_Mungo Park_.
"Our visiters remained with us a considerable time, and in the course of
conversation, one of them observed that they had in their possession a
tobe, which belonged to a white man who came from the north many years ago,
and from whom it had been purchased by the king's father. We expressed
great curiosity to see this tobe, and it was sent us as a present a short
time after their departure. Contrary to our expectations, we found it to
be made of rich crimson damask, and very heavy from the immense quantity
of gold embroidery with which it was covered. As the time when the late
king was said to have purchased this tobe corresponds very nearly to the
supposed period of Mr. Park's death, and as we never heard of any other
white man having come from the north so far south as Boossà, we are
inclined to believe it to be part of the spoil obtained from the canoe of
that ill-fated traveller. Whether Mr. Park wore the tobe himself, which is
scarcely probable on account of its weight, or whether he intended it as a
present to a native chief, we are at a loss to determine. At all events,
the article is a curiosity in itself; and if we should live to return to
England, we shall easily learn whether it was made there or not. The chief
himself has never worn the tobe, nor did his predecessor, from a
superstitious feeling; 'besides,' observed the king, 'it might excite the
cupidity of the neighbouring powers.'
"_Sunday, June 20th_.--The king sent a messenger this morning, to inform
us that he was a tailor, and that he would thank us for some thread and a
few needles for his own private use. By this man he likewise sent a musket
for us to repair; but as it is Sunday, we have declined doing it till
to-morrow. Eager as we are to obtain even the slightest information
relative to the unhappy fate of Mr. Park and his companions, as well as to
ascertain if any of their books or papers are now in existence at this
place, we had almost made up our minds to refrain from asking any
questions on the subject, because we were apprehensive that it might be
displeasing to the king, and involve us in many perplexities. Familiarity,
however, having in some measure worn off this impression, and the king
being an affable, obliging, and good-natured person, we were emboldened to
send Paskoe to him this morning, with a message expressive of the interest
we felt on the subject, in common with all our countrymen; and saying that,
if any books or papers which belonged to Mr. Park were yet in his
possession, he would do us a great service, by delivering them into our
hands, or at least by granting us permission to see them. To this the king
returned for answer, that when Mr. Park was lost in the Niger, he was a
very little boy, and that he knew not what had become of his effects; that
the deplorable event had occurred in the reign of the late king's
predecessor, who died shortly after; and that all traces of the white man
had been lost with him. This answer disappointed our hopes, for to us it
appeared final and decisive. But in the evening they were again raised by
a hint from our host, who is the king's drummer, and one of the principal
men in the country: he assured us, that there was certainly one book at
least saved from Mr. Park's canoe, which is now in the possession of a
very poor man in the service of his master, to whom it had been entrusted
by the late king during his last illness. He said moreover, that if but
one application were made to the king, on any subject whatever, very
little was thought of it; but if a second were made, the matter would be
considered of sufficient importance to demand his whole attention,--such
being the custom of the country. The drummer therefore recommended us to
persevere in our inquiries, for he had no doubt that something to our
satisfaction would be elicited. At his own request, we sent him to the
king immediately, desiring him to repeat our former statement, and to
assure the king, that should he be successful in recovering the book we
wanted, our monarch would reward him handsomely. He desired the drummer to
inform us, that he would use every exertion, and examine the man who was
reported to have the white man's book in his possession, at an early hour
to-morrow. Here the matter at present rests.
* * * * *
"In the afternoon, the king came to see us, followed by a man with a book
under his arm, which was said to have been picked up in the Niger after
the loss of our countryman. It was enveloped in a large cotton cloth, and
our hearts beat high with expectation as the man was slowly unfolding it,
for by its size we guessed it to be Mr. Park's journal; but our
disappointment and chagrin were great, when, on opening the book, we
discovered it to be an old nautical publication of the last century. The
title-page was missing, but its contents were chiefly tables of logarithms.
It was a thick royal quarto, which led us to conjecture that it was a
journal; between the leaves we found a few loose papers of very little
consequence indeed; one of them contained two or three observations on the
height of the water in the Gambia; one was a tailor's bill on a Mr.
Anderson; and another was addressed to Mr. Mungo Park, and contained an
invitation to dinner,--the following is a copy of it:--
'Mr. and Mrs. Watson would be happy to
have the pleasure of Mr. Park's company at
dinner on Tuesday next, at half-past five
o'clock.
'An answer is requested.
'_Strand, 9th Nov. 1804_.'
"The king, as well as the owner of the book, looked as greatly mortified
as ourselves, when they were told that the one produced was not that of
which we were in quest, because the reward promised would not of course be
obtained. As soon as our curiosity had been fully satisfied, the papers
were carefully collected and placed again between the leaves, and the book
as carefully folded in its envelope as before, and taken away by its owner,
who values it as much as a household god. Thus all our hopes of obtaining
Mr. Park's journal or papers, in this city, are entirely defeated. The
inquiry, on our part, has not been prosecuted without much trouble and
anxiety, and some little personal sacrifices likewise, which, had they
been ten times as great, we would gladly have made whilst a single hope
remained of their being effectual."
After much ado at Boossà, owing to the canoe not being ready--the "King of
the Canoe," a sort of Lord of the Admiralty, informing the travellers with
the utmost unconcern that it was out of repair--they
_Embark on the Niger_.
"About mid-day the workmen having finished our canoe, the luggage was
presently put into it, and between twelve and one we embarked with our
people, and were launched out into the river. The direction of this branch
was nearly east and west; and we proceeded some distance down the stream
for the purpose of getting into the main branch of the Niger, where there
is deeper water. This object was soon attained, and we found it flowing
from north to south, through a rich and charming country, which seemed to
improve in appearance the further we advanced. We were propelled at a good
rate up a channel, which, from half a mile in breadth, gradually widened
to rather better than a mile. Beautiful, spreading, and spiry trees
adorned the country on each side of the river, like a park; corn, nearly
ripe, waved over the water's edge; large, open villages appeared every
half-hour; and herds of spotted cattle were observed grazing and enjoying
the cool of the shade. The appearance of the river, for several miles, was
no less enchanting than its borders; it was as smooth as a lake; canoes
laden with sheep and goats, were paddled by women down its almost
imperceptible current; swallows, and a variety of aquatic birds, were
sporting over its glassy surface, which was ornamented by a number of
pretty little islands.
"_Friday, June 25th_.--The most remarkable object which we saw on rising
this morning, was a rugged and romantic range of hills, appearing to the
eastward of our encampment; it is called _Engarskie_, from a country of
the same name in which the hills are situated, and which was formerly an
independent kingdom, but is now become a province of Yàoorie. At a little
before seven, A.M., our canoe was pushed off the sandy beach on which it
had been secured last evening, and propelled down a very narrow channel,
between a large sand-bank and the shore. This conducted us into the main
branch of the Niger, and we again admired its delightful and magnificent
appearance.
"We had proceeded only a few hundred yards when the river gradually
widened to two miles, and continued so as far as the eye could reach. It
looked very much like an artificial canal; the banks having the appearance
of a dwarf wall, with vegetation beyond. In most places the water was
extremely shallow, but in others it was deep enough to float a frigate.
During the first two hours of the day, the scenery was as interesting and
picturesque as can be imagined. The banks were literally covered with
hamlets and villages; fine trees, bending under the weight of their dark
and impenetrable foliage, everywhere relieved the eye from the glare of
the sun's rays, and, contrasted with the lively verdure of the little
hills and plains, produced the most pleasing effect. Afterwards, however,
there was a decided change; the banks, which before consisted of dark
earth, clay, or sand, were now composed of black rugged rocks; large
sand-banks and islands were scattered in the river, which diverted it into
a variety of little channels, and effectually destroyed its appearance.
"We had heard so unfavourable an account of the state of the river at one
particular place which we should have to pass, that our people were
compelled to disembark and walk along the banks a considerable way till we
had passed it, when we took them in again. We found the description to be
in no wise exaggerated; it presented a most forbidding appearance, and
yields only to the state of the Niger near Boossà in difficulty and danger.
On our arrival at this formidable place, we discovered a range of black
rocks running directly across the stream, and the water, finding only one
narrow passage, rushed through it with great impetuosity, over-turning and
carrying away everything in its course. Our boatmen, with the assistance
of a number of the natives, who planted themselves on the rocks on each
side of the only channel, and in the stream at the stern of the canoe,
lifted it by main force into smoother and safer water. The last difficulty
with respect to rocks and sand-banks was now overcome, and in a very
little time we came to the termination of all the islands, after which, it
is said, there is not a single dangerous place up the Niger. The river
here presented its noblest appearance; not a single rock nor sand-bank was
anywhere perceptible; its borders resumed their beauty, and a strong,
refreshing breeze, which had blown during the whole of the morning, now
gave it the motion of a slightly-agitated sea. In the course of the
morning we passed two lovely little islands, clothed in verdure, which at
a short distance looked as charming as the fabled gardens of Hesperia;
indeed no spot on earth can excel them in beauty of appearance. These
islands are inhabited by a few individuals."
Upon leaving Yàoorie, a venerable Arab chief pretended great regard for
the travellers, though he used them deceitfully; they had, however,
"enjoyed an innocent kind of revenge, in administering to him a powerful
dose of medicine, which though harmless in its effects, had yet been very
troublesome to him. Indeed, it was not till we had 'jalaped' the sultan,
his sister, and all the royal family, that we were permitted to take our
farewell of Yàoorie."
The incident of physicking the royal family at Yàoorie by way of
leave-taking, is only equalled by the following oddity:--"The captain of
the palm oil brig, Elizabeth, now in the Calabar river, actually
white-washed his crew from head to foot, while they were sick with fever
and unable to protect themselves; his cook suffered so much in the
operation, that the lime totally deprived him of the sight of one of his
eyes, and rendered the other of little service to him."
The account of the Travellers' visit to Fernando Po, in the third volume,
will be read with interest, as indeed will every page of the whole
narrative; and to this commendation of the Messrs. Landers' Journal of
their past adventures we cheerfully add our best wishes for the success of
their future enterprize.
* * * * *