_The Author admitted to an Audience of the King of Kasson, whom he
finds well disposed towards him. — Incidents during the Author’s
stay at Kooniakary. — Departs thence for Kemmoo, the Capital of
Kaarta. — Is received with great kindness by the King of Kaarta, who
dissuades him from prosecuting his Journey, on Account of approaching
Hostilities with the King of Bambarra. — The Author determines,
notwithstanding, to proceed; and the usual Routes being obstructed,
takes the Path to Ludamar, a Moorish Kingdom. — Is accommodated
by the King with a Guide to Jarra, the frontier Town of the Moorish
Territories; and sets out for that Place, accompanied by Three of
the King’s Sons, and 200 Horsemen._
About eight o’clock in the morning of January 15, 1796, we went to an
audience of the king (Demba Sego Jalla); but the crowd of people to see
me was so great, that I could scarcely get admittance. A passage being
at length obtained, I made my bow to the monarch, whom we found sitting
upon a mat, in a large hut: he appeared to be a man of about sixty
years of age: his success in war, and the mildness of his behaviour
in time of peace, had much endeared him to all his subjects. He
surveyed me with great attention; and when Salim Daucari explained
to him the object of my journey, and my reasons for passing through
his country, the good old king appeared not only perfectly satisfied,
but promised me every assistance in his power. He informed me that
he had seen Major Houghton, and presented him with a white horse;
but that after crossing the kingdom of Kaarta, he had lost his life
among the Moors; in what manner he could not inform me. When this
audience was ended we returned to our lodging, and I made up a small
present for the king, out of the few effects that were left me; for
I had not yet received any thing from Salim Daucari. This present,
though inconsiderable in itself, was well received by the king, who
sent me in return a large white bullock. The sight of this animal quite
delighted my attendants; not so much on account of its bulk, as from
its being of a white colour; which is considered as a particular mark
of favour. But although the king himself was well disposed towards me,
and readily granted me permission to pass through his territories,
I soon discovered that very great and unexpected obstacles were
likely to impede my progress. Besides the war which was on the point
of breaking out between Kasson and Kajaaga, I was told that the next
kingdom of Kaarta, through which my route lay, was involved in the
issue; and was furthermore threatened with hostilities on the part
of Bambarra. The king himself informed me of these circumstances; and
advised me to stay in the neighbourhood of Kooniakary, till such time
as he could procure proper information respecting Bambarra, which he
expected to do in the course of four or five days, as he had already,
he said, sent four messengers into Kaarta for that purpose. I readily
submitted to this proposal, and went to Soolo, to stay there till
the return of one of those messengers. This afforded me a favourable
opportunity of receiving what money Salim Daucari could spare me
on Dr. Laidley’s account. I succeeded in receiving the value of
three slaves, chiefly in gold dust; and being anxious to proceed as
quickly as possible, I begged Daucari to use his interest with the
king to allow me a guide by the way of Fooladoo, as I was informed
that the war had already commenced between the Kings of Bambarra and
Kaarta. Daucari accordingly set out for Kooniakary on the morning of
the 20th, and the same evening returned with the king’s answer,
which was to this purpose; that the king had, many years ago, made
an agreement with Daisey, King of Kaarta, to send all merchants and
travellers through his dominions; but that if I wished to take the
route through Fooladoo, I had his permission so to do; though he
could not, consistently with his agreement, lend me a guide. Having
felt the want of regal protection in a former part of my journey,
I was unwilling to hazard a repetition of the hardships I had then
experienced, especially as the money I had received was probably the
last supply that I should obtain; I therefore determined to wait for
the return of the messengers from Kaarta.
In the interim, it began to be whispered abroad that I had received
plenty of gold from Salim Daucari; and on the morning of the 23d,
Sambo Sego paid me a visit with a party of horsemen. He insisted upon
knowing the exact amount of the money I had obtained; declaring,
that whatever the sum was, one half of it must go to the king;
besides which, he intimated that he expected a handsome present for
himself, as being the king’s son; and for his attendants, as being
the king’s relations. The reader will easily perceive, that if all
these demands had been satisfied, I should not have been overburthened
with money; but though it was very mortifying to me to comply with the
demands of injustice, and so arbitrary an exaction, yet, thinking it
was highly dangerous to make a foolish resistance, and irritate the
lion when within the reach of his paw, I prepared to submit; and if
Salim Daucari had not interposed, all my endeavours to mitigate this
oppressive claim would have been of no avail. Salim at last prevailed
upon Sambo to accept sixteen bars of European merchandize, and some
powder and ball, as a complete payment of every demand that could be
made upon me in the kingdom of Kasson.
January 26th, in the forenoon, I went to the top of a high hill to
the southward of Soolo, where I had a most enchanting prospect of
the country. The number of towns and villages, and the extensive
cultivation around them, surpassed every thing I had yet seen
in Africa. A gross calculation may be formed of the number of
inhabitants in this delightful plain, by considering, that the King
of Kasson can raise four thousand fighting men by the sound of his
war drum. In traversing the rocky eminences of this hill, which are
almost destitute of vegetation, I observed a number of large holes in
the crevices and fissures of the rocks, where the wolves and hyenas
take refuge during the day. Some of these animals paid us a visit on
the evening of the 27th; their approach was discovered by the dogs
of the village; and on this occasion it is remarkable, that the dogs
did not bark, but howl in the most dismal manner. The inhabitants
of the village no sooner heard them than, knowing the cause, they
armed themselves; and providing bunches of dry grass, went in a body
to the inclosure in the middle of the village where the cattle were
kept. Here they lighted the bunches of grass, and, waving them to and
fro, ran hooping and hallooing towards the hills. This manœuvre had
the desired effect of frightening the wolves away from the village;
but on examination, we found that they had killed five of the cattle,
and torn and wounded many others.
February 1st. The messengers arrived from Kaarta, and brought
intelligence that the war had not yet commenced between Bambarra
and Kaarta, and that I might probably pass through Kaarta before the
Bambarra army invaded that country.
Feb. 3d. Early in the morning, two guides on horseback came from
Kooniakary to conduct me to the frontiers of Kaarta. I accordingly
took leave of Salim Daucari, and parted for the last time from
my fellow-traveller the blacksmith, whose kind solicitude for my
welfare had been so conspicuous; and about ten o’clock departed
from Soolo. We travelled this day through a rocky and hilly country,
along the banks of the river Krieko, and at sunset came to the village
of Soomoo, where we slept.
Feb. 4th. We departed from Soomoo, and continued our route along
the banks of the Krieko, which are every where well cultivated,
and swarm with inhabitants. At this time they were increased by the
number of people that had flown thither from Kaarta, on account of
the Bambarra war. In the afternoon we reached Kimo, a large village,
the residence of Madi Konko, governor of the hilly country of Kasson,
which is called Sorroma. From hence the guides appointed by the King
of Kasson returned, to join in the expedition against Kajaaga; and I
waited until the 6th, before I could prevail on Madi Konko to appoint
me a guide to Kaarta.
Feb. 7th. Departing from Kimo, with Madi Konko’s son as a guide, we
continued our course along the banks of the Krieko until the afternoon,
when we arrived at Kangee, a considerable town. The Krieko is here but
a small rivulet; this beautiful stream takes its rise a little to the
eastward of this town, and descends with a rapid and noisy current
until it reaches the bottom of the high hill called Tappa, where it
becomes more placid, and winds gently through the lovely plains of
Kooniakary; after which, having received an additional branch from the
north, it is lost in the Senegal, somewhere near the Falls of Felow.
Feb. 8th. This day we travelled over a rough stony country, and having
passed Seimpo and a number of other villages, arrived in the afternoon
at Lackarago, a small village, which stands upon the ridge of hills
that separates the kingdoms of Kasson and Kaarta. In the course of
the day we passed many hundreds of people flying from Kaarta, with
their families and effects.
Feb. 9th. Early in the morning, we departed from Lackarago, and a
little to the eastward came to the brow of a hill, from whence we
had an extensive view of the country. Towards the south-east were
perceived some very distant hills, which our guide told us were the
mountains of Fooladoo. We travelled with great difficulty down a stony
and abrupt precipice, and continued our way in the bed of a dry river
course; where the trees, meeting over head, made the place dark and
cool. In a little time we reached the bottom of this romantic glen,
and about ten o’clock emerged from between two rocky hills, and
found ourselves on the level and sandy plains of Kaarta. At noon we
arrived at a Korree, or watering-place, where, for a few strings
of beads, I purchased as much milk and corn-meal as we could eat;
indeed provisions are here so cheap, and the shepherds live in such
affluence, that they seldom ask any return for what refreshments a
traveller receives from them. From this Korree, we reached Feesurah
at sunset, where we took up our lodging for the night.
Feb. 10th. We continued at Feesurah all this day, to have a few clothes
washed, and learn more exactly the situation of affairs before we
ventured towards the capital.
Feb. 11th. Our landlord, taking advantage of the unsettled state of the
country, demanded so extravagant a sum for our lodging, that suspecting
he wished for an opportunity to quarrel with us, I refused to submit to
his exorbitant demand; but my attendants were so much frightened at the
reports of approaching war, that they refused to proceed any farther,
unless I could settle matters with him, and induce him to accompany us
to Kemmoo, for our protection on the road. This I accomplished with
some difficulty and by a present of a blanket, which I had brought
with me to sleep in, and for which our landlord had conceived a
very great liking, matters were at length amicably adjusted, and he
mounted his horse and led the way. He was one of those Negroes who,
together with the ceremonial part of the Mahomedan religion, retain
all their ancient superstitions, and even drink strong liquors. They
are called Johars, or Jowers, and in this kingdom form a very numerous
and powerful tribe. We had no sooner got into a dark and lonely part
of the first wood, than he made a sign for us to stop, and taking hold
of a hollow piece of bamboo, that hung as an amulet round his neck,
whistled very loud, three times. I confess I was somewhat startled,
thinking it was a signal for some of his companions to come and attack
us; but he assured me that it was done merely with a view to ascertain
what success we were likely to meet with on our present journey. He
then dismounted, laid his spear across the road, and having said a
number of short prayers, concluded with three loud whistles; after
which he listened for some time, as if in expectation of an answer,
and receiving none, told us we might proceed without fear, for there
was no danger. About noon we passed a number of large villages quite
deserted, the inhabitants having fled into Kasson to avoid the horrors
of war. We reached Karankalla at sunset; this formerly was a large
town, but having been plundered by the Bambarrans about four years ago,
nearly one half of it is still in ruins.
Feb. 12th. At daylight, we departed from Karankalla, and as it was but
a short day’s journey to Kemmoo, we travelled slower than usual,
and amused ourselves by collecting such eatable fruits as grew near
the road side. In this pursuit I had wandered a little from my people,
and being uncertain whether they were before or behind me, I hastened
to a rising ground to look about me. As I was proceeding towards this
eminence, two Negro horsemen, armed with muskets, came galloping from
among the bushes: on seeing them I made a full stop; the horsemen did
the same, and all three of us seemed equally surprised and confounded
at this interview. As I approached them their fears increased, and
one of them, after casting upon me a look of horror, rode off at full
speed; the other, in a panic of fear, put his hand over his eyes,
and continued muttering prayers until his horse, seemingly without the
rider’s knowledge, conveyed him slowly after his companion. About a
mile to the westward, they fell in with my attendants, to whom they
related a frightful story: it seems their fears had dressed me in
the flowing robes of a tremendous spirit, and one of them affirmed,
that when I made my appearance, a cold blast of wind came pouring
down upon him from the sky like so much cold water. About noon we saw
at a distance the capital of Kaarta, situated in the middle of an
open plain, the country for two miles round being cleared of wood,
by the great consumption of that article for building and fuel,
and we entered the town about two o’clock in the afternoon.
We proceeded, without stopping, to the court before the King’s
residence; but I was so completely surrounded by the gazing multitude,
that I did not attempt to dismount, but sent in the landlord and
Madi Konko’s son, to acquaint the king of my arrival. In a little
time they returned, accompanied by a messenger from the king,
signifying that he would see me in the evening; and in the mean
time, the messenger had orders to procure me a lodging, and see
that the crowd did not molest me. He conducted me into a court,
at the door of which he stationed a man, with a stick in his hand,
to keep off the mob, and then shewed me a large hut, in which I was
to lodge. I had scarcely seated myself in this spacious apartment,
when the mob entered; it was found impossible to keep them out,
and I was surrounded by as many as the hut could contain. When the
first party, however, had seen me, and asked a few questions, they
retired, to make room for another company; and in this manner the
hut was filled and emptied thirteen different times.
A little before sunset, the king sent to inform me that he was at
leisure, and wished to see me. I followed the messenger through a
number of courts surrounded with high walls, where I observed plenty
of dry grass bundled up like hay, to fodder the horses, in case the
town should be invested. On entering the court in which the king was
sitting, I was astonished at the number of his attendants, and at the
good order that seemed to prevail among them: they were all seated;
the fighting men on the king’s right hand, and the women and children
on the left, leaving a space between them for my passage. The king,
whose name was Daisy Koorabarri, was not to be distinguished from his
subjects by any superiority in point of dress; a bank of earth, about
two feet high, upon which was spread a leopard’s skin, constituted
the only mark of royal dignity. When I had seated myself upon the
ground before him, and related the various circumstances that had
induced me to pass through his country, and my reasons for soliciting
his protection, he appeared perfectly satisfied; but said it was not in
his power at present to afford me much assistance; for that all sort
of communication between Kaarta and Bambarra had been interrupted for
some time past; and as Mansong, the King of Bambarra, with his army,
had entered Fooladoo in his way to Kaarta, there was but little hope of
my reaching Bambarra by any of the usual routes, inasmuch as, coming
from an enemy’s country, I should certainly be plundered, or taken
for a spy. If his country had been at peace, he said, I might have
remained with him until a more favourable opportunity offered; but, as
matters stood at present, he did not wish me to continue in Kaarta, for
fear some accident should befal me, in which case my countrymen might
say that he had murdered a white man. He would therefore advise me to
return into Kasson, and remain there until the war should terminate,
which would probably happen in the course of three or four months;
after which, if he was alive, he said, he would be glad to see me,
and if he was dead, his sons would take care of me.
This advice was certainly well meant on the part of the king; and
perhaps I was to blame in not following it; but I reflected that the
hot months were approaching, and I dreaded the thoughts of spending
the rainy season in the interior of Africa. These considerations,
and the aversion I felt at the idea of returning without having made
a greater progress in discovery, made me determine to go forwards;
and though the king could not give me a guide to Bambarra, I begged
that he would allow a man to accompany me as near the frontiers of his
kingdom as was consistent with safety. Finding that I was determined
to proceed, the king told me that one route still remained, but that,
he said, was by no means free from danger; which was to go from Kaarta
into the Moorish kingdom of Ludamar, from whence I might pass, by a
circuitous route, into Bambarra. If I wished to follow this route,
he would appoint people to conduct me to Jarra, the frontier town of
Ludamar. He then inquired very particularly how I had been treated
since I had left the Gambia, and asked in a jocular way how many
slaves I expected to carry home with me on my return. He was about
to proceed, when a man mounted on a fine Moorish horse, which was
covered with sweat and foam, entered the court, and signifying that
he had something of importance to communicate, the king immediately
took up his sandals, which is the signal to strangers to retire. I
accordingly took leave, but desired my boy to stay about the place, in
order to learn something of the intelligence that this messenger had
brought. In about an hour the boy returned, and informed me that the
Bambarra army had left Fooladoo, and was on its march towards Kaarta;
that the man I had seen, who had brought this intelligence, was one
of the scouts or watchmen employed by the king, each of whom has his
particular station (commonly on some rising ground) from whence he
has the best view of the country, and watches the motions of the enemy.
In the evening the king sent me a fine sheep; which was very
acceptable, as none of us had tasted victuals during the day. Whilst
we were employed in dressing supper, evening prayers were announced;
not by the call of the priest, as usual, but by beating on drums,
and blowing through large elephants’ teeth, hollowed out in such
a manner as to resemble bugle horns; the sound is melodious, and, in
my opinion, comes nearer to the human voice than any other artificial
sound. As the main body of Daisy’s army was, at this juncture, at
Kemmoo, the mosques were very much crowded; and I observed that the
disciples of Mahomet composed nearly one half of the army of Kaarta.
Feb. 13th. At daylight I sent my horse-pistols and holsters as a
present to the king, and being very desirous to get away from a place
which was likely soon to become the seat of war, I begged the messenger
to inform the king that I wished to depart from Kemmoo as soon as he
should find it convenient to appoint me a guide. In about an hour
the king sent his messenger to thank me for the present, and eight
horsemen to conduct me to Jarra. They told me that the king wished
me to proceed to Jarra with all possible expedition, that they might
return before any thing decisive should happen between the armies of
Bambarra and Kaarta; we accordingly departed forthwith from Kemmoo,
accompanied by three of Daisy’s sons, and about two hundred horsemen,
who kindly undertook to see me a little way on my journey.