810 
CHELICUT. 
dow had departed from the coast. No alternative now remain- 
ing, the party was compelled to proceed. 
During the two following days they advanced without moles- 
tation, until they reached the northern boundary of the salt- 
plain, where Alii Manda having arrived among his friends, 
pretended to treat the party with extraordinary attention, and 
presented the people with two kids and a quantity of milk ; which^ 
unfortunately, proved only the prelude to a second exhibition of 
knavery. On Mr. Pearce proposing to recommence their journey 
Alii Manda with seeming good-nature assented, and gave instant 
orders for the camels to be prepared ; shortly after, the boy, to 
whom he had given the order, came running back in a hurry, and 
whispered something in his master's ear ; on which the hypocrite 
rose up, apparently in the most violent passion, and turning to 
Mr. Pearce with well-atFected sorrow, told him, that all the 
camels had run away \' this intelligence at once opened Mr. 
Pearce's eyes to the farce Alii Manda had been acting, and he 
now in his turn manifested a burst of rage and indignation, which 
the other had only dissimulated, feeling greatly disposed to close 
the scene at once, by shooting the rascal, who, for the instant, 
stood abashed before him. The safety of his attendants again 
restrained his just resentment, and seeing no remedy, he coolly 
sat himself down, made a rude kind of tent to shelter himself 
from the sun, and determined patiently to abide the result of 
AUi Manda' s nefarious practises. 
At length, after remaining three days on the spot, during 
which he was incessantly pestered by the natives for presents. 
Alii Manda returned to him with the news, that eight of the 
