Niger

At that Demba the slave ceased wavering in his
allegiance and resolved to accompany his master.
But Johnson, the freeman, would not venture the
tenebrous routes.
Mungo thereon made copies of all his papers,
handed them to Johnson to take back to Laidley in
Pisania, left with the slave-trader much of his
luggage, that the Moors might have fewer induce¬
ments to plunder him, and on the 27th of February
rode forth from Jarra into the land where Houghton
had been murdered.
It was waste sandy land, on the southern fringe
of the Sahara. The riding was toilsome and
difficult and he made but slow progress through the
maze of walled villages for several days. The
further he proceeded, the greater grew the propor¬
tion of Moors. Finally, on March the 1st, he rode
into the town of Deena, and encountered the ruling
race of Ludamar at its worst. He lodged at the
house of a friendly, though frightened, negro, in
company with Ali’s guide, Demba, and a black
slave whom the Gambia trader of Jarra had loaned
him. It was night-time. Soon the news of his
arrival spread abroad in the town, and a great
crowd of Moors came to make sport of the Christian.
Mungo was hissed at and abused, teased like a
monkey, made sport of for a very long time. He
sat still and paid his tormentors no heed, or
patiently wiped his face as they spat on it to rouse
him to anger. Angered, he might fight, and they
would have excuse to seize his property. But with
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