On our arrival at the village, we had to wait nearly half an hour before we could obtain an interview. After the usual compliments of salutation, &c., I explained to him, by means of my interpreter, in as few words as possible, the object we had in view in travelling through his country, and requested that we might be detained as short a time as possible. He said that we might depend on his doing all in his power to forward our views, and that the time of our stay chiefly depended on ourselves. By this he meant to say, that if we paid him handsomely, he would allow us to pass. He said much about the trifling nature of the present I sent him by Mr. Dochard, insinuating that it was scarcely fit for one of his Goulas. We took the hint and requested that people might be sent to receive the present I intended for him. These were soon nominated, and with them and Saada, who was sent to remain with us (as Almamy said, to see we were well treated, but, we believe, as a spy on our actions), we returned to our quarters. Having laid out a considerable present, amounting to more than ten times that given to the king of Woolli, we showed it to the persons sent for that purpose, on the morning of the 6th, and made Saada a very handsome present indeed, for which he appeared very thankful, but said that we should first settle with his father. We were asked if what we had laid before them was intended merely as _service_ (as they call it), meaning thereby a present or douceur, or as all we intended to give him; and we answered that we intended it as the full amount of present. To which they replied, they were only directed to receive service, that was then shewn, and objected to, as too small. After much conversation on both sides, without being able to arrange with those fellows, we determined on again going to Almamy, to endeavour to settle with him personally. In this, however, we were deceived; he was, if possible, more difficult to please than his ministers, and told us, that as we did not choose to act in compliance with their wishes, he should not wait where he was any longer, but return to his house, where we might come to see him when we thought proper to act consistently with, what he considered, our duty, namely, the increasing of the present; that as all the surrounding kings were averse to our going to the east, and even his own chiefs did not like it, he was taking a great responsibility on himself in allowing us to do so. This, and much more of the same nature, too tedious to mention, closed the interview. We therefore, to avoid more delay, determined on giving those insatiable rascals as much as we could afford, and thereby, if possible, get rid of them. The rains had already commenced, and no time was to be lost, which could, in any way, consistently with the future safety of the expedition, be avoided.