CHAP.  X.

Slave Canoe—­Duke’s Pilot—­Old Calabar Town—­Consternation on Shore, and disappearance of the Slave Vessels—­Fruitless Pursuit of the Slavers—­Eyo Eyo, King Eyo’s Brother—­Old Calabar Festivals—­Attempted Assassination, and Duke Ephraim’s Dilemma—­Obesity of the King’s Wives—­Ordeal for Regal Honours—­Duke’s English House—­Coasting Voyage to the Bonny—­Author discovers Symptoms of Fever—­The Rivers of St. Nicholas, Sombrero, St. Bartholomew, and Sta.  Barbara—­“The Smokes”—­ Capture of a Spanish Slave Vessel in the River St. John—­Nun, or First Brass River, discovered to be the Niger—­Natural Inland Navigation—­ New Calabar River—­Pilot’s Jhu Jhu—­Foche Island—­Author Sleeps on Shore—­Bonny Bath—­Interview with King Peppel—­Ceremony of opening the Trade—­Rashness of a Slave Dealer—­Horrible Fanaticism—­ Schooner at Sea—­Return to Fernando Po

Wednesday, January 23, 1828.—­Fortunately the wind was light, for had it blown hard, the result might have been fatal to the vessel.  At seven in the morning, we found the vessel afloat, and attempted, with a small anchor and cable, assisted by the sails, to get her over the mud:  but, at eleven o’clock, we were again stuck fast.  In the afternoon, we sent a letter by a Krooman, in a small canoe, to Captain Cumings, of the brig Kent, lying off the town of Old Calabar, commonly called Duke’s Town, as the king of that country is generally known by the name and title of Duke Ephraim.  In about a couple of hours, the Krooman returned, in consequence of having met with a very large canoe coming down on her passage to the Camaroon river, to purchase slaves.  He induced the Captain to come on board, but the appearance of a schooner, with so large a boat and so many hands, evidently created some suspicion in his mind.  He was too much a man of the world, however, not to affect a confidence, which we were all persuaded he did not feel:—­he drank some rum, and carried himself with consummate self-possession; gave us all the Calabar news he could recollect, and demanded our latest intelligence in return.  When the conversation was exhausted, and a good opportunity occurred for taking leave, he departed; heartily rejoiced, no doubt, at escaping with so much tact.  His canoe was about fifty feet long, with a small thatched house built on a platform in the centre.  The paddles were worked by boys, under the direction of two men, who gave out a song when pulling.  There were two poor creatures, whom we supposed to be slaves, confined in irons, at one end of the boat.

About nine we got clear of the mud-flats, after a great deal of trouble, with hawsers and a small anchor; we then stood up the river, and at eleven anchored for the night.

Thursday, 24.—­Fresh breezes from the northward, and very hazy.  The wind coming from the Camaroon mountains, increased the haziness of the atmosphere, and made it feel very cold.  Soon after daylight, when the tide answered, we got under weigh, and beat up the river.  About eleven, we came to an anchor off Parrott Island, the north end of which bore S.W. 1/2 W. and the north end of James’s Island N. by E. At three in the afternoon, a pilot came on board, and, at five, Captain Smith, with Lieutenant Badgeley, went up to the brig Kent, off Duke’s Town, to procure information.