The travellers left Kiama on Saturday June 5th, and arrived at
Kakafungi, the halting place, shortly after ten o'clock in the
morning. The distance from Kiama was about ten miles. It was a
straggling, but extensive and populous town, and was delightfully
situated on an even piece of ground. The inhabitants were so clean
and well behaved, and their dwellings so neat and comfortable, that
before the Landers had spoken many words to one of them, they were
prepossessed in their favour. Nor was this opinion in any degree
lessened, when after they had been introduced into a commodious and
excellent hut, they received the congratulations of the principal
people. They came to them in a body, followed by boys and girls
carrying a present of two kids, with milk and an abundance of pounded
corn, and remained with them the greater part of the day.
John Lander was here taken seriously ill, and his fever was so severe
that he was obliged to lie on his mat till the carriers were ready to
depart, which took place at two p.m., their path lying through a
perfect wilderness, and presenting a greater degree of barrenness,
than any thing which they had hitherto met with. The length of the
journey, the insufferable heat of the sun, combined with the speed
with which they were obliged to travel, greatly increased the malady
of John Lander. He was occasionally obliged to dismount, and lie on
the ground for relief, being lifted off and replaced on his horse by
their attendants. The two Landers were far behind the rest of the
party, on account of the inability of John Lander to keep pace, and
they discharged a pistol every now and then as a signal to the
carriers of their approach. As each report echoed through the forest,
it was answered by the increased howlings of wild animals, till at
length, they gladly saw the gleam of a large fire, and arrived at the
encampment, which had been prepared for them. Here they took
possession for the night, of a few deserted huts, which were falling
to decay.
The rest which John Lander had obtained during the night, appeared to
have revived him, and he seemed in better spirits, with an abatement
of his fever. They accordingly proceeded on their journey, and after
bathing, crossed the Oly in a canoe, which they found tied to a tree.
During the whole of the day, they travelled under a burning sun, and
in the evening pitched their tent near a small stream. John Lander
was very ill, his fever having returned with increased violence. A
storm gathered over their heads a few minutes after the tent had been
fixed, and presently burst with increased violence. While it lasted,
they were occupied with the thoughts of their forlorn condition. The
deafening noise of the thunder, as it echoed among the hills, the
overpowering glare of the lightning, the torrents of rain, and the
violence of the wind were truly awful. The whole of their party were
collected in the tent for shelter from the storm, and in spite of the
water which ran through it, contrived to sleep till morning.
They were obliged to lie the whole of the night in their wet clothes,
the effects of which were visible in John Lander in the morning. His
brother endeavoured, in vain, to rally him, but he was scarcely able
to stand. The tent was packed up in its wet state, and the carriers
hastened onwards as fast as they could, for the provisions were
consumed, and they were anxious to get to their journey's end without
delay. As they advanced, John Lander became worse, till at length, he
was completely overcome, and to prevent falling off his horse, he
dismounted and was laid down. There was not a tree near them, which
could shelter them from the sun, so with the assistance of his
people, Richard obtained a few branches, and formed a sort of bower,
their horses' pads answering the purpose of a bed. During the
remainder of the day, John became worse, and the medicine chest had
been sent with the other things. In this dilemma, with no food at
hand, the condition of the travellers was most deplorable. Richard
with the view of obtaining some refreshment for his brother, went
into the wood and shot the only bird he saw, which was not much
bigger than the sparrow. With this, he returned, made a fire, and
prepared a little soup in a half-pint cup, which for want of salt,
was rather unsavoury, nevertheless it was of service to his brother;
the flesh of the bird, Richard divided between himself and his man,
both of them being weak for want of food. They now contrived to make
a more substantial habitation for the invalid, of some stout branches
of trees, and thatched it with long grass; they also lighted large
fires round it to keep off the wild beasts, but sleep was out of the
question, for they were attacked by myriads of mosquitoes, and
buzzing flies, attracted by the glare of the fires. A prowling tiger
was the only savage animal that approached near enough to be seen
during the night.
On the following morning, a considerable improvement having taken
place in John Lander's health, they set forward in good spirits, and
shortly after sunset arrived in the vicinity of Coobly, without
experiencing so much fatigue as had been anticipated. Having waited
on the governor, as a matter of courtesy, they were detained but a
few moments, and then repaired to the hut assigned to them, where
John was soon after seized with the return of the fever, more severe
than the former. The governor sent them a bowl of rice, one of milk,
two calabashes of butter, and a fine fat bullock.
The situation of Richard Lander was now distressing in the extreme,
his brother became hourly worse, and every moment was expected to be
his last. During the few intervals he had from delirium, he seemed to
be aware of his danger, and entered into arrangements respecting his
family concerns. At this moment Richard's feelings were of too
painful a nature to be described. The unhappy fate of his late
master, Clapperton, came forcibly to his mind. He had followed him
into the country, where he perished; he had attended him in his
parting moments; he had performed for him the last mournful office
which our nature requires, and the thought that he should have to go
through the same sad ceremony for his brother, overwhelmed him with
grief.
Two messengers now arrived from Boossa with a quantity of onions as a
present from the queen. They were commanded by the king to await
their departure from Coobly, and escort them to the city of Boossa,
which was said to be about two days journey from Coobly.
The illness of John Lander, to the great joy of his brother, now took
a favourable turn, and he became more tranquil and freer from pain,
and preparations were now made for their departure from Coobly. For
some hours before their departure, Richard was greatly annoyed by an
old woman, who applied to him for medicine that would produce her an
entire new set of teeth, or, she, "if I can only be supplied with two
large and strong ones, I shall be satisfied with them." The woman at
last became rather impertinent, when Richard recommended her two iron
ones from the blacksmith, which so much displeased her, that she went
away in a pet. The governor supplied them every day with abundance of
rice and milk, in fact, nothing could surpass his benevolence and
general good humour.
They quitted Coobly on the 15th June, and on the following morning
entered a snug pretty little town called Zalee, lying in a rich and
romantic valley, formed by a gap in a triple range of elevated hills,
which ran from east to west. The governor sent them a goat, a fowl, a
calabash of rice, and a quantity of corn for the horses. Zalee
contained about a thousand inhabitants.
Their course from Zalee was in a south-easterly direction, and
shortly after leaving the town, they came to a fine extensive plain,
on which stood a few venerable and magnificent trees. Numerous herds
of antelopes were feeding, which on hearing the report of their guns,
bounded over the plain in all directions. From this place they beheld
the city of Boossa, which lay directly before them at the distance of
two or three miles, and appeared to be formed of straggling clusters
of huts. To their great astonishment, however, on a nearer approach,
Boossa was found to be standing on the _main land_, and not on an
island in the Niger, as described by Captain Clapperton. Nothing
could be discovered, which could warrant the assertion as laid down
by that traveller. At ten o'clock they entered the city by the
western gateway, and discharged their pieces as the signal of their
arrival.
After waiting a few minutes, they were introduced to the king, whom
they found in an interior apartment of his residence, in company with
the _Midilie_, the title bestowed on his principal wife or queen.
They welcomed the travellers to Boossa, with every appearance of
cordiality. They told them very gravely, and with rueful
countenances, that they had both been weeping in the morning for the
death of Captain Clapperton, whose untimely end they would never
cease to lament. It is true, they might have been so engaged, but as
on their entrance, no outward signs of tears appeared, they rather
mistrusted the information which had been imparted to them.
On the day subsequently to their arrival, they were visited by the
noted widow Zuma, who presented herself to them without the slightest
pretensions to finery of any kind, either in her dress or ornaments,
for she was clad in very humble apparel of country cloth. She related
to them with great good humour, her quarrels with her prince, the
ruler of Wowow, and her consequent flight from that city to escape
his resentment. It appeared that in order to effect this, she was
actually obliged to climb over the city wall in the night, and travel
on foot to Boossa, which was a very long journey, and to a woman of
her size, must have been an arduous task. She alleged that she had
done nothing whatever to merit the displeasure of the Wowow chief,
notwithstanding which, he had robbed her of all her household
furniture and a number of her slaves. But from another quarter, they
learnt that one of her sons had committed a theft in the city, for
which he would have suffered death, if he had not made his escape
with his mother, who, it was said, had instigated him to the deed.
The widow complained sadly of poverty and the hardness of the times;
she had fought with the Youribeans against Alorie, but instead of
receiving a recompense for her bravery; she had lost half of her
slaves in an engagement, which so disgusted her with the military
profession, that she immediately abandoned it and returned home. Yet
in spite of all her losses and misfortunes, she had gained so much in
corpulency, that it was with the utmost difficulty she could squeeze
herself into the doorway of their hut, although it was by no means
small. The widow Zuma was a very good-looking person of matronly
appearance, and her skin of a light copper colour.
After the widow had left them, Richard carried the presents which had
been selected for the king and queen. Each appeared delighted with
them, and the former more especially was extravagant in his
expressions of admiration and thankfulness. A pair of silver
bracelets, a tobacco pipe, and a looking-glass, seemed to rivet the
attention of the king, who could not take his eyes off them for a
full half hour, so much was he pleased with them.
The Landers now visited the far famed Niger or Quorra, which flowed
by the city about a mile from their residence, and were greatly
disappointed at the appearance of this celebrated river. In its
widest part it was not more than a stone's throw across. The rock on
which Richard Lander sat, overlooked the spot where Mr. Park and his
associates met their untimely fate; he could not help meditating on
that circumstance, and on the number of valuable lives that had been
sacrificed in attempting to explore that river, and he secretly
implored the Almighty, that he might be the humble means of setting
at rest for ever the great question of its source and termination.
The queen of a country is generally the standard of fashion, and
therefore some idea may be formed of the fashions of Boossa, by the
following description of the dress in which the Midikie or queen of
Boossa paid a visit to the Landers. Her majesty was clad in a common
check shirt of Nooffie manufacture, a plain piece of blue cotton was
fastened round her head, wholly concealing the hair, a larger piece
of the same kind was thrown over her left shoulder, and a third tied
round her waist, reached so far as the middle of the leg. Her feet
were bare, as were likewise her arms up to the elbow; a brass ring
ornamented each great toe, and eight silver bracelets each wrist, the
least of them weighing little less than a quarter of a pound. Besides
these ornaments, the queen wore a necklace of coral and bits of gold,
and small pieces of pipe coral were stuck in the lobe of each ear.
It was the opinion of Lander that it would have been bad policy on
his part, to have stated the true reason of his visiting this
country, knowing the jealousy of most of the people with regard to
the Niger; and, therefore, in answer to the king's inquiries, he was
obliged to deceive him with the assertion, that his object was to go
to Bornou, by way of Yaoorie, requesting at the same time, a safe
conveyance through his territories. This answer satisfied the king,
and he promised them every assistance in his power. In the course of
conversation the king observed that he had in his possession a tobe,
which belonged to a white man, who came from the north many years
ago, and from whom it had been purchased by the king's father. The
Landers expressed a great curiosity to see this tobe, and in a very
short time after the departure of the king, it was sent to them as a
present. Contrary to their expectations, they found it to be made of
rich crimson damask, and very heavy from the immense quantity of gold
embroidery with which it was covered. As the time, when the late king
is said to have purchased this tobe, corresponds very nearly to the
supposed period of Mr. Park's death, and as they never heard of any
other white man having come from the north so far south as Boossa,
they were inclined to believe it part of the spoil obtained from the
canoe of that ill-fated traveller. Whether Mr. Park wore the tobe
himself, which was scarcely possible on account of its weight, or
whether he intended it as a present to a native chief, they were at a
loss to determine. The king himself had never worn the tobe, nor did
his predecessor, from a superstitious feeling; besides, observed the
king, "it might excite the cupidity of the neighbouring powers."
King George the Third of England was a button-maker, and therefore no
wonder need be excited at the information which was sent to the
Landers from the king of Boossa, announcing to them that his majesty
was a tailor, and that he would thank them much for some thread and a
few needles for his own private use; the king also took it into his
head that as he was a tailor, the Landers must be gunsmiths, and
therefore he sent them his muskets to repair, but it being Sunday
when the guns were sent, they declined the job until the following
day.
Eager as they were to obtain even the slightest information relative
to the unhappy fate of Mr. Park and his companions, as well as to
ascertain if any of their books or papers were then in existence at
that place, still they had almost made up their minds to refrain from
asking him any questions on the subject, because they were
apprehensive that it might be displeasing to the king, and involve
them in many perplexities. Finding the king, however, to be an
affable, obliging, and good-natured personage, they were emboldened
to send Pascoe to him with a message expressive of the interest they
felt on the subject, in common with all their countrymen, and saying,
that if any books or papers which belonged to Mr. Park were yet in
his possession, he would do them a great service by delivering them
into their hands, or at least granting them permission to see them.
To this, the king returned for answer, that when Mr. Park was lost on
the Niger, he, the king, was a very little boy, and that he knew not
what had become of his effects; that the deplorable event had
occurred in the reign of the late king's predecessor, who died
shortly after, and that all traces of the white men had been lost
with him.
This answer disappointed the hopes of the Landers, for to them it
appeared final and decisive. But in the evening their hopes were
again excited by a hint from their host, who was the king's drummer,
and one of the principal men in the country; he assured them, that
there was at least one book saved from Mr. Park's canoe, which was
then in the possession of a very poor man in the service of his
master, to whom it had been entrusted by the late king during his
last illness. He said moreover, that if but _one_ application were
made to the king on any subject whatever, very little was thought of
it, but if a second were made, the matter would be considered of
sufficient importance to demand his whole attention; such being the
custom of the country. The drummer therefore recommended them to
persevere in their inquiries, for he had no doubt that something to
their satisfaction would be elicited. At his own request, they sent
him to the king immediately, desiring him to repeat their former
statement, and to assure the king, that should he be successful in
recovering the book they wanted, their monarch would reward him
handsomely. The king desired the drummer to inform them, that he
would use every exertion, and examine the man, who was reported to
have the white man's book in his possession.
On the following day, the king came to see them, followed by a man
with a book under his arm, which was said to have been picked up in
the Niger after the loss of their countrymen. It was enveloped in a
large cotton cloth, and their hearts beat high with expectation, as
the man was slowly unfolding it, for by its size they guessed it to
be Mr. Park's journal, but their disappointment and chagrin were
great, when on opening the book, they discovered it to be an old
nautical publication of the last century. The title page was missing,
but its contents were chiefly tables of logarithms. It was a thick
royal quarto, which led them to conjecture that it was a journal.
Between the leaves they found a few loose papers of very little
consequence indeed; one of them contained two or three observations
on the height of the water in the Gambia; one was a tailor's bill on
a Mr. Anderson, and another was addressed to Mr. Mungo Park, and
contained an invitation to dine. The following is a copy of it:
"Mr. and Mrs. Watson would be happy to have the pleasure of Mr.
Park's company at dinner on Tuesday next, at half past five o'clock.
An answer is requested.
Strand, 9th Nov. 1804."
The king, as well as the owner of the book, looked as greatly
mortified as they themselves did, when they were told that the one
produced, was not that of which they were in quest, because the
reward promised would not of course be obtained. As soon as their
curiosity had been fully satisfied, the papers were carefully
collected and placed again between the leaves, and the book as
carefully folded in its envelope as before, and taken away by its
owner, who valued it as much as a household god. Thus all their hopes
of obtaining Mr. Park's journal or papers in the city of Boossa were
entirely defeated.
At an early hour of Wednesday June 23rd, the king and queen paid the
travellers a farewell visit, when the former particularly cautioned
them against poison. They then expressed their acknowledgements to
both the royal personages for all their favours and an hour or two
after they had taken their departure, the Landers rode out of the
city, accompanied by two horsemen as an escort, and a foot messenger
to the sultan of Yaoorie. They journied along the banks of the Niger
at an easy pace, and two hours afterwards entered a pleasant little
walled town called where they were desired to halt until the
following day the governor of Kagogie had been made acquainted with
their intention, no less than three days before their arrival, yet no
canoe had been got ready for their use, and when they expected to
embark, "the king of the canoe," as the person who has the care of
it, is ridiculously styled, informed them with the utmost unconcern,
that it was out of repair, and that it would not be fit for their
reception for some hours at least. In the course of the afternoon
they repaired to the side of the river, for the purpose of
endeavouring to encourage and hurry the workmen in their labour about
the canoe. Promises and threats were employed to effect this object,
but the men would neither be coaxed nor intimidated--they would not
overwork themselves, they said, for all the riches in their
possession, so that they were obliged to leave them and exercise
their patience. The branch of the Niger which flows by Kagogie, is
about a mile in width, but it is rendered so shallow by large sand
banks, that except in one very narrow place, a child might wade
across it without difficulty.
About mid-day the workmen having finished the canoe, the luggage was
presently put into it, and between twelve and one they embarked with
their people, and were launched out into the river. The direction of
this branch was nearly east and west, and they proceeded some
distance down the stream for the purpose of getting into the main
branch of the Niger, where there was deeper water.
Having encountered a dreadful storm, which threatened to swamp the
canoe, and which obliged them ultimately to take refuge on land, for
the purpose of sheltering themselves from the violence of the
tornado, they came to a place, where, a short distance from the
water's edge, the country was thickly studded with clusters of huts,
which altogether are called the village of Sooloo. They took up their
quarters in a large hut, which was nearest the landing place. They
were treated with much hospitality by the natives, who did all in
their power to render their short stay as agreeable as possible. The
old chief of the village accompanied them to the water's edge, when
they quitted their hut for the purpose of embarking, and enjoined
"the king of the canoe," to be particularly careful of his charge.
"Careful," answered the man, "to be sure I will, do I not know that
white men are more precious than a boat load of eggs, and require as
much care to be taken of them." The Landers entreated the same man a
short time afterwards, to be more active and diligent in the
management of his canoe, for he was rather inclined to be lazy, and
suffered every canoe to go before their own, but he replied gravely,
"Kings do not travel so fast as common men, I must convey you along as
slowly as possible."
About eleven a.m. on the following day, they landed at the foot of a
small village, on the east bank of the river, where the horses and
men had arrived before them. They rested under a large tree an hour
or two, awaiting the arrival of the carriers from the city of
Yaoorie, who had been sent for on the preceding day, by one of the
Boossa messengers that had charge of their horses. These men arrived
at the village, between one and two o'clock in the afternoon, and
they immediately mounted and rode onwards. On attaining the summit of
a steep hill, they rode over a very narrow pathway so much overhung
by an impenetrable thorny shrub, that there was no room for more than
one man to walk. This led them to the wall of Yaoorie, and they
entered the city through an amazingly strong passage, in which was an
immense iron door, covered with plates of iron, rudely fastened to
the woodwork. They were almost exhausted with fatigue on their
arrival, insomuch that they excused themselves from visiting and
paying their respects to the sultan, and they were conducted to a
convenient habitation, which had been prepared for them. They soon
obtained an introduction to the prince, whom they had been so
desirous to visit. After passing through a low dark avenue, and being
kept long standing in a yard, they were conducted into another area,
resembling that of a farm establishment. Here they discovered the
sultan sitting alone in the centre of the square, on a plain piece of
carpeting, with a pillow on each side of him, and a neat brass pan in
front. His appearance was not only mean, but absolutely squalid and
dirty. He was a big-headed, corpulent, jolly-looking man, well
stricken in years, and though there was something harsh and
forbidding in his countenance, yet he was generally smiling during
the conference. He showed considerable dissatisfaction, because
neither Clapperton nor Lander had paid their court to him on their
previous journey, and still more on being informed that their means
of making a present had been reduced very low by the rapacity of the
chiefs already visited. In regard to Park's papers, he merely
replied, with an affected laugh, "How do you think that I could have
the books of a person that was lost at Boossa?" Afterwards being
pressed upon the subject, he despatched an Arab to inform them, that
he declared to God in the most solemn manner, that he had never had
in his possession, nor seen any books or papers of the white
travellers that perished at Boossa. Thus it appeared, that his
overture upon that subject to Clapperton, by which the Landers had
been so unguardedly lured, was a mere pretext to induce them to visit
him, and bestow a portion of the valuable articles with which they
were understood to be provided. His whole conduct was in perfect
unison with this first specimen of it. He did not, indeed, absolutely
rob them, but there was no artifice so petty that he did not employ
it, in order to obtain the few commodities which still remained in
their possession. Wishing to purchase some things, he induced the
Landers to send them, desiring that they should affix their own
price; he then said they asked too much, on which pretext he delayed,
and in a great measure evaded paying for them at all. The travellers,
in their ill-judged confidence in his friendship, requested him to
furnish a boat, in which they might descend the Niger. He replied,
they might have one for a hundred dollars, but being unable to
command that sum they were finally obliged to apply to their friend,
the king of Boossa, whom they had so unreasonably distrusted, and who
cheerfully undertook to supply their wants.
The city of Yaoorie is of prodigious extent, and is supposed to be as
populous as any other in the whole continent, or at least that part
of it which is visited by the trading Arabs. Its wall is high and
very excellent, though made of clay alone, and may be between twenty
and thirty miles in circuit, and it has eight vast entrance gates or
doors, which were well fortified after the manner of the country. The
residence of the sultan, as well as the houses of many of the
principal inhabitants of the city, are two stories in height, having
thick and clumsy stairs of clay, leading to the upper apartments,
which are rather lofty, and, together with rooms on the ground floor,
have door-ways sufficiently large to enable a person to enter without
putting himself to the inconvenience of stooping. The principal part
of the houses is built in the circular or coozie fashion, but the
inhabitants have a few square ones, and the sultan's are of no
regular form whatever. It may be considered somewhat singular, that
the majority of the natives of western and central, and it may be
said, also of northern Africa, moisten the floors of their huts, and
the inside of their walls with a solution of cow dung and water, two
or three times a day, or as often as they can find the materials.
Though disagreeable to the smell of an European, this keeps the
interior of a dwelling as cool as it is dark.
The Landers were anxious to expedite their departure, but the sultan
sent word to inform them that he would be occupied _three days_ in
writing to the king of England, and he would, therefore, thank them
to remain in Yaoorie till the expiration of that period. On the
following day, however, the sultan told them in plain and decisive
terms, that he could not send them either by way of Koolfu or Guarie,
because the Fellatas were in both of those places, and their fate
then would soon be decided. He wished, however, to be expressly
understood, that it was from no disinclination on his part to send
them to either of those places, but that his great regard for them
would not permit him to lead them into danger. Now the Landers knew
very well that the Fellatas had not the superiority either in Koolfu
or Guarie; the natives of the latter place, in particular, having
long since cut off the heads of all the Fellatas that could be found
in their country, and from that time they had enjoyed the most
perfect independence. The sultan of Yaoorie further said, that the
best thing he could do, was to send them back again to Boossa, and
from thence he was certain they might have liberty to go anywhere.
The moment they found this to be his intention, they returned to
their house, and having formed their resolution, they instantly
despatched one of their men with a message to the king of Boossa, to
the following effect:
"That finding their presents insufficient to defray their expenses on
the road to Guarie and Bornou, they were under the necessity of
returning to the salt water to obtain more. That the chief of
Badagry, who is governor of that part of the coast, at which they had
landed, had treated them so very ill, while they were with him, that
he would detain them in his town for the remainder of their lives, if
they were to return by the way they had come, and by so doing, that
they should be unable to avoid falling into his power. Besides which,
the journey thither was so long that they should experience the same,
or even greater inconvenience than if they were to proceed to Bornou
through Catsheenah. Under these circumstances, they were extremely
desirous of travelling to the salt water by a shorter and safer
route, and would therefore prefer going by Fundah, as the easiest and
likeliest means of accomplishing that end. But as they had heard that
the road to that kingdom by land was infested with Fellatas, who live
by plunder and violence, they should feel infinitely obliged to him
(the king of Boossa,) if he could either sell or lend them a canoe to
proceed thither by water, and if so, that they would remunerate him
to the utmost of their ability."
They awaited the return of their messenger With considerable anxiety,
and if an unfavourable answer were returned, they were resolved,
instead of proceeding to Boossa, to push on to Guarie, and thence to
Funda, as they originally intended, whatever might be the
consequence.
After the usual lapse of time, the Boossa messenger returned, and to
their unspeakable joy, informed them that the king had consented to
procure for them a canoe, to proceed to Funda, provided the road by
land could not be depended on. He, however, candidly stated his
inability to protect their persons from insult and danger beyond his
own territories, and that they must solicit the good will of the
prince of Wowow, and the other rulers on the banks of the Niger, and
further, that their own men alone must manage the canoe, because no
one at Boossa would be willing, for various reasons, to accompany
them on the journey. They were, therefore, in a fair way of
accomplishing the object of the expedition. The sultan of Yaoorie,
however, put off their departure from day to day, and from week to
week, under a variety of nonsensical excuses, and they were persuaded
that it was his intention to detain them, until he had drained them
of every thing that was valuable. On Monday the 26th of July,
however, to their surprise and pleasure, a messenger from the king
of Boossa arrived, to ascertain the reason of such unwarrantable
conduct on the part of the sultan, and to request their immediate
release. One of the inducements urged by this monarch for their
longer stay with him, was rather whimsical. He had made them a
present of a quantity of worthless feathers, which he had caused to
be plucked from the body of a live ostrich, and because he
entertained an opinion that if others were added to them, they would
altogether form a very acceptable present to the king of England, he
informed them that it would be necessary they should wait till such
time as the ostrich should regain its plumage, in order for that part
of its body, which had not been previously plucked, to undergo a
similar operation, for the weather, he asserted, was much too cold
for the bird to lose all its feathers at one and the same time, and
further to encourage their growth, he would order that two thousand
kowries worth of butter, (about twelve pounds weight,) should be
diligently rubbed into the skin of the animal. This was, however, an
arch trick on the part of the sultan, for he was indebted to the
Landers in a considerable sum for some buttons, which he had
purchased of them, and this butter affair was intended as a kind of
set-off, as the sultan said he did not approve of paying for the
butter out of his own pocket. On the 1st August, the sultan sent a
messenger to inform them that they were at liberty to pay their
respects, and take their farewell of him previously to their
departure from the city, which they were assured should take place on
the following day, without any further procrastination or delay. They
were glad to obey the summons, for such they considered it, and on
their arrival at his residence, they were introduced into a large,
gloomy, uncomfortable apartment; a number of swallows' nests were
attached to the ceiling of the room, and their twittering owners,
which were flying about in all directions, fed their young without
interruption, and added not a little to the filthiness of the unswept
and unclean apartment. The conversation during the interview was as
uninteresting and spiritless, as their conversations with other
native rulers had always been. The sultan, however, could not pay his
debt, but by way of another set-off he offered them a female slave,
which was just as much use to them as the ostrich feathers, however,
the sultan was resolved to pay them in that species of coin, and
therefore they took the lady, and old Pascoe immediately adopted her
as his wife.
On Monday the 2nd, all was hurry, bustle, and confusion, in getting
their things ready for their departure, and after the beasts had been
laden, and the people had their burdens on their head, they had to
wait for the sultan's long expected letter to the king of England. A
mallam was at length perceived hurrying towards them with it, and
after him came the venerable Arab chief, to honour them with his
company a little way on their journey. This crafty old man was not
their friend, for he had used them deceitfully, and misrepresented
them and their goods to his master, and they enjoyed an innocent kind
of revenge, in administering to him, after repeated applications, a
powerful dose of medicine, which though harmless in its effects, had
yet been very troublesome to him. Indeed it was not till they had
"jalaped" the sultan, his sister, and all the royal family, that they
were permitted to take their farewell of Yaoorie.
The following is the letter of the sultan of Yaoorie, as it was
translated into English by A. O. Salame:
"Praise be to God, and blessings and salutations be unto that
(prophet), since whom there has been no other prophet.
"To our friend in God, and his apostle (Mahommed), the prince of the
English Christians; salutation and mercy, and blessings of God, be
unto you, from your friend, the sultan of Yaouri, whose name is
Mahommed Ebsheer. Perfect salutation be unto you, (and) may God cause
your mornings and evenings to be most happy, with multiplied
salutations (from us).
"After our salutation unto you (some) ostrich feathers will reach
you, (as a present,) from the bounty and blessings of God (we have in
our country), and we, together with you, thank God (for what he has
bestowed). And salutation be unto your hired people, (your suite) and
peace be unto our people, who praise God.
(Signed,) From the
PRINCE OF YAOURI."
Of this letter, Mr. Salame says, that it is the worst of the African
papers which he had seen, both as to its ungrammatical and
unintelligible character. Indeed, his Yaourick majesty seemed to be
sadly in need of words to make himself intelligible. It must be
remarked, that the words between parentheses are not in the original,
but supplied by the translator for the purpose of reducing the letter
to some kind of meaning.