Chapter I (2)

Saturday, 14th.—Clear, and a fine breeze from the westward; much difficulty in getting away the people, and caboceer wishing us to stay. At 8.40 A.M. started, accompanied several miles by the caboceer and a great number of people, with upwards of two hundred of the caboceer’s wives, one of which was young and beautiful. The messenger from Burgho also was with us, and mounted on a much better horse than any I had yet seen. He said it was a war-horse, and set much value on it. Passed through the village of Fellah: the country extremely beautiful, clear of wood, and partly cultivated. We passed a number of Fellatah villages, whose inhabitants live here as they do in most other parts of Africa, attending to the pasturage of their cattle, without interfering in the customs of the country, or the natives giving them any molestation. Passed Awari at ten; at eleven started again and halted at Bayoo; the country still continuing fine and well cultivated. Here we changed carriers; and at 1.40 P.M. arrived at Kooso, a large, double-walled town; the outer wall extending from some rugged granite hills on the south-east to a great distance in the plain: the walls were crowded with people to receive and welcome us. The caboceer was seated under his verandah, with his wives and headmen around him, and shortly after came to welcome us. He was dressed in a Nyffee tobe, made after the Mohammedan fashion. He said he was glad to see white men come to his country, and going to see his king; that he never expected to see this day; that all the wars and bad palavers would now be settled. He presented us with yams, eggs, a goat, a sheep, and a fine fat turkey, and milk: a large pig also from the caboceer of a neighbouring town.

Sunday, 15th.—Clear and cool breeze from the east. The caboceer came to bid us good morning, bringing abundance of provisions, which we gave to the kafila accompanying the messenger. The large court, about two hundred yards square, in which we are lodged, is constantly filled with some thousands of people, who will not be driven away, party succeeding party in their curiosity to see us; and “wide-mouthed wonder stares apace.” This is by much the largest town we have seen, and at least contains twenty thousand people. They describe the country on every side as being full of large towns.

Monday, 16th.—Morning clear and fine. Last night we had thunder, lightning, and a few drops of rain; the thermometer had been as low as sixty-two degrees. They tried very hard this morning to retain us another day, but we were determined to go on, and at eight we left Kooso. I rode to-day, as I felt myself much stronger than since I left Engwa. Just as we were starting, Mr. Houtson being mounted on a vicious horse, the animal reared and fell backwards with him. Our road was in a parallel line with the hills until we passed through the town of Yaboo; course, east three-quarters north; the country well cultivated and very beautiful. At 10 A.M. halted at the town of Ensookosoo; here we had to stop, much against our will, as Abaco, the messenger, had eaten too much pork, and made himself sick, and could proceed no farther. We therefore took up our quarters in the house of the caboceer, a dull-looking man, with a long iron chain round his neck, an ornament of which they are all fond: a pair of manacles for the hands lay beside him. We were lodged in the fetish room, which was the best in the house, and a very good one. We had a present of a pig, fowls, guinea-fowl, goat, fruits, milk, two bushels of plantains, yams, &c. The country between Yaboo and Ensookosoo was a beautiful plain, well cultivated, and studded with a number of Fellatah villages; here also the curiosity of the people appeared to be insatiable, but the women very shy; they are well dressed, and have immense large bugles on their arms, the Fellatah women who came from the villages to see us especially, as also their necks covered with coarse jasper beads, made in the country: we met a number of people with merchandize. The people snap their fingers when the caboceer drinks.

Tuesday, 17th.—Last night we had a long conversation about England; and the belief of my going to make peace with the Housa slaves and the king gains ground. They have been in rebellion these two years, and possess a large town only two days’ journey from Katunga, called Lori. The Youribanis are evidently afraid of them; they say they have a great number of horses, and have been joined by many Fellatahs. I told them, that if the king made good friends with the king of England, he would send him every thing he wanted; that if ships could come up the Quorra there would be an end of the war immediately. They said that canoes came up the river from Chekerie or Warrie to Nyffee or Tappa, and that they were ten days on the passage. I surprised them not a little by an account of our rivers, towers, houses, and especially our great guns. We had a great deal of trouble in leaving Ensookosoo, and it was 8.45 before we got fairly started. The Fellatahs near the town had supplied us with plenty of milk; we had guards inside and outside the house, and the war-horn blowing at intervals all night. At 9.15 halted at the town of Ladooli; the country is well cultivated, with numerous villages. We met numbers of trading men and women, and saw a range of hills bearing from east by south to south. After changing horses we left Ladooli, and halted at Aggidiba; the country well cultivated as before, but the inhabitants had mostly deserted from the town on account of the rebellious Housas, who make frequent inroads into this part of the country, and have burnt several towns and villages. I stopped here, as I was very sick, and unable to ride; but at 12.15 left Aggidiba; our road through a wood of low, stunted, scrubby trees, on a soil of sand and gravel; passed three villages, and two that had been burnt by the Fellatahs. At noon arrived at the town of Akkibosa: it is surrounded with trees inside the walls. The caboceer was very civil, and made us a present of a goat, yams, fowls, eggs without number, and plantains. These two days we have not seen the palm-oil tree, but one of them appeared to-day by the banks of a small stream in the valley. Mr. Houtson and I took some strong medicine, as we were both very unwell. I was worse than I have been since I left Badagry. The town of Akkibosa is large, and surrounded inside the walls with an impenetrable wood.

Wednesday, 18th.—Morning dull and hazy, with a little drizzling rain. At 7 A.M. left Akkibosa; the country cultivated only in patches here and there; the trees low and stunted; the soil gravelly. At 9.20 halted at Adja, where we were obliged to stop, the people being at work in the fields. The caboceer seemed inclined to be uncivil, and did not wait on us for a considerable time: when he did, I would not shake hands with him, but told him I should report his disrespectful conduct to the king of Eyeo. He first said he was in the country, then that he was asleep, and no one told him we were come. He said, if I would forgive him, he would get us every thing we wanted; to which I assented, provided he would promise to get us every thing ready for starting at daylight. I had my side rubbed with a piece of cord, after some Mallageta pepper was chewed and spit on the part. The cord was rubbed backwards and forwards on the part, and gave ease; and I consider it an excellent mode of rubbing.

Thursday, 19th.—Clear morning. Every thing was ready at daylight. The caboceer brought me some medicine to take; it was like lime-juice and pepper. I was so sick that I could not stand for half an hour after I had taken it; I then got suddenly well, both as to the pain in my side and the severe diarrhœa which had troubled me for some days: gave him six coral beads, and at 6.40 A.M. left Adja, which is a walled town, having an avenue of trees, with a creeping plant of a briar-like appearance ascending to their very tops, from which hanging down, it makes an impenetrable defence against any thing but a snake; and being an evergreen, there is no possibility of burning it. The town is straggling, and may be said to contain 4000 inhabitants. At 8 A.M. passed the town of Loko, where we changed carriers: the country well cultivated, and planted with corn, yams, &c., and rising into gentle hills and dales. At 8.30 left Loko, which is a considerable walled town; at 9.30 halted under a tree to tighten my hammock; at 10 halted at the eastern town of Saloo; there being three of that name close together, and all apparently equally large; the western one walled, the other two not walled. The country between Loko and this place but little cultivated, and thickly wooded; the soil a red clay and gravel, with some large pieces of clay iron-stone that looks as if it had passed through the fire, being full of small holes, perhaps by the water wearing away the soft parts. In this part of the route I obtained the flower of the butter tree of Mungo Park. The tree is almost bare of leaves when in flower, and until the rains are nearly over, and is then in luxuriant foliage. The flower has eight petals and eight leaves, and of a pale yellow. At 10.30 changed carriers and left Saloo; at noon, halted at the town of Laydoo. The caboceer’s house was under repairs, but we got a good room, with plenty of provisions. He sent into the country for milk and honey; the latter we got; the former not to be had. We here saw a great number of traders.

Friday, 20th.—Morning clear. Last night we had a visit from the caboceer and the principal people of the town, to inquire what would make their town large and flourishing as it once was. I told them, that to encourage people to come and settle in it by treating them well, and also to encourage them to come and trade, and plant plenty of corn and yams, and then poor people would make money, and get children; that no man ought to have one hundred wives and another none, but that every man ought to have only one wife. The latter part of my advice was laughed at, though the first was highly approved. I told them, if they had only one wife, more children would be born: that in England the people are as numerous as ants; and that I was the youngest of thirteen children, and as stout a man as any in their town; that it was no uncommon thing for one woman to have sixteen or seventeen children. Mr. Houtson then gave them a word on the riches, improvements, and happiness of Old England, enlarging on the general cultivation of the country, its roads, carriages, and modes of travelling; its canals, ships, trade, wars, &c.; the bravery of the men, and the beauty of the women, with the richness of their dress; and that this prosperous state of things resulted from its good government, the king encouraging people from all parts of the world to come to England and trade, and sending his own people to visit the most distant corners of the earth to see what in every country might be of use in England. It was midnight before we parted, and then I had to send them away, telling them we had to rise early in the morning. Burgho is only a day’s journey from this, and the natives of that country often come and steal people from the neighbouring towns to sell into slavery. At 7 A.M. left Laydoo; the country but little cultivated, thin woods, soil a red clay mixed with lumps of iron-stone, none being larger than three feet on each side. At 8.30 halted at the village of Leogalla, inhabited by Fellatahs, who kindly brought us sweet milk to drink. At 10 halted at the village of Bongbong, where the carriers got their breakfast of eko, or accassan, which is made of millet meal, first steeped in water until sour, then boiled like a thick paste, and then mixed with warm or cold water for a drink, or eaten without water for food: it is very wholesome. The village of Bongbong is walled. At 10.30 started—passed a burnt village—the road winding—country woody, forming gentle dale and down; a strong harmattan, or north wind, blowing. At noon halted at Atepa; got quarters in the caboceer’s house, where we were supplied with yams, fowls, a goat, turkey, &c., also a large pig, which we gave to Abaco, the king’s messenger. The caboceer was very inquisitive about England.

Saturday, 21st.—Morning cold and clear. This night the thermometer has been as low as 55° in the open air. The coldest time in this country, as, I believe, in all others, is the hour before day-light, or rather before sunrise. The town is large and populous, containing certainly above six thousand; it is surrounded by a belt of trees, rendered impenetrable by the crossing thorny creepers, through which there is only a narrow pass at the gates. The country, for a couple of miles outside the gate, well cultivated. At 9.15 entered the walled town of Namah, the road now winding and woody; changed carriers; and at 9.30 left Namah. The country plain, and a clay soil. At 10 A.M. crossed a stream called Juffee or Moussa which runs into the Quorra at, or opposite to, Nyffee. At 11.30 arrived at the walled town of Leobadda: there is a range of broken rocks, like an immense wall, on the east side of which the town is built. We were accompanied hither by the caboceers of Atepa and Namah, with all their train, to guard us from the Burgho robbers who frequent the road, as the king of that country has his capital only one day’s journey with a horse from this place. Passed two ruined villages; the road woody and winding. We gave the two caboceers a dram before starting, as they had been very kind to us.

Sunday, 22d.—Clear and cold; north wind during the night; thermometer, 56°. The town of Leobadda is situated on the east side of a ridge of granite, the tops of which are broken into large masses, some of them forming the most grotesque figures imaginable; they run in a direction from north-east to south-west, and are from fifty to sixty feet above the plain, and join the hills to the south and east. Leobadda contains about one hundred and fifty houses, with from thirty to forty souls in each; it is walled; the inhabitants are poor, but civil; we were well supplied with provisions, as before, and in addition had milk. The caboceer told us that Kiama, the capital of Borgho, was only one day’s journey by a horse from his town; that these people were only a band of thieves; that their country was small, but independent; that they infested the roads of Youriba, and stole all they could catch.

At 7 A.M. started, accompanied by the caboceer and a great number of attendants. The country well cultivated for a little way outside the town. We met upwards of six hundred men, women, and children, carrying loads; they had travelled all night, and were guarded by men with bows and arrows and swords, ten or twelve armed men marching between each fifty; the road woody, but the trees low and stunted. Here, for the first time, I saw the small stunted accacia. The soil red clay. Passed several villages that had been destroyed by the Fellatahs, some very large. The shady trees are now desolate, the walls covered with weeds. After closing with the range of rocks we entered a beautiful valley in the midst of them, planted with large shady trees and bananas, having green plots, and sheets of water running through the centre, where the dingy beauties of Tshow were washing their well-formed limbs, while the sheep and goats were grazing around on the verdant banks. After passing this lovely valley we crossed another ridge of rocks, and at 9.15 arrived at the town of Tshow, where, after getting housed, we turned to and cleaned our arms, as they say the road is infested with robbers. We afterwards heard that the king of Eyeo was going to send an escort, and was quite rejoiced at our near approach. Got a specimen of the Tsheu fruit and leaves: the fruit is the size of a large pear, having a stone inside, covered with a pulpy cream-coloured substance, which is good to eat. The stone is said to be poisonous; the outer rind of the fruit is put into their soup.

After sunset a caboceer arrived from the king of Katunga or Eyeo. His attendants, horse and foot, were so numerous that every corner was filled with them, and they kept drumming, blowing, dancing, and singing all night. The caboceer waited on us, and after shaking hands with us, rubbed all his face and body over, that his hands, by touching ours, might impart our blessing to his face, head, and body. They were well dressed, and said the king of Eyeo was most anxious to see us: they had a great deal of natural good-breeding; and on my saying I had brought only a small present, they replied, if I had brought nothing the king of Eyeo would be glad to see us. Sent them a flask of rum. They kept firing all night.

Monday, 23d.—The town of Tshow was all bustle and hubbub with the great men and their attendants, the large grooms and their little horses. I left it early, being a poor place, with a good wall, and may contain four thousand inhabitants. Perhaps I might call them poor, as they had not fed us so well as we had been wont to be fed; but considering the ravenous host which came to escort us to Katunga, and who five pretty freely wherever they can, this deficiency on our side is easily accounted for. The road through which we passed was wide, though woody, and covered by men on horseback, and bowmen on foot. The horsemen armed with two or three long spears hurrying on as fast as they could get us to go; horns and country drums beating and blowing before and behind; some of the horsemen dressed in the most grotesque manner; others covered all over with charms. The bowmen also had their natty little hats and feathers, with the jebus, or leathern pouch, hanging by their side. These men always appeared to me to be the best troops in this country and Soudan, from their lightness and activity. The horsemen however are but ill mounted; the animals are small and badly dressed, their saddles so ill secured, and the rider sits so clumsily on his seat, that any Englishmen, who ever rode a horse with an English saddle, would upset one of them the first charge with a long stick.

We were also accompanied by great numbers of merchants or traders. At 9 A.M. halted to the southward of a village called Achoran, until the baggage should come up; but the heavy packages not coming soon, the caboceers thinking we would be too much exhausted before we got into Katunga, sent us off with a proper escort, waiting themselves for the baggage. At 9.30 left the shade, and went on as hard as the horses could possibly walk; the road winding and woody; clay iron-stone, resembling lava, in the spaces between the granite, great blocks of which appeared on each side of the ravines and low hills. We had from the top of one of the ridges some beautiful views to the east, of fine wooded valleys and low rugged bare hills in the back ground. At 10.20 crossed a stream running to the Quorra, which is only a journey of three days distant. Here we drank and gave our horses water; passed the ruins of two towns burned by the Fellatahs. At 11.30, from the top of a high ridge, on which were the ruins of a clay wall, we saw the city of Katunga or Eyeo. Between us and it lay a finely cultivated valley, extending as far as the eye could reach to the westward; our view intercepted to the eastward by a high rock, broken into larger blocks, with a singular top; the city lying, as it were, below us, surrounded and studded with green shady trees, forming a belt round the base of a rocky mountain, composed of granite, of about three miles in length, forming as beautiful a view as I ever saw.

At 12.15 we entered the north gate of Katunga; there was a small Fetish house outside the gate, and a few others inside. We halted, and went into one of the caboceer’s houses until the baggage and escort came up. Here we got _accassan_; and Abaco’s wife was cooking a little country soup for us, but the pot broke on the fire just as it was ready, and the house was in an uproar in an instant; only for my interference they would have come to blows. Abaco was ready to cry that he had disappointed us.

At 2 P.M. the baggage having all arrived, a message came from the king to say that he wanted to see us. A band of music accompanied us and the escort, with an immense multitude of men, women, and children. As there was much open and cultivated ground, the dust they caused almost suffocated us, though the escort tried all gentle means to keep them off. At last after riding one hour, which was full five miles, we came to the place where the king was sitting under the verandah of his house, marked by two red and blue cloth umbrellas, supported by large poles held by slaves, with the staff resting on the ground. After the head caboceers had held some conversation with the king, they came back to us, and I thought they were talking about our prostrations. I told them if any such thing was proposed, I should instantly go back; that all the ceremony I would submit to should be to take off my hat, make a bow, and shake hands with his majesty, if he pleased. They went and informed the king, and came back and said I should make only the ceremony I had proposed. We accordingly went forwards: the king’s people had a great deal to do to make way amongst the crowd, and allow us to go in regular order. Sticks and whips were used, though generally in a good-natured manner; and I cannot help remarking on this, as on all other occasions of this kind, that the Youribas appear to be a mild and kind people, kind to their wives and children and to one another, and that the government, though absolute, is conducted with the greatest mildness. After we got as far as the two umbrellas in front, the space was all clear before the king, and for about twenty yards on each side. We walked up to the verandah with our hats on, until we came into the shade, when we took off our hats, made a bow, and shook hands; he lifting our hands up three times, repeating “Ako, Ako,” (how do you do?) the women behind him standing up and cheering us, calling out “Oh, oh, oh!” (hurrah!) the men on the outside joining. It was impossible to count the number of his ladies, they were so densely packed and so very numerous. If I might judge by their smiles, they appeared as glad to see us as their master. The king was dressed in a white tobe, or large shirt, with a blue one under; round his neck some three strings of large blue cut-glass beads; and on his head the imitation of an European crown of blue cotton covered over pasteboard, made apparently by some European, and sent up to him from the coast. We waited about half an hour until all inquiries had been made respecting our health and the fatigues of our journey. We were then conducted by his chief eunuch and confidents to apartments in the king’s house, and asked if we liked them. They certainly were very good; but our servants would have been too far removed from us. We looked out for one in which we could be more comfortably stowed, and one by which both servants and baggage would be under our own eyes; which is an important matter, in this country especially, and never to be neglected, however good the servants may be. After this we had dinner and tea, to which we had good new milk; and when it got fairly dark we had a visit from the king in person: he was attended by his favourite eunuch, the ladies remaining outside. He was very plainly dressed, so that he would not have been known outside but as one of the people, with a long staff in his hand. He said he could not sleep until he saw us, but that we should only talk about our health, and not about business now. After a short stay he went away. We requested before he went that we should be left undisturbed for two days, that we might rest from the fatigues of our journey.