Life and Travels of Mungo Park in Central Africa by Mungo Park

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[24] The Negroes white wash their huts with a mixture of bone ashes
and water, to which is commonly added a little gum.

My clothes were by this time become so very ragged, that I was almost
ashamed to appear out of doors; but Karfa, on the day after his arrival,
generously presented me with such a garment and trowsers as are commonly
worn in the country.

The slaves which Karfa had brought with him were all of them prisoners of
war; they had been taken by the Bambarran army in the kingdoms of Wassela
and Kaarta, and carried to Sego, where some of them had remained three
years in irons. From Sego they were sent, in company with a number of
other captives, up the Niger in two large canoes, and offered for sale at
Yamina, Bammakoo, and Kancaba; at which places the greater number of the
captives were bartered for gold-dust, and the remainder sent forward to
Kankakee.

Eleven of them confessed to me that they had been slaves from their
infancy; but the other two refused to give any account of their former
condition. They were all very inquisitive; but they viewed me at first
with looks of horror, and repeatedly asked if my countrymen were
cannibals. They were very desirous to know what became of the slaves
after they had crossed the salt water. I told them, that they were
employed in cultivating the land; but they would not believe me; and one
of them putting his hand upon the ground, said with great simplicity,
"Have you really got such ground as this to set your feet upon?" A deeply
rooted idea that the Whites purchase Negroes for the purpose of devouring
them, or of selling them to others, that they may be devoured hereafter,
naturally makes the slaves contemplate a journey towards the Coast with
great terror; insomuch that the Slatees are forced to keep them
constantly in irons, and watch them very closely to prevent their escape.
They are commonly secured, by putting the right leg of one, and the left
of another, into the same pair of fetters. By supporting the fetters with
a string, they can walk, though very slowly. Every four slaves are
likewise fastened together by the necks, with a strong rope of twisted
thongs; and in the night an additional pair of fetters is put on their
hands, and sometimes a light iron chain passed round their necks.

Such of them as evince marks of discontent are secured in a different
manner. A thick billet of wood is cut about three feet long, and a smooth
notch being made upon one side of it, the ankle of the slave is bolted to
the smooth part by means of a strong iron staple, one prong of which
passes on each side of the ankle. All these fetters and bolts are made
from native iron; in the present case they were put on by the blacksmith
as soon as the slaves arrived from Kancaba, and were not taken off until
the morning on which the coffle departed for Gambia.

In other respects, the treatment of the slaves during their stay at
Kamalia was far from being harsh or cruel. They were led out in their
fetters every morning to the shade of the tamarind tree, where they were
encouraged to play at games of hazard, and sing diverting songs, to keep
up their spirits; for though some of them sustained the hardships of
their situation with amazing fortitude, the greater part were very much
dejected, and would sit all day in a sort of sullen melancholy, with
their eyes fixed upon the ground. In the evening, their irons were
examined, and their hand fetters put on; after which they were conducted
into two large huts, where they were guarded during the night by Karfa's
domestic slaves. But notwithstanding all this, about a week after their
arrival, one of the slaves had the address to procure a small knife with
which he opened the rings of his fetters, cut the rope, and made his
escape; more of them would probably have got off, had they assisted each
other; but the slave no sooner found himself at liberty, than he refused
to stop and assist in breaking the chain which was fastened round the
necks of his companions.

As all the Slatees and slaves belonging to the coffle were now assembled,
either at Kamalia, or some of the neighbouring villages, it might have
been expected that we should have set out immediately for Gambia; but
though the day of our departure was frequently fixed, it was always found
expedient to change it. Some of the people had not prepared their dry
provisions; others had gone to visit their relations, or collect some
trifling debts; and, last of all, it was necessary to consult whether the
day would be a lucky one. On account of one of these, or other such
causes, our departure was put off, day after day, until the month of
February was far advanced; after which all the Slatees agreed to remain
in their present quarters, until the _fast moon was over_. And here I may
remark, that loss of time is an object of no great importance in the eyes
of a Negro. If he has any thing of consequence to perform, it is a matter
of indifference to him whether he does it to-day or to-morrow, or a month
or two hence; so long as he can spend the present moment with any degree
of comfort, he gives himself very little concern about the future.

The fast of Rhamadan was observed with great strictness by all the
Bushreens; but instead of compelling me to follow their example, as the
Moors did on a similar occasion, Karfa frankly told me that I was at
liberty to pursue my own inclination. In order, however, to manifest a
respect for their religious opinions, I voluntarily fasted three days,
which was thought sufficient to screen me from the reproachful epithet of
Kafir. During the fast, all the Slatees belonging to the coffle assembled
every morning in Karfa's house, where the schoolmaster read to them some
religious lesson, from a large folio volume, the author of which was an
Arab, of the name of _Sheiffa_. In the evening, such of the women as had
embraced Mahomedanism assembled, and said their prayers publicly at the
Misura. They were all dressed in white, and went through the different
prostrations, prescribed by their religion, with becoming solemnity.
Indeed, during the whole fast of Rhamadan, the Negroes behaved themselves
with the greatest meekness and humility; forming a striking contrast to
the savage intolerance and brutal bigotry which at this period
characterise the Moors.

When the fast month was almost at an end, the Bushreens assembled at the
Misura, to watch for the appearance of the new moon; but the evening
being rather cloudy, they were for some time disappointed, and a number
of them had gone home with a resolution to fast another day, when on a
sudden this delightful object showed her sharp horns from behind a cloud,
and was welcomed with the clapping of hands, beating of drums, firing
muskets, and other marks of rejoicing. As this moon is reckoned extremely
lucky, Karfa gave orders that all the people belonging to the coffle
should immediately pack up their dry provisions, and hold themselves in
readiness: and on the 16th of April, the Slatees held a consultation, and
fixed on the 19th of the same month, as the day on which the coffle
should depart from Kamalia. This resolution freed me from much
uneasiness; for our departure had already been so long deferred, that I
was apprehensive it might still be put off until the commencement of the
rainy reason; and although Karfa behaved towards me with the greatest
kindness, I found my situation very unpleasant. The Slatees were
unfriendly to me; and the trading Moors, who were at this time at
Kamalia, continued to plot mischief against me, from the first day of
their arrival. Under these circumstances, I reflected, that my life in a
great measure depended on the good opinion of an individual, who was
daily hearing malicious stories concerning the Europeans; and I could
hardly expect that he would always judge with impartiality between me and
his countrymen. Time had, indeed, reconciled me, in some degree, to their
mode of life; and a smoky hut, or a scanty supper, gave me no great
uneasiness; but I became at last wearied out with a constant state of
alarm and anxiety, and felt a painful longing for the manifold blessings
of civilized society.

On the morning of the 17th, a circumstance occurred, which wrought a
considerable change in my favour. The three trading Moors who had lodged
under Karfa's protection, ever since their arrival at Kamalia, and had
gained the esteem of all the Bushreens, by an appearance of great
sanctity, suddenly packed up their effects, and, without once thanking
Karfa for his kindness towards them, marched over the hills to Bala.
Every one was astonished at this unexpected removal; but the affair was
cleared up in the evening, by the arrival of the Fezzan merchant from
Kancaba, (mentioned in p. 269;) who assured Karfa, that these Moors had
borrowed all their salt and goods from him, and had sent for him to come
to Kamalia, and receive payment. When he was told that they had fled to
the westward, he wiped a tear from each eye with the sleeve of his cloak,
and exclaimed, "These _shirukas_ (robbers) are Mahomedans, but they are
not men: they have robbed me of two hundred minkallies." From this
merchant I received information of the capture of our Mediterranean
convoy by the French, in October 1795.

April 19th. The long-wished-for day of our departure was at length
arrived; and the Slatees having taken the irons from their slaves,
assembled with them at the door of Karfa's house, where the bundles were
all tied up, and every one had his load assigned him. The coffle, on its
departure from Kamalia, consisted of twenty-seven slaves for sale, the
property of Karfa and four other Slatees: but we were afterwards joined
by five at Maraboo, and three at Bala: making in all thirty-five slaves.
The free men were fourteen in number, but most of them had one or two
wives and some domestic slaves; and the schoolmaster, who was now upon
his return for Woradoo, the place of his nativity, took with him eight of
his scholars, so that the number of free people and domestic slaves
amounted to thirty-eight, and the whole amount of the coffle was
seventy-three. Among the freemen were six Jilli keas, (singing men) whose
musical talents were frequently exerted either to divert our fatigue, or
obtain us a welcome from strangers. When we departed from Kamalia, we
were followed for about half a mile by most of the inhabitants of the
town, some of them crying, and others shaking hands with their relations,
who were now about to leave them; and when we had gained a piece of
rising ground, from which we had a view of Kamalia, all the people
belonging to the coffle were ordered to sit down in one place, with their
faces towards the west, and the townspeople were desired to sit down in
another place, with their faces towards Kamalia. In this situation, the
schoolmaster, with two of the principal Slatees, having taken their
places between the two parties, pronounced a long and solemn prayer;
after which, they walked three times round the coffle, making an
impression on the ground with the ends of their spears, and muttering
something by way of charm. When this ceremony was ended, all the people
belonging to the coffle sprang up, and without taking a formal farewell
of their friends, set forward. As many of the slaves had remained for
years in irons, the sudden exertion of walking quick, with heavy loads
upon their heads, occasioned spasmodic contractions of their legs; and we
had not proceeded above a mile, before it was found necessary to take two
of them from the rope, and allow them to walk more slowly until we
reached Maraboo, a walled village, where some people were waiting to join
the coffle. Here we stopt about two hours, to allow the strangers time to
pack up their provisions, and then continued our route to Bala, which
town we reached about four in the afternoon. The inhabitants of Bala, at
this season of the year, subsist chiefly on fish, which they take in
great plenty from the streams in the neighbourhood. We remained here
until the afternoon of the next day, the 20th, when we proceeded to
Worumbang, the frontier village of Manding towards Jallonkadoo. As we
proposed shortly to enter the Jallonka Wilderness, the people of this
village furnished us with great plenty of provisions; and on the morning
of the 21st, we entered the woods to the westward of Worumbang. After
having travelled some little way, a consultation was held, whether we
should continue our route through the Wilderness, or save one day's
provisions by going to Kinytakooro, a town in Jallonkadoo. After debating
the matter for some time, it was agreed that we should take the road for
Kinytakooro; but as that town was a long day's journey distant, it was
necessary to take some refreshment. Accordingly, every person opened his
provision bag, and brought a handful or two of meal, to the place where
Karfa and the Slatees were sitting. When every one had brought his quota,
and the whole was properly arranged in small gourd shells, the
schoolmaster offered up a short prayer, the substance of which was, that
God and the holy Prophet might preserve us from robbers and all bad
people, that our provisions might never fail us, nor our limbs become
fatigued. This ceremony being ended, every one partook of the meal, and
drank a little water, after which we set forward, (rather running than
walking) until we came to the river Kokoro, a branch of the Senegal,
where we halted about ten minutes. The banks' of this river are very
high; and from the grass and brushwood which had been left by the stream,
it was evident that at this place the water had risen more than twenty
feet perpendicular, during the rainy season. At this time it was only a
small stream, such as would turn a mill, swarming with fish; and on
account of the number of crocodiles, and the danger of being carried past
the ford by the force of the stream in the rainy season, it is called
_Kokoro_, (dangerous.) From this place we continued to travel with the
greatest expedition, and in the afternoon crossed two small branches of
the Kokoro. About sunset we came in sight of Kinytakooro, a considerable
town, nearly square, situate in the middle of a large and well cultivated
plain: before we entered the town we halted, until the people who had
fallen behind came up. During this day's travel, two slaves, a woman and
a girl, belonging to a Slatee of Bala, were so much fatigued, that they
could not keep up with the coffle; they were severely whipped, and
dragged along until about three o'clock in the afternoon, when they were
both affected with vomiting, by which it was discovered that they had
eaten clay. This practice is by no means uncommon amongst the Negroes;
but whether it arises from a vitiated appetite, or from a settled
intention to destroy themselves, I cannot affirm. They were permitted to
lie down in the woods, and three people remained with them until they had
rested themselves; but they did not arrive at the town until past
midnight; and were then so much exhausted, that the Slatee gave up all
thoughts of taking them across the woods in their present condition, and
determined to return with them to Bala, and wait for another opportunity.

As this was the first town beyond the limits of Manding, greater
etiquette than usual was observed. Every person was ordered to keep in
his proper station, and we marched towards the town in a sort of
procession nearly as follows. In front five or six singing men, all of
them belonging to the coffle; these were followed by the other free
people; then came the slaves fastened in the usual way by a rope round
their necks, four of them to a rope, and a man with a spear between each
four; after them came the domestic slaves, and in the rear the women of
free condition, wives of the Slatees, &c. In this manner we proceeded,
until we came within a hundred yards of the gate, when the singing men
began a loud song, well calculated to flatter the vanity of the
inhabitants, by extolling their known hospitality to strangers, and their
particular friendship for the Mandingoes. When we entered the town we
proceeded to the Bentang, where the people gathered round us to hear our
_dentegi_, (history;) this was related publicly by two of the singing
men; they enumerated every little circumstance which had happened to the
coffle; beginning with the events of the present day, and relating every
thing, in a backward series, until they reached Kamalia. When this
history was ended, the master of the town gave them a small present, and
all the people of the coffle, both free and enslaved, were invited by
some person or other, and accommodated with lodging and provisions for
the night.

CHAPTER XXV.

_The coffle crosses the Jallonka Wilderness.--Miserable fate of one of
the female slaves.--Arrives at Sooseeta.--Proceeds to Manna.--Some
account of the Jallonkas.--Crosses the main stream of the
Senegal.--Bridge of a singular construction.--Arrives at
Malacotta.--Remarkable conduct of the King of the Jalofs._

We continued at Kinytakooro until noon of the 22d of April, when we
removed to a village about seven miles to the westward, the inhabitants
of which being apprehensive of hostilities from the Foulahs of Fooladoo,
were at this time employed in constructing small temporary huts among the
rocks, on the side of a high hill close to the village. The situation was
almost impregnable, being everywhere surrounded with high precipices,
except on the eastern side, where the natives had left a pathway
sufficient to allow one person at a time to ascend. Upon the brow of the
hill, immediately over this path, I observed several heaps of large loose
stones, which the people told me were intended to be thrown down upon the
Foulahs, if they should attempt the hill.

At daybreak on the 23d, we departed from this village, and entered the
Jallonka Wilderness. We passed, in the course of the morning, the ruins
of two small towns, which had lately been burnt by the Foulahs. The fire
must have been very intense; for I observed that the walls of many of the
huts were slightly vitrified, and appeared at a distance as if covered
with a red varnish. About ten o'clock we came to the river Wonda, which
is somewhat larger than the river Kokoro; but the stream was at this time
rather muddy, which Karfa assured me was occasioned by amazing shoals of
fish. They were indeed seen in all directions, and in such abundance,
that I fancied the water itself tasted and smelt fishy. As soon as we had
crossed the river, Karfa gave orders that all the people of the coffle
should in future keep close together, and travel in their proper station;
the guides and young men were accordingly placed in the van, the women
and slaves in the centre, and the freemen in the rear. In this order, we
travelled with uncommon expedition through a woody, but beautiful
country, interspersed with a pleasing variety of hill and dale, and
abounding with partridges, guinea-fowls, and deer, until sunset, when we
arrived at a most romantic stream called Co-meissang. My arms and neck
having been exposed during the whole day, and irritated by the rubbing of
my dress in walking, were now very much inflamed and covered with
blisters; and I was happy to embrace the opportunity, while the coffle
rested on the bank of this river, to bathe myself in the stream. This
practice, together with the cool of the evening, much diminished the
inflammation. About three miles to the westward of the Co-meissang we
halted in a thick wood, and kindled our fires for the night. We were all,
by this time, very much fatigued, having, as I judged, travelled this day
thirty miles; but no person was heard to complain. Whilst supper was
preparing, Karfa made one of the slaves break some branches from the
trees for my bed. When we had finished our supper of kouskous, moistened
with some boiling water, and put the slaves in irons, we all lay down to
sleep; but we were frequently disturbed in the night by the howling of
wild beasts; and we found the small brown ants very troublesome.

April 24th. Before daybreak the Bushreens said their morning prayers, and
most of the free people drank a little _moening_, (a sort of gruel,) part
of which was likewise given to such of the slaves as appeared least able
to sustain the fatigues of the day. One of Karfa's female slaves was very
sulky, and when some gruel was to offered her, she refused to drink it.
As soon as day dawned we set out, and travelled the whole morning over a
wild and rocky country, by which my feet were very much bruised; and I
was sadly apprehensive that I should not be able to keep up with the
coffle during the day; but I was in a great measure relieved from this
anxiety, when I observed that others were more exhausted than myself. In
particular, the woman slave, who had refused victuals in the morning,
began now to lag behind, and complain dreadfully of pains in her legs.
Her load was taken from her, and given to another slave, and she was
ordered to keep in the front of the coffle. About eleven o'clock, as we
were resting by a small rivulet, some of the people discovered a hive of
bees in a hollow tree, and they were proceeding to obtain the honey, when
the largest swarm I ever beheld flew out, and attacking the people of the
coffle, made us fly in all directions. I took the alarm first, and I
believe was the only person who escaped with impunity. When our enemies
thought fit to desist from pursuing us, and every person was employed in
picking out the stings he had received, it was discovered that the poor
woman above mentioned, whose name was Nealee, was not come up; and as
many of the slaves in their retreat had left their bundles behind them,
it became necessary for some persons to return, and bring them. In order
to do this with safety, fire was set to the grass, a considerable way to
the eastward of the hive, and the wind driving the fire furiously along,
the party pushed through the smoke, and recovered the bundles. They
likewise brought with them poor Nealee, whom they found lying in the
rivulet. She was very much exhausted, and had crept to the stream in
hopes to defend herself from the bees by throwing water over her body,
but this proved ineffectual; for she was stung in the most dreadful
manner.

When the Slatees had picked out the stings as far as they could, she was
washed with water, and then rubbed with bruised leaves; but the wretched
woman obstinately refused to proceed any farther; declaring that she
would rather die than walk another step. As entreaties and threats were
used in vain, the whip was at length applied; and after bearing patiently
a few strokes, she started up and walked with tolerable expedition for
four or five hours longer, when she made an attempt to run away from the
coffle, but was so very weak, that she fell down in the grass. Though she
was unable to rise, the whip was a second time applied, but without
effect; upon which Karfa desired two of the Slatees to place her upon the
ass which carried our dry provisions; but she could not sit erect; and
the ass being very refractory, it was found impossible to carry her
forward in that manner. The Slatees, however, were unwilling to abandon
her, the day's journey being nearly ended; they therefore made a sort of
litter of bamboo canes, upon which she was placed, and tied on it with
slips of bark: this litter was carried upon the heads of two slaves, one
walking before the other, and they were followed by two others, who
relieved them occasionally. In this manner the woman was carried forward
until it was dark, when we reached a stream of water, at the foot of a
high hill called Gankaran-Kooro; and here we stopt for the night and set
about preparing our supper. As we had ate only one handful of meal since
the preceding night, and travelled all day in a hot sun, many of the
slaves, who had loads upon their heads, were very much fatigued: and some
of them _snapt their fingers_, which among the Negroes is a sure sign of
desperation. The Slatees immediately put them all in irons; and such of
them as had evinced signs of great despondency were kept apart from the
rest, and had their hands tied. In the morning they were found greatly
recovered.

April 25th. At daybreak poor Nealee was awakened, but her limbs were now
so stiff and painful, that she could neither walk nor stand; she was
therefore lifted, like a corpse, upon the back of the ass, and the
Slatees endeavoured to secure her in that situation, by fastening her
hands together under the ass's neck and her feet under the belly, with
long slips of bark; but the ass was so very unruly, that no sort of
treatment could induce him to proceed with his load; and as Nealee made
no exertion to prevent herself from falling, she was quickly thrown off,
and had one of her legs much bruised. Every attempt to carry her forward
being thus found ineffectual, the general cry of the coffle was,
_kang-tegi, kang-tegi_, "cut her throat, cut her throat;" an operation I
did not wish to see performed, and therefore marched onwards with the
foremost of the coffle. I had not walked above a mile, when one of
Karfa's domestic slaves came up to me, with poor Nealee's garment upon
the end of his bow, and exclaimed, _Nealee affeeleeta_, (Nealee is lost.)
I asked him whether the Slatees had given him the garment as a reward for
cutting her throat; he replied, that Karfa and the schoolmaster would not
consent to that measure, but had left her on the road, where undoubtedly
she soon perished, and was probably devoured by wild beasts.

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