The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa, in the Year 1805: Together with Other Documents, Official and Private, Relating to the Same Mission, to Which Is Prefixed an Account of the Life of Mr. ParkPark, Mungo
History
The Journal of a Mission to the Interior of Africa, in the Year 1805: Together with Other Documents, Official and Private, Relating to the Same Mission, to Which Is Prefixed an Account of the Life of Mr. Park
Park, Mungo
Africa -- Discovery and exploration
Park took hold of one of the white men, and jumped into
the water; Martyn did the same, and they were drowned in the stream in
attempting to escape. The only slave remaining in the boat, seeing the
natives persist in throwing weapons at the canoe without ceasing, stood
up and said to them, "Stop throwing now, you see nothing in the canoe,
and nobody but myself, therefore cease. Take me and the canoe, but don't
kill me." They took possession of the canoe and the man, and carried
them to the King.
I was kept in irons three months; the King released me and gave me a
slave (woman). I immediately went to the slave taken in the canoe, who
told me in what manner Mr. Park and all of them had died, and what I
have related above. I asked him if he was sure nothing had been found in
the canoe after its capture; he said that nothing remained in the canoe
but himself and a sword-belt. I asked him where the sword-belt was; he
said the King took it, and had made a girth for his horse with it.
ISAACO'S JOURNAL IN CONTINUATION.
I immediately sent a Poule to Yaour to get me the belt by any means and
at any price, and any thing else he could discover belonging to Mr.
Park. I left Madina and went to Sansanding, and from thence to Sego. On
my arrival I went to Dacha, the King, and related to him the above
facts. He said he would have gone himself to destroy that country, if it
had not been so far. He gathered an army and went with it to Banangcoro.
I followed him there. He ordered the army to go and destroy the kingdom
of Haoussa. The army went away, passed Tombuctoo a long way, and made a
halt at Sacha; and dispatched a courier back to the King, to let him
know where they were, and that Haoussa was at too great a distance for
an army to go, without running many dangers of all kinds. The King
ordered them to go to Massina, a small country belonging to the Poule
nation, to take away all the Poules' cattle, and return. They did so,
and brought with them a great many cattle. The vanguard came with the
cattle after a voyage of three months; and the army came one month
after, which made four months they had been out. The King was much
displeased with the Chiefs' conduct, and wanted to punish them for not
going where he sent them; but they observed that they went as far as
they possibly could; that the distance was too great and would have
destroyed an army; and that prudence and the hardships they had already
sustained, had dictated the necessity of returning, though very contrary
to their inclinations. We all returned to Sego.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
Reviews
Reviews
No reviews yet
Be the first to share your thoughts on this work.
Elsewhere in the archive
Join the Discussion
Join the discussion
Sign in to leave a comment or review.
Sign InorCreate an account