Travels in the Interior of Africa — Volume 01Park, Mungo
History
Travels in the Interior of Africa — Volume 01
Park, Mungo
Africa -- Discovery and exploration; Niger River
Things being thus adjusted, we departed from Jarra in the forenoon, and
slept at Troomgoomba, a small walled village, inhabited by a mixture of
negroes and Moors. On the day following (February 28th) we reached
Quira; and on the 29th, after a toilsome journey over a sandy country, we
came to Compe, a watering-place belonging to the Moors; from whence, on
the morning following, we proceeded to Deena, a large town, and, like
Jarra, built of stone and clay. The Moors are here in greater proportion
to the negroes than at Jarra. They assembled round the hut of the negro
where I lodged, and treated me with the greatest insolence; they hissed,
shouted, and abused me; they even spat in my face, with a view to
irritate me, and afford them a pretext for seizing my baggage. But
finding such insults had not the desired effect, they had recourse to the
final and decisive argument, that I was a Christian, and of course that
my property was lawful plunder to the followers of Mohammed. They
accordingly opened my bundles, and robbed me of everything they fancied.
My attendants, finding that everybody could rob me with impunity,
insisted on returning to Jarra.
The day following (March 2nd), I endeavoured, by all the means in my
power, to prevail upon my people to go on, but they still continued
obstinate; and having reason to fear some further insult from the fanatic
Moors, I resolved to proceed alone. Accordingly, the next morning, about
two o’clock, I departed from Deena. It was moonlight, but the roaring of
the wild beasts made it necessary to proceed with caution.
When I had reached a piece of rising ground about half a mile from the
town, I heard somebody halloo, and, looking back, saw my faithful boy
running after me. He informed me that Ali’s men had gone back to Benowm,
and that Daman’s negro was about to depart for Jarra; but he said he had
no doubt, if I would stop a little, that he could persuade the latter to
accompany us. I waited accordingly, and in about an hour the boy
returned with the negro; and we continued travelling over a sandy
country, covered chiefly with the _Asclepias gigantea_, until mid-day,
when we came to a number of deserted huts; and seeing some appearances of
water at a little distance, I sent the boy to fill a soofroo; but as he
was examining the place for water, the roaring of a lion, that was
probably on the same pursuit, induced the frightened boy to return in
haste, and we submitted patiently to the disappointment. In the
afternoon we reached a town inhabited chiefly by Foulahs, called
Samaming-koos.
Next morning (March 4th), we set out for Sampaka, which place we reached
about two o’clock. On the road we observed immense quantities of
locusts; the trees were quite black with them.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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