Travels Of Richard And John Lander Into The Interior Of Africa Part 36

The Landers felt much hurt at their situation, for they did not expect that it would be so bad as it turned out to be, but they made up their minds to prepare themselves for the worst, for it was impossible to foresee the lengths to which the savages would go. On the following day, Richard Lander was taken very ill with the fever, and was consequently unable to attend the summons to the king's house, he therefore sent his brother in his stead, who gave the following account:--

"On my arriving there this morning, to my infinite surprise I found King Boy (Gun's eldest brother,) with a number of his attendants already a.s.sembled. He was dressed in a style far superior to any of his countrymen, and wore a jacket and waistcoat over a neat s.h.i.+rt of striped cotton, to which was annexed a silk pocket handkerchief, which extended below the knees. Trousers are not permitted to be worn, either by natives or strangers, of the same hue as themselves, the kings alone being an exception to the rule. Strings of coral and other beads encircled his neck, and a pretty little crucifix of seed beads hung on his bosom. This latter ornament, which has probably been given him by a slave captain, had by no means an unbecoming appearance. King Boy introduced himself to me with the air of a person who bestows a favour, rather than soliciting acquaintance, and indeed his vanity in other respects was highly amusing. He would not suffer any one to sit between him and the platform, but squatted himself down nearest the king's seat, which, as a mark of honour, had been previously a.s.signed to us; and with a volubility scarcely imaginable, he commenced a long narrative of his greatness, power, and dignity, in which he excelled all his neighbours, and to this I was constrained to listen with a.s.sumed composure and attention for a considerable time. To convince me of his veracity, he produced a pocket book, containing a great number of recommendatory notes, or 'characters,' as a domestic would call them, written in the English, French, Spanish, and Portuguese languages, and which had been given him by the various European traders, who had visited the Bra.s.s River.

This practice of giving written characters, which has for some time been adopted by Europeans, is both praiseworthy and useful, and it has become almost universal on the western coast; because it is not to be supposed that the natives themselves can understand these doc.u.ments, and strangers are made acquainted with their good or bad qualities by them, and taught to discriminate the honest from the unfaithful and malicious. Boy's letters mentioned certain dealings, which their authors had had with him, and they likewise bore testimony to his own character, and the manners of his countrymen.

Amongst others is one from a 'James Dow, master of the brig Susan, from Liverpool,' and dated: '_Bra.s.s First River_, Sept. 1830,' which runs as follows: "Captain Dow states, that he never met with a set of greater scoundrels than the natives in general, and the pilots in particular." These he anathematised as d----d rascals, who had endeavoured to steer his vessel among the breakers at the mouth of the river, that they might share the plunder of its wreck. King Jacket, who claims the sovereignty of the river, is declared to be a more confirmed knave, if possible, than they, and to have cheated him of a good deal of property. The writer describes King Forday as a man rather advanced in years, less fraudulent but more dilatory. King Boy, his son, alone deserved his confidence, for he had not abused it, and possessed more honour and integrity than either of his countrymen.

"These are the rulers of the Bra.s.s River, and pretty fellows they are, truly. Mr. Dow further observes, that the river is extremely unhealthy, and that his first and second mates, three coopers, and five seamen, had already died of fever, and that he himself had had several narrow escapes from the same disorder. He concludes, by cautioning traders against the treachery of the natives generally, and gives them certain directions concerning 'the dreadful bar,' at the mouth of the river, on which he had nearly perished.

"This business had been no sooner settled, than Obie entered the yard, attended as usual, but clad indifferently in loose silks. After the customary salutations, Boy directed the monarch to appeal to me, that he might be satisfied in what estimation he was held by white men. Of course I said a variety of fine things in his favour, which were received with a very good grace indeed; but that a piece of paper simply, which could neither speak, hear, nor understand, should impart such information, was a source of astonishment and wonder to Obie and his train, who testified their emotion in no other manner than by looks of silly amazement, and repeated bursts of laughter.

"The king then said with a serious countenance, that there was no necessity for further discussion respecting the white men, his mind was already made up on the subject, and for the first time, he briefly explained himself to this effect: That circ.u.mstances having thrown us in the way of his subjects, by the laws and usages of the country, he was not only ent.i.tled to our own persons, but had an equal right to those of our attendants; that he should take no further advantage of his good fortune, than by exchanging us for as much English goods as would amount in value to twenty slaves. In order to have this matter fairly arranged and settled, he should, of his own accord, prevent our leaving the town, till such time as our countrymen at Bonny or Bra.s.s should pay for our ransom, having understood from ourselves that the English at either of those rivers, would afford us whatever a.s.sistance we might require, with cheerfulness and alacrity. Concerning the goods of which we had been robbed at Kirree, he a.s.sured us he would use his utmost exertions to get them restored. He lamented that circ.u.mstance more than any one, but he denied that a single subject of his had any thing to do with it, and attributed the whole of that unfortunate affair, to the rashness and brutality of a certain people, that inhabited a country nearly opposite to his own, whose monarch was his particular friend, therefore, he apprehended little difficulty in seeing justice done us; 'but then,' said he, 'it is necessary that you should wait here for an indefinite time, till a council of that nation be held, when the plunderers will be examined, and your claims established. The Damaggoo people, that have come with you, have like yourselves suffered much loss; for my own part, I shall make them a present of a slave or two as a compensation, and they have my permission to go along with you for the present, which I understand you have promised their monarch, but you must not expect them to be your guides to the sea, for their responsibility ends here.'

"When all this was interpreted to me by Antonio, I was thunderstruck.

It was in vain that I a.s.sured Obie that there was not the slightest necessity for our detention in the town; that our countrymen would redeem us the moment they should see us, but not before; and equally unavailing were my solicitations for him to alter this arrangement and suffer us to depart; but the tears of his subjects, and the representations of the men at Bra.s.s, had made too deep an impression upon his mind to be so easily eradicated. We found it too late either to implore or remonstrate.

"This final decision of the king is a bitter stroke to us, for we fondly indulged the hope of a more favourable issue, from the deliberations of the savage council, at whose dissolution we expected to be sent to the sea coast, without being perplexed with further embarra.s.sments. We have now to wait the return of a messenger from thence, who has not yet been sent on his errand, and he is to bring back with him the value of twenty slaves, ere we obtain our freedom.

Heaven only knows whether the masters of English vessels at Bonny or Bra.s.s, have the ability or feel the disposition to ransom us. We only know that if disposed of at all, we shall be sold for infinitely more than we are worth.

"As may naturally be supposed, I returned home much depressed and afflicted, to inform my brother of the result of the palaver, and he was as greatly surprised and afflicted as myself at the intelligence.

But though we are full of trouble and uneasiness at our gloomy situation, yet we do not repine at the divine dispensations of that Almighty providence, which has comforted us in the hours of adversity, and relieved us in times of pain and danger, and s.n.a.t.c.hed us from the jaws of death."

On the following morning, Richard Lander was rather convalescent, and in truth they both wondered much that their health, generally speaking, had been so good, when they reflected for a moment on the hards.h.i.+ps and privations, which they had lately undergone, the perplexities in which they had been entangled, and the difficulties with which they had had to contend.

During the few days that they had spent in this place, they had been sadly in want of provisions, and their people, who for the first day bore their privation in silence, have since then been loud in their complaints. The constant fear which they entertained of being taken away and sold, now, however, changed that lively feeling of discontent into sullen-ness and despondency. What made the matter still worse was the fact, that having lost their needles and kowries at Kirree, they had not the means of purchasing any thing, although the kowrie sh.e.l.l was not current where they then were. Obie was in the habit of sending them a fowl, or a yam or two every morning, but as they were ten in number, it made but a slender meal, and it was barely sufficient to keep them from actual starvation. To stop, if possible, the sullen murmurings of their people, they were now reduced to the painful necessity of begging, but they might as well have addressed their pet.i.tions to the stones and trees, and thereby have spared themselves the mortification of a refusal. They never experienced a more stinging sense of their own humbleness and imbecility than on such occasions, and never had they greater need of patience and lowliness of spirit. In most African towns and villages, they had been regarded as demi-G.o.ds, and treated in consequence with universal kindness, civility, and veneration; but here, alas! what a contrast, they were cla.s.sed with the most degraded and despicable of mankind, and were become slaves in a land of ignorance and barbarism, whose savage natives treated them with brutality and contempt. It would be hard to guess whence these unkindly feelings originated, but they felt that they had not deserved them, yet the consciousness of their own insignificance sadly militated against every idea of self-love or self-importance, and taught them a plain and useful moral lesson. Although they made the most charitable allowances for the Eboe people, they were, notwithstanding, obliged to consider them the most inhospitable tribe, as well as the most covetous and uncivil, that they were acquainted with. Their monarch, and a respectable married female, who had pa.s.sed the meridian of her days, were the only individuals, amongst several thousands, that showed them anything like civility or kindness, and the latter alone acted, as they were convinced, solely from disinterested motives.

All ranks of people here are pa.s.sionately fond of palm wine, and drank of it to excess, whenever they had an opportunity, which often occurred, as great quant.i.ties of it are produced in the town and its neighbourhood. It was a very general and favourite custom with them, as soon as the sun had set, to hold large meetings and form parties in the open air, or under the branches of trees, to talk over the events of the day, and make merry with this exciting beverage. These a.s.semblies are kept up until after midnight, and as the revellers generally contrive to get inebriated very soon after they sit down to drink, the greater part of the evening is devoted to wrangling and fighting, instead of convivial intercourse, and occasionally the most fearful noises that it is possible for the mind to conceive.

Bloodshed, and even murder, it is said, not unfrequently terminate these boisterous and savage entertainments. A meeting of this description was held outside the yard of their residence every evening, and the noise which they made was really terrifying, more especially when the women and young people joined in the affray, for a quarrel of some sort was sure to ensue. Their cries, groans, and shrieks of agony were dreadful, and would lead a stranger to suppose, that these dismal and piercing sounds proceeded from individuals about to be butchered, or that they were extorted by the last pangs of anguish and suffering. The Landers trembled with alarm for the first night or two, imagining from these loud and doleful cries, that a work of bloodshed and slaughter was in progress. They found it useless to endeavour to sleep till the impression of the first wild cry that was uttered, and the last faint scream had worn away. But by degrees they became in some measure more reconciled to them, from the frequency of their occurrence, or rather they felt less apprehension than formerly, as to their origin; understanding with surprise that they were only the effects of a simple quarrel, and excite from the inhabitants no more than a casual remark, although it is said that in fits of ungovernable pa.s.sion, the most heinous crimes are consummated in these frantic revels.

Their matronly female acquaintance, though excessively fat, was of diminutive stature, and by her cheerful pleasantry she beguiled in some degree the wearisomeness of the long evening hours, and banished that _ennui_, which the disagreeableness of their situation had partially induced, simply by her endeavours to do so. For not content with paying them formal visits in the day time, she came into their yard every night, instead of joining the orgies of her acquaintance, accompanied by two or three friends of congenial natures, with the very benevolent intention of pitying their misfortunes, and dissipating their melancholy. Two or three slaves followed their mistress into the yard, carrying a few bottles of their favourite palm wine, and perhaps with a plate of bananas also, that the evening might be pa.s.sed more agreeably.

Their sleeping quarters were in a recess, which was elevated three or four feet from the ground, and supported by wooden columns. It was without a door, or indeed anything answering the same purpose, so that they enjoyed the refres.h.i.+ng coolness of the evening air, with the disadvantage of being gazed at by whoever had the curiosity to enter their premises. They generally laid down shortly after sunset, and presently their fat, jolly little friend, duck-like, comes waddling into their yard, with her companions and slaves, to offer them the evening salutations, and enter into the usual familiar discourse. This was commonly preceded by a large potation of palm wine, which was always relished with a loud and peculiar smack, expressive of the pleasure and satisfaction afforded by so copious a draught, and betokening also much internal warmth and comfort. The officious slaves having spread mats for the purpose, directly in front of their recess, their lady visitor and her a.s.sociates, together with their ill-natured host, who had by this time joined the party, squatted themselves down in a circle, and under the inspiration of the fermented juice, maintained a pretty animated conversation, till the wine was all expended and sleep weighed their eyelids down. For themselves they had little of any thing to say, because the Landers were pretty nearly as ignorant of their language, as they were of theirs, and interpretation is unfavourable to the contagion of social felicity. Nevertheless, it was highly diverting to watch the influence of the palm wine on their looks, language, and ideas. The flushed countenance is invisible in a black lady, but then she has the liquid and unsettled eye, the p.r.o.neness to talk with irresistible garrulity, the gentle simper, or the bursting laugh at any trifle, or at nothing at all; and to wind up the list of symptoms, she has that complaisant idea of her own good points, and superior qualifications, which elicit her own approbation, without exciting the applauses of her a.s.sociates, and which distinguishes the inexperienced male reveller in every part of the globe. All these were observable in their talkative little friend, as well as in her companions. It was also a relief to contemplate from their resting place, the peace and harmony of the little party before them, so entirely different from the boisterous one without; because it gave them a comfortable sense of their own security, which they should not certainly have entertained, had they been left to their own reflections, and when, after a good deal of turning and restlessness they at length fell into a disagreeable and unrefres.h.i.+ng dose, and were attacked by that hideous phantom, nightmare, which was often the case; starting up in fright from the a.s.sa.s.sin's knife, which they could scarcely persuade themselves to be unreal; it was pleasant to fix their eyes upon their comical little visitor, with her round s.h.i.+ning face, and her jolly companions; all apprehension of mischief immediately vanished, and a truly pleasing effect was produced upon their minds and spirits. The breaking up of the party on the outside, was a signal for their friends also to depart. When rising from her mat, the mistress, after shaking hands, wished them good night in a thick tremulous tone, and waddled out of their yard in a direction, which Hogarth denominates the line of beauty, she returned home to her husband, who was a valetudinarian. Thus pa.s.sed their evenings, and thus much of their solitary Eboe friend.

CHAPTER XL.

In addition to the value of twenty slaves, which the king of Eboe demanded from them, they now heard that King Boy required the value of fifteen casks of palm oil, which is equal to fifteen slaves, for himself, and as payment for the trouble he and his people will have in conducting them to the English vessel. He said, that he must take three canoes and one hundred and fifty people, and, therefore, it was impossible that he could do with less. The chief then said, that if they did not consent to give King Boy a _book_ for all this money, he should send them into the interior of the country to be sold, and that they never should see the sea again. It was now seen that they had no alternative, and they considered it most prudent to give him the bill, not intending, however, on their arrival at the sea, to give him more than twenty common trade guns, to pay this chief and all other expenses. King Boy was to give Obie five pieces of cloth and one gun as part payment; the remainder was to be paid on his return, after having delivered them up to the brig. The Landers and all their people were now in high spirits, at the prospect of leaving this place and obtaining their freedom, for they had so much faith in the character of the English, that they entertained not the slightest doubt that the captain of the brig would most willingly pay the ransom money.

Towards evening, Obie in his showy coral dress came barefooted to their hut, for the purpose of inspecting their books and examining the contents of their medicine chest. His approach was announced to them by the jingling of the little bells which his feet. He appeared greatly pleased with every thing they said, and looked aghast when informed of the powerful properties of some of the medicines, which ended in a fit of laughter. He expressed a strong desire to have a little, especially of the purgatives, and there being no objection on the part of the Landers, they supplied him with a good strong dose of jalap, which had the same affect as it had had upon the sultan of Yaoorie and family. Obie was evidently fearful of their books, having been informed that could "tell all things," and appeared to shrink with horror at which was offered him, shaking his head, saying, that he must not accept it, for that it was good only for white men, "Whose G.o.d was not his G.o.d." The visit was of very short duration,

On the following day, they found King Boy in the inner yard of the king's house, and from his significant physiognomy, they conjectured that he had something of consequence to communicate. Obie received them with his accustomed politeness and jocularity, but instantly directed his attention and discourse to King Boy, who maintained an earnest and pretty animated conversation with him for some time. The Bonny people were in attendance and weeping. As the Landers were frequently pointed out and named, they had no doubt whatever that it was chiefly concerning themselves, which opinion was soon after confirmed. As if the parties had some secret to discuss, which they did not wish either their attendants or those of the Landers to overhear, they retired to the middle court, where having conversed for a time by themselves, they returned with anxious looks to resume their conversation. This was repeated twice, after which, as it was subsequently understood, Obie briefly related in a loud voice the result of this extraordinary conference, and all present, except the men of Bonny, shouted simultaneously the monosyllable "Yah," as a token of their approbation.

In the mean time, from anxiety to be made acquainted with what had transpired respecting themselves, they felt rather impatient and uneasy, the answer of King Boy to their repeated interrogations having been only "Plenty of bars," the meaning whereof they were grievously puzzled to define. But shortly after the termination of the palaver, how transported were they to hear the last mentioned individual explain himself in broken English to this effect: "In the conversation, which I have just had with Obie, I have been induced to offer him the goods, which he demands for your ransom, on the faith that they be hereafter repaid me by the master of the brig Thomas, which is now lying in the first Bra.s.s, River, and that the value of fifteen bars or slaves be added thereto in European goods, and likewise a cask of rum, as a remuneration for the hazard and trouble which I shall inevitably incur in transporting you to Bra.s.s. If you consent to these resolutions, and on these only will I consent to redeem you, you will forthwith give me a bill on Captain Lake, for the receipt of articles to the value of thirty-five bars, after which you will be at liberty to leave this place, and to go along with me, whenever you may think proper, agreeably to the understanding at present existing between Obie and myself."

This was delightful news indeed, and they thanked King Boy over and over again for his generosity and n.o.bleness, for they were too much elated at the time to reflect on the exorbitant demands which had been imposed upon them. Without hesitation they gave him a bill on Mr. Lake; indeed there was not anything which they would not have done, rather than lose the opportunity of getting down to the sea, which seemed so providentially held out to them.

Obie perceived by the great and sudden change in their countenances, the joy which filled their b.r.e.a.s.t.s, and having asked them whether they were not pleased with his arrangements, in the fullness of their hearts, he exacted from them a promise, that on returning to England, they would inform their countrymen that he was a good man, and that they would pay him a visit whenever they should come again into the country.

When King Boy came for his _book_, it was given to him, and he wished to send it down to the brig, to know if it was good. This was no more than what was to be expected, so he was informed, the book would be of no use, unless they were sent along with it, and that the captain would not pay it, before he had taken them on board, on which he put the bill into his pocket-book. They then bade him farewell, and he took leave of them in a kind and cordial manner.

Fearing that something might yet occur to detain them, and ultimately to change the king's resolution altogether, they were most eager to get out of the reach of him and his people as quickly as possible.

Therefore they lost not a moment in hastening to their lodgings, and having sent their people on board Boy's canoe, they hurried after them immediately, and embarked at three in the afternoon, and thus terminated four of the most wretched days of their existence. They were unable to take along with them their own old leaky and shattered canoe, as it would detain them very much, from being so heavy to move along. The Damaggoo people accompanied them in their own canoe, and every thing was arranged for their departure at an early hour on the following day. The Bra.s.s canoe, which was now become their dwelling, was extremely large, and heavily laden. It was paddled by forty men and boys, in addition to whom there might be about twenty individuals, or more, including a few slaves and themselves, so that the number of human beings amounted altogether to sixty.

Like Obie's war canoes, it was furnished with a cannon, which was lashed to the bow, a vast number of cutla.s.ses, and a quant.i.ty of grape and other shot, besides powder, flints, &c. It contained a number of large boxes or chests, which were filled with spirituous liquors, cotton, silk goods, earthenware, and other articles of European and other foreign manufactures; besides abundance of provisions for present consumption, and two thousand yams for the master of a Spanish slaver, which was then lying in Bra.s.s River. In this canoe three men might sit abreast of each other, and from the number of people which it contained, and the immense quant.i.ty of articles of various descriptions, some idea of its size may be formed. It was cut out of a solid trunk of a tree, and drew four feet and a half of water, being more than fifty feet in length. It was, however, so deeply laden, that not above two inches of the canoe were to be seen above the water's edge. With its present burden, it would have been impossible for her to sail on any river less smooth than the Niger, and even as it is, when it comes to be paddled, some danger exists of its being swamped. It was really laughable to reflect that the canoe was supplied with two speaking trumpets, which, considering the stentorian lungs of the men of Bra.s.s, were entirely superfluous, and that she was commanded by regularly appointed officers, with sounding t.i.tles, in imitation of European vessels, such as captain, mate, boatswain, c.o.xswain, &c. besides a cook and his minions. These distinctions are encouraged by King Boy, whose vanity and consequence even in the most trifling concerns, were irresistibly diverting. The Landers determined to sleep in the canoe that night, notwithstanding the want of room would render it an intolerable grievance. Previously to embarking, they had taken a little boiled yam with palm oil at Obie's house, and they remained two hours lying on the bank. At seven in the evening they settled themselves for the night, but found that they were exceedingly cramped up for want of room, occasioned by the yams being stowed badly.

During the night a great tumult arose between the natives and the men of Bra.s.s, which might have had a serious and fatal termination, if the latter had not taken timely precaution to convey their canoe from the beach into the middle of the stream, whither the natives could not follow them. The former had flocked down to the water's edge in considerable numbers, armed with muskets, spears, and other offensive weapons, and kept up a dreadful noise, like the howling of wolves, till long after midnight; when the uproar died away King Boy slept on sh.o.r.e with his wife Adizzetta, who was Obie's favourite daughter, and on her account they waited till between seven and eight o'clock in the morning, when she made her appearance with her husband, who, they understood, had embraced the present opportunity of making an excursion with her to his native country, to vary her life a little by a change of air and scene, and to introduce her to his other wives and relatives residing at Bra.s.s. She had besides expressed a desire to see white men's s.h.i.+ps, and it was partly to gratify her curiosity in this particular that she was going with them. On stepping into the canoe, with a spirit of gallantry, Boy handed her to the best seat, which was a box, close to which he himself sat, and which the Landers, from motives of delicacy, had relinquished in her favour.

Her face was towards the bow, whilst the two Landers sat directly _vis-a-vis_ on a heap of yams, but they were So close to the opposite party that their legs came in continual contact, which threatened to produce much inconvenience and confusion. They were still further detained by removing various heavy articles into another canoe, which was lying alongside, because the canoe in which they were was p.r.o.nounced too deeply laden to be safe, but after all she did not appear to be lightened very considerably. This being all accomplished, at half-past seven they pushed off the Eboe sh.o.r.e, and for a little while, with forty paddles das.h.i.+ng up the silvery foam at the same moment, they glided through the water with the speed of a dolphin. To the Landers it was altogether a scene of considerable gratification.

"The eyes of man," says Richard Lander, "are so placed in his head, that it has been frequently observed, whether sitting or standing, he can behold earth and sky at the same moment without inconvenience, which is an advantage, I believe, that no other animal possesses in an equal degree, if it does at all. As I was reflecting on this circ.u.mstance I happened to cast my eyes towards the horizon, to convince myself of its reality, when I found the tall, masculine figure of Obie's favourite daughter intercepted it entirely from my view. Being thus balked for a moment in my intentions, I was instantly diverted from them, and I deemed the opportunity favourable for studying the physiognomy and person of King Boy's 'ladye love.'

Adizzetta may be between twenty and thirty years of age,[Footnote: There is a discrepancy in the account given by Lander respecting Obie and Adizzetta, which we cannot reconcile. Obie is represented to be a sprightly _young_ man, and yet his favourite daughter Adizzetta is married, and between 20 and 30 year of age. Obie then could not be a _young_ man.] or perhaps younger, for she takes snuff, and females arrive at womanhood in warm countries much sooner than in cold ones.

Her person is tall, stout, and well proportioned, though it has not dignity sufficient to be commanding; her countenance is round and open, but dull and almost inexpressive; mildness of manners, evenness of temper, and inactivity of body also, might notwithstanding, I think be clearly defined in it; on the whole she has a perfect virginity of face, which betrays not the smallest symptoms of feeling. Her forehead is smooth and s.h.i.+ning as polished ebony, but it is rather too low to be n.o.ble; her eyes full, large, and beautiful, though languid; her cheeks of a dutch-like breadth and fullness; her nose finely compressed, but not quite so distinguished a feature as the negro nose in general; there is a degree of prettiness about her mouth, the lips not being disagreeably large, which is further embellished by a set of elegant teeth, perfectly even and regular, and white as the teeth of a greyhound; her chin--but I am unable to describe a chin; I only know that it agrees well with the other features of her face.

"Adizzetta seldom laughs, but smiles and simpers most engagingly, whenever she is more than ordinarily pleased, and she seems not to be unconscious of the powerful influence which these smiles have over the mind of her husband. Her dress and personal charms may be described in a few words; the former consisting simply of a piece of figured silk, encircling the waist, and extending as far as the knees; her woolly hair, which is tastefully braided, is enclosed in a net, and ends in a peak at the top; the net is adorned, but not profusely, with coral beads, strings of which hang from the crown to the forehead. She wears necklaces of the same costly bead; copper rings encircle her fingers and great toes; bracelets of ivory her wrists, and enormous rings, also, of the elephant's tusks decorate her legs, near the ankle, by which she is almost disabled from walking, on account of their ponderous weight and immense size. I had almost finished the scrutiny of her person, when Adizzetta, observing me regarding her with more than common attention, at length caught my eye, and turned away her head, with a triumphant kind of smile, as much as to say, Aye, white man, you may well admire and adore my person; I perceive you are struck with my beauty, and no wonder neither: yet I immediately checked the ill-natured construction, which I had put on her looks, and accused myself of injustice. For though, said I to myself, Adizzetta, poor simple savage, may be as fond of admiration as her white sisters in more civilized lands, yet her thoughts, for aught I know, might have been very remote from vanity or self-love. However, that she smiled I am quite certain, and very prettily too, for I saw a circling dimple, radiating upon her full, round cheek, which terminated in a momentary gleam of animation, and illuminate her dark languis.h.i.+ng eye, like a flash of light; and what could all this mean I had forgotten to say that the person of Obie's daughter is tattooed in various parts, but the incisions or rather lacerations are irregular and unseemly. Her bosom in particular bears evident marks of the cutting and gas.h.i.+ng, which it had received when Adizzetta was a child, for the wounds having badly healed, the skin over them is risen a full half inch above the natural surface. By the side of each eye, near the temple vein, a representation of the point of an arrow is alone formed with tolerable accuracy. They look a though indigo had been inserted into the flesh with a needle, and by this peculiarity, with which every female face is impressed, the Eboe women are distinguished from their neighbours and surrounding tribes.

"Before breakfast, Adizzetta was employed above an hour in cleaning and polis.h.i.+ng her teeth, by rubbing them with the fibrous roots of a certain shrub or tree, which are much esteemed, and generally used for the purpose in her own country, as well as in the more interior parts. A great part of the day is consumed by many thousands of individuals in this amusing occupation, and to this cause, the brilliant whiteness of their teeth, for which Africans, generally speaking, are remarkable, may be attributed." Such is Lander's description of an African beauty, and that beauty a queen.

About ten in the morning, a mess of fish, boiled with yams and plantains, was produced for breakfast. As King Boy was fearful that the presence of the Landers might incommode the lady, they were desired to move farther back, that she might eat with additional confidence and comfort, for alas! they were not placed on an equality with Adizzetta and her kingly spouse. When they had breakfasted and swallowed a calabash of water from the stream, the Landers were served with a plateful, and afterwards the boat's crew and the slaves were likewise regaled with yams and wafer. In the evening, another refreshment, similar to this, was served round to all, and these are the only meals which the men of Bra.s.s have during the twenty-four hours. Before eating, Boy himself made it a practice of offering a small portion of his food to the spirits of the river, that his voyage might be rendered propitious by conciliating their good will.

Previously also to his drinking a gla.s.s of rum or spirits, he poured a few drops of it into the water, invoking the protection of these fanciful beings, by muttering several expressions between his teeth, the tenor of which, of course, they did not understand. This religious observance, they were told, was invariably performed, whenever the Bra.s.s people have occasion to leave their country by water, or return to it by the same means; it is called a meat and drink offering, and is celebrated at every meal. A custom very similar to this prevails at Yarriba, at Badagry, Cape Coast Castle, and along the western coast generally; the natives of those places never take a gla.s.s of spirits without spilling a quant.i.ty of it on the ground as "a fetish." In the morning, they observed a branch of the river running off in a westerly direction, the course of the main body being southwest.

They stopped awhile at various little villages during the day, to purchase yams, bananas, and cocoa-nuts, and the curiosity of their poor inhabitants at their appearance was intense. They were chiefly fishermen or husbandmen, and notwithstanding the uncouth and remarkable dress of the Landers, they behaved to them without rudeness and even with civility, so that their inquisitiveness was not disagreeable. Speaking trumpets, it was imagined, were quite a novelty with the men at Bra.s.s, by the extraordinary rapture which they displayed for their music, which certainly was anything but melodious. It has been already stated that two of these instruments were in the canoe, for the convenience of issuing orders, and during the whole of the day, they were not ten minutes together from the mouths of the officers, so great was the desire of all of them to breathe through them, and which adds considerably to the deafening noises made by their constant quarrelling with each other. This was a great annoyance to the Landers, but they were constrained to submit to it in silence; besides, it was entirely superfluous, for the voices of the people were of themselves loud and powerful enough for all the common purposes of life; and when they have a mind to strain their brazen lungs, no speaking trumpet that has ever been made, be it ever so large, could match the quant.i.ty of horrid sound which they made; it would, in fact, drown the roaring of the sea.

In addition to the officers and attendants in the canoe formerly mentioned, they had one drummer, the king's steward, and his lady's maid, and two persons to bale out water, besides three captains, to give the necessary directions for the safety of the canoe. The noise made by these people on their starting, in bawling to their fetish through the trumpets, was beyond all description. Their object was to secure them a safe journey, and most certainly, if noise could do so, they were pretty certain of it.

The villages that they pa.s.sed in the course of the day, were very numerous, and not distant more than two or three miles from each other, on the banks of the river. They were surrounded by more cultivated land than they had seen for the previous fortnight; the crops consisting of yams, bananas, plantains, indian corn, &c. &c., not having seen so much since they left Kacunda. The villages had a pleasing appearance from the river. The houses seemed to be built of a light-coloured clay, and being thatched with palm branches, they very much resembled our own cottages. They were of a square form, with two windows on each side of the door, but have no upper rooms.

In many places they observed that the river had overflowed its banks, and was running between the trees and thick underwood. In the widest part, it did not seem more than a mile and a half across, in fact, its width, contrary to the usual course of rivers, when approaching the sea, was sensibly diminis.h.i.+ng, and was dwindling away into an ordinary stream.

"Perhaps," says Richard Lander, "there cannot be a greater comfort under the sun, than sound and invigorating sleep to the weary, nor in our opinion, a greater grievance than the loss of it; because wakefulness at those hours, which nature has destined for repose, is, in nine cases out of ten, sure to be the harbinger of peevishness, discontent, and ill humour, and not unfrequently induces languor, la.s.situde, and disease. No two individuals in the world have greater reason to complain of disturbed slumbers or nightly watching, than ourselves. Heretofore, this has been occasioned chiefly by exposure to damps, rains, and dews, mosquito attacks, frightful and piercing noises, and over-fatigue, or apprehension or anxiety of mind. But now, in the absence of most of these causes, we are cramped, painfully cramped for want of room, insomuch, that when we feel drowsy, we find it impossible to place ourselves in a rec.u.mbent posture, without having the heavy legs of Mr. and Mrs. Boy, with their prodigious ornaments of ivory, placed either on our faces or on our b.r.e.a.s.t.s. From such a situation it requires almost the strength of a rhinoceros to be freed; it is most excessively teasing. Last night we were particularly unfortunate in this respect, and a second attack of fever, which came on me in the evening, rendered my condition lamentable indeed, and truly piteous. It would be ridiculous to suppose, that one can enjoy the refreshment of sleep, how much soever it my be required, when two or more uncovered legs and feet, huge, black, and rough, are traversing one's face and body, stopping up the pa.s.sages of respiration, and pressing so heavily upon them at times, as to threaten suffocation. I could not long endure so serious an inconvenience, but preferred last night sitting up in the canoe. My brother was indisposed, and in fact unable to follow my example, and therefores I endeavoured, if possible, to render his situation more tolerable. With this object in view, I pinched the feet of our snoring companions, Mr. and Mrs. Boy, repeatedly, till the pain caused them to awake, and remove their brawny feet from his face, and this enabled him to draw backwards a few inches, and place his head into a narrow recess, which is formed by two boxes. However, this did not allow him liberty to turn it either way, and thus jammed, with no command whatever over his suffering limbs, he pa.s.sed the hours without sleep, and arose this morning with bruised bones and sore limbs, complaining bitterly of the wretched moments, which the legs of Mr. and Mrs. Boy had caused him, with their ivory rings and heaps of yams."

They now arrived at a convenient place for stopping awhile, to give their canoe men rest from their labour, and at day break they launched out again into the river, and paddled down the stream. At seven in the morning, Boy and his wife having landed to trade, the Landers took advantage of their absence and slept soundly for two hours, without the risk of being disturbed by the brawny legs of either the gentleman or lady.

They continued their course down the river until two hours after midnight, when they stopped near a small village on the east side of the river. They made fast to the sh.o.r.e, and the people settled themselves in the canoe to sleep. Having sat up the whole of the previous night, for the best of all reasons, because they could find no room to lie down, in consequence of the crowded state of the canoe, and feeling themselves quite unequal to do the same, the Landers took their mats and went on sh.o.r.e, determined if possible, to sleep on the ground. Overcome by fatigue, the fear of being attacked by alligators, or any thing else, they selected a dry place and laid themselves down on their mats. They had nearly dropped asleep, when they were roused by several severe stings, and found themselves covered with black ants. They had got up their trousers, and were tormenting them dreadfully. At first they knew not which way to get rid of them. Their men, Pascoe, Sam, and Jowdie, seeing the condition they were in, landed from the canoe, and made large fires in the form of a ring, and they laid down in the midst of them and slept till daylight. The sting of a black ant is quite as painful as that of a wasp.

Towards the evening of the following day, they departed from the main river, and took their course up a small branch towards Bra.s.s Town, running in a direction about southeast from that which they had just left. They had not proceeded far on this course, when to their great satisfaction, they found themselves influenced by the tide. They had previously observed an appearance of foam on the water, which might have been carried up by the flood tide from the mouth of the river, but they now felt certain of being within its influence. They were constantly annoyed by the canoe running aground on a bank, or sticking fast in the underwood, which delayed their progress considerably, and the men were obliged to get out to lighten and lift the canoe off them. Their tract was through a narrow creek, arched over by mangroves, so as to form a complete avenue, which in many places was so thick as to be totally impenetrable by the light above.

A heavy shower of rain came on and wetted them thoroughly, and after this was over, the dripping from the trees, which overhung the canoe, kept them in constant rain nearly the whole of the night. The smell from decayed vegetable substances was sickly and exceedingly disagreeable.

Through these dismal and gloomy pa.s.sages, they travelled during the whole of the night of the 15th November without stopping, unless for a few minutes at a time, to disengage themselves from the pendant shoots of the mangrove and spreading brambles, in which they occasionally became entangled. These luxuriant natives of the soil are so intricately woven, that it would be next to impossible to eradicate them. Their roots and branches are the receptacles of ooze, mud, and filth of all kinds, exhaling a peculiar offensive odour, which no doubt possesses highly deleterious qualities.

The reason adduced for not resting during the night, was the apprehension entertained by King Boy, of being unable to overtake his father and brothers, they having left the Eboe country the day before them. A certain spot had been previously fixed upon by the parties for the meeting, and they arrived there about nine o'clock a.m., and found those individuals in three large canoes, with their attendants, waiting their arrival. Here they stopped, and made their canoes fast to the trees, to take refreshment, such as it was, and half an hour's rest; and here they were introduced to the renowned King Forday, who according to his own account is monarch of the whole country. In one of the canoes sat old King Forday, in company with several fetish priests; the second canoe belonged to King Boy, and the third was Mr.

Gun's. These canoes had come thus far for the purpose of escorting them into their country.

King Forday was a complaisant venerable-looking old man, but was rather shabbily dressed, partly in the European and partly in the native style. Like most savages, his fondness for spirituous liquors was extreme, and he took large potations of rum in their presence, though it produced no visible effect upon his manner or conversation.

In the jollity of the moment, he attempted to sing, but his weak piping voice did not seem to second his inclination, and the sound died away from very feebleness. His subjects, however, amounting to nearly two hundred individuals, testified their approbation of the effort by a tremendous "Yah!" shouted simultaneously by every voice, which sounded like the roar of a lion.

During the time that they had been at breakfast, the tide ebbed, and left their canoes lying on the mud. Breakfast being over, the fetish priests commenced their avocations, by marking the person of King Boy from head to foot with chalk, in lines, circles, and a variety of fantastic figures, which so completely metamorphosed him, as to render his ident.i.ty rather questionable, at the distance of only a few yards. His usual dress had been thrown aside, and he was allowed to wear nothing but a narrow silk handkerchief tied round his waist; on his head a little close cap was placed, made of gra.s.s, and ornamented with large feathers. These they found to be the wing feathers of a black and white buzzard, which is the fetish bird of Bra.s.s Town. Two huge spears were also chalked and put into his hands, and thus equipped his appearance was wild and grotesque in the extreme. The same operation was performed on the rest of the party, and the fetish priests were chalked in the same manner. The people belonging to the Landers were merely marked on the forehead, and the Landers themselves, perhaps from being already white, although their faces were not a little tanned, were exempted from the ceremony.

They were now ordered into King Forday's canoe, to sit down with him.

The old man asked them immediately in tolerably good English, to take a gla.s.s of rum with him; and having observed them wondering at the strange appearance of King Boy, and the rest of the party, gave them to understand that in consequence of no man having come down the river as they had done, the fetish ceremony was performed to prevent any thing happening to them. They also understood from him, that a certain rite would be performed to _Dju-dju_, the fetish or domestic G.o.d of Bra.s.s Town, in honour of their coming.