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
On the 2nd two other privates died, the body of one of whom the wolves
carried off, the door of the hut having been left open.
Wishing to obtain cowries, Park opened a market at Marroboo to dispose
of his goods, and so great was the demand for them that he had to employ
three tellers at once to count his cash. In one day he turned 25,756
pieces of money-cowries.
The sad news now reached him of the Mr Scott's death, and on the 28th
of October his brother-in-law, Mr Anderson, breathed his last. "No
event," Park remarks, "which took place during the journey ever threw
the smallest gloom over his mind till he laid Mr Anderson in the grave.
He then felt himself left a second time lonely and friendless amidst
the wilds of Africa."
Some days before this, Isaaco had returned with a large canoe, but much
decayed and patched. Park, therefore, with the assistance of Bolton,
one of the surviving soldiers, took out all the rotten pieces, and, by
adding on the portion of another canoe, with eighteen days' hard labour
they changed the Bambarra canoe into his Majesty's schooner "Joliba."
Her length was forty feet, breadth six feet; and, being flat-bottomed,
she drew only one foot of water when loaded. In this craft he and his
surviving companions embarked on the 16th of November, on which day his
journal closes. He intended next morning to commence his adventurous
voyage down the Joliba. Besides Park and Lieutenant Martyn, two
Europeans only survived. They had purchased three slaves to assist in
the navigation of the vessel, and Isaaco had engaged Amadi Fatouma to
succeed him as interpreter. This increased their number to nine.
Descending the stream, they passed the Silla and Jenne without
molestation; but lower down, in the neighbourhood of Timbuctoo, they
were followed by armed canoes, which they beat off, killing several of
the natives. They had, indeed, to fight their way down past a number of
places, once striking on the rocks, and being nearly overset by a
hippopotamus which rose near them.
Having a large stock of provisions, they were able to proceed without
going on shore. Amadi was the only person who landed in order to get
fresh provisions.
At Yaour Park sent a present to the king by one of the chiefs, but, the
chief inquiring whether he intended to return, Park replied that he had
no purpose of doing so. This induced the chief to withhold the presents
from the king, and who, accordingly, indignant at being thus treated,
put Amadi into irons, took all his goods from him, and sent a force to
occupy a rock overhanging the river where it narrows greatly. On
arriving at this place, Park endeavoured to pass through, when the
people began to throw lances and stones at him. He and his companions
defended themselves for a long time, till two of his slaves in the stern
of the boat were killed.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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