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 heads of two slaves for the remainder of the day.  The coffle halted at the foot of a high hill, called Gankaran-kooro.  The travellers had only eaten one handful of meal each during the day’s journey, exposed to the ardour of a tropical sun.  The slaves were much fatigued, and showed great discontent; several snapt their fingers, a certain mark of desperation.  They were all immediately put in irons, and those who had shown signs of despondency were kept apart.

In the morning, however, they were greatly recovered, except poor Nealee, who could neither walk nor stand, she was accordingly placed upon an ass, her hands being fastened together under the neck, and her feet under the belly, to secure her situation.  The beast, however, was unruly, and Nealee was soon thrown off, and one of her legs was much bruised.  As it was found impossible to carry her forward, the general cry of the coffle was, “Kang tegi! kang tegi!” (Cut her throat! cut her throat!) Mr. Park proceeded forwards with the foremost of the coffle, to avoid seeing this operation performed, but soon after he learned that Karfa and the schoolmaster would not agree to have her killed, but had left her on the road.  Her fate diffused melancholy throughout the whole coffle, notwithstanding the outcry before mentioned, and the schoolmaster fasted the whole day in consequence of it.  The coffle soon after crossed the Furkoomah, a river the same size as the Wonda, and travelled so expeditiously, that Mr. Park with difficulty kept up with it.

On the 26th April, the coffle ascended a rocky hill, called Bokikooro, and in the afternoon, entering a valley, forded the Bold, a smooth and clear river.  About a mile westward of this river, discovering the marks of horses’ feet, they were afraid that a party of plunderers were in the neighbourhood; and to avoid discovery and pursuit, the coffle travelled in a dispersed manner through the high grass and bushes.

The following day, hoping to reach a town before night, they passed expeditiously through extensive thickets of bamboos.  At a stream called Nuncolo, each person ate a handful of meal, moistened with water, in compliance with some superstitious custom.  In the afternoon, they arrived at Sooseta, a Jallonka village, in the district of Kullo, a tract of country lying along the banks of the Black River; and the first human habitation they had met with in a journey of five days, over more than a hundred miles.  With much difficulty they procured huts to sleep in, but could not obtain any provisions, as there had been a scarcity before the crops were gathered in, during which all the inhabitants of Kullo had subsisted upon the yellow powder of the nitta, a species of the mimosa, and the seeds of the bamboo, which, when properly prepared, tastes nearly similar to rice.  As the provisions of the coffle were not exhausted, kouskous was dressed for supper, and several villagers were invited to partake; meanwhile one of the schoolmaster’s boys, who had fallen asleep under the bentang, was carried off during the night; but the thief, finding that his master’s residence was only three days’ journey distant, thinking he could not be retained with security, after stripping him, suffered him to return.

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Lander's Travels from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.