FAMINE AT DIAFANE. 
309 
found my strength fail me, but also experienced a kind of 
irritation throughout my system, which I verily believe 
would eventually have driven me mad. 
June 28th. I experienced no relief from change of place ; 
Diafane, where we slept, was suffering from famine. As the 
Pagans of this country are not hospitable, I expected this day to 
have terminated my life. Notwithstanding the state of debility 
in which I languished, the strong cravings of hunger gave me 
strength, and I set off for Combade, where at last we were able to 
purchase food ; but to procure it we were obliged to part with 
my faithfid Boukari's hat in exchange for a little rice ; his 
tunic paid for my dinner, and for the services of a guide, who 
was to conduct me as far as the country of Kabou. The 
difficulty of purchasing corn arose from the circumstance 
that the Negroes were just then putting their seed into the 
ground, when they use all they have left, and subsist upon 
roots. My coral and amber were of little value among a 
people wise enough to despise ornaments ; I might, therefore, 
have perished from hunger in this country. 
July 1st. I quitted Combade ; which place I could not 
leave sooner, because my guide, who was a blacksmith, was 
engaged before my departure in collecting all the debts owing 
to him. Having left the mountainous country behind us, we 
had now nothing but plains to traverse, the soil of which was 
sandy, consequently we marched quicker and with more ease. 
To the west we had the chain of mountains of Koly ; they are 
