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

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"About the time Boo Khaloom dropped, Barca Gana ordered a slave to bring
me a horse, from which he had just dismounted, being the third that had
been wounded under him in the course of the day. His wound was in the
chest. Maramy cried, "_Sidi rais!_ do not mount him, he will die." In a
moment, for only a moment was given me, I decided on remaining with
Maramy. Two Arabs, panting with fatigue, then seized the bridle, mounted,
and pressed their retreat. In less than half an hour he fell to rise no
more, and both the Arabs were butchered before they could recover
themselves. Had we not now arrived at the water, as we did, I do not
think it possible that I could have supported the thirst by which I was
consuming. I tried several times to speak in reply to Maramy's directions
to hold tight, when we came to breaks or inequalities in the ground; but
it was impossible, and a painful straining at the stomach and throat was
the only effect produced by the effort.

"On coming to the stream, the horses, with blood gushing from their
nostrils, rushed into the shallow water, and, letting myself down from
behind Maramy, I knelt down amongst them, and seemed to imbibe new life
by copious draughts of the muddy beverage which I swallowed. Of what
followed I have no re-collection, Maramy told me afterwards that I
staggered across the stream, which was not above my hips, and fell down
at the foot of a tree on the other side. About a quarter of an hour's
halt took place here for the benefit of stragglers, and to tie poor Boo
Khaloom's body on a horse's back, at the end of which Maramy awoke me
from a deep sleep, and I found my strength wonderfully increased: not so,
however, our horse, for he had become stiff, and could scarcely move. As
I learned afterwards, a conversation had taken place about me while I
slept, which rendered my obligations to Maramy still greater. He had
reported to Barca Gana the state of his horse, and the impossibility of
carrying me on, when the chief, irritated by his losses and defeat, as
well as at my having refused his horse, by which means, he said, it had
come by its death, replied, 'Then leave him behind. By the head of the
Prophet! Believers enough have breathed their last today. What is there
extraordinary in a Christian's death?' My old antagonist Malem Chadily
replied, 'No. God has preserved him, let us not forsake him!' Maramy
returned to the tree, and said, 'His heart told him what to do.' He awoke
me, assisted me to mount, and we moved on as before."

In this fatal conflict forty-five of the Arabs, besides their chief,
fell. Most of the rest were wounded, and had lost their camels, and been
stripped of their property. They were obliged to depend upon the bounty
of Barca Gana for subsistence.

Major Denham also accompanied the Bornou troops on an expedition against
the Mungas. He passed through what had been a fertile country, but which
was then depopulated by war. They saw thirty ruined towns, whose
inhabitants had been carried away as slaves. They passed on their route
old Birnie, the ancient capital of the country, the ruins of which
covered six miles; and also Gambarou, which was dignified by the ruins of
a palace and two mosques. The Munga warriors, struck with dismay at the
approach of so strong a force, submitted, and came in hundreds to the
camp, falling prostrate upon the ground, and casting sand upon their
heads.

On the 23rd of January, 1824, Major Denham, accompanied by Mr. Toole, who
had travelled across the desert to join the expedition, resolved to visit
the Shary, a wide river flowing into the lake Tchad, through the kingdom
of Loggun. When they came to Showy, they saw the river, which is a noble
stream, half a mile broad; they sailed a considerable length down this
river, the banks of which were adorned with forests, and fragrant with
the odour of numerous aromatic plants. They traced it forty miles, and
saw it flowing "in great beauty and majesty past the high walls of the
capital of Loggun." This city was handsome and spacious, having a street
as wide as Pall Mall, on either side of which were large habitations,
with enclosures in front. Here Denham was introduced to the sultan. After
passing through several dark rooms, he was conducted to a large square
court filled with people. A lattice-work of cane, before which two slaves
fanned the air, was removed, and "something alive was discovered on a
carpet, wrapped up in silk robes, with the head enveloped in shawls, and
nothing but the eyes visible. The whole court prostrated themselves, and
poured sand on their heads, while eight frumfrums, and as many horns,
blew a loud and very harsh-sounding salute." The presents were received
in almost perfect silence, the potentate only muttering a few
unintelligible words. The people manufactured cloth of a very superior
kind, and iron coins were in circulation. The females, though handsome
and intelligent, were inquisitive and dishonest; and, upon the whole, the
natives were of a jealous and revengeful disposition. The country is
fertile, abounding in grain and cattle; but the atmosphere is filled with
tormenting insects.

[Illustration: Manner of Fishing in the River Yewn]

Major Denham passed the river Yeou, and describes the mode of fishing
pursued by the inhabitants on its banks, from which they derive a very
considerable source of revenue. "They make very good nets of a twine spun
from a perennial plant called _kalimboa_. The implements for fishing are
ingenious, though simple: two large gourds are nicely balanced, and then
fixed on a large stem of bamboo, at the extreme ends; the fisherman
launches this on the river, and places himself astride between the
gourds, and thus he floats with the stream, and throws his net. He has
also floats of cane, and weights of small leather bags of sand: he beats
up against the stream, paddling with his hands and feet, previous to
drawing the net, which, as it rises in the water, he lays before him as
he sits; and with a sort of mace, which he carries for the purpose, the
fish are stunned by a single blow. His drag finished, the fish are taken
out, and thrown into the gourds, which are open at the top, to receive
the produce of his labor. These wells being filled, he steers for the
shore, unloads, and again returns to the sport."

On this journey Mr. Toole sank under disease and fatigue. He was interred
in a deep grave, overhung by a clump of mimosas in full blossom. Above
was placed a high pile of prickly thorns, to protect his remains from the
hyenas.

Mr. Tyrwhit, who had been sent out by Government, joined the party on the
20th May. Major Denham and this gentleman accompanied Barca Gana on an
expedition, against the La Sala Shouas, a kind of "amphibious shepherds,"
who dwell in a number of green islands on the south-eastern shores of the
Lake Tchad, the channels between which are so shallow, that, in spite of
the bottom being filled with mud and holes, the experienced traveller can
pass them in safety. Here Barca Gana, though at the head of 1400 men, was
inclined to pause; but his troops could not be restrained when they saw
the flocks and herds of the La Salas feeding peacefully on the opposite
shores. They cried out, "What! shall we be so near them, and not eat
them? This night these flocks and women shall be ours." They plunged into
the water, but were soon entangled in the holes and mud of the narrow
passes. The La Salas, too, were on the alert, poured showers of arrows
upon them, and pushed forward their cavalry. The Arabs were totally
discomfited, and Barca Gana was wounded in the back through his chain
armour.

In this excursion Major Denham obtained some acquaintance with the Shouaa
Arabs, also called Dugganahs, a simple and pastoral race, whose principal
sustenance is the milk of their herds. They dwell in tents of leather
arranged in circular encampments; they wear long beards, and their
countenances are serious and expressive. Tahr, the chief, after strictly
examining into the motive of his journey, said, "And have you been three
years from your home? Are not your eyes dimmed with straining to the
north, where all your thoughts must ever be? If my eyes do not see the
wife and children of my heart for ten days, they are flowing with tears
when they should be closed in sleep." At his departure, Tahr said, "May
you die at your own tents, and in the arms of your wife and family!"

The shores of the lake are infested by the Biddoomabs, a piratical tribe
who lurk in the many islands scattered upon its ample bosom. They are
rude and savage in their manners, despising cultivation: and possessing
nearly a thousand canoes, they spread terror and desolation along the
shores.

This was the last warlike expedition which Major Denham accompanied; and
while his zeal for discovery is commendable, yet he seems to have acted
most injudiciously in exposing himself to danger, for the sake of
acquiring a cursory and superficial knowledge (all that his opportunities
enabled him to do) of certain parts of the country.

During the time that Major Denham was engaged in these excursions, we
have mentioned that Mr. Clapperton and Dr. Oudney obtained permission to
travel westward into Soudan. At Murmur Dr. Oudney expired. The territory
of the Fellatahs was under better cultivation than any part of Africa
which they had seen. In five weeks they came to Kano, the great emporium
of Houssa, and indeed of Central Africa, which contains about 30,000
stationary inhabitants, in addition to the migratory crowds, who repair
to it with merchandise from the farthest quarters of Africa. The walls
are fifteen miles in circumference, but only a fourth part of this
surface is covered with houses. The list of goods sold in the market is
varied and extensive, comprising clothing of all kinds made from the
cloth of the country, unwrought silk, Moorish and Mameluke dresses,
pieces of Egyptian linen striped with gold, sword-blades from Malta,
antimony and tin, glass and coral beads, ornaments of silver, pewter, and
brass, &c. besides cattle, vegetables, and fruits. But the chief feature
is the slave market, where the unfortunate beings are ranged, according
to their sex, in two long rows. The cowrie, so frequently mentioned in
Park's Travels, is here the chief medium of circulation. The city is very
unhealthy, owing to the great quantity of stagnant water enclosed within
the walls; many of the Arab merchants of the place are described as
looking rather like ghosts than men. The number of those who have lost
their sight is great, and there is a separate quarter of the town
assigned to them.

From Kano they departed for Sockatoo, which is a well built city, laid
out in regular streets, and containing a large number of inhabitants. The
palace was merely a large enclosure, consisting of a multitude of straw
huts separated from each other. The sultan was away on a _ghrazzie_ or
slave-hunt, but returned next day, and sent for the English traveller.
After being conducted through three huts, which served as guard-houses,
Clapperton was ushered into a fourth, somewhat larger than the rest,
supported on pillars painted blue and white. Sultan Bello had a
prepossessing and noble appearance, with a fine forehead, and large black
eyes. He appeared to be much pleased with the various presents laid
before him, expressing particular satisfaction at the sight of a compass
and spy-glass. He evidently possessed an enlarged and inquisitive mind;
was acquainted with the use of the telescope, named the planets and many
of the constellations, and was much struck with the quadrant, which he
called the "looking-glass of the sun." He desired that some of the
English books should be read to him, that he might hear the sound of the
language, which he admired much.

Sockatoo is surrounded by a wall about twenty-five feet high, with twelve
gates, which are closed at sunset. There are two large mosques, one of
which is about 800 feet long, built in rather a handsome style, and
adorned with wooden pillars. There is a spacious market-place. The
principal inhabitants live in clusters of flat-roofed cottages, built in
the Moorish style, and surrounded by high walls.

The sultan dissuaded Clapperton from his intention of journeying to the
western countries and the Gulf of Benin; giving him an account of the
dangerous and indeed almost impracticable nature of the route.
Clapperton, therefore, resolved to return. Before he departed, he
received an account of Park's death, which nearly coincided with the
statement of Amadi Fatouma. He passed through Kashna, which before the
rise of the Fellatahs, had been the most powerful kingdom in Africa its
power having extended from Bornou to the Niger. It still carries on a
considerable traffic with the Tuaricks. On the 8th July, he reached
Kouka, where he was joined by Major Denham, and both returned in safety,
after having suffered much in their harassing march across the desert.

CHAPTER XXXIII

_Clapperton's Second Journey_.

Encouraged by the discoveries made by Denham and Clapperton, and by the
safe return of two members of the mission, government resolved to send
out another expedition. Captain Clapperton, Captain Pearce, a good
draftsman, and Mr. Morrison, a naval surgeon, were the gentlemen selected
for this enterprize. They landed at Badagry about the beginning of
December 1825, and set out on their journey on the 7th. At the outset,
they were so imprudent as to sleep in the open air, in consequence of
which Morrison and Pearce were attacked with fever, and Clapperton with
ague. On the 23d, Morrison set out on his return to the ship, but died
before he reached it. On the 27th, Captain Pearce died; and Clapperton
was left to pursue his journey, attended only by Richard Lander, his
faithful and attached servant (whose name has been since associated with
the discovery of the Niger's termination), and Pascoe, an African.

After proceeding sixty miles into the interior, they reached the kingdom
of Yarriba or Eyeo. The soil is fertile, and well cultivated, yielding
abundant harvests of Indian corn, millet, yams, and cotton. The females
are industrious, and were frequently seen carrying burdens, spinning
cloths, and dyeing them with indigo. Here they met with a much better
reception than at Houssa, where they had been looked upon as Caffres, and
enemies of the Prophet; the negroes of Eyeo, on the contrary, regarded
them as beings of almost a superior order. At the entrance to each town,
they were greeted by thousands, with every demonstration of respect, and
the night of their arrival was sometimes spent by the natives in
festivity.

Their route now lay through a romantic range of hills, "the passes of
which were peculiarly narrow and rugged, hemmed in by gigantic blocks of
granite six or seven hundred feet high, sometimes fearfully overhanging
the road." Every level spot along the bottom, and even in the cliffs of
the mountains, bore crops of yams, millet, and cotton. Lander describes
one of the lovely spots that so beautifully relieved the sterner
magnificence of the rocks. "At noon we descended into a delightful
valley, situated in the bottom of a ridge of rocks, which effectually hid
it from observation till one approached almost close to it. It was
intersected with streams and rills, the elegant palm, and the
broad-leaved banana, covered with foliage, embellishing the sheltered and
beautifully romantic spot. In the centre was a sheet of water, resembling
an artificial pond, in which were numbers of young maidens from the
neighbouring town of Tschow, some of them reposing at full length on its
verdant banks, and some frisking and basking in the sun-beams, whilst
others were bathing in the cool waters." After leaving the mountains, the
travellers came to Tschow, a walled town of considerable size. As the
road was infested with robbers, they here procured an escort from the
king of Yarriba, consisting of 200 horsemen, and 400 warriors on foot,
armed with spears, bows, and arrows. The troops were dressed in a
grotesque fashion, some wearing gaudy robes, while others were in rags.
The whole cavalcade had a wild and romantic appearance as it wound along
the narrow and crooked paths, to the sound of rude instruments of music.

At noon, they came in sight of the city of Kakunda, picturesquely
situated at the foot of a mountain, and surrounded with trees. After
riding nearly five miles through the streets, pressed upon by the escort,
and almost stunned by the noise of the musicians, the weary travellers at
length reached the palace. The king sat under a verandah, with two
umbrellas spread above him, surrounded by above 400 of his wives, and
many of his chief men. He was dressed in two long cotton robes, decorated
with strings of glass beads, with a pasteboard crown, covered with
cotton, upon his head. They dismounted at about 20 yards distance, and
walked up close to the monarch, who rose and cordially shook hands with
them, repeatedly vociferating, "Ako! ako!" which means, "How do you do?"
at which his chief men and wives gave loud cheers. A house was assigned
to the English, and each day they received a plentiful supply of
provisions.

Under various pretences they were detained at this place for the space of
seven weeks. The Quorra or Niger was only about thirty miles distant to
the eastward; but though the king had promised to afford them every
facility for reaching it, one delay took place after another. He
endeavoured to deter them by false accounts of the dangerous nature of
the route, in consequence of an alleged incursion of the Fellatahs, and
insurrection of the Houssa slaves. At last, however, he suffered them to
set out, by the kingdom of Borgoo, towards Houssa.

They now entered the Borgoo country. They passed several villages which
had been pillaged and burnt by the Fellatahs; indeed, the whole country
bore testimony to the ravages of war. Lander gives a spirited account of
an adventure which happened to him in this part of the country. "We left
a village at four o'clock in the afternoon; and the horse on which I rode
being in better condition than the others, I was considerably in advance
of the rest of the party, when the animal came to a sudden halt, and all
my endeavours could not make him proceed. There he stood like a block of
marble, keeping his eye riveted on something that was approaching us, and
I had scarcely time to consider what it could be, when a fine antelope
bounded before me with incredible swiftness, and in the next moment two
huge lions, with mane and tail erect, crossed the path but a couple of
yards from the horse's head, almost with equal speed, and covered with
foam. A tremendous roar, which made the forest tremble, informed me in
another minute that the lions had overtaken their prey; but the
sudden--and unexpected appearance of these ferocious animals startled me
as much as it had intimidated the horse before, and I hastened back to
the party, my poor beast trembling violently the whole of the way.
Fortunately the lions, which were male and female, were so eager in the
chase that both the horse and its rider were unobserved by them,
otherwise it might have gone hard with me, for I saw not the slightest
chance of escaping. We halted in the woods that night; but fancying every
sound I heard was the roaring of a lion, I could not compose myself to
sleep."

Kiama, the next city at which they arrived, contains 80,000 inhabitants.
The king came to meet Clapperton, attended by a singular train. He rode
upon a handsome steed, followed by an admiring crowd; six young girls,
each flourishing spears, and who had only a fillet on their heads, ran by
his side as he galloped on. "Their light form, the vivacity of their
eyes, and the ease with which they appeared to fly over the ground, made
them appear something more than mortal." When the king entered the hut in
which the travellers sat, these damsels, having deposited their weapons
at; the door, and attired themselves in blue mantles, came in and waited
upon him.

They now crossed a river which was said to have its source in Nyffe, and
to flow into the Niger above Rakah. It abounded in alligators. The
scenery in the neighbourhood is said to be very fine. "Our ears," says
Lander, "were ravished by the warbling of hundreds of small birds, which,
with parrots and parroquets, peopled the branches of the trees in the
vicinity of the stream, whose delightful banks were thereby overshadowed;
and the eye met a variety of beautiful objects,--groves of noble trees,
verdant hills, and smiling plains, through which the river winded,
carrying fertility and beauty in its course, and altogether forming a
rich and charming landscape." They then arrived at Wa-wa, a large city,
through which the Houssa caravans pass, and which has a population of
15,000. The inhabitants are dissolute and extravagant, spending all their
money in drinking and festivity. The ladies were very attentive to the
English, especially a fat widow called Zuma, who even pressed marriage
upon Clapperton, after she had exhibited to him all her wealth. She
afterwards gave him a good deal of trouble by following him on the
journey at the head of a band of armed attendants, and he rejoiced much
when he finally got rid of her.

On their way to Comie, they visited Boussa, the scene of Park's tragical
end. The natives were extremely reserved upon the subject, but what they
told, bore out in every particular Amadi Fatouma's account. They said
that the attack was caused by the English having been mistaken for an
advanced guard of Fellatahs, who were then devastating Soudan. The King
of Boussa received Clapperton and Lander with great kindness. Here they
found boats lying ready for them, with a message from the Sultan of
Youri, requesting a visit, and promising, if they consented, to deliver
up some books and papers of Mungo Park, which he said he had in his
possession. Clapperton's arrangements, however, prevented him from paying
this visit.

They crossed the Niger, and on entering the kingdom of Nyffe, beheld
proofs of the effects of civil war. Two princes had struggled for the
ascendency, one of whom, by obtaining the help of the Fellatahs, had
overcome the other. As Clapperton travelled towards the camp of the
conqueror, he saw nothing but ruined villages, and plantations overgrown
with weeds. "This African camp consisted of a number of huts like
beehives, arranged in streets, with men weaving, women spinning, markets
at every green tree, holy men counting their beads, and dissolute slaves
drinking; so that, but for the number of horses and armed men, and the
drums beating, it might have been mistaken for a populous village." After
journeying along the banks of the Mayyarrow, and passing a walled village
called Gonda, they entered Coulfo, which is the most considerable
market-town in Nyffe. It is enclosed by a high wall, with a deep and
broad ditch beyond it, and contains about 16,000 resident inhabitants.
Markets are held daily, and a great variety of articles of native and
foreign manufacture are exposed for sale. Traders resort in vast numbers
from Bornou and Sockatoo to the north-east, and the sea-coast to the
west, with the produce of their respective countries. The inhabitants are
professedly Moslems, but are by no means bigoted in their belief. The
greater part of the traffic is carried on by the females, many of whom
possess great wealth.

Clapperton next passed through several independent states, one of which
mustered a force of 1000 cavalry.

He next came to the Fellatah district of Zeg-Zeg, one of the most
beautiful and fertile parts of Central Africa. The fields bore luxuriant
crops of grain; rich meadows abounded, and groves of tall trees waved
upon the hills. Thence he went to Kano, which he found in a state of
great commotion, a war having sprung up between the king of Bornou and
the Fellatahs. Having left his baggage at this place, he proceeded to the
residence of Sultan Bello, with the presents intended for that potentate.
He saw bodies of troops on their way to attack Coonia; the soldiers had a
peculiar appearance as they passed by the lakes formed by the river
Zurmie; he thus describes the scene:--"The borders of these lakes are the
resort of numbers of elephants and other wild beasts. The appearance at
this season, and at the spot where I saw it, was very beautiful; all the
acacia trees were in blossom, some with white flowers, others with
yellow, forming a contrast with the small dusky leaves, like gold and
silver tassels on a cloak of dark green velvet. I observed some fine
large fish leaping in the lake. Some of the troops were bathing, others
watering their horses, bullocks, camels and asses: the lake was as smooth
as glass, and flowing around the roots of the trees. The sun, on its
approach to the horizon, throws the shadows of the flowery acacias along
its surface, like sheets of burnished gold and silver. The smoking fires
on its banks, the sounding of horns, the beating of their gongs or drums,
the braying of their brass and tin trumpets, the rude hut of grass and
branches of trees rising as if by magic, everywhere the cries of Mohamed,
Abdo, Mustafa, &c. with the neighing of horses, and the braying of asses,
gave animation to the beautiful scenery of the lake, and its sloping
green and woody banks."

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