either in stature or complexion, or in their manners, their habits,
their weapons, or indeed in anything; and yet we could not perceive that
they had any intelligence one with another; but they were extremely kind
and civil to us on this side, as well as on the other.
We continued our voyage south for many weeks, though with several
intervals of going on shore to get provisions and water. At length,
coming round a point of land which lay about a league further than
ordinary into the sea, we were agreeably surprised with a sight which,
no doubt, had been as disagreeable to those concerned, as it was
pleasant to us. This was the wreck of an European ship, which had been
cast away upon the rocks, which in that place run a great way into the
sea.
We could see plainly, at low water, a great deal of the ship lay dry;
even at high water, she was not entirely covered; and that at most she
did not lie above a league from the shore. It will easily be believed
that our curiosity led us, the wind and weather also permitting, to
go directly to her, which we did without any difficulty, and presently
found that it was a Dutch-built ship, and that she could not have been
very long in that condition, a great deal of the upper work of her stern
remaining firm, with the mizzen-mast standing. Her stern seemed to be
jammed in between two ridges of the rock, and so remained fast, all the
fore part of the ship having been beaten to pieces.
We could see nothing to be gotten out of the wreck that was worth our
while; but we resolved to go on shore, and stay some time thereabouts,
to see if perhaps we might get any light into the story of her; and
we were not without hopes that we might hear something more particular
about her men, and perhaps find some of them on shore there, in the same
condition that we were in, and so might increase our company.
It was a very pleasant sight to us when, coming on shore, we saw all
the marks and tokens of a ship-carpenter's yard; as a launch-block and
cradles, scaffolds and planks, and pieces of planks, the remains of
the building a ship or vessel; and, in a word, a great many things
that fairly invited us to go about the same work; and we soon came to
understand that the men belonging to the ship that was lost had saved
themselves on shore, perhaps in their boat, and had built themselves a
barque or sloop, and so were gone to sea again; and, inquiring of the
natives which way they went, they pointed to the south and south-west,
by which we could easily understand they were gone away to the Cape of
Good Hope.
Nobody will imagine we could be so dull as not to gather from hence that
we might take the same method for our escape; so we resolved first, in
general, that we would try if possible to build us a boat of one kind or
other, and go to sea as our fate should direct.
In order to this our first work was to have the two carpenters search
about to see what materials the Dutchmen had left behind them that might
be of use; and, in particular, they found one that was very useful,
and which I was much employed about, and that was a pitch-kettle, and a
little pitch in it.
When we came to set close to this work we found it very laborious and
difficult, having but few tools, no ironwork, no cordage, no sails; so
that, in short, whatever we built, we were obliged to be our own smiths,
rope-makers, sail-makers, and indeed to practise twenty trades that we
knew little or nothing of. However, necessity was the spur to invention,
and we did many things which before we thought impracticable, that is to
say, in our circumstances.
After our two carpenters had resolved upon the dimensions of what they
would build, they set us all to work, to go off in our boats and split
up the wreck of the old ship, and to bring away everything we could; and
particularly that, if possible, we should bring away the mizzen-mast,
which was left standing, which with much difficulty we effected, after
above twenty days' labour of fourteen of our men.
At the same time we got out a great deal of ironwork, as bolts, spikes,
nails, &c., all of which our artist, of whom I have spoken already, who
was now grown a very dexterous smith, made us nails and hinges for our
rudder, and spikes such as we wanted.
But we wanted an anchor, and if we had had an anchor, we could not have
made a cable; so we contented ourselves with making some ropes with the
help of the natives, of such stuff as they made their mats of, and with
these we made such a kind of cable or tow-line as was sufficient to
fasten our vessel to the shore, which we contented ourselves with for
that time.
To be short, we spent four months here, and worked very hard too; at the
end of which time we launched our frigate, which, in a few words, had
many defects, but yet, all things considered, it was as well as we could
expect it to be.
In short, it was a kind of sloop, of the burthen of near eighteen
or twenty tons; and had we had masts and sails, standing and running
rigging, as is usual in such cases, and other conveniences, the vessel
might have carried us wherever we could have had a mind to go; but of
all the materials we wanted, this was the worst, viz., that we had no
tar or pitch to pay the seams and secure the bottom; and though we did
what we could, with tallow and oil, to make a mixture to supply that
part, yet we could not bring it to answer our end fully; and when we
launched her into the water, she was so leaky, and took in the water so
fast, that we thought all our labour had been lost, for we had much ado
to make her swim; and as for pumps, we had none, nor had we any means to
make one.
But at length one of the natives, a black negro-man, showed us a tree,
the wood of which being put into the fire, sends forth a liquid that is
as glutinous and almost as strong as tar, and of which, by boiling, we
made a sort of stuff which served us for pitch, and this answered our
end effectually; for we perfectly made our vessel sound and tight, so
that we wanted no pitch or tar at all. This secret has stood me in stead
upon many occasions since that time in the same place.
Our vessel being thus finished, out of the mizzen-mast of the ship we
made a very good mast to her, and fitted our sails to it as well as we
could; then we made a rudder and tiller, and, in a word, everything that
our present necessity called upon us for; and having victualled her, and
put as much fresh water on board as we thought we wanted, or as we knew
how to stow (for we were yet without casks), we put to sea with a fair
wind.
We had spent near another year in these rambles, and in this piece
of work; for it was now, as our men said, about the beginning of
our February, and the sun went from us apace, which was much to our
satisfaction, for the heats were exceedingly violent. The wind, as I
said, was fair; for, as I have since learned, the winds generally spring
up to the eastward, as the sun goes from them to the north.
Our debate now was, which way we should go, and never were men so
irresolute; some were for going to the east, and stretching away
directly for the coast of Malabar; but others, who considered more
seriously the length of that voyage, shook their heads at the proposal,
knowing very well that neither our provisions, especially of water,
or our vessel, were equal to such a run as that is, of near 2000 miles
without any land to touch at in the way.
These men, too, had all along had a great mind to a voyage for the
mainland of Africa, where they said we should have a fair cast for our
lives, and might be sure to make ourselves rich, which way soever we
went, if we were but able to make our way through, whether by sea or by
land.
Besides, as the case stood with us, we had not much choice for our way;
for, if we had resolved for the east, we were at the wrong season of the
year, and must have stayed till April or May before we had gone to sea.
At length, as we had the wind at S.E. and E.S.E., and fine promising
weather, we came all into the first proposal, and resolved for the coast
of Africa; nor were we long in disputing as to our coasting the island
which we were upon, for we were now upon the wrong side of the island
for the voyage we intended; so we stood away to the north, and, having
rounded the cape, we hauled away southward, under the lee of the island,
thinking to reach the west point of land, which, as I observed before,
runs out so far towards the coast of Africa, as would have shortened our
run almost 100 leagues. But when we had sailed about thirty leagues, we
found the winds variable under the shore, and right against us, so we
concluded to stand over directly, for then we had the wind fair, and our
vessel was but very ill fated to lie near the wind, or any way indeed
but just before it.
Having resolved upon it, therefore, we put into the shore to furnish
ourselves again with fresh water and other provisions, and about the
latter end of March, with more courage than discretion, more resolution
than judgment, we launched for the main coast of Africa.
As for me, I had no anxieties about it, so that we had but a view of
reaching some land or other, I cared not what or where it was to be,
having at this time no views of what was before me, nor much thought of
what might or might not befall me; but with as little consideration as
any one can be supposed to have at my age, I consented to everything
that was proposed, however hazardous the thing itself, however
improbable the success.
The voyage, as it was undertaken with a great deal of ignorance and
desperation, so really it was not carried on with much resolution or
judgment; for we knew no more of the course we were to steer than this,
that it was anywhere about the west, within two or three points N. or
S., and as we had no compass with us but a little brass pocket compass,
which one of our men had more by accident than otherwise, so we could
not be very exact in our course.
However, as it pleased God that the wind continued fair at S.E. and by
E., we found that N.W. by W., which was right afore it, was as good a
course for us as any we could go, and thus we went on.
The voyage was much longer than we expected; our vessel also, which had
no sail that was proportioned to her, made but very little way in the
sea, and sailed heavily. We had, indeed, no great adventures happened
in this voyage, being out of the way of everything that could offer to
divert us; and as for seeing any vessel, we had not the least occasion
to hail anything in all the voyage; for we saw not one vessel, small
or great, the sea we were upon being entirely out of the way of all
commerce; for the people of Madagascar knew no more of the shores of
Africa than we did, only that there was a country of lions, as they call
it, that way.
We had been eight or nine days under sail, with a fair wind, when, to
our great joy, one of our men cried out "Land!" We had great reason to
be glad of the discovery, for we had not water enough left for above two
or three days more, though at a short allowance. However, though it was
early in the morning when we discovered it, we made it near night before
we reached it, the wind slackening almost to a calm, and our ship being,
as I said, a very dull sailer.
We were sadly baulked upon our coming to the land, when we found that,
instead of the mainland of Africa, it was only a little island, with no
inhabitants upon it, at least none that we could find; nor any cattle,
except a few goats, of which we killed three only. However, they served
us for fresh meat, and we found very good water; and it was fifteen days
more before we reached the main, which, however, at last we arrived at,
and which was most essential to us, as we came to it just as all our
provisions were spent. Indeed, we may say they were spent first, for we
had but a pint of water a day to each man for the last two days. But, to
our great joy, we saw the land, though at a great distance, the evening
before, and by a pleasant gale in the night were by morning within two
leagues of the shore.
We never scrupled going ashore at the first place we came at, though,
had we had patience, we might have found a very fine river a little
farther north. However, we kept our frigate on float by the help of two
great poles, which we fastened into the ground to moor her, like poles;
and the little weak ropes, which, as I said, we had made of matting,
served us well enough to make the vessel fast.
As soon as we had viewed the country a little, got fresh water, and
furnished ourselves with some victuals, which we found very scarce here,
we went on board again with our stores. All we got for provision was
some fowls that we killed, and a kind of wild buffalo or bull, very
small, but good meat; I say, having got these things on board, we
resolved to sail along the coast, which lay N.N.E., till we found some
creek or river, that we might run up into the country, or some town
or people; for we had reason enough to know the place was inhabited,
because we several times saw fires in the night, and smoke in the day,
every way at a distance from us.
At length we came to a very large bay, and in it several little creeks
or rivers emptying themselves into the sea, and we ran boldly into the
first creek we came at; where, seeing some huts and wild people about
them on the shore, we ran our vessel into a little cove on the north
side of the creek, and held up a long pole, with a white bit of cloth
on it, for a signal of peace to them. We found they understood us
presently, for they came flocking to us, men, women, and children, most
of them, of both sexes, stark naked. At first they stood wondering
and staring at us, as if we had been monsters, and as if they had been
frighted; but we found they inclined to be familiar with us afterwards.
The first thing we did to try them, was, we held up our hands to our
mouths, as if we were to drink, signifying that we wanted water. This
they understood presently, and three of their women and two boys ran
away up the land, and came back in about half a quarter of an hour, with
several pots, made of earth, pretty enough, and baked, I suppose, in
the sun; these they brought us full of water, and set them down near the
sea-shore, and there left them, going back a little, that we might fetch
them, which we did.
Some time after this, they brought us roots and herbs, and some fruits
which I cannot remember, and gave us; but as we had nothing to give
them, we found them not so free as the people in Madagascar were.
However, our cutler went to work, and, as he had saved some iron out
of the wreck of the ship, he made abundance of toys, birds, dogs, pins,
hooks, and rings; and we helped to file them, and make them bright for
him, and when we gave them some of these, they brought us all sorts of
provisions they had, such as goats, hogs, and cows, and we got victuals
enough.
We were now landed upon the continent of Africa, the most desolate,
desert, and inhospitable country in the world, even Greenland and Nova
Zembla itself not excepted, with this difference only, that even the
worst part of it we found inhabited, though, taking the nature and
quality of some of the inhabitants, it might have been much better to us
if there had been none.
And, to add to the exclamation I am making on the nature of the place,
it was here that we took one of the rashest, and wildest, and most
desperate resolutions that ever was taken by man, or any number of men,
in the world; this was, to travel overland through the heart of the
country, from the coast of Mozambique, on the east ocean, to the coast
of Angola or Guinea, on the western or Atlantic Ocean, a continent of
land of at least 1800 miles, in which journey we had excessive heats to
support, unpassable deserts to go over, no carriages, camels, or beasts
of any kind to carry our baggage, innumerable numbers of wild and
ravenous beasts to encounter with, such as lions, leopards, tigers,
lizards, and elephants; we had the equinoctial line to pass under, and,
consequently, were in the very centre of the torrid zone; we had nations
of savages to encounter with, barbarous and brutish to the last degree;
hunger and thirst to struggle with, and, in one word, terrors enough to
have daunted the stoutest hearts that ever were placed in cases of flesh
and blood.
Yet, fearless of all these, we resolved to adventure, and accordingly
made such preparations for our journey as the place we were in would
allow us, and such as our little experience of the country seemed to
dictate to us.
It had been some time already that we had been used to tread barefooted
upon the rocks, the gravel, the grass, and the sand on the shore; but as
we found the worst thing for our feet was the walking or travelling on
the dry burning sands, within the country, so we provided ourselves with
a sort of shoes, made of the skins of wild beasts, with the hair inward,
and being dried in the sun, the outsides were thick and hard, and would
last a great while. In short, as I called them, so I think the term very
proper still, we made us gloves for our feet, and we found them very
convenient and very comfortable.
We conversed with some of the natives of the country, who were friendly
enough. What tongue they spoke I do not yet pretend to know. We
talked as far as we could make them understand us, not only about our
provisions, but also about our undertaking, and asked them what country
lay that way, pointing west with our hands. They told us but little to
our purpose, only we thought, by all their discourse, that there were
people to be found, of one sort or other, everywhere; that there were
many great rivers, many lions and tigers, elephants, and furious wild
cats (which in the end we found to be civet cats), and the like.
When we asked them if any one had ever travelled that way, they told
us yes, some had gone to where the sun sleeps, meaning to the west, but
they could not tell us who they were. When we asked for some to guide
us, they shrunk up their shoulders as Frenchmen do when they are afraid
to undertake a thing. When we asked them about the lions and wild
creatures, they laughed, and let us know that they would do us no hurt,
and directed us to a good way indeed to deal with them, and that was to
make some fire, which would always fright them away; and so indeed we
found it.
Upon these encouragements we resolved upon our journey, and many
considerations put us upon it, which, had the thing itself been
practicable, we were not so much to blame for as it might otherwise be
supposed; I will name some of them, not to make the account too tedious.
First, we were perfectly destitute of means to work about our own
deliverance any other way; we were on shore in a place perfectly remote
from all European navigation; so that we could never think of being
relieved, and fetched off by any of our own countrymen in that part of
the world. Secondly, if we had adventured to have sailed on along the
coast of Mozambique, and the desolate shores of Africa to the north,
till we came to the Red Sea, all we could hope for there was to be taken
by the Arabs, and be sold for slaves to the Turks, which to all of us
was little better than death. We could not build anything of a vessel
that would carry us over the great Arabian Sea to India, nor could we
reach the Cape de Bona Speranza, the winds being too variable, and the
sea in that latitude too tempestuous; but we all knew, if we could cross
this continent of land, we might reach some of the great rivers that run
into the Atlantic Ocean; and that, on the banks of any of those rivers,
we might there build us canoes which would carry us down, if it were
thousands of miles, so that we could want nothing but food, of which we
were assured we might kill sufficient with our guns; and to add to the
satisfaction of our deliverance, we concluded we might, every one of
us, get a quantity of gold, which, if we came safe, would infinitely
recompense us for our toil.
I cannot say that in all our consultations I ever began to enter into
the weight and merit of any enterprise we went upon till now. My view
before was, as I thought, very good, viz., that we should get into the
Arabian Gulf, or the mouth of the Red Sea; and waiting for some vessel
passing or repassing there, of which there is plenty, have seized upon
the first we came at by force, and not only have enriched ourselves with
her cargo, but have carried ourselves to what part of the world we had
pleased; but when they came to talk to me of a march of 2000 or 3000
miles on foot, of wandering in deserts among lions and tigers, I confess
my blood ran chill, and I used all the arguments I could to persuade
them against it.
But they were all positive, and I might as well have held my tongue; so
I submitted, and told them I would keep to our first law, to be governed
by the majority, and we resolved upon our journey. The first thing we
did was to take an observation, and see whereabouts in the world we
were, which we did, and found we were in the latitude of 12 degrees 35
minutes south of the line. The next thing was to look on the charts, and
see the coast of the country we aimed at, which we found to be from 8 to
11 degrees south latitude, if we went for the coast of Angola, or in 12
to 29 degrees north latitude, if we made for the river Niger, and the
coast of Guinea.
Our aim was for the coast of Angola, which, by the charts we had, lying
very near the same latitude we were then in, our course thither was due
west; and as we were assured we should meet with rivers, we doubted not
but that by their help we might ease our journey, especially if we could
find means to cross the great lake, or inland sea, which the natives
call Coalmucoa, out of which it is said the river Nile has its source
or beginning; but we reckoned without our host, as you will see in the
sequel of our story.
The next thing we had to consider was, how to carry our baggage, which
we were first of all determined not to travel without; neither indeed
was it possible for us to do so, for even our ammunition, which was
absolutely necessary to us, and on which our subsistence, I mean for
food, as well as our safety, and particularly our defence against wild
beasts and wild men, depended,--I say, even our ammunition was a load
too heavy for us to carry in a country where the heat was such that we
should be load enough for ourselves.
We inquired in the country, and found there was no beast of burthen
known among them, that is to say, neither horses or mules, or asses,
camels, or dromedaries; the only creature they had was a kind of
buffalo, or tame bull, such a one as we had killed; and that some of
these they had brought so to their hand, that they taught them to go and
come with their voices, as they called them to them, or sent them from
them; that they made them carry burthens; and particularly that they
would swim over rivers and lakes upon them, the creatures swimming very
high and strong in the water.
But we understood nothing of the management of guiding such a
creature, or how to bind a burthen upon them; and this last part of our
consultation puzzled us extremely. At last I proposed a method for them,
which, after some consideration, they found very convenient; and this
was, to quarrel with some of the negro natives, take ten or twelve of
them prisoners, and binding them as slaves, cause them to travel with
us, and make them carry our baggage; which I alleged would be convenient
and useful many ways as well to show us the way, as to converse with
other natives for us.
This counsel was not accepted at first, but the natives soon gave them
reason to approve it, and also gave them an opportunity to put it in
practice; for, as our little traffic with the natives was hitherto upon
the faith of their first kindness, we found some knavery among them at
last; for having bought some cattle of them for our toys, which, as
I said, our cutler had contrived, one of our men differing with his
chapman, truly they huffed him in their manner, and, keeping the things
he had offered them for the cattle, made their fellows drive away the
cattle before his face, and laugh at him. Our man crying out loud of
this violence, and calling to some of us who were not far off, the negro
he was dealing with threw a lance at him, which came so true, that, if
he had not with great agility jumped aside, and held up his hand also
to turn the lance as it came, it had struck through his body; and, as it
was, it wounded him in the arm; at which the man, enraged, took up his
fuzee, and shot the negro through the heart.