* * * * *
Deaths of Dawson, Captain Pearce, and Dr. Morrison — Their funeral — The
survivors, after meeting with various occurrences, and experiencing the
kindest hospitality from the natives on their route, arrive at Katunga,
the capital of Yariba, on the 15th of January, 1826.
On Saturday, the roads being rendered almost impassable, in consequence
of the rains that had fallen the preceding night, it was not without
experiencing considerable difficulty that we could pursue our journey.
The mud and water reached, in some places, almost to the horses’
shoulders; and Dawson, who was ill with ague, was unable to retain his
seat on the animal’s back, and fell three or four times in the mire,
till he became so much exhausted by struggling to regain his seat, that,
in despair, he at last flung his arms only across the horse’s back; and
panting with his exertions, was in this manner dragged to a considerable
distance. At eleven o’clock we arrived at the village of Egbo; and after
partaking of a slight refreshment, each of us being indisposed in a
greater or less degree, we stretched ourselves at full length on our
mats, in the hope of obtaining a little sleep. Dawson, however, was
taken dreadfully ill, and his moanings of distress prevented me from
closing my eyes. He pronounced the names of his wife and children, whom
he had left in England, with a bitter emphasis, and reproached himself
repeatedly with having deserted them, to perish miserably in a strange
country. In this manner he complained till the afternoon, refusing all
consolation, when he became a little more composed; and Captain Pearce
fell asleep. My master had quitted the apartment just before; and the
medicine-chest lying open by Dawson’s side, he perceived it, and
pointing to a phial, desired a black attendant to fill him a glass of
its contents; which being promptly done, he eagerly swallowed it. Whilst
this was going on I had fallen into a slumber; and on awaking, about a
quarter of an hour afterwards, not hearing Dawson’s groans, I asked how
he did; but receiving no answer, I went to his bed-side, and found him a
cold and stiffened corpse! The sight of so unexpected and ghastly a
spectacle caused me to shudder, and I involuntarily made an exclamation
of surprise and terror, that awoke Captain Pearce, who asked what was
the matter. Before I had time to reply, he had raised himself on his
couch, and the truth instantly bursting upon him—“What!” said he, “is
Dawson dead? Well, poor fellow, _his_ sufferings are over; _I_ cannot
long survive him;” and with a deep sigh he sunk back exhausted on his
mat, without making any further remark.
On examining the bottle from which the unfortunate man had desired the
liquor to be taken, I found it to be partly filled with _ether_, which
he must have mistaken for something else, and which had caused his
almost immediate dissolution. As soon as the natives were made
acquainted with the circumstance, they set up their death-yell; and if
all the fiends of darkness had joined in chorus, they could not have
produced an effect more frightfully and fearfully appalling than was the
sound produced in that instance. Captain Clapperton hastened to silence
them, which, after some difficulty, he succeeded in doing; but the
awfully terrific noise the people made, seemed to be ringing in our ears
the whole of the night. As dead bodies cannot be left exposed a great
while in tropical countries, Dawson was buried on the evening of his
death, followed to the grave by the whole of our black attendants and
myself. Captain Clapperton read the funeral service over his remains,
which were then deposited in the earth, and we returned to Captain
Pearce, whom we had left alone in the hut. Our party was now reduced to
three whites, one of whom was dangerously ill; my master himself was in
a much worse state of health than he would either acknowledge or
believe; and I was but just recovering from a disease that had nearly
proved fatal to me. A gloom was therefore cast upon the countenances of
our little band, as we prepared to proceed, on the morning of Sunday;
but Captain Pearce rallying a little, we set off in more cheerful
spirits.
The appearance of the country, from Jannah to Tshow, is greatly superior
to that from the coast to the former place, being clearer of wood, and
in a higher state of cultivation, swelling likewise into easy and
delightful undulations. Streams of water fertilize the vallies; and the
hills, covered with a lively verdure, are adorned with lofty and
handsome trees. The towns of the natives, from Badagry to Tshow, with a
few exceptions only, like those in the island of Madagascar, are
situated in the bosom of thick woods, and are entered by paths so
intricate, that, like the labyrinth of Woodstock, they are known to none
but the inhabitants themselves. Sometimes, however, they have only one
path, which is generally defended by strong stockades or a mud wall, and
sometimes by both together.
On Tuesday morning we continued our journey, with a cool strengthening
breeze and a serene atmosphere, which seemed to invigorate each of us
with renewed life and spirit; and, after two hours’ travelling, we
arrived at Engwâ. In the course of the journey, for the first time since
leaving the ship, we perceived great numbers of trees, stripped of their
foliage, and the grass beaten to the ground, so that, with the exception
of the absence of frost and snow, the country looked like many parts of
England in the month of November or December. Several of the natives in
this, as in almost every other instance, either accompanied or followed
us on the way, and we experienced as much civility from them as our
countrymen would have bestowed upon us in our native land. They were,
generally speaking, neatly dressed in cap, shirt (tobe), and trousers,
and very cleanly in their personal appearance.
About eleven o’clock Captain Pearce became suddenly worse, and an hour
or two afterwards was delirious. He talked much and incoherently, in
detached sentences; at one time apparently conversing with his mother in
the most affectionate terms, asking her questions, and answering them
himself, and the next moment reverting to his own melancholy condition,
and muttering something which no one could understand. In this pitiable
state he remained till nine o’clock in the evening, when he fell into a
stupor, from which he awoke about half an hour afterwards, and
attempting to raise himself on his couch, with a faint groan, and a
convulsive throe, he fell back and instantly expired.
Both Captain Clapperton and myself were deeply affected as we enveloped
the lifeless body in its shroud; and a host of gloomy reflections
crowded upon our minds, to see the once spirited and cheerful companion
of our wanderings stretched out before us, the shadow only of a man,
clothed in the mournful habiliments of death. Next morning, about eleven
o’clock, the body was borne to the place of its interment, followed by
my master and myself, with the messengers of the kings of Badagry and
Katunga, and a great number of natives, who all behaved with the
strictest decorum. As in the former instance, Captain Clapperton,
although extremely unwell, in a tremulous voice and agitated manner,
read the funeral service, interrupted only by his own emotion, which he
found it impossible to conceal. The corpse having been consigned to the
grave, it was soon closed over him for ever, and my master and myself,
with heavy hearts and melancholy anticipations, returned to our
cheerless habitation. The following inscription, at the desire of
Captain Clapperton, I carved on a board, which was placed at the head of
the pit, over which a shed was built by the natives; and a strong bamboo
fence surrounded the whole:—
“Here lie the remains of Robert Pearce, Captain in the Royal Navy of
England, who died 27th Dec. 1825, aged 28, much regretted by those that
survive of the mission.
“H. CLAPPERTON.
“R. LANDER.”
Captain Pearce had rendered himself a general favourite by his gentle
and pleasing manners, and excellent natural disposition. My master was
particularly attached to him, and esteemed him highly, while the natives
almost adored him. His companionable qualities were great, and he
displayed them to advantage in our toilsome journeyings, raising the
spirits of the party by his wit and cheerfulness, and infusing his own
good temper into the breasts of every one. He was besides an excellent
limner and draughtsman, and possessed an aptitude for picking up the
various languages of the natives, which bade fair to render him of the
most essential service to the mission. No one deplored his loss, or felt
the want of his pleasant society, more than myself. Just after he was
taken ill, at his own request, as soon as the day’s toil was over, I was
constantly with him, and at night my mat was placed close to his. We
used to chat for whole hours together, on different circumstances of our
lives; and my little history afforded him a fund of amusement. Any
thing, indeed, that promised to divert our thoughts from the calamities
which threatened us, was resorted to, and every trifling incident we had
each met with from our childhood repeated a thousand times over, in
order to dole away the long, still, dismal hours of night, when sickness
prevented either of us from closing our eyes. Throughout Captain
Pearce’s illness, his patience, resignation, and manly fortitude never
forsook him; he was conscious that he should ultimately sink under the
influence of a disorder that was visibly wasting him, and daily reducing
his strength: nevertheless, this belief neither shook his firmness nor
damped his spirits, and he always spoke of his anticipated dissolution
with a serious calmness of manner that surprised and pleased me. None of
us thought that his end was so near; we expected he would have struggled
on at least a week or two longer; but the sorrowful event disappointed
the hopes we had cherished, and he expired prematurely, to the infinite
regret of every one.
Mr. Houtson returned on Saturday the 31st, with the afflictive
intelligence of the decease of Dr. Morrison, which mournful circumstance
occurred at Jannah, by a coincidence, singular in misfortune, on the
same day, and as nearly as possible at the same hour as that in which
Captain Pearce had breathed his last. He was decently interred by Mr.
Houtson on the 28th, near to the house in which they had resided; and
the ceremonies of the Church of England were performed over his remains
by the same gentleman.
We saw several busts of men, as well as figures of tigers, crocodiles,
serpents, &c. carved on blocks of wood, and extremely well executed, at
Engwâ. The natives of that part of Africa appear to have a genius for
the art of sculpture, which is in great repute with them; and some of
their productions rival, in point of delicacy, any of a similar kind
that I have seen in Europe.
A fine Portuguese brig, and a Spanish schooner, had been lying near
Badagry, on our leaving that place, waiting for slaves; to supply which
vessels, the King of Jannah had sent a slaving party to the territories
of the Essàs, a powerful tribe in the neighbourhood of Engwâ, which had
captured numbers of the people. The Chief of the Essàs was greatly
exasperated at this conduct of his neighbour, and had made numerous
reprisals; so that, at the period of our passing through the country, a
general war was the consequence.
Owing to this circumstance, on leaving the town of Engwâ on the morning
of the 3d of January, 1826, we were accompanied by upwards of a hundred
men and women, who placed themselves under our protection, fancying
that, when within sight of the white strangers, no evil could befall
them. We crossed a river called Akkeni at ten o’clock A.M., which was
full of sunken rocks, and arrived at the village of Afoora about three
hours after. Our journey on that day was rendered particularly pleasant
by the fragrant odour exhaled from the cotton plant, then in full
blossom—the wild, solitary whistle of the grey parrot, and the
delightful melody of hundreds of small birds, swelling from the branches
of the tall trees. The country every where improved as we
advanced:—fields of Indian corn, and plantations of cotton, were
numerous, while groves of palm, and clumps of cocoa and female cocoa
trees, scattered on all sides, rendered the prospect from the hills
inexpressibly beautiful. Quitting Afoora early on Wednesday, we reached
Assula the same morning, in which town we were more conveniently lodged
than we had been since leaving the coast.
Starting about seven o’clock the next day, and travelling over several
low hills, and through pleasant vallies, we entered Assoudo, (the first
walled town we had yet seen,) at noon. In the paths we observed numbers
of fine birds, with silky and brilliant plumage, but I could not be
informed to what particular species they belonged, neither of us having
seen any of a similar kind before. Assoudo contains upwards of ten
thousand inhabitants, who were all as curious as their countrymen, and
also as noisy, but infinitely more modest and respectful, and
consequently more pleasing in their manners. We received an abundant
supply of provisions from the chief, consisting of a goat, fowls, eggs,
yams, bananas, &c.
On Friday, after halting at Tedi, a small village romantically situated
on a beautifully wooded slope, where we changed carriers, we arrived at
the town of Choko; but its chief, with nearly the whole of the male
inhabitants, being engaged in hunting the buffalo, did not return till
evening. In the mean time we had spent an hour or two under a tree, but
finding no one disposed to invite us to a house, of our own accord we
took peaceable possession of the best hut the place afforded, of the
goodness of which, however, we could not boast, it being sadly out of
repair.
Our road from Choko, on Saturday, lay round the sides of low mountains,
on the summits and in the hollows of which were several hamlets,
inhabited by an industrious race, who had extensive plantations in the
valleys below, where the palm tree flourishes in great beauty. We slept
at Yundekka that night, and on the next day arrived at Duffo. There the
inhabitants visited us by thousands, and when desired to go away, they
replied that if we did not allow them to visit our house, we must come
out, and show ourselves to them in the street, for that they were
determined, let the consequence be what it might, to see a white man
before they died. The town contains ten or twelve thousand inhabitants,
nearly half of whom, on our departure the next morning, followed us at
some distance, in order to catch a last glimpse of their white
visitants.
We passed through three villages, on the route to Chiadoo, to which we
were advancing, viz. Jesin, Weza, and Lukewâ, the chief of each of
which, with the people, detained us an hour or more underneath the
branches of trees, gazing on us with a mingled sensation of compassion
and wonder, till, their curiosity being fully satisfied, we were
suffered to proceed. At the latter of these villages elephants’ teeth
were offered us for sale; but on our refusing to purchase them, on the
ground that we were not come for the purpose of trading, the greatest
amazement was depicted on the countenances of the people, and they
wondered amongst each other what motive besides could possibly attract
us to their country.
We entered Chiadoo about six o’clock in the evening, and received the
accustomed present of provisions, &c. with the addition of a turkey. The
town, seated on a gentle declivity, is densely inhabited, and defended
by a thick mud wall and deep trench, which wholly surround it. Within
the wall, and almost close to it, trees of large dimensions are planted,
so as to form a belt from two to three miles in circumference, which in
case of necessity might easily be converted into an excellent means of
defence for the inhabitants.
The scenery on the road from Afoora to Chiadoo is extremely picturesque,
but the path itself is in many places rugged and dangerous to
travellers. Winding by the sides of the _Kong_ mountains, over rocks and
precipices, or through romantic glens at their base, intersected with
innumerable streams, the track was generally covered with small loose
stones, which galled the feet of the hammock-men in a pitiable manner.
On all sides immense masses of granite, jutting abruptly from the hills
or vallies, reared their heads to the height, in some places, of several
hundred feet; whilst others, fearfully overhanging the narrow foot-way,
caused a shuddering awe to creep over us as we passed underneath them,
which could not be suppressed. With some danger, and more difficulty,
the men who bore my hammock clambered with me to the summit of one of
the mounts, from whence the prospect on the one hand was immeasurably
grand and imposing, and on the other enchantingly beautiful. At our feet
were lovely dales, cultivated in the highest degree, and planted with
cotton, yams, the plantain, &c. fertilized by meandering rivulets,
sparkling in the sun-beams; whilst before and behind us were naked
rocks, precipitously steep and rugged, many standing singly, and others
piled loosely upon each other, apparently ready to tumble to the earth
below. The vallies, as well as the slopes and summits of the hills,
being studded with the cleanly habitations of the natives, all bore an
air of novelty, cheerfulness, beauty, and grandeur, that I have never
seen surpassed.
Our carriers having made themselves merry at the village of Weza, with
an intoxicating beverage called _otée_ (a kind of ale made from millet),
were rather frolicsome during the remainder of the journey; and on
descending an almost perpendicular precipice, I was in momentary
expectation of being tossed head-long from their shoulders, my continued
weakness rendering me unfit to walk; but happily my fears were not
realized, and after numberless hair-breadth escapes, I was conveyed in
safety to Chiadoo. The chief of that town, whose kindness to us was
displayed in a striking manner, entreated us to remain with him a few
days, and Mr. Houtson being indisposed, and Captain Clapperton still
more so, the latter thought it advisable to stay a couple of days at
least in the place, in order to try whether ease and quiet would produce
a beneficial effect on the health of either of them. On the morning of
Thursday, the 12th, we left Chiadoo, followed by the chief and an
immense crowd of people of both sexes, amongst whom were hundreds of
children, the ladies enlivening us with songs at intervals, and the men
blowing on horns and beating on gongs and drums, without any regard to
time, forming altogether a most barbarous concert of vocal and
instrumental music, which continued to our great inconvenience and
annoyance till we arrived at Matoné, when they took leave of us and
returned. The carriers refreshed themselves with two huge calabashes of
_otée_ whilst we remained in the town, after which they started with
redoubled vigour, and about one o’clock halted at Arrowâ, where we
slept.
After some little difficulty, occasioned by the unwillingness of the
chief and inhabitants to part with us so soon, we pursued our journey at
half-past nine next morning, and resting awhile at Washoo, entered Chaki
in the afternoon. The appearance of the country traversed differed but
little from that which has already been described as seen on the road to
Chiadoo, with the exception of its being, if possible, yet more varied,
and wearing an aspect of still deeper and sterner beauty; hill rising
above hill, and rock above rock, in proud magnificence. In some places
huge blocks of naked granite seemed split as if by the hands of giants,
leaving frightful chasms, the bottoms of which could not be distinctly
seen; and in others detached fragments, irregularly scattered over the
country, looking wildly and negligently grand, inspired the strongest
belief that they had been forcibly rent asunder, at a remote era, by
some dreadful convulsion of nature.
The air on the mountains is cooler, clearer, and more salubrious than in
the plains below, and the inhabitants seemed to enjoy better health, and
as we were informed lived to a more advanced age than their countrymen
of the vallies. We were every where received on the road with
acclamations and songs of welcome; and as soon as our little party was
discerned, all labour immediately ceased. The people assembling in
groups of from three or four to fifty, approached as near as the rocks
would permit them; and doffing their caps, they greeted us as we passed,
wishing us a pleasant journey to their sovereign at Katunga.
On the top of the highest hill of the whole ridge is perched the
populous town of Cheki, at an immense elevation from the plains, the
approach to which is by a winding path, more steep and rugged than any
we had before met with, and up which we were obliged positively to climb
on our hands and knees. The chief, who may be styled a petty king,
having a considerable number of towns, and many thousands of people
under his protection and command,—was seated outside of his house, under
its verandah, surrounded by about a hundred of his wives, and musicians
with drums and fifes. On our approach the latter struck up a native air,
the ladies keeping time with their feet, and accompanying the
instruments with their voices, which were so loud and shrill that the
sound rent the air. To this _voluptuous_ music we were obliged to listen
for the space of an hour, when it ceased, and we took the opportunity of
paying our respects to the chief, and being completely tired, were
conducted to a large hut which had been prepared for our reception. No
sooner had we been fairly housed, however, than we were visited, first
by several of the inhabitants, whose curiosity was irksome and painful
to us, and next by the chief in person, who drank tea, and remained with
us till a very late hour, asking us innumerable questions about England,
and listening with the most mortifying attention, and intolerable
patience, to all we chose to tell him. His countenance was open and
pleasing, and in many of his observations he displayed a degree of
acuteness and penetration that startled us. We were treated by this
chief with a kindness, remarkable even amongst his countrymen, and,
under his hospitable roof, we almost forgot all our misfortunes.
Arising early on Saturday, the 14th, though pressed to remain by every
inducement that could be thought of, we departed from Chaki at eight
o’clock, attended by the mountain-chief, with upwards of two hundred of
his wives, and a long train of people. Passing for the first time
through several Falatah villages, whose inhabitants were chiefly
employed in the occupations of pasturage and agriculture, Mr. Houtson
and myself entered the walled town of Koofo at one, and about an hour
after Captain Clapperton was brought into the town on a hammock, being
still severely indisposed. Several extensive cotton plantations lay near
the road, and the soil, generally speaking, was clear of wood, and
tolerably well cultivated. The town of Koofo has a double wall, and is
the largest we had noticed, containing, in all probability, fully twenty
thousand inhabitants. We were saluted with the usual demonstrations of
African welcome on entering the gates; and in the afternoon of our
arrival, and the next day, the spacious court or yard with which we were
accommodated was literally crammed with people of both sexes, and of all
ages; and their impertinent curiosity it was utterly impossible to
satisfy. As soon as one party had stayed as long as they thought proper,
another supplied its place, in such rapid succession, that, till the
evening of each day had been pretty far advanced, we had not a moment to
call our own.
The further we penetrated into the country, the more dense we found the
population to be, and civilization became at every step more strikingly
apparent. Large towns at the distance of only a few miles from each
other, we were informed lay on all sides of us, the inhabitants of which
pay the greatest respect to the laws, and live under a regular form of
government.
Captain Clapperton, finding himself stronger and better, ventured to
leave Koofo on horseback, on Monday at eight o’clock A.M., and after two
hours’ travelling through a well cultivated and delightful country,
studded with pleasant Falatah hamlets, we arrived at Soccasoo. In this
town, our messenger having gormandized on a leg of pork, was taken so
sick that he either could not or would not proceed, and as we durst not
go on without him, we were obliged to abide in the place till the
following day.
The opinion that the white men were come as “messengers of peace” was
general in the country, and implicitly believed by all ranks. Two years
previously to our landing from the Brazen, the Houssa slaves belonging
to the Sultan of Yariba had rebelled against their sovereign, and,
fleeing into the woods, had built themselves a considerable town, no
more than two days’ journey from the capital (Katunga), which they
called Lori. In it they strongly entrenched themselves, and, by the
addition of numbers of their straggling countrymen, who willingly
flocked to their standard, had become so formidable in a short time,
that they had successfully resisted all the attempts of his Yaribean
Majesty to re-enslave them, and maintained their independence against
the force of an empire. About the time of our journeying into the
interior, it was reported that the insurgents had recently been
reinforced by a large body of Falatah horsemen, which proved in fact to
be the case, and the news had struck so great a panic into the minds of
the people of Yariba, that those residing in the vicinity of the
mutinous slaves had emigrated to more remote provinces. Hence the
anxious solicitation of every one, that as “messengers of peace,” we
should compromise matters between their monarch and his refractory
vassals, which course could alone inspire the people with the hope of
preserving their lives and property. The Houssas had already begun to
act on the offensive, and had made frequent incursions, even to the
dwellings of their former masters, sacking and setting fire to their
towns, and laying their country waste.
On Tuesday the 17th we left Soccasoo, and changing horses at the town of
Ladooli, halted at Hadjidibbah, where, both my master and Mr. Houtson
becoming sick and ill, we rested for three hours. We then again set
forward, the path lying through a forest of stunted trees; and reaching
Akkibosa in the afternoon, slept there that night. In the course of the
morning we had passed several villages, two or three of which were in
ruins, having been partly burnt by the Houssas, and deserted by their
original inhabitants.
The atmosphere was close and sultry on our setting out on the morning of
Wednesday, and continued so during the journey. About two hours’
travelling brought us to the walled town of Adja, the entrance to which
is through a spacious avenue of noble trees. Here we were obliged to
stop for the remainder of the day, because the inhabitants were at work
in the plantations. At an early hour on Thursday, the chief, who had
been informed the previous evening of the complaint under which Captain
Clapperton laboured, came with a dose of medicine for him to take; but
after swallowing it my master became so dreadfully ill, that Mr.
Houtson, as well as myself, suspected that poison had been administered
to him. In this conjecture, however, we were happily deceived; for in
about two hours the pain, which had been occasioned by the potion
together with his former ailment, suddenly left him in an extraordinary
manner, after which, he expressed himself in perfect health, and ready
to proceed. We arrived at Layboo at one o’clock the same day, having
seen on the road five towns, two or three of which were walled, and of
no inconsiderable extent.
At six next morning we were again in motion, and halting at the village
of Bougboug at seven, and at Leogalla, a Falatah town, at eight o’clock,
arrived at Ateepa at twelve at noon. The country traversed was agreeably
diversified by hills of gentle and gradual ascent, and fertile vallies,
cultivated with yams, corn, bananas, &c. Ateepa, like most towns of any
magnitude in the country, is furnished with a strong wall, made of
earth, and a belt of trees within it, which, by reason of a thorny
creeping shrub clinging round the trunks, like the ivy to the oak, and
throwing out vigorous shoots, had become so thickly entangled as to form
a secure barrier, which, except by the narrow gateway at the entrance,
was impervious to man and beast.
On Saturday we departed from Ateepa, attended by the chief and a long
train of the male inhabitants, to defend us from any attack that the
Borghoo robbers might feel disposed to make on so insignificant a party
as ourselves. At Nannah, a considerable walled town, we changed
carriers; and its chief, copying the example of him of Ateepa, joined
our procession also, with a strong party, having the same benevolent
object in view, and escorted us to Leobadda, where each of the chiefs
drank a glass of grog, and returned with their attendants to their
respective towns. Leobadda stands close to some huge masses of pale
granite rocks, broken into irregular fragments, and has a wall of
prodigious thickness. Its population is from six to seven thousand
souls, who all seemed to be contentedly poor, invariably happy. The same
generous hospitality which had so eminently characterised their
countrymen, was displayed by the inhabitants of Leobadda, even in the
midst of poverty and rags, with an alacrity and cheerfulness that
redound greatly to their credit, and speak volumes in their praise.
At seven o’clock on Sunday, the chief, with many of his people,
assembled in front of our house, and accompanied us for some miles. On
the road we met several hundreds of men, women, and children, with heavy
loads on their beads, who had been travelling the whole of the preceding
night, and who appeared so greatly fatigued, as scarcely to be able to
drag their lazy limbs after them. They were carefully watched by
overseers (one of whom was appointed to each fifty), who were all armed,
either with short swords, or bows and arrows, and made the weary
travellers quicken their pace by threats of punishment whenever they
observed them loitering on the way. We passed in the course of the
journey, several villages which had been burnt and destroyed by
Falatahs; the walls were overgrown with weeds, and the trees, which a
short time before had afforded a grateful and refreshing shade to the
inhabitants, seared by the conflagration, and standing blighted and
withering, as solitary memorials of the awful manner in which those once
flourishing towns had been converted into waste and desolate places. At
noon we descended into a delightful valley, situated in the bosom of a
ridge of rocks, which effectually hid it from observation till one
approached almost close to it. It was intersected with whimpering
streams and purling rills, the elegant palm, and the broad leaved
banana, covered with foliage, embellishing the sheltered and beautifully
romantic spot. In the centre was a sheet of water, resembling an
artificial pond, in which were numbers of young maidens from the
neighbouring town of Tschow, some of them reposing at full length on its
verdant banks, and some frisking and basking in the sun-beams, whilst
others of their companions were sporting with the Naiads of the sacred
stream; but all of them visibly delighted with the pleasant recreations
which they were enjoying so prettily and innocently. We stood for a
season gazing on them with pleasure; but no sooner were our white faces
observed by the young ladies, than their amusements instantly ceased,
and the sable beauties simultaneously rushing from the water, snatched
up their apparel, and with their uncovered associates, concealing their
faces with their hands, ran away and hid themselves behind the trunks of
trees, looking as coy and bashful as did their mother Eve in the garden
of Eden.
Leaving that lovely glen with regret, we arrived at Tschow, a walled
town, with a good population, at two o’clock. As soon as we could be
accommodated with a house, we began cleaning our guns and pistols, as
the roads to Katunga were, we had been repeatedly informed, infested
with numerous bands of desperadoes, whose success and boldness had
terrified, to an alarming degree, the peaceable and timid inhabitants.
On the evening of our arrival, the expected escort from the Sultan of
Yariba entered the town. It consisted of two hundred horsemen, and
double that number on foot, commanded by a war-chief, and armed with
spears, and bows and arrows; all most grotesquely attired, some
flouncing in handsome robes, and some fluttering in rags. From the
moment of their arrival to the period of our departure, we had not a
moment’s quiet. They paraded the town all night, vociferously bellowing
the happiness they felt, or pretended to feel, on meeting with the white
men—serenaded us with a concert of drums, flutes, and trumpets, with
powerful vocal accompaniments, and kept shouting and hallooing till we
arose in the morning.
All was hurry and confusion as we prepared to depart, and our escort
soon getting themselves in readiness, we bade adieu to the chief of
Tschow, and started from the town about six o’clock, accompanied by a
great number of merchants and others, who cheerfully embraced the
opportunity of putting themselves under our protection. Nothing could be
more animated than the appearance of our boisterous conductors, winding
their way up a narrow and crooked path; the horsemen with their long
spears, clearing the road, and hurrying onwards as fast as their jaded
and diminutive beasts could walk with them; and the bowmen on foot, with
their instruments slung across their shoulders, and quiver full of
arrows, appended to their sides, plodding after them with all imaginable
haste. But by far the most amusing, if not the most important part of
that strange and singular cavalcade, were the musicians themselves, who
found it no easy matter to keep pace with their more lively countrymen,
and perform on their instruments at the same time. The drummers,
flourishing their sticks with a scornful, consequential air; the
trumpeters with their black bloated cheeks shining with fat; and the
fifers turning up the whites of their eyes towards heaven, and producing
altogether the most discordant, most terrific sounds that can be
conceived, were highly ludicrous; nor could we, in spite of ourselves,
maintain a becoming gravity, or help being infinitely diverted every
time that we ventured to look back, and steal a glance at our never-
enough-to-be-admired lovers of harmony!
We halted near a village called Achoran at nine o’clock, but the baggage
being at some distance behind, we left it to the care of the chiefs, and
proceeded with a hundred of the escort, (the road in many places rugged
and overshadowed with the branches of trees,) and crossed a stream
flowing to the Quorra about an hour after.
At eleven at noon, on attaining the summit of a lofty ridge, we came in
sight of the city of Katunga, lying to the south of us, at the base of a
granite mountain, and apparently embosomed in beautiful trees. Between
the ridge and the city was a fertile valley, highly cultivated, and
extending to the westward as far as the eye could reach; while the view
to the eastward was bounded by a gigantic rock, shivered into fragments,
and at no great distance from the place on which we stood. An hour’s
easy riding brought us to the north gate of the metropolis of Yariba,
outside of which were a fetish-hut, and a few private habitations; and
on entering it we took up our abode for the time, at the residence of
one of the chiefs of the escort.
As soon as the remainder of the convoy with the baggage had arrived, the
intelligence was immediately transmitted to Mansolah, the King, from
whom we presently received a warm invitation. After a ride of full five
miles through the streets of Katunga, in which we were attended by the
escort and musicians, who created so thick a cloud of dust that it had
well nigh suffocated us, we at length reached the king’s palace. His
majesty was seated under the verandah, with two umbrellas spread over
him, and surrounded by above four hundred of his wives, with many of his
caboceers and other great men. Dismounting at the distance of twenty
yards, we walked up almost close to the umbrellas, when Mansolah arose,
and very cordially shook hands with each of us, welcoming us to his
kingdom with a broad grin, lifting up our hands three several times, and
each time exclaiming “Ako! ako!” which means literally “How do you do?”
The multitude, the chiefs, and the king’s ladies, seemed equally pleased
with their good-humoured sovereign at our visit, and displayed the
warmth of their feelings by acclamations, shaking of hands, and smiles
and encouraging glances. Before our dismissal his majesty enquired more
particularly after our respective healths, but made few other
observations. In the evening he visited us at our house, attended by his
eunuchs and women, and, simply asking how we did, left us with the hope
of seeing us again the next day.