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

M >> Mungo Park >> Life and Travels of Mungo Park in Central Africa

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33

Orders were now given for the completion of the arrangements; but
vexations and fatal delays again occurred, which contributed most
materially to diminish the chances of the success of the expedition. It
was now impossible that they could be landed in Africa before the rainy
season had commenced; and it was only after three months impatient
waiting that Park got these final instructions:--

"_Downing Street, 2d January_ 1805.

"SIR,--It being judged expedient that a small expedition should be sent
into the interior of Africa, with a view to discover and ascertain
whether any, and what commercial intercourse can be opened therein, for
the mutual benefit of the natives and of his Majesty's subjects, I am
commanded by the King to acquaint you, that on account of the knowledge
you have acquired of the nations of Africa, and from the indefatigable
exertions and perseverance you displayed in your travels among them, his
Majesty has selected you for conducting this undertaking.

"For the better enabling you to execute this service, his Majesty has
granted you the brevet commission of a Captain in Africa, and has also
granted a similar commission of Lieutenant to Mr. Alexander Anderson,
whom you have recommended as a proper person to accompany you. Mr. Scott
has also been selected to attend you as a draftsman. You are hereby
empowered to enlist with you, for this expedition, any number you think
proper of the garrison at Goree, not exceeding forty-five, which the
Commandant of that island will be ordered to place under your command,
giving them such bounties or encouragement as may be necessary to induce
them cheerfully to join with you on the expedition.

"And you are hereby authorised to engage, by purchase or otherwise, such
a number of black artificers at Goree as you shall judge necessary for
the objects you have in view.

"You are to be conveyed to Goree in a transport, convoyed by his
Majesty's sloop Eugenie, which will be directed to proceed with you, in
the first instance, to St. Jago, in order that you may there purchase
fifty asses for carrying your baggage.

"When you shall have prepared whatever may be necessary for securing the
objects of your expedition at Goree, you are to proceed up the river
Gambia, and thence crossing over to the Senegal, to march, by such route
as you shall find most eligible, to the banks of the Niger.

"The great object of your journey will be to pursue the course of this
river to the utmost possible distance to which it can be traced,--to
establish communication and intercourse with the different nations on the
banks,--to obtain all the local knowledge in your power respecting
them,--and to ascertain the various points stated in the memoir which you
delivered to me on the 4th of October last.

"And you will be then at liberty to pursue your route homewards by any
line you shall think most secure, either by taking a new direction
through the interior towards the Atlantic, or by marching upon Cairo, by
taking the route leading to Tripoli.

"You are hereby empowered to draw for any sum that you may be in want of,
not exceeding L5000, upon the Lords of his Majesty's Treasury, or upon
such a mercantile banking-house in London as you may fix upon. I am, &c.

"(Signed) CAMDEN.

"_To Mungo Park, Esq. &c. &c. &c._"

Before Park departed, Government had generously resolved, that, in
addition to a handsome reward for his own services, the sum of L4000
should be settled upon his wife and family, in the event of his death or
non-appearance after a certain stipulated time. Nothing, therefore,
remained but that he should finally settle his affairs, and take an
affectionate farewell of his friends, who bade adieu to him with a heavy
heart, fearing that they would never see his face again.

CHAPTER XXIX.

_Park's Second Journey--The Gambia to Bambakoo._

On the 30th January 1805, Park, accompanied by Mr. Anderson, his
brother-in-law, who was to be second in command of the expedition, and
Mr. Scott, a friend and neighbour, who went as draftsman, together with
four or five artificers from the dockyards, set sail from Portsmouth in
the Crescent transport, and reached Port Prayo Bay in St. Jago on the 8th
March, after a very stormy passage. Having purchased forty-four asses,
they left this place on the 21st March, and having made the coast of
Africa on the 25th, anchored in Goree Roads. From the garrison at this
place Park had been instructed to select a limited party of soldiers--an
arrangement which proved by no means favourable to the success of the
expedition, as many of the men were of intemperate habits, and, through
their long residence at Goree, most of them were much debilitated by the
climate. Park fixed upon thirty-five, who seemed the strongest men of the
garrison, to accompany him; and one of their officers, Lieutenant Martyn,
also volunteered. Two experienced seamen, by permission of Captain
Shortland of the Squirrel frigate, were also to go with him, as their
assistance would prove most useful in equipping' the boats for sailing
down the Niger. Before they left Goree, Park wrote the following letter
to his wife:--

"_Goree, 4th April_ 1805.

"I have just now learnt that an American ship sails from this place for
England in a day or two, and I readily embrace the opportunity of sending
a letter to my dear wife. We have all of us kept our health very well
ever since our departure from England, Alexander had a touch of the
rheumatism at St. Jago, but is now quite recovered. He danced several
country dances at the ball last night. George Scott is also in good
health and spirits. I wrote to you from St. Jago, which letter I hope you
received. We left that place on the 21st of March, and arrived here with
the asses on the 28th. Almost every soldier in the garrison volunteered
to go with me; and, with the Governor's assistance, I have chosen a guard
of the best men in the place. So lightly do the people here think of the
danger attending the undertaking, that I have been under the necessity of
refusing several military and naval officers who volunteered to accompany
me. We shall sail for Gambia on Friday or Saturday, I am happy to learn
that Karfa, my old friend, is at present at Jonkakonda; and I am in hopes
we shall be able to hire him to go with us.

"We have as yet been extremely fortunate, and have got our business, both
at St. Jago and this place, finished with great success; and I have
hopes, almost to certainty, that Providence will so dispose the tempers
and passions of the inhabitants of this quarter of the world, that we
shall be enabled to _slide through_ much more smoothly than you expect.

"I need not tell you how often I think about you; your own feelings will
enable you to judge of that. The hopes of spending the remainder of my
life with my wife and children, will make everything seem easy; and you
may be sure I will not rashly risk my life, when I know that your
happiness, and the welfare of my young ones, depend so much upon it. I
hope my mother does not torment herself with unnecessary tears about me.
I sometimes fancy how you and she will be meeting misfortune half-way,
and placing me in many distressing situations. I have as yet experienced
nothing but success, and I hope that six months more will end the whole
as I wish.

"_P.S._--We have taken a ride this morning about twelve miles into the
country. Alexander is much pleased with it. The heat is moderate, and the
country healthy at present."

In a letter to the Colonial Office, written at the same time as the
above, he gives the following account of his departure from Goree:--"On
the morning of the 6th of April, we embarked the soldiers, in number
thirty-five men. They jumped into the boat in the highest spirits, and
bade adieu to Goree with repeated huzzas. I believe that every man in the
garrison would have embarked with great cheerfulness; but no inducement
could prevail on a single negro to accompany me. I must therefore trust
to the Gambia for interpreters, and I expect to be able to hire or
purchase three or four in going up the river." On the 9th April they
reached Jillifree on the Gambia, and in a few days got up the river to
Kayee. Thence Park wrote several letters to his friends, among which was
the following, addressed to his wife.--

"_Kayee, River Gambia, 26th April_ 1805.

"I have been busy these three days in making preparations for our
journey, and I feel rather uneasy when I think that I can receive no
letters from you till I return to England; but you may depend on this,
that I will avail myself of every opportunity of writing to you, though
from the very nature of the undertaking these opportunities will be but
few. We set off for the interior to-morrow morning, and I assure you,
that whatever the issue of the present journey may be, every thing looks
favourable. We have been successful thus far, beyond my highest
expectations.

"The natives, instead of being frightened at us, look on us as their best
friends, and the kings have not only granted us protection, but sent
people to go before us. The soldiers are in the highest spirits, and as
many of them (like me) have left a wife and family in England, they are
happy to embrace this opportunity of returning. They never think about
difficulties; and I am confident, if there was occasion for it, that they
would defeat any number of negroes that might come against us; but of
this we have not the most distant expectation. The king of Kataba (the
most powerful king in Gambia) visited us on board the Crescent on the
20th and 21st; he has furnished us with a messenger to conduct us safely
to the king of Wooli.

"I expect to have an opportunity of writing to you from Konkodoo or
Bammakoo, by some of the slavetraders; but as they travel very slowly, I
may probably have returned to the coast before any of my letters have
reached Goree; at any rate, you need not be surprised if you should not
hear from me for some months; nay, so uncertain is the communication
between Africa and England, that perhaps the next news you may hear may
be my arrival in the latter, which I still think will be in the month of
December. If we have to go round by the West Indies, it will take us two
months more; but as Government has given me an unlimited credit, if a
vessel is coming direct, I shall of course take a passage in her. I have
enjoyed excellent health, and have great hopes to bring this expedition
to a happy conclusion. In five weeks from the date of this letter, the
worst part of the journey will be over. Kiss all my dear children for me,
and let them know that their father loves them."

In a letter of the same date, Park thus expresses himself with great
confidence as to his prospects of success: "Every thing at present looks
as favourable as I could wish, and if all things go well, this day six
weeks I expect to drink all your healths in the water of the Niger. The
soldiers are in good health and spirits. They are the most _dashing_ men
I ever saw; and if they preserve their health, we may keep ourselves
perfectly secure from any hostile attempt on the part of the natives. I
have little doubt but that I shall be able, with presents and fair words,
to pass through the country to the Niger: and if once we are fairly
afloat, _the day is won_. Give my kind regards to Sir Joseph and Mr.
Greville; and if they should think I have paid too little attention to
natural objects, you may mention that I had forty men and forty-two asses
to look after, besides the constant trouble of packing and weighing
bundles, palavering with the negroes, and laying plans for our future
success. I never was so busy in my life."

His letter to his father-in-law apparently shews the same confidence in
the prospects of the expedition:--

"_Kayee, River Gambia, 26th April_ 1806.

"That I have not wrote you sooner, you may be sure was not from want of
attention, but from want of time, and because I knew that you must have
received every information respecting our procedure from Alexander. I
know that you will rejoice to hear that we both of us keep our health,
and that the kind hand of Providence has thus far made our journey
prosperous. We set off to-morrow morning for the interior, with the most
flattering prospect of finishing our expedition in the course of six
months, with honour to ourselves, and benefit to mankind. I need not tell
you how solicitous I am about the welfare of my dear Allie and children.
Though I have no hopes of my hearing from her till my return to England,
yet I will indulge the hope that all is well. In case it should please
the Almighty to take me to himself, I have thought it necessary to give a
statement of the money matters in the enclosed letter, that my dear wife
and children may reap the reward of my industry. I did not do this from
any second sight, but merely to guard against a possible occurrence. I am
far from being in the least down-hearted: indeed I have so much to attend
to, that I have little time to myself. I receive great benefit from
Alexander, who is as systematic, cautious and careful as ever. I
sometimes think he has forgot his old maxim 'Take it easy.' I can easily
imagine how little Ibe[27] will be stotting about the house and garden.
Tell her if she can say her questions[28] well, I will bring her two new
frocks. My compliments to Mrs. Anderson, George, Thomas, and Bell. I
suppose Andrew will be in the army by this time. When we return to the
coast, if we are lucky enough to find a vessel coming directly to
England, I think we may be in England by the month of December, but if we
have to go round by the West Indies, it will take us two months longer.
With best wishes for your health and prosperity, I am,

"Your affectionate friend,

"MUNGO PARK.

"_To Mr. Thomas Anderson, Surgeon, Selkirk, North Britain._"

[27] Elizabeth, his infant daughter.

[28] The Catechism.

In spite of all the confidence which these letters express, Park was so
well aware of the extreme danger of the expedition that his mind must
have been filled with the most harassing and anxious thoughts. We have
already said, that the soldiers who accompanied him were below the
ordinary standard even of African troops. Their constitutions were worn
out by the climate, and by debauchery; and they seem to have been utter
strangers to sobriety and good discipline. But Park had a still more
serious cause of alarm arising from the repeated delays which had taken
place before the expedition was sent out, which rendered it scarcely
possible for them to reach the Niger before the rainy season set in.
There was besides, the positive certainty of encountering the great
tropical heats and tornadoes, which invariably precede and follow that
time, and prove a source of the greatest inconvenience, and sometimes
even of danger, to caravans. There were just two courses before him: he
might go forward upon the journey at all hazards, straining every nerve
to reach the Niger before the rainy season came on in full violence; or
he might wait till the middle of November, the proper period for
travelling. The latter alternative was one which his ardent spirit could
ill brook; and even could he himself have submitted to this penance, the
spending so many months in idleness and inactivity might excite the
severe displeasure of his employers. He had no reason to suppose that
they had calculated upon this great additional expense. He considered
moreover that such a contingency had not been provided for in his
instructions. The eyes of his countrymen anxiously watched his
progress--delay might be visited with severe censures. Accordingly, he
unhappily departed from the course which prudence would have pointed out,
and adopted the alternative most agreeable to his own feelings. Having
once formed his plan, he adhered to it with vigour and perseverance,
resolutely facing every obstacle, and resolved to fulfil the object of
his mission, or perish in the attempt. Whatever might be his own
misgivings and apprehensions, he concealed them from his comrades,
resolved that no disclosure of them should damp their confidence, or
weaken their efforts.

At Kayee, Isaaco, a Mandingo priest and travelling merchant, who had had
great experience in inland travelling, was engaged to accompany the
expedition as guide. On the 27th April 1805 they left Kayee, under a
salute from the guns of the _Crescent_. They suffered great inconvenience
from the extreme heat of the weather, and the difficulty of bringing the
asses forward, most of them having been unaccustomed to heavy burdens. On
the evening of the following day they came to Pisania, Park's starting
point on his first journey, where those of his former friends, who still
resided there, were not a little astonished to see him again. He stayed
at this place for a week to complete his preparations, part of the
baggage having to arrive by water, and some of the beasts of burden,
being useless, requiring to be replaced by others. The burdens having
been equally divided among the party, and every thing ready, they set out
from Pisania, accompanied for a mile or two by most of the principal
inhabitants of the place, who were anxious to confer this honour upon the
travellers. They set out in regular order of march: Mr. Scott and one of
Isaaco's attendants in front, Lieutenant Martyn in the centre, and Mr.
Anderson and Park bringing up the rear. But their progress was slow, for
some of the asses were overloaded, and others were restive and threw off
their burdens, so that they had soon to purchase an additional number. On
the 10th May they arrived at Fatteconda, where the son of Park's friend,
the former king of Wooli, met him, from whom he learnt that his journey
was looked upon with great jealousy by some of the influential
inhabitants residing about Madina. At noon, they reached the capital of
Wooli. The asses were unloaded under a tree, without the gates of the
town. It was five o'clock before Park obtained an audience of the king,
to whom he carried as presents, a pair of silver-mounted pistols, ten
dollars, some amber and coral; but his Majesty being covetous, and
considering it beneath his dignity to receive so little, Park was obliged
to add fifteen dollars more, and double the quantity of coral and amber.
The king also begged a blanket to shield his royal person from the rains,
which was sent to him. This was only a sample of the numerous extortions
to which they were exposed; and as the natives annoyed them much,
conceiving that they carried merchandise of great value, the utmost
vigilance was necessary to guard against their sly pilferings, as well as
the more violent attempts of the numerous bands of robbers who infested
the neighbourhood. They reached Kanipe, a straggling village, on the 13th
of May. Here the women had fallen upon an ingenious plan to extort amber
and beads. After many hours labour, they had drawn up all the water from
the wells and carried it away. They were fairly baffled, however, by the
travellers; for in the evening, one of the soldiers having, as if by
accident, dropped his canteen into the well, he was lowered down by a
rope to pick it up; and standing at the bottom of the well, filled all
the camp-kettles of the party, so that the women had to depart in grief
and mortification.

After having passed through Kussai, the country was wooded for five
miles, when the travellers reached a level plain almost destitute of
shade, along which some hundreds of antelopes, of a dark colour, and
nearly as large as bullocks, were bounding. At half-past ten they again
came to the banks of the Gambia, and halted, during the heat of the day,
under a large spreading tree. The river was here one hundred yards
across, its waters swarming with crocodiles; and, contrary to Park's
expectations, he found that it had a regular tide, rising four inches by
the shore. Here Park ascended a hill, which commanded a wide prospect of
the course of the Gambia, distinguished by a range of dark green trees,
which fringed its banks. At this place the first disaster of the
expedition occurred. John Walters, one of the soldiers, fell down in an
epileptic fit, and soon after died. They lay down to rest, apprehensive
of an attack from the natives, each man sleeping with his loaded musket
under his head.

For some days they travelled on a line with the banks of the river; they
then crossed the river Nerico, and on the 20th May, came to Bady, in the
territory of Tenda. The chief of that place behaved with great audacity
and violence; and some of his people having carried off the guide's
horse, and Isaaco demanding it in person, he was seized, flogged, and
detained as a prisoner. His disconsolate wife and child sat, in tears,
under a tree. It would, indeed, have been an easy matter for Park and his
companions to have set fire to the town in resentment for this ill usage,
but this would have brought destruction on the innocent, and might not
have produced the desired effect of the restoration of Isaaco. But they
determined next morning, should other means prove ineffectual, to employ
force. Early in the morning, however, Isaaco was sent back by the chief,
with the lame apology that he had no desire to quarrel with Park, and
merely wished the customary tribute to be paid him.

They went on, nearly along the same way by which Park had returned in
1797, and, having traversed the wilderness of Samarkara, came to a place
which they called Bee's Creek, from a singular accident which befel them
there. No sooner had they unsaddled their asses, and kindled a fire to
cook their supper, than an immense swarm of bees attacked both men and
asses so violently, that they took to flight precipitately in all
directions; while the burning embers set fire to some bamboos, and nearly
consumed the baggage. They, however, succeeded in snatching it up before
the flames reached it; but by this untoward accident, they lost six asses
and one horse, and most of the party were severely stung about the face
and hands.

On the 28th May, Park came to Bamboo, where he was compelled to disburse
presents to a large amount. Thence he sent two letters to England, by the
way of Gambia,--one addressed to his wife, and the other to Sir Joseph
Banks. To the former, he gave a brief account of his journey, and then
adds, "You must not imagine, my dear friend, from this hasty sketch, that
I have neglected astronomical observations. I have observed the latitude
every two or three days, and have observed three eclipses of Jupiter's
satellites, which settle the longitude, by the help of the watch, to the
nearest mile. I find that my former journeys by foot were underrated;
some of them surprise myself when I trace the same road on horseback. I
expect to reach the Niger by the 27th of June."

He thus writes to Mrs. Park,--"I am happy to inform you that we are half
through our journey without the smallest accident or unpleasant
circumstance. We all of us keep our health, and are on the most friendly
terms with the natives. I have seen many of my old acquaintances, and am
everywhere well received. By the 27th of June, we expect to have finished
all our travels by land; and when we have once got afloat on the river,
we shall conclude that we are embarking for England. I have never had the
smallest sickness, and Alexander (Mrs. Park's brother) is quite free from
all his stomach complaints. In fact, we have only had a pleasant journey,
and yet this is what we thought would be the worst part of it. I will
indulge the hope that my wife, children, and all friends are well. I am
in great hopes of finishing this journey with credit in a few months; and
then with what joy shall I turn my face towards home!" From these
extracts, it would seem that Park still entertained the prospect of
ultimate success. His situation appeared difficult, but not desperate. He
had now traversed what he believed would be the most arduous part of his
route, with the loss of only one of his party; and hoped that, by dint of
strenuous exertion, the greater part of the distance which lay between
him and the Niger might possibly be gone over before the rainy season set
in. But the sad realities of suffering and death were soon to break in on
his dreams of success.

They had now arrived at Julifunda, the chief of which place extorted from
Park goods to the value of two hundred bars, before he would suffer the
party to proceed. The next day, being his Majesty's birthday, Park
halted, pitched one of the tents, and purchased a bullock and a calf for
the soldiers, who were drawn up in the afternoon, and fired a salute.
They made this as much a day of festivity as circumstances would admit
of, though they were under the necessity of drinking the king's health in
_water_, in the absence of any more stimulating and genial fluid. At
Baniserile, a Mahometan town, they met with a most hospitable reception
from the chief man, Fodi Braheima, to whom Park presented a copy of the
New Testament, in Arabic. On the 6th June, one of the carpenters, who had
been sick of the dysentery ever since they had crossed the Nerico, became
very ill. On the 7th the sick man was so ill that he had to be mounted on
an ass, which was driven forward by two soldiers; next day he threw
himself from the beast, and expressed a wish to be left alone to die, and
could only be held on by force. About noon they arrived at Medina, and
halted upon the banks of the Faleme, which the rain had discoloured, but
little increased in volume. At this place it ran over rocks, at the rate
of about four miles the hour. It abounded with fish of a great size. In
the afternoon the soldiers were quite worn out with carrying the baggage
across the river, and up the steep bank. The carpenter being in a dying
state was left with the Dooty, to whom Park gave ten bars, and also
directed a soldier to remain with him. Next morning the soldier came up
to the party at Sadadoo, and told them that the carpenter had died during
the night, and that he, with the assistance of some negroes, had buried
him. On the 9th, five of the soldiers, who had not gone into the tent,
but had remained during the rain under a tree, complained much of
headache and sickness. During the night some of the canteens had been
stolen. They left Sadadoo at sunrise, journeying over a hard rocky soil,
towards the mountains, and the advanced party reached Shrondo at sunset;
but Park did not come up to the place till eight o'clock, having mounted
one of the sick men on his horse, and assisted in driving in the wearied
asses, four of which he was compelled to leave in the woods. Here they
were overtaken by a dreadful tornado, which drenched them completely:
this proved to them indeed the "_beginning of sorrows._" Its dreadful
effects were immediately manifested in the sickness of the soldiers, many
of whom were, before the rain had fallen three minutes, seized with
vomiting; while others fell asleep, and looked as if they had been half
intoxicated. Next morning twelve of the party were sick. Before this Park
had fondly hoped that he would reach the Niger, with a moderate loss; but
now, for the first time, do we find stated in his journal, a feeling of
distrust and apprehension: "The rain," he says, "had set in, and I
trembled to think that we were only half way through, our journey." From
that period the horrors of fatal disease were superadded to those of
toilsome and dangerous journey. Many of the beasts of burden sank down or
strayed, so that an additional load had to be put upon those that
remained. The track was intersected by frequent torrents, and the sick
had to be placed upon the horses and spare asses; those whose strength
disease had not yet wasted, were worn out in endeavouring to urge on the
staggering beasts. Their footsteps were tracked by plunderers, who
watched every opportunity of pilfering. The sick soldiers would throw
themselves at the foot of a tree, declaring that they were content to
perish; even had they been suffered to remain, a quiet death could not
have been expected, as the beasts of prey were prowling about, and their
feverish rest at night was often broken by their distant howling. In the
midst of all this complication of difficulties, it is impossible not to
be struck with the nobleness of Park's conduct, facing boldly
difficulties however arduous, and endearing himself to his men by the
greatest attention and kindness,--himself enduring toil that they might
have rest, lingering behind the party to help on some exhausted soldier,
or mounting him upon his own horse, comforting the desponding, and in
their last hour consoling and soothing the dying.

Pages:
1 | 2 | 3 | 4 | 5 | 6 | 7 | 8 | 9 | 10 | 11 | 12 | 13 | 14 | 15 | 16 | 17 | 18 | 19 | 20 | 21 | 22 | 23 | 24 | 25 | 26 | 27 | 28 | 29 | 30 | 31 | 32 | 33