The next Day a Messenger came from the King of Dahomè, whose Name was Buttenoe. He spoke very good English, and told me, “His Majesty having heard there was an English Ship arrived in the Road of Whidaw, he had ordered him to go there and invite the Captain to come up to his Camp; (which was about forty Miles directly within the Land in the Country of Ardra) but being told there I was gone for Jaqueen, he had followed me to make the King’s Desire known to me: Assuring me in his Majesty’s Name, I should be intirely safe in all Respects, and kindly used.”
To this I answered, “I would consider his Majesty’s kind Invitation, and he should know my Resolution next Day.” But perceiving I had some Distrust in my Mind, he represented to me, “That if I did not go, it would highly offend the King; that he feared I should not be permitted to trade, besides other bad Consequences might follow.” This black Messenger, as mentioned above, spoke very good English, having learnt it when a Boy in the English Factory at Whidaw: He belonged to Mr. Lambe, and was with him at the time he was taken Prisoner by the King of Ardra. They both fell into the King of Dahomè’s Power, as related above, where he learnt the Country Language; and in this respect I had as capable an Interpreter as I could desire. So, upon considering the matter, finding the Interest of my Voyage depended on my going to the Camp to wait on the King, I resolved to undertake it, tho’ the many Barbarities I had been told his People had been guilty of, gave me some Concern. However, soon after, I had further Encouragement, by others offering to accompany me. For a Dutch Captain’s Curiosity prompted him to it, whose Ship had been destroyed just before by the Portuguese: Moreover the Dutch chief Factor proposed to send one of his Writers with large Presents to the Conqueror; likewise the Lord of Jaqueen offered to send his own Brother, to pay his Duty, with great Presents to the King; not having done it before. So having prepared all Things for our Journey, which took us up three Days, we set out in the following manner.
The eighth of April, at nine a Clock in the Morning, being accompanied with the aforesaid Persons, we went to the Side of the River that runs on the Back part of the Town of Jaqueen, having in our Retinue One hundred black Servants. We ferried over the River in Canoes, which are a sort of Boats, made of large Trees hollowed. The People of the Town attended us in great numbers to the water side, praying for our success: For they were under terrible apprehensions for our safety, amongst such barbarous People as we were going to: Especially they were highly concerned for the Duke, their Lord’s Brother, who was a Person endowed with the most amiable qualities I ever met with amongst Persons of his Colour.
Being landed on the other side of the River, we set out on our Journey, the proper servants of each person attending in their several places. I had six Hammock-men, who relieved one another by turns; two at a time being only required to carry the Pole which it is fastened to. I had likewise a small Horse to ride on, when I was weary with lying in the Hammock. The other Gentlemen were accommodated in the same manner. Our travelling was at the rate of about four miles an hour; for we made frequent Stops for our Baggage-carriers, there being no Carts nor good Horses at Jaqueen; the few Horses that are there being but little bigger than our Asses. The Country, as we travelled along, appeared beautiful and pleasant, and the Roads good; but desolated by the War, for we saw the remains of abundance of Towns and Villages, with a great quantity of the late Inhabitants bones strewed about the Fields.
Noon time being past, we dined under some Cocoe-trees, on the cold Provision we carried with us; and in the Evening being come to a few sorry Hovels, we put up there for the night, and lay on the ground on mats, (the huts not being big enough to hang our hammocks up in) and the greatest part of our Attendants were obliged to lye in the open Air.
The next day about seven a clock in the morning, we set out again, and by nine came within half a mile of the King’s Camp. Here we halted, and judge we had then travelled about forty miles from Jaqueen. Soon after a Messenger came from his Majesty to compliment and welcome us; and being told it was proper to prepare our selves, we took our best apparel out of our trunks, and dress’d our selves under the covert of an old wall; and soon after we advanced within a little way of the Camp, where we were desired to wait for a great Man who was to receive us. The King, it seems, to do us the more honour, sent the principal person of his Court (whom the Negroes distinguish’d to us by the Title of the Great Captain) to receive us; which he did in a very extraordinary manner. For he came in the midst of five hundred Soldiers, who had Fire-arms, drawn Swords, Shields, and Banners in their hands, using so many odd and ridiculous Ceremonies, (as they appeared to us) that at first we could not judge, whether they meant us well or ill: For the Great Captain, with some of his Officers, approached us, with their Swords drawn, flourishing them over our heads, then pointing them to our Breasts, and skipping and jumping about us, like so many monkies, showing as many tricks and postures, as that animal generally does. At last, after some time spent in this manner, the Great Man settled into a sedate temper; Then he gave us his hand, welcoming us in the King’s Name, and drank to us in Palm Wine, which is a Juice drawn from the Palm-tree, which is very common in that Country. We returned the Compliment, drinking the King’s health both in Wine and Beer we had brought with us, which he seemed to be well pleased with: and all Ceremonies being ended, he desired us to go with him towards the Camp; and accordingly we proceeded, the Soldiers guarding us, and the musical Instruments making a dismal noise.
In about half an hour’s time we arrived at the Camp, which was near a very great ruin’d Town, late the principal place of the Kingdom of Ardra. Here the Army lay in tents, which, according to the Negroe-Custom, were made of small Boughs of Trees, and covered with Thatch, very much resembling Bee-hives, but each big enough to hold ten or twelve Soldiers, who crept in at a hole on one side, and lay heads and points together. Upon our entring the Camp, we were conducted to some large Trees, where Chairs, (taken from the Whidaws,) were brought for us to sit on, under the Shade of the Trees. Immediately such Numbers of People flock’d about us, that if the Officers had not ordered the Soldiers to keep the Multitude off, we should have been in danger of being smothered. For tho’ there had been forty white men taken at Whidaw, who were all brought up prisoners to this Camp, and afterwards released, as related above, yet thousands of people, who came since out of the far inland Countries, had never seen a white man before us.
Having rested our selves about two hours, under the Shade of the Trees, and beheld divers Feats of Activity, performed by the Soldiers to divert us, we were conducted to a thatch’d House, that had been prepared for us; and tho’ we were obliged to stoop at our going in at the Door, yet there was height enough within to hang our Hammocks up to sleep in, which was no little Satisfaction to us, for our Bones were hardly recovered, from the former night’s Lodging on the Ground. After we had stowed our Baggage in the Tent, the great Man took his leave of us, but left a Guard to prevent any of the People from disturbing us, and he went to the King to give his Majesty an Account of our Arrival.
By this time Noon was come, so we set down to dinner on cold Ham and Fowls, which we had brought with us. Our Tent stood in the middle of a large Court palisadoed round. We were surprized, that no People came into the place to see us, they having crouded so much at first, on our coming into the Camp: But I was told the King having been inform’d how we were incommoded, had given strict Orders, no one, on pain of Death, should, without leave of the Captain of our Guard, come to see us. This was pleasing news; for by this we found his Majesty was duly obeyed, and also had our safety at heart. But we were plagued with a Vermin that greatly annoyed us; and that was such an infinite number of Flies, that tho’ we had several Servants with Flappers, to keep them off our Victuals, yet it was hardly possible to put a bit of Meat into our Mouths, without some of those Vermin with it. These Flies, it seems, were bred by a great number of dead Mens Heads, which were piled on Stages, not far from our Tent, tho’ we did not know so much at that time.
After we had dined, a Messenger came to us, about three o’ clock in the afternoon, from the Great Captain, desiring us to go to the King’s Gate; accordingly we went, and in our way saw two large Stages, on which were heaped a great number of dead Men’s Heads, that afforded no pleasing sight or smell. Our Interpreter told us, they were the Heads of four thousand of the Whidaws, who had been sacrificed by the Dahomes to their God, about three weeks before, as an Acknowledgment of the great Conquest they had obtain’d.