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^ 


THE  LIBRARY 

OF 

THE  UNIVERSITY 

OF  CALIFORNIA 

GIFT  OF 

Mrs*  Euth  MaLry  King 


» 


—i 


M 


7_  •._..!_. 


^i» 


IT 


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it£7*prwtd  iHfSkHHnlL,  Bury  Sir* BUH^mtbf. 


CONTAimNO  A  CONCISB  ACCOUNT  OP  ^V. 

ALL  THE  COUNTRIES 

IK  THAT  QPAItTER  OF  THE  GLOBE, 

HITHEfiTO  VISITED  BY  EUROPEANS ; 

WITH  TBS 

fiULmtxa  anti  Custontss 

Of 

TH£     INHABITANTS. 

SELECTED    FROM  ^THE    BEST    AUTHORS^ 
AND  ARRANGED  BY 

CATHERINE  HUnX)N. 


VOL.  11. 


BciBi  ftOly  pmttded  that  ht  vho  to  in  the  coBtUBt  partoit  of  UT  oWect, 
acqairctJrom  tb«BC«  the  ability  to  attain  bis  aim.  DIN019 . 


LONDON: 

PRINTED  FOR  BALDWIN,   CRADOCK,  AND  JOY, 

PATERNOSTER  ROW. 

18S1. 


.'iss^.ts'srwiisu- 


GIFT 


13X11 
rt9& 

y.  ^ 


AN 

ACCOUNT 


OP 


A  Part  of  Abyssinia^  MozAMBiaus, 

South  Africa^  BsNGUEtA,  Angola^  Comgo^ 

Cacongo^  Loanga^  Benin,  Dahomt, 

ASHANTEE,     THE     GoLD     COAST,     SlERRA     LeONB, 
AKD   FOOTA    JaLLQN* 


^V 


702 


PREFACE. 


In  pursuance  of  my  plan,  I  now  offer  to  the 
Public  a  continuation  of  The  Tour  of  Africa ;  and 
I  here  repeat  my  former  affirmation,  that,  though 
the  Traveller  be  imaginary,  all  he  relates  is  strictly 
true,  as  far  as  the  most  accredited  Authors  can  be 
relied  on. 

After  the  publication  of  the  First  Volume,  I  was 
advised  by  a  friend  to  placie  my  authorities  in  the 
margin  of  the  succeeding  ones.  I  replied,  "  I 
cannot  do  so  without  destroying  the  illusion  I 
have  been*  endeavouring  to  create :  I  wish  the 
Reader  to  think  my  Traveller  a  real  personage 
while  the  page  is  under  his  eye,  which  he  cannot 
do,  if  he  see  real  names  in  the  margin.**  My  friend 
made  no  answer ;  but,  as  I  have  the  greatest  de- 
ference, for  his  opinion,  I  attempted  to  follow  his 
advice.  I  wrote  **  Barrow"  opposite  to  one  pa- 
ragraph, •*  Lichtenstein".  opposite  another,  and 
"Campbell**  opposite  a  third j  and  I  rang  the 
changes  upon  Barrow,  and  Lichtenstein,  and 
Campbell  again  and  again;  but  I  found  it  ex- 
tremely troublesome,  if  not  impracticable,  and  J 
gave  up  the  task. 


VI  PREFACE. 

The  same  opinion  as  that  of  my  friend  has  since 
appeared  in  a  very  respectable  periodical  publi- 
cation *,  for  which  I  have  a  great  deference  also. 
But  I  can  assure  my  friends  and  critics  that,  in 
those  countries  where  there  have  been  different 
travellers,  one  paragraph  is  ofteft  ejctracted  from 
several,  and  sometimes  one  sentence  from  two; 
and  that  the  authors  are  so  mingled,  in  order  to 
form  a  regular  whole,  that,  like  the  tub  of  feathers 
prepared  by  the  fairy,  it  would  be  almost  impossi- 
ble for  any  bird  to  find  his  own.  I  must  therefore 
content  myself  with  a  general  list  of  my  Autliori- 
ties,  which  will  be  found  €it  the  end  of  the  Volume. 

I  have  extracted  little  from  the  Travels  of 
Vaillant,  though,  vanity  excepted,  he  appears  to 
me  an  author  of  veracity;  and  I  have  wholly 
omitted  his  journey  to  the  north  of  the  Orange 
river  from  respect  to  the  public  opinion. 

There  is  in  Vaillant  an  air  of  romance  that  inva- 
lidates his  testimony  relating  to  facts ;  a  desire  to 
be  thought  a  hero  that  lessens  his  real  exploits. 
Had  he  assumed  less,  credit  would  have  been  given 
him  for  more.  One  moment  he  is  at  a  distance 
from  civilized  society,  and  glorying  in  his  emanci- 
pation from  the  restraints  it  imposes ;  the  next, 
he  is  entering,  or  passing,  a  farm-house.  In  the 
first  instance  he  speaks  his  feelings  on  present 
appearances ;  in  the  other  he  speaks  from  facts  ; 
a  man  who  had  formed  a  design  to  impose  upon 

*  Monthly  ReTiew. 


PREFACES.  VU 

his  readers  would  probably  have  steered  clear  of 
such  palpable  contradictions. 

With  regard  to  Vaillant*s  expedition  to  tlie  north 
of  the  Orange  river,  iSabert,  the  son  of  his  friend, 
is  said  to  have  asserted  that  he  returned  before 
this  journey  couM  possibly  have  been  performed ; 
and  Mrs.  Vaader  Westhuysen  is  said  to  have 
affirmed  that  he  was  only  ten  days  absent  from  her 
house,  and  that  he  passed  these  ten  days  in  ex- 
ploring the  Kamies  mountains.  Vaillant  is  gone 
to  that  "  undiscovered  countrj^"  from  whence  he 
can  send  no  answer  to  these  charges  j  but,  on  the 
.  other  side  of  the  question  it  may  be  said,  that  his 
narrative  bears  strong  internal  marks  of  authentic 
city.  I  am  not  aware  thatit  contains  any  eventwbich 
might  not  have  happened,  or  describes  any  object 
which  might  not  have  appeared,  in  such  a  journey, 
unless  the  puiF-paste  of  the  desert  be  one.  Hie 
imaginary  appearance  of  fleeting  villages,  wag- 
gons and  flocks,  is  not  one  ;  for  such  a  deception 
of  vision  was  experienced,  as  has  already  been 
related,  by  the  British  army  in  the  Desert  of 
Egypt.  The  Kaminouquas  of  Vaillant  are  cer- 
tainly a  tribe  of  Namaquas  or  Koranas ;  his  Kabo- 
biquas  are  assuredly  Cafllers,  though  he  did  not 
know  that  Caffers  existed  in  this  part  of  the 
country ;  and,  what  is  yet  more  remarkable,  his 
favourite  Houzuanas  are,  in  every  point,  Bosjes- 
mans,  a  people  whom  he  did  not  know,  and  whom, 
from  the  report  of  the  colonists,  he  detested.     If 


Vm  PREFACE. 

Vaillant  really  went  this  journey,  I  apprehend  it 
was  upon  ground  since  untrodden  by  any  Eu- 
ropean ;  and  if  any  European  follow  his  steps,  the 
desert  and  the  mountains  will  be  found;  but  the 
inhabitants  of  the  country  wiU  probably  have 
changed  their  names  and  their  places. 

*  As  I  have  inserted  in  the  present  Volume  the 
questions  proposed  by  the  Secretary  of  State  to 
Mr.  Matra,  and  the  answers  by  Mr.  Jackson,  it 
may  be  necessary  to  say  how  this  document  came 
into  my  possession. 

When  I  read  Adamses  Narrative,  I  entertained 
strong  doubts  of  its  authenticity.  I  had,  before* 
this,  read  Jackson*s  Account  of  Marocco,  and  had 
remarked  in  the  author  a  spirit  of  enquiry,  and  a 
careful  examination  of  facts,  together  with  great 
opportunities  of  acquiring  information.  This  gave 
me  a  full  reliance  on  his  judgment  and  veracity ; 
and  fearing  to  trust  my  own  opinion  respecting 
Adams,  I  ventured  to  ask  that  of  Mr.  Jackson, 
though  a  perfect  stranger  to  every  thing  relating 
to  this  gentleman,  except  his  book.  His  answer 
did  not  remove  my  doubts,  but^it  led  the  way  to  a 
friendly  correspondence  between  him  and  myself, 
in  the  course  of  which  he  transmitted  to  me  the 
questions  and  answers  respecting  Timbuctoo  and 
Houssa. 


CONTENTS. 


CHAPTER   I. 

P»ge 
Bays  of  Howakil  and  Amphila.   Second  Visit  to  Tigre    1 

CHAP.  II. 
Eastern  Africa  ..»„ 12 

CHAP.  III. 

SOUTJIERN  AFRICA. 

Caipe  Town,  and  General  View  of  the  Colony 31 

CHAP.  IV. 
Cape  Town  to  the  Great  Fish  River t 42 

,    CHAP.  .V. 
Country  of  tbeCaffers .-. si 

CHAP.  VI.. 
Tambookies  and  Hambonas 72 

CHAP.  VII. 
HottentoU '.. «... 82 


X  CONTBMTS. 

Page 
CHAP.  VIII. 

From  the  Cspe  to  Gruff  Reynet. .., 9* 

CHAP.  IX.        . 

Sneuwberg.     Bosjesroaos •••.»•.•...••••..•••• 109 

CHAP.  X. 

Ofsnge  River.    Bmyntjees  Hoogte.    GraafF  Reynet, 
to  Zwaarte  Kop'sBay  ^ ...., c ....125 

CHAP.  XL 
Graaff  Reynetto  the  Great,  or  Orange  River ..13^4 

CHAP.  XII. 

Oraoge     River    ta    Lattakoo.      Account    of    the 
Botcbuanas...*^.. ^ 149 

CHAP.  XIII. 
Return  to  tbe  Orange  River  and  the  Cape ......173 

CHAP.  XIV. 

From  the  Cape  co  tbe  Kamiesberg ;  and  the  Mouth 
of  the  Orange  River.    Return  to  the  Cape 199 

CHAP.  XV. 

WESTERN  AFRICA. 

Benguelav    Angola.     Congo .  .• 215 

CHAP.  XVI. 

£iaboniaia  to  Soondy  N'Sanga..^ „ 236 


CONTENTS.  XI 

Bage 
CHAP.  XVII. 

Mannen  of  Congo,  andRetorn 2f4 

CHAP.  XVIII. 
CacoDga  Loango „ ............ ....274 

CHAP.  XIX, 
Rirer  Gabon.    Benin..... - 302 

CHAP.  XX. 
Whydah *, ^ 322 

CHAP.  XXI. 
Origin  and  History  of  Dahomy 335 

CHAP.  XXII. 
Journey  to  Abomey  w 350 

.       CHAP.  XXIII. 
Court  and  Customs  of  Dahomy 364 

CHAP.  XXIV. 

Aquapim.     Accra.     Annamaboe.     Journey  to  Coo- 
massie.    Reception  there 392  * 

CHAP.  XXV. 
King  and  Customs  of  Ashantee......! 407 

CHAP.  XXVL 
Manners  of  Ashantee... • 423 


XU  CONTENTS. 

Page 
CHAP.  XXVII. 

Aeeount  of  Roads.    Timbuctoo.    Hoiissa.    Retarn 
to  lb*e  Coast 441 

CHAP.  XXVIII. 
Cape  Coast  Castle  to  Sierra  Leone 464 

CHAP.  XXIX. 
Sierra  Leone .....^.^ »«>.. 489 

CHAP.  XXX. 
Sierra  Leone  to  Teembo,  and  Return  to  Sierra 


.      CHAPTER  I. 

BAYS    OP    HOWAKIL   AND    AMPHILA. 
SECOND   VISIT   TO   TIGRE. 

JlxAVING  recovered  from  the  fatisjue  of  mv 
journey  through  the  Great  Desert  of  Nubia,  I  left 
Assouan,  and  sailed  down  the  Nile  to  Keneh. 
Here  I  took  leave  for  ever  of  Egypt,  the  country 
whose  ancient  architecture  I  had  viewed  with  so 
much  admiration  ;  and  of  the  Nile,  whose  course 
I  had  traced  with  such  enthusiasm. 

My  intention  was  to  pursue  the  Tour  of  Africa, 
beginning  at  the  part  of  its  eastern  coast,  next  to 
that  I  had  already  visited  ;  and,  for  this  purpose, 
I  again  crossed  the  desert  from  Keneh  to  Cossier. 
Gjreat  and  small  are  relative  terms.  The  desert, 
which  on  my  first  crossing  it  appeared  of  some 
magnitude,  now  shrunk  to  a  trifle,  on  a  comparison 
with  that  I  had  lately  traversed  :  its  marble  moun- 
tains, however,  continued  to  excite  my  admiration. 

At  Copier  I  embarked  on  the  Red  Sea.  I  aijri 
no  sailor,  nor  do  I  attempt  to  write  yoyages ;  I 
shall  therefore  not  trouble  my  reader  with  nauti- 
cal terms ;  but  merely  inform  him,  that,  sailing 
as  near  the  Afrio^n  coast  as  was  consistent  with 
prudence,  and  not  running  upon  rocks  for  the 
sake  of  trying  whether  I  could  get  off  them,  I 
passed  by  Suakem  and  Dahalac,  aad  anchored  in 
Howakil  Bay. 

VOL.  II.  B 


a  HOWAKIL    BAY. 

Howakil  Bay  is  in  15^  1'  north  latitude*  Here 
I  lauded  on  the  island  of  the  same  name,  and, 
with  my  attendants,  I  walked  two  miles  over  a 
flat  plain,  towards  the  village  of  Howakil.  Our 
approach  seemed  to  occasion  great  alarm  among 
the  inhabitants ;  but  as  I  had  one  of  their  people 
with  me,  I  dispatched  him  to  the  rest,  to  assure 
them  we  were  friends.  On  hearing  this,  they 
stopped,  and  drew  up  in  a  line,  with  an  old  man 
in  the  centre.  After  the  usual  salutation  of  Salam 
Alicuin^  to  which  we  returned  Alicum  Salam,  we 
touched  the  hand  of  every  man  in  company,  each 
man  kissing  his  own  hand  on  withdrawing  it.  I 
J)ad  with  me  one  of  the  Somauli,  a  tribe  which 
inhabits  the  whole  coast,  from  the  straits  of  Bab  el 
Mandeb  to  Cape  Gardafui,  and  who  are  the  mer- 
chants that  convey  the  ivory,  gold,  and  slaves  to 
Arabia,  and  the  manufactures  of  India  to  the  inte- 
rior of  Africa.  The  Chief  of  Howakil  now  ad- 
dressed himself  to  my  Somauli,  while  both  com- 
panies remained  silent^  opposite  each  other. 
^'  How  do  you  do  ?"  was  the  first  question  ;  the 
answer  was,  "Well."  The  chief  then  said, 
<'  Thanks  be  to  God.  Is  all  well  r  the  answer 
was,  **  Yes,  all  well.'*  The  chief  then  proceeded 
to  ask,  **  Where  are  you  from  ?"  The  Somauli 
said,  "  from  Cbsseir."  "  What  news  7'  *'  Good 
news."  "  God  be  praised,"  said  the  chief.  After 
this  followed  a  series  of  questions  respecting  Cos- 
seir,  wliich  my  Somauli  answered  in  order  and  in 
detail,  not  forgetting  the  present  price  of  every 
article  of  merchandize* 

Silence  at  length  prevailing,  the  Somauli  asked 
the  chief  if  he  had  done,  and  on  being  answered 
in  the  affirmative,  he  proposed  in  his  turn  the  same 


nO^AKlL   BAT.  3 

String  of  questions,  beginning  with  *'  How  do  you 
do  ?*'  and  ending  with,  "  How  does  butter  sell  at 
MasCtafa,  Dahalac,  and  Ar^na  ?''  After  these 
enquiries  had  been  answered  in  form,  the  people 
again  offered  us  their  hands,  and,  turning  about, 
led  the  way  to  their  village. 

A  very  neat  hut  was  prepared  for  me ;  a  kid 
was  killed ;  a  large  quantity  of  fresh  taiilk  was 
brought  in  straw  baskets;  a  new  mat  was  spread 
upon  my  couch  ;  and  a  piece  of  Arabian  silk  was 
laid  by  die  Sheik,  with  his  own  hands,  to  serve  me 
for  a  pillow* 

At  day-break  the  next  morning  I  ascended  the 
dirst  ridge  of  hills  which  bounded  the  plain.  The 
plain  sloped  gradually  to  the  sea,  and  was  spotted 
with  acacia  trees,  under  which  hundreds  of  the 
iinest  milch  goats  were  wandering  with  their  kids. 
In  the  centre  of  the  plain  stood  the  village,  con- 
sisting of  about  forty  circular  huts,  neatly  covered 
^ith  mats.  The  appearance  of  plenty  which  met 
my  eye  is,  however,  of  short  duration  ;  for  soon 
after  the  rains  have  ceased,  the  ground  becomes 
parched,  and  the  supply  of  water  exhaus^ted.  To 
the  north  of  this  view  lay  the  Bay  of  HowakiL 

Ar^na  lie»  in  a  recess  at  the  bottom  of  the  bay. 
On  gtnng  ashore,  I  found  a  party  of  Somauli 
traders,  who  had  established  a  small  factory  at  this 
pkce  for  the  purchase  of  slaves,  horses,  cattle, 
goats,  and  butten  The  Somaulies  have  woolly 
hair,  which  they  draw  out  in  points  in  every  di- 
rection ;  but  their  noses  are  not  flat.  They  have 
fine  limbs,  a  very  dark  skin,  and  beautifully  white 
teeth ;  and  tlie  expression  of  ttieir  countenance  is 
not  unpleasing. 


*  AMPHILA    BAY. 

•     In  Howakil  Bay  the  thermometer  was  from  75 
to  78^ 

From  Howakil  I  sailed  to  Araphila  Bay,  in  la- 
titude 14^  45'  north,  and  longitude  41°  east.  This 
bay  extends  sixteen  miles  along  the  coast,  and 
contains  thirteen  islands,  which  are  not  inhabited, 
l)ut  are  sometimes  visited  by  the  natives  of  the 
main  land.  In  an  excursion  which  I  made  on  the 
island  of  Anto  Sukkeer  I  saw  a  party  composed  of 
three  men  and  two  women,  assembled  round  a 
fire,  and  eating — not  broiled  fowls  and  oyster 
sauce,  but  something  not  totally  different — abou4; 
a  dozen  half  grown  eagles,  and  two  bushels  of 
shell-fish ;  while  the  parent  birds  were  hovering 
and  screaming  over  the  broiled  bodies  of  their 
young  ones,  and  the  heads  of  their  devourers. 
.  At  the  bottom  of  the  Bay  of  Amphila,.  on  tlie 
main  land,  lie  the  two  villages  of  Madir  and 
Duroro.  I  visited  the  Chief  of  Madir,  who  came 
out  to  meet  me,  attended  by  about  twenty  men, 
dancing,  and  shaking  their  lances  to  do  me  honour. 
I  was  conducted  to  the  largest  of  the  huts  of  which 
this  miserable  village  was  composed.  The  Chief 
employed  himself  in  sewing  a  garment,  and  at 
parting  presented  me  with  an  ox.  The  supply  of 
water  in  this  ner^bourhoodis  obtained  from  wells, 
and  many  of  these  are,  in  the  dry  season,  so  salt 
as  to  be  unfit  for  use.  A  number  of  troughs  made 
of  clay,  are  placed  near  the  wells,  for  watering  the 
camels.  The  inhabitants  are  of  the  tribe  of 
Dumhoeta.  * 

The  country  around  Amphila  Bay  is  part  of  an 
extensive  tract  formerly  called  the  kingdom  of 
Dancali ;   the  inhabitants  of  which  are  now  di- 


AMPHILA   BAY«  5 

v4ded  iato  a  number  of  petty  tribes,  each  ruled  by 
a  separate  chief.  All  the  tribes  sp^k  the  same 
langnage.  They  profess  the  reh'gion  of  Moham- 
ed,  of  which,  however,  they  know  little  more 
than  the  name^  having  neither  mosques  nor  priests 
in  their  country.  They  lead  a  wandering  life, 
shifting  their  station  as  occasiou  requires,  for  pas- 
ture for  their  cattle*  Though  each  tribe  be  per- 
fecUy  independent,  all  areready^  at  a  short  warn- 
ing, to  unite  for  the  common  cause ;  and,  being 
daring,  resolute,  and  active,  they  would  be  very 
formidable,  were  not  their  poverty  so  great  that 
scarcely  one  in  ten  possesses  any  weapon  of  of- 
fence* Their  united  forces  are  said  to  amount  to 
full  6^0  men. 

The  women  of  the  coast  have  pleasing  features ; 
and  whenever  we  entered  their  huts  they  offered 
us  seat!?  and  water;  which  was,  in  general,  all 
the  huts  afforded.  The  hair  of  the  men  was  friz- 
zed out,  covered  with  grease,  and  powdered  with 
bcoiwn  dust ;  that  of  the  women  was  plaited  in 
small  tresses,  and  their  arms  and  legs  were  adorned 
with  rings  of  ivory  and  silver.  Bothxnen  and 
women  were  extravagantly  fond  o£  tobacco,  which 
they,  chewed,  smoked^  and  took  as  snuff. 

TbQ  huts  were  eaclx  .divided  into  two  or  three 
apartmontSy  and  were  covered  with  mats  made  of 
the  leavesof  the  doom  palm.  Their  furniture  con- 
sisted, of  ja  fetw^coudies,  some  culinary  utensils, 
and  a  large  jar  to  hold  water.  Bouza  is  not  un- 
known to  them.  At  a  marriage  it  is  supplied  by 
the  friends  $«  and  the  foot  of  a  kid  is  cut  off,  and 
huag!  up  in  the  house  of  the  chief,  to  mark  the 
event.  I  accidentally  discovered  one  of  their 
btirying-grounds  in  a  secluded  spot,  between  two 


8  SENAFE • 

tolerably  pure  to  the  depth  of  three  feet ;  but  in 
general  not  more  than  two,  when  it  is  mixed  with 
the  soil,  and  unfit  for  use.  From  this  plain  the 
whole  country  of  Abyssinia  is  supplied  with  salt. 

On  the  fourth  day  we  proceeded  over  steep  and 
rugged  passes  in  the  mountains,  to  the  village  of 
Dafo,  which  is  situated  in  an  extensive  and  ver- 
dant plain,  inhabited  by  a  tribe  called  Hurtoo. 
These  people  were  subdued  at  an  early  period  by 
the  Abyssiniansy  and  have  ever  since  been  subject 
to  the  governor  of  Tigre.  Here  the  influence  of 
Ali  Manda  ceased ;  but,  as  friends  of  the  Ras,'  we 
continued  to  be  treated  with  hospitality. 

On  the  fifth  day  wp  arrived  at  the  foot  of  the 
mountain  Senafi^,  another  Taranta,  full  as  high, 
but  not  so  difficult  as  the  former.  These  seem  to 
be  the  giants  which  guard  the  kingdom  of  Abys* 
sinia  on  the  east,  and  almost  forbid  the  ^proach 
to  it.  The  country  between  Dafo  and  the  foot  of 
this  mountain  was  exceedingly  beautiful.  At  the 
latter  station  resides  an  oflficer  of  the  Ras,  who  col- 
lects the  duties  on  the^salft  imported*irtto*Tigre. 
A  camel t:arryingtwQ'Uuo(]^4dpi|(^fp4^  ; 

an\]2le,  whos^loadi.is  e^gl^^r^n^^nine  ;  and  a 
loaded  ass  six*  M^n*  whotcairy  salt  are  permitted 
to  p9s»f]ree.  '    - 

On  the  sixth  day  we  ascepc^ed  Senafi§,  and^ex- 
perienced,  as  before, 'on  the  ^uwmit;  of^**faie6e 
mountains,  a  complete  changelx)!*  seasons.^  '^Hwe 
we  stopped  at  a  village,  to  refresh  bur^lvies, '  and 
then,  proceeding  through f  a*  rich  -and  fertile 
country,  in  three  hours  we  arrived  at  a  large  town 
called  Hammee.  On  the  seventh  day  we  reached 
Dirb^,  and  on  the  eighth  Chelicut. 

The  Ras  whom  I  had  known  at  Gondar  was 


CHELICUT.  9 

dead,  and  the  chief  residence  of  the  present  Ras 
was  Antdio,  the  capital  of  the  province  of  En- 
derta.  Chelicut,  which  is  nearly  ten  miles  distant, 
on  account  of  the  road  winding  half  round  the 
base  of  a  mountain,  might  be  considered  as  his 
country  residence.  The  church  here  is  rich.  Its 
store-room  contains,  among  other  articles,  eleven 
mitres  of  pure  silver,  inlaid  with  gold,  two  habits 
of  black  velvet,  studded  with  silver,  a  Venetian 
cloth,  handsomely  embroidered,  and  a  large  silver 
drum  hooped  with  gold. 

At  Chelicut  I  witnessed  the  arrival  of  a  caravan 
from  the  Salt-plain.  It  consisted  of  several  hun- 
dred  mules  and  asses  laden  with  salt,  escorted  by 
a  nephew  of  the  Ras,  at  the  head  of  two  hundred 
men^  who  had  gone  down  to  the  plain  for  this 
purpose.  As  they  descended  into  the  valley  of 
Chelicut,  thie  inhabitants  of  the  village  went  out  to 
meet  them,  and  greeted  them  with  the  same  ac- 
clamations as  if  they  had  returned  from  battle. 
The  service  of:  escorting  these  caravans  is,  indeed, 
little  less  ha2itrdoui^^»  S6Mhe  neighbourhood  of  the 
SaIt-plain'jSi1i!»|fe^»i'»y%^race  of  Galla,  who  lie  in 
wait  for  the^^n*tl^%M0i^'^  in  cutting  the  salt ; 
and  it  is  said  tlilft ^liffee^men,  in  the  absence  of 
the  officer  and  his  party,  lie  flat  on  the  surface,  to 
escape  observation,'  and,  on  the  approach  of  a 
strange^,  flee  fO  the  mountains. '  The  soldiers  have 
frequently  skirmishes  with  the  Galla,  in  which 
howevfet  these  savage  borderers  are  generally  the 
sufierers.  Six  of  them  had  been  killed  in  this  ex- 
pedition, which  was  reckoned  a  number  unusually 
small. 

Chelicut  is  in  latitude  13^  21'  34"  north,  and  in 
longitude  40«  37'  17"  east. 


13 


CHAPTER   IL 

EASTERN  AFRICA. 

J  ROM  Amphila  Bay  I  continued  my  course 
southward  till  I  came  to  an  anchor  off  the  village 
of  Ayth.  This  village,  which  consists  of  about 
forty  huts  only,  is  the  capital  of  a  district.  I  did 
not  not  go  on  shore ;  but  our  supercargo,  who 
knew  the  place  and  the  people,  said  that  the  tribe 
consisted  of  about  two  hundred  persons,  including 
men,  women  and  children ;  that  they  were  stout 
and  well-featured,  but  miserably  poor,  no  grain 
being  cultivated  in  their  country,  and  little  im- 
ported* The  present  Sheik  was  said  to  be  a  hun- 
dred years  old,  and  a  man  of  mild  and  friendly 
manners. 

From  passing  the  Straits  of  Bab  el  Mandeb  till  I 
reached  the  Portuguese  settlement  of  Mosambique, 
I  must  confess:  to  my  reader  that  I  am  obliged*  to 
give  him  an  account  of  my  wishes,  rather  than  of 
my  expeditions  ;  of  what  I  desired  to  see,  rather 
than  what  I  actually  saw  j  winds,  currents,  igno- 
rance of  the  coast,  and  various  other  causes,  pro* 
hibiting  further  research. 

The  first  place  I  wished  to  see  was  the  town  of 
Zeyla ;  but  I  saw  it  not ;  the  second  was  the  town 
of  Berbera ;  but  I  could  not  see  it ;  nor  do  I 
know  of  any  European  who  has  visited  either.  It 
is  said  that  a  regular  commerce  is  now  carried  on 
through  Berbera,  between  Arabia  and  the  former 


ZANZEBAR.  IS 

southern  provinces  of  Abyssinia,  Hurrur  and  Efat. 
These  provinces  were  long  the  objects  of  conten- 
tion between  the  Abyssinians  and  the  Moors  of 
Adel ;  they  are  now  independent  kingdoms, 
under  the  government  of  their  respective  sove- 
reigns. The  capital  of  the  former  is  called  Hur- 
rur'j  that  of  the  latter  Ankober. 

About  five  miles  from  Somauli  point  I  went  on 
shore,  but  I  met  with  little  worthy  of  observation. 
The  herbage  was  scanty,  the  soil  sandy,  and  im- 
pregnated with  salt.  A  salt-lake  reached  nearly 
from  the  coast,  to  a  considerable  distance  on  the 
plain,  the  other  part&  of  which  appeared  to  be  co< 
vered  with  trees.  Numbers  of  aquatic  birds  were 
on  the  lake,  and  on  its  borders  stood  the  ibis  of 
the  ancient  Egyptians.  «  At  some  distance  from 
the  spot  where  I  landed  w«ere  a  few  huts,  and  I 
saw  some  people  engaged  in  fishing ;  but  evening 
approaching,  I  could  not  attempt  any  intercourse 
with  them. 

We  now  passed  a  coast  of  which  I  can  say  no- 
thing, except  that  it  is  inhabited  by  different  tribes 
of  Somauli.  To  the  southward  of  this  I  saw  tlie 
land  between  Mugdasho  and  Berawa,  and  the 
latter  of  these  towns,  which  makes  a  respectable 
appearance  towards  the  sea.  On  one  of  the  small 
islands  in  front  of  it  stands  a  light-house  of  a  tole- 
rable height.  Berawa  is  in  1°  12"  north  latitude, 
and  44*  10"  east  longitude. 

Having  crossed  the  equator,  my  next  wish  was 
to  see  the  Island  of  Zanzebar;  the  winds,  how- 
ever, were  not  obedient  to  my  wishes,  and  I  was 
obliged  to  be  content  with  the  following  account 
of  it  from  the  Captain  of  an  English  ship,  who  had 
visited  its  coast. 


14  M08AMBIQU£. 

The  Island  of  Zanzebar  is  about  forty-ihre  miles 
in  length,  and  fifteen  in  breadth.  The  eastern 
shore  is  bold  and  woody ;  the  climate  is  tolerably 
healthy;  the  island  is  well  supplied  with  water, 
and  abounds  with  excellent  pasturage.  The  inha- 
bitants are  Mohamedans,  of  Arab  extraction,  and 
carry  on  an  extensive  trade  in  slaves,  gums,  ivory, 
antimony,  blue  vitriol,  and  senna,  with  the  Isles  of 
France  and  Madagascar,  and  the  Arabian  Gulph. 
The  Sheik  of  Zanzebar,  who  is  subject  to  the 
Iman  of  Muscat,  has  under  his  command  about  a 
hundred  native  soldiers,  who  are  chiefly  employed 
in  preserving  peace  at  home.  The  only  kinds  of 
grain  cultivated  are  juwarry  and  rice.  An  ox  sells 
for  five  dollars,  a  sheep  for  half  a  dollar,  fowls  are 
very  reasonable,  fruit  is  excellent,  and  of  various 
BortSf  and  there  is  a  constant  supply  of  fish  in  the 
market. 

The  island  of  Pemba  is  low,  and  about  forty-two 
miles  long.  It  is  said  to  be  still  more  fertile  than 
that  of  Zanzebar.  The  Island  of  Monfia  is  at  pre- 
sent unknown,  though  it  is  said  to  resemble  the 
others  in  fertility.  All  three  are  situated  in  the  same 
deep  bay,  as  it  may  be  justly  called,  and  chiefly 
between  the  fifth  and  sixth  degrees  of  south  la- 
titude. 

I  now  anchored  in  the  harbour  of  Mosambique, 
where  I  saw  a  fort  with  six  bastions,  and  twelve 
Portuguese  vessels  riding  in  the  port.  The  town 
occupies  the  central  part  of  an  island  of  the  same 
name,  which  stretches  across  the  mouth  of  a  very 
deep  bay.  This  island  is  about  two  miles  and  a 
half  long,  and  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad  ;  it  is  in 
the  form  of  a  crescent,  with  the  hollow  part  facing 
the  sea.     The  first  view  of  tjie  town  comprehends 


HESURIL.  15 

a  strange  mixture  of  Indian,  Arabian^  and  Euro- 
pean costume.  I  was  conducted  to  the  govern- 
ment-houses which  was  a  very  conspicuous  object ; 
and  was  graciously  received  by  the  governor,  who 
invited  me  to  dine  with  him.  After  dinner  we 
retired  into  another  room,  where  tea  and  coffee 
:were  set  out  in  a  splendid  service  of  puire  gold,  of 
excellent  workmanship.  The  gold  was  brought 
from  3ena,  a  Portuguese  settlement  in  the  interior, 
and  wrought  by  the  Banians  resident  on  the  Island 
of  Mosambique.  On  days  of  ceremony  the  go- 
vernor has  two  or  three  black  slaves  in  attendance, 
who  are  almost  overwhelmed  with  the  load  of 
golden  ornaments  with  which  they  are  incum- 
bered i  remnants  of  the  splendor  once  attendant 
on  these  Viceroys  of  Eastern  Africa. 

On  my  expressing  a  desire  to  see  the  fort,  an 
officer  accompanied  me  thither*  It  contained 
about  eighty  pieces  of  cann<m.  And  a  few  cen- 
tries,  some  imprisoned  felons,  and  two  or  three  old 
women  with  cakes  to  sell,  constituted  the  whole 
of  the  garrison. 

On  the  following  day  I  attended  the  governor 
in  his  state  barge  to'Mesuril,  his  country  resi- 
dence, which  is  situated  nearly  at  the  bottom  of 
the  bay,  and  about  nine  miles  from  tlic  town.  The 
house  consisted  of  one  range  of  apartments  only ; 
but  the  country  around  was  beautiful.  In  front 
was  a  grove  of  orange,  lemon,  citron,  and  papaw 
trees ;  behind  was  a  thick  wood  of  cocoa-nut, 
mango,  cashew,  and  other  lofty  trees. 
.  The  village  of  Mesuril  has  been  the  favourite 
spot  for  building  among  the  Portuguese  settlers, 
and  .contains  many  good  houses ;  but  the  situation 
must  necessarily  be  unhealthy  i  as  thick  woods 


l6  MESURIL. 

remain,  with  all  the  luxuriance  of  primitive  vege- 
tation. Three  other  villages,  on  a  smaller  scale, 
are  ijn  the  vicinity  of  Mosambique.  ' 

After  breakfast  we  set  out  on  a  shooting  excur- 
sion. How  different  from  hunting  the  elephant  on 
foot !  I  am  ashamed  to  tell  that,  in  the  vigour  bf 
youth  and  health,  I  lay  stretched  at  full  length  on 
a  mattrass,  and  was  carried  by  poles  on  the  shoul- 
ders of  four  men  weaker  than  myself,  I  would  be 
understood  to  mean  that  they  had  less  muscular 
strei^h  ;  but  as  they  exerted  this  in  my  service, 
while  I  remained  inactive,  I  am  afraid  I  must  con- 
sider the  bearers  as  better  men  than  he  who  sub- 
mitted to  be  carried.  These  native  men  of  bur- 
then, when  they  are  weary,  transfer  the  load  from 
one  shoulder  to  the  other  without  stopping,  and 
without  the  load  sustaining  the  slightest  addi- 
tional motion.  They  run,  for  a  short  distance,  at 
the  rate  of  five  miles  an  hour. 

For  about  a  mile,  the  road  ran  through  a  con- 
tinued plantation  of  cocoa-nut  trees,  interspersed 
with  the  huts  of  the  inhabitants.  On  leaving  the 
road,  the  view  opened  on  a  country  planted  with 
manioca,  and  divided  into  squares  by  rows  of 
cashew  and  mango  trees. 

After  having  been  carried  about  three  miles,  we 
came  to  abuilding  in  an  inclose  darea,  which  proved 
to  be  a  manufactory  of  manioca  *  belonging  to  a 
Portuguese,  who  was  said  to  employ  here  two  hun- 
dred slaves.  The  roots  of  this  plant  are  cleaned, 
scraped,  and  dried  in  the  sun  to  a  proper  con- 

*  Manioca^  cassada,  or  cassava  is  sold  in  our  shops  under  the 
name  of  tapioca.  It  is  said  to  be  the  least  nutritious  of  all  sub- 
stitutes for  bread.  The  Portuguese  call  it  iarinha  de  pao^  or 
meal  of  wood. 


MONJOU   NEGROES.  17 

sistency.  They  are  then  ground,  and  the  pulp  is 
put  into  bags,  wliieh  are  afterwards  pressed  with 
heavy  weights,  to  exti'act  the  remainder  of  the 
juice,  which,  it  is  said,  is  poisonous.  The  mass  is 
then  broken  to  pieces  with  tlie  hands,  and  dried 
on  stoves,  which  reduces  it  to  a  farina;  this, 
mixed  with  water,  is  almost  the  sole  food  of  the 
slaves. 

At  IViesuril  I  heard  mass  in  the  Governor's 
chapel.  Tlie  governor,  the  bishop,  a  lady  at- 
tended by  two  black  female  slaves,  a  detachment 
of  native  troops,  and  myself,  composed  the  congre- 
gation. The  bishop,  who  had  just  returned  from 
a  shooting  excursion,  wore  half  boots  and  scarlet 
steckings.  Tlie  badge  of  his  profession  was  a 
splendid  diamond  cross,  which  hung  sparkling  in 
the  folds  of  his  waistcoast.   . 

In  the  afternoon  we  walked  to  the  house  of  one 
of  the  planters  about  a  mile  distant,  to  see  some 
native  traders  from  the  interior,  who  had  come 
down  with  a  cafila  of  slaves,  gold,  and  elephant's 
teeth  for  sale.  These  people  were  of  a  nation 
called  Monjou.  They  were  Negroes  of  the  ugli- 
est description,  with  high  cheek  bones,  thick  lips, 
and  small  knots  of  woolly  hair,  like  peppercorns. 
Their  skips  were  a  deep  shining  black.  Their 
arms  were  bows  and  arrows,  and  shdrt  lances  with 
iron  shafts  ;  and  each  man  carried  two  pieces  of 
wood,  like  those  used  at  Sennaar,  for  the  purpose  of 
obtaining'fire. 

Some  of  the  Monjou  said  that  they  had  been 
three  months  on  their  journey  ;  but  that  it  might 
have  been  performed  in  half  the  time.  Others 
said  they  had  been  upwards  of  two  months  ;  but 
that  the  journey  might  be  accomplished  in  forty- 

VQJL.  11.  C 


18  MONJOU    NEGROES. 

five  days.  Forty-five  days  of  actual  travelling  at 
fifteen  miles  a  day  would  give  a  distance  of  675 
miles ;  but  this  could  not  be  performed  without 
some  days  of  rest. 

In  the  evening  the  planter  took  me  to  a  kind  of 
fair,  held  for  bartering  salt,  shells,  beads,  tdbacco, 
coloured  handkerchiefs,  and  Surat  cloths,  for  the  . 
slaves,  gold,  and  ivory  of  the  simple  Mojou  traders. 
The  people  of  the  interior  are  so  desirous  to  dis- 
pose of  their  fellow  creatures,  that  the  PortugQese 
traders  who  visit  their  country  [procure  a  man  for 
the  value  of  two  dollars  in  the  above  articles  of 
exchange:  the  black  traders  who  frequent  the 
settlement  are  not  only  more  experienced,  but 
they  must  be  repaid  their  travelling  expences; 
they  therefore  set  a  higher  price  upon  their  mer- 
chandize, disposingof  men,  women,  and  children, 
at  the  rate  of  from  three  to  four  pounds  sterling 
each,  and  able-bodied  men  at  five  pounds. 

I  saw  at  Mosambique,  slaves /^ermiY^e^^  to  dance, 
as  a  horse,  with  whip  and  spur,  is  sometimes  77^- 
mitted  to  galley,  that  standing  too  long  in  the 
stable  may  not  injure  his  health.  And  I  saw  five 
hundred  of  these  unfortunate  creatures  shipped 
at  once  on  board  the  Portuguese  vessels  at  Mo- 
sambique. 

I  shall  now*  proceed  to  detail  such  particulars 
of  this  country  and  its  inhabitants  as  I  was  able  to 
obtain  at  Mosambique. 

The  Makooa  are  a  people  consisting  of  many 
powerful  tribes,  extending  to  the  westward  of  this 
settlement,  and  northward  as  far  as  Melinda,  in 
latitude  S^  south,  and  southward  to  the  mouth  of 
the  river  Zambezi,  in  latitude  about  14^  They 
are  a  strong,  athletic  race  of  Negroes,  inveterate 


MAKOOA    NEGROES.  19 

enemies  of  the  Portuguese ;  and  not  without  rea- 
son, from  the  scandalous  practices  of  the  traders 
of  that  nation,  who  have  gone  among  them  to  pur^ 
chase  slaves.  They  are  armed  with  spears,  darts, 
and  poisoned  arrows,  and  also  possess  a  consider- 
able number  of  muskets,  which  they  purchase  oif 
the  Arabs  to  the  northward.  The  Makooa  are  in 
the  constant  habit  of  making  incursions  in  the 
Portuguese  territory  on  this  coast.  In  the  last 
of  these,  they  destroyed  the  plantations,  burnt 
the  slave  huts,  and  carried  off  the  people ;  and 
having  penetrated  as  far  as  Mesuril,  they  plun- 
dered the  governor's  house,  knocked  down  the 
image  of  St.  John,  and  converted  the  sacerdotal 
garments  of  the  priest  into  a  habit  of  ceremony 
for  their  chief. 

The  principal  force  the  Portuguese  have  to  op- 
pose to  these  invaders  consists  of  some  native 
tribes  in  alliance  with  them,  who  were  themselves 
originally  Makooa,  but  who  were  conquered  by 
the  Portuguese  soon  after  the  settlement  of  the 
colony.  Their  chiefs,  who  are  styled  Sheiks,  are 
appointed  by  the  Governor  of  Mosambique.  The 
most  formidable  are  the  Sheiks  of  Quintangone, 
St.  Cul,  and  Sereima.  The  first  of  these,  whose  dis- 
trict lies  north  of  Mosambique,  is  said  to  com- 
mand four  or  five  thousand  men  capable  of  bearing 
arms.  The  district  of  St.  CAl  is  to  the  south  of 
Mosambique,  and  is  said  to  Supply  about  three 
thousand  men.  The  sovereign  of  Sereima  was  at 
this  time  a  woman,  who  could  bring  about  fifteen  ' 
hundred  men  into  the  field.  But  the  united  force 
of  HI  these  chiefs,  and^  as  they  may  be  termed, 
vassals  of  the  Portuguese,  arescarely  sufficient  to 
resist  the  ftiriaus  attacks  of  the  Makooa. 

c2 


so  MAKOOA   NEGROES. 

The  Makooa  tattoo  their  skins,  and  in  so  rude 
a  manner  that  they  sometimes  raise  the  marks  the 
eighth  of  an:  inch  above  the  surface.  The  fashion- 
able manner  of  disposing  these  embellishments  on 
the  human  face  is  in  an  indented  stripe,  which 
runs  down  the  middle  of  the  forehead,  along  the 
nose,  and  so  on  to  the  end  of  the  chin  ;  and  ano- 
ther such  stripe  which  crosses  it  at  right  angles^ 
and  runs  from  ear  to  ear  ;  giving  the  face  the  ap- 
pearance of  having  been  formed  in  four  quarters 
by  nature,  and  having  been  sewed  together  by 
art.  The  mode  of  dressing  the  hair  admits  of 
greater  variety.  Some  shave  only  one  side  of  the 
head,  leaving  the  other  in  its  natural  state ;  others 
shave  both  sides,  leaving  a  crest  in  the  middle, 
which  extends  from  the  forehead  to  the  nape  of 
neck  ;  while  a  few  leave  only  a  simple  tuft  at  the 
top  of  the  forehead.  ^  They  bore  the  gristle  of  the 
nose,  and  suspend  from  it  ornaments  of  copper  or 
of  bone.  They  file  their  teeth  to  a  point ;  so  that 
the  set  resembles  a  coarse  saw;  this  operation, 
however,  does  not  injure  the  colour  of  the  teeth, 
or  subject  them  to  decay.  The  upper  lip  pro- 
trudes greatly,  but  not  sufficiently  to  satisfy 
Makooa  ideas  of  female  beauty  ;  the  women 
therefore  take  especial  care  to  lengthen  it,  by  in- 
troducing in  the  centre  a  small  circular  piece  of 
ivory,  wood,  or  iron. 

All  these  circumstances  taken  into  considera- 
tion ;  and  add  to  these  the  bending  of  the  back, 
and  the  projection  of  the  p4rt  below ;  and  it  is 
scarcely  possible  to  find  an  object  further  removed 
from  our  ideas  of  female  beauty  than  a  Makooa 
woman  who  has  past  the  middle  age. 

Wild  as  the  Makooa  are  in  they*  native  state, 


RIV£R  ZAMBEZI.  21 

they  are  docile  and  useful  when  they  become 
slaves ;  and  such  as  are  partially  admitted  to 
freedom,  by  being  enrolled  as  soldiers,  improve 
quickly,  and  their  fidelity  may  be  relied  upon. 

The  river  Zambezi  leads  to  the  gold  marts  of 
the  interior,  and  the  Portuguese  had  early  settle- 
ments on  this  river,  which  they  still  hold,  and 
which  form  a  line  of  communication  to  the  west- 
ward.   These  are  SenJt,  Tdte,  and  Zumbo. 

From  the  Island  of  Mosambique,  a  vessel  may 
sail  southward  to  Quilimanci,  at  the  mouth  of  the 
river  Zambezi,  in  three  or  four  days. 

From  Quilimanci  to  Sen^  is  about  247  English 
miles,  which  may  be  accomplished  in  twelve  days. 

From  Sen^  to  Tfete  is  one  hundred  and  eighty 
miles. 

From  T^te  to  Zumbo  takes  nearly  a  month. 

At  Quilimanci  the  vessels  transfer  their  cargoes 
to  pinnaces  and  boats,  which  sail  up  the  river.  At 
the  distance  of  fifteen  miles  the  water  becomes 
fresh,  and  the  current  rapid.  At  the  distance  of 
ninety  miles  from  its  mouth,  the  river  widens  con- 
siderably, a  branch  called  Luabo,  which  is  little 
frequented  here,  striking  off  to  the  southward. 
The  left  bank  of  the  river  is  in  the  possession  of 
the  Portuguese  ;  the  right  is  inhabited  by  inde- 
pendent native  tribes. 

Senk  is  a  considerable  town  on  the  southern 
bank  of  the  river,  containing  about  two  thousand 
inhabitants,  and  protected  by  a  fort.  The  go- 
vernor commands  all  the  lesser  establishments  on 
the  Zambezi,  but  is  himself  subordinate  to  the 
Governor  of  Mosambique.  About  twenty  days 
journey  south-west  of  Sen^  is  Manica,  a  great  mart 
for  gold,  where  an  annual  fair  is  held^  to  which 


3l2  RIVSR   EAMBEZI. 

the  Portuguese  traders  resort  with  their  merchan* 
dise.  The  first  part  of  their  journey  lies  through 
a  country  under  the  influence  of  the  Portuguese  ; 
the  second  part  belongs  to  native  tribes,  who  re- 
ceive presents  for  leave  to  pass  through  their  seve- 
ral districts. 

A  sovereign,  who  has  been  called  the  Emperor 
of  Monomotapa,  but  whose  real  title  is  that  of 
Quit^ve,  and  whose  country  is  probably  Motapa, 
also  demands  a  tribute  for  permission  to  carry  on 
this  trade  ;  and  a  deputation  is  sent  annually  from 
Sen^  to  Zimbaoa,  his  capital,  where  the  tribute  is 
laid  with  great  ceremony  at  the  feet  of  this  mo- 
narch while  he  is  sitting  in  full  state.  Zimbaoa  is 
reported  to  be  about  forty  days'  journey  from 
Sen^,  and  about  fifteen  to  the  west  of  Sofala. 

The  country  around  Manica  is  extremely  fer- 
tile, abounding  with  provisions  and  cattle.  It  is 
very  mountainous,  subject  to  frequent  storms  of 
thunder  and  lightning,  and,  at  times,  to  a  degree 
of  cold  unusual  in  such  a  latitude. 

The  navigation  of  the  river  is  much  more  dan- 
gerous and  tedious  from  Senk  to  THe  than  from 
Quilimanci  to  Sen^.  About  half  way  between 
Sen^and'TSte  is  the  pass  of  Lupata,  formed  by 
two  impending  mountains  of  black  rock,  which 
confine  the  water  in  so  small  a  space  that  a  child 
might  throw  a  stone  across  it.  A  rock  also  rises 
in  tlie  middle  of  the  stream,  on  which  many  boats 
are  lost,  owing  to  the  rapidity  of  the  current. 
The  country  north  of  the  river  is  subject  to  the 
natives.  The  Portuguese  continue  to  boast  their 
dominion  over  the  southern  bank  ;  though  they 
confess  that,  a  little  to  the  eastward  of  Lupata,  lies 
a  kingdom  called  Jambarra,  governed  by  a  pow- 


RIVER   ZAMBEZI*  US 

erful  sovereign  Who  despises  their  authority,  and 
that,  west  of  this,  there  are  two  other  districts 
equally  independent. 

T^te  is  a  village,  with  a  fort,  on  the  southern 
bank.  Here  merchandise  is  deposited,  and  here 
the  Governor  of  Senk  generally  resides.  At  T6te 
the  Portuguese  territory  extends  to  both  sides  of 
the  river. 

From  Tfite  to  Zumbo  the  first  fifteen  days  are 
employed  in  travelling  by  laijd,  on  account  of 
falls  which  interrupt  the  navigation  of  the  river. 
This  brings  the  trader  to  a  place  called  Chicova, 
where  he  again  embarks  on  the  river,  but  in  small 
shallow  boats,  in  which  he  proceeds  to  Zumbo. 

At  Zumbo,  which  is  another  mart  for  gold,  the 
Portuguese  have  established  a  small  factory  by 
permission  of  the  natives-,  of  the  country  beyond 
Zumbo  no  information  could  be  obtained.  It  is 
said,  however,  that  the  Portuguese  have  a  direct 
communication  across  the  continent,  from  Mo- 
sambique  to  their  settlements  of  Congo,  Loango, 
and  Benguela,  on  the  western  coast,  by  means  of 
negro  merchants  who  are  established  in  ^lifferent 
parts  of  the  country. 

I  returned  from  Mesuril  to  Mosambique  along 
the  northern  shore  of  the  bay,  and  I  observed 
several  trees  of  the  kind  called  malumpava.  I 
measured  one  of  these, '  growing  in  a  remote 
thicket,  the  trunk  of  which  was  seventy  feet  in 
ciit^umference  ;  but  this  tree  seems  to  expend  its 
powers  of  vegetation  in  the  -trunk,  as  the  leaves 
and  branches  are  few  in  proportion. 

In  the  height  of  their  power,  the  settlements  of 
the  Portuguese  extended^from  Socatra,  in  latitude 
IS*  north,  to  the  Cape  de  Y  Agoa,  in  26*^  south  ; 


2*  DE   L'aGOA   bay. 

they  still  reach  from  Cape  Delgado,  in  about  10^ 
north,  to  Cape  Corientes,  in  about  23®  south. 

It  is  said  that  the  number  of  slaves  annually 
exported  from  Mosambique  is  upwards  of  4,000 ; 
and  it  is  said  that  not  more  than  seven  in  a  hundred 
of  European  soldiers  survive  five  years  service  at 
Mosambique,  and  that  the  mortality  is  nearly  the 
same  among  all  other  classes  of  Europeans.  Thus 
does  a  righteous  Providence  ordain  that  the  cli- 
mate shall  avenge  the  wrongs  of  the  natives  upon 
their  tyrants. 

Mosambique  is  in  latitude  15®  10'  south,  and  in 
longitude  41®  east.  The  height  of  the  thermome- 
ter during  my  stay  was  from  86  to  89  degrees. 

I  now  sailed  to  the  southward,  and  anchored  in 
de  I'Agoa  Bay,  which  is  nearly  thirty  miles  in 
depth  from  east  to  west,  dnd  about  sixty  in  breadth 
from  north  to  south.  It  is  much  frequented  by 
South-sea  whalers,  but  is  little  known  to  other 
voyagers.  Several  large  rivers  empty  themselves 
into  it,  of  which  the  river  Mafumo,  where  we  an- 
chored is  the  southernmost.  The  entrance  of  this 
river  is,  four  miles  wide.  The  river  is  said  to  be 
navigable  by  vessels  drawing  twelve  feet  water,  for 
thirty  or  forty  miles,  and  by  large  boats  for  some 
hundreds. 

The  inhabitants  of  this  part  of  the  coast  are 
Caffers,  tall,  stout,  strong,  and  well  made.  The 
men  were  nearly  naked ;  the  women  wore  a  piece 
of  cloth  suspended  from  a  girdle,  with  two  t)r 
more  pieces  of  leather,  ornamented  with  beads, 
hanging  down  behind^  .  The  men  shaved  the 
head,  leaving  only  one  large  tuft  on  the  crown, 
which  was  raised  in  the  form  of  a  cone  by  small 
sticks  placed  within,  and  sewed  together  at  the 


DE  L*AGOA   BAT.  ^ 

top*  Some»  instead  of  this  fabric,  left  a  large  tuft 
of  hair  on  each  side,  which  they  drew  through  a 
brass  ring*  The  women  left  hair  in  the  shape  of 
a  crescent  on  the  crown  of  the  head.  Both  sexes 
shaved  the  eyebrows,  leaving  two  small  tufts  in 
the  middle.  These  various  operations  were  per- 
formed by  a  sort  of*  chisel  made  of  a  large  nail, 
and  without  the  assistance  of  water. . 

Men  and  women  of  rank  wore  heavy  brass  rings 
round  the  neck.  I  have  seen  some  worn  by 
women  that  were  three  inches  in  circumference, 
and  weighed  four  or  five  pounds ;  those  of  the 
men  were  sniialler,  but  several  were  worn  together, 
and  also  on  both  arms,  from  the  wrist  to  the  elbow. 
These  ornaments  were  certainly  painful ;  but  they 
were  a  mark  of  distinction,  and  descended  to 
these  people  from  their  fathers.  Both  sexes  wore 
rings  on  their  fingers  and  toes,  and  the  women 
large  glass-beads  round  the  neck.  The  poorer 
sort  had  few  ornaments.  All  were  tattoed.on  the 
face  and  breast,  and  rubbed  with  a  composition  of 
oil  and  red  ochre. 

The  huts  were  neatly  made,  circular,  about 
fifteen  feet  in  diameter,  and  had  a  space  in  front 
inclosed  with  stumps  of  trees  about  four  feet  high. 
In  the  centre  of  the  hut  was  a  fire-place,  with  a 
small  hollow  running  round  it  for  putting  the 
heels  in,  when  the  inhabitants  sit  round  the  fire. 
Some  used  the  back-bone  of  the  whale  as  a  seat ; 
some  slept  in  a  bed-place  neatly  plastered,  and 
raised  at  the  head  as  a  pillow;  and  the  better 
sort  had  a  bed  raised  about  two  feet  from  the 
ground  on  four  sticks. 

Their  common  food  is  fish  and  Indian  corn  ; 
but  they  would  eat  even  the  entrails  of  a  goat  or 


96  DB  l'aooa  bat. 

bullock,  only  squeezing  out  the  contents  of  the 
boweld,  and  putting  them  on  the  lire  to  warm. 
Dead  whales  that  came  on  shore  were  equally 
welcome.  The  slaves^  who  had  been  taken  in 
battle,  looked  miserably;  and  when  I  enquired 
how  they  were  fed,  one  of  the  natives  replied, 
^*  Same  as  bullock/'  and  added,  that  in  times  of 
great  scarcity.they  were  themselves  obliged  to  eat 
grass. 

These  people  have  most  unhappily  acquired 
from  the  English,  fishing  on  their  coast,  a  passion 
for  strong  liquors.  I  saw  many  of  them  drink, 
several  tumblers  of  brandy,  in  which  these  mis- 
creants, who  were  now  in  the  bay,  had  put  a 
quantity  of  red  pepper,  and  in  a  few  minutes  they 
asked  for  more.  All  who  could  procure  tobacco 
were  continually  smoking  it  in  long  pipes  made 
of  iron. 

I  met  with  great  civility  from  the  inhabitants 
of  the  villages,  who  gave  me  milk  and  water,  and 
dressed  for  me  the  game  I  shot.  It  is  true  that, 
if  I  permitted  them,  they  would  cut  the  buttons 
from  my  coat  j  but  upon  my  shewing  the  least 
dissatisfaction  they  always  desisted.  The  men 
were  generally  sitting  in  circles  round  afire,  while 
the  women  were  beating  rice,  or  Indian  corn,  or 
employed  in  some  other  laborious  occupation.  I 
saw  women  labouring  in  the  fields,  and  cutting 
down  wood,  while  the  men  were  attending  them 
armed  ;  and  I  saw  women  with  heavy  burthens  on 
their  heads,  and  a  child  in  a  goat's  skin  on  their 
backs,  travelling,  for  miljes,  along  the  shore.  A 
man,  however,  would  work  a  whole  day  on  board 
one  of  the  English  vessels  for  a  handful  of  sugar. 
They  were  good-humoured,  and  laughed  on  the 


D£  l'aOOA   bat.  27 

slightest  occasions.;  and  I  did  not  meet  with  an 
instance  of  their  taking  any  thing  that  was  not 
given  or  sold,  though  temptation  lay  in  their  way 
in  a  variety  of  forms.  I  imagine  that  all  the 
wives  were  virtuous  ;  for  it  was  a  sufficient  proof 
of  a  woman's  chastity  to  say  she  was  a  wife. 

The  Portuguese  fort,  which  was  situated  on  the 
north  side  of  the  river,  has  been  destroyed  by  the 
French ;  but  the  Portuguese  still  carry  on  some 
trade  here,  and  a  ship  comes  here  every  year  from 
Mosambique.  We  purchased  a  bullock  weighing 
4D0lb.  for  a  piece  of  coarse  blue  linen-cloth  ten  or 
twelve  yards  long,  and  five  good  fowls  for  ten  old 
buttons. 

Several  of  the  natives  spoke  English  tolerably 
well,  from  their  intercourse  with  the  whalers  j  but 
they  could  not  pronounce  the  th. 

The  people  have  boats,  which  are  nearly  in  the 
form  of  a  fishing  coble,  and  are  sewed  together 
with  the  bark  of  trees,  and  the  seams  payed  with 
cow-dung.  These  have  a  mast  and  a  mat-sail,  and 
will  carry  from  twelve  to  twenty  persons,  but 
they  are  rowed  only  by  two. 

On  going  on  shore  one  day,  on  the  north  side  of 
the  river,  I  was  surrounded  by  more  than  a  hun- 
dred and  fifty  of  the  natives^  about  forty  of  whom 
were  young  men  who  had  lately  been  circumcised, 
and  were  habited  in  the  war  dress.  This  consists 
of  reeds  hung  round  the  neck  and  waist,  and  a 
high  cap  made  of  rushes,  and  ornamented  with 
red  and  white  be^ds,  with  holes  left  for  the  eyes, 
nose,  and  mouth ;  this  is  drawn  over  the  face  in 
time  of  battle.  These  young  people  entertained 
me  with  a  dance  and  chorus,  in  which  the  move- 
ments kept  exact  time  to  the  sounds.    They  were 


28  D£  l'aooa  bay. 

first  drawn  up  in  two  lines,  then  formed  a  column, 
and  lastly  a  circle,  in  which  they  danced  some 
time  with  great  exertion.  Then,  stopping  sud- 
denly, and  sounding  the  whistles  they  all  wore 
hanging  from  the  neck,  they  screamed,  shouted, 
and  dispersed. 

Cappelleh  was  the  name  of  the  sovereign  on  the 
south  side  of  the  river,  and  it  was  said  that  his  do- 
minions extended  ten  days  journey  up  the  coun- 
try, ahd  five  along  the  coast.  Mafumo  was  the 
most  powerful  chief  on  the  north  side,  and  was 
the  ally  of  the  Portuguese ;  but  since  their  de- 
parture, Wambo  had  expelled  him,  and  taken  pos- 
session of  his  territories.  I  was  visited  by  two 
of  Wambo's  officers,  who  were  dressed  in  long  red 
gowns,  and  appeared  to  despise  the  people  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  river. 

I  saw  Capelleh  several  times,  and  had  the  plea- 
sure of  adding  to  his  wardrobe  a  scarlet  waistcoast 
laced  with  gold.  He  was  a  tall  thin  man,  about 
sixty  years  of  age  ;  and  was  always  accompanied 
by  two  or  three  of  his  wives,  and  attended  by  a 
guard  of  thirty  men,  armed  with  spears  and  battle- 
axes,  made  from  old  spike-nails,  and  carrying 
shields  made  of  the  rhinoceros'  hide. 

On  taking  leave  of  Capelleh,  one  of  his  guard 
approached  him,  bowed,  and  knelt  down  three 
times,  and  then  performed  a  curious  dance,  in 
which  he  tumbled,  rolled  on  the  ground,  and 
sounded  his  antelope's  horn  in  a  variety  of  tones, 
much  to  the  satisfaction  of  his  master  and  his  fol- 
lowers, who  shouted  and  laughed  immoderately. 
The  king  then  rose,  and  I  attended  him  to  his 
hut,  where  I  was  regaled  with  Indian  corn  and 
sugar  boiled  in  milk.    After  this,  I  was  given  to 


BAY   OF   SOFALA.  ^9 

understand  that  he  was  going  to  perform  some  ex- 
traordinary feat.  A  hassagay  was  brought  him 
by  one  of  his  attendants,  and  he  pointed  out  a 
small  bush,  at  the  distance  of  about  a  hundred 
yards,  as  the  mark  he  intended  to  hit :  he  then, 
after  poising  the  weapon  for  some  minutes,  threw 
it  with  great  strength  and  exactness  into  the  bush. 
This  having  received  all  the  applause  due  to  the 
performance  of  a  sovereign,  I  took  leave  of  king 
Capelleh. 

After  leaving  the  Bay  of  De  T  Agoa,  my  last  wish 
regarding  this  coast  was  to  see  the  Portuguese 
settlement  at  Sofala ;  but  a  ship  cannot  approach 
this  part  of  the  coast  without  danger  ;  I  therefore 
set  out  in  search  of  this  place  in  a  boat.  We 
landed  on  a  point  which  formed  the  northern  ex- 
tremity of  a  bay  j  the  ground  was  covered  with 
brushwood  and  small  trees,  and  we  saw  the  tracks 
of  elephants,  not  of  men.  On  advancing,  we  met 
with  a  deserted  shed,  near  which  were  the  remains 
of  afire,  and  the  fragments  offish  and  cashew-nuts. 
To  the  south-west  we  fancied  we  could  distinguish 
buildings,  and  we  saw  a  volume  of  smoke  arising 
behind  them.  We  directed  our  steps  towards  the 
spot ;  but  buildings  and  smoke  had  vanished  toge- 
ther, and  not  a  trace  of  town,  fort,  or  inhabitants, 
was  to  be  seen. 

We  again  got  into  the  boat,  and  entering  the 
mouth  of  a  wide  river,  the  shores  of  which  were 
flat,  and  covered  with  wood,  we  saw,  on  the  north- 
ern bank,  two  canoes  hauled  up  on  shore.  On 
approaching  them,  a  man  quite  naked,  unless  I 
may  except  a  thick  coat  of  mud,  started  from  the 
beach  with  a  spear  in  his  hand,  and  running  away, 
in  great  alarm,  soon  disappeared  among  the  trees. 


so  BAY  OP   SOFALA. 

The  place  had  the  appearance  of  a  village  ;  the 
trees  were  apparently  planted  with  regularity,  and 
we  thought  we  could  distinguish  huts  and  people 
among  them.  We  called  out  in  Arabic,  and  in 
Portuguese,  but  received  no  answer ;  we  placed 
a  knife  and  some  biscuit  in  one  of  the  canoes,  as 
an  inticement,  and  we  hoisted  a  white  handker- 
chief over  them,  as  a  token  of  amity  ;  but  there 
our  presents  and  our  token  were  suffered  to  re- 
main. Why  we  did  not  go  on  shore,  I  confess  I 
cannot  tell ;  but  we  did  exactly ^the  contrary  j  for 
we  sailed  back  again. 

A  few  miles  from  this  spot,  while  we  were  sail- 
ing out  of  the  bay,  we  fell  in  with  three  canoes 
filled  with  natives.  We  advanced  boldly  towards 
them ;  but  before  we  could  reach  them  they 
jumped  out,  and  drew  their  canoes  on  shore.  The 
man  whom  I  supposed  to  be  the  chief,  from  his 
wearing  a  covering  on  his  head,  and  a  blue  cloth 
over  his  shoulders,  walked  leisurely  up  the  beach ; 
the  others  took  up  their  bundles,  brandished  their 
arrows  to  the  head,  and  tore  the  branches  from 
the  trees.  I  asked  them  repeatedly  where  lay 
Sofala.  Their  answer  was  unintelligible ;  their 
signs  were  unequivocal ;  for  they  plainly  bade  us 
begone.  We  had  no  alternative.  Hoping,  how- 
ever, to  frighten  the  savages  before  we  left  them, 
we  gave  three  cheers,  and  fired  a  pistol  in  the  air. 
In  this  too  we  were  unsuccessful ;  Tor  the  savages 
were  not  frightened.  They  shouted  in  return, 
jumped  and  skip|pd  along  the  beach,  and  shot 
their  arrows  at  a  mark  to  shew  their  skill ;  while 
we  returned  to  our  ship. 

It  afterwards  appeared -that  the  bay  we  had 
visited  was  actually  that  of  Sofala.    Having,  how- 


TABLE   BAT.  SI 

ever,  been  so  unlucky  in  nyr  voyage  of  discovery, 
it  was  some  consolation  to  me  to  be  informed  that 
Sofala  itself  was  a  miserable  village,  not  worth  see- 
ing ;  though  the  country  around  it  was  said  to  be 
extremely  fertile,  supplying  the  inhabitants  of 
Mosambique  with  large  quantities  of  rice,  oranges, 
and  many  delicious  fruits. 

Nothing  now  occurred  till  we  arrived,  at  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  cast  anchor  in  Table 
Bay. 


CHAPTER    HI. 

CAPE  OF  GOOD  HOPE. 
CAPE   TOWN,     AND   GENERAL   VIEW   OF   THE    COLONY. 

XaBLE  bay  is  in  latitude  33^  55'  south,  lon- 
gitude 18®  SO'  east.  Cape  Town  is  situated  at  the 
foot  of  the  mountain,  and  at  the  head  of  the  bay, 
and  forms  .an  ampitheatre  which  extends  to  the 
borders  of  the  sea.  The  town  consists  of  about 
eleven  hundred  houses,  which  are  built  with  regu- 
larity, kept  in  neat  order,  disposed  into  straight 
and  parallel  streets,  with  others  intersecting  them 
at  right  angles.  Many  of  the  streets  are  open 
and  airy,  with  canals  of  water  running  through 
them,  that  are  walled  on  each  side  and  planted 
with  oaks  ;  others  are  narrow  and  ill  paved.  The 
entrance  to  the  town,  by  the  square  of  the  fort, 
presents  a  noble  view,  many  of  the  finest  edifices 


39  CAPE  TOWN, 

having  been  erected  here.  Besides  this,  thiere  are 
two  other  squares  ;  in  one  the  market  is  held ;  and 
the  other  is  the  resort  of  the  farmers,  who  come, 
with  their  waggons,  from  the  remote  districts  of 
the  colony. 

The  population  of  Cape  Town  is  estimated  at 
six  thousand  whites,  and  t\yelve  thousand  slaves. 
Instances  of  longevity  are  rare,  few  persons  ex- 
ceeding the  age  of  sixty  years. 

In  winter  the  thermometer  in  the  town  is  from 
50^  at  sun-rise  to  60®  it  noon  ;  in  the  middle  of 
summer  from  70®  to  90® ;  but  the  genera!  tempe- 
rature is  83  or  84.  It  has  been  known  to  exceed 
a  hundred.  .The  heat  of  summer  is  seldom  op- 
pressive ;  the  mornings  are  sometimes  sultry,  but 
the  nights  are  always  cool.  The  south-east  wind 
prevails  from  January  to  April,  and  blows  at  times 
with  such  violence  that  in  twenty-four  hours  the 
best  stocked  gardens  appear  as  if  they  had  been 
dug  over  and  swept.  To  preserve  the  plants, 
it  is  necessary  to  surround  all  the  beds'with  close 
pallisades  of  young  elms.  The  ordinary  duration 
of  this  storm  is  three  days. 

Fuel  is  so  scarce  that  a  small  cart-load  of  wood 
sells  in  the  town  at  from  twenty  to  twenty-eight 
shillings.  In  most  families  a  slave  is  kept  for  the 
express  purpose  of  collecting  wood.  He  goes  out 
in  the  morning,  climbs  the  steep  mountains  at  the 
back  of  the  peninsula,,  and  returns  at  night  with 
two  small  bundles  of  faggots  swinging  at  the  ends 
of  a  bamboo  cane,  which  he  carries  across  his 
shoulders.  Some  families  have  two,  and  some 
three  of^these  slaves. 

The  difference  in  the  appearance  and  manners 
of  the  sons  and  daughters  of  the  same  family  is 


(COLOtJY   OF  THE   CAPK  OF   GOOD    HOPE.         33 

Very  striking^  and  I  have  observed  something  like 
it  in  the  trading  towns  in  England.  The  young 
men  at  the  Cape  are  often  clumsy  in  their  shape, 
awkward  in  their  carriage,  and .  unsociStl  in,  their 
disposition.  The  young  women  are  of  a  smalU  de- 
licate form>  easy  in  their  manners^  well  dressed, 
and  fond  of  social  intercourse.  They  are  under 
no  restraint.  It  is  not  unusual  for  eight  or  ten 
unmarried  ladies,  and  the  same  number  of  gentle* 
men,  to  mount  their  horses  at  break  of  day,  and 
ride  six  or  seven  miles,  to  breakfast  at  one  of  the 
country  houses  ;  then  mount  again,  and  ride  on  to 
dine  at  another,  and  conclude  the  evening  with  a 
dance.  It  is  with  great  pleasure  I  add  that  the 
ladies  dp  not  abuse  the  liberty  allowed  them.  I 
have  always  been  of  opinion  that  restraint  is  un- 
favourable to  the  morals  of  females,  and  that  the 
"  padlock  should  be  clapped  on  the  mind,'*  rather 
than  the  person. 

Before  the  company  sits  down  to  dinner^  a  glass 
of  brandy,  or  of  white  wine,  in  which  WOlmwood 
or  aloes  has  been  infused,  is  presented  to  each  per- 
son. Brandy  is  still  presented  on  such  an  occasion 
in  the  north  of  Yorkshire,  where  it  is  called  a 
cheerer. 

Torture  was  practised  at  the  Cape  before  it  was 
in  the  possession  of  the  English,  and  breaking  on 
the  wheel  was  a  capital  punishment.  ^When  the 
British  government  had  abolished  these  horrid 
customs,  capital  crimes  decreased  so  much,  that 
one  executioner  made  application  for  a  pension, 
and  another  hanged  himself  to  keep  him  from 
starving. 

The  Table,  the  Devil,  and  the  Lion  mountains 
.jise  from  the  same  base,  and  divide  the  seasons  at 


M  COLONT   OF  THE   CAPE. 

the  Cape  during  the  prevalence  of  the  nof  therly 
winds.  He  who  should  then  pursue  his  route  on 
the  eastern  side  of  these  mountains  would  carry 
his  uinbrdl]a  to  shelter  him  from  the  rain  ;  while 
he  who  passed  on  the  western  would  take  his  to 
defend  him  from  the  sun.  The  front  of  the  Table 
mountain,  facing  the  towoi  is  a  horizontal  line  of 
about  two  miles  in  length.  The  best  access  to 
the  summit  is  through  a  deep  chasm^  about  thsee 
quarters  of  a  mile  long.  The  perp^dicular  walls 
at  the  foot  of  this  ravine  are  above  a  thousand  feet 
high  ;  and  about  eighty  yards  distant  from  each 
other ;  but  they  approach  within  a  few  feet,  at  the 
top.  The  ascent  is  very  steep  ;  the  chasm  is  bold 
and  romantic ;  the  summit  is  a  dreary  plain,  and 
the  view  from  it  almost  unbounded.  The  ther- 
mometer is  about  fifteen  d^rees  lower  here  than 
in  the  town.  The  Lion  mountain  rises  about 
S,600  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea ;  it  is  there- 
fore about  the  height  of  Snowdon. 

Before  1  enter  on  my  travels  through  the  Qo* 
lony  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  I  shall  give  a 
general  account  of  the  country  and  its  original  in- 
habitants* 

The  colony  extends  from  520  to  580  miles  from 
west  to  east,  and  from  160  to  315  from  north  to 
south.  The  first  of  these  limits  cannot  be  ex- 
tended, as  they  are  formed  by  the  Atlantic  and 
Indian  oceans  ;  the  latter  are  probably  advancing 
while  I  write ;  for  the  natives  present  a  feeble 
barrier  to  the  cupidity  and  enterprize  of  Eu- 
ropeans. 

Two  great  chains  of  mountains  run  parallel  with 
the  western  coast,  having  between  them  and  the  sea 
a  sandy  plain.   From  the  innermost  of  these  chains 


COLOlVY  OP  tHE   CAPX«  B$ 

branch  off  three  others,  which  run  from  west  to  ea&t, 
and  form  three  terraces,  each  higher  than  the  last, 
as  We  advance  to' the  northward.  *  The  two  south- 
ernmost of  thesis  chains  form  the  vast  ridges  called 
the  Zwaartbergen,  or  Black  mountains,  which 
run  like  a  steep  wall,  and  are  broken  only  by  the 
streams  that  pour  through  them.  The  southern- 
most ridge  terminates  at  the  western  point  of 
Krbmme  river  bay ;  the  northern  at  the  western 
point  of  Zwaart  Kops,  or  Algoa  bay  ;  the  Lange 
Kloof,  or  Long  pass*,  runs  between  them. 

The  level  country  between  the  southern  ridge 
of  mountains  and  the  coast  decreases  in  breadth 
as  it  runs  to  the  eastward,  till  it  ends  at  Kromme 
river  bay.  AU  the  inlets  on  the  southern  coast 
resemble  each  other  in  figure.  They  have  gene- 
rally,  on  the  western  side,  a  projecting  rock  which 
is  the  termination  of  a  range  of  hills  ;  and  these 
ranges,  running  in  parallel  directions,  cut  the 
coast  into  many  pointed  angles.  Some  of  the 
creeks  advance  within  a  mile  of  the  foot  of  the 
mountains.  The  easternmost  part  of  this  tract 
contains  the  vast  forests  of  Sitsikamma,  which 
man  has  hitherto  left  in  the  possession  of  its  na- 
tive elephants,  rhinoceroses,  and  'buffaloes,  and 
pursues  his-  journey  to  the  eastward  over  the  first 
range  of  mountains,  and  through  the  Lange  Kloof. 

beyond  the  Zwaartbergen,  and  within  the 
third  range  of  mountains,  are  arid  lands,,  known 
both  to  natives  and  colonists  by  the  name  of 
Karroo.  In  these  are  large  spaces  which  are  per- 
fect plains,  and  others  from  which  rise  hills  of 
slate.  The  soil  throughout  is  a  sand  mixed  witli 
clay,  or  argillaceous  earth,  and  contains  every- 
where, in  greater  or  smaller  quantity,  particles  of 

d2 


SG  CQVOKY   OF  THE   CAP£. 

iron.  A  foot  below  the  surface  lies  a  hard  and 
impenetrable  stone.  Some  succulent  plants  whose 
bulbs,  like  those  of  the  liliaceous  tribe,  nature  has 
fortified  with  a  tenfold  net  of  fibres  under  the 
upper  rind^  to  enable  them  to  resist  the  hardened 
clay ;  such  alone  contend  with  the  destructive  qua- 
lity  of  the  soil.  When  the  rains  penetrate  this 
hard  coat  of  earth,  the  fibres  imbibe  the  moisture, 
and  push  aside  the  clay.  The  germ  begins  to 
shoot ;  the  plants  appear  above  the  ground  ;  and 
in  a  few  days  the  arid  waste  is  covered  with  a 
beautiful  green  clothing.  The  surface  is  soon 
Enamelled  with  flowers ;  the  young  green  is  almost 
hidden,  and  the  desert  becomes  a  garden,  exhaling 
the  most  fragrant  odours. 

The  farmer  now  leaves  his  residence  in  moun-^ 
tains  covered  with  snow,  and  forms  a  temporary 
habitation  in  the  plain.     His  flocks  and  herds  find 
a  plentiful  supply  of  food,  which  they  share  with 
the  antelopes  and  ostriches,  that,  like  them,  are 
driven  from  the  heights.     But  soon  is  the  Karroo 
deprived  of  its  glory ;  for,  as  the  days  lengthen, 
the  power  of  the  sun  checks  the  vegetation  :  the 
flowers  fall,  the  leaves  die,  and  the  hard  coat  of 
earth  locks  up  the  germs,  till  the  rainy  season  re- 
turn.    The  succulent  plants,  however,  still  furnish 
'food  for  the  cattle,  till  continued  drought  compel 
the  farmer  to  return  to  his  elevated  home.     By 
the  end  of  September  the  Karroo  is  deserted^ 
The  hardened  clay  bursts  into  a  thousand  cracks, 
every  trace  of  verdure  has  vanished,  and  the  red 
soil  is  covered  with  a  brown  dust,  formed  by  the 
'  kkhes  of  the  withered  plants.     These  ashes  are  the 
matiufre  tliat  is  to  cherish  the  succeeding  Crop,  and 
'infOng 'theih  lie  the  seeds  that  are  to  produce  it. 


ESTABLISHMENT   OF   THE   COLONY.  SJ 

The  third  range  of  mountains  that  crosses 
Southern  Africa  is  composed  of  the  Hantam,  the 
Roggeveldt, .  or  Ryefield,  the  Niuewveldt,  or 
Newfield,  the  Sneuwberg,  or  Snow-mountain,  and 
the  Bamhosberg,  or  Bambos  mountain.  These 
form  the  third  step ;  and  beyond  these  is  a  still 
higher  range  called  the  Karree  mountains. 

The  whole  of  Southern  Africa  has  a  regular  de- 
clension from  west  to  east,  as  well  as  from  north 
to  south.  To  the  westward  the  country  is  sandy, 
barren,  and  thinly  inhabited ;  to  the  eastward  it 
iiicreases  in  beauty  and  fertility. 

When  the  Dutch  planted  this  colony  in  1650, 
they  purchased  of  the  Hottentots  their  stock  of 
cattle,  and  a  part  of  their  country,  with  brandy, 
tobacco,  iron,  and  a  few  paltry  tnnkets.  A  ^ask 
of  brandy  was  the  price  of  a  whole*  district,  and 
nine  inches  in  length  of  an  iron  hoop  that  of  a  fat 
ox.    What  more  they  wanted  they  took  by  force. 

The  government  granted  lands  on  lease  to  the 
settlers,  at  the  annual  rent  of  something  less  than 
five  pounds  for  each  farm.  The  nearest  distance 
from  house  to  house  was  to  be  three  miles  >  so 
that  each  farm  consisted  of  more  than  five  thou- 
sand acres  of  land*  Thus  the  Dutch  spread  them- 
selves over  the  country-  As  they  advanced,  the 
natives  retired  j  those  who  remained  among  the 
colonists  being  soon  under  the  necessity  of  be- 
coming their  servants. 

The  name  of  Hottentot  may  shortly  be  pro- 
nounce4  only  in  relation  to  the  past;  and  the 
decay  of  these  people  will  excite  in  the  breast  of 
future  generations  the  same  indignation  against 
the  Dutch,  as  the  extermination  of  the  natives 
of  JSt.  Domingo  has  done  against  the  Spaniards. 


OS  coLomr  of  ths  cape. 

f'BfttM^  is  not'  an  .imtance  of  cruelty  said  to 
iiMFO  M))een  practised  upon  the  slaves  in  the 
West  Indies  that  could  not  find  a  parallel  among 
the  Dutch  fanners,  at  a  distance  from  the 
Mat  of  government,  to  their  servants.  Instant 
death  frequently  follows  punishment  inflicted  in 
a  passion.  In  cold  blood,  the  monsters  are 
4:ontent  with  whipping  and  cutting,  with  tough 
and  heavy  thongs  of  leather,  and  flogging,  not  by 
number  of  lashes,  but  by  time ;  and  as  the  &rmer 
has  neither  watch  nor  dock  to  measure  time,  it  is 
marked  by  his  smoking  as  many  pipes  as  he  may 
ihink  the  fault  deserves. 

Though  the  Hottentots  receive  wages,  they  are 
little  better  than  the  slaves  of  the  farmer.  An  ox, 
a  ofiuDple  of  cows*  or  a  dozen  sheep,  are  the  usual 
wages  of  a  \^Iiole  year.  If  an  ox  or  a  sheep  be 
missing,  the  Hottentot  must  replace  it}  and  if 
|io.  such  accident  occur,  it  frequently  happens  that 
a  bill  for  tobacco  or  brandy  is  brought  against  him 
to  the  full  amount.  If  he  marry,  he  builds  his 
straw  hut  near  the  farm-house ;  his  children  are 
enqpuraged  by  the  fanner  to  ask  for  food  ;  and  if 
they  receive  a  morsel  of  bread,  they  are  his  slaves 
till  they  are  twenty-five.  A  Hottentot  seldom 
knows  when  he  is  twentyrfive  ;  and,  if  he  chance 
to  know  it,  he  is  turned  adrift  at  that  age,  and  at 
thirty  he  begins  to  grow  old.  Those  who  marry 
in  this  state  of  depression  have  seldom  more  than 
two  or  three  children,  and  many  of  the  women 
have  none, 

Such  of  the  Hottentots  as  i:etain  most  of  their 
original  character  are  a  mild  and  timid  race; 
harmlelto,  honest,  and  faithful;  kind  and  afiec- 
tionate  to  ei^ch  other,  and  capable  of  forming 


HOTTEKTOTS.  99 

Strong  attachments.  Though  naturally  fterftiU 
they  will  face  danger  if  led  on  by  their  superiorly 
and  they  suffer  pain  with  patience.  They  are  not 
deficient  in  tident»  but  they  want  exertion.  My 
Hottentots  would  frequently  pass  the  day  without 
food»  rather  than  walk  half  a  mile  for  a  sheep. 

Hottentots  are  gluttonous  while  provisions  are 
plentiful,  and  content  with  little  when  these  are 
scarce.  A  Hottentot  is  capable  of  eating  ten  or 
twelve  pounds  of  meat  in  one  day  ;  but,  on  press- 
ing occasions,  a  few  locusts,  a  piece  of  honeycomb, 
or  a  piece  of  the  leather  of  his  sandals,  will  suffice 
him.  I  never  could  make  these  people  compre- 
hend that  it  was  prudent  to  reserve  a  little  food 
for  the  morrow.  They  not  only  eat  as  much  as 
they  can,  but  they  distribute  what  is  left  to  whom- 
soever they  meet }  and  their  answer  to  my  rempa^ 
strances  respecting  the  future  was,  <^  We  will 
hunt,'*  or,  "  We  will  sleep.**  And  it  is  very  ex- 
traordinary  that  they  often  can  command  sleep. 
When  this  refuses  to  come  at  their  bidding,  they 
have  another  experiment  not  less  remarkable*;  they 
confine  their  stomachs  with  a  leathern  bandage, 
to  appease  their  hunger. 

When  they  have  taken  a  large  steak  from  an  ox, 
they  cut  it  spirally  till  they  come  to  the  centre, 
when  it  becomes  a  string  two  or  three  yards  in 
length.  The  string  then,  still  coiled  round,  is 
laid  upon  the  ashes,  and  as  soon  as  it  is  warmed 
through,  the  Hottentot,  grasping  it  with  both 
hands.  Implies  one  end  of  it  to  his  mouth,  and  soon 
devours  a  yard  of  beef. 

•When  the  Hottentots  drink  from^a  stream^ttliey 
take  up  the  water  in  their  hand,  and  \hww'it 


40  COLONY  OF  THE   CAPE. 

into  their  mouth  witli  a  quick  motion,  seldom 
bringing  the  hand  nearer  the  mouth  than  twelve 
inches. 

The  Hottentots  are  clean  limbed,  and  well 
proportioned;  their  hands  and  feet  are  small; 
and  they  have  no  apparent  muscle  that  indicates 
strength.  Their  cheek-bones  are  high,  their  chin 
is  pointed,  the  nose  is  different  in  different  tribes, 
in  some  fiat,  in  others  considerably  raised*  Their 
colour  is  a  yellowish  brown ;  their  teeth  are  beau- 
tifully white  i  their  hair  grows  in  small  tufts  at  a 
distance  from  each  other ;  when  kept  short  it  has 
the  appearance  of  a  hard  brush  ;  when  su&red  to 
grow,  it  hangs  on  the  neck  in  twisted  tassels  like 
fringe.  Some  of  the  young  women  might  serve  as 
models  of  perfection  in  the  female  figure. 

The  men  wear  a  belt  of  skin,  with  a  piece  of 
leather  before  and  behind.  The  thongs  of  dried 
skin  whioh  formerly  encircled  the  legs  of  the 
women,  and  preserved  them  from  injury,  have  now 
given  place  to  beads,  which  aoe  a  useless  oma^ 
ment  and  soon  destroyed.  :Fashion  is  a  despot 
which  seldom  regards  convenience,  and  women 
are  more  its  slaves  than  men.  :  .  • 

The  neck,  arms,  and  legs  of  a  female  Hotten- 
tot are  loaded  with  beads ;  but  the  most  splendid 
of  these  are  reserved  to  embroider  a  small  apron, 
which  reaches  from  the  waist  to  the.middle  of  the 
thigh.  A  sheep  sl^n  cloak  and  a  pap  of  skin  com- 
plete the  dress. 

The  Hottentots  possess  the  faculty  of  sight 
in  an  exquisite  degree.  They  will  watch  a  bee 
to  its  nest;  and,  upon  the  hardest  ground,  on 
which  the  elephant  leaves  no  traces  perceptible  tq 


HOTTENTOTS.  41 

a  common  eye,  amidst  withered  leaves,  seHttcttd 
and  driven  by  the  wind,  the  Hottentot  catt^diftin^ 
guish  the  print  of  this  animal's  foot,  and  saQS^tfae 
path  it  has  taken.  The  manner  in  which  a  brabch 
is  broken  is  to  him  a  certain  indication. 

The  Hottentots  have  no  other  mode  of  mea- 
suring time  than  by  lunar  months  and  days ;  and 
if  a  Hottentot  be  asked  the  distance  to  ascertain 
place,  he  either  makes  no  answer,  or  points  to  a 
particular  spot  in  the  heavens,  and  says,  **  The 
sun  will  be  there  when  you  get  to  it.'* 

Hottentots  use  means  to  defend  themselves 
from  the  powerful  rays  of  the  sun  ;  but  it  appears 
to  them  of  no  consequence  to  be  sheltered  from 
the  rain. 

Hottentot  is  a  word  that  has  no  place  in  the 
language  of  the  original  inhabitants  of  this  coun- 
try, and  they  take  it  to  themselves  imder  the 
idea  of  its  being  a  Dutch  word.  When  they  were 
spread  over  Southern  Africa,  each  tribe  had  its 
particular  name  ;  but  that  by  which  *the  whole 
people  was,  and  is  still,  distinguished  is,  Quaiqua. 

The  issue  of  a  white  man  and  a  Hottentot 
.woman  is  called  a  Bastaard.  These  people  are. a 
different  race  from  that  of  their  mother.  The  men 
are  six  feet  high,  and  stout  in  proportion ;  the 
women  well  made  and  active^ 

The  number  of  white  inhabitants  in  the  colony, 
exclusive  of  those  in  Cape  Town,  is  about  15,000, 
and  the  Hottentots  remaining  in  the  whole  colony 
^lay  amount  to  the  same  number. 


42 


CHAPTER  IV. 

C4PB   TOWN   TO   THE   GREAT   FISH    RIVSR. 

1  H£  mode  of  travelliog  in  the  colony  of  the 
Cape  of  Good  Hope  is  with  Waggons  drawn  by 
oxen ;  Bastards  are  the  drivers,  and  Hottentots 
lead  the  foremost  pair  in  the  team.  The  speed  of 
the  oxen,  where  the  country  is  level  and  the  sur- 
fsLce  hard,  is  full  three  miles  an  hour,  at  which  rate 
they  will  go  three  or  four  hours  without  halting. 
The  day's  journey  is  from  five  to  fifteen  hours. 

I  left  Cape  Town  with  two  waggons,  having  ten 
oxen  in  each,  and  proceeded  to  the  eastward.  I 
visited  the  farm  of  Constantia,  so  celebrated  for  its 
wine.  It  is  remarkable  that  an  exact  line  may  be 
drawn,  beyond  which  this  precious  beverage  can- 
not be  produced  ;  and  it  is  said  that  it  would  be 
to  the  advantage  of  the  proprietor  to  take  down 
his  hou^e  and  domestic  buildings,  which  stand 
within  the  line  of  demarcation,  and  plant  the  space . 
with  vines.  At  the  distance  of  thirty-six  miles  I 
arrived  at  Hottentot's  Holland's  Kloof,  a  pass  in 
the  longitudinal  range  of  mountains  which  opens 
into  a  fine  country  inclosed  between  the  southern 
range  of  the  Zwaartberg  and  the  sea. 

Looking  back  from  the  portal  of  the  Kloof,  we 
had  a  grand  view  of  the  Cape  peninsula,  the  sweep* 
ing  shores  of  Table  and  False  bays,  and  the  in* 
termediate  sand,  enlivened  by  a  few  neat  farm- 
houses scattered  at  the  foot  of  the  mounuins. 

In  Zoete  Melk  valley,  we  halted  at  a  place  called. 


MORAVIAN   MISSIONARIES.  48 

Bavian's  or  Baboon's  Kloof,  where  there  is  an 
establishment  of  Moravian  missionaries.  We  found 
the  brethren  men  of  middle  age,  plain  and  decent 
in  their  dress,  cleanly  in  their  persons,  of  modest 
manners,  and  meek  deportment ;  and,  though  zea- 
lous in  the  catise  of  their  mission,  free  from 
bigotry  and  enthusiasm.  According  to  the  rules 
of  their  society,  each  had  learned  some  useful  oc- 
cupation ;  one  was  a  smith,  another  a  tailor,  aao^ 
ther  a  shpe-maker. 

The  missionaries  had  brought  together  upwards 
of  a  thousand  Hottentots.  Two  hundred  huts 
and  houses,  built  in  regular  rows,  with  each  a 
garden  annexed  to  it,  gave  the  place  the  appear* 
ance  of  an*  European  village.  Those  Hottentots 
who  chose  to  learn  the  respective  trades  of  the 
missionaries,  were  paid  for  dieir  labour  as  soon  as 
they  could  earn  wages ;  others  hired  themselves 
as  labourers  to  the  Dutch  farmers,  made  mats  and 
brooms,  bred  poultry,  or  subsisted  by  means  of 
their  cattle,  sheep,  and  horses. 

I  attended  the  church^service  of  the  missiona- 
ries. About  half  the  congregation  were  clothed 
in  coarse  printed  cottons,  the  others  in  their  an- 
cient sheep-skins  ;  the  behaviour  of  all  was  devout. 
The  discourse  of  the  preacher  was  short,  but  par 
thetic,  replete  with  good  sense,  and  well  suited  to 
the  occasion.  Tears  flowed  abundantly  from  the 
eyes. of  those  to  whom  it  was  particularly  ad-f 
dressed.  May  priestly  pride  and  thirst  of  power, 
in  whatever  church  or  sect  they  may  be  found, 
]earn  primitive  Christianity  from  the  brethren  of 
the  Zoete  Melk  valley. 

The  district  of  Zwellendam  comprises  the  coun-? 
try  between  the  first  range  of  mountains  and  the 
tea,  and  extends  ta  the  eastward  as  far  as  the 


44  GOLOIfTOF  THE   CAPE. 

Camtoos  river.  It  contained  between  five  and  six 
hundred  families,  consisting  of  about  3,000  white 
people.  The  number  of  Hottentots  did  not  ex- 
ceed two  to  a  family,  and  the  number  of  negroes 
was  about  five. 

The  village  of  the  Drosdy  of  Zwellendam  is 
composed  of  about  twenty  houses.  It  is  situated 
in  a  fertile  valley,  through  which  runs  a  perpetual 
stream  of  water.  The  habitation  of  the  landdrost 
stands  at  the  head  of  the  valley^  and  is  surrounded 
by  plantations  of  oaks. 

In  the  year  1773»  a  Dutch  farmer  was  living  a 
little  to  the  westward  of  Zwellendam,  who  remem- 
bered the  time  when  the  Hottentots  were  nume- 
rous, and  the  Christian  settlers  few  ;  when  it  was 
dangerous  for  the  latter  to  venture  eastward,  even 
so  far  as  this  place.  Elephants  at  this  time 
abounded  so  much  near  the  Cape,  that  in  his 
journeys  from  his  habitation  thither  the  farmer  had 
frequently  shot  four  or  five  in  a  day,  and  some- 
times twelve  or  thirteen.  A  good  sportsman  takes 
his  aim  so  as  that  the  ball  shall  pass  through 
the  elephant's  lungs,  and  kills  him  at  one  shot. 
The  ball  is  one  third  tin,  and  weighs  a  quarter  of 
a  pound. 

Butter,  is  here  churned  in  a  vessel  that  will  con- 
tain between  one  and  two  hogsheads ;  and  the 
churn-staff  is  raised  and  wrought  by  two,  and 
sometimes  four  people,  in  the  same  way  as  the 
handle  of  a  pump.  Those  farmers  who  have  a  to^ 
lerable  share  of  ground,  make  from  1,800  to  3,500 
pounds  of  butter  in  a  year.  This  is  carried  in  one 
or  two  journeys  to  the  Cape,  where  it  is  sold  to 
dealers,  who  afterwards  sell  a  great  part  of  it  to 
the  ships  that  anchor  there.  The  buttermilk  is 
thrown  away,  and  flows  in  rivulets. 


COLONY  OP  TH£   CAPEi  45 

We  now  crossed  the  Gauritz'  river,  the  western 
limit  of  Muscle  bay.  This  river  may  be  called  the 
sink  df  the  colony.  All  the  waters  that  have  their 
origin  within  u  hundred  and  fifty  miles  to  the  east* 
ward  ;  within  the  same  distance  to  the  westward  ; 
upon  the  Great  Karroo,  and  in  the  intermediate 
mountains  to  the  northward ;  meet  in  one  immense 
chasm  of  the  mountains  here,  and  form  the  Gau* 
ritz  river.  The  sudilen  and  violent  inundations 
of  this  river  are  almost  beyond  credibility.  Tha 
ruins  of  a  house  which  was  destroyed  by  it  are  still 
to  be  seen,  situated  nearly  a  hnndred  feet  above 
its  channel. 

Muscle  Bay  lies  in  latitude  84*^  10'  south,  and 
longitude  22^  l8'  east,  and  is  about  S40  miles 
from  the  Cape.  It  affords  excellent  fish,  particu- 
larly muscles  and  oysters.  The  place  abounds 
with  wood  and  water,  and  the  scenery  is  majestic. 
The  ground  is  good  for  either  corn  or  pasture ;  it 
affords  clay  for  making  bricks,  and  the  shore 
affords  lime  for  cementing  them.  Under  the 
British  government  a  drosdy  had  been  established 
here. 

In  the  year  1772,  a  farmer  dwelt  in  the  Aute- 
niquas  land  which  we  now  entered,  who  had'  fifty 
Hottentots  in  his  service,  and  buffaloes  were  shot 
by  one  of  these  in  such  numbers  as  to  supply 
the  whole  family  with  meat.  Every  time  he  went 
to  hunt,  the  balls  were  counted  out  to  him,  and 
he  was  obliged  to  furnish  the  same  number  of  dead 
buffaloes. 

Froni  hence  we  crossed  the  Cayman's  or  Cro- 
todile*s  river,  which  was  most  diflicult  for  wag- 
gons, the  bdhks,  on  either  side,  being  several  Ivtm- 
dred  feet  high,  and  steep  and  rocky^  and  arrived 
at  Plcttenberg's  bay.     Here  ^conimcnceiif  the  ntn- 


4$  COLONY  OF  TU£   CAPE. 

penetrable  forest  of  Sitsikamma.  Plettenberg's 
bay  lies  in  latitude  34^  6'  south,  and  longitude  23^ 
48'  east.  Tlie  distance  from  Cape  Point  is  SSO 
English  miles. 

In  1804  one  of  the  farmers  of  Lange  Kloof 
hunting  in  Sitsikamma,  killed  a  male  elephant 
fourteen  feet  high.  The  tusks  weighed  nearly  a 
hundred  and  a  half,  and  sold  at  Cape  Town  for 
20U  dollars.  The  farmer  disserted,  that,  some 
years  before,  elephants  had  been  taken  here  that 
were  eighteen  feet  in  height ;  and  I  was  after- 
wards  assured  by  experienced  hunters  beyond.the 
country  of  the  Caffers,  that  this  was  not  an  exag- 
geration. A  farmer  of  the  Lange  Kloof  spoke 
highly  of  the  affection  of  the  elephant  for  its 
young,  and  affirmed  that  he  had  himself  seen  a 
female  elephant  take  up  her  wounded  calf  between 
her  teeth,  and  carry  it  away. 

From  Plettenberg's  bay  to  the  DuyviPs  Kop,  or 
Devil's  Head,  over  which  lies  the  road  into  the 
Lange  Kloof,  the  whole  country  is  beyond  compa- 
rison the  grandest  and  most  beautiful  part  of  the 
colony.  The  farm-houses  are  in  a  better  style  than 
is  usual  at  such  a  distance  from  the  capital ;  they 
are  white-washed,  and  to  almost  every  one  is  at- 
tached a  small  inclosure,  with  ornamented  walls,  as 
a  burying-place  for  the  family.  The  Dutch  have 
no  service,  or  ceremony,  at  the  interment  of  the 
dead. 

At  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  entered  a 
wood  of  a  most  venerable  appearance.  I  conti- 
nued for  some  time  admiring  the  immense  size  of 
this  and  that  tree,  when  an  object  presented  itself 
that  engrossed  all  my  attention.  This  was  a  long, 
icky,    and    steep   ascent.     The    first  waggon, 

ough  26  oxen  were  yoked  to  it,  was  two  hours 


ALGOA   BAT.  Vf 

before  it  reached  the  summit ;  and  the  second,  with 
the  same  oxen,  was  three. 

On  arriving  at  the  top  of  this  rocky  ascent  we 
felt  like  people  at  sea  after  weathering  a  storm  ( 
but  our  task  was  not  yet  finished ;  for,  after  tra- 
velling on  high  ground,  we  came  to  the  base  of  a 
mountain  whose  top,  was  hidden  in  the  clouds, 
over  which  it  seemed  we  were  to  pass.  We  halted 
to  prepare  the  oxen  for  the  toilsome  undertakings 

At  three  in  the  afternoon  we  began  to  ascend 
the  mountain,  and  at  five  we  reached  the  bottom 
of  aipng  and  steep  declivity.  We  had  now  a  still 
higher  mountain  to  get  over,  and,  to  lessen  the 
labour  of  the  following  day,  we  scrambled  about  a 
quarter  of  a  milp  up  its  side,  and  then  halted  for 
the  night. 

On  the  following  morning,  after  three  hours 
and  a  half  of  hard  labour,  we  reached  the  summit 
of  the  Duyvil's  Kop.  The  remains  of  two  wag- 
gons were  seen  at  the  bottom  of  a  precipice.  The 
prospect  behind  us  was  highly  interesting ;  but 
neither  man  nor  beast  appeared  to  enliven  it  The 
peak;  was  not  more  than  fifteen  yards  wide,  and 
the  descent  at  first  was  by  a  flight  of  rocky  stairs. 
At  the  bottom  we  entered  Lange  Kloof,  and  halted 
for  the  night  in  a  spot  where  the  hills  on  each  side 
nearly  met. 

Lange  Kloof  is  a  narrow  valley,  in  few  places 
exceeding  a  mile  in  breadth,  between  the  high, 
unbroken,  southern  range  of  the  Zwaartberg,  and 
a  parallel  range  of  green  hills  belonging  to  the 
Zwaartberg  on  the  north.  It  stretches  nearly  east 
and  West,  and  well  deserves  the  epithet  Long  ; 
for  it  is  about  a  hundred  and  fifty  miles  in  length* 
It  abounds  with  streams  of  water  and  good  pas^ 


48  COLOKY  OF  THE   CAPE. 

turage.  The  soil  is  rich,  and  most  of  the  habu 
tations  have  gardens,  vineyards,  and  orcharcb. 
Being  considerably  elevated  above  the  level  of  the 
sea,  and  situated  in  the  midst  of  mountains,  snow 
frequently  falls  here  in  the  winter  months,  and  lies 
upon  the  ground  some  time.  Between  the  two 
extremities  of  Lange  Kloof  there  is  only  one  pas- 
sage for  waggons  over  the  southern  chain  of 
mountains,  the  formidable  passage  of  the  Duyvii's 
Kop. 

In  the  morning  of  the  second  day  of  our  travel- 
ling through  Lange  Kloof,  I  sent  one  of  my  Hotten* 
tots  back  in  search  of  an  ox  that  had  fallen  behind 
in  the  night.  He  did  not  return  till  nine  o'clock 
in  the  evening,  when  he  brought  with  him  the 
strayed  animal.  This  would  have  afforded  a  sub- 
ject for  conversation  among  English  rustics  ;  but 
my  Hottentot,  though  he  had  walked  about  twen- 
ty.four  miles,  and  had  tasted  nothing  but  water, 
sat  down  carelessly  by  the  fire,  and  had  no  tale  to 
tell.  Nor  did  the  other  Hottentots  ask  him  one 
question  ;  they  knew  that  the  ox  was  found,  and 
that  John  was  there,  and  with  this  they  were  sa- 
tisfied. 

On  the  following  day  a  neighbouring  farmer 
made  me  a  visit,  and  sent  me  some  grapes  and 
some  milk.  He  offered  me  a  cheese,  and  asked 
for  a  bottle  of  wine.  He  sent  his  own  bottle  for 
the  latter,  and  it  was  well  for  him  he  did  so  ;  for 
it  contained  twice  as  much  as  mine. 

In  the  Lange  Kloof  flows  a  river  called,  and 
justly  called,  the  Kromme,  or  Crooked  river.  It 
formed  so  many  turns  and  windings  that  we  found 
it  continually  in  our  way,  and  we  crossed  it  ten 
times.    It  increased  considerably  as  we  descended. 


ALOOA   BAY*  id 

the  two  chains  of  mountains  approached  so  near 
as  to  leave  only  a  marshy  hollow ;  and,  at  the  far- 
ther end,  a  long,  steep,  and  rocky  descent,  brought 
us  into  a  country  of  a  beaqtiful  appearance. 

We  crossed  several  rivers,  one  of  which  was  the 
Camtoos,  which  is  wide  and  deep,  and  travellers 
are  sometimes  detained  a  week  by  its  rise.  We 
halted  on  a  charming  plain,  only  a  few  hundred 
yards  in  circumference,  surrounded  by  hills  and 
shrubbery.  A  female  Hottentot,  with  her  two 
children  here  joined  my  company.  When  I  asked 
this  woman  the  age  of  her  children,  she  seemed  as 
much  surprised  as  if  I  had  asked  the  number  of 
hairs  on  their  heads.  I  then  enquired  how  many 
times  the  sun  had  come  near  since  the  birth  of  the 
eldest.  She  believed  three  times,  which  was  con- 
firmed by  the  appearance  of  the  child. 

At  six  o*clock  in  the  evening  we  had  a  view  of 
the  ocean.  At  seven  we  came  to  a  descent  so  steep 
that  the  hinder  wheels  of  the  waggons  were  fre- 
quently raised  from  the  ground.  The  following 
day  we  arrived  at  Algoa,  or  Zwaart  Kops  bay. 

Zwaart  Kops  bay  lies  in  latitude  33®  5&  south, 
and  longitude  S6®  63'  east.  The  distance  from 
the  Cape  in  a  direct  line  is  500  miles.  The 
breadth  of  the  bay  is  about  twenty  miles ;  the  . 
rivers  that  fall. into  it  are  the  Zwaart  Kops,  the 
Kooka,  and  the  Sondag. 

The  neighbourhood  abounds  with  the  finest 
forest,  and  the  coast  is  covered  with  brushwood 
to  the  water's  edge ;  yet  the  dwellings  of  the 
farmers  are  miserable  hovels.  Four  low  mud 
waUs  with  two  square  holes  to  admit  the  light,  a 
roof  of  crooked  poles  thatched  with  rushes^  and  a 
door  of  wicker  work,  form  the  habitation  of  many 

VOL.  II.  E 


50  COLONY   OF   THE   CAPE, 

a  grazier  who  owns,  several  thousand  sheep,  arid 
several  hundred  head  of  cattle.  The  fanners  here 
reap  from  twenty-five  to  forty  grains  of  wheat  for 
one,  without  manuring  the  land.  There  are  places 
near  every  house,  fenced  round  with  dead  thorns, 
in  which  the  cattle  are  kept  at  night  to  secure 
them  from  beasts  of  prey ;  and  in  these  I  have 
seen  their  dung  lying  twelve  feet  deep,  it  being 
less  trouble  to  leave  it  where  it  falls  than  to  lay  it 
on  the  cultivated  ground.  The  .Dutch  call  these 
inclosures  kraals.  This  word  signifies  a  necklace 
of  beads,  and  was  probably  applied  by  the  Dutch 
to  the  villages  of  the  Hottentots,  from  the  form  of 
the  huts,  and  the  circular  manner  in  which  they 
were  placed.  As  the  inner  part  of  this  circle  was 
the  nightly  inclosure  for  the  cattle,  the  name 
was  transferred  to  other  inclosures  for  the  same 
purpose. 

The  vale  through  which  the  Zwaart  Kops  river 
Tims  is  about  twenty  miles  in  length,  and  two  in 
breadth,  and  is  wholly  occupied  by  four  families. 

From  Zvvaait  Kops  bay  I  proceeded  to  the  east- 
ward, and  having  crossed  the  Sondag  or  Sunday 
river,  I  passed  over  a  wild,  uninhabited  part  qf  the 
country,  covered  with  shrubs,  through  which  was 
cut  a  road  just  wide  enough  to  admit  a  waggon. 
Near  the  Hassagay  bosch  river  stood  the  second 
habitation  we  had  seen  from  Zwaart  Kops  bay,  and 
I  was  told  there  was  no  other  to  the  eastward. 
This  district  is  called  the  Zuure  Veldt  (Sour  Field). 

Having  crossed  the  Hassagay  bosch  river,  we 
approached  some  stations  of  Caffers,  and  I  pitched 
n)y  tent  among  some  hundreds  of  them,  who  came 
swarming  out  of  the  thicket  that  skirted  the  river. 
A  party  of  women  advanced,  laughing  and  dancing 


GAFFERS.  51 

round  the  waggons,  and  coaxing  us  to  give  them 
brass  buttons  and  tobacco.  They  were  mostly  of 
a  low  stature  and  strong  limbed ;  their  counte- 
nances animated  and  good  humoured  ;  and  their 
manners  sportive,  but  modest. 

The  men  were  the  finest  figures  I  ever  beheld, 
tall,  robust,  and  muscular.  One  of  them,  a  young 
man  about  twenty  years  of  age,  might  have  served 
for  a  model  of  Hercules.  They  had  a  firmness  of 
carriage,  an  openness  of  manner,  and  a  look  of  good 
humour,  that  pronounced  them  equally  free  from 
fear,  suspicion,  and  cruelty. 

Towards  the  setting  of  the  sun,  a  kind  of 
whistle  from  the  CafFers  brought  in  vast  herds  of 
cattle  from  every  quarter.  At  another  whistle 
the  cows  separated  themselves  from  the  rest,  and 
came  forward  to  be  milked  ;  and  in  the  morning  a 
third  signal  sent  them  all  out  to  graze. 

In  the  morning  I  was  visited  by  a  Caffer  chief, 
a  strong  muscular  man  above  six  feet  high.  This 
chief  was  followed  by  three  others  ;  and  I  under- 
stood that  they  had  pissed  the  Great  Fhh  river,  the 
boundary  between  their  country  and  the  colony, 
without  the  permission  of  their  king.  When  they 
found  that  I  intended  to  visit  this  sovereign,  they 
intreated  me  to  intercede  for  tliem,  and  promised 
that,  on  a  messenger  of  peace  being  sent  to  them, 
they  would  return.  Such  ti  messenger  is  known 
by  his  laying  his  hassagay  on  the  ground,  at  the 
distance  of  two  hundred  paces  from  those  to  whom 
he  is  sent,  and  advancing  with  extended  arms. 

The  chiefs  were  distinguished  by  a  slender 
brass  chain,  suspended  from  tlie  left  side  of  a 
wreath  of  smaU  polished  copper  beads,  that  en- 
circled the  head.'    The  rest  of  their  dress  was  the 

e2 


SS  ,       COi-OHY    OF   THE   CAPE, 

same  as  that  of  the  other  Cafiers  who  were  dressed 
at  all ;  a  long  cloak  of  calves-skin,  well  dressed, 
and  pliant,  broad  rings  of  ivory,  cut  out  of  the 
solid  tusks  of  the  elephant,  above  the  elbow, 
rings  of  copper  and  iron  on  the  wrists  and  ancles, 
and  glass  beads  round  the  neck« 

The  huts  of  these  people  were  temporary 
abodes,  formed  of  living  twigs  in  the  thicket,  bent 
and  interwoven  with  each  other,  and  covered  with 
branches  and  long  grass.  Not  one  was  visible  till 
we  entered  the  shrubbery. 

On  the  following  day  we  skirted  the  banks  of 
the  Kareeko  towards  the  sea-shore,  passing  multi- 
tudes of  Caffers  and  their  herds.  I  believe  we  did 
not  see  fewer  this  day  than  5,000  head  of  cattle. 
Among  these  were  oxen  of  remarkable  size  and 
strength,  and  cows  of  great  beauty.  The  horns 
of  the  oxen  were  twisted  into  a  variety  of  forms. 
The  points  of  some  met  under  the  neck  ;  those  of 
others  projected  horizontally  on  each  side  of  the 
head ;  some  had  one  horn  raised  up  perpendicu- 
larly, and  the  other  pointing  to  the  earth;  and 
others  were  turned  toward*  the.  tail.  Some  oxen 
had  large  circular  pieces  cut  out  of  the  dewlap  j 
others  had  i4?cut  into  strings. 

The  love  of  ornament  produces  strange  vaga- 
ries. In  many  countries  man  punctures  his  skin  ;. 
in  some  woman  perforates  her  nose  \  and  in  our*s 
her  ears.  Man  has  formerly  added  the  hair  of 
other  men  to  his  own  ;  .has  loaded  them  both  with 
the  flour  that  should  have  made  his  pancakes,  and 
the  lard  that  should  have  fried  them,  has  tied  the 
mass  so  as  to  imitate  the  tail  of  a  quadruped,  and 
suflTered  it  to  hang  down  his  back.  Can  we  then 
wonder  that  he  should  desire  to  improve  his  oxen  ? 


€AFFfiR8.  £S 

The  inverted  horns,  and  fringed  and  scalloped 
dewlaps  of  these  animals,  gave  me  some  uneasi- 
ness, as  I  imagined  that  these  iioprovements 
could  not  have  been  made  without  inflicting  pain ; 
but  a  little  reflection  convinced  me  that  it  was 
friendship  on  the  part  of  the  Caffers  ;  and  that  if 
they  had  not  regarded  the  oxen  with  kindness, 
they  would  not  have  taken  the  trouble  to  orna- 
ment their  persons. 

I  had  quitted  the  common  track  at  the  Hassa- 
gay  bosch  river,  for  the  purpose  of  seeing  the  Gaf- 
fers, and  I  had  travelled  over  the  grassy  plains  of 
the  Zuure  Veldt  with  little  difficulty  ;  but  we  had 
now  to  cross  the  river  Kowie,  and  ^to  descend  to  it 
by  &  steep  precipice,  strewn  over  with  fragments 
of  rock,  and  in  some  places  covered  with  brush- 
wood through  which  we  had  to  cut  our  way. 
Waggons  are  bad  travellers  on  such  a  road ;  but 
in  two  hours,  with  the  assistance  of  care  and  pa- 
tience, we  left  it  behind  us,  and  passed  along  a 
narrow  defile,  sometimes  hemmed  in  by  woods 
which  crept  up  the  sides  of  the  mountains,  at 
others,  by  walls  of  naked  rock.  .  The  sufferings  of 
my  oxen  had  been  great  in  the  descent :  I  spare 
myself  the  recital  of  those  they  endured  in  mount* 
ing  the  opposite  hill,  and  the  means  that  were  em- 
ployed to*  compel  them  to  perform  that  labour. 

Being  now  only  five  days' journey  from  the  resi- 
dence of  the  Caffer  king,  I  sent  to  ask  his  permis- 
sion to  pay  my  respects  toitim. 

On  the  following  day,  observing  near  the  coast 
a  long  train  of  fires,  and  supposing  them  to  pro- 
ceed from  a  party  of  Cafiers,  we  turned  out  of  our 
way,  and  made  towards  them.  The  smoke  ad- 
vanced ;  the  wind  increased ;  and  we  found  ohr- 


54  GREAT   FISH   RIVER. 

selves  in.  a  bla^e  of  burning  grass.  The  smoke 
was  suffocating ;  the  flames  rose  up  on  each  side 
of  the  waggons  ;  the  feet  of  the  oxen  were  biu'nt, 
and  th^y  became  unmanageable,  and  galloped  off. 
Either  by  sagacity  or  chance>  however^  they  had 
set  their  heads  against  the  wind,  and  they  soon 
got  through  the  danger.  The  flames  ran  along 
the  dry  grass  with  incredible  celerity,  and  the 
face  of  the  country,  for  several  miles,  was  a  sheet 
of  fire.  We  passed  over  a  considerable  extent  of 
ground  among  black  ashes,  and  soon  after  reached 
the  mouth  of  the  Great  Fish  river.  The  banks 
descended  with  a  fine  smooth  slope  from  the  ele- 
vated  plains  on  either  side,  and  were  covered  with 
grass  to  the  water's  edge.  ' 

The  mouth  of  the  Great  Fish  river  is  in  latitude 
.38»  25^  south,  and  in  longitude  2?°  37'  east.  The 
distance  from  the  Cape  is  about  six  hundred 
miles. 

Numbers  of  hippopotami  appeared  with  their 
heads  above  the  water  ;  and  being  desirous  of 
having  a  nearer  view  of  this  animal,  1  set  out  the 
next  morning  to  hunt.  We  soon  discovered  the 
recent  track  of  a  hippopotamus,  and  followed  it 
to  the  place  where  it  had  entered  the  water.  It 
quickly  appeared,  but  it  had  reached  the  opposite 
shore.  Two  of  ^ly  Jlottentots  swam,  over,  to 
force  it  nearer  to  us  ;  but  it  plunged  so  oflen  and 
so  quickly,  that  it  was  never  in  the  spot  we  ex- 
pected it,  and  we  fired  thirty  shots  without  touch- 
ing it.  At  length  a  shot  was  so  well  directed  that 
the  hippopotamus  received  it.  It  immediately 
dived,  and  soon  after  appeared  with  the  greater 
part  of  its  body,  which  was  agitated  by  a  convul- 
sive motion,  out  of  the  water.   I  fired,  and  lodged 


GREAT   PISH    RIVEK.  55  . 

my  ball  in  its  breast  It  plunged  again,  and  did 
not  appear  till  the  expiration  of  twenty-seven  mi- 
nutes, when  it  floated,  dead,  on  the  surface  of  the 
\rater.  Some  of  my  Hottentots  then  swam  to  it, 
and  pushed  it  to  the  bank. 

I  do  not  love  to  be  the  minister  of  death  wan- 
tonly ;  and  with  regard  to  myself,  as  I  was  excited 
by  curiosity,  not  by  hunger^  I  think  the  hippopo- 
tamus had  as  good  a  right  to  live  as  I.  With  my 
Hottentots  the  case  was  different ;  to  them  the 
hippopotamus  was  a  feast.  I  saw  them  broil 
steaks  two  or  three  feet  in  length,  and  a  foot  in 
l>readth.  They  melted  the  fat,  and  drank  it  from 
basons  as  if  it  had  been  broth  ;  and  having  satiated 
their  appetites,  they  rubbed  it  on  their  skins,  till 
they  looked  as  if  they  had  been  varnished. 

From  the  muzzle  to  the  root  of  the  tail,  the  hip- 
popotamus was  ten  feet  seven  inches,  and  the  body 
was  eight  feet  eleven  inches  in  circumference.  It 
was  a  female,  and  its  teeth  were  only  five  inches 
long,  and  one  inch  in  diameter  in.the  thickest  part. 

1  found  here  three  differenc  kinds  of  the  bird 
called  indicator,  on  account  of  its  indicating  where 
honey  may  be  found.  Having  discovered  a  nest, 
it  attracts  the  notice  of  some  individual  by  a  par- 
ticular cry^  which  the  Hottentots  well  understand, 
and  then  hopping  from  branch  to  branch,  or  from 
ant-hill  to  ant-hill,  it.  leads  the  way  to  the  prize. 
When  the  bird  arrives  at  the  honey,  it  stops,  and 
the  cry  ceases  ;  the  treasure  is  plundered,  and  the 
discoverer  feasts  upon  the  remains.  The  skin  of 
this  bird  is  so  thick  that  it  can  scarcely  be^ pene- 
trated by  a  pin  ;  a  shield  given  it  by  providence 
to  protect  it  from  the  weapons  of  the  insects  on  the 
produce  of  whose  industry  it  subsists. 


.56  GREAT   FISH   RIYER, 

All  the  chasms  that  intersect  this  part  of  the 
country,  all  the  sides  of  the  knolls  and  banks  of 
the  rivers,  are  covered  with  wood.  Among  this 
was  the  euphorbia,  throwing  out  a  number  of 
naked  arms  from  ^  straight  trunk  thirty  or  forty 
feet  high ;  the  CaflTer's  bean  tree,  with  large  clus? 
ters  of  red  flowers  resembKng  branches  of  red  co-r 
ral ;  the  Hottentot  s  bean,  with  bunches  of  scar- 
let flowers  intermingled  with  its  dark  green  folir 
8ge.  Touracoes,  perroquets,  and  other  beautiful 
birds  were  fluttering  about  the  trees,  and  the  plains 
were  besprinkled  with  elegant  flowers.  The  tou*- 
raco  is  the  finest  of  all  birds.  Its  colour  is  ^ 
bright  grass  green ;  its  head  is  crowned  with  a 
tuft  of  the  same  colour  bordered  with  white ;  its 
wings  are  of  a  most  beautiful  purple ;  its  form  and 
its  motions  are  elegant. 

Having  skirted  the  banks  of  the  Great  Fish 
river,,  we  came  to  the  first  ford.  The  following 
day  we  passed  the  river,  though  not  without  diffi^ 
culty,  the  banks  being  high  and  steep^  the  stream 
riq[)id,  the  water  deep,  and  the  bottom  rocky.  We 
poyr  entered  the  country  of  the  Caffers. 


ri 


CHAPTER   V. 

COUNTRY  OF  THE  CAFFERS. 

1  HOUGH  no  part  of  the  colony  that  I  had  seen 
could  be  compared  with  that  I  passed  through 
during  the  two  first  days  I  travelled  in  Caflferland, 
which  is  comprehended  between  the  Great  Fish 
river  and  the  river  Keiskamma ;  though  we  passed 
several  villages  composed  of  neat  huts,  we  saw 
not  a  human  being.  At  this  river  I  met  the  mes- 
senger I  had  sent  to  the  king,  accompanied  by  a 
chief  who  was  dispatched  to  invite  and  attend  me 
to  his  residence. 

The  Keiskamma  is  a  large  river ;  and  leaving 
my  waggons  behind  me,  I  crossed  it,  and  pro- 
ceeded on  horseback.  The  village  where  the  king 
now  resided  was  only  fifteen  miles  distant ;  but 
the  hills  were  covered  with  thick  underwood,  and 
on  the  plains  were  so  many  scattered  acacia  treejs, 
just  distant  enough  for  their  thorny  branches  to 
meet  and  annoy  the  traveller,  that  we  were  conti- 
nually obliged  to  quit  the  road,  which  was  never 
more  than  a  foot  path.  We  passed  a  number  of 
villages,  containing  from  ten  to  thirty  huts  each  ; 
some  deserted  ;  others  very  populous.  A  crowd 
of  people,  men  and  women,  flocked  down  on  every 
side  and  followed  us. 

On  arriving  at  the  king's  residence,  we  found 
that,  not  expecting  us  so  soon,  he  had  gone  to  his 
gazing  village,  ten  or  twelve  miles  to  the  north- 


58  CAFFERLAKD. 

ward.  It  was  not  long,  however,  before  he  made 
his  appearance,  riding  on  an  ox  in  full  gallop,  and 
attended  by  five  or  six  of  his  people. 

Gaika,  king  of  the  Caffer^,  was  a  young  m^n, 
five  feet  ten  inclies  high.  His  form  was  elegant, 
his  eyes  animated,  his  teeth  beautiful,  his  counte- 
nance open,  and  his  deportment  graceful  and  manly- 
He  seemed  to  possess  a  clear  head  and  a  solid  un- 
derstanding. To  every  question  I  asked  relating  to 
the  manners  and  customs  of  his  people  his  answers 
were  unequivocal  and  unreserved.  Like  the  chiefs 
I  had  seen  in  the  colony,  Gaika  wore  a  brass  chain 
suspended  from  a  wreath  of  copper.  He  had  on 
his  arm  five  large  rings  cut  out  of  the  solid  tusk 
of  the  elephant,  and  his  cloak  was  faced  with  the 
skins  of  leopards  ;  but  he  threw  his  dress  aside, 
and,  like  his  people,  appeared  intirely  naked. 

Gaika  had  but  one  wife,  a  very  pretty  Cafier 
girl  of  fifteen,  who  had  brought  him  a  daughter. 
His  mother  was  a  well-looking  woman  ;  and  both 
were  lively  and  good  humoured. 

The  mother  of  Gaika  was  a  princess  of  Tamboo- 
kie,  and  she  had  procured  for  her  son  the  sove- 
reignty of  that  kingdom  in  addition  to  his  former 
dominions.  The  government  was  now  adminis- 
tered by  a  viceroy  appointed  by  him.  Gaika 
always  treated  his  mother  with  the  most  profound 
respect^  and  even  now  she  exercised  a  kind  of 
authority  over  him.  An  injury  had  been  done  to 
a  woms^n  of  distinction,  but  she  was  not  able  to 
point  out  the  offender,  and  a  number  of  persons 
were  summoned  to  appear  before  the  king.  As 
soon  as  th^  queen  mother  heard  the  nature  of  the 
complaint,  she  commanded  her  son  to  stand  forth 
in  the  midst  ol'  the  circle,  as  he,  with  the  othersi 


CAFFERLAND.  59 

Was  upon  the  spot  where  the  affair  happened  ;  and 
seating  herself  in  his  place,  she  required  him  to 
take  an  oath  that  he  was  innocent.  She  then  re- 
signed his  place  to  him,  and  permitted  him  to  pro- 
ceed with  the  investigation.  Gaika  highly  com- 
mended the  wisdom  displayed  by  his  mother. 

I  informed  the  king  that  the  emigrant  chiefs  had 
manifested  a  desire  to  return  to  their  country.  He 
said  that  thety  were  chiefs,  as  well  as  himself,  and 
independent  of  him,  though  his  ancestors  had 
always  held  the  first  rank  ;  that  all  the  chiefs 
and  people  who  had  at  any  time  chosen  to  place 
themselves  under  the  protection  of  his  family,  had 
been  kindly  received,  and  those  who  chose  to  re- 
main independent  had  been  permitted  to  do  so, 
without  being  considered  as  enemies.  He'  also 
said  that  the  people  of  the  seceding  chiefs  had 
committed  great  depredations  on  the  cattle  of  his 
subjects  ;  and  that  when  he  sent,  in  a  civil  man- 
ner, to  enquire  if  any,  by  chance,  had  strayed  into 
their  territories,  he  found,  to  his  great  surprise, 
thp^t  they  had  quitted  the  country.  He  added 
that  he  had  more  than  once  sent  them  proffers  of 
friendship ;  but  that  they  had  detained,  and,  as 
he  supposed,  put  to  death  his  messengers;  and 
still,  that  he  might  afford  them  jio  pretence  for 
commencing  hostilities,  he  had  strictly  forbidden 
any  of  his  subjects  to  pass  the  Keiskamma. 

Who  would  have  sought  for  justice  and  modera- 
tion at  a  king  of  the  Caffers  ?  yet,  among  all  the 
potentates  of  the  civilized  world,  with  whom  could 
they  have  been  found  in  greater  perfection !  The 
respective  merits  of  the  Caffers  anjl  the  Dutch 
farmers  will  appear  from  the  following  facts. 

^  vessel  was  wrecked  on  the  coast  between  the 


€0  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

Bosjesman  and  the  Sondag  rivers.  The  farmers 
from  Lange  Kloof  to  the  Great  Fish  River,  flocked 
to  the  wreck  for  plunder ;  and  the  only  man  who 
was  anxious  to  secure  some  property  for  the  cap- 
tain and  officers  had  his  brains  dashed  out,  with 
an  iron  bolt,  by  one  of  his  neighbours. 

A  ship  was  stranded  on  the  coast  of  Cafferland, 
between  the  mouths  of  the  Keiskamma  and  the 
fieeka.  The  crew  got  on  shore,  and  were  imme- 
diately surrounded  by  CafFers.  Instead  of  being 
eaten  by  the  savages,  as  they  might  probably  have 
expected,  an  ox  was  given  them  to  eat.  Their 
metal  buttons  only  were  detained ;'  their  persons, 
and  the  rest  of  their  property,  were  conveyed  to 
the  nearest  habitations  of  the  colony ;  where  ^the 
sum  of  nineteen  shillings  and  sixpence  for  the  cap- 
tain, and  the  same  sum  for  the  whole  crew,  con- 
sisting of  aBout  sixty  persons,  was  demanded  by 
the  Caffers  for  their  trouble. 

My  present  to  the  Caffer  king  consisted  of  brass 
wire,  sheets  of  copper,  knives,  glass  beads,  and 
looking-glasses  ;  and  I  presented  articles  of  the 
same  kind  to  his  mother.  I  was  sorry  I  had  not 
substituted  buttons  for  looking-glasses  ;  believing 
that  a  woman,  and  even  a  man,  might  take  a 
greater  pleasure  in  displaying  finery  to  others, 
than  in  surveying  it  on  her,  or  his,  own  person. 

The  village  at  which  the  king  now  lived  was  a 
temporary  residence,  consisting  of  about  forty  or 
fifty  huts. 

The  Coffers,  as  they  are  called,  are  taller, 
stronger,  and  have  limbs  better  proportioned  than 
the  other  natives  of  Africa.  They  have  the  high 
forehead  and  prominent  nose  of  Europeans,  the 
thick  lips  of  Negroes,  and  the  high  cheek  bones  of 
Hottentots.     Their  colour  is  brown  ;  but  they  rub 


CAFFERS.  61 

themsdves  with  grease,  mixed  with  some  mineral 
substance,  such  as  iron  ochre,  iron  rust,  or  mica, 
which  gives  it  the  appearance  of  bronze.  Their 
beards  are  black,  and  much  fuller  than  those  of 
the  Hottentots.  But  Caffer  is  a  word  not  one  of 
these  people  could  pronounce.  It  is  the  Arabic 
term  for  infidel,  or  unbeliever,  and  was  probably 
given  them  by  the  Arabs.  They  call  themselves 
Koussie.  Their  language  is  full-toned,  soft,  and 
harmonious;  their  pronunciation  slow  and  distinct* 
A  few  persons  of  both  sexes  are  tattoed  on  the 
breast,  back,  and  arms.  The  men  wear  a  strip  of 
white  leather,*  orjiamented  )vith  beads  or  thin 
plates  of  copper,  round  the  head,  with  a  knot  of 
zebra's,  or  jackal's  hair  standing  upright.  The 
head-dress  of  the  women  is  a  piece  of  fine  thin 
leather  about  two  ells  long,  and  in  the  middle 
half  an  ell  wide,  the  ends  finishing  in  a  point* 
This  is  either  wrapped  round  the  head  like  a  tur- 
ban, or  sewed  to  a  cap,  from  which  the  ends  hang 
down  on  each  side.  In  the  centre  is  always  placed 
a  tufl  of  beads,  or  of  strips  of  leather  ornamented 
with  small  bits  of  copper.  Necklaces,  of  beads, 
little  red  stones,  muscle-shells,  small  chains  of 
metal,  and  even  bits  of  wood,  are  worn  both  hy 
men  and  women,  and  hang  down  to  the  breast. 
The  fashionable  beads  at  present  were  a  small  sort, 
procured  from  the  Hambonaas,  who  probably  got 
them  from  the  Portuguese  on  the  eastern  coast. 
'fh^e  were  so  highly  esteemed  that  a  cow  and 
calf  were  given  for  two  strings.  The  Koussas  be* 
lieve  that  these  beads  spring  out  of  the  earth  like 
worms,  and  are  caught  by  the  Hambonaas. 
Stringi^  of  beads,  five  or  six  inches  in  length,  are 
also  worn  in  the  ear,  as  are  buttons  and  rings  of 
copper. 


62  SOUTHERN    AFRICA. 

Bracelets  of  solid  ivory,  cut  out  of  the  tusk  of 
the  elephant,  are  worn  by  the  men  on  the  upper 
part  of  the  left  arm,  sometimes  to  the  number  of 
ten..  These  are  the  gift  of  the  king,  and  are  a 
token  of  favour.  Copper  and  iron  bracelets  are 
worn  below  the  elbow.  A  leathern  girdle  is  worn 
round  the  waist ;  but  it  is  so  covered  with  plates 
of  copper  or  iron  that  the  leather  cannot  be  seen. 
Females  wear  from  their  birth  an  apron  of  leather; 
and  sometimes  several  of  these  aprons,  of  different 
sizes,  are  worn  one  over  another,  the  outermost  of 
which  is  richly  ornamented  with  buttons  and 
beads.  Rings  of  copper  and  iron  wire  are'^wdrn 
on  the  fingers,  and  even  on  the  great,  toe.  The 
men  generally  fasten  to  one  knee  a  large  bunch  of 
the  lion*s  mane  or  tail,  or  the  hair  of  a  quaka, 
which  hangs  down  nearly  to  the  ancle.  Their 
calves'-skin  cloaks  are  long ;  the  skins  are  neatly 
dressed,  and  sewed  together  with  a  bodkin  of  po- 
lished iron,  and  a  thread  made  of  the  tendons  of 
animals.  A  gijl  must  earn  her  first  mantle  by 
going  out  on  a  hunting  party,  when  she  receives 
from  her  brothers  the  skin  of  an  antelope. 

A  Koussa  is  never  seen  to  sneeze,  yawn,  cough, 
or  hawk. 

The  huts  of  the  Koussas  are  in  the  form  of  a 
Jiemisphere,  from  eight  to  nine  feet  in  diameter, 
and  are  seldom  sufficiently  lofty  to  allow  a  man  to 
stand  upright  in  them.  The  skeleton  is  composed 
of  slender  poles,  stuck  into  the  ground  in  a  circle, 
at  the  distance  of  about  a  foot  from  each  other, 
and  united  together  in  the  centre.  The  spaces 
between  the  poles  are  filled  up  with  faggots,  and 
plastered  with  clay  and  cow-dung ;  the  upper  part 
is  thatched  with  rushes.     The  floor  of  the  hut  is  a 


CAFFERS.  63 

kind  of  plaster  made  of  the  white  ant  heaps,  beaten 
very  smooth  and  hard.  It  is  kept  exceedingly 
clean,  and  is  often  renewed.  The  Caffers  inha- 
biting the  interior  of  the  country,  who  do  not  so 
often  change  their  habitations,  build  their  huts' 
stronger,  and  have  frequently  two,  connected  by 
a  low  passage.  They  sleep  on  rush  mats,  and  are 
covered  with  their  mantles.  To  express  a  married 
man  they  often  say,  "  He  lies  under  two  mantles/ 
The  Caffers  sleep  stietched  out  at  full  length ;  the 
Hottentots  draw  themselves  up  like  a  ball. 

Young  women  are  the  property  of  their  parents, 
^4^re  always  disposed  of  by  sale;  the  consent  of 
the  animal  bartered  fojlows  of  course. .  Polygamy 
is  allowed ;  but,  as  wives  are  an  article  of  pur- 
chase, few  men,  except  the  chiefs,  can  afford  more 
than  one.  From  the  Tambookies,  a  Caffer  nation 
to  the  east,  the  Koussas  procure  iron  and  young 
women,  in  exchange  for  cattle :  of  the  former 
they  make  ornaments  and  hassagays ;  of  the  latter 
wives  J  but  as  Tambookie  wives  are>  a  dearer  arti- 
cle than  those  of  their  own  nation,  few,  except  the 
chiefs,  can  attain  them. 

When  a  young  man  wishes  to  marry,  he  brings 
a  certain  number  of  cows  to  the  parents  of  the 
young  woman  of  his  choice  j  and  if  they  are  not 
satisfied^  be  brings  another  and  another  cow  till 
they  are  so.  The  number  seldom  exceeds  ten, 
unless  the  suitor  be  extremely  rich,  or  the  lady 
uncommonly  handsome.  When  the  cattle  are  ac- 
cepted, a  feast  is  made,  which  lasts  four  days.  On 
the  fourth  of  these,  the  bride,  being  new  dyed  and 
ornamented  by  her  companions,  is  led  by  two  of 
them  before  the  chief,  who  declares  his  formal 
assent  to  the  marriage.  The  woman  gives  her  so- 
lemn assurance  that  she  will  be  a  faithful  and  in- 


64  S0UTH£lt2i   AFRICA. 

dustrious  wife,  and  that  her  husband  shall  never 
have  any  cause  to  complain  of  her.  When  she 
retires,  the  bridegroom  appears,  and  gives  equal 
assurance  that  he  will  be  hospitable  in  the  enter^ 
tainment  of  his  guests,  and  punctual  in  the  pay* 
ment  of  his  tribute  to  the  king,  and  his  represen- 
tative, the  chief  In  the  man's  part  of  the  con- 
tract, no  notice  seems  to  be  taken  of  the  bride ; 
he  merely  takes  an  oath  of  allegiance  in  his  new 
character  of  the  master  of  a  family.  The  bride- 
groom then  returns  to  the  company,  and  his  rela- 
tions present  a  basket  of  milk  to  the  bride,  re- 
minding her  that  it  is  from  the  cows  of  the  bride- 
groom, or  ^is  family.  Of  this  milk  she  is  not  to 
taste  till  now  ;  and,  having  drank  it,  the  union  is 
indissoluble,  all  the  people  dancing,  and  unani- 
mously shouting,  "  she  drinks  the  milk !"  "  she  has 
drank  the  milk !" 

Till  the  birth  of  the  first  child,  the  parents  of 
the  wife  must  not  make  use  of  the  milk  from  the 
cows  they  received  as  her  price;  and  if  she  die 
without  children,  the  cows  must  be  returned. 

Children  crawl  about,  naked,  as  soon  as  they  are 
able  to  crawl,  and  at  six  or  seven  months  old  they 
can  run.  A  cripple,  or  a  deformed  person,  is  ne- 
ver seen.  The  Dutch  imagine  that  all  imperfect 
children  are  strangled  immediately  after  their 
birth ;  but  Gaika's  mother  heard  the  suggestion 
with  horror,  and  assured  me  that  a  woman  who 
could  suffer  such  a  crime  to  be  committed  would 
bft  driven  from  the  society  of  the  rest. 

When  there  is  .more  than  one  wife,  each  has 
generally  a  separate  habitation.  There  are,  how- 
ever, many  instances  where  a  man  has  no  more 
than  two  wives,  of  their  all  living  together  in  the 


CAFFERSi  66 

titiHost  harmony,  the  wives  sharing  equally  the 
household  work,  and,  in  case  of  sickness,  nursing 
each  other.  If  any  misunderstanding  should  arise 
between  them,  the  second  wife  must  leave  the 
house,  and  build  a  separate  hut  for  herself;  the 
husbtmd  would  live  in  peace  with  both,  and  reside 
with  6ach  occasionally. 

A  husband  may,  without  disgrace,  contract  an 
intimacy  with  either  an.  unmarried  woman  or  a 
widow ;  but  if  a  wife  be  detected  in  the  breach  of 
her  marriage  vow,  he  may  put  the  seducer  to  death 
upon  the  spot,  lliis,  however,  he  seldom  does, 
considering  it  more  advantageous  to  bring  the 
sSkir  before  the  chief,  and  share  with  him  the  fine 
imposed  upon  the  offender.  A  young  woman  who 
violates  her  chastity  has  not  much  shame  to  appre- 
hend. If  she  cannot  be  married  to  her  seducer, 
he  pays  a  fine  of  cattle  to  her  parents,  and  the  cir- 
cumstance is  no  obstacle  to  her  marriage  with  ano- 
ther. Notwithstanding  this,  the  Koussa  women 
are  modest  and  decent.  Their  clothing  covers 
the  whole  person,  except  the  face,  arms,  and 
feet ;  they  carefully  avoid  every  unnecessary  ex- 
posure in  suckling  their  children,  and  in  wading 
through  rivers,  and  they  never  appear  before 
strangers  with  their  heads  uncovered.  Women 
do  not  mix  in  public  business;  but  they  have 
almost  the  sole  direction  of  domestic  afiairs ;  and 
even  in  disposing  of  their  common  property,  the 
husband  frequently  recedes  from  a  bargain  because 
his  wife  refuses  to  consent.  A  man  never  minglea 
in  the  quarrels  of  his  wife  while  they  are  confined 
to  words;  if  blows  ensue,  he  steps  forwards  imme- 
diately as  her  protector  and  defender. 

When  a  fiither  is  unable,  on  account  of  age,  to 

VOL.  II.  F 


€6  SaUtHERN   AFRICA. 

conduct  his  own  affairs,  he  gives  up  the  whole  of 
his  property  to  his  sons,  and  experiences  the  great- 
est care  and  kindness  from  them  during  the  re- 
mainder of  his  life«.  There  have  been  instances 
in  which  a  want  of  filial  duty  has  been  punished 
with  infamy  and  banishment.  All  persons  ad- 
vanced in  years  have  particular  respect  paid  them; 
and  if  they  become  sick,  or  helpless,  every  one  is 
eager  to  afford  them  assistance. 

When  a  sick  man  draws  near  his  end,  he  is  car- 
ried to  some  solitary  spot,  under  the  shade  of  a 
tree,  and  attended  only  by  his  nearest  relations. 
When  it  is  evident  that  he  must  die,  he  is  lefl  by 
all  but  his  wife ;  or,  if  the  dying  person  be  a  wo- 
man, she  is  left  by  all  but  her  husband.  The 
relations  stand  at  a  distance,  and  the  remaining 
attendant  shouts,  from  time  to  time,  the  state  of 
the  dying  person,  and  at  last  announces  the  death ; 
they  then  return  home  and  purify  themselves^ 
The  wife  leaves  the  body  to  become  a  prey  to  the 
hyena,  and  taking  a  firebrand  from  the  fire  that 
bad  been  kindled  near  the  dying  man,  she  gpes  to 
some  other  solitary  place,  where  she  makes  a  fire. 
In  the  night  she  goes  secretly  to  the  hut  in  which 
she  had  lived  with  her  husband,  and  burns  it.* 
She  then  returns  to  her  solitude,  where  she  re-- 
mains  alone,  living  upon  roots  and  berries.  When 
the  month  of  her  uncleanness  is  expired,  she 
throws  away  her  garments,  washes  herself,  scratches 
her  breast,  arms,  and  thighs  with  sharp  stones^ 
girds  h£r  body  round  with  rushes  twisted  together^ 
and  at  sun-set  returns  to  the  village.  At  her  de- 
sire, a  firebrand  is  brought  to  the  place  lately  occu-^ 
pied  by  her  hut,  where  she  makes  a  fire.  At  the 
'same  time  she  is  served  with  fresh  milk  to  rince 


CAFF£RS.  67 

her  tnoutb,  and,  having  rinced  it^  she  becomes 
clean.  But*  the  unfortunate  cow  that  furnished 
this  purifying  liquid  becomes,  in  consequence, 
unclean  :  she  is  milked  no  more,  is  neglected,  and 
dies.  The  day  after  this  purification  an  ox  is 
killed  by  the  relations  of  the  widow,  who  eat  the 
flesh  with  her,  and  give  her  the  skin  to  make  her 
a  new  mantle.  With  the  assistance  of  her  sisters 
and  sisters-in-law  she  builds  herself  a  new  hut, 
and  enters  again  into  social  life. 

A  widower  observes  nearly  the  same  ceremo- 
nies, except  that  his  seclusion  lasts  only  half  the 
time.  A  mother  who  has  lost  her  child  is  unclean 
for  two  days.  All  persons  attending  at  the  death 
of  another,  all  persons  returning  from  battle,  are 
unclean ;  and  every  person  in  this  state  is  prohi* 
bited  from  any  intercourse  with  another.  At  the 
end  of  the  appointed  time,  he  is  washed,  fresh 
dyed,  and  his  mouth  rinced  with  milk ;  and  he  is 
then  clean. 

If  death  seize  an  adult  so  suddenly  that  he  can< 
not  be  removed,  the  whole  village  becomes  impure, 
and  is  abandoned  by  its  inhabitants,  the  corpse 
being  left  undisturbed  in  the  hut.  If  a  child  die 
suddenly,  the  hut  alone  becomes  impure,  and  it  is 
closed  up  and  forsaken. 

The  chiefs  and  their  wives,  only,  are  buried, 
and  they  are  deposited  in  their  cattle-folds.  The 
widow  of  a  deceased  chief  bums  all  the  household 
utensils  that  she  and  her  husband  had  used  toge- 
ther; the  place  is  abandoned  by  all  its  inhabitants^, 
and  never  built  on  more.  < 

If  a  lion  appear  in  the  neighbourhood  of  a  vil- 
lage, he  is  surrounded,  and  inclosed  within  a  nar- 
row circle,  where  he  is  harrassed  by  jiassagays  till 

f2 


68  SOUTHERN  AFRICA^ 

he  spring  out  of  his  covert»  and  attack  one  of  the 
hunters.  The  man  falls  on  the  groufid,  covering 
himself  with  his  shield,  when  the  rest  attack  the 
lion,  and  dispatch  hini  with  their  spears.  This  is 
not  always  achieved  without  some  of  them  being 
wounded,  or  even  killed.  The  first  who  receives 
a  ^HTOund  is  regarded  as  a  hero*  He  is  carried  to 
the  village  on  the  shields  of  his  companions,  and 
held  up  to  the  view  of  the  people.  One  of  the 
hunters  steps  forward^  with  Strange  gestures,  and 
makes  a  speech  in  praise  of  the  wounded  man ; 
the  others  remain  a  little  behind,  singing  a  sort  of 
hymn,  and  striking  their  shields  with  their  keeries. 
During  this  time  a  small  hut  is  raised,  at  some 
distance  from  thje  other  dwellings,  in  which  the 
hero  is  shut  up  for  four  days.  He  is  then  purified 
from  blood  in  the  manner  above-mentioned, 
brought  into  the  village  with  great  solemnity,  and 
his  companions  eat  with  him,  as  a  proqf  that  he  is 
clean. 

If  an  elephant  be  killed  after  a  chase,  the  Kous- 
sas  endeavour  to  exculpate  themselves  towards 
the  dead  animal  by  declaring  to  him  that  his  death 
happened  by  accident,  not  by  design.  The  trunk 
is  cut  ofi^,  and  solemnly  interred,  by  way  of  atone* 
ment,  the  assistants  saying  repeatedly,  ^*  the  ele- 
phant is  a  great  lord,  and  the  trunk  is  his  hand.*' 

Premeditated  murder  is  punished  with  instant 
death.  If  a  man  kill  another  in  a  quarrel,  or  by 
accident,  he  makes  a  compensation  to  the  rela*^ 
tions  of  the  deceased.  A  chief  has  no  power  over 
the  lives  of  his  people :  were  he  to  put  one  of  them 
to  death,  he  would  run  the  hazard  of  being  expelled 
by  the  rest. 

The  Koussa  Caflers  are  very  fond  of  their  cat*- 


CAFFERS.  69 

tie.  They  perfectiy  know  every  one  of  these  ani- 
mals,  its  disposition  and  qualities ;  and  it  is  not 
without  reluctance  that  they  either  kill  them,  or 
part  with  them.  They  make  butter  by  shaking 
the  milk  in  leathern  pouches;  but  they  use  it  only 
for  smearing  their  persons. 

No  one  possesses  landed  property;  but  each 
sows  his  com  wherever  be  can  find  a  convenient 
spot.  The  millet  is  deposited  in  pits  in  the  cattler 
ibldy  which  are  carefully  coyered.  When  one  of 
these  stores  is  opened,  the  owper  must  give  eadh 
of  his  neighbours  and  friends  a  little  basket  full  of 
the  grain,  and  to  the  chief  of  the  village  a  larger 
portion.  The  millet  }s  eaten  with  milk,  or  made 
into  a  sort  of  bread  baked  on  the  embers.  A  fer* 
mented  liquor  is  also  made  from  it.  Cattle  are 
only  killed  on  gre^t  occasionsi  one  of  which  is  the 
entertainment  of  strangers;  and  one  of  the  duties 
of  hospitality  to  a  stranger  is  to  ofierhim  a  female 
companion  for  the  night. 

Tlie  Koussas  have  no  knowledge  of  smelting 
iron  from  the  pre,  but  when  it  comes  into  their 
hands  in  a  maljeable  state,  they  shape  it  to  their 
purpose  with'wonderful  dexterity.  Every  man  is 
his  own  artizan,  and,  with  one  piece  of  stone  for 
an  anvil,  and  another  for  a  hammer,  he  will  finish 
a  lapce,  a  chain,  or  a  bead,  that  wo^ld  not  disgrace 
the  ingenious  manufacturers  of  the  town  of  Bir- 
mingham. 

In  their  wars  with  each  other,  all  the  vassal 
chiefs  are  summoned  to  assemble,  with  their  fol- 
lowers,  at  the  habitation  of  the  king.  When  the 
army  is  collectedi  a  number  of  oxen  are  killed,  that 
the  warriors  may  become  strong,  by  eating  their 
I9esh.    The  Mng  presents  the  most  valiant  of  the 


70  SOUTHCRK   AFRICA. 

chiefs  with  plumes  of  feathers  from  the  wings  of 
a  sort  of  crane :  these  are  worn  on  the  head  as  en^ 
signs  of  authority;  and  if  one  of  these  commanders 
were  not  seen  at  the  head  of  his  division,  or  if  one 
of  his  followers  deserted  his  leader,  during  the 
fight,  his  life  would  be  forfeited. 

The  army  is  now  in  motion,  taking  with  it  as 
many  oxen  as  may  be  deemed  necessary  for  its 
support*  When  it  approaches  the  habitation  of 
the  enemy,  notice  is  given  of  the  intended  attack ; 
and  if  the  enemy  declare  that  he  has  not  yet  coU 
lected  his  people,  and  therefore  is  qot  prepared  to 
fight,  the  attacking  army  waits  till  notice  is  re-  ' 
ceived  that  he  is  ready.  The  two  armie§  then, 
raising  a  loud  war*cry,  approach  each  other,  and 
the  battle  begins. 

In  these  fights  among  the  Koussas  the  nuniber 
of  slain  is  not  so  great  as  might  be  imagined. 
The  wound  of  the  hassagay  i9  seldom  mortal.   An^ 
unarmed  enemy  is  never  put  to  death,  and  women 
and  children  are  invariably  spared. 

If  it  were  not  for  my  prejudice  in  favour  of  the 
stratagems  of  war  as  practised  by  European  na- 
tions, I  might  prefer  chivalroifs  generosity  to  cir- 
cumvention and  deceit.  It  is,  however,  probable 
that  the  Koussa  Gaffers  either  have  adopted,  or 
will  adopt,  this  established  practice  of  polished 
people,  in  their  warfare  with  the  colonists  *. 

*  "  In  the  latter  end  of  April  1819,  the  Caffers,  headed  by  some 
English  Serjeants  who  had  deserted,  attacked  Graham's  town  at 
Algoa  baj^  with  a  force  of  7>CkX)  men,  and  were  repulsed  with 
great  slaughter.  Each  man  carried  seven  hassagays,  but  none 
threw  one  till  he  was  sure  of  his  aim>  when  he  would  hit  a  man  at 
the  distance  of  sixty  yards.  When  they  were  about  to  retreat, 
they  threw  them  sdl,  and  then  ran.    It  was  said  they  ran  so 


CAFFERS.    •  71 

The  Koussas  believe  there  is  an  invisible  being 
{bat  sometimes  brings  good,  and  sometimes  evil ; 
that  causes  men  to  die  suddenly,  or  before  they 
come  to  maturity;  that,  raises  the  wind,  and  makes 
the  thunder  and  lightning;  that  leads  the  sun 
across  the  world  in  the  day,  and  the  moon  in  the 
night ;  and  that  made  every  thing  they  cannot  un- 
derstand or  imitate.  This,  though  expressed  in 
Other  words,  is  not  far  distant  from  our  <' Almighty 
Maker  of  heaven  and  earth,  the  sea,  and  all  that 
in  them  is." 

Male  children  are  circumcised;  but  the  Koussas 
give  no  other  reason  for  this  practice  than,  "  it 
was  the  custom  of  our  fathers.** 

On  the  evening  that  I  quitted  the  residence  of 
the  king,  about  a  thousand  persons  were  assembled 
to  see  me.  On  so  great  an  occasion  a  feast  must 
be  made  ;  and  the^  king  ordered  four  oxen  to  be 
killed  and  distributed  among  the  people.  To  me 
he  gave  one  ox,  which  had  been  selected  from  his 
own  herd^  and  with  his  own  hand. 

swiftly  that  a  Gape  horse  could  nut  overtake  them.    They  were 
uncominoiily  handsome  and  well-nude^  and  of  such  a  stature  that, 
compared  with  them,  the  English  were  dwarfs/' — Letter  from  a  - 
BtUuH  Officer  at  the  Cape. 

In  16%  a  treaty  was  concluded  between  t1ie  governor  of  the 
colony  and  Gaika,  by  i^hich  the  latter  ceded  to  the  English  all  the 
territory  between  the  Great  Fish  River  and  the  Keiskaoima. 


7?  80UTHSRN   AFRICA- 


CHAPTER   VI. 

TAMBOOKIfiS  AND   HAMBONAS. 

£1 A  VING  taken  leave  of  Craikat  I  bent  my  course 
southwards,  towards  the  sea,  intending  to  examine 
the  mouth  of  the  Keiskamma ;  and  in  the  evening 
I  pitched  my  tent  in  a  country  so  beautifully  di- 
versified by  woods  ^nd  meadows,  rising  gronqds,^ 
and  scattered  trees,  that  it  had  the  appearance  of 
an  English  park.  By  the  side  of  the  river  stood  a 
number  of  small  villages  and  detached  huts  which . 
no  longer  contained  any  inhabitants.  Stalks  of 
millet  were  still  standing  in  regular  rows,  the  grain 
haying  been  eaten  by  the  birds ;  and  large  water- 
melons had  risen  from  the  seeds  of  others  that  had 
gone  to  decay.  Keeries,  which  are  sticks  with 
each  a  knob  at  the  end,  and  which  serve  for  the 
purposes  of  agriculture  and  war,  and  small  wooden 
spades  were  lying  in  the  gardens. 

The  mouth  of  the  Keiskamma,  which  we  reached 
the  following  day,  is  in  33^  IS'  south  latitude,  and 
28^  6'  east  longitude.  The  river,  near  the  mouth, 
was  about  the  breadth  of  the  Thames  at  WooU 
wich,  and,  apparently,  very  deep. 

From  the  mouth  of  the  Keiskamma  I  pursued 
my  way  to  the  north-east,  at  no  great  distance 
from  the  coast,  and  found  myself  in  the  territory 
of  a  Gafier  chief  called  Sambee.  I  sent  two  of  my 
people  to  this  chief  to  ask  permission  to  trave) 
through  his  pountry,  and  to  beg  that  he  would 


WHITS  RIVBR.  79 

supply  me  with  guides  and  interpreters.  My  mes- 
sengers returned  with  a  very  polite  answer  from 
Samb^se,  who  expressed  his  sorrow  that  he  was 
not  able  to  come  himself  on  account  of  indisposi- 
tion. He  wished  me  a  good  journey;  but  informed 
me,  that  the  country  through  which  I  was  going 
was  dangerous  and  difficult  to  pass.  Above  all, 
he  recommended  it  to  me  to  be  upon  my  guard 
against  Jaccaa,  another  Caffer  chief,  and  his  peo- 
ple, with  whom  he  was  at  war,  and  whom  he  had 
twice  beaten.  Two  guides  accompanied  this 
message. 

.Having  crossed  the  river  Keysana  on  the  third 
day  from  quitting  the  Keiskamma,*  we  arrived  at 
the  foot  of  a  mountain,  and  were  five  hours  in  as- 
cending it.  To  eflfect  our  passage  we  were  obbged 
to  cut  our  way  through  a  large  wood  ;  and  it  was 
not  till  the  following  evening  that  we  reached  the 
bottom  9 

On  the  fifth  day,  having  forded  a  branch  of  the 
Nutkay  or  Black  river,  we  arrived  at  the  land  of 
the  Bosjesmans.  Here,  in  the  cavitiesof  the  rocks, 
we  found  very  natural  resemblances  of  wild  beasts, 
drawn  by  these  people,  and  among  them  the  figure 
of  a  soldier  with  a  grenadier's  cap.  We  this  day 
travelled  ten  hours,  and  saw  two  lions. 

On  the  sixth  day  we  travelled  eight  hours, 
which  brought  us  to  the  banks  of  a  large  river 
called  the  Kamsitkay,  or  White  river,  which  is 
the  largest  river  in  the  land  of  the  Cafiers.  In  the 
course  of  the  day  we  saw  three  Bosjfesmans  who 
were  hunting:  and,  pursuing  them,  my  people 
laid  hold  of  one,  and  brought  him  to  the  camp.  I 
gave  hiin  first  beads,  and  then  tobacco,  and  then 


^4^  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

his  liberty ;  he  promised  to  return,  and  guide  us 
through  his  country ;  but  we  saw  him  no  more. 

Having  crossed  the  White  river,  we  csuae  into 
a  fine  plain,  interspersed  with  thorny  bushes,  and 
abounding  with  game.  Here  we  saw  three  leo- 
pards, and  shot  three  eelands  and  a  bufiklo. 

On  the  twelfth  day  from  the  Keiskamma  we 
came  to  the  river  Somoe,  and  having  crossed  it,, 
and  travelled  five  hours  over  a  beautiful  country, 
we  came  into  the  territory  of  the  Tambookies. 
Here  we  shot  an  elephant,  which  was  a  great  ac- 
quisition to  us  all;  the  flesh  regaling  my  Hotten- 
tots,— ^the  Incited  fat  being  used  in  their  cookery, 
and  applied  to  their  persons,  supplying  my  lamp, 
and  greasing  the  traces  of  my  waggons. 

On  the  sixteenth  day  we  saw  a  lion  and  lioness, 
which  had  killed  a  buffalo ;  and  one  of  my  people 
shot  the  lioness. 

On  the  following  day  we  travelled  only  three 
hours,  being  obliged  to  halt  by  heavy  rain.  It 
fell  abundantly  during  the  night,  and  extiqguished 
our  fires.  A  stormy  night  in  the  wilds  of  Africa  is 
a  scene  of  terror.  The  rain  penetrates  the  tents 
and  mats  :  the  flashes  of  lightning  bestow  a  mo- 
mentary illumination  on  the  most  profound  obscu- 
rity ;  the  bursts  of  thunder  are  re-echoed  by  the. 
hills  or  mountains,  and  the  beasts  of  prey  prowl 
without  being  heard.  Here  we  were  visited  by 
several  of  the  Tambookies,  among  whom  was  a 
great  chief  called  Joobie,  and  another,  subordinate 
to  him,  named  Louve.  I  gave  them  presents,  and 
procured  from  them  three  Tambookies  as  guides. 

On  the  twentieth  day  we  passed  a  river  called 
Nabagana,  and  in  the  course  of  the  journey  we 


BOSJIE   RIVER  7'^ 

saw  a  lion,  the  largest  that  my  most  experienced 
hunters  had  ever  seen.  They  pursued  it ;  but  it 
escaped  among  the  bushes,  and  we  saw  it  no  more. 

On  the  twenty-first  day  of  our  journey  from  the 
Keiskamma,  having  ascended  a  high  hill,  we  saw 
before  us,  at  about  the  distance  of  six  miles,  a 
laige  river  called  Bosjie ;  but  it  was  impossible  to 
approach  it  from  hence,  on  account  of  the  steep- 
ness of  the  descent.  I  remained  in  this  place 
the  whole  of  the  following  day,  while  I  sent  some 
of  my  people  to  discover  the  best  way  to  the 
river.  The  best  was  bad,  and  far  about,  over 
rocky  hills,  and  through  nn(ferwood ;  and  we  did 
not  reach  the  river  till  the  second  evening,  having 
travelled  five  hours  each  day. 

On  the  twenty-fifth  day  we  forded  the  river, 
and  on  the  next  we  passed  over  a  very  steep  moun- 
ain.  In  seven  hours  from  this  we  came  to  a  river 
called  Nooga,  from  the  banks  of  which  we  saw  the 
sea  at  the  distance  of  about  six  miles.  Here  w,e 
met  with  a  horse  that  had  escaped,  seven  years 
before,  from  a  party  that  had  travelled  this  way. 
He  was  wild,  and  on  our  approach  gallopped  into 
a  herd  of  eelands  ;  but  we  pursued  him,  and  at 
length  caught  him,  and  the  next  day  he  was  dq- 
cile,  and  suffered  himself  to  be  mounted. 

On  the  twenty-ninth  day  we  arrived  at  the 
river  Tuthaa,  where  we  were  visited  by  two  of  the 
Tambookies.  Their  appearance  was  unexpected  ; 
as  during  the  last  eleven  days  we'  had  not  met 
with  a  human  being,  Gagabee  Camboesa,  the  fa-t 
ther  of  iS^mbee,  having  depopulated  this  tract  of 
country  by  driving  the  inhabitants  and  their  ca^t- 
tle  into  his  own.    The  few  remaining  people  had 


76  SOUTHERN  AFRICA. 

hidden  themselves  in  woods  and  caves,  and  lived 
chiefly  by  hunting. 

On  the  thirty.first  day  we  arrived  at  the  banks 
of  the  river  Taana,  and  thence,  pursuing  our 
way  through  the  woods,  we  came  on  the  third  day 
to  the  top  of  an  eminence,  from  which  we  saw 
several  villages  of  the  Hambonas.  These  are  a 
different  people  from  the  Caffers,  having  a  yellow* 
ish  complexion,  and  long  coarse  hair,  which  is 
frizzed  in  the  form  of  a  turban*  I  dispatched  four 
of  my  people  with  a  present,  consisting  of  beads 
and  a  sheet  o£  copper,  to  the  chief;  and  five  of 
the  Hambonas  returned  with  my  messengers. 
These  people  said,  that  subject  to  their  chief  was 
a  village  of  bastard  Christians,  who  were  descended 
from  people  formerly  shipwrecked  on  their  coast, 
'  and  that  three  old  white  women,  who  had  been  the 
wives  o£  a  Hambona  chief,  were  still  living. 

On  the  following  day  we  reached  the  village, 
and  found  its  inhabitants  composed  of  the  descend-^ 
ants  of  the  Whites  and  Hambonas,  people  of  a 
mixed  colour  ;  we  also  saw  the  three  old  women, 
who  said  that  they  were  sisters,  and  that  they  had 
been  shipwrecked  on  this  coast ;  but  they  were  then 
too  young  to  know  to  what  nation  they  belonged. 
I  offered  to  take  them  and  their  children  with  me 
to  the  Cape,  V)n  my  return,  which  afforded  them 
great  satisfaction.  This  village  is  situated  on  the 
banks  of  the  Little  Mogasie  river,  and  has  large 
gardens  planted  with  millet,  maize,  sugar-canes, 
poj;atoes,  and  many  other  vegetables.  The  people 
had  also  some  cattle.  Beyond  the  village  we  crossed 
the  Great  Mogasie  river,  near  which  is  the  resi<r 
dence  of  Camboesa^  a  great  Hambona  chief, 


HAMBOKAS.  77 

On  the  next  day,  the  thirty-seventh,  from  the 
Keiskamma,  we  arrived  at  the  banks  of  the  Sea 
Cow  river,  which  we  forded  with  difficulty.  Here 
the  natives  brought  some  gold  and  silver  to  ex- 
change for  red  beads,  ancl  copper  articles,  of  which 
they  seemed  excessively  fond. 

The  second  river  from  hence  was  the  Tanwoeta, 
which  was  so  high  that  we  were  obliged  to  wait  a 
whole  day  before  we  could  pass  it.  In  three  hours 
after  we  had  passed,  we  arrived  at  a  wood  through 
which  we  had  to  cut  our  way  ;  and  in  two  hours 
more  at  another. 

On  the  forty-fifth  day  we  crossed  a' river  called 
Bogasie,  at  the  mouth  of  which  We  shot  two  hip- 
popotami. Here  the  natives  brought  us  potatoes, 
sugar-canes^  com,  and  beans,  gold  and  silver,  in 
exchange  for  beads. 

We  now  came  to  a  rocky  hill,  that  we  could  not 
pass  without  great  danger  and  difficulty.  Here  I 
left  the  waggons,  and  ascended  on  horseback ; 
then  dismounting)  I  led  my  horse  down  the  preci- 
pice, and  through  as  river,  the  bed  of  which  was 
full  of  holes  and  rocks.  iFrom  this  rfver  I  pro- 
ceeded about  six  miles,  which  brought  me  to  the 
coast ;  and  in  this  space  I  passed  seven  rivers /or 
which  I  had  no  name. 

At  this  place,  I  understood  from  the  natives, 
that  the  bay  of  de  PAgoa  which  I  had  visited  be- 
fore, was  only^four  days*  journey,  or  from  120  to 
1^0  miles  to  the  northward.  This  is  a  space 
easily  travelled  over  in  imagination.  It  may  also 
be  said  that  such  a  space  was  a  trifle  to  me,  who 
bad  already  accomplished  a  journey  so  much 
longer.  But  that  was  the  precise  reason  that  I 
was  not  able  to  undertake  thi«.     There  is  a  point 


78  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

at  which  every  man  must  stop,  and  having  done 
his  utmost,  he  can  do  no  more.  Several  of  my 
draught  oxen  had  died,  and  many  of  those  that 
remained  were  in  a  sickly  condition  ;  I  had  tra- 
velled 197  hours  from  the  Keiskamma,  and  I  had 
to  return  to  it  j  I  therefore  rode  back  to  my 
waggons. 

From  the  place  where  my  waggons  had  halted  I 
proceeded  twelve  hours  on  horseback,  and  at 
night  joined  them  at  the  river  Bogasie,  in  which 
we  found  some  oysters,  and  caught  some  delicious 
fish.  On  .the  evening  of  the  fourth  day  my  sen- 
tinels gave  the  alarm  of  being  watched  by  the 
natives,  and  to  shew  their  bravery  they  fired  their 
pieces  in  the  air.  That  same  day  more  than  two 
hundred  of  the  natives  had  been  with  us,  barter- 
ing gold  and  silver  for  beads  and  copper ;  and  I 
should  have  laughed  at  the  fears  of  my  brave  de- 
fenders, if  I  had  not  been  exasperated  at  their 
firing. 

On  the  ninth  day  we  re-passed  the  Great  and 
Little  Mogasie  rivers,  and  came  to  the  village  of 
the  three  white  women.  I  repeated  my  offer  of 
taking  them  and  their  families  with  me  to  the 
Cape.  They  appeared  extremely  desirous  to  live 
among  Christians,  but  unwilling  to  abandon  their 
growing  crops  ;  they  therefore  begged  me  to  wait 
till  after  the  harvest,  when  they,  with  their  de- 
scendants, to  the  amount  of  four  hundred,  vv'ould 
be  ready  to  attend  me.  It  was  not  convenient  for 
me  to  wait  the  ripening  and  gathering  in  of  the 
grain  ;  so  I  left  the  three  old  women  to  prepare 
for  another  harvest,  and  their  descendants  to  be- 
come, in  time,  Hambonas. 

On  the  eleventh  day,  my  people  caught  a  young 


HUNTING   AN  ELEPHANT.  79 

elephant,  and  tied  it  to  one  of  the  waggons ;  but 
they  were  soon  obliged  to  give  the  animal  its 
liberty ;  as  its  cries  brought  about  us  'such  a  num- 
ber of  elephants,  that  we  were  afraid  of  being 
trodden  to  death.  A  very  large  herd  passed  by 
us  in  the  night. 

Hitherto  we  had  shot  elephants,  and  .my  Hot- 
tentots had  fed  upon  them,  with  impunity.  .  On 
the  fourteenth  day  of  our  return,  a  large  male  ele- 
phant came  up  to  the  waggons.  He  was  instantly 
pursued  and  attacked,  and  after  he  had  received 
several  shots,  and  had  twice  fallen,  he  crept  into 
a  very  thick  underwood.  Thinking  he  was  past 
resistance,  three  of  my  hunters  followed  him  on 
horseback  to  the  edge  of  the  thicket ;  when  he 
rushed  QUt  furiously,  and  seizing  one  of  them  with 
his  trunk,  he  dragged  him  from  his  horse,  tram- 
pled him  to  death,  and  driving  one  of  his  tusks 
through  the  body,  threw  it  into  the  air,  to  the 
distance  of  thirty  feet.  The  other  two  men,  j)er- 
ceiving  it  was  in  vain  to  fly,  dismounted,  and  hid 
themselves  in  the  thicket. 

.  The  elephant  having  nothing  now  in  view  but 
the  horse. whose  rider  he  had  killed,  followed  him 
for  some  time ;  but  coming  to  the  spot  where  the 
dead  body  lay,  he  stopped  and  looked  at  it.  At 
that  instant  we  all  renewed  the  attack,  and  after 
the  animal  had  received  several  more  shots,  he 
again  took  refuge  in  the  thicket. 

We  began  to  dig  a  grave  for  the  unfortunate 
hunter,  when  the  elephant  again  rushed  out, 
drove  us  all,  and  placing  himself  near  the  object 
of  his  victory,  claimed  it  as  his  own.  We  now 
made  a  third  attack  upon  him  ;  and  having  re- 
ceived several  more  bullets,  he  staggered,  fell,  and 


80  SOUTHERN  AFRICA. 

my  Hottentots  dispatched  him  as  he  lay  upon  the 
ground.  The  rage  of  this  animal  is  indescribable. 
Those  among  my  people  who -were  accustomed  to 
elephant  hunting  declared,  that  it  wai^  the  fleetest 
and  roost  furious  they  had  ever  beheld. 

On  the  seventeenth  day  we  arrived,  not  without 
great  difliculty,  at  the  river  Bosjie  ;  the  oxen 
being  so  reduced  in  numbers  and  strength,  that  I 
was  obliged  to  harness  my  horses  to  the  waggons. 
We  passed  this  river  in  a  boat  that  had  been  car- 
ried in  one  of  the  waggons. 

My  oxen  were  now  continually  failing  and 
^y^^S  9  I  therefore  dispatched  a  messenger  to 
Joobie,  the  Tambookie  chief,  to  endeavour  to  pur- 
chase a  supply.*  The  following  day  the  man  re- 
turned with  three,  which,  though  totally  unaccus-. 
tomed  to  the  yoke,  we  were  obliged  t6  harness 
immediately.  From  hence  we  proceeded  by  a 
different  road  from  that  we  had  travelled  before. 
It  was  about  nine  miles  farther  from  the  sea^ 
shorter,  much  more  even,  and  in  every  respect 
better;  and  after  a  journey  of  eight  hours,  we 
crossed  the  river  Nabagana. 

On  the  twenty-fiflh  day  we  proceeded  only  three 
hours,  though  we  had  thrown  away  a  great  part  of 
our  baggage  ;  and  finding  my  oxen  still  incapable 
of  drawing  the  waggons,  I  dispatched  two  Hotten- 
tots on  horseback,  with  orders  to  make  all  possible 
speed  to  the  Bosjesmans'  river,  and  procure  a  num- 
ber of  fresh  ones  from  the  Dutch  farmers^  We 
remained  here  two  days,  shooting  and  eating  . 
eelands  and  hippopotami ;  and  on  the  third  we 
proceeded  slowly  on  our  journey,  and  passed  tin . 
Kamsitkay,  or  White  river. 

On  one  of  the  days  of  halting,  I  sent  out  three 


.     CAFFER    MOUNTAIK.  „  81 

of  my  best  hunters  before  dawn,  and  they  did  not 
return  till  evening.  A  Hottentot  never  delivers 
the  whole  of  his  information  at  once.  If  any 
thing  remarkable  have  happened,hewill  avoid  men- 
tioning it  for  some  days  ;  when  he  does  speak  of 
it,  it  is  indirectly,  arid  ^often  so  late  that  the  only 
effect  it  can  produce  is  vexation  that  it  has  not 
been  told  in  time.  I  asked  my  hunters  several 
times  if  they  had  shot  any  .thing.  At  length  they 
answered,  "  To  be  sure  game  is  very  scarce  in 
this  country.**  By  pursuing  my  enquiries,  I 
learned  by  degrees,  that  they  had  shot  two  rhino- 
ceroses, and  that  they,  had  each  been  killed  with 
a  single  shot.  The  hide  of  these  animals  was 
about  half  an  inch  thick. 

One  of  my  Hottentots,  who  had  been  ordered  to 
join  me  the  next  morning  at  the  body  qf  a  rhinoce- 
ros, chose  rather  to  stay  by  that  of  an  §eland,  and  he 
arrived  a  few  hours  too*  late.  For  this  act  of  dis- 
obedience he  might  have  expected  reproof;  yet 
he  made  hfs  appearance  quite  unconcerned,  hold- 
ing some  pieces  of  honey-comb  in  his  hand.  "  The 
honing  wyzer"  (honey-guide),  said  hq,  "  enticed 
me  quite  away  from  the  place  where  the  rhinoce- 
ros lay,  to  the  place  where  the  honey  lay ;.  but  I 
have  brought  you  a  great  deal  of  honey  to  besmear 
your  mouth  with/*  I  must  own  that  the  honey 
.  sweetened  not  only  my  mouth,  but  the  words  that 
proceeded  from  it. 

On  the  .thirty-third  day  we  crossed  the  Caffer 

mountain,  and^  entered  the  country  of  Sambee. 

Here  I  had  the  satisfaction  of  meeting  my  Hot- 

"tehtots,  witH  a  sufficient  number  of  draught-oxen ; 

and  the  next  day  we  re-passed  the  Keiskamma. 

In  going  from  the  Keiskamma  I  passed  forty;- 

VOL.   H.  •• 


Si  COLONY   OF   TH£   CAPE, 

two  days  in  travelling,  and  six  in  repose ;  in  re- 
turning, I  passed  twenty-nve  days  in  travelling, 
and  ten  in  repose.  The  time  spent  in  actual  tra- 
velling in  going,  was  197  hours ;  that  in  returning 
was  174«  The  medium  of  this  is  186,  and  per- 
haps, if  the  difficulty  of  the  way  be  considered,  not 
more  than  two  miles  can  be  allowed  for  the  hour, 
which  would  make  the  distance  from  the  Keiskam- 
ma  SJi  miles,  and  fron^  the  Cape  about  1050. 


CHAPTER  VIL 


HOTTENTOTS. 


oOON  after  I  had  passed  the  Great  Fish  river 
on  my  mturn  to  the  Cape,*  I  received  a  visit  that 
induces  me  to  go  back  to  the  Hottentots.  And 
here  I  cannot  help  noticing  the  pains  taken  by  one 
traveller  to  invalidate  the  testimony  of  another. 
It  is  my  opinion  that  travellers  speak  only  truth, 
either  as  it  really  is,  or  as  it  appears  to  theqi ;  but 
as  man  is  liable  to  misinformation  and  misconcep- 
tion, his  falling  into  error  is  unavoidable. 

One  circumstance  I  think  has  not  been  suffi- 
ciently attended  to  in  the  case  of  the. Hottentots, 
who  are  rapidly  sinking  under  the  yoke  of  a. set  of 
tyrants ;  I  mean  the  variations  produced  by  time. 
Thus  it  has  been  said  that  the  Hottentots  wore 
the  intestines  of  animals,  and  that  when  they  be- 
came putrid  they  ate  them.  This  was  afterwards 
contradicted  by  a  traveller,  who  affirmed  that  the 
Hottentots  only  wore  rings  of  leather,  and  that 


•  HOTTENTOT*.  •  83^ 

• 

they  only  ate  them  in  cases  of  necessity.  It  is 
now  known  that  the  Hottentots  wear  only  glass 
beads,  and  that  they  do  not  eat  them  at  all.  The 
traveller  who  sees  the  beads  has  as  much  right  to 
accuse  the  traveller  who  saw  the  leather,  as  the 
man  of  leather  had  to  accuse  the  mamof  tripes. 
It  seems  to  me  extremely  probable  that  the  Hot- 
tentots did  wear  the  guts  of  oxen,  as  I  saw  the 
Galla  do  in  'Abyssinia,  and  that  they  might  eat 
them,  as  they  certainly  did  the  leather,  when  other 
provisions  failed. 

The  indignation  of  travellers  has  been  greatly 
excited  by  an'  assertion  of  a  resident  at  the  Cape 
in  the  year  I710.  This  was,  that  the  several  ce- 
remonies of  admitting  a  youth  into  the  society  of 
men,  of  marriage,  of  acknowledging  a  man  a  hero, 
of  investing  hitn  with  the*  property  of  a  deceased 
relation,  were  performed  by  the  priest  sprinkling 
the  expectant  with  a  stream  supposed  to  be  more 
.  salt  than  sweiet.  Not  only  has  the  sprinkling  been 
denied,  but  the  existence  of  the  priest ;  that  is  to 
aay,  seventy  years  after,  when  the  Hottentots  cer- 
tainly had  no  priest,  and  almost  no  governor  of  * 
their  own  nation  *. 

Admitting  then  that  the  author  of  1710  told 
some  truths,  and  believing  it  possible  to  separate 
them  from  some  mistakes,  I  shall  extract  from  his 
tirork  a  few  particulars,  which,  when  compared 
with  those  of  later  periods,  may  form  a  history  of 
the  Hottentots. 

The  Hottentots  were  so  swift  that  they  would 

*  Since  the  above  wa»  written  the  Editor  of  these  Travels  has 
had  the  satisfaction  to  find,  that  the  opinion  of  the  Dutch  Go- 
vernor of  the  Colony  in  1805,  respecting  the  veracity  of  Kolben, 
agreed  with  her  own.  '  • 

6  2         ^ 


84  •  COLONY   OF  THE   CAPE. 

frequently  outstrip  a  horse.  They  would  throw  a 
stone,  and  hit  a  mark  no  larger  than  a  halfpenny 
at  the  distance  of  a  hundred  yards.  With  bows 
and  arrows  they  were  scarely  less  unerring. 

A  Hottentot  ate  when  humour  or  appetite 
called,  without  regard  to  time  ;  in  fine  weather  in 
the  open  air,  in  bad  weather  in  his  hut. 

A  Hottentot  would  sing,  dance,  and  convepse 
with  all  imaginable  gaiety,  for  twenty  hours  toge- 
ther>  with  milk  and  water  ofaly.  I  am  sorry  to 
observe  that  an  Englishman's  gaiety  requires  the 
support  of  stronger' liquors. 

The  leaves  of  a  sweet-scented  spireea  called 
bucha,  dried  in  the  sun  and  beaten  to .  powder, 
for^ned  one  of  the  ornaments  of  the  Hottentots. 
The  men  powdered  their  hair  with  this,  which  is 
of  a  gold  colour,  in  addition  to  the  coat  of  soot 
and  grease,  which  looked  like  a  cap  of  black  mor- 
tar. The  women,  whose  hair  was  hidden  under 
their  caps,  powdered  their  skins ;  and  after  their 
persons  were  well  greased  and  powdered,  to 
heighten  their  beauty  they  painted  their  faces  with 
Ted  ochre.  A  mark  of  distinction  was  a  leathern 
fringe  round  the  cloak,  and  the  chiefs  were  distin- 
guished by  cloaks  of  the  skins  of  leopards  or  pan- 
thers. If  a  Hottentot,  singly,  killed  a  lion,  a  leo- 
pard, or  a  panther,  he  was  regarded  as  a  hero,  and 
he  wore  the  blown  bladder  of  the  animal  in  hi^ 
hair  as  a  proof  of  his  victory. 

Girls  had  their  legs,,  from  the  ancle  to  the  knee, 
bound  with  rushes.  At  twelve  years  of  age,  these 
were  taken  off,  and  rings  of  skin  substituted  in 
their  place,  which  were  increased  from  time  to 
time,  till  some  of  the  women  had  aboye  a  hundred 
of  them,  placed  one  above  another,  on  each  leg. 


HOTTENTOTS.  85 

The  rings  were  nicely  fitted  to  the  leg,  •  and  to 
eaeh  other,  and  in  time  became  as  hard  as  wood, 
and  had  the  appearance  of  pne  piece,  neatly 
turned. 

One  or  two  of  the  wisest  men  in  each  village 
practised  medicine  and  surgery  gratuitously.  If 
the  patient  died,  they  asserted  that  their  remedies 
were  rendered  ineffectual  by  witchcraft,  and  they 
were  !tlways  believed.  At  the  age  of  eighteen  a 
youth  was  introduced  into  the  society  of  men.  A 
man  might  marry  as  many  wives  as  he  could 
maintain.  A  man  might  be  divorced  from  his 
wife,  or  a  woman  from  her  husband,  on  shewing 
such  cause  as  was  satisfactory  to  the  village,  which 
assembled  and  determined  on  the  occasion.  The 
man  might  marry  again  immediately  ;  the  woman 
not  while'  her  former  husband  were  living.  In 
every  country  I  have  visited,  I  find  some  evidence 
that  man,  not  woman,  was  the  maker  of  the  laws. 

The  eldest  son  claimed  the  riches  of  a  de- 
ceased Hottentot,  and  the  daughters  and  younger 
sons  were  his  servants  till  they  married.  No  man 
had  a  hut  of  his  own  till  his  marriage,  when  he  and 
his  bride  jointly  built  one. 

A  rich  Hottentot  killed  an  ox,  and  treated  the 
village,  on  the  death  of  a  relation  whom  he  held 
dear ;  a  poor  one  sh?ived  his  head  in  regular  fiy- 
rows,  the  shaven  lines  and  those  of  hair  being  each 
an  inch  in  breadth.  A  woman,  for  every  marriage 
after  the  first,'  lost  the  joint  of  a  finger,  beginning 
with  one  of  the  little  fingers. 

The  Hottentots  believed  that  God  made  all 
things,  and  never  did  harm  to  any,  and  that  he 
lived  far  above  the  moon.  They  also  believed 
that  there  was  an  evil  being,  the  author  of  all 
mischief,  and  they  wheedled  and  coaxed  him  that 


86  COLONY   OP   THE   CAPE. 

he  might  do  them  no  injury.  They  had  a  great 
veneration  for  a  particular  insect,  which  they  ima^ 
gined  brought  a  blessing  on  the  village  it  appeared 
in  ;  and  they  believed  that  the  destruction  of  their 
cattle  would  ensue  if  they  were  to  kill  it. 

A  village  consisted  of  not  fewer  than  twenty 
hutS)  and  generally  contained  from  three,  to 
four  hundred  persons.  The  huts  were  shaped  like 
the  tilt  of  a  waggon,  and  were  about  fotirteen, 
feet  long,  and  ten  wide,  though  rarely  high 
enough  for  a  Ynan  to  stand  upright  in  the  middle. 
They  were  made  of  a  frame  of  sticks,  covered  with 
mats,  manufactured  by  the  women  :  those  of  the 
^  wealthy  had  an  additional  covering  of  skins,  and 
were  then  impervious  to  the  rain.  The  dwelling 
received  no  light  but  from  the  entrance,  which 
was  in  the  form  of  an  arch,  and  about  *three  feet 
high,  and  two  wide.  This  was  closed  occasionally 
by  a  skin  which  was  fastened  at  the  top,  and  let 
down,  like  a  curtain,  and  if  the  wind  blew  long 
from  that  quarter,  the  skin  was  kept  down  and  a 
temporary  entrance  was  opened  at  the  back  of  the* 
hut.  The  smoak  could  escape  only  at  the  en- 
trance. It  was  insupportable  to  a  European,  buj; 
did  not  disturb  a  Hottentot. 

A  family  in  such  a  hut  generally  consisted  of 
te(i  or  twelve  persons.  Along  the  sides  were  dug 
a  number  of  holes,  each  forming  the  bed  of  a 
single  inhabitant,  who  lay  on  one  of  the  cloaks 
worn  in  the  day,  and  was  covered  with  another. 
In  the  day  both  men  and  women  squatted  on  their 
hams.  The  huts  of  the  wealthy  were  often  hung 
with  beautiful  cloaks,  and  a  variety  of  trinkets  ; 
and  narrow,  dark,  and  filthy,  as  all  of  them  were, 
a  continual  harmony  reigned  in  most  of  them. 
^Vhen  a  quarrel  happened  between  a  Hottentot 


HOTT£NTOTd.  &7 

and  his  wife,  all  the  neighbours  ran  to  the  sup- 
pression of  strife,  as  we  should  do  to  the  extin- 
guishing of  fire,  and  had  no  rest  till  the  difference 
were  amicably  adjusted* 

When  a  Hottentot  died,  the  corpse  was  wrapped 
in  the  cloak  worn  by  the  deceased,  and  carried  out 
of  the  side  of  the  hut,  which  was  opened  for  that 
purpose.  All  the  men  of  the  village,  in  one  com- 
pany, and  all  the  women  in  another,  attended  it  to 
the  grave,  with  lamentable  howling  and  extraordi- 
nary gesticulations. 

On  the  death  of  an  inhabitant,  or  a  scarcity  of 
pasturage,  the  Hottentots  broke,  up  the  yillage  ; 
loaded  the  oxen  with  tlie  materials  and  furniture 
of  their  huts,  and  such  infants  and  aged  persons 
as  were  not  able  to  walk;  and  when  they  had 
fixed  upon  a  place  of  residence,  the  village  ap- 
peared again  in  a  few  hours. 

Every  family  made  its  own  pots.  These  were 
formed  of  ant-hills,  the  eggs  of  ants  being  a  strong 
cement.  They  were  moulded  by  the  hand  into 
the  shape  of  the  urns  in  which  the  Romans  pre- 
served the  ashes  of  the  dead  ;  and  when  worked 
perfectly  smooth,  they  were  first  dried  in  the  sun, 
and  then  baked.  They  were  very  firm,  and  of  a 
jet  black. 

The  huts  of  the  village  were  ranged  close  in  a 
circle,  with  only  one  entrance,  and  that  a  narrow 
one.  In  the  evening  the  sheep  and  cattle  were 
driven  from  their  pastures ;  the  sheep  and  calves 
placed  in  the  circle,  and  the  cattle  tied  without  it, 
with  their  heads  close,  to  the  back  of  the  huts.  If 
a  wild  beast  approached,  the  men  were  soon  in- 
formed of  it  by  the  lowing  and  uneasiness  of  the 
cattle,  and  rushed  out  to  their  deliverance. 


8S  COLOKY   or  THE   CAPS. 

Every  village  was  provided  with  at  least  half  a 
dozen  oxen  which  were  trained  to  guard  the  rest 
of  the  herd.  They,  fed  on  the  outside,  when  in 
the  pasture,  and  ^would  not  suffer  a  stranger  to 
approach  them.  These  oxen  were  employed  in 
their  wars,  and,  forcing  their  way  through  the 
enemy,  they  made  terrible  slaughter. 

There  was  hardly  a  hut  that  hadnot  one  or  two 
dogs  belonging  to  it,  brave,  honest,  faithful  crea- 
tures, which  shared  their  masters'  toils  and  good 
will  in  the  day^  and  guarded  his  cattle  by  night. 
With  a  thousand  good  qualities,  the  form  of  this 
animal  was  such  that  any  but  a  Hottentot  might 
have  been  ashamed  of  him. 

Truth  obliges  me  to  confess,  that  the  author  of 
1710  says,  **  helpless  age  is  thrust  out  of  society, 
.^nd  left  to  perish  alone,  and  female  infants  who 
cannot  be  provided  for  are  deserted."  He  adds, 
that  the  Hottentots  justify  both  these  customs  on 
the  principle  of  humanity,  and  that  they  are  in- 
deed a  humane,  generous,  and  hospitable  people. 
In  the  state,  of  society  in  which  we  live,  no  neces- 
sity can  be  pleaded  in  defence  of  murder ;  but 
there  are  situations  in  a  wandering  uncivilized  life 
where  the  care  of  others  is  impossible.  In  such 
situations  I  have  no.  doubt  that  the  Hottentots 
abandoned  those  they  could  not  save;  and  the 
reason  that  modern  travellers  find  no  such  custom 
is,  that  there  exists  no  such  necessity. 

In  the  year  1772  it  was  said  that  the  way  to  the 
abodes  of  the  Hottentots  was  long,  their  societies 
were  small,  their  way  of  life  was  much  altered,  and 
their  whole  nation  under  great  restraint ;  their 
children,  however,  were  numerous.  The  cere- 
mony of  constituting  a  youth  a  man  was  not 


HOOTTZNTOTS.-  89 

wholly  laid  aside,  and  it  was  actually  performed 
by  besprinkling  him  with  urine.  No  man  was 
permitted  to  eat  of  game  that  had  been  hunted 
and  killed  till  he  were  invested  with  this  dignity. 
Men  never  drank  milk  that  had  been  drawn  by 
women.  Milk  was  kept  in  leathern  sacks,  blad* 
ders  of  animals,  and  baskets  neatly  and  closely 
woven.  The  fresh  milk  was  added  to.  the  remains 
of  the  old,  perhaps  for  three  months  together,  and 
it  was  always  coagulated.  They  detested  salt, 
and  loved  grease  in  the  same  proportion. 

Hottentot  chiefs  wore  cloaks  of  leopard  skins  ; 
and  such  Hottentots  as  had  killed  leopards  or 
panthers- were  entitled  to  wear  their  skins.  Many 
carried  in  their  hand  a  fox's  tail,  with  which  they 
wiped  the  sweat  from  their  brow.  Leathern  rings 
were  still  W9rn  on  the  legs.  They  were  beaten 
till  the  slip  of  hide  became  round  like  a  cord,  and  . 
till  the  joining  of  the  two  ends  could  not  be  per- 
ceived. 

To  mount  a  tree,  the  Hottentots  took. a  rope 
made  of  bark,  *and  having  tied  a  noose  round  the 
tree,  they  set  one  foot  upon  it.  They  then  tied  a 
second  noose,  higher  up  ;  and,  when  mounted  on  * 
that,  they  untied  the  first,  and  so  proceeded,  car- 
rying the  rope  up  with  them. 

A  small  grey  species  of  grasshopper  was  called 
by  the  colonists  the  Hottentot's  god.  It  was  cer- 
tainly held  in  some  degree  of  esteem  by  the  Hot- 
tentots ;  so  that  they  would  not  willingly  hurt  it, 
and  they  deemed  that  person  fortunate  on  whom 
it  settled. 

In  the  year  1782  a  traveller  in  the  spot  where  I 
now  was,  received  a  visit  from  the  chief  of  a  tribe 
of  Hottentots  called  Gon^quas,  followed  by  about      ^^^ 


90  .  COLONY  OF  THK  CAPS. 

tweuty  of  his  people.  They  were  all  Shining  with 
grease,  the  women  were  powdered  with  buchu, 
and  had  their  faces  painted  in  various  ways.  Each 
brought  some  present ;  the  chief  a  plume  of  os* 
trich  feathers  ;  the  others,  ostrich's  eggs,  a  lamb, 
or  a  beautiful  basket  filled  with  milk.  This  com* 
munity,  which  was  the  most  considerable  of  the 
Gonaquas,  consisted  of  about  four  hundred  per- 
sons, of  both  sexes  and  all  ages.  When  a  father 
h^d  six  children  it  was  accounted  a  phenomenon. 

The  traveller  returned  the  visit  of  the  Hotten- 
tots. Every  man  of  the  village,  the  chief  at  their 
head,  came  out  to  meet  him;  the  women  and 
children  remained  in  the  huts.  He  entered  seve- 
ral of  these  habitations,  and  saw  the  brown  females ' 
motionless,  and  fixed  to  the  wall  in  the  back  part 
of  the  hut,  like  so  many  portraits  in  shade.  By 
degrees,  however,  they  became  familiar,  and  he 
was  soon  surrounded  by  them.  They  were  all 
dressed  in  their  richest  attire,  their  persons  fresh 
greased  and  powdered,  and  their  faces  painted  in 
a  hundred  different  ways. 

The  traveller  entered  the  habitation  of  the 
'  chief,  and  displayed  a  number  of  beads  before  his 
wife,  bidding  her  take  those  she  liked  best.  With- 
out  hesitation  she  laid  her  hands  upon  some  strings 
of  red  and  white,  which  she  said  would  look  bet- 
ter than  any  others^  as  they  were  most  different 
from  the  colour  of  her  skin.  He  added  some  brass 
wire  for  bracelets,  and  the  other  women  lifted  up 
their  hands,  and  with  a  loud  voice  declared  that 
the  wife  of  Haabas  was  the  happiest  of  all  women. 

When  the  traveller  had  distributed  beads  among 
the  women,  and  tobacco  and  knives  among  the 
men,  he  was  told  by  the  chief  that  some  old  in- 


HOTTENTOTS.  91 

firm  men,  who  were  not  able  to  go  abroad,  re- 
quested to  see  him.  He  visited  them  in  their 
huts,  and  found  they  .were  all  attended  by  chil- 
dren of  eight  or  ten  years  of  age,  who  gave  them 
•food,  and  rendered  them  the  other  services  their 
debility  required.  It  was  said  that  when  a  Hot- 
tentot woman  had  brought  twins,' and  was  not  able 
•to  nourish  both,  one  had  sometimes  been  sacrificed; 
but  this  was  a.  subject  they  spoke  of  with  horror. 

Young  women  were  marriageable  at  the  age  of 
twelve  or  tfcirteeri.  The  form  of  marriage  con- 
sisted only  in  a  promise  of  living  together.  A 
few  sheep,  and  sometimes  an  ox,  were  killed  to  ce- 
lebrate the  festival ;  the  parents  gave  a  few  cattle 
to  the  young  couple  ;  the  latter  constructed  a  hut 
for  their  dwelling.  A  Hottentot  took  as  many 
wives  as  he  chose,  which  was  seldom  more  than  one. 

When  an  infant  was  born,  it  was  placed  on  the 
back  of  its  mother,  and  supported  by  two  aprons  ; 
nothing  was  seen  but  its  head.  Whether  the  mo- 
ther worked  or  danced,  she  never  quitted  her 
child,  and  the  child  never  cried,  except  when  im- 
pelled by  hunger.  In  that  case  the  mother  drew 
it  to  one  side,  gave  it  the  breast,  either  under  the 
arm,  or  over  the  shoulder  ;  and  then  resumed  her 
laboilr  or  her  dance.  When  the  mother  judged 
that  the  infant  was  able  to  crawl,  she  laid  it  on 
the  ground  before  the  hut,  and  let  it  shift  for  it- 
self. From  creeping,  it  tried  to  stand,  and  from 
standing,  it  soon  learned  to  run  alone. 

The  Hottentots  could  sing  a  whole  night  upon 
one  subject,  by  repeating  the  same  words  a  thou- 
sand times.  In  dancing  they  formed  a  circle,  men 
and  women,  going  round,  separating  at  intervals. 


92  COLONY   OF   THE.  CAPE. 

and  clapping  their  hands ;  then'  following'  each 
other  with  an  air  of  melancholy,  and  suddenly 
breaking  out  into  the  most  extravagant  mirth ; 
then  concluding  in  a  sort  of  confusion,  each  exhi- 
biting all  his  strength  and  agility. 

The  art  and  taste  of  the  women  were  displayed 
in  the  decoration  of  the  apron.  The  design  off  the 
pattern,  and  the  colours  of  the  ornaments  were, 
particularly  attended  to,  and  the  more  their  appa- 
rel was  loaded  with  beads,  the  better.  Their  caps 
were,  if  possible,  made  of  the  skin  of  the  Zebra» 
because  the  white,  intersedted  by  brown  or  black 
stripes,  added,  according  to  their  own  expression, 
something  to  their  beauty.  They  painted  with 
red  and  black;  some  only  their  cheeks,  but  in 
general  they  painted  the  body  in  different  com- 
partments, which  was  a  work  of  no  small  labour. 
Men,  in  every  climate,  less  fond  of  finery  than 
women^  painted  no  part  of  the  face  but  the  upper 
lip  to  the  nose :  they  were,  however,  proud  of 
wearing  ivory,  and  still  more  of  wearing  brass, 
rings  on  tbeir  arms  and  legs. 

When  a  Hottentot  died,  he  was  wrapped  in  his 
cloak,  and  the  body  was  deposited  in  a  pit  dug  at 
some  distance  from  the  village,  where  it  was  first 
covered  with  earth,  then  with  stones,  if  any  eould 
be  found,  and  then  dug  up  by  the  jackal  or  hyena* 
The  body  of  a  chief  was  covered  with  a  greater 
heap  of  stones. 

The  chief  was  elected,  but  his  poWer  was 
limited.  He  enjoyed  no  privilege  but  that  of 
being  exempted  from  going  in  his  turn  to  attend 
the  flocks.  In  councils  his  advice  was  taken,  if  it 
were  judged  to  be  good  j  otherwise  no  regard  was 


KOTTfiNTOTS*  93 

paid  to  it.  In  war,  each  man  attacked  and  de- 
fended after  his  own  manner,  and  the  most  intre- 
pid led  the  way. 

The  village  of  the  Gonaquas  consisted  of  about 
forty  circular  huts,  eight  or  nine  feet  in  diameter, 
covered  with  skins  or  mats.  •  They  occupied  a 
space  of  about  six  hundred  feet  square ;  were 
connected  together  by  small  inclosures  ;  and  the 
whole  formed  several  crescents.  In  these  small 
inclosures  the  calves  and  lambs  were  shut  up  in 
the  day,  as  they  were  only  allowed  to  suck  morn- 
ing and  evening ;  and  besides  these,  there  were 
three  large  inclosures,  well  fenced,  wh^ch  confined 
the  cattle  and  sheep  of  the  whole  tribe  during  the 
night. 

The  entrance  of  the  huts  was  low  and  narrow  ; 
and  while  it  was  the  only  admittance  for  the  light, 
it  was  the  only  out-let  for  the  smoke.  The  thick 
vapour  that  these  kennels  retained,  added  to  their 
villainous  odour,  would  have  rendered  them  unte* 
nable  to  a  European.  Indeed  the  Hottentots 
themselves,  in  general,  occupied  them  only  in  the 
night ;.  when,  laid  on  mats  covered  with  sheep- 
skins, and  attended  by  lice  and  other  insects, 
which  all  their  care  could  not  extirpate,  they  slept 
as  soundly  as  if  their  beds  had  been  of  down.' 

When  an  ox  designed  for  burden  was  young,  a 
piece  of  stick,  eight  or  ten  inches  in  length,  and 
nearly  one  in  diameter,  was  thrust  through  the 
cartilege  of  the  nose,  and  a  leathern  tliong  fas- 
tened .at  each  end.  This  curb,  which  acted  as  a 
bridle,  and  was  sufiicient  to  restrain  the  animal, 
remained  during  its  life.  WHen  the  ox  had 
nearly  attained  its  full  growth,  it  was  bound  with 
a  leathern  girth,  which  was  drawn  tighter  by 


94  COLONY   OF   THE   CAPE. 

degrees  i  light  burdens  were  then  placed  on  it» 
back,  and  these  were  gradually  increased,  till  it  car«> 
ried,  without  inconvenience,  three  hundred  pounds 
weight.  The  girths  were  often  more  than  tweiity 
yards  in  length,  and  passed  many  times  over  the 
load,  and  under  the  body  of  the  ox.  Horses  had 
now  been  introduced  among  the  Hottentots  ;  but 
such  as  had  not  horses  still  rode  upon  their  oxen. 

I  now  received  a  visit  from  the  chief  of  the 
Gonaquas,  whose  tribe  was  reduced  to  about  a 
dozen  persons,  and  while  I  write  I  believe  they 
are  extinct. 

From  the  Great  Fish  river  I  returned  by  the 
way  I  came,  and  thus  finished  my  first  journey 
from  the  Cape. 


CHAPTER  Vm. 

FROM  THE  CAPE  TO  GRAAF  BEYNET. 

On  my  second  journey  from  the  Cape,  I  directed 
my  course  to  the  north  of  east,  and  having  tra- 
velled twenty-seven  miles,  the  plain  was  termi- 
nated to  the  eastward  by  two  mountains,  between 
which  the  road  led  into  a  valley  welt  watered  and 
well  cultivated.  The  houses  of  the  farmers  were 
neatly  thatched  with  rye-straw,  and  surrounded 
with  plantations  of  oaks,  from  ten  to  fifteen  feet 
in  circumference,  and  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet 
without  a  branch,    f      * 

The  mountains  that  bound  the  eastern  end  of 
this  valley  are  eminently  grand,  but  towards  their 


JOURN£Y  TO  GRAAF  RSTNET.        96 

summits  quite  bare.  They  are  a  part  of  the  great 
chain  which  stretches  northward  from  False  Bay, 
and  shuts  out  from  the  Cape  all  the  countries  to 
the  eastward  of  it*  There  are  three  .kloofs,  or 
clefts,  in  this  range,  the  only  passes  commonly 
attempted  by  wheels ;  Hottentot's  Holland's  kloof, 
which  I  passed  in  my  former  journey,  Roode  Sand, 
or  Red  Sand  kloof,  opposite  to  Saldanha  bay, 
which  I  was  going  to  pass,  and  Eland's  kloof,  fur- 
ther north,  which  opens  intb  a  Wild  and  almost 
uninhabited  part  of  the  country. 

In  the  valley  I  crossed  the  Berg,  or  Mountain 
riven  Here,  two  farmers,  rather  than  pay  four 
shillings  for  the  toll  of  their  two  waggons  at  the 
ferry,  forded  the  river  a  little  lower  down,  and 
passed  it  with  the  loss  only  of  two  sl}eep.  Sugar- 
canes  here,  and  in  other  parts  of  the  .colony,  grow 
wild  in  great  abundance  j  and  a  farmer  who  com- 
plained that  they  over-ran  his  garden,  being  asked 
why  he  did  not  turn  them  to  advantage,  replied, 
that  he  should  not  be  the  first  to  try  the  experi- 
ment, while  he  could  buy  sugar  at  the  Cape  at  three 
shillings  a  pound.. 

The  road  beyond  the  ferry  was  excellent,  being 
a  level  bed  of  hard  clay ;  but  the  country  was 
thinly  inhabited,  and  the  wolf  and  the  jackal  fol- 
lowed us  in  the  night.  It  was  midnight  before  we 
arrived  at  a  solitary  habitation,  in  a  bleak,  open 
country,  on  the  borders  of  a  lake  called  Vogel 
*  valley  or  Bird  lake.  The  word  valley  in  the  co- 
lony signifies  either  lake  or  swamp ;  in  the  present 
instance  it  was  the  latter ;  but  it  abounded  with 
ducks,  geese,  and  teal,  the  great  white  pelican, 
and  the  rose-colouredidamingo.  The  wings  of  the 
latter  are  used  as  fans  to  drive  away  the  multitude 


96  COLONY  OF  THE    CAPE. 

of  flies  which  infest  the  farm-houses,  for  want  of 
•  a  proper  attention  to  cleanliness ;  and  the  pelican 
is  shot  for  the  sake  of  the  fine  soft  down  which  lies 
under  its  plumage* 

A  few  miles  beyond  this  swamp  brought  us  to 
the  Roode  Sand  kloof,  or  pass  in  the  mountains, 
which  is  about  seventy  miles  irom  Cape  Town. 
The  ascent  was  rugged,  but  not  steep,  and  from 
the  top  there  was  no  descent  to  the  lands  called  * 
Roode  Sand.  THis  is  a  plain  about  thirty  miles  in 
length,  and  four  or  five  hundred  feet  higher  than 
the  vale  we  had  passed.  It  is  well  watered  by 
small  streams  falling  from  the  mountains  that  in- 
close it,  and  produces  abundance  of  corn,  some 
wine,  and  many  fruits.  A  new  Drosdy,  that  of 
Tulbagh,  had  been  established  here,  and  tlie  vil* 
lage  of  that  name,  the  residence  of  the  landrost, 
was  placed  a  little  higher  up  the  valley.  The 
plain  is  bounded  on  the  eastern  side  by  a  branch 
of  the  same  chain,  much  higher  than*  that  we  had 
passed,  yet  accessible  by  waggons*  The  summits 
of  the  mountains  were  buried  in  snow,  and.  the 
thermometer  stood,  at  simrise,  on  the  plain,  at  the 
freezing  point- 
After  quitting  this  division,  Ihe  country  became 
wild,  and  almost  uninhabited.  Bogs,  swamps; 
morasses  covered  with  rushes  and  sour  plants, 
tracts  of  hard,  naked  clay,  (leep  sandy  roads, 
pools  of  stagnant  water,  and  hillocks  of  ants, 
were  the  chief  objects  that  met  the  eye.  On  the 
left  was  the  vast  chain  of  mountains  we  were 
shortly  to  pass,  the  second  branch  of  the  northern 
chain.  They  consisted  of  immense  columnar 
masses  of  naked  stone,  with  jagged  tops,  like  the 
battlements  of  towers,  which  leaned  from  their 


HEX   RIVER  VALLEY.  97 

bases,  and  seemed  to  owe  their  support  to  each 
other. 

Within  these  hills  we  came  to  a  valley  about 
three  miles  in  length  and  two  in  width,  with  a  sur- 
face as  level  as  a  bowling-green,  and  a  stream  of 
clear  hot  smoking  water.  The  temperature  ap* 
peared  to  be  nearly  that  of  boiling;  yet  the  family 
living  near  it  employed  it  for  all  sorts  of  culinary 
uses* 

From  hence  we  crossed  the  Breede,  or  Broad 
river,  and  entered  the  Hex  river's  kloof,  the  pass 
on  the  northern  side  of  the  plain.  This  pass  is 
about  four  miles*  in  length ;  the  ascent  is  much 
less  than  that  of  the  Roode  Sand  kloof.  The 
mountains  on  each  side  were  J>are)  the  kloof 
itself  abounded  with  plants;  and,  basking  in  the 
sun,  was  a  troop  of  four  or  five  hundred  large  black 
baboons,  which  quitted  their  place  with  reluctance, 
and  howled  as  they  scrambled  up  the  sides  of  the 
naked  rocks. 

The  head  of  the  pass  opened  into  a  valley  about 
fifteen  miles  in  length  and  two  in  width,  to  which 
there  was  no  descent.  The  mountains  that  guarded 
the  northern  side  were  covered  with  snow  half 
way  down  from  their  tops ;  yet  the  orange  trees  at 
their  feet  were  loaded  with  fine  ripe  fruit.  Four 
families,  the  only  inhabitants  of  the  Hex  river 
valley,  formed  a  world  of  their  own ;  and  their 
wants  might  be  bounded  by  their  horizon,  for  the 
fertility  of  the  ground  supplied  them  with  almost 
every  necessary  of  life. 

I  had  now  travelled  nine  days  from  the  Cape, 
and  at  the  bead  of  this  deep  and  narrow  valley  I 
was  to  take  leave  of  every  human  habitation  for 
the  sixteen  following,  that  time  being  required  to 

VOL.  II.  H 


98  COLONY   OF   THE   CAPE. 

cross  obliquely  the  great  karroo  or  desert  that  lay 
between  me  and  the  village  of  Graaff  Reynet. 
The  loss  I  sustained  in  leaving  the  habitations  of 
the  D«tch  farmers,  however,  was  not  great ;  for 
few  of  them,  behind  the  Ifirst  range  of  mountains 
from  the  Cape,  have  any  sort  of  convenience  or 
cleanliness. 

The  Dutch  boor,  as  he  calls  himself,  placed  in  a 
country  where  every  luxury  might  be  procured  by 
industry,  has  scarcely  the  enjoyment  of  any.  His 
cattle  are  numerous,  yet  he  uses  very  little  milk 
and  butter.  In  a  soil  and  climate  favourable  for 
the  cultivation  of  the  vine,  he  has  no  wine.  He 
has  few,  or  no  vegetables,  or  roots.  Three  times 
a  day  his  table  is  loaded  with  masses  of  mutton, 
swimming  in  the  fat  of  the  sheep's  tail.  His  house 
is  either  open  to  the  roof,  or  covered  with  rough 
poles  and  turf,  affording  shelter  for  scorpions  and 
spiders.  His  earthen  floors  are  covered  with'  dust 
and  dirty  and  swarm  with  ants  and  other  insects. 
His  principal  pieces  of  furniture  are,  a  great  chest 
that  contains  all  his  moveables,  and  two  smaller 
ones  fitted  to  his  waggon.  The  bottoms*  of  his 
chairs  are  of  thongs  cut  from  a  bullock's  bide. 
His  windows  are  without  glass ;  or,  if  there  be  any 
remains  of  this  article,  it  is  so  patched  and  dirtied 
as  almost  to  exclude  the  light  it  was  intended  to 
admit. 

The  boor,  however,  is  not  without  his  enjoy- 
ments. He  is  the  lord  of  a  domain  several  miles 
in  extent,  and  he  is  the  tyrant  of  some  slaves  and 
Hottentots.  He  smokes  all  dfty,  .except  during  the 
intervals  of  eating,  drinking,  and  his  afternoon's 
nap.  Unwilling  to  work,  unable  to  think,  he  in- 
dulges his  appetite>  grows  to  an  unwieldy  size,  and 


DUTCH    rARMEM^  99 

the  first  inflammatory  disease  that  attacks  him  car*' 
ries  him  off.  The  men  are  in  general  very  tall  and 
stout)  but  ill-made,  and  loosely  put  together. 

The  mistress  of  the  family  parses  a  life  of  listless 
inactivity.  Born  in  the  wilds  of  Africa,  educated 
among  slaves  and  Hottentots,  she  sits,  with  her 
coflfee-pot  constantly  boiling  before  her  on  a  small 
table,  and  is  fixed  to  her  chair  like  a  piece  of  the 
furniture*  I  saw,  in  the  Roode  Sand,  a  farmer^s 
wife,  who  weighed  364  lbs.  or  twenty-six  stone, 
and  another  very  little  less.  The  women  are,  how- 
ever, very  prolific;  six  or  seven  children  being 
reckoned  a  small  number,  and  from  twelve  to 
twenty  a  common  one.  The  young  girls  sit  nvith 
their  hands  before  them  as  listless  as  their  mothers. 

The  only  amusement  of  the  sons  forms  also  the 
whole  of  their  education.  As  soon  as  a  boy  can 
dimb  to  the  driver's  seat  in  the  front  of  the  waggon, 
he  places  himself  on  it,  with  a  whip  in  his  band 
proportionate  to  his  size,  commands  the  oxen, 
which  he  supposes  to  be  present,  calls  them  by 
their  names,  strikes  the  place  of  any  one  that  is 
supposed  to  be  disobedient,  and  drives  the  team  in 
imagination.  The  boy  and  the  whip  increase  in 
size  together,  till  the  man  can  wield  a  whip  fif- 
teen or  sixteen  feet  in  length,  with  a  thong  at  the 
end  still  longer,  and  can  strike  a  pebble  or  a  piece 
of  money  that  lies  on  the  ground  at  the  distance 
ef  twenty-five  feet,  or  bring  down  a  partridge  that 
is  flying  in  the  air. 

The  dangerous  roads  of  the  colony,  and  the  pe- 
riloiis  fords  of  liie  rivers,  are  little  heeded  by  the 
iarpiers.  Each  gets  over  the  difliculty  as  well  as 
he  can,  and  thinks  of  it  no  more  till  it  occur 
iigais.     Haifa  day  is  consumed  in  passing  a  wag- 

H  2 


100  COJ.ONY   OF   THE    CAPE. 

gon  and  its  lading  over  a  river  thirty  or  forty  yards 
in  breadth,  when  a  few  plaUks,  properly  put  toge- 
ther, would  carry  cattle,  carriage,  and  goods,  to 
the  other  side  in  five  minutes.  The  farmers  are 
scrupulously  exact  in  their  attendance  at  church, 
though  the  performance  of  this  duty  costs  many  of 
them  a  journey  of  several  days.  Those  who  are 
two  or  three  weeks*  journey  from  the  nearest 
church,  generally  go  once  a  year,  taking  their 
families  with  them. 

Every  journey  taken  for  pleasure  by  a  farmer  is 
called  **  a  little  ride.**  By  this  is  understood  a  visit 
to  a  friend  ;  and  though  the  friend  may  live  at  the 
distance  of  from  fifty  to  seventy  miles,  and  the 
visit  may  last  a  week,  still  it  is  a  little  ride.  Every 
member  of  the  family,  wife  and  daughters  in- 
eluded,  has  a  separate  horse  for  riding ;  and  when 
one  meets  one  of  these  cavalcades,  one  knows  not 
which  to  admire  most,  the  boldness  of  the  riders, 
or  the  swiftness  and  sure-footedness  of  the  horses*, 
over  steep  declivities  and  rocky  roads.  .  In  the 
more  wealthy  part  of  the  colony  they  have  light 
waggons,  drawn  by  six  or  eight  spirited,  horses, 
for  these  family  parties. 

The  Dutch  farmers  excel  in  that  virtue  of  unci- 
vilized nations,  hospitality.  A  foreigner,  a  coun- 
tryman, a  friend,  a  relation,  are  equally  welcome 
to  what  the  house  affords.  A  traveller  alights 
from  his  horse,  enters  the  dwelling,  shakes  hands 
with  the  men,  kisses  the  women,  and  sits  down 
without  further  ceremony.  When  the  table  is 
served,  he  takes  his  place  without  waiting  for  an 
invitation.  If  there  be  a  bed  in  the  house,  it  is 
given  to  the  stranger;  if  none,  which  is  frequently 
the  case  among  the  graziers  in  the  district  of 
Graaff  Reynet,  he  takes  his, chance  with  the  rest  of 


DUTCH    FARMERS.  lOi 

the  family  for  a  bench,  or  a  heap  of  sheep-skitis. 
In  the  morning,  after  a  solid  breakfast,  and  a  glas& 
of  brandy,  he  quits  as  he  entered,  shaking  hands 
with  the  men,  and  saluting  the  women ;  he  wishes 
his  hosts  health, — they  wish  him  a  good  journey. 

A  Dutch  farmer  never  passes  a  house  on  th^ 
foad  without  alighting,  unless  it  be  that  of  his  next 
neighbour,  with  whom  it  is  ten  to  one  he  is  at  va- 
riance ;  and  if  two  farmers  meet  on  the  road,  whe« 
ther  strangers  or  friends,  they  dismount  to  shake 
bands.  When  a  youth  can  drive  a  team  of  oxen, 
and  shoot  well,  he  shakes  hands  with  the  men,  sa- 
lutes the  women,  smokes  tobacco,  and  ranks  as  a 
man. 

I  remained  t^o  days  in  the  Hex  river  valley, 
laying  in  provisions  for  crossing  the  Karroo,  and 
was  here  joined  by  two  graziers  of  GraafF  Reynet, 
with  their  waggons,  families,  and  Hottentots.  It 
is  usual  to  cross  this  desert  well  armed,  and  in  par- 
ties, from  the  f^ar  that  is  entertained  of  the  Bos- 
jesmans,  or  Bushmen,  who  are  said  to  hivk  in 
thickets,. and  shoot  their  poisoned  arrows  against 
the  unwary  traveller.  .  It  appeared  to  me,  how- 
ever, that  the  Bosjesmans  had  as  least  as  much 
reason  to  fear  the  Dutch  farmers ;  for  I  heard  one 
of  them  say  at  the  Cap^  that  he  had  killed  only 
four  Bosjesmans  in  his  last  journey,  and  another 
that  he  had,  in  the  whole,  killed  near  three  hun- 
dred. 

From  the  Hex  river  valley  we  proceeded  to  the 
northi-east,  and  in  four  hours  .we  gained  the  sum- 
mit of  the  lowest  part  of  the  mountains  that  inclose 
it.  ITie  ascent  was  from  terrace  to  terrace,  and 
might  be  about  1,. 500  feet  in  the  distance  of  six 
miles.    From  the  top,  towards  the  east,  there  was 


102  COLONY  OF  THE   CAPE. 

little  or  no  descent.  Here  the  country  wore  a  new 
aspect ;  the  great  chains  of  mountains  retreated 
behind  us ;  and  a  rugged  surface  of  hill  and  dale 
appeared  on  every  side.  Not  a  tree,  or  a  tall 
shrub,  broke  tbe  uniformity  of  the  view ;  not  a 
bird  or  a  beast  enlivened  the  dreary  waste. 

Our  second  day's  journey  was  about  twenty-fivd 
miles,  which  brought  us  to  a  place  where  a  Bas- 
taard  had  been  tempted,  by  a  small  spring  of  wa* 
ter,  to  build  a  hut,  and  plant  a  few  trees*  The 
spring  had  been  found  insufficient,  and  the  place 
hjadbeen  abandoned;  but  two  spreading  oaks  were 
remaining,  and  the  water  at  this  time  was  excel-* 
lent. 

On  the  third  day  we  travelled  only  twelve  miles^ 
The  road  was  in  some  places  rocky  and  uneven,  in 
others  a  deep  sand,  and  our  oxen  were  beginning 
to  droop  for  want  of  pasturage.  Not  a  blade  of 
grass  had  been  seen  since  we  entered  the  desert, 
and  shrubs  were  thinly  scattered,  except  in  the 
neighbourhood  of  the  springs.  At  one  of  these, 
called  Mentjie's  hoek,  where  there  was  a  solitary 
oak,  smd  the  remains  of.  a  hut,  we  rested  for 
the  night.  " 

A  butcher  here  passed  our  encampment,  with 
about  five  hundred  head  of  cattle,  and  fivefthousand 
sheep,  which  he  had  been  purchasing  of  the 
farmers  of  the  Sneuwberg.  The  average  weight 
of  a  bullock  was  about  400  lbs.  and  the  price  about 
forty-eight  shillings ;  but,  after  a  journey  of  forty 
OF  fifty  days,  these  animals  generally  arrive  ^t  the 
Cape  in  a  maimed  and  miserable  condition.  The 
sheep  weigh  from  sixty  to  seventy  pounds,  when 
they  are  taken  from  their  pasture,  and  are  sold  to 
the  butchers,  who  collect*  th^m  for  six  or  eight 


BUFFALO   &IV£R.  *      lOS 

sbiliings  each.  The  tail  is  short,  broad,  and  ftat, 
and  commonly  weighs  five  or  six  pounds,  though 
it  sometimes  exceeds  twelve.  The  fat  melts  to 
the  consistence  of  oil,  and  is  frequently  used  in- 
stead of  butter.  The  clothing  of  the  animal  is 
little  better  than  frizzled  hair* 

On  the  fourth  day,  from  the  exhausted  state  of 
our  oxen,  three  of  which  we  were  obliged  to 
leave  behind,  we  made  a  stage  of  ten  or  twelve 
miles  only,  to  the  Riet  fonteyn,  or  Red  spring, 
which  rises  from  a  cone-sh^ed  hill,  and  runs  with 
a  feeble  stream  to  the  southward. 

On  the  fifth  day  we  crossed  the  bed  of  the  Buf- 
falo river,  which  was  at  least  fifly  yards  in  width, 
but  the  water  was  scarcely  sufficient  to  form  a  cur- 
rent. Its  deep  shelving  banks,  and  the  wreck  of 
roots  and  shrubs,^  were  evidences  of  the  power 
with  which,  at  certain  seasons,  it  had  formed  a 
grand  chasm  through  the  Zwaart  bergen  or  Black 
mountains,  to  the  southward,,  in  its  way  to  the 
eastern  ocean.  The  part  of  the  desert  that  suc- 
ceeded was  more  sterile  than  any  we  had  met  with. 
About  ten  miles  beyond  the  Buffiilo  river  we  en- 
camped for  the  night  on  the  banks  of  a  small  run- 
ning brook  called  Geelbeck. 

Among  the  hills  that  surround  the  plain  of 
Geelbeck,  we  saw  a  small  herd  of  zebras,  and  a 
great  number  of  another  animal  of  the  same*  spe- 
cies called  by  the  Hottentots  qua-ka.  Its  stripea 
are  fainter  than  those  of  the  zebra,  and  are  marked 
on  the  fore-quarters  only ;  but  it  is  well-shaped, 
strong  limbed,  and  more  tractable.  It  is  said  that 
the  zebra  is  untameable;  perhaps  because  .patience 
and  mild  treatment  have  not  been  tried.  On 
many  parts  of  the  desert  we  saw  ostriches  scower- 


104  .COLONY   OP  THE   CAPE. 

ing  the  plains,  and  waving  their  black  and  white 
plumes  in  the  wind. 

On  the  sixth  day  we  proceeded  about  twenty- 
four  miles,  over  a  rising  country  marked  by  hill  and 
dale,  but  producing  nothing,  except  patches  of  the 
fig'-marigold  and  the  ice-plant.  The  Black  moun- 
tains, which  were  about  fifteen  mile's  to  the  south- 
ward, had  lost  their  characteristic,  and  were  be- 
come white,  for  they  were  covered  with  snow.  At 
night,  the  thermometer  was  at  the  freezing  point, 
and  in  the  morning  two  degrees  below  it.  Our 
horses  had  been  sick  ever  since  we  entered  the 
desert,  and  two  of  them  sunk  here  under  the  seve- 
rity of  the  weather ;  several  of  our  oxen  also  pe- 
rished for  want  of  food. 

Man  is  a  hard  master  to  such  of  the  brute  cre- 
ation as  he  has  trained  for  his  service.  The  more 
he  is  civilized,  the  greater  are  his  wants,  the  more 
he  requires  from  these  servants,  and  the  less  he  is 
sensible  of  their  sufferings.  They  are,  indeed,  **  the 
beasts  that  perish,*'  from  the  ox  that  draws  the 
African  waggon,  to  the  horse  that  draws  the  Eng- 
glish  stage-coach,  or  the  one  that  carries  the  I^ute 
his  owner  a  hundred  miles  in  twelve  hours  foi'a 
wager. 

On  the  seventh  day  we  crossed  the  Dwyka,  or 
Rhinoceros  river,  and  encamped  on  its  banks.  Its 
bed  was  more  than  a  hundred  yards  in  breadth, 
but  the  water  would  scarcely  have  turned  a  mill. 
Though  the  surrounding  country  was  destitute  of 
vegetation,  the  banks  were  covered  with  a  thick 
forest  of  the  mimosa. 

On  the  eighth  day  we  rested  on  the  banks  of  the 
Ghamka,  or  Lion's  river,  having  travelled  about 
twenty  miles  of  the  finest  road  imaginable.    The 


ZWAART    BERG.  l05 

surface  was  as  level  as  a  bowling-green,  and  had 
neither .  stone^  sand,  nor  impression  of  a  wheel. 
A  wide*spreading  plain,  barren  as  its  southern 
boundary  the  Black  mountains,  presented  an  even 
line  to  the  horizon,  on  each  side  and  before  us. 
On  approaching  the  Ghamka,  the  face  of  the 
country  improved.  Large  mimosas,^  and  a  species 
of  willow,  skirted  its  banks;  and  hares,  par- 
^idges,  wild  ducks,  and  mountain-geese,  were 
seen  in  abundance. 

As  we  crossed  the  Karroo  from  west  to  east,  a 
little  inclining  to  the  north,  we  were  now  only 
twelve  miles  distant  from  a  chasm  in  the  Zwaart 
berg,  in  which  was  said  to  be  a  farm-house  ;  and 
as  we  were  in  want  of  draught  oxen,  and  other 
necessaries,  we  quitted  ^the  great  road  on  the  fol- 
lowing day,  and  proceeded  towards  it.  We  found 
oranges  and  cauliflowers,  wine,  the  produce  of  the 
place,  peach  and  almond-trees  in  full  bloom,  at 
the  foot  of  mountains  whose  summits  were  covered 
with  snow. 

From  this  place  I  saw  to  the  northward  across 
the'plains  of  the  Karroo,  the  Nieuwveld  moun- 
tains, which  form  a  part  of  the  third  step,  or  ter- 
race. To  estimate  the  height  of  these  with  preci- 
sion, is  impossible ;  but  on  comparing  those  I  had 
passed  with  what  I  saw  before  me,  perhaps,  I  might 
not  greatly  err  if  I  conjectured  that  they  were  not 
less  than  10,000  feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea. 
Snow  falls  upon  them  to  the  depth  of  five  or  six 
feet,  and  lies  upon  them  for  as  many  months. 

The  mistress  of  the  farm-house  was  the  mother 
of  sixteen  children,  and,  at  the  age  of  sixty,  she 
was  a  tall,  straight,  well-looking,  active  woman. 
All  the  people  who  made  their  appearance  from 


106  COtONY   OF  THE   CAPE. 

different  houses  in  the  Black  mountains,  behind 
that  of  our  host,  were  of  a  stature  much  exceeding 
the  common  size  of  man. 

Having  completed  our  stock  of  provisions^  and 
procured  some  stout  oxen  from  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Zwaart  berg,  we  again  entered  the  Karroo, 
and  proceeded  near  thirty  miles,  to  a  spring  called 
Sleutel  fonteyn. 

On  the  eleventh  day  of  actual  travelling  since 
Hex  river  valley,  we  encamped  on  the  banks  of 
the  Traka,  or  Maiden  river.  The  little  water  re- 
maining in  it  was  both  muddy  and  salt,  and  the 
sand  on  its  banks  was  covered  with  a  thin  crust  of 
nitre.  At  sun-rise  the  thermometer  was  five  de«- 
grees  below  the  freezing  point. 

On  the  twelfth  day  of  travelling  in  the  Karroo, 
we  skirted  the  banks  of  the  Traka  about  ten  miles, 
passed  the  Ghowka,  or  Boor's  river,  which  was 
perfectly  dried  up,  and  in  the  evening  arrived  at 
the  Great  Loory  fonteyn.  We  filled  our  casks 
with  its  water,  which  was  muddy,  salt«  bitter, 
and  standing  in  pools,  and  went  on,  though  in  the 
dark.  In  the  middle  of  the  night  we  arrived  at  a 
spot  where  once  had  flowed  a  rill  of  water,  and 
where  still  were  growing  clumps  of  acacias,  and 
patches  of  saline  and  succulent  plants.  Our  oxen 
devoured  the  plants,  and  our  horses  made  a  hearty 
meal  of  the  thorny  acacia,  at  the  expence  of  bleed- 
ing mouths.  The  acrid  juices  of  the  succulent 
plants,  and  sour  herbage  of  some  parts  of  the  co- 
lony, oblige  the  cattle  to  seek  correctives,  and  in 
the  choice  of  these  they  are  not  very  delicate ;  for 
old  rags,  pieces  of  leather,  dried  wood,  bones, 
and  even  sand  and  small  pebbles,  are  greedily  de- 
voured by  them.   Horses  very  commonly  eat  their 


ZWAART    B£RG*  107 

own  dung,  and  numbers  have  died  from  eating 
flinty  sand. 

On  the  thirteenth  day  we  advanced  nearly  thirty 
miles  over  a  bed  of  solid  clay,  and  encamped  at 
night  in  the  midst  of  a  meadow,  knee-deep  in  her- 
bage.  A  transition  so  sudden,  from  perfect{sterility 
to  luxuriant  vegetation,  appeared  morelike  enchant- 
ment than  reality.  It  had,  however,  no  such  ap- 
pearance to  the  hungry  cattle,  who,  not  doubting 
that  the  feast  was  solid,  made  no  small  havock  in 
freeing  themselves  from  their  yokes  and  traces. 
The  name  of  the  place  is  Beer  valley.  It  is  a 
plain  of  several  miles  in  breadth,  stretching  along 
the  feet  of  the  Zwaart  bergen,  and  seeming  to  be 
the  reservoir  of  a  number  of  periodical  rivers, 
whose  sources  are  in  the  different  mountains  of 
Nieuwveld,  Winterberg,  and  Camdeba  One  of 
these,  which  was  now  running,  was  as  salt  as  the 
water  of  the  English  Channel, — another  was  quite 
fresh ;  all  were  skirted  with  mimosas.  The  valley 
was  covered  with  coarse  rushy  grass,  and  the 
swamps  with  reeds. 

On  the  following  day  we  travelled  twenty  miles, 
and  encamped  on  the  banks  of  Hottentot's  river, 
in  the  deep  and  narrow  channel  of  which  were 
only  a  few  pools  of  stagnant  water.. 

The  next  day  we  arrived  at  the  Poort,  so  called 
from  its  being  a  narrow  passage  through  a  rai\ge 
of  hills  that  branch  out  from  the  mountains  of 
Camdebo,  and  run  across  the  desert.  Though  the 
Poort  may  be  considered  as  the  entrance  into 
Camdebo,  the  country  is  as  barren  as  the  Karroo. 
The  first  habitation  was  twelve  miles  beyond  the 
Poort,  and  the  second  ten  miles  beyond  the  first  ^ 
tbf  third  house  was  fifteen  or  sixteen  miles  beyond 


108  COLONY   OF  THE   CAPE.    . 

the  second,  and  we  saw  no  other  between  that  and 
Graaff  Reynet,  which  is  ten  miles  farther,  and 
where  we  arrived  late  in  the  evening  of  the  six- 
teenth day  from  entering  the  desert.  Our  jour- 
ney from  the  Cape  had  occupied  thirty  days, 
twenty-five  of  which  had  been  passed  in  travel- 
ling, and  five  in  repose. 

The  division  of  Graaff  Reynet,  properly  so 
called,  extends  about  ten  miles  on  every  side  of 
the  village.  On  the  north  and  east  it  is  terminated 
by  the  Sneuw  bergen,  or  Snow  mountains  ;  on  the 
south  and  west  by  a  branch  of  the  Camdebo^  The 
village,  which  is  called  the  Drosdy,  from  its  being 
the  residence  of  the  landrost,  and  the  seat  of  his 
government,  is  situated  in  a  plain  of  not  more 
than  two  square  miles,  surrounded  by  mountains 
2,000  feet  in  height.  These  lofty  walls  of  rock 
render  the  heat  of  summer  intense;  and  the  winds 
of  winter,  rushing  through  a  chasm,  not  only 
make  the  cold  intolerable,  but  raise  eddies  of  red 
earth  and  sand  that  confine  the  inhabitants  to  their 
houses.  The  Sondag,  or  Sunday  river,  in  its  pas- 
sage from  the  Sneuwberg,  enters  through  this 
chasm  in  the  mountains,  winds  round  the  plain, 
and  furnishes  the  village  with  a  copious  supply  of 
water.  The  division  contained  only  twenty-six 
families ;  twelve  inhabiting  the  village,  and  four- 
teen scattered  over  a  country  little  better  than  the 
Karroo. 

The  houses  of  the  village  were  constructed  with 
mud,  and  placed  in  two  lines,  so  as  to  form  a  street. 
The  house  of  the  governor  was  also  of  mud,  and 
stood  at  the  upper  end.  The  walls  of  all  the  build- 
ings were  excavated,  and  the  floors  undermined,  by 
a  species  of  white  ant ;  and  the  bats,  which  lodged 


6RAAFF   HEYNBT.  109 

in  the  thatch,  came  forth  at  night  in  such  numbers 
as  to  extinguish  the  candles.  No  milk,  no  butter^ 
no  cheese,  no  vegetables,  no  wine,  no  beer,  could 
be  had,  on  any  terms,  at  Graaff  Reynet. 

The  village  of  Graaff  Reynet  is  in  latitude  S8* 
11'  south,  and  longitude  26<>  east.  The  distance 
from  the  Cape'is  500  mil^.  In  summer  the  ther- 
mometer is  from  80  to  84  in  the  middle  of  the  day. 


CHAPTER   IX. 

SNEUWBERG.      BOSJ£SMANS. 

From  Graaff  *Reynet  I  travelled  to  the  north- 
ward, in  search  of  the  Bosjesmans,  who  dw^ll 
among,  and  behind,  the  Snow  mountains.  These 
people  neither  cultivate  the  ground,  nor  breed 
cattle ;  but  subsist  on  the  natural  produce  of  tlie 
country,  and  on  what  they  can  seize  from  others 
more  provident  than  themselves.  In  its  eagerness 
to.  subdue  this  people,  the  Dutch  government  gave 
the  colonists  power  to  attack  them  at  whatever 
times,  and  in  whatever  manner  they  pleased,  and 
decreed  that  his  should  be  the  spoil  who  took  it. 
The  spoil  belonging  to  the  Bosjesmans  was  their 
persons,  for  goods  or  possessions  they  had  none ; 
therefore  every  party  that  hunted  the  Bosjesmans, 
and  took  them  alive,  divided  them  among  them- 
selves as  slaves.  Such  as  have  been  taken  very 
young,  and  well  treated,  have  turned  out  most  ex- 
.cellent  servants,  and  have  shewn  great  capacity,  ac- 
tivity, and  fidelity :  but  it  has  been  observed  that 
the  servants  of  the  Dutch  farmers  are  not  always 


110  COLONY  OF  THE   CAPE. 

well  treated.  The  Hottentot  bears  brutality  with 
patience,  or  sinks  under  it;  the  Bosjesman  escapes 
to  his  countrymen,  and,  if  he  can^  carries  with 
him  a  musquet,  powder,  and  ball;  he  excites  them 
to  revenge  the  cruel  usage  he  has  received,  and 
points  out  the  way. 

Armed  with  musquets  and  poisoned  arrows^  a 
party  of  these  people  had  the  boldness  to  approach 
within  four  or  five  miles  of  the  Drosdy,  a  few  days 
before  my  arrival,  and  carry  off  seyeral  hundred 
sheep.  •  They  were  followed  into  one  of  the  re* 
cesses  of  the  Sneuwberg,  where  they  laughed  at 
their  pursuers,  and  invited  then)  to  taste  their  own 
mutton;  and  a  musquet  ball  grazing  the  hat  of  one 
of  the  farmers,  the  whole  body  made  a  precipitate 
retreat 

At  the  distance  of  ten  miles,  in  a  north-westerly 
direction,  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  mountains, 
from  whence  a  narrow  defile  of  five  miles  in  length, 
and  a  steep  ascent  of  three,  brought  us  out  on  the 
extensive  plains,  and  among  the  scattered  moun- 
tains that  compose  the  Sneuwberg. 

The  haunts  of  the  Bosjesmans  were  easily  dis- 
coverable, but  not  easy  of  access.  Torrents  of 
water,  rushing  down  the  steep  sides  of  the  chasms, 
frequently  leave  a  succession  of  caverns :  of  these 
the  Bosjesman  chooses  the  highest,  as  the  most 
remote  from  danger,  and  giving  him  the  most  ex** 
tensive  view  of  the  countxy. 

In  one  of  these  caverns  we  saw  recent  traces  of 
the  Bosjesmans.  Their  fires  were  scarcely  extin- 
guished, and  the  grass  on  which  they  had  slept 
was  not  withered.  On  the  smooth  sides  of  the  ca- 
vern were  drawings  of  zebras,  qua-kas,  baboons, 
ostriches,  and  different  kinds  of  antelopes,  made 


SNEUWBERG.  Ill 

Mrith  charcoal,  pipe-clay,  and  ochre.  For  correct- 
ness, worse  drawings  have  passed  through  the 
hands  of  the  engraver.  Some  of  these  were 
known  to  be  new ;  but  many  of  them  have  been 
remembered  from  the  first  settlement  of  this  part 
of  the  colony. 

At  the  house  of  the  commandant  of  the  Sneuw- 
hergj  I  saw  one  of  these  wild  men,  who,  with  his 
two  wives  and  a  little  child,  had  fallen  to  the  lot 
of  this  officer,  out  of  forty  that  had  been  taken. 
The  man  was  only  four  feet  five  inches  high  ;  one 
of  the  women  four  feet  three,  and  the  other  four 
feet  two.  *  Tliis  man  represented  the  condition  of 
his  countrymen  as  deplorable.  He  said  that  for 
several  months  in  the  year,  when  the  frost  and 
snow  prevented  them  from  making  their  inroads 
upon  the  farmers,  they  f^quently  saw  their  wives 
and  children  perishing  with  hunger,  without  being 
able  to  afford  them  any  relief}  that  the  good  sea- 
son brought  its  misery,  as  they  knew  that  every 
nation  around  them  was  planning  their  destruc- 
tion, and  not  a  leaf  stirred,  or  a  bird  screamed, 
that  did  not  announce  to  them  the  approach  of  an 
enemy.  Hunted  like  wild  beasts  in  their  own 
country,  and  ill-treated  in  the  service  of  the  far- 
mers, he  said  they  were  driven  to  desperation,  and 
the  burden  of  their  song  was  vengeance  against 
the  Dutch. 

On  the  following  evening  we  encamped  at  the 
foot  of  the  Compass  berg,  which  is  about  6,500 
feet  above  the  level  of  the  sea.  It  is  separated 
from  the  surrounding  mountains  on  four  sides,  by 
as  many  large  level  meadows.  On  the  south-east 
is  the  source  of  the  Sondag ;  and  on  all  the  others 
are  springs,  which,  uniting  at  no  great  distance. 


lie  COLONY  OF  THfi  CAPE. 

fldw  4iTeet\y  to  the  north,  and  form  the  Sea^^cow 
river.  The  country  on  the  northern  side  of  the 
mountain  m  at  least  1,500  feet  above  the  source  of 
the  Sondag. 

The  rills  of  water  that  ran  through  the  mea- 
dows were  covered  with  reeds,  and*  tiiese  were 
frequented  by  vast  flocks  of  birds,  particularly  by 
the  grenadier,  which  in  spring  and  summer  is  of  a 
bright  crimson,  with  a  breast  of  glossy  black,  and 
in  winter  wears  the  garb  of  the  female,  which  is 
at  all  times  of  a  greyish  brown.  An<ither  remark- 
able bird  Was  the  long-^tailed  finch,  whose  body  is 
five,  and  whose  tail  is  fifteen  inches  in  length,  and 
whose  long  feathers  last  no  longer  than  the  grey 
plumage  of  the  other.  The  nests  of  the  long*tailed 
findi  are  composed  of  grass,  neatly  plaited  into  a 
round  ball,  and  knotted  fast  between  the  stems  of 
two  reeds.  The  entrance  is  a  tube,  whose  orifice 
is  next  to  the  water. 

The  termination  of  the  Sneuwberg  is  about 
twelve  miles  to  tlie  north-eastward  of  the  Compass 
berg,  where  a  pass  opens  to  a  level  plain,  extend- 
ing to  the  northward  farther  than  the  eye  can 
reach. 

The  elevated  parts  of  the  Snow  mountains  pro- 
du;eed  tufts  of  a  long  grass,  mingled  with  small 
heathy  shrubs ;  the  plains  were  beautifully  adorned 
with  fiowers  j  but  the  whole  country  was  destitute 
of  wood.  Tlie  fuel  used  by  the  inhabitants  was 
the  dung  of  their  cattle,  and  there  were  many 'erf 
^hem  who  had  never  seen  a  tree. 

The  l^rmers  of  the  Sneuwberg  can  neither  plough 
nor  sow  without  their  arms,  lest  they  should  be 
surprised  by  the  Bosjesmans.  If  a  man  go  into 
his  garden  to  gather  a  few  greens,  he  takes  his 


SEA-COW   RIVER.  113 

musket  in  his  hand.  To  recompence  such  a  life 
of  terror,  his  sheep  are  the  best  in  the  colony,  and 
he  seldom  has  fewer  than  three  or  four  thousand 
sheep,  with  tails  from  twelve  to  twenty  pounds 
weight.  » His  butter  is  the  best  in  the  colony  ;  it 
is  salted,  pat  into  casks,  and  sent  to  the  Cape ; 
and  fifty  cows  will  yield  one  hundred  pounds  of 
bufter  a  week,  besides  rearing  their  calves.  The 
draught  oxen  are  large  and  stout;  the  horses, 
though  small,  are  capable  of  enduring,  and  there- 
fore must  endure,  hard  service. 

In  the  Sneuwberg  the  flocks  are  guarded  from 
hyenas  and  leopards  by  dogs.  The  kind  most  in 
request  is  a  large  Danish  dog,  three  of  which  are 
a  match  for  a  leopard.  At  many  farms,  three  or 
four  dogs  will  go  out  together  unbidden,  to  kill 
game  for  their  master  ;  and  when  they  have  killed 
an  antelope,  one  of  them  comes  home  alone,  and 
intices  some  person  4:o  follow  him.  He  conducts 
him  to  the  animal,  while  the  others  remain  to 
guard  it,  that  it  may  not  be  carried  off  by  wild 
beasts.  I  witnessed  an  occurrence  of  this  kind, 
when,  with  the  master,  I  followed  the  dog,  and  at 
the  distance  of  three  quarters  of  an  hour,  we  found 
two  others  lying  by  a  slain  antelope,  and  licking 
the  blood  that  flowed  from  a  wound  in  its  throat. 
The  spotted  hyena  is  here  called  a  wolf. 

The  inhabitants  of  the  Sneuwberg  are  an  orderly, 
brave,  and  hardy  people.  The  danger  to  which 
they  are  constantly  exposed  has  called  forth  the 
active  powers  of  the  women  as  well  as  those  of  the  . 
men.  The  wife  of  a  farmer  who  accompanied  me 
in  this  excursion,  having,  in  the  absence  of  her 
husband,  received  intelligence  that  the  Bosjes- 

VOL.  n.  I 


114  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

mans  had  carried  off  a  flock  of  their  sheep, 
mounted  her  horse,  took  a  muslcet  in  her  hand, 
and,  attended  by  a  single  Hottentot,  engaged  the 
plunderers,  put  them  to  flight,  and  recovered  the 
sheep  that  had  been  taken. 

The  next  day  we  proceeded  about  twenty-six 
miles  to  the  northward,  which  brought  us  to  the 
Sea-cow  river.  The  northern  rivers  geneijllly 
consist  of  a  chain  of  deep  pools,  connected  by 
narrow  channels,  which,  for  the  greater  part  of 
the  year,  are  dry.  Some  of  the  pools  of  the  Sea- 
cow  river  were  five  or  six  miles  in  length,  and 
deep  enough  to  have  floated  a  line-of-battle  ship. 

On  the  following  day  we  passed  over  plains  that 
swarmed  with  gnoos,  qua-kas,  hartebeests,  and 
springboks ;  and,  in  pursuing  some  antelopes,  we 
killed  a  large  tiger-wolf^  and  two  cobra  capella. 
One  of  these  was  five,  and  the  other  nearly  six 
feet  long ;  they  were  both  of  a  golden  yellow,  were 
very  fierce,  and  made  several  attempts  to  spring  at 
the  horses. 

Twenty  miles  farther  to  the  northward  we  ar- 
rived at  that  part  of  the  river  where  Governor 
Van  Plettenberg  ended  his  travels,  and  where  he 
set  up  a  baaken,  or  stone,  as  the  boundary  of  the 
colony.  The  Bosjesmans,  whose  opinion  had  not 
been  asked  on  thus  taking  possession  of  their 
country,  had  thrown  down  the  baaken,  and  broken 
it  in  pieces. 

The  limits  of  the  colony  were  then  formed  by  a 
line  drawn  from  this  laqdmark  to  the  mouth  of 
the  Great  Fish  river,  on  the  east ;  and  from  the 
same  landmark,  by  a  line  sweeping  inwards,  to  the 
mouth  of  the  Koussie  river,  on  the  westj  but 
these    limits   are  continually  extending.      The 


SEA-COW   RIVER.'  115 

Orange  rrver  itself  is  no  barrier  to  the  zeal  of 
missionaries,  and  the  avarice  of  adventurers. 

On  the  opposite  side  of  the  river  was  a  clump 
of  bushes,  loaded  with  nests,  so  large,  that  we 
thought  they  belonged  either  to  the  vultures  that 
were  hovering  over  them,  or  the  blue  cranes  that 
sat  by  the  side  of  the  river.  On  approaching  the 
bushes,  a  number  of  birds  of  the  thrush  kind  flew 
out  of  them.  These  are  calledthe  locust-eaters ;  they 
appear  only  with  the  destructive  insects  on  which 
they  feed  ;  and  though  their  numbers  are  said  to 
be  no  less  astonishing  than  those  of  the  locusts,  they 
had  here  pitched  upon  a  place  where  they  were 
not  likely  to  want  provisions  ;  for  the  breadth  of 
ten  miles  on  each  side  the  Sea-cow  river,  and  the 
length  of  eighty  or  ninety  miles,  was  literally  co- 
vered with  locusts  in  their  incomplete  state.  The 
river  was  scarcely  visible  on  account  of  the  locusts 
that  had  been  drowned,  it  attempting  to  reach  the 
reeds. ;  and  they  had  devoured  every  green  herb 
and  blade  of  grasst  On  examination,  we  found 
the  nest  of  the  locust-eater  consisted  of  many  cells, 
and  that  each  cell  was  the  habitation  of  a  separate 
family,  and  had  a  tube  on  the  side  for  its  entrance. 

The  gnoo  is  the  swiftest  beast  that  ranges  the 
plains  of  Africa.  The  shoulders,  body,  thighs,  and 
mane,  are  like  those  of  a  horse  ;  the  head  is  that 
of  an  ox  ;  and  the  tail  is  between  one  and  the 
other  ;■  the  legs  and  feet  are  like  those  of  a  stag  ; 
the  colour  is  that  of  a  mouse ;  the  horns  curve 
backwards.  The  length  of  the  animal,  from  the 
tip  of  the  nose  to  the  root  of  the  tail,  is  nearly 
six  feet.  The  gnoo  possesses  strength,  swiftness, 
a  quick  sight,  and  a  nice  nose.     It  has  not  yet 

i2 


116  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

not  yet  been  tamed.  The  flesh  is  not  to  be  dlstin- 
guished  from  beef. 

The  heavy,  lumpish  figure  of  the  eeland  forms 
a  contrast  with  the  elegant  figure  of  the  gnoo. 
The  gnoo,  when  wounded,  turns  upon  his  pur- 
suers ;  the  eeland  is  mild  and  patient,  and  so 
easily  taken  that  he  will  soon  be  extirpated.  He 
is  the  largest  and  most  awkward  of  all  antelopes  ; 
in  shape,  size,  gait,  and  habit,  he  resembles  an 
ox.  A  male  eeland  that  we  shot  was  ten  feet  and 
a  half  in  lepgth,  and  six  feet  and  a  half  in  height. 

On  the  plains  of  the  Sea-cow  river  were  count- 
less troops  of  the  common  sorts  of  antelopes; 
hares  were  so  numerous  that  they  were  continually 
about  the  horses'  feet ;  and  partridges  and  grouse 
were  so  little  aware  that  man  was  their  enemy, 
that  they  suffered  themselves  to  be  knocked  down 
with  sticks. 

Lions  are  said  to  be  numerous,  large,  and  fierce, 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  the  Sea-cow  river.  Here 
are  tow  sorts  of  leopards,  or,'  as  the  people  call 
them^  tigers.  We  procured  a  young  one  of  one  of 
these  sorts,  which  instantly  grew  tame,  and  was  as 
playful  as  a  domestic  kitten.  It  is  said  that  the 
fierce  lion  or  tiger,  if  taken  young,  is  sooner  re- 
conciled to  a  state  of  domestication  than  the  timid 
antelope. 

I  was  extremely  desirous  of  forming  an  acquaint- 
ance^iththeBosjesmans,  which  couldoiilybe  efffect- 
edby  coming  upon  them  unawares;  I  therefore  sent 
some  of  my  Hottentots  to  reconnoitre  the  country. 
One  of  these  returned  and  said  that,  from  the  top 
of  a  high  hill,  he  had  seen  some  fires  at  the  bottom 
of  a  defile.    We  marched  in  silence  till  we  arrived 


BOSJESMANS.  Il7 

at  the  defile,  when  we  galloped  up  it  at  full  speed, 
and  found  ourselves  in  the  midst  of  a  Bosjesmans' 
village.  Our  ears  were  stunned  with  a  horrid 
scream,  and  arrows  fell  near  us.  1  saw  the  Bos- 
jesmans  on  the  heights,  and  to  shew  my  peaceable 
intention,  I  laid  down  my  arms,  ordered  my  peo- 
ple to  do  the  same,  and  we  turned  our  horsed  out 
to  graze. 

In  a  short  time  some  little  children  came  down 
to  us.  I  gave  them  biscuits  and  other  trifles,  and 
they  returned  to  their  parents.  Presently,  thirty 
or  forty  women  and  girls  came,  though  not  with- 
out  strong  symptoms  of  fear.  I  treated  these  in 
the  same  manner,  and  desired  one  of  my  Hotten- 
tots, who  understood  their  language,  to  tell  them 
to  send  their  husbands  for  a  present  of  tobacco. 
The  men,  however,  had  less  confidence  than  the 
women  ;  they  hovered  long  on  the  summit  of  the 
hill ;  and  the  women  had  gone  and  returned  at 
least  a  dozen  times  before  they  could  prevail  upon 
one  man  to  come  down ;  and  when,  at  last,  one 
did  venture,  he  approached  us  trembling,  half 
laughing  and  half  crying,  like  a  frighted  chifd.  A 
large  piece  of  tobacco  was  immediately  given  him, 
and  I  sent  him  back  to  tell  his  companions  thit  I 
had  a  present  for  each  of  them.  Only  three  others 
had  the  resolution  to  come  down. 

.  When  we  left  the  village  these  three  men  ac- 
companied us  to  the  waggons,  and  remained  with 
us  several  days.  I  enquired  whether  they  had  a 
chief,  but  they  said  every  man  was  master  of  his 
own  family,  and  at  liberty  to  remain  with,  or  quit 
j^the  others,  as  he  pleased.  I, gave  each  a  large  pre- 
sent of  tobacco,  knives,  beads,  flints,  and  sCisels, 
and  they  returned  to  their  village  highly  delighted. 


118  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

Well  might  they  be  so,  for  never  had  they  before 
received  kindness  at  the  hands  of  a  Christian. 
Unfortunate,  proscribed  creatures,  bearing  the 
curse  of  Cain  .upon  their  foreheads  ;  every  man^s 
hand  against  them !  It  was  so  natural  to  kill  a 
Bosjesman^thslt  my  companions,  the  Dutch  farmers, 
had  some  difficulty  to  refrain  from  it :  I  hope  that 
under  the  government  of  my  country  the  Bosjes- 
mans  will  be  considered  as  men. 

The  village  of  the  Bosjesmans  consisted  of 
twenty-iive  huts,  each  made  of  a  grass  mat,  bent 
into  a  semicircle,  and  fastened  down  between  two 
sticks,  open  before,  but  closed  behind  with  ano^ 
tber  mat.  The  huts  were  about  three  feet  high» 
and  four  feet  wide,  and  the  ground  in  the  centre 
was  dug  out  like  the  nest  of  an  ostrich.  A  little 
grass,  strewed  in  this  hollow,  served  for  the  bed 
of  the  family,  in  which  they  must  have  lain  coiled 
round.  The  inhabitants  of  the  village  were  about 
a  hundred  and  fifty. 

The  men  were  entirely  naked,  and  most  of  the 
women  nearly  so  ;  yet  neither  were  without  a 
taste  for  finery.  A  few  of  the  women  wore  caps 
of  skin,  not  unlike  helmets ;  and  shells,  beads, 
or  bits  of  copper,  were  suspended  from  their  little, 
curling  tufts  of  hair.  All  the  men  had  a  piece  of 
wood,  or  a.  porcupine's  quill,  run  through  the  car- 
tilege  of  the  nose. 

It  did  not  appear  that  these  Bosjesmans  greased 
their  skins,  any  further  than  by  wiping  their  greasy 
hands  upon  their  persons.  The  hair  and  face  of 
many  had  been  rubbed  with  red  ochre,  and  a  few 
had  the  face  painted,  with  black. 

The  tallest  of  the  men  measured  only  four  feet 
nine  inches,  and  four  feet  six  was  the  middle  size  : 


BOSJESMANS.  119 

the  tallest  of  the  women  measured  four  feet  four 
inches,  and  four  feet  was  the  middle  size ;  but  we 
saw  a  woman,  the  mother  of  several  children,  who 
measured  only  three  feet  nine.  The  colour  of  the 
Bosjesmans  is  the  sanje  as  that  of  the  Hottentots. 
Their  cheek  bones  are  high  ;  their  eyes  keen,  and 
always  in  motion ;  their  nose  is  flat,  their  chin 
prominent,  their  visage  hollow.  On  the  whole, 
their  appearance  is  between  that  of  the  Hottentot 
and  the  ape  j  being  less  handsome  that  the  one, 
and  not  quite  so  ugly  as  the  other.  Their  bodies 
are  uncommonly  protuberant  before,  and  as  much 
the  reverse  behind.  The.  curvature  of  the  spine 
inwards,  and  the  projection  of  the  part  below,  in  a 
female  Bosjesman  is  so  great,  that  a  section  of  the 
body  forms  the  letter  S.  It  has  been  pleasantly, 
though  somewhat  coarsely,  said,  that  the  fat  of  the 
sheep  and  the  Bosjesman  women  lie  in  the  same 
part.  The  limbs  of  the  Bosjesmans  are  in  general 
well  turned  and  well  proportioned.  The  klip- 
springing  antelope  can  scarcely  exceed  them  in 
leaping  from  rock  to  rock,  or  the  horse  keep  pace 
with  them  when  running. 

The  Bosjesmans  are  undoubtedly  a  Hottentot 
race ;  and  may  they  not  be  the  descendants  of 
those  Hottentots  who  left  their  fertile  pastures  to 
the  Dutch,  and  retired  to  mountains  and  deserts, 
whither  the  invaders  could  scarcely  follow  them  ? 
May  not  necessity  have  given  the  mild  and  patient 
Hottentot  activity  and  talents,  while  penury  has 
diminished  his  stature  ?  aqd  may  he  not  be  making 
reprisals  on  a  robber,  when  he  drives  off  the  cattle 
of  a  Dutch  farmer  ? 

The  country  of  the  Bosjesmans  extends  from 
the  third  chain  of  mountains  that  runs  across 


wo  SOUTHERN   AFRfCA. 

Africn  to  the  Orange  river,  and  it  is  a  country 
more  barren  and  inhospitable  than  even  the  Kar- 
roo. The  hardships  attendant  upon  satisfying 
hunger  preclude  the  possibility  of  forming  large 
associations :  even  a  family  is  sometimes  .obliged 
to  separate,  as  the  same  spot  cannot  alwiys  i afford 
sustenance  for  all  the  individuals  that  compose  it. 
Bodily  strength  alone  procures  distinction  among 
the  Bosjesmans;  and  this  gives  such  an  ascen- 
dancy that  the  weaker  is  sometimes  obliged  to  re- 
sign to  the  stronger  his  weapons,  his  wife,  and  his 
children,  if  he  would  preserve  his  life. 

The  common  objects,  of  their  pursuit  are  ser- 
pents, lizards,  ants,  and  grasshoppers ;  their  lux- 
uries are  the  larger  animals.  They  chew  the  suc- 
culent plants  with  which  their  barren  soil  supplies 
them,  and  they  feed  on  a  bulbous  root,  about  the 
size  of  a  crocus,  which,  whfen  roasted,  tastes  like  a 
roasted,  chesnut :  by  them  it  is  palled  ok;  by  the 
Hottentots  ow.  They  employ  the  day  in  seeking 
iheit  food ;  and  at  night  thfey  commonly  repose 
iti  caverns,  in  holes  made  in  the  ground,  or  under 
the  branches  of  trees.  The  man  who,  wifh  five  of 
his  fellows,  will  devour  a  fat  sheep  in  an  hour,  can 
fast  three  or  four  days  successively,  or  will  live  for 
months  upon  bulbs,  and  not  quit  the  spot  till  all  are 
consumed.  Perseverance  distinguishes  the  Bos- 
jesman.  He  will  pass  the  whole  day  in  scratching  up 
the'  ground  in  search  of  water ;  and,  if  once  con- 
vinced that  is  to  be  found,  he  will  scrape  to  the 
depth  of  six  feet  to  reach  it ;  he  then  takes  a 
single  draught,  and  each  man  drinks  in  his  turn. 

The  courage  and  dexterity  of  the  Bosjesmans  in 
catching  serpents  are  astonishing.  No  sooner  do 
they  see  one  of  these  formidable  reptiles  on  the 


BOSJESMAKS.  121 

level  ground,  than  they  set  their  feet  apon  its 
neck,  press  the  jaws  fast  together  with  Aeir 
f  ngers,  and  separate  the  head  from  the  body  with 
a  knife,  or,  for  want  of  a  knife,  with  their  teeth. 
All  this  is  the  work  of  a  moment.  They  take  the 
bag  of  poison  out  of  the  head,  and  reserve  it  for 
their  arrows  ;  the  body  of  the  serpent  they  gree- 
dily devour.  When  in  pursuit  of  game,  they  strew 
their  bodies  over  with  dust,  and  crawl  along  tb^ 
earth  on  their  bellies,  never  moving  if  the  animal 
be  looking  towards  them.  They  will  remain  in  this 
situation  for  hours,  so  that  their  prey  seldom  escapes 
them  when  once  the  pursuit  of  It  is  undertaken. 

The  bow  of  the  JSosjesmans  is  about  five  feet  in 
length,  the  string  is  made  of  the  intestines  of  ani- 
mals twisted  together,  and  the  whole  is  a  very 
rough  and  simple  piece  of  workmanship.  The 
arrow  is  a  strong  reed,  about  three  feet  and  a  half 
long,  with. a  feather  fixed  to  it.  At  the  upper  end 
is  fastened  a  hard,  hollow  piece  of  bone,  sharpened 
to  a  point,  or  a  small  triangular  plate  of  iron  ;  in 
either  case  it  is  strongly  rubbed  over  with  poison, 
of  a  brown  colour,  and  a  glutinous  quality.  When 
fresh,  it  is  of  the  consistence  of  wax,  but  it  soon 
dries,  and  becomes  hard.  It  is  composed  of  several 
substances,  the  principal  of  which  is  always  the 
poison  of  serpents ;  but  as  this  is,  of  itself,  too 
thin,  it  is  mixed  with  the  poisonous  sap  of  the 
larger  species  of  euphorbia,  called  wolfs  milk, 
or  with  a  poison  extracted  from  bulbs^  or  with  a 
poi8(Mious  substance  that  adheres  to  caverns  in  tke 
rocks.  Though  these  people  know  that  their  poi- 
sons are  only  noxious  when  taken  into  the  blood, 
yet  they  carefully  av6id  touching  them  with  tlie 
hand*     They  are  mixed  with  a  stick,  in  a  hollow 


1S2  SOUTH£RN   AFRICA. 

frtone  that  has  been  previously  heated,  and  with  a 
stick  the  composition  is  rubbed  on  the  arrow.  The 
quivers  are  made  of  the  hollow  stem  of  a  large  sort 
of  aloe,  called  from  thence  the  quiver  tree  ;  the 
bottom  and  the  cover  are  of  leather.  This  is  slung 
over  the  shoulder  by  a  leathern  thong,  soi  that  the 
arrows  can  be  drawn  out  under  the  left  arm  ;  and 
by  this  means  a  man  can  shoot  five  or  six  times  m 
a  minute.  All  the  boys  who  came  to  us  at  the  vil- 
lage carried  small  bows  and  quivers  of  arrows. 

It  is  customary  for  an  elderly  man  to  have  two 
wives ;  that  is  to  say,  when  the  wife  of  his  youth 
no  longer  bears  children,  he  takes  a  young  one  to 
continue  his  family. 

The  constitutions  of  the  Bosgesmans  are  much 
stronger  than  those  of  the  Hottentots  of  the  co- 
lony, and  their  lives  are  of  longer  duration.  In 
every  sickness  they  take  off  the  first  joint  of  a 
finger,  beginning  with  the  little  finger  of  the  lefl 
hand,*  as  being  the  least  useful.  This  is  practised 
for  the  same  reason  that  a  vein  is  opened,  or 
leeches  applied,  in  England. 

The  Bosjesmans  bliry  the  dead,  and  cover  the 
graves  with  heaps  of  stones.  Some  of  the  heaps 
were  so  large  that,  on  the  plains,  where  scarcely  a 
stone  is  to  be  found,  it  must  have  been  a  work  of 
great  labour  to  form  them. 

The  language  of  the  Bosjesmans  is  of  the  same 
nature  as  that  of  the  Hottentots,  though  they  do 
not  understand  each  other.  The  clapping  of  the 
tongue  is  the  same,  but  it  occurs  less  frequently. 
Several  of  the  Sneuwbergers  speak  this  language 
fluently,  having  learned  it  in  their  .infancy  from 
Bosjesman  nurses. 

The  Bosjesmans  have  a  very  intelligent  method 


BOSJESMANS.  12S 

of  conveying  their  meaning  to  each  other  by  signs 
andgesticulations,  and  they  have  great  dexterity  in 
managing  signals.  In  the  night,  by  means  of  fires 
on  the  summits  of  the  mountains,  they  will  indi- 
cate to  their  comrades  the  number  of  a  herd  or 
flock  th^y  mean  to  plunder,  and  the  means  of  de- 
fence employed*  to  guard  it.  Their  sight  is  so 
2icute,  that  they  perceive  objects  at  a  distance 
which  no  Eurdpean  can  see  without  glasses. 

Within  memory,  the  Bosjesmans  frequented  the 
colony  openly,  begged,  stole,  and  were  trouble- 
some ;  but  never  attempted  the  life  of  any  one. 
Since  that  time,  expeditions  have  been  made  into 
their  country ;  they,  and  their  wives  and  children, 
have  been  dragged  into  slavery,  and  inhumanly 
treated ;  and,  in  retaliation,  if  they  seize  a  Hot- 
tentot while  guarding  his  master's  cattle  they  put 
him  to  death  with  every  means  of  torture  they  can 
devise.  Even  the  animals  they  steal  are  kept 
without  food  or  water  till  they  are  wanted  for  use, 
or  till  they  drop  down  with  hunger.  The  latter, 
indeed,  may  not  be  the  effect  of  barbarity ;  for 
either  their  country  may  produce  no  grass,  or 
they  may  be  afraid  to  trust  stolen  cattle  on  the 
plains. 

When  a  party  of  Bosjesmans  is  surprised  by  the 
farmers,  and  they  see  no  chance  of  escaping,  they 
fight  furiously,  to  the  last  man  among  them  ;  and 
it  frequently  happens  that  they  will  rush  upon  cer»- 
tain  destruction,  by  throwing  themselves  in  the 
midst  of  the  colonists,  to  give  their  wives  and 
children  an  opportunity  of  escapin^,s  and  their 
concealed  countrymen  of  wounding  iheir  enemies 
with  their  poisoned  arrows.  If  they  are  pursued^ 
in  carrying  off  their  plunder,  ftiey  divide ;   one 


124  SOUTHSRN   AFRICA. 

party  driving  away  the  cattle,  the  other  harassing 
their  pursuers  ;  and  if'  the  latter  are  vanquished, 
the  former  stab  and  maim  the  cattle. 

When  one  Bosjesman  in  a  community  feasts, 
they  all  partake  ;  when  one  fasts,  they  all  suffer. 
When  they  bring  in  a  herd  of  cattle,  they  slay 
'  such  numbers,  that  the  village  becomes  a  heap  of 
putrefaction.     The  three  who  accompanied  us  to 
our  waggons  had  a  sheep  given  them  about  live 
o'clock  in  the  evening,  and  it  was  wholly  consumed 
before  noon  the  next*  day.     They  ate,  without 
sleep,   and   without   intermission,    till  they   had 
finished  the  animal,  by  which  time  their  lank  bodies 
were  so  distended  that  they  looked  less  like  human 
creatures  than  before.     Their  beverage  was  more 
disgusting  than  their  gluttony ;  for,  having  cut 
the  throat  of  the  sheep,  they  opened  the  body  and 
•let  the  blood  run  among  the  entrails  ;  then,  cut- 
ting these  with  a  knife,  they  poured  in  a  quantity 
of  water,  stirred  all  together,  and  drank  the  abo- 
minable composition  with  great  relish. 

If  the  Bosjesman  endure  many  hardships,  his 
persecutor  is  not  without  a  share.  In  the  pursuit 
of  these  people  the  farmers  sustain  hunger  and 
thirst,  heat  and  cdd^  fatigue,  and  wounds  from 
!the  poisoned  arrows.  These  are  not  mortal  j  but, 
by  injudicious^  treatment,  they  frequently  bring  on 
complaints  which  terminate  in  death.  Some 
ftnMws  are  prudent  enough  to  carry  with  them 
<3upping  vesseb,  to  draw  out  the  poison,  sweet  oil, 
to  wash  the  wounds,  and  vinegar  to  drink.  The 
Hottentots  jwash  their  poisoned  wounds  with  a 
mixture  of  Urine  and  gunpowder ;  and  it  is  ob- 
served that  thev  seldom  die^  unless  they  are 
wounded  very  severely. » 


185 


CHAPTER   X. 

ORANGE    RIVER.      BRUYNTJES    HOOGfE.      GRAAF 
REYNET   TO    ZWAARTE   KOP.'s   BAY. 

JriAVING  joined  our  waggons  on  the  banks  of 
the  Sea-cow  river,  we  proceeded  to  the  first  poort, 
which  is  an  opening  in  a  cluster  of  hills  througH 
which  the  river  passes.  From  the  north  side  of 
the  Sneuwberg  to  these  hills,  we  had  travelled  over 
a  flat  country  ;  here  it  began  to  be  broken,  and 
blue  mountains  appeared  in  the  hodzon  to,  the 
northward.  The  following  day  we*  reached  the 
second  poort,  or  pass  of  the  river,  into  which  wag- 
gons cannot  enter,  the  hills  being  now  lengthened 
out  into  a  chain. 

The  next  day  we  proceeded  on  horseback 
through  the  chasm,  which  was  about  fifteen  miles 
in  length,  and  so  narrow,  and  the  river  so  serpen- 
tine, passing  from  side  to  side,  and  winding  round 
rocky  points,  that  we  crossed  it  a  hundred  times. 
At  length  we  fell  into  a  large  beaten  track  of  the 
hippopotami,  which  carried  us,  throi^  reeds  and 
shrubs,  and  shallow  parts  of  the  river,  to  the  end 
of  the  pass.  Here  also  was  the  end  of  the  Sea- 
cow  river ;  its  tranquil  waters  forming  a  coeflti- 
ence  with  those  of  another  river,  which  rolled  ra- 
pidly to  the  north-westward  over  a  rocky  bed^  aad 
which,  though  it  had  lately  subsided  twelve  or 
thirteen  feet,  was  now  about  four  hundred  yards 
broad,  and  very  deep.  Alf  the  rivers  of  the  co- 
lony, collectively,   could  not  equal  its  bulk  of 


126  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

water.  Th^e  can  be  no  doubt  that  this  was  the 
Great,  or  Orange  river,  which  runs  into  the  sea 
on  the  western  coast,  and  we  were  not  less  than 
five  hundred  miles  from  its  mouth. 

We  traced  the  Great  river  to  the  eastward  du- 
ring four  days.  Its  breadth  was  from  two  to  five 
hundred  yards.  .  In  several  places  the  inundations 
had  extended  more  than  a  mile  from  the  river ; 
and  in  others  there  were  marks  of  its  having  risen 
forty  feet  above  its  ordinary  level. 

In  the  level  parts  of  the  country  the  river  glided 
over  the  most  beautiful  pebbles ;  striped,  spotted, 
figured  opals,  cornelians,  chalcedonies,  and  agates, 
rounded,  and  smoothly  polished  by  the  current. 
In  whatever  part  we  approached  the  river,  hippo- 
potami  were  snorting  and  playing  in  vast  num- 
bers. In  several  places  we  saw  baskets  very  inge- 
niously contrived  for  taking  fish,  and  other  fishing 
tackle  of  the  Bosjesmans,  who  had  doubtless  been 
disturbed  by  our  coming.  Deep  holes  were  also 
made,  and  covered  over  in  the  paths  of  the  hippopo- 
tami, which  made  it  dangerous  to  ride  along  them. 

We  now  left  the  river,  and  turned  to  the  south- 
ward, travelling  over*  a  flat  country,  with  fine 
grass,  little  water,  and  no  wood ;  and  the  follow- 
ing  day,  after  marching  ten  hours,  we  arrived  at 
a  part  of  the  chain  of  mountains  to  the  east  of  the 
Sneuwberg  and  the  Compassberg.  The  moun- 
tain here  wa«  called  the  Zuureberg,  or  Sour  moun- 
tain. The  waters  here  also  take  opposite  direc- 
tions ;  those  on  the  north  join  the  Orange  river  ; 
those  on  the  south  the  Great  Fish  river,  thus  flow- 
ing to  the  Atlantic  and  Indian  oceans. 

I  had  frequently  been  informed  that,  among  the 
animals  pourtrayed  by  the  Bosjesmans,  was  the 


SPAINGBOKS.  127 

unicorn ;  and  one,  in  particular,  was  said  to  be  in 
a  kloof  of  the  Zuureburg ;  I  therefore  made  an 
excursion  across  this  mountain.  Drawings  we 
found  in  several  places,  but  not  of  the  unicorn. 
At  the  foot  of  this  mountain  we  killed  a  wild  hog, 
one  of  the  most  vicious,  cunning,  and  ugly  ani- 
mals in  the  creation.  Long  ivory  fangs  project 
from  its  mouth,  and  bend  upwards ;  and  fleshy 
bags,  hanging  from  each  cheek,  look  like  an  addi- 
tional pair  of  ears. 

The  next  day  we  directed  our  course  to  the 
eastward,  and  pitched  our  tents  in  a  plain  abound- 
ing with  eelands  and  springboks.  The  springbok 
does  not  reside  in  the  mountains,  where  he  might  be 
easily  caught,  but  in  open  ground,  where  he  leaps, 
frequei^tly  above  six  feet  high,  and  several  yards  in 
length,  and  the  instant  he  touches  the  ground  after 
one  spring  he  rises  for  another.  These  antelopes 
sometimes  emigrate  in  such  numbers  as  scarcely  to 
leave  any  herbage  on  the  ground  over  which  they 
pass.  Nothing  intimidates  or  obstructs  them  on 
their  march.  If  the  farmers  Are  among  them,  they 
pursue  their  rout ;  and  lions,  and  other  beasts  of 
prey  follow  the  herd,  and  make  great  havock 
an^ong  them,  without  obliging  them  to  alter  their 
course.  Five  thousand  of  these  travellers  form  a 
moderate  groupe ;  ten,  twelve,  or  fifteen  thousand 
being  often  assembled  together. 

Continuing  our  journey  to  the  eastw^urd,  we  en- 
tered the  deserted  division  of  Tarka,  under  a  lofty 
mountain  of  the  Nieuwveld  range,  called  Bambos 
berg :  we  then  turned  to  the  southw^d.  In  one 
of  the  mountains  we  saw  a  cavern  filled  with  draw- 
ings of  elephants,  rhinoceroses,  and  hippopotami, 


128  SOUTHERN    AFRICA. 

with  one  camelopardalis,  an  animal  that  is  only 
found  to  the  northward  of  the  Orange  river. 

At  some  of  the  deserted  farms  in  the  Tarka,  we 
found  vineyards  loaded  with  grapes,  peach,  al- 
mond, apple,  and  pear  trees,  full  of  fruit,  and  ve- 
getables of  various  kinds  thriving  .without  any 
attention.  We  saw  here  a  flight  of  the  locust- 
eating  thrush  that  continued  to  pass  over  our 
heads,  like  a  cloud,  for  fifteen  minutes. 

We  made  along  excursion  into  the  Tarka  moun- 
tains for  the  purpose  of  what  might  be  termed 
hunting  the  unicorn.  Under  a  projecting  ridge  of 
rock  were  several  sketches  of  animals  and  satirical 
delineations  of  the  colonists  in  ridiculous  situations 
and  attitudes;  but  the  grand  object  of  our  research 
was  wanting.  We  continued  to  explore  th^  kloofs 
of  the  mountains ;  the  country  people  being  as 
anxious  to  prove  the  truth  of  their  assertion,  as  I 
to  discover  the  similitude  of  an  animal  of  such  un- 
certain existence;  till,  at  the  bottom  of  a  deep 
eave  covered  with  drawings,  we  did  find  the  repre- 
sentation of  a  horse  s  head  and  neck  with  a  single 
horn.  The  body  and  legs  were  hidden  by  the 
figure  of  an  elephant  that  stood  before  him. 

As  all  the  other  animals  delineated  by  the  Bosjes- 
mans  are  known  to  exist,  it  is  a  presumptive  proof 
that  this' exists  also.  The  Bosjesmans  have  no  idea 
that  the  existence  of  the  unicorn  is  doubted ;  and 
the  farmers  take  it  for  granted  that  it  is  to  be 
found  beyond  the  colony.  Ignorance  believes  too 
much,  learning  may  believe  too  little  ;  the  unlet- 
tered swallow  falsehood,  the  man  of  science  may 
reject  truth. 

Having  passed  over  a  rough,  mountainous  coun- 


BRUINTJES   HOOGTE.  129 

tiy,  in  which  fine  mimosas  were  in  full  bloom,  and 
honey  was  hanging  in  clusters  from  almost  every 
rock,  we  came  to  the  Bavian's  or  Baboon's  river. 

From  this  river  I  once  more  entered  KaiTerland, 
and  ascended  the  Kaka,  which  is  a  continuation 
of  the  most  southerly  range  of  the  Nieuveld.  The 
summit  commanded  a  view  of  the  sea-coast  on  the 
south,  and  beyond  the  residence  of  the  king  on 
the  south-east ;  the  level  plains  of  the  Kat  and 
Kaapna  rivers  lay  at  our  feet.  Some  of  the  trunks 
of  the  yew-trees  were  from  twenty  to  thirty  feet 
in  circumference,  and  from  sixty  to  seventy  feet 
in  height.  On  entering  one  of  ihe  narrow  vallies 
we  seemed  on  a  sudden  to  be  in  the  midst  of  a 
shower  of  snow,  which,  upon  examination,  we 
found  to  be  myriads  t)f  white  ants  upon  the  wing. 

The  sparrow,  the  swallow,  and  the  titmouse, 
which,  in  Europe,  where  there  are  no  serpents  or 
monkies  to  fear,  make  open  nests,  in  Africa  form 
them  with  tubes,  or  fence  them  with  thorns.  If 
the  name  of  reason  be  denied  to  this  faculty,  some 
other  must  be  given  it  that  has  nearly  the  same 
signification. 

From  the  Bavian's  river  one  day's  journey 
brought  us  to  the  fertile  division  of  Bruintjes 
Hoogte.  The  district  of  Agter  Bruintjes  Hoogte 
is  bounded  on  the  east  by  a  considerable  mountain 
called  the  Bosch  berg,  or  Bush  mountain,  from  its 
being  overgrown  with  wood.  In  the  midst  of  this 
rises  a  high  ridge,  which  is  properly  the  Bruintjes 
Hoogte,  or  Height  of  the  little  Browns,  a  name 
that  was  given  it  by  a  Hottentot  chief  established 
here,  in  derision  of  the  first  Dutch  settlers.  As 
this  district  was  colonized  from  Gamdeboo,  the 
farms  on  the  western  side  of  the  piountain  are 

VOL.  II.  K 


180  COLONY   OF   THE   CAPK. 

called  Foar^  or  Fore  Bruintjes  Hoogte,  and  those 
on  the  eastern  Agte^\  or  After  Bruintjes  Hoogte. 
This  place  is  notorious  for  the  turbulent  spirit  of 
its  inhabitants,  who,  at  this  distance  from  the  seat 
of  government,  have  acted  independently  of  its 
authority.  They  ^e  strong,  robust,  and  resolute. 
The  deliberate  coolness  of  the  women  knows  nei- 
ther obstacle  nor  fear.  They  are  equally  skilful 
with  their  husbands  in  the  management  of  horses 
and  fire-arms,  and  they  never  retreat  on  the  ap- 
pearance of  danger.  I  saw  among  the  colonists  in 
this  division  a  woman,  healthy,  unmarried,  and 
under  forty  years  of  age,  who  had  not  been  able 
to  move  from  her  bed  for  twelve  years,  on  account 
of  excessive  corpulence.  Her  arm,  above  the 
elbow,  measured  two  feet,  within  a  quarter  of  an 
inch,  in  circumference. 

From  Bruintjes  Hoogte  we  descended  to  the 
arid  and  extensive  plains  of  Camdeboo,  which, 
toward  the  west,  are  lost  in  the  great  Karroo,  and 
have  all  the  characteristics  of  that  country ;  but, 
naked  as  these  plains  appeared,  antelopes  were 
plentiful.  Here  are  also  found  a  great  variety  of 
those  small  quadrupeds  which  burrow  in  the 
ground,  and  are  called  by  the  colonists  meer- 
cats :  of  this  sort  are  the  giusk-cat,  and  the  tiger- 
cat.  Here  is  likewise  a  beautiful  little  ground 
squirrel,  about  eight  inches  in  length,  of  a  dark 
chesnut  colour,  with  a  white  stripe  on  each  side, 
from  the  shoulder  to  the  flank. 

The  plains  of  Camdeboo  extend  from  Bruintjes 
Hoogte  to  GraafF  Reynet,  which  is  a  journey  of 
three  days.  They  are  intersected  by  the  Bly,  the 
Vogel,  the  Plftfte,  and  the  Milk  rivers,  in  their 
passage  from  the  Sneuwberg  to  the  Sondag.    The 


CAMDEBOO.  ISl 

Balearic  crane  was  seen  near  the  Milk  river,  and 
guinea-fowls  near  all.  Bee-eaters,  with  their 
beautiful  plumage,  —  creepers,  still  more  brilliant^ 
— king-fishers,  and  wood-peckers,  were  seen  flutr 
tering  among  the  mimosas  of  the  river  Sondag. 

All  the  species  of  swallows  in  the  colony  are 
birds  of  passage.  One  of  these,  with  a  red  spotted 
breast,  builds  its  nest  in  the  habitations  of  man  ; 
and  in  many  of  the  farm-houses  small  shelves  are 
nailed  against  the  beams  for  that  purpose.  It  is 
commonly  asserted,  and,  from  what  I  have  ob- 
served in  my  own  country,  I  have  no  doubt  of  its 
being  true,  that  the  same  birds  return  to  their 
places,  and  generally  on  the  same  day. 

From  the  plains  of  Camdeboo  I  arrived  again  at 
the  Drosdy  of  GraafF  Reynet. 

It  is  difficult  for  an  European  to  form  an  idea  of 
the  hardships  to  be  encountered  in  travelling  over 
such  plains  in  the  hottest  season  of  the  year.  Not 
9  blade  of  grass,  not  a  green  leaf  is  to  be  seen,  and 
the  stiff  soil  reflects  the  heat  of  the  sun  with  such 
force  that  a  man  may  congratulate  himself  upon 
his  horse  raising  him  some  feet  above  the  surface. 

The  African  horses,  though  they  have  less 
strength  than  those  of  Europe,  travel  a  long  time 
in  this  intense  heat,  without  either  food  or  water. 
It  is,  however,  customary  for  th^  riders  to  dis- 
mount at  intervals;  when  the  saddles  are  taken 
off,  and  the  animals  are  suffered  to  roll  upon  the 
ground,  and  stretch  their  limbs.  This  they  do 
with  evident  delight;  and  after  they  have  risen 
and  shaken  themselves,  they  go  for  a  time  much 
refreshed. 

My  next  excursion  from  Graaff  Reynet  was  to  the 
S9Uth.  passing  still  through  the  division  of  Camde- 

K  2 


132  COLONY   OF   THE   CAPE^ 

boo.  On  the  first  day  we  passed  two  farm-housefr, 
on  the  second  .two,  on  the  third  two.  In  these 
three  days  we  crossed  the  Sondag  river  nine  times, 
and  every  time  in  danger  of  overturning  the  wag- 
gons; we  now  quitted  it  altogether,  and  encamped 
on  an  arid  plain  without  water.  This  part  of  the 
district  is  called  the  Zwaart  ruggens,  or  Black 
ridges.  Except  in  the  plain  of  our  encampment, 
we  had  scarcely  a  hundred  yards  of  level  ground 
in  the  space  of  forty  miles  j  and  the  road  over  the 
ridges  was  constantly  ascending,  or  descending, 
over  large  fragments  of  loose  stone,  or  ledges  of 
firm  rock. 

On  the  fourth  day  we  passed  through  a  narrow 
opening  between  two  long  ranges  of  hills  running 
east  and  west.  We  reached  this  path  by  a  wind- 
ing road  of  smooth  yellowish  sand  without  a  stone, 
bordered  on  either  side  by  the  tallest  and  choicest 
African  plants.  .  Among  these  were  many  species 
of  the  aloe,  some  throwing  out  their  clusters  of, 
flowers  across  the  road,  and  others  rising  in  spikes 
of  blood-red  blossoms  fifteen  feet  in  height.  The 
Riet  berg,  or  Reed  mountain,  in  the  back  ground, 
was  covered  to  the  summit  with  a  wood  of  aloes, 
with  spikes  of  pink  flowers. 

Having  passed  the  chasm,  we  crossed  a  plain  six 
or  seven  miles  in  breadth,  and  encamped  at  the 
Wolga  fonteyn.  For  three  days'  journey  from 
this  place  the  road  lay  through  a  country  diversi- 
fied with  bold  hills,  gradual  swells,  and  plains,  en- 
tirely covered  with  a  forest  of  shrubs.  Sometimes, 
for  the  distance  of  ten  or  twelve  miles,  there  was 
not  an  opening  in  which  we  could  turn  a  yard  to 
the  right  or  the  left.  Nothing  could  be  more 
beautiful ;  but,  when  night  came  on,  its  beauty 


.     20UT   PAN.  ISH 

vanished,  and  its  inconvenience  was  felt.  There 
was  no  space  proper  for  the  tent  and  the  waggons; 
no  space  proper  to  make  fast  the  oxen;  and,  worst 
of  all,  there  was  no  water.  Our  cattle  tasted  wa- 
ter only  once  in  the  three  days ;  though  the  ther- 
mometer was  from  75  to  80  degrees  in  the  shade. 
We  had  a  nightly  concert,  composed  of  the  roar- 
ing of  lions,  the  howling  of  wolves,  the  bellowing 
of  buffaloes,  the  yelping  of  jackals,  and  the  lowing 
of  our  frightened  oxen.  * 

On  the  evening  of  the  seventh  day,  we  en- 
camped on  the  verdant  bank  of  a  lake,  about  thf  ee 
miles  in  circumference,  and  six  from  the  sea.  The 
water  was  perfectly  clear,  and  as. salt  as  brine. 
The  bottom  was,  for  the  greatest  part,  a  solid  mass 
of  salt  as  hard  as  a  rock.  This  is  one  of  the  lakes 
known  by  the  name  of  zout,  or  salt,  pans ;  to 
which  the  colonists  resort  for  the  purpose  of  pro- 
curing this  valuable  article. 

On  the  borders  of  the  zout  pan  we  found  en- 
camped a  farmer  and  his  whole  family,  consisting 
of  sons  and  daughter?,  grand -children,  oxen, 
cows,  sheep,  goats,  and  dogs.  He  was  removing 
to  a  new  habitation,  and  the  rest  of  his  moveables 
were  stowed  in  two  waggons.  He  advised  us  to 
make  our  oxen  fast  to  the  waggons  at  night,  as  two 
of  his  horses  had  been  devoured  by  lions  the  night 
preceding.  This  royal  beast,  like  many  other 
royal  personages,  does  not  merit  all  the  praises 
that  have  been  bestowed  upon  him.  He  does 
not  always  attack  his  prey  openly,  but  frequently 
lies  in  ambush  ;  nor  does  he  spare  a  sleeping  crea- 
ture, but  takes  his  prey  as  he  can  find  it. 

On  the  evening  of  the  eighth  day,  we  arrived  at 
Zwaart  Kops  bay,  from  whence  I  returned  again 
to  GraafT  Reynet. 


134 


CHAPTER  XL 

GRAAF  R£YNET  TO  THE  GREAT,  OR  ORANGE  RIVER. 

xIaVING  made  the  several  excursions  from 
Graaff  Reynet  of  which  I  have  already  given  an 
account,  I  quitted  it  for  the  last  time,  on  the  11th 
of  May,  determined  to  reach  the  Great  river  by 
the  shortest  way,  and  proceed  beyond  it  as  far  as 
I  should  find  it  practicable. 

After  crossing  an  extensive  plain,  surrounded 
by  hills,  we  ascended  the'  Sneuwberg,  and  as  I 
now  travelled  in  a  family  waggon,  drawn  by  horses, 
belonging  to  one  of  the  farmers,  I  dined  at  a  farm- 
house about  twenty  miles  north-west  of  Graaff 
Reynet,  and  passed  the  nigh't  at  a  farm-house 
about  the  same  distance  from  the  former.  On  the 
second  day  of  the  journey  we  reached  Magis  foun- 
tain; on  the  third,  after  travelling  aliDUg  the  banks 
of  the  Buffalo  river,  we  arrived  at  another  house  ; 
and  on  the  fourth  day,  in  less  ,than-  three  hours, 
we  reached  a  place  called  Three  fountains,  the  ha- 
bitation of  the  next  farmer. 

In  the  morning  I  walked  to  the  top  of  some  hills, 
and,  except  a  small  portion  of  cultivated  land 
near  the  house,  the  surrounding  country  produced 
only  heath  and  bushes.  In  the  afternoon  we  left 
Three  fountains,  and,  being  drawn  by  eight  excel- 
lent horses,  we  travelled  at  the  rate  of  seven  miles 
an  hour,  and  in  two  hours  arrived  at  the  dwelling 
of  the  next  farmer,  where  we  remained  the  whole 
of  the  following  day. 


BOSJESMANS.  193 

On  the  seventh  day  we  came  to  a  house,  which, 
though  not  at  the  boundary  of  the  colony,  was  the 
last  habitation  of  white  men.  I  saw  here  a  female 
Bosjesman  sixty  years  of  age,  and  only  three  feet 
nine  inches  in  height ;  and  I  saw  some  Bosjesman 
prisoners,  who  had  been  pursued,  after  having 
stolen  a  yoke  of  oxen,  and  who  were  taken  while 
devouring  one  of  them.  Among  these  was  a  man 
who  had  long  been  the  terror  of  the  neighbour- 
hood, and  who,  though  often  taken,  had  always 
found  means  to  escape.  He  was  known  among 
the  colonists  by  the  name  of  the  Beardman,  he 
being  the  only  one  of  his  countrymen  ever  seen 
here  with  that  appendage  to  the  face.  When  he 
was  asked  ^why  he  was  so  addicted  to  theft,  he 
pointed  to  his  body,  which  hung  together  in  folds, 
and  taking  a  part  of  it  in  his  hand,  he  drew  it  out 
to  its  utmost  extent,  to  indicate  how  much  it  would 
hold :  then,  without  waiting  for  an  answer  to  this 
demonstrable  reason  for  his  depredations,  he  asked 
for  something  to  eat ! 

Behind  the  house  was  a  small  hut  composed  of 
reeds,  the  habitation  of  an  old  blind  Bo^esman. 
I  found  him  asleep,  lying  on  a  sheep-skin,  which 
served  him  for  mattrass  and  apparel,  and  consti- 
tuted the  whole  furniture  of  his  hut.  I  asked  my- 
self a  question  which  I  did  not  propose  to  him, — 
**  Could  life  have  any  charms  for  such  a  being  ?** 
Without  internal  resources,  and  apparently  de- 
prived of  every  external  means  of  enjoyment,  he 
was  probably  yet  attached  to  life  by  some  cord  un- 
known to  me.  I  told  him,  by  a  Hottentot  girl,  my 
interpreter,  that  T  hoped  the  condition  of  his  coun- 
trymen would  be  improved  under  the  British  go- 
vernment ;  but  he  intimated  in  a  very  significant 


136  SOUTHERN    AFRICA. 

manner  that,  coming  from  a  white  man,  he  would 
not  believe  it  till  it  took  place- 
After  halting  some  time,  we  proceeded  on  our 
journey,  and  left  behind  us  the  habitations  of  civi- 
lized men.  At  night  we  halted  among  low  hills, 
in  a  place  that  the  farmers  who  accompanied  me 
said  abounded  with  lions.  Here  we  remained  the 
whole  of  the  following  day.  Among  many  adven- 
tures between  the  colonists  and  these  tremendous 
animals,  I  shall  select  two. 

Two  brothers,  Tjaard  and  John  Vander  Wolf, 
farmers  in  the  Sneuwberg,  followed  the  track  of  ii 
large  lion,  and  found  him  in  a  ravine  overgrown 
with  brushwood.  They  stationed  themselves  on 
each  side  the  entrance  of  the  ravine,  ^d  sent  in 
their  dogs  to  hunt  him  out.  The  lion  rushed  to- 
wards John,  crouched  to  make  a  spring  at  him, 
and  was,  at  the  same  instant,  shot  by  him.  Unfor- 
tunately,  the  shot  only  grazed  the  ear,  and  one 
side  of  the  breast ;  and  the  animal,  after  having 
been  stunned  for  some  seconds,  recovered,  and 
rushed  towards  his  enemy,  who  had  barely  time  to 
leap  on  his  horse  and  endeavour  to  fly.  The  lion 
was  instantly  after  him,  and  sprung  upon  the 
back  of  the  horse,  which,  overpowered  by  the  bur- 
den, was  unable  to  move.  The  enraged  animal 
tore  the  man's  garment  •with  his  teeth,  and  stuck 
his  claws  into  his  thigh.  The  man  clung  with  all 
his  force  to  the  horse,  that  he  might  not  be  torn 
off,  and,  at  the  same  moment,  hearing  his  brother 
galloping  after  him,  he  bade  him  fire,  not  regard- 
ing whom  or  what  he  might  hit.  Tjaard  instantly 
dismounted,  and  taking  aim  coolly,  shot  the  lion 
through  the  head,  the  ball  lodged  in  the  saddle, 
without  hurting  either  the  horse  or  the  rider. 


DEATH   OF  A   LION.  137 

The  other  encounter  I  shall  relate  as  nearly  as 
possible  in  the  words  of  the  man  to  whom  it  hap- 
pened, a  farmer  of  the  name  of  Van  Wyk,  who 
lived  near  the  extremity  of  the  colony.  "  It  is 
now  more  than  two  years  ago/'  said  he  to  me, 
".  that  my  wife  was  sitting  within  the  house,  near 
the  door,  and  the  children  playing  around  her, 
and  I  was  without,  doing  something  at  a  waggon ; 
when  suddenly,  though  it  was  mid-day,  an  enor- 
mous lion  came  up,  and  laid  himself  quietly  down 
in  the  shade,  on  the  very  threshold  of  the  door. 
My  wife,  frozen  with  fear,  remained  motionless  in 
her  place ;  my  children  took  refuge  in  her  lap. 
The  cry  they  uttered  attracted  my  attention,  and 
I  hastened,  unarmed  as  I  was,  towards  the  door. 
The  animal  had  not  seen  me,  and,  scarcely  know- 
ing* what  I  meant  to  do,  I  stole  softly  to  the  back 
of  the  house,  and  reached  the  window  of  my 
chamber,  where  I  khevf  my  loaded  gun  was  stand- 
ing. By  a  most  happy  chance  I  had  placed  it 
within  my  reach,  for  you  may  observe  that  the 
aperture  of  the  window  would  not  have  admitted 
me.  From  this  window,  the  chamber  door  being 
open,  I  had  a  full  view  of  the  groupe  at  the  outer 
door.  The  lion  was  beginning,  to  move ;  I  had  no 
time  to  think ;  and,  telling  the  mother,  in  a  low 
voice,  not  to  be  alarmed,  and  calling  upon  the 
name  of  the  Lord,  I  fired  my  piece.  .  The  ball 
passed  immediately  over  the  hair  of  my  boy's  head, 
and  lodged  in  the  forehead  of  the  lion,  just  above 
the  eyes,  which  seemed  to  shoot  forth  sparks  of 
fire :  it  stretched  him  on  the  ground,  and  he  never 
stirred  more." 

On  the  ninth  day  we  proceeded  on  our  journey, 
having  now  no  road  ;  and,  as  our  track  would  be 


138  SOUTHBRN   AFRICA. 

long  visible,  we  endeavoured,  for  the  convenience 
of  those  who  might  come  after  us,  to  travel  in  the 
most  level  and  direct  way  in  our  power.  We 
passed  the  night  at  Buck's  fountain. 

On  the  tenth  day  from  Graaff  Reynet  the  far- 
mers took  leave  of  me,  and  returned  home,  while 
I,  with  my  own  waggons  and  my  own  people,  en- 
tered the  country  of  the  Bosjesmans.  We  tra- 
velled across  a  plain  from  the  time  of  an  early 
dinner  to  the  setting  of  the  sun,  when  we  came  to 
water  that  had  been  collected  in  holes  in  the  rocks* 
during  some  late  rain.  Some  of  my  stragglers 
brought  me  here  three  young  Bosjesmans  whom 
they  had  met  with.  Their  countenances  were 
more  lively  and  interesting  than  those  of  the  Hot- 
tentots, and  one  of  them  said  he  should  like  to  see  ' 
the  country,  and  would  accompany  me  to  the 
Great  river,  if  I  would  leave  him  in  his  own  coun- 
try on  my  return.  I  gave  the  other  two  some 
food*  for  their  father,  who,  they  said,  was  lodging 
in  a  hole  among  the  rocks  at  a  little  distance,  and 
they  left  me,  carrying  with  them  pieces  of  lighted 
wood,  to  keep  off  the  lions.  The  frost  waS  so  se- 
vere during  the  night,  that  the  water  in  the  bot- 
tom of  a  large  dish  was  completely  frozen. 

The  next  morning  I  was  visited  by  the  Bosjes- 
man  f^ily,  which  consisted  of  the  father,  the  two 
other  Sons,  and  the  wife  and  child  of  the  one  that 
was  with  us.  The  mother  of  the  young  men  re- 
mained in  the  cave  where  they  had  passed  the 
night.  These  strangers  sat  during  the  whole  time 
they  were  in  my  camp,  without  once  rising,  being 
employed  in  cooking  and  eating  meat ;  and  when 
the  waggons  set  off,  the  one  who  had  engaged  to 
accompany  us  rose  up,  and  took  his  place  in  one  of 


COUNTRY  OF  THB   BOSJBSMANS.  139 

tbem,  without  bidding  his  fnends  farewell.  Each 
had  a  quiver  of  poisoined  arrows,  and  a  jackal's 
tail  at  the  end  of  a  stick  to  wipe  the  sweat  from 
the  face. 

Had  not  th6  young  Bosjesman  been  with  us,  it 
is  probable  that  we  should  have  found  neither  wa- 
ter, grass,  nor  wood  for  fuel/  We  saw  not  a  blade 
of  grass  during  this  day's  journey,  but  a  little  after 
sun-set  this  young  man  led  us  up  a  narrow  pass 
between  two  hills  on  our  right,  to  a  small  valley, 
where  we  met  with  all  the  three.  We  called  the 
spring  Hardcastle  fountain. 

On  the  third  day  from  entering  the  desert,  we 
proceeded  through  a  pass  nearly  north,  having  the 
Kombuis  mountain  in  full  view,  at  the  distance  of 
seven  or  eight  miles.  Towards  evening,  attended 
by  three  armed  Hottentots  and  my  Bosjesman,  I 
walked  forwards  in  search  of  water.  The  Bosjes- 
man said  that  there  was  no  fountaiil  in  this  part  of 
the  country,  but  that,  in  consequence  of  the  late 
rains,  water  would  probably  be  found  in  cavities  at 
the  foot  of  the  hills.  Water  Was  found,  but  no 
grassr  j  grass,  indeed,  forms  no  part  of  the  con- 
cern of  a  Bosjesman^  as  he  has  no  cattle. 

Soon  after  our  fire  was  lighted,  my  three  horse- 
men arrived  with  a  qua-ka  which  they  had  shot. 
They  cut  it  up  immediately ;  I  tasted  the  flesh, 
but  not  being  a  Hottentot,  I  could  not^eat  it. 
While  they  were  in  pursuit  of  a  herd  of  eelands, 
they  saw  five  lions  in  company,  and  the  lions  fol- 
lowed the  example  of  the  eelands  in  running  away. 
I  did  not  hear  of  the  men  pursuing  them,  so  I  ima- 
gine they  were  running  away  from  each  other. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  travelling  in  the  desert 
there  was  still  no  grass  ;  yet  there  was  abundance 


140  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

of  the  bulbous  root  on  which  the  Bosjesmans  feed* 
During  the  last  three  days  we  had  been  gradually 
ascending  ;  we  appeared  now  to  have  reached  the 
summit^  for  a  most  extensive  view  opened  before 
us,  and  I  thought  it  probable  that  we  should  con- 
tinue to  descend  to  the  Orange  river. 

To  the  westward  are  some  groupes  of  mountains 
called  the  Karree  mountains.  I  have  not  seen 
them ;  they  are  said  to  be  in  the  forms  of  tables, 
towers,  and  cones,  with  barren  and  intricate  val- 
lies  between,  that  have  not  been  trodden  by  a  hu- 
man foot,  except  it  be  the  foot  of  a  Bosjesman. 
They  form  a  Sort  of  mountainous  ocean,  without 
rocks  or  woods,  bushes  or  blades  of  grass,  extend- 
ing, from  east  to  west,  as  it  is  said,  six  days' jour- 
ney. The  summit  of  the  Romberg  is  only  on  a 
level  with  the  vallies  of  the  Karree  mountains. 

My  Bosjesman  was  generally  eating  or  sleeping; 
but  he  was  now  running  with  remarkable  speed 
after  the  advanced  party  that  was  in  search  of  wa- 
ter, and  at  three  a'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  saw 
a  smoke  arise  before  us,  which  was  a  signal  that  it 
was  found.  At  four  we  arrived  at  the  spot,  and 
were  gratified  with  the  sight  of  water  and  grass. 
1  had  felt  much  for  the  oxen,  which  had  fasted 
nearly  two  days.  Observing  four  lions  a  little  to 
the  eastward,  I  sent  eleven  men  to  drive  them 
away,  and  we  saw  them  no  more.  Excepting 
these,  we  saw  neither  beasts  nor  birds  during  the 
day. 

At  night  I  sent  for  my  Bosjesman  into  my  tent, 
and,  with  the  aid  of  a  Hottentot  interpreter,  the 
following  conversation  passed  between  us.  I 
asked  what  he  thought  was  the  worst  thing  a  man 
coiild  do.     It  was  some  time  before  he  could  be 


CONVERSATION   WITH   A   BOSJESMAN.  l41 

tnade  to  understand  the  meaning  of  the  terms  bad 
and  worst ;  for  he  had  never  heard  that  one  thing 
was  worse  than  another,  and,  like  a  child,  he 
found  it  difficult  to  compare  their  different  merits. 
When  he  appeared  to  have  some  idea  of  this,  1 
enquired  if  he  had  ever  witnessed  any  quarrels. 
He  said  that  his  people  often  quarrelled ;  and  when 
their  quarrels  ended  in  killing  each  other,  it  was 
♦*  fine,  good  sport,  shewed  courage."  He  said 
that  all  their  quarrels  were  about  their  wives  ;  one 
was  for  having  the  wife  of  another ;  but  he  did 
not  think  this  was  bad.  Being  asked  whether  he 
would  think  it  bad  for  another  to  take  his  wife 
while  he  was  with  us,  he  exclaimed,  "  Bad !  bad !" 
and  added  that  it  was  fine  to  take  the  wives  of 
others,  but  not  to  take  his  wife. 

I  then  asked  my  Bosjesman  what  was  the  best 
thing  a  man  could  do.  He  replied,  ^*  All  my  life 
I  have  seen  bad  and  not  good,  and  therefore  I  can- 
not tell.**  Here  the  man,  who  would  almost  have 
run  a  race  with  an  ostrich,  without  fatigue,  was 
weary  of  mental  exertion  j  he  reverted  to  his  cap, 
and  said  that  was  bad.  I  asked  whether  his  father 
had  given  him  any  advice  before  he  quitted  him  to 
attend  me.  He  answered,  "  My  father  said  I  was 
going  with  strange  people,  and  must  be  obedient, 
and  perhaps  I  might  gain  something ;  and,  while 
I  was  with  them,  he  would  take  care  of  my  wife 
and  child,  and  when  I  had  got  education,  and  re- 
turned, I  should  be  able  to  teach  them." 

Another  evening  I  asked  my  Bosjesman  the 
following  questions. 

"  What  do  you  think  the  most  wonderful  thing 
you  have  ever  seen." 


142  SOUTHBRK   AFRICA. 

•*  I  do  not  think  one  thing  more  wonderful 
than  another  ?  all  the  beasts  are  fine.'* 

"  If  you  could  have  any  thing  you  wished  for, 
what  would  you  desire  ?" 

**  I  would  have  plenty  of  knives,  beads,  tinder- 
boxes,  cattle  and  sheep/' 

"  What  people  besides  yourselves  have  you  ever 
heard  of?" 

"  I  have  heard  of  the  Caffers,  the  Dutch,  and 
the  English,  but  I  have  not  seen  any  English.  The 
Dutch  came  and  attacked  us,  I  know  not  why, 
and  killed  ten  men,  women  and  children/' 

"  What  kind  of  food  would  you  like  to  have 
every  day  ?V 

**  Bread,  and  sheep's  flesh." 
'  Probably  my  Bosjesman  had  never  seen  bread 
before  he  came  to  my  encampment ;  he  was  re- 
markably fond  of  it ;  but  this  did  not  alter  his 
appetite  for  worse  provisions.'  One  of  my  hunters 
having  wounded  a  qua-ka  so  as  to  lame  it,  the  Bos-- 
jesman  leaped  from  the  waggon,  threw  off  his 
sheep-skin,  and  ran  towards  it.  With  all  his  force 
he  threw  a  stone,  which  sunk  into  the  forehead  of 
the  animal ;  he  then  drew  out  his  knife,  and 
stabbed  it.  When  dead,  he  cut  a  large  slice  from 
the  loin,  with  the  skin  upon  it,  and  deposited  it  in 
the  waggon,  where  I  permitted  him  to  sleep  the 
whole  day.  This  poor  young  man  was  in  the 
habit  of  smoking  wild  hemp,  which  stupifies  and 
disposes  to  sleep. 

On.  the  fifth   day  of  our  march   we  qame  to 
an  extensive  plain,  abounding  with  game.     This 
*was  our  larder,  and  among  the  provisions  it  con- 
tained for  our  table  were  two  eelands,  one  of 
which  weighed  seven,  and  the  other  five  hundred 


HORSES   OP  THK   COLONISTS.  143 

pounds.  The  qua-kas  came  among  our  cattle  as 
they  were  grazing,  and  fed  quietly  with  them  ;  a 
proof  that  they  were  seldom  pursued. 

The  horses  of  the  colonists,  when  well  trained 
for  hunting,  are  no  sooner  put  in  pursuit  of  one 
particular  object,  than  they  follow  that,  and  that 
alcHie,  with  a  constant,  steady  gallop,  which,  by 
degrees,  wearies  out  the  animal.  When  they  are 
got  within  a  proper  distance,  a  signal  from  the 
mouth  of  the  rider  is  sufficient  to  make  them  stop 
while  he  takes  his  aim.  If  that  shot  fail,  the  horse 
waits  patiently  till  the  piece  be  loaded  again,  and 
then  resumes  the  chase  with  the  same  steady  per- 
severance. If  the  rider  dismount  to  take  aim,  the 
horse  stands  perfectly  still ;  the  rider  may  even 
rest  his  gun  on  his  back  or  neck,  and  be  assured 
that  he  will  not  move. 

We  continued  to  travel  among  low  bushes,  in 
search  of  grass  and  water,  without  finding  either, 
till  seven  in  the  evening,  when  the  weary  oxen  lay 
down  to  sle^p. 

On*  the  sixth  day  we  had  not  advanced  more 
than  a  few  hundred  yards,  when,  to  our  great  sur* 
prise  and  joy,  we  reached  the  Brakke  river.  It 
now  consisted  only  of  a  chain  of  pools,  but  the 
water  was  good.  We  were  proceeding  by  its  side, 
when  we  saw  a  smoke  on  one  of  the  hills  on  the 
left,  which  my  Hottentots  said  was  a  signal  that 
my  hunters  had  shot  an  eeland,  and  wanted  assist- 
ance to  carry  it  off:  accordingly  we  ascended,  with 
the  waggons,  towards  the  place  from  whence  the 
smoke  arose.  Unfortunately,  my  Bosjesman  mis- 
took our  purpose  j  for,  either  supposing  we  meant 
to  attack  a  community  of  his  friends,  or  were 


144.  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

going  to  introduce  him  to  his  enemies,  he  left  us, 
unobserved,  and  we  saw  him  no  more. 

On  the  seventh  day  we  proceeded  to  a  plain, 
which,  viewed  in  every  direction,  was  fatiguing  to 
the  eye,  as  nothing  was  visible  but  short  bushes  of 
a  dull  black  hue,  We  traced  the  bed  of  the  Brakke 
river,  in  a  north-west  direction,  till,  evening. 

During  the  eighth  day  the  waggons  several  times 
narrowly  escaped  falling  into  pits  made  by  the 
Bosjesmans  for  taking  wild  animals.  These  are 
five  or  six  feet  deep,  with  a  poisoned  stake  placed 
upright  at  the  bottom,  and  the  mouth  is  concealed 
by  a  slight  covering  of  branches  strewn  over  with 
grass.  At  the  place  where  we  arrived  at  sun-set, 
the  Brakke  river  ceased  to  have  a  bed  ;  the  ground 
being  flat,  the  river  must,  in  the  rainy  season, 
spread  over  it,  and  become  a  lake.  ^ 

On  the  ninth  day  we  found  water  left  by 
rain  that  had  fallen  two  days  before,  and  at 
night  we  again  discovered  the  Brakke  river; 
but  its  water  was  now  thicker  than  the  thickest 
soap-suds. 

On  the  tenth  day  in  the  morning,  ice,  about  the 
thickness  of  a  dollar,  was  on  the  pools.  No  more 
water  that  could  be  drank  was  between  us  and  the 
Orange  river,  which  was  more  than  forty  miles 
distant,  and  we  halted  at  night  near  water  as  salt 
as  that  of  the  sea. 

On  the  eleventh  day  we  resumed  our  journey 
before  sun-rise,  and  travelled  among  tall  grass, 
which,  together  with  the  sand,  rendered  it  very 
fatiguing.  At  nine  o'clock  the  plain  over  which 
we  had  been  marching  for  several  days,  became 
contracted,  the  ground  rising  on  either  side.     At 


tftft  GREAT  ttlVERi  145" 

tell  the  bushes  became  larger,  and  loW  tfees  ap-» 
peared  at  a  little  distance.  We  passed  some  Bosh 
jesmans'  huts  formed  of  branches  of  trees^  but 
they  were  without  any  inhabitant.  We  left  the 
Brakke  river,  the  water  of  which  still  cojatinued 
salt,  and  travelled  due  north  \  at  two  o'clock^ 
at  the  summit  of  a  long  ascent,  we  had  a  view 
of  the  Great  river-  We  all  admired  its  grand 
and  majestic  appearance ;  but  we  found  it  at  a 
greater  distance  than  our  wishes  had  led  us  to  ima- 
gine; for  it  was  not  till  three  that  we  reached 
its  banks,,  and  eagerly  drank  of  its  pure  waters. 
Neither  the  steepness  of  its  banks,  nor  the  thick^ 
ets  with  which  they  were  covered,  prevented. the 
cattle  from  approaching  them  ;  and  when  ttieir 
thirst  was  satisfied,  they  had  thousands  of  acres  of 
long  grass  before  them.  The  river  was  deep  aaid 
rapid,  and  as  broad  as  the  Thames  at  London^ 
bridge. 

We  had  been  twenty-one  days  in  travtelling  from 
GraafF  Reynet,  twelve  of  which  had  been  occupied 
in  passing  the  desert  country  of  the  Bosjesmans  ; 
and  from  the  day  we  entered  this,  when  we  met 
with  the  family  of  the  young  man  who  attended 
me,  we  had  not  met  with  one  human  being. 

On  the  following  day,  as  we  were  preparing  to 
march  up  the  river  to  reach  the  ford,  we  were 
joined  by  a  converted  Bosjesman  chief,  with  nine 
of  his  people,  mounted  on  oxen,  and  others  on 
foot.  This  gentleman  had  once  been,  a  resident 
of  the  missionary  settlement  on  the  northern  side' 
of  the  river  j  but  he  had  quitted  it  for  the  conve- 
nience of  having  two  wives.  At  sun-set  we  ar-' 
rived  at  the  ford  called  English  ford.  . 

To  ford  the  river  here  was  now  impractica-^ 

VOL.  II.  L 


^9  SOUTHERN  AFRICA. 

^IfV  .^^m4  I  waited  three  days  in  hopes  its  waters 
f^ht  faU<  On  the  last  of  these,  some  of  my  Hot** 
tfiBt&  crossed  to  try  its  deptli ;  but  they  e&cted 
the  passage  with  great  difficulty  on  account  of  the 
current.  -  Having  learned  that  there  was  a  ford  a 
few  days  higher  up  the  river,  I  proceeded  towards 
it  the  next  day,  and  travelled  three  hours.  We 
stopped  at  the  village  of  the  Bosjesman  chief,  as 
it  lay  in  our  way,  and  I  visited  several  of  the  hutp. 
Scarcely  anything  was  to  be  seen  in  them  but  a 
fire;  yet  the  inhabitants  seemed  cheerful  and 
contented.  We  attach  many  of  our  ideas  of  con* 
tent  to  the  word  home,  and  the  home  of  a  Bosjes* 
man  seems  little  calculated  to  afford  it ;  but  the 
whole  country  is  his  home,  and  his  habitation  is 
only  his  place  of  eating  and  repose^  In  one  of  the 
huts  five  or  six  young  people  were  scrambling 
among  the  ashes  for  roasted  bulbous  roots,  and  de* 
vouring  them  as  they  were  found. 

The  next  day,  my  friend  the  Bosjesman  chief 
drove  thirty  oxen  from  the  other  side  of  the  river 
to  assist  me  in  crossing.  The  stream  carywd  them 
down  with  great  rapidity,  the  distance  <^a  quar* 
ter  of  a  mile ;  but  all  succeeded  in  getting  overf 
except  one,  which  returned,  and  could  not  be 
made  to  enter  the  water  again.  Two  men  followed 
the  oxen  on  what  the  Griquas,  or  people  of  the 
settlement,  call  a  wooden  horse,  which  is  a  thick 
branch  of  a  tree,  with  a  long  pin  driven  into  it. 
On  this  log  they  lie  flat,  and  force  themselves  for- 
ward with  their  feet,  as  in  swimming.  A  third 
man  croiaed  the  xiver  on  a  red  horse  i  but,  for  a 
coofliderable  time  nothing  was  seen  above  the 
water,  except  the  heads  of  the  horse  and  his 
rider. 


On  the  foilowing  day  we  proceeded  on  the  bank 
of  the  riven  On  our  way,  we  obserred  thfe  redcnt 
foot-8t^s  of  an  uncommonly  large  lion  \  sudh, 
however^  I  was  informed,  were  very  common  here; 
We  were  much  annoyed  by  a  bush  very  si^fi* 
cantly  named»  Stop  a  while.  Its  biHnches  are 
full  of  thorns  in  the  form  of  a  fishing-bdok,  and  H 
they  take  hold  of  the  traveller's  garment^  he  must 
stop  a  while,  and  sometimes  a  long  while^  be* 
fore  he  can  proceed.  In  clearing  one  amu  the 
other  is  caught,  and,  withoiit  the  assistance  of  a 
second  person,  there  is  no  escaping  from  it  but  by 
main  force.  At  night  we  arrived  at  the  fcnid) 
which  is  called  Read*s  ford. 
.  Morning  arrived,  and  with  it  the  time  for  crbss- 
ing  the  Great  river.  One  of  the  Hottentots  en-i 
t^ed  it  on  horseback,  to  ascertain  its  depth,  and 
passed  it  without  much  flifficulty^  I  then  entered 
it  in  my  waggon,  with  three  mounted  Griquas  on 
each  side  the  oxen,  to  prevent  them  from  turning 
out  of  the  way.  My  people  and  cattle  followed^ 
and  all  arrived  safely  in  Griqua  land,  the  territory 
of  the  settlement  of  Anderson,  an  English  mis- 
sionary. Immediately  on  our  quitting  the  river, 
its  waters  began  to  rise,  and  it  soon  became  im« 
Ijassable. 

We  pitched  our  tents  on  the  northern  bank  of 
the  river,  and  remained  there  during  the  following 
day,  when  I  was  visited  by  two  Bojesmans.  I  gave 
them  first  tobacco,  and  then  meat,  and  while  they 
were  smoking  and  eating,  I  amused  myself  with 
observing  their  persons  and  actions. 

I  have  allowed  the  validity  of  a  Bosjesman's 
claim  to  the  honour  of  the  human  figure ;  but  I 
must  confess  that  one  of  these,  who  appeared  to 


148  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

be  about  fifty  years  of  age,  who  had  grey  hair 
and  a  bristly  beard,  whose  face  was  covered  with 
black  grease,  except  a  semicircle  below  the  eyes, 
•where  the  tears  occasioned  by  smoking  had 
washed  the  skin  ;  this  man  had  the  true  physiog- 
nomy of  the  small  CafFerland  ape.  What  added 
to  the  resemblance  was,  the  vivacity  of  his  eyes, 
and  the  flexibility  of  his  eyebrows,  which  moved 
iip  and  down  with  every  change  of  countenance. 
Even  his  nostrils,  the  corners  of  his  mouth,  and 
his  ears,  moved  involuntarily  on  his  sudden  tran- 
sitions from  eager  desire  to  watchful  distrust. 
When  a  piece  of  meat  was  offered  him,  he  snatched 
it  hastily,  and  stuck  it  into  the  fire,  peeping  round 
with  his  little  keen  eyes,  as  if  he  were  afraid  it 
should  be  taken  from  hjm.  He  soon  took  it  from 
the  embers,  and  tore  out  large  morsels  with  his 
teeth.  When  he  came  to  the  sinews,  he  had  re- 
course to  a  knife  that  was  hanging  round  his  neck, 
and  holding  a  piece  of  meat  between  his  teeth,  he 
cut  it  off  close  to  the  mouth  ;  a  feat  of  dexterity 
that  a  person  with  an  European  countenaiice  could 
hardly  have  performed.  Of  the  bone,  when  du 
vested  of  its  marrow,  he  made  a  tobacco  pipe,  the 
smoke  of  which  he  inhaled  with  great  satisfaction, 
aAd  then  gave  it  to  his  companion.  They  both 
seemed  much  amused  at  my  viewing  them  with 
audh  attention^ 


149 


CHAPTER  XII.  A 

ORANGE   RIVEI^  TO    LATTAKOO.      ACCOUNT   OF   THE 
BOTCHUANAS. 

1  HE  next  day  we  quitted  the  Orange  river,  and 
arrived  at  Griqua  towp,  which  is  a  long  day's 
journey  to  the  northward* 
v  •  The  Griquas  are  chiefly  of  the  mixed  rage  called 

Bastards  ;  but  since  they  have  assembled  as  a 
Christian  community*  finding  that  the  majority  of 
them  were  descended  from  a  person  of  the  name 
of  Griqua,  they  have  assumed  that  name,  and 
given  it  to  the  district  they  inhabit-  The  number 
of  people  in  the  town,  and  the  out-posts  connectec) 
with  it,  amounted  to  1266 }  and  the  number  of 
the  original  inhabitants  of  the  country,  the  Ko^ 
rana  Hottentots,  under  their  protection,  and  occa^ 
sionally  attending  for  instruction,  was  1341  • 

I  pai3  a  visit  to  Anderson  the  founder  of  this 
Cbristian^establishment.  His  habitation  was  a  hut, 
but  larger  than  the  usual  size,  and  perfectly  neat 
and  clean.  In  the  centre  was  a  table,  and  round 
about  were  some  chests  and  coffers  that  served  for 
seats  ;  some  English  prints  were  hanging  from  the 
roof.  The  bed  was  shut  up  by  a  curtain  drawn 
across  the  room.  The  features  of  the  missionary 
were  fine,  and  his  eye  beamed  with  a  spirit  of  piety 
and  resignation,  that  gave  him  the  aspect  of  a 
saint. 

Anderson  said  that  his  great  object  was  to  keep 
the  institution  fixed,  and  for  this  purpose  he  was 


too  SOUTHERN  AFRICA* 

eiideavouring  to  excite  a  taste  for  agriculture* 
Shares  of  from  five  to  six  acres  of  fertile  land 
were  allotted  to  those  who  had  industry  enough  to 
cultivate  them.  One  Griqua  had  a  neat  house 
built  with  wood  and  bricks ;  many  had  gardens } 
but  tobacco  held  a  distinguished  place  in  them  all, 
3ut  many  of  the  Hottentots  found  it  more  conve^ 
nient  to  acknowledge  their  sins,  and  express  their 
hopes  of  mercy,  than  to  labour  for  their  subsist-^ 
ence,  Anderson,  himself,  said  that  the  most  lazy 
and  worthless  among  them  were  those  wha  talked 
the  most  about  religion. 

The  behaviour  of  the  Griquas  was  modest  and 
respectful,  their  linen  was  white  and  clean,  and. 
several  of  them  were  dressed  like  the  common 
people  in  England* 

It  was  my  intention  to  prodeed  to  the  people 
till  lately  known  to  the  colonists  by  the  name  of 
Briquas,  but  who,  since  they  have  been  visited  by 
my  countrymen,  are  comprehended  under  the 
general  name  of  Botchuanas.  The  missionaries 
had  already  penetrated  into  their  country,  and, 
with  great  difficulty,  I  prevailed  dpon  one  of  them, 
John  Matthias  Kok,  who  had  lived  four  years  i^ 
it,  to  became  my  guide. 

On  the  15th  of  June  I  quitted  Griqua  town.  A 
little  before  sun^set  we  saw  four  lions  to  the  right 
of  our  path.  On  approaching  them  they  turned 
and  looked  towards  us ;  but  as  they  seeftied  willing 
to  let  us  pass  unmolested,  we  did  not  molest  them. 
In  the  evening  we  halted  at  Ongeluk's  fountain^ 
one  of  the  out-posts  of  the  Griquas. 

On  the  second  day  we  travelled  along  a  valley 
bounded  by  two  ranges  of  hills  about  ten  or  twelve 
miles  distant  from  each  othen    The  soil  was  red 


JOHN  bmom's  fountain.  151 

earth,  now  covered  with  tall  withered  grass,  th^ . 
prickly  seeds  of  which  worked  their  way  through 
our  clothes  to  our  skin,  and  occasioned  much, 
pain.  We  passed  the  night  by  the  side  of  some 
tall  thorny  trees ;  but  the  place  afforded  no  water. 
On  the  third  day  at  sun-rise  the  thermometer 
was  at  S4S  and  at  noon  70^  After  travelling 
three  hours,  we  reached  John  Bloom's  fountain,  so 
called  from  a  colonist  who  had  lived  there,  and 
whose  memory  was  execrated  both  by  Christian 
and  Heathen.  Here  my  missionary  expected  to 
meet,  on  their  return  from  the  Botchuanas,  two 
Hottento4s,  who  had  long  followed  him';  but,  to  our 
great  sorrow,  we  found  only  thdr  wives  and  chil- 
dren, who  were  lamenting  the  d^ath^  their  hus^ 
bands  and  fathers.  On  enquiry,  it  appeared,  that 
on  the  third  day  of  their  journey,  they  had  been 
joined  l^  a  party  of  Bosjesmansj,  who  begged  the 
ofiais  of  the  game  they  had  killed.  For  some 
time  these  intruders  behaved  peaceably;  but  a 
herd  of  sixty  oxen  was  a  temptation  they  coul4 
not  withstand ;  they  watched  an  opportunity, 
stabbed  one  of  tke  owners  with  a  hassagay,  shot 
the  other  with,  poisoned  arrows,  and  with  shouts 
drove  away  the  herd.  I  gave  the  mqumers  some 
provisions,  and  sent  them,  qnder  a  guard,  to  the 
out'-post  we  had  quitted. 

We-  passed  the  night  with  some  uneasiness  on 
account  of  the  Bo^esmans ;  for,  soon  aflef  sun- 
set, a  dog,  which  we  knew  to  be  a  Bosjesman*s 
dog,  was  discovered  in  our  camp.  When  any 
person  approached  him,  he  ran  away,  but,  attracted 
by  the  scent  of  our  cookery,  he  soon  returned,  and 
if  a  piece  were  thrown  to  him,  he  swallowed  it 
with  incredible  voracity.      These  dogs  have  a 


}5£  SOUTHERN  AFIUOA« 

striking  resemblance  to  the  black-backed  fox  of 
the  country,  or,  as  he  is  commonly  called,  tho 
jackal,  and  are  probably  descended  from  him« 
They  never  bark  ;  but  whether  this  be  natural,  or 
they  be  trained  to  silence  is  not  known.  At  thQ 
return  of  day  it  was  discovered  that  five  or  six 
Bosjesmans  bad  been  lurking  in  the  vicinity  of  our 
camp,  and  that,  in  some  places,  they  had  been 
lying  flat  on  the  grass  within  a  few  paces  of  thQ 
waggons. 

.  John  Bloom's  fountain  is  in  latitude  2^^  9^' 
south. 

In  the  morning  we  arrived  at  the  foot  of  a  cor 
xiical  hill  called  Blinklip,  or  glittering  rock«  The 
base  consists  of  an  iron  clay,  sometimes  of  a  rose 
colour,  at  others  of  a  brownish  yellow,  mingled 
abundantly  with  crystals  of  mica.  This  substance 
makes  a  shining  powder  for  the  hair  of  the  Bot- 
chuanas,  and  for  this  purpose  great  quantities  of  it 
are  taken  by  them  from  this  spot.  On  the  ieastern 
side  of  Blinklip  is  a  cavern,  which  we  entered 
with  lighted  torches.  We  proceeded  to  a  spa- 
pious,  lofty,  arched  room,  sparkling  with  chrystals, 
and  from  this  issued  six  or  eight  other  caverns. 
In  exploring. one  of  these  we  found  the  fresh  dung 
of  a  lion,  and  we  did  not  think  proper  to  intrude 
further  into  his  apartment. 

Travelling  from  hence  along  a  plain,  one  of  my 
Hottentots  directed  my  attentiop  to  two  tali  swaut 
i^ecked  camelppardalises  that  stood  almost  directly 
before  us.  My  transport  was  indescribable  ;  th$ 
gigantic  creatures  did  not  perceive  us,  and  I  had 
time  to  examine  them.  One  was  smaller,  and  of 
a  paler  colour  than  the  other,  and  was  pronounced 
tp  be  its  offspring.     We  separated,  and  prep^^redL 


THE  CAM£LOFARDALIS.  16$ 

Ibr  the  chase.  I  had  got  nearly  within  shot  tof 
jthem,  .when  they  observed  me  and  fled«^  I  foU 
lowed  ;  but  their  figure,  their  motion,  was  soeix- 
traordinary,  that,  in  my  astonishment,  I  foi^t 
my  purpose^  and  recollection  was  lost  in  observa- 
tion. I  soon»  however^  put  my  horse  into  a  gal* 
lop,  and  sprang  towards  the  largest  of  these  won- 
derful figures  ;  while  he,  who  probably  had  never 
before  been  interrupted  by  a  human  being,  stopped^ 
and  viewed  me  with  an  eye  of  curiosity.  My 
hunter  had  by  this  time  got  before  them  and  fired ; 
the  old  one  fled,  and  ihe  young  one  felL 

As  night  was  coming  on,  we  all  united  in  cut- 
ting up  our  prize ;  the  skin  add  the  skeleton  of 
which  we  carried  away,  together  with  some  pieces 
of 'the  flesh  :  the  rest  we  very  reluctantly  left  to  the 
jBosjesmans,  whose  fires  were  already  seen  on  the 
neighbouring  hills.  At  a  place  called  Tamanay 
fountain  we  passed  the  night,  under  the  shade  of 
some  camelopardalis  mimosas,  which  protected 
us  from  the  sleet  that  fell,  but  melted  upon  the 
ground. 

We  remained  here  half  the  following  day,  the 
fifth  from  Griqua  town,  that  we  might  arrange  our 
booty.  The  skin  of  the  camelopardalis,  when 
cleaned  and  rubbed  with  spices,  was  spread  over  the 
tilt  of  one  of  the  waggons  j  the  long  neck  reaching 
to  the  middle  of  the  shaft,  and  the  feet  almost 
touching  the  ground.  The  height  of  this  young 
animal  from  the  toe  to  the  tip  of  the  horn  was 
thirteen  feet  four  inches  ;  the  neck  was  more  than 
five  feet  in  length  ;  the  leg,  from  the  toe  to  the 
top  of  the  shoulder-blade,  was  nearly  eight  feet ; 
the  hind  leg  six  feet  and  a  half;  the  length  of  the 
Jwdy  to  the  beginning  of  the  tail  seven  feet    Each* 


154  SOUTHERN  AFRICA. 

Step  of  the  camelopardalis  clears  from  twelve  to 
sixteen  feet  yhnt  its  gaflop  is  heavy  and  unwieldy. 
We  dined  on  the  flesh  >  which  was  tender,  white^ 
and  well  flavoured. 

On  continuing  our  journey,  a  chain  of  hills 
running  north  and  south  was  to  the  eastward  of 
us. '  We  passed  the  night  at  the  Great  Kosie  foun^ 
tain  in  a  small  wood  of  the  camelopardalis  mimosa^ 
in  many  places  of  which  the  branches  were  bent 
to  the  ground,  and  fastened  with  small  pins; 
broken  arrows  were  also  scattered  about ;  proofs 
that  the  place  had  been  recently  inhabited  by  the 
Bosjesmans* 

On  themorning'of  the  sixth  day  the  ground  was 
covered  with  a  hoar  frosty  and  the  ice  was  half  an 
inch  thick*  As  we  proceeded,  some  of  my  hunters 
rode  forward  ;  and  towards  evening  they  rejoined 
us  with  the  intelligence  that  they  had  killed  a  very 
large  male  camelopardalis,  entirely  of  a  dark 
brown  colour.  Kok  assured  me  that  he  had  never 
seen  a  larger  or  a  handsomet,  and  he  thought  it 
could  not  be  less  than  twenty  feet  in  height. 
They  had  covered  the  animal  over  with  bushes, 
and  suspended  a  handkerchief  from  a  staff,  to  keep 
off  the  wild  beasts ;  but  alas  !  this  was  only  a  sig- 
nal for  wild  men ;  for,  on  arriving  at  the  spot,  we 
found  nothing  but  the  entrails.  We  could  trace 
the  footsteps  but  of  four  men  ;  yet  they  had  car- 
ried off  a  camelopardalis  that  must  have  weighed 
at  least  a  thousand  pounds !  How  gladly  would  I 
have  given  them  the  flesh  if  they  would  have  left 
me  the  skin ! 

At  midnight  we  reached  the  foot  of  the  hills 
that  form  the  boundary  of  the  Botchuana  conn* 
try  OB  the  south-west,  and  early  the  next  morning 


KROOMAN   RIV£R«  1^' 

the  seventh  of  our  departure  from  Griqua  town, 
yre  saw  the  promised  land  stretched  before  us^ 
which  filled  my  heart  with  joy  and  expectation. 

From  the  fountain  at  which  we  halted  I  walked 
to  the  source  of  the  Krooman  river,  which  was 
only  three  miles  distant  It  was  the  most  abun- 
dant spring  of  water  I  ever  had  an  opportunity  of 
ezaminiiig.  I  measured  it  at  the  distance  of  a  yard 
from  the  rock  out  of  which  it  flowed,  and  found  it 
nine  feet  wide,  and  from  fourteen  to  eighteen 
inches  deep*  After  a  course  of  fifty  or  sixty  miles 
it  loses  itself  in  the  sand.  I  entered  the  cave 
from  whence  it  proceeds,  which  is  at  first  narrow ; 
but  it  soon  opens  to  a  central,  room,  with  a  roof 
like  a  dome :  from  this,  four  passages  branch  out 
in  different  directions,  with  streams  of  water  in 
them  all*  In  the  afternoon  we  pursued  our:  jour* 
ney  in  a  north-west. direction,  and  in  the  evening 
two  Matchappee  Botchuanas  joined  us,  and  sat  by 
our  fire  at  night«  They  were  tall,  welUshaped,  and 
of  a  dark  copper  colour. 

On  th6  eighth  day,  after  travelling  among  long 
(Iry  grass,  sometimes  as  high  as  the  backs  of  the 
oxerii  we'came  to  a  fountain  of  excellent  water 
situated  in  an  immense  plain.  Here,  on  tlie 
shortest  day  of  the  year,  we  saw  the  sun  set  about 
a  quarter  before  five  o'clock.  Our  days  resembled 
.  fine  summer  days  in  England,  and  our  nights  those 
of  winter.  In  the  day  we  had  almost  constant 
sunshine,  in  the  night  almost  constant  moon  or 
8tar  light.  The  paths  were  narrow ;  the  inhabi- 
tants of  the  country  walkiqg,  as  wild  geese  fly, 
one  behind  the  other. 

We  had,  during  three  days,  been  travelling  on  a 
plam  without  any  apparent  termination;  but  at 


156  SOUTHERN   AFEICA. 

three  o'clock  on  the  ninth  day  of  our  joarney  from 
Griqua  town,  a  distant  hill  appeared  before  us, 
due  north,  at  the  foot  of  which  was  said  to  stand 
the  city  of  Lattakoo.  In  the  evening  we  halted 
near  a  fountain  of  excellent  water. 

The  next  day,  at  twelve  o'clock,  we  entered 
upon  the  last  stage  to  Lattakoo.     At  one  we  met 
four  young  men,  about  sixteen  years  of  age,  who 
had  lately  been  circumcised.    Their  faces  were 
painted  with  regular  streaks  of  white,  their  bodies 
wholly  with  red,  and  their  hair  was  powdered  with 
the  shining  powder.     They  carried  hassagays  on 
their  shoulders,  and  wore  brown  cloaks  made  of 
skins,  with  a  rouqd  cat-skin  sewed  between  the 
shoulders,  which  gave  them   the  appearance  of 
soldiers  with  knapsacks.    .At  two  we  came  to  in- 
closed iieldsr    In   Imlf  an   hour  we  ascended  a 
rising  ground ;   many  foot-paths  were  seen,  all 
running  to  the  north-east,  which  indicated  our  ap- 
proach to  the  city.     At  three  we  arrived  at  the 
summit   of  a  hill,    and   saw  at  once  Lattakoo 
stretched  before  us,   lying  in  a  valley  between 
hills,  and  extending  from  three  to  four  miles. 

Such  was  the  situation  of  the  capital  of  the 
Botchuanas,  but  if  any  of  my  readers  should  be 
disposed  to  follow  my  steps,  he  may  possibly  not 
find  it  there;  for  it  had  already  occupied  two 
other  situations  since  it  was  first  visited  by  Euro* 
peans,  each  nearer  to  the  Orange  river  than  the 
present.  When  the  riches  of  a  people. consists  of 
tlieir  cattle,  they  must  dwell  in  a  country  that  af- 
fords pasture,  and  remove  as  this  decays. 

Of  the  ten  days  we  bad  spent  between  Griqua, 
town  and  Lattakoo,  fifty-six  hours  had  been  passed 
in  actual  travelling. 


LATTAKOO.  157 

On  descending  the  hill  towards  this  African 
city  not  a  person  was  to  be  seen,  except  two  or 
three  troys ;  and  when  my  waggon  arrived  at  the 
entrance  of  the  principal  street  or  lane,  no  inhabi- 
tant appeared,  except  one  man,  who  made  signs  for 
me  to  follow  him.  As  we  proceeded  amidst  the 
houses,  it  seemed  as  if  the  town  was  deserted,  till 
we  were  conducted  into  a  square  inclosure,  occu- 
pied by  the  king's  officers  and  guards,  and  weris 
followed  by  hundreds  of  men,  women,  and  chil- 
dren. All  greeted  Kok  in  the  most  friendly  man- 
ner, till,  to  free  himself  from  their  importanitiesj 
he  enquired  for  the  king.  On  this  they  made 
way,  and  pointed  to  the  spot  where  Moolihawang 
was  advancing  slowly  and  solemnly  towards  us. 

A  tali  man,  about  sixty  years  of  age,  with  fea- 
tures strongly  marked,  now  approached  us,  fol- 
lowed by  four  others  about  the  same  age;  who,  we 
afterwards  understood,  were  his  counsellors.  They 
were  all  clothed  in  large  mantles,  and  wore  rough, 
high-pointed  caps.  While  I  was  considering  what 
might  be  the  proper  mode  of  saluting  a  king  of 
the  Botchuanas,  he  held  out  his  right  hand  in  si- 
lence, and  toudied  mine ;  then  turning  to  Kok, 
whom  he  greeted  as  an  old  friend,  he  took  both 
his  hands,  and  pressed  them  eagerly. 

I  conducted  Moolihawang  to  my  tent,  and  told 
him  by  Kok,  my  interpreter,  that  my  intention  in 
coming  hither  was  to  pay  my  respects  to  him,  to 
offer  him  a  few  presents,  and  to  see  his  country. 
He  answered,  with  some  dignity,  that  he  had  no 
objection  to  strangers  visiting  his  country,  if  they 
came  with  pacific  intentions,  and  that  any  one 
would  be  particularly  welcome  who  was  brought 
by  his  friend  Kok,  whose  return,  he  said,  was  a 
proof  of  his  "  white  heart.**    To  my  great  joy  I 


158  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

discovered  that,  owing  to  my  diligence  by  the  way^ 
I  comprehended  the  general  sense  of  what  was 
spoken  by  the  king,  and  the  whole  of  what  was 
spoken  by  Kok,  my  instructor.  During  this  con* 
versation,  the  former  threw  open  his  mantle^  and 
displayed  a  profusion  of  ivory  rings  upon  his  arms» 
both  above -and  below  the  elbow;  he  had  also 
necklaces,  from  which  were  suspended  amulets  of 
bones  and  other  materials. 

The  king  was  attended  by  two  of  his  sons,  one 
of  whom,  who  was  heir  to  the  throne,  appeared 
flbout  thirty  years  of  age,  and  had  a  very  pleasing 
aind  intelligent  countenance.  All  the  men  wore 
a  sort  of  petticoat  of  shining  tanned  leather, 
which  reached  from  the  waist  to  the  middle  of  the 
thigh,  with  sandals  of  thick  leather,  and  leathern 
thongs  twisted  round  the  legs  ;  but  the  knees,  and 
the- body,  except  when  covered  with  the  cloaks 
were  naked. 

I  presented  pipes  of  lobacco  to  the  king  and  the 
princes,  who  squatted  down  and  began  to  smoke ; 
each,  when  he  had  taken  in  a  few  long  draughts, 
handed  the  pipe  over  his  shoulder  to  one  of  his 
attendants,  who,  in  his  turn,  gave  it  to  another* 
When  the  king  retired,  he  mentioned  to  Kok  who 
attended  him,  his  desire  that  any  delicacies  of  food 
I  might  present  him  with  should  be  given  him  in 
private ;  since,  if  his  people  knew  of  his  possess- 
ing  them,  .he  must  share  with  them  the  smallest 
trifle. 

While  my  interpreter  il^as  absent,  I  summoned 
up  all  my  knowledge  of  the  language  to  answer 
the  crowd  that  remained.  They  repeated,  with 
astonishment,  a  hundred  times  **  Moonto  si  booa 
BotohuanaT  —  the  man  speaks    Botcbuana!  — 


I^ATTAKOOw  159 

then  began  talkii^  to  me  with  such  rapidity  and 
vivacity  that  I  was  obliged  to  be  silent  lest  I  should 
betray  my  ignorance.  I  remarked  that  no  women 
were  of  the  party,  and  was  told  that  they  were  at 
home*  and  must  work. 

The  next,  morning  we  waited  upon  the  king. 
We  passed  through  a  tolerably  wide  street,  formed 
partly  by  houses,  and  partly  by  hedges  that  in- 
closed the  folds  for  cattle.  The  houses  were  of  a 
circular  form,  with  conical  roofs;  the  circle  of 
posts  that  composed  them  being  united  towards 
the  bottom  by  a  thin  wall  c^  loam,  and  left  open 
towards  the  roof  for  the  admission  of  light  and  air« 
As  both  the  houses,  and  the  inclosures  between 
them  were  placed  in  all  situations  with  regard  to 
€ach  other,  the  streets  had  no  regularity  either  in 
their  width  or  their  direction.  At  the  doors  sat 
many  women  and  children,  who  looked  quietly  at 
us  as  we  passed. 

The  king  received  us  in  a  large  quadrangular 
space,  fenced  round,  and  pointed  to  a  great  treot 
as  his  seat  of  authority.  I  delivered  my  presents^ 
which  consisted  of  brass  wire,  glass  beads,  large 
atoel  buttons,  some  knives,  and  some  tobacca 
Some  wheaten  bread  and  European  pulse  I  had 
sent  the  night  before«  I  asked  the  king  whe* 
ther  he  was  satisfied  with  the  missionaries  who 
had  visited  his  country.  He  said  that  he  knew 
very  little  of  them  ;  he  believed  they  were  good 
people,  and  he  had  no  objection  to  their  return- 
ing ;  but,  above  all  things,  he  wished  Kok  to  re- 
main with  him^  as  he  was  well  acquainted  with  hus* 
bandry,  and  had  already  given  his  people  some 
useful  instruction.  After  this, '  Moolihawang  lis- 
tened with  little  attention,  and  I  found  it  was 


l60  80UTH£ltN   APAlCA. 

time  to  depart,  which  I  did,  after  having  askedi 
and  obtained,  permission  to  walk  in  the  town. 

We  were  conducted  through  a  labyrinth  of  liftle 
alleys,  large  squares »  and  broad  streets,  till  we 
came  to  the  qual*ter  in  which  stood  the  principal 
houses.  These  have  a  smaller  circle  partitioned 
oft'  within,  from  the  centre  to  the  back  of  the 
house,  which  is  appropriated  to  the  use  of  the 
master,  while  the  outer  part  is  occupied  by  the 
family.  The  posts  that  formed  the  outer  circle 
were  about  nine  feet  in  height,  and  the  circle  was 
firom  sixteen  to  twenty  feet  in  diameter.  A  sort 
of  pantry,  or  store-house,  five  or  six  feet  high,  was 
often  added  at  the  back  of  the  house.  Every 
house  was  inclosed  by  palisades,  and  in  the  space 
between  these  and  the  dwelling  were  placed 
earthen  jars,  containing  the  store  of  grain  and 
pulse.  Each  jar  was  about  five  feet  high,  and 
capable  of  holding  two  hundred  gallons;  each 
stood  upon  a  stool  with  three  feet,  made  also  of 
baked  clay ;  and  each  had  over  it  a  circular  roof 
of  thatch,  supported  by  poles,  at  a  sufficient  height 
to  admit  of  an  opening  at  the  top  of  the  jar. 

Tlie  city  of  Lattakoo  was  divided  into  a  great 
number  of  quarters,  separated  from  each  other, 
each  having  a  headman,  and  an  inclosed  square 
for  public  resort.  I  visited  more  than  twenty  of 
these,  and  did  not  see  half  of  them.  In  one,  some 
persons  were  employed  in  stretching  skins  upon 
the  ground,  and  fastening  them  down  with  pins  j 
others  in  rubbing  the  insides  with  rough  bones,  a 
process  which  gives  them  the  appearance  of  woollen 
cloth.  Some  skins  were  extended,  and  cotlired 
with  cow-dung,  to  tan  them.  Four  men  were 
inaking  cloaks,  which  they  3id  by  sewing  skins 


LATTAKOO»  l6l 

t(^ether  with  an  awl,  something  in  the  way  prac- 
tised by  shoemakers  in  England.  In  other  squares 
men  were  employed  in  making  knives,  hassagays, 
«iX€S,  adzes,  and  bodkins  from  iron ;  or  rings  for 
the  legs,  arms,  ears,  and  fingers  from  copper. 
Every  headman,  soon  after  I  entered  his  square, 
took  me  to  his  house^  and  presented  me  with 
boiled  wheat,  or  with  thick  milk  porridge  made 
with  ground  wheat. 

At  the  dwelling  of  one  of  these  chiefs  his  two 
young  wives  were  sitting  together  in  front  of  the 
house,  within  the  inclosure.  One  of  the  ladies  had 
at  her  side  a  wooden  bowl  containing  red  chalk 
mixed  with  grease,  which  she  spread  on  the  palms 
,  of  her  hands,  and  then  rubbed  carefully  over  her 
skin  :  the  other  was  rubbing  the  shining  ointment 
on  her  hair.  The  husband>  though  also  painted 
red,  had  a  noble  appearance.  H^is  figure  and 
countenance  were  dignified^  and  his  fur*  robe  was 
elegant.  The  house  was  neat  and  clean.  No  filth, 
of  any  *  kind,  is  seen  about  the  houses,  or  in  the 
town. 

When  a  family  wishes  to  sleep  in  the  day  time, 
which  is  often  the  cas£,  two  flat  stones  are  placed 
on  the  outside  of  the  door,  as  a  signal  for  none  to 
enter. 

There  appeared  to  be  about  1,500  houses  in 
Lattakoo.  Allowing  five  persons  to  each,  which 
is  perhaps  too  small  a  number,  it  must  have  con- 
tained 7,500  inhabitants^  It  was  said  that  there 
were  also  belonging  to  this  tribe  of  Botchuanas 
more  than  a  thousand  out-posts,  where  men  and 
cattle  were  stationed.  Kok,  who  had  travelled 
northwards  from  hence,  and  visited  the  tribes  of 
Mooroohlong  and  Matsaraqua,  assured  me,  that 

.     VOL.  II.  M 


162  SOUTHERN   AFRICA* 

their  principal  towns  were  so  extensive  that  tkey 
could  scarcely  be  included  in  one  view. 

The  Lattakoo  ffrst  visited  by  Europeans  was  in 
latitude  26^30'  south,  and  longitude  2?^  east ;  the 
present  city  was  about  three  days*  journey  to  the 
northward,  and  about  900  miles  from  the  Cape* 

The  next  day  I  gave  a  dinner  to  the  king  and 
the  princes.  To  amuse  them  I  shewed  them  se- 
veral European  works  of  art,  among  which  they 
were  particularly  pleased  with  a  burning  glass. 
As  some  paper  was  set  on  fire  by  it,  the  king 
eagerly  exclaimed,  "  Muteelo  leetsbaati  P' — fire 
from  the  sun  !  At  dinner  I  gave  him  a  wooden 
<;hest  as  a  seat,  and  j^aced  myself  by  his  side. 
He  now  and  then  handed  something  from  his  own 
plate  to  those  who  stood  near  him,  or  sent  it  to 
those  at  a  distance  by  his  valet,  who  was  waiting 
at  his  side.  He  remarked  among  the  crowd  Mo- 
lala,  his  fourth  son,  a  beautiful  youth  of  sixteen, 
and  called  him  to  come  and  eat  with  him. 

The  king  took  great  pains  to  learn  the  use  of 
the  knife  and  fork,  and  soon  managed  them  tolera- 
bly well ;  but  the  princes  took  out  their  own 
icnives,  and,  putting  the  nfeat  between  the  teeth, 
cut  off  the  morsel  close  to  the  lip.  The  king 
drank  three  glasses  of  wine ;  but  when  a  fourth 
was  offered  him,  he  declined  it  with  thanks,  adding 
that  he  was  not  accustomed  to  such  liquqrs,  and 
was  afraid  of  being  intoxicated. 

I  inquired  after  the  monarches  wives,  and  re- 
marked that  I  had  not  seen  any  of  them.  He  said 
they  would  be  Very  glad  to  visit  me,  aiid  ask  me 
for  presents.  He  then  enquired  whether,  like 
Kok,  I  had  only  one  wife.  I  answered  that,  as 
yeti  I  had  not  any ;  but  that,  by  the  laws  of  my 
country,  I  could  not  at  any  time  have  more  than 


LAlTAltptf*  163 

t>iie.  He  said  it  was  incomprehensible  to  him 
how  a  whole  nation  could  voluntia*ily  submit  to 
inch  an  extraordinary  law.  He  had  five  wives, 
and  children  by  them  all ;  his  relation  Masjouw, 
king  of  the  tribe  of  Muruhlong,  had  ten  wives 
eight  years  ago,  and,  by  this  time,  it  was  probable 
he  had  several  more.  When  the  king  rose  from 
table,  he  sought  out  a  retired  spot,  where  he  laid 
himself  down  on  the  ground  and  slept,  his  coun* 
sellors  sitting  in  a  circle  round  him,  and  his  valet 
waving  a  long  bunch  of  ostriph  feathers  to  keep 
off  the  flies. 

I  now  displayed  different  articles  of  European 
merchandize,  and  entered  jnto  trade.  Necklaces, 
rings,  ear-rings,  and  hassagays,  were  eagerly  ex^ 
changed  for  tobacco  ;  oxen  could  only  be  bad  for 
iron,  silk,  or  linen  cloth.  Great  offers  were  made 
for  a  file  and  a  saw ;  but  these  could  not  be  parted 
with.  I  offered  beads,  nails,  and  cloth  for  a  cloak 
very  neatly  made;  but  I  was  told  that  such  a  cloak 
was  never  sold  except  for  live  cattle  ;  I  therefore 
commissioned  one  of  my  Hottentots  to  purchase 
two  oxen,  and  with  these  I  bought  the  cloak.  I 
have  seen  a  cloak  composed  of  forty  cat*skins. 

Numbers  of  women  were  among  the  crowd  ;  the 
first  ladies  of  the  city  offered  their  arm-rings  and 
ear-rings  for  tobacco ;  and  children  of  ei^ht  or 
nine  years  of  age  made  most  significant  intima- 
tions that  they  wanted  snuff.  The  women  be- 
haved with  the  same  freedom  as  the  men,  but  with 
great  modesty  j  and  Kok  assured  me  that  the  only 
way  to  gain  their  esteem  was  to  treat  them  with 
respect. 

When  the  king  returned,  he  brought  with  him 
two  of  his  wives,  and  leaving  them  with  us,  he  re- 

m2 


10*  SOUTttEilN   AFRICA. 

tired.  Makaitscoah,  one  of  these  ladies,  was  his 
third  wife;  she  was  about  twenty-two  years  of 
age,  had  a  fine  form,  and  regular  features.  The 
other,  who  was  named  Marani,  was  the  last  wife  j 
'and  scarcely  fifteen  ;  her  eyes  were  animated,  but 
her  coutitenance  had  a  little  of  the  negro  cast. 
Their  high  rank  might  be.  inferred  from  their 
dress.  Their  cloaks  were  composed  of  alternate 
stripes  of  the  skin  of  the  jerboa  and  the  genet  cat; 
round  the  body  was  a  piece  of  leather  finely 
tanned,  which  was  fastened  with  straps  over  the 
shoulders  ;  from  thehips  to  the  knee,  before  and 
behind,  hung  leathern  aprons;  the  legs  were 
wound  round  with  leather,  and  on  the  feet  were 
Bandals.  They  wore  a  profusion  of  necklaces  of 
glass  beads,  cut  bones,  and  small  plates  of  copper, 
and  the  lower  part  of  the  arm  was  ornamented 
with  a  number  of  rings,  made  of  brass  wire  with 
the  hair  of  the  camelopardalis  twisted  round  it. 
Makaitschoah  had  on  her  left  arm  no  fewer  than 
seventy-two  of  these  rings,  and  she  was  exceed- 
ingly pleased  with  my  taking  notice  of,  and  count- 
ing them.  She  had  also  a  bunch  of  grey  cat's  tails 
fastened  on  the  left  shoulder,  and  hanging  very 
ornamentally  over  the  cloak  before  and  behind. 
Her  hair  was  divided  into  small  locks,  which  were 
rubbed  with  the  shining  ointment,  and  hung  down 
from  the  crown  of  the  head  like  silver  cord.  The 
king  had  taken  Makaitschoah  from  a  low  station 
on  account  of  her  beauty  and  understanding;  Ma- 
rani  was  the  daughter  of  the  prince  of  a  neigh- 
bouring tribe. 

I  had  tea  prepared  in  my  tent,  but  this  beverage 
was  not  to  the  taste  of  my  visitors ;  they  were, 
however,  delighted  with  wine.    Our  conversation 


JLATTAKOO.  165 

turned  upon  the  situation  of  the  female  sex  in  £ii* 
rope»  and  Makaitschoah  shewed  much  quickness  of 
apprehension  and^  good  sense.  She  often  under- 
stood Kok,  my  interpreter,  before  he  had  done 
speaking.  Among  other  things  she  observed  that 
our  law,  which  admitted  of  only  one  wife,  would 
not  suit  the  Botchuanas,  because  the  women  were 
so  much  more  numerous  than  the*men,  the  latter 
being  killed  in  the  wars.  One  of  the  ladies 
asked  me  for  some  snufF.  I  told  her  that  I  did 
not  take  snuff.  "  Then,"  said  she,  **  you  have, 
the  more  to  give  away."  Qn  seeing  European 
works  of  art,  both  ladies  evinced  their  delight  by 
repeated  bursts  of  laughter.  When  about  to  take 
leave,  they  gave  me  a  hint  thatl  must  make  them 
some  presents.  I  abundantly  satisfied  them  in 
this  particular,  and  in  return  they  gave  me  some 
of  their  necklaces  and  arm-rings. 

The  next  day  I  visited  the  king,  and  found  him 
at  dinner  .in  a  comer  of  the  inclosure.  The  dis* 
tinction  of  royalty  seemed  to  consist  in  being 
seated  next  to  the  pot,  and  in  the  possession  of  a 
spoon  with  which  his  majesty  helped  his  friends  to 
the  boiled  beans  it  contained.  One  of  his  daugh- 
ters was  employed  in  cutting  to  pieces  a  dried 
paunch,  and  putting  it  into  another  pot ;  and  another 
daughter  was  adding  to  it  some  morsels  of  meat* 
It  would  have  required  a  good  appetite  in  an  Eng- 
lishman to  dine  with  the  king  of  the  Matchapee 
Botchuanas.  These  people  eat  with  relish  the 
flesh  of  elephants,  lions,  leopards,  and  qua-kas. 

We  next  visited  MakaitscholLh^  who  was  sur- 
rounded by  four  children,  the  two  eldest  of  whom 
had  the  head,  the  ridge  of  the  nose,  and  a  circle . 
round  the  eyes,  dyed  with  yellow  ochre.    In  this, 


166  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

and  some  other  transient  visits  that  I  made  where 
there  were  children,  I  could  but  remark  the  atten« 
lion  to  cleanliness,  and  the  trouble  it  cost  the  mo- 
ther,  where  the  sole  covering  was  leather. 

We  then  visited  an  old  man  who  had  travelled 
to  most  of  the  other  Botchuaiia  trities,  and  who 
gave  me  the  population  of  each  compared  with 
that  of  Matchslpee ;  but  when  he  came  to  the 
Macquini,  the  most  remote  of  all,  he  tbok  up  a 
handful  of  sand,  and  letting  it  run  slowly  through 
his  fingers,  he  repeated  frequently,  "  Itzintzi,"  •— 
much.         • 

On  my  return  to  my  encampment,  a  man  brought 
me  two  boys  of  eight  and  ten  years  old  for  sale. 
They  had  been  taken  by  him  in  war  some  years 
before,  and  were  his  absolute  property,  he  pos- 
sessing even  the  power  of  putting  them  to  death. 
He  demanded  a  live  sheep  for  each,  and  said  he 
was  very  desirous  to  sell  them  as  he  had  nothing 
for  them  to  eat.  These  imfortunate  children  I 
was  obliged  to  leave  to  their  fate  ;  but  a  woman, 
whose  husband. had  deserted  her,  and  her  two 
children,  a  boy  and  a  girl,  who  were  all  three  pe** 
rishing  with  hunger,  I  had  the  satisfaction  to  take 
with  me  and  establish  at  Griqua  town.  The  boy 
was  called  ^^  Senehai," — no  home;  the  girl,  "  Se- 
rebaal," — child  forsaken. 

I  now  began  to  prepare  for  my  return,  Moolu 
hawang  was  sorry  that  we  were  going  to  leave 
him,  and  said  it  was  mortifying  that  I  should  de* 
part  before  he  had  time  to  form  a  friendship  with 
me.  I  partook  of  his  mortification,  but  much  of 
the  tdur  of  Africa  still  remained,  and  I  could  not 
devote  to  friendship^the  time  I  had  determined  to 
pass  in  travelling. 


BOTCHUANAS«  I67 

The  Botchuanas  are  Caffers,  and  that  they  have 
the  same  origin  as  the  Koussa  Caifers  appears  from 
their  language  ;  for  if  a  Koussa  and  a  Botchuana 
were  to  meet,  I  imagine  they  would  understand 
each  odier  ultimately,  though  perhaps  slowly. 
The  experiment  is  not  likely  to  be  tried,  since 
neither  nation  knows  any  thing  of  the  other.  The 
Botchuanas  are  in  general  less  tall  and  robust,  and 
Jess  daring  and  determined,  but  more  civilized 
and  ingenious.  Under  the  names  of  Botchuana, 
Sitshuana,  and  Mutshuana,  are  to  be  included  the 
different  tribes  of  these  people,  who  inhabit  the 
country  to  thirty  or  forty  days'  journey  north* 
wards*  To  the  west  the  same  latitude  is  inhabited 
by  tribes  of  Hottentots. 

There  are  nine  principal  tribes  of  the  Botchua- 
jias :  all  speak  the  same  language,  and  have  nearly 
the  same  manners  and  modes  of  life.  Of  these 
tribes,  the  most  distant  to  the  north-east,  and  the 
most  numerous,  is  that  of  the  Macquini,  from 
whom  the  other  Caffer  tribes  receive  their  metals. 
The  Macquini  are  equally  known  to  the  Koussas 
and  the  Botchuanas :  both  call  them  by  the  same 
name,  and  their  country  is  the  most  remote  known 
to  either.  They  both  procure  from  it  hassagays, 
knives,  needles,  ear-rings  and  arm-rings,  in  ex- 
change  for  cattle  4  but  this  traffic  passes  through 
four  or  five  intermediate  hands.  The  metals  are 
«aid  to  be  dug  out  of  a  vast  mountain,  one  side  of 
which  affords  iron,  the  other  copper. 

Till  John  Bloom's  appearance,  it  was  the  gene- 
ral opinion  that  the  existence  of  white  men,  the 
rumours  of  which  had  reached  the  Botchuanas 
through  the  Macquini,  was  a  fable.  Makrakki, 
the  king  of  a  neighbouring  tribe^  who  often  bad 


168  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

expressed  a  wish  to  see  a  white  man,  and  was  ri- 
diculed for  his  credulity,  triumphed  when  Bloom 
appeared.  Even  now,  some  of  the  common  peo- 
ple took  an  opportunity  of  washing  my  white  ser- 
vant at  a  fountain,  beheving  that  they  should  find 
him  of  the  same  colour  with  themselves. 

These  people  are  so  rich  in  cattle,  that  one  man 
is  sometimes  in  possession  of  eight  or  ten  consi- 
derable herds,  each  herd  of  a  different  colour. 
They  have  goats  which  furnish  the  fine  skins  for 
their  aprons  and  under  garments,  but  they  have 
no  sheep,  an  animal  which  is  but  lately  known  to 
them.  Fish  is  held  in  utter  abhorrence  by  them. 
They  drink  water  unwillingly,  preferring  the  juice 
of  the  water  melon  and  other  fruits.  They  are  un- 
acquainted with  the  practice  of  producing  a  fer- 
mented liquor  from  their  corn  ;  but  they  are  fond 
of  wine  and  brandy  when  given  to  them. 

There  are  two  propensities  in  mankind  which  I 
would  gladly  believe  acquired*  rather  than  inhe- 
rent ;  but  they  are  so  general  that  I  fear  I  must 
not  indulge  that  opinion,  I  mean  the  love-  of  in- 
toxicating substances,  and  the  love  of  fighting. 
The  first  of  these  propensities  is,  as  far  as  I  know, 
peculiar  to  man  ;  the  second  he  has  in  common 
with  the  animal  creation. 

I  believe  that  the  desire  for  fermented  liquors, 
tobacco,  opium,  and  hemp,  does  not  proceed  so 
much  from  a  wish  to  gratify  the  palate,  as  a  wish 
to  forget  real  troubles,  and  supply  their  place  with 
agreeable  sensations.  But  this  indulgence  once 
practised,  habit  becomes  necessity,  and  the  real 
state  both  of  the  mind  and  the  stomach  are  insup- 
portable. 

With  regard  to  the  disposition  to  attack  our 


BOTCHUANAS.  l69 

neighbours,  I  have  seen  it  in  men  and  horses^ 
dogs  and  cattle,  cats,  and  cocks.  I  have  seen 
blck)dy  battles  between  doves,  and  mortal  contests 
between  red-breasts.  1  can  only  say  it  is  painful 
to  see  it. 

The  Matchappee  \vomen  cultivate  the  ground, 
and  the  wives  of  the  king  are  not  exempt  from  a 
share  in  this  labour.  The  instrument  they  use  in 
digging  is  a  kind  of  pick-axe  :  they  sing  while  at 
work,  and  strike  the  ground  with  their  axes  ac- 
cording to  time.  Women  build  the  houses,  and 
six  women  can  build  a  house  of  a  common  size  in 
a  week. 

The  water  with  which  the  towm  is  supplied  is 
brought  from  some  springs  about  a  mile  to  the 
westward,  by  the  usual  carriers  of  this  element, 
women  ;  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  of  whom  are  to 
be  found  there  from  morning  to  evening. 

All  the  servants  of  the  rich  are  prisoners  that 
have  been  taken  in  war  ;  and  the  greater  number 
of  men  a  person  has  killed,  the  higher  his  charac- 
ter  rises  in  the  estimation  of  his  countrymen. 
Death  is  the  ^never-failing  punishment  of  those 
who  have  betrayed  their  country  in  war  ;  and  this 
is  in  inflicted  by  the  hand  of  the  sovereign,  who 
runs  the  criminal  through  with  a  hassagay  as  he 
lies  upon  the  ground.  The  king  is  the  executioner 
of  his  other  sentences,  and  instances  have  been 
known  of  his  almost  scourging  people  to  death 
for  robbery.  During  our  stay  at  Lattakoo  not 
one  article  was  stolen,  except  two  buttons,  for 
which  theft,  the  culprit  was  driven  from  the  public 
square. 

The  king  has  no  outward  mark  of  distinction  ; 
but  the  people  have  a  certain  veneration  for  his 


170  fiOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

person  and  every  thing  about  him.  He  receives 
the  breast  and  tongue  of  .every  ox  that  is  killed, 
and  of  every  animal  taken  in  the  chase.  He  has 
also  that  other  prerogative  of  royalty^  a  right  to 
the  teeth  of  elephants,  and  the  skins  of  lions  and 
leopards.  He  chooses  his  cpunsellors  from  among 
the  most  distinguished  of  his  people,  and  com*- 
monly  takes  their  advice  on  the  subject  of  peace 
or  war,  though  he  has  power  to  determine  it  by 
his  sole  will.  One  of  my  people  overheard  the 
king  say  of  myself,  ''  This  man  was  bom  before 
us.  — He  knows  more  than  we  —  he  makes  us 
dumb." 

After  a  successful  war,  every  man  who  has  slain 
an  adversary  is  conducted  at  night  by  the  priest, 
into  an  inclosed  place  with  a  large  tire  in  the 
centre;  the  other  men  and  the  women  remain 
without.  ^  Each  of  the  warriors  brings  with  him  a 
piece  of  ^he  flesh  and  skin  of  the  person  he  has 
killed,  having  the  navel  in  it;  each  thrusts  his 
morsel  into  the  glowing  embers,  and,  when  it  is 
roasted,  eats  it.  This  custom  does  not  arise  from 
any  taste  for  human  flesh  ;  on  the  contrary,^  these 
people  abhor  it,  but  it  proceeds  from  a  belief  that 
it  renders  them  courageous  and  invincible.  After 
this  horrid  repast,  the  priest  makes  a  cut  down 
the  thigh  of  each  warrior,  from  the  hip  to  the 
knee,  with  a  sharp  hassagay,  and  the  cicatrice  re* 
mains  as  an  indelible  proof  of  his  victory.  The 
ceremony  concludes  with  a  dance,  which  lasts  till 
sun-rise.  One  of  the  king's  counsellors  had  eleven 
of  these  marks  of  honour,  and  I  saw  several  per* 
sons  with  five  or  six. 

A  Matchapee  general,  named  Mateere,  went, 
with  a  party,  to  the  north-west,  on  a  plundering 


JBOrCHUAKAS.  171 

expeditioiii  and  traversed  extensive  desertSi  desti* 
tute  of  water  ;  but  water-melons,  which  were 
found  in  abundance,  supplied  its  place  and  afforded  * 
food.  After  a  journey  of  five  months,  they  reached 
a  people  called  Mampoor,  who  resided  near  a 
great  water,  across  which  they  could  see  no  land, 
and  on  which  they  observed  the  sun  to  set.  They 
saw  the  people  go  on  the  water  in  bowls,  which 
they  pushed  forward  with  pieces  of  wood  that  they 
put  into  the  water.  Mate6re,  who  himself  related 
to  me  the  stbry,  said  the  Mampoors  were  a  peaces- 
able  and  unsuspecting  people  ;  that  he  murdered 
many  of  them ;  and  that  the  rest  fled,  and  left 
him  to  carry  off* their  cattle  without  molestation. 
Glory  and  interest  combined  were  irresistible; 
and  several  other  expeditions,  equally  glorious  and 
advantageous,  had  since  been  made  by  the  Mat- 
*  chappees  against  this  unoffending  peoplf. 

The  Botch uanas  believe  there  is  a  gfeat  Being 
that  is  the  cause  of  all  the  appearances  in  nature, 
and  the  origin  of  all  the  good  and  evil  that  hap- 
pens to  themselves ;  but  they  say  they  do  not 
know  him,  having  never  seen  him.  For  the  good, 
he  receives  their  thanks,  and  for  the  evil  they  are 
not  sparing  of  their  abuse  \  but  the  missionaries 
had  not  yet  been  able  to  persuade  them  that  any 
kind  of  worship  was  acceptable  to  him.  The 
name  of  tliis  being  approximates  nearly  to  that  of 
their  king,  thq  former  being  called  MurimOj  the 
latter  Murina.  With  regard  to  the  origin  of  man- 
kind, they  say  that  two  men  came  out  of  the* 
water,  the  one  rich,  having  abundance  of  cattle ; 
the  other  poor,  having  only  dogs :  the  former 
lived  by  his  cattle ;  the  latter  by  hunting.  I 
asked  a  Botchuana  for  what  purppse  man  was 


172  SOUTHEEN   AFRICA. 

made.     His  answer  was,  *'  To  go  on  plundering 
expeditions."    If  the  purpose  be  agreeable  to  the 
*  universal  practice,  he  was  not  much  mistaken. 

The  Wantketzens  are  the  next  tribe  to  the 
northward,  and  through  them  the  Matchappees 
obtain  their  copper.  The  Matchappee  Botchua- 
nas  make  elastic  rings  of  brass  wire,  which  is 
beaten  flat  till  it  is  of  a  thinness  almost  incredible  ^ 
this  is  a  work  of  infinite  labour.  The  poorer  sort 
wear  heavy  copper  rings,  and  those  who  cannot 
afford  even  these,  wear  rings  of  leather,  cut  from 
the  skin  of  the  rhinoceros  or  hippopotamus. 

It  is  not  uncommon  to  wear  the  caul  of  a  fresh 
killed  ox  round  the  neck,  and  let  it  remain  till  it 
drop  off.  This  custom  is  probably  for  mourning, 
and  has  been  mentioned  by  a  former  writer  as 
practised  by  the  Hottentots;  but  this  writer  has 
been  charged  with  asserting  falsehoods,  because  ' 
succeeding  travellers  found  this  and  some  other 
customs  fallen  into  disuse. 


173 
CHAI»TE11  XIII. 

RETURN  TO  THE  ORANGE  RIVER,  AND  THE  tAPE. 

Having  tak^n  leave  of  the  King  of  the  Mat- 
chappee  Botchuanas,  at  noon,  on  the  7th- of  July, 
my  waggons  began  to  move  from  Lattakoo,  sur- 
rounded  by  a  gazing  multitude.  The  two  princes, 
who  had  dined  with  me,  accompanied  me  a  short 
distance  in  one  of  the  waggons,  as  they  wished, 
they  said,  to  go  in  such  a  house.  They  then  took 
a  most  cordial  leave  of  us,  reminding  Kok  that  he 
was  expected  to  return  speedily  and  remain  in  the 
country.  I  looked  back  towards  the  city  as  long 
as  it  was.  visible,  and  did  not  leave  without  regret 
the  most  civilized  and  ingenious  people  I  had  seen 
in  Southern  Africa.  Eight  Botchuanas  accompa- 
nied us  as  guides. 

We  passed  three  different  places  where  many 
rcattle  were  feeding  among  high  grass,  and  herds- 
men were  attending  them,  and  we  halted  for  the 
night  by  the  side  of  a  wood.  Our  course  had  been 
first  east,  and  then  north-cast ;  our  road  had  been 
on  a  gentle  ascent,  with  a  hilly  country  on  the 
north  and  south  ;  the  country  before  us  had  the  ap- 
pearance of  a  corn-field,  bounded  by  the  horizon* 

In  the  morning  we  killed  a  female  buffalo  and 
her  calf,  and  roasting  and  devouring  the  flesh 
found  employment  for. my  Botchuanas.  While 
sitting  by  the  fire,  they  were  cooking  with  one 
hand,  and  feeding  themselves  with  the  other  ;  and 


174  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

whsa  tbcy  had  left  the  fire,  they  were  picking  a 
farge  bone  as  they  walked. 

On  the  third  day  from  Lattakoo,  our  way  lay 
among>  tall  grass  and  bushes.  Having  been  con^ 
tinually  ascending,  we  were  now  on  high  ground. 
We  passed  the  night  at  a  village  of  Botchuana 
Bosjesmans,  called  Marabay,  from  a  fountain  of 
excellent  water  near  which  it  is  situated.  The 
village  consisted  of  ten  huts  in  the  form  of  inverted 
basons. 

On  the  fourth  day  we  travelled  along  the  Ma- 
rabay  stream,  on  flat  rocks  resembling  pavement, 
till  it  joined  a  river  coming  from  the  south-west, 
by  which  junction  was  formed  a  considerable 
stream. 

On  the  fifth  day,  crossing  the  plain  in  a  soutli- 
east  direction,  we  found  a  hundred  people  gather* 
ing  roots  for  food.  They  had  quitted  the  city 
aftef  us,  and  had  arrived  before  us,  having  come 
a  nearer  way  over  the  hills.  Both  parties  were 
glad  to  meet.  About  a  mile  farther  we  came  to 
the  entrance  of  a.  pass  between  hills  that  divides 
the  country  of  the  Botchbanas  from  that  of  the 
Koranas.  A  small  village  of  a  mongrel  race  be- 
tween the  Matchappees  and  Bosjesmans  was 
situated  at  the  mouth  of  the  pass.  The  dwellings 
were  of  the  form  of  half  an  egg,  with  the  open 
part  exposed  to  the  weather,  and  so  low  that  they 
'were  scarcely  seen  among  the  bushes.  The  ap- 
pearance of  the  inhabitants  indicated  extreme 
wretchedness;  their  bodies  were  covered  with 
dirt  ornamented  with  spots  of  red  paint.  The  pass 
ran  three  miles  in  a  north-west  direction,  and 
opened  into  a  romantic  square,  inclosed  by  hills 


makoon's  kraal.  175 

with  patches  of  wood.  At  the  east  side  of  the 
square  lay  the  town  of  Malapeetzee^  containing 
fifty-six  huts,  and  about  three  hundred  people. 
The  river  Makkaral  ran  near. 

The  inhabitants  of  Malapeetzee,  who  areKo- 
ranas,  gazed  upon  us  with  a  mixture  of  fear  and 
astonishment,  and  stood  in  grotxpes  at  a  distance 
soon  after  our  arrival.  They  possess  two  thou'- 
sand  cows  here,  and  as  many  at  two  other  stations; 
tiiey  live  almost  intirely  upon  milk.  In  stature 
they  are  shorter. than  the  Botchuanas  ;  in  colour 
^  lighter.  They  appear  from  their  countenances  to 
be  people  of  talent;  but  from  their  riches  in 
cattle  they  have  few  wants,  and  are  therefore  in- 
dolent. They  procure  their  hassagays  and  skin 
cloaks  from  the  Matchapees.  Our  guides  now 
took  leave  of  us,  and  I  obtained  seven  Korana 
guides  in  their  place. 

I  had  heard  of  the  river  Malalareen,  and  was 
persuaded  that  it  would  lead  me  to  the  Orange 
river ;  I  therefore  requested  my  Koranas  to  con- 
duct me  to  the  Malalareen.  We  set  out  towards^ 
the  south  ;  the  country  was  open,  but  rough  and 
rocky,  with  low  hills  to  the  east  and  west.  We 
passed  the  night  near  the  deep  rocky  bed  of  a 
river,  in  which  there  was  na  water. 

At  sun-rise  on  the  seventh  day  we  ascended  a 
hill,  and  on  reaching  the  summit,  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  countries  I  had  seen  in  Africa  opened  to 
my  view.  The  hills  were  ornamented  with  trees, 
the  valleys  resembled  the  finest  parks  in  England, 
and  forests  appeared  in  the  distance ;  but  what  was 
most  essential  to  thirsty  travellers  Was,  that  the  Ma- 
lalareen river  was  winding  at  the  foot  of  the  hills. 


176  SOUTHERN    AFRICA. 

We  looked  at  each  other  as  if  a  new  world  \^ere 
before  us. 

•  We  descended  the  hill,  and  at  nine  o'clock  w6 
reached  an  establishment  of  Bosjesmans.  The 
men,  supposing  we  were  enemies,  hastily  turned 
out  and  faced  us,  prepared  for  battle  :  the  chief 
held  up  his  bow,  and  jumped  into  the  air  with  a 
view  to  intimidate  us.  I  made  signs  that  we  were 
friends,  and  they  laid  aside  their  weapons. 

After  conversing  a  short  time  with  the  chief, 
whose  name  was  Makoon,  I  stepped  to  his  hut, 
and,  stooping  down,  looked  into  it.  I  never  shall 
forget  the  terror  depicted  on  the  countenances  of 
his  two  wives ;  had  I  be^n  a  lion,  they  could  not 
have  expressed  greater  alarm.  *  I  took  out  my 
watch,  opened  it,  and  held  it  towards  them :  it 
was  evident  they  took  it  for  sortie  dangerous  crea- 
ture, for  they  almost  overturtied  the  hut  in  es- 
caping from  it.  I  then  carried  my  watch  to 
Makoon,  who  shrunk  back  on  my  holding  it  near 
his  ear ;  but  recollecting  himself,  he  would  not 
betray  a  want  of  courage  before  his  people,  and  he 
ventured  to  listen.  On  observing  that  the  chief 
was  not  injured,  others  listened,  and  all  admfred. 
I  then  presented  them  with  some  tobacco.  This 
brought  the  ladies  out  of  the  huts,  and  both  they 
and  the  men  sat  down  to  smoke.  Makoon*s  two 
wives  were  about  four  feet  in  height,  and  each  had 
a  very  small  infant  tied  to  her  back. 

I  asked  Makoon  whether  he  would  choose  to 
receive  missionaries  to  instruct  him.  He  replied, 
"  I  shall  be  very  glad  if  any  person  will  come  to 
my  country  to  teach  me  aud  my  people  ^vhat  we 
do  not  know.     I  have  many  people  there,'  (point- 


makoon's  kraal.  177 

log  to  the  eastward).  Makoon  had  probably  heard 
of  the  depredations  of  some  of  his  countrymen, 
and,  desirous  to  efface  from  my  mind  any  suspi<* 
cions  I  might  entertain  of  him,  he  added,  "  We 
are  peaceable  men  ;   so  were  my  father  and  his 
father;    they  never  stole   any  tking  from  their 
neighbours  ;  we  have  plenty  of  game  and  water." 
Makoon  was  a  man  of  good  understanding, 
and  here,  in  my  opinion,  he  gave  the  history  of 
the  Bosjesmans. — We  are  not  naturally  ferocious, 
or  addicted  to  plunder.     While  we  were  suffered 
to  enjoy  our  game  and  water,  we  were  peaceable 
and  honest ;  but  when  we  were  driven  to  deserts 
incapable  of  supporting  us,  lee  stole  the  cattle  of 
our  invaders  for  our  sustenance;   and  when  we 
were  hunted  like  wild  beasts,  we  endeavoured  to 
destroy  those  who  murdered  us  and  made  slaves 
of  our  children.    Makoon,  the  peaceable  Bosjes- 
man  chief,  seemed  to  possess  nothing  but  his  bow 
and  arrows,  and  the  skin  cloak  that  covered  him. 

At  half-past  two  we  took  leave  of  Makoon,  and 
crossed  the  Malalareen.  We  proceeded  south, 
and  south-west,  and  at  night  halted  on  the  banks 
of  the  river,  where  we  were  visited  by  a  Bosjesman 
family. 

On  the  following  day.  we  shot  a  gnoo  about  the 
size  of  an  ordinary  cow.  I  gave  a  part  of  it  to 
my  seven  Korana  guides,  and  then  dismissed 
them.  '  These  men  had  all  very  significant  names, 
one  of  which  was  Kaeen-de  haree,  Lively  sunshine ; 
anothier  Mookha,  Sharp-sight.  The  country  on 
the  opposite,  or  eastern  side  of  the  Malalareen^ 
was  beautifully  covered  with  trees,  and,  the  pros- 
pect was  bounded  by  low  and  distant  hills.  The 
thermometer  at  sun-riaeivfas  at  2?^  at  noon  76**. 

VOU    II.  N 


178  SOUTHBRN   AFRICA; 

The  next  day  we  crossed  the  river  twice,  and 
did  not  reach  it  again  till  ten  o'clock  at  night, 
when  we  encamped  on  its  banks.  : 

On  the  following  day,  the  tenth  from  Lattakoo,. 
we  crossed  to  t)xe  eastern  side  of  the  Malalareen, 
and  entered  a  beautiful  level  plain.  Here  we  shot 
a  gnoo>  and  when  it  was  being  cut  up  two  Bosjea« 
mans  approached  with  great  timidity.  I  gave 
them  a  large  piece,  for  which  they  were  very 
grateful,  but,  not  fully  assured  of  their  safety,  they 
held  their  bows  and  poisohed  arrows  while  they 
were  cutting  it.  Our  course  to-day  was  south* 
west,  and  in  the  evening  we  again  fell  in  with,  and 
crossed  the  river. 

On  the  eleventh  day,  at  noon,  we  arrived  at  the 
Yellow  river,  at  the  spot  where  it  receives  the. 
Malalareen.  The  Yellow  river  was  here  consider- 
ably larger  than  thb  Thames  above  the  tide,  and 
the  spot  was  one  of  the  tnost  charming  in  the 
world.  Our  course  had  continued  south-west. 
Here  we  rested  the  following  day. 

On  the  thirteenth  day  we  {proceeded  on  our 
journey,  and  the  Yellow  river  taking  a  turn  many 
miles  to  the  southward  we  quitted  it,  and  passed 
the  day  without  water.  Morning  discovered  that 
we  had  taken  up  our  lodging  in  the  midst  of  a 
forest,  with  mountains  in  every  direction  :  the  cat- 
tle had  found  water  in  a  corner  among  the  hills. 
Some  Bosjesmans  came  and  informed  us  where  we 
should  next  find  it.  Elevert  camelopardalises  were 
seen,  but  none  were  taken.  At  noon  we  halted 
mear  a  fountain  of  excellent  water,  and  then  pur- 
sued  our  way  through  a  forest :  our  course  south- 
west. 

On  the  fifteenth  day  we  arrived  at  the  Missionary 


TBLLOW  ftlVER  I79 

village  of  Campbelldorp,  where  we  were  kindly 
receired,  and  supplied  with  milk,  which  we  had 
not  tasted  since  the  day  we  left  Lattakoo.  Two 
miles  farther  we  came  to  the  Missionary  village 
called  Great  fountain,  containing  about  diirty  in* 
habitants,  who  seemed  to  live  as  one  family,  for  a 
large  pot  was  on  a  fire  in  the  open  air,  containing 
as  much  flesh  of  the  quaka  as  would  dine  all  the 
people.  Five  languages  were  spoken  in  this  little 
community  —  the  Dutch,  Korana,  JBotcbuana, 
Hottentot,  and  Bosjesman.  The  Bosjesmans  were 
to  assist  in  cultivating  the  ground,  and  to  receive 
a  part  of  its  produce. 
'  On  the  day  but  one  following  I  rode  down  to  the 
river,  tod  kept  close  to  its  bank.  The  day  was 
fine ;  the  broad  stream  glided  silently  along,  the 
banks  were  ornamented  witB  trees,  and  small  par* 
ties  of  caittle,  sheep,  and  goats,  were  visiting  its 
waters  to  allay  their  thirst.  «  In  an  hour  we  came 
unexpectedly  upon  a  Korana  village,  situated  in  a 
beautiful  hollow,  close  by  the  river,  and  contain- 
ing from  sixty  to  seventy  persons.  In  another 
hour  I  arrived  at  the  confiuence  of  the  Yellow  and 
Alexander  rivers :  both  were  large,  but  the  former 
had  the  pre-emin'^nce.  I  had  a  view  up  the  latter 
for  about  two  miles,  and  its  rising  banks,  covered 
with  trees,  had  an  degant  appearance.  The 
scenery  was  sd  beautiful  that  I  left  it  with  reluct* 
ante ;.  but  there  was  yet  another  river  to  see,  and 
I  reached  it  before  night.  The  scenery  of  this  was 
still  more  beautiful,  and  the  river,  the  Cradock, 
w^  still  larger  than  the  Alexander.  Both  these 
rivers  flow  from  the  south-east ;  the  Yellow  and 
the  Malalareta  from  the  north-east ;  and  the  four 
join  to  compose  the  Qreat,  or  Orange  river. 

n2 


I'SO  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

On  the  nineteenth  day  from  our  leaving  Lat- 
takoo  we  arrived  at  Griqua  town,  after  an  absence 
of  six  weeks.  The  time  passed  in  actual  travel- 
ling from  Lattakoo  to  this  place  was  about  a  hun- 
dred hours. 

We  left  Griqua  town  on  the  9th  of  August,  ac- 
companied by  a  number  of  Griquas,  and  proceed- 
ing to  the  westward,  on  the  evening  of  the  seccHid 
day  we  arrived  at  the  Missionary  village  of  Hard- 
castle,  eighteen  miles  north  of  the  Orange  river. 
Morning  discovered  the  beauty  of  the  situation,  in 
a  valley  not  more  than  three  miles  in  circumfer- 
ence, surrounded  by  asbestos  mountains  of  diver* 
sified  foj(;^s!  I  ascended  the  rocks,  and  found  be- 
tween their  strata  asbestos  of  Prussian  blue,  gold 
colour,  green,  brown,  and  white.  The  blue,  by 
being  beaten,  becomes  of  a  soft  texture  like  cot- 
ton. Thirteen  Koranas,  mounted  on  oxen,  ar- 
rived at  Hardcastle  to  attend  divine  service  oa 
Sunday. 

The  Bosjesmans,  throughout  the  country^  lay 
claim  to  the  honey,  and  mark  the  nests  as  the 
farmers  mark  their  sheep  ;  and  if  they  find,  in 
their  regular  visits  to  their  store,  that  a  nest  has 
been  robbed,  they  carry  off  the  first  cow  or  sheep 
they  meet  with.  They  say  that  the  Koranas,  the 
Matchappees,  and  Morolongs,  have  cattle  and 
sheep  which  live  upon  the  grass  of  the  land  ;  and 
that  they,  who  have  not,  have  a  right  to  theivbees 
which  live  upon  the  flowers.  This  right  is  not 
invaded,  because  all  find  it  their  interest  to  let  the 
Bosjesmans  take  the  honey,  and  to  purchase  it 
of  them. 

From  Hardcastle  we  travelled  in  a  nbrthem 
direction,  and  on  the  second  day  arrived  at  the 


ORANGE   RIVER.  19 1 

Missionary  village  of  Rowland  Hill  dorp.  On 
leaving  this,  we  travelled  due  north  for  two  hoursj 
and  then  westward,  over  a  desert  of  sand,  till  after 
midnight.  When  day-light  appeared  we  found,  to 
our  great  mortification,  that  the  fountain  from 
whidi  we  expected  water  was  dried  up.  We  were 
two  days'  journey  from  the  Orange  river,  which 
was  the  nearest  water ;  but  it  was  necessary  to 
travel  two  days*  journey  in  one.  * 

At  noon,  with  the  thermometer  at  80^,  we  began 
to  cross  the  Vansittart  mountains,  which  fprm  the 
western  boundary  of  Grriqualand.  On  cluing 
them  we  entered  -  a  desert  of  sand,  which, 
commencing  at  the  Orange  river  on^the  south, 
runs  northward  to  an  unknown  extent.  Many  a 
meUnciuAy  groan  proceeded  from  the  thirsty 
oxen^  while  dragging  the  waggons  through  the 
deep  sand  of  the  desert,  and  many  aii  anxious  eye 
was  directed  towards  the  quarter  in  which  we  ex- 
pected to  find  the  Great  river.  All  was  dry  sand, 
scantily  interspersed  with  small  tufts  of  withered 
grass.  At  midnight  the  cry  of  River !  River ! 
made  us  forget  our  toils*  We  had  been  ten  days 
in  coming  from  Griqua  town,  forty-three  hours  of 
which  had  been  passed  in  actual  travelling. 

Exactly  opposite  the  spot  where  we  halted,  the 
river  was  divided  into  fqur  channels  by  three 
islands.  This  is  considered  as  a  good  place  for 
crossing,  and  we  began  our  preparations  in  the 
morning.  The  bank  we  had  to  descend  was  forty 
or  fifty  feet  in  height,  and  neady  perpendicular, 
and  we  employed  ourselves  in  cutting  a  road  for 
the  waggons.  By  two  o'clock  all  was  in  readiness, 
and  the  waggons  were  got  down  without  any  acci- 
dent.    The  first  channel  of  the  river  was  com- 


183  SOUTHERN  AFRIOA* 

pletely  dry,  and  we  travelled  with  ease  to  the 
western  point  of  the  first  island,  which  was  about 
the  distance  of  a  quarter  of  a  mile.  We  then 
came  to  the  stream,  which  was  about  SOO  yards 
wide,  and  the  current  very  strong.  Two  men  on 
horseback  first  entered  the  water  ;  then  an  ox 
carrying  on  his  back  the  materials  of  a  house,  and 
above  these  a  little  naked  boy ;  then  the  loose 
oxen,  sheep,  and  goats ;  then  the  waggons  ;  then 
eight  or  ten  Griqua  women,  most  of  whom  had 
children  on  their  backs,  riding  on  oxen  ;  then  se* 
veral  men  mounted  on  oxen,  and  holding  women 
by  the  hand>  to  assist  them  against  the  current.  I 
observed  one  little  boy  holding  fast  by  the  tiul  of 
an  ox  the  whole  way  across  the  river,  and  scream- 
ing  violently  where  the  curretit  was  strong. 

We  now  walked  to  the  western  point  of  the  se* 
cond  island,  and  crossed  the  next  arm  of  the  river, 
which  was  about  200  yards  over.  We  then  came 
to  a  third  island,  and  having  walked  across  this 
we  entered  the  last  channel  of  the  river,  and  landed 
safely  on  the  southern  shore*  Here  the  greatest 
difficulty  seemed  to  remain,  for  we  landed  in  a 
thicket  on  a  level  with  the  river,  which  appeared 
impenetrable  for  waggons.  After  much  exami- 
nation we  found  an  opening,  and  ^fter  surmount- 
ing  many  obstacles,  we  reached  the  extremity  of 
the  wood.  We  encamped  in  a  hollow  surrounded 
by  trees,  within  hearing,  though  not  in  sight,  of 
the  Orange  river.  The  ravages  of  time  afforded 
us  abundance  of  fuel.  On  seeing  generations  of 
trees  piled  upon  each  other,  I  reflected  on  the 
passing  generations  of  mankind. 

One  of  my  Hottentots,  who,  with  two  of  his 
companions  went  in  tiearch  of  some  strayed  oxen. 


ORAKQE   RIV£R.  183 

bad  nearly  perished  with  thirst  He  felt  as  if  fire, 
were  on  his  back,  and  was  saved  by  frequently 
thrusting  his  head  into  the  middle  of  a  bush  to  in- 
hale the  moisture,  while  those  who  were  with  him 
dug  up  cold  sand  which  they  laid  on  his  back. 

We  now  began  our  journey  down  the  Great 
river,  and  passed  a  party  of  Koranas,  who  had 
just  .arrived  at  the  spot»  and  the  women  were 
employed  in  raising  the  huts.  I  observed  one 
very  aged  woman,  who  was  blind,  and  whose  skin 
did  not  appear*  to  be  united  to  the  flesh,  but  rather 
resembled  a  loose  sheet  wrapped  round  her.  The 
country  was  interesting  from  the  variety  of  the 
hills  within  view,  and  the  windings  of  the  Great 
river,  but  all  was  either  sand,  gravel,  or  covered 
with  stones,  and  the  heat  was  oppressive.  We 
crossed  the  dry  beds  of  several  rivers^  the  steep 
sides  of  which  were  very  troublesome,  and  we 
passed  the  second  night  under  the  thick  spreading 
boughs  of  what  is  called  the  white-hole  tree.  The 
natives  frequently  sleep  on  the  top  of  this  tree  to 
avoid  the  lions.  On  such  an  occasion  a  Hotten- 
tot, while  asleep,  fell  from  the  tree,  and  happened 
to  fall  upon  a  lion  that  was  sleeping  at  its  foot-: 
happily  the  lion  was  frightened,  and  ran  away, 
and  the  man  regained  his  former  situation.  The 
air  was  so  drying  here  that  the  ink  in  my  pen,  and 
the  colours  in  my  pencil,  were  almost  dried  up  be- 
fore they  could  touch  the  paper. 

On  the  third  day  we  were  obliged  to  quit  the 
river  to  get  round  some  hills  which  we  could  not 
get  oves*  The  way  was  uneven,  with  stones  and 
pieces  of  marble  scattered  about,  and  we  bad  to 
cross  six  times  the  bed  of  a  river  with  steep  sides. 
About  sun-set  we  approached  a  Kdrana  village 


18if  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

called  Flip  Kraal,  containing  about  150  inhabi- 
tants; near  this  we  passed  the  night.  Th^se 
people  neither  sow  nor  plant,  but  they  possess  nu< 
merous  herds  and  flocks.  They  brought  us  plenty 
of  milk  to  barter.  A  brown  plain,  without  any  vi- 
sible termination,  appeared  on  the  opposite  side 
of  the  river. 

On  the  two  following  days,  during  which  we 
travelled  only  five  hours ;  the  way  was  as  rugged 
as  before,  While  sitting  at  dinner  on  the  last  of 
these,  a  whirlwind  carried  my  tent  up  in  the  air, 
and  covered  my  food  with  sand.  The  next  day, 
the  sixth  of  our  journey .  down  the  course  of  the 
river,  having  travelled  four  hours  over  stones  and 
through  red  sandf  we  turned  the  range  of  hills, 
and  again  reached  the  river.  The  plain  on  the 
north  of  it  still  continued.  We  passed  several 
spots  where  tobacco  had  been  planted,  but  we  saw 
no  inhabitants  to  gather  it. 

On  the  eighth  day  we  arrived  at  a  village  of 
six  houses,  in  a  small  square  surrounded  by  trees. 
The  inhabitants  were  about  forty  in  number,  and 
the  chief  was  a  Bastard  Hottentot ;  they  were  rich 
in  cattle,  and  supplied  us  with  abundance  of  milk. 

On  the  ninth  day  I  walked  by  the  side  of  the 
river,  while  the  waggons  were  obliged  to  make  a 
circuit  round  some  hills.  In  the  evening  we  went 
one  of  the  worst  stages  of  the  whole  journey. 
Sometimes  the  wheels  sunk  to  the  axes  in  the 
sand ;  at  others  the  ground  was  so  covered  with 
large  stones,  that  we  paused  to  consider  what  was 
to  be  done  ;  but,  after  looking  round  in  every  di« 
rection,  we  found  there  was  no  choice  of  road. 
Providentially  we  arrived  at  pur  resting  place 
without  any  material  injury. 


BANKS. OF  THE   ORANGE   RIVER.  ISS 

We  were  now  within  one  stage  of  Kok^s  Kraal, 
and  as  the  waggon  way  was  very  circuitous,  I  rode 
on  an  ox  by  the  river  side.  *  This  way  was  atmogt 
impassable  even  to  oxen,  being  over  hills,  and  co- 
vered with  rocks;  however,  in  two  hours  I  arrived 
at  the  village,  which  was  situated  in  an  extensive 
plain,  scattered  over  with  tufts  of  grass,  and 
bounded  on  every  side  by  low  hills.  The  majority 
of  the  people  were  Orlams,  thougli  some  were  se« 
ceders  from  Griqualand,  who  had  retired  here  for 
the  sake  of  having  a  plurality  of  wives.  This  vil- 
lage, including  thirty  Bosjesmans,  contained  425 
inhabitants. 

Kok  related  that  he  had  been  up  the  country  to 
the  north  of  the  riv^r  five  or  six  days'  journey, 
without  finding  water,  and  that  be  and  the  party 
that  was  with  him  had  lived  on  the  water-melons, 
which  were  every  where  scattered  over  the  ground, 
and  which,  after  being  roasted,  yielded  good  water. 
These  people  knew  df  no  inhabitants  to  the  north'^ 
ward  of  their  own  settlement,  and  they  said  the 
country  was  so  arid,  that  it  was  impossible  for  in* 
habitants  to  exist  in  it.  To  the  southward,  between 
them  and  the  colony,  they  knew  only  of  a  few 
Bosjesmans.  Immediately  behind  the  village  were 
rocks  of  crystal  and  marble,  the  surrounding  hills 
were  interspersed  with  trees  and  bushes ;  but  the 
hills  beyond  the  river  were  of  bright  i-ed  sand. 
There  had  been  no  rain  for  six  months. 

The  koker  tree  grew  on  the  tops  of  the  hills. 
Many  of  these  are  ten  or  twelve  feet  in  circumr 
ference  at  the  bottom ;  but  they  soon  diminish  in 
size.  The  branches  commence  ^t  seven  or  eight 
feet  from  the  ground,  and  the  cluster  of  these  re- 
sembles in  shape  that  of  an  inverted  bason.    The 


186  SOUTHEIIN  AFRICA. 

bark  is  white  intenntxed  with  a  light  yeUow,  stad 
shining  like  satin  ;  the  leaf  is  like  that  of  the  aloe; 
the  whole  seldom  exceeds  sixteen  feet  in  height. 

Having  rested  one  day  at  Kok's  Kraal^  and  pro- 
cured  fourteen  strong  oxen,  I  again  proceeded  to 
the  westward.  The  next  halting  place,  though 
only  ten  miles  distant  on  the  rocky  bank  of  the 
river,  was  thirty  by  the  route  round  the  hills  that 
we  were  obliged  to  take.  The  following  day  we 
reached  the  river  through  deep  sand;  the  country 
around  was  level,  sandy,  and  full  of  marble  rocks 
that  shewed  their  white  heads  above  the  ground. 

Having  heard  of  a  cataract  on  the  river,  I  took 
a  guide,  and  walked  to  visit  it.  We  soon  reached 
what  might  be  called  the  metropolis  of  rocks. 
They  were  scattered  on  the  surface  of  the  ground 
for  many  miles,  some  piled  upon  each  other,  and 
one  half  a  mile  in  length,  and  500  feet  in  he^ht. 
The  bed  of  the  river  was  solid  rock,  cut  into  deep 
chasms  by  the  force  of  the  waters;  the  si^es  were 
perpendicular  rock,  and  a*  stone  thrown  down  was 
some  time  before  it  reached  the  river.  In  the 
rainy  season,  when  every  dry  bed  of  a  river  I  had 
now  passed  becomes  a  torrent :  when  such  -a  mass 
of  water  rolls  rapidly  among  the  huge  rocks,  the 
soene  must  be  grand  and  terrific !  .  But  probably 
no  human  eye  has  seen  it.  Several  natives  whom 
I  met  with  had  seen  the  mist  arising  from  it ;  but 
all  had  been  so  terrified  by  the  sound  that  none 
dared  to  approach  it.  This  cataract  is  in  about  20^ 
east  longitude. 

On  the  fourteenth  day  from  that  on  which  we 
crossed  the  river«  we  halted  at  midnight  in  a  place 
that  affi>rded  neither  graj^s,  nor  wood,  nor  water ; 
for,  in  consequence  of  ridges  of  rocks  running  £it>m 


'     ORANGE   RIVBR.  187 

the  edge  of  the  river,  we  had  heen  obliged  to  tra- 
vel conaiderably  to  the  south  of  it.  The  thermo- 
meter at  noon  was  at  SG"* ;  the  night  was  as  cold  as 
a  December  night  in  England. 

On  the  fifteenth  day  we  proceeded  westward,  at 
the  distance  of  about  ten  miles  from  the  river,  a 
chain  of  hills,  thirty  miles*in  extent,  lying  between 
it  and  us.     Hs^ing  travelled  seven  hours,  we  dug 
for  water  in  the  dry  bed  of  a  river,  and  found  it  at 
the  depth  of  five  feet.    Hundreds  of  lizards  and 
field-mice  were  almost  constantly  in  sight ;  and 
so  little  conscious  were  they  that  man  was  the 
enemy  of  other  animals,  that  they  played  about 
the  waggons.    Nine  lions  were  seen  in  the  vicinity 
of  our  encampment,  in  the  course  of  the  afternoon. 
One  of  my  Hottentots  came  upon  three  of  them 
unawares,    among  the  bushes,    and   they  stood 
looking  at  each  other  for  some  time.     It  is  said 
that  a  lion  will  •not  attack  a  man  while  he  looks 
him  steadfastly  in  the  face.    When  the  Hottentot 
turned  to  make  a  signal  to  one  of  his  companions 
to  come  to  his  assistance,  the  lions  advanced ;  but 
on  turning  his  e^es  again  towards  them,  they 
halted,  and  when  the  other  came  up  with  his  gun 
they  walked  away. 

The  bu^-louse,  as  it  is,  called,  was  here  very 
troublesome.  It  is  black,  and  about  the  size  of  a 
large  bug.  It  adheres  so  closely  to  the  skin  that 
it  is  scarcely  possible  to  get  rid  of  it  without  cutting 
it  m  pieces  ;  but,  like  a  leech,  when  it.has  filled  it- 
self with  blood,  it  dropsofil  The  cattle  are  sometimes 
covered  with  these  blood-suckers,  when  the  crows 
perch  on  their  backs,  and  dine  at  their  leisure. 
The  cows  are  so  pleased  with  their  visitors,  that 
they  give  them  no  molestation  till  they  have 
finished  theur  repast. 


188  SOUTHERN   AFKICA.  ' 

We  remained  at  our  encampment  two  whole 
days,  and  on  the  second  day  after  we  resumed  our 
journey,  we  met  with  a  missionary  who  was  settled 
among  the  Namaquas,  and  who  informed  us  that 
some  Bosjesmans  had  followed  us  from  the  cata- 
ract, watching  for  an  opportunity  to  plunder  us. 
He  said  these  poor  men  *had  been  so  ill-treated  by 
the  farmers  from  the  colony  that  they  were  now 
endeavouring  to  destroy  every  roan  who  wore  a 
hat,  considering  a  hat  as  the  distinguishing  mark 
of  a  colonist  This  day  we  travelled  westward  over 
a  plain  of  deep  sand,  with  a  hill  on  each  side,  and 
were  obliged  to  proceed,  without  halting,  till  we 
came  to  water.  At  half  past  ten  at  night,  after  a 
march  of  twelve  hours  and  a  half,  we  arrived  at 
Kabas  fountain.  Though  this  fountain  afforded 
water,  there  was  not  to  be  seen  a  blade  of  grass  ; 
we  therefore  hastened  away  in  the  morning,  and 
an  six  hours  arrived  at  Fella,  the  missionary  station 
among  the  Namaquas.  We  had  been  twenty  days 
following  the  course  of  the  Great  river,  as  hear 
its  southern  bank  as  possible,  and  ninety-three 
hours  and  a  half  of  this  time  had  been  spent  in 
actual  traveling. 

A  more  barren  looking  spot  than  Fella  it  is  not 
easy  to  conceive.  It  i^  white  sand,  interspersed 
with  a  few  bushes,  and  bounded  on  the  north 
and  east  by  black  rugged  mountains.  Water 
is  the  only  temptation  that  Christians  have  to 
remain  at  Fella.  The  love  of  fame  is  a  power- 
ful incentive  to  painful  undertakings  ;  the  love  of 
power  is  another;  but  these,  united,  do  not  appear 
a  sufficient  motive  for  the  renunciation  of  mental 
intercourse  with  civilized  beings,  and  the  comforts 
and  enjoyments  of  civilized  life.  Religion,  if  not 
enthusiasm,  must  enter  into  the  account.    A  mis- 


ORANGE   RIVER.  189 

sionary  among  the  sands  and  rocks  of  Africa  must 
believe  that  he  is  serving  his  Creator,  and  must 
look  for  the  reward  of  his  services  in  another 
world.  Pella  is  in  about  28^  46'  south  latitude, 
and  18^'  8'  east  longitude.  The  Orange  river  is 
only  four  miles  distant,  but  its  banks  are  so  co- 
vered with  rocks  that  they  are  not  habitable* 

The  Namaquas  live  in  low  circular  huts  like 
those  of  the  Koranas,  They  are  constructed  with 
branches^  of  trees  bent  like  a  bow,  and  stuck  into 
the  ground  at  both  ends,  and  are  then  covered 
with  mats.  The  ground  within  is  lowered  from 
twelve  to  eighteen  inches,  to  keep  the  inhabitants, 
as  they  say,  from  the  wind.  Observing  two  fami- 
lies  removing  their  huts  to  about  the  distance  of 
fifty  yards,  J  inquired  the  reason,  and  was  told 
that  they  were  removing  to  escape  from  fleas. 

When  a  man  at  Pella  kills  a  sheep,  his  family 
can  only  obtain  a  share  of  it ;  as  the  neighbours 
repair  to  the  house^  and  the  whole  is  eaten  befcyre 
they  leave  it. 

The  Namaquas  are  an  honest  and  timid  people, 
_  generally  slender,  and  few  of  th6m  tall.  Their 
cattle  supply  them  with  food ;  and,  having  few 
wants,  and  little  occupation,  they  pass  the  greater 
part  of  their  time  in  conversing  together  in  small 
groupes.  Both  Namaquas  and  Bosjesmans  affirm 
that,  after  persons  have  gone  through  a  certain 
process,  they  cannot  be  injured  by  poisonous  ani- 
mals* They  allow  scorpions  to  sting,  and  two  dif- 
ferent kinds  of  serpents  to  bite  them,  after  which 
they  swallow  some  of  the  poison,  which  they  say 
counteracts  the  e£fect  of  that  taken  into  the  blood. 
It  is  very  common  for  a  Hottentot  to  catch  a  ser- 
pent, squeeze. out  the  poisoi;!  from  his  teeth,  and 


190  SOUTHERN   AFRICA. 

drink  it.  They  saj  that  it  occasions  only  a  slight 
giddiness,  and  that  it  preserves  them  ever  after 
from  the  bite  of  these  poisonoas  reptiles. 

The  following  intelligence  respecting  the  Greater 
Namaquas  and  the  Damaras,  I  obtained  from  two 
Namaqua  chiefs. 

The  country  of  the  Great  Namaquas  extends 
northward  from  the  Orange  river  about  twenty-five 
days'  journey,  or  nearly  600  miles  in  travelling ; 
and  from  the  coast  to  the  eastward  about  ten  days' 
journey ;  it  is,  in  general,  hUly  and  stoney.  .  Tlie 
people  manufacture  hassagays,  ringSy  knives,  and 
axes  of  iron,  and  vessels  and  bowls  of  wood ;  they 
dress  hides,  and  dig  wells ;  they  abound  in  cattle, 
goats,  and  sheep;  they  dance  to  flutes  and  drums. 
Some  of  the  Great  Namaquas  had  travelled  as  fiir 
as  Cape  Town,  and  had  wondered  at  what  they 
saw  there  ;  but  none  had  ever  attempted  to  imi- 
tate any  thing  he  saw. 

The  country  of  the  Damaras  lies  north  of' that 
of  the  Great  Namaquas,  and  reaches  to  the  ocean. 
The  country  has  few  hills,  few  trees,  fewer  bushes, 
but  much  grass.  The  soil  is  sandy.  There  are 
gardens  inclosed  by  hedges,  in  which  are  raised 
pumpkins  and  other  vegetables.  I  could  hear  of 
only  two  rivers,  the  Noeyop  and  the  Nossop. 

In  the  estimation  of  the  Namaquas,  the  Damaras 
^re  a  numerous  people.  They  are  divided  into 
rich  and  poor.  The  rich  possess  cattle ;  the  poor 
live  near  the  sea,  and  frequently  engage  them- 
selves  as  servants  to  the  Namaquas.  The  poor  eo- 
ver  themselves  with  grass  and  cow-dung ;  the  rich 
wear  the  skins  of  their  cattle.  The  Damaras  ma- 
nufacture  hassagays,  knives,  rings,  and  vessels,  of 
iron.  ^  There  is  a  mine  of  copper  in  their  country. 


ORANGE  ILIVER.  191 

from  which  they  manufacture  rings  for  the  ears, 
arms,  and  legs,  and  with  these  they  carry  on  a 
trade  with  their  neighbours.  Their  houses  resem- 
ble those  of  the  Hottentots. 

The  Damaras  keep  a  wife  till  they  are  tired  of 
her,  or  quarrel  with  her,  or  see  another  they  like 
better.  On  the  death  of  a  rich  man  the  horns  and 
bones  of  the  cattle  he  killed,  while  living,  are* 
piled  over  his  grave,  and  the  number  is  the  proof 
of  his  former  wealth.  If  strangers  visit  the  Da- 
maras peaceably,  liiey  are  kindly  treated. 

From  PelU  I  rode  through  the  kloof,  or  defile, 
that  led  to  the  Orange  river.  We  found  the  river 
bounded  on  both  sides  by  high  and  barren  moun. 
tains,  which  scarcely  allowed  it  room  to  flow. 
T^e  lively  green  of  the  trees  on  its  border  formed 
a  striking  contrast  with  the  death-like  mountains 
that  rose  behind.  We  rode  down  the  southern 
bank  of  the  river  five  or  six  miles,  when  we  turned 
to  the  left  up  a  chasm  between  the  mountains,  two 
miles  of  which  resembled  a  giant's  stair-case.  We 
ascended  on  horseback,  step  after  step,  and  some 
of  the  steps  were  two  feet  in  height.  The  pass,  in 
most  places,  was  only  a  few  yards  in  width,  though 
the  sides  were  many  hundred  feet  in  perpendicu- 
lar height.  The  sun  wfls  neariy  down  before  we 
reached  the  summit,  and  we  then  rode  two  hours, 
at  a  quick  rate,  before  we  came  within  sight  of  the 
lights  of  Pella. 

Having  traced  the  Great  river  from  the  junction 
of  the  Yellow  and  the  Malalareen  to  this  place,  I 
determined  to  return  to  the  Cape.  The  missiona- 
ries knew  of  three  ways,  but  each  had  its  difficul- 
ties. In  the  eastern,  no  water  was  to  be  met  with 
for  three  Idiig  days'  journeys ;  in  the  middle,  no 


192  SOUTHERN   AfRlCA. 

water  for  three  days,  and  at  this  season  the  foun* 
tain  would  be  dry ;  the  western  lay  down  the  river 
for  several  days ;  it  was  rocky  and  exposed  to 
BosjesmanS)  and  on  leaving  the  river,  there  were 
two  long  days  journeys  to.  the  Kamies  mountains* 
The  first  of  these  evils  ajq^eared  the  least. 

On  the  £2d  of  September  I  left  Pella,  and  tra- 
velled iive  hours  and  a  half  on  ray  return  to  the 
Cape.  Owing  to  the  length  of  the  bushes  and  the 
unevenness  of  the  ground,  we  could  not  reach 
Raison  fountain,  near  which  we  hoped  to  have 
passed  the  night.  The  next  morning  we  arrived 
at  it,  and.  left  it,  with  the  melancholy  certainty 
that  the  oxen  had  taken  their  last  draught  of  water 
till  they  should  have  accomplished  three  days* 
journey  over  a  desert  of  sand.  We  continued  tra- 
velling through  the  night,  on  a  south-west  course, 
and  at  two  o'clock  in  the  morning  we  had  to  en- 
counter a  hill  of  sand  that  was  a  formidable  ob« 
struction  to  our  progress.  In  ascending  it  the 
wheels  sunk  nearly  to  the  axes,  and  every  rnaii 
aided  the  oxen  with  all  his  might.  At  seven 
o'clock  we  halted,  after  having  marched  fifteen 
successive  hours.  Wherever  we  turned  our  eyes, 
the  hills  were  of  a  browh  burnt  colour,  and  the 
plain  was  deep  sand,  strewed  with  tufts  of  withered 
grass.  Adam  Kok,  a  captain  of  the  Griquas,  in 
crossing  this  desert  lost  two  horses  that  he  rode  ; 
and  must  have  died  himself,  if  the  people  who 
were  with  him  had  not  persevered  in  thrbwing 
cold  sand  on  his  breast. 

While  I  was  sitting  alooe  under  a  rock,  a  pretty 
little  solitary  bu*d  hopped  within  a  yard  of  me,  un-^ 
suspecting  any .  danger  from  man ;  and  'I  did  not 


DESERT^  193 

injure  the  character  of  the  human  species  in  its  es- 
timation. ^ 

At  noon  we  proceeded  through  the^desert.  The 
lowing  of  the  oxen  and  the  howling  of  the  dogs 
were  painful  to  hear;  but  it  was  still  more  painful 
to  reflect  on  the  time  and  labour  yet  to  come  be- 
fore their  thirst  could  be  relieved.  In  such  a  case 
the  Hottentots  say,  ••  "Shut  your  eyes  and  ears,  . 
and  press  forward/'  At  nine  at  night  we  passed 
some  Bosjesroans  who  were  sitting  round  a  fire 
at  the  foot  of  a  hill.  At  midnight  the  cold  was 
piercing,  and  the  sand  deep<  A  little  before  sun-  . 
rise  the  loose  oxen  ran  off  at  full  speed  towards  a  re- 
cess among  some  hills.  They  had  certainly  scented 
water,  though  there  was  none  above  ground,  and 
they  were  disappointed.  They  stood  snuffing  the 
air  in  every  direction  for  about  a  minute,  when 
they  again  galloped  off^  and  led  the  way  to  the 
welcome  spring,  which  is  called  Quick  fountain^ 
and  consists  of  two  pools.  Now  sheep,  dogs,  and 
oxen,  rushed  into  the  pools,  and  such  as  could  not 
gain  admission  pushed  between  their  fellows  to. 
obtain  a  space  for  their  mouths.  None  had  tasted 
water  during  thirty-eight  hours,  thirty-two  of 
which  the  oxen  had  been  dragging  waggons 
through  deep  sand.  In  this  time  we  had  advanced 
about  ninety  miles^  in  the  direction  of  south-west 
by  west. 

The  next  day  we  left  Quick  fountain,  which 
a£K>rded  no  grass,  and  travelled  westward  among 
low  hills,  till  we  came  to  grass  where  there  was  no 
water.  At  ten  o'clock  at  night  we  arrived  at  Sil- 
ver fountain,  the  residence  of  Cornelius  Kok. 

On  the  1st  of  October  we  pursued  our  journey 
in  a  south-west  direction ;  and  on  the  0d,  the  ele- 

VOL.  11.  o 


194  COLONY  OF  THE   CAPE. 

venth  day  from  leaving  Pella^  and  the  seveath  of 
actual  travelling,  we  reached  the  first  farm-house 
in  the  colony.  Neither  the  farmer  nor  his  wife 
were  more  than  forty  years  of  age,  yet  they  had 
ten  daughters,  all  married.  The  house  contained 
a  low  table^  and  three  things  that  had  once  been 
chairs,  but  the  chief  articles  visible  were  skins.  In 
a  comer  was  a  space  inclosed  by  a  mud  wall,  about 
eighteen  inches  high,  the  floor  of  which  was  co- 
vered with  s](ins*  This  was  the  dormitory  of  the 
family*  and  in  it  was  now  lying,  gazing  at  the 
strangers,  the  son,  a  stout  young  man  of  eighteen. 
The  lady  sat  with  a  long  stick  in  her  hand,  com- 
manding in  the  tone  of  a  general  officer,  and  her 
orders  were  instantly  obeyed  by  a  set  of  wretched 
Hottentot  servants,  dressed  in  tattered  sheep- 
skins, and  covered  with  dirt.  The  next  day  we 
came  in  view  of  the  western  ocean,  .and  halted  at 
the  house  of  a  farmer  named  Westhuysen. 

The  house  of  my  entertainer  consisted  of  a 
single  room  about  twenty  feet  long,  and  ten  wide. 
Its  only  window  was  stopped  with  the  head  of  an 
old  cask,  but  the  light  which  was  denied  entrance 
by  this  aperture  found  admittance  by  the  cracks 
of  the  wall,  and  the  holes  of  the  roof.  The  fire 
was  made  in  a  corner  near  the  door;  chimney 
there  was  none,  and  the  smoke  had  to  choose  whe- 
ther  it  would  make  its  exit  through  the  crevices  or 
the  door.  In  the  opposite  comer  was  heaped  up 
the  grain  of  the  last  harvest,  covered  by  a  few 
mats.  Under  the  window  was  fixed  a  rough  hewn 
table*  which  supported  a  kettle  of  boiling  water 
and  some  broken  basons.  Three  trunks  served  for 
seats  as  well  as  closets,  j^ut,  as  a  party  of  friends 
were  assembled  to  dinner,  planks  were  placed  over 


DUTCH  FARM-HOUSE.  19^ 

them  to  answer  the  purpose  of  benches.  In  a 
third  corner  was  the  bed  of  the  farmer  and  his  wife» 
a  bullock's  skin,  nailed  to  four  stakes  driven  into 
the  ground,  and  on  this  bed  were  thrown  the  beds 
of  the  rest  of  the  family,  that  is  to  say,  a  number  of 
greasy  sheep  skins,  which  at  night  were  spread  on 
the  ground.  Lastly,  against  the  wall  opposite  to 
the  window  was  a  hand«*mill  for  grinding  corn^ 

The  two  sons  and  two  daughters  of  the  farmer 
began  to  grind  the  corn  necessary  for  the  party. 
This  required  four  stout  labourers,  and  the  com- 
pany joined  occasionally  in  the  employment  The 
fire  crackled  on  the  hearth,  in  expectation  of  a 
whole  sheep,  which  it  had  to  prepare  for  the  din- 
ner of  the  groupe;  and  the  sheep,  just  flayed,  hung 
bleeding  against  the  wall.  The  men  drew  their 
pipes  from  their  pockets,  and  began  to  smoke, 
and  one  of  the  guests,  who  had  just  returned  from 
the  Cape,  supplied  the  whole  company  plentifully 
with  brandy. 

From  my  childhood  I  never  liked  the  noise  of 
a  mill,  the  sight  pf  slaughtered  animals,  or  the  va« 
pours  of  tobacco.  I  could  not  bear  the  v^ious 
evils  th^  assailed  my  senses ;  I  ptole  away  to  the 
still  and  pure  air  of  my  tent,  and  I  had  the  satis- 
faction to  hear  the  next  morning  that  my  absence 
had  not  been  observed  by  the  happy  party. 

We  now  travelled  south-east,  for  six  days,  on  a 
desert  of  sand  between  the  mountains  and  the  sea, 
the  thermometer  on  four  of  these  was  at  noon  from 
94f''to  lOC^,  and  at  sun*rise  and  sun-^set^C^  There 
was  neither  rock  nor  bush  large  enough  to  aflbrd 
a  shade,  and  though  it  blew  a  gale  of  wind,  the 
air  felt  as  if  it  were  mingled  with  fire.  The  common 
flies,  attfacted  by  the  perspiration,  were  walking 

o« 


196    .  COLONY   OF  TH&  CAPE. 

over  ray  whole  face,  particularly  about  the  eyes  ; 
to  drive  them  away  was  only  to  make  room  for 
their. successors.  In  this  time  we  met  with  four 
fountains  of  brackish  water,  and  once  we  obtained 
good  by  digging  in  the  sand.  On  the  sixth  day, 
on  reaching  the  summit  of  anasqent,  a  prospect  of 
considerable  extent  appeared  before  us,  bounded 
by  a  range  of  stupendous  mountains  that  ran  like 
a  wall  from  east  to  west,  for  perhaps  more  than 
thirty  miles. 

At  ten  o'clock  at  night  an  ox,  that  had  done  alt 
he  could  to  serve  me,  lay  down  on  the  road  to  die. 
I  gave  him  a  little  water  that  I  had  for  my  own 
drinking,  and  he  revived  and  rose.  He  looked 
for  food,  but  looked  in  vain,  for  not  a  blade  of 
grass  was  to  be  seen.  We  were  obliged  to  push 
forward  for  water,  and  with  great  pity  and  regret  I 
looked  back  to  him  as  long  as  he  could  be  seen. 
At  midnight  we  arrived  at  the  long-wished  for 
Elephant  river,  ^nd  halted  on  its  banks. 

We  found  the  Elephant  river  a  considerable 
stream,  though  much  inferior  to  the  Orange  ;  it 
is  one  of  the  few  rivers  in  the  colony  that  are  never 
dry.  The  mouth  is  contracted  and  rocky ;  within, 
it  is  navigable  nearly  thirty  miles  up  the  country, 
but  that  country  is  almost  uninhabited.  Its  banks 
here  were  beautifully  covered  with  trees ;  but  it 
is  scarcely  possible  to  conceive  a  more  barren 
prospect  than  the  ground  immediately  beyond 
them.  It  was  distressing  to  see  the  oxen  looking 
like  spectres  for  want  of  food,  and  to  be  unable  to 
supply  them.  Understanding  from  a  farmer,  who 
lay  at  the  ford,  that  we  might  obtain  grass  about 
four  hours  higher  up  the  river,  we  crossed  it,  and 
proceeded  to  the  farm-house,  where  we  lodged. 


ELEPHANT   RIVER.  197 

Thenext  morning,  at  seven  o'clock,  the  farmer 
gave  me  coffee ;  at  eight,  a  breakfast  of  tea,  vrith 
.plenty  of  milk ;  at  eleven  we  sat  down  to  dinner. 
J  thought  our  meals  followed  hastily ;  but  such 
was  the  custom  of  the  house.  The  farmer's  wife 
was  absent  on  a  journey  to  the  Cape  ;  the  farmer, 
with. his  broad-brimmed  hat  on,  placed  himself -at 
the  head  of  the  table  ;  a  girl,  clad  in  little  more 
than  her  own  skin,  stood  at  the  bottom,  holding 
in  her  hand  a  long  stick,  at  the  end  of  which  was 
a  fan .  of  ostrich  feathers,  with  which  she  drove 
away  the  flies.  The  two  sons  of  the  farmer,  one  oY 
eighteen,  the  other  of  fourteen  years  of  age,  sat  at 
a  side-table,  and  were  not  considered  as  belong- 
ing to  the  company.  .  My  host  described  with 
much  sipirit  his  various  encounters  with  lions  and 
leopards. 

We  had  yet  seven  days  travelling  through  deep 
sands.  At  the  end  of  the  second  we  halted  at 
Great  fountain,  where  we  found  good  grass  a^d 
water  ;  but  the  oxen  were  so  worn  down  with  fa- 
tigue that  they  preferred  rest  to  either.  Four  of 
the  nights  we  halted  on^  the  road,  and  three  we 
reached  farm-houses.  • 

On  the  eighth  day  we  arrived  at  a  farm-house 
that  was  nearly  surrounded  by  the  Piquet-berg. 
The  road  was  now  tolerably  good.  We  saw  the 
habitions  of  several  farmers  at  the  foot  of  distant 
hills  to  the  left,  and  two  or  three  at  the  foot  of  the 
Piquet-berg  on  the  right.  At  midnight,  after  a 
march  of  nine  hours,  the  oxen  were  unable  to  pro- 
ceed any  farther,  and  we  halted  by  the  side  of  the 
road.  The  next  day  we  arrived  at  the  Berg,  or 
mountain  river.  The  country  around  us  was  in 
a  state  of  nature,  except  a  few  scattered  farms, 
which  appeared  like  specks  in  the  landscape. 


}9S  COtOKT  OF  THE  CAPE. 

HEving  crossed  the  river,  I  left  my  oiien,  and 
proceeded  to  Rpode-zand  Kloof,  and  from  thence 
to  Tulbagh,  the  residence  of  the  new  landrost. 
Here  I  remained  a  week,  rewarding  my  fellow? 
travellers,  and  sending  each  to  hjs  respective 
home,  and  on  the  Slst  of  October  I  again  returned 
to  Cape  Town.  My  journey  from  Pella,  near  the 
(kange  river,  had  occupied  thirty-three  days,  ex- 
iclusive  of  the  week  I  piissed  at  Tulbagh.  Of  this 
time  about  SI  2  hours  had  been  spent  in  actual 
'travelling. 

This  whole  journey  I  performed  in  my  waggoDt 
exeept  when  I  chose  to  relieve  my  oxen,  which 
WM  not  seldom,  by  walking  on  foot.  They  suf- 
fered lamentably  and  irremediably  by  great  exer* 
tions  and  the  want  of  food  and  water :  I  contit 
nued  to  enjoy  perfect  health. 


199 


CiaAPTER   XIV. 

FROM  THE  CAPE  TO  TR^  KAMIESBERG^  AND  THE 
MOUTH  OF  THE  ORANGE  RIVER.  RETURN  TO  THE 
CAFE. 

1  AM  afraid  my  Reader,  even  if  he  be  a  "  Courte- 
ous Reader/'  or  a  "  Gentle  Reader/*  as  all  readers 
were  termed  of  old,  when  books  were  not  so  nu- 
merous, is,  by  this  time,  weary  of  dry  deserts  and 
exhausted  oxen  :  I  will  therefore  not  dwell  long 
upon  such  barren  subjects,. though,  consistent  with 
my  plan,  I  cannot,  yet  ^discontinue  them.  To 
complete  the  Tour  of  the  Southern  part  of  Africa, 
there  yet  remained  to  visit  the  Kamies  mountains, 
the  western  coast,  and  the  mouth  of  the  Orange 
river ;  and  <  for  this  purpose  I  left  Cape  Town  on 
a  third  journey.  , 

On  the  second  day  I  arrived  at  Groene,  or  Green 
Kloof,  which  is  a  division  of  the  Cape  district, 
consisting  of  several  clusters  of  small  hills  that 
cross  the  stripe  of  sand  extending  along  the 
western  coast.  The  dales  that  lie  within  these 
hills  contain  copious  springs  of  good  water,  and 
excellent  pasturage  for  cattle.  In  these  two  days, 
I  travelled  about  thirty-four  miles.  ; 

From  the  Tea  fonteyn,  the  next  stage,  I 
crossed  the  country  to  Saldanha  bay,  which,  as 
a  spacious,  secure,  and  commodious  sheet  of  in« 
land  sea-water,  can  perhaps,  scarcely  be  equalled. 
It  lies  in  latitude  33^  10"  south,  and  longitude  IS"* 
east. 


200*  •  COLONY   or   THE   CAPE. 

The  country  ;n  general,  from  Saldanha  bay  to 
the  Berg,  or  Mountain  river,  is  flat  and  sandy,  but 
very  fertile.  Wheat  yields  from  fifteen  to  twenty 
fold,  barley  from  thirty  to  forty,  and  it  is  curious 
to  see  melons,  pumpkins,  cauliflowers,  and  other 
vegetables,  growing  luxuriantly  in  sheer  sand.  At 
i^e  place  the  people  were  rooting  out  sugar-canes 
to  plant  tobacco. 

The  bay  of  St.  Helena  is  about  fifteen  miles  tp 
the  northward  of  the  bay  of  Saldanha.  The  Berg 
river,  which  here  discharges  itself  into  the  sea, 
though  an  immense  mass  of  water,  is  so  choaked 
with  sand  at  the  mouth,  that  boats  can  enter  it 
only  at  high  water. 

i  passed  the  Berg  river  in  a  boat,  about  fifteen 
miles  from  its  mouth,  and  floated  my  waggon 
over  with  a  cask.  The  road  on  the  northern  side 
was  heavy,  and  the  country  was  so  thinly  inha- 
bited, that  night  overtook  us  before  we  could 
arrive  at  the  dwelling  where  >ve  purposed  to  lodge. 
The  driver  lost  his  way  on  the  uniform  sur- 
face of  sand  and  bushes,  and  we  were  three  hours 
driving  backwards  and  forwards,  close  to  the 
house,  before  it  was  discovered.  It  was  a  wretched 
hovel  of  rushes  in  the  midst  of  a  sandy  plain  ;  the 
night  was  cold,  and  there  was  neither  food  nor 
shelter  for  my  horse,  nor  water  for  the  cattle.  The 
drifts  of  sand  had  choaked  up  the  briny  spring, 
and  the  inhabitants  were  obliged  to  fetch  their 
water  from  the  Berg  river,  which  was  twelve 
miles  distant.  At  the  hazard,  therefore,  of  losing 
our  way  a  second  time,  I  determined  to  proceed 
to  the  next  habitation,  which  was  said  to  be  four 
niiles  farther.  We  arrived  there  at  midnight,  and 
found  it  little  better  than  the  other  j   a  cow  or 


BUINS   OF  MOUNTAINS.  SOI 

two,  a  few  sheep  and  goats,  and  a  little  corn,  con- 
stituting the  whole  riches^  of  the  inhabitants. 

At  the  eastern  extremity  of  the  sandy  plain,  I 
passed  the  northern  point  of  the  Piquet-berg,  a 
cluster  of  mountains  to  the  west  of  the  great  chain. 
Grain,  fruit,  tobacco,  and.  cattle  are  the  produce 
of  the  farms  at  the  foot  of  these  mountains. 

The  deep  sandy  plains  were  succeeded  by  still 
deeper  sandy  hills,  over  which  the  wheels  of  the 
waggons  were  continually  sinking  to  their  axes. 
These  mountains  of  sand  extended  nearly  thirty 
miles  beyond  the  point  of  the  Piquet-berg,  before 
they  reached  their  greatest  elevation,  when  a  grand 
spectacle  presented  itself  to  our  view.  Along  the 
summit,  which  was  several  miles  in  width,  and  in 
length' from  north  to  south,  was  only  bounded  by 
the  horizon,  rose,  a  multitude  of  pyramidal  co- 
lumns, some  of  them  a  hundred  feet  high,  and  as 
many  in  diameter.  The  cavernous  appearance  of 
these  columns  proclaimed  their  antiquity,  and  the 
fragments  around  them  demonstrated  that  they 

.  had  once  been  united,  and  had  formed  a  connected 
range.  The  wreck  of  mountains  is  one  of  the 
wonders  of  nature  that  does  not  often  meet  the 

,eye  of  the  traveller. 

It  was  three  long  days'  journey  before  the  hills 
of  sand  were  left  behind ;   when  a  new  country, 

.  though  still  a  sandy  one,  appeared  on  the  banks  of 

.  the  Elephant's  river.  Where  we  now  crossed  it,  its 
banks  afforded  several  excellent  farms. 

With  fresh  oxen  in  my  waggons,  I  undertook 
to  cross  the  great  chain  of  mountains,  at  a  place 
which  had  not  for  many  years  been  attempted  by 
wheels  ;  the  usual  pass  in  this  part  of  the  country 

•  beting  Eeland's  Kloof.    The  mountains  were  ex- 


302  COLONY   or   TBB   CAP£. 

ceedingly  grand  and  lofty}  the  road  wound 
through  passes  between  high  points^  and  was 
dreadfully  steep  and  rocky*  On  approaching  the 
summit^  we  found  the  same  kind  of  pyrmnidal  re- 
mains as  before ;  but  some  of  them  a  thoosand 
feet  high,  and  of  such  vast  bulk,  that  each  might 
be  considered  as  a  separate  mountain.  These 
form  the  highest  summit  of  the  great  chain  ;  the 
solid  summit,  which  lies  at  their  base,  is  at  least 
live  miles  in  breadth.  The  grotesque  manner  in 
which  the  resisting  fragments  grew  out  of  this 
surface,  the  various  chambers,  arches,  and  colo- 
.nades,  formed  by  those  that  had  rolled  from  the 
Hop,  struck  the  mind  with  wonder.  Reflecting 
on  the  tim^  that  must  have  elapsed  in  making. 
ruins  of  solid  mountains,  and  the  devastation  to 
be  made  by  future  ages,  I  felt  an  inexpressible 
kind  of  awe,  and  was  lost  in  my  own  contempla'- 
tions.  One  thing,  however,  appeared  probable,. 
that  the  sandy  shores  of  Western  Africa,  which 
reach  to  a  distance  yet  untravelled,  are  formed  by 
the  decomposition  of  the  range  of  sand-stone 
mountains  that  run  in  the  same  direction. 

It  took  me  eight  hours  to  go  over  the  mountain^ 
The  descent  to  the  eastern  plain  was  several  hun- 
dred feet  less  than  the  ascent  had  been  from  the 
western.  The  country  was  rough  and  stoney,  and 
bounded  by  a  wall  of  rock  from  five  hundred  to  a 
thousand  feet  ii^  height.  A  partial  elevation,  still 
higher,  which  we  were  to  get  over,  is  called  the 
Bokveldt  mountain ;  in  appearance  and  produce 
it  resembles  the  Sneuwberg.  In  ascending  thi* 
mountain,  a  change  of  wind  produced  incessa&t 
peals  of  thunder  and  heavy  rain,  during  the  whole 
day,  with  hailstones  more  thto  half  an  inch  in 


BOKVELDT   MOUNTAIN.  908 

diameter.  In  a  few  days  after,  the  Bdkveldt  be- 
came one  verdant  carpet  of  herbaceous  plants,  em- 
broidered with  flowers ;  and  hares,  bustards,  and 
partridges,  were  seen  by  thousands.  Among  the 
few  shrubs,  I  found  the  fly-bush,  the  leaves  of 
which  are  covered  with  fine  hairs,  and  a  tough 
glutinous  substance,  to  which  the  smaller  insects 
adhere.  It  is  frequently  placed  in  the  houses  for 
the  purpose  of  catching  flies. 

At  one  of  the  farms  I  saw  a  tame  qua-ka  feeding 
with  the  horses.  He  suffered  himself  to  be  stroked 
and  caressed,  but  no  attempts  had  been  made  to 
ride  him. 

Having  procured  a  Hottentot  for  my  guide,  I 
set  forward  early  in  the  morning,  that  I  might  ac- 
complish the  descent  of  the  Bokveldt  before  it  was 
dark.  From  the  edge  of  the  precipice,  which  in 
many  parts  is  not  less  than  S,000  feet  in  depth,  the 
Karroo  plains  beneath  appeared  like  a  vast  sea, 
and  their  hills  like  so  many  islands.  We  reached 
the  bottom  in  safety  while  day-light  remained,  and 
yoking  fresh  oxen  to  the  waggon,  we  launched 
into  the  desert.  The  rain  on  the  Bokveldt  had 
not  reached  the  Karroo,  which  was  dry  and  dusty, 
and  its  few  plants  were  shrivelled. 

The  following  day  we  proceeded  along  the  de- 
sert, in  a'cloud  of  dust  raised  by  the  waggon  and 
the  oxen  ;  and,  excepting  one  OBtrich,  we  saw  not 
a  living  creature.  When  we  had  travelled  eight, 
boars,  my  guide  pointed  to  a  small  cluster  oi' . 
naked  hills,  under  which,  he  said,  water  frequently 
lodged  in  the  cavities  of  the  rocks ;  and  there, 
after  a  long  search,  we  found  it,  and  replemsbe^ 
our  vessels.  On  the  sand  we  saw  impressions  0( 
human  hands,  and  a  thousand  impresstons  iff  the 


20*  COLONY   OP  THE   CAPE. 

feet  of  antelopes,  qua-kas,  and  zebras  ;  but  none 
of  lions,  though  the  place  is  called  the  Lion's 
den. 

The  next  day  we  entered  a  narrow  pass  between 
the  hills.  The  ground  continued  to  be  broken 
into  hill  and  dale  ;  but  both  were  destitute  of 
plants,  except  that  some  aloes  grew  on  the  sides 
of  the  hills.  Two  mountain  geese  directed  us  by 
their  flight  to  a  spring  about  twenty  miles  beyond 
the  Lion's  den  ;  and  ten  miles  farther  brought  us 
to  the  bed  of  the  Hartebeest  river,  in  which  there 
was  not  a  drop  of  water.  On  digging  about  five 
feet  deep  in  its  channel,  we  found  a  stream  that 
was  clear  and  fresh. 

Near  the  river  we  found  a  village  of  Namaqua 
Hottentots.  Their  flocks,  which  they  brought  in 
at  night,  consisted  of  a  few  cattle,  some  goats, 
and  about  3,000  sheep.  No  sheep  were  found  by 
the  Dutch  when  they  settled  in  this  country  ;  and 
it  is  remarkable  that  the  common  sheep  of  Europe 
became  the  broad-tailed  sheep  of  the  colony  ;  and 
that  the  broad-tailed  sheep,  when  transported  to 
the  country  of  the  Namaquas  have,  at  the  third 
generation,  the  slender  tail  of  their  European  pro- 
genitors. 

Our  next  encampment  was  at  the  house,  or 
hovel,  of  a  Dutch  farmer,  a  tall  thin  old  man, 
whose  black  hair  covered  his  forehead,  and  black 
beard  his  cheeks  and  chin.  His  housekeeper  was 
a  Hpttentot  woman,  over  whose  head  had  passed 
at  least  a  century,  and  whose  face  had  a  covering 
of  soot  that  made  it  as  black  as  that  of  her  master. 
The.  other  inmate,  who  completed  the  establish- 
ment, yielded  to  neither  in  point  of  complexion, 
for  she  was  a  negro  slave. 


LESSER   NAMAQUAS.  305 

The  old  gentleman  had  long  resided  in  this  se- 
questered spot,  with  no  society  but  that  of  his  two 
servants,  within  doors,  and  a  tribe  of  Hottentots, 
in  straw  huts,  without.  He  possessed  immense 
flocks  of  sheep  and  herds  of  cattle,  and  had  large 
sums  of  money  placed  out  at  interest.  A  fire  was 
presently  lighted  on  the  hearth  ;  a  quarter  of  a 
sheep  was  laid  on  it  to  broil ;  and  the  repast  was 
served  on  the  lid  of  an  old  chest,  covered  with  a. 
remnant  of  the  slave  s  petticoat. 

On  the  following  day  I  crossed  a  chain  of  moun- 
tains to  the  west,  and  proceeding  to  the  north- 
ward, between  this,  and  another  much  higher,  I 
came,  at  night,  to  the  head  of  the  defile,  where  it 
was  impracticable  for  waggons  to  advance  any 
farther.  These  mountains  are  called  in  the  Na- 
maqua  language  the  Kamies,  or  Cluster.  That 
where  the  defiles  terminated  as  in  a  centre,  w^  a 
•^eak  not  less  than  4,000  feet  above  the  plain  on 
the  western  side.  The  Kamies  mountains  contain 
abundance  of  copper,  and  are  the  commencement 
of  what  are  called  the  Copper  mountains,  from 
copper-ore  being  every  where  found  on  their  sur- 
face. 

When  the  snow  begins  to  fall  on  the  Kamies- 
berg,  the  inhabitants  quit  their  elevated  situations, 
and  pass  the  winter  on  the  plains.  These  moun- 
tains are  only  fifteen  miles  from  the  sea» 

The  Lesser  Namaquas,  or  those  to  the  south- 
ward  of  the  Orange  river,  are  in  general  taller  and 
less  robiist  than  the  eastern  Hottentots.  Some  of 
the  women  are  elegant  figures,  and  are  lively  and 
active.  The  most  ornamented  part  of  their  dress 
is  the  little  leathern  apron.  To  this,  in  addition 
to  the  common  border  of  shells  or  beads,  are  hung 


C06  COLOKT  OF  THE  CAFE* 

six  or  eight  chains,  the  ends  of  which  drag  on  the 
ground.  The  upper  part  of  the  chains  is  copper, 
the  lower  polished  iron.  These  are  mattfifitetordit 
by  the  Damaras. 

The  huts  of  the  Namaquas  are  perfect  hc^* 
fflispheres,  composed  of  a  frame  of  sticks  covered 
with  matting.  They  are  from  ten  to  twelve  feet 
in  diameter,  and  so  commodious  that  many  of  the 
.farmers  of  the  Kamiesberg  have  adopted  them. 

A  traveller  who  visited  these  people  in  the  year 
1784,  found  the  huts  of  the  Namaquas  chiefly  co- 
vered with  skins.  Fashion  was  then  so  capricious 
that  some  persons  wore  six  ear-rings  in  one  ear, 
and  none  in  the  other ;  some  had  bracelets  from  * 
the  wrist  to  the  elbow  on  one  arm,  while  the  other 
was  without  any ;  and  some  had  one  side  of  the 
face  painted  with  various  colours,  while  on  the 
other  side  the  colours  and  figures  were  different. 
Strings  of  copper  and  ^ass  beads  almost  covered 
their  garments  ;  they  were  fastened  on  their 
cloaks  as  well  as  aprons,  and  hung  from  the  lat- 
ter to  their  feet.  They  were  also  worn  in  their 
hair,  which  was  pl^ered  with  grease,  and  fre- 
quently incrusted  wuh  a  red  powder  resembling 
brick-diist. 

The  oxen  and  goats  were  handsomer,  stronger, 
and  more  vigorous  than  those  of  Eastern  Africa. 
The  goats  were  spotted  like  a  leopard,  and  gave 
nearly  as  much  milk  as  a  cow.  The  saddle*oxen 
would  support  fatigue  better  than  a  horse,  and 
yielded  to  him  in  nothing  but  swiftness.  Some  of 
the  oxen  were  still  trained  for  war,  and  for  this 
purpose  the  fiercest  were  selected*  Being  driven 
against  the  enemy,  they  became  furious,  rushed 
upon  the  men,  trampled  them  under  their  feet, 


LESSER    NAMAaUAS.  S07 

gored  them  with  their  horas,  and  pursued  them  in 
their  flight  as  long  as  they  had  life.  These  oxen 
were  also  employed  in  the  defence  of  the  flocks 
and  herds,  and  a  number  of  them  would  make 
head  against  a  lion. 

This  traveller  met  with  many  establishments  of 
the  Lesser  Namaquas,  some  of  whom  danced 
round  his  tent  the  whole  of  the  ni^t,  relieving 
each  other  every  two  hours.  The  largest  of  their 
villages  consisted  of  between  flfly  and  ssity  huts:, 
separated  into  three  divisions. 

Now,  the  numerous  settlements  of  the  Nama- 
quas  had  dwindled  into  lour,  and  those  small  ones, 
and  the  people  were  in  a  great  .measure  subservi- 
ent to  the  Dutch  farmers. who  lived  among  them. 
The  farmers  having  sei;;ed  the  finest  parts  of  the 
coontiy,  permitted  the  former  possessors  to  erect 
their  huts  near  their  houses,  on  <;ondition  of  their 
furnishing  a  certain  number  of  people  to  protect 
their  cattle  from  the  Bosjesmans  and  beasts  of 
prey.  Hottentots  will  not  long  exist  under  such 
circumstances ;  they  will  first  sink  into  absolute 
servitude,  and  then  become  ^tinct. 

In  the  Namaqua  country,  which  lies  between 
the  Kamiesberg  and  the  Orange  river,  there  is  no 
water,  except  in  the  periodical  streams  that  flow 
from  the  mountains  under  beds  of  sand.  In  these 
the  natives^  when  such  existed,  dug  deep  wells, 
and  covered  them  over  to  prevent  evaporation; 
The  plains  are  now  desolate  and  uninhabited.    • 

In  the  Kamiesberg  I  found  a  lilly,  the  stem  of 
which  was  seven  feet  high,  and  bore  more  than 
fifty  flowers,  with  foot-stalks  eighteen  inches  long. 
The  bulb  of  this  gigantic  flower  was  as  large  as 


!9|S*  COLONY  or   THK   CAP£. 

Uifttbunian,  hea4.«  The  country' people  said  that. 
t^M  jUMQi  pf -^i^b^  Jbulb  was  a  strong  poison  y  that 
the  leaves  occM9)2^  sadden  death  to  the  catde 
t&at^wtubi^tn  i  fttid  that  if  small  birds  perched  on 
thbiAower^s  they  instantly  roiled  lifeless  to  the 
gTMind.  Country  people  have  ^mething  marvel* 
loHBtprekkte  on  ;^ny  extraordinary  production  of 
r)9Alire  ;  but  it  has  generally  truth  for  its  founda- 
tion.. Another  species  of  lilly,  the  opposite  leaves 
of  w  high  form  the  shape  of  a  fan,  has  been  ascer* 
taiaejdtto  be  a  most  virulent  poison  ;  and  it  is  said 
th^tthQ  juice  of  the  bulb,  mixed  with  the  mangled 
boi^y,  of  a  certain  kmd^of  spider,  furnishes  one 
of  "the  most  deadly  poisons  for  the  arrows  of  the 
Bof^mans.  .     . 

:Tl»is  ppider  has  a  black  and  hairy  body,  which, 
toother  with  its  short  legs,  is  three  inches  in 
br^dth.  It  lives  under  ground,  and  constructs 
over  its  hole  a  cover  composed  of  its  own  fila-. 
ments,  and  earthier  dung^  and  turning  on  a  joint, 
like  the  lid  of  a  snuff-box.  When  the  spider  is 
watchiipg  for  its  prey,  it  sits  with  the  lid  half  open, 
re^y  to  ^ally  out  of  its  hole ;  on  the  appearance 
ofdanger.it  closes  the  cover,  and,  after  some  time^ 
opens  it  cautiously  to  see  if  thp  danger  be  past 

On  the  Kamiesberg  I  found  a  mixed  horde  of 
Bastards  and  Namaquas,*  possessed  of  horses,  cat- 
tle, she^p,  and  large  gardens  stocked  with  pump- 
kina^  onions,  and  tobaqco.  The  chief  had  been  in 
his  youth  a  great  lover  of  thechace,  and  his 
matted  hut  displayed  witliin  the  skins  of  various 
animals  that  he  had  killed.  He  boasted  that,  in 
one  expedition^  ke  had  killed  seven  cameloparda* 
Uses,  and  three  white  rhinoceroses.     Game,  ef 


SAND   RIVER. 

every  sort,  is  now  scarce  in  this  country.  Where- 
ever  Europeans  appear,  man  and  beast  eitlief  n^ 
treat  before  them,  or  are  extirpated. 

At  this  village  I  found  one  of  the  DaouuM.  I 
took  him  for  a  Caffisr,  and  he  was  unquestionably 
of  that  race.  He  represented  his  people  as  a  very 
poor  tribe ;  said  that  their  cbuntry  near  the  sea 
produced  nothing  for  the  support  of  cattle ;  and 
that  their  existence  dq)ended  on  the  exchange  of 
their  copper  articles  with  the  Botch  uanas  on  the 
east,  and  the  Namaquas  on  the  south.  His  ac- 
count of  the  process  of  smelting  the  ore  was  sim- 
ple and  satisfactory;  and  when  the  pure  metal 
was  obtained,  it  was  manufactured  into  chains, 
rings,  beads,  and  bracelets,  by  means  of  one  piece 
of  stone  for  an  anvil,  and  another  for  a  hammer. 
The  workmanship  would  not  disgrace  an  artificer 
furnished  with  much  better  tools,  but  the  rings 
.and  the  links  of  the  chains  were  not  closed. 
•  The  people  of  the  country  endeavoured  to  dis- 
-suade  me  from*  visiting  the  mouth  of  the  Orange 
river,  and  said  I  should  have  to  pass  a  desert  un- 
inhabited by  man  or  beast.  I,  who  had  passed 
some  such  deserts  before,  was  not  to  be  deterred 
by  the  mention  of  this ;  but  I  found  it  very  diffi- 
cult to  procure  a' guide.  At  length,  with  much 
persuasion,  and  great  offers,  I  prevailed  upon  a 
Hottentot  to  conduct  me. 

From  the  western  extremity  of  the  Kamiesberg^ 
I  had  a  view  of  the  Atlantic  ocean.  We  descended 
the  mountain  with  much  difficulty,  and,  directing 
our  coufse  to  the  northward,  we  travelled  four 
days  through  a  sandy  country,  in  which  we  found 
two  springs  of  brackish  water,  and  one  of  good. 
The  fourth  day  brought  us  to  the  Cpussie  or  Sand 

VOL.  II.  P 


^*10  COLONY   OF   THE   CAPE. 

-river,  which  forms  the  boundary  of  the  colon j. 
*We  were  here  about  ten  miles  from  the  sea.  As 
this  place  afforded  excellent  pasture,  I  remained 
her6  two  days  to  refresh  my  oxen,  and  in  that 
time  I  made  some  excursions  along  the  shore. 
'The  rocks  were  beautiful ;  some  being  as  white  as 
snow,  and  others  having  veins  of  different  colours. 
I  saw  several  deserted  huts,  formed  of  the  ribs  of 
whales,  or  the  bones  of  elephants. 

From  the  Coussie  we  pursued  a  northern  course 
ov'er  a  sandy  plain.  Leaving  my  Waggon,  I  pro- 
ceeded northward  along  the  shore,  which  was  at 
first  low  and  rocky,  and  afterwards  much  elevated. 
We  found  petrifactions  of  shells  in  the  highest 
rocks,  lome  of  which  were  a  hundred  and  fifty 
tmt  above  the  sea.  We  also  met  with  several  de- 
^rted  huts,  with  heaps  of  shells  lying  near  them. 
•At  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening  of ,  the  fifth  day 
from  the  Coussie  river,  I  overtook  my  waggoa, 
and  found  my  Hottentots  debating  whether  we* 
ishould  or  should-  not  return,  as  there  was  no  pros- 
pect of  finding  water.  Before  the  consult^ion  was 
«nded  one  of  their  companions  arrived  with  the 
glad  tidings  that  he  had  found  an  excellent  spring 
about  six  miles  to  the  northward.  My  Hotten- 
tots now  recollected  that,  as  the  oxen  had  already 
passed  two  days  without  water  and  without  grass, 
they  would  probably  have  had  to  endure  the  same 
privation  in  returning  over  the  same  grouird. 
'  The  next  morning  we  reached  the  spring,  and 
found  not  only  good  water  but  good  pasturage  £>r 
the  cattle.  They  remained  here  the  Allowing 
day ;  and  I  rode  to  the  sea,  which  was  about  nine 
miles  distant.  Here  I  saw  mimosa  trees  that  had 
been  thrown  on  the  Mnd  by  the  waves ;  and  from 


MOUTII   Of"  THE   ORANO&'  RIVER.  Sll 

ifaence  I  concluded  that  we  were  not  far  from  the 
mdVith  of  the  Orange  river. 

The  next  day,  with  great  fatigue  and  difficulty^ 
weadvanced  about  ten  miles  through  the  sand;  and^ 
on  the  day  after,  still  proceeding  northward,  we 
passed  the  two  hills  called  the  Brothers,  which  had 
been  in  view  during  the  two  preceding  days^ 
About  three  miles  to  the  northward  of  theses  we 
found  a  large  valley  in  which  we  |>a8sed  the  nights 
It  aflforded  no  water.  My  guide  here  informed  me 
that  we  were  about  eight  miles  distant  from  the 
rivet.  Early  in  the  morning  I.  left  the  waggon, 
and  rode  forward,  and  I  reached  the  river  about 
ten  o'clock.  On  the  way  we  saw  zebras,  quakas, 
and  eelandst  and  found  an  ostrich  s  nest  fcontoin** 
ing  thirty-four  eggs.  To  us,  who  had  passed  nine 
days  from  the  river  Coussie,  in  crossing  an  arid 
desert,  in  which  no  animal  had  been  seen,  and  in 
which  our  cattle  had  tasted  water  only  twice,  the 
vicinity  of  the  Orange  river  .appeared  a  new 
creation. 

On  the  f<dlowing  day  I  visited  the  mouth  of  the 
river.  It  is  about  half  a  mile  in  breadth,  butin^ 
closed  by  a  ridge  of  rocks,  which  prevent  it  from 
being  navigable.  It  is  in  latitude  88*  33",  and  the 
longitude  is  about  half  a  degree  west  of  the  Cape< 

The  object  of  tliis  joumey.being  accomptishjed, 
I  returned,  by  the  way  I  had  come,  to  the  Ka^ 
miesberg. 

SVom  the  Kamiesberg  I  made  the  best  pf  my 
way  to  the  Bokveld.  At  the  edge  of  the  desert 
leading  tositt  I  was  visited  by  a  number  of  Lessee 
Namaqua  women,  whose  sons  and  husbands  were 
in  the  99ni|c9  of  the  Dutch  farmers.  One  of  these 
appeara4  i«  hf  the  oldest  woman  I. had  ever  be^ 

p2 


212  COLONY  OF   THE   CAPt. 

held  :  tnafiy  mbre  than  a  hundred  years  bad  cer- 
tainly passed  over  her  head.  She  pointed  outlier 
eldest  dd^ughter,  who  stood  at  the  head  of  five  ge- 
neratiotis.  I  ask^d  the  poor  old  woman  if  she 
could  i^member  the  tii^e  whe^  the  Christians  first 
came  among  her  people.  "  .Yes,"  she  replied,  *^li 
have  reasdn  to  remember  it ;  for,  before  that  time 
I  nerar  wanted  a  bellyful,  and  now  I  can  scarcely 
get  a  mouthful.** 

'  I  now  quitted  my  former  road,  and  proceeded 
inland,  to  the  eastward ;  and  passing  over  a  rough, 
stony  country,  I  reached  in  two  days  the  foot  of 
the  Hantam.  I  encircled  this  mountain  in  four 
days*  Parm-houses  are  scattere  dround  its  foQt« 
The  ftce  of  the  country  is  similar  to  that  of  the 
Sneuwberg ;  the  sheep  and  cattle  are  equally  good, 
and  the  horses  better,  A  disease  among  the  latter 
frequently  rages  at  the  bottom  of  the  mountain^ 
whil6  the  flat  summit  is  exempt  from  it ;  this  part 
of  the  mountain  is  therefore  appropriated  to  the 
general  u$e  of  the  farmers,  who  have  each  the  pri* 
vilege  of  sending  thither  eight  horses  during  the 
sickly  season. 

From  the  Hantam  I  proceeded  south-easterly, 
and  ascended  the  heights  of  the  Roggeveld,  or 
Ryefield,  so  called  from  a  species  of  rye  that  grows 
wild  here  in  abundance.  It  is  separated  from  the 
Hantam  only  by  a  narrow  chasm.  In  some  places 
the  Roggeveld  presents  to  the  terrace  next  below 
it,  which  is  the  Bokveld  and  the  Karroo  plains, 
perpendicular  faces  of  rock  from  two  to  four  thou* 
sand  feet  in  height;  yet  on  the  eastern  .side  the 
descent  is  scarcely  perceptible.  The  Great  Fish 
river,  which  rises  on  the  very  Mp  of  this  ffiountain, 
and  takes  an  easterly  course,  has  scarcely  any 


ROCGEVELD.  213 

current;  but  is  n  succession  of  deep  holes  con- 
nected by  periodical  streams. 

The  great  inequality  of  the  summitof  the^Rog- 
geveld  gives  it  the  appearance  of  a  chain  of  moun- 
tains: rising  out  of  the  geifl&ral  summit  of  a  moun- 
tain. Of  these,  the  Korn,  or  Cup  mountain, 
which  is  five  thousand  feet  above  the  Karroo 
plaiiis,  is  the  highest.  For  several  tftonths  inthe 
year  the  Roggeveld  is  entirely  under  snow ;  the 
inhabitants  then  descend  to  the  Karroo,  with  ail 
their  cattle,  andlive  in  temporary  huts  of  rushes  or 
straw  till  the  spring. 

On  the  Roggeveld  I  broke  the  wing  of  a  con* 
dor  that  measured  ten  feet  one  inch  £h>m  -wing  to 
wing.  This  birdt  before  it  was  dispatched,  kept 
three  dogs  at  bay,  till  having  torn  a  piece  of  flesh 
out  of  the  thigh  of  one  'of  them  with  its  claws, 
.  they  all  retreated. 

'  I  travelled  twelve  days  along  the  summit  of  the 
Roggeveld,  when  I  fell  into  the  track  of  my  jour- 
ney from  the  Cape  to  GraafF  Reynet :  I  then  de- 
scended into  the  Karroo  plains,  which,  in  this 
*^place,  I  crossed  in  three  days. 

Bordering  on  these  arid  plains  on  the  west,  are 
several  clusters  of  high  mountains,  that  s^re  called 
the  Little  and  the  Cold  Bokveld.  These  are 
ramifications  of  the  great  chain,  and  ificiose  mea- 
dows and  valleys  with  springs  and  swamps,  which 
produce  good  grass  and  good  harvests. 

I  crossed  the  great  chain  of  mountains  that  runs 
north  and  south,  through  the  ravine  called  Eeland's 
Kloof,  which  was  much  the  best  of  the  four  passes 
by  which  I  had  now  crossed  them.  On  the  west 
of  the  chain  lies  the  division  of  the  Four-and- 
twenty  rivers,  which,  with  Zwaartland,  fonn^  a 


214  COLONY   OF  THE   CAPE. 

^ide  extended  plain,  fertile  in  coro,  grass,  and 
fruits,  well  watered  and  well  inhabited.  Th^ 
water  in  Zwaartland  is  so  strongly  impregnated 
with  salt,  that  it  can  scarcely  be  drank  by  a 
stranger.  The  inhabitants  think  fresh  water  in^ 
sipid,  and  say  it  does  not  quench  their  thirst. 

Crossing  the  Berg  river,  I  entered  Zwaartland, 
and  from  thence  taking  my  route  across  the  Tiger 
Berg,  I  arrived  at  the  Cape ;  thus  boncluding  my 
third  and  last  journey  from  that  place. 

I  ha4  now  traversed  the  greater  part  of  the  Cot 
lony  of  the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  and  it  appeared 
to  me  remarkable,  not  that  an  industrious  HoU 
lander  should  have  becotpe  indolent  ip  Africa, 
but  thftt  a  nation  of  traders  should  have  become 
exclusively'  agriculturists.  Except  Cape  Town 
there  is  not  one  town  in  the  territory ;  the  capitals 
of  the  other  districts  being  villages,  of  which  SteU 
lenboseh,  the  largest,  and  only  twenty-six  miles 
from  the  Cape,  does  not  contain  more  than  about 
seventy  houses,  lliere  is  no  market  for  the  pro- 
duce of  the  land  but  Cape  Town  ;  and,  except  at 
C^pe  Town,  there  is  not,  I  believe^  a  merchant  or 
a  trader  in  the  colon^f 


«I5 


CHAPTER  XV. 

WESTERN  AFRICA.  :■■•'. 

BCKGUELA,    ANGOLA,   COlTGO. 

* 

1*  NOW  bade  adieu  to  Caffers,  Hottentots,  Bosj<^!^ 
mans,  and  Dutcb  farmers,  and  prepared  to  visit  ;a 
people  who  are  considered  as  the  revenue  of  their 
sovereigns/and*  the  riches  of*  their  traders  j  \frho 
are  regularly  bartered  and  sliipped  off  to  every 
part  of  the  civilized  world  in  which  their  labour  is 
required  ;  I  naean  the  Negroes.  Having  hired  a 
sloop  at  the  Cape,  I  engaged  'five  European  at^ 
tendants,  and  purchased  a  negro,  a  native  of 
Congo,,  whom,  after  he  had  discharged  the  office 
of  my  interpreter,  I  designed  to  restore  to  Ki^ 
family.  I  then  went  on  board  the  vessel,  and  di- 
rected my  course  to  the  northward 

The  Portuguese  have  settlements  in  Benguel^ 
and  Angola ;  but  as  I  could  not  understand  tha6 
any  modern  traveller  had  visited  these  countries, 
or  would  be  suffered  to  penetrate  into  them  if  he 
were  to  make  the  attempt,  I  passed  them.  I  shall 
however  give  such  an  account  of  them,  as  I  have 
been  able  to  collect  from  ancient  authors. 

The  bay  of  Benguela  is  in  about  12^  45'  south 
latitude,  and  about  13*  30'  east  longitude.  On  the 
northern  side  of  the  bay  stands  the^  fort  of  Ben*- 
guela,  built  in  a  square  form,  with  trepches  and* 
palisades,  and  surrounded  by  houses,  shaded  by 
banana,  orange,  lemon,  pomegranate  and  ba^coven 
trees./  There  are  seven  villages  in  the  neigh-* 
boutbocd  of  Benguelai  which  pay  a  tribute  to  the 


21  (T  WSSTSIIN  AFRICA. 

Portuguese,  coDristii^  of  a  tepth  of  all*they  pos- 
sess; The  largest  of  these,  which  is  called  Mani 
Kimsomba,  can  bring  into  the  field  3,000  men. 
Formerly  this  village  contained  some  Portuguese, 
bdt  they  were  driven  from  hence  by  the  negroes. 

The  air  of  Benguela  is  exceedingly  unhealthy, 
tl^  Portuguese  who  reside  tb^re  looking  more  like 
spectres  than  men.  In.  1666:, the  town  was  said  to 
contain  about  200  white  inhabitants,  and  a  great 
number  of  bhtcki.'       ^i  K 

Angola  is  so  stalled  by  the  Portuguese  from  the 
title  of  its  sovereign;!  the. original  name  of  the 
country  being  Donga.  .  It  .lie^  between  the  river 
Dandax)n.the:  north,  and  the^  river  Coanza,  which 
divides.it  from  the  country  of  Benguela,  on  the 
south.  Tile,  city  of  Loanda.San^  Pap]Q>  the  capital 
of  tbe.PortuguBse^  is  situated  near  the  ^sea,  on  the 
side  of  a  hiD,  in  about  latitude  9""  south,  aud  nearly 
the  same  longitude  as.dBenguela.  It-was  built  in 
1578  by  Paul  Dias  d^  Nevaiz,  who  was  the  first 
Pbrtuguese  govemorof  the  country,  and  was  pro- 
bacy the  saint  from  ^^  whom  the  town  took  its 
name.  It  occupies  a  great  extent  of  ground,  and 
contains  many  good  houses,  churches,  and  mo- 
nasteries. The  houses  of  the  Portuguese  are  built 
with  stone  and  lime,  iind  covered  with  tiles ;  those 
of  the  negroes  are.  of  mud  and  straw.  Loando 
contains  about  3,000  white  inhabitants,  and  a  pro- 
digious number  of  UadE,  who  are  slaves  to  the 
otliars  i  some  of  whomiiave  fifty,  some  a  hundred, 
and  even  to  three  thousand  slaves.  The  fraternity 
of  the  Jesuits  have  twelve  thousand.  Slaves,  both 
male  and  finnale,  kneel  when  they  speak  to  their 
iiipstenB.^  Whttk  a  Portuguese  appeains  in  the  street, 
ht/vB  attinled  by  a  negro,  who  carries  an  umbrella 


INHABIl^MTS  6F  LQANDA.  Si? 

over  his  headi  and  is  followed  by  two  tithenfTsfi- 
lying  his  hainiAock  of  net.  The  ladies  seldoiaa|^ 
from  home.  Wheti  they  d«s  they  are  cnsveatiM- 
tended  by  fewer  than  twelve  slaves ;  two  mn, 
who  carry  the  lady  in  the  net ;  .k\eo,  who  cany 
each  an  umbrella  ;  four  women,  who  each  held  a 
corner  of  a  carpet  that  is  thrown  ov«r  their  aris- 
^ress  ;  and  four  w^k  before  to  reader  ;any<sey9i|ae 
which  may  be  requisite.  '  «     /.....  ..^:c 

The  white  women  of  Loanda  osmrp  a  degreeof 
authority  over  their  husbands,  that  assuredlf.did 
not  take  its  rise  from  the  general  iiiaQness:t>f 
Africa.  If  they  do  not  behave  according/  tontheir 
wishes,  they  either  drive  them  from:  home,  occtiuU 
not  suffer  them  to  go  out.  Some  of  theteJadks 
carry  this  prerogative  so  far  as  to  detaia  their:  Jms- 
band's  cloaths,  on  pretence  that  they  are  thetpvo- 
perty  of  his  family.  The  fortune  of  the  mother 
descends  to  the  daughters.     . 

The  mulattoes  are  very  numerous  at  Loatfda. 
They  hate  the  negroes  mortally,  even  the  mothers 
who  bore  them,  and  endeavour  to  put  tftemselviisd 
'  upon  an  equality  with  the  ^hite  people,  though 
^they  are  not  allowed  to  sit  in  their  presence.  Wjien 
they  travel,  they  exact  the  services  and  provistpns 
bfthe  negroes,  without  making  any  compensAtion. 
'  ^uch  of  them  as  are  Pombeiros,  have  frequeatly 
children  by  the  women  of  the  interior  part  oCthe 
country ;  and,  returning  to  the  same  place  a^pie 
years  after,  they  carry  back  their  own  offiipriiig 
for  sale.  u/iv 

.  The  negroes  of  Loanda  frequently  ejoefaaage 
wives  for  a  limited  *time..  The.  wmien  ^buji^and 
sdl,. while  their  husbands  sit  at  hoase^  spkmiag)  or 
weaving  cottdn.     When  a  considtvdide  petaon 


SI'S  WESTERN   AFRICA. 

dies,  the  corpse  is  carried  to  the  grave  in  a  direct 
line,  and  if  any  wall  or  house  cross  it,,  it  is  taken 
down*  The  way  is  strewn  with  leaves  and 
branches.  Living  slaves  are  intombed  with  the 
great  man  £l688],  notwithstanding  all  the  vigi- 
lance of  iiie  monks.  The  bodies  of  the  better 
sortof  people  are  sewed  in  cotton  cloths;  those 
of  the  poorer  sort  are  wrapped  in  mats.  Some 
have  a  horn,  others  an  earthen  vesiiel,  placed  over 
fliem  :  some  persons  raise  a  mound  of  earth  over 
the  grave,  and  others  form  an  arbour. 

The,  country  near  Loanda  is  very  fertile  and 
well  cultivated,  producing  manioca,  millet,  great 
and  small,  oranges,  lemons,  pomegranates,  grapes, 
malaguetta  or  guinea  pepper,  potatoes,  and  various 
European  vegetables.  The  domestic  animals  are 
sheep,  goats,  and  hogs.  Lions,  leopards,  and  buf^ 
faloes,  inhabit  the  woods  y  and  scorpions,  mille- 
peds,  and  serpents,  the  houses. 

The  language  is  a  dialect  of  that  of  Congo. 
The  currency  consists  of  pieces  of  red  wood 
about  a  foot  in  length,  cloths,  and  shells.  The 
latter  are  sent  to  Congo  on  the  heads  of  negroes, 
in  sacks  made  of  straw ;  every  sack,  when  filled, 
weighing  two  arrobas,  or  sixty-four  pounds.  I 
cannot  help  quoting  hefe  an  observation  of  the 
author  who  mentions  this  fact,  and  who  wrote 
in  the  year  1700.  "  It  will  seem  strange,"  he  says, 
**  to  Europeans  that  the  people  of  Angola  and 
Congo  should  use  pieces  of  wood,  bits  of  cloth, 
and  shells,  instead  of  money ;  but,  at  Massa, 
pieces  l>f  iron  is  the  coin  ;  at  Melinda,  little  balls, 
reiletiibling  glass ;  in  Ethiopia,  cakes  of  salt ;  and 
in  Cathay,  we  are  told  a  sort  of  stamped  paper 
pass0sjbr  money  ^^ 


ANGOLA.  SI9 

It  is  affirmed  that,^  whfen  the  Spaniards  were 
masters  of  Portugal,  they  transported  annually, 
from  Angola  to  America  and  the  West  Indies, 
15,000  slaves :  the  Portuguese  still  transport  a  very 
great  number*  These  are  brought  from  the  inte- 
rior by  servants  called  Pombeiros,  who  are  dis* 
patched  by  the  Portuguese  for  this  purpose  ; 
they  are  in  general  negroes ;  for  no  white  man 
could  encounter  the  perils,  and  support  the  fa* 
tigue  of  the  journey.  The  Pombeiros  are  attended 
by  a  hundred  to  a  hundred  and  ^y  slaves,  who 
carry  on  their  heads  the  merchandize  necessary  to 
purchase  others.  Sometimes  they  are  absent  a 
year,  and  return  with  four,  five,  or  six  hundred 
new  slaves ;  sometimes  a  trusty  Pombeiro  remains 
in  the  country,  and  transmits  to  his  master  the 
slaves  he  may  collect,  a  part  of  whom  return  with 
the  articles.for  payment. 

During  the  journey  to  the  coast,  the  slaves  are 
ill  fed ;  and  when  they  arrive  at  Loanda  they  are 
weak  and  exhausted.  Before  they  are  shipped  ofi^ 
they  are  lodged  in  a  large  building,  erected  foj: 
that  purpose,  where  they  are  plentifully. supplied 
with  food,  and  with  palm  oil  tO  anoint  themselves. 
On  board  the  ships,  great  care  is  taken  to  preserve 
their  health ;  and  those  that  are  sick  are  sepa- 
rated from  the  rest,  and  provided  with  warm  diet. 
Every  ten  or  twelve  days  every  slave  has  a  new 
mat.  **  Yet,"  says  an  honest  missionary,  ^*  it  is 
pitiful  to  see  hol¥  they  crowd  these  poor  wretchesj 
six  hundred  and  fifty,  or  seven  hundred,  in  a  ship} 
the  men  standing  in  the  hold,  tied  to  stakes,  the 
women  between  decks,  and  those  that  are  with 
phild,  in  the  great  cabin,  and  the  children  in  tho 


a^O  AKGOLA. 

Steerage,  squeezed  like  herrings  in  a  barrel,  which, 
in  that  climate,  occasions  an  intolerable  stench/^ 

The  King  of  Angola,  or,  more  correctly  speak- 
ing, the  Angola  of  Donga,  resides  a  little  above 
the  city  Massingan,  his  capital,  on  a  rocky  moun- 
tain^  seven  leagues  in  circumference,  containing 
rich  fields  and  pasture  sufficient  for  the  supply  of  his 
family  and  retinue.  This  mountain,  like  the  Jew^s 
rock  in  Abyssinia,  is  accessible  only  by  one  narrow 
entrance.  The  sovereign  keeps  a  number  of  pea- 
cocks, which  bird  belongs  so  exclusively  to  royalty, 
that  if  a  subject  were  to  keep  but  a  feather,  he 
would  either  be  put  to  death,  or,  with  his  whole 
family,  be  sold  to  slavery.  Massingan  is  situated 
on  the  river  Coanza,  and  is  about  a  hundred  miles 
distant  from  its  mouth. 

Tlie  negroes  of  Souassen,  one  of  the  districts  of 
Angola,  are  obliged  to  appoint  bearers  for  the 
Portuguese  when  they  travel  from  Loanda  to  Mas^ 
singan.  When  the  traveller  arrives  at  a  village  in 
which  he  designs  to  pass  the  night,  he  sends  to  the 
sova,  or  chief,  to  inform  him  that  be  shall  have  oc- 
casion for  such  a  number  of  bearers  on  the  follow- 
ing morning.  These  are  dismissed  when -the  la- 
bour of  the  day  is  over,  and  a  fresh  set  is  provided 
for  the  next.  Every  division  has  its  respective 
sova,  whose  people  kneel  and  clap  their  hands 
when  they  address  him.  The  villages  are  inclosed 
with  thick  hedges,  leaving  only  a  narrow  entrance; 
and  the  habitations  are  huts  made  with  straw! 
Every  village  has  a  Christian  priest. 
'  Having  passed  the  kingdoms  of  Benguela  and 
Angola,  I  entered  the  River  of  Congo.  Cape 
Padron  is  the  southern  point  of  this  entrance,  and 
Boolambemba,  or  Fathomless  Point,  the  northern. 


SHARK   POINT.  221 

Both  the  breadth  and  depth  of  the  mouth  of  the 
river  have  been  exaggerated*  The  tnie  mouth 
was  not  three  miles  broad ;  the  mean  depth  might 
be  about  forty  fathoms,  and  the  velocity  of  the 
current  about  four  miles  and  a  half  an  hour ;  but 
I  must  observe  that  this  was  in  the  dry  season,  the 
banning  of  July. 

'  We  anchored  off  Shark  Point,  which  is  within 
Cape  Padron,  and  were  visited  by  the  mafook,  or 
c^cer  of  revenue  and  trade  of  Sonio,  with  half  4 
dozen  of  his  attendants.  This  gentleman  con- 
ceived himself  entitled  to  great  respect,  and  in? 
sisted  upon  having  a  qhair,  with  a  cushion,  placed 
for  him  to  sit  on.  His  appearance,  when  thus 
seated,  was  not  a  little  grotesque.  He  had  a  most 
tattered  pelisse  of  red  velvet,  edged  with  gold 
lace,  on  his  otherwise  naked  body ;  and  held  in 
one  hand  a  green  silk  umbrella  which  was  spread 
over  his  head,  and  in  the  other  his  stick  of  office, 
headed  with  silver.  I  gave  this  officer  a  breakfast; 
but  he  smelt  so  offensively  that  I  could  not  bring 
myself  to  partake  of  it. 

The  town  of  Sonio  is  said  to  be  about  fifteen 
miles  from  the  aouthern.  side  of  the  river.  The 
petty  sovereign  of  this  place  was.  baptized  by  one 
of  the  Portuguese  fathers  in  1641.  '  Whc^nev^r  he 
went  to  church,  he  was  adorned  with  gold  chains 
and  strings  of  fine  coral,  preceded. by  musicians, 
attended  by  guards  armed  with  musquets,  and  fol- 
lowed by  a  great  crowd  of  people* 

In  about  the  year.1700,  a  Frenph^lave-trader 
sailed  four  le^ues  up  the  creek  tl^at  lead^  towards 
Sonio,  and  then  walked  six  miles,  whichbrougKt 
him  to  the  town.    He  found  the. king  seated  on  <u 


€22       .    .  CONGO. 

great  chair,  his  head  bare,  and  newly  shaven.  He 
woi;e  a  short  cloak  of  black  cloth  on  bis  shoulders, 
and  a  piece  of  the  same  stuff  round  his  waist  i  his 
legs  were  not  covered,  but  he  had  slippers  on  his 
feet.  He  made  a  sign  to  the  slave-merchant  to 
sit  down  opposite  to  him,  and  entered  into  dis- 
course witfi  him  concerning  trade.  It  appeared 
that,  though  he  had  no  objection  to  any  evils  the 
bodies  of  his  people  might  sufier  in  a  state  c( 
slavery,  he  had  a  due  regard  for  their  souls ;  and, 
fearing  lest  the  Frenchman  should  make  Turks  or 
heretics  of  them,  h6  would  sell  no  slaves  without 
the  consent  of  the  Padre.  The  king  then  ordered 
a  large  vessel  of  palm  wine  to  be  brought,  and 
having  drank  some  of  it  himself,  in  a  largd  silver 
cup,  he  caused  the  remainder  to  be  presented  to 
the  trader. 

The  Frenchman  now  waited  upon  the  &ther, 
who,  feeling  the  same  scruples  as  the  king  respect- 
ing the  salvation  of  the  captives,  business  went  on 
slowly,  and  the  merchant  quitted  the  place  for 
another  market. 

The  apartments  of  the  prince  were  divided  from 
each  other  by  boards,  some  of  which  were  painted 
with  various  colours  and  figures.  The  house  of 
the  father  was  much  larger  and  better  than  that 
of  the  sovereign,  and  had  attached  to  it  an  excel«^ 
knt  garden.  Elephants  had  been  numerous  here, 
and  of  an  extraordinary  size,  some  of  their  teeth 
weighing  more  than  two  hundred  pounds  each  f 
but  in  1700,  owing  to  the  infinite  numbers  that 
had  been  destroyed,  they  were  beginning  to  grow 
more  scarce. 

Several  of  the  Sonio  men  who  came  on  board 
my  vessel  were  Christians  after  the  Portuguese 


SHARK   FOINT,  S23 

ikthion  $  and  one  teas  a  priest,  black,  and  bare- 
footed,, ordained,  as  his  diploma  shewed,  by  the 
monks  at  Loanda.  He  could  read  the  Romish 
liturgy  in  Latin,  and  write  his  own  name  and  that 
of  St.  Antonio ;  but  his  morality  partook  of  his  an- 
cient religion,  for  he  assured  me  he  had  five  wives. 
Christians,  or  idolaters,  all  these  people  had  figures 
raised  on  the  skin,  and  the  two  upper  teeth  filed 
away  on  the  sides  next  to  each  other,  so  as  to  form 
an  op^ng  to  admit  a  tobacco  pipe.  These  two 
operations  were  submitted  to  for  the  sake  of  oma^ 
ment,  and  it  was  said  that  a  man  was  reckoned 
handsome  by  the  women  in  proportion  to  the 
width  of  this  cavity.  I  fou^d  my  Sonio  visitors 
sullen,  dirty,  swarming  with  lice,,  and  covered 
with  eruptions ;  strong  symptoms  of  their  havii^ 
been  civilized  by  the  Portuguese*  These  pec^le, 
however,  had  no  establishment  in  Sonio. 

At  Shark  Point  some  people  brought  in  canoes^ 
a  few  pigs,  goats,  fowls,  and  eggs,  for  sale,  but  die 
price  they  demanded  was  exorbitant*  The  me- 
thod of  dosing-a  bargain  is  by  the  buyer  and  seller 
breaking  between  them  a  leaf,  or  a  blade  of  grass. 
Till  this  ceremony  is  performed,  no  bargain  i$ 
legally  concluded,  though  the  parties  be  in  posses- 
sion of  each  other*s  goods.  This  we  learned  by  ex* 
perience ;  for  having  bought  and  paid  for  a  couple 
of  fowls,  they  were  killed  immediately ;  ^iien  the 
seller,  taking  advantage  of  the  omivion  of  this 
ratification  of  the  contract,  insisted  upoQ  having 
another  glass  of  brandy.  I  gave  it,  but  I  profited 
by  the  lesson. 

Near  Shark  Point,  we  saw  a  number  of  hunnn 
bones.  A  smaller  proof  than  this  might  have 
oonvicted  the  ntives  of  being  cannibals;  but  we 


!S2i  CONGO. 

were  informed  by  those  on  board  that  they  ifrere 
the  r^nains  of  criminah  who  had  been  executed 
ibr  murder  by  poisoning. 

At  Shark  Pmnt  I  quitted  the  vesseU  and  pro- 
ceeded up  the  river  in  a  boat,  determined  to  ad« 
vance  as  &r  as,  by  this,,  or  any  other  means  in  my 
power,  it  should  be  found  practicable.  This  river 
has  been  called  the  Congo,  the  Zaire,  and  the  Bar* 
bda;  the  natives  of  €ongo  call  it  the  "  Moienzi 
JEnzaddi,**— the  Great  River,  or  the  river  that  ab- 
sorbs ail  other  rivers.  If  we  do  not  admit  their 
appellation,  it  appears  to  me  that  we  should  dis- 
tinguish the  river  by  that  of  their  country ;  I  may 
therefore  be  pardoned  if  I  call  it  the  river  of  Congo. 

An  alluvial  tract,  overgrown  with  tliemangrove,\ 
and  intersected  by  numerous  creeks,  extends  on 
both  shores  about^  seven  or  eight  miles  up  the 
river,  where  the  elevated  and  primitive  soil  be- 
gins. This  mangrove  tract  is  impenetrable,  most 
of  the  trees  growing  in  the  water.  The  mangrove 
sends  foirth  shoots  at  the  jcrint  of  each  branch, 
which,  hanging  down,  and  reaching  the  mud,  take  . 
root,  and  each  becomes  a  tree  scarcely  to  be  dis- 
tinguished from  the  parent. 

We  passed  several  trading  canoes  with  from  ten  to 
twenty  men  in  each,  who  stopped  alongside  our  boat 
to  satisfy  their  curiosity.  The  canoes  are  hollowed 
oiit  of  the  trunk  of  a  palm  tree,  and  are  commonly 
about  twenty«four  ftet  in  length,  and  eighteen  or 
twenty  inches  in  width.  They  are  pushed  forwacd 
with  long  paddles,  the  men  standing  upright.  The 
cargoes  of  those  which  passed  us  were  generally 
salt  and  palm  nuts;  in  one  there  were^lso  a  boy 
and  an  elephant^s  tooth  for  sale. 

On  the  SSd  of  July  we  reached  a  point  on  ithe 


FETISH  .ftOCK.  fSS 

fictathem  side  pf  :the  .rivii^'  0l&«d  .ScoiMMii^9:he{id. 
This  j^Yjdnmgf^  ml  m»^9tti(i^9i\y  pleasaotr;^  the 
lofty  mangroves  overhanging  the.beat,  and  pdm 
trees  vihi^atisg^in  the  breesiie*.  Immeoae  flocka  of 
parrots  alone  brdce  tbe  sileifeee  pf  the  wood%  to- 
.wards  sua-jaet;  and  we  Jearnt  that  these  buds  cross 
tiie  river,  from  the  northern  side  in  the  monaing, 
to  feed  on  rthe  plantations  of  Indian  comim  the 
sputhero,  and  return  to  thc&r:  habitations  in  the 
evening.  .   :^  ,   . -.:.    ,..:  ...  .:•  ..,.:.•.•.■• 

Having  passed  ajiumber  of  low  islands  coveted 
with  aquatic  birds*  on:  the  SSd  we  bst  the  man- 
grove tract,  and  the  river  was  bordered  by  low 
perpendicular  banks  of  stiff  day.  Hordes  of  ne- 
groes came  down  tp  the  bank  as  we  sailed  along. 
Canoes  w^ie  continually  passing  up  and  down,  the 
river,  carrying  n0groesi>for  fishings  or  fm  drawing 
wine  from  the  palm  trees^.i. The  palms  as  we  pro- 
ceeded incresMd  in  number*  firsfc  forming  groupes, 
and  then  forests,  and  the  natives  were  seen  on  the 
shore,  walking  in  the>gFass  between  the  thickets. 
I  went  on  8hore;on:  the tnorthem  side  <^the  river^ 
and  saw,  at  a  shost  distance;  a.vtUage  composed  of 
huts  made  with  neat  mate..  .Calabashes  were 
hanging  on  the  trees  toijeceive  the^pahn  wine,  and 
traces  of  buffidoes  were  seen  on  the  ground. 

On  the  35th  I  visited:  tbf^  Fetish  rock,  which 
runs  into  the  river  ouvthe  southern  side,  and  rises 
per{iendicu)arly£rom:44ie  plain  behind  it.  Fetish  is 
a; very  compreh^sive.  word,  and  not  very  easily 
ey|4ained.  It  is  derived  from  the  Portuguese 
^'feitifo/'  and  signifies  a  charm;  ..These  charms 
sire  attached  to  the  persons  and  dwellings  of  the 
negroes  under  a  variety  of  forms  ;  some  are  pre- 
servatives.ffom  poisQU^  others  from  the  eflEects  of 

VOL.  II.  *      Q 


2S6  C0K60* 

thunder  and  lightning,  others  from  ferociot»  or 
noxidkis  animals ;  and  so  Qrm  ia  the  faith  of  the 
negro  in  his  fetish  that,  if  the  very  evil  befal  him 
from  which  it  was  designed  to  protect  him,  he  he* 
Iteves  it  is  owing  to  his  having  offended  it. 
There  is  also  some  kind  of  divinity  imputed  to  the 
fetish ;  for,  if  a  man  be  about  to  commit  an  action 
that  his  conscience  reproves  him  for,  he  covers  his 
fetish  that  it  may  not  witness  the  deed.  The  Fe» 
tish  rock  is  considered  as  the  abode  of  Scembi,  the 
spirit  that  presides  over  the  river,  and  it  is  oma* 
mented  with  rude  figures  of  men  and  animals. 
On  the  summit  of  one  of  the  hills  on  the  c^posite 
side  is  a  natural  block  of  loose  granite,  with  ano* 
ther  block  on  the  top,  which  is  also  held  in  great 
veneration.  It  is  called  Taddi  enxaz^,  or  the 
lightning  stone^  and  has  some  resemblatice  o£  an 
artificial  building. 

I  now  learned  that  my  black  servant  was  a  man 
of  quality,  of  no  less  a  family  than  that  of  the 
chenoo  or  chief  of  Embomma.  His  father  had 
confided  him,  when  a  boy,  to  the  care  of  a  liver- 
pool  captain,  to  be  educated,  or,  according  to  his 
own  expression,  to  *^  learn  to  make  book,''  in 
England.  This  trader  in  human  beings  had  found 
it  less  troublesome,  and  more  advantageous,  to  teach 
him  to  make  sugar  in  the  West  Indies,  where  he 
accordingly  sold  him ;  and  from  hence  he  had  been 
transferred  to  the  Cape,  where  I  bought  him. 
When  we  arrived  at  Lombee,  the  father  and  bro- 
ther of  my  negra  came  on  board,  and  met  him 
with  transport.  They  conducted  him  to  the  vil- 
lage, which,  throughout  the  njght,  resounded  with 
the  beating  of  the  drum,  and  the  songs  of  re* 
joicing. 


EMBOiOlA.  2S7 

Tiie  next  day  my  negro  paid  me  a  visit  in  full 
dress,  his  father  having  given  him  a  silk  coat  em- 
broidered with  silver,  which  he  wore  over  his  own 
dirty  banian  and  trowsers.  He  had  a  ship's  cutlass 
suspended  from  a  silk  sash,  and  a  black  glazed  hat 
with  an  enormous  feather.  He  was  carried  to  the 
boat  in  a  hammock  on  the  shoulders  of  two  slaves, 
an  umbrella  was  held  over  his  head,  and  be  was 
preceded  by  his  father  and  other  members  of  his 
family,  and*  attended  by  twenty  men  armed  with 
muskets. 

The  village  of  Lombee  is  situated  on  the  north- 
ern side  of  the  river,  and  consists  of  about  a  hun- 
dred huts.  It  is  the  port  and  market  of  Embom-^ 
ma ;  no  trade  whatever  being  carried  on  at  the 
latter  place,  which  is  the  residence  of  the  chenoo. 
From  one%o  three  hundred  persons  are  said  to  as* 
semble  at  the  market  of  Lombee ;  but  we  found  it 
miserably  supplied*  We  were  only  able  to  procure 
a  few  fowls,  a  dozen  eggs,  and  some  plantains, 
and  they  cost  more  than  they  would  have  done  ih 
a  London  markets  The  staple  article  of  trade 
seemed  to  be  salt ;  the  wholesale  dealers  selling  it 
to  the  retail  by  the  basket,  and  these  selling  it  to 
the  consumer  by  the  handful,  at  the  rate  of  two 
handfiils  for  a  money  mat.  The  flesh  of  the  hip- 
popotamus is  sometimes  exposed  for  sale  in  this 
market.  In  the  evenmg  we  anchored  before  the 
creek  of  the  banza,  or  head,  as  the  word  signifies, 
of  £mbomma. 

On  the  27thl  proceeded  on  a  ceremonious  visit  to 
the  cheooo,  who  had  sent  a  hammodk  for  me.  It  was 
exceedingly  dirty ;  but  had  it  been  otherwise,  I 
should  have  declined  laying  that  burden  upon  the 
shoulders  of  negroes  that  nature  intended  I  should 

Q  2 


9e&  CONGO. 

carry  myself.  After  having  walked  an  hour,  first 
over  a  grassy  plain,  with  a  few  plantations  of  In- 
dian corn,  and  then  over  a  hill,  I  reached  Em-^ 
bomma,  the  residence  of  this  petty  sovereign.  At 
the  entrance  of  the  village,  I  got  into  the  ham** 
mock,  and  was  set  down  under  a  great  tree  where 
all  public  business  is  transacted,  the  ground  having 
been  clean  swept.  Here  the  first  objects  that  en- 
gaged my  attentionr  were  four  human  skulls  that 
were  suspended  from  the  tree.  I  was  told  that 
these  were  the  heads  of  the  enemy's  chiefs,  who 
had  been  taken  in  battle* 

-  After  having  waited  half  an  hour  under  the 
tree,  I  was  conducted  to  the  habitation  of  the  che- 
hoo.  I  entered  a  court  fenced  with  mats  made 
of  reedsi  and  crowded  with  the  chenoo's  gentle- 
men. A  seat  was  formed  of  three  or  four,  old 
chests,  and  covered  with  a  red  velvet  pall ;  and  a 
velvet  paU,  and  an  English  carpet,  were  spread  on 
the  ground  before  it.  I  seated  myself,  and,  in 
about  five  minutes,  the  chenoo  advanced  from  be- 
hind a  screen  made  of  mats.  He  was  dressed  in 
a  crimson  plush  jacket,  with  enormous  gilt  but- 
tons ;  the  cloth  round  his  waist  was  of  red  velvet; 
his  legs  were  wrapped  in  pink  sarsnet,  and  the 
lower  part  cased  in  red  morocco  half  boots. 
Round  his  neck  hung  a  long  string  of  ivory  beads, 
and  a  large  piece  of  coral.  On  his  head  was  a 
prodigious  high  crowned  hat,  rendered  still  higher 
by  a  coronet  of  artificial  flowers.  I  could  have 
smiled  at  the  ridiculous  appearance  of  this  little 
potentate,  if  I  had  not  been  checked  by  reflecting 
that  his  finery  was  the  price  of  the  liberty  of  his 
fellow  creatures.  The  chenoo  seated  himself  on 
niy  right  band.    His  master  of  the  ceremonies 


EMBOMMA.  ^9 

who  bore  a  long  staff,  inquired  of  the  prince  my 
interpreter,  the  rank  of  my  several  attendants,  afid 
seated  them  accordingly ;  and  the  native  gentlcf- 
men  squatted  on  bullock's  hides. 

I  was  now  asked  what  I  came  for.  I  replied, 
**  To  see  the  country  and  the  river."  This  was  a 
motive  the  people  could  not  comprehend,  there 
being,  in  their  opinion,  only  two  objects  that  could 
induce  a  man  to  go  far  from  home, — ^^to  make  war, 
and  to  purchase  slaves:  they  therefore  repeated  for 
two  hours  together,  **  Are  you  come  to  trade? 
Are  you  come  to  fight  ?**  At  length  they  seemed 
convinced  I  had  come  for  neither  of  these  pur- 
poses. When  I  said  any  thing  that  pleased  them, 
and  particularly  when  I  shook  hands  with  their 
chief,  one  of  the  principal  men  started  up,  atid 
made  motions  with  his  arms,  and  at  the  end  of 
every  motion  all  the  assembly  struck  their  breasts* 
This  ceremony  is  called  a  **  sakilla/* 

A  keg  of  rum,  which  was  a  part  of  my  present, 
was  now  produced,  and  an  Engtish  white  wash- 
hand  bason  filled  with  it.  The  chenoo  retired  to 
order  dinner,  saying  he  drank  only  wine.  The 
moment  he  disappeared,  his  people  began  to  scram- 
ble for  the  rum;  and  one  of  them  very  ingeniously 
dropped  his  dirty  cap  into  the  bason,  and  sucked 
it  with  great  satisfaction. 

While  we  were  seated  in  the  court  of  audience, 
the  chenoo^s  women,  of  whom  he  had  fifty,  were 
peeping  out  of  one  of  the  squares ;  and  before  he 
retired,  he  veiy  politely  offered  me  any  one  of  his 
daughters.  The  courtiers  as  civilly  offered  their 
wives ;  and  I  was  given  to  understand  that  the 
condescension  of  the  ladies  to  strangers,  when  it 
had  received  the  sanction  of  their  fathers  and  husr 


230  CONGO. 

'brands,  was  not  inferior  to  that  of  the  men.  The 
faces  of  oiany  of  the  women  were  prepossessing, 
and  their  forms  elegant. 

While  dinner  was  preparing,  we  walked  through 
the  banza,  or  head  village  of  Embomma,  which  is 
aituated  on  a  small  plain  on  the  summit  of  a  hiS, 
and  contains  about  sixty  habitations,  each  consists 
ingof  two  or  three  huts,  within  a  square  inclosure 
of  reeds  woven  into  mats.  The  huts  are  composed 
of  the  same  materials,  and  are  formed  with  two 
side  and  two  end  pieces,  which  they  call  walls, 
and  two  others  which  make  a  sloping  rpof.  The 
entrance  is  by  a  square  opening  in  one  of  the  sides, 
just  large  enough  to  creep  in  at ;  and,  opposite  to 
this  is  a  window.  Both  are  closed  at  night  with 
shutters  of  the  same  fabric  as  the  walls.  A  house, 
ready  to  pat  t<>gether,  may  be  purchased  for  the 
price  of  four  fowls,  and  it  may  be  made  ready  for 
occupation  in  five  minutes* 

The  chenoo*s  habitation  was  surrounded  by  a 
double  fence,  forming  an  inner  and  an  outer  court. 
The  latter  contained  one  large  apartment,  rather 
better  lighted  and  aired  than  the  rest,  with  a  num- 
ber of  huts  on  each  side.  In  every  comer  was 
seen,  a  fetish  of  sculptured  figures,  one  of  which 
was  exactly  that  of  Bacchus  astride  on  a  barrei, 
with  the  addition  of  a  pipe  in  his  mouth,  and  a 
spear  on  his  shoulder.  These  representations  of 
the  human  figure  were  rather  less  correct  than 
those  usually  cut  by  children  out  of  paper. 

Our  repast  consisted  of  a  soup  of  plantains  and 
goat's  flesh,  a  fowl  cut  in  pieces  and  broiled,  and 
roasted  plantains  instead  of  bread.  It  was  served 
in  the  grand  apartment,  where  some  chests  covered 
with  carpets  answered  the  purposes  of  table  and 


EHBOVICA.  ML, 

ehatirs.  A  few  plbtes  and  mugs  of  ^arthehware»  a 
few  Venetian  gilt  glasses,  and  a  few  spoons  avd 
forks  of  silver,  with  a  large  silver  tankard,  were 
probft  of  the  commerce  that  subsisted  between 
Uiis  petty  sovereign  and  Europeans.  Sweet  pakn 
wine  in  the  tankard,  and  a  part  of  the  rum  I  had 
brought  in  a  bottle,  were  placed  on  the  tablei  &r 
our  beverage. 

When. we  had  dined,  I  was  sent  for  by  the  che- 
noo,  and  again  questioned  respecting  my  motive 
for  coming  into  the  country.  At  length  an  old 
man,  who  w^'the  chenoo's  uncle,  started  up,  and 
plucking  a  leaf  from  a  tree,  held  it  towards  me  and 
said,  *'  If  you  come  to  trade,  ^wear  by  your  God^ 
and  break  the  leaf  On  m}^  refusing  to  do  so,  he 
said,  ^<  Then  swear  by  your  God  you  do  not  come 
to  make  war,  and  break  the  leaf/'  On  my  doing 
this,  the  whole  company  performed  a  grand  sa^ 
killa ;  the  assembly  broke  up ;  and  the  chenoo 
retired  to  one  of  his  huts,  whither  my  present  yis 
carried  to  him. 

The  following  day  the  chenoo  retun^ed  my  visit, 
attended  by  half  a  dozen  of  his  sons  and  gentle* 
men.  He  expressed  himself  perfectly  satisfied 
with  my  present,  which  I  own  I  was  not ;  he  be- 
lieving a  tankard  and  a  gdblet,  that  formed  a  part 
of  it,  to  be  silver,  and  I  knowing  them  to  be  only 
plated.  I  beg  my  reader  to  be  assured  that  it  was 
not  in  my  power  to  substitute  real  plate  for  the 
semblance  of  it,  or  I  would  most  gladly  have  done 
to.  The  rest  of  my  present  consisted  of  a  piece 
of  furniture  cotton,  a  silk  umbrella,  and  some 
beads.  The  further  wishes  of  this  negro  prince 
were  very  modest ;  as  he  only  requested  that,  on 
my  rtitnm  down  the  river,  I  would  build  him  an 


2S2  .   CONGO* 

English  house,  leave  him  a  boat,  and  give  him  a 
musket.  The  latter  request  I  complied  with  im-r 
mediately,  and  he  was  satisfied. 

91ie  next  morning  I  visited  the  chenoo  without. 
ceremcuiy»  and  found  him  seated  on  a  mat  in  one 
of  the  courts  of  his  habitation,  distributing  palm 
wine  to  his  children  and  relations,  consisting  of 
about  forty  men  and  boys.  A  seat  being  placed 
for  me^  a  palaver  of  half  an  hour  ensued,  in  which 
I  was  obliged  to  repeat  my  assmrances  that  I  waa 
not  come  to  prevent  the  slave-trade,  pr  to  make 
war.  The  chenoo  then  led  the  way  to  an  inclo- 
sure,  in  which  were  six  fine  cow8»  a  young  bull, 
and  a  calf,  and  selected  one  of  the  largest  and 
fattest  cows  as  a  present  to  me.  I  fouiid  that  this 
animal  had  been  introduced  by  tl^  f'prtuguese, 

and,  though  much  neglected,  it  JiadmuI^iP^^^d 
considerably.  ,-*-. 

The  banza  of  Embomma  is  supppse4  to  contain 
about  five  hundred  inhabitants,  aiid  is  the  only 
town  in  its  district  where  several  families  have 
sufficient  land  in  cultivation  to  enable  them  toiive 
together.  The  land  is -cultivated  by  patches  only, 
and  the  labPur  is  performed  by  the  women,  whom 
WN&  frequently  saw  in  the  fields,  with  their  children, 
and  baskets  of  provisions;  the  chenoo*a  daughters 
among  the  rest.  Tbe  only  plants  we  saw  culti- 
vated wer«  cassava  and  maize,  tobacco,  and  beans 
of  two  sorts.  The  cotton  shrub  was  growing  wild 
on  the  plains. 

The  other  habitations  of  a  district  are  called 
gentlemen's  towns,  each  being  the  residence  of  a 
single,  independent  individual,  with  his  wives, 
children,  and  slaves.  The  native  appellation  for 
pne  of  these  gentlemefi  is  foomoQ*    The  chenq^ 


SMBOMMA.  233 

of  Embomma  musters  about  a  thousand  muskets 
in  time  of  war. 

The  small  money  in  use  is  little  n^ats,  about 
eighteen  inches  square,  made  of  the  leaf  of  the 
bamboo,  twenty  of  which  would  purchase  a  fowl; 

It  was  now  the  winter  of  the  country;  the 
thermometer  seldom  rising  above  76°  in  the  day ; 
and  at  night,  during  the  heavy  dews,  we  occasion-* 
ally  experienced,  it  fell  to  60^.  Fruits  were  scarce  ; 
the  only  sorts  we  saw  at  this  time  being  long 
plantains,  small  bitter  oranges,  limes,  and  pump- 
kins. 

The  domestic  animals,  besides  the  cattle,  which 
are  scarcely  established,  are  sheep,  goats,  swine  of 
a  small  breed,  a  few  dogs,  and  cats.  The  wild 
animals  are  elephants,  in  small  numbers,  buffiiloes, 
which  are  said  to  be  abuqdant,  antelopes,  and 
monkeys.  The  skins  of  leopards  and  tiger-ci&ts 
were  seen  on  the  natives.  Hippopotami  and  cro^ 
codiles  appeared  to  be  numerous.. 

The  people  of  Embomma  were,  with  very  few 
exceptions,  dressed  in  European  clothing.  The 
men  manufacture  caps  and  shawls  of  grass.  Both 
men  and  women  shave  their  heads  in  ornamental 
figuresf  Brides  are  always  close  shaven  before 
they  are  presented  to  their  husbands.  Pendant 
breasts  seem  to  be  considered  as  beautiful ;  the 
young  girls  pressing  their  breasts  downwards  With 
a  bandage.  The  women  sometimes  file  the  tWo 
front  teeth,  and  raise  cicatrices  on  the  skins  as 
well  as  the  men. 

Both  men  and  women  rise  at  daylight,  and,  after 
washing  their  skins,  the  better  sort  rub  their  bo« 
dies,  down  to  the  waist,  with  palm  oil. 

The  mode  of  salutation  is  by  gently  clapping 


ii&i  CONGO. 

the  bands ;  and  an  inferior,  at  the  same  timet 
kneels  and  kisses  the  anclet  on  the  leg  of  the 
superior. 

The  persons  of  the  women  are  entirely  at  the 
disposal  of  their  fathers  and  husbands,  and  may  be 
transferred  by  them  how  and  when  they  please. 
But  if  the  transfer  take  place  unknown  to  the  hus* 
band,  he  is  at  liberty  to  impose  a  fine  upon  the 
adulterer,  to  sell  him  for  a  slave,  or  to  murder 
him,  accordiitg  to  bis  inclination.  During  my  stay 
at  Embomma,  a  man  who  bad  been  detected  in 
adultery  was.  offered  to  a  slave* trader  for  sale; 
but,  being  rejected,  he  was  bound  hands  and  feet, 
and  thrown  into  the  river. 

Excepting  one  knife,  which  was  stolen  by  a  boy, 
we  met  with  no  instance  of  theft ;  and  on  one  of 
the  great  men  being  informed  of  the  loss,  the 
persons  who  had  been  present  were  assembled 
under  the  great  tree,  and  asked,  individually,  if 
they  had  taken  it ;  when  the  boy  confessed,  and 
produced  it 

Dififerent  kinds  of  food  are  abstained  from  by 
particular  persons  who,  having  constituted  a  fowl, 
or  any  other  thing,  their  fetish,  that  is,  their 
guardian,  out  of  respect  will  not  eat  it.  •  Men 
wUl  not  eat  of  fowl,  eggs,  or  pumpkins,  till  a 
woman  have  tasted  it  to  take  oflPthe  fetish.  When 
we  killed  our  cow,  the  chenoo  sent  one  of  his 
men  to  take  the  fetish  piece  for  the  gangam^  or 
priest ;  and  I  could  not  but  observe  that  the 
fetish  piece  was  one  of  the  best. 

On  the  Sd  of  August  I  shook  hands  with  the 
chenoo  of  Embomma,  giving  him,  as  a  parting 
token  of  friendship,  two  yards  of  scarlet  cloth, 
two  jars  of  rum,  an  amber  necklace,  and  some 


«35 

piirtite  and  dishes*     In  return,  he  gave  me  two 
pilots,  and  three  of  his  sons  as  guides. 

In  returning  from  this  visit,  we  passed  a  hut  in 
which  was  lying  the  corpse  of  a  woman,  drest  as 
when  living.  Within  the  hut,  four  women  were 
howling;  and  without,  two  men  were  leaning 
their  faces  against  the  wall,  and  joining  in  the 
funeral  yell.  We  were  told  that  these  lamenta- 
tions were  repeated  for  four  successive  days  after 
the  death  of  a  friend,  and  that  they  continued  an 
hour  each  day.  The  natjves  shewed  some  reluct- 
ance to  let  us*see  the'burying^ground;  but,  after 
a  little,  persuasion,  two  or  three  of  them  led  us  to. 
it.  We  found  it  about  two  hundred  yards  from 
the  village,  among  a  few  rugged  trees  and  bushes. 
Two  graves  were  now  preparing  for  gentlemen. 
They  were  nine  feet  long  and  five  broad,  and  at 
this  time  nine  feet  deep  ;  but  I  was  told  that  they 
would  be  dug  in  depth  equal  to  the  height  of  the 
tallest  palm-tree.  One  of  the  old  graves  had  an 
elephant's  tooth  at  each  end  ;  all  had  broken  jars, 
mugs,  glass  bottles,  and  other  vessels  stuck  upon 
them.  Young  trees  had  been  planted  round  some 
of  them  ;  but  all  were  dead,  except  one^ 

My  interpreter  requested  a  piece  of  cloth  to  en- 
velope the  body  of  his  aunt,  who  had  been  dead 
seven  years,  and  was  to  be  buried  in  two  months, 
bdng  now  arrived  at  a  proper  size  to  be  interred 
according  to  her  rank.  The  corpse  is  preserved 
for  so  long  a  time  only  by  the  successive  pieces  of 
cloth  that  are  wrapped  round  it,  as  they  can  be 
procured  by  the  relations  of  the  deceased.  In  the 
case  of  a  rich  man  the  bulk  is  only  limited  by  the 
power  of  conveying  it  to  the  grave  ;  and  the  first 
but  in  which  the  body  is  preserved  becoming  too 


SS6  CONGO* 

AmM,  it  is  removjed  into  a  second/  a  third,  and 
even  to  a  sixths  according  to  its  increasing  dir 
mensions. 

These  people  keep  their  account  of  time  by 
moons^  and  their  knowledge  of  any  event  seldom 
extends  heyond  half  a  dozen. 


CHAPTER  XVI. 

EMBOMMA  TO  SOOKDY  n'sANSA.    •     , 

L^EAVING  the  village  of  Embomma,  I  went  on 
shore  opposite  to  the  island  of  that  name,  where  I 
found  one  of  the  trees  called  baobab  that  measured 
forty-two  feet  in  girth  near  the  ground,  and  re- 
tained nearly  the  same  circumference  to  the  height 
of  thirty  feet. 

On  the  6th  of  August  we  proceeded  up  the 
river,  which  ran  between  two  high  ridges  of  rocky 
hills.  Several  small  valleys  appeared  between  the 
hills^  and  in  these  were  some  plantations  of  corn 
and  manioca,  and  many  palm  trees.  On  the 
northern  shore  was  a  hanging  precipice,  which 
might  not  unaptly  be  termed  the  Lover's  Leap; 
the  wives  of  the  chenoo  who  are  convicted  of 
adultery,  together  with  their  seducers,  being  pre« 
cipitated  from  the  summit  into  the  river^ 

On  the  7th  the  greatest  rise  of  the  water  was 
observed,  from  the  mark  left  on  the  rocks«  to  have 
been  9^  feet.  This  day  we  crossed  over  to  the 
southern  side  of  the  river,  near  the  village  of 


KOKi.  237 

Sooka  Congo.  On  the  summit  of  one  of  the  hills, 
under  which  we  passed  close,  were  upwards  of 
twenty  moitkeys,  which,  from  their  stature  and 
their  black  faces,  we  should  certainly  have  taken 
for  negroes,  had  we  not  seen  their  tails. 

On  the  8th  several  persons  came  on  board  from 
the  banza  of  Noki,  which  is  situated  on  the  south 
of  the  river ;  and  on  the  10th  I  visited  the  chenoo 
of  this  district  To  reach  the  residence  of  this 
chief,  we  had  a  most  fatiguing  march  of  two 
hours  ;  sometimes  scrambling  up  the  sides  of 
almost  perpendicular  jiiUs ;  sometimes  proceeding 
on  their  summits,  thinly  scattered  over  with  brush- 
wood; and  sometimes  descending .  into  valleys 
covered  with  luxuriant  vegetation.  In  two  of 
these  valleys  we  found  villages,  differing  in  no 
respect  from  that  of  Embomma,  except  that  the 
roofs  of  the  huts  were  circular.  The  village  of 
Noki  is  situated  on  the  level  summit  of  the  high- 
est hill,  amidst  palm  trees,  and  plantations  of  ve- 
getables, among  which  we  saw  young  cabbages  in 
great  perfection. 

In  a  few  minutes  we  were  ushered  into  the  pre- 
sence of  the  chenoo,  whom  we  found  seated  with 
two  great  officers,  with  much  more  savage  magni- 
ficence, and  less  of  European  manner,  than  the 
chief  of  Embomma.  The  seats  were  covered  with 
the  skins  of  lions  and  leopards,  as  was  also  the 
ground  before  them.  To  tread  upon  these  is  a 
crime  punished  with  slavery,  even  if  the  delinquent 
be  of  the  highest  rank  ;  and  the  care  with  which 
the  courtiers  stepped  clear  of  them  was  a  proof 
that  they  had  not  forgotten  the  penalty. 
,  The  chenoo,  in  addition  to  a  red  cloak  laced 
with  gold,  wore  an  extraordinary  high  cap  of  the 


-iSB  otftrao. 

white  feathers  of  the  heron.  One  of  the  grezt 
men  had  on  an  old  hat,  and  the  other  a  coronet, 
with  a  large  button  of  coloured  glass,  the  refuse  of 
a  European  theatre.  Contemptible,  as  well  as 
degrading !  How  much  inferior  to  the*  spoils  of 
the  native  lion  and  leopard,  even  if  the  means  that 
procured  them  were  the  same.  In  my  own  coun- 
try I  have  seen  a  solemn,  sober,  little  ass  attired 
in  the  huge  bead-piece  and  winkers  of  a  coach« 
horse,  plodding  quietly  along,  unconscious  of  tJie 
ridicule  he  excited. 

The  assembly  was  composed  of  about  fifty  per* 
sons,  who  squatted  on  the  sand.  My  interpreter 
having  explained  the  motive  of  my  journey,  the 
chenoo  granted  me  two  guides,  as  far  as  the  cata« 
racj;  of  Yellala,  beyond  which,  he  said,  the  country 
was  unknown  to  him  and  his  people.  The  palaver 
being  over,  the  chenoo  apologized  for  having  no 
meat  dressed,  and  directed  a  small  pig  to  be  car- 
ried to  the  boat.  During  this  audience,  boys,  of 
all  ages,  down  to  four  or  five  years  old,  composed 
a  part  of  the  assembly ;  and  the  young  urchins  paid 
the  utmost  attention  to  the  discourse  of  the  men, 
and  expressed  their  approbation  by  clapping  their 
hands. 

On  our  return  from  the  town  of  Noki,  we  were 
conducted  by  a  slave  merchant  along  the  summits 
of  hills  that  were  very  fertile,  and  in  great  part 
cultivated^  till  we  arrived  at  his  town;  that  is,  the 
residence  of  himself  and  bis  family.  Here  we  were 
agreeably  surprised  to  find  a  repast  prepared,  con* 
sisting  of  a  stewed  fowl,  and  stewed  beans,  both 
highly  seasoned,  and  cassava  bread.  The  back 
ground  of  the  court  was  filled  with  women  and 
girls,  who  were  separated  by  an  open  space  from 


NOKL*  289 

the  men  and  bojrs.  As  we  approached  the  river,  ^ 
we  had  to  ascend  itnd  descend  such  a  succession 
of  steep  and  barren  hills  and  rocks,  that  it  almost 
required  the  legs  of  flies  to  crawl  over  them«  The 
tomtk  of  Noki  is  not  more  than  three  miles  distant 
from  the  river,  in  a  direct  line  ;  but  it  is  seven  or 
eight  by  the  circuitous  way  we  took. 

The  n^ct  day  I  received  a  visit  from  a  princess 
and  two  of  the  chenoo's  daughters,  who  brought 
with  them  for  sale,  a  fowl,  half  a  dozen  egg$»  and 
a  small  basket  of  beans.  In  consideration  of  the 
rank  of  these  ladies^  and  also  of  the  scarcity  of 
provisions,  I  purchased  the  articles  at  twice  their 
value.  *  We  understood  that  one  of  these  princesses 
has  the  right  of  choosing  her  husband,  and  change 
ing  him  as  often  as  she  pleases ;  while  he  is  obliged 
to  have  no  othej  wife,*  under  the  penalty,  if  he  be 
a  private  person,  of  being  sold  for  a  slave. 

It  appearing  that  one  of  the  guides  sent  me  by 
the  chenoo  was  totally  ignorant  of  the  country,  I 
sent  him  back.  A  slave  was  then  brought  to  me» 
bound  neck  and  heels  with  small  cords.  This  man 
came  from  an  interior  province,  and  said  that  he 
had  been  taken  by  a  slave-catchert  while  walking 
near  his  father's  house.  As  he  had  some  know* 
ledge  of  the  language  of  Congo,  I  purchased  him, 
giving  him  instantly  his  liberty,  and  causing  him 
to  be  told,  that  I  considered  him  only  as  my  ser- 
vant. Probably  he  could  not  make  the  distinction 
between  slavery  and  servitude  with  a  white  man 
for  his  master ;  for  be  expressed  no  satis&ction 
when  his  cords  were  taken  off. 

In  concluding  this  bargain  I  had  a  specimen  of 
tlie  tedious  manner  of  transacting  business  among 


i^O  CONGO. 

the  n^o  traders ;  the  intervjention  of  tiie  mafockf 
or  officer  of  revenue,  the  mambook,  or  war-mwi^ 
ster^  and  a  broker,  each  of  whom  expected  a  piece 
of  cloth,  and  as  much  brandy  as  he  could  drink, 
being  necessary  between  me  and  the  owner  of  the 
slave.  To  this  may  be  added  the  indecision  of  the 
seller,  who,  if  he  be  the  possessor  of  a  single  fowlf 
examines  the  articles  offered*  him  fifty  times,  giving 
them  back,  taking  them  again,  exchanging  them 
for  others ;  and,  after  putting  patience  to  the.test 
for  an  hour,  often  taking  up  his  prcqperty,  and 
going  away,  because  he  cannot  obtain  twice  as 
much  for  it  as  he  asked  at  first* 

On  the  following  day  we  passed  several  wiiirl<* 
pools.  The  most  distant  hill  in  view,  we  were 
told,  was  that  of  Yellala  ;  but  the  only  informati<m 
I  could  obtain  respecting  Yellala  was,  that  it  was 
the  residence  of  the  evil  spirit,  and  that  whoever 
saw  it  once  would  never  see  it  again. 

On  the  ISth  we  came  to  Casan  Yellala,  Yellala'e 
wife,  a  ledge  of  rocks  stretching  from  the  northern 
shore,  about  two  thirds  across  the  river  ;  the 
whole  breadth  of  which  here  did  not  exceed  a 
mile.  From  hence  I  set  out  by  land  the  follow* 
ing  morning,  on  the  northern  side  of  the  river, 
taking  with  me  some  of  my  people  and  four  days' 
provisions.  Our  route  lay  at  first  along  narrow  foot« 
paths,  which  led  over  difiicult  hills,  and  afterwards 
oyer  level  fertile  lands.  In  four  hours  we  reached 
the  town  of  Codoo,  from  whence  I  had  been  in- 
formed I  should  see  the  cataract  of  Yellala.  At 
the  farther  end  of  the  town  we  saw  the  fall,  and, 
most  unexpectedly,  found  it  almost  under  our  feet ; 
but  instead  of  the  foaming  cataract  held  in  such 


FALL  OF   YSLLALA.  241 

honm  by  the  natives,  we  saw  only  the  water  bub- 
bling over  its  rocky  bed.  I  did  not,  however,  for- 
get that  I  saw  it  in  the  dry  season. 

I  went  to  examine  the  fall  more  closely ;  and  I 
found,  that  although  the  road  did  not  extend  a 
nUe  from  the  town,  what  it  wanted  in  distance  it 
abundantly  made  up  in  difficulty,  descending  an 
enormous  bill,  and  running  up  a  smaller,  to  the 
precipice  which  overhung  the  river.  The  fall  was 
about  SO  feet  perpendicular,  in  a  slope  of  300 
yards.  The  water  rises  here  twelve  feet  in  the 
rainy  season.  The  river,  both  above  and  below 
the  fall,  was  obstructed  by  rocks  as  far  as  the  eye 
could'reach. 

Disappointed  in  my  expectation  of  seeing  a 
grand  cataract^  and  equally  disl^Jpointed  to  find  it 
sufficient  to  stop  the  progress  of  my  boat,  I  climbed 
back  to  the  town,  exhausted  with  fatigue. 

As  soon  as  I  was  a  little  recovered,  I  waited  on 
the  chenoo  of  Cooloo,  and  found  less  pomp  and 
noise,  and  more  civility  and  hospitality  than  from 
tlie  chiefs  of  Embomma  and  Noki.  This  chenoo 
made  ifie  a  prissent  of  six  fowls,  witliout  ask- 
ing for  any  return  j  but  though  this  was  the 
largest  banza,  or  head  town  I  liad  seen,  it  contain- 
ing about  a  hundred  huts,  and  from  five  to  six 
hundred  inhabitants,  I  could  not  procure  either  a 
afaeq>,  a  goat,  or  a  pig.    ^ 

The  next  day  I  engaged  a  guide  to  conduct  me 
^bove  the  &lls  by  a  circuitous  route ;  the  hills 
close  to  the  river  being  impassable  by  any  thing 
but  a  goat.  Afler  four  hours  most  fatiguing 
march,  I  again  got  sight  of  the  river ;  but  I  found 
that  these  four  hours  had  brought  me  only  four 

VOL.  lu  R 


aA2  co^fGO. 

miles  above  Yellala.  The  river  was  still  obstructed 
by  rocks,  whicb^  in  some  places,  ran  quite  across. 
In  this  day's  jjourney  we  had  crossed  three  deep 
ravines,  the  beds  of  torrents  in  the  rainy  season, 
but  now  quite  dry.  The  setting  sun  obliged  us  to 
halt,  and  we  passed  the  night  near  a  fine  ^ring  of 
water. 

The  next  morning,  after  passing  a  village,  I 
ascended  the  highest  of*  the  hills  that  skirt  the 
northern  side  of  this  part  of  the  river  of  Congo,  and 
from  the  summit  I  had  a  view  of  the  water  for 
about  five  miles  downwards.  It  was  still  filled 
with  rocks,  over  which  the  current  foamed  with 
violence.  Judging  by  the  eye,  the  river  was  here 
not  more  than  a  quarter  of  a  mile  broad;  and  I 
estimated  the  distance  from  Yellala  at  twelve  or 
fourteen  miles. 

I  now  returned  to  the  town  of  Cooloo,  which  I 
did  not  reach  till  eight  o'clock  in  the  evening.  It  < 
was  with  great  difficulty  that  I  could  prevail  upon 
the  guide  to  go  on.  after  sun-set,  through  his  fears 
of  wild  beasts  and  of  the  darkness.  Every  five 
minutes  he  sounded  a  whistle,  which  had  been 
fetished  by  the  gangam,  and  of  course  both  beasts 
and  spirits  fled  at  the  sound.  The  only  traces  of 
animals  we  saw  this  day  were  those  of  bufialoes. 

In  tliis  excursion  I  found  palm  wine  exceedingly 
refreshing;  but,  owing  to  thet  long  drought,  it  was 
now  so  scarce,  that  though  every  banssa  and  gen^ 
man's  town  was  surrounded  by  from  twenty  to  two 
hundred  palm  trees,  I  sofnetimes  could,  not  pro- 
cure it,  even  in  exchange  for  brandy.  The  rainy 
season  had,  for  the  two  preceding  years,  been  very 
moderate,  and  the  lighter  rains,   which  usually 


CONOO.  fi^4S 

happen  in  June,  had  been  entirely  wanting ;  bi^t 
it  was  expected  that,  on  this  account,  the  ensuing 
rains  would  be  proportionabiy  violent,  and  the 
people  were  now  preparing  for  them  by  fresh  co- 
vering their  huts. 

The  higher  we  proceeded,  the  fewer  European 
articles  were  possessed  by  the  natives.  The 
country  grasa-cloth  now  formed  the  clothing  of 
the  common  people  ;  and  gourds  were  the  substi- 
tutes for  glass-bottles  and  earthem  mugs.  The 
sole  dress  of  the  women  was  an  apron  before  and 
another  behind,  leaving  the  hips  uncovered.  From 
every  town  which  I  passed,  they  flocked  to  look 
at  the  white  men.  They  shook  hands  with  me, 
without  any  timidity ;  but  they  had  by  no  means 
the  freedom  of  manners  of  the  women  near  the 
coast. 

On  the  2«d  of  August  I  left  Cooloo,  with  the 
intention  of  proceeding  on  foot  as  far  as  possible  on 
the  northern  side  of  the  river  of  Congo.  At  noon 
we  reached  the  village  of  Manzy,  about  nine 
miles  north  of  Codloo,  where  I  purchased,  at  an 
extravagant  price,  a  pig  of  fifteen  pounds  weight. 
At  four  o*cIock  we  came  to  a  deep  ravine,  about 
120  feet  in  breadth,  the  bed  of  a  vast  torrent, 
which  still  retained  a  quantity  of  excellent  water. 
The  sides  of  the  ravine  were  thinly  clothed  with 
wood,  among  which  were  trees,  perfectly  straight, 
from  80  to  100  feet  high,  and  18  inches  in  diame- 
ter. The  country  we  had  passed  over  might  be 
from  eight  to  twelve  miles  distant  from  the  river, 
and  was  more  hilly  and  barren  than  any  we  had 
passed  before.  In  this  ravine  we  halted,  for  the 
night ;  and  the  refl'ection  of  our  fires  on  the  trees 


244  CONGO. 

an^  rocks,  with  the  black  men,  each  cooking  his 
supper,  might  have  furnished  an  interesting  sub- 
ject for  a  painter. 

At  day-light  we  were  roused  by  the  chattering 
of  monkeys  and  parrots,  joined  with  the  scream  of 
.^he  crested  toucan,  and  the  cry  of  a  species  of 
goat-sucker.  We  then  found  that  the  shade  and 
humidity  of  the  ravine  had  rendered  it  the  head- 
quarters of  an  army  of  musquitoes,  and  that  my 
t^nt  had  been  pitched  over  a  colony  of  ants.  Both, 
however,  had  the  forbearance  to  let  us  escape  un- 
touched. At  seven  o'clock  in  the  morning  we 
pursued  our  journey  over  a  difficult  tract  of  hills 
intersected  by  ravines,  and  at  eleven  we  fouad 
ourselves  on  the  brink  of  the  river,  whose  channel 
was  filled  with  rocks.  At  noon  we  reached  the 
banza  of  Inga,  which  is  situated  on  the  flat  sum- 
mit of  a  hill,  and  surrounded  by  palm  trees  and 
baobabs. 

The  chenoo  of  Inga  was  blind ;  but  a  palaver 
was  immediately  held  to  enquire  the  reason  of  the 
white  men  coming.    Being  satisfied  with  my  ex- 
planation,  it  was  determined  to  supply  me  in- 
stantly with  a  guide  to  conduct  me  to  the  plabe 
'  where  the  river  again  became  navigable  for  canoes, 
which  was  said  to  be  only  half  a  day's  journey  dis- 
tant:  bijt  this  was*  granted  only  pn  condition  of 
'  ihy  paying  ajar  of  brandy,  and  dressing  four  offi- 
cers in  two  yards  of  cloth  each.    When  all  was 
'  concluded,  I  was  informed  that  I  could  not  have 
"the  guide  till  the  nej^t  morning.  Eager  to  proceed 
'^on'  my  journey,  and  irritated  by  disappointment 
'   abd  atixiety,  I  drew  up  my  armed  followers,  and 
^'*  threatened  to  proceed  by  force.     I  wa»  soon  made 


INGA,  245 

sMsible  of  my  imprudence :  the  palaver  broke  up ; 
the  women  and  children,  who  bad  flocked  to  see 
the  white  men^  disappeared ;  the  people  I  had 
br0i]^ht  with  me  from  Cooloo  vanished ;  and  I 
was  left  in  possession  of  the  town. 

Finding  this  would  not  facilitate  my  progress,  I 
dispatched  my  interpreter  to  the  macaya,  or  civil 
magistrate,  who  is  always  the  eldest  of  the  che- 
noo's  brothers,  with  a  conciliating  message ;  and 
in  about  an  hour  the  great  officers  appeared  again, 
attended  by  about  fifty  men,  fourteen  of  whom 
were  armed  with  muskets.  The  mambouk,  op 
wal*-mini6ter,  who  is  always  a  relation  of  the  che- 
noo,  rose,  and  made  a  long  speech,  appealing  now 
and  then  to  the  common  people,  who  all  answered 
with  a  kind  of  howl.  During  this  oration,  he  held 
in  hia  hand  the  war-kissey,  which  was  composed 
of  buffido's  hair  and  dirty  rags,  and  which,  as  we 
afterwards  understood,  he  occasionally  invoked  to 
break  the  locks,  and  wet  the  powder,  of  our' 
muskets* 

Aa  I  had  no  intention  of  going  to  war  with  the 
men  of  Xnga,  I  advanced,  and  seating  myself  by 
the  macaya,  I  shook  him  by  the  hand,  and  ex-* 
pressed  my  desire  to  be  at  peacq,  provided  I  were 
assured  of  having  a  guide  by  day-light  the  nej(t 
morning.  This  was  promised ;  but  on  condition 
of  the  great  officers  receiving  double  the  quantity 
of  cloth. 

Inga  is  about  i 80  miles  miles*  above  Cape  Pa^ 
droQ,  and  contained  about  70  huts,  and  300  inha» 
bitants.  The  chenoo  could  command. about  two 
hundred  fighting  men,  on^  hundred  of  whom  he 
could  arm  with  muskets ;  and,  with  this  force,  he 
conceived  himself  to  be  the  terror  of  bis  enemies. 


CONGO. 


^y  people  of  Inga  had  never  before  seen  a  white 
insLU.  The  only  European  artioles  we  saw  here 
were  a  small  jug,  and  some  rags  of  clothing* 
^  Day  appeared,  and  no  guide ;  I  therefore  se- 
cretly promised  one  of  the  great  men  a  piece  of 
cloth  for  his  good  oflSces.  He  immediately  ofiered 
himkelf  as  a  guide,  and  five  of  his  boys  to  carry 
our  provisions ;  and  at  eleven  o'clock  we  left 
Inga.  In  passing  through  the  town,  we  saw  a 
blacksmith  fitting  a  hoe  into  a  handle ;  his  bellows 
were  composed  of  two  sheep-skins,  and  his  anvil 
was  a  large  stone. 

'  Ou'r  i^oute  lay  chiefly  along  the  winding  bottom 
bf  a  fertile  valley,  in  which  we  found  two  towns, 
liurrdunded  by  plantations  of  manioca  that  grew  up 
almost  to  the  height  of  trees.  A  flock  of  between 
twenty  and  thirty  goats  was  an  ovel  sight ;  bat,  as 
the  owner  was  absent,  I  could  not  purchase  any. 
The  women  sold  us  some  manioca,  and  gave  us  a 
jar  of  water.  At  tte  upper  end  of  the  valley  we 
found  a  complete  village  of  ant-hills.  They  were 
each  in  the  shape  of  a  mushroom,  and  very  large ; 
but  some  had  double  or  treble  domes,  the  upper 
one  evidently  intended  to  carry  off  the  rain.  At 
fbut  o'clock  we  arrived  at  the  river,  at  Mavoonda 
Boaiya,  where  we  found  it  lined  with  rocks,  and 
vast  heaps  of  sand;  but  free  .from  all  obstruc- 
tibn  in  the  middle,  for  the  space  of  from  two  to 
ihtet  hundred  yards  in  breadth.  The  narrows  had 
ciofltinned  about  forty  miles,  the  river  being  gene- 
rally from  900  to  500  yards  in  breadth,  and  bristled 
wkb  ^ocks« 

'^^In  a«£^  holirs  Iwas  visited  by  the  macaya  of 
Mlivdittdil,  who  treated  me  with  great  civility.  I 
here  received  very  distinct  information  respecting 


MAVOONDA.  ^^ 


tbe  course  of  the  river.  A  day's  journey^  .Qr^^i^f^t 
ten  miles,  above  Mavoonda,  it  was  said,  tp  be^p]^- 
structed  by  another  fall ;  being  crossed.hy  %i?j^8}^ 
of  slate  rocks  called  a  sangalla.  Beypi^^d  tl;u3r|vas 
another  sangalla.  After  ten  day's  sailing,. ]ii^.^ 
canoe  was  a  large  sandy  island,  which  ni^c^Q;  tr^sf 
channels  j  one  to  the  north-west,  and  the  ptherlp 
the  north-east.  In  the  latter  channel  \i^as  ^  ff^ 
but  canoes  were  easily  got  above  it.  Ai\d,in 
twenty  days  above  the  island  the  river  issued^ .  by 
many  small  streams,  from  a  great  marshy  oj:  l^e 
of  mud.  , .   .     ..,. 

Here  then,  it  appears  to  me,  is  the  termi^/^on 
of  the  conjecture  that  the  Niger  and  the  riycir  ^ 
Congo  are  the  same.  I  am  a  traveller^  JX9%.,^ 
geographer;  and,  with  all  humility  I  spea.!;^  i%yj. 
should  as  soon  have  looked  for  the  Niger  i^ji;]^^ 
Ganges*.  x -.  m.  :  .  /i 

From  Mavoonda  I  made  an  excufsjqn  to.,t^ 
first  sangalla.  It  was  sun-set  when  we  reached4t^ 
and  in  returning  I  perceived  that  my  guide  h^4 
lost  his  way.  •  We  scrambled  over  rocks^  witb^n,- 
finite  fatigue,  for  an  hour,  and  then  peq^cat.^^ 
through  a  close  wood,  the  first  we  had  s^en,  till  iX 
was  quite  dark.  Seeing  a  fire  on  the  side  of  a  4)  j]^ 
and  hearing  human  voices,  we  halloed  to  jtlie  mq^j^ 
and  at  length  one  of  them  came  down,  ^n4  9PJPr 
ducted  us  .through  thick  underwoodf  w^^,e,,)i^ 
were  almost  obliged  to  crawl,  and  through  ^^9 
twiqe  our  own  height,  to  a  clear  spot.oii-t^i^^ 

*  It  is  said  that  a  Frenchman  bl  the  name  of  p*£idcd^iife^ 
having  cured  a  dangerous  wound  of  the  Mani  Coiigo7%lt«iLtldff 
htm  on  K&6X|)ed]Kioni>f  ofnvtlmikfiiar.hvi^^  iw^Ql  ialthe 

iQCeri<rt  Wi^UiaV*»  U^t44hi^floug«M«f^.TJw  ?££fKfi;VJHMt 

saw  the  bkesjt  forp^Jn  i^^^^^^^  ,^^^,^  j^^,^.^^^^  ^^^^ 


2iS^  coNoa.  . 

of  n  hill.  Here  a  little  wateri  brought  us  by  tfad^ 
wives  of  these  BushmeD,  for  they  had  no  httt,  waa 
our  supper,  and  the  broken  granite  fttooe»  our  bed* 
III  the  iBorning  we  returned  to  Mavooada. 

The  people  of  Mavoonda  were  gteatly  astonished 
on  seeing  the  movements  of  a  watch  and  a  poekel^ 
compass,  particularly  at  the  needle  always  podnfting 
to  the  same  spot  on  the  riven  On  the  first  of 
September  it  was  observed  that  the  river  had  be- 
gun to  rise. 

On  the  2d  of  September  I  quitted  Mavoonda» 
and  proceeded  up  the  river  by  land.  My  baggage 
was  carried  by  black  men ;  and  I  found  these  the 
most  provoking  animals  of  burden  I  ever  employed. 
At  one  o'clock  we  dined  near  a  stream  of  water^ 
the  only  one  we  had  seeti  large  enough  to  turn  a 
mill.  At  six  I  pitched  my  tent ;  but  in  the  mid- 
dle of  the  night  I  was  driven  out  of  it  by  a  legion 
of  ants,,  and  was  obh'ged  to  take  refuge^  from  the 
torment  they  occasioned,  on  the  grass^  though  it 
was  now  wet  with  showers. 

The  next  day,  on  the  summit  of  one  of  the  hills, 
we  met  a  cafilah  of  slaves  on  their  way  to  Embomma* 
The  traders,  who  were  eight  in  number,  carried 
muskets ;  and  the  slaves,  twenty-two  in  number, 
were  loaded  with  casava  and  ground  nuts,  some  of 
which  were  kindly  given  to  us.  One  man  and 
four  boys  were  from  the  Soonda  country,  and  all 
said  they  had  been  taken  in  the  bushes.  One  of 
the  boys  uttered  the  most  violent  screams  on  see- 
ing the  white  men,  and  even  the  children  of  seven 
or  eight  years  old,  held  fast  by  the  hand  of  their 
ow^iers  while  we  were  present.  At  three  o'clock 
we  arrived  at  the  bank  of  the  river  a  little  above 
the  upper  sangalla^  which  is  a  ledge  of  rocjcs  run- 


RIVIR  OF  CONGO.  9t&'- 

Bing  ^Uite  across  it,  and  forming  a  eMdtv^Vl^gbi^' 
than  that  of  Yellala.  About  a  mile  bdjond  lAAt^ 
the  river  greatly  expanded,  and  the  iMd  Oti'>«adk  ' 
side  became  lower,  though  it  was  stfil  iMnMn  MAhdl^ 
destitute  of  wood.  In  a  creek  called  Coildo  ¥ot>ga 
we  passed  the  night  in  the  hearing  of  tb^  cdntiitild<> 
grunting  of  hippopotami.  j 

On  the  third  day  from  Inga,  witii  sMsdi  difir^' 
culty,  I  procured  two  canoes,  to  ferry  u^^vef  ti|e' 
creek }  for  which  service  I  paid  eight  yards  io£' 
cloth  and  six  strings  of  beads.  As  soon  as  the 
baggage  was  placed  in  the  canoes,  my  poitersde*' 
sired  to  return  ;  but,  as  they  had  engaged  to  fp3^' 
to  fiamba  Yonga,  the  fear  of  losing  their  waf^es  at 
length  induced  them  to  proceed.  They  had  not 
walked  more  than  a  mile  on  the  other  side  of  the 
creek,  when  they  laid  down  their  loads,  and  refused 
to  go  any  farther.  In  this  manner  they  harassed 
me  till  noon ;  laying  down  their  loads  when  they 
had  walked  ten  minutes ;  walking  back  ^y  or 
sixty  yards  as  if  they  were  going  to  leave  me  { 
then  returning,  and  after  a  palaver  of  half  an  hour, 
taking  up  their  loads.  Wearied  with  these  re^ 
peated  delays^,  I  halted  for  the  night  on  l^e  emi- 
nence that  bounded  the  river,  about  eight' miles 
above  the  last  night's  station. 

The  river  here  expanded  to  three  m'iles-itt 
breadth,  and  the  country  was  more  populOM^tbati 
before :  the  gentlemen's  towns  forming  a<  conti- 
nued chain  of  buildings  frcmi  our  having  crossed 
the  creek.  Provisions  also  seemed  more  plenti- 
ful; several  goats,  pigs,  and  fowls  having  been 
brought  for  sale.  Among  the  crowd  that* sur- 
rounded my  tent,  only  two  or  thretr  of  4he'  foo^ 
moos,  or  gentlemen,  had  any  Eurc^an  clothing. 


fSO  •     CONGO. 

On  the  fourth  day^  finding  it  imponible  to  get 
oanoes  without  the  intervention  of  the  chenoo  of 
Yonga,  I  sent  forward  my  guide  of  Inga,  with  a 
piece  of  chintz^  to  be  divided  among  his  great 
men.  Having  given  to  my  prince  interpreter  and 
my  other  Embomma  man  a  dress  of  chintz  each, 
they  amused  me  by  performing  a  war-dance,  a 
hunting-dance,  a  love^dance^  and  a  pantomime.  In 
the  war-dance,  the  performer  looks  about  from 
side  to  side,  as  if  expecting  an  enemy  ;  and  flou- 
rishes a  sword,  which  he  holds  in  his  hand,  half  a 
dozen  times  towards  the  quarter  in  which  the  ene- 
my is  supposed  to  appear.  He  advances,  his  eyes 
glowing  with  fire,  and  returns  triumphant ;  while 
the  spectators  alternately  clap  their  hands  and 
strike  their  breasts. 

Crocodiles  are  numerous  here,  It  is  said  that 
they  frequently  carrryofi^  the  women  who  go  down 
to  the  river  for  water,  and  that  one  of  the  party  is 
usually  employed  in  throwing  large  stones  into  the 
water,  while  the  others  are  filling  their  calabashes. 
Only  one  was  killed  by  my  people :  its  length 
was  nine  feet  three  inches,  its  circumference  at 
the  shoulders  three  feet  seven. 

A  foomoo  waited  on  me  with  a  present  of  a 
goat,  for  which  I  gave  him  four  yards  of  chintz, 
and  a  necklace.  This  gentleman  promised  to  pro- 
cure me  two  canoes. 

On  the  fifth  day  of  my  journey  from  Inga,  with 
much  difficulty,  I  hired  two  canoes,  which  would 
barely  carry  eight  men  each  ;  and  as  these  could 
not  contain  all  my  people,  I  walked  along  the 
shore  with  the  others.  We  came  to  a  bay  in 
which  were  ten  hippopotami,  and,  as  the  canoes 
could  not  venture  among  these  huge  animals,  we 


RIVXR  OV  CONGO.  961 

fytd  volleys  at  them  from  the  shore^  which,  toge- 
ther with  the  exwcism  o£  our  old  guide,  drove 
them  away.  The  river  now,  for  the  first  time  had 
a  majestic  appearance.*  llie  land  on  each  side 
was  moderately  elevated ;  but  still  it  was  almost 
destitute  of  wood.  At  six  o'clock  in  the  evening 
we  andiored  in  a  fine  bay  named  Covinda.  The 
night  presented  a  beautifiil  picture  of  repose. 
The  scenery  was  fine,  the  water  was  still,  and  the 
moon  shed  her  tranquil  light  around  us. 

On  the  sixth  day  the  morning  set  in  with  light 
rain,  and  the  river  had  risen  three  inches  in  the 
night.  I  bought  a  goat  at  Covinda,  and  found 
the  people  very  civil.  At  eight  o^clock  we  pur- 
sued our  course,  and  opened  upon  beautiful- 
scenery  ;  fine  grassy  coves,  and  rocks  resemUing 
ruined  castles.  Having  passed  many  marble  pro* 
montories,  at  one  o'clock  we  stopped  to  dine. 
Here  a  boxing-match  took  place  between  two  of 
the  canoe-men  about  a  little  salti  They  both  used 
their  fists  with  much  science ;  and  after  each  had 
received  a  hearty  drubbing,  the  afiair  was  amicably 
adjusted  by  the  interference  of  their  companions, 
and  the  two  combatants  performed  a  dance.  At 
fom  we  reached  a  rocky  promontory  ;  and  here, 
crossing  the  river,  and  discharging  the  canoes,  I 
encamped  in  a  fine  grassy  cove  on  the  southern 
side.  Both  ends  of  the  reach  being  shut  in  by  the 
land,  the  river  presented  the  appearance  of  a 
beautiful  mountain-lake. 

On  the  seventh  day  of  our  journey  from  Inga, 
I  procured  six  men  to  carry  my  baggage  thai  day 
and  the  next;  and  after. palavering  from  eight 
o^clock  till  eleven,  we  set  out.  At  noon  we 
reached  Masodndy,  where  my  porters  lived,  and 


SM  CONGOir 

thejT/Set  down  ibeir  loadsp  and  mardied  cff  to  duie# 
Ift  was  two  hours  before  I  could  assemble  them 
agaio. 

We  now  passed  over  a  very  hilly  country^  with 
SQQse  £artfle  spots  on  the  sides  and  summits  of  the 
hills,  and  in  the  vaUeys ;  but  there  was  a  total 
want  of  trees,  except  in  the  ravines,  and  around 
the  great  towns>  which  were  here  very  nnmerous» 
At  half  past  three  we  came  to  the  riv»,  at  about 
ten  miles  distance  from  our  last  night's  encamp* 
ment  The  reach  formed  a  fine  expanse  of  water 
firom  four  to  five  miles  in  breadth,  and  free  from 
ooeks.  The  northern  shore  was  edged  by  a  fine 
sandy  beacln. behind  which  was  a  line  of  trees, 
and  beyond  this  the  shore  rose  gradually  till  it  ter* 
minated  in  bare  hills:  the  southern  shore  was  steep 
and  rocky.  The  natives  all  agreed  that  they  knew 
of  no  impediment  to  navigation  farther  up  the  riven 

On  the  eighth  day,  after  some  rain,  we  pro- 
ceeded through  a.  country  more  fertile,  and  with 
more  kmd  prepared  for  cultivation  than  any  we 
had  seen.  After  the  long  reedy  grass  has  shed  its 
seed,  it  is  cut  down  and  placed  in  small  heaps» 
which  are  covered  with  a  layer  of  mouldy  and  set 
on  fire*  In  the  spots  of  ashes  thus  formed  are 
planted  the  peas  and  the  Indian  corn^  and  in  the 
spaces  between  them  the  manioca.  The  next 
rains  bring  again  a  csop  of  grass  firom  the  seeds 
deposited  by  the  former. 

After  travelling* two  hours,  we  reached  the  gen- 
tteman's  town  of  VTookey-filou^  where  my  porters 
had  a  long  palaver  for  palm  wine,  which  I  was 
obliged  to  purchase  at  a  high  rate  heforie  they 
would. move  a  step  farther.  Unfortunately  I  spilt 
some  of  it  at  the  foot  of  my  gentleaow  guide} 


£XT£NT  W  THE  JOURNEY.  258 

Upon  which  he  left  me  in  a  most  vicAent  ngt, 
taking  all  his  men  with  him.  I  now  learned  that; 
next  to  pointing  a  musket  at  a  gentleman,  the 
grossest  insult  that  could  be  offered  him  was  the 
spilling  of  palm  wine.  After  making  an  afw- 
lagf  for  my  want  of  politeness^  and  making  him 
a  present  of  three  bunches  of  beads,  it  was  fuU 
two  hours  before  my  guide  would  shake  hands 
with  me,  and  call  back  his  men. 

The  houses  here  were  laiger  than  below. 
At  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  we  arrived^U:  the 
head  of  a  deep  reach  called  Soondy  N'Sanga, 
where  we  halted  to  dine.  After  our  repast  was 
ended,  my  porters  refused  to  proceed  any  farther, 
asserting  that  they  had  already  walked  two  days ; 
and  finding  all  my  persuasions  unavailing,  I  pitched 
my  tent  at  this  place. 

Here  I  was  about  a  hundred  miles  above  Inga, 
and  two  hundred  and  eighty  from  Cape  Padron  ; 
and  here  I  was  obliged  to  return.  ^<  What  !"*  says 
one  of  the  readers  of  these  Travels,  *^  when  the 
river  was  no  longer  obstructed  by  rocks  i  and  the 
country  more  fertile  and  better  inhabited !"  I  can 
assure  this  reader,  whoever. he  may  be,  that  he 
cannot  more  ardently  wish  me  to  have  traced  the 
river  of  Congo  in  the  unknown  countries  through 
which  it  flows,  than  I  did  myself;  but  I  hope  he 
will  agree  with  me  that  this  was  impracticable. 

I  had  walked  over  steep  and  rocky  hills,  and  in-^ 
haled  the  atmosphere  of  an  African  river ;  whic)}« 
though  its  banks  were  destitute  of  the  luxuriant 
vegetation  attendant  upon  some  others,  might  yet, 
and*  I  believe  did,  produce  an  exhalation  injurious 
to  life.  While  anxious  to  advance  on  my  journey, 
I  had  ea^erienced  delays  and  impediments  from 


254  06N0O. 

every  indiiriduBl  who  could  retard  my  progress. 
My  health  was  giving  way  before  these  accumu- 
lated evils.    I  had  no  beasts  of  burden.    I  had 
employed  men  to  carry  my  baggage,   till  they 
would  proceed  no  farther ;  I  had  hired  canoes,  till 
I  was  obliged  to  give  them  up  ;  I  had  hired  men, 
who  refused  to  advance  another  step.     If  these 
reasons  prove  unsatisfactory,  I  have  one  other ;  I 
had  now  little  baggage  to  carry.     Chenoos  and 
their  officers  had  been  so  rapacious  for  presents ; 
and  the  demands  of  the  common  people  for  provi* 
sions  and  labour  had  been  so  exorbitant,  that  I 
had  scarcely  cloth  enough  left  to  carry  me  to  the 
vessel. 


CHAPTER   XVII. 

MANNERS   OF   CONGO,    AND    RETURN. 

I  HE  features  of  the  natives  of  Congo  are  of  the 
negro  cast;  but  are  not  so  strongly  marked  as 
those  of  negroes  in  general,  nor  is  their  skin  so 
black.  Both  sexes  paint  themselves  with  red 
ochre,  and  before  a  bride  is  conducted  to  her  hus- 
band she  is  besmeared  with  it  from  head  to  foot. 
The  men  also  mark  their  arms  and  forehead  with 
both  red  and  white  clay.  The  chenoos  sometimes 
wear  bracelets  of  lion's  teeth. 

Boys  are  taken  from  their  mothers  as  soon  as 
they  can  walk,  and  the  father  sits  with  them  upon 
a  mat  the  whole  day.  Girls  are  left  under'  the 
care  of  the  mother.  If  a  man  get  a  few  beads  of 
different  colours,  he  sita  at  home,  stringing  them, 


MANNERS   or   CONGO.  955 

aad. placing  them  according  to  his  fftncy ;  while, 
his  wife  is  abroad^  gathering  fuel,  or  tiling  the 
ground. 

Fleas  and  bu^s  swarm  in  all  the  huts. 

The  people  of  Congo  eat  wild  honey  whenever 
they  can  find  it ;  but  they  do  not  take  the  trouble 
to  search  for  it.  They  will  live  for  a  day  on  a  lit^ 
tie  raw  manioca  and  water,  and  a  pipe  of  tobacco; 
but  they  devoured  all  the  meat  I  would  give  them. 
They  broil  fowls  with  the  feathers  on,  and  pieces 
of  goat  with  the  skin  and  hair.  When  a  sheep 
was  flayed,  the  captive  I  purchased  near  Noki  prt* 
vately  conveyed  away  the  skin,  with  the  wool  upon 
it ;  this  he  had  thrown  upon  a  smoky  fire  till  just 
warmed  through,  and,  when  discovered,  he  had 
nearly  eaten  the  whole.  A  kind  of.  reed,  called 
Sangala  woo,  is  always  kept  fresh  in  the  houses^  it 
is  chewed,  but  not  swallowed. 

Three  or  four  people  usually  had,  or  pretended 
to  have,  a  share  in  a  goat ;  and  even  a  fowl,  when 
brought  to  us,  had  generally  two  owners.  If  there 
happened  to  be  an  odd  bead,  this  created  a  dia^ 
pute. 

They  have  no  arms,  but  knives  and  a  few  mus- 
quets }  no  shot,  but  small  rounded  stones.  They 
make  their  wooden  spoons,  and  the  hafts  and 
sheaths  of  their  knives,  with  great  neatness.  The 
calabashes  are  of  all  sizes,  iM^d  the  small  ones, 
which  are  used  for  holding  the  dust  of  dried  to- 
bacco leaves,  or  snufi;  are  generally  ornamented 
with  rude  figures  of  men  and  animals,  cut  in  high 
or  low  relief.  The  larger,  which  are  sometimes  a 
yard  in  diameter,  are  used  for  washing*tubs  and 
all  sorts  of  domestic  purposes.  The  canoes  are 
made  far  up  in  the  country  ;  and  it  is  said  that  the 


S56  CONGO. 

oiaidngof  a  canoe  will  occupy  one  man  for  three 
months. 

The  people  of  Congo  have  ao  immoderate  fond- 
ness for  dancingi  especially  on  moonlight  nights. 
They  have  songs  on  love^  war,  palm  wine,  and  va- 
rious other  subjects. 

The  mafooks,  or  officers  who  collect  the  reve- 
nues arising  from  trade*  had  from  ten  to  twenty 
wives  each. 

.  The  houses  of  the  chenoos  have  several  posts 
along  the  sides  and  ends,  and  are  lined  with  palm 
leaves,  and  covered  externally  with  the  ribs  of 
palm  leaves,  bound  together  with  a  creeping  plant, 
in  regular  zig-zag  figures.  A  mat  of  grass,  thrown 
over  palm  leaves,  is  their  bed. 

When  a  chenoo  appears  abroad,  one  of  his  offi- 
cers carries  before  him  hisstaff  of  authority,  which 
is  a  small  stick  of  black  wood^  about  a  foot  in 
length,  inlaid  with  lead  or  copper  in  die  form  of 
the  worm  of  a  screw,  with  another  such  worhi 
crossing  it.  The  office  of  the  chenoo  is  heredi- 
tary; but,  on  every  demise,  the  viceroy  sends  a  cap 
to  the  successor,  as  the  investiture  of  his  dignity. 
The  chenoo,  in  his  turn,  appoints  his  officers  by 
sending  them  caps. 

In  their  warlike,  expeditions,  the  elders  of  the 
chenoo's  family  remain  behind  to  take  care  of  tke 
tdwn,  while  his  sons  and  brothers  usually  command 
the  forces  under  him.  All  the  women  are  sent 
away  before  the  war  commences ;  all  the  men  un- 
der the  government  of  the  chenoo  are  obliged  to 
fight.  They  fire  into  the  houses  of  their  enemies 
at  night ;  cut  off  the  heads  of  the  prisoners  if 
they  are  chiefs,  avd  bum  the  bodies.  Some  foo- 
moo  at  length  makes  peace  between  the  contend- 


GOVERKMElfr.  -^  RELIGION.  S57 

ing  parties^  when  each  keeps  the  trophies,  and 
puts  up  with  the  losses. 

The  ficus  religiosa  is  planted  in  every  market- 
place, and  is  considered  here,  as  in  the  east,  a 
sacred  tree.  My  people  having  piled  their  mus- 
kets against  one  of  these,  and  the  points  of  some 
bayonets  sticking  in  the  bark,  a  great  clamour  was 
raised  till  they  were  removed. 

The  negroes  of  Congo  believe  in  a  good  and  an 
evil  principle,  which  are  both  supposed  to  reside 
in  the  sky.  The  former  sends  rain,  the  latter 
withholds  it ;  but  they  do  not  seem  to  consider 
either  of  them  as  possessing  any  other  influence 
over  human  affairs.  AAer  death  they  all  take 
their  place  in  the  sky,  and  enjoy  a  happy  exist- 
ence, without  any  regard  being  paid  to  their  good 
or  bad  actions,  while  here  below. 

Each  town  has  a  grand  hissey^  or  presiding  divi- 
nity. It  is  the  figure  of  a  man,  the  body  stuck 
with  feathers,  rags,  and  bits  of  iron,  and  resem- 
bles nothing  so  much  as  one  of  our  scarecrows. 
The  chenoo  of  Cooloo  had  a  kissey.  so  redoubtable 
that  if  any  person  attempted  to  shoot  at  it,  he 
would  fall  down  dead,  and  the  flint  would  drop 
out  of  the  musket.  This  powerful  divinity  was 
the  figure  of  a  roan,  about  two  feet  high,  rudely 
carved  in  wood,  and  covered  with  rags.  One  of 
my  people,  by  means  of  a  handsome  present,  pre- 
vailed upon  the  chenoo  to  let  him  encounter  the 
|(issey ;  and  the  time  was  fixed  for  the  following 
morning.  But  in  the  evening  a  palaver  was  held 
in  the  town,  the  result  of  which  was,  that,  in.  the 
morning,  the  chenoo  came,  attended  by  nearly  all 
the  inhabitants,  to  solicit  my  interference  to  pre- 

VOt.  II.  s 


QoB  CONGO. 

vent  the  battle.  He  said,  with  great  anxiety  ia 
his  countenance,  that,  if  the  kissey  were  hit,  all 
the  neighbouring  chenoos  would  make  war  upon 
him  immediately. 

Each  house  has  also  its  particular  divinities, 
which  are  invoked  on  all  occasions,  and  are  in- 
cluded in  the  term  fetish,  mentioned  before. 
When  a  man  applies  to  a  gangam,  or  priest,  for 
a  domestic  fetish,  he  is  told  from  what  sorts  of  food 
he  must  abstain.  Children  are  forbidden  to  eat 
the  food  that  is  fetished  to  their  fathers.  Women 
are  not  to  eat  meat  the  day  that  it  is  killed. 

A  gangam  passed  through  the  town  of  Cooloo, 
attended  by  his  drum-beater,  with  the  instruments 
of  his  profession, — a  large  drum,  a  number  of  ca- 
labashes filled  with  small  stones,  and  a  dozen 
fetishes.  This  personage  was  on  his  way  to  a 
neighbouring  village,  from  whence  he  had  been 
sent  for,  to  discover  the  cause  of  the  death  of  one 
of  the  inhabitants.  On  the  following  day  he  re^ 
turned,  and  we  learned  that  he  had  denounced 
three  men  of  another  village  as  the  poisoners  of 
the  deceased  ;  and  that  they  were  immediately  to 
undergo  the  ordeal  of  chewing  poisonous  bark, 
which,  if  they  were  guilty,  would  remain  on  their 
stomachs,  and  occasion  their  deaths,  and,  if  inno- 
cent, they  would  vomit  up  instantly.  Thegangams 
diiil  not  appear  to  be  numerous,  the  one  I  saw  here 
having  come  from  a  considerable  distance.  Each 
has  usually  a  novice  with  him,  whom  he  initiates 
into  the  mysteries  of  his  profession,  and  who  suc- 
ceeds him  after  his  death.  Their  pay  consists  of 
money  mats,  of  which  this  man  had  received  a 
large  bundle. 

Poisoning  is  the  only  kind  of  murder  committed 


HISTORY  OF  CONGO.  259 

in  secret.  If  a  man  poison  an  equals  be  is  decapi- 
tated, and  the  body  is  burnt ;  if  a  superior,  the 
limbs  are  amputated  while  the  culprit  relttaans 
alive,  and  are  sent  severally  to  the  principal  towns; 
and  all  hk  male  relations,  even  infants  at  the  breast, 
are  put  to  death.  The  frequent  occurrence  of  this 
crime  has  established  the  invariable  custom  of  the 
person  who  presents  food  to  the  master  first  tasting 
it  himself;  and  the  master  performs  the  same  Cere- 
mony to  his  visitor.  This  the  negroes  'who  ^eak 
English  call  taking  off  the  fetish. - 

If  a  theft  be  discovered,  all  the  persons  impli- 
cated are  brought  before  the  priest.  After  throw- 
ing himself  into  violent  contortions,  which  are  sup- 
posed to  proceed  from  the  inspirations  of  the  kis- 
sey,  he  points  out  the  thief,  who  is  immediately 
taken  to  be  sentenced  by  a  palaver.  If  the  mar^ 
prove  his  innocence,  the  kissey  has  deceived  the 
priest. 

The  best  information  to  be  obtained  respecting 
the  hi&tory  of  the  present  time  is,  that  Lindy,  or 
Blindy,  or  Blandy  Congo  is  the  paramount  sove- 
reign of  the  country,  and  resides  at  Banza  Cpngo, 
six  days'  journey  on  the  south  of  the  river ;  that 
the  government  on  the  opposite  sides  of  the  river 
is  committed  to  two  viceroys,  Sandy  Congo,  or 
Benzy  Congo,  on  the  north,  and  Cercula  Congo 
on  the  south,  both  of  whom  reside  in  the  interior.  ' 
The  chenoo  of  Inga  receives  his  cap  from  Benzy 
Congo,  who  is  said  to  reside'ten  days'  journey  to 
the  north-west  of  that  town.  Perhaps  it  may  not 
be  uninteresting  to  trace  some  particulars  respect- 
ing this  people  from  the  accounts  of  Europeans. 

In  1480  the  Portuguese  discovered  the  river  of 
Congo,  ' 

s2 


260  CONGO. 

In  1490  Ruy  de  Sousa,  ambassador  from  the 
king  of  Portugal,  proceeded  to  the  resideHce  of 
the  king  of  Congo,  which  was  then  called  Avtf 
bassi.  When  the  Portuguese  were  on  the  road 
from  the  coast  to  the  capital,  which  was  situated 
about  150  miles  from  the  sea,  so  great  was  the 
number  of  people  who  flocked  to  see  them,  that 
the  whole  country  seemed  covered  With  spectators. 
All  the  road  was  swept  clean,  and  every  obstruc- 
tion removed,  and  the  Portuguese  were  abundantly 
supplied  with  provisions  and  necessaries  by  the 
way.  When  they  had  travelled  three  days,  they 
were  met  by  a  number  of  otScers  belonging  to  the 
court,  who  were  sent  to  meet  them  by  the  king  ; 
and  when  they  arrived  within  three  miles  of  the 
city,  the  whole  court  came  to  welcome  them.  De- 
luded king,  and  mistaken  courtiers!  they  knew 
not  that  the  Portuguese  would  buy  and  sell  the 
people !  So  great  was  the  multitude  assembled  in 
the  town,  that  every  tree  and  every  eminence  was 
filled.  The  ambassadors  and  the  priests  were  re- 
ceived with  transport ;  the  king  and  his  courtieis 
were  baptized ;  and  the  city  received  the  name  of 
Saint  Salvador,  from  a  church  that  was  built  and 
dedicated  to  our  Saviour. 

While  nothing  more  than  baptism  was  required, 
people  were  eager  to  embrace  the  Christian  refli- 
cgton.  But  when  the  monks  insisted  that  a  Chris- 
tion  should  marry  one  wife,  and  put  away  the  rest, 
it  became  another  IBair.  The.  wives  of  the  negro 
are  I\is  servants  in  the  house,  and  his  labourers  in 
4Lhc  field ;  and  he  who  had  been  accustomed  to 
possess  the  labour  of  a  hundred,  fifly,  or  even  two, 
of  these,  was  not  likely  to  be  content  with  one. 
This  accordingly  occasioned  great  opposition,  in 


HISTORY   OF   CONGO.  26l 

which  the  ladies  took  apart;  for  it  is  said  that 
those  who  were  separated  from  their  husbands, 
*^  blasphemed  and  cursed  the  new  religion  at  an 
extravagant  rate.** 

A  bishop  was  afterwards  sent  to  visit  the  Con- 
ghese ;  and  the  road  to  the  capital  w*as  not  only 
swept,  but  mats  were  laid  in  every  village  in  which 
he  might  alight ;  especial  orders  having  been  sent 
to  ^  the  chiefs  not  to  suffer  the  foot  of  the  preUte 
to  be  set  upon  the  bare  ground. 

A  Portuguese  who  arrived  at  Congo  in  the  year 
1573,  and  resided  many  years  at  St.  Salvador, 
gives  the  following  account  of  that  city  and  its  in- 
habitants. 

Banza  signifies  the  town  in  which  a  king  or  gdr 
vernor  resides.  Banza  Congo,  or  St.  Salvador,  is 
situated  on  the  summit  of  a  high  rocky  mountain^ 
above  the  river  Lelunde,  about  150  miles  from  the 
sea.  On  the  top  of  the  mountain  is  a  large  plain, 
in  the  south-east  angle  of  which  is  the  Portuguese 
town,  surrounded  by  a  wall.  The  palace  of  the 
king  is  also  inclosed  by  a  wall,  which,  as  well  as 
that  of  the  Portuguese  town,  is  about  a  mile  in 
circumference.  Between  the  two  is  a  large  open 
space,  which  is  the  market-place,  on  one  side  of 
which  is  the  principal  church  ;  the  habitations  of 
the  great  «en  open  upon  this  square.  Beyond 
these  buildings  the  aummii;  of  the  mountain  is  full 
of  villages,  and  the  habitations  of  great  men, 
each  of  which  is  itself  a  village.  The  whole  plain 
is  fertile  and  well  cultivated.  The  air  is  wholes- 
some,  and  water  is  plentiful,  but  the  best  is 
fetched  from  below.  The  plain  is  about  ten  miles 
in  circumfereimp,  and  is  inhabited  by  not  fewer 


26e  COKGQ. 

than  100,000  persons.    The  winding  ascent  of  the 
mountain,  by  the  great  road,  is  five  miles. 

The  houses  are  constructed  with  wood,  and  co- 
vere/i  with  straw,  only  one  story  high,  but  divided 
into  several  apartments,  which  are  lined  with  beau- 
tiful mats.  They  are  built  within  inclosures  formed 
with  branches  of  trees,  and  covered  with  mats. 

The  Conghese  wove  curious  cloths  of  the  fibres 
of  the  palm  leaf,  some  with  a  nap,  like  velvet, 
others  with  a  pattern,  like  damask.  In  ancient 
times  these  cloths  formed  the  apparel  of  the  sove- 
reign and  his  courtiers.  They  were  covered  from 
the  waist  downwards  with  a  cloth  of  palm  leaf, 
which  was  fastened  with  a  girdle  of  the  same  ma* 
terials  curiously  wrought  Over  this  was  an  apron 
of  the  skin  of  the  tiger-cat,  or  some  other  animal. 
On  the  shoulders  they  wore  a  cape,  and  on  the 
body  a  round  garment  reaching  to  the  knees, 
woven  like  a  net,  with  palm  leaf  fibres,  with  a 
number  of  small  tassels  of  the  same  thread  rouad 
the  bottom.  This  was  turned  up  on  the  right  side, 
and  fastened  to  the  shoulder,  to  leave  the  right  arm 
at  liberty,  and  from  that  shoulder  hung  the  tail  of 
a  zebra.  On  their  heads  they  wore  very  small 
caps  of  red  and  yellow,  and  on  their  feet  shoes 
made  of  palm  tree  wood.  The  common  people 
wore  a  garment,  from  the  waist  downwards,  like 
that  of  the  great,  but  of  coarser  materials ;  the 
rest  of  the  body  was  naked. 

Women  of  the  better  sort  wore  three  difierent 
garments  below  the  girdle;  the  first  reaching  to  the 
ieet,  the  second  shorter,  and  the  upper  one  shorter 
still,  and  edged  with  fringes.  These  were  all 
hound  round  the  waist  and  wrapped  over  before. 


MANNERS   OF  CONGO.  263 

Tli6  body  was  covered  with  a  waistcoat,  and  the 
shoulders  with  a  sort  of  cloak.  The  cap  resem- 
bled that  of  the  men.  Every  thing  was  manufac- 
tured with  the  thread  of  palm  leaf.  Servants,  and 
women  of  the  lowest  class,  were  only  clothed  from 
the  girdle  downwards. 

After  the  establishment  of  the  Portuguese  at  St. 
Sak:ador,  the  negro  king  and  his  courtiers  wore 
wide  Jackets,  cloaks,  and  tabai*ts,  of  cloth  or  silk ; 
hats  or  caps,  slippers  of  velvet  or  leather,  and  long 
swords ;  and  their  wives  wore  veils,  black  velvet 
caps  adorned  with  jewels,  and  chains  of  gold 
about  the  neck.  All  others  retained  the  dress  of 
the  country. 

The  sovereign  of  Congo  adopted,  in  some  in- 
stances the  manners,  as  well  as  the  habit  of  the  Por- 
tuguese. When  he  dined  in  public,  he  had  a  table, 
which  was  placed  on  a  raised  platform  covered  with 
Indian  tapestry ;  his  chair  was  covered  with  crim- 
son velvet,  with  nails  and  ornaments  of  gold  ;  his 
sideboard  was  covered  with  gold  and  silver  plate« 
He  ate  alone;  the  princes  standing  about  him, 
with  their  heads  covered. 

He  seldom,  continues  the  Portuguese  traveller  of 
1578,  goes  out  of  his  palace ;  and  before  he  goes, 
his  guards  sound  their  instruments,  which  may  be 
beard  at  the  distance  of  five  or  six  miles,  to  signify 
that  the  king  is  going  abroad.  On  such  occasions 
he  is  attended  by  his  courtiers,  and  by  the  Portu-^ 
guese,  in  whom  he  places  great  confidence.  Twice 
a  week  he  gives  public  audience,  but  no  m^n  ever 
speaks  to  him  except  through  his  ministers.  There 
are  few  disputes  in  Congo,  as  all  power  and  all 
property  is  derived  <  immediately  from  the  king. 
In  criminal  ca^^es  a  man  is  rarely  condemned  to 


Q6rh  COKGO. 

death.  The  king  generally  confines  him  to  some 
desert  island  ;  for  he  considers  this  a  greater  pu* 
nishment  than  to  end  life  at  a  stroke.  If  it  hap* 
pen  that  the  criminal  survive  ten  or  twelve  years, 
thd  king  commonly  pardons  him  ;  and,  if  he  be  of 
any  consideration,  employs  him  in  the  seivice  of 
the  ^tate,  as  a  person  well  disciplined,  and  enured 
to  hardship. 

Before  the  introduction  of  Christianity,  the 
coihmon  people  were  distinguished  by  the  names 
of  birds,  beasts,  plants,  and  stones.  The  chiefs 
had  the  title  of  mani,  or  lord,  prefixed  to  the  name 
of  the  place  which  they  governed  ;  the  king  him- 
self being  called  Mani  Congo,  Lord  of  Congo. 
The  people  called  themselves  Makiconghi.: 

In  1642  some  Dutch  ambassadors  were  sent  to 
the  King  of  Congo.  They  had  their  audience  at 
night,  and  were  conducted  through  a  passage  200 
yards  in  length,  between  two  rows  of  men  holding 
lighted  wax  candles.  The  king  was  seated  on  a 
chair  covered  with  velvet,  under  a  canopy  of  white 
satin  bordered  with  a  deep  gold  fringe.  His  dress 
was  of  cloth  of  gold,  over  which  he  wore  a  long 
mantle  of  velvet.  On  his  head  was  a  fine  white 
cap.  On  his  right  hand  stood  an  officer,  who 
gently  fanned  the  air  with  a  handkerchief;  on  his 
lefi^tood  another,  holding  a  bow  and  sceptre  — 
alas !  of  tin  !  Before  him,  on  the  carpet,  kndt  his 
interpretBr. 

Tieere^are  six  provinces  in  the  kingdom  of 
Congo  r^niov  Sundi,  Pango,  Bamba,  Batta,  and 
PeAiba;-  'dn  th^ryear  1666  two  Capuchin  friars  set 
ootff9<n)D'^ati^  a. place  on  the  frontiers  of  An- 
gol0l£«thertd  the  Portuguese  had  a  fi>fft,  for  Bamba, 
thD^^pital  of  one 'of  these  provinces.    Bamba  was 


JOURNEY  TO  BAMBA.  ^63 

in  the  way  to  St.  Salvador.  The  roads  were  only 
paths,  along  which  the  travellers  proceeded  in  file- 
First  marched  negroes,  carrying  burdens ;  then  a 
missionary  borne  in  a  hammock  of  net,  and  fol* 
lowed  by  other  negroes.  "  Then,"  says  the  father 
who  relates  the  story,  "came  I,  carried  in  my 
net,  which  seemed  to  me  an  easy  sort  of  carriage.** 
Negroes,  who  were  to  relieve  the  porters,  closed 
the  procession. 

At  every  libatte,  or  village,  fresh  negroes  were 
provided,  and  at  every  libatte  the  good  fathers 
performed  the  offices  of  their  function,  baptizing 
children  and  saying  mass.  The  first  of  these  vil^ 
lages,  which  is  said  to  be  a  pretty  large  one,  con* 
sisted  of  about  a  hundred  huts,  disposed  without 
any  regularity.  These  were  rather  the  dormito- 
ries than  the  habitations  of  the  people ;  the  men 
being  abroad  all  day,  conversing,  or  pursuing  dif- 
ferent amusements,  and  the  women  tilling  the 
ground,  frequently  with  a  child  at  their  back,  an0 
one  or  two  others  under  their  care.  Each  village  was 
surrounded  by  a  thorny  hedge  as  high  as  a  pike. 

On  the  journey  the  missionaries  saw  a  boa  con- 
strictor, 25  feet  in  length,  advancing  towards  them 
on  the  path.  They  turned  aside  to  a  rising  ground, 
from  whence  they  saw  it  pass,  and  observed  that 
its  motion  shook  the  herbage  as  much  as  the  pass* 
ing  of  twenty  men. 

One  evening,  instead  of  a  village,  there  were 
only  two  huts  at  the  station  of  the  travellers. 
These  had  no  fence ;  but  there  were  four  trees^ 
with  small  huts  on  the  tops  of  them,  in  which  ihe 
negroes  kept  watch  during  the  night,  while  the 
missionaries  slept  on  straw  in  one  of  the-habito- 
tions  below.    In  the  night  a  lion  and  a«  leopard 


266  JOURNEY   TO   BAMBA. 

advanced  so  near  the  hut,  that  they  plainly  distin- 
guished them  through  the  crevices,  by  the  Ught  of 
the  moon.  The  negroes  kindled  a  fire,  and  the 
unwelcome  visitors  retreated. 

At  another  time,  the  inhabitants  of  the  country 
before  them  having  set  fire  to  the  grass,  the  flames 
drove  aH  the  animals  towards  the  travellers.  The 
negroes,  aware  of  the  danger,  told  the  missionaries 
that  they  must  all  climb  the  trees.  This  was  no 
part  of  their  nnssion  j  but  happily  they  were  pro- 
vided with  a  ladder  of  ropes  which  assisted  them. 
From  the  tree  they  saw  a  troop  of  animals  pass  by, 
among  whick  were  lions,  leopards,  wolves,  and 
rhinooeroses,.  in  such  numbers  that  the  whole 
party  would  scared}'  have  afforded  them  one  good 
meal. 

After  this,  the  travellers  met  a  wounded  lion^ 
which  left  a  track  of  blood  behind  him.  He  ad* 
vaExred  towards  them  with  great  fury ;  the  bearers 
set  down  the  first  missionary,  who  had  some  diffi- 
culty to  get  out  of  his  net ;  the  negroes  took  up  their 
bows,  and  shouted ;  one  of  them,  at  the  same  time, 
set  fire  to  the  grass,  which  was  very  tali  and  dry,  it 
being  in  the  month  of  March,  and  the  lion  tmned 
aside. 

An  hour  before  night  they  arrived'at  a  village 
which  w^  not,  like  the  others,  surronnded  by 
thorns^  When  they  entered  the  market-place» 
they  found  a  great  number  of  people  assembled, 
and  w^to^  told  that  their  chief  had  been  fighting  a 
liom  ^  The  crowd  made  way  for  the  ^thei',  who, 
having*  sainted  the  chief,  reproved  him  for  having 
nO'jfeiice  rouilS  his  village.  "  Father,'^  said  the 
cbr<#,  ^f  while  I  live  there  will  be  no  need  of  a  fence ; 
itfliMi  I  am*  dead,  they  may  do  as  they  please."  On 


JOURNEY  TO  BAMBA.  ^7 

enquiry  being  made  respecting  the  particulars  of 
the  combat,  the  chief  gave  the  following  account: 
"  I  was  standing  here,  talking  with  my  people, 
when  a  hungry  lion  came  upon  us  so  unexpect- 
edly, not  roaring,  as  is  usual,  that  they,  who  were 
unarmed,  van  away.  I,  who^am  not  used  to  run 
away,  put  one  knee  and  one  hand  upon  the  ground, 
and  holding  my  knife  with  the  other  hand,  I  struck 
him,  with  all  my  force,  in  the  belly.  Finding 
himself  wounded,  he  rushed  upon  me  so  furiously, 
that  he  wounded  himself  again  in  the  throat ;  at 
the  same  time  tearing  with  his  daw,  a  piece  of 
skin  off  my  side.  My  people  then  returning  with 
their  weapons,  and  the  lion  being  wounded  in  two 
places,  he  ran  away,  losing  much  blood/' 

Besides  the  inhabitants  of  the  villages,  there 
were  many  whp,  lived  under  trees  in  the  open 
country ;  though  not  without  great  danger  from, 
wild  beasts*  Afler  travelling  through  a-  country 
in  which  these  were  so-  numerous  tliat  they  were 
frequently  obliged  to  burn  the  grass  before  they 
dared  to  pass  through  it,  they  arrived  at  Bamba, 
where  the  Capuchins  had  a  convent  of  mud 
thatched  with  straw. 

Bamba  is  said  to  be  seventy  leagues  from  (he 
sea,  and  in  the  road  from  Loanda  to  SU  Salvador, 
which  was  only  fifty.  This  is  a  difficulty  Lcannot 
overcome.  Bamba  was  a  great  town,  the  capital 
of  a  province ;  and  its  sovereign,  though  subject 
to,  and  appointed  by,  the  king  of  Congo,  appeared 
in  great  state.  He  wore  a  coat  down  to  bit  knees 
of  cloth  of  palm  leaves,  dyed  blacky  a  olo^k*  .df 
blue  cloth,  and  a  red  cap  trimmed  witli  gold. 
When  he  went  abroad,  the  son  of  one  great  man 
carried  his  hat,  the  son  of  another  his  sword,  and 
another  his  arrows.     Fifty  men  ]yent  before  him 


266  CONGO. 

playing  on  difTerent  instruments ;  and  twenty-five 
officers  and  a  hundred  men  followed  him. 

When  a  young  man  intended  to  marry,  he  made 
a  suitable  present  to  the  father  of  a  young  woman» 
and  took  hi^r  home  to  live  with  him.  If  he  conti- 
nued to  like  her  person  ;  if  he  found  her  obedient, 
and  diligent  in  her  daily  labour ;  he  retained  her 
as  his  wife.  If  she  proved  disagreeable,  refractory 
or  lazy,  he  returned  her  to  her  parents ;.  but  his 
rejection  was  no  obstacle  to  her  entering  upon  a 
state  of  probation  with  another  man.  The  woman 
was  also  at  liberty  to  quit  the  man,  if,  on  acquaint- 
ance, ^be  disapproved  of  him ;  and  it  frequently 
happened  that,  the  man  was  desirous  to  retain  the 
woman,  when  she  would  not  consent,  to  stay  with 
him.  The  Capuchins  combated  this  state  of  trial 
with  all  their  might,  and  obliged  their  converts  to 
marry  according  to  the  rules  of  the  church.  Such 
as  did  8O9  the  father  observes,  lived  so  Christian-^ 
like  and  lovingly  together,  that  the  wife  would 
sooner  suffi^r  herself  to  be  cut  to  pieces,  than  prove 
unfaithful  to  her  husbands 

When  harvest,  which  came  twice  in  the  year, 
was  over,  the  kidney-beans  were  placed  in  one 
heap,  the. Indian  corn  in  another,  and  the  same 
with  regard  to  such  other  plants  as  the  people 
cultivated.  A  portion  of  each  wa3  then  set  apart 
for>the  chief,  and  a  sufficient  quantity  for  sowing ; 
the  f  emainder  was /divided  among  the  inhabitants, 
Meordmg  to  the  number  of  persons  in  each  hut ; 
aad  the  women  assembled  to  till  the  ground  for  a 
itew^iharvest ;  the  earth  being  fruitful  and  black 
M(2  the  people.  :  * 

In  tlie  eveqing,  when  the  women  returned  from 
fr^m  the  fields,  a  fire  was  lighted  in  the  centre  of 
tl^e  hut,  and  the  family  sat  around  it  and  made 


CUSTOMS  OP  CONGO.  269 

their  repast :  after  which  they  talked^  till  deep 
laid  them  prostrate  on  the  ground. 

At  Bamba  the  good  missionary  was  attacked  by 
a  fever,  and,  hopeless  of  recovery  there,  he  was 
carried  to  Loanda,  a  journey  which  occupied 
twenty-five  days.  His  support  by  the  way  was 
St.  Antony  of  Padua,  whom,  at  times,  he  verily 
believed  he  saw  walking  before  him.  It  was  the 
opinion  at  that  time  in  Africa,  that  in  order  to  fit 
a  European  constitution  for  the  climate,  all  the 
European  blood  should  be  taken  away,  and  tl>e 
veins  filled  with  African.  In  consequence  of  this 
method  of  practice,  the  father  was  bled  ninety- 
seven  times.  Nature  kindly  assisted  art ;  fer  the 
blood  ran  out  of  the  father*s  nose,  mouth,  and  ears, 
sometimes  at  the  rate  of  three  or  four  p«unds  in  a 
day  ;  so  that  he  concludes,  and  well  he  might  con- 
clude, it  was  prodigious. 

Another  missionary,  twenty  years  after^  say s» 
that  the  man  is  obliged  to  procure  the  habitation^ 
to.  clothe  his  wife,  to  prune  the  trees,  to  clear  the 
field,  and  to  bring  home  the  palm  wine^  the 
woman  is  to  provide  food  for  her  husband  and 
children.  At  noon  she  returns  from  her  labour  in 
the  field,  prepares  the  dinner,  and  places  it  before 
her  husband ;  and  when  he  has  done  eating,  she 
and  her  children  share  what  is  left. 

On  St.  James's  day  every  chief  brings  his  contri- 
bution towards  the  maintenance  of  the  governor 
and  his  famil3s  for  the  ensuing  year.  If  he  be  to 
pay  in  fish,  he  carries  two  fi^es  at  the  end  of  faift 
spear ;  if  in  oil,  he  shews  the  nut  that  produces  it ; 
if  in  meat,  he  carries  the  horn  of  theaidmal.  CMB- 
cers  who  have  ill  executed  their  employtaenta  rare 
now  removed^  and  their  posts  given  to  ctkvtrs^'^thi 


270  cawGO. 

this  occasion  the  prince  or  governor  is  seated  under 
the  great  tree  in  the  market-place. 

The  ordinary  habit  of  the  prince  was  a  vest  of 
straw  cloth,  of  peculiar  workmanship,  worn  only 
by  himself  and  by  pei^sons  to  whom  he  granted  the 
privilege  of  wearing  it.  This  was  girded  round 
the  waist,  and  reached  to  the  ground  j  over  it 
w^  worn  a  long  cloak  of  black  baize,  and  on  his 
head  a  little  cap  of  stitched  silk.  His  house  was 
built  of  boards,  and  the  front  painted.  When  he 
went  to  church,  a  velvet  chair  with  a  cushion,  was 
carried  before  him,  and  he  was  preceded  by  a  musi- 
cian carrying  small  bells  hung  on  a  rod,  and  chant- 
ing to  their  music  the  glory  and  grandeur  of  his  lord. 
The  prince  was  carried  in  a  hammock  of  net,  by 
two  men,  one  of  whom  bore  a  staff  of  silver,  the 
other  of  ebony  tipped  with  silver.  There  were 
generally  two  umbrellas  of  peacock's  feathers,  and 
two  of  straw  carried  before  him  on  long  poles,  and 
two  horses'  tails  to  driue  away  the  flies.  The  per- 
sons employed  in' these  offices  were  his  favourites 
or  relations.  When  the  prince  left  the  church,  he 
knelt,  and  all  the  people  gave  themselves  what  the 
missionary  terms,  <'  several  good  cufis  on  the  ear,*' 
in  token  of  their  attachment  to  their  sovereign. 

About  the  year  1686  this  missionary  visited  the 
King  of  Congo  at  Lemba,  which  was  now  his  resi- 
deujce,  St.  Salvador  having,  by  frequent  wars,  been 
deserted,  and  become  a  den  of  thieves.  What 
these  wars  were  the  monk  does  not  say ;  but  I 
violently  suspect  that  the  Portuguese  had  a  hand 
in  them  ;  because  the  crown  was  in  their  posses- 
sion at  Loanda,  and  the  king  was  very  desirous  to 
have  it  restored,  and  to  make  St«  Salvador  again 
the  royal  residence. 


CONGO.  271 

When  the  Capuchin  arrived  within  half  a  mile 
of  the  city  of  Lemba,  he  received  orders  to  proceed 
no  farther,  till  he  had  permission  from  the  king» 
and  he  was  left  with  only  his  interpreter.  At 
length  several  persons  came  with  an  order  to  con- 
duct him  to  court.  When  he  approadied  the  city, 
he  was  again  stopped,  to  wait  the  arrival  of  the*se- 
cretary.  This  officer  conducted  him  into  the 
market-place,  where  he  found  an  innumerable 
multitude  of  people,  who  were  arranged  on  each 
side,  singing  the  rosary  in  the  Conghese  language. 
At  the  upper  end  sat  the  king,  who  received  the 
missionary  with  great  devotion. 

The  king  was  very  desirous  to  retain  the  holy 
man  at  Lemba ;  but  his  mission  was  at  Sonio,  and 
after  a  stay  of  twenty  days,  he  returned.  During 
his  stay  at  Lemba  he  visited  the  queen-mother. 
It  was  evening,  and  on  his  entrance  he  was  met 
by  two  servants  with  torches.  In  the  second  room 
were  two  other  servants  With,  and  four  without, 
torches ;  and  in  the  third  were  two  more  with 
torches,  and  a  greater  number  of  attendants. 
These  introduced  him  into  the  presence  of  the 
queen,  who  was  sitting  on  a  carpet  with  her 
daughter,  wrapped  in  a  long  cloak,  which  was 
brought  under  her  arm.  This  lady,  rising,  and 
placing  her  hands  on  her  sides,  declared,  that, 
tiow  they  had  the  father,  she  should  not  suffer 
him  to  leave  the  court.  She  was  afterwards 
convinced  by  his  reasons,  and  permitted  him  to 
depart. 

The  people  of  Congo  owe  at  least  one  improve- 
ment of  their  condition  to  the  zeal  and  activity  6i 
the  catholic  missionaries.  On  the  death  of  the 
monarch,  young  ladies  were  accustomed  to  fight 


272  CONGO^ 

and  kill  each  other,  for  the  honour  of  being 
buried  ative  with  the  dead  body;  and  the  victors 
leaped  into  the  grave  in  their  best  apparel,  to  be 
ready  to  wait  upon  the.  king  in  the  world  to  come. 
The  Congbese  are  now  content  to  honour  their 
deceased  sovereign  bj  eating  and  drinking  immo- 
d^hitely  during  eight  days. 

The  missionaries  say,  that  the  flesh  of  captives 
taken  in  war.  was  puhiickly  sold  in  the  market  of 
,St.  Salvador.  Now  it  is  certain  that  the  Portu- 
j^ese  chose  rather  to  buy  and  sdl  captives  than  to 
eat  them  ;  and  this  might  be  considered  an  ame- 
lioration of  their  condition ;  but  this  I  am  inclined 
to  doubt.  If  no  more  captives  were-  sold  than 
were  formerly  devoured j  and  if  years  of  suffering 
were  preferable  to  instant  death,  then  would  this 
be  an  improvement.  But  where  are  now  the 
countless  multitudes  that  flocked  to  gaze  at  the 
ambassador  on  his  way  to  St.  Salvador,  and  the 
monks  on  their  way  to  Bamba  ?  I  am  afraid  this 
is  a  quastiwi  to  be  answered  in  the  West  Indies. 
And  if  Great  Britain,  and  every,  other  state  ivt 
Europe,  were  to  make  laws  against  the  slave  trade, 
still  would  the  Portuguese,  these  long-practised 
traders  in  human  beings,  deal  in  their  feUow- 
creatures. 

The  domestic  slaves  in  Congo- are  never  sold, 
except  on  account  of  misbehaviour,  when  a  pala- 
ver is  held  to  decide  on  their  conduct.  They  are 
sometimes  pawned  for  debt;  but  they  are  re- 
deemed as  soon  as  possible.  The  marketable  slaves 
are  those  purchased  of  the  itinerant  black  tradeirs, 
and  are  such  as  have  been  takaa  in  w»r,  con- 
demned for  crime,  or,  as  the  negroes  who  speak 
Englibh  express  it,  caught  in  the  bush.  The  danger 


CONGO.  273 

of  being  caughtt  and  sold  for  a  slai^,  represses 
every  desire  of  the  people  of  one  town  to  go'fiur* 
ther  than  the  next  Every  man  I  conversed  with 
acknowledged  that  the  practice  of  catching  would 
no  longer  existt  if  white  men  did  not  come  for 
slaves ;  and  that  nine~  or  ten  of  their  wars  were 
the  result  of  this  abominable  traffic.  The  great 
men>  who  derive  a  large  portion  of  their  revenue 
from  the  presents  it  produces,  alone  desire  its 
coi^tinuance,  \^ 

On  the  10th  of  September  I  set  out  from  Soondy 
N'Sanga  on  my  return  to  the  mouth  of  the  river  of 
Congo.  On  the  12th  I  crossed  the  creek  of  Coiido 
Yonga,  in  a  canoe ;  other  creeks,  which  were  dry 
in  our  way  upwards,  were  now  filled  with  water, 
land  we  were  obliged  to  go  high  up,  and  pass  them 
on  fallen  trees.  On  the  ISth  I  reached  Inga,  so 
weak  and  ill,  that  I  was  unable  to  secure  my 
effects ;  and  my  silver  spoons,  great  coat,  and  a 
number  of  other  articles  weite  stolen.  On  the  14th 
I  arrived  at  Cooloo,  and  procured  from  the  che^- 
noo  a  goat,  some  fowls,  and  some  eggs.  The 
people  received  us  with  great  hospitality ;  all  ran 
cheerfully  to  assist  us  j  brought  us  water,  wood 
for  our  fire,  and  grass  for  our  beds. 

On  the  15th  we  reached  the  river^  and  I  hired 
a  canoe ;  and  on  the  18th  I  arrived  at  the  vessel, 
and  found  it  crowded  with  goats,  fowls,  pigeons, 
pumpkins,  plantains,  and  flaskets  of  palm  wine. 
Here  I  soon  recovered  my  health. 

At  Tatt-trees,  the  b^^inning  of  the  mangroves, 
the  river  had  risen  seven  feet;  but  its  velocity 
was  not  increased* 


vol.  ir. 


274 

CHAPTER  XVnL 

CACOMGO.      L0AN60. 

AfT£R  quitting  the  river  of  Congo,  we  anchored 
off  Afolemba  Point,  and  were  surprised  by  a  visit 
from  the  mafook  of  Malemba,  the  port  of  the 
kingdom  of  Cacongo.  This  great  man  arrived  in 
a  European  four-oared  boat,  with  a  number  of 
attendants  in  two  canoes.  Qne  of  these  addressed 
me  in  English,  telling  me  that  he  was  a  gentle- 
man, and  his  name  was  Tom  Liverpool.  The 
mafook  asked  me  if  I  wanted  slaves,  and  was 
much  disappointed  on  my  answering  in  the  nega- 
tive ;.  saying,  he  was  overloaded  with  them,  and 
would  sell  them  at  half  their  value.  His  conva*- 
sation  was  partly  in  broken  £ngli^,  and  partly  in 
somewhat  better  French. 

The  dress  of  these  gentry  was  European  above 
the  waist ;  below,  it  was  the  garment  of  the  ooun* 
try,  a  piece  of  checked,  or.  other  cotton  cloth,  and 
over  this  an  apron  made  of  the  skin  of  some  ani^. 
mal ;  the  apron  is  only  worn  by  gentlemen.  -The 
caps  of  office  were  neatly  embroidered,  and  of 
tnirious  workmanship  ;  the  others  w£re  of  red  or 
striped  worsted,  and  not  the.  manufacture  of  the 
country.  The  gentlemen  wore  rings. of  ircm  and 
copper  on  the  ancles  and  wrists,  welded  so  as  not 
to  be  taken  off;  many  of  the  copper  had  raised 
figures.  Beads,  and  hairs  of  the  ele^baM'a  tail» 
iwisted  into  cords,  were  worn  round  the  neck. 
These  seemed  to  ^be  Anltiplied  in  proportion,  to 


CACONGO.  S7^ 

the  puppyism  of  the  wearer ;  the  graver  and  older 
men  having  only  one  or  two,  while  some  of  the 
younger  had  so  many  that  they  could  not  move 
the  head  without  difficulty.  All  were  loaded  with 
fetishes  of  the  most  heterogeneous  kinds ;  homs» 
stones,  rags,  wood,  and  bits  of  shells,  but  the  most 
esteemed  seemed  to  be  a  ^monkey's  bone.  The 
prmcipal  fetish  of  the  mafook  was  a  piece  of  sculp- 
ture representing  two  men  with  high  £»reheads 
and  aquiline  noses,  surrounded  wirii  various  kinds 
of  rubbish,  and  slung  over  the  shoulder  by  a  belt 
made  of  the  skin  of  a  snake. 

My  Malemba  guests  were  cheerful,  clean, 
dressed  even  to  foppery,  and  had  the  manners  of 
the  French,  the  people  with  whom  they  have  the 
greatest  intercourse.  Tammee  Gomma,  the  ma- 
fook,  was  a  man  of  middle  age,  tall,  and  well 
made,  with  a  noble  and  interesting  countenance, 
which  resembled  more  that  of  an  Arab  than  a 
negro.  At  dinner  he  carved  the  meat,  and  he 
and  his  officers  drank  my  health  ;  but  I  must  con- 
less  that  they  paid  their  devotions  to  my  brandy 
bottle  till  I  thought  it  right  to  dismiss  them. 

I  dki  not  go  on  shore  at  Cacongo ;  but  an  ex- 
tract from  the  relation  of  some  French  missiona- 
ries who  arrived  at  Malemba  in  the  year  I768,  will 
give  the  reader  of  these  travels  an  idea  of  the 
country  and  its  inhabitants. 

From  Malemba  one  of  the  Others  repaired  to 
KingMli,  the  capital,  and  the  usual  residence  of 
the  king.  This  city  was  an  assemblage  of  thou- 
sands  of  hous9s,  made  of  rushes  and  pahn  leaves. 
It  was  situated  in  a  pleasant  open  plain ;  the  air 
waS'  pure ;  and  the  inhabitants  were  not  incom- 
moded by  flies,  which  are  generally  so  trouble^ 

T  2 


276  CACONGO. 

some  in  hot  countries.   The  environs  were  planted 
with  palm  and.  other  trees. 

The  missionary  met 'with  a  £si¥oaFable  reception 
from .  the  king  of  Cacongo  z  and  the  Mangova, 
his  first  minister,  gave  orders  that  a  house  should 
be  erected  for  him  ;  but  the  poor  missionajry  was 
seised  with  the  fever.  *  In  the  midst  of  his  saflfer- 
ings  he  dreaded  nothing  so  much  as  going  into 
the  Jiext  world  attended  by  the  superstitions  of 
the  negroes  f  and  he  intreated  the  mangova,  who 
came  to  visit  him,  that,  in  case  of  his  death,  he 
might  be  buried  without  any  ceremony,  in  the 
cassock  he  then  wore.  The  minister  assured  him 
that  the  king  had  too  great  an  affection  for. him  to 
suffer  it.  **  No,"  continued  he,  ^*  I  hope  the 
king's  ganga  will  restore  you  to  health ;  but  if 
you  die,  your  funeral  will  be  celebrated  Jike  those 
of  the  great  men  of  the  kingdom.  Your  body 
will  be  wrapped  in  a  great  number  of  stuifi ;  ex- 
posed in  a  house  during  nine  or  ten  months,  an4 
the  servants  of  the  king  will  go  every  night  .W 
dance  and  sing  round  if  The  discussion  of  the 
funeral  of  the  missionary  was  rendered  useless,  by 
the  recovery  of  his  health. 

The  missionary  was  joined  by  his  fi^low  la* 
bourer.  The  king  of  Cacongo  gave  them  all,  and 
more  than  all  they  asked  ;  made  them  travel  in 
his  own  hammock,  and  offered  to  put  to  death  any 
one  who  should  ndolest.them.  This  bon  roi,  as  he 
is  called,  is  said  to  have  been  126  years  of  age : 
how  his  age  could  be  ascertained  among  a  people 
who  keep  no  account  of  time,  belonged  to  the 
missionaries  to  explain. 

The  minister  speared  to  be  less  disinterested 
than  his  master ;  and  the  holy  men  obse£yed^  that 


CHRISTIAN-  ESTABLISHMENT.  277 

be  favoured  their  cause  more  or  less»  according  to 
the  presents  they  made  him.  By  a  present  judi- 
ciously given,  they  accelerated  the  construction  of 
a  chapel,  which  they  ornamented  to  the  best  of 
their  power  with  gilt  paper :  and  by  the  time  they 
had  been  a  year  in  the  country:,  they  were  suffi- 
dently  acquainted  with  the  language  to  begin 
their  public  instructions.  The  king  made  one  of 
the  congpegation  at  their  first  service,  sitting  cross- 
li^ged  on  a  carpet;  his  officers  and  great  men 
were  seated  round  him  .at  a  distance  ;  the  rest  of 
the  hearers  placed  jthe^selves  promiscuously,  and 
the  pr,eacher  was  provided  with  a  bench. 

Haying  bee;n  thus  successful  in  the  capital,  one 
of  t^e  nUssionaries  endeavoured  to  spread  the 
gospel  in  the  country.  His  first  essay  was  at  tlie 
house  of  a  great  man,  who  had  married  one  of  the 
princesses,  and  who  lived  about  eighteen  miles 
from  Kinguel^.  Nothing  could  exceed  the  kind- 
ness of  his  reception,  or  the  fervent  desire  of  this 
gentleman  to  become  a  Christian ;  but  the  jniSf 
sionary  chose  to  continue  his  travels,  and  visited 
successively  Malemha  and  Ka!a.  He  met  with  no 
opposition  from  any  of  the  great  men,  except  a 
few  of  those  who  ^ere  in  habits  of  intercourse  with 
the  Europeans  on  the  coast. 

The  health  of  the  missionaries  again  failed 
them  ;  and  it  is  scarcely  to  be  wond^ed  at5  for^ 
added  to  the  insalubrity  of  th^  jclimate  to  £u^ 
ropean  constitutions,  they  lived  chiefly  upon  s^ted 
meat  and  wine,  brought  from  France.  Having 
^vith  difficulty  obtained  leave  of  the  king,  and  his 
minister,  the  mangova^  they  quitted  the  promised 
harvest  of  souls,  and,  in  1770,  returned  to  their 
own  country* 


278  CACONGO. 

In  the  year  1773  other  French  missionaries  ar- 
rived at  Cacongo,  and  had  landd,  assigned  them  "by 
the  king,  on  an*  eminence,  in  a  beautiful  pliainy 
not  far  from  Malemba.  But  before  they  could  tiB 
the  ground  he  had  given  them  they  wanted  food  j 
and  when  salted  provisions  had  been  given  tbeto 
by  their  countrymen  on  the  coast,  they  wanted 
health. 

These  missionaries  met  with  no  traces  of 
Cliristianity  left  by  their  predecessors ;  but  they 
were  informed  that  a  colony  of  Christians  of  Sonio 
had  crossed  the  river  of  Congo  some  time  before^ 
and,  with  permission  of  the  king  of  Cacongo,  had 
founded  a  small,  distinct  province  in  his  kingdom. 
One  of  these  Christians  had  come  from  Man-* 
guenza,  the  capital,  to  sell  the  flour  of  Turkey 
wheat  at  Kilonga,  a  village  bordering  on  the  Mis- 
sionary settlement,  and  was  oveijoyed  to  discover 
that  priests  had  arrived  in  the  country.  On  his 
return  he  was  dispatched  to  the  missionaries  by 
Don  Juap^  the  governor  of  the  colony,  to  conduct 
them  to  Manguenza. 

Two  of  the  missionaries  set  out,  and,  as 
KihgueM  lay  in  their  way,  they  presented  them- 
selves at  the  audience  of  the  king,  and  acquainted 
him  with  the  motive  of  their  journey.  The  king 
approved  of  the  undertaking ;  but  the  missiona- 
ries soon  found  they  had  committed  an  error  in 
not  addressing '  themselves  to  the  mangova, 
through  whom  the  application  should  have  been 
made ;  for  the  monarch  revoked  his  permission, 
and  the  missionaries  were  told  that  they  must 
proceed  no  farther.  AH  remonstrances  to  the 
mangova  were  vain,  and  they  returned  to  Kilonga. 

Pedro,  the  meal-merchant,  proceeded  to  Man- 


CACONGO.  279 

guenza  wjth  the  unwelcome  tidings ;  and  Don 
Juan^  who  was  a  relation  of  the  minister,  sent  him 
back  to  Kinguel6  to  soh'cit  his  consent  for  the  mis- 
sionaries to  pass.  The  request  was  accompanied 
by  a  present  which  added  to  its  weight ;  the  mi- 
nister told  the  envoy  that  he  could  refuse  nothing 
to  his  relation ;  and  the  missionaries  set  out  for 
Manguenza  a  second  time. 

They  passed  the  first  night  in  the  open  air,  and 
the  next  day  they  arrived  at  Kinguel^  and  ws^ited 
upon  the  mangova.  He  said  it  would  be  proper  for 
them  to  see  the  king,  and  he  sent  an  officer  to 
conduct  them  to  him,  and  to  request  his  permis* 
sion  for  them  to  proceed  to  Manguenza.  It  was 
now  his  majesty's  turn  to  refuse,  and  he  declared 
that  he  never  would  consent  to  the  journey.  Poor 
Pedro  was  in  despair  at  this  second  disappoint- 
ment }  but  the  missionaries  sagaciously  concluded, 
that  if  the  minister  had  power  to  detain  them 
when  they  had  the  king*s  leave  to  depart,  he 
might  be  able  to  expedite  their  journey  when  the 
king  forbade  it.  And  so  it  proved ;  for  when  they 
reported  the  affitir  to  the  mangova,  he  took  upon 
himself  the  office  of  speaking  to  the  sovereign^ 
and  ordered  them  to  continue  their  journey  the 
next  morning. 

From  Kinguel^  the  missionaries  travelled  east- 
ward ;  and  having  passed  a  Christian  village  called 
Guenga,  belonging  to  the  colony,  they  arrived  in 
the  evening  at  Manguenza.  This  town  was  about 
thirty-six  miles  distant  from  Kinguel^,  and  nearly 
the  same  from  the  river  of  Congo.  The  mis- 
sionaries were  received  with  transport  by  the 
black  Don  Juan,  and  his  sable  Portuguese 
Christians.    They  were  conducted  in  procession 


280  CACONGO. 

to  tiie!  church,  an  edifice  not  diflering  from  tlie 
ismritte  habitationB)  but  it  cbataiiied  a  kind  of 
^dbir^  covered  with  a  mat,  and  a  crucifix  fns 
placed  upon  it;  Canticles  were  chanted  on  one 
aide,  and  baptisms  pnnaded  for  ob  the  other,  be^ 
fore  the  groveling  necessities  of  eatiiig  and  drink* 
ing  were  thought  of  by  either. 

In  the  course  of  eight  days  that  the  misaiQiia^ 
ties  remained  at  Manguenza,  they  baptized  945 
children,  besides  performing  the  other  <^cea  of 
their  function.  It  does  not  appear  that  marriage 
was  of  the  number ;  and  the  French  .misaionaricab 
perhaps  more  conciliating  than  the  Portugtieaei  are 
silent  on  the  subject  of  polygamy* 

They  estimate  the  inhabitants  of  the  Christian 
colony  at  four  thousand. 

.  Don  Juan  having  vainly  endeavoured  to  retain 
the  priests  in  his  little  territory,  gave  them  two 
goats  as  a  parting  present,  a  rich  present,  they  ob- 
serve, for  so  poor  a  country.  He  advised  them, 
however,  to  give  one  of  them  to  the  king  of 
Cacongo,  as  a  means  to  preserve  his  favour.  At 
Kinguel^  they  went  to  return  thanks  to  the  man- 
gova,  and  intended  aflerwards  to  present  them- 
selves before  the  king,  and  offer  him  the  goat.; 
but  the  minister  thought  it  sufficient  to  send  it  by 
Pedrp,  as  coming  from  Don  Juan,  and.  did  not 
choose  that  the  journey  of  the  missionaries  should 
be  mentioned;  doubtless  because  he  had  not  men- 
tioned it  himself.  From  Kinguel^  the  missiona^ 
rles  returned  to  their  brethren  on  the  plain  of 
Kilonga.    . 

Though  the  Christian  teachers  were  in  general 
received  with  rapture,  and  their  doctrines  with 
little  less,  it  does  not  appear  that  they  made  any 


KING  OF  tACOJXGO.  ^1 

fdagam  in  their  pious  worlc.  Tbey:  smtaed  to 
be  ins  want  jj£  patronage;  almost  in  want  of  Aod, 
Mid  incapable  of  providing  it  for  tbemselve^^  and 
they  called  ihe  climate  ^^  murderous  fira*  French- 
men," •  In  their  last  accounts  they  were  on  the 
point  of  beUeving;  that  they  were  not  the  chosen 
instruments  for  the  conversion  of  the  pbople  of 
Cacongo. 

From  the  missionaries  we  learn  the  following 
particulars  respecting  the  inhabitants  of  Cacongo. 
^  By  a  custom  of  which  the  people  know  neither 
tiie  origin  nor  the  intention,  but  which  they  regard 
as  esaential  to  the  existence  of  their  monarchy, 
the  kings  of  Cacongo  may  not  possess,  or  even 
toucfat  any  European  articles  of  >fbod  or  clothing. 
Neither  white  men,  nor  black,  are  admitted  into 
their  palace,  clad  in  European  stuffs.  The  kiug 
•eats  in  one  room,  and  drinks  in  another.  .He  eats 
in  priv&te^  and  drinks  in  public;  Th^  apartment 
in  which  he  drinks  is  closed  on  three  sidesj  and 
rti^en  on  the  fourth,  and  the  drinking  of  the  king 
is  the  time  that  his  officers  assemble  to  pay  their 
court :  not,  however,  to  witness  his  drinking.;  for, 
when  the  cup  is  presented  to  the:  monarch,  a 
.ganga,  who  is  at  once  his  physician,  coiigiirer,  and 
butler,  rings  a  bell,  and  cries  with  all  his  might, 
'^ prostrate  yourselves^  or  hasten  away!"  •  The 
assembly  then  prostrate  themselves  with  their  faces 
to  the  ground ;  and  it  is  believed  that  the  king 
would  die,  if  any  one  of  his  subjects  were  to  sefe 
him  drink.  When  the  sovereign  has  drank,  the 
cry  and  l:he  bell  cease,  and  the  people  are  allowed 
to  look  him  in  the  face. 

By  a  custom  equally  singular,  the  king  of  Ca- 
congo is  obliged  to  drink  a  cup  of  palm  wine  for 


SSS  CACONGO. 

every^  cause  that  be  judges,  and  he  sometimes 
decides  fifty  at  a  sitting.  If  he  did  not  drink/ 
Im  sentence  would  be  illegal.  The  same  cere- 
mony is  observed  upon  these  occasions  as  \7hen 
he  drinks  after  eating.  He  holds  his  audience 
every  day  from  sun-rise,  till  he  have  decided  all 
the  ca«lses  brought  before  him  y  and  it  is  seldom 
that  he  has  finished  before  eleven  or  twelve  o'clock 
in  the  day* 

When  the  king  falls  sick,  it  is  prodaimed 
throughout  the  kingdom,  and  everyone  is  obliged 
to  kill  a  cock,  though  none  know  why.  The  most 
sensible  among  them  told  the  missionaries  th^ 
the  cock  did  them  more  good  than  the  king,  be- 
cause they  ate  it.  On  the  death  of  the  king,  no 
person  .may  cultivate  the  land  during  several 
months ;  and  a  missionary  heard  one  man  say  to 
another^  <*  Because  the  king  has  died  with  sick- 
ness, must  we  expose  ourselves  to  perish  with 
hunger?^' 

Markets  are  held  in  the  public  square  of  the 
towns,  and  the  large  villages,  under  the  shade  of 
trees.  Here  are  sold  smoked  fish,  manioca,  and 
other  roots,  salt,  palm-nuts,  sugar-canes,  bananas, 
and  various  kinds  of  fruit.  A  mother  may  send  a 
child  of  six  years  old  to  one  of  these  markets,  as- 
sured that  it  will  not  be  deceived.  Every  sort  of 
merchandize  is  divided  into  small  portions,  and 
each  portion  is  worth  a  money-mat. 
'  The  king  of  Congo  claims  Cacongo  as  one  of 
his  provinces  ;  and,  in  return  the  king  of  Cacongo 
styles  himself  Macongo,  that  is^  King,  or  Lord,  of 
Congo,  instead  of  Macocongo,  which  is  his  proper 
title.  When  he  goes  to  war,  the  makaka,  who  is 
the  war*minister  and  the  general,  sends  orders 


ARMIES.  S8S 

to  all  the  princes  and  governors  to  levy  troops. 
These  all  appear  on  a  certain  day,  when,  if  the 
maikaka  think  they  do  not  cover  a  sufficient  space 
of  girotind,  he  has  only  to  speak  the  word  in  the 
name  of  the^  king,  and,  in  a  few  days,  the  army  is 
as  strong  as  he  wishes  it.  Before  they  set  out  on 
an  expedition,  they  paint  the  whole  of  their  body 
red,  in  the  confidence  that  this  colour  will  render 
them  invulnerable  to  fire  arms;  and  they  wear 
large  plumes,  of  rich  colours,  to  strike  terror  into 
the  enemy.  Each  man  takes  with  him  victuals  for 
some  days,  and  such  arms  ^s  he  can  procure,  for 
none  are  provided ;  some  have  muskets,  others 
sabres,  and  some  have  only  knives.  They  march 
without  order  or  discipline,  and  the  chiefs  who 
command  them  seem  rather  like  the  drivers  of  a 
flock  of  sheep  than  the  conductors  of  an  army. 
When  they  encounter  the  enemy,  each  man  rushes 
upon  the  man  before  him ;  the  battle  begins  in 
confusion,  and  soon  ends  in  flight.  If  a  few  sol- 
diers fall  at  the  feet  of  their' comrades,  the  army  is 
disbanded,  and  the  victors  have  only  to  follow, 
and  take  prisoners,  whom  tliey  sell  to  the  Euro- 
peans. But  it  is  very  seldom  that  two  armies 
come  to  ^n  engagement.  The  general  mode  of 
warfare  is  to  fall  upon  the  enemy's  towns  and  vil- 
lages, plunder  and  burn  them,  and  carry  off  the 
inhabitants. 

A  war  is  frequent[y  terminated  in  a  week. 
When' the  soldiers  have  eaten  the  provisions  they 
carried  with  them;  and  And  none  in  the  enemy's 
country,  or  when  they  want  powder  and  lead,  no- 
thing  is  capable  of  retaining  them.  They  take 
the  path  that  leads  to  their  country ;  and  if  their 


S84  CACONGO. 

king  be  not  satisfied  with  the  expeditidn,  it  rests 
with.hitn  to  order  another. 

Though  the  natives  of  Cacongo  display  Ho  Va^ 
lour  in  the  field,  they  are  extremely  desirous  to  be 
thought  courageous.  The  greatest  af&oht  tiiafc 
can  be  ofiered  a  man  is  to  call  him  a  coward,  and 
he  tanhot  be  flattered  mbre  than  by  telling  him  he 
looks  like  a  brave  man.  A  handsome  face  is  con«» 
sidered  as  a  defect,  and  he  who  is  much  marked 
with  the  small-pox  is  envied.  To  shew  their  reso- 
lution, they  make  incisiona  on  their  faces,  shoul- 
ders, and  legs.  A  ntissionary  asked  a  man  who 
was  bleeding  profusely  under  this  operation,  why 
he  gave  himself  so  much  pain,  he  answered,  **  Pcnr 
honour,  that  peqple  may  say  I  am  a  man  of  dott- 
rage.'*  ♦ 

The  inhabitants  of  Cacongo  believe  in  a  Supreme 
Being,  the  Creator  of  all  that  is  good  and  beautiful, 
just»  and  a  lover  of  justice,  and  severely  punisfedng 
fraud  and  perjury.  They  call  him  Zambi.  They 
also  believe  in  another  being,  whom  they  cdl 
2^mbi-a<-n'bi,  the  god  of  wickedness,  the  author 
af  crimes  and  misfortunes,  ^nd  the  destroyer  of 
the  good  things  created  by  the  other.  They 
think  the  good  being  requires  no  propitiation^  and 
they  endeavour  to  appease  tbe  wrath  of  the  evil 
by  offering  him  some  banana  trees,  which  they 
leave  to  perish,  with  the  fruit  untouched. 

Their  secondary  divinities  are  imitations  of  die 
human  figure,  rudely  carved  in  wood,  and  placed 
in  houses  like  their  own«  or  in  woods  or  unfre- 
quented places.  If  any  thing  considerable  be 
stolen,  one  of  these  is  brought  into  the  m^rfcet- 
place,  with  much  ceremony,  to  discover  the  thief; 


RELIGION.  S85 

mnd  so  much  are  thieves  afVaid  of  the  peDetration 
of  these  wooden  deities,  that  they  frequenUy  re* 
store  in  private  the  thing  taken^  rather  than  expose 
themselves  to  the  risk  of  being  detected  in  poblie. 

The  third  rank  of  divinities  are  bones  of  mon- 
keys, teeth  of  fishes,  and  feathers  of  birds,  which 
are  worn  to  preserve  their  owners  firom  particulas 
accidents  and  misfortunes.  To  keep  sterility  from 
their  fields,  they  stick  into  the  ground  broken  pots, 
and  the  branches  of  certain  trees*  If  tliey  are  to 
be  long  absent  from  home,  they  place  the  same 
centinels  before  the  door  of  their  house,  and  the 
most  determined  thief  would  not  dare  to  pass  the 
threshold,  if  it  were  guarded  by  these  mysterious 
agents. 

The  gangas  are  as  ignorant  as  the  rest  of  the 
people,  but. greater  knaves.  No  one  doubts  their 
commerce  with  the  god  of  evil,  or  their  knowledge . 
of  the  means  to  avert  his  vengeance.  They  are 
supposed  to  be  capable  of  obtaining  rain  or  fair 
weather,  of  rendering  themselves  invisible,  and 
gliding  through  the  thickest  doors.  .  At  the  birth 
of  an  infant,  it  is  forbidden  by  the  ganga  to  eat 
certain  kinds  of  meat,  such  as  the  ganga  may  fix 
upon  at  the  moment,  during  its  life,  and  the  prohi*^ 
bition  is  religiously  observed. ,  Partridge  is  forbid*- 
den  to  all*;  and  if  they  are  asked  why  they  do  not 
eat  a  bird  so  good,  they  reply,  that,  perhaps  what 
is  good  for  one  country  may  not  be  so  for  another; 
and  they  know  that  if  they  were  to  eat  of  partridge,, 
their  fingers  would  drop  from  their  hands.* 

When  a  sick  man  has  drawn  his  last  breath,  the 
gangas  and  musicians,' by  whom  he  was  attended, 
retire,  and  the  nearest  relations  place  tlie  body  on 
a  scaffold,  under  which  they  make  a  fire  emitting 


286  eAcoNGo. 

a  thick  smoke.  When  the  corpse  is  sufficiently 
smoked,  it  is  exposed  to  the  air  for  some  days^^ 
with  a  person  by  its  aide  to  keep  off  the  flies.  It 
is  then  wrapped  in  a  prodigious  quantity  of  stofis ; 
the  riches  of  the  heirs  being  estimated  tiy  the 
quality  of  the  envelope,  and  their  regard  for  the 
deceased  by  its  size.  It  is  then  exposed  in  public^ 
at  least  several  months*  and  often  a  year»  accord** 
ing  to  the  rank  of  the  deceased.  During  this 
time  the  friends,  the  relations,  and  above  all,  the 
wives  of  the  dead,  who  erect  their  houses  near  that 
in  which  the  corpse  is  placed,  assemble  every 
evening  to  weep,  sing,  and  dance  around  it. 

On  the  eve  of  the  day  appointed  for  the  funeral 
the  corpse  is  shut  up  in  a  coffin  in  the  form  of  a 
cask,  and  the  next  day  it  is  put  on  a  sort  of  car, 
and  drawn  by  men  to  the  place  of  interment.  The  • 
roads  are  levelled  for  the  occasion  ;  or,  if  the  de<* 
ceased  were  a  prince,  new  ones  are  made,  thirty  or 
forty  feet  wide.  The  attendants  make  the  greatest 
noise  possible,  dancing,  singing,  and  playing  on 
instruments ;  and  it  is  not  unusual  for  the  same 
person  to  dance,  sing^  and  weep,  at  the  same  time. 
When  they  reach  the  place  of  interment,  which  is 
often  at  a  great  distance  from  the  town  or  village, 
the  coffin  is  deposited  in  a  hole,  resembling  a  well» 
about  fifteen  feet  in  depth,  and  with  it  are  iii« 
terred  the  most  valued  effects  of  the  deceased. 

It  cannot  b^  doubted  that  the  multitude  of  gar- 
ments are  intended  for  the  wardrobe  of  the  de- 
parted friend  in  the  other  world,  his  effects  either 
for  his  use  or  ornament,  and  the  provisions,  which 
are  frequently  added,  for  his  refreshment  by  the 
way.  The  missionaries  deny  human  sacrifices  in 
Cacongo ;  but  it  must  be  remembered,  first,  that 


BOOALI.  487 

they  4lid  not  witness  the  funeral  of  a  king ;  and, 
second,  that  wherever  Europeans  are  established, 
the  negroes  are  very  desirous  to  conceal  such  sa* 
crifices  from  them. 

After  sailing  to  the  northward  from  Malemba, 
I  anchored  in  the  road  of  Loanga,  and  going  on 
shore,  I  reached  the  capital  of  the  kingdom,  called 
hy  the  natives  Booali,  the  same  evening.  The 
roads  *are  narrow  paths.  At  a  distance  the  city 
resembles  a  forest,  as  it  has  within  it  and  around 
it  a  number  of  plantations  of  palm  trees  and  ba- 
nanas. I  walked  through  the  town,  from  one  end 
to  the  other.  It  is  of  vast  extent,  and  divided 
into  as  many  inclosures  as  there  are  families,  each 
family  having  a  portion  of  ground  for  cultivation 
annexed  to  the  inclosure.  The  streets,  or  rather 
paths,  are  multiplied  to  infinity  ;  bpt  they  are  so  - 
narrow  that  two  persons  cannot  walk  abreast,  and 
the  grass  upon  them  grew  so  high  that  in  some 
places  I  could  not  see  the  houses.  Booali  is  si- 
tuated in  latitude  4^  45^  liorth* 

As  I  made  no  stay  in  Loanga,  it  may  not  be 
amiss  to  say  what  this  country  and  its  inhabitants 
were  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth  century,  and 
what  in  the  year  I766,  when  they  were  visited  by 
the  French  missionaries. 

Towards  the  end  of  the  seventeeth  century  the 
metropolis  of  Loanga  was  said  to  occupy  as  much 
ground  as  the  city  of  York,  but  to  be  far  less 
closely  built.  The  streets  were  wide,  straight,  and 
neatly  kept,  and  trees  were  interspersed  among 
the  houses.  In  the  centre  of  the  city  was  a  large 
market-place,  on  one  side  of  which  was  the  resi- 
dence  of  the  king,  containing  a  vast  number  of 
distinct  buifdings.     The  houses  were  constructed 


288  LOANGO. 

with  two  gable  ends,  and  a  sloping  roof,  whicl) 
rested  on  thick  posts  four  or  five  yards  in  height, 
and  was  covered. with  matomba  leaves.  A  house 
generally  contained  two  or  three  separate  apart- 
ments. Besides  the  capital,  there  were  said  to  be 
ten  large  towns^  and  many  smaller  ones  in  Loango« 

The  men  wore  long  garments  that  rei^ched  to 
the  feet,  but  left  the  upper  part  of  the  body  unco- 
vered. I  he  cloths,  were  of  different  qualities. 
The  first  were  very,  fine,  of  curious  patterns  and 
various  cplonrs,  and  were  worn  only  by  the  kiqg, 
and  those  on  whom  he  bestowed  them  as  a  mark 
of  distinction.  The  secoqd  were  of  the  same  kind, 
but  inferior  both  in  size  and  workmanship.  The 
tliird  were  plain^  and  were  worn  by  the  cooimon 
people.  The  cloths  of  the  women  were  of  the 
€ame  sorts,  but  they  reached  only  a  little  below 
the  knee.  Copper  and  iron  rings  were  worn  #n 
the  legs  an.d  arms  of  both  sexes. 
.  Of.  the  bitter  and  astringent  root  of  a  certain 
tree,  the  gangas,  or  priests,  made  an  infusion, 
called  bond^  .drink,  which  was  used  as  a  test  to 
discover  the.  author  of  any  misphief.  If  a  man 
were  killed  by  a  beast  of  prey,  the  destroyer  was 
accounted  a  sorcerer,  who  by  his  mokUies^  or 
charms,  had  assumed  that  form.  If  a  house  were 
burnt,  or  drought  prevailed  when  rain  was  lex- 
pected,  bond^  drink  was  used  to  discover  the  au- 
thor of  the  misfortune.  If  murder  or  theft  were 
committed,  bond^  water  was  administered  to  the 
person  suspected.  In  all  these  trials  sickness  was 
theprpof  of  guilt ;  and  if  the  party  remained  in 
health,  he  was  considered  as  innocent. 

While  the  husband  was  eating,  the  wife  sat  at  a 
distance;    when  he  had  done  eating,   she  made 


KINO   OV  LOANGO.  fiS9 

her  meal  o»  what  he  left.  The  wife  never  spoke 
to  her  husband  but  upon  her  knees,  and  never  ap- 
proached liim  without  creeping  upon  her  hands  ;  I 
am  \Hlling  to  give  uncivilized  man  credit  for  ex- 
acting a  slavish  submission  from  the  creature  who 
in  happier  countries  is  called  his  helpmate,  but  I 
could  scarcely  have  imagined  he  degraded  her  so 
low  as  this,  except  on  particular  occasions* 

The  king  of  Loango  was  never  seen  to  eat  or 
drink,  his  servants  retiring  when  they  had  brought 
in  the  dishes ;  and  his  cup-bearer  hiding  his  face 
in  the  sand,  when  he  had  presented  the  cup. 
Chance,  however,  had  twice* broken  into  this  regu- 
lation. At  one  time,  a  favourite  dog,  that  had 
not  been  properly  watched,  opened  the  door  of  the 
apartment  with  his  nose ;  and,  at  another,  the 
child  of  a  nobleman  had  fallen  sleep,  and  had  in- 
advertently been  left  by  his  father.  Both  saw  the 
king  eat,  and  e^ch  was  instantly  put  to  death. 
The  food  of  which  the  king  had  tasted  was  buried 
in  the  earth. 

The  throne  of  the  king  of  Loango  was  about  six 
feet  in  length,  two  feet  in  breadth,  and  eighteen 
inches  in  height,  with  small  pillars  of  white  and 
black  palmetto  branches  interwoven  in  wicker 
work.  The  only. times  at  which  this  sovereign 
was^een  in  public  were,  when  he  received  a  fo- 
reign ambassador,  when  a  leopard  was  taken,  when 
his  chiefs  paid  their  tribute,  and  when  his  wives 
tilled  the  land.  On  these  occasions  he  appeared 
on  a  large  plain  which  was  before  his  palace,  and 
in  the  midst  of  the  city,  seated  on  an  elevated 
stool  formed  of  black  and  white  basket-work.  Be- 
hind him  was  a  shield  suspended  from  a  pole,  co- 

VOL.^'II.  V 


290  LOANGO. 

vered  with  European  stufis,  and  be^re  his  seat 
was  spread  a  large  carpet,  made  of  leaves  quilted 
together,  on  which  no  person  was  allowed  to  tread, 
but  those  of  his  own  family.  Beyond  this  carpet 
were  seated  a  number  of  those  monsters  of  the  hu- 
man species,  dwarfs  and  white  negroes. 

In  Loango  the  queen-dowager  was  chosen  by 
the  king,  who  adopted  some  matron  as  his  mother, 
and  respected  her  more  than  his  real  mother. 
The  title  of  this  lady  was  Makonda,  and  she  had 
great  prerogatives  at  court. 

The  people  of  Loango  made  cloths  of  the  fibres 
of  the  matomb^  leaf,  which  were  used  instead  of 
money  at  the  Portuguese  settlement  of  Loanda, 
and  were  the  standard  by  which  all  commodities 
were  valued ;  a  pound  of  ivory  was  there  >vorth 
five  pieces  of  cloth.  The  Europeans  exported 
from  this  country  elephants'  tails,  the  hairs  of 
which  were  sold  at  Loanda  at  the  rate  of  six  shil- 
lings the  hundred.  These  hairs  the  negroes 
braided  very  finely,  and  wore  about  the  neck. 
Such  as  were  sufficiently  long  to  be  woven  into 
girdles  were  of  double  the  value.  For  permission 
to  trad^  in  Loango,  the  Europeans  gave  presents 
to  the  king,  to  the  queen-mother,  and  to  two  offi- 
cers called  manikes  and  raanikipga,  who  superin- 
tended the  factory. 

Theft  was  punished  by  public  exposure  in  the 
m^^rket-place,  after  restitution  had  been  made 
either  by  the  culprit  or  his  friends. 

The  fetish  derived  from  the  Portuguese  here  re- 
tained its  native  appellation  of  mokisie.  Some  of 
these  were  villainous  representations  of  the  human 
figure,  ornamented  with  feathers  and  tassels;  others 
were  feathers  and   small  horns  placed  on  cords. 


MISSIONARIES.  2^1 

ani  worn  round  the  arm,  neck,  x>r  waist ;  others 
were  round  earthern  pots,  filled  with  red  and  white 
earth,  kneaded  into  a  paste  with  water.  All  these 
mokisies  were  supposed  to  possess  the  power  of 
securing  the  people  from  evil,  or  subjecting  them 
to  it.  A  man  was  also  restricted  by  the  ganga 
from  eating  particular  sorts  of  food,  and  made  to 
believe  that  disobedience  would  draw  upon  him 
the  vengeance  of  his  mokisie. 

According  to  the  custom  of  these  people,  the 
son  of  the  king's  sister  was  his  successor.  In  his 
infancy  he  resided  at  Kina,  and  was  forbidden  to 
eat  hog's  flesh ;  when  past  his  infancy,  he  resided 
at  Moanza,  and  was  not  to  eat  of  the  fruit  called 
kola ;  when  he  was  near  man's  estate,  he  was  to 
eat  no  fowls,  except  such  as  he  killed  and  dressed 
himself;  as  he  advanced  towards  the  regal  dignity 
he  submitted  to  other  privations ;' till,  being  ar- 
rived at  it,  he  became,  himself,  fhe  grand  mokisie 
of  Loango. 

When  the  Trench  missionaries  arrived  at  Loango 
in  1766,  a  great  man  offered  them  a  residence  at 
his  village.  They  passed  through  Booali  the  ca- 
pital, in  their  way,  and  then  crossed  a  desert  plain,' 
ten  or  twelve  miles  in  breadth,  bounded  by  a  hill, 
on  the  side  of  which  were  several  villages.  Having 
passed  one  of  these,  they  were  stopped  by  a  marsh 
covered  with  water,  and  so  large  as  to  resemble  a 
sea.  While  they  were  looking  on  all  sides,  to  dis- 
cover their  road,  their  conductors  took  off  their 
garments,  plunged  in,  and  made  signs  for  them  to 
follow.  The  missionaries,  who  saw  their  guides 
up  to  the  breast  in  water,  thought  the  affair  wore 
a  serious  aspect,'  and  remained  motionless  and  irre- 

V  2 


292  LOANGO. 

solute ;  but  the  guides  laughed  at  their  timidity, 
and  they  ventured  to  follow  them.  They  were 
nearly  an  hour  in  crossing  the  marsh ;  and  in  se- 
veral places  the  water  reached  up  to  the  chin. 
After  this,  they  liad  several  rivers  and  rivulets  to 
pass,  in  the  same  manner ;  and  at  night,  exhausted 
with  fatigue,  they  arrived  at  the  village  in  which 
they  were  to  establish  themselves. 

While  the  good  priests  were  here,  endeavouring 
to  make  Christians  of  Pagans,  one  of  them  died, 
and  another  became  so  ill  that  he  was  removed  to 
one  of  the  French  factories  on  the  coast,  The  re- 
maining  one  had  the  satisfaction  of  interring  his 
brother  according  to  the  rites  of  the  church,  and, 
of  preventing  the  negroes  from  singing  and 
dancing  round  his  body  ;  but  this  did  not  secure 
himself  from  the  malady,  and  both  the  survivors 
returned  to  France.  They  did  not,  however,  quit 
the  country  without  acquiring  a  knowledge  of  the 
language,  and  collecting  some  valuable  informa- 
tion respecting  the  inhabitants,  of  which  the  fol- 
lowing is  the  substance. 

The  respect  of  the  people  for  the  king  ap- 
proaches to  adoration.  They  say  that  their  lives 
and  all  they  possess  belong  to  him,  and  it  is  his  to 
take  them  when  he  pleases.  But  they  do  not  limit 
his  power  to  their  lives  and  fortunes ;  they  ima- 
gine it  extends  to  the  seasons,  and,  when  the 
rains  fail,  they  implore  him  to  send  them  upon  his 
kingdom.  This  office  he  delegates  to  one  of  his 
ministers,  who  watches  w^hen  a  cloud  rises,  and 
then  promises  the  wished-for  rain. 

The  principal  officers  of  state  are  the  mani  govo, 
or  prime  minister;  Uie  manipootoo,  the  makaka,  or 
warminister/wliocommandsthcarmy;  themafooka. 


KING    OF    LOANG0«  293 

who  has  the  care  of  commerce ;  and  the  makinba, 
who  is  the  inspector  of  hunting  and  fishing,  and 
through  whose  hands  game  and  fish  are  paid  to  the 
king.  The  chief  of  every  village  is  the  receiver  for 
his  sovereign,  and  is  not  unmindful  of  himself.  If  a 
man  have  four  goats,  that  he  may  not  be  obliged 
to  give  three,  or  even  all,  to  the  king,  he  gives  the 
best  to  the  governor,  who  is  then  content  with  tlie 
second  for  his  master.  These  governments  are 
often  sold  to  the  highest  bidder;  and  the  infa^- 
tuated  people  go  singing  and  dancing  to  meet  a 
man  who  has  just  purchased  the  right  to  pillage 
them  by  the  king's  authority.  ^' 

There  are  no  nobles  in  Loango  but  the  princes; 
and  this  nobility  is  communicated  by  the  women. 
The  children  of  a  princess  are  princes  and  prin- 
cesses, though  their  father  be  a  plebeian :  the 
children  of  a  prince,  and  even  of  the  king,  descend 
to  the  common  rank. 

The  king  of  Loango  dispenses  justice,  seated  on 
a  carpet  laid  on  the  ground,  in  what  may  be 
termed  the  hall  of  audience,  which  is,  in  general, 
crowded.  When  a  crime  cannot  be  proved,  the 
accused  is  made  to  drink  water  in  which  the  wood 
called  cassa  has  been  infused.  This  is  real  poison, 
if  the  stomach  have  not  sufficient  force  to  reject 
it  immediately.  .  If  the  innocence  of  the  accused 
be  not  established  by  this  proof,  a  different  potion 
is  given  him,  which  excites  vomiting,  and  saves 
his  life ;  but  he  is  then  considered  guilty,  and  is 
subject  to  the  penalty  of  the  law.  If  his  stomach, 
unaided,  do  reject  the  cassa  water,  his  accuser  is 
sentenced  as  a  calumniator. 

A  king  of  Loango  is  not  interred  for  some 
years  after  his  death  j  and  during  this  interval  the 


294  LOANGO. 

kingdom  is  governed  by  a  regent  named  by  him- 
self, while  living.     The  electors  of  the  new  king* 
are  the  princes,  the  ministers,  and  the  regent,  and 
the  death  of  the  sovereign  is  generally  the  signalfor 
a  civil  war. 

Grass  grows  in  the  streets  of  the  towns  of  Lor- 
ango,  which  are  only  narrow  paths.  A  great  city 
is  a  labyrinth  from  which  a  stranger  could  not  exr 
tricate  himself  without  a  guide.  The  houses  are 
formed  of  rushes,  or  branches  of  trees,  interwoven  ; 
and  the  covering  is  worthy  of  the  edifice,  for  it  is 
only  leaves,  generally  palm  leaves,  which  will  last 
several  years:  The  man  who  wants  a  house,  goes 
to  market,  with  his  wife  and  children,  buys  the 
one  that  suits  him,  each  takes  a  piece  according  to 
his  strength,  and  they  set  it  up,  fastening  it  to 
strong  pegs,  stuck  in  the  ground.  When  finished, 
it  has  the  appearance  of  a  huge  basket,  turned  up- 
side down..  The  houses  of  the  great  are,  howr 
ever,  woven  with  much  art,  and  lined  with  mats 
of  different  colours,  the  tapestry  of  the  country, 
•  The  people  of  Loango  wear  but  one  garment, 
which  reaches  from  the  waist  to  the  middle  of  the 
leg,  and  is  fastened  with  a  broad  girdle.  This  is 
worn  night  and  day,  and  never  washed.  Men 
shave  the  head,  and  wear  caps ;  women  have  the 
head  uncovered,  and  women  of  rank  cut  the  hair 
into  intricate  alleys  and  patterns,  like  the  walks 
and  parterres  of  an  old-fashioned  garden. 

The  men  are  mostly  unemployed,  but  not  inca- 
pable of  employment.  In  knowledge,  as  in  the 
wants  of  life,  they  confine  themselves  to  what  is 
necessary.  Ask  them  respecting  the  history  of 
their  country,  and  they  reply,  "  Why  should  we 
wish  to  know  what  was  done  by  the  dead  ?     It  is 


CONVERSATION.  —  HOSPITALITV.  295 

tE^Dough  that  the  living  do  well."  Ask  them  their 
age,  they  answer,  "  To  know  how  long  we  have 
lived  would  be  useless,  since  it  would  neither  pre- 
vent us  from  dying,  nor  tell  us  when  we  should 
die- 
Both  men  and  women  are  fond  of  talking  and 
singing.  While  the  women  cultivate  the  earth, 
the  plain  resounds  with  their  songs ;  and  the  men, 
sitting  cross-legged  in  a  circle,  under  the  thick 
shade  of  a  tree,  with  a  pipe  in  their  mouths,  and 
palm  wine,  if  they  have  it,  by  their  side,  pass  the 
day  in  telling  news,  or  in  frivolous  conversation. 
He  who  begins  the  discourse  sometimes  speaks  for 
a  quarter  of  an  hour,  every  one  listens  in  silence. 
Another  begins,  and  receives  the  same  attention. 
No  one  is  interrupted,  and  each  speaks  in  his  turn. 
From  the  warmth  of  their  declamation,  a  stranger 
would  imagine  that  the  subject  was  of  great  im* 
portance,  when,  perhaps,  it  is  a  feather,  or  an 
earthen  pot.  They  indicate  numbers  by  gestures ; 
and  all  the  hearers,  on  seeing  the  gesture,  repeat 
the  number  aloud. 

Whoever  is  successful  in  hunting  or  fishing, 
shares  his  prize  with  his  friends  and  neighbours. 
They  are  flattered  by  being  thought  generous, 
and  they  call  the  Europeans  '•  close-handed,"  be- 
cause they  give  nothing  for  nothing.  A  traveller 
who  arrives  at  a  village  at  the  time  of  their  repast, 
enters  the  first  house,  and  is  welcomed  by  its  mas- 
ter. If  the  stranger  does  not  eat  with  a  good  appe- 
tite, his  host  singles  out  the  best  morsel  in  the  dish, 
bites  a  piece  of  it,  and  presents  him  with  the  re- 
mainder, saying,  "  Eat  this  upon  my  word."  If 
it  be  only  maniocjt,  they  make  no  apology,  for  the 


Q96  LOANGO. 

Stranger  knows  that  if  they  had  possessed  better 
food,  it  would  have  been  set  before  him. 

Manioca  is  the  bread  of  (he  poor ;  banana  that 
of  the  rich.  The  banana  is  the  produce  of  a  yikxkt 
rather  than  a  tree }  though  it  grpws  to  the  height 
of  twelve  or  fifteen  feet,  and  its  trunk  is  eight  of 
ten  inches  in  diameter.  The  fruit  grows  in  a  clus* 
ter  from  the  top  of  the  trunk,  each  cluster  con- 
taining from  one  to  a  hundred  bananas,  and  each 
banana  being  eight  or  ten  inches  in  length,  and 
about  an  inch  in  diameter ;  so  that  a  good  bunch 
is  a  load  for  a  man.  The  tree  bears  only  one, 
and  dies  when  it  is  taken  away ;  it  is,  therefore, 
usually  pulled  down  to  gather  the  fruit ;  but  from 
every  piece  of  it,  a  foot  in  length,  several  other 
trees  spring  up,  so  that  the  banana  requires  no 
cultivation  after' the  first  year.  The  bark  is  made 
into  cords,  and  the  leaves,  which  are  seven  or 
eight  feet  long,  and  eighteen  or  twenty  inches 
broad,  and  almost  of  the  consistence  of  parch? 
ment,  serve  as  covers  for  pots.  The  fruit  is  hard 
and  farinaceous. 

If  a  wife  be  unfaithful  to  her  husband,  she  ac- 
knowledges her  fault  to  him,  under  the  impression 
that  the  greatest  misfortunes  will  befal  her  if  she 
conceal  it ;  and  there  are  some  other  transgres- 
sions  which  she  believes  herself  equally  bound  to 
confess.  The  husband  is  kind  enough  to  pardon 
his  wife  these  acknowledged  errors ;  but  in  the 
first  case  her  accomplice  becomes  his  sls^ve,  unless 
he  be  rich  enough  to  redeem  himself. 

A  princess  chooses  her  husband,  and  he  must 
have  no  other  wife ;  if  he  already  have  one,  he 
must  put  her  away.     A  man  may  not  refuse  this 


HUSBANDS   AND   WIV£S.  ^97 

honour ;  though  he  is  seldom  ambitious  to  obtain 
it,  for  the  first  day  oif  his  marriage  is  the  last  of  his 
liberty.  He  is  not  allowed  to  look  at  any  other 
woman.  He  never  goes  out  without  numerous  at- 
tendants, whose  business  it  is  to  clear  the  way  of 
all  females ;  and  if  one  should  chance  to  remain, 
notwithstanding  their  precautions,  and  the  unfor- 
tunate husband  should  cast  his  eyes  upon  her, 
there  are,  ^among  them,  spies,  who  report  it  to 
his  princess,  who  can,  and  commonly  does,  order 
him  to  be  beheaded.  The  husband  of  a  princess 
has  but  one  hope ;  that  his  wife  may  grow  weaiy 
of  him,  and  exchange  him  for  another. 

What  an  object  of  compassion  is  such  a  hus- 
band !  But  we  derive  some  comfort  from  know- 
ing, that  all  other  husbands  in  Loango  revenge  his 
cause. 

Women  of  all  other  ranks  never  speak  to  their 
husbands  but  upon  their  knees.  If  two  wives 
quarrel,  the  affair  is  brought  before  the  husband, 
who  is  the  supreme  judge.  He  sits,  cross-legged, 
on  a  mat,  while  they  kneel  before  him,  and  each 
pleads  her  cause.  They  receive  his  sentence  in 
silence,  and  then  retire  to  their  separate  houses. 
When  a  man  has  several  wives,  he  distributes 
equally  among  them,  in  proportion  to  the  number 
of  their  children,  his  game,  or  his  fish.  If  he  have 
sufficient  for  one  only,  it  is  gi^en  to  lier  who  is  to 
dress  his  dinner. 

Children  inherit  from  their  mothers,  not  their 
fathers.  A  man's  property  goes,  after  his  death, 
to  his  eldest  brother,  by  the  same  mother ;  in  de- 
fault of  a  brother,  to  the  son  of  his  eldest  sister  by 
the  same  mother,  and,  in  default  of  such  nephew, 
to  the  eldest  son  of  his  nearest  maternal  relation. 


298  LOANGO. 

The  amusements  of  the  people  of  Loango  con- 
sist of  a  game  resembling  our  game  of  draughts ; 
another  game  of  striking  each  other's  hands  ;  con- 
certs of  music ;  and,  above  all,  dancing.  They 
dance  for  sorrow  and  for  rejoicing,  at  a  wedding 
and  a  funeral,  and  they  accompany  their  movements 
with  songs  of  mirth  or  sadness.  The  missionaries, 
one  day,  saw  a  woman  dancing  for  the  death  of 
her  husband,  s^nd  lamenting  her  loss  and  that  of 
her  children.  "Alas!"  cried  she,  "the  roof  is 
fallen ;  the  building  is  exposed  to  the  injuries  of 
the  weather,  and  its  ruin  is  inevitable  T  Another 
time,  as  the  missionaries  were  passing  through 
a  village,  a  woman  was  informed  that  her  son 
was  caught,  and  sold  to  the  Europeans.  The 
poor  woman  rushed  out  of  her  house,  holding 
her  daughter  by  the  hand,  and  began  to  dance 
with  her,  chanting  her  misfortune  in  the  most 
affecting  manner.  Sometimes  she  cursed  the  day 
that  made  her  a. mother  ;  then  called  her  son,  exe- 
crating the  wretches  who  had  stolen  him,  and  the 
Europeans  who  had  bought  him.  Her  tears  and 
exclamations,  even  the  irregularity  of  her  dance, 
and  the  disorder  of  her  movements,  expressed  so 
forcibly  the  anguish  of  her  soul,  that  the  good 
missionaries  retired  weeping. 

The  women  labour  only  three  days  together; 
the  fourth  is  the  market,  and  a  day  of  rest,  and 
on  this  they  meet  for  recreation  and  dancing. 
The  men,  generally  unemployed,  except  during 
harvest,  are,  on  this  day,  more  so  than  on  the 
others:  they  walk,  play,  and  frequent  the  mar- 
kets. 

At  night,  the  people  light  flambeaux  made  of  an 
odoriferous  gum,  tha^  emits  an  agreeable  scent. 


MUSICIANS*  -299 

and  they  light  fires  to  purify  the  air.  In  the  dry 
season  the  fire  is  made  in  the  middle  of  their 
court ;  but  they  retire  to  their  huts  to  sleep. 

The  religion  is  the  same  as  that  of  Cacongo, 
and  the  gangas,  or  priests,  are  also  the  physicians. 
Their  remedies  consist  of  outward  applications, 
bandages,  and  breathing  on  the  part  affected; 
but  if  the  patient  can  afford  the  expence,  a  num- 
ber of  auxiliaries  are  called  in,  who  make  the 
greatest  noise  possible,  with  stringed  instruments, 
trumpets,  drums,  tambours,  and  the  voice.  This 
sometimes  continues  incessantly  for  several  days 
and  nights,  and  as  the  case  becomes  more  despe- 
rate, the  clamour  becomes  more  deafening.  When 
the  sick  man  expires,  the  musicians  quit  the  house, 
and  the  relations  console  themselves  by  reflecting 
that  they  have  done  all  in  their  power  to  frighten 
away  death. 

The  language  of  Loango  is  the  same  as  that  of 
Cacongo.  It  is  a  dialect  of  the  Conghese ;  but  it 
differs  materially  from  that  language.  The  people 
of  these  countries  regard  as  a  prodigy  the  power 
possessed  by  the  Europeans  of  communicating  their 
ideas  by  characters ;  and  they  cannot  be  persuaded 
that  their  own  language  is  capable  of  being  under- 
stood by  this  marvellous  art. 

The  missionaries  who  went  from  France  to 
Cacongo  in  the  year  1773,  were  set  on  shore  at  a 
port  in  the  kingdom  of  Jomba,  a  country  adjoin- 
ing that  of  Loango  on  the  north.  From  hence 
they  walked  to  the  port  of  Loango,  in  their  way 
to  Malemba.  They  were  ten  days  in  performing 
the  journey.  On  the  second  night  they  found  no 
water ;  but  the  following  morning  they  break- 
fasted by  the  side  of  a  large,  rapid,  and  beautiful 


300  JOMBA  TO  LOANOO. 

river.  This  rivet  they  could  only  pass  at  its 
mouth,  where  it  was  from  three  to  four  feet  deep. 
The  fourth  night  they  passed  at  a  village  called 
Makanda,  the  first  in  the  kingdom  of  Loango.  At 
the  approach  of  the  fifth  night,  they  found  them- 
selves at  the  mouth  df  a  large  river,  which  was 
not  fordable,  and  no  person  appeared  to  render 
them  assistance.  They  passed  the  night  oh  its 
bank,  and  the  next  morning  walked  by  its  side, 
till  nine  o'clock,  when  they  saw  a  man  in  a  canoe^ 
who,  for  a  handkerchief,  carried  them  over,  but 
on  condition  of  taking  no  more  than  two  at  a 
time. 

The  missionaries  were  now  in  want  of  provi- 
sions, and  they  removed  farther  from  the  coast  to 
obtain  a  supply.  Chance  conducted  them  to  a 
large  town  called  Kilonga,  where,  for  the  only  time 
in  Africa,  they  were  ill  received  ;  the  inhabitants 
refusing  either  to  give  or  sell  them  food.  They 
offered  to  God,  as  they  say,  this  little  trial,  and, 
shaking  thd  dust  from  their  feet,  they  trusted  to 
him  to  provide  their  supper.  They  add,  that  their 
confidence  was  not  vain  ;  for  afterwards,  in  a  de- 
serted cabin,  they  found  palm-nuts,  and  manioca 
in  abundance,  old  and  new,  dressed  and  undressed, 
with  a  fire  ready  lighted  to  their  hands.  It  is  pos- 
sible that  the  family,  who  fled  at  the  approach  of 
the  missionaries,  thought  they  had  provided  this 
store  for. themselves ;  but  the  missionaries  thought 
otherwise  ;  for,  after  returning  thanks  to  God  for 
having  spread  their  table  in  the  wilderness,  they 
not  only  satisfied  their  hunger  and  passed  the 
night  in  the  but,  but  loaded  themselves  the  next 
morning  with  what  provisions  they  wanted,  without 
leaving  any  recompence  for  their  former  owner. 


JOMBA   TO   LOANOO.  301 

»  On  the  seventh  day  the  travellers  were  again 
ferried  over  a  large  river,  and  they  passed  the 
night  under  a  shed  erected  for  the  purpose  of 
boiling  salt.  On  the  eighth  day  they  were  enter- 
tained by  a  great  man,  who  had  married  a  sister 
of  the-  King  of  Loango;  and  who,  like  all  the 
other  persons  they  met  with,  except  the  inhabi- 
tants of  Kilonga,  was  very  desirous  to  retain  them^ 
and  listen  to  their  instructions.  On  the  ninth  day 
they  arrived  at  the  bank  of  a  large  and  deep  river, 
where  a  multitude  of  persons  were  waiting  to  take 
their  passage.  As  soon  as*  the  missionaries  ap- 
peared, all  drew  back,  saying  that,  as  travellers 
and  strangers,  it  belonged  to  them  to  gp  over  first. 
The  next  day  they  arrived  at  the  French  factories 
at  Loango. 

The  country  they  had  passed  consisted  of  vast 
forests,  interspersed  with  fine  plains,  producing 
grass,  the  height  of  which  announced  the  fertility 
of  the  soil. 

Two  of  the  missionaries  died  at  the  French  set- 
tlement of  Loango,  and  the  others  having  reco- 
vered from  the  fatigue  of  the  journey,  repaired  to 
Booali^  the  capital,  where  they  had  an  audience  of 
the  King.  In  this,  one  of  them  explained  to  him 
the  principal  doctrines  of  the  Christian  religion. 
When  he  had  ended,  the  king  said  "  You  tell  us 
great  things,  and  you  must  be  convinced  of  their 
importance,  or  you  would  not  have  come  so  far  to 
instruct  us  in  them."  One  of  the  great  men  asked 
a  question  that  would  have  been  formidable  to 
many  Christian  preachers ;  but  the  missionary 
answered  boldly,  and  I  hope  truly,  in  the  affirma- 
tive— "  Do  you  practice  what  you  teach  ?"    The 


302  RIVER   GABON. 

king  of  Loango  offered  the  missionaries  a  settle- 
ment in  his  country  ;  but  they  preferred  that  of 
Cacongo,  and  had  lands  given  them  by  the  king^ 
near  Malemba,  as  has  been  mentioned  before. 


CHAPTER   XIX. 


RIVER  GABON.     BENIN. 


Jr  ASSING  Cape  Lopez  de  Gonsalvo,  the  south- 
ern extremity  of  the  Gulph  of  Guinea,  I  crossed 
the  equator,  and  entered  the  river  Gabon,  which 
is  more  than  two  miles  wide  at  the  mouth.  Its 
latitude  is  SO'  north,  and  longitude  8°  42'  east.  I 
sailed  about  forty-five  miles  up  this  river,  and 
landed  at  the  town  of  Naango,  which  is  frequented 
by  European  shipping.  Naango  is  situated  about 
two  miles  up  a  romantic  creek,  and  consisted  of 
one  street,  wide,  regular,  and  clean.  The  houses 
were  neatly  constructed  with  bamboo,  and  the 
rooms,  which  were  all  on  the  ground-floor,  were 
lofty.  The  inhabitants  were  about  500  in  num- 
ber; they  sleep  on  bedsteads,  surrounded  with 
musquito  curtains  of  bamboo  cloth. 

A  man  of  consequence  never  drinks  before  his 
inferiors  without  hiding  his  face  from  them,  be- 
lieving that,  at  this  moment  only,  his  enemies 
have  the  power  of  laying  a  spell  upon  him,  in 
spite  of  the  guardianship  of  his  fetish.  The 
whiskers  of  the  men,  and  the  side-locks  of  both 


RIVER   GABON.  303 

nea  and  women,  hang  down  in  narrow  braids, 
sometimes  below  the  shoulders,  and  have  small 
beads  at  the  ends ;  the  front  locks  are  braided  to 
project  like  horns.  The  women  wear  a  number  of 
thick  brass  rings  round  their  legs ;  those  of  a 
woman  of  fashion  reach  from  the  ancle  to  the  knee, 
and  jingle  when  she  walks  or  dances.  •  The  female 
slaves  carry  heavy  burdens  on  their  backs,  sup- 
ported by  a  broad  band  across  the  forehead.  When 
a  man  diesj  the  door  of  his  but  is  shut  during  seven 
days.  These  people  manufacture  nothing,  but 
are  supplied  with. the  comforts  and  conveniences 
they  possess,  by  their  more  ingenious  inland  neigh- 
bours, on  one  side,  and  the  European  shipping  on 
the  other. 

This  country  is  called  Empoongwa.  The  heat 
is  intense,  and  the  moist  exhalations  ^itilt  more 
oppressive.  The  orang-outang  is  found  here.  I 
saw  one,  two  feet  and  a  half  in  height,  which  was 
said  to  be  growing  ;  it  had  the  visage,  action,  and 
cry  of  a  very  old  man,  and  was  obedient  to  the 
voice  of  its  master. 

Among  the  productions  of  the  country  is  the 
kola-nut,  which  is  round,  and  the  size  of  an  ' 
Orleans  plumb,  having  a  very  hard  shell.  The 
kernel  forms  a  principal  part  of  the  food  of  the 
common  people,  and  afler  it  has  been  a  few  days 
exposed  to  the  sun,  it  is  sweeter  than  that  of  a 
filbert. 

At  Naango  I  received  from  the  inhabitants,  and 
froni  slaves  from  different  parts  of  the  interior, 
the  following  intelligence : 

A  little  above  Naanga  the  river  Gabon  divides 
in  two  J  the  one  branch  coming  from  the  north- 
east, the  other,  apparently  from  the  south-south- 


so*  RIVER  6AB0K. 

east.  The  eastern  banks  of  the  northern  branch 
are  inhabited  .by  a  people  called  Sheekans^  who 
bury  their  dead  in  their  houses,  underneath  their 
beds. 

Two  days  farther,  in  a  canoe,  is  the  country  of 
Kaylee,  or  Kalay.  The  houses  are  of  bamboo, 
and  cloth  that  has  the  stppearance  of  coarse  brown 
Holland,  is  manufactured  from  the  same.  Their 
mats  are  very  fine,  and  much  varied  in  colour  and 
pattern  ;  they  also  manufacture  iron  from  the  ore, 
which  abounds  in  their  country.  These  people 
not  only  eat  their  prisoners,  but  their  dead,  whose 
bodies  are  bid  for  as  soon  as  the  breath  has  ceased. 
A  father  has  been  frequently  seen  to  eat  his  own 
child.  'Goats  and  fowls  are  plentiful,  but  are  not 
eaten  while  human  flesh  can  be  had.  The  people 
of  "tjabivi  go  to  trade  with  the  Kaylees,  armed 
with  muskets,  and  accompanied  by  a  strong  guard 
ofSkeekans. 

The  idea  of  the  existence  of  cannibals  has  pre- 
vailed in  all  ages,  and  in  countries  widely  distant 
from  each  other,  and  has  been  too  general  to  be 
wholly  without  foundation.  But  the  imputation 
has  commonly  been  fixed  on  people  afar  off  *and 
little  known  ;  here,  however,  it  is  brought  near ; 
one  nation  only,  and  that  a  small  one,  intervening 
between  the  cannibals  andthe  inhabitants  of  Em- 
poongwa.  It  is  possible  that  the  Sheekans,  if  not 
the  Empoongwas,  may  have  been  eaten  by  the 
Kalees,  and  may  therefore  go  armed,  and  in  a 
body,  to  trade  with  them ;  but,  dead  bodies  sold  hy 
auction,  and  dead  children  devoured  hy  their  fa^ 
thersy  seem  the  offspring  of  the  terror  of  those 
whose  countrymen  may  have  furnished  a  feast  for 
the  Kaylees. 


JAGA9*  305 

Ail  the  nations  to  the  north  pf  the  Kaylees  were 
said  to  be  cannibals,  bat  the  Pjifimways  the  least 
voracious,  because  they  cultivate  a  breed  of  large 
dogs  for  their  own  eating. 

There  is  a  people  in  the  interior,  to  the  soudiof 
these,  who  have  neither  possessions  nor  indUftiry 
of  their  own,  but  who  live  by  consuming  those  of 
others.  They  are  called  Jagas,  or,  as  thePortu-' 
guese  spell  the  word,  Giagas.  It  has  been  said  by 
ancient  travellers,  that  these  people  fattened, 
roasted, .  and  ate  their  prisoners,  or  sold  them  to 
butchers  who  exposed  their  flesh  to  sale  in  the 
public  markets  ;  that  the  father  devoured  the  son, 
the  son  the  father,  and  the  brother  the  brother  ; 
that  all  dead  bodies  were  eaten,  by  what^i^r  dis- 
ease death  was  occasioned ;  and  that  i^arm'humaa 
blood  was  the  favourite  beverage.  It  was  atso 
said  that  these  people  buried  all  their  cUNdren 
alive,  imediately  after  their  birth,-  that  they  might 
not  be  incumbered  with  them  in  their  predatory 
excursions ;  and  rc^cruited  their  numbers  by  boys 
and  girls  of  thirteen  or  fourteen  years  of  age, 
taken  in  war,  whom  they  trained  to  plunder  and 
canibalism. 

This  is  not  true.  It  is  not  human  nature.  It 
carries  one  contradiction  on  the  face  of  it.  If  all 
the  children  were  buried'^as  soon  as  they  were  bom, 
how  could  the  father  eat  the  son,  or  the  son  the 
father !  Horrible  as  the  whole  account  is,  and  im- 
probable as  a  part,  I  gave  it  no  place  in  my  travels ; 
but  I  am  now  induced  to  add  it,  as  a  European 
has  lately  returned  from  fifteen  months'  captivity 
among  the  Jagas.  His  companions  were  eaten, 
and  he  must  have  shared  the  same  fate,  had  he 

VOL.  II.  X       '  . 


06  '  BENIN. 

not  cured' a  bfoken  arm:  of  a. favourite  woman  be* 
longing  to  the  chief  of  the  horde.  The  Jagas  do 
devour  their  prisoners ;  human  flesh  is  sold  in  the 
market ;  warm  blood,  drawn  from  living  victims 
ii  their  delicious  beverage.  Here  the  horrid  story 
ends. 

While  we  were  sailing  down  this  river,  a  single 

'  elephant  walked  very  gently  for  some  time  on  its 
bank,  taking  the  same  course  with  ourselves.  We 
.went  on  shore  with  an  intention  to  shoot  him,  but 
he  did  not  give  us  the  opportunity  ;  for,, after  we 
had  pursued  him  an  -hour,  he  retreated  into  a 
wood.  I  have  since  thought  that  he  was  very 
obliging  to  us,  as  well  as  considerate  to  himself. 
On  our  return  to-  the  vessel  we  met  five  of  these 
huge  animals  together.  They  suffered  us  q^uietly 
to  pass,  ^bd  we,  with  grateful  acknowledgement 
of  the  favour,  regained  our  boat. 
*  ,The  next  country  I  visited  was  the  kingdom  of 
Benin.  Sailing  up  the  river  Formosa^  I  found  its 
banks  low,  fertile,  full  of  woQds  and  musquitoes. 

.Each  district  is  governed  by  its  particular  chief  j 
but  all  are  vassals  of  the  king  of  Benin.  The  in- 
habitants are  considered  as  slaves  by  their  king, 
and  are  proud  of  being  such  :  the  title  of  king's 
slave  is  a  distinguishing  mark  of  honour.  The 
towns  are  widely  distant  from  each  other,  as  well 
on  the  river  as  inland.  There  are  three  villages 
that  trade  with  Europeans  —  Boededoe,  which 
contains  about  fifty  houses  ;  Arebo,  which  is  much 
larger ;  and  Agatton,  a  considerable  town^  which 
is  the  market  of  several  small  villages  in  the  vici- 
nity. A  day's  journey  from  Agatton,  inland,  is 
the  town  of  Benin,  the  residence  of  the  king. 
Arebo  is  situated  more  than  sixty  miles  above  the 


GOVEJINMENT.  SO7 

nioutb  of  the  nyer^  and  the  river  i«  navigable  for 
ships  beyond  this  place. 

The  will  of  the  king  of  Benin  is  a  law  which 
none  of  his  subjects  dare  oppose  j  but  the  gotern- 
iment  is  principally  vested  in  three  great  officers^ 
called  the  Onegwa,  the  Ossade,  and  the  Arribon> 
who  are  always  near  the  king's  person,  and  through 
whom  all  business  with  the  king  is  transacted.  A 
fourth  great  officer  is  entrusted  with  the  affairs 
relating  to  war.  The  king  appoints  the  governors 
of  districts  and  towns  according  to  the  recom- 
mendation of  the  three  great  civil  officers.  The 
badge  of  office  is  a  string  of  beads  resembling  red, 
.speckled,  polished  marble,  which  is  worn  about 
the  neck.  It  is  presented  by  the  king,  and  it  is 
death  to  counterfeit  it,  or  to  wear  it,  unless  con- 
ferred by  him.  Once  placed  round  the  neck,  it  is 
not  to  be  taken  off;  as  it  is  death  to  lose  it,  or 
even  to  have  it  stolen.  There  have  been  instances 
of  five  men  having  been  put  to  death  on  account  of 
<mp  of  these  official  necklaces ;  the  man  to  whom  it 
.belonged,  because  he  had  suffered  it  to  be  stolen  ; 
th/^  thief,  who  confessed  he  had  stolen  it;  and 
three  oth^er  persons,  who  were  privy  to  the  theft, 
and  did  not  discover  it.  If  one  of  these  be  taken 
from  the  neck  of  the  owner  by  irresistible  force, 
he  immediately  exclaims,  "  I  am  a  dead  man  !** 

An  audience  is  seldom  denied  to  a  European 
who  asks  it  through  the  medium  of  the  three  great 
jaen.  1  had  the  honour  of  being  presented  to  this 
monarch,  of  whose  court  I  shall  now  give  a  de- 
^ription. 

Across  the  front  pf  the  king's  habitationran  an 
op)^  piazz.a,  suppprted  by  fifly-eight  strong  pillar^ 

x2 


d08  •  B£NIK. 

of  wood,  about  twelve  feet  high,  fashioned  by  the 
axe.  Fusing  through  thid  piazia,  we  came  to  a 
wail  of  day,  with  three  gates ;.  one  at  either  ex* 
tremity,  and  one  in  the  centre*  On  the  top  of  the 
latter  was  placed  a  wooden  turlret,  about  seventy 
feet  high,  and  narrowing  from  the  base ;  and  on 
the  top  of  this  was  a  large  snake,  cast  in  copper, 
with  its  head  hanging  down.  Through  one  of 
the  gates  we  entered  a  court  about  a  quarter  of  a 
mile  square,  inclosed  with  a  low  wall.    Along  this 

*  court,  opposite  to  the  entrance,  ran  a  second 
piazza,  like  the  former,  except  that  it  had  no  cen- 
tre gate,  or  turret ;  having  only  a  gate  at  each 
end.  ^Passing  through  one-  of  these,  we  saw  a 
third  piazza,  the  supporters  of  which  were  figures, 
instead  of  columns ;  but  so  wretchedly  curved, 
that  if  the  natives  had  not  distinguished  them  by 
the  different  appellations  of  merchants,  soldiers, 
and  hunters,  I  should  scarcely  have  known  that 
they  were  intended  for  men.  Behind  a  white 
carpet  under  this  piazza,  I  was  shewn  eleven 
human  heads,  cast  in  copper,  by  as  skilful  an  artist 
as  thfe  carver  of  the  pillars.    On  each  head  was 

.  plisu:ed  an  elephant's  tooth  ;  and  each  head  so 
adorned  constituted  one  of  his  majesty's  household 
gods. 

Through  a  gate  in  this  piafeza'we  entered  ano* 
liher  large  CQUrt,  and  across  the  upper  end  of  this 
ran  a^urth  piazza,  on  which  was  placed  a  snake 
like  the  former.  Beyond  this  was.  the  habitation 
of  the  king.  Every  separate  building  had  a  small 
turret  of  a  pyramidal  form,  on  some  of  which  a]^ 
peared  the  figure  of  a  bird' with  extended  wings, 
cast  in  cdfper.    It  is  said  (hat  the  whole  of  the 


KINO   OF   BENIN.  309 

royal  residence  occupies  as  much  space  as  the  city 
of  Bourdeaux.  It*is  detached  from  the  town.  - 

The  first  apartment  is  the  hall  of  audience,  in 
which  the  king  receives  strangers.  He  was 
sitting  on  an  ivory  couch,  under  a  canopy  of 
Indian  silk,  and  attended  by  his  three  great  men. 
On  his  left  hand,  before  a  piece  of  fine  tapestry, 
were  seven  other  divinities,  in  the  form*  of  ele- 
phant's teeth,  well  polished,  and  placed  on  pedes- 
tals of  ivory.  The  king  seemed  a  man  of  an 
afiable  demeanour.  I  stood,  according  to  cus- 
tom, at  about  thirty  yards  distance  from  him ;  but, 
on  my  expressing  a  wish  to  approach  nearer,  he 
smiled,  and  beckoned  me  towards  him,  and  I  ad«- 
.vanced  to  within  the  distance  of  ten  or  twelve. 
No  other  person  \tras  in  the  room,  except  the  three 
great  men,  and  a  fierce  looking  negro  with  a  drawn 
sword. 

No  man  ever  presumes  to  speak  to  the  king  but 
these  three  officers.  All  communications  are 
made  to  them ;  they  go  and  report  them  to  the 
king,  and  bring  back  his  answers ;  how  fisiithfuUy 
none  but  themselves  can  tell.  I  presented  the 
king  with  a  silk  night-gown,  which,  I  was  after- 
wards toid  he  .was  much  pleased  with ;  but  I  had 
not  the  satisfaction  of  knowing  it  myself,  as,  ac- 
cording to  the  etiquette  of  the  court  of  Benin,  it 
was  presented  covered  with  mats,  and  not  opened 
till  I  had  left.  «- 

The  king'y  mother  resides  in  a*spacious  habita- 
tion, without  the  city,  where  she  has  her  own  offi* 
cers  and  attendants.  The  king  pays  her  great 
reverence,  and  frequently  consults  her  by  means 
of  his  ministers  >  but  custom  docs  not  permit  him 
to  see  her. 


310  BENIN. 

The  people  say  that  their  king  has  more  than 
fifteen  hundred  wives,  which  is  not  an  extraordi- 
nary number  ;.as  he  not  only  inherits  the  wives  of 
his  predecessors,  but  of  such  of  his  subjects  as  die 
without  children.  These  last  he  disposes 'of  as  he 
thinks  proper,  and  if  they  are  very  handsome,  he 
keeps  them  himself. 

On  a  (Certain  day  of  the  year  the  king  appears 
abroad  to  shew  himself  to  his  people.  He  is  then 
mounted  on  one  of  his  best  horses,  and  the  best  ^ 
are  very  indifferent,  attended  by  several  hundreds 
of  his  officers  of  state,  and  preceded  and  followed 
by  musicians.  At  the  head  of  this  royal  proces- 
sion are  some  tame  leopards,  led  by  dwarfs  or 
mutes.  This  festival  is  concluded  by  the  death  of 
ten  or  twelve  slaves,  supplied  by  the  people,  and 
sacrificed  in  honour  of  the  king. 

Another  day  is  set  apart  for  what  is  called  the 
Coral  feast.  At  this  I  was  fortunately  present. 
The  king,  magnificently  dressed,  appeared  in  the 
second  court,  and  seated  himself  under  a  fine  ca- 
nopy ;  his  wives  and  principal  officers,  clothed  in 
their  richest  apparel,  arranging  themselves  round 
him.  The  king  then  rose,  and  went\o  offer  sacri- 
fice to  his  gods,  amidst  the  acclamations  of  his 
people  ;  his  attendants  forming  a  procession. 
When  this  was  over,-  he  returned  to  his  seat,  where 
he  remained  while  the  people  offered  their  obla- 
tions. The  whole  ceremony  took  up  about  two 
hours,  when  the  monarch  retired.  The  remainder 
of  the  day  was  spent  in  feasting;  the  king  distri-^ 
buting  abundance  of  provisions  and  palm  wine ; 
the  great  following  his  example  ;  and  nothing 
was  bcen  throughout  the  city  but  marks  of  re- 


KING    OF    BENIN.  .311 

joicing.  When  I  enquired  into  the  origin  of -this 
fe^ival,  the  people  replied,  "  We  do  not]  know 
any  thing  of  it/' 

The  king  of  Benin  has  officers  whose  employ- 
ment it  is  on  certain  days  to  carry  a  large  quantity 
of  provisions,  ready  dressed,  for  the  use  of  the 
poor.  These  officers  march  two  a-breast,  pre- 
ceded by  a  superior  officer  with  a  long  whjte  staff; 
and  every  person  gives  way  to  them,  be  his  quality 
wh^t  it  may.  .  The  great  men  and  governors  also 
contribute  to  the  support  of  such  as  are  unable  to 
labour,  and  employ  numbers  at  their  different 
places  of  residence.  Here  are  no  beggars,  nor 
many  persons  very  poor. 

t  When  the  king  dies,  his  domestics  solicit  the 
honour  of  being  buried  alive  with  him  ;  but  this 
is  accorded  only  to  a  few  of  the  greatest  favourites. 
These  are  let  down  after  the  corpse,  the  grave 
being  large  at  the  bottom,  and  small  at  the  top, 
where  it  is  closed  with  a  stone.  On  the  following 
morning  the  stone  is  removed,  and  the  people  be- 
low are  asked  if  they  have  found  the  king.  This 
question  is  repeated  every  successive  morning, 
till  no  answer  is  returned,  when  it  is  concluded 
that  the  king's  slaves  have  joined  their  master  in 
a. better  world.  Meat  is  then  roasted  on  the  stone, . 
and  given  to  the  populace  ;  who,  having  eaten  and 
drunk  plentifully,  run  about  the  city  in  the  night, 
committing  various  outrages  ;  even  murdering 
some  of  those  they  meet,  and  bringing  the  dead 
bodies  to  the  grave  of  the  king,  to  be  thrown  in  as  • 
a  present  to  him.  •  '  , 

When  the  reigning  sovereign  finds  himself  near 
death,  he  sends  for  the^onegwa,  and  nominates  Ixis 
successor  ftom  among  his  sons.     When  the  king 


312 .  BENIN* 

exyirQSr.thift  minister  takes  into  his  own  custody 
tb6jd&c;tsof  the  deceased)  and  receives  the  ho* 
mage  of  all  the  expectants*  After  some  days  he 
communicates  the  secret  to  the  war-minister,  and 
the  pribce  is  sent  for,  and  made  to  kneel,  whil^ 
they  declare  to  him  the  will  of  hisfathen  The 
prince  having  thanked  these  officers  for  the  faitbr 
ful  discharge  of  their  trust,  rises,  and  is  proclaimed 
king  of  Benin- 
It  cannot  be  doubted  that  the  nomination  of  the 
sovereign  is  really  vested  in  the  onegwa ;  nor  is 
it:;lfi86  evident,  from  the  homage  paid  him>  that 
Uu8  is  the  opinion  of  the  princes*  The  alterna- 
tive  is,  indeed,  a  serious  one  ;  a  throne  or  a  grave. 
The  brothers  of  the  new  king,  and  even  their  ipns, 
are  sacrificed  to  his  safety  i  but  as  it  is  not  per* 
mitted  to  shed  royal  blood,  they  have  the  satisfac- 
tion of  remaining  entire  after  death,  being  suffo- 
called  by  having  their  mouths,  ears,  and  noses 
filled  with  cloth :  they  are  also  favoured  with  i^ 
pompcms  funeral. 

The  new  king  usually  retires  to  a  village  near 
the  capital,  where  he  keeps  his  court ;  while  the 
queen-mother,  the  onegwa,  and  the  war-minister, 
like  the  Iteghe  and  the  Has  in  Abyssinia,  take  the 
troufaieof  gt^verning  the  kingdom  till  he  be  of  age 
to  governhimself.  • 

.  The  king  of  Benin  celebrates  an  annual  festival 
in  honour  of  his  predecessors ;  and  twenty-five 
men  are  slaughtered  on  the  occasipn.  These  are 
malefactors,  when  such  a  number  can* be  found} 
but,  if  any  be  wanting,  they  are  supplied  by  seizr 
ing  any  persons  who  are  met  at  night  in  the  streets, 
potdbat rying  a  light* 
.    The  metropolis  of  !3enin  is  situated  in  ft  vast 


METROPOLIS  OP  BENIN.  313 

plain.  It  is  inclosed  on  one  side  by  a  doiiblefeiM^ 
of  the  trunks  of  trees,  about  ten  feet  high,  placed 
close  together^  and  &stened  by  pieces  of  timber 
laid  transversely.   The  interstices  are  filled  up  mtk 
red  earth,  which  gives  the  whole  the  appearanceof 
asmooth,  thick  wall.    The  other  side  of  the  csty^ 
is  secured  by  thick  thorny  bushes,,  beyond  which 
is  an  impenetrable  morass.    The  wall  has  several 
gates,  ten  feet  in.  height,  and  five  in  breadth^ 
^med  of  a  single  piece  of  wood.    The  city  is  at 
least  four  miles  in  length ;   the  streets  are  long 
and  broad,  and  very  neatly  kept ;   every  woman 
sweeping  the  part  before  her  own  house.    For- 
merly the  place  was  overcharged  with  inhabitants, 
and^he  houses  were  near  each  other ;  but,  in  con- 
sequence of  civil  wars,  they  are  now  widely  dis- 
tant.   Markets  are  held,  morning  and  afternoon 
each  day,  for  cattle,  cotton  in  wool  and  in  yam, 
elephants'  teeth,  European  goods,  and,  in  a  word, 
every  article  that  is  produced  in  the  country,  or 
Ifnds  its  way  to  it.    The  houses  are  one  story  high, 
built  with  clay,  and  thatched  with  reeds,  straw,  or 
palm  leaves.    They  receive  light  only  through  the 
door.     The  best  are  very  large,  and  are  divided 
into  a  Qumber  of  smaller  apartments.    Each  house 
has  a  piazza  within,  in  which  are  placed  benches, 
for  seats  and  beds :  and  the  large  ones  have  also 
a  piazza  without,  supported  by  pillars  of  hewn 
timber.     The  galleries  and  the  insid^  walls  are 
washed  over  with  ared  glossy  substance. 

No  man  who  is  not  a  native  is  allowed  to  reside 
in  the  city,  except  slaves;  none  of  these  are 
natives*  ^        '     .     v 

The  country  is  level  and  interspersed  with  beau^^ 


ol4f  BENIK. 

tifut  trees.     It  does  not  afford  a  single  stone. 
Elephants  are  numerous. 

The  people  of  Benin  are  civil  and  generous. 
The  European  traders  s^y  that  when  they  make 
them  presents,  they  endeavour  to  recompence 
them  doubly  ;  and  if  they  ask  for  any  thing,  they 
seldom  refuse  to  part  with  it,  though  they  want  it 
themselves^  In  return,  they  expect  to  be  treated 
with  courtesy,  and  do  not  bend  to  pride  and  arr<>- 
gance.  They  are  said  to  be  so  tedious  in  their 
deaKngs,  that  to  purchase  a  number  of  elephants' 
teeth  is  sometimes  the  work  of  eight  or  ten  days  ; 
but,  at  the  same  time,  their  manner  is  so  conciliat- 
ing that  it  is  impossible  to  be  out  of  humour  with 
them. 

No  native  of  Benin  is  allowed  to  be  sold ;  and, 
of  captives  taken  in  war,  the  females  only  are  sold. 
The  payment  to  Europeans  is  chiefly  made  in 
cloths,  the  manufacture  of  the  country  ;  the  com- 
mon ones  blue,  the  better  ones  four  stripes  of  blue 
and  white,  and  nearly  two  yards  long.  The  cli- 
mate is  so  fatal  to  Europeans,  and  the  modes  of 
doing  business  of  the  Benin  brokers  (who  alone 
are  permitted  to  trade  with  them)  so  tardy,  that 
their  provisions  being  consumed,  and  their  crews 
half  dead  or  sickly,  they  are  frequently  obliged  to 
leave  the  coast  unpaid.  If  ever  they  return,  the 
brokers  never  fail  to  discharge  the  debt  with  great 
civility.     , 

Europeans  are  held  in  such  estimation  at  Benin, 
that  they  are  called  Owiorua,  the  Children  of 
God ;  and  in  discoursing  with  them,  the  inhabi- 
tants often  say,  in  broken  Portuguese,  **  Vos  Sa 
Bio&/'  You  are  gods.    The  traders  much  lament 


HABIT   OF   THE   PEOPLE.  S15 

that  the  climate  is  so  deleterious,  as  no  people 
throughout  Guinea  are  so  courteous  as  those  oC 
Benin. 

The  better  sort  of  men  wear  a  white  doth, 
aboiit  a  yard  long,  and  half  as  broad,  which  serves 
them  for  drawers.  Over  this  they  have  a  finer 
cloth,  from  sixteen  to  twenty  yards  in  length,  or- 
namentally plaited  in  the  middle,  and  festened  on 
with  a  scarf,  the  end  of  which  is  adorned  with 
fringe  or  lace.  The  upper  part  of  the  body  is 
usually  naked.  In  this  habit  they  appear  abroad; 
at  home  they  wear  only  a  large  cloth  called  paan^ 
thrown  over  the  shoulders,  as  a  cloaks  Soldiers 
wear  only  a  cloth  round  the  waist.  The  great 
officers  wear  a  short  frock  of  scarlet  cloth,  and  a 
Vide  cap,  with  a  horse's  tail  hanging  from  it.  Tlie 
natives  of  Benin  are  well  skilled  in  the  art  c£ 
dying.  They  dye  blue,  yellow,  red,  green,  and 
black;  and  they  have  good  soap,  which  makes 
them  neatly  clad.  They  not  only  are  cldthed  in 
cofton  of  their  own  manufacture,  but  they  export 
'annually  thousands  of  cotton  cloths. 

Wdmen  of  the  highest  rank  wear  fine  cloths, 
chequered  with  various  colours,  wrapped  round. 
'  the  waist,  *  and  forming  a  petticoat.  The  upper 
part  of  the  body  is  covered  with  a  beautiful  cloth, 
a  yard,  or  more  in  length.  Strings  of  coral  are 
worn  round  the  neck,  copper  or  iron  rings  on  the 
legs  and  arms,  and  copper  rings  on  thfe  fingers, 
placed  ks  closely  together  as  possible.  The  hair  is 
^  finely  curled  ;  and  some  colour  one  half  the  hair 
red,  and  the  other  black.   • 

Boys  and  girls  are  without  clothing  till  they 
attain  the  age' of  ten  or  eleven  years  ;  arid  when 
they  are  first  permitted  to  wear  it,  they  are  exposed 


^16  S£NIK. 

to  public  view,  seated  on  a  mat,  of  a  white  cotton 
cloth,  and  receive  the  congratulations  of  a  multi- 
tude of  people. 

A  great  number  of  young  men  and  women^ 
more  than  twenty  years  of  age,  are  seen  in  the 
streets  without  any  other  clothing  than  a  string  of 
<;6ral,  or  jasper  round  the  neck.  These  are  such 
as  have  not  obtained  the  king^s  perinission  to  wear 
a  habit.  When  a  man  or  woman  marries,  this  per- 
mission is  no  longer  necessary;  for  it  is  reckoned 
infamous  for  a  married  person  to  be  without 
clothing.  If  a  man  marry  a  young  woman  with- 
out apparelj  he  is  not  allowed  to  take  her  home  till 
he  can  clothe  her< 

No  man  may  enter  the  king's  apartment  in  his 
clothes  without  a  special  permission.  His  being 
naked  before  the  king  is  a  token  that  he  is  his 
slave.  In  Abyssinia,  as  I  have  before  observed,  a 
subject  uncovers  only  to  the  waist ;  in  England  he 
only  uncovers  his  head. 

The  wives  of  the  great  are  shut  up  ;  those  of 
the  meaner  sort  keep  the  daily  markets,  till  f^ 
ground,  ancl  go  wherever  their  af&irs,  or  their 
labour  calls  them.  If  a  man  receive  a  visit  in  his 
own  house,  and  any  of  his  wives  chance  to  be  with 
liim,  they  immediately  retire ;  but  if  the  visitor  be 
a  Eur<^an,  they  remain  by  the  husband^s  com- 
mand i  and  if  business  call  him  away,  he  desires 
his  wives  to  entertaih  the  stranger  till  his  return. 

Among  the  common  people,  if  the  wifb  be 
caught  in  adultery,  a^  the  effects  of  the  guilty 
man  become  the  instant  property  of  the  injiireid 
husband ;  and  the  woman  receives  a  hearty  cud- 
gelling, and  is  expelled  the  house.  Among  the 
better  sort»  the  relations  prevent  this  disgrace  by 


SACRIFICE   OP  TWINS/  317 

appeasing  the  husband's  anger  with  mcmey ;  and 
the  transgressor  is  restored  to  his  favour^    The 
great  revenge  themselves  by  the  instant  death  of 
both  parties. 

When  an  infant  is  seven  days  old,  it  is  supposed 
to  have  passed  its  greatest  danger  from  evilspirits> 
and  a  small  feast  is  made :  stiU  it  is  coosidered 
necessary  to  propitiate  them  by  strewing  victuals 
in  aU  the  paths  near  the  dwelling.  The  male 
infants  are  presented  to  the  king,  as  belonging  of 
right  to  him :  the  females  reside  with  the  father 
till  they  are  grown  up^  when  he  disposes  of  them 
as  he  pleases. 

In  all  parts  of  Benin,  except  Arebo,  twin  births^ 
afford  matter  of  public  rejcHcing }  but  attbat  town 
both  mother  and  children  are  sacrificed  to  an  inex- 
orable demon  who  resides  in  a  neighbouring  wood. 
Ifv  however  the  wife  be  dear  to  her  husband,  he 
may  sacrifice  a  female  slave  in  her  stead  ;  but  no* 
thing  can  save  the  children,  and  there  have  been 
instances  of  a  priest  butchering  his  own.  It  some- 
times happens  that,  to  prevent  the  possibility  of 
this  painful  sacrifice,  the  husband  sends  his  wife 
to  a  distant  part  of  the  country,  when  the  time  oT 
her  delivery  draws  nigh.  The  priests  keep^thi» 
haunt  of  the  demon  so  sacred  that  no  person  is 
allowed  to  enter  it ;  and  they  persuade  the  pe^le 
that  some  severe  calamity  would  fall  upon  the 
land,  if  the  custom  req>ecting  the  twin  children 

were  violated* 

If  a  native  of  the  m^opolis  die  in  a  distant 
part  of  the  kingdom,,  tbe  corpse  is  dried  over  a 
gentle  fire,  and  conveyed  to  this  city  to  be  interred* 
When  a  woman  of  distinction  dies,  thirty  or  forty 
slaves  are  massacred  on  the  day  of  her  burial.  One 


318  •  HEMN. 

woman  has. been  known  to,  have  had  seven ty-eiglit 
saorificed,  who  were  all  her  own  property  ;  and  to 
complete  the  .number  of  eighty,  which  she,  while 
living,  had  ordered  to  be  slain  on  this  occasion, 
two  young  children,  a  boy  and  a  girlj  whom  she 
had  loved  exceedingly,  were  murdered.  The  dead 
are  commonly  buried-  in  their  best  apparel,  and  a 
greater  or  lesser  number  of  slaves,  according  to 
the  quality  of  the  deceased,  are  sacrificed  to  attend 
them.  The  funeral  ceremonies  usually  continue 
seven  or  eight  days,  and  consist  of  lamentations, 
songs,  dancing,  and  hard  drinking ;  and  after  a 
corpse  has  been  interred  with  all  these  formalities, 
it  is  sometimes  taken  up,  and  buried  again  with  a 
repetition*  of  them,  sacrifices  included. 

The  near  relations  mourn  during  several  months; 
some  with  half  the  head  shaved,  others  with  the 
whole.  One  day  in  the  year,  the  great  celebrate 
the  decease  of  thpir  ancestors  and  relations  by  a 
very  expensive  feast. 

When  a  person  of  condition  dies,  the  eldest  son, 
who  is  the  sole  heir,  presents  a  slave  to  the  king, 
and  another  to  the  three*  great  men,  with  a  peti- 
tion that  he  may  succeed  his  father.  This  is 
granted.  He  bestows  what  he  pleases  on  his 
yoynger  brothers;  allows  his  mother  a  credit- 
able maintenance  ;  and  employs  his  father's  other 
wives  at  his  residence. 

,  If  a  woman  be  left  a  widow,  she  cannot  marry 
again  without  the  consent  of  her  son,  if  she  have  a 
son  ;  or  if  he  be  too  young,  the  man  who  marries 
her. is  obliged  to  give  him  a  female  slaye,  to  wait 
upon  him,  instead  of  his  mother. 

The  wealthy  among  the  people  of  Benin  eat 
beef,  mutton,  and  fowls;  and,  instead  of  bread, 


PUNISHMENTS.  319 

yams,  bailed,  beaten  fine,  and  made  into  cakes. 
They  give  great  entertainments  to  their  friends  j 
the  common  people  eat  the  jQesh  of  cats  and  dogs. 

Their  arms  are  hassagays,  pointed  arrows,  a 
sort  of  cutlass,  and  shields  made  of  small  bamboos. 
They  are  so  cowardly  that  nothing  but  necessity 
can  urge  them  to  fight ;  and  when  in  the  field, 
their  conduct  is  so  confused  and  disorderly,  that 
they  themselves  are  ashamed  of  it.  If  their  flight 
be  prevented,  they  turn  upon  the  enemy,  not  to 
fight,  but  to  surrender. 

AH  negroes  are  dancers;  but  those  of  Benin 
are  the  best 

Theft  is  rare  in  Benin.  When  it  is  discovered, 
after  restitution  of  the  stolen  goods,  it  is  punished 
by  a  fine  ;  but  if  the  thief  be  unable  to  pay  the 
flne,  he  is  beaten. 

Murder  is  still  more  rare  than  theft.  It  is 
punished  with  death  by  decapitation,  and  the  body 
is  quartered,  and  exposed  to  beasts  and  birds  of 
prey.  The  latter  are  held  in  such  estimation,  that 
provisions  are  regularly  laid  for  th.em  in  particular 
places.  If  the  murderer  be  a  considerable  person, 
he  is  conducted  by  a  strong  guard  to.  the  utmost 
confines^  of  the  kingdom,  where  he  is  left,  and 
never  heard  of  more* 

In  a  case  of  murder  without  premeditation,  the 
offender  may  ransom  his  life  by  burying  the  dead 
creditjably,  at  his  own  expence ;  paying  a  large 
jsum  to  the  three  great  men ;  and  producing  a  slave 
to  suffer  in  his  place.  In  this  case  he  kneels,  and 
touches  the  slave  with  his  forehead,  as  he  is 
executed.  . 

If  an  accusation  be  not  clearly  proved,  the  sus- 
pected person  undergoes  an  ordeal,  to  prove  his 


I 


820  BBNIK. 

guilt  or  innocence.  Of  this  there  are  four  different 
sorts  in  common  use.  In  the  first,  a  cock'$  Ihn* 
ther  is  prepared  by  the  priest,  and  pierced  through 
the  tongue  of  the  accused.  If  it  pass  through 
easily,  and  be  drawn  out  at  the  bottom,  the  man  is 
innocent ;  if  it  stick  in  the  tongue  he  is  guilty. 
In  the  second^  the  priesttakes  an  oblong  clod  of 
eaith,  into  which,  it  being  less  sensible  of  pain 
than  the  tonguci*  he  sticks  seven  or  nine  q^iills  of 
a  cock.  The  suspected  person  draws  these  *ut 
successively ;  and  if  they  come  out  will)  eas^,  he 
is  innocent ;  if  with  difficulty,  he  is  guilty*  In  the 
third,  the  priest  squirts  the  juice  of  certain  green 
herbs  into  the  eyes  of  the  accused.  If  it  do  ndt 
hurt  him»  he  is  innocent;  if  his  eyes  become 
inflamed,  he  is  guilty.  In  the  fourtbi  the  priest* 
passes  a  red  hot  copper  arm-ring  three  Umes  over 
the  tongue  of  the  supposed  culprit;  and  fron^bis 
being  hurt,  or  not  hurt,  by  the  operatidn,  he  is 
pronounced  guilty  or  innocent 

In  the  different  ordeals  of  cock  s  quills  and  that 
of  the  juice  of  herbs,  something  seems  to  be  left  to 
the  management  of  the  priest;  but  it  appears  to 
ma,  that  red  hot  copper  must  infallibly  find  a 
man  guilty.  • 

Of  the  fines,  a  part  goes  to  the  injured  person  ;  . 
a  part  to  the  governor' of  the  town  or  province  ; 
and  the  rest  to  the  three  great  men  for  the  king^ 
whom  it  never  reaches.  If  the  three  great  men 
be  not  satisfied  with  this  share,  they  inform  the 
governor  that  he  has  not  done  his  duty,  but  must 
send  them  more ;  and  he  knows  then:  authority 
too  well  to  dispute  their  opinion. 

The  people  of  Benin  believe  in  an  invisible 
deity,  who  created  heaven  and  earth,  and  governs 


them  with  absolute  power ;  but  they  conceive  it 
oeedlesis  to  worship  him,  because  he  is  always 
doing  good  without  their  services.  They  also 
believe  in  a  malignant  deity ;  to  whom  they  sacri*- 
fice  inen  and  animals,  to  satiate  his  thirst  of  blood, 
and  prevent  him  from  doing  them  mischief.  But 
they  Jbave  innumerable  objects  of  worship  ;-— ele- 
phant's teeth,  claws,  bones,  dead  men*s  heads, 
any  trifle  that  chance  throws  in  their  way,  to 
whfch  they  make  daily  offerings  of  a  few  .boiled 
yams^' mixed  with  palm  oiL  On  great  occasions 
thiey  saorifice  a  cock,  treating  the  divinity  with 
the  blood  only,  and  reserving  the  flesh  for  them- 
sdves.  Persons  of  high  rank  give  an  annual  feast 
to  their  gods,  at  which  multitudes  of  cattle  are 
ofiered  to  the  idols  and  eaten  by  the  people.  Each 
offers  his  own  sacrifices,  without  giving  the  priests 
an^  iort  of  trouble. 


VOL.  II*r  '    *    '        * 


822 


CHAPTER  XX. 


IVHYbAH. 

About  fifty  mlles  west  of  Benin  lies  what  was 
formerly  the  kingdom  of  Whydah.  No  such  king- 
dom now  exists  ;  but  I  shall  give  some  account  of 
it  from  a  Dutch  slave-trader  who  visited  this  coast 
between  the  years  1692  and  I7OO.  This  part  of 
the  country  is  called  the  Slave  Coast. 

This  gentleman  begins  by  stating  that  slaves 
were  so  plentiful  in  the  interior  that  two  were 
sometimes  sold  for  a  handful  of  salt ;  ^hd  that  he 
himself  had  laden  three  ships  with  this  article  of 
merchandize,  at  Whydah,  in  fourteen  days.  He 
says  that  the  people  delivered  a  thousand  slaves  a 
month,  and  that  from  fwenty-five  to  fifty  ships 
were  laden  in  a  year.  The  territory  did  not  ex- 
tend more  than  ten  miles  along  the  coast;  but'  it 
may  be  supposed  to  have  been  one  of  the  principal 
marts  for  human  beings  *.  .  These  creatures  came 
from  the  inland  cpuntries,  where  there  were  mar- 
kets for  men,  as  in  Europe  for  beasts.  When  a ' 
cargo  of  them  arrived  at  Whydah,  they  were  con- 
ducted to  prison,  from  whence  they  were  drawn  out 
into  a  large  open  plain,  where  they  were  stripped, 

*  Before  the  English  attempted  to  abolish  the  slave  trade,  it 
ia  said  that  80,000  slaves  were  annually  exported  from  Africa.  I 
wish  it  were  possible  to  know  how  much  the  number  is  now  di- 
minished. 


SLAVE   TRADE.  323 

and  carefully  examined  by  European  burgeons. 
Their  mouths  were  looked  into,  like  those  of  a 
horse^  to  judge  of  their  age^  and  they  were  made 
to  jump,  and  stretch  out  their  arms  swiftly,  to 
shew  whether  they  were  sounds  wind  and  limbi 
All  above  thirty-five  years  of  age,  all  the  sickly^ 
all  the  maimed,  or  blemished,  if  only  by  the  loss 
of  a  tooth,  were  set  aside*  The  young  atid  healthy 
were  purchased  at  a  fixed  price,  and  paid  for  in 
cowries,  and  in  goods;  the  women  being  worth 
one  fourth,  or  one  fifth,  less  than  the  men. 

^rhese  animals  were  delivered  to  their  pur- 
chasers, who  branded  them  with  a  hot  iron,  that 
they  might  not  be  exchanged  for  others  of  less 
value.  They  were  then  returned  to  prison,  and 
fed  on  bread  and  water,  at  the  cost  of  their  pre-^ 
seQt  owner^,  till  they  could  be  stowed  on  board  a 
ship  :  but  as  flesh  and  blood,  bone  and  skin,  were 
the  only  articles  of  sale,  the  former  owners  re-^ 
tained  the  clothings  and  left  the  slaves  naked ;  and 
naked  they  generally  remained  to  the  end  of  the 
voyage*  There  were  frequently  six  or  seven  hun* 
dred  slaves  on  board  one  ship,  which,  the  honest 
Dutchman  says,  '*  is  almost  incredible  ;  but  they 
lie  as  close  together  as  it  is  possible  for  them  to 
be  crammed."  It  wa^  to  be  lamented  that,  notwith* 
standing  this  kind  treatment,  the  negroes  were  so 
wilful  as  sometimes  to  starve  or  drown  themselves, 
rather  than  make  a  voyage  to  Barbadoes,  shackled 
two  and  two  together.  .When  the  cargo  could  not 
otherwise  be  completed,  the  king  would  sell  three 
or  four  hundred  of  his  wives  ;  but  this  affectionate 
husband  sometimes  repented,  and  sending  for  one 
lady  back,  substituted  another  in  her  place. 


324  trilWAH. 

Ih  carrying  burdens  from  the  ship  to  the  viP 
lage,  which  was  three  miles  distant,  the  negro 
porters  trotted  so  swiftly  with  a  hundred  pounds 
weight  on  their  heads,  that  a  Dutchman,  with  no- 
thing to  carry,  could  not  keep  pace  with  them. 
They  were  more  expert  thieves  than  the  pick- 
pockets of  Paris,  and  would  elude  the  vigilance  of 
Argus,  if  his  hundred  were  a  thousand  eyes..  If 
by  chance  they  were  detected,  they  would  say, 
**  Do  you  think  we  would  work  for  such  low 
wages,  if  we  had  not  the  privilege  of  stealing?" 
The  warehouse  of  the  trader  was  robbed ;  the 
locks  were  entire,  and  he  had  safely  kept  the  key. 
He  discovered  that  a  hole  had  been  made  in  the 
roof,  and  that  his  goods  had  been  drawn  out  by  » 
hook  fixed  to  the  end  of  a  long  pole.  On  his  first 
coming  into  the  country,  the  king  of  Whydah  had 
given  him  a  caution.  **  Be  upon  your  guard; 
against  my  subjects,"  said  he,  "  They  will  not 
poison  yott,  like  tlie  people  of  Ardra,  or  other 
neighbouring  countries ;  but?  they  will  rob  you 
whenever  they  can."  The  slave-trader  afterwards 
found  that  the  only  way  to  be  secure  from  robbery 
was  to  leave  the  country. 

It  may  be  presumed  that  these  adroit  thieves 
were  not  in  the  practice  of  robbing,  or  their 
neighbours  in  that  of  poisoning,  each  other ;  but 
that  both  considered  the  retaliation  just  against 
th^  trader  who  came  to  buy  their  persons. 

The  men  of  Whydah  we^e  quick  and  accurate  in 
mercantile  accounts ;  reckoning  as  justly  and  as 
readily,  to  the  amount  of  thousands,  with  their 
heads  alone,  as  the  Europeans  with  the  assistance 
of  pen  and  ink.  They  were  not  acquainted  with 
the  value  of  gold  and  silver ;  nor  had  they  either. 


KING    OF   WHYDAH.  325 

'Evpry  thing  in  the  kingdom,  were  it  ever  so 
meanj  p^id  a  toll  to  the  king  ;  and  the  collectors, 
•of  whom  there  were  above  a  thousand,  stationed 
themselves  in  all  the  roads,  that  led  to  the  market, 
to  receivq  it.  The  whole  amounted  to  an  incredi* 
ble  sum ;  but  about  three  fourths  of  it  was  ab- 
sorbed by  the  collectors  before  it  reached  the  king. 

TheldrUd  was  so  well  cultivated,  that  scarcely  a 
foot-path  was  unplanted  with  grain;  yet  the  coun- 
try was  so  populous,  and  so  much  grain  was  sold 
to  the  neighbouring  nations,  that  it  was  often 
scarce  before  harvest.  A  barren  year  reduced  free 
men  to  liberate  their  slaves,  and  sell  themselves, 
for  want  of  sustenance.  Bread  was  boiled,  not 
baked.  Water  was  drawn  out  of  deep  and  narrow 
•wells,  and  was  too  cold  to  be  drank  by  a  Dutch- 
man. Beer  was  brewed  from  millet. 
*'  The  king  of  Whydah  was  magni6cently  clothed 
in  gold  and  silver.  He  was  never  seen  to  eat;  and 
no  person  .ever  drank  out  of  the  cup  or  glass  used 
by  him.  None  of  his  subjects,  whatever  were 
their  rank,  dared  to  stand  in  his  presence.  When 
they  went  to  salute  him  in  a  morning,  they  pros*^ 
trated  themselves  on  the  ground  before  the  door 
of  his  house,  kissing  the  earth  three  times,  clap- 
ping their  bands,  and  whispering  some  words  in 
adoration  of  the  king.  They  then  crawled  on  all  . 
fours  into  his  presence,  where  they  repeated  the 
same  reverence,  and  remained  prostrate  on  the 
earth  around  till  the  monarch  retired* 
.  ITiere  seem^'to  be  a  general  propensity  in  men 
to  exalt  one  of  their  number  above  the  rest,  and 
not  only  to  obey,  but  to  worship  him.  The  Afri- 
cans, particularly,  endeavour  to  raise  this  idol 
above  the  common  functions  and  wants  of  human 


896  WlITDAH* 

nature.  In  Abyssinia  he  is  not  heard  to  speak;  in 
Loango  and  Whydah  he  js  not  seen  to  eat ;  in  Be- 
nin he  is  scarcely  seen  at  all.  The  trader  once 
asked  a  favourite  where  the  king  of  Whydah  slept, 
and  he  answered  by  another  question,  •*  Where 
does  God  sleep  ?'*  adding,  <*  it  is  just  as  impossi- 
ble for  us  to  know  the  king's  bedchamber." 

The  king  was  indebted  to  this  merchant  about 
a  hundred  pounds  ;  and,  being  about  to  leave  the 
x:ountry  for  a  time,  he  asked  thie  sovereign,  who 
would  pay  him  at  his  return,  in  case  he  should  die  ? 
The  king  answered,  with  a  smile,  that  he  need  not 
give  himself  any  trouble  on  that  account ;  for  he 
should  not  die,  but  always  live.  The  courtiers 
looked  astonished  at  the  question ;  and  the  mer- 
c)iant,  perceiving  that  he  had  made  some  blunder, 
took  his  leave ;  but,  being  followed  by  some  of  the 
officers,  he  demanded  the  reason  of  their  amaze- 
ment*  They  replied,  that  no  person  dared,  on  pain 
of  death,  to  speak  of  death  in  the  king's  presence; 
much  less  to  talk  of  his  dying  himself. 

The  king  of  Whydah  did,  however,  sometimes . 
die ;  and  with  him  died  all  order  and  honesty. 
*As  soon  as  his  death  was  publicly  knbwn,  every 
person  began  to  steal  his  iteighbbur's  property, 
openly,  and  without  being  liable  to  punishment ; 
and  this  system  of  plunder  continued  till  the  new 
king  was  seated  on  the  throne,  when  he  forbade 
it  by  proclamation,  and  was  instantly  obeyed. 

None  were  permitted  to  wear  red  but  the  royal 
ftmily.  In  Congo  I  observed  it  to  be  the  colour 
of  the  chenoos  and  great  men. 

The  negroes  of  Whydah  were  so  fond  of  gaming 
that  they  staked  all  they  had  in  the  world  at  play. 
When  money  and  goods  were  wanting,  they  staked 


CHILDREN.  —  RELIGION.  327 

£rst  their  wives  and  children,  and  then  their  land9 
•and  persons. 

No  rich  negro  ever  suffered  any  man  to  enter  the 
houses  in  which  his  wives  resided.  If  a  man 
were  criminal  with  the  wife  of  such  a  person,  it 
was  not  enough  to  cutoff  the  head  of  the  ofiendefi 
his  whole  family  was  sold  to  slavery. 

The  wives  of  the  king  were  sometimes  the  exe** 
cqtioners  of  the  sentences  he  pronounced  against 
offenders ;  three  or  four  hundred  of  them  being 
sent  to  the  habitation  of  a  malefactor,  with  orders 
to  strip  it,  and  level  it  with  the  ground.  As  all 
persons  were  forbidden,  on  pain  of  death,  to  touch 
the  king's  wives,  they  proceeded  in  their  work 
without  interruption. 

The  slave-merchant  had  seen  men  who  were  the 
Others  of  more  than  two  hundred  children.  He 
asked  one  of  the  captains,  whose  name,  or,  more 
probably,  whose  title,  was  Agoei,  how  many 
children  he  had.  The  officer  sighed,  and  said, 
**  Only  seventy.**  "  But,"  rejoined  the  merchant, 
"  you  have  lost  some  ?*'  "  Yes,"  replied  the  negro, 
**  about  as  many  as  are  living,  but  both  together 
make  a  very  small  number.*'  The  king  of  Why- 
dah»  who  was  present  at  this  conversation,  assured 
the  trader,  that  one  of  his  viceroys,  with  bis  sons 
and  grandsons,  amounted  to  two  thousand,  with- 
out reckoning  daughters,  or  sons  that  were  dead. 

The  people  of  Whydah  believed  in  an  Almighty 
and  Omnipresent  Creator  of  the  universe ;  but  he 
was  not  an  object  of  their  worship,  as  they  thought 
him  too  highly  exalted  above  them  to  trouble 
himself  about  the  afiairs  of  mankind.  When  they 
undertook  any  matter  of  importance,  they  com- 
mitted its  success  to  the  first  object  that  appeared 


MB  WHTDAH. 

on  tlieir  going  out  of  the  house ;  a  dogy  a  cat,  or 
aoy  other  animal ;  and,  in  default  of  these^  ^tne, 
a  kKme,  a  piece  of  wood.  The  newly^constitiited 
deity  wad  presented  with  an  offering,  accompanied 
wiik  a  solema  vow,  that,  if  he  would  prosper  the 
usdeffakifig,  he  should  be  reverenced  aa  a  god. 
If  the  affiiir  plroved  successful,  the  vow  was  fult 
iffied)  and  the  divinity  was  presented  with  daily 
oflferings;  if  otherwise,  he  was  rejected,  and  ije^, 
turned  to  his  primitive  estate,  » 

The  people  ofWhydah  had  three  public  object? 
of  devotion ;  some  lofty  treea^  the  sea,  and  a  cer- 
tain sort  of  snake«  The  chief  of  these  was  the 
Siiak€  $  the  trees  and  the  sea  not  interfering  with 
his  government,  but  being  subject  to  his  ^uper* 
intendance  and  reproof.  The  snake  was  invoked 
in  all  excesses  of  the  seasons,  in  all  difficulties  of 
^he  state,  in  all  dangers  of  the  cattle,  in  all  cir* 
cumstances  not  committed  to  the  above-mentioned 
deities  of  chance. 

The  priests  of  the  snake  had  this  year  exacted 
90  many  offerings  from  the  king,  in  order  to  ,ob^ 
tain  a  good  crop  of  grain,  that  his  majesty's  pa- 
tience yrsLS  exhausted.  Finding  him  one  day  in  a 
passion,  the  trader  ventured  to  ask  him  what  had 
discomposed  him.  He  replied,  ^*  I  have  sent 
much  larger  offerings  to  the  snake-house  this  year 
than  usual ;  and  now  the  priests  threaten  me  with 
a  barren  seasop  if  I  do  not  send  more !  I  will  send 
no  more ;  and  if  the  snake  will  not  bestow  a  plien- 
tiful  harvest)  he  may  let  it  alone.  I  cannot  be 
more  injured  than  I  am  ;  for  the  greatest  part  of 
my  corn  is  rotten  in  the  field  already.'* 

The  snake-fhouse  was  situated  about  two  mites 
distant  from  the  king's  village,  under  the  shade  of 


8NAX£.  999 

a  beautiful  tree^  The  deity  that  resided  in  it  was 
the  chief  and  the  krgCist  of  all  snakes :  he  was  said 
to  be  as  thick  as  a  raan»  and  of  an  imnieasurable 
length :  he  must  also  have  been  one :  of  the  oldest 
of  snakes;  for  the  priests  reported  that  a  great 
number  of  years  before,  being  disgusted  with  the 
wickedness  of  man,  he  left  his  own  country,  and 
came  to  them.  •  He  was  welcomed  by  every  ex- 
pressible sign  of  reverence,  and  carried  on  a 
siiken  carpet  to  the  snake-house,  where;  be  had 
resided  to  the  present  time* 

It  was  affirmed  thai  the  great  snake  went  out  to 
take  the  air  at  different  times^  and  at  these  times 
ev^  young  woman  he  touched  became  distracted. 
It  was  certain  that  in  every  large  village  there  was 
a  house  appropriated  to  the  reception  of  these 
young  maniacs,  where  they  were  boarded,  lodged, 
and  restored  to  reason  by  the  priests,  at  a  consi* 
derable  e^pence  to  their  fathers  and  husbands : 
and  it  was  observable,  that  no  women  were  touched 
by  the  snake  whose  friends  could  not  afford  this 
expenc^.  An  intelligent  negro,  the  interpreter  of 
the  slave-merchant,  whose  wife  had  been  touched 
by  the  snake,  gave  him  the  following  account  of 
this  miracle. 

The  priests  kept  their  eye  upon  those  young 
ladies  who  had  not  yet  seen  the  snake;  and  having 
fls^d  upon  one  for  the  present  occasion,  they  gave 
U^r  the  necesssury  instructions,  and  tempted  her 
by  promises,  or  obliged  her  by  threats,  to  follow 
them*  The  woman  then  went  into  the  street,  and 
watching  an  opportunity  when  no  person  was  in 
sight,  cried,  ^*  The  snake  I  the  s»ake !"  Before, 
any  one.  could  come  to  her  assistance,  she  had 
been  touched,  and  the  snake  had  vanishgd..    The 


SSO  WHYDAH. 

lady  was  raving  mad,  and  was  conducted  to  the 
asylum  for  religious  lunatics.  When  the  cure  was 
effected,  she  was  set  at  liberty ;  and  present  and 
everlasting  vengeance  denounced  against  her  if 
she  betrayed  the  secret. 

When  the  wife  of  the  merchant's  interpreter 
was  touched  by  the  snake,  she  began  by  breaking 
to  pieces  every  qtensil  in  the  house.  The  bus- 
band,  who,  fVom  having  lived  a  good  deal  with 
Enropeam,  suspected  from  whence  the  malady, 
proceeded,  led  her  gently  by  the  hand,  ^  as  if  he 
werex  going  to  take  her  to  tlie  snake-house ;  instead 
of  which  he  took  her  to  the  residence  of  some  Eu- 
ropeanslave-merchants,  who  were  then  at  Whydah, 
purchasing  slaves,  intending  to  sell  her.  The 
lady,  finding  him  in  earnest,  was  instantly  cured 
of  her  madness,  fell  on  her  knees,  confessed  the 
trick,  and  implored  his  forgiveness.  This  was  a 
bold  attempt ;  and  had  the  priests  discovered  it, 
the  death  of  the  husband  would  hav*  been  the 
consequence. 

•  A  negro  from  the  Gold  Coast,  who  was  inter- 
preter to  the  English  merchants,  at  Whydah,  was 
less  fortunate  tKan  the  interpreter  of  the  Dutch^ 
man ;  for,  having  a  wife  seized  with  this  frenzy,  he 
put  her  in  irops  ;  and  when  she  was.^released,  she 
privately  informed  the  priests  of  the  transaction. 
The  man  being  a  stranger,  they  did  not  choose 
openly  to  attack  him ;  but  he  was  soon  afler  poi- 
soned. 

While  the  Dutch  slave-merchant  was  at  Why- 
dah, one  of  the  daughters  of  the  king  was  touched 
by  the  snake ;  but  the  confinement  of  the  princess 
was  short,  and,  instead  of  money  being  disbursed 
at  her  liberation,  she  sat,  during  four  days,  at  her 


SNAKO.  SSI 

father's  gate»  receiving  presents  from  all  the  prin- 
cipal persons  in  the  kingdom. 

Besides  the  great  snake,  who  had  a  house  allotted 
him  to  reside  in,  and  men  and  women  servants, 
that  is,  priests  and  priestesses,  appointed  to  attend 
him,  his  species  was  held  in  great  veneration 
throughout  the  country.  If  a  negro  hurt  one  of 
these  snakes,  or  even  touched  it  with  a  stick,  he 
was  condemned  to .  the  flames.  An  English  cap- 
tain, having  killed  one  of  them  in  his  house, 
shewed  it  to  the  natives,  belicfving  he  had  done 
them  a  service  by  destroying  an  enemy ;  but  the 
people  were  so  incensed,  that  they  murdered  all 
the  English,  and  burnt  their  house  and  goods. 
Since  that  time,  no  European  had  dared  to  destroy 
one  of  these  snakes ;  though,  in  hot  weather^  they 
visited  their  dwellings,  five  or  six  at  a  time,  creep- 
ing on  the  benches,  chairs,  tables  and  beds ;  and, 
if  they  were  not  disturbed,  would  sometimes  con- 
tinue upder  the  beds  for  seven  or  eight  days^  and 
bring  forth  their  young. 

The  negroes  would,  at  the  request  of  the  Euro- 
peans, gently  carry  their  divinities  out  of  the 
house;  but  when  they  stationed  themselves  among 
the  timbers  of  the  roof,  they  were  obliged  to  let 
them  remaiq.  till  they  chose  to  descend.  They 
were^  however,  perfectly  inoffensive.  They  were 
streaked  with  white,  yellow,  and  brown ;  and  the 
largest  seen  by  the  merchant  was  two  yards  long, 
and  as  thick  as  a  man's  arm.  They'  were  fond  of 
rats.  If  a  snake  were  in  the  roof,  and  a  rat  passed 
along  the  floor,  the  snake  impatiently  hissed,  and 
used  all  possible  diligence  to  disengage  itself; 
'while  the  rat,  conscious  that  the  time  this  would 
ti^e  was  Kis  security,  looked  undaunted  on  his 


332  WHYDAH. 

dreadful  adversary,  and  escaped  at  his  leisure. 
When  caught,  the  snake  was  more  than  an  hour  in 
swallowing  its  prey  j  his  throat  being  at  first  too 
narrow,  and  distending  by  degrees. 

From  this  circumstance  it  appears  that  the  peo- 
ple of  Whydah  did  not  worship  the  snake,  and 
jprotect  him  in  their  houses,  without  a  motive  ;  for 
if  snakes  had  not  eaten  rats,  rats  might  have  de- 
voured the  harvest.  In  Popo,  an  adjoining  terri- 
tory, the  rats  were  in  such  incredible  numbers 
that  the  trader  counselled  the  inhabitants  to  attack 
them  in  time,  lest  they  should  drive  them  out  of 
the  country,  and  take  possession  of  it  themselves. 

The  priests  and  priestesses  shared  the  reverence 
of  which  the  snake  was  the  principal  object.  They 
were  exempt  from  capital  punishment ;  and  as  an 
ordinary  woman  was  the  slave  of  her  husband,  so 
the  husband  of  a  priestess,  was  the  slave  of  his  wife^ 

A  Capuchin  friar  said  mass,  before  the  king 
while  the  slave-merchant  was  at  Whydah,  and 
when  he  next  saw  him,  he  asked  his  majesty  how 
he  liked  it.  "  Very  well,"  replied  the  monarch ; 
"**  it  was  very  fine ;  but  1  will  keep  to  my  fetish.** 

The  merchant  afterwards  met  with  the  monk  at 
the  house  of  one  of  the  chief  officers;  and  he  told 
his  entertainer  in  a  menacing  manner,  that  if  the 
people  of  Whydah  continued  in  their  present 
course  of  life,  they  would  unavoidably  go  to  hell, 
and  burn  with  the  devil.  **  Our  fathers  and  grand- 
fathers,** said*  the  officer,  "  lived  as  we  do,  and 
worshipped  the  same  gods  that  we  do :  we  are  not 
better  than  our  ancestors  ;  and  if  they  must  burn, 
•we  shall  comfort  ourselves  with  their  society.** 

The  king  of  Whydah  could  bring  200,000  men 
into  the  field j  but  they  were  so  weak  and  powardlj? 


ARDRA.  SSS 

that  5,000  well  armed- negroes  of  the  Gold  Coast 
would  have  put  them  to  flight.  Their  fear  of 
death  was  such  that  most  of  them  began  to  retreat 
before  the  enemy  appeared ;  and  it  often  happened 
that  the  general  reached  home  before  the.  soldiers* 
They  did,  however,  shew,  rather  more  bravery  in 
defending  their  own  country  than  in  attacking  that 
of  their  neighbour.  Their  arms  were  musket«, 
bows  and  arrows,  fine  and  well-made  hangers,  and 
strong  and  beautiful  hassagays.  The  people  of 
Whydah  and  Ardra  had  also  a  sort  of  club  of  very 
heavy  wood,  about  a  yard  in  length,  and  five  or 
six  inches  in  circumference,  very  round  and  even„ 
jexcept  a  knot  at  the  bottom,  about  four  inches  in 
breadth.  This  was  a  deadly  weapon,  and  every  . 
man  was  provided  with  five  or  six  of  these,  which 
he  threw  against  hi3  oppcment. 

The  king  of  Great  Aidra,  a  country  bordering 
upon  Whydah,  and  &rther  inland,  was  said,  with 
his  dependent  governments,  to  have  been  twenty 
times  stronger* than  the  king  of  Whydah;  and 
farth'er  still  inland  were  yet  more  powerful  m6- 
narchs.  While  the  Dutchman  was  in  this  part  of 
Africa,  an  ambassador  came  frpm  one  of  these  to^ 
the  King  of  Great  Ardra,  informing  him  that 
many  subjects  of  Ardra  had  been  complaining  to 
his  master  of  the  ill  treatment  they  had  suffered 
from  their  viceroys ;  and  counselling  the  king  to 
order  his  viceroys  to  treat  his  poor  subjects  with 
greater  lenity ;  otherwise  this  powerful  sovereign 
would  be  obliged,  though  very  reluctantly,  to 
come  to  the  assistance  of  the  men  of  Ardra,  and 
take  them  under  his  own  protection. 

The  king  of  Ardra's  answer  to  this  remonstrance 
was  the  murder  of  the  ambassadpr. 


3SMf  WHYDAH. 

The  powerful  king  sent  an  army  of  cavali^,  the 
Ardrese  said  a  million  of  men,  but  possibly  their 
account  of  millions  might  not  be  very  exact,  against 
the  king  of  Ardra.  They  quickly  subdued  half 
the  country;  and  such  was  the  slaughter  they 
made,  that  the  men  of  Ardra  expressed  the  num^ 
ber  by  the  grains  of  corn  in  the  field.  Each  in* 
vader  carried  home  with  him  indubitable  tokens  of  . 
the  number  of  men  he  had  slain;  and  no  one 
dared  to  take  with  him  a*prisoner,  unless  those  he 
had  killed  amounted  to  a  hundred.  When  the 
victorious  army  reached  home,  the  sovereign  or- 
dered the  commander  to  be  hanged ;  not  because 
he  had  not  slain  a  sufficient  number  of  innocent^ 
men,  but  because  he  had  not  destroyed  the  royal 
murderer  of  his  ambassador. 

Here  ends  the  Dutch  merchant's  account  of 
Whydah.  Whydah,  once  a  flourishing  and  inde- 
pendent kingdom,  is  now  a  province  of  the  empire- 
of  Dahomy.  The  king  of  Hio  was  probably  the 
powerful  sovereign  whose  general  had  invaded  Ar« 
dfa,  and  was  hanged  because  he  did  not  kilt  the 
king. 

It  is  criminal  in  .the  natives  of  Dahomy  to  con- 
verse upon  politics;  apd  even  the  old  soldier  dares 
not  shew  his  scars,  or  talk  of  his  exploits;  yet  with 
great  assiduity  I  have  collected  some  facts  relating 
to  this  country  which  will  introduce  the  monarch  to 
my  reader  before  I  visit  hiip. 


S35 


CHAPTER   XXI. 

ORIGIN   AND   HISTORY   OF   DAHOMY. 

1  HE  Dahomahs  were  formerly  called  Foys,  and 
they  inhabited  a  small  territory  on  the  north-east 
part  of  their  present  kingdom.  Early  in*  the 
seventeenth  century,  Tacoodonoo»  their  chiefs 
murdered  a  neighbouring  prince  who  was  with  him 
on  a  friendly  visits  seized  upon  Calmina,  his  prin- 
cipal town,  and  soon  after  made  himself  master  of 
hh  kingdom.  He  then  invaded  a  more  powerful 
state,  and  laid,  siege  to  Abomey,  its  capital ;  and 
as  he  met  with  some  resistance,  he  made  a  solemn 
vow,  that  if  he  proved  successful  he  would  sacrifice 
its  prince  to  his  fetish.  The  town  was  reduced  ; 
the  prince  was  captured,  his*  belly  was  ripped 
open,  and  the  wall  of  a  new  palace  for  the  con- 
queror was  carried  over  his  body.  This  palace, 
when  finished,  was  called  Dahomy,  or  Da's  belly ; 
Da  being  the  name  of  the  prince,  and  homy^  in  the 
language  of  these  people,  signifying  the  belly. 
Tacoodonoo  fixed  his  residence  here,  and  assumed 
the  title  of  king  of  Dahomy,  and  his  subjects 
changed  the  appellation  of  Foys  for  that  of  Daho- 
mans*    This  happened ^^bout  the  year  1625. 

About  the  year  1724,  Guaja  Trudo,  the  fourth 
king  of  Dahomy,  conquered  the  kingdom  of  Ardra. 
Trudo  had  abundance  of  plate,  wrought  gold,  and* 
other  sumptuous  articles  ;  but  while  he  boasted  of 
wealth  and  conquest,  he  was  himself  in  fear  6f  a 
sovereign  still  more  powerful,  the  king  of  Hio, 


SS6  DAHOMT. 

whose  dominiona  lie,  as  it  is  said,  about  a  hundred 
and  fifty,  or  two  hundred  leagues  to  the  north-«ast 
of  Abomey }  and  after  the  first  invasion  of  the 
Hioes,  Trudo  thought  proper  to  purchase  their  for- 
bearance by-considerable  presents. 

In  the  year  I727  Trudo  conquered  Whydah. 
A  few  weeks  after,  he  was  visited  in  his  camp  at 
Ardra  by  the  captain  of  an  English  vessel,  who 
gives  the  following  account  of  his  expedition. 

In  travelling  from  Jaquin  to  Ardra,  a  diistance 
of  about  forty  miles,  the  captain  and  his  compa- 
nions found  the  roads  good  ;  the  country  beauti- 
ful ;  the  towns  and  villages  destroyed ;  and  the 
fields  strewn  with  human  bones.    When  they  ar- 
rived within  half  a  mile  of  the  Dahoman  camp, 
they  were  met  by  one  of  the  principal  ofiicers, 
attended  by  five  hundred  soldiers  with 'muskets, 
drawn  swords,  shields,  and  banners.    The  com* 
mander  and  several  of  his  officers,  approached  the 
travellers  with  eeremonies  which  they  did  not  view 
wholly  without  apprehension ;    flourishing  their 
naked  swords  over  the  heads  of  the  strangers, 
pointing  them  to  their  breasts,  skipping  and  jump- 
ing round  them  with  many  extraordinary  gestures. 
The  officer  then  assumed  a  grave  air ;  and  after 
he  had  drank  their  healths,  and  they  had  returned 
the  compliment  by  drinking  the  health  of  the  king, 
he  conducted  them  to  the  camp. 

The  camp  was  situated  near  the  ruined  town  of 
Ardra,  which  was  said  to  have  been  nine  miles  in 
circumference,  including  its  gardens  and  shady 
walks.  The  soldiers  were  in  huts  like  bee-hives, 
constructed  with  small  boughs,  and  covered  witli 
thatich,  each  large  enough  to  contain  ten  or 
twelve  men,  who  crept  in  at  a  hole  on  one  side* 


TRUDO'l   CAMP.  SS7 

Hie  strangers  had  chairs  that  had  been  taken  from 
the  Whydahs,  placed- for  them  under  the  shade  of 
some  trees.  Multitudes  of  people  flocked  td  see 
them  ;  but  they  were  kept  from  intruding  by  the 
soldiers. 

The  travelliers  dined  on  ham  and  fowls,  which 
they  had  brought  with  them ;  but  they  wtre  so 
annoyed  by  flies  that  they  could  scarcely  put  a 
morsel  into  their  mouths,  without  taking  some  of 
these  troublesome  insects  with  it.  Had  they 
known  from  whence  they  proceeded,  horror  would 
have  taken  place  of  disgust ;  for,  on  their  being 
conducted  to  the  king,  they  passed  two  heaps  of 
human  heads,  piled  on  two  large  stages,  and  co- 
vered with  swarms  of  their  late  visitors.  These, 
they  were  told,  were  the  heads  of  four  thousand  of 
the  Whydahs,  who  had  been  sacrificed  to  celebrate 
the  late  victory. 

The  king's  gate  opened  into  a  large  court,  in- 
closed with  palisades.  In  this,  Trudo  was  seen, 
sitting  on  a  fine  gilt  chair,  taken  from  the  king  of 
Whydah.  Three  large  umbrellas  were  held  over 
his  head  by  as  many  women,  and  four  women 
stood  behind  him,  with  muskets  on  their  shoulders. 
All  were  richly  dressed  from  the  waist  downwards; 
the  upper  part  of  the  body  being  uncovered.  Their 
arms  were  adorned  with  many  large  bracelets  of 
gold ;  and  round  their  necks,  and  in  their  hair 
they  wore  abundance  of  beads  *,  of  various  co- 
lours, brought  from  a  country  far  inland,  where 
they  were  dug  out  of  the  earth.  These  were  as 
highly  valued  by  the  negroes  as  diamonds  are  by  * 
Europeans.     The  king  wore  a  gown  flowered  with 

*  Probably  aggry  beads.  , 

VOL.  !T.  2 


S38  DAHOMY. 

gold  that  reached  to  his  ancles,  a  European  em* 
broidered  hat,  and  sandals  on  his  feet. 

The  visitors  were  placed  within  about  ten  yards 
of  the  chair  of  state,  and  ordered  to  stand  still. 
The  king  bade  them  welcome ;  they  bowed  low ; 
he  ordered  chairs  for  them,  and  drank  their 
healths,  which  they  returned  by  drinking  his; 
after  which  he  invited  them  to  stay  and  see  the 
customs  of  his  country. 

A  short  time  previous  to  this,  the  king  had  sent 
twelve  of  his  wives  from  Ardra  to  Abomey,  at- 
tended by  a  number  of  slaves  carrying  a  valuable 
part  of  the  spoil,  and  guarded  by  five  hundred 
soldiers.  These  had  been  attacked  on  the  road 
by  a  people  called  Tufibes,.  who  had  defeated  the 
guard,  murdered  the  women,  and  seized  the  trea«> 
sure.  A  part  of  the  Dahoman  army  had  been 
sent  to  punish  the  offenders,  and  a  detachment 
now  returned,  bringing  with  them  eighteen  hun- 
dred prisoners.  The  king  selected  some  of  these 
for  sacrifice ;  some  he  reserved  for  his  own  use, 
or  for  sale  to  the  Europeans  ;  and  upwards  of  two 
•  hundred  he  distributed  among  his  officers.  Persons 
were  in  readiness  to  receive  the  captives  from 
those  soldiers  who  had  taken  them,  and  to  pay 
them  in  cowries  after  the  value  of  twenty  shillings 
for  each  man,  and  ten  for  a  woman  or  child. 
Those  were  next  rewarded  who  had  brought  the 
heads  of  the  slain,  for  each  of  whifch  they  received 
the  value  of  five  shillings.  Some  of  the  soldiers 
carried  three  or  four  heads  in  a  string.  The  pay- 
ment of  the  troops  chiefly  depended,  and  still  de- 
pends upon  the  success  of  their  expeditions. 

During  the  whole  of  this  ceremony,  the  great 
men,  both  of  the  court  and  army,  were  prostrate 


TRUDO'S   CAMP.  339 

on  the  ground,  none  approaching  nearer  the  king's 
chair  than  twenty  feet.  If  they  had  any  commu- 
nication to  make>  they  first  kissed  the  earth,  and 
then  whispered  it  in  the  ear  of  an  old  woman, 
who  reported  it  to  the  sovereign^  and  brought- 
back  his  answer.  When  any  received  a  present  of 
a  slave,  an  officer  proclaimed  it  aloud^  and  it  was 
immediately  re-echoed  by  the  crowd,  which  was 
assembled  without,  waiting  for  the  victims. 

As  the  travellers  passed  through  the  gate,  after 
quitting  the  king,  they  were  surprised  by  the  sight 
of  forty  stout  men  ranged  on  both  sides  of  it,  with 
muskets  on  their  shoulders,  broad  swords  in  their 
hands,  and  numerous  strings  of  human  teeth 
round  theur  necks,  hanging  down  to  the  waist 
both  before  and  behind.  These,  they  were  told, 
were  the  king's  worthies,  or  heroes,  who,  having 
slain  many  enemies  in  battle,  were  allowed  to  wear 
their  teeth  as  trophies  of  their  valour.  It  was  death 
for  one  of  these  heroes  to  wear  a  tooth  if  he  had  not 
killed  its  former  owner  with  his  own  hand. 

After  they  had  dined,  the  travellers  repaired  to 
the  place  where  the  prisoners  were  to  be  sacrificed.  • 
Four  small  stages  were  erected  at  about  five  feet 
from  the  ground,  by  the  side  of  one  of  which  the 
English  captain  took  his  station.  The  first  victim 
was  a  comely  old  man,  between  fifty  and  sixty 
years  of  age,  with  a  firm  countenance  and  un- 
daunted mind.  He  was  brought  to  the  side  of  the 
stage  with  his  hands  tied  behind  him ;  and,  as  he 
stood  erect,  the  fetish-man  or  p'riest,  laid  his  hand 
upon  his  head,  and  made  a  speech,  which  lasted 
about  two  minutes.  This  ended,  he  made  a  sign 
to  the  executioner,  who  was  standing  behind  the 

z2 


S40  DAHOMT* 

prisoner,  and  who  inimediately  severed  his  head 
from  his  body  with  one  stroke  of  a  broad  sword. 
The  multitude  gave  a  great  shout ;  the  head  was 
thrown  upon  the  stage ;  and  the  body,  after  hav- 
ing lain  a  short  time,  that  the  blood  might  drain 
from  it,  was  carried  away  by  slaves,  and  thrown 
on  a  spot  near  the  camp.    The  same  scene  was 

.  doubtless  exhibiting  at  tiie  other  three  stages,  at 
the  same  time.  The  Englishman  was  informed 
that  the  blood  belonged  to  the  fetish,  the  head  to 
the  king,  and  the  body  to  the  common  people ; 
by  which  last  he  understood  that  it  was  given 
them  to  be  eaten.  The  king,  it  was  said,  intended 
to  build  a  monument  of  his  victory  with  these  and 
other  skulls. 

The  English  captain  saw  many  other  victims 
sacrificed  in  the  same  manner.  The  behaviour  of 
the  men  was  bold  and  daring :  the  cries  of  the 
women  and  children  were  lamentable.  During 
this  exhibition  the  Englishman  entered  into  con- 
versation with  some  of  the  Dahoman  officers^.  One 
of  them  said,  that  after  every  victory  a  certain 

*  number  of  captives,  selected  by  the  king  himself, 
was  oflfered  to  their  god,  and  that,  if  this  were 
omitted,  no  farther  success  would  attend  them  in 
war.  He  added,  that  the  victories  they  had 
already  obtained  were  a  proof  that  this  custom 
was  both  necessary  and  useful.  The  Englishman 
observed  that  the  Dahomans  spared  neither  old 
nor  young.  The  officer  replied,  that  the  old  were 
too  cunning  to  be  spared,  and  of  too  little  value 
to  be  sold  ;  and  the  young  were  designed  to 
attend,  in  the  other  world,  upon  those  Dahomans 
they  had  killed  in  this. 


TRUDOU   CAMP.  841 

The  English  captain  ventured  to  ask  what  opi« 
Dion  the  Dahomans  entertained  of  their  god,  and 
he  found  that  they  believed  him  to  be  subordinate 
to  some  other.  "  Perhaps/*  added  the  officer^ 
*'  this  great  God  may  be  your*s ;  the  God  who 
has  communicated  so  many  extraordinary  things 
to  white  men  ;  but,  as  he  has  not  been  plefmed  to 
make  himself  known  to  us,  we  must  be  satisfied 
with  the  one  we  worship." 

The  travellers  retired  from  the  j^cene  of  blood ; 
and,  walking  out  again  in  the  evening,  they  passed 
two  larjge  heaps  of  headless  bodies,  the  victims  of 
the  day,  which,  they  were  told,  amounted  to  four 
hundred.  The  next  morning  all  had  vanished  i 
and,  as  the  interpreter  said,  all  had  been  eaten  by 
the  Dahomans. 

The  Europeans  were  admitted  to  another  audi- 
ence of*Trudo,  and  found  the  commander  of  this 
bloody  massacre,  and  the  donor  of  this  inhuman 
feast,  both  intelligent  and  polite.  Their  business 
was  to  regulate  the  duties  on  the  slave  trade,  and 
the  monarch  observed  that,  though,  as  a  con- 
querer  he  could  establish  what  imposts  he  pleased, 
yet,  as  this  was  the  first  English  captain  with 
whom  he  had  treated  on  affairs  of  commerce,  he 
would  indulge  him  like  a  young  bride,  who,  at 
first,  must  be  denied  nothing.  The  conversation 
lasted  till  near  nine  o'clock  in  the  evening,  when 
they  were  told  it  was  the  king's  washing  time, 
and  they  retired. 

On  the  following  day  the  visitors  expected  an 
audience  of  leave ;  but  it  was  the  king's  fetish 
day,  on  which  he  received  no  company.  He  sent 
them  a  polite  message,  accompanied  with  a  present 


342  BAHOMY. 

of  slaves,  cattle,  and  provisions  for  themselves, 
and  money  and  clothes  for  their  servants. 

In  the  afternoon  the  remainder  of  the  troops 
who  had  been  sent  against  the  Tuffoes  returned 
from  the  expedition.  They  consisted  of  about 
8,000  men,  armeld  with  muskets,  swords,  and 
shields.  They  marched  in  regular  order,  and 
were  divided  into  companies,  each  having  its  pro-r 
per  officers  and  colours.  As  they  passed  the  king's 
gate,  every  soldier  prostrated  himself  and  kissed 
the  ground,  and  then  sprang  up  with  surprising 
agility.  They  afterwards  went  through  their  ex- 
ercise in  the  area  before  the  palace  gate :  it  lasted 
two  hours,  during  which  time  they  fired  twenty 
rounds  of  powder.  This  army  was  attended  by  at 
least  10,000  people,  who  carried  baggage,  provj* 
sions,  dead  men's  heads,  &c.  Each  soldier  was 
allowed  a  boy  to  bear  his  shield ;  the  boy  sftrving, 
at  the  same  time,  an  apprenticeship  to  the  trade 
of  war,  and,  at  a  future  time,  recruiting  the  army. 

The  following  mornhig  the  travellers  quitted 
the  camp  of  Guadja  Trudo,  and  returned  to 
Jaquin. 

The  present  sovereign  of  Dahomy  was  called 
Bossa  Ahadee.  On  his  first  assuming  the  regal 
dignity,  he  ordered  his  brother  to  be  sewed  up  in 
a  hammock,  and  carried  to  Whydah,  where  he 
was  put  into  a  canoe,  taken  about  two  leagues  out 
to  sea,  thrown  overboard,  and  drowned;  royal 
blood  being  here,  as  in  some  other  places,  too 
sacred  to  be  shed.  The  royal  name  was  also 
sacred  in  the  opinion  of  Bossa;  for  one  of  the 
first  acts  of  his  reign  was  to  order  every  man  in 
his  dominions  of  that  name  to  be  put  to  death. 


WARS    OF  THE   DAHOMANS.  843 

The  Mahee  country,  a  republic  composed  of 
several  small  states,  joins  Dahomy  on  the  west- 
ward. Bossa  Ahidee  insisted  upon  altering  its 
form  of  government,  and  resolved  that  the  people 
should  have  a  l^ng.  The  Mahee  states  declined 
the  honour  proposed  to  them.  Ali^dee,  sur- 
rounded by  persons  who  paid  an  implicit  obedi- 
ence to  his  will,  could  not  bear  contradiction,  and 
therefore  told  bis  agaow,  or  commander  of  his 
forces,  that  fus  house  wanted  thatch^  which  is,  the 
expression  used  in  giving  orders  to  go  to  war ; 
alluding  to  the  custom  of  placing  the  heads  of  the 
enemy  on  the  roofs  of  the  guard-houses  at  the  en- 
trances of  the  royal  habitations. 

The  war  had  been  carried  on  fifteen  years  with 
various  success,  when  the  Mahees  were  compelled 
to  retreat  to  a  very  high  moutain  called  Boagry, 
where  they  had  a  supply  of  water,  and  space  to 
sow  corn.  When  the  army  of  Dahomy  had  in- 
vested the  mountain  of  the  Mahees  nearly  a  year, 
the  king  sent  his  general  all  the  forces  he  could 
draw  together,  >vith  orders  to  take  the  place,  at 
whatever  risk  or  loss.  The  general,  who  was  now 
to  conquer  or  die,  assailed  the  mountain  in  every 
accessible  part ;  and  after  sustaining  a  prodigious 
loss,  and  making  an  immense  slaughter  of  the 
Mahees,  he  brought  the  remnant  of  them  to  adorn 
with  their  heads  the  thatch  of  his  master's  house. 

The  Mahees,  though  defeated,  were  not  subju- 
gated. They  fought  the  Dahomans  twelve  years 
longer,  when  they  were  again  obliged  to  retreat  to 
Boagry.  The  Dahoman  general  had  again  en- 
camped round  the  mountain  about  a  year,  when 
the  king,  impatient  at  the  d^lay,  accused  him  of 
cowardice,  and  sent  another '  officer  to  take  the 


544  DAHOMT. 

cooimandf  The  superseded  general  knew  his 
master  too  well  to  appear  in  his  presence,  and  re* 
tired  to  the  Maliees,  who  protected  him.  The 
new  general  made  an  attack  upon  Boagry,  was 
repulsed,  and  obliged  to  raise  the  ;iiege,  and  after 
eight  years,  more  of  war»  Bossa  Ahddee  consented 
that  the  Mahees  should  remain  without  a  king. 

Fear  never  enters  the  heart  of  a  Dahoinan« 
When  the  people  of  Whydah  endeavoured  to  re- 
gain their  liberty,  the  caukaow,  or  general  sta^ 
tioned  in  that  province,  marched  against  them 
with  an  inferior  force.  The  two  cofnmanders  ipet 
fit  the  head  of  their  troops,  and  held  a  dispassion* 
ate  conversation,  declaring  their  respective  deter^^ 
minations,  the  one  to  conquer,  the  other  to 
defend,  the  country.  They  drank  together ;  the 
caukaow  drinking  the  health  of  his  king,  and  * 
wishing  that,  if  he  were  unsuccessful  that  day,  he 
might  not  survive  the  disgrace  i  but  perish  like 
the  glass  which  he  held  in  his  hand,  and  which,  as 
he  spoke,  he  dashed  upon  the  ground.  The  battle 
then  commenced,  with  ferocious  courage,  and  rude 
skill  on  both  sides ;  and  continued  till  the  caukaow 
fell,  after  receiving  and  inflicting  innumerable 
wounds.  The  first  in  rank  were  foremost  in 
danger  ;  nearly  all  the  chieftains  of  the  Dahoman 
army  were  slain ;  and  the  army,  destitute  of 
leaders,  was  totally  routed. 

Whydah,  however,  still  remained  subject  to  the 
king  of  Dahomy  ;  and  Tanga,  the  succeeding 
viceroy,  formed  a  design  to  make  himself  king  of 
this  province.  His  design  was  discovered;  and 
Bossa  Ahddee  sent  some  troops  against  him,  who 
besieged  him  in  his  house,  which  he  had  fortified. 
His  affairs  becoming  desperate,  he  harangued  his 


BOSSA   AHAD£K.  345 

adherents^  and  distributed  among  them  all  his 
treasure,  consisting  of  silks,  coral,  gold,  &c«  to 
animate  them  in  his  cause.  His  wives,  amounting 
to  some  hundreds,  joined  their  persuasions,  and 
his  people,  wrought  to  a  degree  of  heroism,  re« 
fused  to  sacrifice  him  to  their  own  safety,  which 
they  might  have  secured  by  delivering  him  up. 
They  determined  to  force  their  way  through  the 
king's .  troops,  and  conduct  their  master  to  tlie 
English  fort,  and  there  recommend  him  to  the 
governoi-'s  mercy  and  protection. 

lihis  resolution  being 'taken,  the  women  put 
each  other  to  death ;  the  elder  first  slaughtering 
the  young  ones,  and  then  cutting  their  own  throats. 
The  house  was  set  on  fire,  to  destroy  such  of  the 
effects  as  were  not  portable ;  and  Tanga  and  his 
adlierents  sallied  forth,  with  such  treasure  as  they 
could  carry.  They  made  good  their  passage 
through  the  king's  troops,  and  arrived  at  the 
English  fort :  the  English  fired  upon  them  as  they 
approached  ;  and  Tanga,  retreating,  into  the  gar- 
den, received  a  shot  which  put. an  end  to  his  life 
and  ambitious  projects.  His  followers  immedi- 
ately dispersed ;  some  eso^ed ;  but  the  greater 
number  were  taken  and  suffered  death. 

The  history  of  every  country  abounds  with  vio- 
lent deaths  ;  but  what  history  so  much  as  that  of 
Dahomy  ?  Is  death  the  same  object  of  terror  to 
the  minds  of  the  Dahomans  as  to  ours  ?  I  believe 
it  is  not.  Custom,  that  grand  smoother  of  diffi- 
culties, together  with  a  blind  devotion  to  their 
sovereign,  may  have  reconciled  these  people  to  a 
premature  termination  of  their  existence,  and 
made  them  regard  it  with  indifference. 

When  the  number  of  women  called  Tanga's 


346  dahomyT 

ivivos  cut  their  throats,  they  were  actuated  by 
other  motives  than  affection  for  his  person.  These 
women  were  a  necessary  appendage  to  his  rank, 
the  magazine  out  of  which  he  generously  sup- 
plied his  servants  with  wives  ;  and  they  would  not 
survive  the  death  of  their  intended  husbands, 
whose  destruction  they  regarded  as  inevitable. 

Bossa  Ahddee  was  the  .universal  heir  of  the 
wealth  of  his  subjects ;  but  he  frequently  chose 
rather  to  possess  their  effects  during  their  lives. 
The  innocent  inhabitants  of  whole  villages,  were 
often  sold  as  slaves,  to  raise  the  necessary  supplies. 
To  serve  him  with  fidelity,  and  become  eminent 
by  success,  was  to  be  the  victim  of  his  suspicion. 

An  officer  named  Shampo  was  the  darling  of  the 
soldiers,  and  every  tongue  was  busy  in  his  praise. 
This  was  a  sufficient  crime  in  the  eyes  of  Ahddee, 
and  he  resolved  to  destroy  him.  In  the  king's 
house  was  a  sister  of  Shampo,  who  by  some  means, 
got  an  intimation  of  this  design.  She  could  have 
no  interview  with  her  brother,  for  the  king's  women 
are  not  allowed  to  converse  with  any  man ;  but 
she  was  at  liberty  to  send  him  provisions  from  the 
royal  residence  ;  and  she  concealed  a  knife,  and  a 
cord  with  a  noose  at  the  end  of  it,  among  the 
victuals.  Shampo  was  not  at  a  loss  to  compre- 
hend the  meaning  of  these  significant  tokens,  and 
immediately  withdrew  to  a  neighbouring  nation. 

The  agaow  who  had  taken  Boagry  and  reco- 
vered Whydah  once  stood  so  high  in  the  estima- 
tion of  the  king,  that  he  actually  gave  him  leave 
to  build  himself  a  house  two  stories  high.  In  a 
country  where  no  inhabitant  dares  sit  upon  a  chair, 
except  a  few  of  the  principal  officers,  who  enjoy 
this  privilege  by  especial  favour  j  where  none  may 


BOSSA   AHADEE.  34? 

presume,  on  pain  of  death,  to  have  a  door  of  boards 
to  his  house,  or  to  white-wash  it  within  ;  in  such  a 
country  the  permission  to  build  a  house  two  stories 
high,  was  a  mark  of  extraodinary  distinction.  The 
general  modestly  declined  the  honour.  Some  time 
after,  he  was  seized  and  brought  before  the  king, 
who  accused  him  of  an  intention  to  quit  the  king- 
dom, and  join  his  enemies.  The  general  an- 
swered to  the  following  effect : 

'« I  have  manifested  my  zeal  for  your  service 
on  various  occasions, .  and  thought  no  march  fa- 
tiguing, no  battle  hazardous,  while  executing  your 
will.  My  actions  have  added  affluence  and  ho- 
nour to  your  kingdom.  What  part  of  my  conduct 
has  exposed  me  to  this  accusation  ?  You  have  in 
your  hands,  as  pledges  for  the  fidelity  of  your 
slave,  my  aged  mother,  my  wives,  and  my  chil- 
dren. And  where,  or  to  whom  should  I  go  ?  I 
have  conducted  your  armies,  and  spread  destruc- 
tion through  all  the  nations  around  us ;  is  it  pro- 
bable that  I  should  throw  myself  into  the  hands  of 
those  who  tremble  at  my  name  ?  of  those  whose  * 
country  I  have  laid  waste,  and  whose  countrymen 
I  have  led  captive  to  your  gate  i" 

This  defence  was  lost  upon  Ahddee,  who  desired 
his  general  to  acknowledge  himself  guilty,  and 
trust  to  his  royal  clemency  for  a  pardon.  The 
brave  agaow  refused  to  pronounce  a  falsehood, 
and  was  immediately  executed.  His  eldest  son 
was  afterwards  one  of  the  servants  of  an  English 
factor. 

The  army  of  DahOmy  was  at  one  time  so  har- 
i^assed  by  fighting,  famine,  and  pestilence,  in  an 
enemy's  country,  that  the  whole  perished,  except 
twenty-four  persons.      When   these  carried  the 


S48  DAHOMY. 

dismal  tidings  \o  their  king,  he  ordered  them  to 
immediate  execution,  bidding  them  go  to  the  world 
of  spirits,  to  inform  their  comrades  how  much  he 
disapproved  of  their  conduct  in  the  war. 

In  the  next  engagement  the  Dahomans  were 
also  unsuccessful.  Of  thirty-two  general  officers, 
distinguished  by  having  large  umbrellas  carried 
over  them,  thirty  were  killed  upon  the  spot.  The 
commander  was  one  of  the  survivors,  and  escaped 
from  the  field  ;  but,  overwhelmed  with  grief  and 
shame,  he  sat  down  beneath  a  tree  and  shot  him- 
self. The  other  officer  conducted  the  shattered 
remains  of  the  army  back  to  their  own  country. 

The  Dahomans  are  complaisant  enough  to  ap- 
prove all  the  actions  of  their  king.  Indeed,  the 
well  known  maxim.  The  king  can  do  no  wrongs 
seems  carried  to  its  fullest  extent  in  this  country. 
I  asked  a  Dahoman,  on  the  eve  of  a  battle,  if  he 
were  not  afraid  of  finding  the  enemy  too  strong. 
'*  I  think  of  my  king,''  said  he,  **  and  then  I  dare 
engage  five  of  tlje  enemy  myself.''  This  man, 
whose  name  was  Dakou,  was  in  my  service  at  the 
time,  and  I  said,  **  I  am  anxious/or  your  safety } 
I  wish  you  may  escape  the  dangers  of  the  day." 
"  It  is  of  little  consequence,"  replied  Dakou ; 
"  my  head  belongs  to  tlie  king,  not  to  myself.  If 
he  pleases  to  send  for  it  I  am  ready  to  resign  it ; 
or  if  it  be  shot  through  in  battle  it  makes  no  dif- 
ference to  me ;  I  am  satisfied,  so  that  it  be  in  the 
service  of  my  king."  It  happened  aflerwards  that 
Dakou  incurred  the  king's  displeasure,  without  any 
cause  ;  but,  instead  of  demanding  his  head,  his 
majesty  was  so  merciful  as  to  sell  the  whole  person 
to  a  European  slave*merchant. 
When  a  Dahoman  commits,  or,  which  is  the 


DAHOMY.  S49 

same  thing,  is  accused  of,  a  crime,  he  is  con- 
demned to  death  or  slavery ;  his  effects  are  for- 
feited to  the  king ;  all  his  relations,  friends,  and 
domestics  are  seized ;  and  when  some  have  been 
sacrificed  to  the  royal  thirst  of  blood,  the  others 
are  sold  for  the  benefit  of  the  royal  treasury. 
There  is  not  an  individual  in  this  sovereign's  do- 
minions who  has  not  lost  some  near  relation  by  his 
orders ;  ^et  they  all  attribute  such  misfortunes  to 
the  indiscretion  of  the  sufferers,  and  adhere  to  the 
maxim,  that  whatever  the  king  does  is  right. 

There  is,  however,  a  people  in  this  part  of 
Africa  who  are  of  a  different  opinion.  *  To  the 
north*east  of  Dahomy  lies  a  fertile  and  extensive 
country,  inhabited  by  the  great  and  warlike  nation, 
called  Hioes.  Here,  when  the  conduct  of  the 
sovereign  has  given  just  offence  to  his  people,  they 
send  a  deputation,  to  represent  to  him  that  the 
burden  of  government  has  been  so  fatiguing,  that 
it  is  time  for- him  to  retire  from  its  cares,  and 
take  a  little  repose.  The  monarch  thanks  his  peo* 
pie  for  their  attention  to  his  ease ;  retires  to  hia 
apartment,  as  if  to  sleep,  and  orders  his  women  to 
strangle  him.  l^is  ceremony  being  performed,  his 
son  quietly  succeeds  him,  upon  the  same  terms,  of 
holding  the  government  no  longer  than  his  con- 
duct shall  meet  the  approbation  of  his  subjects. 


350 


CHAPTER  XXIL 

JOURNEY   TO   ABOMEY, 

I  ANCHORED  in  the  road  of  Whydah,  and 
proceeded  to  the  town  of  Griwhee,  which  is  the 
capital  of  the  prtovince,  and  the  residence  of  the 
viceroy.  It  is  situated  about  three  miles  from  the 
sea,  on  .a  sandy  plain,  and  is  a  large  straggling 
town,  containing  about  8,000  inhabitants.  The 
English,  French,  and  Portuguese,  had  each  a  fort 
here,  with  several  commodious  factories  for  car- 
rying on  the  slave  trade  J  slaves  being  a  sort  of 
merchandise  with  which,  as  may  have*been  ob- 
served, the  king  of  Dahomy's  subjects  supply  him 
in  abundance. 

As  it  was  my  purpose  to  pay  my  respects  to 
Bossa  Ahadee,  I  applied  to  the  Yavoogah*,  or 
Viceroy  of  Whydah,  for  the  necessary  attendants ; 
and  was  furnished  by  him  with  an  interpreter,  six 
hammock-men,  ten  porters,  and  a  captain  of  the 
gang,  who  was  responsible  for  the  conduct  of  the 
others.  My  own  servants,  and  a  few  others  who 
attended  upon  the  captain,  made  our  nuihber 
thirty.  We  were  all  well  armed.  The  porters 
having  received  their  several  loads,  I  got  into  my 
hammock,  for  in  a  hammock  I  now  submitted  to 
travel,  and  began  my  journey  from  Griwhee  at  six 
o'clock  in  the  morning. 

-   *  Captain  of  white  men  5  yavou,  in  the  Dahoman  Jan^iage, 
signit\ing  white  meo^  and  gah,  captain. 


GRIWHEE.  351 

The  hammock  is  a  sheet,  commonly  of  cotton, 
but  sometimes  of  silk,  or  broad  cloth,  about  nine 
feet  long,  and  six  or  seven  broad.  It  is  slung  at 
each  end  with  several  small  cords,  which  draw  it 
up  like  a  purse,  and  to  each  end  is  fastened  a 
noose,  in  which  is  placed  the  pole.  The  traveller 
sits,  or  lies  in  the  hammock,  as  he  pleases,  and  the 
pole  IS  carried  on  the  heads  of  two  negroes,  having 
a  small  roll  of  linen  between  the  head  and  the 
hammock.  A  thin  cloth  is  thrown  over  the  pole, 
which  serves  as  an  awning  to  the  traveller. 

On  passing  through  the  market-place  of  Gri- 
whee  I  found  a  great  number  of  people  collected 
there ;  and  observing  some  large  umbrellas  among 
them,  I  concluded  that  the  viceroy  and  his  officers 
were  of  the  party.  I  understood  that  they  were 
assembled  to  witness  the  execution  of  a  female 
criminal;  and  the  viceroy  did  me  the.  honour  .to 
send  me  an  invitation  to  be  present  at  the  spec- 
tacle. 

1  found  the  woman  kneeling  in  the  midst  of  the 
circle,  with  the  stake  on  which  her  head  was  to 
be  fixed  lying  by  her.  This  she  hail  been  com- 
pelled to  carry  hither  from  Abomey,  the  capital 
of  the  kingdom. 

While  1  was  conversing  with  the  viceroy,  a  lit- 
tle girl,  ignorant  of  what  was  passing,  and  desirous 
to  know,  made  her  way  through  the  crowd.  In 
the  criminal  she  found  her  mother;  and  not  having 
seen  her  since  her  return  from  Abomey,  she  ran 
to  her  with  joy.  The  woman  embraced  her 
daughter,  and  then  said,  *'  Go,  my  child  ;  this  is 
not  a  place  for  thee.**  The  girl  was  immediately 
conveyed  away;  and  the  viceroy  proceeded  to 
pass  sentence  on  the  mother,  which  my  arrival  had 


352  XAVIER. 

interrapted.  She  heard  it  with  seeming  indifief* 
etice,  picking  her  teeth  with  a  straw,  which  she 
took  from  the  ground.  The  viceroy  then  gave  a 
charge  of  submission  and  good  behaviour  to  the 
spectators ;  and,  when  the  exhortation  was  ended, 
one  of  the  executioners  gave  the  delinquent  a  blow 
on  the  back  of  the  head  with  a  bludgeon,  which 
felled  her  to  the  gtound;  and  another  severed  the 
head  from  the  body  with  a  cutlass.  The  head 
was  fixed  upon  a  pole,  and  set  up  in  the  market* 
place  y  and  the  body  was  carried  without  the  town, 
and  left  to  be  devoured  by  beasts  of  prey. 

The  woman  was  one  of  those  who  kept  little 
shops  in  the  market.  Some  trifling  -  article  had 
been  stolen  from  her ;  and,  according  to  the  cus- 
tom of  the  country,  she  had  taken  a  burning  stick 
out  of  the  fire,  and  waving  it  over  her  head,  had 
exclaimed,  *'  Whoever  has  taken  my  property,  if 
they  do  not  return  it,  I  wish  tkey  may  iie,  lind  be 
extinguished  like  this  stick."  In  performing  tliis 
ceremony,  a  spark  had  fallen  on  the  dry  thatch  of 
a  neighbouring  hut,  which  had  taken  fire,  and  set 
fire  to  the  market-place. 

Afler  witnessing  this  scene,  I  resumed  my  jour- 
ney, passing  ov^r  a  level  country,  cultivated,  and 
interspersed  with  clumps  and  groves  of  lofty  and 
luxuriant  trees.  In  an  hour  and  a  half  we  reached 
Xavier,  the  ancient  capital  of  Whydah.  The  site 
of  the  house  of  the  kings  of  Whydah  is  yet  dis- 
cernible by  the  trench  that  surrounds  it ;  but  the 
place  is  overgrown  with  lofty  trees.  Xavier  is 
surrounded  by  plantations  of  yams  and  potatoes, 
which  find  a  ready  market  at  Griwhee. 

Previous  to  the  conquest  of  Whydah  by  the  Da- 
homans,  in  the  year  1727,  this  country  was  ex- 


XAVIER.  —  TOREE,  853 

tremely  fertile  and  full  of  inhabitants.  The  last 
king  of  Whydah  gave  to.  an  English  captain,  iil 
1722,  fifty  six  pounds  weight  of  gold  dust,  for 
having  destroyed  an  English  pirate  who  infested 
the  coast.  This  contradicts  one  half  of  the  Dutch 
merchant's  information  respecting  gold,  and  con- 
firms the  other  j  they  had  gold,  but  they  did  not 
value  it. 

We  did  not  halt  at  Xavier ;  the  hammock^men 
choosing  to  trot  on  at  their  usual  rate  of  five  miles 
an  hour,  relieving  each  other  occasionally.  In  two 
hours  we  reached  Toree,  where  we  istopped  for 
re^t  and  refreshment.  I  intended  to  amuse  my- 
self with  strolling  about  the  town  alone ;  but  I 
found  myself  followed  by  my  captain.  On  my 
telling  him  that  I  did  not  require  his  attendance, 
he  said  that  the  Torees  were  a  strange  people,  and 
had  bad  customs ;  and  as  he  was  to  answer  with 
his  head  foi  my  safety,  he  would  not  trust  me 
alone  among  a  people  who  m^de  a  practice  of  eat- 
ing men.  I  had  some  doubts  of  their  being  likely 
to  eat  me. 

Toree  is  a  small  town  separated  from  the  pro- 
vince of  Why  dah  by  a  deep  and  rapid  river,  which 
we  crossed  on  a  bridge  formed  by  piles  driven  in 
at  proper  distances,  and  covered  with  faggots  and 
hurdles.  The  banks  were  clothed  with  stately 
trees  and  close  underwood,  which  afibrded  shelter 
to  numerous  elephants.  When  the  invading  Da- 
homans  appeared  on  the  northern  bank  of  this 
river,  the  men  of  Whydah,  instead  of  disputing 
their  passage  themselves,  sent  the  snake  to  oppose 
them  i  and  this,  their  deity,  fieuling  to  accomplish 
the  purpose,  they  deemed  all  resistance  vain^  and 

VOL.  II.  A  A 


d54  BAHOMT. 

fled  before  their  conquerors.  Their  faith  remained 
unshaken,  and  the  remoant  of  them  who  escaped 
the  sword  of  Trudo  were  very  grateful  for  his 
allowing  them  to  continue  to  worship  the  snake^ 

From  Toree  we  proceeded  to  a  small  town  called 
Azoway,  where  we  arrived  in  two  hpurs.  The 
road  was  good ;  but  there  were  neither  plantations 
nor  dwellings  between  the  two  places;  and 
the  country  being  covered  with  thick  woods,  and 
overgrown  with  grass  that  grew  higher  than  pur 
heads,  the  free  circulation  of  the  air  was  pre- 
vented,  and  the  mid-day  heat  was  insupportable. 
At  Azoway  I  cheerfully  consented  to  the  proposal 
of  my  hammock  bearers  to  have  my  hammock  sus- 
pended under  the  shade  of  a  spreading  tree,  while 
they  bathed  in  an  adjoining  river.  This  refreshed 
them  exceedingly,  and  we  proceeded  to  Ardra, 
which  we  reached  in  two  hours. 

Ardra  is  pleasantly  situated  on  a  gently-rising 
eminence  of  gravelly  soil,  and  is  environed  by  a 
prodigious  number  of  palm  trees.  It  is  not  the 
town  of  that  name  once  the  capital  of  a  powerful 
kingdom. 

At  Ardra  I  was  conducted  to  apartments  in  a 
house  appropriated  to  the  accommodation  of  white 
men  on  their  journey  between  the  coast  and  the 
capital,  and  was  presented  by  the  man  who  had 
the  care  of  it  with  a  jar  of  cool  water,  and  a  cup 
of  the  beer  called  pitto.  Here  my  retinue,  having 
deposited  my  baggage  in  my  apartment,  and  sus- 
pended my  hammock  for  my  repose,  left  me,  and 
went  to  the  quarters  provided  for  them.  My  re- 
tirement was  not  invaded  by  any  of  the  inhabitants 
of  the  town  ;  and  I  passed  the  night  in  perfect  se-. 
curity,  without  even  a  bolt  upon  the  doon    iMTy 


whVbow.  355 

sleep,  however,  was  interrupted  by  the  incessant 
howling  of  the  jackals,  which,  as  if  they  had  been 
its  regular  police,  continued  prowling  through  the 
town  during  the  whole  night,  uttering  their  abomi- 
nable cries. 

Early  the  next  morning  we  continued  our  jour- 
ney, and  after  travelling  over  a  very  agreeable 
country,  in  which  we  passed  through  two  villages, 
we  stopped  to  breakfast  at  an  inconsiderable  town 
called  Havee.  We  then  proceeded  to  Whybow, 
where  we  arrived  about  ten  o'clock.  Here  I  was 
hospitably  received  by  the  governor  of  the  town,' 
who  had  been  an  officer  in  the  guards.  Jabrakou, 
for  that  was  his  name,  provided  an  excellent  din- 
ner for  n^e,  and  liberally  entertained  my  whole  re- 
tinue. 

Jabrakou  was  a  keen  sportsman.  He  shewed 
me  his  larder,  which  was  well  stored  with  buffalo, 
wild  hog,  and  venison  of  different  sorts.  Of  all 
these  he  pressed  me  to  take  a  quantity  sufficie^nt 
for  the  remainder  of  my  journey  ;  and  though  I 
declined  this  favour,  as  I  carried  with  me  provi- 
sions of  my  own ;  he  insisted  upon  my  taking  the 
couple  of  guinea  fowls  he  had  intended  for  my 
supper,  if  I  had  passed  the  night  at  his  house.  I 
could  not  prevail  upon  the  governor  to  accept  the 
smallest  present  for  my  entertainment,  till  I  had 
promised  to  pass  a  few  days  with  him,  and  join  his 
hunting  party  on  my  return. 

I  left  Whybow  in  the  evening,  and  after  travel* 
ling  an  hour  and  a  half  I  reached  Appoy,  where  I 
was  lodged  in  a  house  provided,  by  the  king's  or- 
der, for  the  accommodation  of  white  people.  I 
was  now  to  enter  the  Grreat  Wood,  through  whicli 

aa2 


356  DAHOMY. 

the  path  was  so  narrow,  crooked,  and  bad,  that  it 
was  impossible  to  be  carried  in  a  hammock. 

At  three  o^clock  in  the  morning  on  the  third 
day  of  our  journey  from  Griwhee,  we  entered  the 
wood,  with  the  advantages  of  a  bright  moon,  and 
a  serene  sky.  The  captain  placed  some  of  bis  men 
in  the  front,  and  others  in  the  rear,  with  loaded 
muskets,  to  defend  us  from  the  attacks  of  wild 
beasts,  with  which  this  dreary  wood  abounds :  and 
two  of  .the  hammock  bearers  carried  lanthorns 
with  lighted  candles.  The  whole  party  continued 
Singing,  shouting,  and  bellowing  to  terrify  these 
animals;  and  this,  with  the  sound  of  trumpets,  the 
firing  of  muskets,  the  chattering  of  monkies,  the 
squalling  of  parrots,  the  roaring  of  lions,  and  the 
rustling  and  crashing  of  elephants  among  the  un- 
derwood, made  the  most  extraordinary  clamour 
that  can  be  conceived. 

After  a  fatiguing  march  of  five  hours,  we  ar- 
rived at  Agrimee,  a  small  town  at  the  opposite 
extremity  of  the  wood,  where  we  stopped  to  break- 
fast. From  hence  we  proceeded  to  Calmina,  a 
large  town,  cQUtaining  about  15^0  inhabitants, 
which  we  reached  in  two  hours*  The  king  fre- 
quently resides  here.  .  The  several  buildings  that 
compose  his  residence  are  inclosed  within  a  high 
mud  wall  which  forms  a  square.  I  measured  one 
side  of  this,  and  found  it  nearly  1,700  paces,  or 
about  a  mile  in  length.  In  the  centre  is  a  gate- 
way and  large  guaiii-house,  on  the  roof  of  which 
was  exposed  to  view  a  great  number  of  the  skulls 
of  prisoners  taken  in  war. 

The  title  of  the  second  minister  of  the  king  of 
Dahomy  is  Mayhou.  He  is  master  of  the  ceremo- 
nies ;  he  superintends  the  public  festivals  at  court, 


N 


CALMINA.  S57 

has  the  care  of  all  strangers  who  visit  the  king,  is 
a  judge  in  criminal  cases,  and  reports  every  cir- 
cumstance that  passes  to  his  master.  At  Calmina 
Z  was  conducted  to  apartments  in  the  house  of 
this  officer;  and  a  messenger  was  sent  by  him 
with  compliments  of  congratulation  on  my  safe 
arrival  at  that  place ;  and  desiring  to  be  informed 
when  I  purposed  to  enter  Abomey,  and  whether  I 
would  choose  to  be  received  in  state  by  the  great 
officers  of  the  court.  On  enquiry,  I  found  this 
reception  consisted  of  the  following  ceremonial*. 
The  prime  minister  and  other  great  men  come  out 
of  the  town  on  horseback,  with  numerous  armed 
attendants,  and  meet  the  stranger  at  the  distance 
of  about  half  a  mile,  when  the  soldiers  perform 
their  military  exercise,  and  fire  a  few  rounds  of 
musquetry.  The  great  men  then  alight,  and  receive 
the  strangor  under  the  shade  of  large  umbrellas  ; 
present  him  first  with  a  tumbler  of  cool  water,  and 
afterwards  wjth  a  small  glass  of  spirits  which  is 
draifk  to  the  king's  health ;  they,  then  proceed  on 
foot  to  accompany  him  into  the  town.  I  declined 
this  honour  on  account  of  being  fatigued ;  an  old 
lady  belonging  to  the  mayhou's  house  provided  an 
excellent  dinner  for  me,  which  was  very  accepta- 
ble, as  my  porters  did  not  arrive  till  late,  owing  to 
their  fatigue  in  crossing  the  wood. 

When  a  new  governor  arrives  at  one  of  the  Eu- 
ropean forts,  the  king  dispatches  one  of  his  half- 
heads,  messengers  so  called  from  having  one  half 
of  their  heads  shaven,  carrying  his  gold-headed 
cane,  which  indicates  that  he  is  sent  by  his  order. 
The  messenger  is  introduced  to  the  governor,  in 
great  state,-  by  the  yavoog^h,  who  receives  from 
him  the  cane  of  his  master,  and  draws  it  from  its 


36i  OAHOMY. 

case*  At  sight  of  the  royal  cane  all  the  black 
inen  present  fall  flat  upon  their  faces,  and  cover 
their  heads  with  dust.  The  yavoogah  then  pre* 
seats  the  cane  to  the  European  governor,  and  de- 
livers the  message,  which  usually  consists  of  the 
lung's  compliments,  and  wishes  to  see  the  gover- 
nor as  soon  as  possible.  The  same  ceremony  takes 
place  annually  at  the  approach  of  the  customs. 

When  the  governor  arrives  within  six  or  eight 
miles  of  the  capital,  he  is  met  by  a  company  of 
thirty  or  forty  dwarfs,  from  three  feet  to  three  feet 
and  a  half  high,  covered  with  the  skins  of  large 
monkeys,  with  enormous  tails  hanging  down  be- 
hind. The  captain  of  this  extraordinary  troop, 
who  is  of  the  same  height,  and  clad  in  the  same 
manner,  advances  with  them,  all  gamboling  and 
performing  tricks  of  real  monkeys,  till  he  reaches 
the  governor,  when,  having  pi'eseirted  the  complin 
ments  of  the  king,  and  a  glass  of  wine  or  brandy 
to  be  drunk  to  his  health,  the  pretended  monkeys 
gambol  back,  and  the  governor  proceeds  on  his 
way. 

In  about  half  an  hour  the  stranger  is  met  by  a 
troop  of  eunuchs  dressed  like  women,  with  a  cap- 
tain at  their  head,  who  accosts  him  with  as  much 
gravity  and  humility  as  the  monkey  corps  had 
shewn  of  gaiety  ;  and  other  compliments  are  de- 
livered from  the  king,  and  another  glass  of  wine 
or  brandy  is  drank  to  his  health. 

Arrived  near  the  town,  the  governor  is  met  by  a 
third  company,  more  numerous  than  the  others, 
composed  of  the  king's  guards.  These  keep  guard 
without  the  wall  of  the  palace,  and  are  fine,  tall, 
robust  men,  with  caps  of  elephant's  skin,  from 
which  the  tail  of  the  elephant,  with  all  its  hairs, 


CALMINA.  S59 

hangs  down  behind ;  the  cases  for  their  charges  of 
powder  are  made  of  fourteen  or  fifteen  strings  of 
human  teeth  set  close  together.  The  ceremony  of 
drinking  the  king's  health*  is  again  repeated ;  and 
having  made  the  tour  of  the  palace  walls  in  his 
hammock,  amidst  singing,  shouting,  and  firing  of 
muskets,  the  governor  is  conducted  by  the  may- 
bou  to  the  house  prepared  for  him. 

Each  governor,  whenever  he  visits  the  king  of 
Dahomy,  carries  with  him  a  present,  consisting  of 
a  piece  of  rich  silk  for  a  dress,  and  a  variety  of 
other  articles,  amounting  in  the  whole  to  the  value 
of  more  than  fifty  pounds :  but  the  monarch  takes 
especial  care  to  make  these  gentlemen  understand 
that  he  has  no  interested  motive  for  requesting 
their  attendance,  and  he  returns  more  than  an 
equivalent.  He  defrays  the  expence  of  their  jbur- 
ney,  entertains  them  liberally,  and  presents  each 
with  a  young  female  slave,  under  the  denomina- 
tion of  a  washerwoman,  and  at  least  one  fine  cot- 
ton cloth  for  a  counterpane. 

I  left  Calmina  at  five  o  clock  in  the  evening, 
and  arrived  at  "Abomey  at  seven.  The  road  be- 
tween these  two  places  is  very  fine ;  the  country  is 
cleared  of  trees,  and  in  a  high  state  of  cultivation. 
The  whole  distance  from  Griwhee,  which  I  had 
travelled  in  three  days,  may  be  about  ninety  miles. 

On  my  arrival  at  the  gate  of  Abomey  I  was  sa- 
luted with  fifteen  guns,  and  conducted  to  the 
apartments  in  the  mayhou's  house  that  were  appro- 
priated to  the  use  of  white  men.  This  officer's 
steward  waited  upon  me  with  his  master's  compli- 
ments, accompanied  by  a  jar  of  cool  water,  some 
pitto,  and  some  fowls;  and  the  mayhou  himself 
appeared  soon  after  with  the  king's  compliments. 


SCO  DAHOMY. 

which  were  followed  by  some  sheep^  some  fowls, 
two  baskets  of  flour,  two  jaxs^f  pitto,  a  calabash 
of  palm  oil,  another  of  salt,  and  a  flask  of  brandy. 

I  must  here  do  the  kiog  of  Dahomy  the  justice 
to  acknowledge  that,  however  he  may  -gratify  his 
fancy  by  cutting  ofl^  the  heads  of  his  subjects,  or 
replenish  his  treasury  by  the  sale  of  their  persons, 
he  has  always  treated  Europeans  with  becoming 
kindness  and  respect.  How  far  their  forts  may 
have  contributed  to  the  complaisance  of  this  mo- 
narch, I  will  not  take  upon  me  to  decide. 

The  court  of  Dahomy  w^as  now  engaged  in  the 
celebration  of  a  grand  festival,  which  continues 
several  weeks,  and  is  csdled  the  ''annual  customs." 
During  this  time,  the  king  "  waters  the  graves  of 
his  ancestors  with  blood."  All  the  governora  of 
provinces  and  towns ;  all  the  great  men  of  the 
kingdom  ;  and,  indeed,  all  men,  unless  prevented 
by  sickness,  attend  upon  this  occasion,  and  each 
brings  a  present  to  the  king  according  to  his  cir- 
cumstances. Every  one  endeavours  to  make  his 
present  as  acceptable  as  he  ca^n ;  for,  if  it  were 
thought  deficient,  he  would  be  reprimanded,  if  not 
punished.  The  young  men  who  want  wives  bring 
the  savings  of  their  industry,  if  they  amount  to 
20,000  cowries,  the  value  of  5^.2.  10*.,  which 
.  they  lay  at  the  king's  gate ;  and,  prostrating 
themselves  in  the  dust,  they  humbly  supplicate  Jiis 
majesty  to  grant  them  wives.  For,  it  must  be  ob- 
served that  this  sovereign  retains  within  the  inclo- 
sure  of  his  house  a  great  number  of  women  for  the 
purpose  of  exchanging  them  for  the  cowries  of  his 
subjects*  Each  must  take  the  female  assigned  him, 
be  she  old  or  young,  hai^dsome  or  disgusting;  and 
it4ia6  happened  that  the  king's  wives,  who  are  th^ 


COURT  AND  CUSTOMS.  S6l 

agentd  in  this  a£Kiir,  have,  in  malicious  sport,  given 
a  man  his  own  mother.  In  this  case  he  is  obliged 
to  take  her  home  and  maintain  her,  and  wait  till 
he  have  amassed  a  sufficient  number  of  cowries  to 
purchase  again. 

In  Dahomy  all  children  belong  to  the  king. 
They  are  taken  from  their  mothers  at  an  early 
age,  and  distributed  in  villages  remote  from  the 
places  of  their  nativity,  where  they  remain  at  the 
disposal  of  the  king,  with  little  chance  of  their 
being  seen,  or  at  least  recognised  by  their  parents 
afterwards.  Hence  each  individual  is  detached 
frotii  his  family,  and  knows  but  one  principle, 
which  is  obedience  to  his  sovereign. 

«There  are  few  instances  of  personal  violence  in 
this  country ;  for,  as  all  are  slaves  of  the  king, 
every  one  is  cautious  not  to  hurt  his  fellow  slave, 
lest  he  should  incur  the  displeasure  of  their  com- 
mon master.  In  quarrels  they  rarely  proceed  to 
blows  ;  the  meanest  of  the  king's  slaves  having  ac- 
cess to  him  at  the  annual  customs,  and  an  oppor- 
tunity of  applying  in  private  for  the  redress  of 
injuries. 

Though  in  the  king's  presence  the  first  minister 
crawls  on  the  ground  like  the  lowest  subject,  be- 
yond the  precincts  of  the  palace  the  ministers 
^oy  great  privileges.  It  is  true  they  may  not 
wear  sandals,  and  some  other  ornaments  which  are 
peculiar  to  royalty ;  but  they  sit  on  high  stools, 
ride  on  horseback,  are  carried  in  hammocks,  wear 
silk,  have  umbrellas,  flags,  drums,  and  trumpets;, 
maintain  a  numerous  retinue,  and  are  saluted 
with  bended  knees  and  clapping  of  hands.  On 
thdr  entrance  at  the  king's  gate,  the  garment  of 
silk  is  exchanged  for  a  tunic  and  a  pair  of  drawers 


S62  BAHOMT. 

•f  cfean  cotton ;  the  necessary  ceremonies  rendering 
this  garb  unfit  to  be  worn  a  second  time  till  it  be 
washed.  The  neck  is  adorned  with  a  valuable  string 
•f  coral,  the  wrists  with  broad  silver  bracelets  j  at 
the  side  hangs  a  silver-hilted  sword,  and  the  hand 
grasps  an  ivory  club.  Thus  equipped,  one  of  the 
ministers  is  always  in  waiting  at  the  giate  of  the 
palace,  and  in  this  dress  only  may  he  enter,  though 
not  till  the  permission  of  the  monarch  be  signified 
hy  one  of  his  women. 

The  only  privilege  ministers  enjoy  in  public  is 
to  lie  prostrate  nearest  to  the  king*s  person,  and 
to  be  the  medium  of  communication  between  him 
and  his  inferior  subjects.  The  king's  sons  have 
so  rank.  They  salute  the  ministers  with  kneeling 
and  clapping  of  hands  ^  the  ministers,  however, 
hasten  to  take  them  by  the  hand,  and  raise  them 
Irom  so  humble  an  attitude. 

The  king  of  Dahomy  has  a  nominal  mother^ 
who  is  called  his  big  mother.  High  rank  and  great 
respect  9xe  annexed  to  this  title. 

If  the  king  honour  a  subject  so  far  as  to  present 
him  with  brandy,  or  other  strong  liquor,  with  his 
own  hand,  the  man  so  distinguished  lies  on  his 
back,  and  receives  the  honour  and  the  liquor  from 
a  bottle  which  the  sovereign  holds  to  his  mouth. 
In.  this,  attitude  he  must  drink,  and  drink  till  the 
king  withdraw  his  hand,  which,  if  he  be  inclined 
to  make  sport,  does  not  happen  till  the  bottle  be 
empty. 

Within  the  walls  of  the  different  royal  palaces 
are  not  fewer  than  between  three  and  four  thou* 
sand  women,  several  hundreds  of  whom  are 
trained  to  arms,  under  a  female  general  and  sub- 
ordinate officers,  appointed  by  the*  king.    These 


ABOMEY.  368 

warriors  perforin  the  military  evolutions  with  as 
much  regularity  and  dexterity  as  the  male  soldiers, 
and  have  their  large  umbrellas,  flags,  and  musical 
instruments. 

Abomeymay  contain  about  24,000  inhabitants. 
It  is  built  without  any  regularity.  A  number  of 
small  huts  for  the  women,  and  one  or  two  sheds, 
or  piazzas,  for  the  master,  inclosed  within  a  high 
mud  wall,  form  the  accommodations  for  each  fa- 
mily.  The  town  is  supplied  with  water  from  a 
rivulet  nearly  two  miles  distant,  and  a  number  of 
women  are  employed  in  fetching  it  in  earthen  pots, 
and  carrying  it  round  the  town  for  sale. 

Abomey  is  surrounded  by  a  wide  and  deep 
ditch,  but  has  no  wall  or  breast-work.  Over  the. 
ditch  are  four  wooden  bridges,  with  a  guard- 
house, in  which  soldiers  are  stationed,  at  each. 
The  king  has  two  houses  within  the  town,  and 
.  one  without  the  gates.  They  are  about  the  same 
dimensions  as  that  at  Calmina,  and,  like  that,  are 
surrounded  by  a  mud  wall  about  twenty  feet  high. 
In  passing  the  guard-house  of  one  of  these  the 
day  after  my  arrival  at  Abomey,  I  observed  a  great 
number  of  human  skulls,  fixed  on  small  stakes  on 
the  roof.  On  each  side  of  the  door  was  a  pile  of 
at  least  fifty  humati  heads,  and  opposite  to  the 
dopr  was  a  small  stage,  on  which  lay  about  two 
dozen  more. 

On  my  return  I  received  a  message  from  the 
king,  desiring  to  see  me  the  next  morning.  I 
sent  my  presents,  which  were^  a  chamber  organ, 
and  a  sedan  chair  covered  with  red  morocco  lea« 
ther,  and  lined  with  white  silk,  early  in  the  morn- 
ing, and  at  ten  o'clock,  attended  by  my  interpre- 
ter, I  proceeded  to  the  habitation  of  the  king. 


364 


CHAPTER   XXIIL 

COURT  AND   CUSTOMS   OF   DAfTOMY. 

1  WAS  received  by  Mayhou  at  the  door  of  the 
king  of  Dahomy's  house.     On  each   side  of  it 
was  a  human  head,  recently  cut  off,  'yi^g  with 
the  face  downwards,  and  the  bloody  end  of  the 
neck  towards  the  entrance.     In  the  guard-house 
were  about  forty  women ;  each  armed  with  a  mus- 
ket and  a  cutlass ;   and  about  twenty  eunuchs, 
holding  in  their  hands  bright  rods  of  iron.     One 
of   these    last    went   to   announce    ray    arrival. 
Mayhou,  walking  cautiously  forward,  conducted 
me  through  a  court,  to  an  opposite  door,  near  to 
which  lay  two  more  heads.     Here  he  prostrated 
himself  and  kissed  the  ground.    The  door  was 
opened  by  a  female,  and  we  entered  a  second 
court,  in  which  we  were  met  by  the  first  minister, 
who  is  styled  Tamegah,  and  whose  head  is  the 
only  one  in  his  master's  dominions  that  he  may 
not  take  off  at  his  pleasure.     Tamegah  was  accom- 
panied by  the  next  officer  in  rank  to  Mayhou ;  and 
these  three  officers  frequently  knelt  down  and  kissed 
the  ground,  pronouncing  aloud  some  of  the  king's 
titles,  as  we  crossed  the  second  court:   in  this 
were  ranged  six  hnman  heads. 

The  courts  were  of  the  common  soil  of  the 
country.  In  each  court  was  a  shed,  or  piazza, 
running  along  one  or  two  of  the  sides,  formed  by 
rafters  of  bamboo  laid  on  the  wall,  which  was 
about  twenty  feet  high,  and  sloping  down  to  the 


COURT  AND   CUSTOMS.  S65 

height  of  eight  or  ten  feet,  next  to  the  court 
The  front  of  the  shed  was  left  open,  and  supported 
by  posts ;  the  breadth  was  about  twelve  or  four- 
teen feet ;  the  roof  was^covered  with  thatch ;  the 
ground  was  elevated  a  few  inches  by  a  bed  of  hard 
clayey  mortar;  and  the  wall  was  in  some  places 
plastered  with  a  sort  of  pipe-clay. 

From  the  second  court  we  passed  through  a 
door  into  a  third,  where  the  king  was  seated  on  a 
chaif  covered  with  crimson  velvet,  ornamented 
with  gold  fringe,  and  placed  under  the  shade  of  a 
piazza  which  occupied  one  side  of  the  court.  He 
wore  a  gold-laced  hat,  with  a  plume  of  ostrich 
feathers}  ^a  crimson  silk  damask  robe,  wrapped 
loosely  about  him  ;  yellow  slippers,  and  no  stock- 
ings. He  was  smoking  tobacco,  whilst  one  wo- 
man, on  her  knees,  presented  a  gold  cup  for  him 
to  spit  in,  and  several  others  were  employed  in 
fanning  him,  and  in  chasing  away  the  flies  with 
whisks. 

When  the  door  which  led  into  this  court  was 
opened,  Tamegah  and  his  two  companions  fell 
down,  kissed  the  ground  repeatedly,  rubbed  their 
foreheads  in  the  dust,  and  approached  the  king 
crawling  on  their  hands  and  knees,  frequently 
throwing  duSt  upon  their  heads  with  both  hands: 
and  had  the  dust  been  made  mud  by  preceding 
rain,  the  ceremony  would  have  been  the  same. 

Having  bowed  to  the  king,  I  was  directed  to  a 
chair  at  a  few  yards  distance  from  him ;  and  after 
we  had  drank  each  other's  health  in  a  small  g^ass 
of  brandy,  he  enquired  after  the  health  of  his 
brother,  king  George  of  England.  We  conversed 
by  means  of  Mayhou  and  my  interpreter ;  the 
former  always  kissing  the  ground  before  he  pre- 


366  DAUOMY. 

samed  to  repeat  the  king'3  words  to  my  servant* 
This  custom  is  observed  in  every  part  of  the  Coun* 
try,  as  well  as  in  the  royal  presence,  when  any 
person  has  occasion  to  repeat  the  words  of  the 
king. 

The  king  was  much  pleased  with  the  tunes  of 
the  organ,  but  delighted  beyond  measure  with  the 
sedan  chair.  At  his  desire  I  went  into  it,  and  l¥as 
carried  about  the  court  by  his  hammock  bearers 
till  they^  were  tolerably  expert  chairmen.  His  ma- 
jesty then  seated  himself  in  it,  and  was  carried, 
amidst  the  acclamations  of  his  ministers  and  his 
women,  till,  at  length,  in  the  exultation  of  his 
heart,  he  sent  for  some  eunuchs,  and  was  carried 
by  them  to  his  private  apartments,  to  display  his 
acquisition  to  the  rest  of  his  ladies. 

The  next  day  I  received  an  invitation  to  be  a 
spectator  of  some  diversions  at  the  king^s  gate* 
Qn  my  arrival  I  found  the  tamegah,  mayhou, 
yavoogah^  agaow,  and  jahou,  seated  on  their  stools 
of  office,  which  were  placed  on  leopard's  skins. 
The  diversions  consisted  of  the  comic  distortion^ 
and  antic  dances  of  a  multitude  of  people,  first 
men,  and  then  women.  If  a  man  by  chance  get 
a  fall  in  one  of  these  dances,  it  is  considered  as  a 
bad  omen,  and  he  is  immediately  conveyed  from 
the  crowd,  and  his  head  is  struck  off;  the  dance 
going  on  as  if  nothing  had  happened.  Seven  men, 
and  seven  horses,  fastened  to  tall  posts,  were  in 
view  of  the  dancers,  and  the  former  seemed  to  en- 
joy the  spectacle,  though  their  own  heads,  and 
those  of  their  horses,  were  to  be  cut  off  for  the 
amusement  of  the  next  day  but  one. 

When  I  quitted  this  scene,  I  had  not  proceeded 
far  before  I  was  annoyed  by  an  intolerable  stench; 


COURT   AND  CUSTOMS.  367 

andf  on  looking  round,  I  perceived  the  heads  of 
thirty-six  men  and  thirty-two  h<H'ses,  which  had 
been  cut  off  on  the  two  preceding  days  of  rejoicing, 
in  token  of  the  grandeur  of  the  king,  and^igree- 
able  to  custom  immemoriaL 

I  hope  that,  by  this  time,  the  reader  of  my 
travels  is  reconciled  to  the  custom  of  cutting  off 
heads,  and  views  it  with  calm  indifference.  And 
I  am*  the  more  encouraged  in  this  hope  by  Kavii^ 
heard  my  father  say  that  human  heads  were 
formerly  placed  on  Temple  Bar,  and  that  the  peo- 
plie  in  London  passed  under  them,  and  in  view  of 
them,  without  any  concern. 

The  next  morning  I  went  to  the  gate  of  the 
king's  house,  to  see  a  {Ht)cession  of  his  women» 
seven  hundred  of  whom  came'  out  of  the  gat^ 
neatly  dressed,  and  danced  on  the  parade  before 
the  guard-bouse ;  a  number  of  men  being  drawa 
up  at  a  distance  to  prevent  the  intrusion  of  the 
populace.  On  the  women  retiring,  the  com* 
mander  of  the  forces  advanced  with  about  5,000 
soldiers,  who  went  through  the  various  evolutions 
of  their  exercise,  and  concluded  with  a  general 
dance  and  their  war  song. 

The  following  morning  I  received  a  message 
from  the^  king,  desiring  me  to  attend  him.  I 
found  him  .sitting  under  one  of  the  sheds;  and  I 
was  placed  in  a  chair  in  the  open  court,  where 
some  slaves  held  a  large  umbrella  over  me.  At  a 
little  distance  sat  twelve  Moorish  merchants^  who 
travel  to  the  court  of  Dahomy  every  year,  it  is 
said  from  the  north  of  Africa.  They  are  much 
respectejl,  and  an  elephant  is  annually  killed  to 
feast  them. 

Soon  after  I  was  seated,  the  music  began  to 


368  DAHOMT. 

play.  This  consisted  of  trumpets^  flutes,  he]ls, 
and  a  multitude  of  drums  of  different  sizes. 
Crowds  succeeded  each  other  in  dancing  till  they 
were  tired.  A  table  was  spread  for  me,  at  which 
I  dined.  The  dinner  was  dressed  by  cooks  trained 
at  the  European  forts  ;  the  plates  and  dishes  were 
of  pewter  or  earthenware.  Adahoonzoo,  the  king's 
eldest  son,  squatted  behind  me,  and  condescended 
to  receive  a  roasted  fowl  from  my  hand,  ^he 
Moors  dirled  at  another  table.  The  king  never 
eats  in  public.  It  would  be  criminal  to  suppose 
that  he  ever  eats,  or  that  he  is  so  much  like  other 
mortals  as  to  n^ed  the  refreshment  of  sleep. 

When  the  repast  was  over,  the  music  was  re- 
newed, and  the  king  went  out  on  the  parade  before 
his  house,  followed  by  a  guard  of  twenty-four 
women,  armed  with  blunderbuses.  His  majesty 
danced  some  time,  to  convince  his  subjects  of  his 
health  and  activity  ;  and  they  welcomed  this  con- 
viction with  inexpressible  joy,  which  they  endea- 
voured to  manifest  by  shouts  and  acclamations. 
Three  hundred  of  the  king's  wives  then  entered, 
bearing  cowries  in  brass  pans,  which  they  distri- 
buted among  the  musicians. 

The  great  men  have  from  one  to  four  hundred 
wives  each,  and  those  in  humble  station^  from  six 
to  twenty ;  but  it  must  be  understood  that  these 
are  not  all  wives,  in  our  acceptation  of  the  word  ; 
the  greater  number  might  be  termed  servants, 
and  even  labourers.  The  king^s  women  have  se- 
parate huts  within  the  palace  walls. 

On  the  ensuing  morning,  when  I  arrived  at  the 
king's  gate,  I  found  each  side  of  it  graced  with 
three  human  heads,  which  had  been  cut  off  the 
night  before  to  do  honour  to  this  day's  spectacle. 


COURT    AND    CUSTOMS.  369 

In  the  centre  of  the  parade  was  placed  a  tent 
about  fifty  feet  high,  and  forty  in  diameter,  and 
shaped  like  a  sugar-loaf.  This  did  not  reach  the 
ground ;  but  was  surrounded  by  a  circular  range 
of  small  iron  rails,  through  which  the  king  could 
have  a  view  of  what  was  passing  around  him.  The 
monarch  seated  himself  in  this  tent,  and  after  a 
dance  by  a  droll  sort  of  harlequin,  a  grand  proces- 
sion began. 

First  marched,  two  abreast,  a  hundred  and 
twenty  of  the  king's  guards  carrying  blunder- 
busses :  next,  fifteen  of  the  king's  daughters,  fine 
handsome  young  women,  attended  by  fifty  female 
slaves.  After  these  came,  one  by  one,  seven  hun- 
dred and  thirty  of  the  king's  wives,  bearing  provi- 
sions and  liquors  for  a  royal  banquet,  which  was 
to  be  spread  in  the  market-place.  These  were 
followed  by  a  guard  of  ninety  women,. under  arms, 
with  drums  beating.  Six  troops  then  advanced, 
consisting  of  seventy  >vomen  each,  with  each  a 
distinguished  favourite,  marching  under  a  large 
umbrella,  at  their  head.  The  leader  of  the  first 
troop  was  too  sacred  to  be  seen ;  for,  in  addition 
to  the  umbrella,  she  was  encompassed  by  long  tar- 
gets covered  with  red  and  blue  taffeta^  and  was 
'  cqmpletely  hidden.  In  the  last  troop  were  two 
umbrellas  and  four  favourites,  very  beautiful 
women,  who  were  said  to  rank  higher  in  the  king's 
esteem  than  any,  except  the  invisible  lady  above 
mentioned.  All  these  women  entertained  the 
king  with  songs  and  dances  as  they  passed  ;  and 
the  favourites  went  into  the  tent,  and  received 
considerable  presents  of  cowries  from  him.  These 
wom^n  were  succeeded  by  ten  bands  of  his  younger 

VOL.  n.  B  B 


370  DAHOMY. 

children,  from  about  seven  to  fifteen  years  of  age  5 
each  band  containing  fifteen,  and  consisting  of 
such  as  were  nearly  of  the  same  size.  Seven  troops, 
of  fifty  women  each,  and  each  troop  preceded  by 
two  British  flags,  closed  the  procession. 

No  monarch  I  had  ever  seen  before  exhibited  at 
one  time  1,500  wives,  and  165  children. 

While  the  ladies  were  preparing  the  entertain- 
ment in  the  market-place,  the  eunuchs  amused 
their  master  by  enumerating  his  titles,  and  pro- 
claiming his  great  actions  and  magnificence  ;  and 
when  all  was  understood  to  be  ready,  the  king 
disappeared,  and  a  second  procession  took  place. 
First  went  two  coaches,  each  drawn  by  twelve 
men  ;  then  the  sedan  chair ;  then  three  hammocks, 
screened  from  the  sun  by  large  sumptuous  um- 
brellas, of  gold  and  silver,  tissue,  and  covered  with 
canopies  of  the  same.  Each  of  these  was  sur- 
rounded by  a  very  strong  guard,  and  the  king  was 
in  one  of  them  ;  but  whether  in  coach,  chair,  or 
hammock,  it  would  have  been  presumptuous,  and 
even  criminal  to  guess.  My  hammock  followed, 
and  then  the  hammocks  of  the  five  great  officers  of 
state,  the  tamegah,  mayhou,  yavoogah,  agaow, 
and  jahou,  accompanied  by  an  immense  crowd  of 
attendants  and  spectators.  We  entered  the  market-  • 
place  under  five  gibbets,  each  having  a  man,  who 
had  been  murdered  the  night  before  for  the  occa- 
sion, hanging  by  the  ancles. 

A  large  space  was  inclosed  by  cloth  extended 
upon  rails,  with  a  raised  inclosure  of  finer  cloth  at 
one  end  for  the  king.  No  persons  were  admitted 
within  the  railing  but  the  five  great  officers  with 
their  attendants,  and  myself  and  my  servants.     I 


CaURT   AXD    CUSTOMS.  SJl 

dined  alone  at  a  table  which  would  have  served 
a  hundred  persons  ;  and  wh<^n  I  had  dined,  the 
tamegah,  mayhou,  yavougah,  agaow,  and  jahou, 
attacked  the  remainder  of  the  viands.  The 
crowd  without  was  so  well  supplied  with  provi- 
sions and  brandy,  that  every  one  was  satisfied. 

On  the  next  court  festival,  only  four  human 
heads  ornamented  the  door  of  the  royal  habitation. 
The  dances  and  procession  were  nearly  the  same 
as  on  the  former  occasion,  but  the  dresses  of  the 
women  were  more  gay  and  costly.  The  variety 
and  abundance  of  rich  sillcsj  silver  bracelets,  and 
coral  beads,  surprised  me.  A  troop  of  forty  women 
appeared  in  silver  helmets.  The  king's  treasury 
was  emptied,  and  its  contents  displayed  to  the 
public,  on  this  occasion,  almost  every  woman  car- 
rying something:  Some  carried  fine  swords ; 
others  guns,  ornamented  with  silver  ;  others  little 
silver  saints,  purchased  no  doubt  of  the  Portu- 
guese ;  others  a  lamp,  or  a  candlestick ;  above  a 
hundred  carried  canes  with  gold  or  silver  tops. 

In  the  evening,  when  I  waited  upon  the  king, 
a  female  dwarf  danced  before  him.  She  seemed 
about  thirty  years  of  age,  was  only  two  feet  seven 
inches  in  height,  and  was  tolerably  well  shaped. 

During  this  day's  amusement  we  were  visited 
by  an  harmattan,  some  of  the  most  striking  phe- 
nomena of  which  I  shall  describe. 

The  coast  of  Africa,  from  Cape  Lopez  in  V 
jouth,  to  Cape  Verd  in  15^  north,  is  subject  dur- 
ing the  months  of  December,  January,  and  Fe- 
bruary to  a  wind  called  the  harmattan.  ^  At  Gabon 
it  blows  from  the  north-north-east,  on  the  Gold 
Coast  from  the  north-east,  and  at  the  Isles  de  Los, 

B  B  2 


372  DAHOMT. 

a  little  to  the  northward  of  Sierra  Leone,  from  the 
east-south-east.  It  generally  continues  one  or  two 
days  ;  sometimes  five  or  six,  and  it  has  been  known 
to  last  fifteen.  There  are  frequent  returns  of  it 
in  the  season.  The  harmattan  is  accompanied  by  a 
fog  or  haze,  through  which  the  sun  appears  for  a 
few  hours  during  the  middle  of  the  day,  of  a  pale 
red  colour;  and  divested  of  its  beams.  No  dew  is 
perceived  during  the  continuance  of  this  wind, 
and  there  is  no  appearance  of  moisture  in  the  at- 
mosphere. 

Salt  of  tartar,  dissolved  in  water,  so  as  to  run 
upon  a  tile,  becomes  perfectly  dry  in  a  few  hours, 
even  in  the  night.  The  covers  of  books,  though 
shut  up  in  a  trunk  and  lying  among  clothes,  bend 
back  as  if  they  had  been  exposed  to  the  fire.  The 
pannels  of  doors  and  shutters  split ;  the  joints  of 
a  well  laid  floor,  of  seasoned  wood,  open  wide ; 
veneered  work  flies  to  pieces  ;  and  if  casks,  con- 
taining wine  or  other  liquors,  be  not  frequently 
wetted  on  the  outside,  they  generally  lose  their 
contents. 

All  tender  plants  are  destroyed  by  the  harmat- 
tan. The  grass  withers,  and  becomes  dry  like 
hay  ;  the  branches  of  the  orange,  lemon,  and  lime 
trees  droop  ;  the  fruit  grows  yellow  and  dry  before 
it  h&s  attained  half  its  usual  size  ;  the  leaves  are 
flaccid,  and,  if  the  wind  last  ten  or  twelve  dAys, 
they  may  be  rubbed  to  powder  between  the  fingers. 

During  the  harmattan,  the  thermometer  is 
commonly  ten  or  twelve  degrees  below  the  uj^ual 
standard.^  The  natives  complain  of  cold,  which, 
though  it  be  grateful  to  a  European,  occasions 
chaps  in  the  lips  and  nose.     If  the  wind  continue 


COUHT   AND    CUSTOMS.  373 

live  or  six  days,  the  scarf  skin  peels  from  the  hands 
and  face,  and,  if  it  last  a  few  days  longer,  from  the 
rest  of  the  body. 

The  effects  of  this  parching  wind  are  more  sa« 
lutary  to  the  human  species  than  to  the  vegetable 
creation  :  it  stops  the  progress  of  epidemical  dis- 
eases, and  restores  to  health  persons  weakened  by 
fevers,  or  violent  evacuations. 

While  I  remained  at  Abomey,  a  part  of  one  of 
the  king's  houses  took  fire.  As  soon  as  the  confusion 
occasioned  by  this  accident  was  over,  I  waited  upon 
^he  king  as  a  mark  of  respect.  Twenty  heads,  at 
least,  lay  scattered  about ;  and  the  king  was  much 
irritated  against  his  women,  who  were  accusing 
each  other  of  carelessness.  It  probably  was  not 
easy  to  ascertain  how  the  accident  happened  ;  and, 
the  king's  anger  subsiding,  he  contented  himself 
with  the  punishments  he  had  already  inflicted,  and 
with  selling  nineteen  of  those  persons,  Who  might 
possibly  have  occasioned  the  fire,  to  a  European 
slave  merchant  who  happened  to  be  at  Abomey. 

Negro  slavery  has  been  defended  by  its  advo- 
cates on  the  principle  of  lenity  ;  death  or  captivity 
being,  as  these  gentlemen  say,  the  only  alterna- 
tive. But  if  this  question  were  referred  to  a 
native  of  Dahomy,  I  imagine  he  had  rather  his 
head  lay  at  the  feet  of  the  sovereign  to  whom  he 
fancies  it  belongs,  and  by  whose  permission  he  lias 
hitherto  worn  it,  than  be  transported  to  a  distant 
land,  and  groan  and  smart  under  a  life  of  labour. 

On  the  last  day  of  the  customs,  the  king  appears 
upon  a  stage  about  a  hundred  feet  long  and  forty 
broad,  which  is  erected  near  the  gate  of  his  pa- 
lace :  the  wall  of  the  palace  forming  the  boundary 
behind,  and  the  front  and  sides  being  fenced  with 


374  daAom>y. 

railing.  The  flopr  and  rails  are  covered  with  car« 
pets  and  country  cloths,  and  the  rails  are  orna- 
mented with  a  multitude  of  flags  and  large  um* 
brellas,  some  of  which  are  of  gold  or  silver  tissue, 
A  fence  of  thorns  is  placed  at  a  little  distance 
to  keep  off  the  populace.  On  this  stage  are  piled 
heaps  of  cowries,  strung  in  bunches  of  2,000  each, 
rich  silks,  European,  Indian,  and  Dahoman 
cloths,  strings  of  coral,  Brazil  tobacco,  pipes,  bot- 
tles of  liquor,  and  a  variety  of  other  articles.  Each 
officer  is  allowed  to  choose  a  cloth  ;  the  highest 
first,  and  every  other  following  according  to  his 
rank  :  sometimes  also  a  string  of  coral  is  presented 
to  each.  The  king  then  throws  a  bunch  of  cowr 
ries  among  the  crowd  below ;  all  his  officers  and 
women  follow  his  example  ;  and  a  general  scram? 
ble  ensues,  to  the  great  amusement  of  this  royal 
personage.  The  people  come  prepared  for  thig 
sport,  being  intirely  naktd,  except  a  strong  bag 
for  the  reception  of  the  prizes,  which  is  fastened 
round  the  waist,  and  hangs  down  before.  A  piece 
of  cloth  or  silk  is  generally  an  object  of  competi- 
tion ;  but  as  no  weapons  are  allowed,  the  struggle 
is  seldom  fatal.  Finally,  are  thrown  over,  a  man, 
or  sometimes  ten  or  twelve  men,  tied  neck  and 
heels,  in  baskets,  an  alligator  muzzled,  and  a  pair 
of  pigeons  with  their  wings  clipped.  The  heads 
of  the  victims  are  the  grand  prizes,  and  the  pos- 
sessor of  each  is  rewarded  by  a  handsome  present. 
It  is  said  that  the  carcases  of  the  human  victims 
are  almost  wholly  devoured  by  the  assembled  po-r 
pulace,  each  person  striving  to  get  a  morsel. 

But,  in  the  midst  of  these  festivities,  an  event 
happened  that  possibly  Bossa  Ahddee  had  not 
thought  of— he  died.     I  saw  him  before  his  de^ith 


DEATH. OF   THE   KING.  375 

in  his  private  apartment,  a  detached  circular  room, 
about  eighteen  feet  in  diameter,  with  mud  walls, 
whitened  within,  and  a  thatched  conical  roof. 
The  floor  was  of  clay,  and  covered  with  a  carpet. 
The  furniture  was  of  European  manufacture,  and 
consisted  of  a  bedstead  with  checked  curtains,  a 
mattrass,  a  chest,  a  small  table,  and  two  or  three 
chairs^  The  bedchamber  of  Ahddee  was  separated 
from  the  court  in  which  it  stood  by  a  wall  between 
four  and  five  feet  high,  ornamented  at  top  with 
human  jaw-bones ;  and  the  little  area  within  the 
wall  was  paved  with  the  skulls  of  neighbouring 
kings  and  eminent  persons,  who  had  been  taken 
prisoners  in  his  various  wars,  to  afford  his  majesty 
the  [triumph  of  literally  walking  on  the  heads  of 
his  enemies. 

The  moment  the  king  expired,  a  horrid  scene, 
customary  on  such  an  occasion,  commenced  in  the 
palace.  The  wives  of  tTie  deceased  monarch  be- 
gan by  breaking  and  destroying  the  furniture,  the 
gold  and  silver  ornaments  and  utensils,  in  a  word, 
every  thing  of  value  that  belonged  to  themselves, 
or  had  belonged  to  him,  and  ended  by  murdering 
each  other. 

The  usual  successor  of  the  king  of  Dahomy  is 
the  first  of  his  sons  bom  after  his  own  accession 
to  the  royal  dignity ;  but  the  tamegah  and  the 
mayhou  have  a  right  to  alter  the  succession  in  fa- 
vour of  any  other  son  whom  they  may  think  more 
deserving.  In  the  present  instance  these  officers 
named  Adahoonzoo,  the  heir  apparent ;  and  they 
lost  no  time  in  so  doing,  in  order  to  end  the  car- 
nage  in  the  palace,  which  always  continues  till  the 
new  king  put  a  stop  to  it. 

Adalioonzoo  being  declared  king,  hastened  to 


SyG  DAHOMY. 

the  palace  gate,  which  he  and  his  retinue  broke 
down  ;  but,  before  he  could  enter,  the  women  had 
destroyed  a  great  part  of  the  moveables  and  285 
of  their  own  number.  The  sedan-chair  remained 
entire,  and  Ah^dee  was  interred  in  it.  Those  of 
his  wives  who  had  murdered  each  other  were 
buried  with  him;  and  it  was  said  that  six  who 
were  living  accompanied  him  in  the  grave. 

I  was  treated  with  great  kindness  by  the  new 
king ;  ^but  I  had  seen  mpre  than  enough  of  the 
court  of  Dahomy,  and  I  wished  to  proceed  on  my 
travels  ;  I  therefore  announced  to  him  my  inten-» 
tiori  of  returning  to  Griwhee.  Previous  to  my  de- 
parture his  majesty  graciously  presented  me  with  a 
fat  sheep,  a  beautiful  female  slsLve^  a  fine  striped 
cotton  cloth,  manufactured  by  the  Hioes,  an  anker 
of  brandy,  and  20,000  cowries,  value  50  shillings. 

The  language  spoken  in  Dahomy  is  that  called 
by  the  Portuguese,  langua  geral,  or  general  lan- 
guage. It  is  also  spoken  by  the  Mahees,  the  Why- 
dahs,  and  other  neighbouring  people. 

The  principal  divinity  of  the  Dahomans  is  an 
animal  they  call  dabooay.  It  has  nearly  the  form 
of  a  lizard,  but  is  ten  times  as  large,  being  about 
two  feet  in  length  ;  it  is  gentle,  and  not  afraid  of 
man.  One  of  these  animals  has  a  house  near  the 
European  forts  on  the  coast,  where  he  is  attended 
and  fed  by  a  number  of  women,  under  the  super- 
intendance  of  a  grand  fetish-man,  or  high  priest, 
who  is  supposed  to  possess  the  power  of  appeasing 
the  anger  of  the  god,  and  of  obtaining  from  him 
whatever  the  suppliants  may  desire,  and  who,  of 
course  receives  the  offerings  made  to  him.  No 
man  is  permitted  to  touch  this  divinity,  nor  any 
woman,  save  the  initiated,  on  pain  of  death.    The 


DRESS   OF   THE   DAHOMANS.  377 

"(vhite  men  are  requested  not  to  injure,  or  even  to 
touch  a  dabooay,  if  one  be  seen  in  their  house  or 
their  path,  but  to  send  for  a  fetish-woman  to  take 
charge  of  it.  Frenchmen  have,  however,  occa- 
sionally taken  up  a  dabooay,  and  placed  it*  in  the 
hands  of  one  of  these  its  female  servants,  without 
being  reprimanded ;  but  no  man  should  venture 
to  kill  one,  unless  he  would  be  stoned  to  death. 

The    household    deities   are  rude  mis-shapen 

images,  stuck  with  feathers,  besmeared  with  palm 

oil,  tinged  with  blood,  or  bedaubed  with -eggs. 

•The  market  day,  which  is  every  fourth  day,  is  a 

day  of  recreation. 

There  are  singers  by  profession,  who  perform, 
for  hours  togetlier,  before  the  king.  The  songs 
are  mpstly  extemporary,  and  have  for  their  sub- 
ject»the  praises  and  exploits  of  the  monarch  ;  and 
Ahe  performers  are  rewarded  on  the  spot  accofd- 
ing  to  the  merit  of  their  compositions.  Besides 
these  songs,  the  Dahoman  bards,  on  solemn  occa- 
sions, rehearse  the  whole  history  of  their  country, 
sitting  at  the  king's  gate.  The  recital  occupies 
several  days,  during  which  they  are  attended  by 
young  men  of  the  best  memories,  who  learn  their 
traditions,  and  are  intended  to  transmit  them  to  . 
the  following  generation. 

The  common  dress  of  the  Dahomans  consists  of 
a  pair  of  white  or  striped  cotton  drawers,  and  a 
square  cotton  cloth,  about  the  size  of  a  t^ommon 
counterpane.  This  is  wrapped  about  the  waist, 
and  tied  on  the  left  side  by  two  of  the  corners  ; 
the  others  hanging  down,  and  sometimes  trailing 
on  the  ground.  Sixteen  or  gighteen  yards  of  silk, 
or  velvet,  are  required  to  make  a  cloth  for  a  chief; 
and  one  of  these  garments,  composed  of  twenty- 


<37^  DAHOMT. 

five  English  ells  of  crimson  velvet,  has  been  sent 
as  a  present  to  one  of  the  king^  upon  the  coast*. 
The  head  is  usually  covered  with  a  beaver,  or  felt 
hat»  according  to  the  rank  of  the  wearer ;  the 
king,  as  well  as  some  of  his  ministers,  often  wears 
a  gold  laced  hat,  with  a  feather.  Th6  upper  part 
of  the  body  and  the  arms  remain  uncovered,  un- 
less the  person  travel,  or  be  employed,  when  the 
large  cloth  is  laid  aside,  and  the  tunic  without 
sleeves  is  worn.  A  club  is  usually  carried  in  the 
hand :  the  ivory  club  of  an  officer  of  state  is  a  very 
expensive  ornament,  on  account  of  the  great  waste 
in  making  it ;  a  large  elephant's  tooth  being  de- 
stroyed in  the  fabrication  of  this  badge  of  dignity. 
Inferior  chiefs  carry  a  sort  of  blunt  sabre,  with  a 
broad  blade  and  wooden  handle,  serving  rather  for 
ornament  than  for  offence. 

Warriors  wear  what  is  called  a  grass-cloth, 
which  is  made  of  the  skin  of  palm  leaves,  parted 
into  small  threads,  and  woven.  They  also  wear  a 
cartouch-box  of  their  own  manufacture,  and  a 
powder  flask  of  calabash.  Their  many  grotesque 
ornaments  and  amulets,  with  the  uncouth  devices 
painted  on  their  faces  and  bqdies,  give  them  some- 
what of  a  tiend-like  appearance.  Every  Dahoman 
carries  a  pouch  containing  tobacco,  a  flint,  a  steel,; 
and  tinder,  and  one  or  two  tobacco-pipes  in  a  neat 
wooden  case. 

The  dress  of  the  women  consists  of  a  greater 
number  of  articles  than  that  of  the  men  ;  Uiey 
make  use  of  several  cloths  and  handkerchiefs  to 
cover  different  parts  of  the  body.  The  neck, 
arms,  and  ancles,  ai;e  adorned  witli  beads  and 
cowries;;  and  rings  of  silver,  or  baser  metal, "en- 
circle the  fingers.     The  ears  arc  pierced  so  as  to 


MANUFACTURES.  379 

admit  the  little  finger,  and  a  coral  bead  of  that 
size  is  placed  in  the  aperture,  if  the  lady  can 
afibrd  it ;  if  not,  she  is  content  with  a  piece  of  red 
sealing-wax,  or  polished  oyster*shelI.  Young  wo* 
men  seldom  cover  the  bosom,  and  girls  wear  only 
a  string  of  beads  or  shells  round  the  waist. 

The  Dahomans  make  a  perpendicular  incision 
between  the  eyebrows  j  the  Whydahs  cut  their 
cheeks  and  foreheads,  so  as  to  leave  scars  resem- 
bling those  of  the  small-pox ;  the  Ardras  make  an 
incision  on  each  cheek,  and  turning*  up  a  part  of 
the  flesh  towards  the  ears,  suffer  it  to  heal  in  that 
position ;  the  Mahees  make  three  long  oblique 
cuts  on  one  qheek,  and  a  cross  on  the  other.  Here 
I  discovered  a  rational  motive  for  what  I  had 
hitherto  considered  as  a  capricious  ornament.  The. 
Dahomans  are  not  distinguished  in  battle  by  red 
coats,  nor  the  Whydahs  by  blue,  nor  the  Mahees  ' 
by  white ;  these  national  marks  therefore  enable 
each  to  distinguish  a  friend  from  an  enemy,  and 
were  probably  introduced  *in  part,  if  not  wholly, 
for  that  purpose. 

The  cotton  cloths  of  the  Dahomans  are  held  in 
great  estimation  among  themselves ;  and  are  oftfen 
purchased  by  the  Europeans,  for  counterpanes,  at 
a  high  price.  Their  grass-cloths,  when  not  dyed, 
are  the  colour  of  nankeen,  but  something  deeper ; 
they  make  neat  mats  of  the  same  substance.  They 
fabricate  implements  of  husbandry,  carpenter's 
tools,  spears,  cutlasses,  and  other  weapons  of  iron ; 
and  they  have  artificers  in  brass  and  silver,  who 
niake  handles  for  cutlasses,  bracelets,  rings,  and 
other  ornaments,  melting  the  metals  in  crucibles 
of  their  own  making. 


380  DAHOMT. 

The  dishes  of  the  Dahomans  are  few,  but  excel- 
lent ;  the  principal  is  the  black  soup.  It  is  made 
of  either  meat  or  fish,  with  a  variety  of  mucilagi- 
nous vegetables,  well  seasoned  with  pepper  and 
salt)  and  enriched  with  palm  oil,  and  the  seeds  of 
the  wild  tamarind,  after  they  have  been  consoli- 
dated into  a  mass  by  fermentation.  Their  bread 
is  of  maize  or  millet,  boiled  or  baked,  either  with, 
or  without,  leaven.  They  make  a  very  light,  white 
fermented  bread  of  calavansejs,  and  a  kind  of 
flummery  of 'fermented  Indian  com. 

A  curious  fruit  is  produced  in  Dahomy,  resem- 
bling a  small  olive  in  every  respect  but  the  colour, 
which  is  of  a  dusky  reddish  hue,  changing,  at  the 
end  next  the  stalk  to  a  pale  yellow^  The  pulp  is 
.firm,  and  almost  tasteless  ;  the  stone  is  hard,  like 
that  of  an  olive.  After  having  chewed  one  or 
more  of  these  berries,  a  glass  of  vinegar  will  taste 
like  sweet  wine  ;  a  lime  will  have  the  flavour  of  a 
very  ripe  China  orange  ;  and  the  same  change  is 
produced  on  any  other  acids.  Food,  or  liquor, 
not  containing  any  acid,  undergoes  no  change 
from  the  previous  use  of  this  berry.  The  natives 
describe  it  as  the  fruit  of  a  large  tree.  A  Euro- 
pean has  planted  some  of  the  berries  ;  the  plants 
grew  to  the  height  of  six  or  seven  inches,  and,  in 
that  infant  state,  they  resembled  the  olive ;  but 
they  died  in  their  passage  to  the  West  Indies. 

1  left  Abomey  on  my  return  to  Griwhee,  and 
reached  Agrimee  on  the  borders  of  the  great  wood, 
where  I  slept  a  few  hours.  I  rose  early,  in  order 
to  get  through  the  wood  before  the  sun  was  high, 
and  I  did  not  halt  till  I  arrived  at  the  house  of  my 
friend  Jabrakou  at  Whybgw.     Here  I  passed  the 


ATTACK  OF   A   LEOPARD.  381 

remainder  of  this  day  and  a  part  of  the  next ;  but 
I  obtained  leave  to  depart  without  staying  for  a 
great  buffalo  hunt,  for  which  he  was  preparing. 

The  following  night  I  slept  at  Ardra,  where  my 
people  received  a  visit  from  a  leopard.  My  ham- 
mock tiras  slung  in  an  apartment  adjoining  the  may- 
hou's  house  in  that  town,  and  the  weather  being 
very  warm,  my  attendants  chose  to  spread  their 
mats  under  the  long  shed,  and  in  the  litde  court  be- 
fore it.  All  were  asleep  except  the  captain  of  the 
gang,  who  was  smoking  a  pipe  of  tobacco  ;  when 
the  animal  leapt  over ,  the  wall,  passed  the  men  . 
who  were  sleeping  in  the  court,  and  seizing  my 
fat  sheep,  the  present  of  the  king,  carried  it  off, 
though  the  wall  was  eight  feet  high.  The  captain 
saw  the  whole  of  the  transaction,  but  had  not  time 
to  get  a  shot  at  the  thief. 

The  next  day  I  reached  Griwhee,  and  the  day 
following  I  went  on  board  a  ship  in  Whydah  road. 

Whydah  is  in  6«  14'  north  latitude,  and  S9  13' 
east  longitude. 

As  some  persons  who  may  honour  these  my 
travels  with  a  perusal  may  feel  a  degree  of  curi- 
osity respecting  the  successor  of  Bossa  Ah^dee,  I 
shall,  before  I  quit  the  subject  of  Dahomy,  recount 
such  particulars  of  the  reign  of  this  monarch  as 
have  come  to  my  knowledge. 

Adahoonzoo,  on  his  .accession  to  the  regal  dig- 
nity, assumed  the  name  of  Ai-yaw-soo,  or  the  Male 
Oyster  ;  for  what  reason  is  not  known  to  Euro- 
peans ;  certainly  not  because  he  possessed  the 
inactivity  of  an  oyster,  for  he  soon  found  an  oppor- 
tunity of  going  to  war.  The  remnant  of  the  Why- 
dahs  who  escaped  from  their  country  at  the  Daho- 
man  conquest,  established  themseh  es  in  a  small 


383  DAHOMT. 

marshy  territory  between  Whydah  and  Popo. 
There  were  now  two  competitors  for  this  sove- 
reignty, one  named  Abavou,  or  the  Swamp  Dog, 
the  other  Eyee,  or  the  Monkey.  The  people 
chose  the  Dog,  and  drove  the  other  out  of  the 
country :  this  was  a  sufficient  reason  for  Aiyawsoo 
to  espouse  the  cause  of  the  Monkey.  His  arms 
prevailed,  and  Abavou,  seeing  that  resistance  was 
unavailing,  surrendered  himself,  to  spare  the  blood 
of  his  countrymen.  His  head  was  sent  to  Aiyaw- 
soo, and  his  adherents  submitted^ 

A  sljort  time  after,  the  king  of  Dahomy  sent  a 
messenger  to  a  British  gentleman  at  Whydah  to 
acquaint  him  that  he  wished  to  see  him.  On  his 
arrival  at  the  palace,  the  king  asked  him  if  he  had 
ever  seen  Abavou  ;  and  on  his  replying  that  he 
had  not,  "  Then,"  said  the  king,  "  you  shall  see 
him  now."  The  Englishman  knew  that  Abavou 
had  been  dead  a  month,  at  least,  and  had  no  curi- 
osity to  see  his  remains  ;  but  he  did  not  think  it 
adviseable  to  oppose  the  will  of  the  king.  By  his 
order,  some  of  his  women  brought  from  an  inner 
apartment,  a  wide,  shallow,  brass  pan,  containing 
a  bundle  much  larger  than  a  beehive,  ornamented 
with  two  silk  flags  about  the  size  of  a  pocket- 
handkerchief.  The  bundle  was  composed  of  se- 
veral folds  of  cloth,  the  upper  one  of  cotton,  the 
under  ones  of  silk,  and  when  these  were  removed, 
Abavou's  head  was  seen  lying  in  a  china  bason. 
It  was  in  perfect  preservation,  as  dry  as  an 
Egyptian  mummy,  and  the  hair  was  nicely  dressed. 
"  That?  is  the  fellow,**  said  the  king,  "  who  gave 
me  so  much 'trouble.'*  '*You  have  taken  great 
care  of  him,'*  said  the  gentleman.  "  Yes,'*  said 
the  king,  "  I  am  a  warrior  myself>  and  if  I  should 


ADAHOONZdO.        *  383 

fall  into  the  hancjs  of  my  enemies,  I  should  wish 
to  he  treated  with  that .  decency  of  which  I  have 
set  the  example." 

Adahoonzoo  afterwards  ^defeated  the  Apees,  and 
found  in  the  houses  of  the  king  and  chiefs  many 
valuable  European  articles,  such  as  silks,  laqied 
hats,  walking  canes,  and  ornaments  of  gold  and 
silver:  but  nothing  pleased  him  so  much  as  a 
green  decanter,  shaped  like  a  common  bottle,  but 
flattened,  and  having  two  cavities  for  the  finger 
and  thumb  :  the  outside  was  ornamented  with 
about  a  dozen  heads,  raised  like  medallions.  Ada* 
hoonzoo  boasted  of  this  prize  as  the  most  valuable 
he  had  ever  taken,  and  said  that  no  white  man 
had  brought  him  such  a  rarity,  though  he  paid 
liberally  for  every  thing  curious.  An  English 
trader  had  sold  him  a  chased  silver  cup  and  cover 
weighing  226  ounces. 

At  the  approaching  customs,  the  white 'men 
from  th^  coast  found  Adahoonzoo  seated  in  his 
palace  9f  Dahoray,  amidst  four  hundred  of  his 
women,  richly  dressed.  At  a  little  distance  were 
six  women  kneeling,  with  countenances  in  which- 
despair  was  painted.  The  king  had  them  placed* 
before  him,  and,  ordering  a  bundle  to  be  brought,, 
he  untied  it  with  his  own  hands,  and  presenited  its 
contents,  which  were  five  cutlasses,  to  five  of  his 
fat,  .overgrown  women.  The  Europeans  were 
seized  with  horror  at  the  sight,  but  this  was  not 
the  place  to  express  their  feelings :  the  king  pro- 
bably divined  them,  and  condescended,  in  his  own 
vindication,  to  relate  the  story  of  these  unfortu- 
nate females. 

"  These  women,'*    said    Adahoonzoo,   "  were 
brought  from  Apee  by  my  army.     I  took  them 


384  DAHOMT. 

home,  placed  them  in  my  family,  treated  them  as 
my  wives;  but,  not  contented  with  this,  they 
made  their  escape  to  their  own  country,  where, 
however,  they  found  nothing  but  the  earth  and 
trees,  for  every  thiqg  else  had  been  destroyed 
by  my  troops.  They  afterwards  surrendered 
themselves  to  the  king  of  Ardraj  but  he  was 
too  just  to  keep  them,  and  has  sent  them  back 
to  me,  to  receive  the  reward  pf  their  ingrati* 
tude.  This  woman,"  continued  he,  putting  his 
hand  upon  the  head  of  one  of  them  who  had  a 
child  at  her  breast,  "  is  a  relation  of  the  king  of 
Ardra,  but  it  is  not  that  which  saves  her.  No, 
her  infant  saves  her  for  a  while,  but  she  must  pass 
out  at  the  same  door  as  her  companions.'' 

In  few  words  let  me  tell  the  rest.  The  Apee 
women  were  led  to  the  usual  place  of  sacrifice  j 
the  unpractised  executioners  performed  the  work 
of  decapitation  tardily  j  and  the  kiqg,  standing 
over,  and  instructing  them  said,  "  Not  so — hold 
your  cutlass  thus  —  imagine  you  are  chopping 
wood%"  During  this  horrible  exhibition,  the  air 
was  rent  with  the  strong  names  of  the  monarch, 
and  the  shouts  of  the  multitude. 

In  an  expedition  against  Badagree  Adahoonzoo 
was  unsuccessful,  and  he  woufd  not  suffer  his  sing- 
ing men  to  allude  to  it  in  their  songs,  saying  that 
this  subject  was  too  strong  for  him.  He  called 
together  his  officers,  and  while  he  watered  hjs 
mother's  grave,  he  made  a  public  oration  which 
lasted  three  hours.  In  the  course  of  tfiis  he  three 
times  took  up  a  portion  of  the  earth,  and  as  often 
swore  by  his  mother  that,  if  he  did  not  make  a 
conquest  of  the  country,  he  were  unworthy  to  be 
caHed  her  son,  and  the  son  of  Ahiulee. 


BADAGREE  'HEADS.  385 

Adahoonzoo  performed  his  oath,  and  proved 
himself  the  worthy  son  of  his  father.  Six  thou- 
sand Badagree  heads  were  sold  to  him  by  his  sol- 
diers ;  the  king  and  his  officers  danced  round  the 
palace  several  successive  days }  a  profusion  of  vic- 
tuals and  brandy  were  consumed  in  feasting ;  the 
heads  of  the  vanquished  enemies  were  exhibited  to 
the  admiring  multitude ;  the  air  resounded  with 
the  strong  names  of  the  Male  Oyster ;  and  the 
bards  were  permitted  to  sing  on  the  subject. 

The  skulls  of  the  Badagrees  were  applied  to  de- 
corate the  walls  of  the  palace,  but  the  worknjan 
having  placed  them  too  near  each  other,  found  he 
had  not  a  sufficient  number  to  complete  the  work: 
he  therefore  requested  permission  to  take  them 
down,  and  begin  his  task  again.  The  king  refused 
to  lessen  the  grandeur  of  his  work,  and  was  at  no 
loss  for  materials  to  complete  it ;  he  ordered  IS^ 
heads,  the  number  required,  to  be  taken  from  his 
Badagree  prisoners. 

Do  we  shudder  at  this  barbarity  ?  We  do. 
Then  let  us  reflect  upon  our  own.  The  kings  of 
Dahomy  have  slain  their  thousands ;  the  sove- 
reigns of  Europe  their  ten  thousands.  On  one 
side,  the  wounded  are  killed,  and  their  heads  are 
carried  home  and  displayed  as  tokens  of  victory ; 
on  the  other,  where  dead  men's  heads  are  of  no 
value,  numbers  of  wounded  are  left  to  groan  and 
perish  on  the  field.  On  one  side,  prisoners  are  sa- 
crificed with  the  strokes  of  a  sabre  j  on  the  other, 
though  humanity  exert  itself  to  save  them,  num- 
bers sicken  and  die  in  unwholesome  confinement. 

After  so  much  bloodshed,  one  commendable  act 
may  be  recorded  of  Aiyawsoo.  He  ordered  his 
subjects  to  clear  all  the  paths,  and  gave  to  each 

VOL.  II.  c  c 


386  DAHOMY. 

chief  of  a  district  a  string  measuring  ten  yards, 
which  was  to  be  the  width  of  the  roads.  A  spa- 
cious communication  was  thus  opened  between  the 
towns  and  the  capital,  and  between  the  capital  and 
the  beach.  With  incredible  labour,  a  passage  was 
cut  through  the  wood  between  Agrimee  and  Ap- 
poy ;  the  gullies  were  filled  up,  and  the  bridges  of 
hurdles,  thrown  over  the  .swamps,  were  widened. 
"  Now,*'  said  the  monarch,  when  all  was  com- 
pleted, "  if  any  one  be  desirous  of  paying  me  a 
visit,  he  shall  not  have  it  to  say  that  briars  or 
thorns  impede  his  way.*' 

The  king  of  Dahomy,  with  all  his  conquests, 
continued  to  be  tributary  to  the  king  of  Hio ;  and 
this  formidable  neighbour  sent  every  year  to  Cal- 
mina  to  receive  the  stipulated  sum,  and  frequently 
made  additional  demands.  On  a  supposition  that 
some  coral  had  been  withheld,  he  sent  a  messenger 
to  Adahoonzoo,  to  remind  him  that  he  held  his 
dominions  no  longer  than  while  he  regularly  paid 
his  tribute,  and  that,  when  he  neglected  to  do  so, 
Dahomy  belonged  to  Hio.  At  another  time,  when 
Adahoonzoo  meditated  an  attack  upon  Ardra, 
the  king  of  Hio  sent  him  word  that  Ardra  was 
Hio's  calabash,  and  nobody  should  eat  out  of  it 
but  himself.  If  a  white  man  happen  to  be  at  Cal- 
mina  when  the  ambassadors  of  the  king  of  Hio 
come  to  demand  the  tribute,  great  care  is  taken 
that  he  shall  not  speak  to  them.  The  troops  of 
Hio  are  chiefly  cavalry:  they  are  said,  in  the 
whole,  to  amount  to  100,000  men. 

When  the  Hioes  are  going  to  war,  the  general 
spreads  on  the  ground  the  thick  tough  hide  of  a 
buffalo ;  the  soldiers  are  n^ade  to  pass  over  it,  and 
when  their  bare  feet  have  worn  it  through,  the 


POWER   OF   THE   HIOES.  387 

army  is  judged  to  be  sufficiently  strong.  The 
Hio^s  take  home  no  captives.  The  prisoners  are 
tied  to  the  tails  of  their  horses,  and  they  gallop 
with  them  till  they  are  dead.  What  an  idea  must 
we  form  of  the  interior  of  Africa,  when  we  are 
told  that  Hio  is  tributary  to  another  state  still  more 
powerful ;  and  that  the  king  of  Hio  assembled  an 
army  that  trod  through  two  buffaloes'  hides,  yet 
did  not  succeed  in  his  endeavour  to  throw  off  the 
yoke !  Of  this  state  nothing  is  known  to  Euro- 
peans but  the  name,  which  i^  said  to  be  Tappah. 

About  this  time,  the  king  of  Hio  was  desired  by 
his  ministers  to  rest  from  his  labours,  atld  take  a 
little  sleep;  but  this  sovereign  assumed  a  power  his 
predecessors  had  not  thought  of.  He  assured  his 
ministers  that  he  stood  in  no  ne^d  of  repose,  and 
had  no  inclination  to  sleep;  and  he  convinced 
them  of  it  by  defeating  an  army  they  brought 
against  him.  Whether  future  kings  of  Hio  will 
have  the  complaisance  to  sleep  when  requested  to 
do  so,  time  must  determinq^ 

I  shall  conclude  the  account  of  Dahomy  with 
the  abstract  of  a  speech  delivered  by  Adahoonzoo 
on  the  subject  of  the  slave  trade,  and  an  anecdote 
on  the  same  subject.  The  speech  lasted  two  hours. 
The  governor  of  the  British  fort  at  Whydah  had 
read  to  him,  in  his  native  language,  some  of  the 
pamphlets  published  in  England  for  and  against 
the  slave  trade ;  the  king  had  listened  with  great 
attention,  and,  when  the  governor  had  ended, 
spoke  as  follows. 

**  I  admire  the  reasoning  of  the  white  men ;  but, 
with  all  their  sense,  it  does  not  appear  to  me  thai 
they  have  thoroughly  studied  the  nature  of  the 
black.    The  same  Great  Being  formed  both  ;  and 

c  c  2 


388  DAHOMY. 

since  he  has  distinguished  them  by  opposite  com* 
plexions,  it  is  fair  to  conclude  that  there  may  be 
a  great  difference  in  their  minds.  There  is  like- 
wise a  great  difference  in  the  countries  they  inha- 
bit. You  Englishmen,  for  instance,  as  I  have 
been  informed,  are  surrounded  by  the  ocean,  and, 
by  this  situation,  seem  intended  to  hold  a  commu- 
nication with  the  whole  world,  which  you  do  by 
means  of  your  ships.  We  Dahomans  are  placed 
in  a  country  where  we  are  hemmed  in  by  a  variety 
of  nations,  and  we  are  obliged,  by  the  sharpness 
of  our  swords,  to  defend  ourselves  from  their  at- 
tacks, and  to  punish  them  when  they  injure  us. 
This  produces  continual  wars ;  and  your  country- 
men are  mistaken  when  they  say  that  we  go  to  war 
for  the  purpose  of  selling  them  slaves. 

"  In  the  name  of  my  ancestors  and  myself,  I 
aver,  that  no  Dahoman  ever  made  war  merely  for 
the  sake  of  purchasing  your  merchandfze.  I  have 
killed  thousands  without  thinking  of  your  market, 
and  I  shall  kill  many  thousands  more.  When  po- 
licy or  justice  requires  that  men  be  put  to  death, 
neither  silk,  nor  coral,  nor  brandy,  nor  cowries, 
can  be  accepted  for  blood.  If  white  men  choose 
to  remain  at  home,  will  black  men  cease  to  make 
war  ?  I  answer.  No.  :And  if  there  be  no  ships 
to  receive  the  captives,  what  will  become  of  them? 
I  answer,  They  will  be  put  to  death.  Perhaps  you 
may  ask,  how  will  black  men  be  furnished  with 
guns  and  powder  ?  I  reply  by  another  question. 
Had  we  not  clubs,  and  bows  and  arrows,  before 
we  knew  white  men  ?  Did  you  not  see  me  make 
custom  for  Weebaigah,  the  third  king  of  Dahomy  ? 
and  did  you  not  then  observe  that  I  carried  a  bow 
in  my  hand,  and  a  quiver  filled  with  arrows  at  my 


SP££CH   OF   ADAHOONZOO.  389 

back?  With  such  weapons  my  brave  ancestor 
fought,  and  conquered  all  his  neighbours.  God 
made  war  for  all  the  world,  and  every  kingdom, 
large  or  small,  has  practised  it.  Did  Weebaigah 
sell  slaves?  No;  his  prisoners  were  all  killed. 
What  else  could  he  have  done  with  them  ?  Was 
he  to  let  them  remain  in  his  country  to  cut  the 
throats  of  his  subjects  ?  Had  he  done  so,  the  Da- 
homan  name  would  have  been  long  ago  extinct, 
instead  of  being,  as  it  is  now,  the  terror  of  sur- 
rounding nations.  We  do  sell  to  white  men  a 
part  of  our  prisoners,  and  we  have  a  right  to  do 
so.  Are  not  all  prisoners  at  the  disposal  of  their 
captors :  and  are  we  to  blame  if  we  send  delin- 
quents to  a  far  country  ?  I  have  been  told  you  do 
the  same. 

"  If  you  want  no  more  daves,  or  if  the  artists 
who  made  the  fine  things  with  which  you  purchased 
them  have  died  without  teaching  others  to  make 
more,  tell  us  plainly ;  but  do  not  frame  laws  for  us, 
and  dictate  how  we  are  to  live. 

<*  You  have  seen  me  kill  many  men  at  the  cus- 
toms, and  you  have  seen  delinquents  from  the 
provinces  bound  and  sent  up  to  me.  I  kill  them, 
but  do  I  never  want  to  be  paid  for  them  ?  Some 
heads  I  order  to  be  placed  at  my  door,  others  to 
be  strewed  about  the  market-place,  that  people 
may  stumble  upon  them  when  they  little  expect 
such  a  sight.  This  gives  a  grandeur  to  my  cus- 
toms, far  beyond  the  display  of  the  fine  things 
that  I  buy.  This  makes  my  enemies  fear  me, 
and  gives  me  such  a  name  in  the  bush.  Besides, 
if  I  should  neglect  this  duty,  would  my  ancestors 
suflFer  me  to  live  ?  would  they  not  trouble  me  day 


390  DAHOMY. 

and  nighty  and  say  that  I  sent  nobody  to  serve 
them?  that  I  was  only  solicitoos  about  my  own 
name,  and  forgetful  of  them  i  White  men  are 
not  acquainted  with  these  circumstances;  but  I 
now  tell  you  that  you  Ynay  hear,  and  know,  and 
inform  your  countrymen,  why  customs  are  made, 
and  will  be  made,  as  k>ng  as  black  men  continue 
to  possess  their  own  country/' 

This  harangue  is  a  curious  specimen  <>f  negro 
eloquence ;  but  the  situation  of  the  speaker  and 
that  of  the  reporter  must  be  considered.  The 
one,  a  vender  t)f  slaves,  very  desirous  of  possessing* 
and  very  proud  of  displaying,  the  European  arti- 
cles that  are  given  in  exchange  for  them.  The 
other,  a  dealer  in  slaves,  who  lives  by  his  occupa* 
tion ;  who,  while  he  calls  Adahoonzoo  a  *^  hellish 
monster**  for  sacrificing  his  captives,  is  silent  on 
the  cruelties  practised  by  those  who  purchase 
them }  who  calls  Dahomy  an  **  unhappy  country,'* 
while  he  acknowledges  that  the  Dahomans  triumph 
in  the  sanguinary  exhibitions  of  their  monarch ; 
and  who  never  alludes  to  the  happiness  enjoyed 
by  negroes  in  the  West  Indies,  where,  when  one 
be  worn  out  by  forced  labour,  as  is  constantly  the 
case,  the  master  comforts  himself  by  observing, 
*<  He  has  lived  a  year,  and  paid  his  head  ;**  that  is 
the  price  he  cost. 

That  wars  would  be  undertaken  if  captives 
could  not  be  sold,  no  person  at  all  acquainted 
with  the  history  of  mankind  can  doubt ;  for,  as 
Adahoonzoo  too  truly  says,  ^*  every  kingdixn, 
large  or  small,  has  practised  war  i^  but  if  an  A£ri* 
oatL  monarch  have  now  four  incitements  to  war, 
that  18  to  say,  revenge,  ambition,  filial  piety^  and 


ANECDOTE  OF  A  FRENCHMAN.       391 

the  acquisition  of  Eurcqpean  works  of  art ;  it  is 
fair  to  coDdude  that  one  fourth  of  the  wars  would 
cease^  if  the  last  motive  no  longer  existed* 

The  anecdote  is  as  follows,  and  needs  no  com^ 
ment. 

If  a  fetaiale  slave  have  a  child  at  her  breast^  the 
captains  of  European  slave  ships  do  not  like  to 
purchase  her,  as  the  space  allotted  to  a  female  in 
one  of  these  vessels  is  not  sufficient  to  allow  of  an 
infant  without  its  dirtying  and  annoying  others. 
A  Frenchman  at  Whydah  was  looking  at  a  num- 
ber of  slaves  on  sale,  and  obseVved  smong  them  a 
woman  about  twenty-two  years  of  age,  who  seemed 
overwhelmed  with  sorrow.  Her  breasts  were  ra- 
ther pendant,  yet  full,  which  made  him  suspect 
that  she  had  an  infants  He  repeatedly  asked  the 
Dahoman  merchant,  hier  owner^  who  persisted  in 
saying  that  she  had  not ;  and  the  woman,  if  ques* 
tioned,  durst  not  have  returned  an  answer,  on 
pain  of  death.  Not  convinced,  the  Frenchman 
pressed  the  end  of  her  breast  between  his  finger 
and  thumb,  and  the  milk  that  issued  declared  she 
was  a  nurse.  The  merchant  now  confessed  that 
the  woman  had- a  child;  but  added  that  tilts  was 
no  obstacle  to  the  Frenchman's  buying  her,  for 
that  the  child  had  been  thrown  to  the  wolves  the 
night  before.  Shocked  ^t  such  unheard-of  bar- 
barity, the  Frenchman  told  the  Dahoman  that  he 
would  purchase  the  mother,  on  condition  that  he 
might  have  the  child  also.  The  child  was  soon 
produced;  the  humane  Frenchman  placed  it  in  the 
mother's  arms;  and  the  poor  forlorn  creature,  who 
knew  not  how  to  express  her  gratitude,  took  up 
the  dust  of  the  earth  with  her  hand,  and  threw  it 
on  her  forehead. 


S9S  DAHOMY. 

The  Frenchman's  feelings,  as  he  returned  to  the 
forty  wwe  enviable;  yet  mingled  with  horror  at 
the  idea  of  the  wolves;  and  when  he  reached 
it,  he  asked  his  interpreter,  whether  what  he  had 
heard  were  true.  Not  only  did  this  man  assure 
him  it  was  a  fact;  but  he  said  it  was  the  ccmstant 
custom  of  the  Dahoman  merchants  to  throw  suok- 
ing  infants  to  the  wolves. 

Some  time  alter,  the  Frenchman  met  with  a  si- 
milar adventure  with  another  merchant,  and  he 
purchased  both  the  mother  and  child,  and  kept 
them  in  the  fort ;  but  he  found  the  crime  repeated 
so  often  that  his  fortune  was  inadequate  to  the 
calls  ^  upon  his  humanity,  and  he  abstained  from 
seeing  slaves  on  sale  that  he  might  not  witness 
distress  which  he  was  unable  to  relieve. 


CHAPTER   XXIV, 

AfltUAPIM,  ACCRA,   ANNAMABOE.      JOURNEY   TO 
COOMASSIE.      RECEPTION  THERE. 

iLQUAPIM  is  an  inland  mountainous  country, 
containing  hills  crowned  with  very  large  trees,  and 
fertile  vales  abounding  with  the  purest  water.  Its 
inhabitants  are  of  the  middle  size,  neat  in  their 
peiBons,  firm  in  their  opinions,  and  brave  in  the 
field.  Their  habitations  are  small  and  low,  but 
remarkably  clean.  The  country  was  the  granary 
and  garden  of  the  neighbourhood,  and  contained 
seventeen  towns  and  villages,  sixteen  of  which 


AQUAPIM.  —  AiXUAMBOE.  —  ACCRA.  893 

were  situated  on  the  sammits  of  mountains ;  when 
«n  Ashantee  army,  commanded  by  Apokoo,  in- 
vaded ihe  territory,  burnt  the  towns  and  villages, 
and  spread  devastation  around  them. 

The  river  Volta  divides  the  Slavfe  Coast  from 
the  Gold  Coast,  and  above,  it  divides  the  coun- 
tries of  A^uapim  and  Aquamboe.  It  received 
its  name  from  the  Portuguese  on  account  of  its 
rapidity,  and  the  tremenddus  breakers  at  its 
mouth.  The  Danes  have  a  fort  here,  and  an- 
other on  the  left  bank,  about  six  miles  above. 

Passing  the  Volta,  and  about  seventy  miles  of 
coast  beyond  it,  I  arrived  at  Accra.  The  town  is 
situated  in  latitude.  5^  31'  n<Hth,  and  longitude  10' 
west,  and  has  a  picturesque  appearance  from  the 
,  sea.  White  buildings  first  present  themselves, 
beyond  these  an  extensive  plain  studded  with 
clumps  of  ti^es,  and  beyond  this,  high  lands  rising 
gradually  from  the  plain.  The  English  and  Dutch 
have  their  respective  forts  at  Accra,  and  their 
towns,  inhabited  by  the  natives,  though  sepa- 
rately built,  are  connected  together.  The  Danish 
castle,  called  Christiansberg,  is  about  three  miles 
to  the  eastward,  and  is  the  principal  settlement  of 
that  people  on  the  Gold  Coast.  Accra,  which  ex- 
tends about  twenty-six  miles  in  length,  and  from 
twelve  to  twenty  in  breadth,  is  the  only  countiy 
on  this  coast  that  has  a  fVee  trade  with  the  inte- 
rior. It  is  much  resorted  to  by  the  Ashantees. 
The  Accras,  instead  of  saying,  "  good  night," 
say,  **  sleep  till  the  lighting  of  the  world.**  When 
they  speak  of  a  man  who  has  imposed  up6n  them, 
they  say,  *'  He  turned  the  back  of  our  headi^itlt^ 
our  mouths.** 

Accra  was  formerly  a  kingdom,  but  the  Aquam- 


894  DAHOMY. 

boes,  who  lay  behind  it,  made  predatory  excur- 
sions into  this  country,  and  at  length  drove  the 
inhabitants  from  it,  and  took  possession  of  it  them- 
selves. The  king  of  Aquamboe  was  so  despotic^ 
that  it  was  said,  '^  There  are  only  two  sorts  of  men 
in  Aquamboe ;  the  king  and  his.  friends  are  one, 
and  their  slaves  the  other."  It  was  also  said  that 
the  king  and  his  favourites  possessed  more  gold 
and  slaves,  and  furnished  more  to  the  Europeans, 
than  all  the  neighbouring  states  taken  together. 

Of  the  slave  trade  enough  has  been  said  to  give 
the  reader  an  idea  of  this  inhuman  traffic }  of  the 
gold,  something  remains  to  be  said. 

In  the  year  I7OO  gold  was  brought  to  market 
in  dust  and  in  lumps.  The  dust  was  nearly  as  fine 
as  flour,  and  freed  from  all  extraneous  substances) 
the  lumps  were  of  different  weights,  from  that  of  a 
farthing  to  that  of  thirty  guineas,  thoygh  few  of 
the  latter  were  seen.  The  negroes  said  that  in 
the  country  were  found  pieces  of  the  weight  of  (me 
and  two  hundred  guineas.  Great  loss  was  sus* 
tained  in  melting  the  pieces  of  mountain  gold,  as 
they  were  intermixed  with  small  stones.  The  ne* 
groes  carefully  concealed  from  the  Europeans  the* 
knowledge  of  the  mountains  that  produced  the 
gold.  These  people  were  continually  at.  war  with 
each  other;  some  states  extending  their  domi- 
nions, and  others  being  almost  annihilated.  In 
time  of  peace,  when  the  passes  were  open,  and 
merchants  could  travel  in  safety,  they  annually 
brought,  to  different  parts  of  the  Gold  Coast,  to 
the  amount  of  about  230,000  pounds  sterling  of 
this  fascinating  metal ;  when  the  negroes  were  at 
war  with  each  other,  scarcely  half  so  much. 

Passing  the  several  European  settlements  of 


ANNAMABOE.  395 

Berracoe,  Winnebah,  Apam,  Tantumquerryy  and 
Gonnantine ;  at  the  distance  of  idiout  sevvntjF- 
three  miles  from  Accra,  I  came  to  the  British  £ort 
at  Annamaboe,  tbe  most  compact,  and  most  regu- 
larly builti  in  die  country.  Before  the  invasion  of 
the  Ashantees,  the  town,  which  joins  the  fort,  and 
is  inhabited  by  natives,  was  supposed  to  contain 
10,000  persons,  some  of  whom  were  very  opulent. 

In  1806,  the  king  of  Ashantee,  it  must  be  owned 
upon  a  very  just  provocation,  marched  through 
the  Afisin  country,  to  make  war  against  the  fVtn- 
tees ;  and  a  division  of  his  army  penetrated  to  the 
coast*  The  general,  in  triumph  at  having  arrived 
at  the  ocean,  dipped  his  sword  three  times  in  its 
waters,  and  dispatched  a  portion  of  them  to  his 
master,  who  was  then  at  Abrah,  fifteen  or  twenty 
miles  distant.  The  town  of  Annamaboe  was  at- 
tacked and  destroyed;  and  the  British  officers, 
with  great  difficulty,  repulsed  the  Ashantees  from 
the  fort*  Of  li5,000  souls,  at  that  time  assembled 
in  the  town,  it  was  supposed  that  two  thirds  pe* 
rished.  The  king,  with'bis  great  officers,  and 
their  separate  retinues,  afterwards  arrived,  and  a 
^peace  was  concluded  with  the  British  governor. 

I  now  prepared  to  visit  the  king  of  Ashantee,  a 
sovereign  so  powerful  that  he  had  depopulated  the 
neighbouring  countries,  and  so  rich  that  he  was 
said  to  possess  a  piece  of  gold  heavier  than  four 
men  Could  carry.  I  had  some  difficulty  in  pro- 
curing porters  and  hammock  men  for  so  long  a 
journey,  and  I  was  not  surprised  at  it  j  for  if  the 
negroes  had  required  me  to  carry  them  or  their 
baggage  thither,  I  should  certainly  have  felt  some 
reluctance.     A  native  of  Ashantee  was  my  guide. 

Proceeding  in  a  north-north-west  direction,  we 


396  PAYNTREE*S   CROOM. 

advanced  fifteen  miles.  The  country  was  thinly 
inhabited,  and  sparingly  cultivated,  and  th6  vil- 
lages were  ruined  by  war.  Our  progress  was  slow 
from  the  inequalities  of  the  ground,  and  the  ob- 
structions we  met  with  in  the  path.  The  village 
where  we  halted  for  the  night  was  called  Payn- 
tree's  Croom,  Payntree  being  the  name  of  its 
chief. 

I  was  conducted  to  a  neat  and  comfortable 
dwelling,  which  consisted  of  four  rooms,  occu- 
pying the  four  sides  of  a  small  square,  and  all 
open  towards  the  square.  The  village  consisted  of 
a  very  broad  and  well-cleaned  street,  formed  by 
small  huts  framed  with  bamboo,  and  neatly 
thatched.  I  visited  the  chief,  whom  I  found 
amusing  himself  with  his  children  and  his  younger 
wives,  while  the  elder  wife  was  looking  on  with 
happy  indifference.  His  habitation  was  a  square 
of  four  apartments,  which  was  entered  by  an 
outer  one  where  a  number  of  drums  were  kept. 
The  angles  were  occupied  by  slaves.  Within  the 
chiefs  own  room  was  a  small  one  adorned  with 
muskets,  blunderbusses,  and  cartouche  belts.  The 
latitude  of  Payntree^s  Croom  was  5^  20' north,  lon- 
gitude 1^  47'  west. 

On  the  second  day  of  the  journey,  having  passed 
two  small  romantic  valleys,  with  a  few  huts  in 
each,  we  entered  a  forest  impervious  to  the  sun. 
This  is  the  natural  state  of  the  country  before  it 
has  been  touched  by  the  hand  of  cultivation,  and 
to  this  it  soon  returns  when  cultivation  ceases. 
After  a  journey  of  twelve  miles,  we  halted  in  the 
wood,  and  I  passed  the  night,  where  nothing  but 
the  birds  of  the  air  could  annoy  me,  in  iny  ham- 
mock slung  to  the  trees. 


FOREST,  897 

On  the  third  day  we  continued  our  march 
through  the  same  dark  solitude,  and  arrived  at 
Mansue,  the  last  town  of  the  Fantee  territory, 
where  I  dined  under  a  tattered  shed.  Mansue 
had  been  the  great  Fantee  market  for  slaves 
brought  from  the  interior ;  and  its  former  conse- 
quence was  evident  from  the  extent  of  its  site, 
over  which  a  few  sheds  were  now  scattered.  After 
a  day's  journey  of  eight  miles,  we  halted  in  the 
wood.  In  the  night  we  received  a  visit  from  a 
panther,  und  we  found  the  earth  damp,  and  swarm- 
ing with  reptiles  and  vermin. 

The  next  day  the  path  was  a  labyrinth  of  the 
most  intricate  windings.  The  roots  of  the  cotton 
trees  obstructed  it  continually,  and  we  advanced 
by  stepping  and  jumping  up  and  down,  rather 
than  walking.  Large  trunks  of  fallen  trees  im- 
peded our  progress,  and  we  were  frequently  obliged 
to  cut  away  the  underwood.  The  trees  were  co- 
vered with  climbing  plants  like  small  cables,  which, 
having  ascended  the  trunks,  shot  abruptly  down- 
wards, crossed  to  the  opposite  trees,  and  formed 
an  inextricable  maze.  The  whole  afforded  a  pic- 
ture of  bold  and  luxuriant  vegetation,  unrestrained 
by  the  hand  of  man.  Every  day  we  passed  some 
rivers,  and  this  day  we  passed  four.  In  the  even- 
ing we  rested  at  Fousou,  the  first  town  in  the 
Assin  country ;  it  was  formerly  a  large  town,  but 
now,  by  the  victorious  arms  of  the  Ashantees,  it 
was  reduced  to  a  few  sheds.  Our  day's  journey 
was  fourteen  miles. 

During  the.  two  following  days  the  path  was 
sometimes  rugged  and  sometimes  swampy;  but 
the  gloom  of  the  forest  was  unvaried.  Several 
human  skulls  were  seen  on  the  ground,  and  a 


398  JOURVEY   TO    ASHANTEE. 

strong  odour  was  emitted  by  thre  decaying  plants. 
In  these  two  days  we  advanced  nineteen  miles  ; 
and  on  the  third  day,  having  passed  two  descdate 
villages,  we  arrived  at  the  banks  of  the  river 
Boosempra,  or  Chatnah.  The  bordering  trees 
were  beautiful ;  the  river  was  forty-three  yards 
wide,  and  seven  feet  deep;  and  I  crossed  it  in  a 
canoe  hollowed  out  of  a  single  tree. 

The  scene  brightened  from  our  crossing  the 
Boosempra.  Prasoo,  the  first  town,  consisted  of  a 
wide,  clean  street,  formed  by  tolerably  regular 
houses ;  Kickiwherry,  the  second,  where  we 
passed  the  night,  was  still  larger.  Here  we  halted 
under  the  public  tree,  a  banian,  or  Indian  %• 
from  whence  we  were  conducted  to  a  comfortable 
dwelling,  forming  a  square,  as  usual,  but  with  a 
bamboo  curtain  to  let  down  at  the  open  front;  the 
floors  were  raised  about  eighteen  inches  from  the 
ground,  and  daily  washed  with  a  red  earth.  This 
day's  journey  was  seven  miles.  The  thermometer 
at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning  was  77^  J  at  one 
in  the  afternoon  91®. 

On  the  seventh  day  of  our  journey  we  passed 
four  villages,  with  forests  in  the  intervals  between 
them ;  and  slept  at  a  fifth,  where  we  saw  the  first 
plot  of  com  since  leaving  Payntree.  On  the 
eighth  we  reached  Akrofroom,  which  was  by  far  the 
largest  town  we  had  seen.  Our  two  days' journey 
was  twenty  miles,  and  our  course  nearly  north. 
Heavy  rain  during  the  night  flooded  our  lodging, 
and  rendered  our  path  to  the  next  town  impassa- 
ble; we  were  therefore  obliged  to  wait  till  the 
day  following,  when,  after  eleven  miles  march 
through  the  forest,  we  reached  Moisee.  This  is 
the  last  town  of  Assin,  and  is  situated  at  the  foot 


DOOMPASSEE.  390 

of  a  range  of  hills,  covered  with  wood,  which 
divide  that  country  from  Ashantee. 

Our  ninth  day  of  travelling  passed  this  boundary, 
and  included  a  space  of  only  six  miles ;  yet  in  this 
space  were  three  towns.  At  the  second  <^  these, 
called  Fohmannee,  we  were  entertained  with  fruit 
and  palm  wine  by  a  venerable  old. man,  whose  life 
was  a  forfeit  to  the  law  on  account  of  some  super- 
stitious observance.  He  was  now  waiting  the 
result  of  a  petition  he  had  sent  to  the  king  of 
Ashantee,  praying  that  he  might  be  spared  the 
fatigue  of  the  journey  to  Coomassie,  the  capital, 
and  that,  in  compassion  to  his  infirmities  he  might 
be  executed  at  home.  This  respectable  man 
conversed  cheerfully,  and  congratulated  himself 
upon  having  seen  white  men  before  he  died.  His 
petition  was  granted,  and  his  head  arrived  at  Coo- 
massie the  day  after  myself. 

Doompassee,  where  we  slept,  was  the  most  in- 
dustrious town  on  the  path  ;  cloth,  beads,  and 
pottery  were  being  manufactured  in  all  directions, 
and  the  smith  s  forges  wiere  always  at  work.  I 
dispatched  a  messenger  from  hence  to  the  king,  to 
inform  him  of  my  intended  visit,  and  after  resting 
some  da3rs  I  proceeded  to  Dadawassee,  a  distance  of 
seven  miles,  in  which  I  passed  three  other  towns. 
The  path,  that  in  Fantee  and  Assin,  would  seldom 
have  admitted  my  hammock,  if  I  had  chosen  to 
be  carried  in  it,  had  here  been  cleared  by  the 
king  s  ord€r ;  and  the  numerous  paths  that 
branched  off  from  it  shewed  that  the  country  was 
well  inhabited.  At  Dadawassee  I  found  a  mes- 
senger from  the  king,  inviting  me  to  enter  his 
capital,  and  bringing  a  present  of  a  sheep,  forty 
yams,  and  two  ounces  of  gold. 


400  JOURNEY  TO  ASHANTEE. 

The  next  day  we  proceeded  to  Assiminiai  a  dis- 
tance of  eight  miles,  in  which  we  passed  nine 
other  towns.  The  path  was  frequently  eight  feet 
wide,  and  kept  as  neat  as  that  of  a  garden. 

We  remained  at  Assiminia  one  entire  day, 
owing  to  a  violent  tornado  which  happened  in  the 
night,  and  increased  the  streams  near  the  town 
from  ancle  deep  to  three  feet.  On  the  following 
day  we  advanced  eleven  miles.  The  towns^  which 
are  seven  in  number,  presented  one  wide  central 
street,  with  trees  at  each  end.  At  the  last  of 
these,  called  Sarrasou,  which'  is  in  latitude  6^  SO' 
north,  and  longitude  S9  &  west,  we  passed  the 
night. 

The  next  day  was  to  witness  my  entrance  into 
Coomassie,  from  which  I  was  now  only  seven 
miles  distant ;  I  therefore  put  on  my  state  habit, 
and  dressed  my  attendants  as  handsomely  as  possi- 
ble. On  proceeding,  we  found  the  soil  a  rich 
black  mould,  and  saw  continual  and  regular  planta- 
tions of  corn,  yams,  ground  nuts,  &c.  enclosed  by 
drains,  and  kept  free  from  weeds.  At  six  miles 
from  Sarrasou  we  crossed  a  marsh  that  insulates 
Coomassie  j  it  was  here  forty  yards  wide  and 
one  deep,  and  at  two  o'clock  we  entered  the  city, 
passing  under  a  fetish,  which  was  a  dead  sheep, 
wrapped  in  red  silk,  and  suspended  between  two 
lofty  poles.  Our  days  of  travelling  from  Anna- 
maboe  had  been  thirteen,  and  the  distance  was, 
according  to  my  computation,  145  miles. 

We  were  met  by  upwards  of  5,000  people,  most 
of  whom  were  armed  ;  my  ears  were  assailed  by  the 
sound  of  horns,  drums,  and  gong-gongs,  and  the 
report  of  muskets  and  blunderbusses  j  while  the 
cSptains  were  seen  emerging  from  the  smoke  with 


RXCEPTIOK  AT   COOMASSIE.  4D1 

the  gestures  and  distortions  of  tnaniacs.     Their 
dress  was  not  less  extraordinary.      The  war-cap 
was  decorated  with  a  pair  of  gilt  ram's  horns, 
*  branching  out  in  front,  and  two  immense  plumes 
of  eagle's  feathers  from  the  sides  ;  it  was  fastened 
under  the  chin  with  bands  of  cowries.     The  vest 
was  of  red  cloth,  covered  with  charms,  or  scraps  of 
writing,  inclosed  in  gold  and  silver,  and  embroi- 
dered cases  of  every  colour;    small  brass  be]ls,. 
shells,  knives,  horns  and  tails  of  animals.     Leo- 
pards' tails  hung  down  their  backs,  over  a  $mali 
bow  covered  with  charms.     They  wore  loose  cot- 
toh  trowsers:;  and  prodigious  boots,  ornamented 
with  bells,  horses'  tails,  strings  of  amulets,  and 
shreds  of  leather,  reached  half  way  up  the  thigh, 
and  w^re  fastened  by  small  chains  to  the  belt.     A 
smairijuiver  of  poisoned  arrows  hung  from  the 
left  wrist;    in. the  left  hand  was  a  small  spear, 
covered  with  red  cloth  and  silk  tassels ;  and  be- 
tween the  teeth  was  held  an  iron  chain  that  hung 
down  to  the  breast,  from  which  was  suspended  a 
piece  of  Moorish  writing  that  probably  performed 
the  oflBce  of  a  shield.     The  black  complexions, 
the  strange  attitudes,  and  the  extravagatit  dress  of 
these  warriors,  produced  a  figure  ^scarcely  human. 
This  e^Iiibition  over,  we  proceeded,  attended  by 
the  soldiers  and  the  crowd.     The  several  streets 
branching  oflF  to  the  right  and  left  were  crammed 
with  people,  and  the  large  open  porches  of  the 
houses  were  filled  with  the  better  sort  of  women 
and  children^     We  halted  near  the  palace,  while 
the  bands,  which  were  principally  composed  .of 
horn's  and  flutes,  entertained,  us  with  their  wild 
melodies,  and  the  large  umbrellas,  made,  to  ris^i 

VOL.  II.  D  D 


402  ASHAKTEE. 

and  sink  by  their  bearers,  and  the  large  fans  of 
ostrich's  feathers  waving  around,  refreshed  us 
with  small  currents  of  air.  Our  attention  was 
diverted  from  the  novelty  of  this  spectacle^  by 
another,  replete  with  horror-— a  man  led  to  aacri- 
fice,  under  torture  that  I  shudder  to  think  of,  and 
shall  not  detail. 

Passing  through  a  very  wide  street,  we  entered 
the  )market-place»  which  was  nearly  a  mile  in  cir* 
cumference.  In  the  distance  we  saw  the  king, 
with  his  tributaries  and  officers,  resplendent  with 
ornaments  of  gold  ;  while  a  mass  of  armed  men 
and  attendants  seemed  to  make  our  approach  to 
him  impracticable.  More  than  a  hundred  bands 
of  music  burst  out  at  once ;  more  than  a  hundred 
large  umbrellas,  or  canopies,  which  could  shelter 
thirty  persons  each,  were  raised  up  and  let  down 
by  their  bearers ;  the  state  hammocks  were  resting 
on  the  heads  of  those  appointed  to  carry  them ; 
and  innumerable  small  umbrellas,  of  various  co- 
loured stripes,  were  crowded  in  the  intervals.  The 
large  umbrellas  were  made  of  scarlet,  yellow,  or 
other  shewy  colours,  of  cloth  or  silk,  and  crowned 
on  the  top  with  crescents,  pelicans,  elephants, 
barrels,  and  swords  of  gold.  The  valances  were 
scalloped  and  fringed  ;  in  some,  small  looking- 
glasses  were  inserted,  from  others  projected  the 
proboscis  and  small  teeth  of  elephants.  A  few  of 
these  umbrellas  were  roofed  with  the  skins  of  leo- 
pards, and  crowned  with  the  skin  of  various  ani<- 
mals,  stuffed  to  look  like  nature. '  The  cushions 
and  pillows  of  the  hammocks  were  covered  with 
crimson  ta%ta,  and  the  richest  cloths  huDg  over 
the  sides. 


BECEPTION  AT  COOMASSIS.  403 

» 

The  king's  messengers,  who  were  distu^uiaked 
by  gold  breast-plates,  made  way  for  us,  and  as  I 
was  to  take  the  hand  of  every  governor  and  cap-, 
tain,  as  I  passed  him,  I  had  time  to  observe  their 
dress.  They  wore  Ashantee  cloths,  of  incredible 
size  and  weight,  and  extravagant  price,  as  the  most 
costly  foreign  silks  had  been  unravelled  to  form 
them,  in  a  great  variety  of  colour  and  pattern. 
These  were  thrown  over  the  shoulder  like 'the 
Roman  toga.  A  small  silk  fillet  was  worn  round 
the  temples ;  and  massive  gold  necklaces  curiously 
wrought,  round  the  neck.  From  the  latter  were 
suspended  Moorish  charms,  inclosed  in  square, 
cases  of  gold,  silver,  and  embroidery.  Some  wore 
necklaces  of  aggry  beads,  reaching  below  thp  sto- 
mach. A  band  of  gold  and  beads,  from  which 
hung  several  strings  of  the  same,  encircled  the 
knee,  and  a  band  composed  of  casts  of  ammals, 
rings,  and  round  flat  pieces  of  gold,  strung  toge- 
ther, went  round  the  ancle.  Their  sandals  were  of 
green,  red,  and  delicate  white,  leather.  Manillas 
and  rude  lumps  of  rock  gold  hung  from  their  left 
wrists,  of  which  some  were  so  heavily  loaded,  that 
they  were  supported  on  the  heads  of  handsome 
boys.  Gold  and  silver  pipes  and  canes  appeared 
in  every  direction.  Wolves  and  rams*  heads,  of 
the  natural  size,  cast  in  gold,  were  suspended  from 
gold<handled  swords,  the  blades  of  which  were 
rusted  with  blood  ;  the  sheaths  were  of  leopard's 
skin,  or  the  shell  of  a  fish  resembling  shagrfeen. 
The  large  drums  were  placed  on  the  head  of  one 
man,  and  beaten  by  two  others,  and  were  bmeed 
around  with  the  thigh  bones  of  conquered  ene^ 
mies,  and  ornamented  with  their  skulls.     The 


404  ASHANTEE, 

kettle-drums  were  covered  with  leopards'  skins, 
and. the  wrists  of  the  drummers  were  hung  with 
bells  and  pieces  of  iron,  that  gingled  loudly  as  they 
were  beating.  The  smaller ^ drums  were  suspended 
from  the  neck  by  scarves  of  red  cloth.  The 
hofa;  were  formed  of  the  teeth  of  young  ele- 
phants, and  were  ornamented  with  gold,  and  human 
jaw-bones. 

The  great  officers  were  seated  on  chairs  of 
black  wood,  inlaid  with  ivory,  atid  embossed  with 
gold.  Large  fans  of  ostrich  feathers  played  around 
them,  and  behind  them  stood  their  handsomest 
youths,  arrayed  in  corslets  of  leopard  skin,  covered 
>vith.  gold  cockle-shells.  These  were  stuck  full  of 
small  knives,  with  handles  of  blue  agate,  and 
sheaths  of  gold  or  silver.  Large  gold-handled 
^words  were,  fixed  behind  the  left  shovilder ;  and 
silk  scarves,  and  horses'  tails,  generally  white, 
streamed  from  the  arms  and  the  waist  clodi.  They 
were  armed  with  Danish  muskets,  ornamented 
with  gold  and  shells.  Behind  some  of  the  chairs 
stood  handsome  girls,  holding  silver  basons.  Each 
of  the  great  men  had  a  stool,  the  badge  of  his 
plaice  and  rank,  borne  on  the  head  of  a  favourite ; 
and  crowds  of  little  boys  were  seated  around, 
flourishing^  elephants'  tails,  curiously  mounted. 
The  stools  were  carved  with  great  labour,  and 
had  a  large  bell  at  each  end. 

The  soldiers  were  sitting  on  the  ground.  Their 
caps  were  of  leopard's  skin,  with  the  tail  hanging 
down  behind.  Their  faces  and  arms  were  painted 
with  long  white  streaks.  On  their  hips  and  shoul- 
ders was  a  cluster  of  knives.  Some,  of  [tb^  naost 
daring  were  distinguished  by  a  xrhain  and  collar  of 


RECEPTION    AT   COOMASSIE.  405 

iron,  which  I  was  afterwards  informed  they  would 
not  have  exchanged  for  gold. 

We  nowpassed  seventeen  Moors,  arrayed  in  large 
cloaks  of  white  satin,  richly  trimmed  with  spangled 
embroidery.  Their  shirts  and  trowsers  were  of 
silk,  and  their  large  muslin  turbans  were  studded 
with  a  border  of  different  coloured  stones.  *  We 
then  passed  the  great  oflScers  of  the  household; 
the  chamberlain,  the  gold-horn-blower,  the  cap- 
tain  of  the  messengers,  the  captain  of  the  market, 
the  keeper  of  the  royal  burying-ground,  the  mas- 
ter of  the  bands,  who  each  sat  surrounded  by  a 
retinue  that  announced  the  dignity  of  his^  office. 
The  cook  had  a  large  quantity  of  silver  plate  dis- 
played  before  him,  and  a  number  of  small  services, 
covered  with  a  leopard's  skin,  held  behind  him; 
The  executioner,  a  man  of  uncommon  size,  wore 
a  heavy  gold  hatchet  on  his  breast,  and  before  him 
was  carried  the  execution  stool,  clotted  wjith  blood, 
and  partly  covered  with  a  caul  of  fat.  The  four 
linguists  were  surrounded  by  persons  whb  carried 
gold  canes,  tied  in  bundles,  like  fasces.  The 
keeper  of  the  treasury,  in  addition  to  his  private 
magnificence,  had  the  blow-pan,  boxes,  scales  and 
weights  of  his  office,  which  were  of  gold.       ^ 

We  now  approached  the  sovereign,  the  highest 
point  of  this  astonishing  display  of  magnificence, 
and  I  received  his  offered  hand.  He  appeared  to 
be  about  thirty-eight  years  of  age,  and  inclined  to 
corpulence.  His  countenance  was  benevolent, 
and  his  manners  were  majestic,  yet  courteous. 

A  diadem  was  elegantly  painted  in  white  on  the 
forehead  of  the  king,  a  kind  of  epaulette  on  each 
shoulder^  and  a  large  full-blown  rose  oh  his  breast. 
His  fillet  was  of  aggry  beads,  his  necklace  of  gold* 


i06  ASHiUtTEE. 

cockipur  sheUfly  his  bracelets  were  the  richest  mix* 
ture  of  beads  and  goldt  his  fingers  were  covered 
with  rings ;  his  knee-bands  were  of  aggry  beads,  his 
ancle-strings  of  small  drums,  swords,  guns,  stools, 
and  birds  of  gold,  clustered  together,  his  sandals 
.of  soft  white  leather,  and  his  cloth  of  dark  green 
silk.  On  bis  finger  and  thumb  he  wore  a  pair 
of  gold  castanets,  which  he  clapped  to  enforce 
silence^ 

The  king  was  seated  on  a  low  chair  richly  oma^ 
mented  with  gold ;  the  elephants'  tails  that  wared 
before  him  were  spangled  wi(h  gold ;  the  belts  of 
the  guards  who  stood  behind  him  were  cased  with 
gold,  and  covered  with  small  jaw-bones  of  gold. 
The  eunuch  who  presided  oter  the  attendants  had 
about  his  neck  a  massive  piece  of  gold ;  the  royal 
stool  was  entirely  cased  with  gold,  and  was  held 
under  a  splendid  umbrella,  ornamented  with  vari- 
ous musical  instruments  covered  with  gold.  In  a 
word,  gold  was  blazing  in  every  direction ;  and 
Peru,  as  it  appeared  at  its  first  discovery,  was 
present  to  my  imagination. 

I  was  now  seated  under  a  tree  to  receive  the 
visits  of  this  magnificent  assembly.  The  chiefs 
dismounted  from  their  hammocks,  as  they  ap- 
proached me,  and  advanced,  under  their  umbrel- 
las, with  a  small  number  of  their  guards,  their 
captains  halloing  in  their  ears  their  valourous 
deeds  and  strong  names.  These  great  men,  like 
the  king  of  Abyssinia,  were  too  great  to  walk 
alone,  and  were  supported  round  the  waist  by  the 
hands  of  a  favourite  slave.  Chiefs  of  five  or  six 
years  of  age,  bending  under  their  golden  orna- 
ments, were  carried  under  their  canopies  on  the 
shoulders  of  a  strong  slave ;  and  did  captains  of  a 


KING  AND   CUSTOMS   OF   ASHANTEE.  407 

secondary  rank  were  borne  in  the  same  maiiner. 
Some  of  my  visitors  danced  as  they  passed  me ; 
some  took  o£P  their  sandals ;  all  took  my  hand. 

At  length  the  king  advanced.  He  enquired  my 
name  a  second  time,  and  then  wished  me  a  good 
night.  He  was  followed  by  his  sisters,  aunts,  land 
others  of  his  family,  who  wore  rows  of  fine  gold 
chains  round  their  necks.  Numerous  chiefs  suc- 
ceeded these,  and  it  was  late  before  we  were  at 
liberty  to  retire,  when  we  were  conducted  to  a 
range  of  spacious  buildings  that  had  been  the 
habitation  of  a  son  of  one  of  the  former  kings.  I 
estimated  the  number  of  warriors  present  at  my 
public  reception  at  30,000. 


CHAPTER  XXV. 

KING   AND   CUSTOMS   OF  ASHANTEfi. 

X  HE  next  day  I  was  desired  to  attend  the  king 
at  his  own  house  and  deliver  my  presents.  Nothing 
could  surpass  his  surprise  and  pleasure  on  seeing 
the  different  articles  of  European  manu&cture 
that  I  had  assembled ;  particularly  a  camera  ob- 
scura  and  telescope.  He  returned  thanks  in  a 
dignified  manner,  and  said,  **  Englishmen  know 
how  to  do  every  thing  proper.  Englishmen 
know  more  than  Dutchmen  or  Danes }  black  men 
know  nothing.*'  .  . 

I  was  afterwards  present  at  a  council  hdd  in 
the  king's  palace,  which  was  an  immense  build- 
ing, containing  a  number  of  oblong  courts*  and 
squares.    The  squares  had  a  large  apartmeflt^^im 


408  ASHAVTK£. 

each  side,  open  in  front,  and  supported  by  two 
pillars,  with  cornices  of  very  bold  cane  work.  A  • 
drop  curtain  of  curious  cane  work  was  suspended 
from  the  top,  and  within  were  chairs  and  stools 
embossed  with  gold,  and  beds  of  silk.  The  most 
ornamental  part  was  the  residence  of  tlie  women. 
The  £ronts  of  the  apartmen;ts  were  closed  with 
open  carved  work,  except  two  door-ways;  The 
oblong  courts  had.  arcades  on  one  side,  curiously 
wrought,  with  rooms  over  them,  with  small  win- 
dows of  carved  wooden  lattice,  some  of  which 
were  cased  with  gold.  Within  the  innermost 
square  was  the  council  chamber. 

After  waiting  nearly  an  hour  in  the  outer  court, 
a  ceremonial  always  observed,  I  was  conducted  to 
an  inner  one,  where  the  king  appeared  at  the 
head  of  two  long  files  of  his  captains  and  counsel* 
lors,  who  were  seated  und^r  rich  umbrellas,  with  * 
their  distinct  retinues.  The  splepdour  of  the  wholes 
exceeded  that  of  my  first  reception. 

The  king  proposed  the  renewal  of  the  war  with 
the  Fantees,  who  had  given  great  cause  of  offence; 
when  the  captains  rushed  before  hkn  and  Ex- 
claimed, **  King,  this  shames  you  too  much  !  you 
must  let  us  go  to-night,  and  kill  all  the  Fantees !" 
They  then  presented  themsielves  successively,  with 
their  separate  retinues  and  bands  of  music,  and 
bowing  before  the  king,  received  his  foot  upon 
their  heads.  Each  then  directed  his  sword  to  the 
king,  and  swore  by  the  king's  head  that .  he  would 
go  with  the  army  that  night,  and  bring  him  the 
heads  of  all  the  Fantees.  The  council  broke  up 
soon  after ;  but  the  king  found  means  to  appease 
the  wrath  of  his  captains,  and  the.  Fantees  were 
suffered  to  wear  their  heads  some  time  longer. 


KING   OF   ASHANTEE.  409 

Another  time  I  was  sent  for  by  the  king  to  con- 
verse with  him  on  the  subject  of  medicine.  I  first 
shewed  him  «ome  simple  medicines,  and  described 
their  uses.  He  was  very  desirous  to  possess  them, 
and  I  gave  him  a  quantity  of  each.  I  then  produced 
.  some  botanical  books,  and  at  the  sight  of  every 
coloured  plant  he  held  up  his  hand,  and  exclaimed 
"  hah !"  and  then  demanded  the  name.  The 
sensitive  plant  he  pointed  out,  and  described  him- 
self. During  my  exhibition,  he  whispered  to  one 
of  his  attendants,  who  went  out,  and  returned  with 
nine  ackies  of  gold  (value,  each,  2/.  5s.)  wrapped  in 
small  piece  of  cloth,  which  the  king  presented  to 
me.  He  then  shook  hands  with  me,  and  retired 
into  his  house  ;  but  soon  returned,  leading  one  of 
his  sisters  by  the  hand,  with  an  air  that  would  put 
to  shame  many  fine  gentlemen  in  Europe^  and 
saying  toiler,  '*  This  is  the  white  doctor  1  told 
you  of;  tell  him  your  complaint,  and  he  will  do 
you  good.**  Then  turning  to  me  he  added,  "Give 
me  the  gold  I  gave  you  ;  the  cloth  is  not  clean ;  I 
want  to  put  it  in  a  clean  cloth  for  you.*'  He 
wrapped  it  in  a  piece  of  rich  silk,  and  when  he 
gave  it  to  me  again  said,  "  I  like  you ;  I  like  the 
English  very  much ;  they  are  a  proper  people, 
and  I  wish  to  drink  health  with  you."  He  then 
went  to  his  own  apartment,  and  returned  with  a 
flask  of  Holland*s  Geneva,  and  two  servants  with 
glasses,  and  a  silver  vase  with  water.  He  helped 
himself  and  me,  and  bowing  said,  •*  SaY  wishes 
you  good  health."  I  returned  the  bow,  saying, 
"  I.wish  good  health  to  the  king,  and  hope  he  will  / 
never  want  any  of  my  medicines/'  When  this 
was  explained  to  him,  he  held  out  his  glas9^  and 
we  touched  and  drank. 


410  ASHANTSE. 

In  the  evening  I  was  desired  to  visit  the  king's 
sister,  and  told  that  I  must  dress^  and  put  on  my 
hat  and  sword,  as  the  lady  had  a  stool  and  re- 
tinue of  her  own,  being  governess  of  a  laige  town. 
I  found  her  in  one  of  the  apartments  of  her  house ; 
but  it  was  past  niy  skill  to  discover  any  real  com- 
plaint. I  thought  it  requiste,  however,  to  give  her 
a  medicine,  which  she  shared  with  her  husband. 

The  king  went  to  Berraman^  a  town  about 
£ve  miles  to  tbe  north-east  of  Coomassie,  and  the 
chief  linguist  told  me  that  he  had  orders  to  fur- 
nish me  with  some  of  tbe  king's  hammock  men, 
if  I  chose  to  visit  him.    My  choice  could  n^t  be 
.doubted  ;  and  crossing  the  marsh,  which  was  here 
150  yards  broad^  and  two  feet  deep»  we  proceeded 
along  the  path  leading  to  Sallagha,  the  capital  of 
Znta.  The  path  was  wide,  and  so  straight  that  vistas, 
varied  by  gentle  risings,  appeared  before  us.    The 
country  was  beautiful,  and  we  passed  through 
seven  neat  villages,  environed  with  extensive  plan- 
tations.   The  king  received  me  in  the  market- 
place, and  after  some  conversation,  we  walked  in 
the  town,  and  conversed  with  the  Moors,  who  were 
Inclining,  or  playing  at  draughts  under  tbe  trees. 
At  two  o'clock  dinner  was  announced,  and  I  was 
conducted  through  a  door  of  green  reeds  into  the 
king^s  garden,  an  area  equal  to  one  of  the  large 
8(iuares  in  London.     In  the  centre,  under  four 
large  umbrellas  of  scarlet  cloth,  was  placed  the 
dining  table.     His  massive  plate  was  well  dis- 
posed, silver  knives,  forks,  and  spoons,  were  laid, 
and  a  large  silver  waiter  in, the  middle  supported 
a  roasting  pig.    Other  dishes  were  stews,  roasted 
duck^,  fowls,  peas-pudding,  &c.    On  the  ground, 
on  one  side,  were  placed  K^arious  soups  and  vege- 


BERRAMANG.  411 

tables;  on  the  other,  oranges,  pines,  and  other 
fruits,  sugar  candy.  Port,  Madeira,  spirits,  Dutch 
cordials,  and  glasses.  Before  I  sat  down,  the 
king  said  that^  as  I  had  come  out  to  see  him,  I 
must  receive  a  present  from  his  hands :  he  then 
gave  me  two  ounces,  four  ackies  pf  gold  (value  9/0 
and  made  presents  to  my  attendants. 

I  never  saw  a  dinner  more  handsomely,  served, 
nor  ever  ate  a  better ;  and  on  my  expressing  this 
to  the  king,  who  sat  at  a  distance,  and  visited  me 
occasionally,  he  sent  for  his  cooks,  and  gave  them 
ten  ackies  of  gold.  After  I  retired,  my  attendants 
were  called  in,  and  took  their  places 'at  the  table ; 
and  what  remained  was.given  to  them,  even  to  the 
table-cloth  and  napkins.  I  took  leave  about  five 
o'clock ;  the  king  accompanying  me  to  the  end  of 
the  town,  shaking  hands  with  me,  and  wishing  me 
good  night  at  parting.  I  reached  Coomassie  at 
six,  much  pleased  with  this  royal  banquet. 

There  are  four  great .  men  who  compose  the 
privy  council,  and  check  the  power  of  the  king. 
They  decide  upon  the  great  question  of  peace  or 
war,  even  in  opposition  to  him  :  the  domestic  ad- 
ministration they  influence  by  their  opinion,  but  do 
not  controul  by  authority.  The  king  expressed  a 
wish  to  visit  me,  because  I  told  him  so  many 
things  that  black  men  had  never  heard  of;  but 
he  added  that  his  great  men  prevented  it,  by  say- 
ing that  it  did  not  become  him,  as  a  gre|t  king,  to 
visit  me;  he  should  only* send  his  compliments 
and  see  me,  and  when  he  sent  for  me,  make  me 
wait  a  long  time  before  I  was  admitted. 

I  have  already  remarked  the  general  propensity 
of  men  to  set  up  one  of  their  fellow  men  as  an 
object  of  adoration ;  but  another  remark  follows. 


412  ASHANTEE. 

Idols  are  approached  through  their  priests,  who 
are  the  depositories  of  the  offerings,  and  the  real 
possessors  of  authority ;  so  the  ministers  of  royalty 
s^ropriate  the  power  and  the  emoluments  to 
themselves,  and  leave  the  idol  only  outward  splen- 
dour and  empty  homage. 

Sai  is  the  family  name  of  the  kings  of  Ashantee. 
The  monarchy  is  said  to  have  been  founded  to- 
wards the  end  of  the  seventeeth  century,  by  Sal 
Tootoo.  He  did  not  live  to  see  all  the  streets  of 
Coomassie  completed  j  for  war  being  declared 
against  the  Atoas,  a  people  between  Akim  and 
Assin,  he  was  shot  in  his  hammock,  as  he  was 
passing  leisurely  through  the  forest,  with  a  guard 
of  a  few  hundred  men.  This  happened  on  a  Sa-^ 
turday,  and  no  enterprize  has  since  commenced 
on  that  day  of  the  week. 

In  1720  Sai  Apokoo,  brother  of  Sal  Tootoo,  was- 
placed  on  the  regal  stool.  Had  there  been  no* 
brother,  a  sister's  son  would  have  been  the  suc- 
cessor. This  rule  originates  in  a  laudable  desire 
to  preserve  some  of  the  royal  blood.  If  the  king's 
wife  were  unfaithful,  this  precious  fluid  would  be 
lost  J  the  sister  conveys  it  to  her  oflspring.  Sa'f 
Apokoo  -finished  the  building  of  Coomassie,  ex- 
changed compliments  with  the  king  of  Dahomy, 
and  subdued  many  of  the  nations  around  him. 

In  1741  Sai  Aquissi  succeeded  his  brother,  Sai 
Apokoo.  ^he  king  of  Akim  desiring  to  go  to 
war  with  one  of  his  neighbours,  was  obliged  to  ask 
pemiission  of  the  king  of  Ashantee,  and  to  pro- 
mise him  half  the  spoil.  It  happened  that  the 
spoil  was  trifling,  and  he  did  not  send  it  j  but  he 
soon  heard  of  Aquissi's  intention  to  demand  his 
head,  and  summoning  his  ministers,  he  tolci  them 


KINGS  OF   ASH^KTEE.  4lS 

he  desired  to  sacrifice  his  life  for  the  quiet  of  his 
people.  His  ministers  insisted  upon  sharing  his 
fete  ;  a  barrel  of  powder  was  brought  for  each  to 
sit  upon  ;  and^  after  drinking  a  quantity  of  rum, 
they  lighted  the  powder  with  the  fire  from  their 
pipes,  and  were  blown  to  atoms. 

In  1753  Sai  Cudjoy  (Monday^  from  the  day  of 

the  week  on  which  he  was  born)  succeeded  Sai 

;  Aquissi.  He  subjected  some  countries,  put  an  end  to 

revolts  in  others,  and  was  esteemed  a  great  captain. 

In  1785  Sat  Quamina  (Saturday)  succeeded  Sal 
Cudjo.  The  Akims  revolted  soon  after,  and  the 
Asfaantee  general  Quatchie  Quofie,  one  of  the  four 
great  men,  by  the  treachery  of  his  followers,  ob- 
tained the  head  of  their  leader.  He  was  so  vain 
of  this  atchievement,  that  he  had  a  figure  of  him 
made,  with  which  he  crowned  his  umbrella,  and 
before  which  he  danced  and  boasted  on  all  public 
'occasions.  These  brave  people  have  shaken  oS 
their  dependance  at  least  eight  times« 

One  of  the  kings  of  Akim  tyrannized  so  cruelly, 
that,  at  the  end  of  six  months,  he  was  com;nanded 
by  his  people  to  kill  himself.  He  could  only  ob- 
tain the  respite  of  a  week,  which  he  passed  in 
singing,  thus  celebrating  his  own  custom. 

Sa'i  Quamina  invaded  Banda,  and  the  king, 
finding  his  situation  hopeless,  determined  to  kill 
himself:  but,  that  his  head  might  not  be  converted 
into  a  trophy  for  his  enemies^  he  ordered  it  to  be 
cut  off  after  his  deatb,  and  sewed  in  the  abdomen 
of  a  woman,  who  was  to  be  sacrificed  for  that  pur- 
pose, and  then  buried  in  a  heap  of  the  slain.  The 
order  was  executed;  the  secret  was  betrayed^ 
and  the  king  of  Banda's  skull  was  now  at  Coo- 


414  ASHAKTEE. 

massie,  and  formed  one  of  the  ornaments  of  a 
great  drum. 

In  179s  Sal  Quamina  had  remained  twelve 
months  on  a  visit  at  Dwabin,  deaf  to  the  remon- 
strances of  his  people^  and  infatuated  by  the  arts 
of  his  mistress,  who  was  daughter  to  the  king ; 
when  it  was  announced  to  him  that  if  he  were  not 
present  at  the  ensuing  Yam  Custom,  he  would  be 
deprived  of  the  stool.  The  warning  was  neglected, 
and  the  threat  was  put  in  execution.  Sal  Qua- 
mina was  desired  to  retire  to  the  bush  with  a  few 
of  his  women  and  slaves,  and  build  a  village  for 
himself  and  them.  He  did  not  long  survive  his  dis-^ 
grace,  and  the  black  Cleopatra  died  soon  after 
her  Antony.  It  is  accounted  despicable  to  survive 
disgrace. 

In  1799  Sal  Tootoo  Quamina,  the  present  king, 
succeeded  his  brother,  Sal  Apokoo.  When  I  was 
atCoomassie,  Sat  Tootoo  Quamina  had  sent  to 
demand  the  royal  stool  of  .Buhtooko,  the  capital 
of  Gaman,  which  was  thickly  plated  and  embossed 
with  gold.  In  the  absence  of  the  king's  sister, 
who  was  the  soul  of  the  government,  it  was  given 
up.  On  her  return,  she  reproached  her  brother 
with  cowardice,  and  ordered  a  stool  of  solid  gold 
to  be  made  in  its  place.  This  was  also  demanded. 
A  man's  seat,  or  stool,  is  in  these  countries  his 
title  to  his  possessions,  whatever  be  his  rank ;  and, 
when  not  disturbed,  it  descends  with  them  to  his 
posterity.  The  sister  returned  for  answer  that  she 
was  more  fit  to  be  a  king  than  her  brother,  and  that 
she  would  fight  to  the  last  rather  than  part  with 
the  stool.  The  king  of  Ashantee  sent  word,  that 
she  was  a  strong  woman,  and  proper  for  a  king's 


KINGS  or  ASHANTSE..  4U 

sister,  and  be  wauld  allow  her  twelve  months  to 
prepare  for  war.  Sal  Tootoo  was  now  preparing 
also ;  though  he  seemed  inclined  to  peace :  but 
his  four  great  men  said  that  bis  other  tributaries 
would  laugh  at  him,  if  he  did  not  get  the  king  of 
Gaman's  head. 

Though  the  Asbantees  were  the  most  polished 
nation  of  negroes  I  had  met  with  in  Western  Africa^ 
their  prodigaUty  of  hiHnaa  blood  at  funerals  and 
festivals  was  such  as  to  make  my  friend,  the  king 
of  Dahoi^y^  appear  a  niggard.  Apokoo,  one  of 
the  four  great  men>  being  informed  that  his  mo- 
ther's sister  was  dead,  killed  a  slave,  in  honour  of 
her,  before  his  own  house,  and  then  proceeded  to 
her's,  to  sacrifice  others,  as  custom  demanded ;  but 
on  opening  her  boxes,  he  found-  them  nearly 
empty,  and  he  was  informed  that  the  old  lady  had 
thrown  most  of' her  rock  gold  into  the  river,  to 
prevent  its  coming  into  his  possession,  he  there- 
fore revenged  himself  by  sacrificing  only  one  more 
victim. 

One  of  the  king's  uncles  begged  permission  to 
go  and  make  custom  for  some  relations  he  had  lost: 
in  the  last  Fantee  war,  whose  qpirits,  he  feared, 
were  beginning  to  trouble  him.  The  king  gave 
him  four  ounces  of  gold,  two  ankers  of  rum,  one 
barrel  of  powder,  and  four  human  victims,  towards 
the  celebration  of  this  custom* 

One  of  the  king's  sons,  a  boy  about  ten  years  of 
age,  shot  himself.  His  motlier  had  been  criminal 
with  a  slave,  and  had  been  put  to  death,  and  the 
boy  was  banished  the  presence  of  the  king.  This 
morning  he  had  stolen  into  the  palace  for  the  first 
time,  and  the  king  had  desired  he,  might  be  re* 
moved,  observing  that  he  had,  doubtless^  as  bad  a 


4l6  A9HANT££. 

head  towards  him  as  hfs  mother.  The  boy  replied, 
that  if  he  might  not  be  allowed  to  come  and  look 
af  his  father,  he  had  better  die ;  and  in  half  an 
hour  he  destroyed  himself  by  directing  a  blunder- 
buss into  his  mouth,  and  discharging  it  with  his 
foot.  The  funeral  custom  was  celebrated  in  the 
afternoon  with  dancing,  singing,  revelry,  arid 
firing  of  muskets,  and  two  men  and  a  girl  were 
sacrificed.  The  ^unks  and  heads  were  left  in  th^ 
market-place  till  night. 

'  The  decease  of  a  person  of  consequence  is  an- 
nounced by  a  discharge  of  musketry;  and^in  an 
instant  slaves  are  seen  bursting  out  of  the  house, 
and  running  towards  the  bush,  in  order  to  escape, 
if  possible,  the  being  sacrificed.  The  body  is 
handsomely  drest  in  silk  and  gold,  and  laid  on  the 
bed,  with  the  richest  cloths  beside  it.  On,e  or  two 
slaves  are  then  sacrificed  at  the  door  of  the  bouse. 

At  the  death  of  the  mothe^  of  QuatcHie  Ouofie* 
one  of  the  four  great  men,  the  king,  Quatchie 
Quofie,  and  Odumata,  another  of  the  great  men, 
each  sacrificed  a  young  girl  the  moment  the  lady 
breathed  her  last,  that  she  might  not  be  without 
attendants  in  the  other  world,  till  a  proper  num- 
ber could  be  dispatched  to  her.  The  king,  and 
the  adherents  and  retainers  of  the  family,  sent 
contributions  of  gold,  gunpowder,  rum,  and  cloth, 
for  the  custom.  This  custom  was  an  economical 
one }  yet  the  quantity  of  poVder  ?imounted  to 
nearly  twelve  barrels. 

1  set  out  to  be  a  spectator  of  the  ceremony,  and 
passed  two  headless  bodies,  scarcely  cold,  with 
vultures  hovering  over  them.  Several  troops  of 
women,  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  in  each,  were 
dancing  along,  in  a  motion  resembling  skaiting. 


FUNERAL  CUSTOMS.  417 

pnkmg^  and  bewailing  the  deceased.  Other 
troops  carried  on  their  heads  bright  brass  psns^ 
with  the  rich  cloths  and  silks  of  the  deceased, 
twisted  and  stuffed  into  cones,  crosses,  globes,  and 
other  forms.  The  faces,  arms,  and  breasts  of 
these  women  were  daubed  with  red  eailh,  to  look 
tike  blood.  Now  and  then  a  bleeding  victim  was 
horried  by  ;  the  exulting  countenances  of  his  per- 
secutors forming  a  striking  contrast  with  the 
apathy  of  his  own.  Quatchie  Quofie  passed  me, 
plunging  from  side  to  side  like  a  Bacchanal,  and 
regarding  the  victims  with  a  savage  eye,  bordering 
upon  frenzy,  while  they  looked  at  him  with  in- 
difference. 

•  I  followed  to  the  market-place  of  Assafoo,  one 
of  the  suburbs  of  Coomassie,  where  the  king  and 
the  chiefs,  in  their  usual  splendour,  and  attended 
by  their  various  retinues,  were  seated  :  a  semicir- 
Qplar  ajrea  of  half  a  mile  was  lefl  open.  Thirteen 
victims,  surrounded  by  their  executioners,  stood 
near  the  king  ;  rum  and  palm  wine  were  flowing 
copiously ;  horns  and  drums  were  sounding  their 
loudest  notes ;  when,  in  an  instant,  there  was  a 
burst  of  musketry  near  the  king,  which  spread 
round  the  circle,  and  continued,  without  ceasing, 
for  an  hour.  The  greater  the  chief,  the  greater 
the  charge  of  powder  he  is  allowed  to  fire.  On 
the  death  of  his  sister,  the  king  tired  an  ounce. 

The  firing  over,  and  the  libations  of  palm  wine- 
that  followed^  the  ladies  of  Quatchie's  family  came 
forward  to  dance*  Many  of  them'  were  elegant 
figures,  and  very  handsome  j  most  of  them  were 
clad  in  yellow  silk,  and  had  a  silver  knife  hanging 
from  a  chain  round  the  neck.  A  few  were  dressed 

VOL.  n.  BE 


.4lS  ASKAOTEt. 

;||n(«jitica]ly  as  fetish  women.  The  Al^fitee9 
4^^Q^  elegantly*  a  man  and  a  woman  tog^\J^^ 
^^n^^the  figure  and  movements  of  the  danc^  ap- 
proximate closely  to  the  waltz. 
v.rl;  MW  the  first  victim  sacrificed.  His  right 
h^Tid  was  lopped  off,  and  his  head  was  sev^^d 
from  his  body.  The  twelve  other  victims  v^e 
d}rAgged  forward  ^  but  the  funeral  customs  of  the 
j^shantees  were  not  to  my  taste,  and  I  made  my 
^ay  through  the  crowd,  and  retired  to  my  quartera. 
Other  sacrifices,  principally  of  females,  were  made 
in  the  bush,  where  the  body  was  buried. 
.  It  is  usual  to  **  wet  the  grave"  with  the  blood  of 
a  free  man.  The  heads  of  the  victims  being  placed 
at  the  bottom  of  the  grave,  several  of  the  unsus- 
pecting lookers  on  are  called  upon,  in  haste,  by  the 
retainers  of  the  family  to  assist  in  placing  the 
coffin,  or  basket ;  and  just  as  it  rests  upon  the 
heads,  a  slave  from  behind  stuns  one  of  these  as- 
sistants with  a  violent  blow,  which  is  followed  by 
a  deep  cut  in  the  back  of  the  neck.  The  unfor- 
tunate man  is  then  rolled  into  the  grave,  and  it  is 
immediately  filled  up. 

Blood  and  gunpowder  are  lavished  at  a  funeral 
in  proportion  to  the  T^/ik  of  the  deceased,  and  the 
estimation  in  which  he  is  held.  On  the  death  of 
a  king,  every  funeral  custom  that  has  been  made 
during  his  reign  must  be  repeated,  human  sacHr 
.ficea  included,  to  add  to  the  solemnity  of  his  own. 
^  The  brothers,  sons,  and  nephewi  of  the  king, 
affegting  a  temporary  insanity,  rush  forth  with 
their  muskets,  and  fire  promiscuously  among  the 
p^ple.  Few  persons  of  rank  quit  their  houses 
during  ^be  first  two  or  t^ree  days ;  but  they  drive. 


rUNERAl.  CUSTOMS.  4 If) 

oot  tbiir  slaves  and'  vassals,  as  a  compd&it^  for 
their  own  absence.  The  king's  favouPite  %tei¥^ 
to  the  number  of  a  hundred  or  more,  andmai^'df 
his  women,  are  murdered  on  his  tomb.  .  xo; . 
•  I  was  assiired  that  the  custom  for  SaT  Qaamina, 
the  late  king,  was  celebrated  weekly' for  three 
ittonths,  and  that  two  hundred  slaves  were  sadri- 
flced,  and  twenty-five  barrels  of  powder  'fired, 
each  time.  But  the  custom  for  the  present  kiifig^s 
mother,  who  was  regent  during  his  absence  v^Ie 
in  the  Fantee  war,  was  the  most  celebrated.  The 
king  himself  devoted  3,000  victims,  upwards  of 
2,000  of  whom  were  Fantee  prisoners;  fiveof  the 
principal  towns  contributed  one  hundred  slaves, 
and  twenty  barrels  of  powder,  each  ;  and  most  of 
the  smaller  towns  ten,  and  two  barrels  of  powder. 

The  kings,  and  the  kings  only,  are  buried  in 
the  cemetery  at  Bantama,  a  village  in  the  vicinity 
of  the  capital  j  and  their  bones  are  afterwards  de-  , 
posited  in  an  opposite  building.  To  this  is  at- 
tached* a  large  brass  pan,  five  feet  in  diameter, 
which  receives  the  blood  of  the  human  vitftims, 
who  are  frequently  sacrificed  to  "  water  the  graves 
of  the  kings.'*  This  blood,  mingled  with  a  variety 
of  animal  and  vegetable  matter,  fresh  and  putrid, 
produces  invincible  fetish.' 

On  occasion  of  the  contemplated  war  with  the 
king  of  Gaman,  SaT  Tootoo,  to  propitiate  the  fe- 
tish, watered  the  bones  of  his  mother  and  sister 
With  blood.  Their  bones  were  taken  from  their 
coffins,  bathed  in  rum  and  water,  wiped  with  silk, 
rolled  in  gold  dust^  and  ornamented  with  rock  gold 
and  aggry.  During  two  nights,  every  person  who 
could  be  found  In  the  street  was  dragged  to  the 

E  E  2 


420  ASHAKTEE. 

palace,  and  immolated  to  these  royal  bones ;  the 
ivory  horns  of  the  king  sounding,  as  is  customary 
at  an  execution  or  public  Sacrifice,  **  wow,  wow, 
wow!  death,  death,  death!"  and  the  bands,  as 
each  head  was  cut  off,  playing  a  particular  strain. 
The  bones,  thus  honoured,  were  deemed  worthy 
of  a  place  among  bones  that  had  once  pressed  the 
throne,  and  were  accordingly  interred  with  those 
of  the  kings. 

The  bodies  of  chiefs  who  die  at  a  distance  from 
the  capital  are  smoked  over  a  slow  fire,  and  kept 
till  they  can  be  conveyed  thither  for  interment. 
Those  persons  who,  from  crimes,  or  other  circum- 
stances, are  deprived  of  the  funeral  custom,  are 
said  to  be  doomed  to  wander  in  the  bush,  and  oc- 
casionally t6  haunt  such  of  their  family  as  have 
neglected  to  pay  them  this  regard.  The  dead 
bodies  of  slaves  demand  no  respect  The  trunks 
jof  those  that  are  sacrificed  are  carried  to  a  small, 
grove  called  the  Spirit-house,  at  the  back  of  the 
large  market-place.  The  bloody  tracks,  daily  re- 
newed, marked  the  various  quarters  from  whence 
they  had  been  dragged  ;  and  the  multitude  of  vul- 
tures on  the  trees,  and  the  nightly  visits  of  the 
panthers,  did  not  prevent  the  stench  from  being 
insupportable. 

The  last  of  the  Ashantee  customs  I  shall  men- 
tion is  the  yam  custom,  which  takes  place  annually 
before  that  root  is. allowed  to  be  eaten.  The  yam 
is  a  root  abtjut  two  spans  long,  and  the  saffie  in 
circumference.  It  is  white  within,  and  when 
rqiastad  or  boiled,  it  forms  a  principal  part  of  the 
food  of  the  negroes.  The  taste  is  something  like 
that  of  our  earlb-nuts,  but  not  quite  so  sweety  the 
subbtanee  is  more  dry  and  firm.     The  yam  shoots 


FUNERAL    CUSTOMS.  42J 

out  a  long  green  leaf  with  small  prickles,  and  is 
propagated  by  planting  the  root.  It  is  said  thc^t 
before  the  arrival  of  the  Portuguese,  who  intro- 
duced the  millet,  the  natives  subsisted  chiefly  on 
yams  and  potatoes. 

At  the  yam  custom,  all  the  tributaries,  and  ca- 
boceers,  or  governors  of  towns,  repair  toCoomassie.; 
and  as  no  festival  can  be  solemnized  without 
blood,  each  of  the  principal  of  them  sacrifices  a 
slave  at  his  entrance  into  the  town.  Neither  theft 
nor  assault  is  punishable  during  the  yam  custom, ' 
and  all  the  barriers  of  continence  are  broken 
down. 

The  assemblage  in  the  market-place  was  such  as 
on  my  first  arrival,  but  with  many  additions.  The 
skulls  of  all  the  kings  and  governors  who  had  been 
conquered  from  the  first  foundation  of  the  mo- 
narchy, and  of  the  chiefs  who  had  been  slain*  for 
revolting,  were  displayed  by  two  bands  of  execu- 
tioners, each  upwards  of  a  hundred,  with  dances, 
grimaces,  and  frightful  gestures,  and  clashing 
their  knives  against  the  skulls.  Sprigs  of  thyme 
were  placed  where  eyes  and  ears  had  been,  to  pre- 
vent the  spirits  from  troubling  the  king. 

The  next  day  a  large  quantity  of  rum  was 
•poured,  by  the  king's  order,  into  brass  pans  in 
different  parts  of  the  town  ;  and  the  crowd  pressed 
around,  and  drank  like  hogs.  Freemen  and  slaves, 
women  and  children,  striking,  kicking,  and  tram- 
pling upon  each  other,  pushed,  head  foremost  into 
the  pans,  and  wasted  more  than  they  drank.  In 
less  than  an  hour,  excepting  the  principal  meal, 
not  a  sober  person  was  to  be  seen,  Parties  of  noen 
were  reeling  and  rolling  under  the  weight  of  one 
"  whpm  they  were  affecting  to  garry  home :  strings 


i€f  ASHANTEE. 

of  women,  hand  in  band,  were  falling  down  like 
tows  of  cards  :  children  were  lying  prostrate  in  a 
stite  of  insensibih'ty.  All  wore  their  best  clothes, 
which  they  trailed  after  them  in  a  drunken  emula- 
tion of  dirtiness.  Toward$  evening  the  populace 
became  sober,  and  a  grand  procession  closed  the 
festival. 

About  a  hundred  persons,  mostly  culprits,  are 
sacrificed  to  adorn  the  yam  custom.  The  royal 
ornaments  of  gold  are  melted  down  every  year^ 
and  assume  new  forms  and  patterns  for  the  yam 
custom ;  and  when,  it  is  ended,  the  royal  house*- 
liold  publicly  eat  new  yam  in  the  market-place- 
It  is  not  without  reason  that  this  custom  was  in- 
stituted ;  for  yams  are  generally  forbidden  to  be 
eaten  till  they  are  at  full  growth,  being,  before 
that  time,  unwholesome,  if  not  dangerous. 

The  day  after  the  yam  custom  the  king  of 
Ashantee  and  his  captains  perform  their  annual 
ablutions  in  the  river  Dah  at  Sarrasoo ;  and  the 
succeeding  day  he  washes  in  the  marsh,  at  the 
south-east  end  of  the  town.  He  throws  the  water 
with  hi^  own  hand  over  his  person,  his  chairs, 
stools,  gold  and  silver  plate,  and  the  various  arti- 
cles of  furniture  used  particularly  by  himself;  and 
about  twenty  sheep  are  dipped,  that  their  blood 
may  be  hallowed  to  pour  upon  the  stools  and  door- 
posts  of  the  palace.  The  doors  and  windows  are 
besmeared  with  a  mixture  of  eggs  and  palm  oil. 

The  king  rarely  takes  an  oath ;  when  he  does, 
it  is  in  the  presence  of  his  women.  I  saw  him 
swear  that  he  would  keep  the  peace  with  the  Fan- 
tees.  He  was  in  the  innermost  square  of  his  pa- 
lace, in  which  were  seated  about  three  hundred 
females,  dressed  in  all  the  magnificence  that  silk 


MANNERS  AND   CUSTOMS.  483^ 

ud  gold  could  bestow.  The  deputies  of  the^ga- 
yeraors  and  captains  having  sworn,  theking^wore 
deliberately,  invoking  God  and  his  fetish  to  IgUl 
him,  first,  if  he  did  not  keep  the  treaty,  if  the  other 
party  had  spoken  true^  and  secondly,  if  he. did 
not  punish  them,  if  they  had  spoken  false. 


CHAPTER    XXVL 

PEOPLE   AND    MANNERS   OF    ASHANTEE. 

x\SHANT£E  is  supposed  to  contain  about  a 
million  of  inhabitants,  200,000  of  whom  are  able 
to  bear  arms.  The  men  are  well  made,  and  their 
countenances  are  often  European.  It  is  only 
among  the  higher  orders  of  women,  who  are  ex- 
empt from  labour,  that  beauty  can  be  found. 
Among  these  I  have  not  only  seen  the  iiqest  figures 
imaginable,  but  regular  Grecian  features. 

Both  men  and  women  are  particularly  clean  in 
their  persons ;  the  latter  washing  themselves,  apd 
the  former  being  washed  *by  them,  from  head  to 
foot,  every  morning,  with  warm  water  and  Portji- 
guese  soup,  and  using  afterwards  vegetable  but- 
ter. Occasionally  small  delicate  patterns,  in  gv^n 
or  white  paint,  are  traced  on  their  cheeks  aqd 
temples.  The  lower  ranks  of  people  are  com- 
monly dirty.  The  heads  of  young  women  are 
shaved  in  patterns  as  intricate  in  appearance  jmt 
those  of  a  rich  carpet.  Upper  cloths  are  gmfh 
rally  worn. 

Coomassie  is  built  on  the  side  of  a  large  qocky 


4S4  ASH^NTEE. 

hill,  surrounded  by  a  marsh,  the  springs^of  which 
supply  the  city  with  water,  and  beyond  this  it  is 
encircled  by  a  beautiful  forest  It  occupies  an 
obloDg  nearly  four  iniles  in  circumfe/ence,  with- 
out including  the.  suburbs  of  Assafoo  and  Bantar 
ma.  Four  of  the  principal  streets. ar^  half  a  mile 
in  length,  and  from  fifty  to  a  hundred  yards  in 
width.  I  observed  a  new  one  laid  out,  and  a  line 
was  stretched  on  each  side  to  make  it.  regular. 
The  streets  were  all  named,  and  a  captain  presided 
over  each.  The  palace  was  situated  in  a  long  and 
wide  street,  running  through  the  middle  of  the 
town,  from  which  it  was  shut  out  by  a  wall. '  I 
reckoned  twenty -seven  streets.  Several  trees 
were  scattered  about  the  town  for  the  recreation 
of  the  inhabitants. 

Fpur  other  large  towns,  that  is  to  say,  Soota, 
Marmpon,  Becqua,  and  Kokofoo„  were  built  at 
the  same  time  with  Coomassie ;  the  governors  of 
these  are  allowed,  like  the  king,  to  wear  their 
sandals  studded  with  gold* 

The  houses  of  Coomassie  are  shaped  like  an 
English  barn,  and  join  each  other  so  as  to  form  a 
regular  street.  The  walls  are  constructed  with  two 
rows  of  stakes,  the  space  between  is  filled  with  a 
gravelly  clay,  and  the  whole  plastered  on  the  out- 
side with  the  aame  material.  The  roof  is  com- 
posed of  a  fraine-work  of  bamboo  thatched  with 
palm  leaves,  and  the  interlacing  bamboos  that  ap- 
pear within  are  painted  black  and  polished.  The 
floors  are  of  clay  and  stone,  and  are  daily  washed 
with  an  infusion  of  red  ochre.  The  fronts  of  the 
bouses  are  ornamented  with  cane,  laid  in  various 
patterns  on  the  walls,  while  soft,  and  covered  with 
ar  tbin  coating  of  plaster.    Arcades  and  piazzas 


HOUSES   OF   COOMASSIE.  425 

are  common,  and  the  houses  of  the  captains  have 
a  gallery  on  the  outside. 

The  doors  are  made  of  an  entire  piece  of  wood, 
cut,  with  great  labour,  out  of  the  cotton  tree;  and 
strips  of  wood,  differently  cut  and  painted,  are  af- 
terwards nailed  across.  The  locks  are  from 
Houssa,  and  quite  original.  The  windows  are  of 
open  wood  work,  carved  in  fanciful  and  intricate 
patterns,  and  painted  red.  The  frames  are  fre- 
quently cased  with  gold.  When  the  house  is  two 
stories  high,  the  under  room  is  divided  by  a  wall, 
to  support  the  rafters  for  the  upper.  A  house 
consists-  of  an  indefinite  number  of  areas,  from  fif- 
teen to  thirty-six  feet  square,  built  on  the  four 
sides  and  connected  by  long  courts.  The  rubbish 
and  ofial  of  each  house  is  burnt  every  morning  at 
the  back  of  the  street,  and  the  people  are  as 
cleanly  in  their  dwellings  as  their  persons. 

The  piazza  which  runs  along  the  interior  of  the 
wall  that  shuts  out  the  king's  palace  from  the 
street,  is  two  hundred  yards  long,  and  inhabited  by  * 
his  captains  and  other  attendants.  Piles  of  skulls, 
and  drums  ornamented  with  skulls,  are  frequent  in 
this  piazza :  over  it  runs  a  small  gallery. 

With  all  their  tremendous  exhibition  of  blood 
and  bones,  I  am  not  certain  that  the  Ashantees 
are  a  revengeful  or  a  sanguinary  people.  The 
display  of  skulls  proceeds,  not  from  cruelty,  but 
from  the  pride  of  conquest :  and  the  streams  of 
blood  flow  from  good,  though  dreadfully  mistaken 
motives ;  the  propitiating  a  divinity,  and  the  ho- 
nouring departed  friends. 

I  saw  the  bed-room  of  Odumata,  which  uras 
only  eight  feet  square,  but,  being  hung  round 
with  a  variety  of  gold  and  silver  ornaments^  it  had 


4S6  A8HANTEE. 

a  rich  appearance.  The  bed  was  about  five  feet 
bigb,  and  composed  of  pillows  of  the  silk  cotton, 
piled  one  upon  another^  I  was  assured  that  the 
king  of  Gaman  had  steps  of  solid  gold  to  ascend 
to  his  bed. 

Perhaps  the  average  residents  of  Coomassie  may 
not  amount  to  more  than  from  twelve  to  fifteen 
thousand;  but  the  Ashantees  persist  in  saying 
that  the  population,  if  collected,  would  be  a  hun- 
dred thousand ;  many  families  having  slaves^  and 
others^  children,  residing  in  the  villages  and  plan- 
tations near  the  city,  employed  in  cultivating  the 
ground. 

The  markets  are  held  daily,  from  about  eight 
o'clock  in  the  morning  till  sun-set.  Among  the 
articles  exposed  for  sale  were  beef  and  mutton, 
cut  in  small  pieces  for  soup ;  wild  hog's,  deer's, 
and  monkey's  flesh ;  salt  and  dried  fish  fi*om  the 
toast;  yams,  plantains,  corn,  sugar-cane,  rice, 
encruma,  a  mucilaginous  vegetable,  something 
like  asparagus,  but  richer;  peppers,  vegetable 
butter,  orangesi  papaws,  pine-apples,  bananas; 
large  snails,  smoke-dried  and  stuck  on  small 
sticks  like  herring-bone;  eggs  for  fetfsh;  pitto^ 
palm  wine,  rum ;  pipes,  beads,  looking-glasses, 
sandals,  silk  aad  cotton  cloths,  white  and  blue 
cottcm  thread,  small  pillows,  calabashes,  and 
gunpowde  . 

The  currency  of  Ashantee  is  gold  dust :  eight 
takoos  make  an  ackie;  sixteen  ackies  make  an 
ounce,  and  forty  a  pereguin*  The  ounce  is  va'* 
lued  at  ^.4  sterling. 

The  better  sort  of  people  eat  soup  of  beef,  mut- 
ton, fowls,  or  dried  fish,  abstaining  from  the  one 
of  these  that  is  sacred  to  tiieir  fetish,  and  ground- 


tiuU  strewed  in  blood;  the  poorer  class  make 
their  soup  of  dried  deer,  monkey's  flesh,  and  fre- 
quently of  the  pelts  of  skins.  Yams,  plantains^ 
and  foofoos,  are  commonly  eaten.  Corn  is  roasti^d 
on  the  stalk.  Eggs  are  forbidden  by  the.  fetish; 
mid  the  Ashantees  dannot  V)e  persuaded  to  taste 
milk.  They  drink  palm  wine,  and  pitto,  which 
is  made  from  dried  com,  and  tastes  like  brisk 
small  ale. 

The  king  has  3,333  wives,  a  mystical  number, 
which  is  never  exceeded,  and  which  is  made  up  oa 
every  vacancy;  but  out  of  this  number  he  pre-* 
sents  wives  to  such  of  his  subjects  as  have  distin- 
guished themselves.  About  six  of  these  ladies  re- 
iside  in  the  palace ;  many  of  them  occupy  a  part 
of  the  king's  country  residence ;  many  live  in  a 
comer  of  the  marsh,  and  others  in  two  streets  ap- 
propriated exclusively  to  themselves.  No  person 
approaches  them  but  their  female  relations,  and 
the  king's  messengers ;  and  when  they  walk  out, 
which  is  seldom,  they  are  preceded  and  surrounded 
by  little  boys  with  whips,  who  lash  every  one  that 
does  not  quit  the  path,  or  jump  into  the  bush, 
with  his  hands  before  his  eyes. 

The  sisters  of  the  king  may  marry,  or  intrigue, 
with  whom  they  please,  if  the  man  be  handsome 
and  robust ;  the  Ashantees  thus  providing  for  the 
personal  superiority  of  their  future  king.  When 
the  king's  sister  dies,  unless  the  rank  of  her  htis- 
banjl  be  originally  elevated,  he  is  expected  to  kill. 
himself;  and  if  he  hesitate,  he  is  informed  thai 
he  is  the  slave  of  his  children,  and  must  attend 
them  wherever  they  go.  When  a  son  is  bom^  the 
father  acknowledges  himself  its  vassal. 

Wives  are  bought  with  gold,  and  their  infidelity 


4f2@  ASHANTEE. 

is  paid  for  by  the  seducer  in  the  same  manner. 
The  wife  is  pUt  to  death  by  her  husband  ;  but  if 
her  family  be  so  powerful  that  he  dares  not  de- 
stroy her,  he  cuts  off  her  nose,  and  makes  her  the 
wife  of  one  of  his  slaves.  It  is  forbidden  to 
praise  the  beauty  gf  another  man's  wife,  that  be- 
ing esteemed  adultery  by  implication.  None  but 
a  captain  can  sell  his  wife  ;  and  he  only  if  her  fa- 
mily canndt  redeem  her  by  repaying  the  price  they 
received  for  her. 

An  Ashantee  does  not  compel  his  daughter  to 
marry  the  man  who  bids' for  her ;  but  on  her  refu- 
sal to  do  so,  he  withdraws  his  support  and  protec- 
tion, and  would  persecute  her  mother  if  she  af- 
forded either.  *  Thus  abandoned,  the  unfortunate 
young  woman  becomes  a  prostitute. 

If  a  wife  report  to  her  family  her  dislike  to  hqr 
husband,  or  his  ill  treatment  of  her,  and  they 
tender  him,  in  consequence,  the  sum  he  paid,  he 
is  obliged  to  accept  it.  She  returns  to  her  family, 
but  may  not  marry  again. 

If  a  husband  be  not  heard  of  by  his  wife  during 
three  years,  she  may  marry  again  ;  and  if  the  first 
husband  return  afterwards,  he  has  no  claim  to  her. 

A  wife  who  betrays  a  secret  loses  her  upper  lip; 
and  one  found  listening  to  a  private  conversation 
of  her  husband  loses  one  of  her  ears.  Women  so 
mutilated  are  to  be  met  with  in  all  parts  of  the 
town. 

Far  from  me  be  the  wish  to  diminish  the  j^rivi- 
leges,  or  encroach  on  the  prerogatives  of  my  foir 
countrywomen,  and  farther  still  the  thought  of  de- 
forming their  lovely  faces  ;  but  I  humbly  conceive 
that  a  visible  mark  on  the  lip,  and  an  additional 
puncture  through  the  ear,  might  not  be  a«  impro- 


MANNERS   ANP   CUSTOMS.  429 

p^T  distinction  on  these  occasions,  even  in  tny  ovh 
pountry. 

In  conversation  at  the  house  of  one  of  the  great 
men^  I  mentioned  that  an  Englishman  T^as  not 
only  restricted  to  one  wife,  but  that  a  woman  had 
frequently  the  privilege  of  choosing  her  husband. 
The  ladies  drew  near,  and  rendered  me  trifling 
services ;  the  men  stopped  me,  said  they  did  not 
want  to  hear  that  palaver  aiiy  more,  began  to  talk 
of  war,  and  sent  the  women  to  their  own  apart^ 
ments. 

The  blood  of  the  royal  family  cannot  be  shed : 
when  any  are  guilty  of  a  capital  crime,  they  are 
drowned  by  a  particular  oflScer  in  the  river  Dah. 
The  kings  of  Ashantee  do  not  as  yet  secure  the 
pretenders  to  the  throne  by  murder,  mutilation,  or 
confinement* 

If  a  man  swear  on  the  king's  head  that  another 
man  must  kill  him,  the  oath  is  so  sacred  that  the 
other  must  kill  him.  This  frequently  occurs  ;  for 
an  Ashantee,  in  his  ardour  for  revenge,  does  not 
regard  sacrificing  his  own  life  to  bring  a  pala- 
ver upon  his  murderer.  The  interference  of  any 
one  of  the  great  men  may  be  purchased,  and  it  is 
irresistible  with  the  king  ;  but  it  is  sold  at  an  ex- 
travagant rate. 

The  king  is  heir  to  all  the  gold  dust  of  his  sub- 
jects ;  and  all  his  subjects  are  desirous  of  hoarding 
gold,  principally  that  they  may  be  prepared  for 
the  purchase  of  muskets  and  gunpowder  from  the 
European  settlements  on  the  coast,  in  case  of  a 
war.  They  also  purchase  with  eagerness  the  Por- 
tuguese tobacco,  of  which  the  DutcJh  governor  of 
Elmina  has  sometimes  sold  thera  forty  rolls  a  day, 
at  the  ijjpte  of  two  ounces  of  gold  the  roll.     At  the 


480  ASaAKTB£« 

death  of  one  of  the  officers,  five  jars,  said  to  hold 
four  gallons  each,  were  found  filled  with  gold 
dust ;  and  at  the  disgrace  of  another,  three. 

Apokoo  was  the  keeper  of  the  royal  treasury  j 
and  before  the  treasury  bag  could  be  unlocked  by 
the  weigher,  even  by  the  king's  order,  Apokoo 
must  give  his  sanction  by  striking  the  bag  with  his 
band. 

After  heavy  rains,  gold  washes  down  into  the  mar- 
ket-place, where  it  is  carefully  covered  with  soil  by 
the  captain  who  has  the  charge  of  the  place.  This 
remains  till  some  public  emergency,  when  the  soil 
is  washed  for  the  service  of  the  state.  It  had 
been  washed  only  twice  during  the  present  reign, 
and  had  produced  about  800  ounces  of  gold  each 
time.  It  is  death  to  pick  up  gold  in  the  market- 
place, though  a  man  may  accidentally  have  dropped 
it  himself. 

The  gold  buried  with  the  royal  family  at  Ban- 
taima  is  sacred,  and  cannot  be  used,  except  in  times 
of  extreme  national  distress  j  and  even  then  the 
king  must  not  see  it»  if  he  would  escape  the  fatal 
vengeance  of  the  fetish. 

Aggry  beads  are  said  to  be  found  in  the  coun- 
tries between  Ashantee  and  the  coast.  The  plain 
are  blue,  yellow,  green,  or  a  dull  red ;  the  varie- 
gated of  every  shade  and  colour ;  some  resembling 
mosaic  work,  others  exhibiting  flowers  and  pat- 
terns so  minute  and  delicate,  that  they  equal  the 
finest  touches  of  the  pencil.  They  are  frequently 
valued  at  double  their  weight  in  gold ;  but  this  is 
trifling  in  comparison  of  their  value  in  human 
life.  If  an  aggry  bead  be  broken  in  a  scuffle,  it  is 
rated  as  the  life  of  an  ordinary  man,  and  sdven 
slaves  are  paid  to  the  owner  as  an  equivalent    A 


LICENSED   PLUNDERERS.  431 

basket  of  the  boosee  or  gooroo  nut»  that  is,  the 
kaU,  would  purchase  a  slave. 

The  good  treatment  of  slaves  is^n  some  degree 
provided  for  by  the  liberty  they  have  of  transfer* 
iDg  themselves  to  any  free  man  ;  whom  they'en- 
joip  to  make  them  his  property  by  invoking  his 
death  if  he  does  not*  A  slave,  flying  to  the  tem- 
ple, and  devoting  himself  to  the  fetish,  cannot  be 
claimed  by  his  master :  but  the  master  may  close 
the  door  of  the  temple  against  all  his  slaves  by 
paying  four  slieep,  andtwo  ounces  of  gold  to  the 
priests. 

A  man  may  kill  his  slave  with  impunity  :  if  he 
kill  the  slave  of  another,  he  must  pay  the  value. 
If  a  great  man  kill  his  equal,  he  is  generally  allowed 
to  die  by  his  own  hand  i  if  he  kill  an  inferior^ 
seven  slaves  are  generally  paid  to  the  family  as  ^ 
compensation. 

Trifling  thefts  are  punished  by  exposing  the 
culprit  in  various  parts  of  the  town,  and  publish* 
ing  the  offence.  In  cases  of  greater  theft,  the 
family  of  the  thief  make  good  the  loss,  and  either 
punish  him  or  not,  as  they  please.  If  the  crime 
be  heinous,  or  faftbitual,  they  can  even  put  him 
to  death. 

The  king  has  a  troop  of  little  boys  who  carry 
the  fetish  bows  and  arrows,  and  are  licensed  pluu- 
derers.  They  infest  the  market*place  every  morn* 
iDg,  and  whatever  they  can  carry  off  is  fair  game : 
but  if  the  loser  can  catch  them  before  they  reach 
the  palace,  he  may  have  the  satisfaction  .of  beating 
them  as  much  as  he  pleases,  short  of  mortal  m^ 
jury.  They  are  npt  easily  caught;  and  when 
l^aten,  they  bear  the  pain  like  young  Spartans. 
The  ijnxious  watchfulness  of  the  market » people. 


43?  A&HANTEE. 

and  the  comic  airchness  of  the  boys,  were  very 
arousing.  Our  property  was  respected  by  them  ; 
but  they  mimicked  our  words  and  actions  with 
^reat  dioJIery. 

The  king  had  nearly  a  hundred  negroes  of  dif- 
ferent shades  of  colour,  from  red  to  white.  They 
were  collected  for  state  ;  but  were  generally  dis^ 
gutting,  emaciated  objects,  whose  eyes  would  not 
bear  the  light- 
When  the  king  spits,  the  boys  with  the  ele- 
phant's tails  carefully  wipe  the  place,  or  cover  it 
with  sand ;  and  when  he  sneezes,  every  person  pre*- 
sent  lays  the  two  first  fingers  across  the  forehead 
and  breast,  as  these  people  do  when  they  ask  a 
blessing.  It  is  remarkable  that  a  blessing  is  in* 
voked  in  England  on  such  an  occasion,  and  that  it 
has  even  given  rise  to  the  vulgar  saying,  "  It  is 
good  to  be  married,  if  it  be  only  to  have  somebody 
to  say,  God  bless  you^  when  you  sneeze." 

No  subject  can  sit  in  public  with  a  cushion  on 
his  stool,  unless  it  have  been  presented  to  him  by 
the  king,  or  one  of  the  four  great  men. 

Person^  accused  of  witchcraft,  or  having  a 
devil,  are  tortured  to  death.  After  a  criminal  is 
executed,  both  the  body  and  head  are  carried  out 
of  the  town  by  some  of  the  king's  slaves,  to  be  'de- 
voured by  wild  beasts  ;  but  if  the  deceased  were 
a  man  of  any  consequence,  some  of  his  relations 
post  themselves  near  the  place,  and  purchase  the 
right  of  burial  for  about  eight  ackies  of  gold. 

A  man  may  clear  any  part  of  the  bush  for 
making  a  plantation,  or  building  a  residence  for 
himself,  his  family,  and  slavesi 

The  tribute  is  paid  in  gold,  slaves,  cattle,  sbefp 
and  cloth. 


MANUFACTURES.  433 

The  government  can  prohibit  commerce  with 
any  foreign  power,  but  it  cannofdirect  the  traders 
to  any  particular  market. 

Interest  of  money  is  3S^  per  cent  for  every  forty 
days ;  and  when  the  patience  of  the  creditor  is 
exhausted,  he  seizes  the  debtor,  or  any  of  his  fa- 
mily as  slaves,  and  they  can  only  be  redeemed  by 
payment  of  the  debt. 

The  Ashantees  are  not  mean  proficients  in  the 
art  of  the  goldsmith.  Their  weights  are  very  neat 
brass  casts  of  almost  every  animal,  fruit,  or  vege- 
table known  in  the  country.  Their  swords  are 
generally  perforated  in  patterns,  like  our  fish 
knives  :  frequently  they  make  two  blades  of  fine 
workmanship  springing  from  one  handle. 

The  Ashantees  excel  in  pottery.  The  clay  is 
very  fine,  and  when  baked,  is  polished  by  friction  ; 
the  grooves  of  the  patterns  are  filled  up  with  chalk. 
They  tan,  dress,  and  dye  leather  j  and  their  carv- 
ing in  wood  is  curious. 

The  cloths  are  never  more  than,  four  inches 
broad ;  but  the  variety,  fineness,  brilliance,  and 
size,  when  worn,  are  astonishing.  The  white 
cloths  are  principally  manufactured  in  Inta  and 
Dagwumba.  For  mourning  they  are  painted  with 
a  mixture  of  red  dye  and  blood,  for  here  blood  is 
of  little  value.  The  painting  is  executed  with  a 
fowPs  feather,  the  designs  are  not  inelegant,  and 
the  cloths  at  a  distance  have  the  appearance  of  a 
qoarse  print.  The  women  frequently  join  the 
stripes,  and  ornament  their  handkerchiefs  with  ^ 
zig-zag  pattern,  worked  with  unravelled  silks  of 
cjjfferent  colours. 

Ageneral  is  appointed  to  the  commandof  an  army 

VOL.  n.  F  F 


434  ASHANTEE. 

by  receiving  from  the  king's  hand  one  of  his  gold- 
handled  swords,  which  he  swears  to  return  incrusted 
with  the  blood  of  his  conquered  enemies.  The 
secondary  captains  conduct  the  army,  the  general, 
with  a  few  chosen  individuals,  being  always  in  the 
rear,  where  they  urge  on  the  men  with  their  heavy 
swords,  and  cut  down  any  who  retreat,  till  the 
case  be  hopeless.  An  Ashantee  fires,  and  springs 
upon  the  throat  of  his  enemy.  To  advance  every 
time  he  fires  is  indispensable ;  as,  if  he  did  not,  he 
would  be  slain  by  his  commander  when  thei)attle 
was  over.  In  one  of  the  most  popular  songs  at 
Coomassie  it  is  said,  ^*  If  I  fight,  I  die ;  if  I  run 
away,  I  die  j  better  I  go  on  and  die.'*  The  general 
sits  under  his  umbreUa,  and  that  he  may  appear  to 
think  lightly  of  his  enemy,  he  is  playing  at  some 
game;  while  the  heads  of  persons  of  any  rank  in 
the  hostile  army,  who  may.be  slain,  are  brought 
to  him,  and  put  under  his  foot.  When  the  result 
of  an  important  action  is  expected^  and  the  mes- 
sengers are  known  to  be  near  the  capital,  the 
king,  to  manifest  the  same  indifference,  is  seated 
ia  public  with  his  gold  worra  board,  playing  with 
one  of  his  dignitaries.  It  is  remarkable  that  Mi- 
chael Suhul,  Ras  of  Tigr^,  on  the  other  side  of 
Africa*  did  the  same. 

Several  of  the  hearts  of  the  enemies  are  cut  out 
by  the  fetish  men  who  follow  the  army ;  and  the 
blood  and  small  pieces  being  mingled  with  conse- 
crated herbs,  all  those  who  have  not  killed  an 
enemy  before,  eat  a  portion  of  it.  It  is  believed 
that  if  they  did  not,  their  strength  and  courage 
would  be  secretly  wasted  by  the  spirit  of  the  de- 
ceased.    One  man  was  pointed  out  to  me  as  eat- 


ARMY.  435 

ing  the  heart  of  every  enemy  he  killed  ;  probably 
from  the  belief  that  by  so  doing  he  added  a  por- 
tion of  each  man's  strength  and  courage  to  his  own. 

During  the  active  part  of  a  campaign,  the  army 
subsists  upon  meal^  which  each  man  carries  in  .a 
small  bag  at  his  side^  and  mixes  in  his  hands  with 
the  first  water  he  comes  to.  There  is  always  a 
distinct  body  of  recruits,  who  dispatch  with  their 
knives  those  whom  the  musket  has  wounded,  and 
thus  learn  the  trade  of  blood. 

Each  commander  has  a  particular  flourish  for 
his  horns,  which,  as  they  imagine,  speaks  dis- 
tinct words.  The  king's  flourish  is,  "  1  pass  all 
kings  in  the  world :"  that  of  one  great  oflicer 
is,  "While  I  live  no  harm  can  come:"  that  of 
another,  "  No  one  dares  trouble  me." 

Apokoo  said  that  he  had»  himself,  conquered 
five  nations  during  the  present  and  preceding 
reigns ;  and  he  named  twenty-one  nations  which 
now  paid  tribute  to  Ashantee  ;  but  he  added,  that 
there  were  three  nations,  two  to  the  eastward,  and 
one  to  the  north-west,  that  would  not  pay  it.  Each  of 
those  to  the  eastward  had  defeated  the  Ashantees ; 
and  the  one  to  the  north-west,  on  the  king's  send- 
ing for.  tribute,  had.  desired  that  he  would  come 
^nd  take  it ;  and  afterwards  had  entirely  destroyed 
an  Ashantee  army. 

Seventeen  hundred  retainers  were  attached  to 
the  stool  of  Apokoo.  This  great  man  tried  causes 
relating  to  the  revenue,  daily,  at  his  own  house  ; 
where  I  saw  him,  on  such  occasions,  reclining  on 
a  lofty  bed  composed  of  cushions,  and  covered 
with  a  rich  cloth,  or  large  piece  of  silk,  and  at- 
tended by  two  or  three  of  his  handsomest  wives. 

F  f2 


456  ASHANTEE. 

There  are  various  ways  of  taking  fetish  f  but 
taking  doom  is  the  infallible  test  where  human 
wisdom  cannot  discover  the  truth.  The  parties 
sip  a  strong  infusion  of  the  bark  of  a  tree,  which 
operates  instantaneously  as  a  most  violent  emetic 
and  cathartic.  Those  who  sip  first  may  recover ; 
the  dregs  are  oflen  left  designedly  for  the  most 
obnoxious  of  the  parties. 

Once  in  his  life  it  is  usual  for  a  man  of  conse- 
quence to  make  a  public  exhibition  of  his  golden 
ornaments,  and  the  exhibition  of  Apokoo  took 
place  while  I  was  at  Coomassie.  They  consisted 
of  a  girdle,  two  inches  broad ;  chains  for  the  neck, 
arms,  and  legs ;  manacles  with  keys,  bells,  chairs, 
and  padlocks  ;  armlets  and  ornaments  for  his 
wives,  children,  and  captains ;  swords,  and  figures 
of  beasts,  birds,  and  fishes.  They  were  of  the 
finest  goldy  and  weighed  altogether  upwards  of 
100  ounces.'  When  Apokoo  had  displayed  this 
magnificence  in  the  streets,  he  came  to  the  door 
of  my  house,  and  desired  me  to  come  out  to  him. 
I  went,  and  found  a  Moorish  carpet  spread,  on  a 
comer  of  which  I  was  desired  to  sit  down,  under 
an  umbrella ;  and  when  I  was  seated,  the  great 
man,  with  his  wives,  children,  and  captains, 
danced,  by  turns,  before  me.  Some  of  the  young 
wives  were  dressed  with  great  taste>  having  on  a 
cloth  of  rich  silk,  with  a  bag  of  fine  fur,  studded 
with  gdi  ornaments,  slung  over  the  right  shoul- 
der. On  the  lef):  shoulder  they  held  a  pistol,  and 
in  the  right  hand  a  silver  bow  and  arrow.  If 
Apokoo  were  pleased  with  any  one  during  the 
dance,  when  it  was  ended  he  took  the  bow,  and 
hung  on  it  some  of  the  ornaments ;  to  others  he 


OPINIONS.  437 

gave  a  little  gold.  He  took  several  ornaments  from 
the  necks  of  the  ladies,  and  placed  them  on  my 
knees  and  on  my  left  shoulder,  which  was  consi- 
dered as  the  greatest  mark  of  honour  he  could 
bestow  upon  me* 

Apokoo  offered  to  lend  me  some  books,  and 
astonished  me  by  producing  two  Friench  volumes 
on  geography,  a  Dutch  Bible,  a  volume  of  the 
Spectator,  and  a  Dissuasion  from  Popery.  He  was 
fond  of  scribbling,  and  frequently  begged  to  know 
what  he  had  written.  The  A^hantees  could  not 
comprehend  how  any  character,  or  any  thing,  ex- 
cept a  picture,  could  express  an  object.  "  My 
name,''  said  the  king,  *^  is  not  like  me." 

Apokoo  said,  that  England  was  too  fond  of 
fighting;  that  her  soldiers  were  the  same  as  drop- 
ping  a  stone  in  a  pond,  they  went  farther  and  far- 
ther. I  could  not  deny  the  charge ;  but  from  an 
Ashantee  who  boasted  that  he  had,  himself^  con- 
quered five  na[tions,  I  thought  it  rather  extraordi- 
nary. One  of  the  captains  told  me  he  had  heard 
that  the  English  were  so  constantly  in  palavers 
one  with  another,  that  their  houses  were  made  of 
wood,  and  set  upon  wheels,  that  when  a  man  quar- 
relled Nirith.  his  neighbours,  he  might  remove  to 
another  part  of  the  bush. 

I  received  an  invitation  from  Odumata  to  drink 
palm  wine  with  him.  He  said  that  when  he  was 
upon  the  coast  he  had  an  idea  of  walking  to  Eng- 
land ;  for  he  had  been  told  that  he  should  reach 
Santonee  [Portugal]  in  thirty  days,  and  that  after 
this  the  path  was  very  good.  He  expressed  a  de- 
sire to  accompany  me  to  England,  provided  I 
would  engage  to  bring  him  back  :  but,  having  sold 
a  prodigious  number  of  captives  to  the  English,  he  ^ 


438  ASHANT£E 

expected  some  of  them  might  know  him  Bgaiug 
and  call  out  to  the  king  of  England  to  stop  him. 

A  captain  said  that  monkeys  could  talk,  as  well 
as  men,  but  they  were  not  such  fools ;  for  they 
knew,  if  they  talked,  men  would  make  them  work. 
The  Moo|[s  said  that  the  monkeys  sprang  from 
those  Israelites  who  disobeyed  Moses. 

The  wild  music  of  the  Ashantees  is  scarcely  to 
be  brought  jvithin  the  regular  rules  of  harmony } 
yet  their  airs  have  a  great  sweetness  and  animation. 
They  declare  that  Ihey  can  converse  by  means  of 
their  flutes.  The  singing  is  mostly  recitative,  and 
in  this  the  women  take  a  j>art.  The  songs  of  the 
canoe  men  are  peculiar  to  themselves,  and  resem- 
ble the  chaunts  in  our  cathedrals.  The  oldest  air 
I  met  with  was  common  to  both  Ashantees  and 
Warsaws.  I  traced  it  through  four  generations  ; 
but  the  answer  to  my  farther  enquiries  was,  "  It 
was  made  when  the  country  was  made/     ' 

The  following  is  a  translation  of  a  song,  in  sing- 
ing which  the  men  sit  in  a  line,  with  their  musical 
instruments,  and  the  women  in  a  line  opposite. 
Individuals  rise  and  advance^  singing  in  their  turn. 

FIRST   WOMAN.  . 

My  husband  likes  me  too  much. 

He  is  too  good  to  me ; 

But  1  cazmot  like  him. 

So  I  must  listen  to  my  lover. 

FIRST   MAV. 

My  wife  does  not  please  me, 

I  tire  of  her  now ; 

So  I  will  please  myself  with  anotlier, 

Who«is  very  handsome. 

SRCOND   WOMAN. 

My  Ipver  tempts  me  with  sweet  words> 
But  my  husband  always  does  me  good  i 


OPINIONS.  •   .  4fS9 

So  I  must  like  him  vreU, 
And  I  iDust  be  true  to  him. 

SECOND    MAN. 

Girl,  you  pass  my  wife  handsome. 

But  I  cannot  call  you  wife  3 

A  wife  pleases  her  husband  only. 

But  whep  I  leave  you,  you  go  to  others. 

_  w 

The  Ashantees  say  that,  at  the  beginning  of  the 

world,  God  created  three  black  men  and  three 

white,  with  the  same  number  of  womeff,  and  placed 

before  them  a  large  box,  or  calabash,  and  a  sealed 

paper.      The   black  men   had  the  privilege   of 

choosing,  and  they  took  the  box,  expecting  it  con« 

tained  every  thing :  but  when  they  opened  it,  they 

found  only  gold,  iron,  and  other  metals,  of  which 

they  did  not  know  the  use.  The  white  men  opened 

the  paper,  and  it  told  them  every  thing.    This 

happened  in  Africa,   where  God  left  the  black 

men  in  the  bush.     The  white  men  he  conducted 

to  the  water  side,  where  he  taught  them  to  build 

a  ship,  which  carried  them  to  another  country. 

From  hence  they  returned,  after  long  period,  with 

various  merchandise,  to  trade  with  the  black  men, 

who  might  have  been  the  superior  people  if  they 

had  chosen  right. 

The  kings  and  governors  are  believed  ta  dwell 
with  God  after  death,  enjoying  to  eternity  the 
luxuries  and  state  they  possessed  on  earth :  the 
paradise  of  the  poor  affords  only  a  cessation  from 
labour. 

There  are  two  orders  of  men  attached  to  the 
inferior  deities  called  fetishes.  The  first  class 
reside  with  the  fetish,  who  has  a  small  round  house 
at  some  distance  from  the  town,  and  deliver  bis 


440  ,  ASHANTEE. 

oracular  responses  to  those  who  desire  ta  question 
him.  The  inferior  class  pursue  their  several  avo* 
cations  in  society,  assist  in  customs. and  supersti- 
tious ceremonies,  and  are  what  conjurors  and  for* 
tune-tellers  are  in  Europe.  The  number  of  these 
is  augmented  by  persons  who  declare  that  the 
fetish  has  seized  them ;  and  after  violent  contor- 
tions, and  great  severities  inflicted  on  themselves, 
they  are  acknowledged  as  belonging  to  the  order. 
The  dignity  of  the  first  class  is  hereditary. 

Hidf  the  offerings  made  to  the  fetish  are  pre- 
tended to  be  thrown  into  the  river ;  the  other  half 
belong  to  the  priests.  The  king^s  offering  is  com- 
monly ten  ounces  of  gold^  and  three  or  four  slaves ; 
that  of  a  poor  man  about  four  ackies. 

Every  family  has  its  domestic  fetishes,  to  which 
they  offer  yams,  &c. :  some  of  these  are  wooden 
figures ;  others  are  of  fanciful  forms,  and  different 
materials. 

Different  families  solemnize  different  days  of  the 
week  by  wearing  white  cloths,  and  abstaining  froni 
labour.  The  king's  fetish  day  is  Tuesday.  Pro- 
priety,  unaided  by  religion,  dictates  a  holiday  to* 
man.  Some  families  never  eat  beef;  others  . 
never  eat  pork,  these  meats  being  sacred  to«  their 
fetish. '  Fowls  and  beef  are  the  fetish  of  the  king's 
family.  This  renunciation  of  the  good  things  set 
before  them  by  Providence,  resembles  that  of  the 
catholics,  but  proceeds/ from  a  different  motive; 
the  latter  believe  that  mortifying  their  appetite  is 
acceptable  to  God ;  the  former  that  fowls  and 
beef  are  acceptable  to  the  idol. 

When  the  Ashantees  drink,  they  spill  a  little  of 
the  liquor  upon  the  ground  as  an  offering  to  the 


MOORS.  441 

fetiflh.;  and  when  they  rise  irom^their  chairs  or 
stools,  then:  attendants  hastily  lay  the  seat  on  its 
side,  to  prevent  the  devil  from  slipping  into  their 
Blaster's  place.  This  evil  spirit  is  supposed  to  be 
white. 


CHAPTER   XXVII. 

ROADS.      ACCOUNT   OF  TIMBUCTOO.      HOUSSA, 
RETURN   TO   THE   COAST. 

1  HAVE  hitherto  said  nothing  of  the  Moprs 
settled  at  Coomassie,  who  occupy  one  street  ex- 
clusively. These  people  looked  upon  me  with  a 
jealous  eye,  and  when  I  sketched  the  buildings* 
they  endeavoured  to  persuade  the  king  that  I 
could  lay  a  spell  upon  them.  This  gave  him  at 
first  some  uneasiness,  but  he  afterwards  permitted 
me  to  draw  his  portrait,  and  desired  to  be  drawn 
handsome. 

.  It  was  not  without  reason  that  the  Moors  were 
jealous  of  an  intruder ;  for  they  exercise  a  most 
lucrative  profession  at  Coomassie ;  the  manufac- 
turingy  and  selling  of  amulets  or  charms.  The 
Ashantees  believe  that  these  avert  every  evil  but 
sickness  and  death.  For  a  charm  of  six  lines, 
which  the  king  presented  to  my  interpreter,  Baba, 
the  chief  Moor,  received  six  ackies,  or  thirty  shil- 
lings }  and  a  sheet  of  paper  would  support  an  in- 
ferior Moor  for  a  month.  The  charms  attached 
to  the  war-coats  of  the  principal  officers  cost  the 
king  from  the  value  of  nine  to  thirty  slaves  for 


44A  ASHANTEE. 

each  coat :  but  when  it  is  considered  that  these 
charms  render  the  wearers  invulnerable,  the  price 
is  not  extravagant.  The  keeping  in  the  rear  of 
the  army,  as  it  has  been  observed  these  officers 
always  do,  may  probably  assist  the  charm.  That 
the  charm  assists  their  valour  there  can  be  no 
doubt,  as  they  rush  fearless  upon  the  most  daring 
enterprizes,  and  several  of  them  offered  to  let  us 
fire  at  them.  The  Moors  have  persuaded  the 
Ashantees  that  they  hold  converse  with  God,  and 
can  invigorate  them,  while  they  gradually  consume 
the  strength  of  their  enemies. 

Having  sent  the  Moors  some  muslin  for  turbans, 
I  ventured  to  visit  Baba,  taking  with  me  a  present 
of  pens,  ink,  paper,  and  pencils.  The  paper  and 
pencils  were  highly  acceptable ;  but  he  preferred 
his  reed  and  vegetable  ink  to  my  pens  and  ink. 
His  pupils  were  writing  on  wooden  boards.  When 
any  person  came  for  a  charm,  one  of  the  oldest 
boys  wrote  it ;  the  master  added  a  sort  of  caba- 
listical  mark,  and  gave  the  paper  a  mysterious 
fold ;  and  the  negro  snatched  it  eagerly,  as  it  was 
held  towards  him,  paid  his  gold  for  it,  and 
hastened  away  to  enclose  it  in  the  richest  case  h? 
could  affi)rd.  , 

I  requested  Baba  to  draw  me  a  map  oi^ht 
world  ;  he  did  so,  encircling  Qne  large  continiSnt 
with  sea,  and  surrounding  the  sea  with  a  border  of 
rock.  Baba  possessed  a  great  number  of  Arabic 
manuscripts. 

From  the  Moors  and  negroes  residing  at  Coo- 
massie,  and  other  Moors  who  visited  it  occasion- 
ally from  distant  parts,  I  learned  the  following 
particulars  respecting  the  routes  of  the  interior  of 
Africa. 


INTA  AND  DAOWUifBA.  443 

Nine  great  paths  lead  from  Coomassie;  the 
Dwabin,  the  Akim,  the  Assin,  the  Warsaw,  the 
Sauee,  the  Gaman,  the  Soko,  the  Daboia,  and  the 
Sallagha. 

Dwabin  is  to  the  eastward  of  Coomassie,  and  is 
only  three  quarters  of  a  day's  journey,  or  twelve 
miles  and  a  half  distant.  Its  king  is  tributary  to 
Ashantee,  and  appears  at  the  capital  on  public 
festivals. 

The  Akim  path  divides  in  two,  the  eastern  fif- 
teen, the  other  seventeen  days'  journey  to  Accra. 
The  road  is  through  Akim  and  Aquapim,  and  the 
distance  from  Coomassie  to  Accra  may  be  esti- 
mated at  230  miles. 

The  Assin  path  was  my  road  to  Ashantee. 

The  Warsaw  path  leads  to  Elmina,  which  is  ten 
days  journey  distant.  This  path  passes  through 
Dankara,  a  country  said  to  be  very  productive 
of  gold: 

Sauee  lies  eight  da/s  ioumey  west-nprth-west 
from  Ashantee. 

Buntookoo,  the  capital  of  Gaman,  is  eleven 
days'  journey  nprth-north-west  of  Coomassie. 
Yammee,  the  frontier  town,  is  reached  on  the 
eighth  day.  The  capital,  though  not  so  large,  is 
allowed  to  be  better  built  than  Coomassie,  and  it 
is  Incomparably  richer  in  gold. 

S6ko  is  eleven  days'  journey  from  Coomassie. 

Sixteen  days'  journey  north-north-east  of  Coo- 
massie is  Boopree,  the  frontier  town  of  Inta.  On 
the  way  from  thence  to  Daboia  the  inhabitants  are 
80  afraid  of  being  carried  off  as  slaves  by  the  Ash- 
antee traders,  who  travel  that  way  in  great  num- 
bers, that  they  have  no  doors  to  their  houses,  but 


'444  INTA  AKD  DAOWUMBA. 

climb  by  a  ladder,  which  they  draw  up  after  them> 
aad  enter  by  the  thatch. 

Sallagha»  the  grand  market  of  the  Inta  kingdom, 
is  seventeen  days'  journey  north-eastward  from 
Cpomassie.  The  country  of  Booroom  lies  between 
Ashantee  and  Inta. .  Inta  is  more  populous  and 
more  civilized  than  Ashantee.  The  Moorish  in- 
fluence has  been  long  established  there,  and  most 
of  its  chiefs  affect  to  profess  the  Mohammedan 
faith.  There  is  a  constant  commercial  intercourse 
between  Dahomy  and  Inta,*  the  frontiers  being 
only^ve  days'  journey  apart. 

Seven  days  north-east  from  Sallagha  is  Yahndi, 
the  capital  of  Dagwumba.  Yahndi  is  said  to  be 
much  larger  than  Coomassie,  and  the  houses  to  be 
much  better  built  and  ornamented.  The  Ashantees 
who  had  been  there  told  me  that  they  frequently 
lost  themselves  in  the  streets.  The  markets  were 
described  as  animated  scenes  of  commerce, 
crowded  with  merchants  fropi  almost  all  the 
countries  of  the  interior.  The  people  were  said  to 
be  better  artificers  in  gold,  better  dressers  and 
dyers  of  leather  than  those  of  Ashantee.  Horses 
and  cattle  were  numerous.  Yet,  with  all  theiri 
advantages  the  kingdoms  of  Inta  and  Dagwumba* 
are,  in  some  degree,  subservient  to  that  of  Ashan- 
tee.  The  reason  is  obvious  ;  they  have  no  fire- 
arms. They  are  commercial,  but  not  warlike  na- 
tions. The  Moors  had  settled  at  Yahndi  in  great 
numbers,  and  the  king  had  embraced  the  Moham- 
medan religion.  */; 

The  general  road  from  Coomassie  to  Jinnie  is 
through  Dagwumba,  and  is  as  follows  : 


NEEL  EL   ABEED.  445 

To  Buntookoo   ....  11  days*  journey 

Kong 12 

Kaybee 9 

Kayree 3 

Garoo 5 

Kingdom  of  Doowajrroo  20 

Niger 5 

65 

The  mountains  pf  Kong  are  scattered,  not  an 
unbroken  chain.  ^ 

There  is  another  route  from  Coomassie  to  Jin- 
nie,  which  lies  to  the  westward,  and  passes  through 
countries  less  civilized. 

The  Niger y  or  Neel  el^beed,  or  Nile  of  the 
Negroes. 

The  Neel  el  Abeed  rises  in  Jabowa^  forty  days* 
journey  from  Segoj  as  also  another  large  river 
which  runs  to  th^  westward.  After  leaving  the 
lake  Dibbir,  the  Neel  el  Abeed  divides  into  two, 
the  smaller  stream  running  northward  of  east, 
near  Timbuctoo,  and  dividing  again  soon  after ; 
^one  branch  running  northward  by  Yahoodee,  a 
place  of  great  trade,  where  the  Moors  bought  their 
writing  paper ;  the  other  branch  turning  directly 
east,  increasing  considerably,  and,  under  the  name 
of  Gambaroo,  flowing  to  the  lake  Caudie. 

From  the  lake  Dibber,  the  larger  stream  of  the 
Neel  el  Abeed  runs  to  Kabra,  the  port  of  Tim- 
buctoo  ;  ^d,  proceeding  to  th,e  southward  of 
east,  it  passes  by  Uzzalin,  .Googara,  Koolmanna, 
Gauw,  Tokogirri,  Askefi,  Zabirmi,  and  Cabi,  to 
Yavorra,  about  twenty-five  days*  journey  below 
Timbuctoo.  Here  is  a  ferry,  passed  in  travelling 
from  Ashantee  to  the  countries  north  oi  the  river. 


446  NEEL    EL   ABBED. 

From  hence  it  passes  Noofie,  or  Nyfi^ ;  three  days 
farther  it  passes  Boussa  [where  Park  is  said  to 
have  lost  his  life] ;  twelve  days  from  thence  it 
passes  Atagara;  thirty  days  farther  it  flows  through 
the  kingdom  of  QuoUaraba  [possibly  Dar  Kulla]^ 
which  is  said  to  be  a  powerful  kingdom ;  six  days 
beyond  this  it  passes  Mafeegoodoo ;  and  thirteen 
farther  the  lake  Caudee.  This  lake  is  described  as 
an  immense  water,  like  a  small  sea.  The  Moors 
called  it  the  Babar  el  Noa,  from  a  tradition  that 
the  waters  of  the  deluge  subsided  there.  It  has 
been  called  Fittr6  in  our  maps.  From  this  lake 
the  Nile  of  the  Blacks  pursues  its  course  to  the 
southward  of  Bagarmie,  Kalafarradoo;  and  Dar 
Fur,  and,  lastly,  skirts  Waddai,  and  joins  the  Nile 
of  Abyssinia. 

That  this  account  of  what  is  called  the  Niger  * 
contains  some  errors,  I  have  no  doubt  \  but  it  sets 
at  rest  for  ever  the  question  concerning  the  termi* 
nation  of  this  mysterious  river.  The  acourdte  au- 
thor of  the  Account  of  Marocco  has  been^laughed 
at  for  reporting  the  voyage  of  a  party  of  negroes 
from  Jinnie  to  Cairo ;  and,  if  he  be  of  a  risible 
disposition,  he  may  laugh  in  his  turn  at  a  cele- 
brated geographer  who  refused  to  let  the  Niger 
pass  to  the  sea.  All  enquiries  made  at  Coomassie 
ended  ifi  making  the  Nile  the  continuation  of  the 
Niger,  as  was  before  asserted  by  Mr.  Jackson. 

We  will  now  return  to  Yahndi,  the  capital  of 
Dagwumba,  and  proceed  northwards  to  Houssa. 

From  Yahndi  to  Matc^aquaw-  ^ 

die  is 19  days' journey. 

Matchaquawdie  to  Goo- 
rooma   .....    6 

Carried  over  .     .     *.  25 


H0US8A.  447 

Brought  over  •    •    .  25  days*  journey. 
From  Goorooma   to    DeloaS, 

subject  to  Goorooma  10 
Deloe  to  the   Neel  el 

Abeed,  which  is  here    - 

two  miles  broad    •  .    5 
The  northern  bank  of  the 

river  to  Gamhadi     •    2 
From  Gamhadi  there  are 
three  roads  to  Houssa,   ^ 
the  first  of  which  is  .    .  15 

57 

In  this  route  the  large  river  Gambaroo  is  crossed 
on  the  ninth  day.  The  second  route  is  to  the 
eastward,  and  is  circuitous.  It  goes  to  Katinnee, 
a  city  and  state  of  the  Mullowa  kingdom,  one 
month  from  the  river.  On  this  road  the  Gamba- 
roo is  crossed  on  the  tenth  day.  The  third  route 
is  througt^the  Fillani,  or  Fullan  country,  to  the 
kingdom'  of  Kallaghee,  fourteen  days  froip  the 
river ;  the  Gambaroo  is  passed  on  the  tenth 
day.  If  to  the  first  of  the  routes  to  Houssa  the 
twenty-four  days  between  Coomassie  and  Yahndi 
be  added,  it  will  make  the  distance  between  the 
former  city  and  Houssa  eighty-one  days'  journey. 
From  Timbuctoo  to  Houssa  is  twenty  jourdeys. 

The  people  of  Houssa  were  said  to  be  more  in- 
genious artificers  than  those  of  Coomassie. 

There^was  also  a  route  described  from  Dag- 
wumba  to  Bemoo.  ^ 

ToGooroosie 2  days' journey. 

Zoogoo    4 

Kingdom  of  Barragoo    .     10 

Carried  over  .     .        16 


448  BORKOO. 

•Brought  over    •    .    .  l6  days*  journey. 

FromToombia 8  ^ 

Goodoobirree    ....  3 

Kaiama 3 

Wauwaw 4 

Neel  el  Abeed  ....  3 

Goobirree  or  Goobur.    .  10 

Cashila,  cross  the  Gam-  8 

baroo. 

Dawoora-.     *•*•..  6» 

'     Kanoo 4 

Wangara ......  9 

Bomoo 15 

89 
.  Bornoo  was  spoken  of  as  the  first  empire  in 
Africa ;  Cashna,  and  tbe  intermediate  countries, 
with  many  others*  being  sulject  to  it.  Timbuctoo 
was  described  as  a  large  city,  but  inferior  to 
Houssa,  and  not  comparable  with  Bornoo. 

Wbat  a  spectacle !  Here  we  see  the  interior  of 
this  great  continent,  impervious  to  Europeans, 
traversed  in  every  direction,  and  by  known  routes, 
by  it  natives !  Here  we  see  the  immense  popula- 
tion that  has  for  ages  supplied  the  West  Indies 
with  alaves !  Here  my  intelligence  from  the 
south-west  meets,  that  fi:om  the  north-east,  and  > 
both  point  out  Bornoo  as  the  grand  emporiiim  of 
Africa.  Civilization  ^vnd  magnificence  probably 
increase  as  we  advaniae  towards  this  centre. 

Timbuctoo  is  reckoned  a  great  city,  but  not  a 
great  empire.  A  small  river.is  ^aid  almost  to  sur- 
round it,  and  to  overflow*  in.  the  rainy  season,  so 
as  to  oblige  the  inhabitants  of  the  suburbs  to  take 
refuge  on  an  eminence  in  the  centre  of  the  town, 
on  which  is  the  residence  of  the  king. 


TIMBUCTOO.  449 

As  I  was  not  able  to  reach  Timbuctoo  myself,  I 
shall^give  the  following  particulars  from  Jackson's 
Account  of  Morocco,  as  the  best  account  extant 
of  that  city.  I  am  aware  that  it  has  been  dis- 
puted, and  that  it  has  been  termed  *^  extravagant V* 
disputed  as  being  derived  from  native  Africans ; 
and  called  extravagant  when  opposed  to  another  • 
account  which  is  confessed  to  be  **  inadequate." 
As  no  European  has  yet  been  at  Timbuctoo,  and 
returned  to  tell  his  tale,  of  whom  should  we  seek 
information,  or  from  whom  could  we  possibly  ob- 
tain it,  except  from  sujch  natives  of  Africa  as  have 
seen  the  place,  and  resided  in  it  ?  If  I  were  an 
Asbantee,  and  desired  a  description  of  London, 
what  better  authority  could  I  wish  for  than  that 
of  a  London  merchant,  or  of  French  and  Dutch 
merchants  whp  had  resided  in  London  ?  If  the  ac- 
counts derived  from  such  sources  be  deemed  extra- 
vagant, let  us  candidly  wait  till  others  arrive  which 
are  not  inadequate.  I  think  the  profusion  of  golden 
ornaments  I  saw  at  Coomassie,  and  the  torrents  of 
human  blood  shed  there,  are  extravagant;  yet 
the  facts  cannot  be  questioned  for  that  reason. 

The  city  of  Timbuctoo  is  situated  to  the  nortb- 
of  the  Neel  el  Abeed  on  a  plain,  surrounded  by 
sandy  hills.  The  town  of  Kabra,  on  the  banks  of 
the  river,  is  its  pbrtt  The  houses  are  spacious, 
and  built  on  the  four  sides  of  a  square  area,  to 
which  all  the  apartments  open.  In  general  they 
have  no  upper  story.  They  have  no  windows ; 
but  as  the  doors  are  large  and  lofty;  they  admit 
sufficient  light.  The  accommodation  for  travelers 
is  very  simple.  Merchants,  horses,  camels  and 
drivers,  repair  to  a  large  building  called  a  fon- 
daque,  having  an  open  space  in  the  centre,  sur- 

.  VOL.  II.  G  G 


^50  TIMBUCTOO. 

rounded  by  small  rooms,  which  open  only  into  it, 
and  are  just  sufficient  to  hold  a  bed  and  a  ftble. 
Each  merchant  hires  as  many  of  these  as  are  ne- 
cessary, till  he  can  provide  himself  with  a  house, 
where  he  stows  his  goods,  and  barters  them  for  the 
produce  of  the  country. 

At  Timbuctoo  are  found  Irish  and  German, 
linens,  Italian  silks,  Venetian  beads,  cambrics, 
fine  woollen  cloths,  brass  nails,  refined  sugar,  hy-. 
son  tea,  cofiee,  shawls  and  sashes  of  silk  and  gold 
from  Fas,  fine  hayks,  or  upper  cloths,  from  Tafilelt, 
spices  from  India,  tobacco  from  Barbary,  and  salt 
from  the  Desert.  The  various  costumes  exhibited 
in  the  market-place^  and  streets  form  an  interest- 
ing picture,  and  indicate  the  extensive  commer- 
cial intercourse  of  Timbuctoo  with  the  central 
nations  of  Africa.  The  circulating  medium  at 
Timbuctoo  is  gold-dust.  A  piece  of  Irish  linen  of 
S5  yards  sells  for  about  «s^.l6.  lOi. 

The  mines  of  gold  lie  to  the  south  of  the  river, 
and  belong  to  the  king. .  The  persons  employed  in 
working  them  are  Bambareen  negroes,  who  are 
extremely  rich  in  gold ;  all  pieces  weighing  less 
th^n  twelve  mizans,  or  about  two  ounces,  being 
theirs,  as  the  reward  of  their  labour.  ^U  above 
this  weight  are  deposited  in  one  or  other  of  th» 
king's  houses,  for  he  has  three  at  Timbuctoo,  and 
these  are  said  to  contain  an  enormous  quantity  of 
gold.  It  is  asserted  that  lumps  of  pure  gold  of 
several  ounces  weight  are  constantly  found  in  the 
mines ;  and  that  salt,  tobacco,  and  manufactured 
brass,  often  sell  at  Timbuctoo  for  their  weight  in 
this  precious  metal. 

Many  of  the  civil  appointments  are  filled  by 
Moors  of  Maroquin  origin }  the  o^litary  are  b)i^. 


TIMBUCTOO.  451 

Tin}  inhabitants  possess  much  of  the  Arab  hospita- 
Kty?  and  pride  themselves  on  being  attentive  to 
strangers. 

The  women  are  extremely  handsome,  and  are 
guarded  with  jealous  care  by  their  husbands. 
They  are  kept  in  distinct  apartments,  and  never 
seen  by  strangers.  When  they  go  abroad  to  visit 
their  female  relations,  they  disguise  their  persons, 
and  throw  their  garment  over  their  faces,  leaving 
one  eye  uncovered  to  see  their  way. 

The  toleration  of  Timbuctoo  is  universal.  Every 
one  is  allowed  to  worship  the  great  Author  of  his 
being  according  to  the  religion  of  his  fathers,  or  his 
own  belief.  Robberies  and  house-breaking  are 
scarcely  known.  The  peaceable  inhabitants  of  the 
city  follow  their  respective  avocations,  and  inter- 
fere with  nothing  that  does  not  concern  them.  At 
eighteen  all  have  wives  or  concubines ;  it  is  dis- 
graceful not  to  many  early.  The  Timbuctans 
who  travel  invariably  return  to  their  country,  if 
insurmountable  difficulties  do  not  prevent  them. 

The  climate  of  Timbuctoo  is  salubrious.  The 
soil  is  generally  fertile.  Coffee  and  indigo  grow 
wild.  Honey  and  wax  are  abundant ;  the  Timbtjc- 
tans  eat  the  one,  and  make  candles  of  the  other. 
•  The  inhabitants  of  Jinnie  are  black.  Tlicy  make 
gold  trinkets  of  such  excellent  workmanship  that 
it  would  be  difficult  to  imitate  them  in  England 
or  France ;  and  in  these  they  inclose  charms,  which 
have  given  them  the  reputation  of  beihg  expert 
sotcerers.  On  this  account,  no  Arab  or  Moor  dares; 
enter  the  town ;  but  all  business  between  them  and 
the  inhabitants  is  transacted  in  the  adjacent  plains. 

The  people  of  Houssa  hav^  open  and  noble 
cotmtenances,   prominent-  noses,   and  expressive 

G  G.2 


43«  TIMBUCTOO. 

black  eyes.  A  young  girl  of  Housm^  ^exquiske 
beauty,  was  sold  in  Marocco  for  dS*78.  6$.Sd.; 
when  the  average  price  of  a  slave  waa  ahoufc  one 
fourth  of  that  sum. 

The  people  of  Wangara  are  gross  and  rtupid, 
with  large  months,  thick  lips»  brood  flat  noaes, 
and  hea?iry  eyes.  The  rings  of  Wangava  are  of 
pure  gol4  twisted,  with  an  opemsg  to  admit  the 
middle  cartilege  of  the  nose.  They  are  thrown 
upwards  when  the  wearers  eat,  to  prevent  their 
coming  in  contact  with  the  mouth.  It  is  moire  re- 
putable  among  them  to  appear  in  rags  with  a  nose 
ring,  than  in  fine  clothes  without  one. 

There  is  a  nation  many  days'  jouraey  to  the 
south-east  of  Timbuctoo  who  are  said  to  worship 
the  sun,  and  to  abstain  from  animal  food»  living 
wholly  on  milk  and  vegetables.  One  of  these  peo- 
ple was  at  Mogador  some  years  aga,  and  c^mtinued 
his  national  customs,  notwithstanding  t6e  flatter- 
ing invitations  of  the  Mdiamedans  to  change  his- 
religion. 

About  fifteen  days'  journey  east  of  Timbuctoo 
is  an  immense'  lake  called  £1  Bdiar  Sudan,  The 
Sea  of  Sudan,  the  borders  of  which  are  inhabited 
by  a  people  said  by  the  Arabs  to  resemble  t^e 
English;  to  ride  on  saddles  like  the  English;  to 
wear  rowelled  spurs  like  the  English,  which  no 
other  nation  in  Africa  doles;  and  to  speak  like  the 
whistling  of  bi irds,  as  the  Arabs  say  the  English  do. 
.On  the  sea  of  Sudan  are  vessek  with  decks.  In 
of  about  th6  year  1793>  these  people  brought  such 
vessels  to  Timbuctoo,  and  transported  goods  fr<mi 
thence  to  Jinnie ;  but  as  they  were  asoertamed  to 
be  *em^r  Arabs,  Moors,  Negroes,  Shdluhs^  nor 
Berebbers ;  and  as  their  boats  performed  the  pa&- 


SEA  OF  SUDAN.  453 

Mge  in  half  the  usual  time ;  the  boatmen  of  Tim* 
buctoo,  with  a  portion  of  wisdom  that  would  have 
done  honour  to  the  enlightened  boatmen  of  Eu- 
rope, represented  to  the  Cadi  .that  their  trade 
would  be  ruined,  if  these  strangers  were  permitted 
to  navigate  the  river.  The  magistrate,  whose  wis- 
dom equalled  that  of  the  boatmen,  ordered  the 
men  of  the  Bafaar  Sudan  out  of  the  country,  or 
as  others  say,  ordered  them  to  be  poisoned,  and 
their  vessels  destroyed.  Since  this  time  no  vessel 
of  Bahar  Sudan  has  been  seen  to  the  westward 
of  its  own  lake. 

The  boats  are  said  to  have  been  70  feet  long, 
and  14  wide,  and.to  have  carried  150  or  900  men, 
and  40  tons  of  goods.  They  were  rowed  by  six- 
teen oars,  and  a  hayk  was  occasionally  spread  as  a 
sail,  between  two  oars  set  upright. 

Wiser  would  the  boatmen  of  Timbuctoo  have 
been  if  tliey  had  learned  of  the  strangers  to  con- 
struct such  vessels ;  and  wiser  the  cadi,  if  he  had 
encouraged  a  competition  between  them  and  bis 
own' people.  v 

Tbere'is  no  doubt  that  a  water  communication 
existed  between  Timbuctoo  and  Cairo*  The  Afri- 
cans express  their  astonishment  whenever  the  Eu- 
ropeans dispute  th$  connection  of  the  two  Niles, 
and  assert  that  it  is  a  folly  to  dispute  what  the  ex- 
perience of  succeding  s^s  has  proved  to  be  true. 
But  this  communication  with  Egypt  smd  the  inter- 
mediate countries  is  not  cultivated  -,  because  men 
imagine  that  the  conveyance  by  camdis  is  cheaper, 
more  commodious,  and  more  certain ;  tb^it  i^^.Wke 
all  other  men,  they  are  the  slaves  of  habit.  The  dif- 
fifcuHies  tiiat  have  been  ofteit€urmouiite4jdiiaini|h 


4f54f  TIMBUCTOO. 

in  size,  while  those  that  are  little  known  are  mag- 
nified. 

I  shall  conclude  the  subject  of  Timbuctoo  with 
some  questions  respecting  that  city,  and  answers 
by  the  gentleman  from  whose  Account  of  Ma- 
rocco  the  foregoing  particulars  are  taken :  only- 
adding  my  opinion,  that,  when  Timbuctoo  shall  be 
fully  known  to  Europeans,-  his  statement  will  be 
found  generally  correct* 

"  Questions  transmitted  by  the  Secretary  of  State 
to  James  M,  Matra,  Esq.  British  Consul  to  the 
Empire  of  Marocco,  and  by  him  transmitted  to 
James  Grey  Jackson,  Merchant,  and  Agent 
for  Holland,  Sweden,  Denmark,  and  America, 
at  Santa  Cruz,  South  Barbary.     (March  1795.) 

1.  What  size  is  Timbuctoo,  or  Timkitoo? 
AnSf  Twelve  English  miles  in  circumference. 

2.  How  are  the  houses  bwlt  ? 

Afis.  Of  stone,  and  cement  of  earth. 

3.  Is  the  town  walled  in,  and  fortified? 

^ns.  It  is  walled  in,  and  has  a  dry  ditch  round 
it  i  but  no  farther  fortification.  f 

4.  What  manufactures  are  there  ?  .;« 
^ns.  Cotton  cloths,  made  of  th^  cotton  of  th^ 

country,  which  is  very  fine,  and  dyed  with  indigo, 
which  grows  in  the  neighbourhood,  and  is  equal 
to  that  of  Guatimala^  These  cloths  are  from  two 
to  twelve  inches  wide,  and  very  strong.  They  are 
afterwards  sewed  together  so  neatly  that  they  ap- 
pear all  one  piece,  and  are  highly  esteemed  at  Ma^ 
rpcco  and  at  Fas,  where  the  opulent  use  them  as 
cpuntejypanes  for  their  beds  and  couches.    They 


TIMBUCTOO.  455 

are  sometimes  interwoven  with  silk,   and  with 
gold  thread  *. 

5.  What  is  the  state  of  its  commerce? 

Ans*  Very  extensive  with  all  the  states  on  the 
Neel  el  Abeed,  as  far  as  Egypt,  and  with  the  ter- 
ritories to  the  south,  the  south-west,  and  south- 
east, with  which  countries  they  exchange  the  goods 
they  receive  from  Europe  through  Tunis,  Tripoli, 
Algiers,  Fas,  and  Morocco,  for  gum  Sudan,  frank- 
incense of  Sudan,  ostrich  feathers,  gold  trinkets 
and  ornaments  of  Jinnie,  gold*dust,  elephant's 
teeth,  senna,  and  a  variety  of  drugs  and  articles 
for  dying. 

6.  What  is  the  number  of  its  inhabitants,  their 
disposition,  and  are  they  negroes  ? 

j4ns.  The  population  of  Timbuctoo  is  said  to  be 
twice  that  of  Rabat,  which  contains  45,000  inha- 
bitants. The  disposition  of  the  natives  is  philan- 
thropic and  hospitable ;  the  higher  classes  having 
a  remarkable  suavity,  and  polite  courteous  man- 
ner, not  known  north  of  the  Desert.  They  are 
negroes,  but  king  Woolo,  who  is  also  a  negro,  pre- 
fers Moors  for  law  officers  5  and  accordingly  he 
nas  chosen  for  cadi  of  the  city  Seed  Abd  Allah 
ben  Ai&gar,  an  intelligent  trader,  with  whom  I 
have  had  considerable  transactions  when  he  resided 
at  Mogador. 

7.  How  is  it  governed? 

Ans.  By  a  bashaw,  who  is  a  native,  and  by  a 
diwan  of  twelve  men  called  El  Alemma. 

*  The  Editor  b«8  seen  one  of  these  in  the  British  Museq^, 
which  was  presented  by  Mr.  Jackson.  It  is  blue  and  white>  chec- 
quered  like  a  draught-board,  with  a  few  threads  of  yellow  silk> 
running  thi'Odgh  the  centre  of  each  checquer.  In*  tejMilB  aUid' 
size  it  resembles  a  common  English  counterpane. 


4fS6  TIJMEyCTOO* 

8.  WbateiUejitof  territory  depends  upon  it? 
jins.  Three  days*  journey  east ; 

One  d?  west; 

Seven  6?  south ; 

One  d^  north. 

9.  Do  they  speak  Arabic  ? 

Jns.  Arabic  is  spoken  in  all  parts  of  Africa 
where  there  is  any  commerce ;  and  the  Moors  of 
Fas»  who  are  an  intelligent  race  of  men,  are  to  be 
found  wherever  there  is  any  traffic ;  and  the  trading 
people  understand  the  Arabic,  which  is  the  gene* 
ral  travelling  language  of  this  continent :  the  lan« 
guage  of  Timbuctoo,  however,  is  Sudanic;  but 
there  are  thirty-three  distinct  languages  spoken  in 
Sudan,  some  of  which  are  altogether  different 
from  others. 

10.  Do  they  read  and  write  ? 

Am,  They  read  and  write  in  Arabic  only :  they 
have  no  other  character  throughout  Sudan  that  I 
can  discover. 

11.  At  what  distance  is^  it  from  the  river  ? 
Aw.  Twelve  miles. 

12.  Horn  wide  and  deep  is  the  river  there? 
Ans»  Four  to  eight  fathoms  deep  in  the  middle 

of  the  stream,  which  runs  eastward,  and  very  sbal* 
lofw  at  the  sides.  The  width  is  about  that  of  the 
Thames  at  London. 

.  13.  Is  the  river  navigable,  and  by  what  kind  of 
cra^; ;  -how  are  they  constructed ;  do  they  use 
sails  or  oars  ? 

Am.  By  boats  they  navigate  to  Jinnie  in  forty 
days;  but  the  same  boats  return  ita  seven  days. 
Sioffie  of  the  boats  have  sails,  square,  and  carry  i^ 
hWidc^  negroes*  They  use  paddles,  )>ut  the 
bjir^^s. with  sails  use  oars. 


TIHBUCTOe.  457 

14.  What  IB  the  general  produce  of  the  soil 
about  Timkitoo  ? 

Ans,  Gkdd-dust,  and  pieces  of  gold  from  the 
mines,  cotton,  indigo,  rice,  millet,  tobacco,  wheat, 
near  the  river,  and  Indian  corn,  coffee,  sugar,  and 
spices,  one  of  which  resembles  the  Brazil  nutmeg, 
and  one  is  called  guza  saharaine. 

15.  What  is  the  distance  from  Timkitoo  tb 
Houssa  ? 

Ans.  Some  say  twenty,  some  say  twenty-fire, 
and  some  say  thirty  days'  travelling.  The  Moors 
have  no  definite  ideas  of  distances :  some  will  tra- 
vel twenty,  others  thirty,  and  some  forty  miks  a 
day;  the  distinction  is  made  byx^alHng  them  long 
day's,  or  short  day's  journeys. 

16.  What  direction  does  Houssa  lay  in  firom 
Timkitoo  ? 

Ans.  Easterly,  or  towards  the  rising  son,  as 
they  express  it.  ^ 

17-  Is  the  journey  performed  by  land,  or  by 
water  ? 

Ans.  By  both ;  but  if  by  land,  widi  loaded  ca^ 
mels,  carrying  SOO  lbs.  weight  each  camel. 

19.  What  is  the  general  face  of  the  country? 

Ans.  From  Fas  tP  Taiilelt,  over  the  Atlas,  is  a 
fine  cultivated  country.  Hie  plain  fi'om  the 
Atlas  to  Tafilelt,  is  an  uncultivated  and  unproduc- 
tive level.  From  Tafilelt  to  Draha  is  a  country 
abounding  in  dates,  with  indigo,  and  com,  near 
the  rivers.  From  Draha  to  Akka  and  Tatta  is  a 
fine  productive  country ;  after  which  the  traveller 
enters  Sahara,  or  the  Desert,  which  continues  till 
he  reaches  Azewan,  after  which,  twelve  or  lAir* 
teien  Uburs  journey,  through  a  partially  cultivated 
country,  brings  him  to  Timbuctoo.    Thefiu:eof 


458  TIMBUCTOO. 

the  country  along  the  banks  of  the  western  Nile 
to  Egypt,  are  highly  cultivated,  and  very  populous 
and  productive.  There  are^ome  extensive  forests. 
The  lands  are  irrigated  by  channels  cut  from  the 
river, 

19.  How  do  they  behave  to  strangers? 

Ans.  Very  courteously,  and  with  the  greatest 
hospitality. 

20.  Have  the  people  of  Tirakitoo  a  trade  with 
Egypt? 

Ans.  They  carry  on  a  considerable  trade  with 
Egypt  and  Abyssinia,  and  cross  the  Red  Sea  to 
Mocka. 

21.  Is  it  possible  for  one  or  more  Christians  to 
go  with  the  caravans  to  one  or  all  the  territories  of 
Sudan,  and  if  so,  what  would  be  the  best  and  safest 
mode  of  proceeding  ? 

Ans^  It  would  not  only  be  possible,  but  there 
would  be  no  difficulty  in  sending  one,  or  more 
Christians  by  the  kaffila  to  Timbuctoo  :  their  re* 
turn  might  also  be  secured  by  placing  him  or  them 
under  the  protection  of  the  Shiek  of  the  Akabba 
of  the  Desert,  and  promising  him  a  liberal  reward^ 
provided  he  brought  them  back  safe.  If  the 
Christians  were  first  initiated  in  the  language  of 
the  country,  and  the  manners  and  customs,  it 
would  be  safer  still :  but  in  the  latter  case  they 
must  perform  the  part  of  a  Muselman,  and  pros- 
trate themselves  to  prayers.  All  this  might  be 
effected  for  a  few  thousand  dollars  in  the  most  se- 
cure and  .complete  manner. 

82  to  29.  Apply  the  seven  first  questions  to 
Houssa. 

SOi  Apply  the  ninth  question  to  Houssa,  and 
also  the  tentli. 


TIMBUCTOO.  459 

Ans,  Respecting  Houssa  I  have  made  many  en^ 
quiries  ;  but  the  answers  are  vague  and  contradic- 
tory ;  I  must  therefore  wait  till  I  meet  with  some 
of  the  natives,  who  are  very  intelligent  negroes, 
and  far  superior  in  intellect  to  the  negroes  of  Su- 
dan in  general.  Alkaid  L'hassen  Ramy»  the  cap- 
tain of  the  guards  at  Mogador,  is  a  Houssa  negro, 
and  a  very  shrewd,  clever  man  ;  I  know  him  well, 
and  he  often  drank  tea  with  me  at  Mogadon 
When  I  see  him,  I  will  get  all  the  information  I 
can  from  him  respecting  his  native  country.  He 
is  a  very  honourable  man,  and  bis  word  may  be 
relied  on. 

About  six  months  ago  I  had  two  negro  mer- 
chants of  Houssa  in  my  house  here,  who  were  on 
their  journey  to  Fas  with  merchandize,  viz.  gold* 
dust,  gum,  and  ostrich  feathers.  The  gum  and 
feathers  I  purchased  of  them,  and  the  gold-dust 
they  have  sold  to  the  Jews  here,  as  the  road  to 
Fas  was  so  infested  with  robbers,  that  it  would 
have  been  unsafe  to  venture ;  they  therefore  re- 
turned to  Akka,  where  they  will  remain  till  the 
next  akkaba  shall  depart  for  Timbuctoo,  in  Sep- 
tember next,  or  early  in  October.  I  am  not  cer- 
tain at  jpresent  whether  Houssa  is  a  town,  a  coun- 
try, or  whether  it  is  a  term  appropriated  to  the  en- 
virons of  a  country :  for  I  find  that  the  countries 
of  Diminet  and  Sheshawa,  near  Marocco,  are 
called  Housse  Maroksh,  and  Kitiva  and  Howara 
are  called  Housse  Terodant,  because  they  are  in 
the  environs  of  those  cities  respectively.  So 
Housse,  or  Houssa,  may  designate  the  environs  of 
the  Timbuctoo  territory ;  of  this,  however,  lean 
say  nothing  positive  ;  but  I  will  make  every  dili- 
gent enquiry,  and  procure  the  most  accurate  iafor* 


400 


TIMBUCTOO. 


mation  possible  from  the  natives,  mnd  ascertain 
whether  it  be  a  country  of  itself,  or  the  environs  or 
neighbourhood  of  the  territory  of  Timbuctoo,  or 
of  that  of  Cashna,  which  latter  empire  is  called 
Beb  Houssa,  L  e.  the  entrance  or  gate  of  Houssa. 
N.  B.  Since  writing  the  above  I  have  asertained 
that  Houssa  is  a  powerful  empire  between  Cashna 
and  Timbuctoo,  and  contains  seven  kingdoms  and 
languages/* 

Afler  this  long  excursion  we  will  return  towards 
Ashantee.  Hio,  whose  king  sometimes  sleeps  for 
ever  at  the  request  of  his  subjects,  is  seven  days' 
journey  from  Dahomy.  The  military  are  despotic 
in  Hio.  They  always  intercept  the  new  king  in  the 
way  to  bis  palace,  and,  before  they  confirm  him  in 
his  dignity,  they  insist  upon  his  naming  some  neigh«- 
bouring  country  for  them  to  invade  and  plunder* 
One  of  their  kings  having,  at  the  end  of  three 
years,  sent  them  on  another  expedition,  without 
having  fulfilled  this  engagement,  they  returned 
victorious,  demanded  his  abdication,  and,  on  his 
refusal  to  quit  the  throne,  cut  off  his  head.  The 
country  he  had  named  was  Dahomy.  Conquest 
seems  to  advance  from  the  interior,  and  lay  down 
her  arms  upon  the  coast.  Dahomy  has  swallowed 
up  Whydah,  and  may,  in  its  turn,  be  devoured  by 
Hio ;  Ashantee  has  annihilated  Akim,  Assin,  and 
Fantee,  and  may  one  day  fall  a  prey  to  some  pow- 
erful nation  behind  it.  I  am  grieved  to  relate 
that  the  Mayhees,  who  so  bravely  resisted  die 
commands  of  Bossa  Ahadee,  have  been  entirely 
subdued  by  the  king  of  Hio,  and  that  upwards  of 
90,000  of  them  were  brought  for  sai6  to  liagos. 

The  king  of  Ashantee  sent  me  a  larg6  Hb 


TIMBUCTOO.  46l 

sheep  to  look  at  It  measured  4§  feet  from  the 
head  to  the  insertion  of  the  tail,  which  was  two 
&et  long«  The  height  of  the  animal  was  three 
feet ;  it  was  covered  with  coarse  shaggy  hair. 

The  cattle  I  saw  in  Ashantee  were  as  large  as 
the  English^  The  horses  were  like  half-bred  gal* 
loways^  and  not  shod.  Some  of  the  Moors  rode 
^  oxen  with  a  ring  through  the  nose.  The 
sheep  afe  haixy  in  Ashantee,  and  woolly  in  Dag^ 
wumba. 

The  gnobf  which  is  found  in  the  cdony  of 
the  Cape  of  Good  Hope,  is  known  in  Inta^  and^ 
what  is  very  extrordinary,  by  the  same  nama 
Where  the  beds  in  Ashantee  are  not  an  accumuldi* 
tion  of  cushions,  they  are  formed  of  the  skin  of  the 
gnoo,  stretched  on  a  wooden  frame,  supported  by 
legs,  like  those  of  a  bedstead. 

A  fruit  called  bissey  is  constantly  chewed  by 
the  Ashantees,  especially  when  on  a  journey.  It 
is  slightly  bitter^  aromatic,  and  astringent,  and  it 
is  said  to  prevent  Plunger  and  to  strengthen  the 
stomach. 

The  miraculous  red  berry  which  gives  to  acids 
the  flavour  of  sweets,  and  makes  limes  taste  like 
honey,  is  common  in  Ashantee. 

Gold  is  fouiid  in  small  pits  in  Soko,  which,' with 
the  washings  there,  is  said  to  amount  to  from  TOO 
to  2,000  ounces  a  month.  There  are  daily  washings 
throqghout  Dankara,  and  the  hills  dividing  Akim 
and  Assim  are  very  rich  in  gold. 
,  Th^  thermometer  at  Coomassie,  during  my  stay 
there,  was  from  60^  to  S5^  i];^  the  middle  of  the  day. 

I  now  gave  notice  of  my  intended  departure,  ta 
which  the  king  acceded  with  the  same  reluctance  I 
h§A  observed  in  other  African  sovereigns  ^  but^ 


46€  TIMBUCTOO. 

having  once  named  the  da}',  I  was  determined  not 
to  postpone  it,  and  San  did  not  urge  me  to  the  for- 
feiture of  my  word.  A  strict  observance  of  one's 
word  is  necessaiy  to  secure  the  respect  of  a  black 
man,  and  I  may  add  that  of  every  white  man  whose 
esteem  is  worth  possessing.  May  we  ever  guard 
this  title  to  their  respect ! 

It  was  night  before  the  ceremony  of  taking 
leave  was  ended,  and  our  exit  was  a  brilliant 
scene.  The  king  and  his  captains  were  seated  in 
a  deep  and  long  line  without  the  palace,  and  their 
glittering  ornaments  were  reflected  by  the  torches. 
The  darkness  of  the  forest  was  an  aweful  and  in- 
stantaneous contrast,  and  our  torches  were  extin- 
guished in  crossing  the  marsh,  which  was  now  be- 
tween four  and  five  feet  deep. 

As  we  returned  to  Payntree  by  the  way  we 
came,  it  is  unnecessary  to  detail  the  particulars  of 
the  journey;  but  there  are  circumstances  in  which 
a  .black  man  is  superior  to  a  white ;  and  as  one  of 
these  took  place  on  our  return,  it  is  but  justice  to 
the  black  part  of  my  species  to  relate  it. 

On  the  fourth  day  of  our  journey  we  had  a  short, 
but  most  fatiguing  march  over  the  mountains 
which  form  the  boundary  between  Ashantee  and 
Assin,  and  we  halted  at  Moisee,  the  first  Assin 
town,  where  we  were  detained  till  four  o'clock  in 
the  afternoon.  The  rainy  season  had  now  set  in 
with  great  violence ;  the  path  was  almost  a  conti- 
nued bog;  and  the  Ashantees  who  were  appointed 
by  the  king  to  conduct  and  guard  me,  remonstrated 
against  my  travelling  any  farther  that  night*  I 
determined  to  proceed,  but  I  gave  them  permis- 
sion to  return  if  they  chose  it :  they  had,  how- 
ever, a  powerful  motive  for  not  choosing  it,  for 


ASHAKT£E«  46S 

they  declared  they  should  lose  their  heads  if  they 
quitted  me  before  my  arrival  at  the  coast. 

A  violent  tornado  ushered  in  the  night;  we 
could  not  hear  each  other  holla,  and  were  soon  se- 
parated ;  I  found  I  had  one  person  left  with  me. 
This  man,  who  was  an  Ashantee,  tied  his  cloth 
tight  round  his  middle,  and  giving  me  the  other 
end  of  it,  plunged  through  bogs  and  rivers,  and 
pulled  me  after  him.  The  thunder,  the  darkness, 
and  the  howling  of  the  wild  beasts  were  terrible, 
and  a  large  tree  fell  near  us,  with  a  tremendous 
crash.  The  man  dragged  me  after  him  till  I 
judged  it  to  be  midnight ;  when,  quite  exhausted, 
and  the  remnants  of  my  garments  scarcely  hang- 
ing together,  I  let  go  his  cloth,  and  fell  a^eep  on 
the  ground  before  I  could  call  to  him.  When  I 
was  awakened  by  my  guide,  I  found  myself  seated 
on  the  trunk  of  a  tree,  with  my  head  resting  on 
his  shoulder.  He  made  me  uj^derstand  that  to  sit 
there  was  to  die,  and  I  again  set  forward,  holding 
by  his  cloth.  In  an  hour^we  forded  the  last  river, 
which  had  swollen  up  to  our  chins,  and  spread  to 
a  great  width.  This  labour  I  considered  as  final ; 
my  drowsiness  became  so  fascinating  that  yielding 
to  it  was  an  exquisite  pleasure. 

I  believe  I  must  have  slept  more  than  an  hour, 
when,  being  awakened,  I  found  I  had  been  carried 
to  a  drier  part  of  the  forest,  and  saw  my  friend 
standing  by  me  with  a  companion  and  a  torch.  He 
took  me  on  his  back,  and  in  about  three  quarters 
of  an  hour  we  reached  Akroofroom,  where  I  was 
carried  to  a  dry  and  clean  apartment,  had  a  brass 
pan  of  warm, water  to  wash  in,  some  fruits  and 
p^lm  \vine  to  eat  and  drink,  abundance  of  the 
country  cloths  to  clqthe  me,  and  au  excellent  bed 


4j64  cape  coast  castle. 

of  mats  and  cushions  to  repose  on.  A  profuse 
perspiration  relieved  me  from  the  perils  of  the  past 
night ;  and  all  my  people,  under  the  conduct  of 
jdttfferent  Ashantee  guides,  arrived  in  the  course  of 
tite  day. 

From  Payntree  I  proceeded  to  Cape  Coast  Cas- 
tle, where  I  rewarded  and  dismissed  my  guides. 


.       CHAPTER   XXVIII. 

-       CAPE   COAST    CASTLE   TO   SIERRA   LEONE. 

f^AFB  Coast  Castle,  the  principal  estabKshoieat 
of  the  British  en  this  coast,  is  about  ten  miles  from 
Annamaboe,  and  is  in  latitude  5^  6'  north,  and 
longitude  1**  51'  west.  The  usual  degree  of  heat 
in  the  hottest  months  is  from  85®  to  90®-  The  caa- 
tle  is  built  on  a  rock,  and  mounts  about  ninety 
pieces  of  cannon,  from  three  to  thirty-six  pounders. 
The  town  is  irregular  and  dirty,  the  houses  are 
built  with  clay,  and  are  mostly  square.  The  po- 
pulation may  be  estimated  at  8,000;  but,  in  cases 
of  emergency,  6,000  men  might  be  assembled,  by 
calling  in  those  of  the  neighbouring  villages.  The 
government  of  the  town  is  under  the  controul  of 
the  elders,  or  principal  men  ;  but  the  people  being 
chiefly  Fantees,  they  are  subject  to  the  Fantee 
laws  and  customs. 

In  all  the  discussions  of  the  Fantees  there  is 
miieh  ambiguity  and  circumlocution:  they  do  not 
come  to  the  matter  of  fact  without  a  diqplay  of 


FANTEES.  4S6 

great  eloquence  und  natural  talents.  To  behold  a 
Fan  tee  to  advantage,  he  must  be  seen  pleading  his 
cause;  when  his  action  is  graceful,  and  suitable  to 
his  subject,  and  his  attitudes,  and  energy  of  ex- 
pression, are  highly  interesting. 

The  woolly  hair  of  both  men  and  women  is  cut, 
or  shaved,  with  great  care.  Old  men  shave  the 
whole,  except  a  lock  or  two  behind,  to  which  they 
suspend  a  piece  of  gold.  Some  of  the  men  allow 
their  beard  to  grow ;  others  have  only  whiskers 
and  mustachios.  Both  men  and  women  have  sca- 
rifications on  the  cheek-bones  and  on  the  back  of 
the  neck.    They  wash  their  .bodies  twice  a  day. 

The  dress  of  both  sexes  is  nearly  the  same,  and 
consists  principally  of  a  piece  of  cloth  about  four 
yards  long  and  two  wide.  When  they  are  unem- 
ployed, the  men  wrap  it  loosely  about  them ;  when 
engaged  in  any  occupation,  part  of  it  is  folded 
round  the  waist,  and  the  remainder  hangs  down, 
and  tovers  the  lower  part  of  the  body.  The 
women  fasten  the  garment  round  the  waist  by  a 
girdle ;  and  this  is  supported  behind  by  folds  of 
cloth,  which  form  a  protuberance  proportioned  to. 
the  age  and  rank  of  the  lady.  In  front,  a  woman 
of  fkshion  has  a  number  of  silver  keys  suspended 
from  her  girdle,  the  sound  of  which  announces 
her  approach  at  some  distance.  Bracelets  are 
worn  of  gold  and  beads,  and  strings  of  bead^  are 
worn  round  the  neck. 

Tlie  principal  food  of  the  Fantees  at  C^pe  Coast 
CaaCle  is  fish  or  poultry  made  into  soup ;  palm  oil, 
salt,  and  eschalots,  are  added,  and  the  whoie  is 
highly  seasoned  with  pepper.  Into  a  bowl  of  this, 
eadi  person  dips  either  bread,  which  is  made  of 

VOL.  II.  H  H 


466  CAPE   COAST   CASTLE. 

ma^e,  and  unleaven^,  or  pudding  madie  ^  yams 
or  plantains. 

The  first  wife  has  the  sole  management  of  do- 
mestic affairs.  Mothers  have  the  disposal  of  tbeir 
daughters;  and  after  a  stipulated  sum  has  been  re-, 
ceived,  the  young  lady  is  dressed  in  rich  clothes, 
ornamented  with  valuable  beads,  and  conducted 
by  her  female  relations  to  the  house  of  her  hus- 
h^x^f  where  she  is  received  with  ceremony  by  his 
relations  and  friends.  On  the  following  day  she 
has  numerous  visitors.*  She  must  continue  to  wear 
her  rich  habiliments  for  a  week,  and  m^st  sbew 
herself  in  public,  which  denotes  that  she  has  a 
husband.  The  younger  wives  are  watched  with 
vig^nce  by  the  first  wife,  who  is  well  rewarded 
for  any  discovery  she  may  make  of  their  infidelity. 
.On  such  an  occasion  they  are  tried  by  the  taking 
of  doom ;  and  if  their  innocence  be  proved  by  the 
strength  of  their  stomach,  or  the  weakness  -of  the 
potion  i  their  skin  is  covered  with  chalk,  they  are 
habited  in  white,  and  shew  themselves  in,  public 
with  these  attestations  of  their  chastity. 

The  Fantees  bury  the  dead  in  their  bourses,  and 
will  not  move  from  the  spot  if  they  can  help  it. 
The  Hottentots  and  Caffers,  as  has  been  before  re-* 
kted,  think  death  contaminates  a  whole  village, 
and  they  remove  the  corpse  to  a  distance.  If  a 
Fantee  die  insolvent,  the  body  cannot  be  buried 
till  the  debts  are  discharged. . 

Causes  are  tried  and  determined  by  the  pynins, 
or  elders  of  the  people  ;  but  if  the  loser  be  not  sa- 
tisfied, he  may  appeal  to  the  governor  of  the  fort, 
or  the  elders  of  another  town.  No  corporeal  pu- 
liishn\ents  are  inflicted;  the  alternative, is  a iin^. or 
slavery:  but  murder  is  scavcely  beard  of,  and  theft. 


ELMINA.  467 

among  themselves,  is  rarely  knowta.  An  article 
maj  be  left  in  a  public  road,  safe  from  the  depre^ 
dations  of  persons  in  the  neighbourhood. 
^  The  next  place  I  visited  was  Elmina^  the  head 
quarters  of  the  Dutch  settlements  in  this  country, 
and  the  most  respectable  fortress  on  the  Gold 
Coast.  It  is  about  eight  or  nine  miles  from  Cape 
Coast  Castle;  is  of  a  quadrangular  form,  and  sirr- 
rounded  with  high  walls,  on  which  are  mounted 
brass  ordnance. 

I  made  few  observations  here.  The  town  is 
large  and  dirty;  the  houses  are  connected  in  a 
confused  manner,  though  some  of  them  are  built 
with  stone.  It  is  supposed  to  contain  5,000  men, 
and  double  this  number  of  women  and  children  ; 
the  inhabitants,  as  might  be  expected  in  a  town 
attached  to  a  European  establishmentj  are  negro- 
traders,  trade  boys,  or  brokers,  fishermen  and  ser- 
vants. There  are  also  some  respectable  mulattoes, 
who  have  masons,  carpenters,  and  blacksmiths 
among  the  number  of  their  slaves. 

I  saw  here  eight  leopards  which  had  been 
brought  up  so  tame  that  they  were  played  with 
like  dogs ;  but  it  was  observed  in  all  of  them,  that 
their  savage  nature  returned  upon  one  occasion  or 
other^  and  that  they  were  not  to  be  trusted  without 
great  circumspection. 

About  sixty-five  miles  from  Elmina,  passing  by 
many  smaller  European  settlements,  I  came  to 
thatof  Axim,  a  settlement  of  the  Dutch,  which 
stands  on  Cape  Three  Points,  in  the  country  of 
Ahanta.  This  country  is  bounded  inland  by  the 
countries  of  Warsaw  andDankara,  and,  like  them, 
is  said  to  be  rich  in  gold ;  but  the  mines  are  con- 

H  H  2 


468  .    GOfrP^COAST. 

ledged  in  the  c^itfry,,  b^ti  tim  ipoweis.ifi  in  the 
handd  pf  the  .gre^  imiRv.  Tb^  ipen  of  Ahanta 
are.ivel)  idi8|pi9Mclt  aa4  l^. women  are  in  a  conti- 
SA^al  8t^(e  of  fifliployment.  . 

.  Th^  peiOple  of  Al>anta  were  formerly  op« 
pne^sed  by  an  insatialile  4€|iboq^:  w^o  wa|&  a  giant, 
with  one  side  <^his  body  soupd,  and  the  other  de- 
c^ye^j  ^Qd  they  believed,  that  whomsQever  lie 
touched  with  ttie  bad  side  died  immedjiately^  TheO^ 
plA0€4  ti*ougM,  asd  pots  filled. wiKl»  victuals  in 
the.  vfay  of  this  b^ing,  to  keep  him  At  avhol«some 
4i$^<;«^  firoQi  the^r  persoos.  Whet^r  their  in* 
tercour^ .  >9«t]i  Europ^ftns  may  ,kave  delivered 
them  from  the  persecutiop  of  thegiant ;  or  i^he- 
tb^r  thc^.may  have  found  ipsat4able.of»pre5Q{>f:san 
these  visitors,  my^sb<Hrt  stay  did  not  permit, me  to 
di&Qoyer. 

Whoever  killed  a  leopard  or.  paDth^^  in?  tjie 
country  of  Ahanta,  wa^  privilegqd  ti^Aff^S^^ 
the  paJm  wine  that  canie  to  «fkrHet  dijiripg;  e^t 
days,  and  to  pass  that  time  with  the  nc^groes,  y^p 
crowded  about  him»  in  shooti^^  leaping^  ^a^fv^g, 
and  publicinirth«  ,  ^  .;  ic. 

Tbe  last  settlement  on  tbe  Gold  Coast;  iS'Jiiik^ 
ApoUonia,  about  thirty  miles  to  the  w^s()faf4ilf 
Axim,  The  fort  is  Englishj  and  is.sitaat|;4  ajbffflt 
a  hundred  y^rds  from  the  sear  ^  a  spaeioqsf^^i^, 
which  extends  about.three;miteaiQlai)4*V.  Atot^.fi 
eictr^fouty  of  this  is  a, fine  lake^  about  si^  mies 
in  circumfefence,  au4  very  fJeepj  op  .jffbic^i.)iifj 
plliceda^ 409911  villagew  Thehoq^^s ^7^  er^^^ 
pije^  and  aTe  (Ustinpt  froip.ea<4^;fttli?jijaijrtitfe€ 
only  ^pamuniQa^iQQ  with  the  lan^rja  .W^1^^9f^ 


AXrM>^AP€^Z.pNIA.  4€)d 

Ttorhdft  US^di  Ml,  ai^  the  in^mtJii»^  dliflf^Me 
a  imdUpof  of  grcittttd'ttfl  itt^bWdfer^  *  »^f    -V' 

Tfacf  «e&  breaksnirkh  si£bh  vidl^lfjee  oH  flife'dtf&%t 
of  Apoll6ma»  that  {Tt^iifi^t^^pp^  With^t 
the  utmost  danger.  Tte  t^iMoefs  Mte  fbrni^d^^^ 
th^  tmnk  ^  the  l^ilk  ^dtfon  tre^.  Thh  w^  is 
eadily^vforicied  trben'^^h,  «ktfd  U  diUost  asi  lig'ht 
as'COfk  w^eii  dty.  The  dotintry,  which  is  called 
Am^f^§»i  ttiE^y  e*Veni  IbAjoM  a  hundred  miles 
alohg  thec^^a^t,  land  abotit  tweiity  inland. 

The  tiativel;^  are  in  general  tall  and  vrell  made, 
aiirS>^  ilbl  lHsf!filgGfi«h«d  1)y  thick  lips  atid  fikt 
nofe^^.^  'I%^9^^re8s  eotisiSIb  of  a  doth,  wra]!iped 
kfiS^y  ^oftt^e  4^ody,  aiid.another  ftldex)  khdvit 
the4otos.;  ^l«%ddftion  i\>  the^,  the  v^omen  Weaf 
braifel^^d,^'{dlr4ifiinief)t9  round  the  neck,  and  l:>r»^i 
^^^eheii'enn^^l^  Keel  and  foot.  The  hcmslefs 
are  of  bamboo,  plastered  with  a  strong  loamy  eky  j 
the  iitfo#arg'^iKb  S&diiesore  of  day,  iitrd  ar^'re- 
mai*a*!yi]faWi^^^^;^^  and  vittagetf  ait  gcfte- 

ratty  s&i^tMi^ded  %ith  a  strong  fencie  of  1bambt>b 
cane,  as  ^-ti&tui^  agaiiist  feibbciobs  animals; 

The  lHi%,^  fif  ]yec8d^V>frles  and  passes  judgment 
on  persons  accused  of  crime  ;  but  he  is  sometimes . 
aS8i8t<?*'ib^ft«^j^«feht*  tt^  bittei*  potion- 

Wheii>li^%»ilk9bMifipubfi6;  tie  ^  attend^  by  ^a 
faB  band'of  li6rKs;  MJruM^,  and  4at(^^,'the  miisic  of 
whieh  k  ti6t  iifbtn-nionious.  The  sfstetf's  sbh  is 
here  heir  to  the  tfifttne.  v  t/     .-    •  . 

In-  the  yeai*  1800,  when  the  KJn^  of  ApbHdiiiit 
diedj'bne  or  two  lium^n  bifngg  "werfe  sacrifit^fl 
e^eW  Saturdaiy,  tfllthegi*and'cererfi6tiy^6f^*Si| 
ciM/wk^t^ttk^  place,  wftfeh  wA^^tJt  till  sik -feoifft^^ 
^iei^4)$sXdedfease!  On  th^t'oHiiisSM'^C^imi'^ 
fifty  persons  were  sacrificed,  and  two  of  the  king*s 


7^ 


470  GOLD    COAST. 

youngest  wives  were  put  into  the  grave.  ^  The  lid 
of  the  coffin  was  covered  with  human  bloodi  gold- 
dust  was  sprinkled  over  it»  and  a  number  of  rich 
cloths  were  deposited  in  the  grave.  Great  cruelty 
is  practised  on  the  men  and  animals  slain  on  these 
occasions. 

The  general  appearance  of  the  Gold  Coast  from 
the  sea  is  that  of  an  immense  forest,  with  high 
lands  in  different  directions,  crowned  ^ith  trees 
afnd  covered  with  underwood* 

The  negroes  of  the  Gold  Coast  have  a  great 
turn  for  oratory,  and  on  occasions  where  they  dis-*^ 
play  all  their  eloquence,  they  speak  with  mudi 
feeling  and  energy.  They  rigidly  observe  certasn 
days  of  the  week  so  hx  as  regards  a  cessation  from 
labour.  Fishermen  will  not  cast  their  nets  on  a 
Tuesday  ;  others  will  not  work  on  a  Friday ;  and 
persons  in  easy  circumstances  observe  the  day  of 
the  week  on  which  they  were  born. 

A  piece  of  carved  wood,  besmeared  with  the 
yolk  of  an  egg  or  palm  oil,  is  held  in  as  great  vene^ 
ration  in  these  countries,  as  the  image  of  the  Virgin 
Mary  in  the  catholic  countries  of  Europe. 

I  shall  close  this  account  of  the  inhabitants  of 
the  Gold  Coast  with  some  particulars  relatii^  ta 
them,  as  they  stood  at  the  end  of  the  seventeenth 
century.' 

There  were  five  degrees  of  men  :  first,  kings  j 
sedond,  caboceros,  whose  province  it  was  to  guard 
thi^  welfare  of  a  particular  town,  and  suppress  any 
iumult;  third,  persons  of  property,  acquired 
dther  by -trade  or  inheritance;  fourth,  people 
efirtploy^  in  agriculture  or  ikhing ;  fifth,  slaves^ 
jftfi^iittsed  of  taken  in  war. 
-'Tlftfflnrtttegro  salutation  was,  *•  How  did  you 


HABITS   OP   KEGROES.  471 

sleep  ?y  ^  The  reply  wis,  "  Very  well ;  how  did 
you  sleep  ?"  MThen  a  negro  received  a  visit,  he 
bade  his  friend  welcome  ;  and  as  soon  as  the  com- 
pliments were  over,  the  wife,  or  a  female  slave, 
brought  water  to  wash,  and  fat  to  grease^  the 
str^mger. 

Negroes  never  begged.  If  they  could  not  sub- 
sist, they  bound  themselves,  for  a  certain  sum  of 
money,  to  work  for  a  master,  who  provided  them 
with  necessaries,  and  exacted  from  them  a  reasozK 
able  portion  of  labour.  Negroes,  in  general, 
^were  soldiers  while  a  war  continued ;  that  ended^ 
they  returned  to  their  respective  occupations.  If 
any  were  of  so  turbulent  a  disposittoil  that  they 
could  not  resty  they  served  in  one  of  the  neigh* 
bouring  wars. 

££(ch  man  married  as  many  wives  as  he  pleased, 
and  could  support ;  the  kings  had  often  a  thou- 
sand ;  the  general  number  was  from  three  to  ten  $ 
that  of  the  great  seldom  exceeded  twenty.  Those 
who  were  rich  had  two  wives  exempt  from  labour; 
the  first  married,  who  had  the  controul  of  house- 
hold affairs,  and  the  command  over  the  others ; 
and  the  second,,  who  was  called  Bossum,  the  nanle 
of  their  divinity,  and  was  consecrated  to  him.  The 
others  tilled  the  ground,  and  provided  in  various 
ways  for  the  husband  by  hard  labour,  while  he 
passed  his  time  in  eating,  drinking,  and  conversing 
with  his  neighbours. 

N^roes  smoked  tobacco  in  pipes  about  six  feet 
long,  made  of  reeds,  to  one  end  of  which  was  fixed 
an  earthen,  or  a  stone  boWl,  which  rested  on  the 
ground.  Into  this  they  put  two  or  three  handsfbl 
of  tobacco,  and  they  smoked  till  aU.  was  consumed. 
Both,  men  and  women  were  so  attached  to.  this 


47*  G«^D   COAST..     -:   i 

custom  that  they  wQ^Mmaa9(tiMi^tit^^ 

bo  vithout  it,  jwd^pend  liskiavtfrifiBy  inltobacco, 

ratber  than-j^eead^r.   j-  -••h-ny  !ijt  2*1  'v;-''-^  •^•,-- 

Hie  babitj^iif:  tiffivrifiherbtiegttn.  an  ndi^-Gbold 
Coast  WAS  a  pMii»  or  jslotb^  £niit  orcfiim'srasril  in 
lenglbi  of  velvet,  silk^  or  dbtb,  istktvwiktifOJitdAt 
bodys  and  rolled  up,  ao-aa^to  teacfa:&om  the  waist 
half  I  way '  down  the  ktgs*  On:  tbeirraroiaitbay  jwqw 
rniiga  of  ivory,  gold,  or  silver ;  rouotd 'their  jbadka> 
chains  or  strings  of  gold  and  corals  .Som^  of  tlfosa 
^triagi  iifwe  valued  at ^iH>0.sieriiiigir  G«ddamu« 
hrto  weiovworii:  in  tbe::bair.  .The..Q»bQC«ro8»  ot 
^dsfs^  wem:pIi^y.h«Adti6d,';«eariiig  only  a  good 
paao,  ctr  dQer««kin.K^p,  andastriog  cf  coral  round 
^ihaad  The/cpmmon  people^  wore^  an  eU  oi^.tm 
of  meaner  stuff.  • 

Ladies  dreased  theor.hair  artfully,  iiKtermmag 
it.^fnth  coral  and  amulets  of  gold  ;  and  they:  wore 
SQiiMiA/.strtilgs  of  gold,  coral,  and  other  onMu 
0M9Btal  substances^  that^  from  the  neck  to  t  the 
HFftist  kbejr  needed  no  other  covering.  A  profusion 
oC/theae  were  also  worn  on  the  arms  and  legs,  inter* 
mixixl  with  rings  of  gold,  silver,  and  ivory;.  .The 
paan  .was  adorned  with  gold  or  silver  lace,,  and  was 
fhe^Uftttly  three  times  as  long  as  that  of  the  bmu. 
Iti(W$ts;^Koand'roand  the  waist,  and  fastened  by  a 
girdle  dbwLt  half  an  ell  broad  and  two  ells  Jong, 
tbe  two  ^ids  of  which  hung  down  over  the  paan, 
or  .petticoat.  Over  the  shoulders  was  thrown  a 
manUevOf  stifci*  or  sooate  other  fine  stuS*  A  Uack 
bflMBty-i^tie  jarrayed,  must  have  been  a 'most  die- 
gant  apd  interesting  object.  . 

iAassfldtirasranm&nt auras  bom^; the. fe^hafon, 
or.  priest,  wgayyA  stringi^  i>f ^oagaU  lor  atber  aiate- 
rials,  round  its  body,  limbs,  and  head.    These 


•  FUNEIUI^S  OF  NBOROES.  47ft 

wew  iupposed  to  poieess  the  power  of  ucmmg  it 
from  MdknesB  andiiccidMts ;  and  die  childfhiitt  no 
other  clothing  till  it  were  seven  or  eight  yei^'of 
age,  when  a  small  oovering  was  added«        ^^^'T 

The  common*  ibod  of  the  negroes  o€'i^  €kdd 
Coast  was  millet  boiled  to  the  consisteildi^^^ 
bread,  or  yams,  or  potatoes  ^  which^  wwe  MP 
sooed  with  palm  oil  and  boiied  herb«,  bnd^^s^ifi 
with  fish.  Oxen,  sheep,  and  pofdtry  wens' tftSIMl 
0&  great  occasions.      {  *  ifr?x: 

*  Distant  relations  assemUedfrem^allriptarCefVtll 
be  present  at  the  funeral  rites.  The  wlves^oif  tto 
deceased  shaved  their  hea^  dose,  $meai^d^thelr* 
bodies  with  white  earth,  put  on:^  a  wa^ni^^omtii^w^ 
ment^  and  ran  howling  about  the  str^MS  dfke 
furies,  repeating  the  name  of  their  late  hatband, 
aad  reciting  the  great  actions^of  his  past  Mftt  cIThe 
nearest  relatives  sat  by  the  corpse;  makidgvja;. 
mentations.  The  town's  people  and'  aci^uainttitietef 
brought  presents  of  gold»  cloth,  bntkdy^'gM:^fii^ 
^joined  the  doleful  cry.  During  the  ingtetf&i4fAd 
egress  of  all  sorts  of  people,  brandy  in  a  mcouing^ 
and  palm  wine  in  an  evening,  were  liberally  tfteftlK 
Wben  diese  ceremonies  had  lasted  one,  tw^/^ot 
three  days,  the  body  was  richly  clothed  attd  fnb 
into  a  coffin,  with  fine  cloths,  cosdy  corolsy^^^ld 
charms,  and  other  valuable  artielesv  f(^'«fai^i^'li£ 
the  deceased.  The  corpse  was  tbenoflrhisd 'Vb! 
the  grave,  preceded  by  a  number  of  jmittigf^en;^ 
running,  loadings  and  dischflvging'theii^  dcudOili^t 
and  followed  by  a  confused:  mulctttide  of  tteftiinii 
women.  r^ ': ■ :  i-^^ni  bfjB  injsg 

lAasoowastfae  body  was  depositttde^itiNsea/th, 
tbe  fanuae  of  mourning  beOEraus  atiM^W  wf  *fMiti|ig> 


47^  GOLD   COAST. 

and  revelry,  where  people,  ate,  drank,  and  were 
merry  for  several  days  successively. 

When  a  king,  or  a  very  great  man  died,  tbe 
body  wa.s  sometimes  laid  on  a  atenail  like  a  grid* 
iron,  dried  slowly  over  a  gentle  fire,  and  kept,  till 
it  were  convenient  to  make  the  funeral  custom, 
even  if  it  were  a  year.  Public  notice  of  the  day 
of  interment  being  given,  an  incredible  number  of 
people,  habited  as  richly  as  possible,  arrived  at 
theispot;  not  of  that  nation  only,  but  those  of 
other  countries,  desirous  to  see  the  spectacle*  At 
such  funerals,  several  slaves  of  the  deceased  were 
sacrificed^  to  serve  him  in  the  other  world,  as  was 
also  the  wife  dedicated  to  his  fetish :  several 
wretched  men,  who  through  age,  or  inability  were 
not  fit  for  labour,  were  bought  on  purpose  to  be 
victims.  These  miserable  creatures  underwent  a 
thousand  deaths,  being  killed  by  backing,  piercing, 
and  tormenting.  The  human  sacrifices  were  pre- 
vented near  the  European  settlements ;  but  the 
negroes  there  privately  withdrew  to  distant  places 
to  perform  them. 

When  the  body  of  a  negro  could  not  possibly  be 
convq^ed  to  his  own  country  for  interment,  his 
head,  one  arm,  and  one  leg,  were  cut  off;  and 
aAer  being  cleansed  and  prepared,  were  sent  there 
by  his  friends  or  acquaiatancey  and  buried  with 
the  accustomed  solemnities. 

.Every  town  had  one  or  two  officers  whose  btksi- 
neas  it  was  to  proclaim  the  orders  of  the  chief ;  to 
prookftim' things  lost  or  stolen }  to  moderate  the 
voices,  of  Ithe  council  when  disputes  ran  high,  or 
deixites  bBcame^eonfiised.  This  be  performed  by 
repenting  tfae^word,  Tie-tie^  hearken,  from  which 


ARMS   OP  N£GRO£S.  475 

the  name  of  his  office  was  taken.  The  Tie-ties 
were  also  public  messengers  to  either  the  friends 
or  enemies  of  the  state :  and  a  cap  made  of  the 
skin  of  a  long-haired  ape,  which  was  worn  by  them 
only,  was  a  passport  through  an  enemy's  country. 
They  carried  in  their  hand  a  bundle  of  fine  rushes, 
and  the  hair  of  the  elephant's  tail,  with  wbich^ 
when  they  were  not  otherwise  employed,  they 
drove  tiiie  flies  from  the  face  of  the  chief. 

The  arms  of  the  negroes  were,  European  mus-^ 
kets,  which  they  got  in  exchange  for  their  gdd, 
and  which  they  handled  with  wonderful  dexterity, 
discharging  them  sitting,  creeping,  and  lying 
down  ;  a  kind  of  sword,  or  chopping-knife,  about 
eight  or  ten  inches  broad  at  the  extremity,  and 
four  at  the  handle,  and  about  two  feet  long ;  and 
the  bassagay,  a  long  and  slender  spear,  which  they 
threw  with  the  right  hand.  They  had  bows  and 
arrows,  the  latter  pointed  with  iron,  and  having 
feathers  at  the  head  i  but  these  were  not  in  gene* 
ral  use  along  the  coast.  The  swords  had  an  orria- 
mented  wooden  guard  :  or,  among  people  of  <»>n- 
dition,  thin  plates  of  gold.  The  sheath  wan  of 
leather,  and  from  it  was  suspended  the  head  of  a 
leopard,  or  a  red  shell,  both  of  which  were  consi- 
dered as  very  valuable.  The  military  cap  was 
made  of  the  crocodile's  skin,  and  adorned  on  eacb 
side  with  a  red  shell,  and  behind,  with  a  quantity 
of  horse-hair.  In  battle,  the  paan  was  brought 
between  the  legs,  that  it  might  not  impede  tl^m 
when  running.  When  they  darted  the  hassagay, 
they  covered  their  bodies  with  a  shield  four  or 
five  feet  long,  and  three  broadb,  which  they  amied 
on  the  left  arm ;  it  was  made  of  oziero,  and  co« 
vered  with  leopard's  skin,  gilt  leather,  or  some 


47^  ,  GOLD   COAST. 

other^ttiaterial.  The  ttt!gro  strtick  with  his' sabre, 
or  (htrted  likrltas«agBy,  ^Wle  he  Variedliis  attitude, 
atiaplayed-wafi  liis  shicldV  so  that  it  was  difficult 
t<y  wound  him.:  '  -    ..— 

;^  Negroes  iirere  not  eiiily  prcivailcd  upon  to 
^wrk  ft*  Eur6pfeans. '  For  themselves  they  ^anu- 
fkdtured  earthen  vessefei  1>owls  and  troughs  of 
^haii  tnatj,  copper  bokes  for  orhtment,  arm-rings 
bfgold,  sflVer,  "and  ivory,  all  their  instruments  of 
Itrsbafhdry,  atirf  all  their  weapons  of  war,  except 
ttitak^ti.  '  Theiy  made  fetishes  of  gold,  cast  in 
mdulds  of  bfack  earth,  and  gold  and  silver  hkt^ 
batJdi'fi^  the  Europeans,  the  thread  and  teitttif^ 
of  Which  were  so  fine,  that  it  woold  not  haveb^en 
easy  for  a  Eui^opean  artificer  ta  imitate  them. 
^  The  evil  spirit  was  annually  banished  all  their 
tdilms  'by  a  ceremony  which  consisted  of  ^ifa^ing, 
daiidn^,  jumping,  drinking,  and  full  liberty  of 
sfieech,  during  seven  days  ;  and  on  the  morning  of 
thfe'  eightft  day  a  universal  cry  was  made  by  the 
inhabitants,  and  each  threw  sticks,  stones,  and 
dirt  as  fast  as  he  could  take  them  up ;  running 
hfltt  the  imaginary  demon,  who  was  supposed 
td  ht  fleeing  before  them.  When  they  had  driven 
Utitt  to  a  tonvent^t  distance  from  the  town,  they 
M  i^fetumed;  the  women  scoured  their  wooden  and 
eattbeti  v6^els,  and  t^e  community  was  freed  from 
hit'  attack  for  another  year.  This  ceremony  took 
pHck-itt  k  hundred  towns  and  villages  on  the 
c36ai%  otf  the^lSttie  day. 

i^'^^'hegrbi^^  %rtller  inland  had  Incky  ^nfd  nn- 
Ibcky  da;^  V'^^^^  the  letter  they  remained  in  a 
ikkfk'  of  al^MQt^  iifieneis  ;  thus  rendefring  their 
ifnaginifion^ftrt.^'^  .i^i.>/ 

The  apes  6f  this  cooritiy  Ai'cf  rifearly 'fiV*?ft«fe 


APES  AND  ANTS.  477 

high,  bold  and  mUchievous ;  and  the  notion  that 
they  can  speak,  but  will  not,  leat  thejr  should  be 
made  to  work»  is  universaL  All  monkeys  are  A^- 
trous  thieves.  In  stealing  the  large.  miUf^  th^y 
take  one  or  two  stalks  in  each  paMs^  as  mapijr  ui|ider 
each  arm,  if  the  fore  legs  may  be^  ctll^^v^^ 
two  or  three  in  their  mouths.}  and,  thus .1^4^ 
they  march  off,  leaping  oi^  their, hind. <l^gS(^.  4^ 
they  are  pursued^  they  driq^all  the  booty,  exqep^ 
the  portion  which  they  carry  in  their  mouth^^^];]^ 
it  may  not  retard  their  flight.  Jiut  this  .i^^^^Jj^ 
extraordinary  than  their  discjcin^ajtiofx  pf :  th« 
miUet,  every  stalk,  of  which  is  >^i3celj;|ejjf;aiwi,<\^§ 
when  they^ave  plucked.it ;  ajoid  if,. ^pj|^.^^ 
like  it,  they  throw  iliaway»  and  pluc;kjgpqtl^gf. -.-^r^ 

Ants  on  the  Gold  X^astwilLjattfc^.^ ^^^ 
sheep  in  the  night,  and  leave.it ^/4^9  P^iP^fi^^ 
skeleton  before  morning.  As  soon^ppe^j^jt^v^ 
assaults  a  rat» .  he  is  inevitably  gqne ; .  JTqr^  rP%^ 
tempting  jip  escape,  he  is  attacked  l>yrai;i9|^$  apd 
another,  on  his  way,  till  he  ia  pye^poif«r^^^j^ 
opnxeyed  by  numbers  to  a  place;  whei^^^li^  $:Alt 
deypur,  him  in  safety.  If  these  insect^  .haiff  ^f^t^ 
language,  they  have  at  least,  a  method /^j^gfii^^H- 
nicating.  ipteliigence  to  each  other*  .  t,l)%F^  ^9 
on^  or  twf^  which,  having  di^^vepec^ari^i?^  191 
beetle,  .bajve  immediately  dq^r^d,,rap4^^*fcWBS4 
i^  a  minufe,  bringing  widi  them^  lo^x^^f^thgif 
fellpws ;  ^  if  the^e  werQ  ,^f)p  auJpScj^,  ;jEn9^  ^i^ 
called  ;  and  when  they  ha4^fec}wetd,^lii^;r  JiNT) 
they  flMxql^;  off. with^i^  ^^0^  j^f^f^fss^if^ 
wch  fM;J^F;=A«7tJie.f €51^91^1, .<^^^^  .'pie 

wooden  chest  in  one  night,  and  ji^^{|^^,f^^.^ 
b9l»s  S^^^^til^^  ^^fOvfiiMP^  »##4^Pt*  T 


VfS  GOLD   COAST* 

I  have  had  frequent  occasion  to  mention  palm 
wine  and  oil,  and  I  shall  now  give  some  account 
of  various  uses  of  the  tree  that  produces  tbemithe 
number  of  which  is,  perhaps,  not  surpassed  by  any 
thing  in  the  vegetable  creation. 

The  leaves  are  manufactured  into  ropes,  nets, 
and  other  things.  The  nut,  when  young,  is 
roasted  and  eaten  ;  when  old,  it  contains  the  palm 
oil,  which  is  expressed  like  that  of  olives ;  when 
the  oil  is  extracted,  the  pulp  is  con^ered  by  the 
negroes  as  a  delicacy,  and  when  it  becomes  too 
stale  for  this  purpose,  it  is  excellent  to  fatten  hogs. 
The  tree  is  then  bereft  of  all  its  branches,  which 
serve  for  fences,  coverings  of  houses,  &c.  and 
when  it  has  remained  a  few  day«  in  this  state,  a 
small  hole  is  made  in  the  trunk,  into  which  is  in- 
serted a  reed.  Through  this  pipe  the  liquor  called 
palm  wine  dr<^s  slowly  into  a  vessel  placed  below 
to  receive,  it.  Scarcely  two  quarts  issue  from  one 
tree  during  twenty-four  hours  ;  but  the  tree  con-' 
tinues  dropping  twenty  or  thirty  days.  The  last 
drop  of  moisture  being  forced  out,  by  a  fire  kindled 
at  the  bottom,  the  life  and  the  usefulness  of  the 
tree  end  together,  except  that  its  trunk  serves  tor 
fuel.  The  wine,  when  drank  fresh,  or  as  the  phrase 
is  here,  under  the  tree,  is  a  pleasant  beverage ;  but 
it  is  so  strong  that  it  speedily  intoxicates. 

The  stalk  of  the  large  millet  grows  eight  or  ten 
ffeet  high,  and  on  one  stalk  grow  one,  two, 
three,  and  sometimes  four  ears  of  corn,  each  con- 
taining from  three  to  four  hundred  grains.  A 
thousand  "stalks  yield  commonly  about  five  bushels 
4tf  eotti.  The  millet  is  sown  and  reaped  twice  in 
thte  year ;  but  the  latter  crop  is  small. 
-  I  now  quitted  thfe  Gold  Coast,  and  proceeding 


GRAIN   COAST.  ^i 

westward,  I  touched  at  the  n^ro  town  called 
Corby  la  Hou,  situated  on  the  Ivory  Coast ;  «t  was 
large  j^nd  very  populous.  The  men  load  their 
legs  with  thick  iron  rings  ;  and  the  gseater  a  man's 
quality,  the  greater  the  load  he  carries^  I  saw 
some  persons  of  such  distinction  that  they  had 
upwards  of  sixty  pounds  weight  of  iron  on  one 
leg.  I^his  seems  to  be  one  of  the  most  hurden- 
sorae  of  the  caprices  of  fashion.  Very  fine  cloths,  ^ 
.composed  of  six  stripes  each,  are  manufactured 
here.  If  the  father  bca  weaver,  a  fisherman,  or 
any  other  occupation,  the  son  is  brought  up  to 
the  same.  They  are  such  expert  divers,  that  if  a 
string  of  coral  be  thrown,  into  the  sea  when  tbsy 
are  on  bpard  a  vessel,  they  will  jump  into  tlie 
water,  and  bring  it  up. 

Passing  Cape  Falmas,  I  came  to  the  GraiR 
Coast,  so  named,  not  from  the  abundance  of  edafele 
grkin  it  produces,'  though  rice,  in  particular,  ts 
very  plentiful,  but  from  the  abundance  of  the 
Malaguetta  pepper,  known  in  England  by  the 
name  of  Grains  of  Paradise.  I  anchored  c^the 
town  of  Fettra  Kroo,  the  principal  town  of  the 
Kroomen,  which  is  situated  in  about  5^  north  la- 
titude, and  7°  48'  west  longitude*  There  are  five 
other  towns  in  the  territory. 

The  Kroomen  are  tall,  well  made,  muscular  and 
active.  They  hire  themselves  as  labourers  at 
Sierra  Leone,  which  is  about  350  miles  from  their 
country ;  and  they  are  to  be  found  as  tradots, 
sailors,  factors,  and  interpreters,  at  «very  viUagie 
an  d  factory  in  the  intermediate  spacev  The washc&r- 
women  at  Sierra  Leone  have  lately  employed 
their  hired  Kroomen  to  carry  baskets  j^,  met 
clcMt;hes  from  the  brook.    They  £eel  the  indignity. 


480  GRAIN   tOASt. 

Bind  say,  ^  Man  sbouki  O0t  tieniade  to  d6  woman*s 
werk  ;'*  hnt  aa  dny  an  pui,  they  submit.  The 
men  efli^Iayed  at  &  diMHtt  ftont  tiieir  eomtryy 
are  seldooi  law  than  HBtmn  ymn  of  age,  or  more 
than  forty ;  thoia  who  nmaia  at  home  cuitivaiii 
the  groiuui,  fish,  and  aomatamas  t^ ;  ^  but 
Kraomen^"  as  d^y  lay,  **  nvt  like  to  fight  agiisat 
Kroomen/' 

In  the  year  1809,  the  nnmbar  of  KitMNnen  at 
Sierca  Leime  amounted  to  eight  hundred.  Th^ 
live  upoD  a  little  rice,  tad  convert  the  greater 
part  of  tteir  wages  into  such  goods  as  aiw  most 
valuable  in  their  own  country.  In  a  year  and  a 
bdf,  or  two  years,  a  sufficient  stock  is  coileeted, 
and  the  Krooman  returns  home  with  his  wealth. 
A  certain  portion  of  it  is  given  to  the  head  man 
of  the  town;  his  mother,  if  ^be  be  livings  has  a 
handsome  present ;  and  all  his  relations  and  friends 
are  partdfiers  of  his  riches,  if  there  be  but  a  leaf  of 
tobacco  for  each.  This  liberality  is  displayed  to 
''  get  him  a  good  name."  What  remains  of  his 
fortune  is  given  to  his  fiither  to  *'  buy  htm  a  wilb  ;** 
and  after  a  few  months  indulgence  at  hoBK,  he 
sets  out  again  for  Sierra  Leone,  or  one  of  ibe 
factories  on  the  eoast,  to  labour  for  more  moBi&y. 

By  this  time  the  Krooman  is  proud  oibemg  ac- 
quainted with  "  white  man's  fashion,'^  imd  takes 
with  him  some  raw  youth,  whom  he  initiates  into 
the  mystery  of  his  calling,  and  of  whose  labour  be 
shares  the  jKofit :  and  when  he  lias  amassed  ano- 
ther fortune,  he  again  returns  home  ;  confirms  his 
former  good  name  by  additional  presents,  and  en- 
gages his  father  to  buy  him  another  wife.  In  this 
manner  he  goes  on  for  ten  or  twelve  years ; 
scarcely  appropriating  a  particle  of  his  earnjingsto 


GRAIN    COAST.  4S1 

his  awn  use}  but  lof^^iMiiBg^his. mfmtation,  and 
the  number  of  his  wi^fi^  J^h^if^  of  ^»e  Kroo^ 
man  ASf^  wa$  sov4;i^  ^  j^i^AiBy  iv^o  Sfivea.at  once^ 
and  whose  father  J^4%^2ML!^Hfllfi  ^Igbtttsu    • 
^ili^.^niv^^^^  that,  i£:A 

K^f^man  wew  tft^asajr^r^d  an^iWritfi,i»-TOuld 
be,{^.|a.d^>tl^.(^J)isj^^  eoiiflfer}^ 

Premiums  have  been  proposed  to   KrooDsm;  if^ 

*^S)' S8i44  ¥*^ '^./^^^^-^-^^       bttt  difltiiu:- 
tio^  power,^  aQ4  r^^ot^  j|nt)»Ag.  thek  jaani^ri^ , 
meoit.  ^6  to  them  all  that  is  hooQUi^ahle  ^nd  de^ 
sir^bie  i»,  taHe.,tb^^  ingkegaants. ftpm  tbem^  and^ 
you;ti)caAwajf  their  VMii^^  for  iuduftryrand  aeif- 
deniai..:,      ,. 

^  Pie,.jint^ght,Krooi|iaa  ibes  not  take  the  pro-. ^ 
per^of.^Qtlift]»  'y  those  wha  have  lived  loog  among 
Eur<y)^nsdo{  butJt  is  difficult  to  detect  a  thief;  ' 
.for  aAycma  will. suffer  in  bia  awn  person,  rather 
than  hesLJ^  testimony  against  another. «  They  plead 
in  their,  own  defence  with  much  art.  A  thief, 
whose^uilt  was  evideut,  made  a  long  speech  to 
the  iB^vein^r  of  Sierra  Leon e«  on  his  trial,  in* 
whi(?h«Jb^  .expressed  bis  sorraw  that  the  governor 
was  na|J)^Q  a^Krpomau  ;  and  enlarged  upon  the 
supeci^,^ili$y;h«^ould  then  have  possessed  to 
disting;ui8l\.  k^tween  truth: < :and  falsdiood  where 
Kroomea  weretcpncemei&si  he^dtd  not  forgiH'  to 
mention  the  security  against  deception  he  might 
in  that  ca$e  ha\^e  obtained,  by  qieans  of  fetishes, 
of  which,  he  said,  white  men  knew  neither  the 
value  nor  the  use. 

From  Fettra  Kroo,  I  went  t(>a  village,  on  the 
Rig  Sestro,  close  to  the  shore,  containing  about 
sixt^  houses,  raised  two  or  three  feet  from  the 


482  '  GRAIN    COAST. 

ground,  the  ascent  to  which  was  by  a  short  ladder* 
The  houses  were  neatly  built,  and  had  upper 
stories.  The  Sestro  is  a  fine  river  ;  its  banks  are 
wooded  and  full  of  villages.  That  of  the  king  is 
situated  about  three  miles  from  the  mouth.  I 
found  this  monarch,  if  such  he  may  be  called, 
sitting  on  his  heels,  on  a  fine  mat,  in  a  large  semi- 
circular building  entered  by  a  ladder,  and  appro- 
priated to  public  business.  He  was  an  elderly, 
.  silver-haired  man,  dressed  in  a  frock  of  white  cot- 
ton, curiously  embroidered  with  worsted  of  differ- 
ent colours.  On  his. head  was  a  tall  cap,  like  a 
mitre,  composed  of  osiers,  and  adorned  with  ram's 
horns,  porcupine's  tails,  and  gree-grees,  as  amulets 
are  called  here.  Round  his  neck  was  a  string  of 
knotted  rushes,  from  which  were  suspended  two 
kid's  horns  ;  his  hair  was  also  twisted  into  tufts, 
resembling  horns,  which  here  were  the  prevailing, 
symbol  of  dignity.  He  was  attended  by  about 
twenty  of  his  counsellors,  who  sat  on  his  right 
and  left,  driessedin  frocks,  but  bare-headed.  How 
•far  the  power  of  this  simple  sovereign  extended 
I  know  not ;  but  he  was  courteous,  and  amiable, 
and  lived  among  his  people  like  the  careful  and 
affectionate  father  of  a  large  family. 

The  people  here  are  strong  and  laborious.  They 
cultivate  the  ground,  and  make  weapons  and 
knives.  Their  canoes  are  neatly  ornamented.; 
their  malaguetta  is  sold  in  large  baskets  jna4e  of 
bulrushes.  Women  never  eat  with  tbeiifi  ^husbands, 
or  children  with  their  parents  :  the  husband  eats 
first,  tjien  the  wife,  then  the  children.' 
'  When  I  had  been  treated  with  hospitality  by 
the  chief,  all  his  people  offered  me  their  housea  ; 


FUKERAL    CEREMONIES.  483 

but  I  found  it  impossible  to  remain  in  any  one  of 
them  a  quarter  of  an  hour,  on  account  of  the  heat 
and  smoke.  Negroes^  in  general^  keep  up  a  small 
fire  during  the  night,  and  Bleep  with  their  feet 
near  it ;  a  custom,  which,  though  it  throw  them  in 
a  bath,  I  believe  contributes  to  their  health,  by 
correcting  the  humidity  of  the  air.  The  climate 
here  is  ipoist,  hot,  and  unwholesome. 

I  had  an  opportunity  of  witnessing  the  funeral 
ceremonies  of  these  people.  An  old  woman  dying, 
the  corpse  was  laid  out,  and  covered  with  a  cloth, 
and  all  the  inhabitants  of  the  village  arranged 
themselves  in  order  round  it,  each  holdmg  a  few 
banana  leaves,  to  shade  it  from  the  sun.  The 
men  then,  in  a  distracted  manner,  ran  howling 
about  the  house  of  the  deceased,  while  the  women 
sat  round  the  body  and  joined  in  the  horrid  dis- 
cord. When  this  had  continued  twenty-four. 
hours,  the  body  was  placed  in  a  cof&n  with  a  pot 
of  rice,  and  another  of  palm  wine,  and  the  coffin 
was  put  in  a  canoe,  and  carried  by  ten  stout 
young  men  to  the  river,  to  be  transported  to  the 
place  of  the  old  woman's  nativity  ;  each  person 
being,  if  possible,  buried  where  he  was  born. 

In  three  days  the  friends  and  relations  returned, 
bringing  with  them  a  sheep  and  a  quantity  of 
palm  wine  for  the  funeral  feast.  I  was  invited  to , 
join  them ;  and,  as  I  happened  to  be  hungry,  I 
ate  and  drank  -with  them  as  long  as  any  mutton  or 
wine  remained;  I  then  retired,  thinking  I  had 
been  very  hospitably  entertained.  But  it  appeared 
that  I  had  literally  reckoned  without  my  hosts ; 
for  the  next  morning  I  was  waited  on  by  the 
whole  company,  and  each  demanded  a  particular 

ii2' 


484  GRAIN    COAST. 

present;  so  that  when  I  had  satisfied  them^  I 
found  I  had  defrayed  the  whole  expence  of  the 
feast.  A  Dutch  trader,  on  such  an  occasion,  made 
a  memorandum  in  hfs  pocket-book  never  to  accept 
an  invitation  to  an  old  woman's  funeral. 

When  a  man  of  consequence  is  interred,  a  male 
slave  and  a  female,  after  being  well  fed,  are  put, 
in  a  standing  posture,  into  two  holes,  dug  for  that 
purpose,  near  the  grave,  their  heads  only  appearing 
above  the  ground.  The  deceased  is  then  requested 
to  accept  of  them,  and  the  two  heads  are  struck 
off  and  placed  in  the  grave,  one  on  each  side  of  the 
coflBn.  Four  kids,  or  sheep,  killed  on  the  spot, 
pots  of  rice  and  of  palm  wine,- and  various  fruits, 
are  added ;  and  the  dead  person  is  entreated  to 
make  use  of  these  on  his  journey,  if  he  should  be 
hungry  or  thirsty.  These  people  consider  death 
.  only  as  the  passage  to  a  better  life. 

According  to  my  own  ideas,  nothing  but  mur- 
der or  self-defence  can  be  a  sufficient  reason  for 
the  taking  away  human  life ;  but  among  men  who 
believe  that,  by  sacrificing  slaves,  they  are  intro- 
ducing them  to  a  better  state  of  servitude,  under 
a  happier  master,  the  sacrifice  admits  of  some 
extenuation.  .^ 

I'rom  Rio  Sestro,  I  safled  to  Cape  Mezurado, 
the  termination  of  the  Grain  Coast,  where  I 
landed,  and  saw  three  villages,  consisting  of  about 
twenty  houses  each.  Each  house  contained  three 
neat  apartments,  and  was  inhabited  h^  from  fifty 
to  sixty  persons  of  both  sexes  and  all  ages.  The 
women- were  handsome,  and,  as  the  men  informed 
me,  were  permitted  to  be  very  civil  to  white  men 
,  for  money.    The  river  Mezurado,  is  about  a  hun- 


CAPB   MONTE.  485 

dred  and  twenty  yards  broad  at  its  mouth.  It  is 
navigable  for  boats  about  forty  miles  ;  a  little  be- 
yond this  there  are  falls  that  prevent  further  navi- 
gation. The  country  between  Cape  Palmas  and 
Cape  Mezurado  is  supposed  to  contain  upwards  of 
fifty  negro  villages.  The  extent  is  more  than 
twenty-five  leagues. 

Leaving  Cape  Mezurado,  I  sailed  to  Cape 
Monte.  As  soon  as  I  landed,  the  whole  shore  was 
covered  with  black  men,  who  welcomed  me,  and 
conducted  me  to  their  houses.  The  king,  or  ra- 
ther chief,  seemed  to  rank  with  the  chief  of  Rio 
Sestro,  and  resided  in  a  village  about  three  iniles 
up  the  river,  with  four  hundred  of  his  wives  and 
children. 

The  inhabitants  cultivate  rice,  millet,  yams,  and 
potatoes,  and  boil  salt  for  their  king,  whose  slaves 
they  are.  Each  man  has  as  many  wives  as  he  can 
maintain,  and  in  increasing  th^ir  number,  increases 
that  of  his  labourers.     I  enquired  respecting  their 

•  religion,  and  was  told  that  it  consisted  in  rever- 
encing  and  obeying  the  king,  without  troubling 
themselves  with   what  was  above  them.     I  en- 

*  quired  concerning  their  wars,  and  was  informed 
that  they  were  not  often  troubled  with  them,  for 
when  any  dispute  happened,  they  rather  chose  to 
end  it  amicably  than  come  to  blows.     They  ap- 

*peared  also  to  live  peaceably  with  their  wives,  and 
not  to  trpuble  themselves  with  their  familiarity 
with  white  men. 

The  people  in  the  vicinity  of  Cape  Monte  name 
their  children  when  they  are  ten  days  old..  On 
such  an  occasion,  all  the  inhabitants  of  a  village 
assemble ;  and,  as  is  not  unfrequent,  when  a  vil- 
lage assembles,  a  great  noise  is  made.  If  the  infant 


486  CAPE   MOKTE. 

be  a  boy,  he  is  laid  upon  a  shield,  and  a  small  bow 
is  put  into  his  hand  by  the  officiating  person ;  who 
wishes  that  he  may  soon  be  like  his  father,  an  in- 
dustrious man,  a  good  builder,  a  good  husband- 
man, to  get  rice  to  entertain  those  who  may  come 
to  visit  him  ;  that  he  may  not  be  a  drunkard,  or 
a  gormandizer,  or  covet  his  neighbour's  wife.  If 
the  infant  be  a  girl,  she  is  laid  on  a  mat,  and  a 
little  staff  is  put  into  her  hand.  She  is  exhorted 
to  be  industrious,  cleanly,  chaste,  a  good  cook, 
and  a  dutiful  wife,  so  that  her  husband  may  love 
hei*  above  all  his  other  wives.  After  these  wishes 
and  admonitions  are  ended,  the  child  is  named, 
and  returned  to  its  mother,  and  the  ceremony  con- 
cludes with  a  feast.  If  these  people  have  not  much 
religion,  they  have  some  morality;  and  if  they 
are  not  warlike,  they  have  some  good  sense.  I 
am  sorry  to  add,  that  human  sacrifices  are  not  un- 
known among  them.. 

When  a  great  man  dies,  the  hair  is  dressed,  and 
the  body  finely  clothed  and  set  upright,  being 
supported  by  props.  The  relations  and  friends 
kneel  round  it  j  with  their  backs  to  the  corpse,  and 
shoot  their  arrows,  as  they  call  it,  "  round  the 
world,**  to  signify  that  th^y  are  ready  to  revenge 
the  deceased  on  any  person  who  may  speak  ill  of 
him,  or  who  may  have  been  the  cause  of  his  death. 
Women  and  slaves  are  strangled  to  attend  him  in* 
the  otK«  world,  and  are  put  into  the  grave  with 
some  necessary  utensils,  such  as  kettles,  bowls, 
and  mats.  When  the  king  is  supposed  to  be 
dying,  many  persons  hide  their  daughters  ;  while 
those  who  attend  the  sick  monarch  endeavoor  to 
conceal  his  situation,  that  the  people  rtiay  not 
abscond.     When  the  absentees  return,  thev  are 


CAPJE    MONT£.  4^, 

repn>aqhed  with  cowardice,  and  told  it  was  unrea-* 
soniJ^le  to  have  eaten  the  breiad  of  their  lord,  and 
to  have  refused  to  die  with  him.  These,  reason- 
able persons  imagine  that  a  whole  body  is  a  better 
servant  than  a  head  only  ;  the  victims  therefore, 
are  sent  entire  to  the  grave }  they  al^o  imagine< 
that  a  well  fed  body  makes  a  better  servs^nt  than 
one  with  an  empty  stomach  j  the  victims  there* 
foreare  compelled  to  eat  heartily  bqfore  they  are 
S4cri£ced* 

The  men  of  Cape  Monte  wear  the  Sudan  shifts 
with  ^ide  sleeves ;  the  women  have  only  a  cloth 
wound  round  the  waist,  and  hanging  to  the  knees* 

I  now  proceeded  to  the. river  Sherbro,  near  the 
mouth  of  which  are  two  small  islands,  besides  the 
large  one  called  S^erbro,  which  is  about  forty-five 
miles  from  east  to  west,  and  about  fifteen  irom 
north  to-  south.  The  inhabitants  of  Sherbro  are 
BuUoms  ;  but  as  I  shall  particularly  describe  the 
manners  and  customs  of  these  people  when  I  come 
to  Sierra  Leone,  I  shall  only  mention  a  few  of  their 
peculiarities. 

The  men  clear  a  fresh  plantation  every  year, 
during  which  time  the  women  are  employed  in 
making  salt.  When  the  wood  is  cut  and  burnt, 
the  women  and  the  young  people  perform  the  re^t 
of  the  labour.  The  people  are  kind  to  each  other, 
and  if  strangers  go  among  them,  they  give  them 
water  to  wash,  oil  to  anoint  their  skins^  provii> 
sions  to  eat,  and  will  quit  their  own  beds  to  lodge 
them.  TheY  will  pass  the  day  in  looking  fox  pajl^ 
wine,  and  the  night  in  dancing.  Th^y  have  fi^t 
sheep  and  goats,  abundance  of  fowls,  duck/fe  iHS4; 
geese,  and  they  pan  raise  any  quantity  of  ffiq^^hey, 
please.    They  doniot  salt  their  rnc^t^  bub  dry  it< 


488  SHBEBRO. 

over  a  fire.  Th6  coffee  tree  grows  wild  in  the 
countries  adjoining  the  Sherbroj  but  the  inha- 
bitants are  ignorant  of  its  value. 

The  most  enviable  ornasient  for  a  child  is  a 
leopard's  tooth  suspended  from  the  wrist.  This  is 
a  badge  of  freedom,  and  cannot  be  worn  by  the 
child  of  a  slave. 

Among  the  BuUoms  of  Sherbro  there  are  itine^ 
rant  nvasters  in  the  art  of<]ancing,  who  are  dressed 
in  the  most  extravagant  manner.  On  their  heads 
they  wear  a  monstrous  fabric  of  bamboo,  adorned 
with  feathers ;  on  their  legs  a  number  of  iron  rings 
that  jingle  as  the  wearer  moves  ;  the  rest  of  their 
clothing  is  a  petticoat  of  grass.  When  one  of  these 
men  comes  into  a  town,  the  young  women  form  a 
ring  around  him  ;  while  he  throws  himself  into  a 
variety  of  the  most  fatiguing  attitudes,  till  *he 
perspiration  streams  from  every  part  of  his  body, 
and  he  is  quite  exhausted. 

The  chiefs  of  Sherbro  accuse  tl^eir  wives  of  being 
witches  when  they  begin  to  grow  rather  elderly, 
even  if  they  have  brought  them  children,  to  make 
room  for  younger  women.  The  number  of  their 
wives  is  from  ten  to  thirty. 

On  the  death  of  a  great  man  the  women  shave 
their  heads,  and  inflict  wounds  on  their  arms, 
breasts,  and  backs.  Both«men  and  women  dance 
night  and  day  during  the  funeral  cry,  and  drink 
as  much  r\}m  as  they  can.  get'.  On  such  an  occa- 
sion eight  or  nine  puncheons  are  drank,  guns  are 
fired,  and  two  or  four  people  are  sacrificed. 

From  Sherbro  I  entered  the  river  of  Sierra 
Leone,  and  took  up  my  lodgipg  at  Freetown,  an 
.  establishment  ol*  my  countrymen. 


489^  '> 

CHAPTER  XKIX. 

SISRRA    LEONE. 

1  HE  river  of  Sierra  Leone,  or  Mitofnba,  Us  it  is 
called  by  the  negroes,  is  about  fifteen  miles  wide 
at  its  mouth,,  which  lies  in  8^  80'  north  latitude, 
and  18^  4*8'  west  longitude.  Six  miles  abo^e,  the 
river  is  six  or  seven  miles  in  breadth,  which  it  con- 
tinues to  be  nearly  twenty  miles  fkrther,  where  it  di- 
vides into  two  large  branches  called  Port  Lago  at)d 
Rokelle  river.  Before  this  it  had  received  a  «mftll 
brfinch  on  the  north,  called  Bullom  river,  and  a 
larger  on  the  south  called  the  Bunch*  The  air  on 
the  coast  is  so  humid  that  salt  and  sugar  can 
scarcely  be  kept  in  a  dry  state  ;  and  a  thick  bar  of 
•^iron  that  has  lain  on  the  ground  five  or  six  years 
may  be  easily  broken  to  pieces  with  the  hand. 
The  mean  degree  of  heat  at  Freetown  is  84** ;  but 
in  the  months  of  July,  August,  and  September, 
it  is  sometimes  above  100. 

Freetown  is  situated  on  an  eleyated  spot,  on  the 
southern  side  of  the  river,  about  six  miles  from  its 
mouth,  and  contain^  about  four  hundred  houses 
built  with  wood,  with  a  church,  an  hospital,  a 
store-house,  and  a  house  for  the  governor.  It  were 
greatly  to  be  wished  that  a  colony  established  for 
such  noble  purposes  as  those  of  abolishing  the 
slave  trade,  and  civilizing  black  men,  should  an- 
swer the  ends  proposfed ;  but  perhaps  it  is  not  in 
the  nature  of  things  that  it  should  do  so  to  any 
extent ;   perhaps  the  manners  of  black  men  are' 


490  SIERRA   LEONE. 

assimilated  to  their  climate,  and  are  in  some  de« 
gree  inseparable  from  it ;  and  perhaps  the  fatal  in- 
fluence of  the  climate  on  Europeans  may  proceed 
from  the  dissimilarity  of  their  habits.  In  a  word, 
it  might  be  as  easy  to  wash  black  men  white,  as  to 
produce  any  general  change  in  them,  and  as  easy 
to  extirpate  them  as  either. 

I  went  up  the  river  of  Sierra  Leone  as  far  as  its 
junction  with  the  Bunch ;  and  having  ascended 
this  about  three  miles,  I  arrived  at  the  small  island 
of  Gambia.  From  hence  I  sent  m^  compliments 
to  Panaboora  Forbanna,  king  of  the  Timmanees,  a 
people  who  inhabit  the  southern  side  of  the  river. 
The  length  of  his  little  kingdom  was  thirty-six 
milesi  and  its  breadth  about  ten ;  but  he  was  a 
good  king,  and  beloved  by  his  subjects.  He  owed 
to  them  his  crown,  which  was  only  a  cap  of  blue 
cloth,  and  his  throne,  which  was  nothing  but  a 
straw  mat. 

At  ten  o'clock  the  next  morning  Forbanna  and 
his  wife,  attended  by  four  of  the  principal  men, 
came  in  a  canoe  to  visit  me.  The  canoe  was  four- 
teen feet  long,  and  was  paddled  by  twelve  men. 
At  dinner  I  placed  the  king  next  to  myself  j  he  re* 
quested  a  chair  for  the  lady  ;  but  he  had  it  placed 
on  his  left,  and  a  little  behind  his  own.  I  ordered 
her  a  plate,  which  she  placed  on  her  knees,  and 
the  king  shared  with  her.  all  that  was  given  him. 
I  had  prepared  a  dish  of  rice,  dressed  in  the  negro 
manner,  by  steam,  and  mixed  with  pieces  of  fish 
and  poultry :  this  Forbanna  thought  delicious.  If 
a  negro  have  been  feasted  with  every  delicacy  a 
European  can  here  place  on  his  table,  and  rice 
constitute  no  part  of  the  entertainment,  he  will 
say  he  has  had  no  meat.     Roast  meat  the  king  did 


KING   or  THE   TIMBtANEES.  491 

not  like ;  salt  meat  he  ate  with  great  reHlb,  and 
bread  in  great  quantity.  The  lady  ate  a  consi-* 
deraUe  quantity  of  sugar ;  they  both  drank  wine, 
though  sparingly* 

After  dinner  I  presented  his  majesty  with  a  com- 
plete suit  of  scarlet  cloth,  richly  laced  with  gold, 
a  shirt  and  neckcloth  trimmed  with  broad  lace^  an 
enormous  cocked  hat  with  a  red  feather,  red  stock- 
ings,  shoes  with  red  heels  and  large  silver  buckles, 
to  these  I  added  a  large  sword  with  a  wrought  sil- 
ver hafidle,  and  a  cane  four  feet  and  a  half  long, 
with  a  prodigious  silver  head.  To  his  wife  I  gave 
some  amber  and  agate,  some  cloves  and  glass  trin- 
kets, and  a  piece  of  gauze  striped  with  blue  sDk. 

At  sight  of  these  royal  robes,  Forbanna  could 
not  contain  his  satisfftction,  and  his  wife  was  quite 
overpowered.  She  clapped  her  hands,  exclaiming, 
"  atot,  atot,  mungo  oonifera !"  —  bravo,  bravo, 
white  king !  and,  eager  to  see  her  husband  in  this 
magnificent  dress,  she  divested  him  of  his  cap,  and 
tWb  pieces  of  cotton,  which  formed  the  whole  of  his 
apparel,  except  a  third  piece  which  hung  fr6m  bis 
waist  to  the  middle  of  the  thigh.  She  then  put  on 
the  scarlet  coht  and  waistcoat^  considering,  proba- 
bly, that  shirt,  breeches,  shoes,  and  stockings, 
might  form  a  state  habiliment  of  themselves.  Her 
husband  put  on  the  hat,  crossed  the  sword-belt 
over  his  shoulders,  and  held  the  cane  in  his  hand. 

Forbanna,  king  as  he  was,  and  a  good  king,  was 
neither  yonng  nor  handsome;  and  it  was  not  a 
little  ludicrous  to  see  his  majestic  gravity  in  his 
new  robes,  while  his  dusky  body  was  exposed 
through  the  opening  of  his  waistcoat,  and  his  con- 
sort walked  round  him  with  unbounded  admiration. 


49S  sikmiA  LBOME. 

The  next  day  I  returned  the  visit  o£  Forbanna^ 
and  found  him  seated  on  a  ttiat  before  the  door  of 
his  house,  with  bis  legs  crossed,  and  his  knees 
erect,  surrounded  by  his  wives,  children,  and  a 
number  of  his  subjects,  and  receiving  from  every 
one  some  testimony  of  respect  or  affection. 

The  king  of  Timmanee  had  only  five  wives  in 
addition  to  his  first,  and  each  had  a  hut  within  the 
royal  inclosure,  and  a  separate  household.  They 
all  made  it  their  particular  study  to  cultivate  the 
affection  of  the  king,  as  the  means  of  augmenting 
their  fortunes,  which  at  best  are  very  limited ;  for 
when  one  of  these  ladies  is  in  possession  of  a  field 
of  a  few  acres,  .some  slaves  of  both  sexes,  a  few 
household  utensils,  a  dozen  pieces  of  cotton^  some 
gold  rings  for  her  ears,  arms,  and  legs,  and  five 
or  six  ounces  of  gold  in  reserve,  she  is  considered 
as  a  very  (^ulent  and  distinguished  woman. 

As  a  contrast  to  the  mild  government  of  the 
king  of  the  Timmanees,  I  shall  give  some  account 
of  one  of  the  most  detestable  species  of  tyranny 
that  ever  was  imposed  upon  misguided  man. 

Between  the  rivers  oi^  Sherbro  and  Sierra  Leone 
are  five  tribes  of  Bulloms,  who  have  formed  a  con- 
federacy, called  purra.  Each  tribe  has  a  council, 
consisting  of  twenty-five  persons;  from  each  of 
these  are  token  the  five  eldest,  who  jointly  com- 
pose the  grand  council,  and  these  <ielect  a  chief,  or 
head  purra  man  from  among  themselves.  To  ob- 
tain admission  into  the  purra  of  his  tribe,  a  man 
must  be  under  the  responsibility  of  such  of  his 
friends  as  are  already  members,  who  swear  to  put 
him  to  death  if  he  shrink  und'ei^the  ceremonies 
of  initiation,  or  reveal  the  secrets  ©f  the  institu- 
tion after. 


PURRA.  49s 

In  every  district  within  the  limits  of  thig  asso- 
ciation there  is  a  sacred  wood  to  which  the  candi- 
date is  conducted.  It  is  difficult  to  say,  and  dan- 
gerous to  enquire,  what  passes  here;  it  is  said  that 
the  novice  is  not  to  speak,  and  if  he  attempts  to 
penetrate  the  wood,  he  dies.  After  some  months' 
probation,  he  is  admitted  to  the  trials.  It  is  said, 
that  upon  these  occasions  the  sacred  woods  re- 
sound with  mournful  howlings,  and  that  during 
the  night  immense  dames  are  seen  to  rise :  it  is 
certain  that  any  person  whom  curiosity  tempted  to 
enter  the  wood  would  be  sacrificed,  ^nd  that  dome 
who  have  entered  it  have  never,  been  heard  of 
more. 

The  purra  of  a  tribe  judges  and  punishes  within 
its  own  district;  the  grand  purra  assembles  only 
to  judge  of  differences  between  the  tribes,  and  to 
punish  delinquents  of  its  own  order.  The  su- 
preme tribunal  examines  which  tribe  was  the  ag- 
gressor, and  sentences  the  guilty  to  be  pillaged 
during  four^'days.  The  warriors  of  the  purra  de- 
part at  midnight,  armed  with  daggers,  their  faces 
covered  with  hideous  ,masks,  bearing  lighted 
torches  in  their  hands,  and  divided  into  parties  of 
forty,  filfly,  or  sixty  each.  They  arrive  before  day 
in  the  territory  they  are  about  to  pillage,  and  pro- 
claim with  a  dreadful  voice  the  decree  of  the  purra. 
At  their  approach,  men,  women,  and  children,  fly 
before  them,  and  shut  themselves  up  in  their 
houses:  should  any  one  be  met  in  the  fields,  roads, 
flr  streets,  he  would  never  be  heard  of  after. 

The  pillage  is  divided  into  two  equal  parts,  one 
of  which  is  given  to  the.  injured  tribe,  the  other  to 
the  purra. 


494*  SIERRA   LEONE, 

When  anyiamily  among  the  tribes  becomes  too 
powerful,  the  grand  purra  condemns  it  to  a  sud- 
den nocturnal  pillage :  if  the  chiefs  resist,  they 
are  earned  into  the  mysterious  wood,  and,  in  ge- 
neral, they  appear  no  more.  The  obscurity  which 
covers  this  extraordinary  institution  is  impenetra- 
ble, and  the  terror  it  inspires  is  indescribable. 
One  maxim  is,  I  think,  incontrovertible,  when 
applied  to  governments ;  Truth  fears  no  examina- 
tion,— ^where  there  is  secrecy  there  is  deceit. 

Ttie  warriors  of  the  purra  are  supposed  to 
amount  to  6,000.  The  members  understand  each 
other  by  certain  words  and  signs.  The  institution 
does  not  extend  so  far  north  as  Sierra  Leone,  the 
natives  of  which  regard  it  with  horror,  and  never 
speak  of  it  without  evident  marks  of  apprehension. 

Among  the  Timmanees  there  is  an  institution 
which  probably  had  its  origin  in  the  slave  trade, 
and  is  scarcely  less  hateful  than  the  purra ;  it  i^e- 
gards  females  only.  An  old  woman,  called  Boon« 
doo  woman,  is  its  sole  superintendant;  and  fts  ob- 
ject is  to  extract  from  the  unfortunate  females, 
wlio  are  placed  there  by  their  fathers  or  husbands, 
a  full  confession  of  every  crime  they  may  have 
been  guilty  of  themselves,  or  have  been  privy  to 
in  others.  On  their  admission  they  are  smeared 
over  with  white  clay,  and  solemnly  adjured  to  make 
the  desired  confession.  If  the  boondoo  woman  be 
satisfied  with  the  confession  of  any  individual,  she 
is  dismissed ;  if  this  inquisitor  be  dissatisfied,  she 
administers  a  draught  of  water  in  which  some 
leaves  have  been  infused;  and  if  the  supposed  cul- 
prit feel,  as  it  is  likely  she  may,  some  pain  in  the 
stomach  or  bowels  after  this  potion,  she  is  accused 


RED    WATER.  495 

of  any  crime  the  old  hag  may  please  to  fix  upon. 
If  she  confess  it,  she  is  sold  ;  if  she  persist  in  de- 
nying it,  she  dies,  and  no  one  knows  how. 

I  saw  a  woman  at  Freetown  who  had  been  con- 
fined in  the  boondoo,  and  had  made  her  espape. 
She  said  that,  having  been  affected  with  a  pain  in 
her  stomach,  in  consequence  of  having  drank  the 
infusion,  tlie  boondoo  woman  accused  her  of 
having,  by  witchcraft,  killed  Pa  Bunky,  a  chief 
who  had  died  four  years  before,  and  having  after- 
wards taken. up  his  body,  and  eaten  it;  and  that, 
trembling  between  slavery  and  instant  death,  she 
had  confessed  the  crime.  At  Freetown,  however, 
she  declared  that  Pa  Bunky's  blood  did  not  live  in 
her  belly,  and  that  she  only  wished  for  an  oppor- 
tunity of  drinking  the  red  water,  to  prove  her  in- 
nocence. She  had  not  the  least  suspicion  of  deceit 
or  villainy  in  the  boondoo  woman. 

When  the  red  water  is  to  be  administered,  the 
supposed  culprit  is  obliged  to  fast  twelve  hours, 
and  then  swallow,  a  little  rice.  A  calabash,  con- 
taining about  half  a  pint  of  the  red  water,  is  pre- 
sented to  him  with  many  ceremooies,  and  he  is 
made  to  pronounce  an  imprecation  upon  himself  if 
he  be  guilty.  He  empties  the  calabash  eight,  ten, 
or  twelve  times  successively,  as  quick  as  it  can  be 
filled.  He  now  commonly  begins  to  vomit ;  but 
he  must  continue  to  drink  till  the  whole  of  the  rice 
he  swallowed  lie  on  some  plantain  leaves  that  ari 
placed  on  the  ground  before  him.  This  is  his  ac- 
quittal. The  number  of  calabashes  given  may  not 
exceed  sixteen,  and  some  persons  have  died  afler 
drinking  four.  When  this  infusion  acts  as  a  pui^ 
gative,  it  is  termed  **  spoiling  the  red  water,**  and 
the  accused  is  sold  for  a  slave,  or  if  he  be  too  old 


496  SIERRA   LEONE. 

to.sey,  or  if  he  die  under  the  ojieration,  one  of 

his  family  is  taken  and  sold,  unless  he  can  redeem 
himself  by  substituting  a  slave  in  his  place.  If  an 
opportunity  do  not .  occur  soon  of  taking  one  of 
the  family,  the  affair  is  remembered;  and  I  knew 
an  instance  of  a  young  man  beii^  sold  for  a  slave, 
because  his  grandmother  had  spoiled  the  red  water 
many  years  before  he  was  born. 

The  natives  of  these  countries  are  in  general 
well  formed ;  their  skins  are  sjeek  and  soft,  and 
cooler  than  those  of  European^  in  the  same  cli-  . 
mate.  Those  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Sierra 
Leone  are  usually  above  the  middle  size,  well 
proportioned,  sprightly,  and  of  an  opeq  counte- 
nance. The  manners  of  the  females,  particu- 
larly the  young  ones,  are  easy,  and  not  devoid  of 
grace.  They  are,  in  general,  remarkable  for  the 
beautiful  contour  of  their  limbs,  the  fine  shape  of 
their  bosoms,  their  large  and  expressive  eyesj  and 
their  open  and  ingenuous  countenances.  The 
frankness  of  their  manners  is  tempered  with'  a  ti- 
midity towards  strangers,  which  renders  them  still 
more  interesting.  These  people  have  no  other 
mode  of  expressing  that  an  object  is  beautiful  than 
by  saying  it  is  good :  they  calla  handsome  woman 
a  good  woman,  and  a  pretty  child  a  good  child. 

Negro  children  at  their  birth  are  nearly  as  fair 
as  Europeans,  and  do  not  acquire  their  proper  co- 
lour till  several  days  afler;  the  palms  of  the  hands, 
and  the  soles  of  the  feet,  retain  their  first  colour 
through  life.  Sickness  changes  the  skin  to  a  paler 
or  lighter  hue.  The  eye  is  invariably  black.  The 
hair  is  shorter,  finer,  blacker,  more  elastic,  and 
more  crisp,  than  that  of  a  European.  Some  ne- 
groes have   hair  six   or  eight  inche;  in  length. 


NEGROES.  497 

% 

Their  hair  turns  white  sooner  than  that  of  Euro- 
peans; but  even  old  peojde  are  rarely  bald« 
Among  the  Foolahs,  whom  commerce  or  curiosity 
had  brought  to  the  settlement  of  Sierra  Leone,  I 
saw  a  young  man  whose  features  were  exactly  of 
the  Grecian  mould,  and  whose  person  might  have 
afforded  to  the  statuary  a  model  of  the  Apollo  Bel- 
videre. 

The  dress  of  the  Timmanees,  who  inhabit  the 
south,  and  the  BuUoms  who  inhabit  the  nwthside 
of  the  river  Sierra  Leone,  is  such  as  has  been  often 
described^  the  wide  cotton  shirt  for  the  men,  and 
the  cotton  cloth,  forming  a  petticoat,  for  the  wo- 
men, with  a  second  cloth  thrown  occasionally  over 
the  shoulders.  The  ornaments  are  beads,  cora], 
gold,  and  silver,  in  the  ears,  and  round  the  neck, 
large  silver  rings  upon  the  arms,  and  small  bells 
at  the  ancles.  The  dress  of  the  men  is  not  com- 
plete unless  it  be  laden  with  gree-grees.  Children 
go  entirely  naked  till  two  or  three  years  of  age ; 
but  their  hair  is  neatly  plaited,  and  a  string  of 
beads,  coral,  or  a  piece  of  European  silver  coin  is 
hung  round,  or  suspended  from  the  neck,  ancles, 
or  .wrists.  From  this  time  till  they  are  married, 
the  girls  wear  a  narrow  piece  of  cloth,  the  ends  of 
which  hang  down  behind  and  before,  nearly  to  the 
feet ;  the  dress  of  the  boys  is  the  same,  except 
that  the  ends  do  not  hang  loose.  In  mourning, 
the  woYnen  lay  aside  the  garment  of  the  matron, 
and  resume  that  of  the  maiden.  Tliey  so  cover 
the  face  with  a  kind  of  white  night-cap,  that  they 
can  see  only  their  feet,  unless  they  throw  the  head 
very  far  back.  To  take  off  this  cap  would  occa- 
sion a  serious  palaver,  as  it  is  allowed  to  be  taken 

VOL.  ir,  K  K 


498  SIERRA    LEONE. 

4 

off  only  by  the  head  man  of  the  village.  Two  or 
three  rows  of  large  white  cowries  are  won>  round 
the  neck,  and  in  some  parts  of  the  country  it  is 
customary  to  whiten  the  face,  neck,  shoulders, 
and  legs.  The  same  occasion  that  clothes  the  Eu- 
ropean in  black  covers  the  negro  with  white. 
'  Both  men  and  women  have  their  hair  plaited 
and  braided  in  a  variety  of  forms,  and  with  great 
neatness.  Before  the  men  set  out  on  a  journey, 
their  wives  pass  several  hours  in  dressing  their  hair^ 
which  is  done  so  closely  and  exactly  as  to  retain  its 
form  for  two  or  three  weeks.  The  women  omau 
tnctit  their  foreheads  with  squares,  triangles,  and 
other  figures  of  blue,  red,  or  white  paint.  They 
bestow  great  attention  upon  their  persons,  wash^ 
ing  themselves  several  times  in  the  day,  and 
anointing  themselves  daily  with  palm  oil,  to  pre- 
serve the  velvet  softness  and  smoothness  of  their 
skins.     They  are  also  tattooed. 

The  negroes  expose  the  head,  uncovered,  to  the 
perpendicular  rays  of  a  scorching  sun,  during  the 
greatest  bodily  exertions,  with  perfect  impunity ; 
and  children,  not  a  month  old,  sleep  quietly  on 
the  backs  of  their  mothers,  in  the  full  glare  of  sun- 
shine. 

In  the  choice  of  a  spot  to  build  a  town,  the  first 
object  of  the  Timmanees  and  Bulloms  is  securiQrj 
for  often  have  the  unsuspecting  inhabitants'  of 
towns  been  seized  and  liurried  away  to  slavery^ 
On  this  account  they  clear  no  more  groand  than 
is  necessary  for  the  houses  to  stand  upon,  and  ara- 
thus  buried  in  a  thick  wood.  The  approach  to 
the  town  is  by  one  or  more  narrow  footpaths, 
scarcely  perceptible,  which  are  carried  in  a  wind- 


HOUSES.  499 

ing  direction  round  the  place;  so  that  when  o 
stranger  arrive  witbin  a  few  yards  of  the  town,  faie 
may  imagine  himself  at  a  distance  from  any  hu« 
man  habitation.  The  villages  on  the  coast  seldom 
consist  of  more  than  forty  or  fifty  houses  y  but  as 
we  advance  inland  they  become  larger.  They 
commonly  form  a  circle,  inclosing  an  area,  in  the 
midst  of  which  is*  placed  the  palaver-hous|e,  or 
town-hall.  The  towns  take  their  names  from  local 
circomstances,  or  remarkable  occurrences.  One 
of  the  Bullom  towfis  is  called  Matcha,  No-path ; 
another  Yella,  Surrounded-with^water;  another 
Pek-ken-tyeng,  £lephant-broke-wood-there.  The 
houses  are  sometimes  square,  but  mostly  circular, 
and  it  ia  seldom  that  the  house  consists  of  more 
than  one  apartment;  sometimes,  howeveri  the 
space  is  divided  in  two  by  a  partition  of  wattled 
sticks  covered  with  clay,  that  rises  the  height  of 
the  walls.  A  space  of  about  a  foot  is  left  open  all 
round  between  the  top  of  the  wall  and  the  bottom 
of  the  roof,  to  admit  the  air.  The  roof  is  conical, 
and  covered  with  thatch,  which  projects  a  few  feet 
beyond  the  building,  ,and  forms  a  sort  of  piazza. 
Under  the  shade  of  this  the  negro  swings  in  his 
hammock,  or  reclines  on  mats  spread *on  a  bank  of 
earthy  about  'a  foot  and  a  half  high,  and  two  or 
three  feet  broad,  which  runs  round  the  outside  of 
the  house,  except  at  the  entrances ;  these  are  ge- 
nerally two,  opposite  each  other. 

The  entrance  of  a  house  is  seldom  closed  by  any 
thing  but  a  mat,  which  is  occasionally  let  down, 
and  is  a  sufficient  barrier  against  all  intruders. 
The  most  intimate  friend  will  not  presume  to  lift 
up  the  mat,  unless  his  salutation  be  returned:  even 

K  k2 


500  SIERRA   LEONE. 

a  husband  dares  not  enter  his  own  house  when  the 
mat  is  down,  if  his  wife  pronounce  the  word  moo- 
ridee,  I  am  busy. 

The  burree^  or  town-house,  has  no  walls.  A 
number  of  strong  posts  support  the  roof»  which 
has  a  floor  of  bamboo  sticks  laid  close  together 
that  serves  as  a  public  granary  for  rice.  A  bank 
of  mud  forms  a  seat  round  the  building.  Some  of 
these  houses  are  large  enough  to  contain  tw^  or 
three  hundred  people.  Here,  as  in  other  parts  of 
Africa,  all  public  business  is  transacted ;  here  the 
inhabitants  meet  to  converse,  and  here  strangers 
station  themselves  till  a  lodging  be  provided  for 
them.  Every  contract  is  made  at  the  burree;  and 
even  children  are  required  to  be  present,  that  they 
may  be  evidences  of  the  transaction  when  the  pre- 
sent generation  of  men  shall  have  passed  away. 

The  most  ingenious  man  in  a  Timmanee  or  Bui- 
lorn  village  is  usually  blacksmith^  joiner,  architect, 
and  weaver.  The  employments  of  the  others  are 
clearing  a  piece  of  ground  for  a  rice  plantation, 
building  or  repairing  tlieir  houses,  shooting,  or 
fishing.  Much  of  their  time  is  taken  up  iii  settling 
disputes,  ^hich  they  call  talking*  palavers ;  and 
much  is  passed  in  listless  indolence,  reclining  upon 
mats,  or  sleeping  in  the  shade.  In  their  endea- 
vours to  obtain  tobacco  and  rum»  the  luxuries 
they  have  been  taught  by  Europeans  to  value,  no 
toil  is  thought  too  severe.  They  make  fine  cotton 
cloths  of  a  variety  of  patterns,  six  or  seven  inches 
wide,  and  four  or  five  feet  in  length.  Seven  of. 
these  are  joined  to  make  a  piece  for  a  woman. 
.  During  the  heat  of  tlie  day  an  African  village  is 
in  general  silent,  but  no  sooner  does  the  air  begin 


NEGRO  FABLES.  ^1 

to  cool  than  fresh  vigour  animates  the  people,  and 
it  resounds  with  drums  and  dancing. 

fThe  young  men  in  the  neighbourhood  of  Sierra 
Leone  are  universally  fond  of  exhibiting  their  great 
HgUity ;  and  many  of  them  are  very  expert  in  vaults 
log,  tumbling,  and  performing  somersaults.  The 
people  are  also  fond  of  listening  to  histories  and 
fables,  in  doing  which  they  will  frequently  pass 
A  gceat  part  of  the  night.  I  shall  give  two  of  these, 
M  a  specimen  of  their  powers  of  invention, .  and 
manner  of  relating  their  stories. 
.  *^  An  elejAant  and  a  goat  once  disputed  which 
eould  eat  the  most,  and  to  determine  the  matter, 
they  w^it  into  a  meadow  *  as  big  as  from  here  to 
white  man's  country.*  After  they  had  eaten  some 
time,  the  goat  lay  down  upon  a  rock  to  diew  the 
cud.  ^  What  are  you  doing?*  said  the  elephant  to 
ham.  '  I  am  eating  this  rock,'  replied  the  goat, 
<  and  when  I  have  done  I  will  eat  you.'  The  ele* 
pbant,  terrified  at  this  unexpected  threat,  ran 
away ;  ^nd  since  that  time  he  has  never  dared  to 
enter  a  town  in  which  there  was  a  goat.** 

**  A  man  and  his  wife,  with  their  spoiled  child, 
were  travelling  through  a  thick  wood,  when  they 
s^itfW  a  gourd  lying  near  the  path :  the  child  cri^ 
for  it ;  the  father  took  it  up ;  and  they  pursued 
t^eir  journey.  Soon  after,  a  spirit  called  Min,  to 
whom  the  gourd  belonged,  awpke  from  his  sleep, 
ftnd  being  thirsty,  he  seeks  fpr  his  gourd  bottle. 
NQt  finding  it,  he  sings  the  folloip^*ing  couplet  two 
or  three  times  over,  jn  a  plaintive  tone  of  Toice; 
and  this,  as  well  as  the  others,  is  so  sung  by  the 
relator  of  the  story.  *  Where  are  you  my  gout-d  ? 
Why  havip  you  gone  away,  and  left  me  thus  alone?' 
The  gourd  replies,  *  I  have  not  run  away  from 


502  SIERRA   LSONE. 

you,  O  Min;  but  have  been  carried  off  against  mj 
will,'  The  man,  alarmed  by  }Jje  song  of  the  gourd» 
throws  it  down,  and,  with  his  wife  and  child,  f  n- 
deavours  to  make  his  escape.  Min,  following  the 
direction  of  the  sound,  arrives  at  the  spot  where 
the  gourd  is  lying,  at^d  takes  it  up.  He  sings, 
*  Where  is  the  wretch  who  stole  my  gourd  ?  I 
will  wreak  my  vengeance. on  his  guilty  head.* 
Still  singing>  he  sets  out  in  pursuit  of  him,  and 
the  child  answers,  *  It  was  1/  The  motlmi^  drops 
the  child,  Min  seizes  it,  and  destroys  it.  He  re^ 
peats  his  song,  and  the  mother  says,  ^  It  was  1/ 
In  a  fit  of  despair,  her  husband  stabs  her.  Min 
finds  the  body,  but  again  repeats  his  song,  and  the 
man  is  obliged  to  confess  the  fact :  he  attempts  to 
elude  the  search  of  his  dreadful  adversary  by  con- 
cealing himself  in  the  bushes  ;  but  he  is  soon  dis- 
covered, and  sacrificed  to  the  resentment  of  Min.* 

I  think  the  woman  must  have  played  the  part  of 
Eve  in  this  story,  or  she  could  not  justly  have  in- 
curred ihe  displeasure  of  the  spirit:  its  moral, 
however,  is  obvious ;  we  ought  not  to  gratify  the 
unreasonable  desires  of  children. 

Among  the  Timmanees  and  Bulloms  the  regal 
dignity  continues  in  the  same  family;  but  the 
head  men  of  the  country  are  at  liberty  to  norni* 
nate  any  individual  of  that  family,  however  dis- 
tantly related  to  the  deceased  king.  These  men 
are  regarded  with  the  highest  veneration  by  their 
immediate  dependants,  and  often  present  a  very 
striking  resemblance  of  the  patriarchs  by  their 
hoary  heads  and  snowy  beard& 

The  Europeans  have  taught  the  negroes  their 
vices.  On  the  coast  they  are  frequently  shrewd 
and  artful,  and  sometimes  malevolent  and  perfi* 


aOSFITALITV.  J5Q2 

dious«  Their  long  connexion  with  European  sl^v^ 
traders  has  tutored  them  in  the  arts  of  deceit ;  sfi 
that  false  weights  and  measures,  damaged  goods^ 
and  the  various  cheats  of  European  cunning,  are 
now  immediately  detected  by  them.  As  we  ad- 
vadlceinto  the  country,  the  natives  are  more  sim- 
ple in  their  manners,  more  devoid  of  art,  and 
more  free  from  suspicion.  They  are  in  general  of 
mild  dispositions,  but  they  posses  a  great  share  of 
pride,  and  are  easily  affected  by  an  insult.  They « 
cannot  even  heiu*  a  harsh  expression,  or  a  raised 
tone  of  voice,  without  shewing  that  they  feel  it. 
One  of  the  severest  insults  that  can  be  offered  to  a 
negro  is  to  speak  disrespectfully  of  his  mother, 
which  he  calls  cursing  her.  ^*  Strike  me,''  he 
jsays,  "  but  do  pot  curse  my  mother  !**  The  re- 
spect they  pay  to  the  aged  is  very  great:  the  title 
of  pa  or  ma,  father  or  mother,  is  prefixed  to  the 
name  of  an  old  person  to  denote  reverence. 

In  travelling  through  many  parts  of  the  country, 
when  overpowered  with,  heat,  fatigue,  or  huqger, 
I  have  ever  met  with  an  hospitable  reception  at 
the  villages  of  the  Timmanees  and  Bulloms.  Mats 
have  been  brought  for  me  to  repose  on ;  if  it  were 
a  meal  time,  I  was  at  liberty  to  partake^  or  to  waif 
till  something  better  could  be  provided }  if  it  were 
night»  a  hut  has  been  set  apart  for  me,  and  a  guide 
has  been  offered  me  in  the  morning.  The  entrance 
into  one  of  these  towns  presents  a  pleasing  picture 
of  the  manners  of  black  men.  As  soon  as  a  stranger 
is  observed,  all  the  inhabitants  hasten  to  shake 
him  by  the  hand,  pronouncing  several  times  the 
word,  wdcome:  even  the  children,  who  can 
barely  lisp  a  welcome,  hold  out  their  little  hands 
with  a  smile,  and  are  delighted  if  the  stranger 


MM  SIERRA  LEONE. 

notice  them,  THe  usual  salutation  of  the  Bui- 
4oiii8  to  eadi  other  is,  *'  Are  you  come  f "  and  if 
tlie/'dkilike  their  visitor,  they  say,  ^  You  have  not 
been  long  away/* 

It  has  been  said  that  the  mental  faculties  open 
"eaify,  and  decline  rapidly  in  hot  climates;  but 
this  is  not  the  case  on  the  western  coast  of  Africa. 
The  orators  there  are,  in  general,  men  who  have 
passed  the  prime  of  life ;  but  they  are  often  very 
successful  in  exciting  the  passions,  by  their  bold 
and  figurative  language,  which  flows  in  tor- 
rents, and  is  sometimes  such  as  would  not  dis* 
grace  the  pen  of  an  eastern  poet.  Even  when 
the  discourse  is  vapid,  and  full  of  tiresome  repeti- 
tions, it  is  delivered  with  force  and  energy,  and 
often  with  considerable  vehemence  of  tone  and 
gesticulation. 

The  religion  of  the  Timmanees  and  Bulloms  is 
such  as  has  often  been  described  in  the  course  of 
my  travels ;  a  belief  in  the  Supreme  Author  of 
all  things,  too  good  to  do  harm,  therefore  not 
needing  to  be  supplicated ;  in  a  number  of  infe- 
rior mischievous  beings,  inhabiting  rocks,  woods, 
and  waters,  whose  evil  intentions  they  avert  by 
sacrifices,  the  best  part,  however,  of  which  they 
eat  themselves ;  and,  inferior  to  these,  in  a  kind 
of  tutelary  spirits,  that  reside  in  or  near  thehr 
towns.  They  imagine  that  witches,  when  they 
die,  appear  again  in  the  form  of  a  pigmy  race,  like 
our  fairies,  and  that,  divested  of  their  former  ma* 
lignity,  they  quit  their  retreats  at  night,  and  join 
the  revels  of  the  people. 

In  the  mountains  of  Sierra  Leone  I  have  seen 
many  temples  erected  to  the  devil,  consisting  of 
trunks  of  trees  planted  in  a  circular  form,  with  a 


UTTHARGY.  A05 

roof  of  branches  covered  wtUi  lesLW$i     {itt.tbe 
middle  of  the  circle  was  a^sqitttra  ttbie^^or^^ritar, 
filled  with  offerings ;  atid^the  pillfurs  <>f vithcfce^nide 
edifices  were  ornamented  with  saorificf^  slnid*'ab-* 
latioBs. 

WbeB  the  nations  in  the  neighbourhooA  -  ^f 
Sierra  Leone  go  to  war  with  each  other»  they  in-' 
deavour  to  strike  terror  into  their  enemies  by 
dressing  themselves  in  the  most  hideous  manner 

1  they  can  devise.    Some  whiten  the  body,  and 

•  nmke  the  face  still  blacker  than  nature  has  done 
it;  others  paint  the  knees  and  elbows  with  red ; 
all  are  armed  with  a  load  of  gree<grees,  of  the 
most  gTQtesque  forms.  They  do  not  approve  of 
£kiropean  tactics,  atid  they  laugh  when  they  are 
told  that  men  stand  still  to  be  shot  at.  When  op* 
posite  parties  meet,  which  is  not  c^n  the  case, 
they  shelter  themselves  behind  trees,  and  practice 
what  is  called  bush-fighting.  ' 

. .  Mania  is  a  disease  I  never  heard  of  among  the 
negroes,  nor  could  I  make  them  comprehend  the 
meaning  of  the  term.  They  had  no  other  idea  of 
it  than  that  of  losing  their  heady  as  they  call  it,  by 
intoxication.  They  are  very  subject  to  a  species 
of  lethargy,  which  tiiey  are  much  afraid  of,  as  it 
proves  fatal  in  every  instance.    At  the  commence* 

rlnent  of  the  disease  the  patient  has  commonly  a 
ravenous  appetite/  eats  twice  the  quantity  he  has 
done  in  hesJth,  and  becomes  very  fat.  As  the 
disease  advances,  the  appetite  declines,  and  the 
patient  wastes  awirjr.  The  disposition  to  sleep  is 
so  powerful,  that  it  scarcely  leaves  intervids  fi)r  . 

seating ;  and  the  repeated  applicatioB  of  the  whip, 
a  remedy  which  unhappily  has  often  been  tried,  is 
hardly  sufi^cient  to  keep  the  poor  creature  awake. 


006  SIERRA  LBONR. 

Human  sacrifices,  which  I  have  traced  Aam 
Angola  to  the  Sherbro,  are  not  known  here.  When 
a  Ttmmanee  or  BuUom  dies,  the  corpse  is  interro* 
gated.  l£  old|  it  is  asked,  Was  your  death  caused 
by  God  on  account  of  your  great  age  and  infirmi- 
ties ?  If  young.  Was  it  because  God  l^ked  to 
take  you  ?  Was  it  caused  by  your  bad  mictions  ? 
(meaning  on  account  of  your  being  a  witch.)  Was 
it  caused  by  a  man,  or  a  woman,  in  such  a  town, 
or  in  such  a  fisimily  ?  The  body  during  its  inter* 
rogation  is  laid  on  a  kiqd  of  bier,  which  is  placed 
on  the  heads  of  two  men,  and  ito  answer  in  th« 
affirmative  to  any  one  of  these  questions  is  aigni* 
fied  by  its  impelling  the  bearers  towards  the  person 
who  asks  them.  The  negative  is  given  by  a  rolling 
motion. 

When  any  person  of  consequence  is  taken  sick, 
he  is  removed  to  another  town,  to:h6.at  a  distance 
from  the  effects  of  the  witchcraft  under  wliich  he 
is  supposed  to  be  sufiering.  If  he  do  not  then  re- 
cover, a  hut  is  built  in  the  deepest  recesses  of  the 
wood,  whither  he  is  carried,  his  asylum  being 
known  only  to  his  most  confidential  friends* 
During  his  last  illness,  the  late  king,  Naimbanna, 
was  removed  from  his  own  house  on  the  island  of 
'  Robanna  to  a  small  island  a  few  miles  distant  A 
semicircular  piece  of  ground  was  cleared  from  the 
underwood,  the  larger  trees  being  left  standing  ; 
and  the  only  avenife  to  the  place  was  defended  by 
the  most  potent  fetishes  that  could  be  procured. 
A  hut  about  eight  or  ten  feet  square,  neatly  woven 
like  a  basket,  but  not  so  closely  as  to  exclude  the 
light,  was  erected,  and  a  fetish  was  placed  pear  it. 
The  old  king  was  laid  within  it,  onmaJtsspwadon 
the  ground,  surrounded  H>y  his  jD)iaLfajD)%  ;  and 


FUNERALS*  507 

by  his  side  stood  the  physician,  hdiding  in  his 
hand  a  fetish  about  fbur  feet  long,  of  a  very  un- 
couth forin^  ornamented  with  bells  and  pieces  of 
iron,  which  he  occasionally  jingled  with  much 
noise  and  self  complacency*  Notwithstanding  this 
powerful  application,  the  good  old  Naimbanna 
died  sooi^  after,  greatly  axul  deservedly  regriettedfr 

The  professions  of  medicine  and  coQJuratio9 
are  inseparable^  and  the  people  are  ^mly  peiv 
suaded  that  every  person  who  practises  the  heal- 
ing art  holds  converse  with  evil  spirits^  and  can 
enforce  their  obedience.  Ttiese  men  have  even 
pretended  to  extract  the  bottom  of  a  quart  beetle 
from  the  sides  of  their  patients,  and  assured  them 
it  was  conveyed  thither  by  some  unfriendly  witob, 
and  had  been  the  cause  of  their  pain.  The  Tim- 
nunees  and  BuUoms  are  of  opinion  ths^  by  pos- 
sessing a  part  of  the  body  of  a  person  who  has 
been  successful  in  his  undertakings,  they  shall  . 
inherit  a  portion  of  his  good  fortune.  .Th^  body 
of  a  mulatto  chief  on  the  Bananas,  an  island  at 
the  mouth  of  the  Sherbro,  was  obliged  to  be  in-^ 
terred  privately,  lest  it  should  have  been  converted 
into  fetishes. 

A  few  old  rags  placed  upon  an  orange  tree  will 
generally  secure  the  fruit  as  efiectually,  as  the  dra^ 
gons  did  the  fruit  of  fSrmer  times ;  but  when  any 
person  be  taken  ill,  though  it  be  at  the  distance  of 
several  months,  if  he  recollect*  having  taken  frmt 
softly t  he  imagines  that  the  fetish  has  caught  him, 
and  that  he  cannot  recover  till  he  have  made  a  re- 
compence  to  the  owner. 

Children  are  often  buried  in  the  houses  of  their 
parents :  people  of  ^consequence  are  generally 
buried  in  the  palaver-house  \  but  every  village  or 


508  SISRRA   LEONE. 

town -that  has  been  long  established  has  a  common 
buryiag^placeia  its  vicinity.  Tlie  ^^cry/*  or  mourn- 
ing fiuhgrait  peopleji  is  sometimes  continued  fer 
lOdntiiia)  DtifiDg  the/day,  the  mourners  sl^qi,  or 
imrsuft  their  different  avocart»oiis$  in  the  evening; 
they  retttrOt  and  they^pass  the  night  in  mourning ; 
tba;t  ist  shouting,  ckncing^  djuricing^  mid  firing 
muekiitSy  The  chief  magnificenoe  sef  the  £inef  ale 
.  coQ^ista  in  the  quantity  of  rum  and.tcd&oco  #x-» 
pended  on  the  occasion.  The  funeral  ceremoay 
of  the  distinguished  Mulatto  above  mefitlesiefl^ 
did  not  take  place  till  three  years  after  the  body 
^as  interred ;  and  during  that  time  a  bed  was  kept 
constantly  prepared  for  him  in  the  palaver-^house^ 
Weteir.was  placed  near  the  bed  side  to  wash  his 
hands,  and  meat  for  him  to  eat.  Upwards  ef 
tMiepty  ptancheons  of  rum,  and  a  laige  quantity  of 
tQbapqO'  ware  cowumed  at  the  funeral  cry. 

mA.  heftdm«m  oaUed  king  Jemmy,  who  resided 
V¥i(^ip;  a  mile  of  the  settlement,  died  while  I  re^ 
mained  at  Sierra  Leone.  The  body  was  placed  in 
t)iQ'paJ|av,edr«house,  of  his  town,  and  a  message,  was 
qenjt  to  tbe  governor  of  the  colony^  requesting 
him  to  help  the  people  to  cry  for  king  JemmjnK 
The  governor  sent  an  officer  to  cry  in  his  stei^ 
and  J,  among  others,  was  present  at  the  cexemony* 
The  corpse  being  placed  by  the  side  of  the  graven 
sk  numbeir  of  questional  were«  put  to  it ;  ^^^^  which^. 
Pa  I)ei«baft  a  neigbouring  head  man,  addressed 
the.. decease  as  if  he. were  still  eapable  of  under** 
standing ;  him  ;  expre&siug  his  great  sorrow  at 
having  ii«t  sa.good  a  father;  saying  that  he  and 
all  the  people  had  wished  him  to  stay  with  them  }< 
but  that  a9  he  had  jthought  proper  toi  leave  them, 
tl>?y,P<^Viild  not  help  it,  and  they  wished  him  well. 


PRODUCTIONS.  509 

Others  of  the  head  mea  addressed  the  deceMed 
in  a  similar  manner.  When  the  speeches  were 
finished,  the  person  who  represented  the  governor 
was  asked  if  he  would  not  shake  king  Jemmy  by 
the  hand ;  and  requesl;ing  an  explanation,  he  was 
desired  to  *^  say  a  prayer,  white  man's  ^ishion/' 
The  pillow,  the  neck-handerchief,  and  the  uitibrelfa 
of  the  deceased  were  put  into  the  grave  with  him, 
*'  because  he  liked  them;''  and  his  wife,  who 
stood  sorrowing  by,  with  his  hat  in  her  hand,  waft 
going  to  put  that  in  also ;  but  was  prevented  by 
ta  Demba,  who  probably  reserved  it  for  his  own 
Oise.  Several  pieces  of  kola  were  deposited  in  the 
grave  for  king  Jemmy  to  eat,  and  when  it  was 
closed,  the  women  began  a  howl  which  continued 
till  after  we  had  left  the  town. 

The  Timmanees  and  BuUoms  never  boil  milk, 
lest  it  should  occasion  the  cow  that  gave  it  to  be-* 
come  dry ;  or  throw  the  rind  of  an  orange  in  the 
fire,  lest  the  remainder  of  the  fruit  should  fM 
from  the  tree. 

The  kola  is  the  produce  of  a  large  and  beauti- 
ful tree.  Seven  or  eight  kernels,  of  the  size  and 
shape  of  a  chesnut,  are  included  in  a  large  thick, 
green  capsule.  It  is  astringent,  and  of  a  pleasant 
bitter  taste.  Kola  is  presented  to  the  guests  in 
visits  of  ceremony  and  friendship,  and  considered 
as  a  mark  of  great  politeness  ;  it  forms  a  part  of 
every  valuable  present,  and  is  the  token  of  amity 
or  hostility  between  nations.  Two  white  kolas 
announce  peace  and  a  continuance  of  friendship ; 
two  red  ones  are  considered  as  an  indication 
of  war. 

Ground-nuts  are  inclosed  in  a  shell  like  that  of 
an  almond,  which  fruit  they  a  little  resemble  in 


540  SiERIIA   JLBOKE. 

flavoui:*  They  are  produced  fttthe  extremity  of 
the  root,  as  the  potatoe;  the  leaf  i$  like'tfaatof  do* 
veT)  and-the  plant  is  propagated  from  the  kernels. 

The  butter  tree  is  a  remarkable  production  of 
this  coiHitry.  The  fruit  is  large^  and  coot^ns 
three  or  four  seeds,  each  about  the  size  of  a  waU 
fmt.  These  are  first  dried,  then  parched,  then 
bruised  in  a  mortar.  They  are*  afterwards  boiled 
in  water,  and,  as  the  oil  ri^es  to  the  surfiice^  jfc  ii 
skimmed  off,  and  poured  into  a  hole  dug  in  the 
ground,  which  is  lined  with  a  clean  cotton  cloth. 
Through  this  the  Water  passes,  and  in  it  the  butter 
remains,  which  is  nearly  as  firm  as  cheese,  as  white 
as  chalk,  and  pleasant  to  the  taste.  It  is  made  both 
by  Timmanees  and  BuUoms. 

The  Japanzee,  or  Chimpanzee,  is  common  in 
the  mountains,  and  seems  more  nearly  related  to 
the  human  species  than  even  the  ourang-outang : 
when  at  his  full  growth  he  is  nearly  five  feet  in 
height.  One  of  these,  when  young,  was  brought 
alive  into  the  colony.  He  was  nearly  two  reet 
high,  and  coveied  with  black  hair,  which  was  long 
and  thick  on  the  back,  short  atid  thin  on  the 
breast  and  belly.  His  face  was  bare;  bis  head 
and  hands  resembled  those  of  an  old  black  man, 
except  that  the  hairs  on  his  hf  ad  were  straight.  At 
first  he  crawled  on  all  fours,  always  walking  on 
the  outside  of  his  hands  ;  but  when  grown  larger 
he  endeavoured  to  go  erect,  supporting  himself  by 
a  stick  which  he  carried  in  his  hand.  He  ate;* 
drank,  slept,  and  sat  at  table  like  a  human  being. 
He  seemed  of  a  melancholy  disposition,  probably 
from  his  being  throwTi  out  of  his  native  spherd  of 
action  ;  but  he  was  good-natured,  and  never 
offered  any  person  an  injury. 


KACUNDT.  511 

The  largest  snake  yet  discovered  here  was 
eighteen  feet  in  length. 

The  gall  of  the ,  alligator  is  considered  by  the 
natives  of  Sierra  Leone  as  one  of  the  most  active 
and  fatal  of  poisons  ;  but  it  is  chiefly  used  ih  ma- 
gical ceremonies,  and  the  composition  of  fetishes. 
If  a  person  kill  an  alligator,  he  must  have  the  tes* 
timonjr  ofat  least  two  respectable  witnesses  to 
prove  that  he  poured  the  gall  upon  the  ground^  or 
he  is  liable  to  be  severely  punished. 


CHAPTER  XXX. 

lUKIlBA  JU£OK£  TO  T£EMBO,    AND  BETUIIN  TO 
SIERRA   LSONE. 

I  NOW  quitted  Sierra  Leone  on  an  expedition 
to  Teembo,  the  capital  of  the  Foola  kingdom, 
and  proceeding  by  sea  to  the  Rio  Nunez,  I  sailed 
a  few  leagues  up  the  Rio  Pongas,  as  it  lay  in  my 
way.  The  people  in  the  vicinity  of  this  dver  bad 
a  number  of  holes  bored  in  the  outer  circle  of  the 
ear,  each  opntainiog  six  or  eight  small  ring&j  In 
tindress  these  holes  are  filled  with  pegs  oCwood^ 
The  custom  of  bringing  the  fore-teeth  to  a  sharp 
point  generally  prevails  here;  the  BullonjiS.  spud 
Timmaneea  practice  it  less  frequently,  ancj.  th» 
Foolahs  not  at  all.  . 

The  mouth  of  the  Nunez  is  about  six  miles  in 
breadth.  About  one  hundred  and  fifty  miles 
above  it  are  yet  to  be  seen  many  ruins,  and  vesj- 


512  FOOTA  JAUiOK. 

tig98  loi  Portuguese  ^staUkhofeuts,  formed  on  the 
first  discovery  of  the  country ;  and  many  of  the 
dflMeodmits  of  tiiese  people  are  stSl  living  among 
the  blaek  meuy  and  are  become  black  tbemselvea. 

I  sailed  iq>  the  Nunes  as  far  as  Kacundy,  which 
is  about  seventy  miles  from  its  month  \  the  river 
is  navigable  for  large  ships  to  this  place*  Between 
Kacundy  on  the  Rio  Nunez  and  fiulola  on  the 
Rio  Grande,  there  is  a  frequent  oommui4catioii 
by  land,  as  the  two  rivers  here  approach  near  to 
each  other.  -  ^ 

A  remarkable  circumstance  happended  at  Ka- 
cundy a  short  time  before.  A  leopard,  one  night, 
broke  into  the  house  of  a  Mr.  Pierce ;  went  up 
stairs  into  a  chamber  where  seven  children  were 
sleeping;  seized  a  large  dog  that  was  in  the 
room;  walked  down  the  way  he  had  come ;  passed 
a  sow,  with  a  litter  of  pigs  in  the  court,  without 
molesting  them  ;  and  marched  off  with  the  dog  in 
his  jaws ;  to  the  great  satisfaction  of  the  inhabi- 
tants, who  rejoiced  that  his  choice  had  not  fallen 
on  any  other  individual  *. 

Having  obtained  guides  at  Kacundy,  I  began  my 
journey  on  foot,  travelling  in  an  easterly  direction. 
It  soon  appeared  that  a  great  commercial  inter- 
course was  carried  on  between  the  Foolahs  and  the 
upper  parts  of  the  Rio  Nunez,  for  we  frequently 
met  five  or  six  hVindred  of  these  people  in  one  da^, 

*  This  circumstance  is  taken  from  a  letter  written  by  a  private 
soldier  under  the  command  of  Major  Peddie^  dated  Kacundy, 
Dec.  \7, 16 IC.  He  adds,  **  We  expect  to  march  in  the  course 
of  a  fortnight,  and  when  we  arrive  at  Timbuctoo  I  will  write  t6 
yoa  sfiia,"  A  letter  dated  Kays,  on  the  Gambia^  March  19* 
leiSy  says,  ''  We  are  waiting  for  the  diy  season^  when  we  shall 
slait  again.**  A  letter  from  a  friend,  dated  Sierra  Leone,  Feb. 
24, 1S19,  informs  the  father  of  the  death  of  his  son. 


cariyiQg  on  tbtir*  jbacks  loads  of  rice  and  ivofy, 
whichr  they  were  goiiig  to  exchange  for  salt.  As 
we  pieceeded,  we  found  a  number  of  successive 
towns,  generally  at  the  distance  of  six,  eigkt,  or 
ten  seiles  from  each  other,  in  which  we  were 
always  most,  hospitably  received.  The  utmost 
suTjmK  and  satisfaction  were  expressed  at  the  ap- 
pearance <^  white  men,  none  of  whom  had  been 
seen  .baKace,  even  at  the  distance  of  a  few  days? 
journeyfrom  the  coast. 

After  tcavelling  sixteen  days,  through  a  country 
sometimes  barren,  ^nd  at  other  times  fruitftij,  and 
after  passing  two  or  three  small  rivers,  we  aiTived 
at  the  town  of  Laby,  which  is  distant  about  two 
hundred  miles  from  Kacundy,  and  almost  directly 
east  of  that  place.  Here  we  were  most  cordially 
received  by  the  chief,  or  king,  who  is  subordinate 
to  the  king  of  the  Foolahs. 

Laby  is*  about  two  miles  and  a  half  in  circum* 
ference,  and  is  supposed  to  contaki  not  fewer  than 
5,000  inhabitants.  From  Laby  we  proceeded 
towards  Teembo,  which  is  seventy-two  miles 
farther  inland  j  and  having  continued  to  experi- 
ence the  same  hospitality,  we  arrived  there  in 
^even  daysJ 

The  soil  of  Foota  Jallon  is  dry,  and  frequently 
stoney }  about  one  third  of  the  country  is  said  to  be 
extremely  ftrtile.  Rice  it  cultivated,  chiefly  by  the 
labour  of  the  women  ;  but  the  men,  a  great  pro- 
portion of  whom  are  slaves,  perform  the  office  of 
beasts  of  burden,  and  carry  away  the  produce  on 
their  backso  Each  town  and  village  has  its  public 
plantation ;  but,  in  addition  to  this,  every  indivi- 
dual is  allowed  to  cultivate  as  much  land  as  he 

VOL.  II.  L  h 


i5!*  FOOTA   JAIXOW. 

pleases  for  \\h  private  use;  tind  many  of  the 
Foolahs  who  have  a  number  of  slaves  may  be  said 
to  occupy  farms.  They  have  made  such  progress 
in  agriculture  that,  before  the  time  of  sowing,  they 
collect  the  weeds  and  bum  them,  and  mixing  the 
ashes  with  the  dung  of  their  cattle,  they  hoe  them 
into  the  ground.  In  our  journey  to  Teembo  we 
several  times  saw  herds  of  more  than  a  hundred 
head  of  cattle  each.  I  purchased  a  common  fowl 
for  two  beads,  and  a  sheep,  for  a  goat,  or  forty. 

The  Foola  country  is  in  general  hilly,  particu- 
larly about  Teembo;  the  land  is  cleared  of  wood!, 
and  well  cultivated,  and  the  water  is  excellent. 
Paper,  wliich  was  so  damp  on  the  Rio  Nunez  that 
it  would  ^scarcely  bear  ink,  became  hard  and  dry 
before  we  reached  Teembo ;  and  tobacco  leaves 
which  we  carried  with  us,  crumbled  to  powder, 
though  they  were  frequently  wetted.  The  nights 
and  mornings  were  sometimes  cold,  and.  the  ther- 
mometer was  once  as  low  as  51*  at  half  past  five  in 
the  morning,  though  it  rose  to  n^ar  90*  at  noon. 

As  we  advanced  into  the  interior,  we  found  the 
houses,  though  of  the  same  form,  larger,  and' con* 
structed  with  greater  neatness  and  solidity  than 
among  the  Timmanees  and  BuUoms.  The  w^Hs 
were  ten  or  twelve  feet  high,  and  the  honses 
from  twenty  to  thirty  feet  in  diameter.  They 
were  generally  built  with  bricks  about  twelve 
inches  long,  eight  inches  wide,  and  four  inches 
thick,  dried  in  the  sun  ;  with  a  thin  layer  of  mud 
or  clay  between  each  row  of  bricks.  A  raised 
bank  of  earth  ran  all  round  the  wall  on  the  inside, 
on  which  the  family  sat  by  day,  and  slept  by 
night ;  and  thifi,  together  with  the  wall  and  floor. 


TOWNS.  515 

was  covered  with  a  very  hard  and  smooth  plastq^. 
The  mosques  were  lOf  a  square  formt  and  loftier 
than  the  houses,  and  the  ropfs  projected .  a^out 
fifteen  feet  beyond  the  top  of  the  wall,^  and  fqirmed 
a  shade  to  a  very  pleasant  walk  below. 

The  towns  of  Foota  are  much  larger  than  those 
in  the  neighbourhood  of  Sierra  Leone.  Te^tipibo, 
the  capital,  is  said  to  contain  8,000  inhabitants. 
Each  family  inhabits  a  distinct  inclosure,  and, a 
number  of  these  form  naxrow  streets,  or  lanes. 
The  towns  are  surrounded  either  by  a  lofty  pali- 
sade of  bamboos,  or  by  a  wall  of  bricks  hardened 
in  the  sun,  with  a  sloping  thatched  roof  over  it, 
to  defend  it  from  the  weather.  The  entrance  is 
commonly  through  a  porch  or  gateway,  which  is 
carefully  shut  at  night. 

Square  forts  are  often  erected  to  guard  the 
towns  from  sudden  assaults.  The  walls  of  these 
are  built  with  the  same  sort  of  bricks  as  thp 
houses;  but  th^y^are  six  feet  in  thickness,  and 
strengthened  with  beanos  of  timber  ;  they  are  also 
surrounded  by  a  deep  and  wide  ditch,  and  have 
a  tower  at  each  angle,  with  loop-holes  to  fire 
through. 

I  .saw  a  large  tower  at  Teembo  which  had  been 
erected  by  the  father  of  the  present  king,  and  was 
now  going  to  decay,  though  it  was  still  used  as  a 
granary.  This  sovereign  had  been  victorious  over 
nations  "  towards  the  rising  and  the  setting  sun ;" 
but  his  town  was  surprised  and  burnt  by  his.ene^ 
mies,  and  this  fort  was  built  to  prevent  the  recur- 
rence of  such  a  calamity. 

I  had  many  conversations  with  Al  Mami  S^d- 
dqo,  king  of  Foota  Jallon,  and  with  several  of  his 

L  L  2 


516  FOOTA    JALLON. 

principal  officers,  during  my  stay  at  Teembo ;  and 
m  the  course  of  these  I  understood  that  no  Foolah 
was  ever  sold  as  a  slave,  either  for  debt  or  crime  ; 
but  that  the  Foolahs,  who  are  Mohamedans,  made 
no  scruple  of  going  to  war  with  their  pagan 
neighbours,  for  the  express  purpose  of  procuring 
slaves  for  sale.  I  received  a  visit  one  morning 
from  the  officer  who  performs  the  regal  functions 
in  the  absence  of  the  king,  and  this  great  man  told 
me,  without  disguise,  that  they  could  not  get 
European  goods  without  slaves ;  that  they  could 
not  get  slaves  without  war ;  and  that  they,  who 
prayed  five  times  a  day,  had  a  right  to  make  war 
upon  those  who  never  prayed  at  all,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  procuring  guns,  powder,  and  cloth,  which 
they  considered  as  necessaries. 

The  following  day  I  visited  one  of  the  head 
men,  who  had  desired  to  see  me.  I  found  him 
writing;  but  he  laid  aside  his  occupation  on 
ray  entrance.  I  introduced  the  subject  of  the 
slave  trade.  He  said  that  their  book  desired  them 
to  make  war  on  every  nation  that  would  not  do 
God  service.  I  replied,  that  God  was,  himself,  so 
good  and  merciful,  that  he  must  ever  be  displeased 
with  those  who  were  cruel  and  unjust.  "  If,"  said 
the  head  man,  <^  we  could  get  the  articles  we  want 
without  going  to  war,  I  would  believe  that  going 
to  war  was  offensive  to  God  ;  but  if  we  cannot  get 
these  things  without  going  to  war  for  them,  God 
cannot  be  angry  with  us  for  going  to  war }  espe- 
cially as  it  is  so  in  our  book.'' 

The  vilest  sophistry  is  convincing  when  it  sanc- 
tions our  interest.  There  is  a  book  in  which  It  is 
said,  **  Whatsoever  ye  would  that  men  should  do  to 


INHABITANTS.  517 

you,  do  ye  even  so  to  them  ;**  yet  there  is  no  sort 
of  persecution  that  the  pretended  followers  of  this 
book  have  not  practised  under  the  pretext  of  its 
authority. 

The  head-man  added,  that  the  cai)tives  of  both 
sexes,  who  were  too  old  to  be  saleable,  had  their 
throats  cut ;  and  when  I  expressed  my  detestation 
of  this  barbaritv,  he  said  it  was  more  merciful  than 
to  sufifer  them  to  perish  with  hunger. 

I  remember  that  the  book  above  quoted  says, 
•'  Judge  not,  that  ye  be  not  judged ;"  and  I  will 
not  dare  to  disobey  its  precept ;  otherwise  I  should 
judge  that  the  Europeans,  who  were  the  primaiy 
cause  of  these  wars  and  these  massacres,'  must 
meet  with  some  condemnation. 

One  of  the  most  amiable  chiefs  in  the  Fooia 
country  allowed  the  Christian  religion,  as  I -de- 
scribed  it  to  him,  to  be  good  in  many  respects ; 
but  he  objected  to  the  doctrine  of  the  forgiveness 
of  injuries,  saying  that  it  was  a  virtue  not  to  be 
attained  by  man,  and  therefore  not  to  be  required 
of  him. 

Though  the  Foolahs  are  rigidly  tenacious  of  the 
dogmas  of  their  prophet,  they  are  highly  gratified 
by  having  passages  in  the  Bible  pointed  out  to 
them  that  bear  a  similitude  to  those  of  the  Koran. 
I  have  seen  many  of  them  listen  with  deep  atten- 
tion, and  great  pleasure,  to  various  passages  of  our 
Scriptures,  when  translated  to  them  by  an  inter- 
preter. The  king  told  me,  several  times,  that  he 
had  a  very  important  question  to  ask,  which  he 
must  defer  to  a  more  private  opportunity.  At 
length,  after  obliging  every  person  to  quit  the 
room,  he  asked  me  what  was  the  name  of  the 
mother  of  Moses ! 


518  FOOTA   JALLON. 

Writing  constitutes  one  of  the  chief  amusements 
of  the  Mohamedan  nations  ;  they  are  anxious  to 
excel  in  it,  and  many  of  them  write  Arabic  with 
great  expedition  and  tolerable  elegance.  They 
procure  paper  from  the  Europeans,  they  write  with 
a  reed,  and  here  they  make  an  excellent  durable 
ink,  of  a  dark  purple  colour,  from  the  leaves  of  i 
tree  called  bullanta.  A  large  snail-shell  is  their 
inkstand,  and,  like  us,  they  absorb  the  ink  with  a 
little  cotton.  They  set  a  high  value  upon  some  of 
their  manuscripts.  An  old  man,  who  had  a  small 
quarto  book  containing  extracts  from  the  Koran, 
very  neatly  written,  and  ornamented  with  views  of 
the  Ciiaba,  at  Mecca,  refused  to  sell  it  for  eight 
slaves.  It  must  be  owned,  however,  that  it  had 
another  value  besides  its  intrinsic  one ;  it  had,  as 
the  owner  said,  "  walked  to  Mecca." 

The  Foolahs  have  founded  many  colonies  which 
have  risen  to  kingdoms.  One  of  these  is  that  of 
the  Soosoos,  through  which  I  passed  on  my  return 
from  Teembo  to  Sierra  Leone ;  another  is  on  the 
borders  of  the  Senegal,  and  extends  nearly  390 
miles  along  its  shores  ;  but  the  principal  nation  of 
the  Foolahs,  and  the  one  properly  so  called,  is  that 
of  which  Teembo  is  the  capital,  and  which  bears 
the  name  of  Foota  Jallon.  The  country  subject 
to  the  king  of  the  Foolahs  is  about  350  miles  in 
length  from  east  to  west,  and  about  200  miles  in 
breadth  from  north  to  south. 

The  king  is  arbitrary,  and  the  punishments  he 
inflicts  are  severe.  He  opens  and  shuts  the  mar- 
kets, and  channels  of  trade,  at  his  pleasure. 

The  head  man  of  a  village  claims  as  much  rice 
from  the  gcncml  stock,  as,  poured  over  his  bead, 
while  he  stands  erect,  will  rench  up  to  his  mouth  ; 


HABIT   OF   THE   FOQLAHS.  319 

and  this  quantity  is  scarcely  adequate  to  the  ex- 
pence  of  entertaining  strangers,  whicli  he  is  suU- 
jected  to  by  his  office. 

The  Foolahs  are  very  fine  men,  robust,  courage- 
ous, and  formidable  to  their  neighbours.  They 
travel,  in  the  capacity  of  merchants,  throughout 
the  Gulph  of  Guinea.  Their  colour  is  a  reddish 
black,  their  features  are  regular,  their  hair  is  longer 
and  not  so  woolly  as  that  of  the  common  negroes. 
The  women  are  handsome  and  spfightly^ 

The  dress  of  the  Foolahs  and  Mohamedans  in 
general,  is  a  wide  shirt  resembling  a  surplice,  of 
white,  or  sometimes  blue  cotton ;  very  wide 
drawers,  reaching  a  little  below  the  knee ;  san- 
dals; and  a  red  or  blue  woollen  cap.  If  a  man 
have  two  patches  of  red  cloth  set  upon  the  drawers 
behind,  in  the  bend  of  the  knees,  and  a  cotton 
cloth  rolled  round  the  bottom  of  the  cap,  he  as- 
sumes an  air  of  conscious  superiority.  The  silver 
ornaments  worn  by  some  of  the  chief  women  were 
said  to  be  of  twenty  pounds  value. 

No  woman  eats  with  her  husband ;  she  eats 
what  he  has  left.  I  asked  a  Foolah  woman  of  some 
consequence,  and  much  good  sense,  whose  hus- 
band had  four  wives,  the  greatest  number  his  reli- 
gion allowed  him,  if  she  did  not  wish  she  were  his 
only  wife.  "  No,"  she  replied,  **  I  am  not  com- 
pany for  my  husband ;  and  I  should  be  at  a  loss 
for  amusement,  if  it  were  not  for  the  company  of 
his  other  wives.*'  Women  suckle  their  children 
till  they  can  bring  them  a  calabash  full  of  water. 
Where  polygamy  prevails,  a  son.  has  a  greater 
affection  ibr  his  mother  than  his  father.  I  have 
often  bj5en  delighted  with  the  strength  and  tender- 


520  FOOTA   JALLON. 

ness  of  the  attachment  subsisting  between  mothecs 
and  their  sons. 

The  Fool^bs,  in  common  with  all  the  followers  of 
M ohamed,  affect  a  serious  disposition.  Riding  on 
horseback  is  their  favourite  exercise,  and  I  was 
invited  by  the  king  to  be  a  spectator  of  a  kind  of 
horse-race,  or  course.  Notwithstanding  the  coun- 
try is  mountainous  and  the  roads  are  very  rough, 
the  Foolahs  never  shoe  their  horses.  Many  of  the 
Foolahs  pride  themselves  on  their  literary  acquire- 
ments/and  pass  much  time  in  reading,  writing, 
.and  collating  manuscripts,  the  subjects  of  which 
are  generally  either  divinity  or  law.  There  are 
schools  for  the  instruction  of  children  in  almost 
every  town,  and  the  art  of  reading  is  common 
throughout  the  country. 

Africa  is  peopled  by  three  distinct  classes  of 
men,  independent  of  the  Egyptians  and  Abyssi- 
nians,  the  latter  of  whom  are  not  indigenous,  and 
the  former  may  perhaps  be  traced  to  the  blacks  of 
Nubia.  The  first  class  includes  the  Hottentots, 
Bosjesmans,  and  Caffers,  who  occupy  the  southern 
part  of  this  continent,  and  rank  the  lowest  in  civi- 
lization. The  second  class  is  composed  of  the  Ne- 
groes, who  form  a  broad  belt  across  the  centre  of 
Africa,  and  rise  higher  in  the  seale  of  society. 
The  third  class  comprehends  the  Moors  and  Arabs, 
who  are,  to  a  man,  followers  of  Mohamed. 

The  conduct  of  the  Moors  forms  a  singular  page 
in  the  annals  of  mankind.  They  continually  en- 
croach upon  the  negrqes,  without  exterminating 
them,  without  apparently  diminishing  their  num- 
bers}  they  gain  an  absolute  ascendancy  over  them, 
without  using  the  sword  that  their  prophet  has 
put  into  their  hands :  and  by  what  means  f  -^^  by 


DIFFERENT   CLASSES   OF   AFRICANS.  521 

means  of  letters.  They  have  riches^  honour,  and 
power  given  them  by  the  pagans,  because  they 
can  write ;  and  they  convert  whole  nations  to 
their  religion  because  they  can  write,  and  teach 
them  to  write  also.  If  it  be  asked  why  Europeans 
have  not  met  with  the  same  success,  I  answer  that 
their  doctrines  are  more  hostile  to  the  habits  of 
the  negroes,  and  less  accommodating  to  their  pre- 
judices. 

The  negroes  on  the  coast  believe  •*  all  white 
man  witch,  and  all  white  man  rogue  ;*'  and  they 
have  not  imbibed  these  notions  without  some  ex- 
perience of  white  man's  cunning  and  knavery. 
The  Moors  have  persuaded  the  negroes  that  the 
gree-grees  they  purchase  of  them,  are  a  defence 
not  only  against  witchcraft,  but  against  all  other 
evils,  except  sickAess  and  death. 

The  Christian  will  tell  a  native  chief  that,  of 
his  six  wives,  he  must  put  away  five,  because  it  is 
a  sin  to  have  more  than  one.  This  will  certainly 
astonish  the  chief,  but  it  will  not  induce  him  to 
part  with  his  wives.  He  cannot  comprehend  the 
idea  that  the  word  sin  is  intended  to  convey;  but 
he  knows  that  it  is,  and  ever  has  been,  the  custom 
in  his  country  for  a  man  to  have  as  many  wives  as 
he  can  maintain,  and  that  his  consequence  in* 
creases  in  proportion  to  the  number.  The  Mo- 
hamedan  will  say  to  the  negro  chief,  ^*  Keep 
your  six  wives,  but  let  the  two  last  be  called  con- 
cubines.'' 

The  Christian,  if  he  be  a  very  zealous  one,  may 
tell  the  negro,  that  if  he  do  not  believe  such  and 
such  doctrines,  he  will  be  plunged  after  death  into 
everlasting  fire.  The  negro  cannot  believe  what 
he  cannot  comprehend ;  but  he  perfectly  under- 


52Z  FOOTA   JALLOH. 

Stands  the  nature  of  fire,  and  prefers  the  pamdoie 
of  Mohamed,  and  the  compaay  of  everlastingly 
beautiful  females,  which  are  promised  him  by  the 
Moor,  on  the  simple  conditions  of  praying  five 
times  a  day,  and  abstaining  from  pork  which  he 
does  not  wish  for,  and  brandy  wliich  he  has^  not 
got. 

I  have  been  led  insensibly  into  this  digression, 
when  I  intended  only  to  enumerate  the  thr^e  dis- 
tinct classes  of  Africans,  and  to  remark  tliat  it  was 
curious  to  observe  the  change  in  the  character  and 
occupations  of  the  negroes,  produced  by  the 
Moorish  influence,  in  this,  the  first  nation  I  met 
with  in  Western  Africa,  to  which  it  had  been  ex- 
tended. 

The  Foolahs  and  Mandingoes  hold  spirituous 
liquors  in  such  abhorrence,  that,  if  a  single  drop 
were  to  fall  upon  their  garment,  they  would  not 
wear  it  till  it  were  washed ;  and  a  Foolah  being 
asked  what  was  the  greatest  crime  be  could  com- 
mit^ replied,  ''  The  eating  of  pork,  particularly  if 
it  were  the  flesh  of  a  boar.** 

Dancing  was  formerly  practiced  at  Teeinbo ; 
but,  in  the  reign  of  the  late  king's  father,  the 
slaves  revolted  while  their  masters  were  dancing  ; 
and  since  that  period  no  one  has  ventured  to  dance 
in  the  capital ;  though  the  amusement  is  stillcon- 
tinned  iti  the  distant  parts  of  the  country. 

Among  the  Foolahs  there  is  a  set  of  people  called 
singing-men,  who,  like  the  ancient  bards  of  Bri« 
tain,  travel  about  the  country,  singing  the  praises 
of  those  who  choose  to  purchase  praise,  or  venting 
tiieir  satire  upon  those  who  have  offended  them. 
In  the  towns  of  the  Bulloms  tiiere  is  frequently  a 
professor  of  this  art,  who  is  called  the  master,  and 


OPINIONS   CONCERNING  THE    EARTH.  523 

who  composes  songs  for  the  inhabitants,  on  occa- 
sion of  any  remarkable  event  that  may  have  hap« 
pened  in  the  cmmtry. 

An  opinion  prevails  among  the  Foolahs  respect- 
ing twins,  similar  to  that  which  prevails  in  England 
with  regard  to  seventh  sons ;  they  are  supposed  to 
be  born  with  a  capacity  for  the  practice  of  physic 
and  surgery,  especially  for  the  cure  of  fractures. 

A  Foolah  asked  me  the  cause  of  an  earthquake 
which  had  recently  been  felt  in  the  country,  and, 
not  being  satisfied  with  my  explanation,  he  gave 
me  his  own,  which,  he  said,  his  book  had  taught 
him.  "  The  earth,**  said  he,  "  stands  between 
the  horns  of  a  bull,  and  when  the  bull  is  sick,  it 
causes  the  earth  to  shake."  He  added  that  the 
tides  were  occasioned  by  the  breathing  of  the  bull. 
This  theory  of  the  earth  differs  materially  from 
that  of  the  king  of  Laby,  who  asked  me  what  the 
earth  stood  upon.  I  answered,  "  Nothing."  He 
said  he  could  not  believe  it:  his  book  had  told  him 
that  it  stood  upon  a  rock ;  that  the  rock  stood 
upon  a  spirit;  the  spirit  on  the  back  of  a  fish ;  tlie 
fish  upon  the  water;  and  the  water  upon  the  wind; 
and  that  God  Almighty  knew  what  the  wind  stood 
upon. 

I  was  witness  to  the  punishment  inflicted  on  an 
adulterer  at  Teembo.  In  the  morning  the  drum 
beat  to  summon  the  people  together  near  the  great 
mosque.'  The  culprit  was  brought  from  a  house 
in  which  he  had  been  confined,  and  stretched  on 
the  ground,  with  his  bare  back  exposed  to  the  rays 
of  the  sun.  The  book  of  their  law  was  then  taken 
to  the  mosque  with  much  ceremony,  and  publicly 
read  :  after  which  a  head-man  approached  the  pri* 
soner,  and,  ordering  him  to  be  held  tmU  g^ve  him 


524  FOOTA   JALLON* 

sixty  laches  with  a  small  whip.  Another  head- 
man gave  him  sixty  more,  and  when  these  were 
ended  the  offender  cried,  ''  £1  Hamd  ii  lillah !" 
— praise  be  to  God.  His  hair  was  then,  cut  off 
close  to  his  head.  While  this  was  performing,  he 
exclaimed, **  Allah  u  Kabeer!"  —  God  is  great; 
and  when  it  was  finished,  he  carefully  picked  up 
his  hair,  and  returned  home. 

Theft  is  punished  in  Foota  by  the  amputation  of 
a  hand  or  a  leg;  and  the  Foolahs  seem  impartial  in 
the  execution  of  their  laws ;  for  one  of  the  king^s 
brothers  had  had  his  right  hand  cut  off  for  being  a 
great  thief* 

Some  years  ago,  the  Foolahs  and  Mandingoes 
united  their  forces  against  Sambo,  king  of  Bam- 
bouk,  and  attempted,  as  they  term  it,  to  break 
Ferbanna,  his  capital.  The  siege  was  carried  on 
with  uncommon  vigour,  and  the  allies  even  at- 
tempted to  undermine  the  walls  ;  but  the  besieged 
behaved  with  such  intrepidity  that  the  assailants 
w^e  obliged  to  withdraw.  They,  remained  inac- 
tive, at  a  small  distance  from  the  town,  owing  to 
the  want  of  powder,  and  the  gallant  Sambo  sent 
them  a  supply,  desiring  them  to  use  it  against 
himself*  They  shortly  after  were  destitute  of  pro- 
visions, and  the  humane  Sambo  sent  them  food. 
They  then  broke  up  their  camp,  and  returned  to 
theii:  respective  eountries. 

The  Foolahs,  and  other  nations  to  the  eastward 
of  them,  manufacture  beautiful  leather,  coloured 
red,  black,  and  yellow.  They  inlay  the  handles 
of  their  swords,  and  chase  the  blades  with  great 
neatness.  They  make  a  variety  of  elegant  orna- 
ments of  gold  and  silver  for  their  women;  they 
form,  from  a  single  tree,  canoes  capable  of  carry- 


MANNSR   OF   TRADING.  525 

iog  eight  or  ten  tons;  they  weave  mats  in  a  variety 
of  patterns,  stained  with  beautiful  and  indelible 
colours,  and  make  the  narrow  cotton  cloths  of 
other  countries. 

When  the  Foolahs  come  down  to  the  sea-side,  to 
trade  with  Europeans,  they  are  under  the  controul 
of  a  head-man,  who  regulates  their  march,  settles 
all  disputes  in  the  path,  and  has  the  disposal  of 
their  goods.  When  they  reach  the  end  of  their 
journey,  they  erect  small  huts,  composed  of  boughs 
of  trees,  to  shelter  them  from  the  sun.  The  head- 
man  expects  to  be  accommodated  by  the  factor ; 
though  it  matters  not  how  small  his  room,  if  it 
have  a  door,  or  a  mat  to  let  down  instead  of  otie. 
Before  the  parties  enter  upon  business,  the  factor 
gives  the  head-man  his  present,  which  consists  of 
kola,  Malaguetta  pepper,  tobacco,  rice,  and  palm 
oil.  Tlie  two  first  of  these  articles  are  the  most 
essential ;  and,  without  them,  the  others,  however 
large  the  quantity,  would  scarcely  be  worth  ac- 
cepting. If  the  parties  do  not  agree,  the  present 
is  returned;  but  if  the  Foolahs  eat  the  kola,  it  is  a 
sign  that  they  do  not  intend  to  go  away.  .  The 
head-man  makes  a  speech,  which  is  always  very 
long,  setting  forth  the  great  distance  he  has  tra- 
velled, and  the  great  difficulties  he  has  had  to  en- 
counter. The  intercourse  is  carried  on  through 
the  medium  of  intei*preters;  the  head-man's  speech 
being  translated  by  his  own  interpreter,  and  the 
factor's  by  his;  though  both  very  often  under- 
stand them  as  well  as  their  agents. 

The  trade  for  rice  is  soon  settled,  as  an  equal 
measure  of  salt  is  usually  given  for  it ;  but  every 
tooth  of  ivory  demands  a  separate  palaver,  in  which 
every  formality  of  the  first  is  repeated  ;  and  as  the 


526  FOOTA   JALLON. 

Foolahs  have  no  idea  of  the  value  of  time,  they  wall 
sit  a  whole  day,  with  inexhaustible  patience,  to 
gain  an  additional  trifle  in  the  price  of  their  mer- 
chandize. At  going  away  they  expect  another 
present,  which  is  more  or  less  considerable,  ac- 
cording to  the  quantity  of  goods  they  brought. 
If  they  be  pleased  with  this  present,  they  sound 
the  factor  s  praise,  as  they  go,  and  tell  every  party 
they  meet  how  well  t^ey  have  been  treated. 
'  It  is  astonishing  to  see  the  loads  these  people 
carry  to  so  great  a  distance.  The  salt  is  packed 
in  round  masses  of  about  fifty  pounds  weight  each: 
the  goods  in  a  kind  of  basket  about  seven  feet 
lotig,  and  a  foot  and  a  half,  or  two  feet  wide, 
whicli,  when  filled,  weighs  from  a  hundred  and 
fifty  to  two  hundred  pounds.  This  is  placed  be- 
tween the  shoulders,  so  as  to  project  about  four 
feet  above  the  head  ;  a  bow  is  fixed  to  one  of  the 
upper  corners,  and  a  string  to  the  other,  and  the 
man  holds  both  in  one  hand :  in  the  other,  be  car- 
lies  a  forked  stick,  on  which  the  load  is  placed 
when  he  wants  to  rest.  The  Foolahs  bring  to>  the 
coast  slaves,  elephants'  teeth,  rice,  soap^  and  cat- 
tle; and  take  back  salt,  kola,  guns, .  gunpowder^ 
clothe  tobacco,  beads,  &c. 

On  leaving  Teembo  I  returned  by  a  different, 
and  rather  more  dangerous  path  than  that  by 
which  I  bad  approached  the  capital  of  the  Poolahs; 
I  was,  however,  escortied  by  a  large  body  of  these 
people,  sometimes  amounting  to  five  or  six  hun- 
dred, sent  at  the  command  of  the  king.  When ' 
we  arrived  at  the  frontiers  of  the  Soosoo  country, 
which  it  was  necessary  to  cross,  in  order  to  reach 
the  coast  by  this  path,  a  suspicion  arose  on  the 
part  of  the  Soosoos  that  the  Foolahs  were  come  to 


RETURN   TO   SIERRA   LEONE.  527 

.make  war  upon  them,  under  the  pretence  of  con* 
ducting  a  white  man  on  his  journey.  On  the  Foo- 
lahs  exhibiting  some  goods  and  slaves^  as  a  proof 
that  trade,  not  war,  was  their  purpose,  it  was  de- 
termined at  an 'assembly  of  theSoosoo  chiefs,  heUl 
in  a  neighbouring  town,  that  the  party  should  not 
only  be  permitted  to  pass,  but  that  tlie  path  should 
be  open  to  succeding  travellers. 

The  Soosoo  country  extends  on  the  south  to  the 
river  Kissey,  which  is  to  the  north  of  the  llio  Pon- 
gas,  and  on  the  north  it  extends  nearly  to  the  Rio 
Nunez.  Several  of  the  towns  we  passed  through 
contained  from  one  to  three  thousand  inhabitants^ 
and  all  were  surrounded  with  bamboo  fences*  or 
brick  walls,  like  those  of  Foota. 

I  shall  mention  such  particulars  respecting  tliese 
people  as  I  was  able  to  collect  in  my  passage 
through  their  country. 

When  a  child  is  born  among  the  Soosoos,  they 
imagine  that  its  body  is  animated  by  the  soul  of 
some  person  lately  deceased;  and  to  discover 
whose  it  may  be,  they  place  a  cylindrical  piece  of 
iron  against  a  wall,  asking  if  it  be  such  an  one 
who  has  returned.  If  the  iron  stand,  the  question 
is  answered  in  the  affirmative;  if  it  fall,  in  the  ne- 
gative, and  another  trial  is  made. 

I  shall  here  observe  that  the  word  gree-gree,  lik^ 
fetish,  has  been  introduced  by  the  Europeans,  and 
adopted  by  the  negroes.  The  Timraanec  word 
for  these  charms  is  massebbay,  the  BuUom  'nsebt 
bay,   the  Soosoo  sebbay. 

When  a  Soosoo  addresses  a  person  older  than 
iiimself,  and  to  whom  he  wislios  to  shew  some  re* 
Rpect,  he  styles  him  "  old  man  ;"  if  a  greater  do* 


128  soosoos. 

gree  of  respect,  he  calls  him  "  old  father;"  and  the, 
most  honourable  appellation  is  old  ^^  grandfather/' 
A  boy,  speaking  to  a  woman  about  thirty  years  of 
age,  called  her  **  Gaa  fooree  Bondee,*'  —  old  mo- 
ther Bondee;  to, which  she  indignantly  replied, 
that,  being  older  than  his  mother,  she  thought 
herself  intitled  to  be  called  **  Mama  fooree  Bon- 
dee,**  —  old  grandmother  Bondee.  In  Great  Bri- 
tain or  France  either  appellation  would  be  an 
affront. 

The  Soosoos  frequently  bury  their  dead  in  the 
street,  close  to  the  house  of  the  deceased,  and  in- 
close the  grave  with  four  pieces  of  wood,  secured 
by  stakes.  I  saw  the  grave  of  a  woman  in  the 
centre  of  her  husband's  inclosure ;  at  the  head  of 
the  grave  were  placed  the  horns  of  an  ox  that  had 
been  killed  for  the  funeral  feast,  and  the  hair  of 
the  woman's  eldest  daughter,  a  girl  of  twelve  years 
of  age,  that  had  been  cut  off  to  give  place  to  the 
mourning  cap.  In  general  only  one  person  in  a 
family,  and  that  one  the  nearest  in  age  to  the  de- 
ceased, wears  mourning  for  any  length  of  time ; 
though  some  of  the  others  may  wear  it  a  few  days. 

The  Soosoos  have  an  establishment  called  Semo, 
which  is  similar  to  the  purra  of  Sherbro. 

On  our  journey  from  Teembo  the  thermometer 
in  the  shade  was  often  at  100^  more  than  once  at 
102^,  and  once  at  103^  It  has  been  remarked 
that  the  fondness  for  highly  seasoned  dishes  in- 
creases with  the  heat  of  the  climate  j  it  has  been 
observed,  by  that  great  traveller  Brace,  that  God 
gave  man  pepper  to  counteract  the  tendency  to 
putridity  which  heat  produces;  and  it  may  be 
added,  that  he  has  scattered  salt  in  the  desert  for 
the  same  purpose. 


RETURN  TO  SIERRA  LEOKE.  629 

After  leaving  the  Soosoo  country,  we  passed 
through  a  colony  of  Mandingoes,  which  lies  be- 
tween-that  and  the  country  of  the  Bulloms  ;  and 
from  thence,  crossing  the  river  of  Sierra  Leone,  we 
arrived  at  Freetown.  The  Foolahswhohadaccom-^ 
panied  me  passed  a  few  days  there,  and  returned 
full  of  admiration  of  what  they  had  seen,  and 
highly  gratified  by  their  visit.  I  afterwards  under- 
stood that,  when  they  reached  the  confines  of 
Foota,  they  were  met  by  a  number  of  thdr  country- 
men, who  were  so  much  interested  by  the  recital 
of  what  they  had  seen  and  heard  in  this  British 
settlement,  that  the  conversation  lasted  through 
the  night. 

I  now  prepared  to  quit  Sierra  Leone  for  the 
second  snd  last  time,  and  sail  to  the  mouth  of  the 
Gambia ;  but,  as  this  river  led  the  way  to  one  of 
my  most  arduous  undertakings,  I  sliall  reserve  it 
for  a  succeeding  volume ;  in  which  the  Gambia 
and  the  Niger,  the  Senegal  and  the  Desert,  the 
Empfa-e  of  Marocco,  and  the  States  of  Algiers, 
Tunis,  and  Tripoli,  will  complete  the  Tour  op 
Africa. 


VOL.  II.  M  M 


AUTHORITIES. 


Howakil  and  Atnphila  Bays,  the  Journey  to 
Tigre  over  the  Salt  Plain,  Chelicut,  and  the 
Eastern  coast  of  Africa  as  far  as  the  Bay  of  De 
TAgoa,  are  taken  from  Salt. 

The  Bay  of  De  PAgoa  is  taken  from  Captain 
White. 

Southern  Africa  is  taken  from  Kolben,  Sparr- 
man,  Patterson,  Vaillant,  Thunberg,  Van  Reenen, 
Barrow,  Lichtenstein,  and  Campbell. 

Benguela  and  Angola  are  taken  from  Barbot, 
and  Merolla,  in  Churchill's  Collection  of  Voyages 
and  Travels. 

Congo  is  taken  from  Pigafetta,  CarU,  Merolla, 
and  Barbot,  in  Churchill's  Collection,  and  from 
Captain  Tuckey. 

Cacongo  is  taken  from  Tuckey,  and  FAbbe 
Proyart. 

Loango  is  taken  from  Barbot,  in  Churchill's 
Collection,  and  I'Abbe  Proyart. 

The  River  Gabon  is  taken  from  Bowdich. 

Benin  is  taken  from  Barbot  and  Van  Nyendael. 

Whydah  is  taken  from  Bosman. 

Dahomy  is  taken  from  Snelgrave,  Norris,  I)al- 
zel,  and  Description  de  la  Nigritie. 

Ashantee  is  taken  from  Bowdich. 

The  Gold  Coast  is  taken  from  Bosman  and  Me- 
redith. 

The  Ivory  and  Grain  Coasts  are  taken  from 
Snoek  and  Barbot. 


AUTHORITIES.  531 

The  Kroomen  are  taken  from  Ludlani,  in  the 
Reports  of  the  African  Institution. 

Cape  Monte  is  taken  from  Snoek  and  Barbot 

Sberbro  is  taken  from  Winterbottom's  Account 
of  the  Native  Africans;  Account  of  Sierra  Leone; 
and  Kizell,  a  native,  in  the  Reports  of  the  African 
Instituticm. 

Sierra  Leone  is  taken  from  Golbeny,  and  Win- 
terbottom. 

Teembo  and  the  Foolahs  are  taken  from  the 
Account  of  Sierra  Leone,  and  from  Winterbot- 
tom*s  Account  of  the  Native  Africans. 

The  Soosoos  are  taken  from  Winterbottom. 


END   OF   VOLUME   II. 


Printed  by  John  NicboU  aod  Son, 
25,  Parliament  Street,  Weatmintier. 


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