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

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On the 5th June they left Kiama, and arrived at a large town called
Kakafungi. The inhabitants are a good-humoured and civil race, often
amusing themselves at night by dancing in the moonlight to the sound of a
large drum. The road from this place was marked by many foot-prints of
wild beasts; but the travellers only saw a few antelopes, which
immediately took to flight. No trees defended them from the burning sun,
and they could scarcely proceed from weakness. They saw the sun set
behind some magnificent clouds, whilst they had yet a great way to go;
and the narrow foot-path, overgrown with bushes and rank grass, was
hardly discernible by the light of the moon. In the afternoon, all had
been silent in the forest; but at night the jackal, the hyena, and the
baboon had forsaken their retreats, and mingled their dismal howl with
the chirping of innumerable insects.

They reached Boussa on the 17th June. The appearance of the Niger at this
place disappointed them much. "Black rugged rocks rose abruptly from the
centre of the stream, causing strong ripples and eddies on its surface."
At its widest part, the Niger here did not exceed a stone-cast in
breadth. They sat on the rock which overlooks the place where the
intrepid Park was murdered. The Landers recovered from one of the natives
a robe, of rich crimson damask, covered with gold embroidery, which the
natives said had belonged to Mr. Park. The king's drummer, with whom they
lodged, told them, that there was in the country a book which had also
belonged to the white man. A few days afterwards, the king came to the
house, followed by a man, who carried under his arm a book wrapped in a
large cotton cloth. "Our hearts beat high with expectation, as the man
was slowly unfolding it, for by its size we guessed it to be Mr. Park's
journal; but our disappointment was great, when, on opening the book, we
discovered it to be an old nautical publication of the last century." It
consisted chiefly of tables of logarithms, and between the leaves were a
few loose papers of very little consequence.

In a few days, a canoe was ready for their voyage up the Niger to
Yaoorie. The canoe was of great length, and constructed of two blocks of
wood sewn together with a thick cord, under which a quantity of straw was
placed, both inside and out, to prevent the admission of water. Still it
was leaky and insecure. The direction of that branch of the river which
flows past Boussa is nearly east and west, and they had to descend the
stream for some distance, in order to get into its main branch, where
there was deeper water. The river then flowed from north to south,
through a fertile country, and its channel was more than a mile in width.
The branches of spreading and majestic trees almost met the water's edge;
ripe grain waved upon the banks; large villages were frequently seen; and
herds of spotted cattle grazed beneath the shade. Canoes, laden with
sheep and goats, and propelled by women, frequently passed them; and
aquatic birds skimmed over the smooth and glassy surface.

During the following day, the river gradually widened to two miles, and
though in many places shallow, was in other parts deep enough to float a
frigate. By the afternoon, however, the beauty of the scene was entirely
gone; the banks were composed of black and rugged rocks, and the course
of the river was frequently intercepted by sand-banks and low islands. On
the following morning, the channel became so much obstructed, that, at
one part, they were obliged to land in order to lighten the canoe, which,
after much trouble, was lifted over a ridge into deeper water. Though
they often struck upon concealed rocks and sandbanks, yet the canoe, from
its peculiar structure, seemed to sustain little damage. At length,
however, these difficulties were surmounted, and they came to the
termination of all the islands, beyond which they were assured there was
no farther danger to navigators. At this point, the river "presented its
noblest appearance; not a single rock nor sand-bank was perceptible; its
borders resumed their beauty, and a strong refreshing breeze, which had
blown during the whole of the morning, now gave it the motion of a
slightly agitated sea." They landed at a village about eight miles
distant from Yaoorie, where they found their horses and attendants
waiting for them. Here one of the Landers obtained from an Arab a gun
which had belonged to Mr. Park, in exchange for his own.

The walls of Yaoorie are between thirty and forty miles in circuit; but
this space encloses clusters of huts, with pasture grounds and corn
fields. The land is fertile, and produces excellent crops of rice. Yet it
must be very unhealthy, for it is in many places swampy, and exposed to
inundation. The sultan's residence is substantially built, and two
stories in height; most of the other houses are built in a circular form.
The place has rather a pleasing appearance, being adorned by many clumps
of trees. The soil is cultivated by a peaceable, industrious, half
servile tribe, called the Cumbrie, who are often subjected to much
oppression.

On the 1st August, they paid a farewell visit to the sultan before
proceeding on their return to Boussa. They were ushered into a large,
gloomy, and uncomfortable apartment, through which naked girls and boys
were constantly passing, carrying dirty calibashes in their hands, and
swallows flew about the room in all directions. The sultan sat upon a
platform covered with faded damask, and smoked a pipe of huge dimensions.
Next day they departed, travelling in a direct line towards the river
Cubbie. They embarked in two canoes, each about twenty feet long, and
constructed of a single log. After they had sailed for about four miles,
the Cubbie fell into the Niger. They took a different channel from that
by which they had before ascended, and reached Boussa on the 5th. They
now determined to proceed to Wowow, to purchase a canoe better fitted for
navigating the Niger. They arrived at Wowow on the 12th, and had a
favourable interview with the old chief. They then returned to Boussa to
complete their preparations, but the arrival of the vessel was delayed,
under various pretexts, until past the middle of September.

Early in the morning of the 20th, however, their goods were embarked in
two canoes, and they set off. Some of their Boussa friends implored a
blessing upon them before they started. They had not proceeded far before
they found that the smaller of the two canoes was so unsafe, that they
were compelled to lighten it much. After passing several towns of
considerable size, they reached a large and beautiful island called
Patashie, very fertile, and adorned with groves of lofty palm-trees. One
of the Landers went to Wowow to procure better canoes, while the other
remained on the island with the baggage. At length they succeeded in
their object, and were again borne along the river. For some time they
met with no obstacle; but at one part they came to a reef of rocks, to
clear which they had to proceed through a very narrow channel, overhung
with the branches of trees, and more than half filled with rushes and
tall grass. Soon after passing into the main river, they landed at the
town of Lever, or Layaba, which contains a great number of inhabitants,
and was then in the hands of the Fellatahs; here they remained till the
4th October. The river at this place ran deep, and was free from rocks.
Its width varied from one to three miles; the country on each side was
flat, and a few insignificant villages were scattered at intervals along
the banks. Yet at a little distance farther on, the banks were again
overshadowed by large trees, the openings of which disclosed a fertile,
and apparently populous country.

Near Bajiebo, they noticed several large canoes of a peculiar build, the
bottom being of a single tree, and built up with planks to a considerable
height. Upon these, sheds thatched with straw, were erected, which served
the people for dwellings. Beyond this place the Niger separated into
large branches, and the travellers went on by the eastward one; after
they had passed an island, these again united.

After passing a high hill of curious granite rock, they came to a double
range of rocky mountains, near which was a small village, where the
canoe-men were exchanged. The hills are gloomy and romantic, fringed in
some parts with stunted shrubs, which overhang deep precipices; they are
haunted by wild beasts and birds of prey. In the very middle of the river
a rocky island, called Mount Kesa, rose to the height of nearly 300 feet,
and its steep sides had an imposing appearance.

They next passed the island of Belee; the sound of music was heard, and
an ornamented canoe appeared, conveying an important personage, called by
the sounding title of "the King of the Dark Water," who conducted them to
his "island-domain," which is called Zagoshi, and is situated in the
midst of the Niger. It is fifteen miles long, and three broad; its mud
surface, which is frequently overflowed, lies almost on a level with the
water, and is so soft, that even in the floors of the huts, a slender
cane could be thrust down to any depth. Yet it is well cultivated, and
productive; and its manufactures are superior to those of Nyffe; the
cloth especially is reckoned the best in Africa. Wooden vessels, mats,
shoes, horse trappings, and rude agricultural instruments, are likewise
made. The travellers saw many natives plying their various occupations in
the open air. The chief of the place possesses a naval force of 600
canoes.

Opposite Zagoshi, on the eastern shore of the river, stands Rabba, the
largest and most flourishing city of Nyffe. The surrounding territory is
fertile, and produces large crops of grain; the people possess many
flocks and herds. The travellers' stock of goods to be exchanged for
provisions was now so nearly exhausted by the delays they had met with,
and the extortions of the chiefs and natives, that they began to be in
difficulties, and were compelled to part with several valuable articles,
and among the rest with Mungo Park's robe.

Before they left Zagoshi, they exchanged their two canoes for one, which
appeared more commodious, and better adapted for the navigation of the
river. It was fifteen feet long, and four broad, perfectly strait, and
flat-bottomed. They had not gone far, however, when the canoe began to
leak, and they discovered that it had been patched up in many places,
After they had paddled about thirty miles, they were in great danger from
the hippopotami, which rose very near to them, and came "snorting,
splashing, and tumbling all round the canoe." They fired a shot or two,
but the noise only called up more of these unwieldy monsters to the
surface. The boatmen, who had never before been exposed in a canoe to
such huge and formidable beasts, trembled with fear and apprehension, and
absolutely "wept aloud; their terror was not a little increased by the
dreadful peals of thunder that burst over their heads, and the awful
darkness that prevailed, which was only broken at intervals by vivid
flashes of lightning. We were told that they frequently upset canoes in
the river, when every one in them is sure to perish. They came so close
to us, that we could reach them with the butt-end of a gun." To add to
their terror, as the night advanced the storm increased. The wind was so
furious, that it dashed the water several times over the sides of the
canoe, so that she was nearly filled. The little vessel became almost
unmanageable; at length, however, they got to a bank about the centre of
the stream, and fastened the boat to a thorny tree. The weather became
calmer at midnight, after which the rain descended in torrents,
accompanied with terrific thunder and lightning. They were obliged
constantly to bale. Next morning they perceived several mountains, which
were so elevated and distant, that their blue summits could scarcely be
distinguished from the clouds. They were of the most varied shapes, and
appeared to form part of a regular mountain chain. After having passed
the island of Gungo, which contains about 100 inhabitants, they were
again exposed to danger on the river, which was so agitated, that the
canoe was "tossed about like a cocoa-nut shell." The only method by which
they could escape sinking, was by pulling it among the Tushes on the
banks, which was effected after much labour and difficulty. No sooner did
they conceive themselves safe, than a huge crocodile rose up close to the
canoe, plunging near it with much violence: one blow from him would have
split it to pieces. Shortly after they came to a place where the current
rushed with the impetuosity of a torrent over a broad sand bank; they
were carried along with irresistible velocity, and the canoe struck
against the roof of a hut which was covered with water.

They now passed the mountains which they had observed on the preceding
day; they were flat table mountains, and appeared to be not far distant
from the bank. One or two were entirely barren, while a few were most
fertile, being covered with corn up to the very summits; they rest
displayed only stunted vegetation. Several villages, surrounded by groups
of tall trees, were situated at their foot. On the 19th October, they
arrived at Egga, a large handsome town, behind a deep morass. It is
upwards of two miles in length, and the people carry on a great trade. A
large number of canoes, laden with merchandize, lie beside the town, and
many of the natives reside in them. Half of the population is Mohammedan.
When they left this place, they were informed that in their farther
progress towards the sea, they would pass through states of an entirely
different character, inhabited by fierce and lawless people, from whom
both their lives and property would be exposed to peril. The friendly
natives exhorted them to return, or at least if they were determined to
persevere, to pass, if possible, the towns by night.

After they had left Egga, the banks of the river assumed a pleasing
appearance, and were adorned with numerous villages. The Landers observed
a number of canoes, built in the same manner as those of the Bonny and
Calabar rivers, which confirmed them in the opinion that they were
approaching the sea. The natives of one village, when they saw them,
sounded their war-cry, and flew to arms; but their hostility was speedily
exchanged for friendship, when the object of the travellers was
explained. Their next halting-place was Kacunda, which consists of four
large villages, at a considerable distance from each other. The river
here changes its direction to the N.N.E., which the main branch keeps
till it reaches the sea. About forty miles below Kacunda, its volume is
increased by the influx of the Tshadda; at the place of the junction the
river is about three or four miles in breadth, and the Landers saw
numerous canoes floating upon it. They passed a large city, but neither
landed, nor held any communication with the inhabitants; they were
afterwards told that it was called Cuttumcurafee, and was a place of
considerable traffic.

Some days afterwards the apprehension of a storm induced them to land,
and to erect an awning of mats under the shade of a palm-tree. No
habitation was seen, but the place had evidently been resorted to by a
great number of people. Three of the men, however, who had gone in search
of firewood, suddenly came upon a village, but saw only some women, who
fled in terror from the strangers, and alarmed their male relatives, who
were at work in the fields. They returned to the party, who did not
anticipate any danger from this strange occurrence, till one of the
negroes suddenly cried out, "War is coming! oh, war is coming!" A fierce
band of men, armed with spears, cutlasses, muskets, and bows and arrows,
rushed towards the little encampment. Resistance was vain against such an
overwhelming force, and the only resource of the travellers was to adopt
pacific measures. They threw down their useless weapons, and walked
forward boldly towards the chief. The natives seemed determined to attack
them; the chief's "quiver was dangling at his side, his bow was bent, and
an arrow which was pointed at their breasts, already trembled on the
string. But just as he was about to pull the fatal cord, a man that was
nearest him rushed forward and stayed his arm. At that instant we stood
before them, and immediately held forth our hands; all of them trembled
like aspen-leaves; the chief looked up full in our faces, kneeling on the
ground; light seemed to flash from his dark rolling eyes, his body was
convulsed all over, as though he were enduring the utmost torture, and
with a timorous, yet undefinable expression of countenance, in which all
the passions of our nature were strangely blended, he drooped his head,
eagerly grasped our proffered hands, and burst into tears. This was a
sign of friendship; harmony followed, and war and bloodshed were thought
of no more." His followers showed equal delight. They gave repeated
shouts, thrust their arrows into their quivers, fired off their muskets,
shook their spears, danced, laughed, sung, and cried in succession, and
in short behaved like madmen. The chief sat down on the turf, with the
Landers on each side of him, while his men stood around leaning on their
weapons. Employing an interpreter who understood the Haussa language, the
chief stated, that he had taken them for a hostile party, who meditated a
midnight attack upon the village, to carry away the inhabitants as
slaves, but that his heart had relented when he saw them approach in
peaceful and friendly guise, and that he had thought that they were
"_children of heaven_" who had dropped from the skies. "And now," said he
"white men, all I ask is your forgiveness." "That you shall have most
heartily," said the travellers, shaking hands with him cordially; and
they internally returned thanks to God for this signal preservation.

Fifty miles farther on, they came to Damugoo, the chief of which place
gave them a very kind reception, and sent a canoe, manned by some of his
subjects to accompany and guide them to the coast. Yet he was a
tyrannical despot, and told the travellers to cut off the heads of his
people, if they annoyed them by crowding to see them. Here they saw
manifest traces of European intercourse; the natives wore Manchester
cottons, and the chief presented the travellers with a case bottle of
rum, a liquor which they had not tasted since they left Kiama.

About a mile from Damugoo, they saw two streams which appeared to be
branches of the Niger; one of which came from the eastward, while the
other flowed from the westward. At the junction formed by this latter
branch with the river, they saw a large town, called Kirree, in front of
which lay a great number of canoes. They appeared to be very large, and
had flags flying at the end of long bamboo canes. The travellers passed
without molestation; but in a short time came in contact with a fleet of
fifty war canoes, each of which had a six-pounder lashed to the stern,
and the crews were well provided with muskets. From their masts fluttered
a great number of European flags of various nations, among which the
British union bore a prominent place; some had also figures on them of a
man's leg, chairs, tables, decanters, glasses, &c. The crews were chiefly
dressed in European clothing. As the travellers came up separately, the
canoes of each were attacked and plundered. Their lives were in jeopardy,
and at length they were compelled to proceed to the town of Kirree. Here,
however, several of the well-disposed and more respectable inhabitants
espoused their cause, and that part of the stolen property which could be
recovered was ordered to be restored. It was at last decided that they
should be brought down the river, and placed at the disposal of Obie, the
king of the Eboe country. During the attack, Richard Lander's journal was
lost, but his brother John's notes were fortunately preserved. The most
valuable part of their property was likewise gone, and among the rest
their wearing apparel, Mr. Park's gun, all their other weapons, their
compass and thermometer, and their cowries and needles, so that they were
left completely destitute.

As the Landers were carried down the river, the country on the banks
completely changed its appearance, being low and swampy, covered with
vast entangled forests, which completely concealed the towns and
villages, of whose existence the travellers were nevertheless apprised by
the number of inhabitants who came to the beach to trade with the
canoemen. The people subsisted chiefly on the produce of the banana, the
plantain, and the yam, and on the fish which they caught in the river.
The chief article of traffic was palm-oil.

As they drew near to Eboe, they sailed through a large lake on the river,
which branched out into three broad streams, which take different
directions towards the south-west; whence they felt assured that they
were rapidly approaching the termination of the river's course in the
Gulf of Guinea. The pleasure which they felt in the hope of soon solving
the mysterious problem which had been hid for so many ages, was however
damped by the thought of their precarious situation, and the hostile
reception which they might meet with at Eboe.

They came to an extensive morass, intercepted by narrow channels in every
direction. Passing through one of these, they got into clear water, and
arrived in front of Eboe town. Here they found hundreds of canoes, some
of which were much larger than any they had hitherto seen, being
furnished with sheds and awnings, and affording habitations to a great
number of the people, who constantly reside in them. The travellers say
that one of these canoes, hollowed out of a single trunk, may accommodate
seventy individuals. The houses of the people of Eboe are of a superior
kind, and are constructed of yellow clay plastered over, thatched with
palm leaves, and surrounded by plantations. The people are a savage and
dissolute race, and the bad expression of their countenances is a true
index of their character.

King Obie determined to detain the Landers till he could extort a large
sum for their ransom. He demanded the sum of twenty _bars_ (each equal to
one slave or a cask of palm oil). The travellers had the prospect of
being detained for an indefinite period, had not King Boy of Brass-town,
Obie's son-in-law, undertaken to pay the amount, and convey them to the
coast, on condition of receiving a guarantee for thirty-five bars, being
determined to retain the difference as profit for his trouble. King Boy
then went to the mouth of the river with Richard Lander, John being left
at Brass-town. The English brig Thomas, commanded by Captain Lake, was
then lying at anchor in the Nun, and Richard Lander went on board, in the
hope that Lake would advance the sum, which was sure to be repaid by the
British Government. He, however, had no sympathy towards his distressed
countrymen, and peremptorily refused to grant them any assistance, and
King Boy was with difficulty prevailed upon to bring John Lander to the
brig, Richard trusting that the hard-hearted captain would by that time
relent. Both brothers were now on board, and were employing all the means
in their power to induce Lake to consent to the arrangement; but in place
of doing so, he set sail, leaving King Boy to exclaim against what he no
doubt considered the treachery of the travellers. The British Government,
however, afterwards caused King Boy to be paid more than the sum which he
had stipulated for.

The Landers suffered much discomfort on board the vessel from the
tyrannical and harsh behaviour of Lake; and they encountered a severe
storm in crossing the bar of the river Nun. On the 1st of December, they
landed at Fernando Po, where they experienced great friendship and
hospitality from the British residents. Thence they found a passage home
in the Carnarvon, and arrived at Portsmouth on the 10th June 1831.

The great problem of African geography was now solved, and the
enterprising travellers met with the praise so justly due to their
sagacity, prudence, and fortitude. "For several hundred miles of its
lower course, the river was found to form a broad and magnificent
expanse, resembling an inland sea. Yet must the Niger yield very
considerably to the Missouri and Orellana, those stupendous rivers of the
new world. But it appears at least as great as any of those which water
the old continents. There can rank with it only the Nile, and the
Yang-tse-Kiang, or Great River of China. But the upper course of neither
is yet very fully established; and the Nile can compete only in length of
course, not in the magnitude of its stream, or the fertility of the
regions. There is one feature in which the Niger may defy competition
from any river, either of the old or new world. This is the grandeur of
its Delta. Along the whole coast, from the river of Formosa or Benin to
that of Old Calabar, about 300 miles in length, there open into the
Atlantic its successive estuaries, which navigators have scarcely been
able to number. Taking its coast as the base of the triangle or Delta,
and its vertex at Kirree, about 170 miles inland, we have a space of
upwards of 25,000 square miles, equal to the half of England. Had this
Delta, like that of the Nile, been subject only to temporary inundations,
leaving behind a layer of fertilizing slime, it would have formed the
most fruitful region on earth, and might have been almost the granary of
a continent. But, unfortunately, the Niger rolls down its waters in such
excessive abundance, as to convert the whole into a huge and dreary
swamp, covered with dense forests of mangrove, and other trees of
spreading and luxuriant foliage. The equatorial sun, with its fiercest
rays, cannot penetrate these dark recesses; it only exhales from them
pestilential vapours, which render this coast the theatre of more fatal
epidemic diseases than any other, even of Western Africa. That human
industry will one day level these forests, drain these swamps, and cover
this soil with luxuriant harvests, we may confidently anticipate; but
many ages must probably elapse before man, in Africa, can achieve such a
victory over nature."[29]

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