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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They Had Not Proceeded Far On This Course, When To Their Great
Satisfaction, They Found Themselves Influenced By The Tide.
They had
previously observed an appearance of foam on the water, which might
have been carried up by the flood tide from the mouth of the river,
but they now felt certain of being within its influence.
They were
constantly annoyed by the canoe running aground on a bank, or
sticking fast in the underwood, which delayed their progress
considerably, and the men were obliged to get out to lighten and lift
the canoe off them. Their tract was through a narrow creek, arched
over by mangroves, so as to form a complete avenue, which in many
places was so thick as to be totally impenetrable by the light above.
A heavy shower of rain came on and wetted them thoroughly, and after
this was over, the dripping from the trees, which overhung the canoe,
kept them in constant rain nearly the whole of the night. The smell
from decayed vegetable substances was sickly and exceedingly
disagreeable.
Through these dismal and gloomy passages, they travelled during the
whole of the night of the 15th November without stopping, unless for
a few minutes at a time, to disengage themselves from the pendant
shoots of the mangrove and spreading brambles, in which they
occasionally became entangled. These luxuriant natives of the soil
are so intricately woven, that it would be next to impossible to
eradicate them. Their roots and branches are the receptacles of ooze,
mud, and filth of all kinds, exhaling a peculiar offensive odour,
which no doubt possesses highly deleterious qualities.
The reason adduced for not resting during the night, was the
apprehension entertained by King Boy, of being unable to overtake his
father and brothers, they having left the Eboe country the day before
them. A certain spot had been previously fixed upon by the parties
for the meeting, and they arrived there about nine o'clock a.m., and
found those individuals in three large canoes, with their attendants,
waiting their arrival. Here they stopped, and made their canoes fast
to the trees, to take refreshment, such as it was, and half an hour's
rest; and here they were introduced to the renowned King Forday, who
according to his own account is monarch of the whole country. In one
of the canoes sat old King Forday, in company with several fetish
priests; the second canoe belonged to King Boy, and the third was Mr.
Gun's. These canoes had come thus far for the purpose of escorting
them into their country.
King Forday was a complaisant venerable-looking old man, but was
rather shabbily dressed, partly in the European and partly in the
native style. Like most savages, his fondness for spirituous liquors
was extreme, and he took large potations of rum in their presence,
though it produced no visible effect upon his manner or conversation.
In the jollity of the moment, he attempted to sing, but his weak
piping voice did not seem to second his inclination, and the sound
died away from very feebleness. His subjects, however, amounting to
nearly two hundred individuals, testified their approbation of the
effort by a tremendous "Yah!" shouted simultaneously by every voice,
which sounded like the roar of a lion.
During the time that they had been at breakfast, the tide ebbed, and
left their canoes lying on the mud. Breakfast being over, the fetish
priests commenced their avocations, by marking the person of King Boy
from head to foot with chalk, in lines, circles, and a variety of
fantastic figures, which so completely metamorphosed him, as to
render his identity rather questionable, at the distance of only a
few yards. His usual dress had been thrown aside, and he was allowed
to wear nothing but a narrow silk handkerchief tied round his waist;
on his head a little close cap was placed, made of grass, and
ornamented with large feathers. These they found to be the wing
feathers of a black and white buzzard, which is the fetish bird of
Brass Town. Two huge spears were also chalked and put into his hands,
and thus equipped his appearance was wild and grotesque in the
extreme. The same operation was performed on the rest of the party,
and the fetish priests were chalked in the same manner. The people
belonging to the Landers were merely marked on the forehead, and the
Landers themselves, perhaps from being already white, although their
faces were not a little tanned, were exempted from the ceremony.
They were now ordered into King Forday's canoe, to sit down with him.
The old man asked them immediately in tolerably good English, to take
a glass of rum with him; and having observed them wondering at the
strange appearance of King Boy, and the rest of the party, gave them
to understand that in consequence of no man having come down the
river as they had done, the fetish ceremony was performed to prevent
any thing happening to them. They also understood from him, that a
certain rite would be performed to Dju-dju, the fetish or domestic
god of Brass Town, in honour of their coming.
The tide was now fast returning, and preparations were made for
proceeding to Brass Town. For this purpose the canoes were all
arranged in a line, that of King Boy taking the lead; the Landers and
King Forday in the next, followed by King Boy's brother; Mr. Gun and
the Damaggoo people in others, and in this order they proceeded up
the river. Gun was styled the little military king of Brass Town,
from being entrusted with the care of all the arms and ammunition,
and on this occasion, he gave them frequent opportunities of
witnessing his importance and activity, by suddenly passing a short
distance from the rest of the canoes, and firing off the cannon in
the bow of his own, and then dropping behind again.
The whole procession formed one of the most extraordinary sights that
can be imagined.
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