Journal of a second expedition into the interior of Africa, from the Bight of Benin to Soccatoo : $b To which is added, the journal of Richard Lander from Kano to the sea-coast, partly by a more eastern route.Clapperton, Hugh
History
Journal of a second expedition into the interior of Africa, from the Bight of Benin to Soccatoo : $b To which is added, the journal of Richard Lander from Kano to the sea-coast, partly by a more eastern route.
Clapperton, Hugh
Sudan (Region) -- Description and travel
warlike stores for the Sheik—if I had, to give them up: I told him
all I had for the Sheik they had already taken. Hadji Salah wanted me
to give up all my own arms: I told him I would not give one. He said,
I was once, he thought, a wise man, now I acted like an unwise one,
not to give up all to save my head: I told him I would not give them
a charge of powder to save my head. They went off displeased again.
My servants and all my visitors fell off at this time. My servants
said they were afraid to remain, even Allah Sirkie. This cowardice
and ingratitude I did not expect from one I had found a slave, with
only a leather skin about his middle, and whom I had clothed, fed,
given him wages the same as my other servants from the day I bought
him, and made him free. I told them they were at perfect liberty
to go where they thought proper; that I could soon get others who,
after the manner in which I had behaved to them, could not behave
worse: they however returned in the evening, and begged I would take
them back, which I did; as lies, and ingratitude, and petty robbery,
no servant who is a native of Houssa, Fezzan, or Bornou, is free from.
Thursday, 28th.—The Gadado left to-day for Magaria: before he went,
he told me he should not stay long away; that if any thing unpleasant
happened to me during his absence, to send an express off to him
directly. In the afternoon the sultan left for the Sansan or new town,
which he is building. He sent, by Sidi Sheik, to ask me to go and
show him the way to build a house and fortify it; but as I did not
believe what he said, I took no notice of the message. It afterwards
turned out that Sidi Sheik had a relation who had lately arrived,
who was a builder, and he wanted to introduce him to the sultan.
Friday, 29th.—I applied a large blister to my side, as, from the
enlargement of the spleen, it gave me great pain, having increased
to such a size that I was unable to eat, and had little or no rest.
Sunday, 14th January, 1827.—No news from Magaria. After sunset,
a messenger with a horse for me arrived from the Gadado at Magaria,
wishing me to go there.
Monday, 15th.—Started at sunrise for Magaria; but I was so ill on
the road that I did not arrive there before 5 P.M. All the reports
of the enemy being near proved untrue.
Tuesday, 16th.—Waited on the Gadado and sultan. The latter told
me, as soon as the reports of the rebels being out were found to be
true or false, I should go; that he intended I should go by the way
of Asbur, and that I should visit the country of Jacoba during the
interval; that he should send a Fellata to Tripoli with me. I returned
in the afternoon, and arrived at Soccatoo a little after sunset.
Wednesday, 17th.—A small gaffle of Arabs arrived to-day from
Timbuctoo, one of whom had seen Major Laing, who, he said, had
lost his hand in an attack which the Tuaricks had made on him and
his servants during the night, and that his servants, a Jew and a
Christian, had got severely wounded.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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