Chapter VI (4)

21st and 22d.—The horses and camels not being sufficiently recovered to continue the journey, staid at Magaria both these days. Resided at a house belonging to the Gadado, who supplied me with abundance of provisions. Received a message from him to come to see him, with my gun, in order to show the head men of the town the manner in which birds were shot in my country. I soon gratified their curiosity by firing at a small bird, at a distance of fifty yards. The whole of them testified the greatest astonishment on taking it up, and would not for a long time believe it was really dead.

23d.—To my great joy I entered the gates of Soccatoo in the afternoon, about two o’clock, after a tedious and wearisome journey of nearly a month. Not having seen my master for three months, I hastened to his house; but not finding him at home, I went to the Gadado’s, where, I was told, he had gone. My master was in earnest conversation with the Gadado and an old Arab, and was much surprised when informed of the reason of my leaving Kano: he spoke with warmth of the artful and unhandsome conduct of the sultan; and after this act of duplicity on the part of Bello, to the hour of his death, I never observed him to smile. My master had been ill of dysentery before my arrival, but was then much better.

RESIDENCE AT SOCCATOO — MY MASTER’S DEATH — BURIAL.

On the 13th December, the day after my arrival, Sultan Bello sent for my master and myself to repair to his residence. As soon as we entered, he began to make inquiries of the nature of the presents I had with me, and was extremely desirous to know if I had left any with Hadji Ben Sallah for the sheik of Bornou. I replied, I had not. “Are you sure you have not?” said he. I again answered with firmness in the negative. The sultan then demanded the king of England’s letters to the sheik of Bornou, which my master reluctantly produced; but refused to accede to the sultan’s request to open and read them, observing that, when his king discovered, on his return to his country, he had so unfaithfully broken his trust, he would immediately be beheaded. The sultan himself took the letters, and waving his hand for us to withdraw, we left the apartment. We had not been in our hut more than a couple of hours when the Gadado, his brother, Hadji Ben Sallah, and several of the principal inhabitants of Soccatoo, entered, and demanded, in the name of Bello, the presents intended for the sheik of Bornou, together with all the arms and ammunition we did not want ourselves. My master became deeply agitated when he had heard their errand, and rising up from his couch, exclaimed with much energy and bitterness—“There is no faith in any of you; you are an unjust people; you are worse than highway robbers.” They cautioned him to be more guarded in his expressions, or it might cost him his head. “If I lose my head,” rejoined my master in the same determined manner, “I lose it for speaking for the just rights of my country only.” Ben Sallah and others entreated him to moderate his anger, or it might indeed be fatal to him. I also implored him to accede to the demands of the sultan, how unjust and tyrannic soever they might be, observing, that two debilitated white men stood no chance in holding out against the united force of so many Fellatas, who only waited the command of their sovereign to assassinate them. After much entreaty, and not without considerable reluctance, my master desired that they should be given to them; and said to the Gadado, on his leaving the hut, “Tell your sovereign I never wish to see him again; my business with him is now at an end.” A short time after Mallam Mudey returned with a message from the sultan, acquainting my master of his intention of writing to the king of England in explanation of his conduct. He desired Mallam Mudey to tell Bello that the king of England would not even _look_ at a letter from him, after the treatment his subjects had received.

I took an opportunity one day of acquainting my master of Pascoe’s villany, who immediately dismissed him, without paying his wages. The old man went to a native lawyer to obtain advice in what manner he was to act; but instead of holding out the hope of obtaining the sum due to him, the learned Fellata expressed his astonishment that Abdullah had not cut off his head. Pascoe then turned snuff-merchant; but having given too extensive credit, soon became a bankrupt, and was finally obliged to cut wood from the adjoining country, and sell it in the market at Soccatoo, by which means he contrived to procure a precarious subsistence.

One day the Gadado came and begged me to lend him my camel to go to the war against the sheik of Bornou: knowing it would be impolitic to refuse, I let him have it. The animal was returned to me, about six weeks after, in a most shameful state, reduced to a mere skeleton, and having two immense holes in its back. I wished the Gadado to give me another in its stead, but he would not listen to me.

My master and myself enjoyed pretty good health for some time after my arrival at Soccatoo, and amused ourselves with going a shooting almost every day. At one shot my master brought down thirteen wild ducks, about two miles to the north-east of the city, ten of which were secured. We remained at Soccatoo much longer than was intended, believing the sultan would consent to our proceeding to Bornou when the war had become somewhat abated; but this he never granted.

On the 12th of March, 1827, I was greatly alarmed on finding my dear master attacked with dysentery. He had been complaining a day or two previously of a burning heat in his stomach, unaccompanied, however, by any other kind of pain. From the moment he was taken ill he perspired freely, and big drops of sweat were continually rolling over every part of his body, which weakened him exceedingly. It being the fast of Rhamadan, I could get no one, not even our own servants, to render me the least assistance. I washed the clothes, which was an arduous employment, and obliged to be done eight or nine times each day, lit and kept in the fire, and prepared the victuals myself; and the intermediate time was occupied in fanning my poor master, which was also a tedious employment. Finding myself unable to pay proper attention to his wants in these various avocations, I sent to Mallam Mudey, on the 13th, entreating him to send me a female slave to perform the operation of fanning. On her arrival I gave her a few beads, and she immediately began her work with spirit; but she soon relaxed in her exertions, and becoming tired, ran away, on pretence of going out for a minute, and never returned. Alla Sellakee, a young man my master had purchased on the road from Kano to take care of the camels, and whom he had invariably treated with his usual kindness, and given him his freedom, no sooner was made acquainted with his master’s illness than he became careless and idle, and instead of leading the camels to the rich pasturage in the vicinity of Soccatoo, let them stray wherever they pleased, whilst he himself either loitered about the city, or mixed with the most degraded people in it: by this means the camels became quite lean; and being informed of the reason, I told my master, who instantly discharged him from his service.

My master grew weaker daily, and the weather was insufferably hot, the thermometer being, in the coolest place, 107 at twelve in the morning, and 109 at three in the afternoon. At his own suggestion I made a couch for him outside the hut, in the shade, and placed a mat for myself by its side. For five successive days I took him in my arms from his bed in the hut to the couch outside, and back again at sunset, after which time he was too much debilitated to be lifted from the bed on which he lay. He attempted to write once, and but once, during his illness; but before paper and ink could be brought him, he had sunk back on his pillow, completely exhausted by his ineffectual attempt to sit up in his bed. Fancying by various symptoms he had been poisoned, I asked him one day whether he thought that, in any of his visits to the Arabs or Tuaricks, any poisonous ingredients had been put into the camel’s milk they had given him, of which he was particularly fond. He replied, “No, my dear boy; no such thing has been done, I assure you. Do you remember,” he continued, “that when on a shooting excursion at Magaria, in the early part of February, after walking the whole of the day, exposed to the scorching rays of the sun, I was fatigued, and lay down under the branches of a tree for some time? The earth was soft and wet, and from that hour to the present I have not been free from cold: this has brought on my present disorder, from which, I believe, I shall never recover.”

For twenty days my poor master remained in a low and distressed state. He told me he felt no pain; but this was spoken only to comfort me, for he saw I was dispirited. His sufferings must have been acute. During this time he was gradually, but perceptibly, declining; his body, from being robust and vigorous, became weak and emaciated, and indeed was little better than a skeleton. I was the only person, with one exception, he saw in his sickness. Abderachman, an Arab from Fezzan, came to him one day, and wished to pray with him, after the manner of his countrymen, but was desired to leave the apartment instantly. His sleep was uniformly short and disturbed, and troubled with frightful dreams. In them he frequently reproached the Arabs aloud with much bitterness; but being an utter stranger to the language, I did not understand the tenor of his remarks. I read to him daily some portions of the New Testament, and the ninety-fifth Psalm, which he was never weary of listening to, and on Sundays added the church service, to which he invariably paid the profoundest attention. The constant agitation of mind and exertions of body I had myself undergone for so long a time, never having in a single instance slept out of my clothes, weakened me exceedingly, and a fever came on not long before my master’s death, which hung upon me for fifteen days, and ultimately brought me to the very verge of the grave. Finding myself unequal to pay that attention to my master’s wants which his situation so particularly required, I solicited and obtained his consent to have old Pascoe once more to assist me. On entering the hut, he fell on his knees, and prayed to be forgiven, promising to be faithful to my master’s service. Master immediately pardoned him, and said he would forget all that had passed, if he conducted himself well: by this means the washing and all the drudgery was taken from my shoulders, and I was enabled to devote all my time and attention to my master’s person. I fanned him for hours together, and this seemed to cool the burning heat of his body, of which he repeatedly complained. Almost the whole of his conversation turned upon his country and friends, but I never heard him regret his leaving them; indeed he was patient and resigned to the last, and a murmur of disappointment never escaped his lips.

On the 1st of April, he became considerably worse, and though evidently in want of repose, his sleep became more and more disturbed. He swallowed eight drops of laudanum, four times a day, for three days; but finding it did him not the least benefit, he discontinued taking it altogether: this, with the exception of two papers of Seidlitz powders and four ounces of Epsom salts, was the only medicine he had during his illness. On the 9th, Maddie, a native of Bornou, whom master had retained in his service, brought him about twelve ounces of green bark from the butter tree, and said it would do him much good. Notwithstanding all my remonstrances, master immediately ordered a decoction of it to be prepared, observing, “No man will injure me.” Accordingly Maddie himself boiled two basins-full, the whole of which he drank in less than an hour. Next morning he was much altered for the worse, and regretted his not having followed my advice. About twelve o’clock of the same day, he said, “Richard, I shall shortly be no more; I feel myself dying.” Almost choked with grief, I replied, “God forbid, my dear master: you will live many years yet.” “Don’t be so much affected, my dear boy, I entreat you,” said he: “it is the will of the Almighty; it cannot be helped. Take care of my journal and papers after my death; and when you arrive in London, go immediately to my agents, send for my uncle, who will accompany you to the Colonial Office, and let him see you deposit them safely into the hands of the secretary. After I am buried, apply to Bello, and borrow money to purchase camels and provisions for your journey over the desert, and go in the train of the Arab merchants to Fezzan. On your arrival there, should your money be exhausted, send a messenger to Mr. Warrington, our consul at Tripoli, and wait till he returns with a remittance. On reaching Tripoli, that gentleman will advance what money you may require, and send you to England the first opportunity. Do not lumber yourself with my books; leave them behind, as well as the barometer, boxes, and sticks, and indeed every heavy article you can conveniently part with; give them to Malam Mudey, who will take care of them. The wages I agreed to give you my agents will pay, as well as the sum government allowed me for a servant; you will of course receive it, as Columbus has never served me. Remark what towns or villages you pass through; pay attention to whatever the chiefs may say to you, and put it on paper. The little money I have, and all my clothes, I leave you: sell the latter, and put what you may receive for them into your pocket; and if, on your journey, you should be obliged to expend it, government will repay you on your return.” I said, as well as my agitation would permit me, “If it be the will of God to take you, you may rely on my faithfully performing, as far as I am able, all that you have desired; but I trust the Almighty will spare you, and you will yet live to see your country.” “I thought I should at one time, Richard,” continued he; “but all is now over; I shall not be long for this world: but God’s will be done.” He then took my hand betwixt his, and looking me full in the face, while a tear stood glistening in his eye, said, in a low but deeply affecting tone, “My dear Richard, if you had not been with me, I should have died long ago; I can only thank you, with my latest breath, for your kindness and attachment to me, and if I could have lived to return with you, you should have been placed beyond the reach of want; but God will reward you.” This conversation occupied nearly two hours, in the course of which my master fainted several times, and was distressed beyond measure. The same evening he fell into a slumber, from which he awoke in much perturbation, and said he had heard with much distinctness the tolling of an English funeral bell: I entreated him to be composed, and observed that sick people frequently fancy they hear and see things which can possibly have no existence. He made no reply.

About six o’clock in the morning of the 11th, on asking how he did, my master answered he was much better, and requested me to shave him. He had not sufficient strength to lift his head from the pillow; and after finishing one side of the face, I was obliged to turn his head, in order to shave the other. As soon as it was done, he desired me to fetch him a looking-glass which hung on the other side of the hut. On seeing himself in it, he observed that he looked quite as ill at Bornou, on his former journey; and as he had borne his disorder so long a time, he might yet recover. On the following day he still fancied himself getting better. I began to flatter myself, also, that he was considerably improved. He eat a bit of hashed guinea-fowl in the day, which he had not done before since his illness, deriving his sole sustenance from a little fowl-soup and milk and water. On the morning of the 13th, however, being awake, I was much alarmed by a peculiar rattling noise, proceeding from my master’s throat, and his breathing was loud and difficult; at the same instant he called out “Richard!” in a low and hurried tone. I was immediately at his side, and was astonished at seeing him sitting upright in his bed, and staring wildly around. I held him in my arms, and placing his head gently on my left shoulder, gazed a moment on his pale and altered features: some indistinct expressions quivered on his lips; he strove, but ineffectually, to give them utterance, and expired without a struggle or a sigh. When I found my poor master so very ill, I called out with all my strength, “O God, my master is dying!” which brought Pascoe and Mudey into the apartment. Shortly after the breath had left his body, I desired Pascoe to fetch some water, with which I washed the corpse. I then got Pascoe and Mudey to assist me in taking it outside of the hut, laid it on a clean mat, and wrapped it in a sheet and blanket. Leaving it in this state two hours, I put a large clean mat over the whole, and sent a messenger to Sultan Bello, to acquaint him of the mournful event, and ask his permission to bury the body after the manner of my own country, and also to know in what particular place his remains were to be interred. The messenger soon returned with the sultan’s consent to the former part of my request; and about 12 o’clock at noon of the same day a person came into my hut, accompanied by four slaves, sent by Bello to dig the grave. I was desired to follow them with the corpse. Accordingly I saddled my camel, and putting the body on its back, and throwing an union-jack over it, I bade them proceed. Travelling at a slow pace, we halted at Jungavie, a small village, built on a rising ground, about five miles to the south-east of Soccatoo. The body was then taken from the camel’s back, and placed in a shed, whilst the slaves were digging the grave; which being quickly done, it was conveyed close to it. I then opened a prayer-book, and, amid showers of tears, read the funeral service over the remains of my valued master. Not a single person listened to this peculiarly distressing ceremony, the slaves being at some distance, quarrelling and making a most indecent noise the whole of the time it lasted. This being done, the union-jack was taken off, and the body was slowly lowered into the earth, and I wept bitterly as I gazed for the last time upon all that remained of my generous and intrepid master. The pit was speedily filled, and I returned to the village about thirty yards to the east of the grave, and giving the most respectable inhabitants, both male and female, a few trifling presents, entreated them to let no one disturb its sacred contents. I also gave them 2,000 cowries to build a house, four feet high, over the spot, which they promised to do. I then returned, disconsolate and oppressed, to my solitary habitation, and leaning my head on my hand, could not help being deeply affected with my lonesome and dangerous situation; a hundred and fifteen days’ journey from the sea-coast, surrounded by a selfish and cruel race of strangers, my only friend and protector mouldering in his grave, and myself suffering dreadfully from fever. I felt, indeed, as if I stood alone in the world, and earnestly wished I had been laid by the side of my dear master: all the trying evils I had endured never affected me half so much as the bitter reflections of that distressing period. After a sleepless night, I went alone to the grave, and found that nothing had been done, nor did there seem the least inclination on the part of the inhabitants of the village to perform their agreement. Knowing it would be useless to remonstrate with them, I hired two slaves at Soccatoo the next day, who went immediately to work, and the house over the grave was finished on the 15th.

One instance, out of many, of the kindness and affection with which my departed master uniformly treated me, occurred at Jenna, on our journey into the interior. I was dangerously ill with fever in that place, when he generously gave up his own bed to me, and slept himself on my mat, watched over me with parental assiduity and tenderness, and ministered to all my wants. No one can express the joy he felt on my recovery: and who, possessing a spark of gratitude, could help returning it but by the most inviolable attachment and devoted zeal? It was his sympathy for me in all my sufferings that had so powerful a claim on my feelings and affections, and taught me to be grateful to him in hours of darkness and distress, when pecuniary recompense was entirely out of the question.

The great sufferings, both mental and bodily, I had undergone at the death and burial of my master, and the constant agitation in which I was kept, occasioned a rapid increase in my disorder; and on the 16th I could with difficulty crawl round my hut, and was obliged to lay myself on my mat, from which I had not strength to arise till the 27th; old Pascoe, during that period, being very kind and attentive to me. The Arabs in the city visited me daily, and did all in their power to raise my spirits; telling me not to be disheartened at the death of my father, and that no injury would happen to me. But I plainly saw these visits of condolence did not proceed from a charitable spirit; they came more for the purpose of obtaining presents than any thing else: but I did not give them any. The sultan also sent messengers to inquire after my health nearly as often. The weather was dreadfully warm; and I was obliged to have a tub of water close at my side, into which I frequently plunged my hands and arms, and occasionally sprinkled my head and body. This much refreshed me; indeed it was the only means by which I was enabled to obtain a little sleep. I had given up all hopes of life, when on the 26th I found my health improve in a wonderful manner; the next day I was able to sit up on my mat. In the course of this day (27th) the Gadado, Malem Moodie, and Sidi Sheik, came with a commission from the sultan to search my boxes, as he had been informed they were filled with gold and silver; but, to their great amazement, found I had not sufficient money to defray my expenses to the sea-coast. They, however, took an inventory of all my articles, and carried it to Bello. The gold watch intended for him, and the private watches of Captains Clapperton and Pearce, I had taken the precaution to conceal about my person. In a short time the Gadado and his companions returned with a message from the sultan, commanding me to deliver to them the following articles, viz. a rifle-gun, double-barrelled ditto, two bags of ball, a canister of powder, a bag of flints, a ream and a half of paper, and six gilt chains, for which he promised to give me whatever I might ask. I consequently charged him 245,000 cowries, which I was to receive from Hadji Hat Sallah, at Kano; and an order was given me to receive this sum, and what more I might require in my journey over the Great Desert. A letter was also sent by me to Hadji Hat Sallah.

On the 28th I made Ben Gumso a present of four yards of blue, and the same quantity of scarlet damask, an unwritten journal-book, two pairs of scissors, and two knives: with these articles I endeavoured to get into the good graces of this old Arab. By a singular piece of good fortune he had just begun to exercise a powerful influence over the mind and opinions of the sultan. Bello, in an excursion into the Gooberite country, had come to an engagement with a large party of the natives; and in the midst of the fight was shot in the neck with a poisoned arrow, which turned the tide of victory in favour of his enemies. On his return to Soccatoo, Ben Gumso wrote a charm on a bit of wood, which was washed off into a calabash of water, and drank immediately by the sultan; who, shortly after recovering, attributed it solely to the virtues of this charm, and he was advanced accordingly. I begged Ben Gumso to use his influence with the sultan to obtain leave for my departure from his capital, and make the best of my way homewards. He accordingly represented to Bello the impolicy and injustice of detaining any longer a subject of the king of England; advised him to allow me to quit Soccatoo as soon as possible; and insinuated that, if I were to die in his dominions, a report would be circulated and believed that he had murdered both my father and me, by which he would get a bad name. The sultan approved of these weighty arguments of Ben Gumso; and word was sent me, almost immediately, to appear before him. After a little preliminary conversation, Bello asked me which route I should prefer. Although my master had advised me to proceed with the Arabs to Fezzan, just before his death, I much feared that the papers intrusted to my care would be stolen, and myself murdered, by that wily and treacherous race, whose behaviour to my master, from the time of his arrival in Houssa, I very much disliked; and would rather cast myself, unarmed and unprotected, upon the good faith of the natives, than go with them. Under these impressions I answered the sultan that, as I wished to get to England in as short a time as possible, the route to Kubbi, through Boussa, was most likely to answer that end. “It is impossible,” he continued, “to travel that way: the rainy season is commenced; the rivers are overflowed; the country is inundated; and you will not be able to reach the sea-coast in safety. It will be much better for you to go over the desert; and, to facilitate your progress, I will write Hat Sallah to get a trustworthy person to accompany you; he will also furnish you with camels and provisions, and advance you what money it is likely you will want.” I only replied, “Very well, sultan.” He then asked if Abdullah had forgiven Pascoe in his book, for the roguery he had committed. I said, “He had not been able to write during the whole of his sickness; and therefore nothing was stated about the matter.”—“If Abdullah has not pardoned him in his book,” rejoined the sultan, “your king will certainly cut off his head on his arrival in England.” I assured him Pascoe would not be punished by any one, if his future conduct was good; but this the sultan was in no haste to believe; and observed, “I cannot suffer him to go with you; he shall stay here to _clean and repair my guns_!” this latter consideration having evidently more influence with the sultan than Pascoe’s safety, which he cared nothing at all about. I then besought Bello to permit him to accompany me as far as Kano, as an interpreter; to which he rather reluctantly consented, on condition that I should procure him a horse to return, and pay him wages, on my arrival at Kano, to the amount of 15,000 cowries, which of course I agreed to do; and finding the sultan had nothing more to say, I bowed profoundly and retired. I never saw him again.

FROM SOCCATOO TO DUNRORA.

On the evening of the 3d of May, a messenger came from the sultan, and told me to get every thing in readiness to depart on the following morning, with a promise of a camel and provisions, which I never received. Early next day, therefore, I left Soccatoo, where I had suffered so much, heartily tired of the place and its inhabitants; and, accompanied with a messenger from the kind old Gadado, Pascoe and Mudey, with our three camels and two horses, proceeded to a flat, five miles to the east of Magaria, where we arrived in the afternoon, and rested for the night under the branches of a large tree, near to a small lake. Mosquitoes were numerous and troublesome, and consequently could not sleep till morning, when a refreshing breeze springing up, it drove them away. At this flat we joined a party of above 4,000 people, consisting of Tuarick salt-merchants returning to Kilgris, pilgrims on their way to Mecca, Goora merchants returning to Kano and Nyffé, &c. &c.; all travelling in company, for mutual protection, with an immense number of camels, horses, and bullocks. The merchants invariably meet at Kashna, where they disperse for their different destinations. In the same train was the king of Jacoba, with fifty slaves, which he had driven to Soccatoo, as a present to the sultan, who, having learnt the dreadful losses he had sustained in men and cattle in his wars with the sheik of Bornou, and the number of his villages which had been plundered and burnt by the soldiers of the sheik, would not accept of them, and desired the king of Jacoba to re-conduct them to his own dominions.

At eleven o’clock in the morning of the 4th of May, a signal to prepare to depart was made with the horns and drums of the party, which made a loud and most discordant noise; and, about an hour after, the whole body was in motion. We travelled in great haste till three o’clock in the afternoon of the 5th, when Boussa Jack, the horse on which I rode, and which was made a present of by the king of Boussa to my late master, became much fatigued, and began to lag. The weather was at this time intolerably hot, and the dust was rolling in thick clouds in every direction, entering my eyes and nostrils, and penetrating into the very pores of the skin. I felt nearly suffocated, and was faint and exhausted. Finding I was unable to proceed, I ordered Pascoe to overtake the camels, his horse being fresh and vigorous, and bring me some water. I then dismounted, and sat under a tree by the road-side, whose branches afforded but an indifferent shelter against the scorching rays of an African sun, and holding the bridle of my poor horse in my hand, I implored the hundreds of Fellatas and Tuaricks who were passing to sell me a drop of water; but the cold-hearted wretches refused my earnest request, observing one to another, “He is a Kafir; let him die.” At length a young Fellata, from Footatoora, accidentally seeing me, came to the spot, exclaiming, “Nasarah, Nasarah, triffi manora!” (Christian, Christian, go on!) I answered, “I am faint and sick for want of water; no one will give me any; and I am so weary that I cannot proceed.” On hearing which the young man kindly gave me a small calabash full; part of which I drank, and with the remainder washed the nostrils of Boussa Jack, and sprinkled a little into his mouth. The people, who observed the Fellata performing this generous action, upbraided him in strong language for giving water to the Christian; but he, showing them a double-barrelled gun, remarked that he had obtained it of my countrymen, who were all good men, and would do no harm. This somewhat appeased them. On examining the gun shortly afterwards, I found it to be of English manufacture, with “Arnold, maker, London,” on its lock. I, as well as the horse, was greatly refreshed with the small quantity of water I had taken; but soon becoming again weak and dispirited, I was almost in as bad a state as on the former occasion; my legs were swollen prodigiously, and I felt the most acute pains in every part of my body. At length I perceived Pascoe, whom I had sent for water three or four hours previously, comfortably seated under a tree, and seeming to be enjoying himself much with Mudey,—the camels feeding at a short distance. I had half an inclination to shoot the heartless old scoundrel, knowing as he did how keen my sufferings must have been. Reflecting, however, that the safety of my papers, and even my own life, was placed in some measure in his hands, I restrained myself, and merely asked why he did not return with the water, on which he answered, very composedly, “I was tired.”

The young Fellata who had so generously saved my life came to me on the 7th, and informed me that the whole of the slaves of the king of Jacoba being missing, a party of horsemen had been sent in quest of them, and had just returned with the dreadful account of having seen thirty-five of their dead bodies exposed on the road; the remaining fifteen could not be found, but were strongly suspected of having met a similar fate. These unfortunate creatures had to carry heavy burdens on their heads the day before; and being unable to keep up with the rapid pace of the camels, were necessarily obliged to be left behind, and thus miserably perished of thirst. I congratulated myself on my own good fortune in having so narrowly escaped so horrid a death; and thanked the Almighty for having so providentially rescued me. On leaving me, I gave the Fellata a pair of scissors, and twenty flints for his gun, which pleased him highly. On our road to Kano, the king of Jacoba became very sociable with me, and was my constant companion. He pressed me very much to visit his country, where he would do all in his power to make my stay agreeable. He told me that his neighbours, the Yamyam people, who had assisted him in his war against the sheik of Bornou, were surrounded, with some of his own people, on a plain near Jacoba, by the sheik’s soldiers, who made a dreadful slaughter of them. The fight lasted a whole day, when the Yamyams and people of Jacoba were entirely routed; he himself narrowly escaping being taken prisoner. The morning after, the surviving Yamyams repaired to the field of action, and bearing off a great number of the dead bodies of their enemies, made a fire, roasted, and ate them!

Soon after our arrival at Markee, on the 19th, the spouse of the chief, a finely formed and intelligent looking woman, aged about 22 years, came to me with tears in her eyes, and implored me to give her some magarie, as she had no child. I accordingly presented her with a couple of tea-spoonfuls of oil of cinnamon, and ordered her to put two drops of it into a pint of cow’s milk, which should be taken three times a day till the whole was consumed. I told her that on my return to Markee I had not the least doubt I should have the pleasure of seeing her the happy mother of a numerous progeny. On her husband being made acquainted with the circumstance, he came and thanked me in the heartiest manner for my kindness, gave me abundance of fresh milk, fowls, rice, &c.; telling me at the same time, that on my return from England he would give me a large sum of money, which, no doubt, he will do. Bidding them adieu the next morning, they said to me, “Christian! God send you safely to your country, and may you speedily come back to Markee.”

On my arrival at Kano on the 25th of May, I delivered Sultan Bello’s order and letter to Hadji Hat Sallah; but he declared, after perusing the letter, he would have nothing to do with it: he had nearly lost his head on my father’s account at Soccatoo, and therefore positively refused to lend me a single cowrie. He had no objection to give, in goods and a slave, the amount of my demands on Bello, but refused to let me have any money. I accordingly received from him a strong female slave, a quantity of unwrought silk, and scarlet caps and beads. I sold my weakened and diseased camels for 15,000 cowries each, and discharged their keeper, Maddie. Not having sufficient money to purchase fresh camels, provisions, and presents for the chiefs on my way to Fezzan, I was necessitated to take a different route; and for that purpose purchased a horse and two asses. Bello had not forgotten to mention in his letter for Hadji Hat Sallah to send back Pascoe to Soccatoo, on his arrival at Kano. I begged of him, however, to let me take him as far as Coulfo, in Nyffé, which he at first refused; but giving him two yards of scarlet damask, two pairs of scissors, two dollars, a large knife, and two yards of blue damask, the old Arab seemed to relax in his determination; and calling Pascoe to him, gave him leave to accompany me to Coulfo, but cautioned him to return the moment he arrived, on pain of having _Jerrub_ (the devil) sent after him. The old man came to me just after in great trepidation, every member of his body trembling like an aspen leaf, and gave me to understand, as well as he was able, the conversation he had had with Hadji Hat Sallah, and in consequence thereof, his great reluctance to quit Kano with me. I did all I could to laugh him out of his superstitious fears, but it utterly failed of the desired effect; the name of _Jerrub_ being enough to put him in a fever. I had given the slave that Hadji Hat Salah had sold me to Pascoe as a wife. I told him that, unless he accompanied me, he should not have her. As soon as he learnt he was to be parted from the girl, all his scruples vanished, and he consented to go to Coulfo, but no farther, he having left a wife at Soccatoo, where he much wished to go. This woman, whom I had seen several times as Ben Gumso’s slave, was remarkably ugly, and had had before marriage a male child, by a blind fiddler belonging to Sultan Bello’s band at Soccatoo. On my asking what had induced him to marry so frightful an object, he replied, in a tone full of tenderness, it was because she loved him very much, and made the best _tuah_ he had ever tasted: these powerful recommendations were irresistible to a man of Pascoe’s stamp; and a very short time after he had first tasted her _tuah_, Ben Gumso’s ugly slave became the wife of Abbou Boukir (Pascoe’s native name).

On the 29th, Hadji Hat Sallah desired me to pay my respects to the king of Kano, who was then at Faniso, his country residence. I complied with his wishes, and on my leaving his majesty he said, “When you return to your own country, Christian, give the Fellatas a good name.” He was not, however, kind enough to send a messenger with me, so I hired two men to accompany me as far as Funda, paying them 8,000 cowries each for their journey. The same day at one left Kano, and travelling at a quick pace, halted on the banks of the river Kogie, four hours’ journey from that place; but being much swollen, did not dare to pass. To our great regret we found that the tent-poles had been left behind; I was consequently obliged to send back one of the hired servants after them, giving him a sword as a proof that he was sent by me; but the scoundrel never returned. It being necessary for us to rest on the banks of the river that night, I slung the tent to the branch of a tree, and fastened the lower part to the earth. At seven in the evening it came to fall heavy rain, accompanied with the loudest thunder I ever recollect to have heard, and lightning, which continued with great violence till nine next morning. In the night, our tent becoming completely drenched and heavy, the bough to which it was attached gave way, and it fell on us as we were sitting on our mats, it being utterly impossible to sleep. We remained in this miserable plight till day-light, for no one could venture out in that dreadful weather.

30th.—As soon as things were put to rights this morning, I sent Pascoe to Kano to endeavour to bring back the fellow that had cheated me yesterday, but he had not been seen near the place; and Pascoe returned in the afternoon with the poles. The river was now become fordable, but, owing to the strength and rapidity of the current, we crossed with extreme difficulty. We had no sooner landed on the opposite side than four armed slaves from Soccatoo came up to us, and demanded 4,000 cowries of Pascoe, which Ben Gumso had lent him to defray the expenses of the marriage ceremony with his slave, the celebrated maker of tuah; and if Pascoe were unable to pay that sum, they were to take him back to Soccatoo. Pascoe informed them he had left English clothes and money in that capital worth 50,000 cowries, out of which Ben Gumso might pay himself. This answer by no means satisfied the slaves, who were about to take him away by force, when I myself paid the money demanded. This little affair being settled to the complete gratification of Pascoe, we stopped till morning on the spot. The weather during the whole of the night was just as bad as yesterday. In the evening sent Mohamed, the other hired servant, to a neighbouring village to purchase provisions; but he brought with him a little corn only.

31st.—The weather clearing up this morning about eight, we proceeded on our journey, and at two P.M. arrived at Madubie, a small walled town. The chief invited me to remain at his house, but I preferred staying in my tent, which I had fixed within the walls, close to the gate. In the evening the chief’s daughter came to see me, bringing milk, a bowl of stewed beef, and tuah, sufficient for the whole of us for supper. I afterwards made her a trifling present. The weather as usual.

June 1st.—Having dried our tent, at 9 A.M. journeyed till we came to the banks of the Gora, a narrow but deep and rapid river. I was much afraid the men would be washed down the stream in crossing; but at length every thing was landed on the opposite side. Passed the walled town of Bebajie at one at noon; and ordering the men to proceed ahead, I followed at some distance, being afraid the inhabitants would detain me if recognised. Half an hour after, came to a spot where are two roads, one leading to Nyffé, and the other to Funda. My master had said, before his death, at Soccatoo, that if I returned through Nyffé and Youriba, the inhabitants, who must have heard of our having taken presents to Sultan Bello, with whom they were at war, would certainly assassinate me; and feeling an earnest and irrepressible desire to visit Funda, on the banks of the Niger, and trace, in a canoe, that river to Benin, without hesitation I chose the Funda road. We therefore proceeded, and at 6 A.M. pitched our tent within half a mile of the walled town of Koufa. Sent Pascoe to the town for provisions; who shortly afterwards returned with some of the inhabitants to look at the tent. The chief did not visit me, thinking I was an Arab on his way to Funda. I was fortunate enough to obtain a little sleep this night, for the first time since leaving Kano. The town is situated at the foot of an immense rock, on which there is not the slightest trace of vegetation, is about two miles in circumference, and pretty thickly inhabited. To the east of the town is a range of high hills, stretching from north to south as far as the eye can reach. Their sides had a most pleasing appearance, and vegetation looked green and luxuriant. Travelled in a south-east direction till ten in the morning, when our course lay more westerly.

2d.—Left Koufa at 6 A.M., the weather being rainy, and halted at the small walled town of Cookie at twelve at noon.

3d.—It began to rain at day-break, and continued without intermission till ten in the morning, when, brightening a little, we struck our tent, and started at eleven.

At 5 P.M. came near Carifo, a small walled town, similar in extent and form to those we had seen yesterday and the day before. In the course of the day crossed a large river and two smaller ones, all running in a westerly direction, but no one could tell me their names. The hills seen yesterday still on our left, and extending to the horizon.

At 9 A.M. a dreadful thunder-storm came on, with lightning and torrents of rain, which threatened to wash down our tent. The country traversed to-day and yesterday, though level, is picturesque and beautiful; all nature wears a gay and lively aspect: the soil rich, and of a deep red colour.

4th.—At eight this morning, after drying the tent, proceeded; and at eleven reached the foot of a high and craggy mountain, called Almena, consisting of gigantic blocks of granite, fearfully piled on each other, and seeming ready to fall to the ground below. They much resemble the rocks near the Logan-stone, in Cornwall, but infinitely larger. Mahomet, my servant, who is acquainted with the traditions of the natives of every part of this country, and had travelled far and near, gave me the following story:—“About 500 years ago a queen of the Fantee nation, having quarrelled with her husband about a golden stool, fled from her dominions with a great number of her subjects, and built a large town at the foot of this mountain, which she called Almena, from which it took its name.” The town was surrounded with a stone wall, as the ruins which now remain plainly attest. Crossed three small streams in the day, flowing in a north-westerly direction. At 3 P.M. passed a small walled town called Gowgee; and at four halted at Gatas, which it exactly resembled. Here I met with some Kano merchants from Cuttup. The inhabitants of Gatas, discovering by some means my being a Christian, came in crowds to see me; but behaved in a quiet and orderly manner. I invited some of the most respectable of the females into my tent, which they greatly admired, and shortly afterwards presented me with milk and foorah. The natives of this, as well as every other town I have seen in this direction, are of Houssa, but tributary to the Fellatas.

5th.—At five in the morning were again on the road, and halted at the south side of Damoy, a small walled town, at 2 P.M. The inhabitants of this town informed me that the range of hills I have mentioned extended to the salt water, and are inhabited by the ferocious Yamyams, whom they all declare, as did every one I had questioned on the road, to be cannibals. The Yamyams formerly carried on an extensive traffic with the Houssa men, in red cloth, beads, &c. which they took in exchange for elephant’s teeth: but five years before they assassinated a gaffle of merchants, and had afterwards eaten them; since which time the Houssa people have been shy in dealing with them.

6th.—Started at eight in the morning, and traversing a hilly and steril country, covered with small loose stones, reached the south side of a large river called by the natives Accra, at 3 P.M., running to the north-west. I was in hopes of getting into a town this day; but having a burning fever on me, and the nearest village being at some distance, we were obliged to fix the tent on the banks of the river, and remain there till morning without food of any kind.

7th.—Left at six in the morning, and proceeding in a south-west course, arrived at a walled town called Nammaleek, at twelve at noon; the north-east part of which is defended by a mountain, and the remaining parts by a high mud wall. The mountain is nearly perpendicular, and thickly covered with wood. Thousands of hyenas, tiger-cats, jackals, monkeys, &c. inhabit it; and the terrific noise they made during the night prevented me from closing my eyes. These animals are so rapacious, that the poor inhabitants cannot keep a single bullock, sheep, or goat; in consequence of which no animal food could be obtained in the place. The chief put us into a hut, and gave us tuah, with a sauce made from the monkey’s bread-fruit tree, which is most unpalatable stuff. I intended to stop a short time here, and take medicine; but the people coming in scores to see me, I had no opportunity of opening my box but in their presence, which I did not choose to do. This day, two Fellatas, messengers of the sultan of Zegzeg, unfortunately saw me, and asked where I was going. On my acquainting them, they immediately rode off, and, as I subsequently learnt, returned to Zegzeg, and informed the king that I was on my way to Funda with two asses, loaded with riches, and a beautiful horse, as presents to the king of that place.

8th.—At eight in the morning left Nammaleek, and keeping in a south-west direction, at the foot of a range of mountains, perceived an opening, and went through it at about twelve. Our course then lay more easterly, and crossing one large and three small rivers, whose names I could not learn, arrived at Fullindushie, the frontier town in Catica. On our journey to-day, we met, on their way to Zegzeg, as a tax to sultan Bello, from a neighbouring country, thirty slaves, men, women, and children, all apparently ill with the small-pox. The men were tied to each other by the neck with twisted bullocks’ hide; but the women and children were at liberty. The inhabitants of Fullindushie were the first people I had seen in Africa who disdained to make use of any kind of dress. They laughed immoderately on seeing me; whilst I, on my part, made myself quite merry at their expense. They were soon on the most familiar footing with me, and seem an artless and good-humoured people; but disgusting in their manners, and filthy in their persons: their sheep, goats, and poultry eat and sleep in the same hut with them, and a most intolerable stench is exhaled from all their dwellings. They do not appear to have the least affection for their offspring: a parent will sell his child for the merest trifle in the world, with no more remorse or repugnance than he would a chicken. They invariably wear a large piece of blue glass, in the shape of a semicircle, in their upper and lower lip; and a piece of red wood, about the size of a man’s thumb, dangles from their ears. They rub red clay, softened with an oil extracted from the guinea-nut, over their heads and bodies, which by no means improves their appearance. Their features do not resemble in any way those of the Negro, but are fine and handsome, and bear great similitude to the European. The inhabitants make fetishes, like the natives of Yariba.