Chapter XIV

State of the Town of Lever — The Falátahs — The Travellers’ Canoes claimed — Interference of Ducoo — Detention of the Travellers — Their departure from Lever — The Town of Bajiebo — Chiefs — Canoes of Bajiebo — Departure from Bajiebo — Scenery of the River — Town of Leechee — Visit to the Chief — The Passage continued down the River — Madjie Island — Mount Kesa — Land on Belee Island — Messenger from Rabba — Arrival of Suliken Rouah, or the King of the Dark Water — Grand Procession of Canoes down the River — Arrival at Zagōzhi[5] Island — Its swampy nature.

_Friday, October 1st._—This morning, to our infinite relief, the four messengers from Wowow and Boossà spoken of yesterday, were paid for having accompanied us hither, and in the forenoon they left the town in company to go to Wowow. The Patàshie canoemen also received their wages at the same time, and embarked in two canoes a few minutes afterwards, on their return homewards, so that there only remains with us at present one of the Nouffie messengers who joined us at Boossà.

This town is called indiscriminately _Lever_ and _Layaba_, though the latter name seems most generally applied here. Its population is great, and though it is very extensive, it has been built and occupied a very few years only. Its inhabitants are all Nouffie people, and not long ago resided in a large village on the opposite side of the river; but on account of the civil wars which raged in their country, setting every man against his friend, and against his neighbour, when property was insecure, freedom threatened, and life in danger, they were driven to seek an asylum here, where they fancied themselves out of the influence of these evils, and beyond the reach of the Falátahs, of whom they have an unconquerable dread. Here accordingly they erected their dwellings, and cleared the adjacent ground for cultivation. However, the poor people were not left a great while to enjoy unmolested the security which they had been in quest of, and which they imagined they had found at Layaba, for three years ago their relentless enemies invaded their retreat, ransacked the town and destroyed their houses by fire. Fortunately for them the inhabitants had timely notice of the approach of these marauders, and succeeded in recrossing the river, just before their arrival, without the loss of a single man; nor could the Falátahs follow them there, because they had no canoes. But rather than have their property destroyed a second time, and rather than be liable to continual irruptions of their enemies, who would abuse their women and enslave themselves, after their return hither the people of Layaba consented to pay a certain tribute to the prince of the Falátahs at Rabba, independent of a kind of ground-rent or acknowledgment, which is paid to the owner of the soil; so that a double duty is by this means exacted from them. Nor is this all: for parties of Falátahs, which are without employment at home, are generally prowling about the country, and levying contributions on those villages which are too feeble to resist their claims.

Such is the case here at this moment; the Falátahs entered the town on Wednesday to take from its peaceful inhabitants whatever they thought proper. These men are all extremely well-dressed, and are armed with large swords, which are carried about their persons wherever they go. It is likely enough that, in this town, their object, for the present at least, will be defeated, for it is affirmed that they are in terrible apprehension of us, understanding that we should interfere in their unjustifiable proceedings; and appearances seem to confirm this assertion.

This afternoon their party was assembled together by beat of drum, and they crossed the river in a hurry almost immediately after. Without asking our permission, or giving the slightest intimation of their intentions to either of us, they launched and took away the Patàshie canoe, which we call ours, and filled it with their people, which some one observing, he came running in haste to our hut, and informed us that the Falátahs had stolen our largest canoe, and were taking it away. Unacquainted then with their true motives for this action, we were filled with apprehension, and believing the story which had been told us, my brother instantly repaired to the water-side, where he observed, sure enough, our canoe filled with Falàtahs, who were waiting the signal for starting. He was agitated at the insolence of the fellows, and ordered them to get out of the canoe immediately, or take the consequences. They were about to obey his commands, when our officious friend, Ducoo, the priest, stepped forward, put his hand upon his shoulder, and with his usual volubility, desired him to be cool, and he would tell him all. He then informed him that he had himself taken the liberty of launching the canoe for the use of his friends, made an apology for not asking permission, and said, that, after the Falátahs had crossed over on the other side, it should be brought back to us again. This satisfied my brother, and he left them, though he knew he had been telling a falsehood, for it was certainly his intention to send away the canoe, so that we should never have the use of it; but as Ducoo was to remain at Layaba a little longer, we had determined to keep him in ‘durance vile,’ till another, through his means, should be got for us.

In the mean time I had also repaired to the water-side with a pistol, which so terrified the Falátahs, that those who were on shore jumped hastily into another canoe, and all of them stole away as fast as they could, in great trepidation, for they fancied that their end was come. The priest subsequently remarked, that since our arrival, they had been greatly alarmed on account of our presence, and that he had been unable to suppress their fears. Thinking to pay us a compliment, he said we were stronger and better looking than any chief in the whole country, with the exception of the sultan of Bornou. He is himself a tall handsome fellow, and was chuckling at his own ingenuity, but we took little notice of him, and gave him not so much as a needle for his remark. This same individual has begun to show himself in his true colours; in the morning he began begging with much importunity, not only for himself, but for others, nor would he be quieted until we had satisfied his covetousness; and he then laid claim to one of our canoes, which he had the impudence to offer us for sale, and entreated that we would purchase of him! Surely the man cannot be in earnest. This is impudence with a vengeance!

Another small party of Falátahs entered Layaba this afternoon. An hour or two since, one of them attempted to take away a bow and arrows from an inhabitant of the town, who disputed his right to do so; but the Falátah enforced his demand by cutting him across the right shoulder with his sword. The wounded man saw the blood and wept, and ran away to make a complaint to his chief, who hearkened to his tale and pitied him. After a good deal of trouble, he caused the bow and arrows to be given back to their rightful owner, but he could do no more; he dared not punish the assailant for his crime, and he was suffered to boast of it at large. How different are these people from the peaceful and happy Falátahs in Yarriba and other countries, who spend their time solely in pastoral occupations and pursuits! Thermometer 76°, 85°, 87°, during the day.

_Saturday, October 2d._—The chief sent us another fine sheep to-day, and a quantity of dressed provisions swimming in palm oil. He was induced to make us this present from Ducoo’s insinuations, who, no doubt, has his own private ends in view. The priest boasts an acquaintance with the late unfortunate Major Laing, and affirms that he was near the spot at the time of that gentleman’s death. He can also relate the whole of the circumstances attending the melancholy fate of Mr. Park and his associates. But this man is an eternal talker, and therefore we receive all his communications with extreme suspicion.

In the afternoon a small party of men arrived here in a canoe from the chief of the island of _Teàh_, with a message to us, purporting that the canoes which we had, to his infinite surprise, detained at Layaba, did not belong, as we imagined, to his friend the Chief of Patáshie, but were his own property; and as he did not acknowledge the authority of Wowow, but had ever been subject to the King of Nouffie, he considered that we could have no right whatever to the canoes in question, and therefore he would entreat us to return them by the hands of his messengers. He had lent them, because he was willing to oblige us and please his neighbour; but he did not conceive or think it possible, that we could make so ungrateful and unkind a return for his hospitality, and the respect and attention which it had been his pride and pleasure to show us. For our own parts, we could not forbear acknowledging the truth and justice of the observations of the Teàh chieftain, and blaming ourselves for the step we had taken. We therefore expressed our deep and very sincere regret at the measure which we had, from a combination of circumstances, been compelled to adopt; yet we assured the chief messenger, a quiet, respectable man, that it was not altogether our own fault, (for indeed it was not,) as the Patáshie canoemen well knew, for the men of Wowow had forbidden them to take back the boats, promising that their sovereign would pay for them, and the Falátah agent had prevented them from doing so. We said further, that whatever might be the consequence, we had not the slightest objection for the canoes to be restored to their rightful owner; and provided the men from Teàh could obtain the consent of the priest to take them away, they were at liberty to do so whenever they might think proper. But this they were by no means disposed to do, for they both feared and hated him; and therefore they bribed the Nouffie messenger with a large sum of money to assist them in their project, and purposed taking away both canoes in the night-season by stealth. However, their intentions were frustrated by the watchful vigilance of the priest, who had mistrusted them long before they were made known to us; and when he had actually detected their plans, he ordered the canoes to be pulled up on shore, two hundred yards at least from the water’s edge, and observed with vehemence, that after what he had done, should they be launched again into the water and taken away, he would instantly tie a rope round the necks of the chief of the town, and the Nouffie messenger that had accepted the bribe, and in that humiliating state, they should be driven like beasts to their sovereign, the Magīa.

In the evening, the inhabitants of the town assembled outside our house to amuse themselves by dancing and singing in the moonlight; for, notwithstanding all their misfortunes and oppressions, they never refrain from indulging with all their hearts in these sprightly and thoughtless entertainments. Every dancer held in each hand a cow’s tail; they were all dressed grotesquely, and a great quantity of strings of cowries encircled their legs and bodies, which made a loud rattling noise by the violence and celerity of their movements. They sang as they danced, and excited, by the oddity of their gestures, loud clappings of applause, and bursts of laughter from all the bystanders. The spectacle was exceedingly ludicrous; we have rarely witnessed so much jocularity and thoughtless gaiety; and we have seldom laughed so much at any native exhibition. Though the performers panted from want of breath with their exertions, they yet continued their darling exercises, as is usual with them, till long after midnight.

Like many of their countrymen, and like the natives of Yarriba, the inhabitants of Layaba appear to bestow scarcely a moment’s reflection either on public misery or individual distress—upon their own misfortunes or the calamities of their neighbours. Nature has moulded their minds to enjoy the life they lead; their grief, if they grieve at all, is but for a moment; sorrow comes over them and vanishes like the lightning’s flash; they weep, and, in the same breath, their spirits regain their elasticity and cheerfulness; they may well be said to drink of the waters of Lethe whenever they please. As long as they have food to eat, and health to enjoy their frivolous pastimes, they seem contented, happy, and full of life. They think of little else.—

‘Thought would destroy their paradise.’

Thermometer 77°, 88°, 90°, during the day.

_Sunday, Oct. 3d._—We were desired yesterday to get our things packed up, and ourselves prepared, for that this morning we should quit the island to proceed on our journey. In pursuance of this arrangement we had got all our luggage in readiness, and only waited the coming of the chief to take our departure, when, to our great regret, one of his messengers entered our hut to apprize us that we should be unable to go away till to-morrow, his master having been dissuaded from his original purpose by the officious, bustling priest, our friend and enemy. We submitted to the disappointment as patiently and silently as we could; and in the evening we obtained a solemn promise, that whatever might be the consequence, no one should divert him from the resolution he had formed of detaining us no longer than to-day; and that early to-morrow morning we should certainly depart. Thermometer 76°, 89°, 88°, during the day.

_Monday, Oct. 4th._—Our surprise and displeasure may be guessed, when, after our goods had been removed from our hut into the yard outside, we were informed that we should be compelled to abide in the town yet another day, notwithstanding all that the chief had told us yesterday. Our patience was now completely exhausted; and we were in great anger, for it is disheartening to be always deceived and trifled with by such scoundrels. Repairing instantly to a hut, wherein we knew the chief passed most of his time, we discovered him sitting on the ground in company with the artful Ducoo and our Nouffie messenger, and engaged in a very high dispute with both of them. Our unexpected and abrupt intrusion, and angry looks, cut short their wrangling; and we spoke with much emphasis of the shameful manner in which we had been treated, and expressed our determination of leaving Layaba presently, in defiance of them and all their power. With the most insolent effrontery in the world, the priest smiled at us, and replied, that we were entirely in his power—that we should do as _he_ liked, and quit the town whenever _he_ thought proper. Such language as this we thought was rather too bold; we pretended to be in a violent passion, and quickly undeceived him in this point, threatening, that if either he, or any of his men, should presume to interfere with us in our intentions or proceedings, or attempt to hinder us from getting away from the town, we should feel no more hesitation or reluctance in shooting him than if he had been a partridge or a Guinea-hen! The priest, who had never before seen anything in us but mildness, was intimidated at the determined and resolute behaviour we had found it necessary to adopt: he was crest- fallen in a moment, and, from being one of the most boisterous and consequential fellows in the world, became quite passive; yet his presence of mind did not forsake him: he stammered out a kind of apology, attempted to soothe us by soft language and submission, in which he found little difficulty, and did all in his power to effect a reconciliation. Having settled this business, we went out, and assembling our men, attempted to draw our canoe to the river side, but the ground was even, and the boat so long and heavy, that notwithstanding all our exertions we could move her only a few inches towards the river. The people were ashamed of themselves to see us labouring so hard, and to so little purpose; and the priest, likewise, observing us, was convinced that we were in earnest: therefore, whispering a few words in the ear of the chief, they both came down to the spot where we were toiling at the canoe, followed by a number of men; these, with the priest at their head, took the work out of our hands, and in less than two minutes the boat was floating on the water. Our luggage was then conveyed into the two canoes, and shortly afterwards we were supplied with three men to paddle them with the assistance of our own. Here we took our farewell of the chief and the priest, the latter begging us very anxiously to speak well of him to his sovereign at Rabba.

It was not till after we were all in the canoes, and ready to push off, that those on shore discovered them to be overladen, and recommended us to hire one, of immense size, which was lying alongside. Without stopping to make them any reply, or listen to any further nonsense, we desired our own men to push the boats out into the middle of the current, which they did very promptly, and the town of Layaba, with its chief, and inhabitants, was speedily out of sight, and soon forgotten. This was about nine o’clock in the morning, so that, after all, we had lost but little time in getting away.

The banks of the river near Lever are high, being, according to our estimation, about forty feet above the river, and steep to the water- side. The river itself appeared deep, and free from rocks of any kind; its direction nearly south. We ran down the stream very pleasantly for twelve or fourteen miles, the Niger, during the whole of the distance, rolling grandly along—a noble river, neither obstructed by islands, nor deformed with rocks and stones. Its width varied from one to three miles; the country on each side was very flat, and a few mean, dirty- looking villages were scattered on the water’s edge. We then came to two small islands; the land appeared more elevated, and in some few places it rose in gentle hills. We observed three remarkable and lofty hills on the eastern side, which rose very abruptly from the plain, and were separated from each other only by a few yards of ground. Both banks of the river were overhung with large shady trees, between which we could perceive the land behind to be open and well-cultivated; and, if we may be allowed to form an opinion from the number of towns and villages which were scattered over the country, we should conceive it to be thickly inhabited also.

At one o’clock, P.M., we landed at a considerably large and spacious town, called _Bajiebo_, which is inhabited by Nouffie people, though it is situated on the Yarriba or western side of the river. For dirt, bustle, and nastiness of all kinds, this place, we think, can scarcely be exceeded. For two hours after our arrival we were obliged to wait in a close and diminutive hut, till a more convenient and becoming habitation could be procured for our reception, and the pleasure of the chief with regard to us should be known. Here we were visited by a number of the inhabitants, consisting both of Falàtahs and _Noufanchie_ (Nouffie people). Among the former was a sagacious and intelligent old man, who has travelled a long, long way on the Niger, even beyond Timbuctoo; and he states, that that town is several miles from the banks of the river. We were sadly incommoded by these visitors, who scarcely allowed us to move or breathe; which, joined to the heat of the weather and the insufferable stench, rendered our situation truly comfortless and distressing.

We were at length removed from this horrible hole, and conducted to a hut in the heart of the town, in which wood fires had been burning the whole of the day, so that the wall was almost as warm as the sides of a heated oven, insomuch that it could hardly be endured. Yet, to render it more unpleasant still, a large, closely-woven mat was placed before the door-way, in order to prevent a thousand eyes from staring in upon us; this excluded every breath of air. Our feelings, during the whole of the night, were more distressing than can be conceived: we were almost suffocated with the closeness and intense heat of the room; and dreamt that we were being baked alive in an oven. It appears that this town is governed by two chiefs, separate and distinct from each other, one of whom is a Nouffie man, and the other a Falàtah; for in the afternoon, each of these individuals sent us a bowl of rice as a present.

Bajiebo is a flourishing and important trading town although not walled, and one of the largest and most populous that we have yet seen. A considerable traffic is carried on by its inhabitants with their countrymen on the opposite side of the river, for which purpose they have a great number of canoes of large dimensions, which are continually employed every day in crossing from side to side. Their huts are erected so close to each other, and with so little regard to comfort and a free circulation of air, that there is scarcely a foot-path in the town wide enough for more than one man to walk on at a time: and not having the advantage of shady trees, the heat of the town is excessive and distressing. Its uncleanness, filth, and extreme nastiness have already been alluded to; and the odour emitted from the dirty streets is offensive, and almost insupportable. The people formerly inhabited a town on the opposite bank of the Niger, but as was the case with those of Layaba, they were induced, or rather compelled to settle here, on account of the commotions occasioned by the civil wars, and like them, too, they have been found out by their greatest enemies.

The power of the Falàtahs here is evidently very great. One of their number is styled chief, and has more authority and influence than the native Ruler. We have been obliged to make a present to each of these individuals, and other high and mighty personages were likewise desirous of obtaining a similar favour at our hands, but we made light of their conversation and would not understand their enigmas.

We have seen to-day several large canoes, the bottom of which is made of a single tree and built up with planks to a considerable height. In many of them sheds, or houses as they are called, have been erected, which are thatched with straw, and in which fires are kindled, food prepared, and people sleep, and indeed live altogether. The roof is circular, and formed in much the same manner as the upper part of a covered waggon in England. These sheds are of the most essential service to the natives, as, with their assistance, merchants are enabled to travel with some degree of comfort, with their wives and household, several days’ journey up and down the Niger, without being under the necessity of landing, except to purchase provisions, or whenever they feel inclined to do so. As the people have nothing that equals or answers to pitch, hemp, or tar, they use iron staples for the purpose of repairing it and keeping the planks together when a canoe becomes leaky, or any part of it, as it frequently happens, is split by exposure to the rays of the sun. We have seen an old canoe, which had undergone repairs several times, with no less than from eight to ten thousand of these staples driven into her sides and bottom.

Our course to-day has been about S.b.E. The thermometer has been at 70°, 90° and 95°.

_Tuesday, October 5th._—Before sunrise this morning, our luggage was removed to the beach, and between six and seven o’clock we were once more upon the water. Just below the town of _Bajiebo_ the Niger spreads itself into two noble branches, of nearly equal width, formed by an island. We preferred journeying on the eastern branch, but for no particular reason. The country beyond the banks was very fine. The island in the middle of the river, is small, but verdant, woody, and handsome; and we passed by the side of it in a very few minutes, with considerable velocity. It was then that both banks presented the most delightful appearance. They were embellished with mighty trees and elegant shrubs, which were clad in thick and luxuriant foliage, some of lively green, and others of darker hues; and little birds were singing merrily among their branches. Magnificent festoons of creeping plants, always green, hung from the tops of the tallest trees, and drooping to the water’s edge, formed immense natural grottoes, pleasing and grateful to the eye, and seemed to be fit abodes for the Naiades of the river! Yet with all its allurements there is something wanting in an African scene to render it comparable in interest and beauty to an English landscape.

‘By secret charms our native land attracts.’

There is nothing here half so attractive or inspiring. It is seldom, very seldom, that the morn is ushered in by the ‘song of earliest birds;’ which is so eminently enchanting at home, and which induces so much happiness and cheerfulness, benevolence and joy. Here there are no verdant fields, nor hedges, adorned with the jessamine, the daisy, the primrose, the blue-bottle, or the violet, and the hundred other pretty wild flowers, which please the sight, and exhale in spring-time or summer the most grateful and delicious fragrance. No flowers here

‘Waste their sweetness in the desert air,’

for not a solitary one is any where to be seen. Besides, generally speaking, a loneliness, a solemnity, a death-like silence pervades the noblest and most magnificent prospects, which has a tendency to fill the mind with associations of sadness, and reflections of melancholy, very opposite to the silent cheerfulness, and that internal springing joy which we feel on contemplating those goodly and charming landscapes, which are the pride, the beauty, and the ornament of England. To look at the cleanliness of our cottages, and the tidiness of their occupants is pleasant; but when the dirty mud huts of the natives of this part of the world, with the people themselves, do appear, in our opinion, they banish every favourable impression, and destroy the effect of all.

In the course of an hour after leaving Bajiebo, we passed by two towns of considerable extent, and a hill was observed right a-head of us, covered with trees, one of which was of such singular appearance, that it might easily be mistaken at a short distance for a tall pole, with a flag unfurled, and waving at the top of it.

At a little before eight in the morning, we saw, and passed along at the base of a high pile of loose granite rocks, large and dark-coloured, which are on the Nouffie or eastern side of the river; and almost close to them and on the edge of the water is a small town. In about a half- hour afterwards we arrived at an extensive town, situated on the same side, and called _Leechee_, which is inhabited by Noufanchie, and said to be a place of considerable rank and consequence. Here we landed by express desire, and finding an empty grass hut near the spot, we entered and took possession of it till such time as the chief should be made acquainted with our arrival. Here also our canoe-men left us and returned to Bajiebo, where we had hired them.

We were not suffered to wait long, but in a few minutes received an invitation from the chief to come and see him; and having walked through a good part of the town, we at length approached his residence, and were introduced without ceremony or hindrance into a large and lofty hut, where we discovered the chief sitting on a platform of mud, in great state, with about forty natives and Falàtahs in earnest conversation on each side of him. He received us with great civility and many demonstrations of gladness, and desired us to draw near his person, that he might have a better opportunity of looking at and talking to us. However he appeared unwilling for us to quit _Leechee_ till to-morrow, and pressed us strongly to remain with him for the day, which, however, not all his solicitations and importunities could induce us to accede to. A Falàtah then commenced a long and pithy harangue, in which he endeavoured to prejudice the chief and those that were with him against us, and to fill their minds with alarm and apprehension, on account of our malevolence, and the extraordinary power which he said we possessed; but his eloquence was unavailing, for we had the consolation to hear one of his own companions and countrymen desire him to hold his tongue, and mind his own business, and consequently his remarks were soon forgotten.

We had provided ourselves with a small present for the chief on our first setting out for his residence, but after what we had seen and heard, we fancied that it was too trifling, and feared that it would be returned as such by the chief, and that we should be exposed to abuse and ribaldry from those that were with him; therefore something was added to the gift before we presented it. We then took our leave of him and his people, and instantly made our way back to the water-side, where we waited in the grass hut, what appeared to us to be a long, long time, for the appearance of the canoemen with whom the chief had promised to supply us. In this interval, the governor sent us a pot of honey, a couple of fine lemons, and a few limes. After a considerable delay, a man for each canoe could only be procured for us, so that two of our own people were obliged to supply the place of others as well as they could.

The width of the Niger at Leechee is about three miles, and the inhabitants have plenty of canoes for the purpose of crossing the river, for fishing, and for other purposes. About half-past ten we got into our canoes, which we pushed off the shore, and proceeded at a good rate down the stream, along the side of a considerable island, which is within gun-shot of the town; and after passing a large open village, of respectable appearance, which is on the western bank, we put in at a small town, a few miles below, also on the Yarriba side of the river, where we were constrained to go in quest of other canoemen, because those from Leechee, though they had been with us only forty minutes, and had certainly not laboured very hard, had refused to proceed with us any further, nor could all our enticements induce them to forego this resolution. Here we were detained in our canoes and exposed to the sun for an hour and a half, in order to obtain fresh canoemen, the inhabitants of the town being absent in the fields.

Immediately after leaving this town we passed another island, of goodly appearance, but we understand it is uninhabited. We then came in sight of a double range of rocky hills, one of which is close to the water, and both running from north-east to nearly due south. At one P.M. we were again obliged to put in and land at a small village, which is situated on an island, for an exchange of canoemen, for, like those from Leechee, these were unwilling to go a great way from their homes. In an hour’s time a number of the islanders came down to us, and paddled us to the opposite side of the river, and from thence along the base of the hills already alluded to. The appearance of these hills is wild and gloomy, though highly romantic. Trees of hungry growth and stunted shrubs, whose foliage seemed for the most part dull and withering, shoot out of the hollows and interstices, and overhang immense precipices, whose jagged summits they partly conceal. Indeed, these hills look dismal and lonesome in the extreme, and seem to be visited only by wild beasts and birds of prey, or by the shadow of a passing cloud, which serves to increase, if possible, their dreariness and gloom. On the top of one of them is a huge and singular block of white stone, which, at a certain distance, greatly resembles an ancient fortification. We arrived at the end of our journey, and the termination of the nearer range of hills, between four and five o’clock in the afternoon, when we landed at a fishing-town on a small island, which is called _Madjie_, and belongs to the Noufanchie. Here we were received with cheerfulness by the chief, who accommodated us with a roomy hut, sent us a quantity of dressed provisions, and otherwise treated us in the most hospitable manner. The banks of the river that we have passed to-day are high, and well cultivated. The direction of the river rather to the eastward of south, and the distance from this island to Bajiebo about thirty miles. The thermometer has been at 78°, 92°, 94°, during the day.

_Wednesday, Oct. 6th._—About seven o’clock in the morning we departed from the island of Madjie, where we had slept, and pursued our journey down the river, which for a short distance takes a turn to the east, by the side of another range of hills, and afterwards flows for a number of miles a little to the southward of east. Near the island of Madjie, the Niger branches into three streams, and we were recommended to follow the most easterly, because the other two were neither considered so deep nor so free from danger.

On leaving the island we journeyed very rapidly down the current for a few minutes, when, having passed another, we came suddenly in sight of an elevated rock, which is called _Mount Kesa_ by the natives, and almost at the same instant we found ourselves abreast of it. It forms a small island, and is probably not less than three hundred feet in height, which renders it a conspicuous and remarkable object. It is excessively steep, and rising out of the river as it does, its appearance is irresistibly imposing and majestic beyond expression. Its base is fringed by venerable trees, and less magnificent vegetation, which also strives to spring forth from its barren and almost naked sides. The height of Mount Kesa, its solitary position, and the peculiarity of its form, distinguish it from every other, and render it an object of more than common interest. It is greatly venerated by the natives of this part of the country, and, as may readily be imagined, favours the superstitious notions which are attached to it by a simple and credulous people, who, like the vulgar of Europe, are fond of the marvellous. The story attached to Mount Kesa is of a very romantic nature. The natives believe that a benevolent genius makes the mountain his favourite and continual abode, and dispenses around him a benign and heavenly influence. Here the misfortunes of the unhappy are alleviated, the wants of the needy supplied, and the lamentations of the mourner turned to joy: sin, sorrow, and suffering are unknown; solemnity gives place to merriment, and the solicitude of futurity to present enjoyment and thoughtless jocularity. But more especially, say the natives, the weary traveller here finds a refuge from the storm, and a rest from his toils; here he reposes in the delights of security, and revels in the comforts of ease. However, to obtain all this, he makes known his wants and desires to the spirit of the mountain by supplication and prayer, when they are instantly answered; he receives the most delicate and excellent food from invisible hands, and when sufficiently invigorated by refreshment, he is at liberty either to continue his journey or remain awhile to participate in the blessings of the mountain. Such is the story we received from these superstitious people of this celebrated mount. A little to the northward of it is a naked rock, which rises only a few yards above the surface of the water; but from its insignificance it is unworthy of particular description.

A canoe, in which was a Mahomedan priest, with his women and train, kept company with us down the river, and Rabba was the place of its destination. A very spirited competition was for some time maintained between his canoemen and ours, in regard to the velocity with which they could impel their respective boats; but that of the priest was three times larger and heavier than ours, and he was at length constrained to forego the contest, the odds being so very much against him. This created a loud laugh and a little cheering on our side, and much merriment on both. All the canoes then proceeded abreast of each other, and the whole of the party were on the best possible terms. The priest’s wives strove to entertain us to the best of their ability with specimens of their music. One of them played on a four-stringed guitar, and her companions accompanied the instrument with their voices; and though the noise was not very melodious, still it was more agreeable to us than silence; indeed, we were highly pleased with the attempt of these sooty ladies, for how rude soever the performance may be, music has oftentimes a pleasant and soothing influence.

At nine in the morning we landed near a small town to procure a fresh supply of canoemen, and we waited for them above an hour, without visiting the adjacent village. As soon as we had obtained them we journeyed along the eastern side of the river; and, at eleven A.M., perceived the smoke of the far-famed Rabba ascending many miles before us. In another half-hour we drew near an island, called _Belee_, which is exceedingly low, flat, and swampy. Here we stopped at a large, but mean and dirty-looking town, which stands close to the water’s edge.

We were shortly introduced to the chief, who is a great, rich, and important personage, if we may believe the representations of our messenger. He informed us, that Mohamed, the Magīa’s son, who had left us at Patàshie, had returned from his father, in pursuance of his agreement, but, instead of remaining at Rabba, as we expected, he had come over to Belee, and been waiting three days on the island, in expectation of our arrival. However, having heard in the earlier part of the morning that we were to have slept at Madjie last night, he instantly left Belee in a canoe, and proceeded up the river to meet us. For ourselves we had neither heard nor seen anything either of him or his canoe. The governor further said, you will be obliged to remain at Belee till Mohamed’s return to the island, for he has news of importance to communicate to you; to-morrow morning you will leave hence, and proceed to another island, which is further down the river, wherein it is arranged that you shall abide till your affairs be finally adjusted. There was some mystery about this, which was unexpected and not very gratifying.

It was nearly evening before Mohamed returned to Belee, and he came to us in a dripping state, with an excuse that he had been upset in his canoe two or three times. After the first salutations were over, he informed us of his visit to his father, and its result. The Magīa had desired him to assure us of his ‘best wishes in our welfare, and his determination to protect, support, and encourage us, as far as he was able.’ Mohamed then drew our attention to a young man who had entered the hut with him, but whom we had not before observed, and introduced him as a messenger sent to us by the Falàtah prince of Rabba. This man said that his master, named Mallam Dendo, had commissioned him to acquaint us, that he heartily concurred with the king of Nouffie in the favourable opinions and sentiments which the latter entertained for us. With respect to our visiting Rabba, which he understood we were very much disinclined to do, he should not urge us; and rather imagined that we should be more comfortable and enjoy greater tranquillity on an island on the opposite side of the river, where he would recommend us to stop. The chief of Belee had previously made us acquainted with this arrangement. The Falàtah messenger concluded by observing that we should be visited on the morrow by the ‘_King of the Dark Water!_’ who would escort us to the island in question, of which he is governor.

In the evening the chief of Belee made us a present of a quantity of goora nuts, a large pot of honey, a sheep, and dressed provisions in abundance, with a huge calabash of sour beer. He boasted that he was the king of Nouffie’s head slave, and a mighty man of valour; and artfully insinuated that he expected a present from us in proportion to his rank and eminence. But we have seen such numbers of kings, princes, and great men lately, that we are heartily disgusted with all who bear the epithet; they are so numerous, that they would be as difficult to count as the drops of rain in a heavy shower.

The thermometer has been at 79°, 92°, and 94° during the day.

The course of the river from Madjie to this island has been to the S.E., the distance about twelve miles. The eastern or Nouffie bank of the river is moderately high, and overspread with low hills, and both banks are well cultivated.

_Thursday, October 7th._—So early as five o’clock in the morning our canoes were loaded, and having breakfasted on a slice of yam, we were fully prepared to quit the island. But as it was not deemed either politic or proper to go away till the arrival of the great _King of the Dark Water_, who was hourly expected, and who might be inclined to construe our departure into contempt, we consented to await his coming. Though we have been exposed to a thousand nuisances, and all manner of inconveniences, and are pretty well reconciled to them all, yet rather than remain in a close black hut, full of men, whose garments are generally covered with vermin, and rarely, if ever, cleaned, and who make it a common practice to sit on the mat whereon we sleep; rather than do this, we stepped into our canoes, and having pushed off from the land, we waited the islander’s arrival under the branches of a large tree at a little distance from the town.

Between nine and ten, A.M., we heard a number of men singing, and keeping time to the motion of many paddles, but we could see no one. However, in a very few minutes, a canoe, which was paddled by a few men only, came in sight, and we knew by this that the Water King was approaching. It was instantly followed by another, and much larger one, propelled by above twenty very fine young men, whose voices we had been listening to just before, and who were still continuing their song. Their music was slower, but very similar to that which may be heard on many parts of the western coast. The _King of the Dark Water_ was with them. As the canoe drew nearer we were not only surprised at its extraordinary length and uncommon neatness, but likewise at the unusual display of pomp and show which we observed in her. In the centre a mat awning was erected, which was variously decorated, and on the front of it hung a large piece of scarlet cloth, ornamented with bits of gold lace stitched on different parts of it. In the bow of the canoe were three or four little boys, of equal size, who were clad with neatness and propriety; and in the stern sat a number of comely-looking musicians, consisting of several drummers and a trumpeter, whilst the young men who had the management of the boat were not inferior to their companions either in decency of apparel or respectability of appearance. They all looked in fact extremely well.

As soon as this canoe arrived at the landing-place, the ‘Water King’ came out from beneath the awning, and, followed by the musicians and a suite of attendants, walked to the hut wherein all public matters are transacted, and whither, in a few minutes, we ourselves were desired to repair. The chief of the island, with his elders and the more respectable of the people, were seated, on our entrance, on each side of their important visitor, and my brother and I, as a mark of distinction, were invited to place ourselves in front of him. When the usual compliments had passed on both sides, he informed us, with much solemnity, of his rank and title; he then alluded to the cause of his coming, which, he said, was to do us honour, and repeated what had previously been told us by the king’s son. This being done, he presented us with a pot of excellent honey, and two thousand cowries in money, besides a large quantity of goora nuts, which are cultivated in the country, and which are held in so great esteem, that the opulent and powerful alone have the means of procuring them. Having nothing further to say or do, we shook hands with his sable majesty, whose name is Suliken Rouah, expressed our acknowledgments for his handsome present, and returned to our boats.

The ‘King of the Dark Water’ is a fine-looking man, well stricken in years; his skin as black as a coal; his features are coarse but benevolent, and his stature advantageous and commanding. He was dressed in a full bornouse, or Arab cloak, of inferior blue cloth, underneath which was a variegated tobe made of figured satin, country cloth and crimson silk damask, all patched together; he likewise wore a cap of red cloth, Hàussa trowsers, and sandals of coloured leather. Two pretty little boys, about ten years of age and of equal size, and who acted in capacity of pages, followed him into the hut. Their clothing was neat and becoming, and their persons nicely clean; each of them was furnished with an ornamented cow’s tail, and they stood one on his right hand and the other on his left, to brush away flies and other insects from his person, and supply him with goora nuts and tobacco. The king was also accompanied by six of his wives, fine handsome jet-black girls, dressed in neat country caps edged with red silk. Native cloths, made of cotton and silk, were fastened round their waists, beneath which they wore a sort of short frock. The usual custom of staining their fingers and toe- nails with henna appears to be general among them; their wrists were ornamented with neat silver bracelets, and their necks with coral necklaces.

To such a man as the ‘Water King,’ with such a suite and such a title, the greatest honour is expected to be paid, and we therefore showed our respect by saluting him with a discharge from two or three muskets; and by waiting patiently his return from the council-hut, wherein he stayed two whole hours, during which we were sitting in our canoes, exposed to a very hot sun, for we had removed them from under the tree by the side of his own.

It was exactly mid-day when Suliken Rouah re-embarked in his princely canoe, and quitted the island of Belee. Determined for once to make an attempt at a more respectable appearance, for heretofore it had been extremely mean and homely, we hastily constructed an awning of our sheets. It was the first time we had made use of such a thing, though we are without umbrellas, and till then had nothing but slight straw hats to protect our heads from the sun. Above the awning we elevated a slender staff, on the top of which we fastened our national colours, the union flag, which was kindly given us by a gentleman on the coast, who was commandant of Anamaboo. When unfurled and waving in the wind, it looked extremely pretty, and it made our hearts glow with pride and enthusiasm, as we looked on this solitary little banner. We thought it would be of service to us also if we made as gay an appearance as the king and his followers; and accordingly I put on an old naval uniform coat which I had with me for state occasions, and my brother also dressed himself in as grotesque and gaudy a manner as our resources would afford. Our eight attendants also put on new white Mahomedan tobes, so that our canoe, with its white awning surmounted by the union flag, our canoemen in new dresses, and ourselves appearing as officers, contributed not a little to the effect of the whole scene. ‘The august King of the Dark Water,’ with his retinue in twenty canoes, condescendingly gave us the precedence, and ours was the first that moved off from land, and led the way down the river towards Rabba.

For a little while we continued to take the lead, but the chief soon went before us, for two reasons: First, that he might have an opportunity of looking at us; and secondly, that we might have a fairer chance of seeing him in all his state, for which purpose he had placed himself outside his awning on an elevated and conspicuous seat. However he only wished to get a few yards before us, for his canoemen soon lifted their paddles out of the water, and the boat fell back to its former situation. This going before and falling behind was done repeatedly. The musicians in the large canoe performed merrily on their instruments, and about twenty persons now sung at intervals in recitative, keeping excellent time with their paddles.

A brisk wind sprung up the river full in our faces, relieving us from the extreme heat of the weather, which was remarkably fine; the scene before us was very animating, and the whole of us were in high glee and spirits. Other canoes joined us; and never did the British flag lead so extraordinary a squadron. The ‘King of the Dark Water’ might be mistaken for a river god; and his wives now and then showing their pretty black faces from under the awning, cast many an arch look at us with their sparkling, jetty eyes. It was not long before our reverie was interrupted by a great noise from the adjacent land; and on turning we perceived the banks of an island, called _Zagōzhi_, which were lined with numbers of people, admiring our flag, and watching us very earnestly, by which we guessed that this was the place of our destination. The island is so uncommonly low, that the houses and trees appeared as if they were standing in the water, as indeed many of them actually were. Here we arrived, and landed between one and two P.M., having enjoyed a pleasant excursion of eight or nine miles. Ours being the first canoe, before we landed on the island we waited for the king to precede us, and the moment he set his foot on shore, we fired a salute of four muskets and three pistols. Suliken Rouah was rather alarmed at this, and demanded whether we were going to make war on him. He was soon relieved from his fear, by being told it was an honour that we had been in the habit of paying to all the princes we had met in our travels; which he no sooner understood, than he expressed himself much gratified by our attention. Suliken Rouah went in person in quest of a dwelling-house, and led us to one of the best which the island affords; however, it is miserably bad; for, as the town is built on a marsh, every hut in it has the disadvantage, during the whole of the rainy season, of soft damp floors and uncomfortable roofs. Our own has positively pools of water springing up out of the ground, and on this we shall be obliged to sleep. The walls of the huts are built of mud from the river, strengthened and supported by wooden pillars and ribs of the same materials: however, these do not prevent them from cracking in a hundred different places; and large chinks, admitting wind and rain, may be observed in the wall of every hut. They all have, indeed, invariably, a very dirty and wretched appearance, though their inmates, generally speaking, are understood to be opulent, clean, and respectable. Having conducted us to our hut, the chief of the island shook hands very heartily with us, and assured us that we should want nothing. He soon provided us with doors of bamboo for our hut, and a number of mats to spread on the floor, which made it tolerably comfortable. In the evening, four large calabashes of stewed rice, with fowls and no less than ten gallons of _pitto_ or country beer were sent us. About seven in the evening, messengers arrived from Rabba, to inform us that they should come early in the morning for the presents we intended for the chief. They said that the king would not put us to the trouble of going to see him, as the town is full of Arabs, whose begging propensities would be very inconvenient to us. I was much pleased with this intelligence, knowing very well the character of these Arabs; and I sent word back that I was much obliged to him, and should be still more so if he would dispense with my going to the sansan or camp at a short distance from the town to visit the King of Nouffie.

_Rabba_ is opposite Zagōzhi, and appears from hence, a distance of two miles, to be an immensely large, populous, and flourishing town. It is built on the slope of a gentle hill, and on a spot almost entirely bare of trees. The Niger, both yesterday and to-day, has flowed in a direction to the south of east.