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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Having Travelled, According To Their Own Computation, A Distance
Little Short Of A Hundred Miles, They Stopped At A Small
Insignificant Fishing Village Called Dacannie, Where They Were Very
Glad To Land.
The Niger here presented a very magnificent appearance;
and was reckoned to be nearly eight miles in breadth.
Whilst they were at breakfast, under the shelter of a tree, the
promised messenger from Zagozhi arrived, and introduced himself to
them. He said that he had followed their track during the night, and
had heard the report of their guns, but though he strove to come up
with them, yet he had not been able.
It was between nine and ten in the morning, that the guide desired
them to proceed onwards, promising to follow them in a few minutes.
With this arrangement they cheerfully complied, and instantly pushed
off the shore, for of all persons, a messenger is the most unpleasant
companion; he is fond of procrastination, sullen when rebuked, and
stops at every paltry village wherein he fancies that he can levy his
contributions without the fear of interruption.
The messenger, whom they had left at Dacannie, soon overtook them,
and kept company with them till they drew near to two cities of
prodigious extent, one on each side of the river, and directly
opposite each other. To that lying on the right, the guide expressed
his intention of going, and endeavoured to entice the Landers with
many promises to accompany him there, but they refused, for they had
formed a resolution to husband their resources to the utmost of their
ability, and consequently to land at little hamlets only, where they
might do just as they pleased, without being amenable for their
actions to those powerful beings, who are styled "the mighty" of the
earth.
They now took leave of the Zagozhi messenger, who promised to follow
them as before, and in an hour afterwards they put into a small
village, situated on an island called Gungo, the natives of which
appeared to be a mild, inoffensive, quiet, and good-natured people.
About sunset, the inhabitants of the whole island, amounting to about
a hundred men, women, and children, dressed in very decent apparel,
and headed by their chief, a venerable old man, paid them a visit.
The chief was dressed in the mahommedan costume, and he arranged his
people, and made them sit down round the hut which the Landers
occupied, in the most orderly manner. The men evinced no alarm, but
the women and pretty little plump-faced children were much frightened
at their white faces, and seemed not a little glad to get away.
Before they retired, they distributed about two hundred needles among
them, and they went away highly pleased with their present.
At Zagozhi, they had been strongly recommended to put into a large
and important trading town called Egga, which was reported to be
three days journey down the river from thence, and they had been
promised a guide or messenger to accompany them thither, but they had
neither heard nor seen any thing of him since the preceding day.
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