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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They Saw A
Cripple To-Day For The First Time, And A Female Dwarf, Whose Height
Scarcely Exceeded Thirty Inches, And Whose Appearance Bespoke Her To
Be Between Thirty And Forty Years Of Age.
Her head was
disproportionately large to the size of her body; her features, like
her voice, were harsh, masculine, and unpleasant in the extreme.
It
would have been ridiculous to be afraid of such a diminutive thing,
but there was an expression in her countenance so peculiarly
repulsive, unwomanly, and hideous, that on approaching their hut,
they felt a very unusual and disagreeable sensation steal over them.
The descriptions of an elf or a black dwarf in the Arabian Nights
Entertainments, or modern romances, would serve well to portray the
form and lineaments of this singular little being.
It was market day, and Richard Lander took a walk in the evening to
the place where the market was held, but the crowd that gathered
round him was so great, as to compel him to return home much sooner,
than he had intended. If he happened to stand still even for a
moment, the people pressed by thousands to get close to him, and if
he attempted to go on, they tumbled over one another to get out of
his way, overturning standings and calabashes, throwing down their
owners, and scattering their property about in all directions. The
blacksmiths in particular, welcomed him by clashing their iron tools
against each other, and the drummers rejoiced by thumping violently
upon one end of their instruments.
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