A biographical memoir of the late Dr. Walter Oudney, Captain Hugh Clapperton, both of the Royal Navy, and Major Alex. Gordon Laing, all of whom died amid their active and enterprising endeavours to explore the interior of AfricaNelson, Thomas
History
A biographical memoir of the late Dr. Walter Oudney, Captain Hugh Clapperton, both of the Royal Navy, and Major Alex. Gordon Laing, all of whom died amid their active and enterprising endeavours to explore the interior of Africa
Nelson, Thomas
Africa -- Description and travel; Clapperton, Hugh, 1788-1827; Laing, Alexander Gordon, 1794-1826; Oudney, Walter, 1790-1824
On their arrival at Kano, Lander was left in that town while Clapperton
proceeded to Sackatoo, the capital of Bello, Sultan of the Felathas, on
whose account chiefly this second mission had been undertaken. Bello
at this time happened to be at war, and with his army encamped before
Coonia, the capital of Goobur. Clapperton went there to join him, was
most kindly received by him, and had an opportunity of witnessing the
African mode of fighting in a furious assault which was made upon the
city of Coonia the day after his arrival in the camp. Soon after this
event he reached Soccatoo, where for about six months he inhabited the
same house which he had occupied during his first visit to that city.
The Sultan sent to Kano and brought Lander and the baggage to his
capital, and on their arrival the baggage was seized, under pretence
that Clapperton was conveying guns and warlike stores to the Sheik of
Bornou, with whom Bello was then at war. He was next ordered to deliver
up Lord Bathurst’s letter to the Shiek, and indeed every thing which
was supposed to form a part of the intended present to him was seized
upon. Clapperton remonstrated against these nefarious proceedings with
the utmost earnestness, but without effect. He was stript of every
thing, and detained himself as a prisoner. The effect of this treatment
upon his spirits was so great, that Lander declares he never saw him
smile afterwards.
He was strongly impressed with the idea that the Arabs had stirred up
the Africans against him and his companions. By their insinuations
against them in the hearing of Bello, they succeeded in undermining
their reputation with that monarch. Clapperton had not been perfectly
well from the day of his arrival in Africa, and the entire failure
of his mission, and the ungenerous treatment he had experienced at
Soccatoo, were the means of bringing on his last illness and hastening
his death.
As long as he was able, while at Soccatoo, he was in the habit of
spending whole days in shooting, dressed in the costume of the country;
his beard was long and flowing, and he lived in a clay hut like an
enormous bee hive. At night he and Lander used frequently to smoke
cigars for an hour or two together; but in every other respect they
lived like the Africans. Sometimes they sung, and Clapperton was
delighted to listen while Lander sung, “My Native Highland Home.”
Then gang wi’ me to Scotland, dear,
We ne’er again will roam,
And with thy smile sae bonny, cheer
My native Highland home.
For blithsome is the breath of day,
And sweet’s the bonny broom,
And pure the dimpling rills that play
Around my Highland home.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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