CASSELL’S NATIONAL LIBRARY
* * * * *
TRAVELS
IN THE
INTERIOR OF AFRICA
BY
MUNGO PARK
VOL. I.
[Picture: Decorative graphic]
CASSELL & COMPANY Limited
_LONDON PARIS & MELBOURNE_
1893
INTRODUCTION
MUNGO PARK was born on the 10th of September, 1771, the son of a farmer
at Fowlshiels, near Selkirk. After studying medicine in Edinburgh, he
went out, at the age of twenty-one, assistant-surgeon in a ship bound for
the East Indies. When he came back the African Society was in want of an
explorer, to take the place of Major Houghton, who had died. Mungo Park
volunteered, was accepted, and in his twenty-fourth year, on the 22nd of
May, 1795, he sailed for the coasts of Senegal, where he arrived in June.
Thence he proceeded on the travels of which this book is the record. He
was absent from England for a little more than two years and a half;
returned a few days before Christmas, 1797. He was then twenty-six years
old. The African Association published the first edition of his travels
as “Travels in the Interior Districts of Africa, 1795–7, by Mungo Park,
with an Appendix containing Geographical Illustrations of Africa, by
Major Rennell.”
Park married, and settled at Peebles in medical practice, but was
persuaded by the Government to go out again. He sailed from Portsmouth
on the 30th of January, 1805, resolved to trace the Niger to its source
or perish in the attempt. He perished. The natives attacked him while
passing through a narrow strait of the river at Boussa, and killed him,
with all that remained of his party, except one slave. The record of
this fatal voyage, partly gathered from his journals, and closed by
evidences of the manner of his death, was first published in 1815, as
“The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa in 1805, by Mungo
Park, together with other Documents, Official and Private, relating to
the same Mission. To which is prefixed an Account of the Life of Mr.
Park.”
H. M.
CHAPTER I.
JOURNEY FROM PORTSMOUTH TO THE GAMBIA.
SOON after my return from the East Indies in 1793, having learned that
the noblemen and gentlemen associated for the purpose of prosecuting
discoveries in the interior of Africa were desirous of engaging a person
to explore that continent, by the way of the Gambia river, I took
occasion, through means of the President of the Royal Society, to whom I
had the honour to be known, of offering myself for that service. I had
been informed that a gentleman of the name of Houghton, a captain in the
army, and formerly fort-major at Goree, had already sailed to the Gambia,
under the direction of the Association, and that there was reason to
apprehend he had fallen a sacrifice to the climate, or perished in some
contest with the natives. But this intelligence, instead of deterring me
from my purpose, animated me to persist in the offer of my services with
the greater solicitude. I had a passionate desire to examine into the
productions of a country so little known, and to become experimentally
acquainted with the modes of life and character of the natives. I knew
that I was able to bear fatigue, and I relied on my youth and the
strength of my constitution to preserve me from the effects of the
climate. The salary which the committee allowed was sufficiently large,
and I made no stipulation for future reward. If I should perish in my
journey, I was willing that my hopes and expectations should perish with
me; and if I should succeed in rendering the geography of Africa more
familiar to my countrymen, and in opening to their ambition and industry
new sources of wealth and new channels of commerce, I knew that I was in
the hands of men of honour, who would not fail to bestow that
remuneration which my successful services should appear to them to merit.
The committee of the Association having made such inquiries as they
thought necessary, declared themselves satisfied with the qualifications
that I possessed, and accepted me for the service; and, with that
liberality which on all occasions distinguishes their conduct, gave me
every encouragement which it was in their power to grant, or which I
could with propriety ask.
It was at first proposed that I should accompany Mr. James Willis, who
was then recently appointed consul at Senegambia, and whose countenance
in that capacity, it was thought, might have served and protected me; but
Government afterwards rescinded his appointment, and I lost that
advantage. The kindness of the committee, however, supplied all that was
necessary. Being favoured by the secretary of the Association, the late
Henry Beaufoy, Esq., with a recommendation to Dr. John Laidley (a
gentleman who had resided many years at an English factory on the banks
of the Gambia), and furnished with a letter of credit on him for £200, I
took my passage in the brig _Endeavour_—a small vessel trading to the
Gambia for beeswax and ivory, commanded by Captain Richard Wyatt—and I
became impatient for my departure.
My instructions were very plain and concise. I was directed, on my
arrival in Africa, “to pass on to the river Niger, either by way of
Bambouk, or by such other route as should be found most convenient. That
I should ascertain the course, and, if possible, the rise and termination
of that river. That I should use my utmost exertions to visit the
principal towns or cities in its neighbourhood, particularly Timbuctoo
and Houssa; and that I should be afterwards at liberty to return to
Europe, either by the way of the Gambia, or by such other route as, under
all the then existing circumstances of my situation and prospects, should
appear to me to be most advisable.”
We sailed from Portsmouth on the 22nd day of May, 1795. On the 4th of
June we saw the mountains over Mogadore, on the coast of Africa; and on
the 21st of the same month, after a pleasant voyage of thirty days, we
anchored at Jillifrey, a town on the northern bank of the river Gambia,
opposite to James’s Island, where the English had formerly a small fort.
The kingdom of Barra, in which the town of Jillifrey is situated,
produces great plenty of the necessaries of life; but the chief trade of
the inhabitants is in salt, which commodity they carry up the river in
canoes as high as Barraconda, and bring down in return Indian corn,
cotton cloths, elephants’ teeth, small quantities of gold dust, &c. The
number of canoes and people constantly employed in this trade makes the
king of Barra more formidable to Europeans than any other chieftain on
the river; and this circumstance probably encouraged him to establish
those exorbitant duties which traders of all nations are obliged to pay
at entry, amounting to nearly £20 on every vessel, great and small.
These duties or customs are generally collected in person by the
_alkaid_, or governor of Jillifrey, and he is attended on these occasions
by a numerous train of dependants, among whom are found many who, by
their frequent intercourse with the English, have acquired a smattering
of our language: but they are commonly very noisy and very troublesome,
begging for everything they fancy with such earnestness and importunity,
that traders, in order to get quit of them, are frequently obliged to
grant their requests.
On the 23rd we departed from Jillifrey, and proceeded to Vintain, a town
situated about two miles up a creek on the southern side of the river.
This place is much resorted to by Europeans on account of the great
quantities of beeswax which are brought hither for sale; the wax is
collected in the woods by the Feloops, a wild and unsociable race of
people. Their country, which is of considerable extent, abounds in rice;
and the natives supply the traders, both on the Gambia and Cassamansa
rivers, with that article, and also with goats and poultry, on very
reasonable terms. The honey which they collect is chiefly used by
themselves in making a strong intoxicating liquor, much the same as the
mead which is produced from honey in Great Britain.
In their traffic with Europeans, the Feloops generally employ a factor or
agent of the Mandingo nation, who speaks a little English, and is
acquainted with the trade of the river. This broker makes the bargain;
and, with the connivance of the European, receives a certain part only of
the payment, which he gives to his employer as the whole; the remainder
(which is very truly called the _cheating money_) he receives when the
Feloop is gone, and appropriates to himself as a reward for his trouble.
The language of the Feloops is appropriate and peculiar; and as their
trade is chiefly conducted, as hath been observed, by Mandingoes, the
Europeans have no inducement to learn it.
On the 26th we left Vintain, and continued our course up the river,
anchoring whenever the tide failed us, and frequently towing the vessel
with the boat. The river is deep and muddy; the banks are covered with
impenetrable thickets of mangrove; and the whole of the adjacent country
appears to be flat and swampy.
The Gambia abounds with fish, some species of which are excellent food;
but none of them that I recollect are known in Europe. At the entrance
from the sea sharks are found in great abundance, and, higher up,
alligators and the hippopotamus (or river-horse) are very numerous.
In six days after leaving Vintain we reached Jonkakonda, a place of
considerable trade, where our vessel was to take in part of her lading.
The next morning the several European traders came from their different
factories to receive their letters, and learn the nature and amount of
her cargo; and the captain despatched a messenger to Dr. Laidley to
inform him of my arrival. He came to Jonkakonda the morning following,
when I delivered him Mr. Beaufoy’s letter, and he gave me a kind
invitation to spend my time at his house until an opportunity should
offer of prosecuting my journey. This invitation was too acceptable to
be refused, and being furnished by the Doctor with a horse and guide, I
set out from Jonkakonda at daybreak on the 5th of July, and at eleven
o’clock arrived at Pisania, where I was accommodated with a room and
other conveniences in the Doctor’s house.
Pisania is a small village in the king of Yany’s dominions, established
by British subjects as a factory for trade, and inhabited solely by them
and their black servants. It is situated on the banks of the Gambia,
sixteen miles above Jonkakonda. The white residents, at the time of my
arrival there, consisted only of Dr. Laidley, and two gentlemen who were
brothers, of the name of Ainsley; but their domestics were numerous.
They enjoyed perfect security under the king’s protection, and being
highly esteemed and respected by the natives at large, wanted no
accommodation or comfort which the country could supply, and the greatest
part of the trade in slaves, ivory, and gold was in their hands.
Being now settled for some time at my ease, my first object was to learn
the Mandingo tongue, being the language in almost general use throughout
this part of Africa, and without which I was fully convinced that I never
could acquire an extensive knowledge of the country or its inhabitants.
In this pursuit I was greatly assisted by Dr. Laidley.
In researches of this kind, and in observing the manners and customs of
the natives, in a country so little known to the nations of Europe, and
furnished with so many striking and uncommon objects of nature, my time
passed not unpleasantly, and I began to flatter myself that I had escaped
the fever, or seasoning, to which Europeans, on their first arrival in
hot climates, are generally subject. But on the 31st of July I
imprudently exposed myself to the night-dew in observing an eclipse of
the moon, with a view to determine the longitude of the place; the next
day I found myself attacked with a smart fever and delirium, and such an
illness followed as confined me to the house during the greatest part of
August. My recovery was very slow, but I embraced every short interval
of convalescence to walk out, and make myself acquainted with the
productions of the country.
In one of those excursions, having rambled farther than usual, on a hot
day, I brought on a return of my fever, and on the 10th of September I
was again confined to my bed. The fever, however, was not so violent as
before; and in the course of three weeks I was able, when the weather
would permit, to renew my botanical excursions; and when it rained, I
amused myself with drawing plants, &c., in my chamber. The care and
attention of Dr. Laidley contributed greatly to alleviate my sufferings;
his company and conversation beguiled the tedious hours during that
gloomy season, when the rain falls in torrents; when suffocating heats
oppress by day, and when the night is spent by the terrified travellers
in listening to the croaking of frogs (of which the numbers are beyond
imagination), the shrill cry of the jackal, and the deep howling of the
hyæna, a dismal concert, interrupted only by the roar of such tremendous
thunder as no person can form a conception of but those who have heard
it.
The country itself being an immense level, and very generally covered
with wood, presents a tiresome and gloomy uniformity to the eye; but
although Nature has denied to the inhabitants the beauties of romantic
landscapes, she has bestowed on them, with a liberal hand, the more
important blessings of fertility and abundance. A little attention to
cultivation procures a sufficiency of corn, the fields afford a rich
pasturage for cattle, and the natives are plentifully supplied with
excellent fish, both from the Gambia river and the Walli creek.
The grains which are chiefly cultivated are—Indian corn (_zea mays_); two
kinds of _holcus spicatus_, called by the natives _soono_ and _sanio_;
_holcus niger_, and _holcus bicolor_, the former of which they have named
_bassi woolima_, and the latter _bassiqui_. These, together with rice,
are raised in considerable quantities; besides which, the inhabitants in
the vicinity of the towns and villages have gardens which produce onions,
calavances, yams, cassavi, ground nuts, pompions, gourds, water-melons,
and some other esculent plants.
I observed likewise, near the towns, small patches of cotton and indigo.
The former of these articles supplies them with clothing, and with the
latter they dye their cloth of an excellent blue colour, in a manner that
will hereafter be described.
In preparing their corn for food, the natives use a large wooden mortar
called a _paloon_, in which they bruise the seed until it parts with the
outer covering, or husk, which is then separated from the clean corn by
exposing it to the wind, nearly in the same manner as wheat is cleared
from the chaff in England. The corn thus freed from the husk is returned
to the mortar and beaten into meal, which is dressed variously in
different countries; but the most common preparation of it among the
nations of the Gambia is a sort of pudding which they call _kouskous_.
It is made by first moistening the flour with water, and then stirring
and shaking it about in a large calabash, or gourd, till it adheres
together in small granules resembling sago. It is then put into an
earthen pot, whose bottom is perforated with a number of small holes; and
this pot being placed upon another, the two vessels are luted together
either with a paste of meal and water, or with cows’ dung, and placed
upon the fire. In the lower vessel is commonly some animal food and
water, the steam or vapour of which ascends through the perforations in
the bottom of the upper vessel, and softens and prepares the kouskous,
which is very much esteemed throughout all the countries that I visited.
I am informed that the same manner of preparing flour is very generally
used on the Barbary coast, and that the dish so prepared is there called
by the same name. It is therefore probable that the negroes borrowed
the practice from the Moors.
Their domestic animals are nearly the same as in Europe. Swine are found
in the woods, but their flesh is not esteemed. Probably the marked
abhorrence in which this animal is held by the votaries of Mohammed has
spread itself among the pagans. Poultry of all kinds, the turkey
excepted, is everywhere to be had. The guinea-fowl and red partridge
abound in the fields, and the woods furnish a small species of antelope,
of which the venison is highly and deservedly prized.
Of the other wild animals in the Mandingo countries, the most common are
the hyæna, the panther, and the elephant. Considering the use that is
made of the latter in the East Indies, it may be thought extraordinary
that the natives of Africa have not, in any part of this immense
continent, acquired the skill of taming this powerful and docile
creature, and applying his strength and faculties to the service of man.
When I told some of the natives that this was actually done in the
countries of the East, my auditors laughed me to scorn, and exclaimed,
“_Tobaubo fonnio_!” (“A white man’s lie!”) The negroes frequently find
means to destroy the elephant by firearms; they hunt it principally for
the sake of the teeth, which they transfer in barter to those who sell
them again to the Europeans. The flesh they eat, and consider it as a
great delicacy.
On the 6th of October the waters of the Gambia were at the greatest
height, being fifteen feet above the high-water mark of the tide, after
which they began to subside, at first slowly, but afterwards very
rapidly, sometimes sinking more than a foot in twenty-four hours. By the
beginning of November the river had sunk to its former level, and the
tide ebbed and flowed as usual. When the river had subsided, and the
atmosphere grew dry, I recovered apace, and began to think of my
departure, for this is reckoned the most proper season for travelling.
The natives had completed their harvest, and provisions were everywhere
cheap and plentiful.
Dr. Laidley was at this time employed in a trading voyage at Jonkakonda.
I wrote to him to desire that he would use his interest with the
_slatees_, or slave-merchants, to procure me the company and protection
of the first _coffle_ (or caravan) that might leave Gambia for the
interior country; and, in the meantime, I requested him to purchase for
me a horse and two asses. A few days afterwards the Doctor returned to
Pisania, and informed me that a coffle would certainly go for the
interior in the course of the dry season; but that, as many of the
merchants belonging to it had not yet completed their assortment of
goods, he could not say at what time they would set out.
As the characters and dispositions of the slatees, and people that
composed the caravan, were entirely unknown to me—and as they seemed
rather averse to my purpose, and unwilling to enter into any positive
engagements on my account—and the time of their departure being withal
very uncertain, I resolved, on further deliberation, to avail myself of
the dry season, and proceed without them.
Dr. Laidley approved my determination, and promised me every assistance
in his power to enable me to prosecute my journey with comfort and
safety.
This resolution having been formed, I made preparations accordingly.
And now, being about to take leave of my hospitable friend (whose
kindness and solicitude continued to the moment of my departure), and to
quit for many months the countries bordering on the Gambia, it seems
proper, before I proceed with my narrative, that I should in this place
give some account of the several negro nations which inhabit the banks of
this celebrated river, and the commercial intercourse that subsists
between them, and such of the nations of Europe as find their advantage
in trading to this part of Africa. The observations which have occurred
to me on both these subjects will be found in the following chapter.