The town of Porto Sogoora is built on a bank of white loose sand, no doubt thrown up from the sea, which has occasioned the lagoon behind. Here the sun acts with great power; Fahrenheit’s thermometer ranging at Porto Sogoora, at this date, from 78° to 86°, and on one occasion to 87°.
After returning home, I was beset by a number of women, who remained in the doorways; several, indeed, ventured inside during my dinner-time. This freedom I did not much relish, and desired my servant to ask them what they wanted. They replied that their object was to obtain a dram of rum, and offer themselves as wives, saying that every great man had a number of wives, and knowing me to be a stranger with no wife, they supposed that of course I wanted a few. Being informed that I was only a traveller, and did not intend to remain more than a day or two, they all seemed disappointed, saying they had heard that I was a rich man come to Porto Sogoora to establish a factory, and buy palm-oil and corn. This idea probably had its origin from the caboceer offering to build me a house and store for my factory, provided I would remain here and establish one.
The caboceer remarked that the people of Ahguay had unjustly given his people a very bad name, which not only prevented white men from visiting and trading in his town, but all the men-of-war from purchasing stock from him. He also complained much of Mr. Lawson, of Popoe, as an inveterate enemy, and one of the principal slave-dealers on the coast. One of his headmen also assured me that another person, an Englishman, was a regular slave-dealer; but, at present, I deem it prudent, in the absence of unquestionable evidence, to withhold the name of the individual, although I have heard the same story from parties whose veracity I cannot doubt.
With respect to the character given of the people at Porto Sogoora by the natives of Popoe and Ahguay, I believe it to be not without good foundation. Only a very short time ago the master of a slaver, while being landed from his vessel by a party of canoemen belonging to the caboceer of Porto Sogoora, was purposely upset, with the view of getting possession of his money, which he had brought for payment of the slaves, and which they supposed to be contained in a writing-desk which he had with him. They were disappointed, however; for though they got possession of the desk, the master had taken the precaution to send the money ashore previously in an old cask. When they found in the desk nothing but the ship’s papers; they gave them up to some of the slave-dealers, but the vessel was gone, and was captured the following morning after sailing.
During the night I was awoke by a violent wrenching at my bed-room door; and my double-barrelled gun being invariably my bedfellow at this place, I sat up in my bed, which faced the door, with my gun ready. After demanding who was there, I heard some person fall over a stool in running away. At this moment I had almost fired, but heard the Cape Coast boy’s voice outside. He detained the party, who proved to be one of the women who had offered her services to me in the morning. Her motives were probably to steal something; however, upon being informed of her narrow escape, she promised not to annoy me any more, and was suffered to depart.
On the following morning, March 11th, I went out with a view to shoot some pigeons for breakfast, accompanied by my Cape Coast boy, and the servant furnished by Mr. Hanson of Ahguay. Not finding any pigeons, and my cowries being all expended, and being without breakfast, I went a little distance into the bush, or thick wood. We passed along a narrow path some distance, till we came to two sticks, stuck up, one on each side of the path, with a small piece of white cotton rag on the top of each. The boys declared that it would be at the peril of my life if I proceeded any farther in that direction, for this was the road to a fetish-house; and the fetish-man had stuck up those sticks as a warning not to attempt to proceed any farther. I pretended, however, not to comprehend their palaver, and walked on till I was some distance past the spot, when I looked round, and ordered them to come on; but they stood trembling watching, expecting to see me drop down dead. After many assurances of the absurdity of such superstition, they were at last induced to follow me. Such is the infatuation of the people all along the west coast, and in fact in most places I have yet visited in the interior.
Soon after passing the fetish bar, I observed a flock of monkeys passing from one tree to another, as nimble as so many squirrels, some with a young one hanging to their breast. My boys called the young one a child. I shot one, which we carried home and skinned. My boys assured me that they were excellent food, and were eaten by all the natives of this place. However, in the morning, I could not persuade myself to partake of any of the monkey, but determined to wait and see whether Mr. Hanson would return. I looked for him hourly, as it was now two days past the time he expected to be back when he left me. However, dinner-time came, and I was still fasting. The boys had cooked the monkey very well, with some palm-oil and vegetables, making a very fine soup. Seeing them relish it so much, I was at last, through the cravings of an empty stomach, induced to eat some of it. It certainly was very sweet, and had I not known what it was, I should probably have relished it much better.
Evening arrived, and Mr. Hanson had not returned. I was now compelled to make another search for something to eat. It being evening, I found plenty of pigeons; for, during the heat of the day, all birds seek the shade in the bush, and remain quiet till the afternoon or early in the morning. I had no vegetable, however, of any description. After some consideration, I fell upon a scheme which succeeded well, and through which I got a sufficient supply of cowries. I possessed a sovereign; and although I knew it was not current here, I sent to the caboceer, requesting him to furnish me with change, as I was now without cowries. At first, he could not comprehend my meaning, but after it was explained to him, he offered to lend me some cowries, which accommodation was all that I required, and I borrowed fifteen strings, valued at one shilling and threepence currency. This supplied me till Mr. Hanson’s return early on the morning of the 13th, when, after remaining two hours, we embarked, and sailed down the lagoon to Ahguay, which place we reached a little after sunset.
March 15th.—Mr. Hanson, of Ahguay, myself, and a young Portuguese, went up the lagoon to visit the Greejee market, and also to endeavour to kill an alligator. We only saw two on our passage up; but on our return, in the afternoon, we first observed one of small dimensions, about five feet and a half. It was close to the water’s edge, under the boughs of a low shrub. I fired with a rifle and struck it, but it dropped instantly into the water, and we made no search after it. However, in ten minutes after, we were more fortunate. One of the canoemen observed a large one on the banks several yards from the water, apparently fast asleep. After getting the canoe quite steady, I fired, and shot it through the hardest part of its back; upon which it rushed into the water. After looking about some time, and being about to leave the spot, giving up the search, Mr. Hanson observed at a short distance the enormous head of this monster resting on a broken stake of the fishing-hurdle across the river, the head only above the water. I fired a second shot, which knocked out its eye and carried away part of its skull, upon which it sunk into the water, but immediately rose again to the surface. I then took a sword belonging to the young Portuguese, and ran it into its belly, which was now uppermost, when it again sank to the bottom. Considering it now quite dead, I ordered the canoemen to get into the water and secure it, but all at once we lost it, owing to the muddiness of the water, caused by the men disturbing the bottom. However, it was very fortunate that we did lose it at this time, as it proved that it was only pretending to be dead, for it was perceived twenty yards higher up the stream still strong, although in this mutilated state. We again commenced our hunt, but before we reached it, the old fisherman had lodged two harpoons in its back. It still continuing to struggle, and appearing strong, I lodged another shot in its head, which being previously shattered, completely smashed it. After a few convulsive struggles, we secured this creature to the stern of the canoe, with a rope borrowed from the fisherman.
After our return to Ahguay we were obliged to give notice to the caboceer of our having killed this alligator; for, as the gall of the animal is a very virulent poison, notice is directed to be given on all such occasions to the headman or caboceer, in order to prevent its being used unlawfully. Men are then sent to take out the gall and throw it into the river, cutting the gall-bladder first. The animal is then delivered to the person who kills it. The alligator is eaten in many parts of Africa, and is said to impart courage to the eater. Be this as it may, I myself would rather prefer remaining deficient in courage than partake of such food. The alligator we took measured eight feet four inches. I have described the capture of this monster to remove an absurd notion entertained by some, that a bullet cannot penetrate the hard part of the alligator’s back. This is the third proof to the contrary within my own experience. Although in each case the ball struck the animal above the round, and on the hardest part of the back, it in no case deviated from the true line from the barrel of the gun. I believe this erroneous opinion to have arisen either from the animal getting away after being wounded, or that the party, firing unseasonably, laid the blame on the skin or crust of the animal as being too hard, or the bullet for not penetrating, when, in fact, the animal was not struck at all.