28 TRAVELS IN AFRICA.

distance from it, where he was surrounded by his followers to the number of three hundred armed men, sent to summon Captain Campbell to appear before him. This was complied with, when, after the usual compliments, he stated that he had been sent by Almamy to ascertain and make a faithful report on the state and numbers of the expedition, and the objects it had in view in entering the country, which he said the king suspected had all been misrepresented by the former messengers. This he repeated several times, and concluded by advising us to wait with patience until he returned to Almamy, when arrangements agreeable to our wishes would be effected. He left us on the 8th, after having examined with the most scrutinizing curiosity every thing in or about our «amp.

Every day brought us some messenger from the king, but none of them were the bearers of any satisfactory answer. One stated that we were ordered to return to Kakundy, and another, that the king had received a letter from Mahomedoo Mariama, informing him that our object in entering the country was the subversion of their religion, for which purpose we had provided ourselves with machines that could kill at any distance, and that we were accompanied by one hundred large dogs, each able to fight one hundred men. These, with other similar reports,