_Arrival at Teesee. — Interview with Tiggity Sego, the King’s
Brother — the Author’s Detention at Teesee — some Account
of that Place and its Inhabitants — Incidents which occurred
there. — Rapacious Conduct of Tiggity Sego toward the Author on his
Departure. — Sets out for Kooniakary, the Capital of the Kingdom. —
Incidents on the Road, and Arrival at Kooniakary._
We no sooner found ourselves safe in Kasson, than Demba Sego told
me that we were now in his uncle’s dominions, and he hoped I would
consider, being now out of danger, the obligation I owed to him, and
make him a suitable return for the trouble he had taken on my account
by a handsome present. This, as he knew how much had been pilfered
from me at Joag, was rather an unexpected proposition; and I began to
fear that I had not much improved my condition by crossing the water,
but as it would have been folly to complain, I made no observation
upon his conduct, and gave him seven bars of amber, and some tobacco;
with which he seemed to be content.
After a long day’s journey, in the course of which I observed a
number of large loose nodules of white granite, we arrived at Teesee
on the evening of Dec. 29th, and were accommodated in Demba Sego’s
hut. The next morning he introduced me to his father Tiggity Sego,
brother to the King of Kasson, chief of Teesee. The old man viewed
me with great earnestness, having never, he said, beheld but one
white man before, whom by his description I immediately knew to
be Major Houghton. I related to him, in answer to his inquiries,
the motives that induced me to explore the country. But he seemed
to doubt the truth of what I asserted; thinking, I believe, that I
secretly meditated some project which I was afraid to avow. He told
me, it would be necessary I should go to Kooniakary, the residence
of the king, to pay my respects to that prince; but desired me to
come to him again before I left Teesee.
In the afternoon one of his slaves eloped; and a general alarm
being given, every person that had a horse rode into the woods,
in the hopes of apprehending him; and Demba Sego begged the use of
my horse for the same purpose. I readily consented; and in about an
hour they all returned with the slave, who was severely flogged, and
afterwards put in irons. On the day following (Dec. 31.) Demba Sego
was ordered to go with twenty horsemen to a town in Gedumah, to adjust
some dispute with the Moors, a party of whom were supposed to have
stolen three horses from Teesee. Demba begged, a second time, the use
of my horse; adding, that the sight of my bridle and saddle would give
him consequence among the Moors. This request also I readily granted,
and he promised to return at the end of three days. During his absence
I amused myself with walking about the town, and conversing with the
natives, who attended me every where with great kindness and curiosity,
and supplied me with milk, eggs, and what other provisions I wanted,
on very easy terms.
Teesee is a large unwalled town, having no security against the
attack of an enemy, except a sort of citadel, in which Tiggity and
his family constantly reside. This town, according to the report of
the natives, was formerly inhabited only by a few Foulah shepherds,
who lived in considerable affluence by means of the excellent meadows
in the neighbourhood, in which they reared great herds of cattle. But
their prosperity attracting the envy of some Mandingoes, the latter
drove out the shepherds, and took possession of their lands.
The present inhabitants, though they possess both cattle and corn
in abundance, are not over nice in articles of diet; rats, moles,
squirrels, snakes, locusts, &c. are eaten without scruple by the
highest and lowest. My people were one evening invited to a feast
given by some of the townsmen, where, after making a hearty meal
of what they thought fish and kouskous, one of them found a piece
of hard skin in the dish, and brought it along with him, to shew
me what sort of fish they had been eating. On examining the skin,
I found they had been feasting on a large snake. Another custom
still more extraordinary, is that no woman is allowed _to eat an
egg_. This prohibition, whether arising from ancient superstition,
or from the craftiness of some old Bushreen who loved eggs himself,
is rigidly adhered to, and nothing will more affront a woman of Teesee
than to offer her an egg. The custom is the more singular, as the men
eat eggs without scruple in the presence of their wives, and I never
observed the same prohibition in any other of the Mandingo countries.
The third day after his son’s departure, Tiggity Sego held a palaver
on a very extraordinary occasion, which I attended; and the debates
on both sides of the question displayed much ingenuity. The case was
this. A young man, a Kafir, of considerable affluence, who had recently
married a young and handsome wife, applied to a very devout Bushreen,
or Mussulman priest, of his acquaintance, to procure him saphies for
his protection during the approaching war. The Bushreen complied with
the request; and in order, as he pretended, to render the saphies more
efficacious, enjoined the young man to avoid any nuptial intercourse
with his bride for the space of six weeks. Severe as the injunction
was, the Kafir strictly obeyed; and without telling his wife the
real cause, absented himself from her company. In the mean time
it began to be whispered at Teesee, that the Bushreen, who always
performed his evening devotions at the door of the Kafir’s hut,
was more intimate with the young wife than he ought to be. At first,
the good husband was unwilling to suspect the honour of his sanctified
friend, and one whole month elapsed before any jealousy rose in his
mind; but hearing the charge repeated, he at last interrogated his
wife on the subject, who frankly confessed that the Bushreen had
seduced her. Hereupon the Kafir put her into confinement, and called
a palaver upon the Bushreen’s conduct. The fact was clearly proved
against him; and he was sentenced to be sold into slavery, or to
find two slaves for his redemption, according to the pleasure of the
complainant. The injured husband, however, was unwilling to proceed
against his friend to such extremity, and desired rather to have him
publicly flogged before Tiggity Sego’s gate. This was agreed to,
and the sentence was immediately executed. The culprit was tied by the
hands to a strong stake; and a long black rod being brought forth,
the executioner, after flourishing it round his head for some time,
applied it with such force and dexterity to the Bushreen’s back,
as to make him roar until the woods resounded with his screams. The
surrounding multitude, by their hooting and laughing, manifested
how much they enjoyed the punishment of this old gallant; and it is
worthy of remark, that the number of stripes was precisely the same
as are enjoined by the Mosaic law, _forty, save one_.
As there appeared great probability that Teesee, from its being a
frontier town, would be much exposed during the war to the predatory
excursions of the Moors of Gadumah, Tiggity Sego had, before my
arrival, sent round to the neighbouring villages, to beg or to purchase
as much provisions as would afford subsistence to the inhabitants for
one whole year, independently of the crop on the ground, which the
Moors might destroy. This project was well received by the country
people, and they fixed a day on which to bring all the provisions
they could spare to Teesee, and as my horse was not yet returned,
I went, in the afternoon of January 4th, 1796, to meet the escort
with the provisions.
It was composed of about 400 men, marching in good order, with corn and
ground nuts in large calabashes upon their heads. They were preceded by
a strong guard of bowmen, and followed by eight musicians or singing
men. As soon as they approached the town, the latter began a song,
every verse of which was answered by the company, and succeeded by
a few strokes on the large drums. In this manner they proceeded,
amidst the acclamations of the populace, till they reached the house
of Tiggity Sego, where the loads were deposited; and in the evening
they all assembled under the Bentang tree, and spent the night in
dancing and merriment. Many of these strangers remained at Teesee for
three days, during which time I was constantly attended by as many of
them as could conveniently see me; one party giving way to another,
as soon as curiosity was gratified.
On the 5th of January an embassy of ten people belonging to Almami
Abdulkader, King of Foota Torra, a country to the west of Bondou,
arrived at Teesee; and desiring Tiggity Sego to call an assembly of
the inhabitants, announced publicly their king’s determination, to
this effect: “That unless all the people of Kasson would embrace the
Mahomedan religion, and evince their conversion by saying eleven public
prayers, he (the King of Foota Torra) could not possibly stand neuter
in the present contest, but would certainly join his arms to those of
Kajaaga.” A message of this nature, from so powerful a prince, could
not fail to create great alarm; and the inhabitants of Teesee, after a
long consultation, agreed to conform to his good pleasure, humiliating
as it was to them. Accordingly, one and all publicly offered up eleven
prayers, which were considered a sufficient testimony of their having
renounced Paganism, and embraced the doctrines of the Prophet.
It was the 8th of January before Demba Sego returned with my horse;
and being quite wearied out with the delay, I went immediately to
inform his father, that I should set out for Kooniakary early the
next day. The old man made many frivolous objections; and at length
gave me to understand, that I must not think of departing, without
first paying him the same duties he was entitled to receive from all
travellers; besides which, he expected, he said, some acknowledgment
for his kindness towards me. Accordingly, on the morning of the 9th,
my friend Demba, with a number of people, came to me, and said that
they were sent by Tiggity Sego for my present, and wished to see what
goods I had appropriated for that purpose. I knew that resistance was
hopeless, and complaint unavailing; and being in some measure prepared,
by the intimation I had received the night before, I quietly offered
him seven bars of amber, and five of tobacco. After surveying these
articles for some time very coolly, Demba laid them down, and told
me, this was not a present for a man of Tiggity Sego’s consequence,
who had it in his power to take whatever he pleased from me. He added,
that if I did not consent to make him a larger offering, he would carry
all my baggage to his father, and let him choose for himself. I had
no time for reply; for Demba and his attendants immediately began to
open my bundles, and spread the different articles upon the floor,
where they underwent a more strict examination than they had done
at Joag. Every thing that pleased them, they took without scruple;
and amongst other things, Demba seized the tin box, which had so much
attracted his attention in crossing the river. Upon collecting the
scattered remains of my little fortune after these people had left
me, I found that, as at Joag, I had been plundered of half, so here,
without even the shadow of accusation, I was deprived of half the
remainder. The blacksmith himself, though a native of Kasson, had also
been compelled to open his bundles, and take an oath that the different
articles they contained were his own exclusive property. There was,
however, no remedy; and having been under some obligation to Demba
Sego for his attention towards me in the journey from Joag, I did
not reproach him for his rapacity, but determined to quit Teesee at
all events the next morning. In the meanwhile, in order to raise the
drooping spirits of my attendants, I purchased a fat sheep, and had
it dressed for our dinner.
Early in the morning of January 10th, therefore, I left Teesee, and
about mid-day ascended a ridge, from whence we had a distant view of
the hills round Kooniakary. In the evening we reached a small village
where we slept, and departing from thence the next morning, crossed in
a few hours a narrow but deep stream called Krieko, a branch of the
Senegal. About two miles farther to the eastward, we passed a large
town called Madina; and at two o’clock came in sight of Jumbo, the
blacksmith’s native town, from whence he had been absent more than
four years. Soon after this his brother, who had by some means been
apprized of his coming, came out to meet him, accompanied by a singing
man: he brought a horse for the blacksmith, that he might enter his
native town in a dignified manner; and he desired each of us to put
a good charge of powder into our guns. The singing man now led the
way, followed by the two brothers; and we were presently joined by a
number of people from the town, all of whom demonstrated great joy at
seeing their old acquaintance the blacksmith, by the most extravagant
jumping and singing. On entering the town, the singing man began an
extempore song in praise of the blacksmith, extolling his courage in
having overcome so many difficulties; and concluding with a strict
injunction to his friends to dress him plenty of victuals.
When we arrived at the blacksmith’s place of residence, we
dismounted and fired our muskets. The meeting between him and his
relations was very tender; for these rude children of nature, free from
restraint, display their emotions in the strongest and most expressive
manner. Amidst these transports, the blacksmith’s aged mother was
led forth, leaning upon a staff. Every one made way for her; and she
stretched out her hand to bid her son welcome. Being totally blind,
she stroked his hands, arms, and face, with great care, and seemed
highly delighted that her latter days were blessed by his return,
and that her ears once more heard the music of his voice. From this
interview I was fully convinced, that whatever difference there is
between the Negro and European in the conformation of the nose and
the colour of the skin, there is none in the genuine sympathies and
characteristic feelings of our common nature.
During the tumult of these congratulations, I had seated myself apart,
by the side of one of the huts, being unwilling to interrupt the flow
of filial and parental tenderness; and the attention of the company
was so entirely taken up with the blacksmith, that I believe none of
his friends had observed me. When all the people present had seated
themselves, the blacksmith was desired by his father to give them some
account of his adventures; and silence being commanded, he began;
and after repeatedly thanking God for the success that had attended
him, related every material occurrence that had happened to him from
his leaving Kasson to his arrival at the Gambia; his employment and
success in those parts; and the dangers he had escaped in returning
to his native country. In the latter part of his narration, he had
frequently occasion to mention me; and after many strong expressions
concerning my kindness to him, he pointed to the place where I sat,
and exclaimed, _affille ibi siring_, “see him sitting there.” In a
moment all eyes were turned upon me; I appeared like a being dropped
from the clouds; every one was surprised that they had not observed
me before; and a few women and children expressed great uneasiness
at being so near a man of such an uncommon appearance. By degrees,
however, their apprehensions subsided; and when the blacksmith assured
them that I was perfectly inoffensive, and would hurt nobody, some
of them ventured so far as to examine the texture of my clothes;
but many of them were still very suspicious; and when by accident I
happened to move myself, or look at the young children, their mothers
would scamper off with them with the greatest precipitation. In a
few hours, however, they all became reconciled to me.
With these worthy people I spent the remainder of that, and the whole
of the ensuing day, in feasting and merriment; and the blacksmith
declared he would not quit me during my stay at Kooniakary, for
which place we set out early on the morning of the 14th of January,
and arrived about the middle of the day at Soolo, a small village
three miles to the south of it.
As this place was somewhat out of the direct road, it is necessary
to observe, that I went thither to visit a Slatee, or Gambia trader,
of great note and reputation, named Salim Daucari. He was well known
to Dr. Laidley, who had trusted him with effects to the value of
five slaves, and had given me an order for the whole of the debt. We
luckily found him at home, and he received me with great kindness
and attention.
It is remarkable, however, that the King of Kasson was, by some means,
immediately apprized of my motions; for I had been at Soolo but a
few hours, before Sambo Sego, his second son, came thither with a
party of horse, to inquire what had prevented me from proceeding to
Kooniakary, and waiting immediately upon the king, who, he said, was
impatient to see me. Salim Daucari made my apology, and promised to
accompany me to Kooniakary the same evening: we accordingly departed
from Soolo at sunset, and in about an hour entered Kooniakary. But
as the king had gone to sleep, we deferred the interview till next
morning, and slept at the hut of Sambo Sego.
My interview with the king, and the incidents which occurred to me
in the kingdoms of Kasson and Kaarta, will be the subject of the
ensuing Chapter.