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
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It Was Not Till After They Were All In The Canoes, And Ready To Push
Off, That Those On Shore Discovered Them To Be Overladen, And
Recommended Them To Hire One Of Immense Size, Which Was Lying
Alongside.
Without stopping to make them any reply, or listen to any
further nonsense, they desired their own men to
Push the boats out
into the middle of the current, which was done very promptly, and the
town of Lever, with its chief and inhabitants, was speedily out of
sight and soon forgotten.
About one o'clock they landed at a considerable large and spacious
town, called Bajiebo, inhabited by Nouffie people, although, it is
situated on the Yarriba, or western side of the river. For dirt,
bustle, and nastiness of all kinds, this place exceeded anything they
had ever seen before. For two hours after their arrival they were
obliged to wait in a close diminutive hut, till a more convenient and
becoming habitation could be procured for their reception, and the
pleasure of the chief with regard to them should be known. They were
much incommoded by visitors, who scarcely allowed them to move or
breathe, which, joined to the heat of the weather and the
insufferable stench, rendered their situation truly comfortless and
distressing.
They were at length removed from this horrible hole, and conducted to
a hut in the heart of the town, in which wood fires had been burning
the whole of the day, so that the wall was almost as warm as the
sides of a heated oven, insomuch that it could scarcely be endured.
Yet, to render it more unpleasant still, a large closely woven mat
was placed before the door way, in order to prevent a thousand eyes
from staring in upon them, and which excluded every breath of air.
Their feelings during the whole of the night, were more distressing
than could be conceived; they were almost suffocated with the
closeness and intense heat of the room, and dreamt that they were
being baked alive in an oven.
Bajiebo is a flourishing and important trading town, although not
walled, and one of the largest and most populous that they had yet
seen. The huts are erected so close to each other, and with so little
regard to comfort, and a free circulation of air, that there is
scarcely a foot path in the town wide enough for more than one man to
walk on at a time, and not having the advantage of shady trees, the
heat of the town was excessive and distressing.
The power of the Fellatas was here evidently very great. One of their
number was styled chief, and had more authority and influence than
the native ruler. They were obliged to make a present to each of
these individuals, and other high and mighty personages were likewise
desirous of obtaining a similar favour at their hands, but they made
light of their conversation, and would not understand their enigmas.
Before sunrise on the 5th October, their luggage was removed
to the beach, and between six and seven o'clock they were once more
upon the water. In the course of an hour after leaving Bajiebo, they
passed by two towns of considerable extent, and in about an hour
afterwards they arrived at an extensive town called Lechee, inhabited
by Noufanchie, and said to be a place of considerable rank and
consequence. Here they landed by express desire, and finding an empty
grass hut near the spot, they entered and took possession of it, till
such time as the chief should be made acquainted with their arrival.
Here also their canoe men left them and returned to Bajiebo, where
they had hired them.
They were not suffered to wait long, but in a few minutes received an
invitation from the chief to come and see him; and having walked
through a good part of the town, they at length approached his
residence, and were introduced without ceremony or hindrance, into a
large and lofty hut, where they discovered the chief sitting on a
platform of mud, in great state, with about forty natives and
Fellatas in earnest conversation on each side of him. He received
them with great civility, and many demonstrations of gladness, and
desired them to draw near his person, that he might have a better
opportunity of looking at and talking to them. He appeared, however,
unwilling for them to quit Lechee till the following day, and pressed
them strongly to remain with him for the day, which, however, not all
his solicitations nor importunities could induce them to accede to.
After some trifling conversation, and a long and pithy harangue from
a Fellata, they took their leave of him and his people, and instantly
made their way back to the water side, where they waited in the grass
hut for the appearance of the canoe men, with whom the chief had
promised to supply them. After a considerable delay, a man for each
canoe could only be procured, so that two of their own people were
obliged to supply the place of others, as well as they could. Having
got into their canoes, they pushed off from the shore, and proceeded
at a good rate down the stream, along the side of a considerable
island, which was within gunshot of the town, and after passing a
large open village of respectable appearance, which was on the
western bank, they put in at a small town, a few miles below, also on
the Yarriba side of the river, where they were constrained to go in
quest of other canoe men, because those from Lechee, though they had
been with them only forty minutes, and had certainly not laboured
very hard, had refused to proceed with them any further, nor could
all their enticements induce them to forego the resolution which they
had taken. The Landers were detained in their canoes for an hour and
a half, exposed to a scorching sun, in order to obtain fresh canoe
men.
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