CHAPTER VIII.
THE NIGER, THE RIVER OF THE WEST.
The Niger is the great river of Western Africa. Its name, according to one of the early explorers, is but a contraction from one of the many names given to it by native tribes. The translation of any one of these would be simply "The River."
It was not until the close of the first quarter of this century that the mystery of the Niger was revealed.
Many conflicting reports had been made with regard to the river. In every instance it was found that tributaries of the river had been traced instead of the main stream.
Some explorers had reported it as flowing westward; others had reported it as flowing eastward. In each case a tributary of the river had been followed in its course, and thus the exploring parties had been misled.
Richard Lander and his brother John, in their search for the Niger, found one river, the Joliba, which ran towards the east.
This they resolved to follow to its mouth, wherever that might prove to be. Floating downstream, they came to another large stream flowing into it from the opposite direction. Thus they solved the mystery of the conflicting accounts.
As the Lander brothers floated down the stream formed by the union of these two, they soon found themselves in the Bight of Benin. No one had ever dreamed that a great river, like the Niger, could empty itself into it.