By this time it was near nine a clock at night, and the Linguist was ordered by the King to tell us, his time of washing was come; so we rose up in order to take our leaves, humbly thanking his Majesty for all his Favours, and for his great Goodness towards us, in giving us so long an Audience; desiring he would be pleased to permit us to return next day to Jaqueen: adding, I hoped God would give him many Days, for the good of his own People, and of the Europeans that should come to his Country. The King thanked us for our good Wishes, saying, he would dispatch us the next day, and then we paid our Respects, and so parted.
As we were almost five hours so near the King, I had a good opportunity of taking an exact View of him. He was middle-sized, and full bodied; and, as near as I could judge, about forty five years old: His Face was pitted with the Small Pox; nevertheless, there was something in his Countenance very taking, and withal majestick. Upon the whole, I found him the most extraordinary Man of his Colour, that I had ever conversed with, having seen nothing in him that appeared barbarous, except the sacrificing of his Enemies; which the Portuguese Gentleman told me, he believed was done out of Policy; neither did he eat human Flesh himself.
Being made easy in all respects by this Audience, we returned to our Tent, and spent the evening cheerfully, the Mulatto Portuguese, with several Courtiers supping with us. The next morning we were sent for again to the King’s Gate, and the Officers told us, “It being the King’s Fetiche-day, his Majesty could not see us; but that he had ordered them to present us with something in his name; adding, I might depend on what had been promised me, and that we were at Liberty to go for Jaqueen when we pleased:” Our black Servants had likewise handsom Clothes given them to wear about their middle; (according to the custom of the Negroes, who never cover more than that part) with a small sum of Money to each of them, which made them very jocund, and almost forget the fear they had been put in at the sight of the Sacrifices.
This being over, our servants carried the Presents to our Tent, which consisted of Slaves, Cows, Goats and Sheep, with other Provisions: And then we went to the great Captain’s Tent, to take our leave of him. There we found the Duke, who told us, he could not have his Audience of leave from the King till the Evening; and earnestly desired us not to go without him; for that he would certainly accompany us the next Morning to Jaqueen. Tho’ the Dutch Gentlemen and my self were very desirous of going before, yet we could not in honour leave the Duke; so we consented to stay for him, and went to our Tent to Dinner.
In the Afternoon, the Linguist came and told us, that the remainder of the Army, who had been plundering the Country of Tuffoe, were returning; and asked us, whether we would go and see them pass by the King’s Gate? We went accordingly to that place, and soon after they appeared, marching in a much more regular Order than I had ever seen before, even amongst the Gold Coast Negroes; who were always esteemed amongst the Europeans that used the Coast of Guinea, the best Soldiers of all the Blacks. I observed, this Army consisted of about three thousand regular Troops, attended by a Rabble of ten thousand at least, who carried Baggage, Provisions, dead Peoples Heads, &c. The several Companies of Soldiers had their proper Colours, and Officers, being armed with Musquets and cutting Swords; and with Shields. As they passed by the King’s Gate, every Soldier prostrated himself, and kissed the Ground; then rose with such agility, as was very surprizing. The place before the King’s Gate was four times as large as Tower Hill; there they performed their Exercises, in the sight of innumerable Spectators, and fired at least twenty rounds with their small Arms, in less than two hours time: Then, by the General’s Order, the Soldiers retired to the part of the Camp they belonged to. This sight was well worth seeing even by us Europeans.
I took notice, that abundance of Boys followed the Soldiers, and carried their Shields; and asked the Linguist, “What was the occasion of it?” He told me, “That the King allowed every common Soldier a Boy at the publick charge, in order to be trained up in Hardships from their Youth; and that the greatest part of the present Army consisted of Soldiers, bred up in this manner, and under this Establishment.” By which I judged, it was no wonder the King had made so large Conquests, with such regular Troops, and his Policy together.
After this Sight was over, we went again to the great Captain’s, whose eldest Son had been General in the Expedition against the Tuffoes. The Mulatto Portuguese Gentleman being then present, advised us to go and pay our Compliments to this Commander. Accordingly we went, and were received by him with great Civility; and having presented him with some Trifles, wherewith he was highly delighted, we returned to his Father’s Tent. After a short stay, telling him we were afraid we should not set out for Jaqueen the next day, he assured us we should certainly go the next morning early; and that he would accompany us part of the way: which Promise was highly pleasing to us, for we were quite tired of the Camp: Moreover my Business very much required my presence at Jaqueen, in order to begin trading. I observed in the Great Captain’s Tent two black Gentlemen, who had long Gowns on, with a Cloth wreathed about their Heads, like a Turkish Turbant, and Sandals on their Feet. This being a Dress I had never seen before amongst the Negroes, I inquired of the Linguist, who they were? He replied, “They were Malayes, which is a Nation far inland, bordering on the Moors; and that these People were equal to the white Men in one thing, namely in writing: That at this time there was about forty of them in the Camp, who had been taken at several times in war, as they traded from one Country to another: and that the King treated them kindly, for they had the Art of dying Goat and Sheep-skins with divers Colours, which they made into Cartouch-boxes for the Soldiers; and also into Bags to hold loose powder, and for many other uses.” I was desirous of discoursing with these People, but the Linguist declined it, saying, “It would give offence to the Great Captain:” So we went from hence to take our leave of the Mulatto Portuguese Gentleman, and afterwards to our Tent to supper, and slept all night in our Hammocks.
The Author’s return to Jaqueen.
Next Morning we rose early, and prepared for our Journey. As soon as all our things were in order, we sent the Duke word, that we waited for him. The Messenger returned forthwith, and desired us to go to the great Captain’s Tent, where we should find the Duke and his People all ready for going. Accordingly we went, but the Ceremony of taking leave of several great Men, who came to wish us a good Journey, detained us till nine a clock in the Morning: And then we set out; the musical Instruments of the Negroes making a great noise at our Departure. The great Captain, according to his Promise, accompanied us for an hour on the Road, and then took his leave under a Salute of Fire-Arms from his Soldiers, and our Servants. Our Hammock-men had no need of being press’d to make haste, and travel fast: For the Impression made on their Minds by the sacrificing the poor People of Tuffoe, still so much affected them, that they ran full speed with us, even beyond their Strength; so that by five a clock in the Evening, they brought us into Jaqueen Town, where the People received us with much Joy, having been under great apprehensions for our Safety, because we stayed longer than was expected.