After spending two or three days going about London and enjoying himself
with his friend Dick, Frank started for Deal, where he was pleased to
find his sister well and happy. He bade goodbye to her, to the doctor,
and such of his schoolfellows as lived in Deal, to whom his start for
Central Africa was quite an event. Dr. Bateman handed over to him his
watch and chain and his blowgun, which he had taken care of for him,
also his skinning knives and instruments. The same evening he returned
to town, and spent the days very pleasantly until the afternoon came
when he was to depart. Then he bade farewell to his kind friends Sir
James and Lady Ruthven. Dick accompanied him in the cab to Euston
station, where a minute or two later Mr. Goodenough arrived. The luggage
was placed in a carriage, and Frank stood chatting with Dick at the
door, until the guard's cry, “Take your places!” caused him to jump into
the carriage. There was one more hearty handshake with his friend, and
then the train steamed out of the station.
It was midnight when they arrived at Liverpool, and at once went to bed
at the Station Hotel. On coming down in the morning Frank was astonished
at the huge heap of baggage piled up in the hall, but he was told that
this was of daily occurrence, as six or eight large steamers went
out from Liverpool every week for America alone, and that the great
proportion of the passengers came down, as they had done, on the
previous night, and slept at the Station hotel. Their own share of
the baggage was not large, consisting only of a portmanteau each, Mr.
Goodenough having sent down all his boxes two days previously. At
twelve o'clock they went on board the Niger, bound for the west coast
of Africa. This would carry them as far as Sierra Leone, whence Mr.
Goodenough intended to take passage in a sailing ship to his starting
point for the interior.
Frank enjoyed the voyage out intensely, and three days after sailing
they had left winter behind; four days later they were lying in the
harbor of Funchal.
“What a glorious place that would be to ramble about!” he said to Mr.
Goodenough.
“Yes, indeed. It would be difficult to imagine a greater contrast than
between this mountainous island of Madeira and the country which we are
about to penetrate. This is one of the most delightful climates in
the world, the west coast of Africa one of the worst. Once well in
the interior, the swamp fevers, which are the curse of the shores,
disappear, but African travelers are seldom long free from attacks of
fever of one kind or the other. However, quinine does wonders, and we
shall be far in the interior before the bad season comes on.”
“You have been there before, you said, Mr. Goodenough?”
“Yes, I have been there twice, and have made excursions for short
distances from the coast. But this time we are going into a country
which may be said to be altogether unknown. One or two explorers have
made their way there, but these have done little towards examining
the natural productions of the country, and have been rather led by
inducements of sport than by those of research.”
“Did you have fever, sir?”
“Two or three little attacks. A touch of African fever, during what is
called the good season, is of little more importance than a feverish
cold at home. It lasts two or three days, and then there is an end
of it. In the bad season the attacks are extremely violent, sometimes
carrying men off in a few hours. I consider, however, that dysentery is
a more formidable enemy than fever. However, even that, when properly
treated, should be combated successfully.”
“Do you mean to hire the men to go with you at Sierra Leone?”
“Certainly not, Frank. The negroes of Sierra Leone are the most
indolent, the most worthless, and the most insolent in all Africa. It is
the last place in the world at which to hire followers. We must get them
at the Gaboon itself, and at each place we arrive at afterwards we take
on others, merely retaining one of the old lot to act as interpreter.
The natives, although they may allow white men to pass safely, are
exceedingly jealous of men of other tribes. I shall, however, take with
me, if possible, a body of, say six Houssas, who are the best fighting
negroes on the coast. These I shall take as a bodyguard; the carriers we
shall obtain from the different tribes we visit. The Kroomen, whom you
will see at Cape Palmas, are a magnificent set of men. They furnish
sailors and boatmen to all the ships trading on these shores. They are
strong, willing, and faithful, but they do not like going up into the
interior. Now we will land here and get a few hours' run on shore. There
are one or two peculiarities about Madeira which distinguish it from
other places. To begin with we will go for a ride in a bullock cart
without wheels.”
“But surely it must jolt about terribly,” Frank said.
“Not at all. The roads are paved with round, knubbly stones, such as
you see sometimes in narrow lanes and courts in seaside places at home.
These would not make smooth roads for wheeled vehicles; but here, as you
will see, the carts are placed on long runners like those of sledges.
These are greased, and the driver always has a pound of candles or so
hanging to the cart. When he thinks that the runners want greasing he
takes a candle, lays it down on the road in front of one of the runners,
and lets this pass over it. This greases it sufficiently, and it glides
along over the stones almost as smoothly as if passing over ice.”
Frank thoroughly enjoyed his run on shore, but was surprised at the air
of listlessness which pervaded the inhabitants. Every one moved about in
the most dawdling fashion. The shopkeepers looked out from their doors
as if it were a matter of perfect indifference to them whether customers
called or not. The few soldiers in Portuguese uniform looked as if they
had never done a day's drill since they left home. Groups sat in chairs
under the trees and sipped cooling drinks or coffee. The very bullocks
which drew the gliding wagons seemed to move more slowly than bullocks
in other places. Frank and his friend drove in a wagon to the monastery,
high up on the mountain, and then took their places on a little hand
sledge, which was drawn by two men with ropes, who took them down the
sharp descent at a run, dashing round corners at a pace which made Frank
hold his breath. It took them but a quarter of an hour to regain the
town, while an hour and a half had been occupied in the journey out.
“I shall buy a couple of hammocks here,” Mr. Goodenough said. “They are
made of knotted string, and are lighter and more comfortable than those
to be met with on the coast. I will get a couple of their cane chairs,
too, they are very light and comfortable.”
In the afternoon they again embarked, and then steamed away for Sierra
Leone. After several days' passage, they arrived there at daylight, and
Frank was soon on deck.
“What a beautiful place!” he exclaimed. “It is not a bit what I
expected.”
“No,” Mr. Goodenough said; “no one looking at it could suppose that
bright pretty town had earned for itself the name of the white man's
grave.”
Sierra Leone is built on a somewhat steep ascent about a mile up the
river. Freetown, as the capital is properly called, stands some fifty
feet or so above the sea, and the barracks upon a green hill three
hundred feet above it, a quarter of a mile back. The town, as seen
from the sea, consists entirely of the houses of the merchants and
shopkeepers, the government buildings, churches, and other public and
European buildings. The houses are all large and bright with yellow
tinged whitewash, and the place is completely embowered in palms and
other tropical trees. The native town lies hidden from sight among trees
on low ground to the left of the town. Everywhere around the town the
hills rise steep and high, wooded to the summit. Altogether there are
few more prettily situated towns than the capital of Sierra Leone.
“It is wonderful,” Mr. Goodenough said, “that generations and
generations of Europeans have been content to live and die in that
wretchedly unhealthy place, when they might have established themselves
on those lofty hills but a mile away. There they would be far above the
malarious mists which rise from the low ground. The walk up and down to
their warehouses and offices here would be good for them, and there
is no reason why Sierra Leone should be an unhealthy residence.
Unfortunately the European in Africa speedily loses his vigor and
enterprise. When he first lands he exclaims, 'I certainly shall have a
bungalow built upon those hills;' but in a short time his energy leaves
him. He falls into the ways of the place, drinks a great deal more
spirits than is good for him, stops down near the water, and at the end
of a year or so, if he lives so long, is obliged to go back to Europe to
recruit.
“Look at the boats coming out.”
A score of boats, each containing from ten to twelve men, approached the
ship. They remained at a short distance until the harbor master came on
board and pronounced the ship free from quarantine. Then the boats made
a rush to the side, and with shouts, yells, and screams of laughter
scrambled on board. Frank was at once astonished and amused at the noise
and confusion.
“What on earth do they all want?” he asked Mr. Goodenough.
“The great proportion of them don't want anything at all,” Mr.
Goodenough answered, “but have merely come off for amusement. Some of
them come to be hired, some to carry luggage, others to tout for the
boatmen below. Look at those respectable negresses coming up the gangway
now. They are washerwomen, and will take our clothes ashore and bring
them on board again this afternoon before we start.”
“It seems running rather a risk,” Frank said.
“No, you will see they all have testimonials, and I believe it is
perfectly safe to intrust things to them.”
Mr. Goodenough and Frank now prepared to go on shore, but this was not
easily accomplished, for there was a battle royal among the boatmen
whose craft thronged at the foot of the ladder. Each boat had about four
hands, three of whom remained on board her, while the fourth stood
upon the ladder and hauled at the painter to keep the boat to which he
belonged alongside. As out of the twenty boats lying there not more
than two could be at the foot of the ladder together, the conflict was a
desperate one. All the boatmen shouted, “Here, sar. This good boat, sar.
You come wid me, sar,” at the top of their voices, while at the same
time they were hard at work pulling each other's boats back and pushing
their own forward. So great was the struggle as Frank and Mr. Goodenough
approached the gangway, so great the crowd upon the ladder, that one
side of the iron bar from which the ladder chains depend broke in two,
causing the ladder to drop some inches and giving a ducking to those
on the lower step, causing shouts of laughter and confusion. These rose
into perfect yells of amusement when one of the sailors suddenly loosed
the ladder rope, letting five or six of the negroes into the water up to
their necks. So intense was the appreciation by the sable mind of this
joke that the boatmen rolled about with laughter, and even the victims,
when they had once scrambled into their boats, yelled like people
possessed.
“They are just like children,” Mr. Goodenough said. “They are always
either laughing or quarreling. They are good natured and passionate,
indolent, but will work hard for a time; clever up to a certain point,
densely stupid beyond. The intelligence of an average negro is about
equal to that of a European child of ten years old. A few, a very few,
go beyond this, but these are exceptions, just as Shakespeare was an
exception to the ordinary intellect of an Englishman. They are fluent
talkers, but their ideas are borrowed. They are absolutely without
originality, absolutely without inventive power. Living among white men,
their imitative faculties enable them to attain a considerable amount
of civilization. Left alone to their own devices they retrograde into a
state little above their native savagery.”
This was said as, after having fixed upon a boat and literally fought
their way into it, they were rowed towards the shore. On landing Frank
was delighted with the greenness of everything. The trees were heavy
with luxuriant foliage, the streets were green with grass as long and
bright as that in a country lane in England. The hill on which the
barracks stand was as bright a green as you would see on English slopes
after a wet April, while down the streets clear streams were running.
The town was alive with a chattering, laughing, good natured, excitable
population, all black, but with some slight variation in the dinginess
of the hue.
Never was there such a place for fun as Sierra Leone. Every one was
brimful of it. Every one laughed when he or she spoke, and every one
standing near joined freely in the conversation and laughed too. Frank
was delighted with the display of fruit in the market, which is probably
unequaled in the world. Great piles there were of delicious big oranges,
green but perfectly sweet, and of equally refreshing little green limes;
pineapples and bananas, green, yellow, and red, guava, and custard
apples, alligator pears, melons, and sour sops, and many other native
fruits.
Mr. Goodenough purchased a large basket of fruit, which they took with
them on board the ship. The next morning they started down the coast.
They passed Liberia, the republic formed of liberated slaves, and of
negroes from America, and brought up a mile or two off Monrovia, its
capital. The next day they anchored off Cape Palmas, the headquarters of
the Kroomen. A number of these men came off in their canoes, and caused
great amusement to Frank and the other passengers by their fun and
dexterity in the management of their little craft. These boats
are extremely light, being hollowed out until little thicker than
pasteboard, and even with two Kroomen paddling it is difficult for a
European to sit in them, so extremely crank are they. Light as they are
the Krooboy can stand up and dive from his boat without upsetting it
if he take time; but in the hurry and excitement of diving for coppers,
when half a dozen men would leap overboard together, the canoes were
frequently capsized. The divers, however, thought nothing of these
mishaps, righting the boats and getting in again without difficulty.
Splendidly muscular fellows they were. Indeed, except among the Turkish
hamals it is doubtful whether such powerful figures could be found
elsewhere.
“They would be grand fellows to take with us, Mr. Goodenough,” Frank
said.
“Yes, if they were as plucky as they are strong, one could wish for
nothing better; but they are notorious cowards, and no offer would tempt
them to penetrate into such a country as that into which we are going.”
Stopping a few hours at Cape Coast Castle, Accra, and other ports they
at last arrived at Bonny.
“It is not tempting in appearance,” Frank said, “certainly.”
“No,” Mr. Goodenough replied, “this is one of the most horribly
unhealthy spots in Africa. As you see, the white traders do not dare to
live on shore, but take up their residence in those old floating hulks
which are thatched over, and serve as residences and storehouses. I have
a letter from one of the African merchants in London, and we shall take
up our abode on board his hulk until we get one of the coasting steamers
to carry us down. I hope it will not be many days.”
The very bulky luggage was soon transferred to the hulk, where Frank
and Mr. Goodenough took up their residence. The agent in charge was very
glad to receive them, as any break in the terrible monotony of such a
life is eagerly welcomed. He was a pale, unhealthy looking man, and had
just recovered from an unusually bad attack of fever. Like most of the
traders on the coast he had an immense faith in the power of spirits.
“It is the ruin of them,” Mr. Goodenough said to Frank when they were
alone. “Five out of six of the men here ruin their constitutions with
spirits, and then fall an easy prey to the fever.”
“But you have brought spirits with you, Mr. Goodenough. I saw some of
the cases were labeled Brandy.'”
“Brandy is useful when taken as a medicine, and in moderation. A little
mixed with water at the end of a long day of exhausting work acts as a
restorative, and frequently enables a worn out man to sleep. But I have
brought the brandy you see for the use of others rather than myself.
One case is of the very best spirits for our own use. The rest is
common stuff and is intended as presents. Our main drink will be tea and
chocolate. These are invaluable for the traveler. I have, besides, large
quantities of calico, brass stair rods, beads, and powder. These are the
money of Africa, and pass current everywhere. With these we shall pay
our carriers and boatmen, with these purchase the right of way through
the various tribes we shall meet. Moreover it is almost necessary in
Africa to pass as traders. The people perfectly understand that white
men come here to trade; but if we said that our object was to shoot
birds and beasts, and to catch butterflies and insects, they would not
believe us in the slightest degree, but would suspect us of all sorts of
hidden designs. Now we will go ashore and pay our respects to the king.”
“Do you mean to say that there is a king in that wretched looking
village?” Frank asked in surprise.
“Kings are as plentiful as peas in Africa,” Mr. Goodenough said, “but
you will not see much royal state.”
Frank was disappointed indeed upon landing. Sierra Leone had given him
an exalted idea of African civilization, but this was at once dispelled
by the appearance of Bonny. The houses were constructed entirely of
black mud, and the streets were narrow and filthy beyond description.
The palace was composed of two or three hovels, surrounded by a mud
wall. In one of these huts the king was seated. Mr. Goodenough and Frank
were introduced by the agent, who had gone ashore with them, and His
Majesty, who was an almost naked negro, at once invited them to join
him in the meal of which he was partaking. As a matter of courtesy
they consented, and plates were placed before them, heaped with a stew
consisting of meat, vegetables, and hot peppers. While the meal went on
the king asked Mr. Goodenough what he had come to the coast for, and
was disappointed to find that he was not going to set up as a trader at
Bonny, as it was the custom for each newcomer to make a handsome present
to him. When the meal was over they took their leave.
“Do you know what you have been eating?” the agent asked Frank.
“Not in the least,” Frank said. “It was not bad; what was it?”
“It was dog flesh,” the agent answered.
“Not really!” Frank exclaimed with an uncomfortable sensation of
sickness.
“Yes, indeed,” the agent replied. “Dog's meat is considered a luxury in
Bonny, and dogs are bred specially for the table.”
“You'll eat stranger things than that before you've done, Frank,” Mr.
Goodenough continued, “and will find them just as good, and in many
cases better, than those to which you are accustomed. It is a strange
thing why in Europe certain animals should be considered fit to eat
and certain animals altogether rejected, and this without the slightest
reason. Horses and donkeys are as clean feeders as oxen and sheep. Dogs,
cats, and rats are far cleaner than pigs and ducks. The flesh of the
one set is every bit as good as that of the other, and yet the poorest
peasant would turn up his nose at them. Here sheep and oxen, horses and
donkeys, will not live, and the natives very wisely make the most of the
animals which can do so.”
Frank was soon tired of Bonny, and was glad to hear that they would
start the next day for Fernando Po in a little steamer called the
Retriever. The island of Fernando Po is a very beautiful one, the peak
rising ten thousand feet above the sea, and wooded to the very summit.
Were the trees to some extent cleared away the island might be very
healthy. As it is, it is little better than the mainland.
There was not much to see in the town of Clarence, whose population
consists entirely of traders from Sierra Leone, Kroomen, etc. The
natives, whose tribal name is Adiza, live in little villages in the
interior. They are an extremely primitive people, and for the most part
dispense altogether with clothing. The island belongs to Spain, and is
used as a prison, the convicts being kept in guard ships in the harbor.
After a stay of three days there Mr. Goodenough and Frank took passage
in a sailing ship for the Gaboon.