Celebrated Travels and Travellers, Part 3.: The Great Explorers of the Nineteenth CenturyVerne, Jules
History
Celebrated Travels and Travellers, Part 3.: The Great Explorers of the Nineteenth Century
Verne, Jules
Discoveries in geography; Explorers; Voyages and travels
We may add that food was very dear at Yaoorie, and that Richard Lander
had no merchandise for barter except a quantity of "Whitechapel sharps,
warranted not to cut in the eye," for the very good reason, he tells
us, that most of them had no eyes at all, so that they were all but
worthless.
They were able, however, to turn to account some empty tins which had
contained soups; the labels, although dirty and tarnished, were much
admired by the natives, one of whom strutted proudly about for some
days wearing an empty tin on his head, bearing four labels of
"concentrated essence of meat."
The Sultan would not permit the Englishmen to enter Nyffe or Bornou,
and told them there was nothing for them but to go back to Boussa.
Richard Lander at once wrote to the king of that town, asking
permission to buy a canoe in which to go to Funda, as the road by land
was infested by plundering Fellatahs.
At last, on the 26th July, a messenger arrived from the King of Boussa
to inquire into the strange conduct of the Sultan of Yaoorie, and the
cause of his detention of the white men. After an imprisonment of five
weeks the Landers were at last allowed to leave Yaoorie, which was now
almost entirely inundated.
The explorers now ascended the Niger to the confluence of the Cubbie,
and then went down it again to Boussa, where the king, who was glad to
see them again, received them with the utmost cordiality. They were,
however, detained longer than they liked by the necessity of paying a
visit to the King of Wow-wow, as well as by the difficulty of getting a
boat. Moreover, there was some delay in the return of the messengers
who had been sent by the King of Boussa to the different chiefs on the
banks of the river, and lastly, Beken Rouah (the Dark Water) had to be
consulted in order to ensure the safety of the travellers in their
journey to the sea.
On taking leave of the king, the brothers were at a loss to express
their gratitude for his kindness and hospitality, his zeal in their
cause, and the protection he was ever ready to extend during their stay
of nearly two months in his capital. The natives showed great regret at
losing their visitors, and knelt in the path of the brothers, praying
with uplifted hands to their gods on their behalf.
Now began the descent of the Niger. A halt had to be made at the island
of Melalie, whose chief begged the white men to accept a very fine kid.
We may be sure they were too polite to refuse it. The Landers next
passed the large town of Congi, the Songa of Clapperton, and then
Inguazilligie, the rendezvous of merchants travelling between Nouffe
and the districts north-east of Borghoo. Below Inguazilligie they
halted at Patashie, a large fertile island of great beauty, planted
with palm groves and magnificent trees.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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