Departure from Kiama — Native Gratitude — Village of Kakafungi — Native
Dance — John Lander taken ill — Deserted Route — Cross the River Oly —
Story of the Falátahs — Encampment — Tornado — Illness of John Lander —
Messengers from Coobly with assistance — Arrival in that Town —
Reception — Presents from Boossa — Mount Cornwall — Recovery of John
Lander — Leave Coobly — Ruins — Town of Zalee — Arrival at Boossa —
Reception.
_Saturday, June 5th._—The _adieu_ of an African prince is the most
unceremonious piece of business in the world; whatever expressions may
be used, little regret is felt. Such at least is our opinion from the
coolness we have almost invariably experienced in parting from the
principal people of the towns and villages through which we have passed.
We were on horseback between seven and eight o’clock this morning,
having previously paid our last visit to the king, and taken our
farewell of him; and proceeded in good health and spirits through the
northern gateway of the city, towards a town called _Kakafungi_,
followed by a number of the lower class of people, who sneered at my
brother’s horsemanship as he rode by, and diverted themselves by
laughing heartily at the sorry appearance of his poor beast.
We had travelled about half a mile from the wall of Kiáma, when looking
behind us, we observed a great fat woman running after us at her full
speed. She soon overtook us, almost breathless with the exertion. We
then found that the object of her care was to present us with a bowl of
new milk, which she had neglected to bring in time for us to drink
before we set out. From the violence of her exertions, her whole person
was thrown into the utmost disorder imaginable. This woman is a
favourite singer to the king, and had supplied us with milk and
provisions two or three days before our departure, for which we gave her
a few trifling articles in payment; these, it appears, had produced so
sensible an effect on her, that, when taking leave of us last evening,
she began to shed tears, and sobbed aloud. This was now renewed, and we
were obliged to spur on our horses to spare our feelings. We were
afterwards told, that the woman’s sorrow was only feigned in our
presence for the purpose of obtaining a reward, and that she has always
an abundance of tears at command.
Three or four Falátah villages lay to the right and left of our path,
one of which is of some extent; but we did not see a single inhabitant
belonging to either of them. The greater part of the road lay through a
thickly-wooded forest, by the side of a very gentle range of hills; and,
excepting a fine plantation of yams, which we passed outside the walls
of Kiáma, and which belongs to Yarro, we did not see a foot of
cultivated ground during the whole journey. We arrived at _Kakafungi_,
the halting-place, shortly after ten o’clock in the morning. This town
is distant from Kiáma about nine or ten miles; yet if an opinion may be
formed from the nature of the path, which is uncommonly narrow, and
almost hidden with rank grass, the intercourse between the two places is
very little. Kakafungi is a straggling, but extensive and populous town,
and is delightfully situated on an even piece of ground. The inhabitants
are so clean and well-behaved, and their dwellings so neat and
comfortable, that before we had spoken many words to one of them, we
were prepossessed in favour of all. Nor was this opinion in any degree
lessened, when, after we had been introduced into a commodious and
excellent hut, we received the congratulations of the principal people.
They came to us in a body, followed by boys and girls carrying a present
of two kids, with milk and an abundance of pounded corn, and have
remained with us the greater part of the day.
Late in the evening, when our people were asleep, the sound of singing
tempted my brother to go out alone, and he soon discovered a little
group of thoughtless, happy creatures, amusing themselves by dancing in
the moonlight to the sound of a large drum. He described their dance as
being very different from that practised in Yarriba; their motions being
sometimes swift and violent, and sometimes slow and graceful; their
gestures expressive of mild delight rather than vehement passion, and
remarkable for propriety. They appeared to be singing something very
comic in recitative, and kept time by clapping their hands. My brother’s
intrusion was of no importance to them, for the party still kept up
their dance with as much spirit and good humour as before. In returning
homewards he missed his way, and wandered among several deserted, empty
huts and yards, and others guarded by dogs, before he discovered the
right, his total ignorance of the Borgoo language disqualifying him from
asking questions of the inhabitants.
_Sunday, June 6th._—I found my brother in a high fever this morning, and
so ill that he was obliged to lie on his mat till the carriers were
ready to depart. In consequence of the length of the journey from
Kakafungi to Boossà, and there being no town or village on the road
beyond a few miles ride from hence, the carriers were employed till the
afternoon in obtaining provisions sufficient for three or four days’
consumption. A crowd of people assembled round our hut to take leave of
us, by whom we were loudly cheered. My brother was so ill that he could
not mount his horse without assistance.
We quitted Kakafungi about two P.M., by a path which lay in a northerly
direction, through a perfect wilderness, some part of which was more
stony and barren than anything we remember to have seen. The foot-marks
of various wild animals appeared to be freshly imprinted in the path;
but we observed only a very few antelopes, which would not suffer us to
come near them, but scampered away the moment they saw us. The few
stunted trees that we found, afforded us a very indifferent shelter from
the heat of the sun, which was almost insufferable; and this, with the
length of the journey and the speed with which we were obliged to
travel, greatly increased my brother’s fever. He was occasionally
obliged to dismount and lie down on the ground for relief, being lifted
off and replaced on his horse by our attendants. We saw the sun set
behind some magnificent clouds, whilst we had yet a great way to go; and
the narrow footpath, which was here overgrown with bushes and rank
grass, was hardly discernible by the light of the moon. In the afternoon
all had been silent in the forest; but in the evening the jackal, the
hyena, and the baboon had forsaken their retreats, and mingled their
dismal howl with the sprightly chirping of innumerable insects.
My brother and I were far behind the rest of the party, because he had
been unable to keep pace with them; and we discharged a pistol every now
and then as a signal to the carriers of our approach. As each report
echoed through the forest, it was answered by the increased howling of
wild animals, till at length we gladly saw the gleam of a large fire,
and arrived at the encampment which had been prepared for us. Here we
took possession for the night of a few deserted huts, which were falling
to decay. A quantity of broken earthenware pots, calabashes, &c., were
lying about, indicating that these abodes had been occupied at no very
distant period; and on the trees which grew near them, we discovered
several immense buffalo horns, and those of a very large kind of
antelope.
The river _Oly_, which is said to take its rise in Ashantee, is at a
short distance to the northward of our encampment. It appears, that not
long ago this path was much frequented by merchants from the interior,
trading to the westward, in order to avoid paying the accustomed duty on
the Wowow road. But the chief of that state threatening to punish them
if they did not pass through his city, their own interest induced them
to conform to his wishes, and from that time, the route through this
forest has been entirely deserted, and the poor ferrymen, who formerly
inhabited these huts, were thus compelled to seek a livelihood
elsewhere.
_Monday, June 7th._—The rest which my brother had obtained during the
night seemed to have revived him, and he appeared in better spirits,
with an abatement of fever this morning. At eight A.M., after bathing,
we crossed the _Oly_ in a canoe, which we found tied to a tree. This
pretty little river was here about forty paces in breadth, and about
seven or eight feet deep in the middle, but gradually shallowing to each
bank. It winded very romantically through the overhanging woods; and its
current was so sluggish, and its surface so smooth, that it was for some
time doubtful which way it ran. In the forenoon we passed near a spot
where our guides informed us a party of Falátahs a short time ago had
murdered twenty of their slaves, because they had not food sufficient
for their support. These same Falátahs are already spoken of as having
taken possession of a Yarriba town on the borders of the river Moussa.
They had been despatched by Bello from Soccatoo to collect the
accustomed tribute from the towns of Ràkah and Alòrie (in Yarriba); but
it is said that the inhabitants of the latter town shut their gates
against them, and declared themselves independent of the Falátahs. On
the return of the disappointed party through Borgoo, the King of Kiáma
forbade any of his people from selling them provisions, and they were
consequently obliged to find their way through this long and dreary
wilderness without food. We remarked a great many holes which had been
dug by these unfortunate men in the hope of finding a kind of wild yam,
that abounds in the forest, besides the remains of fires which they had
kindled to dress this scanty fare. No doubt they had been reduced to a
dreadful extremity before they could kill their slaves; and perhaps the
number of victims has been greatly exaggerated; for the natives, their
enemies, are fond of impressing strangers with the most unfavourable
idea of their characters and dispositions, so that their stories are to
be received with caution. We observed the skeleton of one of the slaves
by the way-side.
After a long and tiresome journey under a burning sun, we pitched our
tent in the evening near a small stream. My brother was very ill, his
fever having returned with increased violence; but he took no other
medicine than a common soda powder, as I was fearful of our progress
being retarded. A storm gathered over our heads a few minutes after the
tent had been fixed, and presently burst with terrific violence. While
it lasted we were occupied with the thoughts of our 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 our party,
amounting to twenty, 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.
_Tuesday, June 8th._—We were obliged to lie in our wet clothes all
night, and the effects of this were visible on my brother this morning.
I 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 we
were anxious to get to our journey’s end without delay. This proceeds
from Paskoe’s negligence in having obtained only provisions enough for
one day instead of three. My brother and I lingered behind with old
Paskoe and another of our men, and proceeded on at a very slow pace, for
our horses were worn out with fatigue, and my brother’s was quite lame.
As we advanced he became worse, till at length he was completely
overcome, and, to prevent falling off his horse, dismounted, and laid
down. There was no tree near us that would afford shelter from the sun,
so with the assistance of our people I obtained some few branches, and
formed a sort of bower, our horses’ pads answering the purpose of a bed.
The croaking of frogs indicated that water was not far distant; and we
soon procured some. During the rest of the day my brother became worse,
but the coolness of the evening appeared to revive him a little. Our
medicine-chest had been sent with the other things; I despatched Paskoe
for it, but do not expect his return till to-morrow. In the meantime I
went into the wood, and shot the only bird I saw, which was about the
size of a sparrow. With this I returned, made a fire, and prepared a
little soup in a half-pint cup, which we had reserved for the purpose of
getting water from the streams, instead of a calabash. The soup was
rather unsavoury, from want of salt, nevertheless it was of service to
my brother; the flesh of the bird I divided between myself and my man,
as we were both weak from want of food. We contrived to make a more
substantial habitation for my brother in the evening, of some stout
branches of trees, and thatched it with long grass; and lighted large
fires round it to keep away the wild beasts. But neither of us could
sleep, for, independent of his illness, we were attacked by myriads of
mosquitoes and buzzing flies. A prowling tiger was the only savage
animal that approached near enough to be seen during the night.
_Wednesday, June 9th._—Notwithstanding his bad night’s rest, my brother
had little fever on him this morning; in fact he found himself so much
refreshed and strengthened, as to be able to go in search of our horses,
which had strayed from us in the night. Having found them, we
immediately made the necessary preparations, and proceeded on our
journey; and in an hour’s time we descried Paskoe approaching us with
five men, who brought us corn and milk, and little cakes made of pounded
corn and honey. The Governor of _Coobly_, the town to which we were
going, had also kindly sent us a horse and a hammock for my brother. The
animal was to carry my brother over some rivulets which we should have
to cross, whose banks were too steep and rugged for the hammock-men to
perform that service. He thought himself strong enough to dispense with
their assistance altogether, but accepted the horse with thankfulness.
We all set forward together in good spirits about half-past ten in the
morning; and with occasional halting for my brother to rest himself, we
arrived near Coobly shortly after sunset, without experiencing the
extraordinary fatigue we had anticipated.
Outside the town is a vast number of straggling Falátah hamlets, which
are built on marshy ground. Our attention was attracted by a vast number
of fire-flies, which were sporting over a swamp, and, together with
numerous little lights from the huts of the Falátahs, had a very
pleasing appearance. During the journey we crossed several rivulets, and
travelled over three or four hills. The soil on the latter is scanty and
sterile, but the valleys appeared fertile. The exhalations from decaying
vegetable substances near Coobly were highly offensive; and the air
being likewise impregnated in many places with a strong odour similar to
that of musk, rendered it very disagreeable.
Having waited on the governor to thank him for his attention, we were
detained but a few moments, and without having seen him we repaired to a
hut that was assigned to us, where soon after my brother was seized with
a return of the fever, more severe than the former.
_Thursday, June 10th._—The governor sent us a bowl of rice, one of milk,
two calabashes of butter, and a fine fat bullock. I was too anxiously
and intently employed about my brother to make a return for his present,
or to bestow my attention on any other matter, and therefore promised to
visit him to-morrow. I administered ten grains of calomel to my brother,
after which he fell into a kind of stupor and an insensibility to
surrounding objects, which did not leave him till this afternoon, when
his reason returned. Towards the evening he became worse, and I expected
every moment was 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 my feelings were of too
painful a nature to be described. The unhappy fate of my late master,
Captain Clapperton, came forcibly to my mind. I had followed him into
this country where he perished; I had attended him in his parting
moments; I had performed the last mournful office for him which our
nature requires, and the thought that I should have to go through the
same sad ceremonies for my brother overwhelmed me with grief.
_Friday, June 11th._—Between eleven and twelve last night I rejoiced to
find that my brother’s illness seemed to take a favourable turn, and
towards the morning he became tranquil and free from pain.
Two messengers arrived from Boossà last night, and another on horseback
this morning, with a quantity of onions as a present from the queen.
They were commanded by the king to await our departure from this town
and escort us to the city of Boossà, which is said to be two days’
journey from Coobly, though we had been given to understand it was no
more than a few hundred yards.
The governor has been very importunate in his desire for my brother to
sell him one of his pistols; and as we are in want of nothing so much as
a horse, he offered it in exchange for the one my brother rode on
Wednesday. He would rather have given us a boy instead of the horse, but
this did not satisfy us; and at last he consented to part with the
animal, on condition that some trifling articles should be given with
the pistol, which was agreed to, and the bargain concluded.
_Saturday, June 12th._—My brother’s health is rapidly returning. An old
woman applied to our lodgings to-day for medicine that would produce her
an entire new set of teeth; or, said she, ‘if I can only be supplied
with two large and strong ones, I shall be satisfied with them.’ The
woman was becoming rather impertinent, when I recommended her to procure
two iron ones from a blacksmith, which so much displeased her, that she
went away in a pet. The governor supplies us every day with abundance of
milk and rice.
_Coobly_ is situated on the slope of a cone-shaped mountain, with a very
broad base; and may be plainly distinguished to the westward at the
distance of above thirty miles. We have named this mountain, after our
own country, _Mount Cornwall_. The town is fortified by a strong fence,
made by driving stakes firmly into the earth, and placing them closely
together; but notwithstanding this defence, the Falátahs attacked and
entered it about four years ago; since which period, it is said, the
governor has been in the habit of paying an annual tribute to King
Bello. The inhabitants grow quantities of rice and corn, though none of
the latter is now to be procured at any price, owing to the treachery
and rapacity of the Falátahs, who, when they quitted the town, not only
carried away all the corn that was in store, but tore up and destroyed
all that was growing in the fields. The people, therefore, are but just
recovering from the effects of this malicious act. Above a thousand
Falátahs, it is conjectured, reside with the flocks and herds on the
plains near the town of Coobly; but they are very different in their
manners from their marauding countrymen, and maintain a friendly
intercourse with their neighbours.
_Sunday, June 13th._—Last night we were visited by a thunder-storm, and
the rain entered the roofs of our dwellings, and nearly inundated us. My
brother’s health still continues to improve. Although this is the
sabbath, I was obliged to send Paskoe in the morning to endeavour to
shoot a Guinea hen, because we were unable to procure any description of
fowl from the inhabitants, on religious considerations: the old man
speedily returned, having been successful; great numbers of those birds
abounding in the fields and woods near the town.
_Monday, June 14th._—The governor’s old wife returned from Boossà this
morning, whither she had gone in quest of three female slaves, who had
fled from her about a fortnight since. She has brought the fugitives
back with her, and they are now confined in irons. As soon as she heard
of our being in the town, the old lady sent us a sheep and a calabash of
honey, which we accepted; and she shortly afterwards paid us a visit in
person, when we took the opportunity of returning her present. The old
matron’s establishment is separate and distinct from that of her
husband, the governor, who has not the slightest control over it. She is
reported to have a multitude of slaves, and to be, in other respects,
extremely opulent. No one can surpass the governor in benevolence and
general good humour.
_Tuesday, June 15th._—My brother, by the blessing of God, is now
perfectly recovered from an illness that had nearly proved fatal to him.
At an early hour this morning, we paid our respects to the hospitable
governor, and quitted the town of Coobly. Our route was in a south-
easterly direction; and we travelled through a thick forest, over hills
and through deep valleys till noon, when we halted for the day amidst
the ruins of a large town, which, we are told, has recently been
deserted by its inhabitants. Near the remains of a wall, we perceived a
human skull, and other bones, which had been bleached white by the sun.
This circumstance excited in us a desire to learn the fate of the former
inhabitants of the town, and the reason of its present ruinous state.
One of our messengers soon satisfied our curiosity, by informing us,
that a short time ago the town was taken by surprise and pillaged by a
large party of Falátahs, who put to the sword all that made any
resistance, and carried the remainder away with them as slaves. The
ruins are very extensive, and the population of the town must have been
considerable. The plain whereon it stood is large, verdant, and
eminently beautiful, and is ornamented with fine trees. The ruins are at
present inhabited by a variety of birds, and a large troop of monkies;
the latter walked away very composedly on hearing the report of one of
our guns. Here one of the horses died; the poor animal had been our
fellow-traveller from Jenna: another is too weak to walk with us a mile
further, so that we shall be compelled to leave him behind, for we
cannot make up our minds to destroy him; and the third cannot live many
days. The affection of these poor brutes towards each other is most
extraordinary. The Boossà messenger rode to a little village at a short
distance from the ruins this afternoon, and returned in about four hours
with an excellent mare, which he had borrowed of the governor for our
use. In the evening we pitched the tent; and our own men, with the
carriers and messengers, having constructed little temporary grass huts
for themselves, made large fires all round them, and retired to rest.
_Wednesday, June 16th._—A man on horseback arrived at our encampment
before sunrise this morning, and looked round for a minute or two
without dismounting. He neither explained his intentions, nor even
uttered a syllable; but when we wished to address him, he galloped off
again the same way he had come. We rather suppose this horseman to have
been despatched by the King of Boossà, for the purpose of ascertaining
whether or not we were on the road, for we hear he awaits our coming
with much anxiety. At six, A.M., we quitted our encampment among the
ruins, and continued our journey in excellent spirits. The country was
as woody as any which we remember to have seen, and the soil, generally
speaking, as dry and sterile. We passed the ruins of two or three
deserted villages which originally stood near the path-way; and between
nine and ten in the morning, we entered a snug, pretty little town
called _Zalee_, which, in the language of the country, means ‘thread.’
This town is surrounded by an excellent and well-built clay wall with
turrets, which is by far the best that we have anywhere seen, and
outside of it is a broad and deep moat. Zalee lies in a rich and
romantic valley, formed by a gap in a triple range of elevated hills,
which run from east to west. The Falátahs, in hopes of plunder, entered
the town a year or two since whilst the male portion of its inhabitants
were chiefly at work in the bush; but the women having given the alarm,
they returned to their homes in a body, and succeeded in expelling the
intruders, before they had time to do any mischief.
The governor sent us a goat, a fowl, a calabash of rice; and a quantity
of corn for the horses. Zalee contains about a thousand inhabitants.
_Thursday, June 17th._—At the usual hour this morning we were on
horseback, but the tardiness of our messengers occasioned some little
delay after we had got beyond the walls. A heavy shower lasted for some
hours during the night, which filled the path through the valleys with
water, so that travelling was neither so safe nor pleasant as we have
found it to be. We saw a surprising number of land crabs on the road;
these animals are esteemed as excellent eating by the natives. At nine
A.M. we observed from an eminence the Sugar-loaf Mountain, near Wowow,
lying to the right of our path, which, if we are not mistaken, was named
‘George the Fourth’ by the late Captain Clapperton. One of the guides
pointed out two hills on our left which could hardly be distinguished in
consequence of their distance, and informed us that the city of Yáoorie
stands at their base. Our course from Zalee was in a south-easterly
direction. Shortly after this we 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 our guns,
bounded over the plain in all directions. From hence we first beheld the
city of Boossà; it lay directly before us, at the distance of two or
three miles, and appeared to be formed of straggling clusters of huts.
But what was our astonishment, on a nearer approach, to find Boossà
standing on the _main land_, and not an island in the Niger, as
represented by Captain Clapperton! We could discover nothing that could
warrant such an assertion. At ten o’clock we entered the city by the
western gateway, and discharged our pieces as the signal of our arrival.
After having waited a few minutes, we were introduced to the king, whom
we found in an interior apartment of his residence, in company with the
_Midīkie_, the title bestowed on his principal wife, or queen. They
welcomed us to Boossà with every appearance of cordiality. They told us
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. They might, it is true,
have been thus engaged; but, as on our entrance we observed no outward
signs of tears, we rather mistrusted their assertion. Paskoe having
loitered behind, our conversation was limited to a few general remarks
only; and having taken our leave of them, we repaired to a hut which had
been selected for us. In the evening, rice and corn, with several dishes
of meat, fish, &c., were sent us for supper.
END OF THE FIRST VOLUME.
* * * * *
W. CLOWES, Stamford Street.
FOOTNOTES:
[Footnote 1: Though the Government refused to allow him a salary, or
make him even the promise of reward, my brother eagerly volunteered to
accompany me.—R. L.]
[Footnote 2: Mallam signifies ‘learned.’—_Clapperton._]
[Footnote 3: An ounce of gold on this part of the African coast is worth
about two pounds sterling.]
[Footnote 4: A little Indian shell, the currency of many parts of that
country and of the interior of Africa.]
[Footnote 5: A vegetable alkali.]
[Footnote 6: Burdens of all kinds are invariably carried on the head by
the people of Yariba, and the natives of various other countries in
Africa.]
[Footnote 7: Here the travellers first cross Clapperton’s route.]
[Footnote 8: Bachy in Clapperton’s Map.]
[Footnote 9: The _zh_ is pronounced like the letter _z_ in the word
_azure_. The last _g_ hard, like _g_ in geese.]
[Footnote 10: It is deemed as odious by the natives, as the toad in
England, or the _tarantula_ in Italy, which is also a kind of lizard.]
Transcriber's note:
pg 55, Changed: "we were fain to wai as patiently" to: "wait"
pg 108, Changed: "yams, calavances, and pumkins" to: "pumpkins"
pg 261, Changed: "the violecne of the wind" to: "violence"
Minor changes in punctuation have been done silently.
Other spelling inconsistencies have been left unchanged.