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
When the slatees had picked out the stings as far as they could, she was
washed with water and then rubbed with bruised leaves; but the wretched
woman obstinately refused to proceed any farther, declaring that she
would rather die than walk another step. As entreaties and threats were
used in vain, the whip was at length applied; and after bearing patiently
a few strokes she started up and walked with tolerable expedition for
four or five hours longer, when she made an attempt to run away from the
coffle, but was so very weak that she fell down in the grass. Though she
was unable to rise, the whip was a second time applied, but without
effect; upon which Karfa desired two of the slatees to place her upon the
ass which carried our dry provisions; but she could not sit erect, and
the ass being very refractory it was found impossible to carry her
forward in that manner. The slatees, however, were unwilling to abandon
her, the day’s journey being nearly ended; they therefore made a sort of
litter of bamboo-canes, upon which she was placed, and tied on it with
slips of bark. This litter was carried upon the heads of two slaves, one
walking before the other, and they were followed by two others, who
relieved them occasionally. In this manner the woman was carried forward
until it was dark, when we reached a stream of water at the foot of a
high hill called Gankaran-Kooro, and here we stopped for the night, and
set about preparing our supper. As we had only ate one handful of meal
since the preceding night, and travelled all day in a hot sun, many of
the slaves who had loads upon their heads were very much fatigued, and
some of them _snapped their fingers_, which among the negroes is a sure
sign of desperation. The slatees immediately put them all in irons, and
such of them as had evinced signs of great despondency were kept apart
from the rest, and had their hands tied. In the morning they were found
greatly recovered.
Public-domain text, read in full here on John Shaqi.
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