JOURNAL
OF AN
EXPEDITION TO EXPLORE THE COURSE AND
TERMINATION OF THE NIGER.
[Illustration: _Eboe Canoe_]
JOURNAL
OF
AN EXPEDITION TO EXPLORE THE COURSE
AND TERMINATION
OF
THE NIGER;
WITH A
NARRATIVE OF A VOYAGE DOWN THAT RIVER
TO ITS TERMINATION.
BY
RICHARD AND JOHN LANDER.
* * * * *
_IN THREE VOLUMES._
ILLUSTRATED WITH ENGRAVINGS AND MAPS.
VOL. III.
LONDON:
JOHN MURRAY, ALBEMARLE-STREET.
* * * * *
MDCCCXXXII.
LONDON:
PRINTED BY WILLIAM CLOWES,
Stamford Street.
CONTENTS
OF
VOLUME THE THIRD.
* * * * *
CHAPTER XVI.
Page
The Canoe exchanged — Wooden shoes of Zagozhi — Departure 1
from Zagozhi — Difficulty of obtaining paddles — The Niger
below Rabba — A night on the River — Hippopotami — Dàcannie
Island — Progress of Mahomedanism — Scenery of the River —
Gungo Island — Native canoes — Want of an Interpreter —
Natives of Gungo — Danger of the canoe — Height of the River
— Fofo Island — Falàtah mode of obtaining tribute — Arrive
at Egga — The Chief of Egga — Curiosity of the People — An
important Visiter — Fears of the Canoe-people, and their
refusal to proceed.
CHAPTER XVII.
Departure from Egga — A sea-gull observed — River scenery — 44
Arrive at Kacunda — Mahomedan schoolmaster — Natives — The
King’s brother — Accounts of the Natives below Kacunda —
Superstitious demands of the King and his people — The
Tshadda river — Departure from Kacunda — Precautions against
an attack — A night on the River — Pass the Tshadda — The
Bird Rock — Natives surprised — Perilous condition of the
Travellers at Bocquâ — Geographical information — Departure
from Bocquâ — Towns of Atta and Abbazacca — Departure from
Abbazacca — The Travellers stopped at Damuggoo.
CHAPTER XVIII.
The Chief of Damuggoo — Fetísh Deity — Visit to the Chief — 101
Unfavourable termination of a Fetísh ceremony — Another
canoe promised — Superstitious credulity of the people —
Story of the King of Atta — Impatience of the Travellers to
proceed — The town of Damuggoo — Its resources — Punishments
— Unfavourable opinions respecting the success of the
Travellers — Farewell ceremonies — Departure from Damuggoo —
Travelling companions — The disaster of Kirree — John
Lander’s narrative of it — The Paláver or Council at Kirree
— Decision of the Council — The Eboe People.
CHAPTER XIX.
Departure from Kirree — Method of trading — Character of the 157
Natives — An unhappy slave — Superstitions of the Canoe-men
respecting the Travellers — Stopped by fog — Pass through a
lake — Arrival at Eboe Town — The King’s Palace —
Description of King Obie — Interview with him — The Eboe
People — Trade of Eboe Town — Disputes of the natives
respecting the Travellers — Decision of King Obie respecting
them — Their disappointment — An Eboe Lady — Arrangements
for leaving Eboe.
CHAPTER XX.
Departure from Eboe — Addizetta — Superstitious Ceremonies — 212
Passengers of the Canoe — Banks of the River — The Tide
observed — The Travellers met by the Chief of Brass Town —
Description of King Forday — Fetísh ceremonies — Procession
of Canoes to Brass Town — Arrival — Description of Brass
Town — Its productions — The King’s House — The Travellers
neglected — Interview with King Forday — Preparation for
leaving Brass Town.
CHAPTER XXI.
Richard Lander leaves Brass Town — The Natives’ idea of an 241
Echo — Arrival on board an English brig in the river Nun —
Reception — Disappointment of Richard Lander — Conduct of
the Commander of the brig — Anxiety of Richard Lander —
Arrival of John Lander on board the brig — Narrative of John
Lander — Proceedings on board the brig — Attempts to leave
the river — Perilous condition of the brig — A vessel of war
— Arrival at Fernando Po — Description of Clarence — Natives
of the island — The Gulf of Guinea — Tornadoes — The Calebar
River — Ephraim Town — Passage to Rio Janiero — Return to
England.
* * * * *
APPENDIX.
No. I.
Translation of a Letter from the Sultan of Yáouri in Africa, 342
to his Britannic Majesty; brought to England by Richard
Lander and his brother, in June 1831.
No. II.
List of Stores delivered out of His Majesty’s Military 341
Depôt, by an order of the Honourable Board of Ordnance,
dated 18th December, 1829,—to Messrs. LANDER, about to
proceed on Discoveries in Africa.
No. III.
List of Medicines and Surgical Materials supplied for the 348
use of Mr. Lander and his brother, going on an expedition to
Africa, with short Directions for their Use and Application.
* * * * *
JOURNAL.
* * * * *
CHAPTER XVI.
The canoe exchanged — Wooden shoes of Zagozhi — Departure from Zagozhi —
Difficulty of obtaining paddles — The Niger below Rabba — A night on the
river — Hippopotami — Dàcannie Island — Progress of Mahomedanism —
Scenery of the river — Gungo Island — Native canoes — Want of an
Interpreter — Natives of Gungo — Danger of the canoe — Height of the
river — Fofo Island — Falàtah mode of obtaining tribute — Arrive at Egga
— The Chief of Egga — Curiosity of the People — An important Visiter —
Fears of the canoe-people, and their refusal to proceed.
_Friday, October 16th._—We were up and stirring at a very early hour in
the morning, packing up our clothes and getting our luggage ready for
embarkation. But when this was all done we met with a sudden and
unforeseen embarrassment,—the sable ‘King of the Dark Water’ laughed at
the idea of giving us a canoe on the faith of receiving payment from the
prince of the Falàtahs, and refused at first to deliver up to us our
own, which we had obtained from Patàshie, and which we had kept with so
much anxiety and trouble. At length, after much importunity, we induced
the chief to restore them into our hands; and our things and the clothes
of our people, with a quantity of rice, corn, calavances, and honey,
were removed into them from our late residence.
When all this was done, and we were quite ready to start, the old chief
came down to the water-side to bid us farewell, according to his avowed
purpose, but in reality to offer us a commodious canoe in exchange for
our own, if we would consent to give him ten thousand cowries in
addition to them. This was agreed to on our parts after a little delay,
for we considered that it would be infinitely more comfortable to have
our people and all our things with us in the same canoe; and that it
would be less laborious, rather than be liable to casualties and
accidents by separation. We had fortunately realized a sufficient number
of cowries from the sale of needles at Rabba, and while I was shifting
our things from our canoe into another, my brother walked back with the
old chief to his residence, where he found all the people of the house
gathered round the trunk of a large tree which was burning in the hut.
Here he paid the chief ten thousand cowries for the canoe, which having
done, he rejoined me at the water-side. I had forgotten to mention that
the principal inhabitants, owing to the softness of the soil during the
rainy season, wear large wooden shoes when they go abroad in bad
weather; but the lower class of people and ourselves generally went
barefoot. It is merely a flat piece of a very hard species of wood as
long as the foot, supported at each end by thick pieces, as shown in the
sketch. A small piece of leather passing through holes in it, and
leaving a noose on the upper part, serves to confine the great toe to
it, and the heel is also secured by another piece passing over the
instep. The annexed sketch is a representation of it.
[Illustration]
The canoes made here are of a particular description, very much
resembling what are called punts in England, but are perfectly straight
and flat-bottomed. They are generally formed out of one log of wood, and
are of an immense size. That which we purchased is about fifteen feet in
length and four in breadth, but they make them nearly as large again.
As soon as our goods were all transferred into the purchased canoe,
which, after all, was not near large enough for our purpose, we found it
to be extremely leaky, and patched up in a thousand places. We saw that
we had been cheated by the artful ‘King of the Dark Water,’ but rather
than enter into an interminable dispute on the subject, which might
involve us in further difficulties, we held our peace, and put up with
the imposition without a murmur. We had been prevented from perceiving
the canoe’s defects before by the excitement of preparation and the
hurry of departure. And yet after we had all got into her, we waited
till we were weary for the arrival of a messenger that was to have
accompanied us a little way on our journey; but he did not come, and we
resolved to leave without him. Therefore at nine o’clock in the morning
we bade farewell to the King of the Dark Water and the hundreds of
spectators who were gazing at us, fired two muskets, accompanied with
three cheers, and launching out into the river, we were soon out of
their sight.
[Illustration: _Leaving Zagozhi._]
Notwithstanding his recent artful proceedings, this old man had behaved
to us with the most attentive hospitality, in which he was imitated by
his principal people, who were as friendly to us as we could desire. We
could not expect that the first flow of feeling and generosity should
continue. ‘Whatever is violent,’ it has been often remarked, ‘is seldom
lasting;’ and when this remark is applied to the passions of unlettered
and uncivilized man, surely we ought not to be surprised at their
advances of friendship becoming less frequent and their hospitality
decreasing with their admiration.
It is inconceivable what difficulties we have experienced in obtaining
paddles for our canoe; no where have we found people willing to sell us
any, and until we reached Zagozhi we could induce no one to spare us a
paddle; they would not do it for the world. However at Madjie, and other
places, we returned the hospitality which we received from the chiefs,
by suffering our men to go out at night when it was dark, and when the
villagers were asleep, and steal what we found an invincible difficulty
in procuring by fairer means. The paddles thus obtained were concealed
from their owners, and from our ill-natured Nouffie guide, in the bottom
of a canoe under a quantity of mats; and though our men were suspected
of the offence, yet we were permitted to pass on unmolested. It was by
such mean and unworthy shifts as these that we found ourselves in a
condition this morning of proceeding down the Niger for the first time,
without any foreign assistance whatever. We were overjoyed at this, for
nothing can be more irksome and unpleasant than to be at the beck and
under the control of an interested guide or messenger, to stop the canoe
whenever he may think fit, and to land at every town which might suit
his own convenience. It is pleasant, very pleasant, to _feel_ that one
is his own master.
As we have already said, Zagozhi was soon out of sight; but though we
journied with tolerable rapidity, the city of Rabba remained long in
view. We fancied at first that we were pursued from thence by several
canoes which were filled with people, but we learnt soon after that they
were engaged in trade, and only pursuing their customary avocations. The
breadth of the channel between Zagozhi and Rabba is not more than two
miles in our estimation, and the direction of it about south-east. Our
course from the landing-place was along the shore of the island on the
Rabba side for about twenty minutes, when we arrived at its extremity.
The river then ran east, and its breadth appeared to be about four
miles.
A little before nine A.M., we passed a ferry, where we observed a great
many canoes crossing and recrossing with passengers and horses to the
Yarriba side. On inquiry we found that they were going to the market of
Alôrie. This is the same place mentioned as lying to the south-west of
Katunga. A range of low hills appeared on each side of the river as far
as the eye could discern, but at some little distance from the bank,
sometimes about five miles; and we passed along the side of a large
cone-shaped hill, completely detached from the range, and rising with
abruptness at a few paces only from the water’s edge. The borders of the
river were exceedingly flat, low, and swampy, and appeared as though
they were partially overflowed, for trees and shrubs were shooting up in
many places out of the body of the water.
We observed several large and small towns as we paddled along, all of
them in situations extremely low, which gave them a truly uncomfortable
and wretched appearance. Besides fish, the principal food of the
inhabitants is rice, of which they cultivate vast quantities. The rice
grounds are now almost all inundated; some of them are as much as three
or four miles from any perceptible human habitation.
We made no stop whatever on the river, not even at meal times, our men
suffering the canoe to glide down with the stream while they were eating
their food. At five in the afternoon they all complained of fatigue, and
we looked around us for a landing-place, where we might rest awhile, but
we could find none, for every village which we saw after that hour was
unfortunately situated behind large thick morasses and sloughy bogs,
through which, after various tedious and provoking trials, we found it
impossible to penetrate. We were employed three hours in the afternoon
in endeavouring to find a landing at some village, and though we saw
them distinctly enough from the water, we could not find a passage
through the morasses, behind which they lay. Therefore we were compelled
to relinquish the attempt, and continue our course on the Niger. We
passed several beautiful islands in the course of the day, all
cultivated and inhabited, but low and flat. The width of the river
appeared to vary considerably; sometimes it seemed to be two or three
miles across, and at others double that width. The current drifted us
along very rapidly, and we guessed it to be running at the rate of three
or four miles an hour. The direction of the stream continued nearly
east.
The day had been excessively warm, and the sun set in beauty and
grandeur, shooting forth rays tinged with the most radiant hues, which
extended to the zenith. Nevertheless the appearance of the firmament,
all glorious as it was, betokened a coming storm; the wind whistled
wildly through the tall rushes, and darkness soon covered the earth like
a veil. This rendered us more anxious than ever to land somewhere, we
cared not where, and to endeavour to procure shelter for the night, if
not in a village, at least under a tree. Accordingly, rallying the
drooping spirits of our men, we encouraged them to renew their exertions
by setting them the example, and our canoe darted silently and swiftly
down the current. We were enabled to steer her rightly by the vividness
of the lightning, which flashed across the water continually, and by
this means also we could distinguish any danger before us, and avoid the
numerous small islands with which the river is interspersed, and which
otherwise might have embarrassed us very seriously. But though we could
perceive almost close to us several lamps burning in comfortable-looking
huts, and could plainly distinguish the voices of their occupants, and
though we exerted all our strength to get at them, we were foiled in
every attempt, by reason of the sloughs and fens, and we were at last
obliged to abandon them in despair. Some of these lights, after leading
us a long way, eluded our search, and vanished from our sight like an
_ignis fatuus_, and others danced about we knew not how nor where. But
what was more vexatious than all, after we had got into an inlet, and
toiled and tugged for a full half hour against the current, which in
this little channel was uncommonly rapid, to approach a village from
which we thought it flowed, both village and lights seemed to sink into
the earth, the sound of the people’s voices ceased of a sudden, and when
we fancied we were actually close to the spot, we strained our eyes in
vain to see a single hut,—all was gloomy, dismal, cheerless, and
solitary. It seemed the work of enchantment; every thing was as
visionary as ‘sceptres grasped in sleep.’
We had paddled along the banks a distance of not less than thirty miles,
every inch of which we had attentively examined, but not a bit of dry
land could anywhere be discovered which was firm enough to bear our
weight. Therefore, we resigned ourselves to circumstances, and all of us
having been refreshed with a little cold rice and honey, and water from
the stream, we permitted the canoe to drift down with the current, for
our men were too much fatigued with the labours of the day to work any
longer. But here a fresh evil arose, which we were unprepared to meet.
An incredible number of hippopotami arose very near us, and came
plashing, snorting, and plunging all round the canoe, and placed us in
imminent danger. Thinking to frighten them off, we fired a shot or two
at them, but the noise only called up from the water, and out of the
fens, about as many more of their unwieldy companions, and we were more
closely beset than before. Our people, who had never, in all their
lives, been exposed in a canoe to such huge and formidable beasts,
trembled with fear and apprehension, and absolutely wept aloud; and
their terror was not a little increased by the dreadful peals of thunder
which rattled over their heads, and by the awful darkness which
prevailed, broken at intervals by flashes of lightning, whose powerful
glare was truly awful. Our people tell us, that these formidable animals
frequently upset canoes in the river, when every one in them is sure to
perish. These came so close to us, that we could reach them with the
butt end of a gun. When I fired at the first, which I must have hit,
every one of them came to the surface of the water, and pursued us so
fast over to the north bank, that it was with the greatest difficulty
imaginable we could keep before them. Having fired a second time, the
report of my gun was followed by a loud roaring noise, and we seemed to
increase our distance from them. There were two Bornou men among our
crew, who were not so frightened as the rest, having seen some of these
creatures before on Lake Tchad, where, they say, plenty of them abound.
However, the terrible hippopotami did us no kind of mischief whatever;
no doubt, at first when we interrupted them, they were only sporting and
wallowing in the river for their own amusement; but had they upset our
canoe, we should have paid dearly for it.
We observed a bank on the north side of the river shortly after this,
and I proposed halting on it for the night, for I wished much to put my
foot on firm land again. This, however, not one of the crew would
consent to, saying that if the _Gewow Roua_, or _water elephant_, did
not kill them, the crocodiles certainly would do so before the morning,
and I thought afterwards, that we might have been carried off like the
Cumbrie people on the islands near Yàoorie, if we had tried the
experiment. Our canoe is only large enough to hold us all when sitting,
so that we have no chance of lying down. Had we been able to muster up
thirty thousand cowries at Rabba, we might have purchased one which
would have carried us all very comfortably. A canoe of this sort would
have served us for living in entirely, we should have had no occasion to
land excepting to obtain our provisions; and having performed our day’s
journey, might have anchored fearlessly at night.
Finding we could not induce our people to land, we agreed to continue on
all night. The eastern horizon became very dark, and the lightning more
and more vivid; indeed, we never recollect having seen such strong
forked lightning before in our lives. All this denoted the approach of a
storm. At eleven P.M., it blew somewhat stronger than a gale, and at
midnight the storm was at its height. The wind was so furious, that it
swept the water over the sides of the canoe several times, so that she
was in danger of filling. Driven about by the wind, our frail little
bark became unmanageable; but at length we got near a bank, which in
some measure protected us, and we were fortunate enough to lay hold of a
thorny tree, against which we were driven, and which was growing nearly
in the centre of the stream. Presently we fastened the canoe to its
branches, and wrapping our cloaks round our persons, for we felt
overpowered with fatigue, and with our legs dangling half over the sides
of the little vessel into the water, which for want of room we were
compelled to do, we lay down to sleep. There is something, I believe, in
the nature of a tempest, which is favourable to slumber, at least so
thought my brother; for though the thunder continued to roar, and the
wind to rage,—though the rain beat in our faces, and our canoe lay
rocking like a cradle, still he slept soundly. The wind kept blowing
hard from the eastward till after midnight, when it became calm. The
rain then descended in torrents, accompanied with thunder and lightning
of the most awful description. We lay in our canoe drenched with rain,
and our little vessel was filling so fast, that two people were obliged
to be constantly baling out the water to keep her afloat. The water-
elephants, as the natives term the hippopotami, frequently came snorting
near us, but fortunately did not touch our canoe.
The rain continued until three in the morning of the 17th, when it
became clear, and we saw the stars sparkling like gems over our heads.
Therefore, we again proceeded on our journey down the river, there being
sufficient light for us to see our way, and two hours after, we put into
a small, insignificant fishing-village, called _Dàcannie_, where we
landed very gladly. Before we arrived at this island, we had passed a
great many native towns and villages, but in consequence of the early
hour at which we were travelling, we considered it would be imprudent to
stop at any of them, as none of the natives were out of their huts. Had
we landed earlier even near one of these towns, we might have alarmed
the inhabitants, and been taken for a party of robbers, or, as they are
called in the country, _Jacallees_. They would have taken up arms
against us, and we might have lost our lives; so that for our own safety
we continued down the river, although we had a great desire to go on
shore.
In the course of the day and night, we travelled, according to our own
estimation, a distance little short of a hundred miles. Our course was
nearly east. The Niger in many places, and for a considerable way,
presented a very magnificent appearance, and we believe it to have been
nearly eight miles in width.
_Sunday, October 17th._—After drying our persons and wet clothes before
large fires which we had kindled for the purpose, we sat down at the
root of a tree, and partook of a meagre refreshment of rice and honey.
While we were at breakfast, the promised messenger from Zagozhi arrived
at the village, in a canoe of his own, and came up to us, and introduced
himself. He said that he had followed our track during the night, and
had heard the report of our guns, but though he strove to come up with
us, yet he had been not able. The hippopotami had annoyed him in the
same manner as they had us, and had given him much apprehension and
uneasiness, but had done his canoe no manner of injury. We found several
Falàtah Mallams on the island, who have been sent by the Chief of Rabba
for the purpose of instructing the natives in the Mahomedan faith. The
island is inhabited by Nouffie fishermen, a harmless, inoffensive race
of men, who only a few weeks ago were obliged to abjure their pagan
deities for the Koran, whether against their inclination or otherwise.
This is another of the effects of the Falàtahs’ spreading their
conquests over the country. Wherever they become masters, the Mahomedan
religion follows. In consequence of Ederesa having relinquished his
authority in favour of Mallam Dendo, his subjects have become
Mahomedans, and this faith will no doubt shortly spread through Yarriba.
The Mallams were attentive and civil to us as strangers, and directed
the natives to find firewood for us, and bring it to our encampment, for
which, in return, we made them a present of a few needles.
It was between nine and ten in the morning, when the guide desired us to
proceed onward, and promised to follow us in a few minutes. With this
arrangement we cheerfully complied, and instantly pushed off the shore,
for, of all persons, a messenger is the most unpleasant companion; he is
fond of procrastination, sullen when rebuked, and stops at every paltry
village wherein he fancies that he can levy his contributions without
the fear of interruption.
At ten A.M., we observed several mountains of singular and picturesque
appearance, which are situated a few miles beyond the extreme borders of
the river, bearing north-east of us. They appeared like three complete
sugar loaves, with little hills about them. And shortly afterwards we
came in sight of other mountains, yet more interesting and romantic; but
these were very elevated, and so far before us, that they could hardly
be distinguished from faint blue clouds. Among them were table hills,
and others which formed perfect cones, whilst others again were of the
most grotesque and unshapely description. By what we could see, we were
of opinion that they formed a regular chain of mountains.
The messenger whom we left behind at _Dàcannie_, soon overtook us, in
pursuance of his agreement, and kept us company till we drew near to two
cities of prodigious extent, one on each side of the river, and directly
opposite each other. The beach was lined with the canoes of their
inhabitants. To that lying on our right, the guide expressed his
intention of going, and endeavoured to entice us with many promises to
accompany him there, but this we refused, for we had previously formed a
resolution to husband our resources to the utmost of our ability; and
well knowing, likewise, the number and rapacity of the ‘great men,’ who
expect presents in all large towns, and the detention to which we should
be subjected in them, we had made up our minds to land at little hamlets
only, (unless compelled to alter this arrangement from circumstances,)
where we might do just as we pleased, without being amenable for our
actions to those powerful beings who are styled the ‘_mighty_’ of the
earth.
Accordingly, we parted company, and took our leave of the Zagōzhi
messenger, who agreed to follow us as before, and in an hour afterwards,
which was about the middle of the day, we put in at a small village,
situated on an island called _Gungo_. The banks now became high and
beautifully cultivated. On our right we passed many villages and towns,
and on our left, the mountains before mentioned. Palm trees grew in
profusion, and the towns and villages were not more than two or three
miles from each other. We observed some hundreds of large canoes, with a
hut in their middle, passing along the river, some crossing and
recrossing to the opposite banks, while others were pursuing their
course along them. They mostly seemed to contain families of people, for
while the men were paddling, the women and girls were singing to a
guitar with their little delicate voices, and produced a very pretty
effect. When we passed close to any of their canoes, they would suddenly
stop their music and exclaim _Ki ki ma nenee acca chiken zhilagee!_
repeatedly, expressing the utmost astonishment, both in their features
and gestures. We got this translated for us by Paskoe, and it signifies
_Oh dear! Oh dear! what do I see in that canoe!_ The _ki ki_ is
evidently an exclamation of surprise, and might be rendered Oh! only;
but our interpreter gave us his own translation, and we have accordingly
preserved it. We contented ourselves with a look at the innocent black
faces of these damsels, and passed on. We find that all the Yarriba side
of the river is deserted by the natives, who have fled into the country,
and left the Falàtahs in quiet possession of all their towns and
villages.
The river near this island takes a slight bend to the southward of east,
the current continues to run very rapidly, and the breadth of the river
is from three to five miles, according to our estimation. This island is
about a mile and a half in circumference, lying nearly in the middle of
the river. Here, for the first time since leaving the coast, we could
not make ourselves understood. We could muster up five different
languages spoken by the Africans, but the Hàussa language was not even
understood here, nor any other that we could speak; so we had recourse
to signs and motions, and soon made the natives comprehend that we
wanted something to eat, and a hut to sleep in for the night. The choice
of several empty ones was quickly offered us, which were all equally
comfortless and miserable, on account of the lowness of the village,
part of which was overflowed by the river. However, we took possession
of one which is made of wicker-work, rather for the benefit of cool and
fresh air, than for any other advantage peculiar to itself, for it is
built in a splashy situation, and a stream of water from the Niger
rushes over half its floor. The other part of it was cleaned out for us,
and we endeavoured to make ourselves comfortable. Shortly after, a large
bowl of boiled corn, and another of fish, were sent to us, together with
about ten pounds of the flesh of hippopotami. The former we were quite
contented with, but as for the latter, being nearly all fat, we could
not fancy it, and accordingly gave it to our people. They were not a
little amused at this delicacy on our part, for they assured us it was
the finest meat they had ever tasted, and it forms a principal part of
the food of the natives.
The natives of Gungo seem to be a mild, inoffensive, quiet, and good-
natured people. They procure a livelihood almost solely by fishing, and
the fruits of their labour are exchanged with their neighbours for corn
and yams. About sunset, the inhabitants of the whole island, amounting
to about a hundred men, women, and children, dressed in very decent
apparel, and headed by their chief, a venerable old man, paid us a
visit. The chief was dressed in the Mahomedan costume, and he arranged
his people, and made them sit down round our hut in the most orderly
manner. They remained in this situation about an hour, satisfying their
curiosity in looking at us, and making their remarks to each other,
expressive of amazement and delight; during which time, signs only could
be understood between us. The men evinced no alarm, but the women, and
pretty little plump-faced children[1], were much frightened by our white
faces, and seemed not a little glad to get away. Before they retired, we
distributed about two hundred needles among them, and they went away
highly pleased with their present.
_Monday, October 18th._—The morning dull and cloudy. At a little after
six, everything was in readiness for our departure. As we were about to
launch out into the stream, the chief came down to the water-side, and
presented us with a piece of hippopotamus flesh, in a clean white
calabash, expressive of his gratitude for our visit. This meat was
pronounced by our people to be rich and delicious. We presented him with
a hundred needles, and the young girls who had brought us the
provisions, with a few beads. They were much pleased with our presents,
and I have no doubt our visit has made an impression on their minds that
will not be easily effaced. Having read prayers to our people, a custom
which we have never neglected either morning or evening, we bade adieu
to the Chief of Gungo and his people. They were assembled at the river
side to see us go, and as our canoe left the shore, they all lifted
their hands, wishing us a prosperous journey.
We had not been on the water more than half an hour after leaving Gungo,
before the wind rose to a gale, causing the river to be agitated like a
sea, and our canoe to be tossed about like a cocoa-nut shell. It also
rained heavily, insomuch that in a moment we were wetted to the skin,
and our canoe soon became half filled with water. We were then in the
middle of the river, and in danger of sinking every instant. Our men
struggled hard to pull the canoe among the rushes on the right bank, for
the purpose of holding on by them till the wind and rain should abate,
and the water become smooth. It was not without great exertion that this
was effected, for the wind was against us, the water was in commotion,
and our fragile little vessel, as a sailor would express it, ‘shipped
several seas.’ No sooner had we got into the morass, and were
congratulating ourselves on our deliverance, than a frightful crocodile,
of prodigious size, sprang forth from his retreat, close to the canoe,
and plunged underneath it with extraordinary violence, to the amazement
and terror of us all: we had evidently disturbed him from his sleep. He
was the largest I ever saw; and had he touched our canoe, would have
upset it. The rain, in addition to the water that washed in from the
river over the bows of our canoe, employed three persons constantly
baling to keep her afloat.
The wind and rain having subsided, we left our retreat about half past
eight, and kept on down the river.
About ten in the morning, we arrived opposite a large village, which is
situated on a low, flat island; and the current at this place rushing
with the impetuosity of a torrent over a broad sand bank,
notwithstanding we exerted all our powers to avoid it, we were
completely foiled: the canoe became unmanageable; we were carried along
with irresistible velocity; and in less than two minutes, she struck
against the roof of a hut which was covered with water. By the sudden
and forcible shock which the canoe hereby sustained, one of our men was
thrown with violence overboard, but the others, more fortunate, clung to
the boughs of a tree. Though the current was so exceedingly rapid, the
water was very shallow, and the man was enabled to join his companions
shortly afterwards: he appeared more frightened than hurt. The village
is nearly washed away, with the exception of about a dozen houses, so
high are the waters of the river. We observed a number of large canoes
receiving the inhabitants in them, for the purpose of conveying them to
the main land.
At Zagōzhi, we had been strongly recommended to put into a large and
important trading town, called _Egga_, which was reported to be three
days’ journey down the river from thence, and we had been promised a
guide or messenger to accompany us thither, but we have neither heard
nor seen anything of him since yesterday. Beyond Egga, it is said the
Falàtah interest does not extend, and by all accounts, after leaving
that place, the banks of the Niger are inhabited by different races of
people, who are less gentle and humane, and not so civilized as the
Noufanchie. We had so far proceeded without the guide, because he did
not choose to keep up with us, and because we would not consent to wait
for him. But here, from motives of prudence, we thought proper to make
inquiries concerning the Egga we had been told of, lest by any means we
should pass it without seeing it; and we were persuaded, should this be
the case, that the difficulty of pulling back against the current would
be insuperable. Therefore, we approached as near the village as we
could, and hallooed and bawled to the inhabitants, some of whom we could
observe knee-deep in water, walking about the streets; but they were at
so great a distance from our canoe, or so busily employed in their own
concerns, that it is probable they did not perfectly understand the
nature of our inquiries, and their answers were too indistinct for us to
comprehend their meaning. However, instead of answering our questions,
two or three Mallam priests gave us to understand that the Niger has
been more than usually full this season; that it had overflowed its
natural boundaries, and washed away a considerable portion of their
village, which was apparent from the great number of frames of huts
which we had seen stuck in the sand outside, more especially the
circular tops of them, which had a very odd appearance in the river. The
remains of the village are even now half under water, and the
unfortunate inhabitants must therefore be in very great distress.
Seeing that we could gather no further information from these villagers,
we left the place, and shortly afterwards came abreast of those
remarkable mountains which we saw before us yesterday. They appeared now
in the shape of three flat table-mountains, and seemed to be very close
to the river. One or two of them exhibit a perfect picture of barrenness
and sterility; others are covered with stunted vegetation; but others
again appear more fertile, being cultivated with corn almost to their
summits, and have a very agreeable appearance. At their bases are
several pleasant-looking villages, most charmingly situated, and
embellished with tall and goodly trees.
Journeying along by the side of them, we observed a mountain a long way
to the eastward of us, whose summit resembled an immense dome. At mid-
day, we stopped awhile at a small island to obtain the necessary
information respecting Egga; but could only learn that that town was
still a great way off. A large Falàtah canoe, with musicians on board,
followed us here, and for some distance after we had left it, but we do
not think with any hostile intention.
At four in the afternoon, our men were tired with their exertions, and
complained sadly of fatigue and exhaustion, so that we were induced to
put in at a small island called _Fofo_, where we resolved to sleep. The
river to-day has been very serpentine; its general course south-east,
and east-south-east; and its breadth from two to six miles.
After we had landed, a man who asserted that he had just arrived from
Funda, introduced himself to our notice: he states that it is three
days’ journey from hence down the Niger, to the frontiers of that
kingdom; and that its metropolis, which is of the same name, is situated
at an equal distance inland from the water-side; so that, if this
information be true, it will be utterly impossible for us to visit the
city of Funda, as it was our intention to do, for we are without horses,
and the means of procuring them; and the attempt to penetrate so great a
distance through the bush in our present languid and debilitated state,
would be impracticable, and highly improper. Besides, what presents have
we to offer to the king?
For the first time since leaving Yarriba, we saw a cocoa-nut this
evening, which gave us infinite pleasure. On inquiring where it grew, we
were told that it had been brought from a place near the sea, seven
days’ journey from Fofo. The evening was far advanced, before a hut
could anywhere be found for our reception, owing, it was said, to the
absence of the chief; nor did we experience, on his return to the
village, the slightest degree of kindness or hospitality. In the course
of the day, we observed a great number of hippopotami as we came down
the river, and many canoes of a large size. The consternation of the
people at seeing us was very great; they gazed at us with vacant
countenances, and never once thought of asking us if we wanted a hut or
anything to eat. We had been an hour with them, undergoing their
scrutiny, and affording them subject for their remarks, when two Rabba
messengers came to us, saying, that as none of the people of Fofo had
offered us a hut, we were welcome to theirs. We accordingly accepted
their offer, and were glad to get under their protection. We had not
been here long, before three large calabashes of cakes, made of Indian
corn, fried in palm oil, were sent to us by the women, who it seems take
much more interest in us than the men, and we were quite ready for our
meal.
The chief has kept aloof from us, being in trouble at present, from not
having a sufficient number of cowries to pay his annual taxes to Rabba,
for which purpose, it seems, the messengers are here. It is customary to
allow them a certain number of days to do this, at the expiration of
which time, if the tribute be not paid, the messengers watch their
opportunity, and carry off one or two of the inhabitants. These are then
sold in the market at Rabba, as slaves, and their produce pays the tax.
The same custom we had seen practised at Lever, even after the tax had
been paid.
We have passed many islands to-day. The Nouffie bank is high and hilly,
but well cultivated. There seem to be many villages, and much
cultivation on both sides.
_Tuesday, October 19th._—Having taken a slight breakfast, we were not
unmindful of the attentions of our female friends yesterday, and
returned their kindness with a paper of needles, and it was gratifying
to see them so thankful. We were informed by the Falàtah messengers,
that we shall pass the Coodoonia river this morning, the same that I
crossed on the former mission near Cuttup. We gave them a few buttons
and parted very good friends. The morning was dull and cloudy, and
showers fell occasionally, but as the weather cleared up a little before
eight o’clock A.M., we embraced the opportunity of quitting the island
of Fofo. Some of the people hereabouts display as little curiosity at
seeing us, as if we had been as black as themselves. In half an hour, we
observed and passed a river of tolerable size, which entered the Niger
from the northward. This is no doubt the Coodoonia which the Falàtahs
mentioned. The banks this morning have exhibited a more beautiful
appearance than we had observed for several days before; nevertheless,
they wanted the charm of novelty to recommend them. Very elevated land
appeared on each side of the river, as far as could be seen; which
appeared to be formed of a range of hills, extending from north-north-
east to south-south-west. At eleven o’clock, we touched at a large
village to inquire whereabouts Egga lay, and were informed that we had
not a long way to go. We journeyed onwards for about an hour, when we
perceived a large, handsome town, behind a deep morass. Several little
inlets led through it to the town, distant about three miles from the
bank of the river, which, as we drew near, we learnt was the place of
which we were in quest. It was the long-sought Egga, and we instantly
proceeded up a creek to the landing-place. The town is upwards of two
miles in length, and we were struck with the immense number of large,
bulky canoes which lay off it, and which were filled with trading
commodities, and all kinds of merchandise which are common to the
country. They also had huts in them, like the canoes we had seen before.
All of them had blood smeared on their sterns, and feathers stuck in it
as a charm or preservative against robbers and the evil disposed.
We halted a few minutes before landing, no one having conveyed
intelligence of our arrival to the chief. A young Falàtah was the first
who invited us on shore, and we despatched Pascoe to the chief, to tell
him who we were, and what we wanted. He quickly returned, saying that
the old chief was ready to receive us, and we immediately proceeded to
his residence.
In a few minutes we arrived at the _Zollahe_, or _Entrance Hut_, in
which we found the old man ready to receive us. We discovered him
squatting on a cow’s hide spread on the ground, smoking from a pipe of
about three yards long, and surrounded by a number of Falàtahs, and
several old Mallams. We were welcomed in the most friendly and cordial
manner, and, as a mark of peculiar distinction, we were invited to seat
ourselves near the person of the chief. He looked at us with surprise
from head to foot, and told us that we were strange-looking people, and
well worth seeing. Having satisfied his curiosity, he sent for all his
old wives that they might do the same, but as we did not altogether
relish so much quizzing, we requested to be shown to a hut. The chief is
a very aged and venerable-looking man, with a long white beard, and of
more patriarchal appearance, perhaps, than any one we have ever seen;
yet he laughed, played, and trifled, like a child. A house ‘fit for a
king,’ to use his own expression, was speedily got ready for our
reception, and as soon as he had learnt, with surprise, that we
subsisted on the same kind of food as himself, we were led to our
dwelling, and, before evening, received a bowl of _tuah_ and gravy from
his wives. We were soon pestered with the visits of the Mallams and the
chief’s wives, which latter brought us presents of goora-nuts as a sort
of introduction to see us. As soon as the news of our arrival spread
through the town, the people flocked by hundreds to our hut, for the
purpose of satisfying their curiosity with a sight of the white people.
The Mallams and the kings had given us trouble enough, but the whole
population of Egga was too much for us, so we were literally obliged to
blockade the door-ways, and station three of our people at each to keep
them away. At sunset, finding they could get no nearer to us, they
departed, and we retired to rest in peace; for we were in much want of
it.
The course of the river to-day has been, for the most part, east-south-
east; the width varying from two to five or six miles.
_Wednesday, October 20th._—Benin and Portuguese cloths are worn at Egga
by many of its inhabitants, so that it would appear that some kind of
communication is kept up between the sea-coast and this place. The
people are very speculative and enterprising, and numbers of them employ
all their time solely in trading up and down the Niger. They live
entirely in their canoes, over which they have a shed, that answers
completely every purpose for which it is intended, so that, in their
constant peregrinations, they have no need of any other dwelling or
shelter than what which their canoes afford them. Cocoa-nuts are sold
about the streets in great quantities, and various little parcels of
them have been sent us from several individuals, but we understand that
they are imported from a neighbouring country, and are here considered
as very valuable.
The chief visited us about eight in the morning, and begged that we
would allow his wives and principal people to come and see us. We could
not but comply with his request, and accordingly all the old and young
ladies visited us, each bringing goora-nuts, or some little present.
They were very inquisitive, and remained with us much longer than we
wished; our hints had no effect on them, and we were obliged to bear
with their disagreeable society. The heat of the weather is excessive;
our doors and windows are often blocked up by people, and our room
filled with these visiters, is scarcely tolerable. The ladies no sooner
departed than they were followed by a party of men, accompanied by one
of the chief’s people, as a sort of introduction; and in this manner was
the greater part of the day passed.
Their belief that we possessed the power of doing anything was at first
amusing enough, but their importunities went so far, that they became
annoying. They applied to us for charms to avert wars and other national
calamities, to make them rich, to prevent the crocodiles from carrying
off the people, and for the chief of the fishermen to catch a canoe-load
of fish every day, each request being accompanied with some sort of
present, such as country beer, goora-nuts, cocoa-nuts, lemons, yams,
rice, &c., in quantity proportionate to the value of their request.
The curiosity of the people to see us is so intense, that we dare not
stir out of doors, and therefore we are compelled to keep our door open
all day long for the benefit of the air; and the only exercise which we
can take is by walking round and round our hut like wild beasts in a
cage. The people stand gazing at us with visible emotions of amazement
and terror; we are regarded, in fact, in just the same light as the
fiercest tigers in England. If we venture to approach too near the
doorway, they rush backwards in a state of the greatest alarm and
trepidation; but when we are at the opposite side of the hut, they draw
as near as their fears will permit them, in silence and caution. But,
from an insolent Falàtah, and one or two troublesome head men, whom it
would be impolitic to offend, we have experienced infinitely more
inconvenience,—they have hunted us like evil spirits. These individuals
enter our hut in the morning, and, whatever we may have to do, they
squat themselves down on our mats with the most provoking effrontery,
and are unwilling to leave us, except for a few moments at a time, till
long after we lie down to rest.
A ‘great man,’ a stranger, visited us to-day, with an extraordinary
display of native pomp, and he brought along with him a pot of honey,
which he presented as a recommendation. He was dressed in a damask tobe
of crimson silk, and the rest of his apparel corresponded with this
piece of finery. He informed us without solicitation that he was an
agent, sent by the prince of Rabba to collect the tribute that was owing
at the different villages along the banks of the Niger; and insinuated
that in point of rank he was superior to the old chief of Egga, spelling
hard for a present proportionable to his boasted dignity. This man, who
is nothing more or less than the chief of Rabba’s tax-gatherer, was
accompanied by two shrewd-looking Falàtahs, whose part it appeared was
to impress us with a proper idea of the great importance of their
friend. They spoke of him in the highest terms to us, telling us he had
come from a great distance for the purpose of visiting us, and
concluding their praises with a request that we should make him a
present. Besides his damask tobe, he wore large silk trowsers, a turban
and red cap, and red morocco slippers. However, we wanted the few things
we had left to give to those who could be of service to us, and we
determined on giving him nothing. I therefore told him that we were very
poor, and could not afford to give him anything worth his acceptance,
but by way of remembrance presented him with a comb for his beard. At
this he looked at his companions, and they at him; when, after a little
time, they asked ‘Is this all you intended to give this great man, who
is even greater than the chief of Egga himself?’ To which I replied in
the affirmative. He then thought perhaps that he could do for himself
what his friends could not, by saying to us, ‘If any one should ask me
what you gave me, what shall I say?’ To which I replied very quietly,
‘Say I gave you a comb, or nothing; whichever you please.’ This was
quite enough; he was convinced at length that we would give him nothing,
although it was long before he would believe it. We thought at first
that we should have spared his dignity, by telling him with as much
delicacy as we could, that we had nothing to part with; but he took
leave of us much less annoyed than we had expected by our refusal, and
we saw him no more. The Falàtah influence is scarcely felt here, though
the town was pillaged and burnt as recently as two years ago, and many
of the ruins may still be seen.
_Egga_ is of prodigious extent, and has an immense population. Like many
other towns on the banks of the river, it is not unfrequently inundated,
and a large portion of it, as at the present moment, actually
overflowed. No doubt the people have their reasons for building their
habitations in places which appear to us so very inconvenient and
uncomfortable. The soil in the vicinity of the town consists of a dark
heavy mould, uncommonly fruitful, and produces in abundance and with
trifling labour all the necessaries of life, so that provisions are
plentiful and cheap. The inhabitants eat little animal food besides
fish, which are likewise sold at a very reasonable rate. Hyenas are said
to abound in the woods in incredible numbers, and they are so bold and
rapacious, as to have carried away nearly the whole of the sheep which
were once in the town. Perhaps Egga can boast of having a greater number
of canoes, both large and small, than any single town to the northward.
_Thursday, October 21st._—Though the venerable chief of Egga has to all
outward appearances lived at least a hundred years, he is still active;
and instead of the peevishness and discontent too often the
accompaniment of lengthened days, possesses all the ease and gaiety of
youth. He professes the Mahomedan religion; and it is his custom to
arise every morning long before day-break, and having assembled all his
priests round him, performs his devotions, such as they are, repeating
his prayers in a loud, shrill tone, so that we can hear him in his pious
employment; and as our hut is directly opposite to his, and but a few
paces from it, he is determined to give us no rest as long as we remain
with closed doors. As soon as these devotional exercises have been gone
through, several of his companions, with a disposition as thoughtless,
as childish, and as happy as his own, get together in his hut, and
squatting on the ground with the old chief, they form a circle, and
beguile the time by smoking and conversing till long after sunset, and
separate only for a few minutes at a time in the course of the day for
the purpose of taking their meals. This company of grey-beards, for they
are all old, laugh so heartily at the sprightliness of their own wit,
that it is an invariable practice, when any one passes by, to stop and
listen outside, and they join their noisy merriment with so much good
will, that we hear nothing from the hut in which the aged group are
revelling during the day but loud peals of laughter and shouts of
applause. Much of this gaiety, however, must be affected, in order to
gratify the ruling passion of the old chief for joke and frolic.
Examples of this nature are uncommonly rare. Professors of Mahomedanism
affect, generally speaking, the solemnity of the owl; and though they
understand no more of their faith than of the doctrines of Christianity,
they regard all natives of a different persuasion with haughtiness and
disdain.
The old chief longed to-day to give us a specimen of his activity and
the vigour which he yet possessed; and for this purpose, when the sun
was going down, his singers, dancers, and musicians, assembled round our
hut with a great concourse of people, who could not boast a proficiency
in those refined attainments, but who came to witness the
accomplishments of their aged leader. The old man advanced proudly into
the ring, with a firm step and a smiling countenance, and casting upon
us a glance full of meaning, as if he would have said, ‘Now white men,
look at me, and you will be filled with admiration and wonder’—
‘He frisked beneath the burden of _five_-score;’
and shaking his hoary locks, capered over the ground to the manifest
delight of the bystanders, whose applauses, though confined, as they
always are, to laughter, yet tickled the old man’s fancy to that degree,
that he was unable to keep up his dance any longer without the aid of a
crutch. With its assistance he hobbled on a little while, but his
strength failed him, and he was constrained for the time to give over,
and he sat himself down at our side on the threshold of the hut. He
would not acknowledge his weakness to us for the world, but endeavoured
to pant silently, and suppress loud breathings that we might not hear
him. How ridiculous yet how natural is this vanity? He made other
unavailing attempts to dance, and also made an attempt to sing, but
nature would not second his efforts, and his weak piping voice was
scarcely audible. The singers, dancers, and musicians, continued their
noisy mirth, till we were weary of looking at and listening to them, and
as bed-time was drawing near, we desired them to depart, to the infinite
regret of the frivolous but merry old chief.
It is our intention to continue our journey to-morrow, though the elders
of the town have been remonstrating with us that it will be highly
dangerous to go by ourselves, and endeavouring to persuade us with many
words to alter this arrangement for our own sakes. They have promised to
procure us a convoy of traders, if we would consent to wait three days
longer, which would leave Egga at the end of that time to attend a
famous market, called _Bocquâ_. But the attentions of our venerable
friend already begin to slacken, being too intently engaged in his
favourite pursuits to think much of us or of our wants, more especially
since he has received his present; and we cannot easily maintain a
quiet, equable temper, or keep up a flow of spirits for any length of
time together, when we can get little or nothing to eat. We are
therefore determined to go to-morrow at all risks, though we shall have
no guide to accompany us; we have confidence in ourselves, and the
mountains of the natives generally prove to be no bigger than mole-
hills. The chief has been soliciting a charm of us, to prevent the
Falàtahs from ever again invading his territory. The old man’s
allegiance to the king of Nouffie appears to us to be merely nominal.
When we sent word to the chief that we intended going to-morrow morning,
he begged us to remain at Egga a few days longer, and declared the banks
of the river to be inhabited by people who were little better than
savages, and plundered every one that came near them. He assured us that
they were governed by no king and obeyed no laws, and that each town was
at war with the others. I asked him if he would send a messenger with
us, but he refused, saying, that the Falàtah power and his own extended
no farther down the river; that Egga is the last town of Nouffie, and
that none of his people traded below it. ‘If that is the case,’ I said,
‘it will be as safe for us to go to-morrow as any other day;’ and with
this determination I left him.
I then proceeded to give directions for our people to prepare themselves
for starting, when to my astonishment Pascoe, and the mulatto so often
alluded to, were the only two who agreed to go; the rest of them refused
to a man. I then found out that the people of the town had been telling
them stories about the danger of the river, and that they would all
certainly either be murdered or taken and sold as slaves. Nor could all
I said to them change their determination. I talked to them half an
hour, telling them they were cowards, and that my brother’s life and
mine were as good as theirs; till at length, tired of them, and seeing
that I made no impression on them, I told them to go away from our
sight, and that we could do without them. But now they demanded their
wages or a _book_ to enable them to receive them at Cape Coast Castle,
to which they said they would return by the way they had come here. This
I refused instantly to comply with, and added that if they chose to
leave us here, they should not receive a farthing; but if they would go
on with us down the river, they should be paid. They were indignant at
this, and went directly to the chief to lay their case before him, and
to induce him to detain us. The old man, however, would not listen to
them, but sent them about their business, and it is not unlikely, rather
than lose all their wages, that they will proceed with us.
My brother and I determined to satisfy the curiosity of the people to-
day, and we accordingly walked about outside our hut for two hours. The
natives were much pleased at this, and much order and regularity were
preserved by two old Mallams, to whom the duty had been assigned, of
removing those away who had seen us when any fresh ones arrived. It was
the old chief’s particular wish that all his people should see us, and
they all conducted themselves in a very becoming manner. We had
presented the chief with a pair of silver bracelets on our arrival, on
which the arms of our gracious sovereign were engraved, and he wore them
to-day with evident satisfaction. These were no less objects of
curiosity to the people than they had been to the king, and hundreds of
them came to look at them on his wrists, overjoyed at seeing their chief
so smart. They even came and thanked us for our kindness to the old man.
The people of this town appear all very neatly dressed; the population
is one-half of the Mahomedan religion, and the other the original Pagan.
The town is about four miles in length and two in breadth: the morass
which surrounds it is full of crocodiles. The streets are very narrow,
and, like most places where there are large markets, are exceedingly
filthy. The reason for building their houses so close together is, that
the Falàtahs may not be able to ride through them so easily and destroy
the people; it is said that they have been expecting an attack from
these people a long time. The Portuguese cloth which we observed here on
our arrival is brought up the river from a place called
_Cuttumcurrafee_, which has a celebrated market for Nouffie cloths,
trona, slaves, Nouffie knives, bridles, stirrups, brass ornaments,
stained leather, and other things. The cloth is of a very indifferent
manufacture. The large canoes lying here bring all the above articles
from the Rabba market.