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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Besides These Hills, Immense Masses Of
Granite Rock Were Seen Piled Upon Each Other In Different Parts.
On
the whole, Acboro was one of the wildest and most venerable looking
places that the human mind could conceive; the habitations of the
people alone, lessening that romantic and pleasing effect, which a
first sight of it produces.
Shortly after their arrival, the governor sent them a sucking pig and
some other presents, and seemed highly pleased that circumstances had
thrown them in his way. "White men do nothing but good," said he,
"and I will pray that God may bless you, and send more of your
countrymen to Youriba."
Instead of the people running and scrambling to see them, the
good-natured ruler of this place excluded the mass of them from
visiting their yard, and came very civilly to ask their permission
for a few of his friends to look at them. John Lander was too weak
and indisposed to gratify their curiosity by rising from his couch,
so his brother went out to exhibit his person, and suffered himself
to be examined rather minutely, which must have had a very ludicrous
effect, to see the European undergoing an examination by a posse of
black inquisitors, just as if he had been a horse or a bullock at
Smithfield. They, however, separated tolerably well pleased with each
other.
On May the 4th, three men, inhabitants of Acboro, were captured by a
gang of restless, marauding scoundrels, who are denominated here, as
elsewhere, "War-men of the path," but who are, in reality, nothing
more nor less, than highway robbers. They subsist solely by pillage
and rapine, and waylaying their countrymen. The late governor of
Acboro was deposed and driven from the town by his own people, for
his indifference to their interest, and the wanton cruelty, with
which he treated them and their children. At different times he
seized several individuals of both sexes, and sold them as slaves,
without assigning any cause for the act. This drew on him the
vengeance of the friends and relatives of the sufferers, who
prevailed on the town's people to arise with them and punish the
aggressor. The latter soon found that his party were too weak to
withstand the attacks of the exasperated populace, and he fled to a
remote village, where he was residing at the time of the arrival of
the Landers. The inhabitants of Acboro immediately elected a more
humane and benevolent governor in his stead.
They rose this morning at an early hour, and John Lander finding
himself sufficiently recovered to ride on horseback, they bade
farewell to the governor of Acboro, and quitted the town by sunrise,
taking care to use the same precaution against robbers as on the
preceding day. In an hour and three quarters, they entered an open
and delightful village called Lazipa. An assemblage of Fellata huts
stood near it, by which their beautiful cattle were grazing. Many of
the bullocks were as white as snow, others were spotted like a
leopard's skin, and others again were dotted with red and black on a
white ground.
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