Persons born on each day of the week:—
| Men. | Women. | |
|---|---|---|
| Sunday | Quashie | Aquesua. |
| Monday | Kudjo | Adjewa. |
| Tuesday | Kobra | Aabinaba. |
| Wednesday | Quako | Akooa. |
| Thursday | Quaow | Yaba. |
| Friday | Kaffee | Efwa. |
| Saturday | Quamina | Amma. |
[7] This dish is called katoh-kim. In the Fantee country, kotah, signifies crab, and kim, pudding.
[8] Kankie is Indian corn ground, made into dough, wrapped in leaves, and then baked or boiled in lumps, the size of a man’s fist.
CHAPTER VI.
Gregapojee—Extensive Market at—Native Produce and European Manufactures—Popoe Beads, their Value; probable Origin of—Houses—Situation and Soil of Gregapojee—Fish—Alligators—Population—Return to Ahguay, and thence to Whydah—Toll-house—Fish-trap—Travelling Canoe—Beautiful Scenery of the Lagoon—Oysters growing to Trees—Old Ferryman—Gibbets of three Criminals—Murder committed by them—The English Fort at Whydah—Character of M. de Suza—Treatment of Slaves—Hints with reference to this odious Traffic—Price of Slaves—Slave Hunts—Necessity for Education—Cruelty in the Shipment of Slaves—Visit to Avoga—Account of him—Reception by him—Mode of Riding—Bad Road—Reason for not repairing it—Market at Whydah—Native Manufactures, &c.—Duties imposed by the King of Dahomey—His Enormous Revenue—Head Money—System of Government—Severe Laws, and their Result—Paganism—Abject Superstition of the Natives—Dangerous to show Contempt for their Fetish—Anniversary Offerings for departed Friends—Usual Termination of such Festivals—Snake Worship—Houses built to contain them—The Snake-Lizard—The Field-Lizard—The House-Lizard—Vampire Bats.
On the 16th, at 10 A.M., Mr. Hutton, myself, and the captain and supercargo of a Hamburgh vessel, as well as the two junior Lawsons, went by canoe up the lagoon, to visit the famous market and town of Gregapojee,[9] three miles and a half N.W. by N. from Popoe. The town is of little moment, having nothing remarkable about it; but the market is the most extensive of any of the settlements on the lagoon, except Whydah. Cotton, both raw and manufactured into cloth, is sold in the market, the latter very high in price, owing to their tedious mode of manufacture. The cloth is, however, much stronger and more durable than that manufactured in England. Beads, both of European and native manufacture, are offered for sale here; and the Popoe bead is also an article of traffic, but it is very scarce and of high price. Nothing is really known of the origin of the Popoe beads: they are sometimes found in digging the earth in and round the town, when making mortar or swish. They are generally from half an inch to an inch in length, and of a tubular form, much resembling a stout pipe-handle broken into small pieces. They are of a light red coral colour; but though they have, I believe, been minutely examined by scientific men in Europe, the result has not proved very satisfactory. They are balanced with gold in purchasing, consequently very few persons are able to wear them. From the circumstance of their being found at Popoe I am led to the conclusion that these beads have either been manufactured here at some remote period, or that some ship has been cast away, having on board those beads as well as other merchandise, which has long ago perished. My reason for this belief is, that the lagoon extends along this coast to two hundred miles, and is in no place more than a mile or a mile and a half from the Atlantic, and in many places indeed it is open to the sea. This lagoon has doubtless been formed by the sea throwing up this extensive bank of sand, which is still accumulating, perhaps more rapidly than in any other part of the world, owing to the terrible swell always to be found on this coast, which has in many places washed up a bank so steep as to be scarcely accessible. These beads may consequently have been buried by the continued accumulation of sand. Popoe is built on a bank of this description, between the lagoon and the sea. From the river Volta to Benin the houses are all built of clay or red earth, which becomes very hard and is very durable.
To return to Gregapojee. The market is well supplied with every article of consumption of native produce, as well as several articles of European manufacture, amongst which I noticed the Dutch knife, needles, beads, a few iron spoons, Manchester cottons to a small extent, pieces of hoop iron, principally stolen by the coopers employed in European factories on the coast, which are exchanged with people farther in the interior. Pipes and Brazilian tobacco are also sold in this market, wooden bowls, grass baskets of neat workmanship, grass mats and bags of great pliability and durability, India and Guinea corn, yams, manioc, farina, meal from the Indian corn, calabashes two feet in diameter, richly carved, large and small earthen pots and dishes of native manufacture, shalots, and two sorts of quashie root, and leaves of the same plant, as well as other medicinal plants used by the natives. Lime from the oyster-shell is also manufactured here as well as sold in the market, for use in cotton spinning. All sorts of stock are sold; pigeons are in great abundance. They are not claimed by any one. We shot a great number; they are small, but very plump and sweet.
The town of Gregapojee is situated on the left bank of the river, on rising ground, on a fine red dry soil; though considerably higher than the neighbourhood, the soil is rich, and very productive. The number of its inhabitants is small in comparison with its market, which is held twice during the week. It is the principal market of commerce for all the neighbouring krooms and towns in its vicinity, either on the lagoon or inland. This lagoon, in a commercial country, would be of great advantage, as the navigation is so easy; the water in most places not exceeding four or five feet, although in some instances I found the deepest part twelve feet, but not for any distance. The canoes are pushed along by poles, in the same manner as our punts on many of the rivers in England. Revolving paddles might be used with great advantage, or small steamers. The current, which increases during the ebbing of the tide, does not exceed the rate of two miles per hour; and in some places during ebb-tide the water is quite fresh, and used by the natives. Every part of the lagoon abounds with fish of various kinds. Alligators are both large and numerous. Some days, during a journey of ten miles, more than a dozen of these reptiles may be seen on the banks. The bed of the river is found frequently to vary from sand to mud, but no gravel. By digging any considerable depth, I found, however, marine sand, confirming my opinion, that on the present bed of the lagoon the sea formerly rose.
After remaining a few hours at Greejee, I made a slight calculation of the number of its inhabitants, which we estimated to be at least twelve hundred, and I always make it a rule rather to understate the amount than otherwise. We returned to Popoe at 6 P.M. where we remained during the night. On the following day we proceeded by the lagoon back to Ahguay, and remained there one night and the next day. On the 18th, in the evening, Mr. Hutton, Mr. Hanson, and myself, took our departure by lagoon for Whydah. The river is very interesting during the whole distance we have yet travelled, but though the moon was bright, it was not sufficiently powerful to enable me to map the river correctly, which I regretted much. I made my mind up, however, to avail myself of another opportunity to do so.