pine, enslavement, and bloodshed.

Whenever a town is deprived of its chief, the inhabitants acknowledge
no law; anarchy, troubles, and confusion immediately prevail, and
until a successor is appointed, all labour is at an end. The stronger
oppress the weak, and perpetrate every species of crime, without
being amenable to any tribunal for their actions. Private property is
no longer respected, and thus, before a person arrives to curb its
licentiousness, a town is not unfrequently reduced from a flourishing
state of prosperity and of happiness to all the horrors of
desolation.

Considerable surprise was now excited at the delay of the messenger,
who was sent to Badagry for the horses, on which they placed so much
value, for he had not yet returned, although he promised to be back
in four days from the time of his departure. As he had exceeded the
time by a whole day, and being a native of Badagry, the travellers
had given up all hopes of again seeing either him or the horse, or
even the message sword they had lent him as a token that he had been
sent by them. Positive assurances were given them that leave would be
granted to depart from Jenna on the following week, but as they had
only one horse, they would be obliged to take it in turns to ride, or
procure a hammock, which it would be a difficult thing to get, and
attended with considerable expense.

In the mean time, the devoted old queen dowager engrossed the chief
part of their attention, although her doom was inevitably fixed, yet
her cheerfulness appeared rather to increase, and she seemed
determined to spin out her thread of life to its utmost limit; spies
were now set over her, and she was not permitted to go out of
the yard.

On Monday the 12th of April, the travellers had the customary visit
to their yard of a long line of women, who came every morning with
rueful countenances and streaming eyes to lament the approaching
death of the old widow. They wept, they beat their breast and tore
their hair; they moaned, and exhibited all manner of violent
affliction at the expected deprivation. Perhaps their sorrow was
sincere, perhaps it was feigned; at all events their lamentations
were ungovernable and outrageous; the first woman in the line begins
the cry, and is instantly followed by the other voices; the opening
notes of the lamentation were rather low and mournful, the last wild
and piercing.

The principal people of the place finding the old lady still