Chapter XIX (1)

Departure from Kirree — Method of trading — Character of the natives — An unhappy slave — Superstitions of the canoe-men respecting the travellers — Stopped by fog — Pass through a lake — Arrival at Eboe Town — The King’s Palace — Description of King Obie — Interview with him — The Eboe People — Trade of Eboe Town — Disputes of the natives respecting the travellers — Decision of King Obie respecting them — Their disappointment — An Eboe Lady — Arrangements for leaving Eboe.

_Saturday, November 6._—My brother felt quite feverish this morning, and I was very unwell, yet we had nothing to eat, nor anything to purchase it with. At sun-rise our canoe was taken from before Kirree market- place, to the little sand-bank or island in the middle of the river, where we waited till nine o’clock for the coming of two war-canoes, which it has been resolved should convoy us to the Eboe country, which we understand is situated three days’ journey hence down the Niger. A head man from one of them stepped into ours, though as it was we had scarcely room enough to move a limb. The sunken canoe had been got up again; the Damuggoo people had regained their slaves, having lost only cloth and ivory, for which they are told they will be recompensed by the king of the Eboe country on arriving there; so that this circumstance seemed to have revived their hopes a little, and to have inspired them with fresh life and spirits, which one could scarcely expect from individuals that had so recently been half drowned, beaten, and otherwise ill-used. Nevertheless, though our loss far exceeded theirs, we were as cheerful as they. Our minds had been relieved from a painful state of anxiety; we now looked forward to our journey down the river with the most pleasing anticipations; and even in our forlorn condition we profited by the lesson we had received, and rejoiced that our situation was no worse. Our thoughts were once more turned on home; we quickly resumed our former cheerfulness; the freshness of the morning gave us new vigour, and we ardently wished to set out.

At seven in the morning we bade adieu to Kirree, the scene of all our sorrows, accompanied by six large war-canoes, and again took our station with the Damuggoo people. The canoe once more darted along at a great rate, the men, as they applied their whole strength to their paddles, gave us a song of their country, which seemed to animate them to still greater exertion. Our minds were well prepared to enjoy it; and in no part of the country have we listened to a native song with so much pleasure and gratification.

At nine in the morning we passed two beautiful islands, not far from the place where we had been first attacked. These were uninhabited and nearly in the middle of the river, which is about three miles broad. The direction of it seemed to be about south-west, or rather more westerly, but having lost our compass with the rest of our things yesterday, we are now quite at a loss for the direction of the river, and can only form an opinion from the place of the sun. At intervals of two or three miles we observed large towns and villages on the banks, which at a short distance from the river became high. Our canoe people being afraid, I suppose, of the inhabitants, and perhaps being at war with them, would not go near them, although they were in want of yams.

At eleven A.M., the people laid in their paddles, and allowed the canoe to drift down the river, while they took their breakfast.

Besides our convoy, we had a _sumpter-canoe_ in company, belonging to the Eboe people, from which the others were supplied with dressed provisions. For our own part, we had neither money nor needles, nor indeed anything to purchase a meal; and knowing this to be the case, our sable guardians neglected to take into consideration the state of our stomachs. However, we felt no very strong inclination to join them in their repast, though on one occasion we were invited to do so, for we felt an invincible disgust to it, from the filthy manner in which it had been prepared. Yams were first boiled, and then skinned and mashed into a paste, with the addition of a little water, by hands that were far from being clean. As this part of the business requires great personal exertion, the man on whom it devolved perspired very copiously, and the consequences may easily be guessed at. This was the reason for the unconquerable aversion we felt to partake of their food. The natives, however, are not equally squeamish about such trifles, and compassionate our want of taste in not relishing their savoury banquet. With their yams they generally have a little fish, either smoked and dried, or fresh from the stream; but on very particular occasions, instead of fish, a young kid, roasted with its skin and hair, is substituted. In eating, they use the fingers only, and every one dips his hand into the same dish. This custom is universal. It is the same amongst the Moors in Barbary, and the Arabs and Mahomedans in India, and perhaps in many other countries in the world.

Had it not been for the above filthy method of preparing their repast, we should not have hesitated in joining them, having eaten nothing either to-day or yesterday, but a small piece of a banana. Half an hour was thus passed, when the men took their paddles again, and the canoes moved on at a swift rate. The river became more winding in its course, and the banks were covered with large trees which hung over the water.

At four in the afternoon we halted to purchase yams at a town on the bank of the river, which was nearly hid from our sight amidst the trees and thick underwood. The canoes having reached the bank, five of the canoemen landed well armed, and proceeded to the town. They had been absent an hour, when they again made their appearance, followed by a great many people carrying bundles. They were also accompanied by one old woman, who appeared to be a person of consequence. It appears that the natives in this part of the river are such outrageous and lawless fellows, that they are mistrustful of each other even in the smallest communication, and we had an opportunity of seeing how far this was carried.

The object of our visit was to purchase yams, and our people had succeeded in getting the villagers to bring some down to the canoes. These people, however, had armed themselves either with a gun or sword, as well as our own, and had no women among them, excepting the old one above-mentioned. Having arrived at the bank of the river, the old woman directed all the yams to be placed in a row before our people, and in distinct and separate bundles, and the owners to retire to a short distance, which order was implicitly obeyed. The purchaser now inspected the bundles, and having selected one to his satisfaction, which might contain the finest yams, placed what he considered to be its value by the side of it, consisting of cloth, flints, &c. The old lady looking on all the time, if in her opinion it was sufficient to give, takes up the cloth and gives it to the owner of the bundle, and the purchaser likewise takes away the yams. But on the contrary, if the cloth, or whatever was thus offered by the purchaser, is not considered sufficient by the old woman, she allows it to remain a short time to give him an opportunity of adding something else to his offer. If this were not done, the owner of the yams was directed by the old woman to take them and move them back out of the way, leaving what had been offered for them to be taken away also. All this was carried on without a word passing between the parties, and the purchase of a sufficient number of yams by our people occupied three hours. It was something quite novel to see two large parties of people bartering commodities in this manner; and the apparent unconcern and determination with which the old woman held out, when she considered the price offered for the yams not sufficient, was quite amusing. She knew our men must have yams; and with an ill grace they added anything to what they had already offered. The scene before us was altogether extraordinary. Many of the people belonging to the canoes were standing in a group on the bank of the river near them with muskets, swords, and spears in their hands; some with the articles with which they were about to make a purchase. A quantity of yams, arranged in large bundles, placed in a row, separated them from another group, consisting of the villagers also armed, and both parties standing at a short distance from them, leaving a considerable space between. Here was stationed the old woman, who, with no little consequence, directed the whole affair by signs, either to her own party or ours, not a word being spoken by any one.

We could not help thinking, that everything, in the largest market we have seen, might have been disposed of in the time required for purchasing these yams, and that only ten days’ journey up the river such a market would be found. This method of trading must have arisen either from the fear of quarrelling, or from not understanding each other’s language, which is difficult to suppose; but it seems to have been instituted by mutual agreement, for both parties quite understood how they were to act. This is the first time we have witnessed it. The villagers have a wild appearance; rather resembling the Kirree people, but we observed no marks on the face, nor on any part of the person. We did not understand their language, and therefore could not inform ourselves of the name of the people or their village; and at seven in the evening again proceeded on our journey.

It was ten at night when we came abreast of a small town, where we stopped. Instead of making the canoes fast to the bank and landing, we lay out in the river at a short distance from it, in case of an alarm by strange canoes. It was long since we had tasted food, and we had suffered from hunger the whole day without being able to obtain anything. Soon after we had stopped for the night, our guards gave us each a piece of roasted yam, and our poor people had the good fortune to get some also, being the first they have had since leaving Damuggoo. The roasted yam, washed down with a little water, was to us as joyful a meal as if we had been treated with the most sumptuous fare, and we laid ourselves down in the canoe to sleep in content.

The course of the river, according to the best of our judgment, has been about south-west.

_Sunday, November 7th._—At the dawn of day, our canoemen were busily employed in making preparations for departure. We had been unable to get much sleep, from having nothing to protect us from the cold, and the heavy dew, which had wetted us completely through. The morning was calm, and beautifully fine; and the clear, shrill whistle of the cheerful parrot echoed through the woods, breaking the stillness which had prevailed around, as we took a hasty leave of the few villagers who had assembled out of curiosity to see us, and pursued our course down the stream. The banks of the river have altered decidedly within these two days; its course is not so serpentine as it has been; the banks are so low and regular, that not even a simple rising can anywhere be distinguished to break their uniformity; and, for the first time, we have seen the fibrous mangrove interspersed among the other trees of the forest. Indeed they are beginning to present a degree of sameness little different from that which prevails on many parts of the sea-coast. Both banks, however, are pretty thickly inhabited, and villages are scattered every here and there; for though they are embosomed in trees, and invisible from the river, yet their situation might easily be known from the number of their inhabitants which appeared on the beach to trade with the canoemen. Plantains, bananas, and yams, are cultivated by these villagers to an almost incredible extent. They form, in fact, with the addition of the fish which they may happen to catch, their sole support, and the only articles of export. Many of them, though poor and wretched, are mild, and even timorous in their manners, and are said to be honest and upright in their dealings; but others again are bold, cruel, and rapacious, and are dreaded and shunned not only by their neighbours, but also by those whom business may lead this way, unless they go in large, strong, and well-armed parties. Ours was certainly one of this description; yet men were constantly appointed to keep a watchful eye on the bank, when we were compelled to pass it close, by keeping the channel, in order to guard against surprise by an ambuscade. For this purpose, two or three men stood up in the canoe for several hours at a time, with a musket and cutlass in each hand, to intimidate the natives, by convincing them that we were fully prepared for an attack. The singular method of trading we had witnessed yesterday, or something similar to it, was formerly in use, we believe, between natives and Europeans on various parts of the sea-coast; and if we are not mistaken, the same custom is observed to this day, not only in Africa, but in many other parts of the globe likewise.

Among the Damuggoo slaves, is a middle-aged, short, fat woman, having a broad, mournful kind of countenance; in fact, there were two of them, so very much alike in all respects, that they might be taken for sisters. As she sat with the goats, whose society, by the bye, was extremely disagreeable to her, inasmuch as they committed various misdemeanours, to her great annoyance, she fetched one of the deepest and most dismal sighs that I ever heard. This attracted my attention, for she was seated so near me, that from the motion of the canoe, I was not unfrequently jostled against her naked person, which was by no means agreeable, for she was a dirty woman. She had been slowly masticating, with apparent disrelish, part of a boiled yam, which appeared to be cold and dry, and which was now laid aside. She was in deep meditation; tear-drops were in her eyes, ready to fall as she gazed earnestly at a spot of land on the eastern bank, which was fast receding from her view. Her closed lips, slightly upturned, and quivering with emotion, the usual prelude to more violent grief, gave an expression of sadness and silent sorrow to her countenance, which language can but ill express. Nothing could be more touching than this tranquil face of woe. Loud bursts of lamentation, and other vehement expressions of passion, would not be half so eloquent. I imagined that the poor creature was bewailing her hard fate in the ill- usage which she had received from her guardians, one of whom had not long before applied a paddle to her head and shoulders; or she might, I thought, be in want of water, which was beyond her reach; but to satisfy my doubts, I addressed her, and demanded the cause of her emotion. On this she turned round her head, and bestowing a violent thump on the nose of a goat which had discovered her broken yam, and was nibbling it fast away, she replied, pointing with her finger to the spot on which she had been so anxiously gazing,—‘_There I was born_.’ The chord was touched; she had striven to repress her feelings before, but she could no longer command them; she became more agitated, and wept bitterly as she faltered out, ‘_That is my country!_’ I was softened and moved at the woman’s distress, and should doubtless have felt still stronger compassion, if I had not observed her, in the midst of her tears, inflicting the most rigorous chastisement on her brute companions, in the most unmerciful manner. The kids and goats had, in their playfulness, been gamboling about her feet and legs, and bespattered them with a little dirty water from the bottom of the canoe; and I thought to myself, that if a female could behave with cruelty to a companion, being herself in distress, that little pity or gentleness could dwell in her bosom. However, be this as it may, she was greatly afflicted. She might have recalled to her mind, as she was borne past the place where she had received her being, and where her childhood had been spent, the pastimes and amusements of that innocent and happy period of life; and this reflection, bringing along with it a train of pleasing associations, had produced her grief, which was no doubt increased by comparing the freedom which she once enjoyed with her present miserable condition of bondage. It may appear strange that I should dwell so long on this subject, for it seems quite natural that every one, even the most thoughtless barbarian, would feel at least some slight emotion on being exiled from his native country, and enslaved. But so far is this from being the case, that Africans, generally speaking, betray the most perfect indifference on losing their liberty, and being deprived of their relatives; while love of country is seemingly as great a stranger to their breasts, as social tenderness and domestic affection. We have seen many thousands of slaves, some of them more intelligent than others; but the poor little fat woman whom I have mentioned,—the associate of beasts, and wallowing in filth, whose countenance would seem to indicate only listlessness, stupidity, and perhaps idiotism, without the smallest symptom of intelligence,—she alone has shown anything like regret on gazing at her native land for the last time. ‘There I was born,’ said she; as she was passing by it, weeping,—‘That is my country!’

At eleven o’clock at night we arrived at a spot which had been chosen as a place of rendezvous for the whole party, and here we slept in our canoes. The river has run to-day rather to the southward of west, varying but slightly from yesterday’s course.

_Monday, November 8th._—Long before sunrise, though it was excessively dark, the canoes were put in motion, for as the ‘Eboe’ country is said to be at no great distance, the Eboe people with us were desirous of arriving there as early in the day as possible. It proved to be a dull hazy morning, but at seven o’clock, A.M., the fog had become so dense, that no object, however large, could be distinguished at a greater distance than a few yards. This created considerable confusion; and the men fearing, as they expressed it, to lose themselves, tied one canoe to another, thus forming double canoes, and all proceeded together in close company. However we had gone but a little way after this arrangement, when the men fancied that they had departed from the proper track, and therefore they determined to pull ashore, and wait there till the mist should be dispelled; yet they toiled a full hour before their object was effected. We wished to be more particular in our observations of this interesting part of our journey; but were constrained to forego this gratification, on account of the superstitious prejudices of the natives, who were so infatuated as to imagine, that we had not only occasioned the fog, but that, if we did not sit or lie down in the canoe (for we had been standing), it would inevitably cause the destruction of the whole party;—and the reason which they assigned was, ‘that the river had never beheld a white man before,’ and, therefore, they dreaded the consequences of our rashness and presumption in regarding its waters so attentively. This and similar nonsense was delivered with such determination and earnestness, that we reluctantly lay down and allowed ourselves to be covered with mats, in order to quiet their apprehensions; for we did not forget that we were prisoners, and that a perseverance in standing up would have exposed us to the mortification of being put down by force.

We hung on by the shore till the fog had dispersed, when we were again allowed to see the river. We now found ourselves on an immense body of water, like a lake, having gone a little out of the road, and at the mouth of a very considerable river, flowing to the westward, it being an important branch of the Niger; another branch also ran from hence to the south-east, while our course was in a south-westerly direction on the main body; the whole forming, in fact, _three_ rivers of considerable magnitude. The banks were all low and swampy, and completely covered with palm trees.

An hour or two after this, or about mid-day, one of the Eboe men in our canoe exclaimed ‘There is my country!’ pointing to a clump of very high trees, which was yet at some distance before us; and after passing a low fertile island, we quickly came to it. Here we observed a few fishing- canoes, but their owners appeared suspicious and fearful, and would not come near us, though their national flag, which is a British Union, sewed on a large piece of plain white cotton, with scollops of blue, was streaming from a long staff in the bow. The town was yet, we were told, a good way down the river. In a short time, however, we came to an extensive morass, intersected by little channels in every direction, and by one of these we got into clear water, and in front of the Eboe town. Here we found hundreds of canoes, some of them even larger than any we had previously met with. They are furnished with sheds and awnings, and afford commodious habitations for a vast number of people, who constantly reside in them; perhaps one of these canoes, which is made of a single trunk, contains as many as seventy individuals.

The little we could see of the houses with which the shore is interspersed, gave us a very favourable impression of the judgment and cleanliness of the inhabitants of the town. They are neatly built of yellow clay, plastered over, and thatched with palm leaves; yards sprucely fenced are annexed to each of them, in which plantains, bananas, and cocoa-trees grow, exhibiting a pleasing sight, and affording a delightful shade. When we came alongside the large canoes already spoken of, two or three huge brawny fellows, in broken English, asked how we did, in a tone which Stentor might have envied; and the shaking of hands with our powerful friends was really a punishment, on account of the violent squeezes which we were compelled to suffer. The chief of these men calls himself _Gun_, though _Blunderbuss_, or _Thunder_, would have been as appropriate a name; and without solicitation, he informed us that though he was not a great man, yet he was ‘a little military king;’ that his brother’s name was King _Boy_, and his father’s King _Forday_, who with ‘King _Jacket_,’ governed all the _Brass_ country. But what was infinitely more interesting to us than this ridiculous list of kings, was the information he gave us, that, besides a Spanish schooner, an English vessel, called the ‘Thomas of Liverpool,’ was also lying in the _first Brass river_, which Mr. Gun said was frequented by Liverpool traders for palm-oil.

Full of joy at this intelligence, we passed on to a little artificial creek, so narrow that our canoes could scarcely be pulled along, and here we were desired to wait till the King’s pleasure respecting us should be known. On the return of the messenger, we were drawn, in the canoe, over ooze and mud to a considerable distance, when we got out and walked to a house, similar to those which we have already mentioned as having seen from the river. There was a little verandah supported by wooden columns in front, and on the floor mats had been placed for our accommodation. Indeed its whole appearance was so clean and comfortable, and it likewise had such an appearance of neatness and simplicity about it, differing entirely from anything of the kind which we had seen for a long time, that we were quite pleased with our new abode; and if the countenance of our host had been at all in unison with the agreeableness of his dwelling, we imagined that we could live at ease in it for a few days at least. But it was not so. The harshness of this man’s manners corresponded with his sulky, ill-natured face, and deprived us of a good deal of pleasure which we should have enjoyed in reposing at full length on dry, soft mats, after having been cramped up for three days in a small canoe, with slaves and goats, and exposed to the dews by night, and the sun by day.

An hour or two of rest invigorated and refreshed us extremely; and we then received a message from the King, that he was in waiting to see and converse with us. Having little to adjust in regard to our dress, we rose up, and followed the man immediately. Passing near the outskirts of the town, the man conducted us, by paths little frequented, to the outward yard of the palace, before the door of which was placed the statue of a woman in a sitting posture, and made of clay, very rude of course and very ugly. Having crossed the yard, in which we saw nothing remarkable, we entered by a wooden door into another, which was far superior. This formed an oblong square; it was cleanly swept and had a very spruce appearance, and each of its sides was furnished with an excellent portico. Near the doorway we saw, with surprize, a large heavy cannon, lying on the ground. From this enclosure we were led into a third, which, like the former, had its porticos, and in one of them a number of women were employed in manufacturing a kind of cloth of cotton and dried grass, which they wove together. Opposite the entrance, is a low clay platform, about three feet from the ground, which was overlaid with mats of various colours, a large piece of coarse red cloth covering the whole, and at each of its corners we observed a little squat figure, also of clay; but, whether these were intended to represent males or females, it is impossible to conjecture. Here we were desired to place ourselves, among a crowd of half-dressed, armed men, who were huddled together on the left of the platform, some sitting, and others standing, and awaiting the coming of the Prince. Our friend Gun was with them, and he immediately claimed priority of acquaintance with us. He chatted with amazing volubility, and in less than two minutes he was on the most familiar footing, slapping us with no small force just above the knee, to give weight to his observations, and to rivet our attention to his remarks. Then, while we spoke, he would rest his heavy arms on our shoulders, and laugh aloud at every word we said; look very knowingly, and occasionally apply the palm of his hand to our backs with the most _feeling_ energy, as a token of his encouragement and approbation. We wished him to answer questions which concerned us nearly, but the only satisfaction which we received, was contained in the expression, ‘O yes to be sure!’ and this was repeated so often, with an emphasis so peculiar, and with a grin so irresistibly ludicrous, that, in spite of our disappointment, we were vastly entertained with him.

In this manner was the time beguiled, till we heard a door suddenly opened on our right, and the dreaded _Obie_, King of the Eboe country, stood before us! And yet there was nothing so very dreadful in his appearance after all, for he is a sprightly young man, with a mild open countenance, and an eye which indicates quickness, intelligence and good-nature, rather than the ferocity which we had been told he possesses in an eminent degree. He received us with a smile of welcome, and shook hands with infinite cordiality, often complimenting us with the word ‘yes!’ to which his knowledge of English is confined, and which no doubt he had been tutored to pronounce for the occasion. Several attendants followed their sovereign, most of whom were unarmed, and almost naked, and three little boys were likewise in attendance, whose office it was to fan him when desired.

The dress of the King of the Eboe country somewhat resembles that which is worn, _on state occasions_, by the monarch of Yarriba. Its appearance was altogether _brilliant_; and from the vast profusion of coral ornaments with which he was decorated, Obie might not inappropriately be styled, ‘the Coral King,’ such an idea at all events entered our minds, as we contemplated the monarch, sitting on his throne of clay. His head was graced with a cap, shaped like a sugar-loaf, and covered thickly with strings of coral and pieces of broken looking-glass, so as to hide the materials of which it was made; his neck, or rather throat, was encircled with several strings of the same kind of bead, which were fastened so tightly, as in some degree to affect his respiration, and to give his throat and cheeks an inflated appearance. In opposition to these were four or five others hanging round his neck and reaching almost to his knees. He wore a short Spanish surtout of red cloth, which fitted close to his person, being much too small. It was ornamented with gold epaulettes, and the front of it was overspread with gold lace, but which, like the cap, was entirely concealed, unless on a close examination, owing to the vast quantity of coral which was fastened to it in strings. Thirteen or fourteen bracelets (for we had the curiosity to count them) decorated each wrist, and to give them full effect, a few inches of the sleeves of the coat had been cut off purposely. The beads were fastened to the wrist with old copper buttons, which formed an odd contrast to them. The King’s trousers, composed of the same material as his coat, stuck as closely to the skin as that, and was similarly embroidered, but it reached no further than the middle of his legs, the lower part of it being ornamented like the wrists, and with precisely the same number of strings of beads; besides which, a string of little brass bells encircled each leg above the ankles, but the feet were naked. Thus splendidly clothed, Obie, smiling at his own magnificence, vain of the admiration which was paid him by his attendants, and flattered without doubt by the presence of white men, who he imagined were struck with amazement at the splendour of his appearance, shook his feet for the bells to tinkle, sat down with the utmost self-complacency, and looked around him.

Our story was related to the king in full by the Bonny messenger who had accompanied us from Damuggoo, who also dwelt upon the losses which the people of that place and his own had met with at Kirree; and if we may be allowed to form an opinion, it was a fine piece of savage eloquence. The man’s looks and gestures were natural, animated, and forcible, and strictly in keeping with the feeling, power, and energy with which his expressions were poured forth. The inflections of his voice, also, were truly admirable. This singular speech lasted, as near as we could guess, two whole hours, and produced a visible effect upon all present. As soon as it was over we were invited by Obie to take some refreshment; being in truth extremely hungry at the time, we thankfully accepted the offer, and fish and yams, swimming in oil, were forthwith brought us on English plates, the king retiring in the meanwhile from motives of delicacy.

The oil was the commonest kind used in the lamps of warehouses in England, extremely unpalatable, and emitted so unsavoury a smell that we found it impossible to partake of it, so great was our disgust: Gun was of a different opinion, and declaring it to be the best Liverpool beef fat that he had seen for a long time, he soon made away with it. When Obie returned, a general conversation ensued, and he was engaged in talking promiscuously to those around him till evening, when the ‘great palàver,’ as it is called, was formally prorogued till the morrow, and presently after the chief bade us good night, and retired. We conceive it somewhat strange, that though the palàver was chiefly on our account, not a single question was put to us while it lasted, nor did we understand a single sentence that was uttered. Nevertheless we are led to believe, from the flattering and gracious manner in which we have been received, and other corresponding circumstances, that every thing is proceeding favourably to our wishes, and that the palàver will have a happy termination. But _nous verrons!_

The path to Obie’s house is in a westerly direction from the creek where we landed, distant about a quarter of a mile, between two lines of neat little huts. In the third, or inner yard of his palace, we also observed a large iron tank, which we were told was used by the king as a bath. The people, with whom we had to wait the arrival of the king, pestered us with all manner of questions before he made his appearance. In answer to their interrogations, I told them we had come from a country called Yàoorie, and another called Boossà, where we had been to obtain the books of one of our countrymen who had been killed a long time ago by the people of the latter place. This answer was quickly followed by a question whether he went there in a ship? and I answered, ‘No, in a large canoe.’ ‘Where is the canoe?’ they asked; ‘He ran it on the rocks,’ I replied, ‘and broke it.’ They did not, however, seem to comprehend me, and imagined that I was speaking of a ship that was lost at sea on the other side of the land. The _little military king_ of Brass-town told us that he had come here for the purpose of buying slaves for a Spanish vessel. When Obie entered he was followed by a man carrying a little brass figure of a deity, which, when he had seated himself, was placed on his right hand.

The poor Damuggoo people were in tears all the time their chief was relating the account of the attack at Kirree: they had lost every thing they had; not only their master’s property, but their own also, with the exception of the slaves. They had no means of obtaining provisions, having nothing with which to purchase them, so that the poor fellows are in a starving condition. Obie made them a long speech, and seemed to feel for their destitute condition; he gave them ten yams, and desired them to go to their house, promising to hear the remainder of their story on the morrow.

Our hut is so small that we have scarcely room to lie down, but little as it is we feel ourselves far better off than in our canoe. The mats were comfortable, and we were well inclined to enjoy a good rest. We had not retired long before a boy arrived from the king, bringing with him five yams and one small fowl. This was a poor supply for eight persons, which our party amounted to besides ourselves, and would scarcely keep us from starving. At seven in the evening we made a slight supper off a piece of the boiled fowl with part of a yam, and laid ourselves down to rest. Tired as we were, and much as we needed sleep, we could get none. Our sulky old landlord annoyed us beyond measure by introducing his friends to see us, and all our endeavours to make him understand that we did not like their intrusion and wished for rest were fruitless; there was no getting rid of them, for no sooner was one party gone than another supplied their place. The first part of the night was thus employed, and in the latter part we were kept awake by the most dreadful screaming we ever heard. The noise proceeded from some unfortunate person who seemed to be suffering the severest agony in a hut hard by our own, so that the cries were distinctly heard. We could not learn the occasion of them; but these people having the name of being most barbarous in their habits, we concluded that they proceeded from some unhappy victim who was a prisoner of war suffering some horrible death. Our people slept in the house with us, so that we felt some sort of security from their presence.

_Tuesday, November 9th._—Two of our attendants who have accompanied us from Cape Coast Castle, and who, during their lifetime, have spent many years in Ashantee, declare that the buildings of the people here are nowise different from those at Coomassie, the capital of that kingdom, than in their size, which is much smaller. They certainly resemble the houses of the Yarribeans, but they surpass them in neatness, regularity, and cleanliness, and are besides much better secured from the rain. There is not a single round hut in the place. The Eboe people, like most Africans, are extremely indolent, and cultivate yams, Indian corn, and plantains only. They have abundance of goats and fowls, but few sheep are to be seen, and no bullocks. The city, which has no other name than the ‘Eboe Country,’ is situated on an open plain; it is immensely large, contains a vast population, and is the capital of a kingdom of the same name. It has, for a series of years, been the principal slave-mart for native traders from the coast, between the Bonny and Old Calebar rivers; and for the production of its palm-oil it has obtained equal celebrity. Hundreds of men from the rivers mentioned above come up for the purpose of trade, and numbers of them are at present residing in canoes in front of the town. Most of the oil purchased by Englishmen at the Bonny and adjacent rivers, is brought from hence, as are nearly all the slaves which are annually exported from those places by the French, Spaniards, and Portuguese. It has been told us by many that the Eboe people are confirmed anthropophagi; and this opinion is more prevalent among the tribes bordering on that kingdom, than with the natives of more remote districts; but whether it be well or ill-founded, we have as yet no means of ascertaining. Certainly, with the solitary exception of their monarch, the Eboes bear on their countenances strong indications of a brutal, unyielding, and ferocious temper, but so likewise do many other people of different countries, who detest cannibalism, and speak of it with horror.

We were visited this morning by numbers of the inhabitants, who broke through every restraint to gratify their desire of seeing us. This was what we naturally expected; yet after all they were much better behaved, and less impatient, than we had any reason to apprehend, and they departed with little importunity, considering that they had not been in the habit of bending to the will of prisoners and slaves,—for such we are.

About noon we were informed that our attendance was required at the king’s house, Obie being fully prepared, it was said, to resume the hearing of our case, and examine the deposition of the Bonny messenger and the Damuggoo people. On entering the principal yard or court, in which we were yesterday introduced to the king, we found two little ugly clay figures, by the side of their companions, near the platform, and round them ‘magical characters,’ as a fortune-teller in Europe would call them, were chalked on the ground. We did not remain here long to admire this strange contrivance, but were presently ordered to return to the middle yard, and there wait under the eastern portico, till Obie should make his appearance. A common English chair, covered with inferior red cloth, had been previously placed there for his use.

It is plain, that the king, for some reason, is very unwilling to introduce us into the interior of his dwelling; as yet we have seen nothing but his yards. The chair alluded to above, was placed between two wooden pillars which support the roof of the verandah, and a great number of images are carved on them, very much after the manner of Yarriba. Indeed the difference between the productions of both countries, in this branch of the arts, is scarcely, if at all, to be perceived. On the left of the empty chair stood about fifty of the king’s attendants, and to the right of it, the Bonny, Brass, and Damuggoo people, with our own, were assembled. In less than half an hour, the men having in the mean time been regaled with a large quantity of palm-wine, the monarch, dressed in every respect as yesterday, entered the yard. His fat, round cheeks, were swelling with good humour, real or assumed, as he shook our hands with a sprightly air, when he instantly sat himself down in his chair to receive the prostrations and addresses of his subjects and others.

The business of the day was entered into with spirit, and a violent altercation soon arose between the Brass and Bonny people, but scarcely any part of the conversation was interpreted to us. Sufficient, however, was explained to put us in a very bad humour; for notwithstanding the opinion we had entertained of the benevolence of the chief, from his pleasing countenance joined to a mild and affable demeanour, we are assured that we shall never leave this country unless ransomed at a high price! No doubt Obie has been induced to adopt this line of conduct, partly by the instigation of his minions, and partly from the eagerness which has been displayed by the Bonny and Brass people to take us to their respective countries; for he imagines that such bitter contentions would not arise among them, as to whither we shall go, had it not been for the expectation of receiving a handsome recompense from our countrymen at those places. Therefore he is determined on his part to make as much of us as he can.

Bonny is now the place of our destination. We have with us a messenger from the present and a son to the late ruler of that state (King _Pepper_,) and, as it has already been related, we had engaged some Damuggoo people to accompany and protect us thither. Whilst, on the other hand, we know nothing at all of _Brass_, never having heard the name of such a river in our lives before, and equally ignorant are we of the manners of the natives who inhabit its banks; though it is evident that they have some acquaintance with our countrymen, and some slight knowledge of our language. The former, who say that Obie maintains a friendly intercourse with their monarch, are as anxious as we ourselves that they should take us to Bonny, and have remonstrated with the king rather angrily to this effect. But the latter are by far the most numerous and influential party, owing most likely to their very recent arrival from Brass, with a fresh stock of European goods, with part of which, it is said, they have already bribed Obie to give them the preference.

The discussion was violent and stormy, and the council did not break up till a late hour in the afternoon. They came to no decision, but will meet again to-morrow morning. The Brass people affirm that the ‘Bonny creek,’ which is a small branch of the Niger, is dried up, and that the main river which runs to Brass belongs to King _Jacket_, who will permit no foreigners whatever to pass up or down the Niger, without exacting the accustomed fees or duties. They will therefore have a very plausible reason for taking us entirely out of the hands of Obie and the Damuggoo people. We returned to our dwelling rather saddened than otherwise at the result of this day’s proceedings.

I asked King Obie permission to allow us to proceed on our journey, and to send one of his canoes to accompany us to Bonny, and was surprized at hearing that it was dried up. We must go down the large river, he said, to Brass, from whence we might get to Bonny, as there is a branch of the river which communicates with the two places. We are much annoyed by our interpreter. This fellow had told us that the branch leading to Bonny is the principal, whereas it is evident that it is that leading to Brass- town. This man, whose name is Antonio, is a native of Bonny, and never tells us exactly what the king says, so that we are a good deal in the dark as to what is going on concerning ourselves, and in fact he is the most useless fellow I ever knew. We were the subject of conversation two hours to-day between the kings; and could not learn what was said, and we went away without knowing for certain what was to become of us.

In the evening Antonio and five other Bonny people came to our hut with tears in their eyes. On asking them what was the matter, ‘the chief,’ they said, ‘is determined to sell you to the Brass people, but we will fight for you and die rather than see you sold.’ ‘How many of you Bonny people are there?’ I asked, ‘Only six,’ was the reply. ‘And can you fight with two hundred Brass people?’ I said; ‘We can kill some of them,’ they answered, ‘and your people can assist.’ I then asked Antonio the reason why he did not interpret what was going forward to-day at the king’s house? He said that he was afraid it would have made our hearts sore,—that it was ‘a bad palàver.’ ‘We have all been to the chief,’ he added, ‘crying to him, and telling him that black man cannot sell white man; but he will not listen to us; he said he would sell you to the Brass people.’ Our poor canoemen on hearing this began to sob aloud, and continued lamenting their fate nearly all night. My brother and I felt much hurt at our situation, for we did not expect it would be so bad as this; but we have made our minds up to prepare ourselves for the worst, for it is impossible to foresee the lengths to which these savages will go. We saw a Funda man at the chief’s house, with whom we could have communicated in the Haussà language, but for some reason or other we were not permitted to speak to him.

_Wednesday, November 10th._—Being taken very unwell with fever this morning, I was unable to attend the summons to the king’s house, and requested my brother to go in my stead. The following is his account of what took place.

‘On arriving there this morning, to my infinite surprize I found _King Boy_ (Gun’s eldest brother), with a number of his attendants already assembled. He was dressed in a style far superior to any of his countrymen, and wore a jacket and waistcoat over a neat shirt of striped cotton, to which was annexed a silk pocket-handkerchief, which extended below the knees. Trousers, as we have already said, I believe, are not permitted to be worn, either by natives, or strangers of the same hue as themselves, the king alone being an exception to this rule. Strings of coral and other beads encircled his neck, and a pretty little crucifix of seed beads hung on his bosom. This latter ornament, which has probably been given him by a slave captain, had by no means an unbecoming appearance. King Boy introduced himself to me with the air of a person who bestows a favour, rather than soliciting acquaintance, and indeed his vanity in other respects was infinitely amusing. He would not suffer any one to sit between him and the platform, but squatted himself down nearest the king’s seat, which as a mark of honour had previously been assigned to us; and with a volubility scarcely imaginable, he commenced a long narrative of his greatness, power, and dignity, in which he excelled all his neighbours; and to this I was constrained to listen with assumed composure and attention, for a considerable time. To convince me of his veracity, he produced a pocket-book, containing a great number of recommendatory notes, or “characters,” as a domestic would call them, written in the English, French, Spanish and Portuguese languages, and which had been given him by the various European traders who had visited the Brass river. This practice of giving written characters, which has for some time been adopted by Europeans, is both praiseworthy and useful, and it is become almost universal on the western coast; because it is not to be supposed that the natives themselves can understand these documents, and strangers are made acquainted with their good or bad qualities by them, and taught to discriminate the honest from the unfaithful and malicious. Boy’s letters mention certain dealings which their authors have had with him, and they likewise bear testimony to his own character, and the manners of his countrymen. Among others is one from a “James Dow,” master of the brig _Susan_, from Liverpool, and dated “_Brass First River, Sept._—1830,” which runs as follows:—“Captain Dow states, that he never met with a set of greater scoundrels than the natives generally, and the pilots in particular.” These he anathematised as d—— rascals, who had endeavoured to steer his vessel among the breakers at the mouth of the river, that they might share the plunder of its wreck. _King Jacket_, who claims the sovereignty of the river, is declared to be a more confirmed knave, if possible, than they, and to have cheated him of a good deal of property. The writer describes _King Forday_ as a man rather advanced in years, less fraudulent, but more dilatory. _King Boy_, his son, alone deserved his confidence, for he had not abused it, and possessed more honesty and integrity than either of his countrymen. These are the rulers of the Brass country, and pretty fellows they are, truly. Mr. Dow observes further, that the river is extremely unhealthy, and that his first and second mates, three coopers, and five seamen had already died of fever, and that he himself had had several narrow escapes from the same disorder. He concludes by cautioning traders against the treachery of the natives generally, and gives them certain directions concerning the “dreadful bar,” at the mouth of the river, on which he had nearly perished. Another of Boy’s papers informs us that the writer’s name is “Thomas Lake, and that he is master of the brig _Thomas_, of Liverpool,” which is now lying in Brass river.

‘This business had been no sooner settled than Obie entered the yard, attended as usual, but clad differently in loose silks. After the customary salutations, Boy directed the monarch to appeal to me, that he might be satisfied in what estimation he was held by white men. Of course, I said a variety of fine things in his favour, which were received with a very good grace indeed; but that a piece of paper, simply, which could neither hear, speak, nor understand, should impart such information, was a source of astonishment and wonder to Obie and his train, who testified their emotion in no other manner than by looks of silly amazement, and repeated bursts of laughter.