The poor slave was now so completely exhausted that his master was
obliged to release him from the rope, for he lay motionless on the
ground. A Serawoolli, therefore, undertook to remain with him and
endeavour to bring him to the town during the cool of the night; in
the meanwhile we continued our route, and after a very hard day's
travel, arrived at Baniserile late in the evening.

One of our slatees was a native of this place, from which he had
been absent three years. This man invited me to go with him to his
house, at the gate of which his friends met him with many
expressions of joy, shaking hands with him, embracing him, and
singing and dancing before him. As soon as he had seated himself
upon a mat by the threshold of his door, a young woman (his intended
bride) brought a little water in a calabash, and, kneeling down
before him, desired him to wash his hands; when he had done this the
girl, with a tear of joy sparkling in her eyes, drank the water--
this being considered as the greatest proof she could possibly give
him of her fidelity and attachment. About eight o'clock the same
evening the Serawoolli who had been left in the woods to take care
of the fatigued slave returned and told us that he was dead; the
general opinion, however, was that he himself had killed him or left
him to perish on the road, for the Serawoollies are said to be
infinitely more cruel in their treatment of slaves than the
Mandingoes. We remained at Baniserile two days, in order to
purchase native iron, shea-butter, and some other articles for sale
on the Gambia; and here the slatee who had invited me to his house,
and who possessed three slaves, part of the coffle, having obtained
information that the price on the coast was very low, determined to
separate from us and remain with his slaves where he was until an
opportunity should offer of disposing of them to advantage--giving