Niger

village, Lingicotta. 4 Cotta 5 was the district suffix,
meaning town. They stayed there three days,
allowing the slaves to recuperate and devour the
last of the provisions. Help was near at hand : the
home-town of the schoolmaster of Kamalia was
Malacotta ; there he assured them of food in plenty.
They halted at noon on the 3rd of May at a village
on a westward-flowing stream, waiting for news of
the messenger whom they had despatched to Mala¬
cotta. Mungo looked down at his stained and
tattered self and then at the swift-flowing waters.
Here was blessed relief. He stripped on the banks,
to the alarm of the natives. They came shouting
the news : Didn’t the fool realise that the water was
deep ? If he ventured into a pool the water would
come over his head—and where would he be then ?
In hell, of course. Swimming was an unknown art
in the village near Malacotta.
At ten o’clock a party of men was seen nearing
the village from the west. It was the messenger and
the schoolmaster’s brother. Biblically, they fell on
each other’s black necks. The prodigal had re¬
turned, and the parable was fulfilled to the letter.
Not only he but Mungo and the whole caravan was
entertained to three days’ feasting in pleasant Mala¬
cotta.
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