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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The Travellers Pursued Their Journey Along The Banks Of The Niger,
Although The Path Was Filled With Water, And Broken Up By The Force
Of The Rains.
After an hour's ride they drew near to the walls of
Boossa, and soon arrived at the drummer's house, which had been their
former residence.
Here they found the midiki on her knees to receive
and welcome them back again to Boossa in the name of the king, but
they were not permitted to enter and take possession of their old
apartments, for the queen conducted them to other huts, which formed
part of the cluster inhabited by the Fellatas. In the evening they
were visited by the king, who said, he had been apprehensive that
they required a little repose and quietness after their journey, and
therefore he did not like to intrude on them before. They were not
long domiciliated in their new dwelling, before they were informed
that the drummer's wife had excited the envy of the queen, by wearing
round her neck a smart gilt button, which had been given to her, and
that was the only reason why they were not allowed to occupy their
former lodgings in her house. Yet to be even with her fair rival,
the queen had extracted from her little sheep-skin box, wherein they
had been confined for a quarter of a century, a small number of round
and flat golden ornaments, with which she adorned her sable bosom,
and thereby totally eclipsed the transitory splendour of the button
belonging to the drummer's wife.
In a conversation with the king, he intimated to them that it would
be necessary for them to visit Wowow, previously to their going to
Funda, because the prince of that state had already made war on Kiama
on their account, and captured a few of the people. The king,
himself, repeated to them the promise which he had made to their
messenger, that he would furnish them with a canoe sufficiently large
to contain the whole of their people and themselves; but still some
doubts arose in their minds, and should a canoe be denied them, after
all that the monarch had said, it was their determination to take a
canoe of their own accord, and steal away from Boossa by night. The
king expressed his fears that the personal safety of the travellers
would be endangered by the Fellatas, who resided on each side of the
river; but Pascoe answered his majesty by telling him, that the
English were the gods of the waters, and no evil could befal them in
boats, even though all Africa, or the whole world should fight
against them. "I will, however," said the king, in reply, "go down
and ask the Becken ronah (dark or black water, which the Niger is
every where emphatically styled) whether it will be prudent and safe
for the white men to embark on it or not, and I will be sure to
acquaint you and them of my success, be it good or bad."
The following day the king intended to question the Niger, and the
great hope of the Landers was, that the river would return a
favourable answer.
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