appear strange that I should feel myself in love with a black
woman, I will not deny but that I was so. I could not help being so,
and that is all the excuse I can offer.

Our guards now informed us that we were about to pass for a few miles
through the territory of another king, and that they were not sure
what our reception might be; but this was soon made evident, for we
observed a party behind us, which moved as we moved, although they did
not attack us; and soon afterwards a larger body in front were
blocking up our passage, and we found that we were beset. The
commander of our party, therefore, gave orders for battle, and he put
into our hands strong spears, they being the only weapons we could
use, and entreated us to fight. Our party was greatly outnumbered by
the enemy, but ours were chosen warriors. As for us white men, we kept
together, agreeing among ourselves, that we would defend ourselves if
attacked, but would not offend either party by taking an unnecessary
part in the fray, as it was immaterial to us to whom we belonged.

The battle, or rather skirmish, soon began. They dispersed, and shot
their arrows from behind the trees, and this warfare continued some
time without damage to either party, till at last they attacked us
closely; then, our commander killing that of the enemy, they gave way
just as another party was coming forward to attack us white men; but
finding us resolute in our defence, and our own warriors coming to our
assistance, the rout was general. They could not, however, prevent
some prisoners from being taken; most of them wounded with the
bird-arrows, which, having their barbs twisted in the form of an S,
gave great pain in their extraction. I observed that a particular herb
chewed, and bound up with the bleeding wound, was their only remedy,
and that when the bone was injured, they considered the wound mortal.

We now turned to the eastward to get back into our own territory; we
left the prisoners and wounded at a village, and receiving a
reinforcement, we took a circuit to avoid this hostile people, and
continued our route. On the eighth morning, just as we were stopping
to repose, one of the warriors, who had mounted a hill before us,
shouted and waved his hand. We ran up to him, and as soon as we gained
the summit, were transported with the sight of the British flag flying
on Senegal fort, on the other side of the river. We now understood
that by some means or another we had bee