The Christmas which I spent at Baquelle rolled over without any intelligence from him, and the first day of January 1819, being that on which I had fondly hoped to prosecute my journey eastward, found me at Samba Contaye with as bad prospects of being able to do so during that month as in the preceding. A circumstance, too, took place in the early part of December, which tended materially to render my situation more unpleasant, not to say alarming, than even the former state of suspense and anxiety could possibly have done; this was a fire which broke out in one of the huts occupied by the men, and must have inevitably consumed the whole camp and baggage, were it not for the timely exertions of the men and the providential existence of a calm, which had only succeeded a strong breeze a few minutes before. From the precautions which had been always taken to prevent such an accident, I was the more astonished at any thing of this kind occurring, and from the impossibility of ascertaining by what means the hut took fire, the men who occupied it being all out, I began to suspect that some evil-disposed person had done it; this however was only surmise, unsupported by any evidence whatever: but what made it the more suspicious was the position of the hut, which was a long distance from the cooking-place, and the nearest to our store. Two days, however, had only elapsed when it again took fire in the same way, and was entirely consumed, but as the wind was then blowing strongly from the east, the store, which was in that direction, again providentially escaped being totally destroyed, for had the fire once communicated with it, all exertions to save any thing must have been rendered ineffectual, by the parched state of the straw or long grass of which it was entirely composed, and the quantity of gunpowder which was in almost every package; a circumstance that alone would have deterred every person from approaching it had it taken fire, and in the event of which we should have been deprived of the very means of subsistence. Almamy Amady had continued to decline daily since his return from the Senegal, and died on the 8th January, leaving the succession which, consistent with the law and custom of the country ought to descend to the eldest male branch of the family, to be disputed by three persons; one, his own cousin, Malick Samba Tomany, being the lawful heir, and two of his nephews, Tomany Moody and Moosa Yeoro, all men advanced in years, and each possessed of considerable influence in the country. Moosa Yeoro, however, was at first unwilling to oppose the right heir, and would have certainly declined doing so, both from motives of respect for the person, who was much older than himself, and want of confidence in his own popularity, had not Tomany Moody induced him to it by proffers of his support, and threats of commencing a civil war in case of his refusal.