I 
DEPARTURE FROM BANDEIA. 281 
perfidy of his mistress, who after having taken from him all 
the amber he had received in my service, had deserted him. 
I was grieved to see this poor fellow ; he passed whole days in 
the woods without eating or drinking ; it was an amorous 
despair of which I did not believe a Negro to be susceptible. 
Seeing then that Ali, notwithstanding his attachment, could 
not be of any service to me, I tried to gain over his brother 
Saadou, by the promise of fifteen grains of amber. Saadou 
was not insensible to my offers ; he swore to serve me as a 
guide, and to keep my secret. 
June 12th. At sun-rise, Boukari and Saadou placed me 
on my ass, and we quitted Bandeia, directing our course 
towards the west. My joy was very great when I saw myself 
out of Bandeia ; the appearance of the country added if 
possible to the pleasure which I felt ; the rains had restored 
the verdure of which it had been stripped by the drought. 
The signs of spring every where presented themselves ; the 
flocks were grazing in the rich pasturage, which now covered 
those very spots, where I had before seen nothing but desola 
tion ; for the first time I felt the full value of my liberty, and 
notwithstanding the feeble state to which I was reduced, I had 
no doubt that I shoukl be able to reach the European settle- 
ments. I had, however, much difficulty to keep niy seat on my 
ass, to which six weeks' liberty had restored his headstrong 
disposition. 
At an early hour we arrived at a hamlet, composed of a few 
o o 
