Travels into the Interior of Africa (35 page)

August 4th
– Departed from Balandoo. About a mile to the east saw the hill of Sobee bearing north-west by compass. About this place Lawrence Cahill, one of the soldiers, who had complained of sickness for some days, fell behind; and I hired a person to drive his ass, telling him to come on at his leisure. At eleven o’clock crossed a stream running south-east which gave us great trouble, the banks being very steep and slippery. Crossed the same stream again at half-past twelve, running east by north. In the course of this day’s march four of the soldiers were unable to attend to their asses. Mr Scott, being very sick, rode my horse; and I drove one of the asses. So very much weakened were the men, that when their loads fell off they could not lift them on again. I assisted in loading thirteen asses in the course of the march. We reached Koolihori at three o’clock. This town is partly walled; but the greater part of the huts are without the walls. As soon as the tents were pitched, the rain
commenced
, and continued all night. We had not time to cook, and the rain prevented the watch-fire from burning; owing to which one of our asses was killed by the wolves. It was only sixteen feet distant from a bush under which one of the men was sleeping.

August 5th
– Morning hazy. Halted, resolving to travel at two o’clock, and sleep in the woods, the Ba woolli being too far to reach in one march. Bought some ripe maize of this year’s growth.

The whole route from Bangassi is marked with ruined towns and villages; some of them are rebuilt, but by far the greater number are still in ruins. We saw scarcely any cattle on the route, and the avidity of the people of Koolihori for animal food, or perhaps their own peculiar taste, made them eat what the wolves had left of our ass. The wolves had eat only the bowels and heart, etc, so that the people had the four quarters and head. The day having clouded up for rain, resolved to halt here for the night. In the course of the afternoon Lawrence Cahill came up; but William Hall, who had gone into a ruined hut near the road, and who did not appear to be very sick, did not arrive. Suspected that he might be killed by the wolves in the hut during the night. At sunset had all the asses properly tied near the tents; and watched myself with the sentries all night, as the wolves kept constantly howling round us.

A
UGUST 6TH
– Having hired two more ass-drivers at one bar and their victuals per day, we left Koolihori early in the morning, and travelled with considerable dispatch till three o’clock; at which time we reached Ganifarra, a small beggarly village. In the course of this march L. Cahill and J. Bird, two of the soldiers, and William Cox, one of the seamen, fell behind, and laid down. As soon as the front of the coffle had reached Ganifarra, it came on a very heavy rain. Being in the rear I was completely drenched; and two of the asses carrying four trunks, in which were the gun stocks, pistols, looking-glasses, etc, fell down in a stream of water near the town, and all the contents were completely wet. I could purchase nothing here, not so much as a fowl. Served out a short allowance of rice, being very short of that article.

August 7th
– During the night, some person had stolen one of our best asses; and as the load must be left if we could not recover it, Isaaco’s people having traced the footmarks to a considerable distance, agreed to go in search of it. Isaaco gave them the strictest orders, if they came up to the thief in the woods to shoot him; and, if not, to follow him to a town and demand the ass from the Dooty; if he refused to give it up, to return as soon as possible.

Spent the day in drying such things as were wet; cleaned and greased with Shea butter all the ornamented pistols,
ten
pair
. Dried the
looking-glasses
, which were quite spoiled. In the afternoon sent two of the natives away with goods to a neighbouring town to purchase rice and corn. At sunset Bird came up, but had seen nothing of Cox nor Cahill.

August 8th
– People not yet returned. Opened the trunk which contained the double-barrelled gun stocks; cleaned and greased them. About noon people returned with the rice and corn, but not quite sufficient for one day. Nearly at the same time Isaaco’s people came up with the ass; they had traced his footmarks past Koolihori, and found him at Balandoo. Did not see the thief, but learned his name; which Isaaco promised to write to his friend at Bangassi, to inform Serinummo of him. In the afternoon agreed with the Dooty for thirty-five bars to carry everything over. Rained heavily all the evening.

August 9th
– Michael May, a soldier, having died during the night, buried him at daybreak. Had all the loads taken to the crossing-place by eight o’clock. The Ba woolli is nearly of the same size as the one we formerly crossed of that name; it appeared to be exceedingly deep, and flowed at the rate of four or five miles per hour. There is a very good canoe here, which can carry over four ass-loads at once. As it threatened rain, sent over three men with one of the tents, and pitched it on the east side about half a mile from the river; the ground near the bank being marshy. Hired people to carry down the bundles, and put them into the canoe; and others to receive them on the other side, and carry them up the bank; so that the soldiers had nothing to move, being all weak and sickly.

By one o’clock all the baggage was over; but we found some difficulty in transporting the asses; the rapidity of the stream swept the canoe and the first six past the landing-place; and they went so far down the river, that I really thought the asses must be drowned; which would have been an irreparable loss in our situation. However, by the exertions of the Negroes, who swam in with ropes to the canoe, the asses were landed on the other side; where they stood by the water’s edge until the Negroes with their corn hoes made a path for them up the steep bank. To prevent such an accident, we took the ropes from several of our loads, and fastened them together, so as to reach across the river; with this we hauled over the loaded canoe, and the Negroes paddled it back when empty. In this manner all the asses and horses were swam over without any loss.

When the bundles were all carried up to the tent, we found that we had not more rice than was barely sufficient for the present day; and as no more could be purchased, we had no alternative but to march early in the morning for Bambarra; the distance by all accounts would not exceed fourteen or fifteen miles.

August 10th
– William Ashton* declared that he was unable to travel; but as there was no place to leave him at, I advised him to make an exertion and come on, though slowly, till he should reach a place where he could have food. At eight o’clock set forwards; and travelled very expeditiously without halting till four in the afternoon, at which time the front of the coffle reached Dababoo, a village of Bambarra. Being in the rear, I found many of the men very much fatigued with the length of the journey and the heat of the day. At half-past four I arrived with the ass I drove at a stream flowing to the westwards.

Here I found many of the soldiers sitting, and Mr Anderson lying under a bush, apparently dying. Took him on my back, and carried him across the stream, which came up to my middle. Carried over the load of the ass which I drove, got over the ass, Mr Anderson’s horse, etc Found myself much fatigued, having crossed the stream sixteen times. Left here four soldiers with their asses, being unable to carry over their loads. Having loaded my ass and put Mr Anderson on his horse, we went on to the village; but was sorry to find that no rice could be had, and I was only able to buy one solitary fowl.

August 11th
– Bought a small bullock of the Moorish breed for one barraloolo; and having purchased some corn, had it cleaned and dressed for the people instead of rice. This morning hired Isaaco’s people to go back, and bring up the loads of the soldiers who had halted by the side of the stream. In the course of the day all the loads arrived; but was sorry to find that in the course of the last two marches we had lost four men, viz. Cox, Cahill, Bird, and Ashton. Mr Anderson still in a very dangerous way, being unable to walk or sit upright. Mr Scott much recovered. I found that I must here leave one load, one of the horses being quite finished. Left the seine nets in charge of the Dooty, till I should send for them.

August 12th
– Rained all the morning. About eleven o’clock, the sky being clear, loaded the asses. None of the Europeans being able to lift a load, Isaaco made the Negroes load the whole. Saddled Mr Anderson’s horse; and having put a sick soldier on mine, took Mr Anderson’s horse by the bridle, that he might have no trouble but sitting upright on the saddle. We had not gone far before I found one of the asses with a load of gunpowder, the driver (Dickinson) being unable to proceed (I never heard of him afterwards); and shortly after the sick man dismounted from my horse, and laid down by a small pool of water, refusing to rise. Drove the ass and horse on before me. Passed a number of sick. At half-past twelve o’clock Mr Anderson declared he could ride no farther. Took him down and laid him in the shade of a bush, and sat down beside him. At half-past two o’clock he made another attempt to proceed; but had not rode above a hundred yards before I had to take him down from the saddle, and lay him again in the shade. I now gave up all thoughts of being able to carry him forwards till the cool of the evening; and having turned the horses and ass to feed, I sat down to watch the pulsations of my dying friend. At four o’clock four of the sick came up; three of them agreed to take charge of the ass with the gunpowder; and I put a fourth, who had a sore leg, on my horse, telling him if he saw Mr Scott on the road to give him the horse.

At half-past five o’clock, there being a fine breeze from the
southwest
, Mr Anderson agreed to make another attempt, and having again placed him on the saddle, I led the horse on pretty smartly in hopes of reaching Koomikoomi before dark. We had not proceeded above a mile, before we heard on our left a noise very much like the barking of a large mastiff, but ending in a hiss like the fuf
*
of a cat. I thought it must be some large monkey; and was observing to Mr Anderson ‘what a bouncing fellow that must be,’ when we heard another bark nearer to us, and presently a third still nearer, accompanied with a growl. I now suspected that some wild animal meant to attack us, but could not conjecture of what species it was likely to be. We had not proceeded a hundred yards farther, when coming to an opening in the bushes, I was not a little surprised to see three lions coming towards us. They were not so red as the lion I formerly saw in Bambarra, but of a dusky colour, like the colour of an ass. They were very large, and came bounding over the long grass, not one after another, but all abreast of each other. I was afraid, if I allowed them to come too near us, and my piece should miss fire, that we should be all devoured by them. I therefore let go the bridle, and walked forwards to meet them. As soon as they were within a long shot of me, I fired at the centre one. I do not think I hit him; but they all stopped, looked at each other, and then bounded away a few paces, when one of them stopped, and looked back at me. I was too busy in loading my piece to observe their motions as they went away, and was very happy to see the last of them march slowly off amongst the bushes. We had not proceeded above half a mile farther, when we heard another bark and growl close to us amongst the bushes. This was doubtless one of the lions before seen, and I was afraid they would follow us till dark, when they would have too many opportunities of springing on us unawares. I therefore got Mr Anderson’s call, and made as loud a whistling and noise as possible. We heard no more of them.

Just at dark we descended into a valley where was a small stream of water; but the ascent on the opposite side was through a species of broken ground, which I have never seen anywhere but in Africa. It is of the following nature. A stratum of stiff yellow clay fourteen or twenty feet thick (which, unless when it rains, is as hard as rock) is washed by the annual rains into fissures of a depth equal to the thickness of the stratum. There is no vegetation on these places, except on the summit or original level. Amongst these horrid gullies I unfortunately lost sight of the footmarks of the asses which had gone before; and finding no way to get out, led the horse up a very steep place in order to gain the original level, hoping there to find the footpath. But unluckily the ground was all broken as far as I could see; and after travelling some little way, we came to a gully which we could not cross; and finding no possibility of moving without the danger of being killed by falling into some of these ravines, or over some precipice, I thought it advisable to halt till the morning. On this rugged summit we fell in with Jonas Watkins, one of the sick; and with his assistance I lighted a fire. Wrapped Mr Anderson in his cloak, and laid him down beside it. Watched all night to keep the fire burning, and prevent our being surprised by the lions, which we knew were at no great distance. About two o’clock in the morning two more of the sick joined us. Mr Anderson slept well during the night, and as soon as day dawned,

August 13th
– having found the footmarks of the asses, and having with difficulty even in daylight traced our way through this labyrinth, we found Mr Scott and three more of the sick. They too had lost their way, and had slept about half a mile to the east of us. We reached Koomikoomi at ten o’clock. This is an unwalled village, but surrounded with extensive corn fields.

August 13th
– Halted; rested at Koomikoomi.

August 14th
– Jonas Watkins died this morning; buried him. Halted here today to see which way Mr Anderson’s fever was likely to terminate; and in the meantime sent two loaded asses forward to Doombila, the asses to return in the evening and carry loads tomorrow morning.

It is a common observation of the Negroes, that when the Indian corn is in blossom the rain stops for eleven days. The stopping of the rain evidently depends on the sun approaching the zenith of the place: the sun by this day’s observation being only seventy-one miles north of us; and it is a wonderful institution of Providence, that at this time the maize here is all in full blossom; and on passing through the fields, one is like to be blinded with the pollen of the male flowers.

August 15th
– Having slung a cloak like a hammock under a straight stick, had Mr Anderson put into it, and carried on two men’s heads; two more following to relieve them. Mr Scott complained this morning of sickness and headache. Made one of the soldiers saddle Mr Anderson’s horse for him; and having seen him mount, and given him his canteen with water, I rode forwards to look after four Negroes whom I had hired to carry loads on their heads; but being strangers, I was apprehensive they might run away with them. Found everything going on well; and we travelled with such expedition, that we reached Doombila in four hours and a half, though the distance cannot be less than sixteen or eighteen miles, nearly south. It rained hard all the afternoon, and it was not till dark that all the sick soldiers came up. Only three of the soldiers were able to drive their asses today.