Towards the evening I felt a little feverish, probably from recent fatigue and sleeping in wet clothes. I subsequently ordered a bason of gruel to be prepared for me, and took a dose of James’s powder and some sedative of opium. Upon lying down for the night, my friend the captain of my guard seemed much alarmed, for he saw that I was ill. He was very anxious that I should not take any medicine, lest it might kill me, but I assured him that I took it for the purpose of getting well. Being extremely ill, I had given orders not to admit any strangers into my apartment, or even into the yard, but one poor old woman, who had a son suffering dreadfully from leprosy, managed to gain admittance to me, bringing a present of two fowls and some eggs. These, however, I declined to accept, on account of her poverty, but assured her that if she would bring her son to me, I would give him some medicine; and told the old dame that white man came to her country to teach them and do them good, and at the same time explained to her that my reason for not accepting her present, was not that I undervalued its pecuniary worth, but from a conviction that she might sell them in the market for her own benefit.
Upon this, the poor old woman prostrated herself, and as usual covered herself with mud, for the rain had been very heavy all the previous day and night. She remained on her knees for some time, singing an extemporary song in praise of the King’s stranger. She then departed to bring her son, and in a short time returned with the unfortunate object of her solicitude, who was decidedly the most loathsome creature in human form I ever beheld. He was apparently about nineteen or twenty years of age, and was covered with the loathsome disease from head to foot except those parts which were ulcerated, with a discharge chiefly from the arm-pits. The smell was so intolerable that my servants retreated upon his approach. He was reduced to a mere skeleton, and yet the poor fellow appeared not to suffer much pain, nor did any particular organ seem to suffer more than another.
This case being beyond my skill, I could only prescribe calomel pills, and a few doses of salts. I also presented the mother with a few needles and a thimble, for which she seemed truly grateful, pronouncing a blessing upon me as she departed. At last I had an opportunity of lying down to rest. Though suffering much from fever, I soon fell into a confused sleep, from the powerful dose of opium I had taken. Early in the morning I rose with a view of getting the greater part of my journey over before the sun should reach the meridian, but after breakfast, August 17th, some of my men beginning to dispute about carrying the luggage as previously arranged, I was compelled to use my horsewhip. The excitement produced by this disobedience suddenly threw me into a violent chill, which commenced at the feet, and rapidly rose upwards till it reached the pit of the stomach. Then sickness and vomiting began, followed by violent headach and giddiness.
This kind of attack is generally a prelude to a very severe and dangerous fever. In a few minutes after the chill reached my chest, I reeled and fell prostrate; but when the violent burning of the fever commenced, the giddiness partly left me. I then took another strong dose of opium and James’s powder, and lay down for two hours. I now found myself in a violent perspiration, overcome by a sort of pleasing stupor. This enabled me to bear up against the violence of the fever.
I ordered my horse to be again got ready, in defiance of the kind remonstrances of the captain of my guard, and commenced my journey, bearing magnetic W.N.W. At a short distance from the town, we passed over marble rocks, beautifully twisted; but, on entering the plain, we again found the bed composed of fused iron ore, with shea-butter and palm-trees, thinly spread over it, and many other trees, the names and class of the greater part of which were strange to me, being unacquainted with botany.
At a short distance from the town of Logazohy, we crossed a small stream of good water, about three feet deep and eight feet wide, running eastward. This stream is named Damadomy. After crossing it, I observed several large sycamore and ash trees, exactly similar to those found in England, but of considerably larger growth, and the bark more rough and fractured. Here also were numerous stunted shrubs, of a peculiar description, which are very seldom met with, except in this neighbourhood, and occupy a belt of country extending east and west. One of these plants or shrubs is from four to six feet in height, with numerous branches; both trunk and branches are very crooked, and contain but very few leaves. The branches are nearly all of one thickness, from the trunk to their top, which terminates abruptly. The leaves are much smaller, but in shape resemble those of the laurel; they are very fleshy, and of a pea-green colour. The bark is grey, and also very fleshy; upon the whole this shrub has the appearance of having been scorched and in a state of recovery.
From a Sketch by Duncan Hullmandel & Walton Lithographers.
THE KONG MOUNTAINS, IN THE NEIGHBORHOOD OF LOGAZOHY.
At twelve miles distant, to the southward, I observed a range of mountains, forming an arch of 90° S. and W. At eight miles further, we arrived at the river Agbado, a rapid stream, twenty yards wide, and only six feet deep, with steep banks densely wooded, with very large trees, and a thick underwood. The river runs N.E. at this point, but soon changed its course. When we reached it, we were much disappointed (at least my guard pretended to be so) at not finding that any arrangement had been made for our crossing the river. This, they alleged, ought to have been done by the caboceer of Savalu, distant only two miles, whom we had purposely come to visit. It appeared, however, that the notice he had received of our intention to visit him was so short, that he had scarcely any time to arrange himself and his household.
My conviction was, that this apparent neglect was the result of a preconcerted arrangement, in order to give the Dahoman soldiers an opportunity of exhibiting their skill as engineers. I proposed to swim my horse and self across, but this was opposed by the caboceer, on account of the rapidity of the stream. Besides, how were the officers’ wives, who carried their baggage, and also my own carriers, to get across? For this purpose I proposed rafts to be made from branches of trees, cut into lengths and lashed together and passed across by a rope, formed from the long fibres which grow downwards from the branches of the large trees on this bank, resembling hundreds of ropes of various thickness. These extraordinary fibres are sometimes thirty and forty feet long, according to the height of the branches from which they grow, and are extremely tough. They are pliable and of great strength. When they reach the ground, they insert themselves to some depth, and again take root, from which other trees spring upwards. They frequently form a colonnade of considerable extent along the banks of rivers, and resemble mangroves.