At eleven o’clock in the morning of the 4th of May, a signal to prepare to depart was made with the horns and drums of the party, which made a loud and most discordant noise; and, about an hour after, the whole body was in motion. We travelled in great haste till three o’clock in the afternoon of the 5th, when Boussa Jack, the horse on which I rode, and which was made a present of by the king of Boussa to my late master, became much fatigued, and began to lag. The weather was at this time intolerably hot, and the dust was rolling in thick clouds in every direction, entering my eyes and nostrils, and penetrating into the very pores of the skin. I felt nearly suffocated, and was faint and exhausted. Finding I was unable to proceed, I ordered Pascoe to overtake the camels, his horse being fresh and vigorous, and bring me some water. I then dismounted, and sat under a tree by the road-side, whose branches afforded but an indifferent shelter against the scorching rays of an African sun, and holding the bridle of my poor horse in my hand, I implored the hundreds of Fellatas and Tuaricks who were passing to sell me a drop of water; but the cold-hearted wretches refused my earnest request, observing one to another, “He is a Kafir; let him die.” At length a young Fellata, from Footatoora, accidentally seeing me, came to the spot, exclaiming, “Nasarah, Nasarah, triffi manora!” (Christian, Christian, go on!) I answered, “I am faint and sick for want of water; no one will give me any; and I am so weary that I cannot proceed.” On hearing which the young man kindly gave me a small calabash full; part of which I drank, and with the remainder washed the nostrils of Boussa Jack, and sprinkled a little into his mouth. The people, who observed the Fellata performing this generous action, upbraided him in strong language for giving water to the Christian; but he, showing them a double-barrelled gun, remarked that he had obtained it of my countrymen, who were all good men, and would do no harm. This somewhat appeased them. On examining the gun shortly afterwards, I found it to be of English manufacture, with “Arnold, maker, London,” on its lock. I, as well as the horse, was greatly refreshed with the small quantity of water I had taken; but soon becoming again weak and dispirited, I was almost in as bad a state as on the former occasion; my legs were swollen prodigiously, and I felt the most acute pains in every part of my body. At length I perceived Pascoe, whom I had sent for water three or four hours previously, comfortably seated under a tree, and seeming to be enjoying himself much with Mudey,—the camels feeding at a short distance. I had half an inclination to shoot the heartless old scoundrel, knowing as he did how keen my sufferings must have been. Reflecting, however, that the safety of my papers, and even my own life, was placed in some measure in his hands, I restrained myself, and merely asked why he did not return with the water, on which he answered, very composedly, “I was tired.”
The young Fellata who had so generously saved my life came to me on the 7th, and informed me that the whole of the slaves of the king of Jacoba being missing, a party of horsemen had been sent in quest of them, and had just returned with the dreadful account of having seen thirty-five of their dead bodies exposed on the road; the remaining fifteen could not be found, but were strongly suspected of having met a similar fate. These unfortunate creatures had to carry heavy burdens on their heads the day before; and being unable to keep up with the rapid pace of the camels, were necessarily obliged to be left behind, and thus miserably perished of thirst. I congratulated myself on my own good fortune in having so narrowly escaped so horrid a death; and thanked the Almighty for having so providentially rescued me. On leaving me, I gave the Fellata a pair of scissors, and twenty flints for his gun, which pleased him highly. On our road to Kano, the king of Jacoba became very sociable with me, and was my constant companion. He pressed me very much to visit his country, where he would do all in his power to make my stay agreeable. He told me that his neighbours, the Yamyam people, who had assisted him in his war against the sheik of Bornou, were surrounded, with some of his own people, on a plain near Jacoba, by the sheik’s soldiers, who made a dreadful slaughter of them. The fight lasted a whole day, when the Yamyams and people of Jacoba were entirely routed; he himself narrowly escaping being taken prisoner. The morning after, the surviving Yamyams repaired to the field of action, and bearing off a great number of the dead bodies of their enemies, made a fire, roasted, and ate them!
Soon after our arrival at Markee, on the 19th, the spouse of the chief, a finely formed and intelligent looking woman, aged about 22 years, came to me with tears in her eyes, and implored me to give her some magarie, as she had no child. I accordingly presented her with a couple of tea-spoonfuls of oil of cinnamon, and ordered her to put two drops of it into a pint of cow’s milk, which should be taken three times a day till the whole was consumed. I told her that on my return to Markee I had not the least doubt I should have the pleasure of seeing her the happy mother of a numerous progeny. On her husband being made acquainted with the circumstance, he came and thanked me in the heartiest manner for my kindness, gave me abundance of fresh milk, fowls, rice, &c.; telling me at the same time, that on my return from England he would give me a large sum of money, which, no doubt, he will do. Bidding them adieu the next morning, they said to me, “Christian! God send you safely to your country, and may you speedily come back to Markee.”
On my arrival at Kano on the 25th of May, I delivered Sultan Bello’s order and letter to Hadji Hat Sallah; but he declared, after perusing the letter, he would have nothing to do with it: he had nearly lost his head on my father’s account at Soccatoo, and therefore positively refused to lend me a single cowrie. He had no objection to give, in goods and a slave, the amount of my demands on Bello, but refused to let me have any money. I accordingly received from him a strong female slave, a quantity of unwrought silk, and scarlet caps and beads. I sold my weakened and diseased camels for 15,000 cowries each, and discharged their keeper, Maddie. Not having sufficient money to purchase fresh camels, provisions, and presents for the chiefs on my way to Fezzan, I was necessitated to take a different route; and for that purpose purchased a horse and two asses. Bello had not forgotten to mention in his letter for Hadji Hat Sallah to send back Pascoe to Soccatoo, on his arrival at Kano. I begged of him, however, to let me take him as far as Coulfo, in Nyffé, which he at first refused; but giving him two yards of scarlet damask, two pairs of scissors, two dollars, a large knife, and two yards of blue damask, the old Arab seemed to relax in his determination; and calling Pascoe to him, gave him leave to accompany me to Coulfo, but cautioned him to return the moment he arrived, on pain of having Jerrub (the devil) sent after him. The old man came to me just after in great trepidation, every member of his body trembling like an aspen leaf, and gave me to understand, as well as he was able, the conversation he had had with Hadji Hat Sallah, and in consequence thereof, his great reluctance to quit Kano with me. I did all I could to laugh him out of his superstitious fears, but it utterly failed of the desired effect; the name of Jerrub being enough to put him in a fever. I had given the slave that Hadji Hat Salah had sold me to Pascoe as a wife. I told him that, unless he accompanied me, he should not have her. As soon as he learnt he was to be parted from the girl, all his scruples vanished, and he consented to go to Coulfo, but no farther, he having left a wife at Soccatoo, where he much wished to go. This woman, whom I had seen several times as Ben Gumso’s slave, was remarkably ugly, and had had before marriage a male child, by a blind fiddler belonging to Sultan Bello’s band at Soccatoo. On my asking what had induced him to marry so frightful an object, he replied, in a tone full of tenderness, it was because she loved him very much, and made the best tuah he had ever tasted: these powerful recommendations were irresistible to a man of Pascoe’s stamp; and a very short time after he had first tasted her tuah, Ben Gumso’s ugly slave became the wife of Abbou Boukir (Pascoe’s native name).
On the 29th, Hadji Hat Sallah desired me to pay my respects to the king of Kano, who was then at Faniso, his country residence. I complied with his wishes, and on my leaving his majesty he said, “When you return to your own country, Christian, give the Fellatas a good name.” He was not, however, kind enough to send a messenger with me, so I hired two men to accompany me as far as Funda, paying them 8,000 cowries each for their journey. The same day at one left Kano, and travelling at a quick pace, halted on the banks of the river Kogie, four hours’ journey from that place; but being much swollen, did not dare to pass. To our great regret we found that the tent-poles had been left behind; I was consequently obliged to send back one of the hired servants after them, giving him a sword as a proof that he was sent by me; but the scoundrel never returned. It being necessary for us to rest on the banks of the river that night, I slung the tent to the branch of a tree, and fastened the lower part to the earth. At seven in the evening it came to fall heavy rain, accompanied with the loudest thunder I ever recollect to have heard, and lightning, which continued with great violence till nine next morning. In the night, our tent becoming completely drenched and heavy, the bough to which it was attached gave way, and it fell on us as we were sitting on our mats, it being utterly impossible to sleep. We remained in this miserable plight till day-light, for no one could venture out in that dreadful weather.
30th.—As soon as things were put to rights this morning, I sent Pascoe to Kano to endeavour to bring back the fellow that had cheated me yesterday, but he had not been seen near the place; and Pascoe returned in the afternoon with the poles. The river was now become fordable, but, owing to the strength and rapidity of the current, we crossed with extreme difficulty. We had no sooner landed on the opposite side than four armed slaves from Soccatoo came up to us, and demanded 4,000 cowries of Pascoe, which Ben Gumso had lent him to defray the expenses of the marriage ceremony with his slave, the celebrated maker of tuah; and if Pascoe were unable to pay that sum, they were to take him back to Soccatoo. Pascoe informed them he had left English clothes and money in that capital worth 50,000 cowries, out of which Ben Gumso might pay himself. This answer by no means satisfied the slaves, who were about to take him away by force, when I myself paid the money demanded. This little affair being settled to the complete gratification of Pascoe, we stopped till morning on the spot. The weather during the whole of the night was just as bad as yesterday. In the evening sent Mohamed, the other hired servant, to a neighbouring village to purchase provisions; but he brought with him a little corn only.
31st.—The weather clearing up this morning about eight, we proceeded on our journey, and at two P.M. arrived at Madubie, a small walled town. The chief invited me to remain at his house, but I preferred staying in my tent, which I had fixed within the walls, close to the gate. In the evening the chief’s daughter came to see me, bringing milk, a bowl of stewed beef, and tuah, sufficient for the whole of us for supper. I afterwards made her a trifling present. The weather as usual.
June 1st.—Having dried our tent, at 9 A.M. journeyed till we came to the banks of the Gora, a narrow but deep and rapid river. I was much afraid the men would be washed down the stream in crossing; but at length every thing was landed on the opposite side. Passed the walled town of Bebajie at one at noon; and ordering the men to proceed ahead, I followed at some distance, being afraid the inhabitants would detain me if recognised. Half an hour after, came to a spot where are two roads, one leading to Nyffé, and the other to Funda. My master had said, before his death, at Soccatoo, that if I returned through Nyffé and Youriba, the inhabitants, who must have heard of our having taken presents to Sultan Bello, with whom they were at war, would certainly assassinate me; and feeling an earnest and irrepressible desire to visit Funda, on the banks of the Niger, and trace, in a canoe, that river to Benin, without hesitation I chose the Funda road. We therefore proceeded, and at 6 A.M. pitched our tent within half a mile of the walled town of Koufa. Sent Pascoe to the town for provisions; who shortly afterwards returned with some of the inhabitants to look at the tent. The chief did not visit me, thinking I was an Arab on his way to Funda. I was fortunate enough to obtain a little sleep this night, for the first time since leaving Kano. The town is situated at the foot of an immense rock, on which there is not the slightest trace of vegetation, is about two miles in circumference, and pretty thickly inhabited. To the east of the town is a range of high hills, stretching from north to south as far as the eye can reach. Their sides had a most pleasing appearance, and vegetation looked green and luxuriant. Travelled in a south-east direction till ten in the morning, when our course lay more westerly.
2d.—Left Koufa at 6 A.M., the weather being rainy, and halted at the small walled town of Cookie at twelve at noon.
3d.—It began to rain at day-break, and continued without intermission till ten in the morning, when, brightening a little, we struck our tent, and started at eleven.