The Country Was Perhaps The Finest In Africa, Being Under High Cultivation, Diversified With Groves Of Noble Trees, And Traversed In A Picturesque Manner By Ridges Of Granite.

The manners of the people, too, were pleasing and pastoral. At many clear springs, gushing from the rocks, young women were drawing water.

As an excuse for engaging in talk, our traveller asked several times for the means of quenching his thirst. Bending gracefully on one knee, and displaying, at the same time, teeth of pearly whiteness and eyes of the blackest lustre, they presented a gourd, and appeared highly delighted, when he thanked them for their civility, remarking to one another, "Did you hear the white man thank me?" But the scene was changed on reaching the borders of the provinces of Goobar and Zamfra, which were in a state of rebellion against Sockatoo. The utmost alarm at that moment prevailed; men and women, with their bullocks, asses, and camels, all struggled to be foremost, every one crying out, "Woe to the wretch that falls behind; he will be sure to meet an unhappy end, even at the hands of the Goobarites!" There was danger of being even thrown down and trampled to death by the bullocks, which were furiously rushing backward and forward; however, through the unremitting care of the escort, Clapperton made his way safely, though not without much fatigue and annoyance, along this perilous frontier.

The country was now highly cultivated. The road was crowded with passengers and loaded bullocks, going to the market of Zimrie, which town was passed a little to the southward about noon, when the country became more wooded. In the evening, a halt was made at a town called Quarra, where Clapperton waited upon the governor, who was an aged Fellata. Here Clapperton was unluckily taken for a fighi, or teacher, and was pestered at all hours of the clay to write out prayers by the people. His servants hit upon a scheme to get rid of their importunities, by acquainting them, that, if he did such things, they must be paid the perquisites usually given to the servants of other fighis. Clapperton's washerwoman positively insisted on being paid with a charm in writing, that would entice people to buy earthen-ware of her, and no persuasion of his could either induce her to accept of money for her service, or make her believe that the request was beyond human power. In the cool of the afternoon, he was visited by three of the governor's wives, who, after examining his skin with much attention, remarked, compassionately, it was a thousand pities he was not black, for then he would have been tolerably good looking. He asked one of them, a buxom young girl of fifteen, if she would accept of him for a husband, provided he could obtain the permission of her master, the governor. She immediately began to whimper, and on urging her to explain the cause, she frankly avowed, she did not know what to do with his white legs. He gave to each of them a snuff-box, and, in addition, a string of white beads to the coy maiden. They were attended by an old woman and two little female slaves, and, during their stay, made very merry; but he feared much that their gaiety soon fled on returning to the close custody of their old gaoler.

Clapperton now tried every thing in his power to induce his guide to proceed, without waiting for the escort; but El Wordee and the shreef, who were the most pusillanimous rascals he ever met with, effectually dissuaded him from it.

He was much amused with a conversation he overheard between the blind shreef and his servant, respecting himself and his intended journey. "That Abdallah," says the servant, "is a very bad man; he has no more sense than an ass, and is now going to lead us all to the devil, if we will accompany him. I hope, master, you are not such a fool."

"Yes," ejaculated the shreef, "it was a black day when I joined that kafir; but if I don't go with him; I shall never see the sultan; and when I return to Kano without any thing, the people will laugh at me for my pains."

"Why did you not talk to him," said the servant, "about the dangers of the road?"

"D - n his father!" replied the shreef; "I have talked to him, but these infidels have no prudence."

Clapperton now called out, "A thousand thanks to you, my lord shreef."

"May the blessings of God be upon you!" exclaimed the shreef. "Oh! Rais Abdallah, you are a beautiful man. I will go with you wherever you go. I was only speaking in jest to this dog."

"My lord shreef," said Clapperton, "I was aware of it from the first; it is of no importance, but, if the escort does not arrive to-morrow, I may merely mention to you, I shall certainly proceed, without further delay, to Kashna."

This Clapperton said by way of alarming the shreef, who liked his present quarters too well, from the number of pious females, who sought edification from the lips of so true a descendant of the prophet; besides the chance such visits afforded of transmitting to their offspring the honour of so holy a descent.

The small-pox was at this time raging in the country to an alarming degree. The treatment of the disease is as follows: - When the disease makes its appearance, they anoint the whole body with honey, and the patient lies down on the floor, previously strewed with warm sand, some of which is also sprinkled upon him. If the patient be very ill, he is bathed in cold water early every morning, and is afterwards anointed with honey, and replaced in the warm sand. This is their only mode of treatment; but numbers died every day of this loathsome disease, which had now been raging for six months.

Enter page number Go  Previous Next
Page 126 of 302
Words from 127987 to 128990 of 309561