The Inhabitants Were Of A Gay And
Thoughtless Disposition, Spending Much Of Their Time In Dancing.
The
chief traffic of the place was in slaves.
CHAPTER XXVIII.
_From Park's return, to his Second Expedition._
Park's own narrative of his travels will now have informed the reader of
all that wonderful train of events which the hardy and enterprising
discoverer went through: of his captivity among the Moors - his
escape - his discovery of the course of the Niger - of the African capital
of Sego - his journey through Bambarra, and his toilsome and perilous
return. On his arrival at Pisania, his kind and attentive friend Dr.
Laidley was absent, but a countryman, Mr. Robert Ainslie, invited him to
his house. In two days Dr. Laidley returned, and hailed Park with joy,
receiving him as "one risen from the dead." As no European vessel was at
that time expected to arrive at Gambia, Park embarked on the 15th June
1797, on board a slave-ship bound to America. This vessel was driven by
stress of wind to the West Indies, and at length, after much difficulty,
succeeded in making the island of Antigua; whence Park sailed on the 24th
November, in the Chesterfield Packet, which, after a short but stormy
passage, reached Falmouth on the 22d December. No intelligence had for a
long time reached England of the wanderer's fate, and his bones were
supposed to have been bleaching amid the sands of the desert.
Park arrived at London, before day-break, on the morning of the 25th;
and, unwilling to disturb his brother-in-law's family at such an
unseasonable hour, he wandered about for some time through the streets
near Mr. Dickson's residence. As he strolled along, finding one of the
entrances to the gardens of the British Museum accidentally left open, he
entered and walked about there for some time. It chanced that Mr.
Dickson, who superintended the gardens, had found occasion to go there
thus early about some trifling matter or other. What must have been his
astonishment at beholding, by the still weak light, the form - or as it
had rather seemed - the vision, of that relative, who had ever been in his
most anxious thoughts, and whose countenance he had never expected again
to see, or even to learn tidings of his fate. A joyful welcome of course
ensued, and Park's anxieties concerning his relations, were speedily set
at rest.
The interest attached to his return was by no means confined to his
relations and friends - the public at large, whose sympathies had followed
the traveller on his arduous way, were gratified to learn that he had
again returned, after having made important discoveries, and tracked a
considerable portion of the course of the Niger. Rumours were also
current of his "hair-breadth 'scapes," and the lovers of novelty and
adventure were anxious to hear the particulars of his wanderings. The
African Association triumphed in the success of his mission, and were
proud that the assiduous diligence of Park had, under such unfavourable
circumstances, collected a mass of information which so far outweighed
the results of all previous expeditions, and that they could therefore
claim justly more support from the public.
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