Chapter XII

The Author’s severe indisposition and distress of mind — Conduct of Bello — Departure from Soccatoo — The Author almost perishes of thirst in the “Goober Bush,” where he is deserted by the faithless Pasko — The King of Jacoba — Horrid death of that monarch’s slaves — The Author’s arrival at Kano.

The acute suffering, both in mind and body, and the ceaseless agitation and excitement in which I had been kept during the illness, and at the death and burial of my master, occasioned my disorder to increase rapidly on me; and on the 16th, being enabled with difficulty to crawl round the hut, I was obliged to lay myself on my mat, from which I had not strength to arise till the 27th; old Pasko, during that period, ministering to all my wants. Whilst I was thus confined, the weather was so dreadfully warm, that I was under the necessity of having a tub of water at my side, into which, at intervals, I used to plunge my hands and arms, besides occasionally sprinkling my burning head and body. I had abandoned every hope of recovery from the effects of my complaint, and was prepared, in some measure, to undergo the last struggle, when, on the 26th, I found my health suddenly improve in a manner altogether as unexpected as strange; and on the following day I was enabled to sit erect on my mat. In the course of that day (27th) the Godado, mallam Mudey, and Side Sheikh abruptly entered my hut, with a commission from the Sultan to search my boxes, that prince having been informed, just before, that they were filled with gold and silver; although his sole intention, I well knew, was that of ascertaining what fire-arms were in my possession.

Weak as I was, I remonstrated sharply with these ministers of the king’s will, whilst they were prosecuting the search; but it was of no avail—every thing was ransacked and turned topsy-turvy.

They expressed the greatest astonishment on finding not even sufficient money to defray my expenses to the sea coast; but, nevertheless, took an inventory of the contents of the boxes, and carried it to their sovereign. Foreseeing what would happen, I had taken the precaution to secrete about my person the gold watch intended for the Sultan, as well as the private watches of Captains Clapperton and Pearce. The Godado and his coadjutor returned a short time afterwards, with a command from their monarch to deliver up to them the following articles, viz.—a rifle and a double-barrelled gun, two bags of ball, a canister of powder, bag of flints, ream and half of paper, and six gold (gilt) chains; for which he promised to pay me whatever I might demand. I consequently charged him a quarter of a million of cowries for the goods, which I was to receive, on account of the Sultan, of Hat Sallah; and an order was given me to receive that sum in Kano, and what more I might require in my journey over the Desert.

On the 28th I made Ben Gumso a present of four yards of blue, and the same quantity of scarlet damask, an unwritten journal-book, two pair of scissors and two knives. With these articles, which to him were invaluable, I endeavoured to get still further into the good graces of this old Arab emir, who, by a singular piece of good fortune, had just begun to exercise a powerful influence over the mind and actions of the superstitious Sultan.

After escaping from the death he was threatened with at Katunga, which has already been related, this emir returned to Soccatoo; and, like his cheating countrymen, procured a handsome livelihood by writing charms, &c. &c. for the Falatahs. Ben Gumso accompanied Bello in his engagement with the Towayahs, when that monarch was pierced with a poisoned arrow. The Arab’s panacea was resorted to on this occasion; and having written his charm on a piece of wood, it was washed off, as usual, into a calabash of water, and hastily swallowed by the prince. By some means the venom never took effect, and the Sultan having recovered from his wound in a few days, attributed the cure solely to Ben Gumso’s specific. To display his gratitude for the good which had been done him, Bello admitted the fortunate charmer into his councils, and covered him with honors and emoluments.

This being the case, I conceived a trifling present would be well timed; and therefore, after putting it into his hands, entreated him to use his interest with his royal master, in order to obtain his permission for my leaving Soccatoo, and making the best of my way homewards. Accordingly, Ben Gumso represented to the Sultan in lively colours the injustice, as well as impolicy, of detaining any longer in his dominions a subject of the powerful king of England; and advised him to hasten my departure as much as he could, insinuating, that if I were to die in Soccatoo, a report would be circulated and believed, that he had murdered both the white men, by which he would most certainly acquire a bad character.

This artful reasoning overcame the scruples of the Falatah prince, and word was sent me almost immediately, to appear before him. Bello had the gravity of a Mohammedan about him on my entrance, and putting on all the dignity he could assume, looked like Pluto trying a ghost for the sins it had committed on the earth. However, I did not tremble in his august presence; and after a little preliminary conversation, the Sultan asked me which route I should prefer in order to reach my own country.

Now, although my master had intimated his wish for me to proceed with the Arabs to Fezzan, a few days only before his death, I much feared that the papers, &c. entrusted to my care would be taken from me, and myself murdered, by that wily and treacherous race, whose behaviour to my master, after his arrival in Houssa was most abominable. I therefore disliked them—hated them; and would rather cast myself, unarmed and unprotected, upon the good faith of the natives, than go in their train. Under these impressions and prejudices, I answered the Sultan, that I wished to arrive in England in as short a time as possible, and the route through Boussa to Cubbé was most likely to accomplish that object. “It is impossible,” angrily rejoined the prince, “to travel in that direction; the rainy season is already set in; the rivers are overflowed; the low lands are under water; and how do you think to reach the sea-coast in safety? It will be far better for you to go over the desert, with the Arabs; and to facilitate your progress, I will write to Hat Sallah to get a trustworthy person to accompany you; he will also furnish you with camels and provisions, and pay you the money I am indebted to you.” I simply replied, “Very well, Sultan.” He then wished to know whether Captain Clapperton had forgiven Pasko, _in his book_, for the robberies he had committed; and on my answering that, owing to the illness of that gentleman, he had been unable even to look into his Journal, the monarch observed, that on Pasko’s arrival in England, my king would undoubtedly behead him. I assured him, that if the man’s future conduct proved to be good, not one of my countrymen would think of punishing him; but this the Sultan was in no haste to believe, and said, imperatively, “I cannot suffer him to accompany you; he must stay here to _clean and repair my guns_!”—this latter consideration evidently possessed greater weight with him than Pasko’s safety, which he cared nothing at all about. Not in the least daunted, I besought Bello to permit him to accompany me as far as Kano, as interpreter; to which he rather reluctantly consented, on condition that I should procure him a horse to return, and pay him the sum of 150,000 cowries, which, of course, I agreed to; and seeing that the Sultan had nothing more to say, I bowed profoundly, and retired. This was my last interview with the Falatah sovereign, and I saw him no more.

On the evening of the 3d of May a person came with a message from the Sultan, who said that a camel and some provisions would be sent me in the course of the morning, and that I was to depart on the next day. Neither camel nor provisions, however, were delivered; and, rising early on the appointed morning, I bade a last farewell to Soccatoo, a town in which I had suffered so dreadfully; and, accompanied by a messenger from the kind old Godado, and Pasko and Mudey, we proceeded with our camels and horses to a large plain, five miles to the east of Magaria, where we arrived in the afternoon; and rested for the night under the wide- spreading branches of a large tree growing on the margin of an insignificant lake. Mosquitoes were in such numbers, and so troublesome, that we could not sleep till morning, when a refreshing breeze springing up, drove them away.

At this flat we joined a party of above four thousand people, of all ranks and of every nation; some going on a pilgrimage to Mecca; some to the sea-coast to purchase goora-nuts; many Tuarick salt-merchants returning to Kilgris; but all travelling in company for mutual protection, and bending their way towards Kashna, where merchants of every description meet, and disperse from thence to their different destinations. An infinite number of camels, horses, and bullocks, attended the party; and the king of Jacoba, with 50 slaves, was also in their train. These poor creatures had been driven from his kingdom by the above prince to Soccatoo, as a present or tribute to Sultan Bello; but that monarch having learnt the dreadful losses he had sustained in men and cattle, in consequence of his war with Bornou, and the number of villages which had been plundered and burnt by the soldiers of the Sheikh, would not accept of the slaves, but desired the king of Jacoba to re-conduct them back to his own dominions.

At eleven o’clock in the morning of the 4th of May a signal to depart was made by a loud blast from a thousand horns, producing a frightfully discordant noise; and in about an hour afterwards the whole party was in motion. On entering the dreaded “Goober Bush,” a wild and uncultivated tract of ground, covered with stunted trees, we were obliged to redouble our pace in order to escape the fangs of the merciless Towayahs. Boussa Jack (a horse so called from having been made a present of by the king of Boussa) I rode myself, on account of his swiftness and agility; but being unused to so violent an exertion, the little animal became much fatigued, and began to lag behind the others. The weather was at that time intolerably hot; vegetation shrank before the piercing rays of the sun, and the dust raised by the hoofs of the horses, &c. arose in huge volumes in every direction, entering my eyes, my mouth, my nostrils, and penetrating even the pores of my skin. Not a breath of air fanned the leaves of the trees; I was almost suffocated for want of it, but snuffed up only sand and dust. The camels were far a-head: I was faint and exhausted, and ordered Pasko to fly to them for a drop of water. The horse would, or rather could, proceed no further; I was obliged to dismount, and seat myself under a tree; there, holding the bridle of the poor animal in my hand, I begged, I prayed the thousands of Falatahs and Tuaricks that were passing, for a mouthful of water to quench my parching thirst; but the unfeeling, iron-hearted wretches mocked my misery, and scoffed at my piteous entreaties, observing, one to another, “He is a Kafir; let him die!”

This cruel disappointment almost choked me; I was so hoarse that I could no longer be heard, and, falling flat on my back, let the bridle slip from my fingers, and, covering my face with my hands, tears came involuntarily into my eyes. At length a young Falatah, from Foota Toora, accidentally seeing me lying along the earth with a horse standing listlessly by, came to the spot, and exclaimed, in a tone of kindness, “Christian, Christian, why don’t you go on?” On hearing him, I again sat up, and answered, “I am faint and sick for want of water; no one will relieve me; and how can I go on?” On hearing this, the young man generously presented me with a small calabash full (about a pint), part of which I drank, and with the remainder washed the nostrils of Boussa Jack, and sprinkled a little into his mouth. His countrymen, who observed the compassionate Falatah performing this benevolent action, upbraided him in violent terms for having given water to the Christian; but my amiable preserver, showing them a double-barrelled gun, remarked that he had obtained it of my countrymen, who were all good men, and would do no harm. I, as well as the horse, was greatly refreshed with the small quantity of water thus taken, but soon becoming again weak and dispirited, I was nearly reduced to as bad a condition as before. A few hours afterwards my legs were swollen so prodigiously, that my boots split into fragments, and fell from my feet; and I experienced the most acute pain in every part of my body. At length I perceived Pasko, whom I had sent for water three or four hours previously, comfortably seated with Muley the camel-driver, under a tree,—my provision basket lying open before him, a calabash of the purest water gurgling down his throat, and him, with his sable companion, thoughtlessly enjoying himself with a zest that almost distracted me. I rode hastily up to the spot, and, pulling out a pistol, had more than half an inclination to send the heartless old savage to his long account, but suddenly checked myself. No! I could not take away the life of a fellow-creature, even in the height of excitement; and, replacing the pistol in my belt, I simply asked the reason of his brutal treatment of me. The old fellow answered with his usual demoniacal grin, and as composedly as if nothing was the matter, “I was tired.”

The young Falatah to whom I owe my life came to me on the 7th, and informed me that the whole of the slaves of the King of Jacoba being missing, a party of horsemen had been sent in quest of them, and were just returned with the shocking intelligence of having seen thirty-five of their dead bodies lying along the road; and that hundreds of vultures were already hovering over them. The other fifteen could not be found; but were strongly suspected of having shared in the same fate. These unfortunate creatures had the task of carrying loads on their heads the day before, but, being unable to keep up with the rapid pace of the camels, were necessarily obliged to be left behind, and thus perished miserably of thirst and fatigue. I congratulated myself on my own good fortune, in having so narrowly escaped a fate so peculiarly frightful; and thanked the Almighty with fervor and sincerity for having snatched me from the very jaws of death. On his leaving me, I gave the Falatah a pair of scissors and twenty gun-flints, as a small recompense for the eminent service he had so cheerfully rendered me.

On our road to Kano, the King of Jacoba became very sociable with me, and was my constant companion. After pressing me to visit his kingdom, in which he asserted he would make my stay agreeable, he told me that the Yam Yams, who inhabit the mountains contiguous to Jacoba, were anthropophagi, in which assertion he was borne out by two Yam Yams, who were slaves in Kano when I was in that city. The Prince said further, that people of the same nation, who had assisted him in his war with Bornou, were surrounded, with some of his own troops, on a plain near Jacoba, by the Sheikh’s soldiers, and the carnage on both sides was dreadful. The fight lasted a whole day, when, in the evening, the Jacobeans, with their ferocious allies, were entirely routed, and the King himself, who commanded them, very narrowly escaped being taken prisoner. On the following morning the discomfited Yam Yams repaired to the field of battle, and bearing off a great number of dead bodies, roasted them before large fires, kindled for the purpose, and devoured them without yams, corn, or, indeed, any other provisions!

Soon after our arrival at Markee, on the 19th, a spouse of the chief, a finely-formed and intelligent-looking young woman, came to me with tears in her eyes, and implored me to give her some _magonie_ [medicine], as she had no child. I accordingly presented her with a couple of tea- spoonfuls of oil of cinnamon, and ordered her, with a suitable caution, to put two drops of the liquor into a pint of cow’s milk, which was to be swallowed three times a day till the whole was consumed; observing that, on my return to Markee, I had not the least doubt of seeing her the happy mother of a numerous progeny!

The husband was no sooner acquainted with the circumstance than he came and thanked me in the heartiest manner for the good I had done, gave me abundance of fresh milk, fowls, rice, &c. and told me at the same time that on my return from England, he would reward me with a large sum of money, which I dare say he will do. When I bade the happy couple adieu next morning, they squeezed my hand affectionately, and said, “Christian! God send you safely to your country, and may you speedily come back to Markee!”

I arrived at Kano on the 25th of May, and instantly delivered Bello’s letter and orders to Hadje Hat Sallah; but the Arab, after perusing them, declared at first that he would have nothing to do with me. He had nearly lost his head, he said, on Captain Clapperton’s account on a previous occasion, and positively refused to _lend_ me a single cowry. “I have no objection,” he continued, “to let you have, in goods and a slave, the amount of your demand on the sultan, but I shall certainly do no more.” I accordingly received from Hat Sallah a strong female slave, and a quantity of unwrought silk, and scarlet caps, beads to sell on my journey. My weakened and diseased camels, which would be of no service to me, I parted with, and dismissed their keeper, Maddie.