[Illustration: _C. Durham, d.el._ _G. Cook, sc_ Mᴿ. JOHN DUNCAN. (_Formerly of the 1ˢᵗ Life Guards._) THE AFRICAN TRAVELLER. London: Richard Bentley. 1847.] TRAVELS IN WESTERN AFRICA, IN 1845 & 1846, COMPRISING A JOURNEY FROM WHYDAH, THROUGH THE KINGDOM OF DAHOMEY, TO ADOFOODIA, IN THE INTERIOR. BY JOHN DUNCAN, LATE OF THE FIRST LIFE GUARDS, AND ONE OF THE LATE NIGER EXPEDITION. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: RICHARD BENTLEY, NEW BURLINGTON STREET, Publisher in Ordinary to her Majesty. 1847. LONDON: R. CLAY, PRINTER, BREAD STREET HILL. PREFACE. In presenting the following Work to the public, it may be deemed proper that I should preface it by giving some account of my previous career, and of the reasons and circumstances which led to my Travels in Western Africa. I was born in the year 1805, of humble parentage, on the farm of Culdoch, near Kirkcudbright, in North Britain. I had, at a very early period, a strong predilection for a military life, being of robust health and an athletic frame. In 1822 I therefore enlisted in the First Regiment of Life Guards, the discipline and appearance of which are, I may say, universally admired. During the hours not devoted to military duties, I applied myself to the cultivation of the art of drawing and painting, in which I attained some proficiency, and acquired also considerable knowledge of mechanics, all of which I found of great service to me when I afterwards became a traveller. After serving sixteen years in this distinguished regiment, I felt anxious for a field of greater enterprise, and therefore obtained my discharge, on the conditions of the late good conduct warrant, early in 1839. In consequence of meritorious service, I obtained the appointment of master-at-arms in the late expedition to the Niger. In this unfortunate enterprise, I narrowly escaped the melancholy fate of so many of my brave and talented countrymen. Of upwards of three hundred, not more than five escaped! When at Egga, on the Niger, I volunteered to proceed up that river, with a few natives only; but, on account of the increasing sickness of the Europeans, the project was abandoned. Before the _Albert_, indeed, had descended the Niger nearly all of them were either attacked by the fever or were dead! The season was declared by the natives themselves to be particularly fatal, even to them.