bul- 
lock ; so little is the life of a slave noticed in 
that country. 
The weather had then begun to be more set- 
tled and dry, and the sick, with the exception of 
three Europeans (a sergeant and two privates), 
were improving rapidly. The approach, too, of 
the dry season, which was daily making itself 
more evident, and the hope of being thereby 
enabled to resume our march to the east, in a 
great measure alleviated the disagreeable na- 
ture of our halt, which had then become ex- 
tremely irksome to all. The arrival of the 
French trading fleet from St. Louis, at Galam, 
commanded by an officer whom I had the plea- 
sure of knowing at Senegal, and who, on his 
way to Boolibany, had called to see me, also 
tended, in a great degree, to give new vigour to 
our proceedings. The idea alone of having 
near, if not with us, people of our own colour. 
