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diff --git a/old/52285-0.txt b/old/52285-0.txt deleted file mode 100644 index 3220a17..0000000 --- a/old/52285-0.txt +++ /dev/null @@ -1,10723 +0,0 @@ -The Project Gutenberg EBook of Mungo Park and the Niger, by Joseph Thomson - -This eBook is for the use of anyone anywhere in the United States and most -other parts of the world at no cost and with almost no restrictions -whatsoever. You may copy it, give it away or re-use it under the terms of -the Project Gutenberg License included with this eBook or online at -www.gutenberg.org. If you are not located in the United States, you'll have -to check the laws of the country where you are located before using this ebook. - - - -Title: Mungo Park and the Niger - -Author: Joseph Thomson - -Release Date: June 9, 2016 [EBook #52285] - -Language: English - -Character set encoding: UTF-8 - -*** START OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MUNGO PARK AND THE NIGER *** - - - - -Produced by Sonya Schermann, Paul Clark and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - - - - - - - - - Transcriber's Note: - - Every effort has been made to replicate this text as faithfully as - possible. Some minor corrections of spelling have been made. - - Italic text has been marked with _underscores_. - - - - -The World’s Great Explorers and Explorations. - - Edited by J. SCOTT KELTIE, Librarian, Royal Geographical Society; - H. J. MACKINDER, M.A., Reader in Geography at the University of - Oxford; and E. G. RAVENSTEIN, F.R.G.S. - - - - -MUNGO PARK AND THE NIGER. - - -[Illustration: MUNGO PARK.] - - - - - MUNGO PARK AND THE NIGER. - - BY - JOSEPH THOMSON, - AUTHOR OF “THROUGH MASAI LAND,” ETC. - - NEW YORK - DODD, MEAD & COMPANY - PUBLISHERS - - - - -EDITORIAL PREFACE. - - -The story of the world’s exploration is always attractive. We -naturally take a keen interest in the personality of the men who have -dared to force their way into the unknown, and so unveiled to us the -face of mother earth. The interest in the work of exploration has -been particularly strong and widespread in recent years, and it is -believed that a series of volumes dealing with the great explorers and -explorations of the past is likely to prove welcome to a wide circle -of readers. Without a knowledge of what has been accomplished, the -results of the unprecedented exploring activity of the present cannot -be understood. It is hoped, therefore, that the present series will -supply a real want. With one or two exceptions, each volume will deal -mainly with one leading explorer, bringing out prominently the man’s -personality, telling the story of his life, and showing in full detail -what he did for the exploration of the world. When it may be necessary -to depart somewhat from the general plan, it will always be kept in -view that the series is essentially a popular one. When complete the -series will form a Biographical History of Geographical Discovery. - -The Editors congratulate themselves on having been able to secure the -co-operation of men well known as the highest authorities in their own -departments; their names are too familiar to the public to require -introduction. Each writer is of course entirely responsible for his own -work. - - THE EDITORS. - - - - -CONTENTS. - - - CHAP. PAGE - - I. THE FIRST GLIMMERING OF LIGHT 1 - - II. MORE LIGHT: THE ARAB PERIOD 6 - - III. OPENING UP THE WAY TO THE NIGER 19 - - IV. PREPARING FOR PARK: THE AFRICAN ASSOCIATION 31 - - V. MUNGO PARK 36 - - VI. AT THE THRESHOLD 46 - - VII. FROM THE GAMBIA TO THE SENEGAL 53 - - VIII. ACROSS THE SENEGAL BASIN 65 - - IX. TO LUDAMAR 76 - - X. CAPTIVITY IN LUDAMAR 85 - - XI. TO THE NIGER 97 - - XII. DOWN THE RIVER TO SILLA 107 - - XIII. THE RETURN THROUGH BAMBARRA 120 - - XIV. REST AT KAMALIA 134 - - XV. THE SLAVE ROUTE 143 - - XVI. BACK TO THE GAMBIA AND HOME 154 - - XVII. MUNGO PARK AT HOME 164 - - XVIII. MUNGO PARK AT HOME--(_continued_) 175 - - XIX. PREPARING FOR A NEW EXPEDITION 186 - - XX. PARK’S SECOND RETURN TO THE GAMBIA 196 - - XXI. STILL STRUGGLING TOWARDS THE GREAT RIVER 208 - - XXII. TO THE NIGER 221 - - XXIII. THE LAST OF PARK 233 - - XXIV. THE FULAH REVOLUTION 246 - - XXV. NEW ENTERPRISES AND NEW THEORIES 254 - - XXVI. THE TERMINATION OF THE NIGER 264 - - XXVII. THE TERMINATION OF THE NIGER--(_continued_) 277 - - XXVIII. FILLING UP THE DETAILS 288 - - XXIX. THE FRENCH ADVANCE TO THE NIGER 301 - - XXX. THE ROYAL NIGER COMPANY 307 - - XXXI. THE ROYAL NIGER COMPANY--(_continued_) 319 - - INDEX 333 - - - - -LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS AND MAPS. - - -_FULL-PAGE ILLUSTRATIONS._ - - 1. Portrait of Mungo Park _Frontispiece_ - - 2. Facsimile Extract of Letter from Mungo Park to - Dr. Anderson _facing page_ 42 - - 3. Bambarra Women Pounding Corn „ 112 - - 4. Bammaku „ 128 - - 5. Baobab Tree „ 144 - - 6. Facsimile Extract of Mungo Park’s Letter to his - Wife „ 180 - - 7. Rock Scenery of the Upper Senegal „ 212 - - 8. Portrait of Captain Clapperton „ 265 - - 9. View in Sokoto „ 275 - - 10. Akassa „ 286 - - 11. Timbuktu „ 292 - - 12. Traders’ House, Abutshi „ 322 - - 13. Haussa Village „ 330 - - -_ILLUSTRATIONS IN TEXT._ - - Birthplace of Mungo Park _page_ 37 - - Mungo Park’s Encampment „ 207 - - Group of Fulahs „ 247 - - Portrait of Richard Lander „ 282 - - View on the Niger above Lokoja „ 294 - - Haussa Hut „ 326 - - Portrait of the Sultan of Sokoto’s Brother „ 328 - - -_MAPS (Printed in Colours)._ - - I. Guinea _facing page_ 1 - - II. Mungo Park’s Travels „ 47 - - III. Libya Secundum Ptolomæum, A.C. 130 _at end_ - - IV. Edrisi’s Africa, 1154 „ - - V. Catalan, Map of the World, Western Half, 1375 „ - - VI. Guinea and the Sudan, according to D’Anville, 1749 „ - - VII. Guinea and the Sudan, according to J. Rennell, 1798 „ - - -_MAPS IN TEXT._ - - O. Dapper, Nigritarum Regio, 1671 _page_ 24 - - O. Dapper, 1671 „ 25 - - Reduced Fac-simile of Mungo Park’s Autograph Map „ 185 - - The Bussa Rapids „ 241 - - -[Map: GUINEA.] - - - - -MUNGO PARK AND THE NIGER. - - - - -CHAPTER I. - -_THE FIRST GLIMMERING OF LIGHT._ - - -To find the first allusion to the River Niger we have to go back to the -very dawn of history. - -Many centuries before the Christian era the spirit of geographical -inquiry was abroad. There were then, as in later times, ardent minds -whose eager curiosity would not let them rest content with a knowledge -of their own countries. Then, as in the Middle Ages, kings and emperors -thirsted for political aggrandisement, merchants for new sources of -wealth, and enterprising spirits for opportunities to do deeds of high -emprise which would send their names down to posterity. - -Phœnicia, Greece, Carthage, Rome, had each its bold navigators and -travellers, whose explorations can be more or less credibly gleaned -from the mass of fable and misrepresentation which time and ignorance -have gathered round them. - -Even in those early days--twenty or more centuries ago--Africa was -the chief centre of attraction to such as longed to extend their -possessions or their knowledge of the earth’s surface. Already the -mystery of the Nile and Inner Africa beyond the Great Desert had -asserted its fascination over men’s minds. The Mediterranean nations -vied with each other in sending expedition after expedition to explore -the coast-line, and if possible circumnavigate the continent. Of these -some ventured by way of the Straits of Gibraltar--the Pillars of -Hercules, as they were then called--while others tried the Red Sea and -the eastern coast. What these ancient mariners actually accomplished -has been for centuries a matter of keen dispute, with but small -clearing up of the obscure horizon. It is not therefore for us to -enter into the debatable land, and happily the questions involved lie -outside our province. Sufficient for our purpose is it to know that -very extensive voyages were undertaken along both the east and west -coasts of Africa. Among the most noteworthy and credible of these is -the expedition sent by Necho, King of Egypt, with Phœnician navigators, -which is said to have accomplished the circumnavigation of the -continent; and the Carthaginian expedition of Hanno, which undoubtedly -explored the western coast for a very considerable distance towards the -equator. - -But the enterprise of the Mediterranean nations was not confined only -to the coast-line. The commercial spirit of Carthage and the warlike -genius of Rome alike led them to seek the interior. - -In this direction, however, each was fated to be as effectually checked -as their sailors had been by sea. The burning heat, the wide stretches -of barren sand, the waterless wastes, and the savage nomads which -they had to encounter, were as terrible to face as the huge waves -and frightful storms of the Atlantic. To the natural terrors of this -desert region, forsaken of the gods, their imagination added every -conceivable monstrosity, so that he indeed was a bold man who ventured -from the gay and pleasant confines of the northern lands into the awful -horrors of the Sahara. - -Yet men there must have been, whether warriors, merchants, or simple -explorers, we know not, who crossed the dreaded desert zone, and -reached the more fertile countries of the negroes which lay beyond. -In the pages of Herodotus and Strabo, of Pliny and of Ptolemy, amid -all the mythological absurdities and ridiculous stories with which -they abound, we find not only ample evidence of such successful -adventure, but a wonderfully just estimate of the physical conditions -which characterised the region lying between the Mediterranean and the -Sudan. They describe first a zone of sharply contrasted fertility and -barrenness, of green oasis and repellent desert, scantily inhabited by -wild, roving tribes. Next comes a more terrible region lying further -to the south--a land of desolation and death, swept by the wild -sirocco and sandstorm, burnt by fierce relentless suns, unrefreshed by -sparkling earth-born springs, unmoistened by the heaven-sent rain or by -the gentle dew of night. Beyond lies a third region--the land of the -negroes--made fertile by spring and stream, by marsh and lake. - -More remarkable still is the fact that in each of the writers mentioned -we find clear indications of a knowledge of a great river running -through Negroland. - -With minds on the search for a solution of the Nile problems--its -origin, its course, and the mystery of its annual overflow--and from -the likelihood that some of their informants had actually seen this -river when it ran in an easterly direction, the opinion generally -adopted by the ancients was that the river of the negroes was the Nile -itself. - -Of the various sources of information upon which the classical -writers depended for their descriptions of these savage lands we know -but little. One there is, however, which stands out with wonderful -clearness and prominence and a general air of credibility--the -expedition of the Nasamones as related by Herodotus. - -The Nasamones--five young men of distinction, doubtless without -suitable outlets for their ambitions and energies at home--set out -from their native country to the south-west of Egypt, bent on the -exploration of the heart of Africa. - -Travelling partly south and partly west, they crossed the -semi-inhabited, semi-sterile zone. Arrived at the confines of the great -desert, they collected provisions and supplied themselves with water, -and bold in heart “to seek, to conquer, or to die,” plunged into the -terrible unknown. For many weary days they pursued their quest with -unabated courage and perseverance. At length they emerged from the -region of desolation and death, and found themselves in a fertile -country inhabited by pigmies, having abundance of fruit trees, and -watered by vast lakes and marshes. Furthermore, they found a large -river flowing from west to east. - -Whether these enterprising young African explorers had reached the -neighbourhood of Lake Chad, as we might be disposed to believe, or the -Niger in the vicinity of the great bend of the main stream, it would -be waste of time to ask. Let us be satisfied with knowing that at this -very early period of the world’s history, many centuries before the -Christian era, the Central or Western Sudan of our days was reached, -and the fact established that through it ran a great river. - -In this way the exploration of Central Africa was inaugurated--the -first uncertain glimmer of light thrown upon its dark surface; and -the River Niger revealed to the world to be a theme of discussion -to arm-chair geographers, and a goal to be aimed at by the more -adventurous spirits who would realise their thoughts in deeds rather -than on paper. - - - - -CHAPTER II. - -_MORE LIGHT: THE ARAB PERIOD._ - - -For many centuries but little was added to the knowledge of Africa -acquired by the early classical writers. Carthage fell from its high -estate, and on its ruins Rome, with boundless ambition and seemingly -boundless powers of attainment, built for itself a new and equally -magnificent African Empire. But where man could not stay the advancing -tide, Nature set bounds to the force of Roman arms, and at the borders -of the desert mutely said, “Thus far shalt thou go, and no further.” - -The Roman power rose to the zenith of its glory, and still the desert -remained uncrossed; it dwindled towards its fall, and then its days -of geographical conquest were over. In Northern Africa, as elsewhere, -the mythological gave place to the Christian era, and the influence -of the new religion spread apparently to the remotest desert tribes. -It was not, however, fated to be permanent. In the seventh century a -new prophet had risen in the Sacred East, and the seeds of a mighty -revolution were germinating in the deserts of Arabia. The boundaries -of its parent country soon proved too small for the astonishing -vitalities and ardent missionary enterprise of the new faith--the -faith of Islam. Bursting out, it pushed with incredible rapidity along -the north of Africa, overwhelming Paganism and Christianity alike -in its irresistible course, till reaching the Atlantic it turned -to north and south in search of new fields to conquer for God. The -natural difficulties which had stopped the southern progress of the -Carthaginians and the Romans formed no barrier to a people born in a -desert. In the plateau lands of the Berber tribes the Arabs were at -home. Winged with a fiery enthusiasm which nothing could withstand, -and inspired by a hope of heaven which nothing could shake, they swept -from district to district, from tribe to tribe, everywhere carrying the -blazing torch of Islam, everywhere striking fire from the roving people -with whom they came in contact, till from every Saharan oasis there was -heard the common cry, “There is no God but the one God.” In the new -conflagration Christian symbols and Pagan idols alike disappeared in -one fell holocaust. - -To a race so educated and nurtured, so steeped in fiery ardour and -unquenchable faith, and so imbued with the paramount importance of -their mission--provided, moreover, as regards the practical part -of their work, with the drought-enduring camel, hitherto unknown -in Africa--the so-called impassable desert was no barrier to the -performance of the task divinely set them. Only for him who turned back -did hell yawn. For him who went forward it might be death, but it was -death with Paradise gained. - -In this spirit the terrors of the Sahara were faced, and faced only to -be conquered; and ere the ninth century gave place to the tenth, the -land of the negroes was reached, and the forces of Islam set themselves -in array against those of heathendom. For the first time the Niger -basin was now brought into direct relation with Northern Africa. The -actual time when this was accomplished is still a matter of some doubt, -though the statement is quoted by Barth that within less than a hundred -years of the commencement of the Mohammedan era, schools and mosques -were established in the negro kingdom of Ghana or Ghanata, to the west -of Timbuktu. More incontestable is the statement of the Arab writer, -Ebn Khaldun (A.D. 1380), that trading relations existed about 280 A.H. -or 893 A.D. between the Upper Niger and Northern Africa. When these -were first established we are not informed. - -The vital forces which had found no barrier in the fierce nomads and -physical difficulties of the Sahara, and had carried the disciples of -Mohammed to the borders of the Sudan, met a check to their sweeping -progress where one would have least expected it. Half the secret of -the success of Islam had been that principle in the creed which was -calculated to attract and inflame the ardent imaginations and easily -excited temperaments of the Berber tribes of the north. With these -Mohammedanism required but little aid from fire and sword for the -spread of its tenets. It had but to be preached to be believed, making -every hearer not only a convert but a missionary aflame with enthusiasm -for the cause of God and Mohammed. Such, however, was not the case when -Islam came face to face with the undeveloped lethargic minds of the -barbarous blacks of the Sudan. The intellect of the negro had to be -prepared for the reception of the new spiritual doctrines. - -For a time a hard and fast line existed between Islam and Heathendom -more or less closely coinciding with that drawn between Berber and -Negro, Sahara and Sudan. - -Only for a time, however. Though the new religious force could sweep -on no longer in an irresistible, all-embracing tide, it was not to -be prevented from gradually working its way into the sodden mass of -Paganism. Along the whole line of opposing forces from Senegambia -to Lake Chad, Mohammedan missionaries penetrated, not with fire and -sword and all the horrors of brute force, but armed with the spiritual -weapons of faith, hope, and ardent enthusiasm. Under their fostering -care schools and mosques arose, around which converts gathered in -ever-increasing numbers, until at length every region had its leavening -germs, and awaited but the proper moment and the inspired leader to -raise the watchword of Islam, and once more sweep onward with all the -accumulated force of the dammed back torrent. - -Within a short time of each other two such leaders appeared at opposite -points of the Niger basin. In the west, near the great bend of the -Niger, a king of Songhay embraced Islam about the year 1000, while near -the close of the same century a king of Bornu followed his example.[1] - -From those dates a new and more promising era commenced for the Central -and Western Sudan. Under the fostering care and impulse of the new -religion these backward regions commenced an upward progress. A new -and powerful bond drew the scattered congeries of tribes together -and welded them into powerful communities. Their moral and spiritual -well-being increased by leaps and bounds, and their political and -social life took an altogether higher level. The arts and industries of -the North speedily became established among them, and with them came -the love of decent dress, of cleanliness, of more orderly conduct. -Whatever might be said of Mohammedanism in its final influence, there -could be no question but that it had the amount of good in it necessary -to raise a barbarous people to a higher level of civilisation. There -was an adaptability and a simplicity about it well suited to the -comprehension of untutored minds, and in that lay the secret of a -success such as has never since been even distantly approached by any -other propagandist religion in Africa. - -To the rulers of Songhay and Bornu the watchword of Islam, “There -is no God but the one God,” soon became a war-cry destined to be -irresistible in its magic influence. Armed with the new spiritual -force these hitherto barbarous kingdoms rose to extraordinary heights -of power. Songhay gradually spread its influence over all the upper -reaches of the Niger till it had absorbed the old kingdoms of Ghanata, -to the north of the Niger, and Melli, to the south. With the political -influences of Songhay went the religious forces at its back. At times -there were checks to its military power, but only when the religious -enthusiasm and missionary ardour of its rulers temporarily sank and -were outstripped by the greater zeal of neighbouring princes. With -these exceptions, the history of Songhay was that of general progress, -political, social, and commercial. The kingdom reached the zenith of -its power at the beginning of the sixteenth century under a powerful -negro king named Hadj Mohammed Askia, whose rule extended from the -centre of the present empire of Sokoto to the borders of the Atlantic, -a distance from east to west of 1500 miles, and from Mosi in the south -as far as the oasis of Tawat in the north, _i.e._, something over 1000 -miles.[2] - -Askia was no mere warrior anxious for his own aggrandisement. As was -the case with all the great Sudanese rulers of those early days, he -was noted for his ardent faith as well as for his love of justice and -clemency, so that, as his historian, Ahmed Baba of Timbuktu, wrote of -him, “God made use of his services in order to save the true believers -(in Negroland) from their sufferings and calamities.” He built mosques -and schools, and did everything in his power to encourage learning; -and not unmindful of the material prosperity of his people, encouraged -merchants from all parts of the Sudan, the Sahara, and North Africa. -Thus not only was he loved and revered by his subjects, but his fame -extended to the most distant countries. - -Unhappily the magnificent empire thus founded had not the elements -of stability. There was too much of the one man power, with no firm -governmental foundations apart from the ruler. In consequence, the -history of Songhay was one of varying fortunes. Old kingdoms such as -Melli temporarily regained their independence, distant provinces were -continually breaking loose, and there were constant wars of succession -and military revolts. But though often scotched it was never killed, -till an altogether new enemy appeared in the person of Mulai Hamed, -Sultan of Morocco, before whose musketeers it was doomed to become -extinct as an independent kingdom. This happened in 1591, in the reign -of Askia Ishak. Ahmed Baba, the native historian, who lived at the -time, and was himself not only a material sufferer, but a prisoner -carried off to Morocco, said of this terrible disaster: “Thus this -Mahalla (or expedition) at that period found in Sudan (Songhay) one of -those countries of the earth which are most favoured with comfort, -plenty, peace, and prosperity everywhere; such was the working of the -government of the Emir el Mumenin, Askia el Hadj Mohammed ben Abu Bakr, -in consequence of his justice and the power of his royal command, which -took full and peremptory effect, not only in his capital (Gogo), but in -all the districts of his whole empire, from the province of Dendi to -the frontier of Morocco, and from the territory of Bennendugu (to the -south of Jinni) as far as Zeghaza and Tawat. But in a moment all was -changed, and peaceful repose was succeeded by a constant state of fear, -comfort and security by troubles and suffering; ruin and misfortune -took the place of prosperity, and people began everywhere to fight -against each other, and property and life became exposed to constant -danger; and this ruin began, spread, increased, and at length prevailed -throughout the whole region.”[3] If it be remembered that this was -written in Arabic by a Niger native at the end of the sixteenth or -beginning of the seventeenth centuries about a negro sultan ruling over -a kingdom partly negro and partly Berber, the wonder of it cannot but -strike the thoughtful mind. - -But in the Niger basin Songhay was not the only centre of marvellous -political and social development under the influence of Mohammedanism. -Bornu was in every sense its rival. We have already seen that towards -the close of the eleventh century the king of Bornu (Dunama ben Humé) -had embraced Islam. The result of the union of material power with -spiritual inspiration was soon made manifest, for before Ben Humé died -he had founded a vigorous empire whose influence was felt as far as -Egypt. It was not, however, till the middle of the thirteenth century -that Bornu rose to its greatest power and the zenith of its glory under -the able rule of one Dibalami Dunama Selmami. At that time Bornu, -or, as it was sometimes called, Kameni (?), which was then the seat -of government, extended from the Nile to the Niger, and from Mabina -(Adamawa?) in the south to Wadan in the north, according to Imam Ahmed -(1571-1603), the native historian of Bornu, as Ahmed Baba had been -that of Songhay. But Dunama did not only increase the material power -of Bornu. Like Askia of Songhay, he encouraged religion, so that “the -true faith in his time was largely disseminated,” according to Ebn Said -(1282), an Arab writer. - -After Dunama’s death troublesome times fell upon the empire, and a long -period of civil wars and disastrous expeditions followed. Brighter -times came back with the ascent of Ali (1472) to the throne, and -once more Bornu regained its former grandeur. It is clear that Ali’s -kingdom extended far to the west of the Niger, and became known to the -Portuguese, who as far back as 1489 show Bernu or Bornu on their maps. - -Under the two succeeding reigns of Edris and Mohammed, Bornu still -further added to its importance, and had relations with the northern -sultans of Tripoli. - -The most remarkable, however, of all the Bornu rulers seems to have -been Edris Alawoma (1571-1603), who had the advantage of having a -contemporary biographer in the person of Imam Ahmed. This prince -seems not only to have been an enterprising and able warrior, but -was distinguished alike for mildness and justice, and for far-seeing -statesmanship. Under him the empire grew to enormous proportions, and -included almost the whole of the Central and much of the Western -Sudan. At the same time the country became more prosperous, the wealth -of the towns increased, and the Mohammedan religion and education -spread widely and rapidly. - -Happily Bornu was established on a more stable basis than Songhay. It -had more cohesion in its various elements, and was less dependent on -the warlike character of its rulers to keep it from falling to pieces. -Its princes also seem to have been of a better and more liberal-minded -stock. We even gather from the native chronicles that they were -“learned, liberal towards the Ilama, prodigal dispensers of alms, -friends of science and religion, gracious and compassionate towards -the poor.” Hence it was that while Songhay and other states rose and -fell, Bornu retained its position and independence. In the beginning of -this century it experienced a temporary eclipse before the conquering -arms of the Fillani in their mission of religious regeneration, but -only to emerge again as vigorous as ever, though now restricted in its -political influence to Bornu proper and the immediate neighbourhood of -Lake Chad. - -But while Songhay and Bornu were for centuries working out their -remarkable political, religious, social, and commercial development, -they were, as we have already pointed out, by no means shut off from -intercourse with the outside world. The thirst for the slaves of Bornu -and for the gold of Melli and the Upper Niger was almost as potent a -force with the later generations of Arabs as was religious zeal among -their ancestors. For the one as for the other all the terrors of the -desert route were braved, and constant communication kept up with the -Sudan. At first Egypt seems to have been the first point of departure -of the Sudanese caravan, one route passing westward to Songhay and the -region of the Upper Niger, while another diverged from it, and passed -south to the Chad basin. In later times Egypt gave place to Tripoli as -the starting-point, though practically the same routes were utilised to -reach the same goals. At an early period also the most dangerous part -of the whole Sahara, that region, namely, lying between the Upper Niger -and Morocco, was traversed by indefatigable Moorish traders for the -sake of its slaves and gold. The terminus of their route was at first -considerably to the west of Timbuktu, at a place called Biru or Walata, -where, indeed, nearly all the western trans-Saharan traffic converged -in the earlier days of commercial intercourse. - -Towards the end of the eleventh century Timbuktu was founded as a -trading station by the Tuaregs of the Sahara, but it was not until it -fell into the hands of a powerful king of Melli some two centuries -later that it became a place of some importance. At once it developed -into an international market of the first rank, where merchants from -Egypt, Tripoli, Morocco, the Saharan oases, and the Sudan met to -exchange their various articles of barter. - -At no time was Timbuktu the capital of a great kingdom. Its greatness -solely depended upon its trade, and its convenience as a collecting -and dispersing centre. That it should have become so well known above -all the places of the Sudan is easily understood if it be remembered -that it was the goal for which all the merchants of Northern Africa -aimed. Politically, Timbuktu was thus raised to a position of undue -importance, though commercially, as the merchant capital, it could not -be overrated. - -With the rise of the Songhay power Timbuktu became subject to that -kingdom. With the fall of the former it assumed a measure of political -importance as the centre of Moorish power, till on the division from -Morocco it resumed its old status as nothing more nor less than a -trading centre, a position it has retained to this day. - -Among a people of such commercial activity and enterprise as the Arabs -of Morocco, Tripoli, and Egypt, naturally there were not awanting -numbers of students eager to collect and collate information regarding -the inland countries to which their merchants travelled. Among the host -of historians and geographers who supply us with interesting facts, we -may mention El Bekri, El Edrisi (1153), Ebn Said (1282), Ebn Khaldun -(1382), and Makrizi (1400). - -But the Arabs had their explorers as well as their writers. Among these -two stand out with marked prominence, viz., Ebn Batuta (1353), and Leo -Africanus (1528). Ebn Batuta, who seems to have been devoured with a -thirst for travel, and had visited almost all the countries of the then -known world, commenced his Central African explorations from Morocco, -and crossed the desert to Walata, the frontier province of Melli, -situated not far from the Niger. From Walata he crossed the Niger to -the capital of the kingdom, and thence by land proceeded to Timbuktu. -From Kabara, the “port” of Timbuktu, he sailed down the Niger to Gogo, -the capital of Songhay, and thence turned northward again across the -desert by way of the oasis of Tawat to Morocco. - -The travels of Leo Africanus were even more extensive, for he travelled -over the whole of the Central and Western Sudan. Considering that he -wrote an account of his travels from memory many years after, the -events recorded, and the accuracy and amount of varied information -he gives regarding the countries he visited, are astonishing. He -describes not only the kingdoms of Melli, Songhay, and Bornu, but also -the countries that lie between, Gober, Katsena, Kano, and Agades, of -all of which he has something important to say. Even when he seems to -draw most upon our credulity he is generally quite correct, as for -instance when he describes the people of one district kindling fires -at night under their bedsteads to keep themselves warm. To the truth -of this statement the writer of these lines can testify from personal -observation, the precaution being adopted, however, not to ward off -external cold, but that of ague, a disease to which many places on the -Niger are subject at certain times of the year. - -It is not our intention to enter into the vexed question of what -the Arab writers and travellers knew regarding the course and final -destination of the Niger. Those of them who travelled did not do so as -geographers, and though they noted accurately enough what they did see, -they troubled themselves very little with what they did not see, and -held aloof from inquiries of a purely speculative character. M‘Queen[4] -has made it clear, however, that many of them were aware that the Nile -and the Niger were distinct, and that the general tendency of Arab -opinion was to make the latter river fall into the Atlantic. - -Much of the confusion as to what the Arabs did know or believe arose -largely from the ignorance of European geographers in confounding the -western kingdom of Ghana with the central one of Kano, and of the town -of Kugha, near the Upper Niger, with that of Kuka in Bornu. With the -new light thrown upon the history and geography of the Niger basin, we -can now see that the Arab writers had a wonderfully accurate conception -of the political and physical characteristics of the region in -question. To them is due not only the honour of having raised the veil -which shrouded the Sudan, and spread the seeds of civilisation, which -have flourished so remarkably, but also of disseminating a knowledge of -that region among western nations--a knowledge destined, as we shall -see, to be caught up and carried to great ends with European vigour and -scientific accuracy. - - - - -CHAPTER III. - -_OPENING UP THE WAY TO THE NIGER._ - - -With Leo Africanus the Arab period in the history of African -exploration practically closed. Even in that traveller’s day the -incurable diseases so characteristic of the Mohammedan states of our -time were rapidly developing. Learning and the arts were no longer -encouraged. Liberality of thought and missionary enterprise were -replaced by Fanaticism, hatred of the stranger, and isolation from all -outside genial influences. A blight was falling over everything that -had made the Arab name great and glorious in the world’s history. - -Happily for the cause of progress, while the Crescent thus waned -and lost its lustre in the rising mephitic fogs, the Cross was -ever gathering to itself new glories, and proving the herald and -morning-star of a brighter and greater era. Under its inspiring -influences the western nations were emerging from the gloom and -ignorance in which they had been enshrouded, and were feeling the -throbs of new heroic impulses. - -Among the Christian nations thus awakening Portugal was taking the -lead. Facing the Atlantic, it was ever looking over the wild waste -of waters, picturing the possible beyond on the blank expanse, and -rearing a hardy race of navigators all unconscious of the great mission -that was yet to be theirs. Southward, too, their thoughts were ever -turning, following their soldiers as they fought against the Moors -and planted their most Christian flag along the entire coast-line -of Morocco. Echoes there were which came to them of the vast wealth -of Inner Africa, of the power of Prester John and the riches of far -Cathay, till the imaginations of kings, soldiers, merchants, and -priests were alike inflamed with a desire to share them. With it -all the vaguest ideas were current as to the extent of the African -continent. The northern coast-line was well enough known, but at the -beginning of the fifteenth century no one had ventured southward beyond -the western termination of the Atlas Mountains, and how much further -south the land extended no one pretended to know. This ignorance, -however, did not last through the century. - -Under its energetic and far-seeing kings, John and Immanuel, Portugal -set itself to penetrate behind the veil and attain the honour and the -more substantial rewards secured, as was believed, to those who should -first reach the sources of the gold supply of Inner Africa, the capital -of Prester John, or the countries of the Far East. - -Extensive voyages were then unthought of. Sailing was very much a -matter of feeling one’s way along the shore. Hence it was not by any -one extensive voyage, but by many successive expeditions, that the -shore-line of Africa was gradually mapped out. In this way greater -courage, confidence, experience, and skill were gained with each -successful addition to the limits of the known, and a spirit of -emulation was aroused which irresistibly carried the new knight errants -of commerce and science further and further south in search of the -promised land. - -In 1433 Cape Bojador was reached by Gilianez, and the Island of Arguin -by Nuno Tristan ten years later. So far deserts and burning suns, a -repellent coast-line and a meagre population of wild nomads, were what -they found--no news of Prester John, no evidence of the vast riches -they had taught themselves to expect. But nothing was allowed to damp -their eager spirit or quash their sanguine expectations. - -In 1446 Fernandez passed Cape Verd, and in the following year the -fertile region of Senegambia was reached by Lancelot. - -It now seemed as if the bold adventurers were to have their reward. -They had at last arrived at a fertile region abounding in gold and -ivory, and, better still, they began to hear of a great kingdom named -Melli, not then absorbed in the rapidly rising empire of Songhay. This, -they thought, must be the country of Prester John. - -These important discoveries, and all the glowing hopes they developed, -gave a new impetus to the course of Portuguese discovery. With renewed -enterprise and persistence adventurous navigators pursued the path -of exploration. By 1471 they had reached the Gold Coast, and before -the close of the century the Cape had been rounded, and, under the -leadership of Almeida and Albuquerque, some of their magnificent dreams -of wealth and power realised in the foundation of their Indian Empire. - -But though the Portuguese had thus revealed to the world the Senegal -and the Gambia, and apparently thrown open a door to the kingdom of -the Niger basin, nothing came of it. From the writings of De Barros we -gather that embassies from the King of Portugal were despatched to the -rulers of Melli and Mosi, and even, it is said, to that of Songhay. -Of these missions, however, nothing more has come down to us. They -added seemingly nothing to our knowledge of the interior. Factories -were established along the coast, and even some distance up the rivers -Senegal and Gambia, but the thirst for gold and slaves evidently -swamped all other considerations with the agents in charge, for not an -iota of information do we gather from them--or at least none is now on -record--of the geography of the far interior. - -The magnificent enterprise of Portugal in the fields of maritime -discovery was destined to be of the most transient character. Evil days -speedily came upon it, and between Philip II. of Spain on land and the -Dutch at sea, it seemed for a time as if it would lose its place among -the independent nations of Europe. - -From the time of its conquest by Spain its course was backward, and its -history became a record of shrinking empire and gradual loss of all -spirit that tends to national greatness and progress. As far as we are -concerned the work of the Portuguese ended with the exploration of the -Senegambian Coast, the discovery of the rivers Senegal and Gambia--then -thought to be branches of the Niger--and the revelation to Europe of -the future route to the Niger and Timbuktu. - -The work of exploration so well begun, so magnificently carried on, -though so disastrously closed, began now to fall into other hands. -Contemporaneously with the dwindling of the Portuguese into the -background the English came to the front. It was then the Elizabethan -period, that era of glorious memory, the dawn of Greater Britain. Bold -mariners, like the world has never seen, sprang up on all sides, -and made England the mistress of the seas. A spirit of commercial -enterprise and adventurous daring was developed which nothing could -dismay, nothing withstand. Before the close of that eventful period -Drake had led his countrymen to the rich spoil of the Spanish Main, -Raleigh had laid the foundation of English rule in North America, -Baffin and Hudson had cleared the way for Arctic exploration, and Davis -had not only started the series of heroic expeditions connected with -the North-west Passage, but had led English ships to the Indian Seas. - -With these, however, we have nothing to do. Of more importance is it to -us to note that Hawkins had made his first voyage to the West African -Coast, and inaugurated that horrid traffic in human flesh and blood -which has left such an indelible stain on British commerce. - -But it was not only the slave trade which drew the attention of English -merchants to Africa. To them as to the Portuguese the Niger and -Timbuktu were words to conjure with. Both were believed to be veritable -mines of wealth. To the imagination of the time the one was pictured as -flowing over golden sands, the other as almost paved with the precious -metal. It was believed that the Senegal and the Gambia constituted the -Niger mouths, and accordingly that to ascend either river would bring -the traveller direct to the source of so much wealth. To accomplish -this now became the dream of nations, so that it may well be said that -the Niger and its fancied treasures were the magnet which drew men on -to the exploration of the interior of the Dark Continent. - -It had been the mission of Portugal to draw a girdle round Africa; it -was now to be the _rôle_ of Britain to take up the work and penetrate -inland with more lasting results than had followed Portuguese embassies -and missionary and commercial enterprises. - -The year 1618 saw the commencement of this noble work. A company was -formed to explore the Gambia, with the object of reaching the rich -region of the Niger. - -[Map: O. DAPPER. NIGRITARUM REGIO. 1671.] - -The honour of being Britain’s pioneer in African exploration fell to -the lot of one Richard Thompson, described as being a man of spirit and -enterprise. He left England in the _Catherine_, of 120 tons, with a -cargo worth nearly £2000, and reached the Gambia towards the end of the -year. Here he found the Portuguese still in power, ruling the nations -with grinding tyranny, though rapidly sinking into the commercial and -national apathy which has made them a byword in the nineteenth century. - -[Map: O. DAPPER, 1671.] - -Thompson’s enterprise, like so many which succeeded it, was doomed to -suffer sad disaster. First the Portuguese fell upon and massacred a -large part of the crew while its captain was exploring up the river. -Undismayed he stuck to his post, and demanded reinforcements and -supplies. His employers were of like metal to himself, and promptly -sent another vessel to his assistance. The climate proved as formidable -an enemy as the Portuguese, and most of the crew of the new ship -succumbed to the deadly miasma. - -Still another vessel was fitted out, its owners undaunted by loss -of men and goods, and sanguine as ever of the glorious prize to be -achieved. - -This time one Richard Jobson took command. He arrived in the Gambia in -1620, only to hear of a new calamity and a new and even more paralysing -source of danger--Thompson’s men had mutinied and murdered him. -Portuguese hostility, a deadly climate, and mutiny in the camp were all -arrayed against the hoped for advance into the country. But those old -mariners were made of stern unyielding stuff, which only death itself -could break, and undismayed Jobson defied all dangers and started -on his quest. With each succeeding mile new difficulties beset the -gallant band. No pilots could be got to show the way. For a time this -proved no serious obstacle. Soon, however, the current grew stronger, -and threatened to drive them back. They were in hourly peril from -hidden rocks, and falls and rapids raised a foaming barrier to further -progress. Sand-banks there were, too, on which they grounded, and -crocodiles had to be braved in getting clear of them, while sea-horses -snorted angrily and threatened to swamp the boats. Unprovided with the -mosquito-nets of modern times, their days of overpowering fatigue under -a melting sun were followed by nights of maddening torture under the -stings of myriad mosquitoes and sandflies. But everything was new and -wonderful to them. They were like children bursting into a new world -full of undreamed of marvels, a veritable land of enchantment. The -voracious crocodiles and the monstrous hippos in the river, elephants -in troops crashing irresistibly through the dense forest, leopards -watching cat-like for their prey, and lions disturbing the silence of -night with their awe-inspiring roars, were some of the elements of this -new wonderland. There, too, were monkeys among the trees--their gambols -a never failing source of delight; and baboons trooping through the -underbush in enormous herds, filling the air with strange outcries, -except when “one great voice would exalt itself, and the rest were -hushed.” - -Not less astonishing was the insect life of the tropic forest--the -fireflies in myriad numbers flashing with iridescent colours in the -gloom of night, the crickets raising their deafening chorus, the -strange beetles, and the many-coloured butterflies. - -How marvellous, too, must the tropic foliage have appeared to the -explorers, fresh as they were from England. The immense grasses, the -almost impenetrable undergrowth, the beauties of the palm tribe, the -majesty of the silk-cotton tree. Last, not least, how passing strange -the appearance of the natives, their comparative absence of dress, -their simple habits and rudimentary ideas about all things under -heaven. The modern traveller, _blasé_ with the rich heritage of a -hundred predecessors, cannot but envy the sensations of such an one -as Jobson on seeing for the first time all the marvels, beauties, and -novelties of Africa. - -But while we vainly try to realise the feelings inspired in the mind -of this pioneer, we are not oblivious of the terrible earnestness and -determination, the indomitable courage and dogged perseverance of the -man. The very devil himself has no terrors for Jobson. Hearing certain -remarkable sounds, and being told by the natives that it is the voice -of the devil, the intrepid sailor seizes his gun and rushes forth to do -battle with his Satanic Majesty, who, on our hero’s appearance, changes -his terrible roars into notes of terror, and shows himself as a huge -negro grovelling in the dust in an agony of fear. - -On the 26th January 1621, Jobson had reached a place called Tenda, -where he heard of a city four months’ journey into the interior, the -roofs of which were covered with gold. Unhappily, however much his -appetite might be whetted by such wonderful stories, it had to remain -unsatisfied. The dry season soon began to tell upon the volume of water -in the river, making advance daily more difficult, till within a few -days of a town called Tombaconda, some 300 miles from the sea, he was -compelled to desist from further attempts, although he believed that -Tombaconda was Timbuktu itself, in reality distant about 1000 miles. -On the 10th February he commenced his return, hoping to go back and -complete his work with the rising of the waters, a project he however -never executed. - -Quarrels broke out between the merchants on the river and the Company, -and the enterprise for the time being collapsed. - -It was not till nearly a century later that a new attempt was made -to prosecute the task of reaching the Niger and the wealth of Inner -Africa. In 1720, the Duke of Chandos, acting as chairman of the African -Company, instigated a new expedition by way of the Gambia to the land -of promise. - -This time the enterprise was placed under the leadership of one -Captain Bartholomew Stibbs, who left England in 1723, and arrived in -the Gambia in October of that year. His experiences were identical with -those of Jobson, though he did not reach the latter’s highest point. -Between them, however, it was made quite clear that the Gambia had no -connection with the Niger, and as little with the Senegal. - -With Stibbs ended the English commercial attempts to open up the way to -the interior of Africa. - -The addition to our knowledge of its geography amounted to the -exploration of the navigable part of the Gambia, and the determination -of the fact that it had no connection with the Niger. - -The French meanwhile were doing for the Senegal what the British were -accomplishing in the sister river. Six years after Thompson had entered -the latter, the French had established themselves at the mouth of -the Senegal and founded the town of St. Louis. Their first exploring -trip was made in 1637, when they penetrated some distance along the -navigable part of the river. - -More important, however, was the expedition in 1697 of one Sieur -Brue, director-general of the French African Company, which achieved -considerable success. This expedition was backed up by a second voyage -up the river two years later, when the fort of St. Joseph was founded, -and trade opened with merchants from Timbuktu. - -Sieur Brue’s experiences were in every respect similar to those of -Jobson and Stibbs on the Gambia, though commercially more fortunate, -inasmuch as he had to do with more advanced races, and contrived to -reach the frontiers of a rich gold-bearing district (Bambuk) on the one -hand, and of an equally profitable gum region on the other. - -He also heard much of the Niger and Timbuktu, and seemingly satisfied -himself that the Senegal had no connection with the famous river of -the interior, and that the latter flowed east, not west, as it was the -tendency of his day to believe, since we find the French maps of the -eighteenth century showing the Niger flowing towards the interior and -an uncertain bourne. - - - - -CHAPTER IV. - -_PREPARING FOR PARK: THE AFRICAN ASSOCIATION._ - - -The latter part of the eighteenth century marks the commencement of the -modern period of African exploration. So far all African enterprises -had been instigated by governments for national aggrandisement, or by -merchants with commercial objects in view. Early Portuguese discovery -was a type of the one; the British expedition to the Gambia an example -of the other. But now the time had come when, dissociated from both, -African exploration was to start forth on a new line of unselfish -research, and accomplish what governments and commercial communities -had failed in doing. - -To the African Association belongs the honour of inaugurating this new -and more glorious era. Lord Rawdon, afterwards Marquis of Hastings, -Sir Joseph Banks, the Bishop of Landaff, Mr. Beaufoy, and Mr. Stuart, -were the first managers of this Association, whose objects were the -promotion of discovery in Africa, and the spread of information, -commercial, political, and scientific, regarding the still sadly -unknown continent. - -At first the Association devoted their attention to Northern Africa, -and in a short time were instrumental in gathering together much -reliable and valuable information as to the Mohammedan states of that -region. - -Their inquiries, however, were not to be bounded by the Sahara any more -than the first onrush of the Mohammedan torrent. - -The routes of the large caravans to the Sudan were made a subject of -investigation, and the Arab writers laid under contribution to satisfy -the demand for more light. - -To the Niger especially their inquiries were turned, in the hope of -solving the mystery of its true position and its course. Where did it -commence and where did it end? was the double problem which puzzled -the eighteenth century geographers more even than the question of the -source of the Nile. - -Not content with inquiries which only landed them in perplexities and -endless discussion, they resolved to send out explorers. To such they -offered no monetary inducements, no hope of tangible reward. The honour -and glory of discovery were to be their prize: the Association at -the same time undertaking, for their part, to defray the traveller’s -expenses. - -The inducements offered were quite sufficient. Admirably qualified men -presented themselves in greater numbers than were needed, so that the -chief difficulty of the Association was to choose rather than to seek. - -The first of the heroic band of African pioneers was Ledyard, already a -traveller of the most varied experience. His mission was to cross the -African Continent from the Nile to the Atlantic. At the threshold of -his enterprise he perished of fever in 1788. - -Mr. Lucas was the next to take up the work. His qualifications were an -intimate knowledge of Moorish life and language, gathered first as a -slave in Morocco, then as British Vice-Consul to that empire. The work -marked out for him was to start from Tripoli and cross the Sahara to -the Sudan. In this he failed. A revolt of Arab tribes barred the way, -and Mr. Lucas abandoned the enterprise, bringing back with him only -additional particulars regarding the interior, which he had gathered -from native merchants. - -More successful in the earlier part of a succeeding expedition was -Horneman (1789), who undoubtedly crossed the desert, but crossed it -only to disappear for ever. - -Clearly Africa was a hard nut to crack, and dangerous to whomsoever -should essay it. - -Foiled in their attempts to reach the goal of their desires from -the north, the African Association next turned to West Africa for a -possible opening to the interior. Once more the Gambia was chosen as -the most direct and feasible route. - -In Major Houghton they seemed to have got the right man for the work. -As Consul at Morocco he had gained an acquaintance with the Moors and -their language, and at Goree, then in British hands, he had come in -contact with the West African negro, and learned the conditions of life -and travel obtaining in the Gambia region. - -The new attempt was made in 1791. Unlike Jobson and Stibbs, the -adventurous explorer did not proceed by boat and with a large European -party, but by land, single-handed, and attended by the most modest of -retinues. At first all went well; no difficulties or troubles retarded -his progress. Generally following the course of the river he safely -reached Medina, the capital of Wuli, and was hospitably received by -the king of the place. Less kind were the elements. A fire which -reduced the town to ashes deprived him of much of his goods. From -Medina Houghton’s route diverged from the Gambia, passing west to -the Falemé, a southern tributary of the Senegal, and frontier line -of the gold-bearing region of Bambuk. Here also he was received with -hospitality, and was sent on his way through Bambuk rejoicing. Not -to rejoice long, however. The last communication received from him -contained these graphic lines: “Major Houghton’s compliments to Dr. -Laidley; is in good health, on his way to Timbuktu; robbed of all -his goods by Fenda Bukar’s son.” No despair in these words, whatever -calamities might have befallen the writer; no halting in the resolution -to achieve his object--only the one unhesitating determination to go -forward. But it was to go forward to die. In spite of Fenda Bukar’s -son he seems still to have possessed sufficient means to rouse the -unscrupulous cupidity of some Moors. Lured on by these wretches he was -led into the desert, where he was stripped of everything and left to a -horrible death. - -It would seem that the disastrous ending of these various expeditions -had thrown a damper upon the eagerness of volunteers to continue the -work, for we now find the African Association offering the inducement -of a liberal recompense to whomsoever would take up the task broken off -by Houghton’s death. - -Little wonder if qualified men hesitated to offer themselves. African -fevers had a terror then which they no longer possess. The continent -was practically unknown, and to the imagination, with no facts to act -as correctives, everything wore a terrible aspect. Cannibalism, general -bloodthirstiness and ferocity, a love of plunder, and all manner of -horrible practices, were associated with the name of negro. Death by -thirst or starvation was thought likely to be the lot of those who -escaped the miasma of the land or the murderous spear of the native. -Brave indeed would be the man who should face such an accumulation of -vaguely discerned and mightily exaggerated horrors. - -Nevertheless the African Association had not long to wait. At this -crisis in their affairs the man for the work was forthcoming, one -destined to crown their hopes with a triumphant success, to inaugurate -a more brilliant future for African travel, and give it such an impetus -as would carry it on to a glorious issue. This was Mungo Park. - - - - -CHAPTER V. - -_MUNGO PARK._ - - -To continue our narrative of exploration we must now leave the -sweltering suns and miasmatic atmosphere of Western Africa for -the temperate climate and bracing breezy hillsides of southern -Scotland--turning from the river dear to the geographer to the stream -loved of the poet--from the Niger to the Yarrow. - -The man whose mission it was to break through the isolating barriers -reared by savagery and a deadly climate between the land of the -negro and all outside humanising influences, must needs have an -heroic cradle, and come of an heroic race. His must be the nurture -of the Spartan, physically equipping him to battle with hardship and -privation--his the education and upbringing which tend to all forms of -noble discontent and deeds of high emprise. - -Such a cradle and such a race were Ettrickdale and its peasantry. -Theirs was the life of honest toil and constant self-restraint, and -theirs the direct and indirect education which in the right man -develops romantic instincts, and weds to a perfervid imagination stern -religious convictions, intense practicality, and prosaic tenacity of -purpose. Theirs were the surroundings fitted alike to mould the poet or -the hero--him who should sing of the chivalry of the past, or him who -should be of the chivalry of the present, in whatever field is scope -for praiseworthy ambition and highest aspiration--clear-sighted vision -and undaunted courage, dogged persistence and untiring perseverance, -fortitude under reverses, and physical powers to endure privation. - -This, then, was the heritage which Ettrickdale had to offer to her -sons; and this, as one of them, the heritage of Mungo Park, the first -of the knight errantry of Africa. - -[Illustration: BIRTHPLACE OF MUNGO PARK.] - -Of the early life of him who was destined to partially unveil the -face of Africa we know but little, though that little is sufficiently -significant and satisfactory. - -Mungo Park was born on the 10th September 1771 in the cottage of -Foulshiels, some four and a half miles from Selkirk. Foulshiels stands -in the very centre of the loveliest scenery of the glen of Yarrow, -facing on the opposite side of the valley the stately tower of Newark. -Eastward it commands a view over the woods and groves and “birchen -bowers” of the widening dale to where it merges in the valley of the -Ettrick near Selkirk. Westward it fronts a magnificent panorama of hill -and dale, through which curves the Yarrow in broken gleaming reaches, -from the wild romantic scenery of its loch and mountain sources. To -front and rear rise stately hills, their bases separated and washed by -the rushing streams, their lower slopes clad with oak and fir, their -upper with grass and heather, over which the winds sweep unopposed. - -But if the surroundings of Park’s birthplace were grand, the cottage, -of which the ruins still exist, was humble in the extreme. It was -neither better nor worse than might be tenanted by shepherds of the -present day in out-of-the-way places, being built substantially of -whinstone and lime, and containing at the most three apartments. The -building presents not a trace of ornament, not a relieving cornice, -thus fitly expressing the character of its occupants, their extreme -practicality, their plain honest soundness and indifference to all -external graces. From such a cottage sprang a Burns, and later on a -Carlyle. - -Mungo was the seventh child of a family of thirteen, of whom, however, -only eight reached the age of maturity. By unremitting care and -hard work his father had raised himself to the position of a small -farmer--how small his cottage sufficiently shows. In him, however, we -have undoubtedly one of that type of Scottish fathers who will pinch -his own body and double the slavery of his life in order that his -children may receive a better education than he himself had, and that -their minds at least may not be starved and stunted. As Park’s first -biographer puts it, writing in 1816, “The attention of the Scottish -farmers and peasantry to the early instruction of their children is -strongly exemplified in the history of Park’s family. The diffusion -of knowledge among the natives of that part of the kingdom and their -general intelligence must be admitted by every unprejudiced observer; -nor is there any country in which the effects of education are so -conspicuous in promoting industry and good conduct, and in producing -useful and respectable men of the inferior and middle classes admirably -fitted for all the important offices of common life.” - -It would seem that there was no school near enough to Foulshiels -for the Park children in the earlier years of their life to be able -to attend, since we find a resident teacher engaged to impart the -necessary rudiments of education. - -With maturer years Mungo was transferred to the Selkirk Grammar School, -to which he probably walked each morning. - -From this time we begin to get glimpses of his peculiar personality -and character. It does not appear that he showed any special talent -while at school, though constant in his attendance, and studious in -application. We gather that he was dreamy and reserved, a great reader, -a lover of poetry, and passionately fond of the quaint lore and simple -minstrelsy so markedly associated with the border counties of Scotland. - -His, clearly, was not the temperament which would receive its -guiding impulses from the routine work of school or the precepts and -instruction of schoolmasters. Such conventional influences would never -have led him to Africa. His inspirations were derived from the ballads -that were sung and the tales that were told by every country fireside. -For him the rushing Yarrow, Newark’s ruined towers, the spreading -field, the swelling hillside, and the mountain top were teachers, each -with a tale to tell of bold adventure or of deadly strife. - -The whole country was redolent with the romance of the half-forgotten -past, with a hundred memories dear to a patriotic heart. In all around -him there was something to throw a glamour over his young eager mind, -something to fire his imagination and arouse eager longings to be up -and doing deeds undefined, yet ever great and noble. From the stately -castle, which now looked down on him in melancholy ruined majesty, -brave knights of bygone days had ridden forth to fight for king and -country or for love. Their day was past, but might not he in other -guise emerge from his lowly cottage, and with other weapons win his -golden spurs. - -In what way all these vague ambitions and this spiritual fermentation -was to end there was but small indication. It is given only to the few -to realise in after life the romantic dreams of their youth. - -At first it seems Mungo was destined by his father for the ministry, -but he himself preferred medicine, to which choice no objection appears -to have been made. - -To acquire the rudiments of his medical education, when fifteen years -of age he was placed, as was the custom of the time, as apprentice -to Dr. Thomas Anderson, a surgeon in Selkirk, a gentleman whose -descendants still practise the healing art in the same town. For three -years he remained with the Doctor, not only acquiring a knowledge of -medicine, but still further grounding himself in the classics and -other branches of education at the Grammar School. - -Further than this we know nothing of his life in the Anderson family, -though that his time was agreeably spent we may deduce from the fact -that, as we shall see later on, he some years after married Dr. -Anderson’s eldest daughter. - -In the year 1789 Park left Selkirk for the University of Edinburgh to -complete his medical studies. Three successive sessions seems to have -been all that was necessary to qualify in these days. - -We are told that he was an ardent student, and distinguished among his -fellows. Botany was his favourite subject, this fact being doubtless -largely due to the inspiring influence of his brother-in-law, Mr. -James Dickson, who from being a gardener had raised himself by his own -exertions to be no common botanist and the author of some valuable and -important works. - -It was while still a medical student that Park came more directly in -contact with Dickson, and with him he went a botanical tour in the -Highlands. - -Dickson did more for his young brother-in-law than inspire him with a -love of botany. He was on a footing of considerable intimacy with Sir -Joseph Banks, one of the chief managers of the African Association, -and when Park left the University he introduced him to his influential -friend, and so brought him in contact with the influences which were to -make Mungo Park the first of famous African travellers. - -But the time was not yet. Park had still to prepare himself practically -for his great mission by widening his experience of life and -travel--had still to get further bitten with the fever of unrest. Hence -in 1792 we find him sailing not to Africa, but to the East, as surgeon -in the East India Company’s service. - -At this point he supplies us with an admirable and characteristic -glimpse of himself in a letter addressed to his teacher in surgery -and future father-in-law, Dr. Anderson of Selkirk. The letter is -dated London, 23rd January 1793, and the following is an interesting -portion:-- - - “I have now got upon the first step of the stair of ambition. - Here’s a figure of it. (A pen and ink sketch is here given of a - flight of steps with a man on the lowest.) It very nearly resembles - one of Gordon’s traps which he uses in the library. Now, if I - should run up the stair, you see the consequence. I must either - be mortified by seeing I can get no further, or, by taking an - airy step, knock my brains out against the large folio of some - succeeding author. May I use my little advantage in height to - enable me to perform the office of a watchman to the rest of - mankind, and call to them, ‘Take care, sirs! Don’t look too high, - or you’ll break your legs on that stool. Open your eyes; you are - going straight for the fire.’ - - “Passed at Surgeons’ Hall! Associate of the Linnean Society! I - walked three or four times backwards and forwards through the hall, - and had actually begun to count the panes of glass in the large - window, when the bell rang, and the beadle roared out, ‘Mr. Park!’ - Macbeth’s start when he beheld the dagger was a mere jest compared - to mine.... - - “I have purchased Stewart’s Philosophy to amuse me at sea. As - you are in Edinburgh, you will write to me what people say of - its religious character. You told me in Sandy’s (his brother - Alexander presumably, who was at the time following the medical - course he himself had just completed) letter that you would write - me next week. I have too much to say, and therefore must speak by - halves. - - “The melancholy, who complain of the shortness of human life, and - the voluptuous, who think the present only their own, strive to - fill up every moment with sensual enjoyment; but the man whose soul - has been enlightened by his Creator, and enabled, though dimly, - to discern the wonders of salvation, will look upon the joys and - afflictions of this life as equally the tokens of Divine love. He - will walk through the world as one travelling to a better country, - looking forward with wonder to the author and finisher of his - faith.... - - “_P.S._--I sail in about a month.” - -[Illustration: EXTRACT OF LETTER FROM MUNGO PARK TO DR. ANDERSON.] - -It was in this buoyant mood of the young conqueror-to-be that Park -looked forth upon the field of enterprise opened up to him, and with -Stewart’s Philosophy to amuse him, and his deeply rooted religious -convictions to sustain him, left England for the Indies. - -As showing the force of these convictions, we may quote another letter, -written to Dr. Anderson when on the point of departure:-- - - “I have now reached that height that I can behold the tumults of - nations with indifference, confident that the reins of events - are in our Father’s hands. May you and I (not like the stubborn - mule, but like the weaning child) obey His hand, that after all - the troubles of this dark world in which we are truly strangers, - we may, through the wonders of atonement, reach a far greater and - exceeding weight of glory. I wish you may be able to look upon the - day of your departure with the same resignation that I do on mine. - My hope is now approaching to a certainty. If I be deceived, may - God alone put me right, for I would rather die in the delusion than - wake to all the joys of earth. May the Holy Spirit dwell for ever - in your heart, my dear friend, and if I never see my native land - again, may I rather see the green sod on your grave than see you - anything but a Christian.” - -Nothing noteworthy marked this voyage to Sumatra, but his stay there -was by no means wasted time, since it afforded him an excellent -opportunity of indulging his scientific tastes, not as the collector -merely, but also and chiefly as the accurate observer. - -A paper in the Linnean Transactions on eight new fishes from Sumatra -is sufficient evidence both of his industry and of his scientific -attainments. - -Park returned to England after a year’s absence, and was now ripe -for the work in store for him. It nowhere appears that so far he had -even once thought of Africa as a possible field for his ambition and -energies. His natural temperament, however, had been a fertile soil -for the romantic ideas which his early environment had planted. His -medical education had further fitted him for the work of exploration, -besides bringing him more sympathetically in contact with his -botanical brother-in-law, who again was to bring him within the sphere -of influence of Sir Joseph Banks, and through him of the African -Association. Following these various determining influences came the -first taste of travel, the wider experience, and the knowledge of the -good and evil of the wanderer’s life. All that remained wanting was -the golden opportunity to prove in action his potential capacity for -heroic service in the fields of geographical research. - -The return of Park from his first voyage was the turning point in his -career. At the moment there was a crisis in the affairs of the African -Association. Everything they had attempted had ended disastrously, -and news had just reached them of the sad death of Major Houghton. -Should the task now be given up, or was it to be resumed with renewed -zeal and ardour? There could be but one answer. The work begun must be -continued. Surely in the end it must be crowned with success. Meantime, -who was to take it up? - -While the Association was thus inquiring for the man fitted to entrust -with their perilous venture, Park was still undecided as to what -course in life he was to pursue. With Sir Joseph Banks as a link -between, there could not fail to be a speedy understanding and a -mutual settlement of the questions at issue for both. The projects of -the Association speedily came to Park’s ears. Here was the very work -he wanted, promising opportunities to indulge in his love of travel -and natural history far transcending his wildest dreams. A splendid -prospect of a great work accomplished and glory won, of difficulties -surmounted and fame achieved, opened up before him. Before such a -chance there could be no irresolution, no doubting, no fears. His -course was clear, and at once he volunteered his services, which were, -on the part of the Company, as promptly and eagerly accepted as they -had been offered. - -Mungo Park was then twenty-four years of age. - - - - -CHAPTER VI. - -_AT THE THRESHOLD._ - - -On the 22nd of May 1795, Mungo Park left England on board the -_Endeavour_, an African trader. On the 21st of the following month he -landed at the mouth of the river Gambia. - -Bathurst, the present seat of government for the Gambia basin, was -not then in existence, with its present busy European community and -thriving native population, its imposing public buildings and well -laid out streets. The native town of Jillifri on the north bank, and -a little way up the river, was the first place of call in the early -trading days of the Gambia merchants. - -From Jillifri the _Endeavour_ ascended the river to Jonkakonda. - -The view which opened up before Park as he proceeded was neither -attractive nor promising. The river flowed seaward deep and muddy, its -banks covered with impenetrable forests of mangrove, forming when the -tide was out a horrible expanse of swamp. The air was thick with a -sickening haze, charged with the poisonous exhalations from the fœtid -mud engendered by heat and moisture. Here and there only, a group of -cocoa-nuts, or an isolated bombyx (silk-cotton tree) relieved the -dreary monotony, and gave a momentary pleasure to the eye. - -[Map: MUNGO PARK’S TRAVELS. 1794-1805.] - -Behind the mangrove swamps the country spread out in a level plain, -“very generally covered with woods, and presenting a tiresome and -gloomy uniformity to the eye; but although nature has denied to the -inhabitants the beauties of romantic landscapes, she has bestowed on -them with a liberal hand the more important blessings of fertility and -abundance.” - -At Jonkakonda, which seems to have been one of the chief trading -stations on the river, Park left the _Endeavour_, and proceeded to the -factory of Pisania, a few miles further on. - -In Dr. Laidley, the agent in charge, for whom he brought letters, -Park found not only a generous host, but also a thoroughly competent -adviser, and for several succeeding months the merchant’s house and -wide experience were alike at his disposal. - -The objects to be attained by his expedition were--To reach the river -Niger by such route as might be found most convenient; to ascertain its -origin, course, and if possible its termination; to visit the chief -towns in its neighbourhood, but more particularly Timbuktu and those of -the Haussa country. - -Park’s ardent enthusiasm was ever tempered with the caution and -prudent practical character of his race. Like an old campaigner he set -about learning what was ahead of him, and otherwise preparing for his -difficult and dangerous task. The Mandingo language had to be acquired, -that he might come into more sympathetic touch with the natives, and be -more independent of interpreters, ever a source of profound danger, and -often the greatest obstacle to the advance of the explorer into unknown -countries. In addition inquiries had to be made regarding routes, the -dangers to be avoided, and the general condition of travel in these -parts. Without such information it was clear to him that he would be as -a blind man walking in a country beset with a thousand pitfalls. - -But while thus preparing for his task, Park was not oblivious to what -was more immediately around. We get glimpses of him making natural -history collections by day, and taking astronomical observations by -night. In particular he occupied himself in getting up the details of -the trade of the Gambia. Since the time when Stibbs had ascended the -river in the vain hope of reaching the Niger, a considerable change had -come over the commerce of the region. The fancied wealth of Timbuktu -had not been tapped, but the commodities of the countries within -reach of the river had proved no inconsiderable source of profit. In -the year 1730 we find one factory alone consisting of a governor, -deputy-governor, and two other principal officers; eight factors (hence -the word factory) or trading agents, thirteen writers, twenty inferior -attendants and tradesmen, a company of soldiers, and thirty-two negro -servants, not to speak of the crews of various sloops, shallops, and -boats. From that date, however, competition set in, till at the end of -the century the gross value of British exports had fallen to £20,000. - -It is worthy of note that even in Park’s time the chief article of -export is slaves. Accustomed as we are in these days to denounce in the -strongest terms this vile traffic, and to brand as the most degraded -and brutal of their race those who engage in it, it is difficult to -realise that less than a century ago we ourselves were the chief -traffickers in human flesh and blood. How little this horrible trade -touched the conscience of the individual or of the country at large is -sufficiently shown by Park’s own narrative. We seek there in vain for a -word of condemnation, or the indication of a consciousness that there -was any iniquity in it. Not, be it noted, for lack of knowledge of the -attendant cruelties or even through lack of pity for the victims. On -the contrary, he describes “the poor wretches while waiting shipment -kept constantly fettered two and two together, and employed in the -labours of the field; and, I am sorry to add, very scantily fed, as -well as harshly treated.” - -Later on he accompanied a slave caravan on its way to the coast. With -simple naturalness he tells the whole story of the horrors of the -route, describing the fetters and chains, the frightful marches, with -heavy loads, under a sweltering sun, and with starvation rations; the -whip mercilessly applied to the weary to stimulate them to further -exertions, and the knife placed to the throat of the hopelessly -exhausted, at once to rid them of pain and their drivers of a -burden--“an operation I did not wish to see, and therefore marched on.” - -He is quite aware that all these horrors are perpetrated that a -European market may be supplied. He knows also what has preceded the -slave path, and yet, incredible as it may seem, not one indignant -protest is drawn from him, not one appeal to Christian Europe, not -even a word of commendation of the work already inaugurated for its -suppression. Quite the opposite, in fact, on which point let Park -speak for himself. “How far it (slavery) is maintained and supported -by the slave traffic, which for two hundred years the nations of -Europe have carried on with the natives of the coast, it is neither -within my province nor in my power to explain. If my sentiments should -be required concerning the effect which a discontinuance of that -commerce would produce on the manners of the natives, I should have -no hesitation in observing that in the present unenlightened state of -their minds my opinion is, the effect would neither be so extensive or -beneficial as many wise and worthy persons fondly expect.” - -The wonder of the thing is intensified, to our mind, when we reflect on -the deep religious nature of Park, his genuine kind-heartedness, his -noble ambitions, and his appreciation of all that is sweet in human -nature. The story is pregnant with meaning as to the influence of our -environment in opening or shutting our eyes to what is going on around -us. - -But while Britain was then awakening to a sense of its guilt, and -preparing to purge itself of the unholy traffic, we find from -Park’s notes that a new trade, destined to have almost as terrible -consequences, was already established. Europe, he tells us, took from -the Gambia chiefly slaves, and gave in return spirits and ammunition. -For over two hundred years the unfortunate natives of Africa had been -treated as wild creatures, the lawful prey and spoil of the higher -races. The mother was tempted to sell her child, and the chief his -subjects. Village fought against village, and tribe against tribe, -that American plantations might be tilled. As wild beasts and things -accursed the negroes were shot down in myriads, in myriads they -perished on the road, in myriads were transported to a life of shame -and misery. And now, when a new order of things was about to be -instituted, there had commenced another hundred years of disgraceful -commerce to complete the work of brutalising the West Coast negro, -of blighting all elevating impulses, and suppressing all habits of -industry, transforming him into what he is to-day--the most villainous, -treacherous, and vicious being to be found in all Africa. - -Thanks to the slave trade in past centuries, and the gin traffic in -the present, our West Coast Settlements, instead of being bright -jewels in the imperial crown of Britain, are at this day little better -than standing monuments to her disgrace. Happily the closing years -of this century are showing signs of an awakened public conscience. -Governments, companies, and private merchants alike are taking a higher -view of their responsibilities to barbarous races, and before another -half century has come and gone we may hope to see the vile monster -badly scotched if not killed. - -But while we gather from Park that in his day the slave trade was -carried on by British merchants without a qualm of conscience, and -that already gunpowder and gin formed the staple articles of barter -for human flesh and blood, it is hardly less noteworthy that Islam was -steadily making its beneficent influence felt throughout the whole -land. He tells us that the inhabitants were divided into two great -classes--the _Sonakies_ or spirit drinkers, and the _Bushreens_ or -Mohammedans: the former, pagans sinking deeper and deeper in the scale -of humanity under the degrading influence of European intercourse -and commerce; the latter ever rising upward, adopting decent dress -and decent behaviour, building mosques and establishing schools, and -specially attempting to stem the flood of vile spirits poured into the -country by Christian merchants. - -We have in a previous chapter alluded to the mighty revolution produced -by Islam in the Central Sudan. Here we are only at the missionary -outposts. Further inland, as we follow the footsteps of Park, we shall -see more and more of the good work Mohammedanism had accomplished in -Central Africa. - -Meanwhile it was not all study and observation with the young explorer. -He had to go through a seasoning process of an unpleasant nature. -Having on one occasion imprudently exposed himself to the night dew, he -caught a fever, and while recovering had a second attack, which kept -him a prisoner for some additional weeks. - -Thanks to the care of Dr. Laidley no evil consequences followed, while -“his company and conversation beguiled the tedious hours during that -gloomy season (the rains): when suffocating heats oppress by day, and -when the night is spent by the terrified traveller in listening to the -croaking of frogs, of which the numbers are beyond imagination, the -shrill cry of the jackal, and the deep howling of the hyena--a dismal -concert interrupted only by the roar of such tremendous thunder as no -person can form a conception of but those who have heard it.” - - - - -CHAPTER VII. - -_FROM THE GAMBIA TO THE SENEGAL._ - - -The time had at last arrived for Park to start on his great undertaking. - -In the beginning of October the Gambia had attained its greatest -height, or fifteen feet above the high-water mark of the tide, and then -had begun to subside rapidly, so that by the beginning of November -the river had sunk to its normal level. This was the time to travel. -The natives had reaped their crops, and food was cheap and plentiful. -The rains were over, the land well drained and dried, the atmosphere -less moist and oppressive--all of which circumstances combined to make -travelling more agreeable and infinitely more healthy. - -At first Park had hoped to accompany a native caravan going into the -interior, but abandoned the idea on finding that he would have to wait -an indefinite period for such an escort. He therefore determined to -depend on his own resources rather than lose another good travelling -season. - -On the 2nd December 1795 he was ready for the road. Accustomed as we -are to read of the huge caravans, the quantities of goods, stores, -ammunition, and instruments required by exploring expeditions to the -heart of Africa in these degenerate days, we cannot but be surprised -at the modest retinue and scanty _impedimenta_ which Park thought -necessary for his great task. His sole attendants were a negro servant -named Johnson, who had been to Jamaica as a slave, but being freed had -returned to his native country; and Demba, a slave boy belonging to Dr. -Laidley, who, besides Mandingo, spoke the language of one of the inland -tribes. - -As beasts of burden Park had a small but hardy and spirited horse for -himself, and two donkeys for his servants. As baggage he had provisions -for two days; a small assortment of beads, amber, and tobacco for -the purchase of fresh supplies as needed; a few changes of linen and -other necessary articles of dress; an umbrella, a pocket sextant, a -magnetic compass, and a thermometer. For defensive purposes he was -provided with two fowling-pieces, two pairs of pistols, and some other -small weapons. Thus attended, thus provided, and thus armed, Mungo -Park started for the Heart of Africa--an uncertain bourne only to be -reached through deadly perils and frightful miseries and hardships. How -splendidly equipped he must have been with the real necessaries of the -hero--unflinching determination, ardent enthusiasm, Homeric resolve, -and absolute self-reliance. Thus provided with moral weapons and -stimulants he could rise superior to every difficulty and danger, and -emerge from the unequal struggle uncrushed, undefeated, bearing with -him not all, but much of the prize for which he had staked life itself. - -Besides Johnson and Demba, Park had the advantage of the company of a -Mohammedan on his way to Bambarra, two slatees or slave-merchants going -to Bondou, and a blacksmith returning home to Kasson. - -For the first two marches Dr. Laidley and two other Europeans -accompanied him on his way, feeling as if they were performing the -last offices for the dead, for they never expected to see him again. - -On the 3rd of December he took leave of these kind friends, and turned -his face inland towards the east and the Unknown. As he rode slowly -into the woods, after breaking the last link which connected him with -Europe and civilisation, and took the road so lately traversed by Major -Houghton, he could not but recall that to the latter it had been a road -to death. Before him rose up pictures of repellent waterless deserts, -of trackless jungles, gloomy primeval forests, and miasmatic marshes -which had to be penetrated before his eyes would rest upon the river -Niger. Only too clearly he saw the dangers from man and beast which had -to be faced before he could ever hope to get once more in touch with -European civilisation. “Thoughts like these necessarily cast a gloom -over the mind, and I rode musingly along for about three miles, when -I was awakened from my reverie by a body of people who came running -up and stopped my asses.” And with his reflections thus broken by one -of the innumerable annoyances of African travel, they were not again -resumed. - -For the first few marches there was little to note either in incidents -of travel or in aspects of man and nature. The scenery was pleasant, -though but slightly varied--gentle wooded acclivities everywhere, -alternating with cultivated interspaces surrounding towns and villages. -The inhabitants were Mandingoes, untroubled by the trammels of clothes, -Pagans for the most part, and confirmed spirit drinkers; the rest -Mohammedans, respectable in character, decent in dress and behaviour, -lovers of education and religion, haters of strong drink. - -By both divisions of the community Park was hospitably received, and -treated to such simple fare and lodging as they themselves possessed. -With daily practice the fatigues of the way became less harassing, -while a keen appetite, and the knowledge that absolutely nothing else -was to be had, made otherwise coarse food seem palatable. Gradually a -new standard of comfort was formed on a scale proportionate to present -possibilities, so that at length positive enjoyment could be got out of -both food and lodging which previously would have been deemed repulsive -and miserable. - -From the district of Walli Park entered that of Wuli. At Medina, the -capital of the latter, he was received kindly by the king, who strongly -dissuaded him from proceeding further east into countries where the -white man was unknown, and where the fate of Houghton might be his. But -Park was not to be discouraged, seeing which the king provided him with -a guide to take him on his way. - -From Medina the route diverged from the Gambia, and passed E.N.E. -towards the Senegal. For some days nothing special characterised the -march. Everywhere, however, the explorer gets interesting glimpses of -the life and ways of the natives, of their genius for story-telling and -their forensic skill, or of their love of wrestling, an art in which -they are such adepts that he “thinks that few Europeans would have been -able to cope with the conqueror.” - -At one place he finds that the men have a curious way of administering -disciplinary punishment to troublesome wives. - -Evidently in the huge feminine establishments of the Mandingo husband -the ordinary human hand is unable to keep the women in due subjection -and order. The unfortunate husband with trouble in the house, and -afraid to tackle the offender or offenders in the ordinary manner, has -recourse to underhand ways. In every village a masquerading dress is -kept for the use of Mumbo Jumbo, a mysterious person whose business it -is to seek out and punish wayward wives. When a husband finds matters -becoming too hot for him in his household, he secretly possesses -himself of this dress and disappears into the woods. At nightfall -frightful noises are heard near the town--the signal that Mumbo Jumbo -is abroad. Terror falls upon every mutinous and erring member of the -frail yet troublesome sex, for no one knows on whom the rod shall -descend. None, however, dare to disobey the summons, for now they -have to deal with the devil himself, backed up by all the male powers -of the village. For the men the occasion is a joyous one--though not -so for the women. All hurry to the meeting-place to take part in the -proceedings, and unite in the active assertion of marital authority. -But the victim is not immediately pounced upon. The terrors and -uncertainties of conscious backsliders must be endured for hours, -cloaked beneath a well-simulated air of innocence and careless gaiety. -The time is spent in songs and dances, as if to celebrate the coming -detection of the rebel and the triumph of order and the principle of -masculine rule. About midnight the witch-like revelry ceases, and a -frost of uneasy silence falls upon the female throng. Who is to be the -victim? The next moment the question is practically answered, as one -of the number is seized, stripped naked, tied to a post, and severely -scourged amid the applause of the crowd, loudest among whom are the -ninety and nine other women, each of whom a moment before had thought -herself a possible sufferer. - -A similar spirit is not unknown in our own country and times. - -On the 11th December Mungo Park, without mishap or discouragement, had -reached Kujar, the frontier town of Wuli, to the east. - -Between Wuli and Bondou, the next country, there lay a waterless -wilderness, two days’ march in extent. The guide from the King of Wuli -had here to return, and his place was taken by three elephant hunters. - -At Kujar, Park found himself examined with an increased curiosity and -reverence, indicating a much less degree of familiarity with the white -man. - -On the 12th the party started for the passage of the wilderness, minus -one of the guides, who had absconded with the money he had received -in advance. Before proceeding far the two remaining guides insisted -on stopping till they had ensured a safe journey by preparing a charm -which would divert all danger from them. The charm was simple enough, -and consisted in muttering a few sentences over a stone, which was -afterwards spat upon and thrown in the direction of travel--a process -repeated three times. - -At midday the little party of travellers reached a tree, called by the -natives _Neema Faba_, which was hung all over with offerings of rags -and scraps of cloth to propitiate the evil spirit of the place. This -practice prevails throughout the length and breadth of savage Africa, -though Park appears to have mistaken its meaning, and thinking it due -to the desire of travellers to indicate that water was near, followed -their example by hanging on one of the boughs a handsome piece of -cloth. At the neighbouring pool, where they had proposed to camp, -signs of a recently extinguished fire made them suspicious of the -vicinity of robbers, and they therefore pushed ahead to the next well, -which they did not reach till eight in the evening. - -For the first time the dangers and difficulties of his journey were -brought vividly home to Park when after a hard day’s work he and his -party had to lie out in the open, on the bare ground, surrounded by -their animals, and had to keep strict watch and ward for possible -attack. With daylight they filled their water-skins and calabashes and -set out for Falika, the western frontier town of Bondou, which they -reached before midday. - -In Bondou, Park found new aspects of nature and other races of men. - -For fertility the land was unsurpassed. Lying on the parting ridge -between the Gambia and the Senegal, it was better drained than the -country left behind, a fact evidenced by the appearance of the mimosa. -Towards the east it rose into ranges of hills. - -Far different, too, were the Fulah inhabitants. A tawny complexion, -small, well-shaped features, and soft, silky hair, distinguished them -at a glance from the negro races around them. Among them Mohammedanism -was the prevailing religion, though not by any means exercised -intolerantly, “for the system of Mahomet is made to extend itself by -means abundantly more efficacious. By establishing schools in the -different towns, where many of the Pagan as well as Mohammedan children -are taught to read the Koran, and instructed in the tenets of the -Prophet, the Mohammedan priests fix a bias on the mind and form the -character of their young disciples which no accidents of life can ever -afterwards remove or alter.” Of which latter fact let our Christian -missionaries take note, and if possible learn a lesson therefrom. - -This remarkable race did not originally belong to Bondou. Further -south they were in even greater force, though scattered in more or -less independent communities from Lake Chad to the Atlantic, a fact -destined, after Park’s time, to have the most important bearing upon -the history of the whole of the Western and Central Sudan. - -Everywhere Park found the Fulahs remarkable for their industry, and no -less successful in agriculture than in pastoral pursuits, which seem to -have been their original speciality. In their hands Bondou developed -a degree of wealth unknown in neighbouring states. Its prosperity, -however, was also in great measure due to its being on the chief -highway of the commerce from the interior to the coast, considerable -duties being levied on all merchandise passing through it. - -At Falika, Park secured the services of an officer of the King of -Bondou as guide as far as Fatticonda, the capital. - -On resuming their journey a violent quarrel broke out between two of -Park’s companions, which would probably have ended in bloodshed, but -for the interference of the white man, and his determined threat that -he would shoot down the first who again drew sword--an ultimatum which -had the desired effect. The rest of the march was accomplished in -sullen silence, till a good supper terminated all heart-burnings, and -animosities were forgotten under the influence of the diverting stories -and sweet harmonies of an itinerant musician. - -On the 15th the party crossed the Nereko, a considerable branch of the -Gambia, and stayed for the night at Kurkarany, a walled town provided -with a mosque. Four days later they crossed a dry stony height covered -with mimosas, and entered the basin of the Senegal. - -They were now more within the sphere of influence of French traders, -who, as Park soon saw, had succeeded with characteristic genius in -suiting the taste of the ladies of the country. These he found dressed -in a thin French gauze, admirably adapted for the hot climate, and -rendered dear to its wearers by the manner in which it displayed and -heightened their charms. Their manners proved to be as irresistible -as their dress, so that Park found it impossible to withstand their -appeals for amber, beads, and other bits of showy finery. Having -despoiled him of all he had, these “sturdy beggars” tore his cloak, -cut the buttons from his servant’s clothes, and were proceeding to -other outrages, when finding this more than his gallantry could stand, -he mounted his horse and fled, leaving them disconsolate, but with -abundant souvenirs. - -Next day the Falemé, a turbulent tributary of the Senegal, was reached. -The natives were actively engaged fishing, and the country around was -covered with large and beautiful fields of millet. - -It was not without apprehension that Park on the 21st December entered -Fatticonda, the capital of Bondou. His predecessor Houghton had here -been plundered and badly used, and he had every reason to fear a -similar fate. But the situation was not to be evaded, so he braced -himself up as best he might to face whatever was in store for him. - -On entering the town, he and his party took up their station at the -Palaver House or Bentang, as is the fashion of strangers, who thus make -known their necessities, and mutely appeal for a night’s lodging. They -had not long to wait before a respectable slatee invited them to his -house. - -An hour afterwards a messenger came to conduct the traveller to the -king. Finding himself led out of the town, Park began to fear a trap, -but was reassured on being shown the king sitting under a tree, and -hearing that such was his way of giving a private audience. The -stranger’s statement that he was no trader, and that he only travelled -from motives of curiosity, was received with incredulity. - -In the evening Park proceeded to make a more formal call. First, -however, he concealed some of his goods in the roof of the hut, and -donned his best coat, hoping thus to save them from the possible -plundering he might be subjected to. - -The king’s quarters were found to be converted into a species of -citadel by a high mud wall, having a number of inner courts, each court -containing several huts. After threading a series of intricate passages -guarded by armed sentinels, the king, Almami, was at last reached. -Again he showed himself but half satisfied with the white man’s -explanations of the object of his visit. The idea of travelling merely -to gratify curiosity was too new to his experience. It seemed the fancy -of a madman. The presents offered put him in good humour, however, in -particular the gift of a large umbrella. - -As Park was about to take his leave, Almami stopped him, and commenced -a eulogium of the generosity and immense wealth of the white men. -From the general he came down to the particular, and had much that -was flattering to say of his guest for the time being--a praise -soon directed pointedly to the traveller’s handsome coat and shining -buttons, until at length it became clear to its owner that it was not -only admired but coveted. There was nothing for it but to take the coat -off and lay it at the feet of the wily monarch, who did his best to -console the giver by declaring that henceforth the garment should be -his state dress for all great occasions. - -For once Park’s caution had overreached its object. - -Next morning the traveller visited by request the wives of Almami. He -found himself surrounded by a dozen young and handsome women, decorated -with gold and amber, who clamoured for physic and beads, and to have -some blood taken from them. They rallied him upon the whiteness of -his skin, which they said was due to his having been dipped in milk -when an infant; and on the prominence of his nose, which they declared -had been pinched into that shape by his mother. Park was equal to the -occasion. He had compliments for all of them. The glossy jet of their -skin and the contours of their _retroussé_ noses, the bright glitter of -their eyes and brilliant whiteness of their teeth were alike praised. -This delicate flattery, with the addition of some bloodletting and a -quantity of drastic medicine, was irresistible; and, though Park does -not say so, undoubtedly the good impression he left behind among the -ladies contributed materially to his immunity from the fate of his -predecessor. Not only was he not plundered, but his baggage was not -even searched. Still better, Almami on parting gave him five drachms of -gold. - -On the 23rd the traveller resumed his journey in the best of spirits -after his unexpectedly good reception. At mid-day a halt was called for -rest and refreshment, by way of preparation for the passage of the -dangerous district lying between Bondou and the next country, Kajaaga, -which it would be necessary to traverse under cover of night. - -As soon as the people of the village were asleep, the donkeys were -reloaded, and as silently as possible, so as not to disturb the -villagers, the party passed out into the wilderness. The moon was -shining brightly, illumining their way. The air was perfectly still, -raising neither sigh nor rustle from leaf or bough. The deep solitudes -of the forest were undisturbed save by the solemn impressive howling -of wild beasts, and shrieks and hoots of night-birds which mingled -discordantly with the deafening musical uproar of myriad insects, and -the clutter of innumerable frogs. Except in whispers, not a word was -uttered. Every one was on the alert, at times guiding the animals, more -often peering ahead, or to right and left, on the lookout for possible -robbers. Happily no human enemies appeared, though many were the -alarms, as from time to time an unusual sound, or the vaguely descried -figure of a prowling hyena, made each man seize his gun with a firmer -grasp. Towards morning a village was reached where the little party -were enabled to rest themselves and their animals before entering in -the afternoon the country of Kajaaga. - - - - -CHAPTER VIII. - -_ACROSS THE SENEGAL BASIN._ - - -The further Park proceeded east the drier and purer became the climate, -and the more interesting the landscape. In Kajaaga, lying between the -Falemé and the Senegal, he found a country everywhere interspersed -with a pleasing variety of hills and valleys, to which the serpentine -windings of the Senegal descending from the rocky heights gave both -picturesqueness and beauty. The inhabitants, unlike the Fulahs, were -jet black in complexion, resembling in this respect the Joloffs nearer -the coast. - -The people of Kajaaga are known as Serawulies, and are noted for their -keen trading propensities--at this time chiefly directed towards -supplying slaves to the British factories on the Gambia. - -On the 24th December Park entered Joag, the western frontier town, and -was there hospitably received by the chief man of the place, officially -known as Dooty or Duté. The town was surrounded by a high mud wall, as -was also every individual private establishment. Though the headman and -the principal inhabitants were Mohammedans, it appeared that the great -mass of the people were still Pagans, as was sufficiently shown by -the nature of their wild night revelries--“the ladies in their dances -vying with each other in displaying the most voluptuous movements -imaginable.” - -Park’s trials were now about to commence. During the night a number -of horsemen arrived, and after talking with the host, took up their -quarters in the Palaver House beside the traveller himself. Thinking -the latter was asleep, one of them attempted to steal his gun, but -finding he could not effect his purpose undiscovered, he desisted from -the attempt. This, however, was but a foretaste of coming trouble. It -was easy to see that Johnson was growing very uneasy at the aspect of -affairs; not without cause either, as very soon became evident. Two of -Park’s companions, who had been at a dance in a neighbouring village, -came in with the news that a party of the king’s horsemen had been -heard inquiring if the white man had passed, and on being told that he -was at Joag, had immediately galloped off in that direction. - -Even while they were speaking the horsemen arrived, and next moment -Park found himself surrounded by some twenty soldiers, each carrying a -musket. Resistance was useless; he could only wait in much anxiety to -hear his fate. - -At length, after a brief interval, a member of the party, who was -loaded with an enormous number of charms to ward off all forms of evil, -opened their business in a long harangue. The white man, they said, -had violated the laws of the country by entering it without paying -the customary duties, and had accordingly forfeited everything he -possessed. The soldiers had orders to take him to the king by force if -necessary. - -Conceive the position Park was now in. Utter ruin stared him in the -face, and the collapse of all his cherished schemes. To fight was out -of the question. All he could do was to try to gain a little time to -think matters out, and seek the advice of his companions and host. -They were unanimous in declaring that it would be disastrous to him to -accompany the horsemen. A long argument with the spokesman ensued, by -dint of which, and the present of Almami’s five drachms of gold, the -messenger became somewhat mollified. - -They demanded, however, to be shown the baggage, from which they -helped themselves to whatever they happened to fancy; and having thus -despoiled their victim of half his goods, they left him to his gloomy -reflections and an indifferent supper after a day of fast. - -Thus reduced in his already scanty resources, and his power to travel -correspondingly limited, Park found but Job’s comforters in his -companions. One and all they urged him to turn back from his hopeless -task. Johnson, especially, laughed at the very idea of proceeding -further, miserably provided as they were. But the spirit of the -leader rose superior to his misfortunes, and he never for a moment -admitted the idea of retreat. While strength remained there could be no -flinching from his task. Yet his thoughts were gloomy enough that night -as he sat reviewing his situation through the hours of darkness by -the side of a smouldering fire. Morning brought no improvement to his -position. The scanty supper was followed by no breakfast. - -What few articles still remained dared not be produced, lest they -too should be plundered. It was resolved, therefore, to pass the day -without food, trusting to Providence for a stray meal sooner or later. - -As the day wore on the pangs of hunger began to make themselves felt. -To allay this in some measure the unfortunate travellers chewed straws, -a make-believe yielding as scant comfort as it did sustenance. But -Park’s faith in God was not belied. Towards evening an old female slave -passed by with a basket on her head, and struck by his woe-begone, -famished look, she asked him if he had had his dinner. Thinking she -spoke in jest, he did not reply. Not so his boy Demba, who volubly, and -with the eloquence of suffering, told the story of their misfortunes -and their needs. In a moment the old woman had her basket on the -ground, and a plentiful supply of ground-nuts was placed in their -hands, the donor thereafter marching away without waiting for a word of -thanks. - -Further good fortune was now in store for them. It happened that Demba -Sego Jalla, the Mandingo king of Kasson further east, had sent his -nephew to the King of Kajaaga to try to arrange some disputes which -were threatening to lead to war. The embassy, however, had met with no -success. Returning homeward, the king’s nephew had heard of there being -a white man at Joag who was desirous of visiting Kasson, and curiosity -brought him to see the stranger. On hearing Park’s story, the young -noble offered him his protection all the way--an offer that was eagerly -and gratefully accepted. - -Thus guided and protected, Park set out for Kasson on the 27th. Some -distance on the way Johnson, in spite of his life in Jamaica and his -seven years’ residence in England, showed that he still was saturated -with the superstitious ideas of his youth by producing a white chicken -and tying it by the leg to a particular tree as an offering to the -spirits of the woods. The same belief in nature spirits has already -been alluded to in a previous chapter. Anthropologists tell us that it -must at one time have been universal, and evidences of it are found -not only in the charming legends of the Greeks, with their nymphs of -meadow, grove, and spring, and dryads growing with the oaks and pines, -but also in our own Anglo-Saxon words. - -In the evening the party safely arrived at Sami, on the banks of the -Senegal. Park describes the sister river to the Gambia as being at this -point a beautiful but shallow stream, flowing slowly over a bed of -sand and gravel. The banks are high and covered with verdure, and are -backed by an open cultivated country, the distant hills of Felow and -Bambuk adding an additional beauty to the landscape. A few miles below -Sami was the former French trading station of St. Joseph, founded by -Sieur Brue, but abandoned in the time of Park. Next morning the party -proceeded a little further up the river to Kayi, where they crossed -with no small difficulty and danger, the animals being swum over, and -the baggage conveyed in a miserable canoe. - -While Park was crossing by the same means the canoe was capsized by an -injudicious movement on the part of his protector, but being near the -bank, no harm came of it, and a second attempt landed him safely in the -country of Kasson. - -The young noble, having once brought the white traveller into his -own country, soon showed that no generous motives had prompted his -assistance. Unhesitatingly he demanded a handsome present. Park, seeing -that it was useless either to upbraid or to complain, with a heavy -heart made the necessary selection from his scanty stock of goods, and -presented the offering forthwith. - -On the evening of the 29th the party reached Tisi, where Park was -lodged with his protector’s father, Tiggity Sego, the head man of the -place. Next morning a slave having run away, the use of Park’s horse -was asked for the chase, to which he “readily consented, and in about -an hour they all returned with the slave, who was severely flogged, and -afterwards put in irons.” - -Park was detained for several days at Tisi, while his horse was further -used by his host on a more extended mission. During his enforced -detention our traveller had an opportunity of seeing a somewhat more -drastic method of propagating Islam than any he had yet witnessed. An -embassy of ten persons arrived from the King of Futa Larra, a country -to the west of Bondou, and announced to the assembled inhabitants that -unless all the people of Kasson embraced the Mohammedan religion, and -evinced their conversion by saying solemn public prayers, he, the King -of Futa Larra, would certainly join his arms to those of Kajaaga. - -Such a coalition would have been disastrous to Kasson, and without a -moment’s hesitation the conversion was agreed to. Accordingly, one and -all did as was desired, offering up solemn prayers in token that they -were no longer Pagans, but followers of Mohammed. - -It was not till the 8th of January 1796 that Demba Sego, the young -noble, returned with the traveller’s horse, whereupon Park, impatient -at the delay, declared that he could spend no more time at Tisi, and -must proceed to the capital. He was informed he could not do so until -he had paid the customary trading duties. Some amber and tobacco were -offered, but they were laid aside as totally inadequate for a present -to a man of Tiggity Sego’s importance. Once more Park had to submit to -seeing his baggage ransacked. One-half he had already lost at Joag, and -now half of what remained had to be similarly sacrificed to satisfy -the rapacity of his tormentors. - -Thus despoiled, Park was permitted to depart next morning. His course, -which so far had been E.N.E., was now E.S.E. In the afternoon the party -arrived at the village of Jumbo, the birthplace of the blacksmith who -had faithfully accompanied Park from Pisania. The entire population -turned out to welcome back their townsman with dance and songs. -The poor fellow’s meeting with his blind mother was most touching. -Unable to see him, she stretched out her arms to welcome him, and -after eagerly satisfying herself by touch of face and hands that it -was indeed her son who had returned, she gave wild expression to her -delight. From which Park concludes, “that whatever differences there -are between the Negro and the European in the conformation of the nose -and the colour of the skin, there is none in the genuine sympathies and -characteristic feelings of our common nature.” - -This affectionate welcome over, the villagers had time to turn their -attention to the white man. At first they looked or affected to look -upon him as a being dropped from the clouds, the women and children -shrinking from him half in fear, half in awe. On being assured by their -countryman that he was a good-tempered and inoffensive creature, they -gradually laid aside their misgivings, and began to feel the texture of -his clothes, and assure themselves that he was indeed cast in much the -same mould as themselves. Still his slightest movement was sufficient -to arouse their tremors and make them scamper off like a flock of sheep -which had valorously marched up to view a sleeping dog. - -Next day Park continued his journey to a place called Sulu, where he -had an order from Dr. Laidley on a slatee for the value of five slaves. -Hardly had he been hospitably received by Dr. Laidley’s client, when -messengers arrived from Kuniakary with orders that he should proceed at -once to the king. Thither accordingly he journeyed, arriving late in -the evening. - -The rule of “like master, like man” did not hold good in relation to -the King of Kasson and such of his subordinates as Park so far had come -in contact with. His reception by one whose “success in war and the -mildness of his behaviour in times of peace had much endeared him to -his subjects,” was an agreeable variation to the hard fate which had -lately dogged his footsteps. The king was not only satisfied with his -visitor’s story and his poor present, but promised him every assistance -in his power. He warned him, however, that the road to Bambarra was -for the time being rendered extremely dangerous, if not altogether -impassable, by the outbreak of war between that state and the adjoining -one of Kaarta. In the hope of the arrival of more reassuring news Park -waited four days, staying the while with the Sulu slatee, from whom -he received gold dust to the value of three slaves. This transaction -coming to the ears of the king, Park was compelled to add considerably -to the value of his former present. - -The country around Sulu presented an enchanting prospect of simple -rural plenty, while the scenery surpassed in richness and variety any -Park had yet seen. The density of the population was illustrated by -the fact that the King of Kasson could raise within sound of his great -war drum an army of four thousand fighting men. The one drawback to -the amenities of the place was the numerous bands of wolves and hyenas -which nightly attacked the cattle, and were only to be driven off by -organised parties of men with fires and torches. - -From Sulu, Park proceeded S.E. up the rocky valley of the Kriko, -meeting everywhere swarms of people leaving the expected seat of war in -Kaarta. - -On the 8th he left the charming valley of the Kriko, and travelled -over a rough stony country to the ridge of hills which forms the -boundary-line between Kasson and Kaarta. Thence his way lay down -a stony precipitous path into the dried-up bed of a stream, whose -overarching trees afforded to the wayfarer a grateful shade. Emerging -from this romantic glen, the party found itself on the level sandy -plains of Kaarta, having the hilly ranges of Fuludu on their right. - -On the third day from Sulu, Park witnessed a new method of consulting -the Oracle as to the fate in store for them on the road. To his great -alarm, their guide, who was a Mohammedan in name and a Pagan at heart, -came to an abrupt standstill in a dark lonely part of a wood. Taking a -hollow piece of bamboo he whistled very loud three times. Thereafter -he dismounted, laid his spear across the pathway, and again whistled -thrice. For a short time he listened as if for an answer, and receiving -none, told Park that now they might proceed, for the way was clear of -danger. - -Next day the superstitious ideas cherished by the natives were further -illustrated. Park had wandered some distance from his party, when, just -as he reached the brow of a slight eminence, a couple of negro horsemen -galloped from the bushes. Immediately on seeing each other Park and -the negroes alike came to an abrupt stop, each equally filled with -alarm. The white man was the first to regain his presence of mind, and -concluding that advance was his safer course, he moved towards them. -This was too much for the terrified natives, who thought they saw in -the strange figure before them some terrible spirit. One of them, with -a wild look of horror, turned and fled; the other, paralysed beyond -action, could only cover his eyes and mutter his prayers. In this -position he would have remained stationary, but for the instinct of his -horse, which led him to follow his companion. - -On the afternoon of the 12th, Park and his party entered the capital of -Kaarta. On announcing their arrival to the king, a messenger was sent -to convey them to a hut and protect them from the inquisitive crowd. In -carrying out the latter part of his commission the messenger signally -failed, and for the rest of the afternoon our explorer remained on -exhibition, the hut being filled and emptied thirteen times by an -admiring and curious mob. - -In the evening his majesty gave Park an audience, seated on a clay -divan raised a couple of feet above the floor, and covered with a -leopard’s skin, the sign of authority. The way to the throne lay -through a long lane formed by a huge crowd of fighting men on the one -side, and of women and children on the other. - -The reception of the stranger was highly encouraging. He was told, -however, that he had chosen a most inopportune time to attempt to pass -into Bambarra, and he was advised to return to Kasson, and there await -the end of the war just commencing. That, however, meant the loss of -the dry season, and Park dreaded the thought of spending the rainy -season in the interior. “These considerations, and the aversion I felt -at the idea of returning without having made a greater progress in -discovery, made me determined to go forward.” - -Hearing this determination, the king showed his kindly intentions -by pointing out that there was another--though a more dangerous and -circuitous route--to Bambarra, namely, that by way of Ludamar, an Arab -district to the north-west of Kaarta. At the same time he promised to -give the white man guides for this route as far as Jarra, his frontier -town. With this offer Park only too gladly closed. - -Before the audience ended a horseman arrived in foaming haste to -announce that the Bambarra army had left Fuludu for Kaarta. - -Next morning, after Park had sent his horse-pistols and holsters as a -present to his royal host, a large escort was provided to protect and -lead him on his way to Ludamar. - - - - -CHAPTER IX. - -_TO LUDAMAR._ - - -It must have been with no pleasant sensations that Park turned aside -from his direct route E.S.E. to the Niger, and proceeded north instead -to Ludamar. In addition to the increased distance, there were the -hundredfold greater dangers to be encountered. Houghton had preceded -him over the same road, with what results his successor only too well -knew. And yet, as matters turned out, it was perhaps as well that he -elected to try his fate by the more circuitous route. Before many -days were over Kaarta was desolated by the Bambarra army, which only -retired laden with spoil on finding that the last refuge of the king -could neither be stormed nor reduced by starvation. The trouble of the -Kaartans did not end with the war with Bambarra, for they fell out -with the people of Kasson, and before the year was ended had to face a -coalition of various enemies. - -On the 13th February Park started for Ludamar. His escort of over two -hundred horsemen seems to have been of little use, for in the evening -the hut in which his luggage was deposited was entered, and some of his -rapidly diminishing stores stolen. Next day he came upon some negroes -gathering the fruit of the _Rhamnus lotus_, which being converted into -a species of bread, forms no inconsiderable addition to the food of -the natives of Kaarta and Ludamar. This shrub, Park does not doubt, is -the lotus mentioned by Pliny as the food of the Libyan Lotophagi. - -The increased dangers of the new route were amply illustrated as -Ludamar was approached. Bands of marauding Moors were taking advantage -of the unsettled state of the country to carry off cattle with -impunity. At one town Park saw five Moors calmly select sixteen of the -finest oxen of a herd, and in the presence of five hundred negroes -drive them away without even a show of resistance. One young man who -had been out in the fields, and had shown more courage, had been shot, -and was brought in dying. His mother, frantic with grief, filled the -air with her shrill shrieks and lamentations, clapping her hands the -while. “He never told a lie” was the astonishing encomium passed upon -him, a phenomenal occurrence in a continent where lying is a virtue, -and the art is raised to its utmost perfection. On being assured that -all hope of saving the boy’s life was gone, some good Mohammedans did -their best to ensure him--though hitherto a Pagan--a place in Paradise, -by getting him to repeat the sacred formula of Islam, in which pious -effort they happily were successful. - -On the 17th, Park, in company with numbers of people flying from -the terrors of war, travelled during the night, to escape the more -immediate danger of Moorish robbers. After resting during the early -morning, they resumed their journey at daybreak. Two hours later they -passed Simbing, from which Houghton had despatched the graphic letter, -already quoted, telling of his destitute condition, but unalterable -intention of proceeding to Timbuktu. At noon, Jarra, the southern -frontier town of Ludamar, was reached. It was from this place that -Park’s predecessor was decoyed into the desert by Moors, and after -being stripped, was left either to die of starvation or be murdered by -passing ruffians, a point never satisfactorily cleared up, though Park -was shown the spot where he breathed his last. - -At Jarra, Park was hospitably received by a Gambia slatee, who had -borrowed goods from Dr. Laidley to the value of six slaves, for which -debt Park was provided with an order. The debt was acknowledged, but -the merchant pleaded inability to pay more than two slaves. - -Our traveller had now entered a more inhospitable region. Ludamar was -found to be inhabited by negroes, an Arab race largely intermixed with -negro blood forming the rulers and possessing the worst characteristics -of both sides of descent. - -Park and his attendants were not long in experiencing the brutal and -inhospitable character of this degraded hybrid people. - -Difficulties had met them at every step of their journey, and now -nothing but new terrors loomed up before them. So great did these seem, -and so overbearing and threatening was the attitude of the Moors, -that Park’s servants declared they would rather lose everything they -possessed than proceed further. Not only were they liable to robbery -and ill-usage, but not improbable to slavery also. These facts were -so patent that, though unwavering in his own determination to push -on, Park could not bring himself to force his men to follow him. -Accordingly he made arrangements for parting with them. Among other -things, he prepared duplicates of his papers to put into the hands -of Johnson. Meanwhile a messenger had been sent to Ali, chief of the -country, to ask permission to pass through his country to Bambarra. -The request was accompanied by a present of fine garments of cotton -cloth which Park purchased from the slatee in exchange for his -fowling-piece. Fourteen days elapsed before an answer was returned, and -then he was told to follow Ali’s messenger to Gumba. - -On preparing to depart, hopeful as ever that yet he should live to see -the Niger, he was further cheered by the fidelity of his boy Demba, -who seeing his master was not to be dissuaded from his determination -to proceed, resolved not to desert him, whatever might be the result. -It then came out that Johnson, whose residence among Europeans had -only served to corrupt him, had treacherously tried to seduce Demba to -return with him and leave the white man to his fate. - -To diminish the inducements to plunder, Park, before starting, left -as many of his personal effects behind him as he could spare. For two -days the little party toiled over a sandy country. On the third day -they reached Dina, a large town built of stone and clay. The reception -Park here met with at the hands of the natives was atrocious. Every -opprobrious epithet which their vocabulary could supply was hurled at -him. Not content with words, they proceeded to spit upon and otherwise -heap ignominy upon the stranger, ending by tearing open his bundles -and helping themselves to whatever they had a mind. For the victim of -these outrages there was nothing but patience and resignation, with -which virtues, indeed, he seems to have been amply endowed. He might -be robbed of his material resources, but his spiritual stores remained -untouched. With him, while there was life there was hope. - -Not so with his servants. They had no magnet to draw them on, no -higher impulse than monetary reward. Further forward they would not -go. So be it! Their retreat was excusable, but _Onward_ must be their -master’s watchword so long as any pencil of light glimmered through a -loophole--_Onward_ as long as limbs and strength and hope held out. - -Not daring to face another day of insult and plunder, nor yet a night -of gloomy reflection, Park gathered together such valuables as he could -carry, left the village under cover of darkness, and with magnificent -resolution started alone on his forlorn hope of reaching the Niger. - -As the huts disappeared behind him, the moon shone out bright and -clear in the heavens, filling the night with its mellow beauty, both -literally and figuratively lighting up the dark path before him. - -From all sides came the roar of wild beasts, adding to the terrors of -the situation. Undismayed, however, and still unwavering, he plodded -onward through the night. He had not proceeded far when a clear halloo -stopped his resolute footsteps. The accents sounded familiar, and in a -few moments more he was joined by his faithful servant Demba. Park then -found that the boy had made up his mind to stand by him, though Ali’s -messenger returned to his master. - -The little party of two now continued their journey, travelling -steadily on over a sandy country covered with asclepias. At midday they -reached a few huts, but were prevented from drawing water from the -village well by the appearance of a lion. They therefore had to endure -the pangs of thirst with patience till the evening, when they entered -a town occupied by Fulahs. Park now seemed to have touched the bottom -of his misfortunes. For several days he proceeded unmolested through -Ludamar, each new day, each mile nearer his goal, filling his sanguine -mind with brighter and fresher hopes. - -On the 5th March he reached Dalli. The villagers, hearing that a -white man had arrived, deserted the revelries attendant on a feast, -and hastened to see the phenomenal stranger. Not pell-mell, however, -like the rude mob of Dina, but in a decorous procession, and headed by -flute-players, as if they felt themselves honoured by the visit. Round -Park’s hut they continued to dance and sing till midnight, during which -time he had to keep himself continuously on exhibition to satisfy their -simple and kindly if somewhat overwhelming curiosity. - -Next day Park moved on to a village to the east of Dalli to escape -the crowd which usually assembled there in the evening. Again his -reception was most hospitable. The head man considered himself highly -distinguished by having such a guest in his house, and showed it -practically by killing two fine sheep to feast him and his own friends. - -Park was now only two days from Gumba, the first town of Bambarra. He -had but to reach that place to be safe from the thieving and brutal -half-caste Moors, whose rule of the unhappy negroes was but another -name for rapine and plunder. His hopes were high that now the success -of his mission was almost assured. In fancy he saw himself already on -the bank of the Niger, which he had come so far and suffered so much to -see. His imagination revelled in a thousand delightful scenes in his -future progress. - -Thus buoyed up with glowing thoughts, he abandoned himself with -unrestrained gaiety to the harmless festivities organised by his negro -host, whose manners were in striking contrast to his experience of -those of the Ludamar Moors. - -But just when his golden dream was at its brightest, it was shattered -by a rude awakening. Messengers arrived from Ali with orders to convey -the white man either peaceably or by force to his camp at Benaun. Park -was struck dumb with painful emotions, though slightly relieved on -hearing that the sole cause of his being taken back was the curiosity -of Fatima, Ali’s favourite wife. That lady’s desire to see a white man -being satisfied, the chief promised that he should be conveyed safely -on his way to Bambarra. - -There was no gainsaying Ali’s orders, and argument was of no avail. -Once more Park must fall back on his patience and his hope. Now -practically prisoners, he and his faithful boy Demba were carried back -to Dina, where his reception had already been so brutal. Here he was -brought before one of Ali’s sons, who soon gave him a taste of the -dangers and indignities in store for him. Barely was he seated when a -gun was handed to him, and he was told to repair the lock and dye the -stock blue. Knowing nothing of such matters, Park could only declare -his ignorance. He was then ordered to produce his knives and scissors, -and hand them over to the young tyrant. On Demba attempting to explain -that they had no such articles, their tormentor sprang up in a fury, -seized a musket, and was about to blow out the poor boy’s brains, when -the bystanders interfered and saved his life. - -After this unpleasant incident master and man beat a hasty retreat from -the hut, and it is little to be wondered at that the latter tried to -escape altogether. - -Next day the prisoners were conveyed to Benaun, the headquarters of -the paramount chief of Ludamar, under a terrible sun, and over burning -sands. They travelled all day with almost no water, the pangs of thirst -being slightly alleviated by the use of gum, which keeps the mouth -moist and allays the pain in the throat. In the evening they arrived -at their destination, a temporary camp, consisting of a great number -of dirty-looking tents scattered without order, among which were large -herds of camels, cattle, and goats. At the outskirts of the camp, Park, -by much entreaty, procured a little water. - -The arrival of the white traveller was the signal for a great -commotion. Women hastened from their domestic avocations and forsook -their waterpots at the well. The men mounted their horses--every one -came running or galloping helter-skelter, amid wild screaming and -shouting. In a ferocious mob they surrounded the unhappy cause of -their excitement, pouncing upon him like a pack of hyenas, tugging -and pulling his clothes, threatening him with all sorts of penalties -if he would not acknowledge the One God and His Prophet. In this sad -plight, half dead with the pangs of thirst and the fatigues of a -desert march, he was hustled and pulled towards the chief’s tent. When -at last he found himself in the presence of the great man, a single -glance at his face was sufficient to dispel the last hope of better -treatment. Ali was an old man, with an Arab cast of countenance, on -whose every lineament were marked sullenness and cruelty. While he -passively examined the unfortunate man before him, the women of his -household were more actively engaged inspecting the dress of the victim -and searching his pockets. They affected to doubt that he was a man -at all, and counted his fingers and toes to assure themselves that he -was indeed like themselves. Not content even with that, they must needs -have a peep at his white skin, and pushed aside his garments in order -to effect their purpose. - -When the excitement was at its height, the sacred call to prayers -resounded through the camp, but before the people fell upon their knees -before the One God All Compassionate and Merciful, with bent body and -face pressed in the dust to acknowledge His Omnipotence, they had a new -indignity to put upon the helpless stranger. Showing him a wild hog, -they bade him kill and eat it. This he wisely refused. The hog was then -let loose in the belief that it would at once attack the white man, but -instead it rushed at his tormentors. The sport thus missing its mark, -the Moors proceeded to their devotions, and Park was conveyed to the -door of the tent of Ali’s chief slave, where after much entreaty he was -supplied with a little boiled corn with salt and water, and then left -to pass the night on a mat, exposed to cold and the dews, and still -worse, to the insults and ribald mirth of the mob which swarmed about -him. - - - - -CHAPTER X. - -_CAPTIVITY IN LUDAMAR._ - - -The treatment which Park now experienced in the camp of Ali was brutal -and barbarous beyond description. - -In the eyes of the degenerate Arabs of Ludamar he was an object -detestable both to God and man--a Christian and a spy. Everything, -therefore, that savage ingenuity could invent to insult and torture him -was heaped upon him with fiendish glee and eagerness. - -On the morning after his arrival he was confined in a small square -flat-roofed hut built of corn stalks, which happily admitted the -breeze and excluded the sun. The hog was tied to the hut as a suitable -companion to the hated Christian. - -From morning till night the unhappy prisoner had to place himself on -exhibition, and incessantly demonstrate the whiteness of his skin, the -number of his toes, and the method of adjusting his dress--for all -which torment he was repaid with curses. In common with the hog, he was -made the sport of men, women, and children alike. Not even at night -was he left to himself, being continually disturbed by his guards bent -on satisfying themselves that he was safe in the hut, or by thieves -seeking what they could carry away. To these tortures of mind and body -was added the uncertainty of what might be before him. A council of -elders had considered his case, and he was variously told that death, -the loss of the right hand, or the putting out of his eyes, was the -fate reserved for him. - -To add to the miseries of his condition, he had to suffer the hardships -attendant on the observance of Rhamadan, the month of fasting, during -which the faithful are not permitted to eat or drink between sunrise -and sunset. This fast from meat and drink, bad enough at any time -in a scorching climate, was rendered doubly painful to the unhappy -traveller by the extreme scantiness of the supply doled out to him once -in the twenty-four hours at midnight. Then, too, it was the hottest -time of the year, and so scorching at times were the winds from the -desert, that it was impossible to hold the hand in a draught without -pain. Sandstorms, too, now and again filled the air to the point of -suffocation, while the heavens overhead were as brass, and the sands -under foot as the floor of an oven. - -Under these distressing conditions Park’s only _rôle_ was to comply -with every command, and patiently endure every insult, compatible with -appearing as useless as possible to the tyrants, so that they might not -be tempted to detain him for the value of his services. - -Day after day thus passed, each one more miserable than the preceding, -but Park’s iron frame and indomitable spirit stood it all. Where his -savage gaolers failed, however, the fears and doubts for his future -progress and the ultimate success of his mission threatened to succeed. -The excessive heat and scarcity of water in the wilderness made -escape in the hot season out of the question, while the hardships and -dangers of travel to be faced in the wet season appeared scarcely less -appalling. - -The blackness of the outlook began to cloud even his sanguine -temperament, and the heart sickness of hope deferred frequently -manifested itself in fits of melancholy and despondency. With the -lowering of his mental tone came also the bodily reaction, and a smart -fever was the result. - -Even then he obtained no alleviation of his sufferings. His distress -was a matter of sport to the Arabs, till life became a burden to him. -He trembled at times lest the peevishness, irritability, and enfeebled -power of self-command accompanying the disease should cause him to -overleap the bounds of prudence, and in the height of an outburst -of passion commit some act of resentment which would lead to his -death--death, and with his work unfinished. - -On one of these occasions he left his hut and walked to some shady -trees at a short distance from the camp, where he lay down in the hope -of obtaining a little solitude. He was discovered by Ali’s son and a -band of horsemen, who ordered him to get up and follow them back to -camp. Park begged to be allowed to stay a few hours. For answer one of -the horsemen drew his pistol, and presenting it at Park’s head, pulled -the trigger. Happily it did not go off. Once more the brute essayed -his weapon with the same result. None of his companions made the -least attempt to stop him. Helpless, Park could but sit awaiting his -doom, what indeed would have been a happy release from his miseries, -only that as yet the task he had set himself was unaccomplished. With -renewed precautions the pistol was presented a third time, when the -hapless victim, who so far had not spoken, begged his would-be murderer -to desist, promising at the same time to return with him to the camp. - -Before Ali his position was no better. With fiendish malignity the -latter played with his prisoner as a cat does with a mouse, opening and -shutting the pan of his pistol and watching the while the effect on the -demeanour of the white man before him. Getting but small amusement out -of his resolute and indifferent mien, he sent him off at last with the -threat that the next time he was found wandering outside the camp he -would be shot forthwith. - -“One whole month had now elapsed since I was led into captivity, during -which time each returning day brought me fresh distresses. I watched -the lingering course of the sun with anxiety, and blessed his waning -beams as they shed a yellow lustre along the sandy floor of my hut, -for it was then that my oppressors left me, and allowed me to pass the -sultry night in solitude and reflection.” - -With habit and time Park began to be inured to his situation. Hunger -and thirst were more easy to bear than at first, and the people getting -accustomed to his presence, were not quite so troublesome. To beguile -the time he made inquiries regarding the route to Timbuktu and the -Haussa countries, and even got some of his tormentors to teach him the -letters of the Arabic alphabet. - -About the middle of April Ali proceeded north to bring back his chief -wife Fatima. During the chief’s absence, though Park was less molested -than usual, he was also less regularly supplied with his scanty -rations. For two successive days he received none at all, and had to -endure the pangs of hunger as best he might. This he found painful -enough at first, but soon discovered that temporary relief might be had -by swallowing copious and repeated draughts of water. - -Johnson--who meanwhile had been brought from Dina before he could leave -for the coast--and Demba, not having the spirit of their master to bear -them up in the midst of misfortune, sank into the deepest dejection, -remaining for the most part prostrate on the sands in a sort of torpid -slumber, from which they could scarcely be roused even when food -arrived. - -To the languor and debility brought on by semi-starvation was added -on Park’s part the affliction of sleeplessness; deep convulsive -respirations shook him from head to foot; semi-blindness seized him, -and with difficulty he fought a frequent tendency to faint. - -But the cup of his misery was not yet full. The King of Bambarra, -incensed at Ali’s refusal to join him against Daisy, King of Kaarta, -proclaimed war against him. This threw the country into confusion. -The camp at Benaun was at once broken up, and a retreat further north -commenced. On the first day a halt was made at a negro town called -Farreni. - -Again Park’s rations were forgotten. Next day, foreseeing similar -treatment, he proceeded himself to the head man of the town and begged -some food. This was not only granted, but promised to be continued as -long as he remained in the neighbourhood. - -On the 3rd of May Ali’s camp was reached, and found to be pitched in -the midst of a thick wood. Here Park was presented to Fatima. This lady -was singularly beautiful, according to the Ludamar Arab idea--that -is to say, she was remarkably corpulent. “A woman of even moderate -pretensions to appearance must be one who cannot walk without a slave -under each arm to support her, and a perfect beauty is a load for a -camel.” To attain this pinnacle of perfection, the girls are gorged by -their mothers with great quantities of kuskus and camel’s milk, which -must be taken no matter what the appetite may be. “I have seen a poor -girl sit crying with the bowl at her lips for more than an hour, and -her mother watching her all the while with a stick in her hand, and -using it without mercy whenever she observed that her daughter was not -swallowing.” - -At first Fatima affected to be shocked at Park’s appearance, but showed -that she had a woman’s heart by presenting him with a bowl of milk. -Later on she proved to be his best friend. - -The heat had now become insufferable. Everything vegetable was scorched -up, and the whole country presented a dreary expanse of sand dotted -over with a few stunted trees and thorny acacia bushes. Water was -almost unattainable, and night and day the wells were crowded with -cattle lowing and fighting with each other to get at the troughs. The -pangs of thirst rendered many of them furious and ungovernable, while -the weak, unable to contend for a place, endeavoured to quench their -thirst by licking up the liquid mud from the gutters--frequently with -fatal consequences. - -The suffering due to the scarcity of water extended to the people, and -to no one more than the white captive among them. If his boy Demba -attempted to get a supply of water, he was usually soundly thrashed -for his presumption. This treatment became so intolerable in the end -that Demba would rather have died than go near the wells. Park and his -attendants were in this way reduced to begging from the negro slaves, -but with indifferent success. Fatima, however, more than once relieved -their necessities. Nevertheless, time after time, Park “passed the -night in the situation of Tantalus. No sooner had I shut my eyes than -fancy would convey me to the streams and rivers of my native land; -then, as I wandered along the verdant brink, I surveyed the clear -stream with transport, and hastened to swallow the delightful draught; -but, alas! disappointment awakened me, and I found myself a lonely -captive perishing of thirst amidst the wilds of Africa!” - -One night, driven half wild by his tortures, he started off in search -of relief. At every well he found struggling herdsmen, and from one -and all he was driven away with outrageous abuse. At length at one he -found only an old man and two boys, from whom he was on the point of -receiving what he sought, when, discovering whom they were about to -supply, they dashed the water into the trough, and told him to drink -with the cattle. Too glad to get water in any way, “I thrust my head -between two of the cows, and drank with great pleasure, until the water -was nearly exhausted, and the cows began to contend with each other for -the last mouthful.” - -Signs that the wet season was approaching began to show themselves -towards the end of May in frequent changes of the wind, gathering -clouds, and distant lightning. At the same time Park’s fate was -approaching a crisis, and he began to revolve schemes of escape. His -hopes rose high when discovering that Ali was about to join some -rebellious Kaartans in attacking Daisy, through the intervention of -Fatima, he was permitted to accompany the expedition as far as Jarra. -Once in Kaarta, he hoped that means would be found to escape from his -barbarous captors. - -Fatima next conferred a further favour on him by returning part of -his clothes, of which he had been deprived since he fell into Ali’s -hands. Following these came his horse, now reduced, by hard work and -starvation feeding, to skin and bone, but still fit for work. - -On the 26th of May, Park set out with the Moors towards Jarra, -accompanied by Johnson and Demba. At night they camped at a -watering-place in the woods, but the accommodation being limited, Park -was compelled to sleep in the open in the centre of the huts, where he -could more easily be watched. - -In the morning they had to face unprotected all the violence of a -sandstorm, which raged with great fury the whole day. At times it was -impossible to look up. The cattle, maddened by the driving sand, ran -recklessly hither and thither, threatening to trample the prisoners to -death. - -Next day our traveller’s rising hopes received a serious check. While -preparing to depart a messenger arrived, who, seizing Demba, told him -that henceforth Ali was to be his master, and that he must return at -once to the camp they had left. With him were to go all his present -master’s effects, though “the old fool” Johnson might go on to Jarra. - -Park was completely overwhelmed at the idea of his faithful boy being -sent back to such a life of misery as would be his lot in the household -of Ali. Unable to say a word to the messenger, he ran straight to the -chief himself, and his indignation for once getting the better of him, -he upbraided him in passionate language for the new injustice he was -about to commit, compared to which all else was in his eyes as nothing. - -To this generous but unwise outburst Ali made no reply, beyond ordering -him, with haughty air and malignant smile, to mount his horse -immediately or be sent back likewise. Terrible was the struggle in -Park’s inmost soul to refrain from ridding the world of such a monster, -and giving vent to all the suppressed feelings of the last two months -in one passionate outburst. - -Happily he had not lost complete control over himself nor the ability -to comprehend his situation, and he retired from the tent a prey to a -hundred harassing emotions. - -“Poor Demba was not less affected than myself. He had formed a strong -attachment towards me, and had a cheerfulness of disposition which -often beguiled the tedious hours of captivity.” But part they must. “So -having shaken hands with the unfortunate boy, and blended my tears with -his, I saw him led off by three of Ali’s slaves towards the camp at -Bubaker.” - -On the 1st of June, Jarra was once more re-entered, and Park became -again the guest of the slatee. Everything else now became subordinate -for the time being to the one object of procuring the liberty of Demba. -Before this duty even his own escape became of secondary importance. -All his attempts were ineffectual, however. Ali could not be prevailed -upon to sell or return his new-made slave, though he never ceased to -hold out hopes that Demba might yet be let off for a consideration. - -On the 8th, Ali with his horsemen returned to camp to celebrate a -festival, Park, to his great joy, being left behind in the house of the -slatee. Once more he began to think of his own safety, seeing that now -it was proved beyond a doubt he could be of no use to Demba. - -Meanwhile troubles began to gather rapidly round Jarra. Ali, after -securing the price of his co-operation, treacherously left his allies -to their fate. Daisy with his army was rapidly approaching the town, -whose inhabitants could expect no mercy from their enraged king. -Finding themselves left to their own resources, the latter made such -preparation as was in their power to defend themselves, at the same -time sending away their women and children, with such corn and cattle -as they could take with them. Park prepared to depart along with these. -He saw clearly that if he continued where he was he would run the risk -of being involved in the general slaughter if Daisy were successful, -or if the reverse, that he would sooner or later fall a victim to the -Moors. And yet to go forward alone seemed terrible enough--for Johnson -flatly refused to proceed--without means of protection or goods to -purchase the necessaries of life, or an interpreter to make himself -understood in the Bambarra language. - -The one comparatively easy road was that to the coast, but “to return -to England without accomplishing the object of my mission was worse -than all.” - -The old spirit, never quite killed, was beginning to reassert itself, -with the enjoyment of a certain measure of free will and liberty. -Whatever was to be his fate, he should meet it, he determined, with his -face towards the Niger. - -On the night of the 26th, the women worked incessantly, preparing food -and packing articles that were not absolutely necessary for the flight. -Early in the morning they took the road for Bambarra. - -The exodus was affecting in the extreme--the women and children -weeping, the men sullen and dejected--all of them looking back with -regret to the spot where they had passed their lives, and shuddering -at the possible fate before them. Amid many heartrending scenes Park -mounted his horse, and taking a large bag of corn before him, set forth -with the flying multitude. - -In this fashion he travelled onward for two days, accompanied so far by -Johnson and the slatee. At Koiro a halt of two days had to be made to -recruit his half-starved animal--an unfortunate delay, since it gave -time for Ali’s chief slave and four Moors to arrive in quest of their -white prisoner. This new calamity had to be met with prompt action -if Park was not to face an indefinite period of miserable captivity. -At once he resolved to escape by flight--a “measure which I thought -offered the only chance of saving my life and gaining the object of my -mission.” - -Johnson was ready to applaud his master’s resolution, but flatly -refused to join him. - -The Moors, thinking the white man safe, did not trouble themselves -about him, and he was thus able to prepare a few articles to take with -him. Two suits of clothes and a pair of boots were all he possessed. -He had not now a single bead or other article of commercial value to -purchase food for himself. - -About daybreak the Moors were all asleep. Now was the time to make -good his opportunity. Liberty and possible success were in the balance -with renewed captivity and possible death. A cold sweat moistened his -forehead as the importance of the step he was about to take was brought -with twofold force to his consciousness. But to deliberate was to lose -the only chance of escape. He must make one more bold attempt to regain -liberty and reach the Niger. The thought was inspiration. He picked up -his bundle, stepped stealthily over the sleeping negroes, and reached -his horse. Johnson was bidden farewell, and once more begged to take -particular care of the papers entrusted to him, and to inform his -friends on the Gambia “that he had left me in good health, on my way to -Bambarra.” - -A few years before, Major Houghton had sent an almost identical message -to the same Gambian friends. - - - - -CHAPTER XI. - -_TO THE NIGER._ - - -Once outside the village, it behoved Park to be on the alert, and get -as quickly from the vicinity of the Moors as possible. With his horse -reduced to skin and bone speed was out of the question, while the -darkness and the nature of the country otherwise made progress slow. -And yet how much was staked on every dragging mile--every moment might -mean freedom or bondage, life or death to him. Half frantic at the -thought of recapture, he imagined an enemy behind each bush, in every -sound the tramp of pursuing horsemen. - -It looked as if his worst apprehensions were about to be realised when -unawares he stumbled upon a Moorish watering-place. Before he could -retreat he was discovered by the shepherds. Immediately there was a -howl of execration, and he was set upon with stones and curses, and -driven forth as if he had been a prowling beast of prey. - -Thankful to have escaped unhurt, Park, once rid of the fanatics, began -to be more hopeful. He was not to get away so easily, however. Suddenly -a shout rang behind bidding him halt. He hardly needed to look to know -the nature of the danger that threatened. Three Moors on horseback were -in full pursuit, ferociously brandishing their weapons, and screaming -out threats as they bore down on him. Escape was impossible--his jaded -steed was beyond all urging. With the dogged indifference of despair he -turned and rode back prepared for the worst. Unmoved he looked at the -upraised muskets of his pursuers--almost unheeding, so benumbed were -his faculties, he heard that they were sent to bring him back to Ali. -In reality, however, the Moors were robbers, and their object merely -plunder. - -On reaching a wood the wretches ordered their prisoner to untie his -bundle. Great was their disgust to find nothing worth taking but a -cloak. But to Park his cloak was the sole protection from the rains -by day and the mosquitoes by night, and in vain he followed the -robbers, trying to move their compassion, and earnestly begging them -to return the garment. For sole reply, one of the band, annoyed at -his persistence, presented a musket at him, while another struck his -horse a brutal blow over the head. There was no resisting these hints, -and once more possessed by the keen desire for life and liberty, Park -parleyed no longer, but turned and rode off. - -The moment he was out of sight he struck into the woods to avoid -similar encounters. As he passed on, the sense of security growing ever -stronger with the passing night, his sanguine temperament gradually -resumed its sway. He felt as one recovered from a dangerous illness--he -breathed freer, his limbs were as if released from cramping fetters, -while the Niger magnet drew him on irresistibly as ever. Life became -more desirable, earth and heaven more beautiful, and even the desert -lost half its terrors. Beggary and the miseries of the rainy season -grew less terrible to face with the growth of the hope that the -guerdon of success was yet to be won. - -But man cannot live on hope alone. However fair it might paint the -vision of the future, it could not stifle the present demands of -nature. Only too painfully Park awoke to the fact that starvation -stared him in the face. He was destitute, and could not buy; unarmed, -and therefore could not take; hunted, and therefore dared not beg. His -every step was beset with innumerable dangers. His one chance lay in -reaching a Bambarra village, where he would be among the negroes, and -safe at least from the Moors. - -To the pangs of hunger was speedily added the yet more painful agony -of thirst. The sun overhead beat down upon him from heavens of lurid -brilliancy. The scorching white sands, blinding to look upon, reflected -back the heat as from the mouth of a furnace. - -From the tree tops not a trace of human habitation was to be seen. -Alone patches of thick scrub and hillocks of barren sand met the -eye. In pushing on lay the only hope of escaping death. With his old -undaunted spirit Park elected to push on--to struggle while his legs -would carry him. - -Towards four in the afternoon he came suddenly upon the dreaded yet -welcome sight of a herd of goats. They were at once an indication of a -great danger, and of possible food and water. His joy was great when -after a cautious examination he discovered that the herd was tended -only by two boys. With difficulty he approached them. - -“Water! water!” he gasped. For answer the goatherds showed their empty -water-skins, telling him at the same time that no water was to be found -in the woods. Sick at heart and well-nigh exhausted, Park turned away -to resume his weary tramp and almost hopeless quest. - -Night was approaching, and already his limbs were failing him. His -thirst had become intolerable, and his mouth was parched and inflamed. -Sudden attacks of dimness at times came over his eyes, and more than -once he almost fainted. Each moment it became increasingly clear that -if he did not reach water before the dawn of another day he must -inevitably perish. To relieve the pains in his throat and mouth he -chewed the leaves of different shrubs, but only added to his agony. - -In the evening he reached a ridge, and climbing a tree, gazed eagerly -over the land--only a barren wilderness deserted by God and man -spread out before him. “The same dismal uniformity of shrub and -sand everywhere presented itself, and the horizon was as level and -uninterrupted as that of the sea.” - -The sun sank, and with it went the fugitive’s last hope. He was too -weak to walk, and his horse, as much exhausted as himself, could not -carry him. Even in his own extremity he had yet a kind thought for -his faithful dumb companion, and that it might the better shift for -itself he took off its bridle. Even as he did so a horrid sensation of -sickness and giddiness seized him, and he fell on the sand, believing -that his last hour had come. - -In one swift flash of thought he saw the end of his weary struggle, and -with it all his hopes of doing something worthy of remembrance. Then -the shadow of death gathered over him, and he sank back unconscious. - -But all was not yet over--for Park life had still somewhat in store -of work and gladness. With the lowering of the temperature and the -rising of the cool night breeze he awoke from his death-like swoon, -and, gathering himself together, he resolved to make one more attempt -to keep death at bay. With his old strength of will, though weak in -limb, he staggered forward into the darkness of night, which seemed -only too like the prospect before him. A few minutes more and a flash -of lightning illumined the surrounding landscape. To him that flash -was a promise of rain, and gave birth to a new hope that his agonies -from thirst would soon be at an end. Soon flash followed flash, more -and more dazzling, nearer and nearer. With a painful eagerness the -exhausted wanderer watched the coming storm. He had no further occasion -to struggle forward. He had but to sit still and wait. But what hopes -and fears the while! Would it rain or not? Would the storm break on -him, or career past on either side? Another hour and the answer came. -On his ear fell the welcome sound of trees bending before the blast. -His fevered face felt the first cool puffs of wind. A black column, -dimly discerned in the darkness, and laden with moisture, as he -thought, reared itself before him. It blotted out earth and sky, and -tore onward borne on the wings of the wind. He rose to meet and welcome -it. His parched mouth was opened to taste the heaven-sent rain. When, -oh, misery! he found himself enveloped in a suffocating sandstorm. -Stricken with unutterable disappointment, he sank to the ground behind -a sheltering bush. - -For above an hour the storm swept over him in choking whirlwinds. -When it ceased, Park with undaunted spirit resumed his way in the -darkness, though with ever intensifying thirst, ever lessening -strength--perilously near his last struggle. - -Again the lightning flashed across the sky. He hardly dared to hope, -yet, nevertheless, he turned his burning face and stretched his shaking -hands towards the advancing storm-clouds, that he might feel the first -refreshing drops. This time there was no mistake, and tearing off his -clothes, he spread them out to collect the heaven-sent rain, while all -naked to the storm, amid the blinding glare of tropic lightning and the -frightful crash of thunder, he sucked in the moisture by every pore of -his body. - -But he was only relieved of one series of pangs to be reminded that -others lay behind--the miseries of starvation had still to be faced. -There could be no rest, no sleep for him, till food as well as water -was obtained. Accordingly he resumed his way, directing his footsteps -by the compass, which the frequent flashes of lightning enabled him to -consult. Soon these welcome gleams ceased, and then he had to stumble -along as best he might. About two in the morning a light appeared. -Thinking it might proceed from a negro town, he groped about in the -darkness unsuccessfully trying to ascertain whether it was so or not, -from corn-stacks or other signs of cultivation. Other lights now became -visible, and he began to fear he had fallen upon a Moorish encampment. - -Soon his worst doubts became certainties, and rather than fall into -the hands of his late persecutors he elected to face death in the -wilderness. As stealthily as possible, however, he tried to discover -the water. In doing so a woman got a glimpse of him, and her scream -brought up two men, who passed quite close to where he had crouched -to hide himself. Clearly this was no place for him, and once more he -plunged into the sheltering woods. He had not proceeded far when the -loud croaking of frogs told him where to slake his thirst. - -This narrow escape inspired Park to renewed exertions. At daylight he -detected a pillar of smoke at a distance of twelve miles, and towards -it he painfully plodded. After five hours of extreme toil the village -from which the smoke arose was reached, and from a husbandman he heard -that it was a Fulah village belonging to Ali. This was unpleasant news. - -To enter might possibly mean return to captivity, yet possibly, too, he -might be allowed to go unmolested. Meanwhile the immediate certainty -was that he was dying of hunger, and that his position could hardly be -made worse. Determined, therefore, to take his chance of the result, -he rode into the village. On his applying at the head man’s house, the -door was slammed in his face, and his appeals for food were unheeded. -Dejectedly he turned his horse’s head, seeing nothing before him but -death in the woods. As he was leaving the village he remarked some mean -dwellings. Might he not make another trial. Hospitality he remembered -did not always prefer the dwellings of the rich. - -Prompted by the thought he advanced towards an old woman spinning -cotton in front of her hut. By signs he indicated that he wanted food, -leaving his haggard face and sunken eyes to tell the rest. Nor did he -appeal in vain. The hut was opened to him, and such food as its owner -could give was placed in his hands. The first pangs of hunger allayed, -Park’s next thought was for the four-footed sharer of his toils and -agonies, and for it too a speedy supply of corn was forthcoming. - -Meanwhile a dubious crowd gathered outside, and solemnly debated -what they should do with the stranger who had thus appeared among -them. Opinion was divided, however; and Park, seeing the danger of -his position, thought it better to leave, however footsore and weary -he might be. On seeing their unbidden guest prepare to depart, the -villagers came to the conclusion that their wisest course was to do -nothing. - -Once clear of the town, and the boys and girls who followed him for -some time, Park, who had not slept for more than two days and nights, -sought the shade of a sheltering tree, and laid himself down to rest. -Early in the afternoon he was awakened by two Fulahs, but without -entering into conversation with them he continued his journey towards -Bambarra and the Niger. It was not till midnight that finding a pool -of rain water he again halted. Sleep, however, of which he stood -terribly in need, was out of the question. The mosquitoes assailed him -in maddening myriads, while the howling of wild beasts added to the -terrors of his surroundings. - -After a miserable night, the day was hailed with relief and delight. -At midday another Fulah watering-place was reached, and here Park was -hospitably received by a shepherd, who gave him boiled corn and dates -for himself, and corn for his horse. Resuming his journey with fast -returning hope and vigour, the resolute traveller pushed on, determined -to journey all night. - -At eight in the evening he heard wayfarers approaching, and had to hide -himself in a thicket, and there hold his horse’s nose to prevent him -neighing. At midnight the joyful sound of frogs apprised him of the -neighbourhood of water. Having quenched his thirst, he sought out an -open space in the wood and lay down to sleep, happily unmolested till -near morning, when some wild beasts compelled him to look after the -safety of himself and his animal. Resuming his tramp, Park crossed the -frontiers of Bambarra, and felt for the first time for many weary weeks -in comparative safety and free from the horrid Moorish nightmare which -had so long haunted him. At Wawra he was hospitably received by the -chief of the village, and at last worn out with excessive fatigue and -starvation, but rejoicing in the sweet new sense of security, was able -to lay himself down and enjoy the luxury of a deep sound sleep. - -To Park everything now seemed hopeful and encouraging. He was destitute -and alone--a beggar in the heart of Africa; but now that he had safely -escaped from the deserts of the north, and from the clutches of their -fanatical and degraded Moorish inhabitants, his sanguine temperament -made small account of his personal troubles. It was sufficient to know -himself in a land of plenty, with villages at every mile, and among a -people of kindly nature. - -His hopes were not belied. Everywhere his reception was hospitable. -The villagers gave of their food and shelter; the wayfarers their -company, assistance, guidance, and protection. At most places he was -not recognised as being a white man, but from his strange and destitute -appearance was assumed to be a pilgrim from Mecca, and treated by the -Faithful with the consideration such an one deserved. And thus the days -passed on, ever bringing him nearer the goal of his hopes, ever adding -to his assurance that the great prize for which men and nations had -struggled for three centuries was to be his. - -On the night of the 20th July, Park took up his quarters at a small -village. Here he was told that he would see the Niger--or, as the -natives called it, the Joliba or Great Waters--on the morrow. - -The thought was intoxication, and between it and the myriad mosquitoes -that preyed upon his unprotected body, sleep was out of the question. -Before daylight he was up and doing, and had saddled his horse long ere -the gates of the village were opened. - -At length he got away. With eager eyes he looked towards the -south--towards what for many terrible months had been his Kiblah--his -Mecca. At last he was about to be rewarded for all the tortures of body -and mind he had so heroically endured, so resolutely faced. - -The road was crowded with natives hurrying towards the capital. Four -large villages were passed, and then in the distance loomed up the -smoke of Sego--Sego on the banks of the Niger! A little further and -the joyful cry, “See the water!” announced to Park that the Niger was -in sight. Ay, truly, there it was, sweeping along in a majestic stream -towards the east, and glittering in the bright rays of the morning sun. - -One long and ardent look, one sigh of supreme relief, and the pilgrim -of geography hastened to the brink, and after drinking of the water, -lifted up a fervent prayer to the Great Ruler of all things for having -thus crowned his endeavours with success. - - - - -CHAPTER XII. - -_DOWN THE NIGER TO SILLA._ - - -Thus was the River Niger for the first time reached by an European, -and its eastward course determined. Park had left England inclined if -anything to believe that it flowed west; but during his journey that -opinion had gradually been undermined, and now with his own eyes he saw -that its course was indeed towards the rising sun. There was no further -question as to where it took its rise: its termination was now the -great mystery which remained to be cleared up. - -Sego, the capital of Bambarra, at which the white traveller had -arrived, consisted of four distinct towns, two on the north bank of the -Niger, and two on the south. Each was independently surrounded by high -mud walls. Unlike the ordinary negro village, the houses were square -with flat roofs, and built of mud. Some of them were two stories in -height, and a few were whitewashed. - -Besides these evidences of Arab influence, there were mosques in -every quarter; and the whole town, with its thirty or forty thousand -inhabitants, presented an air of civilisation and magnificence which -Park was far from expecting. The river swarmed with large canoes, -constantly crossing and recrossing; the streets were crowded with a -busy population; and the whole surrounding country was in the highest -state of cultivation. - -Park speedily discovered that Mansong, king of Bambarra, lived on -the south side of the river, and he prepared at once to cross and -present himself at court. The crowded state of the ferry prevented him -carrying out his intention immediately, as he had to wait his turn. In -the interval the people gathered round him in silent wonder, full of -speculation as to what could have brought the white man so far from -the sea. With no small apprehension the weary traveller noticed among -the crowd a numerous sprinkling of Moors. In each of the race he saw -a malignant enemy who would stop at nothing to do him an ill turn, so -indelible was the impression produced on him during his residence with -Ali at Benaun. - -An opportunity for crossing at last offered itself. Just as he was -about to take advantage of it, a messenger arrived from the king to -intimate that he could not possibly see his intending visitor until -he knew what had brought him into the country. Meanwhile he was on no -account to presume to cross the river without Mansong’s permission, -and must lodge for the night at a distant village which the messenger -pointed out. - -This reception was eminently discouraging. But Park was inured to -disappointments, and happy in so far as he had at least seen and drunk -of the waters of the Niger, he could bear with more equanimity such -further reverses as might be in store for him. It required all his -philosophy to sustain him, however, when on reaching the village he -was refused admittance at every door. Every one looked upon him with -astonishment and fear as a being of unknown species, whose power of -physical or spiritual mischief was incalculable, and had better not be -tried by closer contact than could be helped. - -Thus shunned and boycotted as a human pariah, and not knowing where -to go to seek shelter, Park sat down under a tree, which at least -protected him from the overpowering glare of the sun. Hour after hour -passed, and still no one offered him food or lodging. The day drew to -a close. The wind rose, and clouds gathered threateningly in the sky. -Everything portended a night of storm. - -The sun fell, and still he sat unheeded. Darkness began to gather -round him with tropical swiftness, and he lost all hope of moving the -compassion of the natives by his forlorn and helpless condition. To -escape death from lions and hyenas, he prepared to ensconce himself -among the branches of the tree. Before doing so he proceeded to take -off the bridle and saddle from his horse, that it might have greater -freedom and ease in grazing. While thus engaged a woman returning from -her work in the fields passed him. It required no words to tell her the -stranger’s plight. His dress and face spoke eloquently of weariness, -destitution, hunger, and dejection. The negress stopped to ask his -story. A few words told all that was necessary to move her woman’s -heart, and without further questioning she picked up his saddle and -bridle and bade him follow her to her hut. There she lighted a lamp and -spread out a mat for her guest. - -In a short time a fine fish was broiling on the embers of the fire, -while the various members of the family sat looking at the stranger in -gaping wonder. A few minutes more and Park had satisfied his hunger and -disposed himself to sleep. The women resumed their work of spinning -wool, and while they worked they sang. To sweet and plaintive melody -they wedded kindliest words, and their guest was the burden of their -song:-- - - “The winds roared and the rains fell, - The poor white man sat under our tree; - He has no mother to bring him milk, - No wife to grind his corn.” - -And oft recurring came the chorus-- - - “Let us pity the white man, - No mother has he.”[5] - -Such, literally translated, were the words of the improvised song, and -listening to them, sleep was driven from Park’s eyes, as he turned -and tossed a prey to the liveliest emotions of gratitude. Far into the -night the women worked, and spinning ever sang-- - - “Let us pity the white man; - No mother has he;” - -while outside the tornado spent its violence in blinding flashes and -deafening peals of thunder, in raging blasts of wind and drenching -showers of rain. - -In the morning, as a token of gratitude, Park presented his kindly -hostess with two of the four brass buttons remaining on his waistcoat, -the sole articles he possessed having any value in native eyes. - -During the day numerous rumours of the inimical machinations of the -Moors came to Park’s ears, but nothing definite concerning Mansong’s -decision as to his fate. - -On the following morning, the 22nd, a messenger arrived to inquire what -present the white man had brought to the king. - -On the 23rd another messenger arrived, bearing the king’s refusal to -give Park an audience. It was accompanied by a present of five thousand -cowries--the currency of the Sudan Basin--to enable him to purchase -provisions, while indicating that his presence at Sego was undesirable, -though he was at liberty to proceed farther down the Niger, or to -return to the Gambia, as he pleased. - -In Mansong’s refusal to see him, Park could only see the “blind and -inveterate malice of the Moorish inhabitants,” though he could not -but admit that the manner of his appearance among the people of Sego, -and the to them incredible explanation of the object of his journey, -warranted suspicion. To see the Joliba! Absurd! Were there then -no rivers in the white man’s own country that he should face such -hardships and dangers to see ours? There must be something else behind. -Send him away, but being destitute, let us supply his wants, so that -the stigma of his death lie not at our doors. Such, it may be presumed, -was Mansong’s mode of reasoning, and such naturally the conclusion he -arrived at. - -Park was now called upon to make up his mind as to his future course. -Would he go on or turn back? Surely he might return with all honour now -that he had reached the Niger itself. Destitute as he was, what could -he do? And yet it was hard to have to retrace his steps with such a -glorious work before him. No, onward at least some distance he must go, -to see and learn something more of the river’s course and termination, -perchance even to reach Timbuktu. - -Park did not reach this conclusion without some misgiving, for he heard -vague reports that the farther east he proceeded the more numerous -became the Arab tribes, and that Timbuktu itself was in the hands of -“that savage and merciless people.” Whatever his horror of the Moors -might be, however, he could not let his plans be stopped by “such vague -and uncertain information, and determined to proceed.” - -[Illustration: BAMBARRA WOMEN POUNDING CORN.] - -Thus dauntlessly did our hero gather his rags about him, and with his -bag of cowries proceed on the 24th on the exploration of the Niger -River. On the first day he passed through a highly cultivated country, -resembling the park scenery of England. The people were everywhere -collecting the fruit of the Shea tree, from which the vegetable butter -so named is produced. Park found the Shea butter whiter and firmer, -and to his palate of a richer flavour, than the best butter he ever -tasted made from cow’s milk--a strange statement certainly, since to -the palates of degenerate travellers and traders of the present day its -taste is abominable. Even among the natives it is only used by the very -poorest for cooking purposes, being considered infinitely inferior to -palm oil. - -In the evening Park reached Sansanding, a town of some two thousand -inhabitants, largely resorted to by Moors from Biru engaged in -exchanging salt and the commodities of the north for cotton cloth and -gold dust. To slip as quietly into the town as possible, Park passed -along the riverside, and by the natives was everywhere taken to be -a Moor. At length a real Moor discovered the mistake, and by his -exclamations brought a crowd of his countrymen about the stranger. - -Amid the shouting and gesticulating mob Park contrived to reach the -house of Counti Mamadi, the Duté of the place. The Moors, with their -customary arrogance and assumption of superiority, pushed aside the -negroes, and began to ask questions concerning Park’s religion. Finding -that he understood Arabic, they brought two men whom they called Jews, -and who in dress and appearance resembled the Arabs, and were said -to conform so far to Islam as to recite in public prayers from the -Koran. The Moors insisted that the stranger should do the same as the -Jews. He tried to put off the subject by declaring that he could not -speak Arabic, when a sherif from Tawat started up and swore by the -Prophet that if the Christian refused to go to the mosque, and there -acknowledge the One God and His Prophet, he would have him carried -thither. - -Willing hands were ready to carry out this determination, but happily -the Duté interfered, and declared the white stranger should not be ill -treated while under his protection. This stopped immediate violence, -but did not end the persecution. The crowd continued to swell, and grew -ever more ungovernable. The clamour and excitement intensified every -minute. Every coign of vantage was covered with multitudes eager to see -the newcomer. That every one might be gratified he was compelled to -ascend a high seat near the door of the mosque, where he had to remain -till sunset, when he was permitted to descend and seek refuge in a -neat little hut having a court in front of it. Even here, however, he -found neither peace nor quiet. The Moors, though in the country only -as traders, seemed to be allowed to do very much as they liked. They -climbed over the court walls and invaded Park’s privacy, desirous, as -they said, of seeing him at his evening devotions, and also eating -eggs. The latter operation Park was by no means loth to accomplish, -though the intruders were disappointed on discovering that he only ate -them cooked. - -It was not until after midnight that the Arabs left the traveller -alone. His host then asked him for a charm in writing, which was at -once supplied in the form of the Lord’s Prayer. - -From Sansanding, Park proceeded to Sibila, and thence to Nyara, where -he stayed on the 27th to wash his clothes and rest his horse. - -At Nyami, a town inhabited chiefly by Fulahs, the head man refused to -see Park, and sent his son to guide him to Madibu. - -Between the two villages the travellers had to proceed with very -great caution, as the district was notorious for its dangers from -wild beasts. A giraffe was seen, and shortly afterwards, in crossing -a broad open plain with scattered bushes, the guide who was ahead -suddenly espied traces of a lion in the path, and called loudly to -Park to ride off. His horse, however, was too exhausted for flight, -and he continued to ride slowly on. He was just beginning to think -that it had been a false alarm, when a cry from the guide made him -look up in renewed trepidation. There was the lion lying near a bush, -with his head couched between his fore-paws. To fly was impossible. -Instinctively Park drew his feet from his stirrups, to be ready to -slip off and leave the horse to bear the first onslaught if the lion -should spring. With eyes riveted on the enemy he slowly advanced, -expecting each moment that the lion would be upon him. The brute did -not move, however, having probably just dined, and being in a peaceful -mood in consequence. All the same Park was so held by a sort of wild -fascination that he found it impossible to remove his gaze until he was -a considerable distance out of danger. - -To avoid any more such perils, Park took a circuitous route through -some swampy ground, and at sunset safely entered Madibu. This village -was perched on the banks of the Niger, of whose majestic stream it -commanded a splendid view for many miles--a view further varied by -several small green islands occupied by Fulah herds. - -Here life was rendered almost unendurable by mosquitoes, which rose -in such myriads from the swamps and creeks as to harass even the -most thick-skinned and torpid of the natives. The nights were one -continuous maddening torture, Park’s rags affording him no protection -from their attacks. Unable to sleep, he had to keep ceaselessly -walking backwards and forwards, fanning himself with his hat to drive -off his pertinacious tormentors. Nevertheless, by morning, his legs, -arms, neck, and face were covered with blisters. No wonder, under such -circumstances, that he grew feverish and uneasy, and threatened to -become seriously ill. Perceiving this, the Duté of Madibu hurried him -off, lest he should die on his hands. - -Park’s horse was as little able to carry him as he to walk. They had -not struggled on many miles before the poor animal slipped and fell, -and do what Park might, was not to be got up again. In vain he waited -in the hope that after a rest the horse might come round. In the end -there was nothing for it but to take off saddle and bridle, place a -quantity of grass before him, and then leave him to his fate. At the -sight of the poor brute lying panting on the ground his owner could not -suppress a foreboding that he likewise before long would lie down and -perish of hunger and fatigue. Oppressed with melancholy, many fears, -and only too numerous physical ills, he staggered on till noon, when he -reached the small fishing village of Kea. - -The head man was sitting at the gate as he entered, and to him he told -his story of destitution and sickness. But he spoke to one of surly -countenance and crabbed heart, and his sole reply to the half dead -stranger was to bid him begone from his door. - -The guide remonstrated, and Park entreated, but all to no purpose. The -Duté was inflexible. - -At this juncture a fishing canoe arrived on its way to Silla, -whereupon, to put an end to further parley, the Duté desired the owner -to convey the stranger to that place. This, after some hesitation, the -fisherman consented to do. Before setting forth Park asked his guide -to see to his horse on the way back, and take care of him if he was -still alive. - -In the evening he reached Silla. Hoping that some one would take -compassion on him, he seated himself beneath a tree, but though -surrounded by wondering hundreds, no one offered him hospitality. Rain -beginning to come on, the Duté was at length prevailed upon by Park’s -entreaties to let him sleep in one of his huts. The hut was damp, and -a sharp attack of fever was the result. Let the traveller describe his -situation at this juncture in his own words. - -“Worn down by sickness, exhausted with hunger and fatigue, half naked, -and without any article of value by which I might get provisions, -clothes, or lodging, I began to reflect seriously on my situation. - -“I was now convinced by painful experience that the obstacles to my -further progress were insurmountable. The tropical rains were already -set in with all their violence, the rice grounds and swamps were -everywhere overflowed, and in a few days more travelling of every kind, -unless by water, would be completely obstructed. The cowries which -remained of the King of Bambarra’s present were not sufficient to -enable me to hire a canoe for any great distance, and I had but little -hopes of subsisting by charity in a country where the Moors have such -influence. - -“But above all, I perceived that I was advancing more and more within -the power of those merciless fanatics, and from my reception both at -Sego and Sansanding I was apprehensive that in attempting to reach even -Jenné (unless under the protection of some man of consequence amongst -them, which I had no means of obtaining), I should sacrifice my life -to no purpose, for my discoveries would perish with me. - -“With this conviction on my mind, I hope my readers will acknowledge -that I did right in going no farther. I had made every effort to -execute my mission in its fullest extent which prudence could justify. -Had there been the most distant prospect of a successful termination, -neither the unavoidable hardships of the journey, nor the danger of -a second captivity, should have forced me to desist. This, however, -necessity compelled me to do; and whatever may be the opinion of my -general readers on this point, it affords me inexpressible satisfaction -that my honourable employers have been pleased since my return to -express their full approbation of my conduct.” - -And who will not cordially coincide in their verdict? Never had a -mission been more determinedly carried out, nor such inexhaustible -patience and endurance shown in the face of every conceivable hardship, -indignity, and danger--all of which were counted by the sufferer as -naught compared with the inexpressible pleasure of achieving something -of the task he had been despatched to accomplish. - -When he thus made up his mind to return to the coast, Park had followed -the Niger a distance of over eighty miles from Sego, finding that it -still maintained its easterly course. In addition, he gathered from -various traders the fact that it continued in the same direction for -four days’ journey more, when it expanded into a lake of considerable -size, named Dibbie, or “The Dark Lake.” - -From Dibbie (Debo) the Niger was said to divide into two branches, -enclosing a large tract of land called Jinbala, and uniting again -after a north-easterly course near Kabra, the “port” of Timbuktu. From -Jenné to the latter place the distance by land was twelve days’ journey. - -From Kabra, Park does not seem certain--at least he does not make it -clear--what course the Niger took, though he correctly enough states -that at the distance of eleven days’ journey it passes to the south -of Haussa (probably what is now known as Birni-n-Kebbi, a large town -in Gandu, one of the Haussa States). Beyond this nothing further was -known. It seems evident, however, that Park confounded the course of -the Niger with that of its great eastern tributary the Benué, as had -most of the geographers before him; and so was led astray from seeking -for its natural termination in the Atlantic. - - - - -CHAPTER XIII. - -_THE RETURN THROUGH BAMBARRA._ - - -Park’s resolution to return to the coast was taken on the 29th July -1796. His hope of accomplishing this purpose in safety seemed almost -as desperate as the task of going forward. Before him lay a journey -on foot of eleven hundred miles in a straight line, to which must be -added an additional five hundred for deviations and the windings of the -road. He had thus before him nineteen hundred miles on foot through a -barbarous country, where the stranger was considered fair prey, and -the laws afforded him no protection from violence. He was without the -wherewithal to buy food, and had only rags to shield him from the -violence of the weather and the maddening onslaughts of mosquitoes. In -addition he had to face all the horrors of the tropic winter, tornadoes -of wind, rain, and thunder overhead, swamps and mire under foot, and -flooded streams barring the way at every turn. The hardships were -sufficient to have killed any man of less indomitable spirit and weaker -frame. Even Park would probably have succumbed, but that he could not -die while his discoveries remained uncommunicated to his employers and -the public. Till then his work was only half done. With his death it -would be wholly undone--all his toil and suffering in vain. To reach -the coast was therefore now a point of as much importance as formerly -it had been to see the Niger. - -His mind once made up, Park acted with promptitude and resolution. - -He arrived at Silla on the 29th July. The night sufficed to determine -his course, and morning saw the commencement of his return journey. -It behoved him indeed to waste no time. A few days more and the -country would be impassable by land on account of the flooded rivers. -Already it was so on the southern side of the Niger--a fact Park much -regretted, as he had hoped to return by that way. - -Crossing to Murzan by one canoe, he was there enabled to hire another -to Kea. Here he was permitted to sleep in the hut of one of the -head man’s slaves, who, seeing him sick and destitute of clothes, -compassionately covered him with a large cloth. - -Next day, in proceeding to Madibu with the head man’s brother, he had -an opportunity of seeing a peculiar instance of the native respect for -private property under some circumstances. A large pile of earthenware -jars were lying on the bank of the river. They had been found there two -years before, and as no one had ever claimed them, they were believed -to belong to some supernatural power. People passing invariably threw -a handful of grass upon them, which Park thinks was to protect them -from the rain, but more likely was meant as a propitiatory gift to the -spirit--the practice being common over all Central Africa. - -Some time after passing the jars the fresh footprints of a lion were -discovered. The travellers had accordingly to proceed with very great -caution. Nearing a thick wood where the dangerous brute was supposed -to have its lair, the guide insisted that Park should lead the way. -Unarmed as he was, the latter naturally objected, and urged further -that he did not know the road. High words followed, which ended in the -desertion of the negro. - -There was nothing for it now but to proceed alone, lion or no lion. -With no small trepidation Park passed between the wood and the river, -expecting every moment to be attacked. Happily he was left to pursue -his way unmolested, and reached Madibu late in the afternoon. Here he -was joined by the deserter. While in the act of remonstrating with him -for his recent conduct, a horse commenced to neigh in a neighbouring -hut. With a smile the head man asked Park if he knew who was speaking -to him, and showed him the horse, which turned out to be no other than -the traveller’s own, very much improved by its rest. - -Next day Park re-entered Nyami, and there was practically imprisoned -by three days’ continuous rain, the after results of which he had the -most serious reasons to fear. Nor were his apprehensions belied. When -he left Nyami the country was deluged, the fields knee deep in water -for miles together, and the pathways undiscoverable. Where not actually -submerged the land was one great quagmire, in which Park’s horse stuck -more than once, and had almost to be abandoned. - -Next day the rain fell in torrents, detaining him again, and making -travelling almost impossible. With difficulty he plunged and floundered -a few miles through a swamp breast deep in water, and managed at length -to reach a small Fulah village. - -With tracks obliterated and the country thus flooded, it now became -imperative that he should not travel alone. No guide, however, was to -be found to show him the way and assist him at difficult places. - -For some distance he accompanied a Moor and his wife who were -proceeding to Sego with salt. They rode on bullocks, and proved to be -as helpless as himself. At one place one of the bullocks suddenly fell -into a hole in a morass, and sent both salt and wife into the water. - -At sunset he reached Sibity, where an inhospitable reception awaited -him. A damp old hut was all he could get in which to pass the night. -Each moment he expected to see the rotten clay roof fall in--a common -occurrence at the commencement of the rainy season. On all sides he -heard the sound of similar catastrophes, and in the morning counted the -wreck of fourteen dwellings. - -Throughout the following day it continued to rain violently, making -travelling out of the question. - -On the 11th August, the head man compelled Park to move on. A new -danger, it appeared, had fallen on his trouble-strewn way. It had got -abroad that he was a spy, and not in favour with the king--a report -sufficient to close each head man’s door against him, and extinguish -every hospitable feeling in the naturally kindly heart of the negro. He -was now an object not merely to be treated with passive indifference, -but actively shunned as a possible danger to whomsoever should have -dealings with him. - -With no small foreboding he re-entered Sansanding. Counti Mamadi, who -formerly had protected him from the Moors, would now have nothing to -do with him, and desired him to depart early in the morning. That the -head man in thus acting did violence to his own natural kindliness was -sufficiently shown by his coming privately to Park during the night and -warning him of the dangerous situation he was in. Especially he advised -him to avoid going near Sego. - -This unpleasantly altered state of matters was further illustrated -when arriving next day at Kabba, he was met outside the town by a -party of negroes, who seized his horse’s bridle, and in spite of his -remonstrances, conducted him round the walls, and ordered him to -continue his way lest worse should befall him. A few miles further -on he reached a small village, but found no better reception. On his -attempting to enter, the head man seized a stick and threatened to -knock him down if he moved another step. There was nothing for it but -to proceed to another village, where happily some women were moved to -compassion by his destitute appearance, and contrived to get him a -night’s lodging. - -On the 13th, he reached a small village close to Sego, where he -endeavoured in vain to procure some provisions. He heard, moreover, -that there were orders out to apprehend him, and it was clear that it -would be highly dangerous for him to remain an hour where he was. He -accordingly pushed on through high grassy and swampy ground till noon, -when he stopped to consider what route he should now pursue. All seemed -alike bad, but everything considered, he elected to proceed westward -along the Niger, and ascertain if possible how far it was navigable in -that direction. - -For the next three days his journey was unattended with any worse -hardship than having to live upon raw corn, lodging for the night -having been obtained without much difficulty. It was different, -however, on the evening of the 15th, when, on his arrival at the -small village of Song, he was refused admittance within the gates. -The numerous footprints which he had seen while on the march had made -it abundantly clear that the country was infested with lions. The -prospect of spending the night in the open without means of defence -was therefore anything but pleasant; but it had to be faced. Hungry -and weary himself, he could still think of his horse, and he set about -gathering grass for him. With nightfall, no one having offered him food -or shelter, he lay down under a tree close to the gate, but dared not -allow himself to sleep. With leaden shoon the minutes passed. Every -sound was a note of danger, and in a state of painful alertness the -outcast wanderer peered into the blackness of night, ever expecting to -see a creeping form, or the glitter of two fierce eyes. - -At length, some time before midnight, a hollow roar suddenly resounded -through the wood, apparently coming from no great distance. In the -darkness he could see nothing, strain as he might. To sit thus -defenceless awaiting his doom, yet not knowing when or whence it would -come, was intolerable, and driven frantic at last by the horror of his -situation, he rushed to the gate, and madly tugged at it with all the -energy of one who struggles for dear life. In vain, his utmost efforts -were as little able to move it as were his urgent appeals to touch the -hearts of the natives. - -Meanwhile the lion was all unseen prowling round the village, ever -lessening its circle and drawing nearer its prey. At last a rustle -among the grass warned Park of its whereabouts and dangerous proximity. -A moment more and he would be in its fatal clutches. His sole chance -now lay in reaching a neighbouring tree. With a rush he gained and -climbed it, and then feeling comparatively safe among the sheltering -branches, he prepared to pass the night there. A little later, however, -the head man opened the gate and invited the stranger to come within -the walls, as he was now satisfied that he was not a Moor, none of whom -ever waited any time outside a village without cursing it and all it -contained. - -From Song the country began to rise into hills, and the summits of high -mountains could be seen ahead. Even here, however, travelling continued -to be a matter of toil and danger, all the hollows through which the -road ran being transformed into nasty swamps. At one point Park and his -horse fell headlong into an unseen pit, and were almost drowned before, -covered with mud, they succeeded in emerging. One of the worst features -of such occurrences was the danger he incurred of losing his notes, or -finding them rendered useless--a misfortune which would have gone far -to bring the results of his toil to naught. - -After the above mishap, Park rode through Yamina, a half-ruined town -covering as much space as Sansanding. Many Moors were sitting about, -and everybody watched him passing with astonishment. - -Next day the road quitted the Niger plain and skirted the side of a -hill. From this higher elevation the whole country had the aspect of an -extensive lake. - -His next journey brought him to the Frina, a deep and rapid tributary -of the Niger. He was preparing to swim across when he was stopped by -a native, who warned him that both he and his horse would be devoured -by crocodiles. On his hastily withdrawing from the water, the man, who -had never seen a European before, and now saw one minus his clothes, -put his hand to his mouth, as is the fashion among most negroes -of expressing astonishment, and uttered a smothered, awe-stricken -exclamation. He did not run away, however, and by his assistance the -proper ferry was found, and Park safely landed on the opposite bank. - -In the evening the traveller arrived at Taffara, where he met with a -most inhospitable reception. This was partly due to the fact that a -new head man was being elected. No one would take him in, and he was -compelled to sit under the palaver tree supperless, and exposed to all -the rude violence of a tornado. At midnight the negro who had shown -Park the way--himself a stranger to the village--shared his supper with -him. - -On the following march Park was glad to appease his hunger with the -husks of corn. At a village further on he found the head man of the -place in a bad temper over the death of a slave boy, whose burial he -was superintending. The process was sufficiently summary. A hole having -been dug in the field, the corpse of the boy was dragged out by a leg -and an arm and thrown with savage indifference into the grave. As there -seemed to be no chance of procuring food, Park rode on to a place -called Kulikorro, where his reception was more kindly. Here he found -he could relieve his wants by writing saphias or charms for the simple -natives. The charm being written on a board, the ink was then washed -off and swallowed, so as to secure the full virtue of the writing. The -practice is taken from the more ignorant of the Arabs, who think that -by drinking the ink used in writing the name of Allah or prayers from -the Koran they will derive a spiritual or material good. - -Thanks to the demand for charms of this nature, Park was enabled to -enjoy the first good meal and night’s rest he had known for many days. - -On the second day from Kulikorro he was directed on the wrong road, -whereby he was brought late in the afternoon to a deep creek, which -there was nothing for it but to swim, spite of the danger of being -seized by crocodiles. This he did, holding the bridle of his horse in -his teeth, and carrying his precious notes in the crown of his hat. -An obstacle of this kind, however, was but a small matter to Park, -who between rain and dew was now rarely dry, while the mud with which -he was only too frequently bespattered made a swim both pleasant and -necessary. - -On this day’s march the Niger was remarked to be flowing between rocky -banks with great rapidity and noise, so that a European boat would have -had some difficulty in crossing the stream. - -Bammaku was reached in the evening of the 23rd August, and proved to -be a disappointment in the matter of size, though its inhabitants -were remarkably well off on account of its being a resting-place for -the Arab salt merchants. The Moors here were unusually civil to the -traveller, and sent him some rice and milk. - -The information Park obtained at Bammaku as to his further route was -anything but encouraging. The road was declared to be impassable. -Moreover, the path crossed the Joliba at a point half a day’s journey -west of Bammaku, where no canoes were to be had large enough to carry -his horse. With no money to support him, it was useless to think of -remaining at Bammaku for some months. He therefore made up his mind to -go on, and if his horse could not be got across the river, to abandon -it and swim across alone. - -[Illustration: BAMMAKU.] - -In the morning, however, he heard from his landlord of another and more -northerly road, by way of a place called Sibidulu, where he might be -enabled to continue his journey through Manding. An itinerant musician, -going in the same direction, agreed to act as guide. - -At first Park was conducted up a rocky glen, but had not gone many -miles when his companion discovered that he had taken the wrong road, -the right one being on the other side of the hill. Not seeing it to be -his duty to repair his blunder as far as possible, the guide threw his -drum over his shoulder and continued his way over the rocks, whither -Park could not follow him on horseback, but had to return to the plain -and find his way himself. - -Happily he succeeded in striking a horse track, which proved to be the -right road; and soon he had reached the summit of the hill, where an -extensive landscape spread out before him. The plain at his feet was -half submerged under the Niger waters, which at one place spread out -like a lake, at another were gathered into a curving river, while far -to the south-east, in the hazy sheen of distance, the summits of the -Kong Mountains could be dimly descried. - -Towards sunset the road descended into a delightful valley, leading to -a romantically situated village named Kuma. Here Park for once met with -a pleasant welcome. Corn and milk in abundance were placed ready for -himself, and abundance of grass for his horse. A fire even was kindled -in the hut set apart for him, while outside the natives crowded round -him in naïve wonderment, asking him a thousand questions. - -Fain would Park have lingered in this village to rest and recruit, -but an eager longing possessed him to push on, lest the loss of a day -should prove fatal to his further progress. Two shepherds proceeding -in the same direction as himself agreed to accompany him. In some -respects the road proved to be more difficult and dangerous than -anything he had previously passed. At places the ascent was so sharp, -and the declivities so great, that a single false step would have -caused his horse to be dashed to pieces at the bottom of the precipices. - -Finding that they were able to travel faster than their white -companion, the shepherds after a time pushed on by themselves. Shortly -afterwards, shouts and screams of distress apprised Park that something -had gone wrong ahead. Riding slowly towards the place whence the alarm -had seemed to proceed, and seeing no one, he began to call aloud, but -without receiving any answer. By-and-by, however, he discovered one -of the shepherds lying among the long grass near the road. At first -his conclusion was that the man was dead, but on getting nearer him he -found that he was still alive, and was told in a whisper that the other -had been seized by a party of armed men. - -On looking round, Park was alarmed to discover that he was himself in -imminent danger. A party of six or seven men armed with muskets were -watching him. Escape being impossible, he considered it his best course -to ride towards them. As he approached he assumed an air of unconcern, -and pretending to take them for elephant hunters, he asked if they had -shot anything. For answer one of the party ordered him to dismount; -then, as if thinking better of it, signed to him to go on. Nothing -loth, Park rode forward, glad to be relieved from the fear of further -ill-treatment. - -His relief, however, was of short duration. A loud hullo brought him -suddenly to a standstill. Looking round, he saw the robbers--for such -they were--running towards him. Park stopped to await their coming. -He was then told that they had been sent by the King of Fulahdu to -bring him and all that belonged to him to his capital. Park, to avoid -ill-treatment, unhesitatingly agreed to follow them, and in silence -the party travelled across country for some time. A dark wood was at -last reached. “This place will do,” said one of the party, and almost -simultaneously the unfortunate traveller was set upon, and his hat -torn from his head. To lose his hat was like losing his life, for -it contained all that made life dear to him for the time being. He -betrayed no sign of trouble, however, but simply declared that he would -go no further unless his hat was returned. - -For answer one of the band drew a knife, and cut the last metal button -from Park’s waistcoat. The others then proceeded to search his pockets, -which he permitted them to do without resistance. Finding little to -satisfy their rapacity, they stripped him naked. His very boots, though -so sadly dilapidated as to need a part of his bridle-rein to keep the -soles on, were minutely examined. Yet even at this lowest depth of -ignominy his paramount thought was his work. He could endure the loss -of the last shred of clothing, but to be deprived of his notes and -his compass was insupportable. Seeing the latter lying on the ground, -he begged to have it returned to him. In a passion one of the robbers -picked up his musket and cocked it, declaring that he would shoot him -dead on the spot. - -Humanity, however, was not quite suppressed in the hearts of these -scoundrels, for after a moment’s deliberation they returned him a -shirt and a pair of trousers. As they were about to depart the one -who had taken his hat jeeringly tossed it back to him. Never with -more eagerness and delight did despairing mother gather to her bosom -a long lost child, than did Park to his the battered remnant of a hat -which contained his precious store of notes. With them there was still -something worth struggling for, hopeless as his case might seem. - -Never surely was man more tried. At every step he had met with new -calamities, new obstacles, miseries, and dangers. Man and nature were -alike in conspiracy against him. And now he had to add to his previous -destitution semi-nakedness, and the loss of his horse. With hundreds -of miles still before him, how could he hope to run the gauntlet of -the fresh difficulties and dangers he would undoubtedly have to face? -Yet even as he conjured up before his mind the perils ahead from wild -beasts and evilly disposed men, from swamp and flood, from wind and -rain, he began to take comfort as he recalled to mind his numerous -past escapes, which were to him as proofs positive of a protecting -Providence which never yet had failed him in his hour of need. - -As his thoughts took a more hopeful turn, and his sanguine temperament -and rooted faith in a God who overruled all things reasserted their -influence, Park’s gaze fell upon a tuft of moss. Irresistibly his mind -was diverted from the horrors of his position to the beauty of the -lowly plant before him. As he examined with admiration its delicate -conformation, the thought occurred to him, “Can that Being who planted, -watered, and brought to perfection in this obscure part of the world a -thing which appears of so small importance, look with unconcern upon -the situation and sufferings of creatures formed after His own image? -Surely not!” - -The next moment the old spirit came back to him. Not yet would he -succumb. While there was life in him he would struggle, and while -he could struggle there was hope. Starting up, he pushed forward -once more, assured in his mind that relief was at hand. Nor was he -disappointed. Near a small village he found the two shepherds, in whose -company he once more proceeded, till at sunset they entered Sibidulu, -his destination for the time being. - - - - -CHAPTER XIV. - -_REST AT KAMALIA._ - - -Park had now entered the country of Manding. Sibidulu, from its -position in a small valley surrounded by high rocky hills impassable to -horsemen, had had the singular good fortune to escape being plundered -during the numerous wars from time to time waging around it. To this -happy immunity may possibly be ascribed the reception accorded to Park -in his hour of need. As he entered the town the people gathered round -and accompanied him in a pitying crowd to the head man of the village -in order to hear his story. - -While he related the circumstances of his ill treatment the native -official listened with becoming gravity, and smoked his pipe the while. -The narrative finished, the latter drew up the sleeve of his cloak with -an indignant air, and laying aside his pipe, told the white man to sit -down. “You shall have everything returned to you. I have sworn it!” - -Turning to an attendant, he ordered him to bring the stranger a drink -of water, and then proceed over the hills at dawn of day to inform the -chief of Bammaku that the King of Bambarra’s stranger had been robbed -by the people of the King of Fulahdu. - -The head man did not confine himself to words or to water. A hut was -given to Park, and food to eat, though the crowd which gathered round -to commiserate the white man’s misfortunes could with comfort have been -dispensed with. - -The generosity of his reception was all the more admirable that at -the time the people were suffering from semi-famine. Under these -circumstances, after having waited two days in vain for the return of -his horse and clothes, Park, afraid of becoming a burden to his kind -host, asked permission to proceed to the next village. The head man -showed no anxiety to hasten his guest’s departure, but in the end told -him to go to Wonda, and remain there till news was received of his -missing possessions. - -Accordingly on the 30th, he proceeded to the place indicated, a small -town with a mosque, where his reception by the Mansa or chief was as -hospitable as at Sibidulu. - -The attacks of fever which had finally compelled Park to turn back at -Silla now began to return with greater violence and frequency, and -little wonder either that it should be so. His solitary shirt, worn to -the thinness of muslin, afforded him neither protection from the sun by -day nor from the dews and mosquitoes by night. As, also, it had become -unpleasantly dirty, at Wonda he set about washing it, and had to sit -naked in the shade till it dried. The result was a violent attack of -fever which prostrated him for nine days. - -All the while he had to do his best to conceal his illness, lest his -host should find him too great a nuisance, and order him to move on. To -this end he tried, like sick or wounded animals, to hide himself away -out of sight, usually spending the whole day lying in the corn-field, -thus undoubtedly aggravating his malady. - -At this time the scarcity of food was so great that women brought -their children to the head man to sell for forty days’ provisions for -themselves and the rest of their families. - -At last messengers arrived from Sibidulu, bringing Park’s horse and -clothes. To his profound dismay and disappointment the compass--which -next to his notes was his most valuable possession--was broken and -useless. The loss was irreparable. - -The horse proving to be a mere skeleton, he was handed over as a -present to his kind landlord. - -Though still ill with fever, and hardly able to totter along, the -traveller now resumed his weary way. - -On the two succeeding days starvation added to his weakness. On the -third a negro trader gave him some food, and afterwards conducted him -to his house at Kinyeto. Here, as if he had not yet sufficiently run -the gamut of human suffering, he must needs endure the agonies of a -sprained ankle, which swelled and inflamed so that he could not set -his foot to the ground. The kindly trader, however, made him welcome -to stay until quite recovered, but Park did not trespass on his -hospitality longer than was absolutely necessary. - -In three days he was sufficiently well to be able to limp along -with the assistance of a staff, and in this fashion he contrived to -hobble to Jerijang, whose chief--there being no king in Manding--was -considered the most powerful in the country. - -Dosita was the next village reached, and here rain without and delirium -within compelled him to remain one day. Recovering slightly, he set -out for Mansia. The road led over a high rocky hill, and almost proved -too much for the exhausted wayfarer, who had to lie down at intervals -to recover. Though only a very few miles distant, it was late in the -afternoon before he reached the town. Here he was given a little corn -to eat, and a hut to sleep in. Evidently, however, the head man thought -Park richer than he looked, and during the night made two attempts to -enter the hut, being each time frustrated by the traveller’s vigilance. -In the morning the latter thought it better to take French leave of -such a host, and accordingly at daybreak set forth for Kamalia, a small -town situated at the bottom of some rocky hills. This place he reached -in the course of the afternoon. - -At Kamalia, one Karfa Taura, brother of the hospitable negro trader -of Kinyeto, extended a like welcome to the wayworn white man. By this -time, so yellow was the latter’s skin from his repeated fevers, and so -poverty-stricken his appearance, that the trader was only convinced -of his nationality when on showing him a white man’s book in his -possession, he found the traveller could read it. This was a Book of -Common Prayer, of which Park obtained possession with no small surprise -and delight. - -Not too soon had some means of spiritual consolation come to him, for -here he learned that the country before him--the Jallonka Wilderness, -with its eight rapid rivers--was absolutely impassable for many months -to come. Even then, when caravans found it difficult and dangerous, -what would it be to a defenceless and destitute single man? With the -knowledge that further advance at the present was hopeless, came the -realisation of the fact that to utter exhaustion of outward resources -was now to be added the complete loss of all inward force and strength. -Exposure, hunger, toil, and fever had at last triumphed over Park’s -iron constitution, and laid him low. He might still will not to -die, still hope that he would yet reach the coast, still keep up his -determined and sanguine spirit; but meanwhile, what could he do when -his physical powers had thus failed him? - -But even in that moment, when he found himself overshadowed by despair -and death, and at the extreme limit of all his earthly resources, he -was once again to prove that a “Protecting Providence” watched over -him. In his supreme need a kind host had been provided in the person -of Karfa Taura to save him from death by fever and starvation, and not -only to lodge and feed him, but at the proper time to conduct him to -the Gambia, whither he was going with a slave caravan. - -“Thus was I delivered by the friendly care of this benevolent negro -from a situation truly deplorable. Distress and famine pressed hard -upon me. I had before me the gloomy wilds of Jallonkadu, where the -traveller sees no habitation for five successive days. I had almost -marked out the place where I was doomed, as I thought, to perish, when -this friendly negro stretched out his hospitable hand to my relief.” - -But neither food nor suitable shelter could stay the course of the -fever. Each succeeding day saw Park weaker, each night more delirious, -till at length he could not even crawl out of the hut. Six weary -weeks he passed hovering between life and death--alone sustained by -his intense religious beliefs and his eager hope of reaching the -coast before he died. Little wonder surely that at times he spent -“the lingering hours in a very gloomy and solitary manner,” while the -rains dashed down remorselessly on the hut wherein he lay in the damp -stifling atmosphere and semi-darkness. - -At length with the passing season the rains became less frequent, -and the ground in consequence more dry. With improved conditions came -improved health and stronger hope of life. At times the convalescent -managed to crawl to his door to sniff the fresher and more wholesome -air, to bathe in the bright light, and look upon the blue heavens. It -was as if he had emerged from an open grave. - -Soon from the door of his hut he could totter with his mat to the -grateful shade of a tamarind tree, and there enjoy the refreshing smell -of the growing corn, and the varied prospect of hill and valley, field -and grove around him. At other times naïve converse with the simple -natives, and half hours with his book of prayers, made glad the passing -day. - -Through it all Karfa Taura was ever the generous host and faithful -friend, though many there were who vainly tried to turn him against his -unknown guest. - -Occasionally parties of slaves were conveyed through Kamalia. Once one -of the unfortunate captives asked Park for food. The latter represented -that he was himself a stranger and destitute. “I gave you food when -you were hungry,” was the reply; “have you forgot the man who brought -you milk at Karankalla? But,” added he with a sigh, “the irons were -not then on my legs.” Much touched, Park recalled the incident, and -instantly begged some ground-nuts for him from Karfa. - -With returning health of both body and mind, Park employed himself -while wearily awaiting the completion of the slave caravan in a variety -of inquiries regarding articles of commerce, trade routes, &c. Among -other subjects he was much interested in the slave trade. He learned -the various ways in which slaves were obtained--how the natives -kidnapped from neighbouring villages and petty states, or warred -with each other to keep up the traffic--how parents found a source of -temporary relief in times of famine by selling their children, and -kings a source of revenue by disposing of their subjects or those -convicted of crimes, while people unable to meet their engagements -in the ordinary way paid their debts by becoming the slaves of the -creditors. Of the bloodshed and ruin resulting from the unholy traffic -he had himself seen much, and now heard more, while remaining blind -to Europe’s share in encouraging this “great open sore” of Africa, -that its merchants and planters might be enriched thereby. As for the -unhappy victims of European commerce, they had a deeply rooted belief -that they were to be devoured by white cannibals, and that the country -across the sea was an enchanted land quite different from their own. -Their usual question to Park was, “Have you really got such ground as -this to set your feet upon?” - -These ideas naturally caused the slaves to regard their fate at the -coast with terror and horror, and to seek every opportunity of escaping. - -Each day Park could see his future companions to the Gambia marched -out, secured from flight by having the right leg of one attached by -fetters to the left leg of another, with the additional precaution that -every four men were fastened together by the necks with a strong rope. -Some who were not amenable to this form of discipline had a cylinder of -wood notched at each end fastened between the legs with iron bolts. At -night additional fetters were put on the hands, and occasionally the -prisoners were made further secure by having a light iron chain passed -round their necks. Thus loaded with irons on neck, hand, and foot they -were placed in batches and left to find sleep as best they could, -guarded by Karfa Taura’s domestic slaves. - -One pleasant sight there was of which Park never wearied--the -Mohammedan schoolmaster of Kamalia, and his school of seventeen boys -and girls. To him “it was not so much a matter of wonder as a matter -of regret to observe that while the superstition of Mohammed has in -this manner scattered a few faint dreams of learning among these poor -people, the precious light of Christianity is excluded. I could not but -lament,” he continues, “that although the coast of Africa had now been -known and frequented for more than two hundred years, yet the negroes -still remain entire strangers to the doctrines of our holy religion.... -Perhaps a short and easy introduction to Christianity, such as is -found in some of the catechisms for children, elegantly printed in -Arabic, and distributed on different parts of the coast, might have -a wonderful effect.... These reflections I have thus ventured to -submit to my readers on this important subject, on perceiving the -encouragement which was thus given to learning (such as it is) in many -parts of Africa. I have observed that the pupils of Kamalia were most -of them children of Pagans; their parents therefore could have had -no predilection for the doctrines of Mohammed. Their aim was their -children’s improvement.” So much indeed was education prized that the -usual course was valued at the price of a prime slave. - -By the beginning of the year 1797, everything was ready for departure, -but on various trivial pretexts the leave-taking was put off from day -to day till the approach of Rhamadan, when it was determined to wait -till it was over before commencing their journey. - -During the whole of the month of fast “the negroes behaved themselves -with the greatest meekness and humility, forming a striking contrast -to the savage intolerance and brutal bigotry which at this period -characterise the Moors.” - - - - -CHAPTER XV. - -_THE SLAVE ROUTE._ - - -In the second week of April the Mohammedans of Kamalia were on the -alert for the expected appearance of the new moon, which would -terminate their month of fasting. On the evening of this joyful event -it seemed for a time as if they were to be disappointed, and that yet -another day would have to be added to their Rhamadan. Clouds veiled -the sky. Only temporarily, however. The obscuring mists broke, and the -delicate curved beauty of the new moon gleamed upon the upturned faces, -and carried joy to every Mussulman heart. Shrill screams from the women -and shouts from the men, hand clapping, drum beating, and musket firing -gave voice to the general delight. - -Orders were at once given by Karfa to prepare for the march, and on -consultation the 19th of April was chosen for the day of departure. -This was good news for Park, who, sick with hope long deferred, and -“wearied with a constant state of alarm and anxiety, had developed a -painful longing for the manifold blessings of civilisation.” All the -slatees had done their best to set Karfa against the white stranger, -and the latter constantly feared that their evil machinations might -prevail, and that he would be cast forth helpless and destitute among -the dangerous wilds of Africa. - -At last the wished-for day of departure arrived. The slatees assembled -with their slaves before their leader Karfa’s door. The bundles were -finally roped, and the loads assigned to the men and women who were to -carry them. When mustered, the caravan numbered thirty-five slaves, and -thirty-eight free people and domestic slaves, a schoolmaster with eight -pupils, and six singing men to lighten with song and antic the toils of -the route, while at the same time making the presence of the caravan -more welcome to the natives, and its reception more hospitable at their -hands. - -Amid much hand-shaking and various manifestations of fear, regret, -and grief, the signal to start was given, and the caravan set out -on its journey. At a rising some distance out of town a halt was -called. All were ordered to seat themselves, the departing band of -travellers with their faces towards the west, the townspeople who had -so far accompanied them with theirs towards Kamalia and the east. The -schoolmaster and two of the principal slatees, placing themselves -between, raised a long and solemn prayer that their journey might -be successful and safe under the protection of Allah. Afterwards -the caravan was encircled three times, that a charm might be woven -round the party, and their safety thus further ensured. The ceremony -concluded, all sprang to their feet, and without further leave-taking -the start was made towards the ocean. - -At first the movements of many of the slaves were eloquent of the -fetters they had worn for years. Their attempts at walking were marked -by spasmodic contractions of the legs, and very soon two of them had to -be released from the rope to allow them to go slower, so painful were -their efforts to step out freely and briskly. - -[Illustration: BAOBAB TREE.] - -In two marches Worumbang, the western frontier village of Manding, was -reached without mishap. The party was now on the verge of the dreaded -Jallonka Wilderness. Provisions had to be gathered for the passage of -this trying region, and every one rested to prepare for the forced -marches and hardships ahead. - -On the morning of the 21st the outskirts of the wilderness were -entered. On reaching the woods a halt was called, and a prayer offered -up that Allah and his prophet might preserve them from robbers, keep -them from hunger, and sustain them under fatigue. This ceremony over, -it behoved every man to push forward with all his strength and will if -Kinytakuro, the proposed destination of that day’s march, was to be -reached before dark. Every one, bond and free alike, knew the dangers -before him, and ran rather than walked. - -Soon the Niger basin was left, and the Kokoro, a tributary of the -Senegal, was reached. At this time it was a mere rivulet, but there was -ample evidence to show that during the rainy season it had risen twenty -feet. - -No halt was made throughout the day--nothing was heard but the order -to push on. Well indeed was it for those who had the strength to do -so. Some there were who could not. A woman and a girl began to lag -behind. Threats and curses from time to time incited them to spasmodic -efforts at exertion, but soon these failed in their effect, and fell -on unheeding ears. The lash was next brought into play, and for a time -gave the needed stimulus. Then it too failed. Savage hands grasped the -unhappy victims of European commerce and dragged them forward, while -others behind plied the whip with unabating ferocity. The limits of -nature were reached at last, and both sank to the ground, not to be -moved by any form of fiendish cruelty. Furious and disappointed, their -master had at length to give in, and make up his mind to return home -for the time being. - -About sunset the town of Kinytakuro was reached, and the anxieties of -the first day’s march were over. The entry to the town was made with -much ceremony and circumstance. The musicians led the way singing the -praises of the villagers, their hospitality, and their friendship to -the Mandingoes. After them followed some of the free men; then came the -slaves, fastened in fours by a rope round the neck, with an armed man -between each set. Behind the raw slaves came the domestic slaves, while -the rear was brought up by the free women, the wives of the slatees, -the scholars, &c. In this way the caravan marched to the palaver house, -where the people gathered round to hear their story; after which -lodgings and food were provided for the entire party. - -At daybreak on the 23rd, the wilderness proper was entered. At ten -o’clock the river Wonda, flowing to the Senegal, was crossed, and then -strict commands were given that close order should be maintained, and -every man travel in his proper station. - -The guides and the young men led the way, the women and slaves occupied -the centre, while the free men brought up the rear. The country through -which they passed unmolested, though with hurried footsteps, was -charming in the extreme, with its variety of hill and dale, of glade -and wood, and meandering streams, to which partridges, guinea fowl, and -deer gave an air of animation. On this day Park got his arms and neck -painfully blistered by the burning sun, from which his scanty dress -afforded him no protection. - -At sunset a romantic stream called Comcissang was reached, and here -the party halted for the night, thoroughly fatigued with their day’s -exertions, though no one was heard to complain. Large fires were -kindled for cooking purposes, as well as to light up the camp and drive -away wild beasts. Supper over, the slaves were put in irons to prevent -their escaping, and then all disposed themselves to sleep; but between -ants within the camp and wild beasts howling without the night’s rest -was sadly broken. - -At daybreak morning prayers were said, after which a little gruel was -drunk by the free men, the irons being thereafter once more taken off -the slaves, and the march resumed. - -The route now led over a wild and rocky country, where Park, with -nothing better than sandals to protect his feet, got sadly bruised -and cut. Fears began to oppress him that he would not be able to keep -up with the caravan, and that he would be left behind to perish. The -sight of others more exhausted than himself was, however, in some -sort a relief from his apprehension. Neali, one of Karfa’s female -slaves, especially showed signs of giving in. She began to lag behind, -complaining of pains in her legs, and her load had to be taken from -her and given to another. About midday, while halting at a rivulet, an -enormous swarm of bees, which had been disturbed by one of the men, -set upon the caravan, and sent it flying in all directions. When the -panic had subsided, it was discovered that Neali had been left behind. -Before going back in search of her it was necessary to set fire to the -grass to the east of the hive in order to clear away the bees with the -smoke. The plan was effectual, and on returning to the rivulet, Neali -was found half dead in the water, whither she had crept in the hope of -escaping the onslaught of the bees. The stratagem had been of no avail, -however, and the poor creature was almost stung to death. - -It was the last drop in her cup of misery. Nothing else could touch -her. Entreaties and threats were alike useless. Further forward she -doggedly refused to go. Once more the efficacy of the whip was tried. -Down came the brutal lash. The girl writhed in every muscle, but she -neither screamed nor attempted to rise. Again the lash swung round her -shrinking body, but with no more effect. Not until it had descended -a third and a fourth time did her resolution give way. Then stung to -superhuman effort by the fearful torture, she started up and staggered -forward for some hours, till wild with agony she made a mad attempt to -run away, but fell fainting among the grass. Her master’s only remedy -was the lash, and that he applied with renewed savagery. In vain--Neali -was beyond its cruel compulsion. As a last resource the donkey which -carried the dry provisions was brought, and the half dead slave placed -on his back. But the girl’s only wish was to die, nay, even now she -seemed as one already dead. - -Unable even if she had been willing to retain her seat, and the donkey -at the same time emphatically objecting to his new load, that means of -carriage had to be given up. The day’s journey, however, was nearly -over, and Neali being a valuable slave, the slatees could not bring -themselves to abandon her. Accordingly, they made a rude litter of -bamboo canes, on which she was carried until the camping ground for the -night was reached. - -It now became evident that Neali was not the only slave for whom the -journey was proving too much. The hard march with heavy loads under a -broiling sun, without food, and with no better stimulant than blows and -curses--with nothing to look forward to at night but additional chains, -and in the future a horrible fate at the hands of white men across the -seas--all this was beginning to have its natural effect. Sullen despair -was in every feature--every gesture. Death, suicide, seemed preferable -to such a chain of horrors. - -The slatees were not slow to mark these ominous signs. At once fetters -were applied--the more desperate of the slaves having even their hands -chained; and thus bound they were left to rest as best they might. - -Throughout the night Neali lay torpid and almost motionless, and -morning found her with limbs so stiff and swollen that she could not -stand, much less walk. The donkey was again brought into requisition, -and to keep her on his back the girl’s hands were tied round his neck, -and her feet under his belly. Spite of these precautions, however, -before long the donkey threw her, and bound as she was, she was nearly -trampled to death before she could be released. - -Meanwhile precious time was being wasted in a wilderness where every -minute was of the utmost importance. To carry the girl in the fashion -of the previous evening was out of the question, and the patience of -every one was exhausted. “Cut her throat! cut her throat!” was the -cry now raised by the slave dealers. Strange to say, Park did not -seem to have anything to urge against this brutal suggestion--for -Neali indeed the most merciful ending of her troubles--though being -unwilling to see it put in force, he walked on ahead. A few minutes -later one of Karfa’s men came up to him carrying Neali’s scanty cotton -garment, which to Park was eloquent of the poor girl’s fate. He could -not bring himself to make inquiries then, but later on he learned that -Neali had not had the good fortune to have her tortures ended at once -by the knife. She was deserted, and a day of exposure, naked to the -remorseless sun, without food or drink, had to drag slowly on before -darkness drew a veil over the last horrible scene, in which she met -death under the fangs of the wild beasts of the Jallonka Wilderness. - -The fate of the slave girl had a wonderfully stimulating effect on the -rest of the caravan; but the schoolmaster, in doubts as to how Allah -would regard the incident, fasted the whole day. In deep silence the -slaves travelled onward at a steady pace, each apprehensive that his -too might be the fate of Neali. No one was more apprehensive than Park -himself. Only by the most determined effort of will did he keep himself -from succumbing on the march. Everything that could obstruct him in the -least--even his spear--was thrown away, but still he could just barely -struggle on. “The poor slaves, amidst their own infinitely greater -sufferings, would commiserate mine, and frequently of their own accord -bring water to quench my thirst, and at night collect branches and -leaves to prepare me a bed in the wilderness.” - -On the morning of the 26th, two of the schoolmaster’s pupils complained -of pains in their legs, and one of the slaves walked lame, the soles -of his feet being much blistered and inflamed. But there could be no -halting for such trivial causes, and the caravan pushed onward with hot -haste, eager to escape as soon as possible the hardships and dangers -of the desert. In the middle of the day a rocky hill was reached, the -crossing of which greatly aggravated the sores on the travellers’ feet. -In the afternoon evidences of a raiding party of horsemen were seen, -and to hide their track the caravan had to disperse and travel wide -apart for some distance. - -Another day of toil ended the desert march. On the 27th, the village of -Susita, in the district of Kullo, was entered. The rest of the road was -comparatively safe. Next day the Bafing or Black River, the principal -branch of the Senegal, was crossed by a bamboo bridge of singular -construction. Trees tied end to end were made to support a roadway -of bamboos--the centre of the bridge floating on the water, the ends -resting on the banks. On the rising of the water during the rains this -primitive bridge is carried away each year. - -Though the caravan had now got into a well-populated district, their -troubles were hardly over. They were refused admittance at village -after village, and to complete their discomfiture, news came that two -hundred Jallonkas had gathered to plunder them. This necessitated an -alteration in their route, and a forced night march. After midnight a -town was reached, but as a free man and three slaves were found to be -missing, a halt was called, and while the caravan remained concealed -in a cotton field, a search party returned to look for the runaways. -In the morning the town was entered, and the day was passed in resting -from their fatigues. Here, to the joy of all, the absentees turned up -safely. One of the slaves had hurt his foot, and they had thus lagged -behind and lost the caravan. The free man, foreseeing the danger of -an outbreak, insisted on putting the slaves in irons. This they were -inclined to resist, but a threat to stab them all had its due effect. - -On the 3rd of May the caravan reached the schoolmaster’s native -village, Malacotta, where in consequence a hearty welcome awaited them. -Three days were spent here recruiting the party. During that time Park -learned the particulars of a remarkable story of Moslem zeal and Pagan -chivalry and generosity, well worthy of being retold. - -“The King of Futa Torra, inflamed with a zeal for propagating his -religion, had sent an embassy to Damel, King of the Jaloffs. - -“The ambassador was accompanied by two of the principal Mohammedans of -the country, who each carried a knife fixed on the top of a long pole. -‘With this knife,’ said the ambassador, ‘Abdul Kader will condescend to -shave the head of Damel, if Damel will embrace the Mohammedan religion; -and with this other knife Abdul Kader will cut the throat of Damel if -Damel refuse to embrace it. Take your choice.’ - -“Damel replied that he had no choice to make. He neither chose to have -his head shaved nor his throat cut; and with this answer the ambassador -was civilly dismissed. War was accordingly declared, and the country of -Damel invaded. The fortune of war, however, went against the earthly -instrument of Allah, and his army was not only dispersed with great -loss, but he himself taken prisoner. In this humiliating position -Abdul Kader was brought in irons and thrown on the ground before -Damel. Instead of setting his foot on the neck of his royal prisoner -and stabbing him with his spear, as is the custom in such cases, Damel -addressed him as follows--‘Abdul Kader, answer me this question. If -the chance of war had placed me in your situation, and you in mine, how -would you have treated me?’ - -“‘I would have thrust my spear into your heart,’ answered the brave -though fanatical prince; ‘and I know that a similar fate awaits me.’ - -“‘Not so,’ said Damel. ‘My spear is indeed red with the blood of your -subjects killed in battle, and I could now give it a deeper stain by -dipping it in your own; but this would not build up my towns, nor bring -to life the thousands who fell in the woods. I will not therefore kill -you in cold blood, but I will retain you as my slave until I perceive -that your presence in your own kingdom will be no longer dangerous -to your neighbours, and then I will consider of the proper way of -disposing of you.’ A decision which has been made the subject of the -songs of the musicians, and a matter of applausive comment by all the -tribes. - -“Abdul Kader was accordingly retained, and worked as a slave for three -months; at the end of which period Damel listened to the solicitations -of the inhabitants of Futa Torra, and restored to them their king.” - -Of the truth of this story there seems to be no doubt. - - - - -CHAPTER XVI. - -_BACK TO THE GAMBIA AND HOME._ - - -At Malacotta, Park could look forward with a considerable degree of -confidence to his safe return to the coast. He was once more within -the sphere of influence of coast trade, where the European was better -known, and the hostile agency of the Moor was of small account. There -were no more jungles to cross, and he was unaware of obstructing wars -on the route. Through good and evil report Karfa had remained his -staunch friend, and it was certain that now that his promised reward -was coming nearer and nearer attainment, he would not alter in his -honourable fidelity to his engagements. It was now only a question of -so many more days’ journey till the Gambia would be reached, and all -Park’s cares and troubles be at an end. - -On the 7th of May the slave caravan left Malacotta, and resumed its -journey to the coast. The Bali, a branch of the Senegal, was crossed, -and Bintingala entered in the evening. - -In the afternoon of the 12th the Falemé River was forded about 100 -miles south of Park’s fording point on his inland journey. At this -place and time of year the river was only two feet deep, flowing over a -bed of sand and gravel. - -On the same day the caravan halted at the residence of a Mandingo -merchant, who had his food served up in pewter dishes in the European -fashion. Next morning they were joined by a Serawuli slave caravan. -These traders had the reputation of being infinitely more cruel in -their treatment of slaves than the Mandingoes. Park was soon to see -a sample of their ways. The caravan was travelling with great speed -through the dense woods, when one of the slaves began to show signs -of exhaustion, and let his load fall from his head. A smart flogging -proved a temporary stimulant to the unhappy victim, but hardly a mile -was passed before nature once more asserted itself, and again the load -fell. A double dose of the lash proved a second time effectual, and -once more the slave struggled painfully forward. At last the limits of -his powers were reached, and it became clear that flog as they might he -would remain immovable. - -The caravan could not wait till he recovered, and accordingly one of -the Serawulis undertook to wait and bring him to camp in the cool of -the evening. When the slave dealer did arrive in camp he came alone. No -questions were asked, but every one knew that either the unfortunate -man had been killed, or was left to be devoured by wild beasts. - -Other examples of the slave dealers’ methods were almost daily -exhibited before Park’s eyes. At one place a Mandingo, having a slave -torn from a neighbouring district, agreed with Karfa to exchange him -for another from a more distant country, to which he could not run -away. The slave to be taken by Karfa was called on a trivial pretext to -come into the house. The moment he entered the gate was shut, and he -was told to sit down. At once he saw the danger of his situation--not -only the more horrible fate of transportation across the seas, but -the loss of all chance of escape to his native country. He would at -least make one effort for liberty. With the wild leap of a hunted deer -he cleared the fence of the court and bolted for the woods. But it -was useless. His enemies were too many. A few minutes of wild flight, -spurred on by wolfish cries, and then he was hunted down and brought -back in irons to be handed over to Karfa. - -At another place one of the male slaves in the caravan was found to -be too exhausted to proceed further in spite of the usual physical -stimulants. A townsman was found willing to exchange him for a young -girl. No hint was given her of her approaching doom till the last -moment. Along with her companions she had come to see the caravan -depart, when all at once her master seized her by the hand and -delivered her to the slave dealer. “Never was a face of serenity more -suddenly changed into one of the deepest distress. The terror she -manifested on having the load put upon her head and the rope round her -neck, and the sorrow with which she bade adieu to her companions, were -truly affecting.” - -Incidents like these were what chiefly characterised Park’s journey -to the Gambia. At times the curious as well as the horrible side of -African life peeped out to entertain him, as, for instance, when one of -the slatees, on returning for the first time to his native place after -an absence of three years, was met at the threshold of his door by his -bride-elect, who presented him with a calabash of water in which to -wash his hands. This done, “the girl, with a tear of joy sparkling in -her eye, drank the water,” in token of her fidelity and attachment. - -Another of the slatees turned out to be an African Enoch Arden. For -eight long years he had stayed away from his wife, during which time -she heard nothing from him. Concluding after three years that he was -either dead or not likely to return, she seemingly without reluctance -gave her heart and hand to another, by whom she had two children. The -first husband now claimed her as his. The other objected on the ground -that a three years’ absence annulled a marriage. For four days a public -palaver was held to settle this knotty point, ending in the decision -that the husbands had equal rights, and that the wife had best settle -the matter by making her own choice. The lady asked time to consider, -but Park could perceive that not love but wealth would gain the day. - -On the 20th of May the caravan entered the Tenda Wilderness, where -for two days they traversed dense woods. With what pleasure must Park -have noticed that the country shelved towards the south-west--that in -fact he had entered the basin of the Gambia. At sunset of the first -day a pool was reached after a very hot and trying march. To avoid the -burning heats of the day a night march was determined on. At eleven -o’clock the slaves were released from their irons and driven forward -in close order, as much to prevent them escaping as to save them from -wild beasts. In this fashion they travelled till daybreak, after a rest -continuing the march to Tambakunda, the place almost reached by Jobson -nearly 170 years before, and which he believed to be Timbuktu itself. - -From Tambakunda the road led over a wild and rocky country, everywhere -rising into hills, and abounding with monkeys and wild beasts. During -the next two marches the reception everywhere met with by the caravan -was far from being hospitable, and they were even in some danger of -being plundered. - -On the 30th of May the Nerico, a branch of the Gambia, was reached. As -soon as it was crossed the singing men began to chant a song expressive -of their delight at having got safe into the “land of the setting sun.” -Next day, to his infinite joy, Park found himself on the banks of the -Gambia, at a point where it was navigable, though lower down there were -shallows. - -Three days later, Medina, the capital of Wulli, was reached, where Park -had been so hospitably received seventeen months before. The caravan -did not halt here; but Park, mindful of the old king’s prayer on his -behalf, sent word to him that his prayers had not been unavailing. - -Next day Jindeh was reached, where the parting with Dr. Laidley had -taken place. Here Karfa left his slaves till a better opportunity of -selling them had arrived; but determined not to leave his white friend -till the last, he accompanied him on his way to Pisania. - -Park at this point remarks: “Although I was now approaching the end -of my tedious and toilsome journey, and expected in another day to -meet with countrymen and friends, I could not part for the last time -with my unfortunate fellow-travellers, doomed as I knew most of them -to be to a life of captivity and slavery in a foreign land, without -great emotion.... We parted with reciprocal expressions of regret and -benediction. My good wishes and prayers were all that I could bestow -upon them, and it afforded me some consolation to be told that they -were sensible I had no more to give.” - -On the 10th, Park once more shook hands with one of his countrymen. He -found that it was universally believed that he had met the same fate -as Major Houghton in Ludamar. He also learned with sincere sorrow that -neither Johnson, who had deserted him, nor Demba, who had been enslaved -by the Moors, had returned. - -On the 12th, Dr. Laidley joined the long-lost traveller, and greeted -him as one risen from the dead. Park was soon, under his hospitable -hands, divested of his ragged Moorish garments. With them went the -luxuriant beard which had been the delight and admiration of natives -and Moors alike, among whom nothing is more envied, and he stood forth -once more the handsome young Scotchman his portrait shows him to be. - -Karfa was now paid off, the stipulated reward being doubled, and Dr. -Laidley’s interest also promised in getting his slaves disposed of to -advantage. - -Karfa was never tired expressing his wonderment at all he saw, though -nothing surprised him more than the incomprehensible madness of a -person in Park’s condition in life leaving all and suffering so -many hardships and dangers merely to see the river Niger. “I have -preserved,” says Park, “these little traits of character in this worthy -negro, not only from regard to the man, but also because they appear -to me to demonstrate that he possessed a mind above his condition, -and to such of my readers as love to contemplate human nature in all -its varieties, and to trace its progress from rudeness to refinement, -I hope the account I have given of this poor African will not be -unacceptable.” - -Looking back on his long and terrible journey, Park could afford to -take a lenient view of all the people who had plundered, ill-used, -or inhospitably treated him, except the Moors, of whom he carried a -deep-rooted horror and hatred to his dying day. For the Mandingoes -and kindred tribes he could ever find an excuse for all he suffered -at their hands, and as a people he found them gentle, cheerful in -their dispositions, kind-hearted, and simple, with a natural sense of -justice which only very great temptation could overcome. He could not -find words strong enough to describe the disinterested charity and -tender solicitude shown by many of them, especially the women, whom he -found to be universally kind and compassionate, sympathising with his -sufferings, relieving his distresses, and contributing to his safety. - -Reviewing what he had seen commercially, he found that slaves, gold, -and ivory, beeswax and honey, hides, gums, and dye woods, constituted -the whole catalogue of exportable commodities. Of other products, such -as tobacco, indigo, and cotton, sufficient only was raised for native -consumption. He concluded, nevertheless, that “it cannot, however, -admit of a doubt that all the rich and valuable productions both of -the East and West Indies might easily be naturalised and brought to -the utmost perfection in the tropical parts of this immense continent. -Nothing is wanting to this end but example to enlighten the minds of -the natives, and instruction to enable them to direct their industry -to proper objects. It was not possible for me to behold the wonderful -fertility of the soil, the vast herds of cattle, proper both for -food and labour, and a variety of other circumstances favourable to -colonisation and agriculture, and reflect withal on the means which -presented themselves of a vast inland navigation, without lamenting -that a country so abundantly gifted and favoured by nature should -remain in its present savage and neglected state. Much more did -I lament that a people of manners and dispositions so gentle and -benevolent should either be left as they now are, immersed in the gross -and uncomfortable blindness of Pagan superstition, or permitted to -become converts to a system of bigotry and fanaticism which, without -enlightening the mind, often debases the heart.” And yet which of -the representatives of the two religions, Islam and Christianity, -were doing the most good among the heathen according to Park’s own -showing--the Mohammedans, battling against the inrushing tide of rum -and gin, encouraging education, and spreading a knowledge of Allah the -One God; or the Christian merchants, fomenting and deepening all the -horrors of native barbarism that their trade in slaves might be kept -up, and adding to the degradation of the land by the drink and firearms -they gave in exchange for its people? - -As there was no ship in the river when Park arrived, he expected -to have to wait for some months. In this, however, he was happily -disappointed, for an American slave ship, the _Charlestown_, arrived on -the 15th. Slaves were plentiful, and in a couple of days the cargo of -human flesh and blood for the plantations of South Carolina was made up -in exchange for rum and tobacco. - -Though the route by America was excessively circuitous, it was such a -chance as Park could not afford to neglect. Accordingly, on the 17th of -June he bade farewell to all his English friends, and took passage in -the American vessel. - -He had now reason to suppose that all his cares, anxieties, and dangers -were over, and nothing but rest and good treatment before him. Once -more, however, he was dogged by his usual ill-luck. The passage down -the river was tedious and fatiguing, the weather being exceedingly hot, -moist, and unhealthy. The result was that before Goree was reached, -four of the seamen, the surgeon, and three of the slaves had died of -fever. At Goree, owing to the difficulty of obtaining provisions, -the vessel was detained four weary months, so that it was the end of -October before she eventually set sail for America. - -The _Charlestown’s_ cargo consisted of 130 slaves, of whom twenty-five -had been free Mohammedans, able to read and write a little Arabic. Some -of the others had seen Park _en route_, and many had heard of him in -their distant villages. But though he had not a word to say against the -slave trade, Park had a feeling heart for the miseries of those whom, -with his Calvinistic ideas, he believed predestined to a life of shame -and suffering. Being able to speak to them in their native language, -he did his best as a man and a doctor to comfort them. And in truth -they had need of all the consolation he could bestow. The manner in -which they were crowded, confined, and chained in the hold of the ship -produced terrible sufferings, while the foul air, the wretched sanitary -conditions, and the want of exercise brought on general sickness. -“Besides the three who died on the Gambia, and six or eight at Goree, -eleven perished at sea, and many of the survivors were reduced to a -very weak and emaciated condition.” - -To make matters worse for all concerned, the _Charlestown_ sprang a -leak three weeks from Goree, and threatened to founder in mid-ocean. To -avoid this, the ablest of the negroes were taken from their chains and -kept at the pumps till they could be hounded on no longer, and sank -down exhausted and half dead. In spite of everything, however, the leak -continued to gain, and the misery of all on board was indescribable. As -affording the only chance of safety, the _Charlestown_ was turned from -its course and steered for Antigua, which was reached thirty-five days -out from Goree. But even in sight of harbour the ship narrowly escaped -destruction by striking on a sunken rock. - -Park remained at Antigua for two days, when on the 24th November he was -taken up by a passing mail ship. After a short but tempestuous voyage -he arrived at Falmouth on the 22nd December, having been absent from -England two years and nine months. - - - - -CHAPTER XVII. - -_MUNGO PARK AT HOME._ - - -Once landed at Falmouth, Park lost no time in proceeding to London. In -those days there was no telegraph to apprise the world of his arrival, -nor newspaper reporters to interview him, and give their readers a -description of his appearance and a foretaste of his adventures. - -He reached London before daybreak on the 25th December, and directed -his steps to the house of his brother-in-law, Mr. Dickson. Not caring -to disturb his relative at that early hour, he wandered about the -streets for some time, till finding one of the gates to the British -Museum Gardens open, he entered. - -As it happened, Dickson had charge of these gardens, and on this -particular morning had business which took him there unusually early. -Conceive his amazement on coming face to face with what for a moment he -almost took to be a vision or ghost of his young relative, long since -believed to be dead. It did not take long to convince him, however, -that here was no ghost, but the actual traveller himself, safe and -well, his great mission carried through to a successful conclusion. - -The interest, delight, and surprise of the Association, as well as of -the public generally, were no less keen. For some time it had been -looked on as a certainty that he had been murdered, and now the utmost -curiosity prevailed to hear his adventures, and at last learn something -authentic about the mysterious river of the negroes. - -It looked indeed as if Park’s own prediction to his brother before -leaving for Africa, that he would “acquire a greater name than any ever -did,” was to be verified. In the absence of more definite news, the -hand to hand reports which circulated only tended to exaggerate his -feats and discoveries. - -So eager became the demand for information that it was determined to -issue a preliminary report of the principal geographical results of the -expedition. This was written by Bryan Edwards, the Secretary of the -Association, a gentleman of no inconsiderable literary attainments, and -author of a “History of the British Colonies in the West Indies.” - -To the collaboration of Edwards was added that of Major Rennell, -who worked out with very great care the traveller’s routes, and the -geography of the region generally. In addition, Rennell added a -memoir on the upper course of the Niger beyond Park’s furthest point, -collating with his information that of the Arabian geographers. - -But the public demanded something more than the dry bones of geography -to satisfy their hungry appetite. They wanted also the flesh and blood -of his narrative--how he lived and moved, what he felt and suffered, -what dangers he faced, what hardships endured, the wonders he saw. -Books of travel had not then deluged the market and saturated men’s -minds with details about the remotest corners of Inner Africa. It was -practically virgin soil to the reader, who could in nowise guess -beforehand what startling revelations were in store for him. Compared -with the modern devourer of books of travel, his sensations would be as -those of the first explorer of the Gambia to the subdued expectancy of -our latest traveller. - -To gratify this very natural curiosity Park now devoted himself. His -materials, apart from his memory, were but scanty. They consisted, in -fact, of short notes or memoranda, written on odds and ends of paper, -which must often have been far from legible, considering how they were -carried for months in the crown of a battered hat, exposed to damp and -all manner of accidents. - -In the task of authorship Park was no doubt materially aided by Mr. -Edwards, with whom he lived on terms of great friendship. In one or -two places the pen of Edwards is clearly traceable, but these are few -and far between. Where he lent the most valuable assistance was in the -pruning, rearrangement, and revision which the work of a novice in -composition would almost necessarily require. In this respect, however, -Park is not alone among travellers. Few indeed among them have had such -a complete mastery of the pen and of the English language as to trust -absolutely in their own literary powers and judgment, although, as in -Park’s case, the assistance required has seldom gone beyond guidance -and revision. - -Apart from his literary influence, it can hardly be doubted that -Edwards very materially moulded Park’s views on at least one important -subject--the slave trade. At that time the question of abolition had -become a burning one in the country, and Edwards was one of the warmest -advocates of the old order of things. He would give Africa Light, -but no Liberty. While actively employed in trying to open up the Dark -Continent to European influence, he strenuously strove to ensure that -that influence should remain of the most criminal and degrading nature. - -Let the reader imagine what would have been the consequence to Africa -if the advocates of slavery had had their way, and the exploration -of the Continent had only been the forerunner of more widespread -ramifications of the slave trade. However incredible it may appear, -such might easily have been the case. People once accustomed to an evil -soon forget that it is such, and begin to look upon it as one of the -necessary and unavoidable ills of life. Take, for example, the survival -of the African gin trade to this very day, increasing and flourishing -long after its dissociation from its well-matched sister traffic in -slaves, and everywhere dogging the explorer’s footsteps. It is doubtful -if even the slave trade has done more to brutalise and degrade the -negro; and yet even in our time there is only a partial awakening to -the frightful evils of the iniquitous traffic. - -This culpable blindness or carelessness on our part is doubtless -largely fostered by the comforting and comfortable belief that our -missionaries are doing a great and noble work in Africa, and that mere -contact with the European and European commerce must of necessity -have an elevating effect upon the lower races. The truth is that for -every negro nominally or genuinely brought under the influence of -Christianity, ten thousand have been driven by drink to depths of moral -and physical depravity unheard of among uncontaminated native tribes, -and that so far contact with the European and his commerce has resulted -not in elevation to the African, but in degradation of the most -loathsome kind. - -To what extent Park was really influenced in his opinions on the -slave question by Edwards it would be difficult to say. It matters -little, however, for whether he really believed in the righteousness -of slavery or was merely reasoned into neutrality, his position was -equally indefensible. Nay, more, if, as his friends say, he really -believed that the trade was an unjust one, the position he assumed -was nothing more nor less than criminal. These urge, as if it were -an extenuating circumstance, that in private conversation he even -expressed the greatest abhorrence of the traffic. This, it must be -confessed, seems improbable. Such an attitude is utterly unlike what -we should expect from a man of Park’s marked individuality and strong -earnest truthfulness. Moreover, it seems sufficiently clear that the -public opinion of his day ascribed to him a belief in the righteousness -of the principle of slavery, and if it was wrong, it seems strange that -he took no means to correct it. But that it was not wrong seems evident -from a speech delivered on the Abolition of the Slave Trade by George -Hibbert in Parliament in 1803. - -The following is an extract--valuable, too, as throwing light upon the -share of Edwards in the writing of Park’s book:-- - -“I have read and heard that we are to look to Park’s facts and not to -his opinions; and it has been insinuated that his editor, Mr. Edwards, -had foisted those opinions (relating to the slave trade) into his book. -It happened to me once to converse with Mr. Park at a meeting of the -Linnean Society, when this very topic was started, and he assured me -that, not being in the habit of literary composition, he was obliged -to employ some one to put his manuscript into a form fit for the public -eye, but that every sheet of the publication had undergone his strict -revision, and that not only every fact but every sentiment was his own.” - -We must, therefore, till more convincing proof than hearsay evidence -is forthcoming, believe that Mungo Park was a believer in the slave -trade. Such a position we can understand and make all due allowance -for as the result of the ideas of the time, and of those by whom he -was immediately surrounded--to believe else were to place Park on a -distinctly lower pedestal than that to which he is entitled by his many -meritorious characteristics. - -Shortly after the publication of the abstract of Park’s narrative, -he left London on a visit to his family at Foulshiels, where his -mother still lived, though his father had been dead for some years. -Here he remained the whole of the summer and autumn of 1798, working -assiduously at the narrative of his travels. This was probably anything -but an agreeable task to him after the eventful life he had led for -three years, and unaccustomed as he was to literary work. But Park -was not the man to shirk any work, however irksome, if it in any way -appeared to him in the light of a duty. His mornings he devoted to -writing, his evenings to strolls along the bank of his much-loved -Yarrow, where, rarely troubled by native or by passing stranger, he -could undisturbed recall the various events which marked his African -wanderings, and on the dreamy rush of the mountain stream let his -thoughts glide back to the majestic sweep of the Joliba moving eastward -towards its unknown bourne. What hours he must have spent thus, -seeking in his mind’s eye to pierce the dark veil which so mysteriously -shrouded the great African river beyond Timbuktu, and follow it to -its union with the ocean, or its gradual disappearance in the Central -Deserts. - -At times restlessness and a feeling of revolt took possession of him, -and then the only charm that could exorcise the demon of unrest within -him or soothe his wild vague longings, was a long swift walk among the -wild romantic scenery around. Up Yarrow’s winding dale, on the bold -front of Newark Hill, or the heathery summit of the Broomy Law, his -was the keen pleasure of a soul that knows “a rapture on the lonely -shore.” The distant bleat of sheep, the plaintive call of the curlew, -and the whirr of grouse, harmonised well with the mood possessing him, -and touched his heart with the wild pathos of Nature. Happiest when -alone, he found companions in all the sounds around him. The breeze, -the rushing stream, the wild calls of bird and beast, all alike spoke -to him, and adapted themselves to his every mood. - -All this may be vaguely discerned by virtue of the gleams of light -which have momentarily shot across the darkness of the past, and -preserved a blurred though speaking print of the great traveller at -home among his native hills. - -But although thus isolated from the world at large, Park was not -entirely cut off from communication with his fellow-men. His chief -resort when in a mood for society was the house of his friend and -master in medicine, Dr. Anderson, who still practised in Selkirk, -within easy reach of Foulshiels. As one result of these frequent -visits, the friendship of former days for Miss Anderson speedily -developed into a warmer feeling, and summer saw them engaged. - -Towards the latter part of 1798, Park returned to London to make the -final arrangements for the publication of his narrative. Even then, -however, much had to be done with the assistance of Edwards before the -manuscript was finally ready for the press, and spring had come before -the book saw the light. - -It would be difficult to overestimate the enthusiasm with which it -was received, or the interest in Park and Africa which it aroused. -Two editions were sold off in rapid succession, and were followed by -several others in the course of the following ten years. - -Apart from its being almost the first of African books of travel, and -from the absolute novelty of all it contained, the narrative was told -with a charm and _naïveté_ in themselves sufficient to captivate the -most fastidious reader. Modesty and truthfulness peeped from every -sentence. Its author claimed no praise, no admiration, beyond that due -to him for having done his duty. He took to himself no credit for all -the virtues he had shown. So afraid was he indeed that he might be -charged with being the author of what are called “travellers’ tales,” -that he deliberately suppressed several remarkable adventures. On -this point he said to Sir Walter Scott, “that in all cases where he -had information to communicate which he thought of importance to the -public, he had stated the facts boldly, leaving it to his readers to -give such credit to his statements as they might appear justly to -deserve, but that he would not shock their credulity or render his -travels more marvellous by introducing circumstances which, however -true, were of little or no moment.” - -Happily his narrative required no aid from such suppressed adventures, -however strange they might be, or however much we should have liked to -know them. He had incident enough to make half-a-dozen of the spun out -books of modern travel. Neither then nor since has any African explorer -had such a romantic tale to tell, nor has any out of all the long list -of adventurers who have followed told his tale so well. Some there -have been who have flourished more theatrically across the African -stage, and by virtue of striking dramatic effects, and a certain spice -of bloodshed, have struck the imagination of those who are content -with the superficial show of things, and are not too critical as to -their significance. But for actual hardships undergone, for dangers -faced, and difficulties overcome, together with an exhibition of the -virtues which make a man great in the rude battle of life, Mungo Park -stands without a rival. In one respect only--that of motive--does -another surpass him. Here Livingstone stands head and shoulders above -his predecessor, whose aspirations after personal name and fame, and -apathetic attitude towards the anti-slavery movement, will ill bear -comparison with the noble longings which inspired the great missionary -to travel, that the negro heathen might be brought within the pale of -Christian brotherhood, and stirred him to the consecration of his life -in healing “the great open sore of the Universe.” - -Not that Park was altogether awanting in all that tends towards the -spirit of self-sacrifice. On the contrary, throughout his whole -narrative we fail to find the faintest trace of vulgar ambition or -ignoble self-seeking. He deliberately suppressed incidents which -would have added greatly to his fame, especially among those whose -imagination is only appealed to by the marvellous. His whole nature -shrank from notoriety. He was retired and reserved in manner, and -instead of seeking to play the _rôle_ of the “lion” in society, -we find that he always looked forward to a time when, his labours -ended, he should be able to seek the seclusion and retirement of the -country--scarcely the goal this of a merely selfish ambition. - -As little was he actuated by the desire of gain, as Ruskin would have -us believe. Except perhaps in one conspicuous instance, African travel -has never been known to lead to the attainment of riches, and certainly -to Park money was never held out as an inducement. The spark that -quickened his manhood to heroism, and fired him “to scorn delights and -live laborious days,” was the worthy ambition of a noble mind to work -for the good of his country and the advancement of knowledge, rewarded -solely by the approbation of his own conscience and the esteem of good -men. - -It is to be remembered that a hundred years ago Christian philanthropy -had not become so cosmopolitan--so world-embracing--as to take within -its sphere all who bear the name of man, without respect of race, -religion, or degree of civilisation. From what we know of his intense -religious convictions and kindly nature, Park, had he lived at the -present day, would probably have been a missionary aflame for the -cause of Christ and ready to lay down his life for it, or a traveller -preaching a crusade, not only against the slave trade, which is so -often ignorantly ascribed to the influence of Islam, but against the -gin trade likewise, which with quite as much plausibility might be -associated with Christianity. - -At the period of the publication of Park’s narrative the question -of Abolition was in every man’s mind. The horrors of the middle -passage--the iniquities perpetrated in the plantations by men calling -themselves Englishmen--were being painted in colours by no means too -dark. Park’s book came opportunely to add to the literature of the -subject, and undoubtedly, in spite of the anti-abolition opinions he -was believed to hold, the facts he disclosed regarding the horrors of -the slave route added materially to the arguments of the Abolitionists. -Coming, indeed, as was believed, from one of the opposite party, they -were of all the more value, the natural assumption being that the -worst aspects had been softened down and as good a case made out for -slavery as was possible without direct violation of the truth. It was -abundantly clear to all unprejudiced minds that the conditions under -which the trade was carried on, and the evil results flowing from it as -described by Park, were iniquitous and shameful in the extreme. To such -Park’s opinions were of small account compared with his facts, and we -may safely conclude that these latter very materially contributed to -the sweeping away of the vile traffic. - - - - -CHAPTER XVIII. - -_MUNGO PARK AT HOME--(Continued)._ - - -After the publication of his narrative there was nothing to detain Park -longer in London, while there was much to attract him to Scotland. -Accordingly he returned to Foulshiels in the summer of 1799. - -On the 2nd of August of that year he was married to Miss Anderson. -Of the personality of this lady we know little beyond the simple -facts that she was tall and handsome, amiable in disposition, with -no special mental endowments, and if anything somewhat frivolous and -pleasure-loving--characteristics very unlike what we should have -expected in the wife of such a man as Park. - -In personal appearance the young explorer must have been quite a -match for his wife. The portrait of him which has come down to us -shows a head of noble proportions. The fine brow speaks of his mental -powers; the prominent, finely chiselled nose, firm, well-shaped mouth, -and powerful jaws, indicate the iron will and marked individuality -which he showed himself to possess. No less striking and attractive -are the eyes, which look forth so calmly, aglow with truthfulness, -self-possession, and confidence. In person he was tall, reaching quite -six feet, and exceedingly well proportioned. His whole appearance was -prepossessing. - -It is impossible to say what were Park’s plans for his future life -when he took to himself a wife. Probably they were but ill-defined -even to himself. It may be safely concluded, however, that he had -then no intention of returning to Africa. All the horrors of his -recent experiences were still too strongly upon him to make the idea -of a new journey welcome. Moreover, the after penalty of those months -of starvation and atrocious fare had still to be paid by inveterate -dyspepsia and its concomitant evils of gloom and despondency. While -under its influence his sleep was much broken, and too often night -was made one hideous nightmare by dreams of being back once more in -captivity among the Moors of Ludamar, and subjected to the old tortures -and indignities. - -Probably, therefore, when he married, he did so in the belief that -there would be no occasion for separation--no likelihood of his ever -entering upon any engagements which should make him unable to fulfil -his duty to his wife as a loving, ever-present protector and support. - -At no time does Park ever seem to have been enamoured of his -profession, and after the life he had recently led he felt a repugnance -to settling down to its uncongenial routine. - -For the moment, however, he did not feel called upon to come to -an immediate decision as to his future work in life. The liberal -remuneration which he had received from the African Association, -together with the profits of his book, had placed him for the time -being in easy circumstances. He could therefore afford to wait to see -what might turn up. He had become well known. He had powerful friends. -There was accordingly every likelihood that something congenial would -be found for him. Meanwhile he resolved to settle down quietly at -Foulshiels. - -At this period his mother was still alive, and the farm was worked by -one of his brothers. Most of the family had done well. One sister, as -we have already seen, had married Mr. Dickson, who had risen both to -moderate affluence and to considerable fame as a botanist. Another -had found a husband in a well-to-do farmer in the neighbourhood. -His brother Adam had gone through the same course as himself, and -had become established as a doctor in Gravesend; while a second -brother, Alexander, had been made under-sheriff for the county, the -sheriff-principal being Sir Walter Scott. - -Of this brother Scott himself gives us a sketch in his introduction -to the “Lady of the Lake,” when recalling his doubts of the poem’s -success:-- - -“I remember that about the same time a friend (Arch. Park) started in -to ‘heeze up my hope,’ like the sportsman with his cutty gun in the -old song. He was bred a farmer, but a man of powerful understanding, -natural good taste, and warm poetical feeling, perfectly competent -to supply the wants of an imperfect or irregular education. He was a -passionate admirer of field sports, which we often pursued together.” -And then Scott goes on to tell how he was in the habit of reading the -poem to him to experiment as to the effect produced on one who was “but -too favourable a representative of readers at large.” Archibald Park -remained in Scott’s employment for many years, and was frequently his -companion in his mountain rides. - -In 1799, the Government made certain proposals to Park relative -to his going out in some official capacity to New South Wales. Of -this, however, nothing came, though whether the fault lay with the -Government or with the explorer is not known. - -The natural consequences of idleness to a man of Park’s personality -and past life soon became apparent. With a wife of no particular depth -of character and no special mental attainments, however attractive and -amiable she might otherwise be, there could be but small absorption of -his thoughts. With no other society, and no work to keep him occupied, -there could be but one result--restlessness and revolt against the -position in which he found himself, and the gradual upgrowth of the old -longings and ideas--the irrepressible fever of travel. Coincidently -he began to forget the hardships and dangers he had experienced, and -as they grew less and less vivid, and gradually dropped into the -background of his memory, the fascination of discovery, of travel -in strange lands and among strange peoples--the wish to settle the -unsolved mystery of the Niger--began anew to assert their power and -possess him with ever-growing force. - -For the time the African Association was resting on their oars as far -as prosecuting their work from West Africa was concerned, though in -1798 Horneman had been despatched to penetrate to the Sudan from Egypt. - -No doubt this was partly due to the enormous difficulties and ever -present dangers which Park had described, partly also perhaps on -account of the war then being waged with France. - -In 1800 Goree had been captured, an event which inspired Park to write -(July 31, 1800) to Sir Joseph Banks, pointing out its importance -in relation to renewed attempts to penetrate the interior of the -Continent. After describing his views on the subject, he adds--“If -such are the views of Government, I hope that my exertions in some -station or other may be of use to my country.” - -In 1801 the negotiations with the Government relative to the New South -Wales mission were resumed. A visit to London was found necessary for a -satisfactory discussion of the matter, and accordingly we find Park in -the metropolis in the early spring. - -How deep and tender was his affection for his winsome wife is shown -in a letter written to her during the visit--one of the few glimpses -that have come down to us of the more private side of the explorer’s -character. - -The letter is dated March 12th, 1801, and is as follows:-- - - “MY LOVELY AILIE,--Nothing gives me more pleasure than to write - to you, and the reason why I delayed it a day last time was to - get some money to send to you. You say you are wishing to spend - a note upon yourself. My sweet Ailie, you may be sure I approve - of it. What is mine is yours, and I receive much pleasure from - your goodness in consulting me about such a trifle. I wish I had - thousands to give you, but I know that my Ailie will be contented - with what we have, and we shall live in the hope of seeing better - days. I long very much to be with you, my love, and I was in great - hopes of having things settled before now, but Sir Joseph (Banks) - is ill, and I can do nothing till he recovers. - - “I am happy to know you will go to New South Wales with me, my - sweet wife. You are everything that I could desire; and wherever - we go, you may be sure of one thing, that I shall always love you. - Whenever I have fixed on this or any other situation I shall write - to you. In the meantime, let nobody know till things are settled, - as there is much between the cup and the lip. - - “My lovely Ailie, you are constantly in my thoughts. I am tired - of this place, but cannot lose the present opportunity of doing - something for our advantage. When that is accomplished I shall not - lose one moment. My darling, when we meet I shall be the happiest - man on earth. Write soon, for I count the days till I hear from - you, my lovely Ailie.” - -Again the negotiations with the Government fell through, and there -was nothing for it but for Park to return once more to Foulshiels -disappointed and discouraged, but possessed more than ever by the -fever of unrest--more and more under the influence of the Niger -magnet--against which the sole counteracting forces were love for his -wife, the dread of being separated from her, and his duty as a husband. - -It was in this not very suitable mood that he was forced to face the -fact that he must no longer depend on the vague hope of finding a -congenial opening, but must put his hand to something, however alien to -his tastes and aspirations. For a time he thought of taking a farm, but -at last reluctantly came to the conclusion that his best course would -be to resume his profession as a doctor. An opening presented itself -in the neighbouring town of Peebles, where he went to reside in the -month of October, occupying a house at the head of the Brygate, while -his surgery was a small projecting building--since demolished--east -from the first Chambers’ Institute. In a lane behind was his humble -laboratory. - -[Illustration: - - I had a letter from Adam on Monday-last but I suppose by this time - he has sailed for India. - - My compl. to all friends and I remain my lovely Ailie yours ever - - Mungo Park. - - London } - March 12} - 1801 } - - P.S. write soon for I count the days until your answer comes - -EXTRACT OF MUNGO PARK’S LETTER TO HIS WIFE.] - -Park threw himself into his work with characteristic energy and -thoroughness, and speedily won for himself a fair share of the practice -of the town and country. The profits, however, were of the poorest, and -the work of the hardest--so much so, indeed, that he once said to Scott -he “would rather brave Africa and all its horrors than wear out his -life in long and toilsome rides over cold and lonely heaths and gloomy -hills, assailed by the wintry tempest, for which the remuneration was -hardly enough to keep soul and body together.” - -On the strength of this reported offhand remark, Ruskin, without -troubling to inquire further into the history of the man, has -formulated the following indictment. This “terrific” sentence, he says, -“signifies, if you look into it, almost total absence of the instinct -of personal duty--total absence of belief in the God who chose for him -his cottage birthplace and set him his life task beside it; absolute -want of interest in his profession, of sense for natural beauty, -and of compassion for the noblest poor of his native land. And with -these absences there is the clearest evidence of the fatalist of the -vices, Avarice--in the exact form in which it was the ruin of Scott -himself--the love of money for the sake of worldly position.” - -Never was more sweeping accusation founded on more slender data. -Practically, Park is charged with absence of a belief in God, and of a -sense of duty to his fellows, because he finds his profession toilsome -and uncongenial. - -The argument seems to be that the man is an atheist and a sinner -against society who is not content to remain in the sphere in which he -was born, and in which accordingly his life task is divinely set. - -Were such a position tenable, it is difficult to see how any progress, -either personal or social, would be possible. From it, in the present -instance, would naturally follow that Park was as little to be -justified in choosing to be a doctor rather than a peasant farmer, as -in preferring to be an explorer rather than either. - -What Ruskin takes exception to, however, is not Park’s choosing a -profession, but that the choice once made, he should seek to abandon -it. But if it were permissible to him as a youth, ignorant alike of -himself, the world, and the profession he was about to enter, to -choose, surely it was equally permissible that as a man, with some -knowledge of all three, he should withdraw in favour of the work to -which he knew himself adapted. The instinct and capacities which fitted -him for an explorer were as divinely implanted as his birthplace had -been divinely appointed. Moreover, those “noblest poor of his native -land,” to whom Ruskin so pathetically refers, were not alone dependent -on Park for medical aid--a circumstance which would have lent another -colour to his final resolve to forsake them. Doctors there were in -plenty, alike able and willing to serve them; but there was but one -Mungo Park--but one man, as far as was known, who by his special -gifts and wide experience was suited for the peculiar and arduous -work of African exploration. Upon him then it devolved, with all the -sacrednesss of a divinely appointed mission, as indeed he deemed -it, and accepted it accordingly, to the exclusion of all narrower -obligations. - -There still remains the charge of Avarice, based on Park’s simple -statement that his “unceasing toil was hardly sufficient to keep soul -and body together.” Is then the physician less entitled than say the -author to a just remuneration for his services, or does Ruskin share -the not uncommon popular delusion that though butchers’ and bakers’ -bills demand immediate attention, the payment of the doctor’s is to be -regarded as optional, or subject to the convenience of the patient. -Neither supposition is to be entertained for a moment. Indeed the -charge rests upon too flimsy a foundation ever to be taken seriously by -any unprejudiced mind, and we can only regretfully wonder what could -have induced Mr. Ruskin so far to forget the Justice and Charity he is -so fond of preaching as to bring it forward. - -Beyond the record of “unceasing toil” little is known of how Park spent -the time he was resident in Peebles. The town itself is described -as being in those days “quiet as the grave”--a reputation it still -maintains, judging from the innuendo in the ironical phrase, “Peebles -for pleasure!” - -To Park, however, the absence of the brighter aspect of life was a -small matter. Society had but little attraction for him, and his was -the severe Scottish nature which avoided as almost sinful anything -bordering upon frivolous pleasure. From all lionising and the silly -questioning of the ignorant and the impertinently curious he had a -natural shrinking, though at any time delighted to talk of his travels -and of matters African with the intelligent and the well-informed. -Quiet and seclusion were, however, more to his mind, and were to be -enjoyed to the full in the peaceful little town. Such society as he -wanted he had in his own domestic circle, beyond which he was happy -in the intimacy which sprang up between him and two distinguished -residents--Colonel John Murray of Kringaltie and Dr. Adam Ferguson, -formerly Professor of Moral Philosophy in Edinburgh, and author -of several well-known works. Toilsome and monotonous as was his -professional life, it was not without its brighter and more humorous -side, as witness the following story told by Dr. Anderson, the nephew -of Park’s wife:-- - -“One wild night in winter Park lost his way, till discovering a light, -he directed his horse towards it, and found himself before a shepherd’s -cottage. It so happened that the Doctor arrived there in the nick -of time, for the shepherd’s wife was on the point of confinement. -He waited till all was safely over, and next morning the shepherd -escorted him to where he could see the distant road. Park, noticing -his conductor lag behind, asked him the reason, on which the simple or -humorous man replied, ‘’Deed, sir, my wife said she was sure you must -be an angel, and I think sae tae; so I am just keepin’ ahint to be sure -I’ll see you flee up.’” - -As time went on, Park’s longing to return to Africa grew ever more -intense, nourished as it was by hopes from time to time held out to -him. Barely, for instance, had he settled down to life in Peebles, -when he received a letter from Sir Joseph Banks, acquainting him that -in consequence of the Peace (then recently signed with France), the -Association intended to revive their project of sending a mission to -Africa in order to penetrate to and navigate the Niger. If Government -took up the matter, Park would certainly be recommended as the person -proper to be employed for carrying it into execution. As with previous -projects, however, nothing came of it for the time being, though it -continued to be talked about more or less during the next two years. - -In the autumn of 1803 he was desired by the Colonial Office to -repair without delay to London. This summons he promptly obeyed. On -his arrival he had an interview with the Earl of Buckingham, the -Secretary for the Colonies, who informed him that the Government had -resolved on fitting out an expedition to Africa, of which he was to -have the command, if he was willing to take it. It was exactly what -he wanted--exactly what he had been impatiently awaiting for three -years; but nevertheless he asked for a short time to think the matter -over and consult his friends. The favour was granted, and he returned -to Scotland. The consultations referred to being for the most part a -mere formality, in a few days his acceptance was forwarded to London, -whither he followed immediately after arranging his affairs and taking -leave of his family. - -[Map: REDUCED FAC-SIMILE OF MUNGO PARK’S AUTOGRAPH MAP.] - - - - -CHAPTER XIX. - -_PREPARING FOR A NEW EXPEDITION._ - - -In this as in his earlier expedition, Park was dogged by his usual -ill-luck. - -Disappointment met him at the very outset. - -He had left Scotland in the belief that almost every arrangement had -been made, and that a very short time would suffice to complete the -necessary preparations. - -He arrived in London only to hear that the departure of the expedition -had been postponed till the end of February 1804. With what patience he -possessed he waited. The allotted time went by. Once more everything -was ready. Part of the troops destined for the service were actually on -board ship, when orders came countermanding the expedition, pending the -decision of Lord Camden, the new Colonial Secretary, as to whether it -should go at all or not. - -Park was naturally bitterly disappointed at thus being thrown again on -the seas of uncertainty. The expedition might now never set out, and -the task of solving the great African problem would be reserved for -another. - -Meanwhile the date of departure was provisionally put off till -September, and till then he was recommended to return to Scotland -and occupy the interval in perfecting himself in taking astronomical -observations and in learning Arabic--acquirements which would be of -the utmost importance to him afterwards. - -A suitable teacher of Arabic was found in one Sidi Ambak Bubi, a native -of Mogador, and then residing in London. Accompanied by the Moor, -Park returned to Peebles in March. Here he remained till May, when he -finally quitted that town and took up his residence at Foulshiels while -awaiting the decision of the Colonial Office. - -It was at this time that the great traveller came in contact with his -still greater countryman and neighbour, Sir Walter Scott, then living -at Ashesteil, and separated from Foulshiels only by the sharp ridge of -hills which divides the Yarrow from the Tweed. - -Between two such men--the one absorbed in a career of prospective -action in a new continent, the other revelling in a romantic world of -retrospective thought--it might be supposed there was little in common. - -In reality there was much. Scott, though he delighted to sing of -the past and conjure up its knightly deeds, had a soul capable of -appreciating all forms of glorious and adventurous enterprise, whether -seen in the prosaic lights of the passing moment, or invested with the -romantic vagueness and fascinating glamour which the shades of time -gather around bygone days. To such an one Park was a man after his own -heart. Had but his deeds been surrounded with the pomp and circumstance -which glorified those of the knights of old, Scott might have sung them -in a similar heroic strain. Mayhap the day will come when another Scott -will arise to do for Park and his successors what Sir Walter and others -have done for the heroic figures of our nation’s history. - -On the other hand, Park, imbued as he likewise was with the romantic -instinct, could not fail to be attracted by Scott’s peculiar genius. -Moreover, both were Scotchmen, both Borderers, and both alike were -passionate lovers of the minstrelsy, tales, traditions, and ballads of -their native country. The ballads especially were dear to Park, and -he tells how, in his last expedition, one of his followers used “to -beguile the watches of the night with the songs of our dear native -land.” - -But whatever were the links which drew these two famous men together, -they were sufficient speedily to develop a very warm and cordial -friendship, and visits were frequently interchanged across the heathery -hills which separated them. On one of these occasions Scott discovered -Park sitting alone beside the noisy Yarrow, employed in the apparently -idle and boyish amusement of throwing stones into the river and -anxiously watching the bubbles as they rose to the surface. On being -asked what interest he found in such a pastime, Park replied that he -was thus in the habit of ascertaining the depth of rivers in Africa -before venturing to cross them--the time taken by the bubbles to rise -being an indication of the depth. - -Early in September came the long expected summons to repair to London, -and Park lost no time in settling his affairs preparatory to leaving -home. Among others, he paid a farewell visit to Sir Walter Scott at -Ashesteil, where he spent the night. Next morning his host accompanied -him on his way to Foulshiels. The path lay up the Glenkinnen to -Williamhope, whence it continued over the ridge and passed between the -Brown Knowe and the humpy elevation of the Broomy Law. As they passed -from the birchen slopes of Glenkinnen into the heather and grass-clad -zones above, Park talked much of his plans of exploration, and the -results that would accrue to science and commerce should he prove -successful. - -Under other conditions the panorama which slowly unfolds itself with -the ascent of the hill would have been sufficient to draw even Park’s -thoughts from Africa and the Niger. The various glens and valleys of -the Tweed, the Gala, the Yarrow, and the Ettrick divide the land into a -picturesque succession of winding ridges, isolated hills, and rounded -mountain tops, where wood, heather, and grass give variety of colour to -the higher levels, while below waving crops and busy harvest-fields, -ruined castle and noble mansion, humble cottage and straggling village, -with glancing bits of stream and river, flocks of sheep and scattered -herds of cattle, combine to produce the softer effects of “cultivated -nature.” - -But on this day of leave-taking a leaden-coloured mist hung over hill -and valley, hiding their every feature. Only now and again did the -breeze lift a corner of the enshrouding veil and give a momentary -glimpse, vague and fleeting, of glen and hill-top. As they talked of -the coming journey Scott seemed to see in the vaguely defined landscape -an emblem of his friend’s prospects, where all was problematic, -uncertain--the path beset with unknown dangers and pitfalls, nothing -sure save the presence of surrounding perils which might neither be -foreseen nor prepared for. In this ignorance as regards the exact -nature of the dangers to be faced lies one of the chief difficulties -and terrors of travel in unexplored savage lands. All the traveller -does know is that dangers in various forms will most assuredly confront -him, and he must depend upon his presence of mind and readiness of -resource at the moment to avoid or repel them. - -But Park was not to be debarred from his enterprise by any thought of -the difficulties in the way. To all that Scott could urge he had his -answer. The idea of solving the question of the Niger’s termination was -one which possessed him to the exclusion of all thoughts of self. As -well have asked him to renounce his belief in the existence of God as -expect him to give up his cherished scheme. - -At last the glen of the Yarrow lay before them. At the bottom could be -hazily defined the “birchen bower,” from which the stately tower of -Newark and the humble cottage of Foulshiels alike looked forth on the -beautiful murmurous stream. - -Here they must say good-bye. A ditch divided the road from the moor, -and in crossing it Park’s horse stumbled and nearly fell. “I am afraid, -Mungo,” said Scott, “that is a bad omen.” “Freits” (_i.e._, omens) -“follow those who look to them,” was the prompt reply; and without -another word Park rode away and disappeared in the mist. - -It now only remained to Park to take farewell of his wife. Brave as -he was, the ordeal was more than he dared face. Not that she had -raised any objections to his going, or put any barriers in the way. -Seeing how much her husband’s heart was in it, and not perhaps without -some natural womanly pride in being the wife of a hero rather than -of a nobody, she seems to have accepted as a matter of course his -determination to avail himself of the chance of further distinction -presented by the proposed expedition. Still, the moment of actual -parting, with the prospect of at best a long period of separation, -would be agony. Even better than his wife Park knew how many chances -there were that the separation might be final--that wife and children, -of whom there were now three, might never see him again. Sanguine as he -was of success, there were moments when he could not but admit that the -coming enterprise looked very like a forlorn hope--moments, too, when -it became difficult for him to discern whether his duty to humanity or -to his family had the stronger claim upon him. - -It was under the influence of some such feeling of despondency that -he finally resolved to spare both himself and his wife the anguish -of a parting scene, and betaking himself to Edinburgh on the plea of -business, thence wrote to her his last farewell. - -On his arrival in London in September 1804, Park presented a written -statement to the Colonial Office embodying his views as to the -commercial and geographical results likely to accrue from the intended -expedition, at the same time pointing out the best means to accomplish -the work as regards men and goods. In this memorandum he pointed out -the course he proposed to pursue. Passing through Bondu, Kajaaga, -Fuladu, and Bambarra to Sego, he would construct a boat and proceed by -way of Jenné and Kabara (the port of Timbuktu) through the kingdoms of -Haussa, Nyffé (now called Nupé), and Kashna, &c., to the kingdom of -Wangara. If the river ended here, he pointed out, his chief difficulty -would begin. To return by the Niger, to cross the desert to Tripoli or -Egypt, or to pass eastward to the Nile and Abyssinia, he considered -equally difficult. The most feasible course seemed that towards -the Bight of Benin. If, however, the Niger was, as he confidently -believed, in reality the Congo, he would follow it to its termination. -After pointing out the grounds for his belief, Park concluded with the -opinion that when “your Lordship shall have duly weighed the above -reasons, you will be induced to conclude that my hopes of returning by -the Congo are not altogether fanciful, and that the expedition, though -attended with extreme danger, promises to be productive of the utmost -advantage to Great Britain. Considered in a commercial point of view, -it is second only to the discovery of the Cape of Good Hope, and in a -geographical point of view is certainly the greatest discovery that -remains to be made in the world”--a very strong statement of the case, -it must be admitted, though undoubtedly if the Niger and the Congo had -proved to be one, it could scarcely have been said to be too strong. - -Park had been converted to this view of the identity of the two great -rivers by one George Maxwell, a West African trader, who had seen much -of the Congo near its mouth, and had published a chart embodying the -results of his observations. When closely examined, the arguments in -its favour were of small value, and practically arose out of the fact -that there was a large river with a southerly trend whose termination -was unknown, while further south there was a second, the Congo, whose -origin was equally a mystery. Prolong these in the necessary direction -and the result is identity, and the mystery of both is settled. - -Meanwhile Major Rennell stuck to his view with all the pertinacity of -the arm-chair geographer, and the man of one idea. For him the Niger -ended in the desert wastes of Wangara and Ghana. Unfortunately for his -theory the Major was unconsciously confounding two Wangaras separated -from each other by fifteen hundred miles and more, and likewise the -old Empire of Ghana on the middle course of the Niger with Kano at -the eastern extremity of the Haussa States. A similar confusion also -appears in Park’s memorandum, where he speaks of the continuation of -the river after Nupé to Kashna (Katsina) and the kingdom of Wangara. - -Strange indeed it seems to us now that no geographer even at this time -ever suggested that the outlet of the Niger might be in the Bight -of Benin, among the numerous creeks that penetrate the low swampy -mangrove ground which here subtends the Bight. Looking at the map, -the suggestion seems to us to come naturally, yet Park had to carry -the course of the river away south to the Congo; Rennell turned it -west, and ended it where our maps are now occupied by Lake Chad, while -there were not wanting others, like Jackson, who persisted in joining -it to the Nile, “en abusant, pour ainsi dire, du vaste carrière que -l’intérieur de l’Afrique y laissait prendre,” as D’Anville had said of -earlier geographers. - -Whatever we may now think of Park’s theories as to the termination of -the Niger, they did not appear in any way absurd in his own time. The -wildest conjecture was permissible as regards a vast river flowing -by an uncertain course through a continent still blank on our maps. -Accordingly his memorandum was received favourably by Lord Camden, and -the despatch of the expedition to carry out the traveller’s ideas was -determined on. - -A liberal compensation was to be given to Park on his return, and it -was also stipulated that in the event of his death, or of his not -being heard of within a given period, a certain sum should be paid by -Government as a provision for his wife and family. - -Meanwhile Rennell, in the most friendly fashion, not only argued -against Park’s views as to the Niger termination, but earnestly advised -him to relinquish his dangerous project. With as little effect in -the one case as in the other, however. The explorer’s determination, -like his opinions, was not to be shaken. Sir Joseph Banks took up a -more philosophic position. He admitted the hazardous nature of the -enterprise; but since the work was not to be accomplished without risk -of life, he could not attempt to dissuade Park from it, he being the -man most likely to carry it through with least danger of a fatal issue. - -Gradually the affairs of the expedition began to take shape. Dr. -Alexander Anderson, Park’s young brother-in-law, was selected as -his second in command, and Mr. George Scott, a fellow-dalesman, was -added to the party as draughtsman. A few boat-builders and artificers -were also to accompany the party from England, for the purpose of -constructing the boat intended for the navigation of the Niger when it -was reached. Soldiers to assist and protect the expedition were to be -selected at Goree, where a garrison of the African corps was stationed. - -It was now a matter of paramount importance that the expedition should -leave England at once if it was to take advantage of the dry season. -But official red-tape was as difficult to galvanise into activity and -life as African apathy, and in spite of his utmost endeavours to push -matters on, delay succeeded upon delay, and Park saw the good season -gradually dwindling away, leaving him to the maddening contemplation -of all the additional difficulties and dangers engendered by the rains. -Two whole months were thus lost; and when he at last received his -official instructions, he knew that the Government, by its continued -procrastination, had done much if not everything to ensure a disastrous -termination to the expedition. - -In the instructions supplied to him Park’s mission was defined as being -to discover whether and to what extent commercial intercourse could be -established in the interior of Africa for the mutual benefit of the -natives and of His Majesty’s subjects. He was directed to proceed up -the Gambia, and thence to the banks of the Niger by way of the Senegal. -The special object of his journey was to determine the course of the -Niger, and to establish communication with all the different nations -on its banks. He was at liberty to pursue any return route which he -might find most suitable, either by turning west to the Atlantic, or by -marching upon Cairo. - -To carry out this great mission effectively, a captain’s commission -was bestowed on him, and that of a lieutenant on Anderson. European -soldiers to the number of forty-five, and as many natives as he might -deem necessary, were to be selected at Goree, and a sufficient number -of donkeys at St. Jago. He was further empowered to draw for any sum he -might want not exceeding £5000. - - - - -CHAPTER XX. - -_PARK’S SECOND RETURN TO THE GAMBIA._ - - -On the 31st January 1805, Park, with his companions and four or five -artificers, sailed from Portsmouth in the _Crescent_ transport for St. -Jago, Cape Verde Islands. - -In crossing the Bay of Biscay they were considerably detained by storms -and contrary winds, so that it took five weeks to reach their primary -destination. From St. Jago, where forty-four donkeys were purchased, -they proceeded to Goree, arriving at that station on the 21st of March. -Here the idea of an expedition to the Niger was received with such -enthusiasm by officers and men alike that the entire garrison was ready -to join--the officers for the adventure and honour of the thing, the -men for the increased pay and promised discharge on their return. - -One officer, Lieutenant Martyn, was selected, and with him thirty-five -privates and two seamen. - -Park’s idea of taking with him a considerable number of European -artisans and soldiers must be considered one of the greatest blunders -he ever made. A moment’s thought should surely have told him that he -ran a terrible risk of speedily losing the greater number by death, and -that through sickness the majority of those who kept alive would be -more a hindrance than a help to him. He should have known that these -ignorant men were not as he himself seemed to be--rendered disease and -privation proof by the determination to achieve a certain great object. -Against all forms of death, save death by violence, his _will_ was to -him a magic mail. With his men it was different. Ignorant of what was -before them--incapable of comprehending it even had it been told--they -only saw in the enterprise a certain freedom from irksome garrison -restrictions and military discipline, increased pay, and the prospect -of early discharge. To all else they were blind. - -Brought face to face with hourly dangers, privations, and incessant -toil, they quickly realised their mistake. Everything was forgotten -save the present physical suffering. Sick and dispirited, what was the -question of the Niger’s course to them? A mere name, without power to -fire their imagination or inspire their enthusiasm. How insignificant, -too, appeared the material recompense. Thus with nothing to buoy them -up, nothing to lure them on and keep them from magnifying and dwelling -on their troubles, there could be nothing but apathy--with apathy, -despondency, and finally death. This has been the history, more or -less, of nearly all African expeditions in which ignorant European -men have been employed, tempted to join merely for pay or other -considerations of a personal character. In proportion as the members -of an expedition have been inspired by its ultimate objects, they have -lived to see it through, because in that proportion they have given -less attention to their hardships and sicknesses. The less they have -thought of themselves, and the more their minds have been centred on -their work, the better have been their chances of pulling through. - -But though all the whites of the Goree garrison were willing to -accompany Park, not one of the negroes of the place could be induced -to join, and he therefore had to depend on getting such natives as he -wanted on the Gambia. He left Goree on the 6th of April, and reached -Kayi, on the Gambia, a few days later. - -The prospect now before him was anything but pleasant. The rainy -season, which he had such good grounds to fear, was rapidly approaching. -There were but two alternatives--either to wait till the next dry -season before starting, or go on and face the worst--the fevers, -the rains, the marshes, the flooded rivers, and all the other -accompaniments of the wet season. These must undoubtedly produce much -sickness, probably many deaths, innumerable exasperating delays, and -other troubles--must increase, in fact, by a hundredfold the perils -and trials of the expedition. On the other hand, to wait would mean -a delay of seven months--seven months of inaction, of intolerable -fretting at the very threshold of the enterprise. The idea was out of -the question. Besides, men, animals, and goods were ready for the road, -and the Government expected them to proceed forthwith. A delay of the -kind had not been foreseen, and had not been provided for in Park’s -instructions. Of the two evils, therefore, he chose the one which was -most in harmony with his own eager spirit, determining to risk all -and start forthwith. Having once made up his mind, he put aside all -fears and apprehensions, and would allow nothing to damp his sanguine -hopes. In this spirit he wrote to Dickson:--“Everything at present -looks as favourable as I could wish, and if all things go well this -day six weeks I expect to drink all your healths in the water of the -Niger. The soldiers are in good health and spirits. They are the most -_dashing_ men I ever saw, and if they preserve their health we may keep -ourselves perfectly secure from any hostile attempt on the part of the -natives. I have little doubt but that I shall be able, with presents -and fair words, to pass through the country to the Niger, and if once -we are afloat the day is won.” - -We can easily believe that Park in this letter does not give a faithful -indication of his real position at the moment of writing. He may have -expressed his hopes truly enough, but he carefully avoids showing the -fears which went side by side with them. What exact significance the -term “dashing,” as applied to his soldiers, bears in relation to their -qualities as members of an African expedition, might be a matter of -discussion; but while we have every reason to believe they were the -best the garrison could supply, it must also be remembered that the -African corps was the residuum of the British army at a time when it -was the chief resort of the rascaldom of the country. A residence, -however short, in a West African garrison, could have improved neither -their physique, their morals, nor their discipline, and certainly was -not calculated to fit them for one of the most dangerous and trying -enterprises any man could enter upon, and requiring moral and physical -qualities which only the very few possess. - -To his error in taking with him such a large party of Europeans, Park -added an even worse mistake, and one for which less excuse can be -found. Nowhere in his diary do we find a single reference to his having -any native followers to do the common drudgery of the camp and the -road. This was a want of foresight which appears almost incredible in -one who knew what was before him, and the results which followed when -all the men fell sick were disastrous beyond description. - -Thus, then, to the extreme perils and hardships which attend an African -expedition at all times, Park added a start at the worst possible time -of the year, and with the worst possible selection of men. What came of -it the following pages will show. - -On the 27th of April 1805, all was ready for the march. The initial -point was Kayi, on the river Gambia, a few miles below Pisania, the -place from which Park started on his first expedition. How different -were his preparations for this new attempt. In the former he had left -for the interior attended by a man and a boy--a single donkey carrying -all the goods and stores he required. This time he was provided with -forty-four Europeans, and a large quantity of baggage of all kinds, -transported by as many donkeys as there were men. As already said, -we find no allusion in his letters or journals to his having any -native attendants, though possibly there might have been one or two as -personal servants. Isaaco, a Mandingo priest and merchant, had been -engaged to act as guide, and he it seems was accompanied by several of -his own people. - -Under cover of a salute from the _Crescent_ and other vessels gathered -on the river, the caravan filed out of Kayi, and took the road for -the interior--each man, according to his temperament, aspirations, -and education, filled with varied emotions of hope and fear, at once -attracted and repelled by the vague unknown which lay before him. - -The troubles and worries attendant on leading a large caravan in Africa -became only too soon apparent. The day was extremely hot. Under the -influence of the overpowering temperature the overloaded donkeys lay -down and refused to proceed, while others, resenting the imposition of -any burden, did what they could to kick themselves free, thus giving an -infinite amount of trouble to their drivers. - -The men themselves, fresh from the relaxing life and coarse debaucheries -of a West African garrison, soon began to give in as well as their -donkeys, so that before long the caravan, from being a continuous -line, was broken into detached groups and isolated individuals resting -here, struggling on there. Finally the party got completely divided, -some under Lieutenant Martyn taking one way, and the rest with Park -another. Towards evening they again became united, and reached a -suitable camping ground thoroughly fatigued by their first march. Next -day Pisania was reached, and here a halt became necessary to make some -final preparations and purchase eight more donkeys. - -On the 4th of May the journey was resumed. The caravan was divided into -six messes, each with its due proportion of animals marked for easy -identification. Scott and one of Isaaco’s men led the way, Martyn took -charge of the centre body, while Anderson and Park brought up the rear. -Even with the additional beasts of burden there was a repetition of -the troubles which marked the first march--troubles which became each -day more harassing with the failing strength of the donkeys and the -sickness which after a time developed among their drivers. The leaders -were each provided with horses for riding, but in a very short time -they had to take to their feet, that their animals might be utilised -for the transport of loads belonging to broken-down donkeys. A few days -more and this likewise proved insufficient, and both new donkeys and -new drivers had to be hired. - -By the fourth day from Pisania two soldiers were attacked by dysentery, -and a further addition to the strength of the caravan was found -necessary. In a week the expedition reached Medina, the capital of -Wuli, without special mishap, but with ever growing worries for its -leader. - -The keen eye to business so characteristic of negro races was well -shown by the women of Bambaku, who, on hearing of the coming of the -white men, drew all the water out of the wells in the hope of forcing -the strangers to buy it at a high price in beads and other gauds -dear to the negro heart. In this, however, they were outwitted by -the soldiers, and they had the inexpressible mortification of seeing -twenty-four hours’ labour utterly lost, and the beads as unattainable -as ever. - -Meanwhile the report of the passage of a rich caravan conducted by -many Europeans spread like wildfire, gaining in exaggeration with -every mile, and putting all the robber bands and chiefs on the -alert. Preceded by such rumours it became necessary to travel with -great circumspection, and in constant readiness for an attack. No -one was allowed to lay aside his gun. By way of invoking the aid of -a higher power than that of man, Isaaco, on entering the reputedly -dangerous woods of Simbani, laid a black ram across the road, and -after reciting a long prayer, cut its throat as a sacrifice. These -woods were alive with hundreds of antelopes. The Gambia, where it -traversed them, was a hundred yards wide, and showed a perceptible -tide. On the sands were great numbers of alligators, while the pools -teemed with hippos. Viewed from an eminence, the country towards the -west appeared abundantly rich and enchanting, the course of the Gambia -being traceable by its fringing lines of dark green trees winding in -serpentine curves seaward. - -At a place called Faraba, while unloading the animals preparatory to -camping, one of the soldiers fell down in an epileptic fit, and expired -in an hour. Here water was only to be got by digging. During the night, -as they were in the wilderness, and liable to attack, double sentries -were posted round the camp, and every man slept with his loaded musket -beside him. - -Next morning the Neaulico stream, then nearly dry, was passed, and -on that and a succeeding night they camped in the woods, the second -occasion being at the river Nerico. - -On the 18th the caravan entered Jallacotta, the first town of Tenda. - -Two days later they met with an insolent reception from the chief of -the independent village of Bady, who refused the caravan-tax sent him, -and threatened war if his exorbitant demands were not satisfied. Park -tried personally to arrange the dispute, but only met with threats. The -soldiers were at once ordered to be in readiness for whatever might -happen, while the chief was told that nothing more would be given -him, and that if he would not allow their peaceable passage through -his district, another would be found. After many angry words Park -prepared to carry his resolution into effect, but before the necessary -preparations were completed, Isaaco’s horse was seized by the Bady -people. On the owner going to demand its restitution, he himself was -laid hold of, deprived of his gun and sword, and then tied to a tree -and flogged. At the same time his boy was put in irons. - -It was now dark, but prompt action was necessary. Accordingly Park, -with a detachment of soldiers, entered the village to seize the robbers -of the horse, intending to hold them as hostages for the safe delivery -of the guide. This attempt naturally led to much uproar, ending finally -in blows, and the driving of all the chief’s people out of the village. -Isaaco, however, was nowhere to be found, and Park was somewhat puzzled -to know what to do. It would of course have been easy to burn down the -village, but this would have entailed death and ruin on many innocent -persons, possibly without producing the desired effect. Under the -circumstances it was deemed advisable to wait till daylight before -making an attack. This course proved to be both wise and humane, for -in the morning Isaaco was liberated and his horse restored, so that -eventually all ended amicably. - -On the 24th of May much lightning was seen to the south-east--ominous -premonition of the approaching rains. Of the party Park and Isaaco -alone could realise what those electric flashes betokened to the -fortunes of the expedition. - -Their way for the next three days lay through the Tenda Wilderness--with -all the hard marches, short rations, and scant supplies of water which -an uninhabited district at the end of the dry season implies, and which -were hardly to be compensated by the exceeding picturesqueness of the -scenery. - -At the second camp in the wilderness an extraordinary mishap befell -them. A hive of bees was disturbed by one of the men, with the result -that they swarmed out in angry myriads to attack the intruders. They -set upon man and beast alike, and in a twinkling had routed every -two-legged and four-footed thing in the camp. The men threw down -weapons--everything--and fled in dismay, along with frantic braying -donkeys. The horses similarly broke loose, and galloped to the woods -in a panic. Meanwhile the fires which had been kindled, being thus -left unattended, speedily began to spread to the surrounding dry grass -and bamboos. When Park and his companions had time to look round, they -discovered to their dismay that the whole camp was on fire, and menaced -by absolute and irretrievable ruin. - -Forgetful of all else before such an appalling danger to the -expedition, those who had suffered least from the furious bees rushed -back to save what they could. Happily not too late. Before the goods -were reached by the fire, Park and some of the men were ready to -receive the enemy, and eventually succeeded in extinguishing it. - -The impending conflagration over, the horses and donkeys were with -difficulty collected from the woods, many of them terribly stung -and swollen about the head. Three animals, besides Isaaco’s horse, -disappeared altogether. One donkey died that evening, another next -morning, and a third had to be abandoned, so vicious and deadly had -been the bees’ onslaught. - -Many curious superstitions were noticed by Park _en route_ through Wuli -and Tenda. At one place death was believed to be the portion of any one -who slept under a particular tree; at another, the fish in the river -must not be caught, else the water would dry up entirely; while at a -third, any traveller who would assure himself of a safe journey, must -lift and turn round a particular stone. - -At Julifunda the chief made exorbitant demands on the caravan, -threatening to attack them in the woods if these were not complied -with. Park’s resolute attitude, however, combined with an addition to -his first present, brought the quarrel to an amicable conclusion, and -he was permitted to continue his route unmolested. - -The expedition had now reached the eastern confines of the Gambia -basin, and writing home to his wife, Park reviewed his situation as -follows:-- - -“We are half through our journey (_i.e._ to the Niger) without the -smallest accident or unpleasant circumstance. We all of us keep our -health, and are on the most friendly terms with the natives.... By -the 27th of June we expect to have finished all our travels by land, -and when we have once got afloat on the river, we shall conclude -that we are embarking for England. I have never had the smallest -sickness, and Alexander (Mrs. Park’s brother) is quite free from all -his complaints.... We carry our own victuals with us, and live very -well--in fact we have only had a very pleasant journey; and yet this is -what we thought would be the worst part of it.” - -In looking back undoubtedly Park had every reason to be satisfied with -his journey so far. His men seemed to have worked heartily enough--at -least we find no indications in his journal of insubordination, -grumbling, or bad conduct. But then he never was in the habit of -putting the least stress on his troubles. It was of more importance to -him to be able to say that he had advanced a day’s march nearer the -Niger than that he had been subjected to a week’s maddening worry. All -vexations and discomforts he treated like the suppressed adventures -of his former narrative, of which he said that as they were only of -importance to himself, he would not weary the reader with a recital of -them. - -[Illustration: MUNGO PARK’S ENCAMPMENT.] - -It is only too probable that he had much trouble with his men, and -certainly between the lines we gather that he had an immense amount of -work to perform--looking after his caravan on the road, buying food, -and holding innumerable palavers, &c., in camp. Even the nights he -could not call his own, for observations for latitude and longitude -must be taken at all hours--notes written out, and the observations -calculated. He had to be at once overseer, buyer of food, interpreter, -surveyor, doctor, and general inspirer of the whole party. But he was -equal to everything that could be put on his shoulders. Within him he -had a sustaining force such as was known to none of those about him, -and which gave him a giant’s strength and the spirit of the gods. - - - - -CHAPTER XXI. - -_STILL STRUGGLING TOWARDS THE GREAT RIVER._ - - -Park in his letter home was careful only to look backward: it is now -our business to accompany him forward, and see what happened as he -passed across the Senegal basin on his way to the Niger. - -On the 7th of June he crossed the Samaku, which flows north to join -the Falemé, and in fear of an attack, travelled rapidly through an -uninhabited district by a forced march. Here two of the donkeys had to -be abandoned, and there being no guiding pathway, as darkness came on, -muskets were frequently fired to prevent the men losing each other. - -Early next day the Falemé was seen in the distance. The carpenter, who -had become very ill, could not sit upright on a donkey, and time after -time threw himself off, declaring that he would rather die. Latterly -it took two men to hold him in his seat by force, and at the Falemé, -which was crossed in the course of the day, he had to be left behind in -charge of a soldier. He died a few hours after. - -That night a heavy tornado burst upon the caravan. Five soldiers who -had not been under proper shelter, and got a wetting, became ill in -consequence. - -It could no longer be ignored that the rains were at last upon them, -and that just when they were in the network of streams into which the -Senegal and the Niger divide in their uppermost reaches. One terrible -necessity of their situation was, that sick or not sick, there could -be no halting to allow of possible recovery. They must push forward -towards their goal, though the route should be marked by the dead -bodies of their comrades. The longer the delay, the more difficult -would the march become, from flooded rivers, more incessant rains, and -the increasing swampiness of the country. - -Up to this time Park had followed his former return route. He -now determined to strike a line further north in order to avoid -the Jallonka Wilderness, of whose horrors he had such a lively -recollection. The new route was hard and rocky, and very fatiguing to -the donkeys. As the day went on many of the sick became hopelessly -unfit to drive their animals. One of them Park mounted on his own horse -while he himself assumed the part of donkey driver. Even then four of -the donkeys had to be left in the woods, and he himself did not reach -camp till long after dark. Before the tents could be pitched a tornado -came down upon them and drenched them to the skin. The ground was -speedily covered to a depth of three inches, and in this uncomfortable -plight--fireless, tentless, dripping--they had to pass the night. A -second tornado about two in the morning completed their discomfiture. - -This night, in Park’s own words, was “the beginning of sorrows.... -Now that the rain had set in, I trembled to think that we were only -half way through our journey. The rain had not commenced three minutes -before many of the soldiers were affected with vomiting, others fell -asleep, and seemed as if half intoxicated. I felt a strong inclination -to sleep during the storm, and as soon as it was over I fell asleep on -the wet ground, although I used every exertion to keep myself awake. -The soldiers likewise fell asleep on the wet bundles.” - -The immediate result of that night was the addition of twelve men -to the sick list. Next day all the horses and spare donkeys were -requisitioned to carry such as were unable to walk. The road proved -to be a difficult one along the base of the Konkadu mountains, whose -precipices overhung the line of march in threatening masses. - -Barely had camp been reached when once more a tornado burst in all its -fury, but thanks to the proximity of a village, with less disastrous -results than on the previous evening. - -The storm past, Park proceeded to examine some gold diggings; after -which, accompanied by Scott, he set off to the top of the Konkadu -hills, finding them cultivated to the highest elevations. There also he -found villages romantically situated in delightful glens, with water -and grass in abundance throughout the year; and there, “while the -thunder rolls in awful grandeur over their heads, they can look from -their tremendous precipices over all that wild and woody plain which -extends from the Falemé to the Bafing or Black River.” - -To struggle forward handicapped with incapable men and driverless -donkeys was now hard work. Half the caravan were sick, or too weak to -exert themselves with effect. The result was never-ending confusion -and delay. Unable to hold together, men and donkeys alike went astray, -keeping Park, who could not be in a dozen places at once, in a state -of continual watchfulness and motion, doing his best to bring up the -incapables, and “coaxing” them to further exertions each time they -insisted on lying down, indifferent alike to robbers, lions, or the -fevers of night. - -In spite of his iron constitution and sanguine heroic spirit Park -himself was not altogether invulnerable, and he too became fevered at -times--only, however, to show himself superior to suffering by virtue -of his marvellous will and the exigencies of his situation. Conscious -that the whole fate of the expedition depended upon his keeping well, -he dared not give way. He was a second self to every one--without him -all were absolutely helpless. - -On leaving Fankia on the 15th of June, most of the men were ill, -some of them even delirious. In this condition the caravan had to -commence the ascent of the Tambaura mountains. The road was excessively -steep--the donkeys terribly overloaded under their double burden of -sick men and goods. Owing to the nature of the ground, each animal -would have required at least one separate driver to guide and assist, -but in the present case this was impossible. The result was a scene -of dreadful confusion and disaster. Loaded donkeys were constantly -tumbling over the rocks or falling exhausted on the pathway, while sick -men, indifferent to their fate, threw themselves down, declaring they -could go no further. The natives, discovering the predicament of the -caravan, crept down among the rocks and stole what they could when a -favourable opportunity offered. - -At length, by means of superhuman exertions, Park succeeded in bringing -all safely out of the perilous pass to a village, where he had the -inexpressible pleasure of meeting the Mohammedan schoolmaster who had -been so kind to him at Kamalia, and while travelling with Karfa. As an -earnest of his gratitude for past favours, Park gave him a handsome -present of cloth, beads, and amber, with which the good old man was -delighted. The God-fearing Scotchman did not neglect to add an Arabic -New Testament to his other gifts. - -The history of the expedition was now one of growing trouble, sickness, -and disorganisation. Tornadoes were almost of daily occurrence, and the -country and the streams became more and more difficult to traverse. - -Up to the 17th of June two men had died, and on that date two more -were left behind at the point of death. The three days following Park -himself was sick, as were now more than half his men, though still -they struggled on. To add to the dangers of their situation, they were -utterly unable to keep proper watch over their goods either by day or -night--a fact the natives speedily learned, and constantly dogged their -footsteps, intent on plunder. - -At one village the inhabitants turned out _en masse_, prepared to find -the white man’s caravan so reduced by sickness as to fall an easy -prize. As a preliminary to further depredations one of the villagers -seized the bridle of the sergeant’s horse and tried to lead it and its -apparently helpless owner inside the village walls. The presentation -of the rider’s pistol made him think better of it. At the same time -others made as if they would drive away the donkeys. They had reckoned -without their host, however. Galvanised into new life, the soldiers -promptly loaded their muskets and fixed their bayonets, at sight of -which warlike preparations the natives were not slow to quit their prey -and retire to a safer distance. - -[Illustration: ROCK SCENERY OF THE UPPER SENEGAL.] - -Having driven their animals across a torrent, the soldiers left certain -of their number to guard them, and returned to the village, ready to -give its inhabitants a lesson in courtesy and hospitality. At this -moment Park arrived on the scene. Ever anxious to avoid bloodshed, he -called a palaver, and speedily convinced the chief how insane it would -be for him or his people to molest him. At the same time, desirous of -leaving a favourable impression behind, in case any sick men might have -to repass this way, Park gave the chief a present, with the remark that -it was to show he did not come to make war, though if he were attacked -he would fight to the last. - -Beyond this point the country became picturesque beyond words, -resembling in its physical features all sorts of architectural forms, -ruined castles, spires, pyramids. One rocky hill looked so like a -ruined Gothic abbey that the whole party had to approach close to it -to satisfy themselves that its various features were not really what -they seemed. Beyond this _lusus naturæ_ a compact mass of red granite -stood up bare and gaunt, absolutely destitute of a relieving blade of -grass. Here and there were villages clustering in the curved niches of -giant precipices, alike secured from tropic blasts and the devastating -attacks of men. Everything was rugged and grand--the sterner features -only enhanced by the interchange of beautiful fertile hollows and -silvery streams winding through the green fields and darker forest -tracts. - -Similar scenes characterised the whole journey through Konkadu, and -the caravan at length reached the borders of Wuladu at the Bafing. The -crossing of this river in small rickety canoes was not accomplished -without a sad fatality, one of them capsizing with three soldiers, of -whom one was drowned. - -The people of Wuladu had a notorious reputation as thieves, the justice -of which was speedily illustrated by their various more or less -successful attempts to lift from the strangers whatever they saw, thus -keeping the latter continually on the alert. - -After crossing the Bafing, many of the sick who had struggled on -bravely so far began to lose all spirit. An unconquerable lassitude -at times seized them, and no matter what the danger of the situation, -their only desire was to lie down and be left to die. To escape the -cajolery and coercion to which they were subjected, they frequently -left the track, and gave their leader no end of worry and trouble -hunting them up after camp was reached. In this way several men -disappeared altogether, bringing up the total losses on the 29th June -to nine. - -Besides its human cormorants, Wuladu proved to be infested with various -beasts of prey, whereby further anxiety and watchfulness were entailed -on the harassed and despondent little band, weak, and growing every day -weaker. - -Anderson and Scott, on whom Park so much depended to encourage and -push on his followers, besides themselves doing the work of three or -four, now became incapacitated, while as far as we can gather from -the journal, Lieutenant Martyn never seems to have been of any use. -Everything, accordingly, devolved on the leader himself, who, ailing -as he was, had to put forth superhuman exertions--driving refractory -and exhausted donkeys, lifting the fallen, and reloading such as had -kicked off or dropped their burdens--at every step spurring on the -sick and despondent to strive towards their destination, and not allow -themselves to be murdered by natives, devoured by wild beasts, or -overcome by the deadly malaria of the jungles. In camp he had as little -rest as on the road. No one else was fit to do anything--or being -fit, was not willing--so that he had to be man-of-all-work to nearly -forty men. The night brought neither oblivion nor relaxation--only -new anxieties and new duties. Sleep he could only get in short -snatches--between whiles taking his astronomical observations, and -making the round of the camp to stir up indifferent and sickly -sentinels. Not unfrequently he had to mount guard himself throughout -the whole night to save the donkeys from being killed or stampeded by -the wild beasts which kept constantly prowling about. The stormier the -night, the greater necessity was there for him to be up and doing, no -matter what the cost to himself personally. - -On the 4th of July the Furkomo River, another important tributary of -the Senegal, was reached. The number of deaths now amounted to eleven, -most of them having occurred within the last fortnight. - -In crossing the Furkomo or Bakhoy, Isaaco had a narrow escape from a -crocodile. When near the middle of the river, he was seized by the left -thigh and pulled under water. With wonderful presence of mind he thrust -his finger into the reptile’s eye, with the result that it let go its -hold. Ere he could regain the shore, however, the crocodile returned -to the attack, and seized him by the other thigh. Again he thrust his -finger into its eye, with a similar happy result, and before it could -come at him again, bleeding and lacerated, he reached land. That night, -though it threatened rain, every one was so sick and exhausted--even -Park being unable to stand upright--that it was only with the utmost -difficulty that the tents were put up and the loads placed inside. -Isaaco’s wounds made travelling impossible for him, and as the caravan -was largely dependent on his services, a three days’ halt was decided -on. - -With the guide’s partial recovery the march was continued to Keminum, -the neighbourhood of which they reached with apprehension. The town was -fortified in a remarkably strong fashion. There was first a ditch 8 -feet deep, backed by a wall as many feet high. Inside was a second wall -10 feet in height, within which was a third of 16 feet. - -The chief and his thirty sons were neither more nor less than an -organised band of robbers who terrorised over the whole district. Ample -evidence of the manner of his rule was afforded by the heap of human -bones outside the walls, where he executed such prisoners as were not -made slaves of. During the night all the energies of the caravan were -employed in seeking to protect themselves from the incessant attempts -of the natives to steal; but so helpless were most of the men that they -allowed themselves to be deprived of great-coats, muskets, pistols, -almost without resistance. - -The morning brought no reprieve. The chief’s sons, not satisfied with -their share of the present and the plunder, did their best to secure -some valuable souvenirs of the white man. This one of them first tried -to do wholesale by simply lifting a load from a donkey, but the culprit -was chased and had to drop his plunder. The confusion produced by this -incident gave another thief a chance to bolt with a musket. - -Innumerable exasperating attempts of a similar nature kept Park in -constant alarm lest some of the soldiers should use their weapons and -precipitate a fight. Accordingly, his chief anxiety became to get away -as quickly as possible. Riding a little way out of the village to see -the nature of the road ahead, one of the chief’s sons distracted his -attention while he halted, whereupon the other suddenly snatched away -the traveller’s loosely held musket. At once Park gave chase with -brandished sword. Anderson, seeing what had occurred, rushed to his -assistance with upraised gun; but observing who was the offender, he -hesitated to fire, with the result that the thief escaped safely to the -rocks. Meanwhile the brother had leisurely helped himself to whatever -loose property he found on Park’s horse. - -Orders were now given to shoot the first person found stealing. But the -princes were not easily frightened, and during a tornado that burst -overhead, one of them got off with a musket and a couple of pistols. -An attempt was next made to drive off the donkeys, but fortunately -was frustrated. By way of example, a native detected in stealing was -promptly fired at. On the march being resumed, every foot of the road -was dogged by the plundering wretches, who scented their prey in every -man who lagged behind, and every donkey that fell or strayed from the -path. - -It was dark before a camping place was reached, and the night was -passed in much misery, man and beast lying on the wet ground without -shelter, exposed to the excessively heavy dews. - -The march through Wuladu was simply a daily repetition of the -experiences at Keminum. Thieves hung on the skirts of the caravan like -hyenas on the track of blood, never quitting them by night or by day. -All stragglers, human or animal, they made their prey, and by their -attempted depredations kept the unhappy travellers in constant alarm. -Each morning and evening had its tale of loss. Everything, however, was -tolerated, that bloodshed might be avoided--a forbearance only looked -upon as weakness and cowardice by the natives, who were encouraged -accordingly to continue their marauding with increased audacity. Park -was at length driven to stronger measures, and on one occasion pursued -a robber on horseback, and after hunting him down, shot him through -the leg. This example had a most salutary effect for a time, though -that day’s tale of spoliation alone included the more or less complete -stripping of four sick men, and a donkey loaded with the muskets, &c., -of the other invalids. - -Let us quote a characteristic day’s proceedings from Park’s own -journal:-- - -“_July 19th._--Having purchased an ass in lieu of the one stolen, we -left Nummabu, which is a walled village, and proceeded onwards. Had two -tornadoes. The last, about eleven o’clock, wetted us much, and made -the road slippery. Two asses unable to go on. Put their loads on the -horses and left them. Mr. Scott’s horse unable to walk. Left it to our -guide. At noon came to the ruins of a town. Found two more of the asses -unable to carry their loads. Hired people to carry the loads, and a -boy to drive the asses. Passed the ruins of another town at half-past -twelve, where I found two of the sick who had laid themselves down -under a tree and refused to rise. They were afterwards stripped by the -negroes, and came naked to our tents next morning. Shortly after this -came to an ass lying on the road unable to proceed with its load. Put -part of the load on my horse, which was already heavily loaded. Took a -knapsack on my back. The soldier carried the remainder, and drove the -ass before him. We arrived at the Ba Winbina at half-past one o’clock.” -Here follows a description of how a bridge was built, which, though -instructive in the extreme, is too long for insertion. “Our people -being all sickly, I hired the negroes to carry over all the baggage, -and swim over the asses. Our baggage was laid on the rocks on the east -side of the river, but such was our weakly state that we were unable -to carry it up the bank. Francis Beedle, one of the soldiers, was -evidently dying of the fever, and having in vain attempted, with the -assistance of one of his messmates, to carry him over, I was forced to -leave him on the west bank, thinking it very probable that he would die -in the course of the night.” - -Day after day the same disheartening tale had to be told. Now a man is -found expiring, and no time can be lost waiting for his death. Anon -another left for dead is galvanised into life by the appearance of -wolves ready to make a meal of him. On the 27th July one man had to -be left in camp at the point of death--four more dropped down on the -road and refused to proceed, wishing only to die. Park himself was -“very sick and faint, having to drive my horse loaded with rice and an -ass with the pit saw. Came to an eminence from which I had a view of -some very distant mountains to the east half south. The certainty that -the Niger washes the southern base of these mountains made me forget -my fever, and I thought of nothing all the way but how to climb over -their blue summits.” But to his men the sight gave neither health nor -inspiration, and but for the fact that to go back was as difficult as -to push forward, they would speedily have shown in what direction their -desires tended. - -What the inmost thoughts of the intrepid explorer were at this time -we would give much to know. In his journal he nowhere lifts the veil. -Throughout there is only the bare statement of fact that to-day -so-and-so has died--yesterday such another had to be left to his fate: -here a donkey was plundered--there an astronomical observation taken. -The one thing that can touch his feelings is the sight of the blue -summits of distant hills whose bases are washed by the waters of the -Niger. - - - - -CHAPTER XXII. - -_TO THE NIGER._ - - -Writing home on the 29th of May, Park, calculating from his rate of -progress so far, predicted that he would reach the Niger on the 27th -of June. It was now the 27th of July, and he was still in the heart of -Wuladu, and quite a hundred miles in a straight line from Bammaku, his -primary destination. - -Meanwhile every one of the donkeys he had originally started with had -died or been stolen, and great inroads had been made on his stores in -replacing them, not to speak of the loss entailed by plunder and other -unforeseen causes. Twenty of his men had died or been murdered, and all -of them were more or less unfit for work. Nevertheless his hopes were -as unquenchable as ever, and he buoyed himself up with the belief that -if he could reach the Niger with a certain proportion of his caravan, -the success of his mission would be assured, as the rest of the wet -season might be passed in comparative comfort while making preparations -for navigating the river. Once launched on its broad bosom, there would -be no more transport difficulties, and but little work for his men, so -that everything might be expected to end happily and successfully. - -Looking forward thus hopefully, Park turned S.W. from Bangassi, the -chief town of Wuladu, and set his face towards Bammaku. But however -sanguine he might be, he could not improve the conditions of his march. -The rains were now at their very worst. They fell no longer in passing -tornadoes, but in an incessant drenching downpour. Every stream was -swollen to the dimensions of a river--every plain became a lake or -swamp through which the luckless travellers had to slip and plunge as -best they might. The very pathways developed into rushing torrents. -Subjected to such conditions of travel, disease demanded its daily -quota of victims, while reducing the strength of all to the vanishing -point. The men speedily became unable to load their animals--could -hardly even drive them along. Nearly the whole work of the caravan fell -upon its indomitable leader, who even on the road would sometimes have -as many as thirteen fallen donkeys to raise up and reload. - -On the 7th of August matters became so bad that he found it necessary -to halt for two days--a delay which to him was almost maddening. - -At the Ba Wulima, Park found Anderson lying under a bush apparently -dying, and had to carry him over on his back. To assist in the -transport of loads, &c., he had to cross the river sixteen times, with -the water reaching to his waist. In spite of his exertions, however, -several soldiers with their donkeys had to be left behind. - -In two days four men had been lost--the slow agony of death from fever -being undoubtedly in each case accelerated by the daggers of robber -negroes or the fell fangs of wolves and other wild beasts. - -On the day after leaving the Ba Wulima, Park was the only European able -to do any work, and but for the assistance of Isaaco and his men, the -caravan would have been compelled to remain in camp. The day’s march -was a trying one. Anderson seemed at the point of death, and it was -with difficulty that his brother-in-law succeeded in holding him on -a horse. Every hour threatened to be his last, and only by frequent -rests could he be got forward in short stages. While thus employed -supporting and cheering his well-loved friend on the way towards camp, -Park was suddenly confounded by coming face to face with three large -lions making rapidly towards them. Intent first of all on saving -Anderson, with splendid courage he ran forward to meet them half way, -and so as to reserve himself a second chance if his musket should miss -fire, he aimed as soon as the lions were within easy shot, and fired -at the middle one of the three. This reception brought the enemy to -a standstill, and after seemingly taking counsel of each other, they -turned tail and bounded away. One, however, quickly stopped, and turned -round as if meditating another attack, but thinking better of it, again -resumed its flight, and left the travellers to continue their way, -though not without the strongest suspicions that they were still being -tracked, and might be pounced upon in the fast gathering darkness. -Before camp was reached the path taken by the caravan was lost, and in -the darkness Park and his companion wandered into a gully, where the -road became so dangerous that at length they dared not move further -from fear of being killed by falling over a precipice. Accordingly -they were compelled to make the best of their position, and wait till -morning tentless and foodless. Fortunately they were able to raise -a fire, near which, while Anderson lay wrapt in a cloak, Park kept -watch all night, to drive off lions and wolves. In the morning it was -discovered that half the caravan had passed the night in scattered -parties in much the same manner as their leader. Happily there were no -casualties. - -At a place called Dumbila, Park had the pleasure of meeting his old -friend and protector, Karfa Taura. Here Anderson became too ill to be -moved, Scott had disappeared, and only one man was able to drive a -donkey. At night rain descended in drenching torrents, and the men took -refuge in the village, leaving their leader alone to watch that the -donkeys did not stray into the neighbouring corn-fields, and to defend -them and their loads alike from the attacks of wild beasts and from the -bands of marauding natives. But no matter how heavy the burdens, not a -grumble escaped the hero who had to bear them all--not a hint that he -felt himself badly treated by his men and their officers. - -On the 19th of August, Park, with the helpless, shattered remnant of -his caravan, ascended the mountain ridge which forms the watershed -between the Senegal and the Niger. Pushing on eagerly to the summit of -the hill, the toil and careworn traveller’s eyes were gladdened by the -spectacle of the “Niger rolling its immense stream along the plain.” - -“After the fatiguing march which we had just experienced, the sight of -this river was no doubt pleasant, as it promised an end to, or at least -an alleviation of, our toils. But when I reflected that three-fourths -of the soldiers had died on the march, and that in addition to our -weakly state we had no carpenters to build the boats in which we -proposed to prosecute our discoveries, the prospect appeared somewhat -gloomy. It, however, afforded me peculiar pleasure when I reflected -that in conducting a party of Europeans with immense baggage through -an extent of more than five hundred miles, I had always been able to -preserve the most friendly terms with the natives.” - -The latter sentence is well worthy of note as illustrative of Park’s -methods of travel at a time when the sanctity of human life, whether -black or white, was not quite so much thought of as at present. - -In speaking of the distance traversed as five hundred miles, it must -be remembered that what is meant is the distance in a straight line -expressed in geographical miles. The actual number of English miles -travelled over would be in reality little short of a thousand. - -Notwithstanding his frightful experiences, Park considered that his -“journey plainly demonstrates--first, that with common prudence any -quantity of merchandise may be transported from the Gambia to the Niger -without danger of being robbed by the natives; second, that if this -journey be performed in the dry season, one may calculate on losing not -more than three, or at most four men, out of fifty.” - -We would naturally have expected him to add as a third conclusion, that -under no circumstance should Europeans be employed in such a caravan -except as conductors, or it might be as guards. That conclusion, -however, he apparently did not reach--indeed, we look in vain -throughout his journal for any indication that he was at all aware of -the frightful nature of his blunder in starting only with Europeans. - -And yet before him was the tangible fact, that of thirty-four soldiers -and four carpenters who left the Gambia with him, only seven entered -Bammaku, while Isaaco and his attendants were all alive and hearty, -though much of the white men’s work had fallen upon them in addition to -their own. - -Three days after their arrival at Bammaku the travellers continued -their way. Martyn, with the men and the donkeys, proceeded by land, -while Park, Anderson, and the goods glided down the river in canoes, -at the rate of five knots an hour, without the necessity of paddling. -At their starting point the river was a mile broad; but further down, -where it passes through a range of hills and forms rapids, it attains -twice that breadth. Here the great mass of water is gathered into -three principal channels, along which it rushes with much noise, and -a speed which made Park sigh as the frail canoes containing all his -precious stores sped into the sweeping tide, and seemed threatened with -momentary destruction. - -Two such rapids and three smaller ones were safely passed during the -afternoon. At one place an elephant was seen standing on an island, so -near that if Park had not been too ill, he would have had a shot at it. - -At several points the canoes ran considerable danger of being upset -by hippos. At night the party landed, and after a supper of rice and -fresh-water turtle, spent a night exposed to the violence of a tropic -storm. - -At Marrabu, where they arrived on the second day, a halt was called, -while Isaaco was despatched to Sego with a message and a present for -Mansong, king of Bambarra, whose good offices were likely to prove -invaluable, ruling as he did over the whole country from Bammaku to -Timbuktu. While awaiting his messenger’s return, Park, who had been -suffering from dysentery ever since his arrival on the river, and found -himself failing fast under its deadly attacks, dosed himself with -calomel till it affected his throat to such a degree that he could -neither speak nor sleep for six days. The experiment was successful, -however, as regards stopping the progress of the disease, and his -health speedily began to improve. - -The interval of waiting to which he was now subjected was a time of -extreme anxiety. The check which all the physical difficulties of the -march and the death of three-fourths of his men had failed to give -him might be effected by the will of Mansong. On the decision of the -negro ruler depended Park’s further movements. A Yes might assure the -complete realisation of all his dearest hopes--a No would be their -death-knell. - -Each day brought its crop of unfavourable rumours. Among others came -the report that Mansong had killed Isaaco with his own hands, and -intended to finish off the white men in a similar summary fashion. -Happily this and kindred stories proved to be pure inventions, and -after a fortnight’s delay a messenger arrived to conduct Park to Sego, -bringing with him an encouraging account of Mansong’s disposition -towards him. - -The drastic methods of the emissaries of negro kings were well -illustrated by the following incident. A native refusing to give up a -canoe for the messenger’s use, the latter not only seized the canoe in -question, but cut the owner across the forehead with his sword, broke -the brother’s head with a paddle, and finally made a slave of the son. -Before such deeds criticism was dumb. - -And now all seemed about to go well with the expedition. Cradled on -the majestic bosom of the great river, with toils and worry over, -its leader could afford to allow himself to be lulled into a sweet -dreamland, in which he saw himself gliding peacefully towards the Congo -and the Atlantic. Of goods he had still sufficient for his object--of -men, too, there were enough; and with mind thus comparatively at ease, -he could give himself up to the enjoyment of the beautiful views of -“this immense river--sometimes as smooth as a mirror, at others ruffled -by a gentle breeze, but at all times sweeping along at the rate of six -or seven miles an hour.” - -In two days Yamina was reached, and a third brought the party to -Sami, where once more they halted while the messenger went forward to -inform Mansong of their proximity, and ask instructions concerning -them. Two days later Isaaco joined them from Sego. He reported that -Mansong’s position was very neutral. The king showed impatience when -the subject of the white men was broached, though he had said that they -were at liberty to pass down the river. In addition he gave Isaaco to -understand that he wanted no direct dealings with Park. - -On the following day a king’s messenger arrived to receive Mansong’s -present from Park’s own hands, as well as to hear the object of his -visit. In his speech the traveller told how he was the same poor white -man who, after being plundered by the Moors, was so hospitably received -by their king, whose generous conduct had made his name much respected -in the country of the Europeans. He then proceeded to point out what -a trading people his (the traveller’s) were, and how all the articles -of value that reached the country of Mansong were made by them, being -afterwards brought by Moors and others by long and expensive routes, -which made everything extremely dear. That these European goods might -be brought cheaper to Bambarra for the mutual benefit of whites and -blacks, his king had sent him to see if a short and easy route could -not be found by way of the Niger. If such was discovered, then the -white men’s vessels would come direct all the way from Europe and -supply them with abundance of all their good things at cheap prices. - -In reply to this speech the emissary said that the white man’s journey -was a good one, and prayed that God might prosper him in it. Mansong -would protect him. The sight of the presents added to the friendly -feelings thus expressed. - -To dash Park’s joy at the favourable aspect of affairs two more -soldiers died--one of fever, the other of dysentery--leaving him with -only four men, besides Anderson and Martyn. - -In a couple of days the king sent a further message intimating that -the white strangers would be protected, and that wherever his power -and influence extended the road would be open to them. If they went -East, no man would harm them till beyond Timbuktu. Westward, the name -of Mansong’s stranger would be a safe password through the land to the -Atlantic itself. If they wished to sail down the river, they were at -liberty to build boats at any town they pleased. - -As Mansong had never once expressed a wish to see him, and seemingly -had some superstitious fear of the possible consequence, Park fixed -upon Sansandig as the best place to prepare for his new adventure. -Here, too, he would have more quiet, and would be more exempt from -begging, than within the daily range of the king’s officials. - -In his passage from Sami to Sansandig, Park was attacked by a violent -fever, which rendered him temporarily delirious. According to the -sufferer, the heat was so terrific as to have been equal to the -roasting of a sirloin, and there was neither covering to ward it off -nor slightest puff of wind to temper it. - -On reaching his destination the traveller was received by his old -friend Kunti Mamadi, who placed the necessary huts at his disposal. On -the following day two more of his men expired, and it began to look as -if at the very moment when success seemed assured he was to be doomed -to lose all. So frightfully were they all reduced at this time, and so -little able to look after each other, that, unmolested, hyenas entered -the dead men’s hut, dragged one of them out, and devoured him. - -From Park’s journal we get an interesting glimpse of Sansandig, with -its 11,000 inhabitants and its mosques, of which two were by “no means -inelegant.” But, as in all African towns, it was the market-place -which was the centre of life and interest. From morning till night -the square was crowded with busy groups of people gathered round the -various mat-covered stalls which formed the shops, each containing its -own speciality--beads in every gorgeous hue to catch the eye of the -ornament-loving sex, antimony to darken and beautify the tips of the -ladies’ eyelids, rings and bracelets to attract wandering male glances -to female feet and hands. In more substantial houses were scarlet -cloths, silks, amber, and other valuable commodities which had found -their way across the desert from Morocco or Tripoli--over roads marked -out by the skeletons of slaves and camels who had sunk down to perish -under the frightful hardships of the route. Vegetables, meat, salt, -&c., each had their own stalls--beer, too, in large quantities, near a -booth where leather work found its purchasers. - -Such was the everyday state of the square; but the scene was still -more animated and interesting on the occasion of the Tuesday weekly -market. On that day enormous crowds of people gathered from the whole -surrounding country to buy and sell wholesale, and many were the -delightful glimpses of native life and character continually presenting -themselves to the eyes of the observant traveller. He even found a -means whereby to turn the market to his own advantage. - -Mansong being slow in carrying out his promise to supply canoes to -be turned into boats, Park opened a shop himself for the purpose of -exchanging some of his articles for cowries, by which he hoped to -purchase the necessary means of transport. He made such a tempting -display that he had at once a great run of business, and became the -envy of all the merchants of the place. In one day he secured 25,000 -cowries. - -While thus peacefully employed, every effort was being made on the part -of the Moors and native merchants in order to set Mansong against the -white man, and get him killed, or sent back by the way he had come. -They even did not hesitate to say that his object was to kill the -king and his sons by means of charms. Mansong, however, was not to be -prevailed on by such instigations, though his behaviour showed some -belief in the reported magical powers. - -After much delay, Park succeeded in obtaining two canoes, to join -which together he and Bolton, the sole remaining capable man, now set -themselves with great vigour. The rotten parts were replaced, the holes -were repaired, and after eighteen days’ hard labour the united canoes -were launched and christened His Majesty’s schooner _Joliba_, the -length being forty feet, and the breadth six. Being flat-bottomed, it -drew only one foot of water. - -While Park was thus toiling with feverish energy to complete his -preparations, Martyn seems to have been taking life very easily. -From a letter written from Sansandig to a friend at Goree we get -an idea of the sort of man he was, and how much he assisted in the -work of the expedition. “Whitebread’s beer,” says the Lieutenant, -“is nothing to what we get at this place, as I feel by my head this -morning, having been drinking all night with a Moor, and ended by -giving him an excellent thrashing.” Could the contrast possibly be -greater between Park and this man--the one possessed with a consuming -desire to accomplish a work seemingly beyond mortal power, slaving -with the strength of half-a-dozen ordinary men, uncrushed by a myriad -misfortunes, his hero’s spirit equal to every difficulty and danger; -the other spending his time in drunken orgies, seemingly as careless of -his life as indifferent to the great mission that was partly his. - -The last and worst stroke of evil fortune that could befall Park came -upon him in the form of his brother-in-law Anderson’s death, which -occurred on the 28th October. He had been Park’s special support in -all his trials, ever the one to whom he could open his heart, or from -whom he could seek advice and encouragement. His thoughts and feelings -on the occasion, Park, with characteristic reserve, does not put on -paper, though he cannot help observing “that no event which took place -during the journey ever threw the smallest gloom on my mind till I laid -Mr. Anderson in the grave. I then felt myself as if left a second time -lonely and friendless amidst the wilds of Africa.” - - - - -CHAPTER XXIII. - -_THE LAST OF PARK._ - - -By the middle of November the last preparations for the great voyage -on the Niger were completed. Isaaco had been paid off, and one Amadi -Fatuma, a native of Karson, and a great traveller, hired in his place -to guide the party to Kashna, which Park still believed to be on the -river. To Isaaco, Park’s precious journal was entrusted for conveyance -home. - -On the 17th November, dating from “On board of H.M. schooner _Joliba_, -at anchor off Sansandig,” Park wrote to Lord Camden. After some remarks -on his situation, he continues-- - -“From this account I am afraid that your Lordship will be apt to -consider matters as in a very hopeless state, but I assure you I am -far from desponding. With the assistance of one of the soldiers I have -changed a large canoe into a tolerably good schooner, on board of which -I shall set sail to the east, with the fixed resolution to discover the -termination of the Niger or perish in the attempt. I have heard nothing -I can depend on respecting the remote course of this mighty stream, but -I am more and more inclined to think that it can end nowhere but in the -sea. - -“My dear friend Mr. Anderson, and likewise Mr. Scott, are both dead; -but though all the Europeans who are with me should die, and though -I were myself half dead, I would still persevere, and if I could not -succeed in the object of my journey, I would at least die on the Niger. -If I succeed in the object of my journey, I expect to be in England in -the month of May or June, by way of the West Indies.” - -On the 19th he wrote to his wife-- - -“ ... I am afraid that, impressed with a woman’s fears and the -anxieties of a wife, you may be led to consider my situation as a -great deal worse than it is.... The rains are completely over, and the -healthy season has commenced, so that there is no danger of sickness, -and I have still a sufficient force to protect me from any insult in -sailing down the river to the sea. - -“We have already embarked all our things, and shall sail the moment I -have finished this letter. I do not intend to stop nor land anywhere -till we reach the coast, which I suppose will be some time in the -end of January.... I think it not unlikely but that I shall be in -England before you receive this.... We this morning have done with all -intercourse with the natives. The sails are now being hoisted for our -departure to the coast.” - -These letters are full of brave words, yet they do not express one -iota more than what Park was capable of. They breathe his remarkable -personality in every line. They show the heroic spirit that does not -know the word impossible, that does not know when it is beaten--that -having once set itself a task, is incapable of turning back. They speak -eloquently of a stubborn resolution which only death itself can render -powerless, and such a resolution as the world has rarely seen. - -It is almost impossible to realise the position of our hero at the -moment when he prepared to embark on one of the most perilous and -uncertain voyages history records. In some aspects it deserves to -rank with the voyage of Columbus across the Atlantic. The bourne was -equally uncertain, the distance not so very much less, the perils -quite as great. It might even be said that compared with that of -Park, the enterprise of Columbus was most hopeful. Columbus, too, had -always the option of turning back. For Park there was no such door of -escape. Success or death was his only choice, and even success might -mean captivity or worse, the best geographer of the time holding that -the Niger termination was not in the ocean, but in the heart of the -continent. If he proved right, how many were the chances against Park’s -ever finding his way out again. - -It is to be remembered, in addition, that this voyage of from 2000 -to 3000 miles--supposing the Niger to be the same as the Congo--was -not embarked upon in the heyday of the party’s hopes, but after an -unparalleled series of misfortunes and a frightful tale of death. - -For sole means of carrying out this wonderful enterprise Park had -nothing better than an unwieldy half-rotten canoe, and a crew -consisting of an officer wholly unsuited to the work, three European -privates, of whom one was mad and the others sick, and lastly, Amadi -Fatuma, the guide, and three slaves--nine men in all. - -With this “sufficient force to protect me from insult,” the canoe had -to be navigated without a pilot for hundreds of miles along a river -studded at parts with dangerous rocks, and everywhere infested by -equally dangerous hippos--a river whose banks were occupied for much -of the way by fanatical Moors and Tuaregs, while beyond were unknown -tribes of cannibal savages and other bloodthirsty natives. - -But nothing could daunt the intrepid explorer--nothing make him waver -in his “fixed resolution to discover the termination of the Niger or -die in the attempt.” - -Thus spiritually armed and inspired, and thus materially supported, -with the writing of his last words to the world, the sails of the -_Joliba_ were unfurled to the wind, and like Ulysses of old, Park -pushed off from land bent on some work of noble note. And though made -“weak by time and fate,” still “strong in will, to strive, to seek, to -find, and not to yield” till death itself should close his toilsome -struggle, or Ocean once more happily receive him on its broad bosom, -and bear him to the “Happy Isles” and the blessed guerdon of his -accomplished work. - -The die was cast, and down the great river he glided towards the -untravelled countries of the east and south--towards the heart of -savage Africa, and the deep darkness of the Unexplored. - -His journals and letters in the hands of the faithful Isaaco safely -reached the coast and afterwards Europe, thrilling all true-born -men and women with the unparalleled tale of travel they so simply -yet graphically unfolded. All waited with eager impatience for the -reappearance of the hero. Speculation was rife as to his point of exit, -or whether he would ever be heard of more. - -May of 1806 passed into June without bringing further news. The year -1806 gave place to 1807, and then fears as to the ultimate fate of the -expedition began to find expression. To strengthen these, rumours from -West Africa reached home that native traders from the interior reported -a disastrous close to the enterprise. With each succeeding month these -reports grew in number and consistency, till Government could no longer -ignore them, and determined to send a reliable native to the Niger to -make special inquiries. - -For this task Isaaco was engaged, and in January 1810 he left Senegal. -In October of the same year he reached Sansandig, where he was so -fortunate as to find Amadi Fatuma, the guide Park had taken with him -down the Niger. - -On seeing Isaaco, Amadi broke into tears and lamentations, crying out, -“They are all dead, they are lost for ever!” His story was soon told. -The substance of it was as follows:-- - -On leaving Sansandig, Park, in pursuance of his plan not to hold -communication with the people on land, so as if possible to avoid -attack or detention, pursued his course down the middle of the stream. -At Silla another slave was added to the party, and at Jenné a present -was sent to the head man, though no landing was made at either place. - -On reaching the point where the Niger divides to form the island of -Jinbala, they were attacked by three canoes armed with pikes and -bows and arrows, which were repulsed by force on the failure of more -peaceful methods. - -At a place called Rakhara a similar attempt was made to stop the -progress of the _Joliba_, and a third near Timbuktu. On each occasion -the natives were driven back with the loss of many killed and wounded. - -On passing Timbuktu, the country of Gurma and the lands of the Tuaregs -lay before them. In this part of the river a determined attempt to -dispute their passage was made by seven canoes; but the natives having -no guns, were easily repulsed by the crew of the _Joliba_, which, -though reduced to eight in number, were well supplied with muskets, -constantly kept ready for action. Here another soldier died. Further on -the _Joliba_ was attacked by sixty canoes, but without serious result. - -If the guide is to be trusted, Martyn seems to have enjoyed this part -of the work to the full--so much so, indeed, that once, after a good -deal of bloodshed, Amadi seized the Lieutenant’s hand and begged him to -desist, there being no further necessity for fighting. So enraged was -Martyn, that the humane interference would have cost Amadi his life, -but for Park’s intervention. - -Some distance beyond the scene of this battle the _Joliba_ struck -on the rocks, and during the confusion which ensued a hippo nearly -completed their discomfiture by rushing at the boat, which it would -have destroyed or upset, but for the timely firing of the men’s guns. -With great difficulty the canoe was got off without having suffered any -material damage. - -The party had now reached the centre of the ancient empire of Songhay, -and everything was going as well as could be expected. They had still -sufficient provisions to make landing unnecessary. - -At a place called Kaffo three more canoes had to be driven back, and -further on the guide, on landing to buy some milk, was seized by the -natives. Park, seeing this, promptly laid hold of two canoes which had -come alongside, and let their owners understand that unless his man -was released he would kill them all and carry off their canoes. This -threat had the required result, the guide being released, and amicable -relations resumed. - -Beyond the point where this incident happened, the river became -difficult to navigate. It was broken up by islands and rocks into three -narrow passages. The place is probably that marked in Barth’s map, -some seventy miles south of Gargo, the former capital of Songhay. The -first passage tried was found to be guarded by armed men, “which,” -says the guide, “caused great uneasiness to us, especially to me, -and I seriously promised never to pass there again without making -considerable charitable donations to the poor.” On trying a second -channel the party was not molested. - -A few days later they reached the Haussa country, probably near -the Gulbi-n-Gindi, which comes from Kebbi, the western of the then -independent states. Here, according to Amadi, his agreement ended, -though, according to Park’s letters, he was to have gone as far as -Kashna. Before separating from his guide Park wrote down the names of -the necessaries of life and some useful phrases in the dialects of the -remaining countries through which he had to pass. This task occupied -two days, during which the _Joliba_ remained at anchor, but without -landing any of her crew. - -Though thus losing his interpreter, and adding in consequence to the -dangers of the voyage by having no one through whom to communicate when -necessary with the natives, Park had every reason to be hopeful. He had -now sailed over a thousand miles down the river without any serious -mishap, though the way had lain through the country of the Moors, and -their equally fanatical co-religionists the Tuaregs. Ahead lay the land -of the negroes, among whom, all things considered, he had ever found a -kindly welcome and hospitable treatment. Especially encouraging was the -fact that the Niger was flowing due south--consequently towards the -Atlantic, and not to the inland swamps of Rennell’s theories. - -There was therefore no great reason to consider the want of an -interpreter as an important drawback, and consequently no attempt -was made to induce Amadi to go further than Yauri, the next district -to the south of the Gulbi-n-Gindi. Here Amadi went ashore, and after -exchanging presents on the part of Park with the king, Al Hadj, or the -“Pilgrim,” bought more provisions, to enable the white men to continue -their way without landing. This, though probably a necessary business, -was destined to prove fatal to the prospects of the expedition. The -cupidity of the natives was aroused by the wealth which the strangers -were believed to have with them--a sample of which was afforded by the -presents sent to the king. - -Immediately to the south of Yauri, the low, flat valley of the Niger -contracts to a glen or gorge, where the subtending sandstone hills pass -into abrupt and precipitous masses of hard metamorphic rock, and break -up the channel of the river by dangerous rocks and islands occupied -by villages. Thus narrowed and divided the waters of the river sweep -onward in three branches--one of them easy to navigate; the others -difficult at flood time, and almost impossible when the river is low. - -During the delay at Yauri the news of the strangers’ coming either -spread in the ordinary way to Bussa, or was conveyed by special -messenger, and preparations were made to stop them. - -[Map: THE BUSSA RAPIDS.] - -Unconscious of the dangers ahead, Park left Yauri and continued his -way south. Having no one acquainted with the river in his canoe, he -unluckily struck upon the worst of the three channels, and rushed to -his doom. Once in the sweep of the current to turn back was impossible. -To land was equally out of the question even had it been possible, for -to right and left the rocks and islands were crowded with natives in -war array bent on stopping the intruders. The energy and attention of -the handful of travellers was divided between the double danger--the -rapids and rocks around and ahead of them, and the weapons hurtling -through the air. Two of the slaves were speedily killed; for the rest -there was no other course but to keep onward, alternately firing and -paddling, ever hoping to make good their escape. A little more and they -would be out of danger. Before they were aware, however, the _Joliba_ -rushed into the grip of a hidden cleft rock and there stuck fast. With -desperate energy each man seized his paddle, and mindful only of the -supreme peril of the moment, plied it with the strength of one who -works for dear life. In vain--the _Joliba_ would not yield to their -frantic efforts. With delighted yells the natives gathered on the -neighbouring rocks, and sure of their prey, plied their weapons with -renewed zeal. - -The last resource was to lighten the canoe, and everything of weight -was accordingly thrown into the river. That too proved useless, and -now Park and his little band of followers knew they had reached the -culminating point of their misfortunes. For a time they fought on as if -determined to sell their lives dearly, but at length desisted, struck -with the futility of their efforts. Their goods were gone--their number -was reduced to four. To continue fighting was only further to enrage -their enemies. What were the feelings of the hero at this supreme -moment of disaster--what his last determination, who shall say? - -Amadi tells us that in the end Park took hold of one white man and -Martyn of the other, and thus united they all four jumped into the -river, whether to die together, or with the intention of mutually -assisting each other, will never be known. The latter supposition is -the more probable, for with Park while there was life there was hope. -In any case the result was the same. The Niger claimed him as its own, -and since to unlock its secrets was not to be his, what more fitting -for him than death beneath its rushing waters. - -Of the party only one slave remained alive. Of the contents of the -canoe the sole articles left were a sword-belt, which the King of Yauri -utilised as a horse-girth, and some books, one of which has reached -England. - -The guide did not escape scathless any more than the other members -of the expedition. Scarcely had he taken leave of Park, when he was -seized and loaded with chains, remaining in imprisonment for some -months. His first business on obtaining his freedom was to find out -the sole survivor of the expedition, and learn from him the manner of -its leader’s death. Having satisfied himself as far as might be on -this point, he returned home to Sansandig, from which rumour gradually -carried his sad tale to the coast, and resulted in the mission of -Isaaco. - -To obtain the sword-belt, and otherwise substantiate Amadi’s story, -Isaaco despatched a Fulah to Yauri. The Fulah succeeded in stealing -the belt, and gathered confirmation of the tale of disaster, whereupon -Isaaco set out for the coast with the melancholy tidings and solitary -relic. - -With the many the tragic story obtained immediate credence. A few there -were, however, who refused to give up hope, though that hope was but -the offspring of their love and ardent wishes. Among these was Mrs. -Park, who to her dying day, thirty years after the above events, clung -to the belief that her husband was yet alive, and would some day be -found. - -The Government, not unmindful of their duty to the family of such a -heroic servant, granted Mrs. Park a small pension, which she continued -to receive till her death in 1840. - -Her children as they grew up speedily showed that they inherited much -of the spirit of their father. Mungo, the eldest, obtained a commission -in the Indian army. But he had not his father’s constitution, and he -died ten days after landing at Bombay. His younger brother, Archibald, -was more fortunate in the same field of honour, and rose to the rank of -Colonel. - -But it was the second son, Thomas, who seemed most largely to have -inherited the adventurous nature of his father. He, like his mother, -never lost belief in the idea that his father was somewhere a prisoner -in the heart of Africa. Thither, in the ardent, impulsive days of -youth, his thoughts perpetually turned, till the desire of ascertaining -the truth possessed him as strongly as the solution of the mystery of -the Niger had formerly possessed Park himself. But by this time the -Parks were alone in their belief, and unsupported, the impetuous young -fellow was next to helpless. In secret, however, he continued to scheme -and plan all the more, ever with the one object in view. - -At length in the year 1827 he embarked on board a vessel bound for the -South Seas. In some way or other he contrived to leave the ship and -reach the Gold Coast, determined now to carry out by himself his long -cherished desire to discover his father’s fate. - -The following letter, dated Accra, 1827, tells all we know of his -plans:-- - - “MY DEAREST MOTHER,--I was in hopes I should have been back before - you were aware of my absence. I went off--now that the murder - is out--entirely from fear of hurting your feelings. I did not - write to you lest you should not be satisfied. Depend upon it, - my dearest mother, I shall return safe. You know what a curious - fellow I am, therefore don’t be afraid for me. Besides, it was my - duty--my filial duty--to go, and I shall yet raise the name of - Park. You ought rather to rejoice that I took it into my head. - Give my kindest love to my sister. Tell her I think the boat would - do very well for the Niger. I shall be back in three years at the - most--perhaps in one. God bless you, my dearest mother, and believe - me to be, your most affectionate and dutiful son, - - THOMAS PARK.” - -Thereafter an ominous silence followed. Like the elder Park, -the hot-headed young fellow, whom we cannot help loving for his -folly--knowing as we do its mainspring--disappeared from sight in the -Dark Continent, whence only vague rumours ever came back, sorrow-laden, -telling of a speedy and bloody close to his wild yet heroic mission. - -And so fatally ended the connection of the Park family with the -exploration of the River Niger, and thus closed the first great chapter -in the history of the opening up of Inner Africa. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIV. - -_THE FULAH REVOLUTION._ - - -Simultaneously with the commencement of Park’s work of exploration, -an event of almost equal moment in the history of the Niger basin had -begun to germinate. This was the phenomenal rise to a position of -immense political and religious importance of the Fulahs--a people -known among the Haussa as Fillani, and in Bornu as Fillatah. - -As Park was the forerunner of Christian enterprise, so Othman dan -Fodiyo, a simple Fulah Malaam or teacher, in raising the banner of -Islam, marked the revival of the political and religious spirit of -Mohammedanism in the Central and Western Sudan. - -We have seen how the huge empire of Songhay crumbled into pieces before -the musketeers of a Moorish sultan--how with its political influence -went its civilising influence, and whole kingdoms and provinces fell -back into the old idolatry and barbarism. - -Similarly and almost contemporaneously, Bornu, largely though not so -entirely, lost its old military power and progressive force. The Haussa -States, left to themselves, showed a like degenerative tendency, and -largely lapsed into the old heathen ways. - -But in all the mass of idolatry was a leaven of quickening influence, -which prevented it from becoming altogether dead and sodden. From Lake -Chad to the Atlantic there was scattered one remarkable race who forgot -not God, neither lapsed into the abominations of the infidel. Though -without political status, and holding no better position than that -of semi-serfs--being, moreover, spread broadcast in small groups as -shepherds--they yet had in them a bond of union and an inspiring force -which supported them in all their trials, and kept them from racial -annihilation. - -[Illustration: GROUP OF FULAHS.] - -That race was the Fulah, and their bond of union was the religion of -Islam. - -Where they came from is unknown. Everything relating to them is a -matter of conjecture, though in the Sudanese chronicles we find -various allusions to them extending back several centuries. - -Their well-chiselled features, straight wiry hair, and copper-coloured -skin, all distinctly mark them off as not African, and point towards -the East as the cradle of their race. Still more, their well-developed -skulls and high intellectual average place them on an altogether higher -level in the scale of humanity than any of the negro or Bantu races -among whom they settled. - -At some remote period, we may safely conjecture, they immigrated from -the East, and gradually moved westward--not as warrior-conquerors, but -as peace-loving shepherds, whose knowledge of cattle, &c., made them -welcome additions to every country they reached. Nomadic in habit, and -depending for subsistence on their flocks and herds, it was impossible -for them to settle in large numbers in any one place--the country being -already occupied by the negro inhabitants. Accordingly it was ever -necessary for them to move westward, leaving behind them only such -numbers as could conveniently get a living. - -By the fourteenth or fifteenth century the Fulahs had reached the -watersheds of the Niger and the Gambia. Here the migratory tide was -stopped by physical and other causes. The country beyond proved to be -less adapted for pastoral pursuits, and possibly was already thickly -populated. - -There being no further outlet westward, the newcomers naturally -accumulated as does the dammed back stream. They increased in numbers, -and correspondingly in power, till they became of no small importance, -and founded for themselves a kingdom which has been already mentioned -under the name of Fulahdu. - -When Islam crossed the desert and found its way in the ninth and -tenth centuries into the Sudan, the Fulahs were the very first to -become converts to the new religion. Their temperament, their higher -intellectual development, made them more quickly susceptible to the -new influences, and hence it was that while as yet the great mass of -the aborigines were still infidel, the Fulahs with one voice were -proclaiming their belief in Allah and His Prophet. Persecution, as in -the case of other religions, had only the result of burning the tenets -of Islam deeper into their souls, causing their faith to shine with a -clearer and more spiritual light to the edification and instruction of -the surrounding idolaters. In the Western Sudan, where they enjoyed, or -came to enjoy, an independent existence, Islam spread among the Fulahs -with special rapidity; and with the fall of Songhay and the crippling -of the influence of Timbuktu, they became the chief propagators of -Mohammedanism and the great encouragers of learning by means of mosques -and schools--rarely by the power of fire and the sword. Not only did -they and their co-religionists of neighbouring tribes, the Mandingoes -and the Jolofs, thus spread a knowledge of the One God--they at the -same time did an equally noble work in arraying themselves against the -rapidly advancing flood of gin which Christian Europe was pouring into -their country. With that traffic they would have nothing to do, and -unlike so many of our Christian merchants, no consideration of profit -would tempt them to a compromise between their conscience and the lust -for gain. - -Meanwhile the Fulahs of the kingdoms of the interior had much to do -to hold their own among their Pagan masters. Their position was most -galling to a race which knew themselves infinitely superior to those -whom they were obliged to own as masters--more bitter still that they, -the inheritors of the promises, should be ruled by idolaters and men -whose portion was Gehenna. Broken up as they were into little groups -scattered over an enormous area, what could they do? The answer to -that question was speedily forthcoming. They had, as we have shown, -the necessary bond of union and the inspiring spiritual force to make -them fight as one man for a common end. They only needed the leader -to utilise this force and bring it into action. Such a man is never -wanting when the times demand him, and he in this case was forthcoming -in the person of Othman, the Imam or religious sheik of the Fulah of -Gober, the northern of the Haussa States. - -Under the influence of this sheik the Fulah of that region were roused -to a state of religious fervour such as they had never known before. -His fiery eloquence touched their excitable and imaginative nature as -he brought home to them the shame of their semi-enslaved position. -The fires of discontent were thus set smouldering, and required but a -little more fanning to cause them to blaze into the flames of rebellion. - -Meanwhile their Haussa ruler, Bawa, was not blind to the dangerous -ferment existing among them, and fearing the results, summoned Othman -to his presence, and severely reprimanded him. This was sufficient for -the proud and enthusiastic “Believer.” He left Bawa’s presence only to -raise the standard of revolt--the sacred banner of Islam. The effect -was electric. In response to his summons the Fulah at once gathered -around him in an enthusiastic army. - -But they were mostly shepherds--men of peace, unaccustomed to the use -of arms; and they could not be at once transformed into successful -warriors. Consequently at first they met with discomfiture and defeat -in every encounter. Had they been fighting for themselves the movement -would undoubtedly have collapsed at the first rude shock of arms. But -happily for them they had a higher interest at heart. They fought for -God and His Prophet, whose instruments they believed themselves to be. -In such a warfare there could be no doubt in their minds as to whose -would ultimately be the victory. With ever-growing zeal they returned -to the charge, stimulated in their glorious crusade by their leader -Othman’s religious songs and fiery words, which told them that theirs -was a cause for which it was much to live and fight, but even more to -die, if it should be God’s will. - -Thus led and encouraged, the Fulah grew in experience of battle and -the use of arms. The hordes of shepherds were gradually beaten into a -disciplined army of warriors, and from defeat rose to victory. - -Thus it was that Othman and his ever-victorious army burst forth -from Gober on their irresistible career, filling the wild wastes of -Central African heathendom with their cry of “None but the One God,” -till the whole of the Western and Central Sudan, from Lake Chad to the -Atlantic, acknowledged more or less temporarily the political supremacy -of the Fulah. Yet it was no mere temporal power that Othman and his -people sought to establish--theirs was a conquest for God. They acted -but as His agents. Before them fetishism and all its degrading rites -disappeared. No longer did the natives bow down to stocks and stones, -but to Allah, the One God. Once more, as in the palmy days of Songhay -and Bornu, schools and mosques sprang up throughout the land, and the -Greatness, the Compassionateness, and the All-embracing Mercy of the -Ruler of the Universe were taught to natives released from the foul -blight of idolatry in its worst form. - -In this work of releasing the Faithful from their bondage to heathen -taskmasters, and bringing new light in a forcible fashion to the -barbarous and breechless natives, the Fulah did not stop till from -every village of the Central Sudan there was heard in the grey dawn -of the tropic morning the stentorian voice of the negro Mueddin, -announcing that prayer was better than sleep--bringing from out the -faintly illumined houses the devout Moslems to humble their faces in -the dust, and acknowledge their utter faith in and dependence on Allah. - -No less thoroughly was the material welfare of the people cared for. -“The laws of the Koran were in his (Othman’s) time strictly put in -force, not only among the Fillahtah (Fulah), but the negroes and the -Arabs; and the whole country, when not in a state of war, was so well -regulated, that it was a common saying that a woman might travel with a -casket of gold upon her head from one end of the Fillahtah dominions to -the other.” So wrote Clapperton a few years after the death of Othman, -as eye-witness of the wonderful revolution effected by the Fulah. - -Unhappily the religious fervour of the remarkable leader speedily -developed into religious mania, and ended in his death in 1817. - -On the death of Othman, the huge empire he had raised was divided -between his sons Bello and Abd Allahi. To the former was given Sokoto -and all the east and south, while to the latter fell the western -provinces along the Niger, with Gandu as capital. The countries to -the west of the Niger, including Massina, became independent under -Ahmed Lebbo, one of Othman’s lieutenants, who conquered that region -immediately before the death of Othman. - - - - -CHAPTER XXV. - -_NEW ENTERPRISES AND NEW THEORIES._ - - -As we have seen, Park’s second expedition was fruitful in nothing but -disaster, and the legacy of experience that helps others to success. - -The journal Isaaco brought back from the Niger did not add anything to -our knowledge of the river, and so little did Amadi Fatuma’s narrative -supplement it as to the results of the voyage down the stream to Bussa, -that in the map attached to the published journal and biographical -notice in 1816, Park’s furthest point is placed only some eighty miles -to the E.S.E. of Timbuktu, instead of nearly 700 miles in a straight -line S.E. - -There was one geographer, however, more far-seeing than the others, -who, though at the time unheeded, struck upon the real solution of the -problem of the Niger’s termination. This was M. Richard, a German, who -published his views on the subject in the “Ephemerides Geographique” as -far back as 1808. These, briefly stated, were as follows. The Niger, -after reaching Wangara, takes a direction towards the south, and being -joined by other rivers from that part of Africa, makes a great turn -thence towards the south-west, pursuing its course till it approaches -the north-eastern extremity of the Gulf of Guinea, where it divides and -discharges itself by different channels into the Atlantic, after having -formed an immense delta, of which the Rio del Rey constitutes the -eastern, and the Rio Formosa or Benin the western branch. - -Never was a better instance of a mental discovery of a geographical -fact. Richard’s hypothesis is a graphic description of the actual -geography of the middle and lower Niger. This of course was not to be -recognised by the world, before whose eyes the Kong Mountains ever -loomed up as an impassable barrier running across the suggested line -of drainage. Till these could be removed, turned aside, or broken up, -no geographer was prepared to allow that the Niger could possibly -discharge itself into the Gulf of Guinea. - -Mungo Park had left one legacy of theory behind him, viz., that the -Niger and the Congo were one. What was known of his last voyage in -nowise helped to disabuse men of that idea--on the contrary, it -obtained more widely than ever. - -To set at rest once for all this important question, the Government, -undeterred by the disastrous termination of the last expedition, -determined to fit out another on an even larger scale, and in spite -of the dire fate which had befallen Park and his companions, there -were not wanting plenty of ardent spirits to risk all the dangers of a -similar enterprise. - -To ensure success the expedition was divided into two parts--one to -follow Park’s route more or less closely and descend the Niger; the -other to ascend the Congo, haply to meet half way, if the fates were -propitious. - -Captain Tuckey was the leader of the Congo section; and along with him -went a botanist, a geologist, a naturalist, a comparative anatomist, a -gentleman volunteer, and fifty of a crew. - -The party left England on the 16th February 1816, and reached the mouth -of the Congo in five months and a half. The impression they received on -entering the river was one of disappointment, the river appearing as -one of second class magnitude instead of the gigantic stream they had -been taught to expect. - -In vain, too, did they look for traces of the great kingdoms described -by the early Portuguese explorers, or of the churches and cities -founded by the Europeans in the early days of Portuguese national -and Christian enterprise. For the most part they were met only by -the dark depths of malarious mangrove swamps, and the profound -stillness and impenetrable vegetation of the tropical forest, though -here and there in the clearings were miserable villages, inhabited -by idle, good-humoured natives, with a decided appetite for ardent -spirits--seemingly the only legacy permanently left behind by the -Europeans. - -Pushing up the river, they at length reached the first cataracts of the -Congo, which, instead of proving to be another Niagara, seemed to their -jaundiced eyes “a comparative brook bubbling over its stony bed”--a -description, needless to say, not confirmed by subsequent expeditions. - -Unable to proceed further in their boats, Tuckey and his companions -continued the exploration by land, and in spite of the extreme -difficulties they had to encounter in cutting their way through -pathless forests without a guide, they surmounted the first stretch -of falls, and reached a point where the river widened and presented -no difficulties to navigation. Unhappily, however, the old story of -disease commenced. Three of the principal men had successively to -return to the ship; and finally Tuckey and his companion Smith, the -botanist, abandoned their projects, seeing their further progress -hopeless in face of so many difficulties and their own helpless -condition under the paralysing influence of disease. They reached the -ship to find their three companions dead. Smith was the next victim. -Finally, overcome by depression and mental anxiety, Captain Tuckey died -also. How many sailors succumbed we are not told. - -Meanwhile no better luck fell to the lot of the other section of the -expedition. - -On the 14th December, this party, consisting of 100 men and 200 -animals, under the command of Major Peddie, landed at the mouth of the -Rio Nunez, nearly midway between the Gambia and Sierra Leone. Major -Peddie’s intention was to pass across the narrow part between the Ocean -and the Niger. Hardly had he landed, however, before the fell demon -of disease, which in its foul lair keeps watch and ward over the fair -expanse of Inner Africa, laid its invisible hand upon him, and ere the -march was begun he found a grave in the land he had come to explore. - -Under Captain Campbell the expedition experienced only a succession -of disasters. The donkeys rapidly perished under the hands of men -unaccustomed to look after them. Food was only to be obtained with the -utmost difficulty, and at ruinous prices. - -Arrived near the frontiers of the Fulah country, they were detained for -four months owing to the suspicions entertained towards them by the -king and his people. - -Everything they had began to melt away at an alarming rate. Soon not -a beast of burden was left, and when, seeing advance hopeless, they -turned seawards, their retreat became one continued story of plunder. -Kumner, the naturalist, died _en route_, and Campbell only reached -Kakunda to add his name to the list of victims to African exploration. -The final stroke was given to the unlucky fortunes of this evidently -ill-conducted enterprise by the death of Lieutenant Stoker, a young -naval officer who assumed command, and was about to make a new attempt -to penetrate the country. - -Clearly African exploration was no light matter, requiring the making -of wills and the setting of earthly affairs in order for such as put -their hand to the work. Yet strangely enough there was no halting--no -dearth of volunteers. When one died, another was ready to take his -place. - - “Each stepping where his comrade stood - The instant that he fell.” - -In this spirit Captain Gray, a survivor of Peddie’s party, made an -attempt to follow Park’s track, but got no further than Bondou, from -which, after being detained for nearly a year, he managed to return to -the coast. - -But what all these various disastrous attempts were unable to -achieve was meanwhile being once more accomplished by a stay-at-home -geographer, James M‘Queen. The circumstances under which he was -attracted to the subject are in harmony with the romantic character of -African history. A copy of the narrative of Park’s first expedition -found its way into the hands of M‘Queen while resident in the Island of -Grenada, West Indies. Among the negroes under his charge were several -Mandingoes from the banks of the Niger. One Haussa negro he came in -contact with had actually rowed Park across the Niger. - -Already imbued with pronounced geographical tastes, M‘Queen’s -imagination was at once taken captive by the mystery of the Great -River. With all the enthusiasm of an ardent temperament, he devoted -himself to the solution of the question as thoroughly as Park himself, -though in a very different manner. While, one after another, explorers -toiled and struggled, sickened and died, with but small result to -science, he set about collecting information from all the negroes and -freemen he met who had come from or even set foot in West Africa. More -especially did he study all the available materials supplied by Arabs -who had travelled and traded in the Sudan, or by Europeans and natives -who, bent on commerce or discovery, had penetrated to the interior from -the West Coast. - -With extraordinary genius and industry, and admirable clear-sightedness -and judgment, he set in their true light and pieced together the -various items thus collected relating to the course of the Niger, till -he succeeded in mapping out for himself the broad geographical features -of the whole region through which it runs. As far back as 1816 the -first sketch of his views was given to the world in a small treatise, -in which he pointed out, as had Richard before him, that the Niger -certainly entered the ocean in the Bight of Benin. The treatise fell -unheeded, however--at least by the world at large; but undiscouraged, -M‘Queen continued his researches for five years more, and in 1821 -produced a book, “Containing a Particular Account of the Course and -Termination of the Great River Niger in the Atlantic Ocean.” - -In this interesting work M‘Queen reviews all the various theories -respecting the Niger. He demolishes Rennell’s opinion that it -disappeared in some central wastes of sand, or becomes evaporated in -a series of swamps under the burning heats of a tropical sun. The view -that it flows east and joins the Nile met a similar fate before his -army of facts. The obstructing Kong barrier was cleft asunder with a -Titan’s strength, and made to separate instead of join the Congo and -the Niger. - -But the writer was not merely destructive. He could build as well. With -the very weapons with which he pulled down the theories of the past, -he set about constructing a theory of his own. Laying together fact -upon fact, gathered from every available source, he traced the course -of the Niger in a southerly direction. Bussa, from being left near -Timbuktu, he transported several hundred miles further south. From the -kingdom of Bornu and adjacent states he gathered together the various -drainage streams, and ran them into a common channel--the Gir or Nile -of the Sudan; but instead of directing it to the true Nile, as had -formerly been the case when it was believed to be the Niger itself, he -gave it a westerly course south of the Haussa States and Nyffé (Nupé) -to its junction with the Kwora or Main Niger. Here the Arab writers -and traders failed him, though leaving him without a doubt as to the -ultimate destination of the Central Sudanese waters. - -For the termination, however, he had to seek information from the -Atlantic side. Everything pointed to the Bight of Benin as the only -possible place of discharge of such a huge river. Here was found an -unknown extent of low flat country and fetid mangrove swamp, pierced by -many-branched anastomosing creeks. From Calabar to Benin canoes could -pass in all directions by means of these creeks, and it was known that -they extended far into the interior. Though subject to the ebb and flow -of the tide, there was no question as to the volume of fresh water -which moved seaward, bearing floating islands on its discoloured floods. - -Supported by a convincing array of facts such as these, M‘Queen could -come to no other conclusion but that “in the Bights of Benin and -Biafra, therefore, is the great outlet of the Niger, bearing along in -his majestic stream all the waters of Central Africa from 10° west -longitude to 28° east longitude, and from the Tropic of Cancer to the -shores of Benin.” - -Never was a piece of arm-chair geography worked out more admirably. In -its broad outlines it was perfectly correct. To M‘Queen it was as much -a certainty as if he had actually explored and mapped it on the spot. - -Imbued with this faith, he proceeded to point out the importance of -the Niger to the commerce of England and the future of Africa. With -Fernando Po and the Niger in the hands of his countrymen, he saw -Britain mistress of the fate of the continent. Bussa was to be the -inner key of the situation. “Therefore,” he says, “on this commanding -spot let the British standard be firmly planted, and no power on earth -could tear it up.... Firmly planted in Central Africa, the British flag -would become the rallying point of all that is honourable, useful, -beneficial, just, and good. Under the mighty shade thereof the nations -would seek security, comfort, and repose. Allies Great Britain would -find in abundance. They would flock to her settlement, if it had the -power and the means to protect them. The resources of Africa, and the -energies of Africa, under a wise and vigorous policy, may be made to -subdue and control Africa. Let Britain only form such a settlement, -and give it that countenance, support, and protection which the -wisdom and energy of British councils can give, and which the power -and resources of the British empire can so well maintain, and Central -Africa to future ages will remain a grateful and obedient dependency -of this empire. The latter will become the centre of all the wealth, -and the focus of all the industry, of the former. Thus the Niger, like -the Ganges, would acknowledge Great Britain as its protector, our king -as its lord.... A city built there under the protecting wings of Great -Britain, and extended, enriched, and embellished by the industry, -skill, and spirit of her sons, would ere long become the capital of -Africa. Fifty millions of people, yea, even a greater number, would be -dependent on it.” - -These are brave words, truly, about what after all was merely a “mental -discovery,” and taken alone, they might only evoke a smile, if we did -not know that they are those of a man of no ordinary genius and power -of insight. Looking back seventy years after he wrote, we can see how -truly prophetic he was in most that he wrote, and that he was no more -the blatant patriot than the geographical dreamer. His genius for -looking ahead was as great as for looking around. Take, for instance, -his warning of the danger of a French advance from the Senegal to -the Niger, and its far-reaching consequence, if carried out, to our -commercial and political position in West Central Africa. He it was who -foresaw nearly seventy years before its accomplishment the necessity of -a Chartered Company to take full advantage of our (then prospective) -position on the Niger, and the results that would ensue without -such a method of developing the resources of that region. Of these -matters, however, we shall treat in their proper place. Enough for -the moment if we show how thoroughly M‘Queen had made himself master -of the geographical problems then before the public, as well as of the -political and commercial situation that was to follow the opening up -of the Niger to European intercourse. Only now, after more than half a -century of gross and irreparable mismanagement in West Africa, we are -waking up to the wisdom of his views, and striving in some measure to -carry them into effect. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVI. - -_THE TERMINATION OF THE NIGER._ - - -Unhappily for the stay-at-home geographer, no matter how skilfully he -may set forth the discoveries made in his study, his triumph can only -come after they have been demonstrated by actual travel, and even then -the credit that falls to his share is small. The case of M‘Queen is one -in point. We have no evidence that his theory regarding the Niger’s -termination made any special impression upon the general opinion of the -time. Unfortunately for him, too, his views were published immediately -after several disastrous attempts from the West Coast to settle the -question he had so ably worked out, so that Government and people alike -were disposed to fight shy of the fatal region. - -Yet with every succeeding failure the attraction of the mysterious -river seemed ever to become greater, and a stubborn determination was -evinced to break through the deadly belt which hedged in the countries -of the interior. Conquered and rebuffed in one direction, there was -nothing for it but to try another, and once more the Arab caravan route -from Tripoli to the Sudan was thought of. As has been elsewhere shown, -attempts in this direction had already been made by other travellers, -and all had alike failed. Of these Horneman alone had penetrated beyond -the northern borderland of the desert, only, however, to disappear -for ever. In every other case these expeditions had failed at the -outset through fatal fevers and Oriental obstructiveness--what, then, -had the traveller to expect, who, surmounting these initial dangers, -found himself face to face with the terrors of the great Sahara, where -nature in its fiercest aspects reigned supreme, and man was represented -only by wild roving tribes savage as their environment. - -Nevertheless men there were ready and eager to try this route, as had -been others before them to brave the dangers of the West Coast. - -[Illustration: CAPTAIN CLAPPERTON.] - -In 1820 Britain held an exceptionably favourable position in the -councils of the Court of Tripoli, while at the same time the Basha, -thanks to his guns, exercised a very marked influence over all the -Arab, Berber, and Tibbu tribes lying between his country and the -far-distant regions of the Sudan. Hence any one starting under the -protection of the Basha had a fair guarantee of success, provided he -could withstand the possible onslaughts of disease, and the terrible -privations incidental to desert marches. - -Encouraged by this favourable state of matters, the British Government -determined to make another attempt to explore by the Arab route the -regions which they had so signally failed to reach from the Atlantic. - -Lieutenant Clapperton--like Park, a Scottish borderer--Dr. Oudney, -and Major Denham, were selected for the task, and the 18th November -1821 saw them landed in Tripoli. Little time was lost in making their -preparations and in setting forth for Murzuk in Fezzan, where they -were to make their final arrangements before plunging into the dread -Sahara. Here, though received kindly enough by the Sultan, they were -threatened with the system of Oriental delays which had proved fatal -to previous travellers. This, however, they were not the men to brook, -and Major Denham promptly returned to Tripoli to lay a complaint before -the Basha. As promptly he started for England on getting nothing but -promises. This was sufficient to throw the Basha and his Court into -consternation, and vessel after vessel was despatched to bring back the -indignant traveller. They succeeded in catching him up at Marseilles, -and induced him to return. On his arrival in Tripoli he was informed -that already his escort awaited him at Sokna, on the borders of the -Tripolitan desert. - -Murzuk was triumphantly re-entered on the 30th October 1822. Clapperton -and Oudney were found much reduced by the fevers, which were here so -prevalent that even amongst the natives anything like a healthy-looking -person was a rarity. To get away from this dangerously unhealthy -place, Bu Khalum, the leader of the caravan, exerted himself with -most unoriental and praiseworthy energy, though the task of gathering -together the various elements of such a company as his was no small -matter. - -When ready, the party consisted of four Europeans, and servants to the -number of ten, an Arab escort of 210, gathered from the most obedient -tribes under the rule of Tripoli, and a number of merchants and freed -slaves, who brought up the roll to about 300. - -It was the 29th November before the whole party was ready for the road. -The Europeans were in no very promising plight. They were all more or -less down with fever, and Oudney and Hillman, a carpenter, were in -a specially hopeless condition, considering what was before them. -Nevertheless each one was eager and determined to go on, always hoping -in the future, as is the manner of enthusiasts. - -Almost with the disappearance of the walls, mosques, and date-trees -of Murzuk in their rear, the desert rose up grim and terrible before -them. The second day saw them among wild wastes of burning billowy -sands, where was seen no living thing, nor other sound heard than the -melancholy sweep of the wind over the endless tracts of sand. For some -days, however, watering-places were not unfrequent, while here and -there small oases gave a temporary relief to the monotonous landscape, -and afforded a scanty subsistence to Tibbu or Berber inhabitants, who -preferred to face the terror of the wilderness rather than live under -the harsh rule of Arab masters. With the continued advance southward -the wells grew more scarce, and it became a matter of congratulation -when the day’s march ended beside one. With the wells went the -date-trees and the cultivated oases, the prowling beast and the -wandering native--only a great yellow expanse perpetually unrolled its -vastness and monotony beneath the brazen canopy of a cloudless sky. - -Into this realm of Desolation and Death the caravan now passed, -their route marked out by the skeletons of human beings, ominously -indicative of the dangers ahead and the horrors of the slave trade. -As many as 107 such skeletons were counted by the wayside in a single -march, and 100 were found around one well. At some places the numbers -were beyond calculation. For days together now there was nothing but -desert--hummocky mounds, painful stone-strewn stretches of barrenness, -and shattered ribs of rock, grim, gaunt, and terrible. The wind came -like blasts from a furnace, and from the cloudless sky the sun poured -down its burning rays in a painful flood. Under the influences of heat, -thirst, and fatigue, no word was spoken--even the camels uttered not a -groan, as if conscious of the dire alternative to not pushing on. At -times the horses’ hoofs crunched through the bones of human beings who -had perished on the march. Night only brought relief from the hardships -of the route. Then came the clear soothing darkness lit by a myriad -stars, the cool refreshing breezes, and the soft couch of sand, so -inexpressibly welcome to the weary, parched, and blinded wayfarers. - -Thus the year passed away, and 1823 was ushered in, bringing promise of -a successful issue to the enterprise. The explorers had now reached a -scantily populated Tibbu country, where, in equal danger from drought, -famine, sandstorms, and the murderous raids and plundering onslaughts -of Berber tribes and passing caravans, men somehow contrived to wring -from the flinty, almost arid, bosom of mother earth the wherewithal to -keep body and soul together. - -On leaving Bilma, the chief centre of this district, another desert -tract had to be crossed, necessitating long and harassing marches, -under the hardships of which as many as twenty camels would sink down -exhausted in a single day. This dread region was at length also safely -traversed, and infinite was the relief and thankfulness of all when -towards the end of January the approach to more fertile tracts was -indicated by the appearance of clumps of grass, and further on of a few -scattered and stunted trees. This miserable and dingy vegetation looked -delightful and refreshing to travellers who for over two weary months -had been in a land of death and desolation. Tibbu inhabitants, with -their flocks and herds, reappeared with the vegetation, and fresh meat -and camel’s milk were to be had in abundance. - -The caravan had this time reached no mere oasis. With each day’s -march south the country improved in appearance, till the party found -themselves in charming valleys shaded by leafy trees, festooned with -creeping vines of the Colocynth, while underneath the sheltering canopy -the ground was aglow with many-hued and brilliantly-coloured flowers. -Nor was there lack of animal life to give animation and variety to -the scene. Hundreds of twittering birds fluttered from tree to tree, -careless of the vultures and kites which gracefully circled far up -in the heavens. From a distance shy gazelles watched the newcomers -with their beautiful eyes wide-stretched, but ready, if alarmed, to -bound away at a moment’s notice to their forest haunts. The very sky -reflected the softer conditions of nature, and showed a brighter blue -cloud-speckled; and the natives in their smiling faces and hospitality -harmonised with the happier conditions under which they lived, though -from time to time the ruthless acts of the Arab caravan sent them -flying in terror. - -There was no mistaking the fact that the Sudan--the country known by -hearsay for over four centuries, but which so far had baffled all -attempts to explore it--had at last been reached. On the 4th February -1823 the travellers’ eyes were greeted with a sight “so gratifying and -inspiring that it would be difficult for language to convey an idea -of its force. The great lake Chad, glowing with the golden rays of -the sun in its strength, appeared within a mile of the spot on which -we stood. My heart bounded within me at the prospect, for I believed -this lake to be the key to the great object of our search (presumably -the Niger), and I could not refrain from silently imploring Heaven’s -continued protection, which had enabled us to proceed so far in health -and strength even to the accomplishment of our task.” - -Nine days later the river Yeou was discovered flowing from the west. -The name given to it by the Arabs unlocked the secrets of many -geographical misconceptions. But that it was neither the true Nile -nor the Niger was soon made patent--for, on the one hand, its course -ended in the Chad; and, on the other, its size, and the reports of the -natives, made it clear that it drained only the eastern Haussa States. - -February 17 was a momentous date in the history of the expedition, for -on that day they reached Kuka, the capital of Bornu. - -Their entry was made in great state, worthy the traditions of a -powerful semi-civilised Sultan. Several thousand well equipped and -marvellously caparisoned horsemen awaited the strangers outside -the town, and on seeing them, charged as if with the intention of -annihilating the little band. Suddenly, while at full gallop, they -pulled up right in the faces of the newcomers, almost smothering them -with clouds of dust, and putting them in some danger from the crowding -of horses and clashing of spears. - -The Sultan’s negroes, as they were called, were specially conspicuous, -“habited in coats of mail composed of iron chain, which covered them -from the throat to the knees, dividing behind and coming on each side -of the horse. Some of them had helmets, or rather skull caps, of the -same metal, with china pieces all sufficiently strong to ward off the -shock of a spear. Their horses’ heads were also defended by plates of -iron, brass, and silver.” - -It would be difficult to give the faintest idea of the strange sights -and scenes which now opened up before our travellers in the centre of -the ancient empire of Bornu. Nothing more remarkable had ever been -seen by any European explorer--at least in Africa. From the Sultan -and his much-robed courtiers down to the scantily-draped country -people, all were alike interesting. The teeming life in all its varied -forms--Arab, Berber, Fulah, and negro of twenty different tribes--made -up a picture of strange attractiveness. Not less interesting were -the curious customs, the industries, the mixture of a considerable -degree of civilisation and religious elevation with the lowest depths -of barbarism and degrading superstition. These were the more marked, -inasmuch as when the English travellers saw Bornu and its remarkable -court, it was just re-emerging from a temporary eclipse of its national -glory. Only a short time before it had thrown off the temporary -domination of the Fulahs, to whom it had succumbed in their first -irresistible onrush. - -The reception of Clapperton and Denham was exceedingly promising, and a -bright career of discovery seemingly lay open to them. - -Matters assumed a worse aspect, however, when differences of opinion -arose among the Arabs of the caravan. They had been despatched as an -escort to the travellers, it is true, but they were not placed directly -under their command. To do absolutely nothing but look after the -safety of the Europeans was as alien to their conception of duty as the -idea of travelling all the way to Bornu without turning the journey -to profitable account. The majority of them not being merchants, and -therefore not supplied with goods for barter, had only their weapons -to depend upon to recoup them for their trouble. A slave raid was -therefore determined on, in spite of the opposition and remonstrances -of Bu Khalum and the Europeans. As the Arabs were not to be turned -aside from their project, the leader reluctantly agreed to go with -them, and Denham, finding himself helpless, resolved to join the party -likewise in order to extend his knowledge of the region. - -The mountains of Mandara, to the south of Bornu, were chosen as the -most suitable spot for a slave hunt, and thither the raiders proceeded, -accompanied by a considerable contingent of the Bornu army. - -Leaving Kuka in the middle of April, they reached Mandara towards the -end of the month, without any misadventure. Here they found themselves -surrounded with mountain scenery, which could scarcely be exceeded for -beauty and richness. On all sides interminable chains of hill closed in -the view in rugged magnificence and picturesque grandeur. Here, too, -nature revelled in its most luxuriant forms among giant trees almost -masked under the wealth of creepers which wound around the trunks -and branches, or hung in graceful festoons swaying responsive to the -passing breeze. Native villages were everywhere to be seen perched -airily, like eagles’ nests, far up on the rocks and mountain tops, -or nestling in the valleys, hidden like the wild deer’s lair in the -depths of the forest. Such was the lovely district into which the Arabs -had come to bring death, ruin, and slavery. But for once they had -miscalculated their powers, or depended too much on the co-operation -of the Bornu contingent. At the first attack the invaders drove the -natives before them, but soon they were outnumbered. Bu Khalum was -severely wounded along with the leader of the Bornuese, and Denham -received a wound in the face. Beaten on all sides, the only safety of -the survivors lay in flight. - -A frightful scene ensued. Denham passed through a series of the most -marvellous escapes, but at last, unhorsed and unarmed, was seized and -stripped, receiving several wounds from spear thrusts in the process. -Seeing nothing but a cruel death before him, he resolved to make one -more effort to escape, and putting the thought into action, he slipped -below a horse, and started for the woods, pursued by two Fulah. -Reaching the shelter of the trees, hope revived on his seeing a ravine -opening in front of him, and offering a further chance of life. As he -was on the point of letting himself down the cliff into the stream, a -puff-adder raised its head to strike. He recoiled horror-stricken, and -fell headlong into the ravine, his fall fortunately made harmless by -a deep pool of water, where, recovering his presence of mind, three -strokes of his arms sent him to the opposite side, and placed him in -comparative safety among the dense vegetation. - -Shortly after, he met the remnants of the defeated party, and six days -later they re-entered Kuka, after enduring great hardships. - -For the next few months little of importance was done to elucidate -the geography of the Chad Region. An expedition westward to Manga was -accomplished with less disastrous results than that to the Mandara -mountains; and then the rainy season set in, threatening for a time to -end the days of the European travellers by the fevers which accompanied -it. With the return of the dry season came renewed health and renewed -determination to add further to their discoveries. - -On the 14th December, Clapperton and Oudney set forth to visit Kano and -the Haussa States in the company of a trading caravan. - -Two days later a Mr. Toole arrived at Kuka with fresh supplies for the -expedition, at a moment when they were much needed. - -In the beginning of the year 1824 Denham and Toole started for the -district of Logun with the object of visiting the Shari River. The -project was safely accomplished, and they found a majestic river 400 -yards broad, flowing from the south and south-west into the Chad. - -The difficulty of obtaining correct geographical information from the -natives was well illustrated in their case, it being clear that they -confounded with the Shari a great river (the Benué) they heard of as -flowing _from_ the south and south-west of Mandara, whereas in reality -the latter flows _to_ the west. It is extremely probable, however, that -some sort of connection exists between them in the wet season. - -At Logun Mr. Toole died. - -Meanwhile Clapperton and Oudney were travelling towards Kano, and -giving shape and form to the confused and conflicting accounts -over which geographers had quarrelled for a couple of centuries. -Unfortunately on this journey, Oudney, who had never enjoyed good -health from the day he left Tripoli, gradually became worse, and -died on the 12th January 1824. Left to himself, Clapperton passed on to -Kano, which he found to be a town of 30,000 to 40,000 inhabitants, and -chiefly important as a trading and industrial centre, it being famed as -such from the most remote times. - -[Illustration: VIEW IN SOKOTO.] - -On the 16th of March he reached Sokoto, the capital of the new Fulah -Empire, and there was hospitably received by Bello, son and successor -of the founder. From Sokoto he hoped to make his way to Yauri and Nupé, -to clear up as far as possible the question of the course of the Niger. -At first everything looked favourable for his plans, but gradually his -hopes vanished, as every one set about dissuading him from attempting -the journey. - -At last the Sultan himself withdrew his promise of protection, on the -plea of excessive danger to his guest. In the face of such a decided -veto it was useless to attempt to proceed, though for several weary -weeks Clapperton waited on in the hope that something would turn up -which would open a way for him. No change for the better occurred, -however, and at length he took leave of Sultan Bello, and returned to -Bornu. - -On September 3rd a caravan having been got together, the homeward -journey was commenced. - -In the course of the next four months the Sahara was safely recrossed, -and Tripoli re-entered on the 26th January, the travellers having been -absent nearly three years on their arduous undertaking. - -This must be considered the most successful African expedition up to -that period--successful alike in its scientific results and in the -extent of country explored for the first time. Once for all it settled -the question as to the direction in which the mouth of the Niger -must be looked for. Certainly it neither flowed east, nor did it end -in any known desert or lake. Yet curiously enough, to judge from the -travellers’ maps, they were still some way behind M‘Queen in their -knowledge of the general geography of the great eastern tributary of -the Niger. Through a misunderstanding on Clapperton’s part as to the -direction of the Benué, the River Shari was represented as draining its -waters from the west instead of from the south and east. But perhaps -the most valuable result of the expedition was, that for the first time -form and coherence were given to the geography of the Arab writers -and traders, and exact information collected regarding the remarkable -kingdoms forming the Central Sudan. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVII. - -_THE TERMINATION OF THE NIGER--(Continued)._ - - -Among the many valuable results arising from Clapperton and Denham’s -expedition, not the least important was the great encouragement it gave -to renewed enterprise. With the successes of these two explorers the -tide of evil fortune seemed to have turned, and they had shown that -death or failure did not necessarily meet whomsoever had the temerity -to seek to unlock the secrets of Ethiopia. - -Clapperton, moreover, had brought back with him from Sokoto the most -friendly messages from Bello, the Sultan, expressive of his desire -for direct intercourse with the British, and pointing out how that -intercourse might best be established by way of the Niger and the West -Coast, to which, he asserted, his dominions extended. To take advantage -of this more hopeful state of affairs, the British Government organised -another expedition, once more with the object of settling the vexed -question of the Niger termination, and at the same time opening up a -way to the rich provinces of Sokoto, Bornu, &c. - -Clapperton was again selected as leader, and with him were associated -Captain Pearce and Surgeon Morrison. - -The Gulf of Benin was chosen as the landing point, the reason being -that there they hoped to find the entrance to the river and follow it -to Bussa. On their arrival, however, it was deemed advisable not to -lose time and health among the interminable creeks and fatal mangrove -swamps known to distinguish the probable delta of the Niger. It was -known that Haussa caravans were in the habit of annually descending -overland to the coast at Badagry, a point a few miles to the west -of what is now known as Lagos. With much wisdom and common sense -Clapperton and his companions therefore elected to penetrate to the -Niger by this route, and after completing their business with Sokoto, -to descend the river in canoes. - -On the 7th December 1825 the party left the coast. Hardly, however, -had they got beyond earshot of the Atlantic rollers, when it seemed as -if the fate which had befallen so many earlier ventures was about to -overtake Clapperton’s also. Through imprudently sleeping in the open -air, they were all attacked by fever. Undismayed and unsubdued, they -nevertheless pushed on, staggering forward as best they might. But -there were limits to their defiance of disease. Morrison gave in first, -and turning to retrace his way to the coast, died on the road. Captain -Pearce was the next victim, and he, like the soldier who falls in -battle with his face to the foe, dropped on the road, struggling onward -to the last. - -Though now deprived of both his friends, Clapperton was not yet -absolutely alone. He had with him an English servant named Richard -Lander, who, with a spirit worthy of such a master, faced all the -perils and hardships of the route. Happily, however, by the end of -the month the deadly coast belt was safely passed, and healthier -lands lay before them. They entered the populous country of Yoruba, -with its teeming population, its well cultivated fields, enormous -towns, and general air of prosperity. Through Yoruba they passed in a -semi-triumphal procession, with no greater trouble to face than the -anxiety of the king to keep the white men in his own capital, or the -siren wiles of the widow Zuma, who, with her colossal charms, sought -to woo them from the path of danger and toil to the flower-strewn -haunts of love and ease. Heedless alike, however, of kingly favours and -full-fed charms--the widow being fat and twenty--Clapperton held on -his way, as also did Lander, who was as little to be seduced from his -master’s side as his master from the path of duty. - -Clapperton had hoped to reach the Niger at Nupé, but news of war and -bloodshed in that region caused him to deviate from his intended route -and strike the great river somewhat higher up. As the fates would -have it, he reached the Niger at the very point where Park had ended -at once his voyage and his career. Clapperton’s reception seemed to -belie the story of Amadi Fatuma as to the manner of Park’s death, but -a little investigation proved beyond a doubt the truth of its chief -particulars. The natives had attacked him under a misconception as -to his nationality, and every one spoke with regret of the unhappy -catastrophe. The place was pointed out where the boat and crew were -lost. - -At this point the river is divided into three channels, none more -than twenty yards broad when the water is low. The left branch is the -only safe one for canoes, the other two being broken up by rocks into -dangerous whirlpools and rapids. Bussa itself stands on an island about -three miles long by one and a half broad. - -From Bussa, Clapperton passed through Nupé and across the Haussa States -to Kano. Thence he proceeded to join Bello at Sokoto. He arrived, -however, at an unfortunate time. Civil war and rebellion were rife on -all hands, and it seemed as if the great Fulah Empire was about to fall -to pieces as quickly as it had been built up. Bello, in consequence, -was in a fit state to listen to all sorts of insinuations as to the -causes which brought the Europeans into his country, and the results -that were likely to follow. Accordingly, Clapperton’s reception -was anything but friendly, and under the worries consequent on his -treatment, and the fevers by which he was attacked, he at length -succumbed on the 13th April 1827. - -Of the members of the expedition there now remained only Richard -Lander, who had attached himself to Clapperton with such remarkable -fidelity. Three courses were open to him--to return to England by -way of the desert and Tripoli, to go back by the way he had come, or -thirdly, to attempt to carry out his late master’s intention of tracing -the Niger to its mouth. Lander was a man of no ordinary intelligence -and character, notwithstanding his subordinate position in life, and -as if Clapperton’s mantle had fallen on him, he elected to do what he -could to complete the unfinished work. - -With this object in view he returned to Kano from Sokoto, and thence -started south to reach the Niger, being under the belief that the great -river in that direction was the object of his search--while in reality -it was another. - -In this, however, he failed. He had almost reached the great town of -Yakoba, when his progress was stopped, and he was compelled to return -to Kano. Thence he made his way back as he had come through Yoruba to -Badagry, which he reached on the 21st November 1827. - -The unhappy issue of Clapperton’s second expedition somewhat chilled -African enterprise for the time being. Our knowledge of the course -and termination of the Niger was left exactly where it had been -before--though it was made more and more clear that from Bussa it -flowed south to Benin. Still the river seemed to lie under some charm -fatal to whomsoever should brave it and seek to lift the veil. - -The Government began to lose hope, or to conclude that the deadly -nature of the climate rendered the discovery of the mouth of the Niger -one only of geographical importance. But though they wavered and felt -disposed to give up the task, there were still plenty of volunteers -eager to make one more attempt. - -No matter what the dangers were, Africa had a strange power of -fascination which irresistibly drew men under its influence; not those -merely who had never set foot on its deadly shore, and who consequently -could not fully realise all that travel in Africa meant, but men who -had seen their companions die beside them on the road, struck down by -disease or the weapon of the savage, and who had themselves known what -it was to be at death’s door. It is a species of mesmeric influence -this of African travel, irresistibly compelling him who has once come -beneath its spell to return again and again, even though at last it be -to his death. - -Lander was no exception to the rule. He went out to Africa knowing -nothing, and probably caring less, for the objects of his master’s -expedition. But he was of the right sort to come beneath the fatal -charm; and with the death of his master he felt himself consecrated -to the work of exploration. In this spirit he returned to England with -Clapperton’s journal, only to offer himself for one more effort to -complete the task the death of the writer had left unfinished. Such -an offer the Government could not very well refuse, though the terms -promised by them showed that they had but little faith in a favourable -outcome. - -[Illustration: RICHARD LANDER.] - -But Lander was no longer the servant. African travel had ennobled him -and placed him in the roll of her knight-errantry. He knew no sordid -motives, asked no pay or other remuneration. Success should be his only -reward. His enthusiasm infected his brother John with a like spirit, -and caused him to throw in his fortunes with him. - -The 22nd March 1830 saw the gallant fellows landed at Badagry. They -followed practically the same route as Clapperton’s expedition to Eyeo, -from which they were compelled to take a circuitous northerly course to -the Niger at Bussa, which they reached in three months from the coast. - -After having paid a visit to the King of Yauri some distance up the -river, preparations were commenced for the voyage down to the ocean. -With difficulty two canoes were obtained, but at length, on the -20th September, everything was ready for departure. Before pushing -clear of the land, the Landers “humbly thanked the Almighty for past -deliverances, and fervently prayed that He would always be with us and -crown our enterprise with success.” Having thus placed themselves under -Divine protection, the word was given to push off, and away the canoes -glided towards their uncertain bourne. - -The first part of the voyage lay through a narrow valley bounded by -metamorphic hills, through which the river wound its way in broad -curving reaches, broken up at times by inhabited islands, which rose -precipitously from the dark waters, and gave variety to the scene. -Majestic trees lined the banks, and lent their own peculiar charm to -the panoramic landscape, while village and cultivated field spoke of -industrious inhabitants. From the latter they had nothing to fear--on -the contrary, the travellers were everywhere received hospitably, and -sent on their way with prayers for their safety and food for their -wants. A more instant danger lay in the numerous rocks which thrust -their crests above the water, or more treacherously lay hid beneath, -requiring constant watchfulness. - -Soon this rocky section was passed, and the district of Nupé entered. - -Here the river, emerging from the metamorphic hills, turns eastward and -widens, flowing through a broad valley whose precipitous sides form the -escarpments of a low sandstone plateau-land. This section is scantily -inhabited and sparsely wooded, on account of the fact that while the -river is in flood, the great plains which form the bottom of the valley -are submerged, and the river assumes the aspect of a lake. - -Sixty miles further down is a picturesque range of mountains--now -called Rennell’s--shortly after passing which comes the town of Egga. -From thence the broad valley begins to narrow, and the river to wind in -sharp curves through the low sandstone gorges, till, turning sharply -to the south, it enters a lake-like expanse, where the Landers found -that a large tributary from the east, which they conjectured to be the -Tchadda or Benué, joined the main stream. This was the river which -Clapperton had confounded with the Shari, though M‘Queen had worked out -its true relationship to the Niger system. - -Immediately beyond the point of junction, the Niger leaves the -sandstone plateau and passes through a series of bold picturesque -mountains by a narrow gorge, guarded on either side by isolated peaks -and table-topped mountains, which frown over the waters in defiant, -barren ruggedness. As if to stop all ingress or egress, small islands -and hidden rocks rise in mid-stream, round which the swift currents of -the contracted river angrily sweep and swirl. - -This natural gateway passed, the river expands again into majestic -reaches, sunning its full bosom under the tropic sun, unbroken by rock -or island. The mountains fall into gentle undulations, and these -again into a limitless, flat expanse, but little raised above the -level of the river. With every mile the vegetation grows more and more -luxuriant, more and more prodigal, till the primeval forest lies before -the traveller in all its height and depth and solemnity. Never before -had the brothers Lander seen such trees, such a profusion of shrubs, -such a tangle of varied creepers. - -Here and there villages, charmingly adorned with nodding palms, peeped -cosily from their bosky corners in the dark protecting forest. Near the -houses stood or lolled groups of scantily clothed natives, passing the -lazy hours away in dreamy idleness, as became the lords of creation. -Children, naked as the day they were born, gambolled in the river like -frogs; and women, ever at work, busied themselves with domestic cares. -At some places battle had been given to the rank luxuriance of nature, -and small clearings made in the forest for the raising of yams, beans, -or sugar-canes. - -Not least inviting in the scene was the Niger itself. Now it spread -before the voyagers like a beautiful lake, ringed with fringing -festooned trees, and flashing brilliantly under the rays of the -tropic sun. Again, far ahead, the forest frame opened and displayed -the serpentine course of the silvery river, edged with yellow banks -of sand. Canoes were seen gliding swiftly down stream, or with more -laborious paddling were forced upward against the current. On the banks -left by the falling waters, crocodiles disposed their repulsive length -like rotting logs of wood, while in the deeper pools the hippos snorted -defiance. Waterfowl in great numbers skimmed along the surface of the -water, fished in the shallows, or rested on _terra firma_. - -The scene was arcadian and fascinating seen from the river. A closer -acquaintance did not enhance its attractiveness. The voyagers were now -among a people far different from those above the confluence of the -Niger and the Benué (Tchadda). Here were only Pagan savages, steeped in -the lowest barbarism, and ruled by the grossest superstition. Murder -and plunder were in congenial union with fetishism and cannibalism, -and hospitality was unknown. Only by force could Lander get his men -to venture into this dangerous region. That their fears were not mere -fancies was speedily proved on the very first occasion of landing, -and again later on they only escaped utter destruction, to fall into -semi-captivity to a party of men in large canoes who were up river -ready to trade with the strong, and to attack and plunder the weak. - -The travellers now found themselves among people who came from near -the sea, and who had not only heard of, but had actually traded with -Europeans. It was therefore in no despondent mood that they submitted -to their fate, and proceeded on their way, the captives of the Ibo. - -Soon it was clear that the delta of the river had been reached. From -being a united volume of water it began to break up into numerous -branches, running in all directions. At the apex of the delta the -land was dry, and clad with palm oil groves and silk cotton trees. -Gradually, however, these disappeared, and as the dry land gave -place to hybrid swamp, the mangrove asserted its ownership. Nature -then showed as repulsive an aspect as is to be met with in any other -region on the face of the globe--what was swamp when the tide was out -resembling a submerged forest when the tide was in, and both then -and at all other times, reeking with pestilential vapours from the -slimy mud oozing from between the octopus-like roots of the mangrove. - -[Illustration: AKASSA.] - -In passing through this foul region the travellers had little reason to -wonder that no one had ever ventured to explore the labyrinthine creeks -and river branches which penetrated the mangrove in all directions, but -seemed to lead to nowhere in particular. - -On the 24th November 1830 the dull thunder of the Atlantic rollers -breaking on the shore came like sweetest music to the travellers’ ears, -growling a gruff but hearty welcome, and soon the sea itself lay before -them--its cool healthy breezes fanning them with delicious touch, its -gleaming limitless expanse fair as a glimpse of heaven. - -The Niger mystery was solved at last, and the river portals thrown wide -open to the world, never again to be closed. - - - - -CHAPTER XXVIII. - -_FILLING UP THE DETAILS._ - - -While Clapperton and Lander were thus bringing the work of Park to a -successful conclusion, and proving the accuracy of M‘Queen’s geography -of the Niger basin, there were others at work in the region which the -labours and death of their great pioneer had made classic ground. -Major Laing, in the course of a Government mission, had travelled from -Sierra Leone to Falaba, in the country of Sulima, and ascertained that -the Niger took its rise in the Highlands of Kurauka, some 70 miles -south-west of Falaba, and not more than 150 miles east of Sierra Leone. -The river itself he was prevented from reaching, but none the less did -he come under the irresistible influence of its fascination. - -More than ever had Timbuktu and the Niger become names to conjure with, -as well as to infect men with a species of reckless self-sacrifice that -no amount of past experience, prudence, or common sense could dispel. -As in the case of Lander, and others of his predecessors, having -once tasted the bitter-sweet of African exploration, there could be -no rest for Major Laing until he had gathered again the magic fruit. -Accordingly, after an interval of three years, he once more set forth, -determined to carry his cherished dreams into realisation. - -Timbuktu and the Upper Niger were the goals of his journey. Like -Denham and Clapperton, he took Tripoli as his starting-point. Thence -he passed south-west to Ghadamis and the oasis of Twat. Between -the latter and Timbuktu lay the wild wastes of the Sahara--never -trodden by man without extreme risk of encounter with plunder and -bloodshed-loving nomads, and death from thirst or privation. Even -these factors of an African journey had their wild attraction for men -of Laing’s temperament, adding a _sauce piquante_, as it were, to the -otherwise monotonous march and daily routine of worry and privation. -To such, too, the frowning immensity of the Sahara--the frightful -desolation which marks its every feature--and the flaming sun and lurid -heavens that hang above it, have elements which strike them with the -profoundest feelings of awe, and leave an indelible impress on their -minds. - -For sixteen days after leaving Twat, Laing underwent all these -sensations in their most striking form; and that his experiences of -desert travel might be complete, he was attacked at night by a party -of Tuareg marauders, and left for dead, with no less than twenty-four -wounds. Thanks, however, to the secret elixir of heroic minds and -the soundness of his constitution, he miraculously recovered, and -undismayed, continued his way to Timbuktu, which was reached on the -18th August 1826. - -Laing was the first European who had ever entered that historic city, -which for four centuries had been the loadstone of kings, merchants, -and savants. He arrived in an unhappy hour. Only a short time before -the first waves of the approaching tide of Fulah influence had entered -the region of the Upper Niger. Already Timbuktu had felt its strange -power, though resenting the political position usurped by the -ministers of the new revival. - -For a month Laing was allowed to remain unmolested. Then he was -ordered to leave the city of the Faithful. There was no resisting the -mandate, and he passed forth on the 22nd September, only to be foully -murdered two days later by the people who had undertaken to escort him -across the desert. With him unfortunately perished the records of his -observations and inquiries. - -Two years later, Caillé, a somewhat illiterate, though persevering and -intrepid Frenchman, entered the city from which Laing had been driven -forth. Years before, this young explorer, in his far-off French home, -had heard the echoes of African enterprise. Inflamed with the romantic -story, he had seen by the blank maps of the continent how much there -was to be done, and what fame there was to be acquired by him who could -make his mark on those still virgin sheets. To be an African traveller -became thenceforth the object of his life. For years he dreamed of and -prepared himself for the work. But it was one thing to dream of--one -thing even to reach the threshold of new lands--and quite another to -penetrate them, as he soon found. Time after time his hopes, when -almost at the point of realisation, were rudely dashed to the ground; -but uncrushed, he waited his time and opportunity, though without -private means, and conscious that the ears of the wealthy and the -powerful were deaf to his schemes and representations. - -But while Caillé dreamed and petitioned he also worked. As a -subordinate official under the Government of Sierra Leone, he was -enabled by dint of economy and industry to save the sum of £80. To him -this slender sum appeared the “open sesame” of fame and fortune. It -was the instrument whereby he should open the oyster shell, and gain -the priceless pearl within. - -On the 19th April 1827, Caillé left Kakundy, on the River Nunez, and -midway between Sierra Leone and the Gambia, in the company of a small -caravan of Mandingoes. Travelling east, he crossed the country of -Futa Jallon, through which northward ran the upper tributaries of the -Senegal, and eastward those of the Niger. The latter river was reached -at Kurusa, in the district of Kankan, and was found to be even there a -fine stream from eight to ten feet deep. - -Having crossed the Niger, he continued east to the country of Wasulu, -a well cultivated and thickly inhabited region. Thence he travelled -north-east, till at length he again reached the banks of the Niger, -a short distance to the west of Jenné. This town he was the first -European to enter, though Park had seen it on his last journey. - -From Jenné, Caillé sailed down the Niger in a rudely built vessel of -considerable dimensions to Kabara, the port of Timbuktu, whence he -proceeded on horseback to the city itself. - -The aspect of Timbuktu in nowise realised the glowing anticipations of -the traveller. Instead of the wealthy and powerful city, touched with -the glamour of the shining orient, which he had been taught to expect, -there lay before him only a collection of miserable mud buildings, -among which rose several mosques, looking imposing only in comparison -with the rude huts around them. To the north-east and south spread the -immensity of the great desert as one vast plain of burning, repellent -sands, over which the silence of death brooded, except where pariah -dogs or loathsome vultures feasted on the carrion or offal thrown out -of the town. Such was the place in which Commerce had established her -Central African emporium, and gathered together the trading veins -and arteries which ramified more or less throughout the whole of -North-eastern Africa. Here, too, amid these dreary wastes, Moslem -learning had made her seat; and here the religion of Islam had found -an abiding centre from which to radiate its influence into the most -barbarous depths of negro Africa. - -Seen thus in relation to its surroundings, its position, and its -functions, the mud huts and rudely built mosques which compose it -acquire a tinge of the sublime, and strike the imagination more even -than the stupendous wonders of a London or a Paris. - -For a fortnight Caillé--secure in his disguise--remained in Timbuktu, -after which he set forth with a caravan to cross the desert to Morocco. -Along no other part of the Sahara does the desert appear in such a -terror-striking aspect. Through one tract the caravan had to travel -with all possible expedition for ten days, not a drop of water being -obtainable. The privations endured were indescribable, men and animals -alike being reduced to the direst extremity before water was reached -and their tortures assuaged. Further north similar experiences awaited -them, till the caravan arrived at the River Dra. Thence the march was -performed with comparative comfort by way of Tafilet and the Atlas to -Fez and Tangier, where Caillé arrived on the 18th August 1828. - -[Illustration: TIMBUKTU.] - -With Lander’s descent of the Niger from Bussa to the sea, the course of -Niger enterprise received a new development and impetus. The glowing -accounts brought back by its explorers of the rich lands and powerful -civilised kingdoms through which it flowed found eager hearers in -England; and now that an entrance had been found by which the heart of -these promising regions could be reached, such hearers were not slow to -act and test in a practical fashion the commercial value of the great -waterway. - -In this new movement Macgregor Laird, of Liverpool, was the leading -spirit. Under his instructions two steamers were specially constructed -for the work. Laird himself took command, and with him were associated -Lander, and Lieutenant Allen of the navy, with Dr. Briggs and Mr. -Oldfield as medical attendants. - -Hardly had the party entered the Nun branch of the river, in August -1832, when the malaria commenced its ravages, causing the death of a -captain and two seamen. The first business of the expedition was to -find a suitable navigable channel among the many bewildering branches, -creeks, and backwaters which spread a labyrinthine network over the -delta, whose mangrove swamps were “uninviting when descried, repulsive -when approached, dangerous when examined, and horrible and loathsome -when their qualities and their inhabitants were known.” Here the air -reeked with the essence of poisonous odours--damp, clammy, and deadly; -and the nights were made hideous by the never-ceasing attacks of clouds -of mosquitoes and sandflies. - -[Illustration: VIEW OF THE NIGER ABOVE LOKOJA.] - -For six weeks Laird was engaged in his exploration of the delta, -with the result that eighteen men succumbed to fever. For a time the -expedition threatened to end in the death of the entire party, hardly -one escaping the dire effects of the malaria. But Laird and his -companions were men not easily discouraged or defeated, and at length -they got away from the deadly area, and reached the undivided river -and healthier upper regions. It was like an escape from a loathsome -purgatory to an earthly paradise, when the party sailed into the open -reaches of the noble stream, barred in by tropic forest and swept by -cooling breezes. Viewed commercially,however, the prospect proved -somewhat unsatisfactory, and did not correspond with the glowing -hopes with which the party had left England. There was no thought, -however, of giving way to the first feeling of disappointment, and in -the belief that matters would improve once beyond the barbarous zone, -they continued their way up the river. Unfortunately, they had chosen -the wrong time of the year to make the ascent. Already the river was -falling. More than once the larger of the two steamers grounded on -sand-banks, and finally had to be laid up till the rising of the -waters should set in once more. Attempts to reach Rabba signally -failed, though Laird ascended the Benué some distance in a boat. - -In the following season Oldfield and Lander were more successful. -The Benué was ascended to a distance of 104 miles before they were -compelled to return from want of supplies. On the Main Niger they -were also more fortunate than in the previous year. Rabba was safely -reached, and found to contain a population little short of 40,000, -being at that time the capital of Nupé. - -Beyond Rabba it was found impossible to proceed, and it was deemed -advisable to return to the coast, to recruit and prepare for another -attempt to establish a trade in the river. - -This new venture, however, ended in disaster. On the way back Lander -was shot, and was only kept alive till Fernando Po was reached. With -him ended for the time being Macgregor Laird’s enterprise. Though -carried out with splendid persistence and self-sacrifice, its results -were sadly negative, while out of the forty-nine Europeans who had been -engaged in it only nine survived the fevers. - -For several years nothing more was done to turn what was only too well -named “the white man’s grave” to further account. In 1840, however, -Governor Beecroft ascended the river to within thirty miles of Bussa, -and got back without much loss of life, though adding but little to our -knowledge of the geography of the region. - -Meanwhile philanthropists were as much interested in the opening up -of the Niger basin to European influence as was the commercial world. -Laird’s expedition, though having trade as its primary object, “hoped -also to aid in suppressing the slave trade, in introducing true -religion, civilisation, and humanising influences among natives whose -barbarism had hitherto been only heightened by European connection.” - -These unselfish aims were further emphasised in 1841, when the -Government, still undaunted by the fatal character of the work, sent -out three steamers with the object of making treaties with the Niger -chiefs for the suppression of the slave trade. A model farm was to -be established at the confluence of the Benué and the main river, -to teach the natives better methods of agriculture, and generally -the foundations were to be laid of the great British Empire of which -M‘Queen had dreamed. Thus, in some small way, expiation was to be -made for the sins of earlier generations. Everything that science and -forethought could suggest was done to make this expedition a success, -but unhappily no way had yet been found to ward off the insidious -attacks of malaria, or counteract the effects of the fever germs once -they had gained a footing in the system. The result was death and -disaster. No higher point than Egga was reached, and that only by one -steamer. Out of one hundred and forty-five men, forty-eight died within -the two months the vessels were in the river. - -The project of turning the Niger to profitable account, in the face of -such frightful mortality and deadly climatic conditions, seemed now to -be utterly hopeless. From Major Houghton downwards, death by violence, -privation, or disease had been the fate of whoever had attempted to -open it up to European influence. No other river had such a romantic -history of heroic self-sacrifice--none such a martyr roll--none such a -record of heroism and precious blood apparently uselessly thrown away. - -Was it really all in vain? Was neither the European nor the native to -derive any benefit from the exploration of this silvery streak through -the beautiful West Coast Highlands, the densely populated plains of -Sego and Massina, the depopulated half desert wilderness of Songhay -and Gandu, the forest depths of Igara and Ado, and the mangrove swamps -around the Bight of Benin. Were Park, Clapperton, Lander, and all the -other explorers of the Niger basin, only to be remembered in future -ages for the heroic virtues they had shown, and not as the pioneers -of a new era of hope to the African--the founders of a great national -enterprise, bright with promise alike to Britain and to Africa? - -The thought of such an ending was not to be entertained without -reluctance, yet it seemed inevitable. Savage opposition and ordinary -physical difficulties might in time be overcome, but who could fight -against the disease which lurked unseen in the fœtid depths of mangrove -forests, and filled the air with its poisonous germs? Who could avoid -the incurable blight of its deadly breath? - -Already such questions had been asked, when the failure of Tuckey’s -expedition gave pause for a time to Niger exploration, till Clapperton -and Denham, attacking the region from the rear, had made the despondent -once more hopeful. Strangely enough, the recurrence of the same crisis -brought with it a similar cure. - -In 1849 an expedition set forth from Tripoli, under Government auspices -this time, commanded by Richardson, and Drs. Barth and Overweg. - -The frontiers of Bornu were safely reached, and here the party -divided--never to meet again. Richardson and Overweg went the way of -Toole and Oudney, and only Barth was left to carry out the objects of -the expedition. Right worthily he performed his task. Never before had -such a rich harvest of geographical, historical, ethnographical, and -philological facts been gathered in the African field of research. - -From Kanem to Timbuktu, from Tripoli to Adamawa, he laid the land under -contribution. Vain would it be in the restricted space of these pages -to follow him in his wonderful travels. It may be noted, however, that -while travelling south-west from Kuka in Bornu to the Fulah province -of Adamawa, he reached on the 18th June 1851 the river Benué, at its -junction with the Faro, and 415 geographical miles in a direct line -from its confluence with the Niger. Not since leaving Europe had he -seen so large and imposing a river. Even at this distant point the -Benué, or “Mother of Waters,” is half a mile broad, and runs with a -swift current to the west. It was said to rise nine days’ journey to -the south-east, while the Faro came from a mountain seven days’ journey -distant. - -Only second in importance to his discovery of the Benué so far to the -east of the Niger, was his exploration of the great bend of the Niger -itself. - -Travelling from Bornu, he passed west through Sokoto and Gandu to the -Niger at Say, some distance above the point where the Gulbi-n-Gindi -from Sokoto joins the main river. - -From Say he travelled in a north-easterly direction across the great -bend, among wild Tuareg tribes, and the romantic mountains of Hombori, -to Timbuktu. Thence he once more returned to the safer Haussa States -along the river banks, whereon no European eye save Park’s had ever -before rested. Here he was in the centre of the once wonderful Songhay -Empire, of which the sole relics left after the destructive blows -of Moor, Tuareg, and Fulah, were a few miserable villages, whose -inhabitants eked out a wretched existence, equally ground down by -drought and the ravages of human marauders. - -One result of Barth’s discovery of the Benué so near Lake Chad was -the despatch of another expedition, to determine if possible the -navigability of the river, a point which previous attempts had failed -to settle satisfactorily. - -Macgregor Laird was again the leading spirit in this new enterprise, -and anything that past experience could suggest was taken advantage of -to ensure a successful trip. Dr. Baikie, R.N., and D. J. May, R.N., -went as surveying officers and leaders, several other gentlemen being -associated with them. This in some respects was the most successful -of the Government surveying expeditions, for it not only explored and -surveyed the Benué for a distance of 340 miles, but returned without -any special loss of life. - -With this trip practically closed our Government’s participation in -the work of opening up the Niger. Thenceforth it contented itself with -sending from time to time a gunboat into the river on some punitive -mission, but no special attempts were made to further enlighten the -world as to its geography and resources. Henceforth all such work -was left to private enterprise, Government remaining aloof, disposed -neither to encourage nor discourage, but clearly satisfied that nothing -of importance could be made of a partially navigable river, flowing -through a country of seemingly no great commercial capabilities, and -with a climate which made colonisation out of the question, and even a -residence, however short, almost impossible to the average European. - - - - -CHAPTER XXIX. - -_THE FRENCH ADVANCE TO THE NIGER._ - - -With the practical withdrawal of our Government from Niger enterprise, -M‘Queen’s magnificent dream of British Empire in the heart of Africa -seemingly vanished for ever. A new school of politicians appeared -in our national councils who had so little read the secrets of -our country’s greatness, that their cry was for no more foreign -expansion--no more colonial responsibilities. - -The influence of the retrograde movement soon began to tell on the -fortunes of West Africa. Already its natural development had been -retarded by a deadly climate, a scarcity of valuable products, and the -barbarity and laziness of its inhabitants. To these were now added -Government neglect and mismanagement. Administrators and governors were -told to restrict their operations to the narrowest limits. Merchants -were either debarred access to the interior, or informed that they -would advance at their own risk, and with no hope of Government -support. Geographical enterprise shared in the general blight. The work -of exploring a region which had become classic through the travels and -martyred lives of so many of Britain’s most worthy sons was stopped. - -Needless to say, such a policy led to disgraceful results. British -influence was confined to the coast region, there to eke out a -miserable political and commercial existence among its deadly swamps; -our governors were given the old woman’s task of administering -ludicrously unsuitable laws, or palavering over petty disputes with -still more petty tribal chiefs; our merchants, thanks to the conditions -under which they were placed, became degraded into barterers of gin, -rum, tobacco, gunpowder, and guns, the best Europe had to give in -return for Africa’s oils, gold, and ivory. But while we were thus -degenerating into an invertebrate abortion of British colonial genius, -fit occupant of slimy swamps and fever-breeding jungles, a continental -rival was preparing to step into our shoes, and reap the reward of our -former labours. - -Almost coincidently with the practical throwing up of our work on the -Lower Niger, the French began to bestir themselves on the Senegal, and -cast longing eyes towards Bambarra and the Upper Niger. They too began -to dream of Central African Empire--as once M‘Queen had done--and to -see far off in the future their flag supreme from the Mediterranean -coast line of Algiers to the shores of the Atlantic. The key of the -situation they clearly saw lay in the Niger. Once established there, -with the necessary openings to the west, they would have command of the -whole of the Western Sudan, and possibly also of the Central Region. - -With patient foresight they began to send explorers along the line -of proposed conquest, carrying with them ready-made treaties, French -flags, and blank maps. Already French influence had made itself felt -far up the river, and forts had been established in the very earliest -days of their rule. Such of the latter as had fallen into ruins or had -been deserted were once more occupied and repaired, and new advance -posts were pushed further into the heart of the country. - -Soon they had firmly established themselves as high up the Senegal as -the point where Park in his first expedition had crossed it on his way -to Kaarta. This was the limit of the river’s navigability in the wet -season. But no consideration of natural difficulties gave limit to -their dream of power. - -In 1863, two officers, E. Mage and Dr. Quintin, prospected a way to the -Niger across the intervening highlands lying between the two rivers. -French arms were not slow to follow where French explorers led, and -speedy preparations were made to complete the base of operations for -the final advance to their promised land. - -Meanwhile our representatives on the coast, stewing in their miserable, -disease-stricken belt, were not blind to the progress being made by -our enterprising neighbours, nor unaware of their vast designs of -conquest and commercial monopoly, and the probable result to England’s -political and commercial position in these regions. In vain they drew -the attention of the Home Government to the situation, and asked for -power to act before it was too late. They were but as voices crying in -the wilderness, to which as little heed was paid as gives the Bedouin -to the desert mirage. More than that, the coast authorities were told -to let the French go where they liked, and not to throw any obstacles -in their way. - -The French were not slow to take advantage of the field thus left open -to them. By 1880 their line of forts on the Senegal was completed, -and everything ready for their next move. For this enterprise Captain -Gallieni was appointed leader, and at the head of a small army of -drilled troops, and a considerable train of donkeys, native drivers, -native servants, &c., he started in 1880 on his mission of planting the -French flag on the Upper Niger, where, from our geographical position -and priority of exploration, the Union Jack alone should have floated. - -As far as the confluence of the Bakhoy and the Bafing, the march of -Gallieni was attended by nothing worse than the usual amount of worry -and trouble incident to the passage of a small army through a barbarous -or semi-barbarous country. Beyond, however, lay the unoccupied and but -partially explored country between the Senegal and the Niger. Here -the special trials and cares of the expedition commenced. Food was -often obtained with difficulty. Their advance was naturally viewed -with suspicion by the natives, and much care and tact was required to -prevent friction. In spite of all obstructions, however, they gradually -pushed south towards their goal, leaving French flags in the hands of -the chiefs, and bearing with them treaties placing the latter and their -people under the protection of France. - -Before the Niger was reached the expedition came near being destroyed -by a determined attack made on it by a people called Beleris. The -Beleris were successfully repulsed, however, and two days later -Bammaku on the Niger was reached, where already the tricolour was -found floating--an advance section of the party having succeeded in -concluding the customary treaty. By what means the treaty was obtained -we are not told, though we do learn that Gallieni’s reception was cold -and inhospitable. - -It now only remained to get to Sego, to see the Suzerain of the Upper -Niger chiefs and kings, and conclude a treaty with him. For this -purpose Gallieni crossed the Niger and travelled along the south side -of the river. On his arrival in the neighbourhood of the capital, he -was stopped, and ordered to remain where he was, till his business was -settled. Many weary weeks and months were passed in the attempt to -get Amadu, the Sultan of Sego, to sign a treaty, placing his country -under a French protectorate. In the end the necessary signature was -obtained, and from that moment French rule--on paper--was supreme from -the sources of the Niger to Timbuktu. - -France, however, was by no means inclined to be satisfied with a -merely mental recognition of her authority. With splendid energy and -perseverance she pushed forward her forts into the valley of the -Bakhoy--the watershed of the two rivers; and finally built herself an -abiding habitation on the Niger itself. At the same time a railway -was commenced, having for its object the connection of the highest -navigable point of the Senegal with Bammaku. At the same time a gunboat -was carried over in sections, and put together on the river, as a -further symbol of French authority, and a potent instrument to spread -its influence. - -To further secure their prize from the possible results of the -awakening of the British Government, France set about isolating the -River Gambia by a cordon of treaties, leaving the waterway British, but -making all else French. To make her position yet more strong, all the -countries towards the upper tributaries and sources of the Niger were -placed under French protection, and almost the entire coast line from -the Gambia south to Sierra Leone was taken possession of. And through -it all our Government peacefully slept on, having left orders not to be -awakened; or it woke up only to blink approval, delighted to be rid of -the whole troublesome business. - -Sixty years before M‘Queen had written--“France is already established -on the Senegal, and commands that river, and if the supineness and -carelessness of Great Britain allow that powerful, enterprising, and -ambitious rival to step before us and fix herself securely on the -Niger, then it is evident that with such a settlement in addition to -her command of the Senegal, France will command all Northern Africa. -The consequences cannot fail to be fatal to the best interests of -this country, and by means surer than even by war and conquest, tend -ultimately to bring ruin on our best tropical colonial establishment.” - -What M‘Queen had feared, had now come to pass, as regards the political -aspect of the action of the French in the Niger kingdoms. It still -remains to be seen what is to be the commercial outcome of their -African dream. - - - - -CHAPTER XXX. - -_THE ROYAL NIGER COMPANY._ - - -It has ever been a good thing for British commercial enterprise that -its agents have never had to rely on their Government to pioneer new -trade routes, and secure for them unexploited territory. Our merchants -have required nothing but a free hand to cut out their own paths, and -that the fruits of their labours should not be taken from them by the -political action of other nationalities. What has been accomplished on -these terms let half our colonies say. - -The above rule, though general, has not been invariably applied, as -witness the case of West Africa, already described, in which, as the -result of Government restriction and interference, the harvest of -British labour has passed into French hands, and commercial enterprise -has become crushed and degraded along with the regions in which it has -been carried on. - -Happily for our position in West Central Africa, the Niger basin never -fell under these blighting influences. When our Government withdrew -from that region it withdrew completely, otherwise there would have -been yet another chapter of lamentable mal-administration and gross -betrayal of a nation’s trust to add to the annals of West African -history. - -The Niger was thus left free to be made the most of by the operations -of private enterprise. - -For a few years after Baikie’s expedition nothing more was done to -establish a trade in the river. Not that the task was abandoned as -hopeless. On the contrary, new plans were germinating and steadily -taking shape and form preparatory to renewed attempts under more -hopeful conditions. - -By this time people had begun to realise more thoroughly the nature -of a tropical life, and knew better how to fight the insidious and -dangerous influences of excessive heat and moisture, and the germs of -disease they fostered. By substituting quinine for the lancet in the -treatment of fever, that hitherto deadly disease had been robbed of -half its terrors. - -Once more Macgregor Laird--a name that must be bracketed with those -of Park, M‘Queen, and Lander--was the leader in the new movement. -Undaunted by past losses and failures--on the contrary, shown by their -teaching how victory was to be achieved--he again entered the Niger -in 1852--this time not to leave it till he had laid the permanent -foundations of British commercial influence. - -In this new enterprise the pioneer did not restrict himself to mere -voyages up the river and passing calls at the chief marketing centres. -He established stations at various points, in the form of movable hulks -moored in the river, which had the double advantage of being capable -of removal bodily, and of providing a certain measure of security from -hostile attack. At the same time, profiting by past experience of the -deadly nature of the climate, the number of European agents was reduced -to a minimum, and educated coast natives were employed instead. - -Palm oil, ivory, and Benni-seed were the sole products exported--cotton -goods, metals of various kinds, beads and salt, being the chief -articles given in exchange. Nearer the coast, gin, rum, gunpowder, and -guns were largely in demand, as a result of the old shameful days of -slave dealing. A profitable trade was soon established, and before many -years Macgregor Laird had to compete with new firms who sought to share -the profits. - -But though the Europeans thus increased in numbers, their position -continued to be extremely precarious. The cannibal tribes of the delta -were not slow to recognise that their monopoly of the trade of the -upper river was being completely abolished, and they sought to bar the -way by incessant attacks on the steamers and stations of the various -traders. These having conflicting interests, could not be made to -combine for common action against the common enemy. From time to time -a gunboat paid a hurried punitive visit, but produced no permanent -impression upon the refractory inhabitants. - -The result of this divided action on the part of the traders, and -the growing power and truculence of the native tribes, was extremely -disastrous for Macgregor Laird, who eventually was forced to retire -from the river. - -Along with the growing dangers to the various houses engaged in the -Niger trade, new troubles began to loom up before them, retarding -the proper and healthy commercial development of the region, and -threatening all in a common ruin. At first the field to be exploited -was so large that the traders came but little into conflict. Gradually, -however, with the entrance of new firms, and the planting of new -stations, they began to encroach on each other’s districts. The result -was soon seen in the keen competition which ensued. The price of -native produce began to go up, till it threatened to rise above its -value. To keep the trade going profitably the agents were forced to -become more and more unscrupulous as to the nature of the articles of -import--more and more regardless of the claims of their commercial -competitors. Each sought to drive the other out, and the natives, -not slow to see the advantages to themselves, did their best to -encourage the strife. Under such conditions all legitimate progress -was rendered impossible. At any given point the inhabitants were in -a position to say, Thus far shalt thou go and no further, or could -clear the merchants out if they thought fit. Enterprise requiring -considerable outlay was out of the question when the fruits were -probably to be reaped only by rivals. The trade, from being restricted -to useful articles, was rapidly degenerating, so as largely to include -vile spirits and weapons of destruction. Gradually the conditions -of competition were making a wholesome trade an impossibility, and -the natives, instead of being bettered spiritually and materially by -European intercourse, were being driven down into deeper depths of -barbarism. A state of things which our prophet M‘Queen had foretold -in these memorable words--“If this erroneous policy is pursued, then -to the latest period of time the central and southern parts of that -vast continent are doomed to remain in the same deplorable state of -ignorance, degradation, and misery which has been their lot during the -lapse of three hundred years.” - -This was a consummation of their labours which the merchants could not -contemplate with equanimity. That they were honourable men we have -no reason to doubt. True, they went to the Niger in order to make -money, but they had no thought of growing wealthy on the ruin and -degradation of the people among whom they traded. They had become the -victims of the circumstances under which their business was carried on, -whereby they were driven irresistibly and even unwittingly into the -deplorable situation in which they at length found themselves. In a -manner they were more to be pitied than blamed, for they had conjured -up a Frankenstein that threatened to be their ruin. To one and all it -was alike clear that as long as open unregulated competition lasted, -the character of the trade could not be altered--must indeed go from -bad to worse--their profits become less and less, and their footing in -the country more precarious, subject as it was to the whims, enmities, -extortions, and restrictions of the barbarous tribes, armed by the -traders themselves with guns which on occasion were turned against the -vendors. - -A turning point in the commercial history of the Niger had been -reached, and everything now depended on the course pursued whether the -next departure would be for the weal or for the woe of all concerned. - -Happily the right man was forthcoming at this critical juncture, when -the necessity of a change was evident to all. Clear-headed, far-seeing -business men were in the trade--the peers among British merchants -wherever engaged; but something more was wanted in him who should -extricate his fellows from the difficult situation in which they had -placed themselves. Some one was needed who, with business instincts and -knowledge, should combine the _savoir faire_ and knowledge of the world -of the diplomatist. Such an one was Sir George T. Goldie--then Mr. G. -Goldie Taubman--a name which, like that of Macgregor Laird, must ever -rank in the galaxy of great names associated with the annals of Niger -enterprise. - -At the time Sir George Goldie joined the Central African Company of -London, the only other houses in the river were Messrs. Miller & Co., -Glasgow, the West African Company of Manchester, and Mr James Pinnock -of Liverpool. Trade was carried on as far north as Egga, though -commercially the Benué still remained a closed river. A visit to the -seat of operations was sufficient to make Sir George aware of the exact -situation, and the absolute necessity of a change, if a legitimate -and at the same time profitable trade were to be continued. The other -firms were already impressed with the same opinion, and the result of a -little laying of heads together was the amalgamation of all the firms -into the United African Company in the year 1879. - -The happy results of this policy were soon made apparent in improved -profits. The expense of management was enormously reduced. Where -formerly there had been floating hulks, permanent stations were built -on land, and at the same time the number was increased. The Company -thus found itself on an altogether new footing with the natives, who -could now be treated with on equal terms. The trade grew by leaps and -bounds, and bade fair to become of national importance. - -Naturally such prosperity could not continue without attracting the -envious attention of other nations, and more especially of the French, -who, having succeeded far beyond their wildest expectations in reaping -the harvest sown by the English in the Upper Niger basin, hoped by a -little judicious manipulation to be able to do the same along the -lower course of the river, and so carry out their dream of an almost -exclusive African Empire stretching from Benin to the Mediterranean. - -Under the patronage, more or less open, of Gambetta--certainly -instigated and encouraged by him--the first feelers were thrown out -in the establishment of two commercial associations--the Compagnie -Française de l’Afrique Equatoriale of Paris, with a capital of -£160,000; and the Compagnie du Senegal et de la Côte Occidentale -d’Afrique of Marseilles, with a subscribed capital of £600,000. - -Happily for British enterprise in the Niger basin our interests were -watched over by argus eyes, else the course of events would have taken -a different turn, French commerce bringing everywhere with it the -French flag and administrative system, to the eventual strangling of -any trade of ours. - -The United African Company, till then private, was promptly thrown -open to the public, and the capital raised to a million sterling. -Thus provided with “the sinews of war,” the Company proceeded to give -battle to the foreign interlopers, and speedily swept them out of the -entire region. None the less, however, did the French contrive to do -incalculable harm during their brief inglorious career, under which the -gin trade flourished, and further anarchy was spread among the savage -tribes, as usual ever ready to take full advantage of division and -enmity among the European traders. - -With the annihilation of the French Companies our merchants once more -reigned supreme, and all immediate danger of French political and -commercial aggression was completely quashed. - -The footing, however, which the former had even temporarily been able -to effect, had shown the precarious position of the British Company’s -hold on the country, unsupported as they were by Government backing. -They were still open to renewed attempts at aggression--still liable -to have the fruits of their labour and enterprise wrested from them. -Under such conditions there could be no real attempts to develop the -resources of the country, or introduce new civilising institutions -among the natives, to effect which ends it was perfectly clear that -two things were necessary--first, that the Niger basin below Timbuktu -should be declared British, as a guarantee against all further foreign -intrusion; and second, that a Royal Charter should be obtained, under -the authority of which the Company would be enabled to proceed with the -work of development and progress. - -The necessity of this latter step had already been foreseen by M‘Queen -long before the Lower Niger had been explored, except in M‘Queen’s own -mind. With an insight truly prophetic, he pointed out that if ever -Great Britain’s mission in the Niger was to be achieved, it could only -be by means of a Chartered Company. While deprecating a prolonged term -of privilege, he argues that its duration ought not to be narrowed -too much, otherwise that circumstance would tend to discourage the -merchant, and prevent him from laying out money at the first outset, -or embarking in the trade with that vigour which alone could render it -productive and successful. - -In answer to the argument against exclusive privilege, he shows that -this exclusive privilege is for a trade yet to be formed, and that -the commercial conditions of a civilised and an uncivilised country -are totally different. In the latter “everything is to do. Regular -commerce is to be created. Society is almost altogether to be formed. -Security and civilisation, law, order, and religion are each and -all yet to be introduced. Unity of action and design, therefore, -become absolutely necessary to accomplish all these desirable -objects--conflicting interests amidst such a disjointed population must -and will indefinitely retard it. A charter is clearly and indispensably -necessary in order to conduct mercantile affairs to a prosperous -issue--in order to regulate the supply, to explore the country and find -out the proper markets, to negotiate as an irresistible and stable -power with the native princes, to purchase lands, to protect trade, to -punish aggression, to rear up gradually an empire in Africa such as -had been done in India, against which no native power shall be able -to raise its head. Then and not till then the trade may be thrown -open.... Without such regulations for a time there is too good reason -to dread that our connection with Africa will never be more than the -transient visitations of insulated merchants,” &c. &c. In these and -other remarkable words M‘Queen graphically sketches the history of the -sixty years of British intercourse with the Niger subsequent to the -time at which he wrote. Only after such a lapse of time, and through a -long series of mistakes and the rude buffeting of facts, were our eyes -opened to the necessity of taking his advice. - -Even then, however, the National African Company might have petitioned -the Government in vain to make the Niger secure from foreign -aggression, or to put them on the only possible footing to exploit and -develop a savage country lying under the blight of a deadly climate, -but for the sudden awaking of Europe to the supposed-to-be vast -latent possibilities of the African continent. A magnificent bubble -was puffed up into view, dazzling all eyes with its iridescent hues, -and inflaming all minds with its promise of wealth and power. European -commerce was to be regenerated--the pressure on the population was to -be relieved--nations were to rise in power and importance. El Dorado -and Second India were terms too weak to express the possibilities of -the future when Africa was under discussion. - -Under the electric glow of the new craze deserts were made to bloom -like Eden, swamps became veritable arcadias, the wilderness was -repeopled, and peace and a demand for European goods were discovered -to be the prevailing characteristics of the natives. The result was -the scramble for Africa, in which the chief nations of Europe made -themselves ridiculous by the indecent haste with which they rushed to -raise their respective flags. Our own Government was the last to feel -the quickening influences, and then only awoke under the pressure of -public opinion, and after much that should have been ours had been lost. - -But for the National African Company the Niger would probably now have -fallen a prey to France or Germany, but with admirable forethought they -had strengthened their position and secured their rights by treaties -with every native tribe from the mouth of the Niger to the Benué. By -virtue of persistent nagging at the Foreign Office, these treaties were -recognised by Government, and a protectorate proclaimed over the region -thus acquired. - -Then came the Berlin Conference in the winter of 1884, in which the -free navigation of the Niger was established, but the administration -of the river from Timbuktu to the sea was left in the hands of the -British. - -This was much; but more remained to be done. The Niger and Benué above -their confluence still lay open to political and commercial aggression, -which might be fatal to the best interests of this country as well as -to the Company which had already done so much. - -Thanks to the persistent efforts of one Herr Flegel, the Germans were -not slow to recognise this fact. This indefatigable trader and explorer -commenced his career as a clerk in a trading house in Lagos. Filled -with an ambition to explore and extend German influence, he contrived -to ascend the Niger in British mission steamers and trading vessels, -spying out the land wherever he went, and ever on the outlook how the -British bread he ate might be turned to German account. With much -daring and industry, and assisted by German funds, he added much on -subsequent trips to our knowledge of some parts of the Niger and Benué. - -The result of his inquiries and exploration was to fire the German -Colonial Society with the hope of establishing their national influence -in the regions beyond the British Protectorate. - -Happily the National African Company were as usual wideawake, and soon -became aware of the new danger which threatened them. Immediately they -set about preparing to forestall any action on the part of the Germans. -Already in their self-imposed task of securing Britain’s rights in the -Niger they had used up all the profits of their trade, but they had no -thought of shrinking from the work. To have the Germans in the Niger -would mean irreparable ruin to legitimate commerce, and the flooding of -the whole land with the styx-like flood of gin which would inevitably -flow in a devastating flood from Hamburg. At this supreme moment it -became necessary once for all to secure the Niger basin to Britain. The -Company did the writer of these lines the honour of inviting him to -take up the task. Accordingly, in February 1885, I found myself once -more steaming towards the tropics, while as yet my friends for the most -part imagined me recruiting in the Mediterranean from the effects of my -recent expedition to Masai-land. - - - - -CHAPTER XXXI. - -_THE ROYAL NIGER COMPANY--(Continued)._ - - -On the 16th March 1885 we entered the Nun mouth of the River Niger. - -Heavy leaden clouds hung overhead, from which rain fell in a steady -downpour, and lightning flashed at rapid intervals. From time to time -thunder crashed deafeningly about us, or more distantly blended with -the monotonous impressive roar of the Atlantic breakers. A steaming -atmosphere threw its depressing shroud over the scene, suggesting fever -germs, and all manner of liver and stomachic complaints. On all sides -stretched a discoloured reach of water, reflecting the leaden tints -overhead, and running into the mist-veiled mangrove that ringed the -horizon. - -As we stood on the deck of the S.S. _Apobo_, under a dripping awning, -we could not but be infected by the melancholy of the scene, and might -doubtless have exclaimed in Roman heroics, “We who come to die salute -thee,” but that we had to pack our traps and prepare for landing. - -A few more miles of steaming into this “white man’s grave,” and our -thoughts were diverted from the melancholy of our immediate prospect -by a new and more interesting feature. There ahead of us, on the left, -where creek and mangrove met, a leviathian-like object stretched its -weird length far into the water, and laved its hundred limbs in the -placid depths. This was the iron pier of Akassa, the then chief trading -centre and depôt of the National African Company. - -Soon we were enabled to distinguish the beach strewn with the relics -of the ships and barges of other days, and with the boats and canoes -still in use. Higher up lay piles of stores and palm-oil casks, while -behind rose a series of roomy warehouses built of corrugated iron. -Further seaward stood the quarters of the Company’s agents--the whole -cosily ensconced in the arms of the mangrove forest, which in the -distance looked fascinating, but on closer acquaintance proved to be a -fever-breeding quagmire. - -Such was Akassa, where throbbed with undying energy the busy current of -British commercial life. - -With our arrival in the river my days of ease were over, and prompt -action and stern work became the order of the day. No one knew where -Flegel was, or where he might turn up. With his minute knowledge of the -river, he was a rival not to be despised. It behoved me, therefore, to -waste no time, and accordingly, having collected such stores as were -necessary, I started on my voyage in the steam launch _Français_ two -days after reaching Akassa. - -For the first hour we steamed up the rapidly narrowing creek till we -found ourselves confronted by a dense barrier of mangrove. For an -instant we seemed to be insanely heading to wreck and disaster, when -all at once the wall of vegetation presented a narrow opening, and we -were engulfed in its leafy depths. Could this be the Niger--the mighty -river which drained the quarter of a continent--only a stream thirty -yards in breadth, and some five in depth, lazily flowing seaward? That -stream was formed of Niger water, but it was not the Niger. - -Up this insignificant winding waterway our course now lay. First there -was mangrove and nothing else simulating the appearance of dry land, -alternately exposed as pestilential mud or covered by water, according -to the state of the tide. After a time land appeared on the level -of the highest tides--the swamp vegetation began to exhibit a less -vigorous growth, and was intermingled with other trees and bushes. -Each mile made the transformation more marked. The land rose higher -and higher; the mangrove trees grew more stunted and fewer in number; -terrene plants took their place, and grew in size, in beauty, and in -majesty, till the ideal tropical forest spread its romantic depths -before our admiring eyes. - -Coincidently other developments of the panorama were taking place. The -river gathered together its various branches and increased in breadth -and depth, till in its full majestic unity it sunned its broad bosom in -the tropic glare--a magnificent stream from a mile to a mile and a half -broad. - -With the gathering together of the various branches and the improvement -in the physical conditions, evidences of human occupation began to show -themselves. - -For the first eight hours not the faintest trace of man had been -discernible. Then appeared a deserted fishing weir, next an old -plantation, by-and-by a new clearing, and immediately after a canoe -propelled by two women, which was seen creeping slowly along under the -river’s banks. - -At last, towards sunset, a couple of villages were sighted, and -thenceforward man proclaimed his sway over the land, giving animation -to the scene, with now and then a picturesque effect. - -As we continued our course our eyes were greeted by the sight of much -that Lander and his successors had only dreamed of as the possible to -be. Already trade had laid a prosaic hand on the great highway of Tale -and Travel--the river sacred to romance, whose “golden sands,” by the -alchemy of its touch, are now transmuted to a golden freight of palm -oil. - -The surging screws, the puff of steam and clang of machinery, break -the impressive stillness of the forest, and fill the tropic air with -their unhallowed echoes, driving the hippo from his favourite pool, -the crocodile from the yellow sand-bank. Amid such sounds, the shrill -scream of the parrot, and the indignant chatter of the monkey, strike -upon the ear with a strange sense of incongruity. - -Here and there the graceless front of a trading station, with its -whitewashed corrugated iron walls and roof of European design, glares -forth unblushingly from its bosky niche of palm and silk cotton tree. -Thence issues the matter of fact trader--no longer in the picturesque -disarray of the “palm oil ruffian,” but resplendent in the dazzling -glory of a well-starched shirt and snow white duck trousers--who -strolls down to the landing-place through a garden aglow with -sunflowers and walks shaded by a canopy of trailing vines and other -creepers. - -[Illustration: TRADERS’ HOUSE, ABUTSHI.] - -The natives around the station share in the unromantic changes. -They still carry about with them an air of picturesque sansculottic -barbarity, but jarring elements have been superadded. The negro has -degenerated into that hybrid creature the “nigger,” bids you “good -morning” as he asks for a pipe of tobacco or a nip of gin, or calls -your attention to his lawn-tennis hat--the latest fashion, and almost -his sole dress. - -The only circumstance which serves to maintain an air of romance about -him is the knowledge we possess that he still loves his neighbour to -the extent of becoming at times literally one flesh with him. - -Everywhere there is evidence that the trader is in possession. The -missionary has accompanied him, eager in the cause of Christ and -humanity. Not unfrequently the sweet tones of the church bell may be -heard ringing silver clear from the cathedral gloom of the forest. -They call, alas! to those who will not hear, though doubtless to the -yearning ear of faith those sweetly solemn sounds shape themselves into -a prophecy of the coming good destined to re-echo some day through -every forest depth and wide waste of jungle. - -Meanwhile, whatever be the future of Christianity in these lands, -one thing becomes abundantly clear to us as we continue our ascent -of the river, namely, that it is not the only religious force which -is penetrating the sodden mass of Niger heathenism. Islam, with -untiring missionary enterprise, has entered the field and thrown -down the gauntlet to the older religion for the possession of the -natives. Unhappily so far, as compared with the advancing tide of -Mohammedanism, the progress of the Christian faith is practically at a -standstill. Half way between the Delta and Lokoja the pioneer Moslem -outposts are found wielding a marked and yearly increasing influence -on the ideas and habits of the natives. With each mile nearer the -Sudan that influence becomes more and more discernible, till before we -have reached the confines of Gandu we have altogether left behind the -congenial trinity--fetishism, cannibalism, and the gin bottle--and -find the erewhile unwashed barbarian in a measure clothed and in his -right mind, instinct with religious activity and enthusiasm, and -wonderfully far advanced in the arts and industries. Here it is clear -that we are in the presence of no assumed veneer, no mere formality, no -extraneous influences to bolster up a savage people to the semblance of -higher things, but face to face with a force which has taken deep root -in the lives of the inhabitants and altogether transformed them. - -On nearing Lokoja we bade adieu to the reeking plains and dense forest -region, and entered a picturesque section of lofty table-topped and -peaked mountains, delighting the eye by their varied shape and rugged -aspect--here stern and threatening with bare precipices; there basking -under the tropic sun in smiling slopes, beautified and shaded by groups -of trees; at other places swelling upwards and towering into fantastic -peaks. But however delightful to us as passengers and spectators, this -part of the journey was anything but pleasant to our skipper, whose -whole thoughts were absorbed by the hidden rocks in the river-bed and -the fierce currents which swirled around them. - -The passage, however, was safely accomplished on the evening of the -25th, and we anchored off Lokoja just as the last glints of sunshine -passed from the hill-tops, and gave place to the sepia shades of -evening. - -In continuing our journey it now behoved us to proceed with more -circumspection. We had reached the southern confines of Gandu, the -western half of the great Fillani (Fulah) Empire. At this time Maliké, -Emir of Nupé, held a complete monopoly of the trade between the Company -and the rest of Gandu. We were only too well aware that any attempt to -break through this monopoly would be strenuously resisted by him, and -that therefore if he scented the object of our expedition to his liege -lord at Gandu, we might bid adieu to all hopes of advancing inland. As -our presence could not be kept secret from him, we thought it well to -send him a letter merely to intimate that we were passing. - -On the 28th we left Lokoja and pushed on to Rabba, at work now in dead -earnest, making up loads in the small hold of the launch, where we -were nearly roasted alive. At various stations porters were shipped -secretly and stowed away in barges, everything being made ready for a -surprise-march the moment we landed. - -On the 8th April we reached Rabba, from which our land march was to -commence. Maliké was still expecting a visit from us at Bida, when we -were actually landing a hundred miles to the west with a hundred and -twenty men, two educated negro traders, one Arab interpreter, and two -Europeans besides myself. So completely had all our plans been laid -that we started on the following day, leaving the chiefs and headmen -dumfounded and perplexed, not knowing what to do without instructions -from the capital. - -Our first feelings of joy on leaving Rabba behind were speedily damped -when one of my European companions got his leg broken, and had to be -promptly returned to the launch. Soon a shoal of troubles and worries -descended on us. The headmen of the various districts began to throw -every possible obstacle in our way, refusing us guides, porters, and -food. The men, unaccustomed to scanty fare and the steady grind of -a caravan march, mutinied, and tried to force us to turn back. They -threatened to murder us, and more than once presented their rifles -at us by way of intimidation. One man tried to stab me, and was only -secured after a terrific struggle, the porters passively looking on. -Yet it was a matter of life and death to us that we should press -forward in spite of all opposition--a few days might mean ruin to the -expedition, by giving the emir’s messenger time to come up with us. -The thought inspired us to redouble our exertions. We fought like -men at bay, though we were but two against a hundred and twenty; and -happily by dint of machiavellian strategy and diplomacy, with not a -little determined flourishing of revolvers, we came out of the battle -triumphant--safe beyond the clutches of Maliké, and complete masters -of the situation. - -[Illustration: HAUSSA HUT.] - -It is quite beyond the scope of this chapter to tell how we continued -our way through Nupé to Kontakora, and thence by way of Yauri, the -Niger, and Gulbi-n-Gindi to Jega, Sokoto, and Wurnu, where the Sultan -of Sokoto had established his court. - -Here we were in a region teeming with varied interest, having reached -the religious, political, and commercial centre of the Western and -Central Sudan. We could hardly believe our senses, and realise that we -were in the heart of Africa, among a people popularly called negroes. -Rather did it seem to us as if, worn out by the tiresome miles and -the monotonous jogging of our horses, we had fallen asleep, and in a -dream imagined ourselves in some part of Moorish Africa. A blazing -sun beat down with terrific effect upon a parched land, in which here -and there appeared green oases of acacia, baobab and _doum_ palm, in -which nestled villages and towns half hid by the grateful shadow of the -foliage. - -On all hands, as we pushed along, we were reminded of Mohammedan -customs, of eastern amplitude of dress, if not of gorgeousness of -colour. Everything bore the impress of Moorish ideas and North African -civilisation. In the early dewy mornings, in the sultry heats of -noontide, at the close of the tropic day, we could hear the sacred -call to prayer. By the wayside, far from mosque and town, were to be -seen spots marked off by stones, which with silent eloquence invited -the dusty and footsore traveller to stay his weary march and wean his -thoughts for a moment from his worldly affairs. - -The types of men, the fashions in dress, were of the most varied -character. - -Specially interesting were those mysterious people the Fillani, or -Fulah, numbers of whom passed us from time to time. Simple herdsmen, -semi-nomadic in habit, and semi-serfs in position at the beginning -of this century--warriors and Mohammedan propagandists a few years -later--they are now the rulers of a hundred races between the Atlantic -and Bornu. Portentously picturesque, with their voluminous garments, -their massive turbans, and _litham_-veiled faces, they pranced along on -gorgeously caparisoned horses with the dignified bearing of the Moor. - -[Illustration: PORTRAIT OF THE SULTAN OF SOKOTO’S BROTHER.] - -More numerous were the Haussa, the most intelligent and industrious of -black races. - -Very different from this interesting people were the Tuareg visitors -from the plateau lands of Asben, who stalked past us in artistically -ragged dresses, with eyes which seemed to glow in the shadow of their -face cloth and overhanging turban with the fiercest of human passions. - -On the 24th May the goal of our expedition was reached, and the object -of our mission attained a very few days after. No time was then -lost in proceeding to Gandu, where similar success met our efforts; -and then with treaties written in Arabic, sealed with the seals of -the two Sultans, and signed by their respective wazirs, practically -placing their two empires under a British Protectorate, and giving all -commercial privileges to the National African Company, we commenced, -with no small elation, our return home. - -The one unpleasant occurrence which marked our journey coastwards was -the stealing of my journals and personal effects, though happily the -precious treaties remained safe. Rabba was duly reached, and thence we -continued our way down the river in canoes to Lokoja. On the way the -German expedition, which had meanwhile been set afoot with a view to -forestalling other nations in the regions we had just quitted, was met -moving up the river, all unconscious of the fact that not a yard of -ground from Timbuktu to Akassa, or from Bornu to Yoruba, had been left -on which to plant the flag of the Fatherland. - -Within seven months after leaving Liverpool I was back home again, -my work successfully accomplished in a much shorter time than at the -outset I had dared to hope. - -Next year our Government, now awake to the errors of the past, and -recognising the incontestable claims and magnificent patriotic -enterprise of the National African Company, granted it a Royal Charter, -and the right to the title of Royal Niger Company, which it now bears. - -The Right Honourable Lord Aberdare was its first Governor, and Sir -George Goldie--to whose diplomatic genius and untiring industry this -country as well as the Company owes so much--was the Deputy-Chairman. -Around these gathered as counsellors and advisers many who had been -among the pioneers of British trade and influence on the Niger, and had -assisted in preparing the way for the magnificent national undertaking -they have lived to see inaugurated. Among these are the Messrs. Miller, -Mr. Edgar, and Mr. Croft, whose names cannot but find an honourable -place in the annals of the Company. - -Of the career, bright with promise, upon which the Company has thus -entered, it is unnecessary to speak at length. Already good results -are flowing from the new administration. The gin traffic has been -taken in hand, suppressed where possible, and restricted elsewhere by -enormous duties. Arms and gunpowder are also no longer sold wholesale -to the savage natives. The resources of the country are being tested -and developed as they never were before, and with the most gratifying -results. - -[Illustration: HAUSSA VILLAGE.] - -In closing this record of Niger exploration we cannot do better than -quote the prophetic words of M‘Queen--applicable still, though later -than they might have been in approaching fulfilment. He it was who -first conclusively demonstrated the course and termination of the -great river. His was the first warning of the certainty of the -French advance; his the clear vision which foresaw the necessity of a -Chartered Company. Let him, then, speak for the future, foretelling -what is to come, as he foretold what is now past, in the concluding -words of his Commercial Survey of the Region. - -“I have thus, though feebly, I confess, in comparison to the magnitude -of the subject brought forward, completed the object which I had in -view, namely, to call the attention of the British Government, and the -power and energies of our people, to an honour of the first rank, and -at the same time endeavoured to rouse the resource and enterprise of -our merchants to engage in a trade of the first magnitude. By means of -the Niger and its tributary streams, it is quite evident that the whole -trade of Central Africa may be rendered exclusively and permanently our -own.... To support and carry into execution the measures necessary to -accomplish this undertaking is worthy of the ministry of Great Britain, -and worthy of the first country of the world. It will confer immortal -honour on our native land, lasting glory on the name and reign of -George the Fourth, bring immense and permanent advantages to Britain, -and bestow incalculable blessings and benefits on Africa. Agriculture, -manufactures, and commerce, learning and religion, will spread rapidly -and widely over a country abounding in the richest productions whether -on the surface of the earth or below it, but at present a country -overspread with the most abject servitude, and sunk in the deepest -ignorance, superstition, and barbarity. Every obstacle will vanish -before judicious and patient exertions. The glory of our Creator, the -good of mankind, the prosperity of our country, the interest of the -present and the welfare of future generations--glory, honour, interest -call us, and united point out the sure path to gain the important end. -Let but the noble Union Ensign wave over and be planted by the stream -of the mighty Niger, and the deepest wounds of Africa are healed.” - - - - -INDEX. - - - Adamawa, 13. - - Africa, early exploration of, 2, 16. - - ---- English in, 24, 26, 29, 46-245, 255, 257, 265, 276, 289, 299, - 308, 293-332. - - ---- French in, 29, 291, 302-306, 313. - - ---- Germans in, 317. - - ---- Portuguese in, 20. - - African Association, the, 31, 41, 45, 176, 178, 184. - - ---- Company, the, 28. - - Agades, 17. - - Ahmed Baba of Timbuktu, 11. - - Akassa, 320. - - Ali of Bornu, 13. - - ---- of Ludamar, 83, 93. - - Amadi Fatuma, Park’s guide, 233, 237, 238, 239, 243. - - Anderson, Dr. Alexander, Park’s brother-in-law, 194, 214, 217, 222, - 232. - - Arabs, 7, 16, 272. - - Arab conquests, 6. - - ---- explorers, 16. - - ---- historians, 16. - - Armour, Sudanese, 270. - - Askia, 10. - - ---- Ishak, 11. - - - Badagry, 278, 281, 283. - - Bady, 203. - - Bafing R., 151, 210, 213. - - Baikie, Dr., 299, 308. - - Bakhoy or Furkomo, 215. - - Bambaku, 202. - - Bambarra, district of, 72, 76, 105, 226. - - ---- king of, 108. - - Bambuk, 29, 34. - - Bammaku, 128, 226. - - Bangassi, 220. - - Banks, Sir Joseph, 41, 45, 184, 194. - - Barth, 8-12, 239, 297. - - ---- quoted, 9, 10, 12. - - Bathurst, 46. - - Bawa, king of Haussa, 250. - - Beecroft, Governor, 296. - - Bees, caravan attacked by, 147, 205. - - Bello, Sultan of Sokoto, 252, 275, 277. - - Benaum, Moorish camp at, 82. - - ---- Park’s reception at, 83. - - Benin, Bight of, 193, 260. - - Benué or Tchadda, 119, 274, 286, 295, 298, 316. - - Berbers, 8, 268. - - Berlin Conference, 316. - - Bintingala, 154. - - Birni-n-Kebbi, 119. - - Birthplace of Park, 36. - - Biru, 15, 113. - - _Bombyx_ or silk-cotton tree, 46. - - Bondou, district of, 58, 59, 258. - - Bornu, district of, 9, 12, 246, 270. - - ---- historians of, 13. - - ---- kings of, 13. - - ---- rise to political importance, 13. - - Bridge, a primitive, 151. - - Bushreens, 51. - - Bussa, 240, 261, 279, 283. - - - Caillé, 290-292. - - Campbell, Captain, expedition of, 257. - - Captivity of Park. _See_ Park. - - Caravan, a day with, 218. - - ---- an early, 56. - - ---- Park’s, 201. - - ---- a slave, 143-158. - - _Catherine_, the, voyage of, 24. - - Chad, Lake, 9, 193, 269. - - Chandos, Duke of, 28. - - _Charlestown_, the, 161. - - Charms, 127. - - Charter for Royal Niger Company, 330. - - Chivalry, Pagan, an example of, 152. - - Christianity in Africa, 6, 161, 323. - - Clapperton, Lieutenant, 265-275. - - Commerce, articles of, 160, 308, 309. - - ---- on the Gambia, 48. - - ---- on the Niger, 309. - - Companies, chartered, 262, 314. - - ---- commercial, enterprise of, 294-332. - - Company, the African, 28. - - Congo River, the, 192, 256. - - ---- cataracts of, 256. - - Conversion, a Mohammedan mode of, 70. - - Counti Mamadi, 113, 123. - - Cowries, 111, 231. - - Customs, Negro, 56, 58, 77. - - - Daisy, king of Kaarta, 89, 94. - - Dalli, 81. - - De Barros, 21. - - Debo (Dibbie) Lake, 118. - - Demba, Park’s servant, 54, 68, 79, 80, 82, 89, 92, 159. - - Denham, Major, 265, 273. - - Dibalami Dunama Selmami, king of Bornu, 13. - - Dina, 79, 82. - - Discovery. _See_ Exploration, African. - - Dunama ben Humé, king of Bornu, 12. - - _Duté_, 113. - - - East India Company, 42. - - Ebn Batuta, 16. - - ---- Khaldun, 8, 16. - - ---- Said, 13, 16. - - Edris Alawoma, 13. - - ---- king of Bornu, 13. - - Education, Mohammedan, 141, 249. - - Edwards, Mr. Bryan, 165, 166, 171. - - Effects of European intercourse, 50. - - Egga, 284, 296. - - Egypt, 15. - - El Bekri, 16. - - ---- Edrisi, 16. - - _Endeavour_, the, voyage of, 46. - - English. _See_ Africa, English in. - - Explorers. _See_ Exploration. - - Exploration, African, under-- - The Nasamones, 4. - Ebn Batuta, 16. - Leo Africanus, 16. - Gilianez, 21. - Nuno Tristan, 21. - Fernandez, 21. - Lancelot, 21. - Richard Thompson, 24. - Richard Jobson, 26. - Bartholomew Stibbs, 29. - Ledyard, 32. - Lucas, 32. - Horneman, 33. - Houghton, 33. - Park, 46-242. - Tuckey, 255. - Peddie, 257. - Campbell, 257. - Gray, 258. - Denham and Clapperton, 265-275. - Clapperton and Lander, 276-281. - The Brothers Lander, 282-287. - Laing, 288-290. - Caillé, 290-292. - Barth, 297. - Baikie, 308. - Commercial companies, 294-332. - - - Factories, 48. - - Falemé River, 34, 61, 154, 208, 210. - - Falika, 59, 60. - - Family, the, of Park, 177. - - Fatticonda, 60, 62. - - Fernandez, 21. - - Fetters of slaves, 140. - - Fevers, African, and Europeans, 208-211, 212, 214, 219, 256. - - Flegel, 317. - - Formosa River, 255. - - Fortifications, Negro, 216. - - Foulshiels, 37, 169, 187. - - French. _See_ Africa, French in. - - ---- African Companies, 29, 313. - - Fulahs, Fulatah, or Fillani, the, 14, 59, 246-253, 328. - - ---- characteristics of, 248. - - ---- conquest of Sudan by, 251. - - ---- history of, 248. - - ---- nomadic habits, 248. - - ---- pastoral life, 248. - - Fulahdu, 248. - - Fuludu Mountains, 73. - - Furkomo River. _See_ Bakhoy. - - Futa Jallon, district of, 291. - - ---- Larra, 70. - - ---- Torra, 152. - - - Gallieni, Captain, 304-306. - - Gambia, commerce on, 48. - - ---- exploration of, 21, 24, 26, 29, 157, 158, 198, 203. - - Gandu, 119, 253, 329. - - Ghana or Ghanata, 8, 10, 17, 192. - - Gilianez, 21. - - Gin trade, the, 50, 161, 167, 249. - - Gober, 17, 250. - - Gogo, 12, 16. - - Gold, 29. - - Goree, 161, 178, 196. - - Government, British, the, and the Niger, 296, 299, 301. - - Gray, Captain, expedition of, 258. - - Guinea, Gulf of, 255. - - Gulbi-n-Gindi River, 239, 327. - - Gum, 29. - - Gurma, 237. - - - Hadj Mohammed Askia, 10. - - Hanno, expedition of, 2. - - Haussa States, 119, 193, 239, 246. - - Hawkins, 23. - - Heat, tropic, 230. - - Herodotus, 3, 4. - - Hibbert, Mr. George, 168. - - Historians, African, 3, 8, 11, 13, 16, 21. - - Horneman, 32, 178. - - Hospitality, Negro, 68, 109. - - Houghton, Major, 33. - - - Ibo, the, 286. - - Inauguration of modern exploration, 31. - - Intercourse, European, effects of, 50. - - Isaaco, Park’s guide, 200, 203, 215, 226, 233, 237, 243. - - ---- attacked by a crocodile, 215. - - Islam. _See_ Mohammedanism. - - - Jalonka Wilderness, the, 137, 145-151. - - Jarra or Yarra, 75, 77, 91. - - Jenné or Jinni, 12, 119, 237, 291. - - Jillifri, 46. - - Jinbala, Island of, 119, 237. - - Joag, 65. - - Jobson, Richard, 26, 157. - - Johnson, Park’s servant, 54, 66, 79, 89, 94, 159. - - Joliba. _See_ Niger. - - Joloffs or Jaloffs, the, 65, 152, 249. - - Jonkakonda, 46. - - Journals, Park’s, 236, 254. - - - Kaarta, district of, 72, 76. - - ---- capital of, 74. - - ---- Park’s reception at, 74. - - Kabara or Kabra, 16, 119, 291. - - Kajaaga, district of, 65. - - Kakundy, 291. - - Kamalia, 137. - - Kankan, 291. - - Kano, 17, 193, 275, 280. - - ---- Clapperton and Oudney’s expedition to, 274. - - Karfa Taura, 137, 143, 155, 158, 159, 224. - - Kashna or Katsena, 17, 191, 193, 233. - - Kasson, district of, 68. - - Kayi, 69, 198, 200. - - Kokoro River, 145. - - Kong Mountains, 129, 255. - - Konkadu Mountains, 210. - - Kugha, 18. - - Kuka, 18, 270. - - Kullo, district of, 151. - - Kuranka, Highlands of, 288. - - Kurusa, 291. - - Kwora or Main Niger, 260. - - - Laidley, Dr., 34, 47, 54, 158, 159. - - Laing, Major, 288. - - Lancelot, 21. - - Lander, Richard, 278, 280. - - Ledyard, 32. - - Leo Africanus, 16. - - Logun, district of, 274. - - Lotophagi, 77. - - Lucas, 32. - - Ludamar, district of, 75. - - ---- Park’s sojourn in, 78-96. - - - Macgregor Laird, 293, 299, 308. - - Mage, E., 303. - - Makrizi, 16. - - Malacotta, 152. - - Mandara Mountains, 272. - - Manding, district of, 134. - - ---- famine in, 135. - - Mandingoes, 55, 160, 249. - - Manga, Denham’s expedition to, 273. - - Mangrove swamps, 46, 256, 286. - - Mansong, king of Bambarra, 108, 111, 226. - - March, a desert, 267. - - Market-place, an African, 230. - - Martyn, Lieutenant, 196, 214, 232, 238, 242. - - Medina, 33, 56, 158, 202. - - Melli, kingdom of, 10, 11. - - Modibu, 115, 122. - - Mohammedanism. 6, 8, 51, 70, 141, 161, 246, 249, 292, 323. - - ---- influence of, 9, 51, 141, 161, 247, 292. - - ---- propagation of, 8, 70, 141. - - ---- spread of, 6, 249, 323. - - Moorish conquests, 11. - - ---- idea of beauty, 89. - - Moors, 78-96, 160, 231, 239. - - Morocco, 11, 12, 15, 16. - - Mortality from fever, 208, 212, 221, 225, 229. - - Mosi, 10. - - M‘Queen, James, 17, 258, 314. - - ---- quoted, 306, 310, 315, 331. - - ---- theory of Niger geography, 259. - - ---- views on commercial importance of Niger, 261. - - Mulai Hamed, 11. - - Mumbo Jumbo, 57. - - Murzuk in Fezzan, 265. - - - Nasamones, the, expedition of, 4. - - National African Co. _See_ United African Co. - - Necho, expedition, of 2. - - Negro, the, and European intercourse, 50. - - Nereko River, 61, 158, 203. - - New South Wales, Park’s proposed mission to, 177. - - Niger or Joliba, the, 106, 128, 145, 224, 226, 228, 232. - - ---- ancient knowledge of, 3. - - ---- commercial development under-- - Macgregor Laird, 294, 299, 308, 309. - Oldfield and Lander, 293, 295. - Beecroft, 295. - British Government, 296, 299. - The French, 302-306, 312. - The Germans, 317. - The Royal Niger Co., 307-332. - - ---- course of, 118, 254, 283, 291. - - ---- delta of, 255, 286, 293. - - ---- exploration of. _See_ Exploration, African. - - ---- importance of, to Britain. _See_ M‘Queen. - - ---- Park reaches, 106. - - ---- source of, 288. - - ---- supposed identity with Congo, 192, 255, 260. - - ---- ---- Nile, 4, 260. - - ---- ---- termination in interior, 192. - - ---- termination of, 192, 193, 233, 235, 254, 261, 264-287. - - Nile, 4, 17, 260. - - Nun River, 293, 319. - - Nunez River, 257, 291. - - Nupé, kingdom of, 191, 193, 280, 284, 327. - - - Othman dan Fodiyo, 246-252. - - ---- conquest of Sudan by, 251. - - Oudney, Dr., 265, 275. - - Overweg, 298. - - - Park, Mungo, early life, 36-43. - - ---- choice of a profession, 40. - - ---- religious convictions, 43. - - ---- voyage to Sumatra, 44. - - ---- connection with African Association, 45. - - ---- first African expedition, 46. - - ---- views on the slave trade, 49, 168. - - ---- captivity among the Moors, 85. - - ---- his escape, 90. - - ---- reaches the Niger, 106. - - ---- journey to Silla, 107. - - ---- return to coast, 122. - - ---- fever at Kamalia, 137. - - ---- reaches the Gambia, 158. - - ---- sails for England, 161. - - ---- reception in England, 165. - - ---- publication of journals, 166, 171. - - ---- marriage, 175. - - ---- proposed mission to New South Wales, 179. - - ---- practises medicine in Peebles, 180. - - ---- second journey, 196. - - ---- proposed route, 191, 195. - - ---- preparations, 186-195. - - ---- voyage down Niger, 235. - - ---- death, 242, 279. - - ---- family of, 244. - - Park. Thomas, son of the explorer, 244. - - Peddie, Major, 257. - - Peebles, Park’s life in, 180-184. - - Pisania, 47, 200. - - Pliny, 3. - - Portuguese. _See_ Africa, Portuguese in. - - Products, African commercial, 160. - - Protectorate British, proclamation of, 316, 329. - - Ptolemy, 3. - - - Quintin, Dr., 303. - - - Rabba, 295. - - Railway between Senegal and Bammaku, 305. - - Rapids, 241, 256. - - Reception, a Sudanese, 270. - - Relics of Park, 243. - - Rennell, Major, 165, 192. - - Rennell’s Mountains, 284. - - Rey, Rio del, 255. - - Rhamadan, the month of fasting, 86, 141. - - Richard, M., and the Niger termination, 254. - - Richardson, 297, 298. - - Robbers, Park among, 130, 203, 216, 218. - - Royal Niger Company, 307-332. - - ---- prospects of Niger basin under, 330. - - Ruskin’s charges against Park, 181. - - - Sahara, 11, 15, 33, 265, 267, 289, 292. - - Samaku River, 208. - - Sansandig, 113, 123, 229, 230, 237, 243. - - _Saphias._ _See_ Charms. - - Scenery, African, 27, 46, 55, 65, 69, 203, 210, 213, 240, 272, 283, - 320, 321. - - School, a Mohammedan, 141. - - Scott, Mr. George, 194, 214. - - ---- Sir Walter’s, friendship with Park, 187. - - “Scramble for Africa,” the, 316. - - Sego, 106, 107, 226. - - ---- Park’s reception at, 108. - - Senegal, the, 21, 29, 69, 145. - - ---- exploration of, 29. - - ---- the French on, 302. - - Senegambia, 9, 21. - - Serawulies, the, 65, 155. - - Shari River, 274. - - Shea butter, 112. - - Sibidulu, 129, 134. - - Sieur Brue, 29, 69. - - ---- Denham and Toole’s expedition to, 274. - - Silla, 117, 237. - - Slave caravan, departure of a, 144. - - ---- raid, a, 272. - - ---- route, horrors of, 49, 143-153. - - ---- ship, a, 162. - - ---- trade, 23, 48, 147-149, 155, 156. - - ---- Park’s views on, 49, 168, 174. - - Slaves, how obtained, 136, 140. - - Sokoto, 10, 253, 275, 327. - - Sonakies, 51. - - Song of the Negro women, 110. - - Songhay, kingdom of, 9, 10, 246, 299. - - ---- kings of, 10. - - ---- historians of, 11. - - Stibbs, Bartholomew, 29. - - St. Joseph, Fort, 29, 69. - - St. Louis, Fort, 29. - - Strabo, 3. - - Sudan, the, 8, 14, 269. - - ---- Christianity in, 6. - - ---- Denham’s expedition to, 266. - - ---- early exploration of, 2. - - ---- early trade with, 15. - - ---- Fulah conquest of, 251. - - ---- historians of, 3, 8, 11, 13, 16. - - ---- Mohammedan conquest of, 6, 9, 246, 254. - - ---- Moorish conquest of, 11. - - Superstitions, Negro, 56, 58, 68, 73, 121, 202, 205, 231. - - - Tambaura Mountains, 211. - - Tchadda. _See_ Benué. - - Tenda, 29, 203. - - ---- wilderness, 157, 204. - - Thompson, Richard, 24. - - Thomson, Joseph, 318-329. - - Tibbu tribes, 267. - - Timbuktu, 8, 15, 16, 48, 119, 237, 288, 291. - - ---- first entered by a European, 289. - - Tombaconda or Tombakunda, 157. - - Toole, 274. - - Treaties, commercial, with Sokoto and Gandu, 329. - - Tripoli, 13, 15, 265, 275, 289. - - Tuaregs, 15, 237, 239, 289, 328. - - Tuckey, Captain, on the Congo, 255. - - Twat or Tuat, oasis of, 10, 12, 16, 289. - - - United African Company, the, 312, 315, 316, 317. - - - Voyage of the _Catherine_, 24. - - ---- _Endeavour_, 46. - - ---- _Joliba_, 235. - - - Wadan, 13. - - Walata, 15, 16. - - Wali, district of, 33, 56, 158, 202. - - Wangara, 191, 192, 254. - - Wawra, 105. - - Wonda, 135. - - ---- River, 146. - - Wuladu, 213, 217. - - Wuli, district of, 33, 56, 158, 202. - - Wulima River, 222. - - Wurnu, 327. - - - Yakoba, 280. - - Yamina, 126, 228. - - Yarra. _See_ Jarra. - - Yauri River, 240, 327. - - Yeou River, 270. - - Yoruba, 279. - - - Zeghaza, 12. - -[Map: LIBYA Secundum PTOLOMÆUM, A.C. 130] - -[Map: EDRISI’S AFRICA 1154] - -[Map: Catalan Map of the World, 1375.] - -[Map: D’ANVILLE. 1749.] - -[Map: J. RENNELL. 1798.] - - -FOOTNOTES: - -[1] Barth’s Travels, vols. ii. and iv., Appendices V. and IX. - -[2] Barth’s Travels, vol. iv. p. 415. - -[3] Barth’s Travels, vol. iv., Appendix IX., p. 624. - -[4] A Geographical and Commercial View of Northern and Central Africa. - -[5] The following is the Duchess of Devonshire’s version of the above -incident:-- - - “The loud wind roared, the rain fell fast, - The white man yielded to the blast; - He sat him down beneath a tree, - For weary, sad, and faint was he, - And ah, no wife, no mother’s care - For him the milk or corn prepare. - - CHORUS. - - The white man shall our pity share; - Alas, no wife or mother’s care - For him the milk or corn prepare. - - The storm is o’er, the tempest past, - And mercy’s voice has hushed the blast, - The wind is heard in whispers low, - The white man far away must go, - But ever in his heart must bear - Remembrance of the negro’s care. - - CHORUS. - - Go, white man, go--but with thee bear - The negro’s wish, the negro’s prayer, - Remembrance of the negro’s care.” - - - - - -End of Project Gutenberg's Mungo Park and the Niger, by Joseph Thomson - -*** END OF THIS PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK MUNGO PARK AND THE NIGER *** - -***** This file should be named 52285-0.txt or 52285-0.zip ***** -This and all associated files of various formats will be found in: - http://www.gutenberg.org/5/2/2/8/52285/ - -Produced by Sonya Schermann, Paul Clark and the Online -Distributed Proofreading Team at http://www.pgdp.net (This -file was produced from images generously made available -by The Internet Archive) - - -Updated editions will replace the previous one--the old editions will -be renamed. - -Creating the works from print editions not protected by U.S. copyright -law means that no one owns a United States copyright in these works, -so the Foundation (and you!) can copy and distribute it in the United -States without permission and without paying copyright -royalties. 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