290 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
he said that he had some business to transact 
with the chiefs of Upper Galam, but that if once 
settled, he would not give me farther delay. 
He made much inquiry respecting my transac- 
tions with Almamy Bondoo, and said that his 
conduct to me was of a piece with all his for- 
mer acts. He expressed his regret that I had 
not demanded assistance from Modiba when I 
found it was Almamy's intention to deceive me, 
and was much surprised when I told him that, 
although I was very badly treated by the 
princes and chiefs of Bondoo, I did not consider 
myself authorized, much less feel inclined, to 
bring war into their country. As only a part of 
the Kaartan force was bivouacked near our huts, 
I went to the adjoining towns for the purpose of 
ascertaining their numbers, which I found to 
amount to about one thousand, all horse. They 
had made one hundred and seven prisoners, 
chiefly women and children, and had taken 
about two hundred and forty head of cattle. 
Many of these unfortunate beings were known 
to me. The men were tied in pairs by the 
necks, their hands secured behind their backs ; 
the women by the necks only, but their hands 
were not left free from any sense of feeling for 
them, but in order to enable them to balance 
the immense loads of pangs, corn or rice, which 
tliey were forced to carry on their heads, and 
