them, presenting his musket, told him that he must
go back to Ali. The effect of this announcement was to benumb his
faculties. He rode back with apparent unconcern, but he had not gone
far when the Moors, stopping, ordered him to untie his bundle. Having
examined the articles, they found nothing worth taking except his cloak,
and one of them, pulling it off, wrapped it about himself. It had
served to protect him from the rain in the day and the dews at night,
and was of the greatest value to him. He earnestly begged the robbers
to return it, but his petition was unheeded. As he attempted to follow
them to regain his cloak, one of the robbers struck his horse over the
head, and presenting his musket, ordered him to proceed no further.
Finding that the sole object of the Moors had been to plunder him, he
turned his horse's head towards the east, thankful to have escaped with
his life.

As soon as he was out of sight of the robbers, he struck into the woods
and pushed on with all possible speed. He had at length obtained his
liberty--his limbs felt light, even the desert looked pleasant. He soon
recollected, however, that he had no means of procuring food, nor a
prospect of finding water.

He directed his course by compass in the hopes of at length reaching
some town or village in the kingdom of Bambarra.

His thirst, in consequence of the burning heat of the sun, reflected
with double violence on the sand, became intense. He climbed a tree in
the hopes of seeing some human habitation. Nothing appeared around but
thick underwood and hillocks of white sand.

At sunset he again climbed a tree, but the same sight met his eyes.
Descending, after taking the saddle off his horse's back, he was
suddenly seized with giddiness, and fell to the ground believing that
the hour of death was fast approaching. He recovered, however, just as
the sun was sinking behind the trees, and now, summoning up all his
resolution, he determined to make another effort to prolong his
existence.

He had gone on some distance further when he perceived some lightening
in the north-east, a delightful sight, for it promised rain, and soon he
heard the wind roaring among the bushes. He was expecting the
refreshing drops, when in an instant he was covered with a cloud of
sand. It continued to fly for nearly an hour; then more lightening
followed and then down came a few heavy drops of rain, enabling him to
quench his thirst by wringing an