TRAVELS IN AFRICA. S at least nominally so ; for in Africa, the further a town is removed from the capital, the less control the king has over it, and, in almost all cases, those towns are exclusively governed by their own chiefs.

Our animals were daily diminishing in number, and there had not as yet appeared any opportunity of replacing them ; four horses died, or were abandoned as useless, since our departure from Tandicunda, and many more would, I feared, soon follow. We had, however, but not without much difficulty, procured a few carriers from among the natives ; and some of our own native soldiers and civilians took forward that part of the baggage for which we had no other means of conveyance.

One of the men from the Wallia chief came to our bivouac in the evening, and told us that his master was extremely sorry for what had taken place in the morning, and particularly so, as his people had no orders to that effect ; he had only sent them to request that we might re-5f main at Sindey until ten o'clock in the forenoon, at which hour he intended coming to pay us his respects.

We were enabled here to purchase two bullocks, together with a small quantity of rice and corn. The former cost fourteen bars each ; value about one pound sterling.