Great African Travellers: From Mungo Park to Livingstone and StanleyKingston, William Henry Giles
History
Great African Travellers: From Mungo Park to Livingstone and Stanley
Kingston, William Henry Giles
Africa -- Description and travel; Africa -- Discovery and exploration; Explorers
At last Mount Alantika appeared in sight, eight thousand feet above the
plain. Near it flows the Binue, that long looked-for stream, supposed
to make its way westward to the Niger, and which it had been Barth's
great object to reach. There were no signs of human industry near the
river, as, during its floods, it inundates the country on both sides.
His feelings may be imagined when he stood at length on the banks of the
stream, which here flowed from east to west in a broad and majestic
course through an entirely open country, from which only here and there
detached mountains rose up in solitary grandeur. Not far-off another
river, the Faro, rushed forth, not much inferior to the principal river,
descending from the steep sides of the Alantika.
On reaching Yola, the capital of the province of Adamawa, he was,
greatly to his disappointment, compelled by the governor to turn back.
Slavery exists on an immense scale in this province, many private
individuals having more than a thousand slaves. The governor, Mohamet
Lowel, is said to receive five thousand every year in tribute, besides
horses and cattle.
This is one of the finest districts in Central Africa, irrigated as it
is by numerous rivers besides the Binue and Faro, and being diversified
with hill and dale. Elephants were exceedingly plentiful, both black
and grey and yellow, and the rhinoceros is also met with in the river.
Barth was told that there lives in the river an animal resembling the
seal, which comes out at night and feeds on the fresh grass.
His adventurous journey obtained the doctor so much fame at Kukawa that,
on his return, a party of horsemen galloped out to salute him, and led
him in procession to his house. Mr Overweg, who had in the meantime
been exploring Lake Chad in a boat, now rejoined him. His next
excursion was to Kanem, on the east of Lake Chad, for which he set out
on the 11th of September by the way of its northern shores. He had
received a valuable horse from the vizier, which was his companion for
the next three years. He was attended by two Arabs and a couple of
Fezzan lads he had taken into his service. He soon felt revived by the
fresh air of the country. The region through which he passed was
usually rich, partly forest and partly cultivated.
On the 18th he was joined by Mr Overweg, who arrived accompanied by a
band of horsemen. The horsemen treated the natives with the utmost
cruelty, stealing their property wherever they went. One day, meeting
some cattle-breeders, they plundered them of their milk and of the very
vessels which contained it. On applying to Dr Barth for redress, he
was enabled not only to restore to them their vessels, but to make them
a few small presents.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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