Having told Almamy that I wished him to send persons to receive the presents I intended giving him (which he promised to do without delay), we returned to the camp. Those persons did not however arrive till near midnight, when it was too late to begin such an affair, particularly as I had determined that not an article should be removed before I should be satisfied, by an agreement drawn up in Arabic and signed by Almamy, that the assistance and protection I might require, while in Bondoo and in the prosecution of my journey, would be afforded. It was not till the 9th that I could arrange with them the amount of the presents and the form of agreement, when, the latter being signed by Almamy and some of his chiefs, the former were delivered[20], together with a handsome double barrelled gun, which was sent by his Excellency Sir Charles Mac Carthy as a pledge of his esteem for Almamy. With this paper in my possession, and the hitherto apparent inclination of Almamy to comply with its contents, I conceived that nothing remained to prevent our departure, and therefore having made every preparation necessary, I went (on the evening of the 10th of May) to inform him that it was my wish to proceed the following morning to Baquelle, where, with some assistance from the French, in the way of paint, rope, &c., of which I was in want, to put my baggage in a proper state to withstand the rains, I intended making my final arrangements. But I was sadly disappointed when he told me that he could not allow me to go there, as the people of that country, although at peace with him, were not his friends. I endeavoured to no purpose to convince him that in going there my only object was what I had just stated, and not to interfere in the concerns of Bondoo, where I had already been but too long detained. From that day until the 21st, every means which I conceived at all likely to obtain permission to proceed, were tried without effect; presents were given to all the chiefs[21] unknown to each other, in order to induce them to urge Almamy to compliance, and I even offered to leave hostages in his hands for my return (after I had arranged my baggage) to Boolibany, whence I would take my final departure for the Niger. All would not do. The only thing he would listen to was that of our immediately following a path in which we should not only have to contend with a number of petty princes, all his friends and in league with him to oppose our progress, but where it would have been impossible to procure provisions, and extremely difficult to travel, in consequence of the number of rivers to be crossed.