Chapter III (2)

In the evening we received a fat goat, a basket of _caffas_, a calabash of bananas, a vast quantity of yams, and a bowl of milk, from the governor. He is a sober, kind, and benevolent old man, and generally beloved by his people. To us he is particularly attentive and obliging. He has informed us that the common path to Katunga is unsafe, in consequence of a serious quarrel between the inhabitants of Coosoo and those of a neighbouring town. ‘Therefore,’ said he, ‘I entreat you to remain here with me to-morrow, in order that I may make arrangements to send you by a different road.’ This intelligence was not very agreeable to us, but we are convinced of its importance, and shall therefore thankfully accept the chief’s offer.

The market, which is held this evening in the town, has an imposing and brilliant appearance, from the immense number of lamps used by the tradespeople.

Our visiters, who continued with us till late in the evening, were innumerable, and the noise of the women’s tongues was as loud and disagreeable as ever. For some time nothing could quiet them; threats and entreaties were disregarded or laughed at, till at last we were compelled to resort to the childish expedient of spirting water in their faces from a large syringe. On seeing and feeling the effects of this fearful instrument, they became alarmed, and ran away.

_Sunday, May 2d._—The weather last evening was serene and beautiful, but in the night we were visited by a tornado; the lightning gleamed in long and vivid flashes; the thunder echoed among the mountains; and the rain fell in torrents. In the morning it had passed away, and the air was cool and agreeable.

A fetísh priest from a neighbouring town came to see us this morning, and was going to treat us with the usual harangue of his profession, but we managed to put a stop to it by bribing him with a few needles. We observed nothing remarkable in the fellow’s ornaments or dress, but his person presented a strange and singular appearance. The colour of his skin was like that of whitish brown paper; his eye-lashes and eye-brows were of a silvery whiteness, and his eyes of a bright blue; notwithstanding which, the negro features were strongly and distinctly marked on his countenance. The man’s parents were both natives, and quite black, and we could not ascertain the reason of this extraordinary deviation from the common laws of Nature.

We have received an abundance of kindness from the good old chief of this place, and his endeavours to make us comfortable have been imitated by many of the more respectable inhabitants.

There are people here from _Burgoo_, _Nouffie_, _Hàussa_, and many of the interior countries, and the ‘Queen’ of Nouffie, it is said, also resides in the town, but this seems to us to be rather questionable.

_Monday, May 3d._—The path recommended by the friendly chief of Coosoo lies due east of this town, and we pursued our journey on it this morning by sunrise. Robbers were stated to be lurking about; we conceived it to be prudent, therefore, if not absolutely necessary, to take every precaution for the safety of the mission, and we loaded our own guns and pistols, and armed all our men with swords and muskets. Our Jenna messengers being unacquainted with the new route, the governor of Coosoo had furnished us with two armed foot guides, whose weapons were bows and arrows, besides a horseman armed at all points, to bring up the rear of the party. With all these warlike preparations and equipments, a few harmless women, who were terrified at our appearance, were the only individuals met with on the path during a ride of two hours, which brought us to a town called _Acboro_. And it was well indeed that its distance from Coosoo is so short, for being taken ill on the road, I should have been unable to have travelled further to-day. The town itself is very small; but its dilapidated walls, which inclose an immense extent of ground, would lead one to suppose that it was formerly of much greater magnitude. Within the walls are three granite hills, two on one side, and the other on the opposite side of the town. All their bases are of solid stone, but their summits consist of loose blocks, from the interstices of which trees and stunted vegetation shoot forth. Besides these hills immense masses of granite rock are seen piled upon each other in different parts. On the whole Acboro is one of the wildest and most venerable-looking places that the human mind can conceive, the habitations of the people alone lessening that romantic and pleasing effect which a first sight of it produces.

The hut with which we have been accommodated is not the pleasantest nor most comfortable residence in the world; but then we are persuaded that no better can be procured in the town, so we are quite content with it.

Shortly after our arrival, the governor sent us a sucking-pig, and some other presents, and appeared highly pleased that circumstances had thrown us in his way. ‘White men do nothing but good,’ said he, ‘and I will pray that God may bless you, and send more of your countrymen to Yarriba.’ Instead of the people running and scrambling to see us, as hitherto, the good-natured ruler of this place has excluded the mass of them from visiting our yard, and came very civilly to ask our permission for a few of his friends to look at us. I was too weak and indisposed to gratify their curiosity by rising from my couch; so my brother went out to exhibit his person, and suffered himself to be examined rather minutely. They separated, I believe, tolerably well pleased with each other. Last night a large carving-knife and a shot-belt were stolen from us at Coosoo whilst we slept; but as it is not very probable that an inhabitant would be so rash as to brave our guns and walk over our bodies, which the thief was obliged to do, we attach suspicion only to one of our own men.

_Tuesday, May 4th._—Yesterday three men, inhabitants of Acboro, were captured by a gang of restless, marauding scoundrels, who are denominated here, as elsewhere, ‘war-men of the path,’ but who are, in reality, nothing more nor less than highway-robbers. They subsist solely by pillage and rapine, and way-laying their countrymen. The late governor of Acboro was deposed and driven from the town by his own people, for his indifference to their interests, and the wanton cruelty with which he treated them and their children. At different times he seized several individuals of both sexes, and sold them as slaves, without assigning any cause for the act. This drew on him the vengeance of the friends and relatives of the sufferers, who prevailed on their town’s-people to arise with them and punish the aggressor. The latter soon found that his party was too weak to withstand the attacks of the exasperated populace, and he fled to a remote village, where he now resides; and the inhabitants of Acboro immediately elected a more humane and benevolent governor in his stead.

We rose this morning, as usual, at an early hour, and finding myself sufficiently recovered to ride on horseback, we bade farewell to the governor of Acboro, and quitted the town by sunrise, taking care to use the same precautions against robbers as yesterday. In an hour and three- quarters, we entered an open and delightful village, called _Lazipa_. An assemblage of Falàtah huts stood near it, by which their beautiful cattle were grazing. We stopped a short time to admire them. Many of the bullocks were as white as snow; others were spotted like a leopard’s skin, and others again were dotted with red and black on a white ground. A Falàtah girl presented us with a bowl of new milk, which was very agreeable and refreshing, and after drinking it, we bade adieu to the Falàtahs and their cattle for ever.

We had not travelled a great way from Lazipa before we had to cross a large morass, on the borders of which a very large and handsome species of water-lily flourishes in great perfection. We crossed this morass without difficulty or trouble, and with the same facility, also, two small streams, which intersected the road. At nine A.M., we arrived at _Cootoo_, which, like Lazipa, is an open village, but the former is by far the most extensive of the two. A person who may have travelled from Penzance in Cornwall, to the Land’s End, and observed the nature of the soil, and the blocks of granite which are scattered over its surface, will have a very good idea of the country between Acboro and Cootoo, only that here it is much more woody.

After leaving Cootoo, however, the aspect of the surrounding scenery speedily changed, and became infinitely more pleasing. The soil was more rich and deeper; patches of verdure and cultivated land were more frequent, the latter being neatly fenced;—fine handsome trees, with their spreading branches and thick foliage, embellished the country in every direction, and extended to the eastern horizon. One would be inclined to suppose that these trees had been carefully planted by the hand of man, for they grew at equal distances from each other, and none seemed to interfere with the order, beauty, and regularity of its neighbour. The soil between them was covered with a soft green turf, which rendered the whole view remarkably pleasant. It was over this delightful landscape that we travelled—the morning was cooled by a refreshing south-east wind, and we were both on good terms with ourselves, and gratified by everything around us. At length we came in sight of numerous herds of fine cattle, attended by little boys, and shortly after we arrived at a clean and neat Falàtah village, whose inhabitants were employed in feeding calves, and other occupations connected with an African farm. We then crossed a small stream, and entered a town of prodigious extent, called _Bóhoo_, which is fortified with a triple wall and moats. Without being exposed to the customary tiresome formalities, we were immediately conducted to the residence of the governor. The usual conversation passed between us, and after we had returned to our hut, a bullock was sent us, with yams, bananas, and a huge calabash of new milk, which did not contain less than six gallons; and our people sat down to enjoy themselves in perfect good humour.

In the afternoon a message was delivered to us, signifying that the governor’s ‘head minister’ would be very glad to see us, and would thank us to visit him in the course of the day. But having experienced a relapse, my sufferings were such as to prevent my leaving the hut, and my brother was therefore obliged to go alone. He afterwards informed me that a pleasant walk of rather more than two miles conducted him to the habitation of the minister, by whom he was very kindly received. The compliments of the day only were exchanged between them; and the numerous wives and large family of the master of the house, who are on these occasions generally exhibited to a stranger, having amply gratified their curiosity by an examination of his person, the interview terminated; and he presently returned to our abode, after promising to visit the minister again to-morrow. _Bóhoo_ lies north-east of Acboro, and is built on the slope of a very gentle and fertile hill, at whose base flows a stream of milk-white water; and behind which, on a rising ground, is the Falàtah hamlet already mentioned. Its immense triple wall is little short of twenty miles in circuit; but besides huts and gardens, it incloses a vast number of acres of excellent meadow land, on which bullocks, sheep, and goats indiscriminately feed. By the hasty view obtained of it, the town is not much unlike Kano; but there is no large swamp like that which intersects the latter city. Bóhoo was formerly the metropolis of Yarriba; but about half a century ago, the reigning prince preferring the plain at Katunga, the seat of government was transferred there, since which time Bóhoo has materially declined in wealth, population, and consequence, although it is still considered a place of great importance, and the second town in the kingdom. It is bounded on all sides by hills of gradual ascent, which are prettily wooded, and commands an extensive horizon. The land in the vicinity of the town presents a most inviting appearance, by no means inferior to any part of England in the most favourable season of the year. It seems to be duly appreciated by the Falàtahs, so great a number of whom reside with their flocks in different parts, that the minister candidly declared he could not inform us of their amount. These foreigners sell their milk, butter and cheese in the market at a reasonable rate. The latter is made into little cakes of about an inch square, and when fried in butter is very palatable. It is of the consistence and appearance of the white of an egg, boiled hard.

I have been very ill all the evening with fever, accompanied by excruciating pains in the bowels, but my spirits are cheerful, and I hope soon to recover. We are thankful that we have not been both thus afflicted at the same time. As soon as one of us has in a measure regained his strength, his assistance has been required to minister to the wants of the other.

_Wednesday, May 5th._—Agreeably to the promise my brother made yesterday, he left me to the care of Paskoe and his wife this morning, and hastened to pay his respects to the chief’s head man or minister, as he is called. It appears that this man has been placed in his present situation by the king of Katunga, as a kind of spy on the actions of the governor, who can do nothing of a public nature without, in the first place, consulting him and obtaining his consent to the measure. Yet he conducts himself so well in his disagreeable office, that he has won the good will not only of the governor of the town, but also of its inhabitants. A kind of rivalry exists between the minister and his master; but then it is a rivalry in good and not in bad actions. Hearing that the governor had given us a bullock, and something besides, he presented my brother with a similar one, and a large calabash of _pitto_ (country beer), which he distributed among those who had accompanied him. A bottle of honey completed the list of presents, and they were forthwith forwarded to our habitation, but my brother remained a considerable time afterwards with the chief. He was filled with amazement at the formation and ticking of my brother’s watch, which he gazed on and listened to with transport; his spurs also excited his eager curiosity, and he examined them with the minutest attention. He hoped, he said, that God would bless us both, and that we had his best wishes for our safety. He remarked further, that white men worshipped the Great God alone,—and so did black men also; and that every blessing of life was derived from that source.

On my brother’s return I was very ill; I had been so faint and sick during his absence, that my recovery seemed doubtful, but a few hours afterwards I became better. In the afternoon I sent to the governor and his minister, who had behaved so handsomely to us, three yards of fine red cloth, a common looking-glass, tobacco-pipe, a pair of scissors, snuff-box, and a large clasp-knife. The tobacco-pipe was much admired, but the red cloth was most valued; with the whole, however, they were both perfectly well pleased, and were extravagant in expressions of gratitude. One of the bullocks was slaughtered this morning, and about two-thirds of it distributed by the governor and his chief man to the poor of the town; the remainder of the carcase was divided equally among our attendants, who are in no hurry to leave the place while their present unusually good fare is to be had.

Last evening two female acquaintances, who had been separated from each other for a short time only, met in the yard adjoining ours, wherein one of them constantly resides. The women burst into tears directly they saw each other, and cried loud enough to be heard distinctly by us during the whole of the night; nor did they cease giving vent to their feelings till some time after sunrise this morning.

_Thursday, May 6th._—I am now so far improved in health, that I hope by to-morrow to be able to travel on horseback. Perhaps of all evils that can afflict a sick person, noises of any kind are the greatest. In Africa, whether one is ill or well, it is exactly the same, nothing like peace or quiet is anywhere to be found. Independent of the continual fluttering of pigeons, which roost close to our ears, the bleating of sheep and goats, and the barking of numerous half-starved dogs, we are still more seriously annoyed by the incessant clatter of women’s tongues, which pursues us everywhere, and which I really believe nothing less than sickness or death on their part can effectually silence. The shrillness of their voices drowns the bleating of the sheep and the yellings of the canine race; and notwithstanding all my brother’s exertions, seconded by those of our people, their noise in this town has constantly disturbed me during my illness. A person in England might be inclined to think lightly of the matter; but it is indeed a grievance which can ill be borne by an invalid languishing under a wasting disease, and who has equally as much need of rest and silence as of medicine. Besides these grievances, the shouts of the people outside the yard, and the perpetual squalling of children within it—the buzzing of beetles and drones—the perpetual attacks of mosquitoes and innumerable flies, form a host of irritating evils, to which a sick person is exposed, and to which he is obliged patiently to submit, until, by a relief from his disorder, he is enabled to stand upon his legs and once more take his own part. But even then noises assail his ears, and he does not enjoy the happiness of perfect silence unless he enters a grove or forest.

We were visited this morning by a party of Falàtahs of both sexes. They differ but little either in colour or feature from the original natives of the soil. In dress and ornaments, however, there is a slight distinction between them. They display more taste in their apparel, and wear a greater number of ornaments round the neck and wrists: they pay greater attention also to their hair, which the women plait with astonishing ingenuity. Like that of the young woman we met at Jenna, their heads exactly resemble a dragoon’s helmet. The hair is much longer, of course, than that of the negro, which enables the Falàtahs to weave it on both sides of the head into a kind of _queue_, which passing over each cheek, is tied under the chin. Another company of Falàtahs came to us in the evening, for they had never beheld a white man, and curiosity had led them to our habitation. They brought us a present of a little thick milk, which they begged us to accept, and then went away highly gratified with the interview. The behaviour of the whole of them was extremely reserved and respectful; nothing in our persons excited their merriment; on the contrary, they seemed silently to admire our dress and complexion; and having looked well at us from a little distance, seemed grateful for the treat. The kindness and generosity of the governor of Bóhoo continues unabated; instead of diminishing, it seems to strengthen; he literally _inundates_ us with milk, and he is equally lavish with other things. It gives us unmixed pleasure to meet with so much native politeness and attention from a quarter where we least expected it, and at a time also when it is most required.

_Friday, May 7th._—After we had retired to rest last night, a Falàtah woman came to our dwelling, bringing with her a quantity of eggs of the Guinea-hen, and a large bowl of milk fresh from the cow, as a return for a few needles we had given her in the afternoon. We relate this little circumstance simply to show the difference between the Falàtahs and the Yarribeans, in point of gratitude for favours they may have received. The latter are very seldom thankful, and never acknowledge gratitude as a virtue; the indifference, unconcern, and even contempt, which they often evince on receiving our presents, is a proof of this;—and, with very few exceptions, we never observed a Yarribean to be sincerely thankful for anything.

In the morning I was able to sit on horseback; and as we were setting off, the governor came out to wish us farewell, and to present us with two thousand cowries for the purpose of assisting us on our journey. We have said that Bóhoo is about twenty miles in circumference—perhaps we guessed considerably within bounds; for as we rode out of the city, we were astonished at its vast extent. Two hours after leaving Bóhoo, we passed through an agreeable, thinly inhabited village, called _Maloo_; and in somewhat less than an hour after, arrived at _Jagūta_, which is a large and compact town, fortified by a neater and more substantially- built wall than any we have yet seen.

_Jagūta_ lies E.S.E. of Bóhoo, from which it is distant, as nearly as we can guess, from twelve to thirteen miles. In the course of the journey we met a party of Nouffie traders from Coulfo, with asses carrying trona for the Gonja market. Among them were two women, very neatly clad in their native costume, with clean white tobes outside their other apparel, resembling as nearly as possible the _chemise_ of European ladies. These asses were the first beasts we had observed employed in carrying burdens, for hitherto people of both sexes and of all ages, especially women and female children, have performed these laborious duties.

The governor of Jagūta came to apologize, in the evening, for not having attended us the greater part of the day, on the plea that he had been engaged in the country with his people, in making a fetísh for the prosperity of the king of Katunga. The return of the governor and his procession to the town was announced by a flourish of drums, fifes, &c., with the usual accompaniments of singing and dancing. The musicians are now performing before him in a yard which is next to ours. It is between ten and eleven P.M.; and it is likely that our ears will be stunned by a combination of the most barbarous sounds in the world, for the remainder of the night. It is well that I am so far recovered as not to care about it, or this abominable din would drive me to distraction. We are daily assured that the path is rendered exceedingly dangerous by banditti; and the governor of this place has been endeavouring, with a good deal of earnestness, to persuade us that our goods will not be respected by them. It will scarcely be believed, however, that this universal dread originates from a few Borgoo desperadoes, who, although only armed with powder and a few broken muskets, can put a whole legion of the timid natives to flight. The inhabitants of the town have been firing repeatedly this evening, to deter this formidable foe from scaling their wall and taking possession of their town.

_Saturday, May 8th._—Last night and the preceding one, we were visited by thunder-storms, which did not however annoy us. The natives as usual impute the seasonable weather to our agency alone; and in consequence, our arrival at many places has been hailed with transport, as the most fortunate thing that could have happened. It is astonishing to find how extremely partial the rains have been here. In some districts the ground for this month past has been literally drenched, while in others, only a few miles distant from them, vegetation has been suffering from a want of water.

Extraordinary preparations were made by the governor of Jagūta to ensure our safety on the dreaded pathway; and a horseman, armed with a sword and spear, in company with four foot soldiers, who were equipped with bows and several huge quivers full of arrows, were in readiness to offer us their protection this morning. The horseman preceded our party, and played off a variety of antics, to our great amusement. He seemed not a little satisfied with himself; he flourished his naked sword over his head; brandished his spear; made his horse curvet, and bound, and gallop alternately; and his dress being extremely grotesque, besides being old and torn, gave him an appearance not unlike that of a bundle of rags flying through the air. But with all this display of activity and heroism, the man would have fled with terror from his own shadow by moonlight; and we really regretted that a few defenceless women were the only individuals that crossed our path to put his courage to the test, the formidable ‘war-men’ being elsewhere.

Our journey to-day has been vexatiously short, not having exceeded four miles; and it is utterly beyond our power to persuade the superstitious natives, who conform only to their _fetísh_ in these matters, that the robbers would be afraid to think of attacking white men. The town at which we are now halting is called _Shea_, and is defended by a wall. It possesses a numerous population, if we may be allowed to form an opinion from the vast number of individuals that gathered around us immediately on our entrance through the gateway. A stranger, however, cannot give anything like a correct estimate of the population of any inhabited place in this part of Africa, for as he can only judge of it by the number of court-yards a town or village may contain, and as in one court-yard there may be residing at least a hundred people, and in the one next to it, perhaps, not more than six or seven, the difficulty will be immediately perceived. Generally speaking, the description of one town in Yarriba would answer for the whole. Cleanliness and order may contribute to the superiority of one place over another, which may likewise have the advantages of a rich soil, a pleasant neighbourhood, and be ornamented with fine spreading and shady trees, but the form of the houses and squares is everywhere the same: irregular and badly built clay walls, ragged-looking thatched roofs, and floors of mud polished with cow-dung, form the habitations of the chief part of the natives of Yarriba, compared to most of which a common English barn is a palace. The only difference between the residence of a chief and those of his subjects, lies in the number and not in the superiority of his court- yards; and these are for the most part tenanted by women and slaves, together with flocks of sheep and goats, and abundance of pigs and poultry, mixed together indiscriminately.

Yesterday we crossed two small rivers, and to-day passed over a larger one, which were all flowing from north to south. _Shea_ lies four miles E.b.S. of Jagūta. The governor of the town has presented us with a pig, and a quantity of country beer, and we have also received little presents of provisions from a few of the people.

_Sunday, May 9th._—We agreed, rather reluctantly, to witness an exhibition of tumbling, &c., this morning, previous to quitting the town, and while we were on horseback. This detained us a little; but as soon as it was over, we were escorted out of the town by beat of drum, preceded by an armed horseman and an unarmed drummer, and continued our journey followed by a multitude of the inhabitants. We passed through a very large walled town called _Esalay_, about six miles from Shea; but its wall is dilapidated, and the habitations of the people in ruins, and almost all deserted. This town, which was not long since well inhabited, has been reduced to its present desolate and miserable state by the protection which its ruler granted to an infamous robber, whose continued assaults on defenceless travellers, and his cruelty to them, at length attracted the notice of the king of Katunga. But previous to this, the inhabitants of another town not far off, many of whom had at different times suffered from his bold attacks, called in a number of Borgoo men, who bore no better reputation for honesty than the robber himself, and resolved to attempt the capture of the ruffian in his stronghold, without other assistance. Their efforts, however, were unavailing. The governor, entrenched in his walled town and supported by his people, sheltered the miscreant, and compelled his enemies to raise the siege. About this time a messenger arrived at Esalay from the king of Katunga, with commands for the governor to deliver up the robber to punishment; but instead of obeying them he privately warned the man of his danger, who took immediate advantage of it, and made his escape to Nouffie. The governor was suspected of aiding the escape of the robber; and a second messenger soon after arrived from Katunga, with orders for the guilty chief either to pay a fine to the king of 120,000 cowries, or put a period to his existence by taking poison. Neither of these commands suiting the inclination of the governor of Esalay, he appointed a deputy, and privately fled to the neighbouring town of Shea, there to await the final determination of his enraged sovereign. We saw him at the latter town yesterday, dressed in a fancifully made tobe, on which a great number of Arab characters were stitched. He walked about at perfect liberty, and did not seem to take his condition much to heart. The inhabitants of Esalay, finding that their ruler had deserted them, that they were threatened by the king of Katunga, and that the Borgoo men, emboldened by the encouragement they received from that monarch, were also lurking about the neighbourhood, and ready to do them any mischief, took the alarm, and imitating the example of their chief, most of them deserted their huts, and scattered themselves among the different towns and villages in the neighbourhood. Very few people now reside at Esalay; and this town, lately so populous and flourishing, is little better than a heap of ruins.

After we had passed through Esalay, we crossed a large morass and three rivers, which intersected the road-way. The croaking from a multitude of frogs which they contained, in addition to the noise of our drum, produced so animating an effect on our carriers, that they ran along with their burdens doubly as quick as they did before. We then arrived at an open village called _Okisabba_, where we halted for two hours under the shadow of a large tree, to allow some of our men, who had been loitering behind, to rejoin us, after which we again set forward, and did not stop till we arrived at the large and handsome walled town of _Atoopa_, which the late Captain Clapperton passed through in the last expedition. During our ride, we observed a range of wooded hills running from N.N.E. to S.S.W.; and passed through a wilderness of stunted trees, which was relieved at intervals by patches of cultivated land; but there is not so much cultivation as one might expect to find near the capital of Yarriba. Atoopa is about twenty miles N.b.E. of _Shea_, the town in which we slept last night.

_Monday, May 10th._—Armed guides are no longer considered necessary; and we set out this morning only with our Badágry and Jénna messengers and interpreters. On going out of Atoopa, we crossed a river which flowed by the foot of that town, where our carriers overtook us, and we travelled on together. The country through which the path lies is uncommonly fine; it is partially cultivated, abounding in wood and water, and appeared, by the number of villages which is scattered over its surface, to be very populous. As we rode along, a place was pointed out to us where a murder had been committed about seven years ago, on the person of a young man. He fell a victim to a party of Borgoo scoundrels, for refusing to give up his companion to them, a young girl, to whom he was shortly to be married. They at first endeavoured to obtain her from him by fair means; but he obstinately refused to accede to their request, and contrived to keep the marauders at bay till the young woman had made her escape, when he also ran for his life. He was closely pursued by them, and pierced by the number of arrows which they shot at him, he at length fell down and died in the path, after having run more than a mile from the place where the first arrow had struck him. By the care with which this story is treasured up in their memories, and the earnestness and horror with which it is related, we are inclined to believe that although there is so great a fuss about the Burgoo robbers, and so manifest a dread of them, that a murder on the highway is of very rare occurrence. When this crime is perpetrated, the whole nation seems to be terror-struck, and the people rise up in arms as if a public enemy were devastating their country, and slaughtering its inhabitants without mercy. This is the only instance we have heard of a young man entertaining a strong attachment for a female. Marriage is celebrated by the natives as unconcernedly as possible; a man thinks as little of taking a wife, as of cutting an ear of corn—affection is altogether out of the question.

A village in ruins, and a small town called _Nàma_, where we halted for a short time, were the only inhabited places we passed through during the day, till our entrance into the town of _Leoguadda_, which is surrounded by a double wall, and in which we intend to pass the night. The governor happened to be in his garden on our arrival, so that we were completely wearied with waiting for him; but as he did not make his appearance, we ourselves found out a convenient and comfortable hut, and though we were assailed by a volley of abuse from the mouths of half a dozen women, we succeeded in sending them away, and we now remain in tranquil possession of our quarters. In the centre of our yard, is a circular enclosure without a roof, within which is an alligator, that has been confined there seven years. This voracious animal is fed with rats only, and he generally devours five a day. One of the inhabitants perceiving that I was rather inquisitive, volunteered to go to a river in the vicinity of the town, and to return in a few minutes with as many young crocodiles as I might wish for; but as I had no opportunity of conveying animals of this description through the country, I declined the man’s offer. The inhabitants of Leoguadda, having probably no vegetable poison, make use of the venom of snakes on the tips of their arrows. The heads of those serpents from which they extract this deadly substance are exposed on the sticks which are thrust into the inside of the thatch of their dwelling as a kind of trophy.

Leoguadda is almost surrounded by rugged hills, formed by loose blocks of granite; these, added to a quantity of tall trees, always green, and growing within the walls, render the town inconceivably pleasant and romantic. Immense tracts of land are cultivated in the vicinity of the town, with corn, yams, &c., and abundance of swine, poultry, goats, and sheep, are bred by its inhabitants. Formerly, also, herds of cattle were to be seen in the meadows; but they belonged to Falátahs, who, we were told, fled from Leoguadda some time since to join their countrymen at _Alórie_.

_Tuesday, May 11th._—We left Leoguadda early in the morning, and about the middle of the forenoon reached a walled town of some extent, called _Eetchó_. The place is of importance on account of a large weekly market which is held in it. Eetchó has recently been more than half consumed by fire, and will not, it is supposed, regain its former condition for some time. Like most large trading towns, it is in as unsettled and filthy a state as can be conceived. This day’s journey has been highly agreeable; the path lay through a beautiful country, varied in many places by hills of coarse granite, which are formed of large single blocks, heaped on each other. Trees and shrubs of a beautiful green, were growing from their interstices, and almost hid the masses of stone from view.

The governor of Eetchó welcomed us to his town very civilly, but his kindness as yet has extended no further; and although in all probability he is as opulent as most chiefs on the road, yet he did not follow their example in giving us provisions, but left us to procure them ourselves in the best manner we were able. About a stone’s throw to the west of the town is the main road to _Borgoo_, _Nouffie_, _Hàussa_, _Yàoorie_, &c., six hours ride on which would take us out of Yarriba into the territories of the king of Kiáma. It is a general custom here, when any stranger of consequence approaches Katunga, to send a messenger before him for the purpose of informing the king of the circumstance; and as we are considered in that light, one of our Jenna guides will set out for the above purpose to-morrow, and we are told that we must remain here till Thursday morning, for an escort of soldiers, which will be sent to meet us. We have no inclination for the honour, as it would expose us to a thousand little inconveniences, and we therefore intend to avoid it by leaving this place by moonlight.

It will scarcely be believed, that not less than one hundred and sixty governors of towns and villages between this place and the sea coast, all belonging to Yarriba, have died from natural causes, or have been slain in war, since I was last here; and that, of the inhabited places through which we have passed, not more than a half dozen chiefs are alive at this moment, who received and entertained me on my return to Badágry three years ago.

_Wednesday, May 12th._—We were visited last night by a tornado; and it rained so heavily this morning, that even if we had not been obliged to remain in _Eetchó_ to-day, it would have been next to impossible to have pursued our journey. The celebrated market of this place may be said to commence about mid-day, at which time thousands of buyers and sellers had assembled in a large open space in the heart of the town, presenting the most busy, bustling scene imaginable. To say nothing of the hum and clatter of such a multitude of barbarians, the incessant exertions of a horrid band of native musicians rendered our own voices inaudible. People from Katunga and other towns of less importance flocked into Eetchó to attend the market to-day, which, we are informed, was nevertheless not so well attended as on former occasions; the rain that had fallen, and the alleged danger which besets the path, having prevented many thousands from leaving their own abodes. Country cloth, indigo, provisions, &c. were offered for sale, but we observed nothing in the market deserving particular notice. The town is to be well guarded to-night, for fear of its being attacked whilst we remain in it; and it is given out that any one found loitering outside the walls after sunset will be seized without ceremony, and his effects taken from him. A very ungallant custom prevails at Eetchó, which is, that every woman who attends the market for the purpose of selling any article, is obliged to pay a tax of ten cowries to the governor; whilst any individual of the other sex is allowed to enter the town and vend his commodities publicly without paying any duty whatever.

_Thursday, May 13th._—We arose at a very early hour this morning to undertake the journey to Katunga, which is rather long; and we hoped not only to reach that city before the heat became oppressive, but also to avoid, if possible, the escort which we had little doubt the king would send out to meet us. Yet, notwithstanding our most strenuous exertions, it was six o’clock before we were all ready to depart. The air was cooler than we have felt it since landing from the Clinker, the thermometer being as low as 71° in the shade. The natives appeared to feel this severity of the weather most keenly, for though they huddled themselves up in their warmest cotton dresses, they were yet shivering with cold. Hundreds of people, and perhaps if I were to say _thousands_, the number would not be overrated, preceded and followed us on the pathway; and as they winded through thick forests, along narrow roads, their blue and white clothing, contrasted with the deep green of the ancient trees, produced an eminently pleasing effect. After a hasty ride of two hours, we came in sight of the town of _Eetcholee_, outside of which are numerous trees, and underneath their widely spreading branches we observed various groups of people seated on the turf, taking refreshment. We joined them, partook of a little corn and water, which is our usual travelling fare, and then renewed our journey in good spirits. But we had not proceeded a great way, when the escort about which we had been so uneasy was descried at a distance, and approaching us at a rapid pace, joined the party in a very few minutes. There was no great reason, after all, for our modesty to be offended either at the splendour or number of our retinue, for happily it consisted only of a few ragged individuals on foot, and eight on horseback; with the latter was a single drummer, but the former could boast of having in their train men with whistles, drums, and trumpets.

I sounded my bugle, at which the natives were astonished and pleased; but a black trumpeter, jealous of the performance, challenged a contest for the superiority of the respective instruments, which terminated in the entire defeat of the African, who was hooted and laughed at by his companions for his presumption, and gave up the trial in despair. I have read somewhere, that in ancient time there was a contest between a nightingale, and a famous musician, whose name I have forgot; and that the melodious bird, despairing to equal the divine strains which were produced by the minstrel, acknowledged his superiority by falling dead at his feet. Now, the disconcerted African did not certainly expire at the moment, but he hung down his head, remained silent, looked extremely silly, and did not venture to put his horn to his mouth again, till he imagined his companions had either overlooked or in some measure forgotten his defeat. Among the instruments used on this memorable occasion, was a piece of iron, in shape exactly resembling the bottom of a parlour fire-shovel. It was played on by a thick piece of wood, and produced sounds infinitely less harmonious than ‘marrow-bones and cleavers.’

The leader of our escort was a strange-looking, powerful fellow, and might very well serve the writer of a romance as the hero of his tale, in the character of keeper of an enchanted castle, when fierce, scowling looks, terrific frowns, and a peculiarly wild expression of countenance, are intended to be _naturally_ described, for the man’s stature was gigantic, his eyes large, keen, piercing, and ever in motion, his broad nose squatted over both cheeks—his lips immensely large, exposing a fine set of teeth; the beard was black, thick, and gristly, and, covering all the lower part of his face, reached to his bosom; the famous Blue Beard was nothing to him; and in gazing on his features one would almost be inclined to believe, that all the most iniquitous and depraved passions of human nature were centered in his heart. Yet with so unlovely and forbidding an appearance, the man is in reality as innocent and docile as a lamb. He wore on his head a small rush hat, in shape like a common earthenware pan inverted, or like the hats which are worn by the lower class of Chinese. His breast was enveloped in a coarse piece of blue cloth; from his left shoulder hung a large quiver of arrows; and in his right hand he held a bow, which he brandished like a lance; a short pair of trousers covered his thighs, and fantastically-made leathern boots incased his feet and legs. His skin was of jetty blackness, his forehead high; but his tremendous beard, which was slightly tinged with grey, contributed, perhaps more than anything else, to impart that wildness and fierceness to his looks which at first inspired us with a kind of dread of our leader.

Thus escorted, we travelled onwards; and after a hasty ride of six hours from Eetchó, beheld from a little eminence those black, naked hills of granite, at whose base lies the metropolis of Yarriba. About an hour afterwards we entered the gates of that extensive city. As is the custom, we stayed under a tree, just inside the walls, till the king and his eunuchs were informed of our arrival, which having been done, after a wearisome delay, we rode to the residence of _Ebo_, the chief eunuch, who, next to the king, is the most influential man in the place. We found this personage, a ‘great, fat, round, oily man,’ airing himself under the verandah of his dwelling. Other eunuchs of similar appearance were sitting on the ground with him, and joined him in welcoming both of us (but myself more especially) to Katunga, with every appearance of sincerity, heartiness, and goodwill. A conversation not sufficiently interesting or important to relate, here took place,—it lasted a long time; and we then walked all together to the king’s house, which is at the distance of half a mile from that of Ebo.