The Tonca, whose arrival all appeared anxiously awaiting, soon approached the place, preceded by a number of drums and singers, making a horrible noise. His majesty was on horseback, dressed in yellow, with a large gold ring in each ear, and followed by about one hundred men armed with muskets. When he dismounted a mat was spread for his accommodation near the trunk of the tree, and the place sprinkled with water from an earthern jar by an old woman; this was intended to sanctify (or in other words to drive away any evil spirits from) the place. This ceremony, which was performed with much apparent awe and profound silence, being finished, and the Tonca being seated, the proceedings commenced by a griot or bard proclaiming in a loud voice the object of their meeting, and desiring that all those who had any thing to say on the subject, should do so. Each chief then paid his respects to the Tonca, by calling aloud his surname (Batchirie) and wishing him a long and prosperous reign. The chief of Dramanet, who is a priest and styled Almamy, spoke much. He said that, during the late wars with Bondoo, many of the chiefs present had either abandoned their towns to the enemy and taken refuge in those on the west side of the Faleme, there remaining inactive spectators of their country’s fall, or openly assisted in its destruction, which their base conduct had so nearly completed that it became absolutely necessary they should adopt some decisive measure for its defence. He called on them to take example by the hitherto unsubdued resistance made by Samba Congole and the chiefs of Maghana and Magha-doo-goo, who preferred risking their own lives and the liberty of their families to a galling and disgraceful subjection to their enemies: that the time was now arrived when an understanding must be established between them; and he advised them strongly to return to their duty, rebuild their towns, and support with him and his colleagues a war which threatened their very existence. Tonca and Samba spoke in their turn to nearly the same purpose. The end of each sentence spoken by the former was followed by two or three strokes on a drum, and every word the latter said was received with applause. All was carried on in a manner that would not reflect disgrace on the most enlightened senate. One person only presumed to speak at a time, and that in a low voice, and the person speaking never received any interruption before he announced his having finished, which, as well as all that each had said, was repeated in a loud and distinct voice by the respective bards, or griots of the chiefs.