The Story of Park's Crossing

With his men ill and occupied, a thievery became a constant problem for the expedition. Soldiers would become so weak that Park would have to leave them in the care of the locals. The hope was that they would eventually recover and catch up with the column or return to Gambia but none of those who fell in this manner ever made it home. On the 23rd of June, Park wrote in his journal that a group of armed villagers had come out to meet his caravan. They had been told that the white men were sick and unable to resist, and they would be ripe for having their valuables pick clean. In short order, the British soldiers had fixed bayonets and