Travels Of Richard And John Lander Into The Interior Of Africa For The Discovery Of The Course And Termination Of The Niger By Robert Huish
- Page 238 of 302 - First - Home
The Landers Were Heartily Glad When They
Said It Was Time To Depart, And Having Shaken Hands With The Ardour
Of Drunkards, They Took Their Leave, Staggered Out Of The Hut, And
All Went Laughing Away.
They were about to close their hut for the night, when a messenger
arrived from the king of Wowow,
With news not at all to their liking.
He informed them that they were anxiously expected in that city from
Boossa at the time of the holidays, and because they did not come
agreeably to their promise, the prince could not conceal his chagrin,
and was exceedingly angry, not only with the king of Boossa, who was
the cause of their absence, but also with themselves. The messenger
informed them that his sovereign had most certainly procured for them
a canoe, which was laid up at Lever, but that if they wished, or
rather if they were determined to have their horses back again, the
king would send them in compliance to their wishes, "for who," said
he, with much emphasis, "would presume to assert that the monarch of
Wowow would keep the property of others? It would not be paying him
that respect," he continued, which his rank and situation demanded,
were the white men to leave his dominions and the country altogether,
without first coming to pay him their respects, and he would
therefore entreat them to pay a visit to Wowow for that purpose, or
if both of them could not leave Patashie, he requested that Richard
Lander would come and bid him adieu, because he had not done so when
his illness compelled him to leave his city.
The monarchs of Boossa and Wowow seemed to entertain very different
opinions regarding the journey of the Landers. The former insisting
on the necessity of their proceeding down the Niger on the eastern or
Nouffie side, and the latter making use of strong language to
persuade them that the Yarriba side of the river would be the most
convenient, the most agreeable, and the safest; and if they would
make up their minds not to attend to the king of Boossa's advice, he
would send a messenger with them, who should protect them even to the
sea. This difference of opinion, they were apprehensive would involve
them in a thousand perplexities, yet they could only be guided by
circumstances.
At Boossa, they experienced the greatest difficulty and trouble in
procuring the bare necessaries of life, but in the flourishing
Patashie, provisions were sent to them from the chiefs of the two
islands in such abundance, that half of them were thrown to the dogs.
The natives of all ages displayed the greatest anxiety to see the
white men, and large crowds assembled every day, and waited from
morning to night patiently till they had gained the object of their
visit. However, they were all as timid as hares, and if the Landers
happened to look fixedly in their faces for a moment, most of them,
more especially the females and the junior classes of both sexes,
started back with terror, as if they had seen a serpent in the grass;
and when the Landers attempted to walk near any of them, they ran
screaming away, as though they had been pursued by a lion, or were in
danger of falling into the jaws of a crocodile, so horrified were
these poor people at the bare sight of a white man, and so frightful
did their imaginations picture him to be.
On Friday, September 24th, Richard Lander landed for the purpose of
proceeding to Wowow, and took possession of a house on the banks of
the river, which had been prepared for him. The king of Wowow's
messenger accompanied him, and having got everything ready as soon as
he could, he commenced his journey to the city.
On his arrival at Wowow, he was too much fatigued to pay his respects
to the sovereign, but on the following day, he had prepared himself
for the visit to the king's house, but to his great surprise the
eccentric old man excused himself from being seen on that day, on the
plea that he had taken a ride in the morning to see his gardens, and
the exercise had so much tired him, that he felt no inclination
whatever to receive his visitors till the following day. It was,
therefore, not until the 26th, that he granted Lander an audience,
and he then said with the greatest indifference, "I have not yet been
able to procure you the canoe which I promised to get, but I have no
doubt that the ruler of Patashie will have it in his power to supply
you with one to your satisfaction, for which purpose I will send an
express to that island without delay, whom I will furnish with the
necessary instructions to effect an immediate purchase."
Finding that nothing definitive could be arranged relative to the
canoe, Lander prepared to take his departure, but previously to his
setting out, he requested the monarch to show him his collection of
charms, which were written on sheets of paper, glued or pasted
together. Amongst them he discovered a small edition of Watts' Hymns
on one of the blank leaves of which was written, Alexander Anderson,
Royal Military Hospital, Gosport, 1804. From the Wowow chieftain, as
well as from his good old brother, and their quondam Abba, Richard
and his attendants received the most liberal hospitality, and on his
taking his leave of them, they wished him farewell in the most
cordial and affectionate manner.
On the return of Richard Lander to Patashie, preparations were
instantly made for their departure, but after all their luggage had
been packed up in readiness, information was brought them from the
chief, that they could not start until to-morrow, because the Niger
would receive a great influx of water during the night, which would
be considerably in their favour. To raise any objection to this
arrangement was considered as wholly useless, and therefore they
quietly awaited the coming of the following day.
Enter page number
PreviousNext
Page 238 of 302
Words from 242966 to 243983
of 309561