The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa, in the Year 1805 by Park, Mungo, 1771-1806, Whishaw, John

I was kept in irons three months; the King released me and gave me a slave (woman). I immediately went to the slave taken in the canoe, who told me in what manner Mr. Park and all of them had died, and what I have related above. I asked him if he was sure nothing had been found in the canoe after its capture; he said that nothing remained in the canoe but himself and a sword-belt. I asked him where the sword-belt was; he said the King took it, and had made a girth for his horse with it.

ISAACO'S JOURNAL IN CONTINUATION.

I immediately sent a Poule to Yaour to get me the belt by any means and at any price, and any thing else he could discover belonging to Mr. Park. I left Madina and went to Sansanding, and from thence to Sego. On my arrival I went to Dacha, the King, and related to him the above facts. He said he would have gone himself to destroy that country, if it had not been so far. He gathered an army and went with it to Banangcoro. I followed him there. He ordered the army to go and destroy the kingdom of Haoussa. The army went away, passed Tombuctoo a long way, and made a halt at Sacha; and dispatched a courier back to the King, to let him know where they were, and that Haoussa was at too great a distance for an army to go, without running many dangers of all kinds. The King ordered them to go to Massina, a small country belonging to the Poule nation, to take away all the Poules' cattle, and return. They did so, and brought with them a great many cattle. The vanguard came with the cattle after a voyage of three months; and the army came one month after, which made four months they had been out. The King was much displeased with the Chiefs' conduct, and wanted to punish them for not going where he sent them; but they observed that they went as far as they possibly could; that the distance was too great and would have destroyed an army; and that prudence and the hardships they had already sustained, had dictated the necessity of returning, though very contrary to their inclinations. We all returned to Sego.

I went back to Sansanding and staid there, waiting for the arrival of the Poule I had sent to Yaour. Four months after he came back, having been eight months on his voyage, and having suffered greatly. He brought me the belt; and said that he had bribed a young slave girl belonging to the King, who had stole it from him; and that he could not get any thing more, as nothing else was to be found which had belonged to Mr. Park or his companions.