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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On Wednesday The 27th October, They Made Preparations For Starting,
And After Experiencing Rather Hostile Treatment From The Natives,
They Arrived At A Village Called Abbazacca, Where They Saw An English
Iron Bar, And Feasted Their Eyes On The Graceful Cocoa-Nut Tree,
Which They Had Not Seen So Long.
It was the intention of the chief of Abbazacca to send a man with
them as messenger, to a large town, of which he said that his brother
was governor, but on maturer reflection, he determined to accompany
them himself, expecting to obtain an adequate reward.
In consequence
of the lightness of his canoe, and its superiority to the old one,
which they had got at Zagozhi, the chief passed them with the utmost
facility, and touched at various towns and villages, to inform their
inhabitants of the fact of the Christians journeying down the river,
and that they had come from a country he had never heard of.
In the course of the day they came abreast of a village of pretty
considerable extent, intending to pass it by on the other side; they
had, however, no sooner made their appearance, than they were lustily
hailed by a little squinting fellow, who kept crying out as loud as
is lungs would permit him: "Holloa! you Englishmen, you come here!"
They felt no inclination to obey the summons, being rather anxious to
get to the town mentioned to them by the chief of Abbazacca; and as
the current swept them along past the village, they took no notice of
the little man, and they had already sailed beyond the landing place,
when they were overtaken by about a dozen canoes, and the people in
them desiring them to turn back, for that they had forgotten to pay
their respects to the king. The name of the village was Damaggoo.
Being in no condition to force themselves from the men, who had
interrupted them with so little ceremony, they pulled with all their
strength against the current, and after an hour's exertion landed
amidst the cheers and huzzas of a multitude of people. The first
person they observed at the landing place, was their little friend in
the red jacket, whom they found out afterwards was a messenger from
the chief of Bonny.
Whilst a hut was preparing for them, they were conducted over a bog
to a large fetish tree, at the root of which they were made to sit
down, till the arrival of the chief, who made his appearance in a few
minutes, bringing with him a goat and other provisions as a present.
He put a great many questions respecting themselves and their
country, the places they had come from, their distance up the river,
and also concerning the river itself, and was astonished at their
answers.
They were now conducted through filthy streets of mud to a very
diminutive hut, which they found excessively warm, owing to the small
quantity of light and air, which were admitted into it only through a
narrow aperture, opening into a gloomy and dismal passage.
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