At length when their uneasiness was at its height, they saw the chief advancing towards them with a train of followers.  The mallam and all his principal people were with him, bringing numerous jars of palm wine.  A mat was spread near the water-side, whereon the chief sat himself, and the Landers were instantly desired to place themselves one on each side of his person.  The palm wine, and some rum were then produced, and as they were about to take a long farewell of their hospitable host, they drank of his offering, rather than give offence by a refusal.  They drank and chatted away until half-past six in the evening, when they sent Pascoe on before them in their own old canoe, telling him that they should overtake him.  It was, however, nearly dark before they were allowed to depart, and as they lay at a short distance from the bank, all the fetish people walked knee deep into the river, and muttered a long prayer, after which they splashed the water towards their canoe with each foot, and then they proceeded on their voyage.

On the following day, they observed a large market close to the banks of the river, which they were informed was Kirree.  A great number of canoes were lying near the bank, and in a short time afterwards, they saw about fifty canoes before them coming up the river.  As they approached each other, the Landers observed the British union flag in several, while others, which were white, had figures on them of a man’s leg, chain, tables, and all kinds of such devices.  The people in them, who were very numerous, were dressed in European clothing, with the exception of trousers.

The Landers felt quite overjoyed by the sight of these people, more particularly when they saw the English flag and European apparel amongst them, and they congratulated themselves that they were from the sea coast.  But all their fond anticipations vanished in a moment as the first canoe met them.  A great stout fellow, of a most forbidding countenance beckoned Richard Lander to come to him, but seeing him and all his people so well armed, Lander was not much inclined to trust himself amongst them, and therefore paid no attention to the call.  The next moment, he heard the sound of a drum, and in an instant several of the men mounted a platform and levelled their muskets at them.  There was nothing to be done now but to obey; as for running away it was out of the question, their square loaded canoe was incapable of it, and to fight with fifty war canoes, for such they really were, containing each above forty people, most of whom were as well armed as themselves, would have been throwing away their own and their canoe men’s lives very foolishly.