Lander's Travels eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 1,054 pages of information about Lander's Travels.

Lander's Travels eBook

This eBook from the Gutenberg Project consists of approximately 1,054 pages of information about Lander's Travels.

On the following morning, he came to a watering place belonging to the Foulahs, one of the shepherds invited him to come into his tent, and partake of some dates.  There was just room enough in this tent to sit upright, and the family and furniture were huddled together in the utmost confusion.  When Mr. Park had crept into it upon his hands and knees, he found in it a woman and three children, who with the shepherd and himself completely occupied the floor.  A dish of boiled corn and dates was produced, and the master of the family, according to the custom of the country, first tasted it himself, and then offered a part to his guest.  Whilst Mr. Park was eating, the children kept their eyes fixed upon him and no sooner had their father pronounced the word mazarini, than they began to cry; their mother crept cautiously towards the door, and springing out of the tent, was instantly followed by her children; so truly alarmed were they at the name of a Christian.  Here Mr. Park procured some corn for his horse, in exchange for some brass buttons, and thanking the shepherd for his hospitality departed.  At sunset he came into the road which led to Bambarra, and in the evening arrived at Wawra, a negro town belonging to Kaarta.

Now secure from the Moors, and greatly fatigued, Mr. Park meeting with a hearty welcome from the dooty, rested himself at this place.  He slept soundly for two hours on a bullock’s hide.  Numbers assembled to learn who the stranger was, and whence he came; some thought him an Arab, others a moorish sultan, and they debated the matter with such warmth, that their noise at length awoke him.  The dooty, however, who had been at Gambia, at last interposed, and assured them that he was certainly a white man, but from his appearance a very poor one.

In the afternoon, the dooty examined Mr. Park’s bag, but finding nothing valuable, returned it and told him to depart in the morning.  Accordingly Mr. Park set out, accompanied by a negro, but they had not proceeded above a mile, when the ass upon which the negro rode, kicked him off, and he returned, leaving Mr. Park to travel by himself.  About noon he arrived at a town, called Dingyee, where he was hospitably entertained by an old Foulah.

When Mr. Park was about to depart on the following day, the Foulah begged a lock of his hair, because “white men’s hair made a saphie, that would give to the possessor all the knowledge of white men.”  Mr. Park instantly complied with his request, but his landlord’s thirst for learning was such, that he had cropped one side of his head, and would have done the same with the other, had not Mr. Park signified his disapprobation, and told him that he wished to preserve some of this precious ware.

After travelling several days, without meeting with any occurrence of particular note.  Mr. Park arrived at Doolinkeaboo, where the dooty, at his request, gave him a draught of water, which is usually given as an earnest of greater hospitality.  Mr. Park promised himself here a good supper and a comfortable bed, but he had neither the one nor the other.  The night was rainy and tempestuous, and the dooty limited his hospitality to the draught of water.  The next morning, however, when the dooty was gone to the fields, his wife sent Mr. Park a handful of meal, which, mixed with water, served him for breakfast.

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Lander's Travels from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.