On the 29th of June, the saracolets and some Mandingoes prepared to set out on their journey through the woods which separate Kankan from the Wassoulo. My saracolet friend came to see me, and asked me if I was ready to go with him, observing that I should not, for some time, meet with so favourable an opportunity for traversing the woods of the Wassoulo, which were infested with robbers. I informed him of my resolution of going to Sambatikila, and thence to Jenné. After inquiring of some Mandingoes, whether that road, with which he was not acquainted, would answer my views, he bade me adieu. I confess I was heartily glad to be rid of him. Perhaps, as I have said before, I was prejudiced against the saracolets, in consequence of what I had seen of their conduct at Sierra-Leone. This man certainly appeared to be very obliging, and possibly might not have been as great a rogue as the rest; yet I could not prevail upon myself to trust him. Being resolved to take advantage of the first opportunity for departing, I disposed of part of my merchandise, in order to lighten my baggage, and sold a flask of powder, and a piece of Guinea cloth; the rest of my property, consisting of silks, glass trinkets, amber, and coral, I kept to carry with me. I sold the gunpowder and cloth at a profit of sixty per cent.; for I would take nothing in payment but gold, which had became extremely scarce in the country since the communications between Bouré and Kankan had been interrupted by the war. I did not speak the Mandingo language sufficiently well to dispose of the things myself, and I commissioned Lamfia to transact the business for me. He told me that, to make sure of a good sale for his commodities, he was in the habit of writing a grigri on a board such as school-boys learn to write on; then washing off the writing, he sprinkled with the water the articles he wished to dispose of: by this method he said he was sure of a good profit. I believe, however, that an understanding existed between him and the persons who bought my powder and Guinea cloth, and that he gained some little advantage himself by the transaction. He expressed a desire to purchase my tobacco for some trumpery glass trinkets, which he could not otherwise dispose of. To persuade me to strike the bargain, he assured me that, in the countries through which I was about to pass, tobacco would obtain no price, but that glass ornaments, on the contrary, had a very ready sale. In order to get rid of his importunity, I made the exchange, and I observed that he cheated me, setting a very low value on the tobacco. I made a similar exchange with another Mandingo, who treated me better. I was told that there was at Wassoulo a saracolet merchant, going to Sambatikila, who must set off in a few days. It was determined that Lamfia and I should go and join him, and that I should travel the rest of the way with him. We agreed to set out after the festival of the Salam, which would take place in a few days;