In
One Instance, He Proved A True Prophet, For He Said More Than Once, That
If Park Went A Second Time To Africa, He Would Never Return; And Though
Urgently Requested By Park To Join The Expedition, He Refused.
When Sir Walter Scott first became acquainted with Park, he was living in
seclusion at the farm of Fowlshiels, nearly opposite Newark Castle.
They
soon became much attached to each other; and Scott supplied some
interesting anecdotes of their brief intercourse to the late Mr. Wishaw,
the editor of Park's posthumous Journal, with which, says Mr. Lockhart, I
shall blend a few minor circumstances which I gathered from him in
conversation long afterwards. "On one occasion," he says, "the traveller
communicated to him some very remarkable adventures which had befallen
him in Africa, but which he had not recorded in his book." On Scott's
asking the cause of this silence, Mungo answered, "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 faith, or render his travels
more marvellous, by introducing circumstances which, however true, were
of little or no moment, as they related solely to his own personal
adventures and escapes," This reply struck Scott as highly characteristic
of the man; and though strongly tempted to set down some of these marvels
for Mr. Wishaw's use, he, on reflection, abstained from doing so, holding
it unfair to record what the adventurer had deliberately chosen to
suppress in his own narrative.
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