Travels in the Interior of Africa — Volume 02 — John Shaqi
Travels in the Interior of Africa — Volume 02Park, Mungo
History
Travels in the Interior of Africa — Volume 02
Park, Mungo
Africa -- Discovery and exploration; Niger River
started up and swore by the Prophet that if I refused to go to the
mosque, he would be one that would assist in carrying me thither; and
there is no doubt that this threat would have been immediately executed
had not my landlord interposed on my behalf. He told them that I was the
king’s stranger, and he could not see me ill-treated whilst I was under
his protection. He therefore advised them to let me alone for the night,
assuring them that in the morning I should be sent about my business.
This somewhat appeased their clamour, but they compelled me to ascend a
high seat by the door of the mosque, in order that everybody might see
me, for the people had assembled in such numbers as to be quite
ungovernable, climbing upon the houses, and squeezing each other, like
the spectators at an execution. Upon this seat I remained until sunset,
when I was conducted into a neat little hut, with a small court before
it, the door of which Counti Mamadi shut, to prevent any person from
disturbing me. But this precaution could not exclude the Moors. They
climbed over the top of the mud wall, and came in crowds into the court,
“in order,” they said, “to see me _perform my evening devotions_, _and
eat eggs_.” The former of these ceremonies I did not think proper to
comply with, but I told them I had no objection to eat eggs, provided
they would bring me eggs to eat. My landlord immediately brought me
seven hen’s eggs, and was much surprised to find that I could not eat
them raw; for it seems to be a prevalent opinion among the inhabitants of
the interior that Europeans subsist almost entirely on this diet. When I
had succeeded in persuading my landlord that this opinion was without
foundation, and that I would gladly partake of any victuals which he
might think proper to send me, he ordered a sheep to be killed, and part
of it to be dressed for my supper. About midnight, when the Moors had
left me, he paid me a visit, and with much earnestness desired me to
write him a saphie. “If a Moor’s saphie is good,” said this hospitable
old man, “a white man’s must needs be better.” I readily furnished him
with one, possessed of all the virtues I could concentrate, for it
contained the Lord’s Prayer. The pen with which it was written was made
of a reed; a little charcoal and gum-water made very tolerable ink, and a
thin board answered the purpose of paper.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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