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Life and Travels of Mungo Park in Central Africa

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About sunset we reached Sibity, but the Dooty received me very coolly,
and when I solicited for a guide to Sansanding, he told me his people
were otherwise employed. I was shown into a damp old hut, where I passed
a very uncomfortable night; for when the walls of the hut are softened by
the rain, they frequently become too weak to support the weight of the
roof. I heard three huts fall during the night, and was apprehensive that
the hut I lodged in would be the fourth. In the morning, as I went to
pull some grass for my horse, I counted fourteen huts which had fallen in
this manner, since the commencement of the rainy season.

It continued to rain with great violence all the 10th; and as the Dooty
refused to give me any provisions, I purchased some corn, which I divided
with my horse.

Aug. 11th. The Dooty compelled me to depart from the town, and I set out
for Sansanding, without any great hopes of faring better there than I had
done at Sibity; for I learned from people who came to visit me, that a
report prevailed, and was universally believed, that I had come to
Bambarra as a spy; and as Mansong had not admitted me into his presence,
the Dooties of the different towns were at liberty to treat me in what
manner they pleased. From repeatedly hearing the same story, I had no
doubt of the truth of it; but as there was no alternative, I determined
to proceed, and a little before sunset arrived at Sansanding. My
reception was what I expected. Counti Mamadi, who had been so kind to me
formerly, scarcely gave me welcome. Every one wished to shun me, and my
landlord sent a person to inform me, that a very unfavourable report was
received from Sego concerning me, and that he wished me to depart early
in the morning. About ten o'clock at night Counti Mamadi himself came
privately to me, and informed me, that Mansong had dispatched a canoe to
Jenne to bring me back; and he was afraid I should find great difficulty
in going to the west country. He advised me, therefore, to depart from
Sansanding before daybreak; and cautioned me against stopping at Diggani,
or any town near Sego.

Aug. 12th. I departed from Sansanding, and reached Kabba in the
afternoon. As I approached the town, I was surprised to see several
people assembled at the gate; one of whom, as I advanced, came running
towards me, and taking my horse by the bridle, led me round the walls of
the town; and then pointing to the west, told me to go along, or it would
fare worse with me. It was in vain that I represented the danger of being
benighted in the woods, exposed to the inclemency of the weather, and to
the fury of wild beasts. "Go along," was all the answer; and a number of
people coming up, and urging me in the same manner with great
earnestness, I suspected that some of the king's messengers, who were
sent in search of me, were in the town; and that these Negroes, from mere
kindness, conducted me past it with a view to facilitate my escape. I
accordingly took the road for Sego, with the uncomfortable prospect of
passing the night on the branches of a tree. After travelling about three
miles, I came to a small village near the road. The Dooty was splitting
sticks by the gate; but I found I could have no admittance; and when I
attempted to enter, he jumped up, and with the stick he held in his hand,
threatened to strike me off the horse, if I presumed to advance another
step.

At a little distance from this village (and farther from the road) is
another small one. I conjectured, that being rather out of the common
route, the inhabitants might have fewer objections to give me house room
for the night; and having crossed some corn fields, I sat down under a
tree by the well. Two or three women came to draw water; and one of them
perceiving I was a stranger, inquired whither I was going. I told her I
was going for Sego, but being benighted on the road, I wished to stay at
the village until morning; and begged she would acquaint the Dooty with
my situation. In a little time the Dooty sent for me, and permitted me to
sleep in a large baloon, in one corner of which was constructed a kiln
for drying the fruit of the Shea trees. It contained about half a
cart-load of fruit, under which was kept up a clear wood fire. I was
informed that in three days the fruit would be ready for pounding and
boiling; and that the butter thus manufactured is preferable to that
which is prepared from the fruit dried in the sun, especially in the
rainy season, when the process by insolation is always tedious, and
oftentimes ineffectual.

Aug. 13th. About ten o'clock I reached a small village within half a mile
of Sego, where I endeavoured, but in vain, to procure some provisions.
Every one seemed anxious to avoid me; and I could plainly perceive, by
the looks and behaviour of the inhabitants, that some very unfavourable
accounts had been circulated concerning me. I was again informed, that
Mansong had sent people to apprehend me; and the Dooty's son told me I
had no time to lose, if I wished to get safe out of Bambarra. I now fully
saw the danger of my situation, and determined to avoid Sego altogether.
I accordingly mounted my horse, and taking the road for Diggani,
travelled as fast as I could, until I was out of sight of the villagers,
when I struck to the westward through high grass and swampy ground. About
noon, I stopped under a tree, to consider what course to take; for I had
now no doubt but that the Moors and Slatees had misinformed the king
respecting the object of my mission, and that the people were absolutely
in search of me to convey me a prisoner to Sego. Sometimes I had thoughts
of swimming my horse across the Niger, and going to the southward for
Cape Coast; but reflecting that I had ten days to travel before I should
reach Kong, and afterward an extensive country to traverse, inhabited by
various nations, with whose language and manners I was totally
unacquainted, I relinquished this scheme, and judged that I should better
answer the purpose of my mission, by proceeding to the westward along the
Niger, endeavouring to ascertain how far the river was navigable in that
direction. Having resolved upon this course, I proceeded accordingly; and
a little before sunset arrived at a Foulah village called Sooboo, where,
for two hundred kowries, I procured lodging for the night.

Aug. 14th. I continued my course along the bank of the river, through a
populous and well cultivated country. I passed a walled town called
Kamalia,[14] without stopping; and at noon rode through a large town called
Samee, where there happened to be a market, and a number of people
assembled in an open place in the middle of the town, selling cattle,
cloth, corn, &c. I rode through the midst of them without being much
observed, every one taking me for a Moor. In the afternoon I arrived at a
small village called Binni, where I agreed with the Dooty's son, for one
hundred kowries, to allow me to stay for the night; but when the Dooty
returned, he insisted that I should instantly leave the place, and if his
wife and son had not interceded for me, I must have complied.

[14] There is another town of this name hereafter to be mentioned.

Aug. 15th. About nine o'clock I passed a large town called Sai, which
very much excited my curiosity. It is completely surrounded by two very
deep trenches, at about two hundred yards distant from the walls. On the
top of the trenches are a number of square towers, and the whole has the
appearance of a regular fortification. Inquiring into the origin of this
extraordinary entrenchment, I learned from two of the townspeople the
following particulars, which, if true, furnish a mournful picture of the
enormities of African wars. About fifteen years ago, when the present
King of Bambarra's father desolated Maniana, the Dooty of Sai had two
sons slain in battle, fighting in the king's cause. He had a third son
living; and when the king demanded a further reinforcement of men, and
this youth among the rest, the Dooty refused to send him. This conduct so
enraged the king, that when he returned from Maniana, about the beginning
of the rainy season, and found the Dooty protected by the inhabitants, he
sat down before Sai with his army, and surrounded the town with the
trenches I had now seen. After a siege of two months, the townspeople
became involved in all the horrors of famine; and whilst the king's army
were feasting in their trenches, they saw with pleasure the miserable
inhabitants of Sai devour the leaves and bark of the Bentang tree that
stood in the middle of the town. Finding, however, that the besieged
would sooner perish than surrender, the king had recourse to treachery.
He promised, that if they would open the gates, no person should be put
to death, nor suffer any injury but the Dooty alone. The poor old man
determined to sacrifice himself for the sake of his fellow citizens, and
immediately walked over to the king's army, where he was put to death.
His son, in attempting to escape, was caught and massacred in the
trenches; and the rest of the townspeople were carried away captives, and
sold as slaves to the different Negro traders.

About noon I came to the village of Kaimoo, situated upon the bank of the
river; and as the corn I had purchased at Sibili was exhausted, I
endeavoured to purchase a fresh supply, but was informed that corn was
become very scarce all over the country; and, though I offered fifty
kowries for a small quantity, no person would sell me any. As I was about
to depart, however, one of the villagers (who probably mistook me for a
Moorish shereef) brought me some as a present; only desiring me in return
to bestow my blessing upon him; which I did in plain English, and he
received it with a thousand acknowledgments. Of this present I made my
dinner; and it was the third successive day that I had subsisted entirely
upon raw corn.

In the evening I arrived at a small village called Song, the surly
inhabitants of which would not receive me, nor so much as permit me to
enter the gate; but as lions were very numerous in this neighbourhood,
and I had frequently, in the course of the day, seen the impression of
their feet on the road, I resolved to stay in the vicinity of the
village. Having collected some grass for my horse, I accordingly lay down
under a tree by the gate. About ten o'clock I heard the hollow roar of a
lion at no great distance, and attempted to open the gate; but the people
from within told me, that no person must attempt to enter the gate
without the Dooty's permission. I begged them to inform the Dooty that a
lion was approaching the village, and I hoped he would allow me to come
within the gate. I waited for an answer to this message with great
anxiety; for the lion kept prowling round the village, and once advanced
so very near me, that I heard him rustling among the grass, and climbed
the tree for safety. About midnight the Dooty, with some of his people,
opened the gate, and desired me to come in. They were convinced, they
said, that I was not a Moor; for no Moor ever waited any time at the gate
of a village, without cursing the inhabitants.

Aug. 16th. About ten o'clock I passed a considerable town, with a mosque,
called Jabbe. Here the country begins to rise into hills, and I could see
the summits of high mountains to the westward. I had very disagreeable
travelling all this day, on account of the swampiness of the roads; for
the river was now risen to such a height, as to overflow great part of
the flat land on both sides; and, from the muddiness of the water, it was
difficult to discern its depth. In crossing one of these swamps, a little
to the westward of a town called Gangu, my horse, being up to the belly
in water, slipt suddenly into a deep pit, and was almost drowned before
he could disengage his feet from the stiff clay at the bottom. Indeed,
both the horse and its rider were so completely covered with mud, that,
in passing the village of Callimana, the people compared us to two dirty
elephants. About noon I stopped at a small village near Yamina, where I
purchased some corn, and dried my papers and clothes.

The town of Yamina, at a distance, has a very fine appearance. It covers
nearly the same extent of ground as Sansanding; but having been plundered
by Daisy, King of Kaarta, about four years ago, it has not yet resumed
its former prosperity; nearly one half of the town being nothing but a
heap of ruins. However, it is still a considerable place, and is so much
frequented by the Moors, that I did not think it safe to lodge in it. But
in order to satisfy myself respecting its population and extent, I
resolved to ride through it; in doing which, I observed a great many
Moors sitting upon the Bentangs, and other places of public resort. Every
body looked at me with astonishment; but, as I rode briskly along, they
had no time to ask questions.

I arrived in the evening at Farra, a walled village; where, without much
difficulty, I procured a lodging for the night.

Aug. 17th. Early in the morning I pursued my journey, and at eight
o'clock passed a considerable, town called Balaba; after which the road
quits the plain, and stretches along the side of the hill. I passed in
the course of this day the ruins of three towns, the inhabitants of which
were all carried away by Daisy, King of Kaarta, on the same day that he
took and plundered Yamina. Near one of these ruins I climbed a tamarind
tree, but found the fruit quite green and sour; and the prospect of the
country was by no means inviting; for the high grass and bushes seemed
completely to obstruct the road, and the low lands were all so flooded by
the river, that the Niger had the appearance of an extensive lake. In the
evening I arrived at Kanika, where the Dooty, who was sitting upon an
elephant's hide at the gate, received me kindly; and gave me for supper
some milk and meal; which I considered (as to a person in my situation it
really was) a very great luxury.

Aug. 18th. By mistake I took the wrong road, and did not discover my
error until I had travelled near four miles; when, coming to an eminence,
I observed the Niger considerably to the left. Directing my course
towards it, I travelled through long grass and bushes, with great
difficulty, until two o'clock in the afternoon; when I came to a
comparatively small, but very rapid river; which I took at first for a
creek, or one of the streams of the Niger. However, after I had examined
it with more attention, I was convinced that it was a distinct river; and
as the road evidently crossed it, (for I could see the pathway on the
opposite side,) I sat down upon the bank, in hopes that some traveller
might arrive, who would give me the necessary information concerning the
fording place; for the banks were so covered with reeds and bushes, that
it would have been almost impossible to land on the other side, except at
the pathway; which, on account of the rapidity of the stream, it seemed
very difficult to reach. No traveller, however, arriving, and there being
a great appearance of rain, I examined the grass and bushes, for some way
up the bank, and determined upon entering the river considerably above
the pathway, in order to reach the other side before the stream had swept
me too far down. With this view I fastened my clothes upon the saddle,
and was standing up to the neck in water, pulling my horse by the bridle
to make him follow me, when a man came accidentally to the place, and,
seeing me in the water, called to me with great vehemence to come out.
The alligators, he said, would devour both me and my horse, if we
attempted to swim over. When I had got out, the stranger, who had never
before seen a European, seemed wonderfully surprised. He twice put his
hand to his mouth, exclaiming in a low tone of voice, "God preserve me!
who is this?" But when he heard me speak the Bambarra tongue, and found
that I was going the same way as himself, he promised to assist me in
crossing the river; the name of which he told me was Frina. He then went
a little way along the bank and called to some person, who answered from
the other side. In a short time, a canoe with two boys, came paddling
from among the reeds. These boys agreed, for fifty Kowries, to transport
me and my horse over the river, which was effected without much
difficulty, and I arrived in the evening at Taffara, a walled town; and
soon discovered that the language of the natives was improved from the
corrupted dialect of Bambarra to the pure Mandingo.




CHAPTER XVIII.

_Inhospitable reception at Taffara.--A Negro funeral at Sooha.--The
Author continues his route through several villages along the banks of
the Niger, until he comes to Koolikorro.--Supports himself by writing
saphies--reaches Maraboo--loses the road; and, after many difficulties,
arrives at Bammakoo.--Takes the road for Sibidooloo--meets with great
kindness at a village called Kooma;--is afterwards robbed, stripped, and
plundered by banditti.--The Author's resource and consolation under
exquisite distress.--He arrives in safety at Sibidooloo._


On my arrival at Taffara, I inquired for the Dooty, but was informed that
he had died a few days before my arrival, and that there was, at that
moment, a meeting of the chief men for electing another, there being some
dispute about the succession. It was probably owing to the unsettled
state of the town, that I experienced such a want of hospitality in it,
for, though I informed the inhabitants that I should only remain with
them for one night, and assured them that Mansong had given me some
kowries to pay for my lodging, yet no person invited me to come in; and I
was forced to sit alone under the Bentang tree, exposed to the rain and
wind of a tornado, which lasted with great violence until midnight. At
this time the stranger, who had assisted me in crossing the river, paid
me a visit, and observing that I had not found a lodging, invited me to
take part of his supper, which he had brought to the door of his hut;
for, being a guest himself, he could not, without his landlord's consent,
invite me to come in. After this, I slept upon some wet grass in the
corner of a court. My horse fared still worse than myself, the corn I had
purchased being all expended, and I could not procure a supply.

Aug. 20th. I passed the town of Jaba, and stopped a few minutes at a
village called Somino, where I begged and obtained some coarse food,
which the natives prepare from the husks of corn, and call _Boo_. About
two o'clock I came to the village of Sooha, and endeavoured to purchase
some corn from the Dooty, who was sitting by the gate, but without
success. I then requested a little food by way of charity, but was told
that he had none to spare. Whilst I was examining the countenance of this
inhospitable old man, and endeavouring to find out the cause of the
sullen discontent which was visible in his eye, he called to a slave who
was working in the corn-field at a little distance, and ordered him to
bring his hoe along with him. The Dooty then told him to dig a hole in
the ground, pointing to a spot at no great distance. The slave, with his
hoe, began to dig a pit in the earth; and the Dooty, who appeared to be a
man of a very fretful disposition, kept muttering and talking to himself
until the pit was almost finished, when he repeated _dankatoo_ (good for
nothing;) _jiankra lemen_ (a real plague;) which expressions I thought
could be applied to nobody but myself; and as the pit had very much the
appearance of a grave, I thought it prudent to mount my horse, and was
about to decamp, when the slave, who had before gone into the village, to
my surprise, returned with a corpse of a boy about nine or ten years of
age, quite naked. The Negro carried the body by a leg and an arm, and
threw it into the pit with a savage indifference, which I had never
before seen. As he covered the body with earth, the Dooty often expressed
himself, _naphula attiniata_ (money lost;) whence I concluded that the
boy had been one of his slaves.

Departing from this shocking scene, I travelled by the side of the river
until sunset, when I came to Koolikorro; a considerable town, and a great
market for salt. Here I took up my lodging at the house of a Barabarran,
who had formerly been the slave of a Moor, and in that character had
travelled to Aoran, Towdinni, and many other places in the Great Desert;
but turning Mussulman, and his master dying at Jenne, he obtained his
freedom, and settled at this place, where he carries on a considerable
trade in salt, cotton-cloth, &c. His knowledge of the world has not
lessened that superstitious confidence in saphies and charms, which he
had imbibed in his earlier years; for, when he heard that I was a
Christian, he immediately thought of procuring a saphie, and for this
purpose brought out his _walha_, or writing board, assuring me, that he
would dress me a supper of rice, if I would write him a saphie to protect
him from wicked men. The proposal was of too great consequence to me to
be refused; I therefore wrote the board full from top to bottom on both
sides; and my landlord, to be certain of having the whole force of the
charm, washed the writing from the board into a calabash with a little
water, and having said a few prayers over it, drank this powerful
draught; after which, lest a single word should escape, he licked the
board until it was quite dry. A saphie writer was a man of too great
consequence to be long concealed; the important information was carried
to the Dooty, who sent his son with half a sheet of writing paper,
desiring me to write him a _naphula saphie_ (a charm to procure wealth).
He brought me, as a present, some meal and milk; and when I had finished
the saphie, and read it to him with an audible voice, he seemed highly
satisfied with his bargain, and promised to bring me in the morning some
milk for my breakfast. When I had finished my supper of rice and salt I
laid myself down upon a bullock's hide, and slept very quietly until
morning; this being the first good meal and refreshing sleep that I had
enjoyed for a long time.

Aug. 21st. At daybreak I departed from Koolikorro, and about noon passed
the villages of Kayoo and Toolumbo. In the afternoon I arrived at
Maraboo, a large town, and like Koolikorro, famous for its trade in salt.
I was conducted to the house of a Kaartan, of the tribe of Jower, by whom
I was well received. This man had acquired a considerable property in the
slave trade; and, from his hospitality to strangers, was called by way of
pre-eminence, _Jattee_ (the landlord;) and his house was a sort of public
inn for all travellers. Those who had money were well lodged, for they
always made him some return for his kindness; but those who had nothing
to give, were content to accept whatever he thought proper; and as I
could not rank myself among the monied men, I was happy to take up my
lodging in the same hut with seven poor fellows who had come from Kancaba
in a canoe. But our landlord sent us some victuals.

Aug. 22d. One of the landlord's servants went with me a little way from
the town to shew me what road to take; but, whether from ignorance or
design I know not, he directed me wrong; and I did not discover my
mistake until the day was far advanced, when, coming to a deep creek, I
had some thoughts of turning back; but as by that means, I foresaw that I
could not possibly reach Bammakoo before night, I resolved to cross it;
and leading my horse close to the brink, I went behind him, and pushed
him headlong into the water; and then taking the bridle in my teeth, swam
over to the other side. This was the third creek I had crossed in this
manner, since I had left Sego; but having secured my notes and
memorandums in the crown of my hat, I received little or no inconvenience
from such adventures. The rain and heavy dew kept my clothes constantly
wet; and the roads being very deep and full of mud, such a washing was
sometimes pleasant, and oftentimes necessary. I continued travelling,
through high grass, without any beaten road, and about noon came to the
river; the banks of which are here very rocky, and the force and roar of
the water were very great. The King of Bambarra's canoes, however,
frequently pass these rapids by keeping close to the bank; persons being
stationed on the shore with ropes fastened to the canoe, while others
push it forward with long poles. At this time, however, it would, I
think, have been a matter of great difficulty for any European boat to
have crossed the stream. About four o'clock in the afternoon, having
altered my course from the river towards the mountains, I came to a small
pathway which led to a village called Foorkaboo, where I slept.

Aug. 23d. Early in the morning I set out for Bammakoo, at which place I
arrived about five o'clock in the afternoon. I had heard Bammakoo much
talked of as a great market for salt, and I felt rather disappointed to
find it only a middling town, not quite so large as Maraboo; however, the
smallness of its size is more than compensated by the riches of its
inhabitants; for, when the Moors bring their salt through Kaarta or
Bambarra, they constantly rest a few days at this place; and the Negro
merchants here, who are well acquainted with the value of salt in
different kingdoms, frequently purchase by wholesale, and retail it to
great advantage. Here I lodged at the house of a Sera-Woolli Negro, and
was visited by a number of Moors. They spoke very good Mandingo, and were
more civil to me than their countrymen had been. One of them had
travelled to Rio Grande, and spoke very highly of the Christians. He sent
me in the evening some boiled rice and milk. I now endeavoured to procure
information concerning my route to the westward, from a slave merchant
who had resided some years on the Gambia. He gave me some imperfect
account of the distance, and enumerated the names of a great many places
that lay in the way; but withal told me, that the road was impassable at
this season of the year. He was even afraid, he said, that I should find
great difficulty in proceeding any farther, as the road crossed the
Joliba at a town about half a day's journey to the westward of Bammakoo;
and there being no canoes at that place large enough, to receive my
horse, I could not possibly get him over for some months to come. This
was an obstruction of a very serious nature; but as I had no money to
maintain myself even for a few days, I resolved to push on, and if I
could, not convey my horse across the river, to abandon him, and swim
over myself. In thoughts of this nature I passed the night, and in the
morning consulted with my landlord how I should surmount the present
difficulty. He informed me that one road still remained, which was indeed
very rocky, and scarcely passable for horses; but that if I had a proper
guide over the hills to a town called Sibidooloo, he had no doubt, but
with patience and caution, I might travel forwards through Handing. I
immediately applied to the Dooty, and was informed that a _Jilli Kea_
(singing man) was about to depart for Sibidooloo, and would show me the
road over the hills. With this man, who undertook to be my conductor, I
travelled up a rocky glen about two miles, when we came to a small
village; and here my musical fellow-traveller found out that he had
brought me the wrong road. He told me that the horse-road lay on the
other side of the hill, and throwing his drum upon his back, mounted up
the rocks, where indeed no horse could follow him, leaving me to admire
his agility, and trace out a road for myself. As I found it impossible to
proceed, I rode back to the level ground, and directing my course to the
eastward, came about noon to another glen, and discovered a path on which
I observed the marks of horses feet. Following this path I came in a
short time to some shepherds' huts, where I was informed that I was in
the right road, but that I could not possibly reach Sibidooloo before
night. Soon after this I gained the summit of a hill, from whence I had
an extensive view of the country. Towards the south-east appeared some
very distant mountains, which I had formerly seen from an eminence near
Maraboo, where the people informed me that these mountains were situated
in a large and powerful kingdom called Kong, the sovereign of which could
raise a much greater army than the king of Bambarra. Upon this height the
soil is shallow, the rocks are iron-stone and schistus, with detached
pieces of white quartz.

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