Chapter XVII (1)

Departure from Egga — A sea-gull observed — Rivery scenery — Arrive at Kacunda — Mahomedan schoolmaster — Natives — The king’s brother — Accounts of the natives below Kacunda — Superstitious demands of the king and his people — The Tshadda river — Departure from Kacunda — Precautions against an attack — A night on the river — Pass the Tshadda — The Bird Rock — Natives surprized — Perilous condition of the travellers at Bocquâ — Geographical information — Departure from Bocquâ — Towns of Atta and Abbazacca — Departure from Abbazacca — The travellers stopped at Damuggoo.

_Friday, October 22nd._—At half past six this morning our people set about loading the canoe according to my expectations, but with a bad grace, and nothing but sulky looks, grumbling, and fearful apprehensions passed among them. They were, however, unwilling to lose their wages, which would certainly have been the case had they persisted in their refusal to proceed, and they seemed to have no wish to remain at Egga. Having no one to look to for protection, it is not improbable but that they would have been made slaves immediately after our departure, so that they had made up their minds to accompany us, although, when they took their paddles and we were fairly starting, they seemed to feel their situation more keenly than ever, and said that we were going to take them to a country where they would all be murdered. We endeavoured as much as possible to pacify their fears, but were obliged to have recourse to threats, and therefore said we would throw them overboard if they were not quiet and worked the canoe properly. This and other threats to the same effect silenced them, and we were not sorry to see it, for we should have had a difficult matter to get others to fill their places had they persisted in leaving us.

At seven o’clock, all being ready, we bade farewell to the old chief, whose good humour had afforded us so much amusement, although his wives had nearly suffocated us, and on leaving the landing-place of Egga we fired off three muskets as a parting salute. Several of the principal inhabitants came hurrying down to the water-side to take their leave, to give us their blessing, and wish us a successful voyage. Our men at first paddled sluggishly, and the canoe went slowly through the water. It was nine before we reached the middle of the river. A little below Egga we passed two very beautiful small islands, which were covered with cultivation, and well inhabited; we did not stop, but kept our course down the river. A few miles from the town we saw, with emotions of pleasure, a sea-gull, which flew over our heads; this was a most gratifying sight to us. It reminded us forcibly of the object we had in view, and we fondly allowed it to confirm our hopes that we were drawing very near to our journey’s end. We likewise beheld, for the first time, about half a dozen large white pelicans, which were sailing gracefully on the water.

It was a fine cheerful morning; our spirits were buoyant, and our hearts light, as we passed smoothly, swiftly, and pleasantly along. We had been informed at Egga that we should soon meet with canoes of very different construction from any which we had before seen, and have to communicate with various tribes and nations, different in all respects from the people with whom we have heretofore maintained any intercourse. We were likewise cautioned to be guarded in our conduct and demeanour, because those tribes are pronounced by the Noufanchie to be bloody, savage and ferocious in their habits and manners. We had also been advised to part with our strange-looking canoe, which might attract their curiosity and excite suspicion, and in consequence endanger our personal safety. After making every allowance for exaggeration, still we fancy there is sufficient truth in these reports to make us watchful and cautious, and to put us on our guard.

The borders of the river during the morning were generally low and swampy: high land appeared beyond them, but at some distance from the water, and the intermediate spaces are occupied by extensive morasses. The current swept us into one with great force, because we happened to keep too near, nor were we able to extricate ourselves from this unpleasant situation without infinite labour and difficulty, and much loss of time. The hills seen on the 19th, now appear to take the same direction as the river, which is here about south-east. The west side of the river is low, while a double range of hills border the eastern bank. These appear very fertile, and covered with verdure nearly to their summits. In the afternoon, both the banks of the Niger became more fertile, more pleasing, and more elevated. We saw, in the earlier part of the day, several small and wretched-looking villages which lay nearly under water, and also very extensive plantations of rice, at an immense distance from any human habitation, but the tops of these plants only were visible, and no cultivated land anywhere appeared. Afterwards, however, the soil was more rich and grateful, and the country more varied in its appearance. At eleven A.M., we passed a very large market- town on our left, situated at the foot of a high hill and very near the water’s edge. The hill was immediately over it, and seemed ready to fall upon it every instant. We inquired the name of it among our people, but they knew nothing of it, and our time was too precious to stop, although several canoes from it passed near us. We observed an immense number of canoes lying off it, built in the same manner as those of the Bonny and Calabar rivers. This is another symptom of communication with those people, and confirms our opinion that we are drawing near the sea. A great many of them were moving to and fro on the river; some passed close to us, and their crews gazed at us with astonishment, but did not offer to interfere with us. It is a source of annoyance that we have no means of conversing with these people, and it may prove of serious inconvenience hereafter.

For many miles we could see nothing but large, open, well-built villages on both banks of the river, but more especially on the eastern, and tracts of land covered with verdure, or prepared for cultivation, between them. Here Nature seems to have scattered her favours with an unsparing hand. Yet we touched at none of these goodly places, but continued our journey till the sun began to decline, and the men to be fatigued, when we stopped at a small hamlet on an island, intending to sleep there. At first the inhabitants mistrusted our intentions, and were alarmed at our appearance. They no sooner saw us than they raised the war-cry, and every man and woman armed themselves with swords and dirks, bows and arrows, assuming a threatening and alarming position. We called out lustily to them in the Hàussa language, but they were unable to understand either our words or gestures. Fortunately, in a few minutes a woman, who could converse a little in the Hàussa tongue, came down to us at the water-side, and we informed her that we were friends and Christians, travelling down the river to our native country, and that it was not our wish to make war with them. All this she repeated to those around her, and succeeded but partially, however, in removing their prejudices and suspicions. Had it not been for the timely arrival of this woman, we should certainly have had a volley of arrows among us, for we were taken for Falàtahs at first, and we observed the woman persuading them to the contrary. Still the people could not, or rather would not, accommodate us with a lodging for the night, which was contrary to our expectations, though we solicited them with much importunity to grant us this favour, and though we assured them that the most homely, the most shattered hut would answer our purpose, for we cared not for matters of such trifling consequence. They were all deaf to our entreaties; but fearing that we could enforce our request, they did all they could to induce us to proceed onwards a little further, when we should arrive at a city of considerable importance, called _Kacunda_, at which place we recollected that the people of Egga had strongly advised us to stay. They also told us, that at Kacunda we should get plenty of provisions, and receive much attention from the inhabitants; and also, that we should meet with people from Funda who understood the Hàussa language.

We therefore left the village, but were almost immediately afterwards hailed by them to come back again, and remain there for the night. Our men were glad of this, for they were tired, and they struggled hard to stem the current, but it was so impetuous, that, instead of nearing the village, we found that we were fast receding from it; therefore, we had no other resource, when the attempt was discovered to be impracticable, than to follow the advice which had previously been given us by the villagers, and we continued down the stream.

Kacunda is situated on the western bank of the river; and at a little distance, it has an advantageous and uncommonly fine appearance. The only access to the town is by winding channels that intersperse an unwholesome swamp, which is nearly two miles in breadth. It was evening when we arrived there. The people at first were alarmed at our appearance, but we were soon welcomed on shore by an old Mahomedan priest, who speedily introduced us into an excellent and commodious hut, once the residence of a prince, but now the domicile of a school-master. This old man had come from Cuttumcurrafee. He told us that he heard of two Christians being in Borgoo, and supposed that we were them. The room to which he took us, is the largest we have ever seen, and is used by him for the purpose of instructing the children of Kacunda in the Mahomedan prayers. This old man seemed to take a great deal of interest in us, for seeing the people alarmed at our first appearance, he exerted himself in quieting them; saying, that we were quite harmless, and took us immediately under his protection. He told us that a hut was preparing for us at a short distance in the town, but the weather being excessively hot and fatiguing, we preferred remaining where we were, thinking also, that any other we might be taken to would not be so large and airy as this. Therefore we requested his permission to be allowed to stay with him, to which the old man readily assented.

We are informed that the chief of Kacunda resides a distance of four miles from where we are now, and near the market-place. The old Mallam would not allow us to go and visit him, but promised to send a messenger for the chief’s brother to come and see us to-morrow morning, an arrangement with which we were perfectly satisfied. About ten gallons of country beer were sent to us, with some good pounded corn and stewed fowls for our supper, and having made a hearty meal, we retired thankfully to rest.

The river runs in a serpentine direction, between this place and Egga, varying between south and south-east; there are several islands in it, all of which are cultivated and inhabited. The current is very rapid, and certainly runs at the rate of four or five miles an hour, if we may judge from the difficulty with which we even paddled against it without making any progress towards the island after we had left it. Near this island, which lies nearer the north than the south bank of the river, the former is rather low, but still well cultivated, and below this, it continues low as far as opposite to Kacunda. The south bank is rather higher. We are informed, that at the town we observed on the left bank in the morning, a little below Egga, the dominion of the chiefs of territories is no longer acknowledged, but that at every other on the banks of the river below it, each town has its own chief. The Nouffie territory terminates at Egga.

_Saturday, October 23d._—Kacunda, properly speaking, consists of three or four villages, all of them considerably large, but unconnected, though situated within a very short distance of each other. It is the capital of a state or kingdom of the same name, which is quite independent of Nouffie, or any other foreign power. Its government is despotic, and all power is invested with the chief or king, who exercises it with lenity: in all cases of emergency, he never depends upon his own judgment entirely, but consults the opinion of the elders of the people. Kacunda maintains little intercourse with Nouffie, or any other considerable nation, but confines its trade, almost exclusively, to divers people inhabiting the banks of the Niger to the southward; and slaves purchased here are said to find their way to the sea. In their persons, the natives are chiefly tall, well-formed, and muscular. Their ornaments are few; strings of red cornelian stone (which is plentiful in Nouffie), cut into something like the shape of a heart, and which are smooth, flat, and highly polished, are what they are most fond of wearing, and, in many cases, these are their only decoration. The only dress that the natives wear, is a piece of cotton cloth round the loins. This is made by themselves, and is dyed of various colours, according to the taste of the owner. The women wear small earrings of silver, but use no paint, nor bedaub their persons with any sort of pigment. In the productions of the country there is nothing peculiar; and in the manufacture of cloth, &c. these people are greatly inferior to their neighbours. The Nouffie language is not understood in Kacunda, notwithstanding its proximity to that kingdom; but, as in almost every place which we have visited, the Hàussa tongue is spoken fluently by several individuals.

The chief excused himself from visiting us this morning, but sent his brother in his stead, to assure us of the pleasure he felt in our arrival, and that he welcomed us with the utmost gratification.

At 11 A.M., a large double-bank canoe, paddled by fourteen men, arrived at Kacunda, and we shortly found that the king’s brother had come in her to see us. He was saluted, on landing, with a discharge from five old rusty muskets. A messenger was immediately despatched to us, announcing that he was ready to see us, and I sent word that I begged he would come. The brother came, attended by a long train of followers, and in the name of the chief he presented us with a few goora-nuts, a goat, some yams, and an immense quantity of country beer. They were all dressed in the Mahomedan costume, although pagans, and appeared very clean in their persons. Several gallons of ale were likewise sent us in huge calabashes, from the more wealthy part of the population of the town. Our meeting was very cordial, and we shook hands heartily with, and immediately explained to him our business. On seeing the goat he had brought with him, I told him we was sorry he had brought so valuable a present, as we had nothing to give him in return which would be worth presenting to his brother; that we had been so long in the country, all our presents were expended before we arrived at Kacunda. I then took out a pair of silver bracelets, and begged he would present them to his brother, and tell him the reason we could give him nothing better. He took them from me, but did not seem to be much interested about them, or to care at all for them. But looking round our room, he perceived several little things to which he took a fancy, and which, being of no value whatever to us, were readily presented to him; and it was satisfactory to see him much pleased with them.

We had now become great friends, and he commenced giving us a dreadful account of the natives down the river, and would have us not think of going among them, but return by the way we had come. He said to us, with much emphasis, ‘If you go down the river, you will surely fall into their hands and be murdered.’ ‘Go we must,’ I said, ‘if we live or die by it, and that also to-morrow.’ I then asked him if he would send a messenger with us, for that he might ensure our safety, coming from so powerful a person as the Chief of Kacunda. But he replied directly, ‘No, if I were to do such a thing, the people at the next town would assuredly cut off his head; but,’ he added, ‘if you will not be persuaded by me to turn back, and save your lives, at least you must not leave this by day-light, but stop until the sun goes down, and you may then go on your journey—you will then pass the most dangerous town in the middle of the night, and perhaps save yourselves.’ We asked him whether the people he spoke of had muskets or large canoes? To which he replied, ‘Yes; in great numbers—they are very large and powerful, and no canoe can pass down the river in the day-time without being taken by them and plundered; and even at night, the canoes from here are obliged to go in large numbers, and keep close company with each other, to make a formidable appearance in case of their being seen by them.’

We had no reason whatever to doubt this information, and being well aware how little we could do if we should be attacked by these formidable fellows, we determined on going at night, according to the custom of the rest, and propose starting at half-past four to-morrow evening. I told the chief’s brother of our intentions, at which he seemed quite astonished; and we have no doubt that this determined conduct, which we have everywhere shown, and apparent defiance of all danger, in making light of the dreadful stories we have heard, has had much influence on the minds of the people, and no doubt inspired them with a belief that we were supernatural beings, gifted with more than ordinary qualifications. Having communicated our intentions to our friend, and given him all the little trifling things he wished for, he departed with the present for his brother the chief.

The few things which we sent back to the chief, trifling as they were, gave him complete satisfaction: they were received by him in a much more gracious manner than we had anticipated. He besought us earnestly to write him a few charms—one of which is to insure a continuance of peace and prosperity to the kingdom; another to prevent quarrels, abuses, and disturbances in the market-place; to obviate the shedding of human blood therein, which has recently been of frequent occurrence; and to bring to the market a greater number of buyers and sellers, which would proportionably augment the amount of duty exacted from them. Another charm he wants of us is to possess the virtues of a panoply, for preserving all persons, whilst bathing, from the fangs of the crocodiles, which infest the adjoining slough in great numbers, and which, it is said, have lately carried off and destroyed several children. Another charm he requires is to have still more powerful properties, and cause a neighbouring rivulet, which has heretofore been dried up in the summer season, to be filled with water, and flow all the year round.

All ranks of people are firmly persuaded that we are necromancers, or at least that we are capable of performing any miracle, and, therefore, they believe that the making of these charms is but a trifling effort, compared with what we _might_ do, were we to exert the whole of our power. An attempt to undeceive the ignorant, credulous, and deluded people, we know, would be unavailing and useless, and fear that it would be dangerous; therefore we dare not meddle with their superstitions or prejudices, but conform to their wishes, and let them enjoy their own opinions in peace.

Several of the inhabitants have brought us little presents of goora- nuts, Chili and Cayenne pepper, a bit of fish or any such trifle, in the expectation of receiving a hundred times their value in the shape of charms. We have been pestered all day by a young native, to get a charm from us to enable him to catch plenty of fish. The poor fellow followed us about like a child begging for a toy, and offered us a variety of little trifling things which he could afford, such as country beer, goora-nuts, &c.; and we believe there was nothing he had that he would not have willingly given us, so great was his faith in the power we had of bestowing on him the means of enriching himself by catching fish. There was no getting rid of him without complying with his request, so we gave him a small piece of paper on which something had been written, of no consequence whatever. The poor fellow no sooner got it, than he looked at it with much earnestness, and proceeded with great solemnity to fasten it to the end of his fishing-line. Having done this, he set off with great glee to go and fish, congratulating himself, no doubt, on the multitude of fishes his charm would obtain him.

It is painful to contemplate the melancholy ignorance and superstition in which the minds of the natives are involved; nor is this confined to Kacunda alone—at Egga, and other places up the river, they are equally as bad. Ready for the first impression, and easily imposed on, the minds of these poor creatures naturally receive as truth whatever is told them. Their faith in charms, and their credulity in the power of white men, is not to be wondered at. The former they are taught by the Mahomedan Mallams, and these again are equally as credulous as the natives, of the efficacy of anything coming from us.

The natives are successful in their fishing expeditions, and generally use a line with a piece of iron fastened to the end of it, bent in the shape of a hook. They use a large worm as bait, and more frequently part of a fish. The line is made of a tough grass neatly twisted. In these excursions they sometimes carelessly expose themselves to the attacks of the alligators, of which there are great numbers in the river, and the natives are frequently sufferers by them. In fetching water for use from the river at night they often become a prey to them. They destroy the crocodile and eat its flesh, as well as that of the hippopotami, which are equally as numerous. The eggs of the former also they are very fond of.

We have been visited by the chief of a neighbouring province, and an impostor, who represents himself as son to Ederesa, the ex-king of Nouffie, both of whom, like their less presumptuous brethren, are disappointed in their hopes of receiving valuable presents, for we are daily diminishing the few things which were left, and must not be prodigal in giving away.

As at Egga, we are here earnestly solicited by the Mallams to stop two or three days, to give the market-people an opportunity of accompanying us to Bocquâ, every one warning us that we shall be in jeopardy of our lives, unless we take this precaution. The manners of the people all along the banks of the Niger from hence, they also represent to us as being in the highest degree dangerous. They are said to be public robbers, without laws or regulations of any kind; that they live under no king, and acknowledge no human authority—in a word, that they are a community of ferocious outlaws. We hear nothing but stories about the inhabitants of Egga, who, when they attend the Bocquâ market for the purposes of trade, are obliged to sail in companies of ten or twelve canoes, for mutual encouragement and protection; and that even then the merchants dare not travel in the day-time, but pass those places which are considered as dangerous in the darkness of night, when there is least fear of molestation: such stories, similar to that of the king’s brother, are told us to prevent our proceeding.

Well might the king of Yarriba hesitate on sending either Captain Clapperton or ourselves to the banks of the Niger, when he knew that he had neither a single town so far to the eastward, nor a single subject from Yàoorie to the sea. Above Egga, as far as Wowow, the western bank of the river, which he boasts as being in his dominions, is thickly inhabited solely by Noufanchie; and below that town they are peopled by strange and distinct tribes, who have never heard his name, nor an echo of his glory and power! We observe here, for the first time, that the natives have a custom of marking themselves, so that their tribe may be known from the rest. The distinguishing mark of the people of Kacunda is three cuts down the face from the temple to the chin, which gives them an odd appearance. They are a mild, harmless, and inoffensive race of people, and very industrious. Their huts are the largest and cleanest we have seen in the whole country. Our old friend the schoolmaster informs us that we shall very soon pass the _Tshadda_ river, as it is only a day’s journey distant from here down the river. He was a very communicative old man, and informed me that the city of Funda is not on the banks of the Quorra, but situated a distance of three days’ journey up the Tshadda. According to his report, the Tshadda is a large river, nearly as much so as the Quorra. Canoes, he said, frequently go up the Tshadda to Bornou, and that it was only fifteen days’ journey from hence to that place by the Tshadda. The countries of Jacoba and Adamowa, he said, are at peace with Bornou, and the communication open from both those places by water, as well as land. The Pagan countries, it appears, are all greatly alarmed by the expectation of an attack from the Falàtahs when the dry season arrives. The Tshadda, he said, was very safe, and much frequented by canoes. A town called Cuttumcurrafee, which has been before alluded to, he informed us was seated at the junction of the Tshadda with the Quorra.

_Sunday, October 24th._—The children of the more respectable inhabitants of Egga are placed at a very early age under the tuition of our friendly host, the schoolmaster, who teaches them a few Mahomedan prayers; all, indeed, with which he himself may be acquainted in the Arabic tongue. In this consists the whole of their education. The boys are diligent in their exercises, and arise every morning between midnight and sunrise, and are studiously employed by lamplight in copying their prayers, after which they read them to the master one after another, beginning with the eldest. This is repeated in a shrill, bawling tone, so loud as to be heard at the distance of half a mile at least, which is believed to be a criterion of excellence by the parents; and he who has the strongest lungs and clearest voice is of course considered as the best scholar, and caressed accordingly. The Mahomedans, though excessively vain of their attainments, and proud of their learning, and intellectual superiority over their companions, are nevertheless conscious of the vast pre-eminence of white men over themselves, for they have heard many marvellous stories of Europeans, and their fame has been proclaimed with a trumpet-voice among all people and nations of the interior, insomuch that they are placed on an equality with supernatural beings. As an illustration of this, a priest, himself a writer of charms, made a pressing application to-day for an amulet from us, which he begged might possess properties so extraordinary and amazing, as to be the wonder of the whole country; and so firmly persuaded was he that it was in our power, and ours only, to grant this request, that we could not induce him by any means to forego his application. He gave us a large pot of beer, and would not leave our hut until he had exacted a promise that we would give him the paper which he had craved so piteously. We have likewise been perplexed with other demands of a similar nature, and the tearful importunities of the poor applicants has troubled us exceedingly. In all obstinate cases of this nature, we have found it expedient to follow the example of Mr. Park, which is, to give the superstitious people a copy of the _Lord’s Prayer_, which, at least, can produce no mischievous effects.

The chief’s brother paid us a visit again this morning, and urged us by every argument which he could think of, to defer our departure for our own sakes, for two or three days, that canoes might be got ready to accompany us on our voyage; and he endeavoured again to impress on our minds the danger which we should inevitably incur, if we were determined to go alone. Yet, it was apparent to us, after all that he had said, that covetousness was his predominant feeling, and therefore we paid little attention to his remarks, further than that we consented to wait till the afternoon for a man to accompany us in capacity of messenger to the so-much-talked-of Bocquâ market, where, it is asserted, we shall be perfectly safe; and beyond which place the people are represented as being less rapacious, so that we shall have little to fear from them.

The description which the chief’s brother has given us of the people residing a day’s journey from hence, is too shocking to describe. To use a very common and familiar expression: ‘What every one says must be true,’ and we begin to give credence to the rumours so often repeated, of the fierceness and cruelty of this race of human beings which occupy both sides of the Niger, between Kacunda and Bocquâ, though we make every allowance for exaggeration, because the natives are fond of the marvellous, and are apt to magnify the most trifling circumstances into incidents of the last importance.

As the afternoon came on, we inquired in vain for the promised guide; and when we found that the chief, or rather his brother, felt no disposition whatever to redeem his pledge, we made immediate preparations to leave the town, to the manifest disappointment of the latter, who made a very dolorous lament, and did all in his power, except employing actual force, to induce us to change our resolution.

At three in the afternoon, we offered up a prayer to the Almighty Disposer of all human events, for protection on our future voyage, that he would deign to extend to us his all-saving power among the lawless barbarians it was our lot to be obliged to pass. Having done this, we next ordered Pascoe and our people to commence loading the canoe. I shall never forget them, poor fellows, they were all in tears, and trembled with fear. One of them, named Antonio, a native of Bonny, and son to the late chief of that river, who had joined us from his Majesty’s brig the Clinker, with the consent of Lieutenant Matson, her commander, was as much affected as the rest, but on a different account. For himself, he said that he did not care, his own life was of no consequence. All he feared was, that my brother and I should be murdered: he loved us dearly: he had been with us ever since we had left the sea, and it would be as bad as dying himself to see us killed.

At half past four in the afternoon, in pursuance of our plan, we bade adieu to the kind inhabitants of Kacunda, and everything having been conveyed to the canoe, and our men in their places, we embarked and pushed off the shore in sight of multitudes of people. We worked our way with incredible difficulty, through the morass, before we were enabled to get into the body of the stream. The poor natives gazed at us with astonishment, and followed us with their eyes as long as they could, no doubt expecting that we should never be seen or heard of more.

We were now fairly off, and prepared ourselves for the worst. ‘Now,’ said I, ‘my boys,’ as our canoe glided down with the stream, ‘let us all stick together. I hope that we have none among us who will flinch, come what may.’ Antonio and Sam said they were determined to stick to us to the last. The former I have before alluded to; the latter is a native of Sierra Leone, and I believe them both to be firm fellows when required. Old Pascoe and Jowdie, two of my former people, I knew could be depended on; but the new ones, although they boasted much when they found that there was no avoiding it, I had not much dependence on, as I had not had an opportunity of trying them. We directed the four muskets and two pistols to be loaded with ball and slugs, determined that our opponents, whoever they might be, should meet with a warm reception; and having made every preparation for our defence which we thought would be availing, and encouraging our little band to behave themselves gallantly, we gave three hearty cheers, and commended ourselves to Providence.

Our little vessel moved on in grand style under the vigorous and animated exertions of our men. There were no tears now, and I thought, as they propelled her along with more than their usual strength, that they felt they were a match for any canoe that would dare to attack us. Shortly after leaving Kacunda, the river took a turn due south, between tolerably high hills; the strength of the current continued much about the same. A few miles further on, we observed a branch of the Niger, rather diminutive, running off in a westerly direction; but are not certain whether this was only a creek, or a branch of the river: the banks of it were covered with palm trees, and little hills were scattered over them. We found ourselves opposite a large, spreading town, from which issued a great and confused noise, as of a multitude quarrelling, or as the waves of the sea rolling upon a rocky beach; we saw also other towns on the western bank of the river, but we cautiously avoided them all. The evening was calm and serene, the heat of the day was over, the moon and stars now afforded us an agreeable light—everything was still and pleasant; we glided smoothly and silently down the stream, and for a long while we saw little to excite our fears, and heard nothing but a gentle rustling of the leaves, occasioned by the wind, the noise of our paddles, or now and then the plashing of fishes, as they leapt out of the water.

About midnight we observed lights from a village, to which we were very close, and heard people dancing, singing, and laughing in the moonshine outside their huts. We made haste over to the opposite side to get away, for fear of a lurking danger, and we fancied that a light was following us, but it was only a ‘Will o’ the wisp,’ or some such thing, and trees soon hid it from our sight. After the moon had gone down, it became rather cloudy, so that we could not discern the way as plainly as we could have wished, and the consequence was, that we were suddenly drifted by the current into an eddy, and in spite of all our exertions to get out of it, we swept over into a small, shallow channel which had been formed by the overflowing of the river, and it cost two hours’ hard labour to get into the main stream again. The course of the river was turned to the south-east by a range of very high hills. We also passed a great number of islands.

_Monday, October 25th._—At one A.M., the direction of the river changed to south-south-west, running between immensely high hills. At five o’clock this morning, we found ourselves nearly opposite a very considerable river, entering the Niger from the eastward; it appeared to be three or four miles wide at its mouth, and on the bank we saw a large town, one part of which faced the river, and the other the Quorra. We at first supposed it to be an arm of that river, and running from us; and therefore directed our course for it. We proceeded up it a short distance, but finding the current against us, and that it increased as we got within its entrance, and our people being tired, we were compelled to give up the attempt, and were easily swept back into the Niger. Consequently we passed on, but determined on making inquiries concerning it the first convenient opportunity. But we conclude this to be the Tshadda, and the large town we have alluded to, to be Cuttumcurrafee, the same which had been mentioned to us by the old Mallam. At all events, we had satisfied ourselves it was not a branch of the Niger. The banks on both sides, as far as we could see up it, were very high, and appeared verdant and fertile.

The morning was dull and cloudy; yet, as soon as the sun had partially dispersed the mists which hung over the valleys and upon the little hills, we could distinguish irregular mountains jutting up almost close to the water’s edge, whose height we were prevented even from guessing at; because their summits were involved in clouds, or inwrapped in vapours, which yet lingered about their sides. A double range of elevated hills appeared beyond them on the south-east side; and on the north-west side a chain of lesser hills extended as far as the eye could discern. They appeared very sterile. Those on the north-west were formed of clumps, very much resembling the shape of those we had seen in Yarriba, which are here called the Kong mountains.

At seven o’clock the Niger seemed free of islands and clear of morasses on both sides, and its banks were well wooded, and much higher than we had observed them for a long time previously; nevertheless, it ran over a rocky bottom, which caused its surface to ripple exceedingly. Just about the same hour, one of the canoes, which we were told of as of different make to our own, passed us. In shape, it much resembled a common butcher’s tray, and it was furnished with seats like those used on various parts of the sea-coast. It was paddled by eight or ten little boys, who sung as they worked; and they were superintended by an elderly person who sat in the middle of the canoe. The motion of their paddles was regulated by a peculiar hissing noise which they made at intervals with their mouth; and it was pleasing to observe the celerity with which this little vessel was impelled against the stream. In the early part of the morning after daylight, we passed a great many villages. The banks of the river were ornamented with palm trees, and much cultivated ground, which extended to the foot of the mountains, and among the avenues formed between them.

At 10 A.M., we passed a huge and naked white rock, in the form of a perfect dome, arising from the centre of the river. It was about twenty feet high, and covered with an immense quantity of white birds, in consequence of which we named it the Bird Rock: it is about three or four miles distant from Bocquâ, on the same side of the river. It is safest to pass it on the south-east side, on which side is also the proper channel of the river, about three miles in width. We passed it on the western side, and were very nearly lost in a whirlpool. It was with the utmost difficulty we preserved the canoe from being carried away, and dashed against the rocks. Fortunately, I saw the danger at first, and finding we could not get clear of it, my brother and I took a paddle, and animating our men, we exerted all our strength, and succeeded in preventing her from turning round. The distance of this rock from the nearest bank is about a quarter of a mile, and the current was running with the velocity of six miles an hour, according to our estimation. Had our canoe become unmanageable, we should inevitably have perished. Shortly after, seeing a convenient place for landing, the men being languid and weary with hunger and exertion, we halted on the right bank of the river, which we imagined was most convenient for our purpose. The course of the river this morning was south-south-west, and its width varied as usual from two to five or six miles. The angry and scowling appearance of the firmament forewarned us of a heavy shower, or something worse, which induced us hastily to erect an awning of mats under a palm-tree’s shade. As soon as we had leisure to look around us, though no habitation could anywhere be seen, yet it was evident the spot had been visited, and that very recently, by numbers of people. We discovered the remains of several extinct fires, with broken calabashes and pieces of earthen vessels, which were scattered around; and our men likewise picked up a quantity of cocoa-nut shells, and three or four staves of a powder-barrel. These discoveries, trifling as they were, filled us with pleasant and hopeful sensations; and we felt assured, from the circumstance of a barrel of powder having found its way hither, that the natives in the neighbourhood maintained some kind of intercourse with Europeans from the sea.

The spot, for a hundred yards, was cleared of grass, underwood, and vegetation of all kinds; and, on a further observation, we came to the conclusion that a market or fair was periodically held thereon. Very shortly afterwards, as three of our men were straggling about in the bush, searching for firewood, a village suddenly opened before them: this did not excite their astonishment, and they entered one of the huts which was nearest them to procure a little fire. However it happened to contain only women; but these were terrified beyond measure at the sudden and abrupt entrance of strange-looking men, whose language they did not know, and whose business they could not understand, and they all ran out in a fright into the woods, to warn their male relatives of them, who were labouring at their usual occupation of husbandry. Meanwhile our men had very composedly taken some burning embers from the fire, and returned to us in a few minutes, with the brief allusion to the circumstance of having discovered a village. They told us also that they had seen cultivated land, and that these women had run away from them as soon as they saw them. This we thought lightly of; but rejoiced that they had seen the village, and immediately sent Pascoe, Abraham, and Jowdie, in company, to obtain some fire, and to purchase a few yams for us. In about ten minutes after, they returned in haste, telling us that they had been to the village, and had asked for some fire, but that the people did not understand them, and, instead of attending to their wishes, they looked terrified, and had suddenly disappeared. In consequence of their threatening attitudes, our people had left the village, and rejoined us with all the haste they could. We did not, however, think that they would attack us, and we proceeded to make our fires and then laid ourselves down.

Totally unconscious of danger, we were reclining on our mats,—for we, too, like our people, were wearied with toil, and overcome with drowsiness,—when in about twenty minutes after our men had returned, one of them shouted, with a loud voice, ‘War is coming! O war is coming!’ and ran towards us with a scream of terror, telling us that the natives were hastening to attack us. We started up at this unusual exclamation, and, looking about us, we beheld a large party of men, almost naked, running in a very irregular manner, and with uncouth gestures, towards our little encampment. They were all variously armed with muskets, bows and arrows, knives, cutlasses, barbs, long spears, and other instruments of destruction; and, as we gazed upon this band of wild men, with their ferocious looks and hostile appearance, which was not a little heightened on observing the weapons in their hands, we felt a very uneasy kind of sensation, and wished ourselves safe out of their hands. To persons peaceably inclined, like ourselves, and who had done them no harm, we could look on their preparations with calmness; but as it is impossible to foresee to what extremities such encounters might lead, we waited the result with the most painful anxiety.

Our party was much scattered, but fortunately we could see them coming to us at some distance, and we had time to collect our men. We resolved, however, to prevent bloodshed if possible,—our numbers were too few to leave us a chance of escaping by any other way. The natives were approaching us fast, and had by this time arrived almost close to our palm-tree. Not a moment was to be lost. We desired Pascoe and all our people to follow behind us at a short distance with the loaded muskets and pistols; and we enjoined them strictly not to fire, unless they first fired at us. One of the natives, who proved to be the chief, we perceived a little in advance of his companions; and, throwing down our pistols, which we had snatched up in the first moment of surprise, my brother and I walked very composedly, and unarmed, towards him. As we approached him, we made all the signs and motions we could with our arms, to deter him and his people from firing on us. His quiver was dangling at his side, his bow was bent, and an arrow, which was pointed at our breasts, already trembled on the string, when we were within a few yards of his person. This was a highly critical moment—the next might be our last. But the hand of Providence averted the blow; for just as the chief 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 him, 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. Peace and friendship now reigned among us; and the first thing that we did was to lift the old chief from the ground, and to convey him to our encampment. The behaviour of our men afforded us no little amusement, now that the danger was past. We had now had a fair trial of their courage, and should know who to trust on a future occasion. Pascoe was firm to his post, and stood still with his musket pointed at the chief’s breast during the whole time. He is a brave fellow, and said to us, as we passed him to our encampment with the old man, ‘If the _black_ rascals had fired at either of you, I should have brought the old chief down like a guinea-fowl.’ It was impossible to avoid smiling at the fellow’s honesty, although we were on the best of terms with the old chief,—and we have little doubt that he would have been as good as his word. As for our two brave fellows, Sam and Antonio, they took to their heels, and scampered off as fast as they could directly they saw the natives approaching us over the long grass, nor did they make their appearance again until the chief and all his people were sitting round us; and even when they did return, they were so frightened, they could not speak for some time.

All the armed villagers had now gathered round their leader, and anxiously watched his looks and gestures. The result of the meeting delighted them—every eye sparkled with pleasure—they uttered a shout of joy—they thrust their bloodless arrows into their quivers—they ran about as though they were possessed of evil spirits—they twanged their bowstrings, fired off their muskets, shook their spears, clattered their quivers, danced, put their bodies into all manner of ridiculous positions, laughed, cried, and sung in rapid succession—they were like a troop of maniacs. Never was spectacle more wild and terrific. When this sally of passion to which they had worked themselves had subsided into calmer and more reasonable behaviour, we presented each of the war-men with a quantity of needles, as a further token of our friendly intentions. The chief sat himself down on the turf, with one of us on each side of him, while the men were leaning on their weapons on his right and left. At first no one could understand us; but an old man made his appearance shortly after, who understood the Hàussa language. Him the chief employed as an interpreter, and every one listened with anxiety to the following explanation which he gave us:—

‘A few minutes after you first landed, one of my people came to me and said, that a number of strange people had arrived at the market-place. I sent him back again to get as near to you as he could, to hear what you intended doing. He soon after returned to me, and said that you spoke in a language which he could not understand. Not doubting that it was your intention to attack my village at night, and carry off my people, I desired them to get ready to fight. We were all prepared and eager to kill you, and came down breathing vengeance and slaughter, supposing that you were my enemies, and had landed from the opposite side of the river. But when you came to meet us unarmed, and we saw your white faces, we were all so frightened that we could not pull our bows, nor move hand or foot; and when you drew near me, and extended your hands towards me, I felt my heart faint within me, and believed that you were “_Children of Heaven_,” and had dropped from the skies.’ Such was the effect we had produced on him; and under this impression he knew not what he did. ‘And now,’ said he, ‘white men, all I want is your forgiveness.’ ‘That you shall have most heartily,’ we said, as we shook hands with the old chief, and having taken care to assure him we had not come from so good a place as he had imagined, we congratulated ourselves, as well as him, that this affair had ended so happily. For our own parts, we had reason to feel the most unspeakable pleasure at its favourable termination; and we offered up internally to our merciful Creator, a prayer of thanksgiving and praise, for his providential interference in our behalf; for the Almighty has indeed, to use the words of the Psalmist of Israel, ‘delivered our soul from death, and our feet from falling; and preserved us from any terror by night, and from the arrow that flieth by day; from the pestilence that walketh in darkness; and from the sickness that destroyeth at noon-day.’ We were grateful to find that our blood had not been shed, and that we had been prevented from spilling the blood of others, which we imagined we should have been constrained to do from irremediable necessity. Our guns were all double-loaded with balls and slugs, our men were ready to present them, and a single arrow from a bow would have been the signal for immediate destruction. It was a narrow escape; and God grant we may never be so near a cruel death again. It was happy for us that our white faces and calm behaviour produced the effect it did on these people—in another minute our bodies would have been as full of arrows as a porcupine’s is full of quills.