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
Through all the towns and villages which they had passed, the sick were
brought to be cured, while numbers came for remedies against all sorts
of fancied diseases.
The governor received them in the most simple way. They found him
seated under a rude canopy, on a low bank of earth, with three old men
attending on him. They shook hands and then sat down on the floor. He
was highly pleased with the presents he received, and offered anything
they might wish for, especially slaves. Clapperton told them that a
slave was unknown in England, and that the moment one set foot on
British ground he was instantly free. When he heard that their only
object was to see the world, he told them that they must go to the
Sultan Bello, who was a learned man and would, be glad to meet people
who had seen so much.
A lucky omen, as the natives supposed it, occurred. Among the presents
offered by the king was ajar of honey; this one of the servants upset
without breaking the pot. Had it been broken, the omen would have been
unfortunate; as it was, the governor was highly pleased, and ordered the
poor to be called in to lick up the honey. They rushed in, squabbling
among themselves. One old man, having a long beard, came off with a
double allowance, for he let it sweep up the honey and then sucked it
clean.
Dr Oudney soon after this became too weak to sit his horse, but still
he begged to be carried on. They therefore travelled forward to the
town of Murmur. Here they were compelled to stop, though the doctor the
next morning, after drinking a cup of coffee, with the assistance of his
companions dressed. It was soon evident that he would be unable to
proceed. He was carried back into his tent, where in a short time
Captain Clapperton, with unspeakable grief, witnessed his death without
a struggle or a groan. He was but thirty-two years of age. His friend
had a deep grave dug, and enclosed it with a wall of clay to keep off
the beasts of prey. He had also two sheep killed and distributed among
the poor.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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