Slave Canoe--Duke's Pilot--Old Calabar Town--Consternation on Shore,
and disappearance of the Slave Vessels--Fruitless Pursuit of the
Slavers--Eyo Eyo, King Eyo's Brother--Old Calabar Festivals--Attempted
Assassination, and Duke Ephraim's Dilemma--Obesity of the King's
Wives--Ordeal for Regal Honours--Duke's English House--Coasting Voyage
to the Bonny--Author discovers Symptoms of Fever--The Rivers of St.
Nicholas, Sombrero, St. Bartholomew, and Sta. Barbara--"The Smokes"--
Capture of a Spanish Slave Vessel in the River St. John--Nun, or First
Brass River, discovered to be the Niger--Natural Inland Navigation--
New Calabar River--Pilot's Jhu Jhu--Foche Island--Author Sleeps on
Shore--Bonny Bath--Interview with King Peppel--Ceremony of
opening the Trade--Rashness of a Slave Dealer--Horrible Fanaticism--
Schooner at Sea--Return to Fernando Po
_Wednesday, January 23, 1828_.--Fortunately the wind was light, for had
it blown hard, the result might have been fatal to the vessel. At seven
in the morning, we found the vessel afloat, and attempted, with a small
anchor and cable, assisted by the sails, to get her over the mud: but,
at eleven o'clock, we were again stuck fast. In the afternoon, we sent a
letter by a Krooman, in a small canoe, to Captain Cumings, of the brig
Kent, lying off the town of Old Calabar, commonly called Duke's Town, as
the king of that country is generally known by the name and title of
Duke Ephraim. In about a couple of hours, the Krooman returned, in
consequence of having met with a very large canoe coming down on her
passage to the Camaroon river, to purchase slaves. He induced the
Captain to come on board, but the appearance of a schooner, with so
large a boat and so many hands, evidently created some suspicion in his
mind. He was too much a man of the world, however, not to affect a
confidence, which we were all persuaded he did not feel:--he drank some
rum, and carried himself with consummate self-possession; gave us all
the Calabar news he could recollect, and demanded our latest
intelligence in return. When the conversation was exhausted, and a good
opportunity occurred for taking leave, he departed; heartily rejoiced,
no doubt, at escaping with so much tact. His canoe was about fifty feet
long, with a small thatched house built on a platform in the centre. The
paddles were worked by boys, under the direction of two men, who gave
out a song when pulling. There were two poor creatures, whom we supposed
to be slaves, confined in irons, at one end of the boat.
About nine we got clear of the mud-flats, after a great deal of trouble,
with hawsers and a small anchor; we then stood up the river, and at
eleven anchored for the night.
_Thursday, 24_.--Fresh breezes from the northward, and very hazy. The
wind coming from the Camaroon mountains, increased the haziness of the
atmosphere, and made it feel very cold. Soon after daylight, when the
tide answered, we got under weigh, and beat up the river. About eleven,
we came to an anchor off Parrott Island, the north end of which bore
S.W. 1/2 W. and the north end of James's Island N. by E. At three in the
afternoon, a pilot came on board, and, at five, Captain Smith, with
Lieutenant Badgeley, went up to the brig Kent, off Duke's Town, to
procure information.
_Friday, 25_.--At three this morning, the same party returned; and, soon
after daylight, we got the schooner under weigh, to beat up the river,
and the Duke's head pilot came on board, when to prove the confidence
that might be reposed in him, he brought a certificate from Lieutenant
Corry, of H.M.S. North Star, which stated that he had piloted that
ship's boats up the river, as well as conducted them down, with a
slave-vessel that they had seized. We blackened the schooner's yellow
sides with a mixture of gunpowder and water. This, however, was not a
very safe pigment, for if a spark of fire had happened to have come in
contact with any part of her side, it would have communicated from one
extremity to the other: but it served for a temporary disguise, which
was all we required.
About noon, we came abreast of the town of Old Calabar, where we
observed the greatest confusion. Armed men, of different colours and
nations, were running about in all directions, preparing, as we
imagined, to oppose our landing, for it was evident they were alarmed at
our appearance, which sufficiently indicated our intentions. The
slave-vessels, afraid of being seized, had disappeared from before the
town, and gone farther up the river before we arrived, so that, however
we might have been otherwise disposed, we did not drop anchor, but
continued to advance as long as the tide served, which was till
half-past one, when the wind failing, we were obliged to anchor. The
Duke's pilot, when we were off the town, requested to leave us for a
short time; he said, he "must go tell Duke news, and come back
directly." We afterwards discovered that his pretence to go ashore, was
merely a subterfuge to get away altogether, for he never returned, and
we had good reason for believing, that all the people, from the Duke (or
King, which is the same thing) to the meanest of his subjects, secretly
abet the unlawful proceedings of the slavers, by whom they realize much
larger profits than by the regular traders. At three, we sent the small
canoe, with two Kroomen, up the river, to ascertain the situation of the
slave-vessels, and soon got under weigh to follow them; but the wind
dying off towards sunset, we were obliged to anchor again. About an hour
afterwards, our canoe returned, with information that three slave
schooners, and a brig, had gone still farther up the river, indeed, as
far as the navigation of the river would allow, where they had fortified
themselves in the strongest manner, to resist any attack on our part:
having also the support of all the authorities of the native towns and
villages that could, with any show of prudence, be extended to them. We
also understood, that they had not a slave on board of either of them,
which was likely enough, as it is not customary to put them on board
until they are on the point of sailing. These circumstances determined
Lieutenant Badgeley to return to the town, in which resolution he was
also influenced by the consideration of the inferiority of our force. A
schooner of 120 tons, with no more than twenty Europeans on board; the
crew of the vessel being Africans (as the crews of most of the colonial
vessels that navigate this coast are,) could have but a poor chance
against five vessels, mustering not less than 150 white men of different
nations, and reckoning 30 guns to our six. The caution evinced by this
step, however justified by circumstances, did not, I must confess,
appear to me to be very creditable to our character, and must have made
us look very foolish. After having chased the slavers so far up the
river, we ought to have brought the matter to an issue, particularly as
we had the eyes of all the country upon us, and were regarded with great
anxiety by the people of Old Calabar town, as well as by the crews of
the British merchant-vessels in the river. The affair gave the slavers
an opportunity of exulting over our failure, and their own good fortune;
which, I think, was to be regretted. On going down the river, a large
canoe came alongside with one of the great men of the country on board,
named Eyo Eyo, a brother to King Eyo; when he asked for a present, and
something to drink, the customary demand of the natives. We presented
him with a few leaves of tobacco, which appeared to amuse him
exceedingly: he held them up with a contemptuous sneer, and asked if
that was a present? This man was as shrewd a fellow as any we met with,
in Old Calabar, and had long been accustomed to trade, and receive
presents, from captains of slavers, and palm-oil vessels.
At nine, we arrived off Robin's Town, where a canoe met us, with a note
from Captain Cumings, of the Kent, informing us, that a Frenchman had
entered his palm-oil house, and deliberately shot his second mate
through the body.
There are two grand festivals here, which take place every eighth day in
succession. Old Calabar day, which was yesterday; and Duke's day, which
happens to-day. The succession of these festivals is curious enough;
that which takes place on Thursday in this week, will be on Friday in
the next week; and the one on Friday this week, will be on Saturday in
the following week, and so on.
_Saturday, 26_.--We got under weigh, and dropped down with the ebb tide,
abreast of Duke's Town, a distance of three miles, where we anchored. We
had not been long here before the Duke, attended by a number of his
black gentlemen, and followed by Captain Cumings, of the Kent, came on
board to have a grand palaver with Lieutenant Badgeley, concerning the
attempted assassination of Captain Cumings' mate, on the preceding day.
The Frenchman's name was Ferrard, and this monster was no less than the
Captain of a slave-vessel. The cause of this palaver, was an imperative
demand, on the part of Captain Cumings, that the Duke should deliver the
Frenchman into our hands, in order that he should be given up to justice
in the event of the mate's death: but the Duke made great difficulties
concerning the practicability of securing this man, and offered many
excuses to escape the acknowledgment of any responsibility in the
matter. It was clear enough that he wished to protect the assassin, as
indeed it was his policy to shield the slavers, whose trade was more
lucrative to him, than that of any other class of persons. Finding
himself somewhat embarrassed in the conversation, he made an apology for
leaving the vessel, saying he would go on shore and see what could be
done, inviting us at the same time to finish the palaver at his house.
Accordingly we all went on shore, after breakfast, attended by two
marines. A second palaver took place, which was merely a repetition of
the first, and when it terminated, he presented us with some excellent
Champagne, and then exhibited a quantity of fine clothes, with a variety
of other articles, all of which he said he had received as presents. The
only dress His Majesty wore, when he came on board, was a cotton cloth
round his middle, and a fine white beaver hat, bound with broad gold
lace. Captain Cumings, at our request, asked permission of the Duke to
allow us to see his wives, who live in a square formed of mud huts, with
a communication from the back part of his house. The Duke very
courteously complied with our wishes, and sent persons to attend us.
There were about sixty Queens, besides little Princes and Princesses,
with a number of slave-girls to wait upon them. His favourite Queen, the
handsomest of the royal party, was so large that she could scarcely
walk, or even move, indeed they were all prodigiously large, their
beauty consisting more in the mass of physique, than in the delicacy or
symmetry of features or figure. This uniform tendancy to _en bon point_,
on an unusual scale, was accounted for, by the singular fact, that the
female upon whom His Majesty fixes his regards, is regularly fattened up
to a certain standard, previously to the nuptial ceremony, it appearing
to be essential to the Queenly dignity that the lady should be
enormously fat. We saw a very fine young woman undergoing this ordeal.
She was sitting at a table, with a large bowl of farinaceous food; which
she was swallowing as fast as she could pass the spoon to, and from, the
bowl, and her mouth; and she was evidently taking no inconsiderable
trouble to qualify herself for that happy state, which Pope tell us is
the object of every woman's ambition, that of being Queen for life, the
royal road to which, in this country, lies through a course of
gormandizing. The same custom extends to the wives of the great men, who
undergo a similar operation before marriage. On the morning of their
wedding-day they are seated at a table, to receive presents from their
relations and friends; a yard of cloth from one, some silk from another,
some beads from a third, according to the taste incapacity of the
donors. My companions were not much struck with the beauty of the
Queens, for they declared that some of the pretty young slave-girls had
much more lovely looks. Each of the Duke's wives bring, or send, a jug
of water for his large brass-pan bath every morning, and his favourite
wife remains to assist in his ablutions.
On leaving the Queens' Square, we were invited to go over the Duke's
English house, as it was called, which, in fact it was, having been sent
out in frame, from Liverpool, with carpenters to erect it, by Mr. Bold,
formerly a merchant of that town. This wooden edifice stood by the side
of his mud hut, in which, by the bye, such was the force of habit, he
preferred residing. In the English house there was a grand display of
European articles, consisting of furniture, mirrors, pictures, a
quantity of cut-glass on the sideboard, and to crown all, there was a
large brass arm-chair, weighing 160 pounds, a present from Sir John
Tobin, with an inscription engraved on it, to that effect.
About two o'clock we took leave of the Duke, and went on board the Kent,
where the poor mate was lying dangerously ill, and we all apprehended
the worst result, not having any medical man to dress the wound, or tell
the exact nature of it. After dining with Captain Cumings, we returned
to the Duke's house, to learn if he had ascertained the name of the
vessel the Frenchman commanded. The reply was unsatisfactory, as he
still declared his ignorance on the subject. It is not unusual for the
blacks (like the Chinese) to identify the ship in the Captain, for
instance, if they want to speak of the Jane, Captain Brown, they say,
'that Brown's ship.' It was, therefore, possible that the Duke might
really have spoken the truth in protesting that the name of the vessel
was unknown to him.
Finding there was nothing more to be done with the Duke that evening, we
left him, with an assurance that we should persist in our demand of
having either the Captain, or his vessel, delivered up to us; that we
should go and report the circumstance to the Governor of Fernando Po,
who would send a frigate to blockade the port, stop all the trade of the
river, and perhaps come and burn the town. These threats were not
apparently without their effect, although his Majesty was as much afraid
of opposing the slavers, as he was of quarrelling with us. The following
morning at daylight we left Duke's Town, and proceeded down the river,
not however, with the intention of going to Fernando Po, but merely to
visit all the rivers between the Calabar and Cape Formosa, in quest of
slavers, first going to the celebrated Bonny, off which river we arrived
on _Thursday, 31_. Here we saw a brig at anchor, which proved to be the
Neptune, of and from Liverpool. She had been lying here ten days,
waiting for clear weather to enable her to pass the bar, and get into
the river.
On the day we left Old Calabar town, I had all the symptoms of
approaching fever, such as headache, foul tongue, hot and dry skin, loss
of appetite, prostration of strength, &c. I, therefore, took calomel,
and adopted prompt measures of regimen, abstaining from all food, taking
nothing but diluents, keeping myself quiet, and occupying the mind with
amusing thoughts. By following this practice, at the expiration of three
days, I found myself quite convalescent, after which I soon recovered my
former health and spirits.
At noon, we parted from the Neptune, and stood to the westward, for the
river St. Nicholas, having had information that two Spanish vessels,
trading for slaves, were in that river. At six, we passed the entrance
of the Sombrero river, and, at midnight, that of St. Bartholomew's
river.
_Friday, February 1_.--In the afternoon, the Eden's pinnace went to
examine a small river, which was found to be the Sta. Barbara, but there
were no vessels there, and about sunset, we anchored off the river St.
Nicholas.
_Saturday, 2_.--At daylight, the Eden's pinnace, the schooner's boat,
and a canoe, manned with Kroomen, all well armed, left the schooner to
go in search of the two vessels said to be in the river; but they
returned on board, having examined a large river, three creeks, and one
town, without success. All they saw on the banks of the river, was a
large dog, and a rattle, like those at Fernando Po.
_Sunday, 3_.--At daylight, weighed and stood to the westward. About
nine o'clock we anchored off a long line of breakers, but no land in
sight, in consequence of the haziness of the weather. That peculiar
state of the atmosphere, which we call hazy, is, perhaps, more
characteristically designated "the smokes," on these coasts. Lieutenant
Badgeley and Capt. Smith, went in the schooner's boat to sound, and
trace the passage into the river St. John, at the entrance of which
we supposed ourselves to be situated. In the afternoon, the party
returned, having not only found the entrance of the river St. John, but
also one of the vessels of which we were in search. At half-past four,
the pinnace, schooner's boat, and Kroo canoe, were despatched, well
manned and armed, to bring the schooner out of the river. At eleven,
Captain Smith returned on board, and informed us, that, at sunset, they
boarded the Spanish schooner Victoria Felicita, armed with one long
nine-pounder and twenty men, and that they took possession of her with
scarcely a show of resistance. The Spaniards endeavoured to get the gun
ready, but the boats came so suddenly upon them, by rounding a point
close to their moorings, that they were completely taken by surprise,
and boarded before they could carry their measures of defence into
effect. There were but two slaves and a part of the crew on board,
the rest of the slaves and the remainder of the crew, being at the
Barakoom, or Slave-yard, to which place they are always consigned so
soon as they are purchased, and left until the vessel is ready for sea,
to escape from the responsibility which would fall upon the commander
of the vessel, in case any slaves were discovered on board. There were
many slave-dealers on the schooner's deck when the boats came in sight,
but they all jumped overboard, and swam to the shore.
_Monday, 4_.--At daylight, Captain Smith left us to assist in bringing
the prize out of the river, but the day being calm, she was not removed.
We burnt blue lights, at intervals, during the night, as signals to the
prize, or any boat that might be sent from her.
_Tuesday, 5_.--At nine, we saw the Spaniard under weigh; and, at ten,
she anchored close beside us. She was well supplied with water, of which
we stood in need, and of which we availed ourselves. A midshipman, with
some men, was then appointed to take charge of her to Fernando Po. We
parted company, and proceeded on our further examination of the rivers
on this coast, when we stood to the westward, anchoring off Nun
River,[34] at nine in the evening.
_Wednesday, 6_.--After breakfast, we sent on shore to procure
information of slavers, in consequence of having seen the smoke of a
fire, which is a well-known signal on the coast, to invite vessels to
trade with them. The fire is made by night, and the smoke forms the
signal by day. Our boat returned, bringing a poor Spaniard from a small
town, just within the entrance of the river, called Pilot's Town.[35] He
was a native of Manilla, and had been left behind by his vessel, but
from what cause he did not state. He told us, the blacks informed him,
that there had been a man of war on the coast, but that she had left
some days since.
_Thursday, 7_.--Light airs. At daylight we got under weigh, and came to
an anchor, off the mouth of the Bonny river again, soon after sunset.
We had now examined the entrances of all the rivers between the Bonny,
and Cape Formosa; all of which communicate with each other in the
interior; some being navigable by vessels, but all by canoes; for
instance, a vessel may go in at St. Nicholas, and by passing through a
creek, come out at the St. John's. This piece of intelligence had the
effect of occasionally placing us in some perplexity as to our
movements; for, according to one person, a vessel freighted with slaves
was on the point of coming out of one river; while, at the same time,
agreeably to another informant, the same vessel was stated to be coming
out of another river.
There is, however, but little doubt that the interior of the country is
intersected by very extensive water communications lying between the
bight of Benin and Biafra, and I heard Captain Owen say, that, in his
opinion, the Niger would be found to discharge itself in one of these
bights, a fact, which I have the satisfaction to learn, is now proved by
the recent discovery of the Landers.
_Friday, 8_.--At daylight, we made sail. At ten, we received a pilot on
board, and in three hours, entered the channel of the New Calabar river,
which must be passed, before an entrance into the Bonny can be effected.
This position of the Calabar is, however, on the coast usually
denominated the Bonny, in reference to the superior trade of that river.
The pilot here requested the Captain's permission to make a "jhu jhu,"
which is a superstitious rite performed by the natives in these rivers.
The object of the ceremony is to propitiate their deity for a safe
passage and a good trade; the operation consists of spilling a wine
glass full of rum, twice on the bowsprit (upon which the operator
stands), and once on each side of it, into the water. They practise a
similar rite when they anchor, cutting some bread and meat into small
pieces, scattering it in like manner on the bowsprit, into the river,
and also on the deck, while those who stand around, mingle in the act,
by tasting their offerings. The objects worshipped by the people of the
New Calabar, are the tiger and the shark; while the Bonny people worship
the shark and the guana.
At half-past four, we anchored, for the night, off Foche Island, inside
the first bar of the river, and the pilot went on shore. The town on
this island had been burnt to the ground only a few days before we
arrived, owing to the carelessness of some new slaves, and the people of
the town had determined upon selling the woman to whom the slaves
belonged, as a punishment for her own neglect.
The dogs on Foche Island were observed to bear a close resemblance to
those of Fernando Po, (a common sort of small cur.) I mention this,
because it has been thought that the Fernandians have had very little
connection with the people of the Continent, as a proof of which, we
have never found any one (out of all the varieties of the African
nations) who could speak with, or understand, the language of the
natives of Fernando Po.
_Saturday, 9_.--Soon after daylight the pilot returned on board. We
found the natives of Foche Island very cautious in coming off, even the
pilot would not reply to our signals, until we had sent a messenger to
tell him what we were, nor would he even then consent to sleep on board.
I have little doubt, from the timidity he exhibited, that the
slave-vessels have occasionally enticed pilots and their people on
board, and carried them off for slaves.
Our breakfast this morning consisted of smoked and dried herrings,
corned mackerel, fresh prawns, beef steaks, cold roast beef, cold ham,
roast and boiled yams, eggs, and toast: a supply that will not be
thought despicable for the passengers of a merchant schooner, in the
Bight of Biafra, where the sun was so powerful, that our anchor was hot
enough to serve the purposes of a heated oven.
At four in the afternoon I accompanied Lieut. Badgeley, with six Kroomen
in a small boat, to visit the town of Bonny, and the English shipping in
the river. Soon after dark we went on board the Neptune, which was lying
off the town of Bonny, and was the same vessel we had boarded outside
the river. After refreshing ourselves with tea, we accompanied the
Surgeon on shore, to look for Captain Cudd, whom we found visiting one
of King Peppel's great men. We wished to call upon the King, but were
informed that we could not be allowed to do so, as his Majesty was too
drunk to receive company, and exceedingly dangerous in his cups; a state
of bliss to which he commonly arrived by that hour, every evening. We,
therefore, contented ourselves by passing the night at the house of the
prime minister, with the intention of waiting upon his Majesty the
following morning. I slept in the same apartment with the Doctor. Our
beds, by courtesy so called, were made on a mud floor; they consisted
merely of a mat spread for each, with a coya-cushion (the outside shell
of the cocoa nut) for a pillow; fortunately the climate is too hot to
require any covering; we therefore lay down without removing our nether
garments; sleep was, however, quite out of the question, for so soon as
the lights were out, the rats and mice came in, and assisted by myriads
of cockroaches and ants, contrived to keep us constantly employed
driving them away from our bodies, until we were in so feverish and
exhausted a state that we anxiously longed for the return of day.
On the following morning, _Sunday, 10_, I was invited to take a Bonny
warm bath, which I accepted with pleasure, for after such a night the
very name of a bath was refreshing; the Doctor therefore kindly
conducted me into the open space where I was informed that every thing
was prepared. I was seated in an arm chair, with a large brass-pan
before me full of tepid water, about two feet deep, into which I was
requested to put my legs: two or three attendants provided with bowls of
warm water, soap and cloths, now began to operate on my body; the
sensation produced by this process, was similar to the effect of
champooing. After they thought they had sufficiently polished me with
their cloths, they began to pour cold water over me, which was the most
refreshing part of the business; but the reader may imagine what my
feelings were, when to my utter surprise I discovered that the whole
ceremony had been performed by women, many of whom, although black, were
both young and handsome. I had detected a good deal of giggling from the
beginning, and objected to the presence of so many persons; but I was
indifferently told, 'Oh! it was the custom of the country.'
We accompanied Captain Cudd on board his vessel to breakfast, after
which we all came on shore, to wait upon the King, to whom we were
conducted by our friend Bill Peppel, at whose house we passed the night,
and whom I understood to be the King's most confidential minister. His
Majesty received us in a very easy friendly manner, and in what he
perhaps considered a fine dress, consisting of a neat striped fine
calico shirt, a pair of white trowsers, and a silk cap with a long
tassel. We talked on a variety of subjects, selecting those which we
supposed were interesting to him, such as the regular trade in palm-oil,
and the illicit one in slaves, but our conversation principally turned
on England, in courtesy to the King who had been at Liverpool, in the
capacity of cabin boy, with one of the Captains of the palm-oil vessels.
He ordered some Membo (palm-wine) to be presented to us; we found it
flavoured with a strong bitter, produced by the use of a native nut. To
our European palate, this taste was by no means agreeable. It is with
palm-wine so prepared, however, that his Majesty contrives to get tipsy
with such punctuality. When this liquor first exudes from the tree, and
before the process of fermentation has drawn its intoxicating qualities
into action, it is a sweet and not unpleasant beverage.
Our interview lasted about an hour, when we took leave of the King, to
return on board. In passing through one of the streets, we saw a guana
climbing up a tree, the Doctor advanced and seized it by the tail, a
proceeding by no means dangerous as regarded the animal, whose nature is
extremely gentle. The natives, however, witnessed this act with horror,
this creature being to them an object of worship. As these animals are
protected by the superstition of the people, and are allowed to enter
their houses at pleasure, they become extremely bold, and frequently
help themselves to a chicken, or any thing else for which they have a
fancy, upon which occasion the owner feels himself highly favoured, and
imagines that some good fortune will attend him in consequence. I was
informed that they have been known to devour young infants. A guana was
once killed on board an English vessel, upon which the trade with that
vessel was immediately stopped, and a grand palaver held, when the
Captain was sentenced to pay a fine of 500 bars, this was afterwards
commuted to 200; and when it was paid the ship was permitted to
recommence trading.
The ceremony of opening the trade with each vessel is as follows: a day
being appointed by the King, a dinner is prepared, and His Majesty is
entertained by the Captain and his officers, on board the trader. The
black gentlemen who form the royal suite are obliged, upon this
occasion, to trust to chance, and the good-nature of the ship's crew,
for their share of the feast. In order that no point of courtesy may be
wanting, it is requisite to send a boat from the ship to meet His
Majesty, as he comes out of the creek in his own canoe. The King, upon
joining his entertainers, immediately enters their boat; which
condescension is acknowledged by a salute of seven guns, fired from the
ship. On arriving alongside, His Majesty throws an egg at the vessel's
hull; he then ascends to the deck, which is usually covered, from the
gangway to the cabin, with a piece of cloth; an arm chair, covered and
ornamented with the same material, being placed ready for his
accommodation.
The only beverage used by King Peppel is his favourite Membo, which is
brought on board by his attendants. His Majesty commonly returns about
sunset to the shore, when a second salute of seven guns is fired from
the ship, and the trade is declared free to all his subjects.
Shortly before our arrival a circumstance occurred which serves to
illustrate King Peppel's good-nature and forbearance. About the middle
of December, 1826, Capt. Lawrenson, a slave agent, arrived at the Bonny,
to purchase a cargo of slaves, which he accomplished in about two
months, and sent them away to the West Indies, remaining behind himself,
with a quantity of goods to make further purchases, having written his
owners to send vessels, and take the slaves away. In the meantime he
contrived to ingratiate himself so much with King Peppel, that His
Majesty allowed him to live in his house, and consulted his opinion,
upon all matters of importance, relative to the white people. Many
months elapsed before any vessel arrived, but when they did, the slaves
were not ready, and the King continued to delude him with promises for
two months longer, at the end of which period, finding his hopes still
unrealized, the impatient Frenchman became enraged at what he considered
the King's deceit, and resolved on taking summary vengeance.
Accordingly, one evening, he went on shore with a cigar in his mouth,
and a few squibs in his pocket, when he deposited the latter in the
thatch of several houses, and set fire to them. The huts being composed
of bamboo, palm-leaves, and reeds, soon burst into a flame, which spread
so rapidly in all quarters, that nearly the whole town was destroyed.
The people were greatly exasperated and wished to kill the Frenchman,
who had not attempted to effect his escape, but King Peppel forbade them
to injure a hair of his head, permitting him to return to his vessel,
which immediately sailed for France; the Captain still vowing vengeance
against the King, and threatening to return with a much larger vessel,
well armed, to commit greater ravages, and to carry off all he could lay
his hands on, until he considered that he had received compensation for
the fraud which he averred had been practised upon him.
There is a superstitious ceremony performed at the Bonny river, about
once in three years, which consists of offering the most beautiful
virgin they can find, as a sacrifice to their Jhu Jhu, whereby they hope
to propitiate the evil spirit, and avert the dangers to which vessels
are liable in crossing the bar. The victim is taken in a boat to the
mouth of the river, where, after a preparatory ceremonial, she is made
to walk to the extremity of a plank, from which she is precipitated into
the water, where in a few seconds she is devoured by sharks. The mind of
the poor wretch is prepared for this fate: which, indeed, appears to be
a source of pleasure, rather than of terror, from the idea that she is
going at once to Paradise, to become the wife of Jhu Jhu; and towards
the conclusion of the ceremony, it is not uncommon for the victim to
display extravagant transports of joy. One of the English captains
remonstrated with a native for going to witness such an exhibition.
"What?" replied the indignant black,--"What you tink?--Why! she now
married to Jhu Jhu--got large house--more big than any in
Liverpool--plenty copper-bar--plenty rum--plenty clothes--what you tink
she want?--noting!" These articles being the principal objects of the
trade from England, are consequently most desired; and as the majority
of the trading vessels come from Liverpool, where some few of the Bonny
people have been, they consider that town the ultimatum of magnificence
and splendour.
We went on board the Neptune about noon, where we took an early dinner,
and returned to the schooner about sunset, when we learnt that a grand
deputation of black gentlemen, from New Calabar Town, had arrived, to
invite Capt. Smith to bring his schooner up their river to trade; they
requested him to lose no time, and offered to leave a large canoe for
our use, when we returned from the Bonny; however, Captain Smith would
not agree to their request; and when they discovered, that, instead of
being a trader, we were looking out for slavers, they were glad to get
away. Our pilot partook of their alarm, and, on the following morning,
he sent back the casks empty, with a message, that he could not come on
board again.
There is much enmity between the Bonny and the New Calabar people,
arising principally out of their rivalship in the trade with foreign
vessels. A short time ago, they had a fight on board an English ship,
under the following circumstances.
The New Calabar people had got on board the ship Huskinson, and were
taking her up to their town. On the passage, they were attacked by a
number of large canoes, well manned and armed, from the Bonny: a
desperate struggle ensued; the Bonny people lost many lives, but they
succeeded in boarding the vessel, dislodging their opponents, and
triumphantly carried the ship into their river; thus securing all her
trade to themselves. This fight did not, on the present occasion,
produce war between the rival people, as such incidents usually do; it
merely had the effect of suspending their intercourse for a short
period. Their war canoes are very large, and will carry from 50 to 100
men, well armed with muskets, pistols, sabres, and sometimes a small gun
in the bow.
We got under weigh in the afternoon, without a pilot, and worked the
schooner over the bar, which is very narrow, and stood out to sea that
evening, notwithstanding there was a fresh breeze against us, through a
very intricate navigation. It was at the entrance of this river that one
of the boats of H.M.S. Maidstone was upset. She had come to an anchor in
the evening, with the tide running in, which made the water very smooth;
but, in the middle of the night, at the turn of the tide, they found the
boat rolling about very uneasily. This very much surprised them, because
the wind had not arisen; the sea soon began to break over them, when the
boat upset, and the surgeon's assistant, with several other persons, was
drowned. This proceeded from the ebb tide encountering the ordinary set
on the land. We left the Bonny with the intention of visiting our
friends in the Old Calabar, in the hope of meeting the Frenchman, who
had shot the mate of the Kent.
_Tuesday, 12_.--At five this morning, we came to an anchor. The weather
had been squally during the night, and at daylight the wind increased;
the squalls becoming more frequent and heavy, with continued thunder and
lightning; and so heavy a swell, that if we had not taken in the boat
from the stern, she would have been washed away. At daylight, we
discovered that Tom Shot's Point bore N.E. by N. six or seven miles.
_Wednesday, 13_.--At daylight, saw a vessel at anchor, outside of us,
which proved to be H.M.S. North-Star, and immediately after, Lieut.
Mather came on board to examine us. On that officer's return, Lieutenant
Badgeley and myself went on board the North-Star, to wait on Captain
Arabin, who gave us a most friendly reception. He pressed us to remain
and dine, but Lieutenant Badgeley's anxiety to return to Fernando Po,
obliged us to decline an invitation which otherwise would have proved
extremely agreeable, and as Captain Arabin had sent his boats up the
river (under the command of his first lieutenant) in search of slavers,
it superseded the necessity of our going; we therefore got under weigh,
and sailed to rejoin Captain Owen.
----------
[34] "The river Nun, or First Brass River, is the main branch of the
Quorra, from whence you pass (in about two hours) through a creek, in an
easterly direction, into the Second Brass River, which is also a large
branch of the Quorra."--_Lander_, vol. iii. p. 224. "Brass, properly
speaking, consists of two towns of nearly equal size, containing about a
thousand inhabitants, and built on the borders of a kind of basin, which
is formed by a number of rivulets, entering it from the Niger, through
forests of mangrove bushes. One of them is under the domination of a
noted scoundrel called King _Jacket_, who has already been spoken of;
and the other is governed by a rival chief, named King Forday. These
towns are situated directly opposite to each other, and within the
distance of eighty yards, and are built on a marshy ground, which
occasions the huts to be always wet."--_Lander_, vol. iii. p. 234.
[35] "A place, called Pilot's Town by Europeans, from the number of
pilots that reside in it, is situated nearly at the entrance of the
First Brass River (which, we understand, is the Nun River of Europeans),
and at the distance of sixty or seventy miles from hence. This town
acknowledges the authority of both kings, having been originally peopled
by settlers from each of their towns."--_Lander_, vol. iii. p. 234.