96 
AFRICAN SLAVERY. 
hind me, who being unable to travel as fast as the caravan, 
would inevitably have fallen a prey to the lions ; the heat of 
the day and the fatig-ues of the night threw us all into a pro- 
found sleep ; but I was soon roused by the cries of my com- 
panions. A Negro belonging to the caravan had gone into 
the thicker part of the wood, in quest of honeycombs ; 
perceiving him at a distance they did not at first recognize 
him, and took him for a Joloff slave, a runaway from Fou- 
tatoro ; they therefore set off in pursuit of him, with loud 
shouts. I am certain that they would not have pursued a Moor 
in this manner ; however, instead of rejoicing to see one of 
their countrymen escaped from the chains of their enemies, 
they were severely chagrined at the disappointment. 
This trait will serve to show that a man who has once 
fallen into slavery in Africa, cannot change his master except 
by escaping from bondage ; he is never restored to liberty, 
unless the person to whom he belongs formally makes him 
free. . . <■ 
When the east wind had ceased to blow, every body rose 
to continue the journey ; we then perceived that a great 
number of our companions were lame ; a mother had given 
up her horse to mount her son who was hurt upon it ; but the 
husbands and the fathers permitted their wives and their 
daughters to trudge on foot without pity : thus in every country 
maternal love is the strongest of human affections. As for myself, 
not having wholly renounced the sentiments of a European, I 
