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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Being Done, He Presented Them With A Pot Of Excellent Honey, And Two
Thousand Cowries In Money, With A Large Quantity Of Goora Nuts, And
Which Are Held In Such High Esteem That The Opulent And Powerful
Alone Have The Means Of Procuring Them.
Having nothing further to say
or do, they shook hands with his sable majesty, whose name was
Suliken Rouah, expressed their acknowledgement for his handsome
present, and returned to their boats.
It was exactly mid-day when Suliken Rouah re-embarked in his princely
canoe, and quitted the island of Belee. Determined for once to make
an attempt at a more respectable appearance, for heretofore it had
been extremely mean and homely, they hastily constructed an awning of
their sheets. It was the first time they had made use of such a
thing, though they were without umbrellas, and till then had nothing
but slight straw hats to protect their heads from the sun. Above the
awning, they elevated a slender staff, on the top of which they
fastened the national colours, the union flag, which was kindly given
them by a gentleman on the coast, who was commandant of Anamaboo.
When unfurled and waving in the wind, it looked extremely pretty, and
it made their hearts glow with pride and enthusiasm as they looked on
this solitary little banner. They thought it would also be of service
to them, if they made as gay an appearance as the king and his
followers, and accordingly Richard Lander put on an old naval uniform
coat, which he had with him for state occasions, and John Lander
dressed himself in as grotesque and gaudy a manner as their resources
would afford. Their eight attendants also put on new white mahommedan
tobes, so that their canoe, with its white awning, surmounted by the
union flag, their canoe men in new dresses, and themselves appearing
as officers, contributed not a little to the effect of the whole
scene. The august king of the dark water, with his retinue in twenty
canoes, condescendingly gave them the precedence, and theirs was the
first that moved off from land, and led the way down the river
towards Rabba.
For a little while, they continued to take the lead, but the chief
soon went before them for two reasons, first, that he might have an
opportunity of looking at them, and secondly, that they might have a
fairer chance of seeing him in all his state, for which purpose, he
had placed himself outside his awning, on an elevated and conspicuous
seat. However, he only wished to get a few yards before them, for his
canoe men soon lifted their paddles out of the water, and the boat
fell back to its former situation. The musicians in the large canoe
performed merrily on their instruments, and about twenty persons now
sung at intervals in recitative, keeping excellent time with their
paddles.
A brisk wind sprung up the river full in their faces, relieving them
from the extreme heat of the weather, which was remarkably fine; the
scene before them was very animating, and the whole of them were in
high glee and spirits. Other canoes joined them, and never did the
British flag lead so extraordinary a squadron. The king of the dark
water might have been mistaken for a river god, and his wives, now
and then showing their pretty black faces from under the awning, cast
many an arch look at them with their sparkling, jetty eyes.
It was not long before their reverie was interrupted by a great noise
from the adjacent land, and on turning, they perceived the banks of
an island, called Zagozhi, which was lined with numbers of people,
admiring their flag, and watching them very earnestly, by which they
guessed that this was the place of their destination. The island was
so uncommonly low that the houses and trees appeared as if they were
standing in the water, as indeed many of them actually were. Theirs
being the first canoe, before they landed on the island, they waited
for the king to precede them, and the moment he set his foot on
shore, they fired a salute of four muskets and three pistols. The
king of the dark water was rather alarmed at this, and demanded
whether they were going to make war on him, but he was soon relieved
from his fear, by being told that it was an honour that they had been
in the habit of paying to all the princes, whom they had met in their
travels; which he no sooner understood, than he expressed himself
much gratified by their attention.
The king himself went in quest of a dwelling house, and conducted
them to one of the best which the island afforded; it was, however,
miserably bad, for as the town was built on a marsh, every hut in it
had the disadvantage, during the whole of the rainy season, of soft
damp floors, and uncomfortable roofs. Their own hut had positively
pools of water springing up out of the ground. The walls of the hut
were built of mud from the river, strengthened and supported by
wooden pillars, and ribs of the same materials; however, these do not
prevent them from cracking in a hundred different places, and large
chinks, admitting wind and rain, may be observed in the walls of
every hut. They have all a very dirty and wretched appearance,
although their inmates, generally speaking, were understood to be
clean, opulent, and respectable. Having conducted them to the hut,
the chief of the island shook hands with them very heartily, and
assured them they should want for nothing. He soon provided them with
doors of bamboo for their hut, and a number of mats to spread on the
floor, which made it tolerably comfortable. In the evening, four
large calabashes of stewed rice with fowls, and no less than ten
gallons of petto or country beer were sent them.
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