Leave Yàoorie — Method of watching the Corn — The Cumbrie People — their
treatment — Sleeping Huts and Spear of the Cumbrie — Arrive at Warree —
Garnicassa — Ignorance of the Natives concerning the course of the River
— Their Amusements — Return to Boossà — Visit to Wowow recommended — The
River consulted by the King of Boossà — Kings of this City — Scarcity of
Provisions — Journey to Wowow — First interview with the King.
_Monday, August 2d._—All was hurry, bustle, noise, and confusion, at a
very early hour in the morning, in getting our things ready for
starting; but in spite of our exertions we had to wait a long time
outside our house, after the beasts had been laden, and our people had
their burdens on their heads, for the sultan’s long-expected letter to
our most gracious sovereign. A mallam was at length perceived hurrying
towards us with it; and after him came, mounted on a large bony horse,
and extremely well dressed in the costume of his country, the venerable
Arab chief, to honour us with his company a little way on our journey.
His appearance was stately and patriarchal in the extreme. But this
crafty old man was not our friend, for he had used us deceitfully, and
misrepresented us and our goods to his master; and we had enjoyed an
innocent kind of revenge, in administering to him, after repeated
applications, 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 city was literally
covered with water on our passing through it, and the deep hollows
formed by the rains were very numerous, and dangerous by being
invisible; nevertheless, with care and patience, we all got outside the
gates in safety.
It is pleasant, very pleasant, after an imprisonment of five weeks in a
close, dark, and unwholesome chamber, subject to every kind of
inconvenience and much anxiety, to be set at liberty; to know and feel
that one is free; to admire again the beauties of God’s creation, and
enjoy once more the cheering freshness of the country. It is only in
health that such feelings can either be excited or indulged. Objects
ever so charming are looked on with indifference by an invalid. For our
parts, we had entered Yàoorie in sickness, and had suffered much in that
city; but we left it in all the strength and vigour of health. During
our residence there, the growth of vegetation had been astonishingly
rapid; the face of the country wore an aspect entirely different and
improved; the trees and shrubs had put on a greener and lovelier
‘livery;’ the grasses, stunted as they were before for want of moisture,
had sprung up to the surprising height of ten or twelve feet; and the
corn and rice had grown up with no less vigour.
Owing to the reputed badness of the path, that by which we had entered
Yàoorie was rejected for a more northerly one, leading in almost a
direct line to the river Cubbie. About a mile or two from the walls of
Yàoorie, the old Arab stopped suddenly, and we imitating his example, he
offered up a short though animated Mahommedan prayer for our success,
and bidding us an affectionate farewell, he turned his horse about and
returned to the city. In the anticipation of journeying to Guârie, we
had purchased an ass of Ali, the Arab; and this animal, as well as the
horses, suffered greatly from the attacks of a species of large fly,
which is to them by day what mosquitoes are to mankind by night; and
this evil, combined with the ruggedness and inequality of the road,
which was intercepted by deep and rapid rivulets, caused us much delay
and annoyance. About mid-day we arrived at the walls of a pretty
considerable town, called Guàda, and halted near a small creek of a
river flowing from Cubbie, and entering the Niger a little lower down.
Here, as soon as we had taken a slight refreshment, we sent our beasts
across the Niger to proceed by land to Boossà, and embarked in two
canoes, which were each paddled by four men. These canoes are about
eighteen or twenty feet long, and formed from a single log of wood,
unlike those of Boossà.
When we got into the main body of the Cubbie river, the canoemen kept us
exposed to the sun for a considerable time, waiting the arrival of two
companions, because the men with whom we had been supplied were unable
to manage both canoes by themselves. Though we entreated the four men to
go a little way with us, or at least to convey us into a cool and shady
place, which we pointed out to them, for protection from the sun’s rays,
they would not hearken to us; we found scolding, threats, and
supplication, to be all equally unavailing; they maintained the same
calm, yet mortifying placidity of countenance, than which in such a case
nothing can be more vexing. At length we were fain to hold our peace,
and patiently resigned ourselves to the inconvenience.
The Cubbie river falls into the Niger about four miles from the creek
where we had embarked; and on entering the Niger, we found it running
from two to three miles an hour, and with trifling labour on the part of
the canoemen, we could have journeyed very rapidly; but though we had
taken on board their two companions, the whole of them were so
obstinately indolent, that we travelled very slowly indeed, insomuch
that we did not expect to arrive at the appointed halting-place for the
night. The canoes, however, were passing along almost close to the
shore, and we saw a woman at the water’s edge who had a quantity of
cheap country beer for sale, and thinking it might animate the men to a
little more exertion, we purchased as much as they could drink, which in
a few minutes completely metamorphosed them. The meekness, innocence,
and composure of their listless countenances soon passed away; their
heavy eyes sparkled with fire and animation; they trembled all over with
anxiety to display their strength, dexterity, and vigour; and each being
emulous to rival his companion, they snatched up their paddles, and by
their united efforts the canoes glided through the water with
inconceivable velocity, even to the danger of upsetting. Thus we
proceeded down the river till the sun had set, and the moon was shining
beautifully on the water, as we drew near to a small Cumbrie village on
the borders of the river, where we landed and pitched our tent. The
thermometer to-day has varied from 75° to 92°.
_Tuesday, August 3d._—Arising at an early hour we shot a partridge and
Guinea-fowl, and breakfasted in the open air, under the intense scrutiny
of a hundred bright black eyes; then, striking our tent, we hastened to
the canoes which we had left secured, and embarked on the river while it
was yet morning, and the air cool and pleasant. Though the lowering
appearance of the firmament seemed to betoken a violent storm, the black
clouds dispersed as the sun gathered strength, and he burst out on us,
an hour after our departure, with peculiar heat and splendour.
On all the borders of the numerous branches of the river, as well as on
its small islands, vast quantities of corn were growing; and it being
near the time of harvest, it was nearly ripe, and waved over the water’s
edge very prettily. Platforms were everywhere erected to the height of,
or rather above the corn, which grows as high as ten or twelve feet.
People were stationed on these to scare away the numerous flights of
small birds, which do great mischief, and would, without this
precaution, destroy the hopes of the cultivator. A boy or girl, and in
many cases a woman with a child at her breast, and even a whole family
together, we observed on the platforms, amusing themselves in this
manner, without the slightest shade or covering of any kind to shelter
them from the fierceness of the sunbeams. Standing erect and motionless,
many of them looked like statues of black marble rather than living
human beings; but others, particularly the women, disregarding their
duty, were industriously employed in plaiting straw, supplying the wants
of their children, manufacturing mats, dressing provisions, &c. In order
the more effectually to frighten away the birds, several of the watchers
were furnished with slings and stones, in the use of which they seem to
be very skilful; besides these, pieces of rope were fastened from the
platform to a tree at some distance, to which large calabashes were
suspended, with holes in them, through which sticks were passed, so that
when the rope is pulled they make a loud clattering noise. The
calabashes are sometimes fastened whole to the rope, containing about a
handful of stones, which answer the purpose of making a noise when put
in motion, as well as the sticks. To this is often added the hallooing
and screaming of the watchers, which is dismal enough to frighten an
evil spirit, and it rarely fails to produce the desired effect.
[Illustration]
The inhabitants of many of the numerous walled towns and open villages
on the banks of the Niger, and also of the islands, we find are for the
most part Cumbrie people—a poor, despised, and abused, but industrious
and hard-working race. They are but too often oppressed and persecuted
by their more fortunate and powerful neighbours, who affirm that they
are fitted by nature only for slaves, and are therefore invariably
treated by them as such.
The Cumbrie also inhabit many parts of Hàussa and other countries; they
speak different languages, but they have all the same pursuits,
superstitions, amusements, and peculiar manners, to which they firmly
and scrupulously adhere, both in good and bad fortune, in sickness and
in health, in freedom and slavery, at home and in foreign countries,
notwithstanding the scorn and derision to which it subjects them; and
they are known to cherish and maintain them to the end of life, with as
much pertinacity as the Hebrew does his faith and national customs.
Inheriting from their ancestors a peaceful, timid, passionless,
incurious disposition, they fall an easy prey to all who choose to
molest them; they bow their necks to the yoke of slavery without a
murmur, and think it a matter of course; and perhaps no people in the
world are to be found who are less susceptible of intense feeling and
the finer emotions of the human mind, on being stolen away from their
favourite amusements and pursuits, and from the bosom of their wives and
families, than these Cumbrie people, who are held in such general
disesteem. Thousands of them reside in the kingdom of Yàoorie and its
province of Engarski; and most of the slaves in the capital have been
taken from among them.
The tribute, or rather rent which they pay to the sultan for the land
they cultivate, consists of a quantity of corn, about the size of a
bundle as much as a man can carry, for every plot of land, whether it be
large or small. When, however, the harvest fails, they are at liberty to
give a certain number of cowries in lieu of the accustomed duty of corn.
If the poor have no means of paying their rent when it becomes due, the
sultan immediately despatches a body of horsemen to their villages, with
a command to seize and carry away as many of the people as they may
think proper. It sometimes happens, however, that the sultan of Yàoorie
pulls the reins of oppression with too tight a hand; and as cowards,
when driven to desperation, often give specimens of extraordinary
courage and resolution, so the negligent and despised Cumbrie, writhing
under the lash of injuries which they have never deserved, defend
themselves with extraordinary determination and bravery, and not
unfrequently come off victorious from the conflict. The benefit which
results to them from these advantages is an exemption from the payment
of rent for two or three subsequent years.
During our residence in Yàoorie, an expedition, despatched by the sultan
for the above purpose, returned unsuccessful from Engarski. The most
unfavourable trait in the character of the Cumbrie is the extreme
dirtiness they display in their habits generally, from which not one of
them appears to be free. They are generally considered good
agriculturists and expert fishermen: they grow abundance of corn and
onions, but a great part of the former is disposed of to the natives of
Boossà and Yàoorie, to whose monarchs they are subject. Most of them are
rather slovenly about their persons, and make use of few ornaments, and
even these are of the commonest description. They bore immense holes in
the lobe of the ear for the admission of bits of fine coloured wood; and
the soft part of the septum of the nose is perforated in like manner,
through which is thrust a long piece of blue glass. When the females
have a mind to appear with unusual smartness and effect, a crocodile’s
tooth is inserted through both lips, and projects upwards as far as the
nose. These useless, unbecoming, and singular ornaments impart to the
countenance an unnatural and barbarous expression, which is very far
from agreeable, and produces an unpleasant and painful emotion in the
mind of the beholder. In _our_ intercourse with the Cumbrie, they
appeared mild, innocent, and even amiable in their manners; and they
behaved to us with all the civility, hospitality, and kindness of their
natures, untinctured by insincerity or lukewarmness.
[Illustration]
The annexed sketch is a representation of the sleeping huts of these
people (Cumbrie), which we alluded to on our passage up the river. The
doorway, which is the only opening they have, is closed by a mat which
is suspended inside. They have no steps to enter by, but scramble into
it as well they can. The common coozie hut is used by them for ordinary
purposes, such as cooking, &c., during the day, but never at night.
These sleeping huts are about seven or eight feet wide, they are nearly
circular, are made of clay, and thatched with the palm leaf; they are
elevated above the ground so as to secure the inmates from the annoyance
of ants, snakes, and the wet ground, and even for protection from the
alligators which prowl about at night in search of prey. We were
informed of instances where these creatures have carried off the legs
and arms of natives, who have incautiously exposed themselves to their
attacks. The huts will hold about half-a-dozen people. Sometimes the
pillars supporting the hut are walled round, but this is not often done,
and they generally appear as in the sketch.
The natives frequently kill the alligators by means of a heavy spear
about ten feet long, like the sketch. One end is furnished with a heavy
piece of iron-wood to give it force, and the other with a sharp-pointed
barbed iron. It is attached to the bow of their canoe by a piece of
grass rope, which is fastened to the upper end, and is a formidable
weapon. A smaller spear of the same description is used by these people
for killing fish, in which occupation they are very expert.
[Illustration]
As we proceeded down the Niger by a different channel from that by which
we had ascended it to Yàoorie, we had fresh opportunities of remarking
the more striking features on its banks. The river, as might naturally
have been expected, is much swollen, and its current more impetuous than
when we passed up on our voyage to Yàoorie; and many of the stones and
rocks which then annoyed us, are now under water, and completely hidden.
In the earlier part of the evening we landed at a small Cumbrie village,
and our canoes were pulled upon a sandy beach for the night in security.
The thermometer has been at 95° to-day.
_Wednesday, August 4th._—The inhabitants of the village wherein we slept
last night had nothing to offer us to eat either then or this morning;
but we had the good fortune to shoot a partridge, and we had it dressed
for breakfast. But it was, like many others, a most unsavoury repast,
for we had nothing to eat with it, not even a little salt; the people of
the village, as well as most of their countrymen, making use of a
quantity of wood-ashes instead, which contain saline particles, because
salt is too expensive an article for these simple villagers to purchase
for their own consumption! We had everything conveyed to the canoes at
an early hour, and at seven o’clock A.M. we were once more upon the
Niger. The canoemen, as well as our own people, had forecast and
contrivance enough to supply themselves with a few ears of Indian corn
last night, which they thought themselves warranted to pluck from a
field at no great distance from their sleeping quarters; yet all of them
complained of hunger this morning, and left the village in a very ill
humour. To satisfy their appetites, our canoes were pulled on shore
repeatedly during the forenoon, for the men to steal some of the corn
which overhung the margin of the river. They were, however, perceived by
the more diligent of the watchers, but they did not take any measures to
prevent them, because they saw that they were the sultan’s servants, and
the whole of these have the privilege of stealing as much corn from the
Cumbrie as they may have occasion for. One poor man had a canoe laden
with new corn, which was pounced upon by these hungry plunderers, who
compelled its reluctant owner to transfer it from his canoe into their
own, without remunerating him in anywise for the loss he thus sustained.
Another individual who happened to be in a canoe, was chased a
considerable distance down the river, under the impression that he had
likewise corn with him, the robbers endeavouring to palliate their
conduct by saying, that as the man paid no tribute to the sultan, his
effects were at all times liable to be seized. The man, however, exerted
all his strength, and happily succeeded in making his escape.
About noon we observed a herd of Falátah cows grazing on the banks of
the river; and in the water a little way from them, we saw an immense
crocodile floating on the surface like a long canoe, for which it was at
first mistaken, and watching an opportunity to seize one of them and
destroy it by dragging it into the river. As soon as he was perceived by
the canoemen, they paddled as softly as possible towards him, intending
to wait at a short distance till the crocodile should have accomplished
his object, when they agreed to pull rapidly towards the shore and reap
the fruits of the reptile’s amazing strength, by scaring him off from
his prey, or destroying him with harpoons, for the skin of a crocodile
is not considered impenetrable here. Their intentions, however, were
frustrated by the sudden disappearance of the crocodile, which dived the
moment he perceived the canoe so near him, making a loud plashing noise,
and agitating the water in a remarkable manner in his descent. We waited
in vain for him to rise again. A very short time after this the canoemen
landed at _Warree_, which is the most celebrated market town in the
dependency of Engarski, and consists of several clusters of huts
encircled by a dwarf clay wall. The market is attended by many thousands
of people from different parts of the country, besides Yàoorie, Boossà,
and Wowow, yet nothing peculiar to Engarski is exposed for sale in it;
and the cheapness at which the productions of the country are disposed
of, is most likely the principal inducement for buyers to resort to
Warree. Vast numbers of canoes, filled with people and goods, were
passing from one side of the Niger to the other during our limited stay
outside the town, and the countenances of both buyers and sellers
betrayed a very anxious and business-like expression. As soon as our
curiosity was fully satisfied, we also crossed over to the Boossà side
of the river, and landed at a small walled town called _Garnicassa_,
which is inhabited by the Cumbrie, and situated about five miles north
of the city of Boossà. At no great distance from this place, and within
sight of it, all the branches of the Niger meet and form a beautiful and
magnificent body of water, at least seven or eight miles in width; and
it is truly astonishing what becomes of it, for at Boossà the river is
no more than a stone’s throw across, and its depth is in proportion to
its narrowness. But about an hour’s walk from thence, it again becomes a
noble river, and maintains its width, it is said, even to Funda. This
singular fact favours the opinion, that a large portion of the waters of
the Niger is conveyed by subterraneous passages from the town of
Garnicassa, to a few miles below Boossà.
Shortly after our arrival, when we were making some allusion to the
river to one of the inhabitants, a Falátah hearing us came forward and
made the extraordinary assertion, that instead of running to Funda, it
took a turn to the eastward, and disembogued itself into the lake Tshad
in Bornou. But theories respecting the Niger are even more various and
contrary in this country, than the hypotheses of the learned of Europe
on the subject. Scarcely two people are to be found that agree in the
same opinion, and their suppositions are not confined to the course and
termination, but include also the source of this mysterious river; yet,
with all their talk, it is easy to perceive that the natives are all
entirely ignorant of the matter.
The earlier part of the evening, after our arrival at Garnicassa, was
calm, serene, and delightful; and the silvery moon shone with unusual
resplendence. It was a favourable time for the inhabitants of the town
to enjoy themselves; and accordingly they were thus employed in good
earnest. Singing, dancing, and music-playing, are the only
divertisements with which the generality of the Cumbrie are acquainted;
and though this people are even more despised than the slothful
Hottentots of the southern part of the continent,—though their rights
are unheeded and their liberties abused, yet these considerations do not
seem to impress them with gloomy reflections; and they trifle away their
leisure hours in play with as much zest and thoughtless jollity as
though they were the most favoured people in the world.
A sudden and confused noise of merriment awoke me from a pleasing kind
of reverie in which I was indulging in the moonshine. I went out
instantly to ascertain the cause of such obstreperous mirth, and
discovered a number of young girls, and married women with children on
their backs, dancing, singing, romping, and clapping their hands, after
the manner of the country; and a group of their male relatives standing
beside them as judges and spectators of their proceedings. A female
would spring suddenly from amidst her companions, and after skipping and
dancing with great animation till she became quite exhausted, would fall
backwards into the arms of her associates, who, anxiously watching her
movements, had put themselves into a suitable attitude to receive her.
Another would then supply her place, and then another, till all the
festive party had danced in turn; and this amusement was kept up with so
much spirit, that screams of laughter and other violent tokens of
delight continued as long as it lasted. The dance (if it deserve the
name) commenced with the whole of the females, married and single. They
first formed themselves into a circle, holding fast of each other’s
arms, and then they moved round very slowly without lifting their feet
from the ground. This exercise seemed to have occasioned them much
exertion and difficulty, if we might be allowed to judge from the
violent and peculiar manner in which they shook and twisted their
bodies, as well as from the failure of several of the younger girls, who
were obliged to quit the ring almost as soon as it was formed. This
slowness of motion was gradually succeeded by a sprightlier movement,
till they ran round so swiftly, that the circle was suddenly broken, and
many of the women were thrown with violence to the ground. The singing,
or rather screaming, and clapping of hands, together with other noises,
more vociferous and wild than these, were continued till the approach of
morning, when a heavy shower drove every one home. Nothing, perhaps, in
this country is more capable of producing a wild, romantic, and pleasing
effect than such a spectacle as this, and at such a time. In front of us
lay the celebrated Niger, reflecting from its unruffled surface the
splendid canopy over our heads, with the radiant clouds of departing
day. On each side of the river Nature had scattered with a lavish hand
the most lovely of her gifts; and verdant trees cast their tall shadows
on the water. Almost close to the place where we stood, was a circle of
naked savage women, all black as a coal, who were performing the oddest
antics imaginable; and still nearer stood a wild-looking group of their
male companions, resting on their tall spears and participating in the
frolic with all their hearts. A three-cornered rush or straw hat, having
a high peak, but without a brim, was the only article of dress worn by
these men. Altogether, as we have already said, the scene was such as to
fill the mind with the highest gratification and delight. To us it was
irresistibly charming, and we contemplated it a long time with emotions
of the most pleasing description.
_Thursday, August 5th._—It rained incessantly till between eleven and
twelve o’clock in the forenoon, when the sun made his appearance at
intervals, and the weather became fine, which we promptly availed
ourselves of, in pursuing our journey along the banks of the Niger to
Boossà. The path was filled with water and broken up by the force of the
rains. After an hour’s ride we drew near to the walls of the city, and
soon arrived at the drummer’s house, which had been our former
residence. Here we found the Midīki on her knees to receive and welcome
us back again to Boossà in the name of the king. But we were not
permitted to enter and take possession of our old apartments, for the
queen conducted us to other huts, which form part of a cluster inhabited
by Falátahs, and emigrants of both sexes from Yarriba and Nouffie, who
are mostly slaves to the king. A quantity of milk and large calabashes
of rice and fish, stewed in palm oil, were sent us a few minutes after
our arrival; and in the evening we were visited by the monarch, who said
he had been apprehensive that we required a little repose and quietness
after our journey, and therefore he did not like to intrude on us
before. He expressed the pleasure he felt on seeing us again, and
welcomed us with the utmost cordiality. The Midīki, who had accompanied
him to our house, paid us a similar compliment. It has been told us that
the drummer’s wife had excited the envy of the queen by wearing round
her neck a smart gilt button which we had given her; and that this is
the only reason that we are not allowed to occupy our former lodgings in
her house. Yet, to be even with her _fair_ rival, the queen had
extracted from her little sheepskin box, wherein they had been confined
for a quarter of a century, a small number of round and flat golden
ornaments, with which she has adorned her sable bosom, and thereby
totally eclipsed the transitory splendour of the button belonging to the
drummer’s wife.
On our arrival at Boossà the face and hands of both my brother and self
were much swollen and highly inflamed by exposure to the sun, and this
circumstance, simple as it was, excited the queen’s sympathy almost to
tears.
_Friday, Aug. 6th._—In a conversation with the king this morning, he
intimated that it would be necessary for us to visit Wowow, previous to
our going to Funda, because the prince of that state, he said, had
already made war on Kiáma on our account, and captured a few of its
people. The king had been induced, from the representations of the
Midīki, who is sister to the chief of Wowow, to urge our taking this
step; and as we dare not raise objections, we have promised to go
thither in a day or two, although we are well aware that the little
present we shall be necessitated to offer him will by no means answer
his expectations. The king has himself repeated to us the promise which
he made to our man, of furnishing us with a canoe sufficiently large to
contain the whole of our people and ourselves, and whatever goods we may
have left; and in order to bind him to his word, we have given him our
tent and the horse which was lately his own; so that, deprived of these,
we shall not have the means of travelling on land, and shall therefore
of necessity be obliged to proceed by water. To the queen also, whose
influence over the mind and actions of her husband is unbounded, we have
made a present much greater than our means warranted, with which she is
more than pleased. We have further endeavoured to win her favour by
kindness, compliment, and flattery; and these means are the most
powerful and effective in the world. The simple-hearted females of this
country are quite unable to resist them. Thus far everything is
favourable to our enterprise, yet doubts sometimes arise in our minds;
and should a canoe be denied us after all that the monarch of this place
has said, we are determined, when the time draws near for our departure,
to take a canoe of our own accord, and steal away from Boossà by night.
‘Falátahs,’ said the king to-day with much seriousness, ‘reside on each
side of the river in considerable numbers, and I begin to fear that they
will endanger your personal safety.’ ‘But,’ answers Paskoe, our
interpreter, ‘Englishmen are gods of the waters, and no evil can befal
them in boats, even though all Africa, or the whole world, should fight
against them.’ ‘I will, however,’ said the king in reply, ‘go down and
ask the _becken rouah_ (dark or black water, which the Niger is
everywhere emphatically styled) whether it will be prudent and safe for
the white men to embark on it or not, and I will be sure to acquaint you
and them of my success, be it good or bad.’ To-morrow morning, we
understand, he intends making this singular experiment; and we have only
to hope that the Niger may return him a favourable answer to his
question.
To-day when we ascertained that it was the actual intention of the king
to supply us with a canoe, we thought proper to present him, in the name
of our sovereign, with one of those beautiful silver medals which were
cast during the American war, for the purpose of distributing amongst
those Indian chiefs who were favourable to the English interests. A
large and valuable chain of the same metal was attached to it, and
nothing which we had previously given the king seemed to have pleased
him so much as this medal and chain; he regarded it indeed with childish
admiration. We assured him that he might now consider himself as the
king of England’s most particular friend, and that he could not offer a
more grateful return, than by favouring and assisting us in our plan of
journeying to the salt water, by way of the Niger.
_Saturday, August 7th._—Just after we had arisen this morning, the king
came to us with joy beaming in his countenance, and quickly informed us
that, according to his promise, he had been down to the Niger, with his
mallam or priest, and that the result of his visit was highly favourable
to our wishes as well as his own—‘the river having promised to conduct
us in safety to its termination.’ One of our greatest apprehensions are
by this means removed. He likewise observed that the canoes of the chief
of Wowow were much superior to his own, and he should therefore request
him to sell us a large and good one, made of a single trunk, instead of
one joined in the middle, which he said would not be either so strong or
so safe. We thanked him, and expressed a desire to purchase such a one
as he had recommended without delay, that we might have time to make
whatever alterations we should deem necessary, and procure a mast,
awning, sail, &c., before our departure.
_Monday, August 9th._—The king told Paskoe this morning, that neither
himself nor the Midīki had tasted animal food for the last three weeks,
and that if we would make him a present of a guinea-fowl he would be
greatly pleased, as he had been living upon fish till he was tired of
it. This was jocosely spoken, and not intended for our ears, as the king
subsequently informed us; but when he knew, by our compliance with his
expressed wish, that Paskoe had made us acquainted with it, his delicacy
was so much hurt that he was ashamed to visit us for a whole day after.
The king is one of the tallest and finest men in the country, as well as
one of the most active and industrious. He is oftentimes unwell, owing,
according to his own account, to having, many years ago, swallowed a
quantity of poison which had been administered to him as an excellent
medicine, by one who sought his destruction. Other chiefs ‘and great
men,’ not only in Borgoo, but in every place that we have visited,
either doze and sleep away the greatest part of their lifetime, or spend
it in the most childish and frivolous pursuits; whereas his majesty of
Boossà, when he is not engaged in public affairs, usefully employs all
his leisure hours in superintending the occupations of his household and
making his own clothes. The Midīki and he have distinct establishments,
divided fortunes, and separate interests; indeed, they appear to have
nothing in common with each other, and yet we have never seen so
friendly a couple since leaving our native country. The manners of the
Africans, too, are hostile to the interest and advancement of woman, and
she is very rarely indeed placed on an equality with her husband.
Perhaps the prevalence of polygamy, which the religion of the people
tolerates, whether Mahomedan or Pagan, is one of the chief causes of the
disesteem in which females are generally held.
The kings of Boossà, as we have before had occasion to observe, have the
reputation of being the greatest monarchs, next to the sovereigns of
Bornou, between that empire and the sea; and this enviable distinction
is acknowledged by every rival chief. Yet it cannot be owing either to
their power, their state, or their opulence, for of all the Borgoo
rulers, they are perhaps the poorest and feeblest. The superior dignity
of the kings of Boossà, and the honour and reverence which are
universally paid them, have arisen, it is said, from the respectability
of their origin, for they are believed to be descendants of the oldest
family in Africa, which in ancient times, long before the introduction
of the Mahomedan religion, was the great head of the fetísh: hence the
profound respect which is yet shown them by the professors of the new
faith, and those who still cling to the superstitions of the old, and
the influence which they exercise as far as their name is known.
_Tuesday, August 10th._—The Midīki sends us a bowl of bruised corn,
boiled in water, which is called _tuah_, twice a-day for our people; and
the king sends daily a little rice and dried fish, seasoned with pepper,
salt, and palm-oil, for our own consumption. But we find this
insufficient for our people, who are eight in number, and ourselves;
their appetites are extremely keen. Guinea-fowl and partridges, which we
used to shoot here in great quantities, and which formed the principal
part of our food, are now procured with the greatest difficulty and
fatigue, owing partly to the prevalence of heavy rains, which have
rendered the ground soft and boggy, and partly to the surprising height
and stiffness of the corn-stalks, between which these birds always
shelter themselves. We are, therefore, often much perplexed about the
means of procuring a meal. With buttons the market is already
overstocked; they have lost all their powers to charm, because those we
have heretofore sold were of inferior quality, and not new, so that they
begin already to lose their polished lustre, and to look dull and black;
needles are unsaleable; we have disposed of all our bits of coloured
cloth, and common red stuff, tea canisters, powder canisters, and almost
everything indeed that _would_ sell, reserving the very few articles of
greater value which are left, for presents to the different chiefs along
the banks of the Niger. Amongst other trifles disposed of were several
tin-cases, which contained worthless and unpalatable portable soups, &c.
These were labelled with slips of tin, which though rather dull and
dirty, nevertheless attracted the admiration of many; and we have been
highly diverted to see one man in particular walking at large, and
strutting about with ‘Concentrated Gravy,’ stuck on his head in no less
than four places. He appeared quite proud and vain of these ornaments,
and was simpering with pleasure wherever he went.
Our men bear fatigue and hunger extremely well, yet when they have food
in abundance, they eat, or rather devour it voraciously. One of them who
has the appetite of a horse, but who is himself unconscious of it,
understanding that anything bitter would sharpen this propensity, and
enable him to consume a greater quantity of provisions, has been in the
constant habit of swallowing the contents of every bullock’s gall-
bladder he could meet with! Six such stomachs as his we have daily to
satisfy, if we can; and having also two women (Paskoe’s wives) in our
train, we think it will be no easy matter, at a future period, to supply
them even with the bare necessaries of life, more especially after our
embarkation in the canoe.
_Wednesday, August 11th._—By a previous intimation, we prepared
ourselves early this morning to depart for Wowow; but because the road
to that city was supposed to be bad, we were obliged to wait on
horseback by the king’s house for a considerable time, in order that a
person might be found to show us the most proper path. However, wearied
with waiting, we left the city without him, and he overtook us about
three or four hours after we had been on our journey. The account of the
badness of the path we soon saw had not been exaggerated; it was filled
with holes and pits, and overgrown with grass, so tall, that it reached
far above our heads, and sprinkled a shower of water on our persons.
Thorny shrubs tore our clothes and lacerated our flesh, and the branches
of decayed trees, which had fallen across the pathway, made it
everything but impassable; while small rivers, rushing along with the
impetuosity of a torrent, and their rugged and almost perpendicular
sides, conduced to render travelling dangerous and even dreadful. In
crossing a large and not very rapid stream, my horse fell with me, but
my brother’s refused to carry him over, and he was obliged to wade
through the water, which reached above his arm-pits. The bed of the
stream was filled with rocks, against which he struck himself several
times, and was thrown down more than once, but without doing him any
injury.
A few miles from Boossà we crossed in a canoe a branch of the Niger
forming a pretty little river, and running nearly west, and which is
said to encompass the whole of Wowow, and to fall into the parent stream
below that state. This is the river which Captain Clapperton was
informed encircled the city and part of the kingdom of Boossà, whereas
it takes quite an opposite direction; and where that officer supposed it
returned to the Niger, it actually takes its rise. It was likewise told
us, that this same river joins the _Oly_; and if this be the case, the
principalities of Kiàma and Wowow must form an island of themselves.
Between one and two o’clock in the afternoon, when the most difficult
part of the journey had been accomplished, we halted at a farm belonging
to the king of Boossà, for we were all excessively fatigued. Here we
were regaled with parched corn and water, and refreshed ourselves
further with an hour’s rest; and we again set forward with renewed
spirits and additional cheerfulness, and about sunset entered a pleasant
little village, encompassed with flourishing plantations of corn and
yams, which was situated near Mount George the Fourth. We slept here,
and before we retired to rest we made an unsuccessful attempt to procure
provisions for our famishing attendants, yet they had wisdom enough not
to forget themselves, for they had recourse to their old expedient of
pilfering Indian corn in the night time; and though a watch was kept by
the inhabitants, who suspected their intentions, yet they escaped
detection. Fires were made in our hut, which was very large, with
branches of trees and a large trunk, and around these sat our men
dressing and eating their ill-gotten food till morning. In the course of
the day’s journey we observed traces of lions and elephants. The latter
animals infest the woods between Boossà and Wowow in incredible numbers,
and by the impressions of their feet on the pathway, their size must be
prodigious.
_Thursday, August 12th._—As soon as it was day, we were again on
horseback, and after a very pleasant ride over an excellent footway of
somewhat less than twelve miles, we entered the city of Wowow through
the western entrance. Here we found ourselves on the race-course, and by
desire we galloped swiftly towards the king’s residence, and fired off a
couple of pistols as a signal of our arrival. He presently came out to
see us; but as the messenger from Boossà was not at hand, and as it is
the custom never to enter into any kind of conversation without him, the
old chief awaited his coming with much patience for more than half an
hour, nor could we approach him during that time. Indeed no foreigner is
permitted to do so, whatever may be his rank, unless in presence of the
representative of the chief from whom he last came. A number of well-
dressed mallams walked before the king on his coming out, and a man
bearing on his shoulder a heavy sword came after them; and last of all
followed a long train of his wives and children, who squatted themselves
on the ground and filled up the door-way. In the wall on each side of
the entrance of the town is a large niche, in one of which the king
stood fixed and motionless, with his hands clasped under his tobe, and
supported on his bosom; and round a pole which had been placed erect in
the other niche, a naked youth had entwined his legs, remaining in
breathless anxiety to be a spectator of the approaching interview. No
two human beings ever bore a more striking resemblance to statues than
these; the deception was indeed complete. For ourselves, we had sent our
horses to graze, and sat about a dozen paces from the door-way under a
large tree; the mallams were sprawling on the earth between the king and
us; and at a respectful distance on each side, groups of the inhabitants
had assembled to gratify their curiosity.
While the king remained in the above position without moving a single
muscle, and which lasted till our messenger had made his appearance, a
singing-woman drew near the person of her sovereign, and began to
exercise her vocation in a tone of voice that displayed anything but
sweetness or melody, and so loud and shrill as to frighten away the
birds from the trees near the spot. After this salutation she fell on
her knees, and repeatedly threw handfuls of earth over her left shoulder
down her back, &c. The Boossà messenger who had been so anxiously
expected, at length arrived, and the spell which had bound every one to
the spot was dissolved in a moment. We were then conducted to the king,
and formally introduced to him; but the grave, eccentric old man shook
hands with us without taking them from the tobe in which they had been
enveloped, or even condescending to look in our faces, for he never
makes it a practice to raise his head above a certain height; fearing he
should discover the person to whom he may be conversing gazing full in
his countenance, to which he has a very strange but unconquerable
antipathy. The interview lasted but a moment, and we were hastily
conducted to the house which was occupied by the late Captain
Clapperton; and here we were soon visited by a number of the principal
people of the city. In the course of the morning we received a quantity
of eggs, milk, yams, and a fat sheep, as a present from the king.