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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A Number Of
Mallams From Houssa Paid Them A Visit About The Middle Of The Day,
But A Body Of More Ignorant Mahommedans, It Was Supposed, Could No
Where Be Found, For Not One Of Them, Even To Their Chief, Who Had A
Youthful Appearance, Understood A Word Of Arabic.
Just before sunset, John Lander selected a present, consisting of the
following articles for the king:
Viz. six yards of red cloth, a
quantity of printed cottons, a pair of silver bracelets, a
looking-glass, two pair of scissors, a knife, two combs, and a
tobacco pipe. The goods having been properly secured, they repaired
with this present to the king, who received it with much apparent
satisfaction.
Yarro professed the mahommedan faith, yet it was easy to perceive the
very slender acquaintance he had obtained of the precepts of the
Koran, by the confidence which he placed in the religion of his
fathers, in placing fetishes to guard the entrance of his houses, and
adorn their half-naked walls. In one of these huts, they observed a
stool of very curious workmanship. The form of it was nearly square;
the two principal figures were each supported by four little wooden
figures of men, and another of large dimensions, seated on a clumsy
representation of a hippopotamus, was placed between them. These
images were subsequently presented to the Landers by Yarro; and they
learnt that the natives, before undertaking any water excursion,
applied for protection to the hippopotami, and other dangerous
objects of the river, to the principal figure, which was mounted on
one of those creatures. This important personage was attended by his
musicians, and guarded by soldiers, some armed with muskets, and
others with bows and arrows, who formed the legs of the stool.
In the inner apartment they discovered Yarro sitting alone, on
buffalo hides, and they were desired to place themselves near him.
The walls of this apartment were adorned with very good prints of
George IV., the Duke of York, Lord Nelson, the Duke of Wellington on
horseback, together with an officer of the light dragoons, in company
with a smartly dressed and happy looking English lady. Opposite to
them were hung horse accoutrements, and on each side were dirty
scraps of paper, containing select sentences from the Koran. On the
floor lay muskets, several handsomely ornamented lances, and other
weapons, all confusedly heaped together, by the side of a large
granite stone used for pounding pepper. These were the most striking
objects they observed in the king's hut, adjoining which were others,
through whose diminutive doors, the wives of Yarro were straining
their eyes to catch a glimpse of the white men.
When Lander spoke of proceeding to Yaoorie by way of Wowow and
Boussa, the king objected to their visiting, the former state, under
any condition whatever; alleging that three of the slaves who carried
the goods for Captain Clapperton, had never returned to him again,
but had remained at Wowow, where they were protected by the governor
Mahommed, and that if he should send others with them to that place,
they might do the same thing.
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