Chapter XVIII (1)

The Chief of Damuggoo — Fetísh Deity — Visit to the Chief — Unfavourable termination of a Fetísh ceremony — Another canoe promised — Superstitious credulity of the people — Story of the King of Atta — Impatience of the Travellers to proceed — The town of Damuggoo — Its resources — Punishments — Unfavourable opinions respecting the success of the Travellers — Farewell ceremonies — Departure from Damuggoo — Travelling companions — The disaster of Kirree — John Lander’s narrative of it — The Palàver or Council at Kirree — Decision of the Council — The Eboe People.

_Thursday, October 28th._—At day-break, we had a heavy tornado, accompanied with much thunder and lightning. At ten A.M., the chief visited us, accompanied by the Nouffie mallam. His dress consisted of a red cloth cap, a very handsome red twilled silk tobe, made in Nouffie, with trowsers of the same material, and sandals. He brought with him some palm wine, eggs, bananas, yams, &c., and desired us to ask for anything we might want, telling us that we should have everything we wished that the town could afford. He told us that neither he nor his father had seen a white man, although they had much wished it, and that our presence made him quite happy. He then gave us a pressing invitation to come to see him, which we readily accepted. He seemed to be one of the worthiest fellows whom we have yet met.

We shortly after proceeded to the residence, and passed through a variety of low huts which led to the one in which he was sitting. In addition to his former dress, he had a very handsome leopard’s skin thrown over him. In his hand he held a staff, covered with the skin of a wild beast; and two pages, one on each side, were cooling him with circular fans, made of bullock’s hide. He accosted us with cheerfulness, and placed mats for us to sit on; and rum was produced to make us comfortable withal. He wished to know in what manner we had got through the country, for he had learnt we had come a long journey—from a great city called Yàoorie, of which he had never before heard the name. We again briefly related to him from whence we had come, where we had been, and whither we were going, taking care to make frequent allusions to the civility and kindness which we had experienced even from the greatest monarchs. He appeared astonished at our narrative, and promised, as far as he was able, to imitate those good men in his treatment of us as his guests. He then expressed the infinite pleasure the sight of white men afforded him, and how happy his father would have been in his lifetime, had he been honoured by the presence of such wonderful strangers. When Antonio, our interpreter, explained to him that we were ambassadors from the ‘great king of white men,’ he seemed to feel peculiar delight. ‘Something must be done for you, to-morrow,’ said he, and left us to conjecture for a short time what that something would be; but we soon learnt that he intended to make rejoicings with all his people; that they would fire off their muskets, and pass a night in dancing and revelry. He told us that when we left him to go down the river, he intended to send one of his canoes, with nine people in her, to accompany us all the way to the sea. He requested us to wait eight days longer, when he expected his people back from the Bocquâ market. ‘I think,’ he added, ‘that the Chief of Bocquâ’s messenger and our people will be a sufficient protection for you.’ We readily assented to his proposal, and told him that as our presents were all expended, we would send him some from the sea-coast, if he would allow a person to accompany us thither on whom he could depend, to bring them back to him. He expressed himself much gratified by our promises, and said that his own son should accompany us; and that although his people had never been lower down the river than to a place called Kirree, about a day’s journey from hence, he had no doubt that we should reach the sea in safety. After expressing mutual good-will, friendship, and satisfaction with each other; and as soon as the king had promised with solemnity that he would consent to our departure in the time he had specified, we shook hands and parted.

In taking leave of us, the old chief told us that no one should be allowed to visit us excepting those to whom we gave permission; and we accordingly had all the principal people of the town, both males and females, to see us. These persons were very well dressed, and conducted themselves in an orderly manner.

In the course of the afternoon, however, we were perplexed with the visits of thousands of people besides, whose curiosity was irresistible, and who scarcely allowed us room to breathe. Above Egga, the people are by no means inquisitive; but in and below that town, nothing can be compared with the surprise and amazement with which the natives beheld us, and pressed round to satisfy their curiosity.

_Friday, October 29th._—The promise of ‘something,’ which was made us yesterday, has been fulfilled to-day with great _eclât_. In the morning, a bullock, wild in the bush, was offered us, with a proviso that one of our party could shoot him. Pascoe, therefore, went out with his gun, and discovered the animal ruminating amongst the trees; and levelling his piece, he shot him dead the first fire. Part of the carcase was given to the king, as is the custom; and we were not unmindful of our old friend the Mallam; so, having sent him some, the remainder of it was brought home for our own consumption. It is usual here for the cattle to run wild in the bush, being never admitted into the town; and when one is wanted for food, the natives go into the woods and shoot it. They are not so expert in killing them as our man Pascoe, whom we had desired to load his gun with two balls, and to endeavour to hit the bullock under the ear. He was so successful, that the poor animal died in an instant without a struggle, much to the astonishment of the chief and his people, who were witnesses of the transaction.

At the back of our hut stands a fetísh god, in a small thatched hut, supported by four wooden pillars, which is watched continually by two boys and a woman. We were desired to roast our bullock under him, that he might enjoy the savoury smell of the smoking meat, some of which he might also be able to eat if he desired. We were particularly enjoined to roast no yams under him, as they were considered by the natives too poor a diet to offer to their deity. The natives are all pagans, and worship the same kind of figures as those of Yarriba.

A feast and great rejoicings are to take place to-day, in consequence of our arrival, and the preparation of the bullock only seems to be the first step towards it. The natives are getting their muskets ready, and all the swivels in the town are brought and placed under the fetísh tree we have mentioned.

At six in the evening the ceremonies were commenced, by a volley of musketry being fired off by command of the chief, and we were afterwards saluted with a discharge from the swivels. This was a signal for the inhabitants to come forward and follow the example of their monarch, which they did with so much spirit and effect, that continual firing was kept up till between eleven and twelve o’clock, at which time the people paraded the town for the remainder of the night, dancing, singing, and making merry. Pascoe tells us that every man had a musket. They must be very numerous, for the fire is as incessant as if we were in a field of battle, so that it is quite impossible for us to get any sleep while it is going forward.

_Saturday, October 30th._—Notwithstanding all the firing last night, and though the natives loaded their guns with three times their proper charge, we have not heard of any accident happening. All this had been done very much against our inclination, but it was the highest token of respect which could be shown us, and which had never before been granted to any individual: we therefore considered it our duty to visit the chief and thank him for the honour. So accordingly, a little before noon, we went to see him, accompanied by four of our people. On our arrival, we found him surrounded by his priests, who were employed in making a fetísh, to ascertain whether we should reach the sea in safety. The Nouffie mallam was also seated by the chief’s side, engaged in writing Mahomedan prayers on a plain white cotton cap, which the chief was to wear on all occasions, to render him secure from danger of every description.

He received us very kindly, and desired us to sit down with him and remain a short time, offering us a glass of rum, which we were obliged to accept. It was with much difficulty we were able to drink it, for we felt little inclined to do so; in addition to which the heat of the place was so excessive, that we could hardly breathe, although two of our people kept fanning us all the time we were with him. Having expressed our thanks to the chief, for the honour he had done us by the rejoicings of the night before, we complimented him on his resources, and expressed our admiration of that greatness of mind which he had displayed in applying them to the gratification and delight of strangers, whom he had made his warmest friends. ‘The great white king will be pleased to learn that I have treated his subjects so well,’ said the chief; ‘and you may inform him of my dignity, my riches, my strength, and my power.’ We thought this quite sufficient; the chief was pleased both with himself for having displayed his ‘power,’ and with us for having duly appreciated it; and being anxious to return to the open air, we begged he would excuse our remaining any longer, and, shaking hands with him, we wished him a good morning.

From a conversation with a Nouffie man, who has exiled himself from his native country, and arrived here lately, we learn that these muskets and guns have been procured from the coast in exchange for slaves and ivory. He informs us, also, that Bornou and Jacoba are at peace, and consequently that the road from Funda to _Kouka_, which is the metropolis of the Bornou empire, is now open and free from danger of any kind. The same individual assures us that a person can travel from one country to the other, by land, in seventeen days; but that to travel by water up the _Tshadda_, to Kouka, would be a journey of nineteen days. He likewise reports that Ederesa, the ex-king of Nouffie, had endeavoured to win over the Sultan of Bornou to his cause, and for that purpose had sent him an embassy, with a present of leopards’ skins, and a certain number of slaves; but when he left home, it was not generally believed that the monarch of Bornou would interfere in the domestic concerns of Nouffie, or attempt to raise the fallen fortunes of Ederesa, unless he would consent to break off all connexion with the Falàtahs, with whom he is on good terms, and promise his aid in their complete extirpation. However, the destiny of Nouffie is already sealed; she is a conquered country in every sense of the word, and a Falàtah is her monarch.

_Sunday, October 31st._—It has been hinted to us that the chief of _Damuggoo_ will detain us here longer than will be agreeable, notwithstanding his pledge. At ten in the morning, the chief sent for me to visit him, and I immediately obeyed his summons. I found him engaged in earnest conversation with his priests, and he no sooner saw me than he requested me to sit down by his side. He appeared very serious, but did not give me long to speculate on what was coming; for, turning towards me, he said, with a deep-drawn sigh, that the fetísh which had been made yesterday for us, had not ended in our favour. He was sure, he said, that we should meet with many troubles before we reached the sea. All this was said with a great deal of earnestness, and his countenance was very expressive of sorrow. I desired that he would not feel hurt on our account, telling him that we were not afraid of anything; that we had done no one any harm in Africa, and we trusted in our God for protection. ‘It is good,’ said he; ‘if my people return from Bocquâ market to-morrow, you shall go in a few days.’ I thanked him for his kindness, and wished him a good morning.

In the course of conversation this morning, the chief said that he cannot think of sending us away in an old leaky canoe, such as ours, and unprotected; that such would not be fitting our rank; and he is of opinion that we should meet a thousand difficulties and dangers were we to proceed further down the river without a guide and messenger. He observed, that our canoe is what sailors would term not ‘sea-worthy;’ for, having been exposed to the heat of the sun, it had split in several places. These considerations had induced him to procure for us a far better canoe than our own; but he expressed his very great sorrow that he could not furnish us with a supply of men till their return from Bocquâ market, whither they had gone in the morning, and would not return for three days to come. We had no remedy, and our only plan was to submit, on the ground of expediency, without raising any objection, for we knew that it would be unavailing.

We presented the chief, in the forenoon, with a musket belonging to one of our men, and my broken watch, which he says he will send to Bonny, to be repaired. We had nothing else to offer him except needles, a pair of bracelets, or our own wearing apparel, which he does not appear to fancy at all. However, we have promised, that should his men take us in safety to Bonny, we would send back something to him which would be more acceptable and of greater value, and which we should be enabled to obtain from the English ships lying there. This intelligence is very gratifying to the chief, and he expresses his thankfulness most profusely. He knows the facility with which European articles are got at the mouth of the river, and he no doubt reckons on a rich present from us. He is certainly deserving of one, for his conduct towards us has been most satisfactory from the commencement. We continue to receive every kindness from him, and he sends us provisions each morning, sufficient for fifty men for one day, together with palm-wine, rum, cocoa-nuts, bananas, and numerous other things.

A great part of the population of Damuggoo left the town this morning for the Bocquâ market. They take thither powder, muskets, soap, Manchester cottons, and other articles of European manufacture, and great quantities of rum, or rather of rum and water; for not more than one third of it is genuine spirit, and even that is of the worst quality. These commodities are exchanged for ivory and slaves, which are re-sold to the European traders. The Niger is receding most rapidly; within these two or three days it has fallen away as many feet, which confirms us in the supposition, that in the interior the rains are over, though they are only declining here.

The natives of this part of the country scarcely ever heard of the religion of Mahomet, and, therefore, they believe in all manner of gods and demons, as in Yarriba and other places. They have a variety of tutelary gods, and others whose business it is to watch over and protect the public interests. Their religious dances, and their songs or hymns, addressed to their divinities, differ but slightly from those of other pagan countries, and the superstitious ceremonies of their faith bear the same close resemblance. In their belief of the immortality of the soul, and a future state of rewards and punishments, there is nothing peculiar or new.

The late occupier of the hut in which we reside died a few days ago, and was buried; but last night there was a public declaration that his tutelary god had resuscitated him, and that he had risen from the dead. Things of this nature are reported not to be of rare occurrence, and the rumour was believed, or rather it was pretended to be believed, by all ranks. A large procession was therefore formed, attended by singers and dancers, as usual; and the man, who was said to have undergone so great a change, having been placed in the centre, was carried through the town, and exhibited gratis to all who felt a disposition to see him. After the procession had visited the chief’s house, a messenger was despatched to inquire whether we ourselves felt any inclination to view the prodigy; but we declined the intended honour, for it would be extremely unpleasant to be stifled in our hut by a multitude of unwashed, half-naked people. What is to be the final fortune of the man we know not, but it is generally supposed that he will die again to- morrow!

It appears to us scarcely credible that the chief, who is a sensible and intelligent man, should put any confidence in such egregious nonsense and chicanery; but we rather imagine that he must be aware of the cheats which are practised upon his credulous people by their priests, and that, for political considerations, he chooses to connive at and countenance their proceedings; the more so, as he very recently sent to Nouffie for a Mahomedan priest, who is now engaged in working Arab charms, &c. upon his tobe. This man he has intrusted with all his secrets, and loaded with benefits; but whether he is a Mahomedan or Pagan in heart we are left to guess. How great soever his confidence in this mallam may be, yet a white man, and a Christian, has far greater claims, he says, to his veneration; and, as a proof of it, he would request of us a ‘_mighty spell_,’ which he was convinced it was in our power alone to give. The virtue of it is to consist chiefly in making him successful in war. He has a brother, he says, who is king of a neighbouring and powerful state, with whom he has been at enmity for many years, and him he wishes to vanquish and bring under subjection, in order to ‘_plant his foot upon his neck_,’ and reign in his stead. Of this brother, and of their father, the former king, he related to us the following story:—

‘The late king of _Attà_ was a very powerful prince, and one of the most opulent, both as regarded money and slaves, that had ever been known in the whole country. His domestic slaves alone amounted to five hundred; and he had accumulated, by industry, care, and frugality, during a long life, as much money (cowries) as would fill seven or eight ordinary huts. The surrounding nations felt his influence, and trembled at his power; their rulers courted his friendship by voluntary presents, and acknowledged his supremacy by humiliating concessions. The monarch concerned himself greatly in the internal affairs and domestic policy of the kingdom of Funda, whose sovereigns he pulled down and set up again whenever he was influenced by caprice, or spurred on by resentment.

‘Now it happened, at length, that this mighty king died, as all great and little sovereigns must do, and he was buried after the custom of the country, with many public honours, and with all his riches. His eldest son, who was a covetous, worldly minded prince, succeeded him in his authority; but instead of enjoying the affluence of his venerable parent, he was not worth a single cowrie. The consciousness of his poverty, and the want of consideration and respect among his subjects, caused him to make many moral reflections on the use, value, and purposes of money with mankind, and the penury and wretchedness which the want of it generally occasioned. At length, harassed with doubts and perplexities, he forgot all filial tenderness, and the respect which he owed to his father’s memory, and came to the conclusion, that as the money which was buried was of no use whatever to the deceased in the next world, it would be both a charitable and praiseworthy deed to have it dug out of the earth, and put into circulation. And further, to prevent such good-for-nothing practices from being followed in future, he would sentence the body of his father to receive a public punishment. Therefore, with this resolution, he violated the sanctity of the grave, and commanded that the whole of its contents should be disinterred. This done, he secured the money, and ordered his slaves to cut off the head of the corpse, and expose it in a conspicuous situation, as a chastisement for the covetous disposition which his father had evinced whilst living; for the heinous offence which he had consummated when dying of desiring _all_ his money to be interred with him, and as a dreadful warning to the people. This want of piety in the new king, his unjustifiable and unnatural action in dishonouring his father’s body, and, above all, his contempt for a custom which time had rendered venerable, and which had been sanctioned by the concurrent voice of ages, made a silent, but deep, impression on the minds of his subjects; their feelings, which for a long while they had suppressed, broke out at length into passion, the spark was soon kindled into a flame, and a powerful party was formed to depose the impious prince. They placed his younger brother at their head, and a sanguinary civil war was the immediate consequence. However, they had suffered the proper time to elapse, and the king was too firmly established to suffer much from their attempts; the rebels were routed in all quarters, and those who could not flee were put to the sword. The chief of Damuggoo, our host, is the unsuccessful brother; and the chief of Bocquâ, our friend, was one of his principal followers.’ This accounts for the unwillingness of the latter to send a messenger with us to Attà, and the reasonable apprehensions which he entertained for his safety, which would certainly have been realized.

_Tuesday, November 2nd._—It is extremely mortifying and vexatious to reflect, that though we are so near our countrymen and our journey’s end, yet we are not suffered to go to them; and it is teasing to think that we are constrained to bend to the will of a man who cannot enter into our feelings, nor share our hopes and fears, and who deludes us with hollow promises day after day. Finding the market people not yet returned from Bocquâ, as we had been persuaded, we sent an energetic message to the king, this morning, expressive of our determination to hazard every danger rather than be detained longer at Damuggoo, and also to remind him of his solemn promise. This produced an immediate answer, that, agreeably to our request, we should leave the town to-day, if we thought it safe to do so. For his own part, however, if this were to be our purpose, he could only send and protect us a day’s journey down the river, where resides the chief of a very large country, into whose hands he should be constrained to deliver us; that this monarch would naturally expect a considerable present, and would, he had no doubt, prolong our stay with him to several weeks. Whilst, on the other hand, would we consent to wait two days longer for the return of his people, he should be enabled to forward us to Bonny without touching at the above place, and indeed without calling at any important town whatever during the journey. In a choice of evils, we preferred that which appeared to us the least, and, therefore, resolved to wait here a day or two longer. The only circumstance which is capable of reconciling us to our wretched abode, is the continued civility, generosity, and tenderness of the chief.

The streets of Damuggoo are so muddy, owing to the nature of the soil, and to the rains which have recently fallen, that we cannot step outside the door of our hut without exposing ourselves to the inconvenience of being covered with black, filthy mud, so that we are obliged to stay within from necessity. Our hut does not exceed six or seven feet in diameter, and withal it is so very dark and dismal, that we can see neither to read nor write; added to which we are invaded, from the first peep of morn till the close of day, by a host of impudent fellows, who plant themselves round the door-way, and in the passage, like as many blocks of marble, and remain there in spite of us, to the utter exclusion of every particle of air. The chief, to whom we have made a grievous complaint, tells us seriously to ‘_cut off their heads_;’ but really we do not relish the idea of human heads, all so black and ghastly, tumbling down at our feet, and so we resort to a milder punishment, but, hitherto, this has not been attended with any good effect. When evening comes, and the moon shines brilliantly above our heads, like all nature, we seek the comforts of repose; but who can sleep when legions of mosquitoes come singing in your face, to tease and worry you without mercy? It is a fact, that the chief and his people are frequently driven, in the dead of night, to seek shelter from the attacks of these tormenting insects in the open air, or under the trees; but we cannot resort to the same expedient, and are therefore obliged, because ‘idleness is the parent of many vices,’ to employ the watchful hours of the night in slaughtering our inveterate persecutors, nor do we cease till morning dawns.

_Wednesday, November 3d._—The inhabitants of this town dress, generally speaking, in Manchester cottons (if a cloth confined to the waist, and extending below the knee, may be styled a dress). The neat and becoming tobe or shirt of the interior is worn only by the king and a few of the principal inhabitants. Indeed, the people appear to have little communication with the natives of the more inland provinces, and we have found the progress of civilization to be rapidly diminishing the nearer we approach the coast. The women are fond of beads, but esteem only the more costly kind; these are the only personal decorations which they wear. Damuggoo is a considerably large and populous town, but abominably dirty: the huts are round, and constructed much after the same manner as those of Zagōzhi, being built of mud and loam, strengthened and supported by props and ribs of wood. They have all, without exception, a poor, mean, and extremely wretched appearance.

Those of the inhabitants who are not engaged in trading transactions, employ themselves in cultivating the soil. Yams and Indian corn form, we believe, the principal, if not the only, vegetable food of the poorer classes, and they rarely eat anything else. The plantain and banana are imported from a neighbouring state; but these are beyond their reach, on account of expense; and form, in fact, with the exception of the cocoa- nut, the only fruits and vegetables with which they seem to be acquainted. Rice, which is grown so generally, and in such abundance, almost in their immediate neighbourhood, they have never seen; and as to the different kinds of grain, which are cultivated to a considerable extent, so near as Funda and Nouffie, they have either no knowledge of them, or, which is more likely, they consider the labour which is required in their culture, and the attention which the rising crops would demand, to counterbalance the good that might result to themselves by the introduction into their country of different varieties of corn. Therefore, they confine their agricultural labours to cultivating maize, which is the hardiest of all grain, and the yam. The inhabitants of Damuggoo never saw a horse, nor have they the most distant idea of such an animal. Their domestic animals are the dog, the sheep, the goat, and the common fowl; the cow cannot be classed among the number. Goats and fowls are plentiful, but few sheep are to be seen; and even these are greatly inferior to those of the more interior parts. Abundance of excellent fish are caught in the river, which compensates, in a great degree, for the scarcity of other animal food.

The king paid us a visit this forenoon, dressed very appropriately in a handsome tobe of silk and cotton, of the manufacture of Nouffie. He repeated his assurances that we shall leave to-morrow, and though the men are not yet returned from the market, yet they are confidently expected this evening. He behaved with so much native politeness, and promised that we should be detained no longer, with so much seriousness and apparent sincerity, that we are induced to believe him.

The chief of Damuggoo, benevolent as are his looks, and dignified as is his deportment, is always severe in his punishments; and is oftentimes so wantonly cruel as to deprive his subjects of their heads for very trifling offences. An information was this morning laid against a very respectable lad, who is nearly related to the king, if not actually his own son, for having purloined a piece of Manchester cotton from his sovereign. Death was instantly pronounced against the culprit, after a confession of his crime, and the sentence was to have been carried into execution this evening; but he implored us, in English, in the most piteous manner, to intercede for his life, affirming that if all the inhabitants of the town were to come forward in his behalf, their remonstrances and petitions would be unavailing, but that a white man’s solicitation would be irresistible. At first, we sent Pascoe to the chief, to express the obligation we should feel if he would, on our account, pardon the delinquent, or at least commute his punishment to a severe flogging; but the stern judge was not to be moved from his purpose by a messenger; his answer was characteristic:—‘Tell the white men,’ said he, ‘that a black man’s request would be useless and vain, I would not grant him so considerable a favour; but if both, or either of them, will intercede in the boy’s behalf, personally, and in a formal manner, I may, perhaps, be induced to forgive him.’ My brother accordingly took the hint, flattered the vanity of the chief by a personal application, and thus obtained the boy’s pardon, and saved his life with little difficulty. The gratitude of the youth was apparently sincere.

At five in the afternoon the people returned from Bocquâ market, and the chief sent us word to be ready for leaving Damuggoo to-morrow evening. He continues to be very kind to us, and has allowed us to want nothing which his village could supply. His people had been very unsuccessful in obtaining slaves, the demand for them having been so great that a few only were to be had. Their chief object had been to procure slaves, but they had also gone for other purposes of trade.

_Thursday, November 4th._—Our departure and future fate have occupied the whole attention of the chief and his pagan priests nearly all day. The fetísh which has been already made has proved unfavourable, and in hopes of still finding some signs of a propitious nature towards our proceeding to Bonny, and also to ascertain whether or not we are to proceed on our voyage to-day, the chief and his priests have been diligently employed in consulting the entrails of fowls, but to both of these the omens were pronounced to be very inauspicious. Our determination of departing, however, was not to be shaken by such means. By the chief’s own arrangement our people were to embark in the leaky canoe, with the heaviest of the luggage; whereas my brother and I were to travel in one of his own canoes, and to take along with us whatever was of most consequence. To this regulation we could raise no plausible objection, because our old canoe had been partially repaired.

A little after four in the afternoon we conveyed our luggage to the river side and proceeded to load our canoes. Long before five o’clock, everything, on our parts, had been got in readiness for quitting the town, and we sat in the canoe till after sun-set, waiting the arrival of the boatmen, who did not seem at all disposed to hurry themselves in making their appearance. We began at length to be wearied with anxiety, and impatient to be stirring. Hundreds of people had been gazing at us for a long while, many of whom had taken the pains to come from different parts of the town in boats for that purpose, and the curiosity of all having been amply indulged, they were moving off in all directions, so that we were almost deserted. The chief could not be spoken with, because he was engaged in a religious rite with his priests, and we were left for awhile to our own reflections, which were far from being of the kindest nature.

At length, when our uneasiness was at its height, we saw him coming towards us with a train of followers. The Mallam and all of his principal people were with him, bringing numerous jars of palm wine. A mat was spread near the water-side, whereon the chief sat himself, and we were instantly desired to place ourselves one on each side of his person. The palm wine and some rum were then produced; and as we were about to take a long farewell of our hospitable host, we drank of his offering, rather than give offence by a refusal. The palm wine circulated freely in the bowls, and the natives of the village, who witnessed all our proceedings with no little anxiety, seemed to be greatly delighted at seeing their chief and the priests so familiar with white men. Meanwhile several elephants’ tusks, and a number of slaves and goats, were put into the canoe as presents to the chief of Bonny. A fatted goat was given us as a parting gift, and a small decanter of rum was thrust in my brother’s bosom as a cordial during the night. We drank and chatted away until half past six in the evening, when we sent Pascoe on before us in charge of our old canoe, telling him that we should soon overtake him.

To our great mortification we were unable to follow him till eight in the evening, being detained by another fetísh ceremony. The Mahometan priest then gave us the dimensions and shape of a large mirror, a handsome sword, and other articles, which he begged of us to procure for him in England; and then we arose to take our leave of the king, expressing our acknowledgments to him with sincerity and heartiness for the cordial and generous reception we had met with. Our own canoe and people had departed long before, and it was dark when we jumped into the chief’s canoe which was waiting for us, and launched out into the stream. We lay off at a short distance from the bank, when all the fetísh people walked knee deep into the river and muttered a long prayer, after which they splashed the water towards our canoe with each foot, and we proceeded on. Damuggoo is a long straggling town, and is formed indeed by a collection of villages, which are scattered along the western bank. Touching at one of these, which is situated rather remote from the starting-place, a number of individuals leaped from the shore into the water by the side of our canoe, and began pattering about, in order to appease the anger of their deities, and ensure us a favourable voyage.

The natives do everything by halves; on arriving at the village, it was found that we had not taken a sufficient number of canoe-men for the occasion; and they loitered about the place, bawling for assistance till they were joined by two companions. Every time the canoe stopped for any purpose, the canoe-men muttered some sentences in a low tone to the fetísh, invoking the aid of their deity towards a safe passage. All having got into the canoe, we glided down the stream with delightful rapidity, without stopping any where, or meeting with further hinderances till midnight. The canoe-men entertained us with their native songs, keeping time with their paddles, and every thing contributed to render the passage pleasant had we not been uneasy at our canoe with Pascoe being so far before us, without any messenger or guide. This made me determine not to send him on again without either my brother or self accompanying him.

We are inclined to attribute the good reception we met with from the chief of Damuggoo entirely to the influence of the Mallam. It is the character of the Nouffie people to speak in good terms of us wherever we have met them, and it was no doubt the representation of this old man that operated so powerfully in our favour with the chief. We regretted very much that we had nothing better to give him than a few needles for his services to us during our stay, as he had been our interpreter on all occasions.

_Friday, November 5th._—We continued on our way down the river until two in the morning, when we arrived at a halting-place, near a considerable village, the name of which we could not ascertain. Here our people landed to repose awhile under the branches of trees, and await the coming of our own canoe, which we had not seen during the night. Our lodgings were very far from agreeable; we were crammed, comparatively, into a small canoe, with a dozen people as companions, besides a number of goats, and six slaves, consisting of three women, two men, and a pretty little boy. Neither of these slaves seem to bestow a moment’s regret on leaving their native country, though they know they are to be sold on the coast, and conveyed to a foreign and distant land, if we may except a troublesome female, who screamed by starts during the night; but her sorrow was evidently assumed, her object being to disturb her associates in misfortune, and give trouble to her keepers, rather than to give vent to her own feelings. The noise of this unsociable companion was silenced occasionally by a few hearty cuffs on the head by one of the canoe-men. It was impossible for the slaves to lie down, so they sat in the bottom of the canoe, with the goats, and there they slept soundly, though the water which was admitted into the canoe was continually washing and splashing against their naked sides. The little boy above-mentioned, is intended as a present from the chief of Damuggoo to the king of Bonny; he is not placed on a similar footing to his companions, but is treated with tenderness. The men and women slaves are fettered in the day-time, but their irons are taken off at night. These have been all free people; but having been found guilty of minor offences at Damuggoo, they are sentenced to perpetual slavery and banishment.

A market is to be held to-morrow in the village near which we are stopping, and several large canoes filled with people and goods are lying alongside of us, for their owners to commence trafficking as soon as the morning shall dawn. Others are constantly arriving from various quarters for the same purpose, so that we are now (four in the morning) surrounded by a large squadron of native canoes. Ours, with Pascoe and his companions, has just entered the creek. It is a heavy and clumsy vessel, and therefore greatly inferior to the light canoes of the natives. Pascoe told us he had hailed a great many canoes thinking they were ours, and we were so much pleased that he had not been stopped, that we entertained a very good opinion of these people.

The river has run in a westerly and south westerly direction to-day with many windings. The breadth has varied from one to three or four miles, and the current has run very rapidly. The banks were low and swampy, and covered with a thick underwood interspersed with palm trees.

We endeavoured to obtain a little rest, but found it quite impossible, and at five in the morning we arose wearied and fatigued. The heavy dew which had fallen wetted us completely through. At sunrise I joined our people in the old canoe, which contained the whole of our luggage, for the purpose of encouraging them to greater exertion, otherwise they would not keep up with the men of Damuggoo, and might loiter behind and lose themselves; and as my brother’s canoe could easily overtake me, I proceeded onwards at five A.M. leaving him behind with the other.

The village is famous for palm-oil, which it produces in abundance, and the buyers of that commodity were exceedingly numerous. The bank was lined with many hundreds of people whose curiosity to see a white man was irresistible; so that, in order to prevent unpleasant consequences after I had left them, my brother’s canoe-men, who had been engaged in purchasing provisions, pushed off the shore between seven and eight in the morning, and continued down the river, following my track.

I had left one trunk and one medicine-chest in my brother’s canoe, and a couple of muskets, in case he might want them, and being very anxious to get down the river had started without breakfast, at which my people were very much dissatisfied. They complained of being tired very soon, and asked for their breakfast. I cheered them up all I could with the hopes of getting them on further before we stopped; and, taking the paddle myself, I set them the example in using it, at the same time singing ‘Rule Britannia’ to them, and telling them that in six or seven days we should reach the sea, when I would reward them all well. This had the desired effect, and although I could not but think that the poor fellows complained very justly, we continued on very pleasantly.

At six A.M. we were passing rather close to a point in the river, round which it takes an abrupt turn, and the current being very rapid we were carried into an eddy before we were aware of it. It was with considerable difficulty that we got clear of it, but had we been two yards nearer to the shore our canoe would have been dashed into pieces. These dangers will always be avoided by the precaution of keeping in the middle of the river. At seven A.M. we saw a small river enter the Niger from the eastward, the banks of which, as well as those of the Niger, were elevated and fertile. Shortly after we observed a branch of the river running off to the westward, about the same size as that from the eastward. On the right bank of this river, close also to the bank of the Niger, we observed a large market, which I was informed is Kirree; and that the river, flowing to the westward past it, runs to Benin. A great number of canoes were lying near the bank. They appeared to be very large, and had flags flying on long bamboo canes. We took no notice of them, but passed on, and in a short time afterwards we saw about fifty canoes before us, coming up the river. They appeared to be very large and full of men, and the appearance of them at a distance was very pleasing. They had each three long bamboo canes, with flags flying from them, one fixed at each end of the canoe, and the other in the middle. As we approached each other I observed the British Union flag in several, while others, which were white, had figures on them of a man’s leg, chairs, tables, decanters, glasses, and all kinds of such devices. The people in them, who were very numerous, were dressed in European clothing, with the exception of trousers.

I felt quite overjoyed by the sight of these people, more particularly so when I saw our flag and European apparel among them, and congratulated myself that they were from the sea-coast. But all my fond anticipations vanished in a moment as the first canoe met us. A great stout fellow, of a most forbidding countenance, beckoned to me to come to him, but seeing him and all his people so well armed I was not much inclined to trust myself among them, and paid no attention to him. The next moment I heard the sound of a drum, and in an instant several men mounted a platform and levelled their muskets at us. There was nothing to be done now but to obey; as for running away it was out of the question, our square loaded canoe was incapable of it, and to fight with fifty war canoes, for such we found them, containing each above forty people, most of whom were as well armed as ourselves, would have been throwing away my own and my canoe-men’s lives very foolishly. In addition to the muskets, each canoe had a long gun in its bow that would carry a shot of four or six pounds, besides being provided with a good stock of swords and boarding-pikes.

By this time our canoes were side by side, and with astonishing rapidity our luggage found its way into those of our opponents. This mode of proceeding I did not relish at all; so as my gun was loaded with two balls and four slugs, I took deliberate aim at the leader, and he would have paid for his temerity with his life in one moment more, had not three of his people sprung on me and forced the gun from my hands. My jacket and shoes were as quickly plundered from me, and observing some other fellows at the same time taking away Pascoe’s wife, I lost all command over myself and was determined to sell my life as dearly as I could. I encouraged my men to arm themselves with their paddles and defend themselves to the last. I instantly seized hold of Pascoe’s wife, and with the assistance of another of my men dragged her from the fellow’s grasp; Pascoe at the same time levelled a blow at his head with one of our iron-wood paddles that sent him reeling backwards, and we saw him no more.

Our canoe having been so completely relieved of her cargo, which had consisted only of our luggage, we had plenty of room in her for battle, and being each of us provided with a paddle, we determined, as we had got clear of our adversary, to cut down the first fellow who should dare to board us. This was not attempted; and as none of the other canoes had offered to interfere, I was in hopes of finding some friends among them, but at all events was determined to follow the people who had plundered us to the market, where they seemed to be going. We accordingly pulled after them as fast as we could. My men, now that the fray was over, began to think of their forlorn condition. All their things were gone, and as they gave up all hopes of regaining them, or being able to revenge themselves on the robbers, they gave vent to their rage in tears and execrations. I desired them to be quiet, and endeavoured all in my power to pacify them by telling them that if we were spared to reach the sea in safety, I would pay them for everything they had lost.

We were following the canoe that had attacked us as fast as we possibly could to regain our things, if possible, when some people hailed us from a large canoe, which I found afterwards belonged to the New Calebar river. One of the people, who was apparently a person of consequence, called out lustily to me, ‘Holloa, white man, you French, you English?’—‘Yes, English,’ I answered him immediately. ‘Come here in my canoe,’ he said, and our two canoes approached each other rapidly. I accordingly got into his canoe, and he put three of his men into mine to assist in pulling her to the market. The people of the canoe treated me with much kindness, and the chief of her who had hailed me gave me a glass of rum. There were several females also in the canoe who appeared to take a great deal of interest in my safety.

On looking around me I now observed my brother coming towards us in the Damuggoo canoe, and the same villain who had plundered me was the first to pursue him. As we had been absent from each other all the morning, and the foregoing transactions only relate to myself, the following narrative of my brother’s will give the reader an account of his proceedings to the time I saw him, and the disaster which soon after followed.

‘My brother left the village nearly two hours before me, and therefore he was far in advance when the Damuggoo canoe, in which I had remained, was pushed off the land. Wishing to overtake him, for he had no guide, the men exerted themselves wonderfully to make amends for the time which they had trifled away, and it was really astonishing to see the rapidity with which the canoe was impelled through the water.

‘The morning was cool, serene, and delightful, and the sun had just emerged from a mass of dense clouds, which were fringed with a silvery light. On each side of the river, gentle and undulating hills rose one behind the other, covered with verdure, and here and there varied by groves of dark green trees, which served to render the prospect yet more agreeable. The smooth, transparent surface of the river, disturbed only by the motions of our paddles, so calm, so peaceful, in its gentle course, reflected with unerring truth the enchanting landscape from either side, and lent its friendly aid to hasten us to our long wished- for destination.

‘After we had been in the canoe perhaps an hour, one of the men who happened to be standing in the bow, fancied that he could descry, in another canoe, then at a considerable distance before us, a sheep and goat, which my brother had taken away with him in the morning. All doubt as to the identity of the animals having been removed from his own mind and those of his companions,—though for my own part I must own that my vision was not near keen enough to allow me to agree with them in opinion,—we gave chase to the suspected canoe. The men summoned all their resolution and strength to the task, and, like an arrow from a bow, our narrow vessel darted through the water. We gained rapidly on the chase, and the people, perceiving our object and mistrusting our intentions, kept near the shore, and laboured hard to get away from us. They then entered a branch of the river which was running to the south- west, and sheltered themselves amongst a number of canoes that were lying alongside a large market-place, situated on the right bank.