* * * * *
The Author’s severe indisposition and distress of mind — Conduct of
Bello — Departure from Soccatoo — The Author almost perishes of thirst
in the “Goober Bush,” where he is deserted by the faithless Pasko — The
King of Jacoba — Horrid death of that monarch’s slaves — The Author’s
arrival at Kano.
The acute suffering, both in mind and body, and the ceaseless agitation
and excitement in which I had been kept during the illness, and at the
death and burial of my master, occasioned my disorder to increase
rapidly on me; and on the 16th, being enabled with difficulty to crawl
round the hut, I was obliged to lay myself on my mat, from which I had
not strength to arise till the 27th; old Pasko, during that period,
ministering to all my wants. Whilst I was thus confined, the weather was
so dreadfully warm, that I was under the necessity of having a tub of
water at my side, into which, at intervals, I used to plunge my hands
and arms, besides occasionally sprinkling my burning head and body. I
had abandoned every hope of recovery from the effects of my complaint,
and was prepared, in some measure, to undergo the last struggle, when,
on the 26th, I found my health suddenly improve in a manner altogether
as unexpected as strange; and on the following day I was enabled to sit
erect on my mat. In the course of that day (27th) the Godado, mallam
Mudey, and Side Sheikh abruptly entered my hut, with a commission from
the Sultan to search my boxes, that prince having been informed, just
before, that they were filled with gold and silver; although his sole
intention, I well knew, was that of ascertaining what fire-arms were in
my possession.
Weak as I was, I remonstrated sharply with these ministers of the king’s
will, whilst they were prosecuting the search; but it was of no
avail—every thing was ransacked and turned topsy-turvy.
They expressed the greatest astonishment on finding not even sufficient
money to defray my expenses to the sea coast; but, nevertheless, took an
inventory of the contents of the boxes, and carried it to their
sovereign. Foreseeing what would happen, I had taken the precaution to
secrete about my person the gold watch intended for the Sultan, as well
as the private watches of Captains Clapperton and Pearce. The Godado and
his coadjutor returned a short time afterwards, with a command from
their monarch to deliver up to them the following articles, viz.—a rifle
and a double-barrelled gun, two bags of ball, a canister of powder, bag
of flints, ream and half of paper, and six gold (gilt) chains; for which
he promised to pay me whatever I might demand. I consequently charged
him a quarter of a million of cowries for the goods, which I was to
receive, on account of the Sultan, of Hat Sallah; and an order was given
me to receive that sum in Kano, and what more I might require in my
journey over the Desert.
On the 28th I made Ben Gumso a present of four yards of blue, and the
same quantity of scarlet damask, an unwritten journal-book, two pair of
scissors and two knives. With these articles, which to him were
invaluable, I endeavoured to get still further into the good graces of
this old Arab emir, who, by a singular piece of good fortune, had just
begun to exercise a powerful influence over the mind and actions of the
superstitious Sultan.
After escaping from the death he was threatened with at Katunga, which
has already been related, this emir returned to Soccatoo; and, like his
cheating countrymen, procured a handsome livelihood by writing charms,
&c. &c. for the Falatahs. Ben Gumso accompanied Bello in his engagement
with the Towayahs, when that monarch was pierced with a poisoned arrow.
The Arab’s panacea was resorted to on this occasion; and having written
his charm on a piece of wood, it was washed off, as usual, into a
calabash of water, and hastily swallowed by the prince. By some means
the venom never took effect, and the Sultan having recovered from his
wound in a few days, attributed the cure solely to Ben Gumso’s specific.
To display his gratitude for the good which had been done him, Bello
admitted the fortunate charmer into his councils, and covered him with
honors and emoluments.
This being the case, I conceived a trifling present would be well timed;
and therefore, after putting it into his hands, entreated him to use his
interest with his royal master, in order to obtain his permission for my
leaving Soccatoo, and making the best of my way homewards. Accordingly,
Ben Gumso represented to the Sultan in lively colours the injustice, as
well as impolicy, of detaining any longer in his dominions a subject of
the powerful king of England; and advised him to hasten my departure as
much as he could, insinuating, that if I were to die in Soccatoo, a
report would be circulated and believed, that he had murdered both the
white men, by which he would most certainly acquire a bad character.
This artful reasoning overcame the scruples of the Falatah prince, and
word was sent me almost immediately, to appear before him. Bello had the
gravity of a Mohammedan about him on my entrance, and putting on all the
dignity he could assume, looked like Pluto trying a ghost for the sins
it had committed on the earth. However, I did not tremble in his august
presence; and after a little preliminary conversation, the Sultan asked
me which route I should prefer in order to reach my own country.
Now, although my master had intimated his wish for me to proceed with
the Arabs to Fezzan, a few days only before his death, I much feared
that the papers, &c. entrusted to my care would be taken from me, and
myself murdered, by that wily and treacherous race, whose behaviour to
my master, after his arrival in Houssa was most abominable. I therefore
disliked them—hated them; and would rather cast myself, unarmed and
unprotected, upon the good faith of the natives, than go in their train.
Under these impressions and prejudices, I answered the Sultan, that I
wished to arrive in England in as short a time as possible, and the
route through Boussa to Cubbé was most likely to accomplish that object.
“It is impossible,” angrily rejoined the prince, “to travel in that
direction; the rainy season is already set in; the rivers are
overflowed; the low lands are under water; and how do you think to reach
the sea-coast in safety? It will be far better for you to go over the
desert, with the Arabs; and to facilitate your progress, I will write to
Hat Sallah to get a trustworthy person to accompany you; he will also
furnish you with camels and provisions, and pay you the money I am
indebted to you.” I simply replied, “Very well, Sultan.” He then wished
to know whether Captain Clapperton had forgiven Pasko, _in his book_,
for the robberies he had committed; and on my answering that, owing to
the illness of that gentleman, he had been unable even to look into his
Journal, the monarch observed, that on Pasko’s arrival in England, my
king would undoubtedly behead him. I assured him, that if the man’s
future conduct proved to be good, not one of my countrymen would think
of punishing him; but this the Sultan was in no haste to believe, and
said, imperatively, “I cannot suffer him to accompany you; he must stay
here to _clean and repair my guns_!”—this latter consideration evidently
possessed greater weight with him than Pasko’s safety, which he cared
nothing at all about. Not in the least daunted, I besought Bello to
permit him to accompany me as far as Kano, as interpreter; to which he
rather reluctantly consented, on condition that I should procure him a
horse to return, and pay him the sum of 150,000 cowries, which, of
course, I agreed to; and seeing that the Sultan had nothing more to say,
I bowed profoundly, and retired. This was my last interview with the
Falatah sovereign, and I saw him no more.
On the evening of the 3d of May a person came with a message from the
Sultan, who said that a camel and some provisions would be sent me in
the course of the morning, and that I was to depart on the next day.
Neither camel nor provisions, however, were delivered; and, rising early
on the appointed morning, I bade a last farewell to Soccatoo, a town in
which I had suffered so dreadfully; and, accompanied by a messenger from
the kind old Godado, and Pasko and Mudey, we proceeded with our camels
and horses to a large plain, five miles to the east of Magaria, where we
arrived in the afternoon; and rested for the night under the wide-
spreading branches of a large tree growing on the margin of an
insignificant lake. Mosquitoes were in such numbers, and so troublesome,
that we could not sleep till morning, when a refreshing breeze springing
up, drove them away.
At this flat we joined a party of above four thousand people, of all
ranks and of every nation; some going on a pilgrimage to Mecca; some to
the sea-coast to purchase goora-nuts; many Tuarick salt-merchants
returning to Kilgris; but all travelling in company for mutual
protection, and bending their way towards Kashna, where merchants of
every description meet, and disperse from thence to their different
destinations. An infinite number of camels, horses, and bullocks,
attended the party; and the king of Jacoba, with 50 slaves, was also in
their train. These poor creatures had been driven from his kingdom by
the above prince to Soccatoo, as a present or tribute to Sultan Bello;
but that monarch having learnt the dreadful losses he had sustained in
men and cattle, in consequence of his war with Bornou, and the number of
villages which had been plundered and burnt by the soldiers of the
Sheikh, would not accept of the slaves, but desired the king of Jacoba
to re-conduct them back to his own dominions.
At eleven o’clock in the morning of the 4th of May a signal to depart
was made by a loud blast from a thousand horns, producing a frightfully
discordant noise; and in about an hour afterwards the whole party was in
motion. On entering the dreaded “Goober Bush,” a wild and uncultivated
tract of ground, covered with stunted trees, we were obliged to redouble
our pace in order to escape the fangs of the merciless Towayahs. Boussa
Jack (a horse so called from having been made a present of by the king
of Boussa) I rode myself, on account of his swiftness and agility; but
being unused to so violent an exertion, the little animal became much
fatigued, and began to lag behind the others. The weather was at that
time intolerably hot; vegetation shrank before the piercing rays of the
sun, and the dust raised by the hoofs of the horses, &c. arose in huge
volumes in every direction, entering my eyes, my mouth, my nostrils, and
penetrating even the pores of my skin. Not a breath of air fanned the
leaves of the trees; I was almost suffocated for want of it, but snuffed
up only sand and dust. The camels were far a-head: I was faint and
exhausted, and ordered Pasko to fly to them for a drop of water. The
horse would, or rather could, proceed no further; I was obliged to
dismount, and seat myself under a tree; there, holding the bridle of the
poor animal in my hand, I begged, I prayed the thousands of Falatahs and
Tuaricks that were passing, for a mouthful of water to quench my
parching thirst; but the unfeeling, iron-hearted wretches mocked my
misery, and scoffed at my piteous entreaties, observing, one to another,
“He is a Kafir; let him die!”
[Illustration]
This cruel disappointment almost choked me; I was so hoarse that I could
no longer be heard, and, falling flat on my back, let the bridle slip
from my fingers, and, covering my face with my hands, tears came
involuntarily into my eyes. At length a young Falatah, from Foota Toora,
accidentally seeing me lying along the earth with a horse standing
listlessly by, came to the spot, and exclaimed, in a tone of kindness,
“Christian, Christian, why don’t you go on?” On hearing him, I again sat
up, and answered, “I am faint and sick for want of water; no one will
relieve me; and how can I go on?” On hearing this, the young man
generously presented me with a small calabash full (about a pint), part
of which I drank, and with the remainder washed the nostrils of Boussa
Jack, and sprinkled a little into his mouth. His countrymen, who
observed the compassionate Falatah performing this benevolent action,
upbraided him in violent terms for having given water to the Christian;
but my amiable preserver, showing them a double-barrelled gun, remarked
that he had obtained it of my countrymen, who were all good men, and
would do no harm. I, as well as the horse, was greatly refreshed with
the small quantity of water thus taken, but soon becoming again weak and
dispirited, I was nearly reduced to as bad a condition as before. A few
hours afterwards my legs were swollen so prodigiously, that my boots
split into fragments, and fell from my feet; and I experienced the most
acute pain in every part of my body. At length I perceived Pasko, whom I
had sent for water three or four hours previously, comfortably seated
with Muley the camel-driver, under a tree,—my provision basket lying
open before him, a calabash of the purest water gurgling down his
throat, and him, with his sable companion, thoughtlessly enjoying
himself with a zest that almost distracted me. I rode hastily up to the
spot, and, pulling out a pistol, had more than half an inclination to
send the heartless old savage to his long account, but suddenly checked
myself. No! I could not take away the life of a fellow-creature, even in
the height of excitement; and, replacing the pistol in my belt, I simply
asked the reason of his brutal treatment of me. The old fellow answered
with his usual demoniacal grin, and as composedly as if nothing was the
matter, “I was tired.”
The young Falatah to whom I owe my life came to me on the 7th, and
informed me that the whole of the slaves of the King of Jacoba being
missing, a party of horsemen had been sent in quest of them, and were
just returned with the shocking intelligence of having seen thirty-five
of their dead bodies lying along the road; and that hundreds of vultures
were already hovering over them. The other fifteen could not be found;
but were strongly suspected of having shared in the same fate. These
unfortunate creatures had the task of carrying loads on their heads the
day before, but, being unable to keep up with the rapid pace of the
camels, were necessarily obliged to be left behind, and thus perished
miserably of thirst and fatigue. I congratulated myself on my own good
fortune, in having so narrowly escaped a fate so peculiarly frightful;
and thanked the Almighty with fervor and sincerity for having snatched
me from the very jaws of death. On his leaving me, I gave the Falatah a
pair of scissors and twenty gun-flints, as a small recompense for the
eminent service he had so cheerfully rendered me.
On our road to Kano, the King of Jacoba became very sociable with me,
and was my constant companion. After pressing me to visit his kingdom,
in which he asserted he would make my stay agreeable, he told me that
the Yam Yams, who inhabit the mountains contiguous to Jacoba, were
anthropophagi, in which assertion he was borne out by two Yam Yams, who
were slaves in Kano when I was in that city. The Prince said further,
that people of the same nation, who had assisted him in his war with
Bornou, were surrounded, with some of his own troops, on a plain near
Jacoba, by the Sheikh’s soldiers, and the carnage on both sides was
dreadful. The fight lasted a whole day, when, in the evening, the
Jacobeans, with their ferocious allies, were entirely routed, and the
King himself, who commanded them, very narrowly escaped being taken
prisoner. On the following morning the discomfited Yam Yams repaired to
the field of battle, and bearing off a great number of dead bodies,
roasted them before large fires, kindled for the purpose, and devoured
them without yams, corn, or, indeed, any other provisions!
Soon after our arrival at Markee, on the 19th, a spouse of the chief, a
finely-formed and intelligent-looking young woman, came to me with tears
in her eyes, and implored me to give her some _magonie_ [medicine], as
she had no child. I accordingly presented her with a couple of tea-
spoonfuls of oil of cinnamon, and ordered her, with a suitable caution,
to put two drops of the liquor into a pint of cow’s milk, which was to
be swallowed three times a day till the whole was consumed; observing
that, on my return to Markee, I had not the least doubt of seeing her
the happy mother of a numerous progeny!
The husband was no sooner acquainted with the circumstance than he came
and thanked me in the heartiest manner for the good I had done, gave me
abundance of fresh milk, fowls, rice, &c. and told me at the same time
that on my return from England, he would reward me with a large sum of
money, which I dare say he will do. When I bade the happy couple adieu
next morning, they squeezed my hand affectionately, and said,
“Christian! God send you safely to your country, and may you speedily
come back to Markee!”
I arrived at Kano on the 25th of May, and instantly delivered Bello’s
letter and orders to Hadje Hat Sallah; but the Arab, after perusing
them, declared at first that he would have nothing to do with me. He had
nearly lost his head, he said, on Captain Clapperton’s account on a
previous occasion, and positively refused to _lend_ me a single cowry.
“I have no objection,” he continued, “to let you have, in goods and a
slave, the amount of your demand on the sultan, but I shall certainly do
no more.” I accordingly received from Hat Sallah a strong female slave,
and a quantity of unwrought silk, and scarlet caps, beads to sell on my
journey. My weakened and diseased camels, which would be of no service
to me, I parted with, and dismissed their keeper, Maddie.