“A few minutes after you first landed, one of my people came to me, and said that a number of strange people had arrived at the market place.  I sent him back again to get as near to you as he could, to hear what you intended doing.  He soon after returned to me, and said that you spoke in a language which he could not understand.  Not doubting that it was your intention to attack my village at night, and carry off my people, I desired them to get ready to fight.  We were all prepared and eager to kill you, and came down breathing vengeance and slaughter, supposing that you were my enemies, and had landed from the opposite side of the river.  But when you came to meet us unarmed, and we saw your white faces, we were all so frightened that we could not pull our bows, nor move hand or foot; and when you drew near me, and extended your hands towards me, I felt my heart faint within me, and believed that you were Children of Heaven, and had dropped from the skies.”  Such was the effect that the Landers had produced on him, and under this impression, he knew not what he did.  “And now,” said he, “white men, all I want is your forgiveness.”  “That you shall have most heartily,” said the Landers, as they shook hands with the old chief; and having taken care to assure him that they had not come from so good a place as he had imagined, they congratulated themselves, as well as him, that this affair had ended so happily.  For their own parts, they had reason to feel the most unspeakable pleasure at its favourable termination, and they offered up internally to their merciful Creator, a prayer of thanksgiving and praise for his providential interference in their behalf.  It was indeed a narrow escape, and it was happy for them that their white faces and calm behaviour produced the effect it did on these people; in another minute their bodies would have been as full of arrows as a porcupine’s is full of quills.

They now ascertained that the place where they now were, was the famous Bocqua market place, of which they had heard so much talk, and that the opposite bank of the river belonged to the Funda country.  Their interpreter was an old Funda mallam, who understood the Houssa language perfectly, and was come to Bocqua to attend the market, which was held every nine days.  The old mallam was asked the distance from Bocqua to the sea, and he told them about ten days journey.  The Landers then pointed out the hills on the opposite side of the river, and asked him, where they led to.  “The sea,” was his answer.  “And where do they lead to?” they inquired, pointing to those on the same bank of the river as themselves.  He answered, “They run along way in the country we do not know.”  Their next concern was about the safety of the river navigation, and they anxiously inquired his opinion of it lower down, and whether there were any rocks or dangerous places.  As to the river navigation, he satisfied them by saying, that he knew of no dangers, nor had he ever heard