I would not walk out in the wet I should soon be well. I determined
to follow his advice, and confine myself to my hut, but was still
tormented with the fever, and my health continued to be in a very
precarious state for five ensuing weeks. Sometimes I could crawl
out of the hut, and sit a few hours in the open air; at other times
I was unable to rise, and passed the lingering hours in a very
gloomy and solitary manner. I was seldom visited by any person
except my benevolent landlord, who came daily to inquire after my
health.

When the rains became less frequent, and the country began to grow
dry, the fever left me, but in so debilitated a condition that I
could scarcely stand upright; and it was with great difficulty that
I could carry my mat to the shade of a tamarind-tree, at a short
distance, to enjoy the refreshing smell of the cornfields, and
delight my eyes with a prospect of the country. I had the pleasure
at length to find myself in a state of convalescence, towards which
the benevolent and simple manners of the negroes, and the perusal of
Karfa's little volume, greatly contributed.

In the meantime many of the slatees who reside at Kamalia having
spent all their money, and become in a great measure dependent upon
Karfa's hospitality, beheld me with an eye of envy, and invented
many ridiculous and trifling stories to lessen me in Karfa's esteem.
And in the beginning of December a Serawoolli slatee, with five
slaves, arrived from Sego; this man, too, spread a number of
malicious reports concerning me, but Karfa paid no attention to
them, and continued to show me the same kindness as formerly. As I
was one day conversing with the slaves which this slatee had
brought, one of them begged me to give him some victuals. I told