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CYCLOPAEDIA OF MODERN TRAVEL:

A RECORD OF

ADVENTURE, EXPLORATION AND DISCOVERY,

FOE THE PAST FIFTY YEARS:

C0MPR18IN0

NARRATIVES OP THE iMOST DISTINGUISHED TRAVELERS SINCE THE
BEOINNINCt Oi- THIS CENTURY :

PREPARED AND ARRANGED BY

BAYARD TAYLOR.

ILLUSTRATED WITH MAPS AND ENGRAVINGS.

CINCINNATI:

MOO HE, WILSTACH, KEYS& CO.,

26 WEST FOURTH STREET.

^PllINGI'IELD. MASS.:

C.O.CHAPIN.

1856.

■1

Entered, according to Act of Congress, In the year 1866, by

MOOEE, WIL8TACII, KEYS & CO.,

In the Clerk's office of the District Court of the United States for the Southern District of Ohio.

BtBOTROTTPaD BT

THOMAS B. SMITH,

FBINTBD BT

OVEREND & CO.,

ALEXANDER VOiN HUMBOLDT,

THE OLDEST AN1> THE MOST HENOWNED t>F LIVING TRAVELERS,

THIS CUMl'IflNlJIUM OK THE KKBULTS OV MOHKKN
XKAVKI, ANI» KXPliOBATION,

?(Iletocrjtttln Inscribeb.

21)4fi

PROViN

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*^? T4

Ol^gtlflpHa ai Pohrn Crabei.

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^m^'

PREFACE.

Tub present century is emphatically an ago of exploration and
discovery. At no period sinco the days of Columbus and Cortez
has the thirst for exploring now 'ir Is been more active and univer-
sal than now. One by one the out) t'sts of barbarism are stormed
and carried ; advanced parallels ive thrown up, and the besieging
lines of knowledge, which, whuu oncii established, can never be re-
taken, are gradually closing lound the yet unconquered mysteries
of the globe. Modern exploration is intelligent, and its results are
therefore positive and permanent. The traveler no longer wanders
bewildered in a cloud of fables, prepared to see marvels, and but too
ready to create them : ho tests every step of the way by the sure
light of science, and his pioneer trail becomes a plain and easy path
to those who follow. The pencil, the compass, the barometer, and
the sextant accompany him ; geology, botany, and ethnology are
his aids ; and by these helps and appliances, his single brain now
achieves results which it would once have required an armed force
to win.

In nuthing is this change more manifest than in the character
of the narratives of modern travelers, as contrasted with those of
the past three centuries. The old travelers had all the wonder and
the credulity of children, and were scarcely less naive and unembar-
rassed in the candor of their relations. They made their works a
complete confessional of their experiences ; they withheld no secrets
from their readers, and in their account of the customs of strange
races they frequently descended to details which the extreme deli-
cacy of modem taste would not allow. Their volumes are singular
compounds of personal experiences, historical episodes, statistics,
and reflections on the laws, religions, and habits of life of other
races of men, interwoven with many wonderful stories, and with
the most extraordinary conjectures and speculations. Their con-

PREFACE,

scientiousness in describing all which they saw, and their readiness
in believing all which they heard, have subjected most of them to
the charge of ex ';gge ration, if not of positive falsehood ; yet many
of their most extraordinary statements have been fully confirmed
in our own day, and there is scarcely a single instance where
any old traveler of repute has been convicted of willful fab-
rication.

The modern traveler, on the other hand, is characterized by
scepticism rather than credulity. He is much inoro interested in
solving some problem of physical geography, or in illustrating some
favorite scientific theory, than in tales of "gorgons, hydras, and
chimaeras dire." As the ends of the earth have been brought to-
gether, through the extension of commercial intercourse, and that
magnificent system of colonization which is the leading feature of
modern history, he is no longer obliged to masquerade in the dis-
guises of other races than his own, but bears about him the dis-
tinguishing stamp of his nationality. He is thus less truly a cos-
mopolite than his prototype of two centuries back, and while his
delineations of nature are in most cases as exact and faithful as
possible, he gives us less of that intrinsic human nature which lends
such a charm to the story of the latter. There are some exceptions,
it is true, the most remarkable of whom is M. Hue, who exhibits all
the simplicity and sincerity of the early Jesuit missionaries ;
and the reader can not help being impressed with the conviction
that he tells us nothing which he does not himself honestly
believe.

But in the accuracy of their observations the travelers of
modern times are pre-eminently distinguished. It is no longer the
testimony of a pair of eyes which is offered to us ; it is also the con-
firmation of instruments as unerring as natural laws, which photo-
graph for us the climate, the conformation, the scenery, and the
inhabitants of distant lands. Mountains have been measured and
the enormous abysses of the ocean sounded ; maps are no longer
an unmeaning plane surface, but the central plateaus of continents,
and the terraces of mountain ranges take their proportionate levels ;
coast-lines, which formerly displayed but the imperfect resemblance
of a child's attempt at drawing, have now the clear and certain
outline, the perfect profile of an artist's hand, and every feature in
the panorama of our globe is growing into new and beautiful dis-
tinctness. These vast results are exclusively the product of our
own day. Humboldt, the founder of Physical Geography, still
lives to rejoice over the discoveries of each successive year ; Agassiz,
who has arranged the geographical distribution of the animal king-

PREFACE.

doms, and Maury, who has sketched the inequalities of the beds of
oceans, ascertained their currents, and organized the apparent chaos
of the winds, live among us ; while a host of co-workers, in all
parts of the world, are daily contributing materials toward the
perfection of those grand systems which attest the supremacy of
Man over the material universe, and the majesty of that Divine
Wisdom to which the order of creation moves.

A comparison of the maps which we now possess with those of
fifty years ago, will best illustrate the achievements of modern
exploration. Within that time all the principal features of the
geography of our own vast interior rc;j;ions have been accurately de-
termined ; the great fields of Central Asia have been traversed in
various directions, from Bokhara and the Oxus to the Chinese
Wall ; the half-known river systems of South America have been
explored and surveyed ; the icy continent around the Southern
Pole has been discovered ; the North- Western Passage, the ignis-
fatuus of nearly two centuries, is at last found ; the Dead Sea is
stripped of its fabulous terrors ; the course of the Niger is no longer
a myth, and the sublime secret of the Nile is almost wrested from
his keeping. The Mountains of the Moon, sought for through two
thousand years, have been beheld by a Caucasian eye ; an English
steamer has ascended the Chadda to the frontiers of the great king-
dom of Bomou ; Eyre, Leichhardt, and Sturt have penetrated the
wilderness of Australia ; the Russians have explored the frozen
shores of Northern ^Siberia, and descended from Irkoutsk to the
mouth of the Amoor ; the antiquated walls of Chinese prejudice
have been cracked, and are fast tumbling down ; and the canvas
screens which surrounded Japan have been cut by the sharp edge
of American enterprise. Such are the principal features in the
progress of modern discovery. What half-century, since the form
of the earth and the boundaries of its land and water were known,
can exhibit such a list of achievements ?

The desigTi of this book is to present a compact, yet as far as
possible, a complete and sat., factory, view of these results. So far
as I am aware, no work of the kind has yet been undertaken.
When it was proposed to me by the publishers, to whom the original
idea is due, I at once recognized its utility, and as the preparation
of it, though involving a considerable amount of labor, was con-
genial to my tastes and pursuits, I agreed to complete it previous
to setting out on a new series of travels. As it was the object of
the publishers to produce a work which should possess permanent
value as a book of reference, and yet be sufficiently popular in its
arrangement to interest the great mass of readers, who desire some-

X PREFACE.

thing more than a dry statement of facts, while its cost should not
place it beyond their reach, I decided to let each traveler tell his
own story, mainly, confining my own labors to the necessary con-
densation, and to the selection and arrangement of the different
narratives.

The limits prescribed to me rendered it impossible to include
under the head of " Travels," the many voyages of exploration
which have been made during this century, and which have con-
tributed so richly to its record of discoveries. Those of Ross, Parry,
Cecile, D' Urville, Wilkes, Beechy, and others, extending over
long periods of time, would have required much space in order to
present a complete summary of their results. I determined, there-
fore, to confine myself to the works of travel and exploration by
land, and even in this field the material was so rich that to have in-
cluded every traveler who has . attained some distinction since the
beginning of this century would have rendered necessary a much
more barren and encyclopfedical arrangement than I have thought
proper to adopt. The reader, who is interested in a traveler's
achievements, naturally desires to hear them told in his own lan-
guage and characteristic manner, and I preferred selecting the most
prominent narratives — those which are, in some measure, typical of
the various fields of exploration — and omitting those which are of
less importance, or the disclosures of which have been superseded
by later travelers. For the same reason, where the story of a man's
travels is the story of his life, I iiave given the article a biographical
character, as in the case of Burckhardt and Mungo Park. Alex-
ander von Humboldt, from the position ho occupies, justifies the
same departure from the original plan of the work. No com-
plete and connected account of his journeys has ever yet been
published.

My principal difficulty has thus been the very richness of the
materials at my disposal. I have taken great care to prevent the
work of compilation from beconung mutilation — to distinguish be-
tween that which is of limited or special importance, and that
which possesses general interest and value. I can not suppose that
I have always succeeded, and am prepared to hear my judgment
questioned on many points. The general usefulness of the work,
however, and the necessity for its preparation, may be conceded.
It contains fifty-five narratives, which, in their original form of
publication, embrace ninety volumes. Many of ih?, works, includ-
ing some of the greatest interest, have long been out of print ;
many have never been republished in this country ; and a few have
not been translated into English. Very few distinguished names

PKEFACE.

have been omitted. Most of the ground traversed by Sir Alexander
Burnes is covered by the narratives of Meyendorflf and Lieutenant
Wood ; I was prevented from describing the very interesting re-
searches of Stephens in Central America and Yucatan, by the fact
of their being copyright works ; and of Schomburgk's expensive
work on Guiana, there is not a copy in this country, to my knowl-
edge, and none to be procured at present. With these exceptions,
the list of travelers who have made important contributions to
our knowledge of other countries and other races, will be found
complete.

I have, of course, been obhged to omit all works which do not
in some degree partake of the characier of exploration, however
admirable in style or interesting in substance. There are also
some works of the greatest interest in the course of publication,
but which have not yet appeared. Foremost among these are the
travels of Dr. Barth in Central Africa, which probably exceed in
importance any previous labors in the same field. Dr. Krapf has
not yet given to the world his account of the great African snow
mountain of Kilimandjaro, which he discovered in the year 1S50.
Anderson's visit to the great lake Ngami, in Southern Africa, is on
the eve of publication, and Dr. Livingston, the discoverer of this
lake, is now on his return to Cape Town, from a dariug journey of
three years into the unknown interior. There is, therefore, the
greater necessity now, when scarcely a year passes over without
some interesting geographical discovery, of bringing together in a
convenient form all that has hitherto been done, as an introduc-
tion to and elucidation of what may be done hereafter. Of the
essential interest of the various narratives it is unnecessary to
speak. Many of them already constitute a portion of the hoi lehold
literature of the world, and are read wherever heroic endurance and
unflinching courage are held in esteem.

It was thought best to arrange the narratives in chronological
order, although this rule has not been adhered to in all cases.
Where there is a manifest connection between two or more separate
exploring journeys — as in the case of Denham, Clapperton, and
Lander — such connection has always been preserved. In some in-
stances, also, several disconnected journeys over prescribed routes or
in a special field of travel, have been grouped together under one
head. To have introduced geographical distinctions, in addition,
would have complicated the anangement and required a greater
expenditure of time than I have been able to devote to the work.
I have endeavored to do the best allowed by the time and space
at my disposal, and claim no further merit than that of the

Xll

PREFACE.

mosaic-worker who arranges in a symmetrical form the jewels placed
before him.

In nearly all instances the articles have been prepared from the
original editions of the various works. For reference to a few
volumes which I was unable to obtain, I am indebted to the Astor
and Society Libraries of this city. My friend, Mr. Barclay Pennock,
afforded me much assistance in translating from the French and
German, and in the abridgement of some of the narratives. The
cuts with which the work is illustrated have been taken in all
cases, from the original publications. The maps have been
specially prepared for the purpose, and will, it is believed, add
materially to the interest of the narratives to which they are
prefixed.

BAYARD TAYLOR.

New York, July. 1856.

I <

' i

CONTENTS.

Life and Travels op Alexander von Hcmboldt, ....

Youth and Education,

Voyage to America,

Travels on the Orinoco,

Voyages on the Rio Negro and Cassiquiare, ....

Eetura to Cumana,

Visit to Cuba

Travels among the Andes,

Visit to Mexico and return to Europe,

Publication of his Works,

Journey through Russia, Siberia, and Tartary, ....

Humboldt's Later Years,

MuNGO Park's Travels in Western Africa, .

Second Journey,

Lewis and Clarke's Journet to the Pacific Ocean,

Voyage up the Missouri,

Winter among the Mandans,

Journey across tho Rocky Mountains,

Voyage down Lewis and Columbia Rivers, ....

Winter on tho Pacific Coast,

The Return Journey,

Burckhardt's Travels in Syria, Africa, and Arabia,

Travels in Syria,

Discovery of Petra,

Travels in Nubia and Ethiopia,

Journey to Mecca and Medina,

Belzoni's Explorations in Egypt,

Cailliaud's Journey to the Libyan Oases, Ethiopia, and Sbnnaar, .
Franklin's Overland Journey to the Polar Sea,

Meyendorff's Journey to Bokhara

TiMKOvsKi's Journey from Siberia to Pekin,

Cochuane's Pedestrian Journey terougu Siberia

Golownin's Captivity in Japan,

De Lascaris's Secret Mission among the Bedouins, . . . ,
Denham and Clapperton's Expedition to Central Africa, .

Reception in Bornou,

Denham's Military E'Toiuiiion to Mandara, ....

Tho Rainy Season in Bornou,

Excursions to Loggun and around Lake Tchad.

Clapperton's Journey to Sackatoo,

Return to Europe,

Clapperton's Second Journey to Sackatoo,

Return Journey of Richard Lander,

PAOB

19
19
23
33
60
66
69
60
11
73
76
87

93-3

118

129

138

142

160

169

175

197

206

207

218

228

245

289

323

349

383

411

439

463

469

478

487

491

497

502

506

518

XIV

CONTENTS.

PAOB

EXPLOnATIONS OP TirE NiOER, 523

Discoveries of Richard and John Lander, 623

Laird and Oldflold's Voyages on the Niger, -543

Narrative of Dr. Oldflold, 550

Allen and Thompson's Expedition, 553

MorPAT'8 Life in Southern Africa, 561

Stcbt's Explorations in Australia, 58i

Journey to the River Darling, 581

Voyage down the Momimbidgco and Murray Rivers, .... 58T

Back's Arctic Land Expedition, 696

Wellsted's Travels in Oman, 616

Explorations of the 'WniTE Nile, 628

Werno's Voyage 628

Dr. Knoblcchcr's Voyage, 642

Major Harris's Mission to Siioa, 649

Parkyns's Life in Abyssinia, 666

Wood's Journey to the Oxus 683

Fremont's I-Jxplorations op the Rocky Mountains and California, . , 697

Journey to tho Rocky Mountains, 697

Journey to Oregon and California, 706

Hue's Travels in Tartary, Tiiipet, and China, 727

Journey through Tartary and Thibet, 727

Residence at Lha-Ssa, 750

Journey from Llia-Ssa to Canton 754

Fortune's Journeys to the Tea-Countries op China 763

Journey to tho Green Tea Districts, 763

Journey to tho Bohea Mountains, 767

Recent Explorations in Australia, 773

Eyre's Journey, 773

Mitchell's Journey to Tropical Australia, 776

Loichhardt's Overland Journey to Port Essington, .... 786

Ltnoh's Exploration of the Dead Sea 795

Latard's Explorations at Nineveh and Babylon, 809

First Excavations at Niuovch, 809

Second Visit to Nineveh, 816

Explorations of Babylon, 822

Travels op Ida Ppeiffer, .827

Journey to Palestine, 827

Journey to Iceland, 834

First Journey around the World 838

Second Journey around tho World, 844

Explorations op the Amazon River, 861

Journey of Lieutenant Ilerndon, 851

Journey of Lieutenant Gibbon, 860

Richardson's Travels in the Sahara, 871

Richardson and Barth's Expedition to Central Aprica, .... 885

Dr. Barth's Journey to Adamowa, 895

Dr. Overweg's Exploration of Lake Tsad, 897

Explorations in 1851 and 1852 900

Explorations of Drs. Barth and Vogel, 903

Navigation of tho River Bonue, 905

Burton's Pilgrimage to Mecca, 909

Exploration op Loo-Choo, 916

Report of Bayard Taylor, 916

CONTENTS.

LIST OF MAPS.

JL. \J .

■- XlM.ltLM.Kft

FAOE

South America, .

Illustrating Humboldt's Travels,

Western Afuioa,

Mmgo Park's "...

Syria, etc

Burckluirdt's " ...

196

Ndbia and Ethiopia,

GaiUimd's "...

244

Northekx America,

({

Franklin's " ...

288

Part of Siheria and Mongolia,

Timkovski's and Cochrane's Travels,

348

Pabt of Africa,

Denham and Ghqiperton's "

4G2

The Niueu, ....

Lander's Exiiloralions, .

C23

Eastern Aitstraija,

Sturt's "...

580

TaRTARY, TllIUET, AND CuiNA,

Hue's Travels, ....

726

Assyria, ....

Luyard's Explorations,

808

The Amazon, ....

Ilerndon and Gibbon's Explorations,

850

Central Africa, .

Richardson and Earth's Expedition,

881

LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS.

Portraits of Distinguished Travelerr (Frontispiece)

Falls of Tequendama, ^2

The Volcano of Cotopaxi, g^

ChIMBORAZO, gK

Sultan Ali's Tent at Benowm 201

Kamaha ,,g

ExcwATED Tomb at Petra, 227

Fort Enterprise, 293

WiLBERFORCE FALLb, 298

Lake Tcn.\D .»„

Body-guard of the Shekh of Bornou 473

Arrival at Mora, in Mandara, 4qo

Lancer op the Sultan of Begharmi 434

African Forest, Ppe,

Scenery op the Lower Niger, 530

Abokko g3Y

Lander's Grave 552

Mouth op the Niger 554

Kino Obi and his Wives, 555

The Model Farm, .656

XVI

CONTENTS.

Junction op toe Murray and toe Darling, ^t^[

Anderson's Falls, .... ' „„
' 604

View Seaward from Montreal Island, •-.... gii

Scenery of Oman,

A Wandebino African Tribe,

Warriors of Suoa, ...

, ^ 660

Abyssinian Warriors, ...

, . ^ ' 670

An Abyssinian Lady op Fashion, .... „„„

' 121

Samdadcuiemba, ,.

The Hemp Palm ' Irr

Chinese Tea-Cakrieb ,.,.-

Bottle-tree of Australia, i-^g

Natives of Australia, ,.„„

The Mound of Nimroud (Nineveh), ^oq

The Ruins of Babylon onn

Colossal Winged Lion, from Nineveh, 825

Illimani, Highest Peak of the Andes, 863

Descending the Rapids of the Madeira, 868

GhADAMES, gKo

The Wells of Mislau, g^i,

Ghat, ^^^

The Demons' Palace 887

LIFE AND TRAVELS

ALEXANDER VON HUMBOLDT/

SCIENTIFIC EXPLORATIONS IN SOUTH AMERICA, MEXICO,
RUSSIA, SIBERIA, AND TARTARY.

YOUTH AND EDUCATION.

Alexander Von Humboldt, the oldest and most renowned of
hving travelers, was bom in Berlin, on the 14th of September, 1769
His youth was spent in the castle and park of Tegel, about nine miles
north-west of that city-an estate which his father, Major Von Hum-
boldt, purchased at the termination of the Seven Years' War when he
was appomted chamberlain to Frederic the Great. The poet Goethe
when he accompanied the Duke of Saxe-Weimar to Berlin, in the year
1778, visited Tegel, and there saw the Major's two sons, Wiihelm and
Alexander, who were then eight and ten years of age, but could scarcely
recognize m them, at that time, fiis future friends and co-workers in the
telds of hterature and natural science,

«o,-«!t?'"°^'''^r ".* *™^'^'"^ "*" ""^ '"°"°'' '**^" ^^""^ a traveler. His passion for
scientific investigation ,s, perhaps, even greater than his individual enjoyment of now
scenes and new experiences. Hence I have found it difficult to obtain the material 7r
a connected narrative of his travels and explorations. His " Personal Narrative " which
was written to supply this want, at the request of his friends, is a rich treasuiy of infer-
bevS 1 "°f "^^*?« comparatively little to the end in view, and does not extend
beyond his visit to Cuba, in the year 1801. The remaining portion I have been obliged
• nJrif Tt °k ?[/^fg"«°tary descriptions scattered through his otherworks. Klencke's

sukso?h^r , '°"T'''°'''^""' ""^'^ foraconcisestatementof the scientific re
suits of his travels, gives but the merest outline. The foUowing are the principal works

S^. r ''r '^'"'^ : ^^"'°°'*' ^*"^*^^« • • Hu'-^l'^f 8 " Views of NaZ^ 5ut

^ ' HuI'Sldt '^rf"'::''' ^"'^^^'^^'^ "^^^ Spaln;- Humboldt's "JTW; ScM/-

UrLu r w' "r^r f*""""^' ^"'"''' "^"' ««* *»» ^^«^" «*«• (Journey to the
Ural); Klencke's "Life of Humboldt" «-- »jr w uie

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

The brothers Humboldt were remarkably fortunate in the influencus
which surrounded them in curly life. The qucHtion of educational
reform was beginning to engage the attention of scholars and states*
men ; the ideas of Rousseau, which had penetrated into Ciermany, had
given rise to more rational and liberal plans for the instruction of youth.
The physical development of the scholar received its due share of atten-
tion, and the study of natural science was considered of no loss import-
ance than that of metaphysics and the classics. The first tutor employed
by Major Von Humboldt for his sons was Campo (afterwards distin-
guished as a critic and philologist), who had edited a (lernian edition
of Hobuison Crusoe, and had written several books for children, con-
taining imaginary narratives of travel and adventure. It is very prob-
able that these books, and the conversation of their author, first excited
the passion for travel in the mind of his youngest pupil. By him, and
the tutors Avho succeeded him, the boys were carefully instructed ac-
cording to their years, without doing violence to the individual bent of
their natures. They were allowed to i)ursuo different paths of study,
aiding and illustrating each other's progress by the mutual communica-
tion and discussion of what they had learned. Alexander soon began
to show his inclination for the study of nature. In his eleventh year ho
received lessons in botany, and thenceforth devoted himself with ardor
to that and kindred sciences. It was noticed, however, that his mind
was slow to retain what was taught him ; his body was weak, and not
until late in boyhood, after he had become more robust and vigorous,
did he awake to a full consciousness of his powers.

In the year 1786, the brothers entered the University of Frankfort-
on-thc-Oder, where they remained two years, and were then transferred
to that of Gottingen. Here Alexander, now in his nineteenth year,
made the acquaintance of Blumenbach, the celebrated natural historian,
and of George Forster, who, as naturalist, had accompanied Cook in his
voyage around the globe. Through the friendship of the latter, his
longing for exploration and scientific discovery was confirmed and
strengthened ; and ho acquired that love of civil liberty, those humane
and progressive ideas, which have made him, while the friend of mon-
archs, the most liberal of citizens. Of the admiration which he felt for
Forster, we have ample testimony in the second volume of " Cosmos,"
where he pays an eloquent tribute to his genius. " All that can give
truth, hidividuality, and distinctiveness to the delineation of exotic
nature, is united in his works."

The brothers completed their studies in 1789. While Wilhelm,
whose talents fitted him for political life, paid a visit to Paris, Alexan-
der, in company with Forster, made his first scientific journey to the
Rhine, through Holland, and to England in the spring of 1790; and
this first experience became the subject of his first literary production.
It appeared in the same year, under the title of " Mineralogical Obser-
vations on some Basaltic Formations of the Rhine." After studying

— I,

PLANS 1113 AMEllIUAN JOUUNEY.

. I

bock-kec|)injjj in u commorciftl iiistituto in Iliunburfj, ho roinoveil to
Freiburg, und bucuino u student in tlio mining academy, wliere he re-
mained until the spring of iVO'i, when he received tlio appointment of
Huperintondent of mines in Franconia, an otlice which Ite held for the
tliree following ycarH. During thia time he zealouHly ])ro8ocuted Iuh
mineralogical and botanical HtudicH, and made various experiments on
the physical and chemical laws of metallurgy. His mind, however, was
misalisiied with his position ; he was looking forward with impatience
to the opportunity of prosecuting his investigations in broa<ler and
fresher lields, and the plan of his great American journey, which a\t-
pears to have been first made during his intimacy with Forster, ]>rii-
scnted itself constantly to his imagination. In order to prepare himself
for an undertakhig of such magnitude, he made several visits to Swit-
zerland and the mountains of Silesia, besides an oilicial journey into
I'russian Poland. Thenceforth, this vision of transatlantic travel and
exploration became the ruling ahn of his life. lie thus refers to it in
the opening chapter of his " Personal Narrative :" — " From my earliest
youth, I felt an anient desire to travel into distant regions, seldom
visited by Europc:in8. This desire is characteristic of a period of our
existence when life appears an unlimited horizon, and when we find an
irresistible attraction in the impetuous agitation of the mind, and the
image of positive danger. Though educated in a country which has no
direct communication Avith either the East or the West Indies, living
amid mountains remote from coasts, and celebrated for their numerous
mines, I felt an hicreasing passion for the sea and distant expeditions.
Objects with wliich we are acquainted only by the animated narratives
of travelers have a peculiar charm ; hnagination wanders with delight
over that which is vague and undefined ; and the pleasures we are de-
prived of seem to possess a fascinating power, compared with which, all
we daily feel in the narrow circle of sedentary life appears insipid."

Resigning his office hi 1795, Humboldt visited Vienna, where ho
associated hhnself with the celebrated Freiesleben, and resumed the
study of botany. Ho also occupied himself with galvanism, then just
discovered, and planned a visit to the volcanic districts of Naples and
Sicily, which he was unable to carry out, on uccoimt of the war. The
death of his mother, and the disposition of the paternal estates, now
called him away from his studies, and it was not until 1797 that lie was
able to make serious preparations for his American journey. In order
to supply himself with ample means, he sold the large estate which ho
had inherited, and set aside the greater part of the proceeds for that
object. But he was yet to encounter delays and obstacles, which would
have exhausted the patience of a less enthusiastic person. The brothers
had long talked of a journey to Italy in company, and it was decided
to carry out this plan prior to Alexander's departure, but, on reaching
Vienna, their progress was stopped by the war between France and
Austria. Alexander spent the winter of 1797-8 in Salzburg, where he

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP HUMBOLDT.

met with a gentleman who had visited Illyria and Greece, and who was
ardently desirous of making a journey to Egypt. The two enthusiasts
matured a plan of ascending the Nile as far as the Nubian frohtier, to
be followed by an exploration of Palestine and Syria ; but the political
aspects of Europe at this time prevented them from carrying it into
eflfect. In the spring, Humboldt, hearing that the French government
was fitting out an exploring expedition, to be dispatched to the southern
hemisphere, under the command of Captain Baudin, hastened to Paris,
whither his brother had j)roceeded, after the peace of Campo Formio.
Here he first met Avith M. Aime Bonpland, his future companion in
South America, who had been appointed one of the naturalists of the
expedition. They entered together on a course of preparatory study,
while Hiunboldt, at the same time, united with the celebrated Gay-
Lussac, in making experiments to determine the composition of the at-
mosphere. In addition to these labors, he found time to study the Arabic
language. His intellectual activity appears to have been truly remark-
able, and there was scarcely any branch of knowledge, which could even
remotely increase his qualifications for the great task before him, of
which he did not make himself master.

Baudin's expedition was given up, on account of the renewed prospect
of war. But the spirit of travel was now thoroughly implanted in Hum-
boldt's heart, and he at once set about forming new plans. Being offered
passage from Marseilles to Algiers, m a Swedish frigate, which was dis-
patched on a special mission to the latter country, he conceived the idea
of passing through Barbary to Egypt, and there joining the French
scientific mission, which accompanied the anny of Napoleon. He also
proposed to visit Mecca, if possible, and to extend his travels through
Persia to India. In these plans he was seconded by Bonpland, who
joined company with him, and in the autumn of 1798 they both pro-
ceeded to Marseilles, to await the arrival of the Swedish frigate. Here,
again, they were doomed to disappointment. After waiting two months,
they learned that the frigate had been injured in a storm on the coast
of Portugal, and would not ai'rive until the following spring. During a
visit to Toulon, Humboldt saw the frigate La JBoudeuse, which had
been commanded by Bougainville in his voyage around the world. He
says : " I can not describe the impression made x:pon my mind by the
sight of the vessel which had carried Commcrson to the islands of the
South Sea." Rather than remain inactive in Marseilles, the two friends
resolved to pass the winter in Spain. They proceeded, by way of Bar-
celona, to Mad. Id, making astronomical observations and barometrical
measurements on the road. On arriving at the capital, they found that
the accident to the Swedish frigate was the best fortune which could
have befallen them. The Saxon embassador informed Humboldt that
under the administration of the enlightened minister, Urquijo, he might
obtain permission to travel in Spanish America, a permission which,
through the jealousy of Spain, had hitherto been obtained with great

„.j

DEPABTUBE FOR AMERICA.

difficulty, and always accompanied with restrictions, which greatly di-
minished its value. Humboldt thus relates the result of his application :
"I was presented at the court of Aranjuez in March, 1799, and the king
received me graciously. I explained to him the motives which led me
to undertake a voyage to the New World, and the Philippine Islands,
and I presented a memoir on the subject to the Secretary of State. Senor
de Urquijo supported my demand, and overcame every obstacle. I ob-
tained two passports, one from the first Secretary of State, the other from
the Council of the Indies. Never had so extensive a permission been
granted to any traveler, and never had any foreigner been honored with
mere confidence on the part of the Spanish government."

VOYAGE TO AMERICA.

Overflowing with joy at the unhoped-for realization of desires which
he had cherished for nine years, and full of the anticipation of adventure
and discovery in the New World, Humboldt left Madrid in May, 1799,
accompanied by Bonpland, and proceeded to Corunna, on the north-
western coast of Spain, where the corvette Pizarro, bound for Havaua
and Mexico, was lying. The captain was ordered, not only to receive
the travelers on board, and provide a safe place for their astronomical
instruments, but also to touch at the port of Orotava, m the Canaries,
and allow them time to ascend the peak of Teneriffe. Corunna was at
that time blockaded by an English fleet, owing to which cause the sail-
ing of the Pizarro was postponed from day to day, but in the beginning
of June a violent storm obliged the three hostile vessels to make flir tLfi
open sea, and on the fifth the corvette hoisted her anchors, and safely
slipped away. The moment so impatiently looked forward to, through
so many years, was come at last : after 3o much severe study, so much
devotion to his object, such rich and various preparation, Humboldt,
flow thirty years of age, entered on the magnificent task, which he con-
sidered the great work of his life, and the foundation of his fiune as a
man of science. No man was ever better prepared, both by nature and
by cultivation, for such an undertaking, or better deserved success by
the patience aud enthusiasm with which he overcame the obstacles in
the way of its accomplishment. But the beginnings of success are al-
ways clouded with doubt and uncertainty, and when the irrevocable step
had been taken, he experienced that sense of depression common to all
travelers on first setting out, and he thus wrote: "The moment of
leaving Europe for the first time, is attended with a solemn feeling. We
in vain summon to our minds the frequency of the communication be-
tween the two worlds ; we in vain reflect on the great facility with
which, from the improved state of naviga*ion, we traverse the Atlantic,
which, compared to the Pacific, is but a larger arm of the sea ; the senti-
ment we feel when we first imdertake so distant a voyage, is not the leas

LIFB AND TRAVELS OF nUMBOLDT

accompanied by a deep emotion, unlike any other impression we have
hitherto felt. Separated from the objects of our dearest affections, enter-
ing in some sort on a new state of existence, we are forced to fall back
on our own thoughts, and we feel within ourselves a dreariness we have
never known before." The light of a fisher's hut at Sisarga, glimmering
like a star on the horizon, was his last glimpse of Europe. He and Bon-
pland leaned over the rail, watching it until it disappeared. *' Oh," he
exclaimed, years afterward, "these impressions will never be erased
from my memory ! How many recollections does not one bright spot,
shining unsteadily over the agitated waves in the darkness of night, and
pointing out the shores of our native earth, recall to the imagination !"

At sunset, on the 8th of June, the English fleet was seen from the
mast-head, and the course of the Pizarro was immediately altered. For
some days no lights were allowed on board after dark, for fear of de-
tection, and the travelers were obliged to use dark lanterns in consulting
the thermometer. Nothing could h£.ve surpassed the enthusiasm with
which they prosecuted their scientific in\ estigations. In Humboldt's
narrative, the romance of travel is whoUy lost sight of in the zeal of the
philosopher. No sooner had he left the land than he began to speculate
on the currents of the sea, and to measure their force and direction. He
fished up medusas, or sea-nettles, galvanized them, and tested their ca-
pacity to emit light; he was enchanted with the beauty of the nights,
but not too much so to make astronomical observations ; he admired the
brilliant azure of the tropical sky, and measured its intensity of color
with a cyanometer ; and when the island of Lancerote, one of the Cana-
ries, came in sight, he immediately took the an'-le of altitude of its
highest peak. So fa.r from being insensible to tL j influences of nature,
few travelers have enjoyed them with a keener zest, but his glance never
rests long upon a beautiful scene without going behind its outward
features, to speculate upon the geognostic laws which they illustrate.
His " Personal Narrative" is therefore a record of his scientific observa-
tions rather than of his individual experience and adventure.

On approaching the island of Teneriffe, the weather was so hazy
that the peak was invisible, greatly to Humboldt's disappointment. This
circumstance, however, proved to be very fortunate ; for after entering
the harbor of Santa Cruz, early on the morning of the 19th of June, the
mist cleared away, and the first rays of the sun which illuminated the
famous peak, revealed also four English vessels lying at anchor. Thus
narrowly did the travelers escape being carried back to Europe, at the
outset of their journey ! On account of the blockade, the captain gave
them notice that he could only remain four or five days, and they hast-
ened to the town of Orotava, where they procured guides to ascend the
peak. They first visited the celebrated dragon-tree, the trunk of which
they found to be forty-five feet in circumference, and the great ago of
which they could only conjecture. Humboldt considers it to be one of
the oldest inhabitants of our globe : " Its aspect," be says, " forcibly

ASCENT OP TENERIFFE.

\\\

exemplifies that eternal youth of nature, which is an inexhaustible source
of motion and of life." Leaving Orotava, Humboldt and his companion
took a stony road through a forest of chestnut-trees, continued their
ascent to an elevated plateau, called the Plain of Hetama (a flowering
shrub), and before night succeeded in reaching a kind of ca^ em, called
the English Halt, nearly ten thousand feet above the sea. Though in
the midst of summer, and under an African sky, they suffered much
from cold, the thermometer falling to 41°. Humboldt thus describes
their lodging-place. " Our guides made a large fire with the dry branches
of retama. Having neither tents nor cloaks, we lay down on some masses
of rock, and were singularly incommoded by the flame and smoke which
the wind drove toward us. We had attempted to form a kind of screen
with cloths tied together, but our inclosure took fire, which we did not
perceive till the greater part had been consumed by the flames. We
had never passed a night on a point so elevated, and we then little im-
agined that we should, one day, on the ridge of the Cordillera', inhabit
towns higher than the summit of the volcano we were to scale on the
morrow. A strong northerly wind chased the clouds ; the moon, at
intervals, shoeing through the vapors, exposed its disc on a firmament
of the darkest olue ; and the view of the volcano threw a majestic char-
acter over thu nocturnal scenery. Sometimes the peak was entirely hid-
den from our eyes by the fog, at other times it broke upon us in terrific
proximity ; and, like an enormous pyramid, threw its shadow over the
clouds rolling beneath our feet." At three o'clock in the morning they
lighted fir-torches, and started on their journey to the summit. They
reached the Malpays — a stony plain out of which rises the volcanic cone
— in time to witness the rising of the sun. By means of a telescope and
chronometer, Humboldt ascertained that the time which the disc occupied
in mounting above the horizon, was eight minutes and one second. He
was half an hour in scaling the cone, the height of which above the plain
is only five hundred and seventy feet, but finally reached the summit,
one thousand nine hundred and four toises — twelve thousand one hun-
dred and seventy-four feet — above the sea, at eight o'clock. Here, seated
on a block of lava, he overlooked a portion of the earth's surface, equal
in dimensions to one fourth of the kingdom of Spain. In the transpa-
rency of the air he could distinguish not only the houses, the saiis of
vessels, and the trunks of trees, far below, but even the differences of
color in the vegetation. " The volcano seemed to overwhelm with its
mass the island which serves as its base, as it shot up from the bosom of
the waters to a height three times loftier than the region where the
clouds float in summer. If its crater, half-extinguished for ages past,
shot forth flakes of fire like that of Stromboli in the ^olian Islands, the
Peak of Teneriffe, like a light-house, would serve to guide the mariner
in a circuit of more than two hundred and sixty leagues."

After having bottled some air for analysis, and collected some crystals
of sulphur, bedewed with sulphuric acid, which destroyed part of Hum-

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

boldt's mineralogical journal, the travelers began their descent. The
cold and violent wind often obliged them to seek shelter under the rocks.
Their hands and faces were nearly frozen, while their boots were burned
by the hot ashes. The guides threw away their specimens, drv.nk their
wine, and broke their water-jars. They met with no further accident,
however, and before night reached Orotava. This ascent of the Peak
of Teneriffe, although it occupied but two days, was most important in
its results. The observations made by Humboldt gave him the first idea
of those researches into the geographical distribution of plants and an-
imals, which entitle Mm to rank as the founder of this branch of cos-
mography. He perceived that the inorganic forms of nature, such as
mountains and rocks, resemble each other in the most distant parts of
the world, while the organic forms -plants and animals — vary according
to climate, character of the soil, altiti'de above the sea, and other local
infiiiences. From observing the circlos of vegetation on Teneriffe —
rising from the cocoa-palm on the sea-bhore, through the regions of
chestnut, heath, and fir, to the fragrant re 'ama at the base of the crater
— he was led to renew his investigations on the slopes of the Andes.

On the 25th of June they sailed from Santa Cruz, and some days after-
ward passed through the Sargasso Sea — a part of the ocean covered with
immense beds of sea-weed, among which stems have been found eight
hundred feet in length, and which, floating on the surface, give the sea
the appearance of a vast inundated meadow. The appearance of the
nocturnal heavens, as the ship proceeded southward, excited anew the
enthusiasm of the travelers. " Nothing," writes Humboldt, " awakens
in the traveler a livelier remembrance of the immense distance by which
he is separated from his country, than the aspect of an unknown firma-
ment. A traveler needs not to be a botanist, to recognize the torrid
zone by the mere aspect of its vegetation. Without having acquired
any notions of astronomy, he feels he is not in Europe, when he sees the
immense constellation of the Ship, or the phosphorescent Clouds of
Magellan, arise on the horizon. The heavens and the earth — every
thing in the equinoctial regions — present an exotic character. We saw
distinctly for the first time the Southern Cross only on the night of
the 4th of July, in the sixteenth degree of latitude. It was strongly
inclined, and appeared from time to time between the clouds, the center
of which, furrowed by uncondensed lightnings, reflected a silvery light.
If a traveler may be permitted to speak of his personal emotions, I shall
add, that on that night I experienced the realization of one of the dreams
of my early youth.

"The two great stars which mark the summit and the foot of the
Cross, having nearly the same right ascension, it follows that the con-
stellation is almost perpendicular at the moment when it passes the me-
ridian. This circumstance is known to the people of every nation
situated beyond the tropics, or in the southern hemisphere. It has been
observed at what hour of the night, in different seasons, the Cross is

DEATH ON BOARD.

erect or inclined. It is a timepiece which advarices very regularly nearly
four minutes a-day, and no other group of stars aflfords to the naked eye
an observation of time so easily made. How often have we heard our
guides exclaim in the savannahs of Venezuela, or in the desert extending
from Lima to Truxillo, " Midnight is past, the Cross begins to bend !"
How often those words reminded us of that affecting scene, where Paul
and Virginia, seated near the source of the river of Lataniers, conversed
together for the last time, and where the old man, at the sight of the
Southern Cross, warns them that it is time to separate."

The latter part of the voyage was not so fortunate as the first. A
malignant fever broke out, which grew more serious the nearer the ship
approached the Antilles. On the 12th of July, Humboldt, who had
taken observations of the latitude and longitude every day during the
voyage, predicted that land would be seen the next day before sunrise.
The pilots, who depended mostly on the log for their reckoning, laughed
at this, asserting that they would not make land for two or three days ;
but at six o'clock next morning, the welcome cry was given by a sailor
at the mast-head. The land proved to be the island of Tobago. The
next day a young Asturian, nineteen years of age, fell a victim to the
fever, and his death seems to have produced a painful impression upon
the mind of Humboldt, who thus describes the occurrence : " We were
assembled on the deck, absorbed in melancholy reflections. It was no
longer doubtful, that the fever which raged on board, had assumed with-
in the last few days a fatal aspect. Our eyes were fixed on a hilly and
desert coast, on which the moon, from time to time, shed her light
athwart the clouds. The sea, gently agitated, emitted a feeble phosphoric
light. Nothing was heard but the monotonous cry of a few large sea«
birds, flying toward the shore. A profound calm reigned over these
solitary regions, but this calm of nature was in discordance with the
painful feelings by which we were oppressed. About eight o'clock, the
dead man's knell was slowly tolled. At this lugubrious sound, the sail-
ors suspended their labors, and threw themselves on their knees to offer
a momentary prayer : an affecting ceremony, which brought to our rcr
membrance those times, when the primitive Christians all considered
themselves as members of the same family. All were united in one com-
mon sorrow for a misfortune which was felt to be common to all."
Many of the passengers, becoming alarmed, induced the captain to run
into Cumana, a port on the north-eastern shore of Venezuela, and there
land thorn, rather than continue their voyage in the Pizarro to Havana.
Among them were Humboldt and Bonpland, who decided to visit Vene*
zuela before proceeding to Mexico, and thus the epidemic which they
at first regarded as a misfortune, became the accidental cause of their
discoveries in the regions of the Orinoco. To the same circumstance
they were also indebted for the preservation of their health, for the yel-
low-fever was then prevailing in Havana, and many of the passengers
who remained on board of the Pizarro, fell victims to it after their arrival.

"■

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP HUMBOLDT.

"On the 16th of July, lYOO, at break of day," says Humboldt, "we
beheld a verdant coast, of picturesque aspect. The mountains of New
Andalusia, half vailed by mists, bounded the horizon to the south. The
city of Cumana and its castle appeared between groups of cocoa-trees.
We anchored in the port about nine in the morning, forty-one days after
our departure from Corunna ; the sick dragged themselves on deck to
enjoy the sight of a land which was to put an end to their suft'erings.
Our eyes were fixed on the groups of cocoa-trees which border the
river ; their trunks, more than sixty feet high, towered over every ob-
ject in the landscape. The plain was covered with the tul'ts of cassia,
caper, and those arborescent mimosas, M'hich, like the pine of Italy,
spread their branches in the form of an umbrella. The pinnated leaves
of the palms were conspicuous on the azure sky, the clearness of which
was unsulUed by any trace of vapor. The sun was ascending rapidly
toward the zenith. A dazzling hght was spread through the air, along
the whitish hills strewed with cylindrio cactuses, and over a sea ever
calm, the shores of which were peopled with pelicans, herons, and fla-
mingoes. The splendor of the day, the vivid coloring of the vegetable
world, the forms of the plants, the varied plumage of the birds, all were
Stamped with the grand character of nature in the equinoctial regions."

The captain of the Pizarro conducted the travelers to the Governor
of the province, Senor Emparan, who received them with great kind-
ness, and by the public consideration which he showed them, secured
them a favorable reception in all parts of Venezuela. To their great
astonishment, he asked them questions which denoted some scientific
knowledge, and Humboldt declares, in his delight at this circumstance,
" The name of his native country, pronounced on a distant shore, would
not have been more agreeable to the ear of a traveler, than those words
azote, oxyd of iron, and hygrometer, Avere to ours." The travelers hired
a spacious house, in a situation favorable for astronomical observa-
tions, and commenced their labors at once. " Overpowered at once by
a great number of objects, we were somewhat embarrassed how to lay
down a regular plan of study and observation. While every surround-
ing object was fitted to inspire in us the most lively interest, our phys-
ical and astronomical instruments in their turns excited strongly the
curiosity of the inhabitants. We had numerous visitors ; and m our
desire to satisfy persons who appeared so happy to see the spots of the
moon through Dollond's telescope, the absorption of two gases in a eu-
diometrical tube, or the effects of galvanism on the motions of a frog,
we were obUged to answer questions often obscure, and to repeat for
whole hours the same experiments."

Humboldt found relaxation from these annoyances in botanizing, and
in studying the manners and customs of the inhabitants. He was par-
ticularly interested in the gigantic varieties of cactus, which, planted
around the Spanish fortresses, formed an almost impenetrable chevaux-
de-frise, while the moats, for further defense, were filled with swarms of

EXCURSIONS AROUND CUMANA.

alligators. Among the customs of tlio inhabitants of Cumana, ho de-
scribes the following : " The children pass a considerable part of their
lives in the water ; all the inhabitants, even the women of the most
opulent families, know how to swim ; and in a country where man is so
near the state of nature, one of the first questions asked on meeting in
the morning is, whether the water is cooler than it was on the preced-
ing evening. One of the modes of bathing is curious. We every evening
visited a family, in the suburb of the Guayquerias. In a fine moonlight
night, chairs M'ere placed in the water ; the men and women were lightly
clothed, as in some baths of the north of Europe ; and the family and
Btrangers, assembled in the river, ftassed some hours in s: loking cigars,
and in talking, according to the custom of the country, of the extreme
dryness of the season, of the abundant rains in the neighboring districts,
and particularly of the extravagances of which the ladies of Cumana
accuse those of the Caracas and the Havanna. The company were
tinder no apprehensions from the bavas, or small crocodiles, which are
now extremely scarce, and which approach men without attacking them."
Humboldt also directed his attention to the volcanic soil on which he
was liv^ing, and collected facts in relation to the earthquakes with which
Cumana was frequently visited, in order to ascertain whether the di.
rection and extent of the shocks was not regulated by some yet UU'
discovered law.

On the 1 9th of August, the trovelers embarked in a boat, on an ex-
cursion to the peninsula of Ar.aya, and those districts formerly celebrated
for the slave-trade and the pearl-fishery. They had now been two
months in the tropics, and found the nights so cold as to prevent them
from sleeping, although the thermometer did not fall below 70°. After
visiting the castle of Ar.ay.i, they were benighted on their way to an
Indian village. They were in a narrow path, with the sea on one side,
and a perpendicular precipice on the other ; the tide was rising rapidly,
but they insisted on stopping to observe the setting of Venus, in spite
of the terror of their guide. After wading for nearly an hour through
the water, they finally reached a hut where they were hospitably enter-
tained.

In the Indian village they found a Spanish shoemaker, who practiced
medicine among the natives, and who, after delivering a long discourse
on the vanity of human greatness, presented them with some small
pearls, with the request that they would note the circumstance on their
tablets. The next excursion made by Humboldt and Bonpland was to
the mission in the mountains inhabited by the Chaymas Indians, a dis-
trict filled with a wonderful animal and vegetable world, and a people
living in the most primitive condition. Here they first beheld the splen-
dors of tropical vegetation. Walking for hours under a roof of foliage,
through which the sky appeared of a deep indigo-blue, they saw the
hanging nests of the oriole, and heaid the screaming of parrots and
macaws. " When a traveler first penetrates into the forests of South

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP HUMBOLDT.

America," says Humboldt, "he beholds nature under an ujiexpoctod
aspect. He feels at every step that he is not on the confines, but in
the center of the torrid zone ; not in one of the "West India Islands,
but on a vast continent where every thing is gigantic — mountains,
rivers, and the mass of vegetation. If he feel strongly the beauty of
picturesque scenery ho can scarcely define the various emotions Avhich
crowd upon his mind ; he can scarcely disthiguish what most excites his
admiration — the deep silence of those solitudes, the individual beauty
and contrast of forms, or that vigor and freshness of vegetable life whicli
characterize the cUmate of the tropics. It might bo said that the earth,
overloaded with plants, does not allow them space enough to unfold
themselves. The trunks of the trees are everywhere concealed under a
thick carpet of verdure; and if we carefully transplanted the orchidea),
peppers,, and the pothoses, nourished by a single American fig-tree, we
should cover a vast extent of ground. By this singular assemblage, the
forests, as well as the flanks of the rocks and mountains, enlarge the do-
mains of organic nature. The same parasitic vines which creep on the
ground, reach the tops of the trees, and pass from one to the other at
the height of more than a hundred feet." The travelers Avore kindly
received at the mission, although the old monk smiled sarcastically on
seeing their books and instruments, and obser\'ed that there was no sat-
isfaction in life equal to that of eating good beef. In the village of
Arenas, they noticed a curious physiological phenomenon, in the person
of a Spanish laborer, named Lozano, who had suckled a child with his
own milk. The mother having fallen sick, the father, to quiet the infant,
took it into his bed, and pressed it to his bosom. Lozano, then thirty-
two years of age, had never before remarked that ho had milk ; but the
irritation of the nipple, sucked by the child, caused the accumulation of
that liquid. The milk was thick and very sweet. The father, astonished
at the increased size of his breast, suckled his child two or three times a
day during five months. The travelers saw the certificate, which had
been dr.awn up on the spot, to attest this remarkable fixct. They were
assured that, during this suckling, the child had no other nourishment
than the milk of his father.

Humboldt and his friend continued their journey to the ravine of
Cnchivano, by a path infested with jaguars. From the caverns ui this
ravine smoke and flames are sometimes emitted. The inhabitants of
this district prophesied an increase of earthquakes and other disturb-
ances, from the appearance of these flames — prophecies which were
fully verified in the course of a fdw years. On the 12th of Septem-
ber, after climbing the hills, they reached the prmcipal mission of
Caripo, where they spent several calm and beautiful nights. " Nothing,"
says Humboldt, " can be compared to the majestic tr.inquillity which
the aspect of the firmament presents in this solitary region. When
tracing with the eye, at night-fall, the meadows which bounded the hor-
izon, the plain covered with verdure and gently undulated, we thought

THE GUACHARO CAVERN.

we beheld from afar, as in the deserts of the Orinoco, the surface of the
ocean supporting the starry vault of heaven. The tree under which we
were seated, the luminous insects flying in the air, the constellations
which shone in the south ; every object seemed to tell us how far we
were from our native land. If amid this exotic nature we heard from
the depth of the valley the tinkling of a bell, or the lowing of herds, the
remembrance of our country was awakened suddenly. The soimds were
like distant voices resounding from beyond the ocean, and with magical
power transporting us from one hemisphere to the otlier. Strange
mobility of the imagination of man, eternal source of our enjoyments
and our pains!" In the valley of Caripe, the travelers visited the
celebrated Guacharo Cavern, which had never been heard of in Europe.
The entrance is an arch eighty feet wide and seventy-two feet high, out
of which flows a small stream. The palms and arums on its banks were
found growing a hundred feet within the cave. When the light began
to fail, they heard the hoarse cries of the guacharo, a nocturnal bird,
which they fotmd to belong to a genus previously unknown. The plum-
age is of a dark bluish-gray, spotted with black, and the wings, when
spread, measure three feet and a half. Their food consists of nuts and
hard fruits, which they procure by night, retirhig into the cave on the
ajjproach of day. "It would be difficult to form an idea of the horrible
noise occasioned by thousands of these birds in the dark part of the cav-
ern. Their shrill and piercing cries strike upon the vaults of the rocks,
and are repeated by the subterranean echoes. The Indians showed us
the nests of the guacharos by fixing a torch to the end of a long pole.
The nests Avere fifty or sixty feet ivbove our heads, in holes in the shape
of funnels, with which the roof of the grotto is pierced like a sieve. The
noise increased as we advanced, and as the birds were scared by the
light of the torches of copal. When this noise ceased a few minutes
around us, we heard at a distance the plaintive cries of the birds roost'
ing in other ramifications of the cavern."

They only succeeded in penetrating to the distance of fifteen hundred
feet, as the Indians, who were timid and superstitious, refused to pro-
ceed further. Humboldt estimates the entire length of the cavern at
two thousand eight hundred feet, or a little more than half a mile. On
the 22d of September, having collected their specimens, they set out on
their return, crossing the mountain of Santa Maria, by a dangerous path
along the edges of precipices and through dense forests, where they
observed many varieties of monkeys. Humboldt remarked that these
animals seem the more depressed and melancholy the nearer they re-
semble man — that in proportion to the increase of their apparent reason-
ing faculties, their impetuous sprightliness diminishes. The travelers
finally arrived at the port of Cariaco, where a contagious fever had
broken out, and they, therefore, embarked speedily for Cumana, twelve
leagues distant. While studying the character of the Chaymas, and
other Indian tribes, on this journey, Humboldt noticed their habit of as-

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

Benting to whatever is said to them — a habit which taught him to bo
cautious, thenceforth, i» accepting statements made by the natives. To
put an Indian alcalde to the proof, ho asked him one day, whether ho
did not think tlie little river of Caripe, which issues from the cavern of
the Guacharo, returned into it on the opposite side by some unknown
entrance, after having ascended the slope of the mountain. The Indian
seemed gravely to reflect on the subject, and then answered, by way of
supporting Humboldt's hypothesis: " How else, if it were not so, would
there always bo water in the bed of the river at the mouth of the
cavern ?"

The travelers decided to remain another month at Cumana, to pre-
pare for their intended journey to the Orinoco and the Rio Negro, and
to observe an eclipse of the sun, on the 27th of October. On the even-
ing preceding that day, however, they met with an adventure which
came near terminating their travels. They M'cre strolling along the
beach in the evening, when Humboldt, hearing some one walking be-
hind him, turned and saw a tall Zambo (mongrel negro and Indian),
who held over his head a great club of palm-tree wood. He thus de-
scribes what followed : " I avoided the stroke by leaping toward the
left ; but M. Bonpland, who walked on my rigat, was loss fortunate. He
did not see the Zambo so soon as I did, and received a stroke above
the temple, which leveled him with the groimd. "We were alone, with-
out arms, half a league from any habitation, on a vast plain bounded by
the Rca. The Zambo, instead of attacking me, moved ofl" slowly to pick
up M. Bonpland's hat, which, having somewhat deadened the violence
of the blow, had fallen off and lay at some distance. Alarmed at seeing
my companion on the ground, and for some moments senseless, I thought
of him only. I helped him to raise himself, and pain and anger doubled
his strength. We ran toward the Zambo, who, either from cowardice,
common enough in people of this caste, or because he perceived at a dis-
tance some men on the beach, did not wait for us, but ran off in the direc-
tion of a little thicket of cactus. He chanced to fall in running ; and M.
Bonpland, who reached him first, seized him roimd the body. The
Zambo drew a long knife ; and in this unequal struggle we should in-
fallibly have been wounded, if some Biscayan merchants had not come
to our assistance. The Znrabo again ran away and we pursued him
through the thomy cactuses. At length, tired out, he took shelter in a
cow-house, whence he sulll'red himself to be quietly led to prison. M.
Bonpland was seized with fever during the night ; but endowed with
great energy and fortitude, he continued his labors the next day. The
stroke of the club had extended to the top of his head, and he felt its
effect for the space of two or three montha during the stay we made at
Caracas."

After having observed the eclipse, Humboldt's attention was directed
to a reddish mii?t, which covered the sky for some minutes every even-
ing. Other remarkable phenomena soon followed : the mist grew denser,

EARTHQUAKE— JOURNKY TO TIIK ORINOCO.

tho hot night air Avas inortoroua, tho Roa-broozoH fiiileil to blow, and tho
sky Avas colored like fire. On tho 4th of November, in tho aftenioon,
two violent shoeks of an earthquake occurred. Tho travelers wore
greatly impressed by thi.s new experience, but immediately arranged
their electrical apparatus, and commeiioed tlieir cxjjerimcnts. Hum-
boldt's remarks upon tho sensations produced by an oarth(juak(! aro
strikingly true, as every person who has felt the shock of one can testify.
He says : " From our infancy, tho idea of certain contrasts becomes fixed
in our minds : water appears to us an element that moves ; earth, a
motionless and inert mass. These itnpressions are tho result of daily
cxj)crienco ; they aro coimected with every thing that is transmitted to
us by the senses. When tho shock of an earth(iuako is felt, when tho
earth which wo had deemed so stable is shaken on its old foundations,
one instant sufliccs to destroy long-fixed illusions. It is like awakening
from a dream ; but a painful awakening. Wo feel that we have l)een
deceived by tho apparent stability of nature; we become observant of
tho least noise ; we mistrust for tho first time the soil we have so long
trod with confidence. But if tho shocks bo repeated, if they become
frofpient during several successive days, tho uncertainty quickly disap-
pears. Confidence easily springs up in tho human breast : on tho coasts
of Peru wo become accustomed to tho undulations of tho grotmd, as tho
sailor becomes accustomed to tho tossing of tho ship, caused by the
motion of the waves."

TRAVELS ON TUB ORINOCO.

On the 1 8th of November, the travelers left Cumana on a coasting
trip to Laguayra, intending to remain in Caracas until the end of tho
rainy season. They then proposed crossing the great plains, or llanos,
to the missions of tho Orinoco ; to ascend that river, south of its cata-
racts, and ascertain its reported connection with the Rio Negro — the
main northern tributary of the Amazon — by means of the Rio Cassiqui-
are ; and afterward to descend tho Orinoco to tho town of Angostura,
and recross tho plains to Cumana. This was a journey of nearly twenty-
five hundred miles, two thirds of which they would be obliged to make
in boats, through a country almost entirely unknown. The monks were
tho real masters of the Orinoco country, and no intercourse existed be-
tween their missions and tho cities on tho coast. Tho colonists painted in
threatening colors the dangers they would encounter, but nothing could
daunt the zeal and intrepidity of Humboldt and Bonpland. They received
every assistance from Senor Emparan, the governor, and derived much
valuable information from Fray Juan Gonzalez, a monk who had spent
several years at Esmeralda, on the upper Orinoco. On departing for Car-
acas they first realized how powerful an influence their first four months'
experience of tropical life and scenery had produced upon their minds.
" We quitted the shore of Cumana," says Iliimboldt, " as if it had long

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF IIUMHOLDT.

been our lionic This was the first hind wo had troddou in a zont' toward
which my thi)iij;hts liail been directed from I'arlie.st youth. There is ii
jiowert'ul eharm in the impreMsion produced by the Hcent.'ry nnd climuto
of these regions ; and aller an abode of a tew months we seenu'd to have
lived tliero during a h>ng succession of years. In |iro|)orti(»n as impri'S-
sions are jM)werl'iiI ami new, tliey weaken antecedent impressions, and
tlieir force imparts to tlieni the character of (biration. I appeal to tlioso
who, mtjre sensible to the beauties of nature than to the charms of soci-
ety, have long resided in the torrid zone. How dear, how mcmorahlt^
during life, is the land on which they fn-st disembarked ! A vague desire
to revisit that s])ot remains rooted in their minds to the most advanced
age. Cumana, and its dusty soil, are .still more frequently present to my
imagination than all the wonders of the Cordilleras, iieneath the bright
sky of the south, the light, and the m.igic of the aerial hues, eml)elli,sh a
land most destitute of vegetation. The sun does not merely enligliten,
it colors the objects, and wraps them in a thin vajjor, which, without
clhinging the transparency of the air, renders its tints more harmonious,
softens the effcicts of the light, and diffuses over nature a jjlacid calm,
which is reflected in our souls."

Keaching Laguayra on the 21st, Humboldt found the yellow fever
raging violently, and without h.ilting in the town, ascended to Ca-
racas, by the mountain roud, which he eomj)ares to the ])assage of the
St. Gothard, in Switzerland. In the latter city, at an elevation of 2,500
feet above the sea, he found a climate of jierjietual spring. lie took a
liouse in a quarter of the cily, which, during the great eartlujuake of
1812, Avas as completely destroyed as if a mine had been s])rung beneath.
Here the travelers remained two mouths, charmed \vith the society of
the i>lace, although the weather was unfavorable for their astronomical
observations. Tin,' nights were generally cloudy, and Humboldt resoited
to the tluatre, where, as there was no roof over the pit, he could watch,
as he sat in his box, fn* the appearance of Jui)iter. The only excursion
made during this residence Avas to the sumnxit of the Sill:i (saddle) of
Caracas, which none of the iiduibitants had over asiiended. Sixteen
persons offered to accompany the expedition, for the sake of novelty,
and the party started on the 22d of January, 1800, on a day Avhen, on
account of the low clouds, they cou'd calculate on a clear atmosphere.
Leaving the foot of the Silla in the morning, they found the path very
steep and iiitiguing. The ground Avas covered with short grass, which
afforded no firm footing, Avhilo thin Aapors arose from the forest, and
announced an ai)proaehing mist. Humboldt's companions lost courage
and showed some sign.s of beating a retreat, and the garrulity of the
accompanyhig negroes contrasted strongly Avith the taciturnity of
the Indians, Avho had been his guides among the Chaymas mountains.
They mocked the discouraged guides, and made themselves especially
merry at a young Capuchin friar, Avho Avas, at the same time, professor
of mathematics. When the company started, he imaguied that he Avould

ASCENT OF TIIK SILLA 1) K CARACAS.

snrpasH nil llicrcst in lioMiii'ss ami onduraiico ; lu' had even takon l»its
»)t' white jiaiK-r witii him, that he, as tlu> foremost ot'the t-limheiM, mii,'ht
throw tlit'in down to show tho way to the others. lie had also promised
the monks ot'iiis order to fire simie rockets troiii tl\e top ot' tho mount-
ain, in order to amiounco his siiceess to the iiiliahitaiits of Caracas.
JJut this l)uaster, eneiimhered in the ascent l>y his loni; <jfowii, soon lost
both his strength and courajjje, and stopped at a i)lantation, Mhenco ho
watched II\mil)oldt and tho others throiitj;h a telesc(^j)e. T!ie l»arfy
moved on towartl tho eastern part of tho Silla, which ti'rminatcM in two
ronnilod ju-aks. Tlieir joiu'iioy now hecame very lUnicult on account of
the ll)}jf, a!id tlio necessity of usini^ both hands atid foot in cHmhinuc tho
stoop and slij)pory ascent. At the liciglit of five thousand live hundred
feet, they M'l'ro siu'prised by tho sight of a palm forest, within which
Humboldt found a greater variety f)f plants in a small space, than in any
other part of tho world. After further clinibing, during which the mer-
cury sank to 51°, and they suffered fiuni the cold, they reached the hoi-
low between tho two jieaks, ciilled the "Saddle." The luxuriant vegita-
tion hero made it extrenu'ly difficult to find .i ])ath, which had to bo
hewn with knives and axes. A dense mist clung around them, and at
every step the danger was incurred of connng suddenly upon the brink
of the tromendous precipice, and falling .-^ix thousand feet into the sea.
They maile a halt, to await the arri^ al uf some negroes with provi-
sions, but the meal \v :a very sparing, as they had only olives and a little
bread. Even the guides had lost all courage, and Avoro with great difh'-
culty prevented from returning. It was now two o'clock in the after-
noon, and Humboldt determined to roacli the sununit of tho eastern
peak before sunset, and pass the night in tho liollow below. The ne-
groes vore sent back, Avith orders to meet him on the folloAving day,
with more satisfiictory provender than olives. Scarcely had thes(; j)ro-
parations been made, when tho east wind arose, dispersing tlie clouds
in less than two minutes. The two peaks of the Silla, covered only with
grass and low bushes, seemed astonishingly near. In order to reach
the highest peak, they were obliged to approacb the steep precipice
hanging over the sea, but the obstacles from vegetation decreased as
they ascended. In three quarters of an liour they stood upon the eastern
summit, eight thousand six hundred and thirty-two feet above tho sea,
which expanded before their eyes with a radius of a hundred miles.
The western peak hid from their view the city of Caracas, but the vast
extent of tropical forests, villages, coffee plantations, and tho silver
•windings of tho Guayra River, filled them ■with rapture. It has been
stated that in looking from the Silla over tho Carribean Sea, Humboldt
observed that rare and remarkable sight, the visible convexity of tho
earth, but this circumstance is not mentioned in his " Personal Nar-
rative," where he thus describes the view : " Following with tlio ryo tho
surface of the sea, which was smooth as glass, we were struck with the
progressive diminution of tho reflected light. Where the visual ray

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

toiichod the l;i«t limit of that surface, the water was lost anioncf tlie
supciposc'd strata of air. This appearance lias something in it very
extraordinary. AVe expect to see the horizon level A\ith the eye ; but,
instead of distinguishing at this height a marked limit betwecHi the two
elements, the more distant strata of water seem to be transformed into
vapur, and mingled with the aerial ocean. I observed the same appear-
ance, not in one spot of the horizon alone, but on an extent of more than
a Inindrijd and sixty degrees, along the Pacific, when I found myself for
the lirst time on the pointed rock that commands the crater of Pichin-
cha; a volcano, the elevation of which exceeds that of Mont Blanc." At
half past four o'clock, having finished their scientific observations, the
travelers descended to the palm forest. They Avere botanizing w lien the
night overtook them ; the guides who carried the instruments went
away, one by one, to seek a deeping place among the rocks, and it was
not until nearly midnight that Humboldt and JBonpland, overcome with
hunger and fatigue, reached the lower valley. After a descent of six
hours, they again arrived at the plantation at the foot of the mountain.
The inhabitants of Caracas had witnessed their success through telescopes.
On the 7th of February, they commenced their journey into tlio
interior. Instead of proceeding directly acrjss the steppes, or llanos, to
the Orinoco River, they selected a longer route by way of the valley of
Aragua, and the hot springs of Mariara, to the Lake of Valencia; tlience
across the llanos to San Fernando, on the Apui'c liiver, and down thai,
river to the Orinoco. On their way to the Lake of Valencia, they
visited a tree called zamang, a variety of the mimosa, the boughs of
which formed a hemisphere five hundred and seventy-six feet in circum-
ference, and so regular that on measuring several diameters, Humboldt
foi.nd them to vary only ftum one hundred and eighty-six to one hundred
and ninety-two Icet. He considered this tree as old as the dragon-tree
of Teneritfe. It is held in such high regard that a inan, who cut off a
branch, was tried and condemned for the xct. In the colonies of Cura,
the travelers passed several days after the manner of the natives, taking
two baths, three meals, and three sleeps every twenty-four hours. After
visiting the hot springs of Mariara, they journeyed six days to the town
of New Valencia, traveling only by night, on account of the great heat.
At the hot springs of Trinchera, they were surprised to find arums and
fig-trees growing in water which had a temperature ^f 175°, From
Valencia they descended to Porto Cabello, on the coasi, where they
remained until the 1st of March, and then commenced their journey to
the jilains of the Orinoco. In the valley of Aragua, Humboldt first saw
the celebrated " cow-tree," the existence of which he had previously
doubted, and of which he gives the following beautif: 1 description :
" When incisions are made in the trunk of this tree, it y:elds abundance
of a glutinous milk, tolerably thick, devoid of al' acridity, and of an
agree-xble and balmy smell. It was offered to t'.s in the shell of a cala-
bash. We drank considerable quantities of it in the evening before wo

I !

1 1

DESCRIPTION OP TUE COW-TREE.

■went to bed, and very early in the morning, without feeUng the least
injurious efl'cct. The glutinous character of this milk alone renders it a
little disagreeable. The negroes and the A-ee people who work in tlio
plantations drhik it, dipping into it their bread of maize or cassava. The
overseer Oi the farm told us that the negroes grow sensibly latter
during the season when the palo de vaca furnishes them with most milk.
This juice, exposed to the air, presents at its surface menibraues of a
strongly animalizcd substance, yellowi?li, stringy, and resembling cheese.

"j^ midst the gniat number of curious phenomena which I have ob-
served hi the course of my travels, I confess there are few that have
made so powerful an impression on me as the aspect of the cow-tree.
Whatever relates to milk or to corn, inspires an interest which is not
merely that of the physical knowledge of things, but is connected with
another order of ideas and sentiments. We can scarcely conceive how
the human race could exist without farinaceous substances, and without
that nourishing juice which the breast of the mother contains, and which
is aj)propriated to the long feebleness of the inflxnt. The amylaceous
matter of corn, the object of religious veneration among so many nations,
ancient and modern, is diffused in the seeds, and deposited in the roots
of vegetables ; milk, which serves as an aliment, appears to us exclusively
the produce of animal organization. Such are the impressions we have
received in our earliest infancy : such is also the source of that astonish-
ment created by the aspect of the tree just described. It is not here the
solemn shades of forests, the majestic course of rivers, the mountains
wrapped in etenial snow, that excite our emotion. A few drops of vege-
table juice recall to our minds all the powerfulness and the fecundity of
nature. On the barren flank of a rock grows a tree with coriaceous and
dry leaves. Its large woody roots can scarcely penetrate into the stone.
For several months of the year not a single fihoAver moistens its foliage.
Its branches appear dead and di-ied ; but when the trunk is pierced there
flows from it a sweet and nourishing milk. It is at the rising of the sun
that this vegetable fountain is most abundant. The negroes and natives
are then seen hastening from all quarters, furnished with large bowls to
receive the milk, which g'-ows yelIo\>,', and thickens at its surface. Some
empty their bowls under the tree itself, others carry the juice home to
their children."

In crossing the moimtain-range between the valley of Aragua and the
llanos, the travelers jjassed a night in the village of Guigue, whore they
lodged with an old sergeant, a native of Murcia, a man of a very original
character. To prove to them that he had studied amon^ the Jesuits, he
recited the history of the creation of the world in Latin. He knew the
names of Augustus, Tiberias, and Diocletian ; and while enjoying the
agreeable coolness of the nights in an enclosure planted with bananas, he
employed himself in reading all that I'clated to the courts of the Roman
emperors. He inquired of Humboldt with eamestness for a remedy for
the gout, from which he suffered severely. " I know," said he, " a Zam-

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT,

bo of Valencia, \\ho could cure mo ; but the Zambo ^\ ouUl expect to bo
treated with attentions which I can not pay to a m;;n of his color, and I
prefer remaining as I am." On the 9th of March they commenced their
jom-ney on the great plains. " The sun was almost at its zenith ; tho
"arlh, wherever it api)eared sterile and destitute of vegetation, was at
the temperature of 120". Not a breath of air was felt at the height at
which we Avere on our mules; yet, in the midst of this apparent calm,
Avhirls of dust incc^^jantly tvrose, driven on by those small currents of air
which glide only over the surface of the ground, and are occasioned by
the dilferenco of temperature between the naked sand and the spots cov-
ered with grass. All around us the jtlains seemed to ascend to the sky,
and the vast and ])rofound solitude appeared like an ocean covered with
sea-weed. On the horizon tho earth was confounded with tho sky.
Thi'oucih the dry mist and strata of vajior the trunks of jwlm-trees were
seen from athr, stripped of their foliage and their verdant summits, and
looking like tlio masts of a ship descried upon tho horizon. There is
something awful, as well as sad and gloomy, in the uniform aspect of
these steppes. p]very thing seems motionless ; scarcely does a small
cloud, jiassing across the zenith, and denoting the approach of the rairy
season, cast its sliadow on the (.'luth, i know not whether the first as-
pect of tho llanos excites Il'ss ;is;o;iis]nnent than that of the cham of tho
Andes.

"When, beneath the vertical rays of the bright and cloudless sun of
the tropics, the parched sward crumbles into dust, then the indi.rated
soil cracks and bursts as if rent asunder by some mighty earthcpiako.
And if, at such a time, two opposite currents of air, by conflict movhig
in rapid gyrations, come in contact with the earth, a singular spectacle
presents itself. Like f;runel-sha])ed clouds, their apexes touching tho
earth, the sands rise in vajiory form through the rarefied air in the elec-
trically-charged center of the whirling current, sweeping on like tho
rushing water-s])out, which strikes such terror hito the heart of the mar-
hier. A dim and sallow light gleams from the lowering sky over the
dreary plain. The hoiizon suddenly contracts, and the heart of the
traveler sinks with dismay as the wide steppe seems to close upon him
on all sides. The hot and dusty earth forms a cloudy vail which shrouds
the hea\ens from view, and increases tho stifling oppression of th'' atmos-
phere, Avhile the east wind, Avhen it blows over the long-heated soil,
inste.id of cooling, adds to the burning glow. Gradually, too, the pools
of water, which had been protected from evaporation l)y the now seared
foliage of the tan-palm, disappear. As in the icy north animals become
torpid from cold, so here the crocodile and the boa-constrictor lie wra{)t
in unbroken sleep, deeply biM'icd in the drie(l soil. Every whore tho
drought announces death, yet every whore the thirsting wanderer is
deluded by tho phantom of a nioving, xmdulating, watery surface, cre-
ated by the deeeittive play of the mirage. A narrow stratum separates
the ground fi-om the distant pahu-trees, which seem to hover alofl, owing

}

ASPECTS OF THE LLANOS.

to the contact of currents of air having different degrees of heat and
therefore of density. Shrouded in dark clouds of dust, and tortured by
hunger and burning thirst, oxen and horses scour the plain, the on'^ bel-
lowing dismally, the other with out-stretched necks snuffing the wind,
in the endeavor to detect, by the moisture of the air, the vichiity of some
l)Ool of water not yet wholly evaporated.

"The mule, more cautious and cunning, adopts another method of
allaying his thirst. There is a globular and articulated plant, the melo-
caJiis, which encloses under its prickly integument an aqueous pulp.
After carefully striking away the prickles Avith his forefeet, the mule
cautiously ventures to apply his hps to unbibe the cooling thistle juice.
But the draught from this living vegetable spring is not always im-
attended by danger, and these animals are often obser', ed to have been
lamed by the pimcture of the cactus thorn. Even if the burning heat
of day be succeeded by the cool fresluiess of the night, here always of
equal length, the wearied ox and horse enjoy no repose. Huge bats
now attack the animals during sleep, and vampyre-like suck their blood;
or, fastening on their backs, raise festering wounds, in which mosquitoes,
hijipobosces, a'.d a host of other stinging insects, burrow and nestle.

"When, after a long drought, the genial season of rain arrives, the
scene su<ldenly changes. T!ie deej) azure of the hitherto cloudless sky
assumos a lighter hue. Scarcely can the dark space in the constellation
of the Southern Cross be distinguished at night. The mild phosphor-
escence of the Alagollanic clouds tades away. Like some distant mount-
ain, a single cloud is seen rising jx-rpendifalarly on the southern horizon.
Misty vajjors collect and grulually oversiiread the heavens, while distant
thunder proclaims the approach of the vivifying rain Scarcely is the
surface of the earth moistened before the teeming steppe becomes
covered with a variety of grasses. Excited by ,ie power of light, the
herbaceous mimosa unfolds its dormant, drooping leaves, hailing, as it
were, the rising sun in chorus with the matin song of the birds and the
opening flowers of aquatic plants. Horses and oxen, buoyant with life
and enjoyment, roam over and crop the plains. The luxuriant grass
hides the beautifully spotted y ^tiai', who, lurking in safe concealment,
and carefully measuring the extent of the leap, darts, like the Asiatic
tiger, with a cat-like bound on his passing prey. At times, according to
the account of the natives, the humid clav on the banks of the morasses
is seen to rise slowly in l)road flakes. Accompanied by a violent noise,
as on the eruption of a small mud- volcano, the upheaved earth is hurled
high into the an-. Those who are fimiiliar with the phenomencm fly
from it ; for a cjiossal water-snake, or a mailed and scaly crocodile,
awakened from its trance by the first fall of rain, is about to burst from
his tomb.

" When the rivers bounding the plain to the south, as the Arauca,
the Apure, and the Payara, gradually overflow their banks, nature com-
pels those creatures to live as amphibious animals, which, during the first

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP HUMBOLDT.

half of the year, were perishuig with thirst on the waterless and dusty
plain. A part of the steppe now presents the appearance of a vast in-
land sea. The mares retreat with their foals to the higher banks, which
project, like islands, above the spreading waters. Day by day tiie dry
surf'xce diminishes in extent. The cattle, crowded together, and de-
prived of pasturage, swim for hours about the inundated plain, seeking a
scanty nourishment from the flowering panicles of the grasses Avhich rise
abo\e the lurid and bubbling waters. Many foals are drowned, many
are seized by crocodiles, crushed by their serrated tails, and devoured.
Horses and oxen may not unfrequently be seen Avhich have escaped from
the fury of this blood-thirsty and gigantic lizard, bearing on their legs
the marks of its pointed teeth."

In traversing these vast plains, which were then parched with the
intensest heat, the travelers journeyed mostly by night, halting occa-
sionally at the 'mts of the herdsmen, who tended the horses and cattle
roambig over ' i te. Atler four or live days, they reached the

town of Calabozo, iace containing about five thousand inhabitants,
where they were hospitably entertained by the superintendent of the
royal plantations. In this remote spot they Avere greatly surprised to
find a tolerable electrical apparatus made by a native Spaniard, who had
never seen anything of the kind in his life. He had constructed it
entirely from the description given in Franklin's treatise, and was beside
himself with Joy at seeing the strangers arrive with the same machines,
and others, of which he had never even heard. During a stay of a few
days in Calabozo, Humboldt, after much dilHculty, succeeded in obtain-
ing some specimens of the (/i/m?iotus, or electrical eel. The Indians con-
ducted him to a large reservoir of slimy water, near a neighboring vil-
lage ; but it was not found possible to catch the eels with fishing-nets,
as they bi.ry themselves with great agility in the slime. He did not
wish to employ the barbasco root, Avhic^h stupefies them when thrown
into the water. The Indians then declared that they Avould be obliged
to " fish with horses," thirty of which they collected in a short time.
Humboldt, who had never heard of this extraordinary manner of fishing,
anxiously awaited the result, which he thus describes : " Tlu; noise oc-
casioned by the stamping of the horses drives the eels out of the slime
and irritates them ; they rise to the surface of the water, and crowd
under the bellies of the horses and mules. A contest between animals
of so different an organization presents a very striking spectacle. The
Indians, provided with harpoons and long slender reeds, surround the
pool closely ; and some climb up the trees, the branches of which extend
liorizontally over the surface of the water. By their Avild cries, and the
length of their reeds, they prevent the liorses from running away and
reaching the bank of the pool. The eels, stunned by the noise, defend
themselves by the repeated discharge of their electric batteries. For a
long interval they seem likely to prove victorious. Several horses sink
beneath the violence of the invisible strokes which they receive from all

FISHING FOR ELECTRICAL EELS.

sides, in organs the most essential to life ; and stunned by the force and
frequency of the shocks, they disappear under the water. Others, ptuit-
ing, with mane erect, and haggard eyes expressing anguish and dismay,
raise tliemselves, and endeavor to flee from the storm by which tliey are
overtaken. They are driven back by the Indians into the middle of the
water ; but a smdl number succeed in eluding tlxe active vigilance of
the tisherinen. These regain the shore, stumbling at every step, and
stretch themselves on the sand, exhausted M'ith fatigue, and with Ihnbs
benumbed by the electric shocks of the gymnoti.

"In less than five minutes two of our horses were drowned. Tlic eel
being five feet long, and pressing itself against the belly of the horses,
makes a discharge along the whole extent of its electric organ. It at-
tacks at once the heart, the intestines, and the caeliac fold of the abdom-
inal nerves. It is natural that the effect felt by tho horses should be
more powerful than that produced upon man by the touch of the same
fish at only one of his extremities. The horses are probably not killed,
but only stunned. They are drowned from the impossibility of rismg
amid the prolonged struggle between the other horses and the eels.

" AVe liad little doubt that the fishing would terminate by killing suc-
cessively all the animals engaged ; but by degrees the impetuosity of this
unequal combat diminished, and the wearied gymnoti dispersed. They
require a long rest, and abundant nourishment, to repair the galvanic
force which they have lost by the repeated discharges. The horses and
mules recovered from their terror ; thoir manes no longer bristled, and
their eyes ceased to glare with fear. The Indians asserted that if the
horses were driven to the same water on two consecutive days, none
would die the second day. The eels now thnidly approached the shore,
where they were caught with little harpoons attached to long cords. If
the cords were perfectly dry, no shock was felt while hauling out tho
fish, but it was communicated through the wet cords. In a few minutes
five large eels Ave re caught, whicli were only slightly wounded, and sev-
eral others were obtained the same evening. Such is the remarkable
contest between horses and fish. That which constitutes the mvisible
but living weapon of these inhabitants of the water — that, which awak-
ened by the contact of moist and dissimilar particles, circulates through
all the organs of animals and plants — that which flashing amid the roar
of thunder illuminates the wide canopy of heaven — which binds iron to
iron, and directs the silent recurring course of tho magnetic needle — all,
like the varied hues of the refracted ray of light, flow from one common
source, and all blend together into one eternal all-pervading power. •

" The gymnotus is neither a charged conductor, nor a battery, nor an
electromotive apparatus, the shock of which is received every time they
are touched with one hand, or -when both hands are employed to form a
conducting circle between the opposite poles. The electric action of the
fish depends entirely on its will ; because it does not keep its electric
organs always charged, or Avhether by the secretion of some fluid, or by

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

any other means alike mysterious to us, it be capable of directing the
action of its organs to an external object. We oilen tried, both insulated
and otherwise, to touch the fish, without feeling the least shock. When
M. I5on]iland held it by the heiul, or by the middle of the body, while I
held it by the tail, and, standing on the moist ground, did not take each
other's liand, one of us received shocks which the other did not feel. It
depends upon the gymnotus to direct it;^ action toward the jioint where
it finds itself most strongly irritated. The discharge is then made at one
point only, and not at the neighboring points. If two persons touch the
belly of the fish -with their fingers, at an inch distance, and press it
simultaneously, sometimes one, sojnctimea the other, -will receive tho
shock. It would be temerity to expose ourselves to the first shocks of
a very large and strongly irritated gymnotus. If by cliance a stroke be
received before the fish is wounded or wearied by long pursuit, tho pam
and numbness are so violent that it is impossible to describe the nature
of the fooling they excite. I do not remember having ever received
from the discharge of a large Leyden jar, a more dreadful shock than
that which I experienced by imprudently placing both my feet on a
gymnotus just taken out of the water. I was affected during the rest
of the day with a violent pain in the knees, and in almost every joint."

The travelers left Calabozo on the 24th of March, and continued
their journey over the desolate llanos. On tho way they found an In-
dian girl lying in the road, almost lifeless, and with her mouth and nos-
trils filled with sand. They restored her to consciousness and gave her
some wine and water, but she refused to accompany them, and wandered
off alonr. In three days they reached the Mission of San Fernando, on
tho Apure river, one of the principal tributaries of the Orhioco. Here
war. the cor^mencemtnt of their canoe voyages on the Apure, tho Orin-
oco, the Cassiquiare, a?^l tho ilio Negro, which lasted for three months.
During this journey they wore accompanied by Don Nicholas Soto,
brothcr-in-Iaw of the governor of the province. They hired a large
canoe, called a lancha by the natives. It had a cabin, covered with
palm-loaves, in the stern, and was managed by a pilot and four Indians.
Provision for a month — consisting of fowls, plaintains, and cassava bread,
to which the Capuchins added some Xercs A\'ine — was ])Iaced on board,
and a su]i]ily of fishing-tackle, ammunition, and some brandy for tho
Indians, laid in. Humboldt made notes of every thing which occurred
on the voyage, either during the day, or after the canoe had halted for
the night. Owing to this habit, his narrative has an unmistakable stamp
of truth and reality. They passed the last plantation on the second day,
and then entered a territory inhabited entirely by jaguars, crocodiles,
manati, or river-cows, and peoarries. The Apure, which qycw broader as
they descended, was bordered by dense forests, the trees of which were
full of monkeys and birds. The river abounded with fish and tortoises,
while huge crocodiles, often twenty feet in length, basked on the sand.
Notwithstandhig the numbers of these latter animals, the rainy season

}

NIGHT IN THE TROPICAL J'ORESTS.

hnd not yet comincncctl, and thousrvncls of thorn were still lying dormant
in the nuid of the plains. In those wildernesses, where man lives in con-
stant strife with nature, the conversation turns much upon the moans by
Avhic'h one can escape the pursuit of a tiijer, or a crocodile ; all prepare
themselves to encounter the danger. The crocodile loosens its hold
if the person seized thrusts his finger into its eyes, and the travelers
heard of several instances of escape in this manner.

Ilumholdt gives the following picturesque description of the noc-
turnal noises of animals hi the forests of the Apure : " Below the mission
of Santa Barbara de Arichuna we passed the night as usual in the open
air, on a sandy flat, on the bank of the Apure, skirted by the impene-
trable forest. We had some difticulty in finding dry wood to kindle the
fires Avith which it is here customary to surround the bivouac, as a safe-
guard against the attacks of the jaguar. The air was bland and solV,
and the moon shone brightly. Several crocodiles approached the bank ;
and I have observed that fire attracts these creatures as it does oiu"
crabs and many other aquatic animals. The oars of our boats were lixed
upright in the ground, to su])port our haunnocks. Deep stillness pre-
vailed, only broken at intervals by the blowing of the fresh-water dol
phins, which are peculiar to the river net-work of the Orinoco. After
eleven o'clock, such a noise began in the contiguous forest, that for the
renuiinder of the night all sleep was im]iossible. The wild cries of ani-
mals i-ung through the Avoods. Among the many voices which resound-
ed together, the Indians could only recognize those Avhich, nt\er short
pauses, Avere heard singly. There Avas the monotonous, plaintive cry
of the howling monkeys, the Avhining, flute-like notes of the small sapa-
jous, the grunting murmur of the striped nocturnal ape, the fitful roar
of tiie great tiger, the cougar, or maneless American lion, the peccary,
the sloth, and a host of parrots, parraquas, aiid other pheasant-like birds.
Whenever the tigers approached the edge of the forest, our dog, Avho
before had barked incessantly, canie howling to seek protection imder
the hanunocks. Sometimes the cry of the tiger resounded from the
branches of a tree, and Avas then ahvays accompanied by the plaintive
jiiping tones of tho apes, Avho were endeavoring to escape from the un-
Avonted pursuit.

" If one asks the Imlians why such a continuous noiso is heard on
certain nights, they answer, with a smile, that ' the animals are rejoicing
in the beautifid moonlight, rnd celebrating the return of the full moon.'
To me the scene appeared rather to be owing to an accidental, long
continued, and gradually increasing conflict among the animals. Thus,
for instance, the jaguar Avill pursue the peccaries and the tapirs, Avhich,
densely crowded together, burst through the barrier of tree-like shrubs
which opposes their flight. Terrified at the confusion, the monkeys on
the tops of the trees join their cries Avith those of the larger animals.
This arouses the tribes of birds who build their nostsin communities, and
suddenly the Avhole animal Avorld is in a state of commotion. Further

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

exporicnco taught us, that it was by no means always the festival of
moonlight that disturbed the stillness of the forest ; for we observed
that the voices were loudest during violent storms of rain, or when the
thunder echoed, and the lightning flashed through the depths of tho
woods. The good-natured Franciscan monk who accompanied us through
the cataracts of Aturcs and Maypures to San Carlos, on the Rio Negro,
and to the Brazilian frontier, used to say, when apprehensive of a storm
at night, 'May heaven grant a quiet night both to ua and to tho wild
beasts of the forest !' "

The next dav, Humboldt was favored with another and even more
unwelcome experience. " While my companions were preparing din-
ner," he says, "I walked along the beach to get a near view of a group
of crocodiles sleeinng in the sun. Some little herons, white as snow,
walked along their backs, and even upon their heads, as if passing over
trunks of trees. The crocodiles were of a greenish gray, half covered
with dried mud ; from their color and immobility they might have been
taken for statues of bronze. This excursion had nearly proved fatal to
me, I had kept my eyes constantly turned toward the river; but,
while picking up some spangles of mica in tho sand, I discovered the
recent footsteps of a tiger, easily distinguishable from their form and
size. The animal had gone toward the forest, and turning my eyes on
that side, I found myself within eighty paces of a jaguar that was lying
under the thick foliage of a ceiba. No tiger had ever api)eared to mo
so large. There are accidents in life against Avhich we may seek in vain
to fortify our reason. I was extremely alarmed, yet sufficiently master
of myself and of my motions to enable me to follow the advice which
the Indians had so often given us as to bow wo ought to act in such
cases. I eontitmed to walk on without running, avoided moving my
arms, and I thought I observed that the jaguar's attention was fixed on
a herd of capybaras which Avas crossing the river. I then began to
return, making a large circuit toward the edge of the water. As tho
distance increased, I thought I might accelerate my pace. How often
■was I tempted to look back, in order to assure myself that I was not
jnirsued ! Happily I yielded very tai'dily to this desire. Tlio jaguar
had remained motionless. I arrived at tho boat out of breath, and re-
lated my adventure to the Indians."

On the afternoon of the 4th of April, after a voyage of six days on
the Apure, they entered the Orinoco. An immense plain of water
stretched before them like a sea. White-topped waves, caused by a
wind blowing against the current, rose to the height of several feet. Tho
distant horizon was bounded by a zone of level forests. Humboldt found
the Apure, at the junction, to be one thousand two hundred feet in
breadth, and the Orinoco twelve thousand one hundred and eighty ;
during the rainy season the latter river attains a breadth of thirty-five
thousand feet, or nearly seven miles. Sailing up the Orinoco, they
touched at the port of Encaramada, where they first saw some specimens

I I

FISHING FOR TURTLE'S EGGS.

of tlio nakctl Caribs. They were bound for a sandy island in the river,
celebrated for its fisheries of turtle's eggs. Humboldt and IJonpland
reached this island next day, and found there the missionary of Uruana,
who Avas greatly astonished at seeing them. After having admired their
instruments, ho gave them an exaggerated picture of tlio sufferings to
which thoy would bo necessarily exposed in ascending the Orinoco
beyond the cataracts. The object of their journey appeared to him
very my.sterious. " How is it possible to bnlicve," said he, "that you
have lefl your country, to come and bo devoured by mosquitoes on this
river, and to measure lands that are not your oaati ?" While halting at
the island, they witnessed the method of collecting turtle's eggs, and
extracting the oil. The turtle always lays its eggs at the time of the
lowest water, beginning at night, imme<i(iately after sunset. It digs a
pit two feet deep, and then commences the work, which frequently lasts
all night. There are such numbers that if one turtle finds a hole, whicrh
has not been filled up, from the haste of its owner on being surprised by
the sunrise, ho deposits a second layer of eggs over the top of the first.
The egg-gatherers investigate the situation and extent of these deposits
with a long pole, which, when pressed perpendicularly into the soil, re-
veals the looser sand below, on Avhich the eggs lie. The harvest is then
gathered in with methodical regularity. According to the number of In-
dian tribes, the soil is divided into certain districts, for the deposits of eggs
are found three feet deep, one hundred and twenty feet from the shore.
When they have sounded with the poles, the Indians dig up the soil
with their hand?, and break the eggs into wooden troughs filled Avith
water, after which they expose them to the rays of the sun until the
yellow, upper, oily part thickens. This oil is then skimmed off and
boiled, and if none of the eggs contain embryo tortoises, it is very pure
and of an agreeable flavor. A space on the shore, one hundred and t wenty
feet long, and thirty feet broad, gives one hundred jars of oil, and five
thousand eggs are required to fill a single jar. It is estimated that the
quantity of eggs taken from the island, amounts to thirty-three millions!
In the afternoon the travelers had a narrow escape from shipwreck.
The boat, struck by a violent gust of wind, Avas thrown on her beam
ends, and Avas only righted by the breaking of some cordage, and the
change of the Avind. All their plants and books were submerged, and
Humboldt saved his journal with difficulty. When at nightfall he
bivouacked on a sterile island in the stream, eating his evening meal in
the moonlight, seated on tortoise shells, he realized the great danger he
had escaped. He had only been on the Orinoco three days, and a
voyage of three months, involving far greater risks, Avas before him.
" There are moments in life," he Avrote, " in Avhich, without absolutely
despairing, the future seems very uncertain; one is more apt to indulge
in serious reflection, when, after having escaped a danger, he has need
of a strong emotion." While he meditated thus, lying upon a skin

LIFE AND TIIAVKLS OF HUMBOLDT.

sproinl on tho grouml, the jiigimrs swam acrcss tho stream, and jh-owIl-iI
around )iim.

The next (lav tlicv passi'd tlio month of tho Arauoa riv.-r and tho
IMission of Uniaiia, a village of five Imndrcd inliahitants, most of wliom
lulonijfd to tho clay-eatini; Otoniao trihi,'. Beyond this ]»oint tho livor
became narrower and tho current stronger. Tliey continued to ascend
nndiT sail, but tho hi^di and woody j^rounds deprived them of wind. h\
the strait of Daraguan, as it is called, where tho river is but a mile in
breadth, they found almost peri)endicular masses of gr.anite, seven him-
drt'd fi'i't hio;h. On the 9th of April they reaclu;d an Indian settlemenjt,
called Pararuma, where tlie pilot, who had conducted them from San
Fernando, and who was unaccjuainted with tho passage of the rapids of
tho Orinoco, refused to go further. Foittmately, they succeeded in
bridging an excellent canoe, to replace tho hincha, and Father Bernardo
Zeii, missionary of Atures, near tho cataract, offered to acomp.any them
to the frontiers of Brazil. Humboldt gives the following description of
their outfit and manner of voyaging : " The new canoe, intended for us
was, like all Indiim boats, a trunk of a tree lioUowed out i)artly by tho
hatchet and partly by lire. It was forty feet U)ng, and three broad.
Three persons could not sit in it side by side. These canoes are so
crank, and they reqiiire, from their instability, a cargo so eipialiy dis-
tributed, that when you want to rise for an instant, you niust warn the
rowers to lean to the opposite side. Without this precaution tlie water
would necessarily enter the side pressed down. It is difficult to form an
idea of the inconveniences that are suffered in such wretclied vessels.
To gain something in breadth, a sort of lattice-work had l)een constructed
on the stern Avith brandies of trees, that extended on each side beyond
tlie gunwale. Unfortunately, the tuldo, or roof of leaves, tiiat covered
this lattice-work, was so low that we were obliged to lie down, without
seeing any thing, or, if seated, to sit nearly double. The necessity of
carrying the canoe across the rapids, and even from one river to another ;
and tlie fear of giving too much hold to tho wind, by making the ttddo
liigher, render this construction necessary for vessels that go up toward
the Kio Xegro. The toldo was intended to cover four persons, lying on
the deck or lattice-work of brush-wood ; but our legs reached far beyond
it, and when it rained half our bodies were wet. Our couches consisted
of ox-hides or tiger-skins spread upon branches of trees, which were
painfidly felt through so thin a covering. The fore part of the boat was
filled Avith Indian rowers, furnished Avith paddles, three feet long, in tlie
form of spoons. They were all naked, seated two by two, and they
kej>t time in rowing Avith a surprising uniformity, singing songs of a sad
and monotonous character. The small cages containing our birds and
our monkeys — the nmnber of which augmented as we advanced — were
hung some to the toldo and others to the bow of the boat. This was
our traveling menagerie. Every night, Avhen we established our Avatch,
our collection of animals and our mstruments occupied the center ; around

VOYAGE Ur Till!; ORINOCO.

those wore pliiooil first our Imminopks, then the litimmocks of the Imlians ;
ainl on the outside were tliu tires, wiiieh are tliouLjht indispensable against
the attaeks of the jaguar. Aboiit Hunri-(c the monkeys in our cages an-
swered the erics of the monkeys of the forest.

"In a eanoe not three feet wide, and so incuiubcred, there remained
no other jil.ice for the dried i)Iants, trunks, sextant, a dijtping-needle, and
the meteorological instriunents, tlian the space below the lattiee-work
of l)ran('hes, on which we were compelled to remain stretched the greater
part of the day. If we wished to take tlio least object out of a trunk,
or to use an instrument, it was necessary to row ashore and laud. To
these incoiu I'uiences were johied the torment of the moscniitocs Avhich
swarmed under the (olilo, and the heat radiated from the leaves of the
palm-trees, the upper surface tf which was continually exposed to the
solar rays. We attempted every instant, but always without success, to
amend our situation. While one of us hid himself under a sheet toward
off the insects, the other insisted on having green wood lighli'd beneath
the fofih, in the hope of d iving away the mosquitoes by the smoke. The
pauifiil sensations of the eyes, and the increase of heat, already stilling,
rendered both these contrivances alike impracticable. With some gayety
of temj»er, with feelings of mutual good-will, and with a vivid taste for
the majestic grandeiu- of tliese va^t valleys of rivers, travelers easily sujv
port evils that become habitual."

On the 10th of April they commenced their voyage in this n.'irrow
craft, slowly ascenduig the Orinuco. They were hospitably received at
the ^lission of Cariehana, and on the second day passed the mouth of
the 31ela, one of the largest tributaries of the Orinoco, with a volume of
water equal to that of the Danube. It is navigable as far as the foot of
the Andes of New Grenada, within twenty leagues of I>ogota, the cap-
ital. The Orinoco now began to rise, much to the surprise of the Indians,
as the rahiy sea^m had not yet fairly set in. On the l.'Uh, after passing
the rapids of Tabaje, they reached the Mission of San Borja, where they
found a munber of converted Guahibo Indians. The interest with Avhich
they examineil these creatures, ocasioned, singularly enough, the desertion
of the mission. The Guahibos of the forest persuaded their brethren that
the whites, on their return, would carry them off as slaves, and they all fled
into the woods. They had much difliculty in conversing with the difter-
ent tribes which they met with on the river, and were sometimes obliged
to employ several interpreters at the same time They were, however,
in no danger from hostile attacks, the Jesuits having subjugated the
natives by force of arms, before they administered their spiritual conso-
lations. One of these priests said to Humboldt, with great candor, " The
voice of the Gospel is heard only Avhero the Indians have also heard the
sound of fire-arms. By chastising the natives, we facilitate tlieir con-
version."

The river Orinoco, in its course from south to north, is crossed by a
chain of granite momitains. Twice confined ia its coui-se, it turbuleutly

LIFE AND TRAVKLS OF HlTMBOLnT.

breaks on the rocks, which foriu Htcppcs and trajisvcrsc (lykoN. " Neither
till) tlill (if Tu<iiit'rulairja," says Humboldt, "nor the ir»:i<^iiilic('iit hcciics
of the CordillcruH, could weaken the impression i)ro(hu'ed upon my mind
by the firnt view of the rapids of Atures and of MaypurcH. VVhen the
spectator is so stationed tiiat the eye can at oneo take in tlu' h)nu: suci-es-
sion of cataracts, and the it)unensc sheet of foam and vapor ilhimined 1)y
the rays of the settinj^ sun, tlie whole river seems, as it were, suspended
over its bed." They reached the Mission of Atures, at tlie foot of the first
cataract, on the evening of Ai)ril 15. Duriiifj this day'H voyage they were
struck with the superntituraj silence of the tropical noonday; "Not a
breath of air moved the dust-like sand. The sim stood in \\w zenith;
and the eirulgenco of li^^ht poured upon tho river {jjave additional dis-
tinctness to tho red haze which vailed the distance. All the rocky
mounds and naked boulders were covered with largo, thick-scaled igua-
nas, gecko-lizards, and spotted salamanders. Motioidess, with uplitled
heads and widely-extended mouths, they seemed to inhale the heated air
Avith ecstasy. The larger animals at such times take refuge iji the deep
recesses of the i'orest, the birds nestle bc%U'ath the foliage of the trees, or
in the clefts of the rocks; but if hi this ajiparent stillness of nature M-e
listen closely for the faintest tones, we detect a dull, mullled sound, a
buzzing and humming of insects close to the eartli, in the lower strata
of the atmosi)herc. Every thing proclaims a world of active organic
forces. In every shrub, in tho cracked bark of trees, in the j)erforat(.'d
ground inhabited by hymenopterous insects, life is everywhere audibly
manifest. It is one of the many voices of nature revealed to the piouj
and susceptible spirit of man." They found the cataract of Atiuvs to be
a succession of rapids, extending over a distance of four or live miles, in
whicth the entire fall of the river was about thirty-two feet, presenting a
striking resemblance to tho cataracts of the Nile, while tho method of as-
cending them in canoes is almost precisely similar to that em[)I()y('d by the
Egyptians. When the dikes, or natural dams, are only two or three teet
liigh, the Indians venture to descend them in boats. In going up the river,
they swim on before, and if, after many vain efforts, they succeed in fix-
ing a rope to one of the points of rock that crown the dike, they then,
by means of that rope, draw the bark to the top of tho rapid. The bark,
during this arduous task, often fills with water ; at other times it is stovo
against the rocks, and the Indians, their bodies bruised and bleeding,
extricate themselves with difliculty from tho whirlpools, and reach, by
smnmiing, the nearest island. When the steppes or rocky barriers are
very high, and entirely bar tho river, light boats arc carried on shore, and
with the help of branches of trees placed under them to serve as rollers,
they are drawn as far as the place where the river again becomes nav-
igable. This operation is seldom necessary when the water is high.

After two days spent at Atures, Humboldt and Bonpland continued
their voyage, still accompanied by Don Nicholas Soto and Father Ber-
nardo Zca. They now began to suffer indescribable torments from the

I !

BUFFERINOa FROM MOSQUITOES.

mosiiuitocs and venomous flica by day, and tho zancudos (a species of
largo gnats) by night. Tlicso po-sts would bite through thick giirinciitH,
and could not bo driven away by smoke. They camo in such clouds
that tho mouths, cars, and noses of tho travelers were fdlcd with them.
Their hands were swollen and covered with liard, painful blotches, and
they were at last able to tell tho tirao of day by tho regularity with
which the different varieties of stinging insects made their visitations.
On tho upper Orinoco, tho principal topic of conversation, both among
tho natives and tho missionaries, is mosquitoes. Tho usual salutations
are: "How did you find tho gnats during the night?" "How are you
off for mosquitoes to-day ?" which rcmhided Humboldt of an ancient
Chinese manner of greeting: "Have you been incommoded in tho night
by serpents?" " The lower strata of air," ho writes, " from tho surface
of the ground to tho height of fifteen or twenty feet, are absolutely filled
with venomous insects. If in an obscure spot, for instance in tho grottos
of tho cataracts formed by superincumbent blocks of granite, you direct
your eyes toward tho opening enlightened by the sun, you seo clouds of
mosquitoes more or less thick. I doubt whet her there be a country upon
earth, M'hero man is exposed to more cruel torments in tho rainy season.
Having passed the fifth degree of latitude, you are somewhat less stung ;
but on the upper Orinoco tho stiii'^s arc more painful, because the heat
and the absolute want of wind lender tho air more burning and more
irritating in its contact with the skin. ' How comfortable must people
be in the moon !' said a Salivo Indian to Father Gumilla ; ' she looks so
beautiful and so clear, that she must be free from mosquitoes.' These
words, which denote the infancy of a people, are very remarkable. The
satellite of the earth appears to all savage nations th'j abode of the bless-
ed, the country of abundance. Tho Esquimaux, who counts among his
riches a plank or trunk of a tree, thrown by tho currents on a coast
destitute of vegetation, sees in the moon plains covered with forests ;
the Indian of the forests of Orinoco there beholds open savannahs, where
the inhabitants are never stung by mosquitoes."

Two more days brought them to the great cataract, or rapid of May-
piu'es, which they reached after night, in the midst of a violent rain.
Father Zea lighted torches of copal, and conducted them to the mission,
where they remained while the Indians dragged the canoe up the rapids.
At the northern end of tho principal cataract, which has a fall of nine
feet perpendicular, there is a lofty rock called Keri, so named from a
luminous white spot, in which the Indians perceive a remarkable similar-
ity to tho moon. Humboldt was not able to climb the rock, but sup-
posed the white spot to be an immense piece of quartz in the dark
granite. On an opposite rock, the Indians showed a similar disc, which
they called Camosi, and worshiped as an image of the sun. The best
view of the cataract, is from the rock of Manimi, a granite lidge near
the mission of Maypures. " We often visited this mountain," says Hum-
boldt, "for we were never weary of gazing on the astonishing spectade.

LIFE AND TRAVELS or HUMBOLDT.

From the summit of the rock is descried a sheet of foam, extending tlie
length of a whole mile. Enormous masses of stone, black as iron, issue
from its bosom. Some arc grouped in pairs, like basaltic hills ; others
resemble towers, fortified castles, and ruined buildings. Their gloomy
tint contrasts witii the silvery splendor of the foam. Every rock, every
islet is covered with * igorous trees, collected in clusters. As far as the
eye can reach, a thick vapor is suspended over the river, and through
this whitish fog the tops of the lolly palm-trees shoot up. Such is the
character of the landscape discovc/ed fi'om the top of the mountain of
Manimi, which no traveler has yet described. Tho calm of the atmos-
phere, and the tumultuous movement of tho waters, produce a contrast
peculiar to this zone. Here no breath of wind ever agitates the foliage,
no cloud vails the splendor of the azure vault of heaven ; a great mass
of light is diffused in the air, on the earth 8tre\vn witlx plants with glossy
leaves, and on the bed of the river, which extends as for as tho eye can
reach. When the rays of the glowing evening sun are refracted in the
humid atmosphere, an exquisite optical illusion is produced. Colored
bows appear, vanish, and re-appear, while the ethereal picture dances,
like an ignis fatuus, with every motion of the sportive breeze. In the
blue distance the eye rests on the mountain chain of Cunavanii, a far-
stretching range of hills which terminates abruptly in a sharply truncated
cone. We saw this conical hill, called by the Indians Calitamini, glow-
ing at sunset as if in crimson flames. This appearance daily returns. No
one has ever been in the immediate noighborliood of this mountain.
Possibly its dazzling brightness is produced by the reflecting surface of
decomposing talc, or mica schist."

VOYAGES ON THE RIO NEGRO AND CASSIQUIARE.

On the 21 St of April, they re-embarked in their narrow canoes,
which had suffered considerable damage by striking against the rocks.
The rainy season had now fairly set in ; there were heavy showers al-
most daily, and as the wind never bloAvs in these regions, they suffered
terribly from mosquitoes. They made good progress, however, and on
the night of the 24th entered the Guaviare, the largest tributary of the
Orinoco, then the Atabapo, which flows into it from the south, near its
junction with the former river, and reached the mission of San Fer-
nando. Humboldt now found himself on tho spot where he could be
enabled to verify the celebrated bifurcation of the Orinoco, which had
been previously doubted by geographers. The upper Orinoco, near
the mission of Esmeralda, divides itself into two parts, one of which,
flowing westward, receives the Guaviare and other tribntaries, and con-
tinues its way to the Caribbean Sea ; the other, turning southAvard,
forms a branch of the Rio Negro, and mingles its waters with those of
the Amazon. This extraordinary geographical feature, the only instance

PLAN OF FURTHER EXPLORATION.

of the kind on a large scale, was first satisfactorily established by Hum>
boldt's explorations. The mission of San Fernando do Atabapo was the
threshold of the comparatively unknown region which he was to pene-
trate. " During the night," he says, " we had left, almost unporccived,
the waters of the Orinoco ; and at sunrise found ourselves as if trans-
ported to a new country, on the banks of a river, the name of which we
had scarcely ever heard pronounced, and which was to conduct us, by
the portage of Pimichin, to the Rio Negro, on the frontiers of Brazil.
• You will go up,' said the president of the missions, who resides at San
Fernando, ' first the Atabapo, then the Temi, and finally, the Tuamini.
When the force of the current of " black waters " hinders you from ad-
vancing, you will be conducted out of the bed of the river through
forests, M'hich you will find inundated. Two monks only are settled in
those desert places, between the Orinoco and the Rio Negro; but at
Javita you will be furaished with the means of having your canoe drawn
over land in the course of four days to the rivulet of Pimichin. If it be
not broken to pieces you will descend the Rio Negro without any ob-
stacle as far as the little fort of San Carlos ; you will go up the Cassi-
quiare (from south to north), and then return to San Fernando in a
month, descending the upper Orinoco from east to west.' Such Avas
the plan traced for our passage, and we carried it into effect without
danger, though not without some suffering, in the space of thkty-three
days."

After resting a day at the misc: jU, they commenced their voyage up
the Atabapo, the water of which was of a much darker hue and purer
quality than that of the Orinoco. The banks were entirely concealed
by the dense growth of palms and other trees. In order to shorten the
journey, the Indians left the main bed of the river and took narrow
channels (occasioned by the rains), which led directly through the
forests. The foliage was so dense that no ray of sunlight cou?d pene-
trate it, and they were often obliged to hew with knives a passage for
the canoe. On the 30th of May, they left the Atabapo, and entered a
branch called the Temi. Near the junction of the two rivers stands a
granite mound, called the " Mother's Rock," on account of a touching
history which it commemorates. Three yeara previous, the missionary
at San Fernando had undertaken a < ostile expedition among the Indiana
for the purpose of capturing souls. Among other prisoners taken was a
woman who was surprised alone in a hut, her husband having gone off
on a hunting expedition, accompanied by the children. After being
carried to San Fernando, the desire to see her children induced her to
attempt an escape. She fled repeatedly, but was as often caught and
brought back, and violently flogged, without effect. It was then deter-
mined to send her to the distant missions on the Rio Negro, whence it
Avould be impossible for her to return. While the canoe was passing up
the Atabapo, she flung herself into the stream and was thrown ashore at
the foot of the rock. Again she escaped into the woods, but was again

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

caught, brought back to the rock, and most cruelly beaten. She was
then taken to the n».lssion of Javita and closely confined, but in spite of
her wounds she tov^k advantage of a dark and stormy night to unfasten
with her teeth the cords which bound her and again fled in search of her
children. For four days and nights she wandered through a trackless
forest, then inundated and swarming with \'enomous reptiles. She swam
the swollen rivers ; her flesh was torn with thorns and spiky leaves ; her
only food was the large black ants which she caught ; but after this
incredible labor she reached her children, only to be torn away from
them shortly afterward, for the last time. The missionaries threw her
into a cell, where she refused all nourishment in her despair, and thus
died. Humboldt exclaims, after relating this story : " If man scarcely
leaves a trace of his existence in this wildei'ness, the name of this rock,
an imperishable monument of nature, will remain as a memorial of the
moral perversity of our age, of the contrast between the virtue of the
savage and the barbarism of civilized man !"

On the 1st of May they left the river Temi, and advanced a short
distance up one of its branches, the Tuaraini, to the mission of Javita,
the commencement of the portage of five miles through the forests to
the rivulet of Pimichin, which flows into the Rio Negro. They were
detained five days by the transportation of the canoe. Twenty-three
Indians were employed in dragging it, using the branches of trees as
rollers. The travelers employed the time in botanizing, and in collecting
information concerning the Indian tribes. "When the portage was per-
formed — happily without injury to the canoe — they proceeded on foot to
the Pimichin, through a forest swarming with venomous vipers. On the
6th of May they embarked on the Pimichin, and in five hours afterward
entered the Rio Negro. Their perseverance was at last rewarded.
" We had now been confined thirty-six days in a narrow boat, so un-
steady that it would "avc been overturned by any person rising impru-
dently from his seat, without warning the rowers. We had suffered
severely from the sting of insects, but we had stood the insalubrity of
the climate ; we had passed without accident the great number of water-
falls and bars, which impede the navigation of the rivers, and often ren-
der it more dangerous than long voyages by sea. After all we had
endured, it may be conceived that wo felt no little satisfaction in having
reached the tributary streams of the Amazon, having passed the isthmus
that separates two great systems of rivers, and in being sure of having
fulfilled the most important object of our journey, namely, to determine
astronomically the course of that arm of the Orinoco which falls into the
Rio Negro, and of which the existence has been alternately proved and
denied during half a century. In proportion as we draw near to an
object we have long had in view, its interest seems to augment. The
uninhabited banks of the Cassiquiare, covered with forests, without me-
morials of times past, then occupied my imagination, as do now the
banks of the Euphrates, or the Oxus, celebrated in the annals of civil-

VOYAGE ON THE CASSIQUIARE.

ized nations. In that interior part of the New Continent one may almost
accustom one's self to regard men as not being essential to ^he order of
nature. The earth is loaded with plants, and nothing impedes their free
<ievelopment. An immense layer of mold manifests the uninterrupted
taction of organic powers. Crocodiles and boas are masters of the river ;
the jaguar, the peccary, the dante, and the monkeys traverse the forest
without fear and without danger ; there they dwell as in an ancdent inher-
itance. This aspect of animated nature, in which man is nothing, has
something in it strange and sad. Here, in a fertile country, adorned
with eternal verdure, we seek in vain the traces of the power of man ;
we seem to be transported into a world different from that which gave
us birth. These impressions are the more powerful in proportion as they
are of long duration."

After a voyage of only two days down the rapid current of the Rio
Negro, passing the Missions of Maroa and Davipe, the travclprs reached
San Carlos, the last Spanish station, and the termination of their travels
southward. Here there was a small military post, and the command-
ant received them with great hospitality. From San Carlos the mouth
of the Amazon could have been reached in the same time as that of the
Orinoco, and Humboldt was for a moment temjyted to continue his jour-
ney. It was very fortunate that he did not carry this idea into effect.
The government of Brazil had heard of his travels, and through a spirit
of jealous suspicion, had given orders to its agents to seize the travelers,
with their histruments, journals, etc., in case they crossed the frontier,
and forward tlicm to Lisbon. On thi' 10th, Humboldt and Bonpland
started on tlieir return, Soto and Father Zea would have preferred re-
turning by the same route tluv li;ul come, but the former, anxious to
explore the Cassiquiare — tin 'nnvo branch of the liio Nogni — per-
suaded them to acquiesce in tlai plan Th( \ found the two rivns, at
their junction, nearly equal in breadth ; t' current of the Cassicpiiare,
however, was very strong — sometimes eight miles an h ur — and their
progress was slow. At one of the missions on its banks he obtixined
positive information of the cannibal habits of the native tribes. The
priest inU)rmod him that one of the native chiefs, a few years bel'oro, had
carefully fattened and then eaten one of his own wi- i s. Infanticide is
also very common, and when an Indian woman bears twins one of them
is instantly killed, because they consider it a vile thing for a human being
to bring forth more than one, like an opossum or pecr:ir\ fhc travel-
ers spent ten nights on the Cassiquiare, tormented with >, mosquitoes,
and ants. The passage became more troublesome in juoportion as they
approached the Orinoco. "The luxuriance of the vegetation increases
in a manner of which it is diflicult even for those acquainted with the
aspect of the forests between the tropics, to form an idea. There is no
longer a bank : a palisade of tufted trees forms the margin of the river.
You see a canal twelve hundred feet broad, bordered by two enormous
walls, clothed with parasitic vines and foliage. We often tried to land,

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

but without success. Toward sunset we would sail along for an hour
seeking to discover, not an opening (since none exists), but a spot less
wooded, where our Indians by means of the hatchet and manual labor,
could clear space enough for a resting-place for twelve or thirteen per-
sons. It was impossible to pass the night in the canoe ; the mosquitoes,
which tormented us during the day, accumulated toward evening beneath
the tuldo covered with palm-leaves, which served to shelter us from the
rain. Our hands and faces had never before been so much swelled.
Fatuer Zea, who had till then boasted of having in his missions of the
cataracts the largest and fiercest mosquitoes, at length gradually acknowl-
edged that the sting of the insects of the Cassiquiare was the most pain-
ful he had ever felt. We experienced great difficulty, amid a thick
forest, in finding wood to make a fire, the branches of the trees being
so full of sap that they would scarcely burn. The view of the river, and
the hum of the insects, were a little monotonous ; but some remains of
our natural cheerfulness enabled us to find sources of relief during our
wearisome passage. We discovered, that by eating small portions of
dry cacao ground with sugar, and drinking a large quantity of the river
water, we succeeded in appeasing our appetite for several hours. The
ants and the mosquitoes troubled us more than the humidity and the
want of food. Noth withstanding the privations to which we were ex-
posed during our excursions in the Cordilleras, the navigation on the
Cassiquiare has always appeared to us the most painful part of our trav-
els in America."

RETURN TO CUMANA.

They reached the Orinoco on the 21st of May, and proceeded three
miles up the stream, to the missionary station of Esmeralda. At the
bifurcation of the river rises the granite mountain of Duida, eight thou-
sand feet high, which forms a splendid feature in the landscape. During
a stay of two days at Esmeralda, Humboldt had an opportunity of wit-
nessing the preparation of the celebrated curare poison, which is ob-
tained from the juice and bark of a particular plant, highly concentrated
by boiling and filtration. WhcTi it comes in contact with the blood it
is immediately fatal, and no remedy for it has yet been discovered ; but
it may be swallowed not only with safety, but with great advantage, in
cases of gastric derangement. It is prepared by a skillful Indian, who
has the title of " poison-master." While Humboldt was witnessing the
process, the master, who had a wounded finger, incautiously allowed
some of the poison to touch it. He instantly fell to the groimd, as if
stunned, but the poison was fortunately in a diluted state, and the man's
life was saved by the application of muriate of 80(' i, Humboldt him-
self had also a narrow escape from a similar fate. The poison ran out of
a bottle which was badly stopped, and saturated his stockings. He per-

THE CAVERN OF ATARUIPB.

ceived the glutinous feeling as he was ahout to put them on, and as his
feet were covered with sores from the bites of insects, such an act would
have been certain death. When the travelers left Esmeralda, they were
in a very weak and languid condition, caused by the torments of insects,
bad food, and confinement in the narrow and damp canoe. After spend-
ing another night at the junction (or rather disjunction), of the Cassi-
quiare, they floated with the current, the river being free from shoals,
and in thirty-five hours reached the mission of Santa Barbara, a distance
of nearly a hundred and fifty miles. On the 27th, they aiTived at the
mission of San Fernando de Atabapo, which they had left more than a
month before. They remained but a day to rest, and then floated, in
seventeen hours, to the cataract of Maypures, where they were obliged
to wait two days for the passage of their canoe. Another day brought
them to the cataract of Atures. Here they landed before sunset, on
the eastern bank of the Orinoco, in order to visit the cavern of Ata-
ruipe, which is the place of sepulture of an extinct nation.

Humboldt thus describes his visit to this remarkabb o?.v.j : "The
surrounding scenery has a grand and solemn character, which seems to
mark it as a national burial-place. With difliculty, and not without
danger of being precipitated into the depths below, we clambered a steep
and perfectly bare granite rock, ^.n whose smooth surface it would bo
hardly possible to keep one's footing were it not for large crystals of
feldspar, which, defying the action of weather, project an inch or more
from the mass. On gaining the summit, d, wide prospect of the sur-
rounding country astonishes the beholder. From the foaming bed of
the river rise hills richly crowned with woods, while beyond its western
bank the eye rests on the boundless savannah of the Meta. On the hor-
izon loom like threatening clouds the mountains of Uniama. Such is
the distant view ; but immediately around all is desolate and contracted.
In the deep ravines of the valley moves no living thing save where the
vulture and the whirring goat-sucker wing their lonely way, their heavy
shadows gleaming fitfully past the barren rock. The caldron-shaped
valley is encompassed by mountains, whose rounded summits bear huge
granite boulders, measuring from forty to more than fifty feet in diam-
eter. They appear poised on only a single point of the surface, as if
tile slightest shock of the earth would hurl them down. The further
side of this rocky valley is thickly wooded. It is in this shady spot that
the cave of the Ataruipe is situated ; properly speaking, hovrover, it ia
not a cave, but a vault formed by a far projecting and overhanging cliff,
— a kind of bay hollowed out by the waters when formerly at this high
level. This spot is the grave of an extinct tribe. We counted about
six hundred well-preserved skeletons, placed in as many baskets, formed
of the stalks of palm-leaves. These baskets, called by the Indians ma-
pireSy arc a kind of square sack varying in size according to the age of
the deceased. Even new-bom children have each their own mapire.
These skeletons are so perfect, that not a rib or a finger is wanting.

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF UUMUOLDT.

(luring several

"The Indians assured nio that the corpso was burl
months in a moist earth, which gradually destroyed the llosh ; and that
after being disinterred, any particles of flesh still adhering to the bones
were scraped oif with sharp stones. This practice is still continued
among many tribes of Guiana. Besides these baskets, or mapires, we
saw many in-ns of half-burned clay, which appear to contain the bones of
wliole families. The largest of these urns are upward of three feet in
height, and nearly six feet in length, of an elegant oval form, and green-
ish color ; with handles shaped like crocodiles and serpents, and the rims
bordered Avith flowing scrolls and labyrinthine figures. These ornaments
are precisely similar to those which cover the walls of the Mexican
palace at Mitla. They are found in every clime and every stage of
human culture — among the Greeks and Romans, no less than on the
shields of Otaheitans, and other South Sea islanders — in all regions
where a rhythmical repetition of regular forms delights the eye. The
causes of tliese resemblances, as I have explained elsewhere, are rather
to be referred to psychical conditions, and to the inner nature of our
mental qualifications, than as affording evidence in favor of a common
origin and the ancient intercourse of nations.

" Our interpreters could give us no certain information regarding the
age of these vessels; but that of the skeletons did not in general appear
to exceed a hundred years. There is a legend among the Guareke
Indians, that the brave Atures, when closely pursued by the cannibal
Caribs, took refuge on the rocks of the cataracts — a mournful place of
abode — in which this oppressed race perished, together with its language !
In the most inaccessible portion of the rapid, other graves of the same
character are met with ; indeed it is probable that the last descendants
of the Atures did not become extinct until a much more rcceat period.
There still lives, and it is a singular fact, an old parrot in Maypurcs which
can not be understood, because, as the natives assert, it speaks the lan-
guage of the Atures !

" We left the cave at nightfall, after having collected, to the extreme
annoyance of our Indian guides, several skulls and the perfect skeleton
of an aged man. One of these skulls has been delineated by Blumen-
bach in his admirable craniological work; but the skeleton, together
with a large portion of our natural history collections, especially the
entomological, was lost by shipwreck off the coast of Africa on the same
occasion when our friend and former traveling companion, the young
Franciscan monk, Juan Gonzalez, lost his life. As if with a presentiment
of this painful loss, w'e turned from the grave of a departed race Avith
feelings of deep emotion. It was one of those clear and delicious cool
nights so frequent beneath the tropics. The moon stood high in the
zenith, encircled by a halo of colored rings, her rays gilding the margins
of the mist, which in well defined outline hovered like clouds above the
foaming flood. Innumerable insects poured their red phosphorescent
light over the herb-covered surface, which glowed with living fire, aa

•J

THE OTOMAC INDIANS.

though the starry canopy of ho.ivcn h:»(l sunk upon tho grassy plain.
Climbing bignonia, fragrant vanillas, arul golden-tlowercd banisterias,
adorned the entrance of the cave, wliile the rustling palm-leaves Avaved
over the resting-place of the dead. Thus pass away the generations of
men ! — thus perish the records of the glory of nations I Yet when every
emanation of the human mind has faded — when in the storms of time
the monuments of man's creative art arc scattered to the dust — an ever
new life springs from the bosom of the earth. Unceasingly prolific na-
ture unfolds her germs, regardless though sinful man, ever at war with
hunself, tramples beneath his foot the ripening fruit !"

After taking leave of the good monk, Father Zea, Avho was ill and
remained at the mission, Humboldt and Bonpland ventured to pass tho
last half of the cataract of Atures in the laden boat. They landed
several times on the rocks which connect tho single islands by abrupt
dikes ; sometimes the waves dashed over these dikes, and sometimes
found an outlet through stibterrancan channels. The travelers crept
into one of the caverns under the rocks ; its damp walls were covered
with confervas, which they gathered, while overhead the torrent fell with
a fearful noise. As the Indians had left them in the middle of the rapid
to circumnavigate a small islan<l in the canoe, they were obliged to spend
some time on the rock in a violent storm. The night had already set in,
and thoir situation without shelter was dismal in the extreme. The lit-
tle monkeys, which they had carried with them for months in wicker
baskets, attracted the crocodiles by their cries, thus refuting tho assertion
of the Indians that these animals are never seen in the rapids. After a
long time the canoe arrived at the foot of the island, having safely accom-
plished the passage ; they rc-shipped their ii\!<truments and collections,
and were soon afloat on the broad waters of the lower Orinoco. On tho
7th of June they reached the Mission of Uruana, inhabited by the Oto-
macs — a tribe of Indians who arc noted for their habit of eating dirt.
They select an unctuous kind of clay, which they make into cakes and
bake in the fire. They arc very fond of this diet, which, during tho
height of the rainy season, constitutes their principal food. Notwith-
standing it contains little or no nutritive (juality, these Indians are robust
and healthy. It is sujiposed that they use the oil of turtles' eggs, and
the fat of the crocodile, in connection Avith it. They arc a turbulent
and pjssionatc people, and strongly addicted to the use of palm-wine and
other intoxicating drhiks. They also throw themselves into a peculiar
state of intoxication by the use of a powder called niopo, made from the
seeds of a species of acacia, and inhaled through tho forked bono of a
bird, the extremities of which arc applied to the nostrils. Tho powder is
so stimulating that the smallest portion of it occasions violent sneezing in
those unaccustomed to its use.

A further voyage of nine days, without particular incident, brought
the travelers to Angostura, the capital of Spanish Guiana, where they
arrived on the ICth of June. Humboldt thus describes his feelings,

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

on this return to civilization : '' It would bo difficult for mc to express

the satisfaction wo felt on

landing at

Anfiostura. The inconveniences

endured at sea in small vessels are trivial in comparison Avith those that
are suffered undar a burning sky, surrounded by swarms of mosquitoes,
and lying stretched in a canoe, without the possibility of taking the
least bodily exercise. In seventy-five days we had performed a passage
of five hundred leagues — twenty to a degree — on the five great rivers,
Apuro, Orinoco, Atabapo, Rio Negro, and Cassiquiare ; and in this vast
extent Ave had found but a very small number of inhabited places. Com-
ing from an almost desert country, Ave Avere struck Avith the bustle of
the town, though it contained only six thousand inhabitants. We
admired the conveniences AA'hich industry and commerce furnish to civil-
ized man. Humble dwellings appeared to us magnificent ; and every
person Avith Avhom we conversed, seemed to be endoAved Avith superior
intelligence. Long privations give a value to the smallest enjoyments ;
and I can not express the pleasure Ave felt, Avhen we saAV for the first time
wheaten bread on the governor's table."

Soon after their arrival, they Avere both attacked Avith fever on the
same day, and Bonpland's condition became so serious that his recovery
Avas almost desimired of. This misfortune detained them at Angostura
until the 10th of July, Avhen they crossed the Orinoco for the last time
and commenced their journey across the llanos to Ncav Barcelona. Their
collections of plants and geological specimens greatly augmented their
baggage, owing to Avhich circumstance they Averc obliged to travel very
sloAvly. The heat Avas excessive, and as there AA'as no Avind, they found
the journey A'cry toilsome. At the end of the third day they reached
the Slission of Carl, the inhabitants of Avhich belonged to the ancient
Carib tribe Avhich Columbus found on this coast. They are a very tall
race, many of them being six feet in height. Their features are more
regular, Avith a more intelligent expression, than those of the other Indian
tribes. The men are more clothed than the women, AA'ho are almost
naked, the AA-ant of clothing being much less important than the absentVi
of red paint on their bodies. They asked Humboldt for pins, Avhich thojr
immediately stuck into their lower lips. Leaving the mission, six more
days brought the travelers in sight of the mountain-chain of Cumana
— AvhIch divides the llanos from the Caribbean Sea — rising like a cloud
in the distance. On the 23d of July they reached Ncav Barcelona, ex-
hausted by the hot sand-winds of the plains. Bonpland soon regained
his health and activity, but Humboldt experienced an attack of ty-
phus fever, Avhich was then prevalent, and Avas unable to travel for a
month.

Anxious to reach Cumana, in order to avail themselves of the first
opportunity that might offer for a passage to Vera Cruz, they hired an
open boat, which was employed in the contraband trade Avith Trinidad,
and for that reason imagined they had nothing to fear from the English
cruisers. They shipped their instruments, plant', and monkeys, and set

LAST VISIT TO CUUANA.

sail ; but had not gone far before they came in sight of an armed boat,
which hailed them, and fired at them simultaneously. It belonged to a
Halifax privateer, and among the passengers was a Prussian sailor, from
whom Humboldt heard his native language, for the first time since his
departure. He protested against the seizure, but without effect ; they
were carried on board the privateer, and the captain declared their boat
to be a lawful prize. At this juncture, an English sloop-of-war, the
Hawk^ which was cruising in those seas, hove in sight and ordered the
privateer to lay to. A midshipman was sent on board, who, on learning
the difficulty, took Humboldt with him on board the sloop. The cap-
tain of the latter, Gamier, who had voyaged with Vancouver, and was a
man of considerable intelligence, had heard of Humboldt's expedition
through the English newspapers. He introduced him to his officers,
some of whom had accompanied Lord Macartney to China, gave him his
own state-room for the night, ordered the boat to be given up, and sent
the travelers on their way in the mornin j. Before noon they saw the
fortress of Cumana, strikirgly relieved, from its whiteness, against the
dark curtain of the inland mountains. " We gazed with interest on the
shore," says Humboldt, " where we first gathered plants in America, and
where, some months later, M. Bonpland had been in such danger.
Among the cactuses, that rise in columns twenty feet high, appear the
Indian huts of the Guaykerias. Every part of the Ifindscape was familiar
to us ; the forest of cactus, the scattered huts, and that enormous ceiba,
beneath which we loved to bathe at the approach of night. Our friends
at Cumana came out to meet us : men of all castes, whom our frequent
herborizations had brought into contact with us, expressed the greater
joy at sight of us, as a report that we had perished on thQ bauka of the
Orinoco had been current for several months."

VISIT TO CUBA.

They waited at Cumana for the arrival of the packet from Corunna
to Vera Cruz ; but the strictness of the English blockade was such that
they were detained two months and a half. As no packet arrived, and
an American vessel was about to leave New Barcelona for Cuba, they
determined to take passage in her, and on the 16th of November, after
a stay of sixteen months in Venezuela, bade a final adieu to their friends
at Cumana. They beheld with emotion the silver disc of the full moon
illuminating the cocoa-trees on the banks of the Manzanares, for the last
time, but the 'breeze was strong, and in six hours they had reached New
Barcelona. The American vessel sailed on the evening of November
24th, and aftfer a very tempestuotis passage of twenty-five days, reached
Havana on t^e 19th of December. Humboldt made astronomical observ-
ations during the passage, whenever it was possible, and tested the ac-
curacy of th^i position of the ree& and islands which they passed. His

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

approach to the sliorcs of Culjuwas announced by tlio ilclicious uronmtic
odors wliich blew IVoni oil" tlio land.* The travelers were the gue.sts of
Count O'Reilly and Sefior Cuesta during their stay at Havana, which
was about three months. They employed their tinn until the end of
February, in makmg observations in and around the 'ity, and in the
neighboring plains of Guines. Abotit the end of February, having com-
jileted the obsenations they proposed making at the northern cxtrcniity
of the torrid zone, they were on the point of embarking for Vera Cruz,
intending to cross Mexico, sail to the Philippine Islands, and return to
Europe by way of India and Persiii, when a rumor (which afterward
proved false) concerning the French expedition of Captain Baudin, in-
duced them to change their plans. It was stated that this expedition
had departed from France, bound for the coast of Chili and Peru, whcnco
it would sail for Australia.

TRAVELS AMOXiJ THE ANDES.

The projects which Humboldt had formed before leaving Paris were
instantly revived. IIo determined to sail to Carthageiia, cross the isth-
mus to the Pacific, and await Baudiu's arrival hi Lima or Valparaiso.
B\it it was first necessary to forward to Europe hia large collection of
objects of natural history. " Bonpland and I," he says, " resolved in-
stantly to divide our hcrbals into three portions, to avoid exposing to
the risks of a long voyage the objects we ha<l obtained Avith so much
difficulty on the banks of the Orinoco, the Atabapo, and the Kio Negro.
We sent one collection by way of England to Germany, another by way
of Cadiz to France, and a third remained at Havana. We liad reason
to congratulate ourselves on this foresight : each collection contained
nearly the same species, and no precautions were neglected to have the
cases, if taken by English or French vessels, remitted to Sir Joseph
Banks, or to the professors of natural history at the Museum at Paris.
It happened fortunately that the manuscripts which I at first intended to
send with the collection to Cadiz were not intrusted to our much
esteemed friend and fellow-traveler. Fray Juan Gonzalez, who Iiad fol-
lowed us to Havana with the view of returning to Spain. IIo left the
island of Cuba soon after us, but the vessel in which he sailed foundered
on the coast of Africa, and the cargo and crew were all lost. By this
event we lost some of the duplicates of our hcrbals, and what was more
important, all the insects which M. Bonpland had, •with great difficulty,
collected during our voyage to the Orhioco and the Rio Negro. By a
singular fatality we remained two years in the Spanish colonies without
receiving a single letter from Europe ; and those which arrived in the
three following years made no mention of wliat Ave had transmitted.

* In approachinf; Cuba from the north in July, 1849, we were met several miles from
shore by the same fragrant land wind, freighted with the balma of the tropics. — B, T.

VOYAGE TO CARTUAOENA.

The reader may imagine my uneasiness for the fate of a journal which
contained astronomical observations, and barometrical measurements, of
which I had not made any copy, filter having visited New Grenada,
Peru, and Mexico, and just when I '.vas preparing to leave the New Con-
tinent, I happened, at a public library of Philadelphia, to cast my cyea
on a scientific publication, in which I found these words : * Arrival of M.
de Humboldt^s manuscripts at his brother's house in Paris, by way of
Spain !' I could scarcely suppress an exclamation of joy."

They experienced some difficulty in obtainiiijjj passage to Carthagena,
but finally chartered a Spanish sloop lying at Batabano, on the southern
shore of the island, and set sail on the 0th of March, 1801. The cabin
was merely a hold for provii^lons, and they were obliged to live on deck,
where the thermometer stood at 90° in the shade. " Luckily these in-
conveniences lasted only twenty days," says Humboldt, with the resigna-
tion of a genuine traveler. Coasting along the southern shore, in five
days they reached Trinidad de Cuba, where they were treated with much
distinction by the Governor. A grand party was assembled to entertain
them in the ovoning, and an ecclesiastic, habited in velvet, notwithstand-
ing the heat, declaimed a sonnet, celebrathig their voyage on the Ori-
noco. They sot sail the next day, and after a rough passage of sixteen
days, again reached the South American continent, at the mouth of the
river Sinu, which the captain entered to shelter his frail vessel from the
storms. This was at that time an almost imvisited region, and the bo-
tanical zeal of the travelers led them into a situation of great danger.
Having rowed ashore to collect plants by moonlight they would have
fallen into an ambuscade of naked men, armed and laden with chains —
— probably escaped criminals — if they had not retreated cautiously to
the vessel. On the 30th of March they reached Carthagena, where,
after consultation with the authorities, they were persuaded to give up
their intention of crossing the isthmus to Panama, and to choose instead
the route to Guayaquil, by way of Bogota and Quito. This change of
direction gave Humboldt occasion to trace the map of the Rio Magda-
lena. to determine astronomically the position of eighty points situated
in the inland country between Carthagena, Popayan, and the upper val-
ley of the Amazon and Lima, to discover the error in the longitude of
Quito, to collect several thousand new plants, and to observe, on a vast
scale, the relation between the rocks of syenitic porphyry and trachyte
and the active fire of volcanoes.

The travelers remained six days at Carthagena, making preparations
for their journey. During this time, Humboldt visited the remarkable
air-volcanoes of Turbaco, lying in the midst of palm-groves, near the
Indian village of the same name. These volcanoes consist of eighteen
or twenty cones of gray mud, a few yards in height, with miniature
craters filled with water at the top. Every few minutes a strong jet or
exhalation of azotic gas takes place, accompanied with a loud, snorting
sound. In ascending the Magdalena, Bonpland explored the rich botan-

LIFB AND TRAVELS OF UUUOOLDT.

ical treasures of tho shore, while Humboldt drew ii cluut of the river
district, in Hpito of tho opprcsuivo cliumte, an<l tlio tortures of tho nioit*
quitoes. At the town of Honda, they loll tlie river, and proceeded on
mules to Bogota, having been thirty-livp days on the journey. In tho
latter place the travelers remained until September, occupying them-
selves with botanical and geograpliical researches, and with excursions
to tho many interesting spots in tJ.o vicinity. Tho most striking of
these was the cascade of Tequendama, which Humboldt considers one
of tho most beautiful in the AVorld. " The sCenery comprises every thing
which can render a view eminently picturesque : the cascade is not tho
highest in tho wprld, but thoru is no other which combines so groat a

• .) I i

^-^'i.'U,

rXLLS or TEQUXKDAHA.

height with such a mass of water. Tho river is half the breadth of the
Seine, at Paris, and precipitates itself, in two bounds, a depth of five
hundred and seventy feet. In approaching the cascade, one sees around
him oaks and other trees which recall the vegetation of Europe ; then
all at once he beholds, as from a tower, the palm, the banana, and the
sugar-cane at his feet. Owing to this circumstance, the inhabitants of
Bogota say that the river of Tequendama leaps at one bound from a cold
to a hot climate. The appearance of the tropical vegetation at the bot-
tom Sf the ravine is the more interesting to them, as they live on a table-
land where the thermometer often descends to the freezing-point. The
Bolitude of the place, the richness of the vegetation, and the frightful
roar of the waters, make the foot of the cascade of Tequendama one of
the wildest and most savage scenes among the Cordilleras.

THE PASS OP QUINI'U.

or
m

Il-
ls

f
e

■

Leaving Bojjota toward the cnil of September, IIumbolcH and Hon-
plnnd started on their journey to Quito, by way of Popayaii. They
crossed the central chain of the Andes, by the remarkable pass of (Juin-
diu, the liigliest point of winch is eleven thousand three hundred
feet above the sea. The mountain of Quindiu is covered with uniidmb-
ited forests, and can not be passed in less than twelve days. Travelers
are obliged to carry I'rovisions for a month, because it oflen happens
that a sudden swelling of the mountain torrents prevents them from
either going backward or forward. The jjath in many places is a ravine,
or crevasse, so narrow as b.ircly to allow the passage of the oxen which
carry the baggage. The light of day can scarcely penetrate to the bot-
tom, and the obscurity is increased by the thick vegetation overhead.
If the traveler meets with any of these laden animals in such a jilaee, ho
must cither retrace his stops, or seize hold of a stout root and draw him-
self up out of their reach. The rich inhabitants aro transported on tho
backs of men, who aro called carffueros, and follow this business for a
livelihood. Like horses, they aro selected according to their strength,
their surcncss of foot, nnd their easy gait. ' Th«y carrya isort of chair,
strapped to the shoulders, in wbi(^ the traveler sits, lobkilijc* 'backward,
aud easily accomplish a journey trf eight or nine honra' a day. Like
horses, also, their backs often become sore imder tho saddle, and they
run the same risk of being abandoned on the road if they fall sick ; but
they are, nevertheless, cheerful and attached to their business, which is
not looked upon as degrading. . Humboldt and Donpland Avould not
consent to use this method of transportation, but traveled on foot, bare-
footed, at the head of their caravan of twelve oxen, who carried their
instruments and collections. The pr*b .vas in a tenacious clayey soil,
which made walking very tatiguing, added to Avhich the oxen have tho
habit of stepping always in the same tracks, so that they gradually form
a succession of deep holes, which aro soon filled up with soft mud, in
which the traveler sinks to his knees. It was in the rainy season, and
they found the journey exceedingly laborious and fatiguing. The In-
dians carried with them packages of the leaves of a species of banana,
covered with a rcMnous varnish, which is impervious to moisture. With
these and some poles cut in the woods they constructed a tent every
night, so that the tnavelers were always certain of a dry lodging-place.
They finally re.iched tho valley of tho Cauca, which they ascended to
Popayan, visited tho snowy volcanoes of Purace and Sotara, and con-
tinued their journey, by v. ay of tho town of Pasto, to Quito, wlwro they
arrived on tho 6th of January, 1802, nearly four months after leaving
Bogota.

Humboldt soon recovered from the hardships of tho journey, in the
bracing and equable climate of Quito, and remained for nearly nine
months, employed in his geological and botanical studies ; his sense for
natural beauty and subl'me landscapes finding al-undant food for grati-
fication in tho splendid landscapes of the plain of Quito, with its views

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

1 1

of the snowy cones of the Andes. Those grand conical peaks, then sup-
posed to bo the highest in tlie world, tempted him to attempt the ascent
of their almost inaccessible sides. Ho climbed to the snow-lino of Goto-

THE VOLCANO OF COTOPAXI.

paxi, the highest volcano in the world, which, in the year 1738, throw up
a pillar of flame a mile in height, and made its bellowings heard at the
distance of five hundred miles. Finding it impossible to leach the sum-
mit, he next tried the volcano of Pichincha, lying nearer Quito, and after
two unsuccessful attemi-tj reached the crater on the 2<^th of May. Ho
did not find it filled with snow, as Condamine and Bougcr had done
nearly seventy years before, but inflamed and preparing for an eruption,
a circumstance which, on his return to Quito, filled the inhabitants with
alarm. While on the simimit of this volcano, Humboldt cuine near
losing his life. While attempting to cross a deep chasm, the fragile
bridge of snow gave way under him, and he was only saved by the
presence of mind of an Indian, who held him on the brink, at the im-
minent risk of losing his own balance.

After having surmounted Pichincha, which is about fifteen thousand
four hundred feet above the sea, and obtained an equpl elevation on the
side of Cotopaxi, Humboldt determined to mako .it. attempt to scale
Chimborazo, which was then believed to be the highest peak of the
Andes.* Accompanied by Bonpland and a young Spanish naturalist,

* It has bocu sinco ascertained that Sorata and Illimani, in Bolivia, and tlic pcalc of
Aconcagua, in Ciiili, are Iiighcr than Chimborazo, all of thorn having an altitude of over
twenty-three thousand feot

ASCENT OF THE CHIMBORAZO.

4 1

Don Carlos de Montufar, he proceeded to the table-land of Tapia, nine
thousand four hundred and thirty-four feet above the le\el of the Pacific
Ocean, and on the 22d of June commenced the expedition to Chimbor-
azo. They followed the plain, slowly ascending, to the Indian village
of Calpi, at the foot of the mountain, where they halted for the night.
The next morning they started early, and began the ascent. They de-
termined to climb the mountain from the south-south-eastern side, and
the Indians who acted as guides — although few of themhadevtu* reached
the limit of the eternal snow — also gave this route the preference. The
base of Chimborazo consists of great plains, rising like terraces one
above the other. They first crossed the llano of Luisa, and then, after
a gradual ascent of about a mile, reached that of Sisgun, twelve thousand
four hundred and thirty feet above the sea. Hero, on the level floor of
the plain, Humboldt wished to make a trigonometrical measurement, in
order to ascertain t'le height of the summit, for which purpose he had
brought along his sextants and other instruments; but the peak was
shrouded m dense clouds. They then continued ascending to the little
lake of Yana-Cocha, which is a circular basin of not more than one hundred
and thirty feet in diameter. The sky became more and more obscured,
but they had occasional glimpses of the head of Chimborazo through the
openings of the clouds. Much snow had fallen during the previous night,
and they were obliged to leave their mules at this point, which is con-
siderably below the line of perpetual snow. The barometer showed that
they had attained a height of fourteen thousand three hundred and fifty
feet. A short distance above Yana-Cocha, the grass began to disappear,
and they reached a region of naked augite rocks, wliich rose in colunuis
to the height of fifty or sixty feet, and at a distance resembled trees or
masts. Following these rocky pillars through the fields of snow, they
finally reached a narrow ridge, or comb, running directly toward the
summit, by which alone it Avas possible to advance ; for the snow was so
soft and yielding that they did aot dare to walk upon it.

The path became more and more steep and narrow. The guides all
left them, except one, at the height of sixteen thous.and five hundred
and twenty-five feet : neither threats nor persuasions would induce them
to go further. They then remained alone — Humboldt, Bonpland, Carlo?
de Montufar, and a mestizo from the neighboring village of San Juan.
With great labor and perseverance they continued to ascend, though
they were enveloped in thick mist. The rocky comb, which the natives
appropriately called a " knife-blade," was in many places not more than
eight or ten niches broad. On the left wjis a declivity of snow, covered
with a glassy coating of ice, while on the right they looked mto a chasm
a thousand feet deep, with immense masses of naked rock at the bottom.
Nevertheless, they were obliged to incline their bodies to this side, for
the snowy pitch on the left seemed even more dangerous, because there
■was no possibility of either arresting their descent, or of preventing them
fi'om sinkuig deep in the loose snows. The difficidty of ascending was

LIFK AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

now increased by the brittle, disintegrated character of the rock. In
some places they were obliged to crawl painfully on their hands and feet,
which, wounded by the sharp edges, nxarked their path with their own
blood. They marched in single file, carefully testing the stability of the
rock us they proceeded — a very necessary operation, as many of the
masses were lying loose on the brink. Their previous experience in
climbing Pichincha, Cotopaxi, and Antisana here proved to be of great
servji*, besides teaching them how best to husband their fast diminish-
ing strength. As the summit was almost constantly hidden from view,
they became very desirous of knowing how much remained to be as-
cended, and Humboldt opened the barometer at a pomt where the comb
was broad enough to allow two persons to sit side by side. The mercury
uidicated a height of eighteen thousand three hundred and eighty feet,
or about two hundred feet higher than they had ascended, three months
previously, on the cone of Antisana, by climbing a very similar ledge.
They were a little disappointed at finding themselves still so far from the
point of their ambition. The temperature of the air was 37°, and that
of the earth 42°.

After another hour of cautious climbing, the rocky comb became lesa
steep, but the mist was thicker than ever. They now began, one after
another, to suflor from the extreme rarefaction of the air. The tendency
to vomit, combined with vertigo, was much more disagreeable than the
difliculty of breathing. Their lips and gums bled profusely, and their
eyelids and eyeballc were injected with blood. The mestizo suffered
more than the r Uiers. They were by no means alarmed at these symp-
toms, which they had experienced during former ascents. Humboldt,
in fact, had once fallen senseless near the summit of Pichincha, and re-
mained in that condition for some time, until found by his guide. The
belts of cloud finally parted, although the air was quite still, and they
suddenly saw, apparently quite near at hand, the great dome of Chimbo-
razo. It was a grand and solemn spectacle. The hope of soon standing
upon its topmost pinnacle invigorated their strength anew. The ledge
became a little broader, and they went forward with more security for
a few minutes, when all at once a chasm, four hundred feet deep and sixty
feet broad, yawned across their path. They distinctly saw beyond the
chasm, the same ledge going forward in the same direction, but the gulf
was not to be passed. They were stopped by an insurmoimtable obstacle,
in full view of their goal. It was one o'clock in the afternoon, and they
were benumbed with cold, although the temperature was no lower than
29°. The barometer indicated a height of nineteen thousand two hun-
dred and thirty feet above the sea, and, according to Humboldt's calcu-
lation, thirteen hundred below the summit. This was the highest point to
which any human being had ever ascended on the sides of the mount-
ains. It has only been surpassed a single time since then, when Boussin-
gault and Colonel Hall, in JDeoeiubor, 1831, reached an elevation of

DESCENT OF CHIMBOUAZO.

about nineteen thousand six hundred feet on the side of Chiniborazo, by
taking another path than that which Humboldt had chosen.

-'if-

'^i^^^ Z^***^^:^^' '^

ov.'.-^-

GHIHBOBAZO.

As the weather became more and more thick and unfavorabK\ thoy
commenced returning by means of the same narrow ridge which had
enabled them to ascend. They only halted long enough to collect speci-
mens of the rock, foreseeing that they would afterward in Europe fre-
qontly be asked for " a small piece of Chimborazo." A violent storm of
hail overtook them, but fortunately changed into snow as they desccMidcd
into a lower atmosphere. The storm became so dense that before they
reached the spot where their mules had been left, the rocks were covered
to the depth of several inches. The Indian guides were in great anxiety
on their account, but before dark they reached the Indian village of C'alpi,
and were liospitably entertahied by the priest. For several days aftii'-
ward Chimborazo stood clear against the sky, unobscured by a sjjcck of
vapor, but the cluusm which barred their path seemed impassable, and no
second attempt was made.

During his residen«re in Quito, Humboldt received intelligence that the
expedition mider Captain Jiaudin had sailed to New Zealand, intending
to pass homeward aroimd the Cape of Good IIopo, and would, therefore,
not touch Chili or I'cru. His plan of visiting the Philippine Islands and
India was frustrated by this news, but he immediately formed a new
plan of travel. Leaving Quito he followed the chain of the Andes, by

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP HUMBOLDT.

Avay of Assuay, Cuenoa and Loxa, to the upper valley of the Amazon.
This journey, which was very fatiguing and hazardous, was made still
more difficult by the scientific instruments and the collections of plants
and minerals which the travelers carried with them. On the road to
Assuay, Humboldt found in the plain of Cafiar, nearly sixteen thousand feet
above the sea, the remains of the ancient road of the Incas, which is sup-
posed to have led from Quito to Cuzco. It is paved with blocks of por-
jihyry, and appeared to be fully equal to any of the ancient Roman high-
ways. In Assuay and Cafiar ho found many other very interesting relics
of the native Peruvian dynasty, but none which gave such an impression
of its power and civilization as these roads. Near Loxa Humboldt visited
the cinchona woods, which yield the " Peruvian bark," or quinine. " At
that time," he says, " none of this valuable product found its way into
conuncrce ; all that was obtained Avas shipped at Payta, a port of the
Pacific, and conveyed round Cape Horn to Cadiz, for the use of the
Spanish court. To procure the small supply of eleven thousand Spanish
pounds, no less than eight hundred or nine hundred cinchona-trees were
cut doAvn every year. The older and thicker stems are becoming more
and more scarce ; but, such is the hixuriance of growth that the yoimger
trees, which now sujiply the demand, though measuring only six inches in
diameter, frequently attain the height of from fifty-three to sixty-four
feet. This beautiful tree, which is adomed with leaves five inches long
and two broad, seems, when growing in the thick woods, as if striving
to rise above its neighbors. The upper branches spread out, and when
agitated by the wind the leaves have a peculiar reddish color and glist-
ening appearance which is distinguishable at a great distance."

In descending to the valley of the Amazon, in the province of Jaen de
Bracamoros, the travelers were obliged to ford the Rio de Guancabamba
no less than twenty-seven times. The current was so strong that the
heavily-laden mules, eighteen or twenty in number, were in continual
danger of being carried away ; and Humboldt and Bonpland suffered
the greatest suspense and anxiety until the dangerous road was passed.
In the lower part of the same river, they noticed a novel post for the
conveyance of letters. The ofllcial communications from the Pacific
coast to the valley of the Amazon are dispatched by a swimming courier,
usually a young Indian, M'ho Is at home in the water. The few letters of
Avhifh he is the bearer he carefully wraps in a large cotton handkerchief,
A\liich he rolls around his head in the form of a turban. On arriving at
those parts of the rivers in which there are falls or rapids, he lands and
goes by a circuitous route through the woods. When wearied by long-
oontinued swimming, ho rests by throwing one arm on a plank of li/»ht
wood. Sometimes he takes a friend along to bear him company. Many
of the wild Indian tribes who dwell on the shores of the upper Amazon,
perform their journeys in a similar manner. On one occasion Humboldt
saw the heads of thirty or forty individuals, men, women and children,
as they floated down the river. On approaching the basin of the Amazon

DESCENDANTS OF THE INCAS.

he was delighted with the beauty of the scenery and the hixurianoe of
the vegetation. The orange-treea grew to the height of sixty or seventy
feet.

The travelers descended the Rive"* Chamaya on rafts, to its confluence
with the Amazon, at the narrows of Rentama. They found the latter
river to he fourteen hundred feet in breadth, at this point. After seven-
teen days spent in the hot valley of the Amazon, they ascended the Andes
to the table-land of Caxamarca, stopping on the way to visit the famous
r^Ilver mines of Gualgoyoc. They took up their temporary abode in the
vicinity of the mines in the little mountain town of Micuipampa, situated
at an elevation of twelve thousand feet abore the sea, and where, though
only 6° 43' from the equator, water freezes withui doors, at night, during
a great part of the year. This wilderness, almost devoid of vegetation,
is inhabited by three or four thousand persons, who are supplied with
articles of food from the warm valleys, as they themselves can grow
nothing but some kinds of cabbage and salad. Here, as in all the i.iining
towns of Peru, enmd drives the richer inhabitants, who, however, are
not the best informed class, to the dangerous diversions of cards and
dice. The consequence is, that the wealth thus quickly won is still more
quickly spent. Here one is continually reminded of the anecdote re-
lated of one of the soldiers of Pizarro's army, who complainetl that he
had lost, in one night's play, " a large piece of the sun," meaning a plate
of gold which he had obtained at the plunder of the temple of Cuzco.

Passing over a succession of paramos, or mountain deserts, where
they were severely bruised by hail-storms, the travelers at last saw be-
neath them the fertile valley of Caxamarca, its extent of one hundred
square miles M'atered by the windings of a beautiful little river. In the
ancient town, the capital of the unfortunate Inea Atahuallpa, there are
many interesting remains of its former rulers. Some vestiges of the
Inca's palace and fortress are still to be seen, although most of the orig-
inal Peruvian buildings have been toni down to furnish material for the
dwellings of their conquerors. In the town jail, which is erected on the
ruins of Atahuallpa's palace, the room is still shown in which he was con-
fined until the day of liis execution (August 29, 1533), and the natives
even point out a mark on the wall, as indicating the height which his
golden ransom reached. " Descendants of the Inca," says Humboldt,
♦' still dwell in Caxamarca, amid the dreary architectural ruins of de-
parted splendor. These descendants are the family of the Indian Ca-
cique, or, as he is called in the Quichua language, the Curaca Astorpilca.
They live in great poverty, but nevertheless contented, and resigned to
their hard and unmerited fate. Their descent from Atahuallpa, through
the female line, has never been a doubtful question in Caxamarca; but
traces of beard would seem to indicate some admixture of Spanish blood.
The son of the Cacique Astorpilca, an amiable and interesting youth of
seventeen, conducted us over the ruins of the ancient palace. Though
living in the utmost poverty, his imagination was filled m ith visions of

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP HUMBOLDT.

the subterranean splendor and the golden treasnroa wliicli, he assured us,
lay hidden beneath the heaps of rubbish over which wo were treading,
lie told us that one of his ancestors once blindfolded the eyes of his wife,
and then, through many intricate passages cut in the rock, led her down
into the subteiTanean gardens of the Inca. There the lady beheld, skill-
fully imitated in the purest gold, trees laden with loaves and fruit, with
birds perched on their branches. Among other things she saAV Atahuall-
pa's golden sedan-chair, which had been so long searched for in vain, and
Avhich is alleged to have been sunk in the basin at the Baths of Pulta-
marca. The husband commanded his wife not to touch any of these en-
chanted treasures, reminding her that the period fixed for the restoration
of the empire of the Incas had not yet arrived, and that whosoever
should touch any of the treasures would perish the same night.

" The son of Astorpilca assured rae that underground, a little to the
right of the spot on which I then stood, there was a large datura-tree,
or guanto, in full flower, exquisitely made of gold wire and plates of
gold, and that its branches overspread the Inca's chair. The morbid
faith with which the youth asserted his belief in this fabulous story,
made a profound and melancholy impression on me. These illusions are
cherished among the people here, as affording them consolation amid
great privation and earthly suffering. I s^d to the lad, ' Since you and
your parents so firmly believe in the existence of these gardens, do you
not, in your poverty, sometimes feel a wish to dig for the treasures that
lie so near you ?' The young Peruvian's answer was so simple and so
expressive of the quiet resignation peculiar to the aboriginal inhabitants
of the country, that I noted it down in Spanish in my journal. *Such a
desire,' said he, ' never comes to us. My father says that it would bo
sinful. If we had the golden branches, with all their golden fruits, our
white neighbors would hate us and injure us. We have a little field and
good wheat.' Few of my readers will, I trust, be displeased that I have
recalled here the words of young Astorpilca and his golden dreams."

After a stay of five or six days in Caxamarca, the travelers started
for Truxillo, on the Pacific coast. Crossing the valley of the Magdalena,
they ascended a steep wall of rock, five thousand feet high, from the
summit of which the guides assured them, they would behold the Pacific
Ocean. But a thick mist overhung the plain, and obscured the distant
coast. They beheld only variously-shaped masses of rock, now rising
like islands above the waving sea of mist, and now vanishing. "The
desire which we feel to behold certain objects," says Humboldt, "is not
excited solely by their grandeur, their beauty, or their importance. In
proportion as the fulfillment of a wish may have appeared improbable,
its realization affords the greater pleasure. The traveler enjoys, in
anticipation, the happy moment when he shall first behold the constella-
tion of the Cross, and the Magellanic clouds circling over the south
polo; when ho shall come in sight of the snow of the Chimborazo, and
of the column of smoke ascending from the volcano of Quito; when, for

FIRST SIGHT OP THE PACIFIC.

the first time, he shall gaze on a grove of treo-fems, or on the wide ex-
panse of the Pacific Ocean. The days on which such wishes are fulfilled
mark epochs in life, and create indelible impressions; exciting feelings
which require not to be accounted for by any process of reasoning. The
longing wish I felt to behold the Pacific from the lofty ridges of the
Andes, was mingled mth recollections of the interest with which, as a
boy, I had dwelt on the narrative of the adventurous expedition of
Vasco Nunez de Balboa. That happy man, whose track Pizarro fol-
lowed, was the first to behold, from the heights of Quarequa, on the
isthmus of Panama, the eastern part of the great " South Sea." The
reedy shores of the Caspian, viewed from the point whence I first be-
held them, viz., from the Delta formed by the mouths of the Volga,
cannot certainly be called picturesque, yet the delight I felt on first
beholding them, was enhanced by the recollection that, in my very
earliest childhood, I had been taught to observe, on the map, the form
of the Asiatic inland sea. The impressions aroused within us in early
childhood, or excited by the accidental circumstances of life frequently,
in aft;er years, take a graver direction, and become stimulants to scien-
tific labors and great enterprises.

*' After passing over many undulations of ground, on tho rugged
motmtain ridges, we at length reached the highest point of the Alto de
Guangamarca. The sky, which had so long been obscured, now sud-
denly brightened. A sharp south-west breeze dispersed the vail of mist;
and the dark blue canopy of heaven was seen between the narrow lines
of the highest feathery clouds. The whole western declivity of the
Cordilleras, covered with huge blocks of quartz thirteen or fifteen feet
long ; and the plains of Chala and Molinos, as far as the sea coast near
Tnixillo, lay extended before our eyes, with a wonderful effect of ap-
parent proximity. We now, for the first time, commanded a view of
the Pacific. We saw it distinctly ; reflecting along the line of the coast
an immense mass of light, and rising in immeasurable expanse until
bounded by the clearly defined horizon. The delight which my com-
panions, Bonpland and Carlos Montufar, shared with me in viewing this
prospect, caused us to forget to open the barometer on the Alto de
Guangamarca. According to a calculation which we made at a place
somewhat lower down, the point at which we first gained a view of
the ocean must have been at no greater an elevation than between
nine thousand three hundred and eighty and nine thousand six hun-
dred feet.'*

VISIT TO MEXICO, AND RETURN TO EUROPE.

After reaching Tnixillo, on the coast, the travelers proceeded south-
ward over the barren and sandy tracts bordering the sea, to Lima, where
they remained for some time, in order to observe the transit of Mercury.

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

Humboldt was especially fortunate in having a clear day for this pur-
pose, at a time when fogs are prevalent in Lima. At the beginning of
January, 1803, they took passage for Acapulco in the Spanish frigate
Atalanta. On arriving at Guayaquil, they discovered that the volcano
of Cotopaxi had suddenly burst into violent eruption, its explosions,
resembling discharges of artillery, being distinctly heard at the former
place, which was at least a hundred and fifty miles distant. The erupticu
was first announced to the inhabitants of Quito by the sudden disaj)-
pearance of the snow from the crater of Cotopaxi, owing to the increase
of internal heat. They immediately made preparations to revisit thti
volcano, but had not proceeded far before they were recalled by the
news that the frigate was obliged to set sail immediately. After a
voyage of thirty days, they arrived safely at Acapulco, where they re-
mained for some weeks before commencing their journey to the capital.
We have very few details of Humboldt's personal experiences and ad-
ventures in Mexico. His work on " New Spain" consists of an account
of the political condition of the country, its statistics, its physical geogra-
phy, its natural history and geology. At the time of its publication it
was by for the most complete and accurate description of Mexico which
had ever appeared, and in some respects has not been superseded by
later works. On reaching Acapulco, Humboldt had intended to remain
but a few months in Mexico, and then return to Europe, because his
instruments appeared to have sufiered, and he found it impossible to
correct them. But he was so much pleased with the climate and scenery,
and so fascinated by the new fields of investigation opened to him, that
it was a year before he was willing to depart.

Toward the close of winter, the travelers left Acapulco, and proceed-
ed, by way of Chilpanzingo and Cuemavaca to the capital, where they
occupied themselves for some time in studpng the interesting antiquities
of the Aztecs. Humboldt was one of the first scholars who called atten-
tion to these remarkable relics, and a great portion of his " Vuea dea Cor-
diUeres''* is taken up with dissertations in regard to tliem. In Mexico he
succeeded in borrowing astronomical instruments, with which he ascer-
tained the exact longitude of the place, which had been incorrectly given.
He also vLsited the fomous mines of Moran and Real del Monte, examined
the Desagua^ an immense artificial drain of the valley of Mexico, the
pyramids of Teotihuacan, and other interesting objects in the vicinity.
In July he proceeded northward, still accompanied by Bonpland, to the
celebrated mining town of Guanajuato, where he devoted two months
to geognostic studies, especially to the detection of ores, and then trav-
eled southward through the valley of the Rio Santiago, to Valladolid
(now Morelia) the capital of the province of Michoacan. He was greatly
charmed with the little lake of Paacuaro, and the scenery in its vicinity,
which, he declared. Mould alone repay the traveler for his voyage across
the ocean. H's interest in the phenomena of volcanoes led him to the
plains of Jorullo, near the Pacific Ocean, whore, in the year 1769, a volca-

VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES.

nic cone, sixteen hundred feet high, was formed in a single night, on a spot
which had previously been perfectly level. The plaui surrounding this
volcano is covered with several thousand diminutive basaltic cones, which
exhale a thick vapor through their vent-holes and communicate an insv'i)-
portable heat to the surrounding air. Owing to this cause, the neighbor-
hood is very unhealthy, but the travelers were not deterred from threading
the Tartarean labyrinth, and ascending the volcano, by climbing over the
jagged surfaces of the streams of lava. They even descended a distance
of two hundred and fifty feet into the cone, which is constantly burning.
In January, 1804, Ilumboldt and Uonpland took a final leuve of the
city of Mexico, and started (»n a tour among the Cordilleras, along the
eastern border of the table-land. Tlio fomier ascertained, by trigono-
metrical measurement, the height of the snowy peaks of Popocatapetl
and Iztaccihuatl, and examined the pyramid of Cholula. He made a
barometrical survey of the road from Mexico to Vera Cruz, which, in the
district between Perote and Jalapa — then an almost impenetrable forest
of oak and fir-trees — was thrice repeated, enabling him to locate the
route for the fine post-road which has since been constructed. The
travelers also ascended the peak of Cofre de Perote, and measured, by
trigonometry, the height of Orizaba.* Reaching Vera Cruz, they were
fortunate enough to escape the yellow-fever, which was then raging
there, and to obtain a passage for Havana in a Spanish frigate. At the
latter place they took possession of the important collections which had
been left there three years previously, and after a stay of nearly two
months, took passage for Philadelphia in an American vessel. They had
a violent storm, which lasted seven days, in the Bahama Channel, but
reached their destination safely after a voyage of thirty-two days. As
Humboldt remained but six or seven weeks in the United States, devot-
ing his time principally to the study of their political condition, he has
published no accotmt of his visit. He traveled to Washington, which
was then a mere village, but which, nevertheless, he thought, would
grow into a more imposing city than Mexico. He associated with the
scientific society of Philadelphia, which was at that time deservedly
celebrated ; he visited New York, and finally, in July, 1 804, sailed for
Bordeaux, where he arrived in the following month, having been absent
from Europe more than five years.

PUBLICATION OP HIS WORKS. -

This journey, planned with so much zeal and courage, prosecuted
with BO much perseverance and industry, and carried on to so triumph-

o This mountain waa ascended for the first time by a party of American officers dur-
ing the late war. They found, by barometrical measurement, tliat its height had been
slightly under-estimated by Humboldt, and that it was, in reality, between two and three
hundred feet liigher than Poiwcatapetl, hitherto considered the highest mountain on the
North American Continent.

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP HUMBOLDT.

ant a completion, protlucod a great Hcnsation in the sciontifio world. In
the words of Professor Klencke, " It was not only unexampled as the
execution of the most magnificent undertaking of a German eitizen ; it
was not only perfectly disinterested, and a sacrifice made solely to the
interests of science; people admired not alone the courageous determin-
ation, the persevering force, the industry, the intellectual caj)acities and
inquiring ; .ilent of Ilumboldt'a personality, but the gradually revealed
results of his journey to the equinoctial regions of the new continent
became of such universal importance in all branches of human science
and commerce, in its influence on a new system of science; even — nay,
also on the political improvements of the country traversed — that
Humboldt was hailed in Europe as a second Columbus." Wilhelm von
Humboldt was at the time residing in Rome, but his wife was in Paris
with her children. A report had reached Europe that the travelers had
fallen victims to the yellow-fever previous to their departure from Havana,
and this report was very generally believed. The dispatch, which brought
the intelligence of their arrival at Bordeaux to the National Institute of
France, was immediately forwarded by the secretary to Madam von
Humboldt, whose surprise and joy on meeting -with her brother-in-law
was equal to his own on seeing her so much sooner than he had anticipated.
On reaching Paris, Humboldt immediately -^et about arranging his col-
lections, and preparing the materials he hu gathered for the publication
of a grand scientific work. He was still assisted by his friend Bonpland,
and by the sympathy and encour.igement of all the savans of the capital,
among whom were Cuvier, Gay-Lussac, Arago, and Laplace.

In the spring of 1805 he accompanied his sister-in-law to Rome, and
spent part of the ensuing summer at Albano, with his brother Wilhelm.
Their society was at that time still further enriched by the presence of
Madame de Stael, Schlegcl, and Sismondi. An anticipated eruption of
Vesu\'ius led him to Naples, in company with Gay.Lussac, and he was
fortunate in being able to witness the grand outbreak of the 12th of Au-
gust. Afler completing his observations he proceeded to Berlin, and
did not return to Paris until 180 V, when he established himself there per-
manently, to superintend the publication of his works. But the fruits
of his journey were so considerable, so varied, and entering into so many
spheres of science, his studies and collections were so exciting for further
research and comparison, that he witS obliged to unite with other schol-
ars, and allow them to complete, in a more especial manner, the various
branches of his undertaking. "The most eminent men of the age," says
Klencke, " considered it an honor to be engaged as fellow-laborers in
this gigantic work ; they emulated each other in the sterling value of
the contents, and the most accurate adaptation of the material afforded
them. Artists and artisans strove to make the artistic contributions —
the atlas, the landscapes, the typographical execution — as perfect and
brilliant as possible." The work was originally written in French, and
portions of it have not yet been translated into the author's native Ian-

ADVENTURES OP BONPLANT,

lounge. It \b rather a series of detached works, treat ing of special
branches of science, thuii a ninp,]v. connected work, a. d some idea of the
magnitude of the undertaking may be obtahied from xha fact that at the
end of forty years from tlio publication of the first portion, it was not
complete. Indeed, it may still be considered as incomplete, although
incomparably the grandest work of the kind which has ever apj)eared.
In 1844, the cost of a single copy of the folio edition was about $2,000,
and thf printing, paper, and copper-plates alone had occasioned an ex-
penditure of fl 00,000, much of which was contributed by Iluiuboldt from
his own private resources.

In the year 1810 he visited \nenna, where liis brother Wilhelm was
residing as Prussian embassador. Although but four or live volumes of
his work were published, he had already conceived the idea of making a
second great journey to Central Asia and Thibet. The Russian minister,
Romanzow, had proposed to him to accompany a mission which was to
proceed through Independent Tartary to Cashgar, on the western fron-
tier of Thibet, and he at once accepted the offer. This plan, which was
to be put in execution in the year 1812, mc-L wliii an unexpected obstacle
in the war between Russia and France. Although his proposed journey
was frustrated for the time, ho did not relinquish the hope of carrying it
out at some future day ; and with this view, after his return to Paris,
occupied himself for some years with the study of the Persian language,
so that he might, at his own expense, proceed to India by way of Tehe-
ran and Herat. He gained so accurate a knowledge of the structure of
the Asiatic mountain chains from literary s >urce8 that he was able to give
critical judgments on the explorers who had traveled to the Himalaya
mountains. The French government had, in the interests of science,
proffered its assistance to the execution of this plan, and even the King
of Prussia, wlien he was at Aix-la-Chapelle in 1818, granted Humboldt
an annual sum of 12,000 thalers ($8,500) and the expense of preparing
the expedition for the journey to Asia ; but, for some reason or other,
which has not been explained, the plan was never • ".rried out.

In the year 1818, Humboldt and Bonpland, after sharing each other's
fortunes for twenty years, separated forever. The latter, who had been
appointed superintendent of the gardens at Malmaisonby Napoleon, be-
came weary of France after the downfall of the empire, and accepted an
appointment as Professor of Natural History at Buenos Ayres. After
his departure from Europe nothing was heard of him for a long time, but
the news came at last that he had been seized by the orders of Francia,
the Dictator of Paraguay, while visiting an Indian colony on the shores
of the river Parana. Francia was incensed at Bonpland for his efforts to
establish the tea culture within the Brazilian territories, for the tea-plant
is peculiar to Paraguay, and forma one of the staple productions of the
country. Bonpland was not deprived of his personal liberty, and was
allowed to practice as a physician. When the news of this outrage
reached Humboldt, he was unremitting in his endeavors to enlist the in-

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

fluonce of tho govcmmentH of Franco and Spain in Bonplantl'H favor;
but Paraguay wiw entirely boyond their reach. After a detention of niii >
ycafH, Bonpland was released and retunied to DuenoH Ayres.*

Arter his visit to England in 1818, and his consultations with tho King
of I'rusHia at Aix-Ia-Chapelle, in October and November of the samo
year, Humboldt retunied to I'aris, where ho remained until 1822, when
III! again joincMl the king at Verona, and accompanied him on his journey
to N'euice, Rome, and Naples. They also returned together to Berlin,
where Humboldt spent some months with his brother. lie did not,
however, take up liis permanent residence in Berlin until ]May, 1827, con-
tenting himself with un annual visit to Paris, to Buperintend the progress
of his great work. In the autunm of tho wime year, at the suggestion of
his brother, Sehlegel, and in fact, of all tlm scholars antl naturalists of
Berlin, ho consented to give a course of public lectures on physical cos-
mograjihy. Tho character of these lectures and tho sensation they pro-
ducetl, is thus described by Professor Klen<'ke : — " As ho had before done
in Paris, in the French language, IIumboMt now, in his native tongue,
gave the rich fruits of his researches to tho public, in a course of lectures
delivered before a select but numerous assemblage. He enchanted his
hearers by the peculiar force of his intellectual clearness, by his eloquence,
the genuineness and warmth of his feelings, and the inexhaustible novelty
of his subject. He stood before them as a convincuig, uispiring teacher,
who, like an artist, disj)layed tho wonderful pictures of a newly-explored
world to their view. This course of sixty-ono lectures, commenced on
the ;Ul of November, and concluded on the 26th of April, 1828, was, as
it were, the first sketch of tho " Kosmos," published subsequently as tho
compact result of his life and studies. When some of tho first lectures
had been delivered, tho press of people from all ranks was so great that
Humboldt was literally forced to give a repetition of tho first course,
adapted for a more general public, nearly cotemporary with the othe;.s,
in the large hall of the Musical Academy. These popular lectures were
eagerly visited by the highest and most learned persons in the capital.
The king, the royal family, the court, the highest lords and ladies, at-
tended regularly and listened with the people, who showed their pride
in the celebrated man by their enthusiastic admiration."

JOURNEY THROUGH RUSSIA, SIBERIA, AND TARTARY.

Humboldt was urged to publish these lectures, and prepared to com-
ply, but his plans were unexpectedly changed. The illness and death of
his sister-in-law drew him away from his studies for a time, but the sub-

* Bonpland appears to have voluntarily returned to Paraguay soon afterward, and
to have devoted himself to establishing plantations. Ho never relinquished the idea of
returning to Europe, but lingered year alter year, and flaally died there, quite recently,
at a very advanced age.

VISIT TO THK UnAL MOUNTAINS.

jcct whloh floon rlcmnruled nil of his ntteiition was llio renewal of the
former i»hui of a ^raiul floientitic exploration of Central Asia, The
original plan, whicli vas warmly encouraged by tlio governmentB of
Franco ami PruHsia, had been entirely given up, ifter Humboldt had
cheriHlu'd it for yearn. IJut in December, 182V, the Emperor Nicholas
invited him to make an extended exploration of the mining districts of
the ITral mountains, the territories bordering on China and Tartary, and
the shores of the Casjtian Sea, at tho exi)enso of the Itussian govern-
ment. Humboldt accepted tho offer with joy, btit asked leave to post-
pone the preparation for tlu* journey until ho had comi)leted the public
lectures on which ho was at that time engaged. The emperor granted
his recpiest, and left hin» at liberty to choose the localities ho was to ex-
plore, and to prosecute tho journey in such a manner as would best
advance the interests of science, always eonsiderhig the advantages
Avhich the llussian government might draw from a, development of tho
mining capabilities of the country, as merely of secondary importance.

In the year 1828, tho preparations for tho jr u"ney were made, ))lan3
were laid, and arrangements entered into with other naturalists, whom
he was allowed to select as his companions. Ho comtiuuiioated with
Gustav Uoso and G. Ehrenberg, two naturalists living in Berlin, who
consented to accompany him on his projected expedition. Each of tho
three travelers had a special branch of activity allotted to him. Hum-
boldt undertook tho observations on magnetism, tho results of geograph-
ical astronomy, and the general preparation of tho geognostic and
j)hysical plan of north-western Asia. G. Rose was to make the chemical
analyses of minerals, and keep tho traveling diary, while the botanical
and zoological labors fell to Ehrenberg's share.

On the 12th of April, 1829, tho threo travelers left Berlin for St.
Petersburg, where they arrived on the 1st v^f May. Tho Russian Min-
ister of Finance, Count Cancrin, had made ample arrangements for their
comfort and security, and for facilitating their expedition. Carriages
were prepared, a courier was selected, horses were engaged to be held
in readiness at the stations along tho route, houses were everywhere to
be placed at their disposal, and military escorts provided, where prox-
imity to the frontiers made their protection necessary. A Russian
mining officer, Menschenin, afterward Inspector of Mines, was appointed
as Humboldt's constant companion, to give him every information in
regard to ways and localities, and to levy tho necessary assistance from
the Russian authorities.

Thus prepared, and fnniished with all the comforts of Russian hos-
pitality, they left St. Petersburg on the 20th of May, and proceeded
rapidly over the broad highway to Moscow. After a few days spent
here in making barometrical observations, and in examining the geolog-
ical productions of the country, they continued their journey toward
tho Ural, advancing more slowly over the indifferent roads of the marshy
lands that occupy a portion of that level region. They arrived at Nish-

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

ni (Lower) Novgorod, on the Volga, by the last of May. Here they
met with Count Poller, the i)roprietor of some mining estates in the
Ural, who was traveling thither Avith a few scientific gentlemen, and
who accordingly accompanied them into that region. They embarked
on the Volga and reached Kasan on the 4th of June. Kasan was for
three centuries the seat of an independent Tartar Khanate, which was
overturned in 1552. The suburbs of the town were still uihabited by
Tartars, whose Medscheds or temples were visited by the travelers. On
entering the sacred edifices the guides took otf their slippers, although
they permitted the visitors to wear their boots. From Kasan they
made an excui-sion down the Volga to the interestuig ruins of Bulgar,
the capital of the ancient Bulgaria, Avhich flourished from the seventh to
the thirteenth centui-y. As they approached the modern village, the
whole population came forth to meet them in groups of men, women,
and children, and the oldest inhabitants, who led the groups, offered
bread and salt to Humboldt, in token of reverence, according to the
Russian custom. Tlie walls of a few edifices, two towers, and several
tombstones bearuig monumental uiscriptions in Turkish, Arabic, and
Armenian, which mostly dated from the year 623 of the Hedjira, or,
A. 1). 1220, were the principal remains which the travelers found of the
ancient capital. Many silver and copper coins, copper rings, and trink-
ets, were still found among the rubbish. The tombs of Tartar saints
were still objects of pilgrhuages for the faithful. A Tartar Mollah was
performing his devotions among the rains, by repeating a form of prayer
and frequently bowing his body, without allowing the presence of the
travelers to disturb liira. As the ruins were some distance apart, he
availed himself of a seat in their carriage, and rode with them to all the
ruins, always arranging it so that he had performed his devotional exer-
cises before they were through with their examinations. At Kasan they
witnessed a rural festival of the Tartars, called the Saban, which is cele-
brated annually after seed-time. The sports consisted in wrestling, run-
n ig, and horse-racing.

Leaving Kasan on the 9th, they passed through a district inhabited
by v,he Wotjaks, a branch of the Finnish family, who had embraced the
Christian religion, aud adopted the Kussian language, while they still
retaiiiod their primitive costumes. The Avomen wore high caps, made
of birch-bark covered with blue cloth, and hung with silver coins and
red fringes. They spent the 12th at Werchne (L^pper) Mulinsk, on
Count Poller's estate, where he entertained them hospitably, after which
he accompanied them on their expedition beyond Jekatharinenburg.
When they came to the valleys in the outskirts of the Ural, on the 14th
of June, they were delighted with the sudden appearance of spring.
Three weeks before, they had left the Neva in ice, and now ail the
plants were in full bloom, covering the ground ■« ith a profusion of rare
and beautiful flowers. On the 15th, they arrived at Jekatharinenburg,
utuated among the mountains on the Asiatic side of the Ural ridge, in

WISSOKAJA GORA.

one of the richest mineral regions of the continent. They visited Scha-
browski, Beresowsk, and other gold mines m the ncinity, the rich copper
mines of Gumeschewskoi, and then extended their excursions northward
as far as Nishni Tagilsk, into a district abounding in gold, platina, cop-
per, iron, and precious stones. Nislmi Tagilsk, with a surrounduig
tract of eight thousand square versts, is a possession of the Demidoff
family, and is scarcely surpassed by any place in the world in the rich-
ness and variety of mineral productions in its immediate vicuiity. Near
the town is the celebrated mountain of magnetic iron, called Wissokaja
Gora, whose excellent ores supply numerous furnaces, while copper of a
supciior quality is found in large quantities, and rich fields of gold and
ptatina abound, the latter far surpassing in richness all others in the
Ural mountains. Near ti.c imperial iron works of Kuschwinsk, they
visited another remarkable mountain of magnetic iron, called Gora Bla-
godat (the Blessed Moimtain), which was discovered to the early Rus-
sian settlers by a Wogul named Tschumpkui. For this act he was
burned alive upon the mountain by his countrymen, the primitive inhab-
itants. A monument stands on the sunuuit, erected to his memory by
the lIuKsiaus.

Humboldt's attention had already been called to the remarkable
analogy in the grouping of minenUs m various parts of the world, and
now he was struck with the resemblance of this region to the gold and
platina districts of Brazil, which also produce diamonds. This idea of
the association of minerals awakened in him the strongest hope of dis-
covering diamonds in the Ural mountains, and on every occasion of
gold and platina washing, the sand was microscopically examined in this
hope. In this manner they found many minerals heretofore unknown
in the Ural mountains, among them crystals which in Brazil are found
with tliamonds, althoiij^^h they were not successful in the mam object of
theii- search. Humboldt's theory was confirmed, however, during his
sojourn in this region, for diamonds were found by Count Poller, hi
the vicinity of Bittersk, a few days after he parted from him, and in
a little while others were discovered in various places in the northern
Ural.

On the Ist of July they left Kuschwinsk, and proceeded by tlie iron
works of Nishni Turinsk to the copper mines of Bogoslowsk. Here the
mountains were higher, and the side-branches, extending at right angles
from the main ridge, spread over a wider extent of territory. The forests
Yicvi}. dense, and the indifferent roads, which render this region compara-
tive!;.' inaccessible, greatly huidered them in their investigations. The
country was rich in plants and flowers, as well as in minerals, and the
luxuriant growth of juicy vegetation produced myriads of stinging gnats
and mosquitoes, which greatly annoyed the travelers. The inhabitants
protect themselves from those pests by a net sprinkled with birch-bark
tea, or by the smoke of decayed wood, or fungi, which they carry ignited
in small earthen vessels upon their backs.

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

The scenery around Bogoslowsk was maj^iuticoiit, Ovit the broad
plaui, lying eastward, the view was almost unbouiid»'d ; while on the west
and north the mountahis rose in majestic grandeur. The principal range
was forty or tifty miles uistant, and its snow-covered jeaks stood out in
bold relief above tin dark forests of pine and fir which novcred the uiter-
vening heights. They visited the mines of copper, iron, and gold in this
district, and returned by Mursinsk, rich in precious istones, to Jekathar-
iiienberg, where they arrived on the 11th, after an absence of sixteen
days. In a week they had prepared and arranged the mass of materials
they had collected, when they set out for Tobolsk, and reacheil that city
on the 21 St.

Tobolsk had been the eastern limit of the expedition in Humboldt's
original plan; but the ease and promptness witli which they had accom-
plished the journey in the northern Ural, induced him to extend the
journey to the Altai, that he might become acipiainted with these im-
portant mountains by personal observation. The plan being approved by
the authorities, they completed their arrangements, and in two days
were again upon the road. Tiie intervening region consists mostly of
steppes, which, although triuersed by a i'vw roads, upon which villages
are here and there established at the stations, are generally barren and
uncultivated. They ascende<l thelrstyschtoTatnytakaja, then crossed
over in a south-easterly direction to the waters of the On., and contin-
ued their route eastwardly, near its banks, across the fearful steppe of
Barabinski. This great steppe, which embraces the whole sj)ace between
the rivers Irstysch and Obi, is not dry and arid, as the steppes are usually
supposed to be, but ■well suppUed with lakes, marshes, and Howing
streams. Many of the lakes contain salt water, and the earth itself is
in some places impregnated with salt. Here and there a spot of rich
vegetation ai)pears, and occasii»nally a ibw poplars or birch-trees relievo
the monotonous level. Over the marshy ground the road wi»s frequently
bridged in long courses, but as these imjtrovements were in a bad con-
dition, the traveling upon them was very tedious. Another annoyance
was even less endurable than this; they were attacked by swarms of
stinging gnats and flies, which preyed upon them unceasingly. This
vexing pest, with the jolting of the carriage, occasioned a serious loss to
Humboldt in the breaking of a large baronieter, though its jdace was
partially supplied by a lighter one. At Kainsk, in the middle of the
steppe, they received the alarming intelligence that the Siberian pesti-
lence w IS raging in all the villages befS^re them on the way to Tomsk.
This teirible disease prevails at first among the cattle, and from them
extends to human beings, especially upon the j)laiiis, never among the
mountana. The travelers held a consultation, and iis it was impractica-
ble to nach the Altai region by any (tther route, if they should retrace
their steps, at least within tlie limits of their plan, they resolved, at all
hazards, to continue their journey, wth the precaution — as the disease was
represented to be contagious — to avoid all contact with the peasants

THE FRONTIERS OF CHINA.

i»

•vo
itly
:'on-

iice

This

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I was

the

Insk.
hciu

the
Itica-
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all

was
lants

amonf whom it prevailed. There wore many deaths in the villages
throu!?h which they passed; in Karganskaja six jtersons ha'd died on the
day boibrc their arrival, and in the same village live hundred horses had
already perished, so that the expedition had difficulty in procuring the
number requisite for their conveyance. In every village a small hospital
was established ; and on the outskirts of each, Urea of dry turf and
materials aftbrduig abundance of smoke, wore kindled to purify the
atmos])here. As they approached the Obi, atid letl the steppe behind
them, all traces of the disease disappeared. Crossing the Obi at Bergsk,
they proceeded in a southerly direction, and reached Barnaul on the
morning of August 2d, having traveled one thousand luilos since leaving
Tobolsk.

The city of Barnaul, on the Obi, although on the borders of the
stepi)e, is the central point ff the Altaian mining interests, being the seat
of the controlliiig autlioritics of the whole region, ;in(l the location of the
p'incipal smelting furnaces. The most important jM-oduct of the Altiii
is silver, ol wliich the yield i^ greater than that of any other part of the
continent. For more than a half contm'y before lliimboldt's visit, the
average atum.'il product was nearly seventy thousand marks, or forty
thousand pom (is. In the same time the mines yielded four himdred and
eighty tliousand pounds of copper, and about eight hundred thousand
pounds of lead aimualiy. Although the (piantity of silver produced by
the Altai is so great, the ore from wlileh it is obtained is very poor,
yielding an a. eragc of only four per cent., while the average product of
the ^lexiean ores ranges from eighteen to twenty-live jkm* cent.

Leaving IJarnaul on the 4th, Humboldt and his companions proceed-
ed to carry out the plan he had projeeterl of an extensive tour through
the mining regions. (loing southward they crossed the stepj)e of Pla-
towsknja to the upper districts of the Obi, where they visited the rich
silver niiih s of Smejewskaja (lora, of liiddersk and its vicinity, and
the extensive ].arpliyry works of Kolyvansk. The Smejewskaja (lora,
or Serpent IMountain — so called from the great number of serpents
fomid upon it, when it was lirst discovered — consists almost entirely of
ores, of \shich the most important is silver. Copper, lead, zinc, and
iron are also produced in considerable quantities. On the llith of
August, they had advanced as far as I'stkamenogorsk, a fortress on the
Irtvseh, toward the frontiers of Chinese Alonijolia. llore thev had an
opportunity of witnessing the admirable military exercises of the Cos-
sacks, who were stationed at this post. L(>:i\ ing their baggage at this
place, they continued their to i to the gold and silver mines of Syr-
iinowsk, tm the south-western side of tli<i Cholsun and Katunja ranges of
the Altai n, untains. Beyimd Syriinowsk the travelers had distant views
of thes(f nioimtains. Thirty miles distant rose the numerous peaks of
the Stolbrowucha, already covered with snow, and furtlier eastward,
closing the long vista of the valley of Beresowska, stood the imtroddcn
wninmit of Bjolucha, tho loftiest peak of the Altai. The view of these

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

snow-covered mountains awakened in Humboldt and his companions a
desire to penetrate further into that interesting region, but the lateness
of the season and the plans already laid, warned them to desist.

They Avere now so near the boundary of China, that Humboldt wished
to pass over to Bati, or Khonimaihtkhii, the nearest Chuiose-Mongol-
ian post, situated on the Irtysch, below Lake Saissan. He had made
known his wishes at Buchtarminsk, the upper Russian post on the river,
and a Cossack had been sent thither to announce his visit. When they
arrived, they found two tents prepared for them, Avhich they occupied
during their stay. There were two stations at this post, one on the left
bank of the river, occupied by Mongolian troops, the other on the right,
by Chinese ; both commanded by Chinese officers. They lived in the
small round tents, or Jurtcn^ of the Khirgises, which were irregularly
disposed. Humboldt iirst visited the commander of the Chinese, who
came out before his tent to meet thei i, followed by two attendants. He
was a young man, tall and thin, rvore a blue silk coat which reiiched to
the ankles, and carried several peacock feathers in liis cap, denoting his
rank. After a ceremonious introduction, questions and answers were
exchanged tlirough the interpreters, by Avhich they learned that he was
directly from Pekin, that he had made the journey in four months on
horseback, and that the commanilei's were changed every three years.
After a similar visit to the commanding officer of the Mongolians, who
was less communicative, they visited the temple, a small, square, wooden
building, containing an altar opposite the door, and the picture of an
idol of the Buddhistic worship hanging upon the wall above the altar.
A wall stood between the door and the river, near which was another
altar with burning coals upon it. On returning to their tents they re-
ceived a visit from the first commander and his attendants, who took
out their pipes and began to smoke, after inviting their hosts to do like-
wise. Gifts were ceremoniously exchanged, when Humboldt received
some Chinese books. The officer expressed great delight when Hum-
boldt told him ho had a brother who was interested in the Clunese lan-
guage, to wlum ho would take them. These books, which are in the
royal library at Berlin, contain a historical romance in four volumes,
called >S((n/citefshI, the subject of which is the history of the three khig-
doms, into which China was divided aft.er the I/an dynastj', and which
Avas the subject of tlio literary dispute between Klaproth and Professor
Neumann ol'jMunich. The troops consisted of eighty men. They wore
long coats of diffijrent colors, and they were very dirty, and very lean.
Tliey greatly admired the corpulency of one of Humboldt's com])any.
A few camels were seen about ine jj .''■- n flock of goats, and souicbheep
with enormous tails.

The return to (Jstkamenogorsk was highly interesting to Hnmboldt
for its geological value, and was suggestive of new researches; for as he
was sailing down the Irtysch he saw on the secluded shores of these
waters, over a surface of more than sixteen thousand feet, immense rocka

SALT WORKS OF ILEZK.

of granite lying horizontally and in layers, and resting on clay slate,
whose layers were partly perpendicular, partly at an angle of eighty-five
dcrees. This was a highly important fact for Humboldt in his theory
of the formation of granite.

Their next route was down the Irtysch and westward across the
steppe of Ischim, to the southern portion of the Ural chain, passing along
the frontiers of the Middle Horde of Khirgises, a nomadic tribe inhabit-
ing the steppes between the Irtysch and the Ural river. A lino of
military posts, consisting of small villages more or less fortified, at inter-
vals of twenty or thirty versts, and garrisoned by Cossacks, is establish-
ed along the whole boundary, from the Chinese frontier to the Caspian
Sea. Humboldt and his companions left Ustkamcnogorsk under a mili-
tary escort of Cossncks, Avhich was relieved from post to post, and pass-
ing through Semipolatinsk, a place of considerable importance in the
caravan trade with middle Asia, they followed the course of the Irtysch
as far as Omsk, where they arrived on the 25th. After remaining here
two days, in which they visited the Cossack, military, and Asiatic
schools, and made their usual observations, they left the river and cross-
ed the steppe by way of Petropaulowsk and the trading town of Troitsk,
and came to Miask on the 3d of September.

Miask is a mining city of considerable importance, situated in the
most productive mineral district of the southern Ural range. Here they
spent two weeks, making frequent excursions to the gold washings and
the mines of the vicinity, to the Ilmen mountains, and to the mines
around Slatoust. Then proceeding southward to the head waters of the
Uri, they climbed the Auschkul mountain, riiid examined several mines
in its neighborhood. On the way thither, tliey passed some deserted
villages of the Bashkirs, the owners spending the summer in a nomadic
life, and returning to their houses for the winter only. At Orsk, on the
Ural at the junction of the Or, Humboldt stopped to examine the ex-
tensive quarries of green jasper near that place. On contiiunng his jour-
ney he was furnished with a guard of Cossacks as a defense against the
Khirgises, for that portion of the line, between Orsk and Orenburg, Avas
considered the most dangerous on the whole frontier. On the 2 1st they
came to Oi-enburg, the capital of the district, the main fortress on the
line, and the center of a flourishirg caravan trade to various ])laces in
middle Asia. What most interested Humboldt in the vicinity of Oren-
burg, was the great salt works of Ilezk, on the steppe between th • Ural
and the Ilek, forty-live miles south of the city. In the absence )t" the
Governor-General, the travelers were entertained by IMajor-Cieneral
Gens, whose knowledge of the geograi)hy and politcal condition of mid-
dle Asia, greatly interested Humboldt. He liad a fund of information
obtained from caravans and from personal observation. In order to
gratify Humboldt's desire to see more of the Khirgises, he sent a "mes-
sage to the nearest sultan, requesting him to come with his subjects into
the neighborhood, and exhibit their skill in some of their accustomed

LIFE AND TRAVKLS OP HUMBOLDT.

;<■

games and sports. Accordingly a largo number appeared, and raised
their tents a lew versts from the city, atler which the sultan came in per-
son to visit Humboldt and General Gens.

As they drove to the encampment, they had occasion to admire the
skill of the Khirgiscs, many of whom rode around the carriage at full
gallop, resting with their hands upon the horses' backs and their feet in
the air. Having arrived at the tents they Avere first introduced to the
sultan's wives, who were seated in a row in his tent, and then the sports
began. The first was horse-racing. The participants rode off to a place
isevcn versts distant, whence they were to ride back to the tents as their
goal. Meanwhile other {;amcs were introduced. Two Khirgises en-
tered a circle, formed by the spectators, to wrf ^le. Casting off" their
outer garments, each threw his leathern girdle over the other, and
thus they struggled to throw each other to the ground. The victor
remained in the ring until thrown by a new antagonist. One distin-
guished himself by throwing six in succession, but was vanquished by
the seventh. Then a large kettle was brought out, half filled with boiled
groats. Into this General Gens threw a silver ruble, which the Khirgises
attempted to take out with their teeth. When several rubles had been
successively picked out in this manner, and a still greater number of
Khirgises had ludicrously besmeared their heads and shoulders in vain,
the sport was changed, and now the musicians appeared. The first were
men, who begun to sing in long-drawn tones, frightfully distorting their
faces the while. There was no trace of melody in their song, although
they were themselves so enraptured with it that itM\as almost impossible
to persuade them to stop. When they had finished, a female, completely
vailed, entered the circle, and sang in the same manner as the men.
Then two others entered and sang a duet, standing with their faces close
together, and raising their vails so that they could see each other, and
also .allow the spectators to obtain a side view, which they did not seem
to lake amiss. They were interrupted by the intelligence that the
horscinc^n were coming, whereupon the spectators gave way, aided by
the whips of the overseers. A boy won the prize, which Avas a gold em-
broidered cloiik, the others receiving smaller presents. Foot-racing was
the next performance. From the starting-point to the tent Avas about
a mile, which the winner ran tlirough in the short sj)ace of three minutes.
Here the first prize Avas a silver ruble, the rc:,t Aver»- pieces of cotton
cloth .and smaller presents. When the sports were ended the travelers
returned to the city, and prej)ared for their departure on the morroAV,'

On leaA-ing Orcnbui-g, they resolved to pass urouinl to the northward
of the great sandy steppe of Uynpeski, wliich lies between the Ural and
the Volgji, and is inhabited by Avandering tribes of Cossacks, Khirgises
of the Inner Horde, and Calinucks; but as Humboldt Avished to seo
Uraftk, the chief city of the Uralian Cossacks, they first descended the
Ural to that place. They arrived on the 27th, and remained a day to
autunanal fishincr, and other industrial operations of "

^o»

peopJ

ARRIVAL AT ASTRACHAN.

Tlio prosperity of the Cossacks of the Ural (or Jaik), ia mainly owing
to the productive fisheries of the Ural river, wliich, next to military
occupations, furnish their chief employment; pasturage and agriculture
being but secondary. From Uralsk the travelers turned north-east-
wardly across the mountain steppe of Obschtschcfi Syrt, to IJusuluk,
thence westwardly to the Volga at Samara. In this region Humboldt
found numerous sulphur springs, and waters impregnated with asphaltcs
and Avith salt ; while in many jilaces sidphur is obtained from the earth
in largo quantities. As they descended the Volga, they pjissed through
a number of German colonies on the banks of the river, above and below
Saratoff. From Dubowka they made an excureion to the largo salt-lako
of Elton — called Allan Nor, the Golden Lake, by the Cossacks — situated
in the steppe, seventy mileu eastward of the Volga, and celebrated for
its extensive manutactorics of salt. While examining the waters of tho
lake, they found largo quantities of insects of various kinds, and even
birds, which, having fallen into the lake, were avcU preserved, and fi"om
these Ehrenberg made a good collection of the faima of the region.

Further down the river, at Sarepta, thoy found a colony of Moravian
brethren, established in 1705, wlio carrietl on a considerable traffic, in
their own manufactures, with tho Cossacks. In tho lower districts of tho
Volga they li-equcntly passed tho kihitkas of tho Calmucks, and met tho
people with their herds of horses, sheep and camels. They also passed
one of the temples, in the entrance of which a number of long sticks
stood upright with written prayers Glistened upon them. Tiio prayers of
tho Calmucks are all written in the Tliibetan language, which is always
used by the priests in tlieir rrligioi s rites, although it is quite unintelli-
gible to the people. They ai" usua'ly written on long strips of cotton
cloth, which arc Ihstencd to long s icks that thoy may bo easily agitated,
for the prayers are not read or repeated by the priests in their worship,
but waved as ilags by tho wind, as the Cahnucks believe that tho mov-
ing of the written j)rayer8 is just as eifectual as repeating them. By
these fluttering prayers and the noisy music that proceeded from tho
temple, tho travelers knew that the Cossacks were at worship within,
and, having a desire to see them, they entered. Upon the altar stood
gilded ligurcs of their idols, while glaring pictures of idols hung
upon lb'- walls. Several basins containing fruit, water, dried flesh,
cheese and other offerings, Avere placed before the altar. Between tho
door and tin altar six priest., sat (ace to face upon the floor, the lama or
chief priest being nearest tlic altar, the r/iHonr/s or inferior priests moro
remote. They Avero playing upon a variety of instruments, producing
the strange noise Avhich was heard without. Tho music, or I'ather the
frightful uproar, alternaliMl with a song of like character. At length tho
lama arose, the music ceased, and the priests then spoke to the travelera,
whom they had not belhre heeded.

Humboldt was received with great honor at Astrachan. When ho
arrived, at the ferry on the aflernoou of October 12th, a steamboat, sent

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP HUMBOLDT,

by the Governor-General Ossipoff, was waiting for liim and hia compan-
ions, and amid tl»T firing of cannon they crossed to the city, where a
large crowd was drav/n together by these unusual preparations. Tliey
were conveyed by four-iiorse carriages to the spacious apartments allotted
them, where, on the morrow, Humboldt was waited upon by the digni-
taries of the place and the deputies of all the various nations represented
in the motley population of Astrachan. They were presented by the
governor-general in tlio order of rank. First came the burgomaster,
with the ciders of the mercantile profession, who, according to the Rus-
sian custom, brought the tokens of homage, but instead of common bread
and salt, it Avas a pound-cake, ornamented with the best fruits of Astra-
chan — with grapes, large plums, pears and apples — and salt. Next came
the nobles and the olTicers of the garrison, and then the deputies of tho
Armenians, Persians, Hindoos, Tartars, and others.

Tho travelers found much to interest them in Astrachan, in its diversi-
fied population, in tho bazaars of the various nations and their places of
worship. In one of the temples a fakir sat crouching on the floor with his
chin resting upon his knees, between which tho long white board reached
down to the groimd. He had no clothing but a sheepskin thrown loosely
about him, and had boon sitting thus for fifteen years.

Humboldt obtained a steamboat and proceeded with his companions
to the mouths of tho Volga and tho Caspian Sea, in order to analyze its
waters, to make barometrical measurements, and to obtain specimens of
tho fish. When they had thus seen the most remarkable objects of As-
trachan, and completed their scientific labors, they proceeded to visit the
remarkable Calmuck prince, Sored Dschab, whom Humboldt desired to
see. As he resided near the Volga, fifty miles .above tho city, they made
all propagations for their journey, and sot off from Astrachan on the 21st
of October. The prince sent a largo cavalcade and carriages to the land-
ing, supposing that Iliimboldt traveled in greater state, and received them
with great honor at ais residence, where he entertained them hospitably.
He conducted them to his temple where religious services were per-
formed, showed them Lis horses, his orchard and gardens, and the
distilleries where brandy is manufactured from mare's milk. At his resi-
dence they also met with Dschangir, tho young Khan of the Inner^
Horde of Khirgises. Leaving their Calmuck host they hastened to con-
tinue their homeward journey, for tho weather was cold and winter was
fast approaching. On the next day the country was covered with
snow.

Retracing their course along the Volga as far as Zarizyn, they then
crossed over to tho Don, where Humboldt made his last barometrical
observation, having reference to the relative height of the Caspian Sea,
after which they proceeded by Woronesch, Tula and Moscow, to St. Pe-
torsburgh, where Humboldt's obligations to the government and court
detained him four weeks. The party finally arrived at Berlin on tho
28th of December, 1829. Humboldt had been absent on this expedition

MISSION TO PARIS.

eif'ht months and a half, during wliich he had traveled a distance of be-
tween eleven and twelve thousand miles.

This journey, like the American one, was of great importance to the
science of physical geography. Its results were published in three
works, of which each of the travelers undertook to compose one. Hum-
boldt's " Fragments of Asiatic Geology and Climatology" was the first
to appear. It treats especially of the mountain ridges and volcanoes of
Central Asia, and serves to establish Humboldt's theory, that the vol-
canic activity of the earth is continually decreasing. Bctoro this journey
there existed many erroneous notions of the geography of the interior
of Asia, the connection of the mountain chains, and the character of tho
b>, il and climate, and Humboldt's work, together with his '■''Ade Cen-
trale'''* (first published in Paris in 1843), threw an entirely now light
upon all this region. Another very important result followed this ex-
pedition. In many parts of Siberia 'lumboldt left cardiilly compared
thermometers, in the hands of competent and intelligent j)ersons, and
awakened tho taste for these measurements and comparative experi-
ments, especially among the Russian mining Kuperintendents of tho Ural
mountains. In addition to this, at his suggestion, tho Imperial Academy
of St. Petersburg, with the emperor's concurrence, established at dif-
ferent points, throughout the entire extent of tho Russian empire, a
regular system of observations on the daily changes in the state of tho
barometer, thermometer, and hygrometer, on the temperature of tho
soil, the direction of tho wind, and the moisture of tho atmosphere.
During the twelve years which elapsed between the publication of his
"Asiatic Fragments" (1831), and his "Central Asia" (1813), Humboldt
was in constant communication with Russia, and was regularly furnished
with tho results of the svstem of observation which he had instituted.
Notwithstanding the varied and iinportant contributions to physical
science which he was thus enabled to aftbrd, he felt that ho was not
compensated for the relinquishment of his long-cherished plan of visiting
Persia, Thibet, and India. Now, in his old age, ho declares that ho
regrets nothing bo much as that ho did not carry out tho project, Avhcn
it was first made.

HUMBOLDT'S LATKR TEARS.

In September, 1830, Humboldt Avas sent to Paris by Frederic Wil-
liam HI., with the diplomatic mission to acknowledge Louis Philippe
and the new dynasty. He was also sent a second time in February,
1831, and on his return the following autumn, appears to have visited
Weimar, and spent a few hours with Goethe, who was then in his eighty-
first year, and whose death occurred in less than six months afterward.
In the year 1 835 he was called upon to mourn the loss of his brother,
who died on the 8th of April, and whose literary executor he became.

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF HUMBOLDT.

Thenceforth he resiilccl mostly in IJcrlin, devoting himself entirely to
Bcicncc, and to the ai rangemont, revision, and publication of Iiiu brotli-
cr'a manuscripts. Ilia ^Vsialic works occuj)ied the principal part of his
time, and occasioned an extensive corrosj)ondenco with hi.s friends in
liussia and Paris, besides which he superintended the labors of others
who worked under his direction. In tho year 1810, he jtidilished u dis-
sertation on his ascent of Chhnborazo, and on the mean elevation of tho
different continents, and also recomnieneed the work, which had been
interrupted in 18:18 — his universal physical descripliun of the world un-
der the title of ''Kosmos," whith he now continued on a more extended
plan. In January, 1812, the Kuig, Frederic William IV., sunnnoni'd
him from these labors, with tho connnand to accompany the court to
London, to attend the christening of the I'rinco of Wales. In England
he was treated with distinguished honor. After their return to Uerlin,
tho king instituted a peace class of tho Order of ]\Icrit (Ibunded by
Frederic the (Jreat only as a military order), for the purpose of decorat-
ing the greatest scholars and artists, as a 8ynd)ol of roysd favor. Tho
number was lunited to thirty, and Humboldt, as the greatest living
scholar, was apiiointed (irand Chancellor of the order.

Since 18-12, Humboldt has remained in JJerlin, devoting all the timo
which he can spare from his attendance at court to tho prepanition and
publication of his "Koamos," which he leaves behind him as his last and
richest scientitic legacy to the world. Ho presents a nunarkable picture
of Iiale, active, and productive old age. I'ossesscd of that elaslie tem-
perament which resists the elfects of elimato and physical hardship, and
which is totally independent of the laws of stature or muscular strength,
his faculties seem scarcely less vigorous than in tho prime of life, while
his interest in the progress of scientillc investigation and discovery, is as
lively as ever. Professor Klcncke, in his biography of Humboldt, writ-
ten in the year 1849, gives the following description of the grand old
veteran, .is ho then appeared :

" HumboMt now lives wlierever liis royal friend lives. There arc
apartments for him in lierlin, I'otsdam, in all tho royal palaces, and not
a day passes that he docs not see tho king. In spite of his eighty-one
years, he works unweariedly in those hours which arc not occupied by
the court ; ho is active and punctual in his immense correspondence,
ind answers every letter of the humblest scholar with the most amiable
aifability. The inhabitants of Uerlin and Potsdam all know him per-
sonall), and show him as much honor as they show the king. With a
slow but firm step, a thoughtful liead, rather bent forward, whoso
features arc benevolent with a dignified expression of noblo calmness,
either looking down or politely responding to tho greetings of the
passers-by with kindness and without pride ; in a simple dress, frequently
holding a pamphlet m his hand, resting on his back, so he wanders
through the streets of Berlin, alone and unostentatiously, a noble picture
of a blade of wheat bending beneath the weight of its numerous rich

PRESENT POSITION.

golden cars. Wliorcvcr ho appears lio is rcoclved with tokens of uni-
versal cstocni. TIiosc who pass, timidly step aside for fear of distmhiiig
hiiU in liis lhoii;;chts ; even the worlvinLj num looks respcetfuUy aller iiitn,
uikI says to Ills neighbor : 'There goes Humboldt!' And whoever has
had the happiness of eonversing with him, never forgets the foree of his
lucid, simple, natural, and unatleeted conversation, for in every thing he
Bays, depth an<l learning, clearness and unbouiuled knowledge, are
revealed without any of the pride of learning, the stiff jtedantry and
preeiscncss of many (Jerman men of science. IlumboUlt has evidently
been educated in the highest society; his manner is dignified, open, un-
affected, and frank ; \w has Hved with all nations, and adopted and
united in himself the advantages of all."

Tliis picture is true at the present day, when h\x years have been
added to his venerable ago. 1 le is still in correspondence with acien-
tilic men in all parts of the world, and frc(|uently reads their letters
aloud at the table of the king. He is erpially alive to the political
aspects of the different nations, and suffers no circumstance of their
material development to escape his attention. Though the friend and
equal of a king, he is thoroughly liberal and progressive in his ideas, and
there are few grander instances of individual independence on record,
than the fact of liis voting the liberal ticket at the polls in Berlin, in the
year 1855. Few men have lived more fortunate lives than he: few have
ever lefl behind them a n()l)ler monument of industry, zeal and genius.
Humboldt has been especially favored by I'rovidencc, from his very
cradle, irnlike the majority of distinguished men, he was not obliged to
contend with poverty or adverse circumstances; he never know that
physical and spiritual prostration which springs from the impatience of
unacknowledged powers. And it is his highest merit that with worldly
circumstances so fa\orable, he did nt)t give way to the charms and in-
dulgences of his aristocratic jiosition, that ho did not fall into the ego-
tism of high birth, nor the pride of idleness, but in all periods of his life
followed the true impulses of his natiu-e, and made himself the self-
eacrideing servant of science, for the good of mankind. Rejecting all
the comforts Avhich ho inherited, and the distinguished society into
which he was thrown, ho cheerfully sacrificed his property, and sub-
jected himself to the greatest dangers and privations in his endeavors to
investigate the phenomena of nature, and obtain a knowledge of the
laws which govern the world.

May the growing and stUl brightening orb of hia life be rotmdcd to
a century of years I

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MUNGO PARK'S

TRAVELS IN WESTERN AFRICA

MuNGO Park, one of the first and bravest of the many travelers who
have devoted themselves to the exploration of the course of the river
Niger, Avas born on the 10th of September, 1771, at Fowlshiels, on the
banks of the Yarrow, in Scotland. His father was a farmer, who was
blessed with thirteen other children, but was fortunately able to give
young Mungo a tolerable education, and to apprentice him to a surgeon
at Selkirk, in his fifteenth year. In 1789, Park entered the University
of Edinburg, and applied himself with great assiduity to the studies
connected with his profession. His summer vacations, during gne of
which he made a tour to the Highlands, were devoted to botany.

After having completed his education he removed to London, hoping
to establish himself there in business as a surgeon. Through his brother-
in-law, Mr. Dickson, he had the good fortune to become acquainted with
Sir Joseph Banks, the patron of so many travelers, and through whose
recommendation he was appointed surgeon to the ship Worcester, an
East Indiaman.* In this capacity he made a voyage to Bcneoolen, in
Sumatra, and on his return communicated a paper to the "Linnsean
Transictions," containing descriptions of eight new fishes of that island.
About this time the African Association, of which Sir Jose^i^ Banks was
a very active and zealous member, was desirous of engaging a person
to replace Mrjor Ilonghton, who, it was feared, had fallen a saux See to
the climate, or perished in some contest with the natives. Park at once
ofiered Ids services, which, after some deli' eration, were accepted, and
the Association fitted him out in the most liberal manner. On the 2 2d
of May, 1795, he sailed from Portsmouth ir the hrig JEndeavor. His
instructions, he says, were very plain and concise. He was directed, on
his arrival in Africa, " to pass on to the river Niger, either by the way

* The Eurgeon attached to the Peninsular and Oriental Company's steamer Madras, in
which I sailed from Southampton to Gibraltar, in November, 1862, was Dr. Mungo Park,
a nephew of the traveler.— B. T.

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP MUNGO PARK.

of Bambouk or by such other route as should bo found most, convenient ;
that I should ascertain the course, and, if possible, the rise and termina-
tion of the river ; that I should use my utmost exertions to visit tho
principal towns or cities in its neighborhood, particularly Timbuctoo and
Iloussa ; and that I should afterward be at liberty to return to Europe,
either by the way of the Gambia, or by such other route as under all tho
then existing circumstances of my situation and prospects should appear
to me to be most advisable."

On the 21st of June, after a voyage of thirty days, he arrived at Jil-
lifica, a town on the northern bank of the Gambia, in the kingdom of
Barra, From this place, after a stay of two days, he proceeded up the
Gambia, in the waters of which were found j^rodigious numbers of fish
of unknown species, together with alligators and hippopotami, who' c
teeth furnish excellent ivory. Park, having quitted tho Endeavor at
Jonkakonda, proceeded thence by land, and reaching Pisania, a small
British factory in the King of Yam's dominions, on the 5th of July took
up his residence at the house of Dr. Laidlcy, until ho should bo able to
prosecute his journey into the interior.

His first care was to render himself master of the Mandingo language,
which in that part of Africa is in general use, and to collect from every
source within his power information respecting the countries he was
about to visit. In the language his progress deiiended on his own appli-
cation ; but he soon found that little or no reliance could be jilaced on
the accounts of the interior furnished liim by the natives, who, on tho
most material points, were frequently in direct contradiction with each
other. His anxiety to examine and judge for himself was therefore in-
creased. However, besides that the rainy season, which had now com-
menced, rendered traveling impracticable, another equally insuperable
bar to the speedy prosecution of his journey quickly presented itself.
In observing on the 31st of July an eclipse of the moon, ho imprudently
exposed himself to the night dew, and next day he found himself at-
tacked bj' fever and delirium, the commencement of an illness that with
a very trifling intermission confined him during two months within
doors.

Having been disappointed in his expectations of proceeding with a
slave caravan toward Bambarra, Park departed from Pisania on the 2d
of December, 11^5. He had been provided with a negro sci-vant, named
Johnson, who had been many years in Great Britain, and understood
both the English and Mandingo languages; and with a negro boy,
named Demba, the property of Dr. Laidley, who, as the highest induce-
ment of good behavior, promised him his freedom on his return. Be-
sides these Park was accompanied by four other persons, who, though
independent of his control, were made to understand that their safe re-
turn to the countries on the Gambia would depend on our traveler's
preservation. Eis equipment was by no means magnificent : a horse for
himself, two asses for his servants, provisions for two days, a small assort-

at-

led

lood

Joy,

liice-

IBc-

igh

re-

ler's

for
|ort«

JOURNEY TO THE INTERIOR.

ment of beads, amber, and tobacco, a few changes of linen and other
apparel, an umbrella, a pocket sextant, a magnetic compass, a ther-
mometer, two fowUng-pieces, two pair of pistols, and some other small
articles. His friends at Pisania accompanied him during the iii two
days, and then, dismissing him on his way, took their leave, sc etly
persuaded that they Avould never see him more.

He had scarcely lost sight of his Europeaji friends, and ridden off
musing and somewhat melancholy into the woods, when a body of black
people presented themselves in a clamorous manner before him, demand-
ing custom dues, in default of which they threatened to carry him before
their king. To escape from this honor, which might have proved a
costly one, Park presented them with a little tobacco, upon which they
were contented, and he was allowed to proceed. On reaching Medina,
the capital of Woolli, he judged it prudent to present himself at the
king's levee, when the benevolent old chief not only granted him i)er-
mission to traverse his dominions, but assured him that ho would offer
up prayers for his safety, partly to secure which he furnished hhn with a
trusty guide.

Having safely reached the frontiers of the Woolli dominions. Park dis-
missed his guide ; and being about to enter a country interspersed Avith
deserts, in Avhich water is frequently not to be procured, he hired three
negroes, experienced elephant-hunters, who were at once to serve as
guides and w.ater-bearcrs. While he was preparing to depart, however,
one of these negroes, who had all received apart of their pay in advance,
made his escape ; and lest the remaining two should bo disposed to fol-
low his example, he immediately gave orders to fill their calabashes with
water, and struck off into the wilderness, just as the sun was ai)pearing
above the horizon. After crossing the first desert, they reached Talika,
the frontier town of Bondou toward Woolli, where Park engaged a
kind of custom-house officer to accompany him for a trifling present to
Fatteconda, the residence of the king. On liis arrival at Fattceonda
he was received by the black chief with much apparent kindness, though
Major Houghton, ho had heard, in his passage through the country, had
been both insulted and plundered by this same man. It is true the king was
so completely captivated by Park's best blue coat and gilt buttons, that
he could not resist the temptation to beg it ; but ho endeavored in some
measure to remunerate him for the loss by a present of five drachms of
gold, and by altogether abstaining from examining his baggage, or exact-
ing any other present than what was voluntarily bestowed.

The territories of these petty African chiefs, who are complaisantly de-
nominated kings, arc exceedingly limited in extent. Your road con-
ducts you to-day through one kingdom, to-morrow through another,
and the next day through a third ; which, of all those circurastances
that obstruct the movements of the traveler in Africa, is, perhaps, the
most vexatious and the most difficult to overcome ; as the rapacity of
'the first chiefs who lie in his way deprives him of the power of satisfying

LIFR AND TRAVELS OF MUNGO PARK.

the equal rnpiicity of the remainder. Ilenco, Park traveled in a perpet-
ual st ato o'' captivity. Ho was never, unless when far removed Irom hu-
man society by woods or deserts, completely master of his own actions, or
sufficiently respected to render it possible for him to contemplate the
superior classes, even of these savages, from a proper level.

Park left Fattcconda on the 23d of December. " In the afternoon,"
says ho, " my iellow-travclers informed me, that as this was the bound-
ary between Jiondou and Kajaaga, and dangerous for travelers, it
would be necessary to continue our journey by night, luitil we should
reach a more hospitable part of the country. I agreed to the pro-
j)osal, and hired two men for guides through the woods, and as soon as
the people of the village were gone to sleep (the moon shining bright)
Me set out. The stillness of the air, the howhng of the wild beasts, and
the deep solitude of the forest made the scene solemn and impressive.
Not a word was uttered by any of us but in a whisper ; all Averc atten-
tive, and every one anxious to show his sagacity by pointing out to me
the wolves and hyenas as they glided like shadows from one thicket to
another. Toward morning we arrived at a village called Ivimmoo, when
our guides awakened one of their acquaintance, and Ave stopped to give
our asses some corn, and roast a few ground-nuts for ourselves. At day-
light we resumed our journey, and in the afternoon arrived at Joag in
the kingdom of Kajaaga."

On arriving at Joag Park — who had taken up liis residence at the
house of the dooty, or chief man of the town, a rigid but hospitable Mo-
hammedan — was favored Avith an opportunity of observing the genuine
character of the negro. " The same evening," says he, " Madiboo, the
bushreen Avho had a(!Companied me from Plsania, Avent to pay a visit to
his father and mother, Avho dAvelt at a neighboring toAvn called Drama-
net. He AA'as joined by my other attendant, the blacksmith ; and as soon
as it Avas dark, I AA'as invited to see the sports of the inhabitants, it bemg
their custom, on the arrival of strangers, to Avelcome them by diversions
of diiTercnt kinds. I found a great crowd surrounding a party Avhowerc
dancing by the light of some large fires to the music of four drums, Avhich
Avere boat Avith great exactness and uniformity. The dances, however,
consisted more in wanton gestures than in muscular exertion or gracefa^
altitudes.

At Joag, Avhile preparing to advance on his journey, he was suddenly
honored Avith a visit from the king's son, accompanied by a troop of
horse, avIio, pretending that by entering his father's dominions he had
forfeited the Avhole of his property, insisted upon examining his merchan-
dise, of Avhich he seized upon the moiety. Of the remnant that remained,
particularly a little amber and a few beads, which he had succeeded in
concealing, he Avas now so fearful of producing any portion, even for the
purchase of food, lest he should once more aAA'aken the cupidity of the
authorities, that both he and his attendants determined on combating
hunger for the day, " and Avait some opportunity of purchasing or beg-

AFRICAN CUSTOMS.

gmtf provisions." In tliis cxtroniity, while ho was sitting down chewing
Htr.aws, .1 ti'nialo shavo, Avho observed him in passing by, was moved with
compassion, and presented him with a quantity of grouml-mUs, which
was a very seasonable supply. Scarcely had the old woman left him. be-
fore he received information that the nephew of the Kuig of Kasson, who
liad been sent by his uncle on an embassy to the King of Kajaaga, .and
was now returning to his own country, w.as about to pay him a visit.
lie came accordingly, .and iipon Park's representing to him his situation
and distresses, kindly oft'ered to be his guide and protector as tiir ijs Kas-
son. With him, therefore, our traveler now continued his route to the
banks of the Senegal, upon crossing which, his royal guide, who, like
other guides, required a present for his services, informed liuu they were
in his uncle's doniinions, and in complete p.afety.

Safe or not safe, however, Park soon found that the stranger .and the
tr.aveler were nowhere beyond the reacli of extortion. Half of tlu; llttlo
property which had escaped the fangs of the Kajaaga i)eople, Avas here
taken from him. Ho Avas then permitted to depart. Among the honest
negroes Avith Avhom he Jiad set out from Pis.ania, on the (lambia, there
Avas a blacksmith from the interior, Avho, having amassed some little
money npon the coast, was noAV returning to spend the remainder of his
days in his native land. Shortly after quitting Teesee, the last place
AA'here our traveler had submitted to legal robbery, he and his compan-
ions came within sight of the blacksmith's village. The news of his re-
turn, had, it seems, preceded him. His brother, accompanied by a sing-
ing-man, came forth to w(tlcomo the Avanderer home, and brought along
AA'ith him a horse, that the blacksmith " might enter his native town in a
dignified manner." Park and his companions Avere desired to put a good
charge of poAA'der into their guns. The singing-man led the way ; the
two brothers followed ; aiid the cav.alcade Avas quickly johied by a con-
siderable number of the inhabitants, Avho, by extravagant gestures and
songs of triumph, testified their joy at the return of their toAA'nsman.
" AVhen avo arrived at the blacksmith's place of residence, avo dismounted,
and fired our muskets. The meeting betAveen him and his relations Avas
A'ery tender ; for these rude children of nature, freed from restiaint, dis-
play their emotions hi the strongest and most expressive manner. Amid
these transports, the blacksmith's aged mother was led forth, leaning
npon a staff. Every one made Avay for her ; and she stretched out her
hand to bid her son Avelcome. Being totally blind, she stroked his
hands, .and .arms, .and face Avith gre.at care, and seemed highly delighted
that her latter days were blessed by his return, and that her ears once
more heard the music of his voice. From this interview, I AV.as con-
vhiced, that AA'hatever difference there is between the Negro .and Euro-
pean in the conformation of the nose, and the color of their skin, there is
none in the genuine sympathies and characteristic feelings of our com-
mon natui'o.

" During the tumult of these congratulations, I had seated myself

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP MUNOO PARK.

I ^

apart, by the side of ono of the huts, bcinj? unwilling to intorrnpt the
flow of filial and parental tundornoss ; and t!io attention of the company
was 80 entirely taken up with the blacksmith, that I believe none of liis
friends had observed me. When all the people present had seated them-
selves, the blacksmith was desired by his lather to give some accoxmt of
his adventures ; and silence being commanded ho began ; and sStv.r re-
peatedly thanking God for the success that liad attended him, ri'lated
every material occurrence that had happened to him from his leaving
Kassou to his arrival at the Gambia ; his employment and success in
those parts ; and the dangers he had escaped in returning to his native
country. In the latter part of his narration, he had frequent occasion to
mention me ; and after many strong expressions concerning my kindness
to him, he pointed to the place where I sat, and exclaimed, Aj/ille ibi
siring (see him sitting there). In a moment all eyes were turned upon
me. I appeared like a being dropped from the clouds ; every one was
surprised that they had not observed me before ; and a few women and
children expressed great uneasiness at being so near a 'inan of such an
uncommon appearance. By degrees, however, their apprehensions sub-
sided, and when the blacksmith assured them I was perfectly inoffensive,
some of them ventured so far as to examine the texture of my clothes;
but many of them were still very suspicious, and when by accident I
happened to move myself, or look at the young children, their mothers
would scamper off with them with the greatest precipitation. In a few
hours, however, they all became reconciled to me."

With those honest people Park remained during the whole of that
day and the next, and then, accompanied by the worthy blacksmith, who
declared that he would not quit him duiing his stay in that part of the
country, set forward toward Kooniakary. On his arrival at this city he
obtained an audience of the king, a fine old man, who, for his conduct
both in peace and war, was greatly beloved by his subjects. His beha-
vior toward the stranger was not inconsistent with his character. He
informed him with apparent regret, that the direct route to Bambarra
was about to be closed by war ; but, after vainly advising his guest to
retrace his footsteps, added, that there yet remained some hopes of
peace, respecting the validity of which ho should be able to pronounce
an opinion in the course of four or five days. In the mean while he in-
vited Park to remain in the neighborhood.

On the 1st of February, 1796, the king's messenger returned from
the contiguous kingdom of Kaarta, bringing intelligence that the Bam-
barra army had not yet entered the country, and that it was possible the
traveler might be enabled to traverse it before the invasion should take
place. Accordingly, being provided with two guides by the king, Park
took leave of his friend the blacksmith, and set forward on his dangerous
journey. The country, at all times thickly peopled, now swarmed with
fugitives, whom the fear of the Bambarrans had terrified from their
homes. The scenery in many places was romantically wild. " On com-

ADVENTURE WITH TWO NATIVES.

from
Bam-
le the
take
Park
eroua
with
theur
com-

ing in sight of tho mountains of Footailo, wo traveled," says Park, " with
grout difiiculty down a stony and abrupt precipice, and odiitinued our
way in the bed of a dried river-course, where the trees meeting over our
heads, made the place dark and cool. In a little time wo reached the
bottom of this romantic glen ; and about ten o'clock emerged from be-
tween two rocky hills, and found ourselves on the level and sandy plains
of Kaarta. At noon we arrived at a korree, or watering-place, where,
for a fow strings of beads, I purchased as much milk and corn-meal as
we could eat ; and indeed provisions are here so cheap, and the shep-
herds live in such affluence, that they seldom ask any return for what
refreshment a traveler receives from them."

From this place, havuig prevailed upon his landlord, a IVIohammoihxn
negro, to accompany him as a guide to Kemmoo, Park set Ibrward on
the 11th of February. lie observes, "We had no sooner got into a
dark and lonely part of the first wood, than he made a sign lor us to
stop ; and taking hold of a hollow piece of bamboo that hung as an
amulet round his neck, whistled very loud three times. I confess I was
somewhat startled, thinking it was a signal for some of his companions
to come and attack us ; but he assured me it was done merely Avith a
view to ascertain what success we were likely to meet with on our pres-
ent journey. He then dismounted, laid his spear across the road, and
having said a number of short prayers, concluded with three loud Avhis-
tles ; after which he listened for some time, as if in expectation of an
answer, and receiving none, told us we might proceed without fear, for
there was no danger."

Adventures now ai)pcared to crowd upon the party. Tlie country
through which their road lay being thickly sprinkled with wild fruit-trees,
they amused themselves, as they rode slowly along, with picking and eat-
ing the fruit, "In this pursuit," says Park, "I had wandered a little
from my people, and being uncertain whether they were before or behind
me, I hastened to a rising groimd to look about me. As I was proceed-
ing toward this eminence, two negro horsemen, armed with muskets,
came galloping from among the bushes. On seeing them I made a full
stop ; the horsemen did the same ; and all three of us seemed equally
surprised and confounded at this interview. As I approached them their
fears increased, and one of them, after casting on me a look of horror,
rode oflf at full speed ; the other, in a panic of fear, put his hand over his
eyes, and continued muttering prayers until his horse, seemingly without
his rider's knowledge, co. veyed him slowly after his companion. About
a mile to the westward they fell in with my attendants, to whom they
related a frightful story. It seems their fears had dressed me in the
flowing robes of a tremendous spirit ; and one of them aflirmed, that
when I made my appearance, a cold blast of wind came pouring down
upon him from the sky, like so much cold water."

Shortly after this they arrived at the capital of Kaarta, where he was
an object of such extraordinary curiosity to the populace — ^the majority

100

LIKE AMD TRAVELS OF MUNOO PARK.

ol' uliom had never l)e(()n' ween a Mliite man — that lliev luiivt lori'ildy
iiitii his hut, crowd atler crowd. Those who inid heheld the iiioiistor
gave way to tliose who liad not, until, as he ohserves, the hut was lllled
and eiM|)tii'il thirteen dillercnt times. Here he found that the war with
Jiauiliarra hail actually connneiu'ed ; that all conimunicatiou lii'tween the
countries had consc(jUcntly ceased; and that, if it was liis (h'termination
to ))ersevere, it wouUl be necessary to take a circuitous route through
the Moorish kiii;^(h»ni of liudaiuar. The ])eoi»le of Kaarla were ^foham-
niedaus; hut instead of the line sonorous voice of tiie nnie/ziu, liy wliich
the liiithful are elsewhere summoned to their devotions, the hour of
prayer was hvn' aiuu)Uiiced by the beating of drums, and blowing
througli large elt>iihant's teeth, hollowed out in such a manner as to
resendile l)ugle-horns. The sound of thes(> horns Park thought meloiii-
ous, and approacliing nearer to the human v«.>ice than any other ailifuial
souiul. IJeing very desirous to depart from the seat of war, he presented
his horse-j)istoIs and holsters to the king; and on i)ressing ti> be dis-
missed, received in return an escort of eight horsemen to conduct him to
Jarra. Three of the king's sons, with two liuntlred liorscmon, kindly im-
dertook to accomjiauy him a little way on his journey.

On his arrival at Jarra, in the kingdom o[' Ludainar, he dispatched a
messenger to Ali who was then encamped near IJeuowm, solicit iug permis-
sion to pass nnmolosted through liis territories; and having waited four-
t(>en days for his reply, a slave at length arrived from the chief, aflirming
that he had been instructi'd to conduct the traveler in safety as far as
Goomba. Ilis negro, Johnson, iiere refused to follow him any further,
and signified his intention of j)ushing back Avithout delay to Gambia ;
upon which Park, fearful of the success of his enterprise, intrusted him
with a copy of his Journal, reserving another for himself, directing him
to deliver the i)apers to the English on the coast. A portion of his bag-
gage and apparel he committed to the care of a slave-merchant at Jarra,
who was kiu)wn to Dr. Laidley. lie then departed, with his slaved)oy,
accomjianied by the chief^s messenger. On the road he was robbed once
more by the floors, avIio added insult to violence ; and Avhen ho was
nearly jterishing from thirst, beat away his faithful slave from the wells,
without permitting him to draw water.

However, after much fatigue and extraordinary privations, thoy
arrived in Ali's camp at llenowm, where Park Avas inunediately sur-
rounded by croAvds of fanatical i\roors, attracted partly from curiosity,
partly from a desire to vent their fierce zeal against a Christian. " My
arrival," says ho, " was no sooner observed than the people, Avho dreAV
AA\atcr at the Avells, threw doAvn their buckets ; those in the tents mounted
theii- horses, and men, women, and children came rniming or galloping
toAvard me. I soon found myself sui-roundcd by sucli a crowd, that I
could scarcely move; one pulled my clothes, another took oft' my hat;
a third stopped me to examine my Avaistcoat buttons, and a fourth called
out ' La illah il, allah, Mohammed rossool allah (there is no God but

SULTAN ALTS CAMP.

101

sjj liim

biig-

iirra,

>-l)oy,

once

Avas

■wells,

they
Bur-
losity,
"My
drcAV
iinted
oping
hat I

hut ;

ailed

[ but

B U L T A N A L i S TENT A T B B N () \V M .

AH now, with the base idea of insulting an unprotected stranger,
ordered a wild boar to be brought in, -which he signified his desire that
Park should kill and eat. This, well knowing their religious prejudices,
he, of course, refused to do ; upon which the boys A\ho led in the boar
Avere commanded to let it loose upon him, the Moors supposing that
there exists an inveterate feud between pigs and Christians, and that it
Avould immediately run upon and gore him. The bi^ar, however, was
more magnjuiimous. Scorning to attack a defenseless foreigner, he no
sooner found himself at liberty than, brandishing liis tusks at the natives,
he rushed at them indiscriminately, and then, to complete their conster-
nation, took shelter imder the very couch upon Avhich the tyrant was sit-
ting. This bold j)roceeding of the unclean beast dissolved the assembly,
and the traveler was led away to the tent of a slave, ui front of which.

God, .ind Mohammod is liis ])rophet), and signHicd, in a threatening
maimer, that I must r-peat those words. W'v n.-iched at length ihc
king's tent, where we foimd a great nundjer of people, men, wonu'n, and
children, assembled. Ali was silting on a black leathe.ii cushion, clip-
ping a il'W hairs from his upper lip — a female attendant holding up a j
looking-glass bi'Tore him. lie appeared to be an old man of the Arab
caste, with a long white bearil, and he had a sullen ami indignant aspect. '
He Nurvt'yed me with attention, and iiiipiired of the floors if I could '
speak Aruliie ; and being answered in the negative, he appeared much
surprised, and contimuul silent. The surrounding attendants, anil particu-
larly the ladii's, were abundantly nu)re inipiisitive ; thi'y asked a thousand
questions, inspected every part of my apparel, searched my pockets, and
obliged me to unbutton my waistcoat and disjilay the whiteness of my
skin ; they even counted my toes and ilngors, as if they doubted whether
I was in truth a human behig."

102

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP MUNGO PARK.

not being permitted to enter, he received a little food. Here he like-
Avise passed the night, lying upon the sand, surrounded by the curious
multitude. Next day, a Ijut, constructed with corn-stalks, was given to
him, but the boar, which liad been recaptured, was tied to a stake in
the end of it, as his fittest companion.

By degrees, however, the Moors began to conceive that the Christian
might, in one way or another, be rendered useful, but could thmk of no
better employment for him than that of a barber. In this capacity he
made hia first attempt, in the royal presence, on the head of the yoimg
prince of Ludamar. This dignified oflice he had no great desire to mo-
nopolize, and his unskillfulness in performing the operation, for he almost
at the outset made an incision in the young prince's head, quickly re-
duced him once more to the rank of a common mortal. Ali seemed by
no means desirous, however, of dispensing altogether with his services,
wishing, perhaps, to preserve him fi"om the same motives which induce
us to preserve a wild beast; and, therefore, to render his escape the
more impracticable, took possession of the whole of his baggage, includ-
ing his gold, amber, watch, and one of his pocket compasses, the other
he had fortunately buried in the sand composing the floor of his hut.
The gold and amber were highly gratifying to Moorish avarice, but the
pocket compass soon became an object of superstitious curiosity. " Ali
was very desirous to be informed why that small piece of iron, the needle,
always pointed to the Great Desert, and I found myself somewhat puz-
zled to answer the question. To have pleaded my ignorance would have
created a suspicion that I wished to conceal the real truth from him ; I
therefore told him that my mother resided far beyond the sands of Sa-
hara, and that while she was alive the piece of iron would always point
that way, and serve as a guide to conduct me to her ; and that if she was
dead it would point to her grave. Ali now looked at the compass with
redoubled amazement, turned it round and round repeatedly, but ob-
serving that it always pointed the same way, he took it up with great
caution and returned it to me, manifesting that he thought there was
something of magic in it, and that he was afraid of keei)ing so danger-
ous an instrument in his possession."

It now began to be debated between Ali and hia advisers what should
be done with their prisoner. Their decisions were very dissimilar. Some
were of opinion that he should be put to death, others that he should
merely lose his right hand, while a third party thought that his eyes
ought to be put out. Ali himself, however, determined that matters
should remain as they were until his queen Fatima, then in the north,
had seen him. Meanwhile all these reports were related to our traveler,
and tended not a little to distress and agitate his mind. His demand to
be permitted to depart was formally refiised. The acomnulated horrors
of his situation, united with the want of food and sleep, at length brought
on a fever, by which his life was endangered. But his persecution fi-om
the Moors did not therefore cease. They plucked his cloak from him,

1 ' 1 • » » «

vr /

Some

i eyes

altera

lorth,

veler,

ndto

)rrors

)ught

from

him,

MOORISH TYRANNY.

103

they overwhehned him with insult8, they tortured him like some fero-
cious animal, for their amusement, and when, to escape from this detest-
able thraldom, he crawled away to a short distance from the camp, he
was forced back by menaces and violence.

At length, after more than a month's detention at Benowm, he was
commanded to follow Ali to the northern encampment of Bubaker, on
the skirts of the Great Desert, and on the way endured the extreiaity
of himger, thirst, and fatigue. Upon arriving at Bubaker, he was shown
as a strange animal to Fatima, who, though far from being exempt from
the Moorish prejudices agauist a Christian, or in any remai-kable degree
disposed to humanity, still treated him with somewhat greater lenity
than the lest of the Moors; and, upon the departure of her husband for
Jarra, not only obtained him permission to join the party, but prevailed
upon the tyrant to restore him his horse, saddle, and bridle, together
with a part of his apparel. His faithful black boy, Demba, however,
was taken from him, notwithstanding his animated remonstrances to Ali,
who, upon his pressing the point rather warmly, only replied, that if he
did not instantly mount his horse and depart he should share the fate of
his slave. " There is sometliing in the frown of a tyrant," says Park,
" which rouses the most secret emotions ot the heart. I could not sup-
press my feelings, and for once entertained an indignant wish to rid the
world of such a iixonster. Poor Demba was not less affected than my-
self; he had formed a strong attachment toward me, and had a cheer-
fulness of disposition which often beguiled the tedious hours of captivity.
He Mas likewise a proficient in the Bambarra tongue, and promised, on
that account, to be of great use to me in future. But it was in vain to
expect any thing favorable to humanity from a people who are strangers
to its dictates. So, having shaken hands with this unfortunate boy, and
blended my teara with his, assuring him, however, I Avould do my best
to redeem him, I saw him led off by three of All's slaves toward the
camp of Bubaker."

Upon his arrival at Jarra, where he was shortly afterward transferred
by Ali to tyrants of a lower grade, his condition, far from being im-
proved, was only rendered the more intolerable. The city itself, more-
over, Avas in a state of the utmost confusion. Male' *ents from Kaarta
having taken refuge there, had recently made an incursion into their
native country, carried off a large quantity of plunder, and thus drawn
the vengeance of their king against the city. All those who had reason
to dread his rewentment were now, therefore, preparing to fly into Bam-
barra ; and Park, whose route lay in the same direction, became exceed-
ingly desirous of effecting his escape from the Moors, that he might seize
upon this fortimate occasion of fulfilling the object of his mission.
" Their departure," says he, speaking of the black fugitives, " was very
affectbg : the women and children crying, the men suUen and dejected,
and all of them looking back with regret on their native to^vn ; and on
the wells and rocks beyond which their ambition had never tempted

104

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF MUNGO PARK.

them to stray, and where they had laid all their plans of future happiness,
all of which they were now forced to abandon, and to seek shelter among
strangers."

Hoping to escape in this confused throng, he mounted his horse, and
taking a bag of corn before him, rode slowly off along with the towns-
people. On their arrival at Queira, a village at no great distance from
the city. Park began to flatter himself that he had really eluded the
vigilance of his persecutors, but before the agreeable idea had got a firm
footing in his mind, he saw All's chief slave, accompanied by four Moors,
ari'ive, and take up their lodgings with the dooty. Johnson, Park's
interpreter (who had been seized by All's order before ho could leave
Jarra), suspecting the design of this visit, sent two boys to overhear
their conversation, by which means he learned that it was their intention
to carry Park back to Bubaker. Upon this he at once came to the des-
perate resolution to effect that very night his deliverance from his pur-
suers, or to perish in the attempt. Johnson, who applauded this deter-
mination, but wanted the courage to imitate it, was nevertheless exceed-
ingly Avell disposed to aid in effecting his master's escape. He therefore
undertook to keep watch upon the movements of the enemy, while Park
was preparing for flight. About midnight he got all his api)arel in readi-
ness, which consisted of two shirts, two pair of trousers, two pocket-
handkerchiefs, an upper and under waistcoat, a liat, a pair of half boots,
and a cloak. Besides these things he had not in his possession a single
bead or any other article with which to purchase food for himseltj or
provender for his horse. " About daybreak, Johnson, who had been
listening to the Moors all night, came," says he, " and whispered to me
that they were all asleep. The awful crisis was now arrived when I was
again either to taste the blessings of freedom, or languish out my days
m captivity. A cold sweat moistened my forehead as T thought of the
dreadful alteniative, and reflected that one way or the other, my fiite
must be decided m the course of the ensuing day. But to deliberate
was to lose the only chance of escaping. So taking up my bundle, I
stepped gently over the negroes who were sleephig in the open air, and,
havuig mounted my horse, I bade Johnson farewell, desiring him to take
particular care of my papers I had intrusted him with, and uiform my
friends in Gambia that he had left me in good health on my way to Bam-
barra. I proceeded with great caution, surveying each bush, and fre-
quently listening and looking behind me for the Moorish horsemen, until
I was about a mile from the town, when I was surprised to find myself
in the neighborhood of a korree, belonging to the Moors. The shepherds
followed me for about a mile, hooting and throwing stones after me ;
and when I was out of their reach, and had begun to indulge the pleas-
ing hope of escaping, I was again greatly alarmed to hear somebody
halloo behind me, and, looking back, I saw three Moors on horseback
coming after me at full speed, whooping and brandishing their double-
barrel guns. I knew it was hi vain to think of escaping, and therefore

days
f the

fate
crate
lie, I

and,
take

>am-

fre-

J until

[yself

lerds

me;
jleas-
)dy
[back
luble-

sforo

PROSPECT OF DEATH.

105

turned back and met them, when two of them caught hold of my bridle,
one on each side, and the third, presenting his musket, told me I must
go back to Ali."

It soon ai)i)eared, however, that these gentlemen were merely private
robbers, who were fearful that their master had not sufficiently pillaged
the stranger; for, after examimng his bundle, and plundering hun of his
cloak, they bade him begone, and follow them no further. Too happy
to be rid of the villahis at any rate, he immediately struck into the woods
and continued his journey. His joy at thus escaping from the Moors
was quickly damped by the consideration that he must very soon be in
want of both food and water, neither of which could he procure without
approaching villages or wells, where he would almost inevitably en-
counter his old enemies. Ho therefore pushed on with all the vigor of
which he was possessed, in the hope of reaching some to\\'n or village
of the kingdom of Bambarra. But he already began to experience tho
tortures of thirst ; his mouth was parched and inflamed ; a sudden
dimness, accompanied by symptoms of fainting, would frequently come
over his eyes ; and as his horse also Avas exceedingly fatigued, he began
to apprehend that he should perish of thirst. Some shrubs, the leaves
of which he chewed to relieve the burning pain in his mouth and throat,
were all found to be bitter and of no service. " A little before sunset,
having reached the top of a gentle rising," soys Park, "I climbed a
high tree, from the topmost branches of which I cast a melancholy look
over the barren Avilderness, but without discovering the most distant
trace of a human dwelling. The same dismal uniformity of slirubs and
sand everywhere presented itself, and the horizon was level and uninter-
rupted as that of the sea.

" Descending from the tree, I found my horse devouring the stubble
and brushwood with great avidity ; and as I was now too faint to at-
tempt walking, and my horse too much fatigued to carry me, I thought
it but an act of humanity, and perhaps the last I should ever have it in
my power to perform, to take off liis bridle and let him shift for him-
self; in doing which, I was affected with sickness and giddiness ; and,
flilling upon the sand, felt as if the hour of death was fast approaching.
Here then (thought I), after a short but ineffectual struggle, terminate
all my hopes of beuig useful in my day and generation — ^here must the
short sjjun of my life come to an end. I cast, as I believed, a last look
on the surrounding scene, and while I reflected on the awful change that
was about to take place, this world and its enjoyments seemed to vanish
from my recollection. Nature, however, at length resumed its func-
tions ; and on recovcrhig my senses I found myself stretched upon the
sand, with the bridle still in my hand, and the sun just sinkmg behind
the tri'cs. I now summoned all my resolution, and determined to make
another effort to prolong my existence : and, as the evening was some-
what cool, I resolved to travel as far as my limbs would carry me, in
hopes of reaching (my only resource) a waterhig-place. With this view

106

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF MUNGO PARK.

I put the bridle upon my horse, and driving him before me, went slowly
along for about an hour, when I perceived some lightning from the
north-east — a most delightful sight, for it promised rain. The darkness
and lightnmg increased very rapidly; and in less than an hour I heard
the wind roaring behind the bushes. I had already opened my mouth
to receive the refreshing drops which I expected : but I was instantly
covered with a cloud of sand, driven with such force by the wind as to
give a very disagreeable sensation to ray face and arms; and I was
obliged to mount my horse and stop under a bush to prevent being suf-
focated. The sand continued to fly for near an hour in amazing quan-
tities, after which I again set forward, and traveled with difficulty until
ten o'clock. About this time I was agreeably surprised by some very
vivid flashes of lightning, followed by a few heavy drops of rain. In a
little time the sand ceased to fly, and I alighted and spread out all my
clean clothes to collect the rain, which at length I saw would certainly
fall. For more than an hour it rained plentifully, and I quenched my
thirst by wringing and sucking my clothes.

"There being no moon, it was remarkably dark; so that I was
obliged to lead my horse, and direct my way by the compass, which the
lightning enabled me to observe. In this manner I traveled with toler-
able expedition until past midnight ; when the lightning became more
distant, and I was under the necessity of groping along, to the no small
danger of my hands and eyes. About two o'clock my horse started at
something ; and, looking around, I was not a little surprised to see a light
at a short 'listance among the trees, and supposing it to be a to^vn, I
groped Jilong the sand in hopes of finding corn-stalks, cotton, or other
appearances of cultivation, but found none. As I approached, I per-
ceived a number of other lights in different places, and began to suspect
that I had fallen upon a party of Moors. However, in my present
situation, I was resolved to see who they were, if I could do it vnth
safety. I accordingly led my horse cautiously toward the light, and
heard by the lowing of the cattle, and the clamorous tongues of the
herdsmen, that it was a watering-place, and most likely belonged to the
Moors. Delightful as the sound of the human voice was to me, I re-
solved once more to strike into the woods, and rather run the risk of
perishmg with hunger, than irust myself again in their hands; but
being still thirsty, and dreading the approach of the burning day, I
thought it prudent to search for the wells, which I expected to find at
no great distance. In this pursuit I inadvertently approached so near
one of the tents as to be perceived by a woman, who immediately
screamed out. The people came running to her assistance from some of
the neighboring tents, and passed so V3ry near me that I thought I was
discovered, and hastened again into the woods.

" About a mile from this place I heard a loud and confused noise,
somewhere to the right of my course, and in a short time was happy to
find it was the croaking of frogs, which was heavenly music to my ears.

APPROACH TO THE NIGER.

107

near
ately
ne of
was

loise,
)y to
I ears.

I followed tlie soimd, and at daybreak arrived at some shallow muddy
pools, so full of frngB that it was difficult to discern the water. The
noise they made frightened my horee, and I was obliged to keep them
quiet by beating the water with a branch until he had drunk. Having
here quenched my thirst, I ascended a tree, and the morning being clear,
I soon perceived the smoke of the watering-place which I had passed in
the night, and observed another pillar of smoke, east-south-east, distant
twelve or fourteen miles."

Toward this column of smoke, which, as he was informed, arose from
a Foulah village, he now directed his course ; but on arriving at the
place, was inhospitably driven from every door, except that of an old
woman, who kindly received him into her dwelling, and furnished him
with food for himself, and with provender for his horse. Even here,
however, the influence of Ali pursued him like his evil genius. The
people who had collected round him while he was eating, began, as he
clearly discovered from their expressions, to form the design of canying
him back once more to Benowm or Bubaker. He therefore hastened
his departure, and having wandered among the woods all day, passed
the night under a tree. In this way he continued his journey, some-
times meeting with hospitality, but more frequently avoiding the dwell-
ings of man, and subsisting upon the wild produce of the woods, and the
water of a few pools, to which the croaking of the frogs directed him.

At length he entered the kingdom of Bambarra, where he found the
people more hospitable in proportion as they were more opulent than
their neighbors. Cultivation was here carried on in a spirited manner,
and on an extensive scale, and " hunger," as the natives expressed it,
" was never known." The country itself was beautiful, intersected on
all sides by rivulets, which, after a rain-storm, were swelled into rapid
streams. Park's horse was now so attenuated by fatigue that it appeared
like a mere skeleton, T^hich the traveler, fearing to mount, drove before
him, as if to scare away the crows. The Bambarrans, whose hospitable
disposition was accompanied by but little delicacy, were infinitely
amused at this droll spectacle. Taking him for a Moor, they supposed
from his appearance that he must be one of those religious mendicants
who, having performed the pilgrimage to the holy cities, thenceforward
consider themselves fully entitled to subsist vpon the labors of their in-
dustrious co-religionists. " ' He has been at Mecca,' said one ; ' you may
sc" +^at by his clothes.* Another asked il' my horse was sick ; a third
wished to purchase it, &c. So that I believe the very slaves were
ashamed to be seen in my company."

However, in spite of all this laughter and ridicule, he proceeded on
his way, and at length had the satisfiiction to be informed that on the
morrow he should see the Niger, denominated Jbliba, or the " Great
Water," by the natives. Next morning, the 21st of July, after passing
through several large villages, he saw the smoke ascend over Sego, the
capital of Bambarra, and felt elate with joy at the thought of drawing

108

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF MUNGO PARK.

near so important an object of his mission. " As we ai)proachcd the
town," says Park, "I Avas fortunate enough to overtake the fugitive
Kaartuns, to whose khidness I had been so much uidebted in my
journey through Bambarra. They readily agreed to introduce me to
the king, and we rode together through some marshy ground, where,
as I anxiously looked around for the river, one of them called out Geo
affiUl (see the water) ; and, looking forward, I saw Avith infinite pleas-
ure the great object of my mission — the long sought-for, majestic Niger,
glittering in the morning sun, as broad as the Thames at Westminster,
and flowing slowly to the eastward. I hastened to the brhik, and,
having drunk of the water, Ufted up my fervent thanks in prayer to
the Great Ruler of all things for having thus far croAvned my endeavors
with success."

Scgo, the capital of Bambarra, consisted of four distinct towns, two
on the northern, and two on the southern bank of the Niger. The king
at this period resided on the southern bank, while Park had arrived on
the o])posite side. The communication between the different quarters
of the city was kept up by means of large canoes, which were con-
stantly passing and repassing ; notwithstanding which, so great was the
pressure of passengers, that Park was compelled to wait upward of two
hours before he could obtain even a chance of being ferried over.
Meanwhile, the prospect before him was novel and striking in the
highest degree. "The view of this extensive city," he observes, " the
numerous canoes on the river, the crowded population, and the cul-
tivated state of the surrounding country formed altogether a prospect
of civilization and magnificence which I little expected to find in the
bosom of Africa."

While he was thus waiting for a passage, the news was conveyed to
Mansong that a white man was on the banks of the river coming to see
him. The king, who seems to have been alarmed at this intelligence,
immediately dispatched a messenger, Avho was directed to inform the
stranger that he would not be admitted into the royal presence until
the purport of his mission was made known ; and that in the mean
while, he was prohibited from passmg the river. He was likewise told
that the king desired him to seek lodgings in one of the villages in the
vicinity of the capital. As there was no alternative, he at once set out
for the village, where, to his great mortification, he found that no per-
son would admit him into a house. " I was regarded with astonish-
ment and fear," he observes, "and was obliged to sit all day without
victuals ui the shade of a tree ; and the night threatened to be very
uncomfortable, for the wind rose, and there was great appearance of a
heavy rain ; and the wild beasts were so very numerous in the neighbor-
hood, that I should have been under the necessity of climbing "n a
tree, and resting among the branches. About sunset, however, as I was
preparing to pass the night in this manner, and had turned my horse
loose that he might graze at liberty, a woman returnuig from the labors

NATIVE HOSPITALITY.

109

see
jnce,
the
intil
leau
I told
the
out
|pcr-
lish-
hout
»'ery
lof a
Ibor-
|ip a
was
lorse
jors

of the field, stopped to observe me, and perceiving that I was weary
and dejected, inquired into my situation, which I brietly explained to
her ; whereupon, with looks of great compassion, she took up my siuldle
and bridle, and told mo to follow licr. Having conducted me into her
hut, she lighted up a lamp, spread a mat upon the floor, and told mo I
might remain there for the night. Finding that I Avas very hungry, .she said
she would procure me something to eat ; she accordingly wont out, and
returned in a short time with a very fine fish, which, having caused to
be half broiled xipon some embers, she gave me for supper. The rites
of hospitality being thus performed toward a stranger in distress, my
worthy benellictress, pointing to the mat, ah ^ telling mo I might sleep
there without apprehension, called to the female part of her family, who
had stood gazing on me all the while in fixed astonishment, to resume
their task of spinning cotton, in which they continued to employ them-
selves a great part of the night. They lightened their labor by songs,
one of which was composed extempore, for I was myself the subject of
it ; it was sung by one of the young women, the rest joining in a sort of
chorus. The air was sweet and plaintive, and the words literally trans-
lated Avero these : ' The winds roared, and the rains fell ; the poor wliite
man, faint and Aveary, came and sat under our tree ; ho has no mother
to bring him milk, no Avifo to grind his corn.' Chorus : ' Let us pity
the Avhite man, no mother has he,' tfcc. Trifling as this recital may ap-
pear to the reader, to a person in my situation the circumstance AA^as
aftecting in the highest degree. I Avas so o]>pressed by such imex-
pected kindness that sleep fled my eyes. In the morning I presented
my compassionate landlady Avith tAvo of the four brass l^uttons Avhich
remained on my Avaistcoat, tho only recompense I could make her."

Although Mansong refused to admit the traveler into liis presence,
and seemed at first to neglect him, it poon appeared that his conduct did
not arise from any churlish or inhospitable feelings; for Avhih; he per-
sisted in his refusal to see him, and signified his pleasure that he should
fortliAAith depart from the city, he sent him a present of five thousand
cowries, arid a guide to Sansanding. Park immediately obeyed the royal
command, and learned from the conversation of his guide on the Avay,
that the king's motives for thus dl missing him Avithout an audience Avcre
at once prudent and liberal, since he feared that by the least show of
favor he should excite the jealousy of tho Moorish inhabitants, from
Avhose inveterate malice ho might be unable to protect him.

With his guide he proceeded to Sansanding, Avherc he Avas hospitably
received by the dooty, and Avould, as the king's stranger, have enjoyed
much quiet and consideration, had he not the misfortune to meet Avith
some of his old enemies, the Moors, who insisted on conducting him to
the mosque, and converting him into a Mohammedan at once. IIoav-
cver, the dooty, by exerting his authority, freed him from these fimatics,
and ordered a slieep to be killed, and part of it dressed for his supper.
"About midnight, Avhcn the Moors had Icfl me," says Park, "he paid

110

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF MUNGO PARK.

me a visit, and vnth much earnestness desired me to write him a saphie,
(cliarm). 'If a Moor's saphie is good,' said this hospitable old man, 'a
white man's must needs be better.' I readily furnished him with one
possessed of all the virtues I could concentrate, for it contained the
Lord's l*rayer. The pen with which it was Avritten was made of a reed,
a little charcoal and gum-water made very tolerable ink, and a thin
board answered the purpose of paper."

From Sansanding he departed early in the morning, before the Moors
were stirring. The road now lay through the woods, and the guide,
who understood the dangers of the way, moved forward with the great-
est circumspection, frequently stopping and looking under the bushes.
Upon observing this. Park inquired the reason, and was told that the
lions were very plentiful in that part of the country, and often .attacked
travelers in the woods. While they were conversing on this subject.
Park discovered a giraffe at a little distance. " Shortly after this," says
he, " as wo were crossing a large open plain, where there were a few
scattered bushes, my guide, who was a little way before me, wheeled his
horse round in a moment, calling out something in the Foulah language
which I did not understand. I mquired in Mandingo what he meant.
' Wara bilU billi' (a very large lion) ! said he, and made signs for me to
ride away. But my horse was too much fatigued ; so we rode slowly
past the bush from which the animal had given us the alarm. Not see-
ing any thing myself however, I thought my guide had been mistaken,
when the Foulah suddenly put his hand to his mouth, exclaiming, ' God
preserve us,' and to my greo,t surprise I then perceived a large red lion,
at a short distance from the bush, with his head couched between his
fore-paws. I expected he would instantly spring upon me, and instinct-
ively pulled my feet from my stirrups to throw myself on the gi'ound,
that my horse might become the victim rather than myself. But it is
probable the lion was not himgry ; for he quietly sufi'ered us to pass,
though we were fairly within his reach."

About sunset they arrived at Moodiboo, " a delightful village on the
banks of the Niger, conmianding a view of the river for many miles,
both to the east and west. The small green islands, the peaceful retreat
of some industrious Foulahs, whose cattle were here secure from the at-
tacks of wild beasts, .and the majestic breadth of the river, which is here
much larger than at Sego, render the situation one of the most enchant-
ing in the world." Park was now so worn out with fatigue and suffer-
ing, that his landlord, fearing he might die in his house, hurried him
away though he was scarcely able to walk, and his horse still less able to
carry him. In fact, they had not proceeded far before the poor beast
fell down, and could no more be made to rise ; so that, taking off his
saddle and bridle, our traveler with extreme reluctance abandoned him
to his fate, and began to toil along on foot after his guide. In this way
they reached Kea, a small fishing village on the Niger, where Park em-

the
Ics,
fctreat
[a at-
hcre
Ihant-
luffer-
him
J)leto
Ibeast
his
him
way
em-

DECIDES ON RETURNING.

Ill

barked in a fishennnn's canoe which was goin^ ilown the stream, while
the guide returned to Scgo.

Ill this canoe he reached Moorzan, Avhence ho was conveyed across
the river to Silla, a large town on the opposite shore. It was with great
difficulty that lie here olitained adni'ssion into the strangers' room of
the dooty's house, a damp, uncomlbr,ablo place, where he had a severe
paroxysm of fever during the night. Here his resolution and energy, of
which no traveler possessed a larger share, began at length to fail. No
hope of success remained. He therefore, with extreme sorrow and
anguish of mind, determined on returning. His own simple and manly
account of the matter can not fail to impress even the most insensible
with veneration for a degree of courage and intrepidity amounting to
heroism. " Worn down by sickness, exhausted by hvmger and fatigue,
half-naked, and without any article of value by which I might procure
provisions, clothes, or lodging, I began," says Park, " to reflect seriously
on my situation. I was now convinced by pauiful experience, that the
obstacles to my further progress were insurmountable. The tropical
rains had already set in with all their violence ; the rice-grounds and
swamps were already overtiowed ; and, in a few days more, traveling of
every kind except by water would be completely obstructed. The cow-
ries which remained of the King of Bambarra's present were not suffici-
ent to liire a canoe for any great distance ; and I had but little hopes of
subsisting by charity in a country where the Moors have such influence.
But, above all, I perceived I was advancing more and more within the
power of those merciless fanatics ; and from my reception both at Sego
and Sansanding, I was apprehensive that, in attempting to reai h even
Jenne — imless under the protection of some man of consequence among
them, which I had no means of obtaining — I should sacrifice my life to
no purpose ; for my discoveries would perish with me. The prospect
either way was gloomy. In returning to the Gambia, a journey on foot
of many hundred miles presented itself to my contemplation, through
regions and countries unknown. Nevertheless, this seemed to me the
only alternative ; for I saw inevitable desti-uction in attempting to pro-
ceed to the eastward. With this conviction on ray mind, I hope my
readers will acknowledge I did right in going no further. I had made
every exertion, to execute my mission in its fullest extent, which prudence
could justify. Had there been the most distant prospect of a successful
termination, neither the unavoidable hardshijjs of the journey nor the
dangers of a second captivity should have forced me to desist. This,
hovrevcr, necessity compelled me to do."

When he had come to this resolution, he thought it incumbent upon
him, before he left Silla, to collect whatever information might be within
his reach respecting the further course of the Niger, and the situation
and extent of the various kingdoms in its vicinity. Subsequent travelers
have solved the problem, the honor of ezpMning which was denied to
Park. We now know that this great river, after flo>^g to a consider-

112

LIPK AND TRAVELS OP MUNOO PARK.

al»lo flistfincc castwanl of Timbuctoo, mjikcs a bend to flic soutb, nnd,
uftar pursuing n soutb-wosterly course, liills into the Atiiuitio Oi-cjin on
tbo coast of lionin.

On tbe 30tl» of July bo commenced liis return westward, by tbo pamo
route througb Avhieli bo bad reacbed Silla. In a i'cw (biys bo recovered
his borse, wbicb liad in sonio measure regauicd its streuglb, tiiougb it was
still too weak to bo ri(blen. Tbo rainy season baving luiw set in, tbo
wliolo of tbo plain coiuitry Avas quickly inundated ; so tliat be was often
in danger of losing bis way while traversing savainiahs many miU'S in
extent, knee-deep in water. In several places bo waded breast-deep
across tbo swamjis. Tho huts of the villages in which he passed the
night, ];cing undermined or softened by the rain, often fell in ; and tbo
noise of their fall sometimes kept liini awake, expecting that liis own
might be the next. His situation Avas now even worse than during his
progress eastward. A report had been Avidely cireulat(-d that ho Avas a
spy, in consequence of Avbich lie Avas in some places civilly refused ad-
mittance into the towns, in others repulsed from the gates Avith violence;
so that he now appeared inevitably doomed to perish Avith lumger.
However, Avhen tbe fatal hour seemed at band, some cliaritalile being
always ai)peared Avith a poor but seasonable supply, such, perhaps, as a
little raAv corn, Avbieb prolonged his life, and supplied him Avith strength
to achieve his memoi-ablc journey. "On tho evening of the 15111 of
August, I arrived," says Park, "at a small village called Song, tho surly
inhabitants of Avliich Avould not receive me, nor so nmeh as permit me to
enter the gate ; but as lions Avcre very numerous in this neighborhood,
and I had frequently in tbe course of the day seen the imi^ression of their
feet npon the road, I resolved to stay in the vicinity of the village. Hav-
ing collected some grass for my horse, I accordingly lay down under a
tree by the gate. About ten o'clock I heard tho 1k)11ow roar of a lion at
no great distance, and attempted to open the gate ; but tho people from
Avithin told mo that no person must attempt to enter Avithout the dooty's
permission. I begged them to inform tho dooty that a lion AA'as a]>])roach-
ing the village, and I hoped he Avould allow me to come Avithin the gato.
I Avaited for an answer to this message with great anxiety ; for the lion
kept i)roA\ding round the village, and once advanced so near nie that I
heard him rustling among the grass, and climbed a tree fur safety.
About midnight the dooty Avith some of his people opened tho gate, and
desired mo to come in. They Avere convinced, they said, I Avas not a
Moor ; for no Moor ever Avaitcd so long at the gate of a village, Avithout
cursing the inhabitants."

The history of this journey now becomes nothing more than a repeti-
tion of similar sufferings. Hunger, fatigue, and depression of spirits at-
tack tho traveler by turns. Nothing, hoAA'cver, subdues his courage.
Obstacle iafter obstacle yields to his persevering intrepidity, and he pushes
forAvard Avith invincible ardor toAvard the coast. In one place, at the re-
quest of a native who had groAvn opulent by industrious application to

ENCOUNTER WITH ROBBERS,

113

sxato.
lion

lat I
safety.

?, and

not a
ithout

'cpeti-
•its at-
iirago.
mshes
he re-
ion to

commerce, ho wrote charms for a good supper ; and, fmding the con-
trivance productive, continued the practice next day for small presents
of various kinds. On other occasions, where superstition did not come
to his aid, humanity interposed, and snatched him from starvation. At
Bamraakoo he was hospitably treated, even by a Moor, who, having
traveled to Rio Grande, had conversed with Christians, and conceived a
favorable idea of their character. The rains had now increased the Ni-
ger to a vast size, and rendered impassable almost every road ; but, as
our traveler's finances had long been exhausted, he found himself com-
pelled to proceed, the charity of the natives not extending so far as to
the maintaming of a stranger for several months. The ordinary roads
being obstructed by the rains, the only practicable route, >vild, dreary,
and desolate, lay over sterile, rocky mountains, which, it was feared, a
horse could not pass.

Finding that a singing-man was about to proceed by this road to
Sibidooloo, Park placed himself under his guidance, and quitted Bamma-
koo. He had not proceeded far, however, before his companion, finding;
that he had taken the wrong path, escaped among the rocks, and left
him to find his way as he best might. He soon arrived at a village,
where he was entertained with hospitality, and where he passed the
night. Next day, as he was quietly pursuing his course, a troop of peas-
ants presented themselves, whom he at first took for elephant-hunters,
but who very shortly proved themselves to be banditti. Pretending to
arrest him in the name of the King of the Foulahs, they commanded him
to follow them, until, having reached a dark, lonely part of a wood, one
of them exclaimed ui the Mandingo language, " This place will do !" and
immediately snatched his hat from his head. " Though I was by no
means free from apprehension," says Park, " yet I was resolved to show
as few signs of fear as possible ; and therefore told them, that unless my
hat was returned to me I should proceed no further. But before I had
time to receive an answer another drew a knife, and, seizing upon a
metal button which remained upon my waistcoat, cut it off, and put it
into his pocket. Their intentions were now obvious ; and I thought that
the easier they were pennitted to rob me of every thmg, the less I had
to fear. I therefore allowed them to search my pockets without resist-
ance, and examine every part of my apparel, which they did with the
most scrupulous exactness. But, observing that I had one waistcoat
under another, they insisted that I should cast them both off; and at
last, to make sure work, stripped me quite naked. Even my half-boots,
though the sole of one of them was tied on to my foot with a broken bridle-
rein, were minutely inspected. While they were examining the plunder,
I begged them with great earnestness to return my pocket-compass ; but
when I pointed it out to them, as it was lying on the ground, one of the
banditti, thinking I was about to take it up, cocked his musket, and
swore he would lay me dead upon the spot if I presumed to put my hand
upon it. After this, some of them went away with my horse, and the

114

LIFE AND THAVELS OP MUNOO PARK.

rc'inaindor stooil considering whether they nhonld h'ftvo me quite nnkcd,
or allow ine Hometliing to shelter nic from the sun. Humanity at laHt
l)revaikMl ; they returned me the worst of the two Bhirta and a pair of
trowscr- ; and, as they went awny, one of them threw back my hat, in
the crown of wiiich I kejit my memorandums ; and this was probably
the reason why they did not wish to keep it."

This was the most terrible misfortune that had hitherto befallen him,
and at first his mind appeared to sink under the united influence of grief
anri terror. For awhile he sat in sullen dejection, half-persuaded that ho
had no alternative but to lie down and perish. Presently, however, a
relianee upon Providence succeeded this extreme dejection, and his mind
gradually regained its tone : — " I was, indeed, a stranger," lie thought,
" in a strange land ; yet I was still under the j)rotccting eye of that
Providence who has condescended to call himself the strangc^r's friend.
At this moment, jjaintid as my reflections were, the extraordinary beauty
of a small moss in fructification irresistibly caught my eye. I mention
this to show from what trifling circumstances the mind will sometimes
derive consolation ; lor though the whole plant was not larger than the
top of one of my Angers, I could not contemplate the delicate conforma-
tion of its roots, leaves, and capsule, Avithout admiration. Can that
being, thought I, who planted, watered, and brought to perfection, in
this obscure part of the world, a thing which appears of ro small unport-
ance, look with unconcern upon the situation and sufterings of creatures
formed alter his own image ? Surely not ! Reflections like these would
not allow me to des[)air ; I started up, and, disregarding both danger and
iatigue, traveled forward, assured that relief was at hand ; and I was
not disappointed."

On arriving at Sibidooloo, Park related to the mansa, or chief of the
town, the misfortune which had befallen him. This humane and excel-
lent iiian, having heard him patiently to an end, took the pipe from his
mouth, and tossing up tlie sleeve of his coat with an indignant air, " Sit
down," said he, " you shall have every thing restored to you ; I have
sworn it." He then took the necessary measures for the recovery of the
traveler's property, and invited him to partake of his hospitable fare un-
til this should have been efltcted. After spending a few days at this
place, without hearing any news of his horse or other property, our trav-
eler removed to a distant village, where ho remained until the whole
was discovered and restored to him, with the exceptior of his pocket-
compass, which had been broken to pieces. Having nothing else to be-
stow upon his hospitable landlords, he gave his horse to one, and his sad-
dle and bridle to the other : and then taking his leave, proceeded on foot
to Kamalia, where he arrived on the 16th of September. At this town,
romantically situated at the foot of a lofty mountaui, he found a slave-
merchant, who, intending to descend to the coast with a small caravan
in the beginning of the dry season, offered the travelvii an asylum until
he should set out. Conceiving that it would be impossible to proceed

RETURN TOWARDS THE COAST.

115

duiiriR Uic rains, Piirk nccoptorl liis kind propoanl, and promised in rv
turn to give him the price of a slave upon their arrival on the coast.
Hero a fever, wliich hud for some time menaced him, munitested itHolf
with great vioUuice, and continued to torment him during the whole
season of the rains. His landlord, meanwhile, exerted himself to keep
U|) his hopes, and having by some means or ant)tlier obtained possession
of an English Common l*i'ayer Hook, he communicated the use of it to
Park, who was thus enabled to 1)eguile the gloomy hours of his solitude
and sickness. At length the rains became less frequent, and the fever
abated, so that he could luovo out and enjoy tho fresh air in the fields.

K A M A L I A.

On the 19th of April, after Park had remained seven months iit Ka-
mali.a, Karfa, the filave-merchant, having collected his slaves, and com-
pleted all necessary preparations, set out toM'ard the coast, taking the
traveler, to whom his behavior had always been marked by the greatest
kindness, along with him. Their road led them across the Jallonka
wilderness, where the sufferings of every member of the caravan, and
more particularly of the slaves, were most exquisite ; but affliction was
far from having taught them commiseration, for a fine young female
slave, fainting from fatigue, had no sooner signified her inability to go
on, than the universal ciy of the caravan was, " Cut her throat, cut her
throat." By the interposition of Karfa her life was spared, but she was
abandoned on tlie road, where she was, no doubt, soon devoured by
wild beasts. At length, afler a long, toilsome journey, Karfa succeeded

M I

L S^ '

116

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP MUNGO PARK.

in fulfilling his promise, und conducted Park safe to Pisania, which he
reached on the 10th of June, and where the good old man was over-
whelmed with the gratitude of his guest. Park now took his passage
in an American vessel, and on arriving in the West Indies, quitted this
ship for a packet bound for Falmouth, where he arrived on the 22d of
December, 1797, after an absence of two years and seven mouths.

Immediately on his landing, he hastened to London, where he arrived
before daylight on the morning of Christmas day. It being too early
an hour to call on his brother-in-law, Mr. Dickson, he strolled about for
some time in the neighboring streets. At length, finding one of the
entrances into the gardens of the British Museum accidentally open, he
went in and walked about there for some time. It happened that Mr.
Dickson, who had the care of those gardens, went there early that morn-
ing on some trifling business. "What must have been his emotions on
beholding, at that extraordinary time and place, the vision, as it must
at first have appeared, of his long-lost friend, the object of so many
anxious reflections, and whom he had long numbered Avith the dead.

He was now received "vvith distinguished honor by the African Asso-
ciation, and the various literary men whom he met with in London. In
the mean time his travels, which the Association permitted him to pub-
lish on his own account, were announced ; and both during his stay in
London, and the visit which he p?id to his friends in Scotland, all his
leisure hours were devoted to the compiling and arranging of the mate-
rials for the work. It appeared in the spring of 1799, and immediately
acquired that degree of popularity which it has ever since maintained.

Soon after the publication of his travels, which became at once ex-
ceedingly popular and profitable. Park again returned to Scotland, where,
on the 2d of August, 1799, he married one of the daughters of Mr. An-
derson, of Selkirk, with whom he had served his apprenticeship. For
the two following years he resided on the farm at Fowlshiels with his
mother and one of his brothers. He then removed to the town of Pee-
bles, where he resumed the practice of his profession, and in a short time
acquired a good share of the business of the place. His kindness and
charity greatly endeared him to the poor of the district, though he was
considered haughty and reserved by strangers, who were apt to annoy
him with their questions. He soon began to tire, however, of the ob-
scure life of a country surgeon ; the fascination of Africa was upon him,
and he longed to return to the scene of his dangers and sufferings.
When one of his relatives, a short time before his departure on his sec-
«»nd expedition, expostulated *vith him on his rashness and imprudence,
he replied that a few inglorious winters of coimtry practice at Peebles
was a risk as great, and would tend as effectually to shorten life, as his
proposed journey. The British government twice offered him the com-
mand of an expedition to explore the interior of Austraha, which he
declined. After the preliminaries of peace with France had been signed,
in October, 1801, Sir Joseph Banks wrote to him informing him that the

PREPARATION FOR THE SECOND EXPEDITION. 117

African Association intend t^d reviving their project for an exploration of
th . Niger, and that, in case government should enter into the plan, he
would be recommended as the most proper person to carry it into ex-
ecution. Park remained in suspense for two years, when Lord Ilobart,
who was then connected with the Colonial Department, made him a
formal proposal on the part of the government. He accepted at once,
and in December, 1803, left Scotland with the expectation of soon em-
barking for Africa.

On account of political changes the expedition was given up, after
several of the troops destined for the service had already been embarked
at Portsmouth. Park was informed that nothing could be done until
the following Septeraber, and was recommended to study the Arabic
language in the mean time, and to exercise himself in taking astronomi-
cal observations. He employed a native of Mogador as a teacher, and
returned to Scotland, where he remained duidng the spring and summer
of 1804. Sir Walter Scott was at that time residing near Fowlshiels,
and the traveler and author soon became friends. Scott relates that,
calling upon Park one day and not finding him at home, he walked in
search of him along the banks of the Yarrow. In a short time he found
him employed in plunging large stones into the river, and attentively
witching the bubbles as they rose to the surface. On beini^ asked why
he persevered so long in this singular amusement. Park answered : " This
was the manner in which I used to ascertain the depth of a river in
Africa, before I ventured to cross it, judging whether the attempt would
be safe by the time which the bubbles of air took to ascend."

On leaving Fowlshiels for the last time in September, 1804, Park
was extr(?mely affected, and would not venture to trust his OAvn feelings
or those of his family, with a formal parting. He left them, as if with
the intention of returning, alleging that he had particular business at
Edinburg, whence ho sent them his last farewell. Scott describes, in
feeling terms, the manner of his last parting with his iriend. Just be-
fore quitting Fowlsh?els, Park paid him a visit and slept at his house.
The next morning, Scott accompanied him part of the way on his return,
and they rode together over the \^-ild chain of pastoral hills which divide
the Tweed fiom the Yarrow. Park talked much of his new African
expedition, and mentioned his determination of going straight from
Edinburg, without returning to taki leave of his family. They were
then on the top of a lofty hill which overlooked the course of the Yar-
row, and the autumnal mist, which floated heavily and slowly down the
valley beneath them, presented to Scott's imagination a striking emblem
of the troubled and uncertain prospect which Park's undertaking af-
forded. He endeavored to present its dangers to his friend's mind, but
Park had a ready answer for every thing. Thus discussing the plan,
they came to a road where it had been agreed they should separate. A
small ditch divided the moor from the road : in going ove" it. Park's
horse stumbled, and nearly fell. *' I am afraid, Mungo, that is a bad

118

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP MUNGO PARK.

omen," said Scott ; to which Park answered, smiling : " I^reits (omens)
follov/^ those who look for thera," With this proverbial saying, and
afraid of a formal adieu, he rode away and was speedily out of sight.

At the close of the year 1804, after much delay and uncertainty,
the expeditiou was; finally determined on, and Park received from Lord
Camden his appoi itment as its chief conductor. " For the better en-
abling you to execute this service," says his lordship, " his majesty has
granted you the brevet commission of captain in Africa, and has also
granted a similar commission of lieutenant to Mr. Alexander Anderson,
whom you have recommended as a proper person to accompany you.
Mr. Scott has also been selected to attend you as draughtsman. You
are hereby empowered to enlist with you for this expedition any num-
ber you think proper of the garrison at Goree, not exceeding forty-
five, which the commandant of that island will be ordered to place
under your command, giving them such bounties or encouragement as
may be necessary to induce them cheerfully to join with you in the ex-
pedition."

Five thousand pounds were at the same time placed at Park's dis-
posal, and further directions gi\ en him respecting the course and line
of conduct he was expected to pursue. With these instructions Park
and his companions proceeded to Portsmouth, where they were joined
by four or fiv3 artificers, appointed for the service from the dock-yards.
They sailed on the 30th of January, 1805, and after touching at St.
Jago, one of the Cape de Verde Islands, to purchase asses, reached Go-
ree on the 28th of March. Double pay was oifeied to the soldiers
during the expedition, with a discharge on their return, and these in-
ducen->ents were so great that the whole garrison volunteered. Thirty-
five were chosen, and placed under the command of Lieutenant Martyn
of the royal artillery corps, who had also volunteered for the service.
The expedition now being organized, left Goree on the 6th of April,
the soldiers cheering loudly and joyously as they jumped into the boats.

On arriving at Kayee, a small town on the Gambia River, Park en-
gaged a Mandingo priest, named Isaaco, who Avas also a traveling
merchant, and much accustomed to long inland journeys, to serve as
guide to his caravan. On the 27th of April, he left Kayee, and arrived
in two days at Pisania, from whence he had set out for the interior of
Africa nearly ten years before. Some of the practical difficulties of the
march had become very apparent during this short Journey, since he
found it necessary to halt at Pisania six days, to procure additional
beasts of burden. He soon found, also, that the coldiers, whose appear-
ance had pleased him so much at Goree, were physically inferior to the
work required of them, while in sobriety, steadiness, and good discipline,
they were sadly deficient. Finally very thing was arranged, and they
left Pisania on the 4th of May. The jjarty consisted of Park, his
brother-in-law Anderson, to whom a lieutenant's commission was given ;
Lieutenant Martyn ; George Scott, draughtsman ; forty soldiers, sailors,

AN ATTACK OF BEES.

119

and carpenters, and Isaaco, the guide. They had much trouble with the
asses, at the start ; some lay down, others kicked off their loads, and it
became necessary to increase their number still further. They passed
Medina, the capital of the kingdom of Woolli, and advanced slowly cast-
ward — much too slowly, in fact, for the rainy season was fast approach-
ing, and Park was anxious to reach the Niger before the intervening
rivers should become impassable.

At Bady, a tOAvn on the interior frontier of Woolli, they were led
into a quarrel with the faranba, or chief of the town, respecting the
amount of duties to be paid by their caravan, in which, though the con-
duct of the African was rude and peremptory, the travelers were clearly
in the wrong. A few days after this affUir the caravan had an adventure
with a new species of enemy. On the 24th of May they reached a place
which they denominated Bee's Creek, where they halted with the in-
tention of encamping there. " We had no sooner unloaded the asses at
the creek," says Park, " than some of Isaaco's people, being in search of
honey, unfortunately disturbed a large swarm of bees near where the
coffle had halted. The bees came out in immense numbers, and attacked
men and beasts at the same time. Luckily, most of the asses were loose,
and galloped up the valley ; but the horses and people were very much
stung, and obliged to scamper in all directions. The fire which had been
kindled for cooking, having been deserted, spread and set fire to the
bamboos ; and our baggage had like to have been burned. In fact, for
half an hour the bees seemed to have put an end to our journey. In
the evening, when the bees became less troublesome, and we could
venture to collect our cattle, we found that many of them were very
much stung and swelled about the head. Three asses were missing ;
one died in the evening and one next morning, and we were compelled
to leave one at Sibikillin ; in all six : besides which, our guide lost his
horse, and many of the people were very much stung about the face
and hands."

About the middle of June the rains began to set in, accompanied
by violent tornadoes. The earth was quickly covered with water. The
soldiers were affected with vomiting, or with an irresistible inclination
to sleep. Park himself was affected in a similar manner during the
storm, and, notwithstanding that he used every exertion to keep away
heaviness, at length fell asleep on the damp ground. The soldiers did
the same thing. In the morning twelve of them were sick. In this
vicinity he saw many pits, from which gold was obtained in large quan-
tities by washing. As the caravan proceeded, many of the soldiers
growing delirious, or too weak to continue the march, were left behind
to the care of the natives; while others died on the road, or were
drowned in the rivers. Some, still more unfortunate if possible, were
lost in the woods, where they were no doubt devoured by wild beasts.
Meanwhile the natives, who imagined that the caravan contained pro-
digious wealth, hung upon their march, plundered them at every turn,

120

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP MT'NGO PARK.

and as often as they appeared too weak to resist, endeavored to extort
presents from them.

The condition of the men now became desperate. Day after day
some poor wretch was abandoned to his fate, some in one way, some in
another. One example of this kind may serve for the whole. "Three
miles east of the village of Koombandi," says Park, " William Alston,
one of the seamen whom I received from his majesty's ship Squirrel,
became so faint that he fell from his ass, and allowed the ass to rim
away. Set him on my horse, but found he could not sit without hold-
ing him. Replaced him on the tj:", but he still tumbled off. Put him
again on the horse, and made one man hold hira upright while I led the
horse ; but, as he made no exertion to hold himc <3lf erect, it was impos-
sible to keep him on the horse, and after repeatci' tumbles he begged
to be left in the woods till morning. I left a loaa >d pistol with him,
and put some cartridges into the crown of his hat." The next day this
man came up with the company, entirely naked, having been plundered
by the natives. His health appeared to improve for some days, but he
afterward grew worse again, and died before reaching the Niger.

In crossing the Wondu the caravan was nearly deprived of its guide
in the following manner. " Our guide, Isaacc, was very active in push-
ing the asses into the water, and shoving along the canoe ; but as he
was afr; id that we could not have them all carried over in the course
of the day, he attempted to drive six of the asses across the river further
down, where the water was shallower. When he had reached thr middle
of the river, a crocodile rose close to him, and instantly seizing him by
the left thigh, pulled him under water. With wonderful presence of
mind he felt the head of the animal, and thrust his finger into its eyes,
on which it quitted its hold, and Isaaco attempted to reach the further
shore, calling loudly for a knife. But the crocodile returned and seized
him by the other thigh, and again pulled him under water ; he had re-
course to the same expedient, and thrust his fingers into its eyes with
such violence that it again quitted him ; when it arose, flounced about
on the surface of the water as if stupid, and then swam down the middle
of the river. Isaaco proceeded to the other side, bleeding very much."

This event retarded for several days the march of the caravan. Be-
sides, Park himself was attacked with fever, and their provisions, more-
over, were now reduced to so low an ebb, that upon examination it was
found that no more than rice for two days remained in their possession.
This deficiency was, therefore, to be immediately supplied. Two per-
sons were sent away with an ass to a distant, village for rice, and in the
mean time Park devoted his attentions to the wounds of the guide. The
audacity of the native thieves was extraordinary. In ascending an emi-
nence two miles from Maniakono, Park himself was robbed in a very
characteristic manner : — " As I was holding my musket carelessly in my
hand, and looking around," says he, " two of Numma's sons came up to
me ; one of them requested me to give him some snuff; at this instant

DEATHS OF THE SOLDIERS.

121

the other (called Woosaba), coming up behind me, snatched the musket
from my hand, and ran off with it. I instantly sprung from the saddle
and followed him with my sword, calling to Mr. Anderson to ride back,
and tell some of the people to look after my horse. Mr. Anderson got
within musket-shot of him ; but, seeing it was Numma's son, had sorue
doubts about shooting him, and called to me if he should fire. Luckily
I did not hear him, or I might possibly have recovered my musket at
the risk of a long palaver, and perhaps the loss of half our baggage. The
thief accordingly made his escape among the rocks ; and when I returned
to my horse, I found the other of the royal descendants had stolen my
coat."

Their condit'on was now exceedingly distressing. From the 10th of
June, when the rainy season set in, the entries in Park's journal are truly
heart-rending. On the 20th of July he writes : " Francis Beedle, one of
the soldiers, was evidently dying, and having in vain attempted to carry
him over the river, I was forced to leave him on the west bank. In the
morning one of the soldiers crossed the bridge, and found Beedle expir-
ing. Did not stop to bury him, the sun being high ; but set out imme-
diately. About half-past ten came to Mr. Scott lying by the side of the
road, so very sick that he could not walk. Shortly after, Mr. Martyn
laid down in the same state." On the 27th, five men were left behind ;
on the 30th, he writes : " Was under the necessity of leaving William
Allen, sick. I regretted much leaving this man ; he had naturally a
cheerful disposition ; and he used often to beguile the watches of the
night with the songs of our dear native land." On the 10th of August
four more men lagged behind, and were never heard of again ; on the
12th, two more, and Mr. Anderson appeared to be dying. Park halted
with him under a tree, watching his fluttering pulse, until his strength
appeared to return. He then placed hun upon his own horse, and pushed
forward toward their proposed resting-place, leading the horse by the
bridle. " We had not proceeded above a mile," says Park, " before we
heard on our left a noise very much like the barking of a large mastiff,
but ending in a hiss like the fuff* of a cat. I thought it must be some
large monkey ; and was observing to Mr. Anderson, ' What a bouncing
fellow that must be,' when we heard another bark nearer to us, and
presently a third still nearer, accompanied with a growl. I now sus-
pected some wild beast i.ieant to attack us, but could not conjecture of
Avhat species it Avas likely to be. We had not proceeded a hundred
yards further, when, coming to an opening in the bushes, I was not a
little surprised to see three lions coming toward us. They were not bo
red as the lion I had formerly seen in Bambarra, but of a dusky color,
Uke that of an ass. They were very large, and came bounding over the
long grass, not one after another, but all abreast of each other. I was
afraid, if I allowed them to come too near us, and my piece should miss

* Fuff is an expressive Scotch word, applicable in its original sense to the exploeive
noise which a cat makes in fljring at a dog. <

122

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP MUNGO PARK.

fire, that wc should all be devoured by them. I therefore let go the bri-
dle, and walked ibrward to meet them. Aa soon as they were within
a long shot of me, I fired at the center one. I do not think I hit him ;
but they all stopped, looked at each other, and then bounded away a few
paces, when one of them stopped and looked back at me. I was too busy
in loading my piece to observe their motions as they went away, and
was very happy to see the last of them march slowly off" among the
bushes. We had not proceeded above half a mile further when we heard
another bark and growl close to us among the bushes. This was, doubt-
less, one of the lions before seen ; and I was afraid they would follow ua
till dark, when they would have too many opportunities of springing on
us unawares. We however heard no more of them."

At length, from the brow of a hill. Park had once more the satisfac-
tion of beholding the Niger, rolling its immense stream along the plain.
It was the 19th of August, 1805, one hundred and five days after starting
from Pisania. But he was in no mood of mind to triumph at the sight.
The majority of his companions had fallen on the way; of thirty-four sol-
diers and four carpenters who left the Gambia, only six soldiers and one
carpenter reached the Niger. With this miserable remnant of his origi-
nal force he descended the hill, and pitched his tents near the town of
Bambakoo. After a day or two he advanced to Marraboo to await the
answer of the King of Bambarra. On the 2d of September he writes :
"Ever since my arrival at Marraboo I had been subject to attacks of the
dysentery ; and as I found that my strength was failing very fast, I re-
solved to charge myself with mercury. I accordingly took calomel till
it affected my mouth to such a degree that I could not speak or sleep
for six days. The salivation put an immediate stop to the dysentery,
which hau proved fatal to so many of the soldiers." On the 6th one of his
remaining men died, two others at Samee on the 24th, and yet two more
at Sansanding on the 2d of October. At Bambakoo some of the party
embarked in canoes on the Niger, while others proceeded by land to the
neighborhood of Sego, which they reached on the 19th of September.
Mansong was still King of Bambarra ; and being highly gratified with
their presents, not only gave them permission to build a boat on the Ni-
ger at whatever town they pleased, but engaged to protect, as far as his
power extended, the trade of the whites in the interior. Park selected
Sansanding as the place most eligible for building the boat, and removed
thither as quickly as possible. Here immediately on his arrival he opened
a shop, exhibiting a choice assortment of European goods, which sold so
well among the natives that his success excited the envy of the Jenne
people, the Moors, and the other merchants of the place, who offered
Mansong merchandise to a much greater value than the presents made
him by Park, if he would either kill the strangers or drive them out of
'.he country. Mansong, however, rejected the offer. " From the 8th to
the 16th nothing of consequence occurred ; I found my shop every day
more and more crowded with customers ; and such was my run of busi-

LAST LETTERS AND EMBARKATION.

128

ness, that I was sometimes forced to employ three tellers at once to
count my cash. I turned one market-day twenty-five thousand seven
hundred and fifty-six pieces of money (cowries)."

Park now received intelligence of the death of Mr. Scott, who had
been left behind near Barabakoo. Mansong very soon convinced the
traveler that he understood the art of receiving presents much better
than that of returning them ; for upon being requested to furnish a canoe
in which the mission, noAV reduced to a very small number, might em-
bark on the Xiger, he sent one after another several half-rotten barks ;
two of which Park, seeing no hope of getting better, was at length com-
pelled to acc(!pt, and with these he constructed what he termed a
schooner. Shortly after this ho lost his brother-in-law Anderson, upon
whose death " I felt myself," says he, " as if left a second time lonely and
friendless amid the wilds of Africa." Dreary and perilous as was his
position, however, he still determined to persevere. His companions
were now reduced to four, Lieutenant Martyn and three soldiers, one of
Avhom was deranged in his mind ; yet with this wretched remnant of a
detachment which, it must be confessed, had been thus thinned, or rather
annihilated, by his own ill management and want of foresight, he pur-
posed following the course of the Niger to its termination, whether that
should prove to be in some great lake or inland sea, or, as he rather be-
lieved, in the Atliintio Ocean. '• And this voyage," says one of his biogra-
phers, " one of the most formidable ever attempted, was to be imdertaken
in a crazy and ill-appointed vessel, manned by a few negroes and a few
Europeans !"

On the 16th of November, having completed all the necessary pre-
parations for his voyage, our traveler put the finishing hand to his jour-
nal ; and in the interval, between that and his embarkation, which seems
to have taken place on the 19th, wrote several letters to England. His
letter to Lord Camden contained the following characteristic passage :
" I am afraid that your Lordship will be apt to consider matters as in a
very hopeless state ; but I assure you I am for from desponding. With
the assistance of one of the soldiers I have changed a large canoe into a
tolerably good schooner, on board of which I this day hoisted the Brit-
ish flag, and shall set sail to the east with the fixed resolution to discover
the termination of the Niger, or perish in the attempt. I have heard
nothing that I can depend on respecting the remote course of this mighty
stream ; but I am more and more inclined to think that it can end no-
where but ill the sea. My dear friend Mr. Anderson, and likewise Mr.
Scott, are both dead ; but though all the Europeans who are with me
should die, and though I were myself half dead, I would still persevere ;
and if I could not succeed in the object of my journey, I would at last
die on the Niger."

These letters, together with his journal, were then delivered to hia
guide, Isaaco, by whom they were conveyed to Gambia, from whence
they were transmitted to England ; after which nothing certain or au-

124

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP MUNGO PARK.

thentic can be said to have been heard either of Park or the ei^ifldition.
In 1806, however, vague accoimts of the death of Park and his compan-
ions were brought to the British settlement on the coast by the native
traders from the interior ; but several years elapsed without any further
intelligence beuig obtained. At length, in 1810, Colonel Maxwell, gov-
ernor of Senegal, dispatched Park's guide, Isaaco, into the interior, for
the purpose of ascertaining the truth or falsehood of the reports which
prevailed, and, should they prove correct, of collecting information re-
specting the place and manner of the catastrophe.

After an absence of one year and eight months, Isaaco returned to
Senegal, and delivered to the governor a journal of his proceedings,
including a narrative which he had received from Aniadi Fatouma, the
guide M'ho had accompanied Park from Sansanding down the Niger.
The particulars of Isaaco's adventures it is altogether unnecessary to
describe. He found Amadi Fatouma at Medina, a village distant a few
hours from Sansanding. On seeing Isaaco, and hearing the name of
Park, he began to weep, and his first words were, " They are all dead."
The recollection of the melancholy transaction appeared to affect him in
an extraordinary manner, and it was with the utmost reluctance that ho
at length consented to recall to memory an event which he seemed pe-
culiarly desirous of delivering over to oblivion. However, upon the
pressing entreaties of Isaaco, he narrated circumstantially what had
taken place. Upon leaving Sansanding, there were, he said, nine persons
in the canoe. Park, Martyn, three other white men, three slaves, and
myself as their guide and interpreter. They had proceeded but a very
little way down the river before they were pursued and attacked by the
Africans, in canoes, particularly in passing Timbuctoo, Avhere a great
number of the natives were killed. Shortly after passing Goroumo, they
lost one white man by sickness. They were now, therefore, reduced to
eight ; but as each person had always fifteen muskets loaded and ready
for action, they were still formidable to their enemies.

As Park had laid in a considerable quantity of provisions previous to
his leaving Sansanding, he was enabled to proceed for several days with-
out stopping at any place, which is the only circumstance that can ac-
count for his passing in safety through the country of so many hostile
nations. At length, however, their wants compelled them to have some
communication with the shore. "We came," says Amadi Fatouma,
" near a small island, and saw some of the natives. I was sent on shore
to buy some milk. When I got among them I saw two canoes go on
board to sell fi*esh provisions, such as fowls, rice, etc. One of the natives
wanted to kill me, and at last he took hold of me and said I was his pris-
oner. Mr. Park, seeing what was passing on shore, suspected the truth.
He stopped the two canoes and people, telling the latter that if they
should kill me, or keep me prisoner on shore, he would kill them all and
carry their canoes away with him. Those on shore, suspecting Mr.
Park's intentions, sent me off in another canoe on board. They were

AMADI FATOUMA'S JOURNAL.

125

then released, after which wo bought some provisions from them and
made them some presents. A short time after our departure twenty
canoes came after us from the same place. On coming near they liailed,
and said, ' Amadi Fatouma, how can you pass through our country with-
giving us any thing ?' I mentioned what tliey had said to Mr. Park, and
he gave them a few grains of amber and some trinkets, and they went
back peaceably. On coming to a narrow part of the river, we saw on
the shore a great many men sitting down ; coming nearer to them they
stood up ; we presented our muskets at them, which made them run off
into the interior. A little further on we came to a very difficult passage.
The rocks had barred the river, but three passages were still open be-
tween them. On coming near one of them wo discovered the same
people again, standing on the top of a large rock, which caused great
uneasiness to us, especially to me, and I seriously promised never to pass
there again without makmg considcable charitable donations to the poor.
We returned and went to a pass of less danger, where we passed unmo-
lested.

"We came-to before Carraassee, and gave the chief one piece of baft.
We went on and anchored before Gourman. Mr. Park sent me on shore
with forty thousand cowries to buy provisions. I went and bought rice,
onions, fowls, milk, etc., and departed late in the evening. The chief
of the village sent a canoe after us to let us know of a large army en-
camped on the top of a very high mountain waiting for us, and that
we had better return or be on our guard. We immediately came to an
anchor, and spent there the rest of the day and all the night. We
started in the morning. On jjassing the above-mentioned mountain we
saw the army, composed of Mooi's, with horses and camels, but without
any fire-arras. As they said nothing to us we passed on quietly, and
entered the country of Ilaoussa, and came to an anchor. Mr. Park said
to me, ' Now, Amadi, you are at the end of your journey ; I engaged
you to conduct me here ; you are going to leave me ; but before you go
you must give me the names of the necessaries of life, etc., m the lan-
guage of the countries through which I am going to pass ;' to which I
agreed, and wc spent two days together about it without landing. Dur-
ing our voyage I was the only one who had landed. We departed, and
arrived at Yaour. I was sent on shore the next morning with a musket
and a saber to carry to the chief of the village ; also with three pieces
of white baft for distribution. I went and gave the chief his present ; I
also gave one to Alhagi, one to Alhagi-biron, and the other to a person
whose name I forget ; all Marabous. The chief gave us a bullock, a
sheep, three jars of honey, and four men's loads of rice. Mr. Park gave
me seven thousand cowries, and ordered me to buy provisions, which I
did. He told me to go to the chief and give him five silver rings, some
powder and flints, and tell him that these presents were given to the king
by the white men, who were taking leave of him before they went away.
After the chief received these things, he inquired if the white men in-

126

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP MUNOO PARK.

tended to come back. Mr. Park, being informed of tliis inquiry, replied
that ho could not return any more. Mr. l*ark had paid mo for my voy-
age before we left Sansanding. I said to him, * I agreed to carry you
into the kingdom of Haoussa ; wo are now in Ilaoussa. I have fulfilled
my engagement with you ; I am therefore going to leave you here and
return.' "

On the next day Park departed, leaving the guide at the village of
Yaour, whore ho was put in irons by an order from the king, from a 8U]>
position that ho had aided the white men in defrauding him of the cus-
tomary presents, which the chief of Yaour had in fact received, but
retained for himself. " Tho next morning, early," continues the guide,
" the king sent an army to a village called Boussa, near tho river-side.
There is before this village a rock across the whole breadth of tho river.
One part of the rock is very high ; there is a large opeiung in that rock
in the form of a door, which is tho only passage for the water to pass
through; the tide current is hero very strong. This army went and
took possession of the top of this opening. Mr. Park came there after
the army had posted itself; ho nevertheless attempted to pass. Tho
people began to attack him, throwing lances, pikes, arrows, and stones.
Mr, Park defended himself for a long time ; two of his slaves at the
stern of the canoo were killed ; tliey threw every thing they had in tho
canoe into th(j river, and kept firing ; but being overpowered by num-
bers, and fatigued, and unable to keep the canoe against the current, and
no probability of escaping, Mr. Park took hold of one of tho white men
and jumped into the water; Mr. Martin did the same, and they were
drowned in the stream in attempting to escape. The only slave remain-
ing in the boat, seeing tho natives persist in throwing weapons at tho
canoe without ceasing, stood up and said to them, ' Stop throwing now,
you see nothing in the canoe, and nobody but myself; therefore cease.
Take mo and the canoe, but don't kill me.' They took possession of
the canoe and tho man, and carried them to the king.

" I was kept in irons three months ; the king released me, and gave
me a slave (woman). I immediately went to the slave taken in tho
canoe, who told me in what manner Mr. Park and all of them had died,
and what I have related above. I asked him if he was sure nothing had
been found in the canoo after its capture ; ho said nothing remained in
the canoe but himself and a sword-belt. I asked him where the sword-
belt was ; he said the king took it, and bad made a girth for his horso
with it."

Such is the narrative of Amadi Fatouma; and the informal ion since
obtained in the country by Captain Clapperton corroborates almost
every important circumstance which it describes. It appears, however,
that certain books — whether printed or manuscript does not appear —
were found in Park's canoe, some of which were still in the possession
of the chief of Yaour when Clapperton made his inquiries; but the wily
African, who no doubt expected a valuable present for these relics,

HIS PROBABLE PATE.

127

rcfusccl to deliver them to the traveler's messenger, and Clapperton him-
self, for Bomc reason or anotiicr not stated, neglected to visit the chief
in person. It should be remarked, that the Africans M'ho were ques-
tioned by Clapperton seemed all exceedingly desirous of exculpating
their countrymen, perhaps their own friends and relations, from the
ch'irgc of having murdered Park and his companions: according to one
narrator, the canoo was caught between two rocks, where the river,
being obstructed in its course, rushed through its narrow channel with
prodigous rapidity. Hero the travelers, in attempting to disembark,
Averc drowned in the sight of an immense multitude who had assembled
to see them pass, and were too timid to attack or assist them. On an-
other occasion, however, the same person confessed that his countrymen
did indeed discharge their arrows at the travelers, but not until they
had been fired upon from the canoe. But the sheriff of Bokliary, whoso
letter was found among the MSS. of Clapperton, asserts that the inhabi-
tants of IJoussa went out against the whito men in great numbers, and
attacked them during three successive days ; after which Park and Mar-
tyn, who from this account would appear to have been the only Euro-
pean survi ,'ors, threw their pajjcrs and baggage into the water, and leap-
ing in after them were drowned in the stream. This melancholy event
appears to h.ave occurred between three and four months after the de-
parture of the expedition from Snnsanding, or about the Istof March, 1800.

Park possessed in a high degree the qualities necessary for a success-
ful traveler: intrepidity, enthusiasm, perseverance, veracity, and pru-
dence, all of which were admirably illustr.ated by his first journey. Few
men have ])as«ed through circumstances so trying, with equal nerve and
selt-possession ; but it is to be doubted whether these merits were
equally conspicuous during his second expedition. Half of the men,
whose lives were sacrificed to his haste and impatience, might have given
his party suflicient strength to carry him through the territory of Houssa
and the hostile tribes beyond, and assured alike his safety and his tri-
umph. But the blame of his failure, no doubt, rests mainly upon the
British government, through whoso procrastination he Avas kept for two
years in a state of painful suspense, and finally delayed in his prepara-
tions, until the favorable season for traveling had nearly passed.

In person Park was tall, being about six feet high, and perfectly well
proportioned. His countenance and whole appearance were highly
interesting ; his frame active and robust, fitted for great exertions and
the endurance of extreme hardships. His constitution had suffered con-
siderably from the effects of his first journey into Africa, but seems
afterward to have been restored to its original vigor, of which his last
expedition afforded the most abundant proofs. In all the relations of
private life he appears to have been highly exemplary. To the more
gentle and amiable parts of his character the most certain of all testimo-
nies may be found in the warm attachment of his friends, and in the fond
and affectionate recollections of every branch of his family.

LEWIS AND CLARKE'S

JOURNEY TO THE PACIFIC OCEAN.

VOYAGE UP THE MISSOURI.

On the acquisition of Louisiana, in the year 1803, tho attention of the
government of the United States was directed toward exploring and im-
proving the new territory. Accordingly, in tho summer of the same
year, an expedition was planned by President Jefferson for the i)uri)oso
of discovering the course and sources of the Missouri River, and the most
convenient water-communication thence to the Pacific Ocean. His pri-
vate secretary. Captain Meriwether Lewis, and Captain William Clarke,
both officers of tho army of the United States, were associated in the
command of this enterprise. After receiving tho requisite instructions,
Captain Lewis left the seat of government, and being joined by Captain
Clarke at Louisville, proceeded to St. Louis, where they arrived in the
month of December. Their original intention was to pass the winter
at La Charette, then tho highest settlement on the Missouri, but tho
Spanish commandant of tho province, not having received an official ac-
count of its transfer to tho United States, was obliged, by the general
policy of his government, to prevent strangers from passing through the
Spanish territory.

They therefore encamped at the mouth of Wood River, on tho east-
em side of the Mississippi, out of his jurisdiction, where they passed the
winter in disciplining the men, and making the necessary preparations
for setting out early in the spring, before which the cession was officially
announced. The party consisted of nine young men from Kentucky,
fourteen soldiers of the United States Army who volunteered their serv-
ices, two French watermen, an interpreter and hunter, and a black serv-
ant belonging to Captain Clarke. AH these, except the last, were en-
listed to serve as privates during the expedition, and three sergeants
were appointed from among them by the captains. In addition to
these were engaged a corporal and six soldiers, and nine watermen to
accompany the expedition aa far as the Mandan nation, in order to assist

130

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

in carrying the stores, or repelling an attack, which was most to be ap-
prehended between Wood River and that tribe. The party was to em-
bark on board of three boats ; the first was a keel-boat fifty-five feet long,
drawing three feet of water, carrying one large squaresail and twenty-
two oars ; a deck of ten feet in the bow and stern formed a forecastle and
cabin, while the middle was covered by lockers, which might be raised
so as to form a breast-Avork in case of attack. This was accompanied
by two perioqucs or open boats, one of six and the other of seven oars.
Two Iiorses were at the same time to be led along the bank of the river
for the purpose of bringing home game, or hunting, in case of scarcity.

All the preparations being completed, they left their encampment on
"Wood River, opposite the mouth of the Missouri, on the 14th of May,
1804, and on the 16th arrived at St. Charles, situated on the north bank
of the ]Mis..?ouri, twenty-one miles from its mouth. This was then a town
of about four hundred and fifty inhabitants, chiefly the descendants of
the French of Canada. Here they remained a few days waiting for Cap-
tain Lewis, who had been detained by business at St. Louie. When he
arrived, they again set sail, on the afternoon of Monday the 21st, but
were prevented by wind and rain from going more than three miles,
when they encamped upon an island.

Two miles above their next camp, they passed a settlement of thirty or
forty families from the United Scates, and further on, at the foot of clifis
three hundred feet high, they saw a large cave called the Tavern by the
traders, Vi'ho had painted in it some images that commanded the homage
of the Indiana. On the 24th they passed some difficult rapids where, be-
tween the dangerd of the falling banks on the one hand, and the con-
stantly changing sand-bars on the other, they came near capsizing their
boat. On the evening of the next day (25th), they stopped for the night
near the small village of La Charette, about seventy miles from the mouth
of the river. It consisted of seven small houses, and as many poor fami-
lies, who had fixed themselves here for the convenience of trade, and
formed the last establishment of whites on the Missouii. They were
again detained a day on the 31st at their encampment on the Grindstone
Creek, by the high west wind and rain. In the afternoon a boat came down
from the Osage River, bringing a letter from a messenger sent to the
Osage nation on the Arkansas River, which mentioned that the letter
announcing the cession of Louisiana was committed to the flames ; that
the Indians would not believe that the Americans were owners of tha^
country, and disregarded St. Louis and its supplies.

On the 5th of June they met two French traders, descending on a
raft from their winter quarters, eighty leagues up the Kanzas River,
where they had caught great quantities of beaver, but had lost much of
their game by fires from the prairies. Soon afterward they passed LittI o
Manitou Creek, which was named from a strange figure resemblbg the
bust of a man, with the horns of a stag, painted on a. projecting rock,
and probably reprtjenting some spirit or deity. On the 7th they

FIRST INDIAN COUNCILS.

131

passed Big Manitou Creek, near which was a limestone rock inlaid with
flint of various colors and covered with uncouth paintings of animals, and
inscriptions. They landed to examine it, but found the place mfested
with rattlesnakes, of which they killed three. Meeting two rafts from
the Sioux nation, loaded with furs and buffalo-tallow, they engaged oue
of the party, a Mr. Durion, who had lived more than twenty years with the
Sioux, and was high in their confidence, to accompany them thither.

They continued to advance but slowly, their progress being greatly
impeded by the numerous rolling sandbanks, the strong current and
frequent head-winds, while t' e dangers of the navigation were increased
on the one hand by the sunken trees, on the other by the falling in of
the banks. They reached the Kanzas River on the 26th, and encamped
on the low point above its mouth, where they remained two days and
made the necessary observations, recruited the party, and repaired the
boat. They reached the mouth of the Platte on the evening of July
2i8t, and having found, at the distance of ten miles above its junction,
a high and shaded situation, they encamped there, intending to make
the requisite observations as well as to send for the neighboring tribes,
for the purpose of making known the recent change in the government,
and the wish of the United States to cultivate their friendship.

Having completed the object of their stay, they set sail on the 2'7th,
and on the 30th again encamped to await the arrival of the Indians.
On the evening of August 2d, a band of Ottoways and Missouris ap-
peared, and next morning the Indians, with their six chiefs, were assem-
bled under an awniii;^, formed with the main-sail, in the presence of all
the party, paraded for the occasion. A speech was then made, an-
nouncing to them the change of government, with promise of protection,
and advice as to their future conduct. All the six chiefs replied, each.
in turn, according to rank. They expressed their joy at the change in
the government, and their desire to be recommended to their great
father (the President), that they might obtain trade and necessaries.
They wanted arms for hunting and for defense, and asked for mediation
between them and the Mahas, with whom they were then at war. " We
promised to do so," says Captain Clarke, " and wished so'ue of them to
accompany us to that nation, which they declined, for fear of being
killed by them. We then proceeded to distribute our presents. The
grand chief of the nation not being of the party, we sent him a flag, a
medal, and some ornaments for clothing. To the six chiefs who were
present, we gave a medal of the second grade to one Ottoway chief,
and one Missouri chief; a medal of the third grade to two inferior
chiefs of each nation — the customary mode of recognizing a chief being
to place a medal around his neck, which is considered among his tribe
as a proof of his consideration abroad. Each of these medals was accom-
panied by a present of paint, garters, and cloth ornaments of dress ;
and to this we added a canister of powder, a bottle of whiskey, and a
few presents to the whole, which appeared to make thorn perfectly satis-

132

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLAR:'.]

lied. The air-gun, too, was fired, and astonished them greatly. The
absent grand chief was an Ottowny, named Weahrushhah, which in
English degenerates into Little Thief. The two principal chieftains
present were Sbangotongo, or Big Horse, and Wethea, or Hospitality;
also Shosguean, or White Horse, an Ottoway ; the first was an Ottoway,
the second a Missouri. Tlie incidents just related induced us to give
this place the name of the Counnl Bluff; the situation of it is exceed-
ingly favorable for a fort and trading factory, as the soil is well calculated
for bricks, and there is an abundance of wood in the neighborhood, and
the air being pure and healthy. The ceremonies of the council being
concluded, we set sail in the afternoon, and encamped at the distance of
five miles, where we found the mosquitoes very troublesome."

The small-pox had sadly scourged the Indians of this region. The
Mahas, once a warlike and powerful people, had been wasted away by
the disease, and in their frenzy they had burned their villages ; some
had even put to death their wives and children, probably to save them
from the affliction, and all had gone off to some better country. The
messengers of the expedition called the Indians to another council, and
they met further up the river on the 18th and lOth, when the com-
manders made speeches, and distributed medals and presents, as at
Council Bluff. Next morning the Indians left tliem ; they set sail, and
soon afterward came to under some bluffs on the north side of the river.
" Here," says Captain Clarke, " v, e had the misfortune to lose one of
our sergeants, Charles Floyd. lie was seized with a bilious colic, and all
our care and attention were ineffectual to relieve him. He was buried
on the top of the bluff with the honors due to a brave soldier, and the
])lace of his intemient marked by a cedar post, on Avhich his name and
the day of his death were inscribed. About a mile beyond this place,
to which w6 gave his name, is a small river about thirty yards wide, on
the north, which we called Floyd's Iliver, where we encamped."

On the 25th of August, Captains Lewis and Clarke, with ten men,
went to see an object deemed extraordinary among all the neighboring
Indians. This was a large mound in the midst of the plain, nine miles
northward from the mouth of the Whitestone River. " The base of the
mound is a regular parallelogram, the longest side being about three
hundred yards, the shorter sixty or seventy. From the longest side it
rises Avith a steep ascent from the north ainl south to the height of sixty-
five or seventy feet, leaving on the top a level plain of twelve feet in
breadth and ninety in length. The noi'th and south extremities are con-
nected by two oval borders, which serve as new bases, and divide the
whole side into three sttop but regular gradations from the plain. The
only thing chiiracteristic in this hill is its extreme symmetry, and this,
together with its being totally detached frrm the other hills, which are
at the distance of eight or nine miles, would induce the belief that it
was artificial : but, as the earth, and the loose pebbles which compose il ,
are arranged exactly like the steep grounds on the borders of the creek,

MEETING WITH THE SIOUX.

133

we concluded from this similarity of texture that it might bo natural.
But the Indians have made it a great article of their superstition. It is
called the mountain of Little People, or Little Spirits, and they believe
that it is the abode of little devils, in the human form, of about eighteen
inches high, and of remarkably large heads ; they are armed with sharp
arrows, with which they are very skillful, and are always on the watch to
kill those who have the hardihood to approach their residence. The tra-
dition is, that many have suffered from these little evil spirits, and among
others three Maha Indians fell a sacrifice to them a few years since. This
has inspired all the neighboring nations, Sioux, Mahas, and Ottoways,
with such terror that no consideration could tempt them to visit the hill.
We saw none of these wicked little spirits, nor any place for them, ex-
cept some small holes scattered over the top. We were happy enough
to escape their vengeance, though we remained some time on the mound
to enjoy the delightful prospect of the plain, which spreads itself out till
the eye rests upon the hills in the north-west at a great distance, and
those of the north-east still further on, enlivened by large herds of buffalo
feeding at a distance." As they returned they gathered delicious plums,
grapes, and blue currants, on the barks of the creek, and on reaching
their encampment sei the prairies ca fire, to warn the Sioux of their ap-
proach.

On the 27th, they met with a few Indians at the mouth of the James
lliver, Avho informed them that a large body of Sioux were encamped in
the neighborhood. Sergeant Pryor was accordingly dispatched to them
■with an invitation to meet Lewis and Clarke at a spot above the river.
The latter encamped next day under Calumet Bluff, on the south side,
to await the arrival of the Sioux. The 29th was spent in repairing ?
pcrioque that had been disabled, and other necessary occupations, when
at four o'clock in the afternoon Sergeant Pryor and his party arrived on
the opposite side, attended by five chiefs, and about seventy men and
boys. Some presents were given, and a confe :uce appointed for the
mor' r; .■^. Sergeant Pryor reported that on reaching their village, twelve
mi ;; distant, he was met by a party with a buffalo iobe, ua which they
d ■ .-.r-'i lo carry their visitors, an honor which they declined, informing
tjiv^! Li'ijr'.^ that they were not the commanders oi the boats. As a
great n ■.it ^f respect they were then presented with a fat dog, already
cooked, of which they partook heartily, and found it well flavored. The
chiefs and warriors were received on the 30tn, under a large oak-tree,
when Captan T \s is delivered a speech, with the usual ad^vice and coun-
sel tor their future conduct. They then acknowledged the chiefs by medals
and presents, .md smoked with them t^c- pipe of peace, after which the
latter retired to hold a council concerning the answer which they were
t-i make on the morrow. The young people exercised their bows and
liii'oivs in shooting at marks for beads, and in the evening the whole
pw~ ■ y ^anced until a late hour. In the morning they met, and the chiefs
sat down in a row, with pipes of peace, highly ornamented, and all

134

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

pointed toward the seats of Captains Lewis and Clarke. When the
latter were seated, the grand chief^ Weucha, or Shake Hand, arose and
spoke at some length, approving what had been said, and promising to
follow the advice. He promised to make peace between the tribes then
at war, and ended by requesting material aid for their people and their
■wives. He was followed by the other chiefs and a warrior, who, in
shorter speeches, repeated or seconded his views. " All these harangues
concluded by describing the distress of the nation. They begged us to
have pity on them ; to send them traders ; that they wanted powder and
ball ; and seemed anxious that we should supply them with some of their
great father's milk, the name by which they distinguished ardent spirits.
"We prevailed on Mr. Durion to remain here and accompany as many of
the Sioux chiefs as he could collect down to the seat of government."
These Indians were the Yanktons, a tribe of the great nation of Sioux.

They set forward on the 1st of September. On the 2d they passed
some extensive mounds and w "s of earth, the first remains of the kind
they had an oppoitunity of exa.j They consisted of a citadel and

walls more than a mile in length, ■ ne southern banks of the river,
and a circular fortress nearly opposite, on Bonhomme Island. On the
morning of September 11th they saw a man on horseback coming down
the river toward them, and were much pleased to find it was George
Shannon, one of their party, for whose safety they had been very uneasy.
Their tw^o horses having strayed away on the 26th of August, he was
sent to search for them. "When he had found them he attempted to re-
join the party, but seeing some other tracks, probably those of Indians,
ho concluded that they w?re ahead and had been for sixteen days follow-
ing the bank of the river before them. During the first four days he
had exhausted his bullets, and was then nearly starved, being obliged to
subsist for twelve days on a few grapes and a rabbit which he had killed
by making use of a hard piece of stick for a ball. One of his horses
gave out and was left behind ; the other he kept as a last resource for
food. Despairing of overtaking the expedition, he was returning down
the river in hopes of meeting some other boat, and W!is on the point of
killing his horse, when he was so fortunate as to join his companions.

In another week they reached the Great Bend, and dispatched two
men with their remaining horse across the neck to hunt thei-e, and await
their arrival. In the following night they were alarmed by the sinking
of the bank on which they were encamped. They leaped into their boats
and pushed off" in time to save them, and presently the whole ground
of their encampment sank also. They formed a second camp for the
rest of the night, and at daylight proceeded on to the throat of the
Great Bend. A man whom they had dispatched to step off the distance
across the Bend, made it two thousand yards ; the circuit is thirty miles.
On the evening of the 24th, they encamped near a river which they
called the Teton, from a tribe inhabiting its borders. Here they raised
a flag-staff and an awning in the moniing, and with all the party parading

ASSAULT or THE TETONS.

185

under arms, awaited the Indians, who had been summoned to a council.
The chiefs and warriors from a camp two miles up the river, met them,
the speeches were delivered, and they went through the ceremony of
acknowledging the chiefs by giving them the usual presents, according
to rank. They then invited them on board, showed them the boat, air-
gun, and such curiosities as might amuse them, but after giving them a
quarter of a glass of whiskey, it was with much difficulty that they could
get rid of them. " They at last accompanied Captain Clarke on shore
in a perioque with five men ; but it seems they had formed a d( sign to
stop us ; for no sooner had the party landed than three of the Indians
seized the cable of the perioque, and one of the soldiers of the chief put
his arm around the mast ; the second chief, who affected intoxication,
then said that we should not go on, that they had not received presents
enough from us. Captain Clarke told him that he would not be pre-
vented from going on ; that we were not squaws, but warriors ; that
we were sent by our great father, who could in a moment exterminate
them. The chief replied that he, too, had warriors, and was proceeding
to offer personal violence to Captain Clarke, who immediately drew his
sword, and made a signal to the boat to prepare for action. The In-
dians who surrounded him drew their arrows from their quivers and
were bending their bows, when the swivel in the boat was instantly
pointed toward them, and twelve of our most determined men jumped
into the perioque, and joined Captain Clarke. This movement made
an impression on them, for the grand chief ordered the young men away
from the perioque, and they withdrew and held a short council with the
warriors. Being unwilling to irritate them. Captain Clarke then went
forward and offered his hand to the first and second chiefs, who refused
to take it. He then turned from them and got into the perioque, but
had not gone more than ten paces when both the chiefs and two of the
warriors waded in after him, and he brought them on board. We then
proceeded on for a mile and anchored off a willow island, which from
the circumstances that had just occurred, we called Bad-humored
Island." Having thus inspired the Indians with fear, they desired to
cultivate their acquaintance, and accordingly on the next day they
drew up to the shore where a crowd of men, women, and children
were waiting to receive them. Captain Lewis went on shore and re-
mained several hours, and finding their disposition friendly, resolved
to remain during the night, and attend a dance which the Indians
were preparing for them. Captains Lewis and Clarke were received
Oil landing by ten well-dressed young men, who took them up on a
robe highly decorated, sind carried them to the council-house where
they were placed on a dressed buffalo skin by the side of the grand
chief. He was surrounded by a circle of about seventy men, before
whom were placed the Spanish and American flags, and the pipe of
peace. A large fire, at which they were cooking provisions, was near,
and a quantity of buffalo meat, as a present. When they were seated,

136

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

an old man spoke, approving what the white men had done, and im-
ploring pity on their own unfortimate situation. Lewis and Clarke re-
plied with assurances of protection ; then the !?reat chief arose and
delivered a harangue, after which with great solemnity he took some of
the most delicate parts of the dog, which was cooked for the festival,
and held it to the flag by way of sacrifice. This done, he held up
the pipe of peace, first pomting it upward, then to the fear quarters of
the globe, and then to the earth, made a short speech, lighted the pipe,
and presented it to the guests. They ate and smoked until dark,
when every thing was cleared away for the dance, a largo fire being
made in the center, to give light and warmth to the ball-room. The
musicians played upon a sort of tambourine and made a jingling noise
with a long stick to which the hoofs of deer and goats were hung ;
thb third instrument was a small skin bag with pebbles in it : these,
with a few singers, made up the band. The women came forward highly
decorated, some with poles bearing the scalps of their enemies, others
with guns, spears, and other trophies taken in war by their husbands,
brothers, or connections. Tliey danced toward each other till they met
in the center, when the rattles were shaken, and all shouted and re-
turned to their places. In the pauses of the dance a man of the com-
pany would come forward and recite, in a low, guttural tone, some
little story or incident, either warlike or ludicrous. This was taken up
by the orchestra and dancers, Avho repeated it in a higher strain and
danced to it. Sometimes the women raised their voices, when the
orchestra ceased, and made a music leas intolerable than the men. The
dances of the men, ah> ays separate from the women, were conducted
in nearly the same way. The harmony of the entertainment came near
being disturbed by one oi the musicians, who, thinking he had not
received a due share of the tobacco distributed during the evening,
put himself into a passion, broke one of the drums, threw two of them
hito the fire, and left the band. The drums were taken out of the
fire ; a buffiilo robe held in one hand and beaten with the other, by
scAcral of the company, supplied the place of the lost tambourine,
and no notice was taken of the offensive conduct of the man. The
white guests retired at twelve o'clock, accompanied by four chiefs, two
of whom spent the night on board.

While on shore they saw fifty prisoners, women and children, who
had been taken in a late battle with the Mahas, on which occasion the
Sioux had killed seventy-five men. They gave them a variety of small
articles and interceded for them with the chiefs, who promised to
restore them and live in peace with the Mahas. The tribe they saw this
day were a part of the great Sioux nation, known by the name of Teton
Okandandas. While with them, the travelers witnessed a quarrel be-
tween two squaM's, which was suddenly stopped by the appearance of
a man, at whose approach every one seemed terrified and ran away.
He took the squaws and without any ceremony whipped them severely.

A NEGRO CURIOSITY.

137

Tliis was an officer whose duty was to keep the peace. The whole in-
terior police of the village was confided to two or three such officers,
who were named by the chicf^ and remained in power a few days, imtil
a successor was appointed. They were always on the watch to keep
tranquillity during the day, and guard the camp in the night. Their
power, though of short duration, was supreme, and in the suppression of
any riot no resistance was suffered. In general they accompanied the
person of the chief, and when ordered to any duty, however dangerous,
made it a point of honor rather to die than refuse obedience. It was
thus when they attempted to stop Lewis and Clarke on the day before.
The chief having ordered one of these men to take possession of the
boat, he immediately put his arms around the mast, and no force ex-
cept the command of the chief would have induced him to release
his hold.

They spent the next day with other Indians of the nation, who enter-
tained them in a similar manner ; but when they were preparing to set
out, some difficulties arose from a misunderstanding with the people,
either from jealousy or the hope of obtaining presents. By decided
measures and the distribution of tobacco, the natives were appeased,
and the expedition set forward on the 28th. As they sailed up the river
they wore frequently accosted by Indians, who asked them to land, and
begged for tobacco and other presents, but they had no further inter-
course) with them ixntil they came in the vicinity of the Ricaras, on the
8th of October. Here they halted a few days, visited the Indians at
their villages, and received them in council. The usual ceremonies were
here performed, speeches made, chiefs acknowledged by distinguished
presents, and curiosities exhibited to astonish the natives. " The object
that appeared to astonish the Indians most, was Captain Clarke's servant,
York, a remarkably stout, strong negro. They had never seen a being
of that color, and therefore flocked around him to examine the extra-
ordinary monster. By way of amusement, he told them that he had
once been a wild animal, and had been caught and tamed by his master ;
and to conA ince them, showed them feats of strength, which, added to
his looks, made him more terrible than we ■wished him to be." " On
our side," says Captain Clarke, " we were gratified at discovering that
these Ricaras made use of no spirituous liquors of any kind ; the example
of the traders who bring it to thom, so far from tempting, has, in fact,
disgusted them. Supposing that it was as agreeable to then: as to the
other Indians, wo had at first offered them whiskey, but they refused it
with this sensible remark, that they were surprised that their father
should present to thom a liquor whivh would make them fools."

On the 13th they continued their journey. During the day they
passed a strttam to which they gave the name of Stone Idol Creek, for
they learned that a few miles back from the Missouri there were two
stones resenil)ling himaan figures, and a third like a dog ; all which were
objects of great veneration among the Ricaras. "Their history would

138

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

adorn the ' Metamorphoses' of Ovid. A young man was deeply enamored
with a girl whose parents refused their consent to the marriage. Tho
youth went out into tho fields to mourn his misfortunes ; a sympathy
of feeling led the lady to the same spot ; and the faithful dog would
not ceaso to follow his master. After wandering together and having
nothing but gr.'ipes to subsist on, they were ut last converted into stone,
which, beginnhig at the feet, gradually invaded tho nobler parts, leaving
nothing unchanged but a bunch of grapes which the female holds in
her hands unto this day." These stones were sacred objects to the
Ricaras, who made some propitiatory offering whenever thoy passed them.
They saw another object of Ricara superstition on the 2l8t — a largo
oak-tree, standing alone on tho open prairie, which, having withstood
fires that had consumed every thing around, Avas possessed of extraor-
dinary powers in the belief of tho Indians. One of their ceremonies
was to make a hole in the skin of the neck, through which a string was
passed, and the other end tied to the body of the tree ; and after re-
maining in this way for some time, they fancied they became braver.
The Ricara chief told them of a large rock in tho neighborhood, on tho
Chisshetaw, which was held in great veneration, and consulted by parties
for their own or their nation's destinies ; these they probably found in
some sort of figures or paiutiugs >vith which it was covered.

"WINTER AMONG THE MANDANS.

The party now approached tho region of the Mandans, passed many
of their deserted villages, and on the 24th met one of their grand
chiefs, who was on a hunting excursion. lie met his enemy, the Ricara
chief, who had accompanied the expedition, with great ceremony and
apparent cordiality, and smoked with him. The latter afterward went
with the Mandans to their camp. On the 26th thoy encamped near the
first village of the Mandans, who came down in crowds to see them as
soon as they landed. Among the visitors was the son of the grand
chief, who had his two little fingers cut off at the second joints. On
inquiring into this accident, they found it was customary to express grief
at the death of relations by some corporeal suffering, and that tho usual
mode was to lose two joints of the little fingers, or sometimes the other
fingers. On the two following days they visited several villages', and
went up the river a short distance in searcli of a convenient spot for a
winter fort, but the timber was too scarce and small for their purpose.
The council assembled on the 29th. A number of chiefs of the Man-
dans, the Minnetarces, and the Ahnahaways, were present. The forces
of the expedition were all paraded, and tho council opened by a discharge
from the o^ivel of the boat. Tho Indians were addressed, .as heretofore,
with advice intermingled with assurances of friendship and trade, and
toward the end of the speech the subject of the Ricara chief was intro-

THEY ENCAMP FOR THE WINTER.

139

duced, with whom they were recommended to make a firm peace. To
this tliey seemed well disposed, and smoked with him amicably. Pres-
ents were then distributed with great ceremony : one chief of each town
was acknowledged by a gift of a flag, a medal with the likeness of the
President, a uniform coat, hat, and feather ; to the second chiefs they
gave a medal representujg some domestic animals and a loom ; to the
third chiefs, medals with the impressions of a farmer sowing grain. A
variety of other presents were distributed, but none seemed to give
more satisfaction than an iron corn-mill which they gave to the Mandans.
The council was concluded by a shot from the swivel, after Avhich the air-
gun was fired for their amusement. In the evening the prairie took fire,
either by accident or design, and burned with great fury, the whole plain
being enveloped in flames. So rapid was its progress, that a man and
woman were burned to death before they could reach a place of safety,
and several others were badly injured or narrowly escaped destruction.
A half-breed boy escaped unhurt in the midst of the flames, and his
safety was ascribed to the great medicine spirit, who had preserved him
on account of his being white. But a much more natural cause was the
presence of mind of his mother, who, seeing no hopes of carrying off her
son, threw him on the ground, covered him with the fresh hide of a
bufialo, and then escaped herself from the flames. As soon as the fire
had passed she returned and found him untouched, the skin havhig pre-
vented the flame from reaching the grass on which he lay.

On the 31st Captain Clarke had an interview mth the grand chief of
the Mandans, who expressed his faith in what had been said, hoped they
would enjoy peace, and promised to send his second chief with some
warriors to the Ricaras with their chief, to smoke with that nation. He
added that he would go and see his great father, the President. The
chiefs of the other villages manifested the same amicable disposition, and
the Kicaree chieftain set out on his return Avith a Mandan chief and sev-
eral Minnetaree and Mandan warriors.

HaAdng found a suitable wintering-place three miles below, they en-
camped there, and on the 3d of November they began the building of
their cabins. Some Frenchmen who were herfi built a perioque to de-
scend to St. Louis, and Lewis and Clarke engaged the services of a Cana-
dian Frenchman, who had been with the Chayenne Lidians on the Black
River. Mr. Jessaume, their interpreter, also came down with his squaw
and children to live at the camp. In the evening they received a visit
from Kagohami, or Little Raven, one of the chiefs who attended the
council, whose wife accompanied him, bi'inging about sixty weight of
dried meat, a robe, and a pot of meal. Other Indians visited them, and
frequently brought them presents, during the building of their cabins.
These were completed and picketed by the 20th, when they moved into
them, and named the place Fort Mandan. There were five villages in
the neighborhood, the residence of three distinct nations, who had been
at the council. Captain Lewis made an excursion to them in a few days,

140

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

and found them all well disposed and very kind, except a principal chief
of one of the upper villages, named Mahpahpapara[»!issat()o, or Horned
Weasel, who made use of the civilized indecorum of refusing to be seen,
and when Captain Lewis called he was told the chief was not at home.

They passed the winter very comfortably at the fort, liiuliiig sufficient
employment in hunting, visiting, and cultivating the friendship of the
Indians ; although in these excursions they fre([uently suffered from tho
cold, which Avas sometimes very intense. On the 10th of December tho
hunters saw largo herds of buffalo crossing tho river on the ice. The
mercury stood at 11° below zero, and tho next moniing it was 21° belu.v.
When the party returned in the evening, many of them were frostbitten.
On tho 12th the thermometer indicated 38° below zero, and at sunrise
on the 17th it was 45° below.

On Christmas day the party fired three platoons before day. They
had told the Indians not to visit them, as it was one of their great medi-
cine days; so the men remained at home and amused themselves in
various ways, particularly in dancing, in which they took great pleasure.
Tlie American flag was hoisted for the first time in the fort ; the best
provisions they had were brought out, and this, with a little brandy,
enabled them to pass the day in great festivity.

On the morning of the new year, 1805, the men were permitted to
go up with their music to the first village, where they delighted the
whole tribe with their dances, particularly with the movements of one
of the Frenchmen, who danced on his head. In return they i^resented
the dancers with several buffalo robes and quantities of corn. This at-
tention was shown to the village because they had conceived the whites
to be wanting in regard for them, and had begun to circulate invidious
comparisons between them and the northern traders ; all these, however,
they declared to Captain Clarke, who visited them in the course of the
morning, were made in jest. The Indians likewise performed various
dances at their villages during the winter.

On the 9th of January, the mercury at 21° below zero. Captain
Clarke, with three or four men, accompanied Kagohami and a party of
Indians to hunt. They were incommoded by snow and high Avinds, and
several of the Indians came back nearly frozen. Next morning the mer-
cury stood at 40° below zero, and they were uneasy for one of the men,
who was still missing. He came back, however, as they were sending
out a party in search of him, having made a fire and kept himself warm
through the night. An Indian boy came in soon after. He had slept
in the snow with no covering but his moccasins and leggings, and a buf-
falo robe, and had his feet frozen. A missing Indian also returned, and
although his dress was thin, and he had slept on the snow without fire,
he had not suffered the slightest inconvenience. They oflen had occa-
sion to observe how well the Indians endured the rigors of the season.
A more pleasing reflection occurred at seeing the warm interest which
the situation of these two persons had excited in the village. Tlie boy

PREPARATIONS FOR DEPARTURE.

141

had bt'on a prisoner and adopted from charity, yet tho father'a distress
proved that ho felt for liim tho tenderest atVcctioii. Tho man was a per-
bon of no tUatiuction, yet tlio wholo village was full of anxiety for hia
safety.

Toward tho middle of January nearly one half of the Mandan nation
passed down tho river to hunt for several days. In these excursions,
men, women, and children, with their dogs, all leave tho village together,
and after finding a spot convenient to the game, fix their tents. All the
family bear their part in tho labor, and the game is equally divided
among tho families of tho tribe. On the 9th of March tho grand chief
of the Minnetarees, who was absent on their arrival, visited them. Ho
was received with great attention, two guns were fired in honor of his
arrival, tho curiositios were shown to him, and presents bestowed upon
him. In the course of conversation ho observed that eomo foolish
young men of his nation had told him there was a person among them
quite black, and he wished to know if it could bo true. They assured
him that it was true, and sent for York. Tlio chief was much surprised
at his appearance ; ho examined him closely, dpitt'.ng on his finger and
rubbing the skin in order to wash off the paint ; nor was it until the
negro uncovered his head and showed his hair, that tho chief could bo
persuaded he was not a painted white man.

On the approach of spring, Lewis and Clarke began to make prepara-
tions for their departure. Canoes were built and hauled down to the
river, and the boats were all finally launched on tho 1st of April. While
they were loading their boats on the 6th, they were visited by a number
of Mandans. They brought information of a party of Ilicaras on the
other side of tho river. An interpreter was sent to learn the rc:.son of
their coming; he returned next morning with a Ricara chief, who
brought a letter from Mr. Tabeau, stating the wish of tho grand chief
of the Ilicaras to visit the President, and requesting permission for him-
se''" ind four men to join the returning boat of the expedition. This
be'.ig granted, ho said he was sent with ten warriors by his nation, to
arrange their settling near the Mandans and Minnetarees, whom they
wished to join ; that he considered all the neighboring nations friendly,
except the Sioux, whoso persecution they could no longer withstand, and
whom they hoped to repel by uniting with the tribes in this quarter.
He added, that the Ilicaras intended to live in peace with all nations,
and requested Lewis and Clarke to speak in their favor with tho Assv i-
boin Indians. This they promised, and assured him of the Presidcu„ i
protection. They then gave him a medal, a certificate, and some pres-
ents, with which he departed for the Mandan village, well satisfied with
his reception.

142 TRAVELB OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

JOUUNKY ACROSS THK ROOKY MOUNTAINS.

Having mii<lo nil their arrangements, they left the fort on tlio after-
noon of April 7th. The party now consisted of thirty-two persons.
Besides Captains Lewis and Clarke, there were Sergeants John Ordway,
Nathaniel Pryor, and Patrick Gass. The interpreters wore Georgo
Drewyer and Toussaint Cha])onoau. The witb of Chaboneau .^Iso ac-
companied them with her young child, and they lioped she would be use-
ful us an interpreter among the Snuko Indians. She was herself one of
that tribe, but had been taken in war by the ]Mumetarees, by whom she
was sold as a slave to Chaboneau, who brought her up and afterward
married her. One of the Mandans likewise embarked with them, in
order to go to the Snake Indians and obtain a peace with them for his
countrymen. All this party, with tho baggage, was stowed in six small
canoes and two largo perioques. At the same time that they took their
departure, their barge, manned with seven soldiers, two Frenchmen, and
Mr. Gravelines as pilot, sailed for tho United States, loaded with their
presents and dispatches.

On the 9th they came to a hunting party of Minnctarces, who had
prepared a park or inclosure, and were waiting the return of the ante-
lope. In the region they passed through on tho two following days they
saw on tho surface of the earth large quantities of a white substanae
which tasted like a mixture of common salt with Glauber salts. It ap-
peared on the sides of the hills, and even on tho banks of tho rivers, as
well as on the sand bars. Many of the streams which came from the
foot of tho hills were so strongly impregnated with this substance
that tho water had an unpleasant tasto and a purgative effect. On the
20th of April, at noon, they encamped at tho junction of the Missouri
and Yellowstone Rivers. As tho river was crooked and the wind adverse
Captain Lewis had left tho boats the day before and proceeded overland
to find tho Yellowstone and make the necessary observations, so as to
be enabled to continue tho expedition without delay. He pursued his
route along the foot of the hills, which he ascended for the distance of
eight miles. From these the wide plains, watered by the Missouri and
the Yellowstone, spread themselves before the eye, occasionally varied
Avith the wood of the banks, enlivened by the irregular windings of the
two rivers, and animated by vast herds of buffalo, deer, elk, and ^ite-
lope. Above tho Yellowstone the hills were higher and rougher, and
the wild animals more numerous. A small river which they passed on
the 3d of May they called Porcupine River, from the unusual number of
porcupines near it. A quarter of a mile beyond this they passed another
on the opposite side, to which, on account of its distance from the mouth
of the Missouri, they gave the name of Two-thousand-mile creek. On
the 5th Captain Clarke and a hunter met the largest brown bear they
had ever seen. When they fired he did not attempt to attack, but fled

ADVENTURE WITH A BEAR.

148

with a trcmondouH roar, and such was liis tenacity of Hfo that, although
ho had Ave balh through his hings, and fivo other woutid.s, ho Hwaro
more than half across the river to a sand-bar, and survived twenty min-
utes. He weighed between tivo and six hundred pounds, and measured
eight feet seven inches from the noso to the extremity of the hind feet.
On the Hth six hunters attacked another which they discovered lying in
tho open grounds, at a Uttlo distance from the river. Coming unper-
ceived upon him, four of them fired, and each lodged a ball in his body.
Tho furious animal sprang up and ran open-mouthed upon them. As he
approached, tho two lumters, who had reserved fire, gave him two
wounds, one of which, breaking his shoulder, retarded him a moment,
but before they could reload, ho Avas so near that they were obliged to
run to tho river. Two jumped into tho canoe, tho other four separated,
and conce.'iling themselves in tho willows, fired as fast as each could re-
load. They struck him several times, but instead of weakening the
monster, each shot seemed only to direct him to the hiuiter, till at last
ho pursued two of them so closely that they threw aside their guns and
pouches, and jumped down a perpendicular bank of twenty feet into tho
river. The bear sprang after them, and was within two feet of the hind-
most when one of the hunters on shore shot him in the head and finally
killed liim. They dragged him to tho shore, and found that eight balls
had passed through him in different directions. The be •!• being old, they
took the skin only, and rejoined the party at tho camp, who had mean-
while been terrified by an accident of a different kind. This was the
narrow escape of a canoo containing all their papers, instruments, medi-
cine, and almost every other article indispensable to the success of tho
enterprise. Tho canoe being under sail, Avas struck by a sudden squall
of wind which turned her considerably. Tho man at the helm, instead
of putting her before tho wind, luffed her up into it. The wind was so
high that it forced the br.ice of tho squaresail out of tho hand of tho
man who was attending it, and instantly upset tho canoe, which would
have been turned bottom upward but for the resistance of tho awning.
Such was the confusion on board, and the waves ran so high, that it was
half a minute before she righted, and then nearly full of water ; but by
bailing she was kept from sinking until they rowed ashore. Here they
remained until the articles were dried and repacked, and again embarked
on the afternoon of the 16th.

On Sunday, the 26th of May, after ascending tho highest summits of
the hills on the north side of tho river, " Captain Lewis first caught a
distant view of tho Rocky Mountains, the object of all our hopes, and
the reward of all our ambition. On both sides of the river, and at no
great distance from it, the mountains followed its course ; above these,
at the distance of fifty miles from us, an irregular range of mountains
spread themselves from west to north-west from his position. To the
north of these a few elevated points, the most remarkable of which bore
north 65° west, appeared above tho horizon, and as the sun shone on the

144

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

snows of their summits, be obtained a clear and satisflictory view of tbose
mountains wbich close on the Missouri the passage to the; Pacific."

In Jie night of the 28th they were alarmed by a new sort of enemy,
A buffalo swam over from the opposite side and clambered oa er one of
the canoos to the shore ; then taking fright he ran full speed up the bank
toward the fires, and passed within eighteen inches of the heads of some
of the men before the sentinel could make him change his course : still
more alarmed, ho ran down between four fires and within a few inches of
the heads of a second row of men, and would have broken into the lodge
if the barking of the dog had not stopped him. He suddenly turned to
the right, and was out of sight in a moment, leaving them all in confu-
sion, every one seizing his rifle .ind inquiring the cause of the alarm.
On learning what had happened, they were rejoiced at suffering no more
injury than the damage to some guns in the canoe whii^h the buffalo
crossed. Next day they passed a precipice about one hundred and twenty
feet high, under which lay scattered the fragments of at least a hundred
carcases of buffaloes. They had been chased down the precipice in a
way very common on the Missouri, by which vast herds are destroyed.
The mode of hunting is, to select one of the most acjive young men, who
is disguised by a buftalo skin, Mith the head and ears so arranged as to
deceive the buffalo ; thus dressed he fixes himself at a convenient dis-
tance between a herd and the river precipices. Meanwhile his compan-
ions show themselves in the rear and side of the herd ; they instantly
take the aliirm and run toward the Indian decoy, who leads them on at
full speed toward the river, then suddenly securing himself in some knoAvn
crevice of the cliff, leaves the herd on the brink of the precipice. It is
then in vain for the foremost to retreat or even stop ; they are pressed
on by the hindmost rank, who, seeing no danger but from tlie hunters,
goad on L .se before them until the whole are hurled down and the
shore is stre^\*n with their dead bodies. Sometimes in this perilous se-
duotion the Indian is himself either trodden under foot by the rapid
movements of the buffaloes, or, missing his footing in the cliff, is urged
down the precipice by the fiilling herd.

In the npper course of the Missouri, the rapidity of the current and
the numerous rocks rendered the navigation difficult, and often danger-
ous. They had frequently to depend on towing, and as the lines were
mostly of elk-skin, slender and M'orn, the boats sometimes narrowly es-
caped destruction, while the men on the banks suffered great hardships.
In some places the banks were slippery and the mud so adhesive that
they could not wear their moccasins ; often they had to Avade in deep
water, and sometimes to walk over the sharp fragments of rocks which
had fiiUen from the hills. As they advanced, the cliffs became higher
and more abrupt. Sometimes they rose in perpendicular walls and tur-
rets, which at a distance resembled long ranges of buildings and col-
mniis variously sculptured and supporting elegant galleries, while the
parapets were adorned with statuary. On a nearer approach they repre-

A PERILOUS SITUATION.

146

sented every fonn of picturesque ruins ; columns, some with pedestals
and capitals entire, others mutilated and prostrate, others rising pyramid-
ally over each other until they terminated in a sharp point. These were
varied by niches, alcoves, and the customary appearances of desolated
magnificence. As they advanced there seemed to bo no end to this vis-
ionary encaantment.

On the 3d of June they encamped in the morning on a point formed
by the junction of a large river with the Missouri. Here they were at a
loss to know which was the Ahmateahza, or Missouri, therefore they dis-
patched a party in a canoe up each of the streams, to ascertain the com-
parative body of water, and sent out companies to discover from the ris-
ing grounds the bearings of the two rivers. Meanwhile they ascended
the high grounds in the fork, whence they saw a range of lofty mount-
ains in the south-west, partially covered with snow, and far beyond them
a still higher range completely snow-clad, reaching off to the north-west,
where their glittering tops were blended with the horizon. The direc-
tion of the rivers was soon lost in the extent of the plain. On their re-
turn they found the north branch to be two hundred yards wide, and
the south three hundred and seventy-two. The characteristics of the
north fork so nearly resembled those of the Missouri, that almost all the
party believed it to be the true course, while the same circumstances in-
duced Captains Lewis and Clarke to think otherwise — that it passed
through the low grounds of the open plain in the north, and did not
come down from the mountains.

The reports of the parties were far from deciding the question, there-
fore Lewis und Clarke set out on the 4th, each to ascend one of the
rivers for a day and a half, or more, if necessary. Captain Lewis pur-
sued the north fork for two days, when finding its direction too far
northward for their route to the Pacific, he began to retrace his steps
on the afternoon of the 6th. A storm of wind and rain which pre-
vailed, made their returning route extremely unpleasant. The surface
of the ground was saturated with water, and so slippery that it was
almost impossible to walk over the bluifs which tliey hafl passed in
ascending the river. In advancing along the side of one of these bluffs,
at a narrow pass. Captain Lewis slipped, and but for a fortunate re-
covery by means of his espontoon, wotild have been precipitated into
the river over a precipice of about ninety feet. He hatl ; ^st reached a
spot, where, by the assistance of his espontoon, ho could stand with toler-
able safety, when he heard a voice behind him (iry on I, "Good God!
captain, what shall I do ?" He turned instantly, and found it was a man
named Windsor, who had lost his foothold about the middle of the
narrow pass, and had slipped down to the very verge of the precipice,
where he lay with his right arm and leg over the brink, while with the
other arm and leg he was with difficulty holding on to keep himself
from being dashed to pieces below.

Captain Lewis instantly perceived his dreadful situation, and stifling

146

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

his alarm, calmly told him that he was in no danger ; that he should
take his knife out of his belt Avith the right hand, and dig a hole in the
side of the bluff for his right foot. With great presence of mind he
did this, and then raised himself on his knees. ITicn taking off his
moccasins he came forward on his hands and knees, holding the knife
in one hand and his rifle in the other, and thus crawled to a secure spot.
The men who had not attempted this passage, returned and waded the
river at the foot of the bluff, where they found the water breast high.
Thus they continued down the river, sometimes in mud, sometimes up
to their arms in water, and when it became too deep to wade, they cut
foot-holds with their knives in the sides of the banks. At night they
encamped in an old Indian lodge of sticks, which afforded them dry
shelter, and they slept comfortably on some willow boughs. They reach-
ed the camp on the evening of the 8th, and foimd Captain Clarke sind
the party very anxious for their safety. Captain Lewis, being persuaded
that this was not the main stream, nor one which it would be advisable
to ascend, gave it the name of Maria's River.

Captain Clarke's party ascended the south branch. Near the camp
on the evening of the 4th, a white bear attacked one of the men, whose
gun happening to be wet, would not go off; he instantly made toward
a tree, 'but was so closely pursued that in climbing he struck the bear
with his foot. The bear not being able to climb, waited till he should
be forced to come down ; and as the rest of the party were separated
from him by a perpendicular cliff which they could not descend, it was
not in their power to give him any assistance : but finally the bear was
frightened by their cries and firing, and released him. Next day they
followed the river several miles, until Captain Clarke was satisfied it
Avas their true route, when they turned back and reached the camp
on the evening of the 6th. Although Lewis and Clarke were com-
pletely satisfied by their observations, .11 the rest of the party were of a
contrary opinion. In order therefore that iinthing might be omitted
which could prevent an error, it was agreed that one of them should
ascend the southern branch by land, until he reached either the falls
or the riountains. Meanwhile, to lighten their burdens, they deter-
mined to deposit here one of the perioques and all the heavy baggage
they could possibly spare from the boats.

Captain Lewis and his party set out on the 11th. As there were
many deep ravines extending back from the shore which made the
traveling difllcult near the river, they sometimes left it in its windings,
but on the 13th, being fearful of passing the falls, they changed their
course toward the river. They had proceeded thus awhile, when
their ears Avere greeted with the sound of fivlling Avater. Directing
their steps toward it they reached the fivlls at noon, having traveled
seven miles since hearing the sound. Captain Lewis hastened to de-
scend the steep banks, which were two hundred feet high, and seating
himself on a rock before the falls, enjoyed the sublime spectacle which

THE PALLS OP THE MISSOURI.

147

Bincc the creation had been lavishhig its magnificence upon tne desert,
unknown to civilization. "The river is three hundred yards wide at
the fall, and is pressed in by perpendicular clifis which rise about one
hundred feet. The fall itself is eighty feet, forming on one side an
unbroken sheet one hundred yards in length, wliile the remaining part,
which precij)itates itself in a more rapid current, is broken by irregular
rocks below, and forms a splendid prospect of white foam, two thousand
feet in length. This spray is dissipated into a thousand shapes, some-
times flying up in columns of fifteen or twenty feet, which are then
oppressed by larger masses of the white foam, on all which the sun
scatters the brightest colors of the rainbow. Below this fall the river
is for three miles one continued succession of rapids and cascades, over-
hung with perpendicular bluffs, from one hundred and fifty to two
hundred feet high."

Next morning a man was dispatched to Captain Clarke with an ac-
count of the discovery of the falls, and Captain Lewis proceeded to
examine the rapids alone. After passLig a series of rapids and small
cascades he reached, at the distance of five miles, a second fall of nine-
teen feet. While viewing it he heard a loud roar above, and crossing
over the point of a hill for a few hundred yards, he saw the whole Mis-
souri, here a quarter of a mile wide, precipitated in an even, iniuiter-
rupted sheet to the perpendicular depth of fifty feet, whence, dashing
against the rocky bottom, it rushes rapidly down, leaving behind it a
spray of the purest foam across the river. The scene was singularly
beautiful, without the wild, irregular sublimity of the lower falls. The
eye had scarcely been regaled with this charming prospect win ii, at the
distance of half a mile. Captain LcAvis observed another of a similar
kind. Hastening thither he found a cascade stretching nr-ross the river
with a descent of fourteen feet, though the perpendicu; 'toh was only
six feet. This too in any other neighborhood would ha\ bti-u an (ob-
ject of great magnificence, but after what he had just seen it bocume
of secondary interest ; his curiosity being however awakened, he de-
termined to go on, even should night overtake him, to the head of the
falls. The river was a constant succession of rapids and small cascades,
at every one of which the bhiffa became lower, or the bed of the river
more on a level with the plains. At the distance of two and a half miles
he arrived at another cataract of twenty-six feet, where the river was six.
hundred yards Mide. Just above this was a cascade of about five feet,
beyond which, as far as could bo discerned, the velocity of the Avater
seemed to abate.

Captain Lewis now ascended the hill which was behind him, and saw
from its top a beautiful plain extending fi-om the river to the base of the
snow-mountains in the south and south-west. Along this wide level
coimtry the Missouri pursued its \vinding course, filled with water to its
even and grassy banks ; while, about four miles above, it was joined by a^
large river flowing from the north-west, through a valley three miles in

148

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

Midth, and distinguislied by the timber which adorned its shores. He
then descended the hill, and directed his course toward the river falling
in from the west. He soon met a herd of at least a thousand buffaloes, and
being desirous of providing for supper, shot one of them. The animal im-
nit'diattly began to bleed, and the Captain, who had forgotten to reload
his rifle, was intensely watching to see him fivll, when he beheld a large
brown L^'ar which was stealing upon him un perceived, and was already
M-ithin twenty steps. In the first moment of surprise he lifted his rifle,
but remembering inslantly that it was not charged, and that he had not
time to reload, he felt that there was no safety but in flight. It was in the
open level plain, not a bush or tree within three hundred yards, the bank
of the river sloping and not more than three feet high, so that there was
no possible mode of concealment. He therefore thought of retreating in
a (]uick walk, as fast as the bear advanced, toward the nearest tree ; but
as soon as he turned, the bear ran, open mouth, and at full speed upon
him. Captain Lewis ran about eighty yards, but finding that the animal
gained on him fast, it flashed on his mind that by getting into the water
to such a dei)th that the bear would be obliged to attack him swimming,
there was still some chance of his life. He therefore turned short,
plunged into the river about waist deep, and facing about, presented the
point of his espontoon. The bear came to the water's edge within
twenty feet of him, but as soon as he put himself in this posture of de-
fense, he se . med frightened, and wheeling about, retreated with as much
precipitation as he had pursued. Very glad to be released from this
danger. Captain Lewis returned to the shore, and observed him run with
great speed, sometimes looking back as if he expected to be pursued, till
he reached the woods. He could not conceive the cause of the sudden
alarm of the bear, but congratulating himself on his escape when he saw
his own track torn to pieces by the furious animal, he learned from the
whole adventure never to suffer his rifle to be a moment unloaded. The
river to which he directed his steps he found to be the Medicine River
of the Indians, mentioned as emptying itself into the Missouri, just above
the falls. He set out in the evening to retrace his steps to the camp,
twelve miles distant, and, aft'.r fresh encounters with wild beasts, came
late at night to his party, who were anxious for his safety.

C ^Jtain Clarke and his party arrived in the boats at the rapids on
the 15th, where they were joined next day by Caitain Lewis. They
then proceeded to examine the ground for a portage, to deposit a por-
tion of their goods and baggage, and to prepare carriages for the trans-
portation of the boats with the remainder. The portage was about fif-
teen miles. The men were loaded as heavily as their strength would
permit, and the prickly pear and the sharp points of earth formed by the
buffalo during the late rains made the crossing really painful. Some
were limping from the soreness of their feot, others scarcely able to stand
from the heat and fatigue. They were obliged to halt and rest fre-

ENTERING THE KOOKY MOUNTAINS.

149

on
ley
[)or-
ivns-

fif-
luld
Ithe
tme
find
Ifre-

quently, and at almost every stopping-place they would fall asleep in an
instant ; still they went on with great cheerfulness.

On the 29th, Captain Clarke, accompanied by his servant, York,
Chaboneau and his wife and child, proceeded to the falls to make further
observations. On his arrival he observed a very dark cloud rising in
the west, which threatened rain. He took shelter in a deep ravine,
where some shelving rocks kept off the rain. The shower increased,
and presently a torrent of rain and hail descended. The rain fell in a
solid mass, and instantly collecting in the ravine came rolling down hi a
dreadfiU current, carrying the mud and rocks, and every thing that
opposed it. Captain Clarke fortunately saw the danger a moment be-
fore it reached them, and sprang up the steep bluff with his gun and
shot-pouch in one hand, pushing the Indian woman with her cliild before
him. Her husband, too, had seized her hand, but was so tcrriticd that
but for Captain Clarke they would all have been lost. So instantaneous
was the rise of the water, that before he had reached his gun and began
to ascend the bank, the water was up to his waist, and he could scarcely
get up faster than it rose, till it reached the height of fifteen feet, with
a furious current that would have swept them into the river just above
the Great Falls, down which they must inevitably have been precipitated.
He now relinquished his intention of going up the river, and retui-ned
to the camp.

Finally, after unheard-of toil and privations, the various parties had
arrived at the camp above the falls and transported all the baggage
thither by the 1st of July. Here some days were spent in building a
boat, and calking it with a composition of charcoal, with beeswax and
buffalo-tallow, instead of tar, which they could not obtain ; but on the
9th, when it was lanched and loaded, it leaked so that they were
obliged to abandon it. Captain Clarke, with a party of workmen, then
went to some timber on the river, eight miles above, where they con-
structed some canoes. The expedition proceeded by land and by water
to join them, and on the 15th of July they embarked all their baggage
on board of eight canoes, and set out on their jouniey. On the 19th
they w Uit through a grand mountain-pass, which they called the Gates
of the Rocky Mountains. For nearly six miles the rocks rise perpen-
dicularly from the water's edge to the height of nearly twelve hundred
feet. Being anxious to meet with the Slioshonees or Snake Indians, and
fearful lest they should hear of the expedition and retreat to the mount-
ains, Captain Clarke frequently went on by land in advance. On the
25th he arrived at the three forks of the Missouri, and finding that the
north branch, though not largest, contained more water than the middle
one, and bore more to the westward, he determined to ascend it. There-
fore leaving a note for Captain Lewis, he went up the stream twenty-fivo
miles ; when Chaboneau being unable to proceed further, the party en-
camped, all of them much fatigued, their feet blistered, and wounded
by the prickly pear. Captain Clarke proceeded next day to the top of

150

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

a mountain twelve miles further, whence he had an extensive view of
the rivcx- valley upward, but saw no fresh signs of Indians. He then re-
turned to Chaboneau, pursued his route across to the middle branch,
and descending it, met with Captam Lewis at the forks on the 27th.
Captain Lewis had first arrived at the south-eastern branch, which he
ascended a short distance, and named Gallatin's River, in honor of the
Secretary of the Treasury. He then proceeded to the confluence of the
other branches, where he found Captain Clarke's note, and encamped
on the south-west fork to await him. He arrived much exhausted with
fatigue, and with fever and chills, occasioned by drinking cold water
from a spring in the heat of the day. Finding it difficult to decide which
of the two streams was the larger, or the real Missouri, they were induced
to discontinue the name, and gave to the south-west branch the name of
Jeflferson, in honor of the President of the United States and the pro-
jector of the enterprise; and called the middle branch Madison, after the
Secretary of State.

Captain Clarke being much restored by the 30th, they began to
ascend the Jefferson River. On the 1st of August Captain Lewis left
the party, with Sergeant Gass, Chaboneau, and Drcwyer, to go on in
advance in search of the SLoshonces. In a few days he came to forks
in the river, and finding the right one to be rapid and obstructed, while
the other was more turbid, and seemed to flow from an opening in the
mountains, he left a note recommending the latter to Captain Clarke,
and then continued his course along the more rapid branch. This ho
followed for more than a day when, coming to the mountains, he ob-
tained an extensive view of the surrounding region. From the general
course of the southern stream, as well as the gap by which it intersects
the mountains, he decided to make it their future route. He then crossed
over to the other branch, and descended toward the forks, where he
found the party in the boats returning from the stream he had lately
left. They had reached the forks on the afternoon of the 5th, but un-
luckily Captain Lewis's note had been left on a green pole, which the
beavers had cut down and carried off, with the note, an accident which
deprived them of all information as to the character of the two branches ;
and as the north-west fork was most in their direction, and contained as
much water, they ascended it. They found it extremely rapid, and its
waters so scattered, that they proceeded Avith difficulty. Next morning
they had been joined by Drewyer, who had gone out in search of deer,
and who informed them of the state of the two rivers, and of Captain
Lewis's note. They accordingly descended to the fork, when they met
with Captain Lewis. This north-west branch they called Wisdom
River.

On the Tth they continued their journey up the Jefferson. Im-
mediately after breakfast on the 9th, Captain Lewis took Drewyer,
Shields, and McNeal, and slinging their knapsacks, they set out with a
resolution to meet some nation of Indians before they returned, however

SNAKE INDIANS— THE DIVIDING RIDOE.

151

long they might be separated from the party. They followed the river
by an Indian road until they entered the mountains next day, and came
to two nearly equal branches. Finding the best road on the right fork,
Captain Lewis concluded to follow it, and left a note to that effect for
Captain Clarke.

They had gone but a few miles on the morning of the 11th, when
they were delighted to see a man on horseback, at the distance of two
miles, coming down to meet them. On examining him with the glass,
Cai>tain Lewis saw that he was of a different nation from any Indians
they had hitherto met. He was armed with a bow and quiver of ar-
rows ; mounted on an elegant horse, without a saddle, while a small
string attached to the under jaw answered as a bridle. Convinced that
he was a Shoshonee, and knowing how much of their success depended
on the friendly offices of that nation, Captain Lewis was anxious to a|i-
pi'oach without alarming him, and endeavor to convince him that he
was a white man. He therefore proceeded on at his usual pace. When
they were within a mile of each other the Indian suddenly stopped ;
Lewis followed his example, took his blanket from his knapsack, and hold-
ing it with both hands at the two comers, threw it above his head, and
unfolded it us he brought it to the ground, as if in the act of spreading
it. This signal is the universal sign of friendship among the Indians on
the Missouri and Rocky Mountains. As usual. Captain Lewis repeated
this signal three times ; still the Indian kept his position, and looked
with an air of suspicion on Drewyer and Shields, who Avere now advancing
on each side. Lewis then took from his pack some beads, a looking-glass,
and a few trinkets, which he had brought for the purpose, and advanced
unarmed toward the Indian. He rcmauied awhile, then turned his horse
and began to move off slowly. Captain Lewis then called out *' Tabba
bone !" (" white man"), but the Indian kept his eye on Drewyer and
Shields, who were still thoughtlessly advancing, till Lewis made a signal
to them to halt. Then the Indian waited for Captain Lewis, who still
came nearer, repeating the words " tabba bone," and holding up the trin-
kets, at the same time stripping up his sleeve to show the color of his
skin. He thus advanced within a hundred paces, but as Shields, who
had not observed the signal, was still approaching, the Indian suddenly
turned his horse, and leaping the creek, disappeared in an instant.
Though sadly disappointed. Captain Lewis determined to make some use
of the incident. He therefore set off with his men to follow the track,
hoping it might lead them t > a body of the nation. They now fixed a
small flag of the United Sta.es on a pole, which was carried as a signal
of their friendly intentions, should the Indians see them approaching.
Thus pursuing their journey, they came, on the 12th, to a plain Indian
road which led directly on toward the mountain. The stream gradually
became smaller, till, after going a few miles, it had so greatly diminished
in width, that one of the men, in a fit of enthusiasm, with one foot on
each side of the river, thanked God that he had lived to bestride the

152

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

Missouri. As they went along, their ho})Cs of soon seeing the waters
of the Columbia arose akuost to painful anxiety, when, atlcr four miles
from the last abrupt turn of the river, they reached a small gap formed
by the high mountains, which recede on each side, leavmg room for the
Indian road. " From the foot of one of the lowest of these mountains,
which rises with a gentle ascent of about half a mile, issues the remotest
water of the Missoxu-i. They had now reached the hidden sources of
ithat river, wliich had never yet been seen by civilized man ; and as they
quenched their thirst at the chaste and icy fountain — as they sat down
by the bnnk of that little rivulet, which yielded its modest tribute to the
parent ocean — they felt themselves rewarded for all their labors and all
their dilKcultics. They left reluctantly this uiteresting spot, and pursuing
the Indian road through the uiterval of the liills, arrived at the top of a
ridge, from which they saw high mountains, partially covered with snow,
l^-ing still further west. The ridge on which they stood formed the di-
viding line between the waters of the Atlantic and Pacific oceans. They
followed a descent much steeper than that on the eastern side, and at
the distance of three quarters of a nxile, reached a fine, bold creek of
cold water, rmming to the M'estward. They stopped to taste, for the first
time, the waters of the Columbia."

Next day, as they were pursuing their journey westward through an
open, broken country, they perceived two women, a man, and two dogs
on an eminence a mile before them. The strangers seemed at first to
await them, and Captain Lewis approached, unfurling the flag and call-
uig " Tabha hone!'''' But the females first retreated behind the hill,
and when Lewis came near the man went ofi' also, and they had all dis-
appeared when he reached the top of the hill. They had gone about a
mile further, when they suddenly came upon three female Indians from
whom they had been concealed mitil they were within thirty paces of
each other. A young woman flod, the other two, an elderly woman
and a little girl, seeing the strangers too near for them to escape, sat
on the ground, holding dioynx their heads as if reconciled to the death
which they supposed awaited them. Captain Lewis put down his rifle,
and advancing, took the woman by the hand, raised her, and repeated
the words " tabba bone !" at the same tune baring his ami to prove that
he was a white man, for his hands and face had become, by exposure, as
dark as their own. She appeared at once relieved, and Captain Le\*TS
gave them some beads, pewter mirrors, paint, and other trinkets, as well
as to their companions, who had hastened back when called, and he
pauited their cheeks with vermilion, a ceremony which among the Sho-
shonees, is emblematic of peace. Afterward, at his request, they con-
ducted the party toward the Indian camp.

In this way they had marched two miles, when they met a troop of
nearly sixty warriors, well mounted, riding at full speed toward them.
Captain Lewis put down his gun and went forward with the flag. The
chief spoke to the women, who explained and showed exultingly the

RECBPTION BY THE SHOSHONEES.

168

presents they had recuived, and then the chief and two warriors leaped
from their horses, came up to Captain Lewis, and embraced liim with
great cordiality, at * he same time applyuig their left cheek to his, and
frequently vociferating " Ah hi e I ah hi e /" " I am umch pleased ; I am
much rejoiced." The whole body of warriors now came forward, and
the men received the caresses, and the grease and paint, of their new
friends. After this fraternal embrace, Captain Lewis lighted a pipe and
offered it to the Indians, who now seated themselves in a circle around
the party. But before they accepted this mark of friendship, they pulled
off their moccasins, a custom which indicates the satrred sincerity of their
professions when they smoke with a stranger, and imprecates on them-
selves the misery of going barefoot forever if they are faithless to their
words, a penalty by no means light to those who roam over the thorny
plains of their country. It is not unworthy to remark the analogy
which some of the customs of these children of the wihlerness bear to
those recorded in Holy Writ. After a few pipes were smoked and some
presents distributed. Captain Lewis stated the friendly object of their
visit, and gave the flag to the chief as an emble.a of peace, aftei: which
they proceeded to the Indian camp. There a council was held, in which
the captain more fully explained the purposes of his visit, and distributed
the few aiticles he had left to the wondering crowd which had assembled
to see the first white men. Hero he learned that an alarm had been
given, and the warriors he had met in the morning were coming dowu
to attack the supposed enemy.

In order to give time for the boats to reach the forks of the river,
Captain Lewis remained a while, and obtained all the information ho
could collect in regard to the country. On the 14tli, his men went out
with the Indians to hunt, but as they were unsuccessful he made a little
paste with flour, which, with some berries, formed a palatable repast.
Havhjg secured the goodwill of the chief, he informed him of the ap-
proach of his companions, and induced him to go down with horses to
assist in transporting their merchandise. On the morning of the 16th,
he began to feel the inconveniences of hunger, and found that his whole
stock of provisions consisted of two pounds of flour. This was divided,
and one half boiled with the berries into a sort of pudding ; and after
presenting a large share to the chief, he and his men breakfasted on the
remainder. Caineahwait, the chief, was delighted with this new dish ; he
examined the flour, and asked if it was made of roots ; the process of
preparing it was explauied, and he said it was the best thing he had
eaten for a long time. Captain Lewis now endeavored to hasten the
departure of the Indians, who, although urged by the chief, were still
reluctant, having heard that he was in league with their enemies, the
Pahkees. Finally, by appearing to doubt their courage, he succeeded
in enlisting a few, with whom he smoked a pipe and set off immediately.
Their departure spread a gloom over the village, yet they had not gone
fax when they were joined by others, and before they had reached the

154

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

spring where they had encamped on the 12th, all the men of the nation,
and a number of the women, had overtaken them. Here they halted an
hour to let the horses graze, and at sunaet cucam{)ed at the upper end
of the valley.

Next morning Captain Lewis sent two hunters ahead to procure pro-
visions, at the same time requesting Cameahwait to jtrevent his young
men from going out, lest by their noise they might .alarm the game, but
this immediately revived their suspicions. They believed these men
were sent forward to apprize the enemy of their (doming, and small j)ar-
ties of Indians went out on each side of the valley, under pretense of
hunting, but in re.ality to watch the movements of the two men ; while
a considerable number, alarmed, went home. An hour afterward they
saw one of the spies coming back .it full speed across the plain ; the chief
stopped and seemed uneasy, the rest were moved Avith fresh suspicions,
and C.iptain Lewis himself was disconcerted ; but the young Indian had
scarcely breath to say a few words as he came up, when the whole troop
dashed forward as fast as their horses could carry them ; and Captain
Lewis, astonished, was borne along nearly a mile before ho learned, with
great satisfaction, that it was all caused by the announcement that one
of the white men had killed a deer. When they reached the place
where Drewyer had thrown its intestines, they all dismounted in con-
fusion, and ran tumbling over each other like famished dogs, each tear-
ing away whatever part he could, and beginning to eat it. When the
deer Avas skinned Captain Lewis reserved one quiirter and gave the rest
to the Indians, who devoured nearly the whole of it without cooking.
Two more deer were brought in, and these scenes repeated, imtil the
Indians seemed completely satisfied and in good humor. At ler.gth, as
they were approaching the place Avhere they were to see the white men,
the chief placed ornaments around the necks of Lewis and his party,
evidently to disguise the white men. Seeing this, Captain Lewis, to
inspire them with confidence, put his cocked hat and feather on the head
of the chief; the men followed his example, and the change seemed very
agreeable to the Indians.

To guard against disappointment. Captain Lewis explained the possi-
bility of his companions not having reached the forks, in consequence of
the difficulty of navigation ; and to the disappointment of both parties,
on coming within two miles of the forks, no canoes were to be seen.
Uneasy lest at this moment he should be abandoned and all his liopes
of obtaining aid from the Indians destroyed, he gave the chief his gun,
telling him that if the enemies of his nation were in the bushes he might
defend himself Avith it ; that for his own part he was not afraid to die,
and that the chief might shoot hira as soon as they discovered themselves
betrayed. As they went on. Captain Lewis sent a man with an Indian
for the notes he had left;, which he pretended to be from his companion,
sent forward by agreement, to let him know where the boats were ; that
they were just below the mountains, coming slowly against the current.

AN INDIAN RECOGNITION.

156

The chief iiiul the groiitcr psirt of the Indiiiiis wore satisfied ; they spent
the night here, aiul in the morning Drewycr and an Indian were dis-
patched down the river in quest of the boats. They had been gone two
hours wlien a straggiujg Indian came in with a report th:>> ho had seen
the white men, who were only a short distance below, and were coming
on. Tlie Indiana were all transported with joy, and the chief, in the
warmth of his satisfaction, renewed his embrace of Captahi Lewis, who
was quite as much delighted as the Indians themselves.

Meanwhile the party in the boats had been ascending the multiplied
windings of the river by a slow and toilsome progress, and on the night
of the 16th were encamped only four miles, by land, below the forks,
although the distance was ten miles by Avater. On setting out in the morn-
ing, Captain Clarke, with Chaboneau and his wife, v, alked on shore, but
they had not gone more than a mile before Cuptain Clarke saw Saca-
jawea (Caboncau's wife) who was ahead with her husband, begin to
dance and show every mark of the most extravagant joy, turning round
to him and pointing to several Indians, whom he now saw advancing on
horseback, sucking her fingers at the same time, to indicate that they
were of her native tribe. As they came near he saw Drewyer among
them, dressed like an Indian, from whom he learned the situation of the
party. While the boats were making the circuit he went toward the
forks with the Indians, who sang aloud as they went along, with the
greatest appearance of delight. Th.ey soon drew near the camp, and
just as they reached it a woman made her way through the crowd, to-
ward Sacajawea, and recognizing each other they embraced with the
most tender affection. They had been companions in childhood, had
been taken prisoners in the same battle, and shared the rigors of their
captivity, till one of them had escaped from the Minnetarecs. Captain
Clarke was received by the chief, who, after embracing him, conducted
him to a tent of willows, seated him on a white robe, and tied in his hair
six small shells resembling pearls, an ornament highly valued by these
people. The moccasins of the whole party were then taken off, and
after much ceremony the smoking began. When the conference was
opened, Sacajawea was senc for; she came into the tent, sat down, and
was beginning to interpret, when in the person of Cameahwait she recog-
nized her brother. She instantly jumped up, and ran and embraced him,
throwing over him a blanket and weeping profusely ; the chief himself
was also moved. After some conversation between them she resumed
her seat and attempted to interpret for the parties, but her new situation
seemed to overpower her, and she was frequently interrupted by her
tears. After the council was finished, the unfortunate woman learned
that all her family were dead except two brothers, one of whom was
absent, and a son of her eldest sister, a small boy, who was immediately
adopted by lier.

When the canoes arrived the baggage was taken out and an awning
erected, under which a treaty was held. Here they made arrangements

156

TRAVKLS OF LKWIS AND CLARKE.

with tho IndiuiiH for liorHes in order to proceed with n» little delay 08
poHKibk', i)roinisin;; them aini)lo remuneration for every servico they
ehoiild render. The eonferenee havin/j ended Hatisfactorily, the presents
were distributed. To C'ameahwait they jjfave u hiiiuU nu-dal with tho
likeness of President Jefterson, and on tho reverse a figure of hands
clasped with a pipe and tomahawk ; to this was adde<l u uniform coat, a
shirt, a pair of starlet leggings, a earrot of tobaeeo, and some small arti-
cles. Each of the other ehiets received a small medal struck during
Washington's administration, a shirt, handkerchief, leggings, a knife, and
Bome tobacco. JMcdals were also gi\ en to two young warriors, who wero
promising youths and very much respected in tho tribe. These honor-
ary girts were followed by presents of paint, njoecasins, awls, knives,
beads, and looking-glasses. A plentiful meal of Indian corn, of which
the hull was taken off by being boiled in lye, was also distributed ; and
as it was tho first they had ever tasted, they wero very much pleased
with it. They had indeed abundant sources of surprise in all they saw ;
the appearance of the men, their arms, their clothing, the canoes, tho
strange looks of tho negro, and the sagacity of tho dog ; all in turn
shared their admiration, which was raised to astonishment by a shot
from the air-gun. This oj)eration was instantly (lonsidered as a great
medicine^ by which they, as well as tho other Indians, mean something
emanating directly from the Great Spirit, or produced by his uivisiblo
and incomprehensible agency.

Lewis and Clarke next consulted as to their future operations. The
Indians had represented that the river below them was rocky, rapid, and
BO closely confined between high mountains, that it was impossible to
pass down it, either by land or water, to the great lake. It was there-
fore agreed that Captain Clarke should set off in tho morning with eleven
men, go by the Indian camp, and leave Chaboneau and his wife to has-
ten the collection of horses, then lead his men down the river, and if ho
found it navigable and the timber in sufficient quantity, begin to build
canoes. Before setting out on the 18th, they exposed a few articles to
barter for horses, and soon obtained three good ones, for which they
gave some clothing, knives, and other Bmall articles, the whole of whicli
did not cost more than twenty dollars. A fourth was purchased by the
men for an old check shirt, a pair of old leggings, and a knife. Captain
Clarke arrived at the camp on the 20th, where he succeeded in engaging
an intelligent old man as a guide. After pursuuig his route for a few
days ho began to perceive that tho Indians had not exaggerated. Tho
mountains wero rocky, and so high that it seemed almost impossible to
cross them with horses ; their road lay over the sharp fragments of rocks
which had fallen from the steep cliffs, and wero strewed in heaps for
miles together ; yet the horses, unshod, traveled across them as fast as
the men. These difliculties increased until on the 2.'Jd he reached a small
meadow, below which tho whole current of the river beat .igainst a solid
wall of rock perfectly inaccessible to horses. Leaving tho horses aud tho

DREWTER'S ADVENTURE.

157

greater j)art of the men hero, ho procoodiid with his guide, clambering
over iinnicnso roel«» and along the sides of lolly prcoipiees which bor-
deri'd the river, until at the distanco of twelve miles ho reached a small
meadow. Thus far the river m'us one continued rapid, along which even
the empty canoes must bo let down with cords, and then at the great
risk both of the canoes and the men, while the transportation of the bag-
gage over the steep mountains would liavo to bo done by men. Still
Captain Clarke continued his route, and at length ascended a higli an<l
steep point of a moimtain, from which the guide now pointed out where
the river broke through the mountains, about twenty miles distant. The
view was terminated by a lofty mouuvain, which WiW perfectly covered with
snow. Toward this formidable barrier the river went directly on, and
there it was, as the guide observed, that the dilHculties and dangers, of
which they had spoken, commenced. Captain Clarke was now con-
vinced of the impracticability of this route ; ho therefore hastened to re-
turn, and after rejoining his men next evening they retraced their steps
to the Indian camp, where they arrived on the 26th. As game was
8( ! roe in this region they found a precarious subsistence, and suffered
from a scarcity of food, the Indians being able to supply them with little
else than a pittance offish. Therefore, while awaiting the arrival of Cap-
tain Lewis and his party, they made all possible preparations for their
departure, especially in preparing pack-saddles for the horses which Lewis
had purchased.

Cuptain Lewis and his party, who wore left with the Indians at the
forks of the Jefferson on the 1 8th, spent a few days in making ready to
tran^nort the baggage. Saddles were made, some of the baggage was
Tniried, the boats sunk in the stream, and by the 24th all the prejjara-
tioiis were made for their departure. Meanwhile the hunt..: nad been
out as usual, but the game was so scarce that they were obliged to en-
croach on their stock of provisions. One night Drewyer returned late
with a fawn and a quantity of Indian plunder, which he had taken by
way of reprisal. While hunting in the morning, ho came suddenly upon
an Indian camp, at which were an old man, three women, a young man
and a boy. As they showed no surprise ho rode up to them, and turn-
ing his horse loose to graze, sat down and began to converse with them
by signs. Tney had just finished a repast of some roots, and in a little
while they collected their horses and began to saddle them. Drewyer,
having rested, went to catch his horse, forgetting at the moment to take
up his rifle. He had scarcely gone more than fifty paces when the In-
dians mounted their horses, the young man snalJied up the rifle, and
leaving all their baggage they set off at full speed toward the moimtain
passes. Drewyer instantly pursued them. After nmning ten miles, the
horses of the women bogar. to give out, and as they raised dreadful cries,
the yoimg man slackened his pace, and began to ride round them. Drew-
yer persuaded the women that ho did not mean to hurt them, and they
stopped ; and when he asked the young man for his rifle, the only part

158

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

of the answer lie understood was " Palikce," the name by which they
call their enemies, the Minnetarees. While they were thus engaged in
talking, Drewyer watched his opportunity, and seeing the Indian off his
guard, galloped up to him and seized his rifle. The Indian struggled for
some time, but finding Drewyer too strong for him, had the presence of
mind to open the fan and let the priming fall out ; then loosing his hold,
he gave his horse the whip and escaped at full speed, leaving the women
at the mercy of the conqueror. Drewyer then returned, and finding
their baggage, brought it to camp Avith him.

From some Indians who arrived they purchased three horses, by giv-
ing for each an ax, a knife, a handkerchief, and a little paint. For a
mule they were obliged to add a second knife, a shirt, a handkerchief,
and a pair of leggings. They now loaded eleven horses and a mule,
ur '^ »>'acuig the rest on the shoulders of the Indian women, left the
camp at noon on the 24th. They were all on foot except Sacajawta, for
whom her husband had purchased a hor? ;. An Indian had the polite-
ness to ofter Captain Lewis one of his horses to ride, which he accepted,
in order better to direct the march of the party. On the morning of
the 2Gth they reached the fountain of the Missouri and passed over the
dividing ridge, and in the evenuig arrived at the encampment. Here
they found a rjte from Captain Clarke, apprising them that there were
no liopes of a passage by water, and suggesthig the route by the north
as the most practicable. Captain Clarke joined them on the 29th, and
tlicy resumed the purchase of horses. Tlie prices had risen meanwhile,
so that one horse cost a pistol, one hundred balls, some powder, and a
knife ; another was changed for a musket ; and in this way they obtained
twenty-nine. The horses were young and vigorous, but poor, and worn
■with the roughness of the Shoshonee saddle. They were therefore anx-
ious to obtain one at least for each man, to carry the baggage, or the
man himself, or in the last resource to serve as food ; but they were
unable to suj)ply all.

On the 30th they loaded their horses •■.:.d took leave of the Shosho-
necs, accompanied by the old guide, his four sons, and another Indian.
They descended the river by the road which Clarke had previously pur-
sued until the 1st of September, when they .arned to the north-west
across the hills. Next day the Indians all left them except the guide,
and the road they were following turned eastward toward the Missouri.
They had therefore to cut their way with much difliculty up the west
branch of the creek they were following. The road led over the steep
and rocky side of the hills, and the thickets were ulmost impenetrable;
the horses frequently fell down the sides of the hills, and some gave out
exhausted with fatigue. On the 4th they crossed a high ' mntain, which
formed the dividing ridge between the waters of the creek they had brop
ascending, and those running north and west. Every tlriig was. iVozen,
and the ground was covered with snow, which had fallen the night be-
fore. They presently came to a stream flowing westward, Avhich they

HARDSHIPS OP THE JOURNEY.

159

bst

est

Ich

ley

descended to its junction with a river from the east. Here they found
a large encampment of Indians, who received them with great cordial-
ity. They smoked with them, remained a few days, exchanged presents,
and trafficked for horses. These Indians were called Ootlashoots, and
represented themselves as one band of the Tushepaws, a numerous peo-
ple residing on the head waters of the Missouri and Columbia Rivers.
They seemed kindly and friendly, and willingly shared the berries and
fruits which formed their only stock of provisions. Their only wealth
was their horses, which were very fine and so numerous that this party
had with them at least five hundred. To this river they gave the name
of Clarke, as they had that of Lewis to the one they had lately left,
each from the first white man who had \ isited its Avaters. Resuming
their journey, they came on the 9th to a large streatn flowing in from
the west, where they halted a day to make observations and collect pro-
visions, as they were here to leave the river, and the mountain region
through which they had to pass was without game. Next day one of
the hunters returned with three Indians whom he had mt)t up the creek,
one of whom they persuaded to go with them. They ascended the course
of the creek, and after a rugged and difficult passage over the mountain,
came on the 14th to the Kooskooskee River. Their whole stock of ani-
mal food being exhausted, they killed a colt, on which they made a hearty
supper, and from this incident they gave the name of Colt-killed Creek
to a stream near by. They then left the ri\-er and took the mountains
on the right, where the timber was fallen and the ascent so steep that
they had to wind in every direction. The horses frequently slipped,
and one, which was loaded with a desk and small trunk, rolled over and
over for forty yards till his fall was stopped by a tree. The desk was
broken, but the poor animal escaped without much injury. Provision
was also very scarce; they found only a few pheasants, and on the
11th. they killed another colt. This want of provisions, the extreme
fatigue to which they were subjected, and the dreary prospect before
them, began to dispirit the men ; Captain Clarke therefore set out with six
hunters on the 18th, intending to go on ahead and find something for the
support of the party. The region they passed through was rugged and
barren until the 20th, when they descended the last of the Rocky Mount-
ains and reached the level country. They had proceeded a few miles on
the plain when they saw three boys, who ran and hid in the grass. Cap-
tain Clarke, leaving his horse and gun with the men, soon relieved the
apprehensions of the boys, and sent them forward to the village with pres-
ents of small pieces of ribbon. Presently a man came out very cau-
tiously to meet the party, and conducted them to a large tent in the vil-
lage, where all the inhabitants gathered round to view, with a mixture
of fear and pleasure, these wonderful strangers. This spacious tent was
the residence of the great chief, who had gone, with all the warriors, to
atta^^k some of their enemies to the south-west, leaving but a few men to
guard the women and children. They cntertiuncd their guests with a

160

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

Bumpttious feast ; the latter returned the kindness by a few small pres-
ents, and then went on with one of the chiefs to a second village, two
miles distant. Here the party was treated with great kindness, and passed
the night.

The inhabitants of these villages called themselves Chopunnish, or
Pierced-nose. The chief drew a chart of the river, and explained that
a greater chief than himself, who governed this village, and was called
Twisted Hair, was now fishing at the distance of half a day's ride down
the river. The hunters not being able to kill any thing. Captain Clarke
bought as much dried sahnon, roots, and berries as he could obtain with
the few articles he chanced to have in his pockets, and having sent
them back to Captain Lewis, he went on toward the camp of the Twist-
ed Hair. He arrived at midnight, and giving him a medal they smoked
together till one o'clock. The chief seemed cheerful and sincere, and
on the next day he accompanied Captain Clarke back to the village
where they arrived at sunset ; they then walked up to the second vil-
lage where the main party with Captain Lewis had just arrived. Next
moniing, the 23d, the chiefs and warriors were all assembled, and Lewis
and Clarke explained to them whence they came, the objects of their
visit, and their pacific intentions toward all the Lidians. This was con-
veyed by signs, but seemed to give perfect satisfaction. They then
gave medals and additional presents to the chiefs, and delivered a flag
and handkerchief for the grand chief on his return. They purchased a
quantity of fish, berries, and roots, and in the afternoon went on to the
second village, where they continued their purchases.

On the 24th, they sent back Colter in search of horses lost in the
mountains, and having collected the rest, set out for the river by the
route already passed by Captain i^larke. They now felt the conse-
quences of eating heartily after their late privations : many of them
were taken very ill ; Captain Lewis could scarcely sit on his horse, while
others had to be put on horseback, and some, from extreme weakness
and pain, were forced to lie down by the road-side for some time. At
sunset they reached the island where they had first met the Twisted
Hair, and where some hunters had been left on the 22d. The latter
had been unsuccessful, and two of them were sick. The party en-
camped on an island a little below, and administered to the sick.

VOYAGE DOWN LEWIS AND COLUMBIA RIVERS.

Having resolved to go down to some spot suitable for building
canoes, they set out early on the 20th, and encamped five miles below,
opposite the forks of the river. But the men were so weak that several
were taken siok in coming down, the weather being oppressively hot.
Next day they prepared to make five canoes ; but few of the men, how-
ever, were able to work, and some of them were taken ill. The hunt-

I r

( r
ifi

LEWIS RIVER— INDIAN BATHS.

161

ers, too, returned without any game, and seriously indisposed, so that
nearly the whole party was ill. Colter returned with one of the horses
and brought half a deer, which was very nourishing to the invalids. At
length those first attacked began to recover, and all who were able to
work were busied at the canoes. Meanwhile it became necessary to dis-
pose of the horses. They were therefore collected to the number of
thirty-eight, and being branded and marked, were delivered to three
Indians, the brothers and son of a chief who was going with them down
the river, who, having each received a knife and some small articles,
agreed to take good care of the horses till the return of the expedition.
The saddles were buried near the river, and with them a canister of
powder and a bag of balls.

On Monday, the ^th of October, the canoes were lanched and
loaded, the oars fixed, and every preparation made for setting out, but
when all was ready, the two chiefs who had promised to accompany
them were not to be found, and at the same time they missed a pipe-
tomahawk. They therefore proceeded without them. Below the forks
the river was called the Kooskooskee ; it was a clear, rapid stream, with
a number of shoals and difficult places. They passed, in the course of
the day, ten rapids, in descending which one of the canoes struck a rock
and sprung a leak. Next day, as they were passing the last of fifteen
rapids, which they had been fortunate enough to escape, one of the
canoes struck, and immediately filled and sunk. The men, several of
whom could not swim, climg to the boai till a canoe could be unloaded,
when with the assistance of an Indian boat they were all brought to
shore. All the goods were so wet that they had to halt for the night,
and spread them out to dry. The old Shoshonce guide with his son
deserted them on the 9th, and was seen running up the river, without
having given notice of his design, or even received his pay. Without
serious accident they passed many rapids below and reached the junction
of the Kooskooskee with the Lewis, on the evening of the 10th. They
stopped for breakfast next morning at a large encampment of Indians a
few miles below, where they traded for a stock of provisions. While
the traffic was going on, they observed a vapor bath, different firom
those they had previously seen. " It was a hollow square six or eight
feet deep, formed in the river bank, and completely covered, except an
opening al)out two feet wide at the top. The bathers descend by this
hole, taking with them a number of jugs of water ; and, after being
seated around the room, throw the water on the stones until the steam
becomes of a temperature sufficiently high fo • their purposes. The
baths of the Indians of the Rocky Mountains are of different sizes, the
most common being made of mud and sticks like an oven, but the mode
of raising the steam is exactly the same. Among both these nations it
is very uncommon for a man to bathe alone ; he is generally accom-
panied by one, or sometimes by several of his acquaintances ; indeed it
is so essentially a social amusement that to decline going in to bathe

162

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

when invited by a friend is one of the highest indignities that can be
offered him."

In Lewis River they likewise encountered frequent rapids, which
sometimes injured their boats, and endangered their safety. In descend-
ing one of these a boat was driven crosswise against a rock in the middle
of the current. The crew attempted to get her off, but the waves
dashed over her and she soon filled. They got out on the rock and
held her above water, with great exertion, until another canoe was un-
loaded and sent to her relief, but they could not prevent a great deal of
baggage from floating down the stream. As soon as she was lightened
she was hurried down the channel, leaving the crew on the rock. They
were brought off by the rest of the party, and the canoe itself and
nearly all that had been washed overboard, was recovered.

On the 16th they reached the Columbia, and halted above the point
of junction to confer with the Indians, who had collected in great num-
bers to receive them. A chief who had passed them en horseback a few
days before, and who appeared to be a man of influence, harangued the
Indians on the occasion. After smoking with the latter, they formed
a camp and had the fires prepared, " when a chief came from the Indian
camp, about a mile and a quarter up the Columbia River, at the head
of nearly two hundred men. They formed a regular procession, keeping
time to the noise, rather than music, of their drums, which they accom-
panied with their voices. As they advanced they formed a semicircle
around us, and continued singing for some time. We then smoked with
them all, and communicated, as well as we could by signs, our friendly
intentions toward all nations, and our joy at finding ourselves surrounded
by our children." Medals and presents were then distributed, as usual,
to the chiefs. " After they had dispersed, we proceeded to purchase
provisions, and were enabled to collect seven dogs, to which some of the
Indians added small presents of fish, and one of them gave us twenty
pounds of fat dried horse-flesh." Next day they were occupied in mak-
ing the necessary observations and measuring the rivers. During this
tune, the principal chief came down with several of his warriors, and
smoked with the party. They were also visited by several men and
women who offered dogs and fish for sale, but as the fish was out of
season, they contented themselves with purchasing all the dogs they
could obtain.

These Indians called themselves Sokulks. In their language, as well
as in dress and general appearance, tlioy resembled the Chopunnish of
the Kooskooskee and Lewis Rivers. " The most striking difference be-
tween them is among the females, the Sokulk women being more inclined
to corpulency than any we have yet seen. Their stature is low, their
faces broad, and their heads flattened in such a manner that the fore-
head is in a straight line from the nose to the crown of the head.
Their eyes are of a dirty sable ; their hair is coarse and black, ,ind
braided without ornament of any kind. Instead of wearing, as do the

CLARKE SURPRISES THE INDIANS.

163

id
Ind
lof
icy

Irc-

lad.

Ind

tho

Ghopunnish, long leathern shirts, highly dbcorated with beads and shells,
the Sokulk females have no other covering than a piece of leather
drawn around the hips."

In the course of the day Captain Clarke ascended the Columbia a few
miles in a small canoe. Opposite some rapids, five miles above, he found
a fishing-place, consisting of three mat-houses. Here were great quanti-
ties of salmon drying upon scaffolds ; and, indeed, from the inouth of tho
river upward he saw immense numbers of dead salmon strewed along
the shore or floating on the surface of the river, whose waters were so
clear that the salmon could be seen swimming in it at the depth of
fifteen or twenty feet. The Indians, who had collected on the banks to
view him, now joined him in eighteen canoes and accompanied him up
the river.

On the 18th a numerous council was lield with Indians who came in ;
then, having completed the purposes of their stay, they purchased forty
dogs for provisions and proceeded down the river. Coming to some
dangerous rapids on the 19th, several of the party landed to lighten tho
boats. While walking ahead, Captain Clarke ascended a cliff about
two hundred feet above the water, from which he saw that the country
on both sides of the river, immediately below the cliffs, was low, and
spread itself in a level plain to a great distance on all sides. To the
west, at the distance of about one hundred and fifty miles, was a very
high mountain covered with snow, which, from its direction and appear-
ance, he supposed to be the Mount St. Helen's laid down, by Vancouver
as visible from the mouth of the Columbia. There ■was also another
mountain of a conical form, whose top was covered with snow, in a south-
west direction. As Captain Clarke came to the lower end of the rapid
before any others, except one of the small canoes, he sat do^vn on a rock
to wait for them, and seeing a crane fly across the river, shot it, and it
fell near him. Several Indians had been before this passing on the op-
posite side toward the rapids, and some few Avho passed nearly in front
of him, being cither alarmed at his appearance or the report of the gun,
fled to their houses. Captain Clarke was afi-aid that these people had
not yet heard that the white men were coming, and therefore, in order
to allay their uneasiness before the whole party should arrive, he got
into the small canoe with three men, and rowed over toward the houses.
While crossing, he shot a duck, which fell into the water. As he ap-
proached, no person was to be seen except three men on the plains, and
they too fled as he came near the shore. He landed before five houses
close to each other, but no one appeared, and the doors, which were of
mat, were closed. He went toward one of them with a pipe in his
hand, and pushing aside the mat, entered the lodge, where he found
thirty-two persons, chiefly men and women, with a few children, all in
the greatest constemation ; some hanging do^vn their heads, others
crying and wrin{r'.'.i their hands. He went up to them all and shook
hands with ther> .: the most friendly manner ; but their apprehensions,

164

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

which had for a moment subsided, revived on his taking out a burn-
ing-glass, as there was no roof to the house, and lighting his pipe. Ho
then offered it to several of the men, and distributed among tho women
and children a few small truikets which he oarriod about with him, and
gradually restored some tranquillity among them. Ho then left this
house, and directing each of tho men to go into a house, went himself
into a second. Hero he found the inhabitants more terrified than those
ho had first seen, but ho succeeded in pacifying them, and then visited
the other houses, where the men had been equally successful.

After leaving tho houses ho went out to sit on a rock, and beckoned
to some of the men to come and smoke with him ; but none of them
ventured to join him till tho canoes arrived with tho two chiefs, who im-
mediately explained to them the pacific intentions of the strangers. Soon
afterward tho interpreter's wife landed, and her presence dissipated all
doubts, since in that country no woman ever accompanies a war-party ;
they therefore all came out and seemed perfectly reconciled. They told
tho two chiefs that they knew the strangers were not men, for they had
seen them fall from the clouds. In fact, unpcrceived by them, Captam
Clarke had shot the white crane, which they had seen fall just before ho
appeared to their eyes. The duck which he had killed also fell close by
him, and as there were a few clouds flying over at the moment, they
connected tho fall of the birds with his sudden appearance, and believed
that he had liimself dropped from the clouds ; the noise of tho rifle, which
they had never heard before, being considered merely as a soiuid to an-
nounce so extraordhiary an event. This belief was strengthened when
on entering the room he brought down fire from the heavens by means
of his buniing-glass. They were soon satisfactorily convinced that the
strangers were only mortals, and after one of the chiefs had explained
their history and objects, they all smoked together in great harmony.

On the 22d they came to the Great Falls of tho Columbia, at tho
head of which they unloaded all the canoes and took the baggage over
by land to the foot of the rapids. In this transportation they were
greatly assisted by tho Indians living on the banks of the river, who car-
ried some of the heavy articles on their horses. For their sen'ices, how-
ever, they repaid themselves so adroitly that the travelers had to secure
the camp against their pilfering. Next day they brought do^vn their
canoes by the plan adopted by the Indians. Crossing the river, they
hauled them over a point of land on the south side, so as to avoid a per-
pendicular fiill of twenty feet. At the distance of a quarter of a mile
they I'cached tho water and embarked. Having thus descended for a
mile, theyreachedapitchof the river, which, divided by two large rocks,
descends with great rapidity down a fall of eight feet. As the boats
could not be navigated doA\Ti this steep descent, they were obliged to
land and let them down as slowly as possible by strong ropes of elk-skin.
They all passed in safety except one, which being loosed by the breaking
of the ropes, was swept down, but was recovered by the Indians below.

fe.

tic

THE FALLS OF THE COLUMBIA.

165

They were viMted that day by a great number of Indians, both from
above and below the fells, and toward evening they were informed by
one of the chiefs who aocompanicd them, that he had overheard that the
Indians below intended to attack the party as it passed down the river.
Being always ready for any attempt of that sort, they only re-examined
their arms and increased the ammmiition to one hundred rounds. The
chiefs, however, were nut so much at ease, and when at night they saw
the Indians depart earlier than usual, th y were very much alarmed.
Next morning the Indians approached with apparent caution, and be-
haved with more than usual reserve. The two chiefs, by whom these
circumstances were not unobserved, now expressed their wish to return
home, saying that they could no longer be of any service, and that they
could not understand the language of the people below the Falls ; that
the two tribes had been at war with each other, and the Indians would
certainly kill them. " We endeavored to quiet their fears, and requested
them to stay two nights longer, in which time we would see the Indians
below and make a peace between t> \q two nations. They replied that
they were anxious to return and see their horses ; we insisted on their
remaining with us, not only in hopes of bringing about an accommoda-
tion between them and their enemies, but because they might be able to
detect any hostile designs agaip;:' ..s, and also assist us in passing the
next falls, which arc not far o.T, ^nd represented as very difficult. They
at length consentert ' ;> stay two nights longer.'*

Three miles ' »w, the river widens into a large basin, at the extremity
of which a hi^li 'jL*(.k rock, rising perpendicularly from the right shore,
seemed to rim wholly across the river. So totally did it appear to stop
the passage, that as they approached they coutd not see where the river
escaped, except that the current was drawn with more than usual veloc-
ity to the left of the rock, where there was a great roaring. Climbing
the rock, they saw that the whole river swept through a channel of
forty-five yards wide, in which the water was thro%vn into whirls, and
swelled and boiled in every part with the wildest agitation. But as it
was impossible to carry the boats over this high rock, and as the chief
danger was not from rocks, but from great waves and whirlpools, they
resolved to try the passage in the boats. With great care they passed
safely through, much to the astonishment of the Indians who had col-
lected on the top of the rock to see them. This narrow passage contin-
ued for half a ndle, when the river again enlarged to the width of two
hundred yards. Presently they came to other rapids, which looked so
unpromising that they unloaded the most valuable articles and sent them
down by land, with all the men who could not swim. They descended
in safety, and encamped in the evening, two miles below, near an Indian
village at the second fells. The inhabitants received them with great
kindness, vi^sits were exchanged, and an apparent reconciliation was e^
fected betwaen them and the two chiefi who accompanied the ezpedi>
tion.

166

TRAVBLS OP LEWIS AND CLARKK.

Tho Indinns roprcsontcd tlio narrows as most diingcrous ; but nn the
portage of the large canoca wm iinpracticablo, tii'jy Hcnt Muinu of tho
party forward next morning with tlio l)«'at Htores, fixoil others on tho
rocks to assist Avith ropes the canoes that niiglit meet with any diftituilty,
and began the descent, in tho j)resenco of great mnnbers of IndianH,
who had eoiU'cted to witness the exploit. The channel for three miles
was worn through a hard, rough black rock from fitly to a lumdrod
yards wide, in which tho water swells and boils in a tremendous manner.
At half a mile they got through the worst without serious accident, then
reloading tho cjmoes they piussed down the remainder of tho channel
very well, except that one of the b«>.'its w:i8 nearly lost by striking against
a rock. Tho Indians designate these falls by tho word Thnm^ which
they pronounce so as to m.-tke it represent the sound of n distant catar-
act. Below tho channel they landed to smoke with a chief whom thoy
saw, who had been absent when they passed his village above. Ho was
a bold-looking man, of pleasing appearance, about fitly years of age, and
dressed in a war-jacket, a cap, leggings, and moccasins. They presented
him with a medal and other small articles, and he gave them some moat,
of which he had but littlo ; for on his route he had ha<l a battle with a
war party of tlic Tow.-ihnahiooks. Here they met with their old chiefs,
who had walked on to the village below, to smoke a pipe of friendship
on the renewal of peace. These chii'fs had each brought a horse, intend-
ing to go home, and now tho travelers smoked a ]>arting pipe with their
two faithful friends, who had accompanied them from tho head of tho
river.

They encamped that evening, the 25th, on a high rock, where thoy
remained two days to make observations, to dry their wot cargoes, and
to hold conferences with the Indians. Six men wore sent out to collect
rosin to pitch tho canoes, which, by being frequently hauled over rocks,
had become leaky. Many Indians came ; sonic, from hunting excursions,
brought presents of doer's flesh and small white cakes made of roots.
Lewis and Clarke bestowed tho usual medals and presents, and being
anxious to insure a friendly reception on their return, treated them with
great kindness. These attentions wcro not lost on the Indians, who
appeared well pleased with them. At night a firo was made in the mid-
dle of the camp, and as tho Indians sat round it, tho men danced to tho
music of the violin, which so delighted them that several resolved to
remain all night ; the rest crossed the river. Having dried their goods
they set out on the 28th, and on tho day following stopped at the resi-
dence of the principal chief of the Chilluckittequaw nation, who inhab-
ited this region. He proved to be the same witli whom tho two chiefs
had made peace at tho village above. After tho exchange of presents
the chief showed them some curiosities, and then directed his wife to
hand him his medicine-bag, from which he brought out fourteen fore-
fingers, which ho said had once belonged to t'ao same number of his
enemies, whom ho had killed in fighting with tho nations to the south-

FIRST VIKW OP TIIK PACIFIO.

167

caHt. Tliio bag was about two foct in lungth, containing roots, pouniiud
dirt, utc, whicli tho Indians only know how to uppreciuto. It is hus-
pi'iidod in tlio mid<llo of tlio lodgo, and it is supjmsud to bo u Hpt'cios of
sacrilogc to bo touched by any but tho owner. It is an object of relig-
ious fear, and it is, from its sanctity, the safest plucu to deposit their
mediUs and more valuable articles.

Hy the last of October they reached tho Lower Falls of tho Columbia,
where they held a conference with tho Indians wlio cunie in from a
neighboring village, and then mudo i)roparations for a portage on the
1st of Novcmbi-r. They then carried their small canoo and all tho
baggage across tho slippery rocks to tho foot of tho shoot, afler which
tho (bur large canoes were brought down by slipping them along pohis,
placed from one rock to another, and in some places by partially using
streams that escaped alongside tho river. Tlireo of tliem, however, were
HO injured that the men were obliged to stop nt the end of the shoot to
n'pair them. A mile and a half below, they passed another bad rapid,
and HO ditticult was the navigation of this day, that wh(!n they encamped
for the night they had made but seven miles from the head of the shoot.
In the morning they found it necessary to unload once more, and send
the baggage, with those who could not swim, around a dangerous rapid.
TliiM was the last descent of the Columbia ; below it they came to tide-
water, and the river began to grow wide.

In passing along they frequently met Indians ascending the river in
canoes; some of these canoes bore the figure of a bear in tho bow, and
that of a man in the stern, both made of painted wood and nearly as
largo as life. They also held continual intercourse with tho natives on
the shore, who were usually kind and friendly, but occasionally mani-
fested a disposition to [»ilfer. They encountered much rainy weather in
the lower stages of their journey,, so that their clothing was continually
wet, and the baggage much injured. On tho Vth, they stopped to pur-
chase some food and beaver skins at a village situated at the foot of the
high hills on tho right, behind two small islands. " Opposite to these
islands the hills on tho lefl retire, and the river widens into a kind of
bay crowded with islands. Wo had not gone fiir from this village when
the fog cleared off, and wo enjoyed the delightful prospect of the ocean:
that ocean, tho object of all our labors, tho reward of all our anxieties.
This cheering view exhilarated tho spirits of all tho party, who were
still more delighted on hearing the distant roar of tho breakers." I'liey
went on with great cheerfulness, but the shore was so bold and rocky on
the right that they could find no spot fit for an encampment, and after
having gone thirty-foiir miles during the day, they spread their mats on
the ground and passed the night in the rain. It rained hi the morning ;
having changed their wet clothing of tho day before, they set forward
at a late hour, but when they had reached a point eight miles in ad-
vance, the waves r.in so high, and dashed the canoes about so much that
Beveral of the men became sea-sick, and they were compelled to land.

168

TBAYBLS OF LEWIS AND OLAREB.

The situation was extremely uncomfortable, the high hills jutted in so
closely that there was not room to lie level, nor to secure their baggage
free from the tide, but the waves were increasing at every moment so
much that they could not move from the spot in safety. They therefore
fixed themselves on the beach left by the ebb-tide, and having raised the
baggage on poles, spent a disagreeable night. It rauied the whole of
the next day ; the tide set in, accompanied by a high wuid from the
south, which shifted and blev almost a gale from the sea. The im-
mense waves now broke over i>e place where they were encamped, and
the large trees, some of them five or six feet thick, which had lodged at
the point, were drifted over their camp, and the utmost vigilance of
every man could scarcely save the canoes from being crushed to pieces.
They remamed in the water, and drenched with rain during the rest of
the day ; their only food being some dried fish, and some rain-water,
which they caught. Yet, though wet and cold, and some of them sick
from using the salt-water, the men were still cheerful and full of anxiety
to see more of the ocean.

On the 10th they were enabled to proceed, but at the distance of
ten miles the wind arose, and the heavy sea forced them to seek a place
of safety. They made another attempt when the tide fell, but were
obliged to put to shore a mile below. They encamped on some drift-
logs, with the hills rising steep above their heads to the height of five
hundred feet. Every thuig was thoroughly wet with the rain, which
did not cease dui'ing the night, in the course of which the i o reached
the logs, and set them afloat. Next day the wind was still high, and
drove the waves against the shore with great fury ; the rain, too, fell in
torrents, and not only drenched them to the skin, but loosened the stones
on the hill-sides, which then came rolling down upon them. In this
comfortless situation they remained all day, with nothing but dried fish
to satisfy their hunger ; the canoes in one place at the mercy of the
waves; the baggage in another; and all the men scattered on floating
logs, or sheltering themselves in the crevices of the rocks, and hill-sides.
At three o'clock on the morning of the 12th, a tremendous gale of wind
arose accompanied with lightning, thunder, and hail. In a few hours it
abated, but a violent rain soon began, and lasted all day. Their situa-
tion now became much more dangerous, for the waves were driven with
fury against the rocks and trees which till now had afibrded them a
refuge ; they therefore took advantage of the low tide and moved half
a mile to the mouth of a small brook which had been hidden by the
bushes and drift-wood. Here they were safer, if not more comfortable.
On the 1 4th, three men were sent to try if they could double the point
and find some safer harbor. One of them returned next day with in-
formation that at no great distance there was a beautiful sand-beach,
and a good harbor. Captain Lewis then set out to examine more mi-
nutely the lower part of the bay. On the 15th the weather was fair, and
enabled them to dry their bedding and examine their baggage. The

pre
sin

THE MOUTH OF THE OOLUMBIA.

169

rain, which had continued for the last ten days without an interval of
more than two hours, had completely wet all their merchandise, and
spoiled some of their fish, destroyed the robes, and rotted nearly one
half of their few remaining articles of clothing, particularly the leather
dresses. About three o'clock the wind fell, and they instantly loaded
the canoes, and left the miserable spot to which they hod been confined
the last six days.

At the sand-beach below, they met Shannon, who had been sent back
by Captain Lewis to meet them. The day Shannon had set out in his
canoe, he and Ins comrade went on till they met a party of twelve In-
dians, who, having never heard of the expedition, did not know where
they came from ; they, however, behaved with so much civility, and
seemed so anxious that the men should go with them toward the sea,
that their suspicions were excited, and they declined going on. The
Indians, however, would not leave them, and the men being confirmed
in their suspicions, and fearful that if they went into the woods to sleep,
they would be cut to pieces in the night, thought it best to remain
in the midst of the Indians ; they therefore made a fire, and after
talking with them to a late hour, lay ^own with their rifles under their
heads. On awaking in the morning they found the Indians had stolen
and hidden their guns. Having demanded them in vain, Shannon seized
a club and was about assaulting one of the Indians whom he suspected
of being the thief, when another Indian began to load a fowling-piece
with the intention of shooting him. He therefore stopped, and explained
by signs that if they did not give up the guns, a large party would
come down the river before the sun rose to such a height, and put
every one of them to death. Fortunately Captain Lewis and his party
appeared at this time and the terrified Indians immediately brought
the guns.

WINTER ON THE PACIFIC COAST.

" Saturday y November 16. — ^The morning was clear and beautiful.
We therefore put out all our baggage to dry, and sent several of the
party to hunt. Our camp is in full view of the ocean, on the bay laid
down by Vancouver, which was distinguished by the name of Haley's
Bay, from a trader who visits the Indians here, and is a great favorite
among them." Captam Lewis returned on the 1 7th, after having coasted
down Haley's Bay to Cape Disappointment, and some distance to the
north along the sea-coast. He was followed by several Chinnooks,
among whom were the principal chief and his family. "They made us
a present of a boiled root, very much like the common liquorice in taste
and size, called culwhamo; in return, we gave double the value of their
present, and now learned the danger of accepting any thing from them,
smce no return, even if ten times the value of their gift, can satisfy

170

TRATBLS OF LEWIS AND OLARKK.

tliem." Captain Clarke afterward traveled by land around tho coast,
and cliinlicd Capo Disappointment. Tliin is a circular knob, risiuf:^, with
n Btccp ascent, one hundred and fifty feet above the water, and connected
to the main land by a neck of low ground, two or three hundred yards
wide.

lie rt'tumod to tho camp on tho 20th, and foimd a number of C'hin-
nooks, with whom they held a council. Next day they were visited by
various bands of tho neighborhood, and a chief from the (J rand Kapids,
with whom they exchanged articles of trade. After these Indians wero
gone they were surprised at u visit of a difl'erent kind : "An old woman,
the wife of a Chinnook chief, came with six young women, her datight-
ers and nieces, and having deliberately encamped near us, proceeded to
cultivate an intimacy between our men and her fair wards."

Having examined tho coast, it became necessary to decide on the spot
for their winter quarters. As they would lu-ive to rely chiefly on their
arms for subsistence, they Avere guided in their choice by the abundance
of g.imo which any particuliir place might oHcr. Tho Indians said tho
country on tho opposite side of tho bay was better supplied with elk,
an animal larger and more easily killed than the deer, tho latter being
most numerous at some distance up the river. Tho climate hero was
milder than above tho first range of mountains ; tho Indians went thinly
clad, and said they had but little snow. Tho weather had indeed been
very warm ginco their arrival, sometimes disagreeably so ; and dressed,
as they wero, altogether in leather, tho cold would bo very unpleasant,
if not injurious. Tho neighborhood of tho sea was further recommended
by tho facility of supplying themselves with salt, and tho hope of meet-
ing some of tho trading vessels, which might be expected in about three
months, and from which they might secure a fresh supply of trinkets
for their route homeward. These considerations induced them to visit
the opposite side of tho bay ; and if there was an appearance of much
game, to establish themselves there during tho winter. Accordingly, on
the 25th they left their place of encampment, but the wind being too
high they kept along near the shore toward their former camp, and on
the following day crossed over to the south side of the Columbia, After
going a few miles along tho shore they entered a channel which separates
the main land from a large, low island, and stopped at a village of tho
Cathlamah tribe. Hero they procured some elk meat, and after dining
on fresh fish and roots, which they bought at an enormous price, they
coasted along tho river toward the south. On the 2Tth they encamped
on a pebbly beach, connecting with tho main land a remarkable peninsular
knob, which they called Point William. For a week past tho weather had
been almost incessantly wet, and it had rained hard tho whole of this
day ; *' it continued all night, and in the morning began more violently,
attended with a high wind from the south-west. It was now impossible
to proceed on so rough a sea. Wo therefore sent several men to hunt,
and the rest of us remained during tho day in a situation the most cheer-

TUET ENCAMP FOR THE WINTER.

171

leas and unconifortablo. On this littlo neck of latid wo wcro exposed,
with a niiaurublu covering which did not deHorvu the name of shelter, to
the violence of the winds ; all our bedding and Btores, as well an our
bodicM, were completely wet, our clothes rotting with constant exposure,
and no food except the dried fiah brought from the Falls, to which wo
were again reduced. The hunters all returned hungry and drenched
>vith rain, having seen neither deer nor elk, and the swan and brant too
shy to be approached. At noon the wind shitled to the north-west and
blow with such tremendous fury that many trees wcro blown down
near us."

The disagreeable diet of pounded fish and B.ilt w.iter occasioned so
much sickness among the men that it became absolutely necessary to
vary it. Captain Lewis took a canoe on the 20th, and went down the
bay with five men, to hunt elk, and other parties went out by land. On
the 3d of December an elk was brought into camp, the first they had
killed west of the Uocky Mountains, and atler their meager faro it formed
a most nourishing food. In the afternoon of the 6th they were rejoiced
at the return of Captain Lewis, for whoso safety they had begun to be
very uneasy. lie came in a canoe with three of his men, the other two
being left to guard six elk and five deer which they had killed. lie had
examined the coast, and found a river a short distance below, on which
they might encamp during the winter, with a sufticiency of elk for their
subsistence within reach. This information was very satisfiictory, and
they decided on going thither as soon as they could move from the point.
This they were enabled to do on the 7th, although the tide was against
them and the waves still very high. On reaching the south side of
Meriwether's Bay, which they named from Captain Lewis, they ascended
the river Netul for three miles, to the first point of highland on its
western bank, and formed their camp in a thick grovo of lofty pines,
about two hundred yards from the water, and thirty feet above the level
of the high tides. This seemed the most eligible spot for their wuuer
establishment. In order, therefore, to find a place for making salt, and
to examine the country further, Captain Clarke set out Avith five men,
taking a south-western course through thick pine forests and much
swampy land, toward the sea. For shelter the first night they stretched
the skin of an elk they had killed, but rose in the morning perfectly wet
with the rain. Proceeding westward, they had much difficulty in mak-
ing their way over streams and swamps, and at length met with three
Indians, who invited them to their village on the sea-coast. They went
thither, and Captain Clarke was received with much attention. As soon
as he entered, clean mats were spread, and fish, berries, and roots set
before him on small, neat platters of rushes. After ho had eaten, the
men of the other houses came and smoked with him. They all appeared
much neater in their persons and diet than Indians generally are, and
frequently washed their hands and faces, a ceremony by no means fre-
quent elsewhere.

172

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND OLAEKE.

As the captain was walking on the shore next day, one of the Indians
asked him to shoot a duck about thirty steps distant. He did so, and
having accidentally shot off its head, the bird was brought to the village
by the Indians, all of whom came round in astonishment. They exam-
ined the duck, the musket, and the very small buDat, and then exclaimed :
" Cloiich musket, wake, commatax muskeV* (" A good musket, do not
understand this kind of musket"). They now placed before him their
best roots, fish, and syrup, after which he made a few purchases and re-
turned to the camp through a heavy rain. The whole party had been
occupied during his absence in cutting down trees to make huts, and in
hunting.

On the 11th of December C<"ptain Clarke says: "The rain continued
last night and the whole of this day. We were, however, all employed
in putting up our winter cabins, which we are anxious to finish, as sev-
eral of the men are beginning to suffer from the excessive dampness ;
four of them have violent colds, one has a dysentery, another has tumors
on his legs, and two have been injured by dislocation and straining their
limbs," The work went on notwithstanding the rain, and by the 14th
they had finished the walls of the huts and completed a house for pro-
visions. The constant rains had spoiled their last supply of elk, but the
sick were recovering, although scarcely a man had been dry for a great
many days. The hunters were so fortunate as to kill eighteen elk, and
on the 15th Captain Clarke set out with sixteen men, who were dis-
patched for the game in small parties, each man returning with the quar-
ter of an animal. In bringing the third and last load, nearly half the
men missed their way and did not return till after night, and five did not
find their way till next morning. The rain had poured do'.vn upon them
all night, as it had upon their comrades in the camp, but in addition to
this they had been without fire, and drenched and cold as they were,
they presented a most distressing sight when they came in. At length
the building was completed, and they moved into their huts on the 24th.
Meanwhile, however, their 8 took of meat was completely spoiled by the
incessant rains, and pounded fish became again their chief dependence.

" Wednesday, L.'. We were awaked at daylight by a discharge of
fire-arras, which was followed by a song from the men, as a compliment
to us on the return of Christmas, which we have always been accustomed
to observe as a day of rejoicin p After breakfast we divided our re-
maining stock of toba'ico, which amounted to twelve carrots, into two
parts, one of which we distributed among such of the party as made use
of it, making a present of:*, handkerchief to the others. The remainder
of the day was passed in good spirits, though there was nothing in our
situation to excite much gayety. The rain confined us to the house,
and our only luxuries in honor of the season, were some poor elk, so
much spoiled that we ate it through mere necessity, a few roots, and
some spoiled pounded fish."

December 30. " We enjoyed the fairest and most pleasant weather

THE SALT CAMP.

173

Lher

since our arrival ; the sun having shono at intervals, and there being
only three showers in the course of the day. By sunset we had com-
pleted the fortilication, and now announced to the Indians that every
day, at that hour, the gates would bo closed, and they must leave the
fort, and not enter it till sunrise. The Wahkiacums, who had remained
with us, and who are very forward in their deportment, complied very
reluctantly with this order ; but bemg excluded from our houses, formed
a camp near us."

" Wednesday , January 1, 1806. — ^We were awaked at an early hour
by a discharge of a volley of smad arms, to salute the New Year. This
is the only mode of doing honor to the day which our situation permits,
for though we have reason to be gayer than we were at Christmas, our only
dainties are the boiled elk and Wappatoo roots, enlivened by draughts
of pure water." One uy a neighboring chief, with a party of Clatsops,
brought for sale, besides roots and berries, three dogs and some flesh
blubber. "Having been so long accustomed to ilvo on the flesh of
dogs, the greater part of us have acquired a fondness for it, and our
original aversion for it is overcome, by reflecting that while we sub-
sisted on that food we were fatter, stronger, and in general enjoyed bet-
ter health than at any period since leaving the buffalo coxmtry eastward
of the mountains." The blubber had been obtained from the Killa-
mucks, a neighboring nation on the sea-coast to the south, near one of
whose villages a whale had recently been stranded.

Two of the men who had been dispatched to make salt, returned on
the 1 5th. They had carefully examined the coast, but it was not ur til
the fifth day after their departure that they discovered a convenient sit-
uation for its manufacture. At length they formed an establishment
about fifteen miles south-west of the fort, near some scattered houses of
the Clatst.>p ivnd Killamuck nations, where they had erected a comforta-
ble camp and had killed a stock of provisions. The Indians had treated
them very kindly, and made them a present of the blubber of the whale,
some of which the men brought home. The aj pearance of the whale
seemed to be a matter of importance to all the neighboring Indians, and
in the hope of procuring some of it, a parcel of merchandise Avas pre-
pared, and a party of men held in readiness to set out from the fort in
the morning. As soon as this resolution was known, Chaboncau ami his
wife requested that they might be permitted to accompany the party.
Tl)e poor woman stated very earnestly that she had traveled a great way
^vith them to see the great water, yet she had never been down to the
coast, and now that this monstrous fish was also to be seen, it seemed
hard that she should not be permitted to see either the ocean or the whale.
So reasonable a request couid not be denied ; they were therefore suf-
fered to accompany Captain Clarke.

Having reached the salt-makers' camp, " we persuaded a young In-
dian, by a present of a file and a promise of some other articles, to guide
us to the spot where the whale lay. He led us for two and a half miles

174

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

over the round slippery stones at the foot of a high hill projecting into
the sea, and then suddenly stopping, explained by signs that we must
cross th3 mountain. This promised to be a most laborious undertaking,
for the side is nearly perpendicular and the top lost in clouds. He, how-
ever, followed an Indian path which wound along as much as possible,
but still the ascent was so st .'ep that at one place we drew ourselves for
about a hundred feet by means of bushes and roots. At length, after
two hours' labor, Ave reached the top of the ^aountain, where we looked
down with astonishment on the prodigious height of ton or twelve hun-
dred feet which wo had ascended. We proceeded by a bad road till
night, when we encamped on a small run : we wcro all much fatigued,
but the weather was pleasant, and for the first time since our arrival
here an entire day has passed without rain. On the 8th we set out early
and proceeded to the top of the mountain, the highest point of uliich is
an open spot facing the ocean. It is situated about thirty miles south-
east of Cape Disappointment, and projects nearly two and a half miles into
the sea. Here one of the most delightful views in nature presents itself.
Immediately in front is the ocean, which breaks with fury on the coast,
from tlic rocks of Cape Disappointment, as far as the eye can discern, to
the north-west, and against the high lands and irregular piles of rock
which diversify the shore to the south-east. To this boisterous scene
the Columbia, with its tributary waters, widening into bays as it aj)-
proaclies the ocean, and studded on both sides with the Chimook and
Clatsop villages, forms a charming contrast ; while immediately beneath
our foot are stretched the rich prairies, enlivened by three beautiful
streams, which conduct the eye to small lakes at the foot of the hills.
We stopped to enjoy the romantic view from this place, which we dis-
tinguished by the name of Clarke's Point of View, and then followed our
guide down the mountain."

The whale had been placed between two Killamuck villages, and
nothinjj; more remained than the skeleton, which they found to be one
hundred and five feet in length. The natives were all busied in boiling
the blubber and preserving the oil. These they parted with reluctantly,
and at such high prices that Captain Clarke's whole stock of mereliandiso
was exhausted in the ])ur(;hase of three hundred pounds of blubber and
a few gallons of oil. With these he set out to return, and encamped on
the other side of the creek, which he called Ecola, or Whale Creek,
Here they were joined by the men of the village, who gave all the infor-
mation they possessed relative to their country. While smoking with
the Indians, Captain Clarke was surprised about ten o'clock by a loud
shrill outcry from the opposite village ; on hearing which all thct Indiana
started up to cross the creek, and the guide informed hini ♦hat some one
had been killed. On examination, one of the men was found to be ab-
sent, and a guard dispatc hed, who met him crossing the creek m great
haste. An Indian beloni jing to another band, who hapi)ened to be with
the Killaraucks that eve ling, had treated him with much kindness, and

PREPARATIONS FOR RETURN.

175

walked arm in arm with him to a tent where he found a Chinnook squaw
who was an old acquaintance. From the com ^rsulion and manner of
the stranger, this woman discovered that his object was to murder the
white man for the sake of the few articles on his person ; and when he
rose and pressed the man to go to another tent, where they would find
something better to eat, she held M'Neal by the blanket. Not knowing
her object, he freed himself from her, and was going on with his pre-
tended friend, when she ran out and gave the shriek which brougnt the
men of the village over. The stranger escaped before M'Neal knew
what had occasioned the alarm.

" The month of February and the greater part of March was passed
in the same manner. Every day, parties as large as we could spare
them from our other occupations, were sent out to hunt, and we were
thus enabled to command some days' provision in advance. It consisted
chiefly of deer and elk ; the first is very lean, and the flesh by no means
as good as that of the elk, which is our chief dependence." In March
the elk became scarce and lean, and they made use of fish whenever
they could catch them, or purchase them from the Ind. ins ; but as they
were too poor to indulge very largely in these luxuries, their diet was
by no moans pleasant, and '.o the siok, especially, was unwholesome.
During the greater part of this month, five or six of the men were sick,
the general complaint being a bad cold and fever, something like an
influenza.

THE RETURN JOURNEY.

" Many reasons had determined us to remain at Fort Clatsop till the
Ist of April. Besides the want of fuel on the Columbian plains, and the
impracticability of passing the mountains before the beginning of June,
we wore anxious to see some of tlic foroign traders, from whom, by moans
of our ample letters of credit, we might have recruited our exhausted
Btoros of merchandise. About the middle of March, however, we be-
came seriously alarmed for the want of food ; the elk, our chief depend-
onco, had at length deserted their usual haunts in our neighborhood,
and retr«>ated to the mountains. We were too poor to purchase other
food from the Indians, so that we were sometimes reduced, notwith-
standing all the exertions of our hunters, to a single day's provisions in
iidvance. The mr-n, too, whom the constant rains and continomont had
rendered unhealthy, might, we hoped, be benefited by leaving the coast
and n-mmiing the exercise of traveling. Wo therefore determined to
leave Fort Clatsop, ascend the river slowly, consume the month of March
in the woody country where wo hope to find subsistenco, and in this
^\ay reach the plains about the Ist of April, before which time it will be
impossible to attempt crossing them : for this purpose we i>ogan our pre-
parations. During the winter we had been very industrious in dressing
skins, so that we had now a suflicio/i quantity of clothing, besides be-

176

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

tween throo and four hundred pair of moccasins. But the whole stock
of goods on which we are to depend, either for the purchase of horses
or of food, during the long tour of nearly four thousand mihis, is so much
diminished that it might all bo tied in two handkerchiefs. We have, in
fact, nothing but six blue robes, one of scarlet, a coat and hat of United
States artillery uniform, five robes made of our largo flag, and a few old
clothes trimmed with ribbon. Our chief dependence, therefore, must be
on our guns, which, fortunately for us, are all in good order, as we had
taken the precaution of bruigmg a number of extra locks, and one of
our luon proved to be an excellent artist in that way. The powder had
been secured in leaden canisters, and though on many occasions they
had been under water, it remained perfectly dry, and we now found our-
selves in possession of one hundred and forty pounds of powder, and
twice that quantity of lead, a stock quite sufficient for the route home-
ward,

" Afler much trafficking, we at last succeeded in purchasing a canoe
for a uniform coat and half a carrot of tobacco, and took a canoe from
the Clatsops as a reprisal for some elk they had stolen from us in the
winter. We were now ready to leave Fort Clatsop, but the rain prevented
us for several days from calking the canoes, and we were forced to wait
for culm weather before wo could attempt to pass Point William. In the
mean time we were visited by many of our neighbors, for the purpose
of taking leave of us. The Clatsop Comowool has been the most kind
and hospitable of all the Intlians in this qviarter ; we therefore gave him
a certificate of the kindness and attention which we have received from
him, and added a more substantial proof of our gratitude, the gifl of all
our houses and furniture. To the Chinnook chief, Delashelwit, we gave
a certificate of the same kind. We also circulated among the natives
several papers, ono of which we also posted up in the fort, to the follow-
ing effect :

" ' The object of this last is, that through the medium of some civil-
ized person, wbo may see the same, it maybe made known to the world,
that the party consisting of the persons whose names are hereunto an-
nexed, and who were sent out by the government of the United States
to explore the ulterior of the rontinent of North America, did penetrate
the same by the way of the Missouri and Columbia Kivers, to the dis-
charge of th<! latter into the Pacific Ocean, where they arrived on the
lull day of November, 1805, and departed the 23d day of March, 1800,
on their return to the United States, by the same route by which they
had come out.'

" Sunday, March 23d, 1806, the canoes were loaded, and at one
o'clock in the aflernoon we took a final leave of Fort Clatsop. The wind
was still high, but the alternative of remainintr without jirovisions was
so unpleasant that we hoped to be able to double Poi. ^ "'tVilliam." Hav-
ing passed the point in safety, they proceeded up the river without any
hinderance 'uatil the 1st of April, when they learned from some Indians

civil-
rvorld,
to an-
Stiitcs
ctrate
e dis-
n the
1800,
. tUoy

lit one
wind

lis was
Ilav-

kit any

Indians

CAPTAIN CLARKE'S SORCERY.

177

descending tlie river that there was a gresit scar«:ity of provisions ui the
neighborhood of the Great Rapids. Tiiey accordingly, decided to re-
main at tlieir present encampment, near the month of the Quicksand
River, until tliey had collected jneat enough to last them to the C'hoppun-
nish nation, with whom they had left their liorses. Parties were accord-
ingly sent out to hunt, and in a week they had collected and dried a
sufficient quantity of meat for their purpose.

Meanwhile they heard of a large river which empties into the Ht)uth
side of the Columbia a few miles below, and Captain Clarke set out on
the 2d, witJi one of his informants as guide, to search for it. Proceed-
ing down the south side of the river a few hours, he landed at a house
which was recognized as the only remains of a village of twenty-four
straw-huts which they had seen the preceding fall. Along the shore
were great rmmbers of small (lanoes for gathering wappatoo, left by the
Shahalas, wlio visit the place annually, and the inhabitants of the house
belonged to a tribe of the same nation. On entering one of the aj)art-
mcnts, Captain Clarke offered several articles in exchange for wappatoo,
but they appeared sullen and ill-humored, and refused to give him any.
He therefore sat down by the fire, opposite to the men, and taking a
poit-tire match from his pocket, threw a small piece of it into the flame;
at the same time he took his pocket compass, and by means of a magnet
whi<^h liaj)pcned to be in his inkhoni, made the needle turn round very
briskly. The match now took fire and burned violently, on which the
Indians, terrified at this strange exhibition, immediately brought a
quantity of wappatoo and laid it at his feet, begging him to put out
the bad fire ; while an old woman continued to speak with great ^ehe-
mence, as if praying and imploring protection. Having received the
roots, Captain Clarke put up the compass, and as the match went out
of it.si'lf, trantpiiHity was restored, though the women and children still
took refuge in their beds, and behind the men. He now paid for what
he had used, and after lighting his pipe, and smoking with them, he
continued down the river. He found the mouth of a large rivei-, called
Multnomah by the Indians, which a cluster of islands had concealed
from tli',">i in their passage down and up the Columbia. From its
entrance Mount St. Helen's bore north. Mount Hood due east, and Cap-
tain Clarke now discovered to the south-east a mountain which he had
not before seen, and to which he gave the name of Mount Jefferson.
Like St. Helen's, its figure was a regular cone, and it appeared to be of
eqtial height with that mountain. He entered the Multnomah which lie
ascended several miles, and found to be a fine navigable river, held
some intercourse with the natives on its banks, and returned to the
camp oti the evening of the Ud.

On the 0th they continued their journey and reached the first rapids.
During the whole <l;iy they )>.ass<'d along under high, steep, and rocky
sides of the mountains, which at length closed in on each side of the
river, forming stupendous precijuces, covered with fir and white cedar.

178

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

Down lliosc lioijrhts frequently descend the most boautiful cascades, one
ofwliich. !i larije creek, throws itself over a pcritendicular rock three
liundri'd feet above the water, while other smaller streams precijjitate
themselves from a still greater elevation, and, evaitorating in a mist,
again collect and form a second cascade before they reach the bottom
of the rt)cks.

Xi'xt <lay the preparations were made for a portage, which was be-
gun on the 11th, by nearly the whole party, who dragged four of the
canoes to the head of the rapids with great difficulty and labor. A
guard consisting of the sick and lame, remained with Captai;i Lewis to
j)rotcct Ihe baggage. They had found the AVahcIcllahs to be great
thieves, and were con% inced that nothing l)ut their numbers saved them
from attack. Those peoj)le crowded about them as they wen; taking up
the boats, and in several instances seemed very ill disposed. Shields,
one of the men, had stopped to purchase a dog, and being separated
from the rest of the party, two Indians pushed him out of the road and
attemj)ted to take the dog from him. He had no weapon but a long
kiiil'e, with which he immediately attacked them both, hoping to kill
them before they had time to draw their arrows, but as soon as they
saw his design they fled into the woods. Socm afterward it M'as found
that the WahclcHahs had carried otf Captain Ticwis's dog to their village
below, ami three men well armed were instantly dispatched in pursuit
of them, v.ith orders to fire if there Avas the slightest resistance or hesi-
tation. At the distance of two miles they came in siglit of the thieves,
who, finding themselves jjursued, left the dog and made off. The In-
<lians Mere now all ordered out of the camp, and told that whoever stole
any baggage, or insulted the men, should be instantly shot. During
the day they Aver visited by a chief of the Wahclellahs Avho seemed
very Avell disposed and mortified at the behavior of the Indians, which,
he sai<l, was chiefly owing to two very bad men belonging to the
tribe.

A jjcrioquc^ was lost in the rapids, and to replace it, Captain Lewis
jirocured, on the i:Uh, two small eanoes, in (j.vchange for two robes and
f!»ur elk-skins. They also purchased, with deer-skins, three dogs, an
animal which hud now become a fiivorite food, as it was found to be a
strong, healthy diet, , (referable to lean dear or elk, and nnich superior
to horse flesh in any state. In the evening he Joined the other boats,
which had advanced a fo.w miles, and they resumed their journey next
morning. On the isth, they mad<! a j)ortage of seven jiaces over the
rock at the next rapids, then drew up tlu; boats, reloaded, and at the
disl.'ince of five miles reached the basin at the foot of the long narrinvs.
Captain Clarke had meanwhile 1»een out to ](rocure horses, and having
obtained f<)ur, they transported their merchandise over the portage on
the 10th, and encamped near the Skilloot' village above the rapl<ls.

"The whol(! village was filled with rejoicing to-dr'y at having caught
a single salmon, which w;is considered as the harbinger of vast quantities

and
and

visit
and
Won
theii

)e a ,
I'ior
ats,

oxt

tlic

the

)\VS.

i'ing
on

KTht
Sties

A DISAGREEABLE TRIBE.

179

in four or five days. In order t:» hasten their arrival, the Indians, aecord-
ing to custom, dressed the fisli and cut it into small pieces, one of which
was given to each child in the village. In the g«)od humor excited hy
this (HTurrence they parted, though reluctantly, with four other horses,
for which we gave them two kettles, reserving only a singhi small one
for a mess of eight men. Unluckily, however, we lost one of the horsi-s
by the negligence of the j)erson to whose charge ho was committed."

On the morning of the '21st the canoes were dispatdied to the Knc.'-
shur village at the (trand Falls, whither Captain Clarke had jireceih-il
them in order to barter for horses. The rest of the party were detained
in searching for a horse that had broken loose in the night. In the
mean time the Indians, who were always on the alert, stole a tomahawk,
which was not recovered, though several of them were searched. An-
other fellow was detected in carrying f)tf a piece of iron, and kicrked one
of camp. Cai)tain Lewis then, addressing the Indians, declared that he
was not afraid to fight them, for, if he chose, ho might instantly put
them to death and burn their village ; that he did not wish to treat them
ill if they did not steal ; and that although if he knew who had the
tomahawk he would take away the horses of the thieves, yet he would
rather lose the ])roperty altogether than take the horse of an innocent
man. The chiefs were present at this harangue, hung tlu'ir hiads, ar.d
made no reply. At ten o'clock the men returned with tht^ liorse, and
they left these disagreeal)le people. They found Cajitain Clarke at the
Eneeshur village, aiid being here joined by the canoes and baggage
across the portage, they proceeded ."« short distance above tho town,
where they dined on some dogs, and then set forwanl. j^Tliey encamped
near a village at the Rock Rapids on the 2'U\, and having .'sseinbled tho
warriors and smoked Avith them, they entertained thoin \\"th the violin
and a dance by the men. The Indians returned l! .> co" ijiHment in a
dance that was new to the travelers, and then retire 1, pro nising to bar-
ter horses in the morning. Three horses were then puiv'*"ased, and three
more hired of a Chopunnish Indian who was to accompany tlie expedi-
tion with his funily. They also j>romised to lake the canoi-s in exch.ango
for horses, but finding the white men had resolved to go by land, they
refused to give any thing, in hopes tliey would be forced to leave them.
Disgusted at this conduct, tho men began to split them in pieces, on
which the Indians gave several strands of hea<ls lor each canoe. Hav-
ing now a sufficient number of horses, they proceeded wholly by land.

As they advanced up the rh er, they found the inhabitants more kind
and hospitable. After a long march on the liVth, they had (■iu\".mped
and were cooking some jerked nie:i\ when they wito Joined by a party
of Wollawollahs, .among whom was a chief na>neil Yelh j)t, who had
visited them in October. He was nnich ])leased at seeitig th.om again,
and invited them to remain at his village three or four days, when he
would supply them with food and furnish horses for the journey. After
their late experience this kind oflTor was truly acceptable, and they went

180

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

with him to his village six miles above, and twelve luilos bolow the mouth
of Lewis's River. Yellept then harangued his people on the virtues of
hospitality, and set them an example by bringing an arnit'ul of wood
and a platter of roasted mullets. They immediately began by furnishing
an abundunee of the only fuel they use, tiie stems of plants. The trav-
elers then purchased four dogs, on which they supped heartily, liavuig
been on short allowance for two days past.

The Indians infonned them of a route opposite their village to the
mouth of the Kooskooskee, much shorter than that by Lewis's River, and
passing over a level, watered country, abounding in deer and anttilopo.
As there were no houses on this road, they thought it prudent to lay in
a stock of provisions, and accordingly, next morning, purchased ten dogs.
Meanwhile Y"llept presented a fine white horse to Captain Clarke, ex-
pressing a wish to have a kettle ; but on being told that they had dis-
posed of the last one they could spare, he said he would be content with
any present they should make in return. Captain Clarke therefore gave
his sword, for which the chief had before expressed a desire, adding
one hundred balls, some powder, and other articles, with which he ap-
peared perfectly satisfied. Fortunately there was here a Shoshonee
prisoner, from the south of the Multnomah, who spoke the same language
as the Shoshonee woman Sacajawea, and by their means Lewis and
Clarke were able to ex])lain themselves intelligibly to the Indians. The
latter were inspired with confidence, and soon brought several sick per-
sons requiring assistance. They splintered the arm of one, and admin-
istered remedies for various diseases ; but their most valuable medicine
was eye-water, which was greatly needed : the complaint of the eyes,
occasioned by living on the water, and increased by the fine sand of the
plains, being now universal.

On the 29th, they crossed the river in the 'canoes of Yellept. In the
course of the day they gavo small medals to two inferior chiefs, each of
whom made them a present of a fine horso. They were in a poor con-
dition to make an adequate acknowledgment for this kindness, but gave
several article?, among which was a i)».stol, and several rounds of ammu-
nition. They felt indeed that they hi«.d been treated by these people
with an unusurj degree of kindnes?. They finally took leave of this
honest, Avorthy tribe, and, accompanied by a guide and the Chopim-
nish family, set off across an open sandy plain, on the 30th. They had
now twenty-three horses, many of them young and excellent animals,
but the greater part afflicted with sore backs. The Indians in general
are cruel masters ; they ride very hard, and as the saddles are badly
constructed it is almost impossible to avoid 'bounding the back, yet they
continue to ride when the poor creatures are scarified in a dreadful
manner.

They reached Lewis's River a few miles above the Kooskooskee, on
the 4th of May, and next day continued their journey up the latter
river. As they proceedeil they fi-equently met old' acquaintances of last

jocti
him
in a
'1 j)Ja
distal
their
soroe
empt(

MEETING WITH TWISTED HAIR.

181

year, and always found that their kindness had not been bestowed on
the natives in vain. On the 6th, an Indian gave Captain Chirke a very
elegant gray mare, for which all he requested was a phial of eye-water.
In the autumn, at the mouth of the Chopunnish Ilivor, a man with pain
in his knee was brought to thera for relief He was, to appearance,
recovered from his disorder, though ho had not walked for some time.
But that they might not be disappointed, Captain Clarko, with much
ceremony, washed and rubbed his soro limb, and gave him some vol-
atile liniment to continue the operation, which caused, or rather did not
prevent, his recovery. The man gratefully circulated their praises, and
their fame as physicians was increased by the efficiency of some eyc;-
water which they gave them at the same time. This new resource of
obtaining subsistence was not unwelcome, now, when their stock of
merchandise was very m* ih reduced. So great Wiis the fame of their
medical skill, th.at when they encamped that evening at Colter's Creek,
they soon had nearly fifty patients. A chief brought his wife with an
abscess in her back, which Cajjtain Clarke opened and drosscc? and then
distributed medicines to others. Next day the woman declared she had
slept better than at any time since her illness. She was therefore dressod
a second time, and her husband, according to promise, brought thent
a horse which they immediately killed. Their practice now increased
so long as they remained. When they had gone a few miles further
an Indian l)rought them two canisters of powder, which his dog had
found. They recognized them as the same they had buried last fall,
and as he had kept them safely, and had honesty enough to return
them, they rewarded him as Avell as they could.

In crossing the plain they saw that the Rocky Mountains were still
covered with snow, which the Indians informed them was so deep that
they would not be able to pass before the 1st of June, and some
placed the time later. As they were very desirous of reaching the
pliiins of the Missouri, if for no other reason than that of once more
enjoying a good meal, this intelligence was most unwelcome, and
gave no relish to the remainder of the horse killed at Colter's Creek,
which formed their supper, and part of which had already been their
dinner.

On the 8th, they met with the Twisted Hair, the chief to whom
they had confided their horses, and part of their saddles, but as he
received them with great coldness they formed very unfavorable con-
jectures. They soon found that a violent quarrel had arisen between
him and Neeshnepahkeeook, the Cutnose, who now addressed each other
in a loud, angry manner. They interposed, and all Went forward to
a ])lace of encampment ; the two chiefs forming separate camps, at a
distance from each other. Anxious to reconcile the chiefs, and recover
their property, they desired a Shoshonee, who had been with the party
some days, to interpret while they attempted a mediation ; but he per-
emptorily refused to speak a word, for fear of meddling in a private

182

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

quarrel wlicro l»o h;i»l uo right to inturfcrc. Tin' TwiHlcd Hair wan
iitU'rwunl invited to coint' uiitl Kiiioko >vilii iIk'Mi. lie accH'ptfd thu
invitation, mu\ intorniud thoni tliat hv liad, acconlin^ ti) |ir<>nii8o, coU
li'ctt'd tlie horsi'H, and taken eharjje of tiieni ; I nit tliat Neeshneitah-
keeook, and Tunnachcniootoolt (the Cutnose, and Brokenarni), who liad
been on a war ])arty against the Shosijonees, returned, and becoming
jealous because the horses were conKded to his care, were constantly
(juarreling with him. At length, unwilling to live in perjietual ilis|)utu
with the two chiefs, he had given up the care ol' the horses, which had
consequently become much scattered. lie a(hled that in the 8|iring tho
earth had fallen away and exposed the saddles, some c»f wliidi had
probably been lost, but that he had buried them hi another dtjuisit.
Next day he brought hi about half the satldles, and some powder and
lead which was buried at the same place ; and soon afterward the In-
dians brought in about tw(;nty-one of the horses, the greater part of
which were in excellent order, though some had not y«'t recovered from
hard usage. The Cutnose and Twis^ted Hair seemed now perfectly re-
conciled, and both slept in the house of the lormer. The jiarty set tor-
ward next mornhig, and hi the atYi-rnoon arrivid at the house of Uroken-
arni, where they were received with due form under a flag which they
had given him. In the evening the people brought them a large supply
of routs, for which they thanked them, but remarked that they werenf)t
accustomed to live on roots alone, and therefore jtroposed to exchaiigo
a good horse, which was ! 'an, for one that ^^ils fatter, which they might
kill. Thi3 chief said that his peoi>le had an abundaiute of young horses,
and that if their guests were disjiosed to use that food, they might have
as many as they wanted. .Accordingly they soon gave them two fat
young horses, without asking any thing in return.

During their stay they wei'o visited by several Indians, and on tho
11th, finding some of the ]>rincipal chiefs of the Chopunnish nation pres-
ent, they took the opport\uiity to explain the intentions of the govern-
ment. They drew a map of the relati\ e situation of the country on a
mat with a piece of coal, then detaile«l the nature and power of the
American nation, its desire to preserve harmony between all its red
brethrtn, and its hiteiition of establishing trading houses for their relief
and support. "It was not without difficulty, nor till nearly half the day
was 8i»i'nt, that we were able to convey all this information to the Cho-
punnish, much of which might have bei'n lost or distorted in the circuit-
ous rout(! through a variety of languages: for bi the first place, we spoke
hi English to one of our men, who translated it into French to Chabo-
neau ; he interpreted it to his wife in the IVIinnetaree language, and she
then i)Ut it into Shoshonee, and the young Shoshonee prisoner explained
it to the Chopunnish in their own dialect. iVt last we succeeded in com-
municating the impression they wished, and then adjourned the council;
after which we amused them by showing the wonders of the compass,
the spy -glass, the magnet, the watch, and air-gim, each of which attracted

t!i
of
th
gar

rillENDLY COUNCILS.

183

Its share of attontion. Tlioy waid that afliT wv had \v{\ the ^Mhiiu'tancrt
last aiitiiiiui thrco j'onn^ ('li(>[)unnish had pmc over to that nation, wiio
had mentioned our visit, and the extraordinsiry artieles we liad with us,
but they liad plaeed no conli(U'nee in it till now."

Next day the cliief's and warriors held a eounoil to decide on their
answer, and the result was that tliey resolved to follow the advice of the
white men.

The principal chief, Tuiuiacliemootoolt, then took a »|nanlity >>\' flour
of roots, and thickened the soup which his peopU; were »'ookini^, and
makin<j; known the determiiuition of the chiefs, invited all wlio atj;reed
to the jM'oceedin^fs of the council to come ami eat, while those wlio dis-
sented M'ould abstain from tlu; feast. Meanwhile the W()nieii, probably
uneasy at the prospect of this new connection with stranj^ers, tore their
liair and wrunj; their liands with the ^.neatest appearance of distress,
liut the concludinj^ appeal (»f the orator elfeclually slopped the mouth
of every malcontent , the proceedintjs uere ratified, and the nmsh d(s
voured with the most zt'alous unanimity. The chiefs and warriors tlien
came in a l)ody to Lewis and Clarke, and at their instance two y«)un^
nu'i» iiresented each of them Avith a fine liorse. The latter then ^avo
tlajis and presents to the «'hiefsand the two ynuiij^ n)en, atler which the
chiefs invited them to their tent to receive their aiiswer, but slated iilso
that many of tlu'ir people were thi'ii waitini? in ureat pain for medical
assistance, Captain Clarke, who was the favorite pliysician, therefore
went to visit the sick, while Captain Lewis attended the council.

The meetini^ was opened by an aj^ed chief, who delivered a lonj^
speecli in aitprobation of the ailvice they had received, expressinjf their
desire to be at jteace with all their neighbors. They liad fou<;ht with the
Shoshonees, becaus(( the latter had slain lliiir messint^ers of peace; but
now, hav"'<<^ aven<jfed the insult, they would receive tliem as friends.
They would send some of their younjjj men with the exj^editioji if they
would efb'cta peace with the Indians f)n the iMissouri, and then the whole
nation would go over next summer. They had not yi't decith'd to send
a chief with the white men to their country, but woidd let them know
helbre they left. The wliites might depend on their attachment and
their best services, tor though poor, their hearts were good. Captain
Lewis replied .at s(mu' length. They a[)peared highly gratified, and aflor
smoking the pipe, made him a i)resent of another fat horse for food. lie
in turn gave Brokenarm a phial of eye-water for all who would apply to
him, and j)romised to fill it again ; .it whicih liberality the chief was
much pleased. To Twisted Hair, who had collected six more horses, ho
gave a gun, a hundred balls, and two potuids of powder, ]>romising the
' same (juantity when they received the ri'mainder of their horses. In
the course of the day three more were brought in, and a fresh exchange
of small jn-esents put the Indian < in excellent humor. Having settled all
their afVairs, the Indians se^'uiat en into two parties, and began to play the
game of hiding a bone for ^taket of beads and other ornaments.

i-?^ ■.»> ;>

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

PhotDgraphic

Sciences

Corporation

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33 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.r. 14SS0

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184

TRAVELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

On the 14th, Lewis and Clarke transported all their baggage and
Bwam their horscH across the river, and formed their camp a short dis-
tance belovv, on a spot recommended by the Indians. As they were to
pass some time in this neighborhood, while waiting for the snow on the
mountains to melt, they sent out a number of hunters in diiferent direc-
tions ; the rest, who were well, were employed in completing the camp.
They secured the baggage with a shelter of grass, and made a kind of
tent of part of an old sail, while the men formed very comfortable huts
of willow-poles and grass. In a few days it rained, and the flimsy cover-
ing of Lewis and Clarke so leaked that they were in water most of the
time, and, what was more unlucky, their chronometer became wet and
rusted. The men built a canoe, for which the Indians promised a horse
when they should set out. The hunters brought nothing but a sandhill
crane, and, as they usually met with ill success, the last morsel of meat
was eaten. As there was now little hope of procuring a stock of dried
meat, they made a division of all the merchandise, so as to enable the
men to purchase a store of roots and bread for the mountains. On par-
celing out the stores, the stock of each man was found to consist of only
one awl, and one knitting-pin, half an ounce of vermilion, two needles,
a few skeins of thread, and about a yard of ribbon — but slender means
of bartering for a subsistence, but the men had been now so much accus-
tomed to privations, that neither the want of meat nor the scanty funds
of the pfi rty, excited the least anxiety among them.

" Besides administering medical relief to the Indians," says the nar-
rative, " we are obliged to devote much of our time to the care of our
own invalids. The child of Sacajawea is very unwell ; and with one of
the men we have ^'"ntured an experiment of a very robust nature. He
has been for some tune sick, but has now recovered his flesh, eats heart-
ily, and digests well, but has so great a weakness in the loins that he
can not walk, nor even sit upright without extreme pain. After we had
in vain exhausted the resources of our art, one of the hunters mentioned
that he had known persons in similar situations restored by violent
sweats, and at the request of the patient we permitted the remedy to be
applied. For this purpose a hole, about four feet deep and three in
fliameter, w^as dug in the earth, and heated well by a large fire in the
bottt)m of it. The fire was then taken out, and an arch formed over the
whole by means of willow-poles, and covered with several blankets, so
as to make a perfect awning. The patient, being stripped naked, was
seated under this on a bench, with a piece of board for his feet, and with
a jug of water we sprinkled the bottom and sides of the hole, so as to
keep up as hot a steam as he could bear. After remaining twenty min-
utes in this situation he was taken out, immediately plunged twice in '
cold water, and brought back to the hole, where he resumed the vapor
bath. During all this time he drank copiously of a strong infusion of
horse-muit, which was used as a substitute for the seneca-root, which our
uiformafit said he had seen employed on these occasions, but of which

THE VAPOR CURE,

185

there is none in tl *8 country. At the end of three quarters of an hour
he was again withdrawn from the hole, carefully wrapped, and suffered
to cool gradually. The next morning he walked about, and Avas nearly
free from pain.

" An Indian was brought in to-day who had lost the use of his limbs,
and for whose recovery the natives seemed '> ery anxious, as he is a chief
of considerable rank among them. His situation is beyond the reach of
our skill." On the 25th, they attempted to sweat him, but found ho was
too weak, and hud io desist. The Indians who accompanied him were
so anxious for his safety that they still remained, and on the 27th had
the operation of sweating again attempted. The hole was therefore
enlarged, and the father of the chief went in with him and held him in a
proper position. " We could not produce as complete a perspiration as
we desired, and after he was taken out he complained of suffering con-
siderable pain, which we relieved with a few drops of laudanum, and
then he rested well. Next morning he was able to use his arms, felt
better than he had for many months, and sat up during the greater part
of the day. * * * 29th. The Indian chief is still rapidly recovering,
and for the first time during the last twelve months, had strength enough
to wash his face. We had intended to repeat his sweating to-day, but
as the weather was cloudy, with occasional rain, we declined it. This
operation, though violent, seems highly efficacious; for our ovm man,
on whom the experiment was first made, is recovering his strength very
fast, and the restoration of the chief is wonderful." He continued to
improve, and on the following day, after a violent sweating, was able to
move one of his legs, and thighs, and some of his toes ; the fingers and
arms behig almost entirely restored to their former strength.

On the 1st of June their stock of merchandise was completely ex-
hausted, and as yet they had no adequate supplies for the mountains.
Being anxious to provide against the cold and hunger which they had
to encounter on the passage, they created a new fund by cutting off the
buttons from their clothes, preparing eye-water, and adding some small
articles that had been in use. With this cargo two men set out on the
2d to trade, and brought home three bushels of roots and some bread,
which, in their situation, was as important as the return of an East In-
dia ship. Another party returned from Lewis's River with roots and
salmon, but the distance was so great that most of the fish was nearly
spoiled. Tliey continued hunting in the neighborhood, and by their own
exertions and trading with the Indians., succeeded in procuring as much
bread and roots, besides other food, as would enable them to subsist dur-
ing the passage of the mountains.

On the 10th, they collected their horses and set out for the Quamash
Flats, where they intended to hunt for a few days before proceeding to
the mountains. In this they were not very successful ; therefore, on the
morning of the 13th, they collected their straggling horses and proceeded.
On the l^th they found themselves enveloped in snow, from twelve to

186

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

fifteen fi'ct deep, even on the south side of the mountain. Tlie air \va3
keen luid cold, no vestige of vegetation was to be seen, and their hands
and feet were bennnilted. The snow bore their horses, and rendered the
traveling llir easier than it was during tlieir outward journey. But it
would require five days to jjass over, tlie danger of missing tlie way was
great, and during this time there wouUl be no elianee of finding either
grass or un<lerwood for the lujrses. Tiiey tlierefbre decided to venture
no furtlier. The baggage and provisions, togetlier witli instrmnents
and papers, were deposited on seaftbMs and earefully eovered. They
then set out at one o'cloek, and retraeing their steps, eneaniped on Hun-
gry Creek, at a s])ot .vhere they found some scanty grass. In the hope
of procuring a guide they went back to tlie Flats on the iJlst, and in the
evening found themselves at their old encaniinucnt, where the hunters
had killed a deer for supper. Next day all the hmiters were out, and
brought in eight deer anil three bear.

Having obtained guides, they set out at an early hour on the 24th,
on a second attempt to cross the mountains. Pursuing their former
route, they arrived at Hungry Creek on the evening of the L'uth, and
next morning began once more to ascend the ridge of mountains. On
reaching the top, they found their deposit perfectly untouched. The
snow had melted nearly four feet since the seventeenth. They arranged
their baggage, took a hasty meal, and hastened on, as they hail a long
ride before reaching a spot where there was grass for the h(jrses. They
contiimed their route along the mountaiu-ridge, where sometimes they
were so completely inclosed by mountains that, although they had once
passed them, they would have despaired of findhig their way out through
tlie snow, but for the Indians. The marks on the trees, which had been
their chief di'pcndence, were fewer and more indistinct than they had
supposed; but their guides traversed this tiackless region with a kind of
histiiictive sagacity ; they never hesitated, were never embarrassed ; yet
so undeviating was their stej), that wherever the snow had disai)peared,
for even a few paces, they found the sunnner road. On the 'Jiith, the
ridge they had been fallowing lor several days terminated, and, leaving
the snows, they descended to the main branch of the Kooskooskee.

"«uly 1. — AVe had now made one hmulred and fifty-six miles from the
Quaina^h Flats to the mouth of Traveler's Ui-st Creek. This being the
l)oint where we proposed to separate, it was resolved to remain a day or
two in order to refresh oursels es and the horses. "We now formed the
following plan of operations : Cai)tain Lewis, with nine men, is to pursue
the mo ■*, direct route U) the falls of the ^Missouri, where three of his i)arty
are to prepare carriagc-s for transporting the baggag<^ and canoes across
the portage. With the remainhig six he will asccjul Maria's River to
explore tlie country, and ascertain whether any luaiich of it reaches as
far north as the latitude of fifty degrees, after which he will descend that
river to its mouth. The rest of the men will accompany Captaui Clarke
to the head of Jefferson River, which Sergeant Ordway and a party of

TUE PARTY SEPARATES.

187

or
;he
5ue

|\at

i-kc

nine men will dcscenil with <he canoes and other articles deposited there.
Captain Clarke's party, which will then be reduced to ten, will jjroceed
to the Yellowstone, at its nearest approacli to the three forks of the Mis-
souri. There he will build canoes, and go down that river with seven of
his party, and wait at its mouth till the rest of the party join him. Ser-
geant Pryor, with two others, Avill then take the horses by land to the
Mandans. From that nation he is to go to the British posts on the As-
sinlhoin, with a letter to Mr. Ileiny, to procure his endeavors to prevail
on some of the Sioux ch'efs to accompany him to the city of Washing-
ton."

" July .T. — All our preparations being completed, wo saddled our
horses, and the two parties who had been so long companions, now sepa-
rated, with an anxious hope of soon meeting, after each had accomplished
the j>urpose of its destination."

Captain Lewis proceeded down Clarke's River to the mouth of the
Cokalahishkit, or, " River of the Road to Butfaloes," by which they as-
cended to the dividing ridge, and reached the Missouri at Whitebear Is-
land, above the tails, on the 11th of July. They crossed over, and on
the 13th formed a camp at their old station, near the head of the White-
bear Island. On opening the deposit, tliey found the bearskins entirely
destroyed by the water which, during a flood, had ])enetrated to them.
All the specimens of plants wore lost ; the chart of the iMissouri, how-
ever, still remained unhurt, and several articles contained hi trunks and
boxes had suffered but little injury. They jjroceeded to make prepara-
tions lor transporting the ailit'les, and on tlie 15th sent M'Neal to exam-
ine the deposit at the lower end of the portage. lie returned at night,
however, Avithout having reached the place. Near Willow Run he ap-
proached a thicket in which was a white bear, which he did not discover
until he was within ten feet of him. Ilis horse started, and wheeling
suddenly around, throw him almost immediately under the bear, lie
started up instantly, and as the bear was rising up to attack him, struck
it on the head with the butt of his musket. The bloAV was so violent
that it broke the musket and knocked the bear to the ground, and before
he recovered, M'Neal sprang up u willow-tree, where he remained closui)'
guarci. d by the hvar until late in the afternoon. The beast then went
off, and M'Neal, being released, cnmo down, and having found his horso,
which had strayed two miles away, returned to camp.

Leavhig Sergeant Gass with two men and foui- hoi es to assist in car-
rying the effects over the portage. Captain Lewis, with Drewyer and tho
two Fields, jiroceeded, with six horses, toward the sources of Maria's
River,. After a week's travel they halted at a place ten miles from the
foot of the Rocky Mountains, whence they could trace the river to its
egress from the mountains, and as this was to the south of west, they
concluded they had reached its most northern point. They therefore
remained here to make observations. The weather was cloudy, and afler
waiting a few days in vum, they mounted their horses ou tho 26th, and

188

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

set out on their return. They had proceeded several miles, and Drew-
yer had gone forward on the other side of the river, when Captain Lewis,
who, with his party, had ascended the hills hy the river's side, saw, at
the distance of a mile, about thirty horses, half of whirh were saddled ;
on an eminence above them several Indians were looking down toward
the river, probably at Drewyer. He feared some evil design, but re-
solved to make the best of the situation, and advanced in a friendly
manner. Their attention was so engaged ujjon Drewyer that t.iey did
not at first see the approaching party ; when they did they were alarmed,
and ran about in confusion. Afterward they collected as if to await them.
An Indian mounted and rode at full speed toward them, but after halt-
ing for some time he hastened back to his companions. The whole party
then descended the hill and rode toward them. When tliey came near,
all the Indians but one stopped. Captain Lewis ordered the two men
to halt, while he advanced and shook hands with the Indian, and then
with his companions. They now all came up, and the Indians proposed
to smoke. Captain Lewis found, by signs, that they were Minnetarees
of the north, and that there were three chiefs in the party. Though he
did not believe them, yet he thought bc.^t to please them, and he gave
to one a flag, to another a medal, and to a third a handkerchief. Tliey
seemed well satisfied, and now recovered from their alarm, while Lewis's
party were equally satisfied that the Indians, only eight in number, were
joined by no more of their companions. Being joined by Drewyer,
they proceeded to the river, and all encamped together in an Indian
tent of buffalo skins, where,' by means of Drewyer, the evening was
spent in convei-sation with the Indians.

In the morning the Latter watched their opportunity and made off
with the rifles of the party. As soon as Fields, who was on guard, per-
ceived them, he called his brother, and pursued the one who had taken
both their rifles. In their scuflie he stabbed the Indian, and he fell.
Drew'yer, being awake, wrested his gun from the fellow who seized it,
and Captain Lewis, awakened by the noise, reached to seize his gun, but
finding it gone, drew a pistol and follow^ed the Indian who was running
off with it. He ordered him to lay it dowTi, which was done just as the
others wei'e about to shoot him. Captain Lewis forbid them, but find-
ing that the Indians were now driving off the horses, he sent three of
them in pursuit, with orders to fire on the thieves, while he pursued
the fellow who had stolen his gun, and another Indian, who were driving
away the horses on the other side. He pressed them so closely that they
left twelve of their own horses, but still made off with one of Lewis's.
As they entered a niche in the bluffs. Captain Lewis called out, as he
did several times before, that unless they gave up the horse he would
shoot them. As he raised his gun one jumped behind a rock, and Cap-
tain Lewis shot the other. He fell, but rising a little, fired, and then
crawled behind a rock. Lewis, who was bare-headed, felt the wind of
his ball ; not having his shot-pouch, he now thought it most prudent to

A RACK FOR LIFE.

189

retire. The other men puraixed the Indians until two of tliem swam the
river, and two climbed the hills, and then returned with four horses. In
the contest they lost one horse, but gained four of the Indians', besides
which they found in the camp four shields, two bows with quivers, and
one of their guns, which they took with them, as well as the flag they
had given to the Indians, but left the medal around the neck of the dead
man to inform the tribe who they were.

As there was no time to lose, they ascended the river-hill and set off
across the level plauis toward the south-east, over which they pushed
their horses with all possible speed. Fortunately the Indian horses were
good, and the road smooth, so that when they halted at three o'clock
they had made, by estimate, sixty-three miles. They rested an hour and
a halt^ and then rode seventeen miles further, when, as night came on,
they killed a buffalo, and again stopped for two hours. The moon gave
light enough to show the route, and they continued along through im-
mense herds of bufftilo for twenty miles, when, almost exhausted, they
halted at two in the morning. At day-light they awoke, sore and
scarcely able to stand, but as their own lives, as well as those of their
companions, depended on their passing forward, they moimted their
horses and set off". At the distance of twelve miles they came near the
Missouri, when they heard a noise like the report of a gun. They
quickened their pace for eight miles further, when they heard distinctly
the noise of several rifles from the river. They hurried to the bank and
saw with joy their friends coming down the stream. Turning loose their
horses, they embarked with their baggage, and all proceeded down to
the spot where they had deposited some goods. Most of the articles
were injured, but they took what was worth preserving, and immediately
proceeded to the Point, where the deposits Avere found in good order.
Here they were fortunately joined by Gass and Willard from the Falls,
and proceedmg dowii the river together, they encamped fifteen miles be-
low. Sergeant Ordway's party, which had left the mouth of Madison
River on the 13th, had descended in safety to the Whitebear Islands,
where they arrived on the 19th, and after collecting the baggage, left the
Falls on the 2Vth in a perioque and five canoes, while Sergeant Gass and
Willard set out at the same time by land with the horses, and thus for-
tunately the three parties met at the same time.

On the 29th the united party proceeded with the aid of a strong cur-
rent, and reached the mouth of the Yellowstone on the lih of August,
where they found a note from Captain Clarke, stating that he would
wait for them a few miles below. Not t>ieeting with him next day, they
landed, and began to calk and repair their canoes, and also to repair
some skins for clothing ; for since leaving the Rocky Mountains, they
had not had leisure to make clothes, and the greater part of the men
were almost naked. On the 11th they went forward rapidly, hoping to
reach the Burned Hills by noon, in order to ascertain the latittide, but ar-
riving too late, Captain Lewis went ■with Cruzatte in pursuit of a herd

190

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

of oik wliicli tlioy H.'iw. K;icli of them sliot an flk, then rclondiMl and
took (litU'iviit foiitt's iti |iiirsiiit of the jj;:iiii(', wlioii just as Capttii:! Lowis
was takiiii? aim at an elk, a ball struck liiiii, jiassliig lliroii<;li tlio lotl
tliigli aii<l ura/.iiij^ tlic rij^lit. r>uiiig drosscrl in brown leather, lie tliouglit
Crnzattc! liad shot Iiim in nilstako for an elk. I lo ealled several times,
but seeing nothing and receiving no answer, lie concluded the shot must
be from an Indian, and therefore math) toward the boat, calling out to
Cruziitto to retreat, as there wore Indiaris in llu^ Aviilows. lie then or-
dered the men to arms, spying that he was woiuided by the Indians, and
bach' them follow him to relieve Cru/.atte. They went forward tuitil his
wound became so painful that ho could go no further. lie then ordered
the men to proceed, and if ovt'rpowered by numbers, to retreat toward
tlie lioats, keeping u]> ti lire; then limping b.ack to the boat, he prepared
liimsi'lf whh his ritle, a pistol, and the air-gun, to sell his life dearly in
case the men should be overeoine. In this stat(> of anxiety he remained
about twenty minutes, when the party returned with Cruzatto, and re-
ported that no Indians were to be seen in the neighborhood. Cruzatto
was now much alarmed, and declared ho liad shot at an elk after Captain
Lewis had left him, but disclaimed every idea of having intentionally
wouiuled his oflicer. There was no doubt that he was the one Avho gave
the wound, but .'is it seemed wholly accidental, and he had always con-
ducted himself with propriety, no further notice was taken of it. The
wound was dressed, and thougli It bled profusely, yet as the ball had
touched neither bt)nc nor artery, they hoped it would not prove flital.
They then went on till evening, when, as Cajitain Lewis had a high
fever, and could not be removed without great difficulty, lie remained
on boai-d during th(> night. Next morning they proceeded with all pos-
sible expedition, and soon afterward called at a camp of two Illinois trad-
ers, wlio said they had seen Captain Clarke the day before. While
they halted, th<'y wore overtaken by two hunters who had been missing
since the fkl, and whoso absence excited much uneasiness. After mak-
ing some presents to the traders they Avent forward, .and at one o'clock
joined their friends and companions under Captain Clarke.

On taking leave of Captain Lewis and the Indians on tho 3d of July,
the other division, consisting of Captain Clarke, with fifteen men and
fifty horses, sot out in a southern direction through the valley of Clarke's
River. During the next day, they halted at an early hour to do honor
to the Ijirth-day of their country's independence. " The festival was not
very si»lendid, for it consisted of a mush made of roots and a saddle of
venison, nor had we any thing to tempt us to prolong it." On the 6th
they left the last year's tr.ail and crossed over tho dividing ridgo to the
waters of Wisdom River, and on tho 8th arrived at tho forks of the Jef-
ferson, where they had deposited their merchandise in August. " Most
of the men were in the habit of chewing tobacco, and such was their ea-
gerness to procure it, after so long a privation, that they scarcely took
the saddles from their horses before they ran to the cave, and were do-

DESCENT OF THE YELLOWSTONE.

191

id
or

liglitcil !it being ablo to vcsiuno tliw fhsciniiting iiuliilgonoc. Tliis was
one of the siverost privations we liavo cncouiitcrcil. Soiiio ot'tlio mon,
Avhoso tomahawks wore so constructLMl as to answer the piirjtosc of pipt'S,
broku the Iiainllcsof tlu'su iiistruincMits, and after cntting tlieiii into small
fragments, eliewed them ; tho wood having, by livtpient smoking, be-
come strongly imiirognatod with tlie taste of that plant.'' They found
every thing safe, thongh some of tho goods were a little damp.

The canoes were raised, and tlu; preparations for the journey all nuulo
by the 10th, when Captain Clarke divided his men into two bands, the
one to descend the river with the baggage, and the other to ))roceed
with him on horseback to the Yellowstone. After breakfast they set out,
and at tho distance of fifteen miles the two parties stopped to dine, when
Cai)tain Clarke, finding that the river became wider and deeper, and
that the cnioes could advance more rapidly than the horses, determined
to go himself by water, leaving Sergeant Pryor with six men to bring
on the horses. They reached the entrance of Madison IJiver at noon on
the inth, wh(!ro Sergeant Pryor had arrived with the horses an hour be-
fore. The horses were then driven across Madison and (Jallatin llivers,
and tho whole party lialted to dine and imload the canoes below the
mouth of the latter. Here the two parties separated ; Sergeant Ordway
with nine men set out in si.v canoes to descend the river, while Captain
Clarke with the remaining ten, and the wife and child of Chaboneau,
were to proceed by land with fifty horses to Yellowstone Itiver.

They set out at five in the aflernoon from the Forks of the Missouii,
in a direction nearly eastward. On the 15th, they pursued a buffalo
road over a low gap in the mountain, to the heads of the eastern fork
of Gallatin River, where they reached the dividing ridge of the waters
of the ^Missouri and the Yellowstone ; and on descending the ridge,
they struck one of the streams of the latter liver. Nine miles from the
top of the riilge they reached the Yellowstone itself, about a mile and
a half from where it issues from the Rocky INIountains. They pursued
their journey down the banks of the river until the 20th, whev Captain
Clarke determined to make two canoes, w'hich, being lashed together,
might convey the party (hjwn the river, while a few men should lead
the liorses to the 3Iandan nation. The horses were turned out to rest
for a few days, l)ut in the morning twenty-four of them were missing,
and although the search for them was ccmtinued for several days, they
were not seen afterward. One day a piece of robe and a moccasin wei-e
found not fiir from the camp, and it became evident that tho Indians had
stolen tho liorses.

At length the canoes were finished and lashed together, and every
thing being prepared, the parties set out on the 24th. Sergeant Pryor
was directed, with Shannon and Windsor, to take the horses to the
Mandans, and if Mr. Henry Avas on the Assiniboin River, to go thither
and deliver liim a letter, the object of which was to prevail on the most
distinguished chiefs of the Sioux to accompany him to Washington.

192

TltAYELS OF LEWIS AND CLARKE.

Caj)tain Clarke embarked on the little flotilla, ami proceeiled very
steadily down the river.

At 2 o'clock on the 3d of August, they reached the junction of the
Yellowstone with the Missotiri, and formed a camp on the point M'here
they hail encamped on the 26th of April, 1805. The canoes were
noAv unloaded, and the baggage exposed to dry, as many of the articles
were w et, and some of them spoiled. Next day they found their camp
absolutely uninhabitable in consequence of the multitude of mos(piitoes;
the meti could not work in preparing skins for clothing, nor hunt in the
timbered low grounds ; in short, there was no mode of escape except
by going on the sandbars in the river, where, if the wind blew, the
insects did not venture ; but when there was no wind, and particularly
at night, they could hardly be endured. Captain Clarke therefore
determined to seek better quarters, and leaving a note on a pole at
the confluence of the two rivers, proceeded down the Missouri.

On the 8th, they were joined by Sergeant Pryor, with Shannon,
Hall, and "NVilscm, but without the horses. These had been stolen from
them by the Indians on the second night after they had left Captain
Clarke. In the morning they had pursued the tracks five miles, when
they divided into two parties. They followed the larger party five miles
further, till they lost all hope of overtaking the Indians, and returned
to camp; and packing the baggage on their backs pursued a north-
east course toward the Yellowstone. Having reached the river, they
descended it in two skin canoes, which they made for the occasion.

In i)roceeding further down the river, Captain Clarke had stopped
with Dickson and Hancock, two Illinois traders, on the 11th. The party
continued slowly to descend, when, on the 12th, one of the skin canoes
was by accident pierced with a small hole, and while they stopped to
mend it, they were overjoyed at seeing Captain Lewis's boats heave in
sight about noon. But they wore alarmed on seeing the boats reach
the shore without Captain Lewis, who, they learned, had been wounded
the day before, and was then lying in the perioque. AlYcr attending
to his wound they remained here a while, and were overtaken by their
two men, accompanied by Dickson and Hancock, who wished to go
with tiiem as far as the Mandans. The whole party being now happily
re-iinited, they all embarked together.

On the 14th, they approached the grand village of the Minnetarees,
vchere the natives collected to view them as they i>assed. They fired a
blunderbuss several times by way of salute, and soon afterward landed
near the village of the Mahahas, or Shoe Indians, and were received
by a crowd of people who came to welcome their return.

" In the evening we were applied to by one of our men, Colter, who
was desirous of joining the two trappers who had accompanied us, and
who now proposed an expedition up the river, in which they were to
find traps, and give him a share of the profits. The oflTer was a very
advantageous one, and as he had always performed his duty, and his

JacJ

oft)

had [

islar

tain I

cainjj

Stat(

from I

I provi
abunJ

I soreni
posec

RETURN TO CIVILIZATION.

198

services might bo (lispenaoil with, wo agret'tl thiit lie might go, proviUeJ
none of the rest would usk, or expeet ii similar inclulgenee. To this they
cheerfully answered that they wialied Colter every auccess, and would
not apply for Uberty to separate before we reached St. Louis. Wc
therefore suj)plied him, as did his comrades also, with powder and lead,
and a variety of articles which might be useful to him, and ho letl us
the next day. The example of this man shows how easily men may bo
weaned from the habits of a civilized life to the ruder but scarcely
less fascinating maaners of the woods."

On the IGth the principal chiefs of the Minetarecs came down to bid
them farewell, as none of them could be prevailed on to go with tho
party. This induced Chaboneau, the interpreter, with his wife and
child, to leave, as he could be no longer useful, and having no acquaint-
ance in the United States nor means of making a livelihood thei'e, ho
preferred remaining among the Indians. This man had been very serv-
iceable to the expedition, and his wife particularly useful among the
Shoshonees. She had borne with admirable patience the liitiguo of the
long journey, encumbered with an infant who was yet only nineteen
months old. They therefore paid him his wages and dropped down to
the village of the chief Jiigwhite, who was to accompany them with his
wife and son. All the chiefs accompanied them on shore, to take leave
of him. They found him surrounded by his friends, who sat in a circle
smoking, while the women were crying. lie innnediately sent his wife
and son, with their baggage, on board, then, after distributing among
his friends some powder and ))all, and smoking with tlie white men,
went with them to the river side. The Avhole village crowded about
tlicm, and many of the people wept aloud at the departure of their
chief.

On the 3d of September they were delighted by hearing the first
news from their country, from a trader who had lately passed through
St. Louis, and with whom they encamped for the night. Near tho Little
Sioux lliver, on the 0th, they met a tradhig boat of St. Louis, with
several men on their way to trade with the Ytuiktons at the river
Jacques. They obtained of them a gallon of whiskey, and gave each
of the party a dram, which was the first spirituous liquor any of them
had tasted since the 4th of July, 1805. On the IVth they passed the
island of the Little Osage village. Thii'ty miles below they met a Cap-
tain M'Clellan, lately of the Unitcu States Army, with whom they en-
camped, lie informed them that the general opinion in the United
States was that they were lost ; tho last accounts which had been heard
from them being from the Mandan villages.

At length, as the hunters were not very successful, their stock of
provisions became very low, though it was partially supplied by an
abundance of papaws ; several of the party were also attacked with a
soreness of the eyes, whicli was extremely painful, particularly when ex-
posed to the light. Three of the men were so much affected by it j*j *'

194

TRAVELS OP LEWIS AND CLARKE.

bo unable to row ; they tliercforo turned two of tho boats adrift on tho
loth, and dintributed the men among the other canoes.

" iSaturdui/, September 20th. Near the moiith of tho (lasconado,
where wo arrived at noon, we met five Frenchmen on their way to tho
Great Osage village. As we moved along rapidly, we Haw on the l)anks
some cows feeding, and tho whole party almost involuntarily raised a
shout of joy at seeing this image of civiHzation and domestic life. Soon
after we reached tho littlo French village of La Charette, which wo
saluted with a discharge of four guns and three liearty cheers. They
were all cfjually surprised and pleased at our arrival, for they had long
since abandoned all hope of over seehig us return. Next morning wo
proceeded, and as several settlements had been made during our ab-
sence, we were refreshed with tlic sight of men and cattle along the
banks. At length, after coming forty-eight miles, we saluted, with heart-
felt satisfaction, tho village of St. Charles, and on landing were treated
with tho greatest hospitality and kuidness by all tho inhabitants of tho
place.

'■'■Tuesday^ 23d. Descended to tho Mississippi, and round to St.
Louis, where wo arrived at twelve o'clock, and having fired a s... cc,
went on shore and received tho heartiest and moat hospitable welcome
from the whole village."

^ykrdii^

(jC^O N a_f P 'i * fO.ACkCGBA^MY- NtW-VQUH. |

BURCKHARDT'S TRAVELS

IN SYRIA, AFRICA, AND ARABIA

TRAVELS IN SYRIA.

John Lewis Burckhardt, the most prominent among onental
travelers, the discoverer of the city of Petra, and the first Christian trav-
eler who visited Mecca and Medina, was a Swiss, descended from an
eminent family of Basle. He was bom at Lausanne, on the Lake of
Geneva, in the year 11^ \ He was the eighth child of John Rodolph
Burckhardt, a gentleman of wealth and intelligence, whose prospects in
life were early blighted by his adherence to the Austrian faction, during
the troubles in Switzerland, consequent upon the French Revolution.
He was at one time tried for his life, and was obliged to fly from Basle
in order to save his family from total ruin. The future traveler natu-
rally grew up with a detestation of the French rule, and it was his boy-
ish desire to serve in the armies of some nation at war with France. It
was his fortune, however, to be destined for a far more useful and heroic
career.

Burckhardt's studies were, from various causes, conducted in the
manner best calculated to create and nourish restless and adventurous
habits. Having received the first rudiments of his education in his
father's house, he was removed to a school at Neufchatel, '-'' 3re he re-
mained two years. At the age of sixteen he was entered as a student
at the university of Leipzig ; from whence, after four years' residence,
he proceeded to Gottingen, where he continued another year. He then
returned to his parents. The natural firmness and consistency of his
character, of which his countenance was strikingly expressive, still taught
him to keep alive his hatred to the French ; but no continental nation
had preserved itself wholly free from the influence of this people ; and
therefore, rejecting an ofler which was made him by one of the petty
courts of Germany, desirous of numbering him among its diplomatic
body, he turned his thoughts toward England, his fiither having formerly
served in a Swiss corps, in English pay. Accordingly, having provided

198

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF BUROKHARDT.

himself with letters of introduction to several persons of distinction,
among which was one from Professor Blnmcnbach to Sir Joseph Banks,
he set out for London, where ho arrived in tlie month of July, 1806.

This step was the \nvot upon which tlio whole circle of his short life
was destined to turn. His introduction to Sir Joseph Banks, who had
long been an active member of the African Association, almost necessarily
brought him into contact witli several other individuals connected with
that celebrated society ; and conversations Avith these persons, whoso
enthusiasm was xmbounded, naturally begot in Burckhardt a correspond-
ing warmth, and transformed him, from a Quixotic crusader against the
French, into an ardent, ambitious traveler.

Upon Burckhardt's desire to travel for the African Association being
communicated to Sir Joseph Banks and Dr. Hamilton, then acting sec-
retary to that body, strong representations of the dangers to be en-
countered in the execution of the plan were made to the youthful aspi-
rant ; " but," says one of his biographers, " such representations, which
are a delusive kind of peace-offering placed for form's sake on the altar
of conscience, are seldom sincerely designed to effect their apparent pur-
pose ; and the actors in the farce, for the most part, experience extreme
chagrin should they find their eloquence prove successful."

His offer, Avhich was laid before the association at the general meet-
ing of May, 1808, was willingly accepted ; and he immediately com-
menced all those preparations which Avere necessary to the proper
accomplishment of his undertaking. He employed himself diligently in
the study of the Arabic language both in London and Cambridge, as
well as in acquiring a knowledge of several branches of science, such as
chemistry, astronomy, mineralogy, medicine, and surgery : he likewise
allowed his beard to grow, assumed the oriental dress, " and in the in-
tervals of his studies exercised himself by long journeys on foot, bare-
headed, in the heat of the sun, sleeping upon the ground, and living upon
vegetables and water."

On the 25th of January, 1809, he received his instructions, by which
he was directed to proceed in the first instance to Syria, where, it was
supposed, lie might complete his knowledge of the Arabic, and acquire
oriental habits and manners at a distance from the scene of his researches,
and where he was not Ukely to meet with any individuals who might
afterward recognize him at an inconvenient moment. After spending
two years in Syria, he was instructed to proceed to Cairo, to accompany
the Arab caravan to Mourzuk, in Fezzan, by the same route traversed
by the unfortunate Hornemann, and to make that place the point of his
departure for the interior of Africa.

Burckhardt sailed from Cowes on the 2d of March, 1 809, in a merchant-
ship, proceeded to the Mediterranean, and arrived at Malta in the middle
of April. During his stay at this place he completed his equipment in
the oriental manner and assumed the character of an Indian Moham-
medan merchant, bearing dispatches from the East India Company to

VOYAGE TO SYRIA.

199

le
In

Mr. Barker, British consul, and the Company's agent at Aleppo. Mean-
while ho carefully avoided all intercourse with such persons from Bar-
bary as happened to be in the island ; and when he met parties of them
in the street, as he often did, the salaam aleikoom (peace be with you !)
given and returned, was all that passed between them. There was at
this time a Swiss regiment in the English service at Malta, to many of
the officers of Avhich Burckhardt was personally known. To be recog-
nized by these gentlemen would at once have proved fatal to his assumed
character ; he therefore ai)peared in public cautiously, and but seldom ;
but had at length the satisfaction of finding that his disguise was so com-
plete as to enable him to pass unknown and unnoticed.

He entered into arrangements with a Greek respecting his passage
from Malta to Cyprus; but on the very morning of his expected depart-
ure he received information that the owner of the ship had directed the
captahi to proceed to Tripoli. His baggago was in consequence trans-
ferred to another ship, said to be bound to the same island ; " but the
very moment I was embarking," says Burckhardt, " the new captain told
me that he was not quite sure whether he should touch at Cyprus, his
ship being properly bound for Acre. I had now the option to wait at
Malta, ])erhaps another month or two, for an opportunity for Cyprus or
the coast of Syria, or to run the chance of disembarking at a place where
there was no person whatever to whom I could apply for advice or pro-
tection. Luckily an Arab of Acre, then at Malta, happened to be known
to Mr. Barker, jr. ; in half an hour's time a letter from a merchant at
Acre, with another in case of need for the pasha, were procured, .ind I
embarked and sailed the same morning in the hope of finding, when ar-
rived at Acre, a passage for Trijjoli (Syria), or for Latakia. However,
we were no sooner out of sight of the island than it was made known to
me that the real destination of the ship was the coast of Caramania, that
the captain had orders to touch first at the port of Satalia, then at that
of Tarsus ; and that if grain could not be purchased at an advantageous
price at either of these places, in that case on'y he was to proceed to
Acre. My remonstrances with the captain would have been vain ; noth-
ing was left to mo but to cultivate his good graces and those of my
fellow-travelers, as the progress of my journey must depend greatly
upon their good offices. The passengers consisted, to my astonishment,
of a rich Tripoline merchant, who owned part of the ship, two other
Tripolines, and two negro slaves. I introduced myself among them as
an Indian Mohammed.an merchant, who had been from early years in
England, .and was noAv on his way home ; and I had the good fortune to
make my story credible enough to the j)assengers, as well as to the ship's
company. During the course of our voyage niimerous questions were
put to mo relative to India, its inhabitants .and its language, which I
answore<l as well as I could. Wliencver I was .asked for a specimen of
the Hindoo language, I answered in the worst dialect of the Swiss Ger-
man, almost unintelligible even to a German, and which, in its guttural

200

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF BURCKHARDT.

sounds, may fairly rival the harshest utterance of Arabic. Every even-
ing we assembled upon deck to enjoy the coolin.c; sea-breeze and to smoke
our pij)es. While one of the sailors was amusing his companions with
Btory-telling, I was called upon to relate to ray companions the wonders
of the furthest east — of the Great Mogul and the riches of his court —
of the widows in Hindostan burning themselves — of the Chinese, their
wall, and great porcelain tower," etc.

They sailed along the southern coast of Candia, saw Rhodes at a great
distance, and arrived in a few days at Satalia, in Caramania. Here the
plague, it was found, was raging in the town ; but this circumstance did
not prevent the Tripoline merchant from landing and disposing of his
merchandise, nor the captain from receiving him again on board. When
their business with this town was completed, they again set sail, and af-
ter coasting for three days along the shore of Caramania, arrived in the
roads of Mersin, from whence Burckhardt and several of his companions
proceeded by land on an excursion to Tarsus. Finding here a ship bound
for the coast of Syria, the traveler left the Maltese vessel in order to pro-
ceed by this new conveyance : " In taking leave of the Tripoline," says
he, " I took off my sash, a sort of red cambric shawl, of Glasgow manu-
facture, which he had always much admired, thinking it to be Indian
stuff, and presented it to him as a keepsake or reward for his good serv-
ices. He immediately unloosened his turban, and twisted the shawl in
its stead around his head : making me many professions of friendship,
and assurinrj me of his hospitality, if ever the chance of mercantile pur-
suits shor.id again engage me to visit the Mediterranean, and perhaps
Tripoli, in Barbary."

Burckhardt reached the coast of Syria at that point where the Aasi,
the ancient Orontes, falls into the sea ; and immediately prepared to de-
part for Aleppo M-ith a caravan. Having been intrusted with several
chests for the British consul at Aleppo, his baggage appeared considera-
ble, and he was consequently sent for by the aga, who expected a hand-
some present for permitting it to pass. When questioned by this officer
respecting the contents of the chests, he replied that he was entirely ig-
norant of the matter, but suspectc^ that among other things there was a
sort of Frank drink, called beer, with various kinds of eatables. The aga
now sent an officer to examine them. A bottle of beer having been bro-
ken in loading, " the man tasted it by putting his finger into the liquor,
and found it abominably bitter ; such was his report to the aga. As a
sample of the ertables, he produced a pot ito which he had takim out of
one of the barrels, and that noble root etcitcd general lautrlitor in the
room. 'It is well worth while,' they said, 'to send such stuff to such a
distance.' The aga tasted of the raw potato, and spitting it out again,
swore at the Frank's stomach which could bear such food." The mean
opinion to which these specimens gave rise, inclined the aga to be con-
tent with the trifling sum of ten piasters, which he probably thought
more than the value of a whole ship's cargo of potatoes and beer.

RESIDENCE AT ALEPPO.

201

Upon the arrival of tb.. caravan at Antioch, Burckhardt, desirous of
studying the manners of all ranks of men, took up his quarters in the khan
of the muleteers, where, from a suspicion that he was a Frank in dis-
guise, he was subjected to numerous indignities. The aga'.' dragoman,
some wretched Frenchman, or Piedmontese, being sent by his master to
discover the truth, and failing to effect his purpose by any other means,
determined, as a last resource, on pulling him by the beard, and at the
same time asked him familiarly why he had suffered such a thing to grow ?
To this Burckhardt replied by striking him on the face, which turned
the laugh against the poor dragoman, and was an argument so peculiarly
Moharamedam, that it seems to have convinced the bystanders of the
truth of his assertions.

After a delay of four days he continued his journey with the cara-
van, witlj the motley members of which he was compelled to maintain
ail unceasing struggle in defense of his assumed character ; a circum-
stance which proves one of two things, either that the Sonnees of the
west have by intercourse with Europeans been rendered more acute
in discovering impostors, than the Sheeahs of Afghanistan and northern
Persia, or that Burckhai'dt was hitherto somewhat unskillful in his move,
ments. On his arrival at Aleppo, he determined, in pursuance of th.«
advice of Mr. Barker, to put off his Mohammedan disguise, though he
still retained the Turkish dress ; and with the aid of an able master,
recommenced the study of the Arabic, both literal and vulgar. He
was attacked, however, shortly after his arrival, by a strong inflam-
matory fever, which lasted a fortnight ; it was occasioned, as he con-
jectured, by the want of sleep, of which blessing he had been deprived
by the prodigious colonies of fleas which had established themselves in
his garments during his stay at the khan of Antioch. When this sea-
soning was over, his health appeared to be improved, and he found the
climate finer, and more salubrious than he had expected.

During his stay in this city, which was a very protracted one, Burck-
hardt labored assiduously in fitting himself for the honorable perform-
ance of the task he had undertaken. His Arabic studies were uninter-
rupted. Besides seizing eagerly on every opportunity of improving
himself by conversation with the natives, he labored at an attempt to
transform " Robinson Crusoe" into an Arabian tale. He moreover suc-
ceeded in m ' '^g the acquaintance of several shekhs, and other literary
men, who honored him occasionally with a visit ; a favor, he says, which
he owed principally to Mr. Wilkins's " Arabic and Persian Dictionary."
The ordinary lexicons of the country being very defective, the learned
Turks were often obliged to have recourse to Wilkins, whose learning
and exactness sometimes compelled them to exclaim, " How wonder-
ful that a Frank should know more of our language than our first
ulemas !"

In the month of July, 1810, Burckhardt departed from Aleppo under
the protection of an Arab shekh, of the Aneyzeh tribe, who undertook

202

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF BURCKHAltDT.

to escort him to Palmyra, and tlionco through tlio Ilauran to Damascus,
On the way they were attacked, while the shckh was absent at a wator-
ing-placc, by hostile Arabs, by whom our traveler was robbed of his
watch and compass ; after which he pushed on into the desert to rejoin
the chief. Contrary to the well-known faith of tho Arabs, this man
transferred to another the protection of his guest, thereby exposing him
to be robbed a second time, at Palmyra, where the bandit in authority,
finding that he had no money, contented himself with seizing upon his
saddle. Returning from these ruins, he found at Yebrud a letter from
the shekh, forbidding him to proceed toward the Ilauran, because, as
tho writer asserted, the invasion of the Wahabees had rendered that
portion of the country unsafe, even to himself and his Arabs. In con-
sequence of this fraudulent conduct of the shekh, for the excuse was a
fiction, he found himself necessitated to take the road to Damascus ;
disappointed in part, but upon the whole well satisfied with having be-
held those magniiicent ruins in the desert Avhich have charmed so many
strangers, and with having at the same time enjoyed so many occasions
of observing the Bedouins under their own tents, where ho was every-
where received with hosjatality and kindness.

After proceeding southward to the territory of the Druses, and
Mount Ilermon, he returned to Damascus ; whence, afler a short stay,
he made an excursion into the Ilauran, the patrimony of Abraham,
which four years before had been in jjart visited by Dr. Seetzen, pre-
vious to his tour round the Dead Sea. " During a fatiguing journey
of twenty-six days," says Burckhardt, " I explored this country as far
as five days' journey to the south and south-east of Damascus ; I went
over the whole of the Jebel Ilauran, or mountain of the Druses, who
have in these parts a settlement of about twenty villages ; I passed
Bozra, a place mentioned in the books of Moses, and not to be con-
founded with Boostra ; I then entered the desert to the south-east of it,
and returned afterward to Damascus through the rocky district on the
foot of the Jebel Ilauran, called El Leja. At every step I found ves-
tiges of ancient cities; saw the remains of many tem{)les, public edifices,
and Greek churches ; met at Shohbe Avith a well-preserved amphi-
theatre, at other places with numbers of still standing columns, and
had opportunities of cop}ing many Greek inscriptions, which may servo
to throw some light upon the history of this almost forgotten corner.
The inscriptions are, for the greater part, of the lower empire, but some
of the most elegant ruins have their inscriptions dated from the reigns
of Trajan, and M. Am-elius. The Ilauran, Avith its adjacent districts, is
the spring and summer rendezvous of most of the Arab tribes, who in-
habit in Avinter-time the great Syrian desert, called by them El Ha .-
mad. They approach the cultivated lands in search of grass, water,
and corn, of which last they buy up in the Ilauran their yearly pro-
vision."

Having to a certain extent satisfied his '^uriosity respecting this ob-

EXCURSION INTO THE SYRIAN DESERT.

203

Bcure region, he returned by way of llonis and Ilamah toward Aleppo,
where lie arrived on the New-year'n day of 1811. lie now meditated
an excursion into the desert towmd the Euphrates, but was for some
time prevented from putting his design in execution by the troubled
state of the country, two powerful Arab tribes, the one inimical, the
other friendly to the Aleppines, having been for many months at war
with each other. Burckhardt at length succeeded, however, in placing
himself under the protection of the Shekh of Sukhne, and set out to-
ward the desert ; but his own account of this journey "'as lost, and all
that can now be known of it is to bo gathered from a letter from Mr.
Barker, the former celebrated British consul at Aleppo. " One lumdred
and twenty, or one hundred and fifty miles below the ruins of Membi-
geh, in the Zor," says this gentleman, "there is a tract on the banks of
the Eui)hrates possessed by a tribe of very savage Arabs. Not far from
them is the village of Sukhne, at the distance of five days from Aleppo,
and of twelve hours from Palmyra, in the road which Zenobia in her
fiiglit took to gam the Euphrates. The people of Sukhne are sedentary
Arabs, of a breed half F'ellah and half Bedouin. They bring to Aleppo
alkali and ostrich feathers. It was upon one of these visits of the Shekh
of Sukhne to Aleppo, that Burckhardt, after some negotiation, resolved
to accept the protection of the shekh, who undertook, upon their arrival
at his village, to place him under the protection of a Bedouin of sufli-
cient influence to procure him a safe passage through the tribes of the
country which he wished to explore. Burckhardt had reason to be
satisfied both with the Shekh of Sukhne, and with the Arab whom he
procured as an escort, except that, in the end, the protection of the lat-
ler proved insufticient. The consequence was that poor Burckhardt was
stripped to the skin, and he returned to Sukhne, his body blistered with
the rays of the sun, and without having accomplished any of the objects
of his journey. It was in this excursion to the desert that Burck-
hardt had so hard a struggle with an Arab lady, who took a fancy to
the only garment which the delicacy or compassion of the men had
left him,"

After his return from this imfortunate jo imey, Burckhardt was de-
layed for a considerable time at Aleppo by incessant rains ; but at length,
on the 14th of February, he bade this city a final adieu, and hastened
once more to Damascus. He was desirous, before quitting Syria, of
performing another journey in the Hauran. This he completed, and
having transmitted to England an account of his discoveries in this ex-
traordinary region, he departed on the 18th of June for the Dead Sea.
Having reached Nazareth, " I met here," says he, " a couple of pettj
mei'chants from Szalt, a castle in the mountains of Balka, which I had
not been able to see during my late tour, and which lies on the road I
had pointed out to myself for passing into the Egyptian deserts. I
joined their caravan ; after eight hours' march, we descended into the
valley of the Jordan, called El Ghor, near Bysan ; crossed the river, and

204

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF BDRO^HARDT.

continued along its verdant banks for about ton hours, until wo reached
the river Zerka, near the place where it empties itself into the Jordan.
Turning then to our left, wo ascended the eastern chain, formerly part of
the district of Balka, and arrived at Szalt, two long days' journey from
Nazareth. The inhabitants of Szalt are entirely independent of the
Turkish government ; they cultivate the ground for a considerable dis-
tance round their habitations, and part of them live the whole year in
tents, to watch their harvests and to pasture their cattle. Many ruined
places and mountains in the district of Balka preserve the names of the
Old Testament, and elucidate the topography of the province that fell
to the share of the tribes of Gad and lieuben. Szalt is at present the
only inhabited place in the Balka, but numerous Arab tribes pasture
there their camels and sheep. I visited from thence the ruins of Am&n,
or Philadelphia, five hours and a half distant from Szalt. They are sit-
uated in a valley on both sides of a rivulet, which empties itself into
the Zerka. A large amphitheater is the most remarkable of these ruins,
which are much decayed, and in every respect inferior to those of Jerash.
At four or five hours south-east of Aman are the ruins of Om Erresas
and El Kotif, which I could not see, but which, according to report, are
more considerable than those of Philadelphia. The want of communi-
cation between Szalt and the southern countries delayed my departure
for upward of a week. I found at last a guide, and we reached Kerek
in two days and a half, after having passed the deep beds of the torrents
El Wale and El Mojeb, Avhich I suppose to be the Nahaliel and Arnon.
The Mojeb divides the district of Balka from that of Kerek, as it for-
merly divided the Moabites from the Amorites. To the south of the
wild torrent Mojeb I found the considerable ruins of Rabbah Moab ;
and, three hours' distance from them, the town of Kerek, situated at
about twelve hours' distance to the east of the southern extremity of
the Dead Sea. * * *

" The treachery of the Shekh of Kerek, to whom I had been par-
ticularly recommended by a grandee of Damascus, obliged me to stay
at Kerek above twenty days. After having annoyed me in different
ways, he permitted me to accompany him southward, as he had himself
business in the mountains of Djebal, a district which is divided from that
of Kerek by the deep bed of the torrent El Ahhsa, or El Kahary, eight
hours' distance from Kerek. We remained for ten days in the villages
to the north and south of El Ansa, which are inhabited by Arabs, who
have become cultivators, and who sell the produce of their fields to the
Bedouins. The shekh, having finished his business, left me at Beszeyra,
a village about sixteen hours' south of Kerek, to shift for myself, after
having maliciously recommended me to the care of a Bedouin, with
whose character he must have been acquainted, and who nearly stripped
me of the remainder of my money. I encountered here many difficul-
ties, was obliged to walk from one encampment to another, until I found
at last a Bedouin who engaged to carry me co Egypt. In his company

APPROACH TO PETRA.

205

I continued southward, in the mountains of Shera, which are divided
to the north from Djebal by the broad valley called Ghoseyr, at about
five hours' distance from Beszeyra. The chief place in Djebal is Tafyle,
and in Shera the castlo of iShobak."

DISCOVERY OF PETRA.

" The valley of Ghor is continued to the south of the Dead Sea ; at
about sixteen hours' distance from tho extremity of the Dead Sea its
name is changed into that of Araba, and it runs in almost a straight line,
declining somewhat to the west, as far as Akaba, at the extremity of the
eastern branch of the Red Sea. The existence of this valley appears to
have been unknown to ancient as well as modern geographers, although
it is a very remarkable feature in the geography of Syria and Arabia
Petroea, and is still more interestinfc for its productions. In this valley
the manna is still found ; it drops from the sprigs of several trees, but
principally from the Gharrab. It is collected by the Arabs, who make
cakes of it, and who eat it with butter ; they call it Assal Beyrook, or
the honey of Beyrook. Indigo, gum-arabic, and the silk-tree, called
Asheyr, whose fruit incloses a white silky substance, of which the Arabs
twist their matches, grow in this valley."

In this valley, about two long days' journey north-east of Akaba, is
a small rivulet, near the banks of which Burckhardt discovered the ruins
of a city, which he rightly conjectured to be those of Petra, the capital
of Arabia Petra;a. No other European traveler had ever visited the
spot, though few places in Western Asia are more curious or deserving
of examination. The difficulties and dangers of reaching Pctra, a city
which had been lost to the world for fifteen hundred years, are thus
described by the traveler : " I was particularly desirous of visiting Wady
Moussa, of the antiquities of which I had heard the country people
speak in terms of great admiration, and from thence I had hoped to
cross the desert in a straight line to Cairo ; but my guide was afraid of
the hazards of a journey through the desert, and insisted upon ray tak-
ing the road to Akaba, the ancient Ezion-geber, at the extremity of the
eastern branch of the Red Sea, where, he said, we might join some
caravans, and continue our route toward Egypt. I wished, on the con-
trary, to avoid Akaba, as I knew that the Pasha of Egypt kept there
a numerous garrison to watch the movements of the Wahabees and of
his rival the Pasha of Damascus. A person, therefore, like myself, com-
mg from the latter place, without any papers to show who I was, or why
I had ttvken that circuitous route, would certainly have roused the sus-
picions of the officer commanding at Akaba, and the consequences might
have been dangerous to me among the savage soldiery of that garrison.
The road from Shobak to Akaba lies to the east of Wady Moussa, and
to have quitted it out of mere curiosity to see the Wady would have

206

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BURCKIIARDT.

looked Rtispicious in the eyes of the Arabs : T therefore ])reteml(ul to have
made a vow to slaughter a goat in honor of Ilaroun (Aaron), whose tomb
I knew was fiitiiated at the extremity of the valley, and by this Htrata-
gem I thought that I should have the means of seeing the valley on my
way to the tomb. To this my guide had nothing to oppose ; the dread
of drawing down upon himseltj by resistance, the wrath of Ilaroun,
completely silenced him.

" I hired a guide at Eldjy, to conduct mo to Ilaroun's tomb, and paid
liim with a pair of old horse-shoes. He carried the goat, and gave me
a skin of water to carry, as ho knew there was no water in the wady
below. In following the rivulet of Eldjy westward, the valley soon nar-
rows again, and it is here that the antiquities of Wady Moussa (Petra)
begin. Of these I regret that I am not able to give a very complete
account ; but I knew well the character of the people aroimd me. I
was without protection in the midst of a desert, where no traveler had
ever before been seen, and a close examination of these works of the
infidels, as they are called, would have excited suspicions that I was a
magician in search of treasures. I should at least have been detained
and prevented from prosecuting my journey to Egypt, and in all proba-
bility should have been stripped of the little money which I possessed,
and, what was infinitely more valuable to me, of my journal. Future
travelers may visit the spot under the protection of an armed force ; the
inhabitants will become more accustomed to the researches of strangers,
and the antiquities of Wady Moussa will then be found to rank among
the most curious remains of ancient art."

Burckhardt gives as careful a description as his memory afforded
of the -wonders of the valley — the hundreds of sepulchral chambers,
adorned with Grecian sculpture, excavated in the red sand-stone rocks
flanking the valley — of the mausolea, some in the Egyptian style,
with obelisks, some in the chaste architecture of the Greeks — and
especially of the Khasneh, or "Treasury of Pharaoh," an excavated
edifice of wonderful beauty ; but his account has been superseded by
the more complete and elaborate descriptions of Laborde and other late
travelers, and need not be quoted entire. " Near the west end of Wady
Moussa," he continues, " are the remains of a stately edifice, of which
])art of the wall is still standing; the inhabitants call it Kasr Bint
Faraoun^ or the palace of Pharaoh's daughter. In my way I had en-
tered several sepulchres, to the surprise of my guide, but when he saw
me turn out of the foot-path toward the Kasr, he exclaimed : ' I see now
clearly that you are an infidel, who have some particular business among
the ruins of the city of your forefathers ; but depend upon it that we
shall not suffer you to take out a single para of all the treasures hidden
therein, for they are in our territory, and belong to us.' I replied that
it was mere curiosity which prompted me to look at the ancient works,
and that I had no other view in coming there than to sacrifice to
Haroun ; but he was not easily persuaded, and I did not think it prudent

TUB SAORIPICK TO AATON.

207

to irritate him by too close an inspcetion of the palace, as it might havo
led him to declare, on our return, hin belief that I had found treasures,
which might have led to a search of my person, and to the detection of
my journal, which would most certainly havo been taken from me, as a
book of magic. It was of no avail to tell them to follow me, and seo
whether I searched for money. Their reply was, ' Of course you will not
dare to take it out before us, but we know that if yo\i are a skillful magi-
cian you will order it to follow you through the air to whatever i)laco
you please.'

" The sun had already set when wo arrived on the plain. It was too
late to reach the tomb, and I was excessively fatigued ; I therefore hast-
ened to kill the goat in sigiit of the tomb, at a spot where I found a
number of heaps of stones, jjlaccd there in token of as many sacrilices in
honor of that saint. While I was in the act of slaying the animal, my
guide exclaimed aloud: ' O Ilaroun, look upon us ! it is for you we slaugh-
ter this victim. O Ilarotm, bo content with our good intentions, for it
is but a lean goat. O Ilaroun, smooth our paths ; and praise be to the
Lord of all creatures !' This ho repeated several times, atler which ho
covered the blood that had fallen to the ground with a heap of stones ;
we then dressed the best part of the flesh ibr our supper, as expeditiously
as possible, for the guide was afr.aid of the fire being seen, and of its
attracting tliither some robbers."

In proceeding further toward Akaba, Burckhardt encountered a small
party of Arabs who were conductitig a few camels for sale to Cairo, and
uniting himself to this little caravan, performed the remainder of tho
journey ui their company. "We crossed the valley of Araba," says he,
" ascended on tho other side of it the barren mountains of Beyane, and
entered tho desert called El Tib, which ia the most barren and horrid
tract of country I have ever seen ; black flints cover the chalky or sandy
ground, which ia most places is without any vegetation. The treo
which produces the gum-arabic grows in some spots ; and the tamarisk
is met with hero and there ; but the scarcity of water forbids much
extent of vegetation, and the hungry camels are obliged to go in tho
evening for whoU; hours out of the road in order to find some withered
shrubs ujjon which to feed. During ten days' forced marches wo
passed only four sjjrings or wells, of which one only, at about eight hours
east of Suez, was of sweet water. The others were brackish and sul-
phureous. We passed at a short distance to the north of Suez, and
arrived at Cairo by the pilgrim road."

TRAVELS IN NUBIA AND ETHIOPIA.

On his arrival at Cairo, Burckhardt's first employment was to draw
up a detailed account of his journey through Arabia Petrsea : he then
turned his attention to the means pf fulfilling the great design uf his mis-

203

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BUROKHARDT.

Hion; but no opportunity of penetrating into the interior of Africa occur-
ring, he inidertook, in order to fill up the uiterval thuH ercuted, ajourney
into Nubia. During liis residence at Cairo, and on his journey up the
Nile to Assouan, lie beheld the principal ruins of Egypt. His i)repara-
tions for tho Nubian excursion were soon made. He purchased two
dromedaries, one for himself and tho other for his guide, for about twen-
ty-two pounds; provided himself with letters of recommendation, and a
firman from tho pasha ; and leaving hia servant and baggage at Assouan,
set out witli his guide on tho 14th of February, 181M, carrying along
with him nothing but his gun, a saber, a pistol, a provision-bag, and a
woolen -mantle, which served by day for a carpet, and for a covering
during the night.

Their road lay along the eastern bank of tho Nile; they passed
I'hiloD, and then pushed on with rapidity toward Derr, the capital of
Lower Nubia. Tho Mameluke chiefs, Avith their desperate followers,
were at this period roaming about Nubia, indulging their imaginations
in vain projects for tho recovery of Egypt. Every person coming from
tho north Avas of course an object of curiosity, if not of suspicion, to
these baflled soldiers, as it was possible ho might be the bearer of tidings
of events upon the results of which their fite depended. Such was tho
state of thhigs when Burckhardt entered Nubia.

Burckhardt arrived at Derr on the 1st of March, and, to his surprise,
found two Mameluko beys at the palace of the governor. IIo had reck-
oned upon their utter disappearance, and had intended, imder these cir-
cumstances, to represent himself as the secret agent of the Pasha of
Egypt ; but learning, upon inquiry, that the pasha and his enemies were
regarded with nearly equal dread by the Nubian pruices, he changed hia
resolution, and professed to be guided in his notions by no other motive
than pleasure. Ignorant persons find it hard to conceive that men
can expose themselves to difiiculties and dangers from an enthusiasm
for knowledge, or can find pleasure in encountering hardships and fa-
tigue; however, a concurrence of fortunate circumstances extorted from
the governor a permission to proceed, and accordingly, having provided
himself with provisions for the road, Burckhardt departed ibr Sukkot.

His guide on the present occasion was an old Arab of the Ababdeh
tribe. The branch of the Ababdeh to which this man, whose name was
JMohamuKHl, belonged, feed their flocks on the uninhabited eastern banks
of the river, and on its numerous islands, as far soiith as Dongola.
Though poor, they refuse to bestow their daughters, who are famed for
their beauty, m marriage on the rich Nubians, and have thus preserved
the purity of their race. They are, moreover, an honest and hospitable
race, and during his journeys in Nubia, Burckhardt was constantly re-
ceived and treated with kindness by these simple people.*

In pursuing his course up the Nile, he passed a d».-' at Ibreem, a town

* During my travels in Africa I had coniuderable intercourse with the Ababdebs, and
flill/ eoncur in fiurckbardt's opinion of their honesty and kindness. — B. T.

UAKINO GRAVES.

209

inliiibltcfl by Turks, wl>cro, though quarrols ami bloodshed woro (ro(iuont,
property w;w more Hccure tliaii in any other town he had visited in the
eastern world ; the corn was left all night in the Held, and the eattle on
the brinks of tl^e river, lui watched, and even the greater part of the
household furniture remained nil night under thepaltn-trees aroinid their
dwellmgs. Indeed, thell hero was quite unknown. Proceeding a shoit dis-
tance to the south of this town, he dismounted from his dromedary, and
directing his giiido to continue his route to the next village, struck oflf
into a narrow Ibotpath along the lofty, precipitous shores of the river.
Pursuing this mountaiti-track, he arrived at an ancient temple hewn aut
of the rock, in as perfect a state of preservation as when first finished.
Sepulchral chambers and mystic sculptures, the usual accomj)animent8
of Egyptian temples, were found here.

The reception which the traveler and his guide met with at the
Nubian villages was ;,'enerally hospitable ; as soon as they alighted, a
mat WHS spread for them upon the ground, just before the door of the
house, which none but intimate friends are permitted to enter ; dhourra
bread, milk, and sometimes dates were placed before the strangers, and
their host, if earnestly pressed, sat down with them. Straw, when [tlen-
tiful, was Mkewise given to their camels ; and when the host di'sired to
be [larticularly hospitable, a breakfast of hot milk and bread was served
up before their departure in the morning.

At length, on the Cth of March, they arrived on a sandy plain,
sprinkled with rocky points, which thrust up their heads through the
sand that concealed their bases. Here they encamped in the evening
near one of the islands which are formed by the river. The noise of the
cataract was heard in the night, at about half an liour's distance. The
place is very romantic : when the inundation subsides, many small lakes
are left among the rocks ; and the banks of these, overgrown with large
tamarisks, have a picturesque appearance amid the black and green
rocks ; tlie lakes and pools thus formed cover a space of upward of two
miles ui breadth.

The Arabs who servo as guides through those wild districts, "liave
devised," says Burckhardt, **a singular mode of extorting small presents
from the traveler : they alight at certain spots, and beg a present ; If it
Is refused, they collect a heap of sand, and mould it into the form of
a diminutive tomb, and then placing a stone at each of its extremities,
they apprize the traveler that his tomb Is made ; meaning that hencefor-
ward there will be no security for him in this rocky wilderness. Most
persons pay a trlHlng contribution rather than have their graves made
before their eyes ; there were, however, several tombs of this description
dispersed over the plaui. Being satisfied with my guide, I gave him one
plaster, with which he was content." At the next rocky pass, however,
the guide repeated the process, whereupon Burckhardt dismounted, and
making another tomb, told him it was intended for his own sepulchre ;
for that, as they were brethren. It was but just they should be burled to-

IL;f|

210

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BURCKHARDT.

gether. At this, tho guide began to laugh ; they then mutually de-
Btroyed each other's labors, and in riding along, the latter exclaimed, from
the Koran, " No mortal knows the spot upon earth where his grave shall
be digged."

On his arrival in the territory of Sukkot, he presented to the gover-
nor tho letter of which he was the bearer ; and received from tliis old
savage a scrap of paper, containing an introduction to his eon, who was
the chief of the southern part of the district. Here the guide, who had
been granted him at Derr, reached the extremity of his commission, and
announced his mtention of returning from thence ; four piasters, how-
ever, overcame his determination, and he agreed to proceed to Mahass :
" If Hassan Kashif," said he, " upbraids me, I shall tell him that you rode
on, notwithstanding my exhortations, and that I did not think it honora-
ble fo leave you alone." An admirable custom prevails in this and every
other part of Nubia : water-jars are placed under a low roof at short dis-
tances by the roadside, where the traveler may always quench his thirst ;
and every village pays a small monthly sum to some person to fill those
jars morning and evening. The same thing is practiced upon a much
larger scale in Upper Egypt and in Asia Minor.

Upon Burckhardt's reaching the Mahass territory, he suddenly found
himself in the midst of the worst description of savages. The governor,
a ferocious black, received him in a hut, furiously intoxicated, and sur-
rounded by numerous followers in the same condition. In the midst of
their drunken mirth they called for their muskets, anu amused them-
selves with firing in the hut. Burckhardt every moment expected that
a random ball would put an end to his travels ; but the palm wine at
length extended the whole of this atrocious rabble upon the ground,
and next morning, when sleep had somewhat restored the tone of the
governor's senses, he found time to question the traveler respecting the
motives of his visit. The story which he related to them was not be-
lieved. " You are an agent of Mohammed," said they ; " but at Mahass
we spit at Mohammed All's beard, and cut off the heads of those who
are enemies to the Mamelukes."* These suspicions, although they pro-
duced no immediate injury to his personal safety, entirely put a stop to
his progress further south ; for he was now within two days and a half
of the limits of Dongola, where the Mamelukes were lords paramount,
and to enter their territories with the character of an agent of Moham-
med Ali, would be to court certain death. He therefore turned his face
toward the north, and traveled with all possible celerity along the east-
em bank of the Nile, until he arrived at Kolbe, where he swam across the

* Thirty-nine yeara later, in the springf of 1852, T passed alone through the countries
of Dongola, Mahass and Sukkot, with tho most perfect security. The King of Mahasa
even embraced mo affectionately at parting. This contrast shows how readily the suspi-
cion Bf d mistrust which the first travelers generally have to encounter, on entering a new
country, gives place to confidence and kindness. — B. T.

■f*rt

EETURN TO BGTPT.

211

aally de-
led, from
rave shall

,he gover-
t this old
, who was
, who had
ission, and
sters, how-
;o Mahass :
,t you rode
: it honora-
s and every
it short dis- |
I his thirst ; 1
to fill those I
pon a much i

Idcnly found
ic governor, j
ed, and sur- l
the midst of I
nused them- i
spected that [
palm wine at !
the ground, ,
! tone of the !
ispecting the ;
I was not be- i
lilt at Mahass |
of those who j
gh they pro- j
put a stop to I
ys and a half
3 paramount,
it of Mohara-
irned his face
long the east-
am across the

gh the countries

King of Maliaaa

•eadily the auspi-

^n entering a new

river, holding by his camel's tail vnth one hand, and urging on the beast
with the jther.

Burckhardt now descended the Nile to Abou-Simbel, the vast rocky
temple of which he supposed to be of extremely ancient date. Ha here
found four colossal statues of enormous magnitude, which had been
hewn out of the rock, on the face of an elevated cliff, with their backs
adhering to the precipice. The fine sand of the desert had been blown
up into mounds against the rock, and covered two of these statues al-
most entirely ; the rest ro«e somewhat above the surface. The faces of
these colossal statues are turned toward the north, " The head, which
is above the surface," says he, " has a most expressive youthful counte-
nance, approaching nearer to the Grecian model of beauty than that of
any ancient Egyptian figure I have seen ; indeed, were it not for a thin,
oblong beard, it might well pass for a head of Pallas."

From Abou-Simbel he continued his journey to Derr, where he parted
with his guide, who, on taking his leave, begged as a present the
mellaye, or cloak, which the traveler usually wore. To this request
Burckhardt replied, " May God smooth your path !" — a phrase usually
addressed to beggars Avhen they are civilly told to be gone. "No,"
said ti.e Arab, who had often employed this phrase when he desired to
elude the ijuestions of the traveler, " for once I will beg you to smooth
it." " So," says Burckhardt, " I gave him the mellaye, and a small pres-
ent in money ; and am confident that Abou Saad will never forget me."

On his return to Assouan, Burckhardt's first care was to repair, by re-
pose, the inroads which fatigue had made upon his constitution. He
then repaired to Esne, where he established his head-quarters. It being
his policy to excite but little attention, he very seldom went into com-
pany, dressed meanly, and reduced his expenditure to the lowest possible
sum. The cheapness of provisions was incredible. His whole expendi-
ture for himself, his f-ervant, his dromedary, and his ass, not exceeding
thirty-five cents per day, while his horse cost him no more than thirty
cents per month.

Here he remained until the 9,(1 of March, 1814, when he joined him-
self, as a petty trader, to another caravan, which was proceeding fi-om
Deraou to Berber. The caravan, consisting of about fifty merchants,
with their slaves and beasts, moved under the protection of about thirty
Ababdeh Arabs, who, though no heroes or philosophers, were not re-
markably deficient either in courage or humanity. Burckhardt, on this
occasion, possessed no command over his own movements. Ho traveled,
halted, ate, slept, in obedience to the fantasy of the caravan-leaders, who
were ignorant, however, that the humble trader, whom they regarded
at most Avith compassion, was at that moment forming reflections and
bringing observations to maturity, which were destined to aflfbct the
opinion entertained by the civilized world of their character and pursuits.
Meanwhile the mercliants, who were chiefly engaged in the debasing
traffic of slaves, and, as may be supposed, cherished no respect for any

212

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BURCKIIARDT.

thing but riches, and the power which richea commands, looked upon
their hu'.ublu companion with unditsguiscd contempt. They constantly
treated him with contumely, though he proiessed a belief in the same
law and the same prophets ; plundered his water-skins, or obstructed his
filling them at l' '3 wells, thus exposing him to the danger of perishing
of thirst ; circulated in the towns where they stopped the report that he
was a spj ; and, in short, put in practice every art which their malice
could conceive iu order to disgust him with the trade, and thus free
themselves from a new competitor.

At the end of a week's journey the caravan arrived at the celebrated
wells of El Ilaimar, in the vicinity of which they found the tomb of a
Mameluke chief, who died on this spot. "His companions, having
inclosed the naked corpse within low walls of loose stones, had covered
it over with a large block. The dryness of the air had preserved the
corpse in the most perfect state. Looking at it through the interstices
of the stones which cnveioped it, it appeared to me a more perfect
munmiy than any I had seen in Egypt. The mouth was wide open, and
our guide related that the man had died for want of watei, although so
near the wells." Next day they jinssed Wady OUaky, a fine valley ex-
tending east and west from the Nile to the Red Sea. Here were numer-
ous trees and excellent pasture, advantages which caused it to be re-
garded with peculiar veneration by the Bedouins ; and every man, as he
traversed it on his ass or camel, took a handful of dhourra and threw it
on the ground as a kind of pious offering to the good genius of the
Wady. On the following day, in crossuig Wady El Towashy, or the
Valley of the Eunuch, Burckhardt saw the tomb of that Mahomet Tow-
ash who.ie body was found on the sands by Bruce three days at^ "ir he
had been murdered by his guides.

Burckhardt gives the following account of the impositions and hard-
ships which he was obliged to endure in the course of this journey : " I
was often driven from the coolest and most comfortable berth into the
burning sun, and generally passed the midday hours in great distress ;
for beside the exposure to heat, I had to cook my dinner, a service which
I could never prevail upon any of my companions, even the poorest serv-
ants, to perform for me, though I offered to let them share my homely
Ihrc. In the evening the same labor occurred again, when fatigued by
the day's journey, during which I always walked for four or five hours,
in order to spare my ass, and when I was in the utmost need of repose.
Hunger, however, always prevailed over fatigue, and I was obliged to
tetch and cut wood, to ligiit a fire, to cook, to feed the ass, and finally
to make coffee, a cup of which, presented to my Daraou companions,
who were extremely eager to obtain it, was the only means I possessed
of keeping them in tolerable good-humor, A good night's rest, however,
always repaired my strength, and I was never in better health and
spirits than during this journey, although its fatigues were certamly very
great, and much beyond my expectation. The common dish of all t)<o

day,

calltH

clear

reflect

a shee

howev

water

to the

SCARCITY OP WATER.

213

travelers at noon was fctyro, which is flour mixed np with water into a
liquid paste, and tlun baked upon the sadj, or iron plate ; butter is then
poured over it, or honey, or sometimes a sauce is maile of butter and
dried barayo. In the evening some lentils are boiled, or some broad is
baked with salt, cither upon the sadj or in ashes, and a sauce of bamye,
or onion, poured over lentils, or upon the bread, after it has been crum-
bled into small pieces. Early in the morning evciy one eats a piece of
dry biscuit, with ^ome raw onions or dates."

On the 14th of March, on arriving at the Wady el Nabeh, they found
the celebrated wells of that valley insuflicient to supply the caravan until
they should reach the i ocks of Shigre, and as no water was anywhere
to be found in the interveniafr space, they were I'cduce.l to the greatest
perplexity. " Upon such occasions as these," says BurckLardt, " every
man gives his opinion : and mine wu?, that we should kill our thirty-five
asses, which required a daily supply of at least fifteen Avater-skins, that
we should load the camels to the utmost of their strength Avith Avater,
and strike out a straight way through the desert toward Berber, Avith-
out touching at Shigre ; in this m;:nnerwe might perform the journey in
five forced marches." This plan the Arabs refused to follow. They
repaired their water-skins and their sandals, refreshed ti;emselves Avith
bathing in the cool wells, and then set out. But " it was rot Avithout
great apprehension," says our traA'cler, " that I departed from tl.'js place.
Our camels and asses carried water for three or four days only, and I
saw no possibility of cscaj)ing from the dreadful eflTects of a want of
Avator. In order to keep my ass m good spirits, I took off" the two small
water-skins Avith Avhich I had hitherto lo.aded him, and paid one of the
Ababdehs four dollars to carry four small water-skins as far as Berber ;
for I thought that if the ass could carry me, I might bear thirst for two
days at least, but that if he should break doAVH, I should certainly not
he able to walk one whole day Avithout water in this hot season of the
year."

Notwithstanding all these difficulties and sufferings, Bui'ckhardt con-
Bidei'cd the Nubian desert, at least as far south as Shigre, far less ter-
rible than that of Syria or Tyh. Trees and water are much more fre-
quent, and though it is intersected in various directions by mountains
of naked rock, the more desolate and awful appearance which it acquires
from this circumstance is, in a great measure, compensated for by its
consequent grandeur and variety. " Here," says he, " during the Avhole
day's march, Ave were surrounded on all sides by lakes of the mirage,
called by the Arabs Serab. Its color was of the purest azure, and so
clear that the shadows of the mountains that bordered the horizon were
reflected on it with the greatest precision, and the delusion of its being
a sheet of Avator was thus rendered still more perfect." This appearance,
however, only served to heighten the terrors which the scarcity of real
water excited. Every man now began to attach the greatest importance
to the small stock he possessed. Burckhardt, who possessed but two

214

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BURCKHARDT.

draughts, drank the half of it at once, reserving the remainder for the
next day ; but, observing the general scarcity, shared the dejection of
his companions. At length, their condition having become nearly des-
perate, they adopted the course recommended by the Ababdeh uhie^
and dis[)atched ten or twelve of their companions, mounted on as many
camels, to the nearest part of the Nile, which was not more than five or
six hours distant ; but as its banks were inhabited by fierce tribes, noth-
ing but the fear of instant death could have forced them to this step.
They timed their march in such a manner, that they would reach the
banks of the ri\ er by night ; when they were directed to select some
uninhabited spot, and having there loaded their camels, to return with
all speed. " We passed the evening,'' says Burckhai it, " in the greatest
anxiety, for if the camels should not return, we had livtle hopes of escape
either from thirst or from the sword of our enemies, \"'ho, if they had
once got sight of our camels, would have followed vheir footsteps
through the desert, and would certainly have discovered us." Many
of my companions came in the course of the evening to bt'g some water
of me, but I had well hidden my treasure, and answered them by show-
ing my empty skins. We remained the greater part of the night in
silent and sullen expectation of the result of our desperate mission. At
length, about three o'clock in the morning, we heard the distant halloo-
ings of our companions ; and soon after refreshed ourselves with copious
draughts of the delicious water of the Nile."

This was the last of their sufferings on this route ; on the J3d of
March, they entered on a plain with a slight slope toward the river,
which was felt at more than two hours' distance by the greater moisture
of the air. The Arabs exclaimed, " God be praised, we again smell the
Nile !" and about ten o'clock at night, the caravan entered the town of
Ankheyreh, or El Mekheyref, the capital of the country of Berber.
Burckhardt's residence at this place was nothing but one continued
series of annoyances. The principal delight of the whole population,
among whom drunkenness and debauchery were scarcely accounted
vices, seemed to consist in deluding and plundering travelers, who on
all the envenomed soil of Africa could scarcely be exposed to more irri-
tating insults or extortion than on this spot.

The caravan, now reduced to about two thirds of its original number,
several of the merchants having returned to Egypt, while others re-
mained at Berber to dispose of their goods, again put itself in motion on
the Tth of April. Burckhardt, who had hitherto attached himself to the
merchant portion of the party, several of whoin, previous to their leaving
Egypt, had received benefits at his hands, was here driven by abuse and
contumely to take refuge among the Ababdehs, who not only willingly
received him as their companion, but exercised their influence, on more
than one occasion, to protect him from violence. Pursuing a southerly
direction for three days, they arrived at the town of Damer, which,
under the government of a number of religious men, had attained a very

ADVENTURE AT DAMER.

215

high pitch of prosperity. Their sanctity, indeed, was considerably aided
by their skill in magic, which, as Burckhardt was credibly informed,
was so great that, on one occasion, the Faky el Kebir, or Great Fakeer,
caused a lamb to bleat m the stomach of the thief who had stolen, and
afterward eaten it. As Burckhardt needed a few measures of dhourra
for his ass, and found it impracticable to purchase less than a dollar's
worth, which would have been more than he could carry, ho was un-
der the necessity of imitating his companions, and went from house to
house with some "tringa of beads in his hands, offering them for sale
at about four handfuls of dhourra for each bead. " I gained at this
rate," says he, "about sixty per cent, above the prime cost, and had at
the same time an opportunity of entering many private houses. I re-
peated these walks every day during our stay. One afternoon, while
crying my beads for sale, I was accosted by a faky, who asked mo if I
could read. On my answering in the affirmative, he desired me to fol-
low him to a place where, he said, I might expect to got a good dinner.
He then led me to a house where I found a great number of people,
collected to celebrate the memory of some relative lately deceased.
Several fakies were reading the Koran in a low tone of voice, A great
faky afterward came in, whose arrival was the signal for reciting the
Koran in loud songs, in the manner customary in the East, in which I
joined them. This was continued for about half an hour, until dinner
was brought in, which was very plentiful, as a cow had been killed upon
the occasion. After a hearty meal, we recommenced our reading. One
of the shekhs produced a basketful of white pebbles, over which several
prayers were read. These pebbles were destined to be strewed over
the tomb of the deceased in the manner which I had often observed
upon tombs freshly made. Upon my inquiries respecting this custom,
which I confessed to have never before seen practiced in any Moham-
medan country, the faky answered that it was a mere meritorious action:
that there was no absolute necessity for it : but that it was thought that
the soul of the deceased, when hereafter visiting the tomb, might be
glad to find these pebbles, in order to use them as beads in addressing
Its prayers to the Creator. When the reading was over, the women be-
gan to sing and howl. I then left the room, and on taking my depart-
ure my kind host put some bones '^f roasted meat in my hand to servo
for my supper."

In proceeding from this place to Shendy the caravan was accom-
panied by several fakies, whose presence was found to be a sufficient
protection against the Nubian Bedouins. They reached Shendy on the
17th of April, and this being, next to Sennaar and Kobbe, the largest
town in eastern Soudan, they remained here a whole month, during
which time Burckhardt enjoyed an ample opportunity of collecting mate-
rials for an account of this and the neighboring countries. Crocodiles are
numerous in this part of the Nile. They are much dreaded by the in-
habitants, who, when rapturing to its banks for water or to wash their

216

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BURCKHARDT.

linen, are in constant fear of these creatures. Burckhardt ate of the
crocodile's flesh, which he found of a dirty white color, not unlike young
veal, Avith a slight fishy smell.

At Shendy Burckhardt abandoned all idea of proceeding further
south ; and, in order to procure himself some little civility from his former
companions, circulated the report that he intended to return directly to
Egypt, where, by describing to the pasha their conduct toward him
during the journey, he might do them considerable injury. This strata-
gem succeeded. Tlieir civility and affected friendship now surpassed
their former insolence. In the meanwhile, understanding that a caravan
was about to sot out for Souakin on the Red Sea, our traveler prevailed
on the Ababdeh chief to hitroduce and recommend him as his own friend
to its leader. Hero he disposed of his merchandise, and purchased a
slave-boy to attend upon him on the road ; and having laid in the neces-
sary quantity of provisions, joined the Souakin caravan, and departed
from ShcTidy on the 1 7th of May. " Afl-er all my accounts were settled,"
says he, " I had four dollars left ; but the smallness of the sum occasioned
mo no uneasiness, for I calculated on selling my camel on the coast for
as much as would defray the expenses of my voyage to Jidda, and I had
a letter of credit on that place for a considerable sum, which I had pro-
cured at Caii'o."

The road now traversed by the caravan crossed the Atbara, the As-
taboras of the ancients, on the banks of which they found numerous
groves of trees and the most luxuriant vegetation. At the sight of
this the imagination even of the slave-dealers was touched with enthu-
siasm ; and in alluding to the dreary track over which they had traveled,
one of them exclaimed, " After death comes i)aradiso !" " There was s^
greater v; lety of natural vegetation hero than I had seen anywhere on
the banks of the Nile, in Egypt. I observed different species of the
mimosa, doom-trees of the largest size, Avhose luxuriant clusters of fruit
excited the wishes of the slaves, the nebek-tree, with its fruit ripe ; the
allobe, of the size of the nebek, besides a great number of others un-
known to me ; to these may be added an abundance of wild herbage,
growing on a rich, fat soil similar to that of Egyjit, The trees were in-
habited by great numbers of the feathered tribe, whose song- travelers
in Egypt very rarely hear. I saw no birds with rich plumage, but ob-
served small ones of several different kinds. Some sweet notes struck
my ears, which I had never before heard, and the amorous cooings of
the turtle-dove were unceasing. Wo hastened to the river and eagerly
descended its low banks to allay our thirst. Several camels, at the sight
of the water, broke the halters by which they were led, and in rushing
or stumbling down the banks threw off their loads, and occasioned great
clamor and disorder."

In the vicinity of Goz Rajeb, on the Atbara, Burckhardt saw on the
summit of a hill the ruins of a huge fabric of ancient times, but was de-
terred from visiting it by the assertion of hia companions that it was the

JOURNEY TUROUOn TAKKA.

217

haunt of banditti. On the 5th of June, while the caravan halted at an
encampment of the Hadendoa Bedouins, Burckhardt beheld the eftccts
of a desert storm : *' Toward evening we were visited by another hur-
ricane, the most tremendous I ever remember to have Avitnesscd. A
dark blue cloud first appeared, extending to about 25° above the hori-
zon ; as it ai)proached nearer and increased in height, it assumed an
ash-gray color, with a tinge of yellow, striking every person in the cara-
van who had not been accustomed to such phenomena with amazement
at its magnificent and terrific appearance ; as the cloud approached still
nearer the yellow tinge became more general, Avhile the horizon presented
the brightest azure. At last it burst upon us in its rapid course, and in-
volved us in darkness and confusion ; nothing could be distinguished at
the distance of fi\ c or six feet ; our eyes were filled with dust ; our tem-
porary sheds were blown down at the first gust, and many of the more
firmly fixed tents of the Hadendoa followed ; the largest withstood for
a time the eflects of the blast, but were at last obliged to yield, and the
whole camp was leveled with the ground. In the mean time the terri-
fied camels arose, broke the cords by which they were fastened, and en-
deavored to escape from the destruction which appeared to threaten
them ; thus adding not a little to our embarrassment. After blowing
about half an hour with incessant violence, the wind suddenly abated,
and Avhen the atmosphere became clear, the tremendous cloud was seen
continuing its havoc to the north-west."

Next day they reached Takka, a district famous for its fertility, where
hares, gazelles, wolves, giraffes, and lions, as large, it was said, as cows,
were found in the woods. Hence, after a stay of several days, they de-
parted lor Souakin, and after a not unpleasant journey through a wild,
picturesque country, approached the termination of their toils. On the
morning of the last day they started before sunrise. "The eastern
hills," says Burckhardt, " terminate in this latitude ; and the sun was
just rising beyond them when we descried its reflection at an immense
distance in the sea, affording a pleasing sight to every individual in the
caravan, but most of all to me." The whole of the route, from Shendy
to Souakin, had never before been traversed by a European. At length,
on the 26th of June, they reached Souakin, and pitched their little sheds
at about twenty minutes' walk from the town. Next day they were
visited by the emir, who, understanding that our traveler's camel was
an excellent animal, determined on taking it as a part of the caravan
dues; upon which Burckhardt insisted upon referring their difference
to the Turkish custom-house officer. His wishes were quickly complied
with, but the aga, instead of interfering to protect the stranger, imme-
diately conceived the idea of uniting with the emir in seizing upon the
whole of his property; and, therefore, pretending to regard him as a
Mameluke spy, began at once to overwhelm him with abuse. To all
this Burckhardt returned no reply, but requested the aga to inform him
whether the emir was entitled to his camel. " Not only thy camel," re-

218

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BURCKHARDT.

plied the Turk, " but thy whole baggage must be taken and 8carched.
We shall render a good account of them to the ])a8ha, depend upon it.
You shall not impose upon us, you rascal ; and you may be thankful if
we do not cut off your head !" The traveler protested that he was noth-
ing but an unfortunate merchant, and endeavored, by a submissive de-
portment, to pacify his anger ; but " he began cursing and swearing in
Turkish," says Burckhardt, " and then calling an old cripple, to whom he
had given the title of waly, or police officer, ho ordered him to tie my
hands, to put me in prison, and to bring my slave and baggage into his
presence. I now thought it high time to produce my firmans, which I
drew from a secret pocket in my thaboot ; one of them was written in
Turkish, upon a piece of paper two feet and a half in length, and one
foot in breadth, and was sealed with the great seal of Mohammed Ali ;
the other, a smaller one, was written in Arabic, and bore the seal of
Ibrahim Pasha, his son, in which Ibrahim termed me ' Our man, Ibrahim,
the Syrian.' When Yemak saw the firmans unfolded, he became com-
pletely stupefied, and the persons present looked at me with amazement.
The aga could read the Arabic only, but he kissed them both, put them
to his forehead, and then protested to me, in the most submissive terms,
that it was the good of the public service alone that had led him to treat
mo as he had done, and for which ho begged me a thousand pardons.
Nothing more was said about the emir's right to my camel, and he de-
clared that I should pay no duty for my slave, though he was entitled
to it."

Burckhardt now disposed of his camel, and took his passage to Jidda
in one of the country vessels. After tossing about the Red Sea for
nearly a fortnight, visiting Mekouar, and several points of the African
coast, he arrived at Jidda on the 18th of July, 1814. His first care now
was to present his letter of credit, which, being of an old date, he was
refused payment, though the merchant oflFered him a lodging at his
house. This he accepted, but removed two days afterward to a public
khan, where he was attacked by a fever, in which he lay delirious for
several days. His recovery from this violent disorder, which he attributed
to his indulging in the fine fruits of the Jidda market, seems to have
been chiefly owing to the kindness of a Greek captain, who, having been
his fellow-passenger from Souakin, attended him during one of his lucid
intei-vals, and, at his own request, procured a barber, who bled him
copiously.

JOURNEY TO MECCA AND MEDINA.

At Jidda Burckhardt was reduced to the hard necessity of parting
with his slave, for whom he obtained forty-eight dollars, of which thirty-
two were profit. With this money he dressed himself in the guise of a
reduced Egyptian gentleman, and determined to remain in the Hedjaz
until the time of the pilgrimage in the following November. However,

VISIT TO MOHAMMED ALL

219

as his funds were fur too low to enable him to live imlcponrlontly until
that period, he began to turn his thoughts toward inuiuial labor ; but
first determined upon trying the effect of a direct application to Moham-
med All, then at Tayf. Ho accordingly wrote to his highness's Arme-
nian physician, who was likewise atTayf with hi i master, requesting him
to learn from the pasha whether he would accept a bill upon Burck-
hardt's correspondent at Cairo, and order his treasurer at Jidda to pay
the amount of it. Before the result of this application could be known,
he received an invitivtion to the house of Toossoon Pasha's physician, who,
on being acquainted vnih the state of his finances, kindly offered him the
sum of three thousand piasters (about $150) for a bill upon Cairo pay-
able at sight. Mohammed Ali, to whom his condition was accidentally
made known, immediately dispatched a messenger with two dromeda-
ries, an order for five hundred piasters, and a request that he would repair
immediately with the messenger to Taj i. With this invitation, which
was, in fact, equivalent to a command, he thought it necessary to com-
ply, and accordingly set off on the same afternoon (24th August) for the
interior of the Hedjaz.

They were accompanied during the first portion of the way by about
twenty camel-drivers of the tribe of Harb, who were carrying money to
Mecca for the pasha's treasury. The road at first lay over a barren
sandy plain, ascending slightly as it receded from the sea ; it then en-
tered the narrow gorges of a mountainous country, where they overtook
a caravan of pilgrims, who were accompanying a quantity of goods and
provisions destined for the army. The pasha, who, no doubt, suspected
the sincerity of Burckhardt's creed, had given orders to the guide to con-
duct him by a by-road to Tayf, which lay to the north of Mecca : " Just
before we left Hadda," says Burckhardt, " ray guide, who knew nothing
further respecting me than that I had business with the pasha at Tay^
that I performed all the outward observances of a Moslem pilgrim, and
that I had been liberal to him before our departure, asked me the reason
of his having been ordered to take me by the northern road. I replied
that it was probably thought shorter than the other. ' That is a mistake,*
he replied ; *■ the Mecca road is quite as short, and much safer ; and if you
have no objection we will proceed by it.' This was just what I wished,
though I had taken care not to betray any anxiety on the subject ; and
we accordingly followed the great road, in company with the other trav-
elers."

On this occasion, however, Burckhardt saw but little of the sacred
city, as the guide, who had no curiosity to gratify, hurried through the
streets without allowing him time for observation. Continuing their
journey, therefore, toward the east, they arrived, on the 2Vth of August,
at Ras el Kora, where they passed the night. " This," says the traveler,
" is the most'bcautiful spot in the Hedjaz, and more picturesque and de-
lightful than any spot I had seen since my departure from Lebanon, in
Syria. The top of Jebel Kora is flat, but large masses of granite lie scat-

220

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BURCKIIARDT.

torcd over it, tho surflico of which, like that of the granite rocks near the
second cataract of the Nile, is bhickenoil by tho sun. Several small rivu-
lets descend from this peak, and ii-rigate th<^ plaiti, which is covered with
verdant fields and large shady trees, on the side of the granite rocks.
To those who have only known tho dreary and scorching sands of tho
lower country of the Iledjaz, this scone is as surprising as the keen air
which blows here is refreshing. Many of the fruit-trees of Europe are
found here ; figs, apricots, peaches, apples, the Egyptian sycamore, al-
monds, pomegranates ; but particularly vines, the j)ro(luce of which is of
the best quality. After having passed through this delightfid district
for about half an hour, just as the sun was rising, Avhen every leaf and
blade of grass was covered with a balmy dew, and every tree and shrub
diffused a fragrance as delicious to the smell as was the landscape to tho
eye, I halted near the largest of the rivulets, which, although not more
thaii two paces across, nourishes npon its banks a green alpine turf,
such as the mighty Nile, with all its luxuriance, can never produce in
Egfijt."

Upon reaching Tayf^ he caused his arrival to be made known to the
pasha,who, upon learning his desire to visit the Holy Cities, exprossed a
wish to SCO him late in the evening at his public residence, and observed
to the Kadi of Mecca, who happened to bo present, " It is not the beard
alone which proves a man to be a true Moslem ; but you are a better
judge in such -natters than I am." Our traveler, on learning these par-
ticulars, affected to be much hurt by tho j)asha'8 suspicions, and let the
physician, who was the bearer of the message, know that he should not
go to the pasha's public audience unless he was received as a Turk.
When the physician delivered this message, Mohammed Ali smiled, and
said that he was w^elcome, whether Turk or not. On this occasion he
was closely catechized by two experienced teachers of the Moslem faith,
who declared to the pasha that he was not only a true Mussulman, but
one of great learning and piety. The audience passed off well. But
Burckhardt clearly discovered that he was regarded as a spy of the En-
glish government ; that his conduct was narrowly watched ; and that, in
being made the guest of the physician, he was a kind of prisoner, whose
words and actions were reported to the pasha. This was by no means
an agreeable position. He therefore determined to be delivered from it ;
and, in order to effect his purpose, adopted the most prudent plan that
could have been imagined : he rendered himself so troublesome and ex-
pensive to his host, that the latter, in order to be freed from him, repre-
sented him in the most favorable light to Mohammed Ali, and contrived
to obtain him permission to spend the last days of the Ramadan at Mecca.

Accordingly, on the 7th of September, Burckhardt departed in com-
pany with the Kadi for the Holy City. On passing Wady Mohram, he
assumed the ihram, the dress worn by all pilgrims during the Hadji, and
consisting of two pieces of linen, woolen, or cotton cloth, one of which is
wrapped round the loins, while the other is thrown over the neck and

RESIDENCE AT MECCA.

221

Bhoiildcrs, 80 as to loavo part of tlio right arm bare. In this dress ho
arrived at Mecca, on the 0tli of September ; and, as the law enjoins, pro-
ceeded immediately to visit the temple, before he had attended to any
worldly concern whatever. The ceremonies practiced on this occasion
are long and tedious. Ilavuig completed these jierformances, he hired
a ready-furnished lodging in the house of a metowwuf, or guide to tho
holy places ; who, while the poor Iladji was occupied with his devotions,
employed his spare moments industriously in stealing whatever he could
from his traveling-sack.

Being desirous of complethig his traveling equipments before the
commencement of tho Iladj (pilgrhnago), Burckhardt proceeded to Jidda,
where such things are more easily procured than at Mecca, and again
returned about tho middle of October, with a slave-boy whom he pur-
chased. He hired apartments in an unfrequented part of tho city,
where he enjoyed the advantage of several large trees growing before
his windows, " tho verdure of which," says he, " among the barren and
sunburnt rocks of Mcc{;a, was to me more exhilarating than the finest
landscape could have been under different circumstances." The princi-
pal curiosity of Mecca is the belt tillah, or House of God, a species of
quadrangle, in the center of which stands the Kaaba, " an oblong mass-
ive structure, eighteen paces in length, fourteen in breadth, and from
thirty-five to forty feet in height. It is constructed of tho gray Mecca
stone, in large blocks of different sizes, joined together in a very rough
manner, and with bad cement." " At the north-east corner of the
Kaaba, near the door, is the famous ' Black Stone ;» it forms a part of
the sharp angle of the building at four or five feet above the ground.
It is an irregular oval of about seven inches in diameter, with an undu-
lating surface, composed of about a dozen smaller stones of diflferent
sizes and shapes, well joined together with a small quantity of cement,
and perfectly smoothed. It looks as if the Mhole had been broken into
many pieces by a violent blow, and then united again. It is very diffi-
cult to determine accurately the quality of this stone, which has been
worn to its present surface by the millions of touches and kisses it has
received. It appeared to me like a lava, containing several small extra-
neous particles, of a whitish and of a yellowish substance. Its color is
noAV a deep reddish bro>\Ti, ai)proachuig to black. It is surrounded on
all sides by a border, composed of a substance which I took to be a
close cement of pitch and gravel, of a similar, but not quite the same,
brownish color. This border serves to suppoit its detached pieces. It
is two or three inches in breadth, and rises a little above the surface
of the stone. Both the border and the stone itself are encircled by a
silver band, broader below than above, and on the two sides, witli a
considerable swelling below, as if a part of the stone ^vere hidden under
it. The lower part of the border is studded with silver nails."

On the 21st of November, 1814, the approach of the Syrian caravan
was announced by a messenger, whose horse dropped down dead tho

222

LIFR AND TRAVELS OP BURCKHARDT.

moment ho dismounted. Sisvcnil other porsniis followed in about two
hourH JifVer ; and during the night the main body, with the Pasha of
Dumaseus at its head, enmo up, aad encainpcil in the plain of Shekh
Mahmoud. Next morning the E|,'yptian caravan likewise arrived ; and
nt the same time Mohannned Ali, who desired to he present at the Iladj,
appeared unexpectedly at Mecca, dressed in an ihram composed of two
magnificent shawls of Cashmere. All the ha«lj5s residing in the city now
assumed the ihram, with tiio usual eeremomes, at their own lodgings,
jirj'paratory to their setting out for Mount Arafat, and at noon lieard a
short sermon in the mosque.

The city was now full of movement and activity ; all the jtilgrims
were preparing to set out for Arafat, some running hither and thither in
search vt' lodgings, others visiting the markc^ts or the Kaaba. Many
Meccans, engaged in petty trafllc, were hastening to establish them-
selves on the mountain, for the accommodation of the pilgrims. Camel-
drivers led their beasts through tlie streets, offering them to the pilgrims
for hire. On the 24th of November the Syrian caravan, with the Mah-
mal, or sacred camel, in front, passed in procession through the city.
The majority of the pilgrims rode in a species of palanqtiin, placed upon
their camels ; but the Pasha of Damascus, and other grandees, were
moimted in splendid litters, which were borne by two camels. The
heads of these picturesque animals were decorated M-ith feath(?rs, tassels,
and bells. Crowds of people of all classes lined the streets, and greeted
the [lilgrims as they pasiccl with loud acclamations and praise. The
martial music of the pasha, twelve finely-caparisoned horses led in front
of his palanquin, and the ri<!h litters in which his women rode, particu-
larly attracted attention. The Egyptian caravan followed soon after,
and, consisting entirely of military pilgrims in the splendid Turkish cos-
tume, w.as no less admiied than its predecessor. Both continued, with-
out stopping, their maroh to Arafat, and were almost immediately fol-
lowed by the other pilgrims in the city, and by far the greater proportion
of the population of Mocca and Jidda, among whom Burckhardt likewise
proceeded to the sacred hill.

He reached the camp about three liours after sunset. The pilgrims
were still wandering ubout the plaui, and among the tents, in search of
their companions, or of their resting-place, and many did not .arrive until
midnight. Numberless fires glimmered upon the dark plain to the ex-
tent of several miles ; and high and brilliant clusters of lamps marked
the different places of encampment of Mohammed Ali, Soleyman Pasha,
and the Emir el IIa<lj of the Egyptian cat.T.van. Few slept : " the de-
votees set up praying, and their loud chani5« were particularly distin-
guished on the sido of the Syrian encampment. The merry Meccans
formed themselves into parties, singing jovial songs, accompanied by
clapping of hands ; and the coffee-houses scattered over the plain were
crowded all night with customers. The night was dark and cold. I
had formed a resting-place for myself by means of a large carpet tied

CEUKMONIES AT MOUNT ARAFAT.

228

to tho back of a MoccairH t(!nt ; and having walked about for tbo greater
part of the night, I had just disjwscd myself to Hlcep, when two guns,
lired by tho Syrian and Kgyptiaii Iladj, announced tho approacliing
dawn of the day of pilgrimage, and Hummoned the faithful to prepare
for their morning prayers."

The scene which, on tho unfolding of the dawn, presented itself to
tho eye of the traveler, was ono of the most extraordinary upon earth.
" Every pilgrim issued from his tent to walk over the plains, and take a
view of the busy crowds assembled tlu're. Long streets of tents, fitted
up as bazaars, furnished all kinds of provisions. The Syrian and Egyjv
tian cavalry were exercised by their chiefs early in the morning, while
thousands of camels were seen feeding upon th« dry shrubs of the plain
all round the camp." IJurckhardt now ascended tho summit of Arafat,
whence he could enjoy a distant view of the whole, tho mountain being
an isolated mass of granite, reaching to the height of two hundred feet
above th(! level of the plain. From this point ho counted about three
thousand tents, but the far greater number were, like himself, without
tents. Twenty or twenty-fivo thousand camels were dis])ersed, in sej)-
arato groups, over the plain ; and the number of pilgrims of both sexes,
and of all classes, could not amount to less than seventy thousand.
" The Syrian 1 ladj Avas encamped on the south and south-west side of
the mountain ; tho Egyptian on tho south-cast. Around the house of
tho Sherif, Yahya himself was encamped with his Bedouin troops, an;!
in its neighborhood were all the Iledjaz people. Mohammed AH, and
Soloyman, Pasha of Damascus, as well as severpi of their officers, had
very handsome tents ; but the most magnificent of sill was that of the
wile of Mohammed Ali, tho mother of Toossoon Pasha and Ibrahim
Pasha, wlio had lately arrived at Cairo for tho Iladj, with a truly royal
equipage, five hundred camels being necessary to transport her baggage
from Jidda to Mecca. Her tent was in fact an cncamianent, consisting
of a dozen tents of different sizes, inhabited by her women ; the whole
inclosed by a wall of linen cloth, eight hundred paces in circuit, the
single entrance to which was guarded by eunuchs in splendid dresses.
Ardund this inclosurc were pitched the tents of tho men who formed her
numerous suite. The beautiful embroidery on the exterior of this linen
palace, with tho various colors displayed in every part of it, constituted
an object which reminded me of some descriptions in the Arabian Tales
of the Thousand and One Nights."

Among the prodigious crowd were persons from every comer of the
Mohammedan world. Burckhardt counted forty different languages,
and did not doubt that there were many more. About three o'clock in
the afternoon, the pilgrims, quitting their tents, which were immediately
struck, and mounting their camels, pressed forward toward Mount Ara-
fet, and covered its sides from top to bottom. The preacher now took
his stand upon the platform on the mountain, and began to address the
multitude. The hearing of the sermon, which lasts till sunset, constitutes

224

LIPK AND TRAVELS OF BtRCKUARDT.

the holy ceremony of the Iladj, and M'ithout being present at it, and at
least apiicaring to hear, no pilgrim is entitled to the name of hadj!. " The
two pashas, with their whole cavalry drawn up in two squadrons beliind
them, took their post in the rear of the deep line of camels of the hadjis,
to whioli those of the people of the Hcdjaz were also joined : and here
they waited in solemn and respectful silence the conclusion of the sermon.
Further vcmoved from the preacher was the Sherif Yahya, with his small
i)ody of soldiers, distinguished by several green standards carried before
him. The two Muhmals, or holy camels, which carry on their backs the
high structure that serves as the banner of their respective cai'avans,
made way with difficulty through the ranks of camels that encircled the
southern and eastern sides of the hill, opposite to the preacher, and took
their station, surrounded by their guards, directly under the platform ia
front of him. The preacher, or khatyb, who is usually the Kadi of Mecca,
was mounted upon a finely-caparisoned camel, which had been led up the
stops ; it being traditionally said that Mohammed was always seated
when he addressed his followers, a p)'f>,ctice in which he was imitated by
all the caliphs who came to the Hadj, and who from henco addressed
their subjects in person. The Turkish gentleman of Constantinople,
however, unused to camel-riding, could not keep his seat so well
as the hardy Bedouin prophet ; and the camel becoming unruly, he was
soon (ibligod to alight from it. Ho read his sermon from a book in
Arabic, which he held in his hands. At intervals of every four or five
niinutos he paused, and stretched forth his arms to implore blessings from
above ; whi'e the assembled multitudes around and before him waved
the skirts oi' their ihrams over their heads, and rent the air with shov.ts
of Libi')/A\ Allah, huma Lebei/Jc ! — " Here we are at thy biddmg, O God !"
During the wavhigs of the ihrams, the sides of the mountain, thickly
crowded as it Ava by the people in their white garments, had the appear-
ance of a cataract of water ; while tbe green umbrellas, Avith which seve-
ral thousand hajjis, sitting on their camels below, were provided, bore
soma resemblance to a verdant plain."

Uurckhardt was present at all the remaining ceremonies of the Iladj,
and after observing whatever was Avorthy of examhiation both at Mecca
and Jidda, he johiod a small caravan of pilgrims Avho A\'cre going to visit
the tomb of the prophet, and set out for Medina on tlie 15th of January,
1815. During this journey he imprudently advanced before the caravan,
and was attacked by live Bedouins, from whom he Avas quickly delivered,
howc'A er, by the approach of his companions. They reached Medina o..
the 28tli of January. The ceremonies practiced in this city were much
less tedious than those at Mecca, and did not occupy him more than a
quarter of an hour. Here, shortly after his arrival, he Avas attacked by
an intermittent fever, accompanied by extraordinary despondency. His
condition, indeed, Avas well calculated to inspire gloomy thoughts ; foi
he had no society, and but cue book, which Avas, however, as he obsc.'vcs,

VISIT TO MEDINA.

225

worth a whole shelf full of others. This was a pocket edition of Milton,
which he had borrowed from an English ship at Jidda.

Medina, it is well known, is chiefly mdebted to the tomb of Moham-
med for its celebrity. This mausoleum, which stands on the south-east-
ern corner of the principal mosque, is protected from the too near ap-
proach of visitors by an iron railing, painted green, about two thirds the
height of the pillars of the colonnade which runs round the interior of
the mosque. " The railing is of good workmanship, in imitation of fili-
gree, and is interwoven with open-worked inscriptions of yellow bronzo,
supposed by the vulgar to be of god, and of so close a texture, that no
view can be obtained of the interior except by several small windows
about six inches square, which are placed in the four sides of the railing,
about five feet above the ground." On the south side, where are the two
principal windows, before which the devout stand when praying, the rail-
ing is plated with silver, and the common inscription — " There is no (>od
but God, the Evident Truth" — is wrought in silver letters round the
windows. The tomb itself, as well as that of Abu Bekr and Omar, which
stand close to it, is couceulcd from the public gaze by a curtain of rich
silk brocade of various colors, interwoven with silver flowers and ara-
besques, with inscriptions in characters of gold running across the midst
of it, Uke that of the covering of the Kaaba. Behind this curtain, which,
according to the historian of the city, was formerly changed every six
years, and is now renewed by the Porte whenever the old one is decayed,
or when a new gultan ascends the throne, none but the chief eunuchs,
the attendants of the mosque, are permitted to enter. This holy sanc-
tu?ry once se/ved, as the temple of Delphi did among the Greeks, as the
public treasury of the nation. Here the money, jewels, and other pre-
cious articles of the people of the Hedjaz were kept in chests, or sus-
pended on silken ropes. Among these was a copy of the Koran in Kufic
characters ; a brilUant star set ui diamonds and pearls, which was sus-
pended directly over the prophet's tomb ; with all sorts of vessels set
with jewels, earrings, bracelets, necklaces, and other ornaments, sent as
presents from all parts of the empire. Most of these articles were car-
ried away by the Wahabees Avhen they sacked and plundered the sacred
cities.

On the 21st of April, 1815, Burckhardt quitted Medina with a small
caravan bound for Yembo, on the sea-coast. His mind was still exceed-
ingly depressed by the weak state of his body ; and his gayety and ani-
mal spirits, which had supported him through so many arduous scenes,
appear to have deserted him at last. Upon his arrival at Yembo, de-
jected and melancholy, to add to his despondency, he found the plague
raging in the city. The air, night and day, was filled with the pierc-
ing cries of those who had been bereaved of the objects of thoir affec-
tion ; yet, as no vessel was ready to sail for Egypt, he was constrained
to remain daring eighteen days in the midst of the dyhig and the dead,
continually exposed to infection through tLe heedlessness and the irapru-

226

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BURCKHARDT.

dence of his slave. At length, however, he procured a passage in an
open boat bound for Cosseir, many of the passengers in which were sick
of a disease which appeared to be the plague, though only two of them
died. After remaining twenty days on .joard, he was, at his own re-
quest, put on shore in the harbor of Sherin, at the entrance of the Gulf
of Akaba, where he agreed with some Bedouins to transport him and his
slave to Tor and Suez. Learning on the way, however, that the plague
■was at Suez, he remained at a vilhige in the vicinity of the former place,
Avhere the enjoyment of tranquillity and a bracing mountain air soon re-
stored his strength, and enabled him, though still enfeebled, to pursue
his journey to Cairo, where he arrived on the 24th of June, after an ab-
sence of nearly two years and a half. As his health was not yet com-
pletely recovered, he undertook a journey into Lower Egypt during the
following winter, which, as he seems to have believed, restored his con-
Btitution to its former tone.

His time was now entirely occupied in writing the journal of his
Nubian and Arabian travels, and in the necessary care of his health,
which, notwithstanding his sanguine expectation to the contrary, was
still in a somewhat equivocal state. In the spring of 1816, the plague
again broke out at Cairo, and Burckhardt, to avoid the infection, imder-
took a journey to Mount Sinai, intending to remain among the Bedouins
until the pestilence should be over. During this excursion he traced
the course of the eastern branch of the Red Sea to within sight of
Akaba, which he was prevented by circumstances from visiting. On
his return to Cairo, he united with Mr. Salt in famishing Belzoni with
money for transporting the head of Memnon from Goomeh to Alex-
andria. The scheme, it would seem, originated with Burckhardt and
Salt, to whom, therefore, the British Museum is chiefly indebted for the
possession of that remarkable specimen of ancient art.

On the 4th of October, 1817, Burckhardt, who had so long waited
in vain for an opportunity of penetrating with a Moggrebin caravan to
IHmbuctoo, by way of Fezzan, was attacked with violent dysentery.
The best medical advice which an eminent English physician (Doctor
Richardson), then at Cairo, could afford was found unavailing. The
disease prevailed, and on the 15th of the same month the able, adven-
turous, and lamented traveler breathed his last at the early age of thirty-
three years. As he had lived while in the East as a Mussulman, the
Turks, he foresaw, would claim his body, " and perhaps," said he to Mr.
Salt, who was present at his death-bed, " you had better let them." —
"The funeral, as he desired," says this gentleman, "was Mohammedan,
conducted with all proper regard to the respectable rank which he had
held in the eyes of the natives." This was honorable to his Cairo
friends ; and to those who are interested in the history of his manly
career it is gratifying to discover how highly ho was valued. His re-
mains, unmarked by any memorial, lie somewhere in the Moslem bury-
ing-grcund on the eastern side of Cairo, where another traveler of equal

HIS GRAVE.

courage, enthusiasm, and ener^ T«i, t :, , ^^^

than t^venty years before h^^^nt r ^f/^*'-^^^ buried more
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B E LZ ONTS

EXPLORATIONS IN EGYPT.

This enterprising traveler and explorer, descended from a respectable
Roman family, was bom at Padua, whither his relations had many years
previously removed. Being designed by his parents for some monastic
order, he was at a very early age sent to Rome, the original abode of
his ancestors, where he received his education, and spent the greater
part of his youth. Here the sciences would appear to have obtained a
decided preference in his mind, over every other branch of study ; par-
ticularly hydraulics, to which he owed much of the reputation which he
afterward acquired in the world. The invasion of Italy, and the capture
of Rome by the French, disturbed the peaceful but insignificant plan of
life which he had traced out for himself. Instead of a monk he be-
came a traveler. Departing from Rome in the year 1800, he for some
time Avandered about the Continent, deriving his subsistence, as he him-
self observes, from liis own knowledge and industry, and occasional re-
mittances from his family, who, though by no means wealthy, seem to
have been generously disposed to afford him a support, whidi he, in a
short time, no less generously refused to accept.

In the year 1803 he arrived in England, where he not long afterward
married. In that country he supported himself by performing in public
feats of prodigious strength, and by scientific exhibitions ; still, with a
manly independence, preferring the gaining of a precarious subsistence
by these means to the idea of draining the slender resources of his fam-
ily, or of resorting to those more easy but less reputable sources of
gain which too frequently employ the talents of foreigners in England.
Having remained nine years in Great Britmn, Belzoni conceived the
desire of visiting the south of Europe ; and, taking his wife along with
Lira, traveled through Portugal, Spain, and Malta. It seems to have
been during this part of his travels that he learned, from what he con-
sidered unexceptionable authority, that his scientific knowledge might
be turned to good account in Egypt, where an hydraulic machine would

230

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF BELZONI.

be of the greatest utility in irrigating the fields, which need water only
to make them produce at any season of the y ear.

He accordingly took his passage on board oi' u ship boimd for Egypt,
and arrived in the harbor of Alexandria on the 9th of June, 1815. The
plague, he learned, was then prevailing in the city, but gradually de-
creasing in malignity. St. John's day, the 24th of June, was likewise
at hand, on which it usually ceases entirely, through the interference,
as the vulgar believe, of the saint, but in reality from the intense heat
of the sun, which has by that time exhaled the miasmata which are the
immediate cause of the plague. Belzoni, who was accompanied by his
wife and a young Irish lad, named Curtain, landed, notwithstanding the
disease ; and having remained secluded in the caravanserai, until after
ihe 24th, set off for Cairo. On reaching that city, where he meant to
make an offer of his services to the pasha, to whose principal interpreter
he brought letters of recommendation, he obtained lodgings in an old
house of vast size and ruinous condition. Though antiquities, as he ob-
serves;, were not at that time his object, he could not refrain from visit-
ing the Pyramids. He accordingly accompanied an English gentleman
to the spot, where they passed the night, and long before dawn had
ascended the summit of the highest pile, to behold the sun rise over the
land of Egypt.

" The scene here," says h*, " is majestic and grand, far beyond de-
scription : a mist over the plains of Egypt formed a vail, which ascended
and vanished gradually as the sun rose, and unvailed to the view that
beautiful land, once the site of Memphis. The distant view of the
smaller pyramids on the south marked the extension of that vast capital,
while the solemn endlees spectac.'e of the desert on the west inspired us
with reverence for the all-powerf'-l Creator. The fertile lands on the
north, with the serpentine course of the Nile, descending toward the sea ;
the rich appearance of Cairo and its minarets, at the foot of the Mokat-
tam mountain, on the east ; the beautiful plain which extends from the
Pyramids to that city ; the Nile, which flows magnificently through the
center of the Sacred Valley ; and the thick groves of palm-trees under
our eyes, altogether formed a scene of which a very imperfect ide^ can
be given by the most elaborate description."

A few days after his return to Cairo he was to have been presented
to the pasha, but on the way to the citadel was attacked and wounded
by a Turkish soldier in such a manner that he was compelled to defer
his presentation for thirty days. Mohammed Ali had not at that time
properly established his power ; for, when informed of the injury which
had been inflicted on his guest, he only observed that such accidents
were not to be prevented in cities filled with troops. This point was
very soon made still clearer. In a few days the soldiers burst out into
open rebellion, pillaged the inhabitants, committed every description of
atrocity, and pursued his highness himself into his castle, where they
for some time held him besieged. When this storm had blown over,

REMOVAL OF THB HBAD 07 MBMNON.

281

Belzoni, whose hydraulic project was highly approved of by the pasha,
commenced the construction of his machine in the gardens of the latter,
at Shoobra, three miles from Cairo. As iMohammed Ali was not bigot-
edly attached to oriental fashions, he freely permitted Belzoni to be
witness of his amusements, which he was sometimes even called upon
to multiply. Durmg his stay at Shoobra, business frequently required
his presence at Cairo, where, on one occasion, he naiTowly escaped
being shot by a Turkish soldier. The ruffian having struck him in the
street, he returned the blow ; upon which the Turk drew his pistol,
fired at him, singed his hair, and killed one of his own comrades who
happened to be standing behind the traveler. The man was next day
apprehended by the pasha, and never more heard of. When the hy-
draulic machine was completed, its power was made trial of in the pres-
ence of Mohammed Ali, who, perceiving that as an innovation it was
regarded with extraordinary dislike by the Turkish and Arabic cultiva-
tors, abandoned the project altogether, ■without even remunerating the
traveler for the loss of time and money which he had incurred.

Notwithstanding these circumstances, Belzoni found, upon calcula-
tion, that his finances would still enable him to ascend the Nile as
far as Assouan ; and was about to proceed up the country when Burck-
hardt and Mr. Salt, who had previously discussed the point together,
determined upon the removal of the colossal head of young Meninon to
England, for the purpose of being presented to the British Museum ;
and requested Belzoni, as one of the fittest persons that could bo found,
to undertake the task. The expenses Burckhardt and Mr. Salt were to
defray between them. A report was, it seems, circulated even during
the lifetime of Belzoni, and previous to the publication of his travels,
that in this affair he was merely the paid agent of Mr. Salt (for, as a
professed Mohammedan, Burckhardt did not choose to appear). This,
however, was clearly not the case. In a letter addressed to the African
Association, dated Cairo, February 20th, 1817, Burckhardt says, "You
will be pleased to hear that the colossal head from Thebes has at last,
after many difficulties, safely arrived at Alexandria. Mr. Belzoni, who
offered himself to undertake this commission, has executed it with great
spirit, intelligence, and perseverance. The head is waiting now at
Alexandria for a proper conveyance to Malta. Mr. Salt and myself
have borne the expenses jointly ; and the trouble of the undcrtakiu-^
has devolved upon Mr. Belzoni, whose name I wish to be mentioned, if
ever ours shall, on this occasion, because he was actuated by public
spirit fully as much as ourselves."

Few things are more interiisting in themselves, or less captivating in
description, than a search after antiquities. Belzoni, after visiting Her-
montis and Dendera, arrived at Thebes, which, from the time of Strabo
to the present moment, has excited the wonder and admiration of eveiy
traveler who has beheld it. " It is absolutely impossible," says Belzoni,
" to imagine the scene displayed, without seeing it. The most sublime

282

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF BELZONI.

ideas that can bo formed from tho most magnificent specimens of our
present architecture would give a very incorrect picture of these ruins ;
for such is the difference, not only in magnitude, but in form, propor-
tion, and construction, that even tho pencil can convey but a faint idea
of the whole. It appeared to mo like entering a city of giants, who,
aller a long conflict, were all destroyed, leaving tho rums of their va-
rious temples as tho only proof of their existence."

After a brief examination of these mighty ruins, ho crossed to tho
westei-n bank of the Nile, where, amid tho vast remains of tho Mem-
nonium, was the colossal head which ho was to remove. He found it,
he says, near the remains of its body and chair, with its face upward,
and apparently smiling on him at the thought of being taken to En-
gland. The implements which he had brought from Cairo were suffi-
ciently simple: fourteen poles, eight of which were employed in making
a sort of car to lay the bust on, four ropes of palm-leaves, and four rol-
lers, without tackle of any sort. Their boat lying too far to be used
as a lodgiUj^ every night, they established themselves in tho Memnon-
ium, where, as the traveler remarks, they were handsomely lodged in a
small hut formed of stones. Mrs. Belzoni seems, in fact, to have been
as enterprising and romantic as her husband, and made no difficulty
about the rudeness of their accommodation. It is not necessary to give
a detailed account of his laborious exertions, or those of the Arabs in
conveying the head to the Nile. It will be sufficient to state, that after
incredible toil and perseverance, it was at length brought to the edge
of the stream on the 12th of August, 1816.

This object being effijcted, he made an excursion to the sepulchral ex-
cavations in the mountain of Goorneh, celebrated for the quantity of
mummies which they contain. Into this vast labyrinth he entered with
two Arabs and his interpreter. They were in search of a sarcophagus
which Avas said to have been discovered by Drovetti, the French Con-
sul at Alexandria ; but, in roaming about amid the dreary passages, lost
their way, which, without extraordinary good fortune, might have been
the first step to losing their lives. In laboring to find a passage out,
they came to a small aperture, through which the interpreter and one of
the Arabs passed easily, but Belzoni, who was a very large man, found
it too small. " One of the Arabs, however, succeeded, as did my inter-
preter ; and it was then agreed," says he, " that I and the other Arab
•should wait till their return. They proceeded evidently to a great dis-
tance, for the light disappeared, and only a murmuring sound from their
voices could be distinguished as they went on. After a few moments I
heard a loud noise, and the interpreter distinctly crying, ' O mon Dieu !
O mon Dieu ! je suis perdu !' after which a profound silence ensued. I
asked my Arab whether he had ever been in that place. He replied,
' Neve'- ' I could not conceive what could have happened, and thought
the best plan was to return to procure help from the other Arabs. Ac-
cordingly, I told my man to show me the way out again ; but, staring

JOURNEY INTO NUBIA,

283

at me like an idiot, he said ho did not know the road. I called re-
peatedly to the interpreter, but received no answer. I watched a long
time, but no one returned, and my situation was no very pleasant
one."

At length, however, by dint of laborious perseverance, they issued
into the upper air ; and as the sarcophagus, which they had discovered,
could not at that moment bo removed, Belzoni conceived the design of
making a small excursion into Nubia. Accordingly, ho proceeded up
the river to Assouan, where, after much altercation, he procured a fresh
boat to carry him to the second cataract. He admired, in passing, the
beautiful island of Phila;, rich in the ruins of antiquity. On the next day
several natives, armed with spears and shields of crocodile skins, came in
boats to attack them on the river ; but observing them, Mrs. Belzoni and
all, to be armed with pistols, very prudently retired. At Derr, the capi-
tal of Lower Nubia, he purchased, with a small looking-glass, permission
to continue his voyage. Previous to this, many of the people of the
country had never enjoyed the gi'atification of contemplating the reflec-
tion of their own countenances. On arriving at Abou-Simbel, he saw,
with amazement, the great rock-temple noticed by Burckhardt. He im-
mediately conceived the design of clearing away tho sand which ob-
structed the entrance into the temple, and made the proposal to the vil-
lagers, promising, in order to excite them to the task, a present in
money ; but soon found that he had at length arrived in a region where
money had ceased to be omnipotent. The people stared at his piasters
as they would have stared at a letter in an unknown language, and in-
(luircd who would give them any thing for such small bits of metal as
those ? However, ho by degrees succeeded in convincing them that
money possessed over civilized men, and all who came within their in-
flnenco, a mysterious power which they could not resist. This seemed
at first to produce a good effect ; but the love of money once excited,
they knew not where to stop ; and their avarice, which he had reckoned
his best ally, soon exhausted his means, so that before ho had half com-
pleted his undertaking ho was compelled to desist, and continue his voy-
age up the Nile to the second cataract.

Having gratified his curiosity with a glance at these celebrated spots,
Belzoni returned to Assouan, and from thence proceeded to Thebes,
where he immediately put in train the measures necessary for conveying
down the river the Memnon's head, and various other antiquities. Tho
obstacles which were thrown in his way by the obstinacy of the natives,
and the intrigues of Drovetti, and other collectors of antiquities, were
numerous, and highly disgraceful to their originators. Nevertheless, on
the 17th of November, 1816, he succeeded in placing the head on board of
a boat, in which he set sail on the 21st for Cairo, where he arrived on
the 15th of December, after a voyage of twenty-four days.

From Cairo, Belzoni proceeded with the bust do^vn the Nile to Ro-
setta and Alexandria ; from whence, aftv-r having placed his charge in

234

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BELZONI.

the pftsha's warehouses, he quickly returned, for the ])urpo8o of proceed,
ing on a Hecond voyatje up the Nile. It was on this occasion that ho had
the good fortune to become known to JNIr. Briggs, with whom he re-
turned to Cairo. Captain Caviglia had at this i)oriod commenced his re-
searches in the interior of the first pyramid of Ghizch, but was about to
discontinue them for lack of means, when Mr. Briggs imuiificently en-
gaged to furnish funds for the purpose, in which ho was seconded by
Mr. Salt. It was proposed by this latter gentleman that Bulzoni should
join Captain Caviglia in his researches ; but the traveler, with conunenda-
ble ambition, preferred some undertaking in which all the credit should
redound to himself; and, having left his Avifo at the house of a friend at
Cairo, ho once more ascended the Nile, accompanied by Mr. Beechey,
to whom he had been introduced at Alexandria.

At Eraramoun, Belzoni obtained intelligence that two agents of M.
Drovetti were hurrying on toward Thebes, in the hope of forestalling him
in the purchase of antiquities ; upon which he hired two asses, and, leaving
Mr. Beechey to come up slowly with the boat, hurried otf by night. On
reaching the ruins, after an incredibly fatiguing journey of five days, he
found that, although the agents were not arrived, Mr. Salt's neglect, in
not paving the way with a liandsome present, had so completely irritated
the bey, that he had appropriated to M. Drovetti the very ground upon
which Belzoni had commenced his excavations during his first journey.
Into the details of these quarrels, which continued to rage during Bel-
zoni's residence in Egypt, it is not necessary to enter.

The most interesting transaction, perhaps, in which Belzoni was any-
where engaged, was his visit to the Necropolis of Thebes, in the mount-
ain of Goorneh. This is a tract of about two miles in length, at the
foot of the Libyan ridge. Every part of those rocks is scooped out into
a sepulcher, wliich, however close it may be to other sepulchral cham-
bers, has rarely any interior communication with them. It is impossible,
as Belzoni observes, to convey by description an adequate idea of these
subterraneous abodes and their inhabitants. No other sepulchers in the
world resemble them. There are no excavations or mines that can be
compared with those astonishing places, which, when once seen, forever
after haunt the imagination, hke a glimpse of the regions beyond the
grave. Few travelers see more of these catacombs than the exterior
chambers, from which the dead have been removed. In the interior
sepulchers the air is suffocating, and frequently causes fainting. Tlie
dust of decayed mummies, which is so fine that it quickly penetrates in
vast quantities to the lungs, and causes a difticulty of respiration ; the
strong effluvia of decomposed bodies ; the dark, dismal, lonesome aspect
of the place ; — every thing tends to discourage the intruder. Belzoni
was not, however, to be deterred. In describing the difliculties which
he here encountered, he observes, " In some places there is not more
than the vacancy of a foot left, which you must contrive to pass through
in a creeping posture, like a snail, on pointed and keen stones that cut

BESEABCHES IN THE TOMBS,

286

lO
3t
11

like glasa. After getting through these passages, some of them two or
three hundred yards long, you generally find a more commodious place,
perhaps high enough to sit. But what a place of rest I surrounded by
bodies, by heaps of mummies, in all directions, which, previous to my
behig ftccustomed to the sight, impressed me Avith horror. The black-
ness of the wall ; the faint light given by the candles or torches for want
of air; the dift'erent objects that were around me seeming to converse
with each other ; and the Arabs with the candles or torches iti their
hands, naked and covered with dust, themselves resembling living mum-
mies — absolutely formed a scene that can not bo described. In such a
situation I found myself several times, and often returned exhausted
and fainting, till at last I became inured to it, and indifferent to what I
Buffered except from the dust, which never failed to choke my throat
and nose ; and though fortunately I am destitute of the sense of smell-
ing, I could taste that the mummies were rather unpleasant to swallow.
After the exertion of entering into such a place, through a passage of
fifty, a hundred, three hundred, or perhaps six Y imdred yards, nearly
overcome, I sought a resting-place, found one, and coiitrived to sit ; but
when my weight bore on the body of an Egyptian, it crushed it like a
bandbox. I naturally had recourse to my hands to sustain my weight,
but they found no better support ; so that I sank altogether among the
broken mummies, with a crash of bones, rags, and wooden cases, which
raised such a dust as kept me motionless for a quarter of an hour, wait-
ing till it subsided again. I could not move from the place, however,
without increasing it, and every step I took crushed a mummy in some
part or other. Once I was conducted from such a place to another re-
sembling it, through a passage of about twenty feet in length, and no
wider than that the body could be forced through. It was choked with
mummies, and I could not pass without putting my face in contact vidth
that of some decayed Egyptian ; but as the passage inclined downward,
my ow' veight helped me on. However, I could not help being cov-
ered AV' ch bones, legs, arms and heads, rolling from above. Thus I pro-
ceeded from one cave to another, all full of mummies, piled up in various
ways, some standing, some lying, and some on their heads. The pur-
pose of my researches was to rob the Egyptians of their papyri, of which
I found a few hidden in their breasts, under their arms, and in the space
above the knees, or on the legs, and covered by the numerous folds of
cloth that envelop the mummy."

Belzoni continued indefatigably making new researches both at
Goomeh and Karnak, but was at length put to flight by the machina-
tions of the French, who had succeeded in gaining over to their party
the bey of the province. He then resolved once more to ascend the
Nile to Abou-Simbel, and was fortunate enough to meet with two En-
glish travelers. Captains Irby and Mangles, who were desirous of per-
forming the same voyage. They hired a boat between them at Philse,
and setting out together in high spirits, visited the second cataract, and

286

LIFE AND TRAVELS OF BELZONI.

thon returned to Abou-Simbel. Hero the wrong-headedness and qnar-
rclsomo di^poHition of the Nubiann considurably obstructed their labors
in oloiiring awny the entrance to the temple. But at length, having dis-
miHsed the native laborers, and undertaken the task themselves, they
Huccecded, and enjoyed the satisfaction of beholding one of the most
perfect and beautiful rock-temples in the world.*

* " About two hours after midnight, I was awakened iVom a deep sleep by the shock
or tlio boat striking the shore. I opened my eyes and saw, as I lay, without moving my
lioacl, a huge wiill of rock before me, ogainst which six enormous statues leaned as they
looked Oom deep niches cut in its ft-ont Their solemn faces were touched by the moon,
wiiioh shone full on the cliff, and only their feet were wrapped in shadow. The lines of
doop-eut liioroglyphica over the portal of this rocky temple wore also filled with shadow
and painted legibly on the gray, moonlit rock. Below them yawned the door — a square
of couiplcto darkness. A little to the loll, over a long drift of sand that sloped fVom the
summit of tiio cliff nearly to the water's edge, peered the mitered head of a statue of still
more colossal proportions. I gazed on this broad, dim, and wonderful picture for a mo-
ment, 80 awed by its majesty that I did not ask myself whero or what it was. This is
somo grand Egyptian dream, was my first thought, and 1 closed my eyes for a few sec-
onds, to see whether it would vanish. But it stood fast and silent as ever, and I knew it
to bo Abou-Simbel. My servants all slept, and the rais and boys noiselessly moored the
boat to tiiu shore, and then lay down and slept also. Still I lay, and the great statues
looked fiolemly down upon me, and the moon painted their kingly nomons and banners
with yet darker distinctness on the gray rock. Tho river mado no sound below, the long
grass stirred not a blade at tho foot of the crags, and the slopes of sand were white and
dumb as snow. I lay in too deep a repose for thought, and was not then conscious how
grateful was such a silence in Nature, while the moon held up that picture before me. It
might have been two minutes or twenty, before the current slowly swung the stern of
the boat around, and the picture as slowly shifted from my view, leaving instead the
Southern Cross in its shrine of stars.

" The front of tho great temple is not parallel to that of tho other, nor does it face the
river, which hero flows in a north-oast course. Tho line of tho cliff is broken between the
two, so that the figures of the great Remeses, seated on each side of tho door, look to the
cast, the direction of the lino of the face being nearly north. Through tho gap in front,
tlie sands luivo poured down from the Desert behind, almost wholly filling up tho space
between tho two cliffs; and though s'nce the temple was first opened, by Belzoni, in
1817, it has been cleared nearly to the ba^e more than once, the rapid accumulation of
sand has again almost closed tho entrance. The southern colossus is only buried about
half way to tho kneo, but of the two northern ones there is little else to be seen except
tho heads. Obscured as is the effect of this grand front, it is still without parallel in the
world. I had not thought it possible that in statues of such enormous magnitude there
could bo such singular beauty of expression. Tho face of Romeses, the same in each, is
undoubtedly a portrait, as it resembles the faces of the statues in the interior, and those
of the King in other places. Besides, there is an individuality in some of the features
which is too marked to represent any general typo of the Egyptian head. The fullness
of the drooping eyelid, which yet does not cover the large, oblong Egyptian eye ; the
nose, at first slightly inclining to the aquiline, but curving to tho round, broad nostrils;
the generous breadth of tho calm lips, and the placid, serene expression of the face, are
worthy of tho conqueror of Africa and tho builder of Karnak and Medeonet Abou.

"Tho great doorway of tho temple is so choked up with sand that I was obliged to
creep in on my knees. Tho sun by this time had risen exactly to the only point where it
can illumine the interior, and the rays, taking a more yellow hue ft-om the rock and sand
on which they fell, shone down the long drift between the double row of colossal statueSi

THE TEMPLE OF ABOU-SIMBAL.

237

Having completed thin laboriouH operation, Bolzoni returned to hh
old station at Thcbus, whore ho continued his rescnrchcH in the valley
of tho Tombs of tho KmgH. Here, among other rctnarkablo nntiquitien,
ho discovered ono relic of tho ancient world, which certainly appears to
rank among tho most beautiful that havo ever been exhumed. '■'■ It is,*'
Bays ho, " a sarcophagus of tho finest oriental alabaster, nine feet fivu
inches long, and throe foot seven inches wide. Its thickness is only two
inches, and it is transparent when a light is placed in.side it. It is mi-
nutely sculptured within and without with several hundred figures
wliich do not exceed two inches in height, and represent, as I suppose,
tho whole of tho funeral procession and ceremonies relating to the de-
ceased, imited with several emblems, etc. I can not give an adequate

ond lighted up tho ontranco to the second hall of tho tomplo. I aat down in tho sand,
awed and half fVightoned by the singular nppoaranco of tho place, Tho sunshine, fulling
obliquely on tho sonds, atruck a dim reflection against tiio sculptured roof) and oven
lighted up tho furthest reccssoa of tho grand hall suflSciontly to show its imposing dimen-
sions. Eight square pillars — four on either side of tho central aisle — soom to uphold tho
roof, and on their inner sides, facing each other, aro eight statutes of tho king. Tlio fea-
tures of all are preserved, and havo something of tho graco and serenity, though not tho
majesty of tho great statues outside. They look into each other's eyes, with an eternal
question on their fixed countenances, but none can give answer. There was something
so stem and strange in these eight faces, that I felt a shudder of fear creep over me. Tho
strong arms are all crossed on their breasts, and tho hand hold various sa< : d and rogal
symbols, conspicuous among which is something resembling a flail, which ouo sees often
in Egyptian sculpture. I thought of a marvelous story I onco read, in which a genie,
armed with a brazen flail, stands at the entrance of an enchanted caatlo, crusliing with the
'roko of his terrible weapon all who como to seek tho treasure within. For a moment
.ae childish faith in the supernatural was as strong as over, and I looked at tlio gloomy
ontranco beyond, wishing to outer, but foaring tho stony flails of the terrible Remesi on
either hand. Tho faces were onco partially colored, ind tho black eyeball, still remaining
on the blank eye of stone, gives them an expression of stupor, of death-in-lifo, which ac-
counted to me for the nervous shock I experienced on entering.

" There is nothing in Egypt which can be likened to tho great temple of Abou-Simbel.
Kamak is grander, but its grandeur is human. This belongs rather to the superhuman
fancies of the East — tho halls of the Afrites— or to tho realm of the dethroned Titans, of
early Greek mythology. This impression is not diminished, on passing tho second hall
and corridor, and entering the adytum, or sacred chamber of tho templo. Thero tho gran-
ite altar yet stands in the center, before the undestroyed figures of the god.s, who, seated
side by side, calmly await tho offerings of their worshipers. Tho peculiar individuality
of each deity is strikingly shown in these largo statues, and their attitude is much less
constrained than in tho sitting statues in tlio tombs of Thobca. Tlicso look as if they could
rise, if they would. The walls aro covered with sculptures of them and of thecontemplar
deities, in tho grand, bold stylo of tho ago of Remcses. Sorao visitors had left a supply
of dry palm branches near the entrance, and of these I niado torches, which blazed and
crackled fiercely, flaring with a rich red light on the sculptured and painted walls. There
was sufficient to enable me to examine all the smaller chambers, of which there aro eight
or nine, cut laterally into the rock, without any attempt at symmetry of form, or regularity
of arrangement Several of them have scats running around three sides, exactly like tho
divans in modem Egyptian houses. They were probably designed for the apartments of
priests or servants connected with the temple." — ^Batard Tatlob's " Journey to Central
Africa.''

238

MPB AND TRAVELS OF BBLZONI.

idea of this beautiful and Invaluable piece of antiquity, and can only say,
that nothing has been brought into Europe from Egypt that can be com-
pared *o it. The cover was not there ; it had been taken out and
broken into several pieces."

Of the tomb in which this extraordinary monument was foimd a
model wa3 many yp^rs afterward exhibited in London, and so exceed-
ingly well executed was the representation, that had it not been for the
crowds of visitors, one might easily have imagined one's self in the sep-
ulchers of the Egyptian kings. The original tomb at Thebes, which
was first opened by Belzoni, bears his name to this day. It had been
entered and plundered, probably during the Romsia occupation, but
again closed in so careful a manner, that it had remained undiscovered
for nearly two thousand years. Belzoni wanted but one thing to ren-
der him one of the greatest antiquarian collectors in the world : this one
thuig was money. From the lack of this, many of his most arduouo
and well-planned enterprises came to nothing.

From Thebes, with which he was now as familiar as he was with
London, he some time after this proceeded to Cairo. He had by this
time acquired quite a passion for excavations, tomb-opening, and all those
other pursuits by which travelers aim at diving into the mysteries of
Egyptian manners and arts ; and reflecting upon the success of Captain
Caviglia in descending into the well of the Great Pyramid, the project
of attempting the opening of the second occurred to him. There is not
space to describe the difficulties which he encountered and overcame in
the execution of this design. His labors were incessant ; his expenses
considerable ; but, at length, after success had frequently appeared hope-
less, the entrance to the interior chambers was foimd. " After thirty
days' exertion," says he, " I had the pleasure of finding myself in the
way to thi central chamber of one of the two great pyramids of Egypt,
which hav.. long been the admiration of beholders !"

This object having been happily effected, Belzoni again set out for
Thebes. There he was made acquainted with the history of a pretended
discovery, which became a motive for a journey to the coast of the Red
Sea. The history of this expedition is given in a v cry f«w words by a
writer in the Quarterly Review. " A French mineralogist, of the name
of Cailliaud, had accompanied some Arab soldiers sent by the pasha of
Egypt in search of emeralds among the mountains between the Nile and
the Red Sea. On their return, Calliaud gave out that in this expedition
he had discovered the ancient city of the Ptolemies, the celebrated Ber-
nico, the great emporium of Europe and the Indies, of which he gave a
magnificent description. Mr. Belzoni, doubtful of the accuracy of the
story, set out from Edfoo, with one of the former party, to visit the
supposed Bernice ; where, instead of the ruins of eight hundred houses
and three temples, as stated by M. Calliaud, he could find no more than
eighty seven scattered houses, or rather cells ; the greater number of
which did not exceed ten feet sqttare^ built with unhewn stones, and

JOURNEY TO THE OASIS.

289

without cement ; and the only appearance of a temple was a niche in a
rock, without inscription or sculpture of any kind ; there was no land
for cultivation, nor any water within twenty-four miles ; no communica-
tion Avith the sea but by a rough road over the mountains, of twenty-
four miles; and the shore was so covered with projecting rocks for
twenty or thirty miles on each side, that there was no security even for
the smallest bo its, much less for ships trading to India. These, there-
fore, he was quite certain, could not be the remains of Bemice.

As, however, the site of this celebrated city had been fully described
by the ancient writers, Mr. Belzoni determined to prosecute his research-
es ; and at the end of twenty days he discovered, close to the shore, the
extensive ruins of an ancient city near the Cape Lepte Extrema, the Ras
el Anf (Cape Nose) of the present day ; the projection of which forms
an ample bay (now named Foul Bay), having at the bottom an excel-
lent harbor for vessels of small burden. These ruins, which are beyond
dispute those of the celebrated emporium founded by Ptolemy Phila-
delphus, were four days' journey from the rude cells of the quarrymen
or miners, which Mr. Cailliaud is stated to have so strangely mistaken
for the magnificent vestiges of the ancient Bemice. Several wells of
bitter water were found among the ruuis ; and between them and the
mountains was an extensive plain fit for cultivation. The remains of
more than three thousand houses were counted, about the center of
which were those of a temple with sculptured figures and hieroglyph-
ics."

Having made this discovery, he again returned to the valley of the
Nile, where he was for some time occupied in the removal of various
antiquities. He then descended to the sea-coast, and on the 20th of
April, 1819, set out from Rosetta, on an excursion to the district of
Fayoiun, and the Oasis of Jupiter Ammon. After roaming about the
shores of Lake Moeris for some time, for he had no leisure for making
researches, he visited the ruins of Arconde, consisting of a few granite
columns, and fragments, and mounds of burned bricks. He then pre-
pared to cross the desert to the Oasis, which was an affair of some diffi-
culty. Nevertheless, he at length succeeded in completing his prepara-
tions, and commenced his journey, accompanied by a Bedouin guide,
and three or four other persons. Even here, in the desert, ruins of
Egyptian edifices, beautifully sculptured with hieroglyphics, were found.
The scone at first lay among low rocks, sandy hills, and barre:; "^alleys,
which were gradually exchanged for a plain of sand, as level n^ the sea,
and thickly strewed with brown and black pebbles. They continued
during five days their journey over this dreary waste, at the end of
which time they perceived the rocks of the Oasis, and beheld two crows
coming, as it were, to meet them. In the afternoon they entered the
valley, which is surrounded by high rocks, and forms in the midst a
spacious plain, about twelve or fourteen miles long, and about six in
breadth. "There is only a very small portion of the valley cultivated

240

LIFE AND TRAVELS OP BBLZONI,

on the opposite side to that which wo reached, and it can only be dis-
tinguished by the woods of palm-trees which cover it. The rest of the
valley is wholly covered with tracts of sand, but it is evident it has once
been cultivated everywhere. Many tracts of land are of a clayey sub-
stance, which could be brought into use even now. There are several
small hills scattered about, some with a natural spring at the top, and
covered with rushes and small plants. We advanced toward a forest
of date-trees, and before evening we reached within a mile of a village
named Zaboo, all of us exceedingly thirsty : here we observed some
cultivation, several beds of rice and some sunt-trees, etc. Before the
camels arrived, they scented the water at a distance ; and as they had
not drank since they left Rejan, they set off at full gallop, and did not
stop till they reached a rivulet, which was quite sweet, although the soil
was almost impregnated with salt. I observed hqre a great many wild
birds, particularly wild ducks, in greater abundance than any other."

The first man who perceived them after their entrance into the val-
ley e>anced a disposition to shoot Belzoni ; but, upon the explanation of
the Bedouin guide, consented to conduct them to the village. " We
advanced," says the traveler, " and entered a lane ; and as we penetrated
further, we entered a most beautiful place, full of dates, intermixed with
other trees, some in blossom and others in fruit ; there were apricots,
figs, almonds, plums, and some grapes. The apricots were in greater
abundance than the rest, and the figs were very tine. The soil was
covered with verdure of grass and rice, and the whole formed a most
pleasing recess, particularly after the barren scenes of the desert."

His reception at this village was equivocal: there being several
shekhs, each of whom made pretensions to authority. Some were dis-
posed to treat him kindly, while others, more morose, kept at a dis-
tance ; but a few cups of coffee, judiciously distributed, and followed by a
sheep boiled in rice, reconciled the whole ; although they next morning,
when they were again hungry, relaj^ jd into their former rude manners.
Like all other ignorant people, they supposed that he must necessarily
be in search of treasure, and for some time refused to conduct him to
the ruins of which he was in search; but upon being assured that
whatever treasures might be discovered should liiU to their share, while
all be stipulated for were a few stones, they consented to accompany
him. The ruins, which he supposed to be those of the temple of
Jupiter Ammon, now served, he found, as a basement for nearly a
whole A'illage, in the vicinity of which he discovered, as ho thought, the
famous " Fountain of the Sun," which is warm at midnight and cold at
noon.* This is a well of sixty feet deep by eight square, which, over-

• In both these suppositions, Belzoni was mistaken. The Oasis which ho visited was
not that of Jupiter Ammou, now known under the name of Siwah, but was in reality
the Oasis I^irna, or Little Oasis, called by the Arabs the Wah El-Bahryeh (Northern
Oasis). The Temple of Jupiter Ammon, and the Fountain of the Sun, are to bo found
in the Oasis Siwah, which is sevm or eight days journey north- west of the latter.

HIS DEATH.

241

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C A I LLI A U D'S

JOURNEY TO THE LIBYAN OASES,
ETHIOPIA, AND SENNAAR.

Frederic Cailliaud, the first modem traveler who made a com-
plete exploration of the rums of Ethiopia, was a native of Nantes. His
taste for archaeology and for the natiiral sciences led him to travel, and
on visiting Egypt he found so much to interest and fascinate him, that
he remained four years. Early in 1816 he ascended the Nile a? far as
Wady Haifa, at the second cataract, following in the steps of Burck-
hardt, and preceding Belzoni by a few months. He also visited the
Great Oasis in the Libyan Desert, west of Thebes, and crossed from
the Nile to the Red Sea, where he discovered ruins which he sup-
posed to be those of Berenice — a mistake afterward corrected by
Belzoni.

Returning to France in February, 1819, after an absence of nine
years, Cailliaud immediately applied to the French government, to be
again dispatched to Egypt for the purpose of making more extensive
explorations. His application was warmly seconded by the French
Institute, and in two months he received the appointment, and his
instructions from the Minister of the Interior. After passing a month
with his parents at Nantes, he set out for Marseilles, accompanied by
M. Letorzec, a cadet of the French navy, who desired to accompany
him. Embarking on the 10th of September, he landed at Alexandria
on the 1st of October, after a ve;y stormy passage. His plan was,
first to penetrate to the Oasis of Siwah, or Jupiter Ammon, in the Lib-
yan Desert, a spot which few trivelers had ever reached, and which
none had ever thoroughly explored. The failure of a recent attempt
did not discourage him : he proceeded to Cairo, and after visiting some
new mummy pits which had been opened at Sakkara, made his prepara-
tions and set out on the Ist of November, accompanied by Letorzec,
and Ismail, a French Mameluke.

Ascending the Nile to Benisonef Cailliaud proceeded to the district

246

OAILLIAUD'8 JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

of the Fyooni, lying a day's journey to the wost, antl was ho fortunate
as to find the governor, who liad just returned from a successful foray
amoug some rebellious desert tribes. The latter sent for an Arab chief
named Koroom, and an inhabitant of Siwah, named Youssei^ who hap-
pened to be in the Fyoom, and requested them to conduct Cailliaud to
the Oasis. They made serious objections to the plan, but finally yielded,
on condition that the travelers would neither write nor draw, clothe
themselves .as Egypti.ans, and assume the character of natives of Cairo.
The governor of the Fyoom gave Cailliaud a letter to the chiefs of
Siwah, in which ho declared that the traveler was sent by Mohammed
Ali, and should be treated with the same resj)ect which they owed to
the pasha. The camels were brought, and aftcu- halting two days at the
encampment of Koroom, they commenced their march into the desert.
" The two eldest daughters of Shekh Koroom," says Cailliaud, " accom-
panied us for half a league, wishing us all sorts of benedictions, for the
success of our journey. I saw them collei^t the dust from the places'
where the feet of the Arabs who accompanied us had left their imprint ;
this dust they placed in a takia, or small Arab cap, which they held in
the hand. I was told that this was done to preserve us from accidents ;
that they were required to collect some dust from the steps of each man
and each camel ; that, on returning to their tent, they would make a
little hole in the top of the cap, and suspend it, in the manner of an
hour-glass ; and that they would consult it every day to notice the dura-
tion of our absence, and calculate the time of our return."

At a village called El Gharak, on the borders of the desert, they
were joined by a caravan of inhabitants of the Fyoom, Avith one hun-
dred camels, bound for Siwah. Some of the native merchants refused
to go, through the fear of being compromised by the presence of Cail-
liaud's party. The travelers were obliged to relinquish the idea of taking
meridian altitudes, and could not make the least observation, even by
the barometer, except by stealth. They were also extu'edingly circum-
spect in their conversation, taking care to make no remark which might
excite the suspicion of the Arabs. In two days they arrived at a
mountain called Rayan el Kasr, at the foot of which, in a little valley,
they found a curious well. "The principal spring is a fimnel-shaped
hole, two feet in diameter at the bottom. Shekh Koroom descended
into this hole, and plunged into the center a stout piece of wood, which
he moved around in the clay, opening a i)assage for the water, which
instantly began to rise. The shekh then placed his legs in the orifice,
and by twisting himself^ succeeded in thrusting his body down to the
ann-pits. Another man mounted on his shoulders to retain him there,
and when the latter quitted his hold the shekh was thrown out of the
water by the force of the spring, which is very abundant. The Arabs
have the habit of crying aloud during this operation, which appears to
them miraculous : they pretend that without doing so, the water would
not come."

grove
proac
permis
by nui

APPROAOU TO SIWAH.

247

Tho caravan continued ita march over plains of sand, alterntiting
with hard tracts co .ercd with agates, and occasionally tho rcinuuis of
petrified forests, among which Cuilliaud found tlio trimk of a syesinioro
eleven feet in circumference and fifteen feet in lf!nf;th. As they ai)-
proachcd Siwah the earth became covered with a crystalization of salt,
iorming vast incrusted plauis. Finally, on tho fifteenth day, they saw
in the distance a valley fertile in palms and acacias, in the midst of which
was a village tributary to Siwah, and distant from it about twenty
leagues. Tho village, called El-Garah, was built on tho summit of a
steep rock, and appeared to consist partly of the remains of ancient
edifices. A curious superstition prevails in this place. A former shekh
predicted that the inhabitants of the village — men, women, and children
— would never exceed forty. The people declared that the number had
sometimes a little exceeded that limit, but that the balance was always
speedily restored by the death of the surplus population. When a child
13 born, they expect a death among the older inhabitants, to make room
for it. Cailliaud was not allowed to enter the village on the first day,
and on climbing the rock tho next morning, tho people cried " Chris-
tian !" — whence he knew that some of the Arabs of the caravan had bs-
trayed his true character. Youssef of Siwah finally declared that tho
traveler would instantly write to Mohammed AH, wlio was his friend, if
they did not admit him, whereupon they allowed him to enter, and
presented him with some fine dates.

" On the night of December 8," says Cailliaud, " Shekh Koroom and
Youssef came into my tent, and said to me with a very mysterious air,
that now was the moment to make use of my sorcery in order to mod-
erate the anger of the people of Siwah. ' I have had several occasions,'
said Koroom, ' of kno>viijg how experienced are the Christians in this
art. Signor Belzoni, whom I conducted to the Little Oasis, finding
liiraself annoyed by the inhabitants and by a caravan of Siwah which o\^•
posed his researches, suddenly began to write mysterious notes ; and
immediately those who designed to injure him, humiliated themselves
before him and kissed his hands, which proved his great power !' I was
at first tempted to convince him of his error, but I reflected that in or-
der to encourage him to serve me, I ought, on the contrary, to assure
him that I was as skillful as Belzoni, and he might depend on the success
of my magical arts." On the evening of the 9th, they discovered in the
west the palm-groves of Siwah, and encamped near an old well. Koroom
and Youssef set out by night to announce their approach to the shekhs,
and Cailliaud was so excited with anxiety and expectation, that he found
it impossible to sleep.

" After marching three hours, the next morning, we reached the firat
grove of date-palms, and the Arabs fired a volley to signaHze our ap-
proach. Youssef came to rae, crying otit with joy that we had obtained
permission to enter the oasis. We proceeded onward by paths shaded
by numerous pahn-groves ; olive, pomegranate, peach, apricot, and fig-

248

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

trees enriched the landacapo. The frcshnesa of the verdure is preserved
by tanks and abundant springs ; brooks flow in all directions. These
gardens appeared to us delicious, and the happiness of having been able
to pciiietrato into this district, separated from the world by a hundred
leagues of sand, enchanted mo. Evei j' step brought me nearer to a spot
almost unknown, and perhaps to the long-sought temple of Jupiter Am-
mon. Youssef presented me to three chiefs, who saluted mo after the
manner of the country. They made us encamp in a couit under the
walls of the town, near a place M'hero dates were exposed for sale. The
windows of the houses were crowded with women, curious to see us.
Tlio people came in croAvds around our tent ; there was an excitement
in all Siwah. In order to disperse the assembly, the shekhs were obliged
to prohibit tho inhabitants of the place, Youssef excepted, from ap-
l)roaching us, under penalty of a fine of a hundred and sixty baskets
of dates. A much more severe fine was imposed on those who a<ldre8sed
insulting remarks to us. This circumstance gave rac an opportunity of
judging of the power of the sheklis over tho people, for the latter re-
tired suddenly, and wo remained entirely isolated."

Soon afterward Cailliaud was called before a grand council of tho
shekhs and people, and asked by what authority he came. He replied
that ho was sent by Mohammed Ali. They then demanded the firman,
which he had not been able to procure, as the Pasha was absent in Nu-
bia ; but he had an old firman, given to him for the purpose of visiting
Souakui, on the Red Sea, which he presented. The only shekh who
could read, understood " Souakin" to mean " Siwah," and ridictiled the
secretaries of Cairo, who could not 8]wll the name correctly. The final
decision of the council w.is that the traveler should be j)ermitted to see
the antiquities of the oasis, and on the third day he was furnished Avith
a guide. lie was first conducted to the Mountahi of the Dead, a small
hill of lunestone, hollowed out with the sepulchers of the ancient inhab-
itants. Two leagues west of tho town he found the remains of a
building, apparently of the Lower Empire, another hill of catacombs,
and a beautiful little Roman temple, of the Doric order, in a good state
of preservation. Near the latter, on tho plain, were the remains of
houses, broken columns, and heaps of cut stones, indicating a former
town or fortress. Tho Arabs called the place beled er-Hoom, or the
Greek town.

Cailliaud now solicited the chiefs to allow him to visit the ruins of
Om Beydah, tho most important of all, wliich he conjectured to be
those of the temple of Jupiter Ammon. He tried both entreaties and
presents, but they refused, giving as a reason that his presence there
would cause the great fountain to dry up. They stated that immediately
after the visit of Browne and Ilomeraann to Om Beydah, the fountain
became dry. The inhabitants were struck with terror, and attributed
the circumstance to the fact of the Christians having gazed upon it.
The next day, on ascending the mountain of Drar-Abou-Beryk, Cailliaud

pair,

THE OASIS AND ITS INHABITANTS.

249

overlooked all tlic province of Siwah, and, by the aid of a good tclo-
scope, Haw the ruins of Orn Ueydah riHing above the tiifU'd palniH.
They appeared to him of gigantic size, and the desire to visit them be-
came stronger than ever. " The sun was on the horizon ; my guides had
descemleil. I followed them, but at a distance, feeling myself i...„Llu to
convcrsi' with them. I pondered in my muid what stratagem I could
dovise in order to visit the temple. I let them all pass on — guides,
Arabs, interpreter — and remained in the rear. Reflecting that I was but
a <piarter of a league from the spot, I determined to make an attempt
to reach it. Enveloping myself in my bornous, I approached the palm-
grove, but seeing that I was watched by the spies, I felt the impossibility
of accomplishing my object, and returned."

During his short stay at the oasis, Cailliaud collected some informa-
tion regarding the place and people. The principal trp..]ic is in dates,
which are produced in great numbers, and of excellent quality. The
government consists of twelve shekhs, six of whom arc elected for life,
and the remaining six fi'om year to year. Their deliberations are public,
and the people all take part in them. Thetl and other minor offenses
are punished by a fine of dates ; those who are not able to pay, are con-
ducted out of the town, ])la(!ed njion the ground face downward, and
bastinadoed on the naked loins. If a murderer is taken, he is given into
the hands of the relatives of his victim, to whom he belongs. Accord-
ing to their caprice they may kill him, torture him, or set him free. The
amount received in fines is appropriated to keeping the mosques in re-
pair, to supporting the saints, or holy men, and to assisting strangers
who have been pillaged in the desert. As soon as the boys have at-
tained the age of puberty, they are obliged to le.ave the town and live in
a separate village outside of the walls. Each widower is also obliged to
leave his house and join the young bachelors ; if he marries again, he is
allowed to return home. They are permitted to enter the town during
the day, to see their relatives and friends, but they must retire before
siniset. In spite of tbeir mistrust, obtinacy and superstition, the hihab-
itants of Siwah are very hospitable. The poor, or strangers, may go to
the market of dates and eat to sr.tiety ; each one leaves his goods ex-
posed in public with the perfect assurance that no one will touch them.

At last, by means of presents judiciously distributed by the mame-
luke Ismail, Shekh AH was induced to second Cailliaud's application to
visit Om Boydah. But the other shekhs and the people still refused,
tmtil, on the evening of the 21st, the traveler offered to be conducted to
the temple with his eyes bandaged, seeing neither the country nor the
great fountain. On the same day news had been received of the ap-
proach of a large caravan coming from Bengazi, in Barca — a circum-
stance which would oblige Shekh Koroora to leave with his camels, as
there was not pasturage for all in the oasis. In the evening, Shekh Ali
came with the permission to visit Om Beydah, but counseled the trav-
eler to act with prudence, and to depart with Koroom immediately af-

250

CAILLIAUD'S JOoR' KY TO ETHIOPIA.

torwunl. Tliosc wcrti also his intentions, utid tlin next morning, at day-
light, ac(U)ni|)anicnl by M. LctoiKuu, Ismail, ami t'oiu- of the shoklis ol h>i.
wall, moiuitoil on a.ss(>H, ho si't out. Threading the woods of dalf-pahnM
watered by little brooks, for half an hour, they emerged from the shade
at the foot of the temple. "The ruin, altlumgh not extensive, apjieaied
to me imposing from its grand masses, construeted in the Egyptian style.
The remembranet! of the voyage of Alexander caused me to approacli it
with a HOit of religious respect. My attention was directed to the walls
of the temple; I looked for Homo vestiges of the ))resence of the Mace-
donian hero; but I found no inscription, no word in hi8 language. All
was mute ; his name even was unknown to the inhabitants, and buried
u» profound oblivion."

The temple consisted of a mass of ruins about throe hundred and
sixty feet in length by three liundred in breadth. The walls were not
more than eighteen feet high, and the roof, a portion of which renuiiiied,
was composed of blocks twenty-six feet long. At\er having measured
and inspected these ruins, Cailliaud began to make a sketch of them.
The people of Siwah, who accompanied him, approached in order to dis-
cover what he M'as doing; but as they saw he drew nothing but stones,
omitting the fountains and date-trees, they allowed him to proceed.
During this operation, Ismail amused them by playing with a fragment
of India-rubber ; they could not comiJivhend how so small a body could
prolong itself to such an extent, nor how it could elVace the writing on
paper. The guides now urged the; traveler to depart, and on reaching
the town, he learned that the caravan from Harca had arrived. Sliekh
Koroom was very anxious to set out, and the order was accordingly
given to load the camels. They left in the afternoon for the Little ( )asis,
several days' journey to the south, whither the shekh had jtroimsed to
conduct them ; but this intention was kept secret from the rest of the
caravan. During the next day's march, they were surprised by the ap-
pearance of another caravan, coining toward them. The camels were
arranged in order of battle, i)owder distributed, guns loaded, and every
preparation made to repel an attack, but the strangers fortunately
proved to be friends. Shekh Koroom, with two Arabs, and Cailliaud
and his party here left the caravan, in spite of the remonstrances of the
other Arabs, and set out for the Little Oasis. Their route led them
through tracks of salt desert, alternating with mountains of naked rock
and sand. On the 27th, they came ujmn a salt lake, the existence of
which had been hitherto unknown. The Arabs called it El-bahreyn (the
Two Lakes) ; it was nearly two leagues in length from east to west, by
half a league in breadth, bordered on the north by a long, rocky mount-
ain, and on the south by a great bank of sand, behiuJ which was a grove
of date and doum-palms.

"On the 1st of January, 1820, wo started at half-past nine, following
the valley toward the East. The grass, the asclepias, the tamarisks,
and some little marshes which we passed, announced to us the proximity

RESIDENCK IN T.ME LITTLE OASIS.

251

of tho oasis. In n short timo woppnitjived tl»o d.ito-grovcH. With what
|>luastirp wc disitovcriul thiH liuh vurdurc, in tho midst ui' tito sunds of tho
dt'sft't, utler having luidergonu ho many fatigues, ho miu;h caru and pri-
vation ! Tliu vugotalion appcjiri'd to mo still moro beautiful when I
thought of the signs of winter tlten prevailing in Kurope. At noon, we
arrived at El-Kasr, the largest village of tho oasis. On approaching it,
we met the shekh, who came to offer us the use of his house, whither wo
repaired." The travelers were very hospitably entertained. Having
expressed a wish to visit tho anti(piities of the place, they were next day
conducted to the ruins of a triumphal arch, of Roman thno, Hmall, but of
graceful design. Near the village of Mendysh were numerous catacoinbs,
and the remains of an old Coptic village, but Oailliaud failed to discover
any thing of special interest. There was also a warm spring, probably
tiie same mistaken by IJel/.oni for the Fountain of the Sim, as the latter
supposed this oasis, which he visited, to be tliat of Jupiter iVmmon.

On the 10th, a small caravan arrived from Minyeh, on tho Nile, and
Cailliaud took the opportunity to Hcnd back witli it one of liis servants
in chargf 'f all liis unnecessary baggage, and tho minerals, shells, and
ciniosities which he had collected. His contract with Koroom being at
an end, ho asked the shekh of tho oasis to procure him camels for liis
further journey, and in the mean time employed himself in making a
topographical plan of the oasis. In this he was soon embarrassed by the
inhabitants, some of whom declared that ho was putting their country
upon paper, in order to show it to the pasha, and thereby increase their
tribute ; while others imagined it to be a work of magic, which would
cause their -prings to dry u[). In spite of tho firman of Mohammed
All, whiih til' shekh read aloud, publicly, the oppositicm was so great
that the traNoIers wero obliged to make their observations secretly, Lut
as they were detained several weeks, waiting ibr camels, they finally suc-
ceeded in making a very correct map.

On the '2d of February, however, a complaint was made before the
cadi, and the principal inhabitants of the village assembled around Cail-
liaud's house. The travelers were formally arraigned, and tho most
profound silence ensued, when an Arab stepped into the circle to de-
nounce them. " I have seen him," said he, pointing to Cailliaud, "stop
at a ibuntam and ])lunge therein an mstrument of glass and of silver.
After having withdrawn it, he immediately began to write." These
magical proceedings, lie said, were made to alarm the inhabitants.
There was tlien a general demand to behold the instrument of sorcery.
The thermometer was produced, and Cailliaud endeavoreu, but in vain,
to explain its properties. Wlien he made the column of mercury rise
or fall, by applying or withdrawing the ball of his thumb, they looked
on with terror, calling tho Prophet to their aid. He then showed them
a telescope and repeating watch, and exploded some fulminating silver;
all of which all the more firndy convinced them of his :rr>agical powers.
They appointed a man to watch him day and uight, but the spy foimd

252

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

the sorcerer's table so much better than his own, that he soon became
a firm friend. Meanwhile the inhabitants busied themselves in pro-
curing camels, in order that the dangerous visitor might be enabled to
leave as soon as possible.

The departure took place on the 10th of February. The iuhabitants
assembled in a crowd to witness it, and Cailliaud judged it prudent to
distribute a few parting gifts among them. The cadi gave him a letter
of recommendation to the sheklis of the Oasis of Farafreh, which no
European had ever visited, and where, consequently, difficulties were to
be anticipated. Passing a range of sand-stone mountains, and plains of
gravel dotted with isolated peaks, the cfaavan reached a village called
V'-Ii: yz, a dependency of the Little Oasis, after ten hours' march. Near
this i)lace are the remains of an ancient Christian church, on the wall
of which the travelers noticed a mutilated fresco of St. George and the
dragon. After five days' journey over barren deserts, passing many an-
cient oases which the sands have now completely inundated, they ap-
proached Farafreh. "An accident, which might have proved fatal,
broke the monotony of our journey. Our camels had been bitten and
frightened by j, vicious he-camel of the caravan, and my interpreter and
myself werj thrown upon the bare rock. This fall was terrible ; it was
impossible for me to rise ; ray interpreter fell upon his head, and I suf-
lered hitense pains in the loins. But we were near Farafreh. The de-
sire of arriving there gave us strength, and at the end of an hour our
Arabs assisted us to remount our dromedaries.

" Toward evening wo discovered the palms of Farafreh, and an-ived
there after a march of ten hours. On seeing us, the Arabs flew to
arms, and assembled at the gate of their village ; most of them mounted
on the towers of the Kasr, and all had muskets. These preparations
made us fear that they would not receive us. Seeing us advance, they
sent two men to parley with us. The g- eting of these men was un-
friendly ; they offered us Avater and every thing else which we wanted,
on condition that we would not approach the village, adding that they
had orders to make us continue our route, '^ur reputation in the Little
Oasis had pixceded ns, and it was known that we were Christians ; but
I was not in a condition to go further, and my interpreter was scarcely
able to speak. I told them I had a firman from the Pasha, which they
should see next morning, at the same time ordering the camels to be
unloaded, and the tents pitched near the village. They still insisted that
we should leave, but I threw myself on my carpet, and listened to no
one. When they had been informed of our accident <'ny took pity on
us, and allowed us to pass the night tranquilly."

The next day the shekhs of the place came to visit Cailliaud. They
paid no attention to the firman of Mohammed Ali, nor to the letter of
the shekh of the Little Oasis ; but a dish of crows cooked with rice,
which M'as offered to them, secured their good graces — nothing more
was said of forcing the travelers to leave, although they were denied en-

THE OASES OF PARAFllEII AND DAKHBL.

253

trance into the village. Cailliaudi during tlie two following days, suc-
ceeded in making a plan of the oasis, and in taking a sketch of the vil-
lage by means of a camera obscura. While he yvaa thus employed the
natives thronged around, curious to know what he was doing. He di-
rected M. Letorzec to take a telescope and point it to the sun ; the
interpreter made the people sit on the ground and observe profound
silence. After the magical operation was finished the chiefs were allowed
to look througli the telescope, and they cried out in astonishment at
seeing the sun (through the colored lens) as a ball of purple fire. The
people were then allowed to look, and h» their gratification, they gave
the travelers permission to enter their village. Contrary to Cailliaud's
expectation, there were no ruins of importance. The principal building
was the Kasr, or Castle, which was about three hundred feet in circuit,
and thirty-live feet in height, built of stone and burned bricks. The
Oasis of Farafreh is said to have been the first which was conquered
by the Moslems from the Christians who formerly inhabited these des-
erts.

After a stay of foin* days, Cailliaud set out for the Oasis of Dakhel,
which he reached after a journey of three days. On approaching the
largest village, called also the Kasr, the principal inhabitants came out
to receive him. After he had encamped in a garden of dates and
olive-trees, outside of the wall, the shekhs came, bringing a j)resent of
dates and dried apricots. When he informed them that he desired to
see the antiquities of the oasis, they willingly offered to show them to
him. These antiquities, however, are of little im]>ortance, consisting of
some catacombs, several brick edifices of Roman construction, and a
small Egyptian temple which appears to belong to the era of the Ptole-
mies. Near the town there is a natural warm spring, which the inhabit-
ants have conducted into batlis cut m the rock, where they bathe every
morning.

Some Arabs, coming from Siout, brought the news that the pasha
was preparing an expedition agahist Dongola, and this news excited in
Cailliaud the desire to profit by the occasion, to visit Ethiopia and
Meroe. Besides this, his funds were getting low and his party were
exhausted by the fatigues of desert travel. Inste.'id, therefore, of re-
maining to make a careful survey of the oasis, he determined to make a
hasty visit to the (ireat Oasis of El-Khargeh (sometimes called the
Oasis of Thebes), and then return to the Nile. Afler a stay of only two
days at Kasr-Dakhel, ho set out, journeying through the oasis for tho
first day or two ; the path then led over an elevated desert plateau,
crossed by detached mounttiin chains. " On the morning of the Ist of
March, w«! reached a moimtain of s.'indstone, whence we had the satiS'
faction of discovering, in the south-east, the palms of El-Kliargeh, two
and a half leagues distant. It would have been more agreeable to us
to have seen the palms of the Nile ; my Arabs, above all, would have
desired it, as two of them were suffering severely with fever, but we

254

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

were all delighted to roach El-Kliargeh, where we should have two days
rest. We soon descended into the valley, and encamped near a line
fountain, under some superb acacias. It was a lively pleasure to me to
behold again the ruins which had excited my surprise and admiration in
April, 1818. The shekh of El-Khargeh, who was soon apprised of the
arrival of Europeans, ran to meet me. What Avas his surprise when ho
recognized me, after an absence of two years ! He no longer considered
me as a fool, and was more than ever convinced that I had discovered
treasures among the ruins, which I had now come to carry away."

Cailliaud only remained two days, to examine the great temple,
which is one hundred and ninety-five feet in length, and then took the
direct road to Siout, in Upper Egypt. The journey was very rough and
fatiguing; they expected to reach the Nile by the end of the fourth day,
but the camels were too much fatigued. The next morning " the camels
were very lively ; they seemed already to smell the air of the Nile-val-
ley. At the end of an hour, we reached the crest of a mountain, and all
at once discovered at our feet the shores of the Nile, which we had
quitted four months before. Then, suffering ofir glances to wander
alternately over the desert we had traversed, and the smiling perspective
before us, we admired at our leisure this interesting contrast. On one
side, the river presented to ns, as far as our vision extended, its banks
covered with verdure, with flowers, and with harvests ; the palms of the
Nile, the numerous barks upon the water, and the animals which grazed
upon the shores, animated the lovely landscape : on the other hand, the
desert still saddened us \vith the appearance of its vast sea of arid and
burning sands,"

" On reaching the cultivated lands, we encountered a Bedouin
woman, carrying a jar of water upon her head, and begged her to stop.
She contemplated our caravan, exhausted with fatigue ; our camels,
haggard and marching painfully ; our own pale faces, our Arabs covered
with dust, depressed and shaking with fever — these objects at once told
her how much wo needed water, and she hastened to offer us all that
her jar contained, with some dates. The young woman asked if it had
been a long time since we had left the Nile. * Four months,' replied
the Arabs. ' Four months !' she excljumed, fixing upon us her beautiful
dark eyes, with a touching expression of tenderness and pity. Then,
by a spontaneous movement, she extended her arms toward us, adding
in a plaintive voice, ' O my friends, O my unfortunate brothers !' I
presented this charitable creature with a silver coin, and we left her with
our benedictions."

Disappointed in finding letters from Europe at Siout, Cailliaud re-
solved to proceed immediately to Cairo, where he arrived on the 18th.
He was not able to see Mohammed Ali, for the plague had broken out
in the citadel, and the pasha had shut himself up in his palace at Shoo-
bra. The French Consul, Drovetti, however, presented him to Ismail
Pasha, who was about setting out for Upper Egypt, to take command

THE EXPEDITION OP ISMAIL PASHA.

255

of the expedition against Dongola. This prince assured the traveler
of his protection, and offered to assist him in the execution of his
plans. As it was dlfHcult to hire a vessel for the ascent of the Nile,
Cailliaud purchased a boat about twenty-fivo feet long, ^vith a cabin
large enough for three persons, and sailed for Upper Egypt on the
22d of April, accompanied by M. Letorzec, an interpreter, and two
Arab servants. On reaching Siout, he learned that the expedition to
Dongola had been retarded, and therefore proceeded to Thebes, where
he arrived on the 14th of May, designing to occupy himself with
arelui'ological studies diu'ing the delay. lie had a temporary dwelling
matle from the stones of a ruined temple, at the foot of the mountain
of Goorneh; the roof was composed of the lids of mummy-coffins.
Here he occupied himself in copying the representations in the adjoin-
ing tombs ; but the continued delay of the expedition led him to be-
lieve that he would have time to rettu'n to ('airo, and make an excur-
sion to the ruins of Cyrenc on the Libyan coast, beforo the departure of
Ismail Pasha for Dongola.

In consequence of this, he departed from Thebes on the 6th of June,
and arrived at Cairo after a voyage of twenty days. Here he visited
Ismail Pasha, who renewed to him the proniisi^ of liis assistance and pro-
tection, but added that he intended to set out with the expedition in
fifteen days. Cailliaud's voyage was therefor^ useless, and after visiting
the petrified forests near Cairo, he started on his return to Upper Egypt
on the 27th of July. After a tedious voyage of twenty-two days he
again reached Thebes, but continued his journey without halt — except
to pjirchase four dromedaries at Daraou — to Assouan, whore Ismail
Pasha was then encamped, on the left bank of the Nile. " The shores
were crowded with barks, and covered with troops, tents, camels, cav-
alry, baggage, ammunition, and artillery ; every thing announced the
war which was soon to be carried on in Nubia. These preparations had
an important aspect : the cries of the animals, the acclamations of the
])eoi)Ie, the songs of the Albanians, the music of the cymbals and flutes,
and the roll of the drums — all contributed to excite the imagination.
Tlie camp presented a picture of mirth ; each one gave himself up to
joy ; the soldiers saw pillage in perspective ; the pasha flattered himself
with the idea of capturing forty thousand negroes ; the Europeans were
ambitious of reaching Meroe, and in that ambition, exposed themselves
to the dangers and chances of an unjust war.'*

Soon after his arrival, Cailliaud paid a visit to Ismail Pasha, and
found him still favorably disposed, lie offered the traveler a tent, and
the usual daily ration, which the latter declined. Soon afterward, how-
ever, he learned that the Greek physicians in the pasha's service were
intriguing to prevent hitn from going ; reports were spread that he had
a secret conmiission from the French government to search for gold
mines. On visiting the pasha a second time, two days afterward, Cailliaud
saw that thcso intrigues were likely to prove successful. He was coldly

256

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

received, and the paslia stated that, since reflecting upon the subject, ho
believed tliat it would be useless for him to accompany the expedition,
which was wholly warlike, and would give him no opportunity of
examining the antiquities of the country, Tlic traveler presented to
him three firmans, which he liad received from Mohammed Ali, but as
the name of Dongola was not mentioned in them, the pasha made this a
pretext for persistuig in Ids refusal, stating that a now firman would be
necessaiy.

Cailliaud had already gone to considerable expense in preparing for
the journey, and rather tlian give up liis Ijopos at this point, he deter-
mined to return at once to Cairo. The country was inundated by the
rise of the Nile ; his progress Avas tedious and d(?layed by accidents, and
he did not reach Cairo until the '20th of September. Mohammed All
had gone to Alexandria, whither the traveler followed him. lie lost no
time in being presented to tlie pasha, wlio demanded news of his son Is-
mail and tlie army. Cailliaud gave him the desired infonnation, then
spoke of Sennaar and the gold-mines which were said to exist in the
mountains beyond that country, promising to examine them and report
to him whether they couM be profitably worked. This proposition was
well received, and the pasha i)romised new firmans for Sennaar and the
gold-mines, which were made out and delivered two days allerward.
The return voyage was immediately commenced ; four days more were
spent at Cairo, in procuring additional supplies, and the party, after en-
countering a violent hurricane in pass'"ig Djebcl Silsileh, did not reach
Daraou until the 19th of November. Here he obtained a guide for Don-
gola, and learned, from messengers descending the Nile, that Ismail
Pasha had gained a victory over the Shygheeas, in Southern Nubia. The
messengers carried with them the heads of six shcklis, and the ears of
several hundred warriors, which the pasha was sending to Mohanuned
Ali.

Cailliaud'8 caravan, consisting of eight persons — including himself,
M. Letorzee, and the captain of his bark, a Maltese — left Assouan on the
25th of November. Thoy ascended the western bank of the Nile, de-
voting very little time to the examination of the Egyptian temples in
Nubia, in their haste to overtake the army, and reached Wadi Ilalfii
(the second cataract) on the 8th of December. After being detained in
this neighborhood for some days by vexatious disputes in relation to
guides and camels, which it is not necessary to describe, they resumed
their journey through the Batn el-IIadjar, Sukkot, and Mahass, taking
nearly the same route followed by Burckhardt in his return from the lat-
ter country. The track sometimes followed the course of the river,
sometimes swerved to the right, into the desert, to avoid its windings.
On the 3d of January, 1821, they reached the temple of Soleb, the most
beautifid of the Egyptian monuments in Nubia, above the second cata-
ract, and remained several days to examine it. Cailliaud considered it
of similar style to the Memnonium at Thebes ; he gives its length at three

MEETING WITU ENGLISH TE4.VELERS.

257

hundred and fifty feet, and counted the remains of more than ninety col-
umns, some of which, thirty-two feet high, are still standing on their
pedestals.*

On the 11th of January, the caravan reached tlio frontier of Dongola.
" Our route was bordered by a grove of tufted acacias, which hi(^ from
our view the opposite bank of the river. At a quarter of a league to the
west, we saw other acacias, with cultivated fields and the habitations of
the Arabs. There, only, I felt that I had quitted Egypt. In Lower
Nubia, as in Egypt, the monotonous ispect of the palms, the burning
rocks, the sands which threaten to enguif the valley of the Nile, occasion
a profound feeling of melancholy ; but the region I had reached prc-
sentetl a very diiferent aspect — the palms were there replaced by thick
woods of acacias and of nebbuks. This verdure recalled France to my
mind ; I felt the Hveliest emotion in traversing this smiling country. In
the afternoon we encamped at the village of Hafyr, where we remained
a day, and met with Messrs. Waddington and Hanbury, who came from
the province of Shygheea, the limit of their journey, and were returnhig
to Cairo. I flattered myself that this unexpected meeting would pro-
cure me the advantage of learning what the antiquities were which, the
Arabs had told me, existed in Shygheea ; but Mr. Waddington, whom I
questioned on the subject, was by no means indiscreet. He suffered me
to remain in the most profound ignorance, and my surprise was there-
fore extreme, when, on arrivmg at Berkel, I first beheld the grand monu-
ments there.''

A (qw days after this, the caravan began to suffer from a scarcity of
provisions. Sheep were to be liad, and the travelers shot doves and
liartridges, but the army of Ismail Pasha had swept away all the grain,
so that they had neither bread for themselves, nor food for their camels.
()l)po.site tl»e island of Argo, Cailliaud learned that there was a dei)6t of
army supplies, but on visiting it, found that nothing was to be had except
some dourra (a coarse grain resembling broom-corn), and dried beans,
and to obtain even these he must first procure an order from King Tom-
boul, who lived on Jin adjoining island. Kafiz Effendi, the commissary,
nevertheless received the traveler kindly, invited him to dmner, and of-
fered to allow his caravan to accompany a small military party of his
own, which was to leave for Ismael Pasha's camp in a few days. This
offer was accepted ; a visit to King Tomboul procured two bags of
dourra and beans ; and Cailliaud th; u set to work to cxamme the anti-
quities of the island.

'' We were obliged," ho says, " to traverse plains covered with thick
woods, where it was often necessary to descend fi-om our liorses hi order

• TIio Tomplo of Sololi. sitiiato 1 in tlio midst of a landscape which presents the mo.st
tpphantinj? forms, stands in n 'f'.o bay of verdure, inclosed on three sides by the rocks
oi the ncsert. Wliethttr tiie (,> - eicr upprouchea it from north or south, it appears unox-
|>eotcdly, and the surprise • ■ «ao lirut view teudd to hoightoa the impreaaion of its syiu-
mctry and majesty. — B. T.

258

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

to penetrate the little paths, bordered with acacia and arbutus. The
charms of these delicious paths made us disregard the obstacles we en-
countered. Vegetation, on this island, breathes of freshness and life :
the trees which have been dried up by age, or choked by the violent
embraces of the parasitic vines, still present the appearance of vigor and
youth, imder the tissue of verdure, with which these gigantic plants em-
brace them, forming arbors which no art can imitate. We at length ar-
rived at the spot, where lie the two colossal statues of Memnon. A bare
space, covered with fragments of sandstone, and two hundred and fifty
by one hundred and seventy feet, indicates the extent of the temple, the
materials of which have entirely disappeared. Not a single stone of any
size, which might have formed part of it, can now be recognized. At
the eastern extremity are the statues, overthrown upon the earth. They
are of gray granite, and about twenty-two feet high. The execution is
not of a very good style ; the bodies are too flat, and the nose too de-
pressed ; one docs not see the correct and beautiful workmanship of the
head of the young Memnon, shipped to England by Belzoni — whence I
infer that the latter is a more recent work than the colossi of Arjjos."

After several days' detention on the island, Cailliaud joined a caravan
of a hundred and fifty camels, and accompanied it to Old Dongola, which
he reached in five days. Here he had his own camels and baggage trans-
ported to the eastern bank of the Nile, which was considered more safe,
and then devoted two days to an inspection of the town. He found little
to mterest him except an ancient Coptic convent, built of burned bricks.
On the terrace over the upper story were still to be seen the remains of
the belfry, while pillars of granite, with the lotus capital, sujjported the
interior. The Mussulmen, although knowing the building to have been
erected by the Christians, had nevertheless converted it hito a mosque.
Dongola, formerly a flourishing city, had been ruined by the incursions
of the Shyghceas, and in traversing the streets, Cailliaud only met with
two half-naked women, shivering with cold ; for the wind was blowing
strongly from the north, and the place was env<;loped in clouds of sand.

Leaving Dongola on the 3d of February, the caravan continued to
ascend the Nile, finding traces of the war in woimded men and devas-
tated villages. In three days they reached the frontier of the Shygheca
country, at the village of Karafat. While resting there three quarters
of an hour under a large acacia, they were accosted by several Shyglieeas,
who spoke Arabic. One of thern had lost his ears at the battle of
Korti, and related to Cailliaud an exciting story of his suflTerings and
escape. Beyond this were many abandoned villages and deserted fields.
In two more days they arrived at Merawe, " and it was not without sur-
prise," says Cailliaud, " that I found here a j)lace of this name. I in-
quired carefully whether there were any antiquities in the neighborhood,
and was informed that at Mount Berkcl, a short distance off", there was
a 'city of the infidels.' There were the monuments whose existence Mr.
Waddington wished to conceal from me. The next morning we set out

A NIGHT VISIT.

259

to visit thom, across the cultivated fieMs. Passing the grand pyramidal
mansions of the Shekhs of Shygheea, after a short march, we reached a
little village called Shibat. What was my joy, when I discovered pyra-
mids to the north, and soon a great extent of ruins at the foot of Mount
Berkel ! Impatient to arrive, I urged on my dromedary. I then ad-
vanced on foot into the midst of those immense ruins ; here, the remains
of a beautiftil temple were exposed to my gaze ; ^here, i)iled together
confusedly, the debris of pillars, temples, and pyramids. Where shall
I direct my steps ? To which shall I give the preference ? I desired
to see every thing at once. To the east, on the other bank, I saw the
summits of several other pyramids. I ran rapidly around the ancient
inclosure of eight temples, and the pyramids ; but the day passed away,
and I could take but a supei-ficial view of the crowd of objects which
surrounded me, before the night constrained us to retire. A Shygheean
family gave us lodgings for the night, in a little village near the river.
The women only were at home; their husbands, in order to escape
from the Turks, to whom they had not yet submitted, were concealed
somewhere in the desert."

In the night, while Cailliaud was dreaming of the antiquities he had
seen, he was aroused by the trampling of horses, and the voices of men.
"I arose, and as our chamber had no door, in an instant I was in the
court, where I saw five Shyghocans on horseback. It was the pro-
prietor of the house, accompanied by four friends, who had quitted
their retreat, to visit their wives under cover of the night. One of
these men accosted me in an angry voice, demanding why the pasha did
not choose some other mode of punishment than impalement. I was
astoxmded at this question, the purport of which I could not conceive ;
but his friends called the man and he entered with them. The rest of
my party were already awakened by the noise. The Shyghoeans began
to drink mareesa, a liquor which sometimes bewilders the head. A
slave finally gave me the key to the sanguinary remark which had been
addressed to me. The bodies of five of the inhabitants of the place
were at that moment exposed near our lodgifig, upon the stakes of their
impalement ; they were malefactors, who had been executed in this
manner on account of their murders and robberies. This execution,
horrible as it was, no doubt contributed to our own safety. We kept
guard the rest of the night, but before morning the five Shygheeans
hastened to regain the desert."

The next day Cailliaud set out on a visit to Ismail Pasha, whose camp
he reached after a march of five hours. The prince was ill, but he was
very kindly received by Abdin Bey, to whom he delivered his new fir-
mans, and who, after perusing them, made profuse offers of his services.
The anny was to set out for Berber and Shendy in three days, and the
traveler immediately sent for his companion, M. Letorzec, and the rest
of his baggage, in order to be in readiness. Meanwhile, he took occJ^
sion to visit the pyramids of Noori, which he had first seen at a distance,

260

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA

from the foot of Mount Berkol. These pyramids are fifteen in number,
of modonilo siw, the base of tlie larj;est mc^asurinjjf one hundred and
sixty feet, but curioiw from tlie resemblanee of some of them to the ter-
raced pyramids of Sakkara.

On the 18th, Ismail Pasha having recovered from his feigned indis-
position, Cailliaud was admitted to see him. He was received with all
the political cunning of the Turkish race, but it was decided that he
should be allowed to accompany the expedition, although, previous to
this interview, it was known that the prince was strongly opposed to it,
imder the pretense that the firmans of his father were not addressed to
him. He had even, as Cailliaud afterward learned, sent a dispatch to
the governor at Wady Haifa, to prevent the traveler from going beyond
that point, but the messenger, fortunately, did not arrive in time. The
army at that time consisted of four thousand men, of whom one thou-
sand eight hundred were cavalry, besides two thousand servants, and
three thousand camels. There were also twenty-four pieces of artillery.
The pasha liad a body-guard of twenty Mamelukes. The diplomatic
functions were exercised by three ulemas, who made great efforts to
subjugate the people by moral suasion, and avoid the effusion of blood.
They often succeeded in this lunnane intent, and were rewarded with
robes of honor, and a sum equal to about one thousand two hundred
dollars each.

The camp was broke. » up on the 21st of February, and the army
commenced the march to Berber. One third of the troops were left
with the boats, which were obliged to M'ait for the rise of the Nile, to
pass the cataracts ; the remainder, headed by the pasha, took a south-
east course across the desert, to avoid the great curve of the Nile. At
nine o'clock a gun gave the signal for loading the camels, and the march
began two hours afterward, with the roll of drums. The route was
difficult, on account of the rocky ranges which it was necessary to cross.
In order to avoid the mid-day heats, the army traveled mostly by night ;
fires were lighted along the route, as landmarks, and the troops amused
themselves by kindling the dry foliage of the doum-palms. On the fifth
night a violent wind arose, which drove the flames among the baggage-
camels, and several of Abdin Bey's tents were bumed. The ammunition
was fortunately in the rear, and escaped. The night-journey was so
fiitiguing, as it was almost impossible to obtain sleep during the day,
that Cailliaud could with difficulty keep his sejtt on his camel. In the
morning the rocky valley they had been following, became more nar-
row ; the presence of palms and acacias was hailed with delight, for it
announced the proximity of the Nile. Finally, after a march of fourteen
hours, worn out with fatigue, they reached the river. " Like the rest,"
says the traveler, " I rendered homage to him, in quenching my thirst.
In the twinkling of an eye, the banks were covered with soldiers ; all
desired to drink the water of the river, or to plunge into it. The army
appeared to have regained a new existence. The Nile, in fact, gives

VISIT OP KING LKOPARD.

261

life to every thing which breathes or vegetatos in these countries, and
the Egyptian who is afar from its creative waters seems to have lost the
essential part of his vitality."

The day after the pasha's ^rival, a courier brought news that the
Shygheeans had rallied and united themselves with the forces of Shcndy.
Berber was but two days' journey distant, but the cannon had not yet
arrived, and a further halt was ordered, until it should come up. Three
days afterward, another courier brought a contradiction of tlie tirst mes-
sage, which, it was subsequently ascertained, was only a ruse of the
pasha, in order to encourage his troops with the prospect of a battle.
The march was resumed at midnight on the 4th of March. " Many of
the camels, overcome with fatigue, dropped by the way, and the order
was given to slaughter them for provisions. One of my own, lying upon
the ground, was unable to rise ; it was loaded with dhourra, and I should
have willingly lost the load if I could have preserved the animal. The
final stimulant, which consists in applying a burning torch to the flanks,
was then administered ; the poor brute rose and ran, but only to fall
again, further on."

In approaching El-Mekheyref, the chief city of Berber, the pasha, in
order to make a strong impression on the inhabitants, disposed his army
in order of battle. The brilliant array of the troops, their rich dresses,
and the splendor of the pasha's staff, filled the people with astonishment
and admiration ; and the chiefs of the country came at once with offers
of submission. In order to proceed fiirther, it was necessary first to pro-
cure a great number of baggage camels, and expeditions were sent among
the Arabs of the surrounding deserts for this purpose. Soon atler his
arrival, Cailliaud i)aidavisit to the Kingof Berber, Nasr cd-Deen, whom
ho found lying upon his bed, suffering from some woimds which he had
received in his wars with the Shygheeans. A low stool, exactly similar
to those which arc represented in the tombs of Thebes, was offered to
the tr.aveler, who was also furnished with coffee, a pipe, and some other
refreshments. F'ivo shekhs, tall, athletic men, of noble figtire, were
seated around the king.

" On the 12th of March, a son of Mok Nemr (King Leopard), the
King of Shendy, brought to Ismail Pasha the news of the submission of
that country. The latter desired a visit from the Mek himself, who
reached the camp on the 22d. He was in a sort of palanqum, carried by
two camels. His costume, of an elegant simplicity, consisted of two robes
of great fineness ; the under one Avas white, and the other of a rich In-
dian stuff; a sort of mantle hung from his shoulders, and upon his head
was a pointed cap, with long, falling ends. His guard Avas composed of
fifty men armed with lances, shields, and sabers, some of which were
adorned with silver ; behind him marched two men armed with lances,
and two others carrying long wands, tipped with balls of silver. After
having several times prostrated himself, with a sad and humiliated air,
the unhappy king, on being invited thereto, seated himself upon a carpet

262

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO BTHIOPIA.

in front oflnniuil Pasha. IIo took the handof tho latter, kisHed it above
an<l below, and placed it u\K>n his head in token of Hubmiasion. Tho
pashii ^avu liini to underutand that his visit vrm tardy, and tho kui^ hum*
bly replied that he was his servant. Neither pijjo nor cotTeo was pre-
sented to him. At the end of ten minutes of cilcncc, he took his leave,
all tho inquietude of his soul painted on his counteniuico. The next day
the pasha showed him more at ..ention, sending him a horse richly capar-
isoned, a dress, a green tent, Ui.d some dishes from his own table."

Reinforcements Imving arrived from Egypt, the army waL obliged to
delay its march from the want of provisions. Cailliaud was very impa-
tient, but madctlie most of his time in endeavoring to ascertain from the
inhabitants whether there were any ancient ruins in the province. On
the 19th of April, being in the pasha's tent, the conversation turned up(m
gold mines. Tho pasha exhibited a large diamond whi(;h his iiither had
sent him, and asked Cailliaud in what country such stones were found.
The latter answered that all the diamond mines heretofore discovered
were situated about the 18th parallel of latitude. lie took occasion to
bay, also, that in order to discover the true diamond soil, it would be ad-
visable to make excursions out of tho regular track of tho army, and
added that the antiquarian explorations which he desired to make in
Shendy might be turned to good account, in this manner. After tho
subject had been fully explained, the pasha stated that jis tlv rainy sea-
son would soon conmience, the army would not halt at Sheiiay, but, to
Cailliaud's great delight, gave him permission to set out in advance, with
a small escort. He insisted, however, that the travelers should pass for
Turks, and assume Turkish names, giving to Cailliaud the name of Murad
Eftendi, and to M. Letorzec that of Abdallali El-Fakeer. When the two
conversed in French, the natives supposed the language to be Turkish
(and, in fact, there is some resemblance in the sound of the two lan-
guages), while their Turkish dresses, their bare legs, their long beards,
their shaven heads, and their tanned complexions, made the disguise com-
plete, and caused them to be taken everywhere for good Mussulmen.

Having received firmans from the pasha, they set out two days after-
ward, and after passing the mouth of the Atbara (the ancient Asta-
boras), the most northern tributary of the Nile, continued their journoy
for two days, and then crossed to the eastern bank of the Nile, at the
village of El-Bagheyr. Here, Cailliaud had already passed the latitude
assigned by the French geographer, D'Anville, to the ancient city of
Meroe, and was uncertain what course to take. After sweeping tho
horizon in vain, for some trace of ruins, he proceeded southward, enter-
ing the territory of Mek Nemr, of Shendy. Their appearance called to-
gether a crowd of people ; the envoys sent by the i)asha to Shendy had
followed the western bank of the Nile, and they were the first Turks
whom the natives had ever seen. They judged it prudent to say that
they were only a little in advance of the pasha's army. After the inhab-
itants had retired, Cailliaud took his guide apart, and began to question

DISCOVERY OF MERGE.

268

him concerning what ho hail hoard in Berber, that otic day's jourm^y
north of Shendy there were a great many taraftccls, or heaps of hewn
stones. The latter, Hupposujg tliat the traveler was seat by the pasha
to discover hidden treasures, first asked him whether, if lie found a great
quantity of gokl, he woukl give him a Htth', that he might get married.
To this CailHaud consented, and he then verihed the statement, adding
tiiat tlie tttrabeeln were only four or five leagries distant ; that there were
a hundred of them, and tiiat it was pi Hsible to climb to their sunnnits.

Cailliand feared that these tarabeelit were Hiini)ly heaps of granite
boulders, such aa are seen at Assouan. His exeitement was so great that
he could not sleep ; rousing his party at one o'clock in the morning,
much to their aston'shmont, lie set out. Mek Nemr had passed along
the day before, on his return to Shondy; his convoy had plundered iho
iidiabitants of the villages through which they passed, and the people
were awake and lamenting over their loss. The travelers feared a re-
prisal under cover of the night, and did not consider themselves safe, im-
til the dawn appeared, when they entered an open desert i)lain three
miles in length. " The guide then announced to me that we should soon
see the tdnihe.eh. Imagine the joy which I felt on beholding a crowd
of pyramids, the summits of which were splendidly gilded by the rays of
the Sim, then just above the horizon ! Never did he illumine a spe( taclo
more delightful to me ! I urged on my dromedary ; I Avould have anni-
hilated the space of a league or two which still separated me from the
ruins of the ancient capital of Ethiopia. At last, I arrived ; my first aim
was to mount an eminence that I might embrace at one glance the whole
extetit of the ruins. I remained motionless with pleasure and admiration
at the sight of this imposing spectacle. I then ascended the most ele-
vated of the monuments. There, wishing to pay a tribute of homage to
the illustrious geographer whose genius had directed my steps, I carved
upon the stone the name of D'Anville. Again casting my eyes around
nie, I discovered in the west a second group of pyramids, and, a short
distance from the river, a vast space covered with ruins and rubbish, an-
nouncing the situation of the ancient city. When the rest of ray party
arrived, I descended to examine the little sanctuaries attached to the
toraba ; silence and solitude prevailed everywhere. I saw, to my great
regret, the impossibility of establishing my residence in one of these fu-
nereal chambers, and therefore sought an abode in the little village of
Assour, near the river. In repairing thither, I passed among the other
pyramids and the ruins which I had seen, and distinguished there the
remains of several temples, with an avenue adorned with colossal rams."

Cailliaud found that the letters of the pasha were not respected by
the chiefs of the village. He therefore adopted the more prudent plan
of inviting them to dinner, and distributing some beads and other trink-
ets among the people. This course soon established him in their good
graces, and he was allowed to continue his explorations undisturbed,
during the fourteen days which intervened before the arrival of the

264

CAILLIAUD'8 JOURNEY TO ETIIIoriA.

}ia»iiu and his army. Tho group of pyramids wliii-h ho had firHt Hoon be-
longed to tlio nocropolirt of tlio ancient city. Tlicy stand upon a low
ridge at the foot of the mountain of Mogran. Tliey are all built of fino
red sandHtone, in regular courses of masonry, tho spaces of which are not
filled, or cased, as in tho Egyptian pyramids, excei)t at tho corners, whioh
aro covered with a narrow hem, or molding. Tho stones arc about
eighteen inches high, and tho recession of each course varies from two
to four inches, so th.'it tho height f tho structure is always much greater
than tho breadth of tho base. A peculiarity of these pyramids is, that
tho sides aro not straight but curved lines, of different degrees of convex-
ity, and tho breadth of tho courses of stono is adjusted with tho utmost
nicety, to produce this form. Tho largest of these pyramids has a baso
of lirty-eight, with an elevation of eighty-live leet. There aro twenty-ono
in all, besides tho substructures of sixteen others. To the east arc twenty
others, more or loss ruined, and on tho plain nearer the Nile, tho remains
of a group of forty-six, some of which are very small, having bases of
from fifteen to twenty feet. The sites of one hiimh'ed and ninety-six
j»yramids, in all, have been discovered. Of this city, nothing remahis
except mounds of pottery and broken bricks, the foundations of stono
walls, fragments ,)f colmnns and statues, and occasionally the outlines of
temples and other i)ublio edifices, covering an extent of nearly two miles.
From tho nioro recent researches of Lei)slus, tho ago of these ruuis is
fixed at from two thousand to twenty-two htuidred years.

During his stay, Cailliaiid w.as not without considerable anxiety for
the safety of his j)arty. Wislung to forward news of his discoveries to
Europe, ho determined to send one of his Arabs to Egypt, with letters,
and engaged one of the men of Assour to accoinj)any him as far as tho
army. On the return of tho latter ho learned that liis messenger had
been waylaid and robbed by the country people, who had destroyed ail
tho letters. The shekh of a neighboring village, who had become his
friend, informed him that tho soldiers of Mek Nemr intended to seize
him, and offered him an asylum in his own liouse. l?ut tho very next
<l:iy, fortunately, tho first of the pasha's boats appeared on the Nile, an-
nouncing tho immediate ai)proach of the Egyi)tian army, whii^h arrived
two days afterward, on tho 8th of May. Cailliaud was now safe, and
having completed his drawings and measurements, he followed tho
trooj)s, and arrived next day at Shendy. On crossing the Nile to visit
the pasha, who was encamped uj)on the western bank, he w.'is informed
bv tho latter that thu armv would continue its march to Semiaar — a cir-
ctmistanee which obliged him to postpone an excursion to tho valleys
of Mesowurat and Naga, south-cast of Shendy, where, ho was informed,
there were many ruined temples.

On the ] 5th of May, the king of Shyghcea came to render his sub-
mission to tho pasha. IIo expressed a desire to enter a military life, and
was .accordingly attached to the army, at the head of four hundred men
of liis tribo. Tho same day tho camp was broken up, and the army

legitii
usurj*
who 1
to the
of his
march
on the
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donis c
Many <
Vnr, w
iKutal
one wh
seventy
I Tlio
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! camels, J
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blows wif
bavo said
than troo

CROSSING THE WHITE NILE.

265

commpnooil its miurh for Ilalfiiy and SeniiaAr. As tho (Visposition of
tho iiihabituiitM of thoso cumitriet] was not known, distrihutioiiH of am-
munition wore madf, and every one re(iuired to bo on tlie alert. Tho
journey was very ])aint\d and fatiguing ; there wore not enough })ag-
gage-cainols to earry a suflicient supply of grain, and as the country ^va8
thinly iiiluvbited, both men and beasts sutfered severely from liunger.
Many camels perislied ; tho soldiers were reduced to eating the nuts of
tho doum-palin, and pillage became tho order of the day. After ten
days the army arrived opposite Ilalfay, tho king of which had announced
his submission two days beforeluvnd. Cailliaud crossed tho Nile in a
canoe and visited the town, which ho found almost deserted. lie had
great difficulty in procuring provisions, as the inhabitants had concealed
their supplies. Fhiding it impossible to return the same night, lie was
obliged to ask tho king's hospitality, which was cheerfully extended
to him.

It was Ismail Pasha's intention to make a halt at Ilalfay, but on ar-
riving there ho learned that Senna&r was in a state of revolution, tho
legitimate king, who had been held captive for a long time by two
usurpers, having succeeded in establishing a party, Avhile a third usurper,
Mho had arisen, was hostile to both. Tliese intestine troubles seemed
to the pasha to furnish a favorable opportunity for the accomplishment
of his own plans, and lio hastened to profit by it. Continuing tho
march, the army reached tho confluence of tho Blue and White Nilea
on the 27th, and encamped on tho banks of tho latter, at a place called
Omdurman, near a wood of largo acacias. Here commenced tho king-
doms of Sennaar on tho eastern bank, and of Kordofan, on tho western.
Many of the slaves, Avho were natives of the latter country, and of Dar-
Fur, which lies beyond it, took occasion to escape from the fatigues and
brutal treatment to which they hwl been subjected : among them was
one which Cailliaud had purchased in Berber for the moderate prico of
seventy-five francs.

The passage of the river commenced on the following day. There
were only five small boats to be had, which were employed to transport
tlu! artillery, baggage, and ammunition. The prospect of approaching
battle, pillage, and booty, and tho confidence of victory with which their
previous successes had inspired them, excited the soldiers to the highest
pitch. " During three days, tho surface of tho river was covered with
camels, horses, Turks, and Arabs, who cast themselves into it, some sup-
porting themselves by empty jars, or pieces of wood, others clinging to
the tails of horses, or the humps of camels. In this manner passed tho
army, consisting, with tho slaves, of five thousand five hundred men, and
three thotisand camels and horses. It would be difficult to describe tho
tumidt, tho confusion, the cries of men and beasts, and the sound of the
blows with which the poor beasts were forced into tho flood : one would
have said that it was a retreating host, pursued with the sword, rather
than troops rushuig confidently to victory. Unhappily, this excessive

266

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA

zeal occasioned tlio loss of thirty men, and one hundred and fifty camels
and horses."

The point of land botwoen the two rivers, forming the northern ex-
tremity of the peninsula of Sennaar, waa called Jia}> (Cape) el-Khartoum.
Half a league to the eastward, on the bank of the Blue Nile, were the
first habitations of Sennaar.* At the sight of the anay the inhabitants
took to Hight. The embassadors whom the pasha had sent to demand
the submission of those who held the reins of government, returned
with the information th:ii, a large army had collected near the capital,
with several pieces of cannon ; and the kings had replied that they would
wait to see the pasha's army before they decided what they would do.
The order was given to continue the march, but as Cailliaud had heard
at Ifalfay that there were ruins at a place called Sobah, on the Blue
Nile, he applied to the pasha for a boat to ascend the river, while M.
Letorzec followed the army with the camels and baggage.

Cailliaud set sail on the Ist of June, and arrived next day at a town
called El-Eylfun, near Sobah. At his appearance, a crowd of people
collected, astonished at his Osmanli costume, which they had never ho-
fire seen. In the habit of touching all that they saw, they passed their
hands over his gannents ; the shawl and shoes attracted them, especially
the latter, with the red color of which they were delighted. After
liavuig thus examined him they conducted hhn to the shekh, where a
second inspection took place. The shekh, far from suspecting that he
was a Christian, received him in the mosque. He asked many tpicstions
conceniing the Egyptian army, but as Cailliaud was very desirous of
visiting the ruins, he gave him a Spanish dollar, and received a horse
and guide. The shekh u)formed him that he had done Avell to travel in
a boat, for the general opinion in the country was that the pasha's army
would be cut to pieces at Sennaar, where there were four large cannon,
and eight or ten thousand warriors. Sobah was reached after a ride of
an hour and a half, and th- traveler saw distinctly that an ancient city
had once stood there ; but, to his great mortification, notlung Ava^ to be
found except heai..4 of earth and gravel — not a single stone of any size,
nor the slightest trace of a wall. The only object, Avhich gave any evi-
dence of the ancient character of the place, was a mutilated ram-headed
8]>hinx, about five feev in length.

During the fbllowhig week the wind was adverse, and the voyage
was very slov> and tiresome, but the desire of ascertaining the pouits of
junction of the Rahad and the Dender, Abyssinian tributaries of the
Jilue Nile, induced Cailliaud to continue his journey by water. He had
learned, from a courier, that the pasha's army was marching forward
without resistance, and soon afterward heard that the king of Sennaar

* Now the city of Khartouni, a place of from thirty to forty thousand inhabitanta,
which hiis been built up entirely under tlio Kijyptiau domination. It has become the
great trading mart of oiiHtom Soudau, aud its rise haa thurcfuro been the ruin of both
Shcndy and SennaAr. — ^B. T.

Sa\ao
the ac
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the lig
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the pashi

SCENERY ON THE BLUE NILE.

267

liP*! oubraitted quietly ; that ho had come in gi-eat state to visit the
pasha, accompanied by his ministers, the principal inhabitants of the
capital, and an escort of two hundred men ; that he and the pasha had
exchanged gifts, and the latter had taken possession of the capital.
After passing the mouth of the Ilahad, Cailliaud, on the 12th, reached
the village of Kourdkeyleh, where the scenery begtui to assume a very
different aspect. " At the dawa of day," says he, " I endeavored to
enter the forest of Kwurdkeyleh t') surprise some wild animuls. I saw
there many monkeys, the fresh tracks of the elephants, guinea fowls,
and birds of brilliant plumage, which uttered harsh cries. Since the
Pharaohs, perhaps, no bark had spread its sail on the river which I
navigated, and it was no*^^ Avithout a keen satisfaction that I saw mine
advancing before all othors, fighting with the winds in quarters where
the gaze of a European had never before penetrated . I felt an invol-
untary emotion hi contemplating those trees, conquerors of Time, which
age had not bent ; those thick woods, whose etenial foliage never
spread for the traveler a protecting shade against the burning sun;
those inaccessible thickets where the shepherd never led his flocks.
Savage nature alone breathed amid this constantly renewed vegetation ;
the acacias, the ncbbuks, the dead trees themselves, were enlaced in the
mextricable convolutions of the parasitic vines, thus forming a compact
mass of verdure, through whicli a few almost impracticable paths allowed
the light to entei". The shock of our oars and the sound of the water
against our bark alarmed the inhabitants of the flood ; the crocodiles
forsook the solitary shores, and the frightened liii)popotami, swimming
in herds around us, seemed by their bellowings to reproach us for
having invaded their domain. The river w:is bordered with the bam-
boo, the ebony, and other new and precious woods ; we saw trees,
plants, insects, and sliells of unknown kinds, and rejoiced in the dis-
tinctive, yet iiitherto unknown physiognomy of this > irgin soil."

The traveler passed the mouth of the River Dender, and continued
slowly to advance until the '21st, when, having arrived within three
leagues of Sennaar, he finished the journey by land. The army had
already been encamped there eight days. M. Letorzec and the rest of
the party were comfoitably established. Cailliaud immediately called
upon the pasha, whom he found greatly elated with his rapid successes.
He at once began to speak of Fazogl and its rich mines of gold, believ-
ing that it was in his power to add still richer and more fertile regions
to those which he had already brought under the Egyptian rule. Mean-
while, it was necessary first to arrange the internal affairs of Sennaar.
King Bady, the legitimate monarch, was leinstated, and named shekh
of the kmgdom ; one of the two uscu'pers had fled into Abyssinia, aft;er
having treacherously murdered the other. Cailliaud employed his time
in seeking for ancient remains, and having heard that there was a great
figure in stone at Djebel-Mouyl, seven leagues from Sennaar, persuaded
the pasha to furnish him with an escort for a journey thither. lie

268

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

found, however, that this statue Avas nothing more than a heap of rough
granite boulders, which bore a faint resomblanco to a human figure.

" On the 22d of July," says Cailliaud, " I paid a visit to the former
king, Bady. I found him seated on a stool, in one of the courts of his
residence, where he enjoyed the fresh air, with his ministers and some
persons of his suite at his side. He ordered a straw mat to be brought,
on which I ])laced myself lie was dres>-«ed in a broad shirt of white
linen ; his legs were bare, his feet covered with long sandals, and the
royal cap upon liis head. A servant brought him a pipe of the com-
monest kind used in the country. Bady is a man of about forty years
old, of middling height, robust, of an agreeable figure, with crisp hair
and a coppery complexion, which is that of the race of Foungi, to which
he belongs. He asked me what difference I found between my coimtry
and his, believing me to be from Constantinoi)le, and I drew a picture
which threw his own capital quite into the shade. ' At present,' said
he, ' Sennaar is no longer to bo recognized ; it is very different from
what it was in the times of my ancestors.' Then, with a visible emotion,
he bade me see all around him the ruins of the jjalace of his fiither,
which still overlooks the whole city. ' These ruins,' said he, ' are the
remains of the power of my ancestors, the limits of whose kingdom
once reached to the confines of Dongola.' Having nothing worthy of
his rank to offer him, I gave him one of my boxes of oxygenated
matches. When he saw one of them ignite in the sulphuric acid, he
called upon the name of the Prophet, and exhibited the greatest sur-
prise."

In the beginning of August, the pasha, in a conversation with Cail-
liaud, praised the climate of Semiaar, and declared that the contrary
accounts given by Bruce were totally false. Only one month of the
rainy season had passed ; the rain had not been freqtient nor the heat
excessive, and there was no sickness among the troops. " The rains
cease at the end of September. The soil, profoundly saturated, retains
here and there pools of stagnant water, whii-h, fermenting by the sud-
den action of the heat, exhale putrid miasma. These, joined to the not
less pernicious vapors of the earth, vitiate the air, .and engentler a host
of mala<lies ; the fevers, above all, ))revail until January. At the ap-
proach of this disastrous season, the inhabitants of the banks of the
river hasten to desert the villages with their beasts, and to fly from the
I)estiferotis atmosphere." Twenty d.iys af\er this conversation with the
pasha, malignant fevers, dysenteries, and affections of the liver, threat-
ening an epidemic, jirevaiied among the trooj:s. i\[. Letorzec, the in-
terpreter, and two of Cailliaud's Arab servants, become very ill, and six
of the Greek and Italian ])hysiciaiis of the army died. " Jiy the 25th
of September, there were <ix hundred deaths ;ind two thousand sick, in
an army of three thousand men, and the number increased every d.iy.
During the whole campaign, the army had never before been in so
pitiable a condition. The pasha, in desjiair, drew up an account of his

interj)
with 1
person
I food, \
i direct 1

j payi'i.i,'
I parts

None
to find
I case.
I and I
i was ft,
) died."
, Cai
kindly
, hi/It hi..
I and Tii
I with hii
iialfof
FazogI
White
turning
and f|i(
"••^h am
his broti
they \v,„

MORTALITY AT SENNAAR.

269

situation, and sent it to liis father. Tlie soldiers were obliged to eat
dourra of a very inferior quality, which was very unwholesome for them ;
destitute of clothes, almost half-naked, they slept on the damp earth ;
there were neither physicians nor medicine of tho proper kind. Horses
and camels died in all parts of the city and its environs, and the police
were not sufficiently careful to remove the carcases, Avliich soon infected
the air. All these causes contributed to augment the number and in-
tensity of the diseases."

Ibrahim Pasha arrived at SonnaAr on the night of the 22d of Oc-
tober, to the surprise of his brother, who did not expect him so soon.
Fearing the contagion witli which the city was infected, he only remained
there two hours, and encamped about a league to the southward. The
arrival of this prince, who was a general favorite, rallied the spirits of
the troops. He hastened to supply the sick with rice, flour, and other
articles from his own stores, paid the troops their arrears, and furnished
them with clothes. His physician conceived the happy idea of trans-
porting the sick several leagues into the interior, and the change of air,
with the more careful treatment which they experienced, soon j)roduced
a rajHd diminution of their nu.nber. " l<"'or my part," says Cailliaud, "I
have experienced many tribulations. The state of M, Letorzec and my
interpreter gave me the greatest anxiety, and my Arabs were devoured
with fever. For two months, I had been obliged to take care of all thi;
persons who were attached to me, attend to all our wants, prepare our
food, \ ; :v: my own clothes, look after my sick camels, and seek in all
(lirootiouo ior the necessaries of life. When I could obtain a little wheat,
paying for it nt the rate of a franc per pound, I mixed it with three
])arts of dourra,, and made cakes which served us instead of l;>read.
None of the nativi's would serve us at any ))i'ie<.', and it was impossible
to lind other domestics. All the oflicers of the army were in the same
case. My interpreter gave me the greatest ti'ouble ; he became insane,
and I was often obliged to bind him fast upon his bed. This state
was followed by i oniplete exhaustion, and the unfortunate man at last
<li.(l."

('aillia)id vinlted Tlirahim I'asha soon after his arrival. He was very
kinilly received by the prince, who, after the traveler had expressed to
him Ills desire to explore the White Nile, and to penetrate to Bornou
and Tunbuftoo, sei.t for his maps — a fine collection of which he carried
with him— and explained the plan of his campaign. Isniuil Pasha, Avith
half of the troops, Avas to follow the course of the Blue Nile; as far as
FazogI : Ibiahnn aihancing toAvard the south-Avest, Avould reach the
Wliite Nile somewhere in the territories of the Dinkas. The former,
turning westward, Avas to visit the pretended gold mhu>s of (iamamyl,
and then ju'oceed in the same direction, where the abundant rains fur-
nish a number of wells and natural cisti-rns. Ibrahim would approach
Ills brother unti! the junction of the two armies should take jtlace, and
they would return northward on a route parallel to the two rivers. At-

270

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

tor this ■\vas accomplisljcd, Ibrahim's niiignifioent plan was to explore the
White Nile with well-armed barks ami canoes, to its very sources. If
the river should communicate with the Niger, the fleet would enter the
latter stream ; otherwise it would return, and after being reinforced,
would march upon Kordofan, Dar-Fur and Uornou, and return to Egypt
by way of Tripoli. Such was the ambitious plan of the avenger of Mecca,
and the conqueror of the Wahabees ; but it was not destined to be car-
ried itito effect.

The ])rospcct of exploring the ^V^lite Nile induced Cailliaud to apply
to Ismail Pasha to accompany his brother Ibrahim, but the pasha objected
to it on account of his desire that the traveler should examine the gold
mines of Gamamyl. In order to induce him to remain, he offered him
the use of an armed barque in which he might ascend the iiluo Nile, and
added that he .ilso intended to make a campaign on the White Nile, at
a later day. Kelying on these promises, Cailliaud decided to follow hira.
On the 5th of December, Ibrahim Pasha set out for the country of the
Dinkas, with an army of fifteen hundred men. The expedition of Ismail
was to consist of fifteen hundred ; as many more, the half of whom M'ero
ill, were left at Seunaiir. Cailliaud was greatly embarrassed by the M'ant
of servants. Some of the inhabitants of the country had promised to go
Avith him, but on the day of his departure, they were not to be found.
In addition to this, the man who had charge of his camels, ran off with
four of them, but the loss was made good by Ismail Pasha, who presented
him with eight others.

The paslia letl Sonnaar on the Gth, and commenced his march up the
western bank of the Blue Nile. The country became more rough and
savage as they approached the mountains of Fazogl, the vegetation was
more dt'nso, and the journey more diflicult and fatiguing. On the after-
noon of the nth, " while we Avere traversing a district covered with
trees partly deail, and thickets of vines and brush-wood half dry, a con-
flagration broke out, spreading terror through the army, across the track
of Avhioh a strong north- west wind drove the flames. Nothing was heard
Imt confused cries; the disorder w.'is at its height; the dispute was, who
should sav3 himself most speedily ; the frightened camels no longer re-
garding the voices of their masters, broke into a gallop, cast off their
loads, and oft;en blindly ran to seek their own destruction. It was not
without trembling that I saw myself obliged to pass this gulf of fire,
which soon extended oviT a distance of half a league. Our first idea
was that the natives had maliciously set the woods on fire, but we learned
that it was entirely the fiiult of some stragglers of the army, who, in
lighting their pipes, amused thems"lves with igniting the trees." The
same scenes were repeated fi om day to day, and the ])asha did not Jare
to punish the culprits, on acc(junt of the mutinou.. -pint of the troops.
There had been no distribution of grain since leaving Sennaar, and in
order to keep themselves from starving, the soMiers were driven t.) pil-
lage. " All the villages which we saw," says Cailliaud, *' were mercilei=sly

THEY ENTER THE NEGRO COUNTRY.

271

plundered by the troops, and I was obliged to follow their example in
order to obtain a little dourra, some fowls, the fruit of the baobab, and
the fresh pods of the tamarind — the only things left behind by the inhab-
itants, who fled at our approaeh."

On the 1 7th, after passing through a region abounding in wild ele-
phants and giraftes, they reached a village called El-Kerebeen, a depend-
ency of Sennaar, situated at the commencement of the mountains. The
village is built in a group of granite hills, from six to eight hundred feet
high. Ibrahim Pasha was at this time encamped four or five miles fui*-
ther to the Avcst. Cailliaud, who went to visit him, foimd him laboring
under an attack of dysentery, and very much dejected. lie said to his
brother Ismail, who was present, that if he did not find himself better in
a few days, he would return to Egypt. " Thus was dissipated, as I could
plainly see, the splendid plan of a voyage up the White Nile, and into
the interior of Africa ! In the evening I returned to my tent 'vith Prince
Ismail, who obliged me to dine with him .very day. I was the only
stranger who had accompanied him in his last campaign ; I only could
write and make knowni his exploits in ICurope ; and I could see that he
was as ambitious of glory, as are the Turks ordinarily." On the same
day, envoys arrived from the King of Fazogl, to announce that he was
ready to give in his submission. There then only remained the Pagan
negroes to be concpiered, whom the pasha designed to capture and carry
oft' for slaves.

As the army approached Fazogl the country became more densely
wooded, and it was a matter of grcixt difficulty to pass through the
forests of thorny mimosas. After two days they reached a group of
mountains called Agady, on the summit of one of which w.is a negro
village. 3Iany of the inhabitants had fled during the night; tiie j- >-
miiinder were called upon to pay tribute, which they refused, saying the
pasha might do what he pleased with them. The troops were eager for
an attack, and the order wiis at once given. Three hundred men
mounted to the village, which became the scene of fire, slaughter, and
pillage. One hundred and seventy negroes, mostly women, weie taken
prisoners, and conducted to the rear of the pasha's tents, with yokes
of wood around their necks.

On the 22il, after a difficult march of eight hours through the woods,
th(! expedition reached the mountauis of Kilgou, where there was an-
other large negro village. " Ismail ordered the advance-guard to march
rapidly upon the place, surprise the inhabitants, and prevent their flight.
This order was promptly executed ; the rocks were scaled, and a large
body of negroes surrounded, who, nevertheless, defended themselves
with unexjiected obstinacy. The troops had spread their lines in climb-
ing tiie hill, in order to surround as large a number as possible. But
soon the difficulties of the ground broke up the order of mari'h ; they
could not keep their footing on the masses of sllpi)ery granite which
barred their path. Finally, taking off" their slippers, which they stuck

272

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

into their belts, they reached the first huts, where they found several
Avoiuen, who refused to follow them, and were killed. The men, on the
suiinnit of the mountauis, rolled down masses of stone and logs of wood
ui)on their enemies. They dashed hither and thither with surprising
agility. The Turks compared them to birds, for their feet hardly seemed
to touch the surface of the rocks. Many of them hurled their lances
from behind trees or masses of granite, and pierced the first troops who
ascended the hill. Meanwhile the pasha, tired of the prolonged re-
sistance, mounted the hill with seven of his Mamelukes and some Al-
banians, but soon had reason to rejjent his imprudence : the negroes
suddenly sallied out of their retreat, and hurled their lances, killing one
of the Mamelukes. After firing a volley into them, the pasha returned
to the camj). By this time the negroes had casit away all their lances,
and sought safety in flight. One fourth of them escaped, and the ■ ^st
were taken. In this affair the pasha had twelve men killed and forty
wounded ; of the negroes one hundred and eighty were killed, and five
hundred and seventy-five taken prisoners. The latter had crisp hair,
thick lips, and prominent cheek-bones ; a few of them had flat noses.
The men wore only a piece of goat-skin tied around the loins, and the
women a piece of cotton which reached to the middle of the thigh.
Tliert! were none among them who understood Arabic. The pasha al-
lowed me to take two who appeared intelligent and good-tempered, and
an Arab of Fazogl, who knew a little of their language, served me as
interpreter."

After a rest of three days, the army resumed its march. On the 26th
it entered a narrow, rocky valley, on either side of which were many
deserted villages. The pasha determined to put himself at the head
of the exi)edition, and asked Cailliaud to accompany him. The latter
excused himself on account of his fatigued dromedary, bnt the offer of a
horse obliged him to accept, and having armed himself to the teeth, he
followed the commander. " We entered a little valley inclosed between
two chains of high hills and overlooked by a mountain, which we pro-
posed to 'scale, in the hope of surprising the negroes on the opposite
siile. Tt was necessary to break a jjassago througli the mimosas and
the ni'bbuks, the thorny branches of which tore our clothes into shreds. '
The pasha had recommended me, for my own safety, to keep close to
l/iMi. but this benevolent consideration nearly proved fatal tome. After
two hours' march, Ave had made two thirds of the nioiintaiti which was
the aim of our expedition. We adv.anced up a rouL;h and uneven path.
Avilh the brink of a precipice on the right, while the peaked sun\mit of
the nioiuitain arose on the left. A part of the troops were in advance; ,
the jiasha followed them, having behind him one of his slaves, who car- j
ricd his narghileh ; I came immediately after, so near that the head of
my horse touched his, and the Mamelukes after me, for the path was so
narrow that we wore obliged to march in single file. All at once a '
rock, three feet in diameter, fell between Ismail ami myself, hurling |

A NIGHT ATTACK.

278

down the precipice the slave who separated us. Without doubt the
blow was intended for the pasha, who was distinguished by his rich
costume ; but one step more, and I should have received it ! Ismail
turned immediately, and I could perceive his fright in the pallor of his
countenance ; I confess, however, that he could justly have made the
same remark concerning me. We dismounted, in order to avoid more
readily the locks and pieces of wood which the negroes continued to
hurl down upon us. We descended the mountaui much faster than we
went up, and, having reached a level spot, the pasha played a piece of
cannon against the summit ; but the balls, passing beyond, almost reached
the troops commanded by his physician, who returned in great fear,
without having achieved any more valorous exploits than ourselves."

During the next day's march, they saw several enormous baobab-
trees, one of which measured sixty-two feet in circumference. The
country became more open, but a new range of mountams ai)pearcd in
the south. Although he knew that his army was surrounded by a body
of five or six thousand negroes, the pasha neglected to place any sen-
tinels around his camp that night. Favored by this carelcssnesH, the
negroes cautiously descended from the mountauis : the thickness of the
foliage, the darkness, of the night, and the color of their skins, even,
contributed to conceal their march. They were but a pistol-shot dis-
tant, when, owing no doubt to a custom of theirs on attacking, they
began to utter loud cries, hurling their lances at the same time. The
alarm and confusion was general ; no one knew from which side the
attack came. The soldiers, hurrying out of their tents, supposed that
tlic negroes were already masters of the camp. A ^i^sv discharges of
musketry sufficed to drive oft' the foes, and the tumult finallv ceased.
During the confusion several cannon were lired, but so mich a, random,
that one of the balls passed over Cuilliaud's tent, and an )tlicr t truck the
earth about titleen paces off.

Seuing that little was to be accomplished against the negroes, in a
country where evoi ^^ mountain or forest was an almost impregnable fort-
ress, 1 he pasha determined to return to Kilgou, and take the direct
route to Fazogl. The way Avaa very laborious and difiicult ; there was
no water, except some pools which were corrui)t and stagnant ; deep,
rocky ravines crossed the path, and the army was beginning to sufter
greatly from thirst, when a little wjiter >vas obtiiuicd by digging in the
dry bL'd of the torrent. " Having passed these dry water-courses," says
Cailliaud, " we made oui- painful way through a dense thicket of gigantic
bushoji, acaeias and iiebbuks ; our liices. our hands and Toot, were scarred
with severe and inevitable scratches, and our clothes were hanging hi
shreds. At last, toward evening, we fovnid ourselves all at once on the
banks of the Nile. The sight of the water restored quiet to the troops,
who were becomuig discontented and mutinous."

On the 1st of January, 1822, they set out for the great mountain of
Fazogl, which they saw in the south-east. The country was covered

274

CAILLIAUD'S JOUHNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

with thick woods ; hero and there grew tamarinds and doum-palms of
much grander proportions than those of Egypt. *' This day was for us
a day of misfortune. At first I abandoned one of my camels, which T" \
on the route ; toward evening two others fell into a ravine, and it was
necessary to unload and reload, which consumed much time, besides
obliging mo to throw away a part of our dourra. Meanwhile the night
came, and wo were enveloped in gloom. Wo ceased to hear the foot-
steps of some Btragglers who hurried on to reach Fazogl ; the wholo
army was in advance, and we souglrt. vainly, in the obscurity, to find a
trace of its path. M. Lctorzec and myself were greatly fatigued and
depressed. I went to take a drink of water, but, alas ! the water-skin
Iiad been burst by the full of the camel. It seemed now that we must
pass the niglit in the woods, exposed to the danger of being attacked by
wild beasts, or by the negroes, in case we should light a fire to frighten
away the former. Such was our perplexity, when our Arab said to me
that ho perceived a light in the distance ; we looked but discovered
nothing, but finally it increased and we saw it also. This sight revived
our courage. We hastened toward it, but cautiously, not knowing
whether we were approaching friends or foes. I sent the Arab in ad-
vance to make a stealthy inspection, and in a short time we were
agreeably startled by his cries of joy. At the same time several soldiers,
lost like ourselves, approached, begging us for water. A single bottle
of wine, which I had always preser^'cd in case of misfortune, could not
bo better employed : Ave drank the half of it, and then resigned ourselves
to pass the night Avith our companions in misfortune. This was the time
Avhen M. Letorzoc was seized with a fever, which lasted several months.
Early the next morning we set out to rejoin the army, which we found
at two hours' distance, on the banks of the Nile, near the village of
Yara, a dependency of Fazogl, where we remained several days."

On approaching the village of Fazogl, tlie pasha was received by Has-
san, king of the province, who went ir. uuvauce, accompanied by his
ministers, mounted on fine Abyssinian horses, and surrounded by a
guard of a hundred men, armed with lances. They met Ismail at five
leagues' distance ; the king and his ministers dismounted Avlicn they j)er-
ceived him, advanced on foot and prostrated, themselves before him.
Hassan presented him with two splendid horses; the guards, aj)i)roach-
ing, ranged themselves in a line, knelt and reversed the points of their
lances in token of submission. In recognition of his reception, Ismail
prohibited his troops from jiassing through the villages, in order that they
might not be devastated ; for it was not always in his power to preserve
good order. On the 5th, the expedition advanced to a village called
Tourmoga. Having learned that King Hassan was there, Cailliaud paid
him a visit. " I entered into an ordinary hut, where I found the king
sitting cross-legged upon a mat. He was a handsome man, young, and
of an agreeable figure. His costume was similar to that of the kings
of bennaar, but I remarked Avith surprise that his sandals terminated in

sorted
reduce
preven
were c<
allowec
people
a river
tion, an
ncgroc;
hJs joui
him tri
M he
asked.
FollJ

THE FIOHT OP AOARO.

275

curved points, exactly similar to those represented in the Tombs of tho
Kings, at Thebes. On his knees ho held his saber, in which seemed to
consist all his magnificence. Tho scabbard and hilt were of silver ;
several heavy silver rings adorned his fingers, and around his neck ho
wore little leather cases containing verses from the Koran."

The amount of tribute to be paid by Fazogl, was at last fixed at one
thousand ounces of gold and two thousand male slaves, and the pasha
set out on the 12th for the gold mines of Kasan, lying two or three
days' journey to the south-west. To Cailliaud, whoso camels were
nearly exhausted, he gave a horse, and to M. Letorzec a mule, which
enabled them to travel with more ease and rapidity. On api)roaching
the mountain of Agaro, tho road was crossed by a precipitous gulley
thirty-five feet deep, in passing which many of tho camels were hurled
to the bottom with their riuers, and perished. Tho next forenoon tho
army reached the foot of the mountain, and encamped. The negroes,
full of audacity, on accoimt of their number and the strength of their
position, had sent word to Ismail, before he left Fazogl, that if he camo
into their mountains, they would break his legs. But, at the sight of
the army, they began to change their tune ; they sent word to him that
they would subnut and pay tribute to him. Ismail entered into nego-
tiations with them, in order to gain time until his troops had surrounded
the mountain. When the negroes percei\ ed this design, they took to
flight. The signal was then given for attack, and after a short struggle
the soldiers reached the top of the mountain, where they at once set lire
to the village. The inhabitants numbered about three thousand, of
whom only about a hundred, mostly women, were taken, at the cost of
fifteen lives.

The pasha then determined to make another assault on the eastern
part of the ryountain, with eight hundred men and a piece of cannon.
"This time," says Cailliaud, " I was tempted to accompany him. The
troops dispersed themselves over tho mountain in the hope of blockading
the village, and arrived there Avithout trouble or resistance : it was de-
serted. In an instant the torch was applied, and five hundred huts were
reduced to ashes. Old persons of both sexes, whom age or infirmity
prevented from flying, were buried under their blazing roofs ; others
were conducted to the pasha, who, not knowing Avhat to do with them,
allowed them freely to behold the horrible lesson which a more civilized
people than they came to teach them." On the 16th the army crossed
a river called the Toumat, continuing its course in a south-western direc-
tion, and reached the mountains of Khasinkaro, where a deputation of
negroes came to meet the pasha. They said that if he would continue
his journey without doing them any harm, they would be able to pay
him tribute on his return. He placed little faith in their promises, but
as he was impatient to reach the gold mines, agreed to what they
asked.

Following the course of the Toumat, which furnished an ample sup-

276

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

\)\j of water, tho expedition skirted the mountain of Kasan on tho 18th.
Tho inhabitants of a largo village on its Hummit promised tho pasha livo
hundred male slaves, as their tribute. Soon afterward they entered tho
territory of Gamamyl, and discovered in tho Avcst a long chain of mount-
ains called Obeli. Tho road hero was contumally crossed by small
affluents of the Toumat, which had M'orn for themselves deep beds in
the soil, making tho traveling more difficult than any which tho army
had yet encountered. " Tho passage of these ravines," says Cailliaud,
" was fatal to the camels ; the routo was strewn with abandoned animals
and baggage. Tho pasha himself Jiad but a suigle good horse remain-
ing. Wo were constrained to leave behind us a camel, part of its load,
and tho mule of M. Letorzec, who then mounted tho dromedary M'hich
can'ied my papers and drawings ; but tho poor animal, exhausted with
fatigue, lay down. In vain did we employ every means to raise it, we
could not succeed. That part of tho forest in which we were was full
of small dead trees and dry brush-wood, which was imprudently set on
fire by tho soldiers at a short distance from us. Soon the flames were
ready to envelop us ; I resolved to lose the dromedary, but I wished
to save its load, which contained all my papers. We had nothing at
hand to cut tho cords and straps which bound it, and in our anxiety
made useless efforts to untie them. All was over : the fruit of so much
trouble and peril was about to become tho prey of the flames. They
cried out to us to save ourselves, but I could not resign myself to sacri-
fice my treasures. Already the heat scorched us, we felt the approach
of the fire ; we must leave — I uttered a cry of despair. Meanwhile our
camel, feeling the flames, rose, darted forward a little distance, and fell
again. We ran to it, tore away tho precious load, and placed it on my
horse, which I drew by tho bridle, :^'hilo M. Letorzec urged it in tho
rear. But tho wind drove tho flames toward us ; they advanced nearer
and nearer ; we were almost overcome with terror, when, oh, joy ! the
trees became scattering, and we issued from tho wood."

Ilavuig escaped this danger, tho travelers found that they had lost
their way, and were in almost equal peril, imtil they encountered some
straggling soldiers. On reaching tho camp Cailliaud found that liis bag-
gage had not arrived, and was indebted to tho charity of some soldiers
for a cako of dourra, after eating which ho slept upon his saddle-cloth,
in the open air. The place where they were encamped was called Ab-
koulgui, situated, accordmg to Cailliaud's observations, in latitude 10°
38' north. " The village consists of a few scattered habitations, on an
elevated slopo, whence the view extends over several other hills more
or less wooded, and covered with isolated habitations. In the south
one sees the distant mountain of Mafis, and in the west tho long ridge
of Obeh. Abkoulgui appears to be tho central point of the province of
Gamamyl, which is two days' journey in extent. It is watered by tho
Toumat and a great quantity of its tributary torrents ; the soil is a clay,
full of sand and pebbles, and showing everywhere traces of oxyd of iron.

« <.

EXPERIMENTS IN GOLD WASHINO.

277

This province is reputed to bo the richest in aiiriferons snbstanceii,
where the negroes have been most successful in collecting gold dust."

The pasha, impatient to tost the value of the gold washings, sent
Cailliaud the next day to examine thoin. The negroes had stmk pits
eighteen or twenty feet deep, in the bod and banks of the river, and
washed out in wooden bowls the earth which they took from thcso
places. The traveler succeeded in getting a few very small grains of
fine gold, after washing for some titne, but the result was very unsatis-
factory to the pasha, who next day sent him to another gold-washing,
with several miners and an escort of thirty men. Here he opened new
pits, and carefully washed the earth, but the gold was found in quanti-
ties so small as scarcely to repay the labor. Finally, in the hope that
the natives knew of richer deposits, Ismail sent out an expedition to take
some prisoners. Among those captured was a chief, who informed him
that during the rainy season, the floods sometimes washed down pieces
of gold as large as beans, but that at the present time, it was only found
in dust and small grains. He indicated several of the most favorable
places in the country, and offered to conduct the pasha to them. Two
or three excursions were made in different directions, under a strong
armed escort, and the washing carried on vigorously for several days,
but with no better success. The pasha at last became disgusted, and
gave up the search entirely.

Jlcanwhile, his situation was becoming insecure. The Gallas, who
have overrun all the south-western part of Abyssinia, and who are also
enemies of the wild negro tribes, were only five or six hours distant from
him ; the negroes were collecting for f new assault, and he received
word that a convoy of powder and other munitions had been taken by
the natives rear Fazogl, and an escort of twenty-five men killed. How-
ever, being re-enforced by a company of four hundred men who arrived
from Sennaar, he continued to send out parties against the neighboring
villages for the purpose of increasuig his harvest of slaves. All this
region has the general name of Bertat ; the inhabitants are of pure negro
blood, and wholly savage in their character and habits. Their only
religion consists in the worship of large trees, especially the baobab, un-
der which they sometimes sacrifice sheep or goats. Their clothing is
scarcely sufiicient for description ; their bodies are long, and nimble
rather than athletic, and they are not wanting in courage, as the Egyp-
tiari troops had already learned.

*' Seventeen days," says Cailliaud, " had elapsed since our arrival at
Gamamyl. I had undergone many fatigues, and yet my health had
improved. Every day I mounted my horse to go on the hunt of auri-
ferous sands. We multiplied our trials, weighed the earth, calculated
the proportion of the quantay cf gold, but never attained any result
which could give us the least hof ->. Those mountains of gold upon
which the pasha counted so blrongiy, vanished like smoke: the thirty
thousand negroes, which he intended to capture diminished to a few

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278

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

hundreds. It became necessary to try our luck elsewhere, and he gave
the order for our departure. From the want of camels I was obliged to
leave behind a fme collection of minerals which I had gathered together.
M. Letorzec, weighed down by fever, remained in bed during our stay ;
his strength visibly diminished, day after day. When he learned that
we Avere about to set out for the purpose of penetrating still further
southward, his chagrin increased his illness, and he was haunted by the
idea that he would never see his native country again. We sot out
on the 5th of FeVuary. Most of the soldiers could not restrain their
surprise at seeing that we were still marching to the south. The Sliy-
gheeana had made a mannikin resembling a man and dressed in the
fashion of their tribe ; it is an established custom with them to inter a
similar mannikin at the extreme limit which their hostile expeditious
reach, in an enemy's country. Some of them walked in order to allow
this ridiculous figure to ride on a camel ; at which the Turka were
greatly amused."

The army encamped near the village of Singuo, which Avas inhabited
by Mussulmen. Moussa, their chief, had sent w^ord that he was disposed
to pay a tribute, in consequence of Avhich, the pasha prevented his troops
from approaching the village, fearing they might commit depredations.
Cailliaud visited the place next morning, and found it to consist of five
or six hundred houses, scattered along a ridge three or four miles in
length. It was almost deserted, and the traveler did not judge it pru-
dent to remain long. The village Avas sacked by the troops the sumo
day. On the afternoon of the 7th, Avhile the greater part of the Turkish
soldiers Avere asleej), according to their custom, a body of about a thou-
sand negroes descended from the hills to the Avestward. They Avere
finally perceiA'ed, ;i id the pasha and his artillery-men aroused ; but before
the guns could bo brought to bear on them, they had advanced near
enough to kill some straggling soldiers. The fear of the cannon caused
them to retreat precipitately to the mountains. Five hundred men were
sent after them, but not being able to reach them, burned their houses.
The negroes rencAA^ed their attacks next day, and succeeded in carrying
off eight of the pasha's finest horses. One of the savage chiefs Avho had
been taken prisoner, Avas offered his liberty if he Avould obtain the ani-
mals and restore them ; this he swore by the Koran to do, and Avas ac-
cordingly liberated, but neither chief nor horses Avere ever seen again.

The situation of the Egyptian army Avas now A'ery critical. There
was a general league among all the negro tribes, to repel the invaders.
The ammunition Avas almost exhausted ; provisions Avere rapidly dimin-
ishing, and the latest news from Sennaar stated that the people, persuaded
that the pasha and his troops would perish among the mountains, Avere
already beginning to foment a rebellion against the Egyptian rule. The
pasha at last made up his mind to submit to circumstances, and order a
retreat. "The next day, February 11th," says Cailliaud, "was fixed
upon for our departure. Before quitting Singue, I wished to overlook

RETREAT TO SENNAAR.

279

at least, as far as my vision might reach, the regions which an inexorable
i'lte prevented ue froi« traversing. I climbed a hill, and there, anned
^^ ith a telescope, I sought to discover the regions where my imagination
had placed the source of the White Nile. Vain eftbrt ! I only convinced
myself anew how limited is the space which the hmnan eye can embrace.
Ceasing to gaze at a horizon which exhibited onlv vapory and confused
outlines, I carved deeply on the rock the name of France, and transported
myself, in thought, to that beloved land. The army slowly debouched
from the labyrinth of hills which surrounds Singue, cutting for itself a
path to the west of that which it had followed in coming. "Wo were
still surrounded with enemies, and observed an order of march more
regular than usual. This retrograde movement inspired all the men with
new cneigy ; even the animals seemed to understand that we were re-
turning, and marched more firmly and rapidly. Joy was painted on the
faces of all ; the Bedouins and the Albanians manifested theirs by songs;
the remembrance of past hardships was banished from memory, and all
hopes were turned toward Egypt."

After a toilsome march of four days, the army reached Adassy, on
the Nile. The troops rushed to the bank, and precipitated themselves
into the river, each anxious to be the first to drink of its waters. M.
Letorzec was in such a weak state, that Cailliaud applied to the pasha for
a boat, in order to descend the river \,n Sennaar, and the latter was so
obhging as to give up his own barque, as he intended returnnig by land
v.itli the army. lie sent with the travelers a courier to his father, Avho
was intrusted with two quintals of the auriferous sands of Gamamyl, and
a re])ort on the gold region, containing the results of the experiments
luadc under Cailliaud's direction. The barque lefl for Sennaar on the
ISth. " For a long time wo had not enjoyed so much ease and tranquil-
lity. We experienced an inexpressible feeling of pleasure in sleeping,
without being suddenly called up by the drum-beat ; in having to suffer
no more from hunger, thirst, watchfulness, alarms ; in being relieved from
tt'iidmg, feeding, loading and unloading camels; and, instead of running
the risk of being buried in torrents, torn by the thorns of mimosas and
nobbuks, or swept by the flames of burning forests, in lying peacefully
upon a thick carpet in the shade, all day long. Ah, this new hfe was too
luxurious — it was the height of felicity !"

In passing the cataract of EI-Kerr, the boat struck a rock and damaged
the bow, occasioning a dangerous leak. It was on the point of sinking ;
all was terror and confiision ; Cailliaud seized his packages of notes and
drawings, and leaped upon a rock, and for awhile a complete shipwreck
tlireatened them. Finally, however, the leak was found and stopped, the
boat temporarily calked, and the travelers continued their voyage to
Sennaar, where they arrived without further mishap, on the 26th. Cail-
liaud immediately went to his old residence, where he was received with
great joy by his former hosts. In delivering to Divan Effendi, the com-
mander of the garrison, the letters of Ismail Pasha, he learned that the

280

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

latter had ordered that he should be furnished with camels, and with the
funds necessary for the expenses of his journe}' to Egypt. As he ex-
pected to receive some money in Dongola, he took but five thousand
piasters ($250). As there were symptoms of insurrections in the prov-
inces of Halfay and Shendy, he determined to make no stay in Sennaar
but to push forw'ard and examine the reported ruins of Mesowurat and
Naga, before the country should become insecure. He had desired to
explore Kordofan, but the state of M. Letorzec's health was such that
he could not have supported the journey. This circumstance, which
seemed so unfortunate at the time, was in reality the salvation of the
travelers. Had they remained longer they would probably have become
involved in the same fate which overtook Ismail Pasha and a great part
of his army.

Cailliaud left Sennaar on the 1st of March, and reached Halfay on
the 9th. M. Letorzec was so ill that he was obliged to travel in a lit-
ter, fastened on the back of a camel. After resting a day they resumed
the route to Shendy, following the eastern bank of the Nile. " On the
14th," says Cailliaud, " after having traveled for an hour over a plain
thinly covered with small acacias, I reached some ruins which had at-
tracted my attention at a distance ; I recognized the site of an ancient
city by the enormous mounds of burned brick, several of which still in-
dicated the outlines of buildings. The place is known by the name of
Naga. The most remarkable ruins are those of a typhonium, or temple
to the E\t1 Principle, which is about eighty-seven feet in length." On
the 15th they passed a great many villages, announcing their approach
to Shendy, where they arrived at noon. They immediately visited the
Turkish governor, who procured them a houee, as they intended remain-
ing some days. M. Linant, who had returned from Sennaar with Ibrahim
Pasha, was at Shendy.

Before setting out on his return to Egypt, Cailliaud desired to visit
the ruins of Naga near Djebel Ardan, and those of Mesowurat. His
companion, although convalescent, was not able to support the fatigue.
It was, therefore, agreed that he should leave for Egypt in a few days,
and journey by short stages until overtaken by CailUaud. The latter
set out on the 22d, accompanied by two guides and two servants.
After journeying all day down a long valley extending to the south, he
reached the extremity of the mountains, where the ruins were said to
exist. " It was already night," he writes, " and my guides did not con-
sider it prudent to go further, for fear of meeting with the Shukorees,
who nvre in open revolt. We unloaded our camels cautiously, and lay
down under the acaeias which surrounded us. Wrapped in a quilt, with
my head on a bundle of papers, I slept soundly, my Arabs watching by
turns through the night. I awoke at dawn, and finding every thing
quiet, advanced through the trees toward the ruins, which I discovered
near at hand. The first object which I saw was a temple covered with
Egyptian sculptures, with its pylon, and a portico of Greco-Roman ar-

RUINS AT NAGA AND MESOWURAT.

281

chitecture, with Egyptian ornaments. Still further were the ruins of
another grand temple, with linely sculptured decorations, and preceded
by an avenue of sphinxes ; the substructions of several other edifices,
and those of a public tank. I recognized here the ruins of an ancient
city, the importance of which was attested by the nature of the remains
which still existed, and by the extent of territory which they occupied.
* ♦ ♦ My guides arrived, and in order that we might not be seen
by the rebel Arabs, Ave established our residence in the western temple.
I then began, assisted by my two servants, to make a more careful ex-
amination of the monuments."

Cailliaud found the largest temple to be two hunrlred and seventy
teet in length, including the pylon and avenue of sphinxes. "The
sciJptures of the interior are almost entirely destroyed. This state of
degradation is owing, I suppose, to the insignificant height of the walls
and the action of the tropical rains. The figures are without the indi-
cation of a beard, so common in the sculptures of the Egyptian temples.
The peculiar character of their costume, and the embonjyoint of their
figures, give evidence of a people quite distinct from the ancient Egyp-
iians, but who, nevertheless, appear to have had the same symbolic
M'riting and the same religious ideas." For three days and a half the
traveler remained among these rums, sketching by day and writing by
night ; but his supply of water was getting low, and the desire of exam-
ining El-Mesowurat before returning to Shendy, obliged him to leave.

The ruins of Mesowurat are about six hours' travel north-east of
Naga. " I was struck with astonishment," writes Cailliaud, " on ap-
proaching the immense ruins which were exhibited to my gaze. I wan-
dered from court to court, from temple to temple, from one chamber to
another, traversing the corridors and galleries which connect the diifer-
ent structures. In this rapid survey I counted eight temples or sanctu-
aries, forty-one chambei's, twenty-four courts, and three galleries, all
surrounded with walls, and occupying a space two thousand five hundred
feet in circumference. On returning to my guides, I discovered that we
had only water enough for twenty-four hours. My intention was to
remain here five or six days. I proposed to the men to go to the Nile-
and replenish the stock, but was obliged to pay them extravagantly
before they would consent. I mounted on the most elevated wall of
the central edifice, where ray eye overlooked all the ruins. There, care-
fully study iilg the distribution of the diiferent edific-i around me, I
became convinced that they formerly belonged to a college. Were these
silent solitudes, I asked myselfj ever animated by the boisterous sports
of youth ? Have these ruins ever resounded with the voices of the pro-
fessors ? Yes, these rude figures of birds and animals traced on the
walls, are the work of childish hands ; these names, engraved in Ethio-
pian characters, are those of students ; and these others, in Greek, are
without doubt those of strangers, whom tho celebrity of the institution
has attracted.

282

CAILLIAUD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

" However extensive are these ruins of Mosowurat, nothing had led
me to conjecture that the place could ever have been the site of a city.
I found neither tombs nor any great number of ordinary habitations.
A matter worthy of notice is the small size of tlie stones employed in
the construction of the temijlcs. Taking into consideration this want of
strength and solidity in the materials, in a cUmate where the rain falls
for three months in the year, one is led to believe that the rums which
remain have not, like those of Thebes, resisted the injuries of time dur-
ing a long course of ages. They evidently do not possess a very great
antiquity. The tradition of the country is that the name of El-Meso\v-
urat was that of the ancient fakeers who inhabited these vast edifices.
This tradition confirms the opinion that the place was devoted to edu-
cation."

Cailliaud returned to Shendy on the 2d of April, where he found
that M. Letorzec had set out for Egypt ten da} a beforehand. He im-
mediately followed, by way of the Pyramids of Meroe and Damer, and
reached El-Mekheyref, in Berber, after a journey of five days. Find-
ing that his companion was still six days in advance, and hurryin<T
toward Egypt, he halted but a day to procure some provisions from the
governor (the province having been cojupletely stripped by the army),
and then continued his course through the country of Robatat, to Dje-
bel Berkel. Passing Abou-Hammed, at the northern extremity of the
great bend of the Nile, and the long island of Mokrat, he at last over-
took M. Letorzec on the 18th, at a place called El-Kab. The latter was
very much exhausted by the fever, whicli obliged them to travel with
less rapidity, and they were therefore eight days more in reaching
Mount Berkel.

Cailliaud remained at this place more than two weeks, in order to
make a complete survey of the ruins. " Every morning, at sunrise," he
says, " I repaired to the ruins, and I did not leave them until night. In
the middle of the day, I occupied myself in drawing the interior sculpt-
ures of the typhonium, and the sanctuaries of the pyramids, where I
sought a shelter against the excessive heat, which was often 105° in the
shade. Mount Berkel, isolated on the desert plain, is a mass of sand-
stone about three quarters of a mile in circumference. Its southern side
is a naked precipice two hundred feet high, at the base of which are
the temples, all facing the river. Among the sculptures are two car-
touches, which, according to Champollion, contain the name of Tirhaka,
the first king of the Ethiopian dynasty who invaded Egypt, in the eighth
century before the Christian era. The style of the figures and orna-
ments is t!ie pure style of the monuments of Egypt and Lower Nubia.
That part of the temple which is excavated in the mountain, is in a good
state of preservation. East of the tyjAonium there are many remains
of walls and fragments of columns, extending for some distance. Among
these I discovered 'avo lions of rose-colored granite, of Egyptian style
and beautiful form. * * * Every thing goes to prove that the vast

CROSSING

THE NUBIAN DESERT.

rums of Mount Berkcl aro tu ^ 283

"On the 1 2th of Jtfav m^r ri •
I mde preparations for'^.rWuT'^^^^^^^^^ finished

no more antiquities on either ba„k of 1 v-?'^?' ^^'-^^ ^ should find
desct m a north-western course honW.? f ''"' ^ ^^^^^^'^^ *« cross the
t.on between Napata and the i IXfA 'I! '^' ^'"« ^^ comnn nict

the thermoraetpr Hfn^.1 x, „ '*• ''^^o hours' ro'^t a<. • "H^^r
. '^'^^'^ood at 108°. "IVo v,;»,u , "* ^^est. At nme o'clock

tathc ou, feces every half hour. Ato„,"n. i "".^ " ""''' '«"«■■ a,, J
01 the tent was II 'T" t-u . ^"*^ <^ c'ock the tnmnn^o* •

and sandstone rock 'o!^^% '•''''' '''' '^" i-nmon^ p LlTf '7 r^^^''
fatin:i.ed that thev slLt / \ '^^^ *^^o iiours' sleon l.„f
They left m the afternoon and m.do '^.' *^^' ^^^^^'^^'^ (Welcomed

^'- -ening we had comp eted , jst"'' -'f '""^«"' ^"<^ -t^ " f
- monument of any kind to r ^'TV^^^^^^ for the v^

found ourselves in the province of dL" , ""''' '"" ^"^ <^«"i'er. w'
! '^"Vf?^ *^'"' '-^^ ^--^^t' «hort ned ouM^"'"' '^^^'^^ the island'of Arl

After passing Tombos, wWe h Jf ^"T"^' ''"" ^'^^«-"

' ;f ^nanship, Cailliaud o;nc ivo. tho"T ' ^•'"'"'^^ ^^^««'^»« of E^ypth^

: ™?;'-'^-hli-in the Lib; n wt' "'^ *'"^ the Oasis of S

2^ h'n^M ' ^-•••^v-n route lornZZl to'T) '? ' ''^"'•"'^^ ^^'^^^ of th

2oth of May, accompanied by Mj If ''"' ^" ««* out on the

284

CAILLIAtJD'S JOURNEY TO ETHIOPIA.

which contrasted so strikingly with the aridity of the sands around
them ; but I sought in vain for any trace of that beautiful temple, be-
fore which, the Arabs said, I should stand in ecstasy. With Mhat bit-
terness I cursed my blind confidence in men, whom, from long ex-
perience, I ought to have known better !" After this disappointment
Cailliaud remained two days at the oasis to rest, and then, returning by
forced marches, reached the Nile again on the 3l8t of May.

He paid another visit to the temple of Soleb, examined the insignifi-
cant ruins at Amarah, and then continued his route to Wadi Haifa,
where ho arrived on the 13th of June. While descending the Nile, a
week afterward, he met a bark coming up the river, on boai-d of which
was Captain Gordon, an English traveler, on his way to Dongola, " His
project, like mine, was to explore the White Nile. He was a robust
mariner, firmly resolved to undertake this perilous enterprise alone ; but
he perished Uko so many others. He began, rather imprudently, too
soon to adopt the hard life and customs of the Arabs ; Uke them, a pair
of drawers and a shirt were all his clothing ; he plunged into the water
and swam every hour of the day ; he abstained scrupulously from all
nourishing food, in order that he might accustom himself to support the
privations and fatigues which he expected to undergo. Such devotion
and resolution were not rewarded with success. He fell ill, and died be-
fore reaching Sennaar."

On reaching Assouan, Cailliaud sent M. Letorzec with the baggage
and collections in a boat to Thebes, and continued his own journey with
his camels, in order to visit the rums of El-Kab, Edfoo, and Esneh by
the way. He did not tarry long at any of these places : " On the 6th
of July," he writes, " I found myself in the midst of the splendid remains
of Medeenet-Abou. With what pleasure and admiration I again beheld
those propylons, those immense porticoes and colonnades, which thirty-
five centuries have respected ! In the afternoon I reached Goorneh,
where I foimd M. Letorzec, quite restored by the air of Egypt. Nothing
in my house had been damaged ; the Arabs seemed delighted to see us
again safe and sound after a journey in which so many others had lost
their lives. Thebes was in our eyes almost a French port ; no obstacle
now separated us from our country."

Cailliaud remained at Thebes until the 15th of September, employing
himself in copying the sculptures on the walls of Menmon's tomb. Ho
also made excursions to Ekhmin, Abydos, and other ruins which he had
not previously visited, and was about setting out on another trip to the
Great Oasis, for the purpose of examining more carefully the ruined tem-
ple there, when some Arab burglars, who entered his house at night,
carried off all his ready money, and obliged him to give up the under-
taking. Leaving Thebes, finally, with his companion, he descended the
Nile rapidly and reached Cairo on the 27th. The travelers sailed from
Alexandria on the 30th of October, in a Genoese brig bound for Ma^
seilles. The passage was very stormy, and the brig narrowly escaped

RETUllN TO FRANCE.

285

shipwreck off the Sardinian coast, but on the 1 1th of December anchored
in the harbor of Marseilles. The very next vessel Avhich arrived from
Errypt brouglit tlio ncws of the terrible fate of Ismail l^asha, his staff,
and fifty of his troops, in Shendy. Mek Nemr, who had sworn venge-
ance against him, jiersuaded him to attend a festival held in a largo
building some distance from the Egyptian camp, and having surrounded
the place in the night with combustible materials, set firo to it and
burned to death all who were within.

Cailliaud's account of his journey, in four octavo volumes, with an ac-
companying folio containing maps, plans, and engra^'ings, was published
in Paris in 182G. It is from this edition that the present abridgement
has been prepared.

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FRAN KLIN'S

OVERLAND JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

Is the year 1819, the British Government determined to send an ex-
pedition by land from Hudson's Bay to explore the northern cut of
America from tlic mouth of the Coppermine River eastward. Cap'uiti,
afterward Sir John Franklin, was appointed to the command, with Dr.
John Richardson, and Messrs. George Back and Robert Hood, midship-
men, as associates. Captain Franklin also took with him Join. Hepburn,
an English seaman ; the rest of the party were to consist of Canadian
hunters and voyagevn*. They embarked at Gravesend on the i.Md of
May, 1819, on board the Hudson's Bay Company's ship Prince of Wales^
and after touchl.ig at Stroraness, in the Orkney Islands, where they pro-
cured four skillful boatmen, reached York Factory, in Hudson's Bay, on
the 30th of August, after a very stormy and perilous voyage.

According to the advice of the officers at the Factory, Franklin de-
termined to take the route by Cumberland House, and thro'.gh the
chain of trading-posts to Great Slave Lake. Having procured a boat,
with a steersman who acted also as guide, the i)arty commenced their
march into the interior on the 9th of September. They made the jour-
ney up Hayes and Hill Rivers very slowly, owing to the strength of the
current, and were finally obliged to leave part of their supplies behind, in
the charge of some of the Company's traders, who promised to forward
them the next spring. On passing the White Fall, Franklin slipped into
the river and was on the point of being carried over, when he happened
to seize a willow branch strong enough to sustain him. They arrived at
Norway House, on Lake Winnipeg, on the 6th of October, after which
they traveled with more rapidity, and reached Cumberland House, on
the Saskatchawan, on the 23d of the same month.

By this time the ice wan forming in the rivers, and it was impossible
to proceed further by boats. The whole party remained at Cumberland
House until the middle of January, accustoming themselves to the life
they were thenceforth to lead, and making preparations for the journey

290

PRANL-LIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

to Slave Lake. They had also an opportunity of witnessing the habits
of the Cree Indians, who had assembled around the Fort. These people
were dissipated in their habits, but unusually honest, and very super-
stitious. They have among thorn professed conjurors, who take advan-
tage of their fears to tyrannize over them and procure a good living at
their expense. One of these conjurors came to Cumberland IIouso
during Franklin's residence there. " He hnmediately began to trumpet
forth his powrri, boasthig, among other things, that although his Itaiuls
and feet were ried as securely as possible, yet, vhen placed in a conjur-
ing-house, he would speedily disengage himseli . y the aid of two or
three familiar spirits who were attendant on his call. He was instantly
taken at his word, and, that his exertions might not be without an aim,
a capot or great-coat was promised as the reward of his success. A ooii-
juring-house having been erected in Ihe usual form, that is, by sticking
four willows hi the ground and tying their tops to a hoop at the height
of six or eight feet, he was fettered completely by winding several
fathoms of rope aroimd his body and extremities, and placed in its nar-
row apartment, not exceeding two feet in diameter. A moose-skin
being then thrown over the frame, secluded him from our view. He
forthwith began to chant a kind of hynm in a very monotonous tone.
The rest of the Indians, who seemed in some doubt respecting the
powers of a devil when put in competition with those of a white man,
ranged themselves around and Avatched the result with anxiety. In this
manner an hour and a half elapsed ; but at length our attention, which
had begun to flag, was roused by the violent shaking of the conjuring-
house. It was instantly whispered around the circle, that at least one
devil had crept under the moose-skin. But it proved to be only the
" God-like man " (as he called himself), trembling with cold. lie had
entered the lists stripped to the skin, and the thermometer stood very
low that evening. His attempts were continued, however, with con-
siderable resolution for half an hour longer, when he reluctantly gave
in. He had found no difficulty in slipping through the noose when it
was formed by his countrymen ; but, in the present instance, the knot
was tied by Governor Williams, who is an expert sailor. After this un-
successful exhibition his credit sank amazingly, and he took the earliest
ojij)ortunity of sneaking away from the Fort."

Franklin divided his company, leavuig Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood
at Cumberland House until the spring, and taking with him only Mr.
Hack and Hepburn. He set out on the 18th of January, 1820, furnished
with two dog-sleds by the Company's agents, and some Canadians whom
he had taken into his service. He reached Carlton House after a walk
of fourteen days, during which the three Englishmen suffered greatly
from the unaccustomed chafing of the snow-shoes. The weather was
intensely cold : " Our tea," says Franklin, " froze in the tin jiots before
we could drink it, and even a mixture of spirits and water became quite
thick by congelation ; yet, after we lay down to rest, we felt no incon-

PREPARATIONS AT PORT CHIPEWYAN.

291

venience." The day before reaching Carlton House, they consumed
their last provisions. Here they took a few days' rest, in order to re-
cover from their fatigue, and procure supplies for the further journey.

They started again on the 8th of February, and, with the exception
of a short rest at Fort La Crosse, continued their journey to Fort Chipe-
wyan, on Athabasca Lake, where they arrived on the 26th of March.
"Thus," says Franklin, "terminated a Avinter journey of eight hundred
and fifty-seven miles, in the progress of which there was a great amount
of agreeable and disagreeable circumstances : could the amount of each
bo balanced, I suspect the latter would much preponderate. Among
these, the initiation into walking on snow-shoes must be considered as
prominent. The next evil is the being constantly exposed to witness
the wanton and unnecessary cruelty of the men to their dogs, especially
those of the Canadians, who beat them unmercifully. There are other
mconveniences, which, though keenly felt during the day's journey, are
speedily forgotten, when, stretched out in the encampment before a
large fire, you enjoy the social mirth of your companions, who usually
pass the evening in recounting their former feats in traveling.''

As Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood were to wait at Cumberland House
until the opening of river navigation in the spring, Franklin was obliged
to wait at Chipewyan House for their arrival, which did not take place
until the 13th of July. He made use of the intervening time in sending
messages to the chief of the Coppermine Indians, who professed his will-
ingness to assist him in his explorations, in engaging boatmen and in-
terpreters, and building canoes, and in preparing dispatches for England.
Richardson and Hood brought along two canoes, but the pemmican
with which they had been supplied by the agents of the Hudson's Bay
Company proved to be so moldy, that they threw it away, and they had
but provisions lor one day on arriving at Fort Chipewyan. Franklin
obtained all the supplies that could be spared from the fort, but could
obtain neither ammunition nor spirits, and but little tobacco. He says :
" We then made a final arrangement respectmg the voyageurs who were
to accompany the party ; and fortunately there was no difliculty in doing
this, as l)r. Richardson and Mr. Hood had taken the very judicious
precaution of bringing up ten men from Cumberland, who were engaged
to proceed forward if their services wore required. These aen were
most desirous of being continued, and we felt sincere pleasure in being
able to keep men who were so zealous in the cause, and who had given
proofs of their activity on their recent passage to this place, by discharg-
ing those men who were ;^>ss willing to undertake the journey. When
the numbers were completed which we had been recommended by the
traders to take as a protection against the Esquimaux, we had sixteen
Canadian voyageurs, and our worthy and only English attendant, John
Heitburn, besides the two interpreters whom we were to receive at the
Great Slave Lake ; wo were also accompanied by a Chipewyan woman.
An equipment of goods wiis given to each of the men ; and when this

292 FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO TUB POLAR SEA.

distribution had been made, the remaindci* Avore made up into bales
preparatory to our departure on the following day, the 18th of July."

Their stock of provisions was only sufficient for one day's consump.
tion, exclusive of two barrels of flour, three cases of preserved meats
with some chocolate, arrow-root, and portable soup, which they had
brought from England and intended to reserve for their exploring tour
along the coast next summer. The scarcity of food did not in the least
depress the Canadians, who paddled off, singing, into the Slave River.
This is a magnificent stream, three quarters of a mile wide, but inter-
rupted by occasional rapids. Their voyage down it was without incident
and in six days they reached the trading post on Moose Deer Island, in
Great Slave Lake. Here Franklin engaged St, Germain, an interpreter
for the Copper Indians, and obtained five hundred and fifty pounds of
dried meat. He then crossed the lake to Fort Providence, on the
northern side, where he found Mr. Wentzel, one of the Company's
clerks, who intended to accompany the expedition to the Coppermine
River, together with Adam, an interpreter, and one of the Indian
guides. The chief of the tribe, who was encamped in the neighborhood,
Avas at once sent for, and a grand council was held on his arrival, which
terminated in his agreeing to accompany Franklin. His name was
Akaitcho, or Big-foot. After the council was over, presents were dis-
tributed to him and his braves, and the ceremonies terminated with an
Indian dance.

The party left Fort Providence on the 2d of August. " Our stores,"
says Franklin, " consisted of two barrels of gunpowder, one hundred
and forty pounds of balls and small shot, four fowling-pieces, a few old
trading-guns, eight pistols, twenty-four Indian daggers, some packages
of knives, chisels, axes, nails, and fastenings for a boat, a few yards of
cloth, some blankets, needles, looking-glasses, and beads, together with
nine fishing-nets, having meshes of different sizes." There were twenty-
eight persons in all, including the wives of three of the voyageurs, who
went along for the purpose of making shoes and clothes for the men in
their winter quarters. Fort Providence is the last trading establishment,
and the country beyond it had never before been visited by any Euro-
pean. They ascended Yellow-knife River, which flows into Great Slave
Lake from the north-east, a distance of one hundred and fifty-six miles,
passing through a chain of lakes, between which there were many rapids,
requiring portage of the canoes. They then crossed a barren water-shed
for thirty miles, carrying their canoes from lake to lake, until, on the
20th, they reached a river running to the north-west, on the banks of
which the chief, Akaitcho, proposed they should establish their winter
quarters. " We found that the situation they had chosen possessed all
the advantages we could desire. The trees were numerous, and of afar
greater size than we had supposed them to bo on a distant view, some
of the pines being thirty or forty feet high, and two feet in diameter at
the root. We determined on placing the house on the summit of the

WINTER QUARTERS.

298

bank, which commands a beautiful prospect of the surrounding country.
In the afternoon we read divine service, and offered our thanlcsgiving to
the Almighty for his goodness in having brought us thus far on our
journey."

Akaitcho, however, broke his promise of accompanying Franklin to
the Coppermine River, alleging that the season was now too far ad-
vanced, and his tribe were obliged to procure deer-skins for the winter.
Ko persuasion could induce him to change his decision ; so, aflcr mature
deliberation, Franklin gave up the idea of reaching the sea until the
next summer. Ho thought it prudent, however, to send a party to ex-
plore the upper waters of the Coppermine, and ascertain its rapids, etc.,
and dispatched Back and Hood, with St. Germain, the interpreter, and
eight Canadians, on this duty. Soon after they left, he left Mr. Wei.t-
zel to superintend the building of the fort, and started with Dr. Rich-
ardson on a pedestrian journey to the Coppermine. Both parties were
only absent about ten days, and on their return found that the winter-
house, which they named Fort Enterprise, was already roofed in.

rOBT ENTEnPKISB.

" On the 6th of October," says Franklin, " the house being com-
pleted, we struck our tents, and moved into it. It was merely a log
building, fifty feet long and twenty-four wide, divided into a hall, three
bed-rooms, and a kitchen. The walls and roof were plastered with clay,
the floors laid with planks rudely squared with the hatchet, and the
windows closed Avith parchment of <leer-skin.» They now went to work
to secure a good supply of provisions for the winter, and, with the as-
sistance of the Indians, had stored away, by the middle of October, one

294 FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

hundred and eighty deer, together with one thousand pounds of suet
and some dried meat. On the 18th, Messrs. Back and Wcntzel set out
for Fort Providence, with two Canadians and two Indians, to attend to
the transporting of the stores wliich Frankhn expected to receive from
Cumberland House. In the following month one of the Canadians re-
turned, stating that the supplies had not arrived; that Mr. Weeks,
the company's agent at Fort Providence, was endeavoring to prejudice
the Indians against them, and that Mr. Back would probably be obliged
to continue his journey to Fort Chipewyan to obtain supplies. All these
disappointments were very embarrassing to Franklin, and they no doubt
had an eflfect on the fortunes of the expedition.

The weather during December was the coldest they experienced.
'* The thermometer sank on one occasion to 67° below zero, and never
rose beyond 6° above it ; the mean for the month was — 29°.7. During
these intense colds, however, the atmosphere was generally calm, and
the wood-cutters and others went about their ordinary occujyations with-
out using any extraordinary precautions, yet without feeUng any bad
effects. They had their reindeer-shirts on, leathern mittens luied with
blankets, and furred caps ; but none of them used any defense for the
face, or needed any. The intense colds were, nevertheless, detrimental
to us in another way. Tlie trees froze to their very centers and became
as hard as stones, and more difficult to cut. Some of the axes were
broken daily, and by the end of the month we had only one loft that
was fit for felhng trees. A thermometer, hung in our bed-room at the
distance of sixteen feet from the fire, but exposed to its direct radiation,
stood ev^.n in the day-time occasionally at 15° below zero, and was ob-
served more than once, previous to the kindling of the fire in the morn-
ing, to be as low as 40° below zero.

" A considerable portion of our time was occupied in writing up
our journals. Some newspapers and magazines, that we had received
from England with our letters, were read again and again, and com-
mented upon at our meals ; and we often exercised ourselves with con-
jecturing the changes that might take place in the world before we
could hear from it again. We occasionally paid the woodmen a visit,
or took a walk for a mile or two on the river. In the evenings we joined
the men in the hall, and tool' a part in their games, which generally
continued till a late hour ; in short, we never found the time to hang
heavy on our hands ; and the peculiar occupations of each of the officers
affiarded them more employment than might at first be supposed. Our
diet consisted almost entirely of reindeer meat, varied twice a week by
fish, and occasionally by a little flour, but we had no vegetables of any
description. On Sunday mornings we drank a cup of chocolate, but our
greatest luxuiy was tea (without sugar), of which we regularly partook
twice a day. With reindeer's fat, and strips of cotton shirts, we formed
candles ; and Hepburn acquired considerable skill in the manufacture of
soap, from the wood-ashes, fat, and salt."

DESCENDING THE COPPERMINE.

295

Thus the winter passed away, and on the 17th of March, 1821, Lieu-
tenant Back returned, after an absence of five months, during wnich
time he had traveled eleven hundred and four miles on snow-shoes, with
no other covering at night than a blanket and deei'-skin, with the ther-
mometer frequently at 40°, and once 67°, below zero. Their provisions
now gave out, and the months of April and May were spent principally
in replenishing their supplies, in negotiations M'ith the Indians, Avho,
from the refusal of Mr. Weeks to pay Franklin's orders, had become
unruly and discontented, and in procuring goods and ammunition for
the summer voyage. The season was later than usual, and the expedi-
tion was not ready to leave before the beginning of June. Dr. Richard-
Hon was sent forward in advance, with part of the stores, to Point Lake
oil the Coppermine River, and on the 14th of the same month Franklin
sot out with the remainder of the paity. He took the precaution of
sending, previously, all his journals, dispatches, and other writings, to
England, by way of Fort Providence and the other trading posts.

The first part of the journey was very fatiguing, as the ice on the
smaller lakes was rotten, and the men broke through frequently. They
traveled thus, without any serious accident, for seven days, when they
reached Dr. Richardson's encampment on Point Lake. Here the ice
Avas still six or seven feet thick, with no appearance of melting, and they
were therefore obliged to drag the canoes and stores over its surface.
TIic canoes were mounted on sledges, and drawn along by the combined
efforts of dogs and men. Four days were required to cross Point Lake,
as they did not make more than ten miles a day, and when this lake was
passed, a short rapid conducted them to another, frozen in like manner.
Tlicy were not able to launch the canoes on the Coppermine until the 2d
of July, after which their voyage was less fatiguing, but much more
dangerous, from the rapids in the stream and the masses of diift-ice.
Their supplies of meat, however, which were quite exhausted, were now
replenished from the herd of musk-oxen Avhich they met with. On the
9th they passed safely through the Narrows of the Coppermine, a place
where the river, for three quarters of a mile, is confined between prec-
ipices two hundred feet high, and shoots along in an arrowy mass of
foam.

As they approached the mouth of the river, they kept a good look-
out for the Esquimaux, whom they expected to find in that neighbor-
hood. In order to secure a friendly reception from them, one of the
Indian interpreters, named Augustus, was sent forward to communicate
with them, lie ibund some of them near the falls of the Coppermine,
and as they seemed considerably alarmed at the news, the boats of the
expedition halted a little short of that point on the 14th. "After supper
Dr. Richardson ascended a lofty hill about three miles from the en-
campment, and obtained the first view of the sea ; it appeared to be
covered with ice. A large promontory, which I named Cape Hearne,
bore north-east, and its lofty mountains proved to be the blue land we

296 FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

had seen in the forenoon, and which had led us to believe the sea was
still far distant."

They succeeded in establishing some intercourse with the Esqui.
maux, but found them rather shy and suspicious. They were at last
able, however, to get upon a friendly footing with an old man named
TerreganncEuck, who had a fresh, ruddy face, a prominent nose, and a
snow-white beard, two inches long. Upon showing him his face in a
mirror for the first time, he exclaimed, " I shall never kill deer any
more," and immediately put the mirror down. Here Akaitcho and his
party left, to return to the grounds of their tribe. The expedition
reached the sea on the 19th of July, when Mr. Wentzel left with four
Canadians, to return to Fort Providence. The remainder of the party,
including officers, now amounted to twenty men. Mr. Wentzel took
Franklin's last dispatches to be forwarded to England, and was instruct-
ed to take charge of all the journals and collections left at Fort Enter-
prise, as well as to deposit there a quantity of supplies for Franklin's
party, in case they should return by the same route. When his party
had been supplied with ammunition, the remaining stock consisted of one
thousand balls, with rather more than the requisite quantity of powder.

From this point their discoveries commenced. They embarked on
the Polar Sea on the 21st, and turned their canoes eastward, hoping in
these frail barks, to solve the problem of a north-west passage. Pad-
dling along the coast, on the inside of a crowded range of islands, they
encamped on shore after a run of thirty-seven miles, in which they ex-
perienced little interruption, and saw only a small iceberg in the dis-
tance, though that beautiful luminous effulgence emitted from the con-
gregated ices, and distinguished by the name of the ice-blink, was dis-
tinctly visible to the northward. The coast was found of moderate
height, easy of access, and covered with vegetation ; but the islands
were rocky and barren, presenting high cliffs of a columnar structure.
In continuing their voyage, the dangers which beset a navigator in these
dreadlul polar solitudes thickened gloomily around them. The coast
became broken and sterile, and at length rose into a high and rugged
promontory, against which some large masses of ice had drifted, threat-
ening destruction to their slender canoes. In attempting to round tliis
cape the wind rose, an awful gloom involved the sky, and the thunder
burst over their heads, compelling them to encamp till the storm sub-
sided. They then, at the imminent risk of having the canoes crushed
by the floating ice, doubled the dreary promontory, which they denomi-
nated Cape Barrow, and entered Detention Harbor, where they landed.
Around them the land consisted of mountains of granite, rising abruptly
from the water's edge, destitute of vegetation, and attaining an elevation
of fourteen or fifteen hundred feet ; seals and small deer were the only
animals seen, and the former were so shy that all attempts to apjn-oach
within shot were unsuccessful. With the deer the hunters were luore
fortunate, but these were not numerous ; and while the ice closed grad- <

EXPLORATION OF THE ARCTIC COAST.

297

ually around them, and their littlo stock of provisions, consisting of
pemmican and cured beef, every day diminished, it was impossible not
to regard their situation with uneasiness. Rounding Cape Katcr, they
eitercd Arctic Sound, and send a party to explore a river upon the
knks of which they expected to find an Esquimaux encampment. All,
hokvever, was silent, desolate, and deserted ; even these hardy natives,
brel amid the polar ices, had removed from so barren a spot, and the
hun ers returned with two small deer and a brown bear, the latter ani-
mal <o lean and sickly looking, that the men declined eating it ; but the
oflica's boiled its paws, and found them excellent.

P-oceeding along the eastern shore of Arctic Sound, to which they
gave ilie name of Bankes' Peninsula, the expedition made I'.8 painful way
along I coast indented by bays, and in many places studded with islands,
till, on the 10th of August, they reached the open sea; and sailing, as
they inugined, between the continent and a large island, found to their
deep disippointment that, instead of an open channel, they were in the
center of a vast bay. The state of the expedition now called for the
most serious consideration upon the part of their commander. So much
time had dready been spent in exploring the sounds and inlets, that all
hope of reajhing Repulse Bay was vain ; both canoes had sustained ma-
terial injur) ; the fuel was expended ; their provisions were sufficient
only for thiee days ; the appearances of the setting in of the arctic
winter were too unequivocal to be mistaken ; the deer, which had hith-
erto supplied them with fresh meat, would, it was well known, soon
disappear ; the geese and other aquatic birds were already seen winging
their way to th« southward ; while the men, who had up to this mo-
ment displayed '.he utmost courage, began to look disheartened, and to
entertain serious apprehensions for their safety. Under these circimi-
stances, Franklin, with the concurrence of his officers, determined not
to endanger the 'ives of his people by a furt!ier advance ; and after
spending four day? in a minute survey of the bay, it was resolved to
return by Hood's tiver to Fort Enterprise. Franklin's researches, as
far as prosecuted £t this time, favored the opinion of those who con-
tended for the practicability of a north-west passage. It appeared
probable that the cosst ran east and west in the latitude assigned to
Mackenzie's River, and little doubt could, in: his opinion, be entertained
regarding the existence of a continued sea in that direction. The por-
tion over which they pissed was navigable for vessels of any size ; and
the ice met with after qtitting Detention Harbor would not have arrested
a strong boat, while the chain of islands affijrded shelter from all heavy
seas, and there were go«d harbors at convenient distances. Having,
with much severe privatitn, completed their course, from Point Turn-
again, in Melville Bay, to the entrance of Hood's River, they ascended as
high as the first rapid, and encamped, terminating here their voyage on
the Arctic Sea, during whici they had gone over six hundred and fifty
geographical miles. \

298

FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

On the prospect of commencing their land journey, the Canadians
could not conceal their satisfaction ; and the evening previous to their
departure was passed in talking over their past adventures, and cod-
gratulatmg each other in having at length turned their backs upon tko
sea, little anticipating that the most painful and hazardous portion of tiio
expedition was yet to come. Beibre setting ott', an assortment of iron
materials, beads, looking-glasses, and other articles, was put up yi a

-.k;^^"!!~

r*^

nnr-"-;..*".

^.=?^_- V-

m-r

?^^M

_r-^ --f i^:^--

TL^-r-.— ^i-..:tV^ :i,

VB^tfk

' .• ^^.^z^Z,^

m^^f/ffT'T' ','.

WILBERFORCE FALLS.

coiiSpicuous situation for the Esquimaux, ahd the English union was
planted on the loftiest sand-hill, where it migit be seen by any ships
passing in the offing. Here also Avas deposited in a tin box a letter con-
taining an outline of the proceedings of the espedition, the latitude ami
longitude of the principal places, and the cou'se intended to be j)ursued
toward Slave Lake. They now proceeded vp the river in their canoes,
and though upon a short allowance of provisions, the produce of their
nets and fowling-pieces furnished for a few days enough to ward off ab-
solute want ; but they were often on the very brmk of it. Their pro-

THE COMMKNOEMENT OF SUFFERING.

299

gress was mach interrupted by shoals and rapids, and one evening they
encamped at the lower end of a narrow chasm, the walls of which were
upward of two hundred feet high, and in some places only a few yards
apart. Into this the river precipitates itself, forming two magnificent
cascades, to which they gave the name of Wilberforce Falls, and the
combined height of which they estimated at two hundred and seventy-
five feet.

On taking a sui'vey of its further course from a neighboring hill, the
river was discovered to be so rapid and shallow, that all progress in the
large canoes seemed impossible. Two smaller boats were therefore con-
structed ; and on the 1st of September they set off*, with the intent'on of
proceeding in as direct a line as possible to the part of Point Lake opposite
their spring encampment — a distance which appeared comparatively
trifling, being only one hundred and forty-nine miles. Their luggage
consisted of ammunition, nets, hatchets, ice-chisels, astronomical instru-
ments, clothing-blankets, three kettles, and the two canoes, each so light
as to be carried easily by a single man. But disaster attacked them in
their very first stage. A storm of snow came on, accompanied by a high
wind, against which it was diflicvit to carry the canoes, which were dam-
aged by the falls of those who bore them. The ground was covered with
small stones, and much pain was endured by the carriers, whose soft
moose-skin shoes were soon cut through. The cold was intense ; and on
encamping they looked in vain for Avood ; a fire of moss was all they
could procure, which served them to cook their supper, but gave so little
heat that they were glad to creep under their blankets.

Having ascended next morning one of the highest hills, they ascer-
tained that the river took a westerly course, and Franklin, thinking that
to follow it further would lead to a more tedious journey than their ex-
hausted strength could endure, determined to quit its banks and make
directly for Point Lake. Emerging, therefore, from the valley, they
crossed a barren country, varied only by marshy levels and small lakes.
The weather was fine, but unfortunately no berry-bearing plants were
found, the surface being covered in the more humid spots with a few
grasses, and in other places with some gray melancholy lichens. On en-
camping, the last piece of pemmican, or pounded flesh, was distributed,
with a little arrow-root, for supper. The evening was warm ; but dark
clouds overspread the sky, and they experienced those sudden alternar
tions of climate which occur in the polar latitudes at this season. At
midnight it rained in torrents ; but toward morning a snow-storm arose,
accompanied by a violent gale. During the whole day the storm con-
tinued, and not having the comfort of a fire the men remained in bed,
hut the tents were frozen ; around them the snow had drifted to the
depth of three feet, and even within lay several inches thick on their
blankets. Though the storm had not abated, any longer delay was im-
possible, for they knew every hour would increase the intensity of an
arctic winter ; and though faint from fasting, and with their clothes stiflf-

800

FRANKLIN'S JOURNBT TO THB POLAR 8EA.

ened by frost, it was absolutely necessary to push forward. They suf-
fered much in packing the frozen tents and bedclothes, and could hardly
keep their hands out of their fur mittens. On atteraptnig to move,
Franklin was seized with u fainting lit, occasioned by hunger and ex-
haustion, and on recovering refused to eat a morsel of portable soup,
which was immediately prepared for him, as it had to bo drawn from
the only remaining meal of the party. The people, however, kindly
crowded round, and overcame his reluctance. The effect of eating was
his rapid recovery ; and the expedition moved on.

Disaster now crowded on disaster. The wind rose so high that those
who carried the canoes were frequently blown down, and one of tlio
boats was so much shattered as to be rendered unserviceable. The
ground was covered with snow ; and though the swamps were frozen,
yet the ice was often not suflBciently strong ; so that they plunged in
knee-deep. A fire, however, was made of the bark and timbers of the
broken canoe ; and, after having fasted three days, their last meal of
portable soup and arrow-root was cooked. Each man's allowance at this
melancholy dinner w as exceedingly scanty ; but it allayed the pangs of
huuger, and encouraged them to press forward at a quicker rate. They
had now reached a more hilly country, strewed with large stones, and
covered with gray lichen, well known to the Canadians by its name,
tripe de roche. In cases of extremity, it is boiled and eaten ; but its
taste is nauseous, its quality purgative, and it sometimes produces an in-
tolerable griping and loathing. The party not being aware of this,
gathered a considerable quantity. A few partridges also had been shot ;
and at night some willows were dug up from under the snow, with which
they lighted a fire and cooked their supper.

Next day they came to Cracroft's River, floAving to the westward over
a channel of large stones, which rendered it impossible to cross in the
canoe. No alternative was left but to attempt a precarious passage over
some rocks at a rapid ; and in effecting this, some of the men, losing
their balance, slipped into the water. They were instantly rescued by their
companions ; but so intense was the frost, that their drenched clothes
became caked with ice, and they suffered much during the remainder of
the day's march. The hunters had fallen in with some partridges, which
they shot, and they found enough of roots to make a fire ; so that their
supper, though scanty, was comparatively comfortable. Next morning
they pushed forward with ardor, and passed the River Congecathawha-
chaga of Mr. Hearne. The country which lay before them was hilly,
and covered with snow to a great depth. The sides of the hills were
traversed by sharp angular rocks, where the drifted snow, filling up the
interstices, presented a smooth btit fallacious surface, which often gave
way and precipitated them into the chasms with their heavy loads. In
this painful and arduous manner they struggled forward several days,
feeditig on the tripe de roche, which was so frozen to the rocks that
their hands were benumbed before a meal could be collected, and so

PROVIDENTIAL RBLIBP.

SOI

destitute of nutritive juices, that it allayed hunger only for a very short
time.

At length reaching the summit of a hill, they, to their great delight,
beheld a herd of musk-oxen feeding in the valley below ; an instant halt
was made, the best hunters were called out, and while they proceeded
with extreme caution in a circuitous route, their companions watched
their proceedings with intense anxiety. When near enough to open
their fire, the report reverberated through the hijls, and one of the
largest cows was seen to fall. " This success," says Franklin, in that
simple account of his journey which any change of language would only
weaken, " infused spirit into our starving party. The contents of its
stomach were devoured upon the spot ; and the raw intestines, which
were next attacked, were pronounced by the most delicate of the party
to be excellent. A few willows, whose tops were seen peeping through
the snow in the bottom of the valley, were quickly grubbed, the tents
pitched, and supper cooked and devoured with avidity. It was the
sixth day since we had had a good meal. I do not think that we Avit-
nessed, through the course of our journey, a more striking proof of the
wise dispensation of the Almighty, and of the weakness of our own
judgment, than on this day. We had considered the dense fog which
prevailed throughout the morning as almost the greatest inconvenience
which could have befallen us, since it rendered the air extremely cold,
and prevented us from distinguishing any distant object toward which
our course could be directed. Yet this very darkness enabled the party
to get to the top of the hill, which bounded the valley wherein the
musk-oxen were grazing, without being perceived. Had the herd dis-
covered us and taken alarm, our himters, in their present state of de-
bility, would, in all probability, have failed in approaching them."

On the following day a strong southerly wind blowing with a snow-
drift, they took a day's rest, and as only enough remained of the musk-
ox to serve for two days, they contented themselves with a single meal.
Next morning, though the gale had not diminished, they pushed for-
ward, and notwithstanding their rest and recent supply of animal food,
the whole party felt greater weakness than they had hitherto expe-
rienced. The weather was hazy, but after an hour's march the sky
cleared, and they found themselves on the borders of a lake, of which
they could not discern the termination in either direction. In these cir-
cumstances they traveled along its banks to the westward, in search of
a crossing-place. Credit, one of the Canadians, left the party in hopes
of falling in with deer, but did not return ; and on encamping in the
evening, hungry and fatigued, they had to divide for supper a single
partridge and some tripe de roehe. This weed from the first had been
unpalatable, but now became insupportably nauseous, and began in many
to produce severe pains and bowel-complaints, especially in Mr. Hood.
This solitary partridge was the last morsel of animal food that remained;
and they turned with deep anxiety to the hope of catching some fish in

802 PRANKLIN'8 JOURNBT TO THE POLAR SEA.

tho lake, but discovered that the porsonfl intruHtod witli tlicm had Im-
providently thrown away three of the nets and buriit'd the tlonts on loiiv-
ing Hood's Uiver. TIiingH now began to look ve-y j»'""'"y ; ""d m the
turn wore daily getting weaker, it was judged expedient to lighten their
burdens of every thing except ammunition, clothing, and the instrtnnoiits
noceesary to guide them on tJieir way. The dipping-needle, the azimuth
compass, tho magnet, a largo thermometer, and the ftiw books they car-
ried, were therefore deposited at this encampment, i.ller they hacl torn
out from these last tho tables necessary for working the latitude ntid
longitude. Rewards also were promised by Franklin to such of the
party as should kill any animals, and in the morning they prepared to go
forward.

At this moment a fine trait of disinterestedness occurred : As tho
officers assembled round a small fire, enduring an intense degree of
hunger which they had no means of satisfying, I'errault, one of the
Canadians, presented each of them with a piece of meat out of a little
store which ho had saved from his allowance. " It was received," says
BVanklin, " with great thankfulness, and such an instance of seltldenial
and kindness filled our eyes with tours." I'ressiiig Ibrward to a river
issuing from tho lake, they met their comrade, Credit, and received the
joyful intelligence that he had killed two deer. One of these v»'as im-
mediately cut up and prepared for breakfast ; and having sent some of
the party for the other, tho rest j)roceeded down the river, which was
about three hundred yards broad, in search of a place to cross. Having
chosen a spot where the current was smooth, immediately above a rapi J,
Franklin and two Canadian boatmen, St. Germain and lielanger, pushed
from the shore. Tho breeze Avas fresh, and tho current stronger than
they imagined, so that they approached tho very edge of the rapid; and
Belanger employing his paddle to steady the canoe, lost his balance, and
overset the bark in the middle of it. The party clung to its side, and
reaching a rock where the stream was but waist-deep, kept their footing
till the canoe was emptied of water, after which Belanger held it steady,
while St. Germain replaced Franklin in it, and dexterously leaped in
himself. Such was their situation, that if the man who stood on the
rock had raised his foot, they would liave been lost. His friends there-
fore were compelled to leave hhn, and atler a second disaster, in which
the canoe struck, and Avas as expeditiously righted as before, they
reached the opposite Ijank.

Meanwhile Belanger suffered extremely, immersed to his middle, and
enduring intense cold. He called piteously for relief, and St. Germain
re-embarking, attemj)ted to reach him, but was hurried down the rapid,
and on coming ashore was so benumbed as to be incapable of further
exertion. A second eifort, but equally imsuccessful, was made by Adam :
they then tried to carry out a line formed of the slings of tho men's
loads, but it broke, and was carried down the stream. At last, when
he was almost exhausted, the canoe reached him with a small cord of

A rKRII.OUS SITUATION.

81:;

one of tl»o rcinainitij» notn, uiul lio wsis draj^j^cd to hIiohi (luito iiisi'UHihltt.
Oil being Htripju'tl, rolled in hlankots, and put to bod betwoon two men,
ho recovered. l)uring these operations Knuiklin was lell alone upt^n tho
bank, and it Heenied a matter of the ntmoHt doubt wliether lie whonld be
liver rejoined by hit* eonipanions. "It is impossible," Hays he, "tode-
Huribe my sensations as I witnessed the various nnsueeessful attempts to
relievo Belanger. The distance prevented my seeing tlistinetly what
was going on, and I eontinuod ])aeing up and down the rock on which
I stood, regardless of the coldncsa of my drenehed and Htiffened gar-
laents. The cnnoe, in every attempt to reaeh him, was hurried down
the rapid, and was lost to view among the rocky islets, with a fury
which seemed to threaten instant destruction ; once, indeed, I fancied
tlint I saw it overwhelmed in the waves : such an event would have
been fatal to the whole party. Separated as I was from my companions,
without gun, ammunition, liatchet, or the means of making a fire, and
in wet clothes, my doom wo»ild have been speedily sealed. My com-
panions too, driven to the necessity of coasting the lake, must have sunk
under the fatigue of rounding its innumerable arms and bays, whicli, as
we learned allerward from the Indians, are extensive. IJy the good-
ness of Providence, liowever, we were Hj)ared at that time, and some of
as have been permitted to olfer up our thanksgiving in a civilized land
for the signal deliverance we then and afterward experienced."

On setting out next morning, Perraiilt brought in a fine male deer,
which raised the spirits of the party, as it secured them in provisions for
two days ; and they trusted to support tliemselves for a third on the
skin which they carried with them. Having ascended the Willingham
Mountains, tliey entered upon a rugged country, intersected by deep
ravines, the passage of which was so diflicult, that they could only make
ten miles with great latigue. The doer was now picked to the last mor-
sel, and they ate pieces of the suiged hide with a little tripe de roclie.
At other times this meal might have sufticed ; but, exhausted by slen-
der food and continued toil, their appetites liad become ravenous.
Hitherto events had boon so mercifully ordered, that in their utmost
need some Uttle supply of the tripe de roclie had never failed them; but
it Avas the will of God that their confidence shoidd be yet more strongly
tried ; for they now entered upon a level country covered with snow,
where even this miserable lichen was no longer to be found ; and a bed
of Iceland moss, which was boiled for supper, proved so bitter that none
of the party, though enduring the extremities of hunger, could taste
more than a few spoonfuls. Another distress now attacked them : the
intensity of the cold increased, while they became less fit to endure it.
Their blankets did not sufiice to keep them warm, and the slightest
breeze pierced through their debilitated frames. "The reader," says
Franklin, " will probably be desirous to know how we passed our time
in such a comfortless situation. The first operation after encamping was
to thaw our frozen shoes, if a sufficient fire could be made ; dry ones

304 FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

were then put on. Each person then wrote hia notes of the daily occur-
rences, and evening prayers were read. As soon as supper was pre-
pared it was eaten, generally in the dark, and we went to bed, and kept
up a cheerful conversation until our blankets were thawed by the heat
of our bodies, and we had gathered sufficient warmth to enable us to
fall asleep. On many nights wo had not even the luxury of going to
bed in dry clothes ; for, when the fire was insufficient to dry our shoes,
we dared not venture to pull them off, lest they should freeze so hard
as to be unfit to put on in the morning, and therefore inconvenient
to carry."

Hunger, fatigue, and disappointment, began now to have a calami-
tous effect upon the tempers of the men. One, who carried the canoe,
after several severe falls, threw down his burden, and obstinately refused
to resume it. It was accordingly given to another, who proved stronger,
and pushed forward at so rapid a rate that Mr. Hood, whose weakness
was now extreme, could not keep up with them ; and as Franklin at-
tempted to pursue and stop them, the whole party were separated. Dr
Richardson, who had remained behind to gather tripe de roche, joined
him, and on advancing they found the men encamped among some wil-
lows, where they had found some pieces of skin and a few bones of
deer which had been devoured by the wolves. On these they had
made a meal, having burned and pounded the bones, boiled the skin,
and added their old shoes to the mess. With this no foult could be
found ; but on questioning the person to whom the canoe had boon en-
trusted, it was discovered that he had loft the boat behind, it having, as
he said, been broken by a fall, and rendered entirely useless.

To the infatuated obstinacy of the men in refusing to retrace their
steps and fetch it, even in its shattered state, is to be ascribed much of
the distress of their subsequent journey. Every argtimcnt and entreaty
seemed entirely thrown away ; and they had apparently lost all hope of
being preserved. When the hunters, who had been out for some time,
did not make their appearance, they became furious at the idea of having
been deserted, and throwing down their bundles, declared they would
follow them at all hazards, and leave the weakest to keep up as they
best couid. The remonstrances of the officers at length opened their
minds to the madness of such a scheme ; and on encamping in the even-
ing, they found some pines seven or eight feet high, which furnished a
comfortable fire, when they made their supper on tripe de roche. Next
morning a herd of deer came in sight, and they killed five — a supply
which, considering the extremity of hunger and despair to which they
were reduced, was especi Jly providential.

The Canadians now earnestly petitioned for a day's rest. Tliey
pleaded their recent sufferings, and that the enjoyment of two substan-
tial meals, after eight days' famine, would enable them to press forward
more vigorously. The flesh, the skins, and even the stomachs of the
deer, were accordingly equally divided among the party, and some of

PERPLEXITY OP THE PARTY.

805

liaving
I would
lis tliey
111 their
even-
|8hed a
Next
[supply
Ih they

Tliey
abatan-
jrward
I of the
Lmo of

them suffered severely from too free an indulgence in the use of this
food after so long an abstinence, l^ext morning the party resumed their
journey, and after a walk of three miles, came to the Coppermine River.
Its current was sttrong ; but with a canoe there would have been no
difficulty in crossing ; and the reckless folly of the men, in abandoning
their only means of transport, was now brought strongly to their mind.
No ford could be discovered, and the plan was suggested of framing a
vessel of Avillows, covered with the canvas of the tent ; but the most
experienced boctmen declared that willows were too small to bear the
Aveight, and no pines could be found. Nothing remained but to resume
their march along the borders of the lake ; and looking out eagerly, but
in vain, for some fordable place, they encamped at the east end. Anx-
ious to adopt every possible means for preserving the party, Franklin
s -nt Mr. Back forward with the interpreters to hunt. He was directed
to halt at the first pines, and construct a raft ; and if his hunters had
killed animals sufficient to provision them, he was to cross immediately,
and send the Indians with supplies of meat to the party behind.

At this tune it was discovered that two of the men had stolen part
of the officers' provision, though it had been doled out with the strictest
impartiality, and they saw their leaders suffermg more acutely than
themselves. To punish this was impossible, except by the threat that
they should forfeit their wages, which produced little effect. Despord-
I'lioy had deeply seized upon the party, and in the morning strict orders
could not pre\ent them from straggling in search of the remains of
animals ; in consequence of which much time was lost in halting, and
ammunition in firing guns to collect them. The snow, however, had
disapj)eared, and pressing forward with more alacrity, they came to an
arm of the lake running north-east. The idea of making the long cir-
cuit round it was distressing ; and having halted to consult what was
to be done, some one discovered in a cliff the carcass of a deer which
liiid fallen into a chasm. It was quite putrid, but even in that state ap-
peared delicious, and r^ fire being kindled, a large portion was rapidly
(k'voiu-ed ; A\hile the men, cheered by this imexpected breakfast, re-
{lained their confidence, and requested leave to return to the rapid,
insisting on the practicability of making a sufficiently strong raft of wil-
lows, though they had formerly pronounced it impossible. Their advice
Mas followed; and having sent off Augustus, one of the interpreters,
to inform Mr. Back of this change of plan, they commenced their retro-
grade movement, and encamped at night in a deep valley among some
large willows, where they supped oii the remains of the putrid deer.

Next day they regained the rapids, commenced cutting willows for
the raft, and a reward of three hundred livres was promised by Franklin
to the person who should convey a line across the river strong enough
to manage the raft and transport the party. The willows when cut were
bound into fagots, and the work completed ; but the greenness of the
wood rendered it heavy, and incapable of supporting more than one

806

FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

man at a time. Still they hoped to he ahle to cross ; hut all depended
on getting a line carried to the opposite hank, through a current one
hundred and thirty yards wide, strong, deep, and intensely cold. Bc-
langer and Benoit, the two strongest men of the party, repeatedly at-
tempted to take the raft over, but for want of oars were driven hack.
The tent-staves were then tied together, and formed a strong pole ; hut
it was not l^j.yg enough to reach the bottom even at a short distance
from the shore. Dr. Richardson next produced a paddle he had brought
from the coast, hut which was found not powerful enough to impel the
raft against a strong breeze. The failure of every attempt occasioned a
deep despondency, which threatened to have the most fatal ettbcts,
when Dr. Richardson, with a disinterested courage that made him for-
get his own weakness, threw off his upper garments, and attempted to
swim with a rope to the opposite bank. Plunging in with a line round
his middle, he at first made some way, hut the extreme cold was too
much for him, and in a few moments his arms became powerless ; still,
being an expert swimmer, he not only kept hunself afloat, but made way
by turning on his back and using his legs, so that he had nearly readied
the other side, when, to the inexpressible anguish of those who watched
his progress, his limbs became benumbed, and he sank. All hands now
hauled on the luie, and drew him ashore almost lifeless ; but, placed be-
fore a fire of ^^^llows and stripped of his wet clothes, he gradually revi\cd
enough to give directions as to the mode of treating him. His thin and
emaciated .Umba, which were now exposed to view, produced an in-
voluntary exclamation of compassion and surprise : — " Ah, que nous
sommes maigres !" said the French Canadians ; but it is probable that
few of them would havo presented so gaunt and attenuated an appear-
ance as the brave and excellent man who had thus nearly fallen a sacri-
fice to his humanity, for it wa ■, discovered about this tim that the
hunters were in the practice of "withholding the game which they shot,
and devouring it in secret.

Soon after this the party were joined by Mr. Back, who had traced
the lake about fifteen miles further up without discovering any place
where it was possible to get across ; and toward evening Credit, who
had been out hunting, returned without any game of his own killing,
but brought the antlers and backbone of a deer shot during the sum-
mer. Tliese relics had been already picked clean by the wolves and
birds of prey, but the marrow remained in the spine ; and though com-
pletely putrid, and so acrid as to excoriate the lips, it was not the less
acceptable. The bones were rendered friable by burning, and the whole
eagerly devoured. St. Germain, one of the voyageurs, now suggested
that a canoe might bo made of the painted canvas used to wrap up
the bedding, and offered to construct it upon a framework of willows.
For this purpose he and Adam removed to a clump of willows, while
another party proceeded to the s,^ot where they had encamped on the
25th, to collect pitch among the small pines to pay over the seams. A

CROSS.TNG THB COPPERMINE.

807

snow-storm at this moment came on, and the sufferings of the men
hourly increasing, a deep gloom settled upon their spirits. Mr. Hood
was by this time reduced to a perfect shadow ; Mr. Back required the
support of a stick ; Dr. Richardson was lame ; and Franklin so feeble,
that, after a struggle of three hours, he found himself utterly unable to
reach the spot where St. Germam was at work, a distance of only three
quarters of a mile, and returned completely exhausted. The Canadian
voyageurs had now fallen into a state of despondency which bordered
on despair, and, indifferent to their fate, refused to make the slightest
exertion. The officers were unable to undergo the labor of gathering
the tripe de roche, and Saraandre, the cook, sullenly declined continuing
his labors. At this miserable crisis the conduct of John Hepburn, the
English sailor, was especially admirable, presenting a striking contrast
to the gloomy selfishness of the Canadians. His firm rel'ance on the
watchful goodness of God, and a cheerful resignation to His will, never
for a moment forsook him ; and, animated by this blessed principle, his
strength appeared to be preserved as a means of preserving the party.
He collected the tripe de roche for the officers' mess, cooked and served
it out, and showed the most indefatigable zeal in his efforts to alleviate
their stifferings.

A gleam of hope at length arose, when St. Germain completed the
canoe. It was impossible not to feel that their last chance of escape
seemed to hang upon this little bark ; would it prove sufficient for its
purpose ? or, constructed of such wretched materials, would it rot at
once sink to the bottom ? Amid this conflict of contending emotions
it was launched on the river, and every heart bounded with exultation
when it floated, and St. Germain transported himself to the opposite
side. It was drawn back, and, one by one, the whole party were ferried
over, though, from the leaky state of the little bark, their garments and
bedding werfe completely drenched, Franklin immediately dispatched
Mr. Back and three men to push on to Fort Enterprise in search of
the Indians, while he himself followed with the rest.

Nothing could exceed the joy of the Canadian voyageurs at this
unlooked-for deliverance. Their spirits rose from the deepest despond-
ency into tumultuous exultation. They shook the officers by the hand,
cried out that their worst difficulties were at an end, and expressed a
confident hope of being able to reach Fort Enterprise in the course of
a few dayf5 — a boisterous and sudden confidence, to which the silent
gratitude and quiet resolution of the pious Hepburn presented a strik-
ing contrast.

Their tents and bed-clothes were so much frozen, and the men, who
had kindled a small fire, were so weary, that it was eight in the morn-
ing before the bundles were packed, and the party set forward. They
traveled in single files, each at a small distance fi'om his neighbor. Mr.
Hood, who was now nearly exhausted, was obliged to walk at a gentle
pace in the rear, Dr. Richardson kindly keeping beside him; while

808

FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

Franklin led the foremost men, that he migh: make them halt occasion-
ally till the stragglers came up. Credit, hitherto one of their most active
hunters, became lamentably weak from the effects of tri2ie de roche on
his constitution, and Vaillant, from the same cause, was getting daily
more emaciated. They only advanced six miles during the day, and at
night satisfied the cravings of hunger by a small quantity of tripe de
roche mixed up with some scraps of roasted leather. During the night
the whid increased to a strong gale, which continuing next day, filled
the atmosphere with a thick snow-drift. Having boiled and eaten tie
remains of their old shoes, and every shred of leather which could be
picked up, they set forward at pino over bleak hills separated by equally
barren valleys.

In this manner they journeyed till noon, not without much straggling
and frequent halts, at which time Samandre cam > up with the melancholy
news that Credit and Vaillant had dropped down, and were utterly un.
able to proceed. Dr. Richardson went back, and discovering Vaillant
about a mile and a half in the rear, assured him that a tire was kindled
a little way on, and that he would recover if he could but reach it ; the
poor fellow struggled up on his feet, and feebly trie .1 to advance, but
fell down e\ ery step in the deep snow. Leaving liira, Dr. Richardson
retraced his steps about a mile further in a fruitless search for Credit.
In returning he passed Vaillant, who had fivUen down, utterly unable to
renevr his efforts to rejoui the party. Belanger went back to carry his
burden and assist him to the fire ; but the cold had produced such a
numbness that he could not speak or make the slightest exertion. The
stoutest of the party were now implored to make a last effort to trans-
port him to the fii'e, but declared themselves utterly unable for the task.
They eagerly requested leave to throw down their loads, and proceed
with the utmost speed to Fort Enteri)rise — a scheme projected in the
despair of the moment, and which must have brought destruction upon
the whole.

Matters had now reached a dreadful crisis ; it was necessary to come
to an immediate decision regarding their ultimate measures, and a plan
proposed by Mr. Hood and Dr. Richardson was adopted. These gen-
tlemen consented to remain with a single attendant at the first spot
where there were suflicient firewood and tripe de roche for ten days'
consumption, while Franklin and the rest were to proceed with all ex^
pedition to Fort Enterprise, and to send immediate assistance. This
scheme promised to relieve them of a considerable portion of their bur-
dens — for one of the tents and various other articles were to be left ; and
it gave poor Credit and Vaillant a fai.er opportunity, should they re-
vive, of regaining their companions. On the resolution being communi-
cated to the men, they were cheered with the prospect of an alleviaiion
of their misery, and pressed forward in search of a convenient spot for
the proposed separation. Near nightfall they encamped under the lee
of a hill among some ^^illows, which furnished a small fire, but not suf-

RICHARDSON LEFT BEHIND.

809

ficiently strong to thaw their frozen clothes ; and no tn'pe de roehe hav-
in<» been found during the day, they lay down hungry, cold, and full of
the gloomiest apprehensions, while sleep fled from their eyelids, and the
images of their dying companions rose before their imagination in colors
which made them shudder for a fate that might so soon become their
own. Next morning the weather providentially Avas mild, and settmg
out at nine they arrived toward noon at a thicket of willows, in the
neighborhood of some rocks bearing a pretty full supply of tripe de rocfie.
Here Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood determined to remain. The tent
was pitched, a barrel of ammunition and other articles were deposited,
and Hepburn, who Vv'lunteered the service, was appointed to continue
with them. The. rest of the party now had only to carry a single tent,
the ammunition, and the oflScers' journals, in addition to their own
clothes and a single blanket for Captain Franklin. When all was ready,
the whole party united in thanksgiving and prayers to Almighty God
for their mutual preservation, and separated with the melancholy reflec-
tion that it might in all probability be the last time they should ever
aaain meet in this world.

On leaving their friends. Captain Franklin and his party descended
into a more level country ; but the snow lay so deep, and they were so
little able to wade through it, that they encamped, after a painful march
of only four miles and a half, in which Belanger, and Michel, an Iroquois,
were left far behind, yet still struggling forward. In the evening they
came in dreadfully exhausted, and Belanger, till now one of the strongest
of the party, could not refrain from tears as he declared he was totally
unable to proceed, and implored permission to return to Dr. Richardson
and Mr. Hood. Michel made the same request, and it was agreed that
they should do so. The cold of the night was excessive, and the men
were so weak that they could not raise the tent ; from its weight it was
impossible to transport it from place to place, and it was cut up, the can-
vas serving them for a covering ; but though they lay close together,
the intense frost deprived them of sleep. Having no tripe de roche, they
had supped upon an infusion of the Labrador tea-plant, with a few mor-
sels of burned leather. Michel and ]5elanger, being apparently more ex-
hausted in the morning than over night, were left, while the rest moved
forward. After a very short progress, Perrault was attacked with a fit
of dizziness ; but on halting a little, again proposed to proceed. In ten
minutes, however, he sunk down, anu weeping aloud, declared his total
inability to go on. He was accordingly advised to rejoin Michel and
Belanger — a proposal in which he acquiesced. These examples of the
total failure of the strongest in the party had a very unfavorable effect
on the spirits of the rest, and the exertion of wading through the snow
and crossing a lake on the ice, where they were frequently blown down,
was so severe, that Fontano, after having repeatedly fallen, piteously
complained that he was utterly unable to go further. Being not two
I miles from the others, it was thought best that he also should attempt

810 FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

to lejoiii them ; and as he was much beloved, the patting was very dis-
tressing. They watched him for some time, and were comforted by
seeing that, though hia progress was very slow, he kept his feet better
than before.

The wliole party was now reduced to five persons, Captain Franklin,
Adam, Peltier, Benoit, and Samandre, the interpreter Augustus having
pressed forward by himself dm-ing the late frequent halts. They made
that day only four miles and a half, ai\d encamped for the night under a
rock, supping again on an infusion of the Labrador tea-plant and some
shreds of boiled leather. The evenuig was comparatively mild, the
breeze light, and having the comfort of a tire, they enjoyed some sleep.
This was of infinite advantage ; it gave them new spirits, which wore
further invigorated by a breakfast of tripe de roc/tc, this being the fourth
day since they liad a regular meal. On reachuig Marten Lake they
found it frozen over — a circumstance which they knew would enable
them to walk upon the ice straight to Fort Enterprise.

It may be easily imagined what were the sensations of the party in
approaching the spot which they trusted would be the end of all tljeu"
toils and privations. From the arrangements previously made, it was
judged certain that they would here tind relief, and be able to send
assistance to their unfortunate companions. It was a spot where they
had enjoyed, at a former period of the expedition, the greatest comfort;
but it was possible, though they scarcely permitted themselves to con-
template so dreadful an idea, that circumstances might have occurred to
defeat their present expectations. On approaching the house their minds
were strongly agitated between hope and fear, and contrary to their
usual custom, they advanced in silence. At length they reached it, and
their worst apprehensions were realized. It was completely desolate.
No ^.rovisions had been deposited — no trace of Indians could be dis-
covered — no letter lay there from Mr. Wentzel to inform them where
the Indians might bo found. On entering, a mute despair seized the
party. They gazed on the cold hearth, comfortless walls, and broken
sashes, through which the wind and snow penetrated, and awakening to
a full sense of the horrors of their situation, burst into tears. On re-
covering a httle, and looking round with more attention, a note waa
found from Mr. Back, stating that having two days before this reached
the house, he had proceeded in search of the Indians ; but described his
party as so debilitated that it was doubtful whether they would be able
to reach Fort Providence. The sufferings endured by this officer and
his httle party, one of whom was frozen to death, were equally di'eadful
with those which fell to the share of his commander.

The poor sufferers thus grievously disappointed, now examined the
deserted habitation for the means of subsistence, and found several deer-
skins thrown away during their former residence at the fort. The heaps
of ashes were carefully raked, and a considerable collection of bones dis-
covered, which were hoarded up for the purpose of being i>ounded and

SUFFERINGS AT FORT ENTERPRISE.

811

manufactured into soup. Tho parchment originally employed instead
of glass had been torn from tho whidowa, and the place was exposed to
all the inclemency of an arctic winter ; but they succeeded in filling tho
sashes with loose boards, and as tho temperature of the outer air was
now from 15" to 20" below zero, this precaution was especially neces-
sary. To procure water, they melted the frozen lumps of snow, and tho
flooring of the neighboring apartment was broken up for fuel.

Having completed these arrangements, they assembled round the
fire, and were busy singeing the hair off a deer-skin, Avhen they were
cheered by the entrance of tho interpreter, Avho had made liis M'ay to
the fort by a different route, through a country he had never traversed
before. Though by far the strongest of tho party, he was now so en-
feebled by famine that ho could not follow two deer which he had seen
on his way. Next morning there was a heavy gale from the south-east,
and the snow drifted so thick that no one ventured abroad. On the
evenuig of the succeeding day, a figure covered with ice, benumbed with
cold, and almost speechless, staggered into the house. It was one of the
Canadians, who had been dispatched with a note by Mr. Back, and hav-
ing fallen into a rapid narrowly escaped being drowned. To change his
dress, wrap him in warm blankets, and pour some soup down his throat,
was their first care ; and after a little he revived enough to answer the
anxious questions with which he was assailed. From his replies but
little comfort was derived. Mr. Back had seen no trace of the Indians,
and the messenger's recollection appeared confused with regard to the
part of tho country where he had left his officer, who, as he stated, in-
tended to proceed to the spot where the Indian chief, Akaitcho, had en-
camped last summer — a distance of about thirty miles. Thither he pro-
posed to follow when he was a little recruited ; and, though dissuaded
from the attempt, persisted that as the track was beaten he would be
able to make it out, and to convey intelligence of the situation of Cap-
tain Franklin's party. Accordingly, the fifth day after his arrival, he
departed from the fort with a small supply of singed hide.

Not long after, Adam, one of the five men who now remained with
Captain Franklin, became so ill that he wns utterly incapable of moving,
and it was discovered that he had been for some time afflicted with
(Edematous swellings in various parts of his body, wliich he had hitherto
generously concealed, from a wish not to impede the movements of his
companions. As it was impossible for this poor man to travel, it was
necessary to abandon the original intention of proceeding with the whole
party to Fort Providence, and Peltier and Samandre, who were in almost
88 weak a state, having expressed a wish to remain with Adam, Captain
Franklin, along with Augustus and Benoit, determined to press on to
Fort Providence, and to send relief to their companions by the first
party of Indians they should meet.

Having accordingly given directions regarding the journals and
charts which were left in their custody, and the best mode of forwurd-

312

FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

iiig succor to Mr. Hood and Dr. Richardson, Franklin set forward with
his two attendants ; but so feeble had they become, that the distance
accomplished in six hours was only four miles. They encamped on the
borders of Round Rock Lake, and, unable to find any trtpe de roche,
made their supper upon fried deer-skin. The night proved intensely
cold, and although they crept as close to each other as possible, they
shivered in every limb, and the wind pierced through their famished
frames. Next morning was mild, and they set out early, but had scarce
])roceeded a few yards, when Franklin fell between two rocks, and
broke his snow-shoes, an accident which incapacitated him from keeping
up with Benoit and Augustus. In a very short time his attempt to press
forward completely exhausted him ; and as the only hope of preserving
the lives of the party appeared to rest on their speedily reachuig Fort
Providence, he determined, rather than retard them, to retrace his stops
to the house, while they proceeded for assistance. Calling a moment's
halt, he addressed one note to Mr. Ba^V, requesting an immediate sup-
ply of meat from Reindeer Lake, ant another to the commandant at
Fort Providence, •with urgent entreaties for assistance. This done, Au-
gustus and Benoit resumed their journey, and Franklin returned to the
house.

On arriving, he found Adam, Samandrc, and Peltier still alive ; but
the two first, whose minds seemed quite enfeebled, could not be prevailed
on to leave their bed, and their nervous weakness was so great, that
they scarcely ceased shedding tears all day. It was even with difficulty
that they were prevailed on to take any nourishment ; and the labor of
cutting and carrying fuel, gathering the tripe de roche^ and cooking, fell
entirely upon Franklin and Peltier. The frost was now so severe, that
it was evident this lichen would soon be bound up in ice, and as their
strength daily declined, every exertion became irksome. When once
seated, it required a painful eifort to rise up, and not unfrcquently they
had to lift each other from their chairs. This miserable condition could
not last long. Peltier soon became almost incapable of holding the
hatchet ; the bone-soup had become so acrid as to corrode the inside
of their mouths ; the tripe de rocJie, covered with ice, defied all efforts to
detach it from the rock ; and though the reindeer sported on the banks
of the river, no one had strength to go after them, or to hold a gun so
steadily as to secure an aim.

Still the hopes and cheerfulness of Franklin did not desert him.
From his knowledge of the places most frequented at that season by
the Indians, he was sanguine as to the likelihood of their being found ;
and their speedy arrival formed a constant subject of conversation. At
length, on the evening of the 29th, when talking of his long-looked-for
relief, and sitting round the fire, Peltier suddenly leaped up and uttered
a joyful exclamation, imagining he heard the bustle of the Indians in
the adjoining room. It was not the Indians, however, but Dr. Richard-
son and Hepburn, who came in, each carrying his bundle. The meeting

THE EXAMPLE OP HEPBURN.

313

was one of minglccl joy and sorrow. Poor Hood's abscnoo was instantly-
perceived, and their saddest anticipations were confirmpd by Dr. Rich-
ardson declaring that this young officer and Michel were dead, and that
neither Perrault nor Fontano had reached the tent, or been heard of.
Such news could not fail to create despondency. All Avero shocked at
the emaciated countenances and hollow A'oices of Dr. Richardson and
his companion, while Captain Franklin and his icllow-sufferers, having
become gradually accustomed to the dreadful effects of famine upon each
other, were not aware that, to the eyes of their friends Avho had just
arrived, the alteration upon themselves was equally melancholy. " The
doctor," says Franklin, " particularly remarked the sepulchral tone of
our voices, which he requested us to make more cheerful if possible,
not aware that his own partook of the same key."

The arrival of these friends, however, was soon attended with a fav-
orable change. Though greatly reduced, they were 3till in a bettor con-
dition than their unfortunate companions, .and it was not long till Hep-
burn shot a partridge. Dr. Richardson speedily tore off the feathers,
and having held it for a few minutes at the fire, divided it into six
pieces, Franklin and his companions ravenously devoured their por-
tions, " being the first morsel of flesh that any of them had tasted for
thirty-one days ;" and Dr. Richardson cheered them with the prospect
that Hepburn might possibly bring in a deer in his next expedition.
The counsels and example of this pious and intelligent man produced
the best effects on the spirits of the party. He had brought with him
his Testament and Prayer-book, and by reading portions of Scripture
appropriate to their situation, and encouraging them to join in prayer
and thanksgiving, he led them to the only source whence, under the
awful circumstances in which they were placed, they could derive hope
or consolation. He taught them the necessity of exertion, whatever
pain it might at first cost ; roused them to pay some attention to the
cleanliness of their apartment, and insisted particularly, that during the
day they should roll up their blankets, which they had been in the prac-
tice of leaving beside the fire where they slept. Their several tasks were
now allotted to each : Hepburn and Richardson went out in search of
deer ; while Franklin, being unable to walk far, remained nearer the
house, and digged under the snow for skuis, which, during their former
happy winter residence at this station, when they killed and ate abund-
ance of game, were thrown away as useless, but now in their almost pu-
trid state formed their principal support. The cutting of firewood was
intrusted to Peltier and Samandre ; but both w^ere so weak and dispirited,
that it was generally performed by Hepburn on his return from hunting ;
as for Adam, his legs were still so severely swollen that he kept his bed,
though an operation performed by Dr. Richardson gave him some ease.
In the midst of these necessary cares, all seemed for a while to dread
approaching the subject of Hood and Michel's death ; but at length one
evening, on the return of the doctor from himting, and after having

814

FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

dispatched their usual supper of singed skin and bone-soup, they re-
quested him to relate the particulars ; and a more afflicting, or, in some
re8i)ects, a more terrific story, as it appears m his published narrative,
could not well be conceived.

lie stated that after being left by Captain Franklin, they remained
beside the fire as long as it lasted. Having no tripe de roche, they sup-
ped on an inftision of the country tea-plant, which was grateful from its
warmtli, but afforded no nourishment, and retired to rest. Next day
proved stormy, and the snow being so deep that a firo could not bo
kuidled with the green willows, they lay in bed reading some religious
books with which the party had been furnished before leaving England
by the affectionato and pioua care of a lady. " They proved," says
Richardson, " of incalculable benefit to us. We read portions of them
to each other as we lay in bed, in addition to the morning and evening
service, and found that they inspired us on each perusal with so strong a
sense of the omnipresence of a beneficent God, that our situation in these
wilds appeared no longer destitute ; and wo conversed not only with
cahnness, but with cheerfulness, detailing with unrestrained confidence
the past events of our lives, and dwelling with hope upon our future
prospects."

The weather clearing up. Dr. Richardson went out in search of tripe
de roche, leaving Mr. Hood in bed, and Hepburn cutting willows for a
fire ; but the rocks were covered with ico and snow, and he was un-
successful. On his return he found Michel, the Iroquois, who delivered
the note from Franklin. All were surprised to see him alone ; but he
stated that Belanger had separated from him, and, as he supposed, lost
his way, he himself havmg wandered far from the straight road. They
had afterward good reason to suspect the truth of this story, but be-
lieved it at that moment, and were rejoiced to see him produce a hare
and a partridge — an unlooked-for supply, which they received M'ith
humble thankfulness to the Giver of all good. Franklin's note advised
them to advance to a little wood of pines which would afford better
fuel ; and to this they removed under thb guidance of Michel, who led
them straight to the spot.

As he had declared himself so little acquainted with the country as
to lose his way, it seemed strange that he should at once conduct them
to the thicket. This roused their attention, and made them feel rather
uneasy as to his honesty ; and various circumstances occurred to increase
their suspicions. He requested the loan of a hatchet, when any other
hunter would have taken only his knife. He remained abroad all day
without any definite employment. He brought them some raw meat,
saying it was part of the carcase of a wolf, but which they had afterward
reason to believe was a portion of the bodies of Belanger and Perrault,
whom they suspected him to have murdered. He shunned the society
of Dr. Richardson and Mr. Hood, refusing to sleep in the tent, and pre-
ferring to lie alone at the fire. On going out with the purpose of re-

MURDKB OF MR. HOOD.

815

maining a whole day, ho often returned abruptly, and when questioned
gave vague answers. In a few daya ho began to regret that ho had left,
Captain Franklin's party, reftised to take any share in the labor of cut-
ting wood, talked in a surly and hisolent manner, and could scarcely bo
prevailed upon to go out and hunt at all. These symptoms of gloomy
dissatisfaction increased ; ho resisted all entreaties, and when Mr. Hood,
who was now reduced by famine to the last extremity, remonstrated
with him, ho flew into a violent passion, and exclaimed, "It is of no use
hunting ; there are no animals ; you had better kill and eat mc." He
afterward, howevei", consented to go out, but returned upon some frivol-
ous pretense; and on the succeeding day that dreadful catastrophe
took place, which will be best given in the words of Dr. Richardson's
journal :

"In the morning," says he, "being Sunday, October 20th, we again
urged Michel to go a-hunting, that he might, if possible, leave us some
provision, to-morrow being the day appointed for his quitting us ; but he
showed great unwillingness to go out, and lingered about the fire under
the pretense of cleaning his gun. After we had read the morning service,
I went about noon to gather some tripe de roc?ie, leaving Mr. Hood sit-
ting before the tent at the fireside arguing with Michel. Hepburn was
euiployed cutting down a tree at a small dbtance from the tent, bemg
desirous of accumulating a quantity of firewood. A short time atler I
went out, I heard the report of a gun, and about ten minutes afterward
Hepburn called to mo in a voice of great alarm to come directly. When
I arrived, I found poor Hood lyuig lifeless at the fireside, a ball having
apparently entered his forehead. I was at first horror-struck with the
idea that in a fit of despondency he had hurried himself into the pres-
ence of his Almighty Judge by an act of his own hand ; but the con-
duct of Michel soon gave rise to other thoughts, and excited suspicions
which were confirmed, when, upon examining the body, I found that
the shot had entered the back part of the head and had passed out at
the forehead, while the muzzle of the gun had been applied so close as
to set fire to the nightcap behind. The gun, which was of the longest
kmd supplied to the Indians, could not have been placed in the position
to inflict such a wound except by a second person. Upon inquiring of
Michel how it happened, he replied that Mr. Hood had sent him into
the tent for the short gun, and that during his absence the long gim
had gone off", ho did not know whether by accident or not. He held
the short gun in his hand at the time he was speaking. Hepburn after-
ward asserted, that previous to the report of the gun, Mr. Hood and
Michel were speaking to each other in an elevated, angry tone ; — ^he
added, that Mr. Hood being seated at the fireside, was hid from him by
intervening willows ; but that on hearing the report he looked up, and
saw Michel rising up from before the tent-door, or just behind where
Mr. Hood was seated, and then going into the tent. Thinking that the
gun had been discharged for the purpose of cleaning it, he did not go

816

FRANKLIN'S JOURNKY TO THE POLAR SKA.

to the firo at firHt ; nntl when IMlchel called to lilm that INfr. Hood wjw
dead, a coiiHidcniblc tinii) had oliviwed. ♦ ♦ ♦ HickerHteth's Script iiro
Help Avas lying open beside the l)ody, as it' it had tiillt-n from hi.s liaiid,
and it is probable he was reading it at the instant of his death."

Siieh was the nielancrholy fate of Mr. Hood, a young oflicer of the
highest promise, who, by his conduet, had endeared liimself to every
member of the expedition, and whost- Hiiilerings, as they were more in-
tense, from the pe(.'uliarity of his e(mstitution, were boriu! with a placid
and impretending fortitude, which it was impossible to conteinplato
without emotion. Hoth Dr. Hichardson and Hepburn were eonviuced
he had nu;t his death from tlu' hands of ^lichel ; but to have accused
him at that moment would have been the extremity of rashness. They
were so reduced 1)y Himino that l>e could easily have overpowi'i-ed both.
His appearance showed tliat he possessed secret suj>pliesof ibod ; he was
of great bodily strength, and was armed to the teeth, carrying, besidt's
his gun, a brace of jjistols, an Indian bayonet, and a knife. To have
hinted a suspicion, tiicrefore, might have been instantly fatal, and tlioy
attected to consider the death of their comjtanion entirely accidental.
As his weakness had been the chief cause of delaying their journey, they
now set out t()r the fort, having first paid the last rites to the (lead in
the only way which their situation would i)ermit. The ground was so
hard, and their strengtli so cxliaiisted, that to dig a grave was impos-
sible ; so they carrietl the body into the willow grov(! behind the tent,
and returning to the lire, read the funeral service in addition to their
evening devotions.

In the morning, liaving singed the hair otT a portion of IMr. Hood's
buffalo robe, they boiled and ate it for breakflist. Meanwhile, the con-
duct of Micliel was so extraordinary, tliat had they not been already
convinced of his guilt, no doubt of it could have remained. Tliougli
not a breath of their suspicions reached his ears, he rej)eatedly protested
that ho was incapable of committing such an act; he kept constantly on
his guard, appeared fearfid of leav-ing Dr. Kichardson and Hepburn
alone even for the shortest time, and when Hepburn spoke he listened
anxiously, though very imperfectly acquainted with the English lan-
guage, fixed his eyes keenly upon him, and asked fiercely if he accused
him of the murder. He evinced great unwillingness to set out for the
fort, and wished Dr. Richardson to proceed to t!io Coppermine River,
where he said the woods would supply plenty oi' d.ccr. On finding this
advice disregarded, his conduct became more ; nd more alarming ; he
muttered to himself, fell into sullen fits of abstraction, and used those
Cv.nvulsive and abrupt gestures often involuntarily exhibited by a person
whose mind is tall of some dreadful purpose. Suddenly awakening frora
this reverie, ho again expressed his unwillinjifness to return to the fort,
and renewed his solicitations to Dr. Richardson to repair to the southern
woods, where they would find ample subsistence. On being requested
to pursue his own plan alone, and leave them to continue their journey,

RI0IIARD80N HIIOOTS MIOnKL.

317

ho broke into irn luif^ovi'i'iiahli' fury, iicotiscd II(>|)l)iini of Imvin^ told
BtoricH ngainst liim, aii<l assiiiiuMl siu-li iiirs of Hii|H'riority us showed thiit
he know thi'y were Imth in his power, ut the same time >;ivinj^ vent to
expressions of liatred ajjainst the wliite pi'«»ph', eallinj; tlieni <leadly
enemies, and attirniing tiiey had killed and eaten liis unele and two of
his relations.

None of these menaees were lost upon Uichardson and Hepburn;
both felt they were not safe in tliis man's eomi»any ; and these drttadfiil
Hin-mises rose into certainty when he threw out hints that he would ivm
himself from all restraint on the morrow. Ileing now eonviiuied that, as
he had eruelly murdered H(»od, lu! was resolved also to Haerifi(ti- them,
they ascribed his not having already done so to the cirennistanee of hi.s
not knowing the way to the fort, and re(piiring their guidance. They
canie to this conclusion without any communication with each other;
for their fierce companion would not leave them u monu-nt, watching
them with a ntalignant look, and frequently muttering threats against
Hepbiirn. Toward evening, as they approached the Hjjot where it would
ho necessary to stop for the night, Michel halted to gather ttu'j>e de roche^
and to their surprise bade them walk on, and ho would soon overtake
thorn. Hepburn and Dr. l{ichardson, now left alone together for the
first time since Mr. Hood's death, rapidly opened their minds to each
other. In addition to the facts already mentioned, others came to light,
which left not the slightest doubt as to Michel's guilt ; and so convi'u^ed
WHS Hepburn of there being no safety for them but in Ids death, that,
though a man of extreme benevolence and deep religious principle, he
ofl*"red to be the instrument of it himself. " H-id my own life," says
T)r. Richardson, " alone been threatened, I would not have jturchased it
hy such a measure; but I considered myself as intrusted also with the
l)rotection of Hepburn s, a man who by his humane attentions and de-
votedness had so endeared himself to me, that I felt more anxiety for his
8afoty than for my own." Animated by such feelings, and convinced
that Michel's death was necessary to self-preservation, he determined
that it ought to be by liis own and not by Hepburn's hand, and on bis
coming up shot him through the head with a pistol. It appeared that
ho had gathered no tri})e de roche, and had lialted to put liis gun in
order, no doubt with the intention of attacking them when in the act of
encamping.

Dr. Richardson and Hepburn now pursued tlieir way to the fort ;
but fatigue, and want of food and fuel, had nearly proved fatal to them.
They remarked, however, that repeatedly when death seemed inevita-
ble, an imexpected supply of provisions again restored them ; and the
confidence that, when no human help was nigh, they were sup[)orted by
a merciful God, inspired them witli renewed hope. At last they had the
delight of beholding from an eminence the smoke issuing from the chim-
ney of the fort, and immediately after, embracing those friends for whose

318 FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO :LHE POLAR SEA.

fate iliey had entertained so many melancholy forebodings. So ended
this interesting narrative.

The whole party were now once more imited, biit under circum-
stances of the most distressing privation ; all emaciated to such a degree
as to look like living skeletons ; their hands shook from weakness, so
that to take an aim was impossible ; and the reindeer, partridges, and
other game, flew or bounded past in joyousness and security, while the
unhaiipy beings who beheld them were gaunt with hunger. The winter
was closing in with all its horrors ; it became daily more difficult to pro-
cure fuel, the labor of cutting and carrying the logs being bo grievous
that only Dr. Richardson and Hepburn could undertake it ; and to scrape
the ground for bones, and to cook this miserable meal, was all Captain
Franklin could accomplish. On the 1st of November the doctor ob-
tained some tripe de roche ; and as Peltier and Samandre were in the
last stage of exhaustion, it was hoped a little of the soup might revive
them. All was in vain ; they tasted a few spoonfuls, but soon com-
plained of a soreness in their throats, and both died in the course of the
night, apparently without pain. To inter the bodies, or even carry them
to the river, was a task for which the united strength of the survivors
was inadequate ; all they could do was to remove them into an opposite
part of the house ; and the living and the dead remained in awful con-
tiguity under the same roof.

The -paily was now reduced to four — Franklin, Richardson, Hepburn,
and Ad!»m. The last had become di-eadfully low since the death of his
companicns, and could not bear to be left alone for a moment. Their
stock of bones was exhausted, and in a short time it was evident thnt the
severity of the frost must render the gathering of the tripe de roche im-
possible. Under t^iese circumstances, with death by famine approaching
every hour, th" : little band of pious and brave men were supported by
an unwavering reliance on the mfcy of God. " We read prayers," says
Captain Franklin, "and a portion of the New Testament in the morning
aad evening, as had been our practice since Dr. Richardson's arrival ;
and I may remark, that the performance of these duties always afforded
lis the greatest consolation, serving to reanimate our hope in the mercy
of the Omnipotent, who alone could save and deliver us." Hitherto Dr.
Richardson and Hepburn had been the healthiest of the party, but they
had overwrought themselves, and both sank rapidly. Owing to their
loss of flesh, the hardness of the floor, from which they were only pro-
tected by a single blanket, rendered the whole surface of their bo "es
sore ; yet the labor of turning from one side to the other was too much
for them. As their strength bank, their mental faculties partook of the
weakness of their frame ; and, to employ the candid and simple expres-
sions of the excellent leader, " an unreasonable pettishness with each
other began to manifest itself, each believing the other weaker in i uel-
lect than himself, and more in need of advice and assistance." During
this gloomy period, after the first acute pauis of hunger, which lasted

THE SURVIVORS ARE SAVED.

319

but three or four clays, had subsided, they generally enjoyed the re-
freshment of sleep, accompanied by dreams which for the most part par-
took of a pleasant character, and very often related to the pleasures of
feasting.

On November Vth, Adam had passed a restless night, being dis-
quieted by gloomy apprehensions of approaching death, which they tried
in vain to dispel. He Avas so low in the morning as scarcely to be able
to speak, and Captain Franklin remained by his bedside to cheer him aa
much as possible, while the doctor and Hepburn went out to cut wood.
They had hardly begun their labor when they were amazed at hearing
the report of a musket, and coulr^. scarcely believe that there was any
one near till they heard a shout, and espied three Indians close to the
house. Adam and Frankhn heard the latter noise, and were fearful
that some part of the house had fallen upon one of their companions — a
disaster which had been thought not unlikely. The alarm was only
momentary; for Dr. Richardson came in to communicate the joyful
intelligence that relief had arrived. He and Captain Franklin imme-
diately addressed their thanksgivings to the Throne of Mercy for this
deliverance ; but poor AJam was in so low a state that he could scarcely
comprehend the information. W hen the Indians entered, he attempted
to rise, but immediately sank doAA-n again. But for this seasonable
interposition of Providence, his existence must have terminated in a few
hours, and that of the rest probably in not many days.

The Indians who had been dispatched by Mr. Back, had traveled
■ftith great expedition, and brought a small supply of provisions. They
imprudently presented too much food at first ; and though awaix of the
effects which might arise from a surfeit, and warned by Dr. Richardson
to eat very sparingly, the sight of the venison was irresistible ; and it
was devoured by them all, not excluding the doctor himself, with an
avidity that soon produced the most acute pains, which during the night
deprived theni of rest. Adam, whose weakness rendered him unable to
feed himself, was not subjected to the same inconvenience, and taking
moderate meals, revived hourly. AU now was thankfulness and cheerful
activity. Boudel-kell, the youngest Indian, after an hour's rest, returned
to the encampment of Akaitcho, the Dog-rib chief, carying a not'^ from
Captain Franklin, and a request for another supply of provisions. The
two others, named in their familiar manner Crooked Foot and the Rat,
remained to nurse the white men. Under their care the apartment
lately so desolate, and something between a sepulcher and a lazar-house,
assumed a gladdened look, which had the best effect. The dead bodies
were removed, the room cleaned of its filth and fragments of pounded
bones, and large cheerful fires produced a sensation of comfort to which
they had long been strangers. The poor sufferers had often cast a wish-
fiil eye on a pile of dried wood near the river, but were utterly unable
to carry it up the bank. When pointed out to the Indians, they fetched
it homo with a rapidity which astonished their feeble friends. •' They

820

FRANKLIN'S JOURNEY TO THE POLAR SEA.

set about every thing," says Fraaklin, "with an activity which amazed
us. Iruleotl, contrasted with our emaciated figures and extreme de-
bility, their frames appeared to us gigantic, and their strength snper-
natunil."

Under tlic care of the Indians, and the blessing of wholesome and
regular nieals, the strength of the party was so far restored, that, al-
though still feeble, on the 16th, after having united in prayer and
thanksgiving to God for their deliverance, they left Fort Enterprise —
a spot where, as ihey had forme ily enjoyed much comfort if not happi-
nos:!, they had latterly experienced a degree of misery scarcely to be
paralleled. The Indians treated them with unremitting kindness, gave
them their ov»n snow-shoes, and walked at their side to be ready to lift
them ujt when they fell. In this manner they pushed forward to the
ar 'Ic of Akaitcho, the Indian chief, who welcomed them with the ut-
most hospitality. Soon after they received letters from their friends at
Fort l^rovidence, and the messenger also brought two trains of dogs, a
package of i!j)irits and tobacco for the Indians, and a supply of shirts and
clothes for Captain Franklin and his companions. The gratification of
changing their linen, which had been xminterruptedly worn ever since
their do])arture from the sea-coast, is described as conveying an intensity
of comfort to wliich no words can do justice. From this spot their pro-
gress to Fort I*rovidence and thence to Montreal was prosperous and
easy , and thus terminated their long, fatiguirg, and disastrous travels
in North America, having journeyed by water and by land, including
their navigation of the Polar Sea, five tliousand five hundred and fifty
miles.

Notwithstanding the appalling sufibrings which he had endured,
Franklin had not been at home a year, before, hearing of the determi-
nation of the government to make another effort at disco\ ering a north-
ern passage, he volunteered his services. Dr. Richardson, also, oftered
to accompany him, and undertake the survey of the coast between the
Mackenzie and Coppermine Rivers, while Franklin made the attempt to
I'oaoh ley Cape. These offers were accepted, and the expedition was
fitted out with a liberality and forethought which secured them against
such terrible disasters as had befallen the former. Thev sailed from
Liverpool in February, 1825, and proceeded to the Arctic regions by
way of New York, Niagara, Lake Superior, and Lake Winnipeg. They
did not reach the banks of Mackenzie's River before the middle of Au-
gust, where, as it was too late to commence the work of exploration,
they established their winter quarters, which they called Fort Franklin.
Lieutenant Back superintended the erection of these buildhigs, while
Franklin descciidcd the Mackenzie to the Polar Sea, and Richardson
set oft" on ar. exploring tour to the head v/aters of Dease's River. Both
parties returned to the foit ui September, and there passed the winter
in comi)arativc comfort.

They set out on the 15th of Jime, 1826, and descended the Macken-

FRANKLIN'S SECOND JOURNEY.

321

zic River nearly to its mouth, when the two parties separated, Franklin
making westward along the coast for Icy Cape, while Dr. Richardson
steered eastward, for the mouth of the Coppermine. The former con-
tinued to .idvance along the coast until he had passed the boundary line
between British America and the Russian possessions, when he encoun-
tered much drift ice. The weather was foggy and cold ; his frail boats
were leaky and unsafe, and signs of Avinter began to appear, so that he
prudently commenced his return on the 18th of August. At this time
Captain Beechey, who had been sent out by way of Behring's Straits,
to effect a commimication with him, was only a hundred and forty-six
miles to the westward, but a large body of ice intervened. Dr. Rich-
ardson was more successful. IIo followed the coast for a distance of
five hundred and fifty miles, reached the mouth of the Coppermine
liiver without accident, and returned to P^ort Franklin by the 1st of
September. Franklin arrived soon afterward, and the united expedition
returned to England. They reached Liverpool in September, 182 V,
having been absent two years and eight months. The most interesting
portion of this journey was their intercourse with the various tribes of
Esquimaux, on the shores of the Polar Sea ; but the limits of this article
i'' not permit us to copy the spirited narratives of the two command-
- They were frequently on the verge of hostilities, but fortunately
'.xtrioated themselves without the shedding of blood. There was no
serious accident during the whole course of the expedition, and if Frank-
lin did not push his explorations as far westward as he hoped, he had
tvilainly cause to be grateful to the Providence which preserved him
and his party from the perils and sufferings of his first journey.

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MEYENDORFF'S

JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

The commercial relations which have for a long time existed between
Russia and the Kingdom of Bokhara — the most powerful state of what
ia called Independent Tartary — have been greatly extended during the
present century. Envoys from the Khan of Bokhara had occasionally
visited St. Petersburg, and when, in the year 1820, one of them ex-
pressed a desire, on the part of his master, to see a Russian embassy in
Bokhara, the Emperor Alexander determined not to neglect so favorable
an opportunity of developing more fully the conmierce which was spring-
ing up between the two coimtries, aa well as of obtaining information
concerning a region which had rarely been visited by Europeans. He
therefore appointed M. de Negri, acting Counselor of State, as Envoy
to the Khan of Bokhara, accompanied by Baron Meyendorff, who was
charged with the task of collecting geographical and statistical informa-
tion concerning Tartary, Dr. Pander, naturalist, and three interpreters
of Orenbourg. After the return of the mission. Baron Meyendorff wrote
m French an account of the journey, which was published in Paris in the
year 1827. The following abridgment is given in the author's own
language, omitting merely those portions which are of liUle general in-
terest :

We received orders to make our preparations in the month of
June, 1820, and by the following August were in Orenbourg, a city fif-
teen hundred miles distant fi*om St. Petersburg. As we were to tra-
verse immense steppes, frequented only by wandering hordes, the govern-
ment furnished us with an escort consisting of two hundred Cossacks
and two hundred infantry, to which were added twenty-five Bashkir
troopers. We took with us two pieces of artillery ; three hundred and
fifty-eight camels carried the baggage ; altogether we had four hundred
horses. It required six weeks at Orenbourg to make preparations for
the journey and to supply our troop with every thing necessary for the
passage of the desert. It was decided that the provisions should be
transported on camels, and that but twenty-fivo chariots would be taken

324

MEYENDORFF'S JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

along, for the luen who might fall sick or be wounded on the route.
Each chariot was drawn by three horses, and driven by a Bashkir. As
we would have to cross some livers in the steppe of the Kirghizes, wo
were furnished with two boats.

A two-month's march in the desert would require for each soldier
one hundred and five pounds of biscuit, and for each horse four quintals
of oats, besides the oatmeal for the troops ; a double supply of ammu-
nition for our two pieces of artillery ; fifteen Jcihitkas or felt tents ; two
Imndred casks for carrying water in the desorie. ; and finally, several
kegs of brandy. Three hundred and twenty camels were loaded with
the provisions of the escort, and thirty-eight with the baggage and pro-
visions of the persons attached to the embassy. The export of Russian
money being prohibited, it was necessary to procure ducats ; but the
merchants of Orenbourg had not a sufiicient quantity of them ; search
vas then made in TroKtsk, a city four hundred miles distant ; but this
attempt failing, a courier was finally dispatched to Moscow, who ob-
tained the required sum at the exchange in that city, after an additional
journey of a thousand miles.

Many unforeseen delays thus combined to prevent our departure
until the fine season was past, and now the frosts appeared, the bad
weather began, and rain, snow, and hail succeeded each other. We had
several conferences with the Kirghizes, for the purpose of fixing the route
we were to take, and learning the diflicultics we might expect to en-
counter. Five of these people were selected as our guides. Finally, on
the 10th of October, the whole escort, collected on the great square of
Orenbourg, was reviewed by the Governor-General, who caused mass to
be said, and gave t>.e travelers a parting benediction. Tlie solemnity
of the religious ceremonies wa5< heightened by a presentiment of the
dangers to which the expedition might be exposed. It was possible that
the Kirghizes, always eager for pi^>.\ge, always dissatisfied at seeing the
Russians explore their deserts, might attack us by night, or at least de-
stroy all vegetation upon our route across the steppe. But the Khivans,
who occupy a part of the territory south of the Aral Sea, were more to
be feared than the Kirghizes themselves, for, not loss adroit, and more
united, they sometime? made excursions to the number of four or five
thousand. Although such a mass of cavalry could inspire but little fear
in our infantry, yet the escort would find it impossible to defend a con-
voy of seven hundred camels, including those of the Bokharian mer-
chants which were placed under our protection. These people, in their
sudden and unforeseen attacks upon caravans, endeavor, by cries and
shouting, to terrify the camels, which, once dispersed, easily fall into their
power. Besides the danger of the route, we might run some risk in
Bokharia itself, a country inhabited by a barbarous and warlike people.
Before our arrival at Orenbourg, some Bokharian merchants had said
confidentially to their friends : " Perhaps none of the Christian travelers
will return home. Should even the Khan of Khiva let them pass, our

VISIT TO A KIRGHIZ CAMP.

825

khan will not commit the fault of allowing them to return. Why do you
wish the Christians to become acquainted with our country ?"

From Orenbourg to the mountains of Mughodjar the appearance of
the country is mostly uniform. The surface is undulating and broken
by chains of hills, whoso slopes often extend from ten to fifteen miles.
The absence of wood and the slight elevation of the hills, expose to view
a widely-extended horizon, where the eye seeks in vain for some object
on which to rest. Aridity, uniformity, and silence characterize a steppe.
Toward the end of May the rays of a burning sun have scorched the
vegetation of these regions, and thenceforth the groimd becomes of a
dirty yellow color.

On arriving at the banks of the Ilek we saw, for the first time, a largo
village or aoul, formed of Kirghiz tents. Flocks of sheep, numbering
from five to six thousand, first attracted our attention. In approaching
this village we saw tents of white or brown felt, of every size ; there
were about fifty of them, placed irregularly in groups of three, four, and
even six. We soon learned that this was the camp of the sultan, Haroun
Ghazi, one of the principal Kirghiz chiefs. He was awaiting our arrival
in order to accompany us to the Sir, and, by this act of kindness, to give
evidence of his attachment to the Russian goverament, whose assistance
in fact he greatly needed, on account of his quarrels with the Khan of
Khiva. The day following our arrival the sultan came on horseback to
visit M. de Negri. He was surrounded by a hundred Kirghizes, and
wore a turban, which is not customary in this desert, but is regarded as
a sign of piety on the part of a Mohammedan, who wishes to be dis-
tinguished from the mass of the Kirghizes. All these nomadic people
wished to penetrate into the tent of the Charge d' Affaires ; in fact they
crowded in while there was any room to be had, and immediately squat-
ted upon the ground.

The interior of the tent, filled with these ill-looking figures, presented
a strange scene. The sultan alone had a fair complexion, with large and
beautiful black eyes; his bearing was mild but serious. We readily
perceived that he was a man of very good sense. His visit lasted an
hour and a half On the morrow I went to see him ; meeting with an
assembly of about fifty Kirghizes on my way, I approached them and
soon learned that they had assembled to execute the sentence pro-
nounced by the sultan against one of their fellow-countrymen who had
stolen a horse. He was condemned to death according to the laws of
the Koran, but some of the .older Kirghizes prayed the prince to pardon
him, in order that Providence might favor the expedition he was about
to undertake, and that his clemency might be a happy augury for their
reunion with the Russians. The sultan yielded to this appeal, and the
penalty was mitigated. The thief, half-naked, veith a piece of black felt
around his neck and hanging upon his shoulders, was forced, by two
men on horseback armed with whips, to run to the next tent, where his
figure was blackened with soot, after which he was again driven through

826

MEYENDORPP'S JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

the crowd of Kirghizes. They then fastened to the tail of a horse a
rope which the thief was compelled to hold in his teeth, and he ran thus
behind the horse while two men made it trot ; others followed, striking
the thief heavy blows with whips. The greater part of the Kirghizes
who assisted in this punishment laughed aloud, while others swore.
Finally, after a race of several minutes, they desisted ; ho went to thank
the sultan, who had not witnessed the castigation, and promised Iiim
never to commit theft again. Meanwhile the horse of the thief suffered
the fate which had been destined for his master. His throat was cut,
and he was instantly dismembered and divided, not without loud shouts
and uproar, and the cracking of whips.

After witnessing this scene I went to the sultan, who obliged me to
wait a few minutes while he had his tent decorated. At length I en-
tered and found him seated near the middle of a large round tent ; his
friends were sitting in a semicircle on one side, while on the other were
places prepared for us. The sides of the apartment were adorned with
tapestry ; suspended to a cord were articles of clothing, some tiger-skins,
exposer' for sale, a rich diadem of gold set with turkoises and rubies,
and the head-dress of a Kirghiz female. There were likewise dried
meats, large skin bags of mare's milk, and wooden vessels. Objects of
luxury were thus mingled with those of necessity, giving evidence of a
love of display, combined with savage tastes and customs.

After leaving the waters of the Ilek we crossed the summit of the
Bassagha range and then forded the Kublei'li-temir, after having broken
the ice "with hatchets. I was walking along the bank, sometimes on the
ice and sometimes on land, looking for petrifactions or curious conglom-
erates, when suddenly I perceived in the air a large animal which had
leaped from the top of the hill, and seemed about to precipitate itself
upon me. I retreated and it fell at my feet upon the ice, which it broke,
at the same time shattering its bones. It was a saiga, a species of ante-
lope, the first that I had ever seen. It had been chased by some Cos-
sacks of the convoy, who had pursued it over the plain to the brink of
the precipicn. In escaping them it had run upon its own destruction,
through the effect of that blind terror which characterizes the saigas,
and which often delivers them up to the hunters. I have been assured
by people worthy of credit that in the mountains of Guberlinsk and
Ural, toward the month of Jmie, the season of the great migrations of
the saiga, they have seen flocks of eight or nine thousand of these ante-
lopes. Their flesh is delicious, and their skin is made into garments. It
is generally very diflicult to approach them, except during the great
heats of summer ; this animal then seeks the shade, and frequently a
score of saigas stand behind each other with the head down, while the
foremost of the flock conceals its own in a hole, or behind a rock. In
this position they can easily be surprised ; the hunter kills the foremost,
the s'^'^ond usually takes its place and presents itself to his blows, un-
til he kills several in succession.

NIOHT SEAROH FOR WATER.

827

From the Temir we bore toward the heights of Mussevil which re-
semble those of Basaagha, and we could see the Mugodjar Mountains,
distant about forty miles. These mountains, which rise up majestically,
and present a bold outline on the horizon, produce a very picturesque
effect. Nevertheless, we had a great desire to see them behind us, that
we might be no longer exposed to the great cold and the storms : for,
from what the Kirghizes say, the southern slope of these mountains of-
fers a much less rigorous climate. Thus far, however, the weather had
been quite favorable. On leaving them, we first passed through a level
country, afterward through deserts covered with moving sand, and ovor
mountains naked and destitute of vegetation. If the reader will imagine
several salt lakes and some level plains, the soil of which, formed of a soft
blue clay, yields under the feet of the traveler, and which shows the ordi-
nary indications of the diminution and retreat of the waters of the sea, he
will have a sufficiently correct idea of the nature of the surface of this
country.

On the 2d of November our chief guide, Emantchi-Bey, who had
not for ten years traversed the country through which we were passing,
advised us that after we had gone fifteen miles we should stop at Kaun-
jur, as he was confident that we would find water only in the Khoja-kul,
a lake situated more than twelve miles furthei*. Wo were unwilling to
believe him, for the Kirghizes, who were interested in obstructing our
march, had already frequently deceived us. We then continued our
journey ; the day was declining and nothing as yet indicated the prox-
imity of the lake ; the night surprised us, and as it was now the season
when the nights are darkest, it was very difficult to find the way through
the steppe, which presented no traces of a road. We could no longer
distinguish the summits of the mountains, nor the hills, nor the tombs
by means of which the natives direct their journey, and without which
it would be very easy to go astray. Some prudent Kirghizes advised
us to halt, to spare ourselves useless fatigue, and to sleep instead of
searching for something to drink. But as we had announced that we
would go to the lake, we determined to persevere. Several Kirghizes
gave themselves all imaginary trouble in order not to lose the direction.
Always on horseback, they dispersed themselves before us and sought
to discover some little path, a certain mdex of the vicinity of water.
A well, a hole filled with water, or a lake, are points of meeting for
the wanderers of these deserts, and thus the paths are naturally formed.
After having traveled several hours of an obscure night, we began to
be tormented with the fear of losing out true route, when suddenly a
Kirghiz struck a light a mile in advance of the column and produced
by the sparks a magical effect — an expedient employed by the Kirghizes
when, during the night, they are about to unharness their horses, and
one of them, having found the true road, wishes to assemble his comrades
there. We followed our new guide for two or three miles, and finally ar-
rived, at eight o'clock in the evening, upon the banks of the Khoja-kul.

828

MEYENDORFF'S JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

On leaving Khoja-kul wo directed our courHc toward Cul-kuduk — tho
slave's well — situated on the edge of tho desert of Horzouk. This des-
ert is composed of moving sand, which is formed by the wind into steep
hillocks, and is continually changing. Wo found it the more difficult to
convey our chariots over those deep sands because tho horses had been
much enfeebled by poor feed. Arrived at Cul-kuduk wo burned ten of
our carriages, which kindled very easily and made so little smoke In
comparison with tho brambles which wo had habitually used, that wo
loaded our camels with tho wheels and jjlanks, in order to prolong, for a
few days, at least, tho pleasure of enjoying a good fire.

Wo reached tho hill of Sari-bulak on the 0th of November, and from
tho summit I perceived, fifty miles distant, tho heights of Kuk-te: nak,
whoso base is washed by tho waters of tho Aral. I spoke to our Kir-
ghizes of tho traces of water upon tho Sari-bulak, and they assiirod mo
that their fathers had seen tho Aral Sea extend to tho foot of thi,' hill,
now forty miles distant. So large a number of Kirghizes have afllrraed
tho same thing that I consider it as certain, which proves how consider-
able and rapid is the diminution of the Aral Sea.

Before arriving at tho Sea of Anvl we entered tho desert of Kara-
kum, or Black Sand. All these sandy deserts present nearly the same
aspect. Tho Kara-kum is abundantly supnlied with fresh water, which
may be found nearly always at tho depth of one or two fathoms. When
we came to Camechlu-bash, a bay adjoining tho Sir, I set out with a
company of friends and a few Cossacks to visit the mouth of the Sir.
The river expands as it approaches tho Aral, and tho whole delta thus
formed is covered with reeds : the water is not more than four feet deep,
while tho river itself is navigable above, as far as Kokand, and is several
fathoms deep throughout all this extent. In the neighborhood of the Sir
.are several canals from five to six feet deep, made at an epoch anterior
to the dominion of the Kirghizes, whom I believe incapable of so labor-
ious an undertaking. Hero wo saw very largo fields in which the Kir-
ghizes cultivate wheat and barley; they have also some fields of melons.
They preserve their crops in little holes in tho ground. Tho provision
for the few horses and animals which they possess consists of the leaves
of young reeds, the growth of which is accelerated by burning the
plants the preceding year.

The embassy arrived on the 19th of November, after forty-one days'
travel, at the banks of the Sir-deria, opposite the heights of Kara-tcpeh.
The sands of tho Kara-kum, which reach almost to the Sir, and extend
a hundred miles along its course, were now again visible. Near Sir-
deria, the ordinary retreat of the poor, misery has multiplied the num-
ber of robbers, and in traversing these regions we observed on the sum-
mit of the hills some natives who seemed watching an occasion to seize
upon a straggler or horse. The countries watered by the Sir form the
paradise of the steppe of the Kirghizes, who are proud of possessing so
large a river in their territory. The object of their most ardent desire

SONGS OP THE KIRGniZKS.

329

is to winter with their licrds upon its >)orilcrs, wlicro the cold is less
Hcvcrc than on tlio biuikH of tho Ilek, the Or, tho Irghiz, or upon the
mountivins of tho Mughojar and Burgatoh, or among the sands of tho
Kara-kum. Along tho Sir tho frosts aro never so severe as to destroy
the animals, or inconimodo tho people in their huts of felt ; hut for six
years past tho rich Kirghizes havo been deprived of tho jdeusure of
p.i9sing tho winter upon these fortunate shores, for their enemies, tho
Khivans, come thither to plunder them whenever they find an oppor-
tunity.

The Kirghizes delight to winter among tho reeds which are thick
enough to form a shelter against tho storms. These wandering people
appear to have a tendency to melancholy, and tho murmur of the rapid
waves of the Sir charms their frecpient leisure hours. Nothing, iiuleed,
contributes more to reverie than tho sound of tho waters of a river Avhich
flows, like time, with a monotonous rapidity. The Kirghizes often pass
half the night seated upon a stone looking at the moon, and improvising
gad words, set to airs as sad. They also liavo historical songs which re-
count the high deeds of their heroes; but this sort of poem is sung only
by professional minstrels. I very much regret not ha', ing 'leard any. I
often said to the Khirgizcs that I listened to their songs with pleasure ;
their impromptus were merely compliments, and were scarcely worth re-
taining, yet there remain a few fragments of songs in my memory. A
Kirghiz bey, a rich and intelligent man, the head of a numerous family,
sang to me these improvised words : " You who wish that I should sing
to you a song, I will tell you that a bey, poor, but good, is better than
a despised khan." These words perfectly expressed his thought, for ho
was the declared enemy of the Khan of the Kirghizes. The same bey,
passing by us one day while we breakfasted, hummed these words : " Sec
these Russians who breakfast in eating the flesh of swine, and drinking
brandy. Ah ! what men !"

A young Kirghiz one day chanted the following song, composed by
a young girl : " Seest thou this snow ? Ah, well ! my body is more
white. Sees . thou flowing upon this snow the blood of this slaughtered
sheep? All, well ! my cheeks are more red. Pass this mountain, thou
wilt there behold the trunk of a burned tree. Ah, well ! my tresses aro
more dark. With the sultan there aro scribes who write much. Ah,
well ! my eyebrows aro darker than their ink." Another Kirghiz sang
to me : " Behold this village of tents which belongs to a rich man ; he
has but one daughter, Avho remains at homo by day ; at night she walks
forth, and has only the moon for her companion."

This is a sample of the ideas of the Kirghizes, the children of tho des-
ert, who, except as regards religion, havo remained independent of all
the influences of foreign civilization. After having seen them, wo have a
correct picture of a wandering people, cherishing their liberty, and de-
spising all which tends to impose upon them any restraint. Unsubdued,
warlike, ferocious, the Kirghiz, alone, and on horseback, courses through

830

MKYENDORFF'3 JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

the tlescrt, and traveraes hundreds ot* miles with JistoiuHliing rapidity, in
order to visit a relative, or a friend belonging to a strange tribe. On
the way he stops at every village ; ho there tells the news, and, always
sure of beuig well received, even when not known, ho partakes the food
of his host. This consists usually of cheese, curdled goat's milk, meat,
and, when it is to bo had, koumiaa, a drink e.Ytracted from the milk of
mares, much esteemed in the desert. He never forgets the aspect of the
country through which he has passed, and returns homo after some days'
absence, rich in new information, to repose among his wives and children.
His wi\ es are his only ser\'ants ; they cook his food, make his clothes,
and saddle his horse, while he with perfect coclness limits his labors to
the quiet caro of his flocks. I have seen the brother of a sultan, very
much esteemed among tho Kirghizes, tending his sheep, on horseback,
dressed in a coat of red cloth, and traveling thus for a fortnight without
thinking his dignity lowered thereby.

The Kirghizes arc governed by elders, heads of families, beys, beha-
dirs, sultans, and khans. The title of bey is pro})erly hereditary, but U'
the possessor can not sustain it by his character and merits, he soon loses
it ; while ho who is able to make hunself esteemed obtains it, either from
the custom which insensibly arises, of calluig him sultan, or because an
assembly meets expressly for tho purpose of conferring upon him this
honorable title. The Kirghizes are very irascible ; tho slightest cause,
often merely a disappointed hope, is suflicicnt to spur them on to the
most cruel revenge. A few years ago these people, having been several
times disturbed by the Khivans, solicited the aid of the Bokharians,
whose caravans had also been pi undered by these robbers. The Kirghizes
believed that the government of Bokhara could not refuse their as-
sistance ; disappointed in their hope, they became furious, and resolved
to pillage the Bokliarian caravans on the first opportunity. One of their
chiefs cut oif tho tail of his horse, carried it to Bokhara, to the chief
vizier, and said to him : "is this tail has been separated from this horse,
so do I separate myself from you ; henceforth I will be your implacable
enemy." Ho left immediately with two or three friends, and carried off
eight camels and two men. Such were the first hostilities of a war which
he alone had declared against all Bokharia. The ferocity and violence
of this man may give an idea of the untamed character of these people.
I will conclude tliis digression upon the Kirghizes, by remarking that
they never give themselves this name ; they designate themselves by
that of JCasak, which signifies ' man on horseback,' according to some,
and ' warrior,' according to others. They say that the Bashkirs call them
Kirghizes, but they do not know whence the name is derived, and they
give it only to the wandering tribes of the great horde. The latter are
in great fear of the Chinese, whose severe, or rather cruel policy, is never-
theless justified by necessity. A caravan having been pillaged not far
from the !^ontiers of Tsungari, the Chinese, guarded by the Manohoo
outposts, made reprisals, and thousands of Kirghizes, guilty or not, paid

A WILD BOAU HUNT.

881

with their lives for this aRfjjrossion. A few cxamploH of this sort |mt uii
end to the iiicurHions of the Kirghizes who live near the froutiers of the
Chinese Empire.

At the time of our journey the river M'as frozen, and wo crossed it
with the greatest care ; the ice was so brittle that it cracked upon the
passage of our two cannon. A camel broke through by its weight, and
was drawn out only with much difficulty. The Kirghizes burned Home
roeds, and spreading the ashes upon the ice, finally prevented the camels
from slipping. After much exertion wo crossed tlio Sir, celebrated in
antiquity under the name of Jaxartes. On our return, the crossing was
more difficult and slow. Two boats which wo took with us wore made
into a raft, upon which the artillery and our company passed from one
shore to the other, while die horses and camels crossed by swimming.
It was a curious spectacle to see a dozen of the latter animals attached
one behind another, and conducted by Kirghizes. The conductors,
naked, and remarkable for their athletic forms, sometimes clung closely
to the camels, and sometimes swimming beside, urged them on by shout-
ing. Three of these animals being drowned, were cast upon the banks.
The natives turned them toward Mecca, and having cut their throats,
reciting meanwhile the accustomed prayer, devoured them immediately.
In the plain bordering on the Jan-deria there are numerous groves
in which various kinds of animals, such as wolves, wild cats, and even
tigers, have their retreat. In hunting the tiger a score of mc , armed
with match-locks, surround the thicket in which he is concealod ; they
hen set fire to it on the windward side, when the heat and flames drive
"> animal from his retreat and expose him to the balls of the hunters.
,.e employed this method in hunting the wild boar ne.ir the shores of
the Kouvan, and succeeded in killing a number of them. This hunt
presented a singular spectacle. From the midst of a plain covered with
burning reeds arose whirlwinds of smoke. Across the flames a hundred
Cossacks were seen, galloping with us to the right and left ; our horses
carried us sometimes in advance, sometimes in the rear, and often very
near the furious animals which were bounding through the m.arsh, dis-
appearing at one moment, and dashing suddenly into sight the next.
On all sides were heard the shots of pistols and guns : here lay wounded
horses, there the furious Cossacks strove to pierce the wild boars with
their spears. An officer of the Ural Cossacks, stung by hearing another
say that ho was afraid, dismounted and seated himself upon an enorm-
ous wounded boar, which he seized by the ears as it ran ; then, to finish
the exploit, he shot it through the head with a pistol. If one can imag-
ine all these various objects he will have a good idea of our wild boar
hunts in the desert. In this plain we perceived some traces of ancient
canals, which prove that this country was once more populous than it is
at the present day.

Leaving the Jan-deria on the 3d of December, we proceedea by the
highway toward Bokhara ; I say highway, for it was a roa*l of about

r<*\

832

AIEYENDORFF'3 JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

three fathoms in width and much worn by frequent travel. It is the
route of the caravans from .Bokhara to Orsk and Orcnbourg, and of the
Kirghizes from the Avestern part of the steppe, who take animals to the
bazaars of the former place. This route leads across the desert of
Kizil-kvim (Red Sand), which is remarkable for its sterility ; nor water
nor springs are anywhere to be seen. It is said that formerly there wore
three wells near the road which wo followed, and that they were filled
up, in order that they might no longer be used by the robbers who
usually kept themselves concealed among the neighboruig hills. These
brigands have been effectively expelled from he Kizil-kum, but now
they hide in the gorges of the Bukhan MountaLis, and when they have
sufficient force make a descent upon the travelers and pillage them, or
even kill them in case of resistance. In approaching this region we
therefore kept strict guard and sent patrols into the defiles of the
Bukhan. IlapiVily iIk; dangerous passage was made without accident,
but ten days allerward a caravan of Bokharians and Kirgliizes was pil-
laged by the Khivans, who fell upon them at the wells of Bukhan, and
pursued the fugitives into the Kizil-kum, where, having encoimtcrcd a
troop of Kirghizes, they gave battle to them. On our return we found
on the route more than a hundred dead bodies which were the food of
dogs and a multitude of birds of prey. Fragments of china and porce-
lain ware, broken boxes and vases of bronze, scattered about on tho
sand, showed where the fugitives had been overtaken and defeated.

After leaving the borders of the Jan-deria we entered a vast unin-
habited region which continued until within thirty miles of Bokhara,
and which extends from the banks of the Sir-deria, opposite Turkestan
and Tashkend, to the borders of the Amou-deria ; this space, compre-
hending from eight to nine degrees of latitude, separates Bokharia from
the .eppe of tho Kirghizes, and the Khanate of Kokand from that of
Khiva. On the north of Bokharia we find habitable lands, but the fear
of the Khivans, a bold and cruel race, prevents all settlers from estab-
lishing themselves there, while at the same time Bokharia itself ofiers
better pastures. Every year several Khirgiz famihes, chiefly of the
poorer classes, leave their native soil m order to settle m the deserts of
Bokharia, where the undisturbed quiet and the milder climate promise
them a happier fate.

Beyond the Jan-deria we traveled, as I have said, upon a much fre-
quented route ; almost every day wo met Kirghiz caravans which were
returning from Bokhara, and which, after having sold their sheep, car-
ried back from that city barley, oatmeal, tobacco, cotton and linen
clothing. We took great pleasure in talkbg with these Bazartchi — men
returning from market — in asking the news from Bokhara, and when
they had left the capital ; we felt happy in the prospect of soon termin-
ating/a journey so long and toilsome, which was beginning to weary us
very much. Our horses, which found but a very miserable living in the
Kizil-kum, grew thinner every day ; tho Bashkir horses were emaciated;

ENTRANCE INTO BOKHARIA.

888

they wore no longer able to draw the six chariots wliioh remained of
the twenty-five with which wc set out from Orenbourg. It became
necessary to replace them with Cossack horses which had hitherto car-
ried the pack-saddles. All our people were extremely weak, especially
the infantry ; in a word, we were all in the greatest need of reacliing
the end of our journey. TVe took ice and water from the Jan-deria in
leather sacks and casks ; yet it was very difficult to carry Avith us water
enough to supply so many men and horses for four days and a half.

After having passed the Kizil-kum, we traversed, for thirty miles, a
plain covered with worm-wood, bounded on the right by the mountains
of Bukhan. The Bokharians who accompanied us, fearing a surprise on
the part of the Khivans, persuaded us to avoid the wells of Bukhan,
which were very dangerous. At Kapkantash are several sulphur
springs, fetid and very salt. Our horses scarcely tasted the water ; but
on our return in March, ahorse drank five buckets of this tainted water.
As the weather was by this time very warm, every body was thirsty, and
wo had much difficulty in restraining our soldiers a few minutes before
permitting them to drink this wretched water, which was, however, very
cool. Fifteen miles from Kapkantash we entered the sands of Batkak-
kum, which extended for twenty miles ; after leaving these we again
entered a mountaiiious country, called Susiz-kara, or black without
water, and at length arrived at Kara-aghatch. l^efore reaching this
place, four Bokharian custom-house officers came to meet the embassy,
and utter saluting us with the usual formula of Khosh amedld (be wel-
come I), informed us that the khan, their sovereign, bad sent provisions
for us, to Aghatma, twenty-eight miles from Kara-aghatch. M. de Ne-
gri jiolitely expressed to them our gratitude, and we j)roceeded with
them to the former place.

As we drew near Aghatma a Bokharian yonz-bashiy or centurion,
followed by a score of horsemen, came to announce to the Charge d'At
fairos that the khan had sent him to receive the embassy and supply it
with what provisions were needed ; then several horsemen ajiproached
M. de Negri, took his hand in the oriental manner, and all repeated
^^ Khosh amedid,^^ after which the little party set off" in a gallop. The
greater part of the horses were very beautiful, large, light, and full of
fire, and they vanished like lightning. At Aghatma we found fresh
white bread, delicious grapes, water-melons, and pomegranate;;; One
may judge of the pleasure which each of us experienced in eating this
bread and fruit, by remembering that for seventy days we haJ lived on
biscuit alone, which became harder every day. Our horses had now
nourishing hay and jugnrn., a sort of M-hite grain of the size and shape
of lentils, which is given to beasts instead of barley.

About twelve miles from Odun-kuduk, wo passed for a short distance

I through a range of sandy liills, among which we saw the remains of

earthen walls and buildings. After having crossed these mounds, we

: entered, to our great surprise, a country entirely different ; we might

884

METBNDORPF'S JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

have supposed ourselves a thonsand leagues distant from the monoton-
ous regions which we had been traversing for the last seventy days.
The desert ends at these sandy hillocks, beyond which we were surround-
ed by fields a::d water-courses and avenues of trees. On all sides were
houses, villages, gardens, vineyards, mosques, and minarets ; in a word,
one might believe himself transported into an enchanted land. "We found
ourselves in a country scarcely known to Europeans ; every thing excited
our curiosity. Let one imagine the interest with which we contem-
plated the thousands of Orientals, clothed in blue garments and white
turbans, running to meet us, some on foot, others riding on horses or
asses, but all pressing around us and saluting us in theii* manner. Many
testified their joy by addressing friendly words to us in Russian ; their
signs of astonishment, their cries, and finally the tumultuous movement
which animated all the crowd, gave to our entrance into Bokharia the
aspect of a popular festival, the joy of which we should have shared, if
the presence of the police, whose voices resounded above all this noise
and who with large clubs struck right and left indiscriminately to make
way for us, had not reminded us that our own arrival had caused all
this confusion, and that the eagerness to see so many Russians carried
the people beyond the fear of the blows.

"^Ve were touched with sadness to see in the midst of this Asiatic
populace a few Russian soldiers reduced to the condition of slaves. The
greater number were aged and infirm, and at the sight of their fellow-
countrymen they could not restrain their tears ; they stammered a few
words in their maternal language ; they attempted to precipitate them-
selves into our midst, so lively an emotion did the pleasure of seeing our
soldiers again create in them. These touching scenes, which rent the
soul, can not be described.

At Khatun-kuduk we had learned that one of the principal officers
of the Bokharian government waa awaiting us at the next village. We
had passed through a short stretch of cultivated country, when a pe7ija-
bashi (captain of five hundred men) came to meet us with two hundred
covalry. He conducted us through the crowd, and our infantry marched,
belting the drums, toward the tent of the cush-beghi. At the distance
of fifty yards from the tent we dismounted in order to advance between
two files of foot-soldiers seated upon the ground, who rose when the
Charge d' Affaires passed. Many tents of different colors were to be
seen; a great many horses richly caparisoned were attached by the
head and hind feet to pickets. Numerous slaves and officers surrounded
the tents ; in a word, every thing around us added to the solemnity of
this first interview.

The cush-beghi, named ITakim-bey, was seated in his tent with four
Bokharian noblemen ; when M. de Negri had taken the place reserved
for him, this officer, addressing the persons attached to the embassy,
said : " Be seated. You are strangers ; I am much pleased to see you."
M. de Negri having spoken afterward of the ceremonial to be observed

officers
le. We

I penja-

lundred

larched,

distance ,
ctween j
hen the ;
e to he !
by the
rounded
.nityof '

nth four
reserved

I embassy,

(see you."
1 observed

RECEPTION IN BOKHARA.

886

when he should be presented to the khan, did not entirely agree on this
point with the cush-beghi. The audience had commenced under fiivora'
hie auspices, but before it was terminated the Bokharian character dis-
closed itself. The cush-beghi had the indiscretion to ask M. de Negri
to make the khan a present of the two cannon which we had with us.
When he saw that he should not be able to obtain them, he made no
scruple of demanding for the khan the carriage of M. de Negri. All
this time he was not ignorant that we had many camels loaded with
presents for the Court of Bokhara. This oflScer was about fifty years of
age ; his long brown beard was beginning to whiten. He was tall, his
countenance was agreeable and foil of goodness ; he expressed himself
in Persian with great facility. He wore a turban formed of a white
cashmere shawl, and a robe of sable ornamented with striped cashmere.

We passed the night of the 17th of December near Wafkend, a small
city, after having passed through a populous and well-cultivated country.
On the 18th we traveled through an equally fine district in order to
reach Bazartchi, a large village situated a mile and a half ft-om Bokhara.
Since our interview with the cush-beghi we had traveled thirty miles ;
during these two days we were incessantly surrounded by a considerable
crowd ; the police scattered them with the strokes of their clubs ; the
curious suffered themselves to be beaten, fled, and returned. Our sol-
diers advanced in the greatest order ; they were in complete uniform ;
the sound of the drum, which was heard from time to time, occasioned
cries of surprise from the multitude. We advanced thus in the midst
of the tumult and the public demonstrations of joy excited by our
arrival.

After thirty-six hours of discussion on the ceremonial to be obscn^ed,
we finally came to an agreement ; the khan consented that M. de Negri
should sit in his presence. At noon, on the 20th of Decembrr. we made
our solemn entry into Bokhara, preceded by a detachment ' 'ossacks,
and by the presents, which consisted of fors, porcelain, crystals, -.vatf-hes,
and fire-arms. Other Cossacks and a party of infantry closed the pro-
cession. An Ouzbek nobleman, a very important personage, who spoko
Persian perfectly, conducted the embassy to the palace. Advancing
slowly with this procession, we passed under a large gate, and after hav-
ing marched through a narrow, winding street, bordered by miserable
clay houses with flat roofs, we finally arrived at a large square surround-
ed by mosques and colleges or medreseea^ where we saw the gates of the

After having alighted, we ascended into a vaulted corridor, built of
bricks. On each side was a file of soldiers to the number of nearly four
hundred, armed with muskets of different dimensions. Thence we en-
tered a small court, and afterward a passage, where there were a dozen
unmounted cannon, and then a square court surrounded by walls, along
which were seated three or four hundred Bokharians, wearing white tur-
bans and vestments of gold brocade ; then, turning to the right, we

886

MEYENDORFF'S JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

passed into an antechamber, and finally into the hall of reception, where
the khan was seated upon cushions covered with a carpet of red cloth
richly embroidered with gold. On the floor was a Persian carpet of in-
ferior quality ; the walls were plastered, and the ceiling was covered
with painted boards. This hall was in the form of a parallelogram. The
khan sat near the wall opposite the entrance ; on his left were his two
sons, of whom the elder was probably fifteen years old, and on his right
the cidh-L'iyhL On each side of the door Avere five noblemen. Two
chamberlains supported M. de Negri, who advanced within ten paces of
the khan, addrtssvl him in Persian, gave his credentials to the cush-
beffhi, and took his seat. The persons attached to the embassy remained
standing against the wall on each side of the door. The ciisJi-beghi at
once presented the emperor's letter to the khan, who read it aloud ; he
then begged M de Negri to allow a few soldiers to enter the antecham-
ber, where they were ordered to lay down their arms. The khan, hav-
ing seen them, began to laugh like a child. He was about forty-five
years of age, not very intellectual in appearance ; he had a beautiful
beard, black eyes, an olive complexion, and appeared to be exhausted by
the pleasures of the harem, ilo wore a vestment of black velvet, orna-
mented with precious stones, and a turban of muslin, surmounted by a
heron's plume. A master of ceremonies held a kind of halberd, termi-
nated above by a silver hatchet. The presents were carried to another
chamber, in the presence of the klian. The audience lasted about twenty
minutes , when it was ended, we rejoined our escort, which soon after-
ward returned to Bazartchi, where it bivouacked for the rest of the win-
ter. M. de Negri and the persons attached to the embassy were lodged
at Bokliara, in a large house belonging to the cush-beghi.

From what information I could gather, the Bokharians give to Chi-
nese Turkestan the name of Alti-Shahar, or the countiy of the six cities.
These are Cashghar, Yarkend, Khoten, Aksou, and the two cities of
Ileh. Cashghar is a large city, guarded by a Chinese garrison, and is
very difiicult of access. It is situated on the Cashghar, a branch of the
Kizil-sou (red water), which flows between Cashghar and Yarkend. hi
going from Cashghar to Cashmere, one passes Yarkend, where the Tartar
language is still spoken ; ^hen by the cities of Great and Little Thibet.
The country being mountainous, the caravans proceed only by short
stages, and as it is impossible to employ camels, tlie journey is made al-
together on horseback. Yarkend is distant foiii days' journey fi-om
Cashghar, and Great Thibet is thirty-five or forty days. Cashmere is
twenty-two days from the latter city, and midway one passes Little
Thibet. The river which bathes the walls of the latter, flows to the north
of Cashmere, or rather, empties into the Cashmere River.

It is probable that the cities named Thibet are the same that were
known by the name of Ladak and Draouse, or Dervazeh, yet it is remark-
able that no Bokharian is acquiunted with these names, while different mer-
chants with whom I have spoken, called them Great and Little TMbet. The

ROUTE THROUGH CENTRAL ASIA.

837

Russian merchants who have gone from Scmipalatinsk to Cashmere, give
them the same name. Between Cashghar and Cashmere, there are no
other cities than those I have mentioned ; near them there are a few vil-
lages scattered upon the declivities of the mountains. Great and Little
Thibet are surrounded with gardens ; I am told that the houses are of
wood, as in Russia, and have very steep roofs. The inhabitants are be-
lievers in the Lama, and worship idols.*

* Tho manuscript of thia work had been completed a long time, when I found, at St
Petersburg, in June, 1823, the account of a journey to India, by Raphael Danibeg, a
Georgian gentleman, dedicated to his Majesty the Emperor Alexander, translated from
Georgian into Russian, and printed in 1815. This work contains nothing of interest until
the author's arrival in Cashmere ; but tho account of his journey from that city to Semi-
palatinsk, in Siberia, passi ag through Cashghar, surprised me the more agreeably that tho
information it contains very nearly agrees with that which I had obtainec". Tho follow-
iug is an extract of this account :

" From Cashmere I proceeded to Thibet, where I arrived after having traveled about
a hundred and fifty milea in a march of twenty days. Tlie city is built on hills, and sur-
rounded with stony mountains, upon which nothing grows but a littlo oats. The inhabi-
tants mix the oatmeal with mUk, and cook it with tho addition of butter. So poor are
they that this food forms their only nourishment. I observed a custom here which is very
discreditable and contrary to good sense : if there are several brothers in a house, a single
woman will be tho wife of them all ; if a boy is born, ho takes tho name of the eldest A
large quantity of tea is consumed in this place ; the wool for the shawls is brought from
Lassa. All tho merchandise is transported on the back of sheep, which are loaded with
as much as they can carry ; from thia place to Cashmere the transportation is u.ado with
horses. These people bring from Lassa a large quantity of goat's wool, which is forwarded
to Cashmere. It required three months to go from Thibet to Lassa,

" I stopped forty days to make an excursion from Thibet to Yarkend. Tho journey
was very tedious; the sterility of the soil, tho great depth of the precipices, tho excessive
height of the mountains, among which glaciers were scon, occasioned a sense of sadness
wl'ieh was augmented by the continual solitude of these uninhabited places. At length
wo perceived Yarkend ; thia city, surrounded by thick woods, presontti a very pleasant
aspect.

"The Chinese garrison consists of more than two thousand men, whoso chief ia termed
imbaa; beside these there are three thousand Ciiluese in Yarkend, engaged in com-
merce. The climate of thia city is salubrious, but the water is bad. There are no fine
edilices to be seen ; tho inhabitants enjoy a degree of competency. Although I have said
that the climate is healthy, I must except the autumn ; in no place liave I ever found it
worse. During the whole season the sky was covered with cloud.s. The great humidity
of tho atmosphere '-ften produces a kind of red insect called karbites, whose sting ia almost
always fatal. A singular dust, from some unknown source, falls like rain, and renders
this season very disagreeable. Wliere ♦^his dust falls, instead of rain, the people expect a
good harvest, while they look for a bad one if they havo only ordinary rain. This dust ia
BO thick that the sun can not penetrate it ; it sometimes continues thus for seven or eight
days, and is so fine that it enters tho smallest crevices.

" Beside Yarkend, the Chinese are masters of Khoten, Cashghar, Akaou, Duroban,
and Ileh. They are very numerous in Ileh, or Kulja ; there are supposed to be more than
ten thousand of them. They are very proud and very mdolent, and spend their time in
smoking tobacco. No mhabitant is permitted to leave the city without a passport ; it is
difficult to escape thia regulation, for the surveillance of the authorities ia very active,
i This is one of the means which the Chinese have adopted to prevent disorders of all kinds.
j "Thirteen days after leaving Yarkend, I arrived at Aksou. Thia city, which is not

888

MEYENDOEPP'S JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

In the mountainous country cast of Bokharia and north of Ilissar are
the Ghaltchas, a poor and independent people. They are Sunnitc Mo-
hammedans ; some Russian travelers have called them Oriental Persians •
their complexion is very tawny, and even more brown than that of the
Bokharian Arabs. They live in miserable cabins, built in the low lands
between the mountains ; are all cultivators of the soil, and have some
cattle and a very few horses. Going further east wo enter a country
which becomes more and more mountainous and is very little known.
There is said to be a people here called Kafir or infidel, who are repre-
sented as very ferocious. The formidable Kafirs inhabit the city of
Kalei-khum, also called Derwazeh, situated upon a river of the same
name.

Gold is found in the waters of the Derwazeh ; these riches excite the
cupidity of the Bokharians, who, from time to time, risk their lives to
procure a few particles of the precious metal. This is the manner of ob-
taining it : in Bokhara it is customary to carry water in skins, which
preserve the form of the animals from which they Avere taken ; the best
are the skins of sheep and wild-goats. The mouth of this vessel corre-
sponds to the neck of the animal. The Bokharians attach these skins to
a cord and throw them into the Derwazeh ; the furious river soon fills
the skin with mud, sand, and gold, the last of which it is afterward easy
to extract frcm the mixture ; but as it is never without foreign matter,
its value is to that of pure gold as eighteen to twenty-one. May not
this process throw hght upon a passage of Herodotus, in M'hich the his-
torian describes the means employed by the Indians in extracting gold
from sand ?

Bokharia lies between forty-one and thirty-seven degrees north lati-
tude, and sixty-one and sixty-six degrees thirty minutes east of Paris,
comprising a surface of about ten thousand square leagues. The eastern
part is mountainous ; all the western part is a plain extending as far as
the eye can see, upon which small isolated hills rise to the height of ten
or fifteen feet ; these hillocks are of a clayey nature like the rest of the
desert ; above this clay the sands are moved by the winds, and formed
into ridges. The oases of Bokharia present a most pleasing and cheerful
aspect. There is no country better cultivated than these plains ; they
are covered with houses, gardens, and fields divided in small squares
called tanab, the sides of which are raised a foot with turf, in order to
retain the water which is conveyed thither for the purposes of irrigation.

large, contains many well-built houses ; it is situated in a valley, and ia divided into two
parts, one inhabited by Cliinese, the other by Mohammedans, who carry on an active
trade with each other,

" Three days after leaving Aksou, I arrived at Turfan, an unsightly little town. Aa
the inhabitants are very poor, nothing interesting is to be found here. Fiilteen milea
thence are the frontiers of the country of the Kirghizes.

" Leaving Turfan, I passed through many wandering tribes of Calmucks, Kirghizes;
Slaisaks, and finally reached Semipalatiusk, after a journey of three months."

CLIMATE OP BOKHAKIA.

889

Thousands of water-courses intersect the plain, and like the roads, which
are very narrow, they are usually bordered with trees. The waters of
those canals not being all upon the same level, they are connected to-
gether by small cascades, which soothe the ear with an agreeable mur-
mur. The great quantity of trees planted on every side form screens
which prevent the view from extending to a distance.

The multiplicity of dwellings indicates a numerous population ; per^
haps it is too great to admit of a general competency. These dwellings
usually form villages, which are half concealed by the fruit-trees of the
gardens. I saw villages entirely surrounded by walls ; they were a kind
of fortresses ; others are open, the gardens only being inclosed ; and
these walls, often indented and flanked with small turrets, add to the
picturesque appearance of the country ; they also indicate that the peo-
ple arc afraid of being pillaged ; and the frequent incursions of the wan-
dering tribes, lead us to suppose that the existence of these fortifications
is a result of a sad necessity.

A BokharJan village usually contains a hundred houses, built of earth,
and separated from each other by streets which are no narrower than
those of the cities. In the center of the village is frequently a well, or
a small reservoir, in which the water is replenished by means of a ditch.
Each village is situated near a canal, by which means the gardens can
be watered.

Tl»e climate of the mountain-regions of Bokharia is of course differ-
ent from that of the western part of the country, which is mild and.
even : I shall here speak only in reference to the plains. The seasons
there are very regular ; by the middle of February the fruit-trees begin
to bloom ; the forest-trees put forth in the early days of March. Then
the beautiful season begins, and the heavy rains cease, after having lasted
nearly three weeks. Soon the heat becomes oppressive ; it is the more
perceptible as the atmosphere is rarely refreshed by storms. The fine
season continues until October, when the rains usually prevail for two or
three weeks. In November and December, slight frosts, and sometimes
a little snow, announce the approach of winter ; on the 20th of Decem-
ber we found melons still in the fields, which showed that the frosts
could not have been heavy. The month of January is more rigorous ;
the usual degree of cold is about twenty-seven degrees Fahrenheit ; it is
sometimes as low as fourteen degrees, and water freezes from three to
four inches thick. Snow has been kno^vn to remain a fortnight on the
ground without thawing.

The winter which we passed at Bokhara was very mild ; during four
or five days only, the cold was s > severe as to freeze the water two
inches, and then the people hastened to break the ice and pile it in large
heaps, which were covered with eurih for preservation. The rains com-
mence between the 7th and 15th of February, and continue until the
close of the month. Every thing becomes green and flourishes in a few
days. Nothing proves the warm climate of Bokhara better than the

840

MEYENDORFP'S JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

heat of the sun ; in the month of January we dined in the open air
when the temperature in the shade was fifty-five degrees, and ninety in
the sun.

Violent winds prevail in winter and summer ; they raise to a great
height a fine dust, which hides every thing from view, and imparts a
gray tint to the atmosphere. These clouds of dust, which spread over a
whole district, may be seen more than fifteen miles distant. The cli-
mate of Bokhara is generally healthy ; the winter and the rainy seasons
refresh and purify the atmosphere, which is not vitiated by any noxious
exhalations. The rheumatism which prevails is produced by the damp-
ness of the houses, and the frequent sore eyes may be caused by those
violent winds and the dust they raise. Blindness must be common in
this country, for the father of the reigning khan erected in Bokhara the
fathabad^ a hospital, or rather monastery, of the blind, where about
fifty of these unfortunates are lodged by twos and threes in small cells
arranged around a mosque.

All the cities in Bokharia are built near the rivers, and consequently
surrounded by cultivated fields ; the drought is frequently so great in
summer that the inhabitants can procure water only by digging holes •
the plain of Bokhara is so low that water is found everywhere at the
depth of from five to eight feet. This stagnant water produces worms
which the people drink without perceiving it ; from this results a malady
named rishta by the Bokharians. The whole body becomes covered
with pustules which occasion very painful sores. From these pustules
come worms of the class annelides. The Bokharians know no remedy
for this evU. A Russian prisoner, a slave in Bokhara, in speaking to
me of the scarcity of water which was experienced there, said in a tone
of vexation,, " It is a country that God created in his anger."

Ourghenje is a small fortress which I saw on our return to Russia.
I could not obtain permission to enter the city ; they closed the gates
upon us, probably by command of the superior powers. It has the
name of fortress because it is surrounded by an earthen wall about
twenty feet high. We passed near Ourghenje on the 25th of March;
the wind was high, but not violent. But scarcely had we quitted the
clayey soil when we found ourselves among sandy hillocks and the wind
became more furious; the sand rose in whirlwinds and penetrated
everywhere. I wore spectacles made expressly to keep off the dust,
which I dreaded, but they protected my eyes but imperfectly. The
sand produced a kind of cloud which so vailed the light of day that
we could see but a short distance, and our Kirghiz guides no longer
knew the route. Happily a Bokharian trooper of the garrison of Our-
ghenje followed us to find out whether any Russian slave were mingled
with our escort ; we compelled him, by holding a pistol at his throat,
to act as oui* guide ; although he rendered us this service much against
his will, he prevented us from going astray. Nothing can be more
disagreeable than this sand; although coarse, it penetrates the eyes, the

THE CITY OF BOKHARA.

841

mouth, and the cars ; all our cyos woro inflamed, and I can easily con-
ceive how the anny of Nadir-shali, when crossuig the deserts west of
the Amou during a storm, lost a number of men f-om the eftccts of
ophthalmia. It is thus t>tat the deserts near Bokharia are a natural de-
fense. The sand, driven by the Avinds, tills up the litches, drifts against
the walls, and soon rises to their level, fills the streets, and covers tho
houses, like tho ashes of Vesuvius which buried Ilerculaneum and
Pompeii.

Having spoken of several cities of Bokharia, I will describe the cap-
ital of that country. Tho oases of tho surrounding region being cov-
ered with avenues of trees and numerous gardens, the view can not
extend very far, hence Bokhara can bo seen only within about two nailes
distance, in coming from Wafkend. The view is striking to a European.
Domes, mosques, high gables, colleges, minarets, palaces rising in tho
midst of the city, tho surrounding walls with their battlements, a lake
near the walls, bordered by houses with flat roofs, or by neat country-
houses within embrasured walls — finally, tho fields, the gardens, ;ho
trees, and the activity which reigns everywhere in tho vicinity of a
capital, all contribute to produce a very agreeable effect ; but tho illusion
ceases as soon as we enter the city, for with tho exception of the baths,
the mosques, and the temples, we see only dingy earthen houses, thrown
beside each other without order, forming narrow, crooked streets, which
are filthy and difficult to traverse. These houses, which front on courts,
present to tho streets only smooth walls, without windows, or any thing
to relieve the eye of the passenger. Every thing we meet in this popu-
lous city seems to hint of mistrust ; the countenances of tho people aro
scarcely ever animated by an expression of gayety ; there are no noisy
festivals, no songs, and no music ; nothing indicates that they sometimes
amuse themselves there, nothing shows that tho city is inhabited by a
people enjoying an agreeable existence. Therefore the curiosity and the
interest which we felt on first seeing edifices of oriental architecture, was
soon followed by an impression of sadness and melancholy.

The houses are built of clay, mixed with cut straw. In order to
give more consistence to this mixture, wooden posts are placed in the
walls, and especially at the corners. The ceilings are usually of hard
wood ; they are covered with earth, and form the roofs, which are flat.
In the handsomer houses Lae ceilings of the principal apartments aro
covered with boards, painted with different colors. The floor is of glazed
earth among the common people, and brick among the rich. The front
and the windows open upon the court, and a single door leads to tho
street. The windows are sometimes openings, closed simply with
wooden shutters ; sometimes they are arched openings which aro never
closed, and are covered only with a trellis of plaster. The latter kind
of windows yield only an indififerent light ; and in order to see distinctly
it is necessary to open the shutters. But in winter the cold is often
fifteen degrees above zero, so that the apartments without stoves, from

842

MEYENDORPP'S JOURNEY TO BOKHARA.

which the external air is not excluded, are cold and damp. It is not
surprising then that rheumatisms prevail in this city, especially among
the poor. In order to protect themselves from the cold, the Bokharians
make use of braziers, above which they place, like the Turks, a small
wooden table, covered with a wau led carpet ; upon this they seat them-
selves and envelop themselves with it up to the chin. The heat of the
burning charcoal effectively preserves the body from cold, but one can
not write without having the hands frozen.**

The city is about ten miles in circumference, and is said to contain
almost eight thousand houses, and very nearly seventy thousand inhab-
itants. Three fourths of these are Tadjiks, the most part artizans. The
remainder of the population is composed of Ouzbeks, Jews, Tartars
Afghans, Calmucks, Hindoos, merchants from neighboring cities, pll-
grims, Persian and Russian slaves, and a small number of negroes. The
Jews occupy eight hundred houses ; they say they came from Samar-
cand about seven hundred years ago, after having left Bagdad. Of all
the cities of Central Asia, Bokhara contains the greatest number of this
race. They are permitted to inhabit only three streets in the city;
among them there are two rich capitalists, the others are mostly in easy
circumstances, and are generally manufacturers, dyers, and silk-mer-
chants. They are prohibited from riding on horseback in the city, and
from wearing silken garments ; their caps must have a border of black
sheepskin, which may be only two inches in width. They are not per-
mitted to build a new synagogue, and have tho right only to repair tho
old one.

These people are remarkable in their personal appearance, for a hand-
some beard, a countenance somewhat lengthened, a very fair complex-
ion, and eyes which are large, lively, and full of expression. Having
learned that the government feared tho arrival of tho embassy with its
numerous escort, they regarded us as messengers from heaven, who
came perhaps to alleviate their sufferings. They were fearful of com-
promising themselves in the eyes of the Bokharians ; when they met us
they saluted us in a friendly and propitiatory manner, but nevertheless
with a sentiment of fear. The rabbi of Bokhara who was a native of
Algiers and knew a little Spanish, told me that on his arrival in Bokharia
he had found his brethren sunk in the most profound ignorance ; only
a very small number knew how to read. They possessed but two copies
of the Holy Scriptures, and their manuscript contained only the first
three books of the Pentateuch. This Algerine Jew, an intelligent old
man, who almost wept for joy at again seeing Europeans, has neglected
no means of disseminating instruction among the people of his religion.
He has founded a school and procured books from Russia, Bagdad, and
Constantinople ; at present all the Jews of Bokhara know how to read
and write ; they study the Talmud.

The most remarkable edifice of the city is the palace of the khan ;
the Bokharians call it Arch, It is said to have been built more than ten

THE STREETS OP BOKHARA.

848

centuries ago, by Arslan-Khan ; it is situated upon an eminence, and is
surrounded by a wall about six feet high, which has but a single gate.
The entrance is of brick, and has on each side a tower about ninety feet
in height, formerly ornamented with green glazed tiles, some remains
of which are still to be seen. From this gate leads a large corr'^'^-, the
vaults of which have the appearance of being very ancient. Following
this corridor, we arrive at the summit of a hill upon which are situated
some clay houses which are inhabited by the khan and his court. With-
in this inclosure are a mosque, the dwellings of the khan and his chil-
dren, the harem, surrounded by a garden and concealed by trees ; a
house in which the cush-beghi transacts his business and receives au-
diences, another one in which ho dwells — this being a high mark of favor
— and finally the apartments for the people and the slaves, the stables, etc.
Some storks have built their nests upon the summit of tbj towers.

In Bokhara we see streets half a mile long, covered, and bordered on
each side with shojis ; one row containing women's slippers only, another
supplied with drugs and aromatics which perfume the air, a third with
jewels, usually of little value, for example, turkoises of Persia, Tartar
rubies from the lake of Badakhshan and from Arabia ; diadems of gold
ornamented with inferior turkoises, for the Kirghiz women. Large
vaults are filled with nothing but dried fruits and tobacco ; others with
pistachios preserved in manna, with prunes, rose-colored or green,
grapes, pomegranates, and melons suspended along the walls on cords ;
among these magazines are eating-houses in which are prepared rice
cooked with butter or mutton-fat, and often colored yellow with saffron,
and another dish consisting of hashed meat.

During my stay at Bokhara, six robbers, Persian slaves by birth, and
two Tadjiks, were hung upon the gallows ; some heads of Khivans, of
Ouzbeks, from Kokand, and the environs of Balkh, and others, were set
up on posts, or exposed upon the ground near the gibbet. The popu-
lace, accustomed to this spectacle, continued their traffic upon the square,
without casting a look of compassion upon these terrible pictures ; it was
not thus with our soldiers, who looked upon these scenes for the first
time in their lives.

Every thing in Bokhara shows that the city was formerly more flour-
ishing than it is now ; — the colleges and mosques are partly fallen, or are
badly preserved. I saw large crevices in the arches of a temple entirely
new ; these accidents are attributed to earthquakes, but I think they
may be charged to the ignorance of the architects. Nine or ten miles
from Bokhara, in the direction of Wafkend, there has been a very ancient
bridge, built of bricks, in a single arch across the Zer-afsh&n ; it is fallen,
and has not been reconstructed ; the stone steps which lead to the wells
are impaired, and no one thinks of repairing them. They no longer know
how to make the blue tiles which adorn the public edifices ; they con-
struct no new buildings which indicate either taste or riches. A portion
of the most beautiful street of Bokhara is encumbered with stones which

844 MEYENDOUFI J •. URNEY TO BOKHARA.

formerly composod tho pavement. Even tlio privulo houses, of Mliich
only tho ancient ones have basonieiits of stone, prove that this capital is
not so rich nor so well governed as it was in former times.

It is very difficult to estimate tho poj)ulation of a country inhabitcil
by so many difterent nations, of which a i)art is nomadic, and whiMo an
enumeration has never been made. In order to present somcthitiuf satia-
faotory in this respect, wo consulted in Bokharia all who could jrivu us
any certain information on the subject. Tho cultivated jjortion of tho
khanato may bo estimated at twelve hundred squaio leagues^ or three
hundred thousand squaro miles. If wo suppose each of these N(|uaro
miles inhabited by five thousand souls, an in the richest countries of Italy,
we have as a result, in Bokharia, one million five hundred thousand in-
habitants, living by agriculture, or semi-nomadic, and living in the cities
and by adding nearly a million of the wandering tribes, we find that tho
population of Bokharia is more than two millions of souls.

This population may bo subdivided as follows :

Ouzbcks, 1,600,000

Tadjiks 650,000

Turcomans, 200,000

Arabs, - 60,000

Persians, 40,000

Calmucka 20,000

Kirghizes and Kara-kalpaks G.OOO

Jowa, 4,000

Afghnna, 4,000

Lesghizes, 2,000

Bohomiaus, 2,000

Total, 2,478,000

The Khanates of Asia carry on with the Kirghizes and the Turcomans
a trade in slaves, which is chiefly supplied by the robberies of these wan-
dering tribes, and by the wars with the Persians. The taking of Mci-vo
added twenty-five thousand to the number of Persian slaves m Bokharia,
which is estimated at forty thousand. Five or six himdred Russians arc
held in slavery ; they have been sold by liirghizcs, by Turcomans, who
seize fishermen wrecked upon the eastern shore of the Caspian Sea, or by
Khivans.

Among the slaves of Bokharia there are likewise Chetrars, Siapooshcs,
Ilezarehs, and even Georgians. The number scarcely diminishes, for
they have Persian wives given to them, and their existence and well-
being is connected with the interest of their masters. The price of an
able-bodied man ranges from forty to fifty tellas ($130 to $1C0). If he
is an artisan, for instance a joiner, a furrier, or a shoemaker, he brings as
much as one hundred te/las ($320). The women usually sell higher than
the men, at least if they are young and beautiful ; they are then worth
from one hundred to one hundred and fifty tellas ($320 to $480). The
condition of the slaves in Bokharia is horrible. The liussians nearly all

RUSSIAN SLAVES.

845

complain of being bndly fud and most cruelly boatcn. I saw ono whose
master hud cropped hw ears, pierced Ida luuui ' with a nail, cut the skin
upon his hack, and poured boiling oil upon IiIh urnis, in order to make
liiui confess l)y what route bis comrade had escaped. The cunk-heijki
finding ono ot' his llnssian slaves into.vicated, had him taken next day to
the Kcgistan to be hinig. On reaching the gallows, the unhiippy man
was solicited to abjure bis religion and become a Mohammedan, in order
to obtain pardon, but bo preferred to die a martyr to bis i'aith. The
greater i)art of the Russian slaves in the vicinit) t f IJokliara were locked
up, and worked with irons upon their feet during the last weeks of our stay
ill the city. A single Russian wlavo Hucceeded in rejoining us seventy
miles from Rokhara, aller having wandered eighteen days hi the desert;
during this time he bad subsisted on water und naeal only. lie ex])res3cd,
in a most simple and touching manner, the alarms be had cxperiimced on
seeing us (for ho feared lest wo might bo Kirghizes, Kbivans, or Ouz-
bcks), and the extreme joy he felt M'hen lio recognized our Cossacks. I
can not describe the unbounded happiness of a dozen Russian slavea whom
>vc purchased in IJokharia, and during the journey. They shed tcaraof
joy. Thi^ Rokharian government would liave been so cruel as to pro-
vent these Russians, who liad been purchased, from returning to their
country. It even forbade its subjects from selling any Russians to us,
untlcr the pretext that they would thereby dimitusli the nmnber of prose-
lytes M'bich it might make.

In their salutations the Bokbarians bend forward a little, place the
right hand iqion the heart, and pronounce the word khosh. This civility
is often exaggerated in a most ridiculous manner, especially by the
slaves ; tlun^ make the accompanying gesture by turning the bead sev-
eral times, incUning it toward the left shoulder, raising the elbows,
holding tl J two hands upon the heart, smiling in a silly mannv.'-, and
pronouncing the word hhosh with emphasis, as if they would split their
sides with huigbhig.

In the streets the women wear a long mantle, tlie sleeves of which
arc connected behind, and a black vail which completely conceals the
face. They see badly through this vail, but the greater part of them
would slyly lift tip one corner Avben they met one of us ; the Tadjik
women also took pleasure in allowing ns to see their beautiful eyes. It
became fashionable among the ladies of Bokhara to go and look at the
Franks ; the extremity of the roof of our bouse was a place of meeting
for them, and the limit which decorum imposed upon their curiosity.
There, less observed by the Bokbarians, a few pretty women presented
themselves to our gaze, and we frequently admired cyoo full of fire, su-
perb teeth, and a most beautiful complexion. The Bokharian severity
soon put an end to this too worldly procedure ; the police took measures
for preventing the women from ascending our roof, and wo lost the
pleasure of a scene which enlivened our repasts.

We remained in this city from the 20th of December, 1820, until tho

846

MBYBNDORFF'S JOUBNET to BOKHARA.

10th of March, 1821 : the weather having become very fine we then re-
paired to Bazartchi. The bivouac in the gardens of that place appeared
to U8 far preferable to the sojourn in the gloomy houses of Bokhara.

On the 22d of March we set out from Bazartchi ; on the 25th we
left Bokhara, well pleased to have seen the country, but still better satis-
fied to get away fi:om it.

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i aCMONBmO »| CO. «C>00«*PHV NtWYOrK J

TIMKOYSKI'S

JOURNEY FROM SIBERIA TO PEKIN.

Fob more than a century Russia has maintained at Pekin a convent
and a school for the instruction of interpreters in the Chinese and Man-
choo languages. Every ten years the persons composing these two es
tablishments are renewed, and new monks and pupils are sent from St.
Petersburg to the capital of China. This little caravan is conducted by
a Russian officer, commissioned to take charge of it, to install it upon
its arrival in Pekin, and then to lead back to their country the monks
whose term has expired and the pupils who have completed their studies.
It was on a mission of this kind that Timkovski, Attache of the College
of Foreign Affairs, set out in 1820 from Kiakhta, a fort situated on the
frontiers between the Russian possessions and those of China. He tra-
versed Mongolia, passed the Great Wall, and arrived on the 1st of De-
cember at Pekin, where he remained until the 16th of May in the fol-
lowing year.

All the European embassies which have gone to Pekin have made
but a very short stay in the capital of the Chinese empire, and have been
continually subjected to a most annoying surveillance, prompted by the
distrust which the Chinese exhibit toward strangers. M. Timkovski
visited Pekin under much more favorable auspices ; like all Russians ho
enjoyed full liberty, being allowed to pass through the various quarters
of that immense city and to visit aU its monuments and curiosities.
Hence he was enabled to make more accurate observations than the trav-
elers who had previously visited China ; besides which, he had at his
disposal several interpreters who were perfectly acquainted with the
language of the country ; consequently his remarks are worthy of greater
confidence than those of the travelers who, being unacquainted with
either Chinese or Manchoo, could not enter into conversation with the
inhabitants of the empire.

On the 14th of June, 1728, a treaty of peace was concluded between
Count Vladislavitch, embassador extraordinary of Russia, and the min-
isters of Chma. The fifth article is as follows: "The Russians shall

850

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

henceforth occupy in Pekin the kuan, or court, which they at present in-
habit. In accordance with the wishes of the Russian embassador a
church shall be erected, with the assistance of the Chinese government.
The priest who resides at Pekin, and the three others who are expected
according to the articles of agreement, shall be lodged in the kuan, or
court, above-mentioned. These three priests shall be connected with
the same church, and receive the same provisions as the present priest.
The Russians will be permitted to worship God according to the rites of
their religion. There shall likewise be received into this house four
young students, and two of a more advanced age, conversant with the
Russian and Latin languages, whom the embassador is desirous of leav-
ing in Pekin in order to learn the languages of the country. They shall
be supported at the expense of the emperor, and shall be at liberty to
return to their country as soon as they shall have completed their
studies."

In accordance with this treaty, the Russian mission, consisting of
six ecclesiastical members and four laymen, was established in Pekin.
The lay members were young men engaged in the study of the Manchoo
and Chinese languages, and in acquiring correct information respecting
•the country. The usual sojourn of the mission at Pekin is fixed at ten
years, but the correspondence between the Russian minister of foreign
affairs in the name of the controlling senate, and the tribunal of Pekin,
is subject to so many delays, that the stay of the mission usually con-
tinues for a longer period. In conformity with the fifth article of the
treaty anew mission set out from St. Petersburg in 1819 to replace that
which had been in Pekin since the 10th of January, 1808. It arrived
at Irkoutsk in February, 1820, and on the 15th of July at Troitsko-savsk,
a fortress better known under the name of Kiakhta, where it made prep-
arations to pass the frontiers within a month.

M. Timkovski was ordered to accompany the new mission from
Kiakhta to Pekin, and to bring back the one which had been there
since 1808. His retinuo was composed of an inspector of baggage, an
interpreter of Mongolese and Manchoo, and a detachment of thirty Cos-
sacks. The latter were to escort the baggage. From the time the mis-
sion passed the Russian frontiers, it was under the protection of the
Chinese government.

The mission prepared to leave Russia as early as possible, in order to
avoid the difficulties inseparable from a journey in the latter end of j
autumn across the cold and arid steppes of Mongolia, and especially in
the desert of Gobi. The Chinese conductors did not arrive until the i
27th of August at Miumatchin, which is the Chinese port of Kakhto, :
situated immediately on the frontier, three miles from Troitsko-savsk. j
M. Timkovski repaired tliither and hastened the preparations for the
journey. The staff of the Chinese conductors consbted of an inspector I
and a boshko, or sergeant-major. The former, named Tsching, was a |
bitkheahiy or secretary of the seventh class, and was sixty years of age ;

EEPARTTJRE FROM KIAKHTA.

851

he wore upon his cap, but only out of the capital, a white button of
opaque stone, Avhich gave him the rank of mandarin of the sixth class.
He was accompanied by Chackdor, a Mongolese interpreter aged twenty
years, and two nerbs, or servants, father and son. Gurgentai, the boshko,
was forty-seven years of age ; out of the capital he wore on his cap a
gilded button indicating the seventh class, and was attended by a serv-
ant. There was yet one important affair to be attended to before set-
ting out. It was necessary to bestow a few presents upon the conduct-
ors to induce them, as the season wau so far advanced, to provide the
mission -without delay with yotirtes, or kibitkas (felt-tents), and other
objects indispensable to so long a journey.

On the 30th of August the festival of the Emperor Alexander was
celebrated by a Tfe Deum chanted in thn ohurch of Kiakhta. It was
followed by a dinner given by the counselor of chancery, commissioner
of the frontier, at which were present the Tsargoochee of Maimatchin,
the boshko, the principal Chinese merchants, and the conductors of the
mission. They drank to the health of the emperor and of the Bogdo-
khan (emperor of China), and to an eternal friendship between the two
empires. These toasts were drunk to the sound of volleys of artillery
and the ringing of bells ; the soldiers of the garrison, in full parade,
made the air resound with songs of rtjoichig. The joy and freedom
which reigned in this little festival of the Russians made a lively im-
pression on the minds of their guests.

Tiie preliminary arrangements being finally all completed, the mis-
sion set forward on the 31st of August. The baggage went in advance
to the first station, about five miles from Kiakhta. The mission was ac-
companied by the dignitaries and principal citizens of Troitska-savsk to
Kiakhta, where they all repaired to church, after which they were cnter-
; taincd at a dinner by the merchants of the place. After dinner they
went to thank God once more upon the soil of their country ; then, ac-
companied by the clergy of Kiakhta, preceded by crucifixes, and at-
tended by the ringing of bells, they arrived at the frontier. Notwith-
standing the rain a large concourse of curious Russians and Chinese was
assembled. After stopping awhile at the house of the Tsargoochee, they
entered the Chinese empire at six o'clock in the evening, accompanied
by the custom-house director, and the counselor of chancery. Arriving
at some tcnts which the Chinese had erected at the distance of two
miles, the Tsargoochee offered them tea ; they then took leave of their
fellow-coiuitrymcn and proceeded on their journey through a heavy rain.
A detachment of twenty Mongolese troopers formed their advance-
guard. Toward seven o'clock they halted, after having gone about
three miles. They found four yourtes prepared for them ; one was for
the clergy, another for the students, the third for M. Timkovski and
.•"lite, and the fourth for ♦lie Cossacks. The baggage had already ar-
I rived; the horses and '^ .n fed; as to the camels, they were prepared
for the journey by de , iving them of food and drmk for twelve days.

352

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNET TO PEKIN.

The horses which had been employed in transporting the baggage were
deprived of food all night, in order to strengthen them, according to the
custom of the Mongolese and the inhabitants of Siberia.

They made preparations for departing at an early hour next morning,
but a long time passed before the camels were caught and loaded, as
they were very wild ; one of the horses started to run toward the front-
ier so swiftly that the Cossacks and Mongols could not recapture it. At
length they succeeded in gettuig tmder way ; the baggage went in ad-
vance, then the camels and the vehicles, an arrangement which was ob-
served throughout the journey. The members of the mission then pro-
ceeded in equipages, and the horses followed slowly, in order to husband
their strength. The oxen were left under the safe guard of a Mongolese
with five soldiers under hira; at night three Cossacks watched alter-
nately. In order to have an eye over all, M. Timkovski made the whole
journey on horseback, having under his orders an inspector of baggage
the interpreter, and a Cossack. The summer having been rainy, the
plain was covered with water and extremely muddy ; after having trav-
eled two miles they reached a more elevated place, whence they beheld
ICiakhta ; the church, the houses of their friends and other places which
were known to them, were the last objects which recalled their country,
suggesting the hope of one day returning to it.

The koudoni of their next station, situated upon the right bank of the
Ibitsykh, came to meet them, and saluted them in the manner of the
horsemen of the steppes ; he dismounted from his horse, bent the left
knee before Timkovski, rested his right arm upon his side, and support-
ing it with the left hand, cried, "-4moMr /" (peace). He then remounted
and conducted them by a ford to the tents, where the mission arrived at
four o'clock in the evening. During the night, the thermometer indi-
cated twenty-five degrees Fahrenheit. In the valleys, surrounded by
high mountains, the air is olways cold ; beyond Kiakhta, which is quite
elevated, there is a considerable ascent to the desert of Gobi ; this they
perceived in the continually increasing cold of the atmosphere. M.
Struve, who was in the southern part of the country of the Khalkhas, on
the 20th of December, 1805, states that at twelve miles from Kiakhta,
the great elevation of that part of Mongolia obliged him to take a large
quantity of hot tea ; and yet his health did not suffer in consequence.

They found their linen tents quite useless, the texture not being com-
pact enough ; and they could not kindle a fire in them. Having no
yourtes, which are so serviceable to those who traverse the steppes, and
deprived of the time and means of obtaining water and argaJ, or fuel,
which is used in the desert, they were sometimes obliged, by the habitual
indolence of their Chinese conductors, to have recourse to the inhabit-
ants for aid, especially in obtaining good pastures for their animals. M.
Timkovski testified their gratefulness to the people for these favors by
small presents. In the morning their departure was again delayed by •
the difficulty in harnessing the horses of the steppes, which were not ao

THE PRAYER OP THE MONGOLS.

853

of the \

of the

lie left ;

pport- !

)untecl

ved at

sr indi-
ted by

s quite

is they
M.
has, on
Aakhta,
a large
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^g com-
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Ihabitual
inhabit-

ial8. M.

[avoraby
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customed to drawing carriages. The Mongolese admired the dexterity
and courage of the Cossacks, who managed three wild horses at a time.

At a short distance a mountain rose on one hand, and on the leil ex-
tended a deep valley in which they saw some scattered yourtes and a
few solitary birch-trees. They descended thither by a narrow i)ath
along the steep rocks of the Isagan-oola, or Wliite Mountain, Avhosc base
was carpeted with luxuriant herbage. The rocks Avero covered with
woods, chiefly of birch, whoso yellow-tinted leaves announced the ap-
proach of autumn. The heat of the day frecpienily obliged the camels
to stop, and greatly retarded their journey. From the summit of the
mountains lying midway between tho Ibitsykh and the Iro, they per-
ceived a plain of a few miles circuit, surrounded by mountains, and
sprinkled over with fields of millet and other grain. On approaching
this plain a lama of a very advanced age, who was gohig on horseback
to visit his fields, accompanied them for a long time. lie held in one
hand a string of beads, which he raised toward the sky. This priest of
Buddha was continually repeating these words : Omma ni bat me khom;
ho accompanied them with deep sighs, and pronounced them in the tone
adopted for the prayers, which greatly resembles the soimd of a double-
bass, or the humming of bees. Every follower of Buddha is obliged to
recite this prayer as often as he can, while devoting himself to pions
meditations. In order that it may not be forgotten, it is written upon
linen, paper, wood, and stone, in the temples, in the tents, and by the
wayside. The Mongolese lamas pretend that these words : Om ma ni
hat me Ic/iom, to which they ascribe a mysterious and supernatural
power, exempt the faithful from suffering in a future life, increase their
good qualities, and bring them nearer divuie perfection.

The inhabitant of these steppes, convinced of the existence of a su-
preme, incomprehensible, and all-powerful Being, whose power extends
over all nature, believes that his beneficent spirit manifests itself most
willingly in objects which appear in colossal Ibrms. For this reason
a huge rock, a lofty mountain, a largo tufted tree, or a great river,
is an object of reverence to a Mongolese. Before this he raises,
with reverence, according to the direction of a lama, an abo, or altar
of stone, sand, earth, or wood, before which he prostrates himself
to adore the divinity. In time of war ho desires aid to vanquish
his enemy and to defend his country ; ho addresses it when sickness
afflicts ills family or his cattle, and in all misfortunes. A Mongolese who
meets with an abo, descends from his horse, places himself on its south-
ern side, turning his face toward the north, and, prostrating himself
many times upon the earth, deposits something upon the altar. They
often saw locks of hair upon the aboes, these being the votive offerings
of w andering horsemen in behalf of their cattle, their inseparable com-
panions.

Leaving the plain by a narrow passage between the hills, they de-
scended to the meadows of the Iro, and reached the banks of that river

854

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

in the evening. A great number of the inhabitants, and the people attached
to the service of the priests, were assembled there to aid the mission in
crossing. The continual rains of summer had swollon the waters of the
river, and increased the rapidity of the current. The most important of-
fects were transported on komygas^ or large beams of hollowed pines
somewhat resembling canoes, which were lashed together in pairs, for
passing the Avater. The camels forded the stream higher up. With all
their exertions, the transportation was not completed by ton o'clock.
The people forded the stream next day, and one of the Cossacks caught
a fever, from which he suffered a long time. In the evenhig, the tmng-
hin of the place called upon M. Timkovski, and entreated him to exer-
cise his authority in forbidding the students to continue the amusonicnt
of fishing, in which they were engaged. He hastened to comply with
the wishes of the Mongolese, who regard the fishes ;is sacred, in accord-
ance with their belief in metempsychosis, a dogma ot'tlnir religion.

The night was mild, and the mission set forth cjiily on the morninrr
of the .3d. As soon as they had lellt their camp, sf)nu> 3Iongolese women
who had charge of the domestic affairs, came to lold up the tents; in a
very short time they finished this work, loaded the t';imels, and retired.
Throughout the joui^oy the yourtes for the guides were prepared in ad-
vance, but those of the mission were borrowed from the inhabitants of
the neighborhood, and mostly from the poorer classes. Aller travelin"-
fifteen miles, they reached an elevation, upon which stood a colossal rock ;
to the right, rose the summit of Nareeu Koundoo, covered with lolly
pines ; westward, near the mouth of the Selby, which em])ties into the
Ockhon, IMount Mingadara reached the clouds. Near this mountain
there are said to be a great number of temples, in the largest of which
nearly four thousand lamas assemble on the days of solemn festivals. iJc-
Bcending l)y a narrow and difficult path, they reached a contracted gorge ;
then(!e jiroceedirig by a short asci'nt, they came to the banks of the river
Shara, where they halted in a spot stirrotmded by mountauis. Here they
found four excellent yourtea all projiared ; those fin- the abbot and Tim-
kovski were hung with nankeen, with a colored border; the floor was
covered with a felt carpet. For these attentions they were indebted to
Idaiu Tsnp, a venerable Mongolese Avho accompanied them. By his or-
ders, some bricks of tea Avcre prepared for the Cossacks.

The Mongolese, and the greater part of the wandering tribes of Mid-
dle Asia, make great use of this tea ; it takes the place of both victuals
and drink with them. The Chinese, who carry on a considerable trade
in it, never drink it. In preparing the tea, they lay aside the leaves that
are dried up, dirty, or spoiled, as well as the stems, and having mixed
with them a glutinous substance, they inclose the mass in oblong molds,
and dry them in ovens. The Mongolese, the Buriates, the iidiabitants
of Siberia, beyond Lake Baikal, as well as the Calmucks, take a lump of
this tea, pound it in a mortar, and then throw the powder into a bronze
vessel filled with boiling water, which they leave upon the fire for some

MORAL CODE OP TUE BUDDHISTS.

;355

time, adding to it a little salt and milk ; they sometimes mix with it some
flour fried in oil.

On encamping, the second evening afterward, a crowd of Mongolcso
immediately surrounded their equipages, the ironed Avheols especially at-
tracting their attention. The Mongoleso carriage is usually constructed
with two wheels, which turn with the axle. The wheel is formed of two
small square blocks of wood, placed across each other, and having tho
angles rounded off. Next day, they crossed the Tunicrkay, whose sum-
mit was crowned by a colossal abo of stones, and then passed by a rajjid
descent through tho gorges of that mountain, and continued their routo
through narrow defiles where lofty mountains towered up on one hand,
while on the other enormous rocks hung over their heads. Emerging
from these, they passed over a dangerous declivity, and entered a ]>lain
which led to tho Khara, (black) Uivcr, on whose b.anks they encamped.
It rained all night ; tho weather Avas continually cloudy. For the first
time they were obliged to make use of their four yourtes and their tents,
in order to shelter tho baggage from the rain. After diimor they fished
in the Khara. This exercise, unknown to tho Mongolese, attracted a
crowd of spectators. They were richly rewarded for their pains, but
their venerable Mongolese friend, IdamTsap, a zealous believer in metemp-
sychosis, soon came Avith his nephew, and entreated them to throw tho
fish back into the water ; which they thought it best to do.

It may be well to observe here in explanation of this circumstance
that the moral code of Buddha reckons ten mortal sins, or black actions^
divided thus :

Sins of the ho<hj : — Ass>.ssination, theft, fornication.
Sins of speech: — Lying, calumny, obscene words, and threatening
expressions.

Shis of the soul: — Vengeance, envy, tho abandonment of the true
doctiino.

Tho ten supremo virtues, or white actions^ consist in every thing
which is opposed to these sins. Homicide alone is not the greatest
sin, but, according to the ideas concerning tho transmigration of souls, it
is a sin to kill the smallest animal. No lama, no pious Mongolese, will
take the life of an insect: still it is permitted to eat the flesh of animals
slaughtered by another. This is probably because many of the steppes,
not being adapted to tillage, offer only flesh for nourishment.

Toward evening several Mongolese, attracted by the singing of tho
Cossacks, gathered near to listen to them, and even the guides heard
them with pleasure. It was evident that tho melody Av.as to their taste.
Meanwhile the boshko was resting in the tent of the .abbot and attempt-
ing to iearn by heart some Russian words, such as : Baran (ram), ovtsa
(ewe), kon (horse), votka (brandy), rinmka (glass of wine), etc. As to
verbliud (camel), and others like it, ho could not pronoimce them be-
cause of tho accumulated consonauts. For tho rest, the Manchoosand

856

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

the Mongoleso have much greater facility than the Chinoso in ])ro-
nouncing foreign words.

In the evening of September 10th, they encamped at the foot of
Mount Noin, on tho banks of the lioro. South-west from their touts
rose a mountain which presented the appearance of a vast rampart, ab-
ruptly terminated by a steep rock, called Khorimtu, or the place of
arrival. Westward a ravine formed a passage for tho TJoro, from a lake
of the same name, and so'-.thward was seen tho summit of Mount Our-
ghemyl, crowned by an aoo. A few persons of tho caravan, attracted
by tho beauty of tho evening, started out Avith tho intention of walking
in the neighboring woods of Mount Noin. The tussulakhchi soon came
to M. Timkovski, and begged liim to prevent them from going, as the
forest was infested by bears. lie at once sent word to them by a Cos-
sack, and they presently returned. It afterward oamo to light that the
entrance to tho forests of Mount Noin was prohibited to every body,
except the Jcuun-vang^ and amban of tho Ourga, who with their train
come thither in tlio autumn to hunt.

In the morning they proceeded along Mount Ourghemyl, and con-
tinued their journey through a wild mountain roi^ion, frequently ascend-
ing and descending by toilsome and dangerous pusses. In the afternoon
they crossed by a long but easy ascent over Narassotii, or the mountain
of pines, which derives its name from a tall pine upon its summit, greatly
venerated by the Mongolese. This tree was decor.it' i with pieces of
Hnen, strings of beads, and all sorts of things, which the .icvotces suspend
upon it. At three o'clock they arrived at a station in tho midst of a
marshy plain, surrounded by niotuitains which are i)artly covered with
groves of birch-trees. Great numbers of sheep and buffaloes were scat-
tered over the plain, among its rich pastures. The singular appearance
of tho latter animals, their black color and bushy hair, greatly terriiicd
tho horses of tho caravan. They continually met with Mongolese re-
turning from the Ourga, or residence of the Gheghen-khiitukhtii, or
grand-priest. A lama, aged a hundred years, came to see them; he
was so feeble that ho could hardly retain his seat on horseback, and was
supported by two servants. Supposing M. Timkovski and the Cossack
officers to be students, lie wished them much success in the sciences, on
their arrival at I'ekin.

Among other adorers of tho khutukhtu, or highest Buddhist priest,
they met the lama of Ibitsykh, before alluded to. lie was returning
from the Ourga, where he had been to pay homage to the deified child.
As soon as he came near he leaped from his horso and drew from
his bosom a khadak, in which was enveloped a paper-box containing
small Chinese cakes which ho presented to them and wished them a
prosperous journey, and the blessings of the khutukhtu for life. In
return for this kindness, M. Timkovski presented to him a knife. He
was delighted with this mark of attention, and highly applauded their
intention of seeing the temple of tho khutukhtu, in passing the Ourga.

MONGOLESK SONGS.

857

The khad&k is a yellow or peari-colorod band of silk, ornamented with
small figures of the same color. The Mongolese and Thibotans suspend
thesi- khadaks before their idols to decorate their otterinjis, and attach
their prayers to them. The young peojthf present them to the more
a^od, as a proof of esteem and devotion, and they are exchanged l)y per-
sons of the same age in token of friendship. They place a large arrow,
enveloped in a khad&k, on the places where the remains of their rel-
atives and friends repose. The khadak must be blessed by a lama;
it is only after this ceremony that if accpiires supernatural virtues.

In the evening of the 13th, the north-west wind, the harbinger of a
rainy season, began to blow Mith force. Several of the Mongolese Hon-
tinels sang their national songs. M. Timkovski called two of them to
him and gave them some brandy, to induce them to continue singing.
The airs of their songs resemble each other ; they are genonilly plaintive
and harmonious. The horse, the friend and companion of the inhabit-
ant of the steppe, always takes a prominent [dace in these songs. Tim-
kovski gives the following translations of some songs which he heard.
«'Iu this vast plain was born the dun-colored charger, swift as the arrow,
the ornament of the herd, the glory of the whole tribe. Called to the
chase by the ruler, Idam flies to the forest of Kharatchin, overthrows
the goats and the stags, and fells the fierce wild boars and the terrible
panthers. Every one admires the boldness of the rider and the fleetness
of his 8teed.'»

" Behold the young Tsyren, armed for the service of the khan ; ho
flies to the Russian frontier to guard Mendzin ; ho addresses his prayers
to the household divinities ; he takes leave of his father and mother :
with sadness his wife saddles his black horse. With a sad and dreamy
air the cavalier speeds away toward the north. The wind of the desert
scarcely moves the plumes of his arrows, and his elastic bow resounds
upon his saddle. Tsyren rides through gloomy and unknown forests ;
in the distance he beholds blue mountains which are strange to him ; the
friendly words of the Cossacks, his valiant companions, cheer his sad-
dened soul ; but his thoughts ever return to the paternal mountains."

" With unquiet soul, with a spirit bowed under an imknown weight,
the young Mongol sees in his dreams the shades of warriors, his ances-
tors, pass before his eyes."

"Where is our Genghis-khan, menacing and fearless? His high
deeds resound in melancholy songs amid the rocks of Onon and upon
the green banks of Kherulun. * * * Who advances upon the
pleasant road beside the Shara, singing in a low voice some cherished
words ? Whose is this bay-brown courser that runs so swiftly ? What
soek the eyes of this brave youth, passing before the white tents ? his
heart knows well who is she that dwells there. Soon will he cease to
traverse these mountains; soon will his fiery courser win for him a
bride. * * ♦ This bay steed, this steed like a whirlwind, he is pre-
pared for the course. ♦ * * The abo is covered with spectators.

858

TIMKOVSKI'S JOUKNEY TO PEKIN.

Ho nc'iglis; with Iiis light feet ho grazes tho pointotl IhntH. The Hi<Mm|
is given, all rush toward tlic goal. CloiuKs itt'dust covi'r tho racer; and
tho bay charger, always victuriuuH, arrives tirMt, leaving hiti rivuU in the
distance."

On tho 14tli of September, at tho break of day, tlio rain fell abnnd'
antly , tho RiimrnitH of tho mountains were concealed in a thick mist.
In passing over tiio heights of Mount Nareen they met a number of
lamas and Mongolese of inferior rank, returning from theOurga; among
them was a wealthy old ofticc, tho commander of u body of wandering
Mongolese. His tent, which was well-finished, Avas carried by several
camels, surrounded by saddle-horses ; his wife was seated in a chariot
drawn by one horse. For a long time the rain fell incessantly, accom-
panied by a cutting wind from tho north ; and at length a damp snow
completely spoiled tho roads. Tho <;amels slipped and fell. Finally they
reached a station on the banks of the Araslian, where they halted at two
o'clock. Shortly afterward tho boshko set out for tho Ourga, to an-
nounce the arrival of tho mission.

Meanwhile tho tussulakhchi, Tdam, told them ho had received official
uitelligenco of tho death of tho Emj)eror of China, who had died on tho
23d of August, aged sixty-ono years. This news was alarming to il.
Timkovski ; tho death of tho emperor might prevent the conliimution
of their journey. lie hastened to inform the chief of tho mission of thia
circumstance. The abbot recalled to mind, among others, a Chinese
dignitary, who was accompanying an embassy of Tsungarian Calmucks,
and who, hearing by the way of the death of tho Emperor Khang-lii, was
so much afflicted by it that ho retired into tho mountains in order to
mourn tho great loss, and at tho same time conceal liis grief from his
fellow-travelers, and who did not lonve his retreat until ho had received
from tho now emperor, Yung-ohing, tho order to continue his route to
Pckin. They observed that tho silk tansels .and the balls were removed
from the caps of tho Chinese and Mongolese dignitaries ; even the sorv-
ants had taken off their silk tassels. All were obliged to clothe them-
selves in white, and suffer their hair to grow. This was in token of
mourning, which continues one himdred days.

The inhabitants of this region were i)oor ; the travelers wore beset
by a crowd of beggars, who ate with avidity tho bread and meat which
they gave them. These nuserable creatures came from the most remote
countries to adore the Grand Lama. When at length the caravan set
out the rays of the sun were melting the snow, and the road became
muddy and sli})pery. Their route led over Mount Guntoo, the highest
they had yet passed in their journey. The passage of the mountain was
very fatiguing. The camels slipped and fell continually ; it was only
with the greatest difficulty that the carriages were drawn up. Tlie sum-
mit bears a colossal abo, raised by the devotion of the pilgrims who go
to adore the Grand Lama, and small columns of stone and wood, with
inscriptions in the Thibetan language upon them. These were xmintelli-

AUUIVAL AT THE OUROA.

859

gibit! to tlic UusHiaus, and oven to tlio MoiijjfoU'so Ininus; probably th«y
coiitaiiu'd the injstcrious prayer bfforo allinloil to. On the mouHtahi
tlicy iiu't !i yoiiiij; man of rank, who had been ut thu Ourga, adoring
the lama. IIo was Hurroundod by Monj^ok'su lulloworH, armed with
bows and arrows ; while his family and kindred and a, numerous retinue
accompanied him, all mounted on beautiful blaek hordes. This troop
was distiuf^uished by its luxury and wealth; the women were especially
remarkable for their lino forms, painted complexions, and lor the splen-
dor of their attire. Their robes were of lino blue satin, their caps of
loble, their silken girdles interlaced witli silver and adorned witli oorne-
Hans. Even their saddles were ornamented with these stones. These
beautiful ainazons approached the strangers without timidity, and seemed
willing to honor them with their attention. The descent from the mount-
ain was steep and difficult. They tbllowed the course of the Selby, a
small but rapid stream, which led through a narrow defile between two
lolly mountains. Within live miles of the Ourga they passed some small
temples, and further on a very large one, of Thibetan architecture, in
the midst of an amphitheater of mountains. Upon the highest rocks
around they read several characters of colossal size, carved in the Thibet-
an language upon the white rock. The Mongolese conductors said they
contained the celebrated prayer : Otn iiui iil bat me khorti.

It was sunset when they arrived at the Ourga and entered tlie llus-
Bian court, situated eastward of the residence of the Ghcghen-khutukhtu,
or (trand Lama. The Ourga consisted of yourtes. The Mongolese sen-
tinels who guarded the doors, armed with bows and arrows, restrained
the people who gathered in crowds to seen the Russian travelers. On
the morning of the 10th, the Tsargouchee lioai came from the ]\Iai-ma-
c'lin, or mart of the Ourga, to present the compliments of the i'a,,-i and
the amfxni to the abbot and M. Timkovski, on their happy arrival, lie
was introduced by the Mongolese conductors, and accompanied by two
Muiichoo bitkhechis, members of the yamoun or tribunal of the Ourga,
and another public functionary, lloai and the two former were clothed
in dei'p blue robes, above which they wore the white robe of mourning,
and a short cloak of lambskin, Avith large sleeves. These jjcrsonages
were followed by a numerous train of domestics. They conversed with
the Russians in Mongolese by the aid of the interpreter, and after in-
quiring if their journey had been pli-.asant, they asked if they intended to
make a long stay at the Ourga. Timkovski replied that, considering the
lateness of the season, and the liability of encountering delays, they would
remain but four or five days at furthest. The dignitaries kindly replied
by inviting them to take the time needed for rest. They likewise an-
nounced that the vang and the amban would be ready to receive the
mission on the morrow, to which Timkovski replied that they would bo
glad to avail themselves of this permission, and stated further that he was
authorized by the governor of Irkoutsk to tender his respects in connec-
tion with some presents, to the authorities of the Ourga. The interview

860

TIMKOVSKI'3 JOURNEY TO PBKIN.

was continue*! with many civilitieis, and after their dcparturo other visitors
were present oil, when at length Khartsagai, a kinsman of the vang, entered
to announce that he had been commissioned to aid them in passing the luno
pleasantly, which might otherwise seem tedious among strangers. Ho
informed them, among other things, that when intelligence of the em-
peror's death was received, the vang had at first Intended to suspend
their jonrney, and even send them back to Kiakhta ; but, considering
the fatigues they had already undergone, and the expense their govern-
mc^nt had incurred, he had concluded, on his own responsibility, to allow
them to proceed. They learned, however, from Idam, that the vang had
sent a courier to Pekin, to kno w what he should do, and that tliey \\ould
be obliged to remain at the Ourga imtil the decision of the court should
arrive. Such were the real motives of the repeated invitations they re-
ceived to be at their ease in Ourga.

Kartsagai left them an instant, then returned with Idam and Demit
(the latter one of the inspectors appointed for the mission during its
stay), and inquired what were the presents which they had broutfjit.
Timkovski replied that hc^ did not know, and expressed the desire of
presenting these gifts himself to the vang and the amban. The Mongo-
lesc approved of his intention. They afterward questioned him with in-
terest concerning the countries bordering on Russia; they wished to
know if the terrible war with the French was terminated ; if England
was very far from Russia.

On the 1 7th, the mission visited the vang and the amban, the highest
dignitaries of the Ourga. Twelve Cossacks mounted on Mongolese horses,
and advancing two by two, opened the procession ; M. Timkovski fol-
lowed on horseback, with the inspector of baggage and the interpreter
on either side ; next came the carriages of the clergy, accompanied by
the students and other priests ; a centuiion, followetl by two Oossacks,
closed the march. The ]iublic functionaries of the Ourga walked bel'ore
the procession, and at tlm sides the conductors and other employees with
their suite. T' o difference in features and costume between the Mongo-
lese and the Ru: isians, and even the dissimilarity of their horses, gave to
this train a singular appearance, which was not Avithout interest: on one
hand the white plumes of the Cossacks waving in the air, their glazed
belts, .and the blr.des of their sabers glittering in the sun ; on the other,
the bright colored satin robes of the Mongolese, .and the ribbons of their
caps floAviiig in the ivind. They alighted at the dwelling of the vans:, a
modest wooden structure in the Chinese style, and entered the eouit.
The entrance was protected by twenty of the prince's body guard, clotlieil
in white robes ; they were without belts, and held their swords in the-r
left hands.

Tloai came to meet them, and placing himself on the left (the place
of honor in China), conducted the abbot ; Timkovski followed, accom-
panied by the bitkheshi ; Tsing, and the rest of the company came :iftor
them. After traversing a court, they passed into a kind of corridor,

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dined

VISIT TO THE VANG AND THE AMBAN.

861

very nairow, Avhich was the hall of reception. One side of the apart-
ment was taken up with a lai-ge window, trimmed with white paper, in
the middle of which was a large glass plate. Near the window the vang
and the amban were sitting cross-legged upon a common sofa. They
wore short cloaks, white, and trimmed above with lambskin. Upon a
small table near the window were some English clocks, which were not
wound up. After the ceremonies of introduction, M. Timkovski, through
the interpreter, addrcs&ed tlie gov ernors of Southern Mongolia, then the
boxes containing the presents were brought in, and, according to custom,
placed before the van;^ and the amban ; the foiTner th;i3 expressed his
thanks : " The custom of exchanging gifts between neighbors and friends
is very ancient among us • therefore, when you return to your country,
we will also give you some presents for the governor of Irkoutsk." He
thon caused them to be seated before him, and calling, the other persons
of the mission to approach him, he addressed them .successively as fol-
lows: "These are the khara-lamas (Ijlack priests, the monks) ; these are
the students. lie advised the latter to be diligent to overcome all ob-
stacles and fulfill the wishes of their government ; to conduct themselves
as people well-born, rt^spectable, and worthy to do honor to their coun-
try." Each one was then served vvith a cup of tea with sugar. After-
ward, the vang complimented the abbot, adding that he still remembered
having seen him among the young studt nts on the way to Pokin. When
he had thus severally greeted and addressed the travelers M. Timkovski
and the abbot proffered him and the amban some j)resents of Russian
niaiiuflvcture, which he politely accepted, and appeared much pleased
with them.

An hour n.fter their return the vang sent to the aldiot and Timkovski
seventeen trays of sweetmeats, three flagons of Chinese v^ine, called
chaouf<so}, made of rice, six pounds of black tea, and to each two pieces
of silk stiitf. The other members of the mission rceived each one piece
of the same stutf. Each jirosent bore his address. The Cossacks re-
ceived two boxes of tea in cakes, containing thirty-six cakes in each.
The vang was a Mongoleso itrince, descended from Genghis-khan, and
was ii near relative of the late Emperor Kia-khing, by his wife. He was
amiable and intelligent, polished in his manners, and appeared to be a
lover of the arts and sciences, and literature. Having lived a long time
at the court of Pekin, he had often held intercourse with Europeans,
and had accjuired a decided predilection for every thing European.
The amban was a subordinate ofticer, sent out from Pekin to assist the
vang during a term of three years.

On the 18th the mission visited the Mal-ma-chin, or mercantile quar-
ter, and the Tsargoochee ; the clergy riding in carriages, the rest on
horseback. On their arrival the crowd pressed around them in spite of
the cries of two civil officers, who, in conformity with the custom in
China, drove back the intruders with heavy blows of the whip. They
dmed with the Tsargoochee, who received them vvith great civility, and

362

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

entei'tained them kindly. In the course of conversation they remarked
that they wished to prepare for their Je{)arture in four days, upon which
he counseled them anew to rest awhile, adding that the weather was
cold and rainy, and that by the rules of Chinese astrology he had se-
lected a propitious day for their departure, conccrnhig Avhich he would
speak to the governors of the Ourga. They thanked him tor this proof
of liis good intentions toward them.

On their return they saw a number of 4ants, newly erected; these
belonged to some Mongolese, who were going ♦o worship the new khii-
tiikhtii, oi' lama, and more were expected to arrive. An idea of tiie
festival celebrated by the Mongolese on the manifestation of the new
Gheghen-khiitukhtu, may be obtained from the following details, given
by Pallas, of the one which took place in 1729, in the ancient Ourga
situated on the Iben, a tributary of the Orkhon :

On the 22d of June, at the second hour of the day, that is, at sun-
rise, the chief temple of the Ourga was decorated for the fe.sthal. On.
posite the entrance was placed the id(jl bourkhan aywhu ; to the left a
throne, adorned with precious stones and rich stuffs, had been erected
and wooden seats had been arranged hi the tem}»le Ibr the lamas. Tho
sister of the deceased khutukhtii, three Mongole.se khans, an anibiiii who
wore a peacock feather in his cap, and was sent tioni I'ekin liy the Em-
peror Yung-tsing, the liither of the new khiitukhtii, the three khans of
the Khalkhas, and several other Mongolese of distinction, were present
at the festival. Tiu> mnuber of lamas amounted to nearly tweiity-six
thousand, and of tlie peo])le, men, women and children, to more than
one hundred thousand. When the most imjuirtant jtersonages had en-
tert'd the temple, two hundred lances with gilded points and adorned
with bronze figures of wild beasts, were placMl in two rows betbrc the
door. At the same time a line of two hundred Mongolese w.is tbrined,
hearing drums and large copper trumpets. When all was ready, si.v
lamas were seen to come out fiom the temj>le, l)earing upon a chair the
sister of the deceased khutukhtii ; she was followed by the khans, tho
vangs, and all the dignitaries, very richly clothed. The corhge moved
in silence to the tent of the new khiitukhtii, who was living with his
father, Darkhan-chin Chan-vang, at tho distance of a mile from tlie toii-
ple. An hour afterward the regenerated khi'itiiklitii appeared, conducted
by the principal Mongolese nobles and the oldest lamas, who held him
by til*' huids and under the arms. They seated liim on a horse iiiaj^iiil-
iccntly harnessed : the bridle was held on one side by a kluildlnau, or
priest of high rank, and on the other by the ta-lama or senior laniu.
When the khutiikhtii came out of the tent, the lamas began to sini;
hymns in his honor, iccompanied by the sound of instruments. Then
the nobles and the pec pie bowed down very low, and raised their haiuls
toward h''aven. The ,rain of the khiitiikhtii advanct;d slowly toward the
temple; the sister of i he deceased khiitiikhtii, wiiom the newly chosen
also called liis sister, Ibllowed him in a sedan chair. Then eaiue the

INSTALLATION OP A MONOOLESE LAMA.

863

most aged laraa, Noineen-khan, the Chinese amban, all the lamas, the
vang, and the other Mongolese of distinction. The people followed on
both sides.

The inclosuro before the temple contained six tents, ornamented ou
the top with gilded points from which hung rich stuff's of difterent colors.
The cortege stopped at the entrance ; the lamas lifted the khutukhtu
fiom his horse with tokens of the most profound reverence, and took
him into the inclosure by the southern gate. After having remained
there half an hour, the most aged lamas led him by the hand into the
temple, where his sister and ail the dignitaries likewise entered. The
deputy of the dalay-lama, Nomeen-khan, assisted by the persona of his
suite, seated him on the throne, after which the amban announced to the
peo))Ie tlie cm[)eror's order that the khutukhtu should receive the honors
due to his rank. Then the whole assemblage prostrated themselves
tluoc times upon the ground ; after wliich they placed on a table before
him several khonkhos, or small silver bells, which the lamas make use of
during the religious ccrciuionies. Care had been taken o keep back the
bull which the khutiikhtii had used before his regeneration, in order to
see whether he would i)erceiv j that it was not among them. The khu-
liiklitii, after having cast his eyes over the bells, said to the lama who
was next to him : " Why have you not brought nie my own bell ?"
These words being heard, the khans, tlie '/angs, the lamas, and all the
people, cried out : "lie is the true head of our x'cligion; he is our kliii-
tiiklili . ■

Ou t,:.-. 23d of June, one hour after midnight, the amban and the
other noliles returr.ed to the temj)le, around which the people were al-
ready assembled. At the third hour (sunrise), the khiit''khtii was con-
ducted thither by the most aged lamas and seated upon his throne. The
araban offered liim the presents of the emperor, which consisted of a
plate of gold, weighing about twenty-eight pounds, in the middle of
which eight precious stones were set. On the plate were jdaced some
khiidiiks, worth two thousand rubles, and eighty-one pieces of gold and
silNei cloth. A note written upon each indicated that the manufacture
had cust six hiui(lrod rubles. Finally, the amban presented eighty-one
trays loadi d with sweetmeats, and various other things. While offering
these things he Hliowed the most profound tokens of reverence to the
khutukhtu, and accjni[)anied them with felicitations in the name of his
sovereign. Il( concluded by soliciting the benediction of the khutukhtu,
in the name of the emperor, and addressed him with these words :
"Great pontiff, thou who art incorruptible as gold, and whose splendor
ecjuals the sparkling of diamonds, protect the empire as thou didst in
ihc time of my father, and shed thy grace and thy protection over my
reign."

The khiitukhtii accepted the presents of the emperor and gave him
his benediction by placing his hands upia» the head of the amban ; after-
ward \m gave U'm blessing to the lam-is and the people ; each one, peue-

864

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

trated by the consoling idea of receiving it from the deity himself, ad-
vanced one after the other, and manifested a reverence, fervor, and awe
which were most exemplary.

In the afternoon four large tents and an infinite number of small ones
were erected a few hundred yards from the temple, inclosing a large
Bjiaco for the exercise of wrestling. The largo tents were occupied by
the khans and other nobles ; the combatants numbered two hundred and
sixty-eight on each side, and the struggle continued until evening ; the
names of the victors were proclaimed, and the vanquished were obliged
to leave the inclosure. In the end there remained but thirty-five vic-
tors. The wrestling recommenced on the 27th. The weather was ex-
tremely warm and the combatants were exhausted with fatigue. Then
the khans prayed the lamas to cause it to rain. In half an hour the sky
became overcast, and a few drops of rain fell. The faithful attributed
this to the power of the lamas, although the heat was but little abated
thereby. The wrestling was continued every day until the 3d of July,
when the khans and the other nobles, accompanied by the people, re-
paired with the thirty-five victors to the district of Ourakhoo, on the
banks of the Orkhon, thirty-five miles distant.

On the 6th of July there was a horse-race on the banks of the Or-
khon, which passed over a distance of twelve miles. There were eleven
hundred and ten horses on the course at one time, of which one hundred
were declared the best. They received distinguished names, and their
masters obtained presents and some privileges. Next day there was at
the same place a race of sixteen hundred and twenty-seven horses, six
years old. The goal was but ten miles distant. The owners of the
hundred which first arrived in like manner received ])resents. On the
7th a third race took place between nine hundred and ninety-five horses,
four years old. They had to pass over a space of eight miles. The
owners of the first hundred w'ore likewise rewarded. These three thou-
sand seven hundred and thirty-two horses all belonged to Mongolese of
the tribe of Khalkhas. On the same day, after the race, the thirty-five
victon of the wrjstling-match divided into two parties and contended
with each other. The seven best among these were conducted back to
the Ourga.

During these contests three hundred archers shot with arrows at a
target one hundred and fifty feet distant. Each one shot four times in
succession ; twenty-five who hit the mark every time, or even three
times only, were declared excellent archers. The victors had a contest
among themselves next morning. On the 8tli they erf ^ted, near the
dwelling of the khutukhtu, a richly-decorated tent, into which ho was
conducted by the hand. They then brought "• "several idols and placed
before him, and burned perfumes in silver censeri , He was seated on
his throne and the others took their seats around, when tea wns served.
After the khutukhtu had tasted it, it was poured out in silver cups to
the rest ; all who had no cups received it in the hollow of the hand.

I much
lie had
faithful
:' furnis
; oncain
I grant e
Jiad nc
i nished
there wt
ernor-ge
' on the I
not be ii
; Ghegi
n-ere aw
native t(
Besides,
t-'mperor.
occupied
Onth
on Mong(

THE LAMA NOT TO BE SEEN.

865

Each one drank it with intense satisfaction, as holy water, actually re-
ceived from the hands of the khutukhtu. Afterward the seven wrestlers
recommenced their combat, which lasted from ten in the morning until
midnight. A Mongolese, named Bahay Ikaidz;m (the great solid ele-
phant), of the troop of the vang Tautscn, was the final victor. The
wrestling ended, the khutukhtu was conducted back to his habitation
with the same ceremonies by which he had been taken to the tent ; then
every one retired to his home.

On the 11th of July, at four o'clock in the morning, the khans and
the other nobles assembled in the dwelling of the khutukhtu and delib-
erated until evening upon the names to be given to the victors in archery
and wrestling, names destined to make them known to the nation and
to preserve their glory for posterity. The name of JAon was unani-
mously given to the first wrestler, who already bore that o^ great solid
elephant ; the others in like manner received, in order, the names of
courageous animals or birds. The first wrcbtler received a gun, a coat
of mail, fifteen oxen and cows, fifteen horses, a \ imdred sheep, a camel,
a thousand bricks of tea, some pieces of satin, and several skins of foxes
and otters. The others had gifts proportioned to their strength and
ability. Similar prizes were distributed among the archers ; the last
wrestler and the last archer each received two cows and two sheep.
The festival terminated on the 12th of July.

M. Timkovski applied to be presented to the khutukhtu, but was in-
formed through his messengers by the vang that the pontiff was too
much fatigued by the long journey ho had just completed, during which
he had given his benediction to more than a hundred thousand of the
faithful. At the same time Timkovski requested that the mission be
furnished with four yourtes, and with wood and water, at each place of
encampment between the Ourga and Khalgan ; but the request was not
granted. When Idam came in afterward he explained that the vang
had neither the power nor the right to order that the mission be fur-
nished with yourtes, first, because they traveled by a route upon which
there wore no fixed stations ; secondly, because his authority as gov-
ernor-general of Khalkha did not extend beyond the territory bordering
on the Russian frontier. Idam assured them, however, that they should
not be in want of yourtes on the route. As to the intervicAV with the
Ghcgen-khutukhtu, he said it was not forbidden to strangers, but they
were aware ho was only a child without experience, who knew only his
native tongue ; how then would they render their homage to him ?
Besides, this divine child, like all the people, was in mourning for the
emperor. Next year, on their return, they might slc him ; he was now
occupied in receiving the faithful, and the oflferings which they brought.

On the 20th, the travelers of the mission went to see the city, mounted
on Mongolese horses, and accompanied by their f'leuds of the place. They

866

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

first vkited the temple and the habitation of the khutukh)!. The inclosuro
WJis 8o high that it prevented them from seeing the structure of the
buildings. The temples were built in a north and south direction, and
the roofs were painted green ; one of them was surrounded by gilded
palissadcs. At some distance from the temples was a large wooden edi-
fice, the school in which the lamas learn to read Thiljetan, and to play
upon the instruments etnployed in their religious music. These temples
and other public edifices are on a large square. The inhabitants of tho
city live in yourtea, some of which arc shaded by willow-trees. The
streets arc so narrow that two men on horseback can scarcely pass each
other. On the 24th, the conductors came to them from the yamoun or
tribunal, with the information that the vang, on consideration that they
had entered the Celestial Empire in virtue c-f an inviolable treaty, made
under tho reigning dynasty, had rcsolvea to let them continue th-ir jour-
ney, .and th.at in case he should receive from Pekin any orders concerning
them, he would make them known to them on their route. This intelli-
genco w.as received with great joy; ]\I. Timkovski immediately gave
orders that all preparations should be made for setting out on the
morrow.

From Kiakhta to tho Ourga they seemed to be still in the provinces
bordering on the Russian frontier, from the great similarity in tiie scene-
ry and productions, but as soon as they had passed the Tola, they found
themselves on a different soil. They here drank a glass of fresh water, tho
last that was to moisten their lips in the vast space to be traversed before
reaching the Great Wall of China. Tliey were now in the arid and gloomy
deserts of IMongolia. They left the Tola by a valley ascending between
high mountains, from which they emerged on an elevated j)osition (com-
manding the view of an immense plain, covered with stones. To the
left, rose tho naked rocks which border on the Tola. The Mongolese
believe that one of the caverns of these mountains contains immense
treasures of gold and silver, which the robbers concealed there in former
times ; but that frightful precipices and noxious vapors eftectually cut off
all approiifli. As tli(>y advanced, the mountains became lower and less
difticiilt ; fliey no longer saw deej) precipices or lofty heights; every
thing inditiited the vicinity of the plain of Gobi, the most extensive of
Middle Asia.

In the evening of October 1st, Idam visited them at their tent, and
in the course of conversati<m related some events of the life of Khung-
miiig, a fain(<us Chinese general. The kingdom of Chu being invaded by
the enemy, Khung-ming erected a statue of stone, which held a sword
in one hand, and in the other a book with poisone<I leaves. Th(! linstiic
general, on arriving at the statue, went to it and began to read the hook,
which he found interesting. As he frecjuently touched his fingers to his
mouth, to moisten them Avith saliva in order to t\n"n the leaves more '
easily, he soon felt tho effects of the poison. When he wished to go
away he could not, his coat of mail being attracted by the pedestal, which

ANOIENT MONGOLIAN RUINS.

367

•was of loadstone. Enragctl at his cmbarrassiiii; situation, lie laid hold of
tlic sword which the statue held in the other hand, and struck it. This
act was still more disastrous to him ; the blow struck out sparks, which
sot tire to some combustible matter in the statue, and the explosion killed
him. His affrighted army was forced to retreat.

Oil one occasion, Khung-ming was in front of the enemy, from whom
a river separati'd him. His camp being up the stream, he sent down in
the night, in boats, some straw mannikins of natural size, each of which
hcltl a kindled match in his hand. The boats were borne by the current
to the camp of the enemy, who, seeing them filled with armed sohlicMs,
mutle su(!h haste to attack them with arrows, that they soon emplird
tJR'ir (piivers. Khung-ming, who had foreseen this, passed the river and
gaiiii'd a complete victory over the troops which no longer expected an
attack.

October -Sd, .at three o'clock, they reached the station of Boro khujir,
situated among narrow defiles near Blount Darchan. The weatlu^r behig
fine, ]M. Tinikovski determined to vi^^it this mountain, which is associated,
bv the ]\Iongolese, Avith tl'.e memory of (n-nghis Khan. IIo set out at
six o'clock, accompanied by monk Israel and a C^ossack officer. On leav-
ititr the station, they followed with much difficulty some ravines formed
bv the rains, and then passed over immense beds of granite blocks to the
siiiauut. This mountain extends from north to south, and its lotly back
is composed of steep rocks of red granite, among which grow the altagan
[mhinui pj/;/n>"'<f) and other shrubs. Upon its southern height, to the
foot of which they had ascended, stood an abo of stones, built by the
Moii'^olese, wlio repair thither every suniiner t^ celebrate the memory
of Genghis Khan. From this point the view was very extensive ; to
tiie eastward were (Mght salt lakes, and beyond them rose U\o, blue
mountains of Kherrulun ; on the west, was an immense ( xtent oi' coun-
try, covereil with pointed elevations.

On file atl'.'rnoon of the 10th, M. Timkovski visited sonio ruins of
ancient Mongolian architecture, near tl;e station of Tsulghetoo, Avliere
tliov had encamped for the night. Having gone two miles across a
plain opening to the east they reached a mountain whose declivity, for
the space of a mile and a half, Avas covered with tlu^ ruins of stone
cdilices. Idam informed them that three hundred years ago or more, a
Monifolese Taidzi, or descendant of j)rinces, named Saiiikhnng (beautiful
!>\van), inhabited these places. These remains h;id been his temples.
Several altars and other edifices ot" coh)ssal dimensions, indicated the
wealth and inagnificenc(^ of that princ(>. These crumbling structures
wore covered with moss and Aveeds ; the foundations Avere granite, tho
walls of sun-dried bricks, cemented Avitli clay mixed A\-ith gravel, instead
of lime. The changes of heat and moisture had worn aw ay ilie clay
while the gravel remained. One building, of a circular form, Avas or-
namented with a stone cornice, composed of three rows. In a largo
temple, and in other edifices Avcrc vaulted niches, probably destined for

n-ljl
M

868

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PBKIN.

tbo reception of offerings. In the court, which was paved with stone
they tinw broken tiles of a green color, and a stone vat. These ruins
once inhabited by some descendant of Genghis Khan, now served
as a retreat for licrds of cattle ; the subjugated Mongolese rarely visit
these places, which remind them of their ancient splendor and inde-
pendence.

On the 15th of October they encamped at (bourne, that is to say, the
Temple on the Mountain of Serpents. To the left of the station was a
temple upon the declivity of the Abourga (Serpent). It is said that
these rej)tile3 were formerly found there, but they saw none. They
visited the temple which, according to the rules of Thibetan architect-
ure, fronted the south. The nephew of Idani, who was our guide, sent
for the warden, who conducted them by the principal entrance into the
vestibule, Avherc they saw four wooden idols of colossal size. Two were
covered with ai-raor, like warriors ; the first Avas red, and held in Lis
hands a twisted s^^rpent ; the second was white, having in his right hand
a parasol, which in China distinguishes rank, and in the left a mouse •
the third had a blue face, and held in his hand a sword ; the fourth
which was yellow, jilayed upon the lute. These were Tcnyrces or Ma-
haransa khans, Avho live two thousand and five hundred yeais. Tliey
are seven hundred and eighty feet in height ; they watch over the
happiness of men upon the earth, and dwell in four different regions of
Mount Soume, Avhich is the center of the universe and the aboJc of
tutelary divinities. This mountain has seven gilded summits and ex-
tends seventy thousand miles toward each of the four quarters of the
world.

On the 19th they reached Erghi, the last station of the country of
Khalkha. Toward evening Idam camo to give notice of his departure
for the Ourga. They experienced a deep regret at parting with a man
who by his zeal in their behalf had ECvjuired a claim upon their grati-
tude. Before their departure on the 2l8t, the bitkheshi begged M. Tim-
kovski to prevent his people from shooting thvj crows, as they had done
on their arrival at Erghi, pretending that the storm of the preceding
day had been caused by this Slaughter. In order to satisfy this old
man they promised to kill no moic, although these birds were very an-
noying to the camels, for when they saw from a distance the blood that
came from the wounds caused to these animals by the rubbing of their
burdens, they straightway descended upon their backs. The wind still
continued to blow so hard that they could not remain on horseback.
On approaching IMount Argali they saw on the heights a troop of ga-
zelles. The ascent was through deep iavines, amid bold mountain scen-
ery, but when they had attained the heights they saw the steppe spread
out before them as far as the eye could reach. The places which were
more than twenty miles distant presented a blue appearance, so tiiat
the plain bore some resemblance to an .agitated sea. They had before
them the ascent to the highest plateau of middle Asia, which properly

THE DESERT OF GOBI.

869

bears the name of Gobi. The rainy summer of this year had caused a
little herbage to grow upon this steppe, usually naked and sterile ; but
in a time of drouth, it is truly the country of affliction ; the cattle die of
hunger and thirst.

On the 27th M. Timkovski visited Mount Bathkai, near the station
of that name. From its summit, as from that of Darkhun, were seen
on all sides vast plains upon which numerous herds were pasturing ; in
gome j)laces they saw black yourtes, like islands on an immense liiko.
In looking over these deserts it is difficult to believe that the inhabitant
of the Gobi enjoys a tolerable existence ; he is deprived of wood, and
has not the things most necessary to the simplest wants of life. At the
beginning of summer he prays heaven to grant him rain, which rarely
waters the steppes. During that season the drouth destroys his cattle,
Ills only resource. The samr misfortune threatens him in winter ; snow
and frost cover the earth and deprive his animals of the only herbage
which can furnish them the means of subsistence. The Mongolese in-
formed them that five years before, the whole steppe of Gobi i 'as af-
flicted with a mortality among the cattle so great that many i>ro-
prietors saved but twenty-five horses out of five hundred, and four
oxen out of two hundred. The inhabitants had not yet recovered this
unusual loss.

This unpleasant passage continued for seven stations, or one hundred
miles; until reaching the dwellings of the Tsakhar Mongolese, they saw
on all sides nothing but a sea of aand and pebbles. Such is the 8tepi,o
of Gobi; like the African desert of Sahara. The road passed over on
the 1st of November was the most fatiguing of the whole journey. The
country was mountahious ; the surface, formed of mingled sand and clay,
was almost impassable on account of the rain ; the mountains were cov-
ered with snow ; the horses and camels were so fatigued by the violence
of the wind, by th'3 cold, the long stages, the bad food and briny Avater,
(luring the eleven days' passage across the territory of the Sunites, that
six of the camels sunk beneath their loads, and six draught-horses Avere
entirely worn out. The cold still increased ; the mercury sank to zero
on the morning of the 3d, and on the 4th it was two degrees below.
They crossed a sandy mountain this day, over which the road was un-
even and toilsome. They frequently saw yourtes by the way, and a
prcat many cattle ; they also met large caravans, loaded with tea, on
their way to Kiakhta.

One day they were much surprised to find lying in the road, in a
leather sack, the body of an infant one year old. ITpon the sack was a
email piece of sheepskin, a little millet, and a small loaf of bread. This
was an ordinary mode of burying the dead among the Mongolese. The
priests of Buddha, to subjugate the minds of their followers, have repre-
sented death under a frightful image. The dying devotee sends for a
lama, to secure the welfare of his body and the salvation of his soul ; the
priest, after making inquiries respecting the day and the hour of the pa-

870

TIMKOVSKI'3 JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

tient's birth, the accompanying circumstances, and all the events of hia
lite, pronounces, according to the sacred books and the laws of aHtrology
whether the body shall bo burned or cast into the water ; whethur it
shall be exposed in a kind of cage, or covered with stones, etc. There
aro some exceptions : for instance, they do not bury a man who has
been hung ; whoever dies in consequence of tumors, can not be burned-
they do not cast into the water those who have been drowned in an in-
undation, or struck by lightning, or devoured by tho flames ; tlioy do
not bury upon a mountain any one who has died of a contagious dis.
ease ; in a word, one can not without a reason, throw wood into the fire,
fire and earth into water, carry wood upon a mountain or into a forest.
Such are the laws of the Buddhists. The most usual manner of disposing
of tho dead is to transport them into a steppe, and there leave lliotn,
abandoned to wild beasts and birds of prey. But even in this case tlio
lama decides which quarter of the world the head must be turned
toward ; a weather-vane is jilanted in the ground, and the direction given
to it by the wind determines that in Avhich tho deceased shall be placed.
For the rest, every thing depends wholly upon the lama, who prescribes
in like manner how the corpse must bo buried, whether it shall bo
clothed or left naked, placed in the open air or in an old tent, and deter-
mines which of his cfTects or Avhat objects should be added as olForings.

In tho night of November 13th two of their horses perished with
cold and fatigue. On the summits of tho chain of Khinkhan-dabagan
mountains, in the south, they could distinguish towers ; these were on
tho frontier between China and Mongolia, which they now perceived for
the first time, and with extreme satisfaction. At ten o'clock they
reached a small, half-ruined fortification, called Tsagan-balgassoo, or
white-walled city, where they rcyoiced in having happily passed over tho
steppes, with their snows and sands and impetuous, icy winds. Here
they made inspection of their horses, camels, and oxen, a part of which
were to be left until March, in the tbllowing year. On tho morning of
tho 1 Gth they entered a deep valley among the Khinkhan mountains,
and passed a fort on a small elevation. The animals went on with great
difficulty ; the cold became- so intense that it Avas impossible to keep
warm, even by walking. Still they had fifteen miles to go before reach-
ing a station. Their embarrassment increased when a few mile s further
they were obhged to cross over mountains where their animals slipped
and fell at every step on the ice, or plunged into deep snows. At this
place they passed a post of Mongolese sentinels, in several yourtes.
They began to see indications of the vicinity of a commercial city; they
continually met caravans, chariots, and riders mounted on camels and
horses. Soon afterward they reached the chain of mountains Avhich
separates Mongolia from China. On their summits extends a stono
rampart, with square brick towers at equal distances from each other.

From this point China appears in colossal forms. Southward, cast-
ward, and westwaid, nothing was seen but snow-covered mountains,

ARRIVAL AT KIIALOAN.

871

whose pointed summita reached the clouds. The descent for three miles
to the Chinese village of Nor-tian, is by a narrow road which was very
dangerous at that season ; beyond that village the traveler sees high
mountains whoso threatening summits give a wild character to the dis-
trict. Such is the aspect of tho country at the place where thoy de-
scended from tho high steppes of Mongolia to the lower heights of
China. They halted at the first Chinese village ; it was with pleasure
they entered a house, having seen nothing since leaving the Ourga, a
journey of more than seven hundred miles, that reminded them of tho
customs of sedentary life.

It is about fifteen miles from the first Chinese village to Chang-kia-
khcou, or Khalgan. The road is at first narrow and intersected with
hills, which are rather steep. Tho boldness and indefatigable activity
of the Chinese laborers attracted tho attention of tho travelers; the sum-
mits of the highest mountains were covered with cultivated fields, and
the naked and inaccessible rocks seemed to have been rendered fertile.
There were villages and temples on the declivities of the mountains,
and several cabins were built against the rocks like birds' nests.

They first saw Khalgan when they arrived at the Great Wall, which
is built of bricks between two steep rocks, and is now half-ruined.

At Khalgan, as at the Maimatchin of Kiukhta and the Ourga, it was
tho custom to fire a cannon at six in tho morning and nine in the even-
ing ; at the former report every inhabitant is allowed to leave his homo,
and even, if necessary, to go and see tho city authorities, but at tho
latter this right ceases, except in extraordinary cases. A river divides
tho city into two parts, tho upper and lower town ; tho former is on tho
Mongolian frontier, and has its gates in the great wall, which extends
across the mountains. Khalgan is not large, and has no remarkable
edifices, but is very populous. The inhabitants appeared to have a great
curiosity to see the strangers : all day they besieged tho doors of their
house, and the neighboring roofs were covered with spectators.

On the route from Khalgan to Pekin they gained a good idea of tho
people of China and their industrious habits. At every step they met
people transporting cut straw on mules and asses. Sentinels are placed
at regular intervals in a kind of watch-houses which rise like towers,
near five small conical columns upon which the distances are marked.
The exterior of tho watch-towers is embellished with paintings, repre-
senting horses, guns, bows and quivers of arrows. These watch-towers
serve likewise as telegraphs : if tho northern frontier of China is threat-
ened the news is immediately transmitted to Pekin, and the army is at
once marched against the enemy. The route led southward, along tho
banks of tho Yang-ho, a shallow river with a very rapid current which,
except at the rapids, was nov buord in with ice. A portion of the way
passes through rugged rock^, ■wlii'-a often rise abruptly from the river,
whose waters leap tumultuousi ;/ do^^ n the precipice below, while other
rocks from tho opposite side thre^.tcn to crush the traveler. Beyond the

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872

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

river rises the Whang-yang-chang, a granite mountain whot'e pointed
peaks are lost among the clouds. The wild and majestic aspect of this
region is most impressive to the traveler who has just left the dry and
desolate steppes.

After passing the town of Yu-lin-fu on the 28th, the ground was coy.
ered with stones and no cultivated fields were seen. They arrived
at the foot of high mountains, where they saw a number of ruined
tombs. On the summit of the mountains, which rose nearly to the
clouds, the great wall appeared. This grand monument, unique in its
kind, produces an imposing effect, when we consider that it has existed
for several centuries, and that it extends to a great distance over inac-
cessible mountains.

Two miles from Chah-tao they came to the Great Wall, which they
inspected. After passing an arched entrance in the principal tower, they
entered a large court, from which they ascended by steps to the top of
the Wall. Notwithstanding the centuries which have passed since this
structure has been in existence, it is built with such skiU and care, that
instead of falling in ruins, it is like a stone rampart raised by the hand
of nature to protect the northern provinces of China from the invasions
of the Mongols, who have not yet wholly lost their warlike character.
The Great Wall is composed of two parallel walls with embattled tops,
and the interval is filled with earth and gravel. The foundations con-
sist of large rough stones ; the rest of the wall is of bricks. It is twenty-
six feet high and fourteen wide. The towers, in which there are several
brass guns, are about one hundred paces apart. The great tower is fall-
ing into decay ; the entrance is much damaged, as well as the adjoining
wall. There is no longer any thought of repairing it. To give a just
idea of this immense structure, it may not be amiss to refer to a calcula-
tion of Mr. Barrow, who visited China with Lord Macartney in 1793 and
1794. He reckons the number of houses in England and Scotland to be
eighteen hundred thousand. Estimating the mason- work of each at two
thousand cubic feet, he supposes that they do not contain as much mate-
rial as the Great Wall of China, which he says would be sufficient to
construct a wall that would reach twice around the earth.

They descended from the mountains on the 30th, and entered the
well-cultivated plains of Pe-chee-le, over which they proceeded toward
the capital. After passing the suburban city of Cha-ho, the opulence in-
dicating the approach to a large city, began to appear. For several
miles before reaching the market-town, Tsing-ho, they passed pleasant
country-houses, and the cemeteries of persons of distinction in Pekin.
These were characterized by elegant simplicity rather than grand luxury ;
everywhere they saw the white trunks of cypresses, thick groves of aged
willows, and of junipers, which attain the height of the tallest pines.
They saw by the way, fifty Mongolese camels, which were carrying but-
ter to the Imperial Court ; the foremost camels were ornamented with
small strips of yellow cloth fiistened to sticks, like flags.

ENTRANCE INTO PEKIN.

873

At nine o'clock next day, they set out from Tsing-ho for Pekin. For
neariy four miles they followed an avenue of ancient willows, passing vil-
lages and cemeteries on the right hand and left. They soon reached the
suburbs of Pekin. Two students of the old mission came to meet them,
with four Chinese calashes for the new members, and a saddled horse for
M. Tirakovski. In the suburbs the loise, the tumult, and the crowd, an-
nounced the vicinity of the most populous city of the globe. They soon
came out on a large plain, and the walls of Pekin in their full extent lay
spread oi-t before them. " Finally, the immense distance between St.
Petersburg and the capital of China was passed over. At once forget-
ting all our fatigues," observes Timkovski, " we, inhabitants of the shores
of the gulf of Finland, fancied ourselves transported in an instant, by
some supernatural power, to this city which had so long been the object
of the dreams of our imagination, and the aim of our desires. With a
sentiment of joy each one of us cast his eyes upon the embrasured walls,
whose origin is enveloped in the thick shadows of antiquity."

Northward of the i^lain, they saw the red walls of a temple of Fohi,
and at a short distance observed the funeral of a rich Chinese. Two
miles from the entrance to this plain they passed the Russian cemetery,
where the members of their mission, who die in Pekin, are interred. A
little further on, the mission entered with ceremony by the gate Ngang-
ting-meng into the capital of China. A crowd of gazers surrounded
them. They followed the broad street leading from the gate for a mile
and a half, then proceeded by a cross-street to the street Ta-fo-szu, which
they traversed in a southern direction two miles to a triumphal arch of
wood ; thence to the right, along the street Chang-ngang, they passed the
templeofManchoo worship on the left, and the tribunal of foreign affairs
on the right. They then crossed the canal, or small river, Yu-ho, on a
marble bridge called Pe-khiao, passed the Imperial Palace on the right,
went southward along the canal for nearly a mile, then crossed the bridge
Chung Yu-ho-khias, turned up the street Tung-kiang-me-kiang, and, at
noon, finally entered the Russian court, where they were received by
«'3veral members of the old mission.

After their arrival, M. Timkovski's health was impaired, partly from
the dampness of the house of the embassy, and the exhalations of the
coal burned in the apartments ; the abbot therefore gave him a room in
the convent, which he occupied during the cold weather. The chambers
of the convent were heated from beneath the floor ; the occupants lived
very warm, but the continual heat injured the feet.

All the dwellings of Pekin, from the cabin of the artisan to the palace
of the rich man, are of one story, and built of bricks ; the court is sur-
rounded by a high stone wall, so that from the street one can see noth-
ing but the roofs. The shops, however, have large paper windows, which
occupy nearly the whole front. In most of the houses, in all the shops,
and even in the palace of the emperor, remarkable sentences from the
philosophers or the celebrated poets are written upon the tapestry of the

374

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

•windows, as well as upon paper of various colors. Among the rich the
partitions and doors are of precious wood, as camphor, cypress, etc.
and adorned with sculptures. Beside the agreeable impression which
they make upon the sight, they diffuse a pleasant odor through the apart-
ments. All the roofs are of tiles, green, red, or yellow, which are ar-
ranged, like every thing in this country, by fixed rules. Thus the imperial
edifices and the temples can alone be covered with yellow tiles ; green is for
the palaces of personages of high rank ; gray tiles are used for other houses.

The Manr-hoo language is not difficult to learn. Like other Asiatic
languages it has its alphabet and grammar ; the former resembles the
Mongolese ; the pronunciation is much more sonorous. The Manchoos
after the conquest of China in 1644, were obliged to complete their
language, hitherto poor, as that of a nomadic people, and to perfect it
according to the rules of Chinese literature. After two hundred years
of sojourn among a numerous and partially civilized people, the Man-
choos have become accustomed to their manners and customs, and their
language ; so that, at present, all classes of them speak Chinese. Even
in Pekin there are but few people who understand the Manchoo lan-
guage ; it is employed only in the affairs of state.

On the 3d of January, 1821, the travelers visited the shops of the
merchants, situated mostly in the suburb called Vai-le-ching. At the
commencement of the street Leoo-le-chang, which is very short and
very filthy, there are several book-stores, which sell Chinese and Man-
choo books, all bound and well arranged ; but on examining them we
soon find that many of them are very defective. The Chinese book-
sellers have a habit of asking five times as much as the books are worth;
they endeavor to sell copies in which leaves are missing, or books which
are composed of the leaves of three or four different works. One must
be wide awake if he would nc^t be cheated by the rascality of the Chinese
booksellers ; and in fact this distrust is equally necessary in the purchase
of other goods. The best books, and principally the historical books, are
issued from the imperial press, where the booksellers of Pekin and other
cities buy them at a price fixed by government. This press also pub-
lishes every other day a gazette containing the extraordinary events
which happen in the empire, the ordinances, and especially the Ust of
promotions, the favors granted by the emperor, such as yellow robes
and peacock feathers (equivalent to the orders of knighthood, etc., in
Europe), the punishment of delinquent mandarins, etc.

Further on, in the same street, are jeweler's shops, where pictures and
objects carved out of jasper, ivory, and precious woods, for the decora-
tion of apartments, are sold. The work is well finished. They have
also glassware, glazed porcelain, etc., all of the best quality. In like
manner one meets with a quantity of articles from the imperial palace,
which the eunuchs have the dexterity to carry off, and sell at a mean
price to the merchants ; they likewise saw English goods, which came
by way of Canton.

THE IMPERIAL ARMY OF CHINA.

875

Near each of the city gates donkeys are kept saddled for public serv-
ice. The Chinese "■ aunt those animals in order to go from one gate to
another ; light burdens are also transported upon them. In winter they
also pass upon the canal, which is covered with ice. Several persons
take places on a kind of sleigh, made of boards, and drawn by a man.
It is said that even in summer one can pass from Pekin to the southern
provinces in small chariots drawn by men. The vaults near the city
walls arc inhabited by the poor. It is impossible to form an idea of the
miserable and disgusting aspect of these unfortunate beings: almost
naked, or covered with matted rags, they drag themselves about among
the shops of the commercial quarter to beg alms ; after having received
a few chokhi they return to conceal themselves in their caves.

The Chinese army is composed of four divisions corresponding to the
nations which the empire contains. The division composed of Manchoos,
numbering nearly sixty-eight thousand men, occupies the first rank.
The second division embraces the Mongolese, who entered China with
the Manchoos at the epoch of the conquest ; it numbers twenty-one
thousand. The third division is composed of the Chinese who joined the
Manchoos toward the close of the last Chinese dynasty, and numbers
twenty-seven thousand. To this division belongs the artillery of the
company, consisting of four hundred cannon. These three bodies, num-
bering over one hundred thousand men, form the Manchoo army, prop-
erly speaking, the principal part of which is cavalry. The fourth division
is composed of other Chinese, recruited annually ; it occupies the garri-
sons of the interior, and comprises about five hundred thousand men.
There are besides nearly twenty-five thousand men of irregular troops,
or militia ; making a total of six hundred and twenty-five thousand men,
of whom nearly one hundred and seventy-five thousand are cavalry.
The Chinese soldiers are all married. Their sons are, at their birth, en-
rolled on the army list ; when they are of age they .^11 the vacant places
in the companies.

One day a soldier of the corps of Ojen-chokha, of Pekin, called on
the chief of the new mission. He was about forty years of age, the son
of a poor soldier, and brought up at the convent of French Jesuits in the
city. The latter, who destined him to the station of a Roman Cathclic
preacher, in the interior provinces of China, wished to send him vo
Europe to complete his studies, as had been done with his uncle, w^iO
had become a distinguished priest among his fellow-countrymen. But
(luring the last persecution of the Jesuits he i enounced his calling as
priest, believing it his duty to return to his regiment. Besides Chinese,
he spoke and wrote Latin and French well, and was otherwise well edu-
cated. It was singular to hear a Chinese, clothed and armed in tho
style of the country, speaking French with fluency. The students of the
new mission employed him as private tutor in Chinese, because he spoke
Latin well. M. Timkovski presents to his readers a long letter in Latin,
written by this soldier to tho abbot, in which he transcribes some Chi-

876

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

nese rules of hygiene, containing directions for preserving and prolong-
ing life.

On the 11th of January they visited the temples of Whang-szu.
They first passed the temple of the Earth, in a large inclosure sur-
rounded hy high walls, where the emperor repairs at the summer sol-
stice to give thanks to the Supreme Being, and to pray for a good har-
vest. Tiien they came to the grand central temple, near which were ;
number of convents, or residences of the priests, and many smaller
temples. In the vicinity of the temples stands an obelisk of white mar-
ble, which, from the sculptures on its sides, drawn from the history of
Buddha, or Fohi, appears to have been raised in honor of that prophet,
whose doctrines are followed in Thibet, China, Mongolia, and by the
Buriates and the Calmucks. It is an octagonal tower, ninety-four feet
high. The top is slender, and is surmounted by a large cap of massive
gold, which resembles the hat of the dalai-lama. On the four sides are
sculptured marble columns. The obelisk is a beautiful work and cost a
largo sum of money. Near it is a small chateau where the emperor
rests when he goes to bear his offerings to the temple of the Earth.

In the night preceding January 22d, the dull sound of kettle-drums
in the temples announced the new year of the Chinese, which begins
with the new moon. In the temple in the Russian court torches of
odoriferous wood were kindled, and a lama recited prayers, beating the
while on a copper vessel. Toward midnigh ' the princes of the blood
and the most distinguished personages assembled in the palace. At
sunrise they followed the emperor to the temple of his ancestors, vhere
he performed his devotions according to the prescribed ritual, then re-
turned to the palace to receive the felicitations of the grandees of the
empire, and the members of the tribunals of Pekin. On the occasion
of the new year the tribunals throughout China are closed for a month,
and the great seal of the empire is locked up during the time.

The festis'al of the new year contmues till the middle of the first
month. During this tine a bell of extraordinary size is exhibited ; it is in
a convent of the ho-changs, or priests of Fohi, two miles south of Pckki.
Curious to see all that is permitted to a stranger in this distant country,
M. Timkovski, with several of his countrymen, repaired to the convent
on the 5th of February. A great number of men and women assemhle
there during the festival. The inquisitive crowd pressed around the
strangers on all sides ; happily the soldiers of the police, by the aid of
whips, opened the way. Passing a two-story building containing the
apartments of the monks, they came to the belfry, in which hangs the
bell so renowned in China. It is of copper, and quite blackened by time ;
its height is thirteen feet, its form conical. It is covered with Chinese
characters and weighs about a hundred thousand pounds. The ascent
to it is by a rude, dark stairway. Near the top is a small orifice through
which the devotees throw copper coins ; he who succeeds in passing
them through this hole, finds a happy presage in the circumstriuce. The

VISIT TO THE PORTUGUESE MISSION.

877

pieces fall on the floor beneath the bell, anil during the festival amount
to a considerable sum.

They returned by the imperial court of elephants, which a hundred
pieces of copper, applied to the sentinels, enabled them to see. The
court is very large, and contains a temple, a well, four large buil ngs
for the elephants, and several houses inhabited by the employet of
the establishment. The elephants are employed in transporting the ves-
sels with which the emperor performs the sacrifices. Tlieso vessels are
placed on very largo litters, made for the purpose. Four elephants are
also taken daily to the court. One of them, in obedience to the voice
of his leader, strikes with his trunk upon the floor as many times as ho
is ordered, another makes a rumbling like the nmflled sounds of a drum
and utters piercing cries. The greater part of these animals are aged
and infirm ; many are so gentle that they walk peaceably about tho
court. The elephants of Pekiu are usually brought, at a great expense,
from the Birman empire.

On the 12th of February, the abbots Hyacinth and Peter, accom-
panied by M. Timkovski and a party of Cossacks, proceeded on horse-
back to visit the Portuguese missionaries, of the convent of the south.
Father Ribeira, the superior of the convent, entertained them kindly,
and showed them the chapel and other apartments. They had just en-
tered the hall of reception when an officer of the Manchoo police rushed
in with a terrible outcry ; without waiting for an invitation from tho
superior he sat down, and addressing the bishop reproached him bitterly
for having received visits, although he well knew the access to the con-
vent was forbidden to strangers. The bishop having replied that this
did not concern him, the ofiicer, who was much excited, blamed the su-
perior for having exposed him to the danger of losing his place, for
the populace, in their curiosity to see the Russians, had assembled before
the convent ; the crowd had become so great that it was impossible to
pass along the street, and disagreeable consequences might result if one
of the attorneys-general should be informed of it. Ribeira, mortified
at being treated thus in the presence of his guests, after having invited
them, in a manner, to show the inhabitants of Pekin how the Portu-
guese are esteemed by the other Europeans, attempted to calm the
officer, but without success. The Manchoo seized a Franciscan monk
and led him off to the police to answer for the disorder which the visit
of the Russians had caused. Seeing the audacious effi-ontery of the
Manchoo, and the low credit of the Catholics in China, the visitors rose
and asked leave to retire and return at a more favorable moment;
but the bishop begged them to remain, saying that the Manchoo was
drunk, and that such vexations on the part of the Chinese happened fre-
quently.

The 21st of March was the first day of the third moon, in the Chi-
nese calendar ; the weather was very bad. Spring, in Pekin, is usually
accompanied by impetuous winds. The winter which had just closed,

878

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PEKIN.

and the beginning of tho spring were unusually cold for the climate.
On tho 23d, a great concourso of devotees assembled in the temple to
oelebrato tho tirst day of the festival of spring. The priests carried
tho idols to their places and burned perfumes before them, reciting
meanwhile tho prayers established for the ceremony.

On the 25th of April M. Timkovski sent to the tribunal of forcif^n
affairs a petition relative to their departure from Pekin. They had
fixed it, at the latest, on the twenty-sixth day of the fourth moon (15th
of M.ay). The petition was taken by the inspector of baggage and tlio
interpreter, accompanied by M. Sipiakov and two Cossacks. It Avas
graciously received by the members of the tribunal, "who promised a
prompt and favorable decision. After some delays the permission was
accorded, and tho mission proceeded at once to make preparations for
their departure. These were at length completed, and on the 14th of
May they were wholly occupied with the final arrangements for setting
out ; they had now spent five and a half months in tho capital of tho
Chinese Empire.

The climato of Pekin, as described by M. Timkovski, is similar to
that of America in the same latitude. The air is salubrious, even for
strangers. Epidemic diseases are rare, and the ravages of tho pestilence
are unknown ; every year the waters are covered with ice, from the mid-
dle of December until March, sometimes for a shorter period ; but the
cold is never very severe. When the thermometer ranges from ten to
five degrees above zero, Fahrenheit, one suflfers less than at St. Peters-
burg with the same temperature. Spring is the season of squally winds;
tho heats of summer are oppressive, chiefly in the months of June and
July ; these heats are accompanied with abundant rains, which moisten
the soil, composed of clay and sand ; sometimes the waters, in sweeping
down from the mountains, destroy villages and commit great ravages.
The autumn is the most agreeable season, especially in the months of
September, October, and November; then the air is mild, the sky
serene, and the weather calm.

Pekin is divided by a high wall into two parts, called King-ching, or
Imperial City, and Vai-lo-ching, or southern suburbs. The entire oir-
cumferencG is about fifteen miles. The walls, which are built of bricks,
are forty feet high including the battlements, which are about five and
a half feet. The thickness of the walls is twenty-one feet, and they are
arranged to admit horsemen to ride upon them. There are sixteen
gates, nine leading into the Impoi-ial City, and seven to the Chinese
town.

The streets are long, wide, and straight ; they are not paved, but the
earth is solid. The principal ones are about one hundred and twenty-
five feet wide : the street named Chang-ngang-kiai, or Great Street of

TEMPLE ON A MOUNTAIN.

879

Tranquillity, is full one hundred and eighty feet in width. It is the
most beautiful street of Pekin ; it runa from east to west, and is bor-
dered on the north, in part, by the walls of the imperial palace, on the
south by several palaces and tribunals. The houses of the city are v«ry
low, often containing only the ground floor ; they are of bricks and cov-
ered with gray tiles. The tribunals and the palaces of the princes are
elevated on a base, and have beautiful entrances; the palaces are
covered with green-glazed tiles. The most beautiful edifices of Pekin
are the temples ; they are largo and mn^^iiificent, ornamented with col-
umns and covered with superb roofs of white marble. The streets are
bordered with shops finely decorated ; the splendor and variety of mer-
chandise exposed to the public eye present, in many quarters of the city,
a very agreeable sight. It is almost impossible for a stranger to know
any thing positive in regard to tho population of the capital of China, or
that of the empire itself, for the government does not keep correct lists
of births and deaths, as is done in Europe ; but from various means of
information which ho obtained, and from his own observations, M.
Timkovski estimates the population of Pekin at two millions.

On the 15th of May, 1821, the travelers left Pekin on their return
home. The thermometer indicated eighty-four degrees, Fahrenheit, and
next day tho heat was very great. As they proceeded they perceived
mountains in the distance, especially the heights of Kiang-ching, occu-
pied by a brigade of artillery from Pekin ; they Ukewise saw tho white
walls of the castle of Ming-yuan, and tho pyramid near tho fountain at
which water is drawn for tho emperor.

On their journey to Pekin they had seen an ancient temple situated
on a mountain near tho fortress of Rce-ming, to which the access was
very difiicult ; but as it was near the road, and the weather was now
pleasant, they determined to visit it. They accordingly set out from
the fort under the guidance of a peasant, but lost their way, and were
soon stopped by precipices and rocks. M. Timkovski with several of his
companions took a road to tho east, and after great difliculties finally
reached the temple. The rest of the party, who took a southern route,
returned without seeing any thing. The steepness of the mountain, the
projecting rocks, the numerous precipices, and the violence of the wind,
made them almost despair of attaining their object. Overcome with
fatigue they took each other by the hand and were thus continuing their
ascent, when the barking of a dog apprised them of their approach to
habitations. After another difScult passage, by a route which led to
other temples further up, they finally reached the one they were seek-
ing. This temple, like all others, is built of bricks, and composed of sev-
eral chapels separated from each other and filled with idols ; near it wag
a garden. A gigantic rock seemed ready to ML down upon the temple
and crush it. They met with no one but the guardian, who spoke a
little Mongolese. A steep, winding path, cut in the rock, led to the top
of the mountain. It is d^cult to conceive the motives which led to the

880

TIMKOVSKI'S JOURNEY TO PBKIN.

erection of such a monument upon this narrow lodge of the mountain
surrounded by precipices and exposed to tempests. The transportation
alone of the materials from the foot of the raountab, two miles distant
would cost a vast amount of labor and enormous expense.

The travelers met with poor lodgings at Khalgan ; their neighbors
were playing cards and making a great deal of noise. Here they Ulje.
wise received the disagreeable intelligence that for want of orders from
the tribunal of Pekin for the continuation of their journey they would
be obliged to remain three or four days. On the 24th of May, having
received their permission, they set out upon the route by Nor-tian.
They crossed over mountains where there was still a quantity of snow,
which had fallen in abundance a few days before. It was still cold on
the heights ; the wheat and rye had only just sprouted from the ground,
while at Pekin the wheat was already in bloom. When they left No^
tian next morning a thick fog obstructed the view ; it cleared away
toward noon, and the steppe lay spread out before them. The freshness
of the atmosphere and the song of the larks revived in them the hope
of soon beholding their native country again.

On the 4th of June they emerged from the high mountains and en-
tered a sandy plain which forms the commencement of the steppe of
Gobi. At daybreak next morning the wind blew from the north, and
the cold was perceptible, the thermometer indicating forty-three de-
grees. At the station of Khujir, which they reached on the 9th, the
sandy steppe terminated ; it has an extent of eighty miles. Beyond this
for fifty miles the surface is gravelly and sterile. On the steppe the cold
was at times keen and cutting, and at others the heat was oppressive ;
they sometimes passed over stony heights, sometimes through small val-
leys inclosing the bed of a dried-up stream. After some days of this
kind of traveling they came, on the 19th, to Mount Ookn-khadah, which
separates the coimtry of the Sunites from that of the Khalkas. Just be-
fore reaching the station of Gashoon that evening they were met by
their old friend, the Tussulakhchi Idam.

At length they approached a chain of mountains which seemed to
bar up the way before them. At the extremity of a defile they found,
on the 21 St, the station of Oude, situated in a stony valley, sur-
rounded by mountains. Oude, in Mongolese, signifies gate ; the name
of the defile by which one enters the mountains. Noith of this defile
the desert of Gobi is said properly to begin : a steppe devoid of water,
of wood, and of vegetation, which extends two hundred miles, to the
habitations of the wandering Tsakhars. After pursuing their route for
nearly a month through this desolate region, where the surface is often
interrupted by granite hills and stony valleys, they finally, on the 14th
of July, discovered the summit of Mount Khan-oola. This mountain is
remarkable as the last one in Mongolia, going southward, and the first
in returning, that is covered with woods. A few miles further they
reached Mount Seoudji, one of the highest of the chain, which they

RETURN TO SIBERIA.

881

ascenccd with much difficulty by a stcei) and rocky road ; Ihenco by a
dangerous descent they camo to the station of Seoudji.

It was with extreme satisfaction tliat tliey behold the rapid current
©f the T61a, upon whose banks they arrived next day ; it formed the
boundary of the desert steppes which they had been so long traversing.
At five in the evening they arrived at the Ourga. Here they rested a
while from the fatigues of the journey, and were meanwhile received
in a friendly manner by the vang.

On the 19th of July, they continued their journey. As an especial
honor they were escorted to the first station by a dzanghin and ten
Mongolcso, armed with bows and arrows. The mountains and valleys
near the banks of the Burgultai were carpeted with flowers and beauti-
ful verdure ; a sight which they had not beheld south of the Ourga.
They crossed the Mantagai Mountains, whose rocky sides are covered
with jiines, birch, aspen, and a variety of shrubs, and came to the Bain-
oola River on the 25th. Mount Oulou, Avhieh they passed on the 27th,
is very picturesque. Its sides are covered with pines, birch and aspen
trees, wild roses, etc. The Shara-gol bathes its foot ; the neigliboring
jilain abounds in luxuriant vegetation, sprinkled with elms. Beyond,
they saw a temple with its red roof, above which rose a chain of mount-
ains, crowned with forests of pine. In all Mongolia they saw no district
60 well adapted to agriculture.

On the 31st they reached Ghilan-nor, the last station before Kiakh-
ta. At the extremity of a forest they came in sight of the town. This
\'iew made them forget all their toils. The weather was becoming very
warm; the mountains around wore covered with wheat ready for har-
vest. Arrived at the station, two interpreters of the custom-house of
Kiakhta, in behalf of the director, brought them bi*ead and salt, in con-
gratulation of their happy arrival.

At eight o'clock on the morning of August 1st, they were visited by
M. Goliakhovski, the director of the custom-house, and other employ6es,
the ataman of the Buriate light-guard, and two tafdzi of Selenghinsk, in
company with whom, at ten o'clock, they finally entered Eliaklita, and
found themselves again on Russian soil.

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CAPTAIN COCIIRANE^S

PEDESTRIAN JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERIA.

Ix tho month of January, 1820, Captain John Dundas Cochrane,
of tho British navy, atldrcssotl a letter to tho secretary of the Lorda
Commissioners of tho Admiralty, offering to undertake u i'^urncy into
the interior of Africa, which should liavo for its object the ascertaining
of tlic course and termination of the Niger. Captain Cochrane had
already traversed France, Spain, and Portugal, on foot, and had been
for years accustomed to undergo great fatigues and privatioiis, among
which he enumt rates two trips from Quebec to Lake Ontario in com-
pany with six liundred seamen, whoso wry faces and swollen feet told
I him that he was more of a pedestrian traveler than they. lie was
therefore confident of success in his undertaking, in which he intended
to go alone, requiring only to bo furnished with the countenance of somo
constituent part of the government.

The answer from tlie Admiralty was unfavorable, but the captain,

who thought his plan more than ordinarily feasible to one " who had

been roasted in some of the worst corners of the West Indies, during

a period of nearly ten years' service, without so much as a headache,"

was not wholly disheartened. " Finding, however," says he, " that a

I young commander like myself was not likely to be employed afloat,

; much less ashore, I determined to undertake a journey, varying only

' tho ohjcct and the scene, similar to that of the unfortunate Ledyard,

I viz., to travel round tho globe, as nearly as can be done by land, crossing

! from Northern Asia to America, at Behring's Straits ; I also determined

j to perform the journey on foot, for the best of all possible reasons, that

' ray finances allowed of no other. Having procured two years' leave of

I absence I prepared to traverse tho continents of Europe, Asia, and

j America."

j Having filled his knapsack with such articles as seemed requisite to
1 enable him to wander among the wilds of three quarters of the globe,
I ho left London in the packet-boat for Dieppe, and on the 14th of Feb-
I ruary sot forward through Franco and Germany, toward St. Peters-

884

COCHRANE'S JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERIA.

burg, where he arrived on the 30th of April (O. S.) His route lay
through Paris, Frankfort, Leipsic, Berlin, Dantzic, Konigsberg, and other
important cities, in which he halted to repose from the great fatigues of
the journey, and to examine the objects of interest that were to be
Been. His clothes were in tatters, and his shoes worn out by this trip of
sixteen hundred miles, during an inclement season, yet on his arrival at
the Russian capital he cheerfully continued the arrangements for pur-
suing his journey into the remotest wilds of that empire.

Through the influence of Sir Daniel Bailey, the British Consul Gene-
ral, who was an able advocate of his plans, Captain Cochrane gained tlie
favor of Count Nesselrode, the Foreigij Minister, and of Count Kochou-
bey, to whom his affair was intrusted. He not only obtained the cus-
tomary passport and a letter to the Governor General of Siberia, but also
two official documents signed by the minister, calling upon the author-
ities of all the towns and provinces lying on his route from St. Petersburg
to Kamtchatka, to aid him on his journey, and afford him lawful de-
fense and protection in case of need. The emperor likewise offered him
pecuniary assistance in the outset, which ho declined.

On the 24th of May (O. S.), he set out from St. Petersburg. Ho
carried a letter of introduction to Prince Theodore Galitzin, who occu-
pied the Imperial Palace at Tzarsko Sclo, but on his arrival at midnight,
he found the palace -wrapped in flames. After mingling awhile with the
crowd in extinguishing the conflagration, he retired to the gardens, and
spent a few hours of the first night of his journey lying in the open air
upon the grass. Having breakfasted with Prince Theodore, he pro-
ceeded toward Tosna, where he arrived at seven in the evening. He
thus continues the narrative of his adventures next day : " I passed the
night in the cottage of a farmei*, resigning myself to the attacks and an-
noyance of such vermin as generally haunt impoverished dwellings, and
was therefore proportionably pleased in the morning to pursue my jour-
ney. My route was toward Liubane, at about the ninth mile-stone from
which I sat down, to smoke a segar or pipe, as fancy might indicate ; I
was suddenly seized from behind by two ruffians, whose visages were as
much concealed as the oddness of their dress would pennit. One of
them, who held an iron bar in his hand, dragged me by the collar toward
the forest, while the other, with a bayoneted musket, pushed me on in
such a manner as to make me move with more than ordinary celerity : a
boy, auxihary to these vagabonds, was stationed on the road-side to keep
a look-out.

" We had got some sixty or eighty paces into the thickest part of the
forest, when I was desired to undress, and having stripped off my trow-
sers and jacket, then my shirt, and, finally, my shoes and stockings, they
proceeded to tie me to a tree. From this ceremony, and from the man-
ner of it, I fully concluded that they intended to try the effect of a mus-
ket upon me, by firing at me as they would at a mark. I was, however,
reserved for fresh scenes ; the villains, with much sang froidy seated

PLUNDERED BY ROBBERS.

885

themselves at ray feet, and rifled my knapsack and pockets, even cuttiiii;
out the linings of the clothes in search of hank-bills or some other valu-
ahlo articles. They then compelled me to take at least a pound of black
hrcad, and a glass of rum, poured from a small flask which had been sus-
pended from my lunk. Having ai)propriated my trowsers, shirts, stock-
ings, and English shooting shoes, as also my spectacles, watch, compass,
thermometer, and small pocket-sextant, with IGO roubles (about £7),
they at length released me from the tree, and, at the point of a stiletto,
made me swear that I would not inform against them — such, at least, I
conjectured to be their meaning, though of their language I understood
not a word.

" Having received my promise, I was again treated to bread and rum,
and once more fastened to the tree, in which condition they finally aban-
doned me. Not long afl;er, a boy who was passing heard my cries, and
set nic at liberty. I did not doubt ho was sent by my late companions
upon so considerate an errand, and felt so far grateful ; though it might
require something more than common charity to forgive their depriving
rae of my shirt and trowsers, and leaving me almost as naked as I came
into the world.

" To pursue my route, or return to Tzarsko Selo, would, indeed, bo
alike indecent and ridiculous, but being so, and there being no remedy,
I made therefore ' forw^ard' the order of the day ; having first, with the
remnant of my a^.^)arcl, rigged myself i fEcossoise, I resumed my route.
I had still left rae a blue jacket, a flannel waistcoat, and a spai*e one, which
I tied round my waist in such a manner that it reached down to the
knees : my empty knapsack was restored to its old place, and I trotted
on with even a merry heart."

Within a few miles ho passed between files of soldiers, employed in
making a new road, under the orders of General Woi-onoff. The gen-
eral received him with kindness, administered food and refreshments,
and then otfered him clothing, but the captain declined and soon after-
ward proceeded on his journey, lie rode in the general's carriage,
which was directed to take him to the first station, but finding carriage-
riding cold he preferred walking, barefooted as he was, and in this man-
ner he approached Novgorod next day, passing by the way through
many large villages and a fertile and populous coun*"^. " Crossing the
bridge," he continues, "I entered the city at two o'clock, and imme-
diately waited on the governor. He would have provided me with
clothing on the instant ; I was, however, hungry, and requested food.
The governor srailed, but assented, and I then accepted a shirt and
trowsers." Meanwhile ho obtained good quarters at the house of a
merchant to whom he had a letter of introduction, and who kindly
furnished him Avith a complete refit. As he was pursuing his journey,
a few days afterward, he received two rubles as charity from the master
of a post-house, from whom he had also received refreshment gratis.
" Knowing as I did," says he, " that assistance was at hand, I declined

flfi

886

COOHRANE'S JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERIA.

the money, although my then distressed state might have warranted my
open acceptance of it. I continued my route, and upon my arrival at
the next station I found the money in my cap.

" I entered Moscow at eight o'clock on the morning of June 5th,
the last stage being distressingly fatiguing. Much rain fell and I was
not a little happy to reach the hospitable abode of Mr. Rowan in time
for breakfast. The last thirty-two hours I warrant as bearing witness
to one of my greatest pedestrian trips — the distance is one hundred and
Kixty-eight versts, or about ninety-six miles ; I have, however, done the
same in Portugal."

After leaving Moscow ho sometimes traveled by night to avoid the
heat of the sun. His way of life seems to have excited an interest among
the peasants, who frequently divided their meals and shared their dwell-
ings with him, Avith the most cordial good will. When he showed them
his passports they thought such a favor had never before been granted.
At one time we find him washing his linen by the wayside, and then
lying down under a bridge to enjoy a sound sleep, while his clothin"'
was dried in the sun ; at another sleeping contentedly in the open air,
or under such shelter as he chanced to find, after having spent the day
without food. Once he halted at midnight near a pretty village on the
banks of a lake, where he was greatly charmed with the singing of some
boys and girls, accompanied by a simple two-stringed instrument;
" but," he continues, " the beauty of the night prompted me to con-
tinue my route, and I left the happy villagers for Pogost, twenty-four
miles, where I arrived half furnished and quite fatigued, not having
tasted food during twenty-four hours, and a march of forty miles.
Being too jaded to proceed further I thought myself fortunate in heing
able to pass the night in a cask ; nor did I think this mode of passing
the night a novel one ; often, very often, have I, in the fastnesses of
Spain and Portugal, passed the night in a similar style. Here I usurp
the place of crockery, there I usurped that of wine ; here in the land of
liberality, there in that of nonentity."

At Lower Novgorod he was entertained by Baron Rode, to whom
he carried a recommendatory letter. "Ho received me kindly," says
Captain Cochrane, " placing me for board in his oavti house ; while for
lodging I preferred the open air of his garden ; there, with my knap-
sack for a pillow I passed the night more pleasantly thnn I should have
done on a bed of down, which the baron most sincerely pressed me to
accept. His excellency the governor received mo with customary at-
tention ; but I was not so fortunate as to meet his amiable lady, an
Englishwoman. The truth was, her servant woidd not admit mu,
judging, no doubt, from the length of my beard and the shabbiness of
my dress, that I must be a Jew, or something worse. Thus denied, I
embarked, in a freak of fancy, on board a lighter bound to Kazan, the
better to enjoy the beautiful scenery of the Volga." The captain en-

BUSSIAN HOSPITALITY.

887

terecl as ono of the crew, working his passage, and arrived at Kazan on
the 22d of June, after a passage of twelve days.

On the 25th ho set forward in a vehicle furnished by the governor,
which conveyed him to Perm in four days. He was so thoroughly fa-
tigued by the jolting, and was, moreover, so little pleased with the se-
verity of the postillion toward the peasantry, that he was glad to resume
his journey on/ foot. In a few days he reached the Ural Mountains, and
crossing the boundaries between Europe and Asia, arrived at Jekatha-
rinenburg.

" On reaching the Asiatic side of the Ural chain," he observes, *' I
could not help remarking that the inhabitants of all the villages were
much more civil, more hospitable, and more cleanly dressed ; and in no
one instance would they accept of money for the food I had occasion to
procure. I never entered a cottage but shtshee (a cabbage soup), with
meat, milk, and bread were immediately placed lefore me unasked:
nor could any entreaty of mine induce them to receive a higher reward
than a pipe of tobacco, or a glass oi vodka (whisky). In short, to pre-
vent uselessly troubling the inhabitants, I was obliged to consign my
; nearly exhausted purse to the care of my knapsack, renouncing the hack-
! ncycd and unsocial custom of paying for food. Among other proofs of
I their civility, or rather of the interest which Russians take in foreigners,
I as well as the means they have of making themselves understood, one
! very strong one occurred to me in a small a illage. I had learned so
1 much of the language as to know that Jcchorosho is the Russian word
for well^ but not that kchudo was the translation for bad. My host
being a good sort of a blunt fellow, was discoursing upon the impro-
priety of traveling as I did. As I could not comprehend him, I was
impatient to go, but ho persisted in detaining me till he had made me
understand the meaning o^ kchudo. My extreme stupidity offered a
powerful barrier to his design ; but a smart slap on one cheek and a kiss
on the other, followed by the words kchudo, and kchorosho, soon
cured my dullness, and I laughed heartily in spite of this mode of in-
struction."

After reaching Tobolsk, he resolved to make an excursion, by way
of Omsk, to the Chinese frontier. The Governor General accordingly
supplied him with a Cossack, as well as a special order for horses, if he
should deem them necessary, and for every assistance he might require.
At the Tartar villages beyond Tobolsk, he was hospitably received, but
after he had advanced into the steppe he met with an unpleasant inci-
dent, which he thus relates : " At Toukalinsk, I had the misfortune to
lose what was to mo my all — my passport, papers, and every protection
in Siberia. In vain I addressed the commissary ; in vain I offered a
guinea for their recovery ; in vain I pointed out the rogue who had
taken them in the tin case from the seat while I was at dinner. I begged,
intreated, insisted, threatened, abused ; all was to no purpose ; and I
was finally constrained to go without them. By this terrible disaster I

388

OOCHRANE'S JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERIA.

was entirely deprived of all testimony of myself, my connections, or the
object of my journey, and lay at the mercy of any one who might choose
to provide me with large but cheap lodgings.

" On my arrival at Omsk, I of course presented myself to the isprav-
nick, or head commissary, and made known my loss in as good language
as I could. I failed in making him understand me, but he humanely
gave me good lodgings until he could procure the presence of one of the
military officers, to act as an interpreter. This was done the next day.
In the mean time, I addressed a letter to the Governor General and gover-
nor of Tobolsk, requesting an attested copy of the documents I had lost
and which I had taken the precaution to have made there. The police-
master invited me to dine with him, though ho confessed ho could not
imderstand either my object or character. He was, however, soon satis-
fied by the arrival of an express "vvith my passports, etc., all complete.
Thus was I, from a state of suspicion and surveillance, again restored to
society. I should be very ungrateful, were I not to do justice hero to
the conduct of the commissary, who kindly went eighty miles, upon my ac-
count, to enforce the return of the papers, which, being in a tin case, in-
duced the party to suspect money was there. All that I had, was, how-
ever, in my knapsack, and that did not amount to £5.

" Omsk is situated on the eastern bank of the Irtysch, at the junction
of the Om. The surrounding country is a vast, level plain, the soil of
w))ich is fertile, though not extensively cultivated. Opposite, is the ter-
ritory of the wandering Kirghiz ; jiresenting no appearance of cultiva-
tion or dwellings. A considerable trade is carried on with them, as also
with the Calmucks to the south, which consists in the barter of cattle,
etc., for tobacco and spirits. Several children of each of these tribes arc
to be seen in Omsk, who are slaves, having been sold by their parents
for a pound of tobacco or a glass of spirits.

" The Calmucks, who, like the Kirghiz, make no scruple to dispose
of their children upon any momentary distress or want of spirits, are yet
u dilTerent race, both with respect to features and origin. They are,
however, their equals in idleness, and filth, and follow the same vagabond
way of life. The Calmucks are, notwithstanding, the direct descendants
of the Mongolese, who emigrated hither after the destruction of their em-
pire. Very few are subject to Russia, a great part of them living in Chi-
nese Mongolia, while the rest of them, under the protection of Russia,
roam about the countries situate between the Don and Volga and the Ural
mountains. Their features will forever mark them, in whatever part of
the world ; the flat face, small and elongated eyes, broad nose, high cheek
bones, thick lips, and brownish yellow complexion, are sure signs of their
Mongolian descent. They are obliging, but inquisitive and dishonest ;
yet, with a little Russian education and discipline, they make good serv-
ants. I ate and drank with them, as also with the Kirghiz, upon roasted
meat, without bread, or any thing else, save a glass of spirits and a pipe
of tobacco."

TRIP TO THE CHINESE FRONTIER.

889

Leaving Omsk, Captain Cochrane, attended by a military Cossack,
proceeded southward by the line of fortresses on the right bank of the
Irtysch, and in a f <v days reached Semipalatinsk, a fortress with nearly
one thousand soldiers. " I quitted Semipalatinsk late in the evening,"
he Avritcs, "and directed my steps for Ubinsk, along the banks of a little
stream which gives name to the fortress, and wh. ch unites with the
Irtysch. I had entered a kibitka which was passing the same way, and
at some distance observed the postilion turn off suddenly to the right.
My mind misgave me, because in no instance before had I deviated from
the high-road. I recollected, also, that the Cossack and postilion were
both half drunk, and had been m earnest and secret conversation ; I
therefore determined to quit by a short movement. It was ten at night,
and we were in a low thick brushwood, when, taking my knapsack, I
suddenly quitted the vehicle, informing them, as well as I could by signs,
mid an obstinate persistence not to go their way, that if they were bound
as they had pretended they would follow me. I continued alone, and
regained the main road ; the vehicle also tacked and came after me, but
I refused to re-enter it, and marched on to the next station, keeping
them at a respectful distance all the way. On my arrival I discharged
the Cossack, without, however, reporting his conduct to the German
commandant, as I perhaps ought to have done."

At Buklitarminsk he procured a guide and went on toward the
boundary. Having arrived at Macaria, he thus proceeds : " The night
was so beautiful, the moon just ascending above the hills, that, in spite
of a good supper which was ready and inviting my attack, I resumed
my journey on horseback, in company with the landlord, to ]\Ialaya-
Karymka, the last Russian spot on the frontier. An officer and a few
men placed here, are all that are left to mark the boundaries of two
such mighty empires as Russia and China. I forded the little stream
which forms the actual limit, and seating myself on a stone on the left
bank, was soon lost in a reverie. It was about midnight ; the moon,
apparently full, was near her meridian, and seemed to encourage a pen-
sive inclination. What can surpass that scene I know not. Some of
the loftiest granite mountains spreading in various directions, inclosing
some of the most luxuriant valleys in the world ; yet all deserted I — all
this fair and fertile tract abandoned to wild beasts, merely to constitute
a neutral territory ! To the first Chinese settlement it is eighty miles ; I
would fain have visited it, but durst not without previous notice, and for
th . remony could ill spare the time."

Returning, he embarked on the Irtysch and descended the river by
stages to Udinsk, whence he proceeded, with a Cossack, to Barnaoul.
On his arrival he found great preparations for receiving the Governor
General Speranski, whom he was anxious to meet. His excellency ar-
rived on the second day, and Captain Cochrane met him at the public
dinners given in his honor, where he himself became a conspicuous ob-
ject. His hair and beard were long, he wore a long swaddling gray

390

COCHRANE 8 JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERIA.

nankeen coat, and a silken Hash around his waist : " Indeed," remarks
the captain, " so great a buck had I become of late that I hardly knew
myself." Having laid his plans before the Governor General, the captain
continues: "lie told mo that there was an expedition on the river
Kolyma, fitted out purposely to solve the question regarding the north-
e.'ist cape of Asia ; and his excellency kindly oft'ored mo his permission
to proceed with it. Too glad to accept a favor of the kind, I instantly
dosed with the offer, and determined not to wait a moment in Irkutsk
and Yakutsk beyond the necessary time, but to proceed immediately to
the Frozen Sea, either to share the fortune, good or bad, of the expe-
dition, or, in case of any impediment from jealousy, to withdraw "nd
follow some other plan. The Governor General supplied me with various
orders and recommendations for whatever places I should visit."

With this valuable recommendation he hastened forward, attended
by a Cossack. At Tomsk, the governor presented him with fifty rubles
a watch, a pair of spectacles, and a few articles of wearing apparel, mak-
ing part of the effects of which ho had been robbed near St. Petersburg,
Beyond Tomsk, the route lay through a dreary, woodless waste, where
the villages were numerous, but miserable in the extreme, excepting
those inhabited by Tartars ; and afterward, as the country became more
hilly, the roads grew worse, until on ai)proaching Krasnojarsk tlicy were
so nearly impassable that he preferred walking. In the government of
Irkutsk the road improved, and the country appeared more fertile.

On arriving at Irkutsk, he was received ui a flattering manner by tlio
commandant of the navy, and was induced to take up his abode with hini.
" Having made myself as decent as my lunited wardrobe would allow,"
he continues, " I called on the vice-governor, who made great promises,
and exceeded them in performance. Upon quitting his excellency, I
made some visits, and delivered my lettera of recommendation, made
inquiries as to my future movements, and then returned to an elegant
dinner with my host, who had invited a party of twenty persons to
meet me.

" Next morning, in company with Captain Koutigin, I left the Admi-
ralty House, which is two miles from the city, to view whatever is notable
in Irkutsk. Fifteen thousand inhabitants, including three thousand of
the military, are said to compose the population. Irkutsk indeed scarcely
deserves the name of city, except for its public buildings, which are good ;
yet, though I confess it is upon the whole a fine town, I could not but
feel disappointment from its total want of original plan, as well as its
present want of regularity, which must retard its advancement for a long
time to come. Tobolsk is certainly its superior in every thing except its
situation, and the singularly fine appearance of a few buildings, public
and private.

" My stay in Irkutsk was but a week, when, bein^ furnished >vith a
fresh Cossack, and with every assistance I desired to enable me to reach
the river Lena, I set out, a Uttle melancholy at parting with such kind

VOYAGE DOWN THE LENA.

891

fricnda. At seven milo.s I had a last view of the city. The country be-
came very elevated, and the roiid lay over hill and dale as far as the fiftli
station. With the exception of some little corn, the land is one uninter-
rupted pasture. The inhabitants, Russians, are pretty numerous, and
their villages, though small, occur at frequent intervals. The post-houses
are good and convenient halting-places.

"I soon reached Vercholensk, a large and populous town, c)iatantono
hundred and fitly miles from Irkutsk. The road is by dangerous i)reoi-
piccs, and at this place the communication by land ceases, a circumstance
at which I was not a little rejoiced, longing to be again ujjon my own
element. I soon procured a canoe and a couple of hands, who, with the
Cossack and myself, paddled down the stream. Proceeding day and
night in my open canoe, I generally made one hundred to one hundred
and twenty miles each day, and Avherever I went, fared well I'rom the
hospitality of the Russian colonists, as well as from tlut of my friends at
Irkutsk, who had provided me, according to the lius.<4ian proverb, with
plenty of bread and salt. This simple sounding provision also hicluded
some fine partridges, a hare, a large piece of roast beef, and a quantity
of meat pies ; not omitting whie and rum. A traveler in Russia, whether
native or foreigner, on taking leave of his friends previous to his depart-
ure, uniformly finds at his lodgings all the provisions requisite for his
journey, with another lodging pointed out at some friend's upon his
next route, for as long as he pleases. Indeed I have no doubt, as the se-
quel will justify the assertion, that a man may tr.avel through the Rus-
sian Empire, as long aa his conduct is becoming, without wanting any
thing — not even horses and money ; excepting only the civilized parts
between the capitals.

" Pursuing my voyage, I reached Vittim, which is half way to Ya-
kutsk, upon the eighth day. Here I was first overtaken by the ice floating
down the river, yet not so as to incommode me, and I had enjoyed the
luxury of fine autumnal, though cold, weather. Sometimes the boat
was so much entangled in the ice, that the poor fellows were compelled
to strip and track her, up to their waists in water, while the atmosphere
was twenty-five degrees of Fahrenheit ; I could perceive that they suf-
fered a good deal in consequence, for upon their return to the boat, they
could not tell which part of their l -^dy to restore first to proper anima-
tion. Their great resort, I invariably found, was to take a mouthful of
smoke from their pipe — not, however, of tobacco ; the greater part at
least being birch-wood dust, or fine shavings, mixed with a very scanty
portion of tobacco, the latter article being extremely dear : if to this
luxury can be added, however small, a drop of brandy, they will cheer-
fully, and even thankfully, undergo the repetition of the suffering. At
one of these villages, I resumed my knapsack, and in three days reached
Olekminsk, the last thirty miles on horseback.

" From Olekminsk to Yakutsk is about four hundred miles, which,
except the two last stages, I completed in the canoe. It was on the 1st of

302

COOIlRANR'fl JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERTA.

< )«tobur that I loll, luid tho 0th when T arrived. Tim weather jirovcd
^ cry i-old, and snow ft'll heavily ; the atmosphere dark, and havin;^' evory
appearaneo of winter : yet, upon tho whole, the season is eonsidcrod
liackward, as on the 1st of October tho Lena is generally frozen over, aiid
in throe weeks more admits of travelers with sledges ; but at this time I
was enabled to reaeh within lifty or sixty miles by water, although with
some risk and diflicudty.

"Yakutsk, although a considerable place of trade, and a greiit pass
for the American Company, is ill built, and more s(!attered even tlian
Irkutsk, in the most exp<ised of all bleak sitiiations, on the MX bank of
tlie Lena, which is in summer four miles, and winter two miles and a
half, wide, appearing, as it really is, ono of tho finest streams in tlio
world, running a course of more than three tlumsand miles from i(s
source, near Irkutsk, to tho Frozen Sea, which it enters by several
mouths. There are seven thousand inhabitants in the city, of whom tlie
greater j)art arc llnssians, aiul tho rest Yakuli. Half a dozen churclics,
tho remains of an old fortress, a monastery, and some tolerable build-
ings, give it some decency of appear.an(H>, yet I could not h(>li» thinking
it one of the most dreary-looking ]>lace8 I liad seen, though I was in tlic
enjoyment of every comfort, and therefore the less disposed to con\jil;iiii.

"I remained in Yakutsk three weeks, making the needful jtreparii-
tions for my journey during so severe a season of the year. Li pur-
ticular I looked to the nature of my dress, for tho accounts of the cold
which I should have to encounter were such, that I considered myself
exposed to death, without oven the satisfaction of expecthig to be binioil,
from the ctornal frost that j)revails h(>re. Could, however, this fccliiitj
be gratiiied, the satisfaction would be materially increased by the knowl-
edge that the body itself would enter the next world in the same state
that it left this ; for everywhere to tho north of Yakutsk, tho carlli, two
feet and a half l)elow the surface, is perpetually frozen ; consecpiently a
carcase buried in it at that depth must remain perpetually the same.

" The way I passed my time at Mr. Minitsky's was sufficiently reg-
ular ; T rose early, atul always went early to bod ; occupied, while day-
light lasted, Avith bringing up my journal ; then at a game at billiards;
aRi'rward at dinner, always on the most excellent 1; '"o, Avith wine, mm,
and other delicacies. Li tho eveniTig, with a party of the natives, male
and female, at the house of tho chief; tho ladies to all appearance dumb,
not daring to utter a word, and solely employed in cracking their nuts,
a very small species of the cedar-mit, which abounds in such quantities
as to be made an article of trade to Okotsk and Kamtchatka. I am not
I'xaggorating, when I say that half a dozen of females will sit down and
consume each many hundreds of these nuts, and quit the house witliout
having spoken a Avord — unless a stolen one, in fear it should be hoard.
While the ladies are thus cracking their nuts, staring, and listening, and
speechless, the gentlemen are erai)loyed in drinking rum or rye-brandy
punch, as their tastes may dictate. Nor is even good rum a scarce

rcg-

WINTKR TRAVKL IN SIUKIIIA.

393

iirtlclo licrp, rominpf ns it dooa by way of Knmtclifitlia. I was one fciist-
,l;iy oil a visit to a ri'sjK'otalth^ old gi'utlctnan, otic of tlio counfil ; thcro
wi'i'c no chairH, 1)iit a loiij^ tabli) was Nprcad, with flsli jiics, ii \m'vc of
roust iMH'f, boil(Ml deors' toni^iics, and sorno wild berries in a lait. Tlio
first (hinj? i»resented is a glass of 'randy, wliieli I refnsed, knowinjij tho
chief to have Hent Home good wine ; this I was ofltsred, and ae(u'|tted,
when T was told by my friend the (ihief, that it was not the cuMtom to
accept any thing of that kuid tlie first time, but to await the third.
Ivclying upon t!»e ehiefs better knowledge of the Siberian world, T rc-
ftiseil the next glass of wine, whieh was offered me twice, und need not
.s;iy I ultimately lost it, probably from the practice of cconomiznig good
wine in a place where it can sel(h»m be purchased.

"My dresses completed, and the river having, according to custom,
lipon passed and decilared closed, I ]>Mcked up my knapsack and other
]»:iggage, aa I was providiul also with a coiiplo of bags of black biscuit
through tho kindiu'ss of my liost, with a j)ieco of roast beef, a few dried
lisli, half a dozen pounds of tea, and twenty pounds of sug.ar-c.andy, be-
sides fifty ])oun<ls of tobacco, and a keg of vodkey (corn-brandy), a most
indi^-pcnsablo article on such a journey, whether for my own or others'
consumption. I had b(!side» a pipe, flint, steel, and ax, and, what was
ot" most imi)ortance, a Cossack companion, who indeed proved inval-
uable to me. My destination was Nishney Kolymsk, distant about ono
thousand eight lumdred mllca, which wore to bo traveled over in tho
coldest season of the year, and in what is esteemed tho coldest part of
the north-east of Asia."

lie letl Y.'ikutsk on tho last day of October, tho thermomc tcr being
!it twenty-nine degrees below zero, and after a wearisome journey of
two days, alternately walking and riding, alike to escape the fatigue and
tho cold, ho arrived at tho banks of tho Aldan, where ho thus proceeds
with his narrative : " On tho Gth of November I crossed tlio Aldan, and
breakfasted at a solitary yourto (at ten lailos), completing in tho evening
thirty miles, where we halted in a cabin about ten feet square. Had
it, however, been much worse or smaller, I nuist have felt thankful, for
I had been severely pinched by tho effects of the cold and the wind in
my face. A good firo, a cup of tea, and a sound shimber, with pleasant
dreams, perfectly refreshed me by the ensuing morning. Tho country
had of late been level, but at twenty miles I became enveloped in a lofty
chain of mountains, which I had been for some time gradually ascend-
ing, and which are called the Toukoulan chain, from the word Touku,
which, in the Yakut language, signifies " noisy ;" as indeed the river of
tiiat name does roar down its precipitous banks. We halted for the
night at the foot of a mountainous peak, sheltered from the cold north
wind ; and as this was the firpt night which I was to pass in the open
air, I shall describe the manner of it, in order that it may be known how
I far (contrary to my calculations) our situation was susceptible oven of
! comfort.

894

COCnRANB'S JOURNEY THROUOII SIBERIA.

" Tho first thing on my arrival W!W to unload tho horsts, loosen thoir
saddlus or padH, tako tho bridlo out of tliL-ir mouths, and tio thein to a
trco in such a luaunur that thoy could not eat. Tho Vakuti Ihon with
thoir axes proceeded to I'ell timber, while 1 and the ('ossack, with our
lopatkas, or wooden spades, cleared away tho snow, which was geiu'ially
a couple of feet deep. We then spread branches of the j)ine-tree, to
fortify us from tho damp or cold cartli beneath us : a good lire was now
soon made, and each bringing a leatiu'rn bag from tho baggage, fur-
nished himself with a scat. Wo then put the kettle on the fire, and
soon forgot the sullerings of tho day. At times the weather was so cold
that we wcro ahnost obliged to creep into tho fire ; and as I was nuich
worse off than tho rest of the party for warm clothing, I had recoursu to
every stratagem I could devise to keep my blood in circulation. It was
barely possible to keep ono side of tho body from freezing, while tho
other might bo said to bo roasting. Upon tho whole, I i)assed the night
tolerably well, although I was obliged to get uj) five or six times to tako
a walk o)" run for tho benefit of my feet. While thus employed, I dLs-
covered that the Yakuti had drawn tho firo from our side to theirs, a
trick which I determined to counteract i\w. following night. I should
here observe, that it is tho custom of tho Yakuti to get to leeward of tho
iire, and then, undressing themselves, i)Ut the whole of their clothes as
a shelter for the outer sides of their bodies, while tho inner side receives
a thorough roasting from exposure to tho firo ; this plan also gives them
the benefit of tho warmth of their own bodies. The thermometer during
the day had ranged from filleou to twenty-fivo degrees below zero, ac-
cording to the elevation of the sun.

" Tho following day, at thirty miles, we again lialtcd in tho snow,
when I made a horse-shoe firo, which I found had tho effect I desired,
of keeping every part of mo alike warm, and I actually slept well with-
out any other covering than my clotlies thrown over me, whereas before
I had oidy the consolation of knowing that if I was in a freezing state
with one half of my body, the other was meanwhile roasting to make
amends. On tho third night I reached tho foot of tho mountainous pass
which may bo said to lead to Northern Siberia. My route had hitherto
lain generally on tho banks of the Toukoulan, which runs along a pic-
turesque valley on tho western range of the mountains, and is well wood-
ed with fir, larch, and alder. Upon reaching thus far, I looked up at
what I had yet to perform, and, I confess, felt astonished, not at tho
height, but how it could bo practicable to get up a slippery and almost
trackless road. However we commenced, and mainly by preferring the
deep snow, as I uniformly did, at last gained the summit, but not with-
out great fatigue ; a horse could not carry a person up under a consider-
ble time, and it took me two hours at least. We sat down, ray Cossack
and I, to gain breath and wait for the Yakuti with the baggage, in the
mean tune smoking a pipe ; but it was too cold to remain ; we therefore
prepared to descend. As to keepmg my feet, however, that was impos-

YAKUT VORACITY.

895

siblo; I thoroforo laid down, and Hlid to thu bottom of tho most danger-
ous part, a Ibat for which 1 had ni'ui ly paid dear, by cominji in contact
'with a horMU wliicli had taicun tliu Hunic expeditious mode of descending.
The patii was so narrow, that one error would liavo pitched ine forever
into tiio abyss of snow beneath ; and, although not deep, would havo
prevented a return, uidess 1 had fortunately lallen with my feet down-
ward ; tho halffro/.en surlace of the snow serving in some manner to
bring tho person up : falling on one side I foun«l very dangerous, unless
Bomcbody was near to render ussiatanco. I Koon readied what I may
term a charity yourto, being erected by tho community in general for
the accommodation and preservaticHj of travelers. It consists of a twelve
feet square room, with a small ante-room wliich serves as an entry, and
may be properly termed a log-house, having uo window, unless a largo
opening in tho roof may bo so termed."

In this manner they arrivcid at IJaralass in six days by a route leading
through magnilicent scenery, but a dreary and desolate region, " where,"
observes Ca]>tain Cochrane, "there is not an individual dwelling in '''e
whole extent from Aldan to liaralass, a distance equal to half the length
of England." They rea(!hed Tabalak on tho sixth day from Haralass, a
distance of two hundred and thirty miles. " The third day," he writes,
"was tho coldest I had experienced, the thermometer ranging from
thirty to thirty-five degrees below zero, attended with some snow. We
passed several habitations of tho Yakuti, who invariably otlered us a
lodging and provision for the day ; and always appropriated to me tho
best berth, which is in that corner of the room midcr the uuage, and
opposite to the fire.

" At Tabalak I had a pretty good specimen of tho appetite of a child,
whoso age (as I understood from the steersman, who spoke some English
and loss French) did not exceed five years. I had observed the child
crawling on tho floor, and scraping up with its thumb the tallow-grease
which fell from a lighted candle, and I inquired in surprise whether it
proceeded from hunger or liking of the fat. I was told from neither,
but simply from the habit in both Yakuti and Tongousi, of eating when-
ever there is food, and never permitting any thing that can be eaten to
be lost. I gave the child a candle made of the most impure tallow, a
83cond, and a third — and all were devoured with avidity. The steers-
man then gave liim several pounds of sour, frozen butter ; this also he
immediately consumed ; lastly, a large piece of yellow soap ; — all went
tho same road ; but as I was now convinced that the child would con-
tinue to gorge as long as it could receive any thing, I begged my com-
panion to desist as I had done.

" For an instance in confirmation of this, no doubt, extraordinary
statement, I shall refer to the voyages of the Russian admiral, Saritchcff.
' No sooner,' he says, ' had they stopped to rest or spend the night,
than they had their kettle on the fire, which they never left until they
pursued their journey, spending the intervals for rest in eating, and, in

896

OOOHRANE'S JOURNEY TRROUOH SIBERIA.

consequence of no sleep, were drowsy all the next tliiy.' The admiral
also says, 'That such extraordinary voracity was never attended with
any ill etiects, although they made u practice of devouring, at oni' nical,
what would have killed any other person. The labori-rs,' the admiral
says, ' had an allowan(!e of four poods, or one hiuulred and forty-four
English pounds of fat, and seventy -two pounds of rye-flour, yet in a fort-
night they complained of havhig nothing to eat. Not crediting the fact,
the Yakuti said that one of them was accustomed to consume at home,
in the space of a day, or twenty-four hours, the hind-arter of a large
oa*, tircnty pounds of fat, and a proportionate quantity of melted butler
for his drink. Tho appearance of the man not justifying the assertion,
the admiral had a mind to try his gormandizing powers, and for that
purpose ho had a thick porridge of rice boiled down with three pounds
of butter, weighing together twenty-eight pounds, and although tho
glutton had already breakfasted, yet did he sit down to it with great
eagerness, and consumed the whole without stirring from tho spot ; and,
except that his stomach betrayed more than an ordin.ary fullness, ho
showed no sign of inconvenience or injury, but would have been ready
to renew his gluttony the following day.' "

Adcr nine days of this toilsome kii 1 of traveling, they at length got
clear of the desert of snow, and descended from the hills ; then passing
along a well-wooded v.illey to tho Indigirka, they entered tho town of
Zashivcrsk. " Of all the places I have ever seen, bearing tho name of
city or town," observes Captain Cochrane, " this is the most dreary and
dosol.ite : my blood froze Avithin nic as I beheld and .approached tho
place. All that I have seen in passing rocky or snowy sierras or ])asses
in Spain, in traversing tho wastes of Canada, or in crossing the Cordil-
leras or Andes in South America, tho Pyrenees, or the Alps, can not be
compared with the desolation of the scene around me ! The first con-
siderable halting-place from Yakutsk, the half-w.ay house, is nine hundred
or 01) e thousand miles removed from a civilized place. Such a spot gives
name to a commissariat, and contains seven habitations of the most miser-
able kind, inhabited severally by two clergymen, each separate, a non-
commissioned officer, and a second in command ; a postmaster, a mer-
chant, and an old widow. I have, during my service in the navy, and
during a period when seamen were scarce, seen a merchant ship with
sixteen guns, and only fifteen men, but I never before saw a town with
only seven inhabitants.

" On the 23d of December, I quitted tho town of Zashiversk, not un-
gratcfid for the hospitality of its poor insibitants, who had supplied me
with plenty of fish, here eaten in a raw state, and which to this hour I
remember as the greatest delicacy I have ever tasted. Spite of our prej-
udices, there is nothing to be compared to the melting of raw fish
in the mouth ; oysters, clotted cream, or the finest jelly in the world is
nothing to it ; nor ig it only a small quantity that may be eaten of this
precious commodity. I myself have finished a whole fish which, in its

IIK BRCOMKS A PRIEST.

807

frozen state, might lave woighiJ two or tlucc; poiunls, and, with black
LiHcuit and a glass of ryo-branily, have defied either nature or art to pre-
pare a better jncul. It is cut up or Hhaved into slices with a wharf) knifo,
from head to tail, and thence derives tho name of Stroganina. My (IrHt
day's journey made mo better ac^pminted with the power and uho of
dogs; water or ice, fish, firewood, travelers and their guods, and every
tiling, being here drawn by these animals. I continuiMl over a flat coun-
try, and lakes commuiiicjiting with oiu( another by small streams, Bulfer-
ing much at times from tlieeold, especially in tlio knees, which, althougli
not sensibly cold, liad a feeling of deadness and i)ainful fatigue which I
could not account for, till a peddler explained to me, by signs and words,
that, if I did not alter my plan, I sliould certainly lose both my legs
above tho knees. They appeared indeed a little inflamed, owing, as he
said, to tho inadequate protection of tho knee-joints, which, on horse-
back, arc more tlian ordinarily exposed, all the defense they had being a
single leather, in sometimes sixty-eight degrees below zero, Fahrenheit.
I considered that I was still bound to tho northward, and tluit the ex-
treme of winter had not yet come upon me, and therefore thought it
better to accept a pair of souturee (knee-preservers, made of the skins of
reindeer's legs), whi(rh he very kindly offered. The service they did mo
is astonishing ; from that moment I liad less pain and more heat, and be-
came fully satisfied that tho extremities are alono to bo taken care of."

At length tho traveler's eyes became painful from the effects of the
snow on the cye-laslies, but he still pushed on over a miserable road, the
fatigues of which need not bo repeated, and on the eighth day reached
Sordak, three hundred antl twenty miles from Zashiversk. In the few
wretched abodes which they p.issed on tho route, they sometimes tbund
tho occupants in a state of starvation. " Having well refreshed ourselves
with the flesh of a wolf and a horse, which had the day before fought
each other to death," continues the captain, "wo departed on the 14th
toward tho Kolyma. Tho first night we put up at a yourtc, forty miles,
encompassed by squalling children, growling and howling dogs, and a
scolding and tyrannical hostess. Having procured wood for the night,
on the morrow we departed, but not before I had got into a scrtipe, for
hanging my cap and gloves upon the pins which bear the images of wor-
ship. Tho infuriated woman ccmplained to the Cossack of the insult.
The Cossack told her I was an English pope, or priest, and that I was
privileged ; the length of my locks, as well as beard, was proof positive,
and thenceforward I was called the English priest.

" On the 19th of December, I reached Sredne Kolymsk. The piiest
having, with the commissary and principal ])eople of the place, paid me
a visit, the former entered my habitation crossing himself, as is custom-
ary ; then advancing to mo, who stood offering him my hand in the En-
glish style, I was honored with his blessing, which I acknowledged by an
exchange of tho compliment. The old gentleman retreated in astonish-
ment, and, demanding who and what I was, my Cossack answered that

398

COOHRANE'S JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERIA.

I was an English priest ; upon which the reverend gentleman observed
he was in error, as one priest could not give benediction to another. He
then shook hands, and expressed his friendship for rao. Another instance
of the effects of my beard, and of more value to me, though less to the
priests of Siberia, arose from the circumstance of the Yakuti coming to
mo frequently with the right hand open, and supported by the left, which
T interpreted into an asking of alms, and accord, int'ly gave them some-
thing to eat. This, however, they evidently dtch.icd, and still continued
their supplicating posture. My Cossack afterward gave me to understand
that I was mistaken, for that they were begging a blessing. I therefore
determined to satisfy the next Yakut who ai)poared during one of my
rambles along the river ; and wlien a well-dressed Yakut knez, or prince,
demanded my blessing in passing, I gave it to him in the Russian stylo,
as well as to his family. When I left them the prince began to unload
a saiuna, or leathern bag, and following me, kissed my hand, and insisted
upon my accepting a couple of sables ; nor could all my entreaties induce
him to take them back, that being considered the greatest insult : nor,
indeed will any return be received for a religious offering on the spot ;
afterward, a little tobacco, a knife, or flint and steel, is considered an ac-
ceptable present.

On Christmas day he set forward, and after a journey of five days
over a flat country, with the temperature at from forty-five to fifty de-
grees below zero, he arrived at the station called Malone. On the last
day he traveled sixty miles, " although," he observes, " I was obliged
from the cold to dismount at least twenty or thirty times to take a run
for mere self-preservation. At Malone the track for horses is in general
finished, though they do sometimes go as far as Nishney Kolymsk, and
even to the Frozen Sea, in search of sea-horse and mammoth's tusks. I
was now provided with thirteen dogs and a driver, and a vehicle covered
over with a sort of frame and oil-cloth, to keep out the cold, as it was
thought too great for me to withstand. A bear-skin and warm blanket
and pillow were also placed in it, in such a manner that I might lie
down, be warm, and sleep at my pleasure. I got in, and it was closed
after me ; not a breath of air could enter ; so that, notwithstanding the
intense cold prevailing on the outside, I was obliged tp make my escape
from the suffocation within, by taking out my knife and cutting a way
through to gain fresh air.

" We reached fifty-five miles with the same dogs, and put up for the
night at a Yukagir hut. Resumed next morning, with increased cold,
though calm weather, and reached Nishney Kolymsk at noon, amid a
frost of sixty-two and a half degrees below zero, according to many
spirit tLermometers of Baron Wrangel's, on the last day of December,
1820, after a most tedious, laborious, and to me perilous, journey of
sixty-one days, twenty of which were passed in the snow, without even
the comfort of a blanket ; nor had I even a second coat, or parka, nor
even a Becond pair of boots, and less clothing than even the guides and

BARON WRANGEL'S EXPEDITION.

899

attendants of the poorest class. I met, at Nishney Kolyrosk, the Baron
Wrangel, and his cou.panion, Mr. Matiushkin, a midshipman. It was
the last day of the old year, and in the present enjoyment of a moderato
meal, a hearty welcome, and excellent friends, I soon forgot the past,
and felt little concern for the future. Quarters were appropriated mo
in the baron's own house; and with him, on the shores of the Frozen
Sea, I enjoyed health and every comfort I could desire.

" On the morning after my arriv.al at Nishney Kolymsk, and while
at breakfast I received, as a new year's gift, a couple of large fish in a
frozen state, weighing each five or six poods, or about two liundred
pounds weight, I inquired for what they were intended, and learned,
that I could not. be supposed to have brought fish with me for subsist-
enco ; and that, a«« the season had already passed for laying in a stock,
the inhabitants of course knew that I must be in want. During the
forenoon I also received a parka, or le.ither frock, to be worn during
my stay in the Kolyma. It was a handsome one, mounted with sables
and martins. To these were added trowsers, cap, boots, and leather
hose ; in short, every article of dress that could be desired, and sufficient
to have served me at least a twelvemonth. Besides these articles, I was
also provided with a bear's skin lor a bed, and a leather covering for a
blanket, lined with hare's skins.

" Baron Wrangel's expedition I found in a state of -nuch forward-
ness, great exertions having been used in collecting dogs and drivers,
and provisions, as well as in making new niirtes, or sledges. I learned
that it would depart from the Kolyma in the month of March, in two
divisions — one having for its object the solution of the question regard-
ing the latitude and longitude of the north-east cape of Asia; and the
other, a journey due north from the mouth of the Kolyma, in search of
a real or supposed continent, or rather the contimiation of Asia to where
it was imagined by some to join the continent of America. I did not
hesitate to volunteer ray services ; but in consequenct3 of my being a
foreigner, I foimd ray services could not bo accepted without special
permission from the government. I therefore made up my mind to set
out for the fair of the Tchuktchi, and to try my fortune in getting a
passage thro'Jgh their country, and so to cross over Behring's Straits
for America.

"Nishnoy Kolymfk niay be tenned a large town in this part of the
world, containing, as it does, near fii"^y dwellings and about four hundred
people (or eighty families), which is three times the number of any
place betwi.\t it and Yokutsk. No cultivation can of course be expected
in a climate wherein scarcely a blade of gnass is to be seen ; the horses,
which do sometimes tarry in its vicinity for a few days, feeding upon
the tops, stumps, and bark of the bushes, or upon the moss. The inhab-
itants manage, notwithstanding, with great labor to feed a couple of
cows ; though to do this they are obliged +0 bring the hay eighty miles.'»

The town and district of Kolyma are subject to the ravages of many

400

COCHRANE'S JOUllNEY THROUGH SIBERIA.

diseases, such as leprojy, apoplexy, scurvy, and others, which the captain
enumerates, and then proceeds as follows: "The complaints called
diable au corps^ and imerachism, must also be specified ; the former is a
most extraordinary one, and consists in an idea that the body of the pa-
tient is possessed with one or more devils, attended with incessant hic-
coughs. The parties afflicted with it are generally most delicate and
iiiturcsting m their appearance ; and it is seldom indeed that any indi-
vidual is cured. In females it prevails to such an extent as utterly to
prevent pregnancy. I have seen them hiccough to so great an extent,
as to induce mo to strike them on the tipper part of the spine, in the
hope of relievuig them from the pain by a surprise of the moment.
They persist in believing that a devil is \\\ the body of the person afflict-
ed, and that, until he be removed, the person will never regain health.
The complaint, whatever it may be, the natives consider as an inherit-
ance from their fathers. Imerachism, to which not only the poople of
tho Kolyma, but those also of more southern countries are subject, is
ecpially unaccountable. Instead of exciting serious fits, like the last-
mentioned disorder, it carries with it an air of merriment, as it by no
means affects tho health of the person, though it subjects him to the
most violent paroxysms of rage, fear, and mortification. Whatever is
said or done m the presence of an imerach, will be repeated by him at
the moment, however indecorous, improper, or violent the act may ho.
I have seen the dog-master of Baron Wrangel's expedition commit acts
sufficient to frighten the person in company with him. While in an ad-
joining room conversing on points of duty, a slight knock at the bulk-
head was sufficient to set him a pummellmg the person with him merely
from a principle of self-defense. Of this same dog-master, by the way,
a highly amusing anecdote is related, and whic'^ was confirmed to me,
not only by himseli" personally, but also by Mr. oredenstrom, of Irkutsk,
who commanded the expedition. The theater w^as the Frozen Ocean,
and tho imcrach's dogs and narte were tho headmost. One forenoon
they encountered a largo white bear ; the dogs immediately started
toward the animal, and the driver, being the dog-master of whom I am
speaking, steadfastly kept his place, prudently remaining by those who
only could assist him. In the eagerness of tho dogs, sharpened probably
by hunger, they became entangled with one another, and were almost
rendered useless. The driver seeing the state to which he was reduced,
resolved to attack the bear with his ostol (a stout ironed stick with small
bells, which serves to stop the narte), and accordingly presented himself
to the enraged bear, who immediately raised himself upon the hind legs,
and beg;in to cry and roar most bitterly ; tho imerach followed his ex-
ample. Tho bear then began to dance, and tho driver did the same, till
at length the other nartes coming up, the bear received a blow upon ihe
nose and was secured. Two old ladies in Kamtchatka, one, the mother
of a Mr. Tullraan, an American, who had married a Russian girl, the
other, the wife of a Russian, who were both afflicted with tho disease,

VISIT TO THE TCHUKTCHI.

401

were sitting at tea opposite to one another, when Mr. Tallman, in a gen-
tle manner, put hia hands behind their backs, propelling the old ladies
toward each other, upon which they instantly exchanged tea-cups and
saucers, Avhile the reaUy offending party stood enjoying the mischief."

Captain Cochrane remained at Lower Kolymsk during the months
of January and February. The weather was exceedingly cold. Mean-
while the preparations for the expedition were completed, and Baron
Wrangel and his party set out on the 27th of February. On the 4th of
March, the Captain left the Kolyma on a visit to the Tchuktchi. IIu
traveled in company ■with Mr. Matiushkin, the midshipman, and some
merchants, whose nartes were loaded with tobacco and iron utensils for
the fair of the Tchuktchi, to be held at the fortress of Ostrovnaya. The
weather was fine, being but twenty-five degrees below zero. On the 8th
tliey reached the fortress, situated on the Aniuy, one hundred and fifty
miles from the Kolyma.

" Having settled ourselves in a small Yukagir yourte," continues the

captain.

" Mr. Matiushkin and I received a visit from one of the Tchukt-

chi, a most empty countenanced and wild looking savage. He entered
the room where we were, tumbled himself down upon a stool, smoked
his pipe, and then quitted the room, without once looking at, or taking
the least notice, either of us or any thing about us. The commissary
having made his appearance, it was determined to commence the fair,
by first installing two of the chiefs with medals and swords, baptizing
them, and receiving a nominal tribute. The morning was ushered in by
the arrival of these persons in state, dressed in their gayest apparel, and
seated in a beautiful narte dra^vn by two rein-deer, the whole forming a
cavalcade of twenty-five or thirty pairs. Having reached a large store-
house, to which the altar and images were carried, the priest pro-
ceeded to baptize the two men, their wives, and three children ; but in-
stead of being merely sprinkled ^vith water, they, men and women, were
obliged one and all to strip, and to be three times plunged into a large
iron caldron of ice-water, ■with the thermometer on the spot at forty-
seven degrees below zero, with no part of their dross on except their
trowsers ; and were afterward directed to bathe their feet in the same
cold water. I could not help pitying the women and children, the
former of whom, having long hair, became, as it were, enveloped in
icicles. A small cross suspended round the neck, with many difficult
and almost useless injunctions how to pronounce their newly-acquired
names, completed the ceremony. A quantity of tobacco was then given
as a present to each of the new converts, by way of inducing others to
follow the example.

" I next day visited their camp, distant about two miles and a half.
It consisted of three large and three small tents. The former contained
the bulk of the Tchukskoi people, and the latter were appropriated to
the chiefs and more considerable people. The large tents were disgust-
ingly dirty and offensive, exhibiting every species of grossuess and in-

402

COCHRANB'S JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERIA.

delicacy. But the smaUer wen , on the contrary, very neat, clean, and
warm, although without a fire, at forty-seven degrees below zero. In-
deed they were to me almost suifocating, being only eight feet loni-,
five broad, and about three feet high ; and containing three or four peo-
pie huddled together in one bed, which is made of rein-deer skins, and
the coverings lined with white foxes'. The small tents are made also of
the old and hard skins doubled, so that the hair is both on the inside and
out ; a large lamp, with whale oil or fat, which serves them for a light,
communicates also considerable warmth. On entering one of these small
dwellings, I found the chief and his wife perfectly naked, as was also a
little girl, their dauTh'^er, of about nine years old — nor did they seem to
regard our presence (Mr. Matiushkin was with me), but ordered the
daughter to proceed and prepare some rein-deer's meat for us, which she
did, in that state of nudity, by a I're close to the tent. Having lolled
upon the bed about a quarter of an liour, wo were .treated with the rein-
deer meat half boiled, of which we of course partook of our complement.
I was, however, obliged to cut short my visit, from want of air and the
most offensive smell I had ever endured f sr so long a time.

" The toion, or chief, was a little angry with me for quitting liitn,
and imputed it to his having the previous day opposed my design of
going through his country. Their furniture consists of a large kettle,
knife, wooden bowls, platters, spoons or ladles, and an ax, with flint and
steel. Having thus informed myself 6f the savage state in which they
live, I returned to the fortress, driven by one of the chiefs in a neat
narte, drawn by a couple of rein-deer in a pretty style. ITicy use regu-
lar reins, made of leather thongs, and a long ..pringing cane with an
ivory nob to it, of the tooth of a sea-horse ; the latter is exercised occa-
sionally upon the rump of the animal, on which it is capable of inflicting
a pretty severe blow. I must, however, do justice to the Tchuktohi for
their very kind treatment and conduct to their brutes, whether dogs or
rein-deer — appearing quite to consider them as pets. Nay, to so great
a degree is this feeling carried, that among this savage nation it is con-
sidered unmanly even to ride ; in all ordinary cases they prefer to walk,
and in every other way appear solicitous to lessen the labor of the ani-
mal, permitting only the women and children to sit in the nartes when
upon a journey. The persons of the Tchuktchi are not peculiarly large,
though their dress, which is clean but of enormous size, gives them
almost a gigantic appearance. They have fair or clear skins, but ordin-
ary though masculine features. In conduct they are wild and rude.
They have no diseases, and live to a great age ; two of the chiefs at the
fair being past seventy, as calculated by the number of voyages they had
made ere they accompanied Captain Billings."

The fair at length finished. Captain Cochrane prepared to depart ',
for Nishnoy Kolymsk. " My return to the Kolyma," he writes, " oc-
cupied me only two days, partly from the lightness of the carriage, and
pai-tly from the hunger of the dogs, there being little or none of their

JOURNEY TO OKOTSK.

403

common food offering for sale on the banks of the Aniuy. I was most
happy to meet with the Baron Wrangel, who had returned from his ex-
pedition around Skelatskoi Noss."

Captain Cochrane now prepared for the journey to Okotsk. He
had attempted to persuade the Tchuktchi to convey him through their
country, but failing in this, he resolved to proceed by the direct route,
which was most difficult and dangerous, rather than retrace his steps a
long distance, and follow a monotonous road by the more circuitous
The commissary, Cossacks, and Yakuti, who were ordered to at-

one

tend him, all remonstrated; the Mter were so fearful of a journey of
the kind that they even attempted to bribe him by presents to take an-
other, but the captain was resolute. " To me," he remarks, " the hard-
est day's work was followed by the happiest evening and the soundest
gleep as I lay down on my snow pillow."

He left Lower Kolymsk on the 27th of March in a narte drawn by
thirteen dogs, who took him eighty miles a day, and on the fifth day he
arrived at Srcdne, or Middle Kolymsk. Here he remained two days
awaiting a fresh Cossack, who was to attend him to Okotsk. " I felt
most happy," he observes, " in preparing once more to tread a new
road, and throw aside the difficulties which were forever thundered in
my ears." Finally they set out ; on the second day they were thrown
into a snow pit, and the horses becoming disengaged from their bur-
thens, scrambled up the pit, leaving the travelers and baggage to shift
for themselves. After ten miles' walk they reached a yourte, whose
owner sent for the baggage, the Yakuti having gone for the horses.

At Verchne (Upper) Kolymsk he left the Kolyma, and at length
reaching the Zyzanka, pursued his route through the defiles of a mount-
ainous region. The party subsisted on partridges and hares found in
traps by the wayside. " We at length entered upon the Hokusolbetie
and Bochiera, two rivers, which, entering the Zyzanka at a narrow de-
file, form a sort of frozen torrent, over which the horses had great diffi-
culty to pass, as piles of ice lay in every cross direction. The Cossack
and guide now began also to sufl:er, while I was gaining ground from
habit and superior strength of constitution. The guide was almost
blind, while the Cossack was afflicted with a severe diarrhoea arising
fi'om want of food, for our game had failed us, and he was too much
a Greek to eat horse-meat. It was, however, his own fault, for he al-
ways ate voraciously whenever an occasion offered.

"The snow was deep but soft, the noon-day heat melting the surface,
and the night's frost again freezing it, just sufficiently to bear a man
with snow-shoes; so that, in addition to our other difficulties, the horsea
began to fail. "We nevertheless continued our route, gaining the Zy-
eanka, and laterally crossing the mountains which confine it. We then
entered the most dismal, dreary, and inhospitable valley I have ever
seen ; not a blade of grass, nor moss, not a shrub, tree, nor even a
morsel of drift wood, to be seen, but one tremendous slate mountain

404

COCHRANE'S JOURNEY THROUGH SIBERIA.

valley. Wc encamped on the banks of the stream, faring upon our
frozen horse-flesh and a little biscuit ; our stock of spirits was all con-
sumed, and I longed to reach some habitation. My poor Cossack now
grew worse, having been three days without food, and so weak that it
was necessary to lash him to the horse. The guide was almost blind,
being unable even to bring the horses in from the pasture. I was
thus compelled to perform the functions of ostler, wood-cutter, guide,
doctor, cook, and traveler ; regretting only the necessity that compelled
me so to act, for otherwise I took so little heed of it, that I slept the
sounder.

" I remained at a miserable yourte five days, to see what I could do
in restoring the Cossack, but in vain, and departed with a Yakut, six
feet high, and stout in proportion, the largest I have ever seen. Ho
was, however, a mere brute, not knowing a word of the Russian lan-
guage, a great glutton, stupid, obstinate, and immovably lazy. On the
fifth day after starting agam wo ascended a stupendous path, which
overlooks not only the surrounding country but also the other mount-
ains ; it is almost a bare rock, and was so slippery that the horses got
very severe falls in the ascent, rolling back in one moment as much as
it had taken ten minutes labor to achieve. I almost despaired of gaining
the summit, but we at length succeeded, and then the horses actually
slid down the opposite precipice of one hundred feet high, the rock being
covered with frozen snow. For myself I considered it, as it really was,
an ice mountain, and desiring the guide to follow, passed down without
any accident. I was now indeed in a desperate dilemma ; but Provi-
dence, which ever watches the wants of all creatures, sent to my assist-
ance the sick Cossack, who, having got better, and being without bag-
gage, had followed our track with a couple of horses. He came m time
also to tell us that we had mistaken the route. His duty pointing out
the necessity of seeing me safe to Okotsk, I did not feel so thankful as
I else should, because I suspected that most of his illness was pretended,
and that conscience had told him he was acting wrong, or he might not
have returned, having already received permission from me to proceed
to the Kolyma.

" We passed the night in a dreary situation, without any fire. My
t'>a and bread were both consumed ; nothing in short remained but
horseflesh, which I foimd very good. The Cossack had brought a few
birds, but as I knew that such dainties were all he could, or would eat,
of course I gave them up to him. Next day we considered how to as-
cend the mountain ; the snow was solid and slippery, and there appeared
no other mode than the one which we adopted — creeping up the side,
and chopping the surface with a hatchet, at frequent intervals, to obtain
some sort of footing. In this manner I and the Cossack ascended, and
making all the leather thongs fast together, we hauled up the baggage
and let it down on the opposite side ; thus placing ourselves between it
and the horses. To get up the latter required more management ; for,

A PERILOUS SITUATION.

405

accustomed as tho horses are to the most lahorious and dangerous jour-
neys, and with all their sagacity and tameness, I found they could not
ascend above half the mountain, the fatigue Avas too great ; in short,
they were compelled to give it up, and recoil once more to the base in
a state of perfect agony. Thus passed the day 1 Our situation now
seemed desperate ; the horses had received no food for two days, with
more than ordinaiy hard work, during which wo had enjoyed no fire ;
vet still "neboico avoce lebo" (fear not — perhaps) were the rallying
words, and those alone served us for supper. Our monster of a guide
was quite insensible to our situation, and sat grumbling that he had not
more than twenty pounds of meat a day, with such hard work.

" This night was passed even more miserably than the last, as we had
not even the benefit of our bedding or clothing, both of which had been
hurled down the opposite valley, without respect to whom they belonged.
"We rose the third morning, prepared for hard work ; and our first at-
tempt was to haul the horses up the precipice. We in part succeeded,
as the strongest were actually received, and cast adrift on the opposite
side to feed. This occupied us all day, and the third night was passed
Avith the cheering hopes of resuming our journey the following day ;
but these were frustrated, as it was not until late in the evening that
we succeeded in passing all the horses we designed to keep ; one we
wore obliged to kill and carry with us as food. Our bully-headed Yakut,
too, became wonderfully alert on this occasion, knowing he should re-
ceive an extra allowance of meat, were it for no other reason than to
lighten the other brutes. I, however, determined to make some reserve,
and accordingly taking a quantity of the slaughtered animal, sufficient
to ser\'e the Yakut on his return, I buried it in the snow, which I thought
would continue unmelted for ten or twelve days, and marked the place
with a cross. This precaution I considered was more than ordinarily
necessary with my gigantic companion, who had infinitely less concern
toward the prevention of future starvation than to the support of pres-
ent gluttony.

" The only mode of passing the last three horses was by making a
regular staircase up the hill, by means of axes, and strewing it with
earth ; myself and the Cossack, who were on the hill, holding a rope
attached to the horse's head, while the guide behind, whose task it was
to flog the beast, had no sinecure, as from his immoderate size he was
almost himself incapable of moving. The result of the last five days was
that we had lost five days' traveling, five days of the best season, and
five days which were worth fifty of those which followed : the fault was
not mine ! The weather was still very cold, and I felt some relief in
getting close to a cheerful fire. Next day I directed my course by a
compass, for the guide knew nothing about west-south-west, intending,
if possible, to gain the river Indigirka."

By continual exertions, walking, wading across streams, and some-
tunes swimming the rapid currents of rivers, he at length reached the

406

OOCIIRANE'S JOURNEY THROUQII SIBERIA.

Oinckon district, where ho again cntorud an ii'habitod region. " Wo
were now," he observes, " renewed with fresh courage, and my Cossack
particularly uispirited with a regale of beef which had been given him at
the first yourte. For myself I preferred to partake of the old liorHc-
meat I had still Ictl ; having a mind to shame the Cossack and show him
that he ought to oat any thing when necessity dictated, I had passed
twelve days without any other food than the horse-moat we had brought,
generally eaten in a raw state, and a small part of the animal we had
killed ; yet I was never in bettor health. I remained three days at the
Oniokon, and was again obliged to leave my Cossack, from ill health and
fatigue. Having procured in his stead a yoiuig lad, born in the valley
of Omekon, with him, and four of tho native princes in ray train, I do-
parted along the banks of tho river."

Following this stream to its confluence with tho Indigirka, ho then
crossed tho mountains to the country watered by the Tourrourak, and
halted at the last yourte in the government of Yakutsk. Here ho a])-
pliod to a prince of tho ■wandering Tongousi, for reindeer and further
assistance on his journey. After mmo. delay the prince finally consented
to take him, and on tho third day they set out with fifty head of rein-
deer. They made good progress for a few days, but at length the rein-
deer began to lag and droop, the weather became bad, and the prince
having lost several of his animals, threatened to leave the cajjtain or
carry him back. To this tho latter wjw not disposed to submit. They
had reached an elevated pass in tho mountains, leading to the vicinity
of Indgiga, but were unable to cross it, owing to the state of tho snow.
On the sixth day they renewed tho attempt, but were obliged to give it
up, three laden reindeer being dead and the rest too weak to convey
the carcases or tho baggage. They remained throe days to recruit the
reindeer, and then resolved to return to the Omekon and attempt the
long passage with horses. The prince now complained that ho had not
force sufficient to carry tho baggage, and Captain Cochrane was obliged
to destroy the greater part of it. When tlie Tongousian saw what he
was about, he remonstrated, asking why ho did not give the things to
him. As it was evident, however, that tho prince had been duping him,
and, as ho thought, compelling him to forsake his baggage, tho captain
reluctantly persisted in burning his clothing and bedding, in spite of the
violent demonstrations of the latter, who brought forward the imago of
the virgin and his patron saint, and spit, swore, stamped, and crossed
himself like a madman. At length he told the captain it had been pre-
viously arranged that the latter should return to the Omekon, to which
place he actually returned on the eighteenth day, recrossing the Toll^
rourak and Boulabot rivers with much difficulty.

Procuring fresh horses the captain again left the Omekon. The snow
was now softened by heavy rains, but was still so deep as to impede
their progress and to deprive the hoi-sog of their accustomed nourish-
ment. " The Yakuti," says the captain, ♦' put on long faces at the ob- ,

SWIMMING TUU OKOTA.

407

strtictions wo met with, novor having witncsucd Hiich deep mid ditHuult
roads, for hi ordinary times good puHturago in to be had in tliiH puil of
tho valley. Tho horBt^s having to contend with such difliculties, our
journey was continued on foot. My snow-shoes 1 gave up to one of tho
guides, in consideration of his being very heavy, while, for myself, with
a quick motion, my weiglit was not siifiicient to permit my sinking in
tho snow ; — in civso I had, the guide w ith snow-shoes was near to render
1110 assistance. We were now fre(|uoiitIy comiielled to wander about on
Iho borders of precipices, directing our route by tho shade or appearance
of the snow ; habit having accustomed me, as well as the people of tho
country, to a pretty accurate calculation whether or not tho snow would
boar me. I have even seen tho horses refuse to proceed, their sagacity
ill that case behig etjual to man's ; nor will tho leading dog of a iiarte,
if he is good, run the vehicle into a track where there is deep snow or
water.

" At lengtli, by great labor, wo reached the fording-place at the
Okota. It was, however, impossible to attempt it, the guides observing
that tho horses might j)ass the river, but not loaded. W« therelbro
halted, and next morning tbund a [ilaco where there was a canoe on the
opposite bank. Thereupon unloading the horsi's, we turned them uito
the river, and they all reached the opposite bank in safety. The question
then was how to get tho canoe over ; I was the only person who could
swim, but tho water was still so cold that I telt no preference to that
mode. Necessity at last compelled me, and having procured a short
stout piece of drift wood, wliich was very buoyant, I crossed at a narrow
part of tho stream, with a leather thong fast to my waist. Tho rapidity
of the stream carried me down above a liundred yards, but the Vakuti,
keepuig, by a sort of run, in a parallel Hue, were ready to haul me back,
if necessary. I, liowever, reached in safety ; and, instantly throwing oif
my clothes, took violent exercise. Tho breadtli of the swimming part
might only have been fifteen or twenty yards, and across the strength
of the stream possibly not more than four or five yards ; yet I barely ac-
complished it. Tho feat was thankfully acknowledged by the astonished
Yakuti when I returned with an excellent canoe."

The Okota was so much swollen by tho rains, that tho Captain left a
Yakut with tho horses, and decided to take to the water. " To starve
on one side of the river, be drowned in it, or die upon the other side,
appeared alike to me," he says, " and I accordingly embarked our little
baggage upon tho raft, composed of ten logs of trees about fifteen feet
long, crossed by five others, and again crossed by two more, to form a
scat for tho person taking charge of the baggage, which was lashed to
the raft.

" It was with difliculty wo moved our vessel into the main channel,
from the number of eddies ; but having once reached it, we descended
in a most ostonisiiing manner, sometimes actually making the head giddy
aa we passed the branches of trees, rooks, or islands. No accident hap-

408 COCllKANH'S JOURNEY TllUOUflll BIHKRIA.

|i(>iiiiijr, and tlio rivor widoning, I bcjr.'iii to oongmtiilato my ('oiiijtnnionH
oti tho prolmbility of brcuktiiHtiiig t\\o ituxt diiy in OkotHk ; but as yet I
had not got upon thu proper Hido of thu Ntrcuin, tho iNlandH mid hIiohIh
perpetually turning ws oiK Tlio CoHHaek and Yakut continued in a Htiito
of alarnj, not entirely witliout cause, for upon rounding a point of land,
we observed a largo tree jutting into tlio river, with a treniendous hikI
rapid Hurf running over it, the brunches of the tree preventing the mil,
from passing over the body of it, whieh Avas ho deep in the water us (,>
preclude a hopo of escaping with life — it was at least impossibl(> to avcild
iu'ing wrecked. The Oossaek and Yakut crossed themselves, while I
was (piietly awaiting the residt in the bow. ^Ve struck, and such was
the force of the rebound, that 1 was in hopes wo should have been thrown
outsitle the shall in the Hubse(picnt approach, I was, however, disap.
pointed, K)r the forepart of the rail was actually siK^ked under the tree,
and the allerpart rose so high out of the water, that it completely lunic(l
»)ver, bringing tho b.iggago uiuler water ; tho whole then, with tlio
Yakut and Cossack, jiroceeded down the stream, and fortunately br()iifj;|it
up upon an island about one hundred yards below. In the mean wliilo
my situation was dangerous; being in the bow, I could not hold on tho
rati as niy companions had been ablo to <lo, for fenr of being jamincd in
between the raft and the tree. I therefore (piitted my hold, and, with in-
finite dirticulty, clung to tho outer branches on the rapid side of tho trco ;
mv body was sucked imder, and no p.'irt of me was out of tho Mater hut
n»y head atul arms. I could not long remain in such a state ; and mak-
ing, therefore, ono vigorous elfort, on tho success of which it was clear
my life ilepended, I gained tlu; top of the tree. I was throwing otV my
upper parka, wlien the branch gave way, and I dropped down, half drown-
ing, to the island. It was a fortunate circumst.anco that tho raft upset,
as otherwise it could not have brought up at tho island ; which it did in
conscipienco of the baggage lashed to the rati being so deep in the water.

Our situation, notwithstanding, tipon tho island, Avas by no moans
pleasant. On either sido of us Avas a rapid chamiel, and I Avas as fur as
ever from accomplishing tho object I had in vicAv ; Avhich Avas that of
getting upon tho right b.ank of tho river; for then I might expect to
n-ach some habitation, there being none upon tho letl bank nearer than
six himdrcd miles, half Avay to Idgiga. My first caro Avas to change my
wet clothes, and Avarm myself by exercise ; tho next Avas to unlash and
land the baggage, ami to save as much of tho rail as possible, our deliv-
erance depending upon it. 13y hard work wo accomijlished it ere the
sun had set ; after which it soon began to be very cold. The appearance
of tho night was unfavorable, as it foreboded rain ; it would therefore
have been highly indiscreet to remain longer than necessary ; as the river
might, in one night, so increase as to cover the island.

To launch a raft into the channel I could not attempt, as by that
lime it woidd bo dark, and Ave should certainly meet with the same ac-
cident, and probably Avorse results. I therefore walked tOAvard the end

FUIITIIKU PKIllLH.— OKOTSK.

409

of tho iHlnnd, till I vuuw oppoNito to >\ Inr^o trco wlii<;li IdkI fullon from
thu continent ni'urly liiilf way acroHM the rntrrowcNt piirt of tlic chiinni!!,
wliicli nii^l't •»•' ulxHit lifly or sixty I'cot. To nwini lliroiif^li the cuntrul
part ot'it WHS inipoHsiblu ; but it uppeiU'ed to ni*> pntliultlc, witii the liclp
of niiuticiil ingenuity, to wive not only onrselvcH, hut uIhu tlio hagguge;
tirul thiu I ai!eonipliHh(>(l in a true Hailor-iiku faHhion."

Iki conHtnu'tcil a boating bridge from tlie tiniherH of tlie ral>, hy
fiiHt fastening Honie of the pieces to tlu! shore, and securing the outer
cikIh against the current hy means of lines fastened up the stream, then
lushing other pitices to the ends of these juid securing tlu^m in the same
manner, until the third course rested against thu tree. Over tliis rude
structure he passed in safety, followed l»y the C'ossack, hut the V'akut
would not venture. The captain then returncul, and making a rail of
the bridge, ferried over the Yakut, baggage, and lastly himself, assiste<l
by the C'ossack with a Vuw from the opposite shore. On the last i)assago
the rati upset, and tlu; captain was puUud ushoro with his clothes sur-
rountling him in a easing of ice.

A tiro was now kindled, but the Iieiglit of the grass and the dryness
of the wood was such that the whole forest was soon enveloped in flame,
iHul they wore obliged to work hard to prevent it from being fatal to
tluMM. The great firo induced the other guido to swim the horses
across to their relief. All were now reunited, and after spending the
night in drying their clothes, they resumed the journey next morning.
This was the third day without food, and on the sixth, with little else
than berries to keep their spirits np, they arrived at the habitation of a
Yakut prince, npon an island in the Okota. " My host," says the cap-
tain, " was neither civil nor hospitable ; but by a Hort of force I got some
horso-nicat from him, and which I considered, at that time, a great del-
icacy, added to some bread which I procured from the sailors and
carpenters employed in felling timber for the dock-yard of Okotsk.

" Fresh horses were given to me at this station, and I proceeded on
to Okotsk. The route lay through some fine park-like scenery, and then
over a thick sandy forest of tall pine-trees ; the weather was most un-
favorable, as it rained hard. At length I reached the eastern sea-coast,
that is, the North Pacific Ocean, and was compelled to halt at a miser-
able hut, affording scarcely a shelter from the elements. The following
morning, to assist the Yakutl, Avho begged of mo to leave their horses
in the pasture, I paddled along the stream to the old town of Okotsk ;
and calling on the police-master, was by him, in the government boat,
carried over, with all the formality and respect duo to my rank, to the
abode of the chief of Okotsk, Vladimir Ushinsky."

It was on the 19th of June, 1821, that Captain Cochrane arrived at
Okotsk. His object in undertaking this long and painful journey, had
been first to ascertain the situation of Skelatskoi Noss, then to trace the
American continent as far as possible to the north-east. But the first
problem being solved by Baron Wrangel's expedition, and a fleet hav-

410

COUIIUANK'B JUUUNUY TllUOUail miiKIlIA.

iii^ uli'i'udy ^uiiu to Aincriua, liu uccunliii^^ly ^tivu up lii.i ilfHi^n und
ri'Hdlvi'il to nariUH) liiH Httips to Kiiro|)(>, uIUt Hpt'iidin^ u winter in Ktiiut.
chutka. iiu i'lnbiii-kttd on tlio 24tli vi' Auf{UHt, uikI in two Wfokii ar>
rivud in tiio liurhur ot'l't>tro|imiluvHk. Wliilu in Kuuitchutkii lus inurriuj
u niitivo, and niXvv n utay of I'lttviiii niuntiiH, during; wliirli ho niudo thu
circuit i)f lliu peninHtila, lie cMnburkud with hin witu for Okutsk, on tho
6lh of July, IK'J2, on his lioinuwurd journuy.

AlU>r a toiisontu return journey hu reached Irkutsk in tho bo^innini'
of December, and remained theru until tliu 7lii of January, when he Hct
out on iui excursion aionj^ the (.^hincNC frontier, lie was ubHcnt a month
on this journey, and on tlic 11th of February took hiu departure frora
Irkutsk. IliH homeward route was over the Name f^round whicii he hmi
traversed on his outward journey, and was marked by few adventurcit.
"Dcscendinjj thu western brancli of tho Ural Mountains," ho says, " I
Hoou found myself again m Europe: the lund«>fnmlt, the tiro-uide huino
again had charms for thu traveler. The sensations I exper!cn(!ed upun
quitting the most liivored quarter of the globe, were nothing when com-
pared to the present. Then I thought I was going only to the abode of
misery, vice, and cruelty, whilu now I knew I had come from that of
humanity, hospitality, and kindness. I looked back to the liills, which
are, as it were, the barrier between virtuo anil vice, but felt, in spite of
it, a desire to retiun and end my days. And ho strong is still that de-
sire, that I should not hesitate to bid adieu to ]iolitics, war, and other
rcfmed pursuits, to enjoy in (Jentral Siberia those comforts which may
be had without fear of foreign or donu'stic disturbance.

" At length I arrived safely in St. I'i'tersburg, from which I had
been absent exactly three years and three wtteks, and tu which I hud
ruturued iu iuiiuitcly buttur huulth thuu whuu 1 ImIX it."

GOIOWNIN'S

CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

Oaitain Wassim r.di.ovvNiN, wliilo commanding the Runsiun h1ooi>-
of-\v!ir J)inn(iy lying in tho hiirbor of IVtropuulovsk, in Kamtchatka, ro-
ceivctl an onlur from tho Uussian MiniHtur of Mivrino, (linscting liim to
maki! a niiniiti? Hiirvt-y of tlu' SouIIum'm ICurilo IslandH and the co;iHt of
Tartary, from latitiuh! 53° 38' north, to Okotsk. lie accordingly Haih^d
oil till! 4th of May, 1811, and allcr a voyage of ten dayH roimhed Na-
tlt'slida Straits, between two of the Kurile Islands, where his surveys
wort! to commence. lie had determined, on approaching the northern
nhore of the Jaj»anese island of Jesso, to hold no intercoiirse with the
Japanese, fi^arful that any such attempt might excite suspicion and dis-
triist. The (chamberlain Kesaiiott', v iio was sent to Jajjan by tho
Emperor Alexander in the year 1803, had been obliged to return unsuc-
cossful, and out of a silly revenge for this repulse, Lieutenant ChwostofT,
who commanded tho vessel in whic^li Uesanoff was taken from Nagasaki
to Okotsk, attacked and destroyed several villages in tho Japanese Ku-
rile Islands. This wanton outrage had provoked tho hostility of tho
Japanese government, and Captain Golownin therefore felt the necessity
of caution in approaching tho coast.

On the 17th of Juno liis vessel reached tho Kurile island of Eetoo-
roop, where he accidentally fell in with Bomo Japanese, to the chief of
whom ho explauied that his intentions were entirely pacific, as he was
merely looking for a safe harbor where ho might procure a supply of
wood and Avater. To this assurance, tho officer replied : " Tho Japanese
can not be entirely tranquil and free from apprehension on the appear-
ance of a Russian ship, for some years ago Russian vessels twice attacked
Japanese villages, and carried oft' or burnt every thing they found, with-
out sparing the houses, temples, or provisions. Rice, which is brought
from Japan to these islands, forms the pnncipal food of the inhabitants :
hut the first attack liaving taken place late in autumn, when no vessels
could be sent to sea to bring back a fresh supply for winter, and the
second having followed early in spring, before the usual rice ships could

412

GOLOWNIN'S CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

arrive, these circurastances, joined to the destruction of their houses,
caused great distress to the Japanese, many of whom f 11 sacrifices to
hunger and cold." With such awkward interjjreters as tlie Kuriles, it
was not an easy matter for Captain Golownin to vindicate himself
against so serious a charge, but he finally siicceeded, as he supposed, in
convincing the Japanese that ChwostoflT's proceeduigs were entirely uii-
authorized by the Russian government.

" While I was conversing with the chief on the shore," says Golow-
nin, ''an old man advanced toward me with demonstrations of the great-
est respect. He was a Toion, or chief of the hairy Kuriles of this ])art
of the island, of whom there were here about fifty individuals of both
sexes ; and they seemed to be so oppressed by the Japanese, that they
dared not move in their presence. They all sat crowded together, re-
garding their rulers with looks of terror ; and whenever thoy hud oc-
casion to speak to them, they thrcAV themselves upon their kneet', Avith
their open hands pressed closely upon their sides, their heads hanging
doAvnward, and their whole bodies bowed to the ground. Our Kuriles
observed the same ceremony when they addressed us. After the Iatt3r
had been invited to come on board our vessel, they informed us that the
Japanese persisted in believing that plunder was the only motive wliich
had induced us to visit their shores ; and that the conduct of the crews
of the Company'^ ships had excited their suspicions. Whenever they
spoke of the violent proceedings of Chwostofi^, they usually said: 'The
Russians attacked us without cause, killed many of our countrymen,
took several prisoners, plundered us, and burned all we possessed; they
not only carried off our goods, but likewise all our rice and sagi, and
abandoned us to all the misery of hunger.' "

Previous to leaving the island, a Kurile named Alexei, who spoke
some Russian, came on board, and was retained, at his own request, as
an interpreter. Golownin then sailed to the island of Ooroop, which he
surveyed, and afterward, at Alexei's recommendation, proceeded to
Kunashir, the twentieth island of the Ku'-'le chain. On the morning if
the 5th of July he sailed into the harbor of Kunashir, where there is a
fortified village, with a Japanese garrison. As they advanced, guns
were fired from the port ; from which circumstance ho concluded that
the Japanese on the island of Eetooroop had not yet made known to
those of Kunashir his friendly intentions. As he stood in nearer, how-
ever, the firing ceased. The fortifications were maske 1 with screens of
striped cloth, so that he could perceive neither walls nor pcilissades. After
coming to anchor at the distance of a mile and a quarter, Golownin got
into a boat with some men, and rowed toward the shore. They had
approached within a hundred yards, when the firing again bi;gan, and
came near proving fatal. They immediately put about and rowed quickly
back to the vessel.

" A thought now suddenly came across my ra;nd," observes Golow-
nin. " I imagined that by means of signs I might make myself under-

NEGOTIATION "WITH CASKS.

413

stood by the Japanese. For this purpose, od the 6th of July, I caused
a cask to be sawed in two, and set both parts afloat in the water in fi-ont
of the town. In the inside of one half of the cask were placed a glass
containing fresh water, a piece of wood, anfl a handful of rice, to denote
that we were in want of those articles ; the other half contained a few
piastres, a piece of yellow cloth, and some crystal beads and pearls,
meaning thereby to intimate that Ave would give them either money or
other articles hi exchange for provisions. Upon this half of the cask we
fixed a drawing of the harbor, the fortress, and the sloop ; which was
very skillfully executed by the Midshipman Moor. In this drawing the
sloop's guns were very c- stinctly marked, but fixed m the ports with
their tompions iri ; but the guns in the garrison were represented as
firing, and the balls flying over the sloop. By this meaiia I wished, if
possible, to make the Japanese sensible of their pei-fidy. No sooner had
■\ve set the cask afloat and rowed away, than the Japanese immediately
seized it, and carried it into their fortress. On the following day we
approached within gun-shot of the castle, for the purpose of receiving an
answer ; haviiig, however, previously made every preparation for an en-
gagement ; but the Japanese did not seem to notice us. No one appeared
near the works, which were still hung round with cloth."

Captain Golownin called a council of his ofticers, at which the de-
cision was, that they should not heed the attack of the Japanese, nor
take any further measures for communication with them. As, however,
both water and provisions were needed, a boat was sent to the mouth
of a creek for a supply of the former, while Lieutenant Rikord crossed
the bay in another boat, to a fishing village which they had observed.
The place was deserted, but Rikord carried off some wood, rice, and
dried fish, and left behind him various European articles, which Alexei
declared to be far more valuable than what he carried aAvay. In the
afternoon curiosity uiduced Golownin to go ashore to try to discover
the plans of the Japanese, and he was highly pleased to observe that all
the articles which Lieutenant Rikord had left were removed. " On the
8th of July," he continues, " we observed a cask floating before the
town. I immediately weighed anchor in order to take it up. Wo found
that it contained a little box wrapped up in several piisces of oil-cloth.
The box contained three papers ; one of which was a Japanese letter,
which we could not read, and the other two were drawings. Both
these sketches represented the harbor, the castle, our sloop, the cask
with a boat rowing toward it, and the rising sun, but with this difference,
that m one the guns of the castle were firing, while in thf other the
muzzles of the cmnon were turned backward. We were a long time
occupied in considering these hieroglyphics, and each explained them
after his own way ; but this will not be thought wonderfid, as the same
thing frequently happens among better scholars. We all, however,
agreed that the Japanese declined holding intercourse with us."

The next day a boat containing several Japanese ofiicers and a Kurile

414

GOLOWNIN'S OAPTIVITT IN JAPAN.

interpreter, rowed towsird the vessel. The conference began on their
side, with an apology lor having fired upon the IlussiiMia when they first
attempted to land. To justify this proceeding, they declared that their
distrust liad been excited in consequence of an outiage committed upon
them some years before, ^y the crews of two Uussian vessels, who had
at first landed under pretense of the same motives. They, however,
perceived the difFeience between Golownin's conduct and that of their
former visitors ; every suspicion had now vanished, and they declared
their readiness to do all they could to serve him. On the 10th the
requisite amount of water was on board, and Golowniii was ready to sail,
when ho received an invitation to come on shore. He thought it his
duty to comply, in order to acquaint the Japanese that the outrage of
CiiTostofl' was entirely disowned by the llussian Government. IIo
therefore landed, accompanied only by Aloxei, the interpreter, and was
met by an officer with whom he conversed for some time. This person
promised to furnish tho vessel with more provisions, but wished Golow-
nin first to consult with the governor. In the evening a large number
of fresh fish were sent on board, and the invitation to visit the governor
renewed.

Golownin gives the following account of what happened on this visit :
''Next morning, July the 11th. at. eight o'clock, I landed with ^u-
above-named officers, tho Kurile Alexei, and four seamen. So fully wu»
I persuaded that we stood on a friendly footing witli the Japanese, that
I had not ordered the men to aim themselves. The officers, three in
number, including myself, had each a sword, in addition to Tvh'.ch Mr.
Chlebuikofi* brought with him a pocket-pistol, to use as a signa', in case
of fog. On entering tho castlo gate, I was astonished at the number of
men I saw assembled there. Of soldiers alone, I observed from three to
four hundred, armed with muskets, bows arid arrows, and spears, sitting
in a circle, in an open space to the right of the gate ; on the left a
countless multitude of Kuriles surrounded a tent of striped cotton cloth,
erected about thirty paces from the gate. This small, insignificant place, i
seemed incapable of containing so many men, and I concluded that they !
mrst have been collected from all the neighboring garrisons sin'-e we j
appeared in the harbor.

" While the conference was going on, Mr. Moor had obser\'ed that !
nnked sabers had been distributed among tho soldiers who were sitting |
in tho open space. He immediately mentioned this to m< ■ but I sup- I
posed that a saber or two might have been accidentally out of the j
sheaths ; and I asked him whether he had not made a mistake, as the i
Japanese always carry swords, and could at present have no reason for
drav.'ing them. This remark appeared to satisfy him ; but circumstances
soon occurred which roused all our suspicion, and convinced us that some
mischief was intended against us. The lieutenant-governor having with-
drawn! for a short time, as if to make some arrangement, returned, and
whispered to the governor, who immediately rose up to go sway. We

GOLOWNIN MADE PRISONER.

415

got up also to take our leave ; and I repeated my question respecting
the price of provisions, and also asked whether he intended to supply us
with any ? On hearing this he sat down, invited us to do the same,
and, though it was early in the day, ordered dinner to be served up.

" We accepted his invitation, and waited with impatience to see what
would next occur, as it now appeared we were caught in j, snare from
which it Avould bo difficult to escape. But the kind behavior of the
Japanese, and their assurances that we had nothing to fear, again tran-
quillized us, and banished any sus|,icion of their treachery. They en-
tertained us with rice, fish in a green sauce, and other savory dishes, the
ingredients compOising which we did not know. They also gave us
sagi. After wc had dined, the governor Avas again about to withdraw.
I now declared that v.e could wait no longer, but must return imme-
diately on board.

" The governor, wlio had liithcrto conversed in a mild and gentle
tone, now altered his manner. He spoke loudly, and with warmth ;
frequently mentioned Resanoto (Resanoff"), and Nicola-Sandrejetsch
(Nicolai Alexandroivitsch, meaning Chwostoft^ the Captain of the Com-
pany's ship), and struck his hand several times on his saber. In this
manner he made a long speech, of which the terrified Alexoi interpreted
to us only the following senter.oe : — ' The governor says that if he lots a
single one of u? out of the castle his own bowels will be ripped up.' This
was brief nnd decisive ! We instantly made all the haste wo could to
escape. The Japanese did not venture to close upon us, but set up a
loud cry, and threw oars and lai<ro pieces of wood at ua, to knock us
down. On our reaching the gate they fired several times on us, but
without effect, though one of the balls whistled past tlu head of Mr.
Chlebnikoff. We now found that they had succeeded in detaining Mr.
Moor, the seaman Makaroff, and our Kurile Alexoi, in the castle. Wo
ran, however, to our landing-place; but on arriving there, pcrcoivod
with dismay that the tide had ebbed above five fathoms, and left the
strand quite dry. As the Japanese saw that it was impossible for us to
get the boat afloat, and Lad previously assured themselves that it con-
'; ned no arms, they gained confidence, av vanccd upon us with drawn
""'i' rf?, which they held in both hands, muskets and spears, and sur-
: jn 'od us. I cast a look upon the boat, and suid to myself: 'It must
] .- our last refuge is lost — our fate is inevitable !' I surrendered.
Tn^' c'.tpanese seized me by the arms, and conducted me to the castle,
into which my companions were also conveyed.

" We wore conducted into the same tent in which we had held the
conferenco, but neither of the commanders with whom wc had com-
municated were now there. The fi'-st thing done was to tie our hands
behind our backs, and conduct us into an extensive but loAV building,
which resembled a barrack, and which was situated opposite to the tent
in the direction of the shore. Here we were all, except Makaroff" — whom
we had not seen since our separation — placed on our knees, and bound

416

GOI.OWNIN'3 CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

in tlu! cniolest mannor, with cords jibout tlio tliicknoss of a lingor: and
art thoiifj;h tiiirt woro not oiiough, another buiding with smaller oords fol.
lowed, wliieh was still nioro painful. The Jai)ane8c are exceedingly ex-
]>ert at this work ; and it would appear that they conform to some pre-
cise regulation in binding their prisoners, for wo were all tied exactly in
the same manner. There were the same number of knots and nooses,
and all at cfiual distances, on the cords with which each of ns was bound.
There were loops round our breasts find necks; our elbows almost
touched each other, and our liands were firmly bound together : from
these fastenings proceeded a long cord, the end of which was lield by a
Ja]»anese, and which on the slightest attemjtt to cscjvi)e recpiired only to
be drawn to make tlie eUiows como in contact, Avith the greatest pain,
and to tigliten the noose about the neck to such a degree as almost to
])roduco strangulation. IJesides all this, they tied our legs in two places,
above the knees and above the ankles : they then passed ropes from our
nocks over the cross-beams of the Imilding, and drew them so tight that
we foimd it in;; possible to move. Their next operaticm was searchni<r
our })ockets, oui < " ••' '';h they took every thing, and then proceeded
very tranquilly to s-. tobacco."

After a delay of u.. hour, the Jai)aneso removed the cords from the
ankles of their cai)tives, and led them into the country. On ascending
a hill they l)iheld the Diand mider sail. This sight plunged them into
despair, and they gave nj) all \\o\)q of ever seeing their native country
again. After walking some distance, they heard a cannonad". They
could easily distinguish the firing of the sloop from that of the castle;
but the strong garrison of the Japanese, and the thick earthen wall
winch formed their fortification, afforded the Russians no reason to ex-
pect any fort(Uiatc result from the contest.

To resume Golownhi'a narrative : " I was so tightly bound, particularly
about the neck, that, before we had traveled six or seven versts, I could
scarcely breathe. My companions told me that my face was swollen and
discolored. I was almost blind, and could not speak without the great-
est difliculty. Wo made signs to the Japanese, and requested them,
through the interpretation of Alexei, to loosen the cord a little, but the
cannonade so frightened them, that they paid no attention to our re-
monstrances ; they only urged us to move faster, and kept constantly
looking behind them. Life now appeared a heavy burden to me, and
I resolve(\ in case we should pass a river, to make a sudden spring into
the water, and thus terminate a painful existence. I soon saw, liowever,
that it Avoxdd not be easy to execute this purpose, as the Japanese al-
ways held us fast by the arms when we had occasion to cross even a
little brook. I fell at length senseless on the ground ; when I recov-
ered, I found some persons sprinkling me with water, and the blood
flowing from my mouth and nose. My companions, IMoor and Chlebni-
kotr, were in deep distress, and imploring some persons to loosen the
cords with which I was bound. They at last, with the greatest diffi-

cx-

[cver,
Ise al-
Iveii a
tecov-
blood
llebni-
tlie
cUffi-

TREATMENT OF TUB CAPTIVES.

417

culty, prevailed on them to comply. I then found myself much eased,
aud wart soon able to make an effort to proceed.

"After a journey of about ten versts, we arrived at a 8n;aU village,
sittiated on the straits which divide the island of Kunashier from Mats-
mai. We were conducted into a house, where boiled rice was offered
us, but we felt no desire to partake of food of any kind. On our dc-
cllnin}^ to eat, wo were taken into another apartment, in which wo were
laid down close to the walls, so as not to touch each other. The ropes
by whl;-'h we had been led were attached to iron hooks, driven into the
wall for that purpose. Our boots were pulled off, and our legs tied as
before in two places ; having secured us in this way, our guards sat
down in the mi<ldlc of the room rotind a chafing-dish, and drank tea and
smoked. Any man might have slept tranquilly beside lions, bound as
fast as we were, but it would seem that our guards did not think them-
selves secure. The cords with which we were tied were inspected every
quarter of an hour.

" At the approach of twilight, our guards began to bestir themselves,
and seemed to bo preparing for a journey. About midnight, a broad
jil.iiik was brought in, to the four corners of which ropes were attached :
these ropes Avere fastened at the top, and slung across a pole, the ends
of wlii'h were laid on men's shoulders ; and thus the whole was sus-
pended. I was placed upon this plank, and immediately borne away.
We now concluded that avc were to be separated forever, and that wo
could entertain no hope of seeing each other again. Our farewell was
like the parting of friends at the hour of death.

"The sailors wept aloud as they bade me adieu, and my heart was
wrung on leaving them. I was conveyed to the sea-side, and placed in
a largo boat, with a mat beneath me. In a few moments, Mr. Moor was
likewise brought to the shore in the same way as I had been, and was
placed in the boat beside me. This was indeed an unexpected happi-
ness, I was so overjoyed, that for a few moments I experienced a dim-
inution of my torment. Moor was soon followed by Mr. Chlebnikoff,
and the sailors Simanoff and Wassiljeff; the rest were placed in another
boat. A soldier under arms was 8t;itioned between each of us. We
were then covered over with mats, and the boats were rowed from the
shore."

At break of day, on the 12th of July, the captives were landed near
a little village, on the coast of the island of Matsmai or Jesso. Here
they were removed into other boats, which were drawn with ropes along
the shore in a south-easterly direction. In this way they were dragged
the whole of that day and the following night. There was no halting,
except at certain fixed places, where the men, who were employed in
the dragging, and who came from the neighboring villages, were re-
lieved. At one of the villages, a venerable, gray-haired man, begged
permission of the guards to furnish the Russians with breakfast. This
was granted, and the old man stood near them during the repast, to see

418

GOLOWNIN'S CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

that they wanted nothing, the expression of his countenance plainly
showing his pity. They were kept so severely bound that their wrists
were covered with painful sores, and one of the seamen was seized with
dangerous bleeduig at the nose. At night they lay in the boats, still
bound, and were frequently wet to the skin by showers of rain.

After five days of this painful travel, they were put on shore, their
feet untied, and the cords about their knees loosened so that they could
walk. Their journey thenceforth was entirely by land. " The Japanese
oyagoda, or conunander of the disuict,'* says Golownin, " took a con-
siderable time to determine on the order of our procession ; however, he
at length disposed of us in the foUowng manner : two Japanese from
the neighboring village proceeded first, walking side by side, and carry-
ing staves of red wood, very handsomely carved : their business was to
direct our course. These were relieved, on entering the next district,
by two new guides, carrying staves of the same description. The guides
were followed by three soldiers. Next came my turn, with a soldier on
one side, and on the other an attendant, who, with a twig, kept the
gnats and flies from fixing upon me. Behind me was a conductor, who
held together the ends of the ropes with which I was bound. We were
followed by a party of Kuriles, carrying my litter ; and after them came
another party, destined to relievo the others when fatigued. Next came
Mr. Moor, guarded in the same manner as I was ; after him Mr. Chleb-
nikoff ; then the sailors, one following another ; and last of all Alexei.
The whole retinue was closed by three soldiers, and a number of Japan-
ese and Kurile servants, carrying provisions, and the baggage of our es-
cort. The party must have amounted to between one hundred and fifty
and t". o hundred men. Each individual had a wooden tablet suspended
from his girdle, on which was an inscription, stating with which of us he
was stationed, and what wero the duties of his oflice.

" During the whole jor.rney, the Japanese uniformly observed the
same regulations. At daybreak we prepared for our departure, break-
fasted, and then set out. Our conductors frequently stopped in villages
to rest, or to drink tea and smoke tobacco. At noon we dined. Hav-
ing rested for one hour after dinner, we again proceeded, and an hour or
two before sunset we halted for the night, usually in a village furnished ;
with a small garrison. These night-quarters, when we first entered, were I
generally hung round with striped cotton cloth. We were always con-
ducted to a neat house, and placed altogether in one apartment, where
our guards never failed to fasten us to iron hooks which were fixed into
the walls.

" When we arrived at the station where we were to pass the night,
we were always conducted to the front of the house belonging to the
person possessing the highest authority in the place ; we were there
seated on benches covered with mats, and he came out to inspect us.
We were then taken to the house allotted for our lodging ; on entering
which our boots and stockings were taken off, and our feet bathed with !

ved the

!, break-
villages
. Hav-
hour or
Lrnished

led, were
•ays con-
it, where
xed into

he night,
Ig to the
Ire there
Ispect us.
1 entering

Ihed with

JAPANESE KINDNESS AND CURIOSITY.

419

warm water, ia which there was a solution of salt. "We were regularly
provided with meals three times a-day ; viz., breakfast in the morning
before wo set out on our journey, dinner about noon, and supper in the
evening, in our night-quarters. There was, however, little variety in our
diet ; it consisted usually of boiled rice instead of bread, two pieces of
pickled radish for seasoning, broth made of radishes or various wild roots
and herbs, a kind of maccaroni, and a piece of broiled or boiled fish.

" In every village, on our arrival and departure, we were surrounded
with crowds of both sexes, young and old, who were drawn together by
curiosity to see us ; and yet on these occasions we never experienced the
slightest insult or offense. All, particularly the Avomen, contemplated
us with an air of pity and compassion. If we asked for drink to quench
our thirst, they were emulous to supply us. Many solicited permission
of our guards to entertain us, and on their request being granted, brought
us sagi, comfits, fruits, or other delicacioa. On one occasion, the chief
of a village treated us with some very good tea with sugar. They often
inquired respecting an European nation called Orando, and a country to
which they gave the name of Kabo. We assured them that we knew
of nC' such people or countries in Europe ; upon which they expressed
surprise, and testified distrust at our answer. Sometime after we learned
that the Japanese called the Dutch, Orando, and the Cape of Good
Hope, Kabo."

During all this time they remained bound, until their flesh became so
chafed that the Japanese guards finally called in a physician who applied
plasters to the wounds. They refused to allow them liberty, from fear
that they would commit suicide. They even held the pipes which the
prisoners smoked, lest they should attempt to injure themselves with the
stems ; but afterward, having fitted enormous mouth-pieces to them, as
a precautionary measure, allowed the Russians to take them in their own
hands. Captain Golownin and the officers were constantly applied to by
the natives to write some lines for them as curious souvenirs. The Ja-
panese considered a specimen of Russian writing as great a curiosity as
an inscription in Japanese would be looked upon in Europe, and they
showed a fan upon which were inscribed four lines of a popular Russian
song, signed by a person named Babikoff", who, it appeared, had visited
Japan along with Laxman. Though these lines must have been written
twenty years before, yet the fan was as clean and fresh as if perfectly
new. The owner kept it wrapped up in a sheet of paper, and set so
much value upon it, that he would scarcely suffer it to be opened.

After a journey of nearly four weeks, the prisoners at last, on the 7th
of August, saw from an eminence the city and harbor of Hakodadi*

• The port of Hakodadi, in the straits of Sangar, at the southern extremity of the
island of Jesso, is one of the ports opened to tlie vessels of the United States by the treaty
concluded at Yoko-hama by Commodore Perry in 1854. The harbor is safe and commo-
dious, and has already become a favorite place of resort for American whalers, for the
purpose of refitting and procuring supplies. Captain Golownin spells the name " Cbako-
dade," which is probably the Russian mode of representing the same sounds.

420

OOLOWNIN'S CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

spread out before them. The next morning, the guards made preparor
tions for their formal entrance into the city ; they put on new clothes,
and armed themselves with coats of mail and helmets. As the proccs-
rion approached the gates, a great number of persons came out to see
them. "Wo at length entered the city," says Golownin, " where the
concourse of people was so inimense, that our guards had great difticulty
in dearnig a passage for us. Having proceeded the distance of half a
vcrst along a narrow street, we turned down a cross-street on our left,
which led us into the open fields. Here, upon a rising ground, wo first
beheld the building that was destined to be our prisoiu The sight fillud
us with horror. Wo observed only the long roof; but that sufliciently
enabled us to form a notion of tlic extent of the edifice. A high wooden
jnclosure or fence, of great strengtli, and well provided with c/ieoanx-tk-
/rixe, concealed the body of the building. This wooden fence wjis sur-
rounded by an earthen Avail, somewhat lower, which on this occasion was
hung with striped cloth. There was a guardrhouso near the gate, m
which several officers were seated. Along the path leading to our prison,
soldiers were stationed in full military unifbnn : they stood at the dis-
tance of two fathoms from each other, and were armed in various ways:
some with muskets, some with bows and arrows, others with spears, etc.
A party of officers were stationed in front of the building. On arriving
•It the gate, we were received by an officer, to Avhom a list of our escort
had previously been handed, and we were then conducted into a sort of
court or yard. Here our future gloomy and horror-stirring domicile
presented itself fUlly to our view. It was a large dark building, resem-
bling a barn, and within it were apartments formed of strong thick spars
of wood, which, but for the difference of size, looked exactly like bird-
cages.

" I was led into a passage or lobby in the building, Avhere my boots
were drawn off, and the ropes with which I was boimd removed. I was
then directed to enter a small apartment, Avhich was divided from the
passage by wooden palissades. I now looked around me in quest of j\Ir.
Moor and Schkajeff ; but how great was my dismay to find that I could
neither see nor hear them! The Japanese, without saying a word,
closed the door of my apartment, and quitted the lobby, the door of
which they likewise closed after them. I was now alone. The thought
of being separated from my companions, and probably forever, com-
j)letely overpowered me, and, in a paroxysm of despair, I threw myself
upon the ground.

" I remained for some time in a state of insensibility. At length, rais-
ing my eyes, I observed at the window a man, who beckoned me to ap-
pi'oach him. I complied with his wish ; and extending his hand through
the railing, he presented me with two little sweet cakes ; at the same
time entreating me, by signs, to eat them quickly, as a punishment
awaited him if he should be observed. At that moment I loathed the
very sight of food j but I made an effort to eat the cakes, lest refusal

A JAPANESE PRISON.

421

might give offenso to my kind viHitor. His countenance now brightened
ii|), and ho left the window, with a promise to bring me more at a future
time. I thanked him as well as I was able, and was greatly astonished
that this man (who from his dress apparently belonged to the very
lowest class) should be so far actuated by benevolence, as to hazard
his own safety for the sake of conveying comfort to an unfortunate
stranger.

" My guards now brought me some food ; but I felt not the least in-
clination to partake of it, and sent it all away. In this 8t<*to I remained
until evening. I sometimes threw myself on the fl9or, or upon a bencih,
and occasionally walked about the apartment, meditating on the means
of effecting my escape. I attentively inspected the construction of my
cage. It was six feet in length and breadth, and about eight feet in
height. It was divided from the lobby by wooden palissades of tolerable
thickness, and the door was fastened by a lock. On one side, near the
door, was a small recess fitted up as a water-closet. There wore two
windows, both secured externally by strong wooden gratings, and in the
inside furnished with paper screens, which I could open and shut at
pleasure. One window faced the wall of a building about two feet dis-
tant from thnt in which I was confined, and the other looked to the
fiouthern side of the fence which surrounded our prison. From this
window I had a view of the neighboring hills and fields, part of the
straits of Sangar, and the opposite coast. In the interior of the chamber
stood a wooden bench, which, however, was so small, that I could not
stretch myself upon it ; and three or four mats lay in one comer on the
floor. The place contained no other furniture.'*

After being confined for a day or two, Golownin was allowed to
select one of the sailors for a companion. He chose Makaroff, who, on
being conducted to him, stated that the other prisoners were confined,
in small cages, perfectly dark, and with such low entrances that they
were obliged to crawl in on their hands and knees. Two days after-
ward, they were all taken before the governor of the city, by whom
they were closely questioned, but received no intimation as to their
future ilite. They Avere then conducted back again to their cages, where
they remained eighteen days before they were again summoned. Their
condition was a little improved, inasmuch as they were allowed to speak
to each other, a partition between the cages having been removed.
Golownin observes : " The chief trouble we experienced from both oflUcers
and soldiers, who did duty as guards, arose from their requests to write
on their fans and pieces of paper ; but as they always solicited the favor
with great courtesy, and invariably returned thanks with very humble
reverences, we never refiised. Some, however, imposed so far on our
complaisance as to bring us ten or twenty fims at a time. These tedious
labors fell chiefly on Messra. Moor and Chlebnikoff, as their hand-writ-
inj); was verj' fine. The former wrote more than seventy sheets of paper
for one of the soldiers; and ^rom their unceasing applications we at

422

OOLOWNIN'S CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

length concluded that they must have sold these manuscripts as articles
worthy of being preserved m the cabinets of the curious. This task was
the more laborious, as the officers were always desired to give a transla-
tion of what was written. When we translated any thing for them, they
carried it to Mr. Chlebnikoff, to compare his translation with ours ; and
if he wrote any thing, they brought it for the same reason to us."

On the 26th of August the deputy-governor, Otachi-Kocki, camo to
visit them, followed by a numerous retinue. Mats were spread in front
of the cages, and Oolownin was thunderstruck at seeing his own chest
cf clothing, the portmanteaus of Moor and Chlebnikoff, and the bundles
of the sailors, deposited thereupon. His first thought was that the
sloop had been wrecked, but the Japanese soon informed him that the
articles had been sent ashore at Kunashir. " This day," ho says, " was
doubly memorable to me : first, on account of the great surprise and
alarm which the appearance of our baggage occasioned ; and secondly,
because the want of paper and ink, or any thing by which I could make
notes, induced me to fall on the following singular method of keeping a
journal. When any thing happened that was agreeable to us, I tied a
knot on a white thread, which I drew out of the frill of my shirt: when
any unpleasant event occurred, I made a memorandum of it by tying a
knot on a thread of black silk, taken out of my neck-handkerchief. With
regard to other circumstances which, though remarkable, had occasioned
us neither joy nor sorrow, I recorded them on a thread of green silk,
which I abstracted from the lining of my uniform coat. Often did I
count over these knots, and recall to my mind the events they served
to denote."

Four days afterward they were again conducted before the gover-
nor, and were surprised by the reception of a letter from Lieutenant
Rikord, who informed them that he intended sailing to Okotsk, and re-
turning the next summer with a stronger force. The Japanese desired
Golownin to translate this letter, which he did in a cautious manner,
softening, the threatening expressions which it contained. After they
were taken back to their cages, they noticed that the officers and sol-
diers were more kind and friendly. They were allowed to have some
articles of clothing from their trunks, and were furnished with a tub of
warm water, that they might wash themselves. Golownin thus describes
the latter proceeding : " The tub was extremely large, and the water
was heated by means of a copper pipe, communicating with a kind of
stove. I washed first, and the rest were obliged to make use of the
same water. This was not a little annoying. Wo looked upon such
treatment as below what was due even to common criminals. We were,
however, soon set at ease on this particular ; for, to our great astonish-
ment, after we had all finished washing, some of the impenal soldiers,
by whom we were guarded, very contentedly followed our example, and
washed themselves in the same water. These soldiers, as I have before
observed, are held in the utmost respect in Japan. It is, therefore,

REMOVAL TO MATSMAI.

423

evident, that tho Japancae entertain no disgust or horror of Christians ;
and du not, like other Asiatics, regard them as unclean.

" On tho 6th of September, wo were conducted to the governor of
Hakoduf^i, for tho hist time. "We sat a long time in tho court-yard,
drinking tea and smoking tobacco. Tho interpreter, Kumaddsclicro,
went continually backward and forward, asking us Russian words, which
ho wrote down. We were at length conducted into the hall. Here ono
of the officers, a gray-haired man, apparently about seventy years of age,
who in Laxman's time had been employed in compiling a Ru»«sian dic-
tionary, unrolled a large sheet of paper, filled with Japanese characters,
which he began to read in a style very much resembling singing. We
were totally unable to comprehend the first ten or twenty words ; but
wo at length discovered that ho fancied he was reading Russian, and
from some of tho words we conjectured that the paper contained an ac-
count of our afiair, translated into Russian. We could not refi^ain from
laughing, and told the Japanese that we understood only a few words
hero and there : upon which they all joined in the laugh, not excepting
the translator, who laid the paper aside. The governor then took leave
of us, and wo left the castle."

Toward tho end of September they ascertained from tho soldiers
that they were to be taken to the city of Matsmai, at the western ex-
tremity of tho Straits of Sangar. About the same time Simanoff, one
of tho sailors, obtained possession of a large knife, which Golownin ad-
vised him to preserve very carefully, in order to furnish them with a
means of escape, if an opportunity- should present itself. The journey
to Matsmai occupied four days, and on tho afternoon of the 30th of
September, " we halted," says the narrative, " in a village about three
vcrsts distant from the city, where wo were met by a pany of soldiers
and a vast crowd of people. We remained there about half an hour,
during which time our conductors put on their best clothes, and we
then entered the city with the same formalities as had been observed at
Ilakodadi : tho number of spectators was, however, considerably
greater, owing to the vast population of the city. Having proceeded
through Ihe town, to the distance of about four or five versts along the
shore, we entered a large open space, crowded with men, who stood
behind ropes, which had been fixed for the accommodation of the pro-
cession. Thence we ascended a tolerably high hill, passed along the
rampart which encompassed the castle, and entered a court-yard, sur-
rounded by a high wooden fence, entirely new. Here we met a l^^tach-
ment of soldiers in their military uniforms. From this court-yara a little
door led through another fence, higher than the preceding one. We
now entered a dark edifice like a barn. Mr. Moor, Mr. Chlebnikofij
and myself, were shut up together in a cage ; the sailors and Alexei were
confined in another.

" The whole structure must have occasioned the Japanese govern-
ment no inconsiderable cost. We could not believe that so much labor

42i

GOLOWNIN'S CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

and expense would havo been incurred bad it been intended to set us
Boon at liberty. The strength and the plan of thin prison appeared to
denote that it was to bo our dwelling-placo during the remainder of our
exiatencc. This idea distressed us not a little. Wo sat long in i)rofound
silence, gazing at each other, and giving otirselves up for lost. A serv-
ant at length brought in our supper, which consisted of boiled rice, a
piece of fish, and a few beans with syrup."

Two days afterward they were taken before the buni/o, or governor,
who interrogated them for some time concernli'g their names, rank
families, and relations. After they liad retired, )io announced his in-
tcntion of presenting them with dresses, which were afterward made by
a Japanese tailor. Their food was also better tliun it had been in Ila-
kodadi. According to the Japanese custom, stewed rice and pickled
radishes served them instead of bread and seasoning. They Avere be-
sides frequently furnished with good fresh and salt fish, boiled or fried ;
soups, in which there were various wild herbs or maccaroni ; and some-
times there was prepared for them a kind of Russian souj) or sauce,
made with white fish and muscle broth. The fish were fried in oil of
poppiej, and were seasoned with grated radish and soy.

For upward of a month after their arrival they were taken before the
bunyo every day, regularly, and questioned for many hours in succession.
Captain Golownin's account of this propensity of the Japanese is very
curious. " The number of questions which the bunyo asked," he says,
" was incalculable. If ho put one interrogatory concerning any circum-
stances connected with our case, he asked fifty which were unimportant,
and many which were ludicrous. This so puzzled and tormented us,
that we sometimes made very irritable replies. On one occasion, we
stated plainly, that we had rather they would put an end to our exist-
ence at once than torture us in the way they did. When mo Mere ca])-
tured, I had about me ten or twelve keys belonging to my desk and
drawers and to boxes containing tho astronomical instruments used on
board tho ship. The bunyo wished to be informed of the contents of
every drau'er and every box. When I pointed to my shirt, and told
him that my drawers contained such things as those, ho asked me how
many I had. I replied that I did not know ; and that it was my serv-
ant's business to keep that reckoning. Upon this he immediately iii-
(juired how many servants I had, and what were their names and ages.
I lost all patience, and asked why I was teased with such questions, and
what use there could be in answering them since my property was not
with me. The governor then, with great mildness, observed that he
hoped wo were not offended by his curiosity ; that he did not intend to
force any ansM'ers from us, but merely questioned us like a friend.

*' To enable the reader to form some notion of the questions which
the Japanese put to us, and the trouble it cost us to explain the various \
matters which excited their curiosity, I may here subjoin a few of their '
interrogatories, scarcely, however, the hundredth part of tho frivolcs

THE MARTYRDOM OF QUESTIONS.

425

US,

, wo
xist-
ca\)-

rtnd
(Ion
uts of

told

how

serv-
ly in-

ages.

I, and
as not
lat he
tend to

, which
various
jf their
rivolc""

inqiiirios wliich thoy were acicustomcd to nmko in tlic rourRc of ono day.
It imwt, moreover, bo coiiHidercd that wo liiid to msiktt oursi'lves under-
Btooil to them by mcansi of the hulf-wild Kurilc, who knew sourcely any
thing of tho subjects on which M'o conversed, and who was acquainted
M'itli no wordrt in tho Kurilo language to express many of the terms
whicli wo made use of. The Japanese interrogated us Avithout any kind
of regularity, and often jumped from ono subject to anotlier. The fol-
lowing is a specimen of ono of our examinations:

"What kind of dress does tho Emperor of Russia wear — what docs
ho Avcar on his liead — what kind of birds arc found in tho neighborhood
of St. Petersburg — how many times do tho Russians go to church in
one day — what would bo tho price in Russia of tho clothes we were then
wearing — how many pieces of cannon are planted round the imperial
palace — what wool is mado uso of in Europe for manufacturing cloth —
what quadrupeds, birds, and fish are oaten in Russia — in what manner
do the Russians eat — what sort of dresses do tho ladies wear — what kind
of horse does the Emperor usually ride — who accompanies him when ho
goes abroad — arc the Russians ])artial to tho Dutch — how many foreign-
ers are there in Russia — what aro the chief articles of trade in St.
Petersburg — what aro tV.o dimensions in length, bre.idth, and height,
of the imperial palace — how many windows does it contain — how many
festivals do the Russians observe in tho course of the year — do the Rus-
sians wear silk clothes — at what time of life do the Russian women begin
and cease to bear children? They besides inquired tho names of tho
Emperor, and of all the branches of the imperial family; the names of
the governors-general of Siberia and Irkutzk, and of the commandants
of Okotsk, Kamtchatka, etc.

" But they vexed us most of all by their inquiries respecting bar-
racks. I have already observed that in Hakodadi they insisted on know-
ing how many men were under our command, according to our rank,
when we wcro ashore. This question was again repeated, together with
a request to know where tho sailors lived in St. Petersburg. In bar-
racks, wo replied. They then requested Mr. Moor to sketch, from the
best of his recollection, a plan of St. Petersburg, and to point out in
what part of tho town the sailors' barracks were. This demand was no
sooner complied with, than they made inquiries respecting the length,
breadth and height of tho barracks ; the number of their gates, windows,
and doors ; into how many stories they were divided ; in what part of
the building the sailors lived ; how they employed their time ; how many
men were employed to guard the barracks, etc.

" But this was not all : they questioned us about the military bar-
racks ; asked how many buildings of that kind there were in St. Peters-
burg, in what part of the town they were situated, and what number of
men they contained. "We thought it best to plead ignorance of most of
these matters ; but this did not exempt us from the continuance of these
mterrogatories. We were asked in what part of the city our dwellings

426

GOLOWNIN'S CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

v/ere situated, how far they were from the palace, and requested to point
out the spot on the sketch which Mr. Moor had drawn. At length they
wished to know how large our houses wore, and how many servants we
kept. I frequently thought that the Japanese took a pleasure thus to
torment us ; for to reply to all the questions which their insatiable curi-
osity induced them to put to us, was a positive martyrdom. We some-
times absolutely refused to answer them, and told them they might, if
tliey pleased, put us to death. The bunyo would then endeavor to soothe
us by expressions of regard, and by making inquiries respecting matters
relative to our imprisonment, but he would soon resume his trifling. Wo
avoided by every possible manceuver giving any opportunity for unneces-
sary questions ; we returned short replies, and sometimes only half an
answer. But every word brought with it a train of interiogatories."

After the prisoners had been driven to desperation by this continued
questioning, and refused to gratify any longer the curiosity of the Japan-
ese, the latter asked them to write out an account of what had happened
to them since they left Russia. In doing this, they took occasion to re-
late minutely the occurences at the island of Kunashir. A great deal of
time was consumed in translating this document into Japanese, and the
work was not accomplished until the middle of November, with the help
of the interpreters, Alexei and Kumaddschero. They then sent it to the
bunyo, accompanied by a petition, in which they requested that the Ja-
panese government would set them at liberty, and send them back to
Russia. Alexei was honest enough to confirm the truth of every thing
which they stated, contrary to the declaration of some other Kuriles
whom the Japanese had seized, and his testimony was not without its
value.

A few days afterward, they were summoned before the bunyo, who
addressed them in a speech of considerable length, which was thus trans-
lated to Golownin : " The Japanese at first supposed we intended to
plunder and burn their villages. For this reason they had enticed us
into their garrison, and had detained us by force, with the view of ascer-
taining what had induced the Russians to commence hostilities, as the
Japanese had uniformly entertained friendly dispositions toward them.
The bunyo, however, gave credit to our explanation of the affair, and re-
garded us as innocent : he had accordingly given orders for removing
the ropes with which we were bound, and would do all that lay in his
power to better our condition. If it depended on him to grant us our
freedom, and send us back to Russia, he would do so without hesitation ;
but we must be informed that the bunyo of Matsmai was not the chief
individual of the state, but that Japan was ruled by an emperor and a
superior government, whose commands he was boimd to obey in all cases
of importance, and without whose consent he could not grant us our free-
dom. On his part, however, he would use all his influence with the gov-
ernment in our favor, and to facilitate our return to Russia. With this
view, he had sent one of the principal officers of Matsmai to Yeddo, the

HOPES OF LIBERATION.

427

», who
trans-
led to
!ed us
ascer-
astbe
them,
ind re-
lOving
in his
13 our
ation;
chief
and a
cases
ir free-
le gov-
ith this
Ido, the

capital, to endeavor to bring our affair to the wished-for issue. In the
mean while he entreated us not to give way to despair, but to offer up
prayers to Heaven,* and patiently to await the decision of the emperor
of Japan. When Alexei had finished his explanation, and the Japanese
perceived that we understood him, our ropes were immediately taken
off, and they all sincerely congratulated us. Two of the Japanese, pres-
ent at this scene, were so moved that they shed tears.

" On returning to our prison, we found, to our astonishment, every
thing changed ; and we could scarcely comprehend how so complete an
alteration could have been effected in so short a time. Tlie spars or
railings in front of our cages were removed ; the spaces which before
served us for passages were thrown into the cages ; the floor was laid
with planks in the direction of its length, and covered with new mats,
so that our prison was converted into a roomy hall, in which we could
walk about and converse at our ease. Near the fireplace, wooden com-
partments were formed, and in them a teacup for each of us was placed ;
on the hearth stood copper kettles with water for tea, and a pipe, with
a little pouch of tobacco, was laid ready for each. Instead of lamps with
fish-oil, we were allowed candles. We wondered not a little at this un-
expected and rapid metamorphosis.

" We had scarcely recovered from our astonishment, when several
civil functionaries, accompanied by their children, came to visit us.
They offered us their congratulations, seated themselves by the fire, and
smoked and chatted with us. In a word, we seemed no longer prison-
ers, but guests. Supper was not handed to us as usual, in cups or basins,
but n-as served up, according to the Japanese custom, on trays. The
vessels used were entirely new, and a finer sort was allotted to the officers
than to the sailors. The aliments were better than before, and the sagi
was no longer dealt out to us in certain portions, in cups, but was placed
before us, that we might fill it out as we pleased. This kind treatment
revived the hope of again seeing our country, and we passed a tranquil
night, for the first time since our imprisonment. The two following
days were spent in a manner equally gratifying, and we considered our
speedy return to Russia as certain. But this pleasant state of things was
not of long duration. New occurrences induced us to doubt the sin-
cerity of the Japanese. We soon had to revert to our old meals, and
nothing remained except the new utensils."

Matters remained in this condition during tht whole winter. The
captives were sometimes treated kindly, and con.olad with the hope of
a speedy release, while at other times the aspect of the Japanese was
unfriendly and threatening. They finally became weary of this fluctuat-

* 'Wlienever he said any thing to console us, he recommended us to rely on God, a
circumstance with which we were particularly pleased. It was satisfiictory to reflect^
that the people into whose power fate had consigned us, entertained a just idea of the
Supremo Being, and placed faith in the Almighty Ruler of nations, before whom all must
sooner or later render an account of their actions. — Golowion.

428

GOLOWNIN'S CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

ing, uncertain state, and determined to make the attempt to escape.
Tlioy wore partly led to tliis conclusion, by the conviction that the Ja-
panese intended to retain them as teachers, in order to gratify their
boundless <',uriosity. A new interpreter, named Teske, was sent to them
from the capital, to learn the Russian langiiago ; he Avas followed by an
astronomer, who M'ished them to teach him how to make observations
for the latitude and longitude. All were at first agreed upon the ncjccs-
sity of escaping, but in the beginning of March, Mr. Moor, the miilsliip.
man, suddenly declared that he would have nothing to do Mith the i)l()t.
F'rom that moment a complete change took place in his manner and be-
havior. He began to imitate the customs of the Japanese ; he was oh-
Bcquious toward them to such a degree that their laughter was excited,
and began to watch his fellow-captives, evidently with the design of
giving information against them. Golownin soon became convinced that
it would be unsafe to trust him ; he therefore pretended to have given
up the idea of escaping, while, with the concurrence of all the others,
the preparations for it were secretly going on.

On the Ist of April they were all taken out of the cages and con-
ducted to a house which had been expressly prepared for them. " Our
residence," says Golownin, " was in various respects changed for iho
better. We could at least enjoy the sight of the sky, the stars, and
many other objects ; and wo could, when we chose, walk out into the
yard and enjoy the fresh air. Wo had before been debarred from all
these enjoyments. Our food was likewise considerably better. But,
nevertheless, we were inconsolable whenever wo thought of the last
words of the bunyo. lie desired us to regard the Japanese as our
brethren and countrymen, and mentioned not a word about Russia, as
ho had been before accustomed to do. We could construe this in no
other way than that we must make up our minds to remain in Japan,
and banish every thoufyht of Russia. But we had firmly resolved that
such should not be o t fnto ; and had even bound ourselves by an oath,
that, whatever might be the consequence, we would attempt either to
liberate ourselves by force from the power of the Japanese, or to escape
secretly during the night. Wo had all, M'ith the exception of Mr.
Moor, formed a determination to perish rather than remain forever in
Japan.

" In one of our walks in the outskirts of the city we found a piece of
steel, which one of the sailors picked up, under pretense of drawing up
his boot, and slipped it into his pocket ; we likewise found means to
provide ourselves with some flints, luiperceived by our attendants. The
fragments of an old shirt, which wo threw upon the fire as if by accident,
served us for tinder ; we besides daily increased our store of provisions,
by secreting a portion of our allowances. Wo did not neglect defensive
precautions. Having had the good fortune to find among the grass in
our yard a large chisel, which had probably been left by the carpenters
who repaired our house, wo carefully hid it, and resolved, on the first

ESCAPK OF THE CAPTIVES.

429

favorable opportunity, to fasten it to a long polo, so that it might servo
as a pike. To a similar purpose we destined a spade, which had also
been left by accident in our yard, and which avc aj)propriated. Tho
proverb, that necessity is tlio mother of invention, was in our case fully
verified, for Mr. Chlebnikoff actually managed to make a compass. We
requested our attendants to let us have two large needles for mending
our clothes, dnd afterward pretended that wo had lost them. Tho
Japanese sometimes fasten together the beams of their houses with cop-
per ; this had been done in our house, although the copper was very
rusty. Mr. Chlebnikoff cleaned a piece of this copper, in the middle of
which he bored a hole, so that a needle might be placed upon it. By
frequently rubbing this needle on a stone which ho selected for the pur-
pose, he succeeded in magnetising it, and finally gave it such a degree
of polarity, that it pointed with tolerable accuracy to the north. The
case was composed of a lew sheets of paper pasted together with rice.'*

Their plan was to escape by night, travel northward along the shore,
and take possession, at some of the fishing villages, of a boat large
enough to convey them across to Tartary. On the 23d of April, 1812,
they were conducted to the outskirts of the city for a walk, and made
use of the opportunity to observe the foot-paths leading to the hills. On
their return to their hoiise tho eamo evening, they threw themselves
upon their beds, as if much fatigued. " During the twilight," soys the
narrative, " the sailors entered the kitchen, and carried off two knives,
without being perceived. About half an hour before midnight, Simanoff
and Schkajeff stole into the yard, and concealed themselves under the
Bteps. When twelve o'clock struck, and tho Sangar soldiers had gone
their rounds, they began to make a hole under the fence, through which
we all (Mr. Moor and Alexei excepted) crept one after another. I stum-
bled in going out, slipped down, and struck rnv knee against a stake
which was sunk in the ground close to the The blow was ex-

tremely violent, but the pain soon diminished. ^ t uid ourselves on
a very narrow path between the fence and the hollow, and with groat
difficulty we succeeded in gaining tho high road. With hasty steps we
then passed between the trees, crossed the mound and the oemutery,
and, in about half an hour, reached the foot of the first hill which we had
to ascend.

" Proceeding in our hazardous enterprise, we began, at the distan 3
of about five versts from the shore, to climb the hills, and we endeav-
ored, wherever it was possible, to direct our course northward. The
stara served to guide us. While we were ascending the first hill I felt
a violent pain in niy knee, which in a short time swelled prodigiously.
When we proceeded along level ground, I could, with the assistance of
a stick, walk without much difficulty ; but I experienced severe pain
either in ascending or descending, as I was then obliged to tread heavily
with the leg which had been hurt. Being thus unable to make an equal
nse of both feet, I was quickly overcome with fatigue. My companions

430

GOLOWNIN'S CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

were, therefore, under the necessity of stopping every half hour, to
enable me to recover myself and ease my knee by resting. Our object
was to reach, before daybreak, some hills, across which a thick forest
extended, so as to conceal ourselves from the observation of the enemy;
for we had now reason to regard the Japanese, in that character. Dm--
ing our walks in the vicinity of the town, this forest appeared to us to
be at no very considerable distance, but we soon found how greatly we
had mistaken its situation. We could trace no footpath leading to it,
and we therefore advanced to it in as straight a direction as we could.
Owinn' to the darkness of the night, we could see no further than a few
paces around us, and we sometimes unexpectedly found ourselves at the
foot of a steep precipice, which it was impossible to climb. "We had
then to search for a more practicable road ; which, when found, we con-
tinued to ascend until new obstacles presented themselves."

After having traveled for three hours in this manner, they reached
the top of the ridge, and discovered a beaten road, leading directly to-
ward the forest, where they might walk without fear of being tracked.
They had almost reached the forest, where they would have been toler-
ably secure, when the sailor Wassiljeff, happening to look behind him,
exclaimed : " They are pursuing us on horseback with lanterns !" and
immediately descended into a deep hollow on one side of the road. The
others followed his example, but by the time they had reached the bot-
tom of the hollow, which was surrounded with precipices, the sun had
risen. Perceiving at last a small aperture in the rock, which had been
hollowed out by the action of a waterfall, they crept into it, and although
the place was not large enough to allow them to sit down, they remained
there until sunset. As soon as the stars appeared they climbed the hill
again, and proceeded northward. Captain Golownin suffered so mucj
pain, from the leg which had been injured, that he found it almost im-
possible to advance, and requested the others to leave him. This they
refused to do, and the sailors took turns in dragging him along.

During the whole of the night they advanced northward over rugged
hills, suffering greatly from the cold, and at daybreak halted among
some bushes, for the purpose of cooking a little rice which they had
brought with them. The day was cold and stormy, and as the mount-
ains appeared to be entirely deserted, they determined to pre seed. The
sailors were still obliged to drag Gnlownin, whose sufferings were so
great that he preferred lying down on the snow, and sliding down the
steep sides of the hills. On this day he had a fearful adventure, which
he thus describes ; " Having ascended to a considerable height, we sud-
denly found ourselves at the foot of a steep rock, which we could not
climb without the greatest difficulty and danger. I had nearly reached
the top of the rock, when I found myself under the necessity of loosening
my hold of the girdle of Makaroff, who otherwise, overburdened as ie
was, Avould not have been able to have gained the summit. I therefore
placed the toes of my sound foot firmly against a stone, and throwing

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A FEARFUL ADVENTURE.

481

my right arm round a young tree, which was so much bent down that
it inclined almost horizontally, I resolved to wait until Makaroff should
reach the top, and be able to release me from my perilous situation.
But, powerful and vigorous as Makaroff was, his great exertions had so
overcome him, that he no sooner reached the summit, than he fell to the
ground almost in a lifeless state. At this moment, the stone against
which I rested my foot detached itself, and rolled to the bottom of a
deep hollow which the rock overhung. I was thus left hanging by one
hand, without the possibility of obtaining any other support, owing to
the excessive smoothness of the rock.

"The rest of the ssulors were at no great distance, but fatigue ren-
dered them unable to affbrd me any assistance. Makaroff still lay
stretched upon the ground, and Mr. Chlebnikoff was laboring to climb
the rock at another point. Having remained in this dreadful situation
for several minutes, my hand began to smart severely, and I was on the
point of ending my sufferings by precipitating myself into the gulf, more
than a hundred fathoms beneath me, when Makaroff, suddenly recover-
ing, beheld my situation, and hastened to my assistance. Resting his
foot upon a stone which projected from the rock under my breast, he
with one hand grasped a branch of the tree. With my hand which was
free I then seized his girdle, aiid, by a great effort on his part, I was
drawn to the top of the rock. "We were no sooner both safe, than Ma-
karoff again fell down in a state of insensibility. Had either the stone
or the branch of the tree given way, we must both have been precipi-
tated to the bottom, and have perished."

" Meanwhile, Mr. Chlebnikoff had climbed to the middle of the rock,
when such obstacles presented themselves that he could neither move
backward nor forward. The sailors immediately tied together the sashes
they wore as girdles, and, having lowered one end until he was enabled
to take hold of it, drew him from his perilous situation."

They passed the night on the summit of one of the highest mount-
ains of Matsmai, but were not able to sleep much on account of the in-
tense cold. Next morning they cooked some garlic and sorrel for
breakfast, and then descended toward the sea-shore, by the bed of a
torrent — a path so difficult, that a single false step would have dashed
th^m to pieces. Toward evening they found some deserted huts, in
vhich they passed the night with tolerable comfort. On the 27th they
emerged from the hills, and were cautiously making their way northward
at some distance from the shore, when they suddenly saw a party of
soldiers on horseback. They had barely time to conceal themselves
among some bushes, and the men passed on without discovering them.
After dark they descended to the shore, which they followed all night,
passing through a number of fishing villages, without being seen by any
one. Tliey found several boats, but all were too small for their purpose.

Tlie two following days were spent in the same manner, the fugitives
proceeding along the sea-shore at night, and hiding themselves among

432

GOLOWNIN'S CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

the hills by day. But they now began to suffer severely from huno'cr
and felt more than ever the necessity of procuring a boat. They were
thoroughly exhausted by tho fatigues they had undergone, and yet M'cro
unable to make much progress on account of the distance between the
shore and the hills, which they were obliged to traverse twice a day.
On the night of the 29th, while traveling over the ridges in the dark
Mr. Chlebnikoff slipped and fell into a deep hole. They called, but re-
ceived no answer. " We then tied our girdles together," says Golownin
" and fastening the one end about Wassiljeff, let him down into the hole
into Mhich Mr. Chlebnikoff had fallen. We lowered him gradually as
far as the length of our united sashes would admit, and then drew him
up again. Wassiljeff informed us, that, notwithstanding the depth to
which he had descended, he could not discover the extent of the hole •
and that he called Mr. Chlebnikoff, but received no answer. We there-
fore resolved to remain on the spot imtil daylight, and then to lower
another of our party into the hole, to ascertain whether Mr. Chlebnikoff
was* yet living.

" We remained for two hours in a state of the most painful uncer-
tainty respecting the fate of our companion. We at length heard a
rustling among the grass, and on looking roimd, to our great joy and
istonishment, we beheld him. It appeared that he had first rolled down
about two fathoms from the surface, when something stopped him, and
he endeavored to climb up again ; he however slipped a second time,
and fell perpendicularly into a pit, to the depth of some fathoms. For-
tunately there were no stones at the bottom of the pit, but he was,
nevertheless, severely bruised. lie at length succeeded in climbing up
the side of the pit, and reached the spot where he surprised us by his
unexpected appearance. After resting for a short time, he again walked
on, though complaining of severe pain in every part of his body. Even
now, my memory never reverts without horror to the frii;htful gulfs
and huge rocks of Matsmai."

On the night of the 1st of May, while passing through a village on
the shore, they observed a boat in the water, and a tent near it. They
advanced to inspect the boat, but Schkajeff, hoping to find some pro-
visions in the tent, entered, thrusting out his hand, and grasped the
head of a man who was sleeping there. The man cried out loudly, and
the fugitives ran off and concealed themselves behind a stone wall. On
returning some time afterward, they found a man sitting up in the boat,
and keeping watch. The approach of morning drove them once more
among the hills. Daylight surprised them on the side of a barren mount-
ain, covered only here and therewith a few scanty bushes. They beheld
footpaths on every side, and villages along the shore, as far as the eye
could see. They concealed themselves as well as they could, but soon
after sunrise observed a woman on an opposite hill, who was looking at
them Jind making signals to some persons whom they could not see. In
a few minutes they were surrounded, and though Golownin and Maka- !

BECAPTURB AND IMPRISONMBNT.

433

roff escaped at first, they were all ultimately recaptui'od, bound, and
taken back to Matsmai under a strong guard.

They were immediately taken before the bunyo and examined. Mr.
Moor, who was present, took the part of the Japanese, and gave Golow<
nin and his companions much trouble, by contradicting many of their
statements. After this examination, they were sent to the city prison,
in wliich the Japanese criminals were confined. Here, after being strip-
ped and searched, Golownin and ChlebnikofT were put into separate
cages, and the four sailors in a third, which was larger and better sup-
plied with light and air. Golownin had taken upon himself the m hole
responsibility of the flight, informing the Japanese that the sailors were
bound to obey him, and were therefore not to blame. Nearly every
day they wore carried before the bunyo and subjected to weary and
perplexing interrogatories. Toward the last of June a new bunyo ar-
rived from Yedo, and matters apparently became more favorable, for on
the 9tl» of July they were removed from the city prison to the house
which they had occupied previous to their flight.

They were now also treated with more kindness than formerly.
" Our guards," says Golownin. " treated us with much civility, giving us
sometimes sagi, fruit, etc., and these acts of kindness were no longer
performed by stealth. An old man, seventy years of age, brought some
fans and lackered spoons for Mr. ChlebnikoiF and me, and an ink-stand,
ink, and pencil, for Schkajeff, who, though suffering from severe illness,
was exceedingly anxious to practice reading and writing. This man,
though arrived at the ago of thirty-two in total ignorance, had, while on
board the sloop, by extreme application, learned to read, and likewise to
write a little. To pass away the time, Mr. Chlebnikoff and I took upon
ourselves the task of instructing the sailors. SchktijefF, who suffered
severely from indisposition, feared lest the others might advance more
rapidly than he, and, whenever he experienced the least mitigation of
Ins illness, never failed to employ himself either in reading or writing,
lie applied to both with unremitted assiduity, while his companions re-
garded the task of learning to road as too difficult, and abandoned it
before they had acquired the alphabet. Mr. Chlebnikoff gave him in-
Btructions every evening, so that in time he could read and write tolera-
bly well.

" Nothing remarkable occurred until September ; but I can not omit
mentioning a circumstance which is characteristic of the customs of the
Japanese. One day, a dinner Avas sent to us of far better quality than
tliat to Avhich avc had been accustomed, and it was served in elegant
dishes. Every person who visited us congratulated us on receiving this
con\pIiment, which we concluded came from the bunyo ; but we after-
ward learned that tie dinner hr»d been sent by a rich man, who was
Buffering under a dangerous fit of illness ; and that in such cases it was
customary for the Japanese to send presents of that sort to the poor and
imfortunatc."

GOLOWNIN'S CAPTIVITY IN JAPAN.

On the 6th of September they were conducted to the castle, and to
their surprise and joy, received a letter from Lieutenant Uikord, stating
that he was at the island of Kunashir with the Diana; that ho kne\v not
whether they were dead or living, but would not leave until ho had re-
ceived news of thcni. This letter was accompanied with an applioatlou
to the Japanese government for their release. These papers were trans-
lated and forwarded to Yedo ; but in a fortnight afterward tlu^ Japanese
interpreters announced to Golownin that Rikord had sailed hack to
Siberia, taking with him five of the crew of a Japanese vessel whicli he
had encountered. About the middle of October another letter was de-
livered to Golownin. It was from Lieutenant Rudakoff, and stated that
on first arriving at Kunashir they were informed that the prisoners had
been put to death. They then determined to commence hostilities, and
accordingly captured a Japanese junk, from the crew of which they
learned that their friends were still aUve. They had, nevertheless, taken
the master of the junk and four sailors with them, and would return
early the next year, to procure Golownin's liberation.

" A ray of hope now began to dawn upon us," says Golownin, " and
seemed to rescue us from utter despair. Thus perplexed between the
expectation of liberty and distrust of the Japanese, wo entered upon the
new year, 1813." During the winter and spring, they lived in a state
of great trouble and perplexity, on account of the singular conduct of
Mr. Moor, who sometimes appeared to repent ol his past baseness, and
to desire to regain their confidence, while at othoi times, he did all in
his power to prejudice the Japanese against them. His behavior was so
extraordinary that Golownin was forced to believe that his mind was
disordered, and subsequent occurrences confirmed him in his opinion.
"On the 10th of May," says the narrative, "the note which we had re-
quested permission to dispatch to the different fortified harbors, to in-
form our friends that we were living and well, was returned from the
capital. The government had approved of its contents, and consequently
not a single letter could bo altered. Having made five copies, and
affixed our signatures to each, they were dispatched on the same day to
their several destinations. This note was to the following effect :

" * "We are all, both officers and seamen, and the Kurile Alexei, alive,
and in Matsmai. Wassily Golownin.

"'May 10, 1813. Fkodok Moon.'

" Mr. Chlebnikoff was unable to sign the notes on account of severe
illness."

On the 20th of Juno they received information of the arrival of the >

Diana at Kunashir, and on the following day tlie intorpreters received ■

orders to ask Golownin wliich of the sailors he wished to send on board. ;

To avoid showing any preference to one more than another, he deter- |

mined that chance should decide the matter, and the lot happened to j

A SAILOR'S RETURN.

435

fill to Slmanoff. IIo also requested that the governor would permit
Aloxei to accompany him. To this the latter consented, and they re-
ceived orders to prepare for their dep.irture. They left Matsmai on the
24th, ace >mpaiued by Kamaddschero, the interpreter, and Sampey, the
deputy governor.*

Nothing further happened until the 19th of July, when a letter was
received from Captain llikord, statuig that he should sail immediately
for Okhotzic, and return in September, bringing the declaration required
by the Japanese government, that Chwostoff 'a attack was an act of pri-
vate aggression merely. A few days afterward, SimanofT and Alexei
were brought back to Matsmai, the Diana having trailed. From this
time forward the prisoners were kindly treated. The Japanese govern-
ment appeared to have decided to liberate them, and they were relieved
from the torturing suspense which they had suffered for nearly two years.
On the 30th of August they left Matsmai, for Hakodadi ; previous to
their departure, the officers came, with their children, to bid them fare-
well, and offered them farewell cards. The people, wlio had assembled
in great multitudes in the streets, all pressed forward to bid them adieu.
On the 2d of September, they entered Hakodadi, and were quartered in
an imperial building, near the garrison.

On the 16th, they were rejoiced with the news that a foreign vessel

• In Captain Rikord'a account of his negotiations with the Japanese for tho release
of Golownin and his companions, he gives the following description of Simanofl 's arrival.
Tatcliatay-Kachi, the Japanese junk owner, whom Rikord had carried off the previous
summer, informed him on the 26th of June, that an imperial vessel was about to arrive
from Matsmai, with the deputy of tho bunyo. The next evening the vessel came into
port, and Kachi went on shore to meet the deputy, promising to return in tho morning.
Rikord then continues : " Faithful to hia appointment, wo saw him in the morning com-
ing down to tho shore, in company witli another man. Kachi was instantly recognized
by tho white handkerchief which ho always waved at the end of his saber ; and with re-
spect to the other, wo did not remain long in uncertainty, for as they advanced, our
worthy little friend occasionally vanished from our view, in consequence of falling behind
hia more bulky companion. "Wo all exclaimed, 'Tliat is one of our Russians.'

"It is impossible for mo to describe tho moving scene which followed, when our
sailors beheld their comrade returned from captivity. A part of the crew were filling
water-casks at the rivulet. "When tho prisoner saw Russians on the other side of tho
stream, and probably recognized among them some of his old messmates, he made but
one step to its banks, leaving Kachi at least nine paces behind him. Surprise and joy
made our sailors forget that they were prohibited from crossing the rivulet. They waded
tiirough it, and embraced tho welcome visitor in the most affectionate manner. The
officer who had the command of the party on shore informed me, that at first ho did not
know tho stranger, he was so altered by the sufferings he had undergone. At last, all
the men cried out with one voice, ' Simanoff !' for tiiat was his name. He then threw off
hia hat, knelt down, and could not utter a word ; but the tears rolled fast down his
checlws. This affecting spectacle was renewed when he came on board the ship. I
sainted him first, and asked whether our friends in Matsmai were well. ' God be praised,'
he replied, ' they are in life, though not all quite well. Mr. Chlobnikoff, in particular, is
dangerously ill.' I repressed my desire to ask further questions, knowing the impatience
with which the men were waiting for a talk with him."

486

OOLOWNIN'S OAPTIVITT IN JAPAN.

had been seen off the coast. This was the Diana, but she did not enter
the harbor of Hakod. M until the 28th. Captain liilcord immediately
sent on shore the declaration of the commandant of Okhotzk, which was
satisfactory to the authorities ; for, after some fui thcr negotiations and
ceremonies, the prisoners were finally summoned before the bunyo on
the 6th of October, to receive the official notice of their liberation. The
bunyo presented them with the following congratulatory address : " You
have now lived three years in a Japanese frontier town, and in a foreign
climate, ?jut you are now about to return to your native country. Tliis
affords me great pleasure. You, Captain Golownin, as the chief of your
companions, must have endured extreme anxiety of mind, and I sincerely
rejoice that you have attained your happy deliverance. You have, in
some measure, become acquainted with the laws of our country, which
prohibit us from maintaining any commerce with the people of foreign
nations, and require that we should banish all foreign vessels from our
coasts. Explain this to your countrymen on your return home. It has
been our. wish, while you remained in Japan, to treat you with all possi-
ble kiuc'ness ; but, before you became .acquainted with our customs, our
behavior may have appeared to you the very opposite of what we in-
tended. Each nation has its peculiar customs, but good conduct will
everywhere be esteemed as such. On your return to Russia, inform
your countrymen of this likewise. I Avish you all a safe voyage."

" On the following day, the 7th of October, wo put on our best
dresses. The servants and guards packed up our other clothes in boxes,
without omitting the least trifle, and placed them in the portico of the
house. At mid-day wc were conducted to the shore. Our clothes, the
presents we had received, and the provisions for our voyage, wore car- i
ried behind us by a number of attendants. On reaching the harbor, we |
entered a building near the custom-house, where Mr. Moor, IMr. Chid)- j
nikoff and I, were shown into one apartment, and the sailors into another, '
We had been only a few moments in this place, Avhen Captain Kikord
came ashore, accompanied by Mr. Saweljeff, the interpreter, and some
other individuals. Kikord and his two companions were conducted to '
the same apartment in which, a few days before, my interview with liim
had taken place, and which Mr. Chlebnikoff, Mr. Moor and I, were now
requested to enter.

"Every thing being in readiness for our departure, we were con- ,
ducted to the bunyo's barge, in which we embarked, accompanied by
Tachatay-Kachi ; our clothes, provisions, and the presents, being placed
in separate boats. On our way fi-om the custom-house to the boats, all
the Jap.anese, not only those with Avhom we were acquainted, but the
strangers Avho were looking on, bade us adieu, and wished us a safe voyage.

" The officers and seamen on board the Diana, received us with a
degree of joy, or rather enthusiasm, Avhich can only be felt by brothers
or dear fiiends after a long absence, and a series of similar adventures.
With regard to ourselves, I can only say, that after an imprisonment of
two years, two months, and twenty-six days, on finding ourselves again J

RETUKN TO RUSSIA.

487

on an imperial Russian ship, surroiindctl by our countrymen, with whom
we had for (ivo or six years served in remote and dangerous voyages,
wo felt what men in sueli circumstances are capable of feeling, but which
can not be described."*

Tiie Diana sailed from Ilakodadi on the 10th of October, and
reached Kamtschatka on the 2d of November. Twenty days afterward,
Jlr. Moor, who had been plunged in melancholy since his liberation,
comniitted suicide. Captain Golownin lost no time in proceeding to
St. Petersburg, whore he arrived on the 14th of July, 1814, after an
absence of seven years. He and Rikord were made Captains of the
Bt'cond rank, and received pensions of 1500 rubles annually ; Mr. Chlob-
nikoflf received a pension equal to his yea'-Iy pay, while the sailors who
had been prisoners in Japan, received permission to retire from the
service, and were allowed annual pensions, amounting to their full yearly
pay. The Kurile, Alexei, as a reward for his good conduct, was pre-
sented with a lianger, and received, instead of a pension, twenty pounds
of powder, and forty pounds of shot.

• Captain Rikord, in his narrative, givog the following account of this scene : '' At
twelve o'clock I went on board thi barge, accompanied only by Saveljoff and Kisseloff,
and wo rowed, under whito flags, to the well-known building, where the Japanese were
in waiting to receive us. Our prisoners immediately appeared at tho door. They all
wore yellow dresses, with seamen's trowsors, and waistcoats of various colors. On any
other occasion wo should have been highly diverted by the singularity of their appear-
ance, but now it did not even excite a smile. Friend gazed at friend with emotion and
joy, and our thoughts were expressed more by looks than by words. Tears of gratitude
to Providence glistened in tho eyes of our liberated countrymen. Tho Japanese retired
and left us for sorao time alone, in order that wo might give vent to our feelings. My
countrymen were then formally delivered over to me. The papers of the Japanese gov-
ernment, which I was to lay before tlio authorities on my arrival in Russia, were pre-
sented to mo, and refreshments were then handed to us in the usual manner.

" Having once more expressed our sincere thanks, we rowed from the shore at two
o'clock, accompanied by n countless number of boats, crowded with Japanese of both
sexes. Notwithstanding a violent adverse wind, none of the numerous boats by which
wo were surrounded put back. Tbo Diana was decorated with flags, and all her yards
were manned by the :rew, who saluted us with three cheers. The enthusiasm of the
seamen, on once more beholding their *^c!:,C'd commander and his companions in mis-
fortune, after a separation of two years and three months, was boundless. Many melted
into tears. This scene, so highly honorable to tho whole crow, can never be effaced
from my recollection. Golownin and his companions, who were moved to their inmost
souls, knelt down before tho sacred imago of the ship (the miracle-working Saint Nicolas),
and returned thanks to heaven.

" Golownin presented to me his sword ; the same which, during his captivity, the
emperor of Japan had expressed a wish to see, and I now preserve it as the most val-
uable reward of my enterprise. To the officers he gave his telescopes, pistols, and astro-
nomical instruments. He gave to the senior non-commissioned officer one hundred
rubles; to the juniors seventy-flvo ; to each seaman twenty-five ; and to the sailors who
had been his companions in captivity five hundred rubles each. But to Makaroff, who,
as the reader knows, was of particular use to him, he besides granted a pension, amount-
ing to a seaman's annual pay, from his estate in the government of Kasan. To the
Kurile, Alexei, ho |,ave a set of carpenters' tools, a rifle, powder, shot, tobacco, and two
hundred and fifty rubles in money."

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DE LASCARIS'S

SECRET MISSION AMONG THE BEDOUINS.

M. DE Lascaris was a Piedmontcsc, of one of those Orock families
which settled in Italy afler the conquest of Constantinople: ho was a
knight of Malta when Napoleon conquered the island. Ho was then a
very young man: he followed the Corsican to Egypt, attached himself
to his fortunes, and was fascinated by hi» genius. Foreseeing Napo-
leon's future eminence, he endeavored to impress upon his mind that Asia
was a far grander field for his ambition than Europe. It appears that
some conversations were held on the subject Napoleon did not entirely
embrace the idea of a magnificent oriental empire which was the be-
wildering dream of Do Lascaris ; but, on the eve of his departure for
Europe, he appointed the latter his secret agent, gave him instructions
and supplied him with ample means.

De Lascaris settled himself a( Aleppo, to acquire a t.iorough knowl-
edge of Arabic, and form acquaintances with the Arab chiefs of the
Syrian Desert who came to that city. After some years' preparation,
he commenced his perilous enterprise ; he passed, at great risk, and un-
der different disguises, through all the tribes of Mesopotamia and the
Euphrates, and returned to Aleppo, rich in the knowledge he had ac-
quired, and in the political relations he had prepared for Napoleon.
But while accomplishing his mission, fortune overthrew his hero, and he
learned his downfall on the very day when he was about to carry to
France the fruits of his danger and devotion. This disappointment was
fatal to him ; he went into Egypt, and died at Cairo, alone, unknown,
and abandoned. His journals and notes are supposed to have fallen into
the hands of Mr. Salt, then English Consui at Cairo, and were never
afterward heard of.

While M. de Lamartine was traveling in Syria, he learned, accident-
ally, that an Arab named Fatallah Sayeghir, who was the companion of
De Lascaris on all his journeys, and who had kept a journal of all his
experiences and adventures, was then living at Latakia. Lamartine im-
mediately sent a messenger to Fatallah, offering him two thousand pia»-

440

OE LASCARIS'S SECRET MISSION.

tcrs for the journal. Tho olTtT was accepted in the course of time the
volume translated into Italian by Lamartine's interpreter, and finally
into French by the poet himself. Although exaggerated and romantic
in parts, it is valuable for its illustrations of the life and habits of the
wandering Bedouin tribes of the Syrian Desert, and its descriptions of
some localities (especially in the district of Ncdjid), which no European
traveler has yet reached. Many of the adventures related have a stronc
tinge of improbability about them, and the reader must bear in mind
that the narrator is an Arab, and not lil^ly to be free from the habit of
exaggeration peculiar to his race. Lamartine, however, seems to enter-
taui no doubt of the truth of his story.

Fatallah Sayeghir first met with M. Lascaris de Ventimiglia in
Aleppo, in 1 809, when he was engaged to give him lessons in Arabic.
When M. Lascaris had ! jarned to read and write tolerably well, he ^avo
Fatallah some money and told him to buy goods, such as were saleable
at Homs, at llama, and the neighborhood, sayi.ig that they would trade
in the countries least frequented l)y merchants. Fatallah had become
uttr.ched to M. Lascaris, and accordingly made tho purchases, for which
M. Lascaris paid eleven thousand piasters. From his dress and manners
the people of Aleppo thought M. Lascaris mad. Ho wore his beard long
and ill-combed, a very dirty white turban, a shabby robe, M'ith a vest, a
leather belt, and red shoes without stockings ; when spoken to he pre-
tended not to understand what was said. But Fatallah had confidence
in his integrity and good sense, and, in compliance with his request,
promised to obey him in every thing.

They left Aleppo on tho 18th of February, 1810, with a caravan
bound for llama. While at tho latter place, M. Lascaris was viewing
the half ruined castle, and had begun to take a sketch of it, when some
vagabonds ran out upon liim from a broken arch and threatened to de-
noimcc him for wishing >o carry off treasures and introduce the giaours
' into the castle. lie defended himself and escaped with difficulty, but
soon afterward ho and his compaiiion were .irrested and thrown into a
dungeon. Fatallah sent for a Christian writer named Selim, by whose
interference they were enabled to purchase their liberty. They remained
three weeks with Selim and his friends, and on the 25th of Slarch pro- [
ceeded with a caravan to Homs. During a stay of thirty days at this |
place, M. Lascaris obtained much information respecting the Bedouins, !
from a locksmith who passed much of his time with them, arranging '
their arms. TI»ey then pursued their route to Saddad, where they un- I
packed their goods, to sustain their i ' iracter of merchants. Tlie shekh
and people of the village endeavored to dissii ado them from visiting the i
Bedouins, whom they represented as most c; Uol and rapacious ; but the |
travele "8, nothing daunted, continued their journey to Corietain, still :
hoping to meet with a detachment of Bedouins, who pass this region in j
their annual migratio^is. Meanwhile, the locksmith Naufal, who accom-
panied them from Homs, advised them to change their names, as their

ARAB HONOR.

441

own would create suspicion in the Bedouins and Turks. Accordingly,
M. Lascaris took the name of Shekh Ibrahim el Cabressi (the Cyprian),
and gave to Fatallah that of Abdullah el Katib. The Shekh Selim, of
Corietain, likewise endeavored to discourage them from i)enetratiiig into
the desert, and repeated a thousand alarming stories about the Bedouins,
but when M. Lascaris consulted Fatallah, the latter encouraged him to
proceed, saying that if he acted honorably there was nothing to fear.

" In a short time," says Fatallah, " we learned that the Bedouins
were approaching Palmyra : some were seen even in the environs of
Corietain. Presently there camo one, named Selame el Hassan. We
were at Selim's when he entered. Coifee was brought, and while wo
were taking it, many of the inhabitants camo to the shekh, and said :
' Eight years ago, at such a place, Hassan killed our relative ; and wo
are come to demand justice.' Hassan denied the fact, and asked if they
had witnesses. ' No,' they replied ; * but you were seen passing alone
on t'.ie road, and a little aller we found our relative lying dead. Wo
know that there existed a cause of hatred between you ; it is therefore
clear that you are his assassin.' Hassan still denied the charge ; and the
sbekh, who from fear was obliged to exercise caution with the Bedouins,
and besides had no positive proof in the case, took a piece of wood and
said, ' By Him who created this stem, swear that you have not killed
their relation.' Hassan took the wood, looked at it some minutes, and
bent down his head ; then raising it toward his accusers, ' I will not have,'
said he, ' two crimes on my heart — the one of behig the murderer of
this man, the other of swearing falsely before God. It is I who have
killed your kinsman : what do you demand for the price of his blood ?'
The shekh, from policy, would not act according to the full rigor of
the law : and the persons present being interested in the negotiation,
it was decided that Hassan should pay throe hundred piasters to the re-
lations of the dead. When it came to the payment of the money, he
said he had it not about him, but that he would bring it in a few days ;
and as some difficulty was made of letting him go without security, * I
have no pledge,' said he, ' to give ; but He will answer for me whoso
name I would not profane by a false oath.' He departed ; and four days
afterward returned with fifteen sheep, each worth above twenty piasters."

M. Lascaris being pleased with the character of Hassan, made his
acquaintance ; they became intimate friends, and when the travelers pro-
posed to set out for Palmyra, he engaged to conduct them thither in
safety. On their way M. Lascaris dislocated his ankle while mounting
his camel, but ho would not be detained, and they continued their route.
Soon afterward they met a troop of armed Bedouins, who immediately
gave battle. Hassan went forward to meet them, and sustained the
attack for half an hour, but ho was at length wounded by a lance and
fell from his horse. The Bedouins then began to plunder the party,
when Hassan, who lay bleeding upon the ground, thus addressed them :
*' What are you about, my friends ? — will you then violate the laws of

442

DE LASCAUIS'S SECRET MISSION.

Arabs, the usages of the IJeclouins? They whom you arc plundering
are ray brethren — they have my word ; I am responaiblc for all that
may beftill them, and you arc robbing them! — is this according to
honor ?" The Bedouins charged liirii witli conducting Christians to
I'almyra, without asking the permission of the shekh, Mehanna el Fadol
the chief of the country. He replied that the merchants were in haste
and Mehanna was far aM'ay ; that he had pledged his word, and the
strangers had confided in the laws and usages of his country. At his
words the Bedouins desisted, and only took from the travelers what they
chose to give. They then pursued their journey with difficulty, M. Las-
cnris sulfering from liis foot and Hassan from his wound, and arrived at
I'ulmyra on the following day.

Here they hired a house and exposed their goods for sale, until M.
Lascaris had recovered, when they went to visit the temples and mag-
nificent ruins of the place. " One day," says Fatallah, " wc saw many
people engaged in surrounding with wood a beautiful granite column.
We were told it was to burn it, or rather to cause it to fall, in order to
obtain the lead which was in the joinings. Shekh Ibrahim, full of indig-
nation, addressing me, exclaimed, "What would the foundeis of Pal-
myra say if they beheld these barbarians thus destroying their work ?
Since chance has brought mo hither, I will oppose this act of Vandalism."
And having learned what might be the worth of the lead, he gave the
filly piasters they asked, and the column became our property. It was
of the most beautiful red granite, spotted with blue and black, sixty-two
feet in length, and ten in circumference."

At length the approach of the Bedouins was announced, and one day
a p.arty of eleven horsemen arrived, among whom was the Emir Nasser,
the eldest son of Mahenna, chief of the tribe of El Ilassnnec. M. Las-
caris was overjoyed, and on being presented to the emir, received assur-
ances of i)rotection from all harm. He then invited Nasser to eat with
hun, as the Bedouins regard it an inviolable pledge of fidelity to break
bread with any ore. llie dinner appeared excellent, and after coffee,
when they began to speak of difierent things, M. Lascaris related to
N.asser the adventure with six horsemen of his tribe. The emir wished
to punish them and res*^orc the money, but the travelers intreated him
not to do so. They would have set out with him next day, but he in-
duced them to await the arrival of his father, who was eight days' jour-
ney distant. He promised to send them an escort and camels to carry
their baggage.

Eight days afterward three men came with the camels, and a letter
from Meh.anna el Fadel, bearing his Avelcome and the promise of his pro-
tection. Tlieir preparations were soon made, and early next morning
they loft Palmyra. They met a great many Bedouins, M'ho questioned
their conductors, and passed on. After a march of ten hours, the plain
appeared covered with tents, and they reached the camp of Mehanna.
lliey entered the tent of the emir, who received them with proofi of

MARCH OP A BEDOUIN TRIBE.

448

tho highest consideration. Next day he had a camel killed to regale
(hem, a mark of high respect, as the licdouins measure tho importance
of the stranger by tho animal they kill to welcome him.

After enjoying their hospitality for three days, the travelers opened
their bales, and sold many articles, upon most of which they lost more
or less. Fatallah did not understand this mode of dealing, but M. Las-
caris reminded him of their conditions, and ho continued to sell accord-
ing to the wishes of his patron.

One day they saw fifty well-armed horsemen arrive, and hold a long
consultation with Nasser and his cousin, Shekh Zamel. Fatallah carried
a present to tho wife of Nasser, and learned that her husband had many
enemies among tho Bedouins, who hated him for humbling the national
pride, and exalting tho power of the Turks, with whom ho sought al-
liance. Tho object of the meeting was to concert a plan of attack ; tho
next day they would assail the tribe El Daffir, take their flocks, and do
them all the mischief possible. This intelligence was perplexing to M.
Lascaris, who, while endeavoring to attach himself to a tribe hostile to
the Osmanlis, found himself with a chief allied to them. Next morning,
a [)arty of three hundred marched out ; three days afterward, they made
their triiunphal entry, preceded by one hundred and eighty camels, taken
from tho enemy. Some time afterward, Nasser received from Soliman,
the pasha of Aero aiul Damascus, a message, engaging him to como and
receive tho command of the desert, with the title of Prince of the Be-
douins. Overjoyed, ho departed for Damascus with ten horsemen.

Mehanna having ordered the departure of the tribe, the next morn-
ing by sunrise not a suiglo tent was standing ; all was folded up and
loaded, and tho departure began in the greatest order. Twenty chosen
Iiorseraen formed tho advance guard ; then camo tho camels with their
loads, and tho flocks ; then the armed men, momitcd ; after these the
women, those of the chiefs in rich howdaks ; tho camels loaded with
baggage and provisions wore behind. Tho lino was closed by tho Emir
Mchann.i, mounted on a dromedary, and surrounded by his slaves, the
rest of tho soldiers, and the servants, on foot. It was truly wonderful
to witness tho order and celerity with which tho departure of eight or
nine thousand persons was eflected. M. Lascaris and Fatallah were on
horseback, sometimes ahead, and sometimes by the side of Mehanna.
Wlien they halted, tho Bedouins sprang to the ground, fixed their lances,
and fastened their horses to them ; the women ran on all sides, and
pitclicd their tents near their husbands' horses ; and thus, as if by en-
chantment, they found themselves in the midst of a largo city.

On the fourth day, thef were attacked by tho tribe of Dafiir, who
sought to revenge themselves on Nasser, and succeeded in carrying off
some of the flocks. The Bedouins murmured, attributing their mishap
to tho caprice and vanity of Nasser. Mehanna sent a courier to his son,
who immediately returned with an oflicer of the pasha, and a letter
threatening vengeance on all who should exhibit a rebellious spirit.

444

DB LAROARIS'S SKOUBT MIRHION.

Niuwor mndo mu'hdiBplny otMiis ii(>w dif^nity timt lio niiil f'lirthor nflVMidd
tho HodoiiitiH. A young chief ol' ii ncigldMM'ing tribe, who hud liMtcnci
wilh iin|)!i(ii'nro to hiH vauntingH, nmc hiwlily, luid told hltn Ihiit tho Mo-
d«)iiiii« dctt'stod liiin, and tliroatonrd to depart from Hiijjdiid niid }««!•.
Khii ('huhllun, tho Umyhy, or l)ofitn)y(M- of tho Turks, On tht« foUO^^.
uiif tluy, h(> actually sot out with hiH tribo for tho country of (Jcziri, and
a onnd)ination agaiuNt NaNflor was talkud of in all quartorH. M(>lianim
rcnuinstrulod with his Hon, but t!»o latter Htill enih-avorod to tnui(|uilij!o
him. Tho H«'douiuH moanwhilo took BidcN witli one or tho other, tho
groatiT part, I»ow«!vor, with tho fathor. Mohatum was highly esteemed
among the Heih)uinH; his influeiieo aroHo from hin tioblo and ^eneroux
heart, and from being tho chief of a yory ancient and numerous family.

In October, they wero in tho neighborliood of Aleppo, and Katnlluh
rejoiced to Ihid himself so near home, but his contract was siieh (hat lu«
could not comniunicato with his friendft. M. LaHcarh wisluMi to spend
the winter at Damascus, and with gre.-it difllenlty they succeeded in
n'aching t •orietain, whcro th<»y wero cordially received by their friends.
TlM»y reported an advantageou.s Hpeeulation, while in reality, between
presj'uts and horses, they had nothing lefl but some goods they had de-
posited at this place. After a long delay, they linally departed on their
jounu'V, as winter was setting in. M. L.'iscaris ro<h> a miserable liorsc
and Katallah a donkey, and they proceeded with four men of the villuijd
as guides. In a delilo between two mountains th(>y wero attacked l)y
twenty Hedouin horsemen, who stripped (hem of nearly all their cloth-
ing, leaving them t'>eir sorry beasts, wliich were hardly .nble to walk.
"Night came on," says Fatallah, "and the eoM was ex<iessive, and do-
prived us of the use of speech. Our oyos wero rod, our skin blue ; at
the eml of somo time I fell to (ho ground, iainting and fros^en. Shekli
Ibrahim, in despair, ntade gesticulations to the guides, but was unablo
to speak. One of them, a Syrian Christian, took pity upon me and tho
grief of Shckh Ibrahim ; he threw down his horse, which wm also half
dead with cold and fatigue, killed it, opened tho belly, and placed mo,
without consciousness in tho skin, with only my head out. At the end of
half an hour, I reg;uned my senses, quite astonished at linding myself
alive again, and in so strange a position. Warmth restoro<l my speech ;
and I e.inu>s(ly thanked Shekh Ibrahhn and the good Arab. I took cour-
age and fomid strength to proceed. A little after, our guith^s cried out,
' Ilere's the village I' and we entered tho first house. It belonged to a
tiirrier, named Ilanna el Bitar. Ho showed a lively syin|)atliy in our
situation, set about covering us both with camel-dung, and gave us a
little wine — a few drops at a time ; having thus restored our strength
and warmth, ho withdrew us from our dunghill, put us to bed, and made
us take somo good soup. Aftor a .sloop, which Wiis indispensable, we
born>wed two hundred piasters to pay our guides and carry us to Damns-
CU8, which wo reached tho 23d of December, 1810."

Ono day, in the bazaar, a Bedouin, with whom they had broken bread

TUA DUAYIIY, OH DKHTHOYKR.

445

in Niii^rat cl Niihainmi, ^^amo to tli<s.i, !in<l nftrr rennwiriK tlieir frinnd-
Hliip, III" iiivi((!<l tlicin (o visit th(i triltc of Waled Ali, to which hu b«-
I()tl)X<''l, wlioHc chief! aiii, Doiihi, wns known to them. They eonsented,
ftiul ftt the time ajrreed iipon, he arrived with cumels and Kuich-s, witli
wliifli (hey Hi't out on the 15th of March, IHI I. The trihe was at Misa-
rih, three <hiy,s from DairiasciiH, and nder passing the ni^htH in the open
air, (hey were amid tlu* tents of Wahid All hy m .-Het o?i the third
day. Tlie tentu, Hiirrounded hy horneH, eamelH, fr(»atH, and Hhecp, formed
!i plcasiiifx Hcene. The Kmi'- Poidii receivcfl tliein with marketl distinc-
tiiiti, and made them Hiip v ith him. lie eoinmanded five thoiiNund tentH,
iiiid three trihcH, whicdi we<'e joined to hin.

M. liaHcaria was anxiouH to visit the drayhy, and Imd instructed
Fiitallah to ^ain every inrormati<m respecting his ciiaraetc'r, mode of hte,
:ui<l tlic access to him, directin»' him at the same time to stiwly tlie man-
niM'M and customs of the Hedouins, to a<hipt their dress and imitate their
us!i!»('S, so as to pass ahsohitely for one; of them, as he sliouM depend on
him to n»ake the journey tliither. For this jiurpfise he prohin^ed tlieir
fitav, and visited the thrr»<« tributary shekhs of the F]mir Douhi, direct-
ing Katallah to take cxm^t notes of all Im; saw tuid learned. Of these
pniple Kataliah observes :

"The numerous tribes an; often oblijjed to divide themHelvefl into
dctachiMents «)f fnmi two hundred to live himdrod tents, and to occupy
a huf^c space, in order to procure water and pasturage for their flocks.
Wo went Ruccessively through their encampment?), until wo could find
tnoaiis t(» transport ourwelves to the <lrayhy, who Avas at war with tho
tribes of (he territory of Damascus. We were universally well received.
Ill one tribe it was a |K)or widow who showed us hos|»i(ality. In order
to rci^ale us, she killed her last hIhu'p and borrowed bread. She in-
furiiu'd us that her husband and her three sons had be((n killed in tho
war against tho Wahabees, a formidable tribe in the neighborhood of
Mecca. Expressing our :istonishment that she should rob herself on
our account, ' He that enters tho house of tho liviiig,' said she, ' and does
not oat, it is as though he were visit iiig the <lcad.' "

At length tho drayhy arrivt'd in Mesopotamia, and they engaged a
Hedoiiin of a neutral tribe to tak(( them to him, but when they went to
Coriotain for their goodn, they heard of a victory gained by a fi^/iiof tho
drayhy over Nasser, which gave renewed violent^e to the war. The
tril)!' of Salkeh, to which their guide belonged, had been attacked by
the drayhy, and no one dared to cross the desert. M. fiascaris Avas in
despair ; in his exasperation he even .found fl'iult with Fatallah, The
latter then requested an imderstanding in their relations, «leclaring it
madness to attempt this journey for the purpose of trading, but adding
that if M. Lascaris had other motives adetpiate to the exj)08ure of life,
he must let him know them, and he would find him ready to sacrifice
himself in ^''^ service. M. Loscaris then told him that this commerce

440

1)K I.A8<UIUH'H HIOOIlUT MIHRlON.

WM iiuToIy ft |m>t(<xi to nmot'iil ii iiiiMHioii wilh whioli ho W!«« chiirgod
IVoiu I'uiiH. TIm-mc were liis iiiMlnictioiiH :

" 1. To H«'t nut. iVom I'liriH .(» Alcupo.

•' '2. To litnl II KculouM An>l», iiml to iittucli liim to mo tin iulorprolor,

" M. 'I'o itri|iiin> II kiiowKMl^o el' tin* lun^iiugo.

" 4. To jro to I'nliujTft.

*' 5. To |M'iu'1mt(> mnoiiff llu> lU'doniiiH.

"(V To lio(<oin<> ai'i|iiitinl('<| willi all tlio ohiofM, nnd to gnin llu-ir
iViciMlMhip.

" V. To ntii((> fhrin logollirr in tlio mmio omiHo.

" s. To itiiliiro tliiMii to liroiik oil' all iiliiiui<M« with tho OmnmiliH.

" l». To m<( nopiiiiiitcii with tln< whole lU'wrt, \\\v halting -plitcoM, nui]
Avhcii' wiUiT mill |tiisturiigo :ut> to !)«> I'oiind, a« liir «'v«'ii iih tho IVontiorH
ol' Intlia.

" 10. To return to Kuropo, nnfo unti Round, allcr having ac(«onipliNlu!il
\\\\ nuNsion."

Katallah roHolvi'd to go on toot to tho drayhy. Ilo went to Wunii,
tho man who had navod hiui from porinhing on th(> way to DainiisciiH.
This man tirst triod to disNtiado Katallah IVom tho riiNli undortakiiig, Imi
allorwanl ongagod to go with him an a guido.

"It was ossontial," HayM Katallah, " that I Rhould ho ooviTcd widi
rags, in onh'r not to rxoito Huspioion or cupidity il' wo woro diMcovcnMl
on tho road. This was my oostnnio lor tho journoy : a ooarso coiton
shirt pioood ; a dirty torn gomhaz ; an «»Id oallio, with a hit of IIikmi,
onoo w1\ito, for a turhan ; a shoop-skin oloiik with half tho wool olV, and
shoos mon(K>d to tho woight ol' I'otir pounds: hosich's those, a IcmIIkt
helt, Irtuu whieh hung a knil'o worth two paras, a stool, a little toltacco
in an «>ld hag, and a pipe, I hiaekoitetl my oyos and dirtied my face,
and thou prosent«'d uiysoH'to Shokh Ihrahim to take my leave. On see-
ing nu», ho shod tears. ' May tlod,' said ho, ' give you strength onoui,'li
to aeoomplish your generous design ! T shall owe (>vory thing to your
perseveranee. May tho Almighty h(» with you and preserve yoa JVom
all (huiger ! may ho hiiud the wiekod, ami bring you haok that I may
reward yoti !' I oould hardly refrain I'rom tears in my turn. At last,
however, tho ootivorsation becoming nu)ro ohoerrul, Sliekli Ibrahim Naiil,
smilingly, that if I were to go to I'aris in this e«)stume, I should f.nl
ntiii'h mi>noy by showing myself. Wo supped; aiul at sunset wo de-
parted. I walked without fatigue till midnight ; but then my foot began
to swell. My shoes hurt me, ami I took tliem ofV; tho thorns of the
plants tho oanu'ls browse on pricked me, and the small stones woiiiil'il
me. I triod to put on my shoes; and in continiml sufloriugl walked on
till morning. A little grotto gav«» us shelter for tho day. I wrapped
my feet in a piece of n»y <>loak that I tore oft*, ami slept without having
.strength to take any nourishment."

At sunrise, on tho seventh day, thoy reached tho Kuphrntos ; some
hospitablu Boilouius took thum into thoir touts, whuro fur tho lirst time

MAUOII OK tin; DIlAYTfY.

447

tboy niivio n licMitly mciil. Tliry Icfirnntl Unit llm tlinyliy wfts llirno
iIiiyM (liHliint, ikiiil tliiit it wuH liin iiitriitinn to itiiiiiliiluti' iMrliiinnn iukI
NiiHMi'i', aii<l n'tiirii to \m dcHiMt iicdt- llnHHom ami Miig)la<l. I''atallali
tli(<i'cloi<> took II giiiilniiiiil Hft rorwiiril. l\v rv\m'M'uU'>\ liiiiiHrir iih n
iiinirliaiit of Aleppo, linviiig ii (;orr(<Hpoti)l<'tit at ItagiJud who o\v<><l liim
Iwcnty-tivo thoiiHaixl piantniH, hikI that in roiiHi<)|it)'ii(M> of tlic* wiir lin
wnM obliged to rink llit> joinncy liiiiiHcir, and put liiinNi'lt'inidcr tlxt pro-
twtion of tlio dmyhy. The emir rernuved him politely and welcomed
him, hilt, aeoording (o <^iihIoiii, eould not npeuk of IniHineHH until iifter
tliree dayH <levoted to Inrnpit alii y and repcme. The emir happened to
be III want of a Heerelmy, iind l<'atallali, wh<» ofl'ere<| to aHwiHt him for
llie iiiotneiit, no giiined hin eoiilidenre by bin information reHp«Tting tho
tribi'H he had viwited, that tho emir denired biin to Btay. I'^alallah
muniuMl to yield, and noon pernnaded tho emir tf> eroHR the KnphrateH in
onliT to gain ov(>r the triben by bin preneiKM^ and nlrike tiirror to hiH
oncinieN. Ah tluH aviin liiH lirHt tnareli into MeHopotnmin, the ndviee and
iiifoniiiition of Fatallali wuh a great resoiin^e to him.

"The departure," wayn Kiitallah, "wan Hiii)erb to witne«(H. The
liorHomon before, on liorHeHof high pedigree; women on howdiiliH miig-
nifioeiitly draped, and «»n drom(<(bu'ieH, Hiirroim<le<l by n<'gi'o MJaveH.
Men, loaded with provisiona, wero running throiigbont the efiravan,
calling out: 'Who Ih hungry?' nnd diHlribiiting breiid, diites, el(!.
Kvi'ry three honrH n bait waH made, to take e«»fl'ee ; and at night the
tinils were raiHed aH if by enebantment. We followed the bankn of the
KiiphrntcH, whoHe elear waters gleamed HkeHilver : T mywlf was moimtud
on II mare of pure blood; and the whole journey appeared like u tri-
iiinplial niaieh, prenenting a Mtrong <'ontraHt with my former paHHage over
tho same (uiuntry, in my rags and with my tortured feet."

Tli<'y Hoon cniiamped on the DamiweuH t((rritory, and kef»t advaiHiing
wostward. The emir received n tbn'atenlng lett(!r frr»m Mehanna, and
replied in terniH of defiance. Hy Fatallah'H advice be Bent word to th(!
neighboring Hln'kbH that lie bad come to fn-e them from the yok«! of the
OsnianliH. Seven out of ten dec^lared for him and came and encamped
around him. Hearing that Mehanna bad Hent to the Turks for aHsiHt-
nnce, tho drayhy immediately marched out bin forc(!rt to attack him,
anil gained a brilliant victory. In a few dayH Mehanna returned with
tho Turks, Imt in their cncoimtorH the advantage wan on the. Hide of the
drayhy, and NaHH(!r fell in an engagem(!iit between IiIh troo|m and ihuMi
comniatidod ],y Zalujr, the Hon c)f the drayhy.

As th(!y were now very near Oorietain, Fatall.'ih |)ropoHed to go for
Shekh Ibrahim, whom be liad (Alc.n npokcMi of as his maHter and Hujfcrior
in wisdom, when tho emir bad praised him f )r Iiis sagi! counsc-ls. The
drayhy accoptod the ofler with eagerness, and gave; Fatallah a strong
escort. Fatallah was overjoyed at again seeing M. LaHcaris, .'iiid .s[ient
the night in relating all that hud passed. Next day they returned to

UK t.AnrAiMH'n Rim'niivr MinninN

llu< cnnip, <\|iitii< Mlii>kli lliitiliitii wttN ii<(Ui>i| uillHlix lilitlimt i||nl||ii<(i

Niton itlU'i'^niii nn nHUfU til" (Im« \Vt»lii«lu'i"« mnl Hix iliityl

\M\ Mll|||(<

lilt

t'l

ItoiMt'incn iiiiil (inicli i<tiMli> Ni<>l ility IM t .ftii'iii 1^ ImIiI |<'ii|||||ii|, ||
<lii> ihiiUty M I4N |mm< <lti< (uttii li«> wtiii()>«|, Itiil (lull ii miH iiiilixtiniHnlil,. |,
nlioiilil lti>)>oiMo llii> i>liii>( or till llii> llnloiiinM (^otil /Mi>|i|Mt In |||i< rmtil
ol litihil, tMiil l\nllii>l- lliiU lio lookiol «o l*'iUiilliili (o iMiiiti|ii> llii> ti,(,Hin.M(i|s l>v «lm'i»(«, o( liy fntillfi-. I'HIiiIIdIi nrt iilioti) )),,> (,,^1,
iiitpoxoil <i)<<>it liiui h\ liitt I'liilnnoiltiu to inM|iiit> tlio lli>i|oMiim wjiji ,i
liinh i. It'll ol' Slu-kli lltiitliitit ; to IIiIm i>nil hoiih> i liPiiiiiMil i'>|ii'i iinrntn
««>(«< rmployt'il, iiuil |Uo|iliiii>4 «i'n> )<otM(>v«><l l"V I'ltlitlliili to ||

<lity\lt\ , i'oiii<i<ri\in|t Iti** (\itiiio iiri'i«tiii<H«. 'I'lit' |i)>o|i|i> Iikmum in M'liitiil
Sh.'Kh ntinlnin tn iimiummIoi h»'in<t, iukI tl»»> tlniylty nintto liim ,|||,| |.'n
^ Mtlttll «<i«l \\\{U Itin \\'\\o :\\\<\ <lilU|!ltti>in lit lilW, in tlio ititvtioi ol llii'ii Ivnt
inolivtit ot «>rttiii|* \\\\\\ MviiituorM iu tli«> r,tf'fhf, oi oiiln ii|Miilini>iit.

Mot»n«lnlt' rt |»»'i|i|li>« >\lio « n« ia<ipt)ltititiM| liy tlii> HdiiMncrH. Ittitnii In
r\lMHUii\ti> (Ii.mh Ix't'oii* llio MimIoiiIii'i, lioniiiiiiiiu uilli tin* Mniiu'ii, nliniii
)ii> pi<viiitiil«><l tlt!t( tlioy «oii< inm»ii|mi«, « lio wiHliotl to ttiiMM|ioil lliiir
il:<Mtiliti'r<4 lo IV till' ootintt > , ■mil tinow It n|)i>ll itioiiiut tlio tvoiinn tlmt
tlti>\ itti>iltl lt!tM< tio tttoto rliililti<it i tllitt tlitiN tlii> iili'i> ol' Itnloiiiim vvinild
1>i-i-onto cxtttti't itinl tllo I'limK I'oiiniliMoiM titko poMwrH^ioii ol tlii< iimhi
ti\ Till') Kooit li ll tilt' I'lli'i'ttt ol iIiIm; tln> ttiili Iti'tl tit tlii'ir ii|i|iiniii'li,
l)ii< MiMKiMt i'itlli-<l titoitt o|i|iro)iiioiH iiitittin, tlio olili'ily oiii>m IIiumiIi'IiciI
tlii-ni At l>>ii!t(lt till"-"!' iiittii>ni"t ol AIihI tito tlitilt'l Ui'ic ilisciiMMi'il,
:tuil IVoin tlir iiili,v
Hi' now Hpt-i'itil xtitli'f liin itH|)«>tKionn, ititil t'Vi'ii tvont to Mitniiiirim willi
(lio inti'llit'i'ni'ii tititt tttit I'nniK M)iii'H liitil ^itiiioil llio I'onliilrtiir uT ilio
(Ir:ty1i\. I'l-otn hit n-^pi'i Miotic Solyntiui Pnnliii Hcnt ini ollicn in iImi
tli;\>l\y xnllt tt tlttvitti'intiit lotti'i oii|i'iinp[ hint to ^ivo up ilic tun in
liili'ln to Itio ot)ti'«M, tli;l( tln'\ tt1i^ltt lii< tttki'ii iit t'liltiliH to DiniiMMciiM, iiinj
pnMti'U ovoi'titril. Tlio ilriiylty « hm liip.lily iin'i'itm'il, Init l''iiliilliili Innk
liiin itsuK> :tni1 l>i'irin'il pi'tntinsioit to nottUi ||i«i uH'iiir. llo Iviicw llml

M rrisv'.tlix It.td ntiin it'll U <M'Otiji;tlt in l''f!;y|'t. wliopiovinl to In' ll rnllMII

oi S>'lynt:tn Prtslnt. itttil tl\;tt mtl»s«'iin«'ittly itt Actc Mm will' liml iiuuli'
known Iti'f tvl,ttion,Hlitp to \\w piftltit, uttil \vii.'« loitilcil l»y liiin willi Kiiul-
tti'-it nwA ptvsotits, its wi'll tts In'f liiiiltititil. M. I.itm'iit is tlicii'litu' tviolo
t.> Solvniitn r:ts!t;i. jtnd tito olUi'or tt'ttiiitt'il in IwotlayN "illi a iiiohI

tVii'niUv jtttsxvof,

:<n

tnothi'f to tIto »

liavl

ly, roi'ontincniliiii; lim woll

K'lo>o.l fViottil. tho uivm SIti'kIt IlifHiiint.

Vho ili'rtvhv hiul bi'on sinnitinoil tlic oNtot-niiitiilor tiCllii' TiirkM, iVom

0111-

.■» iintttil vt\'toiy. jjitinoil uith tftvnt Nlmnjliti'r ovt'r llio ONiiiiiiilis c
tnjtuilotl by tho p:t«ihit ot' |l;t;jil;»it Kt«»nt tliiM itmi nunty titlicr itcliii'vi'-
mont's whioh M. I.;is»';tiis hi'ttnl o(' Itint, ln> dcvolt'd liiniNolf inoio mid
ntoiv to tho pix^joot ol' tnjikinir hint tunator of nil tin' olhtT tiilios. Tlio
\V;»li;»lvvs >\otv lofinitluMo i»»lvoi'»uiit'H, whit wtoii nllorwurd foil upon

ilHIIlIt

'iiiil n|

<livi(||il

liii'iii J
'lie Niij
uliiil,

I'Mtl

,i<tiii(i(||

•'"i'l l{,l

'" u\nU\
''((.'III.

■Mfllll M IWI*-

ttni.KM'iN MM' riiiq itDitinitiNn

440

"'rill' WiiliiiliMtxi w(<rtM>MiMitiiitii|iii| liy rt •lniiijlily U"^trl>, ii linir««nviii/(',
wliiiHi< niitiu* M'lin Aim Niii'di WIi*>m Im* |iM>|iii))>n fur ImMl", lii> (mI<i'>« nlf
IiIm liiiliiiti iiidI hniilM, iliiMvn tip ItU nlxiMfH l«i lil<( Nlnmlilom, iuhI |i>iiv>4
IiIm IiimIv iiltiiMKil, iiiikixl, nlili-li Im III' |iiimII|«|iiiim Mifo mill tMimciiliii Mlfi>ii|>Mi
nil liiMiil luiil t'lilii, (ii<v)>) lM<|ii|r nIiiivixI, lien «iv«>imIiiii|iiw<'iiil III* liiiif iiml Itliii'l* Itt'fMtl, wlili'li I'livcr IiIm •>i(ll»»> ni»'«>, lilMi>vi"t (nciitii
iiiir lii'iH'illli Mil* nlimtiv IIIm wIimIm Imdy, Inn, Im liiiliy, ftint rilfunlM ii
iti|i|it KM nlituitri* ti« II lu niifliinil Tliri tiMiyliy Miiiio iiji t'l liiiii IImm<
iliivn iVuiK I'lilliiyt'it, nl n M|Hii ciiIIimI l|i<tiiiiiili(Hi Tim InilHf' wmm innnl
iilisliiitilK Mil liiilli nlilc'i, ImiI. i<iii|i>(| In tlix IDirhr nf Aim Nmhi, wici re
iiiiimmI III Mil* I'liiiiiliy III Ni>it|iil, |i>)iviii|.r Iwn liiiti'lii-'l ntiiiii on llii> l)«>|i|

III' lllllllo. 'i'llM lll'liyliy Nl'IMI'llI'll mil, |IM|M|||f lIlK K||IiI|m fill llllll, llll'l llf'Xtt

liilii'ii riiiiii llin IiIIm' WiiIi'iI All, iiimI ii««»liir<'<1 II. 'I'lilw ml orifMiMimlly
mIIII riiillii'l' iilliit'lit«| III liiiii Ilii> iiirt'i'llnii III" IIm« nllinr lillii'M, wli<» W'Mi
iiiiiiiiUf ililily In pill, llii'iiiqi'lvKM iiinlof lil« |iiiilti"ll«i(i 'I'lm K«|i(irl, nf
iIiIh virlniy )»iiiin'"l nvi'f llii« li>iiili|i' Aim Nni'lii wmm iiiMM»tMiiiitli"| i.yfry
ulii'ii'. Htilvmmi I'mmIiii pi'IiI, IIim i>(iiii(iiM«ir n |ii<ll««> nl' li'mor, »ir»«l n
iiiiDriillliM'til niiImt, tvllli IiIm i>iiii(rtMliiliiliMiiH M'lOM nflor l.liin (•Kpl'iil, w>»

t<ni'lllll|ii>i| nil ||m> iViitllii'lH III' llntllfl.

" Mint iliiy, fl 'I'm I<1hIi liinlliili iiirlv«<'l fif. IIm* 'Iriiyliy'n; Im wiri* llif*
liii't{" (jrroi'ii IiiiImiii llitil illMllii|nilHlii'M llio «li>Mni>M>lfitill<i, liinl fill itil<Mliirii| in llii> rorrri of (i
(iiiiriV'i' III III'* l>i<ll. fix I'imIk nil iiii iimm, iiii'I i'iitii"'l in liii liiui'l nil itrrow.
Ill' wiin niiiii' III IiihDII liln DmiiiIIi'Ihiii IiiIm I,|ii> Mi'iliiHiiiq, luid Mcil.n In
llii'iM II ini'iil. /.I'lil I'nr |Im» t'i<ll(rifin nl" IIik IVnplii'l, in ordfr fo nlitu-h
iIh'Iii III |Ih< i'iiiihk nl' |lii> 'I'lirhn, 'I'Iik Iti'ilniiinH fir«< of (rrcfil. nirnplifily
iil'cliiiriii'li'i', mill I'l'iniii luililo Cnr llicir (Viinkni'X'*. 'I'li'y 'l'» nol, iifMlcr
nImiiiI iliiri'ii'iin'M nl' ri'li(rinn, iiti«l (In nnl. wiHin|/ly nllnw lli^fn f,'» l»o
H|Hil(i'li nl! 'I'lii'y iiin il('i«N ; lli«<y invnl<i< ili»< pinl.xrlinn /if Hnd in fill
llic i'miiIh nl" lil'i', iiml ii'li'f In lliiii llii'ir miici imh or lli'ir riiiliir's willi
liiiiiilili' n'si)fimllnM ; Iml. limy lifivn n'> (■,<<r'<in«ifil<'f« fir olfli(/nfory ril.tuil,
Mild nml<« im (liNliiii'tlnii li(<lw«<(<ii llin «n»'l.« ofOrnfir tinil oC Ali, wlii/li
tlivido llin KiimI, Tliny nrviT iiKpilr*"! whnf. Wfw our tf])y'u,ii, W«i l'»l»I
llii'in lliiil, W'i« wm'i* ('liriHliiiiirt; ilii'lr luiNwnr w»ih, • All rm-n siri^ oqnsi! in
lli(> Ni^lit, nrOnil, find tiro llif« rrniil.iirim ; wo havn no ri|{lit to inqiiirn
wliiil, JH llm rroi'd «irn|,lii<r nion.' "

Kiilalliili, iift,«<r viHil.in^ AI«'ppo io promiro k'""^" '""^ nu^r]>Y\f\ m
jiiiiicij llio iriliit on l.lin liiuikN of t.lin Kiiplirnt.on. 'Hm* vh'wU of ViinfAwi
uiiil MtiNHora (Mimn dully f,<» «Mm^nit,iiln(.n (,1m drnyhy on \m virl,/»ry, and
til iiiuko iKvpininiiUH'o wiUi HImkh Ihriiliirn, whowo nmown hsv\ vwhcA
(lit'iii. 'rii(<y fdlt indobtod to liini for having vA}Xinnn\i'i\ tlio war against

450

DB LASOARIS'S SEORBT MISSION.

the Wahabees, ^Aiohq rapacity had become intolerable; whoso king
Ebn 8ihou(l, took the tenth of their ilocka and tiieir money, and exacted
ablutions and prayers five times a-day, on pain of death. A treaty was
concluded in which the chiefs bound themselves to wage a war of ex-
termination against the Wahabees, to obey the great drayhy, Kbn
Chahllan, and to listen to no calumnies against Shekh Ibrahim and At)-
dallah Coiriers were sent to other tribes, and the chiefs mostly Higuud
the In aty villingly ; while many who at first objected were prevailed
upon by Fuv-^Uah, who became an efficient diplomatist of the drayhy.

After some days spent in festivities they passed an arm of the En-
phrates and encamped near the tribe of El Cherarah, celebrated for its
courage, and also for its ignorance and obstinacy. A friendship existed
between its chief. Abed, and the minister of king Ebn Sihoud, and he
accordingly refused to join the alliance. Sahen was sent out with five
hundred men to attack him, and he returned in three days with one
hundred and forty camels and other booty ; a few men were killed, but
a great number wounded on both sides.

Abed collected his allies and the war daily became more serious.
The encampment of the drayhy being now at some distance from the river,
the women were obliged to bring water on camels, and on the third day
eight hundred of the camels were carried off by the enemy. To avenge
this outrage the drayhy advanced rapidly on the tribe of Cherarah, and
after marching a d.iy and a half, pitched ten thousand tents near the
camp of Abed. A bloody battle scenic inevitable, but Fatallah re-
solved to prevent it if possible. Knowing that the Bedouins hold
women in great respect, and consult them on all their plans, he visited
Arquia the wife of Shekh Abed, who was a very superior woman, and
by dint of compliments and presents led her on to the subject of the
war, and incidentally explained to her the advantages of an alliance with
the drayhy. Meanwhile lier husband returned to the camp and sent
orders to Arquia ignominiously to dismiss the spy, as the rites of hospi-
tality would prevent him from taking vengeance. She haughtily refused,
and in the end prevailed on Abed to listen to the proposals of Fatallah.
A few days afterward he set his seal to the treaty and exchanged the
camels taken in the war.

ILaving come near Bagdad, M. Lascaris secretly repaired thither to
the French consul, to negotiate for a large sum of money. Afler cross-
ing the Tigris, they learned that a sanguinary war was raging bciveen
the Bedouins, who took part for or against the alliance. They pushed
on, and on reaching the frontiers of Persia met a messenger from the
chief, Dehass, who demanded the assistance of the drayhy against ene-
mies numbering fifteen thousand tents. They were six days distant
from this tribe, but by marching day and night, without halting to eat,
they accomplished the distance in three days. The greatest fatigue fell on
the women, who were obliged to make the bread, and milk the camels, with-
out delaying the caravan. Fatallah thus describes this ambulatory kitchen: .

INCURSION INTO PERSIA.

451

" At oortain regulated distances women were placed, who wer^ em<
ployed without relaxation. The first, mounted on a camel laden with
wheat, had a hand-mill before her. The corn once ground, she p; ssed
the meal to her neighbor, whose business it was to knead it with wt.^er,
carried in budgets suspended on the sides of her camel. The dough was
then handed to a third woman, who baked it in the form of cakes on a
chafing-dish, with charcoal und straw. These cakes she distributed to
the division of warriors, whoso food she was charged to provide, and
who came every minute to demand their portion.

♦' Other women walked beside the camels to milk them into cahafis^
— wooden pails, containing four litres : these were passed from hand to
hand to slake the thirst of the troops. The camels ate as they marched,
fi'om bags hung round their necks ; and when their riders wished to
sleep, they lay at their length on the camels, their feet secured in the
sacks to protect them from falling. The slow and measured step of the
camels invites to sleep, and I Iiave never slept better than on this
march."

Next day a letter was sent to the five liostile chiefs, but their reply
being warlike, Fatallah was dispatched with presents. With but a
single guide he had nearly reached the tent of Mohdi when the ad-
vanced guard rushed upon them, stripped them of every thing, and left
them upon the burning sand in chains. Soon afterward the perfidious
Absi approached Fatallah, spit in his face, and insulted him with threat-
ening words, then withdrew to excite the Bedouins, who came, men,
women, and children, to overwhelm him with outrages. Toward the
evening of the second day a young man came up and drove away the
children, and afterward brought some food. In the night ho loosed his
fetters, and Fatall.ih returned to his friends. Tlie battle raged with fury
two days, after which the two armies lay facing each other inactive. On
the third day of truce the chief Saker came with a single attendant to
the camp of the drayhy, to ransom his son, who was among the prison-
ers. His presence led to explanations, the calumnies of Absi were re-
moved, and he ended by signing the treaty. M. Lascaris told him their
intention was to open a passage from the coasts of Syria to the fi'ont>or8
of India, to an army of a hundred thousand men, under a powcriiil con-
queror, who would relievo the Bedouins from the yoke of the Turks, re-
store to them the sovereignty of the country, and open to them the treas-
ures of India. He also explained that the religious fanaticism of the
king of the Wahabees would counteract their plans, as his love of do-
mbion, which had already made him master of Yemen, Mecca, and Me-
dina, would extend his pretensions to Syria. Saker entered fully into
these views, and promised to use all his influence with the other tribes.
It was agreed that he should be chief of the Bedouins of the country
they were now in, as the drayhy was of those of ^yria and Mesopota-
mia. Next day he sent word that the chie& Mohdi and Duakhry no
longer opposed their projects.

452

DE LASOARIS'S 8E0RBT MISSION.

M. Lascaris deferred the project of pushing on to the fh>ntiora of In-
dia, until the following year, when the Sakor would have had time to
prepare the tribes to second him. After a few days the army returned
to Mesopotamia. As they continued their journey they learned that the
tribe of EI Calfa was encamped at Zualma, and Fatallah, with an escort
of six men on dromedaries, was sent to negotiate with Jassem, its shokh.
They arrived at the spot in three days, but found no traces of the camp.
They now wandered three entire days without finding either water or
food, and Fatallah'a strength was failing, when his companions descried
a well, and wita a cry, darted forward. Fatallah fell to the ground in
despair, and his companions had to return to assist him. " At length '*
ho writes, " wc arrived at the well, and one of them leaning over the
parapet,' drew his saber, declaring ho would cut off the head of the first
man who dared approach. ' Be governed by my experience,' said he
*or you will all perish.' The authoritative tone ho assumed had its
effect upon us, and wo all obeyed in silence. lie called us one by one
beginning with me, and raado us first lean over the margin of the well
to inhale some of its moisture. Then drawing a small quantity of water,
he wetted our lips with his fingers ; by degrees he allowed us to drink
a few drops, then a small cup full ; and having pursued this rational
treatment for three hours, he said, * You may now drink without risk ;
but if you had not listened to mo, you would have been all dead men ;
for drinking without precaution, after long privation, is certain destruc-
tion.' We passed the night on this spot, drinking continually, as much
for nourishment as to slake our thirst, which, notwithstanding this indulg.
ence, seemed insatiable."

After some time they discovered the tribe they were in quest of, and
being kindly received by Jassem, Fatallah accomplished his mission
satisfactorily, and returned to the drayhy. Fatallah, having learned
that Mchanna el Fadel had formed a coalition against the drayhy, per-
suaded M. Lascaris to consult the Pasha Solyman, at Damascus. They re-
paired thither and obtained a firman requiring the governors of Iloms and
Hama to respect and obey the Drayhy Ebn Chahllan, supreme chief of
the Desert of Damascus. Meanwhile Mehanna advanced nearer, certain
of the co-opcrat'.on of the Osraanlis ; but the drayhy sent the pasha's fir-
man to IToms and Hama, and the two governors placed their troops at
his disposal, declaring Mehanna a traitor for calling on the Wahabees,
the most mexorable enemies of the Turks. Mehanna made preparations
for the struggle, and sent his son Fares to Horns for assistance which
had previously been promised by the governor, but the latter threw
Fares in prison, and Mehanna, dismayed, found himself precipitated from
the supreme command, and obliged, not only to submit to the drayhy,
but even to solicit his protection against the Turks. The drayhy at first
refused to accept the submission of Mehanna, until M. Lascaris inte^
posed in his behalf. Fatallah thus relates their reconciliation :

''The drayhy yielding at last, the principal men of the tribe marched

MILITARY CAMELS.

458

foni^ard to meet Mohanno, an attention duo to hiit years and rank. As
BOOB an ho alighted, the drayhy asaignud him thu Huut of honor \n tho
corner of tho tent, and ordered coflfoo to be brought. Mchanna here*
upon rose : ' I will drink none of thy coflfee,' said hu, * till we shall be
completely reconciled, and have buried the seven stones.' At these
words tho drayhy also rose ; thuy drew and mutually presented their
sabers to bo kissud ; atlur which they embraced, and the example Wiis
followed by their attendants. Mehunna with his lance made an openuig
in the ground, in the center of tho tent, about a foot in depth ; and
choosing seven small stones, he said to the drayhy, * In thu name of the
God of peace, for your guaranty and mino, we thus for over bury our
discord.* As tho stones wero cast into tho hole, the two shekhs threw
earth over them, and trod it down with their feet ; the women signaliz-
ing the ceremony with 4eafening shouts of Joy : at its termination tho
chiefs resumed their scats, and oofibo was served. From that moment
it was no longer allowable to revert to tho past, or to mention war. I
was assured that a reconciliation, to bo according to rule, ought always
to be solemnized in this form."

Their united forces amounted to seven thousand and six Hundred
tents, and the drayhy now became chief of all tho Bedouins of Syria.
Sakcr went to Homs to solicit tho deliverance of Fares, whom he brought
back attired in robes of honor, to take part in the general rejoicing.

Some days afterward tho drayhy marched against the Wahabees,
who were besieging Palmyra, and encountered them at £1 Duah, with-
out Qoming to a pitched battle. " Here," says Fatallah, ^' I had leisure
to appreciate the advantage of the mardauffa in these wars of the des-
ert, in which it is always necessary to carry about tho commissariat of
the army, and oilen for a considerable time. These camels, mounted
each by two soldiers, are like moving fortresses, provisioned with every
thing necessary for tho nourishment and defense of theii' riders. A
budget of water, a sack of flour, and another of dried datts, ajar of
sheep's butter, and the munitions of war, are formed into a sort of
square tower on the animal's back. The men, conveniently placed on
each side on scats composed of cordage, thus carry with them every
thing of which their temperate habits have need. When they are
hungry, they knead a little of tho meal with butter, and eat it in that
state without baking ; a few dates and a small quantity of water com-
pleting their moderate repast: nor do they quit their post to sleep, but
tiirow themselves across the camel in the manner I have already de-
scribed." The next day's engagement was more serious, and on tho third
the enemy fled, leaving the drayhy in possession of the field. Having
no longer any enemies to fear in the Syrian Desert, M. Lascaris went to
Homs to buy merchandize and write to Europe. They at length set out
to return, and at night their guides persuaded them not to haJt till they
had completed the journey. In crossing a mountun at midnight, Ffi*
tallah's horse lost its footing, and he was hurled down a tremendous

464

DE LASCARIS'S SECRET MISSION.

precipice. He was picked up insensible, but life was not quite extinct
and though his recovery was despaired of for two or three months, he
was finally restored to tolerable health.

The drayhy was obliged to pursue his migrations eastward, and M.
Lascaris remained with Fatallah. Ten months passed away, and another
spring had come, when a courier announced to thenr^ the approach of
the Bedouins. In a few days they rejoined the drayhy, who was over-
joyed at the recovery of Fatallah. It was now reported that theWaha-
bees, who intended the conquest of Syria, were approaching with a
formidable army, which spread terror and devastation every where on
its passage. The drayhy requested auxiliary troops of the Pasha of
Damascus, and ''■ wh?lo waiting for the expected reinforcements," says
Fatallah, " he caused a solemn declaration of war to be made, according
to the custom of the Bedouins on very particular occasions, in the fol-
lowing form : A white female camel was selected, and blackened all
over with soot and oil ; reins made of black hair were then put over
her, and she was mounted by a young maiden dressed in black, with
her face and hands also blackened. Ten men led her from tribe to
tribe, and on reaching each she proclaimed aloud three times — ' Succor!
succor ! succor ! Which of you will make this camel white ? she is a '
relic from the tent of the drayhy menacing ruin. Fly, fly, noble and I
generous defenders ! The Wahabees are coming ! they will carry away i
your allies and your brothers : all you who hear me, address your prayers '
to the prophets Mohammed and Ali, the first and the last !' .

" Saying which, she distributed among the tribe handfuls of black
hair, and letters from the drayhy, indicating the place of rendezvous on
the banks of the Orontes." |

Tlio camp of the drayhy was soon augmented by the coalition of
thirty tribes, and the Pasha of Damascus sent his nephew Ibrahim Pasha ,
with ten thousand men to Hama, there to wait for other troops from
Acre and Aleppo. When they had met, the drayhy and Ibrahim Pasha,
assisted by Fatallah, arranged their plan of defense. In two days the
e emy appeared and established their camp, composed of fifty tribes
and seventy-five thousand tents, at one hour's distance from the allies.

" Ibrahim Pasha," continues Fatallah, " was in consternation, and
senv. in great haste in search of the drayhy, who, having succeeded m
reanimating his courage a little, returned to the camp, to order the
necessary entrenchments. For this purpose all the camels were assem-
bled, bound together by their knees, and placed in double files in front
of the tents ; and, to complete the rampart, a trench was dug behmd
them. Tlio epemy on his part did the same, and the drayhy ordered
the Hatfe to be prepared. This singular ceremony consists in selecting
the most beautiful among the Bedouin girls, to be placed in a houdah,
richly ornamented, borne by a tall white camel. The choice of the
maiden who is destined to occupy this honorable but perilous post is very
important, for the success of tlie battle depends almost entirely upon

DEFEAT OP THE WAHABBBS.

465

her. Placed opposite to the enemy, and surrounded by the bravest war-
riors, it is her duty to excite them to the combat : the principal action
always takes place around her, aud prodigies of valoi; defend her. All
would be lost should the hatfe fall into the enemy's hands ; and, to avoid
80 irreparable a misfortune, half the army must always be stationed about
her. Warriors succeed each other on this point, where the battle is
always hottest, and each comes to gather enthusiasm from her looks.
A girl named Arkia uniting in an eminent degree courage, eloquence,
and beauty, was choson for our hatfe. The enemy also prepared his,
and the battle soon afterward commenced."

After several days of severe fighting, during which the drayhy's forces
Buffered heavy loss, a last, desperate effort was made, resulting in the
total defeat '' f the Wahabees. The drayhy made a triumphal entrance
into Hama, escorted by the chiefs of the allied tribes, and was received
in a splendid manner by the governor aiiu ."^lie agas.

Every day tribes arrived from the !N edjid country, deserting the
Wahabees to join the drayhy ; sonje attracted by his extraordinary
reputation, others driven by dissensions with King Ebn Sihoud. M.
Lascaris now saw his hopes realized beyond his most sanguine anticipa-
tions ; but so long as any thing remained to be done he allowed him-
self no rest ; they therefore crossed the Tigris and entered Persia.
Here the fame of the drayhy had preceded hira, and the tribes of the
country came to fraternize with him, but as M. Lascaris required the
co-opsration of the great prince, chief of all the Persimi tribes, the
Emir Sahid el Bokhrani, whose command extends to the frontiers of
India, they prolonged their journey to meet him. They dispatched
couriers to notify the emir of their approach, and he came to meet them
at the head of a formidable array. They were at first intimidated, but
he received them cordially, entered readily into their views, and fully
understood the importance of the commercial mtercourse they were
desirous of establishing with India. He; promised them the co-operation
of all the tribes of Persia imder his dominion, and entered into a dis-
tinct treaty with them.

They returned by forced marches, and on arriving in Syria, re-
ceived a courier from the king of the Wahabees, who brought a little
piece of paper about three fingers in breadth, and twice as long. On
tliis was a long and imperious letter, concluding with a command to
come and see him vvithout fear. On the reception of this letter, a coun-
cil of war was held, and after having deliberately weighed the perils of
the journey against the advantages of the alliance, the drayhy deter-
mined to (Comply with the authoritative invitation. He accordingly set
out with a small retinae, accompanied by Fatallah.

In a few days, tliey overtook a tribe of Wahabees, from whom they
were careful to conceal their pipes, for Ebn Sihoud prohibited smoking,
and punished any infraction of his laws with death. They soon reached
the Nedjid, a country intersected with mountains and valleys, studded

456

DB LASOARIS'S SECUBT MISSION.

with nomad camps, and abounding in towns and villages, tho former of
M'hich appear to be very ancient, and attest a lurmer population much
richer and moro numerous than that by which they are now occui)iud
The villages are peopled with Bedouin husbiindmen ; and the soil pro.
duces corn, tt'ble vegetables, and dates, in abundance.

" At length," continues Fatallah, " aller luurtecn days' journey at
the pace of our dromedaries, which may be reckone«l at triple tiie dis-
tance traversed by a caravan in the same space of time, we arrived in
the capital of the Wihabees. The city i.s surrounded and concealed by
a wood of palms, called the palm-tn-fs of Darkisch, which serves it as a
rampart, and is so thickly planted an scarcely to admit the passage of a
horseman between thi trunks of the trees. Having made our way
through these, wo came to a second barrier, comjmsed of little hilluckii
of date-stones, resembling a bank of small pebbles, and behind it the
town-wall, along which wo rodo to the entrance-gate, and, passing
through it, soon reached the king's palace, a large ediiice of two stories
built of white hewn stones.

" Ebn Sihoud, on being informed of our arrival, onlered us to be ush-
ered into an elegant and well-furnished apartment, where a pl<'ntif(il re-
past was set before us. This beginning seemed to augur well, and we
congratulated ourselves upon not having yield'.^d to the su.si)i('ions which
had been suggested to us. The same night, having suitably attired our-
selves, wc were presented to the kuig ; whom we found to be about Ibr-
ty-iive years of age, with a harsh counteiumce, a bronzed conijijexion,
and a very black beard. He was dressed ui a rob< fsvstened round the
loins by a white sash, a striped turban of red and white on Ins heu<l, and
a black embroidered mantle thrown over his left shoulder, holding in his
right hand the scepter of the king of Mahlab, the ensign of his authority.
lie wa.s seated, surrounded by the grandees of his court, at the extremity
of a largo audience-chamber, richly furnished with mats, (•arj)ets, and
cushions. Thp draperies, as well as the king's habiliments, were of cot-
ton, or the wool of Yemen — silk being prohibited in his dominions, to-
gether with every thing that would recall the luxury or customs of the
Turks."

Ebn SJUoud greeted them coldly, and when, atlor a long silence, the
drayhy opened the conference, he fiercely replied in a series of charges
against him, and growing more and more exasperated as he spoke, con-
cluded by ordering them to leave his presence, and await his pleasmc,
The drayhy's eyes flashed, and !iis nostrils dilated, but recollecting him-
self, he slowly retired. For two days and nights they remained in tlicir
apartment, hearmg and seeing nothing. On the third day, the drayhy
sent a message to the king ; his only reply was the sight of twenty-live
armed n jgroes, who ranged themselves before the door. Again ho sent
to Ebn Sihoud, demanding the right to speak to him. The Wahabee
granted an audience, but left them standing, and without respondhig t .>
their gri'otiug, roughly asked what they wanted. The drayhy replied

r"'

TIIK KINO OP THE WAilABEKS.

467

with dignity, saying thiit on the Htruot^th of his proinisus, ho had come
witit only ten men whilu curnmantling thoiisantls of warrioi'H : ho might
crush thoni like ashcH, but from the frontier of India to tite frontier of
Nctljid, in Persia, in Bus-sora, in Mesopotamia, llemad, the two Syriaa,
(lalilee, and Iloran, every man wlio wore tlie kaftan would take ven-
geance for his doatli. He appealed to liis honor, to restore liim to his
country, and o]>enly contend with him, and continued his remarks with
Aiisurances that his death would not diminish his tribe, nor extinguish
the race of Cholan. The king gradually calmed himself ailer this ha-
rangue, and said : " Go in peace ; nothing but good will happen to you."

Next day, Ebn Sihoud sent for them, and received, them very gra-
ciously, and presently asked the drayhy about the persons who accom-
panied him. Fatallah trembled, for ho knew the prejudices of the Wa-
habce. When the drayhy named him, the king, turning toward him,
said : " You are, then, Abdallah, the Ciu-istian ?" On his answering m
the affirmative, the king continued : " I see that your actions are much
greater than your stature." Ailer some further remarks, he demanded
the object of the alliance they had been i-iborujg so many years to ac-
coinplisb. Fatallah stated the desire of uniting all the Bedouins of Syrijl
under the command of the drayhy to resist the power of the Turks ; that
they had fought against the armies of Ebn Sihoud at llama, simply be-
cause they were an obstacle td their projeX5ts. They were laboring for
the drayhy ; his power once ostablished in Syria, Mesopotamia, and to
the coniines of Persia, they were willing to enter into alliance with the
kiiif?, and become invulnerable in the {)ossession of entire liberty. For
this purpose they had now come, and had proved the sincerity of their
intentions. The krng's countenance clearc*! up as Fatallah spoke, and
when he hud ceased, ht3 expressed his satistLction. Then turning to his
slaves, he ordered three cuj)9 of coftet', which, among the Bedouins, is a
mark of tiie highest consideration. The reet of the visit passed off well,
and they retired well satisfied.

'■.So delighted was I Avith the recovery of my liberty," says Fatallah,
"tliiit 1 spent all the next day in walking about and visiting every part
of l);»rkiwh and its environs. Tlic town, built of white stone, contains
idvcn thousand uihabitants, almost all khismen, ministers, or generals of
Klin Sihoud. No artizans are found there. The only trades exercised
in the town are tliose of armorers and farriern. and fiiw persons are eii-
)li\\icii even in them. Nothing is to be purchased, not even food, for
which every one depends on his own means — that is to say, upon an
estate or garden, prod'ucing corn, vegetables, and fruits, and affording
nourishment to a few fowls. Their numerous herds browse in the plain ;
;unl every WeilneNday the inhabitants of Yemen and Mecca as.senible to
exchange their merchandise for cattle ; a specie's of fair, which forms the
sole commerce of the country. The women appear unvailed, but throw
their black mantles oVer their faccfc — a very disgra'^eful custom: they
»r" generally ugly and ox<;efisivcIy dark-complexioned. The gardens,

468

DE LASGARIS'S SECRBT MISSION.

situated in n charming valley near the town, on tlie opposite side to that

by whioh we had entered, produce the finest fruits in the world

bananas, oranges, punicgranates, figs, apples, melons, etc., intermixed
with barley and maize — and are carefully watered.

'* The next morning, the king again summoned us to him, received
us very graciously, and questioned me closely respecting the various
European sovereigns, especially Napoleon, for whom he testified great
admiration. Nothing delighted him so much as the recital of the cm-
pcror's conquests ; and happily my frequent intercourse with M. Lascaris
liud furnished me with many details to entertain him with. At the
.iccount of every battle, ho would exclaim — ' Surely this man is an emis-
sary of God : I am persuaded ho must bo in intimate communion with
his Creator, since ho is thus singularly favored.' His affability toward me
having gradually but rapidly increased, he suddenly changed the subject
of conversation, and said at last, ' Abdallah, I desire to hear the truth
from you : what is the basis of Christianity ?' Aware of the Wahabee's
prejudicofl, I trembled at this question ; but mentally praying for Divine
inspiration, 'The basis of all religion, O son of Sihoud!' I said, 'is belief
in God. The Christians deem, as you do, that there is one only God,
the Creator of the universe ; who punishes the wicked, pardons the peni-
tent, and recompenses the good ; that He alone is great, merciful,
.ind almighty.' ' Very well,' said he ; ' but how do you pray ?' I re-
peated the Pater-noster; ho niado his secretary write at my dictation,
read and re-read it, and placed it inside his vest ; then, pursuing his in-
terrogatory, asked mo to which side we turned to pray. ' We pray on
all sides,' answered I, ' for God is everywhere.' 'That opinion I entirely
approve,' said he ; ' but you must have precepts as well as prayers.' I
repeated the ten commandments given by God to His prophet Moses,
which ho appeared to know, and continued his inquiries. ' And Jesus
Christ — in wlrit light do you consider him ?' ' As the Incarnate Word
of God.' ' Bat he was crucified ?' ' As the Divine Word, he could not
die ; but as man, he suffered for the sins of the wicked.' ' That is mar-
velous. And the sacred book which God inspired through Jesus Christ,
is it revered among you? do you exactly conform to this doctrine?'
' We preserve it with the greatest reverence, and in all things obey its
injunctions.' 'Tlic Turks,' said ho, 'have made a god of their prophet,
and pray over his tomb like idolaters. Cursed be those who ascribe to
the Creator an equal ! may the saber exterminate them !' The king ^)■
peared delighted with our conversation, and said to me — 'I see that we
may always learn something. I have hitherto believed the Christians to
be the most superstitious of men ; but I am now convinced that they ap-
proach much nearer to the true religion t^..ii the Turks.' "

For several days tlioy met I., '"•'•ot conclave with Ebn Sihoud, and
an alliance was conclu<led between »um and the «irayhy to their mutual
■atisfaction, the king declaring that their two bodies should be hence-
forth directed by one sou). lie then invited them, for the first time, to

DEATH OF DE LASCARIS.

459

cat with him, and tasted each dish before it was offered to them. " As
he had never seen any one eat otherwise than with their fingers," says
Fatallah, " I carved a spoon and fork out of a piece of wood, spread my
handkerchief for a napkin, and ate my dinner after the European fashion,
which highly diverted him. * Thanks be to God!' said he, 'every
nation believes its customs the best possible, and each is therefore con-
tent with its condition.' "

When they returned to their tribe and had recovered from their
fatigues, M. Lascaria told Fatallah that all was accomplished and
they must now return to give an account of their mission. They left,
their friends, in the hope of soon seeing them, at the head of the ex-
pedition to which they had opened the way. They reached Constantir
nople in April, afler ninety days' traveling, frequently across tracts of
snow. Constantinople was ravaged by the plague, and during three
months spent in quarantine they heard of the burning of Moscow. M.
Lascaris was in despair, and r t length determined to return to Syria,
there to await the issue of events. They embarked, but a violent storm
drove thcra to Chios, where they again encountered the plague. Having
lost their property in the tempest, and being cut off from external com-
munication by the contagion, they were nearly without clothing, and
exposed to the greatest privations. Communications being at length
restored, M. Lascaris went to a conference with Generals Lallemand and
Savary, at Smyrna, and allowed Fatallah meanwhile to visit his mother,
whom he had not seen for six years.

Wliile staying at Latakia with his mother, and daily expecting the
arrival of a ship which might convey him to Egypt, whither M. Las-
caris had ordered him to repair, Fatallah saw a French brig of war
enter the port, and hastened to inquire for letters. Ttut the letters
only brought the aflicting intelligence of the decease of hia benefactor
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DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON'S

EXPEDITION TO CENTRAL AFRICA

After the unsuccessful attempt of Messrs. Ritchie and Lyon to pe-
netrate to the interior of Afrif.a, in 1819, the British govoninient deter-
mined to fit out an expedition on a more liberal sca.e, for the j)urpo3cj
of establishing friendly and commercial relations with somo of the al-
most unknown countries of Soudan. Dr. Oudney first volunteered his
services, and, while his phn was under consideration, met with Lieu-
tenant Clapperton, of the royal navy, in Edinburg, in the year 1820.
He communicated his desijrn tr the latter, who immediately expressed
his desire to be associated with him, and the offer was accepted by Lord
Hathurst, then Secretary of State. While the preparations for the ex-
pedition were going forward, Major IV'nham volunteered to undertake
a journey across the Desert to Timbuctoo, but was afterward, at his own
request, associated with Oudney and Clapperton, and received the com-
mand of the expedition.

On arriving at J^Ialta, Denham cngagt-d the services of William Ilill-
inan, a shipwright in the dock-yard at La Valetta, the latter having vol-
unteered his scrvicti on condition of receiving £120 a year. Oudney
and Clapperton had already proceeded to Tripoli, where Denham ar-
rived on the 18th of No-^-mber, 1821. The three travelers immediately
called upon the pasha, who received them kindly, and promised to for-
ward the party safely into the interior. They were detained, however,
for three or four months, before their preparations were completed, and
a flivorable opportunity occurred for proceeding to Mourzuk, the capital
of Fezzan. "On the 5th of March, 1822," says Major Denham, " I left
Tiipoli for Benioleed, to join my two companions, who had advanced
thither with our servants, horses, camels, and baggage. Tliey had gone
on to Memoom, a very pretty valley, which, at this season of the year,
was fjreen with herbage, and adorned by flowers of various hues and
colors, richly scattered in beautiful disorder — but it was the last of tlie
kind \vc were fortunate enough to meet with between thLi place and
Bomou."

404

TRAVELS OP DKNIIAM AND CLAPPERTON.

After fniirtpon days' travel they reachcil Sockna, a town ahont half.
way betwocn Tripoli and Mourzuk. They were mot by the govomor
and principal inhabitants, accompanied by somo hundreds of tlic coun-
try peojjlc, who crowded around their horses, kissing their hands, and
Avelcoming them with every appearance of sincerity and satisfaction.
Tins reception was very encouraging to them, as they had determined
on setting out, to wear the Frank dress, and to pass for Englishmen and
Christians, on all occasions. While walking in the streets of Sockna,
two boys accosted them, saying that a beautiful woman wished to hco
them. "We put ourselves under their guidance," writes Denham, "and
entering a better sort of dwelling-house, were quickly surrounded by at
least half a dozen ladies, most of them aged ; but who asked us a thou-
sand questions, and, when satisfied wo were not dangerous, called
several yoimger ones, who appeared to be but waiting for permis.sion to
appear. Our dresses and ourselves were then minutely examined. The
yellow buttons on our waistcoats, and our watches, created the greatest
astonishment ; and a pair of loose white trowsers that I wore, into tho
pockets of which I accidentally put my hands, raised their ciniosity to
a w6nderful degree : my hands were pulled out, and those of three or
four of the ladies thrust in, in their stead ; these were replaced by others
all demanding their use so loudly and violently, that I had considerable
difficulty in extricating myself, and was glad to mako my escape,"

The remaining half of the Journey to Mourzuk was more difficult
and dangerous than the first. They were sometimes two or three davs
without finding a supply of water, which was generally muddy, bitter,
and brackish ; in addition to which they encountered a severe sand-
storm. The spot was pointed out to them, strewed with bones and
dried carcases, where, the year before, fifty sheep, two camels, and two
men perished from thirst and fatigue, when within eight hours' march
of a well which the travelers were then anxiously looking for. On the
7th of April they arrived at a village in tho midst of a vast multitude of
palm-trees, just one day's journey shoit of Mourzuk. They had ne-
glected sending word to advise the Suhan of their approach, and their
reception, consequently, was less brilliant than at Sockna. As they drew
near the walls of the city, the next afternoon, they halted to await tho
return of a messenger whom they had dispatched to give notice of their
arrival. After half an hour's delay, the governor of the town came out,
and in the sultan's name requested that they would accompany him to
the house which had been prepared for them, adding, to their great
surprise, that the English consul was there already. " The fact was,"
Major Denham adds, " that a very ill-looking Jew servant of mine,
mounted on a white mule, with a pair of small canteens under him, had
])receded the camels and entered the town by himself. lie was received
with great respect by all the inhabitants — conducted through the streets
to the house which was destined to receive us ; and from the circura-
stance of the canteens being all covered with brass shining nails, a very

DELAT AT MOUBZUK.

465

high idea of his consequence was formed. Ho very sensibly received all
their attentions in uilcnce, and drank the cool water and milk which was
handed to him : and we always had the laugh against thum afterward,
fur having shown so much civility to an Israelite — a race they heartily
despise. ' Wo thought tho English,* said they, ' were better looking
than the Jews— death to their race I — but then God made us all, though
not all handsome like Mussulmen, so who could tell ?' "

Their interview with tho sultan of Fezzan was any thing but en-
couraging. He told them that there was no intention, as they had been
led to expect, of any expedition to proceed to the southward for some
time to come ; that an army could only move in the spring of the year ;
that the arrangements fur moving a body of men through a country
where every necessary must be carried on camels, both for men and
horses, were so numerous, that before the following spring it was scarcely
possible to complete them, as two camels were required for every man
and horse, and one for every two men on foot. He read to them tho
letter of the Pasha of Tripoli, in which it M'as stated that they were
commended to his protection, and were to be permitted to reside in
Mourznk, or any other part of Fezzan, until he (the sultan) had paid a
visit to Tiipoli. The travelers returned to their house with very dis-
heartened feelings. Tho heat was intense, tho thermometer standing at
97° in the shade.

In a few days after this their hopes were revived by a visit from a
rich native merchant, named Boo-Khaloom, who was on the eve of start-
ing for Tripoli, with handsome presents for the pasha. His secret er-
rand was to obtain the removal of Mustapha, the sultan, who, he well
knew, was employing his emissaries in Tripoli to have his head taken
off after his arrival there. Boo-Khaloom desired to accompany the
travelers to Bornou ; his own caravnn, with the merchants who would
join him, would bo suflicient protection for them. Soon after this con-
versation, he left for Tripoli, and was followed, in a few days, by the
sultan, who not only stripped Mourzuk of its stores of supplies, but took
with him all the camels that were to be had. Thus the exi)edition was
deprived of the means of proceeding further, and it was immediately
decided that Major Denham should return to Tripoli, in order to pro-
cure the necessary animals and supplies there.

Leaving Mourzuk on the 20th of May, accompanied only by his ne-
gro servant Barc.n, and two Arabs, he set out, making tho journey in
twenty Ouys. Denham at once applied for an audience with tho pasha,
to whom he represented, in the strongest terms, their disappointment at
the delay, and requested that he should fix a specified time for their de-
parture for Bornou. " A voyage to Marseilles, on my way to England,
was the consequence of our altercation with the pasha ; and the prompti-
tude with which i! \v,')s decided upon and carried into effect, by means
of a small Frencii vessel, which, at the time, most fortunately lay in the
harbor, was not a itliou': its good effects. The pasha sent three dispatches

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466

TRAVELS OP DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON.

after me, by three different vessels, to Leghorn, Malta, and the port I
had sailed to, which I received in quarantine, informing mo that Boo.
Khaloom was appointed with an escort to convey us forthwith to Bor-
nou. This was every thing I wished for ; and immediately re-embarking
a seven days' passage brought me once more to the shores of Barbary."
Accompanied by Boo-Khaloom, the traveler started for Mourzuk, by
way of Sockna, where he arrived on the 2d of October. Boo-Khaloom's
weakness wf s a love of pomp and show, and he entered the town in great
state, mounted on a white horse which the Pasha of Tripoli had given
him. Two or three days afterward he became seriously ill. and insisted
on Major Denham prescribing for him, saying : " I am quite sure you
can cure me, if it is the will of God that I shall live ; if not, nobody
can." The prescriptions were finally successful, although his life was
despaired of for two days.

They entered Mourzuk on the 30th of October. Boo-Khaloora, who
was a truly charitable and benevolent man, was so popular in the place,
that on his returning to it not only safe, but standing high in the pasha's
favor, half of the inhabitants came out to meet him, shouting and singing,
to express their joy. Major Denham was disappointed that none of his
friends cime out to meet him, but soon learned that they had all been
very ill Avith fever and ague, from which Clapperton had not yet recov-
ered. During his absence, they had made a journey to Ghraat, the chief
t?wn of the Tuarick tribe, situated in the desert, twenty days' journey
west of Mourzuk. They were now happily united, and at once set about
preparing for their further travels. The party consisted of thirteen per-
sons — Denham, Clapperton, and Oudney ; Hillm.an, the carpenter ; a
native of 3t. Vincent, who, on accoimt of his voyages around the globe,
was nicknamed Columbus ; a Gibraltar Jew, who acted as storekeeper ;
three free negro servants, and four camel-drivers. They were also ac-
companied by several merchants from Mesurata, Tripoli, Sockna, and
Mourzuk, who gladly embraced the protection of their escort to proceed
to the interior with their merchandize. The procuring of camels and
supplies for the long journey across the desert, occupied some time, and
the caravan did not leave Mourzuk, finally, until the 29th of November.

In three days they arrived at Gatrono, whither Oudney, Clapperton,
:hi(1 Hillman had already proceeded, hoping to improve their health by
the change of air. Denham found them still sick, however, especially
the last, who had been twice given over by the doctor. They moved on
slowly to the town of Tegorry, the last i)laco in Fezzan, and there halted
three or four days to rest the sick, as beyond this they should travel for
fifteen days over a desert, where it would be necessary to march from
sunrise until dark. There is a well near the gate of the fortress of Te-
gerry, the water of which, the travelers were gravely informed, always
rose when a caravsin was coming near the town. The inhabitants stated
that they always prepared what they had to sell, on seeing this water
increase in bulk, for it never deceived them. " In proof of this asser-

MARCH ACROSS THE DESERT.

467

tion," says Major Denham, " thoy pointed out to me how much higher
the water had been pre\ious to our arrival than it was at the moment we
were standing on the brink. This I could have explained by the num-
ber of camels tliat had drunk at it, but I saw it was better policy to be-
lieve what every body alloAved to be true Even Boo-Khaloom exclaim-
ed : ' Allah ! God Is great, powerful, and Avise ! How wonderful I
Oh !' »

On the 13th of December the caravan left Tegerry, and entered on
a desert plain, where the sick were constantly disheartened by the sight
of the skulls and skeletons of men who had perished on the sands. On
the 22d Denham write? : *' During the last two days, we have passed on
an average from sixty to eighty or ninety skeletons each day ; but the
numbers that lay about the wells at El-Hammar were countless. Those
of two women, whose perfect and regular teeth bespoke them young,
were particularly shocking; their arms still remained clasped around
each other as they had expired, although the flesh had long since per-
ished by being exposed to the burning rays of the sun, and the black-
ened bones only left. The nails of the fingers, and some of the sinews of
the hand, also remained, and part of the tongue of one of them still ap-
peared through the teeth." Two days aftor this, one of Denhaia's she-
camels foaled, and he looked forward to enjoying the milk, which, the
Arabs assured him, she would have in abundance ; but all at once the
animal suddenly fell and died. " The evil-eye — the evil-eye !" the Arabs
exclaimed, and some of them added : " She was sure to die. I knew
it." — " Well, if she had been mine, I would rather have lost a child, or
three slaves !" — " God be praised ! God is great, powerful, and wise :
those looks of the people are always fatal."

On the 1st of January, 1823, thoy reached a little oasis called Wady
Ikbar, and were cheered by the sight of doum-palms laden with fruit,
and grass in abundance. Three days more brought them to the village
of Anay, the first Tibboo town, which is built upon the summit of a sand-
stone rock, a hundred feet high. The inhabitants ascend by means of
ladders, which they draw up after them, whenever they are attacked by
their enemies, the Tuaricks. The Sultan of the Tibboos was visiting
anotlier village in the neighborhood, and sent word to Boo-Khaloom
tliat he would join the caravan and keep company with him as far as
Bilma, the capital of his country. He made his appearance the next
day. " He had neither much majesty nor cleanliness of appearance : he
came to Boo-Khaloom's tent, accompanied by six or seven Tibboos, some
of them really hideous. They take a quantity of snuff, both in their
months and noses ; their teeth were of a deep yellow ; the nose resem-
bles nothing so much as a round lump of flesh stuck on the face, and
the nostrils are so large that their fingers go up as far as they will reach,
in order to insure the snuff an admission into the head."

After entering the Tibboo country, the villages were numerous ; the
sterile, burning desert was exchanged for a broken country, intersected

468

TRAVELS OF DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON.

with deep and abrupt valleys, the beds of which were covered with grass
and trees. On approaching the villages, the inhabitants always camo
out to meet the travelers, and when within about fifty paces of the
horses fell upon their knees, singing and beating a sort of drum, which
always accompanies their rejoicing. They halted two days to rest at a
town called Dirkce. So many of Boo-Khaloom's camels had fallen on
the road that he determined to send out a marauding party to plunder
some more from the Tibboos — a proceeding wl'ich was sanctioned by tho
sultan, who, moreover, gave him instructions as to the proper route.
The party returned with thirteen, and for several nights afterward a
strict watch was kept, through fear that the owners would endeavor to
regain possession of them.

"On the 12th," continues tho narrative, "we reached Bilma, the
capital of the Tibboos, and the residence of their sultan, who, having
managed to get before and receive us, advanced a mile from the town
attended by some fifty of his men-at-arms, and double the number of tho
Bex we call fair. The men had most of them bows and arrows, and all
carried spears. They approached Boo-Khaloom, shaking them in tho
air over their heads, and after this salutation we all moved on toward
the town, the females dancing, and throwing themselves about with
screams and songs in a manner to us quite original. They were of a
superior class to those of the minor towns, some having extremely pleas-
ing features, while tho pearly white of their regular teeth was beautifully
contrasted with the glossy black of their skin, and the triangular flaps
of plaited hair which hung down on each side of their faces, streaming
with oil, with the addition of tho coral in the nose and large amber neck-
laces, gave them a very seduciiiuf appearance.

" I now for tho first time produced Captain Lyon's book in Boo-
Khaloom's tent, and on turning over tho prints of the natives, he swore,
and exclaimed, and insisted upon it, that he knew every face : ' This Avas
such a one's slave — that was his own ; ho was right ; ho knew it.
Praised be God for the talents he gave tho English ! they were shatr,
clever, exceedingly clever.' Of a landscape, however, I found that ho
had not the least idea, nor could I at all make him understand the in-
tention of the print of the sand-wind in tho desert, which is really so
well dcs'iribed by Captain Lyon's drawing ; he would look at it upside
down, and when I twice reversed it for him, ho exclaimed: 'Why!
why ! it is all the same !' A camel or a human figure was all I could
make him understand, and at those ho was all agitation and delight.
*Ag{b / wonderful !' Tho eyes first took his attention, then the other
features : at tho sight of the sword he exclaimed, ' Allah ! Allah !' and
on discovering the guns instantly asked, ' Where is the powder?' This
want of perception, as I imagined, in so intelligent a man, excited at first
my surprise ; but perhaps just the same would an European have felt
under similar circumstances."

Beyond Bilma the desert commenced again, and their route, for

FIRST SIGHT OP LAKE TCHAD.

469

several days, was over broad plains of billowy sand, without any lign of
vegetation. They sometimes found wells of bitter water in the hollows,
but frequently saw none for two or three days together. Many camels
fell and died on this march ; the heat was very oppressive ; but as the
sick were much better than they had been, the travelers were all in good
spirits.

By this time they had passed the latitude which is the northern limit
of the tropical rains, and "on the 27th," says Major Denham, "we ap-
peared to be gradually approaching something resembling vegetation :
Avc had rising sands and clumps of fine grass the \! hole way, and the
country was not unlike some of our heaths in England. Toward even-
ing the trees increased greatly in number, and where wo halted the
animals found abundance of food. The tuUoh-treea, the kossom (a very-
beautiful parasitic plant), and the herbage, were most refreshing to our
parched feelings, although in reality they were of the most dingy green
and stunted appearance."

RECEPTION IN BORNOU.

On the 31st there were still more marked signs of their approach to
Bornou. "We reached a well where some really sweet milk was
brought to us in inmiensely large basket bottles, some holding two gal-
lons or more. No traveler in Africa should imagine that this he could
not bear, or that could not be endured. It is wonderful how a man's
taste conforms itself to his necessities. Six months ago, camels' milk
would have acted upon us as an emetic ; now we thought it a most
refreshing and grateful cordial. The face of the country improved in
appearance every mile. We passed along to-day what seemed to us a
most joyous valley, smiling in flowery grasses, tulloh-trees, and kossom.
About mid-day, we halted in a luxurious shade, the ground covered with
creeping vines of the colocynth in full blossom, which, with the red
flowers of the kospom which drooped over our heads, made our resting-
place a little Arcadia." Boo-Khaloom now judged it expedient to • md
a .messenger in advance with letters to Shekh El-Kanemy, the chief of
Bornou, giving news of the approach of the expedition.

On the 4th of February, they reached the town of Lari, the inhabis-
ants of which fled in all directions, in the greatest "error, on perceiving
the caravan. " Beyond the town, however," says Major Denham, " was
an object full of interest to us, and the sight of which conveyed to my
mind a sensation so gratifying and inspiring, that it would be difficult in
language to convey an idea of its force or pleasure. Tlie great Lake
Tchad, glowing with the golden rays of the sun in its strength, appeared
to be within a mile of the spot on which we stood. My heart bounded
within me at this prospect, for I believed this lake to be the key to the
great object of our search, and I could not refrain from silently im-
ploring Heaven's continued protection, which had enabled us to pro-

470

TRAVELS OF DENIIAM AND OLAPPERTON.

ceed so far in health and strength, even to the accomplislunont of our
task. By suii-riso next morning I was on the borders of the hike, arniod
for the destruction of the multitude of birds, who, all unconscious of my
purpose, seemed to welcome our arrival. Flocks of geese and wild
ducks, of a most beautiful plumage, were quietly feeding at half pistol-
shot of where I stood. As I moved toward them they only chaiige<]
their places a little to the right or left, and appeared to have no idea of
the hostility of my intentions. PeUcans, cranes, four and five feet iii
height, gray, variegated and white, were scarcely so many yards from
my side, and a bird, between a snipe and a woodpecker, resembling
both and larger than either; immense spoonbills of a snowy whiteness,
widgeon, teal, yellow-legged plover, and a hundred species of unknown
water-iowl were sporting before me ; and it was long before I could
disturb the tranquillity of the dwellers on these waters by firing a gun.

LAKE TCHAD.

" In the evening I visited the town of Lari. It stands on an emi-
nence, and may probably contain two thousand inhabitants. The huts
are built of the rush which grows by vhe sides of the lake, have conical
tops, and look like Avell-thatched stacks of corn in England. They have
neat inclosures around them, made with fences of the same reed, and
passages leading to them like labyrinths. In the inclosure is a goat or
two, poultry, and sometimes a cow. The women were almost all spin-
ning cotton, which grows well, though not abundantly, near the town
and lake. The interior of the huts is neat. They are completely circu-

APPROACH TO KOUKA.

471

lar, with no admission for air or light, except at the door, which has a
mat by way of safeguard. I entered one of the best appearance,
although the owner gave me no smiles of encouragement, and followed
close at my heels, wath his spear and dagger in his hand. In one cor-
ner stood the bed, a sofa of rushes lashed together, and supported by
six poles, fixed strongly ui the ground. This was covered with the skina
of the tiger-cat and wild bull ; around the sides were hung the wooden
bowls used for water and milk : his tall shield rested against the wall.
The hut had a division of mat-work, one half being alloted to the female
part of the family."

Two days after this they arrived at the town of Woodie, Avhere, on
account of Boo-Khaloom and his Arabs, it was necessary to wait until
the shekh of Bornou should send his permission to proceed. The town
is about one mile west of the lake, and four days' march from Kouka,
the capital of Bornou. The people have fish and game in abundance,
and are very indolent, the men lying idly in their huts from morning till
night. After waiting four days, two of the shekh's oflicers arrived with
the necessary permission, and a present of some of the goroo nuts of
Soudan, which have an agreeably bitter taste, and are much esteemed
by the people of Tripoli. After eating these nuts, water has a grateful
davor, be it ever so bad. The Arabs call them the cofibe of the black
coimtry. Proceeding southward for two days more, through a fertile,
thickly-inhabited country, tbey came to a river called the Yeou — a
stream fifty yards wide, with a hard, sandy bottom, and flowing eastward
at the rate of three and a half miles an hour. The goods and passengers
of the caravan were ferried across in canoes, to which the bridles of the
horses and camels were attached, and the animals made to swim.

On the 16th of February the expedition halted within one hour's
march of Kouka, in order to make the entry in state next day. Major
Denham's accoimt of what then took place is too characteristic and in-
teresting to be omitted. " This was to us a momentous day," he writes,
" and it seemed to be equally so to our conductors. Notwithstanding
all the difficulties that had presented themselves at the various stages of
our journey, we were at last within a few short miles of our destination,
were about to become acquainted with a people who had never seen,
or scarcely heard of, a European, and to tread on groimd the knowledge
and true situation of which had hitherto been wholly unknown. Our
accounts of the state of this country had been so contradictory, that no
opinion could be formed as to the real condition or the numbers of its
inhabitants. The degree of credit r. hich might be attached to the dif-
ferent reports was nearly balanced in the scales of probability ; and we
advanced toward the town of Kouka in a most interesting state of un-
certainty whether we should find its chief at the head of thousands, or
be received by him under a tree, surrounded by a few naked slaves.

" These doubts, however, were quickly removed. I had ridden on
a short distance in front of Boo-Khaloom, with his train of Arabs, all

472

TRAVELS OF DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON.

mounted and dressed out in their best apparel, and, from the thickness
of the Tees, soon lost sight of them, fancying that the road could not
be mistaken. I rode still onward, and on approaching a spot less thickly
planted, was not a little surprised to see in front of me a body of several
thousand cavalry drawn up in line, and extending right and left as far as
I could see ; and, checking my horse, I awaited the arrival of my party,
under the shade of a Avide-spreading acacia. The Bornou troops re-
mained quite steady, without noise or confusion ; and a few horsemen,
who were moving about in front giving directions, were the only persons
out of the ranks. On the Arabs appearing in sight, a shout or yell was
given by the shekh's people, which rent the air. A blast was blown from
their rude instruments of music equally loud, and they moved on to
meet Boo-Khaloom and his Arabs. There was an appearance of tact
and management in their movements which astonished me. Three sep-
arate small bodies, from the center and eacli flank, kept charging rapidly
toward us, to within a few feet of our horses' heads, without checking
the speed of their own, until the moment of their halt, while the whole
body moved onward. These parties were mounted on small but very
perfect horses, which stopped, and wheeled from their utmost speed with
great precision and expertness, shaking their spears over their heads,
and exclaiming: '■Blessing! blessing! sons of your country! sons of
your country .'' and returning quickly to the front of the body, in order
to repeat the charge. While all this was going on, they closed in their
right and left flanks, and surrounded the little body of Arab warriors so
completely, as to give the compliment of welcoming them very much
the appearance of contempt for their weakness. I am quite sure this
was premeditated. We were all so closely pressed as to be nearly
smothered, and in some danger from the crowding of the horses and
the clashing of the spears. Moving on was impossible, and we therefore
came to a full stop. Our chief was much enraged, but it was all to no
purpose ; he was only answered by shrieks of ' Welcome !' and spears
most unpleasantly rattled over our hca>.«, expressive of the same feeling.
This annoyance was not, however, of long duration. Barca Gana, the
shekh's first general, a negro of a noble aspect, clothed in a figured silk
tobe and mounted on a beautiful Mandara horse, made his appearance ;
and after a little delay the rear was cleared of those who had pressed
in upon us, and we moved on.

" The shekh's negr'^es, as they were called, meaning the black chiefs
and favorites, all raised to that rank by some deed of bravery, were
habited in coats of mail composed of iron chain, which covered them
from the throat to the knees, dividing behind, and coming on each side
of the horse : some of them had helmets, or rather skull-caps, of the
same metal, w4th chin-pieces, all sufficiently strong to ward off the shock
of a spear. Their horses' heads were also defended by plates of iron,
brass, and silver, just leaving suflicient room for the eyes of the animal.

*' At length, on arriving at the gate of the town, ourselves, Boo*

CEREMONIES OP RECEPTION.

473

Khaloom and about a dozen of his followers, wcro alone allowed to enter
the gates ; and wo proceeded along a wide street completely lined with
Bpearmen on foot, with cavalry in front of them, to the door of the shekh's
residence. Here the horsemen were formed up three deep, and we
came to a stand : some of the chief attendants came out and after a great
many ^Jiarcuf barca's f^ retired, when others performed the same

BODT-OUARD OF THE SHEKH OF BORNOU.

ceremony. We were now again left sitting on our horses in the sun:
Boo-Khaloom began to lose all patience, and swore by the pasha's head
that he would return to the tents if he was not immediately admitted.
He got, however, no satisfaction but a motion of the hand from one of
the chiefs, meaning ' wait patiently ;' and I whispered to him the ne-
cessity of obeying, as we were hemmed in on all sides, and to retire
without permission would have been as difficult as to advance. Barca

474

TRAVELS OP DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON.

Gana now appeared, and juado a Hii^ii tliat Hoo-Khaloom Bhould dis-
mount : we were about to follow his example, wlien an intimation that
Boo-Klialooni was alone to be ailmitted again lixed \i3 to our saddles.
Another half hour at least passed without any news from tlie interior of
the building, when the gates opened and the lour Englishmen only were
called for, and we advanced to the entrance. Hero we were stopped
most unceremoniously by the black guards in waithig, and were allowed,
one by one only, to ascend a staircase ; at the top of which we More
acfain brought to a stand by crossed spears, and the open flat hand of a
negro laiil upon our breasts. Boo-Khaloom came from the inner eluim-
ber, and asked, ' If Ave wero prepared to sahite the shekh as we did the
pasha ?' We replied, ' Certainly ;» which was merely an inclination of
the head, and laying the right hand on tho heart. He advised our lay-
ing our hands also on our heads, but wo replied that the thing was iiii-
possible — we had but one manner of salutation for any body, excejjt our
own sovereign.

" Another parley now took place, but in a minute or two he retumod,
and we were ushered into the presence of this Shekh of Spears. We
found him in a small dark room, sitting on a carpet, plainly dressed in a
blue robe of Soudan and a shawl turban. Two negroes were on each
side of him, armed with pistols, and on his carpet lay a braco of these
instruments. His personal appearance was prepossessing, apparently not
more than forty-five or forty-six, with an expressive countenance and a
benevolent smile. We delivered our letter fi'om the pasha, and after he
had read it he inquired, 'What was our object in coming?' "We
answered, ' To see the country merely, and to give an account of its in-
habitants, produce, and appearance, as our sultan was desirous of know-
ing every part of the globe.' His reply was that we wero welcome, ami
whatever he could show us would give him pleasure ; that he had or-
dered huts to be built for us in the town, and that we might then go,
accompanied by one of his people, to see them. When we had recov-
ered from the fatigue of our long journey, he would be happy to see us
again. With this we took our leave."

The huts were little round mud buildings, inclosed within a wall, not
far from the shekh's residence. Here the travelers, greatly fatigued with
their entree, retired ; but the huts were immediately crowded with curi-
ous visitors, and the heat was insufferable. The next day at noon they
received a summons to attend the shekh, and carried with them their
presents, consisting of a double-barreled gun, a pair of pistols, two
pieces of superfine broadcloth, red and blue, a set of china, and two bun-
dles of spices. The ceremonies of entering the presence were even more
ridiculous and annoying than on the preceding day. They passed be-
tween double lines of attendants, who caught them by the legs when
they advanced too rapidly, jerked off their slippers, and seated them on
a raised bench of earth. The shekh received the presents with evident
satisfaction and again questioned them as to the object of their visit.

VYC

VISIT TO TUK SULTAN OF BOllNOU.

470

IIo was very much pleased with the aHsurance that the Kinpf of England
had heard of Hornou and of himself; and, uninediati'ly tnrnuig to his
couiiHelor, said, "This is in consuquenco of our defeatinjj; the Beg-
haiiuis;" upon which, the chief who had most distuiguislu'd himself in
the battles, IJagah Furby (the gatherer of horses), demunded, " Did he
ever hear of me ?" The immediate reply of " Certainly," did Avonders
for the travelers : there was a general exclamation, and the cry of " Ah,
thou, your king must bo a great man !" was repeated on every side.

After returning to their residence the travelers received presents of
bullocks, camel-loads of wheat and rice, leathern skms of butter, jars of
honey, bowls filled with a paste made of barley-flour, and great quanti-
ties of fresh fish. There was a market m front of one of the principal
gates of the town, which was attended by upward of fifteen thousand
people. The principal live stock sold liero was slaves, sheep, and bul-
locks : wheat, rice, and sugar-cane were abundant, together with taraar-
intls, ground nuts, onions, butter, sour milk, and honey. There was also
much leather, ocher, hidigo, and the skins of serpents and crocodiles.
Among other articles offered to Denham was a young lion, who walked
about imconcemedly, confined only by a small rope around his neck.

On the 2d of March, Boo-Khaloom went to a town called Birnie, for
the purpose of paying his respects to the Sultan of Bornou, who resides
there, and the travelers decided to accompany him They passed
tlirough Angornou, a town of about thirty thousand inhabitants, sixteen
miles from Koixka. Two miles beyond it was Birnie, a walled town,
Ci/iitalnuig about ten thousand inhabitants. Here they were met by the
sultan's chamberlain, who ordered a large tent to be pitched for them,
and informed them that the sultan would receive them at sunrise the
next morning. In the evening, a most plentiful, if not delicate, repast
was brought them, consisting of seventy dishes, each of which would
have dined half a dozen persons of moderate appetites. The sultan him-
self jent ten, his wives thirty, and his mother tlxirty ; the meat consisted
of mutton and poultry, and was baked, boiled, and stewed.

" Soon after daylight," says Major Denham, " we were summoned to
attend the Sultan of Bornou. He received us in an open space in front
of the royal residence ; we were kept at a considerable distance, while
his people approached to within about one hundred yards, passing first
on horseback ; and after dismounting and prostrating themselves before
him, they took their places on tLe groimd in fi'ont, but with their backs
to the royal person, which is the custom of the country. He was seated
in a sort of cage of cane or wood, near the door of his garden, on a seat
which at the distance appeared to be covered with silk or satin, and
through the railing looked upon the assembly before him, who formed a
sort of semicircle extending from his seat to nearly where we were wait-
ing. Nothing could be more absurd and grotesque than the figures who
foimed this court. Large belUes and large heads are indispensable for
those who serve the court of Bornou; and those who unfort'/'.wtly

476

TRAVELS OP DBNIIAM AND CLAPPERTON.

possess not tho former by nature, or on whom lustiness will not be forced
by crannning, make up tho deficiency of protuberance by a wadding,
which, as they sit on tho horse, gives the belly tho curious appearance of
hanging over tho pummel of tho saddle. When tho courtiers, to the
number of about three hundred, had taken their seats in front of the
sultan, we were allowed to approach to within pistol-shot of tho spot
where he was sitting, and desired to sit down ourselves, when the ugliest
black that can bo imagined, his chief eunuch, the only person who ap-
proached the sultan's seat, asked for tho presents. Boo-Khaloora's Mere
produced, inclosed in a largo shawl, and were carried unopened to the
presence. Our glimpse was but a faint one of the sultan, through the
lattice-work of his pavilion, sufficient, however, to see that his turban
was larger than any of his subjects', and that his face, from tho nose
downward, was completely covered. Immediately after tho ceremony
we took our departure for Angernou."

On returning to Kouka, Dr. Oudney became very ill. The travelers
were greatly annoyed by the number of persons who crowded their huts
from morning till night. Every little thing, from tho compass to tho
pen and ink, from the watch to tho tin drinking-cups, excited their
curiosity ; and as they now became bolder, they seizeu iiold of cveiy
thing which they had formerly only eyed at a distance. It was not,
however, their curiosity alone which was excited — the possession was
coveted, either for themselves or the shekh, of every article. A copy of
Captain Lyon's book, the fame of which, had preceded the expedition, in
consequence of Dr. Oudney having shown it to some merchants at
Mourzuk, was demanded twenty times a day. It produced very differ-
ent eifects, but in all astonishment and suspicion. The shekh sent one
of his slaves to borrow it, that he might eeo it by stealth, not wishing
his people to know that ho had made the request. He also asked that
some rockets might be sent up, in order to surprise and overawe some
of tho Shouaas, his former enemies, who were then in Kouka. Tho
signal was given by his chamberlain lighting a wisp of straw on the roof
of the palace. The first rocket went up perpendicularly, with fine effect ;
the second, depressed a little, flew over the toM-n at the height of a hun-
dred yards, and bursting in its course, occasioned a universal scream,
which lasted for some seconds.

On the 10th of March, Major Denham writes: "This day I had a
little respite, ray visiting-list being much reduced in consequence of its
being market-day ; there was, as usual, an abundance of all necessaries,
though but few luxuries ; and, as the people got more accustomed to
my appearance, they became more familiar. One young lady, whose
numerous bracelets of elephant's teeth, heavy silver rings on each side
of her face, coral in her nose, and amber i:8cklace, proclaimed her a per-
son of wealth, nimbly jumped off her bullock and tore a corner from my
pocket-handkerchief, as she said, for a souvenir. I could do no less than
request her to accept the remainder of so useful an appendage, and I

EXCURSION TO LAKK TCHAD.

477

was happy to "ft' that tliin piece of f^alljintry was not lost, ovon upon
Bavnges. Thoy all chipped their hands and cried, 'Harca! barca!*and
the lady hers(^lf, whose hands and fa<!0 were really running down with
grciwe, so regardless was she of expense, generously poured into tho
sleeve of my shirt nearly a qtiart of ground nuts."

The next day Major Denhani received a summons from the shekh, to
whom a report had been made of a musical box, which played or stopped
merely by a motion of tho finger. "Tho messenger declared he was
dying to see it, and I must make haste. Tho wild exclamations of won-
der and screams of pleasure which this j)icce of mechanism drew from
the generality of my visitors were curiously contrasted in the person of
the intelligent shekh ; lie at first was greatly astonished, and asked sev-
eral questions, exclaiming, ' Wonderful ! Avonderful !' but the sweetness
of the Swiss ram dca vaches v. hich it ])layed at last overcame every
other feeling ; ho covered his face with his hand, listened in silence, and
on one man near him breaking tho charm by a loud «'xc''..^ ition, ho
struck him a blow which made all his followers tremble. He in tantly
asked if one twico as largo would not be better. I said : 'Yes, but it
would be twico as dear.' 'By Allah !' said he, * if one thmsand dollars
would purchase it, it would be cheap.' Who will deny Ihat nature has
given us .all a taste for luxuries ?"

The instrument '•v^as j)rcsented to the shekh, who was so delighted
that he gave Major Denham permission to visit Lake Tchad, and sent
seven of li. J servants to attend him. After a ride of fifteen miles, they
reached the shore of the lake, tho Avaters of which stretched away to
the horizon. In the grass marshes, thousands of cattle belonging to the
shekh were peacefully grazing. The traveler encamped near the water,
in spite of tho remonstrances of his attendants, but was soon driven away
by the swarms of mosquitoes which assailed him. In the evening, he saw
a herd of forty wild elephants. The next day, while ho was shooting
water-fowl, news of three very large elepharits was brought to him, and
he immediately resolved to attack them. " One was an immense fellow,
I should suppose sixteen feet high ; the other two were females, and
moved away rather quickly, while the male kept in tho rear, as if to
guard their retreat. Wc wheeled swiftly around him ; and Maraymy
casting a spear at him, which struck him just under tho tail, and seemed
to give him about as much pain as when wc prick our finger with a pin,
the huge beast throw up his proboscis in the air with a loud roar, and
from it cast such a volume of sand, that, unprepared as I was for such an
event, nearly blinded me. Tho elephant rarely, if over, attacks, and it
is only when irritated that he is dangerous ; but he will sometimes rush
upon a man and horse, after choking them with dust, and destroy them
in an instant."

After an absence of three days, Major Denham returned to Kouka,
where he received unwelcome news. " The horse which had carried me
from Tripoli to Mourzuk, and back again, and on which I had ridden the

478

TRAVELS OP DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON.

whole journey from Tripoli to Bornou, had dierl, a very few hours after
my departure for the lake. There are situations in a man's life in which
losses of this nature are felt most keenly; and this was one of them. It
was not grief, but it was something very nearly approaching to it ; and
though I felt ashamed of the degree of derangement which I suffered
from it, yet it was several days before I could get over the loss. Let it
be however remembered, that the poor animal had been my support and
comfort — may I not say companion ? — through many a dreary day and
night ; had endured both hunger and thirst in my service with the ut-
most patience ; was so docile, though an Arab, that he would stand still
foi hours in the desert, while I slept between his legs, his body affording
me the only shelter that could be obtained from the powerful influence
of a noonday sun ; he was yet the fleetest of the fleet, and ever foremost
in the race."

DENHAM'S MILITARY EXCURSION TO MANDARA.

The party had now been more than a month in Kouka, without hav-
ing made any apparent advance in the object of their mission. The de-
termination of the shekh seemed to be, not to permit them to go beyond
the borders of Bornou. They were not disheartened by the suspicion
and distrust with which they were met, but endeavored, by patience and
the utmost prudence in their conduct, to win by degrees the confidence
of the shekh and people. Their situation at this time was rendered more
embarrassing by difficulties which had arisen between Boo-Khaloom and
the other Arab chieftains. The shekh was planning an expedition against
the Fellatas living beyond Mandara, a country to the south of Bornou,
for the purpose of capturing slaves, and promised to Send Boo-Khaloom
and his men, with Barca Gana, who was to command the party. Major
Denham determined to go likewise, as the country to be visited was
entirely unknown ; but the shekh, at first, seemed determined to thwart
his wishes. On the 8th of April, the expedition, under Barca Gana,
proceeded to Angornou, whence it was to move southward on the 14tli.
Douham now lost no time in consulting one of the shekh's counselors,
who professed to be his friend, promising to give him $50 if he wouM
I)rocure a permit for him to go. He also had another interview with the
shokh, to whom he jestingly said that if he did not wish him to go, he
must put him in irons. These promises and importunities were not wth-
out effect ; the same night, Maraymy, one of the sultan's black slaves,
wiio had accompanied Major Denham to Lake Tchad, came to liiiu after
midnight, and urged him to le.ave at once for Angornou. On the way
thither, Maraymy stated, confidentially, that the shekh had desired him
not to leave him, but that, if Denham persisted in joining the expedition,
he was to conduct him to the camp as quickly as possible, and give him
into the charge of Barca Gana. I

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After sel

AFRICAN ORDER OF MARCH,

479

This hint was quite sufficient for Major Denham. They reached An-
gornou before sunrise, and, finding that the expedition had marched on
to a town altout thirty-five miles to the south, where it would halt a day,
determinca to resume their journey at once, and overtake it. On the
evening of the next day, the 1 7th, they reached a town called Merty,
near which they discovered the tents of the Bornouese camp. Maraymy
at once conducted Major Denham to Barca Gana, who, he says, " re-
ceived rae with a great deal of civility in his tent, although he kept me
several minutes waiting outside, until he had summoned his Jighi, or
charm-writer — an indispensable person — and one or two of his chiefs, to
attend him. ' If it Was the will of God,' he said, * I should come to no
harm, and Lo would do all in his power for my convenience.' A spot
was appointed for my tent near his own ; and I took my leave in order
to visit the Arabs. The cheers they all gave me, and the hearty shake
of the hand of Boo-Khaloom, made me regret that I was not to be
among them, in spite of all their bad qualities. Boo-Khaloom repeat-
edly exclaimed : ' I knew you would come ; I said you would by some
means or other join us.' "

The next morning the tents were struck before sunrise, and Major
Denham rode off by the side of Barca Gana, in full march for Mandara.
They advanced thirty-four miles that day, and reached a walled to^vn
called Deegoa, with a population of thirty thousand. The following is
the description of the order of march : " Chiefs in this part of Africa are
accompanied by as many personal followers as they think proper to
maintain, both r 3 horse and footmen : some of them form the band, if I
may so call it. Barca Gana had five mounted who kept close behind
him, three of whom carried a sort of drum, which hangs around their
necks, and beat time while they sang ejttempore songs ; one carried a
small pipe made of a reed, and the other blew, on a buffalo's horn, loud
and deep-toned blasts, as we moved through the>3Vood ; but by far the
most entertaining and useful were the running footmen, who preceded
the kashella, and acted as pioneers ; they were twelve in number, and
carried long forked poles, with which they, with great dexterity, kept
back the branches as they moved on at a quick pace, constantly keeping
open a path, which without them would really have been scarcely pass-
able. Besides, they were constantly crying out sometk. g about the
roail, or the expedition, as they went on. For example : ' Take care of
the holes ! — Avoid the branches ! — Here is the road ! — ^Take care of the
tulloh ; its leaves are like spears — worse than spears !' ' Keep off the
branches!' 'For wh-'m?' 'Barca Gana!' — 'Who in battle is like
rolling of thundoi'?' 'Barca Gana!' — 'Now for Mandara! — now for
the Kerdies! — now for the battle of spears! Who is our leader?'
' Barca Gana !' — ' Hero is the wady, but no water ! God be praised ! —
In battle, who spreads terror around him like a buffalo in his rage ?'
'Barca Gana!'"

After seveial days of severe travel, the heat being sometimes 113"

480

TRAVELS OP DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON.

in the shade, the army approached the capital of the country of Man-
dara, and received a message from the sultan, who stated that he would
meet it next day on his way to Mora, his residence. The first town of
Mandara was Delow, a place of ten thousand inhabitants. " About a
mile from his town," says Major Denham, *' we saw before us the Sultan
of Mandara, surrounded by about five hundred horsemen, posted on a
rising ground ready to receive us, when Barca Gana instantly com-
manded a halt. The sultan's guard was composed of thirty of his sons
all mounted on very superior horses, clothed in striped silk tobes, and
the skins of the tiger-cat and leopard forming their shabracks, which
hung fully over their horses' haunches. After these had returned to
their station in front of the sultan, we approached at full speed in our
turn, halting with the guard between us and the royal presence. Tlie
parley then commenced, and the object of Boo-Khaloora's visit having
been explained, we retired again to the place we had left ; while the sul-
tan returned to the town, preceded by several men blowing long pipes
not unlike clarionets, ornamented with shells, and two immense trum-
pets from twelve to fourteen feet long."

■

f^^^^BF <

ARRIVAL AT UORA, IN UANDARA.

"Toward evening," Denham continues, " Barca Gana sent to desire
me to mount, for the purpose of visiting the sultan. We entered the
town, Boo-Khaloom and myself riding on his right and left. At the

THE SULTAN OF MANDARA.

481

further end of a large square wag the sultan's palace. As is usual on
approaching or visiting a great man, we galloped up at full speed, almost
entering the gatos. This is a perilous sort of salutation, but nothing
must stop you : and it is seldom made, except at the expense of one or
more hvcs. On this occasion, a man and horse which stood in our way,
were ridden over in an instant, the horse's leg broken, and the man
killed on the spot. The trumpets sounded as we dismounted at the
palace gate ; our papouches, or outward slippers, were quickly pulled off;
and wo proceeded through a wide entrance, into a large court, where,
under a dark blue tent of Soudan, sat the sultan, on a mud bench, cov-
ereil, however, with a handsome carpet and silk pillows. He was sur-
rounded by about two hundred persons, all handsomely dressed in tobes
of silk and colored cotton, with his five eunuchs, the principal men of
the country sitting in front, but all with their backs turned toward him.
The manner of saluting is curious. Barca Gana, as the shekh'a repre-
sentative, approached to a space in front of the eunuchs, his eyes fixed
on the ground : he then sat down, his eyes still fixed on the earth, with
his back to the sultan, and, clapping his hands together, exclaimed :
♦ Engouborou dagah /' (May you live forever !) ^ Allah kiaro !'' (God
send you a haj^py old age !) 'ia, lai ? barca ! barca /» (How is it with
you ? blessing ! blessing !) These words were repeated nearly by the
sultan, and then sung out by all the court.

" The sultan, whoso name was Mohammed Bukr, was an intelligent
little man of about fifty, with a beard dyed of a most beautifiU sky-blue.
He had been eyeing me for some time, as I sat between Boo-Khaloom
and Barca Gana, and first asking Boo-Khaloom his name, inquired who
I was ? The answer that I was a native of a very distant and powerful
natio.i, friends of the pasha of Tripoli and the shekh, who came to see
the country, did not appear much to surprise him ; and he looked graci-
ous as he said : ' But what does he want to see ?' A fatal question fol-
lowed, however, and the answer appeared to petrify the whole assembly.
— ' Aie they Moslem ?♦ * La ! la /* (No ! no !) Every eye, which had
before been turned toward me, was now hastily withdrawn, and, looking
round, I really felt myself in a critical situation. * Has the great pasha
infidel friends ?' asked the sultan. Tlie explanation which followed was
of little use: they knew no distinctions: Christians they had merely
heard of as the worst people in the world, and probably, until they saw
me, scarcely believed them to be human. We shortly after returned to
our camp, and I never afterward was invited to enter the Sultan of Man-
dara's presence."

It had been Boo-Khaloom's expectation that he would be sent against
some of the Kerdies, or tribes of negroes who inhabit the mountains, in
order to capture slaves : but he soon discovered that the intention of the
Shekh of Bornou, aided by the Sultan of Mandara, was to send him
against the warlike Felatahs, and give his Arabs a taste of their arrows
and spears. The people of a country called Musgow, lying to the south-
Si

482

TRAVELS OF DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON.

east of ManJara, supposed the expedition was directed against them,
and, to propitiate the sultan, sent him a present of two hundred slaves,
and fifty horses. Major Denham says of these people : " I saw them on
their leaving the sultan's palace ; and both then, and on their entrance,
they threw themselves on the groimd, pouring sand on their heads, and
uttering the most piteous cries. On their heads, which were covered
with long woolly, or rather bristly hair, coming quite over their eyes
they wore a cap of the skin of the goat, or some fox-like animal, and
around the necks of each were from one to six strings of what I was
assured were the teeth of the enemies they had slain in battle : teeth
and pieces of bone were also pendant from the clotted locks of thnir
hair, and, with the red patches with which their bot.ies were marked in
diiFerent places (which color also their own teeth were stained), they
really had a most strikingly wild and savage appearance. What very
much increased the interest I felt in gazing upon these beings, who were
the most savage of their race, was the positive assertion of Boo-Khaloom
that they were Christians ! Some of them, however, begging permission
to regale themselves on the remains of a horse, which had died during
the night in our camp, gave me, as I thought, an unanswerable argument
against him. I can scarcely, however, at this moment forget how dis-
concerted I felt when he replied : ' That is nothing : I certainly never
heard of Christians eating dead horse-flesh, but I know that they eat the
flesh of swine, and God knows that is worse !' "

After several more days of delay, during which a violent hurricane
passed over the valley, tearing up trees, loosening rocks from the mount-
ain sides, and prostrating the tents of the army, the order was given to
advance. The united troops, commanded by Barca Gana and the Sul-
tan of Mandara, moved on through the pass of Hairey, in the Mandara
Mountains. The road lay through a narrow glen, surrounded by rugged
mountains, which, for picturesque appearance, might be compared to the
Jura or the Apennines. The next day they entered the pass of Ilorza,
which was only about five hundred yards wide, overhung on either
side by precipices of naked rock two thousand five hundred feet high.
On encamping that night preparations were made for an attack on the
Felatahs, who were Saift to be only sixteen miles distant. The chiefs
])ut on their closely-linked shirts of iron mail, and the hammers of the
clumsy native armorers rang through the camp all night.

• To resume the narrative. " As the day broke on the morning of the
28th of April, a most interesting scene presented itself. The Sultan of
Mandara was close on our f ank, mounted on a very beautiful cream-
colored horse, with several large red marks about him, and followed by
his six favorite eunuchs, and thirty of his sons, all finely dressed and
mounted on really superb horses. Barca Gana's people all wore their
red scarfs, or bornouses, over their steel jackets, and the whole had a
very fine eifect. I took my position at his right hand, and at a spot
called Duggur we entered a very thick wood, in two colamns, at the

BATTLE "WITH THE FELATAHS.

488

end of which it was said we were to find the enemy. * ♦ * On
emerging from the wc .^d, the large Felatah town of DirkuUa was per-
ceivable, and the Arabs were formed in front, headed by Boo-Khaloom ;
they were flanked on each side by a large body of cavalry, and as they
moved on, shouting the Arab war-cry, which is very ins )iring, I thought
I could perceive a smile pass between Barca Gana and his chiefs, at Boo-
Khaloom's expense. DirkuUa was quickly burned, and another smaller
town near it ; and the few inhabitants who were found in them, who
were chiefly infants and aged persons unable to escape, were put to
death without mercy, or thrown into the flames."

They now came to a third town, called Musfeia, built in a very strong
position between two low hills, with a swamp in front, beyond which
were several deep ravines, impassable for more than two or three horse-
men at a time. The town was also surrounded with a strong fence of
pointed palissades, fastened together with thongs of raw hide. The
Arabs, unsupported by either the Bomou or Mandara troops, moved on
gallantly, and, in spite of showers of poisoned arrows, drove away the
Felatahs, who retreated up the hills, where they rolled down huge
masses of rock on their pursuers. Barca Gana, with about one hundred
spearmen, now moved up to the assistance of Boo-Khaloom ; but the
Sultan of Mandara, and the remainder of the army, kept out of the
reach of the arrows, on the other side of the ravines. "The Felatahs,
finally, seeing their backwardness, now made an attack in turn ; the
arrows fell so thick that there was no standing against them, and the
Arabs gave way. The Felatah horse now came on, and had not the
little band around Barca Gana and Boo-Khaloom, with a few of hij
mounted Arabs, given them a very spirited check, not one of us would,
probably, have lived to sec the following day. As it was, Barca Gana
had three horses hit under him, two of which died almost immediately,
the arrows being poisoned ; and poor Boo-Khaloom's horse and himself
received their death-wounds. My horse was badly wounded in the
neck, just above the shoulder, and in the near hind leg : an arrow had
struck me in the face as it passed, merely drawing the blood, and I had
two sticking in my bornous. No sooner did the Mandara and Bomou
troops see the defeat of the Arabs, than they, one and all, took to flight,
in the most dastardly manner, without having been once exposed to
the arrows of the enemy, and m the utmost confusion. The Sultan of
Manda*"" '^d the way.

" I now, for the first time, as I saw Barca Gana on a fresh horse, la-
mented my own folly in so exposing myself, badly prepared as I was for
accidents. If either of my horse's wounds were from poisoned arrows,
I felt that nothing could save me ; however, there was not much time
for reflection. We instantly became a flying mass, and phmged, in the
greatest disorder, into that wood we had but a few hours before moved
through with order, and very different feelings. I had got a little to
the westward of Barca Gana, in the confusion which took place on our

484

TRAVELS OF DBNHAM AND CLAPPBRTON.

passing the ravine, where upward of one hundred of theBomouesewcre
speared by the Felatahs, and was following at a round gallop the steps
of one of the Mandara eunuchs, who, I observed, kept a good look-out,
hb head being constantly turned over his left shoulder, with a face ex-
pressive of the greatest dismay, when the cries behind, of the Felatah
horse pursuing, made us both quicken our paces. The spur, however,
had the effect of incapacitating my beast altogether, as the arrow, I
found afterward, had reached the shoulder-bone, and in passing over
some rough ground he stumbled and fell. Almost before I was upon my
legs, the Felatahs were upon me. I had, however, kept hold of the
bridle, and seizing a pistol from the holsters, I presented it at two of
these ferocious savages, who were pressing me with their spears. They
instantly went off; but another, who came on me more boldly, just as
I was endeavoring to mount, received the contents somewhere in his left
shoulder, and again I was enabled to place my foot in the stirrup.
Remounted, I again pushed my retreat. I had not, however, proceeded
many hundred yards, when my horse again came down with such vio-
lence as to throw me against a tree at a considerable distance, and,
alarmed at the horses behind him, he quickly got up and escaped, leav-
ing me on foot and unarmed.

" The eunuch and his four followers were hero butchered, after a very
slight resistance, and stripped within a few yards of me. Their cries
were dreadful ; and even now the feelings of that moment are fresh in
my memory — my hopes of life were too faint to deserve the name. I was
almost instantly surrounded, and, incapable of making the least resistance
as I was unarmed, was as speedily stripped, and while attempting, first
to save my shirt and then my trowsers, I was thrown on the ground.
My pursuers made several thrusts at me with their spears, which badly
wounded my hands in two places, and slightly my body, just under the
ribs, on the right side ; indeed, I saw nothing before me but the same
cruel death I had seen unmercifully inflicted on the few who had fallen
into the power of those who now had passession of me ; and they were
alone prevented from murdering me, in the first instance, I am per-
suaded, by the fear of injuring the value of my clothes, which appeared
to them a rich booty — ^but it was otherwise ordained.

" My shirt was now absolutely torn off my back, and I was loft per-
fectly naked. When my plunderers began to quarrel for the spoil, the
idea of escape came like lightning across my mind, and without a
moment's hesitation or reflection I crept under the belly of the horse
nearest me, and started as fast as my legs could carry me for the thickest
part of the wood ; two of the Felatahs followed, and I ran on to the
eastward, knowing that our stragglers would be in that direction, but
still almost as much afraid of friends as foes. My pur& rsi gained on
me, for the prickly underwood not only obstructed my passage, but tore
my flesh miserably ; and the delight with which I saw a mountain-stream
gliding along at the bottom of a deep ravine can not be imagined. My

NARROW ESCAPE PROM DEATH.

485

strength had almost left me, and I seized the young branches issuing
from the stump of a large tree which overhung the ravine, for the pur-
pose of letting myself down into the water, as the sides were precipit-
ous, when, under my hand, as the branches yielded to the weight of my
body, a lurge liffa — the worst kind of serpent this country produces —
rose from its coil, as if in the very act of striking. I was horror-struck,
and deprived for a moment of all recollection — the branch slipped from
my hand, and I tumbled headlong into the water beneath. This shock,
however, revived mo, and with three strokes of my arms I reached the
opposite bank, which, with difficulty, I crawled up ; and then, for the
first time, felt myself safe from my pursuers.

" I now saw horsemen through the trees, still further to the east, and
determined on reaching them, if possible, whether friends or enemies ;
and the feelings of gratitude and joy with which I recognized Barca
Gana and Boo-Khaloom, with about six Arabs, although they also were
closely pressed by a party of the Felatahs, was beyond description.
The guns and pistols of the Arab shekhs kept the Felatahs in check,
and assisted in some measure the retreat of the footmen. I hailed them
with all my might ; but the noise and confusion which prevailed, from
the cries of those who were falling under the Felatah spears, the cheers
of the Arabs rallying, and their enemies pursuing, would have drowned
all attempts to make myself heard, had not Maraymy, the shekh's
nesrro, seen and known me at a distance. To this man I was indebted
for my second escape : riding up to me, he assisted me to mount be-
hind him, while the arrows whistled over our heads, and we then gal-
loped oif to the rear as fast as his wounded horse could carry us. After
wo had gone a mile or two, and the pursuit had somewhat cooled, in
consequence of all the baggage having been abandoned to the enemy,
Boo-Khaloom rode up to me, and desired one of the Arabs to cover me
with a houmous. This was a most welcome relief, for the burning sun
had already begun to blister my neck and back, and gave me the great-
est pain. Shortly after, the effect of the poisoned wound in his foot
caused our excellent friend to breathe his last : Maraymy exclaimed,
'Look! look! Boo-Khaloom is dead" I turned my head, almost as
great an exertion as I was capable of, ai-i saw him drop from the horse
into the arras of his favorite Arab — ^he never spoke after. They said he
had only swooned ; there was no water, however, to revive him, and
about an hour after, when we came to Makkeray, he was past the reach
of restoratives.

" On coming to the stream, the horses, with blood gushing from
their nostrils, rushed into the shallow water, and, letting myself down
from behind Maraymy, I knelt down among them, and seemed to im-
bibe new life by the copious draughts of the muddy beverage which
I swallowed. Of what followed I have no recollection ; Maraymy told
me afterward that I staggered across the stream, which was not above
my hips, and fell down at the foot of a tree on the other side. About

486

TRAVELS OF DENIIAM AND OLAPPERTON.

a quarter of an hour's halt took place here for the benefit of stragglers,
and to tie poor Boo-Khaloom's body on a horse's back, at the end of
which Maraymy awoke ine from my deep sleep, and I found my strength
wonderfully hicreased ; not so, however, our horse, for ho had become
stiff and could scarcely move. As I learned afterward, a conversation
had taken place about me while I slept, which rendered my obligations
to Maraymy still greater ; he liad reported to Barca Gana the state of
his horse, and the impossibility of carrying me on, when the chief, irri-
tated by his losses and defeat, replied : * Then leave him behind. By
the head of the prophet ! believers enough have breathed their last to-
day. What is there extraordinary in a Christian's death ?' My old an-
tagonist, Malem Chadilly, replied : ' No, God has preserved him ; let us
not forsake him.' Maraymy returned to the tree, and said ' his heart
told him what to do.' He awoke me, assisted me to mount, and we
moved on as before, but with totteruig steps and less speed. The eft'ect
produced on the horses that were wounded by poisoned arrows was ex-
traordinary ; immediately after drinking they dropped and instantly
died, the blood gushing from their noses, mouths, and ears.

*' In this way we continued our retreat, and it was after midnight
when we halted in the sultan of Mandara's territory. Riding more than
forty-five miles, in such an unprovided state, on the bare back of a lean
horse, the powerful consequences may bo imagined. I was in a dei)lora-
ble state the whole night ; and notwithstanding the irritation of the flesh-
wounds was augmented by the woollen covering the Arab had thrown
over me, it was evening the next day before I could get a shirt, wlien
one man who had two, both of which he had worn eight or ten days at
least, gave me one, on a promise of getting a new one at Kouka. I
slept under a tree nearly the whole night and day, except at intervals
when my friend Maraymy supplied me with a drink made from parched
corn, bruised, and steeped in water.

"Mai Meegamy, the dethroned sultan of a country to the south-west
of Angornou, and now subject to the shekh, took me by the hand as I
crawled out of my nest for a few minutes, and with many exclamations
of sorrow, and a countenance full of commiseration, led me to his leather
tent, and sitting down quickly, disrobed himself of his trowsers, insisting
I should put them on. Really, no act of charity could exceed this I I
was exceedingly affected at so unexpected a friend, for I had scarcely
seen, or spoken three words to him ; but not so much so as himself, when
I refused to accept of them. He shed tears in abundance ; and thinicing,
which was the fact, that I conceived he had offered the only ones he had,
immediately called a slave, whom he stripped of those necessary appen-
dages to a man's dress, according to our ideas, and putting them on
himself, insisted again on my taking those he had first offered me. I ac-
cepted this offer, and thanked him with a full heart ; and Meegamy waa
my great friend from that moment until I quitted the shekh's dominions.

" We returned with great expedition, considering the wretched state

THE RUINS OF OLD BIRNIK.

487

we were in. On the sixth day after our departure from Mora, we arrived
in Kouka, a distance of one hundred and eiglity miles ; the wounded
Arabs remained behind, being unable to keep up with the chief, and did
not arrive until four days after us. I suffered much, both in mind and
body, but complained not ; indeed all complaint would have been ill-
timed, where few were enduring loss than myself. My black servant
had lost mule, canteens, and every thing, principally from keeping too
near me in the action ; and, by his obeying implicitly the strict orders I
had given him not to fire on the Felatahs, he had narrowly escaped with
his life. Bruised and lame, he could render me no assistance, and usually
came in some hours after we had halted." On reaching Angornou, the
shekh sent Major Denham eomo linen and a dress of the country, in
which he made his entry into Kouka.

THE RAINY SEASON IN BORNOU.

Soon after the return of the unfortunate expedition to Mandara, the
fihckh of Bornou determined to send a force to subdue the people of
Munga, a country lying to the westward. For this purpose, ho assem-
bled eight or nine thousand spearmen, and five thousand Shouaas, and
set out on the 18th of May. Major Denham and Dr. Oudney obtahied
permission to accompany hhn, for the purpose of visiting the ruins of the
towns of Gambarou and Old Birnio ; Captain Clapperton remained at
Kouka. The travelers accompanied the shekh the first day, and then,
leaving the army, took a course more to the northward, to liie river
Ycou, or Gambarou, near which are the ruins of Old Birnie. On the
2Gth of May, they passed a lake three miles long, called Muggaby, or
the lake of the Sultan of Bornou. " We proceeded by the high road to
Soudan," says Major Denham, " and after about two miles came to the
spot on which once stood the capital of Bornou ; the ruins of the city
certainly tended to convince us more strongly of the power of its former
sultans, than any of the tales we had heard of their magnificence.
We had seen upward of thirty large towns which the Felatahs had com-
pletely razed to the ground at the time they destroyed the capital, and wo
were now arrived at the ruins of the capital itself. Old Birnie covered a
space of five or six square miles, and is said to have had a population of
two hundred thousand souls. The remains of the walls were in many
places Still standing, in large masses of hard red brick-work, and were
from three to four feet in thickness, and sixteen to eighteen feet in
height. From the top of one of these we obtained a sight of the river
Gambarou, running nearly east, notwithstanding its windings, and only
a few miles distant.

" Close to the bank, and just at the hollow of a slight curve in the
river's course, fourteen years ago stood the town of Gambarou, the chosen
place of residence of the l^.te and former Sultans of Bornou ; and the

488

TRAVELS OP DKNHAM AKD OLAPPERTON.

mills now Btandiiig pivo a proof of tlio buildingH havitifj boon, for this
country, of a princely kincl ; tho walls of a niosqup, which wore moro
than twonty yards square, arc still visible, and those of the sultan's hotise
with gates opening to the river, still remain ; a j)rivato inoscpu) appoars
also to have been attached to tho sultan's residence. The buildings wore
all of briok, and must have had a superior appearance to any town wc
luul seen in Africa. Tho situation was beautiful, anti although labyrinths
of thickets and brambles now overspread the batiks of the river, while
wild plants and useless grass were in tho meadows, yet I was assured
that tlie whole neighborhood of (iambarou was once in a superior state
of cultivation, and that, in the old sultan's time, boats were constantly
moving to and from Kabshary, and ether towns to tho west. Kouka
was at that time not in being, and Angornou but a small parcel of huts."

The travelers were hero alarmed by reports that the peophM)f AIiinf»a
were in the neighborhood, and liastenod to rejoin the slu'kh's army. On
their way th«y came upon a herd of fourteen wild elephants, Avliich tho
negroes mado to dance and frisk like so many goats, by beating a brass
basin violently with a stick. They were two days in reaching tho Hor-
nou camp, and on tho way both Dr. Oudnoy and the servant (Vjlumbus
came near losing their lives by iJiUing into pits set for wild boasts, with
sharp stakes at the bottom. On rejoining the sultan, they found him
within the territory of Munga, liaving already gained several advantages
over liis enemies. On tho 5th of June, many hundreds of the Munga
people came to tho camp, bowing to the ground, and throwing sand upon
their heads, in token of submission. At night, preparations Avere made
for marching upon the capital, but the people sent word that if thosliekh
remained where he was, they would come to hiio and surrender thera-
ielves.

On the following day, several towns sent their cliiefs, but Malam Fa-
naamy, the chief of the rebels, refused to come, because ho feared to lose
his head, offering at tho same time two thousand slaves, one thousand
bullocks, and three hundred horses, for the shekh, as the price of peace.
The same evening, tho shekh requested Major Denham to send up some
rockets, which was successfully done. The night was very dark, and the
appearance of the rockets created great wonder and consternation.
Some of the Munga messengers fell on their faces and began to pray most
fearfully, when the rockets burst in their descent. Next morning, Ma-
1cm Fanaamy came, mounted on a white horse, at the head of a thousand
followers, to make his submission. The shekh received his humble ac-
knowledgments of subjection, and when the rebel expected to hear the
order for his throat to bo cut, ho was clothed with eight handsome tobes,
and his head made as big as six with turbans from Egypt.

A circumstance occurred during this expedition which created a ■
great sensation among tho chiefs, and whicli offered a striking illustra-
tion of the absolute authority of the Shekh of Bornou. Says Major !
Denham : " Barca Gana, the shekh's general and his favorite, a governor

BARCA OANA'S HUMILIATION.

489

of six Inrpo (listrlctH, tho miin whom Ik* ddi^liKvl to honor, who hud
moiH! than fifty fisniiilc" and a hunch'cd main Khivcn, was tau;j;ht a It'HHon
of liuinility tiiat niiultJ nu' ft>ol for him. In f^ivin*; proHt-ntH to tlio cliicfB,
the Hlu'kli liad inadvertently Kent him a horso which lio liad previously
promised to some one <'lse, and (m Warca (iana being requested to f^ivo
it up, he took sueli great offense that he went back all the horsen which
the shekh had jHeviouHly given him, saying that ho would in future walk
or ride hi:< own. On tluH the 8hekh immediately sent for him, had him
stripped in his presence, and tho leather girdle put round his loins ; and,
after reproaching liim with liis ingratitude, ordered tliat he should 1)0
forthwith sold to tho Tibboo merchants, for he was still a slave. Tho
favorite thus lunnblcd and disgraced, fell on his knees and acknowledged
tho ji'stiu'ss of his punishment. lie begged for no forgiveness tor him-
self, but intreated that his wives and children might be provided for, out
of tho riches of liis master's bounty. Hut on the following day, when
prepar.atinns were made for carrying this sentence into effect, the black
Mamelukes and Shouaa chiefs about the shekh's person fell at his feet,
mul, notwithstanding tho haugtinoss of Barca Gana's carriage lo them
since his advancement, to a man intreated pardon for his offenses. Tho
culprit appearing at this moment, to take leave, tho shekh threw him-
self back on his cushion, wept like a child, and suffered Barca (Jana, who
had crept close to him, to embrace his knees, and calling them all his
sons, pardoned liis repentant slave. In the evening, there was great
and general rejoicing. The timbrels beat : the Kanemboos yelled and
struck their shields ; every thing bespoke joy, and Barca (Jana, in new
tohes and a rich bornous, rode aromid tho camp, followed by all the
chiefs of the army,"

After an absence! of a month, the shekh returned to Kouka, and the
troops were disbanded. The travelers establislied themselves in the
house which had been appropriated to them, to pass the rainy season,
which had commenced. Major Denham commenced the study of tho
Arabic and Bornou languages. Dr. Oudney and Ilillman were both ill
with the fever, and the whole party was affected by the heat of the days
and the dampness of the evenings. Major Denham gives the following
I description of the rainy season : " We had frequent and violent showers
of rain, with thunder and most vivid lightning : the waters covered the
face of the country in extensive lakes, and our excursions in search of
game were now confined to the immediate neighborhood of our resi-
dence. The sugar-cane had increased in height greatly ; and at this
season of tho vear there are other reasons beside the fall of rain which
induce people to remain in their habitations — when the great lake over-
flows the immense district which, in the dry season, affords cover and
food to tlie numerous animals with which Bornou abounds, they are
driven from the wilds, and take refuge in the standing corn, and some-
, times in the immediate neighborhood of the towns. Elephants had al-
ready been seen at Dowergoo, scarcely six miles from Kouka ; and a

490

TRAVKI.H OK DUNHAM AND ni. APPR UTON.

ll'inulti hI.'ivc, wliiitt h1h> whs n'tiiiiiiii>^ Iioiik* iVom wctMlin;; the corn to
Kow.'i, iiitl iiioiu tliiiii ten iiiilcH iltNliuil, liiul been Hci/.ctl and larrit'il ni)'
by u lioiU'N.s."

Tlic piirty now bcjiim to b«» (>mbiMT:iNHt><l for want of I'iiihIm. A uwr-
chiiiit of Moiirznk, ihiiikmI lladji All, to wIioho brotlu-r tlicy liuil iiilniMt-
«m1 HoriK! iiioiii'y, »U'«!liii(!il to jiay it, aiitl tiit-y wno iiliiio.st tlcsiitntc..
This circiimslaiicc raiiic to tlio earn of the Mlu'kh and of H'linc relatives
of Hadji Ali, who at last «'aiiie to Major Deiihaiii, Htaliii}^ that he Wdiild
U>t them havo iw iiiiieh us I hi^ wanted, in pieires of eottmi eloth, for
which he must liiNt Hend to IMoiir/,ui< ; Itiil h«> liad no money, 'fliis was
very MnHalisliiel«)i'y, but tliey thought it Itest to nialvo no ohjeetion.
Captain ('lappertoM WiiH now seized with fever and delirium: llillinaii
though \w Htill had oeeaHional utlaeks of (h>lii-inm, reeriiited a little, hut
])r. Ondney jjrew visibly weaker every (hiy. Tho Heasoii appeared to
be an unhealthy uiiu fur tliu natives also, and n great ntnnber of ihciu
died.

Toward tho end of September, Olapperton, whoH(! life had been dc-
Hpaired of, b(>gan slowly to recovc'r. TI.»f earpenter, llillman, employcil
himself in making a gun-earriago for a four-pounder, which tlu^ Sultiui
of Kezzan had presented to tiio shekh, and, notwillistanding the dilli-
culties he had to oneount»'r, in tho scarcity of iron, and tin* cluiuNin('M.s
of the negro bhu^ksmith, ho succoeded very well. The jtrovidiug of halls
was a great difliculty; but atler tryuig a ninnl»er of nmsket-halls in a
Ruiall linen rag, whicii would not answer. Major Deidiam succeeded in
getting from tho negro blacksmith, by means of a |)aper model, aNuiall
tin canister, tho sizo of tint boro of tho pioco, and holding sixteen nuis-
ket-balls. Tho shokli's delight at this a(;<piisition to his implements of
war was extreme, and ho became impatient to seo tho gims ex((rcis('il.
Tho distanco to which they threw tlm balls, and tho loudness ol' tin; re-
port, created tho greatest astonishment, but tho shekh would tiot suIUt
a second canister to bo shot. " No, no !" said he, " they art! too valua-
ble; they nuist not bo thrown away. (Jurses on their ratre, how tlicso
will mako tho JJegharmis jump!" Major Denham had cut out a harness
in paper as a pattern, whicli had been tolerably imitated in leather: this
was attached to each gun, with a man mounted on tho nndo that drtnv
it, and altogether tho guns had a far bettor ai)peaianco iind elfcct than
was anticipated.

About the middlo of October cool winds began to blow, which in tho
course of two or three weeks produced a gveat change in the climate.
The sick became cheered and invigorated, and the travelers now ho},'aii
to plan new journeys to tho eastward and westward of Bornou. Tho
shekh intended to send oif two expeditions, one to liegharmi, a country
lying south-east of Lake Tchad, and the other to Kanem, lying to the
north-east, on the borders of tho desert. Major Denham determined to
accompany tho former. Captain Clapperton and Dr. Oudney succeeded
in obtaining the permission of the shekh to accompany a caravan which

AUUI V A I, o |.' M i:. TdOl.K.

401

wnn nixtiit nlnrtini; i'nr K uio, in tlu* Siillsui of llouNMa'M tlorninionH. J)r.
Oiiiliicy witH I'xlri'iiifly ilrliiiitiiiril, but iiH no oilier ciiruvan wim (tx-
iHM'lt'il |() Ktiirt liir iiioiitliH, ill roiiMci|Ufii(;(! of I lie iion-arriviil of the nir.i-
vaii tVoiii Moiir/.iik, lie ileteriiiiiicil (o (ro, tlioii^li uwni'<< llmt liis Htreii<^tli
WiiM seanely (Mjuai to the joiirm y. They lell Koiiku on the I itii of liu-

ccni

her.

On the 'JIhI Major l)(iihain \v.n lielii^hteil \vith the intelligence thai
,1 Htiiall caravan had arriv.il at Wooiliit tVoiii Moiir/iik, and that tliei'
waM an I'liiK'liMliinan accoiiipanyini,' il. "The lollowiii^ day," he wri.eH,
*' was u day of ^reat anxiety ; and on the '2'-U\, wry Hoori atler dayli)^. t,
I wiw overjoyed at peeiiiLT, instead of Mr. Tyrwhit, wIioho hodily inliri' i-
tics iiiaih) nie alwayH coiiHider his joining ine doiilitfnl, a rolniKt, healt'iy-
lookiii^ yoiin^ man, with a doiihie-harreled ^iin nIuii^ at his )>ack.
When he pri'seiitcMl himself at the door of my hut, hiH vi-ry coiwittinaiKru
WHS an irresistible letter of recommendation, ami J o|)i!neii the |tackaj^(!H
whit'h were t<) aeeonnt for his a|i|i(aranct', uith eoiiHiderahlo <a>^«!rness.
Mr. Tyrwhit, I I'onnd, had been |ii'eveiited by sicrkness I'rom profiting by
tlio (■onsul\s rei'onimeiidation ; and that on a|i|)licati(>ii beiiif^ madt; to tho
(iovcnior of Alalta, as a Miil).stitnl,e, Mr. Toole, an ensij^ii in tlus 8()th
ri'j^iiaeiit, ha<l voliinteeriMl to join nu!, and left Malta at twfiiity hour«'
iiiitice. lie had made the Ioiil;, dangerous and dillicult journey from
Tripoli to itornon, in the short S|ia(M' of three inonthn and fourteen days,
haviii;^ lell the tbriner place on thi! (ith of September: and ovcircoining
ill! ohstachts by perscveramu! and resolution, both at Mourxitk and in tho
Tiithoo country, had arrived here with only the loss of fivti camels. }l\n
arrival gave a most favorable turn to my situation ut Kouku. I had now
noi.cy, health, and a desirable companiun."

KXCUUSIONS TO LOdOUN, AND AROUND LAKK TCHAD.

I On tho I'Jth of January, IHi: t, newH came to Kouka, that thc! shekh'a
' troops who had luMiii statioiuid on tiio wt'storn bank of the Shary, a larj^o
river which flows into Lake Tchad from the s<»uth, had gained a vi(!toiy
over the troops of the Sultan of liegharmi, which latter had r<;treated
fioiii the river. It was thertiibn; po.isiblo to visit the country of Lof^-
gun, on the Shary, with entire safety, and tho shekh not only gave
Major 1 )enham permission to proceed thither, but appointed on(! of his
negroes, named JJellal, to ac(;ompany him. " Whilo I was waiting to
take leave of tho shekh," saya Denham, " a note was brought to rao
from Dr. Oudnoy, by a IionK)uese from Katagum : it had r.o date, and
M'as indeed his last effort. The acknowledgment of being weak and
helpless assured me that ho was really so : for during tho whole of hia
long sufferings a complaint Iiad scarcely ever escaped hli lips. On the
shekh's saying to him, when he first expressed his wish to accompany
; the caravan, ' Surely your health ia not such as to risk a journey ?' he

492

TRAVELS OF DENHAM AND CLAPPERTON.

merely replied : ' Why, if I stay here I shall die, and probably sooner,
as traveling always improves ray health.' "

Accompanied by Mr. Toole and the negro Belial, Major Dcnham
left Kouka on the 23d of January, and on the 28th reached the town of
Showy, on the banks of the river Shary. The magnitude of the stream
drew from them an exclamation of surprise : it appeared to be full half
a mile in width, running northward at the rate of two or three miles an
hour. On the 2d of February they embarked, intending to descend the
river to Lake Tchad. They were accompanied by the Kadi, or Gov-
ernor of Showy, with eight canoes, carrying ten and eleven men each.
" The river, full as it is of water at this season, had a highly interostinn'
appearance : one noble reach succeeded another, alternately varying
their courses by handsome sweeps, some of them three and four miles
in length ; the banks were thickly scattered with trees rich in foliage,
and all overhung with creeping plants, bearing various colored and
aromatic blossoms, among which the purple convolvulus flourished in
great beauty." On reaching the lake, a heavy swell from the north-east
prevented them from advancing further ; with the aid of a good tele-
scope no land could be discerned in that direction. The natives who ac-
companied them were in great fear of the Biddoomas, a fierce people,
who inhabit some islands in the lake, and the party therefore re-
turned up the river to Showy, which they reached after au absence of
six days.

The travelers now continued their journey by land, and after four
days of toilsome travel, over deep marshes and through dense, thorny
forests, reached Kussery, on the Shary. Mr. Toole became ill, and
Major Denham therefore decided to rest a day or two, to recruit him.
" Kussery, however," says Denham, " was the last place one should have
chosen for rest and tranquillity: during several hours in the day, the
inhabitants themselves dare not move out, on account of the flies and
bees. The formation of the houses, which are literally one cell within
another, five or six in number, excited my surprise ; which was not a
little uicreased when I found that they Avere built expressly as a retreat
from the attacks of these insects. Still I was incredulous, until one of
our people, who had carelessly gone out, returned with his eyes and head
in such a state that he was extremely ill for three days. Kussery is a
strong walled town, governed by an independent sultan, named Zar-
mawka, who has twice been in rebellion against the shekh. Belial was
obliged to take off his red cap and turban, and enter the presence with
his head and feet bare — a ceremony which had previously been dispensed
with on our journey. The sultan merely peeped at lis through a lattice-
work of bai-'iboo, but inquired particularly why I turned my face to-
ward him as I sat. I, of course, replied, that turning my back would be
a gross affront in my country, at which he laughed heartily."

The travelers immediately set out for Loggun, which was thirty
miles distant, but were detained on the frontier of the country until the

RECEPTION AT LOGGTJN.

493

sultan had been consulted. They entered the town by the western gate,
which leads to the principal street — a ^vide avenue, with large dwellings
on each side, built with great uniformity, each having a court-yard in
front, surrounded by walls, and a handsome entrance, with a strong
door hasped with iron. A number of the inhabitants were seated at
their doors for the purpose of seeing the strangers enter. The next
morning Major Denham was sent for to appear before the sultan. Ten
immense negroes, of high birth, gray-bearded, bare-headed, and carrying
large clabs, preceded him through the streets. He was conducted to a
large square court, where some hundred persons were assembled, all
seated upon the ground : in the middle was a vacant space where the
Major was desired to seat himself. The sultan was concealed behind a
lattice-work of cane, which being removed at a given signal, something
alive was discovered on a carpet, with the head enveloped in shawls,
and nothing but the eyes visible. The whole court prostrated them-
selves and poured sand on their heads, while a harsh salute was bloA\Ti
from loud horns. After receiving his present the sultan whispered a
welcome; for it is considered so very ill-bred in a Loggun gentle-
man to speak out, that the sound of their voices can with difficulty
be heard.

" Loggun," .'iaya Major Denham, " the capital of which country, Ker-
iiuk Loggun, is on the banks of the Shary, and in 11° T north latitude,
is a very populous country. Kernuk has fifteen thousand inhabitants
at least. They speak a language nearly Begharmi. The Shouaas are
all around them, and to them they are indebted for the plentiful supply
of bullocks, milk, and fat with which the market abounds. They have,
also, a metal currency in Loggun, the first I had seen in Negroland. It
consists of thin plates of iron, something m the shape of the tip with
which they sho^ race-horses. These are made into parcels of ten and
twelve, according to the weight, and thirty of these parcels are equal in
value to ten rottola, or a doUar."

On the loth, Mr. Tcolc seemed better, and Major Denham left him
for the purpose of proceeding up the Shary for a day or two. He had
proceeded but a few miles, however, when an express from the sultan
overtook him, announcing that the Begharmis were again marching on
Loggun, and that he should return at once. On visiting the sultan, he
endeavored to y^ersuade h:m to allow him to remain. " More than half
my people are Begharmi," said the sulian. " I have no protection to
give — go while you can !'♦ Mr. Toole was fastened upon a horse, as he
was unable to sit up ; and with no provisions but a sack of parched
corn which the sultan gave them, at four o'clock the same day they
quitted the town, when the three gates were shut upon them by an
immense crowd of people. For three days they continued their flight,
with scarcely any rest, until they reached Angala, in the Shekh of
Bomou's domiiiions, where they considered themselves comparatively

494

TRAVELS OF DENIIAM AND CLAPPERTON.

safe. Mr. Toole was altematoly senselcsa and delirious durinfj this
journey.

*' At Angala," says Major Denham, " we took up our old quarters ;
and Mr. Toole, on being told wheie be was, exclaimed: ♦Thank God I

»4.0V.U-Cti.»,N

LANCER or THE SULTAN OP BEOHARMI.

then I shall not die !' And so much better was be for the two follow-
ing days, that I had great hopes of hi3 recovery ; about four o'clock,
however, on the morning of the 26th of February, these hopes were at
an end. A cold shivering had seized him, and his extremities were likfi
ice. I gave him both tea and rice-water ; and there was but little alter-
ation in him until just before noon, when, without a struggle or a groan,

DEATHS OF TOOLE AND OUDNET.

495

he expired, completely worn out and exhausted. Tho same afternoon,
just as the sun was sinking below tho horizon, I followed hig remains to
their last resting-place, a deep grave which six of the Sultan of Angala's
slaves had propared, under my direction, to the north-west of the town,
overhung by a clump of mimosas in full blossom. The prime minister
attended the procession with his staff of office, and a silent prayer,
breathed over all that remained of my departed friend, was the best
funeral service circumstances allowed me to perform. After raising over
the grave a pile of thorns and branches of the prickly tulloh, several foot
high, as a protection against the herds of hyenas who nighty infest the
hurying-places in this country, I returned to the town."

An immediate return to Kouka wa3 now rendered necess.ary, and
Major Denham arrived there on the 2d of March. The fatigue, anxiety
of mind, and loss of rest which he had endured, brought on an attack
of fever which confined him to his m.at for ten days. A few days after
his arrival a courier returned from Kano, bringing intelligonce of tho
death of Dr. Oudney, at a place called Murmur, on the 12th of January.
On the 28th of March the Shekh of Bomou, who had gono with what
troops he could raise to repel the Beghannis, mot them, five thousand
strong, near Angala, and, with tho assistance of his four-pouiiders, routed
them with great slaughter. Of two hundred Begharmi chiefs, only
one escaped alive ; seven sons of the sultan and seventeen hundred
men wore among the slain. The plunder amounted to four hundred
and eighty horses, two htmdred women, and the b.aggage of the
princes. The rejoicings in Kouka over this victory, lasted for several
days.

Major Denham took advantage of the shekh's good-humor to apply
for his protection on a journey to the eastward, hoping to penetrate
through to Sennaar. The shekh, however, declared that the project
was impossible ; but toward the end of April, Denham ascertained that
a secret expedition was preparing to march against a tribe of Arabs east
of Lake Tchad, who were allies of the Sultan of Begharmi. He received
permission to take part in this foray, and left Kouka on the 4th of May ;
but as the Ram.adan, or Moslem fast, was just commencing, tho expe-
dition was put off for a month. On the 19th, news came that Mr. Tyr-
whit had arrived at the river Yeou, and Major Denham Avent out the
next day to meet him. This gentleman had been sent out by the British
government to strengthen the party. He was the bearer of jiresents
to the shekh, in acknowledgment of the kind reception the expedition
had met with, and was also accompanied by the shekh's children, who
had been detained at Mourzuk by the intrigues of the late Sultan of
Fezzan.

" On the 22d of May," says Major Denham, " we delivered the pres-
ents from his majesty in full form, consisting of two swords of very
beautiful Avorkmanship, two pair of pistols, a dagger, and two gold
watches. The delight, nay ecstasy, with which these well-selected speci-

406

TRAVELS OF DENIIAM AND CLAPPERTON.

inenw of our matiufactorios wcro rccci> ;d by El Knnemy, was apparent
in oviiry feature of hia intelligent counienance, and in the quick glancus
of his sparkling and penetrating eye. The dagger and the watch with
the second niovenient, were the articles which struck him most forcibly ;
and when I mentioned that, agreeably to his request, a paniel of rock-
cts had also been forwarded, ho exclaimed : ' What ! beside all thorn
riches ! there arc no friends like these ! they are all truth ; and I Hr,«,
by the Hook, that if the Prophet had lived only a short time longer,
they would all have been Moslem !' "

On the 10th of June Major Denham set out for the eastern side of
T.ake Tchad, accompanied by Mr. Tyrwhit. The military expedi-
tion was commenced by Jiarca (iana, who was directed to tak(! all
possible care of the travelers. They crossed the Shary at Showy,
and advanced between forty and fifty niles further to the eastward,
along the shore of Lake Tchad, till, on approaching Mendoo, a largo
town in the rebel country, IJarca Gana v rdered them to halt until
the town should bo taken, and they were obliged to comply. Their
situation was very unpleasant, as they were exposed to attack, and
from their vicinity to the lake, suffered gr;atly from the flies and
mosquitoes. Hero they remained several days in the greatest sua-
pense, their provisions daily becoming more scanty. Finally, on tho
evening of July 5th, Barca (4ana reiurned with about half his troops;
he had fouTid tho enemy so strongly entrenched at Maou, tho capital,
that ho did not dare to attack them. Four days afterward he sot out to
capture the rebel sultan Amanook, who had taken refuge on one of the
islands in the lake, but was repulsed with severe loss, receiving himself
a spt^ar-wound in tho back. Major Denham dressed the wound with an
application of burnt fat and sulphur, and succeeded in healing the gen-
eral, who advised liim urgently to return to Kouka. " The excursion,"
he said, " which you wish to make, is now impracticable. Wc must
wait for tho shekh's appearance before we can do any thing, and I think,
as the rains have now begun to fall, you will find that tho shekh will not

come, and that we shall all return."

As wc had not more than four days' provisions left. Major Donliam,
after another consultation with Barca Gana, determined to follow his
advice and return. Ho had now been ten days among this tribe of
Shouaas, who were a superior class to any he had met with ; they wore
rich in cattle and in camels, and seemed to live in plenty and patriarchal
simplicity. They were a handsome race, the women especially, who
brought the travelers bowls of fresh milk, night and morning, in ex-
change for bits of amber. Says Major Denham : " There is something
so curious, and singularly interesbing and expressive in the Shouaa man-
ners and language, that I am at a loss how to describe it. A girl sits
down by your tent with a bowl of milk, a dark-blue cotton wrapper tied
around her waist, and a mantilla of the same thrown over her head, with
which she hides her face, yet leaves her bust naked. She says ' A happy

RETURN OP CAPTAIN OLAPPERTON.

497

day to you 1 Your fricrnl has brought you milk; yim gave her some-
thing BO handsome yt'Sterday, she iius not Ibrgotten it. Oh ! how her
eyes ache to see all you have got in that wooden house ;' pointing to a
trunk. ' Wo have no tears now ; we know you are good ; and our eyes,
which before could not look at you, now search atler you always. They
biulo us beware of you at first, for you were bad, very bad; but we
know better now. IIow it pains us that you arc so white !' "

On the Ibth of July, after having experienced heavy rains and hurri-
canes on the way, the travelers again reached their residence in the cap-
ital of liornou. " On our arrival at Kouka," says the narrative, " I found
tliiit CaptLin Clapperton, with a small caravan, had returned from Sou-
dun. It was nearly eight months since wo had separated, and although
it was mid-day, I went immediately to the hut where he was lodged ;
but so satisfied was I that the sun-burnt, sickly person, who lay extended
on the floor, rolhid in a dark-blue shirt, was not my companion, that I
was about to Usave the place, when he convinced me of my error by
calling me by luy name. The alteration in him was certainly most
striking. Our meeting was a melancholy one ; he had buried his com-
panion, and I had also closed the eyes of my younger and more robust
colleague, Mr. Toole. Notwithstanding the state of weakness in which
I found Captain Clapperton, ho yet spoke of returning to Soudan after
the rains."

CLAPPERTON'S JOURNEY TO SACKATOO.

Captain Clapperton and Dr. Oudney, it will be remembered, had left
Kouka on the 14th of December, 1823, for Soudan, intending to explore
the unknown region lying between Bornou and the Niger. Tliey took
with them Jacob, the Gibraltar Jew, two servants, and tliree natives of
Fezzan. The caravan consisted of twenty-seven merchants, two of whom
were shereefsy or descendants of the prophet. They took the road to
the ruins of Old Birnie, which Denham and Oudney had already visitijd,
and then proceeded westward along the banks of the Yeou, which was
much swollen from the aammer rains. After a journey of twelve days,
they entered the territory of Bedeguna, which formerly belonged to the
Sultan of Bornou ; the inhabitants spoke the Bornou language. Tlu-y
are regarded as a race of outlutvs, and are subject to be carried off as
slaves both by the natives of Bornou and Houssa.

On the 2d of January, the travelers approached the city of Katagum,
and were met by a servant of the governor, with a small basket of goora
nuts. He was followed by a party of horsemen who came up at full
gallop, blandishing their spears. The leader remained behind with the
band of music. The horsemen, after saluting the travelers, wheeled
around and rode on before them, the drummers beating their drums,
and two bards singing the praises of their master, one of them taking

498

TRAVKLS OP DENHAM AND fJLAPPRRTON.

the song uiul tlic other responding with tlio chorus.* Tli(> governor re-
ceived them in a very friendly manner. They remained at this placc!
eight days, partly on aceount of Dr. Oudney's ilhiesH, and partly to wait
for one of the Honioueso wlio wsis to aeofimpany them (o Sackatoo, and
wlio had gone off to a town ealled Iladeeja. Dr. OiKhiey was very
feeble and troubled with a distressing cough, to relieve which one of tlio
natives cupped him on the side.

They left on the 10th of January, but were obliged to stop the next
day at noon, on aceount of the increasing weakness of Dr. Oudr y. H,.
had been wasting away in a slow eonsumi»tion, ever sinec! leaving the
hills of Obarree, in Fezzan, where he was seized with inflammation of tli«;
chest, in eonscqtienee of sitting down in a current of cold air aller hciiKr
heated. On the 12th, Captain Olapperton writes : " Dr. Oudiufy drank
a cup of coffee at day-break, and, by his <lesire, I ordered the camels to
be loaded. I then assisted him to dress, and, with th(> support of his
servant, he came ont of the tent ; but, before he could })e liftod on tlu!
camel, I observed the ghastliness of d<\'ith in liis eountcn.ince, and liad
him immediately replaced in the tent. I sat down by his sidp, and with
tmspeakable giief, witnessed his last breath, which was without a strug-
gle or a groan. I now sent to the governor of the town to rccjuost his
permission to bury the deceased, which he readily gr.atited ; and T had a
grave made near an old mimosa-tree, a little beyond the sonthoni gate
of the town. The body being first washed, after the custom of tlu! coun-
try, was dressed by ray directions in clothes made of turban shawls,
which we were carrying with us as presents. The corpse Avas borne to
the grave by our servants, and I read over it the funeral service of the
church of England, before it was consigned to the earth. I aftcM-ward
caused the grave to be inclosed with a Avail of clay, to kcu'p off boasts of
prey, and had two sheep killed and distributed among the poor."

Clapperton now continued his journey alone, and two days afterward
entered the kingdom of Housaa. The country was highly cultivated,

* Captain Clapporton gives tho following translation of tiie song :
" Give flesh to tho hyenas at day-broak :

Oh, the broad spears I
Tho spear of tho sultan is tho broadest—

Oh, tho broad spears I
I behold thee now, I desire to see none other ;

Oh, tho broad spears I
My horse is oa tal! as a high wall :

Oh, the broad spears !
Tho elephant of tho forest brings mo what I want :

Oh, the broad spears I
Bo brave t be bravo I my friends and kinsmen :

Oh, the broad spears I
God is groat I I wax fierce ns a beast of prey :

Oh, the broad spears I
God is great I To-day tlioso I wished for are come:

Oh, the broad spears I"

spai

j turr

ness

I I

had

Iiavir

but,

end c

stand;

in the

the o\

the Ai

Were
more I

RKRIDKNCK AT KANO.

499

and diversified by hill and dale. There were many largo walled towns,
quite deserted, the inhabitants having been carried off and sold by their
conquerors, the Felatahs. On the 2()th of January, he approached the
large city of Kano, and prepared himself for thu reception by arraying
himself in his naval uniform. "At 11 o'clock," says he, •' wo entered
Kano, the great emporium of the kingdom of Iloussa ; but I had no
sooner passed the gates than I felt grievously disappointed ; for from the
flourishing description of it given by the Arabs, I expected to see a city
of surprising grandeur. I found, on the contrary, the houses nearly a
quarter of a mile from the walls, and in many parts scattered into de-
tached groups, between large stagnant pools of water. I might have
spared all the pains I had taken with my tf)ilet ; for not an individual
turned his head around to gaze at rae, but all, intent on their own busi-
ness, allowed mo to jtaas by without noti(!e or remark."

He immediately called upon a pers(»n nam((d Hat Salah, to whom ho
had a letter of recommendation from the sliekh of Bomou. This person,
having heard of his coming the day before, had hired a house for him,
hut, says Clapperton, " the; houKO provided for me was situated at the
end of a marsh, the pestilential exhalations of which, and of the pools of
Btanding water, were increased by the sewers of the houses all opening
in tlic street. I was fatigued an<l sick, and lay down on a mat which
the owner of the h«)use spread for me. I was immediately visited by all
the Arab merchants who had been my fellow-travelers from Kouka, and
were not prevented by sickness from coniing to see me. They were
more like ghosts than men, as almost all strangers were at this time suf-
fering from intermittent fever."

Two days afterward, Clapperton visited the governor, who was
then encamped about five miles cast of the city. lie took with him a
number of presents, among Avhich was a broken thermometer, which, he
was given to tuulerstand, would bo very acceptable. A thermometer was
descriptively named by the natives " a wat<!h of heat," and was everywhere
regarded by them as a great curiosity. The governor, who was the
father of fifty sons — a circumstance, which procured him much respect
and honor — received him with great kindness, and promised to send a
messenger to the sultan, at Sackatoo, requesting permission for him to
proceed. This permission, however, did not arrive for a month, during
which time the traveler remained domiciled at Kano.

" The city," says he, " may contain from thirty thousand to forty thou-
sand resident inhabitants, of whom more than one half are slaves. It is ren-
dered very unhealthy by a large morass, which almost divides it into two
parts, besides many pools of stagnant water, made by digging clay for
building houses. On the north side of the city are two remarkable
mounts, each about two hundred feet in height, and a trifling distance
apart. The city is of an irregular oval shape, about fifteen miles in cir-
cumference, and surrounded by a clay wall thirty feet high, with a dry
ditch along the inside, and another on the outside. There are fifteen

500

TRAVELS OF DENHAM AND CLAPTERTON.

gates of wood, covered with sheet-iron, which are reijfularly opened and
shut at sunrise and sunset. Tlie houses are built of ciay, atid are mostly
of a square form, hi the Moorish fashion, with a central hall of audience
and store-rooms on the ground-floor, and a second story containuig the
sleeping apartments. I bought in the market, for three Spanish doIlarH
an English green cotton umbrella, an article I little expected to meet
■with, yet by no means uncommon ; my Moorish servants, in their fmi-
rative language, were wont to give it the n.'ime of ' the cloud.' '♦

Captain Clapperton had heard a great deal about the boxers of
Iloussa, and was anxious to witness their performances, lie sent one
of his servants to offer 2,000 cowries for an exhibition before his house.
As the death of one of tho combatants was almost certain, hu prohibited
all fighting in earnest. " A ring was soon formed, by the muster of the
ceremonies throwing dust on tho spectators to make them stand back.
The drummers entered tho ring, and began to drum lustily. One of the
boxers followed, quite naked, except a skin around tho middle. Ho
placed himself in an attitude, as if to oppose an antagonist, and wrought
his muscles into action, seemingly to find out that every sinew was in
full force for the approaching combat ; then, coming from time to time
to the side of the ring, and presenting his right arm to the bystanders
he said : ' I am a hyena ; I am a lion ; I am able to kill all that oppose
me.' The spectators, to whom he presented himself, laid their hands
upon his shoulders repeating : ' Tho blessing of God be upon thee ! thou
art a hyena ; thou art a lion.' lie then abandoned tho ring to another,
who showed off in the same manner. Tho right hand and arm of the
pugilists were now bound with narrow country cloth, beginning with a
fold around the middle finger, when the hand being first clinched with '
the thumb between tho fore and mid fingers, the cloth was passed in
many turns around the fist, the wrist, and the fore-arm. After about ,
twenty had separately gone through the attitudes of defiance, and ap-
])eal8 to the bystanders, they were next brought forward by pairs. If they
happened to be friends, they laid their left breasts together twice, and ex-
claimed : ' We are lions ; wo are friends.' If tho two did not recognize '
each other as friends, the set-to immediately commenced. On taking
their stations, the two pugilists first stood at some distance, parrying
«itli the left hand open, and, whenever an opportunity offered, strik-
ing with the right. They generally aimed at the pit of the stomach, and
under the ribs. When they break loose, they never fail to give a swing-
ing blow with the heel under the ribs, or sometimes under the left ear.
It is these blows which are so often fatal."

The permission of the Sultan of Houssa, for which Captain Clapper-
ton had been waiting, arrived on the 22d day of February, and on tho
following day he left Kano for Sackatoo. After traveluig eighteen days,
without particular incident, he reached the town of Quarra, where he ;
was met by an escort of an hundred and fifty horsemen, sent forward by j
the Sultan of Iloussa. On the third day afterward he ajiproached Sacka-

INTERVIEW WITH SULTAN BELLO.

601

too, fiillowcd by his escort and a numerous rctimio, with a loud flourish
of horns and trumpets. To impress the natives still furtlier with his
official importance, he arrayed himself in his lieutenant's coat, trimmed
with gold lace, white trowsers, silk Btockmgs, and, to complete his finery,
red Turkish slippers and a turban. The valleys between the hills be-
came wider as they approached Sackatoo, which they first beheld from
the top of an eminence. At noon they < ntcred the capital, where a
great number of people was assembled to look at the traveler, who
entered the city amid the hearty welcomes of young and old. He was
conducted to the house of the vizier, where apartments had been pre-
pared for him.

The next day ho called upon Sultan Bello, who received him very
cordially. lie Avas a noble-looking man, forty-four years of age, five foet
ten inches high, portly in person, with a short, curling black beard, a
small mouth, a fine forehead, a Grecian nose, and large black eyes.
He asked many questions about Europe, and the religious distinctions
of the Franks. Ho was acquainted with the names of the ancient sects,
and asked whether the English were Nestorians or Socinians. Cap-
tain Clapperton also read him some passages out of a book, in order
that he might hear the sound of the English language, which bethought
beautiful. On being presented with a compass, spy-glass, and other
articles, he said : " Every thing is wonderful ; but you are the greatest
curiosity of .ill." He perused the letter of the Shekh of Bornou, and
assured Clapperton that he was at liberty to visit every part of his
dominions, including Y.aouri and Nyffe, which the latter was anxious to
roach, in the hope of learning something further concerning the fate
of Park.

From an interview a few days after this, however, Clapperton saw
that the sultan was becoming suspicious. He observed that there were
two roads leading to Nyffe— one direct, but beset by enemies, the
other safer, but circuitous ; that by cither route he would be detained,
during the rains, in a country then in open rebellion. " I assured him,"
says Clapperton, " that I had already taken the matter into considera-
tion, and that I was neither afraid of the dangers of the road nor of the
rains. ' Think of it with prudence,' he replied, and we parted. From
the tone and manner with which this was spoken, I felt a foreboding
that my intended visit to Yaouri and Nyffe was at an end. I could not
help suspecting the intrigues of the Arabs to be the cause ; as they well
knew, if the native Africans were once acquainted with English com-
merce by the way of the sea, their own lucrative inland trade would
from that moment cease." Clapperton's surmises were correct, and
after several further consultations on the subject he M'as obliged to
give up the plan of proceeding beyond Sackatoo. After a residence
of six weeks in the Felatah capital, during wh ch he had a severe attack
of fever, ho began to prepare for his return journey to Bornou.

He gives the following description of the city : " It lies in latitude

602

TRAVELS OF DENIIAM AND OLAPPERTON,

13° 4' north, mid longitude 0° 12' cast, about four diiys journey fromtho
Quorra, or Niger. Tho name, in their langujige, BignificH a 'halting,
place ;' tho city was built, as near as I could learn, about tho year
1805. It occupies a long ridgo which slopes gently toward the north,
and appeared to mo tho most populous town I had visited in tho
interior of Africa, for unlike other towns in IIouHwa, where the houses
are thinly scattered, it is laid out in regular, well-built streets. Thu
wall is between twenty and thirty feet high, and has twelve gates,
which are regulj^rly closed at sunset. There is a spacious market-
l»lace in the center of the city, and airother large square in front of
the sultan's residence. Tho dwellings -of the principal people are sur-
rounded by high walls, which inclose numerous flat-roofed houses built
in the Moorish style. The inhabitants are principally Felatahs, possess-
ing numerous slaves."

Captain Clapperton sot out on his return, on the 4th of IMuy, pro-
ceeding to Kano by Avay of the largo town of Kashna. On the 8th of
July he reached Kouka, during Major Denham's absence on a visit to
the eastern shore of Lake Tchad. Ililhnan, tho carpenter, was busily
employed in finishing a covered cart, to be used as a conveyance for the
shekh's wives. The workmanship, considering the materials, reflected
the greatest credit on his ingenuity ; tho wheels were hooped with iron,
and the cart was extremely strong, though neither light nor handsome.
Captain Clapperton immediately waited on tho shekh, who inquired after
hi ; health, and expressed much regret at Dr. Oudney's death.

RETURN TO EUROPE.

The travelers had now accomplished the principal objects of their
mission and explored as much of Central Africa as was practicable with-
out remaining another season, which, in their state of health, was not
advisable. They therefore determined to return to Tripoli with the
annual caravan of slaves, which passed through Bornou on its way from
Soudan. This caravan arrived at Kouka on the 13th of August. "On
Monday, the 16th," says Major Denham, " we took our final leave of
Kouka, and not without many feelings of regret, so accustomed had we
become, particularly myself, to the people. In the moniing I had taken
leave of the shekh in his garden, when he had given me a letter to the
king and a list of requests : he was all kindness, and said he had only
one wish, which was that I might find all my friends well, and once
more return to them. He gave me his hand at parting, which excited
an involuntary exclamation of astonishment from the six eunuchs and
the vizier, who were the only persons present."

The travelers preceded the caravan a few days, in order to attempt
to reach the unvisited eastern side of Lake Tchad, through the country
of Kanem. On the 23d they crossed the river Yeou, and Denham ob-

WKLCOME AT MOUUZUK.

508

Bcrvcs : *' My feelings on Hooing this rivor for a socoud time were very
different from wlmt thoy hjid been when I first looked on its waters.
We had then an escort of two hundred men, and yet could not feel our-
selves in perfect safety one hundred yards from our tents. Now I liod
only one attendant — the people about mo were all natives, and I wan-
dered about the bunks of the river with jierfeet freedom, and uhpt with
my tent-door open, in as great a security us I could have done in any
p'lrt of England, liad I been obliged so to travel. Other feelings also
obtruded themselves ; I waa alwut to return home, to see once more
dear friends and a di^ur country, after an absence of nearly three years,
on a duty full of perils and difficulties ; two out of four of my companions
had fallen victims to climate and disease, while those who remained were
suffering, in no small degree, from sickness and debility."

At Wot)die Major Denham met witli Barca Gana, who, after an ab-
sence of five months, hud completed the circuit of the lake. The latter
gave him a guard of eighteen men, with which he advanced about fifty
miles eastward along the shore of the lake, when the journey became so
dangerous, that the g\iard refused to go further, and Denham was com-
|H'lk'd to return. lie therefore pitched his tent at Woodie, to await the
arrival of the caravan from Kouka, which did not fin.illy depart for the
desert until the 1 Ith of September. "We had the satisfaction," says
Major Denham, "to find throughout our journey, that, young as we
were at desert traveling, yet we got on as well, if not bettor, than our
companions ; and though children of the soil, they always looked to us,
instead of us to them, both for safety and protection, as well as the
direction of the route."

The caravjm arrived at Bilma on the 11th of October, and proceeding
by easy journeys toward Fezzan, reached Gatrono on the 14th of No-
vember. This place, before so miserable in their eyes, now seemed a
little paradise. Seven days afterward they entered Mourzuk, and took
up their residence in their old habitation. Prayer was offered up in tlu!
mosque for their safe return home. " All welcomed our return ; we had
bowls ofbazeen and kooscosoo night and morning, and visitors from day-
light until long after sunset. * * ♦ On the 12th of December we
were all ready for our departure, and on the 13th took our leave. The
cold of Mourzuk liad pinched us terribly, and notwithstanding we used
an additional blanket both day and night, one of us had cold and swelled
neck, another ague, and a third pains in the limbs — all, I believe, prin-
cipally from the chilliness of the air : yet the thermometer, at sunrise,
was not lower than forty-two and forty-three degrees.

"On the 25th of January, 1826, we reached a well within ten miles
of Tripoli ; and previous to arriving there were met by two cawassos of
the pasha, with one of the consul's servants. We found the consul's
tents, but he had been obliged to return on business to the city ; and
the satisfaction with which we devoured some anchovy toasts, and
washed them down with huge draughts of Marsala wine, in tumblers —

604

TUAVKI.H OK PKNIIAM AMP (5L A I'T K IITON.

luxnrioN wv lm«l ho loiij^ iiwlrcd Imm'Ii Htnuim'rH io- - w«m quite iiwIrHcriho-
blu. Wo Hh'pt Houiully all«>r our fnuHt, uinl on Uu« 2(ltli, won* met liy tlio
coiiNul nnd Iuh oMohI hoii, wlum** mil iMfU<'tioii ut our hiiI'o naurii Hociiu-tl
cquiil to our own. We t«ntor«'(l Tripoli tlm Hnmo Any, wlicm u lionsi'lmd
bwn proviiK'tl for uh. Our limjjf ubMcndo (V«mi civiliKol H(»(M«>ty uitpfiircil
to huvi* un ctroot on our manner oCNpeaking, wliicli, ttiough we were uii-
eouHeioHS of it, oeoiwioned the renmrkH of our friends: evi-n in ronniKiti
converHntion our tone wiih ho loud tw iilnioHt to uliirni tlume we addreHHcd,
;ind it wilN Nome weekr* before we eoultl moderate our voiecH ho an to
Itriufi^ them in harmony witli tliu eoniined Hpacu in whieli wu were now
exereisinjj; them."

Denham and Chippc^rton had a ntoriny paHHa^e to Le^liorn, Mliere
they were <d)liged to perform a <puirantine of twenty-live dayH. Kniiii
Leghorn llillman wan Kent home l>y Hea with tlu* livin){ animaln, eollcc,
tiouH, and haj^j^aj^e of the expedition. The two travelers enwHcd the
AIpH, and r<>a(^hed Tiondon on the iHt uf June, ullcr un ubHoncu fruiu
England of thrcu youfH uud u bolf.

> .■*.

C L A P P E R T N ^ S

SECOND JOURNKY TO SAOKATOO.

DrniNO dftptnin (■Ijipporton'B f'lrHt viHit to Sftcknt(»o, in flio ymr
1R'2(, lie wns ^ivcii to iitulcrstiUKl timt tlio cNtnliliHliiiictit of n fViciiilly
int(!rcourH(' with KiikIiiikI would hdnumt a^n'«'iil»l(> to Sultan IJcIIo; that
tlio laltJT wished partiouhirly tor certain aiticlcH of KngHHh rnanufiuiture
to be Hcnt out to tho Heo-coaHt, where thont wan a lar^^o port bolonj^inj^
to him, callcfl F^'unda. 1 lo alno desired that an Kn^flish physielan an«l
conmil Khould ho sent to another port, calhtd Kakka, promiNi*ii{ to send
an ny^itut to tlio hitter placet, to tranHa(;t all niatterH of buNineHH l>etw(!en
the two Rovernmc^ntH.

On the return of Donham and C/Iapperf on to Kn^land, Lord liatli-
urst (then (yolonial Secretary), couHiderin^ this a fav<iriihle opportunity
of estahliHhing an intereourso with the int«irior of Afri(!a, and |trol)abIy
of checking the trado in slaves, adopted (!lapp<'rton'H suj^'gestioiis, and
dispatched him on a second mission to Sackatoo, hy way of tlx; IJij^ht
of licnin, with suitable presents to Sultan IJpllo. It had heen arrangcid
that the latter should send down his messengers to Whydah, on the
coiwt, to meet Captain Clappcrton and his companions. On the arrival
of the latter at Benin, however, they could n(nth(!r gain any intelligj^nce
of Hello's messengers, nor did the people know any thing of such ))laneH
as Funda and Uakka. It has situ^u bei^i ascertained that both these
towns are upon the Niger, at least two hundred miles from the H<!a.

Captain Clappcrton was allowed to take with him, as companif>ti, a
surgeon by the name of Dickson, who had been seasoned by a rtisi<l(5nce
in the West Indies. In an enterprise of so hazardous a nature, it was
deemed advisable to add two others to the party, in order to accomplish
a more thorough survey of the different countries of Soudan. For this
purpose. Captain Pearce, of the navy, and Dr. Morrison, a naval surgeon,
were selected; one being a good draughtsman, and the other well
versed in natural history. Captain Clappcrton also took with him his
servant, Richard Lander, and the mulatto Columbus, who had been in
the service of Major Denham. The party sailed from England on the

506 CLAPPERTON'S SECOND JOURNEY TO SACKATOO.

27th of Augubt, and arrived in the Bight of Benin on the 26th of No-
vember, 1825. Dr. Dickson, being desirous of proceeding alone to
Sackatoo, was landed at Whydah, and accompanied by Cohimbug, pro-
ceeded to Dahomey, where he was well received. He was sent forward
to a place called Shar, seventeen days' journey further, beyond which
nothing more was ever afterward heard of him.

Captain Clapperton was persuaded by a trader named IToutson, to
make Badagry his starting-point ; he agreed to accompany him as far
as F.yeo, or Katunga, the capital of the kingdom of Yoriba. They
landed on tlie 27th of November, and after having made arrangements
to have their baggage sent after them, staited on their journey into the
interior on the 7th of December. As they were under the protection
of the King of Badagry, they met with no difficulties in the early part
of their route. At the different towns they were always received by the
caboceersj or chief men, to whom they made small presents, and v/ho
supplied them with lodgings and provisions. In two or three days the/
entered the territories of the king of Yoriba, after which they ci-
perienced some trouble in procuring men and beasts to transport their
baggage. Their road led through dense forests, the dampness of which,
added to the fact of their traveling partly by night, brought on attacks
of fever and ague, with Avhich the whole party suffered.

On the 13th they reached the tOMTX of Laboo. The country now
became more agreeable!, rising into hill and dale, with fine prospects.
They approached the town by the moonlight through an avenue of
majestic trees, with fetish-houses placed here and there, and solitary
iights burning in each. Two days afterward they reached the large
iown of Jannah, where the caboceer, who at first received them in laiher
a reserved and ceremonious manner, finally assured them that they
might proceed safely as far as Eyeo, the capital, but he did not believe
that be king would allow them to go beyond it. "I can not," says
Clapperton, " omit bearing testimony to the singular and perhaps unpre-
cedented fact that we have already traveled sixty miles in eight days,
with a numerous and heavy baggage, and about ten clifferent relays of
carriers, without losing so much as the val le of a shilling, public or
private."

M'^anwhile the sick continued to grow worse, with the exception of
Richard Lander, who, after being bled on the temple and blistered on
the head, improved. On the 23d, Dr. Morrison was so weak that he
determined to return, and 3Ir. Houtson was sent back to take charge
of him. On the following day, at a town called Egga, a c -^araan named
George Dawson, died, and was buried the same evening. Three days
afterward, Captain Pearce died, and was buried near the town of En-
gwa, the whole of the population attending the funeral. The grave
was staked around by the r.atives, and a shed built over it : R'.ehard
Lander carved an inscription on a board, and placed i*. at the head.
Clapperton now determined to wait for Mr. Houtson, who returned on

ARRIVAL AT KATUNGA.

607

the 31st, with the news that Dr. Morrison had died at Jannah, on the
same day as Captain Pearcc. Thus in the short space of three weeks,
three persons, or one half the party, had perished ; yet the survivors
manfully pushed on, although Clapperton was so ill that he was obliged
to be carried in a hammock.

The country became more hilly and picturesque as they advanced.
On the 13th of January, 1826, they entered a narrow defile, leading
through a range of granite mountains. " The road through this mount-
ain pass," says Clapperton, " was grand and imposing, sometimes rising
almost perpendicularly, and then descending into deep dells. In every
cleft of the hills, wherever there appeai'ed the least soil, wei-e cottages,
surrounded by small plant tions of millet, yams, or plantains, giving a
beautiful variety to the rude scenery. The road continued rising, hill
above hill, for at least two miles, until our arrival at the large and populous
town of Chaki, situated on the top of the very highest hill. On every
hand, on the hills, on the rocks, and crowding on the road, the inhabit-
ants were assembled in thousands ; the women welcoming us with hold-
ing up their hands and chanting choral songs, and the men with the
usual salutations and every demonstration of joy."

Here they were kindly received by a caboceer with two thousand
wives, and continued their journey next day. The country beyond this
was populous and well cultivated ; and they were everywhere hospita-
bly treated. On the 2 2d they reached the large town of Tshow, where
a messenger from the King of Yoriba was in waiting, to conduct them
to Katunga. The caboceer visited them, and after having shaken hands
with them, rubbed his face and body, in order that he might impart the
blessing of a white man's touch to all parts of his frame. The next day,
at nuon, from the top of a high ridge, they saw the city of Katunga, or
Eyeo. " Before us lay a finely-cultivated valley, extending as far as the
eye could leach to the westward ; the city lying, as it were, below us,
surrounded and studded with green shady trees, forming a belt around
the base of a rocky mountain, composed of granite, of about three miles
m length, forming as beautiful a view as I ever saw."

On entering the city, a messenger met the travelers, stating that the
king wanted to see them. Clapperton gives the following description
of their reception : " A band of music accompanied us aiA the escort,
with an immense multitude of men, women, and children. As there
was much open and cultivated ground, the dust they caused almost suf-
focated us, though the escort tried all gentle means to keep them off.
At last, after riding full five miles, we came to the place where the king
was sitting under the verandah of his house, marked by twn red and
blue cloth umbrellas, supported by large poles held by slaves, with the
staff resting upon the ground. After we got as far as the umbrellas in
front, the space was all clear before the king, and for about twenty yards
on oach Bide. We walked up to the verandah with our hats on, imtil
we came into the shade, when we took off our hats, made a bow, and

508 OLAPPERTON'S SECOND oOUllNEY TO SACKATOO.

shook hands : he lifting up our liands three tin es, repeating, ^Ako, ako!^
(how do you do ?) the women behind him standing up and cheering us
calling out, ' Oh, oh, oh !' (hurrah !) and the men on the out? ide joining.
It was impossible to count the number of his ladies, they were so densely
packed and so very numerous, ^f I might judge by their smiles, they
seemed as glad to see us as their master. The king was dressed in a
large white shirt, with a Mue one under ; around his neck some three
strings of large blue cut-glass beads, and on his head the imitation of a
European crown of blue cotton covered over pasteboard, made appar-
ently by some European, and sent up to him from the coast."

The city of Eyeo (Katunga, in the language of Houssa) is situated
in latitude eight degrees fifty-nine minutes north, longitude six degrees
twelve minutes east. It is built on the sloping side and around the base
of a small range of granite hills, which, as it were, form the citadel of
the town : they are composed of stupendous blocks of gray granite of
the softest kind, some of which are seen hanging from the summits, in
the most frightful manner, as if the least touch would send them do\vn
into the valley beneath. A belt of thick wood runs around the walls,
which are built of clay, about tAventy feet high, and surrounded by a
dry ditch. Tliere are ten gates in the walls, which are fifteen miles
in circumference, of an oval shape, about four miles in diameter one way
and six miles the other, the south end leaning against the rocky hills,
and forming an inaccessible barrier in tliat quarter. The !iing's houses
and those of his women occupy about a square mile, and are on the south
side of the hills, having two large parks, one in front and another hcv-.g
the north.

Clapperton was detained at Katunga during the whole month of
February, the king refusing to allow him to proceed, under one pretext
or another. He kept him well supplied with provisions, but as the
traveler was obliged to make frequent presents to him, his sons, and tho
caboceers or head men of the city, these gifts were well paid for. Cap-
tain Clapperton ai)plied for permission to visit Rakka, on the Niger, and
to pass onward to the kingdom of Nyffe, lying east of Yoriba, which
was refused, on the ground that the road was not safe. Finally, after
fixing a day for Clapperton's departure five or six times, and as often
postponing it, he sent word to hun, on the 6th of March, that a messen-
ger was about to start for the city of Kiaraa, and would accompany and
give him in Aarge to the Sultan Yarro, who would forward him ♦o the
kingdom of Yaouri. Clapperton, therefore, immediately arranged his
baggage and started, leaving Mr. Houtson, who intended returning to
Badagry.*

On the way to Kiama Lander became so ill that he could not travel

without being hold on the horpe. They reached that city on the 1 3th,

ard rode immediately to the house of Sultan Yarro whom they found

sitting at the Coor of his house, lie was a stout, gcod-looking man, past

* Mr. Hcataon reached Botiagry in safety, but died soon afterward.

JOURNEY TO BOUSSA.

509

the middle age, dressed in a white tobe or large shirt, with a red Moor-
ish cap on his head. He received Clapperton kindly, and gave liim a
very comfortable house. After the heat of the day was over Yarro came
to visit him, mounted on a beautiful red roan, attended by a number of
armed mc>n on horseback and on foot, an<l six young female slaves, car-
rying spears. He promised to send the travelers to Wawa, Avhence they
would be forwarded to Boussa on the Niger. The town of Kiama, ac-
cording to Clapperton's estimate, contains thirty thousand inhabitants,
who are looked upon as the greatest thieves and robbers in Africa. The
traveler, however, was fortunate ; he escaped being plundered, and after
a stay of five days, was allowed to proceed, in company with a caravan
bound for Kano, in Houssa.

His road now led through a thickly wooded country, broken by pic-
turesque rocky ranges. In passing through one of the villages, a Borgoo
hunter came in from the chase. " He had a leopard's skin over hia
shoulder, a light spear in his hand, and his bow and arrows slung at his
back. He was followed by three cream-colored <logs, a breed as if be-
tween the grayhound and the cur ; they were adorned with round col-
lars of diflferent colored leather. The hunter and his dogs marched
through the village as independeutlv as I ever saw a man, without tak-

AFRIOAK rORBST.

ing the least notice of us, or even looking at us." The road continued
through tropical woods of the most luxuriant foliage. They were shaded
from the heat of the sim, which was intense at noonday, and were
'•cored by their approach to the Niger, the proximity of which was
t>" .'junci'd by its numerous trib'itaries.

L,..

510 CLAPrmiTON's second journey to sackatoo.

On tho 2l8t, Clappcrton reached the larfi;e town of Wawa, when he
was indifferently received by the governor, who wrapped up his hand in
his sleeve, for fear the touch of a white man would kill him. Soon after
his arrival he was visited by an Arab widow named Zuma, who desired
to have a white husband. She was said to be tho richest person in tho
town, having the best house and a thousand slaves. " She showed a
groat regard for my servant Richard, who is younger and better looking
than I am," says Captiiin Clapperton ; " but she had passed her twentieth
year, was fot, and a perfect Turkish beauty, jnst like a walking water-
butt. All her arts were unavailing on Richard ; she could not induce
him to visit her at her house, though ho had my permission." In spite
of these rebuffs, tho widow furnished the traveler with abundance of
cooked provisions every day. She offered Clapperton's servant Pascoo
a wife if he could persuade his master to marry her. Clapperton visited
her one day, and received an estimate of all her wealth ; she exhibited
to him her gold bracelets, her coral beads, silver rings and other trinkets
and her apartments, splendidly adorned with pewter dishes and brass
pans. She then pro ■ 'K3d to send for a priest and have the marriage
ceremony j)erformed— r pon the captain speedily retreated.

After spending nine . » at Wawa, a mt^sscnger of the Sultan of
Roussa arrived, to conduct tho travelers through his dominions. The
governor of Wawa promised to send all the baggage to the towi of
Koolfii, beyond the Niger, on the direct road to Kano, and Clapperton
therefore, leaving Lander to take charge of it, rode on to Boussa. The
same afternoon he reached a branch of the Mger, called the Menai. It
was not more than twenty yards across, but twelve feet deep. After
being ferried over, an hour's ride brought him to the town of Boussa.
He was much sirprised, after entering the gate, to see only clusters of
huts luM-e and there, and no regular town, as he had been led to expect.
He proceeded at once to visit the sultan, whom he found sitting under
the verandah of one of his huts, with his principal wife beside him. The
fiultan received him very kindly, and said that the Sultan of Yaoini had
ke{)t seven boats waiting several days, to take him up the river. Clap-
perton informed him that on account of the war between Yaouri and
Boussa, he intended taking the route of Koolfu and Nyfic, on his way
to Bornou. The sultan was a handsome man of about twenty-five years
of age, live feet ten inches in height, with a lofty forehead, Roman nose,
good teeth, and a short chin covered with a beard two inches long.

Clapperton's presents the next day procured him a still more favora-
ble reception, and he was informed that he would be allowed to con-
tinue his journey on the morrow. "I next inquired of him," says the
traveler, " after some white men who were lost in the river near Boussa
twenty years ago. He seemed rather uneasy at this question, and I
observed that he stammered in his speech. He assured me that he had
nothing belonging to them ; that he was a little boy when the event
happened. I said, I wanted nothing but the books and papers, and to

THE PLACE OF PARK'S DEATH.

511

learn from him a corro<'t ucciount of the manner of their death ; and that,
with his permission, I would go and visit the spot where they were lost.
He said no, I must not go ; it was a very bad place. Having heard
that part of the boat still remained, I asked him if it was so. lie re-
plied that such a report was untrue ; that she did remain on the rocks
for some time after, but had gone to pieces and floated down the river
long ago. T said if ho would give mo the books and papers, it would be
the greatest favor he could possibly confer upon me. Ho again assured
me that nothing remained with him ; every thing of that kind had gone
mto the hands of the learned men ; but that if any were now in existence
he would procure them and give them to me. I then asked him if ho
would allow mo to inquire of the old people in the town the particulars
of the affair, as some of them must have seen it. Ho appeared very un-
easy, gave me no answer, and I did not press him further."

Clapperton was afterward informed by the sultan that the late imam,
or priest, who was a Felatah, had had possession of all of Park's books
and papers, but that he had fled from Boussa some time before. The
inhabitants appeared imeasy and embarrassed whenever he asked for in-
formation, but they pointed out the place where the boat struck and
the unfortunate travelers perished. " Even this," Clapperton remarks,
"was done with caution, and as if by stealth ; though, in every thing un-
connected with that afiair, they Averc most ready to give me what in-
formation I asked, and never in my life have I been treated with more
hospitality and kindness. The place pointed out to me is in the eastern
channel, the river being divided into three branches at this place, not
one of which is more than a good pistol-shot across. A low, flat island,
of about a quarter of a mile in breadth, lies between the town of Boussa
and the fatal spot. The bank is not particularly high at present, being
only about ten feet above the level of this branch, which here brciks
over a gray slate-rock, extending quite across to the eastern shore."

Clapperton left Iloussa on the 2d of April, and proceeded down the
river two days' journey to Comie, or the king's ferry, where the caravans
to and from Houssa cross the Niger. His baggage, much to his sur-
prise, had not ai'rived from Wawa, and he found, en inquiry, that it had
heen detauied by the orders of the persevering widow Zuma. He Im-
mediately returned to Wawa, and Ljinder arrived there at the same
moment from Boussa, whither he had gone to seek his master and ac-
quaint him with the detention of his property. The sultan had treated
Lander with great kindness, and sent two armed men back with him to
desire the governor of Wawa to allow the baggage to leave — " a con-
vincing proof," says Clapperton, " that the minds of men here must be
much changed for the better since the days of Park and Martyn." But
they were not yet done with the widow. The governor would not give
up the baggage until she arrived, as she was then absent. She made
her entry in state the next day, astride of a fine horse, with a drummer
before her, and a train of bowmen and spearmen behind. She wore red

512 CLAPPBRTON'S tiiCOND JOURNEY TO SAOKATOO.

silk trowsers and red morocco boots, with a white turban upon hor
head, and over her shoulders a mantle of silk and gold. " Had she been
somewhat younger and less corpulent," says her victim, *' there might
have been great temptations to head her party, for she has certainly
been a very handsome woman." She was immediately summoned be-
fore the governor, who gave her a lecture on disobedience and vanity,
and finally ended by giving up Clapperton's baggage, and allowing him
to depart the next day.

After crossing the Niger, Clapperton proceeded toward Kano
through the country of Nyffe, and on the 12th arrived at a town called
Tabra, on the river Mayarrow, where lie was obliged to remain several
days. While here, a messenger came to him from the Sultan of Yaouri
bringing a present of a camel. He stated that the sultan had in his
possession two large printed books which had belonged to the white
men who were lost in the boat at Boussa, and had been offered a hun-
dred and seventy-five pieces of gold for them. Clapperton was obliged
to make a journey of two or three days, to the camp of the king of
Nyffe, in order to obtain permission to proceed further. He reached
Koolfu, the capital of the country, on the 2d of May. This is a place
of twelve or fifteen thousand inhabitants, situated on the river Mayarrow.
It is surrounded by a clay wall about twenty feet high, with four gates.
He here heard the story of Park's death related in the same manner as
at Boussa, and there seems no reason to doubt its correctness. The only
fjncertain point is, whether the travelers were shot by the natives, or
were drowned in attempting to escape. Soon after their death the
country was visited by a pestilence, which the superstition of the na-
tives attributed to that occurrence, and they all seemed disinclined to
converse on the subject. Clappeiton remarks : " I was often puzzled to
think, r.fter the kindnes.i I had received at Boussa, what could have
caused such a change in the minds of these people, in the course of
twenty years, and of their uifil-ient treatment of two European travelers.
I was even disposed at times to flatter myself that there was something
in me that belonged to nobody else, to make them treat me and my
peoj)le with so much kindness."

After having been detained six weeks at Koolfu, partly by his own
and Lander's sickness, and partly by the difficulty of procuring an escort
to Kano, Clapperton set out for the latter place on the 19th of June.
His progress was slow and toilsome, the rainy season having set in. lie
reached the city of Zaria on the 10th of July. This is a place of more
than fifty thousand inhabitants, situated on a plain near a long chain
of hills. Its appearance is made very picturesque by the long avenues
of trees, resembling poplars, which border the roads leading to it. Tliis
was within the territory of Houssa, and Clapperton now congratulated
himself that all his difficulties were over. The country around Zaria
reminded him of England iu April, and grew more pleasant as he ap-
proached Kano. " The land, everywhere the eye turned, looked beau-

ting
toJd
I CI
! Coonii
his
Ho
him a
mainec
eral
sultan,
very di
war, B
to Eur
On

ARRIVAL AT.BELLO'S CAMP.

518

tiful ; the grain was juat high enough to wave with the wind ; little
towns and villages were numerous ; the trees full of foliage, few being
left except such as were fit for use, as the butter-tree and the tamar
ind ; herds of fine cattle were seen grazing on the fallow-j,round ; and
horses and mares were tethered in the small spaces left between the
cultivated fields."

On the evening of July 20th, they entered Kano, and went to the
house of his fonner agent, Hat Salah. The latter was in low spirits on
account of the war between Iloussa and Bornou, which had shut them
out, for some time, from all communication with Fezzan or Tripoli.
Clapperton only remained four days in Kano, and then left for the camp
of Sultan Bello, with the presents he had brought, leaving Lander be-
hind him, to take charge of those intended for the Shekh of ]3ornou.
It was now the height of the rainy season ; severe storms occurred
nearly every day ; the rivers were swollen ; the marshes almost impass-
able, and he made but slow progress. On the Avay to the camp lie met
the vizier, whom he had ah-eady known in Sackatoo, and who received
him in a very friendly manner. Soon after this one of his horses was
lost, and with it one of his journals, so that there is a hiatus of more
than two months in his narrative — an omission which does not appear
to have been replaced afterward.

We are, therefore, ignorant of the causes which delayed him on his
way to Belle's camp, Avhich he did not reach until the 15th of October.
" Tlic sultan's reception of me," he says, " Avas most kind and gratifying,
lie asked after the health of the King of England, and if we were still
at peace, and how I had found all my friends. lie was surprised when
I said I had not seen them, and that I had remained only four months
in England. He said he had not received either of my letters, the ono
from Bornou, or that which had been sent by way of Ghadames from
Tripoli. He asked me if I had not experienced a great many difficulties
in getting through Yoriba ; said ho had heard of me when I was at
Katunga, and had sent a messenger to that place to assist me in get-
ting through, as well as another to Koolfu — but neither of whom, as I
told him, had I seen.'»

Clapperton accompanied the sultan in an attack upon the town of
Coonie, in which the Felatah troops were repulsed, and then directed
his course toward Sackatoo, where he arrived on the 20th of October.
He was immediately visited by the Arabs of the place, who first paid
him a great many compliments, and then begged for presents. He re-
mained in Sackatoo for several months, during which time he made sev-
eral excursions into the country around, mostly at the command of the
suhan, M'ho frequently had communications to make to him. He was
very desirous of proceeding to Bornou, but as the two countries were at
war, Bello refused his permission. He promised, however, to send him
to Europe, through the country of the Tuaricks, to Fezzan.

On the 2 2d of December, he was surprised by the arrival of Richard

514 CLAPPERTON'S SECOND JOUBNEY TO SAOKATOO.

Lander from Kano, with the remainder of the baggage, including tho
presents for the Shekh of Hornou. Lander had been brought to Sacka-
too by the order of the sultan, who used the factof the war with Bornou
as a pretext to seize upon tho presents uitended for tho shekh. Lander
had suffered a great deal of fatigue and anxiety on account of the knavery
of the servant Pascoe, who had three times deserted, after breaking open
some of Captain Clapperton's trunks, and stealing the contents. On tho
first and second of these occasions. Lander had himself followed him for
several days, and overtaken him. Clapperton was now informed by tho
sultan that if he wished to go home, he must go by way of Fezzan or
Timbuctoo, but should not bo allowed to visit Bornou. He also de-
manded the letter to the shekh of the latter country, which Clapperton
refused to give up. This treachery on the part of the Sultan Bello ap-
pears to have depressed Clapperton profoundly, and when the former
again sent to him, demanding his stores of powder and ammunition, un-
der the pretext that they were intended for the Shekh of Bornou, his
customary prudence entirely deserted him. He reproached the vizier
and his brother with the baseness and falsehood of this proceeding ; harsh
epithets were used on both sides, and a breach was made between the
traveler and the rulers of lloussa, which was never afterward healed.

Toward the close of February, 1827, news came to Sackatoo of tho
defeat of the Shekh of Bornou, and his retreat to Kouka, with the loss
of all his baggage, camels, and two hundred and nine horses. During
the winter. Captain Clapperton's journal records little except some excur-
sions around Sackatoo, and the difficulty he had in procuring the skins
and skeletons of some wild hr>gs. He does not appear to have made any
preparations for his return to Europe, His journal terminates abruptly
on the 11th of March, after which we must have recourse to the narra-
tive of Richard Lander, for the particulars of his last illness and death.

Lander relates that his master was taken ill on the 12th of March,
with dysentery. As it was the fast of Ramadan, none of tho servants
would render the least assistance, and he was obliged to wash, cook,
watch at night, and fan the invalid. The weather was insufferably hot,
the thermometer being 107° mi the shade. Lander carried him in his arms
every day to a shady place on the outside of the hut, as he was too weak
even to raise himself on his couch. The former fancied that he had been
poisoned by some of the Arabs or Tuaricks, in drinking camel's milk ;
but Clapperton replied, " No, my dear boy, no such thing has been done,
I assure you. Do you remember that when on a shooting excursion in
the early part of February, after walking the whole of the day, exposed
to the scorching rays of the sun, I was fatigued, and lay down under the
branches of a tree for some time ? The earth was soft and wet, and from
that hour to the present, I have not been free from cold ; this has brought
on my present disorder, from which, I believe, I shall never recover."

" For twenty days," says Lander, " my poor master remained in a
low and distressed state. He told me he felt uo pain ; but this was

niS LAST ILLNESS.

515

spoken only to comfort mo, for ho saw I was dispirited. ITis sufferings
must have been acute. During this time he was gradually, but percept-
ibly, declining ; his body, froni being robust and vigorous, became
weak and emaciated, and indeed was little better than a skeleton. I
was the only person, with one exception, he saw in liis sickness. Ab-
derachman, an Arab from Fezzan, came to him one day, and wished to
])ray with him, after the manner of his countrymen, but was desired to
leave the apartment instantly. I read to him daily some portions of th^
New Testament, and the ninety-fifth l^salm, which ho was never weary
of listening to, and on Sundays added the church service, to which ho
invariably paid the profoundest attention. Tlio constant agitation of
mind and exertions of body I had myself undergone for so long a time,
never having in a single instance slept out of my clothes, weakened me
exceedingly, and a fever came on not long before my master's death,
which hung upon me for fifteen days, and ultimately brought jne to the
very verge of the grave.

"On the Ist of April, he became considerably worse, and though
evidently in want of repose, his sleep became more and more disturbed.
On the 9th, Maddie, a native of IJornou, whom master had retained in
his service, brought him about twelve ounces of green bark from the
butter-tree, and said it would do him much good. Notwithstanding all
my remonstrances, master immediately ordered a decoction of it to bo
prepared, observing, ' No man will injure me.' Accordingly Maddio
himself boiled two basins-full, the whole of which he drank in less than
an hour. Next morning he was much altered for the worse, and regret-
ted his not having followed my advice. About twelve o'clock of the
same day, he said, ' Richard, I shall shortly be no more ; I feel myself
dying.' Almost choked with grief, I replied, ' God forbid, my dear
master : you will live many years yet.' ' Don't be so much affected, my
dear boy, I entreat you,' said ho : ' it is the will of the Almighty ; it can
not be helped. Take care of my journal and papers atler my death ;
and when you arrive in London, go immediately to my agents, send for
my uncle, who will accompany you to the Colonial Office, and let him
see you deposit them safely into the hands of the secretary. After I am
buried, apply to Bello, and borrow money to ])urchase camels and pro-
visions for your journey over the desert, and go in the train of the Arab
merchants to Fezisan. * * * Remark what towns or villages you
pass through ; pay attention to whatever the chiefs may say to you, and
put it on paper. The little money I have, and all my clothes, I leave
you : sell the latter, and put what you may receive for them into your
pocket ; and if, on your journey, yo»i should be obliged to expend it,
government will repay you on your return.' I said, as well as my agita-
tion would permit me, ' If it be the will of God to take you, you may
rely on my faithful performing, as far as I am able, all that you have
desired ; but I trust the Almighty will spare you, and you will yet live
to see your country.' ' I thouglii I should at one time, Richard,' con-

r»in OI.ArrKUTON'H HKOONI) JOtTllNKY TO HACKAToo.

timu'il lie, •liiit nil in now «»v«'r ; I hIiiiII not hv lonj^ fof (liin woild ; i,,,^
<JoiI'h Mill Ih> (lour.* Ho tliiMi ttioli III) li.'tiiil lictnixt IiIh, lunl Iniikiinr
1IH' lull ill \\w Ihcc, wliili' II lour hIooiI fxliHti'iiiii^ in IiIh eye, Niiiij, in ^

low liiit ilri>|»ly iilVffliiijr (one, 'My *\v\\v Uitliunl, if you hiul \u<{. | „

with Mil', I hIhhiIiI liiivc liii'd loii>^ ii^o ; I «'!iii only lliitnk yon, witli niy
lutt'Nl Inciilli, loi' >•'«•• kiinlncHH iiikI iilliu'liniont 1o inc, iiikI if I ruiil.j
Inivf JiviMJ to iriiini widi yon, yon nIioiiM ltavi> Imm-ii t>liii><>i| lii'voinl |||,,
rcMcli of waiil ; lint (Jod will rcwiinl yon.' 'I'liiH coiivrrHiilion ornipi,.,!
nearly two lionrn, in tin' conrm' of wliii-ii my niii«»t('r Diinlnl hivitmI
iiinrs, and wiiM (liNti'CNstMl lu'Vond iniMiNnrr. Tin* Niinn> cvniiiifr Iii> i;.||
into a Nlninltrr, tVoin wliieli ln> iiwokr in innt'li prrtniliation, and hmIiI Ik.
had hi'ard with innch distinrlncHM tlio tolling of an Mn^liHli rnnntil licil;
1 Mitrciitrd him to he t<oiii|)OM>d, and ohsnvtMl that xick pcoplt' |Vi<

<|in'iitly llnicy they In-ar and Hco (liingM which nm poNNihly hav ex-

ist«'iic('. Ill' miidc no reply.

" yMioiit six o'eloeU on the morning of the Nth, on iiHkiiKj Ikmv ho
did, my maNter aiiNWered he wn.s inneh better, and rei|nesli'i| mr i„
nhave him. On the moiniiifX of the IMth, however, lieiii!^ awake, | u;h
inneli alaiined hy a |teenliar rattlin;^ noise, proeeedin^ IVoin my iiimmIci's
throat, and his hreatliint; was loud and dillienlt ; at; the Maine insl;inl liu
railed out 'Hiehard!' in u low :nid hurried tone. I w:ih iniiiieiliatciv
at his side, and «as astonished at, Heeinij him Killiiiir npri.rhi, i,| jij^ |„,,|^
and staiinu: wildly around. I held him in my arms, and piaiimr hU
head gently on my lelV shoulder, gazed a nioment. on his pale ami iiilnnl
teatnn's: some indistinel e,\pressions ipiivi'i'ed on his lips ; lie si rove, liiil
inelU'etnally, to give them ntteranee, and expiretl widiont. a sliiiixu'li' or
a sigh. When I t'onml my poor master so very ill, I called out wiili ail
my strength, M) (Jod, my master is dyiiigl' which Itrought I'mmim' iiml
Mudoy into tlie apartment. Shmtly alVer the breath had lell, liii limly,
I desired I'ascoi^ to fetch some water, with which I washeil tin' n.r|is('.
1 then got. I'ascoi' and Miidey to assist, me in taking it, outside of llio
hut, laid it on a <>lean mat, and wrapped it, in a sheel :nid lil.iiikcl.
Leaving it in this state two hour«, I jmt a large clean mat over tlio
whole, and sent a messenger to Sultan Hello, to ac(piaint liiiii of tlio
mournful event, and ask his permission to bury tlie body ailcr the iiiuii-
ner tif my own country, and als») to know in what ])articiilar place liis
remains were to be interred. The incs.sengi'r soon relnrned with the
sultairs consent to tlie former part of my reipiest ; and about 12 o'clock
at noon of the same day a jierson came into my Imt, accoinpaiiicd ))y
fonr slaves, sent by IJollo to dig the grave. I was ib'siri'd to follow ,
tliem witli the corpse. Accordingly T saddled my camel, and imtting |
the body (m its back, and throwing a union-j;ick over it, I bade tliom |
proceed. Traveling at a slow pace, wo halted at Jimgavle, a niiiiiH !
village, built on a rising ground, about five miles to the south-east of
Sackatoo. The body was then taken from the camel's back, and plaood j
in a shed, wliilo the slaves wore digging the grave ; which being quiokly

iMH iitniiAri.

iliiiii', it w»« forivoypfl «'|(»m< l<» if,. I iIh'Ii opciird ii pniyor hook, nml,
Miiiid mIimwci'N nt' (citi'M, ri'iiil l.li<> riiiirnil M*>rvii>n ovor llii* rciiiiiirm of my
miImi'iI iiiiimIi'I'. Not. ii Hiiii^li' |M>i'Miiii liNlrni><| to lli'm |M>(Miliiir|y ilislrrHH
iim ci'irmoiiy, lln» HliivfM Itf-iiiir ii(, noiiii' )liHliui<'r, )|iiiii'r)'liii({ iiinl iniikin^
:i iiiomI iinlco'tit iioIno flin \vliiil«> of iJio tiiiiii it limtnl, 'I'liiH ImIii^ <l(in<>,
)|ii< iiiiinii J!i('k U'liH luki'ii iitV, iitiil til)' Itofly wiim slowly towcit'il into thn
(Hilli, mill I w<'|it, liitlnly im I ^ii/cd (or llir lust, liiiM> ii|imm mII that,
rrinniiM'il of my jft-iiMoim iiikI iiilicpid miiHtfi'. 'I'lif pit, wm H|M'cili|y
lillcil, mnl I icl.iirncil to tlin villii;;^ ulMtiif, thirty yiir<h to tin- imihI, of
(lie irnivc, ami K'vin;^ the moHt. r('H|M'flahlo iiihahiliiiitM, li(»lh majo an<l
I'i'iiiiilt', a ll>\v tiilliiif^ piTNciitM, ('ntrc'itcil thctii to h't, no om- iliMtiiiii il,«i
NiM'K'l cnntcMtM. I alno ^av«t (ln-m l,w<» tlioiiMati'l rowiics to hiiild ii
lioiiMt', (Jmr (i'cl, hi^h, over the Hpol, wliirh they pninrmcd to do. I tlMn
n-lnnicd, ilisroiiN<»!at(! imd o|ipn'SM('d, to my HoJitary lialiitiilinn, atxl
Iciiniiii^ my head on my hand, «-oi(ld not. help luinir deeply a(lril,ed with
my loiH'Momo and (lan^erons nit nation ; u himdied and liU.ccn dayw'
jdiinicy IVoni llm wa-coast, ntirroimdrd l»y a HclliHli and ciiicl rare of
Hti'iiii!4<'iK, my only (Viend and piotrrtor moldmin^ in IiIh ^rav«*, and
itiysril" Hiillrriti;^ drcadlnlly !V<Mn fcvcM-. I C-lt, indeed, as if I wtood
iildiic in (he woiM, and enrneMtly wiwlied f had I;; .-n laid hy lh<? Hide of
my dear master : all tint trying evih f had endiin-d never affected mo
li!ilf»o miU'li !W lli<! bitt<"r rcfliMstionH of that di.streHsiii!^ period."*

it"

♦ Cnptniii IIiirIi f'lnp|inrlnti wn<t born in Dnnifriofiqliirn, Hi-ollnii'l, in Di" yi'nr 178R, nn»I
rnnH('i|in'ntly wiw tliirty-iihin yenrn njil ril llio (imo of \m tlcfitli. Iln rcr'fivoil vry liltio
I'tliiciitidH, (>X('('pt in lri(!'ino?n('lry and niiviKulioti, i\w\ wiw (i|i|ircnlicc(l f)n hoiiril i\ rrnir-
c'liMiil vi'MHi'l, at (iKm^rn iif lliirlf'i'n. Iliivin^ hmiri iiri|iri'Hi()'l liy llm friK'itd llniniinnre.,
Ill (iiliniltur, in \HW\, lin wiih, tlii()ii«Ii llm inlliifitu'n fiC iiii imcjc, who wtw r-iiplaln of tlio
iii.'iriiH'S, iippoinli'il niiilnliipiii.'in. Ilo iirinrwiiiil rn:i'lo ii voyjij^o Id |tiili;i in !'■■ friicsito
ainrimli', iiiid in IHM \vim H<iit, to Itfrninilft (in<l lliilifii.'c, ntid llicti to trpfir'r '/'.itiiKlft. Mo
Wiw (liHtin(?nisl)ci| M nn oxci'llciil Hwonlsrn.'Ui, ft (fnxl voctiliMt, nn niliniralil" Klory-lfllur,
a frank, wlmln-Hoiiliiil conipiinion, ntiij n fHitlirul frii.-nil. " In tlm wint<;r iil' IKI.I," myH
liiH iPKiKrapliiT, "lio wuH pliiccl in roniriKmil of a liloLkhoii'in on Iiiiko Ontario. Ho had
oiilv ■ nn Hiimll (?tin for its dcfi'iiH"; lio wan ftttacknd by nn Ainoricati wOioonor ; tlio
b;>i('l lioiiM'i was HDon flcnioliHlifd l)y tlm Hiiporiorify of tlin cn'-rny's flro. and ho found tlmt
Im.sclf and tho ;'nrty nnmt citlmr t)('fomo priRoiora of war, or form tho rosoiution of
cnmsinK I,akn Ontario on tho ico, ii jonrnoy of forty iniloH, to York (Toronto), tlm nc-jroHt
Urilinli d(':pr>t. NotwitliRtandiiiK tho dilTlrnlty and dan^nr nitfindinf? a jonrrify of fliif;h
Iciijrlli ov('r tho ico in tho flcjith of winter, tho altornativo was Roon adopted and flm
pnrly net out to crosH tlio lake, tnit had not ^otio morn than tf-n or twolv; niilf'S, bfforo a
l)(iv, onn of llin party, was mmhlo to procood from tho cold. Tho Raiiorn nil dc'larcd that
tlii'V wcro niiahlo to r.irry liiin, as tlioy worn ho bonnmbod with tho nold, and had wnrrcAv
slivngth nntrii'iont to Hupport thcmHclvofl. f!Inppcrton'H ((onoroiis nntnro roul'l not h'
tlm ido.i of a fcjiow-nroaturo boin^ loft to jjoristi under rijoIi appalling circiimstanocn, for
li'lrcftdful Hnow-Rtorm had comnioncod. Ho thnroforo tof)k tho boy upon tiis bnck, liold-
in;; him with his Icfl Imnd, and Hiipportinfi; liimRcirfrorn Hlippin^ with a RtafT in hin ri^ht.
In thifl mannor ho continued to go forward for eight or nine miles, when bo perceived that
tho hoy relaxed bin bold, and on oxamining tho cause, foimd that bo was in a dying .state
from tlio cold, and Hoon after expired. Tho sufTorings of tlio whole party were great be-
fore tlicy roachod York ; tho stockings and shoos completely worn ofT their foct, and

518 CLAPPERTON'3 SECOND JOURNEY TO SACKATOO.

RETURN JOURNEY OP RICHARD LANDER.

After the ileath of his master, Uichanl Lander was very ill for many
days. The Arabs in the city visited him daily, and pretended to con-
dole with and comfort hhn. The weather was so warm that ho was
obliged to keep a tub of water at his side, into which he frequently
plunged his hands and arms. After he had given up all hope of roeov-
ery, his hyalth suddenly iinjjroved on the 20th of April, and the next
day he was able to sit uj». The vizier came and searched the boxes,
which he liad been informed were filled with gold and silver ; but to his
surprise, found that Lander had not money enough to take him bu(;k to
the sea-coast. The latter concealed about his person the watches of
Clapperton and Pearce. The sultan then demanded the arms and am-
munition, promising to pay for them. Lander charged him two hun-
dred and forty-five thousand cowries (about seventy-five dollars) unJ
received an order on Hat Salah, of Kano.

By making some presents to an old Ar.ib named Ben Guniso, who
had considerable influence over Sult.in Bello, Lander finally sucoet'ded
in obtaining permission to depart from Sackatoo. The sultan insisted
that he should go from K.ino through the country of the Tuarieks to
Fezzan, while Lander had made up his mind to return by way of IJoussa,
over the road he had already traveled. Bello also declared his intention
to keep Pascoc, for the purpose of cleaning his guns, but was persuaded
to let him go as far as Kano, as interpreter. " Finding," says Lander,
" that the sultan had nothing more to say, I bowed profoundly and re-
tired. I never saw him again."

The brave-hearted yo ing man left Sackatoo on the 4th of I\Iay, but
on the very next day narr.nvly escaped perishing of thirst. Sitting un-
der a tree nearly suffocated, he implored the hundreds of Felatahs and
Tuaricks who were passing, to sell him a drop of water, but they merely

their bodies in a dreadful state from the want of nourishment, having had nothing during
the journey but one bag of meal. From the long inaction of Clapperton 's loft hand, in
carrying tho boy upon his back, ho lost, fVom tho cfTccts of the frost, the first joint of hia
tlmmb."

Clapperton remained upon tho lakes until 1817, when ho roturnod to England, on tlie
breaking up of tho lako fleet, and was put upon half-pay. Ho then resided with liid rel-
atives in Scotland until 1820, when, happening to meet Dr. Oudney at Edinburg, he
made application to join tho mission to Central Africa, and his offer was accepted. Tlie
remainder of his history is contained in this, and tho foregoing narrative.

Captain Clapperton was about five feet eleven inches higli ; ho had great breadth of
chest and expansion of shoulders, and was otherwise proportionately strong ; ho was a
handsome, atldctic, powerful man, yet with an expression of genial kindness and human-
ity on his foaturch. One of his medical frionda placed so much reliance on tho native
vigor of his constitution, that he supposed ho could not bo overcome by disease, and UDtll
tho return of Lander, would not believe that his death (the news of whicli had pre-
viously reached England), had happened in any other way, except through accident or
violence.

LANDER'S JOURNEY SOUTHWARD.

610

exolaimod: "IIo is a kaffi,r (intidol) ; let him die." Finally, a young
mail, in spite of the remonstrances of the other natives, gave him a cala-
bash full, which revived himself and his horse, and enabled them to go
on. Ueaching Kano on the 25th, he called upon Hat Ualah, who instead
of the sultan's cowries, gave him a female slave, with some red caps and
beads. After four days' stay, he left for Funda, taking with him Pas-
coe, who was no less desirous than himself to escape from the territory
of Iloussa. Ilis course was to the southward and eastward of t!:at whiiih
Clapperton had pursued in going from Badagry to Kano, and had never
before been traveled by a European.

On the 18th of Juno ho arrived at tho town of Dunrora (Darroro of
Barth), in tho kingdom of Yacoba. " Our route, some j»art8 of this
day," says he, " lay over steep and craggy precipices, of a most awful
height. On tho summit of one of these places tho path was barely wide
enough for a single beast to pass. The horse that carried the portman-
teaus, in which were the journal, papers, watches, etc., struck himself
against a piece of rock and was precipitated a distance of eighty yards,
the ropes which were bound around the portmanteaus arresting his fur-
ther progress. This accident occasioned us two hours' delay, but tho
horse was not materially hurt. We had been traveling about half an
hour after L.iving this spot, when we came to a place from which there
was an extensive and beautiful prospect of the surrot ading country, and
eight days' journey might be plainly seen before us. About half a day's
journey to tho east stood a lofty hill, at the foot of which lay tho largo
city of Yacoba. Mohammed affirmed that there is a river called Shar,
orShary, about half a mile from that place, which derives its source from
Lake Tchad ; and that canoes can go from the lake to the Niger at any
season of the year.*

As he was about leaving Dunrora tho next day, on his way south-
ward, raossengers suddenly arrived from the King of Zegzeg (a small
country through which he had already passed), commanding him to re-
turn. In spite of all remonstrance, ho was obliged to comply. " Thus,"
he remarks, with a naive and touching sincerity, " after seventeen days*
perilous traveling from Kano, with a fair prospect of reaching Funda in
twelve or thirteen more, from whence four days' sail would bring me to
the salt water — a new country opening before me, and filled with the
most lively anticipations of solving the geographical problem which had
for so long a time puzzled Europeans, of ascertaining whether the Niger
actually joins the sea in that direction — was I obliged to abandon my
fondest and long-cherished hopes, and return to Zegzeg ; from thence to
be transported the Lord knows whither. I felt depressed and unhappy

* At Dunrora, Lander was but two or tliree days' journey from the Chadda, or Biiiu6,
and narrowly escaped the geographical discovery made by Dr. Barth in 1851. The
Ohadda, however, rises in tho mountains of Adamowa, and has no connection with tho
Shsry, which flows into Lake Tchad from the south-east. The two rivers approach each
other at one point, and are often confounded by the natives. — ^B. T. . ■■■•

520 CLAPPBRTON'S SECOND JOUllNKY TO SACKATOO.

at this sudden turn in my affairs, and cared not much whether I Kv'ed op
died."

The rainy season had now commenced ard he was dctjiined so long
by tlio rising of the rivers that ho did not reach Zegiseg until the 22(1
of July. He had reason to believe that the king had sent for him merely
to gratify his curiosity, fs ho had never seen a white man. lie was de-
tained but two days, and received a present of a bullock and a female
slave at parting. lie now judged it prudent to take the direct route to
Boussa, as there was less risk of being arrested on the way. He reached
the Niger in safety, and on the 24 ih of August arrived at Wawa, just
one month after leaving Zegzeg. The natives had been very kind to
him on the road, and ho experienced no serious difficulty anywhere.
In the villages people frequently applied to him to writo charms, and as
his means were greatly reduced, he gave them fragments of old English
ballads, which they took with a devout belief in their cfficccy.

The old Governor of Wawa received him with great kindness and
cordiality, and kept him until the 4th of September, detaining some
merchants who were bound for Kiama, in order that they might accom-
pany him. The road was at this time infested with robbers, but Lander
reached there safely on the 9th, and remained five days. The generous
old king supplied him with provisions in abundance. On the 25th he
reached Katunga, the capital of Yoriba. The king would not allow hinr.
to wait on him, lest ho should wet his feet, but came himself to visit
Lander, accompanied by five hundred of his wives. Lander remained
at Katunga until the 21st of October, when he left for Badagry, the
king giving him a present of 4000 cowries (a little more than a dollai)
at parting. He arrived at Badagry without accident, on the 2l8t of
November, having been one month on the road.

While at this place he had a disagreeable adventure, which he thus
relates : " Three of the Portuguese slave-merchants residing at Badagry,
went to the king one day, and told him and his principal men that I was
a spy sent by the English government, and if suffered to have, would
soon return with an army and conquer their country. This the credu-
lous people believed, and I was treated with coldness and distrust by
the king and his subjects, who seldom came to see me. All the chief
men at length assembled at the fetish hut, and having come to a resolu-
tion that I was to drink a fetish, sent for me to appear before them. On
entering, one of the men, presenting me with a bowl in which was about
a quart of a liquid resembling water, commanded me to drink it, saying:
' If you come to do bad, it will kill you ; but if not, it can not hurt you.'
There being no resource, I immediately and without hesitation swallowed
the contents of the bowl, and walked hastily out of the hut, through
the armed men, to my own lodgings, took powerful medicine and plenty
of warm water, which instantly ejected the Avhole from my stomach, and
I felt no ill effects from the fetish. When the king and chief men found,
after five days, that the fetish had not hurt me, thoy became extremely

LANDER'S RETURN.

621

kind, and sent mo presents of provisions otn ^„-i

of January, 1828, 1 went „„ boaH7a„d a rivtd at an"" r ° ""' '""*
31«. Here I gave my faithful a^iLathXT^A T ^°'"' ™ ""o
.orrow on mf departure b/hcan.r J T'"'"'' '»"'«'"' "'"■•
mark, of grief peculiar to. he AS7rr °" "'' '"=^'' """ ""^'^

EXPLORATIONS OF THE NIGER.

DISCOVERIES OF RICHARD AND JOHN LANDER.

I AfTKR returning to En-
gland, liicliard Lander made
a proposition to the English
government to undertake an
exploration of the course of
the Niger, from Bousaa to the
sea, and on the 31st of De-
cember, 1829, received a letter
accepting I.'.s offer, with in-
structions as to Tie course he
should pursue, lie was fur-
nished with ;ill the articles
necessary for tlie journey, and
a sum t exceeding five hun-
dred d'jiims, the governracnt
agreeing to p.iy one hundred
pounds to his wili^ I'-r the first
year after his absence. His
brother John, who also volun-
teered for the service, was
permitted to accompany him,
but the government refused to
allow him any compensation.
The brothers embarked at
Portsmouth on the 9th of
January, 1830, and reached
Cape Coast on the 22d of February. Here they engaged old Pascoe
and his wife, and two Bomou men who were ^miliar with the English,
and could speak the language of Houssa. They were detained some
time, waiting for a vessel, and did not reach Badagry until the 21st of
March. The king received them rather coldly, and so far from being

AroU

/JhdUf

^A^A

524

EXPLORATIONS OF THE NIGER.

grateful for the handsome prcaontatlioyluid brought liim, continually do-
nianded more. A portion of the inhubitants appeared to be liostilo to
their undertaking, and tried to persuade the king to demand of thciii
a larger sum than thoy could aftbrd to pay, in order to prevent tlioiu
from gohig. Endless difficulties were thrown in their way ; half of tln-ir
supply of goods and money for the interior was beggiMlor extorted from
ti'cm ; every efl'ort at conciliation was met with insolence and cutuplaiiit •
yci the traveierH persisted in their demands for boats and horses, with
th(> utmost patience and perseverance. Finally, on the aist, aft,er ton
days of mhuito vexation, they succeeded, and about ten o'clock at ni<'ht
commenced their voyage up the liadagry Itivcr.

On the 0th of April they arrived at Jaiinah, where they were re-
ceived with much ceremony by the governor, who treated them with
kindness and courtesy. Hero they were compelled to remain eight days,
to wnit for onn of tJu'ir hors(>s which had not yet arrived fromUadagry.
They again set out for the capital of Yoriba on the 14th. Richard
Lat'rlor says : " Several strangers accompany us from town to lown, in
order to evade the duty which is exacted at the turnpike-gates, by stat-
ing themselves to bo of the number of our attendants. Women have
also placed themselves under the protection of our men from Capo
Coast Castle, that they may enjoy the like advantage ; in return for this
favor they do us many little kind offices, and arc useful if. making fires,
preparing food, etc., for our people." A week afterward John Lander
hac ■ IV severe attack of fever ; his state was very critictal for two or three
days, but under the care of his brother, ho recovered sufficiently to pro-
ceed.

Their journey through the kingdom of Yoriba, by nearly the samo
road as Captain Clappcrton had traveled four years previous, was ex-
ceedingly interesting, and JoI;:i Lander relates many curious anecdotes
of their intercourse with the irdiabitants. They encountered no serious
difficulty, and on the 13th of May approached the city of Katunga, to
which news of their coming had already been forwarded. Richard gives
the following account of their arrival : " Hundreds of people, and per-
haps if I were to say thoiisanda the nimiber would not be overrated,
preceded and followed us on the pathway ; and as they wound tlivouj^h
thick forests, along narrow roads, their bhie and white clothing, con-
trasted with the deep green of the ancient trees, produced an eniinontly
pleasing effect. After a hasty ride of two liours we came in sight of the
town of Eetcholeo, outside of which arc numerous trees, and underneath
their widely-spreading branches wc observed various groups of people
seated on the turf, taking refreshment. Wc joined them, partook of a
little corn and water, which is our usual traveling fare, and then re-
newed our journey. I sounded my bugle, at which the natives were as-
tonished and pleased ;.but a black trumpeter, jealous of the performance,
challenged a contest for the saporiority of tho rcsper-tivo instruments,
which terminated in tho entire defeat of tho African, who was hooted |
J

ILLNESS— THE WIDOW ZUMA.

625

and laughed at by his companions for his presumption, and gave up the
trial in despair. Thus escorted we traveled onward ; and after a
hasty ride of six hours from Ketchu beheld from a little eminence those
black, naked hills of granite at whose base lies the metropolis of Yoriba.
About an hour afterward Ave entered the gates of that extensive city.
As is the custom, we staid under a tree just inside the walls, till the
kin" and his eunuchs were informed of our arrival, which having been
done, after a wearisome delay, we rode to the residence of Ebo, the
chief eunuch, who, next to the king, is the most influential man hi the
place."

The king received them kindly, but by the advice of the eunuch,
they said nothing to him of the real object of their journey, pretending
that they were on their way to Yaouri, for the purpose of procuring
Park's papers. Contrary to their exjtectations, he did not detain tliem
more thfin a week, at the end of which time they continued their jour-
ney toward Kiaina. As they approached the Borghoo country, the
country became more populous and cultivated, and the people, many of
whom were Felatahs, treated them hospitably. They reached Kiama on
the 28th of May, and went directly to the house of the king, who had
sent an armed escort to meet them, and af)peared well-pleased to see
them. During their stay at this place, there were several public festi-
vals, attended with music, dancing, and horse-races. The king Avould
not permit them to visit Wawa, but required that they should go direct
to Boussa.

John Lander was taken ill immediately after leaving Kiama, and
continued to grow worse from day to day. During the intervals of his
delirium, he gave directions with regard to his family, supposing that he
could not live. Richard watched him with great distress and anxiety ;
but on the night of Juno 10th, his disorder took a favorable turn, and
he gradually recovered. While Richard was occupied in nursing him,
an old woman applied to him for medicine that would produce her an
entire new set of teeth ; or, said she, " if I can only be supplied with
two large and strong ones, I shall be satisfi(jd with them." The woman
was becoming rather impertinent, when Lander recommended her to
proci'-e two iron ones from a blacksmith, which so much displeased her
that she went away in a pet.

They reached Bouss?. on the 1 7th, and were heartily welcomed by
the king and his Avife, who stated that they had both been wecjiing all
the morning, on account of the death of Clapperton, though their faces
showed no evidence of it. The next day Lander writes : " The noted
widow Zuma visited us to-day without the slightest pretensions to finery
of any kind, either in her dress or ornaments, for she was clad in very
humble apparel of country cloth. She related to us, with great good-
humor, her quarrels with her prince, the ruler of Wawa, and her con-
sequent flight from that city to escape liis resentment. It apjjears, that

in order to effect this, she was actually obliged to climb over the city

626

EXPLORATIONS OP THE NIGER.

wa'l in the night, and travel on foot to Boussa, which is a very lone
journey, and to a woman of her size must have been an arduouH task.
She alleged that she had done nothing whatever to merit the displeas-
ure of the Wawa chief, notwithstanding which he had robbed her of
all her household furniture and a number of her slaves.

" We imagined," continues Lander, " that ;t would have been bad
policy to have stated the true reason of our visiting this country, know-
ing the jealousy of most of the people with regard to the Niger ; and
therefore, in answer to the king's inquiries, were obliged to deceive him
with the assertion that our object was to go to Bornou by way of
Yaouri, requesting at the same time a safe conveyance through his ter-
ritories. This answer satisfied the king, and he promised us every as-
sistance in his power. Our visitors remained with us a considerable
time, and in the course of conversation, one of them observed that they
had in their possession a tobe which belonged to a white man who came
from the north many years ago, and from whom it had been purchased
by the king's father. We expressed great curiosity to see this tobe
and it was sent us as a present a short time after their departure. Con-
trary to our expectations, we found it to be made of rich crunson
damask, and very heavy from the immense quantity of gold embroidery
with which it vas covered. As the time when the late king is said to
have purchased this tobe corresponds very nearly to the supposed period
of Mr. Park's death, and as we never heard of any other white man hav-
ing come from the north so far south as Boussa, we are inclined to be-
lieve it to be part of the spoil obtained from the canoe of that ill-tated
traveler."

The next day a man brought them a book which had been picked
up in the river after Park's death. It proved to be an old volume of
navigation, of no value, but between the leaves were some loose [-apers,
one of which was an invitation to dinner, addressed to Park. In a day
or two afterward messengers arrived to conduct them to the Sultan of
Yaouri, from whom they hoped to obtain more satisfactory relics of
Park's expedition. They embarked in a canoe, and proceeded up the
Niger ; the river, which is split into three channels and obstructed with
rapids, near Boussa, gradually widened to the extent of two miles, and
continued so, as far as the eye could reach. In most places it was ex-
tremely shallow, but in others deep enough to float a frigate. " The
banks were literally covered with hamlets and villag 3S ; fine trees, bend-
ing under the weight of their dark and impenetrable foliage, everywhere
relieved the eye from the glare of the sun's rays, and, contrasted with
the lively verdure of the little hills and plains, produced the most pleas-
ing effect."

After a voyage of four days, they landed at a village on the eastern
bank, eight miles from the city of Yaouri, which lies inland, on the top
of a steep hill. The path up the hill was so narrow that two men could
hardly pass, and terminated in an arched way through the wall of the

DETENTION AT TAOURI.

527

city, closed by a gate covered with plates of iron. Three days after
their arrival, the travelers were conducted to the sultan. Says Richard
Lander, '* He is a big-headed, corpulent, and jolly-looking man, well
stricken in years ; and though there is something harsh and forbidding
in his countenance, yet he was generally smiling during the conference.
The conversation commenced in the usual complimentary way ; and then
our object in visiting Yaouri was briefly and indirectly hinted at. When
we asked him whether he did not send a letter to the late Captain Clap-
perton, while that officer was at Koolfu, in which he had affirmed that
he had certain books and papers in his possession which belonged to Mr.
Park, he appeared very much confused. After thinking and hesitating
a good while, he answered with an affected laugh, *■ How do you think
that I could have the books of a person that was lost at Boussa ?' and
this was all hn said on the subject."

After remaining at Yaouri bcven days, vainly endeavoring to procure
further information concerning Park, the patience of the travelers was
exhausted, and they sent Pascoe with a message to the sultan, that they
earnestly wished to receive a final and decisive answer with regard to
the restoration of Mr. Park's papers, which they declared to have been
the sole object of their visiting him, and that it was their desire to quit
Yaouri immediately. " This bold and to us unusual language seemed
to have surprised and startled the sultan," says Richard Lander, " and
he instantly dispatched the old Arab to inform us, * that he declared ta
God, m the most solemn manner, that he had never had in his possession,
nor seen, any books or papers of the white travelers that perished at
Boussa.' The Arab hkewise assured us that we were at liberty to pro-
ceed on our journey whenever we should think proper." They v/ere
thus obliged to give up all hopes of recovering Park's journals, but suc-
ceeded in obtaining one of his muskets from a native of Yaouri. There
can he no doubt that Park reached Boussa, and met his death in the
manner stated.

The sultan afterward requested the travelers to remain a few daya
longer, until he could write to the King of England an explanation of
his conduct toward Mungo Park, and an account of the death of the lat-
ter. Meanwhile, there were indications of a war between NyflRe and
Yaouri, which would make their journey to Funda, on the Niger, haz-
ardous by land. They therefore sent a messenger to the King of Boussa,
statuig that they would be obliged to return to the salt water to obtain
more money and presents before proceeding to Bomou — (they had pre-
viously stated that they vrere on their way to Bornou, on account of the
great jealousy of the nati/es concerning any exploration of the Niger) —
and would be glad if he would furnish them with a canoe to Funda, as
the King of Badagry hid treated them so ill that they were afraid to
return thither. On the 18th of July, the messenger returned, and to
their great joy stated that the King of Boussa would furnish them with
a canoe to Funda, provided the road by land was not safe, but adviaed

52a

EXPLORATIONS OF THB NIOBR.

them to obtain aWo the permission of the King of Wawa, and other petty
■overcigns whoso territories extended to the river. They were now
ready to leave, but the sultan detained them from day to day, on the
most frivolous and contradictory pretexts, until finally, on the 26th, a
messenger arrived from the King of Boussa, to request their immediate
release. On the Ist of August, they received permission to depart, and
immediately left, after a residence of five weeks in Yaouri, which Uich-
ard Lander describes as the largest city in Central Africa, its walls being
more than twenty miles in circuit.

Soon after their return to Boussa, the king declared that he should
go down and ask the Dark Water (as the Niger is termed by the na-
tives), whether it would be favorable to their undertaking. They waited
in some anxiety for the result, and were not a little relieved when ho
came to them next morning with a cheerful countenance, and stated
that the answer was good, the river having promised to conduct them
in safety down its current. They then set out for Wawa, to procure the
permission of the king of that country, whose territory borders on the
Niger below Boussa. He received them with the greatest kindness, at
once acceded to their request, and sent a messenger to Comie, or the
king's ferry, to engage a canoe for them. Richard Lander was taken
very ill, and obliged to return to Boussa, where he had left his medicino.
chest. Here he soon recovered, and was joined by his brother John, on
the 21st of August. The canoe offered them by the King of Wawa
proved to be too small, and they were greatly delayed by the difficulty
of procuring a suitable one. In addition to this, the king had sent a mes-
senger to Rabba (Rakka of Clapperton), and the intermediate towns on
the river, requesting permission for the travelers to pass down in safety,
and desired them to wait until he had received an answer.

They were thus obliged to remain at Boussa until the 19th of Sep.
tember, when "to our unspeakable joy," says Lander, "the long-
expected and wished-for messenger arrived in this city from Rabba,
accompanied by two messengers from the king of Nyfie, one of whom,
a modest-looking, respectable young man, is his own son. These men
are to be our guides as far as Rabba, after we have passed which city,
all the Nyffe territory to the southward is under the surveillance of
Ederesa and his partisans. * The magia,' says the Boussa embassador,
' was delighted with the intelligence that white men were to honor his
dominions with their presence ;' he showed me the presents sent to him
by Captain Clapperton three years ago, and said a great deal in his favor
and commendation. 'And as a proof,' continued the man, 'of his
friendly disposition toward you, and his interest in your welfare, he has
not only sent his son as your companion and guide, but he has likewise
dispatched a messenger to every town on the banks of the Niger either
considerable or unimportant, even as far as Funda.*

" The king of Boussa M'as overwhelmed with delight at this intelli-
gence ; he capered around his hut with transport, when he saw our

AFFKCTING DEPARTURE FROM BOUSSA,

629

guides a:.tl heard their message ; and after a burst of joy, he began to
cry like a child, his heart was so full. ' Now,' said ho, when ho had
become more composed, ' whatever may happen to the white men, my
nei<'libors can not but acknowledge thj»*. I have taken every care of
tliem, treated them as became a king, and done my best to promote
their liapitiness and interests. They will not be able,' continued the
monarch with exultation, ' they dare not have the effrontery to cast at
me a reproach like that which they bestowed upon my ancestor.' "

The next morning they quitted Boussa, and embarked in their canoes,
full of Joy at their success thus far, and hopeful, notwithstanding the
certain perils that awaited them. Lander thus describes their fai-ewell
to Boussa, where, in spite of delays, they had been treated with steady
kindness and good faith. " When we quitted the hut, we found our
yard filled with neighbors, friends, and acquaintances, who all fell down
on their knees to bid us good-by. They blessed us earnestly with up-
lifted hands, and those among them that were of the M ahammedan
religion fervently implored for us the favor and protection of Allah and
their jirophet. The eyes of many of them were streaming witli tears,
and all were more or less affected. As wo passed by these poor crea-
tures, we spoke to them all, and thanked them again and again for their
good wishes. Our hearts must have been of marble if we could have
beheld such a scene without some slight emotion. On our way toward
the river, also, the path was lined with people, some of whom saluted us
on one knee, and some on both, and we received their benedictions as
we walked along."

The current was very swift and the navigation dangerous until they
had passed the frontier of Boussa at the king's ferry, where the Niger
becomes broader and deeper. They halted at the island of Patashie,
until they could procure a larger canoe, which they had purchased of
the king of Wawa, but were again subjected to vexatious delays. Rich-
ard Lander was obliged to proceed once more to Wawa, and part with
more presents from his rapidly diminishing store, before the matter could
be arranged. Meanwhile they were treated with the greatest kindness
and hospitality by the natives, and supplied with more provisions than
they Avere able to consume. The king of Wawa had promised to send
the canoe to a largo town called Lever, a short distance below Patashie :
they started again on the 30th, but were astounded on arriving at Lever,
to find that the place was not in the territory of Wawa, and the king
did not possess a single canoe there. They were therefore obliged to
detain a large canoe which they had borrowed at the island of Patashie,
the Wawa messengers promising that the king would pay for it. Soon
afterward the chief of Patashie sent for it, but the governor of Lever
refused to give it up, and detained the travelers from day to day, imtil
their patience was at an end. Although they were wholly in the power
of the natives, they went to the chief priest, who was at the bottom of
these intrigues, and in the presence of him and the governor, declared

680

EXPLORATIONS OF THE NIGER.

that they would no longer submit to the delay, and would shoot down
any man who attempted to prevent them from leaving. This produced
an immediate effect; t!n governor and priest became polite and sub-
missive, and the travelers seized upon the moment to embark, and push
into the middle of the current, which, in a short time, carried them out
of sight of the place.

S ( i: N E II T " T II K LOWER X I E R .

They stopped for the night at a town called Bajebio, and started next
morning (October 5), at sunrise. " Just below the town," says Lander,
" the Niger spreads itself into two noble branches, of nearly equal width,
formed by an island. We preferred journeying on the eastern branch,
but for no particular reason. The country beyoufl the banks was very
fine. The island in the middle of the river is small, but verdant, woody,
and handsome ; and we passed by the side of it in a very few minutes,
with considerable velocity. It was then that both bunks presented the
most delightful appearance. They were embelli^lied with mighty trees
and elegant shrubs, which were clad in thick and luxuriant foliage, some
of lively green, and others of darker hues ; and little birds were singing
merrily among their branches. Magnificent festoons of creeping plants,
always green, hung from the tops of the tallest trees, and drooping
to the water's edge, formed immense natural grottoes, pleasing and
grateful to the eye, and seemed to be fit abodes for the Naiads of the
river."

On the following day they approached Rabba, and stopped at an
island in the river, while they dispatched a messenger to the king. He
returned in the evening, with a message, stating that they should remain
where they were until they had been visited by the " King of the Dark
Water." This monarch came the next morning in a canoe propelled by

DANOER FROM HIPPOPOTAMI.

631

twenty yonng men, who sang in time to the motion of the paddlos. The
king sat under an awning hung witli scarlet clotli, and was attended by
six of bis wives and two handsome pages. He was a stately man, well-
stricken in years ; his skin was coal-black uud his features coarse, but
commanding. He received the travelers cordially, presented them with
honey and goora-nuts, and offered to accompany them to the island of
Zagoshi, opposite Rabba, where they were to remain.

Hero they were detained eight days by the deceit and rapacity
of the King of Rabba and the King of the Dark Water. The former
at first expressed himself delighted with the presents they sent him, but
in a short time changed his tone, and said they were not fit for a child.
The travelers had a rich crimson robe, which had been found among
Park's goods, and was presented to them by the King of Boussa. This
they were compelled to part with ; but the king was so much pleased
that he promised to procure them a large cano(?, and refused to listen to
the proposals which were made to him to plunder them. They had the
greatest difficulty, nevertheless, in getting a canoe sufficiently large and
strong, while the natives positively refused to sell their paddles, and
the Landers were therefore compelled to permit their men to steal as
many as they wanted, by night. At length, after much suspense and
anxiety, and no little peril, considering the nature of the jieople with
whom they had to deal, they pushed off on the 16th, and resumed their
voyage down the stream.

After paddling all day, during which they made about thirty miles,
they attempted to go ashore for the night, but found the banks so
marshy that it was impossible to land. The men became very much
fatigued, and they finally pevmitted the canoe to float with the current.
"But here," says Richard Lander, " a fresh evil arose, which we were
unprepared to meet. An incredible number of hippopotami arose very
near us, and came plashing, snorting, and plunging all round the canoe,
and placed us in imminent danger. Thinking to frighten them off, we
fired a shot or two at them, but the noise only called up from the water,
and out of the fens, about as many more of their unwieldy companions,
and we were more cbsely beset than before. Our people, who had
never in all their lives been exposed in a cano3 to such huge and fonni-
dable beasts, trembled with fear and apprehension, and absolutely wept
aloud ; and their terror was not a little increased by the dreadful peals
of thunder which rattled over their heads, and by the awful darkness
which prevailed, broken at intervals by flashes of lightning, whose
powertul glare was truly awful. Our people tell us that these formida-
ble animals frequently upset canoes in the river, when every one in them
is sure to perish. These came so close to us, that we could reach them
with the butt end of a gun."

During the night a violent storm came on, and for several hours the
canoe was in great danger of being swamped by the agitation of the
waves. At last they succeeded in attaching it to a tree in the current,

582

EXPLOrtATIONS OP THB NIOBR.

and lay thoro until dawn, when they started again. During that day
and the next they wont slowly, on account of tho rains, hut were not
molested hy the natives whom they met. On the Ibrcnoon of the 10th
they were informed that the large town of Egga, where they had hoon
advised to stop, was near at hand. " We journeyed onward lor half an
hour," Hays the narrative, " when we perceivt^d a large, handsome town
behind a d<'ep morass. Several little inlets led through it to the town
distant about three miles from the bank of the river, which, as we drew
near, we learned was the place of which we were in quest. It was tlio
loiig-Hought Egga, and we instantly proceeded up a creek to the Ianclin<T-
place. The town is upward of two miles in length, and we wore struck
with the immense number of large, bulky canoes which lay off it, and
which were filled Avith trading commodities, and all kinds of merchuiiJiso
which are common to the country. They also had huts in thom, like
the canoes we had seen before. All of them had blood smeared on
their sterns, and feathers stuck in it as a charm or preservative against
robbers and the evil-disposed."

They were well received at Egga, but were much annoyed by the
curiosity of the natives, who, never having before seen white men
crowded into the house until they were nearly suffocated. They re.
mained at this place two days : the chief did not attempt to prevent
them from leaving, but their men were so terrified hy the reports of the
fierce tribes further down the river, that they refused to proceed, and
demanded their pay. This the travelers would not give: the chief was
appealed to by the boatmen, but declared hunself neutral in the matter,
and the difficulty ended in the men coming back the following mornins,',
and taking their place in the canoe. Soon after leaving Egga, there
were indications of an approach to the sea. A gull flew over their
heads ; and the native canoes greatly resembled those on the Calabar
Kiver. " For many miles," says Lander, " we could see nothing but
large, open, well-built villages on both banks of the river, but more
especially on the eastern, and tracts of land covered Avith verdure, or
prepared for cultivation, between them. Hero nature seems to have
scattered her favors with an unsparing hand. Yet we touched at none
of these goodly places, but continued our journey till the sun began to
decline, and the men to be fatigued, when we stopped at a small hamlet
on an island, intending to sleep there."

Here, however, they were not received in a friendly manner, and the
natives advised them to go on to a city called Kacunda, where tlio Iloussa
language was spoken. They arrived at this place in the evening, and
were welcomed by a Mohammedan priest, who entertained them for the
night. The next morning the king's brother came, and received them
with no less kindness and cordiality. He made thom presents, which
they were too poor to return adequately, btit he was more than satisfied
by the gift of some little trifles which he saw about the room. Becom-
ing more triendly and confidential, he g.ave them a terrible account of

PERILOUS VOYAGE BY NIOIIT.

688

the natives further down tho river, and advised thcni to letiirn by tho
way they came. As lie found them resolved to depart, he then said, " If
you will not be persuaded by mo to turn back, and save your lives, at
least you must not leave this by daylight, but stop imtil the sun goes
down, and you may then go on your journey — you will then pass tho
most dangerous town in the middle of the night, and perhaps save your-
selves." The travelers placed faith ir i ho representations of this man,
and therefore judged it prudent to postpone their departure until the fol-
lowing afternoon. While at Kaeunda, they learned that Funda was not
on the Niger, but on theChadda, the mouth "f which river, it was stated,
was but a day's journey distant. They were promised a guide, but ho
disappeared just before the appointed time ; the chief uscjd every argu-
ment except force to prevent their departure, but they were resolute,
and put oft" from Kacimda on the 24th.

"At three o'clock in the afternoon," says Lander, " avo ottered up a
prayer to the Almighty Disposer of all human events for protection on
our future voyage, that Ho would deign to extend to us Ills all-saving
power among the lawless barbarians it was our lot to be obliged to pass.
Having done this, we next ordered Paseoe and our people to commence
loading the canoe. I shall never forget them, poor fellows ; they were
all hi tears, and trembled with fear. One of them, named Antonio, a na-
tive of Bonny, and son to the late chief of that river, was as nmch af-
fected as the rest, but on a different account. For himself, he said that
ho did not care ; his own life was of no consequence. All he feared was,
that my brother and I should bo murdered ; he loved us dearly : he had
hom with us ever since we had left the sea, and it would bo as bad as
dvi'ig himself to see us killed.

"We Avere now fairly off, and prepared ourselves for tho worst.
'Now,' said I, ' my boys,' as our canoe glided down with tho stream, ' lot
us all stick together. I hope that we have none among us who will flinch,
come what may.' Antonio and Sam said they were determined to stick
to us to the last. Tho former I have before alluded to ; the latter is a
native of Sierra Leone, and I believe them both to be firm fellows when
required. Old Paseoe and Jowdie, two of my former people, I knew
could be depended on ; but the new ones, although they boasted much
when they found that there was no avoiding it, I had not much depend-
ence on, as I had not had an opportunity of trying them. We directed
the four muskets and two pistols to be loaded with ball and slugs, deter-
mined that our opponents, whoever they might oe, should meet with a
warm reception ; and having made every preparation for our defense
which we thought would bo availing, and encouraging our little band to
behave themselves gallantly, wo gave three hearty cheers, and com-
mended ourselves to Providence.

" Our little vessel moved on in grand style under tl>o vigorous and
animated exertions of our men. Shortly afti^r leaving Kaeunda, the
river took a turn due south, between tolerably high hills ; the strength

684

EXPLORATIONS OF THE NIGER.

of the current continued much about the same. A few miles further on,
we found ourselves opposite a large, spreading town, from which issued
a great and confused noise, as of a multitude quarreling, or as the
waves of the sea rolling upon a rocky beach ; we saw also other towns
on the western bank of the river, but we cautiously avoided them all.
The evening was calm and serene, the heat of the day was over, the
moon and stars now afforded us an agreeable light, every thing was still
and pleasant ; we glided smoothly and silently down the stream, and for
a long while we saw little to excite our fears, and heard nothing but a
gentlfl rustling of the leaves, occasioned by the wind, the noise of our
paddles, or now and then the plashing of fishes, as they leaped out of the
water.

" About midnight we observed lights from a village, to which we
were very close, and heard people dancing, singing, and laughing, in the
moonshine outside their huts. We made haste over to the opposite side
to get away, for fear of a lurking danger, and ve fancied that a light
was following us, but it was only a ' will o' the wisp,' or some such thing,
ard trees soon hid it from our sight. After the moon had gone down,
It became rather cloudy, so that we could not discern the way as plainly
as we could have wished, and the consequence was, that we were sud-
denly drifted by the current into an eddy, and, in spite of all our exer-
tions to get out of it, we swept over into a small, shallow channel which
had been formed by the overflowing of the river, and it cost two hours'
hard labor to get out into the main stream again.

" At five o'clock in the morning, we found ourselves nearly opposite
a very considerable river, entering the Niger from the eastward ; it ap-
peared to be three or four miles wide at its mouth, and on the bank we
saw a laige town, one part of which faced the river, and the other the
Quorra. We at first supposed it to be an arm of that river, and running
from us ; and therefore dirp' ^ed our courae for it. We proceeded up it
a short distance, but finding the current against us, and that it mcreased
as we got within its entrance, and our people being tired, we were com-
pelled to give up the attempt, nd were easily swept back into the Niger.
Consequently we passed on, but determined on making inquiries concern-
ing it the first convenient opportunity. But we concluded this to be the
Chadda.

" At 10 A. M. we passed a huge and naked white rock, in the form
of a perfect dome, arising from thi center of the river. It was about
twenty feet high, and covered with an immense quantity of white birds, in
consequence of which we named it the Birl Rock : it is about three or foiir
miles distant from Bocqu&, on the same side of the river. We passed it
on the western side, and were very nearly let m •. whirlpool. It was
with the utmost difliculty we preserved the canoe from being carried
away, and dashed against the rocks. Fortunately, I saw the danger at
first, and, finding we could not get clear of it, my brother and I took a
paddle, and animating our men, we exerted all our strength, and sue-

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A CONFLICT AVOIDED.

636

oeeded in preventing her from turning around. Had our canoe become
unmanageable, we should inevitably have perished. Shortly ailer, seeing
a convenient place for landing, the men being languid and weary with
hunger and exertion, we halted on the right bank of the river, which we
imagined was most convenient for our purpose.

" Totally unconscious cf danger, we were reclining on our mats —
for yve too, like our people, were wearied with toil, and overcome with
drowsiness — when in about twenty minutes after our men had returned,
one of them shouted, with a loud voice, ' War is coming ! O, war is com-
ing !' and ran toward us with a scream of terror, telling us that the na-
tives were hastening to attack us. We started up at this unusual excla-
mation, and, looking about us, we beheld a laige party of men, almost
nakefl, running in a very irregular manner, and with uncouth gestures,
toward our little encampment. They were all variously armed with
luwskets, bows and arrows, knives, cutlasses, barbs, long spears, and
other instruments of destruction ; and, as we gazed upon this band of
wild raen, w^ith their ferocious looks and hostile appearance, which was
not a little heightened on observing the weapons in their hands, we felt
a very uneasy kind of a sensation, and wished ourselves safe out of their
hands.

" One of the natives, who proved to be the chief, we perceived a little
m advance of his companions ; and, throwing down our pistols, which we
had snatched up in the first moment of surprise, my brother and I
walked very composedly and unarmed toward him. As we approached
him, we made all the signs aud motions we could with our arms, to deter
him and his people from firing on us. His quiver was dangling at his
side, his bow was bent, and an arrow, which was pointed at our breasts,
already trembled on the string, when we were within a few yards of his
person. This was a highly critical moment — the next might be our last.
But the hand of Providence averted the blow ; for just as the chief was
about to pull the fatal cord, a man that was nearest him rushed forward
and stayed his arm. At that instant we stood before him, and inmie-
diately held forth our hands ; all of them trembled like aspen leaves ; the
chief looked up full in our faces, kneeling on the ground — light seemed
to flash from his dark, rolling eyes — his body was convulsed all over, as
though he were enduring the utmost torture, and with a timorous, yet
undefinable expression of countenance, in which all the passions of our
nature were strangely blended, he drooped his head, eagerly grasped
our proffered hands, and burst into tears. This was a sign of friendship
■—harmony followed, and war and bloodshed were thought of no more.

" At first no one could understand us ; but an old man made his
appearance shortly after, who understood the Houssa language. Him
the chief employed as an interpreter, and every one listened with anxiety
to the following explanation which he gave us : ' 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

636

EXPLORATIONS OP THE NIGER.

to get as near to you as he could, to Jiear 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 oif my people, I desired thorn to
get ready to light. 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 frighcened that we could not pull our bows, nor move hand
or foot ; and when you drew near me, and extended your hands toward
me, I felt my heart faint within me, and believed that you were " Chil-
dren of Heaven,^'' and had dropped from the skies.' Such was the effect
we Imd produced on Jiim ; and under this impression he knew not what
he did. ' And now,' said he, ' white men, all I want is your forgive-
ness.' "

The chief assured them that they had passed the most dangerous
portions of the river, and there was no further necessity for travelhig at
night. Seven days more, he added, would bring them to the sea. He
cautioned them, however, to avoid a large town on the eastern bank
called Atta, a little below, the governor of which would probably attempt
to detain them. They started early the next morning, and about noon
observed a towni Avhich they supposed to be Atta, and took care to
avoid observation by keeping close to the opposite shore. Both banks
of the river were hilly and fringed with primeval woods, which were
bending over the water. " For upward of thirty miles after passin*
Atta," observes Lander, " not a town, or a village, or even a single hut,
could anywhere be seen. The whole of this distance our canoe passed
smoothly along the Niger, and every thing was silent and solitary ; no
sound could be distinguished save our own voices and the plashing of
the paddles with their echoes ; the song of birds was not heard, nor
could any animal whatever be seen ; the banks seenied to be entirely
deserted, and the magnificent Niger to be slumbering in its own
grandeur."

They stopped that evening at a village called Abbazacca, whore they
found a man who spoke t'le Bonny language, which one of their men
understood. The chief of the place invited them to accompany him the
next day to a large town, uf nh'-^h his biother was governor, further
down the river, and where they would find p,;ople from Bonny, Calabar,
and Brass. They set out again next raominr;, the chief preceding them.
He spread news of their coming every wh^rr, so that they found the
shores crowded with people, to look i\l thev»!, In tlje afternoon, as they
were passing a large tov/", they were; h!dl(v:',,liy a native in an English
soldier's jacket. As they paid no :vtiV!Dtioi'^«.) him, a dozen canoes fol-
lowed, and insisted on their goinjf, Ijji k tc'ioy their respects to the king
of the place. This they were obl|/,- ;' \) (,~ • The chief, who had a mild
and benevolent &ce, received thty^ -i a v y iHendly manner, gave them

KIND RECEPTION AT DAMUGGOO,

537

a hut for the night, and when they were annoyed by the crowd of cu-
rious natives who pressed around them, told them they might kill as
many as they pleased.

ABOKKO.

The name of the town was Damuggoo. The next morning the chief,
whose name was Abokko, paid then a visit, bringing presents of palm-
wine, eggs, bananas, and yams. " He desired us," says Richard Lander,
" to ask for any thing we might want, telling us that we should have
every thing we wished that the town could afford. He told us that
neither he nor his father had seen a white man, although they had much
wished it, and that our presence made him quite happy. He then gave
us a pressing invitation to come to see him, which we readily accepted.
He seemed to be one of the worthiest fellows whom we have yet met."
The man in a soldier's jacket, proved to be a messenger from the King
of Bonny, and proposed to .accompany them down the river to the terri-
tories of his mastei*. At the same time Abokko, who ordered a grand
public festival next day in honor of their arrival, and presented them with
abullock, offered them a good c:uu»e, with a crew of his own people,
provided they would wait until the latter returned from the market at
Bocqua. He assured them that they would be able to continue their
voyage to the sea in this manner, with perfect safety.

The Landers judged it prudent to accede to his proposition, and
during the remainder of their stay were very well treated. The only
annoyance they suffered was from the curiosity of the natives, and the
procrastination of the chief, to whom time was no object, and who, with
all his kindness, delayed their departure considerably. Finally, on the
evening of November 4th, after a stay of eight days at Damuggoo, they
set off in one of Abokko's canoes, in addition to their own, accompanied
by the messenger of the King of Bonny. Their departure was attended

588

BZPLOBATIONS OF THE NIOEB.

by renewed festivities. " The palm- wine circulated freely in the bowls »
says Richard Lander, " and the natives of the village, who witnessed all
our proceedings with no little anxiety, seemed to be greatly delighted
at seeing their chief and the priests so familiar with white men. Mean-
while several elephants' tusks, and a number of slaves and goats, were
put into the canoe as presents to the chief of Bonny. A fatted goat was
given us as a parting gift, and a small decanter of rum was thrust in my
brother's bosom as a cordial during the night."

They passed rapidly down the river during the night, and in the
morning reached a large market-place called Kirree. Richard Lander
was in the Damuggoo canoe, considerably in advance of his own, in
which was his brother; and soon after passing Eirree, was astonished
at the sight of fifty large canoes coming up the river, in some of which
the English flag was flying from a bamboo staff. Each canoe had a four-
pounder in the bow, and contained forty or fifty men, all of whom were
armed with muskets. Delighted with the sight of the flags, he ap-
proached them imhesitatingly. The foremost canoe instantly ran up to
his own, and in the twinkling of an eye every thing was taken out of it,
himself and his men violently disarmed, plundered of their clothing, and
taken prisoners. The boats were on their way to the market of Kirree,
whither he was conducted, with but faint hopes of recovering any of
his property, or even of preserving his life. By this time the other
canoe, in which was John Lander, was observed and pursued. The
boatmen attempted to escape, but were soon run down with such vio-
lence that the canoe wats capsized, and sunk. John Lander was thrown
into the water, and sustained himself by swimming until, having ap- j
proached one of the hostile canoes, he was hauled on board by a native, j
Meanwhile the greatest tumult and confusion prevailed. In the struggle |
to get possession of the plunder, several of the native canoes were upset |
and their crews thrown into the water. The Landers were conducted
to a small island opposite Kirree ; the Damuggoo people and the King
of Benny's messenger made their appearance and protested violently I
against the outrage, as they were on friendly terms with the people of I
Eboe, who had perpetrated it ; and a grand palaver, or council, was j
held. I

After a time a search was commenced in the canoes, for the goods,
some of which were found, although the greater part of them were at
the bottom of the river. " We were now invited to land," says Richard
Lander, '' and told to look at our goods, in order to see if they were all
there. To my great satisfaction I immediately recognized the box con-
tmning our books, and one of my brother's journals. The medicine-
chest was by its side, but both were filled with water. A large carpet-
bag, containing all our wearing apparel, was lying cut open and deprived
of its contents, with the exception of a shirt, a pair of trousers, and a
waistcoat. Many valuable articles which it had contained ware gone.
The whole of my journal, with the exception of a note-book with re- '

THE TRAVELERS TAKEN PRISONERS.

689

marks from Rabba to tliig place, was lost. Four guns, one of which had
been the property of the late Mr. Park, four cutlasses, and two pistols,
were gone. Nine elephants' tusks, the finest I had seen in the country,
which had been given me by the Kings of Wawa and Boussa, a quan-
tity of ostrich-feathers, some handsome leopard-skins, a great variety of
seeds, all our buttons, cowries, and needles, which w-i'e necessary for us
to purchase provisions with — all were missing, and said to have been
sunk in the river. The two boxes and the bag were all that could be
found.

" At about three in the afternoon we were ordered to return to the
small island from whence we had come, and the setting of the sun being
the signal for the council to dissolve, we were again sent for to the
market. The people had been engaged in deliberation and discussion
during the whole of the day, and with throbbing hearts we received
their resolution in nearly the following words : — ' That the king of the
country behig absent, they had taken upon themselves to consider the
occurrence which had taken place in the morning, and to give judgment
accordingly. Those of our things which had been saved from the water
should be restored to us, and the person that had first commenced the
attack on my brother, should lose his head, as a just retribution for his
ofiense, having acted without his chiefs permission ; that with regard to
us, we must consider ourselves as prisoners, and consent to be conducted
on the following morning to Obie, King of the Eboe country, bef •'■e
whom we should undergo an examination, and whose will and pleasure
concerning our persons would then be explained.' "We received the in-
telligence with feelings of rapture, and with bursting hearts we offered
up thanks to our Divine Creator for his signal preservation of us
throughout this disastrous day."

On the morning of the 6th they left Kirree for the Eboe country,
accompanied by two large M-ar canoes. On the morning of the 8th,
after a voyage of two days, the Niger expanded into a lake, out of
which it flowed in three separate channels. Their conductors took the
central stream, and about noon they reached the Eboe town, the resi-
dence of King Obie. On landing they were hailed in broken English
by a large negro who called himself King Gun, and said that he was
one of the chiefs of the Brass country. He added, to their great joy,
that an English vessel, called the Thomas^ of Liverpool, was lying in the
Fmjt Brass River, two or three days' journey below. The travelers
were conducted to a hut, and soon afterward taken before King Obie,
whom they found to be a sprightly-looking young negro, dressed in a
scarlet jacket and trowsers, with strings of coral and bells around his
wrists and ankles. The story of the attack and capture was told by the
Bonny messenger in a speech of two hours in length, after which some
yams, stewcJ in rancid palm-oil, were given to the travelers. At the
end of tvu ays, uuring which they were greatly annoyed by thecurioi-
ity of T; ^ natives, who allowed tiliem no rest, either by day or night,

540

EXPLORATIONS OP THE NIGER.

they received the decision of King Obic. It was to the effect that, as
circumstances had thrown them into hi» hands, he intended to keep them
until the master of some English voasel would be willing to ransom
them for the price of twenty slaves. They could not proceed to Bonny,
because the branch of the Niger leading to that country was dried up,
and the only channel navigable from Eboe to the sea, was that through
the dominions of the King of Brass.

Shortly afterward they noticed that earnest conferences were held
between King Obie and King Boy, the son of the old King of Brass,
and their suspense was soon relieved by the latter, who stated that he
had arranged to pay King Ohio their ransom, provided they would give
him an order on Captain Lake, of the brig Thomas, for their value in
English goods, with a cask of rum and some additional articles. He
agreed to convey them on board the vessel, as soon as the captain had
paid him the amount of the order. They were overjoyed at this pros-
pect of release and immediately wrote a request to Captain Lake, not
doubting but that he would immediately ransom them. "Fearing,"
says Richard Lander, " that something might yet occur to detain us,
and ultimately change the king's resolution altogether, we were most
eager to get out of the reach of him and his people as quickly as pes-
sible. Therefore we lost not a moment, but hastened to our lodgincs,
and having sent our people on board Boy's canoe, we hurried after them
immediately, and embarked at three in the afternoon, November 11th.
And thus terminated four of the most wretched days of our exist-
ence."

They sailed down the main branch of the Niger for three days and
one night. The shores were thickly inhabited, and the villages su^
rounded with plantations of yams, bananas, and other kinds of fruit
and vegetables. As they approached the sea, however, the shores be-
came low and swampy, and lined with a dense growth of mangrove.
The Landers were greatly cramped and incommoded in King Boy's
canoe, and were but scantily supplied with food. On the third day they
remarked with joy the appearance of tide-water, and at noon, on the
fourth, reached Brass Town, only sixty miles from the mouth of the
Niger, which, they were informed, was here called the River Nun. On
landing, they were surprised to see a white man, who proved to be the
captain of a Spanish slaver lying in the Brass River. The next day it
was decided by King Boy, and his father. King Forday, that the former
should go with Richard Lander to the English vessel, leaving his brother
John as a security for the amount of ransom to be paid. The travelers
now looked upon their journey as completed, and considered that all
their trials and diflficulties were at an end.

The canoe with Lander and King Boy reached the Nun, or First
Brass River, early on the morning of November I8th. " About a quar-
ter of an hour after we had entered the River Nun," says Lander, " we
descried, at a distance before us, two vessels lying at anchor. The emo-

tions of delight which the sight offh. ^^

powers of description. Th? nearlst 1*"''"''""'^ ""'' ^'»'« ^^Jond mv

•bout t r„„ h,.„„„, crdt; ':,,>'''* "-"g. ^w-". -»» i,i„„

be in the very last stage of il J' U^''""'^ *''« ^^Pt'-^i" appearod to
tack fever, and hadl.ff ; " rolai: '' ''^"^"--'J ^-m a^eve; 'at
posed himself too soon, which hid T T r"''^^^"^'"^^ of having e'"
stated to him who I was exnkin / """'^ ^"^» ^^tal to him T n!
could and had my inst'S^^^^^^^^^ *« him a ^ ^ T

f * ™»'« i but the latterlebred ,^ .7° ^"^^ P'-<""'''ly otZ *»
anotiK,- would also ,ef„se l.t n ' "^ ""^ <'''P»»in would no, „7

v"S".;,ttr'" °' "'^ ™» - V"„i-'- rep,e,e„;;4":z'

vtshcj, the latter requested Kiu» v ' *^ assist in workin<r ♦!,

,,'""• Tbe captain then added IhJif ,7 P""' ""'« they wore

642

EXPLORATIONS OF THE NIGER.

which followed : " Boy now ventured to approach Captain Lake on the
quarter-deck, and, with an anxious, petitioning countenance, asked for
the goods which had been promised him. Prepared for the desperate
game he was about to play, it was the object of Lake to gain as much
time as possible, that he might get his vessel under way before he came
to an open rupture. Therefore he pretended to be busy in writing, and
desired Boy to wait a moment. Becoming impatient with delay, Boy

repeated his demand a second and a third time, ' Give me my bars.'

' I NO WILL !' said Lake, in a voice of thunder, which one could hardly
have expected from so emaciated a frame as his. * I no will, I tell you ;
I won't give you a flint.' Terrified by the demeanor of Lake, and the
threats and oaths he made use of, poor King Boy suddenly retreated,
and seeing men going aloft to loosen the sails, apprehensive of bemg
carried off to sea, he quickly disappeared from the deck of the brig,
and was soon observed making his way on shore in his canoe, with the
rest of his people ; this was the last we saw of him."

It was four days before the brig succeeded in getting over the bar,
and after all the perils through which they had passed, the intrepid trav-
elers narrowly escaped a watery grave. The vessel twice drifted to the
edge of the breakers, and at one time there seemed no hope of her es-
cape. Finally, at noon on the 27th, they reached the open sea and
sailed for Fernando Po, where they arrived on the Ist of December.
The Landers were very kindly received by Governor Becroft, who sup-
plied all their wants, and treated them with the greatest hospitality.
After remaining on the island until the 20th of January, 1831, waiting
in vain for a chance of getting to England, they took passage to Rio
Janeiro in the ship Caernarvon. A fever broke out on board soon after
they sailed ; several of the crew died, and for many days the Landers
and three black men were the only persons strong enough to manage
the ship and attend to the sick. They did not reach Rio Janeiro until
the 16th of March.

The admiral of the British squadron on the coast of Brazil imme-
diately gave them a passage to England on board of a transport ship,
which sailed for Portsmouth on the 20th. " On the 9th of June," says
Richard Lander, " we arrived at Portsmouth, and gladly landed, with
hearts full of gratitude for all our deliverances."

" Thus," remarks Captain Allen, " the solution of the problem which
has excited the interest of so many ages, has been accomplished by the
most modest of means, while many costly and more imposing undertak-
ings have failed. A solitary pedestrian discovered the long-hidden
Niger in its course through hitherto almost unheard-of countries ; and
two unpretending young men, committing themselves in a frail bark to
its mysterious bosom, were borne by it through unknown regions, a dis-
tance of more than six hundred miles, to its termination in the vast and
multitudinous ocean."

STEAMERS ON THE NIOEB.

548

LAIRD AND OLDFIBLD'S VOYAGES ON THE NIGER.

On the return of the Landers, from their remarkable and successful
discovery of the outlet of the Niger, they gave such a flourishing ac-
count of the quantity of ivory to be found on its banks, that some enter-
prising merchants of Liverpool — actuated by the spirit of legitimate
trade, which had assumed in that city the excitement of the former
traffic in human beings — fitted out an expedition for the purpose of as-
certaining and opening out the resources of the country.

This mercantile expedition was composed of one small brig, to be
stationed at the mouth of the river, to receive the expected cargo of
ivory, and two steamers ; the smaller of which — the first iron vessel that
had crossed the Atlantic — was built by Mr. Macgregor Laird, whose
family were large subscribers to the expedition, and who himself bore a
considerable share in the conduct of it, though the nominal command
was held by Richard Lander, to whom it had been offered, previous to
the formation of the company, and on whom devolved the duty of select-
ing the articles of trade. The large steamer was named the Quorra
(Niger), and contained a crew of twenty-six men, all told ; the other
was called the AUmrkah (Blessing), and carried fourteen men.

The expedition sailed from Milford Haven on the 29th of July, 1832,
and after touching at Cape Coast Castle, where Lander re-engaged Paa-
coe, Jowdie, and others of his former men, reached the river Nun, on
the 16th of October. Here Captain Harries of the Qitorra and one of
the engir sers died of fever, which had already made its appearance on
board. There was a Liverpool trader lying in the Brass River, the
captain of which had purchased from King Boy, Richard Lander's jour-
nal of his voyage down the Niger, which had been lost during the attack
on himself and his brother at Kirree. Afler an interview with King
Boy and King Forday, they furnished a pilot named Louis, and recom-
mended them to take a certain channel, which they stated was the best
for the steamers. The pilot, however, privately informed Mr. Laird
that the chiefs wished to run the vessels aground, and that the deepest
channel was a very narrow creek, which he pointed out. Lander, hav-
ing ascended this creek in a small boat for the purpose of sounding,
foraid sufficient water, and on the 28th the steamers set out, the Alhur-
kah taking the lead. After passing thirteen other arms of the Niger,
they safely reached the mdn stream in the evening, having made forty-
five miles.

On the evening of November 1st, as they were slowly ascending the
river. Lander sent a note to Mr. Laird, stating that he had received in-
formation that the Eboes intended attacking the steamers. While the
guns were being got in readiness on board the Quorra^ " we heard the
report of several shots,'* says Mr. Laird, " and on going on deck ob-
served the whole bush on our left, which was the right bank of the river

544

KXPLORATIONH OP TlIK NIOEH.

and nboiit Rovcnty yanls I'nun us, in n hiazo of mnskclry, wliit-h tho Al-
burkah was returning. Mr. LuniliT liaiNMl mo and naid lie was ^oin^to
dr<)|> di)wi» tin" river; Imt. on my oircriiij^ to go l»ct wccii liiiii arid iIk.
fire, lu! Hont Louis, tlif Kboo j)ilot, on board. Wt' iMiincdialcly jrot un-
der wt'igli, and tho pilot i»lacoil tho Qnorra within pisloj-Hlutt alin-aNt of
the town. I was inucli anniscd hy tho c<»ohu'ss and Hoir-jH»s,sossioii of
tliis i)ilot. llo could siMiik toUtrabk^ Knglish ; ho ] loM him, if ho ran
iiH a<;croMnd, tho distant tho vossol toiichod I would blow his l>r:iins oiit.
Tho follow hvuj?hod, and oponin^^ his coutitry-ololh, showed mo tho butt-
end of two pistols; a j;onl!o hint that two could play at that ganio, I
gave; directions for tho guns lo bo loach'd with round and canister, and
in about twenty miimtos wo sih'ucod the firing on shore.

"At daylight of the following day tho firing from the bush roconi-
monccd, and I now discovered that our invisible enemies (for wv hardly
saw one) had two swivels. The Qiiorra opened Iior fin- on tlie town at
six o'clock with four four-pounders and the twonty-four-pound swivel-
but finding that wv made; no impression on the nuid-walls or tho hutH,
although we liad silenced tho firing, Mr. Lan<ler hailed us, and we agreed
to land and bm-n tho town as .an example to the rest. Accordingly tlio
gig tmder my command led the way; Captain Aliller in the cutter fol-
lowed, and also the launch with eight men ; while tho two mates, engin-
eers, and Dr. IJriggs were li'll to keep up a fire of musketry over our
he.ads." This was accomplished, without the ' ~is of a man, and thoy af-
terw.ard learned that three natives liad been kmcd and several woiukKmI.
The chiefs of the villages which they pass(!d next day, came to cou-
gratulate them, and aj)i)iared highly <lelightod at their victory.

On tlio morning of the Glh they rojiched the mouth of the crook
whi(di leads to tho town of Eboe, and made i)reparations for visiting
King Ohio. INIr. Laird gives the following account of the interview;
" ]Mr. Lander in a generars uniform, with a feather in his eockod-liat
that almost rea(die<l the ground, Mr. Jordan in a colonel's uniform, and
Lieutenant Allen in his own, led the van, and attracted so much of the
n.atives' attention, tliat Dr. Briggs .and myself almost regretted that wo
had not visited Monmouth-street before our departure from England,
l^reeoded by old Pascoe, Jowdie, and some other men M'ho h.ad accotu-
p.anied Mr. Lander on liis former journey, and who were now returning
in triumj)!! to tho scene of their former exploits, dressed in soldiiTs'
jackets and military caps, blowing trumpets and beating drums, accom-
panied by King IJoy and about forty Eboe canoes emulating them in
their discordant noises, we adv.anced up the narrow creek raoro like
mcrry-androws than sensible people ; and after a row of about three
quarters of a mile, in one of the hottest days I ever experienced, we
landed at the upper end of the town among a great assemblage of peo-
ple of both sexes. From our landing we had still more than half a mile
to walk, surrounded by a mob of about a thousand people armed with
all manner of muskets, spears, cutlasses, bayonets and knives fastened

nri tho ciuh of j,o|(,,^ ^^,^ . . Mo

•>I«'"^'<I. ""<! in .usIumI ()l.i.''' wl'/'''^' "'"•."^ '•" "'i"-'r"S .1 8M„..l„,.r

: ;;■''•■'•'■ ^----vn, „,.,;: I':- -^^ i-m .,•.„., .,;,.,,,,,

i^..p.- of n.t,i,.. L„, ;\ ^ -; ; '^'•. t.. Mop n..,,..„.,fv ^ ; ' i

■ ;J7^' <'"ty. Captain IIi„ of „..,:; 'V"" I""" "" '"-•' 'ai'al*!. of !
!>"« "as soon atta.k„.I and <,I i.;. ,f ''V""'' """""■""' "'"' • v. s |

Srcat that by Uu. "4fl. ,1 ,'"•-"' t<» '•''turn. 'J'lic niorf.i;, '

"'« 'li'l IWm i„l!„i,„ ,„,,'• J"\ '■'"."l';.-» avi.,,- ,|„r „„ ,',,;■ |

•"""ai.-. T/,,, „,,,,ii,„i„„ ,;' • "•" ••'» . 1... .,,,,1 ,„,,, „ ,,:; " i

io:iw;::!i,ri 7---;:^'^^;;;:' ,:;■-•■' '■^'-" 1

«h (mm tl,c. iTolhorof ACTlck,; if. ,"'"■""'■'' "i"""n ol,.|,l,a, ,,' I
«,J .?. """'° crowded on th,. Inil ?. """"^"y was made tho

w .her «o„i.hmo„. b, ;;cto™';"..:'''t'';r"'™"''"''^ '«"«•

546

BXPLORATIONS OF T1[K NIORR.

readied tho jimotion of the Nit^cr and tlio C'liiuldii, whoiv the Qunrra
ran ngrovnid. She was ^<»t n(\\ liut j^roiindod aj^ain on a Hniid-liank, and
atler variuns unsiiecesstnl attt'inptH, they resigned thoniHelvcs to wait
until tlu! annual rine of the river.

Mr. Lairil ujives the followinjj aecount of the Bcenery and inhabitants
of the banks of the Niger, from Kboc; to its junction with the Chadda:
"On leaving Kboe wo enu'rg((d from a comparatively winding and nar-
row stream, l)ordereiI by stagnant swamps and ov»Tgrown with imineiiso
forests, the samenes of which distressed the eye, while the extent balHed
tho imagination, into a wide ami splendid river. The banks were but
thinly wooded, and in many phiees highly and extensively cultivated.
The various reaches of tho river became longer, and in its s<'rp('iitiiie
course it assumed a more graceful character, while the inhabitants on its
banks were more civilized and better appareUfd. We found the better
class attired in the Iloussa loose shirt ancl trowsers, instead of the (lom-
mon wrapper of tho Eboes. The country generally presented that
formed and decided appearance which characterizes land that has licen
long under the dominion of man. The banks, although elevated fifteen
or twenty feet above tho surfiico of tho river, continued Hat until we
arrived at Kirree, where we met with the first bluff. From thence the
co'mtry gradually rises, mitil at Attah it attains an elevation of from two
to thri-e hundred feet. From Attah upward a range of bills on each
bank of the river gives the scenery a picturesque and bold character;
those on the western bank seem to have tho highest elevation, but
neither appeared to rise above four hundred and fitly or five hundred
feet above the water. From the general outline of these hills, and from
the specimens of the rock that we found being principally granite and
mica slate, we pronounced them of primitive formation.

" Passing tlirough this romantic valley, which extends from forty to
fifty miles, wc reached the Kong Mountains, which on the banks of the
river rise to an elevation of between two and three thousand feet. Aj
far as we could ascertain, they are composed principally of granite, and
have a bold and magnificent appearance. The chasm through which the
river passes seemed about fifteen hundred yards wide, but the channel
of the river does not occupy more than seven hundred.

" Both banks of the river are thickly studded with town and villages.
I could count seven from the place where we lay aground ; and between
El>oe and the confluence of the rivers, there can not be less than forty,
generally occurring every two or three miles. The principal towns are
Attah and Addakudda ; and averaging the inhabitants at one thousand
for each town and village, will, I think, very nearly give the population
of the banks. It may be rather below the mark.

" The general character of the people is much superior to that of the
inhabitants of the swampy country between them and the coast. They
are shrewd, intelligent, and quick in their perception, milder in their dis-
positions, and more peaceable in their habits. Tho security of life and

LAIRD'S VISIT TO PUNDA.

547

property In oviflontly groatcr amonj? tbcm ; though it 1» n\\\\ unfflciofntly
precarious to {)rov(>nt thn inhabitants from living in isolated nituations,
nor will any of thorn venture upon the river after sunset in small eanoes.
Agriculture is extensively followed, and Indian corn and other grain arc
raised with little labor and less skill on the part of the cultivators."

It was determined to build a hut on the hill at the jimction, and open
a market for the purpose of trading with the natives. Tlie arrangements
were completed on the 29th of .Tntnmry, 1kh3, but the result was not
what had boon expected. Very little ivory was brought in ; the indigo
was 80 badly prepared as to be valueless, and the other articles offered
would Sv'^arcely pay the cost f)f transportation. To a<ld to their misfor-
tunes, fever broke out again ; Mr. Laird was several times on the verge
of the grave; Dr. Briggs died on the 28th of February, and Mr. Lander,
who had been prevented from reaching liabba and Itoussa, in the Alfntr-
hah, on account of the shallowness of the water, returned ill, with tho
loss of some of his men. News having reached tho expedition that tho
King of Funda (the town which Lander had attempted to reach, an his
return from Sackatoo to Hadagry) desired some of tho white men to
visit him, Mr. Laird determined to proceed thither, and Lander promised
to follow him, as soon as he shoiild be strong enough.

Toward the end of March, Mr. Laird set out, and after a voyage of
seven days up tho Chadd.i, in the QHorra\i boat, readied tho town of
Yimmaha, thirty miles from Ftmda. As he was too ill to travel on
horseback, ho sent his goods and men by land, and continued his way
up the river to a village abotit nine miles from tho capital, whither ho
was carried in a hammock. Tho next morning ho visited the king, who
was a sinister-looking person, dressed in robes of silk at.;l velvet. Tho
htit to which Mr. Laird was conducted, was so dirty and «n;all that ho
let out to hunt a bettor one. f)no of his men, Sarslield, soon ci;me run-
ning to him with tho news that the king had seized upon all his goods,
and had prohibited any person from furnishing him with a residence.
He finally, however, furnished them with a rather better hut. " After
being in my now quarters a few days," says Mr. Laird, " T began to sus-
pect that my Funda trip would tiirn out an unprofitable speculation, as
two or three natives had been severely flogged for attempting to sell me
some ivory; and the king, who visited me every day, evidently had none
—or if he had, thought it better to keep it and my goods alio. I had,
in short, been completely decoyed, and had only myself to blame, as I
had put myself entirely in the king's power."

He finally prevailed upon the king to allow him to send Sarsfield to the
Qmrra, apparently to procure more goods, but in reality to bring rock-
ets and ammunition, /.fter an absence of fourteen days, the latter re-
tnmed with tho news that Captain Hill, of the AUnirkah, was so ill that
Mr. Lander had set off in a canoe for the sea-coast with him. " If I waa
glad to see Sarsfield," observes Mr. Laird, " ho was overjoyed to find me
still alive, and though much fatigued with his journey, having walked

548

EXPLORATIONS OP THE NIGER.

from Yimmaha, a distance of thirty miles, we Kat up until nearly day-
break, and laid a i)lari for frightening the king and his i)eople, all tho
credit of which is due to him both for its invention and success. lie iiad
brought the rockets with hun, and liad let off one at Yimmaha, and de-
scribed the terror and alarm of the inh bitants |)roduced by it as excess-
ive. They looked upon him .as a deity, and supplied him in consequence
with provisions aiid carriers to Funda. Ife proposed to try the ell't'ct
of them here, letting otf three or four at a time, and burning blue-ligbts
after them.

"The next morning avo h.ad a visit from the king, who wished to see
what Sarsfield had brought. I gave him to understand that my people
would not send any thing until I went to them myself, and that in tho
evening I intended to make a grand fetish to my god, to know whether
I should go, or stay at Funda. The king said that was good, and that
he would attend with all his priests and summon the inhabitants to wit-
ness it. The fetish was to be made under a large tamarind-tree, at tho
upper end of the street in which the court was wherein we resided.
Wo made as much of this affair as we could, and pretended to go
through sundry preparations, in order to impress on the minds of these
people an iden of its importance.

" In tho e\ ening I was carried out about seven o'clock, and scitcd
in tho stn^et opposite the tree, the king and his chief men close by, sur-
rounding Sarslicld and the Kroomen, who were holding the rockets and
blue lights that we had brought out for the occasion. As a commence-
ment of the proceeding, I took a j)iece of paper and with great solemnity
fastened it to one of the rockets and gave it to Sarsfield ; we agreed
that the signal for firing the rockets and blue lights, should be the dis-
charge of ray pistol. An immense crowd of natives was assembled to
witness tho ceremony of the white man's fetish ; the wide street was
filled, and the roofs of the houses and the tops of the walls were crowded
with spectators, all full of wonder and speculation as to what they
were to see.

" Ivery thing being ready, I fired my pistol, and up flew four
beautiiul two pound rockt^ts, tho discharge of which was immediately
foUowel by the blaze of six blue lights, throwing a gliastly glare over
tho whole scene. The effect was perfectly electric ; the nati'/es had no
idea of what was coming, and fled in all directions. Tlie king, filled
with terror, threw himself on tho ground before me, and placing one of
my feet on Jus head, entreated me to preserve him from harm, and to
inform him what was tho decision of the Fates. It was now my turn to
make use of the power which I was supposed to possess, and I replied
that I should tell hita presently, but that I must now return to my house
with all my men. The farce had been successful so far, and the artifice
was only to be carried out to a successful issue.

" After keeping the king in suspense about an hour, I sent word to
him that I was ready to receive him, and that he himself was to come

TUB WHITE MAN'S FETISH.

649

and sec the result of tho fcitisli. lie came iinmodiatoly, and as soon as
he was seated, I told him that I had Reiit for liim to sec whether I was
to go or stay, and that my god would i>uui;sh thiiii in a manner of which
they had no idea, if thi^y presumed to break liis commandments. I
then took from my pocket a little compass, and exj)lained to him, that
if the needle in it pointed toward me, as soon as it was placed on the
ground, that I was to go from Funda, and that if towaid liim that I
was to stay, to all of wiiich he attended Avith nuu-h reverence. I of
course took care to kiiow my position, and jilacing tho compass on tho
ground, the needle very properly turned toward me. This was sufficient,
tho thing vv'as done, and the king was convit)ced that he should allow me
to depart frt.'oly. I wished him to handle it, but he shrunk from it with
terror, imagini'g that it was a living creature, and was glad to get out
of my presence, after having promised to r^ive rne horses, or whatever
I might want in the morning. We had tiM greatest difiiculty to pre-
Bcrve our gravity throughout this farce, and when left to ourselves we
enjoyed a hearty laugh at the success of our plan, and the credulity of
the king."

Mr. Laird lost no time in returning to tli(- Qvorra, whi(;h ho reached
in tlic beginning of June, having been (lotalncd seven weeks .it Funda.
He dispatolied the purser, Mr. Hector, to the latter place, for tho ]>ur-
pose of bringing away thi; goods he had Itt'eii obliged to leave behind
him, but without sureoss. Finding it inqtossiblo to trade with the
natives to any advantage, his <'rew l)eing disabled by sicknos;, and liim-
solf ill a dmiisical state; which threatened to beeotao fatal, ho detennined
to return to tho coast. "On the 10th of July,'" ho say.s, "tho water
having risen by measurement fourteen feet, wo got under weigh, taking
tlu' Allfrkah in tow, and proceeded rapidly down the river, passhig the
boaiitiful gorge through the Kong Mountains, .ind arriving at lloccpia,
whore we anchored to ])ur(;haso rice and other ])rovisions. About two
o'clock in the afternoon, to my groat sur])iise, a boat under canvas hove
in sight. I sent a bo.at to lier with Ilecitor, who returned with 3Ir.
Lander and Mr. Oldfiold, our surgeon, bringing a parcel of letters for
me. Mr. Lander was looking much worse than "when I last saw him,
and had evidently suffered much in \\w, boats from exposure to the
weather. lie had been thirty-tAVO days on his passage from the Nun,
in the brig's long boat. Mr. Lander having determined to endeavor to
reach Boussa in \.hc Albnrk<(h,^\xQi\ his departure for the 27th; and
though very anxious myself to visit a place hallowed by the melancholy
fate of Mungo Park, I did not consider myself justified in returning,
and adhered to my doterminatiou to lay the vessel up at Fernando I'o
and return to Englun-^ "

(Tord to
to come

660

BXPLORATIONiS OF TUK Nl^BB.

NARUATIVM OF I'll. OLDFIELD.

Mr. lioird carried out hii* purpose, and reached Liverpool in safety
with restored hei^'th, in January, 1834. We now follow the tbrtunesof
the remaining vessel, the Albur&ah, which once more proceeded up the
Niger, having on board llichard Lauder, Lieutenant Allen, and Dr. Old-
Held.

On the 2d of August they entered the Chadda, intending to ascend
it to the eastward as tar as Lake Tc'iad, if practicable ; but after pro-
ceeding a distance of one hundred and four miles, and reaching a country
called Domah, the king of which was at war with the Shekh of Bornou
they ran out of provisions, and were obliged to return. Tlie people
would neither trade nor sell them any thing, but deserted the villages
and retreated into the woods at their approach. On the 20th of August
they again entered the Niger, which they designed ascending to Houssa,
or as far as it would bo possible for the steamer to go. On reaching
Kacunda, they saw the old schoolmaster who had been so friendly to the
brothers Lander on their iirst voyage, and was greatly surprised to see
one of them again. The river was rising rapidly, and they experienced
no difficulty in ascending. Dr. Oldtield says : " A number of natives
lined the bank of the river, who, as the vessel approached them, foil upon
their knees. Our interpreter hailed them, and was answered that they
came to see the peopk of trod. \ largo canoe was now seen aj)proach-
ing from a distance, containing nearly forty i)ersons, several of whom
were Mallams. When near the vessel, the Mullams and natives in front
fell down on their knees, exclaiming, ' Allah um de le la fee ! Allah iim
de le la fee !' (God is great, and God preserve you !) They continued
repeating extracts from the Koran as they drew nearer ; and when the
Mallams in the front had knelt, those behind them fell down in the same
manner. It was an extraordhiary siglit, and produced a Ktrango but
very pleasmg effect."

At Egga, where they arrived on tiie 7th of September, they saw
Felataha for the first time. They made no halt here;, however, but kept
on their way to Rabba, which they reached, without accident, on the
16th. " As wo rapidly approached the town," says Dr. Oldlield, " it ap-
peared to be situated on the slope of a rising ground ; and the houses
being built one above the other, impart to it the appearance of an am-
phitheater. With the aid of a glass we could discern .in amazing crowd
of natives assembled on the banks; but, what was more in accordance
with our wishes, we could distinguisli horsen, cows, bullocks, shoop, and
goats. As we drew nearer, we found the city to bo of immense ext'^rit,
with villages all round the suburbs. The king was ai)})rised of our in-
tention to f re a salute, and tlie walls of Kabba, for the first time, re-
echoed with the sound of Britisli cannon, and her people witnessed a
novel sight ii the arrival of a British steam-vessel constructed of iron.

FAILURE OP THE EXPEDITION.

651

After our salute, our people broke o •'. nto three hearty cheers, which
perhaps surprised still more the thousands of humaii beings that were
assembled before the walls of Rabba."

It was determined to establish a trade at this place, and then to run
the Albwkah as far toward Boussa as possible, after which Lander and
Oldfield would proceed in the long-boat. Both of these plans, however,
were thwarted ; the goods did not meet with a ready &alo, and the en-
gineer discovered a flaw in the cylinder, which disabled the boat from
advancing against a strong current. They remained here until the 2d
of October, when, finding that little mjis to be done in the way of trade,
and that the river was beginning to fall, they decided to return to the
sea-coast. While visiting their old friend Abokko, at Damuggoo, on the
voyage down. Lander gave him a very handsome necklace, which had
been intended for the King of Boussa, and he re])aid it by the gill of a
large island opposite the town, to which the name of English Island was
given. Mr. Brown, one of the company's clerks, was placed upon it.
to trade with the natives during the absei.co of the steamer, Abokko
Laving promised to build a house for him. l^o vessel then resumed her
voyage, and reached the sea on the 3l8t.

" No sooner had we reached Feniando Po," says Dr. Oldlleld, " than
I became too vmwell to attend to any thing that was going forward re-
specting the destination of the vessel. Lieutenant Allen, having com-
pleted his survey of the river, determined on returning to England by
the first opportunity ; and it was now arranged that I should go again
up the river with the vessel, while Mr. Lander, after visiting Cai)e Coast
and Accrah for cowries, was to follow mc, and expected to rejoin me up
the river in about six weeks."

On the 2Vth of November they were again in the River Nun. Lan-
der loft the same day in the Quorra for Capo Coiist, while the Alburkah,
under the command of Dr. Oldfield, sailed for the Niger. Shortly after
passing Eboe, the engine gave way, and all eftbrts to repair it seemed to
be inofl'i'ctual. While these attempts were going on, Dr. Oldfield took
a boat iii\(l ascended the river to Iddah, where he arrived on the 23d
of DH'cmber, and found Mr. Brown, tlie clerk, Avho had been left bchhid.
Firmlly, on the Ist of January, 1834, the engine was again put in motion,
hill in the mean time the engineers and several of the crew had died.
Dr. Oldfield was, therefore, obliged to intrust the management of tlu;
ciiirine entirely to the black firemen. They j)rocetded very slowly, and
'lid not reach Iddah until the 14th.

From this time forward, the journal of Dr. Oldfield is little else than
a record of his dealings with the Kings of Iddah, Abokko, and other na
tivo chiefs, in his endeavors to establish a trade. The former, whose
name was Attah, was the same man who had poisoned Pascoe, and en-
deavored to get Lander into his power with the same object. Abokko
alone was faithful, and inclif"-d to take their part, but there was no
end to the intrigue and de( t it which they encountered. The trading

552

EXPLORATIONS OF THK NIGER.

operations wore tolerably successful, and they receiveil a larfrcr quantity
of ivory than they had before taken. In the early ])art of February
they heard a rumor that Richard Lander, in ascendinj* the river to re-
join them, with a supply of cowries, had b(!en attacked and i»lund(<re(l
in the Eboe country ; and this was confirmed on the 29th of March by
a letter from Lander himself, who stated that he had been attacked on
the 20th of January, near a village called Ilyammah, about eighty-live
miles from the mouth of the river. Throe men were killed, and tiio
boat taken, with every thing it coutained. Lander and the other men
barely escaping in a light canoe, in Avhich they pulled down the stream
all night. Lander was severely wounded by a ball in the thigh, and
had returned to Fernando Po.

LANDERS GRAVB.

In March, Dr. Oldfiehl received notice from Abokko that an attack
on the steamer Avas designed by the natives, and consequently kept a
strict watch at night, to guard against surprise. lie remained in this
rciiion until the 1st of June, constantlv exixt'-i'd to the danger of lio.«til-
ities, Avhich were only avoided, in two or three instances, by his cooluoss
and detennination. Finally, liis men being all more or less disabled by
the fevers, Avhich had already carried olf several of Miem, he decided to
return to the sea. In passing down the river, h • reached, on the 21it,
the spot where Lander had been attacked. IT- says: "About tliret^
o'clock, on passing a town situate un *h'^ lefl bank, about two huTtilreJ
natives rushed from behind the trees and fired at tis, taking delihciato
aim. I stood by the nine-povuider and tired a rocket over the town;
but this did not ajjpear to alarm them, for they kcjjt up an irregular ilrc,

OOVKRNMRNT KXTHDITION TO THE NKiER.

553

rtmning alone? llic bank Avith tho vessel nntll wo roun<k>(l the ])oint and
got ont of sijxht of the town. Tlie niuskct-balls llow about the tempo-
rary house and tlu^ ship's tpiarter-deek in all directions for several nim-
ntcs; and although they struck the chnnney and roof of the house, wo
all escaped."

The Alhnrkiih reacihed Fernando Po on the 9th of July. IJichard
Lander had died in eonsiMiuence of the wounds he had rcccivril, and
was burieil in a senuestere<l spot near the town, at the base of a lolly
cotton-lri'c, where a monument has sinee been ]>laeed to his memory
and that of the many other daritiijj men who have laUen in the attempt
to open the savaj^o regions of Africa to inturconnso with the eivilized
world.

Dr. Oldfield took passage for England on the 11th of Angust. "Oa
the 18th of November," he says, "I reached London, but in a very in-
iinn state of health, having suffered much in my constitution from
exjiosure to climote and all kinds of privation, and the only Kuropean
loll alive of the crow of the JlOur/cc.'t who left Fernando l*o in No-
vember"

ALLEN AND THOMPSON'S EXPEDITION TO THE NIHEU.

After the failure of Mr. Laird's commercial expedition to the Niijer,
110 Cmther attempt was made for several years. In is:ir), ImweviT, a
society was formed, under the presidency of Prince Albert, " for the
Extinction of the Slave-trade and th^' Civilization of Africa.'' A depu-
tation from this society waited on Lord John llnssell, reconiTnendini'
that a government expedition should be sent to the coast of Africa, and
the river Niger, with commissioners *'mpowercd to fbnn treaties of com-
merce and for the suppression of the external slave-trade. After some
(It'lilterutiou th(! government acceded, and orders avcu'c givcj to bnild
three iron sti'amers for the service. Two of these, the Albert and WiU
bcrforcr, were 140 feet in length, and of 457 tons burden ; the third, the
So>t</i(n, wJis of 250 tons only, and 1 1:{ feet in length.

The vi'ssels wen- built during the sunmier of 1840 ; in November of
that year, most of the oflieers apjiointed to the expedition had joined
thoir respective ships, and the greater jiart of the crews had entered.
Captain Trotter was ai)p<Vnited commander of the Afhirt, (-'a])tain Wil-
liam Allen, of the WillHrfom', au<l Captain Bird Allen of the Smtdan.
Those three eonnnanilers, with Mr. William Ct)ok, were appointed c,;ni-
missioners, emj)owered to make treaties. Li addition, several s'lentiflc
men were sent out, nnder the ansjiiees of the African Civilization Society.
As auxiliary to the ]>urpose of the society, Init not oflicially connected
with it, nor with the expedition, an Agricultural Society Avas ibrmed,
with the intention of establishing a model farm in such a locality as
might bo selected by the commissioners. The Admiralty granted a

564

EXPLORATIONS OP TUB NIGER.

pussago to Mr. Curr, a colored West Indian, who was engaged to act as
8Uj)eriiiteiulent of the farm. All the ])rei)aration8 having heen com-
pleted, the expedition sailed from England on the 22d of April, 1841.

After touching at the Canaries, Sierra Lconc, Liberia, and Cape
Coast Castle, the three vessels reached the river Nun on the 9lh of
August. The surf was very heavy ou the bar, and owing to the vessels

MOUTFI OP THE NIOBR.

being rather deeply laden, with their coal, aujiplics, and the articles for
the n.jdcl farm, which they had taken on board at Cape Coast, tlioy did
not venture to attempt tin; entrance, until the 15th, when the sea was
smooth. S.ays Captain Allen : " It was a moment of deep and iMoiitliloss
exjK'ctation, both as being a psussago of considerable difiiciilty and us
being the tirst absolute step in that path, so full of novelty and exeitiiig
interest, but which all knew must be fraught with d.inger; yet their
zeal did not suifer such anticipations to darken their pros))e(t, and the
acconiiilisliinent of the entrance of the river Niger was announced by
three ch ers from the whole crew."

On the 'JOth, they started on the ir voyage up the river, passing into
tlie main stream l)y the same ;!arrow channel wliich Lander and Laird
had chosen, and, after exploring a new arm of the river to the westward.
anchored oft' Eboe, the residenve of King Obie, on the evening of the
25th. The next day, after sending one of his sons to asc( rtain the inten-
tions of his visitors. King Obie made his aiipearance, in his state canoe.
with a numerous retinue, and a deafenin'.!; company of n:itivc drumnurit
and singers. On reaching the dt'ck of the WUherforce, the king recog-
nized Captain Allen (who, as Lieutenanf Allen, had accompanied Lander
and Oldfield in the Alburkah) as an old friend. " lie brought with him,"
Bays the Captain, " two favorite wives and a daughter ; one of the for-

noil,
ei's

' an(
it, H
t'ipj
j)ro|
brotJ
doi'o
ofth(

Obie.

retire

i"g tc

the re|

Obie

startec
bis ju

under
P''<yudi|

TREATY WITH KING OBIE.

555

mer probably was not more than thirteen, and was younger than the
daughter. They were simply attired with a scanty waist-cloth ; but two
dresses of flaming red silk, and another of cotton print, supplied to the
expedition by their wmpassiunato sisters of our own blest land, were pre-
scutod to them, and very soon ])ut on, but did not appear to add at all
to their comfoi't, am they stood trembUiig between fear and joy."

^^. -I^TT

KINO OBIE AND HIS WIVES.

After a consultation between the commissioners and King Obio, the
latter expressed bis willingness to make such a t/'^aty as they proposed
to liini — to give up the slave-trade in his dominiLris, and prevent his
neighbors, as tar as possible, from carrying it on — *,o give English trad-
ers the freedom of the river, allow them to ^mrchose houses and lands,
and both to enjoy their own religion and to c^nvoit his own subjects to
it, without disturbance. On the '28th, the treai^ having been carefully
explained, was signed by the commissioners on the part of the queen,
properly witnessed ; and by Obie, witnessed by his eldest son and two
brothers. Captain Trotter then requested the chaplain, the Rev. Theo-
dore Miiller, to ask tho blessing of God on this successful commencement
of their labors. " The nature of the ceremony having been explained to
Obie," says Captain Allen, " with an intimation that he might remiun or
retire, he signitied !iis wish to join us, and imitated our example in kneel-
ing to the Cliristian's Co 1— to him an unknown and inappreciable being.

"In that solciim moment, when the stillness was unbroken, save by
the reverential voice of the clergyman, and all were devoutly engaged,
Obie became violently agitaied. On tho conclusion of the ceremony he
started up, and uttering a sudden fearful exclamation, called aloud for
his ju-ju nian to bring his protecting ' Arrisi,' or idol, bemg evidently
under the impression that we had pei-formed some incantation to his
prejudice, the adverse tendencies of which, it would be necessary to

656

EXPLORATIONS OP THE NIGER.

counteract by !i H:i<;ritlco on his jiart. Ho stooil trembliii^^ with fear and
agitation ; the jmrspivation stroatiiccl down his fiu'c* and nt'ck, showing
how great was the agony of mind ho endured. The jtriest had heard
the ery of his sovereign, and rushing into the eabin with the id(jl — a
piece of blackened Avood, envelojicd in cloth — which the king placed be-
tween his feet, was about to offer the customary libation of palm-wine,
etc., when Cajitain Trotter, also much disconccrte<l at the idea of a
heatliL'ii eerenuniy being perlbrmed in our presenc*-, and in opposilinn to
the riles of our holy religion, interrupted him, and called for Captain

THE mouki, faum.

Bird Allen, wlio had just left lli; cabin. It was an interval of brtatlilcss
anxiety, the king became every moment more .alarmed, and desirous to
continue his sacrifice, until it was expl.ained to hini that we had asked
the (Jreat (»od, who was Father of us all, to bestow His blessing alike
on the black people .and on us. This immediately pacified him, he de-
sisted from the operations, a:vl his good Imnior as quickly ictuined."

On the 1st of September, the vessels reached Damuggoo, tlie resi-
dence of old Abokko, who had proved so true a friend to the Landens
and Mr. Laird. They wer(^ grieved to find that the old man had been
dead for several years. His fimiily, however, Avas still in great power,
one of his sons, Okien, having succeeded him in the government of tlio
town and territory. They theu proceeded to Iddah, where the coniniis-
sioners had several interviews with the treacherous old king, Attali, Ho
professed his entire willingness to discontiime the slave-trade, prevent it
from being carried on, to discontiaue human sacrifices, receive and treat
hospitably English traders, and finally, to giv<' up such a tra('t of land
for the purposes of the model farm, as the commissioners might select.
After making all these promises, he Avas particularly .anxious to see the

RAVAGK3 OF TIIK FKVKU.

557

presents intended for him. All the firrangcments having hcvn conclinUid,
the expedition left on the 8th for the confluence of the Niger and the
Chadda, near which point the commissioners j)roposed to locate the
model larm.

By this time the fever had made its appearand- on boanl the vessels,
and soon occasioned fearful havoc. The men died (!V((ry day, and they
had every reason to expect a recurr(;nre of the melancholy scones on
board the Quorra and Alburkah. On t'le I'Jth, they reached the junc-
tion, and the botanist and geologist, having examined the country, re-
commended a spot on the ■western bunk of the Niger, opposite* the mouth
of the Chadda, and near a li»fly hill called Mount Stirling, by Lander.
The preliminaries were agreed upDii between the conunissioners and the
agents of Attah, and the land Avas purchased for the sum of 700,000
cowries (about 9j20). The tract extended about sixteen miles along
the bank of the river, and four miles hi depth.

" On the 1 8th of September," says Captain Allen "the nmnber of
sick had increased to sixty, an i death had already done fearful execution
among us. The scenes at right were most agonizing. Ncthuig but
muttering delirium, or suppressed groans were heard on every side on
board the vessels, affording a sad contrast to the placid character of the
river and its surromuiing st enery." It was at first ]»roposed to send the
invalids to the summit of ^he hills, in order to enjoy a purer air ; but
the surgeon declared that they could nut safely be removed, and Cap-
tain Trotter then decided to put them on board tho /l^onJan, and have?
them carried down to tho sea-coast. On Sutulay, tho lOth, this was
done : " Prayers were read to tho crews of both vessels. It was an
aflecting scene. Tho whole of one side of the little vessel was covered
with the invalids, and the cabins were full of oflicers ; there v as, indeed,
no room for more."

A conference of tho commanders was now held, as to the proper
course to be pursued. On tho one hand it was proposed that they
should iiscend the Niger as far as llabba, to make a treaty with the Fe-
htahs, and other native tribes ; while Captam William Allen, who hud
some experience of tho river and its climate, strongly urged an im-
mediate return to the sea, in order to restore the health of the crews.
After a long discussion it was decided that tho Albert should attempt to
reach Kabba, while the Wilher/orce should descend the river, and pro-
coed to carry out tho intentions of the government in the Bights of
Benin and Biafra. Captain Trotter liaving prepared his dispatches for
England, tho vessels separated on the '20th of September.

The Wilberforce reached Fernando Po on the 1st of October, and
found the Soudan at anchor there. Several j)erson8 had died on both
vessels, and as there was no diminution of the sick-list, but the contrary.
Captain Allen resolved to leave Fernando Po as soon as possible — its
reputation for unnca^.hiness being second only to the fatal Niger — and
to proceed to Ascensior, , as the best means under Providence of enabling

558

EXPLORATIONS OP THK NIOKR.

tlio crow of the WilherforcA to rccovor their heiilth. A «mnll trading
Bteamcr, called the Mhiope, under charge of Mr. Becrott, wah cnga<:fcd
to proceed at once up the Niger in order to oflHist the Albert, U\ a» was
feared, her officers and crew should be disabled by fever. She wailed on
the 7th, and two days afterward the Wilberforce left on hor sanitary
cruise. She visited Prince's Island, St. Thomas, Annobon, and Ascen-
sion ; the sick gradually recovered, with two or three exceptions, the
vessel was overhauled and thoroughly cleansed, and Captain Allen was
about to sail for the coast of Africa in the beginning of January, 1 H42,
when the melancholy intelligence reached Ascension that the Albert
had returned to Fernando Po, with all her crew dangerously ill with
fever.

"They had been immediately landed at tlie hospital, where Com-
mander Bird Allen, with several officers and men had fallen a sacrifice
to their zeal in braving to the utmost the climate of the fatal river.
In fact, the vessel and her crew were only saved from great risk of
destruction by the timely meeting of Mr. Becroft, in the Ethiope, who
brought them safely to Fernando Po. She had been conducted ns far
as the point where her deliverer was met, by the almost superhuman
exertions of Doctors McWilliara and Stanger ; but it was not possible
that their unaided strength could have lasted much longer. Captain
Trotter was reported to be in such danger, that the medical men had
thought it necessary he should immediately return to England, as the
only means of saving his life, and that officer deeming it also of im-
portance that one of the commissioners should lay before her majesty's
government a statement of the condition of the vessels and survivors of
the expedition, had taken his passage in a small schooner which was
about to sail for England."

Dr. McWilliam's journal of what occurred on board the Albert after
the departure of the Wilberforce .ind Soudan from the mouth of the
Chadda, adds another melancholy chapter to the history of Niger ex-
ploration. It will be remembered that Captain Trotter had determined
to ascend as far as Rabba, but the number of the sick increased as he
advanced, and by the time he reached Egga, on the 28th of September,
the engineer was unable to perform his duty. The King of Egga re-
ceived the officers in a friendly manner, but refused to make a treaty,
through fear of the Felatahs. On the 3d of October, Dr. McWilliam
writes : " This day our hopes of penetrating further into the interior
received a finishing blow. Oar arduous, enterprising, and kind chief, who
was comi)laining yesterday, has now unmistakable symptoms of fever.
Commander Bird Allen lies in a very critical state, and upward of
twenty others of our companions are completely prostrated. In short,
of the whites at all fit for duty, there remain only one seaman, the
sergeant, and one private of marines, John Huxley, sick attendant, John
Duncan, master-a^arms, Mr. Willie, mate, Dr. Stanger, and myself.
Tlte time, therefore, seems now to have arrived when there is no reason-

THE MODEL FARM ABANDONED.

659

ablu )jros|i(>ct ufour rciicliing Uubhiv this HuOHon ; and no ultcrnativo lud
U8 but to ri'turn to tlio seu with all possiblo speed."

On tlio voyugo down Bovoral dcuthrt occurred. Two of tlic (jfticors
juinpeil overboard, while iti the delirium of lever, and one ot'tlicin wna
lost. Tlie entile coinnxand und muuagenieiit of the vcbsel devolved on
Doctors McWillium and Stangcr, the former of whom undertook the
navigation, while the latter acted as engineer: and in addition to these
labors, they took charge of the sick. At the model fann, they found
that the persons they had left had cleared and planted twelve acres of
ground, and built several huts, but Mr. Carr, the superlntendciit, with
the schoolmaster and gardener, were so ill, that the physicians had them
brought on board, and gave the farm into the cliarge of Ilalph Moore,
an American negro, who had accompanied the expedition from liibcria.
On the inth, below Eboo, they ft)rttuiately met the A'C/i/o^w, Mithout
the assistance of which vessel they would have been unable to cross the
bar at the mouth of the Nun, and on the 17th, reached Fernando Po.

After the departure of Captain Trotter for England, the command of
the expedition devolved upon Captain Allen. In a consultation with
Mr. Cook, the remaining commissioner, it was decided to proceed up
the Niger again, to the relief of the settlers of the model farm ; but
Captain Allen deferred this trip until June, when the Niger should be
swollen by the tropical rains. In the mean time he proceeded to carry
out the object of the expedition in the Hlghts of Benin and Hlafra, which
occupied lum until the beginning of .Tuiie, when he returned to Fer-
nando Po. lie was preparing to set out for the Niger once more, when,
on the 24th of Juno, dispatches arrived from England to put a stop to
the expedition, and forward the ofticers and men composing It to En-
gland, with the exception of the few who Avould be required to proceed
tc *he relief of the persons left at the model farm.

The Wllberforce was detailed for this service, under the command
of Lieutenant Webb, and having been fitted out in all haste, entered
the mouth of the Niger on the 2d of July. She proceeded up the river
rapidly, passed Idda on the 10th, and had nearly reached the mouth of
the Chadda, when she struck on a sunken rock. She was built in com-
partments, which alone prevented her from being a total loss ; but the
damage was so serious, that on reaching the model farm, Mr. Webb
was obliged to run her aground to have the hull repaired. This was
accomplished In a day or two, and the vessel got afloat again ; and, as
fever had already made its appearance, haste was made to reshlp the
goods and stores at the model farm and return down the river. It was
found that Moore, who had been left in charge of the undertaking, had
not sufficient control over his subordinates ; the latter were idle and
vicious; and thougl; ihc crops promised well and the natives were
friendly, it was thoui»ht hirt to abandon the place altogether.

Lieutenant Webl r'„>ciii;ied to Fernando Po on the 29th of July, and
soon afterward sailed in tl u TFi/icr/brce for England, where ho arrived

IMAGE EVALUATION
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Sciences

Corporation

23 WEST MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. 14580

(716)872-4503

"•i)

560

EXPLORATIONS OF THE NIGER.

on the 1 tth of November. Captuin Allen and the reniauKl.r of the ex-
„edilion had aheady arrived m September. Thus disastrously termmated
an imposing attempt to open the Niger to English commeree-i.ot from
any ^v^ant of energy or courage on the part of those who engaged m it,
but from the ravages of a climate into whid» few Europeans can venture
and live Of the total of one hundred and lorty-fivc Europeans who took
part in this expedition, forty-lbur died, and only fourteen escaped with-
out an attack of fever.

MOFFAT'S

LIFE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.

The Rev. Robert Moffat was sent to South Africa in the year 1817,
as an agent of the London Missionary Society. He immediately entered
on the duties of his office with zeal, courage, and alacrity, departing from
Cape Town, soon after his arrival, into the country of the Bechuanas,
where he remained many years, enduring the rude life of one of the
lowest varieties jf the human race, encountering many dangers and dif-
ficulties, but sustained through all by a truly Christian patience and hu-
manity. He labored in this field until 1840 — a period of twenty-three
years— during which time he became familiar with the character and
habits of nearly all the wild Bushmen tribes between the English settle-
ments and the mountains of Bamangwato, far beyond the Orange River,
and on the borders of the unknown country recently explored by Dr.
Livingstone. In 1842 he published in London an account of his expe-
rience entitled : " Missionary Labors and Scenes in Southern Africa,"
containing much curious infoiiuation concerning the native tribes. As
he was not, strictly speaking, an explorer, and his work is a series of
observations and reflections, rather than a connected narrative, it will be
sufficient to extract those portions which best describe the country and
its inhabitants.

Mr. Moffat gives the following account of the region where so many
years of his life were spent : " Great Namaqua-land, as it is usually called,
lies north of the Orange River, on the western coast of Africa, between the
twenty-third and twenty-eighth degrees of south latitude ; bounded on the
north hy the Damaras, and on the east by an extensive sandy desert, called
by Mr. Campbell the Southern Zara, or Zahara. Meeting with an individual,
on my journey thither, who had spent years in that country, I asked what
was its character and appearance ? ' Sir,' he replied, ' you will find plenty
of sand and stones, a thinly scattered population, always suffering from
want of water, on plains and hills roasted like a burned loaf, under the
scorching rays of a cloudless sun.' Of the truth of th's description I
soon had ample demonstration. It is intersected by the Fish and 'Oup

662

MOFFAT'S LIFE IN SOUTHERN A-FRICA.

Rivers, with their numberless tributary streams, if such their dry and
often glowing beds may be termed. Sometimes, for years together
they are not known to run ; when, after the stagnant pools are dried up
the natives congregate to their beds, and dig holes, or wells, in some in-
stances to the depth of twenty feet, from which they draw water, goner-
ally of a very inferior quality. They place branches of trees in the ex-
cavation, and, with great labor, under a hot sun, hand up the water in
a wooden vessel, and pour it into an artificial trough ; to which the
panting, lowing herds approach, partially to satiate their thirst. Thun-
der-storms are eagerly anticipated, for by these only rain falls ; and fre-
quently these storms will pass over with ticmendous violence, striking
the inhabitants with awe, while not a single drop of rain descends to
cool and fructify the parched waste.

" When the heavens do let down their watery treasures, it is gener-
ally in a partial strip of country, which the electric cloud has traversed •
so that the traveler will frequently pass, almost instantaneously, from
ground on which there is not a blade of grass, into tracts of luxuriant
green, sprung up after a passing storm. Fountains are indeed few and
far between, the best very inconsiderable, frequently very salt, and some
of them hot springs ; while the soil contiguous is generally so impreg-
nated with saltpeter, as to crackle under the feet, like hoar-frost, and it
is with great difficulty that any kind of vegetable can be made to grow.
Much of the country is hard and stony, interspersed with plains of deep
sand. There is much granite ; and quartz is so abundantly scattered,
reflecting such a glare of light from the rays of the sun, that the traveler,
if exposed at noonday, can scarcely allow his eyelids to be sufficiently
open to enable him to keep the course he wishes to pursue.

" The inhabitants are a tribe or tribes of Hottentots, distinguished by
all the singular characteristics of that nation, which includes Hottentots,
Carannas, Namaquas, and Bushmen. Their peculiar clicking language is
so similar, that it is with little difficulty they converse with the two former.
In their native state the aborigines, though deeply sunk in ignorance,
and disgusting in their manners and mien, were neither very warlike nor
bloody in their dispositions. The enervating influence of climate, and
scanty sustenance, seem to have deprived them of that bo' 1 martial
spirit which distinguishes the tribes who live in other parts of the inte-
rior, which, in comparison with Namaqua-land, may be said to ' flow
with milk and honey.' With the exception of the solitary traveler,
whose objects were entirely of a scientific character, those who ventured
into the interior carried on a system of cupidity, and perpetrated deeds
calculated to make the worst impression upon the minds of the natives,
and influence them to view white men, and others descended f om them,
as an * angry' race of human beings, only fit to be classed with the lions
which roar for their prey in their native wilds. Intercourse with such
visitors in the southern districts, and disgraceful acts of deceit and op-
pression, committed by sailors from ships which visited Angra Piquena,

THE CHIEF AFRICANER.

663

and other places on the western coast, had, as may easily bo conceived,
the most baneful influence on the native tribes, and nurtured in their
heathen minds (naturally suspicious) a savage disgust for all intercourse
with white men, alas I professedly Christian. It was to such a people,
and to such a country, that the missionaries directed their course, to
lead a life of the greatest self denial and privation."

Among these people a chief named Africaner was the terror of the
colony. His tribe had removed further and further from the home of
their fathers, as the Dutch settlers encroached on their territory, until
at length they became subject to one of the farmers. Hero Africaner
lived several years with his diminished tribe, serving his master faith-
fully until the cruelties to which his people were subjected at length
awakened his resentment and aroused him to vengeance. His master
was slain, and he led the remnant of his paity to the Orange River, be-
yond the reach of their pursuers. In their attempts to get rid of him
the colonists bribed other chiefs, and a long series of bloody conflicts
ensued between the family of Africaner, and the chief Berend and his
associates, in which neither conquered. Africaner frequently visited the
boundaries of the colony and harassed the settlers. Some, whom he
knew to be engaged in a plot against him, fell victims to his fury, and
their cattle and other property were carried off. He thus became a
scourge to the colonists on the south, and the tribes on the north ;
mutual provocations and retaliations became common. He paid back
the aggressions with large interest, and his name carried dismay even to
the remote deserts.

The Rev. J. Campbell, in his first visit to Africa, crossed the interior
to Namaqua-land. During his journey he found every village in terror
of Africaner's name. On reaching Pella he wrote a conciliatory letter
to the chief, and continued his journey. Africaner sent a favorable re-
ply, and soon afterward Mr. Euner was sent out from Pella. It required
no little circumspection and decision to gain an influence over a people
whose hand had been against every one, but Mr. Ebner's labors were
blessed, and in a short time Africaner, his two brothers, and a number
of others, were baptized.

In 1817, Mr. Ebner visited Cape Town for supplies, where he met
with Mr, Moffat, who hailed him with delight as his companion and
guide in his future labors, upon which he .vas now entering. After
traveling awhile together. Mr. Moffat proceeded to Bysondermeid, in
Little Naraaqua-land. " Ah I approached the boundaries of the colony,"
he writes, *' it was evident to me that the farmers, who, of course, had
not one good word to say of Africaner, were skeptical to the last derr-
alout his reported conversion, and most unceremoniously predicted my
destruction. One said he would set me up for a mark for his boys to
shoot at ; and another, that he would strip off my skin, and make a
drum of it to dance to ; another most consoling prediction was, that he
would make a drinking-cup of my skulL I believe they were serious,

564

MOFFAT'S LIFE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.

and especially a kind motherly lady, who, wiping the tear from her eye
bade me farewell, saying, ' Had you been an old man, it would have
been nothing, for you would soon have died, whether or no .; but you
are young, and going to become a prey to that monster.' "

After cpending a month at liysondermeid he proct-cded, by way of
Pella, to Africaner's kraal, (village), where he arrived on the 26th of Jan-
uary, 1818, and was kindly received by Mr. Ebner. The natives, how-
ever, seemed reserved, and it was some time before Africaner, the chief
came to welcome him.

It appeared, as Mr. Moffat afterward learned, that some unpleasant
feeling existed between the missionary and the people. "After reraain-
mg an hour or more in this situation," he continues, " Christian Afri-
caner made his appearance ; and after the usual salutation, inquired if I
was the missionary appointed by the directors in London ; to which I
replied in the affirmative. This seemed to afford him much pleasure ;
and he added, that as I was young, he hoped that I should live long with
him and his people. He then ordered a number of women to come ; I
was rather puzzled to know what he intended by sending for women,
tiU they arrived, bearing bundles of native mats and long sticks, like
fishing-rods. Africaner pointing to a spot of ground, said, ' There, you
must build a house for the missionary.' A circle was instantly formed,
and the women evidently lelighted with the job, fixed the poles, tied
them down in the hemispheric form, and covered them with the mats,
all ready for habitation, in the course of little more than half an hour.
Since that time I have seen houses built of all descriptions, and assisted
in the construction of a good many myself; but 7 confess 1 never wit-
nessed such expedition. Hottentot houses (for such they may be called,
being confined to the different tribes of that nation), are at best not very
comfortable. I lived nearly six months in this native hut, which very
frequently required tightening and fastening after a storm. When the
sun shone, it was unbearably hot ; when the rain fell, I came in for a
share of it; when the wind blew, I had frequently to decamp to escape
the dust ; and in addition to these little inconveniences, any hungry cur
of a dog that wished a night's lodging, would force itself through the
frail wall, and not unfrequently deprive me of my anticipated meal for
the coming day ; and I have more than once found a serpent coiled up
in a corner. Nor were these all the contingencies of such a dwelling,
for as the cattle belonghig to the village had no fold, but strolled about,
I have been compelled to start up from a sound sleep, and try to defend
myself and my dwellhig from being crushed to pieces by the rage of
two bulls which had met to light a nocturnal duel."

Mr. Moffat soon atlterward entered upon his labors and was cheered
by the interest which Africaner manifested in his instructions. He be-
came a constant reader of the Scriptures, and loved to converse on
religious subjects, ami at the same time greatly assisted in the labors of
the mission. " During the whole period I lived there," continues Mr.

ERRORS OF TRAVELERS.

665

Moffat, " I do not remember having occasion to be grieved with him,
or to complain of any pai*t of his conduct ; his very faults seemed to
' lean to virtue's side.' One day, when seated together, I happened, in
absence of mind, to be gazing steadfastly on im. It arrested his at-
tention, and he modestly inquired the cause. ^ replied, ' I was trying
to picture to myself your carrying fire and sword through the country,
and I could not. think how eyes like yours could smile at human woe.'
He answered not, but shed a flood of tears ! He zealously seconded my
efforts to improve the people in cleanliness and industry ; and it would
have made any one smile to have seen Christian Airicaner and myself
superintending the school children, now about a himdred and twenty,
washing themselves at the fountain. He was a man of peace ; and
though I could not expound to him that the ' sword of the magistrate*
implied, that he was calmly to sit at home, and see Bushmen or maraud-
ers carry off his cattle, and slay his servants ; yet so fully did he under-
stand and appreciate the principles of the Gospel of peace, that nothing
could grieve him more than to hear of individuals, or villages, contend-
ing with one another."

As the spot on which they lived was not suitable for a permanent
missionary station, it was determined to take a journey northward and
examine the country bordering on Damara-lond, where it was reported
that water abounded. On the route they occasionally met with Nama-
qua villages, whose inhabitants were exceedingly ignorant, though not
so stupid as some travelers have represented these people to be. In thia
connection Mr. Moffat, speaking of the liability of travelers to be led
astray, refers to a traveler who, having asked his guide the name of a
place, was proceeding to write down the answer " Vh reng,'*'' when told
by Mr. Moffat that the guide merely asked what he said. In another
instance " mountains" was the reply, instead of the name of tht mount-
sun. " And in reference to points of faith or extent of knowledge," con-
tinues he, " the traveler may be completely duped, as I was in tho
present journey. At an isolated village, far in the wilds of Namaqna-
land, I met an individual, who appeared somewhat more intelligent than
the rest; to him I put a nmnber of questions, to ascertain if there were
any tradition in the country respecting the deluge, of which vestiges are
to be found in almost every part of the known world. I had made
many inquiries before, but all to no purpose. Discovering that he pos-
sessed some knowledge on the subject, and being an utter stranger to
any of the party, and to all appearance a child of the desert, I very
promptly took up my pen and wrote, thinking myself a lucky discoverer.
I was perf jctly astonished at some of his first sentences, and, afraid lest
I should lose one word, I appointed two interpreters : but by the time I
reached the end of the story, I began to suspect. It bore the impress
of the Bible. On questioning him as to the source of his information,
he positively asserted that he had received it from his forefathers, and
that he never saw or heard of a misuonary. 1 secretly instituted in-

566

MOFPAT'8 LIFE IN 80UTHBRN AFRICA.

quirics into his history, but could elicit nothing. I folded up my paper
and put it. into ray desk, very much puzzled, and resolving to leave the
statement to wiser hands than nunc. On our return, this man accom-
panied us some days southward, toward the Karas mountains, when wo
halted at a village ; and meeting a person who had been at Bethany
Mr. Schmelcn's station, lying north-west of us, I begged him to guide
us thither, as I was anxious to Aisit the place. lie could not, being
•worn out with the journey ; but pointing to the deluge narrator, he said
* 27iere is a man that knows the road to Bethany, for I have seen him
there.' The mystery of the tradition was in a moment unraveled, and
the man decamped, on my seeing that the forefather who told him the
Btory, was our missionary Schmelen. Stories of a similar kind originally
obtained at a missionary station, or from some godly traveler, get, in
course of time, so mixed up and metamorphosed by heathen ideas, that
they look exceedingly like native traditions."

Finding the natives unfriendly, they returned unsuccessful. Once
when they had been a day and a night without water, they drew near
some bushes Avhich seemed to skirt on a ravine, and hasted forward with
joy. " On reaching the spot," says Mr. Moffat, " we beheld an object
of heart-rending distress. It was a venerable-looking old woman, a liv-
ing skeleton, sitting, with her head leaning on her knees. She appeared
terrified at our presence, and especially at me. She tried to rise, but,
trembling with weakness, sank again to the earth. I addressed her by
the name Avhich sounds sweet in every clime, and charms even the sav-
age ear, ' My mother, fear not ; we are friends, and will do you no harm.»
I put several questions to her, but she appeared either speechless, or
afraid to open her lips. I again repeated, ' Pray, mother, who are you,
and how do you come to be m this situation?' to which she replied, 'I
am a woman ; I have been here four days ; my children have left me
here to die.' ' Your children !' I interrupted. ' Yes,' raising her hand
to her shriveled bosom, ' my own children, three sons and two daugh-
ters. They are gone,' pointing with her finger, ' to yonder blue mount-
ain, and have left me to die.' ' And, pray why did they leave you ?' I
inquired. Spreading out her hands, ' I am old, you see, and I am no
longer able to serve them ; when they kill game, I am too feeble to help
in earring home the flesh ; I am not able to gather wood to make fii-e ;
and I can not carry their children on my back, as I used to do.' Thia
last sentence was more than I could bear ; and though my tongue was
cleaving to the roof of my mouth for want of water, this reply opened a
fountain of tears. I remarked that I was surprised that she had escaped
the lions, which seemed to abound, and to have approached very near
the spot where she was. She took hold of the skin of her left arm with
her fingers, and, raising it up as one would do a loose linen, she added,
' I hear the lions ; but there is nothing on me that they would eat ; I
have no flesh on me for them to scent.' At this moment the wagon
drew near, which greatly alarmed her, for she supposed that it was an

AFRICANER'S VISIT TO CAPE TOWN.

567

animal. Assuring her that it would do her no harm, I said that, as I
could not stay, I would put her in the wagon, and take hor with mo.
At this remark she became convulsed with terror. Others addressed
her, but all to no effect. She rei>lied, that i. we took her, and left her
at another village, they would only do the same thing again. ' It is our
custom ; I am nearly dead ; I do not want to die again.' Tho sun was
now piercingly hot ; tho oxen were raging in tho yoke, and wo ourselves
nearly delirious. Finding it impossible to influence the woman to move,
without running tho risk of her dying convulsed in our hands, wo col-
lected a quantity of fuel, gave her a good supply of dry meat, some to-
bacco, and a knife, with some other articles ; telling her we should return
in two days, and stop the night, when she would be able to go with us ;
only she must keep up a good fire at night, as the lions would smell tho
dried flesh, if they did not scent her. We then pursued our course ; and
after a long ride, passing a rocky ridgo of hills, we came to a stagnant
pool, into which men and oxen rushed precipitately, though tho water
was almost too muddy to go down our throats."

After this journey, which lasted a few weeks, Mr. Moffat lived an
itinerating missionary life for several months, and then undertook a
journey, at the request of Africaner, to the Griqua country, east of tho
desert, to inspect a situation offered to him and his people. Tho journey
was long and difficult, but the result was satisfactory to Africaner. Mean-
while tho want of intercourse with the colony made it necessary for Mr.
Moffat to visit Cape Town, and he proposed that Africaner should ac-
company him. Tho chief was startled at this proposition, and asked if
he did not know that a thousand rix dollars were offered for his head.
Others also made objections, but finally all difficulties were removed,
and they set forward. They spent a few days at Pella, while the subject
of getting Africaner safely through tho territories of the colonists to the
Cape, was discussed. Many thought the step hazardous, but it was ar-
ranged that, although he was a chief, ho should pass for one of Mr. Mof-
fat's servants. As they proceeded, tho people oflen expressed wonder
that Mr. Moffat had escaped from such a monster of cruelty, and it some-
times afforded no little entertainment to Africaner and the Namaquas, to
hear a farmer denounce this supposed irreclaimable savage. A novel
scene which occurred at one farm is thus described :

" On approaching the house, which was on an eminence, I directed
my men to take the wagon to the valley below, while I walked toward
the house. The farmer, seeing a stranger, came slowly down the de-
scent to meet me. When within a few yards, I addressed him in the
usual way, and stretching out my hand, expressed my pleasure at seeing;:
him again. He put his hand behind him, and asked me, rather wildly,
who I was. I replied that I was Moffat, expressing my wonder that ho
should have forgotten me. ' Moffat !' he rejoined, in a faltering voice ;
' it is your ghost .'' and moved some steps backward. ' I am no ghost.'
' Don't come near me I' he exclaimed, ' you have been long murdered

568

MOPPAT'S LIPB IN SOUTHERN APRIOA.

by Africaner.' ' But lam no ghost,* I Hiud, foulin}^ my hands, as if to
convince him and myself, too, of my materiality ; but his alarm only in-
creased. ' Every body says you were murdered ; and a man told me
ho had seen your bones ;' and he continued to gaze at me, to the no
small astonishment of the good wife and children, who were standing ut
the door, as also to that of my people, who were looking on from the
wagon below. At length ho extended his trembling hand, saying,
' When did you riso from the dead ?' As ho feared my presence would
alarm his wife, wo bent our steps toward the wagon, and Africaner was
the subject of our conversation. I gave him in a few words my views
of his present character, saying, * Ho is now a truly good man.' To
which he replied, * I can believe almost any thing you say, but that I can
not credit.' By this time we were standing with Africaner at our feet,
on whose countenance sat a smile, well knowing the prejudices of some
of the farmers. The farmer closed the conversation by saying, with
much earnestness, ' Well, if what you assert bo true respecting that
man, I have only one wish, and that is, to see him before I die ; and
when you return, as sure as the sun is over our heads, I will go with
you to see him, though he killed my own uncle.' I was not before aware
of this fact, and now felt some hesitation whether to discover to him
the object of his wonder ; but knowing the sincerity of the fiirmer, and
the goodness of his disposition, I said, 'This, then, is Africaner!' He
started back, looking intensely at the man, as if he had just dropped
from the clouds. ' Arc you Africaner ?' he exclaimed. He arose, doffed
his old hat, and making a polite bow, answered, ' I am.' Tlie fanner
seemed thunder-struck ; but when, by a few questions, he had assured
himself of the fact, that the former bugbear of the border stood before
him, now meek and lamb-like in his whole deportment, he lifted up his
eyes, and exclaimed, ' O God, what a miracle of thy power ! what can
not thy grace accomplish !' The kind farmer, and his no less hospitable
wife, now abundantly supplied our wants ; but we hastened our depart-
ure, lest the intelligence might get abroad that Africaner was with me,
and bring unpleasant visitors.

" On arriving at Cape Town, I waited on his excellency the gover-
nor. Lord. Charles Somerset, who appeared to receive with considerable
skepticism my testimony that I had brought the far-famed Africaner ou
a visit to his excellency. The following day was appointed for an inter-
view, when the chief was received by Lord Chai'les with great affability
and kindness ; and he expressed his pleasure at seeing thus before him
one who had formerly been the scourge of the country, and the terror
of the border colonists. His excellency was evidently much struck with
this result of nMSsionary enterprise, the benefit of which he had some-
times doubted. Whatever he might think of his former views, his ex-
cellency was now convinced that a most important point had been
gained ; and, as a testimony of his good feeling, he presented Africaner
with an excellent wagon, valued at eighty pounds sterling.

HOTTENTOT IDEAS AND CUSTOMS.

569

" Africaner's appearance in Cape Town excited considerable attention,
as his name and exploits had been flimiliar to many of its inhabitants for
more than twenty years. Many were struck with the unexpected mild-
ness and gentleness of his demeanor, and others with his piety and accii-
rate knowledge of the Scriptures. Ilis New Testament was an interest-
ing object of attention, it was so completely thumbed and worn by uaa
His answers to a number of questions put to him by the friends in Capo
Town, and at a public meeting at the Paarl, exhibited his diligence as a
student in the doctrines of the Gospel, especially when it is rememberiKl
that Africaner never saw a catechism in his life, but obtained all his
knowledge on theological subjects from a careful perusal of the Scrip-
tures, and the verbal instructions of the missionary."

After spending some time at Griqua ToAvn, Mr. Moffat joined the
mission at the Kuruman in May, 1821. Hero ho had to lalsor with n
people ignorant in the extreme, and utterly destitute of a system of re-
ligion to which ho could appeal, or of idcjis kindred to those ho wished
to impart. To tell them of a Creator or of the immortality of the soul,
was to speak of what was fabulous and extravagant. " A wily rain-
maker," continues Mr. Moffat, " who was the oracle of the village in
which he dwelt, once remarked, after hearing me enlarge on the sub-
ject of creation, * If you verily believe that that Being created all men,
then, according to reason, you must also believe that in making white
people he has improved on his work ; he tried his hand on Bushmen
first, and he did not like them, because they were so ugly, and their lan-
guage like that of the frogs. He then tried his hand on the Hottentots,
but these did not please him either. He then exercised his power and
skill, and made the Bechuanas, which was a great improvement ; and at
last he made the white people ; therefore,' exulting Math an air of tri-
umph at the discovery, ' the white people are so much wiser than we
are in making walking-houses (wagons), teaching the oxen to- draw them
over hill and dale, and instructing them also to plow the gardens in-
stead of making their wives do it, like the Bechuanas.' His discovery
received the applause of the people, while the poor missionary's argu-
ments, drawn from the source of Divine truth, were thrown into the
shade.

" With all their concessions, they would, with little ceremony, pro-
nounce our customs clumsy, awkward, and troublesome. They could
not 'ccount for our putting our legs, feet, and arms into bags, and using
buttons for the purpose of fastening bandages round our bodies, instead
of suspending them as ornaments from the neck or hair of the head.
Washing the body, instead of lubricating it with grease and red ocher,
was a disgusting custom, and cleanliness about our food, house and bed-
ding, contributed to their amusement in no small degree. A native,
who was engaged roasting a piece of fat zebra flesh for me on the coals,
was told that he had better turn it wdth a stick, or fork, instead of his
hands, which he invariably rubbed on his dirty body for the sake of the

670

MOFFAT'S LIFE IN SOUTnERN APRIOA.

precious fut. This HUgj^cstion mado liim and his companions laugh ex-
travugantly, and thry wero wont to repeat it as an interesting jolio
wherever they came.

" Among tlic Becluiana tribes, the name adopted by the niisHionariug
for God, is Morimo, This has the advantage of the names used by tho
Kailrs and Hottentots, being more deilnitc, as its derivation at once de-
termines its meaning. Mo is a personal prefix and rimo is from i/orimu
' above.' From tho same root lef/urimo, ' lieaven,' and its plural nutijori.
mo, are derived. Tho genius of tho Bcchuana language warrants us to
expect a correspondence between tho name -.nd the thing designated •
but in this instance tho order is reversed. Morimo, to those who know
any thing about it, had been represented by rain-makers and sorcerers
as a malcvoler';. selo, or thing, which tho nations in the north deseribod
as existing in a hole, and which, like tho fairies in the Highlands of
Scotland, sometimes camo out and inflicted diseases on men and cattle
and even caused death. This Morimo sei-vcd tho purpose of a bug.
bear, by which tho rain-maker might constrain tho chiefs to yield to his
suggestions, when ho wished for a slaughter-ox, without which he pre-
tended ho could not make rai"^ "

Tho mission among tho beohuanas had now been established five
years, but the natives had become indifferent to all instruction, except
when it was foUoAvcd by some temporal benefit. The time of the mis-
sionaries was much occupied in building and in attending to the wants
of daily life. The light, sandy soil required constant irrigation for tho
production of any kind of crops, and a water-ditch some miles in length
had been led from tho Kuruman River, and passed in its course through
the gardens of the natives. Tho native women, seeing tho fertilizing
effects of tho water in tho gardens of tho mission, took the liberty of j
cutting open the ditch, often leavuig tho mission without a drop of |
water, oven for culinary purposes. Tho missionaries were often obliged
to go three miles with a spade in tho hottest part of tho day to close up
these outlets, and obtain moisture for their burnt-up vegetables. As
soon as they had left, the women would open the outlets again, and
thus they wero sometimes many days without water, except what was
carried from a distant ^ountain, under a cloudless sky, when the ther-
mometer at noon would trequently rise to one hundred and twenty de-
grees in the shade. When they complained, the women became exas-
perated, and going up with their picks to the dam, completely destroyed '
H. Moreover, when they had with great pains succeeded in raising
their crops, the natives would steal them by night and by day.

" Our attendance at public worship," says Mr. Moffat, " would vary
from one to forty ; and these very often manifesting the greatest indeco-
rum. Some would be snoring ; others laughing ; some working ; and
others, who might even be styled the noblesse, would be employed in ;
removing from their ornaments certain nameless insects, letting them ;
run about the forms, while sitting by the missionary's wife. Never ;

CKUEMONIKa OF UIJUIAL.

571

having been accustoinetl to chidrs or stools, some, by way of imitntion,
woiikl Hit with thuir ibet on thu bcnuhcH, huving their knees, according
to their usual mode of sitting, drawn up to their chins. In this position
one would fall asleep and tuinblu over, to the great merriment of his
fellows. On some occasions an opportunity would bo watcheil to rob,
when the missionary Avas engaged in public service. The thief would
just put his head within the door, discover who was in the pulpit, and,
knowing lio could not leave his rostrum before a certain time had elapsed,
would go to his liouso and take what he could lay his hands upon.
When Mr. Hamilton and I met in the evening, wo almost always had
Bome tale to tell about our lo.sses, but never about our gains, except
those of resignation and peace, the results of i)atience, and faith in the
unchangeable purposes of Jehovah. ' I will be exalted among the
heathen,' cheered our often baffled and drooping spirits.

"The following is a brief sketch of the ceremony of interment, and
the custom which prevails among these tribes in reference to the dying.
When they see any indications oi'».(i»-roaching dissolution in fainting fits
or convulsive throes, they throw a net over tho body, and hold it in a
sitting posture, with the knees brought in contact with tho chin, till lifo
is gone. The grave, which is frequenny made in tho fence surrounding
the cattle-fold, or in • tho fold itself, if lor a man, is about three feet in
diameter, and six feet deep. Tho body is not conveyed through tho
door of the fore-yard or court connected with each house, but an opening
is made in the fence for that purpose. It is carried to the grave, having
the bead covered with a skin, and is placed in a sitting posture. Much
time is spent in order to fix the corpse exactly facing the north ; and
though they have no compass, they manage, after some consultation, to
place it very nearly in the required position. Portions of an ant-hill
are placed about the feet, when tho net which held the body is gradually
withdrawn ; as the grave is filled up, the earth is handed in with bowls,
while two men stand in the hole to tread il down round the body, great
care being taken to pick out every thing like a root or pebble. When
the eaith i caches the height of the mouth, a small twig or branch of an
acacia is thrown in, and on the top of the head a few roots of grass are
placed ; and when the grave is nearly filled, another root of grass is fixed
immediately above the head, part of which stands above ground. When
finished, the men and women stoop, and with their hands scrape the
loose soil around on to the little mound. A large bowl of water, with
an infusion of bulbs, ia then brought, when the men and women wash
their hands and the upper part of their feet, shouting ' pula, pula,' rain,
ram. An old woman, probably a relation, will then bring his weapons,
bows, arrows, war-ax, and spears, also grain and garden-seeds of various
kinds, and even the bone of an old pack-ox, with other things, and ad-
dress the grave, saying, ' there are all your articles.' These are then
taken away, and bowls of water are poured on the grave, when all
retire, the women wailing, 'yo, yo, yo,' with some doleful dirge,

672

MOFFAT'S LIFE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.

Borrowing without hope. Thctso ceremonies vary in different local-
ities, and according to the rank of the individual who is committed to
the dust.

" Years of drought had been severely felt, and the natives, tenacious
of their faith in the potency of a man, held a council, and passed resolu-
tions to send for a rain-maker of renown from the Bahurutsi tribe, two
hundred miles north-east of the Kuruman station. Rain-makers have
always most honor among a strange people, and therefore they are gen-
erally foreigners. The heavens had been as brass, scarcely a cloud had
been seen for months, even on the distant horizon. Suddenly a shout
was raised, and the whole town was in m6tion. The rain-maker was
approaching. Every voice was raised to the highest pitch with acclama-
tions of enthusiastic joy. He had sent a harbinger to announce his ap-
proach, with peremptory orders for all the inhabitants to wash their feet.
Every one seemed to fly in swiftest obedience to the adjoining river.
Noble and ignoble, even the girl who attended to our kitchen-fire, ran.
Old and young ran. All the world could not have stopped them. By
this tune the clouds began to gather, and a crowd went out to welcome
the mighty man who, as they imagined, was now collecting in the hea-
vens his stores of rain.

" Just as he was descending the height into the town, the immense
concourse danced and shouted, so that the very earth rang, and at the
same time the lightnings darted, and the thunders roared in awfiil
grandeur. A few heavy drops fell, which produced the most thrilling
ecstasy on the deluded multitude, whose shoutings baffled all descrip-
tion. Faith hung upon the lips of the impostor, while L^ proclaimed
aloud that this year the women must cultivate gardens on the hills, and
not in the valleys, for these would be deluged. After the din had some-
what subsided, a few individuals came to our dwellings to treat us and
our doctrines with derision. ' Where is your God ?♦ one asked with a
sneer. We were silent, because the wicked were before us. ' Have you not
seen our Morimo ? Have you not beheld him cast from his arm his fiery
spears, and rend the heavens ? Have you not heard with your ears his
voice in the clouds ?' adding with an inteijection* of supreme disgust,
' You talk of J ehovah, and Jesus, what can they do ?' Never in my
life do I remember a text being brought home with such power as the
words of the Psalmist, ' Be still, and know that I am God : I will be
exalted among the heathen.*

" The rain-maker foimd the clouds in our country rather harder to
manage than those he had left. He complained that secret rogues were
disobeying bis proclamations. When urged to make repeated trials, he
would reply, * You only give me sheep and goats to kill, therefore I can
only make goat-rain ; give me fat slaughter oxen, and I shall let you see
ox-rain.' One day, as he was taking a sound sleep, a shower fell, on
which one of the principal men entered his house to congratulate him,
bat to his utter amazement found him totally insensible to what vaa

ierto !
wete '

(lean
lou see
pU, on

at vras

THE RAIN-MAKER.

573

transpiring. ' H61a ka rare (Halloo, by my father), I thought yon were
making rain,' said the intruder, when, arising from his slumbers, and see-
ing his wife sitting on the floor shaking a milk-sack, in order to obtain a
little butter to anoint her hair, he rephed, pointing to the operation of
churning, ' Do you not see my wife churning rain as fast as she can ?'
This reply gave entire satisfaction, and it presently spread through the
length and breadth of the town, that the rain-maker had churned the
shower out of a milk-sack. The moisture caused by this shower was
dried up by a scorching sun, and many long weeks followed without a
single cloud, and when these did appear they might sometimes be seen,
to the great mortification of the conjurer, to discharge their watery treas-
ures at an immense distance.

" The rain-maker had recourse to numerous expedients and strata-
gems, and continued his performances for many weeks. All his efforts,
however, proving unsuccessful, he kept himself very secluded for a fort-
night, and, after cogitating how he could make his own cause good, ho
appeared in the public fold, and proclaimed that he had discovered the
cause of the drought. All were now eagerly listening ; he dilated some
time, till he had raised their expectation to the highest pitch, when he
revealed the mystery. ' Do you not see, when clouds come over us, that
Hamilton and Moffat look at them ?' This question receiving a hearty
and unanimous affirmation, he added, that our white faces frightened
away the clouds, and they need not expect rain so long as we were in
the country. This was a home-stroke, and it was an easy matter for us
to calculate what the influence of such a charge would be on the public
mind. We were very soon informed of the evil of our conduct, to which
we plead guilty, promising, that as we were not aware that we were
doing wrong, being as anxious as any of them for rain, we would will-
ingly look to our chins, or the ground, all the day long, if it would serve
their purpose. It was rather remarkable, that much as they admired
my'.ong black beard, they thought that in this case it was most to blame.
F.owever, this season of trial passed over, to our great comfort, though
it was followed for some time with many indications of suspicion and
distrust."

In October, 1823, Mr. Moffat having occasion to visit Capo Town
with his family, he writes : ' .s Mothibi (the chief) was anxious that his
son should see the country of the white people, he sent him with us, and
appointed Taisho, one of his principal chiefs, to accompany him. The
kind reception they met with from his excellency the governor, and the
friends in Cape Town, and the sights they saw, produced strange emo-
tions in their minds. They were delighted with eveiy thing they be-
held, and were in raptures when they met again their old friend George
Thompson, Esq., who showed them no little kindness. It was with some
difficulty that they were prevailed upon to go on board one of the ships
in the bay ; nor would they enter the boat until I had preceded them.
They were perfectly astounded, when hoisted on the deck, with the enor-

■1

574

MOFFAT'S LIFE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.

mous size of the hull, and the height of the masts ; and when they saw
a boy mount the rigging, and ascend to the very mast-head, they were
speechless with amazement. Taisho whispered to the young prince, ' A
ga si khatla ?' Is it not an ape ? When they entered the spkadid cabin
and looked into the deep hold, they could scarcely be convinced that the
vessel was not resting on the bottom of the ocean. ' Do these water-
houses (ships) unload like wagon-oxen every night ?' they inquired. ' Do
they graze in the sea to keep them alive ?' A ship in full sail approach-
ing the roads, they were asked what they thought of that. ' We have
no thoughts here ; we hope to think again when we get to the shore,'
was their reply. They would go anywhere with me or Mr. Thompson,
for whom they entertained a kindly feeling, but taey would trust no
one else."

After his return, Mr. Moffat, accompanied by some Griquas, set out
on the 1st of July, 1824, to visit Makaba, the chief of the Bauangketsi.
A few days afterward, they were joined by another party, under the
chief Berend. Before reaching the town the train was met by the mes-
sengers of Makaba, who welcomed them, and when they came near,
Makaba desired them to conduct the wagons through the principal
street, but as it was a narrow path, winding among a number of houses,
Mr. Moffat pronounced the thing impossible without seriously injur-
ing the fences. " Never mind that," says Makaba, " only let me see the
wagons go through my town ;" and on they went, while the chieftain
stood on Jin eminence before his door, looking with inexpressible de-
light on the wagons which were breaking down corners of fences, while
the good wives within were so much amazed at the oxen, and what ap-
peared to them ponderous vehicles, that they hardly foimd time to scold,
though a few did not fail to express their displeasure.

They found a dense population at the metropolis of the Bauangketsi,
and early next morning they were surrounded by thousands, so that it
was difficult to pass from one wagon to another. " The country of the
Bauangketski is hilly, and even mountainous toward the north and east.
The soil in general is very rich ; but water is rather scarce, and thoiigli
I believe rains are pretty abundant, yet, from what I could learn, irriga-
tion would be absolutely necessary to raise European A'egetables and
grain. The countries to the north and east abound with rivers, and
are very fruitful and populous. The mountains are adorned to their
very summits with stately trees and shrubs, unknown in the southern
parts of the continent, which give the country a picturesque and impos-
ing appearance." On their return they were att \cked by a party of
Barolongs, who were repulsed only after a fierce encounter and the
loss of several lives. Some of Berend's people likewise captured several
hundred of the enemy's cattle.

" In the end of the year 1826, having removed into our new habita-
tion, and the state of the country being somewhat more tranquil, a
journey was resolved on to the Barolongs, near the Molapo, in order to

THE BAROLONG TRIBE.

675

labita-
liquil, a
Irder to

attend exclusively to the language, wliich hitherto it had not been
possible to do, owing to the succession of manual labor connected with
commencing a new station, when the missionaries must be at the begin-
ning, middle, and end of every thing. Mr. Hamilton, who felt that his
advanced age was a serious barrier to his acquisition of the language,
•<vas anxious for my progress, and cheerfully undertook the entire labors
of the station for a short season, preaching to the Batlapis in the neigh-
borhood, and keeping up public service for the few on the station. Two
attempts had been previously made for this very purpose, but I had not
long left the place before, in both instances, I was recalled on account of
threatened attacks."

Arrived at the village of Bogachu, a Barolong chief, Mr. Moffat spent
ten weeks attending to the languajje. He writes : " The people, to
please me, would assemble on the Sabbath, as I told them I could not
be happy without telling them about their souls and another world.
One day, while describing the day of judgment, several of my hearers
expressed great concern at the idea of all their cattle being destroyed,
together with their ornaments. They never for one moment allow
their thoughts to dwell on death, which is according to their views
nothing less than annihilation. Their supreme happiness consists in hav-
ing abundance of meat. Asking a man who was more grave and
thoughtful than his companions what was the finest sight he could de-
sire, he instantly replied, • A great fire covered with p\>t3 full of meat ;'
adding, ' how ugly the fire looks without a pot !'

" A custom prevails among all the Bechuanas whom I have visited,
of removing to a distance from the towns and villages persons who have
been wounded. Two young men, who had been wounded by the poi-
soned arrows of the Bushmen, were thus removed from the Kuruman.
Having visited them, to administer relief, I made inquiries, but could
learn no reason, except that it was a custom. This unnatural practice
exposed the often helpless invalid to great danger ; for, if not well at-
tended during the night, his paltry little hut, or rather shade from the
sun and wind, would be assailed by the hyena or lion. A catastrophe
of this kind occurred a short time before my ari'ival among the Baro-
longs. The son of one of the principal chiefs, a fine young man, had
been wounded by a buffalo ; he was, according to custom, placed on tho
outside of the village till he should recover; a portion of food was daily
sent, and a person appointed to make his fire for the evening. The fire
went out ; and the helpless man, notwithstanding his piteous cries, was
carried off by a lion and devoured. Some might think that this prac-
tice originated in the treatment of infectious diseases, such as leprosy ;
but the only individual I ever saw thus affected was not separated.
This disease, though often found among slaves in the colony, is unknown
among the tribes in the interior, and therefore they have no name for it.
" Although, as has been stated, the term savages, when applied to
Bechuanas, must be understood in a restricted sense, there was nothing

676

MOFFAT'S LIFE IN SOUTHERN AFRICA.

either very comely or comfortable in the dress of either sex, yet such
was their attachment to it, that any one deviating from it waa consid-
ered a harlequin. The child is carried in a skin on its mother's back
with its chest lying close to her person. When it requires to be re-
moved from that position, it is often wet with perspiration ; and from
being thus exposed to cold wind, pulmonary complaints are not unfre-
quently brought on. As soon as a child is born, its head is shaved, leav-
ing a small tuft on the imperfectly ossified part of the skull ; and when
but a few weeks old, the little head may be seen hanging over the skm
iu which it is carried, shining with grease, and exposed to the rays of
an almost vertical sun, yet the coup de soldi is not of frequent occur-
rence, either in infants or adults. The natives, however, are far from
admiring a hot sun, and it is not uncommon. to hear them say, ' letsatsi
le utluega yang ?' ' how does the sun feel ?' and this exclamation is not
to be wondered at, for I have known the action of the sun's rays so
powerful on the masses of grease and black shining ocher on the head
as to cause it to run down their necks and blister the skin. They are
therefore often found carrying a parasol made of black ostrich feathers,
and in the absence of these will hold a small branch over their heads.
I have frequently observed the Matabele warriors carrying their shields
over their heads for the same purpose.

" For a long period, when a man was seen to make a pair of trow-
sers for himself, or a woman a gown, it was a sure intimation that we
might expect additions to our inquirers. Abandoning the custom of
paintmg the body, and beginning to wash with water, was with them
what cutting off the hair was among the South Sea islanc^ers, a public
renunciation of heathenism. In the progress of improvement during the
years which followed, and by which many individuals who made no pro-
fession of the Gospel were influenced, we were frequently much amused.
A man might be seen in a jacket with but one sleeve, because the other
was not finished, or he lacked material to complete it. Another m a
leathern or duffel jacket, with the sleeves of different colors, or of fine
printed cotton. Gowns were seen like Joseph's coat of many colors,
and dresses of such fantastic shapes as were calculated to excite a smile
in the gravest of us. It was somewhat entertaining to witness the va-
rious applications made to Mrs. Moffat, who was the only European fe-
male on the station, for assistance in the fabrication of dress, nor were
these confined to female applicants.

" Our congregation now became a variegated mass, including . ' le-
scriations, from the lubricated wild-man of the desert, to the clean, com-
fortable, and well-dressed believer. The same spirit diffused itself
through all the routine of household economy. Formerly a chest, a
chair, a candle, or a table, were things unknown, and supposed to be
only the superfluous accompaniments of beings of another order. Al-
though they never disputed the superiority of our attainments in being
able to manufiicture these superfluities, they would however question our

HOUSES IN THE TREES.

577

common sense in taking so much trouble about them. They thought us
particularly extravagant in burning fat in the form of candles, instead of
rubbing it on the bodies, or depositing it in our stomachs. Hitherto
when they had milked their cows, they retired to their houses and
yards, to sit moping over a f'.w embers, Svildom affording sufficient light
to see what they were eating, or even each other ; at night, spreading
the dry hide of some animal on the floor, they would lie down in their
skin-cloaks, making a blanket of what had been their mantles all
day. They soon found that to read in the evening or by night required a
more steady light than that afforded by a flickering flame from a bit of
wood. Candle-molds and rags for wicks were now in requisition, and
tallow carefully preserved, when bunches of candles were shortly to be
seen suspended from the wall, a spectacle far more gratifying to us than
the most charming picture, an indication of the superior light which had
entered their abodes."

In the latter part of the year 1829, Mr. Moffat accompanied two
messengers of Moselekatse, a king of a division of Zoolus called Mata-
bele, on their return home. " Having traveled one hundred miles," he
writes, " five days after leaving Mosega we came to the first cattle out-
posts of the Matabele, when we halted by a fine rivulet. My attention
was arrested by a beautiful and gigantic tree, standing in a defile lead-
ing into an extensive and woody ravine, between a high range of mount-
ains. Seeing some individuals employed on the ground under its shade,
and the conical points of what looked like houses in miniature, protrud-
ing through its evergreen foliage, I proceeded thither, and found that the
tree was inhabited by several families of Bakones, the aborigines of the
country. I ascended by the notched trunk, and found, to my amaze-
ment, no less than seventeen of these aerial abodes, and three others un-
finished. On reaching the topmost hut, about thirty feet from the
ground, I entered, and sat down. Its only furniture was the hay which
covered the floor, a spear, a spoon, and a bowl full of locusts. Not hav-
ing eaten any thing that day, and from the novelty of my situation, not
wishing to return immediately to the wagons, I asked a woman who sat
at the door with a babe at her breast, permission to eat. This she
granted with pleasure, and soon brought me more in a powdered state.
Several more females came from the neighboring roosts, stepping from
branch to branch, to see the stranger, who was to them as great a
curiosity as the tree was to him. I then visited the different abodes,
which were on several principal branches. The structure of these houses
was very simple. An oblong scaffold, about seven feet wide, is formed
of straight sticks. On one end of this platform a small cone is formed,
also of straight sticks, and thatched with grass. A person can nearly
stand upright in it ; the diameter of the floor is about six feet. The
house stands on the end of the oblong, so as to leave a little square
space before the door. On the day previous I had passed several
villages, some containing forty houses, all built on poles about seven or

578

MOPPAT'S LIFE IN SOUTHERN APRICA.

eight feet from the ground, in the form of a circle ; the ascent and de-
Bcent is by a knotty branch of a tree placed in front of the house. In
the center of the circle there is always a heap of the bones of game they
have killed. Such were the domiciles of the impoveiished thousands of
the aborigines of the country, who, having been scattered and peeled
by Mosclekatse, had neither herd nor stall, but subsisted on locusts
roots, and the chase. They adopted this mode of architecture to escape
the lions which abound in that country. During the day the families
descended to the shade beneath to dress their daily food. When the
inhabitants increased, they supported the augmented weight on the
branches, by upright sticks, but when lightened of their load, they re-
moved these for firewood."

The king received the missionaries with kindness, and during a long
visit Mr. Moffat had frequent intercourse with his majesty, who freely
listened to his instructions. On his return Moselekatse accompanied
him in his wagon, a long day's journey. Mr. Moffat concludes the story
of his long labors in the following words : " Before closing the account
of the Bechuana mission, it will be proper to state, that during the
years 1837, 1838, a rich blessing descended on the labors of the brethren
at home, at the out-stations, and indeed, at every place where the Gos-
pel was read and preached. Large additions of Bechuanas to the church
at Griqua Town have already been noticed ; and in 1838, great acces-
sions were made to that of the Kuruman. Under the very efficient and
assiduous superintendence of Mr. Edwards, the number of readers con-
nected with the mission had increased in equal ratio ; while the Infant
School, commenced and carried on by Mrs. Edwards, with the assistance
of a native girl, gave the highest satisfaction. The people made rapid
advance in civilization ; some purchasing wagons, and breaking in their
oxen for those labors which formerly devolved on the female sex. The
use of clothing became so general, that the want of a merchant was
greatly felt, to supply the demands for British commodities. This in-
duced us to invite Mr. D. Hume, in whom we placed implicit confidence,
who had already traded much with the natives, and traveled a great
distance into the interior, to take up his constant abode on the station
for that purpose. He built himself a house, and the measure has suc-
ceeded beyond our expectations."

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S T U R T' S

EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

JOURNEY TO THE RIVER DARLING.

The climate of New South Wales is periodically subject to long and
fearful droughts ; one of these, which began in 1826, continued during
the two following years with unabated severity. The surface of the
ground became parched, the crops failed, and the settlers drove their
flocks and herds to distant tracts in search of pasture and water. The
interior suffered equally with the coast, and it seemed as though the
Australian sky would never again be traversed by a cloud. It was
therefore hoped that an expedition, pursuing the line of the Macquarie
River, would be more successful than the previous attempts to explore
the country, which had been obstructed by the vast marshes of the
interior. An expedition was accordingly decided upon, for the express
purpose of ascertaining the nature and extent of that basin into which
the Macquarie was supposed to fall, and whether any connection existed
between it and the streams flowing westwardly.

Captidn Charles Sturt was appointed to command this expedition,
which set out from Sidney on the 10th of November, 1828, and pro-
ceeded to Bathurst. After a few days' delay it was joined by Mr. Ham-
ilton Hume, who was associated with Captain Sturt, and they pursued
their route down the banks of the. Macquarie to Wellington Valley,
where they arrived about the end of the month. On the 7th of De-
cember they continued their journey down the river. The weather was
exceedingly sultry ; a few days afterward, when they left the river on
an excursion to Lake Buddah, a short day's journey from it, the theiv
mometer stood at one hundred and twenty-nine degrees of Fahrenheit
in the shade, at two o'clock, and at one hundred and forty-nine in the
sun. The rays were too powerful even for the natives, who kept as
much as possible in the shade. At sunset hundreds of birds came
crowding to the lake, to quench their thirst ; some were gasping, otherg
too weak to avoid the men, who shot a supply of them.

'Mi
1

*' I

682

STURT'S EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

They reached the river again next day and descended to the cat-
aract. The natives they met with hero, as elsewhere, were timorous at
first, but being treated with kindness they soon throw off all reserve
and in the afternoon assembled below the fall to fish. They took short
spears and sank at once under water, at a given signal from an elderly
man. In a short time one or two rose with the fish they had taken •
the others remained about a minute under water, and then made their
appearance near the rook under which they had driven their prey.

The heat increased as the expedition advanced into the interior.
The thermometer was seldom under one hundred and fourteen degrees
at noon, and rose higher at two o'clock. There was no dew at night •
the country was bare .md scorched, and the plains were traversed by
large fissures. As they neared Mount Harris the Macquarie became
more sluggish in its flow, and fell off so much as scarcely to deserve the
name of a river. On encamping, Messrs. Sturt and Humetode to Mount
Harris. " Nearly ten years had elapsed," says Captain Sturt, " since
Mr. Oxley pitched his tents under tho smallest of the two hills into which
Mount Harris is broken. There was no diflSculty in hitting upon his
position. Tho trenches cut around the tents were still perfect, and the
marks of the fire-places distinguishable ; while the trees in the neighbor-
hood had been felled, and round about them the staves of some casks
and a few tent-pegs were scattered. Mr. Oxley had selected a place at
some distance from the river, in consequence of its swollen state : fi-om
the same ground I could not discern the waters in its channel. A re-
flection naturally arose to my mind on examining these decaying vestiges
of a former expedition, whether I should be more fortunate than the
leader of it, and how far I should be enabled to penetrate beyond tho
point which had conquered his perseverance. My eye instinctively
turned to the north-west, and the view extended over an apparently
endless forest. I could trace the river-line of trees by their superior
height, but saw no appearance of reeds, save the few that grew on the
banks of the stream."

A few days later, after passing over rich timbered flats covered with
luxuriant grass, and then crossing a dreary plain, they came to some
lofty trees, under which they found nothing but reeds as far as the eye
could penetrate. Contmuing their course along the edge of the reeds
they at length found a passage between the patches and gained the river
with some difficulty. They were obliged to clear away a space for the
tents, and thus found themselves encamped pretty far in that marsh
which they had been anxiously looking for, and upon which, in any
ordinary state of the river, it would have been dangerous to venture.
As they proceeded, the difliculties increased, and it became necessary
either to skirt the reeds to the northward, or to follow the river. Her-J
the party separated. Captain Sturt launching the boat, and passing down
the river to determine its course, and Mr. Hume procdeding northward
to examine the marshes. The river flowed sluggbhly among high reeds

MKBTINO WITH TlIK NATIVK3.

583

which often Rhut out every other object, nnd the channel maintained itH
Hizo for several miles, when Huddenly it ceuaed altogether and the boat
grounded. Captain Sturt, linding every outlet closed, returned to the
camp. Ho nupposed the waters of tho river to be Hpread over the bui^
rounding level country, and Mr. Hume, who had also returned, had
found a serpentine sheet of water, twelve miles to tho northward, which
he supposed to bo tho channel of tho river.

The whole party then proceeded to tho channel found by Mr. Ilunic,
but after a few miles it likewise became unnavigable. Thinking that
the Macquario must eventually meet tho Castlereagh, and their united
waters form a stream of some importance, Mr. Ilumo was sent north-etuit
to explore tho country in that direction, while Captain Sturt crossed the
river on an excursion to tho interior, each accompanied by two men.
Next day, January Ist, 1829, tho captain came upon a numerous tribe
of natives. A young girl, Avho first saw the approaching party, was so
frightened that she had not power to run away, but threw herself on
the ground and screamed violently. Tho people then issued from tho
huts, but started back on beholding tho strangers. In a moment their
huts were in flames, and e.^ch ono with a firebrand ran to and fro with
hideous yells, thrusting it into every bush ho i)as8ed. C.iptain Sturt
walked his horse quietly toward an old man who stood before tho rest,
as if to devote himself for the preservation of his tribe, but he trembled
80 violently that it was impossible to get any information from him ; tho
party therefore passed on.

They returned to the camp late on tho 5th of January, having pene-
trated more than a hundred miles into tho western interior, and seen no
traces of a stream from the highest elevations. Air. Ilumo returned next
day ; he had traversed the country in various directions to the north and
northwest, and found here and there a creek partially dried up, but
nothing like a channel of the river, although he had obtained an extens-
ive view of tho country from a high range of hills, which ho called New
Year's Range.

Captain Sturt now returned to Mount Harris for supplies, and prepared
to strike at once into the heart of the interior, being convinced that the
river no longer existed. Not finding tho expected suppUes, he rejoined
Mr. Hume, who had advanced fifteen miles, and found tho whole party
suffering from fatigue and the want of water. With difficulty they at
length passed through the marshes, and on the 13th of January proceeded
over a more pleasant country. In tho forest, next day, they surprised a
party of natives, who immediately ran away ; but presently one of them
returned, and stood twenty paces from Mr. Hume, until Captain Sturt
began to advance, when he poised his spear at him, and the captain halted.
The savage had evidently taken both man and horse for ono animal, and
when Mr. Hume dismounted, he struck his spear into the ground and
walked fearlessly up to him. They made him comprehend that they
were in search of water, when he pointed to the west, and a few hours

['^

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584

STURT'S EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

aflcrwanl they came to a creek of tVesh water situated on the eustom
Bide of New Year's Range. Following the course of this creek, which
was continually diniinishing as they advanced, they proceeded in a nurth-
westerly direction toward Oxley's Table Land, an elevated ridge, near
which they encamped on the 23d.

They ascended the hill in search of some object to direct their course
but seeing no indications of a larger stream, they determined to make
an excursion to D'Urban's Group, which lay at a distance in the south.
west. Accordingly, Captain Sturt and Mr. Hume left the camp on tho
25th, and soon afterward entered an acacia scrub of the most sterile do-
scri])tion. The soil was almost pure sand, and tho lower branches of the
trees were decayed so generally as to give tho scene an indescribable
appearance of desolation. Next day they entered upon a plain wliich
was crowded with cockatoos, until within a mile of the mountain grouj),
where tho country was covered with luxuriant grass, which waved higher
than tho horses' middles as they rode through it. The view from the
summit was magnificent, but they were again disappointed in the main
object of their search. A brighter green than usual marked the course
of tho mountain torrents in several places, but there was no glittering
light among the trees, no smoke to betray a water-hole, or to tell that a
single inhabitant was traversing tho extensive region they were over-
looking.

They returned to the camp on the 28th, and leaving Oxley's Table
Land on the 31st, they pursued a northern course until they reached the
creek. It had increased in size and in the height of its banks, but was
perfectly dry. They therefore moved westwardly along its banks in
search of water, but encamped after sunset without having found any.
In his anxiety Captain Sturt then went down to the bed of the creek,
where ho was rejoiced to find a pond of water within a hundred yards
of the tents. At their next encampment they were again without water,
and at a loss what course to take, but finding traces of the natives, they
followed a path toward tho north, which led them to the banks of a noble
river. The channel of tho river was from seventy to eighty yards broad,
and inclosed an unbroken sheet of water, evidently very deep, and liter-
ally covered with pelicans and other wild fowl. " Our surprise and de-
light," says Captain Sturt, " may better be imagined than described.
Our difficulties seemed to be at an end, for here was a river that prom-
ised to reward all our exertions, and which appeared every moment to
increase in importanoe to our imagination. The men eagerly descended
to quench their thirst, which a powerful sun had contributed to increase;
nor shall I ever forget the cry of amazement that followed their domg
so, or the look of terror and disappointment with which they called out
to inform me that the water was so salt as to be unfit to drink. This
was, indeed, too true ; on tasting it, I found it extremely nauseous and
strongly impregn'^ i ed with salt, being apparently a mixture of sea and
fresh water. Our hopes were annihilated at the moment of their appa-

was
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TUE RIVER DARLING DISCOVERED.

585

rout realization. Tho cup of joy was dashed out of our hands before wo
had time to raiso it to our lips. Notwithstanding this disappointment
we proceeded down tho river and halted at tivo miles, being influenced
by the goodness of tho feed to jtrovide for tho cattle as well as circum-
stances would permit. They would not drink of tho river water, but
stood covered in it for many hours, having their noses alono exposed
above tho stream." After the tents were formed, Mr. Ilumo walked
out in search of water, and coming to tho river at some distance below,
found a reef of rocks which formed a dry passage from one side to tho
other. Curiosity led him to cross it, when ho found a small pond of
fresh water on a tongue of land. It was too late to move, but they had
tho prospect of a comfortable breakfast in tho morning.

They followed tho course of tho river in a south-westerly direction,
and on tho 5th of January, passed through a largo nativo village. Soon
afterward they came suddenly upon tho tribe of tho village, who were
engaged in fishing. They gazed upon tho strangers a moment, then
starting up, assumed an attitude of horror and amazement, and presently
gave a fearful vol! and darted out of sight. Soon a crackling nrisc was
heard in the distance, and tho bush was on fire. Captain Sturt and his
party being ou safe ground, patiently awaited the result. \\ hen tho
fire had come near, one of tho natives came out from tho same spot into
which he had retreated, and bending forward with his hands upon his
knees, gazed at them awhilo, but seeing that they remained immovable,
he began to throw himself into tho most extravagant postures, shaking
his foot from time to time. When ho found that all his violence had no
effect, he turned his back to them in a most laughable manner, and ab-
solutely groaned in spirit when his last insult failed of success.

As they continued their journey down tho river they discovered that
there were salt springs in tho bed of the stream. They had occasionally
found ponds of fresh water, but these began to fail them. The animals
were already so weak from bad food and the effects of the river water,
that they could scarcely carry their loads. They therefore turned back
on the morning of the 6th, and started for the nearest fresh water,
which was eighteen miles behind them. They were still imwilling to
quit the pursuit of the river, and Captain i^turt proposed to take the
most servicoable horses down the stream, so that in the event of finding
fresh water they might again push forward. He accordingly set out on
the 8th accompanied by Mr. Hume, and two men, with a supply of pro-
visions and water. They made about twenty-eight miles and slept on
the river-side, but as the horses would not drink the river water, they
were obliged to give them some from their own supply. Next day they
crossed several creeks, in none of which they could find water, and
when they halted at noon the supply had diminished to a little more
than a pint. The day was warm and they were now forty miles from
the camp, consequently their further progress became a matter of serious
consideration, for however capable they were of bearing additional

586

STURT'S BXPLORATXONS IN AUSTRALIA.

fatigue, it was evident their animals would soon fail. Therefore, as soon
as the/ had bathed and finished their scanty meal, the) set out en their
return to the eamp. They named the river " Darling," in honor of the
governor.

In returning along the river they occasionally met with parties of
the native tribes, who, though armed with spears, were quite inoifena-
ive. " The natives of the Darling," says Captain Sturt, " are a clean-
limbed, well-conditioned race, generally speaking. They seemingly oc-
cupy permanent huts, but the tribe did not bear any proportion to the
size or number of their habitations. It was evident their population had
been thinned. The customs of these distinct tribes, as far as we could
judge, were similar to those of the mountain blacks, although their lan-
guage differs. They lacerate their bodies, but do not extract their
front teeth, as is done by the latter tribes."

At Mount Harris they found the party with supplies, awaiting their
arrival. The fresh horses being in excellent order. Captain Sturt made
preparations to explore the region of the Castlereagh, and determine
the course of that river. On the 1th. of March, the tents were struck
and the party left the Macquarie and proceeded in a north-easterly
course. The thickets were frequently so dense that they found it im-
possible to travel in a direct line ; after many difficulties tl:ey reached
the Castlereagh on the afternoon of the 10th. The channel at this point
was not less than one hundred and thirty yards in breadth, and yet
there was apparently not a drop of water in it. They theretbre suiFoied
much from thirst as they descended the river, the weather being very
sultry, although the heat was not so intense as they experienced in
crossing the marshes of the Macquarie, when it melted the sugar in the
canisters and destroyed all the dogs.

One day they surprised a party of natives who were engaged in
preparing dinners of fish, evidently for a larger party than was present.
They instantly fled, leaving every thing at the mercy of the strangers.
In the afternoon they returned and crouching Avith their spears, seemed
to manifest hostile intentions. Mr. Hume then walked to a tree, and
broke off a short branch. As soon as they saw the branch, the natives
laid aside their spears, and two of them advanced in front of the rest,
who sat down. Mr. Hume then went forward and sat down, when the
two natives again advanced and seated themselves close to him.

The natives of this region appeared to be dying out, not from any
disease, but from the scarcity of food. From the want of water it was
feared that the journey would have to be abandoned, when, by good
fortune, the party deviated from the river and came upon a creek of
fresh water, which again revived them. They thus continued their
route until the 29th, when they were checked by a broad river. " A
single glimpse of it," says Captain Sturt, " was sufficient to tell us it was
the Darling. At a distance of ninety miles nearer its source it still pre-
served its character. The same steep banks and lofty timber, the same

THS SECOND EXPEDITION.

687

deep reaches, alive with fish, were here visible, as when we left it.
A. hope naturally arose in our minds that if it was unchanged in other
respects, it might have lost the saltness which had rendered its waters
unfit for use ; but in this we were disappointed— even its waters con-
tinued the same."

They now retraced their steps to the creek of fresh water, whence
they made an eflfort to penetrate the country to the north-west ; but they
entered a waste where all traces of the natives disappeared, and not
even a bird was to be seen. Captain Sturt was, therefore, convinced of
the inutility of further efforts, and made preparations to return with the
expedition. They reached Mount Harris on the 1th. of April, and,
moving leisurely up the Macquarie, amved at "Wellington Valley on the
9.1st, having been absent from that settlement four months and a half.
The waters of the Macquarie had diminished so much, that its bed was
dry for more than half a mile at a stretch, nor did they observe the least
appearance of a current in it until atter they had ascended the ranges
above Wellington Valley.

VOYAGE DOWN THE MORUMBIDGEE AND MURRAY RIVERS.

The late expedition having settled the hypothesis of an internal sea,
and ascertained the actual termination of the rivers it had been directed
to trace, it became important to determine the ultimate direction of the
Darling, which was evidently the chief drain for the waters falling west-
wardly from the eastern coast. The diflSculty of approaching that cen-
tral stream without suffering for want of water made it necessary to
regain its banks at some lower point, where it could still be identified.
The attention of the government was consequently fixed upon the I.io-
rumbidgec, a river said to be of considerable size and of impetuous cm
rent. Receiving its supplies from the lofty ranges behind Mount Drome-
dary, it promised to hold a longer course than those rivers which
depend on periodical rains alono for existence.

Another expedition was accordingly determined on, and the governor
instructed Captain Sturt to make the necessary preparations for tracing
the Morumbidgee, or such rivers as it might prove to be connected with,
as far as practicable. As it was likely they would sometimes have to
depend wholly upon water conveyance, he had a large v;hale-boat con-
structed so as to be taken in pieces for more convenient carriage ; he
also supplied himself with apparatus for distilling water, in the event of
fiuding the water of the Darling salt, on reaching its banks.

The expedition left Sidney on the 3d of November, 1829. At
Brownlow Hill Mr. George M'Leay, son of the colonial secretary, joined
Captain Sturt as his companion, and on the 19th they arrived at Yass
Plains, situated above the junction of the Yass River with the Morum-
bidgee. A few dayt afterward they encamped on the latter river, in a

588

STURT'S EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

long plain surrounded on every side by hills. The scenery around was
wild, romantic, and beautiful. ITio stream was full, aid the waters
foaming among rocks or circling in eddies, gave early j^romise of a reck-
less course. Its waters were hard and transparent, and its bed was com-
posed of mountain debris, and large fragments of rock. They proceeded
along its banks, and on the morning of the 27th reached Whaby's Sta-
tion, the last settlement on the river. They were now to be thrown on
their own resources, yet the novelty of the scenery and the beauty of the
river excited in them the liveliest anticipations of success.

As they were one day passing through an open forest one of the
blacks took a tomahawk in order to get an opossum out of a dead tree
every branch of which was hollow. As he cut below the animal it Lo-
carno necessary to smoko it out. The fire soon kindled in the tree, and
dense columns of smoko issued from tho end of each branch, as thick
as that from the chimney of a steam-engine The shell of the tree was
thin, but tho black fearlessly climbed to the hitrhest branch and watched
anxiously for the poor creature ; and no sooner did it ai)pe!ir than ho
seized upon it, and threw it down with an air of triumph. The roaring
of the fire in tho treu, the fearless attitude of tho savage, and the asso-
ciation which his color and appearance, enveloped as he was in smoke,
called up, produced a singular effect in the lonely forest. Soon after
they left tho tree, it fell with a tremendous crash, and was consumed to
ashes.

At length tho coimtry became less hilly, and early in December they
saw indications of a level region before them. In a few days they
reached a dreary plain, where the cattle began to suffer, and they were
obliged to shorten their jounieys. Amid tho desolation around them
tho river kept alive their h'^pes. If it traversed deserts, it might reach
fertile lands, and to the isb .e of the journey they must look for success.
The apparently boundless i)lain continued, and tho sand became a great
obstruction to their progress. At length they came to a reedy country,
resembling that around the marshes of the Macquarie, and were alarmed
at the prospect of losing the river. Captain Sturt therefore ordered a
smaller boat to bo built, but on further examination being convinced
that they were still far from the termination of the rivei*, he had the
large boat put together, and resolved to send back the drays. In a
week they had fitted up a boat twenty-seven feet long, had felled a tree
from the forest, with which they had built a second of half the size, and
had them painted and ready for loading.

On the 6th of January, 1830, the boats were loaded, the flour, tea,
and tobacco, were placed in the whale-boat, and in the small one the
meat-casks, still, and carpenters' tools. Captain Sturt then left a portion
of the men with Robert Harris, and directed him to remain stationary
for a week, after which he would be at liberty to return ; while the
boats were to proceed at an early hour of the morning down the river,
—whether ever to return being a point of the greatest uncertainty.

DISCOVERY OP A LARGE RIVER.

689

Tho ndvancing party embarked in high spiritH, and although thuy
used but two oars, their progrcHS down tho river was rapid. Tho chan-
nel offered few obstructions, but on the second day tho skiff struck
upon a sunken log, and immediately filling, went down in about twelve
feet of water. With difficulty they succeeded in hauling it ashore, but
the head of tho still and several articles had been thrown out. As
tho success of tho expedition might probably depend on tho complete
state of tho still, every effort was made for its recovery. Tho m hale-
boat was moored over tho place, and tho bottom searched with thu oars.
When any object was felt, it was pushed into tho sand, and ono of tho
men descended by tho oar to tho bottom. Tho work was most laborious
and tho men at length became much exhausted, without having re-
covered tho sLill-hcad. In the morning they resumed tho search, and
were finally successful.

As they advanced, the banks of tho river became lined with reeds on
both sides, while trees stood leafless and sapless in tho midst of them.
Wherever they landed tho same view presented itself—', waving ex-
panse of reeds, and a country perfectly flat. Their ardor was damped
by tho dread of marshes, as the channel became contracted and was im-
peded by immense trees that had been swept down by the floods.

On tho 13th they passed a stream flowing in from the south-east, the
first in a course of more than three hundred and forty miles. Tlie river
had become more open, but on this day's passage it was again filled
with trunks of trees whoso branches crossed each other in every direc-
tion, and in the evening tho danger was increased by rapids, down which
they wero hurried in tho darkness before they had time to foresee tho
difficulty. They halted at tho head of more formidable barriers, down
which, with great exertions, they passed in safety next morning. At
length the river took a general southern direction, but, in its winding
course, swept round to every point of the compass with tlie greatest
irregularity. They wero carried at a fearful rate down its gloomy and
contracted banks, and in the excitement of tho moment had little time
to pay attention to tho country through which they wero passing. At
three o'clock they approached a junction, and were immediately hurried
out into a broad and noble river. The force with which they liad been
shot out of tho Morumbidgee carried them nearly to the opposite bank
of the capacious channel into which they had entered, and when they
looked for the one they had left;, they could hardly believe tho insignif-
icant opening that presented itself was the termination of tho beautiful
stream whose course they had successfidly followed. This river was
evidently the great channel of the streams from the south-eastern quarter
of the island. Tho Morumbidgee entered it at right-angles, and was so
narrowed at tho point of junction, that it had tho appearance of an or-
dinary creek.

The new river was from one hundred and tiftiy to two hundred yards
m width, and improved as they descended. Its reaches were of noble

600

STUBT'S EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

breadth an i splondid appearance. At length it began to change; the
banka became steep and lofly, and v ater-worn. On the 22d the boats
came suddenly to the head of a foami. ig rapid, which it was too late to
avoid, and their only safoty was in making a clear passage. But the
boat struck with the fore part of her keel upon a sunken rock, and turn-
ing round, presented her bow to the rapid, while the skiff floated away
in the strength of it. They succeeded, however, in getting her off
without great injury.

The river became wider as they advanccvl, and the wind being fair
they hoisted sail and made rapid progress. As they were sailing in a
reach with the intention of laiiding, a large concourse of natives ap-
peared under the trees and seemed disposed to resist them. As they
continued to approach, the savages held their spears ready to hurl at
them. Wishi/'g to avoid a conflict, Captain Sturt lowered the sail, and
putting the hel. l to starboard, i)asscd quietly down the stream. The
disappointed nati\ ".s ran along the banks, endeavoring to secure an aim
at the boat, but, ur able to throw 'tvith certainty, in consequence of its
onward motion, the y flung themselves into the most extravagant atti-
tudes, and worked themselves into a state of frenzy by loud and vehem-
ent shouting. The boat was at length stopped by a sand-bank which
projected into the channel, and the savages here renewed their threats
of attack. Finding it impossible to avoid an engagement, Captain Sturt
gave arms to the men, with orders not to fire till he had discharged both
his barrels. On nearing the sand-bank, he made signs to the natives to
desist, but Avithout success. He then leveled his gun, but when his hand
was on the trigger M'Loay called out that another party of blacks had
made their appearance on the left bank of the river. There were four
men, who ran at the top of their speed ; the foremost threw himself from
a considerable height into the water, and struggling across, placed him-
self between the savages and the boat. Forcing them back from the
water, he trod its margin with great vehemence ; at one time pointing
to the boat, at another shaking his clenched hand in the faces of the most
forward, and stamping with passion on the sand ; his voice, at first dis-
tinct and clear, was lost in hoarse murmurs. The party in the boats, as-
tonished at this singular and unexpected escape, allowed the boat to drift
.at pleasure, and after pushing off from a second shoal, their attention
was attracted to a new and beautiful stream, coming apparently from the
north. The bold savage who had so unhesitatingly interfered in behalf
of the whites, had been in their company for several days, and had some-
times assisted them in return for their kindness to him. He now contin-
ued in hot dispute with the natives on the sand-bar, and Captain Sturt
was hesitating whether to go to his assistance, when he saw a party of
about seventy blacks on the right bank of the newly discovered river.
Hoping to make a diversion in favor of his late guest, he landed among
them, at which the first party ceased their wrangling, and came swim-
ming across the river.

INTKRCOUUBE WITH THK NATIVES.

591

JUNCTION OF Tint MUnRAY AND THB DARUNO.

Before proccoding, they rowed a few miles up the new river, which
presented a breadth of one hundred yards, and a depth of twelve feet.
The conviction was at length impressed upon Captain Sturt that this was
the Darling, from whose banks he had been twice forced to retire. Ho
ordered the union jack to be hoisted, and the whole party gave three
cheers.

On re-entering the channel of the first-discovered river, they named
it the Murray, in compliment to Sir George Murray, who then presided
over the colonial department. The skiflF was then destroyed, and on the
24th they proceeded down the Murray. They had now daily intercourse
with the natives, who sent embassadors forward regularly from one tribe
to another, to the great advantage and safety of Capain Sturt's party.
He was careful to do nothing to alarm them, although he made a point
to show them the effects of a gun-shot by firing at a kite or any other
bird that happened to be near. " Yet," continues the captain, " I was
often surprised at the apparent indifference with which the natives not
only saw the effect of the shot, but heard the report. I have purposely
gone into the center of a large assemblage and fired at a bird, that has
fallen upon their very heads, without causing a start or an exclamation,
without exciting either their alarm or their curiosity." They sometimes
became weary of this constant communication with the natives. " Their
sameness of appearance," observes Captain Sturt, '' the disgusting diseases

592

STURT'S EXPLOUATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

that raged among them, their abominable filth, the manner in which they
pulled us about, and the impossibility of making them understand us, or
of obtaining any information from them, all combined to estrange us
from these people, and to make their presence disagreeable. Yet there
was an absolute necessity to keep up the chain of communication, to in-
sure our own safety."

The river at length began to flow southward, a circumstance which
gave much satisfaction to Captain Sturt, for ho was beginning to feel
some anxiety about the men. Their provision was becoming scanty,
their eyes were sore, and they were evidently much reduced. After a
long deviation to the north-west, the river again flowed southward. It
increased in breadth, and soon lost its sandy bed and its current, and be-
came deep, still, and turbid. The hills towered up like maritime cliffs,
and the water dashed against their base like the waves of the sea. Other
indications of the approach to the sea appeared from time to time. Some
sea-gulls flew over their heads, at which one of the men was about to
shoot, when Captain Sturt prevented him, for he hailed them as messen-
gers of glad tidings, and thought they ill-deserved such a fate. The na-
tives with whom they communicated on the 6th and 7th of February,
distinctly informed them that they were fast approaching the sea, and
from what they could understand, that they were nearer to it than the
coast-line of Encounter Bay made them.

On the 9th they found a clear horizon before them to the south.
They had reached the termination of the Murray ; but instead of the
ocean, a beautiful lake was spread out before them. The ranges of
mountains which were visible on the west, were distant forty miles ; they
formed an unbroken outline, declining gradually to the south, but ter-
minating abruptly at a loft,y mountain northwardly. This was supposed
to be the Mount Loftiy of Captain Flanders, and the range to be that
immediately eastward of St. Vincent's Gulf.

" Thirty-three days had now passed over our heads," says Captain
Sturt, " since we left the depot upon the Morumbidgee, twenty-six of
which had been passed upon the Murray. We had, at length, arrived
at the grand resei-voir of those waters whose course and fate had pre-
viously been involved in such obscurity. It remained for us to ascertam
whether the extensive sheet of water upon whose bosom we had em-
barked, had any practicable commimication with the ocean." The
greatest difliculty they had now to contend with was the wind, which
blew fresh from the south-west ; and the men were too much reduced
for any violent or prolonged effort. Before morning, however, a breeze
sprang up from the north-east and they set sail early for the extremity
of the lake. They made a good passage, and in the evening arrived at
the entrance of a channel about half a mile wide, leading to the south-
west. It was bounded on the right by some open, flat ground, and on
the left; by a line of hills. Upon the first of these hills they observed a
large body of natives, who set up the most terrific yells as they ap- :

THKY REACH THE SEA-COAST.

593

proached, and came down to meet them with violent threats. They
were fully equipped for battle, and were not to bo pacified by any signs
of peace. Captain Sturt therefore drew off, and the most daring war-
riors crept into the reeds with their spears poised. He took up his
gun to return their salute, but they seemed perfectly aware of the
instrument and fled precipitately. He then landed on a flat a mile
below, where they could not be taken by surprise. " The full moon
rose as we were forming the camp," observes Captain Sturt, " and not-
withstanding our vicinity to so noisy a host, the silence of death was
around us, or the stillness of night was only broken by the roar of the
ocean, now too near to be mistaken for the wind, or by the silvery and
melancholy notes of the black swans as they passec^ over us."

In the morning they attempted to pass the channel to the sea, which
was visible at two and a half miles distance, but the passage was so
obstructed with shoals that they were sometimes obliged to drag the
boat a quarter of a mile, while wading knee-deep in mud. "While the
men were thus engaged Captain Sturt and M'Leay, with one of the men,
crossed over to the sea-shore. He found they had struck the south coast
deep in the bight of Encounter Bay. " Our situation," he Avrites, " was
one of peculiar excitement and interest. To the right the thunder of
the heavy surf, that almost shook the ground beneath us, broke with
increasing roar upon our ears ; to the left the voice of the natives echoed
through the brush, and the size of their fires at the extremity of the
channel seemed to indicate the alarm our appearance had occasioned.
The mouth of the channel is defended by a double line of breakers,
amidst which it Avould be dangerous to venture, except in calm anc
summer weather ; and the line of foam is unbroken from one end of
Encounter Bay to the other." Captain Sturt would fain have lingered
to examine the beautiful country between the lake and the ranges, but
the men were weak from scanty diet and great bodily fatigue. He
therefore reluctantly yielded to necessity, and returning to the head of
the lake, the party re-entered the river on the- 13th of February, under
as fair prospects as they could have desired.

For some days they were greatly assisted by the breezes from the
lake, but, on the 1 8th, calms succeeded and obliged them to labor con-
tinually at the oars. They lost ground fast, and the spirits of the men
began to droop under their first efforts. They fancied the boat pulled
heavily. The current was not so strong as when they passed down, and
the river had fallen so that in many places they were obliged to haul
the boat over the shallows.

They reached the rapids of the Murray on the 6th of March, and
next morning attempted to pass them with the aid of ropes. As soon
as the boat entered the ripple it spun round like a top, and went away
with the stream. The ropes were too short, and they had to get in the
water and haul the boat up by main force. The rain was falling fast
and they were up to their arm-pits in water, when suddenly a large body

694

STURT'S EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

of natives, Avith their spears, lint'd the banks above them. As defense
was impossible, nuthuig remained but to continue their exertions. It
required but one strong eftbrt to get the boat into still water for a time
but that eflbrt was beyond their strength, and they stood in the stream
powerless and exhausted. At length one of the natives called to them
and they immediately recognized the voice of him who had saved them
from the attack of the savages. A man swam over to him for assistance
which was readily given. A second, more dangerous rapid remained to
be passed. Fastening a rope to the mast, the men landed and pulled
upon it, and the boat shot up the passage with unexpected rapidity.
The natives were filled with wonder, and testified their admiration of so
dexterous a maneuver by a loud shout.

On the 16th of March, to their great joy, they re-eutered the narrow
and gloomy channel of the Morumbidgee.*

In the night of the 21st the blacks were discovered stealthily ap-
proaching the camp. They were suffered to come near, and two or
three had hidden behind a fallen tree, when M'Leay fired a charge of
small shot at them. They made a precipitate retreat, but in order to
alarm them more effectually a ball was fired into the reeds, which was
heard cutting its way through them. All was quiet until three o'clock,
when a poor wretch, who had probably thrown himself on the ground
when the shots were fired, mustered courage to get up and make his
escape. Next day they tried to gain favor with the whites, but Captain
Sturt threatened to shoot any that approached, and they kept at a re-
specxful distance, dogging the party from tree to tree. In the evenbg
they remained around the camp, which they again attempted to surprise
in the night, but were effectually dispersed by a shot, and retreated
across the river. Their spears were found at the fires in the morning,
and were all broken up and burned, except those of a black who had
befriended the party. As he had kept aloof from the others, Captain
Sturt took his spears, nets, and tomahawk, and set out in search of him.
On coming near enough, -he stuck the spears into the ground, and ap-
proaching the man, presented to him his tomahawk. The poor man was
speechless, and seemed both ashamed and surprised. He gave a short
exclamation at sight of his tomahawk, but refused to grasp it, and it
fell to the ground. While they were standing together his two wives
came up, to whom, after pointing to the spears and tomahawk, he said
something, without looking at Captain Sturt, and they both instantly
burst into tears and wept aloud.

* "Wherever we landed on its banks," observes Captain Sturt, "we found theca-
listemma in full flower, and in the richest profbsion. There was also an abundance of
grass, where before there had been no signs of vegetation, and those spots which we
had condemned as barren were now clothed with a green and luxuriant carpet. So
difficult is it to judge of a country on a partial and hurried survey, and so differently
does it appear at different periods. I was rejoiced to find that the rains had not swollen
the river, for I was apprehensive that heavy Ma had taken plpce in the mountains, a&d
was unprepared for so much good fortune."

SUFFERINGS AND RETURN.

595

On tho 23(1 tliey reached the depot where tliey had first embarked
on the Morumbidgee, but tho men were sadly disai)pointed in finding no
supplies. They continued up tlie river, which now became swollen with
the rains, and poured along its turbid waters with great violence. For
seventeen days tho men pulled against tho current with determined
perseverance, but at length they began to give way. Their arms a|)-
pcared to be nerveless, their faces became haggard, their persons ema-
ciated, their spirits wholly sank ; nature was so completely overcome,
that, from mere exhaustion, they frequently fell asleep during their most
painful and almost ceaseless exertions. No murmur, however, escaped
them. Captain Sturt frequently heard them in their tent, when they
thought he had dropped asleep, complaining of severe pains and of great
exhaustion. " I must tell the captain to-morrow," some of them would
say, " that I can pull no more." To-morrow came, and they pulled on,
as if reluctant to yield to circumstances. Macnamee, one of tho men,
at length lost his senses. He related tho most extraordinary tales and
fidgeted about continually while in the boat ; he was, therefore, relieved
from the oars.

On the 11th of April they gained their old camp opposite Hamilton's
Plains, and Captain Sturt resolved to abandon the boat and send two of
the men forward to the plain for assistance. This decision was received
with joy, and Hopkuison and Mulholland set forward at the earliest
dawn next morning. At length tho party that remamcd at tho camp
had consumed all their provisions. They therefore buried their speci-
mens and other stores on the evening of the 1 8th, intending to break up
tho camp in tho morning, when their comrades returned. " They were
both," says Captain Sturt, " in a state that beggars description. Their
knees and ankles were dreadfully swollen, and their limbs so painful that
as soon as they arrived at the camp they sank under their efforts, but
they met us with smiling countenances, and expressed their satisfaction
at having arrived so seasonably to our relief They had, as I had fore-
seen, met Robert Harris on the plain, which they reached on the evening
of the third day. They had started early next morning on their return
with such supplies as they thought we might immediately want. Poor
Macnamee had in a great measure recovered, but for some days ho was
sullen and silent : the sight of the drays gave hun uncommon satisfaction."
They left the camp on the following morning, and reached Ponde-
badgery on the 28th, where they found Robert Harris, with a plentiful
supply of provisions. He had been at the plain two months, and in-
tended to move down the river immediately, had they not made their
appearance. On the 5th of May they pursued their journey, and in a
, week arrived at Yass plains; on the 14th they continued their route,
' and reached Sidn y by easy stages on the 25th, after an absence of
\ nearly six months, during which they had made some very important
geographical discoveries.

BACK'S

ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION,

From tho year 1826, wlu'ti Franklin nmdc his socoiid overland jour"
ney to the Polar Sea, until 18;};3, no attempt was raado by land to con-
tinue the survey of tho northern coasts of America. But in 1832 great
anxiety began to be felt about the fate of Sir John lioss, who had sailed
from England in tho year 1820, and had not been heard of. He com-
maaded a small vessel called the Vicfort/y which was fitted out entirely
at the expense of himself and tho late Sir Felix Booth, for the purpose
of continuing his northern discoveries, and enabling him to vindicate his
reputation as an able and enterprising navigator, which latter had been
somewhat doubted in consequence of tho ill success of a previous voyage
to Baffin's Bay.

It was accordingly resolved by the friends of Captain Ross to send
an expedition overland to the shores of the Arctic Sea in search of him,
and a fitting leader for it was found in the well-tried and experienced
Captain Back, who, as Lieutenant Back, had accompanied Franklin in
both his expeditions. He no sooner heard of such a project being con-
templated, than he lifistened from Italy, where he happened to be at the
time, and offered his services. Mr. Ross, the brother of Sir John, and
father of Captain James Ross, drew up a petition to the king, " praying
his Majesty's sanction to the immediate dispatch of an expedition for
rescuing or at least ascertaining the fiite of his sou and brother ;" and
Captjun Back's name being inserted as a leader, the petition was for-
warded, and shortly after received the royal assent. A grant of £2,000
was also made by government, while a public subscription soon placed
at the disposal of Captain Ross's friends a sum that was more than suffi-
cient to defray all tho expenses of the undertaking.

So great was the anxiety felt by the public and private friends of the
Arctic explorer, that every thing was done that could be devised for tho
furtherance of the searching expedition. The Hudson's Bay Company,
besides supplying a large quantity of provisions, two boats, and two
canoes, gratis, took the expedition under their special protection, bjr

508

BACK'S ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION.

issuing n coininission umlci their seal to Captain Back as commander,
thtTC'lty assuring him the co-oporation of all the agents throughout tlicir
torritoriis. In iha instructions given to him by tho Admiralty, C;ij)tuin
liack was tliri'cted t«) proceed to Great Salt Lake, and to winter on op
near the head-waters of the Thlcw-ee-choh-dezeth, or Great Fish Uiver,
which was supposed to flow from that lake, to follow the river to the
sea the ensuing summer, and to explore the coast around Cape (Jarry,
where the* Fiir>/ was wrecked, searching everywhere for traces of the
lost explorei-8. Armed M'ith this authority, as well as hy that given to
him l>y the Hudson's Hay Company, Captain Back, Mr. King, siugeon
and naturalist to the expedition, and three men, two of whom had
served in a former expedition under Captain Franklin, embarked in the
packet-ship Ilifjernia, Captain Maxwell, from Liverpool, and on the
IVth February, 1833, sailed tor America.*

From Xew York, Captain Back and his party proceeded by way of
Montreal, the Ottawa, Lake Nipissing, and Sault St. Mario to Fort Wil-
liam, on Lake Superior, where they arrived on the 20th of May. Here
the large canoes were to bo exchanged for smaller ones, and a short de-
lay took place in consequence of the difticulty tho men had in dividing
the lading among them. Uesuming their journey, on the 0th of June
they reached Fort Alexander, on Lake Winnipeg, where Captain Back
found it necessary to remain a few days, to await tho arrival of Govonior
Simpson, who was expected daily. During this period ho and Mr. King
employed themselves in making a set of observations for the dip of the
needle, while the men busied themselves in unpacking and drying the
provision and i)ackages, which had got slightly damp during tho voyage.

As most of the men for tho expedition were yet to be engaged,
it was necessary that they should proceed to Norway House — a depot
of tho company near tho opposite extremity of liako Winnipeg—
where the brigades of boats from the distant regions of tho interior
converge on their way to the sea. Captain Back reached there on

* " Eight months after their departure, Captain Ross and tho survivors of his party,
whom a merciful God had brought in safety tlirough dangers and privations unparalleled
in arctic story, anived in England after an absence of four years and five months. During
this protracted period they had made very important geographical discoveries ; fixed tlio
position of the n /rlhern magnetic pole, and experienced hardships and privations, and
encountered daii^crs, that fill us with admiration and wonder at the endurance and forti-
tude of tho me.i .vho dared and overcame them all. Their little vofijel, the Victory, hav-
ing become unilt for use, had been abandoned, and tho wanderers wero at last provi-
dentially discovered by a whaler, the Isabella of Hull, which conveyed them from the icy
regions, where they had been so long immured, to the sunny shores of their native land.
Although the principal object of the expedition under Captain Back waa thus obviated,
yet the dispatches containing the intelligence did not overtake him until after he had
reached his winter quarters ir» the sterile and romantic regions of the north ; so that,
even had it been desirable, he could not have returned home. As it was, however, he
received the mtelligence early enough to prevent his wasting time in the now unneces-
sary search ; and he accordingly turned his undivided attentioa to the second object of
the expedition." — Tytler'a ^^ Northern Coast of America." j

TUB JOURNEY NORTHWARD.

699

the 1 7th, hnt fouikd it a difficult matter to engage men, some of whom
wcro rchictnnt to encounter the perils of the journey, while others
demanded exorbitant rewards, and others again were prevented by
their wives. Finally, eighteen able and experienced hands wcro en-
gaged, 'part of whotr wore sent off in advance with Dr. King, while
Captain Hack, retaining sufHcient to man his canoe, remained a few days
longer; and then, on the 28th of June, 1833, started for Cumberland
House, where two boats and a large supply of stores and provisions
awaited him. "This," says he, " was a happy day for me; and as the
canoe pushed from the bank, my heart swelled with hope and joy.
Now, for the first time, I saw myself in a condition to verify the kind
anticipations of my friends. The preliminary diff'^ulties had boen over-
come. I was fairly on my way to the accomplishment of the benevolent
errand on which I had been commissioned."

Entering the Saskatchewan Kiver, they ascended its stream, and on
the Sth of July arrived at Cumberland House, where they were received
by Mr. Isbister, the company's agent, and Mr. King, who had arrived
without accident. Here the greater number of the party embarked in
two new batteatix, each being laden with a cargo of sixty-one pieces of
ninety pounds each, making for both ten thousand nine hundred and
eighty pounds, exclusive of men, bedding, clothes, masts, sails, oars, and
other spars. They sailed, under the command of Mr. King, on the 6th
of July, while Captain Back, still retaining his canoe, remained behind
to take some observations and wite dispatches for England. Although
this occupied hiiii a few days, yet in a very short time he overtook the
boats in his light canoe, and proceeded on his way, leaving them to ad-
vance more slowly to their wintering ground.

At the Pino Portage they met Mr. A. R. M'Leod, one of the gentle-
men who had been appointed by the governor to accompany the cxpe-
f'ition. This gentleman no sooner heard of the appointment, than he
expressed his willingness to go, and during the following year Captain
Back had reason to rejoice in the acquisition of a man who was eminently
qualified for the service in all respects. On the 29th of July they reached
Fort Chipewyan. Here some slight, though vague, information was ob-
tained from the Indians, regarding the position of the river of which they
were in search. They also completed their stock of provisions, leather
for making moccasins, guns, and implements for building an establish-
ment in which to pass the winter. Another canoe was also obtained,
which, it was thought, might prove convenient in the event of finding
shoal rivers to the north ; and further instructions having been left for
Mr. King, on his arriving with the batteauxy they left the fort late on the
evening of the 1st of August.

On reaching the Salt River, they met with a large body of Slave
Lake Indians, who notified their approach by horrible and discordant
sounds. As it was hoped some infoi-mation might be obtained from
them, a council was called by Mr. M'Leod, which was ceremoniously

600

BACK'S ARCTIC I AND EXPEDITION.

opened by passing round the pipe according to Indian custom, from
which each counsellor drew a few puffs in solemn silence, and with im-
perturbable gravity ; after which thiue was a very large amount of talk,
resulting in a very small amount of information. On the 8th of August
they reached (4roat Slave Lake, and arrived at Fort Resolution. At
this post they remained some days to arrange about an interpreter, com-
plete their stock of necessaries, and repair the canoes ; and then, launch-
ing forth again, they coasted along the northern shores of Great Slave
Lake.

At the eastern extremity of this lake, a river entered it which, it was
supposed, flowed from the cotmtry whore the Thlow-ee-choh took its
rise ; and toward this river Captain ]?ack directed his course with in-
creasing hope, notwithstanding tliu account given of it by the Indians,
who assured him that it was full of rapids and waterfalls. On the way
he experienced the usual alternations of storm and calm, rain and sun-
shine, while his route was enlivened by occasionally meeting Avith Indians.
One of these fellows, to show his respect for the white men, put on a sw'-
tout which he had purchased at the fort ; and, as the surtouts sent out
for the fur trade are made of snufi'-oolored brown cloth, in the cut of the
last century — with a rolling collar about four inches wide reaching half-
way up the back of the head, single breast, particularly long skirt, and
peculiarly short waist — it may bo supposed the awkward son of the forest
did not improve his appearance by the adoption of such a garb. Being
allowed to remain unbuttoned, it disclosed the fact that he was unpro-
vided with inexpressibles, which produced an irresiistibly comical effect.

They now approached the eastern extremity of Great Slave Lake,
where was the river whose sources, it was said, rose ncir the springs of
the Thlew-ee-choh. Captain Hack had great difficulty here iii getting a
satisfactory answer from the Indians wlio accompanied him, as to the
whereabouts of this river. Many of them said that it existed, but only
one admitted that he had ever seen it ; and as that was long ago, when
he was a little boy, while hunting with his father in the barren grounds,
he expressed great doubts as to his being able to find it. We can not
but admire the steady persevering energy of Captain Back, in facing and
overcoming the innumerable and often vexatious difliculties which were
thrown in his way by these lazy natives. They thwarted him continually;
told lies with imperturbable gravity, and sometimes, under pretense of
paying a visit to their relations, deserted him altogether.

On the 18th of August they a. last reached the object of their search
— the river which was to conduct them to a chain of lakes leadmg to
the Thlew-ee-choh. It broke upon them unexpectedly, when rounding
some small rocks which shut out from their view a bay, at the bottom
of which was seen a splendid fall, upward of sixty feet high, rushing in
two white and misty volumes ir«- o the dark gulf below. Here they
landed, and set about thoroughly repairing the small canoe which was to
proceed up the rapids, whild the other, and the greater part of the hag-

,uf

of ;

earch
igto
iding
pttora
(ngin
they
k'as to
bag-

THE ASCENT OP HOARFROST RIVER.

601

gage, was left in charge of La Prise, who undertook to delivei" them to
Mr. M'Leod ; that gentleman having been deputed to choose a conve-
nient situation, at the eastern extremity of Great Slave Lake, whereon to
build a winter residence, whik- Captnln Back should proceed in his light
canoe as far down the Thlew-ee-choii as practicable, returning again to
the establishment before the winter fairly oet in.

The true work of the explorers had now fairly begun. Before them
the gushing stream, which was called the Hoar Frost River, roared down
the scattered rocks like the thundering cannonade which streams through
the breach of a stormed fortress, while the forlorn hope of voyayeurs
below prepared to storm the stream, and take possession of the unknown
barren grounds that lay beyond.

" A new scene," says Back, " now opened upon us. Instead of the
gentle paddling across the level lake, by which we had been enabled to
penetrate thus far, we had to toil up the steep and rocky bed of an un-
known stream, on our way to the high lands, from which the waters take
an opposite course. The labors which had hitherto been so cheerfully
undergone, were little more than those to which voyayeurs are accus-
tomed ; but in what was to come, it was evident that extraordinary ef-
forts and patient perseverance W( jld be required to overcome the diffi-
cultics of our route." Up this stream, then, they went, carrying canoe
and provisions over rooks, mountains, and plains, in order to avokl a
siu'ci'ssion of rapids which intercepted them all the way up the river.
Their old friends the sand-flies., tDo, assailed thom here with extreme ve-
heracMico, and, to add to their miseries, Maufelly, the interpreter, fell
sick. Having only a box of common pills, and a bottle of brandy. Cap-
tain Back at first refused the Indian's request to doctor him, but, being
much pressed, he at last indulged him, first M'th tho contents of the box,
which made him worse, and then with the contents of the bottle, which
made him bettor.

The scenery hero was exceedingly wild. High beetling cliiFs over-
hung dark gorges, through which the Avater rushed impetuousiy, while
here an-I there lay quiet sheets of clear water, reflecting on their bosoms
the bold outlines that towered overhead, and the variously-colored mosses
that covered the rocks and criched the scene. Among these wild
rapiJs, De Charloit, the bowman, exhibited admirable adroitness and
dexterity. In the midst of dangers the most imminent from rapids or
falls, he was cool, fearless, and collected ; and often, when the pole or
paddle was no longer available, he would spring into the cu/ling water,
and, with a foot firmly planted, maintain his position, where others
would have been swept away in an insiunt. But, in spite of all his care
and exertion, the canoe was sorely buffeted, and the oark hung in shreds
along its sides, ripped and broken in every quarter.

On the 29th of August, Avhile the men were out scouring the country
in search of the Thlew-ee-choh, which it was supposed must be in the
neighborhood of the spot where their tent was pitched, Captain Back

602

BACK'S AUCTIO LAND EXPKDITION.

sallied forth with his gun. " UcpoiiMiif,' anxious," says ho, ♦• about tho
men, I took my gun, and following a nortli-noith-west direction, went
out to look for them. Having ))aHsed a small sheet of water, I ascended
a hill from the top of whirl: 1 discerned, to my great delight, a r-ipid,
evidently connected with the stream which flowed through the narrow
chamiel from the lake. With a q»?i"kened step I proceeded to trace its
course, and, in doing so, was further gratified at being obliged to Avade
through the sedgy waters of springs. Crossing two rivulets Avhose lively
iipples r.an due north into tho rapid, tlie thought occurred to mc; that
these feeders might be tributaries of tho Thlcw-ee-choh ; and, yieldin"
to that pleasing emotion which discoverers, in tho first bound of their
transport, may be pardoned for indulging, I threw myself down on the
bank, and drank a hearty dratight of the limpid water."

That this was actually the source of tho river of which they were
in search, was speedily confinned by tho men, who returned soon after-
ward, saying that they had discovered it on tho second day, and de-
scribed it as being largo enough for boats. Proceeding across some
small lakes and portages, they traveled toward the river until their canoe,
which had been showing unmistakable symptoms of a broken constitu-
tion, became at last so rickety as to render It a<^ liable to return.
From the appc.avance of the country, and espe^. i '^' :no blue hills

in the distt-ince, it was conjectured that tho river m an iUii of rapids, and
that their work of next summer would not be child's [day.

Their route back to winter quarters was even moic harassing tlmn
their advance. Tho rickety canoe havinrj nearly gone to pieces in sev-
eral rapids, was finally abandoned, and her cargo 8trapi)ed to the backs
of the men, who set off to walk back over land. The .account of this
journey, as given by tho indefatigable leader, is particularly interesting,
but our limits forbid our entering upon it in detail. Over hill and dale,
through swamp, jungle, and morass, they jtursued their toilsome march;
now crashing with their heavy loads down the tangled and bushy hanks
of a small creek, and then slowly clambering up the craggy sides of the
opposite bank ; sometimes plodding through a quaking swamp, at dther
times driving through a wood of stunted trees ; and all the wl.ilr as-
sailed by a host of sand-flies and mosquitoes. At last, hon '\er, t''oir
sorrows, for a time, came to an end. '* We had now," .• > U^o'k,
"reached tho lake where, in my letter of tho 19th of Aug -,! } ■•-A
directed Mr. M'Leod to build an est. Mishment. Proceeding Oi^.aH
over the even and mossy surface of the sand-banks, we were one day
gladdened by the sound of tho woodman's stroke : an'', guided by the
branchless trunks that lay stretched along the c ' ii. 've soon came to
a bay, where, in agreeable relief against the darK ^^ een foliage, stood
the ncAvly-ereeted frame-work of a house. Mr. M'Leod was walking
mider the shade of the tioes with La Prise, and did not hear us till we
were within a fiew yards of him. We were ranged ii; 'ngle file, the
men having, of their own accord, fidlen into that order ;. and, with

WINTER QUARTERS.

60S

swollen faces, drcascd and laden as wo were, some carrying gtins, otherg
t(Mit-i>olos, etc., wo must have presented a strangely wild a])])earaiicc,
not unlike a group of robbers on the stage."

Cajjlain Hack and his hardy companions had now reached their win-
tor (luartcrs. In the cold heart of the wilderness, thousands and thou-
sands of niik'S from the dwellings of civilized men, between whom and
tlicni lay the almost impjissablo l)arrier8 of broad foaming rivers and
sea-like lakes, whose waters were becoming crusted with the fine iiiter-
Rccting jjcedles of ice, which, ere long, would solidify them nearly to the
bottom — high, broken, rugged mountains, dreary morasses, IjojiuHc" :
prairies, and dense, dark, interminable forests. "The following dav,"
says he, " being Sunday, divine service was read, and our imperfect
thanks were humbly offered to Almighty God for the mercies which
had already been vouchsafed to us ; and though in this imperious cli-
mate, with every thing to do, time was certainly prcciou*?, yet, feeling
that the first opening of the sacred volume in this distant wilderness
ought not to bo profaned by any mixture of common labor, I made it
a day of real quiet and repose."

Mr. King, who, as has been previously mentioned, was left behind
with the two boats, rejoined the party on the 16th of September, having
incurre'l not a little difficulty in consequence of his want of experience
in those climes, and had been occasionally imposed upon by the ^•oy•
ayenrs. The whole party now set briskly to work to complete their
buildings. Trees were soon felled, branched, squared, and put together,
with a celerity peculiar to Canadians and half-breeds, who, being all but
horn with the ax in their hands, become very expert in the use of it.
Though the trees were small, a^suficient number for their purpose were
speedily procured ; t-labs and planks were sawn, stones chipped, mud
and grass collected for mortar ; and, in a few days, as if by magic, a
dwelling-house was raised, sijfficiently weather-tight to shelter the whole
party during a winter that was to last fully eight months. All estab-
lishments in the Indian country, however lowly and innocent in appear-
ance, being dignified with the title cf Fort^ Captain Back thought proper
to c.ill this one Fc * Relinn^n. Its exact position was in latitude 02°
46' north, longitude i09° west. It consisted of a house fifty feet long
by thirty broad, having f xr separate rooms, with a spacious hall in the
center for the reception and accommodation of Indians. Each of the
rooms had a fireplace and a rude chimney. A miserable apology for a
room, with many a yawning crevice inviting the entrance of the cold
elements, was, out of courtesy, called a kitchen ; and another house,
•standing at right angles to this one on the western side, formed a dwell-
ing fcr the men. An observatory was also constructed at a short dis-
tance from t:;e establishment, wherein certain mysterious and complicated
instruments were fixed and erected ; iron in all forms being carefully
excluded, and a fence run round it to guard it more effectually from th^
men, as they walked about with their guns, ice chisels, and axes.

%<*,

604

HACK'S aikjtk; land kxi'kimtion.

Thu site of tlic t'stalilisliiiictit was ii Icvfl liiiiik of gravol nnd Hand
rovc't'iMl willi rcin-dccr moss, Hlinilts, ami tn><>N, looking inoro likit a park
tlinti an Aiiu'rifaii torcst. Il loniicd th(> nortlittrii ('xlntiiiity of a hay,
iVorn twelve to liftcen miltw lon^, aiul fmiii tliroe to live iiiilcN hroati
which was iiainetl atlor Mr. M'liiuxl, T\w river Ahlutl-deHHy fell into
thin buy i'rum thu wvHtwurU, uud anuthur Htuull rivur IVuiii thu uaut. lu

.. ..fci«(?*f^'".?jrr;^

r\i

'V ;; fy^ij-^:':i

thu Ah-iu'l-dessy, not far from their winter-quartcrfi, there was ft magnifi-
eenl ea^cade, to whieh Captain Hack j^avo the name of AnderHon'H Kalis.
1 Ivvv they took tip their abode, and the miseries througli which thoy
were doi»ined to pas.s durin<jf that dreary winter be^an oven at this time.
Fish, upon which they depended hi a jfrcat nieasuro, began to fail at the
very eommenct'ment of the season. From one jilaee to anotluM* the nets
were shiHed, with the hope of finding a larger supply ; but, so far from
succeeding in this, the men who were sent found that thtM'e was scarce
suflicient to maintain themselves from day to day, and on more than one
occasion returned to the fort, being unable to support themselves. Deer
also failed them ; for, although tliere were plenty of these animals in the

HTAUVATION OF THK INDIANS.

«05

coTinlry, tlioy kept h«) fiir awfiy from tlm fort, mid (toritimuxl ho lonj^
ainon^ tlio liiu-rcii ^roiitxiN, wh(;ro it wiiH (!X(',<>(><liti^|y ditliriilt to >i|>-
pronoh tli(!m, thiit vory fow vfM'^^ obtiiiiiiul, nrid tiumo at loii^r intrrvulH.
Tlui biifJ^H of |)(>miiii(wui wiiich Mr. King luid broiif^ht it: liiH houtn wcro
intrndrd for tin; (^xpodition of tho following Hiinimcr; and ah it could
not he (larric'd on witlmnt that articio of lood, nothing hut the utnioHt
oxtrmnity would indu<rit (Captain Hack to hntak upon it.

During all thin ]Ktri(»d, and for niontliH uilcrward, the fort wan \n'.-
Hiogcd hy Htarving Indiann, who flocked to it in tint vain hopo of ob-
taining aHMiHtanee from itH ulmoHt (•(|iuilly unfortunato inmatcH. An thiH,
liowever, wuh a diHpoHition which it would liavo been ruinouH t< tho
expedition to rncouragc, (*aptain Mack positively refuH('d any aHHiKtanco
in tlie Hhape of food, except to those of th<'m who, from infirmity or
mckncHH, were ahNolutely incapultle of going forth to hunt. One of thiH
claHH was j)ick<'d up in the woods and brought to tlio fort. A misorahlo
old wonum, " clad," sayn Itack, " in d(!cr-skin, her eyes all but (ilosed,
her hair niatt(td and lllthy, her skin shriveled, and feeliiy supporting,
with tlie aid of a stick hv.Ul by both hands, a trunk whi(^li was literally
horizontal, she preNentecl, if HU(!h an iiXpresHion may be pardoniMJ, tho
sliocking atid unnatural a[>|)(^'iraiico of a human bruto. It was a humil-
iating spectacle, and one which I would not willingly see again. l*<(or
wr((tch I Her t.'ile was soon told: old and d(?crepit, sin; had rouu; to bo
considered as a burfhni ('ven by her own hc.x. Past sc-rvices and toils
wen! forgotten, and, in timir ilgurativci style, they coldly told her, that
'though sh(! appear(!<l to live*, she was already dead,' and must be aban-
doned to her fate. 'There is a new fort,' said they, 'go ther<( ; the
whites an* great medicin<( men, and may have power to save you.' This
Wiis a month Imfore ; since which time? slie had crawled and hobbhid
along the rocks, tho s(;anty Hup|)ly of berries which she found upon them
just enabling her to live." This jiitiable object was brought to the
fort, f(Hl and taktiii caro of — bciing permitted to live in the hall, whero
she crawled about on all fours at will, moaning over the fire, or ' eeping
into Mr. King's room, whom she found to be the only one who could
alleviate her suffering'.i. These, liowover, had been greater than she
co\ild b(!ar. Notwithstanding all their care, she sank from <lay to day,
until she ap|»eared a living skeleton, and was found dead at last in a tent,
bcsi<h! the aslies of a small fire.

Famine in its worst form now began to stare them in the face. Day
after day brought fresh intelligence from the various fisheries of their ill
success, while parties of starving natives a'^r'ved from the hunting
grounds, in tho hopo of getting a few scraps of foo<l at the fort.
Captain Back, with characteristic bcnevciencc, imparted to them as
much as could be spared from his own little stock, endeavoring to re-
vive their drooping spirits and urge them on to action. It was in vain,
however. The scourge was too heavy, and their exertions were com-
pletely paralyzed. No sooner had one party been prevailed on to

ill

»l

606

BACK'S ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION.

leave the fort, than another, still more bnguid and distressed, ffeebly
entered, and confirmed, by their half-famished looks and sunken eyes,
their heart-rending tale of sutfering. They spoke little, but crowded
in silence round the fire, as if eager to enjoy the only comfort remaining
to them. And, truly, fire was a comfort of no ordinary kind, when it is
remembered that the temperature during that terrible winter fell to
seventy degrees below zero of Fahrenheit 1

It is difficult, for those who have not experienced it, to comprehend
the intensity of this degree of cold. Captaui Back and his friend Mr.
King made a few experiments during their long dreary winter, which
will serve to convey some idea of it. A bottle of sulphuric ether was
placed on the snow when the temperature was sixty-two degrees below
zero. In fifteen minutes the interior upj)er surface of the bottle m-os
coated with ice, while the ether became viscous and opaque. A small
bottle of pyroligneous acid froze in less than thirty minutes at a tem-
perature of fifty-seven degrees minus ; and a surface of four inches of
mercury exposed in a saucer became solid in two hours, at the same
temperature. On the 4th of February so intensely cold M'as it, that a
higher temperature than twelve degrees above zero could not be ol)-
tained in the house, even although there were eight large logs of wood
blazing in the chimney of a small room. As might be imagined, cold,
of such a peculiarly sharp nature, used to prove inconvenient in more
ways than one, and Captain Back tells us that his ink froze, and tliat
in making an attempt to finish a water-color sketch he signally failed —
the material becoming frozen even while ho sat so close to a hugo fire
as considerably to endanger the legs of his trowsersi

On the 25th of April, 1834, while the snow still lay deep on the
ground, and every thing wore the same unchanging, and seemingly un-
changeable, aspect that it had worn ever since October, the winter-
^.pcket arrived, bringing intelligence of the safe arrival of Sir J. Ross
and his crew in England. To those who were to have devoted the
ensuing summer to the search, this was a subject of unmixed pleasure,
both as assurhig them of the safety of their enterprising countrymen,
and as setting them free to devote themselves entirely to the secondary
object of the expedition.

Part of the men were now sent to the only clump of pines which
afforded trees of a sufficient size to saw up into planks for building a
boat — this conveyance being deemed better than a canoe for the sum-
mer journey. The famine still continued to press heavily ixpon them.
Many of the natives died, while some of them tried to allay the cravings
of hunger by eating parts of their deer-skin shoes and coats. At the
fisheries little or nothing was caught, and at the fort they Avere obliged
reluctantly to break upon the supply of pemmican. The solitude and
desolation of the establishment was extreme, and perhaps no better idea
of it could be conveyed than by the quotation of a paragraph from
Back's journal in wUch he spt^i^ks of tiie death of two tame ravens.

the
un-
ntcr-
Ross
tlic
sure,
men,
idary

fhich

8Uin-
Ithem.
tivinga
^t tbe
bliged
ic and
\r idea
from
kvens.

DEPARTURE FOR THE NORTH.

607

" For tho last fifteen days," says l»e, " our habitation Imtl been rendered
more cheerful by the presence of two ravens, which having, by my ex-
press direction, been left unmolested, had become so tame as scarcely to
move ten paces >vhen any one passed them ; they were the only living
things that held communion with us, and it was a pleasure to ace them
gambol in their glossy plumage on tho white snow. A party of men
had arrived over night, and among them was an Iroquois, who, per-
ceiving the birds together, and behig ignorant of my wishes, could not
resist tho temptation of a double shot, and so killed them both. In any
other situation 8U< ^ an event would, perhaps, have seemed too triiling
to bo noticed ; but in our case the ravens were the only link between
us and tho dreary solitude without, and their loss therefore was painfully
felt. * * * When they were gone, I felt more lonely, and tho
moaning wind seemed as if complaining of the barbarity."

On tho 7th of June, things being considered in a sufficiently ad-
ViUiced state to permit of operations being commenced. Captain Back
and his party set out onco more upon their travels. The boat, which
was thirty feet long, was placed upon runners, and dragged over the
yet unmeltod ice of the lakes and swamps, across many of which they
had to pass ere they could launch upon the Thlew-ee-choh. The men
had each a small sled, or runner, on which to drag a certain amount of
the baggage and i)rovisions — averaging about one hundred pounds —
and away they went with great merriment at the grotesque appearance
they cut as they stumbled and slipped over the jagged surface of the
ice. In a very short timo this work began to tell upon the runners of
the sledges, which peeled up, and otherwise evinced symptoms of very
speedy dissolution. In this dilemma tho captain bethought himself
of two pitsaws which they had with them. These were got out,
cut into strips, nailed to tho runners, and in a few hours away they
went again vith increased speed, and very much diminished tear and
wear.

Mr. M'Leod, with a party of Indians, was sent on ahead of the main
bodj to hunt, and make caches of the meat, to be picked up as the party
behind came uj) to them. An encamping-place of this advance-guard
was fallen upon by Captain BaiHc while he was straying a little from hia
party. As he stood looking at it, he observr d a tin kettle half buried
in the snow, which on examination was found to contain thirty-four
balls, a file broken in three pieces, an awl, a fire-steel, and a crooked
knife. This, the most valuable portion of an Indian's possessions, had
been thrown away, according to a custom prevailing Among that people,
either as an expiatory sacrifice for some calamity, or as a token of ex-
treme affliction for the loss of a wife or child. The captain usually kept
ahead of his party, being desirous of finding the caches, and laying the
meat on an exposed place in his track, so as to avoid waste of time in
collecting it. In this way they continued their route for many days,
over every sort of lake, pond, river, awamp, creek, or pool, that can or

608

BACK'S ARCTIC LAND EXPEDITION.

can not bo imagined ; sometimes comfortably, and soinctiiues miserably.
The want of tiro was their chief discomfort.

Toward the middle of Juno the weather became very cold and bois-
terous, especially Midsummer's-day, which Avas the coldest, blackest
and most wintry day they had. On the 22d of June, being Sunday,
divine service was read in the tent, where, to the credit of the men, bo
it mentioned, they all came clean and shaved, notwithstanding the dis-
comforts to which they were exposed.

On the 28th they arrived near the banks of the Thlew-ec-choh, and
on the afternoon of tho same day were fairly launched uj)on its head
waters. These, however, were full of ice, and it was not until several
days afterward that Captain Back felt it safe to dismiss his extra hands,
and the Indians who had accompanied him thus far to carry provisions.
On the 3d of July, however, having assembled them on tho banks of tho
river, ho relieved them of their burdens, and arranged the party which
was to accompany him to tho Polar Sea. And greatly did it surprise
the Indians to see a boat manned by Europeans, and stored with tho
provision of the southern country, after having been hauled, carried,
and dragged over every imaginable kind of obstacle for full two hun-
dred miles, at last fairly launched on tho clear waters of the barren
lands. Mr. M'Leod was dismissed at this point, with instructions to
collect provisions against their return, and to meet them again in Sep-
tember on the banks of tho Thlow-ee-choh.

While he and his party were debating as to which part of the coun-
try would be best to return by, provisions being somewhat scarce, the
fog cleared away, and discovered the branching antlers of twenty rein-
deer spread over tho summit of the adjacent hills. " To see and pursue
was tho work of a moment, and in a few minntcs not an active hunter
remamed in the encampiucnt. It was a beautiful and interesting sight ;
for the sun shone out, and lighting up some parts, cast others into
deeper shade ; the white ico reflected millions of dazzlmg rays ; the
rapid leaped and chafed in little ripples, which melted away into tho un-
ruffled surface of the slumbering lake ; abrupt and craggy rocks frowned
on vhe right, and, on the left, the brown .Hndscape receded until it was
lost in the distant blue mountains. Tlu 'foreground was filled up with
the ocher-colored lodges of tho Indians, contrasting with our own pale
tents ; and to tho whole scene animation was given by the graceful mo-
tions of the unstartled deer, and tho treacherous crawling of the wary
hunters.'*

The very first day introduced them to the perils which they were to
encounter in that rugged river. Coming up to a strong rapid, and fall,
down which the boat could only be run in a light state, all the baggage
was carried over the rocks, and four good hands left in the boat. They
pushed off into the stream, and ran the first fall in safety ; but having
steered too much to the left, they were drawn on a ledge of rock, form-
ing part of the second ; this brought the boat up with a crash which

9. .
\C

isc

tbo I
Lcd,
lun-
rrcn
3 to
Sep- ;

coun-
le, the

rcin-
mrsuc

luntcr

Isight;
la into
; tVic
the AiT\-
towncd
it was
HP with
n pale
lfu\ mo-
c wary

l\yeTe to
land fall,
saggage
Tbey
having
[jk, form-
tah which

DESCENDING THE RAPIDS

609

threatened immediate destruction, and called forth a shriek from the
prostrate crew. The steersman jumped out on the rock and tried to lift
her off, but without success. Another moment, and the fierce current
swung her stern round, and it seemed as if nothing could save her from
descending in a gush of green water straight on to a sharp rock below,
against which a wave of five feet high was breaking. Happily the steer-
ing-oar had been left projecting out astern, and, as the boat swung, it
caught a rock, which pitched her out broadside to the current, when
she was carried down in safety.

The party now consisted of eight boatmen, Mr. King, and the com-
mander, and seldom has so small a band of adventurers experienced such a
hazardous, comfortless, and truly rough-and-tumble journey as they did.
The weather, which had been all along boisterous and cold, became worse
and worse as they went on, so that they were frequently wet all day,
and owing to the want of firewood, they were of necessity wet all night.
The river expanded sometimes into immense lakes, which often detained,
and sometimes threatened to arrest them altogether ; at other places it
narrowed into a deep and rapid stream, which gushed in a black boiling
mass through high cliffs, or foamed over a rugged bed of broken rocks
and boulder-stones — terminating not unfrequently in a stupendous fall.
Obstacles of th:-* kind, however they may interrupt the progress of or-
dinary men, are no barriers in the way of nor'-westers ; so they swept
through the gorges, maneuvered skillfully down the rapids, and made
portages to avoid the falls, with a degree of facility and safety that was
little short of miraculous. In one place they had a narrow escape, which
is but a specimen of what was of daily occurrence. " A little sheet of
water," says Back, " bounded to the right by mounds and hills of white
sand, with patches of rich herbage, where numerous deer were feeding,
brought us to a long and appalling rapid, full of rocks and large bould-
ers ; the sides hemmed in by a wall of ice, and the current flying with
the velocity and force of a torrent. The boat was lightened of her
cargo, and I stood on a high rock, with an anxious heart, to see her run
it. I had every hope which confidence in the judgment and dexterity
of my principal men could inspire ; but it was impossible not to feel that
one crash would be fatal to the expedition. Away they went, with the
speed of an arrow, and, in a moment, the foam and rocks hid them from
my view. I heard what sounded in my ear like a wild shriek, and saw
Mr. King, who was a hundred yards before me, make a sign with his
gun, and then run forward. I followed, with an agitation which may be
conceived ; and, to my inexpressible joy, found that the shriek was the
triumphant whoop of the crew, who had landed safely in a small bay be-
low. This was called Malley's Rapid, in consequence of one of the
party, so called, having lost himself in the adjacent willows for some time.'*

On the 13th of July, a glimpse of sunshine tempted the captain to halt
for the purpose of taldng observations, and, while he was thus engaged,
the men wcte permitted to scour the country in pursuit of deer and

610

BACK'S AllCTrC LAND EXPEDITION.

musk-oxen, whidh litorally swarmcMl in the barren grounds, nnd infused
life and animation into many a wild, j)icturesc|uo scene. Tiie hunters
Koon returned with lour fine bucks, which afforded them an agreeable
change from the customary meal of pemmican.

The latitude was 06" 38' 21" north, and longitude 100" .15' 23" west.
At this place the river began to take an easterly bend, whr h perplexed
and annoyed them much ; causing great anxiety as to whether it would
ultimately lead them to the frozen sea, or terminate in Hudson's Bay.
In any case, thv.y had nothing for it but to push on, and their labors
were rewarded afterward by their finding that the river trended again
in a northerly direction, and their hopes were further increased by the
discovery, on the 16th of July, of some old Esquimaux encampments.
Once, indeed, they thought they saw tents of the Esquimaux ahead,
but on a nearer approach they turned out to bo some luxuriant dumps
of willows, which were inhabited by thousands of geese. They had
selected the spot as being a convenient one for the operation of casting
their feathers. Geese, while in this condition, are most superb runners,
and put the hunters to their utmost mettle sometimes to catch them ;
leading them through bog, pool, and swamp, with a dexterity that often
brings their pursuers into many an awkward and Avntery predicament.

On the 28th of July, they met the first Esquimaux, who, as usual on
their first seeing Europeans, exhibited at once their consternation and
astonishment, by shouts, yells, antics, and gesticulations of the most
savage character ; laboring under the impression, apparently, that by so
doing they would frighten their new visitors away. As is also usual on
such occasions, of course they found themselves mistaken, for the boat
continued to approach the shore des[)ite the brandishing of spears and
other belligerent demonstrations; whereupon the whole nation formed
in a serai-circle rovmd the spot where the boat grounded, and stood on
the defensive. Captain Back, however, soon established friendly rela-
tions with them, by walking boldly up, unarmed and alone, at the same
time calling out Tlma — peace — with great emphasis, tossing u* "lis arms
in true Esquimaux style, and, finally, shaking hands all rou\.d. This
quieted them, and they soon mingled with the men, from whom they
received a few buttons with great delight.

A portage had to be made at this place ; bo, to divert the attention
of the poor natives, and prevent their being tempted to steal, Captain
Back went up to their tents and sketched them. He describes them as
being neat and well-made, not so cunning as those further to the west,
and altogether a harmless, inoffensive race. His description of the
taking of a portrait is so humorous that we give it in his own words :
" The only lady," says he, " whose portrait was sketched, was so flat-
tered at being selected for the distinction, that, in her fear lest I should
not suiBciently see every grace of her good-tempered countenance, she
intently watched my eye ; and, according to her notion of the part I
was penciling, protruded it or turned it, so as to leave me no excuse lor

^.^f^

THKY REACn T rilO POLAR SEA.

611

not (lolinenting it in the full j)roi)nrti(m ofitH beauty. Tims, Hvomf^ ino
look at hor Iioiid, hIic inuncdiatcly bent it down, stared portentously
when I sketched her eyes; pufVed out her cheeks when their turn ar-
rived ; and, finally, perceivinj^ that I was touching in tlie mouth, opened
it to the full extent of her jaws, an<l thrust otit the whole lenj^th of her
tongue 1" From these friendly natives they received assistance in car-
rying tlie boat over a very bad portage — a task to which the men were
quite unequal ; so that to them Captain Siack was indebted for aid, with-
out Avhich he would not have reached the .sea at all.

■^>^'<-co,u'.

VIEW S K \ W A R I> r R M 5f O N" T R B A T, I S I, A V D . *

Leaving these interesting denizens of the north, the party pursued
their w.ay, and, on the 29th of July, -were gladdened with a sight of the
first headland in the Polar Sea, which waa 'lamed Victoria Headland.
This, then, was the mouth of the Thlew-ee-choh, which, after a violent
and tortuous course of five hundred and thirty geographical miles, run-
ning through an iron-ribbed country, withoi * single tree on the whole
line of its banks, expanding into fine large lakes with clear horizons,

♦ This view derives a more than ordinary interest at present from the fact that it
represents tho spot, where, according to the accounts of the Esquimaux, as given to Dr.
Rae, tho bodies of a part of Sir John Franklin's company were found. These accounts
state that tho unfortunate explorers perished upon the western bank of tho river, op-
posite Montreal Island, and consequently upon the very spot from whence the above
view was taken. ' .

612

BACK'S AUCTIC LAND EXPEDITION.

moHt cmbarrotiHing to thu navigator, and broken into flillH, caaoadeH, and
ra])id», to the number of no lost) than eighty-thruu in the whole, pours
it8 waters into the I'olur Sea in latitude 07° 11' north, and longitude 04"
30' west.

The mouth of tho Thlew-co-choh opened into a broad firth, the
western shore of which was so beset by ice, that they resolved on coast-
ing to tho eastward, which was more open, till some favorable opportun-
ity ofl'ercd for crossing over. So stormy was tho weather, however,
that they succeeded in this at length with great difficulty, ailer having
been detained several days on ai! island which they mistook for th'*
main. This they called Montreal Island, liy slow degrees they pro-
ceeded along tho ice-girt shore, sometimes advancing a few miles, when
a favoring breezo opened a lane in tho ice, but more frequently dctahiod
in their dreary encampments, in which they suffered much from cold
and rain. In reading tho graphic account of tho journey of Captain
Back, one can not fail to bo struck by the constant repetition of such
sentences as tho following : " Tlio morning set in with rain, for which,
custom had now taught us to look as a thing of course ; but a faint hope
was excited by the view of a narrow lane of water, which had opened,
how or from what cause wo knew not, outside, between the grounded
ice and tho main body ; and preparations Avero already making for a
start at high water, when tho wind suddenly chopped round from south-
east to north-west, and fixed us once more to tho ' t ;" and, again :
"A wet fog ushered in the morning of tho 14th igust, and left

every object dark and indefinable at eighty or n^^^.j paces distant.
Tho breezo increased, and was fast packing the seaward body of ice,
which now came with considerable velocity toward tho shore, and
threatened to lengthen our tedious and most annoying detention." To
render their position even more deplorable, scarcely any fuel was to be
found, and they experienced the greatest difllculty in procurbg sufficient
to cook their food, often being obliged to breakfast, dine, and sup on a
morsel of dry pemmican and a cup of cold water. One day three deer
came within shot, and were killed. No savoury steaks, however, grat-
ified their palates with an mj accustomed meal ; — they could not bo
cooked for want of dry fuel. The low flat country, too, was the pic-
ture of desolation. It was one irregular plain of sand and stones; and
had it not been for a rill of water, the meandering of which relieved the
monotony of the sterile scene, one might have fancied one's self in one
of the parched plains of the east, rather than on the shores of the
Arctic Sea."

Nevertheless, with unflinching ardor d'd Captain Back and his gal-
lant crew push forward, in the hope of re.-ching a more open sea, and
connecting their discoveries with those of Captain Franklin at Point
Turnagain. Indeed, a spirit of endurance and cheerfiilness distinguished
the whole party, which nothing seemed capable of damping. On the
7th of August they reached the extreme point of land which terminates

RETURN TO KNQLAND.

613

tho wido mouth of tho rivor, nn»l wlicuro tho coast trends to tho wost-
wurd. This was iinmod I'oint Ogle, and another cape, soon far to tho
wo8t, was nanu'd Point llichardson. Several portions of the coast of
Boothia Felix wcro also seen in tho distance to the northward. Hero
they were completely baffled in every attempt made to advance. Tho
ico became more firmly wedged every day ; one of the men fell sick ;
the season was far advanced, and any ttirthcr attempts to proceed would
have been foolhardy ; so, under these untoward circumstances, Captain
Ba(ik resolved to retrace his steps. Before doing so, however, the Brit-
ish flag was unfurled, and tho land taken possession of, with three enthu-
Hiiistic cheers, in tho name of his majesty William IV. Tho latitude of
tho place was 08° 13' north, longitude 94° 68' west.

Our limits do not permit us to follow tho adventurous voyagcnrs as
they retraced their route up the foaming cataracts of thoThlew-ce-choh.
In the ini(hlle of August they left the cold precincts of the Arctic. Sea,
and on tho 1 7th September met Mr. M'Lcod, according to appointment,
at Sand-IIill Bay. He liad long been expecting them, and had spent
many an anxious hour in watching tho distant objects in the directitm
of tlii'lr route. With this gentleman they returned to Fort lleliunce,
" after an absence of nearly four months ; tired, indeed, but wt.'il in
health, and truly grateful for the manifold mercies we had experienced
in tho course of our long and perilous journey."

Preparations were soon set on foot to spend another winter in tho
wilderness. Once more the woods resounded with tho woodman's ax,
and the little rooms gloAVcd with tho blazing fires of wood. Again the
nets wero set and tho guns loaded, and the white man and the red
ranged tho woods in company ; while Captain Back and Mr. King found
ample and interesting occupation in mapping their discoveries and writ-
ing their journals.

On tho 28th of May, lRn5, Captain Back bade adieu to the polar
regions and returned to Engliiiid, where he arrived on the 8th of Sep-
tember, after an absenci^ of two years and seven months. The remainder
of the party returned by tho Hudson's Buy Company's ship iu October.

TiiAVELS IN OMAN.

SCKSKKT OP OMAW.

010

WKLLHTKD'H TIIAVKI.H IN OMAN.

then (Ictrnnlnctl to jMocrcd to MuHriil, viHit llio interior of the roniitry
<>r'.>iuiui -lliiit |iiMt ot' Aiiiliiiv liortlniiif^ on tlio r«<iHiim (Jiill' lunl en-
''uvivor, if poMsihh', to |u>ii<<lnkto to Dcrn'yrli, tlic «'ii|ti(!il of |)h< Wnliii
hi'i'M, ill tlu> interior ot" tli(> |i4>iilnr«tilii. I'lirniHlicd with the Hiiiit'tion ^,l'
thi< Intliiui ^ovotnint'iit. iiiwl ii h'ltoi- to tho linain of Miisnit, ht< Niiil(M|
tVoiii ilotnltuy in Novnnhrr, IHIir*, tiiid on th«< 'JInI oftliiil iiionlh hniih'il
lit. Mnsciit.

lf|n>ii visitiiiff S«'}tl Sajiil, tho Iiimin, tlio iiittcr Hhownl th(* iiIiiuinI,
AvilhnijiH'SH t<» t\iith»'i' Linil ('limit WrilHtod'H vii-wn. lie iinwiHcil him
witli II iiohh< Nedjitl mtct'd, n brnw of gray honiidM, and ii gold-nioiiiit(>(l
Hword, otVcn d to dctray all tho «>.\|H'nH<iM oi' raiiu'JM, jfiiidt'M, etc., and nr-
dt'iiMl h'ltiMrt to 1)0 Hont. to tho fhii'ls td' tho dilU'n<iit dislrirlw of Ommi,
ri'(|uiiiiig them to ri'tH'iv»< him with all ]»oHHililt> attention. "To [(crHdiis
nrriviiijjf tVoin neaward," Hayn tho traveler, " INIiiHeut, uilli its fort, and
ooiitigiioiis hills, liMH lilt eNtraordinary and roinantie apitearaiice. Not, a
lr«'e, Nhrul), «>r other tra«'«' «>1* vep>latioii is visilile, and the whilciuMl Hiir-
tuoes ol'the hoiiHes luul turret ed I'orlH in the vieinity, eontrast in a Hiii^ii-
lar manner with tho IturiH'd and eindery aspeet, of the darkened tnasHCH
«)rro('k iiroiind. tSimilar in its asju-et. toinosl. eiiMteni eities when vieucd
from a dist.'Uiee, we fust, tliseern tlu< level roids of the dw«'lliiiifM, llic
domes of the mos(|iies, th(>ir lolly minarets, and other |ii'(>iniiieiit fiii-
tures, and the vi*>\v retains this attraetivo eharaeter until W(^ land, wlicii
the illusion (juiekly disappears. Narrow, emwded ntreels and fillliy
Itazaais, nearly blocked up liy port(>rs In'arin;' Inirdens of dal«'s, j^iuiii,
otc, wretehed huts inlermingh'd with low and paltry houses, and (Mlicr
dwellings more than half talleii to decay, hut which y<'t continiie ten-
anted, meet the «'yo in «'very direction." TIio [lopulalion of the city m
botweon lilVy niul sixty thoiiHand.

AHer visiting tho hot springs of Tinam Ali, which .are near tho coast,
rvbont twenty miles from Muscat, Lieuteniuit Wellstcd embarked in ii
boat for Sur, a small wa-port near the Hoiithern extremity of tho pi'iiin-
sula of Oman. Hero ho was received by tho Hliekh of the place, and
furnished with guards until camels and ii guide »'ould bo jirociircd for
the country of Jallan, inlmbitod by tho tribo of ib^ni-Abou-IIassan. llu
set out on the Ist of December, ami, aOcir a day's journey amoiifj; tlm
hills, 'Cached tho encampments of the hhephei'd-trib(> of llciii K haled, l)y
whe.n he was received with truo I?edouin hosi)it;ility. lie h.ad no sooner
Bciited himself on a skin beforo the <loor of one of their liuts, th.'ui some
young and liandsomo girls arrived, bringing with tb(>m a huge bowl of
^uilk. *' Out of compliment to them," pays he, " T took a long drmiglit;
but no, this was insuOicient. Was it bad ? — try again, and ng.iiii! In
vmn I extolled it to tho skii's ; I was not permitted to desist until I
had swolhul almost to sutrocation, and sworn by tho board of the
Prophet th.1t I could and would tako no moro. Thoy woro then do-
lighted, aud wo bucomu suub uxooUout friends that, with tho assistance

TIIW TimilC OK UKNf-AnOU. A I.I.

617

of ft n>w itroHonlrt luul Homo (iiir hjioooIm's, w«» j»iirl<;<l v/ith ox|in'wionH of
iriul.nul rof;fn'».."*

On tlio «'V(Miinj? orUin lid, \V«'IIh1('<| rnu'liivl flid I»>ti1,« of tlio iribnof
]((<ni-AlMMi-llnHMiui. Ah mum iin ilic iiit,(<Hi^<<n('<< ofliiM iirrivul H|in'U)|, )io
M'fiH HiirnMiii(l«Ml witli iiiiitilicrN of Mm ItciloiiitiH. 'Hmir nir'nmity wn« un-
|)()iin<l(<<l, mill ilicy rxpn'MNcd tlirir HHtoiiiHlitiK'nt, ut. (ill Uii'y hiiw iti llio
inoNt iMMHtrcnniH iiiiiiiiicr, Iciipiii^ ntiil yelling iih if tliry \vcn< liiilf cnixy.
Tlu< mIi('1<Ii, liownvcr, ciwh'iivonxl i<» diHNiDiilr liiiii from /^<iiii(.^ on lo the
trilM^ of llcni-AlMMi Ali, Haying iliiif. tlit-y Imt.cd llu> Kiij^I'ihIi, wIim, iifnl'r
Hir Lionel Smith, liiid <l«>l'<'iil(>i| iln>in willi m'riil, Kliiiif^lilcr in IH'JI. Nn
Knf^liHliuiftn liiul vifii(«M| tlirir »'(iiiiilry licfttm or Hinco tliiH loniy (wliirli
wiw ini«l«'i1.iik»>n on (KM'oiinl of |)iiii('ic« iijlc/^cil [n li;iv«i Imtm <'oiiirnill.«Ml
l)y tlio iriln'), iuhI liiiMit.cniiMt. VV»'IIh»«'«1 liiniHcIf whh not, wif.lioiit. ujtjtrc-
lii'iiMionH of liirt i'cc«'|ition ; huL lio dclrrtnincil to pnxuM'd.

'V\w next aft«'rno(tii Ii(< rrfiHicd iIk- tnitM of lU'ni-AltoiiAli. Il<'
HfiyH: "No Hooner IkkI I |)ii)ciaini«-(t MiyNt-lf an l')n){liHlittian, and vk-
]iroHH(<d uiy intention of paHHinj^ a few days arnon^f !!'eni, tlian tlie wliolo
rftiiip wan in a tnnnilt of a<-elatnatioii ; tlie few oM pjiuiH tliey liad wero
fired from ilie <lin'erent Iowcmh, mateli IocKh Avere k«'|tt f^oinj/ till HntiHet,
nnd Ixttli old and yoimj;, mule ami female, h( rove to d(» tlieir best to en-
tertain UH). Tliey pilelied my lent, Hlan^litered Hlieep, and Itron^lit
milk liy ^allonH. A recepiion ho trnly warm and lioHpitaMi" not a littl«
mnj)riHed me, n«'(<ire nH lay (lie vniiiH of llie fort we liad diHinantled ;
my tent was pitelied on the v<'ry Hpot where \\(> ha'I nearly ariTiihilated
their tribe, rcdiieinj^ th<'ni from beinj^ the moHt pow«'rfMl in Oman to
tlieir prewnt petty Mate, All, however, in the c«)nfidenee T had nhown
ill IhuH throwin/^ inyHelf amid I hem, wan forj^otteti. After tlieir evening
prayerH, the* yotin^ Hhekh, aceniii|i:mied by about forty men, eame to the
tent, and expnmm'd Iiih intentinn of remaining with me aH a guard during
lli(» night,"

Aller VVellstcMl had I I lie wiP' md HlHter of the M liekh, who

wuH absent on a Journey l<< M"' r i, tie whulc of the trilx , eotiHiHting of
two hundred and (illy men, aHHcmldt >\ for the piiriKi^e /)f exbihlling their
wa^•danc(^ "Thc>y formed a c^irele, w,lhiii which live or nix of their
number entered. Aller walking leiHiirely aroiuul for h. ne tWne, eaeh
challenged one of the Hpcctatorn hy Htriking him gfintly with tlu; flat of

* At Ihis pluf Fiicutoimnt WcllKlf'd rowivoil tlio f"! wing loiter from tlio Irniirn,
wliirli iH curiouH im n Hiiocinioii of Oriimtul correHiioiiddtioo :

" In th(j niiiiio of (lod, MohI Merciful, from Royd tlio Hoolt.m, fo IiIh Fxrcllcnny, tljfi
odtooinodi rospootod, beloved, the perfwt ('nptaln WollHlfil, from tl ■a«t<!rn Oovfrnnicnt,
poHco \m witli you from the Mont High (Jo<l; nnd, nflor that v ttor rcneh«'d nn, wliifh

wa» a proof or your love in remembering tm, we greatly rej'c . ut your arriving at Htir,
and your departure for Jullun, which in m wu directed it, and from thcnco to K'tnmud,
and which w«h gratifying to you, nnd therefore pleuHing to us: and, fiirthcrmoro, any
thing whii^h you rccpiiro from im, wlictlicr littlo or much, it in oidy Pjr you to roqucat
it, and it ia on our part to grant it. Peace bo to you, und furuwcli.

True: Hkyd, H<xjltam."

618

WELLSTED'S TRAVELS IN OMAN.

his Bword. His adversary inimodiutely leaped forth, and a feigned com-
bat ensued. They liavo but two cuts, one directly downward at the
head, and the otlier horizontally across the legs. They jjarry neither
Avith the sword nor shield, but avoid the blows by leaping or bounding
backward. The blade of their sword is three feet in length, straight,
thin, double-edged, and as sharp as a razor." After exercising their
pkill in firing at a mark, during which some capital shots were made
they all disj)erscd. Toward evening a largo party of Geneba Bedouins
tirriveil, and two of their camels were matched to run against the same
nuniber belonging to the Beui-Abou-Ali. The ar.imals did not appear to
take an equal relish in the sport with their masters, for they could not
be set going without much trouble, and were afterward very untractable.
Their speed, when at full gallop, was not very great, perhaps a third less
than that of a horse.

Finding that the skekh of the Genebas was a lively, intelligent fel-
low, Wellsted proposed to accompany hira into the desert for a few days,
and received a ready consent. They set off the next morning with their
camels, and were soon careering over the sands. "While sweeping
across these solitary and boundless wastes," remarks the traveler, " al-
though destitute of trees, mountains and water, or any of the features
common to softer regions, there is something in their severely simple
features, their nakedness and immensity, which reminds me of the track-
less ocean, and impresses the soul with a feeling of sublimity. The as-
pect of my comi)anion is in perfect keeping with the peculiar attributes
of his native land. Ilis sinewy form, and clean and compact Umbs, are
revealed by the scantiness of his garments ; his dark and ruddy coun-
tenance is lighted up by the kmdling of his resolute eye ; his demeanor
is honest and frank, and his whole appearance bxi'athes p manly contempt
of hardship. 'You wished,' said the shekh, 'to see the country of the
Bedouins — /A/.v,' ho continued, striking his spear into the firm sand, '■(his
is the country of the Bedouins.' "

The Beni Geneba, or " Wandering Children," are a scattered race of
about three thousand five hundred men, the greater number of whom
are found ctccupying the .south-eastern shore of Arabia. They present
some peculiarities which render them, in a measu^'e, distinct from other
Bedouins. It is a remarkable fact that a race in many respects similar
is found in almn-t every part of the coast of Arabia, and even aiuug the
north-western sluie of India. In some districts they are considered as
a si-parate and degraded race, with whom the Bedouins will neither eat,
intermarry, nor associate. The whole coast abounds with fish, and as
the natives have but few canoes, they generally substitute a single in-
flated skin, or two, with a flat board across them. The whole of this
tribe are in bad repute with their neighbors, and it is said that they
make no scruple of j)lundering boats which may be unfortunate enough
to fall itito their clutches. It was the Beni (ieneba who approached the
American sloop-of-wai- Pea x-k, whvu aground near Jlazurah, in 18;J5,

ace of

wliom

resent
other
iimilar

u2 the
ived as
cr cat,
and as
igle in-
of this
It they
enough
led the
II 1835,

THE OASES OF OMAN.

619

with tho intention, it was supposod, of plunilering her ; this intention,
however, they stoutly denied to Lieutenant Wellsted. The latter was
two daya in reaching their encampment, where he remained hut one
night, and then returned to Beni-Abou-Ali. The country over which lie
passed was low and sandy, with here and there a few stunted bushes.

On the 10th, he resumed his journey, directing his course northward to
the town of Semmed, and the Akhdar Mountains. " The old men," says
he, " begged I Avould come again and pass a month with them, in which
case they promised to build a house like those in India, and keep me in
great state. The ladies were equally pressing in their entreaties, and the
whole tribe p.ucompanied me to the skirts of the village of Beni-Abou-
Hassan. ' if you will visit us next year,' said young Sooltan, ' my father
will have returned from Mecca, and I will accompany you with a party
of our own and the Genoba Bedouins, as far as the limits of the Maharas.'
This I promised, if circumstances permitted, and after shaking hands
with all present, which they had learned was our custom, we parted with
mutual expressions of regret. I can not forget the unaffected kindness
which I experienced from this simple people, and sliall ever recall the
week spent with them and their neighbors as tho most agreeable in my
travels."

Leaving these hospitable people, Wellsted traveled along the edge
of the desert until he entered the Wady Betlui, a long, shallow valley,
leading to the mountain rCj^ion of Oman. After a march of forty-two
miles he encamped at the hamlet of Bediah, in a little oasis. The water
is conveyed from springs in the hills, by subterranean channels, made
with great labor, to the fertile plains below. All the large towns and
oases have four or five of these artificial rivulets, which aftbrd them a
never-failing supply for irrigation. "The isolated spots to which water
is thus conveyed possess a soil so fertile, that nearly every grain, fruit,
or vegetable, common to India, Arabia, or Persia, is produci.l almost
spontaiieoiisly ; and the tales of the oases will be no longer regarded as
an exaggeration, since a single step conveys the traveler from the glare
and sand of the Desert into a fertile tract, watered by a hundred rills,
teeming with the most luxuriant vegetation, and embowered by lofty
and stately trees, whose umbrageous foliage the fiercest rays of a noon-
tide sun can not penetrate. The almond, fig, and walnut-trees are of
enormous size, and the fruit clusters so thickly on the orange and lime-
trees, that scarcely a tenth part nan be gathered. Above all towers the
dato-palm, adding its shade to the Bombci- picture.'-

For two days further the route followed the Wady Betha, and on
the 13th, he reached the town of Ibrah, where he was kindly received,
and furnished with a sheep and several bowls of milk. He gives the
following description of the place : " Tho instant you step from tho
desert within the grove a most sensible change of atmosi)here is ex-
perienced. The air feels cold and damp ; the ground in every direction
is saturated with moisture ; and, from the density of the shade, tho

620

WELLSTED'S TRAVELS IN OMAN.

whole appears dark and gloomy. There are still some handsome houses
at Ibrah ; but the style of building is quite peculiar to this part of
Arabia. To avoid the damp, and catch an occasional beam of the sun
across the trees, they are usually very lofty. A parapet encircling the
upper part is turreted ; and on some of the largest houses guns are
mounted. The windows and doors have the Saracenic arch, and every
part of the building is profusely decorated with ornaments of stucco in
bas-relief, in very good taste. The doors arc also cased with brass, and
have rings and other massive ornaments of the same metal. Ibrah is
justly renowned for the beauty and fairnes? of its females. Those we
met in the streets evinced but little shyness, and on my return to the
tent I found it filled with them. They were in high glee at all they
saw : every box I had was turned over for their inspection, and when-
ever I attempted to remonstrate against their proceedings, they stopped
my mouth with their hands. With such damsels there was nothing left
but to laugh and look on."

Beyond Ibrah, the road was infested with predatory parties of the
desert Arabs, who sometimes appeared in view, but did not venture to
attack the caravan. One day Lieutenant Wellsted was chatting with
the guide Ilamcd, who rode beside him, concerning camels, and the lat-
ter related many singular cases of the attachment which the Bedouins
bear to those animals. " In order to draw further information from
him," says the traveler, " I professed my incredulity on certain points
which he had mentioned. A party at this moment happened to bo ap-
proaching from an opposite direction, and Ilamcd, somewhat nettled,
proposed to test the truth of his statements by what I should witness.
The parties approached : ' May God Almighty break the leg of your
camel !' bawled out Ilamed to the foremost of the party, who was riding
somewhat in advance of tho others. Without a moment's hesitation the
stranger threw Idmself from his beast, and advanced sword in hand on
Hamed, who would probably have had but little reason to congratulate
himself on his experiment, if several of our party had not thrown them-
selves before him, and explained the story. But the Arab still appeared
deeply offended, and replied to all that was bronght forward in explana-
tion by asking, * Why he abused his camel, and in what manner it had
harmed hun?' Tho matter was adjusted by a few presents, and I
passed on, determined in my own mind not to trust again to an Arab's
delicacy in settling a question of this nature."

On the 16th he reached the oasis of Semmed. The shekh, who lived
in a large and strongly-built fort, invited him to breakfast. The meal
was sumptuous and plentiful ; but so strictly do the Arabs regard the
laws of hospitality, that it required much entreaty to induce the shekh, ,
who ':-rUi a man of high birth, to take his seat at the table with his guest.
He insisted upon waiting on him in the capacity of an attendant, in order '
that he might not be neglected. On returning to his tent, Wellsted
found a great crowd collected there, who were kept in order by a little

, side.

fcrm,

supers

i andfif

I stay t

' Neswa

Darre}/

Th(

j'aiiu^

-nounta
may ap

deavore
little be
of the

"ARABT TUE BLEST.

621

urchin about twelve years of ago, whose father, a man of great influence
in that region, had been killed by the Bedouins a few years before.
The boy had taken complete possession of the tent, and allowed none
of his countrymen to enter but with his permission, lie carried a
sword longer than himself, and also a stick, with whicli he occasionally
laid about him. lie appeared to be perfectly well acquainted with the
number, resources, and distribution of the native tribes, and his conver-
sation on these and other subjects was free and unembarrassed, and
highly entertaining to the traveler.

At Scmmed, Wellsted was joined by Lieutenant Whitclock, who had
come from Muscat across the mountains, to meet him, and the two set
out for Neswah, accompanied by a guard of seventy men, as tlie road
was infested with robbers. On the 2l8t, after two days' journey through
a rugged country, they reached the town of ]\linna, which the traveler
thus describes : " Minna diflers from the other towns in having its culti-
vation in the open fields. As we crossed these, with lofty almond, cit-
ron, and orange-trees, yielduig a delicious fragrance on either liand, ex-
clamationf) of astonishment and admiration burst from us. ' Is this
Arabia?' wo said; 'this the country we have looked upon heretofore as
a desert ?' Verdant fields of gr^n and sugar-cane stretching along for
miles are before us ; streams of water, flowing in all directions, intersect
our path ; and the happy and contented appearance of the peasants
agreeably helps to fill up the smiling picture. The atmosphere was de-
liciously clear and pure, and as we trotted joyously along, giving or re-
turning the salutation of peace or welcome, I could almost fancy we had
at least reached that Araby the Blest, which I have been accustomed to
regard as existing only in the fictions of our poets."

The next day the travelers reached Neswah, a place of considerable
size, at the foot of the range of Djebel Akhdar. They proceeded at
once to the residence of the shekh. whom they found seated before tho
castle-gate, with an armed guard of about fifty men, standing on either
side. Tho fort, which the natives consider impregnable, is of circular
form, one hundred yards in diameter, and ninety feet in height, with a
superstructure of equal strength, rising to the height of one hundred
and fifty feet. The shekh gave the travelers a house, and during their
stay they were not molested in any way by the inhabitants. They made
Neswah their head-quarters, and while preparing for the journey to
D3rreyeh, made several excursions into the surrounding country.

The first of these was to the celebrated Djebel Akhdar or Green
Mountains. After a ride of three houra they reached the town of
Tanu^ where tho shekh resides, whose authority is paramount on the
nountains. Here they were lodged in the mosque, which, strange as it
may appear, is generally used in Oman as a caravanserai. The shekh en-
deavored to dissuade them from going further, representing the natives as
little better than savages, and drawing frightful pictures of the dangers
of the paths, but they persisted in setting out next morning. When,

622

WELLSTED'S TUAVKL8 IN OMAN.

however, the path led up the steep eide of the rooky height, with a
precii)ico yawning below, they began to suspect that the dangers were
not much exaggerated. Along the face of on(> of these! their route con-
tinned for some distance ; "the path was a stair-like projection, jutting
out from the face of the clift', and overhung by threatening masses of
rock, while below it sank perpendicularly to the depth of seven or eight
hundred feet."

After several hours of snch travel, they reached a village called Seyk
liio inhabitants of which hospitably pressed them to stay for the niglit
but they were anxious to push on to a place called Shirazi. "Our ro-
<!('ption there, however," remarks Wellsted, " led me to regret that I
did not take advantage of the kind offer of these villagers; for a wilder
more romantic, or more singular spot than was now before us, caa
scarcely be imagined. By means of steps we descended the steep side
of a narrow glen, about four hundred feet in dej»th, passing in our prog-
ress several houses perched on crags or other acclivities, their walls
built up in some places so as to appear but a continuation of the preci-
pice. These small, snug, compact-looking dwellings have been erected
by the natives, one above the other, so that their appearance from the
bottom of the glen, hanging as it were in mid-air, affords to the 8j)ectator
a moat novel and interesting picture. Here we found, amid a great
variety of fruits and trees, pomegranates, citrons, almonds, nutmegs,
and walmits, with coffee-bushes and vines."

At Shirazi they were denied entrance into the houses, and conducted
to a sheep-pen, from which they were soon ejected by the owner of the
sheep. They then encamped xmder a rook to shelter them from the
wind, kindled a fire, and passed the night in tolerable comfort. The
next morning the people were a little more courteous, and brought
them some dates, milk, and dried fruits. They found Shirazi to bo a
place of about two hundred houses. The next three days were spent in
traversing the country in various directions, in order to determine the
position and extent of Djebel Akhdar. The range is about thirty miles
in length, and some of its peaks are seven thousand feet above the sea.
The valleys are extensively cultivated, and supply an abundance of fruit.
The most important production is the vine, which is raised on terraces
along the mountain-side, watered by artificial rills. In some of the val-
leys, where brambles and dense thickets are very numerous, wild-hoars,
foxes, and hyenas, are said to abound. The Beni Kiyam, who inhabit
this region, are a small tribe, and quite distinct from the Bedouins of
the plain, who call them kaffirs, or infidels. They drink wine to excess,
and are considered to be niggard and sullen in the exercise of their hos-
pitality. Their manners are far more rude and unfriendly than those of
the wild tribes of the desert below.

" During ray progress in this country," says Wellsted, " with a view
to initiate myself into their manners and <iomestic life, I mixed much
with the Bedouins, fre«';iently living and sleeping in their huts and

a view

ll mucb

ita and

ILLNESS AND DISAPPOINTMENT.

628

tents. On all occasions I was received with kindnosM, and often with a
degree of hospit.i.lity above, rather than below, the means of those who
were called upon to exorcise it. The medical character which I assumed
proved then of imich service to me, althoiigh I was often teased for as-
sistance where it was not required, or where it Avas wholly unavailing.
I'ho character of the Hedouin presents some singular contradictions.
With a soul capable of the groati'st exertions, he is naturally indolent.
Ho will remain within his encampment for weeks, eating, drinking
coffee, and smoking his narghiloh ; and then moimt his camel, and away
off to the Desert, on a journey of two or three hundred miles. What-
ever there may be his fatigues or privations, not a murmur escapes his
lips. In excuse for their slothful liabits at other periods, it may, how-
ever, bo observed that the Koran prohibits all games of chance, and
that their own rude and simple manners completely relievo them from
the artificial pleasures and cares of more civilized life."

From what he was able to leai n from the Arabs, Lieutenant Wellsted
saw no reason to doubt the possiV^ilty of penetrating to Derrcyeh, the
capital of the Wahabees, and he tlujreforo dispatched Lieutenant White-
lock, who had agreed to accompany him, to Muscat, to procure the
necessary funds. The British Agent, however, refused to advance any
money, owing to some informality in Wellsted's papers, and the trav-
elers were in a state of great perplexity until the Imam of Muscat, hear-
ing of their dilemma, immediately offered to furnish them with what
funds they needed. The delay, however, was fatal to the present prose-
cution of their plans. During his stay at Ncswah, Wellsted and all his
servants were attacked Avith fever and delirium, and their only chance of
recovery was to return .it once to the soiv-coast, lie accordingly left
Neswah on the 22d of January, 1830, for the port of Sib.

On the 28th, the party halted at Scmmayel, the half-way station be-
tween the two places, and took up their quarters in a small, but neat
Cadjan hut. " A beautiful stream of water glided along before the door.
Weary and faint from the fatigue of our day's journey, in order to en-
joy the freshness of the evening breeze, I had spread my carpet beneath
a tree. An Arab passing by, paused to gaze upon me, and touched by
my condition aud the melancholy which was depicted in my countenance,
he proffered the salutation of peace, pointed to the crystal stream which,
sparkling, held its course at my feet, and said : ' Look, friend ; for run-
ning water makcth the heart glad.' With his hands folded over his
breast, that mute but most graceful of Eastern salutations, he bowed
and passed on. I was in a situation to estimate sympathy ; and so much
of that feeling was exhibited in the manner of this son of the desert,
that I have never since recurred to the incident, trifling as it is, without
emotion."

On the 30th they reached Sib, on the coast, the climate of wt''-'^
had not been exaggerated, and the whole of the nni^-
Hy the 20th of February Well-*"-* ' '

624

WELLSTED'S TRAVELS IN OMAN.

Bumo their march, and accorduigly wroto tu the Imam, requesting a
guide to Dircimah, the frontier station of the Wohabecs. Although the
season was far advanced, ho hoped to bo able to join some caravan for
Derreyeh. He was greatly disappointed, however, on learning that the
Wahubecs had made a sudden irruption into the northern parts of
Oman, and that the inhabitants of Abrrc, on the road to Bireimah, were
engaged in hostilities. Nevertheless he determined to make the at-
tempt, and accordingly left Sib on the 24th. The party followed the
coast as far as the port of Suweik, where they arrived on the Ist of
March. Hero they wore hospitably received by the shekh, Seyd Hi-
lal, who was a cousin of the Imam, and who lived in more state than
any other chief in Oman. Wellsted says : " A huge meal, consisting of
a great variety of dishes, sufficient for thirty or forty people, was pre-
pared in his kitchen, and brought to us on largo copper dishes tM ice a
day during the time we remained. The shekh, after his evening meal,
usually passed several hours with us. On ono occasion he was accom-
panied by a professed story-teller, who appeared to be a great favorite
with him. ' Whenever I feel melancholy or out of order,' said the shekh,
* I send for this individual, who very soon restores mo to my wonted
spirit.* From the falsetto tone in wHch the story was chanted, I could
not follow the thread of the tale, and upon my mentioning this to him,
the shekh very kindly sent mo the manuscript, of which the reciter had
availed himself. With little variation, I found it to be the identical
Sinbad the Sailor, so familiar to the readers of the Arabian Nights. I
little thought, when first I perused these fascinating tales in my own
language, that it would ever be my lot to listen to the original, m a
spot so congenial mid remote."

On the 4th they left Suweik, and turned inland toward Bireimah.
They were accompanied for some distance by Shekh Hilal and his war-
riors, who galloped at full speed over the plains on their steeds of the
purest Arabian blood. The whole country was in a state of great alarm,
owing to an anticipated visit from the Wahabees, and the very first night
their guard decamped, taking with them all the camels. The travelers
procured others the next day, however, with a ragged guard of six men,
^d, after riding several hours, encamped at the entrance of a pass in
a branch of the Djebel Akhdar. Their course the next day lay through
this pass ; the mountains rose on either hand in steep precipices of bare
rock, to the height of from three to four thousand feet, terminating in
abrupt and pointed forms. On the Yth they reached the town of Mus-
kin, in the territory of the Beni Kalban. Their progress through this
part of the country was rendered slow and tedious, in consequence of
its being divided into separate districts, all in a manner independent of
each other, and acknowledging but slightly the power of any general
authority. On the 10th they left Muskin and proceeded to Makiniyat,
the shekh of which place strongly urged them to return. Persons were
plundered every day on the road beyond, and the authority of the Imam

HOSTILITY OP THE WAHABEES.

626

was but slightly regarded. Nevertheless, the travelers determined to
push forward, and after two days' journey over a sucoessiun of barren,
sandy plains, reached the town of Obri.

This is one of the largest and most populous towns in Oman. Tlio
inhabitants are mostly husbandmen, and agriculture is carried on to a
much greater extent than in any other part of the country. Toward
evening the travelers were visited by the shekh, who was a sinister-
looking person, and did not receive them in the friendly manner to
which they had been accustomed. " Upon ni)'- producing the Imam's
letters," says Wellsted, "he read them, and, without returning any
answer, took his leave. About an hour afterward he sent a verbal mes-
sage to request that I should lose no time in quitting his town, as ho
begged to uifonn m^-, what he supposed I could not have been aware
of, that it was thon filled with nearly two thousand Wahabees. This
was, indeed, news to us ; it was somewhat earlier than we anticipated
falling in with them — but we put a good face on the matter, and behaved
as coolly as wo could,"

The next day the shekh came again. lie positively refused to con-
duct them to Bireiraah, and all their arguments failed to produce the
slightest effect. They then requested a letter to the Imam, containing
his refusal in writing, which he ])romi8ed to give. His object was evi-
dently to force the travelers away from the place, and the appearance of
things was such that they had no Avish to remain. The Wahabees had
been crowding around them in great numbers, and seemed only waiting
for some pretext to commence an affray. " When the shekh came and
presented me with the letter for the Imam," says Wellsted, " I knew it
would be vain to make any further effort to shake his resolution, and
therefore did not attempt it. In the mean time news had spread far and
wide that two Englishmen, with a box of ' dollars,' but in reality con-
taining only the few clothes that we carried with us, had halted in the
town. The Wahabees and other tribes had met in deUberation, while
the lower classes of the townsfolk were creating noise and confusion.
The shekh either had not the shadow of any influence, or was afraid to
exercise it, and his followers evidently wished to share in the plunder.
It was time to act. I called Ali on one side, told him to make neither
noise nor confusion, but to collect the camels without delay. In the
mean time wo had packed up the tent, the crowd increasing every min-
ute ; the camels were ready, and wo mounted on them. A leader, or
some trifling incident, was now only wantuig to furnish them with a
pretext for an onset. They followed us with hisses and various other
noises, until we got sufficiently clear to push briskly forward; and,
beyond a few stones being thrown, wo reached the outskirts of the
town without further molestation. I had often before heard of the in-
hospitable character of the inhabitants of this place. The neighboring
Arabs observe that to enter Obri a man must either go armed to the
teeth, or as a beggar with a cloth, and that not of decent quality, around

626

WBLLSTBD'S TRAVELS IN OMAN.

his waist. Thus for a second time end our hopes of reaching Dorroyeh
from this quarter. I did not yet despair, however, but determined to
push on for Sib, embark there, and endeavor, I'rom the port of Schinas,
to cross over to Bireimah.

" On my return from Obri to Suweik," Wcllstod continues, " con-
trary to the wish of the Bedouins, who had received intelligence that
the Wahabces wero lurking around, I left the village where we had
halted alone, with n^y gun, in search of game. Scarcely had I ridden
three miles from the walls, when, suddenly turning an angle of the rocks,
I found myself within a few yards of a group of about a dozen horse-
men, who lay on the ground, basking listlessly in the sun. To turn my
horse's head and away, was the work scarcely of an instant ; but hardly
had I done so ere the whole party were also in their saddles, in full cry
after me. Several balls whizzed past my head, which Seyd acknowl-
edged by bounding forward like an antelope. He was accustomed to
these matters ; and their desire to possess him unharmed, alone pre-
vented my pursuers from bringing him down. As wo approached the
town, I looked behind me. A shekh, better mounted thai- his fol-
lowers, was in advance, his dress and long hair streaming behind him,
while he poised his long spear on high, apparently in doubt whether he
was sufficiently within range to pierce me. My good stars decided that
he was not, for reining up his horse, ho rejoined his party, while I
gained the walls in safety.

" The day before Scyd carne into ray hands he had been presented
to the Imam by a Nedjid shekh. Reared in domesticity, and accus-
tomed to share the tent of some family in that country, he possrssed in
an extraordinary degree all the gentleness and docility as weU as the
fleetness, which distinguish the pure breed of Arabia. To .n jiJ the
intense heat, and spare their camels, the Bedouins frequently halted
during my journey for an hour about mid-day. On these occasions Seyd
would remain perfectly still, while I reposed on the sand, screened by
the shadow of his body. My noon repast of dates he always looked for '
and shared. Whenever we halted, after unsaddling him, and taking
off his bridle with my own hands, ho was permitted to roam about the
encampment without control. At sunset he came for his com at the
sound of my voice, and during the night, without being fastened, he
generally took up his quarters at a few yards from his master. During
my coasting voyages along the shores of Oman, he always accompanied
me, and even in a crazy open boat across the ocean from Muscat to
India. My health having compelled me to return to England overland,
I could not, in consequence, bring Seyd with me. In parting with this
attached and faithful creature, so long the companion of my perils and
wanderings, I am not ashamed to acknowledge that I felt an emotion
similar to what is experienced in being separated from a tried and faith-
ful friend."

On the 19th of March the travelers reached Suweik, where the shekh

END OF niS TRAVELS.

627

received thorn with all his fonnor kindnosit. IIo was much amused,
but by no means surprised at their ill bucccsh, and seemed to wonder
that they had gotten off so well. IIo did not encourago them to per-
Boverc, but as they insisted on proceeding to Schinas, ho furnished them
with a boat. After a voyage of four days they reached the latter port,
which is a small, insignificant place. The shokh was absent, and from
the persons loft in charge of the town, they could obtain neither answers
to their quobtions, nor common civility. Wollsted succeeded, neverthe-
less, in procuring a messenger to carry a letter to the Wahabco chief,
at Birehnah ; but, after Trailing four days, received intelligence that tho
Wahabees were advancing southward. All hope of reaching Dcrreych
being thus cut off, ho returned to Muscat, which was the end of his
travels in Oman.

a(
th
cc
D
fle

wli

gol

a»

bol

led

the

rlv£

EXPLORATIONS OF THE WHITE NILE.

"BERNE'S VOYAGE.

After the conquest of Shendy and Senna^r — (an account of which
wiU be found in " Cailliaud's Journey to Ethiopia") — Mohammed Ali
turned his attention to the exploration of the White Nile, in the hope
of thereby reaching the gold region of Central Africa. He had been
disappointed in the scanty results obtained in the mountains of Fazogl
by the expedition under Ismail Pasha, and by a later one, which was ac-
companied by the German mineralogist and traveler, Russegger, and
believed he should find in the White Nile a more convenient means of
access to the rich auriferous districts inhabited by the negro tribes. In
the expeditions which had been undertaken for the subjugation of the
countries of Soudan, the river had been ascended to the land of the
Dinkas, in latitude 10° north, and he now determined to send an armed
fleet as far as it should be found navigable.

This expedition sailed from Khartoum, at the junction of the Bluo
and White Niles, in November, 1839, and, by the 27th of January, 1840,
advanced as far as the country of the EUiabs, in latitude 6° 35' north,
which was the extreme point reached, without finding any tokens of tho
golden region. Mohammed Ali, dissatisfied with these results, appointed
a second voyage of discovery, the very same year. Suliman Kashif, a

' bold Circassian, who had commanded the first expedition, was also se-
lected to take charge of the second. The preparations were all completed

I by the beginning of November, which is the most favorable season for

' the voyage, as the wind is fresh from the north and north-east, and the
river swollen by the summer rains. They were obliged to wait, however,

' for the arrival of Messrs. D'Aniaud and Sabatier, two French engineers,
who had been detained at Korosko, in Nubia, waiting for camels, and
the departure did not finally take place until the 23d.

Dr. Ferdinand Weme, a German physician, who, with his brother, had
temporarily entered the Egyptian service, traveled from Cairo to Khar-
toum, for the purpose of taking part in the first expedition up the river,
but did not succeed in his object. He spent the summer of 1840 in the

! country of Takka, on the Atbara River, during which time he gained

630

EXPLORATIONS OF THE WHITE NILE.

the good-will of Achmct Pash.i, the Governor of Soudan, and was per-
mitted to accompany the second expedition. He kept a very coraploto
journal of the voyage, and although he devotes too much space to ill-
natured comments on D'Arnaud and Sabatier, and the Egyptian officers,
he gives a great many interesting particulars concerning the scenery and
inhabitants of this hitherto unexplored river. In spite of its faults, his
work, which was published in Berlin in 1848, with an introduction by
the celebrated geographer, Karl Ritter, is the most animated and pic-
turesque which has yet appeared on the subject.

Leaving Khartoum on the afternoon of the 23d of November, 1840,
the vessels of the expedition rounded the point of junction, and sailed
into the White Nile, before a light northern wind. " The decks of the
vessel," says Werne, " with their crowd of manifold figures, faces, and
colored skins, from the Arabian Kals who plies the oar, to the ram
which he thinks of eating as the Paschal Lamb ; the towering latteen
sails, with the yard-arms, on which the long streamers, adorned with the
crescent and star, wave before the swollen sails ; the large crimson flags
at the stern of the vessel, as they flutter lightly and merrily over the
ever-extending waters ; the singing, mutual hails and finding again, the
ships cruising to and from the limit fixed for to-day ; every thhig Wiis,
at least for the moment, a picture of cheerful, spiritual life. With a bold
consciousness, strengthened by the thought of many a danger happily
overcome, I looked beyond the uievitable occurrences of a threatening
future to a triumphant re-union with my brother."

On the '29th they passed the village of El Ais, on the road from Sen-
nair to Kordofan. This was the limit of Egyptian rule, and the southern
boundary of the dominions of the Arabian races of Ethiopia: beyond it
lay the territories of the native negro tribes. Cartridges were served
out and muskets loaded, for the vessels were now in a hostile country ;
but the carelessness with which this was done did not augur well for
the discipline of the Egyptian forces. The powder-room stood open, and
the men, with lighted pipes, passed continually to and fro unrestrained,
over the open hatchway. The vegetation on the river banks became
more dense and luxuriant as they advanced ; the stremn expanded m
breadth, and was studded with bowery islands. " Among the trees
standing in the water were large, white aquatic flowers, visible even at
a distance, which glistened forth magnificently from a floatuig world of
flowers, in the moist splendor of the morning. It was the double white
lotus."

A later traveler gives the folio whig description of the scenery of this
part of the river : " The forests wore taller and more dense than in
Egyptian Soudan, and the rivor more tiiickly studded with islands, the
soil of which was entirely concealed by the luxuriant girdle of shrubs
and water-plants in which they lay imbedded. The ambak, a species of
aquatic shrub, with leaves resembling the sensitive-plant and winged,
bean-like blossoms of a rich yellow hue, grow on the edge of the shore,

came
cd in

trees
en at
rUl of

white

of this
iim in
Is, the
Ishrubs
Icies of
[ringed,
shore,

SCENERY OP TUB RIVER.

631

with its roots in the water and its long arms floating on the surface. It
formed impenetrable ramparts around the islands, and shores, except
where the hippopotamus and crocodile had trodden paths into the for-
ests, or the lion and leopard had come down to the river's margin to
drink. Behind this floating hem of tbliage and blossoms appeared other
and larger shrubs, completely matted together with climbing vines,
which covered them like a mantle and hung from their branches dang-
ling streamers of white, and purple, and yellow blossoms. They even
stretched to the boughs of the large mimosa, or sont-trees, which grew
in the center of the islands, thus binding all together in rounded masses.
Some of the smaller islands resembled floating hills of vegetation, and
their slopes and summits of impervious foliage, rolling in the Avind, ap-
peared to keep time with the rocking of the waves that upheld them."

After passing the island of Aba, in the country of the Shillooks, they
reached a spot where the river was crossed by a ledge of flat rocks,
upon which it can be forded during the summer. " A number of scat-
tered water-plants," says Werne, " form floating islands of large and
small dimensions, frequently presenting quite a surprising appearance.
At noon we came so close to such an island, which had been held to-
gether by a kind of water couch-grass, and was joined on to the shore,
that we tore off one entire portion of it, and set '' moving like a little
aquatic world of the most diversified description of plants. The base of
this floating, vegetable world was formed by the pale green velvet-plant
everywhere met with, and which spreads itself like the auricula, has
fibrous roots, and is intermixed with green reeds, but appears to have
no flowers. The stalk-like moss, spreading under the water, with slen-
der white suckers, like polypi on the long streaks beneath, was another
principal ingredient in the formation of this island. Then comes a kind
of convolvulus, with Ulac-colored flowers, with its seeds, like those of
the convolvulus, in capsule-like knobs, and leaves like those of butter-
cups. The character of the whole of this island-world acquires such a
blooming appearance here, that one believes one's self transported to a
gigantic park situated under water. Entu'e tracts are covered with the
blooming lotus. The trees, shrubs, and creepers, with their manifold
flowers, enjoy a freedom unknown in Europe, where every plant is re-
stricted to its fixed season."

On the 1st of December they saw the mountain of the Dinkaa, on
the eastern bank of the river, and the next day discovered one of the
villages of this tribe. Weme remarks: "The Dinkas were seen at a
distance, jumping in the air while they raised one arm, and struck their
shields with their spears. This appeared to me rather a challenge than
an expression of joy, as I concluded from the war-dances, the represent-
ation of which I had before witnessed. Their city is said to stretch far
beyond this ridge, which the trees prevented us from remarking. Long
swampy islands, with reeds and other plants, entwined one with the
other, extend from their country to the middle of the stream. This is

632

EXPLORATIONS OF THE WHITE NILE.

the case also, tliongh on a reduced scale, on the other side. The dis-
tance of the shores from one to another is more than an hour. The
reeds form in this manner a protection, which even when the water is
at the highest is not to be overcome. In the same manner the Shillookn
on the western shore have a marsh of reeds, under water, for protect
lion.

" The right shore is a magnificent low conntry. Tamarinds, creepers
of a large species, and the lotus shining in great numbers, like double
white lilies. This stellated flower opens with the rising of the sun, and
closes Avhen it sets. I noticed, however, afterward, that where they
are not protected in some Avay from the ardent heat, they likewise close
when the sun approaches the zenith. Some of their stalks Avere six feet
long, and very porous ; from Avhich latter qtiality these stems, as well
as the flower and the larger leaves — dark-green above, and red-bro\vn
beneath, with a flat serrated border — have a magnificent transparent
vein ; but become so shriveled, even during the damp night, that in the
morning I scarcely recognized those which I had over night laid close
to my bed on the shore. The ancient Egyptians must, therefore, have
been quick in ofl*ering up the lotus. The extraordinarily small white
seed lies in a brownish, wool-like envelop, and fills the whole capsule.
Not only arc the bulbs, as large as one's fist, of the lotus eaten, but also
the seed just mentioned; they mix it with sesame, and other grain,
among the bread-corn, which circumstance I ascertained afterward, as
we found a number of these lotus-he.ads strung in lines to dry. To our
taste, the best way to dress the bulbs, and to free them from the
marshy flavor they leave behind m the mouth, is to drain the water off
several times in cooking them ; they then taste nearly like boiled celery,
and may be very noui'ishing."

For several days they sailed slowly over this sea of Avater and grass,
past marshy shores fringed with the lotus. The river became na^
rower, with firm banks, at some points, and here they were enabled to
notice the densitj' of the population. The lower grounds were culti-
vatcd Avith fields of okra and rice, and flocks of sheep were seen.
Werne estimates the Shillook tribe at two millions of souls, which is
probably not an exaggeration. He says: "There is certainly no river
in the world, the shores of which are, for so great a distance, so uninter-
ruptedly covered with habitations of human beings. Wo cannot con-
ceive whence so many people derive their nourishment. There are some
negroes on the left, shore, lying without any clothing on them, in the
grass; therefore the ground can not be covered to any height with
water. They made gestures, and greeted us with nplified arms ; but
onr people thought thac we could not trust such a friendly welcoming,
for they might have concealed their spears in the grass, in which, pe^
haps, a whole troop of men were hidden Neither these Shillooks nor
the Jengaha, up the river, possess horses )r camels, but merely sheep and
cows. When they take a horse or camel from the Turks, they do i ''*

A MA.N OVERBOARD.

683

grass,

lax- '\
cd to 1
culti- I
seen,
hich is
o river
ninter-
ot con-
re some
in the
ht with
ns; hut
coming,

oks noT

eep an^

do 1 "*

kill it — probubly not eating the flesh of these animals — but put out its
eyefl as a punishment for having brought the enemy into their country."

They here met with the beautiful dhelleb-Tpaim, which has a long,
slender shaft, swelling in the middle, and tapering toward the top and
bottom, crowned with a feathery crest of leaves. The giant adansonia
digitata, or baobab-treo of Senegambia, also made its appearance. On
the afternoon of the "Zth, they i^assed the mouth of the River Sobat, the
only tributary stream which comes to the White Nile from the east.
Its pource is supposed to be in the country of the Gallas, south of the
kir.gdom of Shoa. Its breadth, at its entrance into the Nile, is six
hundred and fifty feet. Werne ascended it about eighty miles, on the
return voyage of the expedition, and found that its shores are higher
than those of the Nile, and that the surface of the country became more
elevated as he ascended. From this fact he infers that the White Nile,
as far as it has been explored, flows in a depressed basin of the table-
land of Central Africa. They here left the territories of the Shillooks
and the Dinkas, and entered the land of the Nuehrs. Giraffes and
cst'-iches were occasionally seen on the shores.

On the 9th, the river expanded into an immense shallow lake, cov-
ered with reeds and water-plants, through which they made their way
by naiTOW and winding channels. In some points the firm land was in-
visible from the mast-head. Swarms of gnats hovered over this stagnant
region, and became a dreadful pest to the voyagers. On this day an
accident occurred, which gave Werne an opportunity of gaining the con-
fidence and good- will of the black soldiers who accompanied the expedi-
tion. " One of them," he writes, " a tokniri, or pilgrim from Dar-Fur,
had, in a quarrel with an Arab, drawn his knife and wounded him. He
jumped overboard to drown himself, for he could not swim, and was just
on the point of perishing when he drifted to our ship, where FeizrlJa-
Captain no sooner perceived him than he sprang do\\Ti from behind the
helm and saved hir.i, with the assistance of others. He was taken up
and appeared nearly dead, and on intelligence being conveyed from the
other vessels that he hrd murdered a Moslem, some of our people wished
to throw him again immediately into the water. This, however, being
prevented, they thought of making an attempt to resuscitate him, by
standing him up on his head. I had him laid horizontally upon his side,
and began to rub him with an old cloth belonging to one of ray servants.
For the moment no one would assist me, as he was an ' abd' (slave),
until I threatened the captain that he should be made to pay the Pasha
for the loss of his soldiers. After repeated rubbing, the tokruri gave
some signs of life, and they raised him half up, while his head still hung
down. One of the sailors, who was a fakeer, and pretended to be a sort
of awakener of the dead, seized him from behind, under the arms, lifted
him up a little, and let him, when he was brought into a sitting posture,
fall thrice violently on his hinder end, while he repeated passages from
the Koran, and shouted in his ears, whereupon the tokruri answered

III

634

EXPLORATIONS OF THE WHITE NILE.

with a similar prayer. Superstition goes so far hero, that it is asserted
Buch a pilgrim may bo completely and thoroughly drowned, and yet re-
tain the power of floating to any shore he pleases, and stand there alive
again."

On the 10th, Werne writes: "A dead calm throughout the night.
Gnats ! No use creeping under the bed-clothes, where the heat threat-
ens to stifle me, compelled as I am, by their penetrating sting, to keep
my clothes on. Leave only a hole to breathe at ; in they rush, on the
lips, into the nostrils and ears, and should one yawn, they squeeze thcni-
Bolves into the throat and tickle us to coughing, causuig us to sufier real
torture, for with every respiration again a fresh swarm enters. They
find their way to the most sensitive parts, creephig in like ants at every
aperture. My bed was covered in the morning with thousands of these
little tormenting spirits — compared with which the Egyptian plague is
nothing — which I had crushed to death with the weight of my body, by
continually rolluig about. I was not only obliged to have a servant be-
fore me at supper-time, waving a largo fan, made of ostrich-feathors,
under my nose, so that it was necessary to watch the time for seizing
and conveying the food to my mouth, but I could not even smoke luy
pipe in peace, though keeping my hands wrapt in my woollen bounius,
for the gnats not only stung through it, but even crept up under it from
the ground. The blacks and colored men were equally ill-treated by
these hungry and inq)udent guests."

Tho grassy sea in which they found themselves was the Bahr El-
Qhazal^ or Gazelle Lake, into which an unexplored stream, called the
Gazelle River, flows from tho south-west, and adds its waters to those
of the White Nile. They wore throe days in crossing this lake, as the
wind was very light. The plague of gnats continued, and the vessels
were in some danger from tho herds of hippopotami, which threatened
to overturn them, by rising suddenly from tho muddy bottom. On the
12th they left- tho lake, and entered a region of marshes, through which
the Nile found its way in a number of narrow and tortuous channels.
" High reeds," says Werne, " but more low ones, water couch-grass, and
narrow grass, the pale-green aquatic plant, the lilac convolvulus, moss,
water-thistles, plants like nettles and hemp, form on the right and left a
soft, green mixture, upon which groups of the yellow-flowing ambak-
tree rose, and which itself was partly hung round with luxuriant creep-
ers, covered with largo cuj>-liko flowers, of a deep yellow color. * * *
One can scarcely form an idea of the continual and extraordinary wind-
ings of the river. Half an hour ago we saw, on the right, the Musco-
vite's vessel, and on the left the other vessels ahead on a line y^\i\i us,
separated, however, by cue high grass, from which their masts a'id sails
joyfully peeped forth. I could scarcely persuade myself that we had
proceeded from the one place, and shadl steer to the other. There is
something cheerful and tranquilizing in this life-like picture of ships
seeking and finding each other again m the inuueasurable grass-sea,

which gives U8 a fec'Jim, nr • ^a.

selves, as the SlnlL^i, "^'" ^-'^lor, and nik.ul . *k Wretched

tectio; agail; '&"" ^t T' '^ '^'^^d^rTT ^"^"^•
creatures lifted bofl. i ^f ^"^'«- ^n seeing th.. 7 . ' '^ " I"'o-
wav of greetint a ^'""^^ ^'t''' "' the air a d k!,, '''"h ^'^^^^ P^"*"
clo.;o toC body idT" "'"^'^^' -^"t^'^ S by r -^'T'^ ^^"' ^^
had an ivory ^2'^ ?.''"^' ^''' '"^»J«> with the rL^^""^' *''''' ^''^"^'«
I-t must h7v"bia S' '"■ '"^^' -J --the/'riT "P™i. «he
head in lier you.; ^^'' wgoniously put to.4rr . "'''^' ^^'"'^J'

vUch after L°,L., '"™'""' ""'^ 'he deccntiv„ T ' ?' '"•'""''°' "^ "'»
Pte, llmt „„ one oceaZ'., " ™'"°«» "«» «> Cu™ 1 1" ''""''•

and the ''''' "' ^^'^J'^Jations, which an- ?^' .^ """' ^^''^^''^'d by I

; S r; sr> ^'^ forth wahtLts;:;'' '"""'^'"■-r *» i

'0 the center nf X .^ ™^ ^^y^ »nd flames of trnW v . "'^ ^^'^s

kindled wkh 1 • "*' *^''P *>'»« ««rtain 2 borl *^^''^^ themselves '

086

EXPLORATIONS OP TUB WIIITK NILPJ.

turned, and iho suils cover tho sun, bo as not to Aveakcn the first im.
|iri'H»ion."

On the 27th, they landed at a Kek villap:e, tho inhabitants of wliioh
had lU'd, except one man, who was surrounded and taken on board tho
(■oinmander's vessel. Ho was of a livid color, owing to the ashes In which
he had slept. Suliman Kashif was able to converse with him, throucfh
some Dinka slaves M'ho were on board. " When ho approached the
(■:ibin," said Werno, " bending his body forward in a comically awkward
and ape-liko position, perhaps to denote subjection, he slid round on the
ground, dropped on his knees, and crept into it, shouting repeatedly with
all his might, ' Waget tohn agehn, agiht agiht-waget tohn agehn agiht
agiht,' by which words ho greeted lis, and expressed his astonishment.
He had several holes in the rims of h\H ears, containing, however, no
other ornament than a single little stick. Strings of beads were brought out
and hung about his neck ; there was no end to his transports ; he struck
tho ground so hard with his posteriors, that it resounded again, and
raised his hand on high, as praying. When I bound a string of beads
round his wrist, he could not leave off" jumping, at such an invaluable or-
nament, and never once kept still ; ho sprang up, and threw himself down
again, to kiss the ground ; again he rose, extended and contracted him-
self, held his hands over all our heads, as if to bless us, and sang a very
pretty song, full of the simple melody of nature. He had a somewhat
projecting mouth ; his nose and forehead quite regiilar, as avoU as the cut
of the face itself; his hair was sheared away short, to about the length
of half an inch. Ho might have been about thirty years of age ; an an-
gular, high-shouldered figure, such as we have frequently perceived
among the Dinkas. There were two incisors wanting above, and four
below, which is also tho case with the Dinkas ; They pull them out, that
they may not resemble wild beasts. His attitu'''.e and gestures Avere very
constrained, arising, perhaps, partly from the situation in which he found
himself; his shoulders were raised, his head bent forward in unison with
his bent back ; his long legs, tho calves of which were scarcely to be per-
ceived, seemed as if broken at the joints of his knees ; in short, his
whole person hung together like an orang-outang's. Added to this, he
was perfectly naked, and no hair, except on his head, to bo seen. His
sole ornament consisted of leathern rings above tho right hand. What
a grade of humanity is here ! This poor man of nature touched me with
his childish joy, in which he certainly felt happier than any of us. He
was instructed to go forward and tell his countrymen not to fly before
US: Kneeling, sliding along, jumping, and kissing the ground, he let
himself be led 'way by the hand like a child, and would certainly have
taken it all for a dream, had not the glass-beads convinced him to the
contrary.'*

On the 3d of January, 1841, they reached a largo Kek village, and
Werno perceived, to his surprise, that the men and women lived in sepa-
rate portions of it. " Polygamy prevails here," he remarks, " as gener-

THE KUKS AND DOHRS.

687

ally on tho White Nilo ; only, however, the more opulent enjoy this
privilege, for tiie women are bought. I remarked here, for tho first
time, bodily defects, whicli, like elephantiasis, are so very rare in the
whole land of Soudan. (Jne had hernia, and many suffered from diseasos
of the eyes, and wanted medical assistance. Their eyes, indeed, were
nearly all sutfused with red, as I had j)reviously remarked ; and it seems
that these people must sull'er uncommonly in tiie rainy season, when they
lie, as it were, in the morass. The hair of some of them, who wore it
long, was of a reddish color, having lost its natural black hue by tho ley
of the ashes and water, and heat of the sun ; for we did not perceive this
in the shorter hairs, and they did not know how to explain the cause of
this tinge. The cattle are generally of a light color, of moderate size,
and have long beautifully-twisted horns, some of which are turned back-
ward. The bulls liavo largo speckled humps, such as are seen in the
hieroglyphics ; tho cows, on tho contrary, only a little elevation on the
shoulders. The small reed tokuls, with half-flat roofs, are neat, and serve
throughout the day for protection against the sun. I wandered about
here quite alone, without being molested or sent back by the people."

The voyage now became a little less diflicult : the firm shores ai>-
peared on either hand, the main current of the river was no longer lost
in broad morasses, and the plague of gnats ceased to torment the voy-
agers. On the 8th they reached the territories of a tribe called the
Bohrs, who are thus described : " Tho men, though only seven feet high,
look like trees, in their rough and naked natural forms. Their tonsure
is various ; large ivory rings adorn the upper part of their arms. They
would like to strip these ott*, but they sit too tightly, because they were
placed on the arm before it was thoroughly Ibrmed. Now the flesh
protrudes above and below the rings. They seat themselves on the
shore, sing, and beg for beads, pointing with their forefinger and thumb
to the roundness of them. They have bad teeth, almost without excej>-
tion ; from this circumstance, perhaps, that they chew and smoke to-
bacco, partly to alleviate the etenial tooth-ache. If they did not com-
plain of tooth-ache, yet they showed us the entire want or decay of their
teeth, when we gave them biscuit to masticate."

On the 10th, while walking on the shore, "Werne was seized by a
violent attack of fever, and fell upon the ground in a swoon. When he
awoke it was ah'eady dark ; he fired a gun for assistance, and stumbled
along in the direction of the vessels, but suddenly came upon twenty
large crocodiles, stretched out in the sand. The beasts ujstantly began
to move, scenting human flesh : he hastened away, plunging through
the reeds, and was fortunately found by his servants just as his strength
was beginning to fiul. For four or five days after this, he had repeated
attacks of delirium, and was only saved from death by profuse bleeduig.
At the end of this time the fever gradually left him, but he remained in
a weak condition, and for two or three weeks was unable to support the
full luster of the noonday sun.

688

EXPLORATIONS OF THE WniTE NILE.

Monnwhilo tho voshcIa continued slowly to ascend tho stream, Imv-
inpf already passed the extreme point attained by the expedition of the
previous winter. Leaving behind them tho IJohrs and the Zhirs, they
passed through two other tribes, called the Itundurialsand the Tshierrs.
Tho river still came from the south-east, and flowed with a full, strong
current. On the allernoon of tho 17th, Werne was startled by the cry
of" DJcfulf" (a moiuitain !) " In spito of tho sun," he says, "and all
remonstrances, T drag myself up on deck, and sec the mountain to the
south-west, at a distance of about twenty hours. It seems to form an
accumulation toward one point, and may surely be tho foreruimer of
other mountains ; therefore, atler all, there arc Mountains of the Moon.
City crowds on city ; and tho Kgyptians look out from the mast for
herds of cattle, which are not, however, ninnorous. An iimumerablc
pojmlation moves on the shores ; to express thi'ir number our crew say,
' As many as flies ;' and wo sail always by tho shore, which is quite black
with people, who are standing as if benumbed with astonishment."

These scenes Averc constantly repeated during the folloAving three or
four days. Tho shores were firm and fertile, tho vegetation wonderfully
rich and luxuriant, the sky clear, and tho jieoplo of giant stature, finely
developed, and vi^ry agile. Every thing indicated their entrance into
a region of totally diff'ereiit character from any they had yet seen. The
country appeared to be populous as that of tho Shillooks, but the na-
tives, although naked likr the former, gave evidenco of superior intelli-
gence. Tho Egyptian captains, liowover, looked upon all these tribes
with equal contempt, calling them " slaves." On tho afternoon of the
20th, a great crowd of natives collected on tho bank, making signs that
they wished for beads, such aa l»ad been given to the tribes below.
They threatened, in a laughing, jeering manner, to prevent tho sailors
from towing tho vessels imless their requests were heeded. The captain
of one of tho vessels immediately ordered liis men to fire, and ten or
twelve of tho negroes fell. Tho remainder of tho tribe came running
from tho villages, but soon Ijesitated, fearing tho eflect of these myste-
rious weapons which they had never before seen. " Wo halted a mo-
ment," remarks Werno ; " tho mih.appy creatures or relatives of the slain
came closer to the border of i\n\ shore, laid their liands flat together,
raised them above their head, slid upon their knees nearer to us, and
sprang again high in the air, with their compressed hands stretched aK)ft,
as if to invoke tho pity of heaven, and to implore mercy of us. A slim
young man was so conspicuous by his passionate grief, that it cut to my
heart, and — our barbarians laughed with all their might."

Fortunately for the expedition, tho poor creatures wero too much
overawed to resent this inhumanity, and tho vessels proceeded on their
course. They learned that they had entered tho land of the Baris, the
sultan of which, named Lakono, resided at a town further to the south.
The bed of the river was now broken with islands ; tho current became
more clear and swift, and on the 23d they reached an island called

TERMINUS OF THK KXri-'DITION.

689

Tsankcr, or Tdhankcr, at tho end of which wj < a reef of rocks, cxtcinl-
ing across tho stream, forming a rapid heyond wliich, it was evident, at
the low Btago of tho water, llio v»!ssels could »ot pass. " We landed
soon afterward on tho riglit shore, as tlie nearest i.mding-placc to tho
capital, Uelenja, on the mountain of tho satno name, whi(;h was at sonio
distance. They gave us tho names of all thj mountains lying around
in tho horizon. As I onco looked for the alpino world from Montpelier,
and found it, trusting to my good eye-sight, so now I gazed for a long
time on this region of heights ; their jieaks were clearly hung roimd with
a girdlo of clouds, apparently shining with a glimmering light in opposi-
tion to tho clotids hanging beforo them in our neighborhood."

Of tho Haris, Worno says: "The features and form of the head aro
quite regular among these giganti(! people, and are a striking contrast
to thoso of our black soldiers, with their more negro-like physiognomy,
although they aro not, on the whole, ugly. I compare the true (.aucatJ-
ian races, who aro present, \\\\\\ these men, and Hnd that the latter have
a broader forehead. The inhabitants of the kingdom of IJari might bo
designated a protoplasma of the black race \ for not only do they shoot
up to a height of from six and a half to seven Parisian feet, Avhich wo
have seen also in tho other nations, but their gigantic mass of limbs
arc in the noblest proportions. Tho form of the fiice is oval, tho fore-
head arched, tho nose straight, or curved, with rather wide nostrils — tho
ala', however, not projecting disagreeably ; the mouth full, like that of
the ancient Egyptians ; tho orifice of tho ears large, and tho temples a
little depressed. The last w(^ do not lhi<l in the Barabras, and tho races
akin to them in Abyssinia. The men of Bari have, besides, well-pro-
portioned legs, and muscular arms. It is a j/ity that they also extract
tho four lower incisors, for not only is the face disfigure d by this custom
when they aro laughing, but their pronunciation also becomes indistmct.
Some wear their hair like a cock's (!omb from the forehead down to tho
nape of the neck ; others have scarcely the crown of the head covered ;
the most, however, wear tolerably long hair, in the natural manner,
which gives a significant look to many facoK, Their good-natured
countenances correspond also to their jokes among themselves, which
are, perhaps, occasionally directed against us."

The no: t day tho vessels were visited by King Lakono and his suite,
whose appiorch •r^ts previously announced by his brother, a gigantic
naked negro, smeared from head to foot with red ashes. In the after-
noon the king camo, attended by a largo retinue of followers. His
cotton garment and head-dress distinguished his tall figure above all
the others. He carried with him his throne — a little wooden stool —
together with a scepter, consisting of a club, the thick knob of which
was studded with largo iron nails, to inspire greater respect. On enter-
ing the cabin, he took Selim Capitan, the second in command, to be tho
leader of the expedition, and saluted him by sucking the ends of his
fingers. " When Nve little expected it," says Werne, *' the sultan nused

640

EXPLORATIONS OK T II K WIIITK NILK.

Lirt vuii-(>, witlioiit commuiiiliii^ Hilcncc botorohuiid with Iuh accptcr, and
Huii^ — hirt j'yea (Urocted liriuly and Mliiiiiiij{ on »js — ii hoiij? of wulcoum,
with a HtroiiK, uloar voi(!u. Tiiirt wus «uoa eiidc-d, and tlio Bonj? iuid
brifj;hti>uc'd him up Murpmiugly, for lio looked qiiitu merrily around, um
far as h'm cyoM, which woro apparently atli'rtod by a cataract, would
allow him. This luisfoitunc mi^^ht bo tlio cauHo also why ho walked, uh
if in u mist, with an inMi'curo Htep on the vcHsel. According to the trans-
lation ])a8Hed by two interpretern from one to thu other into Arabic,
he chanted uh aN being bulls, lions, and defenders of the virgins. IIu is
of an imposing figure, with u regular countenance, nuirked ieatures, and
lias somewhat of u Roman nose. We noticed on all the bare parts of liis
body remains of ocher, apparently not agreeing very well with the skin,
for liere and there on the hands it was cracked. He was thu ilrat luuu
whom we had hitherto found clothed."

. On the 'JPth Werne writes : " King Lukono visited us to-day a socond
time, and brought with him a young wife from las harem. lie took oft'
his hand the orange-colored ring, on which Selim Cupitan fixed a long-
ing eye, and presented it to him with a little iron stool, plaudy forged
in a hurry. We gathered further intelligence about the country, and
Lukono was com[>laisant enough to communicate to us some general iu-
ibrmution. Witli respect to the Mile sources, wo learn that it requires
a month, the signification of which was interpreted by thirty days, to
come to the country of Anjan toward the south, where the Tubirih
(White Nde), separates hito four shallow arms, and the water only
readies up to the ankles. Thirty days seems indeed a long time, but
the chain of mountauis itself may present great impediments, and husitile
tribes and the hospice stations may cause circuitous routes.

" The favorite sultana had certainly not much to boast of in the way
of beauty, but she was an amiable-looking Avoman : she was not at all
shy, and looked freely around her. A number of glass-beads were
given to her, and she was too much of a woman and negress not to be
exceedingly delighted at them. Lukono restrained huuself, as at the
first time, on tho sight of such presents, within the limits of pleasing
surprise, without betraying the least symptom of the childish joy which
is indigenous in these men of nature. She was, however, very cordial
with him, and he with her ; he helped her even to pack together her
ornaments in a handkerchief, and gave it over to her with a benevolent
look. I had the honor also of a friendly smile from her, which I
naturally returned. She remarked this immediately to her lord and
master, whereupon the latter bowed Lis entire approbation, and
smiled at me.

" We could not get a clear conception of tlieir ideas of religion—
the less so, because the interpreter translating into Arabic was a heathen
Dinka. It seems that they worship a spirit of nature, for we had been
previously told that their god was grander than the mast of our vessel
Whether they reverence him under a tree, as the ciiminal court of La-

DKPAUTUUK FUOM TUE DARIS.

641

kono Booms to denote, in a iiuuHtion I do not vunturo to decide. ilornH,
tooth, and oiuuluts point to houio Hort of worHhip. Lcgialation appeurH
to be ill a peculiur Htuto in the country of liuri. We were told that
King Lukono alow criniinals with \m own hand, by u thrust with a
8pcar, and very quiukly (^ouni, guuni), without any cerenlonie^t ; he sitti
under a large tree, with a heavy Hpear in his hand, to pass judgment,
and assumes a very angry look."

On the 28th of January, Suliinan Kasliif determined to return,
pfreatly to the joy of the Egyptian wddicrs, and to the regret of Werno,
who was anxious to ])ii.sh on to the mountains which beckoned from the
southern horizon. '' We have remained here at the island three entire
days," ho writes, " and the ne plus ultra is not so much inscribed on the
Pillars of Hercules in the water, as deuired in the hearts of the whole
expedition. The war-dance, which the blacks performed yesterday, has
contributed certouily to the final determination to return. Even I
thought yesterday that I lieard and saw in the fearful battle-song, a
declaration of war, and a challenge to th' contest. It was almost im-
possible to persuade one's self that it was merely a mark of honor. The
natives inarched up and dowii the island, in columnn, brandishing their
lances in the air, sang their war-songs, with threatening countenances
and dreadful gestures, then fell into still greater ecstasy, ran up and
down, and roared their martial chant. It was the middle of the day,
about two o'clock, when Sclim Capitan, ui order to take his leave, and
to employ the dreaded people at the moment of our departure, and keep
them far from us, threw ten cups of beads on shore, and the cannons on
all the vessels were discharged, to bid solemn farewell with twenty-ono
shots to the beautiful country which must contain so many more inter-
esting materials." The island of Tsapker, according to the observations
made by D'Amaud and Selim Capitan, lies in 4° 30' north latitude, but
accorduig to later calculations in 4" 40'.

The descent of the White Nile was a repetition of the scenes wit-
nessed on the upward voyage, except that whenever the north wind
blew strongly, the vessels became unmanageable, and created great
damage and confusion by driving agamst each other. They landed oc-
casionally ill the lands of the Keks, Elliabs, and Nuehrs, and invariably
found the natives well-disposed, though exceedingly ignorant and stupid.
After threading again the bewildering mazes of the region of grass, suf-
fering insupportable torments from the clouds of gnats, they debouched
once more into the Gazelle Lake, on the 4th of March, and halted three
days to allow D'Arnaud to make a survey of its shores. On the 11th,
they bade farewell to gnats, and reached the mouth of the Sobat, which
Suliman Kashif designed to explore. The vessels accordingly entered
the river, heading to the south-east, and slowly advanced for twelve
days, in which time they only made eighty miles, whan their further
progress was stopped by sand-bars, and they were forced to return.
The banks of the river were steep and bold, and the upland country

642

EXPLORATIONS OP THE WHITE NILE.

lying behind them abounded with herds of deer and antelopes, some of
which numbered three or four thousand.

During this excursion, Werne met with an exciting adventure. He
went out to sho^t some birds, and wua just taking aim at two beautiful
finches, when an immense lion suddenly stood before him, as if he had
arisen from the earth. " At first," says he, *' we stared at each other
mutually ; he measured me from top to toe, but disregarded the Turk-
ish accouterments and sun-burnt countenance, for my red cap which ho
seemed not to despise. At last he turned his face from me, and went
away slowly with a dreadfully pliable movement of his hinder parts, and
his tail hanging down, but could not restrain himself from turning round
to look at me once more, while I was trusting to the effect of one or two
shots in the eyes or jaws, if it came to a contest of lifr or death; but I
cast a searching look over my shoulders every now and then, right and
left, expecting that he might make a spring like a cat, and I kept him
in sight before me, when I was about to jump down from the shore on
to the sand where the vessels and crew were. I confess openly that I
felt an evident throbbing of the heart, and that my nose seemed to have
turned white."

On the 26th of March, the vessels again entered the White Nile, and
resumed their course toward Khartoum. Their progress was slow, on
account of head-mnds, and they did not approach the capital until the
22d of April, when messengers came forsvard to welcome them. On the
following day they descended to the junction, and sailed up the Blue
Nile to the city, having been absent exactly five months. Worne's jour-
nal closes with the following words : " The thunder of cannon rolled
down from the vessels — joy and pleasure. I wished to describe our re-
turn, but I did not see my brother. Blacl: thoughts suddenly shook me
as if a fit of ague had attacked me. When I saw even the window-shnt-
ters of our divan closed, where he might wait for me so comibrtably in
the shade, I trembled violently, and my knees tottered so that they laid
me on the bed. I soon, however, got up, and sat before the cabin ; and
just at the moment when our vessel touched the land, some one pointnd
him out standing on the shore. I jumped ashore from the deck, and fell
down : my brother raised me up. Eleven days after this happy meet-
ing he died in my arms, completely broken by the effects of the climate."

DOCTOR KNOBLECIIKR'S VOYAGE.

Tho Government Expedition up the White Nile demonstrated the
fact that the native negro tribes possessed an abundance of ivory, and
suggested to the Egyptian merchants the benefit of establishing a trade
with them. The experiment was tried, and found successful ; the natives
willingly exchanged their rings and elephants' teeth for glass beads and
other cheap trinkets, and a system of barter was thus established, which

DR. KNOBLEOHER'S DEPARTURE.

643

has bcon coi.*inuod up to the present time. An annual fleet of trading
vessels leaves Khartoum in November, and after obtaining all the ivory
which has been collected during the year, returns in March or April.
None of these expeditions, however, have contributed much to our
knowledge of the river beyond the point reached by Worne. r::cept that
which left Khartoum in 1849, and was accompanied by Dr. Knoblecher,
the Roman Catholic Apostolic Vicar for Central Africa, an account of
which was published in the Augsburg Allrfemtine Zeitunt/, in 1851.*

Dr. Ignatius Knoblecher was specially educated, in the Propaganda
at Rome, as a missionary for Central Africa. After studying the Arabic
language for a year in Syria, he proceeded to Khartoum, where a
Catholic mission had already been established. There, however, the
mission found its sphere of operations circumscribed by the jealousy
of the government, .'s all attempts to make proselytes of Mussulmcn are
forbidden, and the hi^^hest ambition of the slaves who are brought from
the interior is to be considered faithful followers of the prophet. Dr.
Knoblecher was therefore directed to accompany the annual trading
expedition up the White Nile, for the purpose of ascertaining the prac-
ticability of establishing a missionary station among some of the native
negro tribes near the oquator. He experienced much difficulty at the
outset, on account of the jealousy of the Egyptian traders, who find
the company of a rviroj)eau a restraint upon their violent and lawless
practices, but through the influence of the pasha, who was at last
brought to give his consent, the passionaries secured a place in the
expedition, and on the 13th of November, 1849, set sail from Khartoum.
There were seven vessels in the flotilla, and that of Dr. Knoblecher, though
the smallest, proved to be the best sailer and usually kept the lead. He

*"0n the day of my arrival at Khartoum, Dr. Reltz proposed a visit to Dr. Kno-
blecher, the Apostolic Vicar of the Catholic Missions in Central Africa, who had returned
from Europe about twenty days previous. Preceded by two attendants, wo walked
through the town to the Catholic Mission, a spacious one-story building in a large garden
near tlie river. Entering a court, in the center of which grew a tall tamarind-tree, we
were received by an Italian monk, in flowing robes, who conducted us into a second
court, inclosed by the residence of the Vicar. Hero we met two other priests, a German
and a Hungarian, dre.ssed in flowing Oriental garments. They ushered us into a largo
room, carpeted with matting, and with a comfortable divan around the sides. The win-
dows looked into a garden which was filled with orange, flg, and banana-irees, and fra-
grant with jasmin and mimosa blossoms. Wo had scarcely seated ourselves when the
monks rose and remained standing while Dr. Knoblecher entered. lie wai a small man,
slightly and rather delicately built, and not more than thirty-tivo years of af;e. His com-
plexion was fair, his eyes a grayish blue, and his beard, which he wore flowing upon hisi
breast, a verv decided aubuni. His face was one of those which wins not only kindness,
but confiiience from all tho world. His dress consisted of a white turban, and a flowing robe
of dark purple cloth. Ho is a man of thorough cultivation, conversant with several lan-
guages, and possesses an amount of scientiflc knowledge which will make his future ex-
plorations valuable to tho world. During my stay in Khartoum, I visited him frequently,
and derived from him much information concerning tho countries of Souddn and their in-
habitants." — Bayard Taylor's "Journey to Central Africa."

644

KXPLOllATIONS OF TUE WHITE NILE.

had on hoard a faithful and experienced Nubian pilot, named Suleymau
Abou-Zeid.

After fourteen days' sailing, the expedition passed the islands of the
Shillooks, and reached that part of the liver where the banks are covered
with continuous villages. The number of these is estini;:ied at seven
thousand. It is worthy of notice that their circular tokuls of mud and
roods are precisely similar in form and constru(!tion to those of the
tribes on the Niger and Senegal liivej's, with whom the Shillooks have
no communication, and from whom they differ in language, appearance,
and character. While threading the mazes of the archipelago, a violent
whirlwind passed over the river and com})letely dismasted one of the
boats. Beyond the island^ the river expands so that the marshy shores
are barely visible in some })laces. The lotus grows abundantly in the
shallows, and the aj)pearance of the thousands of snowy blossoms as they
flash open at suinuse, is described as a scene of vegetable pomp and
splendor, which can be witnessed in no other part of the world.

On the 28th of November the expedition succeeiled, after some diffi-
culty, in establishing an intercourse with the Dinkas and Shillooks, wlio
inhabited the opposite banks of tiie river. The latter in consideration
of some colored glass-beads, furnished a number of oxen for provisions.
Dr. Knoblecher described their running, when they drove the cuttle
together, as resembling that of the ga/clle ; they leap high into the air,
drawing up their long k'gs as they rise, and clear the grou'id at a most
astonishing speed. The next tlay the vessels reached a !;> n town
called Vav, where the j)eople received tiiem without the leawc appear-
ance of fear, and brought quantities of elephants' tusks to trade for
beads. Herds of wild ele{)hants and giraffes were now frecjuently seen
on the banks of the river, ami the former sometimes threw up their
trunks and spirted water into the air when they saw the vessels. K um-
bers of Avhite herons were j»erched composedly upon their backs and
heads. The giraffes, as they gazid with wonder at the fleet, lifted tin ir
heads quite above the t()ps of the mimosa-trees. On the '2d of Decen,
ber, the expedition jtassed the mouth of the Sobat River,

From latitude 9^ 2(5' to G ' 50' north th^^re is a complete rhain^e in
the scenery. Tlie magnificent forests disaj>pear, and (he shores heconic
marshy and unhealthy, covered with tall grass, whose prickly i^iiilks
render landing ditticult, and embarrass the navigation of the kIijiIIow.-:.
The air is lieavy with noxious miasmas and filled with countli ss swanns
of gnats and mosquitoes. The water of tlu; river is paitially stagnant,
and green with vegetoble matter, occasioning serious disorders to those
who drink it. J)r. Knoblecher clarified it by means of aliun, and escaped
witli a sore mouth. In order to sleep, however, he was obliged to wear
thick gloves and muflie up his face, almost to suftocation. The Jiahr
el-Ohazdl, or Gazelle Lake, lies in latitude 9° 16' north. It is thus
named from the (xazelle River, wliieh flows into it on the western Me,
and which has never yet been explored. Its depth is al>out uUm fett,

INTERCOURSE WITH THE NATIVE TRIBES. 645

but the reeds and water-planta vnth which it is filled reach to i\e sur-
face, and render the navigation difficult. Its shores are inhal d by
the Nuehr negroes, a stupid, Imbruted race, many of whom are fre-
quently carried off by the traders and sold as slaves. For this reason it
is ncv very difficult to procure elephants' teeth from them.

Afler leaving the Gazelle Lake, the course of the White Nile be-
comes exceedingly tortuous, and its current sluggish. Innumerable
estuaries, or blind channels, which lose themselves among the reeds,
perplexed the pilots, and delayed the progress of the expedition. The
land of the Kyks succeeded to that of the Nuehrs, which terminated
about the eighth parallel of latitude. The former are a race of herds-
men, who have great numbers of cattle and sheep. Dr. Knoblecher
found them exceedingly shy, on account of the threats of one of their
hogiurSy or soothsayers, who had warned them against holclug any
intercourse with the traders. On the 2 2d of December they reached
the village of Angwen, where the king of the Kyks resided. The
monarch received t'hom with groat kindness, and paid distinguished
homage to Padre Angclo Vinco, Dr. Knoblecher's companion, whom,
on account of his spcctaclps and gray beard, he took to be a magician.
He begged the Padre to grant him four favors, viz. : abundance of
children ; the death of the enemy who had slain his father; victory in
all his fi'^hts, and a cure for the wound in his head. The latter gift
was easily bestowed, by means of a plaster, but he was not satisfied
until an image of th(^ Virgin had been hung around his neck.

South of the Kyks dwell the Klliabs, who are less timid than the
southern tribes, because thoy come less frequently into contact with the
traders. In their coi'ntry the White Nile divides into two branches,
and here the expedition separated, each division taking a different chan-
nel. The water wu3 so Ioav that the vessels stuck fast in the mud, })nt
were relieved by the friendly natives, who dragged them through the
shallows by means of long tow-ropes. For this service they were ^^aid
m glass-beads. The further the vessels went into regions v/here inter-
course with the Egyptian traders is rare, and therefore fewer outrages
are perpetrated, the more friendly, confiding, and unconcerned was the
behavior of the natives.

On the 3Ist of December the expedition reached the coimtry of the
Zhirs. The jieople came down to the water's edge to greet them, the
women clapping their hands and singing a song of welcome. On the
2d of January, 1850, Dr. Knoblecher saw in the south-east the granite
mountain of Nierkanyi, which lies in the Bari country, in about the fifth
degree of north latitude. It was the first elevation he had seen since
leaving Djebel Deflifangli, in the country of the Dink.as, in latitude 10°
35'. All the intervening space is a vast savannah, ir/lersitersed with
reedy swamps of stagnant water. The Zhirs own nur.ieroiis flocks and
herd* and cultivate large fields of sesame and dourrn Tliey are very
superior to the Nuehrs and Kyks in stature, symmei'-y of fi)rtn, and

646

EXPLORATIONS OK T 11 li WlllTK NILK.

tlu'ir nianiKM' towunl strmi^tTs. In all tlu^so tribes, tho iiion go entirely
naked, wliilo tliti women wear a narrow ginlle of 8luH'|)-Hkin around the
loins. Dr. Knobliurher, li()wev('r, conlirnied tlie statement ot'Werno as
to tlio modesty of their demeanor and the evident morality of their
domestic life.

Alter leavinj^ thi^ Zhirs the expedition entered the country of the
IJaris, and on the 14th of January reached the rapids of the White Nile,
at the island of Tsanker, in 4" 40' north. This was the furthest j»oiht
reached by all previous expeditions, as they foimd it inipossiblu to ad-
vance further with their vessels. The Mubian pilot, Suleynian Abou-
Zeid, determined to nuike the attempt, and on the following day, aided
by a strong north win»l, stemmed the rapi«l and reached the broad, lake-
like expanse of river above it. Oontinuing his voyage, Dr. Knoblecher
sailecl sixteen miles further, to the IJari village of Tokiman. The country
was exceedingly rich and beautiful, abounding in trees, and densely
peopled. The current of the riv«r w:i8 more rapid, its waters jmrer, and
the air seemed to havu entirely lost the depressing miasmatic exhalations
of the regions fuither north. The inhabitants of Tokiman showed great
astomshment at the sight of the vessels and their white occupants.
Nothing, however, afteetcd iheni so much as the tones of a harmonica,
l)layed by Dr. Knoblecher. Many of the people shed tears of delight,
and the chief olVered the sovereignty of his tribe in exchange for the
wonderful instrument.

On the 10th, the expedition reached the village of Logwek, which
takes its ii;ime from a solitary granite peak, about six hundred feet high,
which st.inds on the lell bank of the Nile. It is in latitude 4" 10' north,
and this is the most southern point which has yet been reiiched on tlio
White Nile. Dr. Knoblecher ascended the mountain, which connnandcd
a view of almost the entire IJari country. Toward tho south-west the
river wound out of sight between the mountains Uego and Kidi, near
which is the mountain of Kereg, containing rich iron mines which arc
worked by the natives. Toward the south, on tho very verge of the
horizon, rf)S(! a long range of liills, whose Ibrms could not be observed
with exa(!ln»ss, owing to tho great distance, lieyond the Logwaya
range, which apjtcared in the east, dwell the IJerri tribes, whoso language
is distinct from the liaris, and who are neighbors of the CJallas — that
M arlike race, whose domain extends from Abyssinia to the wilds of Mo-
zand)i(}ue, along tho great central plateau of Uniamesi. The natives of
Logwek knew nothing whatcer of the country to the south. The fur-
thest mountain-range was probably under tlio parallel of latitude 3'
north, so that tho White N lo lias now been traced nearly to the cjuator.
At Logwek, it -■.•.•><« about six hundred and fifty feet wide, and from five
to eight feet deep, ,it the time of Dr. Knoblecher's visit, which was dur-
ing tho dry season. Such an abimdance of water allows us to estimate
with tolerable certainty the distance to its uuknowu Buurces, wliicli
must undorbtedly lie beyond tho equator.

SOURCE OF THK WHITE NILE.

647

Tlio proat snow innuntalii of Kirnnandjuro, ilisoovorod in 1850 hy
Dr. Krapf, the (loniiaii missionary, on his journey inland from Momlcis,
on Iho coast of Zanzibar, has hocn located hy j^eof^raphers in latitii(l(> :<"
Houth. It is theretl)ro most probable that the sourco of the White Nile
will bo foinid in the ranj^o of mountains, of which Kiliinamljaro is tho
prowning apex". The f^t'ograjtluT Her;^haus, in a lonj? and la)>ored arti-
cle, endeavors to prove that the (Jazellu River is the tru«' Nih', and
makes it risi; in tlie peat lake N'Yassi, in latitude I'A" south. Dr. Knob-
lecher, however, who e,\amincd the Hahr cMJIiazul at its mouth, says it
is an unimportant stream, with a sciareely perceptible^ current. IFc! con-
siders the White Nile as bein{», beyond all qtiestion, the true river. He
also states that, while at Logwek, some of the natives spoke of people
white like himself, who lived far toward the south.

Tho shortness of ])r. KnoMeciher's stay among tho Baris did not per-
mit hiui to obtain mucli in*()rmation concerning them. They iippi-anul
to be Avors'iipers of tnM's, like the Dinkas and Shillooks, but to havi! a
glimmering ide .. of tho future existence of the soul. They are brave and
fearless in tin n* <h;meanor, yet tiheerful, good-natured, and affectionate
towanl «'ach other. Werne frequently observed the men walking along
the shore with their arms around each other's necks. They are i-ven
more colossal in their stature tlum tlie Shillooks, many of them reiiching
a height of seven feet. Their forms are well-knit, symmetrical, and in-
dicate great strength and activity. In smelting and working up the iron
or(^ of ]Monnt Kereg they show a remarkable skill. Many of th(( spears
in Dr. Knoblecher's possession are as elegantly formed and as admirably
tempered as if they had come from the hands of a European blacksmith.
They also have war-(!lnbs of ebony, wliich are nearly as hai<l and lieavy
as iron. Onc! end is of a sloping, oval f()rm, .and the other shurp, and
tlioy ani said to throw tliem a distance of fifty or a hundred yanls with
such precision that tlu; sharp point strikes fu'St, and the elub passes
through th(! body like a lance.

On the 1 7th of January the expedition left Logwck on its return to
Khartoum, the traders having procunsd all the ivory whicli the nativi's
had colle(^ted since the previous yonr. Tlu! missionaries were prevented
from accomplishing tlieir object by the jealousy of the traders, wlio per-
Huaded the IJari (ihiefs that they were niagicians, and that if tliey were
allowed to remain, tliey would bewitch tho country, [)rcvont tlu- rains
from falling, and destroy tlie crops of dourra. In consequence of these
reports the chiefs and i)eople, who had licen on tho most friendly terms
with Dr. Knoblecher and Padre Angclo, suddenly became shy and sus-
picious, and refused to allow the latter to take up their rcsl !t>i!( e among
them. Tho design of the mission was thus frustrated, an(t the vicar
returned with the expedition to Khartoum.

The pictures w)ii(;h these recent explorations presen;, to us, add to
the stately and sublime associations with which the Nile is invested, and
that miraculous flood will lose nothing of his interest when the mystery
which vails hh origin shall be finally dispelled.

was

MAJOR HARRIS'S

MISSION TO SHOA.

In the beginning of the year 1841, the government of the East India
Company determined to send a mission to the kingdom of Shoa, in South-
em Abyssinia, for the purpose of making a commercial treaty with Sahela
Selassie, the monarch of that country. With the exception of Drs. Krapf
and Isenberg, German missionaries, the former of whom was then resid-
ing at Aiikober, the capital of Shoa, the country had not been visited by
Europeans for nearly two centuries. The nearest point of access by sea
was the port of Tajura, in the country of the Danakil, a short distance
west of the Straits of Babelmandeb, and thither the mission was directed
to proceed. The command was given to Major \V. Cornwallis Harris,
of the Bombay Engineers, assisted by Captain Douglas Graham ; the
othor persons attached t> it were Drs. Kirk and Impey, surgeons;
Lieutenants Horton and Barker ; Dr. Roth, natural historian ; Messrs.
Bernatz and Scott, arti-vts; two sergeants, fifteen privates, and five
other assistants.

The members of the embassy left Bombay toward the close of April
in the steamer Auckland, and were conveyed to Aden, whence they
shipped for Tajura in the brig-of-war Euphrates, on the 15th of May.
Dawn of the 17th revealed the town of Tajura, not a mile distant, on
the verge of a broad expanse of blue water, over which a gossamer-like
fleet of fishing catamarans already plied their busy craft. The tales of
the dreary Tehama, of the suffocating .Shimal, and of the desolate plains
of the blood-thirsty Adaiel, were for thv^ moment forgotten. The bold
gray mountains filled up the landscape, and, rising tier above tier,
through coral limestone and basaltic trap, to the majestic Jebel Goodah,
towering five thousand feet above the ocean, were enveloped in dirty
red clouds, which imparted a wintry tone to the entire landscape.
Verdant clumps of date and palm-trees embosomed the only well of
fresh water, around which numerous Bedouin females wore drawing
their daily supply of the precious fluid.

The next day the members of the embassy lauded, with their horses,

■ I iiLiit ,uMi.-pi i<ip«p muu

650

MAJOR HARRIS'S MISSION TO SHOA.

baggage, presents, and merchandise. In a spacious crimson pavilion
«rectcd as a hall of audience, Major Harris received a nsit of ceremony
from the sultan and his principal chiefs. " A more un, irincely object "
says ho, " can scarcely be conceived than was presented in the imbecile
attenuated, and ghastly form of this most meager potei itate, who, as he
tottered into the marquee, supported by a long vitch-'iko wand, tend-
ered his hideous bony claws to each of the party in sut i!ession, with all
the repulsive coldness that characterizes a Dankal. sha :e of the hand.
Ilis decrepit frame was enveloped in a coarse cotton mantle, which, with
a Mue cheeked wrapper about his loins, and an ample turban perched
on the very apex of his shaven crown, was admirably in liarmony with
the dirt that pervaded the attire of his i)rivy council and attendants.

" The ashes of ancient feuds were still smoking on the arrival of the
British ; and although I endeavored to impress the minds of all parties
with the idea that the amount disbursed at the time of our departure
for Shoa, would bo diminished in the exact ratio of the delay that wc
experienced — and although, to judge from the surface, affairs looked
prosperous enough toward the speedy completion of carriage, yet there
was ever an adverse under-c ^rrent setting ; and the apathy of the savage
outweighed even his avarice. Thus for a weary fortnight we were
doomed to endure the merciless heat of the Tajura sun, whose tardy de-
parture was followed by a close, muggy atmosphere, only occasionally
alleviated by the bu" sting of a thunder-storm over the peak of Jebel
Goodah. Perpetually deceived by the falsest promises, it was yet im-
possible to discover where to lay the blame. Bribes were lavished, in-
creased hire acceded to, and camels repeatedly brought into the town ;
but day after day found us again dupes to Danakil knavery, still seated
like shipwrecked marmers upon the shore, gazing in helpless melancholy
at cndlc-iis bales which strewed the strand, as If washed up by the waves
of the fickle ocean."

Finally, after a series of most provoking delays, the necessary num-
ber of camels was procured, the sultan's brother appointed to accom-
pai>y the mission to Ankober, and the march was commenced on the
30th of May. On reaching the village of Ambabo, however, a few miles
from Tajura, another delay of three or four days took place, and noth-
ing but the presence of the war-schooner Constance, which was ordered
to follow the march of the embassy along the coast, as far as the head
of the Gulf, prevented the chiefs from committing further extortions.
These delays obliged them to traverse the desert of Tehama at the hot-
test season of the year. On the night of the 3d of June they started
again, traveling westward over the loose rocks of the sea-shore, until
they reached the extremity of the gulf, when their path led up the
steep sides of the barren hills to the table-land of Warelissan. Dawn
disclosed the artillery mules in such wretched plight from their fatiguing
night's labor, that it was found necessary to unlimber the gun, and place
it with its carriage on the back of an Eesah camel of Herculean

FEARFUL SUFFERINGS OF THE PARTY.

651

gtrength, and altliougli little pleased during the loading, the animal
arose without ditticulty, and moved freely along with its novel burden.

They spent the day on the scorching tal>le-land, one thousand seven
hundred feet above the sea, and having purchased with some cloth the
good will of the wild Bedouin tribes, who had mustered to attack them,
set out the next night, at moonrise, down the yawning pass of llah
Ecsah, which leads to the salt lake of Assiil. It was a bright and cloud-
less night, and the scenery, as viewed by the uncertain moonlight, cast
at intervals in the winduigs of the road upon the glittering spear-blades
of the warriors, was wild and tcrrillo. The frowning basaltic clitfs, not
three hundred yards front summit to summit, Hung an impenetrable
gloom over the greater portion of the frightful chasm, until, as the moou
rose higher in the clear vault of heaven, she shone full upon huge shad-
owy masses, and gradually revealed the now «lry bed, which in the rainy
season must oftentimes become a brief but impetuous torrent. Skirting
the base of a barren range, covered with heaps of lava blocks, and its
foot oraamented with many ai.ificial jjiles, marking deeds of blood, the
lofty ^jonical peak of Jebel Seearo rose presently to eight, and not long
afterward the far-famed Lake Assal, surrounded by dancing mirage, was
seeri sparkling at its base.

" In this xmventilated and diabolical hollow," says the narrative,
" dreadful indeed were the sufferings in store both for man and beast.
Not li drop of fresh water existed within many miles ; and, although
every human precaution had been taken to secure a supply, by means of
skins carried upon camels, the very great extent of most impracticable
country to be traversed, which had unavoidably led to the detention of
nearly all, added to the difficulty of rcjitraining a multitude maddened
by the tortures of burning thirst, rendered the provision quite insuffi-
cient ; and during the whole of this apiialling day, with the mercury in
the thermometer standing at one hundred ami twenty-six degrees under
the shade of cloaks and umbrellas, in a suffocating Pandemonium, de-
pressed five hundred and seventy feet below the ocean, where no zephyr
fanned the fevered skin, and where the glare, arising from the sea of
white salt, was most painful to the eyes ; where the furnace-like vapor
exhaled, almost choking respiration, created an indomitable thirst, and
not the smallest shelter existed, save such as was afforded, in cruel mock-
ery, by the stunted boughs of the solitary leafless acacia, or, worse still,
by black blocks of heated lava, it was only practicable, during twelve
tedious hours, to supply to each of the party two quarts of the most me-
phitic brickdust-colored fluid, which the direst necessity could alone
have forced down the parched throat, and which, aftier all, far from alle-
viating thirst, served materially to augment its horrors."

The sufferings of tho party were so terrible, that they were obliged
j to leave the baggage to the care of the guides and camel-drivere, and
I push on to the ravine of Goongoonteh, beyond the desert, where iiiore
I was a spring of water. All the Europeans, therefore, set out at midnight,

652

MAJOR HARRIS'S MISSION TO SIIOA.

but at the very moment of starting, tho camol carrying the watcr-sliins
fell, btUHt tlio skins, and lost tho last remaining supply. '• Tho horrors
of th.'it dismal night," says ]\[ajor Harris, " sot the efforts of description
nt defiance. An iinliinitod supply of water in prospect, at tho distance
of only sixteen miles, had for the moment buoyed up the drooping spirit
Avliich tenanted each way-worn frame ; and when an exhausted mule was
unable to totter further, his rider contrived manfully to breast the steep
hill on foot. But owing to the long fasting and privation endured by all,
the limbs of the weaker soon refused tho task, and after the first two
miles, they dropped fast in tho rear.

" Fanned by the fiery blast of tho midnight sirocco, the cry for water
uttered feebly and with difficulty, by numbers of i)archod throats, n(jw
became incessant ; and tho supply of that precious clement brought for
tho whole party falling short of one gallon and a half, it was not long to
bo answered. A sip of diluted vinegar for a moment assuaging the burn-
ing thirst which raged in tho vitals, again raised their drooping souls ■
but its effects were transient, and after struggling a few steps, over-
whelmed, they sunk again, with husky voice declaring their days to be
numbered, and their resolution to rise no more." One of tho guides
pushed forward, and after a time returned Avith a single skin of muddy
water, which he had forcibly taken from a Bedouin. This supply saved
the lives of many of tho party, who had fallen fainting on the sands, and
by simriso they all reached tlio little rill of Goongoonteh.

Here terminated tho dreary passage of the dire Tehama — an iron-
bound waste, which, at this inausjtieious season of the year, opposes diffi-
culties almost overwhelming in the path of tho traveler. Setting aside
the total absence of water and forage throughout a burning tract of fifty
miles — its manifold intricate mountain passes, barely wide enough *o ad-
mit tho transit of a loaded camel, the bitter animosity of the wild blood-
thirsty tribes by which they arc infested, and the uniform badness of the
road, if road it maybe termed, everywhere beset with tho jagged blocks
of lava, and intersected by perilous acclivities and descents — it is no ex-
aggeration to state, that tho stifling sirocco which sweeps across the un-
wholesome salt flat during the hotter months of the year, could not fail,
within eight and forty hours, to destroy the hardiest European adven-
turer.

The ravine in which they were encamped was the scene of a terrible
tragedy on the following night. Favored by the obscurity of the place,
some marauding Bedouins succeeded in stealing past the sentries; a
wild cry aroused tho camp, and as the frightened men ran to the spot
whence it proceeded, Sergeant Walpole and Corporal Wilson were dis-
covered, in the last agonies of death. One had been struck with a creese
in tho carotid artery immediately below the ear, and the other stabbed
through the heart ; while speechless beside their mangled bodies was
stretched a Portuguese follower, with a frightful gash across the ab-
domen. No attempt to plunder appeared as an excuse for tho outrage,

THE CHIEF OP THE DEBKNI.

658

and the only object doubtless wtis tlio acquisition of that barbiirous
estimation and distinction which is to bo arrived at through deeds of
assassination ami blood. For every victim, sleeping or waking, that
falls under the murderous knife of one of these fiends, he is entitled to
display a white ostrich-plume in his woolly hair, to wear on the arm an
additional bracelet of copper, and to adorn the hilt of his reeking creese
with yet another stud of silver or pewter. Krc the day dawned the
mangled bodies of the dead, now stiff and stark, were consigned by
their sorrowing comrades to rude but compact receptacles — untimely
tombs constructed by the native escort, who had voluntarily addressed
themselves to the task.

Nine miles of gradual ascer>t next day, brought the caravan safely to
the cncampuig ground at the head of the strcani — a swamp surrounded
by waving jialms and verdant rushes, on a high table-land, atVording
abundance of green forage to the famished cattle. The next night
they made sixteen miles, and on the forenoon of the 12th, reached the
village of Suggadera, in the country of the Danakil Debeni — the first
habitations they had seen since leaving the sea-coast, ninety miles dis-
tant. The banks of the shallow stream ut this place were fringed with
dwarfpalms, and drooping tamarisks. Flocks of goats, diligently
browsing on the livt pods which fiiU at this season from the acacin,
were tended by Uedouin crones in greasy leathern j)ettic()ats, who
plaited mats of the split date-leaf; while groujis of men, Avomen, and
children, lining the eminences at every turn, watched the progress of
the stranger jtarty.

Jou"neying forward over waste and dreary plains, crossed here ami
there by almost exhausted water-courses, they reached on the 15th, the
inclosed valley of Gobaad, one thousand and fifly-seven feet above
the sea. Hearing that Makobunto, Chief of the Debeni Arabs, was in
the neighborhood. Major Harris sent a messenger to him demanding an
interview, which took place on the following day. " Attended by m
numerous and disreputable retinue, dragging as a gift an obstinate olii
ho-goat, the potent savage sauntered carelessly into our camp during
/the early hours of the forenoon. Not one whit better clad than tlu'
ragged and greasy ruffians in his train, he was yet distinguished by
weapons of a superior order — the shaft of his spear, which resembled a
weaver's beam, being mounted below the broad glittering blade with
rings of brass and co])pcr, while the liilt and scabbard of a truly for-
midable creese Avere embellished in like ostentatious fashion. Tlie
wearer's haughty air, and look of wild determination, were well in
unison with the reputation he had acquired as a warrior chief. Long
raven locks floated like eagles' feathers over a bony and stalwart frante.
A pair of large sinewy arms, terminated in fingers tii)ped with nails
a! .a to birds' claws, and the general form and figure of the puissant
M kobdnto brought forcibly to mind the Ogre in the nursery tale.

" This had been a day of feasting and carousal ; for both Izhdk, and

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WEBSTER, N.Y. 14>80

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654

MAJOR HARRIS'S MISSION TO SHOA.

the son of the Rookliba chief had likewise received sheep, and the
slaughter of each had been followed by a general tussel for the pos-
session of the caul. For the purpose of larding the head this is a
prize infinitely preferred even to the tail, which appendage in the Adel
sheep is so copiously furnished, that the animal is said to be capable of
subsisting an entire year upon the absorption of its own fat, without
tastin<if water. It was truly delightful to witness the process of hair-
dressing at the hands of the Danakil barber. The fat having been
melted down in a wooden bowl, the operator, removing his quid, and
placing it in a secure position behind the left ear, proceeded to suck up
copious mouthfuls of the liquid, which were then sputtered over the
frizzled wig of a comrade, who, with mantle drawn before his eyes to
exclude stray portions of tallow, remained squatted on his haunches,
the very picture of patience. The bowl exhausted, the operator care-
fully collects the suet that has so creamed around his chaps as to render
him inarticulate ; and having duly STneared the same over the filthy
garment of him to whom it in equity belongs, proceeds, with a skewer,
to put the last finishing touch to his work, which, as the lard con-
geals, gradually assumes the desired aspect of a fine full-blown cauli-
flower."*

A WANDERIKO AFRICAN TRIBE.

The next march led over the high table-land of Hood Ali, a stony
level thickly studded with dry grass, and extending in one monotonous
plateau as far as the eye could reach. The fetid carrion-flower here pre-

* Tliis original stylo of hair-dressing is practiced also among tho Ababdehs, the
Bisharees, and, in fact, all tho native tribes of tho Nubian Desert and of SennaSr.
Though absurd and disgusting in appearanco, it is doubtless a useful protection to the
head, as these racea wear no turban or any other covering.

INSOLENCE OP THE NATIVES.

655

sented its -globular purple blossoma among the crevices, and a singular
medicinal plant, termed Lab-lubba, was detected by the keen eye of a
savage. The usual encamping ground at Arabdera was found to be
pre-occupied by a nomad tribe of Bedouin goat-herds, who monopo-
lized the scanty water. For several days afterward, the character of the
journey did not materially vary. The table-land gradually ascended,
and the peaks of distant mountains appeared on the horizon. The em-
bassy frequently met with companies of the Avandering tribes, moving
from one watering-place to another, with their goats and camels. At-
tempts were made to steal the horses, and the travelers were annoyed
by the impudent curiosity of the natives ; but they kept a strict watch,
and were not threatened with open hostility.

On the 23d they reached the Wady Killulloo, which is considered
exactly half-way from the sea-coast to the frontier of Shoa. The worst
portion of the road was now behind them, but they were destined to
waste manj' days in that vile spot, in annoying debates and discussions,
which at one time caused them to fear that their only chance of pro-
cecding would be to abandon all their baggage. Izhak, the brother of
the Sultan of Tajura, the chief of the Hy Somauli tribe, and the chief
of the Woemas, all disputed which should have the management of the
expedition. The opportUi^ity was also taken of arbitrating old feuds
and private quarrels : a vast concourse of armed natives, members of
the various tribes, sat day and night in a wide circle, loudly discussing
the various questions brought before them. " Throughout this period
of irksome detention," says Major Harris, '' the thermometer stood daily
at 112°, and the temperature of the small tent, already sufficiently op.
pressive, was considerably raised by the unceasing obtrusions of the
wild, dirty, unmannerly rabble who filled the ravine. Imperiously de-
manding, not suing, for snuff, beads, and tobacco, with paper whereon
to write charms and spells for defense against evil spirits, swarms forced
themselves in from the first dawn of day to the mountuig of the guard
at night. Treating the pale-faced proprietors with the most marked in-
sult and contumely, they spat upon the beds, excluded both air and light,
and tainted the already close atmosphere Avith every abominable smell."

At length, on the 28th, it was announced that every point at issue
had been satisflictorily arranged, and the journey was to be resumed on
the morrow. But other difficulties arose, and meanwhile the ruffians
endeavored to plunder the camp of the embassy by night, and vented
their spite in throwing stones at the sentries. On the 30th, after a
week's delay, they got off and soon afterward met a messenger who
had been sent forward from Tajura, with a letter to King Sihela Selassie,
requesting assistance on the road. He brought a note from Dr. Krapf
to Major Harris, but merely assurances of Avelcome from the king, who
was absent from his capital on a military expedition. The rainy season
had now fairly set in, and it was believed that the pools along the road
would furnish a sufficient supply for the caravan. Their course lay over

656

MAJOR HARRIS'S MISSION TO SHOA.

the extcnHivo plain of Merihiin, along the base of the grass-clad Bun-
doora Hills. Water, however, was not so plenty as tliey had anticipated
and they suflered great distress on the plain of Sultelli, from which they
were providentially relieved by a heavy fall of rain at night.

" Singular and interesting indeed," remarks Major Harris, " is the
wild scenery in the vicinity of the treacherous oasis of Sultelli. A
field of extinct volcanic cones, encircled each by a black belt of vitrified
lava, environs it on three sides ; and of these Mount Abida, three thou-
sand feet in height, would seem to be tlie parent, its yawning cup, en-
veloped in clouds, strctchuig some two and a half miles in diameter.
Beyond, the still loftier crater of Aiiilloo, the ancient landmark of the
now decayed empire of Ethiopia, is visible hi dim perspective ; and iu
the extreme distance, the great blue Abyssinian range, toward which
our toil-worn steps were directed, arose in towering grandeur to the
skies."

On the 9th of July, they left these waste volcanic plains, and passuig
over a narrow ridge of land, descended into the valley of Ilalik-diggi
Zughir, styled by the Adaiel the great Ilawash — its breadth being about
two and a half miles, and the bed a perfect level, covered with line grass
on which grazed a troop of wild asses. Mules, horses, and camels, in
considerable uiunbers, Avcre abandoned before the termination of this
tedious and sultry march — fatigue, want of water, and lack of forage,
liavhig reduced all to such positive skeletons, that they walked with dil-
ficulty. Ascending three successive terraces, each of liftyfeet elevation,
the road finally wound into the confined and waterless valley of Ildo,
famous for the number of parties that have at various times been sur-
prised and cut up by the neighboring Galla.

From the sunnnit of the lieight they obtahicd an exhilarating pros-
pect over the dark lone valley of the long-looked-for Hawash. The
course of tho shining river was marked by a dense belt of trees and
verdure, which stretched toward the base of the great mountain range,
Avhereof the cloud-capped cone that frowns over the capital of Shoa
formed the most conspicuous feature. Although still far distant, the
ultimate destination of the emb.assy seemed almost to have been gained;
and they had little idea of the length of tune that would elapse before
their feet should press the soil of Ankober. ;

The Ilawash, here upward of two thousand two hundred feet above
the ocean, forms in this direction the nominal boundary of the domm-
ions of the King of Shoa. It was about sixty yards wide, but swollen
from the recent rains, and the current had a velocity of three miles an
hour. With the dawning day, preparations were commenced for cross-
ing the river on ten frail rafts which had already been launched — trans-
verse layers of drift-wood rudely lashed together, being rendered suffi-
ciently buoyant, by the addition of numerous inflated hides and water-
skins, to support two camel loads. This was the handiwork of the
Danakil ; and their sharp creeses soon clearing a passage through the

THE MOUNTAINS OP SHOA.

657

jungle, every portion of the baggage was in the course of a few hours
dcpoHitcd at the r. ater's edge.

The passage of the river was safely accomplished, and the mission
proceeded to Wady Azboti, where they were visited by a spy from the
capital. From their camp the lofty peak of Mamrat, the " Mother of
drace," was plainly visible, and they saw the distant glimmer of Anko-
ber, on the mountain-side. The next day they commenced ascending
the hills, " Three thoiisand feet above the ocean, with an invigorating
breeze and a cloudy sky, the climate of this principal pass into Southern
Abyssinia was that of a fine summer's day in England, rather than of
the middle of July between the tropics. But from the summit of an
adjacent basaltic knoll, which we ascended toward the close of day,
there burst upon our gaze a magnificent prospect of the Abyssinian
Alps. Hill rose above hill, clothed in the most luxurious and vigorous
vegetation ; moimtain towered over mountain ; and the hail-elad peaks
of the most remote range stretched far into the cold blue sky. Villages,
dark groves of evergreens, and rich fields of every hue, checkered the
broad valley ; and the setting sun shot a stream of golden light over the
mingled beauties of wild woodland scenery, and the labors of the Chris-
tian husbandman."

They were now fairly within the dominions of Sahela Selassie, and
were surprised that no escort arrived to welcome them. A letter ar-
rived from Dr. Krapf, however, stating that this was owing to the jeal-
ousy of the Moslem governor of Farri, the frontier town, who had sent
the escort back under the false pretense that the Franks had not been
heard of. The next day Dr. Krapf himself arrived, and was able to
afford them great assistance, by his intimate acquaintance wit!, the lan-
guage. The king also sent a message inquiring after their health, and
they were abundantly supplied with beef, sheep, bread, beer, and hydro-
mel. The expected escort at length made its rppearance, and the em-
bassy was conducted forward with something of the pomp and state
which its leader seemed to think was required by its character.

He gives the following accotmt of the final ascent to the elevated
mountain region in which Ankober is situated : " Loaded for the thirty-
fifth and last time with the baggage of the British embassy, vhe caravan,
escorted by the detachment of Ayto Katama, with flutes playin;* and
muskets echoing, and the heads of the warriors decorated -.vith »'hite
plumes, in earnest of their bold exploits during the late expedition, ad-
vanced, on the afternoon of the 16th of July, to Farri, the frontier town
of the kingdom of Efat. It was a cool and lovely morning, and a fresh
invigorating breeze played ovei the mountain-side, on which, though
less than ten degrees removed from the equator, flourished the vegeta-
tion of northern climes. The rough and stony road wound on by a
steep ascent over hill and dale — now skirting the extreme verge of a
precipitous cliflP— now dipping into the basin of some verdant hollow,
whence, after traversing the pebbly course of a murmuring brook, it

658

MAJOR nARRTS'S MISSION TO 8II0A.

Audddnly ctnorpjpd into n HU(ioo«sion of slindy Iam>rt, bounded by flower-
ing lu«dj^»'-r«)WH. Tlio wild riwc, tim fern, the tantunn, and the honoy.
BUflkI(>, Hiniliid iiruund u Huoct^sHion of highly cultivulcd turriuics, Into
which tho entire range wiis broken by biinkH supitorting the soil ; and
on every eminence stood a clusttir of eonieally-thatehed h<ms((H, envi-
roned by green hedgt!H, and i)arti!illy embowered amid dark trees. As
the troops jwissed on, the peasant abandoned liis occupation in the field
to gaze at the novel procession ; while merry groups of hooded women
<h'tfked in scarlet and crimson, attracted by the renewal of martial
strains, letl their avocations in the hut to w<>leomo the king's guests
with a slirill zuyhnreet^ which rang from every liamlet.

" Lastly, the viewopemul upon the wooded site of Ankober, occupy-
ing a central position in a horso-shoo crescent of mountains, still liigh
uoove,wl»ii!h inclose a magnifuHMit amphitheater of ten miles indianietor.
This is clothed throughout with n s|)lendidly varied and vigorous v(!g(h
tation, and choked by minor abutments, converging toward its gorge
on the confmes of the Adel plains. Here the journcty was for the pres-
ent to terminate, and, thanks to Abyssinian jealousy and suspicion, many
days were yet to elapso ore tlie nMuaining height should be climbed to
the capital of Shoa, now distant only two hours' walk."

The mission had enemies at court, and was detained day .iflcr day,
waiting for permission to visit the king at Ank«'iber. Kemonstraiices
sent to him were answered by pitlite promises, which were not fulliiled,
mid the monarch appeanul (juile indiflerent to beliold the splendid pres-
ents tlu^y had brought liim. The most probable explanation of his con-
duet was, that he desired to maintain a due respect in tlie (!ycs of liis
subjects, and perhaps also to impress his foreign visitors with a belitting
sense of his power and importance. While they were passing tlie weary
days in tlu' little market-town of Alio Amba, robberies became freciueiit,
and a thief-eateher was sent for by some of the inhabitants. Major Har-
ris gives the following curious account of the operations of the detective
police at Shoa : " A ring having been formed in the market-place by the
cTowded spectators, the diviner introduced his accomplice, a stolid-loel;.
ing lad, who seated himself upon a bullock's liide with an air of deep
resignation. An intoxicating drug was, under many incantations, ex-
tracted from a mysterious leathern scrip, and thrown into a horn filled
with new milk; and this potation, aided by several hurried uihalations
of a certain narcotic, l»ad the instantaneous effect of rendering the vm\>
lent stupidly frantic. Springing upon his feet, he dashed, foaming at the
mouth, among the rabble, and without any respect to age or sex, dealt
vigorously about him, until at length ho was secured by a cord about
the loins, when he dragged his master round and round from street to
street, snuflling through the nose like a bear, in the dark recesses of
every house, and leaving unscrutinized no hole or corner.

" After 8craj)ing for a considerable time with his nails under the found-
ation of a hut, wherein he suspected the delinquent to lurk, the impen-

KINO SAIIhLA HKLAHSIH,

or>9

tonnl, Hpianj^ upon thci back of (Jus propriotor, and Ixx-iiinc totally inM((tiH-
ililc. TIk! man was foi-lhwilh urraigiKMl hffoio a trilituial of jiiHti(M>, at
wliifl* Ayto KiitaniaVVork pruHidt'd ; and altlioiif^h nocvidtMuro cor' I \tr,
uitiliu'cd, and lio Hworo nipcatiMlly to Iiih iinioccniut hy tlit! lilii t. tlio
king, li«! wart m!nlt'n<'.od by tin; just jndf^crt to pay forty pi('(;cM ol ilt.
Tliirt lino waH exactly double tin; untount ullugcd to havo bttcn
Htolcn."

After a fortniglit's utuu^rtainty, ncwH came that the king had taken
up liis i'e.sid(>n<^e in the neighboring palaco of Maehal-wanH, and that hit
would ree(!ive the embassy on the following Monday. Major Harris ap-
])li(>d for permission to fn'(! a Hahit(! of tw«!nty-one guns; )>ut the most
extravagant n^torts were in eiriMilation relative to tint powctrs of the ord-
nance imported, the nusre r»'port of which was Ix^licived suilicient to set
lire to tint earth, to Hhiv<u' rocks, and dismantle mountain liistnesses.
Mv.i\ were said to have arrived with " i-opper higs," whose duty it waH
to serve these tremendous and tiirrible engin(!s; and thuH, in alarm for
tlic safety of Ins pala(H<, capital, and treasures, the; HUS|)icious monarch
still peremptorily insisted upon witldiolding the desired license.

Still another rcmonstran(!o was ne(H!ssary before the king would eon-
H(int to bo Huluted, or to njceive them. The nu)rrow was at last aj)-
|i(iiiitcd, and the oflicerH, mounted on horHeback, in full-dress uniform,
rode up the hill to the palace, while the gun which they had Itrought
with so nuich difliculty, bellowe*! its salutation to tlu^ opposite hills,
''.lusi as the last peal of ordnance was rattling in broken echoes along
the mountain chain," says Major Harris, "we Btepped over the high
threshold of the reception hall. (Circular in form, and d(!stitnte of tlu-
wonted Abyssinian pillar in the centtu', the massiv<i and lolly clay walls
oftliechandu'r glittered with a profusion of silver ornaments, end)Iazoned
sliii'ids, matchlocks, and doubUi-barreled guns. IV^rsian carpets ami rugs
of all sizes, colors, and i)atterns, covered the 11oor,and crow<lsof Alakas,
governors, chiefs, and |>rincipal ollicers of tint court arrayed in tlurir holi-
day attire, stood around in a posture of nisptfct, uncovered to the girdle.
Two wide alcoves receded on either side, in one of which blazed a cheer-
ful wood fire, engrossed by indolent cats, while in the other, on a ilow-
creJ satin ottoman, surrounded by withered eumichs and juvtfnih; pages
of lienor, ami supportcnl by gay velvet cushions, reclined in Ethioide
slate, his Most C-hristian Majesty Sahela Selassi(!.

"The king was attired in u silken Arab vest of grcjen brocade, par-
tially conceaUid under tlic ample folds of a white cotton robe of Abys-
sinian nianufacituro, adorned wi^a sundry broa<l crimson stri|)e3 and bor-
ders. Forty summers, whereof eight-and-twenty had been passed under
the uneasy cares of the crowTi, had slightly furrowed his dark brow, and
somewhat grizzled a full bushy head of hair, arranged in (daborate curls,
after the fashion of George the First ; and although considerably disfig-
ured by the loss of tlio left eye, the expression of his manly features,
open, pleasing, and commandiDg, did not, in their tout ensemble, belie

660

MAJOR HARRIS'S MISSION TO SIIOA.

t'lo character for impartial justice which the despot has ohiained far and
vide — oven the Danakil comparing him to "a fm(> liaiance offrold."

Till', presiifits for the king, inchuling Cashmere sliawls, music hoxcs
cloth, velvet, and three hundred stand of arms, filled the court with
wondiir and deli<?ht, which was raised to its highest [litch by u second
peal of twenty-one guns from the cannon, and the tearing into shreds
of a sheet suspended on the opposite side of the valley, by a di«cli;u-go
of canister-shot, " Compliments from the throne, and j)ersonal con-
gratulations from the principal courtiers and utUcers of state, closed the

WARRIORS OP SnOA.

evening of this unwonted display ; and the introduction, by the hands
of the favorite page, of a huge pepper pie, the produce of the royal kit-
chen, with a command that ' the king's children might feast,' was accora-
jKinied by the unheard-of honor of a visit from the dwarf father confessor,
who might without difficulty have concealed his most diminutive person
beneath the ample pastry. Enveloped in robes and turbans, and armed
with silver cross and crosier, the deformed little priest, whose entire
long life has been passed in doing good to his fellow-creatures, seating
his hideous and Punch-like form in a chair placed for its reception, in
squeaking accents delivered himself thus:

" Forty years have rolled away since Asfa Woosen, on whose mem-
ory be peace, grandsire to our beloved monarch, saw in a di'cam that
the red men were bringing into his kingdom curious and beautiful com-
modities from countries beyond the great sea. The astrologers, on
being commanded to give an interpretation thereof, predicted with one
accord that foreigners from the land of Egypt would come into Abys-
sinia during his majesty's most illustrious reign, and that yet more and

RKSIDENCK AT ANKOBER.

061

ji\ands
falkit-
Iccom-
Itessor,
icrson

I entire
icating
lion, in

tbat
111 coro-
ners, on
Ith one

bre an^

wealthier would follow in that of his son, and of his son's son, who
should sit next upon tho throni;. I'ruiso bo unto (lod that tlio dream
and its interpretation have now been fulfilled ! Our eyes, thougl ♦-liey
be old, have never beheld wonders until this day, and during the rcij^jn
over IShoa of seven successive kings, no such miracles as these have been
wrought in Ethiopia.'

" No suitable lodging being obtainable at Machalwans," continues
Major Harris, " I deemed it advisable to adopt the king's proposal of
proceeding at once into winter-<|uarters at tho capital. I'reparatory to
setting out thither we had an audience of tho king. 'My children,'
quoth his majesty, 'all my gun-people shall accompany you ; may you
enter in safety ! Whatsoever your hearts think and wish, that send
word unto me. Saving myself, you have no relative in this distant land.
Ye have traveled far on my aflairs. I will give you what I can, accord-
ing to that which my country produces. I can not give you what I do
not possess. Be not afraid of me. Listen not to the evil insinuations
of my people, for they are bad. Look only unto Suhela Selassie. May
his father die, ho will accomplish whatsoever yo desire !'

"Instantly on emerging from the forest, tho metropolis of Shoa,
spreading far and wide over a verdant mountain, shaped like Africa's
appropriate emblem, the fabled sphinx, presented a most singular if not
imposing appearance. Clusters of thatched houses of all sizes and
shapes, resembling barns and hay-stacks, with small green inclosures
and splmter palings, rising one above the other in very irregular tiers,
adapt themselves to all the inequalities of the rugged surface ; some
being perched high on the abru[)t verge of a cliff, and others so involved
in the bosom of a deep fissure as scarcely to reveal tho red earthen pot
which crowns the apex. Connected with each other by narrow lanes
and hedgerows, these rude habitations, the residence of from twelve to
fifteen thousand inhabitants, cover the entire mountain-side to the ex-
treme pinnacle — a lofty spire-like cone, detaching itself by a narrow
isthmus to fonn the sphinx's head. Hereon stands the palace of the
Negoos, a most ungainly-looking edifice with staring gable ends, well
fortified by spiral lines of wooden palissades. They extend from the base
to the summit, and are interspersed wi*,h barred stockades, between
which are profusely scattered tho abodes of household-slaves, with brew-
eries, kitchens, cellars, store-houses, magazines, and granaries."
i The embassy being at length settled in the capital, and favored with
i the friendship of the grateful king. Major Harris and his associates soon
, became familiarized to their novel situation, and during a stay of nearly
two years, made themselves intimately ^quaintcd with the people and
country of Shoa. There is no space here to describe his excursions with
Sahela Selassie ; his hunting trips in the forests of the lowlands, or the
many curious and striking ceremonies which he witnessed. A few lead-
ing illustrations must suffice. With regard to their religion, he says :
" Ethiopia derived her faith from the fountain of Alexandria ; but how

662

MAJOR nAllUIS'S MISSION TO SlIOA.

ia her Christianity disfigurecl 1»y fully and Bupcrstition ! Tho intolerance
of the bigoted olorgy, who nilo with the iron hand of religious aHcend-
ancy, soon ])roc>lainied tho British worse than l*agans, for tho non-oh-
servMiee of absurd fasts, and blasphemous doetrines. Nevertheless, wo
were permitted to attend ])ivino service in tho less initnical of the Hvo
churches of the capital, and offerings were made according to the custom
of tho country. The cathedral of St. Michael, distinguished above all
its comjjeers by a sort of Clnnese lantern on tho apex, being invariably
attended by the monarch, came iirst in ord.fr ; and after wading through
the miry kennels that f«)rm tho avenues of access, our slippers were put
off in accordance with Jewish prejudice, and giving them in charge of
a servant to prevent their being stolen, wo stepped over the threshold.
Tho scowling eye of tho bigoted and ignorant priest sparkled with a
gleam of unrepressed satisfaction at tho sight of a rich altar-cloth, glow-
ing with silk and gold, which was now unfolded to his gaze ; and a sinilo
of delight played around tho corners of his mouth, as the hard dollars
rung in his avaricious palm.

" The high-priest havhig proclaimed thonmniticencoof the strangers,
pronounced his solemn benediction. Then aroso a burst of praise tlio
most agonizing and unearthly that ever resounded from dome dedicated
to Christian worship. No deep mellow chant from the chorister— no
eoul-inspiring anthem, lifted the heart toward heaven. The Abyssinian
cathedral rang alone to the excruciating jar of most unmitigated dis-
cord ; and amid howling and screaming, each sightless orb was rolled in
the socket, and every mutilated limb convulsed with disgusting vehera-
ence. A certain revenue is attached to the performance of the duty ;
and for one poor measure of black barley bread, tho hired lungs were
taxed to extremity ; but not the slightest attempt could be detected at
music or modulation ; and the dissonant chink of the timbrel was ably
seconded by the cracked voice of the mercenary vocalist.

" Tlie Abyssinian Christian will neither eat with the Jew, nor with
the Galla, nor with the Mohammedan, lest he should thereby participate in
the delusions of his creed. The church and the church-yard are equally
closed against all who commit this deadly sin ; and the Ethiopian is
bound by the same restrictions which prohibited the Jews from partak-
ing of the flesh of certain animals. The Jewish Sabbath is strictly ob-
served throughout the kingdom. The ox and the ass are at rest. Ag-
ricultural pursuits are suspended. Household avocations must be laid
aside, and the spirit of idleness reigns throughout the day.

" Caucasian features predominate among the Amhara, notwithstand-
ing that the complexion passes through every shade, from an olive brown
to the jet black of the negro. An approximation to the thick lip and
flattened nose is not unfrequently to be seen ; but the length and silki-
ness of the hair invariably marks the wide difference that exists between
the two races. The men are tall, robust, and weil-formed ; and tho
women, although symmetrically made, are scarcely less masculme. The^r

:istand-
. brown

[lip an^
rid 8ilki-
jetwecn
md the
TheJ

HABITS OP THE FBOPLE.

668

aro rarely beautiflil; and (heir attempts arc indeed ingenious to render
hideous the broad, unmeaning expanse of countenance bestowed upon
them by nature.

" From the king to the peasant the costume of the men consiMts of
a large, loose web of coarse cotton-cloth, enveloping the entire person in
graceful folds, but well-nigh inea{>acituting the wearer from exertion.
Frequently disarranged, and falluig ever and anon upon the ground, the
troublesome garment must be constantly tucked up and folded suiew
about the shoulders, from which it is removed in deference to every
passing superior. A cotton waist-cloth of many yards in length is
swathed about the loins, and a pair of very wide, loose trowsers, termed
smdphily hang barely to the knee.

•' The bulk of the nation is agricultural ; but on pain of forfeiting
eight pieces of salt, value twenty pence sterling, every Christian subject
of Shoa is compelled, whenever summoned, to follow his immediate gov-
ernor to the field. A small bribe hi cloth or honey will sometimes ob-
tain leave of absence, but the peasant is usually ready and anxious for
the foray ; presenting as it does the chance of capturing a slave, or a
flock of sheep, of obtaining honor in the eyes of the despot, and of
gratifying his inherent thirst for heathen blood.

" iVIeals are taken twice during the day — at noon and after sunset.
The doors are first scrupulously barred to exclude the evil eye, and a
fire is invariably lighted before the Ainhdra will venture to appease his
hunger — a superstition existing that, without this precaution, devils
would enter in the dark, and there would be no blessing on the meat.
Men and women sit tlown together, and most affectionately pick out
from the common dish the choicest bits, which, at arm's length, they
thrust into each other's mouth, wiping their fingers on the pancakes
which serve as platters, and which are afterward devoured by the do-
mestics. The appearance of the large, owlish black face, bending over
the low wicker table, to receive into the gaping jaws the proffered mor-
sel of raw beef, which, from its dimensions, requires considerable strength
of finger to bo forced into the aperture, is sufliciently ludicrous, and
brings to nlind a nest of sparrows in the garden-hedge expanding their
toad-Iikc throats to the whistle of the school-boy. Mastication is ac-
companied by a loud smacking of the lips — an indispensable sign of
good-breeding, which is "aid to be neglected by none but mendicants,
'who eat as if they were ashamed of it ;' and sneezing, which is frequent
during the operation, is accompanied by an invocation to the Holy
Trinity, when every bystander is expected to exclaim, Mdroo ! ' God
bless you !'

"A commercial convention betwixt Great Britain and Shoa was a
subject that had been frequently adverted to; and his majesty had
shaken his head when first assured that five hundred pair of hands
efficiently employed at the loom would bring into his country more
permaiicnt wealth than ten thousand warriors bearing spe ud shield.

664

MAJOR HARRIS'S MISSION TO SIIOA.

But ho had j.jra(luttlly begun to comprehend how commerco, equitably
conducted, might prove a truer source of wealth than forays into the
territories of the heathen. This conviction resulted in the expression
of his desi that certain articles agreed upon might bo drawn up on
parchment, and presented for f'gnaturc, which had accordingly been
done ; and the day fixed for the return of the embassy to Ankober was
appointed for tho public ratification of the document by the annexure
thereto of the royal hand and seal.

" Nobles and captains thronged tho court-yard of tho palace of An-
golltila, and tho king reclined on the throno in the attic chamber. A
highly illuminated sheet, surmounted on tho one side by the Holy Tri-
nity — tho device invariably employed as the arms of Shoa — and on tho
other by tho royal achievement c" England, was formally presented,
and the sixteen articles of tho convention in Amh&ric and English, read,
commented upon, and fully approved."

As tho mission to Shoa has not been renewed of lato years, it may
bo presumed that no particular advantage was derived from this treaty.
Major Harris, in his work, gives no accotint of his return to the sea-
coast.

PARKYNS'S

LIFE IN ABYSSINIA

Mb. Mansfield Paukyns, an English gcntlcir".': with a tasto for
traveling, left homo about the year 1841, and after r.iiubling over the
Continent, and visiting Constantinople and Asia Minor, joined Mr.
Monckton Milnes (the poet and member of Parliament), at Smyrna, with
whom he ascended the Nile during the winter o^" 1H42-43. On returning
to Cairo he determined to set out for Abyssinia, prompted not less by a
desire to explore that interesting country than bj- a native relish for
savage life and adventure. In both these objects ho succeeded to his
hv;art'8 content, and after years spent iu Abyssinia, Soudan, and Egypt,
returned to England in 1850. Three years afterward he published the
results of his experiences — a quaint, picturesque, half-savage narrative,
which, in its descriptions of Abyssinian life and customs, is more com-
plcte and satisfactory than any thing which ha*" appeared since the
famous work of Bruce. In this respect, it is greatly superior to the
narratives of Mr. Salt and of Bishop Gobat, and may be taken as the
most important contribution to our knowledge of the country, which the
present century has produced.

Leaving Cairo on the 5th of March, 1843, Mr. Parkyns proceeded to
Suez, whence he sailed, on the 25th, in a miserable Arab boat, bound for
Djidda. "She was filled to the deck," says he, "cabin and all, with
empty rice-bags belonging to that prince of merchants, Ibrahim Pasha ;
the deck only remained for the passengers, and well- filled it was with
them and their luggage. We mustered, I should think, nearly a hun-
dred persons of all races — ^Turks, Greeks, Albanians, Beclouins, Egypt-
ians, and negroes — men, women, and children, all crowded together,
formed a motley group — picturesque, I should perhaps have said, if it
had been a little further off." in this craft he spent twenty-three days,
the wind being contrary during the greater portion of the time. During
his stay in Djidda he formed a plan for visiting Mecca, but was dis-
suaded by the English consul, who considered the risk of the journey
much too great to be encountered. He therefore took passage a second

666

PARKTNS'S LIFE IN ABYSSINIA.

time en an Arab boat, bound for Sowakin, on the Nubian coast, and
Massawa, the principal sea-port of Abyssinia, where, after a very tedious
voyage, he landed sbout the end of May.

Concerning Massawa and its climate, ho makes the following re-
marks: "In a conversation about the comparative heat of different
places, an officer of the Indian navy remarked, that he believed Pondi-
cherry to be the hottest place in India, but still that it was nothing to
Aden, Avhile again Aden was a trifle to Massawa. He compared the
climate of the first to a hot-bath ; that of the second to a furnace ; while

the third, he said, could be equaled in temperature by nothing but ■

3 place which he had never visited, and which it is to be hoped neither
he nor any of us wUl. Toward the latter end of the month of May I
have known the thermometer rise to about 120° Fahrenheit in the
shade, and in July and August it ranges much higher. Such a climate
is of course most unhealthy, especially so during the summer months,
when a number of dangerous diseases prevail, such as dysentery and
the usual fevers of the tropical countries. The island is a mere rock of
coral, without a vestige of vegetation to enliven its fair face. There are
cisterns for collecting the rain-water (no spring existing), but most of
these have been allowed to fall into disuse, and the inhabitants of the
island are obliged to trust to Arkiko, a village on the main-land, distant
some three or four miles, for their supply. This water, moreover, is
rather brackish. The extreme heat of the place would not appear
extraordinary to any one acquainted with its position. Massawa is open
on the one side to the sea, while the other is shut in by an amphitheatre
of distant hills, sufficiently near, however, to prevent its receiving a
breath of air from that direction, but, on the contrary, to collect, as it
were, the rays of the sun into the narrow slip of land they inclose."

At this place he was received by a Jew merchant named Angelo,
who furnished him with a house, where he remained ten days, while
making the necessary arrangements for a journey into the interior.
" One part of these arrangements," he says, " and truly a very essential
one, was to divest myself of every needless incumbrance, and pack up
my stores in a safe place. Accordingly, my best articles of European
dress were offered to my friend Angelo, as a recompense for his kind-
ness. I had already given away a large portion at Cairo, and now pos-
sessed only three Turkish shirts, three pair of drawers, one suit of Turk-
ish clothes for best occasions, a pair of sandals, and a red cap. From
the day I left Suez (March 25th, 1843), till about the same time in the
year 1849, 1 never wore any article of European dress, nor indeed ever
slept on a bed of any sort — not even a mattrass ; the utmost extent of
luxury which I enjoyed, even when all but dying of a pestilential fever
that kept me five months on my beam-ends at Khartoum, was a coverlid
vmder a rug. The red cap I wore on leaving Massawa was soon bor-
rotoed of me, and the sandals after a month were ^ven up ; and so for
more than three years (that is, till I reached Khartoum) I wore no cov-

ENTRANCE INTO ABYSSINIA..

667

erbg to my head, except a little butter, when I could get it ; nor to my
feet, except the horny solo which a few months* rough usage placed un-
der them. During the whole of this time I nevei' had a headache,
though exposed to the sun at all hours of the day, and was never foot-
sore, though I walked constantly in the roughest imaginable places."

Setting out on foot with a guide and two servants, he proceeded to
the neighboring village of Moncullou, where he was hospitably enter-
tained by the lady of the French Consul at Massawa. It was now the
most sultry season of the year, and the heat was so great that the party
were obliged to start before daylight, and halt during the hours of mid-
day. The next night they reached the village of Ailat, where Parkyns
remained for two or three weeks, amusing himself with shooting ante-
lopes dnd wild boars, and bathing in the natural warm-springs near the
place. "The inhabitants of Ailat are Bedouins of the Bellaw tribe,
which occupies all the tract of country lying about Arkeeko, and thence
to the neighborhood of Ailat. Those of the latter district are by caste
mostly soldiers, if they may be so designated. They are easily distin-
guished from their more peaceful brethren, the herdsmen, by their wear-
ing their hair close-shaved, while the herdsmen arrange their bushy wigs
in tufts or tresses on the head. Their manners are most purely pastoral.
In the morning they eat a little bread and milk, and the same simple
meal repeated in the evening, and seasoned with contentment and a
good appetite, completes their daily nourishment."

Two other Englishmen, Messrs. Plowden and Bell, had preceded
Mr. Parkyns, and one day, during his sojourn at Ailat, a letter from the
former was sent to him from Kiaquor, a village about three days' jour-
ney distant, where he lay in a state of great weakness from the eflfects
of a severe fever, which both he and his companion, Mr. Bell, had con-
tracted during their stay at Massawa. They had started for the inte-
rior ; but Plowden, being unable to continue the journey, remained at
Kiaquor, while Bell went on to Adoua to prepare a place for his recep-
tion. The fever, however, continued to attack him at intervals, and had
reduced him to such a state of weakness that he had remained in this
place for several weeks, unable to proceed, till accidentally hearing of
the arrival of Parkyns, he wrote to him begging him to join him with
all possible dispatch.

Parkyns at once determined to comply with this request. " Having
little preparation to make," says he, " we were afoot the next morning
long before the sun was up, and when he arose we were some way ad-
vanced on our road, with our backs turned to him. I say we had little
preparation to make. Our party consisted of four persons — myself, a
countryman aa guide, a negro servant of Bell's, called Abdallah, from
Sennaar, and an Abyssinian lad who had lately entered my service. The
whole of our baggage at starting was a email bag of flour, sufficient for
three days' provision, half a pint of honey in a drinking horn, a change
of raiment, and my ammunition and arms. Each of us carried his share.

668

PARKTNS'S LIFE IN ABYSSINIA,

The plain which we had to cross before arriving at the hilla literally
teemed with guinea-fowl, which at that early hour appeared unwilling
to quit their roosting-places on the trees ; and when, as wo approached
them, they did condescend to budge, they collected on the ground in
coveys of some hundreds each. The road, as we advanced, became
more and more rough and diflScult, till at last we found ourselves as-
cending and descending almost perpendicular hills, covered with large,
round, loose pebbles, and well garnished with the usual proportion of
thorny trees, neither of which, as may be imagined, contributed to the
comfort of a barefooted pedestrian in one of the hottest climates in the
world.

" My boy, wishing to have especial care of the honey, had taken it
from the guide, and was carrying it in his leathern case by a strap round
his neck ; but now, tired and hot, he threw himself down and spilled it
on the ground ; forgetting that a wide-mouthed drinking-horn will not
carry a fluid like clear honey on a hot day, unless it is kept in a vertical
position. Without stopping to speak, we all rushed forward knocking
our heads together from eagerness, and sucked up the little honey that
the greedy sand had left on its surface." Their supply was now reduced
to a Uttle flour, " but," adds Parkyns, with the most cheerful resigna-
tion, " a man who knows how to appreciate bread and water may with
that simple diet go more comfortably through a hard days' march in a
hot climate than if attended by the best cook in England with all his
batterie de cuisine; and for this plain reason, that though the culinary
art may procure him some enjoyment at the half-way halt, yet he will
find that such temporary pleasure must be severely paid for in the after-
noon's walk ; meats and all other strong food being of too heating a
nature. But, if hungry, don't eat your bread greedily, and then wash it
down with buckets of water to prevent choking ; sop your bread in the
water, and then eat it ; you will thus at once appease your hunger and
quench your thirst, without being in danger of strangulation, or of hav-
ing to carry a few extra pounds weight of water rattling about in your
stomach for the remainder of the day ; above all things, make it an in-
variable rule always to drink as little toater as possible^ remembering
that the more you drink the more you will thirst."

Aft,er a long day's march, they reached at night an encampment of
the wandering tribe of the Shohos. " We were hospitably received by
these people, who lent us skins for beds, and provided us with fire-wood,
as we preferred the society of the cows outside to that of their masters'
parasites within the huts. Shortly after, the cows being milked, we
were supplied with a large bowl of milk for our supper, and, havin?
made our homely repast, were soon all sound asleep. Next morning,
having carefully wrapped up the skins on which we had slept, we started
before either the sun or our good hosts had risen." On arriving at Kia-
quor, Parkyns found Mr. Plowden much better, though still in a deplor-
able state of weakness. Thinking that a change of air might be benefi-

ARRIVAL AT ADOUA.

669

cial to him, they determined to proceed together to Adoua, aa soon as
possible. But at the end of the first day's march, Plowden became much
worse, and the hut offered to them was so close and disagreeable that
they went on to a village called Maiya, about six miles further, in the
hope of finding better accommodation. " But it was a vain hope !" says
Parkyns. " At first we found none at all ; and it was not till after a
vast deal of persuasion and great promises that we induced the good
people of the village to consent to our occupying a dwelling for the
night ; and when they did bo, that which they offered was so bad, so
very far inferior even to the last, that, rather than be stifled in a hut, we
preferred lying in the open air, covered M'ith hides as a protection from
the rain, which kept pouring for several hours. Plowden's continued
illness compelled us to remain here two days and nights, during which
time we amused ourselves as well as we could, contriving tents and huts
among the rocks near the inhospitable village."

The invalid was now carried in a litter made of boughs, but on reach-
ing a village named Kouddofelassy, he became so much worse that they
were obliged to halt there for five days, during which time they could
procure nothing to eat except some honey and a few starved fowls. The
rainy season had now set in, and when they resumed their journey, they
were frequently interrupted by the heavy showers which fell every day.
After fording the river March, which flows down from the Abyssinian
highlands to lose itself in the sapds of the d(!sert bordering the Red Sea,
thoy traveled more rapidly, and at noon of tlie second day, through f
heavy shower, caught sight of Adoua, the capital of the kingdom of
Tigro.

"When we arrived in sight of Adoua," says Parkyns, "I galloped on
ahead of the party, anxious to obtain shelter as soon as possible ; but
being mounted on a weak and tired mule, and the road being of a stiff
and greasy clay, and in many places very steep, I gained but little by my
haste ; for the mule slid down all the hills, and stumbled or tumbled
over all the inequalities of the plain. My attention being thus occupied,
and the rain driving in my face, I had not leisure to enjoy a distant view
of the city we were approaching ; nor could I, till within a short distance
of it, see enough to enable me to determine whether Adoua was built in
the Grecian or Moorish taste. I own I rather expected to see columns
or obelisks, if not an acropolis on some of the neighboring hills. Judge
then of my astonishment when, on arriving at this great city, the capital
of one of tlie most powerful kingdoms of Ethiopia, I found nothing but
a large straggling village of huts, some flat-roofed, but mostly thatched
with straw, and the walls of all of them built of rough stones, laid to-
gether with mud, in the rudest possible manner. Being wet, moreover,
with the rain, the place presented the most miserably dirty appearance.
Before entering the town we had to cross a brook, and to scramble up a
steep bank, in ascending which more than one of our party measured his
length in the mud, to the extreme delight of some young gentlemen col-

670

PARKTNS'S LIFE IN ABTSSTNIA.

lected on the top, who laughed and yelled at each successive mishap.
This rather annoyed mc, especially as, when I took my turn to rise from
the recumbent posture, with my nice white trousers considerably dark-
ened by the dirt collected in this and several previous falls, I was wel-
comed by a double allowance of shouting. It was explained to me that
I should only get more if I took any notice of it ; and I afterward dis-
covered that it was the fashionable amusement during the rainy season
for the young men about town to collect in the vicinity of any slippery
place, and, standing there, amuse themselves at the expense of the
passers-by. After winding down two or three streets, filled with green

ABTSSINIAN WARRIORS.

mud nearly a foot f'eep, and barely broad enough to allow a man to pass
mounted, we arrived at the house thnn occupied by Mr. Bell, whom we
were glad to find considerably better in health than we had ventured to
hope. Right glad also was I to find myself housed, with a prospect of
our getting something to eat."

The day afterward, Parkyns's baggage, which he had left behind at
Massawa, reached Adoua, md as the governor of the place demanded a
heavy duty upon it, he resolved at once to visit Oubi, the Prince of
Tigre, who was then in his camp at Howazayn, and ask his interference.
Accordingly he left Adoua the next day, and after a journey of several
days through the rain reached Oubi's camp, where he was lodged in a
grasa hut, seven feet long and five feet high. Knowing that it was cus-

THE CAMP OF OUBI.

671

tomary for tho king to send food to travelers as soon as ho heard of
their arrival, Parkyns expected to be treated in a similar manner, and
took no provis: "ns with liim. Ho was disappointed in his expectations,
however, and found great difficulty in procuring enough to satisfy his
appetite. It was not until the fourth evening after his arrival that he
recuived a supply of food from Oubi. It consi; ted of forty thin cakes,
thirty being of coarser quality for the servants, and ten of white " teff '»
for their own consumption. These were accompanied by two pots of a
sort of sauce composed of common oil, dried peas, and red pepper, but,
it being fast time, there was neither meat nor butter. To wash all down,
there was an enormous horn of honey beer.

" Tho appearance of an Abyssinian permanent camp," says Parkyns,
"is singular, but by no means impleasing. The diversity of tents — some
bell-shaped, some square, like an English marquee, some white, and
others of the black woolen stuff made principally in the southern prov-
inces of Tigro ; huts of all sizes and colors, and their inmates scattered
about in groups, with their horses, mules, etc., form altogether a pictu-
resque and very lively scene. In the center is the dwelling of Oubi,
which consists of three or four large thatched wigwams and a tent, in-
closed by a double fence of thorns, at the entrances through which
guards are stationed, the space between them being divided into courts,
m which the soldiers or other persons craving an audience of the king
await his pleasure." This audience, on the part of our traveler, was not
granted until the sixth day after his arrival. While strolling through
the camp, he was summoned by a soldier, and, having hastily gathered
together the presents he had brought for Oubi, betook himself to the
royal tent. He gives the following account of his reception :

" We had to wait a considerable time in tho outer court and door-
way before his majesty was pleased to admit us. A crowd of soldiers
collected round us, and amused themselves with many facetious remarks
on our appearance, sach as ' Cat's eyes,' ' Monkey's hair,' ' What nice
red morocco their skin would make for a sword-sheath !' etc. These
expressions were afterward made known to me ; for in those days I was
in a state of ignorance as regarded the language ; and having myself a
tolerably good opinion of my appearance, I judged that their remarks
must be highly complimentary. I remember, some years after this, ask-
ing a person with whom I had become intimate, and who had never seen
any white man but my«elf, what impression my first appearance had
T""f'p on him. He answered me very simply that I resembled a rather
good-looking Abyssinian who had lost his skin. But I must own that
our appearance at the time of our first visit to Howazayn was calculated
to excite much amusement. We had only recently adopted the Abys-
sinian costume, and as yet were not altogether well-practiced in the mode
of putting on the cloth. Beside which, our straight hair, not yet long
enough to be tressed, was plastered back with butter, and the faces of

672

PARKYNS'S LIFE IN ABYSSINIA.

those of our party who were incased in a thin skin, which I am happy
to say never was my fate, were as red as a fresh capsicum.

"At last we entered the great hall of the ma(7n(/?cen<j»aface of Oubi.
It was a round hut, of about thirty feet in diameter, with a large wood
fire burning on the floor, which had not even a carpet of grass strewed
to hide the dirty face of the original earth. Having been previously in-
structcdj we each of us on entering made a polite but vaguely-directed
bow. On such occasions the natives usually put their heads to the
ground, but, as we were foreigners, such a mark of humility was dis-
pensed with. I have said that our bow was vaguely directed, because
in passing from the glare of a tropical sun at noon into a largo apart-
ment lighted only by a small door, over which was suspended a curtain
and Avhich communicated with a tent without, it may be imagined that
we could not so much as distinguish a single object within. Oubi, in a
very patronizing tone, asked us how we were. An humble bow was the
customary answer. He then desired us to be seated, and we accord-
ingly sat ourselves down on the ground, there being no seat in the hut
except the one appropriated for his highness's throne. My sight was
just beginning to accustom itself to the darkness when we received this
permission, but my place being directly under the lee of the horrible
Avood fire, and sitting as I did within a yard of it, I was nearly suffo-
cated, and in a moment my eyes began to stream from the effect of the
smoke, which nearly blinded mo. I bore it with the utmost fortitude
till I could endure it no longer, and then started up with an exclamation
something like ' Oof!' and my eyes red and pouring Avith tears, at which
Oubi laughed amazingly. Great men, I suppose, require more heat than
others in these countries, as I can not otherwise account for Oubi's taste
in having a large fire in the middle of August, especially in a tropical
climate.

" Oubi was seated, reclining on a stretcher, which was covered with
a common Smyrna rug, and furnished with a couple of chintz cushions,
from beneath one of which appeared the hilt of a Turkish saber. We
found him a rather good-looking, slight-made man, of about forty-five
years of age, with bushy hair, which was fast turning gray. His phys-
iognomy did not at all prepossess me in his favor. It struck me as in-
dicative of much cunning, pride, and falsity ; and I judged him to be a
man of some talent, but with more of the fox than the lion in his na-
ture. Our presents were brought in covered Avith cloths, and carried by
our servants. They consisted of a Turkey rug, two European light cav-
alry swords, four pieces of muslin for turbans, and two or three yards of
red cloth for a cloak. He examined each article as it was presented to
him, making on almost every one some complimentary remark. After
having inspected them all he said, ' God return it to you,' and ordered
his steward to give us a cow. Toward evening c • promised cow ar-
rived from Oubi — such a cow ! as thin as a cat — an absolute bag of
bones, which could never have realized any thing approaching to two

THE CITY OP AXUM.

673

dollars in the market ; such as she was, however, she was immecliatcly
slaughtered, and before night not an eatable morsel was left.

After this interview and the adjustment of the difficulties concerning
his baggage, Parkyns returned to Adoua. " Shortly after this Plowden
returned from Axum, and he and Bell set out on u tour to visit Mr.
Coffin, at Antichaou, while I prepared for a journey into Addy Abo, a
province on the northern frontier of Tigro, then so little known as not
to be placed on any map. My principal object in going there was the
chase, and if possible to learn something of the neighboring Barca or
Shangalla — a race totally imknown except by the reputation they have
gained in many throat-cutting visits paid to the Abyssinians. Except
for such objects, the nations have not been on visiting terms for many
generations. I was told much of the dangers I was to meet with from
the climate and the people, and that the only two Europeans who had ever
been there had died. My curiosity, however, was raised, and I felt that
I could trust to my own prudence not to expose myself to any unneces-
sary danger. I have, moreover, always found that, of the perils de-
scribed to a traveler before he undertakes a journey, not more than half
need be believed."

Toward the end of September, 1843, he started on this journey, ac-
companied only by a few native servants. "The road skirts the foot of
the hills for a considerable distance, till at last a small plain obelisk, on
the right hand, and further on, to the loft, a large stone tablet inscribed
in Greek characters, proclaim to the traveler his near approach to the
city of Axum. From the tablet a sharp turn to the right brings him
in view of half the town, which, being situated in an amphitheater of
hills, and possessing a tolerably well-built square church, probably of
Portuguese construction, forms altogether a rather agreeable covp (feed.
Tlie church is prettily situated among large trees, and surrounded by
rustic but neatly-built huts. From the tablet, however, to the church,
there is a distance of several hundred yards, along which lie scattered,
every here and there, unfinished or broken columns, pedestals, and other
remnants of the civilization of former ages. The remaining part of the
town, with the beautit'ul obelisk and splendid sycamore-tree, at last come
in view, having been hidden by *,he projecting foot of one of the hills.
The obelisk and tree are both of great height, but the latter is remark-
able for the extraordinary circumference of its trunk and the great
spread of its branches, which cast their dark shade over such a space of
ground as would be sufficient for the camp of the largest caravan. The
principal obelisk is carved on the south side, as if to represent a door,
windows, cornices, etc. ; while under the protecting arms of the vener-
able tree stand five or six smaller ones, without ornament, most of which
have considerably deviated from the perpendicular. Altogether they
form a very interesting family party."

Ho was obliged to remain at Axnm a few days, having met with
some difficulty in procuring provisions for the journey. On starting

674

PARKTNS'S LIPK IN ABYSSINIA.

again, ho pasgcd tlio ancient church, which is considered the most flacrod
in Abyssinia. The custom of the country obliges all persons to dis-
mount and walk, while passing. For some clistance after heaving the
town, he continued in the high-road to (iondar. " ThiN appellation,"
Bays he, "may give an idea of inaeadainizing, with footpaths along-side
mile-stones, fences, etc. ; but here the high-road is only a track worn by
use, and a little larger than the sheep-paths, from the fact of more feot
passing over it. The utmost labor bestowed on any road in this country
is when some traveler, vexed with a thorn that may happen to scratch
his face, draws his sword and cuts oft' the spray. Even this is rarely
done ; and I h.avo been astonished at seeing niany high-ways, and
even some of those most used, rendered almost impassable by tho
nund)er of thorns which are allowed to remain spread across tlu^rn.
An Abyssiiiian's maxim is, 'T may not i)ass by this way for a
year again ; why should I give myself trouble for other i)copIe'8 con-
\ enience ?' "

Immediately after describing this rough experience, the traveler
Avith wondtM'fid cheerfulness, bursts into the following rhapsody : " How
little are the gifts of nature .appreciated by those who, living in fho
midst of luxury, are accustonu-d only to wish for a thing in order to ob.
tain it! Ye who liavo already sati.ated yourselves with the bounties of
I'rovidence, autl from constant enjoyment of every thing can no lojiger
find pleasure in any thing, take my advice — leave for a time yotu' lives
of luxury, shoulder your rille, and take a few months' experience of
hardship in a hot elimate. You will suffer much at first, but in tlic end
will learn what real enjoyment is. You will sleep soundly when yoii
throw yourself down on tho bare! ground, while in yotn* bed of down at
home you might have been tossing about in a fever all night. You will
find more real plcasin'o in a draught of water, even if it bo a little dirtv,
or fl.avored Avith tar from the leather bag in which it has been carried,
tlian you ever did in the choicest wine to bo got in England, You will
devour a halt-bimicd piece of gazelle, and find it more palatable tlian the
cuisine of tho greatest gourmand in Paris. And as lor fruit, it is true
we have none to speak of in Abyssinia, but a good raw onion is not a
bad thing by way of luncheon. Shade, a bit of green grass, even coarse
though it be, a rippling stream, a cloud — all these are treasures in
Africa, though not cared for or heeded in a land where you have trees
in every hedge-row, a velvet turf in every garden and in many fields, a
river almost every three or four miles, and, as for clouds, perhaps rather
too m.any of them.

" On my arrival at a village I have always found it the better plan
to do as native travelers would — wait under a tree till some one asks mo
in. This is generally soon done, though a little patience is sometimes
needed. People often gather round you to look at you, and occasionally
make rather personal remarks, though generally they are very civil.
Only answer their questions good-naturedly, and take pleasure in making

iQr plan
lasks inc
linetlmoa
isionaliy

Iry

civil.

AN ABYSSINIAN 8UPKUSTITI0N.

675

, mating

yourself a^rccablu, which you Avill iiiul will booomo a Imbit, and you
will bo welcome everywhere.

" I'art of our next day's journey," ho continues, "was disagreeably
rouj^h. The road iti many places reminded me of the ascent or descent
of the pyratnids of (iizeh, but Avas even more difficult, being literally a
Btaircasc, ibrmed by enormous blocks of stone, with often a depth of
four feet or more between (\ach step. Had I been shod, instead of
being barefoot, it would have been scarcely possible for me in many
places to have reached the bottom without a fall. It was not till thc^n
that I thoroughly understood w!iy the Abyssinians in gmeral never wear
shoes, aiul why those fiiw who have borrowed from their neighbors on
the lied Sea the custon* of wearing sandjils, should only use them in
town, and immiMliatcly take them off when going on ajouniey."

After three days' travel Parky ns reached the town of Addiiro, whero
he was hospitably received by the chiefs, but was greatly annoyed by
the constant crowd of visitors who flocked into his hut, many of whom
had never before aovn a European. They also had a superstition that
he possessed the secret of making money by magical arts, and carefully
watched him wherever ho Avent, in order to detect the process, " I
happened to have a good many new dollars," says he, " and whenever I
circulated any of them the receiver would sometimes exclaim : 'Wal
this is only just made ; look, bow it shines!' 1 often retire to the neigh-
boring hills, when about to take an observation, or for some other
reason wishing to be undisturbed, ami seek out some snug little nook or
corner among the rocks. Scarcely, however, have I time to make my
preliminary arrangements, when lookhjg up I (ir»d two or three heads
curiously peering into my retreat, fully persuaded that tlu'y are about
to behold the entire proc<'ss of oV)taining dollars from the (jarth, ready
stamped with the august head of her imperial majesty. If a servant
of mine returns from market with an ass laden with corn or other pro-
visions, the people at once say it is dollars, Avhich, having been mado
by me during the week, I h.ad left liidden in the rocks, and that tho
servant had been to fetch them."

From Addaro ho proceeded to Kohabaita, on tho northern frontier
of Abyssinia, where ho remained nine months, familiari/.ing himself with
the livnguage and habits of tho people. He became, to all intents and
purposes, a genuine Abyssinian, adopting the dress and mode of life of
the country, which ho retained during the remainder of his residence
there. The regular narrative of his travels terminates at this point, but
the interest of the remaining portion of his book, which is devoted to
an account of the country and people, illustrated with many curious ad-
ventures and experiences, is not diminished by this want of continuity.
" After waiting two years Avithout receiving any supplies or communica-
tions from Europe," ho remarks, " I began to think that I should be
compelled to remain at any rate for a long period in Abyssinia. So, to
be prepared for the worst, I applied to Dejatch Lemma for a govern-

676

PARKTNS'S LIFE IN ABTSSINIA.

ment in those parts, offering not only that a regular tribute should bo
paid him, but also that I would engage to keep in order the hostile
Barea, without his putting himself to any inconvenience on their score.
Ho accepted my terms, ottering to receive a certain number of guns in
lieu of tribute ; but tho matter was not concluded for some months, as
he had to ask his father's consent, and in tho mean while, my supplies
arriving, I left tho country. Notwithstanding that tho affair was, both
by his wish and my own, kept as secret as possible, it became known
to some of the people of the country, and many of those who had
fled to the distant provinces came, bringing me presents, and anx.
iously inquiring when they should bo able to return to their former
homes.

" I had made my plans for governing, as I thought, to perfection. I
considered that if once regularly appointed I should feel myself bound to
remain till at least I had done some littlo good to my i)oor people, and
arranged matters for them, so as to leave them in comparative security.
Had I received the sum I expected (£300), after having entered upon my
government I should have invested a portion of it in plows, oxen, and
seeds. These I should have lent out to poor peOvSants, counting £2 for
each outfit. One or two good harvests would have enabled them to re-
fund the money, not only for these articles, but also for any provisions
of corn, etc., with which I might have supplied them during the first
year. Thus, at the ex|)iration of two years, up to which time I should
have required no taxes, they would have been in comfortable circum-
stances, and able to look forward to a chance of fimeliorating their con-
dition. In this way, without much difficulty, and (if properly arranged)
with little risk of loss to myself, I should in a short time have mustered
a thick and thriving population.

" During my whole stay at Rohabaita I was looked upon by the
people as a chief, or man of importance among thorn (be it known we
were in a state of scmi-rcbellion), and consulted on all the most import-
ant occasions. I, for my part, felt myself as one of them, and entered
with the greatest sympathy and zeal into all their proceedings. At a feast
no one enjoyed the dance and song more than I did. I had the most
guns discharged at a funeral. No hunting party or foraying expedition
but I was in it. I took my turn in scoutings and outlyings ; and I am
afraid I must add, that even on one or two occasions, though of course I
liad no hand in the act, I was privy to the getting rid of a few disgreea-
ble soldiers who came to annoy our peaceful village, and to rob the poor
peasantry of what little their predecessors had left them. The truth is,
I did not, nor do even now, consider these other than justifiable homi-
cides. Be it always remembered, the Amhara are not the lawful ru'crs
of the country ; but having conquered it, partly by force, but principally
by treachery, they hold it under an iron rod, and pillage the inhabitants
to their utmost.

" The high lands of Abyssinia enjoy probably as salubrious a climate

:> most
dition
11 am

lUVSC 1

9«reea-
|ic poor
ruth is,
shoiw-
i\ ru'ew
icipiilly
inVitants

1 cUma^fi

SLEEPING BETWEEN FIRES.

677

as any country on thu faco of tho globe. The heat is by no means op-
pressive, a fine light air countenictiiig tho power of the sun. At certain
seasons of the year the low valleys, as of the Mareb and Teccazzt', espe-
cially tho former, are much to be feared, from tho malaria which j»re-
vails, and which brings on, in persons exposed to its influence, most ter-
rible inflammatory fevers, of which four cases out of five are fatal ; and
even in a case of escape from death, tho effects on the constitution are
Buch that it will be years before tho suttbror recovers its shock, if indeed
ho should ever do so entirely. More than one of tho few Europeans
who have visited Abyssinia within the present century have fallen vic-
tims to it. Many have died also from dysentery — a complaint which ot-
ten comes on in the rainy season as an epidemic. These two are the
most commonly fatal complaints of Abyssinia.

" The season most to be dreaded is immediately after tho rains (about
September), and the two or three following months. I once traveled
through a whole ' krumt,' or rainy season, across one of the most ftorilo
districts in this part of Africa, viz., the provinces of Shire, Waldabba,
and Walkait, in Abyssinia, and the plains of the Atbara and Soufi, on
ray way to the capital of Nubia; but then I had tho experience of three
years, a great part of which time had been passed in the backwoods
about the Mareb. When I could gcst wood, I invariably lighted two
largo fires, and slept between them. This plan, though not very agree-
able till you are used to it, is a capital preventive of disease ; for during
the day the sun's heat raises tho moisture in steam, which, when the
evening becomes cool, descends in tho form of dew or fog, and in this
form is one of tho greatest helps to a fever. The heat you have around
you answers the i)urposo of a local sun, and you are in no more danger
than during tho daytime. But when I say I lay between two fires, it
must be understood that they were so close together that I was obliged
to cover myself with a piece of hide or a coarse native woolen cloth, to
prevent the sparks or embers, which might fly out, setting fire to my
cotton clothes. Another plan, which is always adopted by the natives,
is not, I think, a bad one : Roll your head completely up in your cloth,
which will then act as a respirator.

" As a general rule, abstinence docs no harm in these climates, but,
on the contrary, it is always a good thing, and often necessary. I never
felt lighter in my life, or more free from the many ills that vex human-
ity, than during this my long period of semi-starvation. Wounds of all
kinds healed on me like magic, and I never knew what it was to feel
lazy or fatigued. On one or two occasions I remembered being much
astonished at the little I suffered from otherwise ugly wounds about the
feet. Once, in running down the stony and almost precipitous path
which leads to the MareL, I struck my bare foot against an edge of
rock, which was as sharp as a razor, and a bit of flesh, with the whole
of the nail of my left foot little toe, was cut off, leaving only the roots
of the nail. This latter I suppose to have been the case, as it has grown

678

I'ARKYNS'S LIFK IN ADY8SINIA.

all right npaiii. I couKI not Btop longer than to polish off tho bit which
was hanging by a Hkin, lor wo woro in vhana of a i»arty of Harva, who
had cut the throat.s of tlneo of Waddy IIiI'h nophowH tho night Iwroro—
(by thi' way I Ml ti'll that Htory allorwanl, to hIiow what cowardly loutH
Bonjo of tlu! Abyssinians ari") — but was obliged t<» go on running for
about twenty niiles that afternoon, the greater jiart of the way up to
our ankles in burning Hand. Whether this cured it I know not, but I
•carceiy Hullered at all from it next day, and forgot it the day after.
Another day I was running after an antelope wWiv.h I had wounded, and
ill my eagerne.ss jumped over a buHli, and on to thu trunk of a fallen
tree. Now it ho happened that a bough h:id once stood exa(!tly where
my foot now lighted, but, having been broken off, had left a jagged
Btump, one Hplinter of which, of about tho thicknens of a tenpenny nail,
entering th«) ball of my foot, pansed so far through that the point ap-
peare«l like a black npot immediately under tho skin, half an inch
above tho junction of tho third and fojirth toea, toward the instep, and
then broke short off. I got my game, butchered it, and carried it homo
(some two miles), with tho splinter in my foot, which I then drew out
with u nail-wrench. A (piantity of blood issued from the wound, but,
with the exception of a little stiffness for a day or two, which however
nowise jtrevented my walking, I sutlered no pain at all. Now, had this
occurred to me in Europe, and under a good European diet, I should
have been at least a fortnight laid up with a bad foot.

" As for thorns in the feet, it may be easily imagined that, in a coun-
try where there is scarcely a tree unfurnished with these appendages,
and Bome of them of tho length of three or four inches, the whole
ground must be strewed with them, and, consequently, that the feet of
a person going barefoot must frecjuently act, to all intents and purposes,
the part of pincushions ; yet I can truly say that, after some time, such
is the force of h.-tbit and the thickness of skin that one gets by use, I
tliought no more of ])icking half-a-dozcn thorns out of my feet than an
SInglish 8i)ortsman Avould of kicking away the clod of clay he may have
accumulated on his shooting-boots in crossing a soft-plowed field."

In June, 1844, Parkyns returned to Adoua, where he lived during
the greater portion of his stay in Abyssinia. From his interesting pic-
tures of tho life and customs of the country, we have only space for a
few extracts. "The slaughtering of animals in Abyssinia," he remarks, ,
" is attended with a regular ceremony, us in Mohammedan countries. :
Tho animal is thrown down with its head to the east, and the knife !
passed across its throat while the words, ' In the name of the Father,
Son, and Holy Ghost,' are pronounced by the butcher. Almost before
tho death struggle is over persons are ready to flay tho carcase, and
pieces of raw meat are cut off and served up before this operation is
completed ; in fact, as each part pres^^nts itself it is cut off, and eaten
while yet warm and quivering. In this state it is considered, and justly
80, to be very superior in taste to what it is when cold. Raw meat, if

llAUITH OF TllK AUYSSINIANH.

679

kept a Httlo time, goU tuuffh ; whorooH if oaten frt'sli ntiil warm it is far
tundurcr than tliu niuHt tendur joint thnt Iiuh buun hung » wuck in En-
glitnd. Thi! tuHti! IH, i)urhii|m I'runi iintijj^in.'ition, ruthcr uiHiigreuuhlu ut
lirHt, but titr otliurwiso wlii>n on*.; K('t»* uc(Hi.sl«jni(!(l to it ; and I can
ri'udily belicvtt that raw moat woidd bo proti^rrod tu cuukud niout by u
man who from (;liiidhood had boon uccU8t«>ino<l to it.

" From tho fon-j^oinj^ doHoription, <tno is upt to run away willi tho
iniprossion that tlioso jH-opK^ aro by no nioanK dolioato in tluir (ihoioo of
food, whilo, in truth, n(» nation \h moro HorupulouHly ho atlor its own
fashion. Mo.sidos rofuHing all aninmlH wliioh havu tooth in thoir uppur
jaw — as tlio haro ; and all such as have not cloven foot — as tho caniol,
whoso foot is only dovon abovo ; and many others, from religious prej-
udice, of which [ shall say moro hereatler; they have also various points
of delicacy which differ in tho several parts of tho country. An animal
killed by a lion or leopard is by most persons considitrod eatable, thoso
beasts being reckoned Christian ; while, on tho contrary, no one could
touch the meat of an animal whicrh had fallen u prey to the hyaena, that
disgusting scavenger being eonsidored as of tho Mussulman religion.
Tho Moslems are very lax in these points, some of them enting tho llosh
of the wild boar, or tho uuslaughterod (and, consequently, forbidden)
leavings of their brother hyujna.

" When the master of an Abyssinian house takes las meals, all his
Bcrvants stand round tho doorway and look on ; which custom, though
it has at lirst a disagreeable eil'oct to a stranger, is in reality a mark of
respect to their superior, showing that thoy are in attendance on him,
and not merely eating his bread, and idling thoir time away. Tho
master's feoding-timo, in fact, is a sort of muster for tho servants. Tho
dinner-tables in great houses aro usually of wood, roughly made, but
frequently also of wicker-work neatly put together. When a party is
expected, fresh grass is spread on tho floor, and tho tables aro ranged of
various sorts and sizes — tho highest nearest tho master's end of the room
— some wooden, some wicker, some broad, others narrow, it being only
in a few fashionable establishments that two or three of corresponding
size can bo found. All of course aro very low, being nuide of tho height
most convenient for a person seated on the ground ; for chairs aro un-
known in the country. Tho t.-ible being spread, tho broad is brought hi
by servants in large baskets carried on thoir heads.

"The Abyssinians are of middle stature, averaging, I should think,
about five feet seven inches, rather more than less. I have seldom seen
natives above six feet, and only one or two reached six feet two inches.
In color some of them are perfectly black ; but tho majority are brown,
or a very light copper or nut color. This variety of complexion, ob-
servable in both sexes, is, I should think, attributable to the mixture of
races of which the nation is composed. The women of the higher classes
have remarkably pretty feet and shapes, owing to the absence of tho
horrible confining fashions: thoy, however, soon fall off, chiefly, I

680

PARKTNS'S LIFE IN ABYSSINIA.

imagine, from climate, though partly perhaps from want of the artificial
supports which are usual in European countries. But this to the traveler
matters little, as in passing through the country he seldom sees any
thing hut the beautiful forms of young girls, who go half naked ; Avhile
married women, always wearing long loose shirts, and quarries over
them, effectually conceal their figures, whether they be good or bad. In
feature, as in form, the young Abyssinian won^en are, perhaps, among
the most beautiful of any on the earth.

AH ABTSSIKIAK LADT OF FASHION.

" For dress, the male Abyssinians wear a pair of tight cotton inex-
pressibles, a large belt, and a ' quarry,' or mantle of the same material.
As I have before remarked, the dress of the soldiers and peasantry is
nearly alike; that of the former being only of a rather more stylish cut.
The trowsers are of a soft-textured but rather coarse cotton stuff, made
in the country, and are of two sorts ; one called * calliss,' the other
* coumta.' The former reaches half-way down the calf of the leg, the
latter to about three or four inches above the knee. Both, if the wearer
be a dandy, are made skin-tight. I might enter into a long account of
the peculiar fashions to which these trowsers are subject, parts being
doubled, parts single. One year it may be the fashion to have the seam
at the side of the *■ calliss,' below the knee, of about two inches long

DRESS AND HAIR-DRESSING.

681

only, before it branches off on the thigh ; while another year it will be
lengthened to six jr eight inches. The last was the measure at which I
left it. This, however, was considered so very ultra fashionable, that,
except Dejatch Shetou, niyseltj and one or two others, few dared to
attempt it.

"The women of Abyssinia are dressed quite as decently as any
women in the world, without having a particle of the trouble of the
ladies of more civilized nations. There is a distinguishing costume for
young girls, and those who, from being married or otherwise, are no
longer considered as such. The drejs of the former is indeed rather
slight, though far more picturesque than that of the latter. Down in
our part of the coimtry (about Shire) the girls merely wear a piece of
cotton stuff wrapped round the waist and hanging down almost to the
knee, and another (or the end of the former if it be long enough) thrown
over the left shoulder, so as to leave the right arm and breast exposed.
In other parts of Tigre a black goat-skin, ornamented with cowries, is
often substituted for this latter. An ordinary woman wears a large
loose shirt down to the feet, Avith sleeves made tight toward the wrist.
This, with a ' quarry' similar to those of the men, but worn rather dif-
ferently, and a parasol when out of doors, is a complete suit.

" In general, neither sex wears any covering on the head, preferring
to tress and butter that with which nature has provided them. The
hair of the Abyssinians is admirably adapted for this purpose, being nei-
ther short and crisp like a negro's, nor yet of the soft elasticity of a
European's, but between the two ; sufficiently long to tress well, and
even often to hang luxuriantly over the shoulders, but at the same time
sufficiently woolly to prevent its being liable to come out of plait as soon
as it is done, which ours always does. I had the greatest bother in the
world with mine. In the first place, it required twice as much pulling
as any body else's, otherx^ase it would not have remained a moment in
its place ; and then it had to be tied at the ends and stuck with a ' fixa-
ture' of boiled ootton-seeds ; and, after all, it never lasted in plait more
than a week.

" The Abyoisinians, when startled or alarmed, are in the habit of ex-
claiming, ' In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy
Ghost !' — as a Roman Catholic would cross himself if similarly situated.
Great care must be taken to avoid using these words in the presence of
a person supposed to be possessod by an evil spirit, when she is in an
animated or dancing fit ; for even to whisper them to one's self would
assuredly cause a terrible convulsion and entire relapse of the sufferer.
A friend of mine cautioned me against thiswhile we were going together
to visit a sick person. He told me that once, hearing that there was an
extraordinary case in a village where he was a perfect stranger, he went
to the place, and found a lady engaged in dancing amid a crowd of her
friends. No sooner did he approach Ihan she sprang toward him, and
ordered him to dance with her ; at the same time filling her mouth with

682

PARKYNS'S LIFE IN ABYSSINIA.

milk from a can near her, she spirted it into his face. Naturally startled
by this unexpected reception, and being a man of decidedly nervous
temperament, my poor friend, not approving of this proximity of the
devil, ejaculated the fatal words. Scarcely, however, had they passed
his lips, when the woman, uttering a terrific scream, threw herself on
tht ground and tore off all her clothes and ornaments, while her husband,
who also, it appears, was more or less affected by the Tigritiya, drew
his shotel, and made a ferocious attack on the unwitting offender.

"In Abyssinia the trade of blacksmith is hereditary, and considered
as more or less disgraceful, from the fact that blacksmiths are, with very
rare exceptions, believed to be all sorcerera, and are opprobriously called
' Bouda.' They are supposed to have the power of turning themselves
into hyenas, and sometimes into other animals. I remember a story of
some little girls, who, having been out in the forest to gather sticks,
came running back breathless with fright ; and on being asked \.hat
was the cause, they answered that a blacksmith of the neighborhood
had met them, and, entering into conversation with him, they at length
began to joke him about whether, as had been asserted, he could really
turn himself into a hyena. The man, they declared, made no reply, but
taking some ashes which he had Mith him, tied up in the corner of his
cloth, sprinkled them over his shoulders, and, to their horror and alarm,
they began almost immediately to perceive that the metamorphosis was
actually taking place, and that the blacksmith's skin was assuming the
hair and color of the hyena, while his limbs and head took the shape
of that animal. When the change was complete he grinned and laughed
at them, and then retired into the neighboring thickets. They had re-
mained, as it were, rooted to the place from sheer fright ; but the mo-
ment the hideous creature withdrew they made the best of their way
home.

In June, 1845, Parkyns received the funds for which he had so long
waited, and in the following month took a final leave of Adoua. Trav-
eling slowly northward, he passed through the dangerous and almost
unknown region along the Atbara River, and succeeded in reaching the
Bine Nile, below Sennaar. On arriving at Khartoum he was attacked
with a fever which confined him to his bed for five months. He ap-
pears to have passed two or three years in Soudan and Nubia, but of
his experiences in those countries he has as yet given no account. His
story of Abyssinian life closes with the following words, which few trav-
elers have ever been able to say : *' During nine years of travel I met
with companions of every color, station, and religion ; but never picked
up with one who gave me a moment's cause to quarrel with him, or from
whom 1 parted otherwise than with regret."

W D' S

JOURNEY TO THE OXUS

After the voyage of Sir Alexander Burnes up the Indus to Lahore,
in 1830, the Indian Government undertook a survey of that stream and
the adjacent countries. The right to navigate the river for the purposes
of commerce was obtained by treaty Avith the countries of Scinde, La-
hore, and the smaller principalities bordering upon it, in 1832, and three
years afterward a survey of the sea-board of Scinde was made. Toward
the close of the year 1836, Captain Burnes was appointed by the Govern-
or General of India, chief of a commercial mission, which was to pro-
coed to Affghanistan by way of the Indus, with lieutenant John "Wood,
of the Indian Navy, and Lieutenant Leech, of the Bombay Engineers, as
assistants.

The mission left Bombay on the 26th of November, 1836. On ap-
proaching the coast of Scinde, Captain Burnes directed Lieutenant Wood
to make a careful survey of the Indus, from its mouth to the fortress of
Attock, below its egress from the Himalayas, where it receives the wa-
ters of the river of Cabul. This survey was not completed until the 18tb
of August, 1837, when he reached Peshawur, on the Affghan frontier,
where Captain Burnes and the remainder of the mission had already ar-
rived. They all set out soon afterward for Cabul, and after safely thread-
ing the defiles of the famous Khyber Pass, reached that city on the 20th
of September, and were favorably received by the Ameer, Dost Moham-
med Khan. One of the objects which Captain Burnes had greatly at
heart, was to obtain materials for the construction of an entirely new
map of Affghanistan, in which actual survey should supersede hearsay
information. He obtained permission to visit the valley of Koh Daman,
in which are the celebrated gardens of Istalaf, lying north of Cabul, at
the foot of the great range of the Hindoo Koosh, or Indian Caucasus.

While Lieutenant Wood was engaged in the survey of this valley, he
was summoned back to Cabul, to accompany Dr. Lord on a mission to
Turkestan. Toward the end of October, Murad Ali Bey, of Koondooz,
had arrived at Cabul with presents for Dost Mohammed, seeking medi-

684

WOOD'S JOURNEY TO THE OXUS.

cal assistance for his brother, Mohammed Bey, who was a martyr to
ophthalmia. Captain Bumes resolved not to lose so favorable an oppor-
tunity of securing the good will of these Uzbcck chieftains, and accord-
ingly appointed Dr. Lord and Lieutenant Wood to accompany Murad
All back to Koondooz. On the 3d of November, all the necesstry ar-
rangements beuig completed, they set out, intending to cross the Hindoo
Koosh ^y the Pass of Parwan. After a journey of six days, they ap-
proached the highest part of the pass, but the snows were so deep, that
it was impossible to advance ; the guides soon lost the road, the Indian
servants were on the roint of perishing, from the severe cold, and noth-
ing remained but to return to Cabul, where they arrived on the 13th.

" Our experience of the eastern passes," says Lieutenant Wood,
*' taught us the importance of not ^ arrying long in Cabul. We allowed
ourselves, therefore, only one day lor repose and for reducing our bag-
gage to light marching order ; and having got rid of the useless Hindus-
tani servants, now as anxious to remaiv' behind as they were formerly
solicitous to go with us, at an early hour on the 15th of November,
we set out by the Bamian route for Koondooz." On the morning of the
19th, they crossed the ridge of Hadjikak, which divides the waters of
the Affghan river of Hehnund from those which flow into the Oxus.
This pass being considerably lower than that of Parwan, they met with
but little difficulty from the snow ; the descent through the wild mount-
ain tribes to the plains of Turkestan was safely accomplished, and they
entered Koondooz on the 4th of December.

Lieutenant Wood gives the following account of Koondooz, its chief,
and its people : " Koondooz, though the capital of Murad Bey, is one of the
most wretched towns in his dominions. Five or six hundred mud hovels
contain its fixed population, while dotted among these, and scattered at
random over the suburbs, are straw-built sheds intermixed with the Uz-
beck tent- or kirgah. Gardens and corn-fields alternate in its suburbs
and extend even into the town. Nothing, in short, can be imagined
less resembling a metropolis. Overlooking the east end of the town is
the fortress. This is merely a mound, of an oblong figure and consider-
able extent, strengthened by a mud wall, and a dry ditch. The wall is
in a dilapidated state on all sides but the south, on which is the principal
entrance by the bazaar gate. On the north-east end of the fortress is the
citadel, the winter residence of Murad Bey. It is an irregular structure
of kiln-dried brick, surrounded by a moat. It has many loop-holes for
match-locks ; there are also guns within it, but none are mounted on the
walls.

" Murad Bey, the head of this Uzbeck state, is one of those promi-
nent political characters that unsettled times, and a disorganized state
of society produce. Such were Mohammed Ali in Egypt and the late
Runjeet Singh in Hindustan. But with all his high qualifications Murad
Bey is but at the head of an organized banditti, a nation of plunderers,
whom, however, none of the neighboring powers can exterminate. Able

THE UZBECKS AND THEIR HORSES.

685

as he is to bring together, in a surprisingly short space of time, a body
of fifteen thousand horsemen, inured to predatory warfare, and to those
stealthy attacks for which Turkoman and Uzbeck are equally celebrated,
he feels himself perfectly secure from the assault of any of the chieftains
by whon he is surrounded, nor, indeed, were they to league together
could they successfully oppose him.

" The Uzbecks of Koondooz have genuine Tartar features, though
the physiognomy of their chiefs is becoming softened by intermarriage
with the Tajik, a Cr •'^asian race whom I believe to be the indigenous
inhabitants of Persu, anu porhaps of Transoxiana also, and who are now
found widely scattei -^d on bum sides of the Paropamasian chain. A
Tajik is not permittetl to marry the daughter of an Uzbeck ; but this
unjust distinction is the only social difference that now exists between
them. Ihe Uzbecks are Sunnee Mohammedans, and consider an intoler-
ant persecution of the other sect as the best evidence of the sincerity of
their own faith and of their attachment to the Prophet. They are much
fettered by their priests, or Ishan Kajahs, to whom they yield implicit
obedience in all things, temporal and spiritual.

"The Koondooz breed of horse is very inferior to that of the Turko-
man, or even to that which their countrymen rear about Shehr Sabz
and the environs of Bokhara. The animal, to suit Murad Bey and his
subjects, must be small and hardy, adapted to the hilly country as well
as to the plain. Speed is a secondary consideration ; endurance every
thing. Their fore and hind quarters are remarkably large. One year
from the day on which a colt is foaled, it is mounted and ridden by a
light weight for a considerable distance at full speed, after which for
two years it is not again saddled, and at three years old it is regularly
broken in. Shoes are used only upon the fore feet, and in shape are a
perfect circle. Like. the rest of their race, the Uzbecks are extremely
fond of horses and racing. Many idioms in their colloquial language
have reference to them. For instance, if you inquire how far any par-
ticular place is distant, you are answered ' ek doweedah' (a gallop) ; or
if you ask what time any operation will require, the answer is the
same — ' while you may gallop so many miles.' "

There was every probability that Dr. Lord would be compelled to
remain the whole winter, in attoiidaiico on his royal patient, and Lieu-
tenant Wood determined to employ his time as profitably as possible
during this delay. He says : " The great object of my thought by day
and dreams by night had for some time past been the discovery of the
source of the river Oxns, and, thanks to my fellow traveler's tact and
Mirza Buddi's good-will, Murad Bey on the 10th of December conceded
his permission to me to trace the Jihun, an appellation by which this
river is better known among the Uzbecks.

"Monday the 11 th of December was fortunately a market day in
Koondooz ; so that the articles required for our expedition were at once
obtained; and lest Murad Bey might recall the permission he had

686

WOOD'S JOURNEY TO THE OXUS.

given, wc started that same evening for Uadakhshan and the Oxus. Wo
adopted the costume of the country, as a measure calculated to smooth
our intercourse with a strange people, and we had little baggage to ex-
cite cupidity or suspicion. Coarse cloth(?s to barter for food with the
inhabitants of the mountains, was our stock in trade ; and my chronom-
eters and other instrimients the only articles of value which I took with
me. Dr. Lord accompanied us for the first few miles, and parted from
us with cordial wishes for the success of our expedition.

" The most important of my fellow travelers was Gholam Hussein,
Munshi, cook, and ' servant of all work,'' in whom were more sterling
good qualities than I at one time believed it possible to find in the
breast of a Hindustani. More intimate acquaintance with eastern coun-
tries has considerably modified my unfavorable opinion of their inhabit-
ants, and taught me to dissent from those wholesale terms of abuse which
Europeans too often lavish on the native population. It Avill generally
be found that our opinions of the people rise as our acquaintance with
them increases. Another of our small party was Abdul Glnuii YesaAval,
a Tajik by descent, and at heart a genuine Uzbcck. He had been edu-
cated for a mollah (priest), but had long ago renounced the cloister for
the field, and M-as now, as the affix ' yesawal' implies, an officer of Murad
Bey's household. He was a jocund, good-hearted soul, though, perhaps,
a little too susceptible of the tender passion. After a day's march, when
a glowing fire, and the enlivening cup of tea had mellowed his rugged
nature, I have listened to him expatiating on what he termed the three
best friends of man, and what, next to life, should be most cared for.
These were the Koran, a horse, and a sword. The first he would un-
case from its numerous clumsy leather coverings, kiss the volume, and
holding it out to the Munshi, swear by Khoda there was no book like
it. A good horse, he would sagely remark, was a f/reat blessing, it was
invaluable ; for what did it not do ? — it procured a man his livelihood,
and obtained for him his wives. That, in fact, without the horse, it
would be impossible to steal, and then the Kattaghan's occupation and
glory would be no more. His sword was a very poor one, but that
mattered nothing."

For two days they traveled eastward over the open plains of the
Oxus, to the town of Talikhan, where they were detained a day on ac-
count of the rain. Beyond this place rose a mountain ridge, the frontier
of Badakshan. From the top of the pass there was a superb prospect
of the snowy peaks of the Hindoo Koosh, and the lateral spurs of the
great chain, gradually lessening down into the plains of Tartary. Cross-
ing another pass next day, six thousand five hundred feet above the sea,
Lieutenant Wood descended into the valley of the Kokcha River, up
the banks of which he proceeded to the town of Jerm, which he reached
on the 18th, The country appeared to be depopulated. He did not
meet a single traveler on the road ; and except partridges, which were
very plentiful, and the tracks of wild hogs, there were no indications of

DETENTION AT JERM.

687

animal life. Of the city of Fyzabad, once so celebrated throughout the
east, scarcely a vestige is Icit, except the v^ithered trees which onco
ornamented its gardens.

" On arriving at Jerm," says Lieutenant Wood, "our first applica-
tions for food and shelter were unsuccessful, but, after repeated disap-
pointments, we at length prevailed upon an honest Tajik to receive us
as his guests, and had soon wherewithal to appease our keen appetites,
sharpened by cold and a twenty-four hours' liist. The town of Jerm,
although the largest place in Hadakhshan, is little more than an exten-
sive cluster of scattered hamlets, containing at the very utmost one
thousand five liundred people. The fort is substantially built, and is the
most important of any we saw in Murad Bey's dominions." On deli\ 3r-
ing his letters to Mirza Suleiman, the Governor of Jerm, and informing
him of his desire to trace the Oxns to its source, as well as to visit the
mines of ruby and lapiz lazuli in the neighborhood, Lieutenant Wood
was informed that it was too early for the first of these journeys. He
received, however, a guide to the mines of lapiz lazuli, which lie in the
depths of the Hindoo Koosh, near the head-waters of the Kokcha.
They had not been worked for several years, on account of the poor
returns.

" From the 2Gth of December to the .30th of January," says Lieu-
tenant Wood, "we were detained in Jerm by the inclemency of the
season. The snow took the good people of Badakhshan completely by
surprise. Not expecting so hard nor so early a winter, they had made
no adequate provision for their live stock ; and no sooner did the snow
cover the ground than there was a cry for fodder and fire-wood. We
took up our abode with Hussain, our former host, who, though at first
suspicious of his guests, became ere long our warm friend and almost
constant companion. It is customary in these countries for relations to
live in the same hamlet, often to the number of six or eight families.
An outer wall surrounds this little knot of friends, Avithin which each
family has its separate dwelling-house, stable, and cattle-shed ; and a
number of such hamlets form a kishlak, or village."

"The hill-men always go armed, but the inhabitants of the open val-
leys very rarely do so. Nevertheless there is not a house in Badakh-
shan without its quota of rusty old matchlocks. In dress the people
differ little from the Uzbecks. They wear the same peaked skull-cap,
and when a turban is superadded, its color is generally white. At the
season of our visit every man wore thick colored worsted stockings, and
warm woolen cloaks, or chupkuns. On the cold days three of these
cloaks were not an uncommon allowance. The shoes in use resembled
half-boots, made from goats'-skin, and mostly of homo manufacture.
Instead of the heavy kammerband, or shawl, round the waist, the Ba-
dakhshi ties a handkerchief, and no native of the country ever thinks of
Betting out on a juurney withotxt a staff in his hand.

" In former times Badakhshan was noted for the social qualities ot its

688

WOOD'S JOURNEY TO THE OXUS.

inhabitants, and we could still discern indications of this generous spirit,
but few have now the means of being hospitable ; and poverty under
a task-master has produced a selfishness that exists not among Tajiks
who are free. Among those communities which were styled Yaghi, or
rebellious, we always experienced a more hearty welcome than from
their kinsmen iu the lower valleys, who, though richer, were galled and
irritated by their Uzbeck oppressors. Where independence is wanting,
it is seldom that man retains his generous feelings.

" On new-year's day, 1838, we visited Ahmed Shah, the pir, or head
mollah of Jerm, who had emigrated from Hindustan when the British
mission of 1809 was at Peshawur. He had traveled much, and made a
long abode in China, which country he entered by the road of Wakhan,
and left by that of Kokand. The difficulties of the first of these routes
he described as great, arising chiefly from the height of Pamir, the
severity of its climate, and the almost total absence of inhabitants. Of
that by Kokand he spoke more fiivorably. The pir was a large, stout,
cheerful, old man, who looked much younger than he reported himself
to be. He was in China when the lamented Moorcroft's messenger ar-
rived in Yarkand to recjuest permission for his master to visit that city ;
on which occasion, a mandarin of Ahmed Shah's acquaintance told him
that the Chinese had determined not to admit Mr. Moorcroft, for, added
the noblemen, we are persuaded were a,firingi (European), to enter the
country scrae dreadful evil would befall us.

" All our visitors spoke in high terms of Yarkand, and appeared de-
lighted with its climate, and its inhabitants. They expatiated on the pe-
culiarities of the Chinese, and the contrast which they exhibit when com-
pared with other nations. Many accounts of their customs, and habits,
which I received when at Jerm, were afterward confirmed by a traveling
Jew, who had tried, but failed, to accomplish a journey through their
territories. This man was a Russian by birth, and had been for many
years a traveler in the countries bordering the Caspian and the lake of
Aral. Hearing that records of the missing tribes were to be obtained in
Cashmere, or Thibet, he Avas journeying thither when my Munshi, Gho-
1am Hussein fell in with him at Balkh. This man's original plan was, to
penetrate by the route of Kokand, Kashghar, and Yarkand ; but, though
skilled in the various languages of Central Asia, and conforming to the
dress and habits of its people, the cunning of his nation M'as no match
for the honest zeal with which the public functionaries of Kashghar exe-
cuted the orders of their emperor. Suspicion attached to his character ;
and after proceeding as far as that town, he was forced to retrace his
steps. A large guard, he said, was stationed in a tower above the city
gate, from which all caravans could be seen, while yet distant. Before
they are permitted to enter the city, each individual is strictly examined ;
their personal appearance is noted down in writing, and if any are sus-
pected, an artist is at hand to take their likenesses. Interpreters for
every current dialect are also present. To each of the persons subjected

THE YAK.

689

to this vexatious investigation, the Chinese make a present of a few cop-
per coins."

On the 30th of January, Lieutenant Wood learned that the Upper
Oxus was frozen, an occurrence which would enable him to visit the ruby
mines, and he accordingly set out at once. On approaching the mines,
however, the ice became soft and insecure, and as there was no other
practicable road except the bed of the river, ho was obliged to give up
the attempt, and endeavor to ascend the Oxus to its source. The weather
promised to be favorable, although the cold was still severe " Proceed-
ing up the valley of the Oxus," continues the narrative, " with the mount-
ains of Shekh Durah on our left hand, and those of Chitral on our right,
both rising to a vast height, and bearing, far below their summits, the
snows of ages, we arrived early in the afternoon at the hamlet of Ish-
trakh. We reached the village in the middle of a heavy snow-fall ; and
its houses built among fractured pieces of the neighboring mountains,
must have been passed u»\noticed, but for a Yak, or Kash-gow, as the
animal is here called, standing before a door with its bridle in the hand
of a Kirghiz boy. There was something so novel in its appearance, that
I could not resist the impulse of mounting so strange a steed ; but in
doing so I met with stout resistance from the little fellow who had it in
charge. In the midst of our dispute the boy's mother made her appear-
ance, and very kindly permitted me to try the animal's paces. It stood
about three feet and a half high, was very hairy and powerful. Its belly
reached within six inches of the ground, which was swept by its bushy
tail. The long hair streamed down from its dewlap and fore legs, giving
it, but for the hoi*ns, the appearance of a huge Newfoundland dog. It
bore a light saddle with horn stirrups ; and a cord let through the cartil-
age of the nose, served for a bridle. The good Kirghiz matron was not
a less interesting object than her steed. She was diminutive in stature,
but active and strong, and wore some half dozen petticoats under a
showy blue striped gown, the whole sitting close to her person, and held
there, not by ribbons, but by a stout leather belt about the waist. Her
rosy cheeks and Chinese countenance, were seen from under a high white
starched tiara, while broad bands of the same color protected the ears,
mouth, and chin. Worsted gloves covered the hands, and the feet were
equally well taken care of. She chid her son for not permitting me to
mount the Kash-gow ; and I quite won the good woman's heart by prais-
ing the lad's spirit, and hanging a string of beads about his neck. Strut-
tmg up to her steed with the air of an Amazon, she took the bridle out of
her son's hand, and vaulted astride into the saddle. The sight appeared
to be new not only to us, but to the inhabitants of Wakhan ; for the
villagers had thronged round to see her depart. They inquired if
she would not take the boy up behiid her? 'O no,' was her answer,
'he can walk.' As the mother and sc i left us, a droll looking calf leis-
urely trode after its dam ; and when the party disappeared amid the
falling snow-flakes, the rugged half-clad Wakhanis exclaimed, as if taken

090

WooK'rt JiUJUNKY TO TUM OXUH.

Iiy Hurprims ' Nonn but a Kii-^hir. l»oy I'oulil thrive iindnr mich rnti^h
trciUnu'Mt.'

"Tito Vnk, iM to llio iiilinl»itiititN ot'Tliiliot aikI runiir, wlint tlm rein.
door In to tlio l<H|tlnti(lor in iiortlM<rn Kiircipo. Wlioro u tiitui cnu wnik n
KuHh-irdW tuny •»•' ritltloii. Mko tlio (>lo)ili)Uit lio pohhohhon iv woiwlorliil
kiiowlotlnjjo (it'wiiiit will lioiir IiIm woi^ht. IT tnivcloin nro lit Duilt, «mi<>
of th<>Mo luiitimlM is <lrivoii Itol'oro tlioiii, luiil it In Niiiil that lin (ivnidH tho
lii<lilon il(>|)<liM mill oliiiNiiiM with luhnimltlo Nii^ncity. IIIm Inotiti^ in niii <>.
Should 11 liill of Riiow oloNo H nii»iiiilniii-p)iHN to li iriitn luiil hoiHO, n m<ori<
of Vuks tirivon iihoitil iuihwoi* tho piirpoMo of pioiiooi-ft, luxl iniiko, nn iny
infoi'iniint oxproNnos it, *n k'hif/H /n'lf/imiit/.* In IIiIn riwo, howovor, tlin
tnww iniiNt hiivo rocoiitly Oilloti ; for whon otKut itn Miirfticn \h fro/,oti idmI
itH<lopth oonMiili<nil)lo, no iiniiiiid oait for<v« it^ wtiy through it, Otlmr
oiittlo roiptiro tho provitioiit oiiro of nitm to gidiHiHt thotti through tlio
winfor. Tho niont htirdy nln'op would Ihro lint hiidly without itw hniimti
protootion, hnt tlio KiihIi-j^ow in loll ontiroly to itHolf Ilo fr«>(pn<ntM tho
moiintnin Hlop«'« luid Ihoir lovol HiiniinilM. WluM-ovor tho nn<roury docs
not Hho nbovo Koro, iw n olinitito for tho Yiik. If tho wiow on tho olo-
vntod (1i»1h lioH <oo doop for liini to orop tho horlt(»f»o, ho nilh hiiiiHolf
down Iho HlopoM and <'!»1h hin wiiy np iij^jiiin. Win ii nrrivod lit tho top,
ho ])orfonns ii hoooiuI Ninninoi-Mot, iiinl ooniplolcH IiIm moid hm ho diNpliicrH
!inoth«>r groove of hiiow in hiw wooond iiNoont, Tho hoiit of Hinninor Honds
tho iinitnul to what is tornu'tl tho old iiM>, that is to tho rogions of otoiriiil
Hliow; tho oalf Immiii^ n<tainod Im'Iow as a plodgo for tho nioth«>i''H ro-
turning, in which hIh? nt'vor failn.

"Tho first Vuks w<« Haw woro grazing among tho Hnow on th«» vory
nimimit of tho rnggod \y.\»n of Ish KiiHhin, and at tin* villago of tliii*
niimo, T proonrod «»no for Dr. liord, and (liHpntohotl it to Koondoo/, in
chargo of two trusty nion. Hut ho ooM a olimato <lo thorn* singular ani-
mals ro(piiro, that thoiigli winter Htill roigno<l in tho Koondoo/, plain,
tho hoat was too groat, and tho Yak diod within a nian^h or two of tho
town. In laot it hogan to droop as Hfion as it had passod .lorin. Some
yoars h.'iok, an Affghan nobloinaii Hiioooodo<| in bringing two <»r throo of
those animals to (.^ibnl, but <>V(>n tho tcinporaturo of that city, thouj^h
sittiatod six thousand foot abovo soa-h^vol, is not Hu(!i<'iontly cold to Niiit
thoir oonstitntion. Thoy duolinod jih tho Know loft tho ground, and died
early iu tho spring."*

After following tho course of th<» river for three or four days, sholtcr-
ing themselves by night in tho huts of th(f Kirghiz, Liouteiiant Wood
JMid his .ittendants reached a plac^o called Tssar, whcro tho Oxus divides

• M. do Monliprny, Into Frpnch ronmil nt Slinnpflmi, w'ik.s before M. do Montifrny's doparturo from Rhaiinliai, I Haw
tho8o Y.iks in his 8tj»Mc« at that placo. Thoy had alroady pasHod two yearn in that
•cmi-tropiral dimat(\ and it ia therofuru probablo that thoy luuy bo HUUCosafUlly natural-
ir,od in Franco. — B. T.

IIRAD-MT ATKHH OIT TMK OXUH.

HOI

Into two hrfitifilH'H. Il»» wftN for ii limn iirulooirlcd which to chcwmi', tm
thn vohiiiio of wilt pr wim iioiirly i>«|ii)il, but Ihr Kir^^hi/. iiHHur«(l him that
thn fMMinir of ihn rivrr wiih a liilto ii|ioii ih(i /Itim-i-itooniuh^ or " Hoof
of t\w Woi-lil," ill I'liiiiir, iukI thiit, tlio tnoHt. northerly of thn hrarichnn
fli)W<i<l rrr>iii thiM Inki'. (^(Htn CiirthiT cxHininatioii, hi* (lixrovftrod that
till* nirrotit of thin hriiiKtli wih iiiiirJi iiioro rapid than that of ttin othnr,
and thiit itH ti'tnpnraliint waH <rold«*r. Thn point of jiinrtion wan tnn
thoiiHiind fvvi iihovn i\u> ni>h. A Hiipply of proviHioiiH for ri^ht dayH wm
pniiMirod ni thiM platMt, and \]w party, (■nvclopin^ thcMiHclvrM in cloaltH
and HkiiiH, to protivt thcni fioni thn cxtrcnxt cohl, Hnt out, up thn nar-
row vaiii'y of Hir i kol. I'locpcdiii)^ Hlowly forward throiif^h thn Hmtw,
which wan very deep, and Hiiircrin^ from i\w intrriHi' cftld, they nncamptMl
on tho third ni/^lit at a hcij/ht of thirtcrri thoiiHiuid iivo htindrnd tovi
ttlif>vn thn Hca. Somn of thi^ nu-n wcrr ho itxhatiHtnd that thny wnrn Icfl
h<'liinil licro, to hunt and ki't-p j^iiard ovi^r a nn'/u: of proviHionH, whilo
IjiMitciiant Wood piiHhod forward with four attcndantH.

(hi th«i Hccoiid (hiy nWvr thin divimoti of th«' party, th«' intrnpid and
pprm'vnriii)^ travnh>r arhicvcil hiH ohjcct, " Wr had no ocnaHion t(» ro-
innrk tlm ahHcncd of tlin hiiow thiM <hiy," he HayH, " for «!V«!ry Htnp wn ad-
viinncd, it lay dnopcr and deeper ; and near nn we ha<l now a|iprf>ae.hnd
to the Noiire(f of tlm Oxiim, we Hhoiild not liave Hiie.eiuided in reae.hiti^ it
had not tlie rivnr lieen frozen. We were fully two hoiirn in foreinj;^ our
way through a Held of hiiow not live hundred yardn in extnnt. Kach \n-
dividual of tlio party l»y turnn took the lead, and forend hin horHe to
Htniff^lo onward until (>xhauHtion lirouf^ht it «lown in thn Hnow, whc^re it
wiw allowed to Vui and re<^ruit while the* lujxt wan urj^ed forward. It
was HO f^freat a relief when we a}j;;iin {^ot up«»n the rivnr, that in thn ehim
ticity of my npiritx I puHlied my pony t,(» a trot. ThiH a Wakanni per-
ceiving, Nei/.ed hold of thn hridle, aixl eaution(>d mi; a^ainnt thn wind <tf
tlio tnoimUiiii. Wn had, indeecl, f(^lt the* (ffTectH of a highly rariliftd at-
numphern ever Hinctt leavinjx Waklian ; but the aHcent beinj^ gradual,
they W(u'o h^HH than wliat would be experieneed in nlimbing an abruf>t
mountain of tnunli Ichm altitudi;.

" Ah Avn iicanul thn hniwl-waterH of tlio Ox us thn \vAt )M!camn weak
and brittle. 'V\w Hudd(!n diHappearaiHM' of a yabu fjfav«' uh the first warn-
ing of thiH. Though thn water waH d»M'p whero thn accident occiurred,
tlmro fortunately waH litthi current, ami, as thn animal waH Hficured }»y
hia haltnr to a companian, he was <>xtricatod, but bin fumitun; and la«ling
worn loHt. Tho kind-hoartnd Khirakush to whom the animal belonged
wrapped him in fhlts, took off his own warm ijostec-n, and bound it
round tlio Hhivcring brute. Had it bi-en hiH son instead of bin yabu he
could not have paswid a more anxious night afl to tho cfTectH of this
ducking. Tlio next morning, hownvor, tho yabu was alive and well, and
the pood mule-driver was most eloquent in his thanks X*) Providence for
its proservation.

" Shortly after this accident we came in sight of rough-looking build-

092

VVOOltS JomiNKY TO Til K OXIIH.

iti^, tliM'knl out with liorim of lli<« \vil)l Hlicrp, mid all liiil, hiiriod
itinonpr \\u\ Hiiow. It wiiN II KliirfTJ/. iMiriiil-^roiiiitl. On roinin^ nlinniHl
of it, l!io IcHiliiiji: litiiHt'iiiiiii, nlio rlitiiiriMl to ho of tliiit tribe, |miII(m| up
mitl tiisinoiiiitcil. Ills roiiipitiiion Collowt'tl IiIh (<.\itiii|>li>, iiixl wiuliii;;
thriHif^h llio tit'cp (IriO. tlit7 iciicIumI h toiiilmtoiH>, tho top of wliidi wuh
uucovcrctl. |{i<toi'*> litis they kiirll, till niiiilM>r<'*l uh tlii>y wrn*, uimI willi
lltcir liii<;«« lorkt'il iiiiit«'hlorKH Ktmppi'd to tlirir Imi'kH, uihI olVrrnl up
pray»>i'N to |Im< t-vor-pn'sciit .Irliovuli. 'I'lio whole oi'thepiirty iiivoliintiir-
ily r<<iiitMl in their hoiNe^ till the Iwonien liiitl eonehuletl their devolioiiH.

" AHer tpiiltin^ th(> Niirllu'e of the river we triiv(>leil tihout an Imiir
nloni; itH ri^ht hank, iitnl then aNrendeil a low hill, whi(^h apparently
houniletl the valley to the eiistwanl ; on Nurnionntin^ thiH, at live oV-loik
in the ai\ernoon of the llMh of l''ehniary, IHIIH, weNlootI, lo nrte a native
expression, upon ihe /Imn i/hinin/i, or ' h'onj' of thv ll'orA/,' while he-
fore UH lay nlrelehed a nohle hut fro/.en nhei't of water, from whose
western end issned th«^ infant river of the Oxiin. ThiH line lake Hcm in
the form of a eresceni, ahont fonrteen miles lonf{ from east to w«'st, hy
an averam' hreadth «»f one mile. On three nides it is bordered hy HWell-
in^ hills, about fiv(< himdred feet hif4;h, whiht alon^ \\h Nonthern bank
they rise into mountains three thonsainl live hundred feet above the
lake, or nineteen thousand above the nea, and covered with perpetual
Hiiow, from wiiieh never-failinu; Honree the lake is Niipplied. Kroni oh-
Hervations at the western end I found the latittide to b(> ;i7" 27' north,
and lon^ritiide V.'t" 10' east ; its elevation, nn-asnreil by the teinpeiaturo
of boiling water, is llOeen thousand six hundred feet, as my th<>nn<>-
meter marked I HI" of Fahrenheit. The temperature of the water below
the iee was H'J" — tlw lV«'ezin>j; point.

"This, tlu'n, is the position of Ihe Honrees of this celebrated river,
which, at\er a course of upward of a thousand mih>H in \\ tlireetion gen-
«'rally n«)rth-w»'st, IiiIIh into llw Nouth(>rn end of tin* nea of Aral. As I
had the gooil fortune lo b(> the first Kiiropean who in later times liiiil
succeetled in reaching the Nources of this river, and as, nhortly beforo
setting out on my journey, we had received the newH of her gracious
majesty'^ accession lo the throne, I wan much tempted to apply llio
name of Victoria to this, if I may ho term it, newly re-discovered lake;
but on considering that by thus intrcHlucing a new name, however hon-
ored, into t)ur maps, great confusiv>n i'l geography inighl arise, I dcciuod
it better to retain the name of Sir-; kol, the appellation given to it by
our guides. The description of this spot given by that good old trav-
eler Marco I'olo, nearly hix uonturios ago, is correct in all its luuding
points.

" The aspect of tho landscape was wintry in tho extreme. Wherever
the eyo fell, one dazzling sheet of snow carpeted the ground, while tho
sky overhead was everywhere of a dark and angry hue. Clouds would
have been a relief to the eye, but they were wanting. Not a breath
moved along tho surface of tho lake ; not a beast, uot oven a bird, was

"TIJI'! H()(tK OK TIIK WOULD. "

098

virtililo. Tlio nnuiu) of n liiimnii voint avoiiM Imvn been iniiHic !«• the
rnr, liiit no otui nt IIiIh iiiiiuipiliiMo Hnimiii ihinkN orinviMlin^ ilicHc ^(•|ii|
(lotiiiiiiiN. Hilniro rei^nod nroiiiMl-Nilrnc)* ho prorDiiml iJhiI, it ii|i|ir)!MH
rd till) lii'iirt, iukI, uh I coiiictiipliiicd tlio hnnvy Hiiiiiiiiils oC ^\u^ i>vitr-
IilMiliK iiiountiiiiiH, wlKiro hiniiHii Cool hii<l never trode, iiiid wlieni Iny
piled (ho HtidWH ol'iif^eH, my out! deiir eoiintry and ull tlie Hoeiiil lileHMinKH
itcontitinN piiNNed mtnmH my mitid with n vividneNH of rccolhti-.tioti timt I
hud never fell Ix'lore,

*' In wiilkinft over the liike I eoiihl not but refleet how miniy eoim-
tricH ouo tlieir importimeo nnd their weulth to riverH tlie Honreen of
whi«'h eim Ihi triiee<l to thn hxiely inoiuitfiinH whieh ure pih'd up on it^
Nouthorn niiirKin. ThiH ehiviited eimin in common to India, ('hiiia, and
TurkiNtnn ; nnd iVom it, uh from a central p<»int, tht'ir Nev<*ral ntreamH
diviM-Kc, each an^nK'ntin^ m it rollH onward, until the ixmiui and the
lake of Aral rti<H>ivc the Hwollen trilnite, a^ain to ho ){iven up, nnd in a
circuit aH ondlcHH aH it Ih wotiderlul to he Hwe|»t )ta(;k hy the winds of
heaven, and Hhow(<red down in Htiowy ftakcH upon tln^ Helf-Hann! niount-
aiiiH from which it Mowed. How Htranj^e and how inten^Ktin^ »i >^roup
would bu i'oriru>d if an individual iVom each tuition whom; riverH have
their (irKt HtHin^t in I'atnir wen; to imtet upon itn Hinnmit; what varieticH
would tbero hit in perHon, huif^uaire, and niamuMH ; what contraNtH ho-
twccn tliu rou^h, untamed, and lierco Mio(uitaine(!r and the more civil-
ised ami Innominate dweller on the plain ; how niu<;h ot virtue and of
vice, luidor a thouHund different aNpet^tM, would he nua with anion^ them
nil; and liow Ntron^ly would the onviction proHS upon th(! mind that
the amelioration of the Avhole could roHult only from the din'uHion of
cnrly education and n purer religion !

"1 'amir in not only a radiating point in the hydnt^raphical HyHtem
of C!ciitral Awia, but it is the IIkmih from which ori^^inato its prinrtipal
niountain-chainH. Tlu; Wakhanis nanu; tluH plain Ham-i-l)nniah, or
'U(tof of tho World,' ami it would indeed npp(>ar to bo the hif^hoBt
tahh'-lanil in Asia, and probably in niiy part (»f our ^lobc. From I'amir
tlio (ijroimil HinkH in ovory dinuttion except to tho Houth-eaHt, wh(;ro
Hiniilar plateaux extend along tin; nortlu'rn litco of tho Himalayas into
TliilHit. An individual who had hih'u tho rogion botwon Wakhan and
Cashmoro infonned nu? that tho Kunor Uivor had its principal Kourco in
a lake roHombling that in which the Oxuh has its rinc, and that tho whole
of this country, comprehending tho districts of Gilgit, Gnngit, and (Jhi-
tral, is a series of mountain defiles that act an water-courHos to drain
Pamir.

" As early in tho morning of Tuesday, the 20th of February, as tho cold
permitted, wo walked out about six hundred yards upon the lake, and
liaving cleared tho snow from a portion of its surface, commenced break-
ing tho ice to ascertain its depth. Tliis was a matter of grcatcu- <lif!iou!ty
than it at first sight appeared, for the water was frozen to tho depth of
two feet and a half, and, owing to tho great rarity of the atmosphere,

694

WOOD'S JOUBNEY TO THE OXUS.

a few strokes of the pick-ax produced an exhaustion that stretched us
upon the snow to recruit our breath. The sounding-lead sti uck bottom
at nine feet. The water emitted a slightly fetid smell, and was of a red-
dish tinge. The bottom was oozy and tangled with grassy weeds. I
tried to measure the breadth of the lake by sound, but was baffled by
the rarity of the air. A musket, loaded with blank cartridge, sounded
a3 if the charge had been poured iiito the barrel, and neither wads nor
ramrod used. When ball was introduced the report was louder, but
possessed none of the sharpness that mcrks a similar charge in denser
atmospheres. The ball, however, could be distinctly heard whizzmg
through the air. The human voice was sensibly affected, and conversa-
tion, especially if in a loud tone, could not be kept up without exhaus-
tion : the slightest muscular exertion was attended with a similar result.
Half a dozen strokes with an ax brought the workman to the gro'ind ;
and though a few minutes' respite sufficed to restore the breath, any
thing like continued exertion was impossible. A run of fifty yards at
full speed mads the runner gasp for breath. Indeed, this exercise pro-
duced a pain in the lungs and a general prostration of strength which
was not got rid of for many hours. Some of the party complained of
dizziness and headaches ; but, except the effect thus described, I neither
felt myself nor perceived in others, any of tLose painful results of great
elevation which travelers have suffered in ascending Mont Blanc. This
might have been anticipated, for where the transition from a dense to
a highly-rarefied atmosphere is so sudden, as in the case of ascending
that mountain, the circulation can not be expected to accommodate
itself at once to the difference of pressure, and violence must accrue to
some of the more sensitive organs of the body. The ascent to Pamir
w 3, on the contrary, so gradual, that some extrinsic circumstances were
necessary to remind us of the altitude we had attained. The effect of
great elevation upon the general system had, indeed, been proved to me
some time before in a manner for which I was not prepared. One even-
ing in Badakhshan, while sitting in a brc ti study over the fire, I charnd
to touch my pulse, and the galloping rate at which it was throbbing
reused my attention. I at once took it for granted that I was in a rag-
ing fever, and, after perusing some hints on the preservation of health
which Dr. Lord, at parting, had kindly drawn out for me, I forthwith
prescribed for myself most liberally. Next morning my pulse was as
brisk as ever, but still my feelings denoted health. 7 now thought of
examining the wrists of all our party, and, to my surprise, found that
the pulses of my companions beat yet faster than my own. The cause
of this increased circulation immediately occurred to me ; and when we
afterward commenced m:;rching toward Wakhan I felt the pulses of
the party whenever I registered the boiling point of vater. The mo-
tion of the blood is in fact a sort of living barometer by which a man ac-
quainted with his own habit of body can, in ^eat altitudes, roughly
calculate his height above the sea.'*

A WILD SHEEP— RETURN.

695

" After getting a clear and beautiful meridian altitude of the sun on
the 20th, we saddled, and casting a last look at Lake Sir-i-kol, entered
the defile leading to Wakhan. On arriving at the station where we had
left the hunters, wr were agreeably surprised to find they had been suc-
cessful in the chase, and had slaughtered a Kutch-kar^ or wild sheep. It
was a noble animal, standing as high as a two-year-old colt, ^vith a ven-
erable beard, and two splendid curling horns, which, with the head,
were so heavy as to require a considerable exertion to lift them. Though
in poor condition, the carcase, divested of ofial, was a load for a bag-
gage-pony. Its flesh was tough und ill-tasted ; but we were told that in
autumn, when the 8' limal is in prime condition, no venison is better fla-
vored."

Returning by way of Jerm, Lieutenant Wood reached Koondooz on
the 11th of March, having been absent just three months. Murad Bey,
whose health was much shattered, died soon afterward, and Dr. Lord
and himself accordingly returned to Cabul, where they arrived on the
1st of May.

FREMONT'S

EXPLORATIONS OF THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS AND CALIFORNIA.

JOURNEY TO THE ROCKY MOUNTAINS.

In the year 1842, Captain John C. Fremont, of the United States
Topographical Engineers, was ordered to explore the country hetween
the frontiers of Missouri and the South Pass in the Rocky Mountains,
and on the line of the Kansas and Great Platte rivers, which was then
but imperfectly known, exce^t by the traders and trappers. He left
Washington om the 2d of May, and arrived at St. Louis, by way of New
York, on the 22d. Here he collected twenty-one men, principally Creole
and Canadian voyageurs, who had become familiar with prairie life in the
service of the fur companies in the Indian country. Mr. Charles Preuss,
a native of Germany, assisted in the toj^graphical part of the survey,
and Christopher Carson (more familiarly known, for his f xploits in the
mountains, as Kit Carson) was their guide. Tliey traveled by steam,
boat to Chouteau's landing, about four hundred miles by water from St.
Louis, and near the mouth of the Kansas river, whence they proceeded
twelve miles to Mr. Chouteau's trading-house, where they completed
the final arrangements for the expedition.

They set forward on *he 10th of June, and on the 14tn, late in the
t.'temoon, reached the ford of the Kanb. s. Tlie river was so much
«^ ilon by late rains that they crossed it with difficulty. Journeying
Tc-siTard near the Kansas, and afterward along vCe banks of the Platte,
;hi , caught the first glimpse of the Rocky Mountains on the morning
ofiui^ 9th. The day was bright, but there was a slight mist, and the
mountains, seen at a distance of sixty miles, appeared like clouds along
the horizon. On the evening of the 10th they reached St. Vrain's fort,
situated on the south fork of the Platte, immediately under the mount-
ams, and about seventeen miles east of Long's Peak. The elevation of
the Platte at this point is five thousand four hundred feet above the
level of the sea. The neighboring mountains were covered with snow,
which extended several himdred feet below the summits on the northern

698

FREMONT'S EXPLORATIONS.

They resumed their journey on the morning of the 12th. Their
next point of dostiualion .vas the fort at tlie mouth of Larumie'H Oeeli
fiituateJ about own hiuidred and twenty-five miles to the north. On the
14th (hey encamped on a fork of Horse Creek, near a point where it
j)asses between two ranges of precipitous hills, Huppt)sed by Fremont to
be tlic locality called (.ioshen's Hole. These hills are wrought by the
winds and rains into a variety of singular forma. One on the western
side resembles a injvsaive fortified jJace, with remarkable precision of
detail. The rock is marl and earthy limestone, white, without the least
ajjpearance of vegetation, and much resembles masomy at a little dis-
tance. Along the whole line of the i)arapets a])pear domes and slender
minarets, forty or fitly feet high, giving it every appearance of an oM
fortified town. On the waters of VV^hite Iliver, where this fonnation exists
in great extent, it presents appearances which excite the admiration of
the solitary voyagenr, and form a frequer.t theme of their conversation
when speaking of the wondi'rs of the country. Sometimes it offers the
perfectly illusive n' v,p.ivance of a large city, with numerous streets and
magnificent builui niong which the Canadians never fail to see their

cabaret — and somelji s it takes the form of a. solitary house, Avith many
large chambers, into which they drive their horses at night, and sleep in
these natural defenses perfectly secure from any attack of prowling savages.

On the Iflth they reached the post of the American Fur Company,
above the junction of the Laramie with the Platte, called Fort John, or
Fort Laramie. It M-as a large post, h:iving more the air of military con-
struction than the fort at the mouth of the river. It is on the letl bank,
ou a rising ground, some twenty-five feet above the water ; and its lofty
walls, whitewashed and picketed, with large bastions at the angles, gave
it quite an imposing ajipearance. During their stay at the fort the men
were engaged in repairs, and in {>repa:ing for the chances of a rough
road anc' mountain travel. Fremont engaged an interpreter, and all
preparations bein^ made, they struck their tents on the morning of the
21st, and were ready to de|)art, when a deputation of Indian chiefs
waited on them for the purpose of inducing them to stay. The Indians
represented that their young men, who hatl gone to the mountains, were
eager to avenge the blood of their relations, which had been shed by the
whites; that they would believe Fremont's party were carrying goods
and ammunition to their enemies, and would fire upon thera. They
urged many reasonable objections, but being aware that their object
was merely to prevent him from going further into the country. Colonel
Fremont replied at length to their speeches, then broke up the confer.
ence and set out immediately.

After crossing the Platte on tlie 28th, they encountered a band of
Sioux, who gave them a discouraging picture of the country. The great
drought and the plague of grasshoppers had swept it so that scarcely a
blade of grass was to be seen, and there was not a buffalo to be found in
the whole region. Their people had been nearly starved to death, and

THE SOUTH PASS.

609

had marked the road by lodges which they had thrown away in order to
movo more rapi^lly, and by the carcasscH of horses which they had eaten,
or which had i)eriBhed from Btarvation. When the interpreter, Biuso-
nettc, had conveyed this hitelligence, he urged Colonel Fremont to aban-
don the further prosecution of his exploration, and turn back at once,
lie was himself about to return, havhig gone as far as he had engaged
to attend the expedition. Colonel Fremont replied by calling up his
nic<i, and conununicating to them the inlbrraation he had received. lie
tlien expressed his determination to proceed to the end of the enterprise
on which he had been sent ; but lelt it optional with them to continue
with lum or to return. They had still ten days* provisions ; and should
no game bo found when this stock was expended, they had their horses
and mules as a last resource. But not a man flinched from the under-
takuig. " We'll eat the mules," said Basil Lajcimesse ; and thereupon
they shook hands with their interpreter and his Indians, and parted.
With them Colonel Fremont sent back one of tho men, whom the effects
of an old wound in the leg rendered incapable of continuing the jounjey
on foot. They then deposited the carts and all the baggage not abso-
lutely necessary to their future operations, and next morning continued
their route along the I*latte, finding an abundance of grass and other
vegetiition, as well sis of game, notwithstanding the representations of
the Indians. On the last day of July they left the Matte, and began
to asci'ud the Sweet Water River. On the 3d of August, as they passed
over a slight rise near the river, they caught the tirst view of the Wind
River Mountains, which, at the distance of about seventy miles, appeared
10 be a low and dark ridge. " The view," says Colonel Fremont, " dis-
t)ipat(>d in a moment the pictures which had been created in our minds,
by many travelers who have compared these mountains with the Alps in
Switzerland, and speak of the glittering peaks which rise in icy majesty
amidst the eternal glaciers nine or ten thousand feet into the region of
eternal snows."

Following the <!ourse of tho Sweet Water they gradually ascended
the niountaini), and on the 7th, encamped on rts banks near the South
I'asti. Early in the morning they sot out for tho dividing ridge. " About
six miles from our encampment," continues Colonel Fremont, " brought
us to the summit. The ascent had been so gradual that, with all the in-
timate knowledge possessed by Carson, who had made the country his
home for seventeen years, wo were obliged to watch very closely to find
the place at which we had reached the culminating point. This was be'
tween two low hills, rising on either hand fifty or sixty feet. Whei, I
looked back at them, from the foot of the immediate slope on th'j west*
cm plain, their summits appeared to be about one hundred and twenty
feet above. From the impression on my mind at this time, and subse*
quently on our return, I should compare the elevation which we sur^
mounted immediately at the pass, to the ascent of the Capitol hill from
the avenue, at Washmgton. It is difficult for me to fix positively tho

700

KIU«M()NT'H ICX I'l.Oll ATIONH.

Iiroiiildi of IIiIm |)!ihh. l*'rom lli»> Itritkm ^^^llnl| wln'io il, cittninotioim, ni,
llio fltot of llio \\ imi Uivcr «<lmiii, tli«* viiMV ti» \\\v hmihIi (mimI, In ovor ti
<<hiiiii|)iti)^ii roimlrv, Itniki'H, al lln' (liHliuic<< oC niiii>(i>)>ii iiiilt-M, hy (||„
Tiiltlc UiM'k ; whii'li, willi tlio oIImt iNnlii(<Mi liillH in its vi<Miii(y,N<'('iM in
Htiiiitl on fi <<i)n)|)itrtitiv«> |iliiiii. 'I'IiIm I Jll(l^^'^l l«t \tv Uh (ri'iiiitifiliiiti, llm
vitly;o rccovcrinjr itH ni^f^i'tl <>litiriii'l(<r with llic Tuldn IJnok. Il, will iio
Rocntliiit it iiiuo miuinrr nwinitli'M (lif |iIihm'h fo wliit'li Hii' term Im cmmi-
inoiily n|»|»ii<'<l ii<itliiii|^ of (In' lioi);" like • liiiriu-<<>r iiiul wiinliii^ iiHmitM
of llic Allo^liiiiiy pHNHCM ill AiiitM'ii'ii ; imlliiiii^ of llic (Jiciit Si. Iti>riiiiri|
niitl Siiiiplnn ptiNNt'M ill Kiii-o|i(>. Apiiriiiirliiii^ it iVoiii Hit* iiiontli nt' ilio
SwiM't Water, a Hainly plain, <»iu» Iiiiii<Ii-«mI ami twniiy iiiilfH Inii^, fun.
«liiotn, liy a ^;ra<liial aii<l lofriiliir asiMMit, to tlu> Ntininiit, alHint Mi'vni tlioiH
nn<l lt><>t altovp tlio n<mi; ami tli<< tiiivrlrr, williont lirin^ n>ininil(M| nrnny
oliaiifi"(» Ity (oilHoino aHi'i'iit^t, Hmlil<<nly limlH liiniMi'lC on tim watciH wliicji
(low to (lie I'arilic Oi'cun. \\\ tln< ronio «■»' liad (ravrliMl, Ilii> (JiMlaiico
IVoin K«»rt liiuainio in tlin>(> linmlrt><| ami Iwcniy niilcH, or niiir liniKJicd
aiitl t!t\y iVoin tlio niontli ortlic KaiiNiis."

(Ntntiiuiin^r tli<>ii' iiiarcli, tlwy r<>arliiM| in ri^lit niilt'^ from llin |iiinh,
tlu» Mttli' Samly, ii trilmtary of tin' Coloiiitjo, or < Jrcfii Kivt-r oC llm
<»nll'olTalitornia, inni w* tlicy ailMun'cil.cioNHcd otlirr trilintarirM ortliut
ri\ cr, tlowiiifr down iVom tlii' Wiml Kivcr MoimlMiiiH, wIiomc loiVicst r;iii|r(>
tlu'v wvvo now approacliini!;. Al\<'r wimliiif^ llirir way n|» ii lonir raviim
on tlio liMli, tlicy oainc nm'\|i('<'l('<lly in vit'w ol' a iHanlilnl lake, wliicli
lay a«Mo«JS the diri'dion tlicy lia*i Ihm'ii pniHninjjr. " Here," sayw I'ltiiiDiil,
"a \n'w ot' till' ntinost iiiap;nitic(<m>(' ami ^ramlciir IhiihI upon our I'ycH.
Willi lotliiiitj iM'twi'i'u ns ami tlit'ir t'ci't to IrHHcn tlic clli'ct ot'tlic wIkiIc
lit'iulit, a >>iaml Im'»>lwtM'n two riil^'M, covi'icd witli dark pim«H, wliifli
Hwopt down tVoin tlio tmiin rliain to tlw spot w licit' w<> utood. 'Never
lu'l'ori',' said IMr. IVt'iiss, ' in tlii?* fonnlry or in Kiinipf, liavf I hccii niicIi
fjrand, nia^nitioiMit rooks.' 1 waw so niiit'li plfaseil with tlu' lit'aiily t)!'
llu' pl'uv, that I tlotonninod to niako tlio iiiaiii vamp lit'rc, wlicrc tiiir
animals w«ni1<l find jjjood past lira jfr, ami ovploro tlio inoiintaiiiN MJtli ii
wnall party of nit'ii."

Karly on tin* inorninjij of tlic lV.Mli tlicy It'll tlio «'amp, liilecii in
nuinlior, wt'll arnu'd, and iu<»nnti'd on tlu'ir Ix'st tnnlt's, A pat-k .iniinai
oarriod tlioir pri>vision», ami ovcry man liati ft blanket strapped over liis
Rftddle, to serve tor liis betl, vliile tlie iiiHtnunentH were earrieil liy turns
on their backs. After erossinj; the lirst lt»w range, and paHNiinij threuijli
dense forests with a rioh nndergnnvth of jilants, they nt length struck
the RUinniit of the ritlge. " We had reaehed ii very elevatctl puiiit,''
continues Fremont, " ami in the valley below, ami ntnong the hills, wero
a number of lakes of ditVerent levels; st^ne two or three huntlred lot't
above others, with which they conununicated by foaming torrents. Kvcu
to our great height the roar of the cataracts canio uj), and wo could soo

TIIIC WINr» lltVKIl MOIINTAINH

701

llioiii l)>ii|)iii^ ilowii ill liiM'M of MiDMvy liiiuii. I''niiii tliin Ncctic of Inmy
ntiti'i'H, \vi> tiirncil iilini|illy iiilti tlii> MlilliicHH (li'ti tiircHt, wlii'ti* w«! r(>«ii>
anions {\w o|m>ii IimIIh nrthi' piiicM, hvit h Iuwii of vcnluiit ^iuhh, liiivin^
Hlrikiii^ly lln' iiir mI' nilliMiicd mimiiilH. TIiih ImI iih, hIIit ii (iiiH-,
miinli^ iiiiiHNi'H (irriM-k whirl) liuil iim vi-^i'tiilil*' fiiitli liiil in liollow^ iiiifi
n-cviccH, (liMii|{li Mlill tlio |tiiM' loicMt, roiiliiiiH'il, 'riMVfii'l rvtiiiiij^ wi<
ri<ii<*lii<<| II «li>lil<>, Ml- iiillicr fi IimIc in the fiioiinlitiiiH, oiiliifly hIiiiI in l»y
ilurk pine CMVi'icil im kn,"

'I'liry wiiimIciciI iiImmiI, (iiiiriM<_r (li(-riHirM himI riiviiH'fl until (1)11 k, (ukI
tlicti IihmIciH'iI down to tlif <;nn|i. In llic tiioriiiii^ llicy (iH(!(>n<|((| u
inoniitiiiii-Hti'ciini, (liroii^li ii tlclilc wlicro llii> |iiiMHa^f wan HOMKliMii'H difli-
cull, until tlicy ri'iulii'ij a hiiiiiII Iuwii wIimi', in a litllo laki-, the Htriam
had ilH H(uir('(\ " llcii','" HayH l'"n>inoni, "I «h!l,«'rmiiic(l td Icavn our
aiiiinalH, aiid make tlio rent oroiir way on loot. Tlin peak appfarcd ho
m-ar that, tln'i«f waH no (hmlil of oiir n-lnriiiiij^ licfiiiJ- nij^ht. ; anil a (cw
iiicii wcin ji'd in rliar^n ol'tlm niiih'M, with onr proviHiotiH anil MunkitH,
W<i took with iiH niithin^ lint, onr uhiih and inntniiiii-nt,M, and, as thr day
had licconio waini, tint f^ii-ati'i- part, lidl our roat,H. Huvinj^ niadi- an
early dinner, wo Htartcd a^aiii. VVf wcro noon involvcil in thu niimt
nif,'H('d priM-ipici-H, nrarin/r tim mitral chain vi-ry nlowly, and riMini^ hut
little. Tim lirHt ridgn hid a Hiirri'HHion ofothciH; and whi-n, with ynat
litti^jriii* and dillicully, wi< lia<l I'liniiii'd ii|) five hundred feet, it w.'i.s Imt
t(i make an eipial deseent on the other Hiile; all tlicHe intervening plneen
were lilled with Hiiiall deep lakeH, which met the eye in every direction,
ilesci'tidin^ Irom ono level to another, HonietitneH under lirid^es f'orined
hy liut^u IVa^^inentu of granite, heneath which wiim heard the roar of fho
wuler. 'riicHi" coiiHlantly idislriicted our path, (oicinjjr uh to make lonj,(
(lilDiifn; IVeijiienlly oMi^ed to retrace our HtepH, and fre»(iifntly IJiilinj^
.'imontr the iocKh. INIaxweil wiih precipiljited toward the liice ofa prec-
ipice, and Haved hiniself Irom f^oinj^ over by throwinj^ hiniHcir flat fin
llio (ground. AVo <'laiiil»ered on, alwayH c^xpectinj^, with every rid^o
that we (;ro,HHed,to reach the foot of the peakn, and alwayH diHappointed,
until ahout four o'clock, when, pretty well worn out, wi; reached the
sliuru of a littlo laki>, in which wart a ro(;ky island.

"liy tilt) (inio wo had n-ached the further Hid(! of the lake, we f'>'ind
oai'HelveH all exceedingly fatigued, and, much to the Katisfartion of the
whole party, we (ineamptid. Tho Hpot we had clioHcn was a l*road flat
rock, in sonm nieasiiro protected from the windrt by the Hurroundin^
craf^H, and llio trunkn of fiillen pincH afforded us Itright fires. Near by
was a foaininjif torrent, which tumbled into the litth; lake about one hun-
dred and fifty feet below uh, and wliich, by way of distinction, we have
culled Island I/iko. We had reached tins nppiir limit of th(! piney
region ; as, above this point, no tree was to be set^n, and iiatchcs of
snow lay everywhcri! around us, on the cold sides of the rock. From
Imronietrical observations made (luring our three days' sojourn at this
place, its elevation above the Gulf of Mexico is ten thousand feet."

702

K U K M N T'M K X I' 1. U A T I O N H.

Soon litVor tUvy <<ni<iuu|H<i|, t'dloiii'l l^'rcmont wiih fiik«<ii ill, niul ron«
tiniu'tl HO till Iiu«< in tli<> ni>{lit, with violoiit li<>!uliirliit hikI viMiiitin^. 'Wm
wnn pruhiihly owiiifj to fiiliguo, tin' want of ((hhI, iuuI, in nmiw iiii«iiHnrn,
(o till' rnrily of tho ntiiioHiihcrc. T\u\ u'mUi wiw rnM, nnd their >(miiii,<)
hciJM woro not (iivomltlo to Hlorp, tlu'niliirc, hh tli.«y wcri' not «lc|iiy»M|
l.y !Hiy iiri'|tiinitif»n for l»nMikliiNt. in ilic morning, they ml. «Mit iiimu!.
(lialoly.

"On every Mth\ iih we inlviniee(|," eonliinieH Kreniont, " wiw Iwiml
tlie roin* of wuterH, iin»l of* ii torrent, wliieli we ('ollowe«| npii mIioiI. (IIm-
tiinee, initil it expnntied into a lake uboiit one mile in len^tli. On t|in
noiiliern Hide of the liik(< wiih n hinik of ice, or rather of Hnow, covered
with a cruHt of ieo. C'arnon had heeii our miide into the niotintainH, and,
a^;reeal)ly to liiH advice, wo letl thiM lilth> valley, ami took to the ridden
aj^ain, which wo found i'xtromely broken, and where wo woro aj^aiti in-
volved amonjif precipiccH. Hero were ice-lieldn, amoii)^ which we worn
all disporHod, nookinj? each the bent path to aHcetid the peak. Mr. IVciinh
attempted to walk nlon^ the upper edj^e of ono of these Ihtldn, which
nlopcd away at an an^lo of about twenty deiyn'en ; but hiw fi-et nlippcd
tVom \nider him, and he went plun^iu)^ down the plain. A few hundred
feet below, at the bottom, were Home fr:i^mentH ofHharp rock, on which
he landed ; nnd, though ho turned a eoupio of HomerHotN, fortunately re-
ceived no injurv beyond a few briUHeH."

Two of the m(>n had beeji taken ill, and Krcmont liintNelf mum iij^aiti
unwell ; an ho grow worse h«» neiit. ItaHil IjajetmeNHc, with four men, hack
to the pl;ioo whoro tho nniles had been left. Kindin^ it unpleaHatitly
cold on tho rock, th«'y at length set out to return f«» tho camp, wlicni
1 hey .all came Htr;ijjf»Iinj^ in one af\er tlu< other. 'r<»ward evening Col-
on»>l Kremont r<><'t)ver«'d ami (hey were relieved by the appearanci^ of
Uiusil and four men with mnlen and a Hupply of l)laid<etH an<l provisions.

In tho morninpt Fremont HOt ont, with Mr. IVouhh and foin- men, to
ascend (ho peak t«>ward which all their ofVorts had been <lirected. Tliis
time (hey de(orminod to proceed quietly ami cautiouHly, beinj^ resolved
io acoompliHh (heir object if it wan within tim compuHH of human means.
They w»>nt forward by n lonjpf dolilo, which wan of easy nscc-nt, hut
rutrjxcd and sometimes hiippory M ilh ice, and soon h:ul th(> salisfaction
oC lidinuf alon^; tho Inij^o wjUI which f5»rintid tho central Hununits of tho
mount.iin. It rose at their sidos, n nearly jK'rpondicular massof j^ranitc,
terminating at two or throo thousand foot above their heads in a sor-
rated line of broken, jajjjjod cones. At long(h thoy roaclied a level at
tho ba.Ho of tho main poak, cAllod Snow I'eak by Fremont, nnd finding
pood grass thoy turned tho miilus loose to grnzo. Tho party now began
loisun'ly to climb the ascent. Colonel Frein«int availed hinisolf of a
comb of tho mountain, which stood against tho wall like a buttress, and
which tho wind and sun, joined to tho smoothness of tho rock, had kept
almost free from snow. Up this he niado liis way very rapidly, until
ho reached a pouit where tho buttress woa overhanging, and thcro

\tMHi

Vol
11, to

Tirw

iioans.

I, ^">t
act ion

of tho
ri\niU',
•V ser-
L.vol at,

began

l>\f of a
ani\

, until
thcro

TIIR HITMMIT OK T II K I' K A K

708

wnM no oUicr wny of NurindiinlitiK Ijio ilifliciilty Umn by piiHNin^ hrouii<l
Olio HwUi of it, whirli wuh (Iki Humi ofn viirlitiiil itnuMpim of mtvoml Itiiii^
(Ii'imI t<M>t.

*' i'littiiiK IiiukIn (UkI f«M-l ill i)u* crdvircN Ixitwdcii tlii' MocUn,'* lin
coiiliiMKiH, " I Hiirct'iiili'tl ill ^<>^lill^ «»v(ir it, luid, wIikii I ntnclicd ttix to|i,
CuiiimI my roiii|iuiiiotiH in a hiiihII viilhiy ImiI«iw. 1)cM(M>M<iinf{ to lliciii, wo
<i<iiitinii<<<| cliinliiii^, niul in n Mlioit tiiiiii n>uc.li<!<l tint otcHt. I H|ii'iiiif{ ii|ion
tliii Hiiiiiniit, iiiid niiotlior Ntrp woiiM Imvo prcciiiitatrd iiio into an ini-
iiiiiiiNU HiiowfioM tivd liiiiMir«<(| li't't Itolow. To thii ctl^n of tliiH liold wnn
n hIioci- iiiy iinuiipim ; uiid tiioii, with u ^nwliiiil full, tiio field Hlopcd nil*
for liboiit n iiiilo, until it Htnick thii foot of tuiotiior lowor rUl^fi: I Htood
on n narrow iiroNt, about tlirco fii'i't in width, with an inclination ofalHtiit
'20" north, Al" I'liHl. Ah hmoii aH I IiimI ^ratitidd tho firnt frolin^H of < ii-
rioHity, \ dcix^rndcd, and oacJi inaii aHccntbid in hiH turn ; ibr I would
only allow ono at a tinio to inoinit tho iinHtabht and procarioiiH HJab,
whii^h it HdoiiK'd a broath would hurl into tlio abyriH bolow. Wo nioiintod
the barotnotor in tlio nnow of tho Minnntit, and, fixiiif^ a rant rod in a orov-
ico, iinfiirlod tliu national ila^ to wavo in tho brocKo whcro novor ttny;
wavod boforo. Diiriiif^ our niornin^'H aHoont, wo had mot no Kij^n of
aniinal lifo, oxoopt a Hiiiall H[iarrow-liko liinl. A HtillnoHH th«t moHt pro-
found and a iorriblo Holitiido forood thoniNolvoH oonHtantly on tho mind
as tho ^roal foatiiroH of tho placo. Iforo, on tht^ Hiitnmit, whoro tho
HlillnoHH waH abNoItito, unbroken by any Hoiind, and Holitudo (;(*mploto,
wo thought oui'MoIvoH bi'yond tlio rogion of animatitd lifit ; but whiio
wo woru nitting on IIkj rcxik, a Holitary boo (hromnH, ihv, hmnhk-hn)
cunio winging hiH iliglit from tho oantorn valh-.y, and liton tho knoo ofono
of tho mon.

** ft waH a Htrungo plaoo, tho ioy rook and tin; higlu'Ht |)oak of tho
Uooky MountainH, Ibr a lovor of warm Huimhino and lloworH ; an«l wo
ploasod oufHolvoH with tho idi-a that ho waH the first of hiH hjiooioh to
croHH tho mountain barrittr — a solitary pioneor to fbroioll tho adv.inoe of
civili/Jition. I boliovo that a nKmionrs tbought would havo mado iih l(;t
him cuiitinuo bin way itnharmod ; but wo (;arriod out tho law of tluH
country, whoro all animated naturi; Hocmv at war ; and, Hoi/jng )iim im-
mediately, put liim in at least a fit placo — in the UiavoH of a large book,
among tho floworH wo bad colhictod on our way. The baronriett^r stood
at IH"20U, tho attJMiliod tberniomctor at 44" ; giving for tho elovutifni (»f
this summit iJJ/iVO feet above tho Gulf of Mexico, wbicih may br; <;:iil(!d
tho highest flight of tho boo. It i» certainly tlio bighest known flight
of that insect. From the dcscnption given by Mackenzie of tho mount-
aioH wlioro he crosRod thein, with that of a Freaoh ofTicor still furtJior
to the north, and Colonel Long's nioasuromentH to tho south, joined to
the opinion of tho oldest trad(!rs of the country, it is prosnme<l that this
is the highest peak of tho llocky Mountains. Tho day wsis sunny and
bright, but a slight shuiing mist hung over the lower plains, which in-
terfered with our view of tho aurrounding country. On one side wo

704

F H K M () NT'S I'lX I" L (HI A T 1 NS.

ovoilookiul inniniu'mblc lakes and HtnmniH, llio spring of tlic Colorado of
tho (tiilf of Ciiliforniii; and on the other wuh the Wind Itiver valley,
where \v<'re the heads of the Yellowstone brancli of the Missouri ; liir
to the north, we eould just discover the snowy heads of the 'IVoin 7h(o/m,
where! were the sources of the Missouri and Columbia Uivers ; and at the
southern extremity of the ridge, the peaks were jilainly visible, among
which were some of the Hj)rings of the Nebraska or Platte Itiver.
Around »is, the whole sceno liad one main, striking feature, which was
that of terrible convulsion. I'arallel to its length, the ridge was split
into chasms and fissures ; between which rose the thin lolly walls, tenni-
nated with slender minarets and columns."

They reached the camp on the evening of the next day, and on the
17th the party turned their faces homeward. At Kock Independence,
where they arrived at their old encampment on the 22d, Colonel Fre-
mont embarked for the purpose of making a survey of the Platte River
on their return, but after dragging their boat a mile or two over the
sands, he gave up the tmdertaking tmtil reaching the mouth of the Sweet
Water Uivcr, where they embarked on the 25th. Proceeding rapidly
down the river, they soon approached a ridgo where the stream passes
between perpendicular rocks of great height, which frccpiently ajtproach
each other so closely overliead as to form a kind of tunnel over the stream,
while it foams along below, half choked up by fallen fragments. To this
jiass the Spanish term " canon" has been applied. As they neared the
ridge, the river made a sudden turn and swept square down against one
of the walls of the canon, witli great velocity, and ho steep that it had
the a|)pearanco of an inclined plane. When they launched into this the
men jumped overboard to check the velocity of the boat, but were soon
in water up to their necks, and the boat ran on. They succeeded, how-
ever, in bringing lier to a small point of rocks on the right, at the
mouth of the canon. From the summit of the rocks the passage ap-
peared to be a continued cataract, foaming over many obstructions, and
broken by a number of small falls. They all again embarked, and at first
attempted to check the way of the boat ; but they narrowly escaped
being swamped, and were obliged to let her go in the full force of the
current, and trust to the skill of the boatmen. In some places the stream
was contracted to fi-om three to five feet by huge rocks whi(!h had fallen
in, and was precipitated over them in a fall, or rushed through the con-
tracted opening with tremendous violence. The boat, being of India-
rubber, was unhurt by every shock. In this way they passed three
cataracts in succession, where about a hundred feet of smooth water in-
tervened, and finally issued from the tunnel with a shout of joy. They
stopped at eight o'clock to breakfast on the banks below the cailon, for
all were wet, fatigued, and hungry.

They re-embarked at nine, and in about twenty minutes reached the
next canon. Landing to reconnoiter, they found portage was out of the
question ; the jagged rocks pointed out the course of the canon on a

ADVKNTURK IN TIIK RAPIDS.

705

windinpj lino of 8(!V(>ii or ciglit inilc.s. It waH Himply a narrow, dark
cliaHrn in the rock ; the luTpctuiiciilar faccH wcro mudi liiglicr than in
the i)rt'vi()iiH pasH, bcinjn from two to tliroo hundred feet at tliii uppor
end, and ilvi! Imndrcd f»;».'t further down. Kvory Ihiuy; boinj^ now
8ccurc(i aH firmly as poHsil)h', they j)iiNht>d into tho Htream and came tr»
the first, difliriilt pass. A stroiij,' ropi; had been fiistt-ntsd to tho storn of
the boat ; tlircc men damh(>rcd ahdif^ iho rocks, and with this ropo let
licr slowly throiij^h tho pass. In on(! of tho narrows, formed hy the hij^h
rocks which lay scattincd about tin; channel, the boat stuck liist for an
instant, and the wat«!r flew ov<'P thci.i, sweeping; away only a pair of
Haddlo-bags, but tliey quickly forced her through and came into smoother
water. Tho n(;xt jtassago was much Avorse, and they found themselves
in a rather bad position. To go l»ack was inipossibhi ; before them tho
cataract was a wheot of foam ; and shut up in tho chasm by tho rocks,
wliich seemed almost lo mcutt overliead, tho roar of tho water was deaf-
ening. They pushed off again ; but soon tho current became too strong
for tho men on shore, and two of lh('m let go the rope. Lajounosso
hung on and was jerked head foremost into the rivor from a rock about
twelve feet liigh ; tho boat shot forw ird, IJasil following in the rajnd
current, his liead only seen occasionally in tho white foam. They suc-
ceeded at length in turning the boat into an eddy, and IJasil Lajeunesso
arrived immediately .aller, declaring tliat lio had boon swimmi'ig half a
mile. They tlien took him and the two others on board, and again be-
gan the rapid descent. They cleared rock after rock, and shot past iiiU
after iiill, until they became familiar with the danger, and, yielding to
the excitement of the occasion, they broke forth into a Canadian boat-
song. They were in the midst of tho chorus when the boat struck a
hidden rock at tho foot of a fall, which whirled her over in an instant.
They saved themselves on tlie rocks upon either side, although with
considerable difticulty, as three of the men could not swim. For a hun-
dred yards below the stream Avas covered with books and boxes, bales
and blankets ; all their books — almost every record of tho journey —
their journals and registers of astronomical and barometrical observa-
tions, had been lost in a moment.

Colonel Fremont immediately set about endeavoring to save some-
thing from the wreck. They descended the stream on each side, and
Lajeunesso in the boat alono proceeded down the canon. The search
was continued for a milo and a half, when the bed of the river became
choked up with fragments of the rock and the boat could pro-icod no
fiirthcr. Fortunately they recovered all their registers, excc^ . one of
Fremont's journals, containing notes and incidents of travel, and various
descriptions and observations, many of which were supplied by the other
journals. As tho day was now declining they set forward over tho
rocks and joined tho rest of the party at Goat Island, a short distance
below this rocky pass.

They reached Fort Laramie on tho last day of August, and after a

706

FUEMONT'S KXI'LORATIONS.

two »lay»' rest continuod tluur liomoward journoy down tlio Platto,
which wa.s glorioutt wit)i thu autumnal H[)kmd()r of iiinuiuorablo tlowern
in full hlooin. On thi; morning ofOotobor lOth they arrivml at thn
nioutli of tlio Kansas, just four months since thoy had led Chouteau's
trading-|)ost, ton miles above, and on the 17th thu expedition arrived
safely in St. Louis.

JOURNKY TO ORKOON AND CALIFORNIA.

In order to connect the explorations of 1842 with tho surveys of
Commander Wilkes on tho coast of tho l'acifi(!, so as to give a connect-
ed survey of tho interior of our continent, Colonel Fremont was dis-
patclicd to tlie West in tho spring of 184.1, to organize another exploring
party. After passing two weeks at the little town of Kansas, he com-
pleted the preparations necessary for the expedition contemplated hy
his instructions. Tho i)arty, consisting principally of Creole and Cana-
dian French, and Americans, amounted in all to thirty-nine men ; among
whom were several who had been on the first expedition. They sot out
on the 20th of May ; tho route now determined on was up the valley of
the Kansas liiver .and to the head w.ators of tho Arkansas.

They ascended the Kepiiblican Fork of tho Kansas, and on crossing
M\ elevated range of rolling hills, on the !?Oth of June, found themselves
overlooking a broad valley, wlu're, about ten miles distant and a tliou-
sand feet below them, the south Fork of Iho Platte flowed along, swollen
by tho w.aters of tho melting snows. "Traveling along up tho valley of
the river, hero four thousand feet above tho sea, in the afternoon of July
1st," says Colonel Fremont, "wo caught a far and uncertain view of a
faint blue mass in tho west, .as the sun sank behind it ; and from our
camp in the morning, at the mouth of Bijou, Long's Peak and the neigh-
boring mountains stood out into the sky, grand and luminously white,
covered to their bases with glittering snow."

On the 4th of July they reached St. Vrain's fort, and afterward pur-
sued their route down tho Boiling-spring River to its mouth on the
Arkansas, where they arrived on tho 14th. Here they had expected a
re-enforcement of mules and supplies from Taos, but tho natives having
pillaged the iidiabitants of that place, these supplies were cut off. Hero
Colonel Fremont had the satisfaction of meeting with their old buffalo-
hunter. Kit Carson, whose services ho again secured. As a supply of
mules was absolutely necessary, he sent Cai'son to tho post of Mr. Bent,
on the Arkansas, about seventy-five miles below Boiling-spring River,
with directions to proceed across the country with what animals he
could find, and meet the party at St. Vrain's fort. Returning thither
on the 2.3d, they found Fitzpatrick, tho guide, and his party, in excel-
lent health and spirits, and tho reliable Kit Carson, who had brought
ten mules with their pack-saddles. Mr. Fitzpatrick, who was inured to

CR088INO THE ROOKY MOUNTAINS.

707

moiintrun life niul know w«Il tho vnluo of proviMions in thin country, had
socuhhI nn iihiuulant Hiipply in tho camp.

" Ilavint; iU'tcnnincd to try the passiigo by a pasa through a spur of
tho inountuiiis mailo by tho (-acho-ii-Ia-I'oudro llivcr, which riacB in the
high bod of mountaitiH around Long's peak," continues Fremont, " I
thought it advisable to avoid any encumbrances which would oi^casion
detention, and accordingly again separated tho party into two divisions
— one of which, und(!r the command of Mr. Fitzpatrick, was directed to
cross tho plains to the mouth of Laramie Iliver, and continuing thence
its route along tlus usual emigrant road, meet mo at Fort llall, a post
belonging to tho Hudson IJ.iy (!omj>any, and situated on Snake River,
as it is commonly called in the Oregon Territory, although bettor known
to us as Lewis's fork of the Columbia. Our Delaware Indians having
determined to return to their homes, it became necessary to provide
this party with a good hunter; and I accordingly engaged in that
capacity Alexander Godcy, a young man who had been in this country
six or seven years, all of which time had been actively employed in
hunting for tho support of tho posts, or in solitary expeditions among
tho Indians."

On tho l.^th of August Colonel Fremont crossed the dividing ridge
which separates tho Atlantic from tho Pacific waters, by a road some
miles south of the one followed on his return in 1842. They crossed
near tho Table Mountain, at the southern extremity of tho Squth Pass,
which is near twenty miles in width, and was already traversed by sev-
eral different roads. The elevation of their route on this pass was seven
thousand four hundred and ninety feet. Entering here the valley of the
Green River — the great Colorado of tho West — and inclining southward
along the streams which form tho Sandy River, tho road led for several
days over dry and level plains, and on tho 15th they encamped in the
Mexican territory, on the Green River, sixty-nine miles from the South
Pass, and one thousand and thirty miles from the mouth of the Kansas.
This was tho emigrant trail to Oregon, which they followed along the
Green River, and thence toward the Salt Lake. After crossing the di-
viding ridge of the Rocky Mountains, the plants were few in variety, the
grass became poor and insufficient, and in this portion of tho journey
they lost several of their animals.

To avoid delay, Colonel Fremont sent Carson in advance to Fort
Hall on the 19th, to make arrangements for a supply of provisions. On
tho 2l8t they entered the fertile and picturesque valley of Bear River,
the principal tributary to the Great Salt Lake. The stream is here two
hundred feet wide, fringed with willows and occasional groups of haw-
thorns. *' We were now entering a region," observes Colonel Fremont^
" which, for us, possessed a strange and extraordinary interest. We wer«
upon the waters of the famous lake which forms a salient point among
the remarkable geographical features of the country, and around which
tho vague and superstitious accounts of tho trappers had thrown a de-

708

FREMONT'S EXPLORATIONS.

lightful obscurity. In our occasional conversations with tho few old
hunters who had visited tho region, it had been a subject of frequent
speculation ; and the wonders which they related were not the less agree-
able because they wore highly exaggerated and impossible."

Next morning they crossed Smith's Fork, a clear, broad stream, flow-
ing in through a wide mountain pass. Below, the valley of the Bear
River was broad and beautiful, but contracted as they advanced, and at
length swept through an open canon where high vertical rocks rose up
from tho water's edge. Night came on as they wero crossing the ridge
around this canon, and they had great difficulty in groping their way
down the steep mountain side, which it was necessary to descend for
water and grass. In the morning the'"" found they had encamped near a
large party of emigrants, and others were moving along tho road below.
In an hour's travel they met a small party of Shoshonees, who informed
them that a large village had lately come into the valley, from a hunting
excursion among the mountains on the west. Colonel Fremont unmedi-
ately set off to visit their encampment. He had approached within about
a mile when, he observes, " suddenly a single horseman emerged ii-om it
at full speed, followed by another and another in rapid succession ; and
then party after party poured into the plain, until, when the foremost
rider reached us, all the whole intervening plain was occupied by a mass
of horsemen, which came charging down iipon us with guns and naked
swords, lances, and bows and arrows — Indians entirely naked, and war-
riors fully dressed for war, with the long red streamers of their war-
bonnets reaching nearly to tho ground, all mingled together in the
bravery of savage warfare. They had been thrown into a sudden tumult
by the appearance of our flag, which, among those people, is regarded
as an emblem of hostility — it being usually borne by the Sioux and the
neighboring mountain Indians, when they come hero to Avar ; and wo
had, accordingly, been mistaken for a body of their enemies. A few
words from the chief quieted the excitement ; and tho whole baud, in-
creasing every moment in number, escorted us to their encampment."

They purchased eight horses and a quantity of berries and roots from
the Indians, and encamped near them for the night. On the 26th, they
reached tho famous Beer Sj)rin</s. They are situated in a basin of mine-
ral waters inclosed by tho mountains, which sweep around a circular
bend of the Beai River. A stream of clear Avater enters the upper part
of the basin from an open valley in the mountains, and discharges into
the river. They encamped a mile below, in the vicinity of the springs.
In tho bed of tho river, for a space of several hundred yards, they were
very abundant, the effervescing gas rising up and agitating the water in
countless bubbling columns. In the vicinity wero numerous springs of
an entirely different and equally marked mineral character. One of
these, at sorao distance below the camp, throws up a variable jet of
water to the height of about three feet.

*' Remaining in camp until nearly eleven o'clock, on tho 25th," con-

NAVIGATION OF THE SALT LAKE.

709

tinucs Fremont, " wc travcle J a short distance down the river, and halted
at noon on the bank, at a point where the road quits the valley of Bear
River, and, crossing a ridge which divides the Great Basin from the Pa-
cific waters, reaches Fort Hall, by way of the Portneuf River, in a dis-
tance of probably fifty miles, or two and a half days' journey for wagons.
An examination of the great lake which is the outlet of this river, and
che principal feature of geographical interest in the basin, w^as one of the
main objects contemplated in the general plan of our survey, and I ac-
cordingly determined at this place to leave the road, and, after having
completed a reconnoissance of the lake, regain it subsequently at Fort
Hall."

Pursuing his route, he made preparations on the 1st of September for
reaching the lake. He remarks: "Among the useful things which
formed a part of our equipage, was an India-rubber boat, eighteen feet
long, made somewhat in the form of a bark canoe of the northern lakes.
The sides were formed by two air-tight cylinders, eighteen inches in
diameter, connected with others forming the bow and stern. To lessen
the danger from accidents to the boat, these were divided into four dif-
ferent compartments, and the interior space was sufficiently large to con-
tain five or six persons, and a considerable weight of baggage. The
Roseaux being too deep to be forded, our boat was filled with air, and
in about one hour all the equipage of the camp, carriage and gun in-
cluded, ferried across. Thinking that perhaps in the course of the day
v/c might reach the outlet of the lake, I got into the boat with Basil La-
jeuncsse, and paddled down Bear River."

The channel of the river became so obstructed that they were obliged
to leave the boat next day and proceed by land, and on the 3d sent back
men and horses for the boat and baggage. Their provisions were begin-
ning to fliil, when Carson came up on the 4th with a light supply from
Fort Hall. After many difficulties, they saw, on the 5 th, an isolated
mountain, twelve miles distant, toward which they directed their course,
in the hope of obtaining from it a view of the lake, but the deepening
marshes obliged them to return to the river, and gain higher ground.
On the Cth they again made the attempt. " This time," he continues,
"we reached the butto without any difficulty, and, ascending to the sum-
mit, immediately at our feet beheld the object of our anxious search — the
waters of the inland sea, stretching in still and solitary grandeur far
beyond the limit of our vision. It was one of the gnat points of the explo-
ration ; and as we looked eagerly over the lake in the first emotions of
excited pleasure, I am doubtful if the followers of Balboa felt more enthu-
siasm when, from the heights of the Andes, they saw for the first time
the great Western Ocean. It was certainly a magnificent object, and a
noble terminus to this part of our expedition ; and to travelers so long
shut up among mountain ranges, a sudden view over the expanse of si-
lent waters had in it something sublime. Several large islands raised
their high rocky heads out of the waves ; but whether or not they wero

710

FREMONT'S EXPLORATIONS.

timbered, was still left to our imagination, as the distance was too great
to determine if the dark hu^a upon them were woodland or naked rock."

They returned to a grove which was the nearest point to the lake
where a suitable camp could bo found, and next day built an iuclosure
for the animals and a small fort for the men who were to remain.

"The provisions which Carson brought with him being now cx-
liausted, and our stock reduced to a small quantity of roots, I deter-
mined to retain with me only a sufficient number of men for the execu-
tion of our design ; and accordingly seven were sent back to Fort Hall,
under the guidance of Frangois Lajeunesse, who, having been for many
years a trapper in the country, was considenid an experienced mount-
aineer. Though they were provided with good horses, and the road
was a remarkably plain one of only four days' journey for a horseman,
they became bewildered (as we afterward leanied), and, losing their
way, wandered about the country in parties of one or two, reaching the
fort about a week afterward.

" We formed now but a small family. With Mr. Preuss and myself,
Carson, Bemier, and Basil Lajeunesse, had been selected for the boat-
expedition — the first attempted on this interior sea ; and Badeau, ■with
Derosier, and Jacob (the colored man), were to bo left in charge of the
camp.

" In view of our present enterprise, a part of the equipment of the
boat had been made to consist in three air-tight bags, about three foet
long, and capable each of containing five gallons. These had been Ullcd
with water the night before, and were now placed in the boat, with our
blankets and instruments. We left the camp at sunrise on the 8th, and
had a pleasant voyage down the river, in which there was generally eight
or ten feet of water, deepening as we neared the mouth in the latter
part of the day. In the course of the morning we discoverd that two
of the cylinders leaked so much as to require one man constantly at the
bellows, to keep th- .u sufficiently full of air to support the boat. On
the 9th the chamiel became so shallow that our na^-igatiou was nt an
end, being merely a sheet of soft mud, with a few inches of water, and
sometimes none at all. Wc took off our clothes, and, getting overboard,
commenced dragging the boat, making, by this operation, a very curious
trail, and a very disagreeable smell m stirring up the mud, as avo sank
above the knee at every step. The water here was still fresh, ■with
only an insipid and disagreeable taste, probably derived from the bed
of fetid mud. After proceeding in this way about a mile, we came to
a small black ridge on 'he bottom, beyond which the water became sud-
denly salt, beginning gradually to deepen, and the bottom was sandy
and firm. It was a remarkable division, separating the fresh waters of
the river from the briny water of the lake, which was entirely saturated
with common salt. Pushing our little vessel across the narrow bound-
ary, wc sprang on board, and at length were afloat on the waters of the
unknown sea."

THE ISLAND CAMP.

711

They steered first for one of the islands, from which to begin their
operations. As they advanced into deep water they encountered a
strong north wind and a rough sea, and when they were half way across,
two of the divisions between the cylinders gave way, so that the bellows
were in constant use to keep in a sufficient quantity of air. For i\ long
time they made slow progress, but finally gained the smoother water
under the lee of the island, and about noon reached the shore. Carry-
ing with them the instruments, in the afternoon they ascended to the
highest point of the island — a bai'e, rocky peak, eight hundred feet
above the l.-xko. From the summit they had an extended view of the
lake, inclosed in a basin of rugged mountains, which in some places rose
directly from the water in bold and precipitous blufl*3. " Following
with our glasses the irregular shores," continues Fremont, " wo searched
for some indications of a communication with other bodies of water, or
the entrance of other rivers ; but the distance was so great that we
could make out nothing with certainty. As we looked over the vast
expanse of water spread out beneath us, and strained our eyes along the
silent shores over which hurg so much doubt and uncertainty, and which
were so full of interest to us, I could hardly repress the almost irresist-
ible desire to continue our explorations ; but the lengthening snow on
the mountains w.is a plain indication of the advancing season, and our
frail Unen boat appeared so in-^ocure that I was unwilling to trust our
lives to the uncertainties of the lake. I therefore unwillingly resolved
to terminate our survey hero, and remain satisfied for the present with
what Ave had been able to add to the unknown geography of the region.
Out of the drift-wood, wo made ourselves pleasant little lodges, open to
the water ; and, after having kindled large fires to excite the wonder
of any straggling sav.agc on the lake shores, lay ilown, for the first time
in a long journey, in perfect security ; no one thinking about iiis arms."

Leaving the lake next day they pro( ltd toward Fort Hall, and
on the 18th emerged on the plains of the ( oluinbia, in sight of the
famous " Three Buttes," a well-known landmark in the country. At
sunset they encamped with their friends who had proooded them u,
Fort Hall, and in the morning Colonel Fremont rode up to tho fort ami
purchased several very indifferent horses, and five oxen in fine <jr(ler,
which wore received at the camp with great satisfaction. Here the I'arly
approach of winter and the difliculty of supporting a large party, ttter-
mined Fremont to send back a number of the men who had bicoine
satisfied that they were not fitted for the laborious service and frequent
privation to which they were necessarily exposed.

The party with Colonel Fremont now proceeded down the Sri
River, holding occasional intercourse with the Indians by the way, and
on the morning of December 0th, arrived at Fort Boise, a simple
dwelling-houso on the bank of the river below the mouth of Riviere
Boisce. Here they were hospitably received by Mr. Payette, an oflUcer
of the Hudson Bay Company, in charge of the fort, all of whose gar-

712

FREMONT'S KXPLOU ATIONS.

risoii consisU'd in .1 Canadian oigaije. On tlic l;Uh tlioy loft the valley
of the jj;roat sonthorn branch of llio Cohinibia Itivcr, to which tho ah-
Honcc of timber and tho scarcity of water gavo tho api)caranco of a
desert, and crossing over to tho valley of Hurnt Uiver, entered a
inoiuitain region, where tho soil i.s good and the face of tho country
covered with nutritions grasses and dense forests. C\)ntinuing their
Journey northward, they reacluul the I'owder Kiver, whoso course tlu^y
followed a few days, then leaving the emigrant route, they crossed tho
mount ai'is by an Indian trail to the head-waters of the Umatilah. They
were sometimes obliged to cut their Avay through tho forests, whicii
hero consist of several vari('lies of spruce, larch, and balsam-pine, of a
regular conical figure. The trees were from sixty to two Imndred feet
in height, tho usual circumference being ten to fitleen feet, and in tho
j)ines sometimes twenty-one feet.

On the 23d tho trail led along one of tho spurs of tho mountain on
Avhieh they had been traveling, descending gradually toward the jilain,
and they at length emerged from the forest in full view of tho plain bo-
low, and saw the snowy mass of Mount Hood standing high out above
the surrounding country at tho distance of ono hundred and eighty
miles. Hero they reacluid the Wallahwallah Uiver, just after it has is-
sued from narrow ravines, walit-d with precipices. Next day thoy
crossed a principal fork, below which tho scattered waters of tho river
were gathered into one channel ; and passing on the way several unfin-
ished houses and some cleared patches where corn and potatoes were
cultivated, they reached, a few miles further, the missionary establish-
ment of Dr. Whitman, which consisted at this time of ono adobe
house.

"Ilie road on tho i25th," says Colonel Fremont, "led over a sandy,
undulating jtlain, through which a scantily-timbered river takes its
course. We halted about three miles abovo tho mouth, on account of
grass ; and tho next morning arrived at the Nez l*erce fort, one of the
trading establishments of tho Hudson Bay Company, a few lumdrcd
yards abovo tho junction of tho Wallahwallah with the Columbia Kiver.
Hero we had the first view of this river, and found it about twelve hun-
dred yards wide, and presenting the appearance of a fine navigable
stream." Continuing down the valley of the Columbia, he reached the
Methodist missionary station at tho l)alli"<, on tho 4th of November.

"Our land journey," says he, "found Iuto its Avestern termination.
Tho delay involved in getting our camp to tho right bank of the Colum-
bia, and hi opening a road through the continuous forest to Vancouver,
rendered a journey along the river impracticable ; and on this side the
usu.al road across the mountain required strong and fresh animals, there
being an interval of three days in which they could obtain no food. I
therefore wrote immediately to Sir. Fitzpatrick, directing him to aban-
don the carts at the Wallahwallah missionary statin, and as soon as the
necessary jjack-saddles could be made, which his party required, meet

NEW EXPLORATIONS.

713

mo at tho Dallies, from which pouit I proposed to commence our homo-
Avard journey."

lie then descended the river to Fort Vancouver, where he found tho
hark (■olumbia, lying at anchor near tho landing. She was ahout to
start on a voyage to England, and was now ready for sea ; being de-
tained only in waiting tho arrival of tho express batteaux, which descend
tho ('oluml)ia and its north fork with tho overland mail from Canada
and Hudson's IJay, which had bc(!n delayed beyond the usual lime. He
immediately waited upon Dr. McLaughlin, the executive officer of the
Hudson Bay Company, who supplied him with stores and provisions for
his party in their coutem[)lated winter journey to the States ; and, also
with a boat, and canoes, and men, for their transportation to the Dalles
of tho Columbia. Near sunset on the 10th tho boats lell the fort, and
in tho afternoon of tho 18th tho party arrived again at the Dalles.

Tho camp was now occujjied in making preparations for the home-
ward journey, for which he contemplated a new route to the south and
Boutli-west, and tho exploration of tho Great Basin between the llocky
Mountains and tho Sierra Nevada. Colonel Fremont wished to ascer-
tain tho character or existence of tlireo principal objects reported to be
on this route, which ho assumed as leading points on the projected lino
of return. "Tho lirst of these points was the Tlamath Lake, on the
table-land between the head of Fall Itiver, which comes to the Columbia,
and tho Sacramento, which goes to tlie Bay of San Francisco ; and from
which lake a river of the same name makes its way westwardly direct to
the ocean. From this lake our course was intended to bo about south-
east, to a reported lake called Mary's at some days' journey in the Great
Basin ; and thence, still on south-east, to the reputed Buenaventura
Kiver, which has had a place in so many maps, and countenanced the be-
lief of tho existence of a great river flowing from the Rocky Mountains
to the Bay of San Francisco. From the Buenaventura the next point
Avas intended to bo in that section of the Rocky Mountains which in-
cludes the heads of the Arkansas River, and of the opposite waters of
the California Gulf; and thence down the Arkansas to Bent's fort, and
home. This was our projected lino of return — great part of it abso-
lutely new to geographical, botanical, and geological science — and the
subject of reports in relation to lakes, rivers, deserts, and savages, hardly
above tho condHion of mere wild animals, which inflamed desire to
know what this terra incognita really contauicd.

"It was a serious enterprise, at the commencement of winter, to un-
dertake the traverse of such a region, and with a party consisting only
of twenty-five persons, and they of many nations — American, French,
German, Canadian, Indian, and colored — and most of them young, sev-
eral being under twenty-one years of ago. All knew that a strange
country was to be explored and dangers and hardships to bo encoun-
tered ; but no one blenched at the prospect. On the contrary, courage
\ and confidence animated tho whole party. Checrfuhiess, readiness, sub-

714

FREMONT'S EXPLORATIONS.

ordination, prompt obedience, characterized all ; nor did any extremity
of peril and privation, to 'vbich we were afterward exposed, ever belie,
or derogate from the line spirit of this brave and generous commence-
ment.

" For the support of the party, I had provided at Vancouver a sup-
ply of provisions for not less than three months, consisting principally
of flour, peas, and tallow — the latter being used in cooking ; and in ad-
dition to this, I had purchased some California cattle, which were to
be driven on the hoof. We had one hundred and four mules and horses,
for the sustenance of which our reliance was upon the grass wluoli we
should find, and the soft; porous wood which was to be substituted
when there was none."

The preparations being fully completed, they set out on the 25th of
November, and after proceeding along the tributaries of Fall River,
the last branch of which they crossed on the 8th of December, they
reached a spring of cold water on the 10th, situated on the edge of a
grassy meadow, which their guides informed them was an arm of the
Tlamath Lake. A few miles further they entered an extensive meadow,
or lake of grass, surrounded by timbered mountains. This was the
Tlamath Lake. It was a picturesque and beautiful spot, and rendered
more attri.ctive to the travelers by the abundant and excellent grass,
which the animals, after traversing pine forests, so much needed ; but
the broad sheet of water which constitutes a lake was not to be seen.
Overlooking it on the west were several snowy knobs belonging to the
Cascade range. Next day they visited an Indian village, on the stream
at the outlet of the marsh. Numbei*8 of singular-looking dogs, re-
sembling wolves, were sitting on the tops of the huts. The language
spoken by these Indians is different from that of the Shoshonee and
Columbia River tribes. They told Colonel Fremont that tliey Avere at
war with the people who lived southward and eastward, but he could
obtain no certain information from them.

" From Tlamath Lake," says Colonel Fremont, " the further con-
tinuation of our voyage assumed a character of discovery and explora-
tion, v/hich, from the Indians here, we could obtain no information to
direct, and where the imaginary maps of the country, instead of assbt-
ing, exposed us to suffering and defeat. In our journey across the des-
ert, Mary's Lake, and the famous Buenaventura River, were two points
on which I relied to recruit the animals and repose the party. Forming,
agreeably to the best maps m my possession, a connected water-line from
the Rocky Mountains to the Pacific Ocean, I felt no other anxiety than
to pass safely across the intervening desert to the banks of the Buena-
ventura, where, in the softer climate of a more southern latitude, our
horses might find grass to sustain them, and ourselves be sheltered from
the rigors of winter, and from the inhospitable desert."

Continuing their explorations they reached a considerable stream on
the 13th, which seemed to be the principal affluent to the lake, and the

DISCOVERY OP SUMMER LAKE.

716

head-water of the Tlaniath River. Next day they struck upon another
stream, which issued from the moimtain in an easterly direction, and
turned to the southward below. The natives gave them to understand
that it continued a long distance in that direction, uniting with many
other streams, and giadually becoming a great river. They now be-
came satisfied that this was the principal stream of the Sacramento. On
the 16th they traveled through snow about 'hrec feet deep which being
crusted, cut the feet of the animals very badly. They were now ap-
proaching the summit of a mountain up which they had been ascending
through thick forests since the morning of the previous day.

" Toward noon," continues Fremont, " the forest looked clear ahead,
appearing suddenly to terminate ; and beyond a certain point we could
see no trees. Riding rai)idly ahead to this spot, we found ourselves on
the verge of a vertical and rocky wall of the mountain. At our feet —
more than a thousand feet below — we looked into a green prairie coun-
try, in which a beautiful 1 ike, some twenty miles in length, was spread
along the foot of the moiiUtuins, its shores bordered with green grass.
Just then the sun brok< out among the clouds, and illuminated the
country below, while aroawd us the storm raged fiercely. Not a par-
ticle of ice was to bo seen on the lake, or snow on its borders, and all
was like summer or spring. The glow of the sun in the valley below
brightened up our hearts with sudden pleasure; and we made the
woods ring with joyful shouts to those behind ; and gradually, as each
came up, he stopped to enjoy the unexpected scene. Shivering on snow
three feet deep, and stift'ening in a cold north wind, we exclaimed at
once that the names of Summer Lake and Winter Ridge should bo ap-
plied to these two pro.ximate places of such sudden and violent contrast.
Broadly marked by the boundary of the mountain wall, and inunediately
below us, were the first waters of that Great Interior Basin which has
the "Wahsatch and Bear River Mountains for its eastern, and the Sierra
Nevada for its western rim ; and the edge of which we had entered up-
ward of three months before, at the Great Salt Lake.

" When we had sufliciently admired the scene below, we began to
thuik about descending, which here was impossible, and we turned
toward the north, traveling always along the rocky wall. We continued
on for four or five miles, making ineffectual attempts at several places,
and at length succeeded in getting down at one which was extremely
difficult of descent. Night closed in before the foremost reached the
bottom, and they Jundled fires to light on the others. One of the mules
rolled over and over two or three hundred feet into a ravine, but re-
covered himself with no other injury than to his pack."

On the 18th they followed an Indian trail along the strip of land
between the lake and the high rocky wall from which they had looked
down two days before, and on the 20th came to n. much larger lake,
bordered on its eastern side by a high black ridge which walled it in
with a precipitous fiice. This lake presented a handsome sleet, twenty

716

FREMONT'S EXPLORATIONS.

miles in length, to which Colonel Fremont gave the namo ofLakeAbert,
in honor of the chief of the corps to which he belonged. When they
came near, the white efflorescences which lined the shore like a bank of
Know, and the disagreeable odor which filled the air, told them too
l^lainly that the water belonged to one of those fetid salt lakes which
are common in this region. Pursuing their route, they attained an ele-
vated position on the 23d, from which they saw another small lake about
ten miles to the southward, toward which a broad trail led along the
ridge ; and as this appeared the most practicable route, Fremont deter-
mined to continue the journey in that direction.

Still moving southward in search of an outlet toward the Pacific,
they came, on the 10th of January, 1844, to the end of a basin they
had been traversing, where they found a hollow extending into the
mountain inclosing it. Colonel Fremont and Mr. Preuss, who were in
advance, continued their way up the hollow, to see what lay beyond the
mountain. "The hollow," says Fremont, "was several miles long,
forming a good pass ; the snow deepening to about a foot as we neared
the summit. Beyond, a defile between the mountains descended rapidly
about two thousand feet ; and, filling up all the lower space, was a sheet
of green water, some twenty miles broad. It broke upon our eyes like
the ocean. The neighboring peaks rose high above us, and we ascended
one of them to obtain a better view. The waves were curling in tlie
breeze, and their dark-green color showed it to be a body of deep
water. For a long time Ave sat enjoying the view, for wo had become
fatigued with mountains, and the free expanseof moving waves was very
grateful. It was set like a gem in the mountains, which, from our posi-
tion, seemed to inclose it almost entirely. At the western end it com-
municated with the line of basins we had left a few days since ; and on
the opposite side it swept a ridge of snowy mountains, the foot of the
great Sierra."

As they advanced along the shores of the lake, the most conspicuous
object was a remarkable rock rising from the surface of the water, which
attracted their attention for many miles. It rose six hundred feet above
the surface, in the form of a pyramid. This striking feature suggesting
a name for the lake, Colonel Fremont called it Pyramid Lake. The In-
dians whom they met told them of a large river at the southern extremity,
which they reached on the 15th, but instead of an outlet, they found the
inlet of a large fresh-water stream. They were at once satisfied they
had discovered a large interior lake, which had no outlet. On the 16th
they continued their journey along this stream, and in a week found
themselves in the heart of the mountains. The snow deepened as they
advanced ; their moccasins, which were wet in the heat of the day,
froze perfectly stiff as the sun declined, and they had great difficulty to
keep their feet from freezing. The mountain passes became diflScult, and
they endured great hardships from fatigue and cold, but they still pushed
pn, expecting at every stream to find some outlet from the great laby-

THE SIERRA NEVADA.

717

rinth of mountains which inclosed them. Holding a comicil with somo
Indians on the 29th, they found that thoy were still on waters flowing
into the Gioat Basin, in the edge of v/Mch they had been since the IVth
of December.

" We explained to the Indians," continues Fremont, " that we were
endeavoring to find a pass across the mountains into the country of the
whites, whom wo were going to see ; and told them that we wished
them to bring us a guide, to whom wo would give presents of scarlet
cloth, and other articles, which were shown to them. They looked at
the reward wo oftered, and conferred with each other, but pointed to the
snow on the mountain, and drew their hands across their necks, and
raised them above their heads, to show the depth ; and signified that it
was impossible for us to get through. They made signs that we must
go to the southward, over a pass through a lower range, which they
pointed out : there, they said, at the end of one day's travel, we would
find people who lived near a pass in the great mountain ; and to that
point they engaged to furnish us a guide."

They set forward next day, and on the evening of the 31st held an
mteresting council with the Indians who had assembled at their camp-
fires. The Indians told Fremont that, before the snows fell, it was six
sleeps to the place where the whites lived, but that now it was impossible
to cross the mountains on account of the deep snow. Fremont said that
the men and the horses were strong, and would break a road through
the snow ; and then showed what he would give for a guide. The In-
dians told him that if they could break through the snow, at the end of
three days they would come down upon grass, where the ground was
entirely free. Afterward a young man was brought in who had seen
the whites, and who was at length prevailed upon to be their guide.

In the morning Colonel Fremont acquainted the men with his decis-
ion, and assured them that from the heights of the mountain before them
they would doubtless see the valley of the Sacramento, and with one ef-
fort be again in the midst of plenty. They received this decision with
cheerful obedience, and immediately prepared to carry it into effect. On
the 2d of February they continued their journey. The snow deepened
rapidly, and it soon became necessary to break a road. On the 3d they
ascended a hollow directly toward the main chain, but the depth of the
snow at length obliged them to travel along the steep hill-sides, and next
day they had to abandon it altogether. They cut a footing as they ad-
vanced along the mountain side, and trampled a road through for tho
animals ; but occasionally one plunged outside the tnul and slid along
the field to the bottom, a hundred yards below.

" The camp," continues Fremont, " had been occupied all the day in
endeavoring to ascend the hill, but only the best horses had succeeded ;
the animals, generally, not having sufficient strength to bring themselves
up without the packs ; and all tho line of road between this and the
springs was strewed with camp-stores and equipage, and horses flounder-

718

FREMONT'S KXPLORATIONS.

ing in snow. I therefore iramtHliatoly encamped on the grouml with my
own mess, which was in advance, and directed Mr. Fitzpatrick to encamp
at the springs, and send all the animals back to the place where they had
boon pastured tho night before.

"To-night we had no shelter, but wo made a largo fire around the
trunk of ono of the huge pines ; and covering tho snow witli small boughs,
on which we spread our blankets, soon made ourselves comfortable. Tho
night was very bright and clear, though the thermometer was only at
ten degrees. Accompanied by Mr. Fitzpatrick, I set out on the Ctli,
with a reconnoitering party on snow-shoes. We marched all in single
file, trampling the snow as heavily as wo could. Crossing tho open basin,
in a march of about ten miles wo reached the top of one of tho peaks, to
the left of the pass indicated by our guide. Far below lis, dimmed by
the distance, was a largo snowless valley, bounded on tho western siile,
at the distance of about a hundred miles, by a low range of mountains,
which Carson recognized with delight as the mountains bordering the
coast. ' There,' said he, ' is tho little mountain — it is fifteen years since
I saw it ; but I am just as sure as if I had seen it yesterday.' Between
us, then, and this low coast range, was the valley of the Sacramento ;
and no one who had not accompanied us through tho incidents of our
life for the last few months could realize tho delight with which at last
we looked down upon it. At the distance of apparently thirty miles be-
yond us were distinguished spots of prairie ; and a dark Une which could
be traced with the glass, was imagined to be the course of the river ;
but we were evidently at a great height above the valley, and between
us and the plains extended miles of snowy fields and broken ridges of
pine-covered mountains."

They returned late in the day, and next morning Fremont advanced
with one party, drawing sleighs loaded with baggage, leaving Fitzpatrick
with another party to form an intermediate station. On the 11th ho re-
ceived a message from Fitzpatrick, stating that it was impossible to get
the mules and horses along — they had broken through the snow, and
were plunging about or lying half buried in it. He gave orders for the
animals to be sent back to their old pastures, and all the party to turn
out with mauls and shovels to beat a road through tho snow. Fremont
and his party worked at their end of tho road, and on tho 13th had the
satisfaction of seeing the people working down the face of the opposite
hill, three miles distant. By the 16th, they succeeded in getting the
animals to the first grassy hill, and the same morning Colonel Fremont
started on a reconnoitering expedition beyond the mountam. He found
some grassy spots where the snow was melting away, and encamped in the
evening on a little creek where at last the water found its way toward the
Pacific. Following the creek next day, it acquired a regular breadth of
about twenty feet ; he was now satisfied they had struck the stream on
which Mr. Sutter lived, and turning about, reached tho camp at dark.
The labor of making a road and bringing up the baggage continued, and

DESCENT INTO CALIFORNIA.

719

finally, on the 20th of February, they encamped, with all the animals and
baggage, on the summit of the pass in the dividing ridge, one thousand
miles from the Dalles of the Columbia. The elevation of the encamp-
ment was nuio thousand three hundred and thirty-eight feet above the
level of the sea.

Tliey now considered the difficulties of the mountain to bo overcome,
having only the descent before them and the valley under their eyes ;
but this descent was not easy. Deep fields of snow still lay between,
and there was a large intervening space of rough mountains, through
which they had yet to wind their way. The 23d was their most difficult
day. They were obliged to take to the mountain sides, which were
steep and slippery with snow and ire, and where the tough evergreens
impeded their way. Some, whose moccasiws were slippery, were fre-
quently obliged to crawl across the snov-beds. Continuing down the
river, which pursued a westerly course through a narrow valley, they
occasionally met with excellent grass at their encampments, but some-
times the animals suffisred greatly from the scarcity of pasture. The
valleys were covered with magnificent forests ; some of the pines were
ten feet in diameter.

On the 2d of March Mr. Preuss, who was in advance when they en-
camped, was lost. For several days his absence caused great uneasiness
to the party, when, on the evening of the 5th, he made his appearance.
Knowing that Fremont would keep near the river, he had Avalkcd on
without much concern on the first day, going right and left to obtain
good views of the country, but the next day it became more serious.
He knew not whether the party was in advance or not, but still he kept
on, and on the second night again encamped alone. His principal means
of subsistence were a few roots, which he obtained with great labor.
In the pools ho caught some of the smallest kind of frogs, which ho
swallowed, not so much for the gratification of hunger as in the hope
of obtaining some strength. At length he foimd a fire left by the party,
and the tracks of the horses, and following as fast as he could, rejoined
bis companions in the evening.

On the 6th th sy descended into broad groves on the river, and, as
they passed alonw, the valley was gay with flowers, some of the banks
being absolutely golden with the Californian poppy. Here the grass
was smooth and green, and the groves very open ; the large oaks throw-
ing a broad shade among sunny spots. Soon afterward they passed a
neat adobe house with glass windows, but found only Indians, They
now pressed eagerly forward ; the hills lowered as they advanced, and
on entering a broad valley they came unexpectedly into a large Indian
village, where the people wore cotton shirts and various other articles
of dress. While they were trying to communicate with the natives, a
well-dressed Indian came up and made his salutations in well-spoken
Spanish.

" In answer to our inquiries," continues Fremont, " he informed us

720

FREMONT'S EXPLORATIONS.

that we were upon tho Jlio de los Americanos (the river of the Ameri-
cans), and that it joined tho Sacramento Uiver about ten miles below.
Never did a name sound more sweetly ! Wo felt ourselves among our
countrymen ; for the name o( Atiierican^ in these distant parts, is applied
to the citizens of the United States. To our eager inquiries he answered,
^ I am a vaqucro (cowherd) in tho servicu of Captain Sutter, and the
people of this ranchcria work for him.' Our evident satisfaction made
liini communicative ; and ho went on to say that Captain Sutter was a
very rich man, and always glad to see his country people. We asked
for his house. lie answered that it was just over tho hill before us ; and
offered, if wo would wait a moment, to take his horse and conduct us to
it. We readily accepted this civil offer. In a short distance we came
in sight of tho fort; and passing on tho Avay tho house of a settler on
the opposite side (a Mr. Sinclair), wo forded tho river, and in a few
miles were met, a short distance from tho fort, by Captain Sutter him-
self, lie gave us a most frank and cordial reception — conducted us
immediately to his residence — and under his liospitable roof we had a
night of rest, enjoyment, and refreshment, which none but ourselves
could appreciate. But the party left in the mountains, with Mr. Fitz-
patrick, were to bo attended to ; and the next morning, supplied with
fresh horses and provisions, I hurried off to meet them. On the second
day we met, a few miles below tho forks of the Rio de los Americanos;
and a more forlorn and pitiable sight than they presented, can not well
be imagined. They were all on foot — each man, weak and emaciated,
leading a horso or mule as weak and emaciated as themselves. They
had experienced great difficulty in descending the mountains, made
slippery by rains and melting snows, and many horses fell over precipices,
and were killed ; and with some were lost tho packs they carried.
Among these was a mule with tho plants which we had collected since
leaving Fort Ilall, along a lino of two thousand miles' travel.

"The next d.-xy, March 8th, we encamped at tho junction of the two
rivers, the Sacramento and Americanos; and thus found the whole
pai-ty in the beautiful valley of the Sacramento. It was a convenient
place for tho camp ; and, among other things, was within reach of the
wood necessary to make tho pack-saddles, which we should need on our
long journey home, from which wo were further distant now than we
wci-e four months before, when from the Dalles of the Columbia we so
cheerfully took up the homeward line of march."

On the 24th they took leave of Captain Sutter, who accompanied
them a few miles on their way, and set out on their journey homeward.
They encamped at the Rio de los Cosumnes, and next evening halted at
the ford of the Rio de los Mukelemnes, whence the route led through a
pleasant country toward the San Joaquin. They touched this river on
the 3d of April, ascended its bank for a i^v,- days, then crossed a prai- i
rie country to the tributaries of the Tule Lake, one of which thej-
ascended toward the pass of tho Sierra. " On the 13th," says Fremont, ;

TIIK SPANISH TRAIL.

721

"a Christian Indian rode into the camp, well drcssod, with long spur^
and a sombrero^ and speaking Spanish fluently. It was an unexpected
apparition, and a 8tran,<;c and pleasant sight in this desolate gorge oi* a
mountain — an Indian face, Spanish costume, jingling spurs, and horso
equipped after the Spanish manner." The Indian undertook to guide
them through the pass, where two others joined him. They here letl
the waters of the bay of San Frai.ci ico, and on the 15th the desert was
in full view on their lell, apparently illimitable. " Our cavalcade," con-
tinues Fremont, " made a strange and grotesque appearance ; and it
was impossible to avoid reflecting upon cur position and composition in
this remote solitude. Within two degrees of the Pacific Ocean — already
far south of the latitude of Monterey — and still forced on south by a
desert on one hand, and a mountain range on the other — guided by a
civilized Indian, attended by two wild ones from the Sierra — a Chinook
from the Columbia, and our mixture of Americans, French, Germans —
all armed — four or five languages heard at once — above a hundred horses
and mules, half wild — American, Spanish, and Indian dresses and equip-
ments intermingled — such was our composition. Our narch was a sort
of procession. Scouts ahead and on the flanks ; a front and rear divi-
sion ; the pack-animals, baggage, and horned-cattle in the center ; and
the whole stretching a quarter of a mile along our dreary path. In this
form we journeyed, looking more as if wo belonged to Asia than to the
United States of America."

On the 1 7th they left their guide and turned directly eastward along
the trail, which was hardly visible. Still continuing in this direction,
along a diflferent route, they struck upon the Spanish Trail on the 19th,
tl»e great object of their search. The road itself, ar-^ nj course, Avhich
was due north, were happy discoveries to the party, as they wished to
bear several degrees northward before crossing the Rocky Mountains.
Relieved from the rocks and the brush, they now advanced more rapidly
and pleasantly along the beaten road. In the afternoon of the 24th
they were surprised by the sudden appearance in the camp of two Mex-
icans — a man and a boy, named Andreas Fuentes and Pablo Hernandez.
They belonged to a party of six persons who had left Pueblo de los
Angelos with about thirty horses. The remaining four were the wife
of Fuentes, the father and mother of Pablo, and Santiago Giacomo, who
had charge of the cavalcade. While waiting at Archilete for a Spanish
caravan, they had been attacked by a large party of Indians, whose ob-
ject was to get possession of the horses. P^blo and Fuentes, in obedi-
ence to Giacomo, drove the animals over and through the assailants and
made off at full speed across the plain. After riding sixty miles they
had left the horses at Agua de Tomaso, a watering-place on the trail,
and were hurrying on to meet the caravan, when they discovered Fre-
mont's camp.

On the 25th, Fremont's party arrived at Agua de Tomaso, the spring
where the horses had been left, but they had been driven o£f by the In-

722

FREMONT'S EXPLORATIONS.

dians. Carson and Godey volunteered, with the Mexican, to pursue
them ; and, well-mounted, the three set off on the trail. In the even-
ing Fuentcs returned, his horse having failed, but Carson and Godey
had continued the pursuit. Next evening a war-whoop was hoard,
and soon Carson and Godey appeared, driving before them a baud of
horses, recognized by Fuentcs to be part of those they had lost. Two
bloody scalps were dangling from Godcy's gun. They had entered the
mountains toward night-fall and followed the trail by moonlight to a
narrow defile, in which they closed upon the Indians in the morning, re-
gardless of the number which the four lodges would imply. " The In-
dians received them with a flight of arrows shot from their long-bows,
one of which passed through Godey's shirt-collar, barely missing the
neck ; our men fired their rifles upon a steady aim, and rushed in. Two
Indians were stretched iij^)on the ground, fatally pierced Avith bullets ;
the rest fled, except a little lad that was captured. The scalps of the
fallen were instantly stripped off; but in the process, one of them, who
had two balls through his body, sprang to his feet, the blood streaming
iivm his skinned head, and uttering a hideous howl. The frightful spec-
tacle appalled the stout hearts of the men, but thoy quickly dispatched
the gory savage." They released the boy, gathered up the surviving
horses, returned upon their trail, and rejoined their friends at their
camp, in the afternoon of the p;vmo day. They rotie about a hundred
miles in the pursuit and return, all in thirty hours.

Continuing their journey northward over a gloomy and sterile waste,
they came on the evening of the 29th to a sandy basin, in which a grassy
spot, with its 8j)rings and willows, forms a camping-place in the desert,
called the Archilete. "The dead silence of the i>lace," says Colonel
Fremont, " was ominous ; and, galloping rapidly up, we found only the
corpses of the two men ; every thing else ivas gone. They were naked,
mutilated, and pierced w:iu arrows. Hernandez had evidently fought,
and with desperation. Tie lay in advance of the willow half-facod tent,
which sheltered his family, as if he had come out to meet danger, and
to repulse it from that asylum. One of his hands, and both his lega,
had been cut off. Giacomo, who Avas a largo and strong-looking man,
was lying in one ot the willow shelters, jticrci'd with arrows.

" Of the women no tr.icc could bo found, and it was evident thoy
had been carried off captive. A little lap-dog, which had belonged to
Pablo's mother, remained with the dead bodies, and Avas frantic Avitli
joy at seeing Pablo ; he, poor child, Avas frantic with grief, an<l filled
the air with lamentations for his fathi and mother. Mi Padre ! Mi
Madre! — Avas his incessant cry. When aa'c LeheM ♦his pitiable sight,
and pictured to ourselves the fate of th.^ two women, carried off by sav-
ages so brutal and so loathsome, all compunction for the scalped-alivo
Indian ceased ; and avc rejoiced that Carson and (lodey had been ablo
to give so useful a lesson to these American Arabs, who lie in wait to
murder and plunder the innocent traveler."

■A"WM1

J they

Icilto

with

tilled

1/ Mi

jsight,

ly sav-

[v able
Isut to

EBTURN OF THE EXPEDITION.

723

On the 3d of May they encamped at Las Vegas, and next day came
to the Rio do los Angeles. Along the route they had frequent visits
from the Indians, who were sometimes very tronblesome. From the
camp at which they remained over the 9th, the horses were sent with a
strong guard in charge of Tabcau to a neighboring pasture for the day.
In the afternoon Carson reported that Tabeau, who early in the day
had left his post and rode back to the camp they had left, in search of a
lame mule, had not returned. Search was immediately made, and at
length the mule was found, mortally wounded by an arrow, and in an-
other place, something like a puddle of blood, which the darkness pre-
vented them from verifying. " In the morning," says Colonel Fremont,
*' I set out myself with Mr. Fitzpatrick and several men, in search of
Tabeau. We went to the spot where the appearance of puddled blood
had been seen ; and this, we saw at once, had been the place where he fell
aiid died. Blood upon the leaves, and beaten-down bushes, showed that
he had got his wound about twenty paces from where he fell, and that
he had struggled for his life. He had probably been shot through the
lungs with an arrow. From the place where he lay and bled, it could
be seen that he h:A been dragged to the river bank, and thrown into it.
No vestige of what had belonged to him could be found, except a frag-
ment of his horse equipment. Horse, gun, clothes — all became the prey
of these Arabs of the New World."

On the lYth they left the Spanish trail, which had been their road
for four hundred and forty miles, and again found themselves under the
necessity of exploring a track through the wilderness. The trail bore
off south-eastwardly, across the Wah-Satch range, to Santa Fe, while
their course led north-eastwardly along the foot of that range, toward
the Utah Lake. They reached the lake on the 25th, having made a cir-
cuit of three thousand five hundred miles since leaving the northern ex-
tremity of the same sheet of water in September, 1843.

Turning their faces once more eastward, they left the Utah Lake on
the 2Vth, and bearing southward from thei: old route, crossed the sum-
mit of the Rocky Mountains on the 13th of June, at an affluent of the
Platte, called Pullam's Fork. Tlience they ascended the Platte to ex-
amine the mountains at the three remarkable coves called the Parks, in
which the head waters of the Platte, the Arkansas, and the Grand River
Fork of the Colorado take their rise. From this pass, which Colonel
Fremont found to be the best he had seen on the dividing ridge of the
Rocky Mountains, he descended the waters of the Arkansas, and arrived
at Bent's fort on the 1st of July. Twenty miles below Bent's fort he
left the river, and crossing over to the Smoky Hill Fork, he proceeded
down the waters of the Kansas, and on the last day of July encamped
again at the little town of Kansas, on the banks of the Missouri River.

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HUC'S

TRAVELS IN TARTARY, THIBET, AND CHINA.

JOURNEY THROUGH TARTARY AND THIBET.

PEKIN.

The French C.atliolic Mission .it Pokin, which had been very flour-
ishing during the last century, w.is broken up and scattered by tho
Emperor Kia-king, who ascended the throne in 1799, and a long time
elapsed before the priests connected with it dared to return to the Chi-
nese capital. When they ventured back again, they found the mission
entirely deserted : many of the native Christians, to withdraw themselves
from the pursuit of the Chinese authorities, had passed the Great Wall,
and had /one to seek peace and liberty in the deserts of Tartary ; they
were '. , .g i.oie and there on some patches of land, which the Mongols
pern „ed them to cultivate. By dint of persoveranco, the missionaries

728

nUC'S TRAVELS.

at length succeeded in rc-assembling these scattered remnants; they
established themselves in the midst of them, and directed from thence
the ancient mission of Pekin, the immediate care of which was intrusted
to some Chinese Lazarists.

Among the French priests who were sent out to re-establish the mis-
sion, were Messrs. Gabet and Hue, the latter of whom reached Pekin
in the year 1840, and devoted himself to acquiring the Chinese and
Maiitchoo languages. In visiting the Christians of Mongolia, Hue and
(Jabct had more than once occasion to make excursions into the Land
of Grass, and to sit beneath a Mongol tent ; and having thus become
acquainted with this nomadic people, they became interested in thorn,
and earnestly desired to undertake the task of Christianizing thom.
From that time they devoted all their leisure to the study of the Tartar
languages, and in the course of the year 1842 the Holy See crowned
their wishes by erecting Mongolia into an apostolic vicariate.

In the beginning of the year 1844, Hue and Gabet, Avho Avere then
living at He Chuy, the " Valley of the Black Waters," received a mes-
sage from the Apostolic Vicar of Mongolia, commanding them to under-
take an extensive journey into the interior, for the purpose of studying
the character and manners of the Tartars, and of ascertaining, if possible,
the extent and limits of the vicariate. They had long been contem-
plating such a journey, and had prepared themselves for it by all the
means in their power. They at once dispatched a young Lama, who
had recently been converted, to procure camels and rejoin them at I*ic-
lie-Keou, the " Contiguous Gorges." Here they waited for many days,
employing themselves in translating books of prayer and doctrine into
the Mongol language, and were finally on the point of engaging a Chi-
nese cart to the town of Tolon-nor, a distance of one hundred and tifty
miles, when the Lama arrived with their camels. After completing their
preparations, service was performed in the chapel, and they proceeded
the first day to an inn kept by one of the Chinese converts. Beyond
this all was unknown ; Mongolia, untraveled for centuries by a European,
lay before them ; but they were full of courage and enthusiasm, and did
not shrink from the dangers and uncertainties of their undertaking.

" The day had scarcely dawned," says Hue, " when we were again
on foot ; but, before setting oflT, wo had to effect a metamorphosis in
our costume. The missionaries who reside in China all wear the dress
of the Chinese merchants, and have nothing in their costume to mark
their religious character. This custom, it appears to us, has been ii
some measure an obstacle to the success of their missions. For among
the Tartars, a * black man,'' that is, a secular person, who undertakes to
speak of religion, excites only contempt. Rel'p;ion they consider as an
affair belonging exclusively to the Lamas. We resolved, therefore, to
adopt the costume worn on ordinary occasions by the Lamas of Thibet ;
namely, a long yellow robe fastened by a red girdle, and five gilt but-
tons, with a violet velvet collar, and a yellow cap surmounted by a red

' IJ ilU*"^P"*"W^

immimijmr''

SAMDADCIIIEMBA.

729

rosette. Wc also thought it expedient from this time to give up the use
of wine and tobacco, and when the host brought us a smoking urn full
of the hot wine so much in favor among tlie Chinese, we signiticd to him
that we were about to change our modes of life as well as our dress.
' You know,' wo added, laughing, ' that good Lamas abstain from smok-
ing and drinking.' But our Chinese friends regarded us with compas-
sion, and evidently thought wo wer- about to perish of privation.

" After leaving tliis inn wc may be considered to have fairly com-
menced our pilgrimage, and the only companion of our wayfaring for
the future was to be the camel driver, Samdadchiemba. This young
man was neither a Chinese, a Tartar, nor a Thibetan, but a little of all
three, a Dchiahour. At the first glance it was easy to perceive his
Mongol origin ; he had a deeply-
bronzed complexion — a great mouth,
cut in a straight lino — and a large nose
insolently turned up, that gave to his
whole physiognomy a disdainful aspect.
When he looked .it you with his little
eyes twinkling between li<l3 entirely
Avithout eye-lashes, and with the skin
of his forehead wrinkled up, the feeling
he inspired was something between
confidence and fear. His life had been
spent in rather a vagabond manner, in
rambling, sometimes about the Chinese
towns, and sometimes in the deserts of
Tartary — for he had run away, at the ago of eleven, from a Lama col-
lege, to escape the excessive corrections of his master. This mode of
life had of course not ten led much to polish the natural asperity of his
character, and his intellect was entirely uncultivated ; but his muscu-
lar strength was immense, and he was not a little proud of it. After
having been instructed and baptized by M. Gabet, he had wished to
attach hhnself to the service of the missionaries, and the journey we
were about to undertake was precisely in harmony with his rambling and
adventurous humor."

Tlioir first undertaking was to cross the rugged mountain of Sairi-
oukty which is infested with bands of robbers. This, however, they ac-
complished in safety, and encamped on the other side, on the borders
of the great imperial forest. Hue remarks : " The robbers of these
countries are in general remarkable for the politeness with which they
flavor their address. They do not put a pistol to your head, and cry
roughly, ' Your money or your life !' but they say, in the most courteous
tone, ' My eldest brother, I am weary of walking on foot. Be so good
as to lend me your horse !' or, ' I am without money — will you not lend
me your pui-se ?' or, ' It is very cold to-day — be kind enough to lend
me your coat.' If the eldest brother bo charitable enough to comply, he

8AUDADCHIBMBA.

780

HUG'S TRAVELS.

receives thanks ; if not, the request is enforced by two or three blows
of the cudgel, or, if that is not sufficient, recourse is had to the saber.

" The sun was about to set, and we were still on the innnense plateau
which forms the summit of the mountain, and whence you obtain an
extensive view over the plains of Tartary, and the tents of the Mongols
ranged in the form of an amphitheater on the declivities of the hills.
The imperial forest extends from north to south for three hundred miles,
and nearly eighty from east to west, and it has been used as a hunting-
ground by many successive emperors of China ; but, for about twcntv-
seven years past, these huntings have been discontinued, and not only
stags and wild boars, but also bears, panthers, wolves, and tigers abound
in it. Woe to the woodcutter or the hunter who should venture alone
into its recesses. Those who have done so, have disappeared Mithout
leaving a vestige behind them."

After three or four days' journey, they crossed the Mongol kingdom
of Gechekten, and entered that of Tliakar, where they met a camp of
Chinese soldiers, whose duty it was to keep the roads safe. They learcd
these soldiers, however, more than the native robbers, and pitched their
tent between two high rocks, where it would bo difficult for thieves to
approach them. While thus engaged, they saw, on the opposite side of
the moimtain, several horsemen, " two of whom," says Hue, " hastened
toward us, and, dismounting, prostrated themselves at the entrance of
our tent. They were Mongol-Tartars. ' Men of ])rayer,' said they, with
much apparent emotion, ' we come to beg you to draw a horoscope. Two
horses have been stolen from us to-day, and we have vainly sought to
discover the thieves. Oh men Avhosc power and knowledge are without
bounds, teach us how we may find them !' 'My brethren,' we roi)lic(l,
' we arc not lamas of Buddha ; we do not believe in horoscopes ; to
pretend to such knowledge is false and deceitful.' The poor Tartars
redoubled their solicitations ; but when they saw that our resolution
could not be shaken, they remounted their horses, and returned to the
mountains.

" Samdadehiemba, during this conversation, had remained crouched
in a corner by the fire, holding in both hands a bowl of tea, which he
never once took from his lips. At length, as they were taking their de-
parture, he knitted his brows, rose from his seat abruptly, and went to
the door of the tent. The Tartars were already at a considerable dis-
tance ; but he uttered a loud shout, and made gestures with his hands
to induce them to come back. Thinking, probably, that we had changed
our minds, and would consent to draw the horoscope, they returned ;
but, as soon as they camo within hail, Samdadehiemba addressed
them :

" ' My Mongol brothers,' ho said, ' in future bo moro prudent ; take
better care of your animals, and they will not be stolen. Remember
these words, for they are worth moro than all the horoscopes in the
world.' And having finished his speech, he marched gravely back to

THE TOWN OP TOLON-NOOR.

781

his tent, and sat do>vn again to his tea. At first we were vexed with
him ; but, as the Tartars did not appear angry, we ended by laugliing.

" On the following day, the numerous Tartars and Chinese travok is
whom we met on the way were a sign to us that we were approaching tlio
large town of Tolon-Noor ; and already we could see before us, glitter-
ing in the sun, the gilded roofs of the two magnificent lama convents to
the north of the town,

" Two motives," Hue continues, " had induced us to visit Tolon-
Noor. We wished, in the first place, to complete our stock of traveling
utensils ; and we also considered it desirable to place ourselves in rela-
tion with the lamas of the country, and obtain information concerning
some important points in Tartary ; and in pursuit of these objects, we
had to traverse almost every quarter of the town. Tolon-Noor is not a
walled town, but a vast agglomeration of ugly and ill-arranged houses,
and in the middle of its narrow and tortuous streets you see open mud
holes and sewers ; and while the foot passengers walk in single file along
the slippery pavement, mules, camels, and carts, make their way through
the deep black foul-smelling mud. Often enough the wheeled carriages
upset ; and then it is impossible to describe the confusion that takes
place in these miserable streets. Goods are either stolen by the thieves
who watch for such opportunities, or lost in the mud, and the animals
are not unfrequently suffocated. But notwithstanding the few attrac-
tions of Tolon-Noor, the sterility of its environs, the extreme cold of its
winter, and the suffocating heat of its summers, its population is im-
mense, and its commerce prodigious. Russian goods find their way here
by the way of KiaJcta ; the Tartars are constantly bringing vast herds
of oxen, camels, and horses, and taking back tobacco, linen, and brick
tea. This perpetual coming and going of strangers ; the hawkers run-
ning about with their wares ; the traders erdeavoring to entice custom-
ers into their shops ; the lamas, in their showy dresses of scarlet and
yellow, endeavoring to attract admiration by the skill with which they
manage their fiery horses in the mo?l difficult passes — all these things
give the streets a very animated appearance. After having maturely
considered the information we had obtauied, wo determined to direct our
course toward the west, and quitted Tolon-Noor on the 1st of October.

" We had not been more than an hour on our way on the followinir
day, when we heard behind us a confused noise as of a number of men
and horses, and turning our heads perceived a numerous caravan a<l-
vancing toAvard us at a rapid pace. We were soon overtaken by three
horsemen, and one of them whom we recognized by his costume for a
Tartar mandarin, roared out to us in a deafening voice — ' Lord lamas,
where is your country ?*

"'We are from the sky of the west.'

" 'Across what countries have you passed your beneficent shadows?'

" ' We come from the town of Tolon-Noor.'

" ' Has peace accompanied your route ?» *

732

nUC'S TRAVELS.

" * So far wo have journeyed happily — and you — r. 5 you at peace ?
What is your country ?'

" * Wc are Khalkas, from the kingdom of Mourgucvan.'
" ' Has tlje rain been abundant ? Arc your flocks in prosperity ?'
" ' All is at peace in our pastures. Whither is your caravan pro-
ceeding ?'

" ' Wc arc g ling to bow our foreheads before the Five Towers.'
" During this short conversation the rest of the troop had come up.
Wc were near a brook, the banlcs of which were bordered with bushes,
and the chief of the caravan gave orders to halt, and immediately the
camels arriving in a file described a circle, into the midst of which was
drawn a vehicle on four M'heels.

" ' Sok!'' *Sok!* cried the camol-drivers, and the camels obedient to
tho order lay down all at once as if struck by the same blow. Then,
while a multitude of tents rose suddenly, as if by enchantment, along tho
banks of the brook, two mandarins, decorated with the blue ball, ap-
proached the carriage, opened the door, and immediately we saw de-
scending from it a Tartar woman, clothed in a long robe of green silk.
It was tho queen of tho country of the Khalkas, who was going on a pil-
grimage to the famous lama convent of the Five Towers, in the Chinese
province of Chan-Si. Immediately on perceiving us, she saluted us by
raising her two hands, and said, ' My lord ' las, wc are going to en-
camp here — is tho place fortunate ?' ' Royal pilgrim of Mourguevan,'
wo replied, * you can hero light the fire of your hearth in peace. For
us, wo arc about to continue our route, for tho sun was already high
when wo folded our tent.' "

After traveling all day in a heavy rain, they encamped that evening
on tho plain, and were soon afterward visited by tho Tartars, who fur-
nished them Avith some dry fuel. " While wc ate our frugal meal," says
Hue, " I observed that one of the Tartars was the object of particular
attention to the other ; and on inquiry wo found that the superior had
had two years before the honor of serving in tho war against the ^rebels
of the South," that is, the English, having marched with the banners of
Tchakar. He had, however, never been called upon to fight ; for the
Iloli/ ^faster (the emperor of China) had in his immense mercy granted
peace to the rebels soon after, and tho Tartar troops had been sent back
to their flocks and herds. He had been told, however, by the Chinese,
what kind of people, or monsters rather, these English were — they lived
in tho Avator like fish, and when you least expected it they would rise
to the surface, and cast at you fiery gourds. Then as eoon as you
bend your bow to send an arrow at thera, they plunge into the water
like frogs.

"Tho Tartar mode of presenting one's self is frank, simple, and free
from the innumerable forms of Chinese courtesy. On entering the tent,
you wish peace to every body in general, saying Amor or Mendou, and
then go at once and seat yourself at the right hand of the head of the

TUE COUNTRY OP TOIIAKAR.

733

family, who is crouching down opposite the door. A littlo tobacco is
then mutually presented, and a few polite common-places exchanged.
*Are your pastures lilt and abundant '<" — 'Are your flocks in good
order?' — 'Have your mares been fruitful?' etc., pronounce •! with c
tremo gravity, and then the lady of the tent stretches out her naiid
toward the strangers, without speaking, and forthwith they produce the
little wooden bowl, which is an undispensable vade mecum in Tartary,
and she returns it to them filled with tea and milk. In tolerably opulent
families, a tray is usually j)laced before visitors, with a modest collation
of butter, oatmeal, and slices of cheese, all in separate boxes of varnished
wood ; and those who mean to be magnificent in their hospitality, plunge
into the warm ashes near the Are a small earthenware bottle full of
Mongol wine, a sort of spirit rudely distilled from milk, which one must
have been born a Tartar to relish.

"Tchakar — a Mongol word signifying border-country — lies to the
nori.^ of the great wall of China, and east of Toumet. It is about four
hundred and fifty milon in length, and three hundred in breadth, and its
inhabitants are all soldiers of the emperor of China, and recoivp r.n;i'.)ally
a certain sum regulated according to their titles. It is divided into
eight l.anners, distinguished by their color, blue, red, white, and yellow,
and bluish, reddish, whitish, and yellowish. Each banner has a separate
territory, and possesses a kind of tribunal which takes cognizance of its
aflairs, and a chief called Oii-Gourdha; and from among these eight
ou-gourdhas, a governor-general is chosen. Tchakar is, in fact, nothing
but a vast camp ; and in order that the army shall be at all times in
readiness to march, the Tartars are prohibited under severe penalties
from cultivating the ground. They are required to live on their pay
and the produce of their flocks."

While on their journey through this country, they encamped one
night near a collection of Tartar tents, and when prep.iring to start next
morning, found that their horses had disappeared. All their searching
proved vain, and nothing was left but to go to the Mongol tents, ?.id
declare that the horses had been lost near them. " According to T.'irtar
law," says Hue, " when the animals of caravans go astray, whoever is
in the neighborhood is bound to go in search of them, and even to give
others in their place, if they can not be found. This would appear a
very strange law in Europe. You come and encamp in the neighbor-
hood of a Mongol without his consent, without his knowledge ; yet for
your cattle, your baggage, your men, he is responsible : if any thing dis-
appears, the law supposes him to be the thief, or at least the accomplice.
As soon as we had made our declaration to our Mongol neighbors, the
chief said, ' My lord lamas, do not allow grief to enter your hearts !
your animals can not be lost. Here are neither roads nor thieves, nor
associates of thieves. We will search for your horses, and if they are
not found, you shall choose at pleasure among all our herds. Wo wish
you to leave us in peaco as you have come.*

734

IIUC'8 TRAVELS.

•* While ho was npcaking, eight Tartars mounted their horses, and
taking the long polo and cord whi<!h they use, they commenced their
search. At first they dispersed in all directions, performing various
evolutions, and often returning on their stops. At length they all united
in a squadron, and set olF at a gallop in the direction by which we had
come. ' They are on their track,' said the Mongol chief, who, as well
as ourselves, had been watclung them. 'My lord lamas, come and
seat yourselves i.. my tent, and wo will drink a cup of tea while we
await the return of your horses.'

" In about two hours' time a child came in and informed us that the
horsemen were returning ; and, going out, we saw a cloud of dust ad-
vaneing, and were soon able to distinguish tlu* eight mounted Tartars,
and our two lost animals drawn along by the halter, all coming on at
full gallop. As soon as the Tartars came up, they said with the air of
satisfaction that succeeds a great uneasiness, that in their country noth-
ing was ever lost. Wo thanked the generous Mongols for the signal
service they had rendered us ; and after taking leave of them wo finished
our packing up, and set off for the Blue Town, the route to which we
had quitted to come and furnish ourselves with provisions.

" Wo had gone nearly three days' march when we came to an im-
poslngf and m.TJestio antiquity. It was a great forsaken city, Avith bat-
tlement ramparts, watch-towers, four great gates directed to the lour
cardinal points, all in perfect preservation, but all sunk three parts into
the earth, and covered with thick turf. Since the abandonment of the
place, the soil around it has risen to that extent. Wo entered the city
with solemn emotion ; there were no ruins to be seen, but only the form
of a large and fine town, half buried and enveloped in grass as in a
funeral shroud. The inequalities of the ground seem still to poi:it out
the direction o? streets and the principal buildings ; but the only hiiniiin
being we saw was a young Mongol shepherd, who, seated on a mound,
was silently smoking his pipe, while his goats grazed on the deserted
ramparts around him. Similar remauis of cities are not unfrequently to
be met with in the deserts of Mongolia, but their history is buried in
oblivion. Probably, however, they do not date beyond the thirteenth
century ; for it is known that at this epoch the Mongols had made them-
selves masters of the Chinese empire, and according to the Chinese his-
torians, numerous and flourishing towns existed at that time in Northern
Tartary. The Tartars could give no information concerning this inter-
esting ruin, but merely say that they call it the old town."

One day they met a Tartar carrying with him the corpse of a rela-
tive, whereupon Hue remarks : " In the deserts of Tartary, Mongols are
frequently met with carrying on their shoulders the bones of their kin-
dred, and journeying in caravans to the Five Towers, there to purchase,
almost at its weight in gold, a few feet of earth whereon to erect a
mausoleum. Some of them undertake a journey of a whole year's dura-
tion, and of excessive hardship, to reach this holy spot. The Tartar

DUIUAL OK TARTAIl KINOS.

735

sovereigns nro Romctimes intorrecl in a nmniior whii-h appears the very
height of extravagance and barbarism; the royal corpse is placed in an
edifice of brick, adorned with Htorie images of men, lions, tigers, elo-
pliants, and divers eubjcets from the Lliuldiiist mythology. Witii the
illustrious defunct they inter, in a large vault in the center of the build-
ing, considerable sums in gold and silver, precious stones and costly habits.

"These monstrous uitcrments fre(iuently cost also the lives of a num-
ber of slaves : children of both sexes distinguished for their beauty are
taken, and conipelled to swallow mercury till they are suft'ocated ; by
thi:^ njcans, it is asserted, the color and freshness of the victims is pre-
served so well that they appear alive. They arc then ranged standing
round the corpse of their master to serve him as in life. They hold in
their hands the pipe, fan, the little vial of snuff, and the other numerous
baubles of Tartar roy.alty. To guard these buried treasures there is
placed in the vault a kind of bow, constructed to discharge a number of
arrows one after tho other. This bow, or rather these bows, are bound
together, and tho arrows fixed. This species of infernal muchine is so
placed that the act of opening the door of tho vault discharges the first
arrow, the discharge of the first releases tho second, and so on to the
last. The bow-makers keep these murderous machines all ready pre-
pared, and the Chinese sometimes purchase them to guard their houses
in their absence.

" After some days' march we quitted the country of tho Eight Ban-
ners and entered Western Toumet. The Mongol Tartars of Western
Toiunet arc not nomadic : they cultivate the earth, and apply them-
selves to the arts of civilized life. We had been moro than a month in
the desert ; our taste had been insensibly modificii, and our tempera-
ment accommodated by its silence and solitude, and, on re-entering cul-
tivated lands, the agitation, i)erplexity, and turmoil of civilization op-
pressed and suffocated us ; the air seemed to fiiil us, and we felt every
moment as if about to die of asphyxia. The sensation, however, was of
no long duration. After a time we found it more convenient and moro
agreeable after a day's march to take up our lodging at an inn, well
warmed, and well stocked with provisions, than have a tent to pitch,
fuel to collect, and our scanty supper to cook, before we could take a
little rest. Every thing throughout Toumet bears the stamp of great
abundance ; nowhere did wo see, as m China, houses half in ruins, nor
human beings with emaciated bodies half covered with rags ; all the
country-people seemed neatly and comfortably clothed, and in nothing
was their superior condition moro evident than in the number of mag-
nificent trees surrounding tho villages, and bordering the roads."

Three days after entering Toumet they reached the city of JCoui-
Nba-Tc/ien, or the Blue Town^ and after wandering through the streets
for some time, put up at a tavern with the following sign : " Hotel of
the Three Perfections ; Lodging for Travelers on Horse or Camel ; AU
sorts of business negotiated with Unfailing Success." M. Hue says of

736

HUC'S TRAVELS.

this place: "The commercial importance enjoyed by the Blue Town
arises from the lama convents, whose celebrity attracts hither Mongols
from the most distant parts ; hence the commerce is almost exclusively
Tartar. The Mongols bring great herds of oxen, horses, camels, and
sheep ; they also sell here skins, mushrooms, and salt, the only produce
of the deserts of Tartary ; and they take in return brick tea, clothes,
saddles for their horses, sticks of incense to burn before tlieir idols, oat-
meal, millet, and some domestic utensils. Koukon-Khoton is also famous
for its camel trade. The place of sale is a vast square, into which run
all the principal streets of the town. Elevations shelving on both sides
from one end of the square to the other, give this market the appear,
ance of a field deeply furrowed. The camels are placed in a line, so that
their fore feet rest on these elevations, and this position displays, and
in a manner, increases the stature of the animals, already so gigantic.
It would be difficult to describe the confusion and uproar that prevails
in this market. To the cries of the buyers and sellers who are quarrel-
ing or talking, as people talk when a revolt is at its height, are joined
the long groans of the poor camels, whose noses are incessantly tweaked
to try their address in kneeling or rising.

*' When we were about to set oiT, we summoned the master of the
hotel, according to custom, to settle our account ; and we calculated
that, for three men and six animals for four days, we should have to ])ay
at least two ounces of silver. But we had the agreeable surprise of
hearing him say, 'My lord lamas, let us not make any reckoning.
Put 300 sapecks (30 cents) into the chest, and let that suffice. My
house,' added he, ' is recently established, and I wish to obtain for it
a good reputation. Since you are from a distant country, I wish you
to tell your illustrious compatriots that my hotel is worthy of tlieir con-
fidence.' ' We will certainly speak of your disinterestedness,' we re-
plied ; ' and our countrymen, when they have occasion to visit the Blue
Town, will not fail to stop at the Hotel of the Three Perfections.'"

On leaving the Blue Town, the travelers determined to direct their
cour.ie to the west, through the country of the Ortous, in the ho])e of
being- able, finally, to join some caravan for Lhassa, the capital of Tliibet,
the holy city of the Buddhist faith. After several days of fatiguing
travel, they reached the town of Chagan-Kouren, on the banks of the
Hoantj-IIo, or Yellow lliver, which it was necessary for them to cross.
The next morning, Ijowever, they found that a sudden rise of the water
had taken place. " The Yellow River," says Hue, " had become like a
vast sea, to which no limit could be perceived, but merely here and
there verdant islets, houses, and small villages that seemed to float upon
the water. We consulted several people as to what we should do ; but
opinions were not unanimous. It was necessary to take some resolu-
tion. Turning back was out of the (juestion. We had said that, pleaso
God, we would get to Lhassa, leL the obstacles be what they might. To
turn the river, by going in a northerly du-ection; would greatly lengthen

THE "LAND OP GRASS."

737

our journey, and compel us auo to pass the great desert of Gobi. To
remain at Chagan-Kouren till the waters had retired, and till the ground
had become hard and dry enough for the feet of our camels, would be
the safest course ; but this might detain us, perhaps a month, and our
purse was too slenderly furnished to admit of our remaining all that
time at an inn with five animals. The only alternative then was to place
ourselves under the care of Providence, and go on in spite of mud or
whatever else there might be ; and this at last we determined to do.
Samdadchiemba, who had been in an extremely bad humor, expressed
himself well satisfied with our intention of going on. ' When one under-
takes a journey like ours,' he observed, 'one mustn't be afraid of the
five elements. Those who are afraid of dying on the road should never
set out — that's the rule.' "

With a great deal of diflSculty ant' longer they finally succeeded in
transporting themselves and their camc-lH across tho Yellow River, and,
after some days spent among tho marshes bordering it, across a second
inundated arm, called the Paga-Gol. " We had now left behind us the
Yellow Rivor and the inundated country," continues the narrative, " and
had entered on the Land of Grass, if that name could be given to a
country so barren as that of the Ortous. Whichever way you turn, you
find nothing but rocky ravines, hills of muc, and plains encumbered with
fine movable sand, which the wind sweeps about in all directions. The
only pasturage consists in a few thorny shrubs JHid thin heaths of a fetid
odor. Here and there you find a little thin brittle grass, whijh sticks
80 closely to the ground, that the animals can not browse it, without
scnvpiiig up the sand at the same time, and the whole was so dry, that
we Hoon began almost to regret the marshes that had grieved us so
much on the banks of the Yellow River. There was not a brook or a
spring whore the traveler could quench his thirst, only from time to time
we met with a pool or tank filled with muddy and fetid water.

" The lamas with whom we had been acquainted in the Blue Town,
had warned us of what we should have to endure in this country from
scarcity of water, and by their rdvico we had bought two pails, which
proved very serviceable. Wherever we had the good fortune to meet
with ponds or Avells dug by the Tartars, we filled our buckets, without
minding the bad quality of the water, and always took care to use it as
sparingly as possible, as if it were some rare and precious liquor. Care-
ful as we were, however, we often had to go whole days without a drop
to moisten our lips ; and yet our personal privations were nothing com-
pared with tho suffering of seeing our animals almost without water,
when the scanty inrbage that they got was nearly calcined by niter.
They grew visibly thinner every day ; the aspect of our horse became
quite pitiable ; he went along, drooping his head quite to the ground,
and seeming ready to faint at every step ; and the camels seemed to
balance themselves painfully on their long legs, while their lean humps
hung down like empty bags."

788

HUC'S TRAVELS.

One afternoon, while traveling through this desolate country, they
were overtaken by a violent storm, and after seeking for a long time for
shelter, at last, to their great surprise, discovered a series of chambers
excavated in the rocky walls of a ravine. Here they found a protection
from the weather and a supply of fuel, and were so rejoiced that they
sat up nearly all night for the purpose of enjoying the unexpected
warmth. " Our animals," says Hue, " were no less happy than ourselves,
for we found them stables cut out oft!:'.* mountain, and, what was more,
an excellent supply of forage — a grotto full of oaten straw and millet-
stalks. Had it not been for the tempest, in which we imagined wo were
to perish, our poor beasts would never have had such a feast. We sat
for a long time, rejoicing ia our preservation, and, at last, lay down on
a well-warmed kang, that made us forget the terrible cold that we had
endured during the tempest.

"On the fifteenth day of the new moon," he continues, " we met nu-
merous caravans, following, like ourselves, the direction from east to
west. The way was covered with nien, women, and children, mounted
on camels or oxen, all going, as they said, to the lama convent oi Jiache-
Churin. AVhen they asked whether our journey had the same goal, and
heard our answer in the negative, their surprise was extreme ; and this,
and the number of pilgrims we saw, piqued our curiosity. At the turn-
ing of the detile, we suet an old huna, who, having a heavy burden on
his back, seemed to get along with extreme difficult;'. ' Brother,' saiil
we, ' you are advanced in age ; your black hairs are not so numerous as
your white ; you must be imich fatigued. Place your burden on one of
our camels, and you will journey more at your ease.'

" The old man prostrated himself in token of his gratitude, and we
made one of our camels kneel down, Avhilc Samdadchiemba added the
lama's baggage to ours. As soon as the pilgrim was relieved of the
load that had weighed upon him, his step became lighter, and a pleased
expression spread over his features. ' Brother,' said we, ' we know very
little about the aftairs of your country ; but we are astonished to nut't
BO many pilgrims in the desert.' ' We are all going to Ilache-Churin,'
he replied, in a tone of profound devotion. ' Some great solenuiity.
doubtless, calls you thither V ' Yes ; to-morrow is to be a great day.
A Lama Jiokte will display his power. He will kill himself, but will
not die.'

" We understood in a moment the kind of solemnity which had put
the Tartars in motion. A lama was to open his belly, take out his en-
trails and place them before him, and then return, immediately, to tiis
former st; kte. This spectacle, atrocious and disgusting as it is, is very
common i i the lama convents of Tartary. The Bokte who is to <lisp!ay
his powet, as the Mongols say, prepares himself for the act by long
days of fasting and prayer ; and during the whole time he must main
tarn the most absolute silence, and refrain from all commuuicatiou with
men.

A LAMl MIRACLE.

789

" When the appointed hour has arrived, the whole multitude of pil-
grims repair to the great court of the lama convent, where an altar is
erected. At leng1,h the Bokk makes his appearance ; he advances
gravely amid the acclam' ,tions of the crowd, seats himself upon the altar,
and taking a cutlass fr >ra lus girdle, places it between his knees, while
the crowd of lamas, ranged in a circle at his feet, commence the terrible
invocations that prelude this frightful ceremony. By degrees, as they
proceed in their recitation, the .Bokte is seen to tremble in every limb,
and gradually fall into strong convulsions. Then the song of the lamas
becomes wilder and more animated, and the recitation is exchanged for
cries and bowlings. Suddenly the Bokte flings away the scarf M'hich he
has worn, snatches off his girdle, and with the sacred cutlass rips him-
self entirely open. As the blood gushes out the multitude prostrate
themselves before the horrible spectacle, and the sufferer is immediately
interrogated concerning future events, and things concealed from human
knowledge. His answers to all these questions are regarded as oracles.

"As soon as the devoutcuriosity of the pilgrims is satisfied, the lamas
resume thei • recitations and prayers ; and the Jiokte, taking up in his
right hand a quantity of his blood, carries it to his mouth, blows three
times upon it, and casts it into the air with a loud cry. He then passes
his hand rapidly over his st omach, and it becomes as ifhole us it teas before^
without the slightest trace being left of the diabolical operation, with
the exception of an extreme lassitude. The Jiokte then rolls his scarf
again round his body, says a short prayer in a low voice, and all is over ;
every one disperses except a few of the most devout, who remain to con-
tonii)late and adore the bloody altar."

Hue and Gabet, on learning that this ceremony was to take place at
the convent of Rache-Churin, ri'solvf d to //o thither, witness it, and at
the pi'oj)er moment come forth, declare its diabolical nature, and com-
mand the liokte to refrain from the exercise of his infernal power. For-
tunately for theniselvt's, they letl the road to procure supplies at a Chi-
nese eneaniptnent, lost their way, a id did not reach the convent until
after the magical operation had been performed. " We made but a short
stay at Kache-Churin," says Hue, " for as it had not been the will of
(»<)<l tliat we should reach it at the time favorable to our purpose, of an-
nouncing the true faith to the people of Oitous, we were eager to press
forward to Thibet, the source of the immense superstition of which we
saw here but a few insignificant streams. Shortly after leaving it we fell
in with a track very well marked, and frequented by a great number of
trav<'|('rs, but commerce, and not devotion, was the spring that had set
them in movement. They were going to the Dobsoon-Noor, or Salt
Lakf , ct'lebrated ovt-r all the west of Mongolia, which furnishes salt, not
only to the neighboring Tartars, but to several provinces of the Chinese
empire."

Some days aftc- passing the Dobsoon-Noor, they came upon a Mon-
gol encampment in a long, narrow valley. They were very kindly re-

!il

740

HUC'S TRAVELS.

ceived by the natives, from whom they purchased a sheep. The Mon-
gol butcher who slaughtered it surprised thorn by detaching the flesh
from the bones in one single piece, leaving the clear skeleton hanging.
In mentioning this circumstance, Hue remarks : " All the Mongols know
the number, name, and place of all the bones of an animal's frame, and
never fracture one in cutting up a sheep or an or. With the point of
their large knivei, they go straight to the jomt, which they sever with a
speed and address truly astonishing. These frequent dissections, and
the habit of living in the midst of their flocks and herds, render the Tar-
tars extremely skillful in the cure of the maladies of animals. The reme-
dies they employ are the simples they collect in the fields, and which
they adi>>inister with a cow's horn, in the form of a decoction. If the
animal will uot open its mouth, they make him swallow the liquid through
his nostrils."

The intention of Hue and Gabet had been to continue their course
westward througii the Tartar country of Alechan, but on meeting with
some Tartar princci;^ on their way to Pekin, the latter informed them
that this country had been rendered almost uninhabitable by a severe
drought, and was ravaged by troops of brigands. One other route re-
mained open to them. This was to recross the Yellow River, which
here makes a long bend northward, pass again the Great Wall, and
roach the Tartar city of JTou-Ivou-noor, through the Chinese province of
Kan-Sou. " Formerly," says Hue, " such a project would have made
us shudder. It would have been to us clear as the day that strangling
for ourselves, and the persecution of all the Chinese missions, would
have been the inevitable consequences of so foolhardy an attempt. Bp*
the season of fear was now passed for us. Our abode in several grc. t
towns — the necessity we had been under of transacting our own busi-
ness — had rendered us more familiar with the habits and usages of the
Chinese. The language was no longer an embarrassment. We could
speak the Tartar language, and were acquainted with the popular Chi-
nese phrases, a knowledge diflicult to acquire while resident in the mis-
sions, beeause the Christians, out of flattery to the missionaries, study
to employ only the brief nomenclature that the latter have learned from
books. In addition to these moral and intellectual advantages, our long
journey had been of great service to us physically. The rain, wind,
and sun, had in the course of two months so tanned and hardened our
European complexions, that our aspect had become very tolerably
savage ; and the fear of being recognized by the Chinese no longer
affected us."

A few days after this they le-c^pd the Yellow River, at the to^vn
of Che-TsinrDzc, and re-entered China proper, leaving behind them
Mongolia and its nomadic life. Hue, at this point, makes the following
remarks upon the country through which they had passed : " The gen-
eral aspect of Mongolia is wild and gloomy ; never is the eye relieved
by the charm and variety of a landscape. The monotony of the steppes

DESCRIPTION OP THE ENGLISH.

741

is broken only by ravines, great fissures, and stony sterile hills. Toward
the north, in the country of the Khalkas, nature appears more animated ;
the summits of the mountsuns are crowned by forests, and the rich past-
urage of the plain is watered by numerous rivers ; but during the long
season of winter the earth is buried under a thick covering of snow.
From the side of the Great Wall, Chinese industry glides like a serpent
into the desert. Towns begin to rise on all sides ; the ' Land of Grass'
is being gradually covered by crops, and the Mongol shepherds are
by degrees driven back to the north by the encroachments of agri-
culture.

" The sandy plains occupy perhaps the greater part of Mongolia :
and in these not a tree is to be seen ; short brittle grass makes its way
with difficulty through the barren soil, and creeping thorns, and some
scanty tufts of heath, form the only vegetation, the sole pasturage, of
Gobi. Water is extremely scarco, being only found in deep wells dug
for the use of travelers who are obliged to cross this miserable region."

The travelers proceeded forward, through the cities of Ning-hai, Ho-
hia-po, and other unheard-of Chinese towns, in the flourishing province
of Kan-Sou. Their disguise was so complete that their real character
was not once suspected, except at the " Hotel of Social Relations," in
the town of Choang-Long, the landlord of which was a sharp and satir-
ical Chinese. " To give us a proof of his penetration," says Hue, " he
asked at once whether we were not English {Ing-Kie-Id)^ the marine
devils who were making war at Canton. ' We are not Enjjlish,' we
replied, ' nor are we devils of any sort — land or sea.' * Don't you know,'
said a man who was lounging about, addressing the landlord, ' that all
those marine devils have blue eyes and red hair ?' ' Besides,' said we,
' if we were marine monsters, how could we live on shore, and go on
horseback ?' ' Yes, that's true, that's true,' said he ; ' the Ing-Kie-Li
never dare to quit the sea ; as soon as ever they come on shore they
tremble and die like fish.' "

A little further, they came to the town of Ho-Kiaou-Y, and finding
that the backs of their animals had been severely galled, determined to
halt for some days. They established themselves in the " Tavern of the
Temperate Climates," and gave Samdadchiemba permission to visit his
parents, who lived but a short distance off, and whom he had not seen
for eighteen years. " During this eight days' rest," says Hue, " our
cattle had recovered sufficiently to attempt the painful road we should
have to traverse. But the rugged path by which we had to climb the
mountain of Ping-Keou presented difficulties which our camels found
almost insurmountable ; and we were continually obliged, as wo went
on, to utter loud cries to warn muleteers who might be advancing to-
ward us on this narrow and dangerous road, where two animals could not
pass abreast, that they might have time to turn aside their mules, lest
they should be terrified by the sight of our camels, and rush down the
precipice. When we had passed the mountain, we came to a village

742

HUG'S TRAVELS.

whose Chinese appellation signifies the Old Duck ; and what struck us
most in this place was, that the art of knitting, which we had imagined
unknown in China, was hero carried on very busily ; and, moreover, not
by women, but by men. Their' work appeared to be very clumsy ; the
stockings they made were like sacks ; and their gloves had no separation
for the fingers. It looked very odd, too, to f ee mustachioed fellows
sitting before their doors spinning, knittmg, and gossiping, like so
many old women."

In January, 1 845, four months after their departure from the " Val-
ley of the Black Waters," the travelers reached the trading town of
Tang-Keou-Eul, on the frontier of Thibet, and congratulated themselves
on being beyond the reach of the Chinese authorities. " So far," says
the narrative, " we had followed pretty well the Itinerary that we had
traced for ourselves ; but by what means were we to penetrate to Lha-
Ssa, the capital of Thibet ? "We learned that almost every year caravans
left Tang-Keou-Eul for this destination, and in the end reached it ; but
a terrible account was given to us of the road. A journey of four months
had to bo made across countries entirely uninhabited, and where travel-
ers were often frozcTi to death or buried under the snow. During the
summer, it was said many Avere drowned ; for it was necessary to cross
great rivers without bridge or boat ; and beside this, these deserts were
ravaged by hordes of robbers, who plundered those who fell into their
hands even of their clothes, and left them naked and starving in the
wilderness,"

A few days after their arrival, however, a small caravan of Khalkhas
Tartars passed through the town, on their way to Lha-Ssa, from tlie
borders of Russia. They desired Hue and Gabet to join their party,
which the latter were about to do, when they learned that the Tartars
expected to make tlic journey with great rapidity : their :\nimals would
not be able to koop up with such a march, and they had not funds to
buy others. They therefore reluctantly gave up this opportunity, and
resolved to Avail for the return of the Thibetua embassy from Pekiii,
M'hich was not expected for six or eight months. In order to occupy
themstlves j)rofital)ly in the mean time, they procured a teacher from the
famous Lamasery of Kounboum, which was only forty miles distant, and
commenced the study of the Thibetan language. The teacher, who was
called Sandara the Bearded, avus a shreivd, intelligent young man, undor
whose instructions they made rapid }>rogress in Tiiibetan. lie jjreteiided,
moreover, to be deeply interested in the Christian doctrines which they
taught him, but, as they afterward discovered, Avas something of a hypo-
crite, and they gaA'e up the idea of his conversion.

Atler some time had been spent in this way, Sandara invited them
to visit the Lamasery, and take up their abode there. They acceded to
this proposal with joy, Samdadchiemba had already been sent off to
the valley of Kou-kou-noor, to pasture the camels ; so they mounted their
horses, an<l, after a long day'3 ride, reached the famous Buddhbt monas-

RESIDENCE AMONG THE LAMAS.

748

tery of Kounboum, where they were at first entertained in Sandara's
house. '• During the night," remarks Hue, " we tried in vain to sleep —
sleep would not come. This country of Amdo, a country unknown in
Europe — this great Lamaserai of Kounboum, so renowned among the
Buddhists — these conventual manners — the lama's cell in which we were
lying — all seemed to float through our brains like the vague, impalpable
forms of a dream. We passed the night in forming plans, and as soon
as day dawned we were on foot. All was still profoundly silent while
we made our morning prayer, not without a sensation of joy and pride
that we had been permitted thus to invoke the true God in this famous
Lamaserai, consecrated to an impious and lying worship. It seemed to
us as if we were about to conquer the vast realms of Buddhism to the
faith of Jesus Christ.

" Sandara soon made his appearance, and served us with milk, tea,
dried grapes, and cakes fried in butter, and while we were occupied with
breakfast he opened a little closet, and took from it a wooden trencher,
neatly varnished, and ornamented with flowers and gilded on a red
ground. After having dusted it with his red scarf, he spread over it a
sheet of rose-colored paper, ]>laced on it four fine pears symmetrically
arranged, and covered them with an oval silk handkerchief, called a
Khata. It was with this present, he said, we were to go and borrow a
house.

" This Khata^ or ' scarf of happiness,' plays so important a part in
Thibetan manners, that it is veil perhaps to say a few words about it.
It is usually a piece of bluish-white silk fringed at the two ends ; but as
it is an article indispensable to rich and poor, it of course varies greatly
in richness and value. No one ever tra''^els v ithout a stock of khatas;
if you go to pay a visit of ceremony or to ask a service, or to return
thanks for one, you always begin by disj. laying a khata to the person
whom you wish to honor. If two friends have not seen each other for
a long time, and have met by accident, their first care is to offer each
other a khata ; when you write a Ictfer you inclose a khata in it : in
short, the importance attached, by the Thibetans, the Si-Fan, and all the
nations who inhabit the country to the west of the Blue Sea, to this
ceremony of the khata, is scarcely credible. They foru. a most consider-
able article of commerce for the Chinese at Tang-Keou-Eul ; and the
Thibetan embassies, when they pass throiisrh the town, carry away a pro-
digious (juantity of them. As soon as avo had done breakfast, we went
out to borrow a lodiring, preceded by Sandara the Bearded, beanng
solemnly in his two hpnds the famous dish of four pears. This proceed-
ing appeared to us so odd that we felt ashamed of it, and thought all
eyes must be fixed upon us. But the lamas whom we met weiit silently
on their w.ay, without turning their heads or paying the slightest atten-
tion to us. The little Chabis, merry and mischievous as school-boys
always are, were the only persons who appeared to know or care what
we were doing.

744

HUC'S TRAVELS.

** At length ve entered a small bouse, the master of which was in the
yard, busied in spreading out horse-dung tu dry in the sun ; but secbg
us, he wrapped himself in Ms scarf and went into his cell. We followed
him with Sandara, who offered the khata and the plate of pears, and ac-
companied them with an harangue in the Oriental Thibetan language, of
which we did not understand a word. During this time we kept our-
selves modestly retired, like unfortunate men who were not even capable
of asking a favor for ourselves. The lama made us sit down on a car-
pet, offered us milk tea, and said to us in the Mongol language, ' that
he was happy that strangers from the far west should have deigned to
cast their eyes on his poor habitation.' Had we been speaking French
we might have responded by some equivalent compliment ; but in Mon-
gol, we could only say that we were indeed from far off; but, that o ie
found in some measure a country wherever one met with such hospitality
ajs his. After drinking a cup of tea, and talking a minute or two of
France, Rome, the pope, and the cardinals, we rose to visit the dwelling
assigned to our use. For poor wanderers like us it was superb. There
was a vast chamber with a great kang, a separate kitchen with stoves, a
kettle, and some utensils ; and even a stable for our horse and mule.
We took possession of our house the same day ; and the neighboring
lamas helped us to move our baggage, carrying the things for us on
their shoulders, as if it were a real pleasure to them to give their assist-
ance. They swept our rooms, lighted the f.re under the kang, and set
the stable ready for the reception of our animals ; and when all was done,
the master of the house, according to a rule of hospitality among them,
prepared a feast for us. It is thought that, on a moving d.y, one can
not have time to attend to cookery.

" The situation of the Lamaserai of Kounboum is enchanting. Im-
agine a mountain intersected by a broad, deep ravine, whence spring up
large trees, filled with a numerous population of ravens, magpies, and
yellow-backed crows. On either side the ravine, and up the sides of the
mountain, rise, in amphitheatrical form, the white dwellings of the lamas,
each with its little terrace and wall of inclosure, adorned only by clean-
liness, while here and there tower far above them the Buddhist temples,
with their gilt roofs glittering with a thousand colors, and surrounded
by elegant peristyles. The houses of the superiors are distinguished by
pennants, floating above small hexagonal turrets, and on all sides the
eye is struck by mystical sentences, in the Thibetan character, in red
and black, on the doors, on the walls, on the stones, on pieces of linen
fixed, like flags, on masts reared above the houses. Almost at every
step you meet with conical niches, in which incense and odoriferous
wood are burning ; and through the streets of the Lamaserai circulates
the population of lamas, in their red and yellow dresses, grave in their
deportment, and, although under no obligation to silence, speaking little,
and that little in a low voice.

*' It is to a legend concerning Tsong-Kaba, a great Buddhist reform-

f^.:

A WONDERFUL TREE.

746

cr, that tlio Lamascrai of Kounboum owes its name. It signifies '' Ten
Tliousand Images ;^' and it is said tliat when the mother of tlio reformer,
in devoting him to a religious life, according to custom cut oif his hair
and threw it away, a tree sprang up from it, which bore on every onu of
its leaves a Thibetan character. This tree is still to be seen at the foot
of the mountain on which the principal Buddhist temple stands, in a
large square inclosure formed by four brick walls. Within this stands
the wonderful tree, which appears of great antiquity ; and though now
not more than eight feet high, three men could hardly embrace its
trunk. The wood is of a reddish color, and exquisite odor, very much
resembling cinnamon. We were told that during the summer, toward
the eighth moon, it produces superb large red flowers ; but what most
excited our "stonishment was that every leaf was really, as we had been
before told it was, distinctly marked with a Thibetan character, some-
times lighter, sometimes darker than the leaf, but quite plain. After
the most mmute investigation, wo could discover no traces of fraud on
the part of the lamas ; and though, doubtless, people will smile at our
ignorance, that will matter little if they do not suspect the veracity of
our account."*

They remained for three months at Kounboum, but they were living
in opposition to a positive law of the Lamaserai, which ordained that
those who wished to make a long stay should put on the sacred vest-
ments of a lama. This was brought to their notice, and as they could
not conscientiously comply with the law, they offered to withdraw.
Thereupon the government of the convent invited them to take up their
abode at the little Lamaserai of Tchogortan, half an hour's ride from
Kounboum, where they would be at liberty to wear what dress they
pleased. " The aspect of Tchogortan is very picturesque, especially in
summer. The habitations of the lamas, at the foot of a high mountain,
rising almost perpendicularly above them, arc shaded by trees, centuries
old, whose thick branches serve for a retreat to numerous kites and
crows. A few yards below the houses there flows an abundant stream,
intersected by numerous dams, constructed by the lamas to turn their
prayer mills. At the bottom of the valley, and on the neighboring hills,
appeared the black tents of the Si-Fan, and some flocks of goats. The
mountain-wall itself serves as a habitation to a few contemplative anchor-

♦ Colonel Sleemnn, in his work on India, speaks of mysterious trees in the forests in
certain parts of that country, every leaf of which is marked with the names of the god
Rama, and his wife, Sita, in Sanscrit oharacters. He examined several of these trees,
which the natives call the Silver-tree, and invariably found the leaves marked with the
sacrod names, as if written with a blunt pencil The Hindoos consider the writing aa
miraculous, and the Colonel was nearly ready to agree with them, when he one day
chanced to see one of the trees growing on the edge of a cliff, in a position where it could
not be reached without great difficulty and danger. Curiosity prompted him to run the
risk of examining it, and he found its leaves entirely free from the mysterious characters.
This led him to believe that in the other instances they had been secretly inscribed upon
the leaves by the Hindoo devotees, probably as a devotional act — ^B. T.

746

HUC'S TRAVELS.

ites, who have built their eyries, like eagles' nests, on the highest and
most inaccessible spots ; some have hollowed them out of the lace of the
rock, others have stuck a little wooden cell, like a swallow's nest, to its
side, and some [(ieces of wood fastened to the rock serve for a ladder,
by which thoy ascend to their singular habitations.

" In the beginning of July there fell very heavy rains, and when
these were over, the country clothed itself, as if by magic, with llowers
and verdure. For our camels, too, this was a moment of Palingcnosia.
Their hair had all fallen off in bunches like old rags, and, for a few days,
they were quite naked, and perfectly hideous. But now the hair began
to appear again, and in another fortnight they were clothed in their
new attire, and really handsome. The old hair furnished us with a new
and useful occiipation. An old lama, who was a skillful rope-maker, had
suggested to us that we might make with it a store of cords for our
baggage ; and after some lessons from him we set to work. In a short
time we could manage it very well, and every morning, when we went
to visit our cattle at their pasture, we used to take a bundle of camels'
hair, and Avork as we went along.

" At length, toward the end of the month of September, we heard
news that the Thibetan embassy had arrived at Tang-Keou-Eul, and was
to stop there but a few days. It Avas necessary, therefore, that without
lods of time we should set about our preparations for this long-lookod-for
journey to the capital of Thibet. Among other stores we bought a
good quantity of garlic, which we were recommended to take as a remedy
to the pernicious and even poisonous exhalations proceeding from a cer-
tain mountain that we should have to pass. We also got another earned ;
for, though ours were in magnificent order, three were not sufficient for
such an enterprise as this ; and we hired a young lama, whom wc had
known at Kounboum, in the quality of assistant camel-driver. After ex-
changing a great number of khatas with our friends and acquaintances,
wo set out on our march toward the Blue Sea, where we were to wait
the passing of ttic Thibetan emb.assy.

" The Blue Lake or sea, called by the Mongols the Kou-kou-Noor, is
an immense reservoir of water more than four 'lundred miles in circum-
ference. The name of sea is applicable to it, not only on account of its
extent, but because its waters arc bitter and salt like those of the ocean,
and it is subject to the periodical ebb and flow of tide. The marine
odor which it exhales is perceptible far off" in the desert. Toward the
western part there is a little rocky island inhabited by twenty contem-
plative lamas, who have built there a Buddhist temple, and some habita-
tions where they pass their days in the most profound retirement, far
from the anxieties of the world. It is impossible to pay them a visit,
for there is not a boat on the whole expanse of waters — at least we
never saw one, and the Mongols assured us that no one among their
tribes occupied himself with navigation. During the severest cold of
winter, however, when the waters are covered by a solid crust of ice,

TIIBY JOIN TKK THIBKTAN EMBASSY.

747

the shepherds of tho noighhorliood go on pilgrimages to the island, and
carry to tho contemplative- hunas their modest oflTeringa of tea, and but-
ter, and Tsaraba, receiving in exchange blessings on their flocks and
pastures.

" We had sojourned by tho Kou-kou-Noor nearly a month, and had
been compelled, five or six times, to decamp and follow the Tartar tribes,
who, at the least alarm of robbers, changed their place — though they
never went far — when, toward the end of October, tho Thibetan embassy
arrived. Wo joined this immense troop, which was now further in-
creased by tho addition of several Mongol caravans, wishing like our-
selves to profit by this excellent opportunity of making the journey to
Lha-Ssa. We stopped on the road tho following day, that wc might see
this vast multitude of travelers defile before us ; and we made tho fol-
lowing estimate of their numbers : There were fifteen thousand long-
haired oxen, twelve hundred horses, about the same number of camels,
and two thousand men — ^Thilietans and Tartars — some going on foot,
and directing the disorderly march of the cattle ; others mounted on
horses, camels, and oxen, and fully armed. The embassador traveled in
a litter borno by two mules, and escorted by three hundred Chinese
soldiers furnished by tho province of Kan-Sou, and two hundred bravo
Tartars, charged by the princes of tho Kou-kou-Noor to protect tho holy
embassy of the Talo Lama as far as tho frontiers of Thibet.

" On the 15th of November wo quitted the magnificent plains of the
Kou-kou-Noor, and entered the country of tho Tsaidam Mongols, after
crossing the river of tho srmo name. Here the landscape underwent a
great change, and became wild and gloomy, and tho dry and stony soil
bore nothing but brambles impregnated with saltpeter. The people, too,
have a morose manner, as if they had been affected by the physical
character of their country : they speak very little, and that in so low and
guttural a tone that other Mongols have difliculty hi comprehending
thorn. In this arid soil salt and bora?: abound ; there is nothing more
to be done than to dig a hole two or three feet deep, and the salt col-
lects in it, and crystallizes and purifies of itself. The borax is also col-
lected in little reservoirs, which are soon entirely filled.

"Wc rested two days in this country in order to collect all the
strength possible for the ascent of the dreaded Bourhan-Bota — our long-
haired oxen and camels enjoying themselves on the niter and salt, and
wc feasting on Tsamba and some goats which we got from the herdsmen
in exchange for brick tea ; and then sotting out about three o'clock in
the morning, we arrived at nine at the foot of the mountain. The cara-
van stopped for n moment, and we gazed with anxiety upward at the
steep and roug'i put] s, on which we perceived with anxiety a light vapor
resting, which vas saM to be the noxious gas before mentioned. We
adopted the prei ;vutior>.ary measure, recommended by tradition, of chew-
ing some cloves of giirlic, and then commenced the ascent. In a short
time the horses appeared to be incapable of bearing their riders ; every

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748

HUC'S TRAVELS.

one slackened his pace, all faces turned pale, the heart beat faintly, the
limbs refused their office ; many lay down, then got up again, made a
few steps, then lay down again, and in this deplorable manner toiled up
the side of the famous Bourhan-Bota. A part of our troop stopped in a
deep hollow of the mountain, where it was said the pestilential vapor
was less thick ; the rest exerted their utmost energies to reach the top,
where, at last, the lungs could play freely, relieved from the murderous
carbonic acid gas that had so long oppressed them. To descend on the
other side was mere play, for there the air was pure and easily respir-
able. The people told us that when there was a strong wind, the per-
nicious effect was little felt ; but that it was very dangerous in calm
weather, for then, being heavier than the atmospheric air, it remains
near the surface of the ground, instead of being in some measure dis-
persed."

This mountain, however, was but an apprenticeship to Mount Chuga,
which was much higher and more rugged. The cold they endured in
crossing it was almost insupportable : M. Gabet became very sick, and
continued so for many days. In a lake which they passed, they saw a
number of dead wild oxen, who had been frozen in, while in the act of
swimming across. " By the time we were approaching the most elevated
point of Central Asia," says Hue, " a terrible wind had set in from the
north, which lasted fifteen days, and increased the rigor of the cold to
a degree that threatened us with great misfortunes. The sky was still
clear, but the cold was so terrible that even at mid-day the influence of
the sun was scarcely perceptible. Even during the day, and of course
still more during the night, we were under the continual apprehension
of being frozen to death. I may mention one circumstance that will
give an idea of the extremity of the cold. Every morning before setting
off, the caravan used to take a meal, and then not ag^n till they en-
camped ; but as the Tsamba was a kind of food so little agreeable, that
it was difficult to take enough of it at once to support us during the
day, we used to soak in tea two or three balls of it to keep in reserve
for the day's journey. We wrapped up this boiling paste in very warm
linen, and placed it on our breasts ; and over this we had our clothing,
namely a garment of sheep-skin, then a waistcoat of lamb's-skin, then a
short garment of fox's-skin, and over all a great woolen coat. Now
during this fortnight we constantly found the balls of Tsamba frozen,
and when we drew them from our bosoms, they were so hard that we
almost broke our teeth in attempting to eat them. The cattle suffered
terribly, especially the mules and horses, which are not so strong as the
oxen. We had to dress them in felt carpets, and tie camels'-skin round
their heads; and in any other circumstances their appearance would
certainly have excited our hilarity, but now we were in no humor for
laughing, for, notwithstanding all precautions, the cattle of the caravan
were decimated by death.

*'■ As we advanced toward Lha-Ssa, we perceived that we were get-

ARRIVAL AT LHA-SSA.

749

ting into a more and more inhabited country ; the numerous pilgrims,
the caravans, the frequent inscriptions on stones by the road-side, con-
tributed much to lighten the weariness of the road. The Thibetans wo
met were now no longer exclusively nomadic, cultivated fields appeared,
and houses took the ^lace of black tents. On the fifteenth day of our
departure, we arrived at Pampou (erroneously set down in maps as Panc-
tou), which, on account of its proximity to Lha-Ssa, is regarded by pil-
grims as the vestibule of the holy city. It is a beautiful plain, watered
by a large river, the waters of which, distributed into many canals,
spread fertility through the country. There is no village in it, properly
so called, but extensive farms are seen in all directions, the houses with
terraced tops, and surmounted by little turrets, whence float streamers
of various colors, covered with Thibetan inscriptions. Afler three
months' traveling through those terrible deserts, where no living thing
was to be met with, but robbers and wild beasts, the plains of Pampou
appeared to us the most beautiful country in the world. This long and
painful journey had brought us so near the savage state, that we were
in ecstasy with every thing that belonged to civilization. The houses,
the agricultural implements, even a simple furrow, attracted our atten-
tion. But wLat struck us most was the prodigious elevation of tempera-
ture which we noticed in the cultivated country. Although we were
still in the month of January, the river and the canals were merely bor-
dered by a light covering of ice, and we met no one clothed in furs.

" "We were now only separated from Lha-Ssa by a mountain ; but it
was one extremely steep and difficult of ascent. The Thibetans and Mon-
gols, however, climb it with great devotion ; as they believe that those
who have the happiness to arrive at its summit, receive a complete re-
mission of their sins ; and, certainly, if the mountain have not the power
to remit sins, it has that of imposing a pretty severe penance. We had
set off an hour after midnight, and we did not arrive until ten o'clock in
the morning ; having been compelled, on account of the steep and rocky
character of the paths, which makes it nearly impossible for a horse to
keep his footing, to walk almost the whole way. The sun was just about
to set, when, issuing from a defile at the foot of the mountain, we saw
lying before us the renowned Lha-Ssa, the metropolis of the Buddhist
world, encircled by a multitude of grand old trees, which form with their
foliage a girdle of verdure around it ; its white houses, with their terraces
and turrets ; its numerous temples, with their gilded roofs ; and high
above all, the majestic palace of the Tale Lama. At the entrance of the
town, some Mongols with whom we had made acquaintance on the roads,
had come to meet us, and invite us to alight at a lodging which they had
prepared for us. It was the 13th of January, 1846 ; just eighteen months
after we had quitted the valley of the Black Waters."

750

HUC'S TRAVELS.

RESIDENCE AT LHA-SSA.

" The day following that of our arrival at Lha-Ssa, we took a guide
and traversed the different quarters of the town, in quest of a lodging.
The houses of Lha-Ssa are generally large, several stories high, and ter-
minated by a terrace, slightly inclined, to facilitate the running off of the
water ; they are whitewashed all over, with the exception of some bor-
ders, and the door and window-frames, which are painted red or yel-
low. The reformed Buddhists are particularly fond of these two colors ;
they are in some sort sacred in their eyes, and are called lamanesque
colors. The houses of Lha-Ssa are painted every year, and have, conse-
quently, an admirable appearance of freshness ; but the inside is far from
being in harmony with the out. The rooms are smoky, dirty, and foul-
smelling, and generally encumbered with all sorts of utensils, in most
disgusting disorder. Thibetan houses are so many whited sepulchers,
true images of all false religions, which vail corruption and falsehood by
a certain number of dogmatic truths, and some principles of morality.

" After a long search we found a small lodging in a large house con-
taining already fifty lodgers. Our humble abode was in the upper story,
ascended by twenty-six stairs, unfurnished with any kind of balustrade,
and 60 steep and narrow, that to avoid the risk of breaking our necks,
every time we mounted them, it was necessary to make use of both
hands and feet. Our apartment was composed of one large square room
and a small corridor : the former lighted by a narrow window, garnished
with three thick wooden bars, and a round skylight. The latter hole
served a variety of purposes ; it admitted the light, the wind, the rain,
and the snow ; and also afforded egress to the smoke from our hearth.
In order to protect themselves in some measure from the winter's cold,
the Tliibetans place in the middle of their chambers a basin of baked
clay, in which argol may be burned. As this kind of fuel gives more
smoke than heat, the advantage of a hole in the roof is obvious ; and
this inestimable aperture in our chamber enabled us to make a little firo
without being quite stifled. It is true this good had its attendant evil
in admitting, at times, the rain and snow upon our backs, but Avhen we
have led a nomadic life for some time we cease to be disturbed by trifles.

" As soon as we had organized our household, we began to make ac-
quaintance with Lha-Ssc and its inhabitants. Lha-Ssa is not more than
two leagues in circumference, and is not shut within ramparts like the
Chinese towns. In the suburbs the number of gardens planted with
large trees afford a magnificent girdle of verdure to the town. The
principal streets are very wide, straight, and tolerably clean ; the sub-
urbs most disgustingly filthy. In the latter there is a quarter where the
houses are entirely built of ox and rams' horns ; these bizarre edifices
have not an unpleasant aspect, and are of great solidity. The ox horns
being smooth and white, and those of the sheep black and rough, form a

PALACE or THE TALE LAMA.

751

multitude 01 singular combinations ; the interstices are filled up with
mortar ; these houses are never whitened — the Thibetans have the good
taste to leave them in their savage and fantastic beauty, without at-
tempting to improve them.

" The palace of the Tale Lama well deserves the celebrity it enjoys.
Toward the northern part of the town, at a small distance from it, there
rises a rocky mountain of no great elevation, and conical in form, bear-
ing the name of Buddha-La, that is, the Divine Mountain, and on this
gra.- 1 site the adorers of the Tale Buddha have reared a palace to their
living and incarnate divinity. This palace consists of a cluster of tem-
ples, varying in size and beauty ; the center temple has an elevation of
four stories ; the dt me is entirely covered with plates of gold, and is
surrounded by a peristyle, of which the columns are likewise gilded.
Here the Tale Lama has fixed his residence, and from the height of his
sanctuary can contemplate, on days of high solemnities, his countless
worshipers, thronging the plain and prostrating themselves at the base
of the Sacred Mountaui. The secondary palaces grouped around, ac-
commodate a crowd of lamas whose continued occupation is to serve and
wait on the living Buddha. Two fine avenues, bordered with magnifi-
cent trees, lead from Lha-Ssa to this temple, and there may be seen a
multitude of pilgrims unrolling between their fingers the long Buddhist
rosaries, and the lamas of the court splendidly dressed, and mounted on
horses richly caparisoned. There is continual motion in the vicinity of
the BuddharLa, but the multitude is genei-ally silent and serious.

" The Thibetan women adopt a custom, or I'ather submit to a regu-
lation certainly unique in the world. Before going out of their houses,
they rub their faces with a sort of black sticky varnish, a good deal like
conserve of grapes. As the object is to render themselves hideous, they
daub their flices with this digusting cosmetic, till they scarcely resemble
human creatures. The following was, we are told, the origin of this
monstrous practice :

" About two hundred years ago, the Nomekhan, or Lama King of
Anterior Thibet, was a man of the austerest char .'^tei At that period,
the Thibetan women were not more in the habit of try; ig to make them-
selves look ugly than the women of other countries ; n the contrary,
they were extravagantly addicted to dress and luxury. By degrees,
the contagion spread even to t^e holy family of the lamas ; and the
Buddhist convents relaxed their discipline, in a manner that threatened
a complete dissolution. In order to arrest the progress of this alarming
libertuiism, the nomekhan published an edict, forbidding women to
appear in public unless disfigured in the fashion above mentioned ; the
severest punishments and the heaviest displeasure of Buddha were threat-
ened to the refractory. It must have required no ordinary courage to
publish such an edict ; but that the women obeyed it was still more ex-
traordinary. Tradition makes no mention of the slightest revolt on their
part. The fair Thibetans vie with each other in making themselves

752

IIUC'S TRAVELS.

frightful, and she who ia most offensively besmeared passes for the most
pious ; the custom appears to be considered as a dogma to be accepted.
In the country the law is most rigorously observed ; but at ^^a-Ssa,
women are to be met with who venture to appear with their faces as na-
ture made them ; but those who permit themselves this license are con-
sidered as women of bad reputation, and they never fail to hide them-
selves when they catch sight of an agent of the police."

The travelers soon became objects of attention from the populace,
and there were many conjectures afloat concerning their character and
origin. To avoid all difficulty, they resolved to conform to a regulation
which requires all foreigners desirous of dwelling at Lha-Ssa, to present
themselves to the authorities. They repaired to the chief of police, to
whom they declared they wore from the west, fiom a great kingdom
called France, and that they had come to Thibet to preach the Christian
religion. The official received this information with apparent satisfac-
tion, and the travelers retired, congratulating themselves on their good
fortune. Soma days after this, however, they were visited by spies, and
presently were summoned before the regent. Their reception was not
unfavorable, but they were greatly alarmed on being also conducted be-
fore the Chuieso embassador, who, they knew, would endeavor to pre-
vent them from remaining in the city.

After a long examination, during which they stated very frankly their
true character, the seal of the Grand Lama was affixed to every article
of their baggage, and they were kept as prisoners for the night in the
regent's house. They were, nevertheless, treated with great kindness,
and received assurances of friendly interest from several of the Thibetan
officials. The next day their trunks were opened, in the presence of the
regent and the Chinese embassador. Hue thus describes the result:
" We took off the seal of the Tale Lama, and the two trunks that every
body had been long devouring with their eyes, were at -fxst laid open.
We took out the contents, one after another, and displayed them on a
large table. First appeared some volumes in French and Latin ; then
some Tartar and Chinese books, church linen and ornaments, sacred
vases, rosai'ies, crosses, medals, and a magnificent collection of litho-
graphs. Every body was lost in admiration at the sight of this little Eu-
ropean museum. They stared, jogged each other with the elbow, and
clucked with their tongues in sign of approbation. No one had over
seen any thing so wonderful or so beautifiil. Every shining white object
was silver, every thing that shone yellow was gold. Every countenance
expanded, and it seemed to be quite forgotten what dangerous people
we were. The Thibetans put out their tongues and scratched their cars ;
the Chinese made us the most sentimental reverences. The bag of med-
als made all eyes turn in their sockets. They hoped, probably, that we
should make a public distribution of these brilliant pieces of gold on
leaving the hall of judgment."

The most suspicious objects were their maps, but Hue succeeded, by

PLAN OF A MISSION IN LIIA-SSA.

753

appealing to the knowledge of the Chinese embassad r, and thereby flat-
tering his vanity, in obtaining his testimony that \ 'j were engraved,
and not made by the travelers themselves. This stunony was con-
clusive ; " the good-natured regent," says Hue, " looked quite radiant
and triumphant when, after all, there appeared nothing among our
eifects to compromise us. ' You see,' said he to the embassador, ' those
men are ministers of the Lord of Heaven, and honest men ; what would
you have of them ? Let them go in peace !' Thei?e flattering words
were received in the hall with a murmur of approbation ; and we
responded from the bottom of our hearts, ' Deo gratias.'' Our baggage was
again shouldered by the people pressed into the service, and wo returned
to our home with much greater briskness than when we had quitted it.
The news of our acquittal quickly spread through the town ; the people
flocked from all sides to salute us, and the French name w^as in every
mouth."

On the day of their liberation, the regent furnished them with a splen-
did house, and gave them entire permission to commence the work of
proselytism. They erected a chapel in their dwelling, and held daily
conversations with many intelligent natives, who came to question them
about the religion of the West. Two or three of these appeared to bo
sincere and devout in their inquiries, and the missionaries began to in-
dulge in splendid dreams of establishing Christianity in the very sanc-
tuary of Buddhism.

" The tranquillity we enjoyed," continues Hue, " the distinguished
protection accorded by the government, the sympathy of the people —
all gave us the hope that, with the aid of God we might lay, in the very
capital of Buddhism, the foundation of a mission whose influence would
soon extend to the nomadic tribes of Mongolia. As soon as we imagined
our position secure in Lha-Ssa, we began to think of re-establishing com-
munications with Europe. The way of the desert was impracticable ;
and even supposing it infested neither by robbers nor Avild beasts, tlio
length of the passage made us shudder. The route by India seemed the
only one possible. From Lha-Ssa to the first English station it was not
more than a month's march ; and by establishing a correspondent be-
yond the Himalayas, and another at Calcutta, communication with France
became, if not prompt or easy, at least practicable. As this plan could
not be executed without the concurrence of the government, we com-
municated it to ihe regent, who entered into our views; and it was
agreed that when the fine season commenced, M. Gabet should under-
take the journey to Calcutta with a Thibetan escort as far as Boutan.
Such were our plans for the establishment of a mission at Lha-Ssa ; but,
at this very moment, the enemy of all good was at work to drive us
from a country which he seems to have chosen for the seat of his empire."

This enemy was the Chinese minister, who even became jealous of
the popularity of the two foreigners. He endeavored to persuade the
regent to expel them, alleging that their design was to overthrow the

754

nUC'S TRAVELS.

power of the Talc Lama ; but the regent remained fru'jndly, and refused
to believe these assertions. " The quarrel grew more bitter every day,
and matters came to such a pass, that prudence compelled us to resolve
on yielding to circumstances, and no longer maintaining a resistance
which might compromise the regent our protector, and even become,
perhaps, the cause of serious dissensions between China and Thibet.
We decided, then, that it would be better to bow the head, and ac-
cept our persecution with resignation. Our conduct would at least
prove to the Thibetans that we had come among them with pacific in-
tentions, and had no intention of establishing ourselves in the country
by violence. Having adopted this resolution, we went to the palace of
the regent, who, hearing that we had decided upon quitting Lha-Ssa,
looked sorry and embarrassed. lie told us that it was his warmest wish
to assure us a free and tranquil abode in Thibet, but that alone, and de-
prived of the support of his sovereign, he was too feeble to repress the
tjTanny of the Chinese, who, profiting by the infancy of the Tale Lama,
arrogated to themselves rights before unheard-of in the country.'*

On communicating their decision to the Chinese embassador, he at
once assumed complete authority over them. It had been their inten-
tion to proceed direct from Lha-Ssa to Calcutta, a journey of forty days
only ; but this he at once prevented, announcing his design of forward-
ing them through the whole breadth of the Chinese empire to Canton,
and giving them but eight days to make the necessary preparations.
Samdadyhiemba, as a Chinese subject, was not allowed to accompany
them, but the minister promised to allow him to return to his parents.
Two mandarins and a guard of fifteen Chinese soldiers were appomted
to attend the missionaries on their jcumey. Their farewell interviews
with the regent and the other Thibetan officials, were of the most
friendly character, and they left the holy city with deep rriortification
and regret. " Outside of the town," says Hue, " a number of the inhab-
itants with whom we had been on terms of friendship, and many of
whom appeared sincerely disposed to embrace our holy religion, had as-
sembled to salute us once more. Among them was a young physician,
still wearing on his breast the cross that we had given him. We
alighted from our horses to give them some parting words of consola-
tion, to exhort them to abandon courageously the superstitious worship
of Buddha, and adore the God of the Christians, confiding always in his
infinite goodness and mercy. When we had remounted our horses, we
cast a long last look on the city of Lha-Ssa, still visible in the distance;
and said in the depths of our hearts, * God's will be done !* It was the
15th of March, 1846."

JOURNEY FROM LHA-SSA TO CANTON.

On their return journey, the missionaries determined to change en-
tirely their course of conduct. As two mandaiins Avere to attend thcra,

DIPLOMACY OP THE MISSIONARIES.

765

their fear of these personages abated, knowing that they were strong
against the weak, but weak against the strong. Iheir position gave
them some advantages, and the only security for their lives seemed to
be, to make themselves respected. On reaching the town of Ta-tsien-lou,
on the frontier of the Chinese empire, they demanded palanquins and
bearers. The governor at first refused, but after a violent debate yielded
the point. They then determmed to revolt against the decrees of the
"Tribunal of Rites," on the subject of costume. "We cast aside," says
Hue, " our Thibet dress — the frightful wolf-skin cap, the checked hose,
and the long fur tunic, that exhaled so strong an odor of beef and mut-
ton, and we got a skillful tailor to make us some beautiful sky-blue
robes in the newest fashion of Pekin. We provided ourselves with mag-
nificent black satin boots, adorned with soles of dazzling whiteness. So
far the aforesaid tribunal of rites had no objection ; but when we pro-
ceeded to gird up our loins with red sashes, and cover our heads with
embroidered yellow caps, we caused a universal shudder among all be-
holders, and the emotion ran through the town like an electric current,
till it reached the civil and military authorities. They cried aloud that
the red sash and the yellow cap were the attributes of imperial majesty
— allowable only to the family of the emperor, and forbidden to the
people wider pain of perpetual banishmeiit. On this point the tribunal
of rites would be inflexible, and we must reform our costume accord-
ingly. We, on our side, alleged, that being strangers traveling as
such, and by authority, we were bound to conform to the ritual of the
empire — ^but had the right of following the fiishion of our own country,
which allowed every one to choose the form and color of his garments,
according to his own fancy. They insisted — they became angry — they
flew into a furious passion ; we remained calm and immovable, but vow-
ing that we would never part with our red sashes and yellow caps. Our
obstinacy was not to be overcome, and the mandarins submitted — as
they ought to do."

After passing a terrific mountain-chain, the summits of which were
covered with snow, they descended into the populous and fertile plains
of the province of Sse-Tcliouen. It was now the month of June, and
they were delighted with the sight of rich fields and ripening harvests.
In this thorough and patient cultivation they recognized China. Hue
also noticed a peculiar musky odor in passing through the villages, a
jDTopos of which subject he observes: "Travelers in remote countries
have often remarked, that most nations have an odor which is peculiar
to them. It is easy to distinguish the negro, the Malay, the Tartar, the
Thibetan, the Hindoo, the Arab, and the Chinese. The country itself
even, the soil on which they dwell, diffuses an analogous exhalation,
which is especially observable in the morning, in passing either through
town or country ; but a new-comer is much more sensible of it than an
old resident, as the sense of smell becomes gradually so accustomed to
it as no longer to perceive it. The Chinese say they perceive also a

756

HUG'S TRAVELS.

peculiar odor in an European, but one less powerful than that of the
other nations with whom they come in contact. It ia remarkable, how-
ever, that in traversing the various provinces of China, we were never
recognized by any one except by the dogs, which barked continually at
ua, and appeared to know that we were foreigners. We had, indeed,
completely the appearance of true Chinese, and only an extremely del-
icate scent could discover that we did not really belong to the ' central
nation.' "

After a march of twelve days, during which they traveled a distance
of three hund'-ed miles from the frontier, they reached the large town
of Tching-tou-fou, the capital of the province of Sae-Tchouen. Here an
examination was held, and they were at first in some doubt as to their
future fate. They were taken before the chief provincial commissioner
and the inspector of crimes, both of whom asked them many questions,
which they answered with so much dignity, propriety, and good-humor,
that at last the balance turned in their favor. The next day they were
taken before the viceroy of the province, who, after another examina-
tion, the particulars of which were taken down, to be forwarded to
Pekin, decided to send them to Canton, there to be delivered over to
the French embassador. This trial, and the subsequent preparations for
their further journey, detained them seventeen days, during which time
they had ample leisure to inspect the place. Hue gives the following
description of it :

" Tching-tou-fou, the capital of the province of Sse-Tchouen, is one
of the finest towns in the empire. It is situated in the middle of an ad-
mirably fertile plain, watered by beautiful streams, and bounded to-
ward the horizon by hills of graceful and varied forms. The principal
streets are of a good width, paved entirely with large flagstones, and so
clean that you can scarcely, as you pass through them, believe yourself
to be in a Chinese town. The shops with their long and brilliant signs,
the exquisite order with which the merchandise displayed in them is
arranged, the great number and beauty of the tribunals, pagodas, and
of what we must call literary institutions, all contribute to make of
Tching-tou-iou a town in some measure exceptional ; or at least this is
the impression we retained concerning it, when subsequently we had
^'isited the most renowned cities of the other provinces."

The viceroy, in framing the regulations to be observed during their
journey, ordered that the same honors should be paid to them on the
road as to functionaries of the very highest rank. Those who failed to
show them the proper respect were sometimes harshly treated by the
mandarins who had them in charge, and the character they had assumed
obliged them to maintain an indifierence to this tyranny which they did
not feel. After two or three days they reached the great Yang-tse-
Kiang (Son of the Sea), or Blue River, and the mandarins proposed to
travel by water. The fatigues of the land-journey made this a desired
change, but their pleasui'e was less than they had imagined. At mid-

THEY LODGE IN A THEATRE.

757

r
r

ro ,

la-

for

imc

ing

night tlioy lialtcd at the town of K ien-tohcou, and lodged at the " Hotel
of Accomplished Wishes." In this place, they had a violent dispute
Avith the mandarins, "who wished to jjrevent them from visiting the eom-
munal palace, where they insisted upon taking up their residence. All
sorts of threats, objections, and entreaties were made, but the nussion-
arios were inflexible in their resolution, and finally achieved their design.
Every victory of this kind added to the respect with which they were
treated. Their journey for some weeks was a repetition of these scenes,
but their knowledge of Chinese character always enabled them to come
oif victorious. Their route followed the course of the Yang-tse-Kiang,
sometimes in boats on the river, and occasionally leading over moimtain-
chains, in order to cut off some of its many windings. In the town of
Leang-Chan thoy carried their effrontery so far, as to take the place of
judges, and try three Chinese Christians, who had been brought before
the proper tribunal. This was not only allowed by the authorities, to
the groat astonishment of the missionaries, but the decision of the
latter, liberating the accused converts, was accepted, and carried into
effect !

At the town of Yao-Tchang, they had rather a picturesque expe-
rience. They took lodgings at the " Hotel of the Beatitudes," which w.as
the reverse of what its name indicated. They then sent one of the man-
darins to seek a better place, and in a short time he returned, saying
that they should occupy the theater, which was spacious and airy. " A
porter appeared, who took up our baggage," says Hue, " and in the
twinkling of an eye, we had left the Hotel of Beatitudes to become ten-
ants of the theater of Yao-tchang. This theater formed part of a great
Bonze convent, and was situated in an immense court-yard opposite to
the principal pagoda. Its construction was rather remarkable, in com-
parison with the numerous edifices of this kind to be met with in China.
Twelve great granite columns supported a vast square platform sur-
mounted by a pavilion richly onianientcd, and supported on pillars of
varnished wood.

" A broad stone staircase, situated at the back of the building, led
to the platform, first into an apartment intended for thp actors, and
thence to the stage by two side doors, which served for entrances and
exits. UpoL. the stage were placed some chairs and a table, and there
we supped by the light of the moon and stars, as well as of a number of
lanterns, which the directors of the theater had had kindled in our honor.
It was really a charming spectacle, and one altogether unlooked for. If
we had not taken the precaution to have the great gate of the Bonze
convent shut, we should soon have had the whole population of Yao-
tchang in the space that was intended to serve for a pit. It is certain
that the inhabitants of this place had never seen on their stage any thing
they would think as curious as ourselves. W ' r'ard a tumultuous mob
outside, demanding with loud cries to be allowed a sight of the two men
from the western seas at supper. They seemed to think we must have

758

IIUC'S TRAVELS.

Bomo quite peculiar and extraordinary method of eating. Some suc-
ceeded in getting upon the roof of the Bonze convent, and some had
climbed over the incloauro and up into some high trees, whence they
could command a view of us, and where we saw them jumping about
among the leaves like large monkeys. These curious and intrepid per-
sons must have been much disappointed to see us eating our rice with
chop-sticks, quite in the established Chinese fashion.

" The evenuig was delightfully fine, and the air delicious on this plat-
form, where we begged our servant to place our beds, as wo desired to
pass the night there. All was made ready, and we wished to go to bed;
but our watchful observers manifested no inclination to quit their posts,
and at last wo had to put out the lanterns, in order to drive them home.
As they departed, we heard some of thi'm say, ' Why these men are just
like us !' ' Not quite,' said another ; ' the little devil has very large eyes,
and the tall one a very pointed nose. I noticed that dittbrence.' "

Continuing their voyage down the Yang-tse-Kiang, they reached the
town of Pa-toung, in the province of Hi peh, the capital of which is the
great city of Wou-chang-fou. Hue remarks : " We passed without acci-
dent a place dangerous from its numerous reefs ; some of the last met
with on this fine river, which beyond this place goes on increasing from
day to day, and spreading richness and fertility around it. There is
certainly no one in tho world to bo compared witb it for the multitude
of men whom it feeds, and tho prodigious number of vessels that it bears
on its waters. Nothing can be more grand and majestic than the de-
velopment of this river during its course of one thousand nine hundred
and eighty miles. At Tchoung-king, nine hundred miles from the sea,
it is already a mile and a hall* broad ; at its mouth it is no less than
twenty-one."

Some days after this, however, they encountered a violent gale. The
waves rose so high that the junk became almost unmanageable : they
were twice driven upon sand-bars, and narrowly escaped shipwreck.
At last, after a day of great terror and danger, they reached the town
of Kin-tcheou, and found that two boats which liad preceded them had
been wrecked, and three men drowned. At this place they left the
river, and took again to their palanquins. The heat was so great, as it
was now the middle of summer, that they traveled mostly by night, ac-
companied by horsemen bearing torches. Their strength, however, had
been so exhausted by the long duration of their fatigues, that on reach-
ing a town called Kuen-kang-hien, they both became seriously ill, and
were compelled to suspend their journey. " Every one of the company,"
Bays Hue, " delivered his opinion of our condition in the most technical
terms, and it was settled by the obliging members of this impromptu
consultation that our ' noble and illustrious malady proceeded from a
disturbance in the equilibrium of the vital spirits.' The igneous princi-
ple, they thought, too long fed by the excessive heat, had ended by ex-
ceeding beyond all measure the proper bounds assigned to it, and that,

ney. I
stilj
seasc
ingi^

day,
Tl

peh,

there I

^ake,|

Jong,

they

ac-
aad
Lch-
land

ici-

ex-

Lbat,

CHINESE rilYaiOLOOY.

759

conocquently, a firo, so to speak, hnd been kiiidlcil in tho subliiuu
organization of our body."

For tho purpose of subduing this igneous principle, they prescribed
green peas, cucumbers, and melons ; but before tho prescription could
bo tested, a celebrated ])hy8ician arrived, who made a long and careful
examination of the illustrious patients. " By some means or other,"
said he, shaking his head, '■'■ the cold air has penetrated into the interior,
and has put itself in opposition, in many of the organs, with the igneous
principle ; thence arises tho struggle, which must rocessarily manifest
itself by vomitings and convulsions ; wo must therefore combat the evil
with warm substances." In order to re-establish the said equilibrium
there needed only to bo introduced hito the body a certain quantity of
cold, and to lower the extravagant temperature of this igneous principle ;
therefore it was necessary to favor the return of moisture into all the
members. After hanging between life aiid death for two or three days,
the constitutions of the missionaries prevaiiod, and they gradually recov-
ered their health and strength.

After traveling for some time longer down the Yang-tse-Kiang, they
reached the large town of Ou (or Wou)-Chatig-fou, tho capital of IIou-
peh, and tho chief center of tho internal trade of China. They were at
first very disagreeably lodged in a little pagoda, and the mandarins
seemed disposed to treat them with contempt and arrogance. It was
necessary for them to make a strong diplomatic movement : they forced
themselves into the presence of tho governor of the province, and boldly
claimed better treatment. Their boldness had its usual effect: they
were installed in a magnificent Buddhist convent, culled the " Garden
of the Western Gate." Hero the mandarins and escort who had accom-
panied them from Sse-tchouen were dismissed, and they were furnished
with others, for the journey to Canton. Tho principal mandarin was
called Lieou^ or " Willow ;" but as he had very large gogglo eyes,
which were weak and easily provoked to tears, tho missionaries gen-
erally called him " Tho Weeping Willow."

" After four days' rest in tho Garden of the Western Gate," says
Hue, " we began to think of resuming our seemingly interminable jour-
ney. We felt our strength and courage nearly exhausted, and we liad
still nearly nine hundred miles to travel, and that during the hottest
season of the year, and constantly ia a southerly direction. But trust-
ing in the protection of Providence, we did not doubt of arriving some
day safe and sound at Macao."

They traveled for some time eastward through tlie province of IIou-
peh, and finally reached tho imperial road from Canton to Pekin. Here
there were two routes to Nan-Chang, tho capital of Kiang-Si, a very
rugged path over mountains, and a voyage across the great Pou-Yang
Lake, which is dangerous at certain seasons. The lake is forty-five miles
long, by from fifteen to eighteen in breadth. After some consultation
they chose tho latter route. " Our navigation on the Lake Pou-yang,"

760

HUC'S TRAVELS.

says Hue, " was performed without accident ; but it was much siower
than we had anticiiiated, for instead of one day's journey we had two.
We hiivi not gone more than half way when the wind changed, a;.d be-
gan to blow right a-head, so that we were compelled to make some lonr;
tacks. During these two days we seldom saw land, and we could hardly
liersuadc ourselves that we were really in the center of the Chinese em-
jiiro. The iiiimense extent of water — the long waves raised by the wind
— the large vessels that were moving about in all directions, made it
look more like a sea than a lake. The innumerable junks that are con-
stantly plowing the surface of the Pou-yang make really a very pretty
sight.

" From the Lake Pou-yang to Nan-tchang-fou, the capital of the
province of Kiang-si, the country that wo traveled through for two
days, was a mere desert, in which were seen here and there a few
wretched huts built of reeds and some patches of ground half cultivated
by poor peasants. The extreme heat of the weather, and our own need
of repose, decided us to continue our journey by water. From Nan-
tchang-fou we could follow the course of a large river as far as the
Mountain Mei-ling, which is just halfway, and can be crossed in a single
day ; after this, the River Kiang W'ould take us all the rest of the way
to Canton. We knew that this route was infinitely preferable to the
land-journey, particularly if we were furnished with government junks,
and well-provisioned. Our efforts were crowned with perfect success ;
we W' ere provided with a well-armed vessel of war for escort, and two
superb junks, one for the mandarins and their suite, and one for our-
selves.

" After a delightful voyage of fifteen days we arrived at the foot of
the Mountain Mei-ling, when we bade adieu to our mandarin jimks, and
returned to our palanquin. We arrived toward noon at the summit of
the mountain, where there is a sort of triumphal arch, in the fonii of an
immense portal ; on one side of which ends the province of Kiang-si,
and on the other begins that of Canton. We could not cross this front-
ier without emotion, for we had now at last set foot in the province
which is in direct communication with Europe. It seemed as if we were
only a short way from Canton, and Canton represented to us Europe —
France, that country so dear to our recollections. We descended the
mountain slowly and cautiously, on account of the masses of rock with
, which the way was thickly strewn, and we arrived in the evening at
Nan-hioung.

" On the sixth day after our departure from Nan-hioung, the Tigris
had ceased to roll its blue waters through mountains ; and we entered
on a richly cultivated plain, where from time to time we inhaled a
poAverful and invigorating breeze, that seemed to expand our chests.
It was a breeze from the sea, and Canton was not far off ! Standing
motionless on the deck of the junk, straining our eyes in that direction,
we felt all the tremor that precedes the strong emotions of a return

RETURN TO CIVILIZATION.

761

after long absence. The last rays of the sun were just fading on the
horizon, when we perceived something like an immense forest, stripped
of its leaves and branches, and retaining only the trunks of tlie great
trees. The current, the breeze, and the tide, were now sweeping us on
rapidly to the roads of Canton ; and soon, among the innumerable masts
of Chinese junks, we distinguished some more elevated than the rest,
and the peculiar structure of whose yards made us give a sudden start,
and filled our eyes with tears. Among the native vessels of China arose
the grand and imposing forms of a steam-ship and several East India-
men ; and amid the flags of all colors that were waving in the air, we
perceived those of the United States, of Portugal, and of England.
That of France was not among them ; but when one has been long at
the other side of the world, on an inhospitable soil, in China, in short, it
seems that all the people of the west form one great family. The mere
sight of a European flag makes the heart beat, for it awakens all the
recollections of our country.

"In traversing the pet of Canton on our mandarin junk, our eyes
sought with eager curiosity for all that was not Chinese. We passed
alongside of an English brig, and wo could not gaze enough at the
sailors in their glazed hats, who, ranged in a line along the deck, were
watching us passing ; assuredly without suspecting that they had under
tl- nv eyes two Frenchmen just returned from the high table-land of
Asia. Probably they were amusing themselves at our Chinese costume,
while we were going into ecstasies at their astonishing physiognomies.
Those rubicund visages, those blue eyes, those long noses and fair hair,
those curious narrow clotlies, pasted, as it seemed, upon their limbs —
how droll it all was ! A pretty trim little vessel, painted green and
covered with a white awning, now passed us ; and in it were seated three
European gentlemen, smoking cigars, enjoying apparently a pleasure-
trip. How grotesque in the eyes of an Asiatic would their costume
have appeared ! They wore black hats and white trowsers, waistcoats,
and jacket^. A Thibet man would have burst out laughing to see those
faces, naked of beard or mustache, but having instead a bunch of red
curly hair on each cheek. We understood now V w absurd Europeans
must look in countries which have "' knowledge of their customs and
fashions. At length, then, we had reached Canton! This was in the
month of October, 1 846, six months after our departure from Lha-Ssa.

" In one of the very first newspapers that chance threw into our
hands, we read an article that we thought rather curious. It was as
ioUows : ' We have lately received the intelligence of the lamentable
death of the two fathers of the Mongol Tartar Mission.' After a slight
glance at the Tartar countries, the author of the article contiimes : ' A
French Lazarist of the name of Hue, took up hie abode about three
years ago among some Chinese families estabhshed in the vailey of
Black Waters, about six hundred miles from the Great Wall. Another
Lazarist, whose name is not known to us, joined him with the purpose

762

HUC'8 TRAVELS.

of forming a mission for tho conversion of tho Mongol Buddhists. They
studied the Tartar language with tho lamas of the neighboring monas-
teries ; and it appears that, having been regarded as foreign lamas, they
were treated in a friendly manner, especially by the Buddhists, who are
very ignorant, and who took the Latin of their breviaries for Sanscrit,
which they do not understand, but for which they have much venera-
tion. When tho missionaries believed themselves sufficiently instructed
in tho language they proceeded into tho interior, with the intention of
commencing tho Avork of conversion. After that period very little was
heard of them, until in May last information was received that they had
been fastened to the tails of wild horses and dragged to death The im-
mediate cause of this event is not yet known.' It may well bo imagined
that this article astonished us a little ; and wo thought wc had some
reason to doubt its perfect accuracy.

" Two days afterward wo had clasped in our arms our old friends
and dear brethren at Macao. For a long time we felt in the midst of
them like men awakened from a deep sleep. We were astonished to sec
no longer around us tho Thibetan, Tartar, and Chinese physiognomies,
and to hear sounding in our cars only that beautiful native tongue
whose harmonious accents made every fiber of our souls thrill with joy,
and our eyes gush full of delicious tears. Franco was still far from us,
and yet wc scented to have found it again.

" A month after c ur arrival at Macao, M. Gabet, forgetting his in-
firmities and sufferings, and listening only to his devotion to the sacred
cause in which ho was engaged, embarked for Europe, in the hope of
exciting tho zeal and charity of tho Catholics in favor of the interesting
populations of Tartary and Thibet, for whose salvation he would gladly
have laid down his life. Wc hoped at the time soon to meet again this
companion of all our wanderings, the friend whoso existence was in some
measure identified with our own. But such was not the will of God.
One day we received the afilicting news that this indefatigable and cour-
ageous missionaiy had yielded his last breath on the coast of Brazil.
When amid the snows of high Asia, we had been so solicitous to recall
the vital warmth into tho nearly frozen limbs of our friend, we little
thought that God had appointed him to find a grave on the burning
shores of South America.

"After a tolerably long residence at Macao, we ourselves set off
once more on the road to Pekin, thus traversing China for the third
time, and as we have already stated in our former work, the shattered
state of our health subsequently obliged us to return to Fiu.iCe, after
having visited on our way India, Egypt, Palestine, and Syria. We em-
barked first for China in the year 1888, and wo were not permitted to
see our native country again till 1852."

F R T U N E'S

JOURNEYS TO THE TEA COUNTRIES OP CHINA.

JOURNEY TO THE GREEN TEA DIfJTRIOTS.

Mb. Robkut FonxuNK, an English botanist and horticulturist, was
led to visit China with the object of procuring new varieties of orna-
mental plants and trees. Ilis success was even beyond his expectations ;
he procured and forwarded to England many very beautiful and valua-
ble specimens, and after his return published, in 1847, a narrative of his
experiences, under the title of " Three Years' Wanderings "n the North-
em Provinces of China." Shortly after the publication o:' this volume,
he was appointed by the court of directors of the East India Company
to proceed again to China, for the purpose of obtaining the finest varieties
of the tea-plant, as well as native manufactures and implements, for the
government tea plantations in the Himalayas. Leaving England in June,
1848, he reached Hong-Kong, by the overland route, in August.

Mr. Fortune continued his voyage northward to Shanghai, which is
nearer the tea-districts. It was a matter of great importance to procure
the best seeds and shrubs from those parts of the country where the best
teas are produced. He therefore designed to visit the celebrated hill of
Sung-lo, in the Hwuy-chow district, where the very finest green teas are
grown. But this place is two hundred miles inland, and except the
Jesuit missionaries, no European had over entered the sacred precincts
of Hwuy-chow. Mr. Fortune says : *' I had two Hwuy-chow men in my
service at this time. I sent for them, and inquired whether it was possible
to penetrate so far into the country. They replied that wo could easily
do so, and that they were quite willing to accompany me, only stipulating
that I should discard my English costume and adopt the dress of the
country. I knew that this was indispensable if I wished to accomplish
the object in view, and readily acceded to the terms. My servants now
procured me a Chinese dress, and had the tail which I had worn in for«
mer years nicely dressed by the barber. Every thing was soon in readi*
ness except the boat which had to be engaged for the first stage of our
journey."

764

FORTUNE'S TRAVELS IN CHINA.

Having engaged a boat, had liis head shaved and his tail fastened on,
and adopted the complete Chinese costume, Mr. Fortune left Shanghai
for the large city of JIang-chow-foo, and arrived there after a three days'
voyage on the grand canal. " On the evening of the 22d of October,"
says he, " I approached the suburbs of Ilang-chow-foo, one of the largest
and most flourishing cities in the richest district of the Chinese empire.
The Chinese authorities have always been most jealous of foreigners
approaching or entering this town. As I drew nearer the city, every
thing which came under my observation marked it as a place of great
importance. The grand canal was deep and wide, and bore on its waters
many hundreds of boats of different sizes, all engaged in an active bust-
ling trade. Many of these were sailing in the same direction as our-
selves, while others were leaving the city, and hurrying onward in the
direction of Soo-chow, Iloo-chow, Kea-king, and other towns. Canals
were seen branching off from the grand canal in all directions, and form-
ing the high roads of the country."

The boatmen dissuaded Mr, Fortune froni entering the city, but as
it was necessary for him to reach the Ilang-choAv, or Green River, about
eight miles distant, he engaged a sedan chair and some bearers to con-
vey him around the walls. The latter, however, to his great surprise,
took him directly through the heart of the city — a walk of some dis-
tance. Fortunately ho was not detected, and was equally successful,
after reaching the Green River, in engaging a boat to take him up the
river to Ilwuy-chow. This was a Chinese craft, full of cargo and with
twenty passengers on board, mostly merchants and servants, and all
quiet and inoffensive people. There were berths in which the passengers
slept, and the price of passage also included meals, which consisted prin-
cipally of tea, sweet potatoes, and boiled rice.

" Tlie slow progress which wo necessarily made suited my purposes
exactly, and enabled mo to explore the botanical riches of the country
wuth convenience and ease. I used to rise at break of day, and spend
the morning inspecting the hills and valleys near the sides of the river,
and then return to the boat in time for breakfast. Breakfast over, I
generally ".•ent on shore again, accompanied by my men, who carried the
seeds, plants, or flowers "we might discover during our rambles. The
first thing we did on these occasions M'as to ascend the nearest hill and
take a survey of the windings of the river, with the number of rapids,
in order that we might form some idea of the progress our boat would
make during our absence."

During these rambles. Fortune discovered a new variety of palm-
tree, the only species to be found in the northern or central provinces
of China. It grew upon the hill-sides, in great perfection. It is par-
ticularly valuable to the northern Chinese, who use its large, brown
hair-like bracts for many purposes. Ropes and cables for their junks
are made out of this substance, and seem to last, even under water,
for a very long time. Agricultural laborers and coolies are fond of

NEW TRKES FOUND.

765

wearing hats and cloaks made out of the same substance, which in
wet weather keeps out a great deal of rain ; and there are many other
purposes to which this useful tree
is applied.

" I am in hopes," says Fortune,
"that one day we shall see this
beautiful palm-tree ornamenting
the hill-sides in the south of En-
gland, and in other mild European
countries. With this view I sent
a few plants home to Sir William
Hooker, of the Royal Gardens at
Kew, with a request that he would
forward one of them to the gar-
den of his Royal Highness Prince
Albert, at Osborne House, Isle of
Wight."*

" But the most beautiful tree
found in this district is a species
of weeping cypress, which I had
never met with in any other part
of China, and which was quite new
to me. It was during one of my
daily rambles that I saw the first
specimen. About half a mile dis-
tant from where I was I observed
a noble-looking fir-tree, about

..-!'' %.

sixty
stem as

feet in height,
straight as the

having

Norfolk

THE HEMP PALM.

Island pine, and weeping branches
Uke the willow of St. Helena. Its branches grew at first at right angles
to the main stem, then described a graceful curve upward, and bent
again at their points. From these main branches others long and slen-
der hung down perpendicularly, and gave the whole tree a weeping and
graceful form. It reminded me of some of those largo and gorgeous
chandeliers sometimes seen in theaters and public halls in Europe.

" On the evening of the 31st of October," h? continues, " we reached
Wae-ping. It is a city of considerable size, walled and fortified, and
probably contains one hundred and fifty thousand inhabitants. This
place is just on the borders of the district of Hwuy-chow. Soon after
leaving Wae-ping one of my guides informed me that we were now on
the border of another province, and that here I had better not go much
out of the boat. I found that this advice was good and worth attendmg

* In the BotankaX Magazine for March, 1850, Sir William Hooker thus writes of it :
" A palm, Chamarops excelsa, (t) sent to the Royal Gardens by Mr. Fortune, has braved,
unharmed, and unprotected by anj sort of covering, the severe winter now passed"
(1849.60).

766

FORTUNE'S TRAVELS IN CHINA.

to. The river here is considered the highway or passage from the one
district to the other, and this pass is well guarded by soldiers. Each
province has its own guard-town. On the Che-kiang side we passed a
long, straggling town on the river's banks, chiefly inhabited by troops,
who were the guards of the pass, and under the orders of the Ilang-chow
mandarins. As soon as the boundary-lino was crossed we came to an-
other place of like size and appearance, also filled with soldiers, who
were under the orders of the authorities of Hwuy-chow-foo, in the prov-
ince of Kiang-nan. These two parties formed a sort of border guard,
and bore each other, I believe, little good-will. They reminded me of
our own border clans in ancient feudal times. Boats passing up and
down the river were generallly boarded, and had their papers examined
by one of the oflScers."

After a voyage of several days, the boat arrived at the town of Tun-
che, distant about twenty miles from the city of Hwuy-chow-foo. The
great article of trade here is green tea. For the principal part of the
journey, the river had been shut in by high hills, but at this place they
retired, leaving an extensive and beautiful valley, which was almost
entirely covered ^vith tea plantations. The soil was very fertile, and the
tea-shrubs showed a most luxuriant growth. Fortune remained but an
hour or two at Tun-che ; he hired a chair, took the road for Sung-lo,
and before dark saw the far-famed Sung-lo-shan, the hill where green
tea is said to have been first discovered. Of this hill he says : '* Sung,
lo-shan appears to be between two and three thousand feet above the
level of the plains. It is very barren, and, whatever may have formerly
been the case, it certainly produces but little tea now ; indeed, from dl
I could learn, the tea that grows upon it is quite neglected, as far as
cultivation is concerned, and is only gathered to supply the wants of the
priests of Fo, who have many temples among these rugged wilds.
Nevertheless, it is a place of great interest to every Chinaman, and has
afforded a subject to many of their writers.

" When we reached the Sung-lo country I took np my quarters in
a house which belonged to the father of my servant Wang. It was
nearly dark before we arrived at the house, which was situated among
the hills within two miles of the foot of Song-lo. Had I fixed upon the
spot myself I could not have found one better suited to the purposes I
had in view. Old Mr. Wang was a farmer who at one time had been
well off in the world, but, like many others, had been unfortunate, and
was now very much reduced in circumstances. He received us in the
kindest manner, and seemed to have great affection for his son. His
wife also came to welcome us, at the same time apologiang for the poor
reception they gave us, as they were so ^ or. I tried not to be out-
done in politeness, and we were soon on the best possible terms.

" Sung-lo Mountain, which in ordinary weather I could have seen
from the windows, was now enveloped in a cloak of mist, and every tree
and bush was bent down with heavy drops of rain. At last, on the

THE GREEN TEA DISTRIOT.

767

foarth day, tho clouds cleared away, the sun shone out again with his
usual brilliancy, and the whole face of nature wore a cheerful and
smiling aspect. I was now out every day, from morning until evening,
busily employed in collecting seeds, in examining the vegetation of the
hills, and in obtaining information regarding the cultivation and manu-
&cture of green tea. By this means I obtained a good collection of
those tea-seeds and young plants from which the finest green teas of
commerce are prepared, and much information of a useful kind.

" I spent a week in the neighborhood of Sung-lo, and then began to
think of returning eastward with the collections I had made. All our
arrangements being complete, the seeds put up, and the plants packed,
I hired a chair, and on the afternoon of the 20th of November, bade
adieu to Wang's family, and to th 3 country of the far-famed Sung-lo-
shan. In three days we arrived at the city of Yen-chow-fou, a journey
which occupied twelve days in going up ; and in three days more, that
is on the sixth day after leaving Tun-che, we arrived at the town of
Nechow.

" Nothing worthy of note occurred until I reached the town of Ning-
po. It was as welcome a sight as I had seen for many a day, when the
old town, with its pagoda, temples, and ramparts, came in view. It
was well known to me in former years, and I felt myself ' quite at
home,' after a long and somewhat perilous, although in many respects a
pleasant journey."

JOURNEY TO THE BOHBA MOUNTAINS.

After carefully packing his tea-plants in Shanghai, Mr. Fortune took
them to Hong-Kong and there shipped them to India, where they after-
ward arrived in good condition. He then proceeded to Fou-chow-foo —
one of the five ports opened to commercial intercourse with foreigners —
intending to travel to Ning-po, if possible, by way of the celebrated
Bohea Mountains. Having engaged a boat, he sailed up the River Min
as far as the tow. of Sing-kow, a distance of seventy or eighty miles,
but on arriving there found that his funds were insuflicient for the jour-
ney ; whereupon he dispatched his servants, with instructions to procure
fine specimens of the tea-plant, and returned to Foo-chow. He then
sailed > o Ning-po in a Portuguese vessel, and awaited the return of his
servants at the temple of Tien-tung, near that place, devoting himself
in the mean time, to his favorite botanical researches.

In speaking of the fine bamboo woods near Tien-tung, Fortune gives
the following description of that most useful of trees : " The bamboo is
one of the moat valuable trees in China, and is used for almost every
conceivable purpose. It is employed in making soldiers' hats and shields,
umbrellas, soles of shoes, scaffolding-poles, measures, baskets, ropes,
paper, pencil-holders, brooms, sedan-chairs, pipes, flower-stakes, and

768

FORTUNE'S TRAVELS IN CHINA.

trellis-work in gardens ; pillows are made of the shavings ; a kind of rush
cloak for wet weather is made from the leaves, and is called a So-e, or
" garment of leaves." On the water it is used in making sails and covers
for boats, for fishing-rods and fish-baskets, fishing-stakes and buoys;
catamarans are rude boats, or rather floats, formed of a few logs of bam-
boo lashed firmly together. In agriculture the bamboo is used in mak-
ing aqueducts for conveying water to the land ; it forms part of the
celebrated water-wheel, as well as of the plow, the harrow, and other
implements r>f husbandry. Excellent water-pipes are made of it for con-
veying springs from the hills, to supply houses and temples in the val-
leys with pure water. Its roots are often cut into the most grotesque
figures, and its stems finely carved into ornaments for the curious, or
into incense-burners for the temples. The Ning-po furniture, the most
beautiful in China, is often inlaid with figures of people, houses, temples,
and pagodas in bamboo, which form most correct and striking pictures
of China and the Chinese. The yoimg shoots are boiled and eaten,
and sweetmeats are also made of them. A substance found in the joints,
called tabasheer, is used in medicine. In the manufacture of tea it helps
to form the rolling-tables, drying-baskets, and sieves ; and last, though
not least, the celebrated chop-sticks — the most important articles in
domestic use — are made of it.

" However incredulous the reader may be, I must still carry him a
step further, and tell him that I have not enumerated one half of the
uses to which the bamboo is applied in China. Indeed it would be
nearly as dilficult to say what it is not used for as what it is. It is in
universal demand, in the houses and in the fields, on water and on
land, in peace and in war. Through life the Chinaman is almost de-
pendent upon it for his support, nor does it leave him until it carries
him to his last resting-place on the hill-side, and even then, in com-
pany with the cypress, juniper, and pine, it waves over and marks his
tomb.

" I was not quite satisfied," continues Fortune, " with the result of
my journey up the river Min. Although one of my men had brought
me a fine collection of tea-plants and seeds from the celebrated black-tea
country, and although the expedition was planned so that he could
scarcely have procured them elsewhere, had he wished to deceive me,
I confess I felt that it would be much more satisfactory if I could visit
the district myself. I did not like the idea of returning to Europe with-
out being perfectly certain that I had introduced the tea-plant from the
best black-tea districts of China into the government plantations in tho
north-western provinces of India. There may also have been a lingering
desire to cross the Bohea Mountains, and to visit the far-famed Woc-e-
shan. At all events I made up my mind to make another attempt, and
determined to start from Ning-po, where the people are not so greatly
prejudiced against foreigners as they are further to the south, about
Foo-chow and Canton."

VOYAGE UP THE GRKEN RIVER.

769

He left Ning-po on the 15th of May, 1849, so completely disguised
as a Chinaman that he scarcely knew himself, and set sail for the town
of Nan-che, on the southern branch of the Green River. His servant
was the possessor of a mandarin flag, of triangular shape, which procured
great respect whenever it was displayed, and on more than one occasion
was of much service. In two days ho reached the Green River, which
he ascended rapidly, favored by a iliir wind. "There were several pas-
sengers on board our boat, besides ourselves," he remarks. " They Avcrc^
all country people from the westward, kaew little of foreigners, aiul
seemed to have no idea that I was one. My servant, I believe, told
them that I came from some far distant province beyond the Great Wall,
and with this information, indefinite as it was, they seemed to be per-
fectly satisfied. Besides, I was now well acquainted with their habits
and manners, I could eat with the chop-sticks as well as any of them,
and my dress was, I believe, scrupulously correct, even to the glossy
black tail, which had been grafted on my own hair, and which hung
gracefully down nearly to my knees."

After a pleasant sail of several days up the beautiful valley of the
Green River, Fortune arrived at Nan-che, which he thus describes:
" Nan-che, or, as it is sometimes called in the maps, Lanchee, is about
thirty-five miles wcstwai'd from Yen-chow-foo. It is one of the
prettiest Chinese towns which I have seen, and reminded me of an
English place more than a Chinese one. The houses are generally
two-storied, and have a clean and neat appearance. It is built along
the banks of the river, and has a picturesque hill behind it : an old
tower or pagoda in ruins heightens the general effect of the scene.
The town is about two and a half or three miles round, and probably
contains about two hundred thousand inhabitants. The river in front
of it is covered with boats, which are constantly plying between it
and Yen-chow, Hang-Chow, and many other towns both to the east
and west."

After leaving Nan-che, the traveler continued his voyage to Chang-
shan, near the head-waters of the Green River. From this place it was
necessary to take a sedan-chair across the country to the town of Yuk-
shan, on the head-waters of a river which flows westward into the great
Pou-yang lake. On crossing the boundary between the provinces of
Che-Kiang and Kiang-Si, Fortune was narrowly watched by some
Chinese merchants, who, being accustomed to seeing foreigners, sus-
pected his true character. His dexterity in using the chop-sticks at
dinner, and his familiarity i^'ith Chinese customs, however, misled them,
and he proceeded without hmderance. On reaching Yuk-shan, he en-
gaged a boat, and sailed down the river Kin-kiang to the large town of
Hokow, the great emporium of the black-tea trade. Here it was neces-
sary to leave the river, and hire a sedan-chair with coolies, to caxrj him
across the Bohea Mountains.

Leaving Hokow on the second day after his arrival, he set out in a

770

FORTITNK'S TRAVELS IN CHINA.

OBIKESEi TEA-OARRIER.

Bedon-chair, and ])y noon reached Yuen-shnn, at the foot of the mount-
ains. Coolies, carrying tea-chests,
wore now met in great num-
bers. Many of them carried only
one chest. These were the finer
teas ; the chest was never allowed
to touch the ground during the
journey, and hence these teas
generally arrive at their destina-
tion in much better order than the
coarser kinds. The single chests
are carried in the following man-
ner : Two bamboos, each about
seven feet long, had their ends
lashed firmly to the chest, one
on each side. The other ends
were brought together, so as to
form a triangle. By this moans a
man could carry the chest upon
his shoulders, with his head be-
tween the bamboos in the center
of the triangle. A small piece
of wood was lashed under the chest, to give it an easy seat upon the
shoulders. When the coolie wanted to rest, he placed the end of the
bamboos upon the ground, and raised them to the perpendicular. Tlie
whole weight now rested upon the ground, and could be kept in this
position without any exertion.

" For some time past I had been, as it were, among a sea of mount-
mns," ho writes, " but now the far-famed Bobea ranges lay before me in
all their grandeur, with their tops piercing through the lower clouds,
and showing themselves far above them. They seemed to be broken up
into thousands of fragments, some of which had most remarkable and
striking outlines. It is difficult to form an estimate of their height, but,
comparing them with other mountains known to me, the highest here
may be six or eight thousand feet above the level of the sea. There are
some spots on the sides of the lower hills under cultivation, but all above
these is rugged and wild.

" We arrived at last at the celebrated gates or huge doors which
divide the provinces of Fokien and Kiang-see. The pillars of these
gates have been formed by nature, and are nothing less thar the " ever-
lasting hills" themselves. The arched door^ways of the place bore a
great resemblance to the gates of a Chinese city. As we passed through
the archway I observed a guard of soldiers lounging about, but they
did not take any notice of us, or attempt to examine our baggage. We
were soon through the pass, and in another provmce. The province of
Kiang-see had been shut out and lefl behind us, and our view now

THE HILLS OP WOO-E-SPAN.

771

opened on Fokien. Never in ray life had I seen such a view an thia, so
grand, bo BubUme. High ranges of mountains were towering on my
right and on my left, while before me, as far oi the eye could reach, the
whole country seemed broken up into moimtuns and hills of all heights,
with peaks of every form."

The next day ho traversed another pass, of lesser elevation, and
spent the evening at a tea-house among the hills. *' I was now," ho
says, " on the outskirts of the great black-tea country of Fokien. I ob-
served large quantities of tea-plants under cultivation. They were gen-
erally to be found on the lower sides of the hills, and also in the gardens
of the villagers. About ten o'clock in the forenoon we arrived at
Tsong-gan-hien, a large town in the midst of the black-tea country,
where nearly all the teas of this district are packed and prepared for ex-
portation. As soon as I was fairly out of the suburbs f>f the town, I
had my first glimpse of the far-famed Woo-e-shan. It stands in the
midst of the plain, and is a collection of little hills, none of which appear
to be more than a thousand feet high. They have a singular appear-
ance. Their faces are nearly all perpendicular rock. It appears as if
they had been thrown up by some great convulsion of nature to a
certain height, and as if some other force had then drawn the tops of
the whole mass slightly backward, breaking it up into a thousand bills.
By some agency of this kind it might have assumed the strange forms
which were now before me.

" Woo-e-shan is considered by the Chinese to be one of the most
wonderful, as well as one of the most sacred, spots in the empire. One
of their manuscripts, quoted by Mr. Ball, thus describes it : * Of all the
mountains of Fokien those of Woo-e are the finest, and its water the
best. They are awfully high and rugged, surrounded by water, and
seem as if excavated by spirits ; nothing more wonderful can be seen.
From the dynasty of Gsin and Han, down to the present time, a succes-
sion of hermits and priests, of the sects of Tao-czo and Fo, have here
risen up like the clouds of the air and the grass of the field, too numer-
ous to enumerate. Its chief renown, however, is derived from its pro*
ductions, and of these tea is the most celebrated.* '*

We have no space to copy Mr. Fortune's picturesque account of his
visits to the thousand temples, monasteries, and hermitages of Woo-e-
shan. He was very hospitably received and entertained by the Bud-
dhist priests, and inspected all the curiosities of this remarkable region.
He then continues : " We now proceeded across the hills in the direc-
tion of the small town of Tsin-tsun, another great mart for black tea.
Our road was a very rough one. It was merely a foot-path, and some-
times merely narrow steps cut out of the rock. When we had gone
about two miles we came to a solitary temple on the banks of a small
river, which here winds among the hills. This stream is called by the
Chinese the river or stream of nine windings, from' the circuitous turns
which it makes among the hills of Woo-e-shan. It divides the range

772

FORTUNE'S TRAVELS IN CHINA.

into two districts — tho north nnd Houth : tho north range is said to pro>
duco thu bcHt teas, lloru tho iincst souchongs and pukoos are ])roduocd,
but I bc'Hcvo thi'Ho raroly find thoir way to Europe, or only in very
small quantities."

At the temple, which was inhabited by an old Buddhist priest and
his wife, ho took up his residence, and at once entered upon the object
of his journey. "Having given tho old man some money to jmrclmse a
(limier for myself and my men," nays ho, " I made a hasty meal and went
out to e.vploro the hills. I visite<l many of the tea-farms, and was sue-
cessful ill procuring about four huiidred young plants. These wore taken
to Shanghai in good order, und many of them are now growing vigor*
ously in the government tea j)lantation hi the Himalayas.

" I remained two days under tho roof of tho hospitable Taouist, and
saw a great part of tho Woo-o hills and their productions. On tho
evening of the second day, having entered into a fresh agreement with
my ohair-bearers and coolies, I hitiinated to the old priest that I intended
to proceed on my journey early next morning. He kuidly pressed rao
to stay a little longer, but, when lie saw I was in earnest, ho went out
to his tea plantations and brought ino somo young plants which ho
bogged mo to accept. I felt highly i>lcased with his gratitude for tho
small present I had given him, and gladly accepted tho plants, which
increased my store very considerably ; these with tho other plants were
carefully packed with their roots in damp moss, and tho whole package
was then covered with oil-paper. The latter precaution was taken to
screen them from the sun, and also from the prying eyes of the Chinese,
who, although they did not seem to show any great jealousy on the
point, yet might have annoyed us with impertinent questions. Early in
the morning, our arrangements being completed, we bade adieu to our kind
host and hostess, and set oif across the hills in tho direction of Tsin-tsun."

At tho latter place he was upon tho head-waters of the River Min,
by descending which he might have arrived in four days at Fou-chow-
fou ; but ho decided to return to Ning-po by another route, lying to the
eastward of that by which ho had come, and passing through the town
of Pouching-hien, in the midst of a district which produces tea some-
what inferior to that of Woo-e-shan. A further journey of nearly a
hundred miles in a sedan-chair brought him to Ching-faoo, on a branch
of the Green River, where ho again embarked. Hia return journey,
down the river to Hang-chow-fou, and thence by the grand canal to
^anghai, was mostly over the same ground which he had traversed on
his way to the green-tea hills of Sung-lo. " I arrived at Shanghai in
dne time," says he, in conclusion, " having been absent on this long
joarney nearly three months. Although I had been eating with chop-
stidcB all this time, I had not forgotten the use of knives and forks, and
I need scarcely say I heartily enjoyed my first English dinner. The
tea-plants procured in Woo-e-shan reached Shanghai in good order, and
most of them are now floarishiog on the slopes of the Himali^as."

RECENT EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA/

KYRE'S JOURNEY.

In tho spring of 1840, public attention in tho town of Adelaide
(Southern Australia,) btuij; uiuch engrosHed with the Hubject of an
overland oommunioatiou between Southern and Western Australia,
Mr. Edward John Eyro, who hud already been engaged in exploring
tho southern and western interior, volunteered to take tho command of
any party that might bo sent, and bear ono third of tho oxpeuHes. An
expedition was accordingly fitted out, and on tho IBth of June left
Adelaide for tho head of Spencer's Gulf. Tho party consisted of Mr.
Kyro ; Mr. Scott, his assistant ; liaxter, his overseer ; Corporal Coles ;
two men driving each a three-horse dray ; and two aboriginal boys to
drive the sheep, etc. They had thirteen horses and forty sheep, and
stores sufficient for three months, besides nn additional supply sent by
sea to meet them at tho he.td of Spencer's Gulf.

They encamped near Moimt Arden, at the head of the gulf, on tho
3d of July, and on the Gth Mr. Eyre set out on horseback, with ono of
the boys, to reconnoiter Lake Torrens, tho great inland Australian sea,
which he had previously discovered, and to examine tho country north
of the depot, as to the practicability of a route in that direction. He
found the basin of the lako to bo from fifteen to twenty miles wide,
but its shallow waters left an uncovered belt of three or four miles in
width, which Vt'as strongly incrusted with a briny deposit, and was so
soft as to prevent all access to its waters. He spent several days north-
ward of the dep6t, and followed the Flinders' Range, until the hills
became lower and more detached, with intervals of stony valleys, while
barren sandy plains still formed the lower level. Water became very
scarce, but at length, finding a place which promised a temporary sup-
ply, he returned to the camp, after an absence of sixteen days, and con-
ducted it over tho region he had explored. The rugged and desolate
country, and the Avant of water, rendered their progress slow and pain-

• For tho routes of Mitchell and Leiohhardt, see tho map of Eastern Australia pre-
fixed to tho narrative of Sturt's Expedition, page 680.

774

RECENT EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

ful; and on exploimg the dreary region beyond the limits of iu i-iers'
Range, Mr. Eyre found it to be completely surrounded by Lake Tor-
rens, which, commencing near the head of Spencer's Gulf, takes a cir-
cuitous course of fully four hundred miles, with an apparent breadth of
from twenty to thuty, and, following the sweep of Flinders' Range, en-
circles it in the form of a horse-shoe. From a high summit, which he
named Mount Serle, Mr. Eyre perceived that he was hemmed in on
every side by an impassable barrier, and had no alternative but to con-
duct his party back to Mount Arden.

On reaching the depot, the stores were dug up and repacked for
traveling, Mr. Eyre having resolved to continue his explorations west-
ward toward the Great Bight of Australia, still in the hope of finding
in that direction an opening toward the interior. On the 13th of Sep-
tember they set forward, and having crossed with some difficulty the
narrow channel connecting the head of Spencer's Gulf with Lake Tor-
rens, the main body was sent forward under the charge of the overseer,
while Messrs. Eyre and Scott, accompanied by a man and boy, with a
dray and several horses, went down for supplies to Port Lincoln, on the
west side of Spencer's Bay, intending to rejoin the party at Streaky
Bay. Not finding the requisite stores at Port Lincoln, Mr. Scott re
paired to Adelaide in a small cutter on the 9th of October, and returned
on the 22d with an abundant supply. The cutter was retained to
co-operate with the expedition, and sent round to communicate at once
with the party at Streaky Bay, while Messrs. Scott and Eyre proceeded
overland, and rejoined their companions early in November. On the
6 th the whole party moved westward near the coast, and encamped at
Fowler's Bay on the 19th. On the way they had frequent intercourse
with the natives, who were very polite and friendly toward them, and
by guiding them to places where water could^be procured, enabled them
to move with confidence and celerity. On conducting them to any of
the watering-places, the natives gave it up entirely to them; and,
although thirsty themselves, would not take a drink without asking per-
mission.

Leaving his party in camp at Point Fowler, Mr. Eyre made several
attempts to roiind the head of the Great Bight ; but, after a month
spent in fruitless endeavors to penetrate the desolate, parched-up region, i
in which he lost three horses, and encountered great privations, he dis-
patched the cutter to Adelaide for assistance, and reduced the party by
sending two of the men with her.

Meanwhile he continued his explorations, and finally succeeded in
reaching the head of the Bight on the 7th of January, 1841. On the
same day he was guided by the natives to some small holes containing
excellent water. The natives all assured him that there was no water
of any description in the interior, and that the next water along the
coast was ten days distant. The whole party was actively engaged
until the arrival of the cutter, and had succeeded in examining the coast

PRIVATIONS OP THE PARTY.

775

beyond the he.id of the Great Bight, which, however, presented a
dreary pi'ospect for further explorations.

The cutter ai'rived on the 26th of January, bringing an ample supply
of provisions and presents from friends m Adelaide, and havhig on board
a native of King George's Sound, named Wylie, who had been with
Mr. Eyre on former expeditions. The cutter was at his disposal Avithiu
the limits of South Australia ; but, being under charter, he could not
take her to Cape Arid, or beyond the boundaries of the province. He
therefore determined to reduce the party still further, and attempt to
force a passage almost alone. He accordingly retained Wylie and the
two native boys, and also the overseer, who resolved to continue Avith
him, and prevailed on Mr. Scott and one of the men to return with the
cutter, which sailed back on the 31st of January. Having completed
all preparations by the 24th of February, ho was about setting out on
his fearful undertaking, when a shot was heard in Fowler's Bay, and
presently Mr. Scott and the commander of the cutter made their ap-
pearance. They had been sent back by the governor to bring Mr.
Eyre to Adelaide ; but as he had matured his plans, and resolved to
accomplisli the object he had in view, or perish in the attempt, he bade
farewell to his friends, and set forward on the 25th.

The continuation of the journey, after passing the Great Bight, was
through unheard-of difficulties and privations. The horses at length
began to give out under excessive heat and the want of water. One
after another was abandoned, as the stock of Avater which they earned
with them began to fail. Every expedient was resorted to ; they col-
lected dew, dug up the roots of trees, until finally the overseer began to
despond. On the 30th of March a well was dug in a place which in-
dicated moisture, and, to the unbounded joy of all, pure water was ob-
tained. The party remained here a few days to rocriut, during which
time a large quantity of supplies, which they had been compelled to
leave fifty miles behind, was brought up,, after making one unsuccessful
attempt. They remained twenty-eight days among the sand-hills at this
statioii, during which time their last sheep was killed, and one of the
remaining horses slaughtered for food.

On the 27th of April they entered upon the last desperate stage of
the journey, in which they had probably one hundred and fifty miles to
the next supply of wa+.er. On the 27th Mr. Eyre took the first watch
of the night, and at half past ten was heading the scattered horses at
some distance from the camp, when a sudden flash and the report of a
gun startled him, and, on running up, he fomid the overseer Aveltering
in his blood. The two younger boys had deserted, and carried off a
large quantity of provisions, two double-barreled guns, and other small
article? , Next day, with only Wylie for a companion, whom ho sus-
pected to have been cognizant of the plot to plunder the camp, he
collected the horses, and set forward. In the afternoon the two natives
were seen advancing, but they kept their distance, and seemed only

776

RECENT EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

anxious to induce Wylie to come with them. After a forced march
of several days they came, on the 3d of May, to an abundant supply of
water, and, fearuiy the natives no longer, Mr. Eyre halted for three
days to recruit. He then continued his cheerless route over the un-
hospitable rej^ion, in which, however, the game was more abundant os
he advanced toward the west, and the unwholesome flesh of jaded
horses was agreeably relieved by that of kangaroos and opossums.

On the 2d of June he was cheered by the sight of two boats, and
was soon afterward welcomed on board the whaler Mississippi by Cap-
tain Rossiter. He remained on board until the 14th, and then, much
recruited, and supplied with provisions and clothing, resumed his jour-
ney. On the last of Juno he caught the first glimpse of the hills behind
King George's Sound, and on the 7th of July crossed King's River,
and entered the town of Albany, himself and Wylie oeing the sole
wanderers to close the eventful and disastrous journey, which was
entered upon under the most hopeful auspices. On the 13th of July ho
embarked for Adelaide, where he arrived on the 26th, after an absence
of one year and twenty-six days.

MTCHELL'S JOURNEY TO TROPICAL AUSTRALIA.

As the colonists of Australia gradually pushed their settlements
into the interior, and began to pasture their sheep on the Macquairie
and the Darling, they became interested in the exploration of the
northern mterior of the country, in i .e hope of finding an overland
route to the nearest part of the Indian Ocean, by which the dangerous
navigation of the Torres Straits might be avoided. A trade in horses
to supply the Indian cavalry made this a desirable object, and not less
important to them was the opening of a more direct communication
with England ; for it was not to be doubted, that on the discovery of
a good overland route between Sydney and the head of the Gulf of
Carpentaria, a line of steam communication would bo introduced from
that point to moot the English line at Singapore.

la this view of the subject, Lieutenant-Colonel Sir T. L. Mitchell,
the Surveyor General, in 1843 submitted a plan of exploration to Sir
(ieorgo Gipps, the Governor. The subject was referred to Lord Stan-
I'y, tho Secretary for the Colonies, whose reply was favorable to the
expedition ; but the governor of the colony still declined to allow the
journey to be undertaken. The Legislative Council, however, renewed
the petition for this undertaking, to which tho governor at length as-
sented v: 1845, and the sum of £2,000 was unanimously voted for the
outfit of tho party.

Preparations were accordingly made, and the expedition set out from

THE PASTURES OF THE NARRAN.

777

Buree toward the interior on the 15th of December, 1845. The ex-
ploring party consisted of Sir T. L. Mitchell, chief of the expedition ;
Edmund B. Kennedy, Becond in command ; W. Stephenson, surgeon
and collector of objects of natural history ; and twenty-six men, who
were mostly prisoners of the crown in different stages of probation.
The means of conveyance were strong bullock-drays and portable boats.
After an unsuccessful attempt to discover a direct northern route,
where they were foiled for want of water, the party turned to the east-
ward, and followed Sturt's route to the Darling, which they forded on
the 4th of March, near the mouth of the Macqtiarie. They had great
difficulty with some of their heavy vehicles in the soft and mud<ly bed
of the river, and were obliged to pave it with logs and branches, cov-
ered with earth, before the rest could bo got across.

On the 5th they proceeded northward. As they advanced the coun-
try opened into slight xmdulations, well clothed Avith grass, and good for
traveling over, the soil being full of the same hard rock found n the
rising grounds nearest to the Darling, in the lowest parts of that river
previously explored by Colonel Mitchell. Their guides at length
bronght them to some water-holes, among verdant grass on a piain,
where they encamped fifteen miles from the Darling. On the 7th, the
country still improved, and after traveling about seven miles the guides
pointed forward to a line of trees as the Narran River. On arriving
there they found pure water in great abundance, into which the natives
who were with the expedition jilunged and rolled about like porpoises.
This, however, was but a swampy plain, emanating from the river, which
lay among the trees beyond. Hero they were obliged to wait several
days for the arrival of the drays, during which time they built a bridge
over the swampy outlet of the Narran. Meanwhile Colonel Mitchell
took the native guides and rode forward to examine the country. He
says : " Wo proceeded along the margin of the Narran, which led us
nearly due north, until we forded it, at the desiro of our guides, on a
good gravelly bottom, the water reaching to our saddle-flaps. We then
continued along its banks for about thirty miles, until near sunset, when
we tethered our horses, and lay down for the night. The Narran was
full of water everywhere, and with this abundance of water there was
also plenty of most excellent grass. The Panicum lawinode of Dr.
Lindley seemed to predominate, a grass whereof the seed is made by
the natives into a kind of paste or bread. Dry heaps of tiiis grass, that
had been pulled expressly for the purpose of gathering the seed, lay
along our path for many miles. I counted nine miles along the river, in
which we rode through this grass only, reaching to our saddle-girths,
and the same grass seemed to grow back from the river, at least as far
as the eye could reach through a very open forest. I had never seen
such rich natural pasturage in any other part of New South Wales."

All the drays came in on the 11th, and it now became necessary to
wait and refresh the jaded bullocks. On the 13th, the party once more

778

RECENT EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

moved onward, having before them tlie prospect of water and grass in
abundance, to an indefinite distance. In continuing the journey they
sot out early each morning and traveled only a few miles, in order that
the exhausted animals might have time to feed and rf fresh. The in-
habitants of this region were few, and they Avere invisible, like the
animals of the forests, but they frequently saw impressions of the bare
feet of men, Avomen, and children, as well as the prints of emus, kanga-
roos, and other animals obliged to go to the water. " Here still," ob-
serves JMitchrli, " was our own race among other animals all new and
strange to Europeans. The prints of the foot of man alone were familiar
to us. But here ho was living in common Avith other animals, simply
on the bounty of nature ; artless, and apparently as much afraid of us,
and as shy, as other animals Df the forest. It seemed strange, that in a
climate the most resembling ti.at of Milton's paradise, the circumstances
of man's existence should bo the most degrading."

By the last of March they began to lose the Narran in the numer-
ous water-courses spread over tl. e country, and it became necessary to
find the Balonnc, a large river, whose waters were here distributed into
different channels. On the 31st they met Avith some natives who
undertook to guide them to the ford " Congo," where white men had
crossed the Balonne. As they proceeded, they saAv some native Avomen
running off at a great distance, tAvo of whom carried unseemly loads un-
der their large cloaks. The eldest of the guides ran and overtook them,
to assure them that the Avhite men a\ ould do no harm, when it was
found that the burdens they carried were mummied bodies. Proceed-
ing AvestAvard they came to the Balonne on the evening of April 1st,
which they forded next morning, and continued across a watered coun-
try until the 3d, Avhen they encamped on the Culgoa, another outlet of
the Balonne. Next day they proceeded along the Culgoa to its outlet
from the TJiJper Balonne, whence they continued to ascend the latter
river toward the north, Avith the intention of following it to the Avater-
sbed between the northern and southern streams.

On the 1st of May they left the main river and ascended a tributary
flowing in from the north-Avest. There Avas a marked difference be-
tween this stream, as well as the country along its banks, and the large
river by which they had traveled so far. Its waters, meandering through
various narrow channels, lay between finely rounded grassy slopes, Avith
a few trees about the water's edge, marking their course at a distance.
On the 2d a large grassy flat brought them to a lake of crystal water,
fringed with Avhite lotus flowers. An immense number of ducks floated
on its surface. " During the night," observes Colonel Mitchell, " natives
were heard near our camp, and we perceived the smoke of their fires, in
the bushes behind, in the morning. Yuranigh, the guide, Avent up to
them, accompanied by one of the party bearing a green branch, and he
prevailed on three of their tribe to come to our tents. One stood
among the carts and tents, apparently quite absorbed in observation.

ENTERINa ON NEW GROUND.

779

Intense curiosity iu these men liaJ evidently overcome all their fears of
such strangers. They were entirely naked, and without any kind of
ornament or weapon, oflfensivo or defensive. With steady fixed looks,
eyes wide open, and serious, intelligent countenances, what passed in
their minds was not disguised, as is usual Avith savages." From these
people he learned that the river was named Cogoon. In the evening he
ascended a hill at a short distance from their place of encampment,
" from which," he remarks, "the most interesthig sight to me was that
of blue peaks at a great distance to the north-west, the object of all my
dreams of discovery for years. No white man had before seen these.
There we might hope to find the cUvisa aquarwn, still undiscovered ;
the pass to Carpentaria, still miexplored : I called this hill Mount First
View, and descended, delighted with Avhat I had seen from its rocky crest.
" On the 8th of May I ascended an elevated north-eastern extremity
of Mount Abundance, and from it beheld the finest country I had ever
seen in a primaeval state. A champaign region, spotted with wood,
stretched as far as human vision, or even" the telescope, could reach. It
was intersected by rivcr lines from the north, distinguishable by colunuis
of smoke. A noble mountain mass arose in the midst of that fine coun-
try, extendmg in a range from south-west to north-east." He named
this country Fitzroy Downs.

BOTTLE-TREE OF AUSTRALIA.

"Trees of a very droll form chiefly drew my attention here. The

780

RECENT EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

trunk bulged out in the middle like a barrel, to nearly twice the diame-
ter at the ground, or of that at the first springing of the branches above.
These wore small in proportion to their great girth, and the whole tree
looked very odd. These trees were all so alike in general form that I
was convinced this was their character, and not a lustts naturce.^^ On
Mount Bindango, which he ascended on the 11th, these remarkable
trees grew in several spots ; some of them much resembling bottles, but
tapering near the root.

On descending from the latter hill, he found eight natives who had
come up to the party in his absence. They were colored with iron-ocher,
and had a few feathers of the white cockatoo, in the black hair of their
foreheads and beards. A paity who had visited them, some days before,
were thoughtful and reserved ; these were merry as larks, and their
white teeth, constantly visible, shone whiter than even the cockatoo's
feathers on their brows and chins. Sun never shone upon a merrier
group of mortals than these children of nature appeared to be. One
among them was a fine powerful fellow, whose voice soimded so strongly,
that it seemed as if his very whisper might be heard half a mile off.

On the 14th they were invited by some natives to a ceremonious in-
terview with one who was seated in advance. They found, however,
that he was in great terror and had nothing to say, but as he was dis-
posed to handle every thuig he could lay hold of, they left him as civilly
as they could, but ho hung on their rear for some time, with his whole
tribe. Early next morning some natives were observed occasionally
peeping from a hill overlooking the camp. " Some time after," says
Mitchell, " I perceived a figure resembling a large black quadruped, with
head erect like a lion, prowling about, among the long grass beside my
after breakfast tree. Taking my glass, I recognized the identical big
savage of yesterday. He had evidently been watching us all night, and
his party Avere concealed behind the hill. I fired a carbine so that the
fellow should hear the bullet whistle near him into the long grass ; and
at the same time shouted, expressive of my disgust at his conduct,
making the men join in a loud J eerinff cheer as he galloped off on all-
fours toward his camp."

After pursuing a westerly course for some days they came, on the
18th of May, to a large river, skirted by a dense line of trees, and flow-
ing from north to south. Here Mitchell established the camp for a few
days, and made excursions to the neighboring hills. On the 27th he
visited a conical peak at some distance to the Bouth-west, which prom-
ised an extensive view. " On gaining the summit," he remarks, " the
land around me was fair to look on ; nothing could be finer than the
forms of the hills, half clear of wood — the disposition of open grassy
downs and vales — or the beauty of the woods. Water was not wanting,
at least there seemed to be enough for the present inhabitants, and to
an admirer of nature there was all that could be desired. Deeply im-
preased with its sublime and solitary beauty, I sketched the scene, and

I'i

MARCH UP THE MARANOA.

781

descended from that hill, resolved to follow the river upward, as more
favorable, in that direction, to the chief object of my mission. I named
the hill overlooking that lonely dale, Mount Lonsdale, m honor of my
valuable geological friend."

One morning after he had left the camji two natives who were painted
white and well armed, came boldly up, followed by two women bearing
loads of spears. They Avere ordei'cd to halt, but, pointing after Mitchell,
they motioned to the party to follow him. Finding the men firm, the
speaker edged off toward a man at a distance, in charge of the horses.
Corporal Graham got between, when the savages came bokVy upon him,
quivering their poised spears. At length the foremost man turned round
and made vulgar gestures of defiance ; at this the old soldier discharged
his carbine over the head of the savage, who first sprang some teet into
the air, and then ran off with all the others. Ho was afterward seen
creeping up under the cover of some large trees, the rest following, and
on being met he began to recite what seemed to be a description of tlie
surrounding country, pointing to various localities. Ho then stuck a
spear into the ground and seemed to propose that on one side tlio
ground should be occupied by the strangers, and on the other, by them.
Graham assenting to this, they seemed better satisfied, and departed.

Colonel Mitchell now made preparations for continuing his explora-
tions up the river, and set out on the 4th of June, leaving Mr. Kennedy
behind M-ith a party, to cultivate a garden, and if possible obtain some
information respecting the final course of the river, the native name of
which was ascertained to be the Maranoa. After a few days' marching,
the branch of the river which they ascended became nearly dry, so that
they continued near its channel until the 17th of June, when they en-
camped for a week among some high ridges near the head of the river.
The highest ridge they crossed before encamping was eighteen hundred
and thirty-three feet above the sea. Next morning Colonel Mitchell
sent out parties in search of water, and then went to ascend a mountain,
seven miles off to the north-west. A number of mountain tops were
visible from this summit. That eastward of the depot camp, was seen
in the distance, and named Mount Kennedy, from the officer in charge
of the party there. " I was now," observes Colonel Mitchell, " at a loss
for names to the principal summits of the country. No more could be
gathered from the natives, and I resolved to name the features, for
which names were now requisite, after such individuals of our own race
as had been most distinguished or zealous in the advancement of science,
and the piu-suit of human knowledge. I called this hill Mount Owen ;
a bald-forest bill to the north-east of it, Mount Clift ; a lofty truncated
cone, to the eastward of these, the center of a group, and one of my zero
points. Mount Ogilby ; a broad-topped hill far in the north-west, where
I wished to continue my route, Mount Faraday ; a high table-land inter-
vening, Hope's Table-Land ; the loftiest part of the coast ranges, viable
on all sides, Buckland's Table<Land.**

782

RECENT EXPLORATIONS TN AUSTRALIA.

The party moved forward on the 26th of June, certain, from exam-
ination already made, of finding water for at least three days' journey,
and hopeful of a water-course being betore them. In passing tlie foot
of Mount Owen they found the elevation to be two thousand and eighty,
three feet ; the summit was about seven hundred feet higher. On the
28th they came to a river which they followed hopefully, but in a few
days it ttirned gradually to the south-west, and they abandoned it. They
now proceeded north-west, in the hope of finding the basin of northern
waters, beyond a range of summits which appeared in that direction.
On the 2d of July, as Colonel Mitchell and some of the party were in
advance, near Mount Faraday, they found a nmning stream, among
some reeds in the hollow of the valley. " The water," says Mitchell,
" was clear and sparkling, tasting strongly of sulphur, and Yuranigh, the
guide, said this was the head of a river that never dried up. In this
land of picturesque beauty and pastoral abundance, within eighty miles
of the tropics, we had discovered the first running stream seen on this
journey."

They now moved on along the banks of this stream which descended
through an open valley toward the north and promised them an abund-
ant supply of water on their proposed route. At length, however, the
bed of the river became muddy, the banks became lined with reeds, and
on the 7th it expanded into a lake covered with them. When they
approached the northern limits of this reedy lake, which they named
Salvator, no river flowing out of it was visible, although they found a
dry channel which bore marks of a considerable stream at some seasons.
Following this dry channel they found its course bore northward, and
finally turned to the north-east. " Thus," says Mitchell, " in one day
vanished the pleasing prospect we had enjoyed in the morning, of a
stream flowing in the direction of our intended route. This might be,
I then thought, the tributary to a larger river, which I still hoped would
be found to flow westward from the coast ranges, and, finally, take the
desired north-west direction."

In a few days they left the banks of this river, and proceeded to the
north-west, through an almost impassable thicket. " After working out
our way thus, for about ten miles," he continues, " our toils were re-
warded with a scene of surpassing beauty, that gradually opened to us.
That long-lost tree, the graceful acacia pendula, received us in the
foreground, and open plains, blended with waving lines of wood, ex-
tended far into bluey distance, beyond which an azure coronet of mount-
ains of romantic forms terminated the charming landscape."

Traversing a broken country, in which they crossed several water-
courses bearing westward, they reached, on the 14th, the borders of
extensive plains and open downs, extending far to the eastward. " All
this rich land," continues Mitchell, " was thickly strewed with pmall
fragments of fossil wood, in silex, agate, and chalcedony. Many of the
stones, as already observed, most strikingly resembled decayed wood,

MEETING WITH NATIVE TRIBES.

783

and in one place the remains of an entire trunk lay together like a heap
of ruins, the dilapidated remains of a tree ! I obtained even a por-
tion of petrified bark ; but specimens of this were rare."

On the 21st they came to the bed of a river, with water in the
channel, bearing northward. Along this they now advanced, believing
they had at length discovered the head of a north-western river.
On the 25th of July they passed the Tropic of Capricorn ; much thun-
der had been heard through the night toward the north, which, at this
season of the year, indicated their approach to that line. " There was
no hill or other geographical feature near our route," observes Mit-
chell, "whereby it might have been possible to mark the limit of
tropical Australia. We were the first to enter the interior beyond that
line."

MATITBS or AUSTRALIA.

At length it became evident that this river also bore too far east-
ward for the Gulf of Carpentaria, and the western tributaries, which
they examined, still led them too far to the south-west. On the 7th
of August they came to a river bearing westward, which was as large
and important as the one they had been following, and contained ponds
of water ; but its course was /rom the west, and left them no hope that
the channel they had been pursuing would turn westward. They en-
camped for several days in this region, exploring the water-courses of
the neighborhood, and determining the route to be pursued. Mean-
while they were occasionally visited by natives. On the 10th, during
the absence of jColonel Mitchell, a party armed with clubs came up
with evidently hostile inter tions. They were suddenly checked, how-
ever, when they saw five m jn drawn up in a line, with incomprehensible
weapons in their hands. Just then three dogs from the camp ran ?-t
them, and they all took to their heels, greatly laughed at, even by the
rest of their tribe. The only casualty befell the shepherd's dog, which,
biting at the legs of a native running away, he turned round, and hit

784

RECENT EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

the (log so cleverly, that it was dangerously ill for months afterward.
The whole of thcni then disappeared, shouting through the woods to
their women. It was remarkable, that on sceuig the horses, they ex-
claimed, " Ycrraman," the colonial natives' name for a horse, and that
of these animals they were not at all afraid, whereas they seemed in
much dread of the bullocks.

On tracing the river below the junction, Mitchell found its height
to be little more than six hundred feet above the level of the sea. " I
could no longer doubt," he continues, "that the division between
eastern and western waters was still to the westward. I accordingly
determined to retrace our wheel-tracks back to the head of theSalvator,
and to explore from thence the country to the north-west, as fiir as our
stock of provisions and the season would permit."

On the 24th they re-crossed the line of Capricorn, having been
exactly one month hi the interior of tropical Australia. On the 5th of
September they encamped on the Salvator a few miles above the lake,
where they formed a depot, and remained a few days to refresh the
horses, before setting out with the bcbi of them toward the west.
Meanwhile Colonel Mitchell prepared dispatches to the governor, giv-
uig an account of his proceedings and discoveries, and left them at the
dc])6t, to be forthcomuig in the event of any misfortune befalling him
or his party. They set forward on the 10th, and proceeded westward
from the valley of the Salvator, hoping to find beyond the distant hills
what had so long been the object of these researches — a river flowing
to the Gulf of Carpentaria. On the 14th day they discovered a rocky
gap leading to the north-west, and hastily descended toward it. Witli
eager stops they followed a slight channel downward to a little valley,
verdant with young grass, where the red sky of sunset shone reflected
from several broad ponds of water.

" As soon as daylight appeared," says Mitchell, " I hastened toward
the gap, and ascended a naked rock on the west side of it. I there be.
held downs and plains extending westward beyond the reach of vision.
Ulloa's delight at the first view of the Pacific could not have surpassed
mine on this occasion, nor could the fervor with which he was impressed
at the moment have exceeded my sense of gratitude, for being allowed
to make such a discovery. From that rock, the scene was so extensive
as to leave no room for doubt as to the course of the river, which, thus
and there revealed to me alone, seemed like a reward direct from
heaven for perseverance, and as a compensation for the many sacrifices
I had made, in order to solve the qutstiou as to the interior rivers of
tropical Australia."

They traced the course of this river in a north-westerly direction
until the 23d, when it fell off to the south-west. On the 22d they passed
a large river coming in from the north-east, below which the united
channel formed a broad, deep river, as large as the Murray. This deep
reach continued but a few miles, below which the channel contiuned

THE VICTORIA RIVER.

785

ponds only, and next day they followed a dry river. The term of one
montli, to which this western cjccursion was limited, was now half
elapsed, but Mitchell resolved to follow the course of this interesting
river a few days longer. Their horses, however, began to droop, and it
became necessary to return while the stock of provisions lasted ; the na-
tives, too, whose language was unintelligible, manifested a hostile dispo-
sition ; they therefore turned eastward on the 25th. They returned by
the left bank, intending to cut off the great sweep which the river de-
scribed toward the north, and to meet with any tributaries it might re-
ceive from the south. Before leaving the river Mitchell bestowed upon
it a name, in which connection lie remarks : " It seemed to me, to de-
serve a great name, being of much importance, as leading from temper-
ate into tropical regions, where water was the essential requisite. This
river seemed to mo typical of Clod's providence, in conveying living
waters into a dry parched land, .and thus affording access to open and
extensive j)astoral regions, likely to be soon peopled by civilized inhab-
itants. It was Avith sentiments of devotion, zeal, and loyalty, that I
therefore gave to this river the name of ray gracious sovereign, Queen
Victoria."

On the Cth of October lie climbed Mount Pluto, to make some ob-
servations. From this point the camp on the Salvator was visible. '* "We
reached it before sunset," he continues, " and were received with loud
cheers. All were well, the natives had not come near, the cattle were
in a high condition. The grass looked green and luxuriant about the
camp, and the spot proved a most refreshing home both to us and to our
jaded horses, on whose backs we had almost constantly been for nearly
a month."

They set out on the 10th of October to return, and on the 18th, en-
camped within a d.ay's ride of the depot on the Maranoa. They were
anxious to know how Mr. Kennedy and the natives had agreed, and
looked forward with impatience to the morrow. The main body of the
party had been stationary four months and a half, a long time to remain
imdisturbed in a country still claimed and possessed by savages.

"On the 19th," continues Colonel Mitchell, "the party was early in
motion — old tracks of cattle, when the earth had been soft, and the print
of a shoe^ were the first traces of the white man's existence we met with ;
nor did wo see any thing more conclusive, until the tents on the cliffs
overhanging the river were visible through the trees. We saw men,
also, and even recognized some of them, before our party was observed ;
nor did they see us advancing, with a flag on the cart, until Brown
sounded the bugle. Immediately all were in motion, Mr. Kennedy
coming forward to the cliffs, while the whole party received us with
cheers, to which my men heartily responded. Mr. Kennedy ran down
the cliffs to meet me, and was the first to give me the gratifying intelli-
gence that the whole party were well ; that the cattle and sheep were

Kafe and fat

and, that the aborigines had never molested them.
50

786

RECENT EXPLOUATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

good stook-yartl liad been Hct up ; a storehouse had also been built ; a
garden had been fenced in, and contained lettuce, radishes, melons, cu-
cumbers, etc. Indeed, the whole establishment evinced the good effects
of order and discipline.'*

Proceeding by the most direct route homeward, the expedition
crossed the Darling on the 9th of December, and on the 14th reached
Snodgrass Lagoon, where Colonel Mitchell left the party and proceeded
by the settlements on the Nammoy. Of the conclusion of the expedi-
tion he says: "The party which I had left in charge of Mr. Kennedy
near Snodgrass Lagoon arrived in the neighborhood of Sydney on the
20th of January, and the new governor. Sir Charles Fitzroy, kindly
granted such gratuities to the most deserving of my men as I had rec-
ommended, and also sent the names to England of such prisoners as
his excellency thought deserving of her majesty's gracious pardon."

LEICIIHAIIDT'S OVERLAND JOURNEY
TO PORT ESSINGTON

Dr. Lcichhardt, a German who liad settled in Australia, spent the
two years after his arrival, in various exploring trips through the coun-
try northward of Moreton Bay. On returning to the latter place, at
the end of this time, he found the attention of the public, as well as the
legislative council, occupied by the subject of an overland expedition to
Port Essington on the north coast of Australia. lie at once desired to
imdertake the journey, and confident of success, he prevailed against the
solicitations of his friends, and began to make arrangements for the
undertaking. Aided by the contributions of a few friends, the prepara-
tions were rather hurriedly completed by the 13th of August, 1844,
when he set sail from Sydney for Moreton Bay. His companions were
Messrs. Calvert and Roper ; a lad named Murphy ; Wm. Phillips, a
prisoner of the crown ; and " Harry Brown," a native of the Newcastle
tribe; making with himseli six persons. At Brisbane he received fresh
contributions from his friends, and was reluctantly prevailed upon to
increase his party. Mr. Hodgson, a resident of the district ; Mr. Gil-
bert, a zealous naturalist ; Caleb, an American negro ; and " Charley," an
aboriginal of the Bathurst tribe, were added to the expedition.

In the latter part of September the party crossed the coast range,
and proceeded over the Darling Downs to Jimba, the last settlement
on their route. On the Ist of October they left this place, and set out,
full of hope, into the wilderness of Australia. In a few days they came
to the Condamine, a large sluggish stream, flowing in a north-westerly ,
course, parallel to the coast range, from whose western slope it receives
its tributaries. They followed this river until it bore off toward the

PROORESS

interior on tho Ir.ft ♦! ' 787

P-rty with animal «,„., „',,7'|, '"..f™" «» m.uffl«„, ,,-, ,„,,,,"JS

• maze of channel^ fr„„ which Iv '.° '"""' '""•J" "■« whole vaU J
themselves. The ipen f„T^ '''f «"•« ""'y with difflonlty mS
™j bright yellow blo^om'thlle ,h:T'r ,°."' '"'Se Sel/ofTC
rnhgrw. TheyfolWe<lthrrivor>. •^''"'""■'^'Mcklyeovrred
until the 14th, when it bore off to ,L* f '' "'"^ "»"■'«' the Da^„
iSZ fr™- O" ""-^fn^t"" '"'■<' «l'«y continued 3
lighted bythoviewofalakesnL J f.'^™™ "'i<''«>t they were T

Jlt^""^ Vme. in thta"^„:*'j°'f .«»•«'■• There were n™"^':
— __^ '='' '"o»"tain ranges at the head

788

RECENT EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

of this crock. Here tlioy oncampetl a few day^ to reconnoiter the
country.

At first the jiarty had siiffcrc*! from change of diet and habits, but
latterly constant exposure and ex'jrtion had sharpened their appetites.
Iguanos, opossums, and birds o' all kinds, were cooked, neither good
bad, nor indilFoioMt being rgectod. Dried kangaroo's meat, one of
their luxuries, resembled dried beef in flavor, and afforded an excellent
broth. They realized how soon man becomes indifferent to the nice-
ties of food. One day a bullock had toni one of the flour bags, and
about fifteen pounds of flour were scattered over the ground. They
all set to work to scrape it up, and when it became too dirty to mix
with the flour, rather than lose so much, they collected about six pounds
of it, well mixed with dried leaves and dust, and of this made a por-
ridge, which every one enjoyed highly.

On the 4th of December tViey crossed the range ; thence passing
over a country traversed by several creeks and water-courses, that were
mostly dry, they c:m)o to the foot of Expedition Range on the 9th.
The channels of this intervening basin led to the north-east, converging
toward a plain that appeared unlimited in that direction. Beyond Ex-
pedition Range Lcichhardt spent several days rcconnoitcring the sur-
rounding country, while the men increased the stock of provisions by
slaughtering a fat bullock. After Christmas they proceeded northward
along the channel of a creek, to which they gave the name of Comet
River, and which led them, on the 12th of January, 18-15, to a large
river coming in from the west, and flowing cast ar.d north. On the
13th they encamped near the lino of Capricorn, o:i the new river, to
which Lcichhardt gave the name of Mackenzie. Having ascertained,
by following its course a few days, that it flowed to the north-east, ho
lefl it, and resumed his course to the north-west, across beautiful plains
and a highly-timbered country. At length they approached a high
range of mountains, which ros'^ up fi-om the level plain before them in
isolated, gigantic, conical peaks, and on the 2d of February passed
through a defile east of two of these summits which he called Scott's
and Roper's Peaks. From these the chain extended north-west in a
high broken range, which received the name of Peak Range. Leaving
I*eak Range on the left, they directed their course northv:ai-d through
a hilly country, in which the streams bore eastward, and on the lOtu
of February came to a creek Avell supplied av . ' h water, wliich they fol-
lowed a few days in an easterly direction. As they descended it the
water soon disappeared in a sandy bed ; it led them to the broad, deep
channel of a r«ver, now perfectly dry. They named this river the
Isaacs, and now turning their course, they ascended ?t to the north-west
and north, until they reached its sources in a high mountain gorge.
They had followed the river about seventy miles, through a country
well adapted to pastoral pursuits: water was, however, very scarce,
although it was found, by digging, at a short distance below the sur&ce.

DISCOVERY OF NEW RIVERS.

789

On the Yth of March the party moved through the gorge, and in a
few miles came to another system of water, which collected in a creek
flov/ing westward. This stream led them to a large river, to which
they gave the name of Suttor, and which they followed by a circuitous
course, at iirst toward the south-west, and afterward to the north, until
it joined another called the Burdekin, and the united channel bore off
to the east. Tliey found the usual scarcity of water in the Suttor, its
bed being only occasionally supplied with water-holes; several miles
before its union with the Burdekin, the Suttor is joined by a river as
large as it? >lf, coming from the south-west, to which Leichhardt gave
the name of Cape River. Within the bed of the Burdekin, which was
a mile wide at the junction, there were narrow and uninterrupted belts
of small trees, separating broad masses of sand, through which a stream
ten yards wide, and two or three feet deep, was meandering, but which
at times spread into large sheets of water, occasionally occupying the
whole width of the river.

On the 3d of April they set out along the banks of the Burdekin,
and ascended the river in a north-westerly direction, until they reached
its head waters in a high basaltic table-land, about the middle of May.
On this route, as on the Suttor River, they sometimes saw traces of the
natives, Avho, however, were mostly invisible ; and if they chanced to
come upon any by surprise, they were shy ai.d reserved, and quickly
made their escape, or showed signs of hostility. The approaches to the
basaltic plains were most difficult, and for a few days they made little
progress. Mr. Roper's horse lost its footing on the steep banks of the
river, and broke its thigh. As the animal was young and healthy, they
saved the meat, anu although there was some prejudice against horse-
flesh, they found it a good substitute for beef.

Beyond the sources of the Burdekin they passed a series of high
mountain ranges, in the eighteenth degree of south latitude, and came on
the 23d of May to a river flowing north-west, down which they continued
their course. For several days they passed through the most mountain-
ous and rocky country they had seen. The ranges formed the banks of
the river itself, which gr^'^ually enlarged, tnd was formed by several
channels fringed with drooping tea-trees. As soon as it had left the
basaltic formation, fine large flats of sandy soil succeeded on both sides,
and further down the country was broken by low ranges of various
extent, formed by rocky hills and peaks, which lifted their rugged crests
above the open forests that covered their slopes. As they proceeded,
the water-holes in the river became largo and numerous, and soi" of the
tributaries contained running water.

On the 16th of Jimc they came to a large river flowing in from the
east, to which the one they had been following, which they named the
Lynd, became a tributary. The new river was called the Mitchell. The
bod was broad, sandy, and quite bare of vegetation, showing the more
frequent recurrence of floods. A small stream meandered through tho

790

RECENT EXPLORATIONS IN AU^jTRALIA.

sheet of sand, and from time to time expanded into largo water-holes.
The united river continued in a north-westevly course, along which they
advanced over a comparatively level coimtry until the 25th of June,
when they had passed the sixteenth degree of south latitude, and were
considerably beyond the head of the Gulf of Carpentaria. Dr. Leich-
hardt then fore detemiined to leave the Mitchell at this point, to ap-
proach the jea-coast, and pass around the bottom of the Gulf.

Accordingly, on the 26th they set forward to the south-west. On
the 27th, as Charley and Brown were in search of game, they saw a na-
tive sneaking up to the bullocks, while a party of his black companions
were waiting with poised spears to receive them. The men hurried up
to prevent them, when the native gave the alarm, and all took to their
heels, except a lame fellow, who tried to persuade his friends to stand
fight. Charley, however, fired his gun, which had the intended effect of
frightening them, for they deserted their camp in a great hurry, leaving
several articles behind. The women had previously retired, a proof that
mischief was intended.

Next day they saw by the smoke rising in every direction that the
country was thickly inhabited, and near the lagunes froqu' '^h.
cemed marks of the camp-fires of the natives. In the afternoon uiuj en-
camped in the belt of tre^s bordering on a lagune, and Dr. Leichharht
had just retired in the evening, sleeping on the ground, as usual, at a
little distance from the fire, when he was suddenly roused by a loud
noise and a call for help from Calvert and Roper. Nati^ es had attacked
the camp. They had doubtless marked the position of the different
tents, and as poon as it was dark they sneaked up and threw a shower
of spears at the tents of Calvert, Roper, and Gilbert, a few at that of
Phillips, and one or two toward the fire. Charley and Brown called for
caps and discharged their guns into the crowd of natives, who instantly
fled, leaving Roper and Calvert pierced with several spears, and severely
beaten by their clubs. Several of the spears Avere barbed, and could not
be extracted without difficulty. Murphy had succeeded in getting be-
hind a tree, whence he fired at the natives, and severely wounded one
of them before Brown had discharged his gun. Hearing that Mr. Gil-
bert had fallen, Dr. Leichhardt hastened to the spot and found lum lying
on the gi'ound av a little distance from the fire, but ^ ery sign of life had
departed.

As soon as they recovered from the panic into which they were
thrown by this fatal event they extinguished the fires an' ivrivched
through the night to prevent another surprise. The night was ^ pleas-
antly cold, and they passed it in a state of most painful suspense as to
the fate of their surviving companions. The dawn of next morning was
j^ladly welcomed, and Dr. Leichhardt proceeded to examine and dr >•
the wounds of his companions. Mr. Roper had recoived twoortbvi:
spear-wounds on his head, one spear had passed through his left ari;,
another into his cheek and injured the optic nerve, and another in his

■>,t,

THE GULF OF CARPENTARIA.

791

ring
had

loins, besides a heavy blow on the shoulder. Mr. Calvert had received
several heavy blows, one on the nose which had crushed the nasal-boncK,
and others on his arm and hands ; besides which a barbed spoar had en-
tered his groin, and another his knee. Both suflfered great pain, and
were scarcely able to move. The spear that terminated Gilbert's exist-
ence had entered the chest ; from the direction of the wound he had re-
ceived it when stooping to leave his tent. In the afternoon they buried
the body of their ill-fated companion, and afterward made a large fire
over the grave, to prevent the natives from detecting it.

Calvert and Roper recovered rapidly, considering the severe injuries
they had received, and as it was thought hazardous to remain long at
the place, the party set out on the 1st of July. On the 6th they ob-
tained the first sight of the gulf, which was hailed by all >vitli feelings
of indescribable pleasure, although Dr. Leichhardt's joy was mingled
with regret at not having succeeded in bringing his whole party to the
end of what he considered the most difticult part of the journey. Ho
had now discovered a line of communication by land between the
eastern coast of Australia and the Gulf of Carpentaria, and had traveled
along never-failing, .tiid for the most part, running waters, and over an
excellent country, available, almost In its whole extent, for pastoral pur-
poses.

At dusk, on the Yth, a native glided into the camp, and walked up to
the fire. Instantly the cry of •' blackfellow !" was raised, and every gun
was ready. But the stranger was unarmed, and evidently unconscious
of his position ; and when ho saw himself sudftenly surrounded by the
horses and the men ho nimbly climbed a tree and stood immovable in
the summit, "without heeding the calls and signs for him to descend, or
the discharge of a gun. At length Charley was sent up a neighboring
tree, whereupon the black began calling and shouting most lustily, until
he made the forests re-echo with the wild sounds of his alarm. The
horses were frightened, and those that were loose ran away, and the
men were much sifraid that his v "ies would bring the whole tribe to his
assistance. Dr. Leicbhardt then went to a fire at a short distance,
where the man could see him distinct' , and made signs for him to de-
scend and go away. He began to be more quiet and to talk ; but soon
hallooed again, and threw sticks at Leicbhardt, at his comi)anions, and
at the horses. The whole party now retired a few yards to allow him
to escf.pe ; and after continuing his lamentations for some time, he
' <;ised ; in a few minutes a slight rustling was heard, and he was gone ;
doubtless delighted at havr/ig escaped the pale-faced cannibals. Next
morning the whole tribe, well armed, watched them from a distance,
but allowed them quietly to load their bullocks and dei)ai-t, without
offering them the least annoyance.

While the party Avere butchering a steer on the 11th, some natives
made their appearance. Leicbhardt held out a branch as a sign of peace,
Mhen they ventured up to hold a parley, though evidently with great

792

RECENT EXPLORATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

suspicion. They examined Brown's hat, and expressed a great desire to
keep it. While Ur. Leichhardt went to the tents for some pieces of
iron as a present to them, Brown, wishing to sm-prise them, mounted
his horse and began trotting, which frightened them so much that they
ran away and did not come again. In passing around the southern ex-
tremity of the gulf they had occasional interviews with the nativea.,
who appeared quite amicably disposed, eapecially on receiving some
trifling presents.

After a most tedious and fatiguing march around the head of the
gulf, during which their progress was greatly obstructed by the numer-
ous lagunes and creeks along the coast, they approached the head of
Limmcn Bight, the western extremity of the Gulf of Carpentaria, on the
0th of October. The whole country around the gulf, particularly in
the southern part, and on the plains and approaches to the rivers and
creeks, • aj well covered with grass. The large water-holes were fre-
quently . J led with a thick turf of small sedge, upon which the
liorses greo' , ibd. Stiif grasses made their appearance near the sea-
coast, on the plains as well as in the forest. From the coast of Limmen
Bight tliey ascended a large river of brackish watei*, which they named
Limmcn Bight River. After following its banks to the south-west for
about a week, they took a north-westerly course, and on the 19th of
October, came to the banks of a fresh- water river, five to eight hundred
yards wide, and flow- ing westwardly to the Bight. They continued their
route to the north-west along the banks of this river, which was called
th3 Roper. On the 21st they had the misfortune to lose three of their
most vigorous horses, Avhich were drowned in the river. In consequence
of this diminution of their number, the remaining animals had to bear
their burdens continually, and became so much reduced that it was oft;en
necessary to rest a day to recruit them.

By the Cth of November they had left; all the eastern waters, and
came upon the margin of a sandy table-land, from which they overlooked
a large valley bounded by high ranges to the westward. As thej" ad-
vanced the country became mountainous, and on the 17th they were
proceeding along the high banks of a western creek, when suddenly the
extensive view of a magnificent valley opened out before them. They
stood on the brink of a deep precipice, of about eighteen hundred feet
in descent, which extended far to the eastward. A large river, joined
by many tributaries from different quarters, meandered through the
valley, which was bounded by high ranges. They had great difiiculty
in finduig a passage down the precipices, but finally succeeded, and on
the 20th arrived safely in the valley. Their horses and cattle were,
however, in a distressing condition. The passage along rocky creeks
had rendered them very foot-sore, and their feed had latterly consisted
of coarse grasses or a small sedge which they did not like. But in the
valley all the tender grasses reappeared in the utmost profusion, on which
the horses and bullocks fed most greedily.

APPPOACH TO PORT ESSINGTON.

793

By observations on the 24tli, Dr. Leichhardt found they Avcrc at the
South Alligator River, about sixty miles from its mouth, and one hun-
dred and forty from Port Essington. As they advanced the river grad-
ually increased in size, and its banks were fringed with luxuriant
vegetation. In a few days their progress along the river was checked
by extensive swamps which filled the intervals between densely wooded
ridges, and leaving its course they proceeded toward the north. On
the 1st of December they encamped near the head of Van Dicmen's
Gulf. While they were waiting for their bullocks next morning a fine
native stepped out of the forest with the confidence of a man to whom
the white race was familiar. Ho was unarmed, but a great number of
his companions Avere watching the reception he should meet with. They
received him cordially, and on being joined by one of his party, he
uttered distinctly the words, " Commandant !" " Come here !" " Very
good !" " What's your name ?" The travelers from the Avildcrncss were
electrified ; their joy knew no bounds, and they were ready to embrace
the fellows, who, seeing the happiness they inspired, joined with a merry
grin in the loud expression of their feelings. These natives knew the
white people of Victoria, and called them Balanda, a name which they
derived from the Malays, signifying " Hollanders." They were very
kind and attentive to Dr. Lcichhardt's party, brought them roots and
shell-fish, and invited them to accompany them to their camping-place,
where a plentiful dinner was ready.

After crossing a plain next morning they were stopped by a large
sheet of salt water, at the opposite side of which a low range was visible,
and the natives informed them they would have to go far to the south-
east and south before they could cross the river. This was the East
Alligator River, which obliged them to make a detour of several days,
after which they continued their journey northward. Every day they
were visited by the natives in great numbers, some of whom spoke a few
English words they had picked up in their intercourse with the people
at Victoria. They imitnted with surprising accuracy the noises of the
various domesticated animals they had seen at the settlement ; and it
was amusing to hear the croA\Tng of the cock, the cacklmg of the hen,
the quacking of ducks, grunting of pigs, mewing of the cat, etc., evident
proofs that these natives had been at Victoria.

The party were now seized with impatience to come to the end of
their journey, but were obliged to content themselves with the slow prog-
ress of their animals, and at length, on the 14th of December, they
came to the sea-shore. A large bay lay before them, with islands and
headlands stretching far out into the ocean, which was open and bound-
less to the north. It was Mount Morris Bay, and they were now enter-
ing the neck of Coburg Peninsula. Guided by the natives, they made
their way slowly up the peninsula, and on the 17th came to a cart-road
which wound around the foot of a high hill ; and having passed a fine
grove of cocoa-nut palms, the white houses and a row of snug thatched

794

RECENT EXPLOllATIONS IN AUSTRALIA.

cottages burst suddenly upon them. They were kmdly received by
Captam Maearthur, commandant of Port Essmgton, and by the other
officers, who supplied them with every thmg they needed

After a month's stay at Port Essington they embai4ced m the
schooner //erome, and sailing by way of Torres Strait and the Inner
Barrier, a route only once before rttempted with success, they amved
safelv in Sydney on the 29th of March, 1846. A year afterward, Dr.
Ldhhardt^et out with another party, to cross the heart of the Austra-
nrcontinent, from Moreton Bay to Swan R ver, on the western coast

a iournev which, he estimated, would require two years and a half.
^ncftZ hlever, nothing has been heard of hun or any of h.s party
"m e^^^^^^ hie no doubt either perished by hunger and
thirst, or been murdered by the natives.

L V i\ ir s

EXPLORATION OF THE DEAD SEA.

After tho surrender of Vera Cruz, Lieutenant W. F. Lyncli, of the
American navy, aj)plied to tho government for periuission to explore the
Dead Sea. An act appropriating $10,000 for this purjjose havhig been
passed by Congress, Mr. Lynch received orders from the Secretary of
the Navy to make preparations for tho expedition. On the 2d of Octo-
ber, 1847, he was ajipointed to the command of tho store-ship Supply.
"While tho ship was fitted up for service he hud two metallic boats con-
structed, and shij)ped ten seamen for their crews. lie selected young,
muscular, native-born Americans of sober habits, from each ofM'homhe
exacted a pledge to abstain from intoxicating drinks. To this abstuionco
lie ascribes their final recovery fi-om the extreme prostration to which
they were reduced by fatigue and exposure. Lieutenant Dale and
Passed-Midshipman Aulick, both excellent draughtsmen, were chosen to
assist him in the i)rojected enterprise.

In November he received orders to proceed to Smyrna, and, through
the American Minister at Constantinople, apply to the Turkish govern-
ment for permission to pass through its dominions hi Syria, for the pur-
pose of exjiloring tho Dead Sea, and tracing the river Jordan to its
source. For the transportation of tho boats two low trucks were made,
and stowed away in the hold.

The oxjjedition sailed from New York on the 26th of November,
and on the 15th of February, 1848, entered the port of Smyrna. Cajjtain
Lynch proceeded to Constantinople and applied for the necessary firman
from the Porte. Atler some delay this was received on the 6th of
March: it w^as addressed to the pashas of Saida and Jerusalem, the
highest dignitaries in Syria, calling on them to give Captain Lynch and
his companions, seventeen in number, all duo assistance in their explora-
tions, and to protect and treat them with a regard due to the friendship
existing between the American government and the Sublime Porte.

From Smyrna Captain Lynch embarked for Syria, and anchored oflf
Beyrout on the 25th of March, where the Rev. Eli Smith, of the Amer-

796

LYNCirS EXPLORATION OP THE DEAD SEA.

ican Prcabytcrian mission, kindly exerted himself in behalf of the ex-
pedition. An intelligent young Syrian, named Ameuiiy, was procured
for dragoman of the party, and an Arab, named Mustafa, engaged as
cook. The other members of the mission rendered all the assistance in
their power. Sailing thence toward Acre, the expedition landed at
Ilaifo, under Mount Carmel, and made preparations at Acre for march-
ing into the interior. The miserable horses, which they obtained with
difficulty, were found to be wholly unused to draught, and after much
perplexity the experiment of substituting camels for draught-horses was
tried, and happily proved successful. The huge animals, three to each
truck, with the boats, marched off with perfect case. This novel experi-
ment was witnessed by an eager crowd of people, and the successful
result taught them a new accomplishment of that patient and powerful
animal.

The trucks moved on in advance, and on the 4th of April the party
took up the line of march after the boats, having sixteen horses, eleven
loaded camels, and a mule. From the plains of Acre the road lay over
a rugged country, sometimes attaining an elevation of fifteen hundred
feet. On the Gth Captain Lynch giiined the heights overlooking the
Sea of Galilee, and soon afterward reached the city of Tiberias, on its
margin. The boats had been dragged with difficulty along a series of
valleys and ridges, and with the utmost exertions they were only
brought to the preci})itous range overlooking the lake, by sunset on the
7th. Next morning all hands went up to bring them down. Some-
times it was feared that, like the herd of swine, they would rush precip-
itately into the sea, but at length they reached the bottom in safety, and,
with their flags flying, were borne triumphantly beyond the walls and
amid a crowd of spectators launched upon the waters of Galilee — the
Arabs meanwhile singing, clapping their hands, and crying for bak-
sheesh. Buoyantly floated the two Fannies, bearing the stars and
stripes. Since the time of Josephns and the Romans no vessel of any
size had sailed upon this sea, and for many ages but a solitary keel had
furrowed its surface.

They had not time to survey this lake, on account of the advancing
season and the lessening flood in the Jordan, and therefore left the ne-
cessary observations until their return. The bottom is a concave basin ;
the greatest depth previously ascertained was twenty-seven and a half
fathoms, but from copious rains and rapid evaporation, the depth is
constantly varying.

Captain Lynch now assigned to each man his special duty. In the
land party Mr. Dale was to take the topographical department. Dr.
Anderson the geological, Mr. Francis Lynch the botanical, while Mr
Bedlow (an American gentleman Avho joined the party) was to note the
aspect of the country and the incidents of the route. In the water
party Lynch assigned to himself, in the Fanny Mason, the physical
aspect of the river and its banks, the productions, animal and vegetable,

DESCENT OP THE JORDAN.

797

with a journal of events. To Mr. Aulick, who had charge of the
Fanny Skinner, waa assigned the topographical sketch of the river
and its shores.

It was found necessary, from the best information they could obtain
respecting the river, to employ camels. As the Jordan was represented
to run between high banks, and the navigation to be dangerous, the
safety of the party, and the success of the expedition, might depend
materially upon the vigilance and alacrity of the land party. Captain
Lynch, therefore, placed it under command of Mr. Dale, with directions
to keep as near the river as possible, and hasten to the assistance of the
water party, should a given signal be heard. To aid in transportation
down the Jordan, and upon the Dead Sea, an old frame boat Avas pur-
chased and fitted up, with the name of Uncle Sam.

Proceeding down the river, the party in the boats soon came to a
rapid, at the ruins of the bridge of Semakh. From the disheartening
account lie had received of the river, Captain Lynch had conio to the
conclusion that it might be necessary to sacrifice one of the boats to save
the rest. Ho therefore decided to take the lead in the Fanny Mason,
which, being of copper, could be more easily repaired. The boats
passed down the rapids without serious injury. Next day they reached
a series of rapids, where the channel was so completely obstructed, that
it became necessary to transport the boats around the most difficult.
Hero they labored, up to their waists in water, for several hours.
Starting again, they descended a cascade at the rate of twelve knots,
and immediately afterward passed down a shoal rapid, w'hero the fore-
most boat struck, and hung for a few moments on a rock. In passing the
eleventh rapid, the velocity of the current was so great that one of the
seamen, who lost his hold, was nearly swept over the fall, and with
great difficulty gained the shore. In the evening they anchored at the
head of the falls and whirlpool of BUk'ah.

Next morning the Uncle Sa)n was shattered upon the rocks and
foundered, consequently the hope of transporting the tents from place
to place along the Dead Sea was abandoned. The metallic boats passed
down the first rapid in safety ; down the second, a desperate-looking
cascade, with a bluff rock obstructing the channel at its foot, they were
lowered by ropes, and by the assistance of some Arabs who accompanied
the land party, the dangerous passage was made without accident. In
this manner they proceeded down the rocky bed of the Jordan, whose
winding course enabled the land party to keep equal pace with the
boats in their descent.

In the afternoon of the 11th they arrived at El Meshra, the bathing-
place of Christian pilgrims. This ford is consecrated as the place where
the Israelites passed over with the Ark of the Covenant, and where the
Saviour was baptized by John. " Feeling that it would be a desecra-
tion to moor the boats at a place so sacred," says Captain Lynch, " we
passed it, and with some difficulty found a landing below." Tliey en-

798

LYNCIl'S EXPLORATION OP THE DEAD SEA.

camped witli the land party, who had pitclu'd their tents on the bank,
but M'erc aroused at three o'eh)ck in tho morning with tlic intelligenoo
that tlio pilgrims were eoniing. Itisiiig hastily they beheld thousands
of torcli-lights moving rapidly over tho hills, and had searocly tinie t >
remove their tents and eftects a sliort distance, when the procession
was upon them — men, women and children, mounted on camels, horses,
mules and donkeys, rushed impetuously on toward the river. The
motley procession continued until daybreak, and, dismounting as they
anived, they disrobed with jtrecipitation, rushed down the bank, and
threw themselves into tho stream. Absorbed by an impulsive feeling,
tliey seemed perfectly regardless of observation. Each one plunged, or
was dipped, three times below tho surface, and then filled a bottle from
tlie river. The bathing-dress of many of the pilgrims was a white gown
with a black cross upon it. As soon as they had dressed, tliey cut
branches from the ay nun castus, or willow, and, dipping thcin in tho
consecrated stream, bore them away as memorials of their visit. In an
hour they began to depart, and in less than three hours the whole crowd
was gone. Tho pageant disappeared as ra[)idly as it had approached,
and left the travelers once more in the silence and solitude of the \vil-
derness. Eight thousand hiunan beings had passed and repassed before
their tents, and left no vestige bchiiul them.

Tlie expedition moved on in the afternoon, and in a few hours the
boats entered the Dead Sea. On rounding tho point, they endeavored
to make a west course toward the encamjjment of their friends ; but a
fresh north-west wind was blowing, and increased so rapidly, that it was
impossible to head it. Tho sea rose with the incrcjasing wind, and pre-
sented an agitated surface of foaming brine ; tho spray left incrustations
of salt upon their clothes, hands and faces; it conveyed a prickly sensa-
tion whenever it touclied the skin, and was exceedingly painful to the
eyes. Tho boats, lieavily laden, struggled sluggishly at first ; but when
the wind freshened in its fierceness, it seemed as if their bows " were
encountering the sledge-hammers of tho Titans, instead of tho opposing
•waves of an angry sea." In tho evening the wind suddenly abated,
the waves fell, and tho boats now glided rapidly over an unrippled sur-
face. On reaching the camp the men made a frugal supper, and then,
wet and weary, threw themselves upon the ground beside a fetid
marsh; — the dark, fretted mountains behind; the Bea, like a huge
caldron, before them, with its surface shrouded in lead-colored mist,
"Toward midnight, while the moon was rising above the eastern
mountains, and the shadows of the clouds were reflected, wild and fan-
tastic, on the surface of the somber sea ; when every thing, the mount-
ains, the sea, the clouds, seemed specter-like and unreal, the sound of
the convent-bell of Mar Saba struck gratefully upon the ear ; for it was
the Christian call to prayer, and told of human wants and human sym-
pathios to the wayfarers on the borders of the Sea of Death."

Akil, an Arab shekh of the border, who had accompanied them from

CAMP AT ENQADDI.

709

Acre, and to whom they had all become much attached, catno to see
them next morning, previous to liis departure. Learnuig that ho was
well ac(iuauttcd with the tribes on the eastern shore, and on friendly
terms with them, Captain Lynch prevailed on him to proceed there by
land, to apprise the tribes of the approaching party, and make arrange-
ments to supply it with provisions.

On the 20th the boats were sent to sound diagonally and directly
across to the eastern shore. At a lato hour they returned, having been
retarded by a fresh wind and the corresponding heavy swell of the soa.
The distance in a straight lino to the Arabian shore was nearly eight
statute miles, the greatest depth one hundred and sixteen fathoms. In
a lino running diagonally to the south-east the depth was one hundred
and seventy fathoms, almost from shore to shore.

Next day they broke up the camp and moved southward, taking
every thing in the boats except a load for the only remaining camel.
Soon after noon on the 22 1 tiny hauled uj) the boats below Wady
Sudeir and pitched their ten :3 at a little distance from the fountain-
stream of Engaddi. They found a broad, sloping delta, whoso dusty
surface was covered with coarse ])ebbles and flinty stones, with here and
there a lotus-tree or an osher. The course of the stream across the
plain was marked by a narrow strip of luxm-iant green. In the evening
some of the tribe of Ta 'Amirah came in, and being hungry, had begun
to devour a pot of rice which was given them, when one of tlicni sug-
gested that perhaps pork had been cooked in the same vessel. Their
countenances fell when they learned that this I.ad been the case, and
although nearly famished they would not touch the rice, and there was
nothing else to give them. Fearing that his provisions woidd fall short.
Captain Lynch advised them to return to their tents. The principal food
of the Arab, as of all southern nations of this continent, is rice. These
Arabs were such pilferers that strict watch had to be kept over every
thing except the pork, which, being an abomination to the Moslem,
was left about the camp, in full confidence that it would bo untouched.

Provisions were becoming scarce when Dr. Anderson returned on the
23d with a supply from Jerusalem. They were seen shortly after noon
creeping like mites along the lofty crags, but did not reach the camp
for three hours afterward. With them came four Tv :kish soldiers, to
guard the camp in the absence of the party. The scv^uo at sunset was
magnificent ; on one hand the wild, towering cliffs, on the other the dull,
Dead Sea, and the shadows climbing up the eastern mountain. And
Eerak stood castled on the loftiest summit of the range.

Next morning Captain Lynch started with Dr. Anderson for the
peninsula, which was visible in the south-east, while Mr. Aulick pulled
directly across to Wady Mojeb (the river Amon of the Old Testament),
to sound in that direction, and Mr. Dale remained with the rest of the
party to make observations at the camp. Mr. Aulick found the width
of the sea to be about nine statute miles, and the greatest depth one hun-

800

LYNCU'S EXPLORATION OP THE DEAD SEA.

drctl and cighty-oif^lit fatlioms. Captain Lynch returned directly across
to the western Bhore, and thus tliey continued their measurements into
the southern sea. On the L'Sth they jiassed Wady Seyul Scbbeh (Uavino
of Acacias), above which tho cliff of Scbbeh, or Masada, rose perpen-
dicularly to the height of twelve or fifteen hundred feet. It is isolated
by a deep ravine on each side ; on the level summit stands a lino of
broken walls, tho remains of a fortress built by Herod. "Tho peculiar
purple hue of its weather-worn rock is so like that of coagulated blood
that it fijrccs tho mind back upon its early history, and summons images
of the fearful immolation of Eleazar and tho nino hundred Sicarii, tho
blood of whoso eelf-alaughtcr seems to have tinged tho indestructible
cliff forever."

On tho 20th they started early and steered in a direct lino for RAs
Ilish (Capo Thicket), tho northern point of the salt mountains of Us-
dum, sounding every few minutes for the ford. Soon after passing tho
point, to their astonishment they saw, on the eastern side of Usdum, a
lofty, round })illar, standing apparently detached from tho general mass,
at the head of a Jeep, narrow, and abrupt chasm. On examination they
found the pillar to bo solid salt, cai)ped with carbonate of lime, cylin-
drical in front and pyramidal behind. The upper or rounder part is
about forty foot high, resting on a kind of oval pedestal, from forty to
sixty feet above the level of tho sea. It slightly decreases in size up-
ward, criunblcs at the top, and is one entire mass of crystallizatior

At length they approached tho southern extremity of tho s
from the shallowness of the water tho boats grounded three hundred
yards from the shore. Mr. Dale landed to observe the latitude. His
feet sank first through a layer of slimy mud a foot deep, then through a
crust of salt, and then another foot of mud, before reaching the firm
bottom. The beach -was so hot as to blister the feet. From tho water's
edge he made his way with difficulty for more than a hundred yards
over black mud, coated with salt and bitumen. In returning to tho
boat one of tho men attempted to carry Mr. Dale to the water, but sank
down, and they were obliged separately to flounder through. They
ran when they could, and described it as like running over burning
ashes,

"It was indeed," says Captain Lynch, "a scene of unmitigated deso-
lation. On one side, rugged and worn, was the salt-mountain of Usdum,
with its conspicuous pillar, which reminded us at least of the catastrophe
of the plain ; on tho other were the loft,y and barren cliffs of Moab, in
one of the caves of which the fugitive Lot found shelter. To the south
was an extensive flat intersected by sluggish drains, with the high hills
of Edom semi-girding the salt plain where the Israelites repeatedly over
threw their enemies ; and to the north was the calm and motionless sea,
curtained with a purple mist, while many fathoms deep in the eliray
mud beneath it lay imbedded the ruins of the ill-fated cities of Sodom
and Gomorrah. The glare of light was blinding to the eye, and the

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SUPFERINOS PROM TUB HEAT.

801

atmoflphere difficult of rcipiration. No bird fanned with itn wing tho
attenuated air, through whioh the 4un poured his scorohing rays upon
tho mysterious element on which we floated, and whioh alone of all the
works of its Maker, contains no living thing within it.

"While in full view of the peninsula, I named its northern extremity
* Point Costigan,' and its southern one ' Point Molyneux,' as a tribute
to two gallant Englishmen who lost their lives in attempting to explore
this sea."

Toward evening a hot, blistering hurricane arose from tho sonth-east,
the thermometer being at 102°. The men, closing their eyes to the
blast, were obliged to pull with all their might to stem the rising waves,
and after an hour they gained the shore, much exhausted. Captain
Lynch had his eyelids blistered, being unable to protect them while
steering the boat. Some went up a ravine to cHcape the Htilling wind;
others, driven back by tho glare, returned to tho boats and crouched
under the awning. One mounted spectacles to protect his eyes, but the
metal became so heated that he was obliged to remove them. At five
o'clock, finding tho heat intolerable, they went up a dry ravine in search
of water, and discovering some pools, they washed and bathed in them,
but the relief was only momentary. Tt • wind rose to a tempest, and
the heat rather increased than lessened after sunset. At eight o'clock
the thermometer was 106°.

The Arabs who accompanied the expedition were indispensable ; they
brought food when the mon were nearly famished, and water when
parched with thirst. They acted as gui<lo8 and messengers, and faith-
fully guarded the camp. A decided course tempered with courtesy
wins at once their respect and good will. Although an impetuous race,
not an angry word passed between them and Captain Lynch's party.

The expedition now returned northward to complete the survey.
Notwithstanding the high wind, the tendency to drowsiness became
irresistible. The men pulled mechanically, with half-closed lids, and
except the oarsmen and Captain Lynch, every one in the copper boat
was fast asleep. The necessity of steering and observing every thing,
alone kept him awake. The drowsy sensation, amounting almost to
stupor, was greatest in the heat of the day, but did not disappear at
night. Every day this stupefying influence became more painfully ap-
parent, but Captain Lynch resolved to persevere and leave no part of
the work undone, endeavoring to be as expeditious as possible without
working the party too hard.

They reached Point Costigan in the afternoon of the 30th, and
steered across the south-eastern bay, to search for water and for signals
from 'Akil. The heat was still intense, and rendered less endurable by
the white spiculse of the peninsula and the dazzling reflection from tho
surface of the sea. There were Arabs among the low bushes on the
shore ; md preparing for hostilities they pulled directly in and hailed
them. One of them proved to be Jum*ah, a messenger of 'Aldl, who

802

LTNCH'S EXPLORATION OP THE DEAD SEA.

had arrived at Kcrak. In the evening the son of Abd' Allah, Christian
shekh of Kerak, came with an invitation to visit his father at his mount-
ain fortress, seventeen miles distant. An invitation was also received
from the Moslem shekh. Captain Lynch accepted it with a full sense
of the risk incurred, but the whole party was so much debilitated by
the sirocco and the subsequent heat, that it became absolutely necessary
to invigorate it at all hazards.

The deputation from Kerak expressed great delight at seeing fellow-
Christiaus on the shores of tliis sea, saying that if they had known of
their first arrival they would have gone round and invited them over.
It was a strange sight to see these wild Arab Christians uniting them-
selves so cordially to the Americans. These people had never seen a
boat, and could h£\rdly believe that any thing so large could be made to
float. One of the fellahs from Mezra'a, when he first beheld them, stood
for some time lost in thought and then burst forth in joyful shouts of
recognition. He was an Egyptian by birth, and being stolen away
when young, had forgotten every thing connected with his native coun-
try until the sight of the boats reminded him of having seen things
resembling them ; and the Nile, and the boats upon it, and the familiar
scenes of his childhood, rushed upon his memory.

On the 1st of May the horses and mules for which they had sent,
arrived, and with them came Mohammed, the son of Abd' el Kadir, the
Moslem shekh, and Abd' Allah, the Christian shekh. Mohammed was
overbearing in his manners, and his aim jst insulting conduct awakened
distrust. He had come down with al/out eight men, his brother with
fourteen more, and by two and three at a time they continued to drop
in, until by nine o'clock there were upward of forty around the camp.
Early next morning the party set out ; the sailors mounted on miserable
cradles, extending along the backs of their mules, while the horses were
little better caparisoned. One of the seamen, who had been least af-
fected by the heat, remained at his own request. To him and the Be-
douin Jum'ah, who had several Arabs with him. Captain Lynch gave
charge of the boats.

Arriving at the brow of a hill, three thousand feet above the Dead
Sea, they had before them a high rolling pldn, where the grass was
withered and the grain blighted by the sirocco and the locust. Turn-
ing to the north, they passed along the walls and towers of the town,
into which they entered by an arch cut through the rock. The passage
was thirty feet high and twelve wide, and about eighty feet long in an
irregular line.

The people assembled on dirt-heaps and mud roofs to see the
strangers pass, and the room they occupied was crowded the whole day;
the doorway sometimes blocked up. It seemed to be regarded as a
sort of menagerie. When at length the men were left to themselves,
they lay down under a roof for the first time in twenty-three days, har-
bg first enjoyed the unwonted luxury of a draught of sweet milk.

VISIT TO KERAK.

i party „„„M gladly C;e2..T° V" °<'«'»"-y P«rokLor"""r
mountain air and f. ^™Mne(I another day for th. r^™' "">

the Arabs were in . , .*''''^ "^^^^^ preparations for ^^ ^'''''

sr • . ^- '^'^^"-Tr Ss t\tri ^^'^^^^ ^-s^'.

«°d. tteir horses were procured m^ 1 ^°'^ ^°"J*J «tand by the^
again demanded baksheesh and T- " ^'^'^ ^'^'^« ^^^rting, MohamlTi'

toward the riL A^ Uulmt:" '"^ ""^^"^ *»g «!« o„a,t
of he pnncipal eities of the Mon^^,?, ""'"'' "P"" which Aroer „„'
It'd^ '"P""-^ Mo "ftt°\:-*«od. Eight X'orth
TOwed the promised land A. ,i "" "'o ^'immit of whi<.|, Ar

St :f '; ^'>— til- 1 tSeTt"' "'° ^-^"-^ - ^-o'

unes of green oane and tamarisk n,„i ' " """<'' w™ marlced l,v

«h of May they stopped for «„' ° 1 " ''"'"'""" "'^-palm, ft, .to

fttieritlnt 'T'"^'^^^'^^ "Z'^''"''^
sea TK "^^^^ ^^<^ep, rushed onf ,v.m stream, twelve

oft r-J^'"? ™^*^« their innumeiable « '^'"'"' ^«"^ ^^^ter of

fare 7 ? ^J""* ' '^ ''^' '^ifScult to k" o !'• ^ '''^'"' ^t' the soa
could « ^ ^"^^ ^^^^'-^^ they had tHod u, r ^''' '^^"^^^h the s.u-
to on ? '" *^" «^^ ^thout turlL 1 '^'''^^' ^ horse and donkey

804

LYNCH'S EXPLORATION OP THE DEAD SEA.

to two hundred and eighteen fathoms ; the bottom soft hrown mud,
with rcctangL'lar crystals of salt. At Ain Tur&beh they found their
tents in the charge of Sherif. Two Arabs were sent to meet Mr.
Aulick, at the mouth of the Jordan ; he returned next day, having
completed the topography of the shore, and taken observations at the
mouth of the river. Dr. Anderson had collected many specimens in the
geological department, and the exploration of the sea was now com-
plete.

On the 9th Mr. Dale went with the interpreter to reconnoiter the
route over the desert toward Jerusalem. Two sick seamen were sent
to the convent at Mar Saba. In the evening the party bathed in the
Dead Sea preparatory to their spending their twenty-second and last
night upon it. They had now carefully sounded this sea, determined
its geographical position, taken the exact topography of its shore, as-
certained the temperature, width, depth, and velocity of its tributaries,
collected specimens of every kind, and noted the winds, currents,
changes of weather, and all atmospheric phenomena.

On the 10th the tents were struck, and the party ascended the pass
of Ain Turabeh. They proceeded to the convent of Mar Saba, and
thence continued their route toward Jerusalem, where they arrived on
the 17th. There were many Jewish women and children, clothed in
white, under the olive-trees in the valley as they passed. They were
families from the city, who thus came to spend the day beneath the
shade, away from the stifling air of the Jews' quarter Next day the
boats were sent to Jafia, under the care of Sherif, and the party re-
mained in camp until the 22d, during which time the officers and men
had time to recruit, and to visit Jerusalem and its vicinity. On break-
ing up the camp, they started to run a line of level across to the Med-
iterranean, ' ♦lirty-lhree miles distant, in a direct line. The desert being
passed, they substituted mules for camels, to transport the baggage.
They found the depression of the surface of the Dead Sea below that
of the Mediterranean to be a little over thirteen hundred feet.

After remaining a few days at Jaffa, the land party, under the com-
mand of Mr. Dale, started on the morning of June 6th, for Acre. In
the evening Captain Lynch embarked w ith the remainder in an Arab
brig, and arrived at Acre on the next evening. Charles Homer, a sea-
man, with the land party, was severely wounded on the way by tho
accidental disv barge of a gun. He was sent immediately to Beyrout,
in charge of Mr. Bedlow and a few men, and placed under medical ui-
tendance.

On the 10th, Captain Lynch started for Nazareth, whence he pro-
ceeded to tho sources of the Jordan, still taking observations to con-
nect with the preceding ones. Receiving intelligence, on the 19th, that
Homer was out of danger, and that Messrs. Aulick and Bedlow were
on the way to rejoin him, he started to lead tho party over the Anti-
Lebanon into the plain of Damascus. After spending a few days in

DEATH OP LIEUTENANT DALE.

805

Damascus, they proceeded by a mountainous road toward the sea. On
the 30th they were four thousand feet above the level of the sea ; the
road was difficult, and some of the men were sick. Mr. Dale, who was
the worst, was sent ahead with Mr. Bedlow, that he might obtain the
best medical advice as soon as possible. On arriving at Beyrout next
day, nearly the whole party wore exhausted, and some required im-
mediate medical attendance, but in a few days they were mostly con-
valescent. On the 10th Mr. Dale rode to Bhamdun, twelve miles
distant, in the hope of being more speedily invigorated by the mountain
air. It was on the dreadful Damascus road, which they had traveled
eleven days before, and he arrived thoroughly exhausted, but was much
recruited next day. On the second day, however, a sirocco set in,
which lasted for three days, and completely prostrated him. He
lingered until the 24th, when he died. Determined to take the remains
home, if possible, Captain Lynch started immediately with iliuir. for
Beyrout, and proceeded by a slow, dreary ride do^vn the rugged
mountain by torchlight.

On the 30th the physicians advised them to leave at once, as there
was no hope of recovery of the sick at Beyrout, Captain Lynch there-
fore chartered a small French brig for Malta. An accident in transport-
ing the remains to the vessel, and the superstitious fears of the captain
and crew, compelled him to land them, and at sunset, as the Turkish
batteries Avere saluting the first night of the Ramadan, they escorted the
body to the Frank cemetery, and laid it beneath a Pride of India-tree.
A few appropriate chapters of the Bible were read, and some effecting
remarks made by the Rev. Mr. Thompson ; allcr which tlie sailors ad-
vanced and fired three volleys over the qfrave.

At 9 r. M. they embarked on bo ' the Perle (P Orient and after a
tedious passage of thirty-eight days, dn. tig which tliey suffered mucli
from sickness, debility, and scarcity of food Jind water, they r(>ache<l
Malta, where they received every possible attentiun from tlie An't-rican
Consul, Mr. Winthrop. On the 12th of September, tlie iSiqypli/ havinir
arrived, the expedition re-embarked, with only three of its members c
the sick-list. They touched at Naples, Marseilles, and Gibraltar, in the
hope of procuring supplies, but in the two former they W' le refused
pratique, and from the latter they were peremptorily ordered away.
Depending therefore on the rains to replenish their supply of wattT, tliey
pursued their homeward voyage, and early la December reached ae
United States.

EULiillirT?

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ASSYRIA AND
ME80P0IAMIA

TV i^^ Sjltrinsnf Sdol'ciafcaesiplion

\ \ »S)HaHyth/ ^u^rr • .

JuUiv^uJcan \ -ir- • . vll "^

AEaatle

I L LUSTRATINC
EXPLORATIONS.

iMJr,

i/iil^wrnm

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ftCHONBCWO A. CO. ACRCGKAPHy NCWYORK^ j

1 1

L A Y ARD'S

EXPLORATIONS AT NINEVEH AND BABYLON.

FIRST '5XCAVATION8 AT NINEVEH.

THK MOCND or NIMBOTTD (NINEVKH).

Mr. Austen Hbnky Layaud first visited the East in 1839, and
daring that and the following year traversed almost every part of Syria
and Asia Minor, in company with Mr. Ainsworth, the author of " Travels
in the Track of the Ten Thousand." Extending their journey to the
eastward, they reached Mosul, floated down the Tigris to Baghdad,
crossed to Persia, visited the ruins of Susa and Persepolis, and after
being plundered by a band of robbers in the mountains, returned through
Armenia to Europe. While descending the Tigris, from Mosul to
Baghdad, Laniard stopped to examine the lofty mounds of Nimroud,
sixteen miles below the former city. He was impressed by the con-
viction that extensive remains, perhaps those of a part of ancient Nine-
veh, were concealed under those shapeless piles of earth, broken pottery
and bricks, and then formed the determination of returning to explore
them, at some future time.

On passing through Mosul in the summer of 1842, on his return to
Constantinople, he found that M. Botta, the French Consul, had com-

L~|.H mm

810

LAYARD'S EXPLORATIONS.

menced excavations in the large mound of Kouyunjik, on the opposite
side of the Tigris. Only some fragments of brick and alabaster, upon
which were engraved a few letters in the cuneiform, or arrow-headed
character, had then been discovered. After reaching Constantinople,
Layard wrote to M. Botta, advising him to excavate in the mounds of
Nimroud ; but the latter gentleman, following the advice of some of
the natives, turned his attention to a large mound, upon which the vil-
lage of Khorsabad was built. After sinking a well for some distance
through the rubbish, the workmen came to a wall built of sculptured
slabs of gypsum. M. Botta at once directed a wider trench to be
formed, and to be carried in the direction of the wall. Ho soon found
that he had opened a chamber, which was connected with others, and
constructed of slabs of gypsum covered with sculptured representations
of battles, sieges, and similar events. His wonder may easily be imag^
ined. A new history had been suddenly opened to him — the records
of an unknown people were before him. He was equally at a loss to
account for the age and the nature of the monument. The art shown in
the sculptures ; the dresses of the figures ; their arms and the objects
which accompanied them, were all new to him, and afforded no clew to
the epoch of the erection of the edifice, and to the people who were its
founders. However, it was evident that the monument appertained to
a very ancient and very civilized people ; and it was natural from its
position to refer it to the inhabitants of Nineveh, a city, which, although
it could not have occupied a site so distant from the Tigris, must have
been in the vicinity of the place. M. Botta had discovered an Assyrian
edifice, the first, probably, which had been exposed to the view of man
since the fall of the Assyrian empire.

The excavation was continued, and by the beginning of 1845, the
monument had been completely uncovered. The researches of M. Botta
were not extended beyond Khorsabad, and, having secured many fine
specimens of Assyrian sculpture, he returned to Europe with a rich col-
lection of inscriptions, the most important result of his discovery. This
success increased Layard's desire to explore the ruins of Assyria. He
was more than ever convinced that Khorsabad was not the only relic of
Assyrian art, and that, as it could not represent Nineveh, the remains
of that city were to be found at Nimroud. He received little encourage-
ment in his desires, until, in the autumn of 1845, Sir Stratford Canning,
British Minister at Constantinople, expressed his readiness to incur, for
a limited period, the expenses of an exploration. Layard accepted tiie
proposal, set out from Constantinople at once, and, traveling with all
speed, reached Mosul by the last of October.

" There were many reasons," says Layard, " which rendered it nftces-
sary that my plans should be concealed, until I was ready to put them
into execution. Although I had always experienced from M. Botta the
most friendly assistance, there were oth -ts who did not share his senti- I
ments ; from the authorities and the people of the town I could only !

ij:

FIRST DISCOVERIES AT NIMROUD.

811

expect the most decided oppos'tion. On the 8th of November, having
secretly procured a few tools, and engaged a mason at the moment of
my departure, and carrying with me a variety of guns, spears, and other
formidable weapons, I declared that I was going to hunt wild boars in a
neighboring village, and floated down the Tigris on a small raft con-
structed for my journey. I was accompanied by Mr. Ross, a British
merchant of Mosul, my cawass, and a servant."

On reaching Nimroud, Layard succeeded in engaging six Arabs to
work under his direction. The next morning he commenced operations,
and was not long left in suspense. Seeing a piece of alabaster projecting
above the soil, he ordered his men to dig around it, and found that it
was the upper part of a large slab. Its exhumation revealed a second,
then a third, and in the course of the morning ten were discovered, the
whole forming a square, which was apparently the top of a chamber.
Digging down the face of the stones, an inscription in the cuneiform
character was soon exposed to view. The next day he hired more work-
men, and completed the excavation of the chamber, which was built of
slabs eight feet high. " In the rubbish near the bottom of the chamber,"
says he, " I found several ivory ornaments, upon which were traces of
gilding ; among them was the figure of a man in long robes, carrying
in one hand the Egyptian crux ansata, part of a crouching sphinx, and
flowers designed with great taste and elegance. Awad, who had his
own suspicions of the object of my search, which he could scarcely per-
suade himself was limited to mere stones, carefully collected all the scat-
tered fragments of gold leaf he could find in the rubbish ; and, calling
me aside in a mysterious and confidential fashion, produced them wrapped
up in a piece of dingy paper. ' O Bey,' said he, * Wallah ! your books
are right, and the Franks know that which is hid from the true believer.
Here is the gold, sure enough, and, please God, we shall find it all in a
few days. Only don't say any thing about it to those Arabs, for they
are asses and can not hold their tongues. The matter will come to the
ears of the pasha.' The shekh was much surprised, and equally disap-
pointed, when I generously presented him with the treasures he had col-
lected, and all such as he might hereafter discover."

The news of this discovery soon reached Mosul, and created quite a
sensation. It was rumored that immense treasures had been found, and
the pasha, who was very oppressive and unpopular, determined to inter-
fere, and stop further excavations. Layard, to avoid difficulty, pretended
to acquiesce, but asked for a guard to protect the sculptures, while he
made drawings of them. During the few days which intervened whL'e
the subject was under discussion, the work had been vigorously prose-
cuted, and several bas-reliefs representing battles and sieges, and winged
bulls, fourteen feet in length, were discovered. The experiment had
been fairly tried ; there was no longer any doubt of the existence not
only of sculptures and inscriptions, but even of vast edifices in the inte-
rior of the mound of Nimroud, as all parts of it that had yet been ezam-

l| il i

812

LATARD'S EXPLORATIONS.

inedf furnished romains of buildings and carved slabs. IIo lost no time,
therefore, in acquainting Sir Stratford Canning with his discovery, and
urging the necessity of a firman, or order from the Porte, which would
prevent any future interference on the part of the authorities, or the in-
habitants of the country.

About this time word reached Mosul that the pasha was to be re-
moved, and another appointed in his place. The country was very
unsettled, and as it was impossible to continue the excavations at Niin-
roud, Layard proceeded to Baghdad, to consult Major Ilawlinson, and
to make arrangements for the removal of the sculptures to England.
Returning to Mosul in January, 1846, he found the new governor, Ismail
Pasha, who received him with courtesy, and gave him full permission to
continue his researches at Nimroud. He took up his residence at Nim-
roud, and engaged a party of Nestorian Christians to assist him in the
work. About the middle of February, the excavations wore recom-
menced, in the north-western side of the mound. One chamber opened
into another, and these into halls and courts, the walls of which wore of
alabaster, covered with bas-reliefs and inscriptions. The sculptures as-
sumed a more interesting character, the further they advanced; the
monarch, with his attendant niinistei's and servants, tributary kings,
battles, sieges, and finally the gods of a lost religion, colossal iigures
carved with the most astonishing minuteness of detail, were one after
another exposed to view.

" On all these figures," says Layard, " paint could be faintly distin-
guished, particularly on the hair, beard, eyes, and sandals. The slabs on
which they were sculptured had sustained no injury, and could be with-
out difficulty packed and moved to any distance. There could no longer
be any doubt that they formed part of a chamber, and that, to explore
it completely, I had only to continue along the wall, now partly un-
covered.

" On the morning following these discoveries, I rode to the encamp-
ment of Sheikh Abd-ur-rahman, and was returning to the mound, when
I saw two Arabs of his tribe urguig their mares to the top of their
speed. On approaching me they stopped. ' Hasten, O Bey,' exclaimed
one of them — ' hasten to the diggers, for they have found Nimrod him-
self. Wallah, it is wonderful, but it is true ! we have seen him with our
eyes. There is no God but God ;' and both joining in this pious ex-
clamation, they galloped oft", without further words, in the direction of
their tents.

" On reaching the ruins I descended into the new trench, and found
the workmen, who had already seen me, as I approached, standing near
* heap of baskets and cloaks. While Awad advanced, and asked for a
present to celebrate the occasion, the Arabs withdrew the screen they
had hastily constructed, and disclosed an enormous human head sculp-
tured in full out of the alabaster of the country. They had uncovered
the upper part of the figure, the remainder of which was still buried in

DISCOVERY OP COLOSSAL STATUES.

818

the earth. I naw at onco thsit the head must belong to a winged lion or
bull, similar to those of Khorsabad and P'»"''?polifl. It was in admirable
preservation. Tiie expression waa calm, yet majestic, and the outline
of the features showed a freedom and knowledge of art, scarcely to be
looked for in the works of so remote a period. The cap had three horns,
and, imlikc that of the human-headed bulls hitherto found in Assyria,
was rounded and without ornament at the top.

" I was not surprised that the Arabs had been amazed and terrified
at this apparition. It rc<iuired no stretch of imagination to conjure up
the most strange fancies. This gigantic head, blanched with ago, thus
rising from the bowels of the cart'., might well have belonged to one of
those fearful beings which crz pictured in the traditions of the country,
as appearing to mortals, slowly ascending from the regions below. One
of the workmen, on catching the first glimpse of the monster, had thrown
down his basket and run off toward Mosul as fast as his legs could carry
him. I learned this with regret, as I anticipated the consequences.

" While I was superintending the removal of the earth, which still
clung to the sculptare, and giving directions for the continuation of the
work, a noise of horsemen was heard, and presently Abd-ur-rahman, fol-
lowed by half his tribe, appeared on the edge of the trench. As soon
as the two Arabs had reached the tents, and published the wonders
they had seen, every one mounted his marc and rode to the mound, to
satisfy himself of the truth of these inconceivable reports. When they
beheld the head they all cried out together, ' There is no God but God,
and Mohammed is his Prophet!' It was some time before the shekh
could be prevailed upon to descend into the pit, and convince himself
that the image he saw was of stone. ' This is not the work of men's
hands,' exclaimed he, ' but of those infidel giants of whom the Prophet,
peace be with him ! has said, that they were higher than the tallest date-
tree ; this is one of the idols which Noah, peace be with him ! cursed
before the flood.' In this opinion, the result of a careful examination,
all the b)rstanders concurred. I now ordered a trench to be dug due
south from the head, in the expectation of finding a corresponding figure,
and before night-fall reached the object of my search about twelve feet
distant.'*

The sensation caused by this discovery, and the prejudices of the
Moslem Cadi of Mosul, obliged him to suspend operations for a time.
By the end of March, however, he uncovered a pair of winged human-
headed lions, the human shape being continued to the waist and fur-
nished with arms. " In one hand each figure carried a goat or stag,
and in the other, which hung down by the side, a branch with three
flowers. They formed a northern entrance into the chamber of which
the lions previously described were the southern portal. I completely
uncover-^d the latter, and found them to be entire. They were about
twelve feet in height, and the same number in length. The body and
lunbs were admirably portrayed; the muscles and bones, although

814

LAYARD'S EXPLORATIONS.

Strongly developed to display the strength of the animul, showed at the
same time a correct knowledge of its anatomy and form. Expanded
wings sprung from the shoulder and spread over the bnek ; n knotted
girdle, ending in tassels, encircled the loins. Those magnificent speci-
mens of Assyrian art were in peri'ect preservation ; the most miimte
lines in the details of the wings and in the ornaments had been retained
with their original freshness. Not a character was wanting in the in-
scriptions."

The operations having been suspended until further means should ar-
rive from Constantinople, Layard determined to pay a visit to Sofuk,
the shekh of the great Arab tribe of Shammar, which occupied nearly
the Avholo of Mesopotamia. On this excursion he ^vas accompanied by
Mr. Rassara, the English vice-consul, and his wife, and Mr. Ross. On
his return, ho received the firman from Constantinople, and a further
supply of money, which enabled him to resume the Avork of excavation.
About thirty men, chiefly Arabs, were employed, and their labors were
rewarded by the discovery of many more chambers, filled with bas-
reliefs of the most interesting character, in perfect i)rcservation. Layard
now determined to remove the most valuable specimens, for transporta-
tion to England. The slabs were sawed into several pieces, and all the
superfluous stone cut away ; after which they were packed in felts and
matting, and deposited in rough wooden cases. They were then floated
down the Tigris to Baghdad, on a raft made of poplar wood and inflated
skins.

By this time the summer had arrived, and the heat became so great
that the explorer's health began to suffer from his continued labors on a
spot where the thermometer frequently reached 115° in the shade. lie
therefore returned to Mosul, and excavated for a time in the mound of
Kouyunjik, where he discovered an entrance formed by two winged
figures, leading into a chamber, paved with limestone slabs. As the
figures were mutilated and the walls of the chamber without inscriptions,
he gave up any further exploration, and returned to Nimroud in the
middle of August. His health, however, again gave way, and he then
determined to make an excursion to the Tiyari Mountains, inhabited by
the Chaldean Christians, and to the Alpine country of Koordistan. His
description of this journey, which occupied some weeks, and of the an-
nual religious festival of the Yezidis, or Devil-Worshipers, in the valley
of Shekh Adi, are of great interest and value. After his return to Mo-
sul, he accompanied the pasha on a military expedition into the Sinjar
Mountains.

" On my return to Mosul," he writes, " I received idtters from En-
gland, informing me that Sir Stratford Canning had presented tho
sculptures discovered in Assyria, and bad made over all advantages
that might be derived from the order given to him by the sultan, to the
British nation ; and that the British Museum had received a grant of
funds for the continuation of the researches commenced at Nimroud,

DISCOVERY OF AN INSCRIBED OBELISK.

816

and clauwhere. Tho grant was small, and scarcely adequate to the
objects in view." Nevijrthuless, he determined to persevere, and accom-
plish as much as possible, with tho limited means. Mr. Ilormuzd lias-
sam took the part of overseer and pay-master, and soon acquired an
extraordinary iulluenco among tho Arabs. Atler building a winter-
residence ibr hitusult' and servants, Layard recommenced the excavations,
on a large scale, on the 1st oi November.

The six weeks Ibllowing the commencement of excavations upon a
largo scale, were among tho most prosperous, and fruitful in events,
during his researches in Assyria. One of the most remarkable discov-
eries M'as made in tho center of tho mound, near where the colossal
winged bulls had been found. After quarrying out a shaft of about fifty
feet in length, and finding nothing but fragments of sculptures in yellow
limestone, Layard was about to abandon the work, when a corner of
black marble was uncovered, which proved to be part of an obelisk,
about seven feet high, containing twenty small bas-reliefs, and an in-
scription of two hundred and ten lines. The whole was in the best
preservation ; scarcely a character of tho inscription was wanting ; and
the figures were as sharp and well defined as if they had been carved
but a few days before. Tho king is twice represented, followed by his
attendants ; a prisoner is at his feet, and his vizir and eunuchs are in-
troducing men leading various animals, and carrying vases and other
objects of tribute on their shoulders, or in their hands. The animals
are the elephant, the rhinoceros, the Bactrian, or two-humped camel, the
wild bull, the liuri, a stag, and various kinds of monkeys.

" I lost no time hi copying the hiscriptions," savs Layard, " and draw-
ing tho bas-reliefs, upon this precious relic. It AvaS then carefully packed,
to be transported at onco ^o Baghdad. A party of trustworthy Arabs
were chosen to sleep near it at night ; and I took every precaution that
the superstitions and prejudices of the natives of the country, and the
jealousy of rival antiquaries, could suggest."

Early in December, a sufficient number of bas-reliefa had been col-
lected to load another raft, and preparations were accordingly made for
sending a second cargo to Baghdad. " On Christmas day," says Layard,
" I had tho satisfaction of seeing a raft, bearing twenty-three cases, in
one of which was the obelisk, floating down the river. I watched them
until they were out of sight, and then galloped into Mosul to celebrate
the festivities of the season, with the few Europeans whom duty or
business had collected in this remote corner of the globe.

"The north-west palace," he continues, "was naturally the most
interesting portion of the ruins, and to it were principally directed my
researches. I had satisfied myself beyond a doubt that it was the most
ancient building yet explored in Assyria. Not having been exposed to
a conflagration like other edifices, the sculptures, bas-reliefa, and in-
scriptions, which it contained, were still admirably preserved. When
the excavations were resumed after Christmas, eight chambers had beea

816

LATARD'S EXPLORATIONS.

discovered. There w^re now so many outlets and entranced, that I had
no trouble in finding new rooms and halls— one chamber leading into
another. By the end of the month of April I had explored almost the
whole building; and had opened twenty-eight chambers cased with
alabaster slabs."

Before his means should be completely exhausted, Layard deter-
mined to make some excavations in the mounds of Kalah Shergat, fur-
ther down the Tigris — mounds which equal in extent those of Nimroud
and Kouyunjik. The only important object he discovered at this place
was a headless sitting figure of black basalt, of the size of life. On his
return to Nimroud, hd set about the task of removing two of the winged
bulls and lions, for transportation to England. With the scanty mechan-
ical contrivances of the country, this was a work of immense labov -.n<i
difficulty, and weeks were employed in taking the colossal figures from
their stations at the doorway of the palace, bringing them to the bank
of the Tigris, and shipping them on large rafts, ready to proceed to
Bassora. Every thing was at last safely accomplished, and some sheep
having been slaughtered to insure a propitious voyage, the rafls disap-
peared on their doubtful way down the Tigris.

" By the middle of May," says Layard, " I had finished my work at
Nimroud. My house was dismantled. The windows and doors, which
had been temporarily fitted up, were taken out ; and, with the little
furniture that had been coH.Jcted together, were j)laced on the backs of
donkeys and camels to be carried to the town. The Arabs struck their
tents and commenced their march. I remained behind until every one
had letl, and then turned my back upon the deserted village. We were
the last to quit the plains of Nimroud ; and, indeed, nearly the whole
country to the south of Mosul, as far as the Zab, became, after our de-
parture, a wilderness." After making further excavations at Kouyunjik,
sufiicient to convince hi'n that the mound covered the ruuis of a palace
of great exteat and magnificence, Layard determined to return to
Europe, as the funds placed at his disposal were exhausted, and he
learned that the British Museum was not inclined to encourage further
explorations. Leaving Mosul on the 24th of June, 1847, he took the
road to Constantinople, on his way to England.

SECOND VISIT TO NINEVEH.

Layard remained some months in England to recruit his health, and
publish the results of his travels and researches. In 1848, he returned
to Constantinople and resumed his post as dtlache to the British em-
bassy. The interest which his work excited, however, and the acknowl-
edged importance of his discoveries, induced the trustees of the British
Museum to propose to him a second expedition into Assyria. He at
once accepted this offer, and drew up an extended plan which should

RETURN TO NINEVEH.

817

embrace the thorough exploration not only of the Assyrian remains, but
also those of Babylonia, but this was not accepted. Ho was merely
directed to resume the excavations at Nimroud. Mr. Cooper, an artist,
was selected by the trustees of the Museum to accompany him — in addi-
tion to whom he was joined at Constantinople by Mr. Hormurzd Ras-
sam, and Dr. Sandwith, an English physician. Cawal Yusuf, the head
of the preachers of the Yezidis, with four chiefs from the neighborhood
of Diarbekir, who had been for some months at Constantinople, com-
pleted his party.

On the 28th of August, 1849, the expedition left the Bosphorus in a
steamer for Trebizond, where they landed on the 31st, and continued
their journey by way of Erzeroum, the lake of Wan, and the mountain
country of the Koords, to Mosul. Ti;e jouriiey was accomplished with-
out accident, and on arriving at their destination Layard was received
with the greatest enthusiasm by his old friends and workmen. Ho im-
mediately hired his former assistants, secured the services of a hundred
men, and commenced a thorough excavation of the mound of Kouyunjik.
The accumulation of earth was so great that it was necessary to adopt a
.wstem of tunneling, removing only as much earth as was necessary to
show the sculptured walls. While the preparations were going forward,
he accepted an invitation from the Yezidis, and again witnessed their
peculiar religious festival in the valley of Shekh Adi.

On the 1 8th of October, Layard rode to Nimroud for the first time.
Ho says : "Tiic mound had undergone no change. There it rose from
the plain, the same sun-burnt yellow heap that it had stood for twenty
centuries. The earth and rubbish, which had been heaped over the ex-
cavated chambera and sculptured slabs, had settled, and had left uncov-
ered in sinking the upper part of several bas-reliefs. A few colossal
heads of winged figures rose calmly above the level of the soil, and with
two pairs of mnged bulls, which had not been reburied on account of
their mutilated condition, was all that remained above ground of the
north-west palace, that great storehouse of Assyrian history and art.
Since my departure the surface of tho mound had again been furrowed
by the plow, and ample crops had this year rewarded the labors of the
husbandman. The ruins of the south-west palace were still uncovered.
The Arabs had respected the few bas-reliefs which stood against the
crumbling walls, and Saleh Shahir pointed to them as a proof of the
watchfulness of his people during my long absence."

Collecting together a number of his former workmen, ho ordered
them to continue the excavations at the points where they had formerly
been abandoned. For two months his time was divided between Kou-
yunjik and Nimroud, excavations being carried on at both places with-
out interruption. "By the end of November," he writes, "several
entire chambers had been excavated at Kouyunjik, and many bas-reliefs
of great interest had been discovere<l. Tlio four sides of a hall had now
been explored. In the center of each side was a grand entrance, guarded

819

LAYAED'S EXPLORATIONS.

by colossal hutnnn-hcaded bulls. This magnificent hall was no loss than
one Iiundred and twenty-four feet in length by ninety feet in breadth,
the longest sides being those to the north and south. It appears to
have formed a center, around which the principal chambers in this part
of the palace were groujjcd. Its walls had been completely covered
with the most elaborate ,'"id highly-finished sculptures. Unfortunately
all the ')as-reliefs, as well as the gigantic monsters at the entrances, had
suflTercd more or less iVom the lire which had destroyed the edifice ; but
enough of them still remained to show the subject, and even to enable
mo in many places to restore it entirely.

" There can be no doubt that the king represented as superintending
the building of the mounds and the placing of the colossal bulls, is
Sennacherib himself, and that the sculptures celebrate the building at
Nineveh of the great palace and its adjacent temples described in the
inscriptions as the Avork of this monarch. The bas-reliefs were accom-
panied in most instances by short epigraphs in the cuneiform character,
containing a description of the subject with the name of the city to
which the sculptures were brought. The great inscriptions on the bulls
at the entrances of Kouyunjik record, it would seem, not only historical
events, but, with great minuteness, the maimer in which the edifice itself
was erected, its general plan, and the various materials employed in
decorating the halls, chambers, and roofs. When comi)letely deciphered
they will perhaps enable us to restore, with some confidence, both tho
general plan and elevation of the building."

During the month of December, several discoveries of the greatest
interest and importance were made, both at Kouyunjik and Nimroud.
At the former place, the grand entrance to the palace of Sennacherib,
was discovered, guarded by two human-headed, winged bulls, twenty
feet long, and when entire, more than twenty feet high. This entrance
led to the uncovering of the whole south-eastern facade of tho palace.
Ten colossal bulls, with six human figures of gigantic proportions, were
here grouped together, and the length of tho whole, without including
the sculptured walls continued beyond the smaller entrances, was one
hundred and eighty feet. Oi. the great bulls forming tho center portal
of the grand entrance were inscriptions containing tho annals of six years
of the reign of ScLnacherib, besides numerous particulars connected with
the religion of the Assyrians. In one of these inscriptions, which has been
deciphered by Dr. llincks, there occurs a most interesting confirmation
of the historic record of the Bible. " Ilezekiah, khig of Judah," says
the Assyrian king, " who had not submitted to my authority, forty-sii
of his principal cities, and fortresses, and villages depending upon theni,
of which I took no account, I captured, and carried away their spoil. I
shut up (?) himself within Jerusalem, his capital city. Tho fortified
towns, and the rest of his towns, which I spoiled, I severed from his
country, and gave to the kings of Ascalon, Ekron, and Gaza, so as to
make his country small. In addition to tho former tribute unposcd upon

DISCOVERY OF ASSYRIAN RELICS.

819

their countries, I added a tribute, the nature of which I fixed." Tljo
next passage is somewhat defaced, but the substance of it appears to bo
that he took from Ilczckiah the treasure lie had collected in Jerusalem,
thirty talents of gold and eight hundred talents of silver, the treasure of
liis palace, besides his sons and his daughters, and his male and female
servants or slaves, and brought them all to Nineveh.

At Nimroud, Layard made discoveries which proved to him that the
high conical mound at the north-' /estern corner of the ruins, was the
remains of a square tower, which he conjectured to have been the tomb
of Sardanapa'us. From the amount of rubbish, ho supposed the tower
to have been at least two hundred feet high. In another part of the
ruhis a vaulted drain was discovered, near which was a perfect arch of
brick-work. One of the bronze sockets of the palace-gate, weighing
several pounds, was also found in ono of the chambers. But the most
important discovery of all was made at thu commencement of January,
1850. A new chamber was opened in the north-west palace, adjoining
the great central-hall. The walls Avere of plain, sun-dried bricks, and
there were no sculptured slabs, but in the earth and rubbish which filled
it, were some of the most interesting Assyrian relics yet found. The
first objects discovered were two plain copper vessels or caldro' ., two
feet and a half in diameter, and three feet deep, with their mouths closed
by largo tiles. They were completely filled with small articles, among
which were bronze bells with iron tongues, hundreds of buttons and
.studs, made of mother-of-pearl and ivory, hooks, rosettes, and the feet of
tripods. Near these caldrons were two circular flat vessels, nearly six
feet in diameter, and two feet deep.

Behind the caldrons was a heap of curious and interesting objects.
In one jilaco were piled without order, ono above the other, bronze cups,
bowls, and dishes of various sizes and shapes. The upper vessels having
been most exposed to damp, the metal had been eaten away by rust,
and was crumbling into fragments, or into a green powder. As they
Avere cleared away, more perfect specimens were taken out, until, near
the pavement of the chamber, some were found almost entire. Many
of the bowls and plates fitted so closely, one within the other, that they
have only been detached in England. It required the greatest care and
patience to separate them from the tenacious soil in which they were
embedded. Around the vessels were heaped arms, remains of armor,
iron instruments, glass bowls, and various objects in ivory and bronze.
The arms consisted of swords, daggers, shields, and the heads of spears
and arrows, which being chiefly of iron fell to pieces almost as soon as
exposed to the air.

The most interesting of the ivory relics were, a carved staff*, perhaps
a royal scepter, part of which has been preserved, although in the last
stage of decay ; and several entire elephants' tusks, the largest being
about two feet fivo inches long. In the further corner of the chamber,
to the lell hand, stood the royal throne. " Although it was utterly im-

820

LAYARD'S EXPLORATIONS.

possible, from the complete state of decay of the materials, to preserve
any [)art of it entire," says Layard, " I was able, by carefully removing
the earth, to ascertain that it resembled in shape the chair of state of
the king, as seen in the sculptures of Kouyunjik and Khorsabad, and
particularly that represented in tlie bas-reliefs already described, of Sen-
nacherib receiving the captives and spoil, after the conquest of the city
of Lachish. With the exception of the legs, which appear to have been
partly of ivory, it was of wood, cased or overlaid with bronze, as the
throne of Solomon was of ivory, overlaid with gold.

" By the 28th of Jaimary," ho writes, "the colossal lions forming the
portal to the great hall in the north-west j)alacc of Nimroud were ready
to be dragged to the river-bank. The walls and their sculptured panel-
ing had been removed from both sides of them, and they stood isolated
in the midst of the ruins. W«. rode one calm cloudless night to the
mound, to look on them for the last time before they were taken from
their old resting-places. The moon was at her full, and as avc drew
nigh to the edge of the deep wall of earth rising around them, hor soft
light was creeping over the stern features of the Imman heads, and
driving before it the dark shadows which still clothed the lion forms.
One by one the Umbs of the gigantic sphin.xos emerged from the gloom,
until the monsters were unvailed before ns. I shall never forget that
night, or the emotions which those venerable figures caused within mo.
A few hours more and they were to stand no longer where they had
stood unscathed amidst the wreck of man and his works for ages. It
seemed almost sacrilege to tear them from their old haunts to make
them a mere wonder-stock to the busy crowd of a new world. They
were better suited to the desolation around them ; for they had guarded
the palace in its glory, and it was for them to watch over it in its ruin.
Shekh Abd-ur-rahman, who had ridden with us to the mound, M-as
troubled with no such reflections. He gazed listlessly -at the grim
images, wondered at the folly of the Franks, thought the night cold,
and turned his mare toward his tents. We scarcely htedod his gohig,
but stood speechless in the deserted portal, until the shadows again be-
gan to creep over its hoary guardians."

Layard had long wished to examine the river Khabour ^tho Chebar
of the Old Testament), a branch of the Euphrates, the greater portion
of which had never been explored by Europeans. Having procured tlie
escort of Suttum, a shekh of one of the branches of the Shammar tribe,
he left Mosul about the end of March, accompanied by Mr. Kassam and
the rest of his party. They were absent on this excursion until the 10th
of May, having been treated with the greatest hospitality b;/ all the Be-
douin tribes whom they visited. They discovered some ir.teresting re-
mains at Arban, on the Khabour — colossal winged bulls and lions,
Egyptian scarabei and ornaments, and a curious glass bottle, upon which
were old Chinese characters.

During this time the excavations at Kouyunjik had been actively

ASSYRIAN HISTORICAL TABLETS.

.821

carried on. A great munber of interesting liistorioal bas-reliefs had
been exhumed, together with a colossal figure of Dagon, the fish-god of
the Assyrians. Much the most iini)ortant discovery, however, was that
of two small chambers which appear to have been a depositary for the
historical archives of the kingdom. To the lieight of a foot or more
they were covered with tablets of baked c*~y, some entire, but the
greater part broken into fragments. " These documents," says Layard,
" aj)pcar to be of vn.rious kinds. Many arc historical records of wars,
and distant cxpedi lions imdcrtakcn by the Assyrians ; some seem to be
royal decrees, and are stamped with the name of a king, the son of
Essarhaddon ; others again, divided into parallel columns by horizontal
lines, contain lists of the gods, and probably a register of offerings made
in their temples. On one Dr. Ilincks has detected a table of the value
of certain cuneiform Icftors, expressed by certain alphabetical signs, ac-
cording to various modes of using them ; a most import-int discovery :
on another, apparently a list of the sacred days in each month ; and on
a third, what scorns to be a calendar. The adjoining chambers contained
similar relics, but in far smaller numbers. Many cases were filled with
these tablets before I lefl Assvria, and a vast number of them have been
found, I understand, since my departure. A largo collection of them is
already deposited in the British Museum. We can not overrate their
value. They furnish lis with materials for the complete decipherment
of the cuneiform character, for restoring the language and history of
Assyria, and for incpiiiing into the customs, sciences, and, we may per-
haps even add, literature of its people. The documents that have thus
been discovered at Nineveh probably exceed all that have yet been af-
forded by the monuments of Egypt."

As the summer came on the party was increased by the arrival of
several European travelers, among whom was the Honorable Mr. Wal-
pole. The increasing heat prostrated one member of the party afler
another ; they were attacked with fever, and were driven to the cooler
region of the Koordish' Mountains to recruit. Layard still remained
behind, to ship other cargoes of relics on rafls to Baghdad and Bussora,
but on the II th of July was obliged to leave, like the others. In a few
days the scattered invalids were collected, and set off on a summer ex-
cursion through Koordistan. They proceeded as far as the Lake of
Wan, whence some of the party returned to Europe ; Layard and the
remainder again dirccti-d their course toward Mosul, where they arrived
on the 30th of August, afler an absence of seven weeks. During this
time the workmen had all been employed at Kouyunjik, and had suc-
ceeded in opening many new chambers, together with a hall, one hun-
dred and forty by one hundred and twenty-six feet, the sides of which
werp covered with grand historical sculpturoa.

822

LATARD'S EXPLORATIONS.

EXPL0RA7I0NS AT BABYLON.

As the winter drew near, and the season became more favorable for
a \'i8it to the marshy country of the Euphrates, Layard determined to
devote some tune to an exploration of the ruins of Babylon. Taking
with him a small jiarty of experienced workmen, he left Mosul on the
18th of October, and set out on a raft for Baghdad, accompanied by 3Ir.
Rassam and Mr. Romaine, an English traveler. After a voyage of eight
days the party reached Baghdad, but found the country so overrun with
Bedouins and other tribes in open revolt against the government, that
it was some time before they could venture to leave the city for the
ruins of Babylon.

^^^^^S^^

RUINS OP 11 A BY L ON.

Finally, on the 5th of December, he left Baghdad, provided with let-
ters from the pasha and from influential Arab shekhs, to the principal
chiefs of the southern tribes, and proceeded to Ilillah, on the Euphrates.
" After riding about four hours," he says, " we perceived a huge hill to
the south. As we drew nearer, its flat table-like top and perpendicular
sides, rising abruptly from an alluvial plain, showed that it was the work
of man, and not a natural elevation. At length we could plainly distin-
guish around it great embankments, the remains of walls and canals.
Gradually, as the caravan slowly advanced, the ruin assumed a definite

THE "BIRS NIMROUD."

B2H

shape. It was the monnd of Dabel, better known to travelers as the
Mujelibe, a name not now given to it by the Arab inhabitants of the
surrounding country.

*' This is the first great ruin Bcon on approaching ancient Babylon
from the north. Beyond it long lines of ])alms hem in the Euphrates,
which now winds through the midst of the ancient city. To the vast
mound of Babel succeed long undulating heav)3 of earth, bricks, and pot-
tery. A solitary mass of brickwork, rising from the summit of the larg-
est mound, marks the remains known to t'.ie Arabs as the ' Mujelibe,'
or the ' overturned.'

" Other shapeless heaps of rubbish cover for many an acre the face
of the land. The lofty banks of ancient canals fret the country like nat-
ural ridges of hills. Some have long been choked with sand ; others
still carry the waters of the river to distant villages and palm-groves.
On all sides, fragments of glass, marble, pottery, and inscribed brick are
mingled with that peculiar nitrous and blanched soil, which, bred from
the remains of ancient habitations, checks or destroys vegetation, and
renders the site of Babylon a naked and hideous waste. Owls start from
the scanty thickets, and the foul jackall skulks through the furrows.
Truly * the glory of kingdoms and the beauty of the Chaldces' excellency
is as when God overthrew Sodom and Gomorrah. Wild beasts of the
desert lie there ; and their houses are full of doleful creatures ; and owls
dwell there, and satyrs dance there. And the wild beasts of the island
cry in their desolate houses, and dragons in their pleasant palaces,' for
her day has come.

*' Southward of Babel, for the distance of nearly three miles, there is
almost an uninterrupted line of moimds, the ruins of vast edifices, col-
lected together as in the heart of a great city. They are inclosed by
earthen ramparts, the remains of a lino of walls which, leaving the foot
of Babel, stretched inland about two miles and a half from the present
bod of the Euphrates, and then turning nearly at right angles completed
the defenses on the southern side of the principal buildings that mark
the site of Babylon, on the eastern bank of the river.

"The Birs Nimroud, the 'palace of Nimrod' of the Arabs, and ' the
prison of Nebuchadnezzar' of the Jews ; by old travelers believed to be
the very ruins of the tower of Babel ; by some, again, supposed to
represent the temple of Belus, the wonder of the ancient world ; and,
by others, to mark the site of Borsippa, a city celebrated as the high-
place of the Chaldean worship, is a vast heap of bricks, slag, and broken
pottery. The dry nitrous earth of the parched plain, driven before the
furious south wind, has thrown over the huge mass a thin covering of
soil in which no herb or green thing can find nourishment or take root.
Thus, unlike the grass-clothed mounds of the more fertile districts of
Assyria, the Birs Nimroud is ever a bare and yellow heap. It rises to
the hight of one hundred and ninety-eight feet, and has on its summit a
compact mass of brickwork, thirty-seven feet high by twenty-eight

I
1

824

LATARD'S EXPLORATIONS.

broad, the whole being thus two hundred and tliirty-five in perpendic-
ular height. Neither the original form or object of the edifice, of which
it is the ruin, have hitherto been determined. It is too solid for the
walls of a building, and its shape is not that of the remains of a tower.
It is pierced by square holes, apparently made to admit air through the
compact structure. On one side of it, beneath the crowning masonry,
lie huge fragments torn from the pile itself. The calcined and vitreous
surface of the bricks fused into rock like masses, show that their fall may
have been caused by lightning ; and, as the ruin is rent almost from top
to bottom, early Christian travelers, as well as some of more recent
date, have not hesitated to recognise in them proofs of that Divine
vengeance, which, according to tradition, arrested by fire from heaven
the impious attempt of the first descendants of Noah."

The excavations at Babylon produced no important result. The
vast accumulation of rubbish, much of which had been already explored,
rendered it very difllcult and dangerous to carry shafts or tunnels to
any distance, as the loose mass continually fell in upon the workmen.
The principal articles found were coffins, the contents of which fell to
dust when exposed to the air, arrow-heads, glass bottles, and vases of
earthenware. Relinquishing, finally, any further explorations at this
place, Layard set out on the 15th of January, 1851, for the mounds of
Niffer and Wurka, in the country of the Afaij Arabs, about fifty miles
south of Ilillah, in the midst of the marshes which lie between the
Euphrates and the Tigris. This was a perilous journey, as the road
was infested with tribes of marauding Arabs, but they were fortunate
enough to escape attack. Excavations were carried on for some days
in the mounds of Niflfer, and great numbers of coffins of glassed earthen-
ware, containing bones and dust, discovered. The mound of Wurka is
composed almost entirely of these coffins, which must amount to many
hundred thousands.

In a few days Layard was stricken down by fever, and the situation
of his party became perilous, on account of the warfare among the Arab
tribes. He therefore judged it prudent to return, and succeeded in
reaching Baghdad in safety, though completely exhausted, while his
Ar.ib workmen were attacked and plundered on the road. He left
Baghdad for Mosul on the 27th of February, traveling by land under
the protection of Sahiman, one of the shekhs of the Shammar Arabs.
After his return to Mosul the excavations at Kouyunjik and Nimroud
were carried on for some time, until it became evident that the richest
treasures of the mounds had been discovered and secured. The funds
appropriated for the purpose were also nearly exhausted by this time,
and Layard determined to return to Europe with his collections, leaving
Mr. Hodder, an artist who had been sent out by the trustees of the
British Museum, to take charge of the exhumed palaces. On the 28th
of April he bade adieu to his faithful Ar^ib friends and left Mosul Hii
second work was published in 1863, and in the foUowmg year he ww

VALUE OP HIS NARRATIVE.

825

elected a member of Parliament. Few works published in modem
times are more interesting and valuable than the narratives of hia ex-
plorations, and his visits to the tribes of the Assyrian Desert, and the
mountains of Koordistan. This outline of his discoveries scarcely gives
more than a glimpse of the wealth of information contained in his
volumes.

OOLOeSAL WINQEU UON, fROH MINIVIS.

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TRAVELS OF IDA PFEIFFER.

JOURNEY TO PALESTINE AND EGYPT.

Triis celebrated traveler is a native of Vienna, where she was born
toward liu; dose of the last century. From her earliest childhood, alio
chcrislu'd an intense desire to see the different courtr:::a of the world.
She could hot even meet a traveling carriage without stopping to watch
it as it i)ass(d out of sight, regarding the jjostilion, who had accompa-
nied it, as si; ;];ouglit, during tlit; long journey, as the happiest of m'?n.
When a little girl often or twelve years old, she eagerly devoured every
hook of travels that came within her reach, .and secretly envied the navi-
gator or discoverer, who was permitted to explore the secrets of the
natural world. The sight of a distant hill that slif could not climb
would affect her to tears. Her taste for traveling was gratified by fre-
quent journeys with her parents, and also after her marriage, with her
husband, until the cares of a family, which occupied all her time, rom-
pellcd her to forego the enjoyment.

After the education of her two sons was coni])1eted, she once more
indulged in the dreams and fancies of her youth, and so insatiable was
her longing to visit the scenes of sacred history, that in spite A every
obstacle, she resolved to undertake the enterprise. Leaving 7ienna on
the '22d of March, 1842, she commenced her adventurous journey to the
Holy Land. The -voyage down the Danube was marked by no incident
of special nionu-nt, and on the morning of April 0th, she entered tho
harbor of Constantinople. Tho sun was just rising over the imperial
city, which presented n spectaclo of gorgeous magnificence to the eyes
of the astonished traveler.

She remained about six weeks in Constantinople, feasting her curios-
ity with tho wonders of the city, but adding no new information to tho
descriptions given by previous travelers. During her stay in Constanti-
nople, she was invited to make one of a party consisting of Mr. Sattler,
the painter of the celebrated cosmoramas, and two German noblemen,
on an excursion to Itroussa, a beautiful littlo town at the foot of Mount
Olympus. The route was across tho Sea of Marmora to Gemlik, tho port

828

TRAVELS OP IDA PFEIFPER,

of Bythinia, and thcnco by land, a distanro of four German miles, to
liroussa. This part of the journoy wan to be aecomplished on horseback,
and aH Ida had never attempted that mode of traveling, slio felt some
natural misgivings as to the result. Her experience shall be told in her
own words. " At haU'-past two o'tilock the horses arrived. I swung
myself boldly upon my Kosinante, called on my good angel to defencl
me, and awf / wo started, slowly at first, over stock and stone. IMy joy
was boundless wlien I found that I could sit steadily upon my horse ;
but shortly afterward when wo broke into a trot, I began to feel particu-
larly uncomfortable, as I could not get on at all with the stirrup, which
was continually slipping to my heel, Avhile sometimes my foot slid out
of it altogether, and I ran the risk of losing my b.alance. Oh, wliat
would I not have given to have asked advice of any one ! iJut unfortu-
nately I could not do so without at onco betraying my ignorance of
horsemanship. I therefore took care to bring up the rear, under the
pretense that my horse was shy, and Avould not go well unless it saw the
others before. My real reason was that I wished to liide my manetivers
from the gentlemen, for every moment I expected to fall. Frequently I
clutched the saddle with both hands, as I swayed from side to side. I
looked forward in terror to the gallop, but to my surprise found that I
could manage this pare better than the trot. My courage brought its
reward, for I reached the goal of our jouriu-y thoroughly skaken, but
withoiit mishap."

Upon applying for her passports to the Austrian consul, slio was
strongly advised not to venture on a journey to the Holy Land. The
disturbances on Mount Lebanon were then at their height ; the plague
was prevailing to a fearful extent ; and no traveler, she was told, should
encounter such Ibrmidable dangers without the most urgent neccrsity.
But she Mas deaf to these friendly warnings. Poinding that notliing
could shake her from her purpose, her advisers tried to persuade her to
perform the journey in male attire. She refused to do this, shrewdly
foreseeing the annoyances to which it would expose lier. Her short,
spare figure would have seemed to belong to a youth, while her face was
like that of an old man. This incongruity, together with the absence of
a beard, could not fail, as she thought, to expose her disguise, and hence
she determined to retain the cimple costume which she then wore, con-
sisting of a kind of blouse, and wide Turkish trowsers.

Embarking on board an Austrian steamboat, she left Constantinople
on the 17th of May, not without a certain desolate feeling at finding lior-
self alone among a crowd of people with nothing to sust:un her but her
trust in heaven. Every thing around her was strange. There was not
a person on board to whom she could speak. But, as she glanced up-
ward at the unchanging stars, her despondency passed away, and slio
soon began to contemplate the new scenes in which she was placed with
her usual interest. Her satisfhction was increased, after the vessel Imd
got out of the harbor, by finding among the swarthy Oriental passcn-

JOURNEY TO JERUSALEM.

829

gers, nn intelligent European gontlonian, intending, llko heraolf, to visit
the Holy Land. After conversing with hiiu for some time m the French
language, Hhe discovered that lie was an Knglisliman, and the wcU-ltnown
artist and author, Mr. W. H. Hartlett. Tiiey agreed to make the jour-
ney from Heyrout to Jerusalem in company.

A pleasant voyage of eight days among the islands of tlie Clrecian
An^liijH'lago brought them to IJeyrout, where, witliout remaining over
night, they at once took passage in a sailing vessel for Jop|»a. In tho
afternoon of the second day, they camo imder tho walls of that ancient
city, and entered tho harbor, which is partially closed up with sand,
•with less difliculty than had been anticipated. She soon had an oppor-
tunity of becoming hiitiated into tho customs of oriental liospitality, but
the first impression on her mind was far from agreeable. This was at
an entertainment at the house of the Austrian consul. " Mats, carpets,
and pillows were spreatl out on the terrace of tho house, and a very
low table placed in the center, liound this tho family f "xt, or rather re-
clined, cross-legged. I was accommodated with a chair somewhat higher
than the table. lieside my plato and that of the consul were laid a kiiifo
anil fork, that appeared to !>ave been hunted out from some lumber-
closet ; tho rest ato with a species of natural knife and fork, namely —
fnigers. Tho dishes wen* not at all to my taste. I liad still too much
of the European about me, and too little ai)petitc, to be able to endure
what these good people seemed to consider immense delicacies."

Early the next morning slic left Jopp.!, and after a ride on horaeback
of some eleven hours, over bad roads, and in extreme he.it, she was
seized with such a violent giddiness, that she "ould scarcely keep from
falling from her horse. She was ashamed to infor.n her comjtanion of
her Hurterings, lest lu! should regard her as a puny truveler, and perhaps
separate from lier on the return from Jerus.alem to Joppa. She there-
fore dismounted, and thus saved herself from n fall, staggering along
beside her horse, until she felt strong enough to mount and move. Mr.
IJartlett had Avished to complete tho journey — a sixteen hours' ride — at
one stretch, and, upon liis asking her if she could endure so much
fatigue, she assured him that she could hold out for live or six hours
longer without much difficulty. Fortunately for her rej)Utation, how-
ever, ho was soon afterward attacked with tho sar.io symptoms which
had troubled her, and begun to think th.it it might be advisable to rest
for a few hours in the next village, especially as they could not liope in
any case to reach Jerusalem bclbro 8un.set. Ida felt an inward joy at
tho opporttmo occurrence, and well knowing the course ho would
choose, left the decision entirely to her fellow-traveler. " Thus," says
she, " I accomplished my object without being obliged to confess my
weakness."

Their resting-place was in the neighboring village, which was on tho
site of the ancient Emmaus, where tho risen Saviour nu^t the disciples,
and where there is still a ruin of a Christian church in a tolerable stato

830

TRAVELS OP IDA PPBIPPBR.

of preservation. She took possession of the entrance-hall of a mosque,
near which a delicious spring sparkled forth from a grotto. Tlie water
was singularly grateful and refreshing, and she so completely recovered
from her indisposition, as to be able to enjoy the beautiful evening. As
soon as the shokh of the village heard that a party of Franks had ar-
rived, ho dispatched four or five dishes of provisions to them, but they
were able to eat only the buttermilk. Soon after, the shekh came in
person to jjay his respects, and through the medium of the dragoman,
kept uj) a conversation with Mr. Bartlett for some time, much to the
discomfiture of Ida, who, wearied with the journey, wished to seek re-
pose. He at length took his leave, but the tired travelers were doomed
to enjoy no 8leei> that night. Mr. Bartlett was seized with the fancy
of pursuing the journey at midnight, and to his somewhat strange pro-
posal, Ida unhesitatingly consented. She acknowledged that she felt a
little afraid to venture upon the wild and dangerous road at that hour ;
but she kept her fears to herself, her pride not allowing her to confess
the truth.

In the gray morning twilight they approached the holy city;
silently and thoughtfully watching for the ^rst glimpses of it in the dis-
tance ; hoping with the ascent of every hill to behold their sacred goal,
till at length the Mount of Olives lay spread before them, and just as
the red streaks of dawn had begun to tinge the eastern sky, they stood
before the Avails of Jerusalem. " I w:is so lost in reflection, and in thank-
ful emotion," says Ida, " that I saw and heard nothing of what was
passing around me. And yet I should find it impossible to describe
what I thought, "vvhat I felt. My emotion was deep and powerful ; my
expression of it would be poor and cold."

After devoting a Aveek to visiting the consecrated localities of Jeru-
salem and its vicinity, she joined a party of German travelers on an
excursion to the river Jordan and the Dead Sea. The cavalcade, con-
sisting of Mr. Bartlett, five German nobles, two doctors and lu^-solt;
together with half a dozen servants, and a body-guard of twelve Arabs,
under two Bedouin chiefs, started on the afternoon of June 7th. All
"were strongly armed with guns, pistols, swords, and lances, presentinir a
quite formidable appearance to any person with hostile intentions. The
road lay through the Via Dolorosa, through St. Stephen's Gate, past the
Mount of Olives, over hill and dale. J^verywhere the scene was bar-
ren. Though many fruit trees were in bloom, there was not a trae;' of
grass or flowers. The gord of the first day's jou ney was the Greek
convent of St. Saba in the Waste about eight miles from Jcriisaloin.
About half an h.our before reaching the convent, they entered upon tlio
wilderness Avhere Christ fasted forty days, and was afterward " tempted
of the devil." Vegetation liere entirely ceases ; not a shrub nor a root
appears; and the bed of the brook Kedron is completely dry. A
deathly hilenco brooded over the whole landscape, broken only by the
foot-falls of the horses echoing sullenly from the rocks. At length, on

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ADVBNTUEB AT A OB.BEK OONVBNT.

881

taming sh&rply round an ai.gle of the road, the caravan came in sight
of a large handsome buUding, surromidcd by a strong fortified wall, and
rising in the form of terraces toward the brow of a hill. Several other
edifices, and hi front of all a church, with a small cupola, plainly showed
that St. Saba stretched below.

The priests had observed the procession winding down the hill, and
at the first knocking the gates were opened. Masters, servants, Arabs,
Bedouins, all passed through ; but a woman was an unexpected spccta*
cle ; and on the approach of Ida, the cry was " Shut the gate ;" and she
was thus prevented fi'om entering, with the prospect of passing the
night in the open air — a fate by no means agreeable considering the
dangers of the neighborhood. At length, a lay-brother made his ap-
pearance, and pointing to a square solitary tower, some seven or eight
hundred paces from the convent, i-.'timated to her that she would find a
night's lodging in that place. He j>rocured a ladder from the convent,
and going with her to the tower, they mounted by its aid to a little low.
doorway of iron. The conductor pushed this open, and they crept in.
A wooden stair-case led still further to two tiny rooms, situated near
the center of the tower. One of these miniature apartments, dimly
lighted by the rays of a lamp, contained a small altar, and served as a
chapel, while the second was used as a lileeping-room for female pilgrims.
A wooden divan was the only piece of furniture in the room. The con-
ductor then took his leave, promising to return shortly, with some pro-
visions, a bolster, and a coverlet. Ida found herself in a strange condition.
She was guarded, like a captive pnncess, by bolt and bar. She could not
have fled had she wished to do so, for the conductor had locked the
creaking door behind him and taken away the ladder. After examininj;
the capabilities of her prison-house, she mounted the stair-case and'
gained the summit of the tower. Her elevated position enabled her ta
gain a wide view of the surrounding country. She could distinctly
trace the desert, with its k.<^veral rows of hills and mountains skirting the
horizon. Every thing was bare and desolate. Not a tree, nor a shrub,
nor a human habitation was to be seen. Silence brooded heavily over
the landscape, and as the sun sunk beneath the mountains, the place
seemed ordamed as a memorial of our Saviour's fasting, and in an
ecstasy of devotion, the pious traveler fell on her knees, to oftcr up her
prayers and praise to the Almightly amid the rugged grandeur of the
desert.

The increasing darkness at length drove her back into the little
chamber. Shortly afterward, a priest and a lay-brother appeared, and
M'ith them Mi\ Bartlett. The priest had brought her supper and bed-
ding, while her English fellow-traveler proposed to send a few servants
as a guard to relieve the dreariness of the night in the lonely tower.
Summoning all her courage, she disclaimed every emotion of fear, and
declined the considerate offer.

Aft^r a quiet nighVs rest, she rose with the sun, and at five o'clock

682

TRAVELS OP IDA PPEIFPBB.

in the morning the cavalcade took up their lino of march toward the
Dead Sea. They reached the object of their journey in safety, and on
tlio second day again turned their faces in the direction of Jerusalem.
A few days after her return from this excursion, she loft the holy city,
with a feeling of grateful happiness that she liad been permitted to
behold those regions, to visit which had so long been a favorito day-
dream of her life. On the 11 th of Juno, with the same party which she
had accompanied to the Dead J>oa. she started for Beyrout by land, in-
tending to go by the way of Nazareth, Galilee, Canaan, and other places
of j)eculiar interest to the Christian traveler. They reached Nazareth
on the third day. In the morning, she had been seized on the road with
violent headache, nausea, and other feverish symptoms, but she was
obliged to concesil her illness, as she had done on the journey to Jeru?- •
lem, through fear of being loft behind. She was also unwilling to give
up visiting the holy places in Nazareth, and hence making a great effort,
fthe accompanied the p-irty through the whole day, though she wiis
obliged every moment to retire into the back-ground that her condition
should not be observed. Thanks to her sunburnt skin, through which
no pak'Moss could penetrate, her secret was not detected, and toward
evening she began to grow bettor. On the return of her appetite, no
more savory refections could be obtained than some bad mutton-broth,
and an omelette made Mith rancid oil. A little bread and wine, how-
ever, was lit last procured, and served as a substitute for more substan-
tial viands.

After a journey of ton coni,«.'CUtive days, the party arrived at Bey-
rout on the 21st of June. The distance from Jerusalem is about two
hundred miles, allowing for the circuitous route by way of Tiberias.
The journey through Syria was ono of great toil .and hardship. Tho
horses suffered dreadfully, as they were constantly obliged to climb over
rocks, stones, and mountains, or to wade through hot sand, in which
they sank .above tho fetlocks at every step. The temperature was sub-
jopu to sudden changes. By day tho heat fluctuated between 18"aj. I
30° Ucaumur, .and the nights, too, were no less capricious, being some-
times opju-essively sultry, and sometimes bitterly cold.

After passing two very unsatisfactory days .at Beyrout, she again ft-II
in with the artist Sattler, who proposed that she should join a party
■with which he was traveling Lo Damascus. She gladly accepted the
proposal, and soon completing liti arrangements, was on the way to
Mount Lebanon, A European woman is seldom seen in those regions.
Ida w.as an object of great curiosity to all the inhabitants. Wherever
the" h.alted, many women .and chiklren would gather round her, b» sily
pulling her dress, putting on her straw hat, and looking at her from all
»id( s, while they attempted to coii verse with her by signs.

They arrived at Damascus on the .3d of July, and after remainins;
two days in that city set off on a tour to Balbeck, Il.aving visited those
celebrated ruius they proceeded on their journey toward Lebanon. In

ORIENTAL "COMMUNISM."

883

a narrow passage of tho road, so shut in by chasms and abysses on one
Bide, and walls of rock on the other, as scarcely to admit a foothold for
a horse, they suddenly heard the call to " halt." It came from a soldier
who was escorting a wornau afflicted with the plague. She had been
sent from tho vihi^^e where she had been the first victim of the terrible
disease to another where it was raging. It >v as impossible to turn aside.
Tho soldier could only drag tho sick woman a few paces up the steep
rocky wall, and then they came close to her as they passed. He told
tho party to cover their mouths and noses. Ho had anointed the lower
part of his own face with tar, as a preventive against contagion. The
poor victim was bound on an ass — she appeared resigned to her fate —
and turned her sunken eyes upon tho company with an expression of
entire indifference. Tho only visible trace of the plague was the yel-
low appearance of tho face. Tho soldier seemed as cool as if he were
walking besiile a person in perfect health. As the plague prevailed
throughout tho valleys of Leba:ion, the caravan avoided the villages
aiilicted by the scourge, encamping for the night in the open fields.

On the 10th of July they arrived safely at Beyrout, having accom-
plbhed the jounu'y to Damascus and back, a distance of one hundred and
eighty miles, in ten days. No vessel was ready to sail for Alexandria
until tho 28th, when our traveler embarked on board a Greek brig, and,
after a voyage of ten days, reached the harbor of that city. The trip
was tedious in tho extreme. The vessel was crowded with passengers
and merchandise. There was no room either by night or day but on
deck. During the day-time, she had nothing but an umbrella to screen
her from the sun, and at night her cloak was soon wet through by the
dew. There was not even an awning of sail-cloth. The company was
no better than the accommodations. Their manners were vulgar and
offensive, and the Arabs and Greeks seemed disposed to caiTy the theory
of common property into practical effect. A knife, a pair of scissors, a
drinking-glass, or any other small article would be taken from the owner
without permission and given back, after being used, in a soiled condition.
A negro and his master would not hesitate to lie down on the mat or
carpet wliich you had brought on board for your own bedding. One
day Ida was using her tooth-brush, when laying it down for a moment,
it was snatched up by a Greek sailor, who after coolly cleaning liis teeth
with it, returned it to the owner with an expression of entire satisfaction.
Tho diet was shocking. As the common fare they had for dinner pilau,
stale cheese, and onions, and in the evening anchovies, olives, stale cheese
again, and ship-biscuit instead of bread. The provident Ida, however,
took no share in these dainties, as she had brought with her a few Uve
fowls, some rice, butter, dried bread, uad coffee with M-hich she prepared
a comfortable meal for herself

Upon arriving at Alexandria, tho passengers were put in quarantine
for ten days. At length they were permitted to disembark at the
quarantine hospital, and treading on the soil of Africa for the first time,

884

TRAVELS OP IDA PFEIPFBR.

Ida could not but wonder at the courage and perseverance which had
enabled her thus lar to fulfill what had seemed her almost chimerical
project. Her stay in Alexandria was short. On the 1 7th of August,
the same day that she left the quarantine-house, she proceeded to the
Nile canal, and took passage for Atfe, on the route to Cairo. In four
days she arrived at Cairo, after an interesting and agreeable passage.
On the 25th, she made an excursion to the pyramids of Gizch, and
ascended the loftiest of them, the pyramid of Cheops. Returning to
Cairo, she was tempted to try an excursion on a camel, and selected a
trip to Suez, for that purpose. The journey proved monotonous and
wearisome, and she had no wish to attempt another of a similar kind.
Leaving Cairo on tho 2d of September, she returned to Alexandria, and
on ti«o Vtli embarked on board a French steam-packet for Malta. She
reached this port in just one week, and after an interesting visit, took
j)a8sage in a steamer, October 4th, for Palermo.

After i\ sojourn of five days in that city, she embarked for Naples,
where she gpent about three weeks, diligently exploring the wonders of
art and nature presented by that capital, and on the 8th of November
arrived at Rome. Here she remained a fortnight, walking about the
streets from morning till night, visiting St. Peter's almost every day,
and the Vatican several times. Her journey to Jerusalem obtained her
an audience of the pope. His holiness received her in a great hall ad-
joining the Sistine chapel. He was at that time seventy-eight years of
a<;c, but Avith a noble presence, and most winning manners. He asked
Bome questions of the enterprising pilgrim, gave her his blessing, and
permitted her at paiting to kiss the embroidered slipper. She now
hastened to complete the tour of Italy, and in the first weel of Decem-
ber returned to Vienna in safety and perfect health, hcving endured
hardships of no slight magnitude in her various wanderings, but with
her thirst for seeing foreign lands by no means abated.

JOURNEY TO ICELAND.

Iceland was one of the countries which, from her earliest recollection,
had cast a spell over the imagination of Ida PfeifTer, and within three
years from her return from the East, she resolved to brave the perils
of an expedition to that inhospitable clime. She left Vienna on the 10th
of April, 1B45, and passing through Prague, Dresden, Leipsic, and Ham-
burg, arrived at Copenhagen on the 29th, at which port she took
passage in a s.ailing vesr"! for Iceland, on the -ith of May. On the
Beventh day they came within sight of Iceland, but as they approached
the coast, a contrary wind sprang up, and they were kept beating about
for several days and nights, until at the close of the eleventh day, they
reached the harbor of Havenfiord, two miles from Reikjavick, the
capital of Iceland. In spite of the remains of sea-sickness, which made

ICELAND DWELLINGS.

835

every thing dance around her, Ida at once sallied forth to examine the
place, which she found to consist of three dwellings built of wood, a few
warehouses of the same material, and several huts inhabited by the
peasantry.

" The wooden houses," she says, " occupied by the merchants or
their factors, are of a single story, with five or six windows in front ; a
low flight of steps leads to an entrance, in the center of the building,
Avhich opens into a vestibule, with two doors communicating with the
rooms to the right and left. In the rear is the kitchen, and the court-
yard is beyond. Such a house contains four or five rooms on the ground
floor, and a few small ch.ambcrs under the roof.

" The arrangements are entirely European ; the furniture, a gro.it
deal of which is mahogany, is all brought from Copenhagen, as avcU .as
the mirror!?, and the cast-iron stoves. Handsome rugs are spread in
front of the sofas, ncrt curtains hang before the Avindows ; the white-
washed walls are ornamented with English engravings, .and china, silver,
cut-glass, etc., are displr.yed upon the chests or corner-tables. The
rooms are scented with roses, mignonette, and pinks, and I even s.aw
one piano-forte here. Any person who should suddenly be set down in
a house like this, without having made the journey, would be sure to
imagine himself in some town on the continent of Europe, and not in
that distant region of poverty and barrenness, the island of Iceland. I
next entered some of the huts, Avhich I found to bo decidedly more Ice-
landic. They are small and low, built of lava blocks, filled in with earth,
the whole sodded over with grass, and they might easily be mistaken
for natural elevations in the ground, if the wooden chimneys, the low
doors, and almost imperceptible windows, did not betray that they were
tenanted by human beings. A dark and narrow i)assagc, not more than
four feet high, leads on one hand to the dwelling-room, and on the other
to the store-room, where the provisions arc kept, which is also used in
winter to stable the cows and sheep. The fireplace is generally at the
end of this passage, which is purposely built so low in order to exclude
the cold. The Avails and floors of these huts arc not bearded ; the
dwelling-rooms are barely large enough to sleep in, and perhaps to turn
round; the Avhole furniture consists of the bedsteads, with a very scanty
supply of bedding, a small table, and a few chests ; the latter are used
for seats as well as the beds. Poles are fastened in the walls to Avhich
clothes, shoes and stockings, and other things of that kind are sus-
pended ; and a little shelf, with a few books on it, is generally found in
each hut. No stoves are needed in these crowded rooms, which i.re
suflSciently heated by the Avarmth of their numerous inmates."

On arriving at Reikjavick, she Avas received into a private family,
Avhich treated her with a rare degree of cordiality and affection dnring
her long residence with them. Her host was a Avorthy baker, to whom
she Avas introduced by the owner of the vessel in which she had been a
passenger. Ida soon formed a warm attachment to all the members of

r 1

836

TRAVELS OF IDA PFEIPFER.

his excellent Iiouschold, but was less charmed with tho manners of tho
higher classes in the society of tho capital.

" Nothing," says she, " struck mo so much as the great dignity of
carriage at which the ladies here all aim, and which is so apt to degen-
erate into stiffness where it is not perfectly natural, or has not become a
second nature by habit. Tliey incline their head very coolly when you
meet them, with less civility than wo should use toward an inferior or
a stranger. Tho lady of the house never accompanies her guests beyond
the door of tho room, after a call ; if tho husband is present he goes a
little further, but when this is not the case you are often at a loss which
way to turn, as there is no servant on the spot to open the street-door
for you, unless it may ha]»pen to be in the house of the Stiftsamt-
mann, the first dignitary of the island. I had already observed traces
of this formality in Hamburg, and the further I advanced toward
the north, the more it increased, till in Iceland it reached its greatest
height."

The flicilitics for traveling in Iceland are not so extraordinary as to
tempt the pleasure-seeking tourist. The best season for a journey is
from the middle of June to the end of August. Before that time the
streams are still so much swollen by the melted snows that it is danger-
ous to ford them, anc" many patches of snow cover deep pits and heaps
of lava, obstructing tho way of the traveler. On the other hand, heavy
storms of rain and flurries of snow occur as early as September,

*' Upon the whole," says Ida, " I found the difficulties and discom-
forts of traveling in this country much greater than any I had encount-
ered in the East. I suffered more from the violent tempests, the sharp
air, the drenching rain, and the cold, than I had ever done from the
heats of Palestine. Tlie latter did not cause my face and lips to chap ;
but on the fifth day of my journey hero, my lips were bleeding, and my
foco M'as all in scales, as if I had had the measles. My long dresses
were another great drawback to my comfort ; it was necessary to be
warmly dad, and the Avcight of my clothes, often increased by tho
wet, made me at times quite heli)les3 when I was to get on or off' my
horse. IJut the greatest annoyance of all, was to stop to rest in a
meadow during a violent shower, when my long skirts would soak up
all the water from the wet grass ; and at such times I often had not a
dry thread about me."

Toward the end of Juno, Ida sot off" for tfio Geiwr and Ilecla, riding
tho first day .as far as the lake of Tliingvalla. Coming within sight of
the object of her eager curiosity, she found the basin .and prinripal
caldron filled with water as dear as crystal and slightly boiling. In this
state tho neighborhood is dangerous, as they might overflow at any
moment. " For fear of missing an explosion," says the traveler, " it is
customary to watch during tho whole night. An occasional vigil would
present no great difficulty to many travelers, but for me it was a serious
undertaking. However, there was no remedy, for an Iceland peasant

THE GEISER AND MOUNT IIECLA.

837

is not to be dependeil upon, and few of thciu would bo roused by an
outbreak of Ilccla itself.

"At last, after waiting till the second day of njy sojourn at the Goiser,
the long-desired explosion took i)lace on the 2<th of June, at half-past
nine o'clock in the morning. The peasant, who came twice a day to in-
quire if I had yet seen an eruption, was with me when the first dull
sounds which announced the event "were heard. We hurried to the spot,
and as the Avaters boiU^d over as usual, and the noise died away, I
thought I was doomed to disappointment again ; but the last tones were
just expiring when the explosion suddenly took place. I have really no
words to do justice to this magnificent spectacle, which once to behold
in a lifetime is enough.

"It uifinitely surpassed all my exj)ectations. The waters were
spouted with great power and volume ; colunui rising above column, as
if each were bent on outstripping the others. After I had recovered in
some degree from my first astonishment, I looked round at the tent —
how small, how diminutive it seemed, compared to those pillars of
water ! And yet it was nearly twenty feet high ; it was lying rather
lower, it is true, than the basin of the Geiser; but tent might have been
jiiled on tent — yet, by my reckoning, which may not have been perfectly
accurate, however — five or six, one above the other, would not have
reached the elevation of these jets, the largest of which I think I can
affirm, without any exaggeration, to have risen at last to the height of a
hmidred feet, and to have been three or four feet in diameter."

Iler accoimt of Mount Hecla presents a different view of that cele-
brated volcano from the description gi -en by most previous travelers :
"At last the summit was attained, after two more hours of laborious
climbing, and I stood ujwn the hi<;hest peak of Hecla ; but T looked in
vain for a crater — there was no u-ace of any to be fomid ; at which I
was all the more astonished, as I hal • ead nxinuto accounts of it in sev-
eral books of travels. I walked around the whole summit of the mount-
ain, and clambered to the jokul which lies next to it, but still I saw no
opening or crevice, no sunken wall, or any sign whatever, in fact, of a
crater. Much lower down on the sides of the mountain I found some
vnHc rents and chinks, from whence the streams of lava must have
flowed. The height of this mountahi is said to \jC four thousand three
hvmdred {eet.

"The sun had been obscured during the last hour of our ascent, and
thick clouds now rushed down uj)on us from the neighboring glaciers,
which concealed the whole prospect from our sight, and prevented our
distinguishing any thing for more than ten paces before us. After
awhile they dissolved, fortunately not in rain, but in snow, which soon
covered the dark crisp lava with large and innumerable flakes ; they did
not melt, and the thermometer showed one dtgree of cold (Reaumur).

" (iradually the clear and inimitable blue of the heavens reappeared,
and the sun once more rejoiced us with his presence. I remained on

888

TRAVBL3 OF IDA PPBIPFER.

the top of the mountain till the clouds had opened in the distance and
aflbrdod a welcome and extensive view, which I fear my pen is much
too feeble to describo. I despair of conveying to my readers a distinct
idea of the immense waste which lay displayed before me, with its ac-
cumulated masses of lava,, and its peculiar appearance of lifeless desola-
tion. I seemed to stand in the midst of an exhausted fn-o. The blocks
were piled in heaps above each other, till they formed high liills ; the
valleys were choked by vast streams of rock, whoso length and breadth
I Avas not able to distinguish, although the course of the last eruption
could be plainly traced among them. I was surrounded by the most
dreadful ravines, caves, streams, hills, and valleys ; I could hardly un-
derstand how I had reached this point, and was seized with a feeling of
horror at the thought which forced itself upon me, that perhaps I might
never bo able to find my way out of this terrrible labyrinth of ruin."

ilaving visited every part of Iceland which possessed any claims
upon her attention, Ida embarked for Copenhagen on the 29th of July,
and traveling through part of Norway and Sweden, returned once more
to Vienna afler an absence of about six months.

FIRST JOURNEY ROUND THE WORLD.

In a little more than six months wo find Ida Pfeiifer again on her
travels, engaging in a far greater and more perilous enterprise than that
from which she received her initiation into the marvels of distant climes.
On the 1st of May, 1840, she left Vienna with the intenti. n of embarking
at Hamburg for Rio Janeiro. It was not until the middle of June that
she sailed from that port, having waited several weeks for the arrival
of Cc mt Berchthold, ono of her traveling companions in the East, who
had engaged to accompany her on the voyage to Brazil. On the 16th
of September, they etitered the bay and port of Rio Janeiro, where Ida
remained above two months, exclusive of the time devoted to different
excursions into the interior of the country.

On one of these rural excursions, she met with an adventure in which
she had a narrow escape of her life. She was going to Pctropolis, a
colony founded by Germans in the neighborhood of Rio Janeiro,
situated in a region of remarkable beauty, and approached by a romantic
road through the virgin forests of the country. They found the journey
delightful. Gathering a rich harvest of flowers, plants, and insects, they
loitered idly amid the enchantments of the scene without observing that
they were followed by a negro, who suddenly sprang upon them in a
lonely spot, with a knife in one hand and a lasso in the other, indicat-
ing more by gestures than words that he intended to murder and then
drag them into the forest. Her description gives a vivid idea of the
rencontre.

" Wo had no arms, as we had been told that the road was perfectly

ADVKNTURK IN BRAZIL.

889

nafe, and the only weapons of defense wo possessed wore our parasols,
if I except a clasped knife, which I instantly drew out of my pocket and
opened, fully determined to sell my life as dearly as possible. We par-
ried our adversary's blows as long as wo could with our parasols, but
these lasted but a short timo ; besides, ho caught hold of mine, which,
as we were struggling for it, broke short off, leaving only a piece of tho
handle in my hand. In tho struggle, however, ho dropped his knife,
which rolled a few steps from him ; I instantly made a dash, and thought
I had got it, when he, more quick than I, thrust mo away with his feet
and hands, and once more obtained possession of it. He waved it
furiously over my head, and dealt mo two wounds, a thrust and a deep
gash, both in tho upper part of the left arm ; I thought I was lost, and
despair .alone gave mo tho courage to use my own knife. I made a
thrust t his breast ; this ho warded off, and I only succeeded in wound-
ing him severely in the hand. Tho Count sprang forward, and seized
the fellow from behind, and thus afforded me an opportunity of raising
myself from the ground. The whole affair had not taken mure than a
few seconds. The negro's fury was now roused to its highest pitch by
the wounds ho had received : ho gnashed his teeth at us like a wild
beast, and flourished his knife with frightful rapidity. The Count, in
his turn, had received a cut right across tho hand, and wo had been
irrevocably lost, had not Providence sent us assistance. We heard tho
tramp of horses' hoofs upon tho road, upon which tho negro instantly
left us, and sprang into tho wood. Immediately afterward two horse-
men turned a corner of tho road, and we hurried toward them ; our
wounds, which were bleeding freely, and the way in which our parasols
were hacked, soon made them understand the state of affairs. They
asked us which direction tho fugitive had taken, and, springing from
the horses, hurried after him ; their efforts, however, would have been
fruitless, if two negroes, who woro coming from the opposite side, had
not helped them. As it was, the fellow was soon captured. He was
pinioned, and, as he would not walk, severely beaten, most of the blows
being dealt upon tho head, so that I feared the poor wretch's skull
would be broken. In spito of this ho never moved a muscle, and lay, as
if insensible to feeling, upon tho ground. The two other negroes Avero
obliged to seize hold of him, when he endeavored to bite every one
within his reach, liko a wild beast, and carry him to tho nearest house.
Our preservers, as well as tho Count and myself, accompanied them.
We then had our wounds dressed, and afterward continued our journey ;
not, it is true, entirely devoid of fear, especially when we met one or
more negroes, but without any further mishap, and with a continually
increasing admiration of tho beautifu'i scenery."

On relating their story, after their return to Rio Janeiro, thoy would
scarcely have been believed, had they not been able to show the wounds
which they had received in the conflict. The negro was at first thought
to have been drunk or insane, but it was afterward discovered that he

840

TRAVELS OP IDA PPBIFPEB.

had been punished by his master for on ofiensc, and took that method
to wreak his vengeance upon the whites.

The Indians in the interior of Brazil naturally excited the curiosity
of the traveler. With a view to observing their manners, she proceeded
into the heart of the forest, and in the wretched huts of the Puras foimd
a degree of want and misery, which surpassed all her previous experience
of human degradation.

" On a small space, under lofty trees, five huts, or rather sheds,
formed of leaves, were erected, eighteen feet long, by twelve feet broad.
The flames were formed of four poles stuck in the groimd, with another
reaching across, and the roof of palm-leaves, through which the rain
could penetrate with the utmost facility. On three sides, these bowers
were entirely open. In the interior hung a hammock or two ; and on
the ground glimmered a little fire, under a heap of ashes, in which a
few roots, Indian corn, and bananas, were roasting. In one corner, un-
der the roof, a small supply of provisions was hoarded up, and a few
gourds were scattered around : these are used by the savages instead
of plates, pots, water-jugs, etc. The long bows and arrows, which con-
stitute their only weapons, were Icoubig in the background against
the wall.

" I found the Indians still more ugly than the negroes. Their com-
plexion is a light bronze, stunted in stature, well-knit, and about the
middle size. They have broad and somewhat compressed features, and
thick, coal-black hair, hanging straight down, which the women some-
times wear in plaits fiutened to the back of the head, and sometimes
falling down loose about them. Their forehead is broad and low, the
nose somewhat flattened, the eyes long and narrow, almost like those
of the Chinese, and the mouth large, with rather thick lips. To give a
still greater effect to all these various charms, a peculiar look of stupid-
ity is spread over the whole face, and is more especially to be attributed
to the way in which their mouths are always kept open Most of them,
both men and women, were tattooed with a reddish or blue color, though
only round the mouth, in the form of a moustache. Both sexes are
l^assionately fond of smoking, and prefer brandy to every thing. Their
dress was composed of a few rags, which they had fastened round
their loins.

" The good creatures oflfered me the best hut they possessed, and
invited mo to pass the night there. Being rather fatigued by the toil-
some nature of my journey on foot, the heat, and the hunting ex-
cursion, I very joyfully accepted their proposition : the day, too, was
drawing to a close, and I should not have been able to reach the settle-
ment of the whites before night. I therefore spread out my cloak upon
the ground, arranged a log of wood so as to serve instead of a pil-
low, and for the present seated myself upon my splendid couch. In
the meanwhile, my hosts were preparing the monkey and the parrots,
by sticking them on wooden spits, and roasting them before the fire.

VOYAGE TO CHINA.

841

In order to render the meal a peculiarly dainty one, they also buried
Bomo Indian corn and roots in the cinders. They then gathered a few
largo fresh leaves off the trees, tore the roasted ai>c into several pieces
with their hands, and placing a largo poition of it, as well as a parrot,
Indian corn, and some roots upon tho leaves, put it before mo. My
appetite was tremendous, seeing that I had tasted nothing since the
morning. I therefore immecUately fell to on the roasted monkey, which
I found superlatively delicious : the flesh of the parrot was far fiom
being so tender and palatable.*'

Leaving liio Janeiro on tho 9th of December, Ida embarked in an
Englibh vessel fur Valparaiso, which port she reached on tho 2d of
March. Tho passage round tho Capo enabled them to see tho shore of
Terra del Fuego so distinctly, that they could make out every bush
with the naked eye. The coast appeared steep, but not high. Tho fore-
ground wsis composed of meager pasture alternating with tracts of sand,
and in the background were ranges of woody hills, beyond which rose
snow-covered mountains. The country struck Ida as being more inhab-
itable than Iceland.

The society of Valparaiso did not accord with her ideas of propriety
or good taste. She was shocked by tho immodest character of tho na-
tional dances, which were unscrupulously performed in public, and before
spectators of the most tender age. Nor did another singular feature of
Valparaiso habits find more favor in her sight. " I was equally dis-
pleased," says she, " with a remarkable custom prevalent here, in accord-
ance with which tho death of a little child is celebrated by its parents as
a grand festival. They name tho deceased child an amjeUto (little angel),
and adorn it in every possible way. Its eyes are not closed, but, on tho
contrary opened as wide as possible, and its cheeks are painted red ; it
is then dressed out in the finest clothes, crowned with flowers, and
placed in a little chair in a kind of niche, which also is ornamented with
flowers. Tlio relations and neighbors then come and wish the parents
joy at possessing such an angel ; and during the first night, the parents,
relations, and friends execute tho wildest dances, and fcivst in the most
joyous &shion before the angelito. I heard that in the country it was
not unusual for the parents to carry the little coffin to tho churchyard
themselves, followed by the relations with the brandy bottle in their
hands, and giving vent to their joy in the most outrageous manner."

On the IVth of March, she took passage for Canton, lind on the 9th
of July arrived in Macao Roads, having devoted some three weeks to a
thorough exploration of Tahiti, where the vessel stopped to discharge a
cargo of provisions for the French garrison on that island. Her arrival
at Canton brought her into a new scene of perils, through her ignorance
of tht ctisioins of the country. "It is only during the iast few years
that A\o Enr »pean women have been allowed to visit or remain in the
factorie-; at Canton. I left the vessel without any apprehension ; but
first I had to consider how I should find my way to the house of a gen*

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TRAVELS OP IDA PFEIFPER.

tleman named Agassiz, for whom I had brought letters of recommenda-
tion. I explained to the captain, by signs, that I had no money with
me, and that he must act as my guide to the factory, where I would
pay him. He soon understood me, and conducted me to the place, and
the Europeans there showed me the particular house I wanted. On
seeing me arrive, and hearing the manner in which I had traveled, and
the way that I had walked from the vessel to his house, Mr. Agassiz was
ex< remely surprised, and would hardly credit that I had met with no
difficulties or injury. From him I learned what risks I, as a woman, had
run in traversing the streets of Canton, with no escort but a Chinese
guide. Such a thing had never occurred before, and Mr. Agassiz assured
me that I might esteem myself as exceedingly fortunate in not having
been insulted by the people in the grossest maimer, or even stoned.
Had this been the case, he told me my guide would have immediately
taken to flight, and abandoned me to my fate."

She sailed from Canton on the 25th of August, and after a voyage of
nine days arrived at the port of Singapore. The climate of this island,
compared to that of other countries, seemed to her delightful ; the tem-
perature was uniform ; the days and nights were of equal length, as the
place was near the equator ; and scarcely an interval of twilight attended
the rising or setting sun. Her next stage was Ceylon, which she reached
on the 1th. of October. After remaining on that island about three
weeks, she sailed for Calcutta, and arrived in that city on the 4th of No-
vember. Here she soon found herself more at home than she had been
for many months of miscellaneous wanderings. She received numerous
friendly attentions from Sir Lawrence Peel, the chief judge of Calcutta,
and Mr. Cameron, a member of the supreme council of India. In the
first circles of society she was warmly welcomed as an intelligent trav-
eler, while she accepted their hospitality with her usual unaffected sim-
plicity. " During my stay in Calcutta," she tells us, " I was invited to
a large party in honor of Mr. Peel's birthday ; but I refused the invita-
tion, as I had no suitable dress. My excuse, however, was not allowed,
and I accompanied Lady Cameron, in a simple colored muslin dress, to
a party where all the other ladies were dressed in silk and satin, and
covered with lace and jewelry ; yet no one was ashamed of me, but con-
versed freely with me, and showed me every possible attention."

After a stay of more than five weeks, Ida left Calcutta for Benares,
arriving at the holy city of India on the 28th of December. Her recol-
lections of the Ganges were far from agreeable. During her whole
voyage of about a thousand miles, she did not meet with a single spot
remarkable for its especial beauty, or one picturesque view. Leaving
Benares on the 7th of January, 1848, ehe proceeded to Allahabad,
Cawnpore, and Agra, the former residence of the Great Mogul of India.
Thence she went to Delhi, where she remained for ten days, leaving
that renowned imperial city for Bombay. Her mode of traveling was
by a wagon drawn by oxen, until her arrival at Kottah, the chief city of

ENCOUNTER WITH A TIGER.

843

the kingdom of Rajpootan, when the king Kam-Shegh, who w^as pro-
fuse in his attentions to so great a noveUy as a female European trav-
eler, offered her the use of as many camels as she required for the
remainder of the journey, and two sepoys on horseback as attendants.
In the course of the tour, while making an excursion to the rock tem-
ples of Ellora, ten miles from Roja, she had an adventure with a tiger,
which she relates as follows :

" I had scarcely left the gates of the town behind, when I perceived
a number of Europeans seated upon elephants, coming from the bunga-
low. On meeting each other we pulled up and commenced a conversa-
tion. The gentlemen were on the road to search for a tiger-lair, of
which thoy had received intimation, and invited me, if such a sport
would not frighten me too much, to take part in it. I was greatly de-
lighted to receive the invitation, and was soon seated on one of the ele-
phants, in a howdah about two feet high, in which there were already
two gentlemen and a native — the latter had been brought to load
the guns. They gave me a large knife to defend myself with, in case
the animal should spring too high and reach the side of the howdah.
Thus prepared, we approached the chain of hills, and, after a few
hours, we were already pretty near the lair of the tigers, when our serv-
ants cried out sofi.'y, ' Bach, Hach /* and pointed with their fingers to
some brushwood. I had scarcely perceived the flaming eyes which
glared out of one of the bushes before shots were fired. Several balls
took effect on the animal, who rushed, maddened, upon us. lie made
such tremendous springs, that I thought every moment he must reach
the howdah, and select a victim from among us. The sight was terrible
to see, and my apprehensions were increased by the appearance of an-
other tiger ; however, I kept myself so calm, that none of the gentlemen
had any suspicion of what was going on in my mind. Shot followed
shot ; the elephants defended their trunks with great dexterity by throw-
ing them up or drawing them in. After a sharp contest of half an hour,
we were the victors, and the dead animals were triumphantly stripped
of their beautiful skins. The gentlemen politely offered me one of them
as a present ; but I declined accepting it, as I could not postpone ray
journey sufSciently long for it to be dried."

After a tedious journey of seven weeks, she reached Bombay, where
she was invited to stay at the country-house of the Hamburg consul,
Mr. Wattembach. Leaving Bombay, April 23d, she bent her course
for Baghdad, by way of Bassora, and reached the latter city in one
month from the time of her departure. From Baghdad she made two
long excursions, oi.e to the ruins of Ctesiphon, and the other to those of
Babylon. She then joined a caravan going through the desert to Mosul,
a distance of three hundred miles, visited the ruins of Nineveh, and on
the 8th of July, started on a journey to Persia. Extending her travels
to Asiatic Russia, Armenia, Georgia, and Mingrelia, she ariived at
Odessa on the 30th of September. The previous day she stopped at

844

TRAVELS OF IDA PFEIFFER.

what she calls " the strong and beautiful fortress of Sebastopol." Her
description presents a clear idea of the condition at that time of the
place which has since become so famous in the annals of modern warfare,
" The works are partly situated at the entrance of the harbor, and
partly in the harbor itself; they are executed in massive stone, and pos-
sess a number of towers and outworks which defend the entrance to the
harbor. The harbor itself is almost entirely surrounded by hills, and is
one of the safest and most excellent in the world. It can hold the
largest fleets, and is so deep that the most gigantic men-of-war can lie
at anchor close to the quays. Sluices, docks, and quays have been
constructed in unlimited splendor and magnificence. The whole of
the works were not qiute finished, and there was an unparalleled activity
apparent. Thousands of men were busy on all sides. Among the work-
men I was shown many of the captured Polish nobles who had been
sent here as a punishment for their attempt, in 1831, to shake oif the
Russian yoke. The works of the fortress and the barracks are so large
that they will hold about thirty thousand men."

From Odessa she took her departure for Constantinople, and after
visitmg the principal object of interest in Greece, completed her " First
Journey round the World," by returning to Vienna on the 1st of
November, the day after it was stormed by the revolutionists of 1848.

SECOND JOURNEY ROUND THE WORLD.

On the 18th of March 1851, Ida Pfeiffer once more resumed her
journeyings, leaving her native city for London, with the intention of
embarking for Australirv. The discovery of the gold fields in that coun-
try, however, prevented the accomplishment of her purpose, as the rush
of emigrants thither was so great as to enhance the cost of living beyond
her restricted means. For some time she was at a loss as to what part
of the world she should direct her steps, but at length deciding in favor
of the Dutch settlements in the East Indies, she set sail for that quarter
on the 24th of May, in a vessel bound for the Cape of Good Hope.
After a voyage of seventy-five days, she arrived at Cape Town, where
she remained about four weeks, and on the 26th of August sailed for
the Straits of Sunda. The voyage was completed in forty days, and
sailing through the Sea of Java, along the coast of Sumatra, she reached
Singapore on the 10th of November. From Singapore, she proceeded
to the west coast of Borneo, for the purpose of visiting Sarawak, the
independent territory of the English Rajah Brooke.

After exploring this region, she started on the 6th of January, 1852,
for a circuitous journey by land and water for Fontianah, a Dutch
colony on the west coast of Borneo. The route lay through the coun-
try of the Dyaks, a nation of wild and savage tribes, among whom her
life was supposed to be not free from danger. She performed the journey,

CANNIBAL BATTAKERS IN SUMATRA.

845

however, without xiniisual inconvenience, and on the 6th of February,
found herself safe and sound at Pontianah. After numerous excursions
into the interior, she embarked for Batavia, and having visited the
most important objects of interest on the island of Java, proceeded to
Sumatra. She reached Padang, the chief town of the Dutch settle-
ments in Sumatra, on the 10th of July, and shortly after commenced a
journey to the interior among the cannibal Battakers. Her acquaint-
ance strongly advised her against this project. They told her that in
1835, twf American missionaries, Messrs. Lyman and Munson, had been
killed and eaten by the Battakers, and that no European could venture
among them without a military escort. She, however, turned a deaf
ear to their protests. On the 19th of July she started on horseback,
and in ten days reached the borders of the Battaker territory. Here
she was kindly entertained by the comptroller of the settlement, who
sent for the regents of the different villages, in order to speak Avith them
concerning her intended journey.

" In the evening," says she, " we sat in solemn conclave surrounded
by regents, and by a great crowd of the people, for it had been noised
abroad far and wide that here was a white woman who was about to
venture into the dreaded country of the wild Battakers. Regents and
people all concurred in advising me to renoimce so perilous a project ;
but I had tolerably avcU made up my mind on this point, and I only
wanted to be satisfied as to one thing, namely, whether it M'as true, as
many travelers asserted, that the Battakers did not put their victims
out of their pain at once, but tied them living to stakes, and, cutting
pieces off them, consumed them by degrees with tobacco and salt. The
idea of this slow torture did a little frighten me ; but ray hearers assured
me, with one accord, that this was only done to those who were re-
garded as criminals of a deep dye, and who had been on that account
condemned to death. Prisoners of war are tied to a tree and beheaded
at once ; but the blood is carefully preserved for drinking, and some-
times made into a kind of pudding with boiled rice. The body is then
distributed ; the ears, the nose, and the soles of the feet are the exclusive
property of the rajah, who has besides a claim on ot:A";r pirtions. The
palms of the hands, the soles of the feet, the flesh of the i ead, and the
heart and liver, are reckoned peculiar delicacies, and the fit,-; \ in general
is roasted and eaten with salt. The regents assured me, with a certain
air of relish, that it was very good fo d, and that they had not the least
objection to cat it. The women are not allowed to take part in these
grand public dinners. A kind of medicinal virtue is ascribed to the
trees to which prisoners have been tied when they have been put to
death, and the stem is usually cut into sticks five or six feet long, carved
into figures or arabesques, and decorated with human hair ; and these
sticks are taken in the hand by people who go to visit the sick, or when
any medicine is to be given."

Resuming her journey the next day, Ida met with no startling

846

TRAVELS OP IDA PFEIFFER.

adventure until the 13th of August, ^vhen matters began to assume
rather a serious aspect. "More than eighty armed men," says she,
" stood in the pathway and barred our passage, and before we were
aware of it, their spear-men had formed a circle round me and shut ^«
in, looking the while indescribably terrible and savage. They were tall
robust men, full six feet high : their features showed the most violent
agitation, and their huge mouths and projecting teeth had really more
resL'mblanco to the jaws of a wild beast than to any thing human. They
yelled and made a dreadful noise about me, and had I not been in some
measure familiar with such scenes, I should have felt sure that my last
hour was at hand. I was really uneasy, however : the scene was too
frightful ; but I never lost ray presence of mind. At first I sat down on
a stone that lay near, endeavoring to look as composed and confidential
as I could ; but some rajahs then camo up to me with very threatening
looks and gestures, and gave me clearly to understand that if I did not
turn back they would kill and eat mo. Their words, indeed, I did not
comprehend, but their action left no manner of doubt, for they pointed
with their knives to my throat, and gnashed their teeth at my arm,
moving their jaws then, as if they already had them full of my flesh.
Of course, when I thought of coming among the wild Battakers, I had
anticipated something of this sort, and I had therefore studied a little
speech in their language for such an occasion. I knew if I could say
any thing that would amuse them, and perhaps make them laugh, I
should have a great advantage over them, for savages are quite like
children, and the merest trifle will often make them friends. I got up,
therefore, and patting one of the most violent, who stood next rac,
upon the shoulder in a friendly manner, said, with a smiling face, in a
jargon half Malay and half Battaker, ' WHy, you don't mean to say
you would kill and eat a woman, especially such an old one as I am !
I must be very hard and tough !' And I also gave them by signs and
words to understand that I was not at all afraid of them, and was ready,
if they liked, to send back my guide, and go with them alone, if they
would only take me as far as the Eier-Tau. Fortunately for me, the
doubtless very odd way in which I pronounced their language, and my
pantomime, diverted them, and they began to laugh. Perhaps, also, the
fearless confidence that I manifested made a good impression; they
oflTered me their hands, the circle of spear-men opened, and, rejoicing
not a little at having escaped this danger, I journeyed on, and reached
in perfect safety a place called Tugala, where the rajah received me into
his house.

After traveling in Sumatra seven hundred miles on horseback and one
hundred and fifty on foot, she returned to Batavia, and renewed her ex-
plorations of Java. On the 14th of December, she took her departure
for Macassar, the chief settlement of the Dutch on Celebes, visited the
Molucca Islands, and returning to Batavia on the 22d of May, 1853, em-
barked on the 6th of July for San Francisco. She arrived at the golden

VISIT TO THE UNITED STATES, ETC.

847

gate on the 27th of August, soon pushed her way into the interior,
visited the northern settlements, made acquaintance with the Oregon
Indians, and returning to San Francisco, took passage for Panama, De-
cember 10th.

After celebrating the new year with friends at Pan la, she em-
barked for Lima, where she arrived on the 19th, and tool ip her resi-
dence at the house of the Hamburg consul, Mr. llodewald. Thence she
proceeded to Quito, which city she left on the 3d of April, returned to
Panama, and on the 31st of May sailed from Aspinwall for New Or-
leans. After a stay of three weeks in that city, she ascended the Missis-
sippi as far as St. Paul, crossed the country to Chicago, and at Milwaukee
took passage to the Sault St. Marie, August 20th. On her return, she
visited Detroit, Cleveland, and Buffalo, arriving at the Falls of Niagara
on the 10th of September. After a short visit in New York and Boston,
she sailed on the 10th of November for Liverpool, but before returning
to Vienna, made an excursion to the Azoro Islands, where she passed
the winter, took a hasty glance at Lisbon, and returned to London June
14, 1854, thus happily ending her second journey round the world.

So far from being satisfied with her achievements, which have never
been equaled by any female traveler before her, Ida Pfeiffer is at present
(June, 1856) preparing for a voyage to Madagascar. She is a small
woman, quiet and unpretending in her manners, tanned and weather-
beaten from her travels, but with a keen, dark eye, denoting the bound-
less enthusiasm and courage which sustain her.

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ingsJ

EXPLORATION OF THE RIVER AMAZON.

JOURNEY OF LIEUTENANT HERNDON.

Lieutenant William Lewis IIekndon was attached to the United
States sloop-of-war VandaUa, of the Pacific squadron, and while that
vessel was lying at anchor in the harbor ofValparaiso, in August, 1850,
he received a communication from Lieutenant Maury, superintendant of
the National Observatory, informuig him that orders to explore the
valley of the Amazon would be transmitted to him by the next mail-
steamer. On the 4th of April, 1851, Lieutenant Lardner Gibbon, of the
navy, arrived at Lima with orders from the Navy Department to Lieu-
tenant Ilcrndon, authorizing him to proceed with the exploration, and
appointing Lieutenant Gibbon to assist him in the service. After much
deliberation it was resolved to divide the party, and Lieutenant Gibbon
was instructed to proceed to Cuzco and examine the comitry eastward
of that place, to ascertain whether the river Madre do Dios was con-
nected with the Purus and formed a navigable communication with the
Amazon, or should this route be impracticable, to pass around the
southern shores of Lake Titicaca to La Paz, and thence by Cochabamba
to the Mamore, and descend that river and the Madeira to the Amazon.

" That the rains might be entirely over and the roads on the mend
in the Cordillera," says Lieutenant Herndon, " I fixed upon the 20th of
May as the day of departure, and Mr. Gibbon and I set about making
the necessary preparation. I engaged the services of Don Manuel Ijurra,
a young Peruvian, who had made the voyage down the Amazon a few
years before, O'^ interpreter to the Indians ; and Captain Gauntt, of the
frigate Raritan then lying in the harbor of Callao, was kind enough to
give me a young master's mate from his ship, named Richards ; besides
supplying me with carbines, pistols, ammunition, and a tent. Captain
Magruder, of the St. Mary^s, also offered me any thing that the ship
could supply, and furnished me with more arms, and fifteen hundred
fathoms of the fishing-line now put on board ships for deep-sea sound-
ings."

The arriero was ordered to bring the mules on the 20th, but when

852

EXPLORATION OP THE RIVEU AMAZON.

ho found this was Tuesday ho Haiti it was an unlucky day, and boj^god
thom to Ito rcaily hy Monday, which was lucky. This could not ho
done, thiTcforo on Wodnosday, tlu- '21st of May, thoy loaded up, after
bein<4 iinally oblii^'cd to bribe the old fellow to take on all tho ba<;j?age,
whieli ho represented to be too much for his beasts. Tho party was
hliort of a servant, and tho mules were overloaded, but Lieutenant
llerndon Avas un\viHiii<' to delav, and afler a hard inornini''s work in
druinining up tho Peruvian part of tho expedition, ho took tho broad,
beaten road whi(;h ascends the river Rimac.

( )n the 25th they left tho coast district and onterod that called tho
Sierra, tlu; climate of Avhich is said to bo one perpetual BiH'ing. Tlieir
encampment here was in a beautiful dell entirely and closely surrounded
by mountains, witli the snowy summits of tho ('ordillera, in sight at a
sliort distance. "Tho nights in tho Oordillera at this season," says
llerndon, "aro very beautiful. Tho traveler feels that ho in lifted above
tho impurities of tho lower strata of tho atmosphere, and is breathing
air entirely free from taint. I was never tired of gazing into tho glorious
sky, which, less blue, I think, than ours, yet seemed palpable — a domo
of steel lit up by tho stars. Tho stais themselves sparkled with intense
brilliancy. A small pocket spy-glass showed mo satellites of Jupiter
with distinctness ; and Gibbon even declared on one occasion that ho
could see them Avith tho naked eye. Tho temperature is now getting
cool, and I slept cold last night, thcnigh Avith all my clothes on, and cov-
ered Avith two part.4 of a heavy blanket and a Avoolen poncho."

On the 2d of June, at two o'clock, they reached tho highest point
of tho road. Hero tho j)oaks of tho Cordillera presented tho appear-
ance of a hilly country on a Avintox*-day ; and their snoAvy tops con-
trasted with the bright green of tho loAver ranges, and tho placid lakes
Avhich lay snug and still in their midst. While Gibbon sketched tho
Cordillera, and llerndon was boiling snoAv for tho atmospheric pressure,
poor Richards lay shivering on tho ground, enveloped in pillons, a mar-
tyr to the reta. The sickness caused by rarity of the atmosphere at
great elevations is called veta, or vein, by tho Indians, because they
believe it is caused by veins of metal diffusing a poisonous infection.
" It is remarkable ," obserA'os llerndon, " that although this affection
must be caused by absence of atmospheric pressure, yet in no case ex-
cept this (and Richards Avas ill before) has it been felt at the greatest
elevation, but always at a i)oint below. The affection displays itself
in a violent headache, Avith tho veins of the head swollen and turgid, a
difficulty of rospir ,tion, and cold extremities. I did not observe that
our animals Avere affected, though they trembled and breathed hard,
Avhich, I think, was attributable to the steepness of the hill up which we
rode. The barometer stood at 10.730, indicating an elevation of sixteen
thousand and forty-four feet. Water boiled at 182° 5'; temperature of
the air 43°."

The road tbenco cut along tho flank of the mount£UD, at whose base

TIIK I'UY-rUY MOUNTAIN.

853

]

was a sorios of lu'iuitifiil liikcs. Tliougli not sixty miles from tlio T'sKjifm,
thoy lia 1 (TOHscd tho great dividing ridge, and tho waters at their feet
flowed into tho Atlantic.

In tho evening they arrived at Morocodia, and next morning all
went to see llie moiuitain of Pity-pay, said to bo higher than Chinibo-
razo. Tho place of view, about tlirco miles distant, was gained by a
most toilsome ascent, but the magnificence of the scene amply repaiil
their labor.M. A lolly, conical mountain, covered with snow to tlu!
cylindrical base on which it rested, rose iu solitary majesty froin tin;
jilain beneath them. riil)bon almost froze in taking a sketch of it, and
tho rest of tho party tired themselves nearly to death in trying to get a
shot at a herd of sliy vicunas which were feeding among tho distant
rocks. They had a Hitiguuig ride, and enjoyed a late dinner and a good
night's rest.

On tho 0th, they gradually descended into tho region of vegetation,
and arrived in tho afternoon at tho little city ofTarma, which was hailed
Avith delight as a resting-place, after tho tcdidus passage of tho Cordil-
lera. From Tarma they made an exciu'sion lo Fort San Itainon on tho
Chanchamayo, during Avhich Mr. (Jibbon made a narrow escape, lie.
was riding ahead on a road cut round a precipice several hundred feet
di op, when suddenly at a turn before bun a bull appeared, followed by
several cattle, while tho drivers could be heard far behind, urging on
the herd. It was too late to retreat ; the bull, with lowered crest, and
savage, sullen look, had come on and placed his head between tho
perpendicular rock and the neck of Gibbon's mule, Avhen tho sagacious
beast, pressing her haunches hard against the wall, gathered her feet
close under her and turned as upon a pivot. This placed the bull on
tho outside, and ho rushed by, followed by the rest of the herd in
single file.

It was now determined to divide the party ; to Gibbon was assigned
the task of exploring tho Bolivian tributaries, while Ilerndon took tho
head-waters and main trunk of tho Amazon. It was a bold undertaking,
for the party was already small ; but the prospect of covering such an
extent of territory, and gaining a knowledge of countries and rivers so
little known, prevailed over every objection. Tho equipage, Indian
presents, arms and ammunition, instruments, etc., were divided, and
Gibbon was directed to hire a guide in Tarma, and as soon as Kichards
should be able to travel, to start for Cuzco.

Herndon set out with his party on the Ist of July, and at the en-
trance of tho valley of Acobamba took leave of Gibbon, Avho returned
to make the necessary arrangements for his expedition. He was much
affected at parting with his friend, whom he felt that he was exposing
to unknown perils, while depriving himself of a pleasant companion,
and a most efficient auxiliary.

On the 2d they rode over the hill called " Cuesta do la Veta," be-
cause of the sickness travelers suffer in passing it. The ascent brought

854

EXPLORATION OF THE RIVER AMAZON.

them to the plain of Junin, where, on the 6th of August, 1824, Bolivar
defeated the Spaniards. Half an hour's ride brought into view the
Western CorUillera, the Lake Chinchaycocha, and the pyramid erected
by the Prefect Mariano Rivero, to commemorate the battle. On the
6th, they reached the mining-town of Cerro Pasco, among the hills of
the "Western Cordillera. It is a most curious-looking place, entirely
honey-combed, and having the mouths of mines gaping everywhere.
The hill of Santa Catalina, from which the best view is obtained, is
penetrated in every direction. Vast pits, called " Tajos," surround this
hill, from which millions of silver have been taken ; and the miners are
still burrowing, like so many rabbits, in the bottoms and sides. Im-
mediately after leavhig the Cerro, on the 13th, they passed, close at
hand, a marshy spot of ground which had some interest for them, as
they were not to quit the waters which they saw trickling in tiny
streams from it, until, swelled by many others, they poured themselves
into the Atlantic by a mouth one hundred and eighty miles broad. This
was the source of the Iluallaga, one of the head tributaries of the
Amazon.

Iluanuco, which they reached on the 16th, is one of the most ancient
cities of Peru. It is pleasantly situated on the banks of the Huanuco,
or Huallaga River, which is here about forty yards wide, and was at this
time (the dry season) about two feet deep. Resuming their journey on
the 22d, they came on the 1st of August to Juana del liio, a settlement
of Qve or six houses, but as the houses were all shut up, they crossed
the river and walked down about a half a mile to the pueblo of San An-
tonio del Tingo Maria. Tingo is the Indian name for the junction of
two rivers, the Monzon emptying into the Huallaga just above the
town. Here they prepared to embark on the river, which was a hun-
dred yards broad, and smooth, and deep. After breakfast on the 4th
the governor and his wife, with some acquaintances of the party, accom-
panied them to the river. " After loading the canoes," says Ilerndon,
" the governor made a short address to the canoemen, telling them that
we ' Avere no common persons ; that they were to have a special care of
us ; to be very obedient, etc., and that he would put up daily prayers
for their safe return ;' whereupon, after a glass all round, from a bottle
brought down specially by our hostess, and a hearty embrace of the
governor, his lady, and my fat friend of the night before, we embarked
and shoved off. We had two canoes ; the largest about forty feet long,
by two and a half broad ; hollowed out from a single log, and manned
each by five men and a boy. They are conducted by Q,ptintero or bow-
man, who looks out for rocks or sunken trees ahead ; a popcro, or steers-
man, who stands on a little platform at the stern of the boat and guides
her motions ; and the bogus, or rowers, who stand up to paddle, having
one foot in the bottom of the boat and the other on the gunwale.
When the river was smooth and free from obstructions, we drifted with
the current; the men sitting on the trunks and boxes, chatting and

"EL ALMA PERDIDA.

855

laughing with each other ; but, as we approached a mal-paso, their
serious looks, and the firm position in which each one planted himself at
his post showed that work Avas to be done."

On the 12th they arrived at the port of Balsayacu and slept at the
pueblo, which was half a mile from the port, and consisted, as usual, of
one house. At the village of Lupuna, the port of Pachiza, where they
arrived on the 17th, the women were engaged in spinning; the balls of
cotton thread which they manufacture being generally used as currency.
Whea they had retired to their mats beneath the shed for the night,
Herndon asked the governor if he knew a bird called el almaperdida.
As the latter did not know it by name, the former whistled an imitation
of its notes, whereupon an old woman on a mat near them related, with
animated tones and gestures, a story in the Inca language, the substance
of which was that an Indian and his wife once went out from the village
to work, taking their child with them ; that the woman went to the
spring for water, and finding it dried up, went further to look for an-
other. The husband, alarmed at her long absence, left the child and
went in search of her. When they returned, the child was gone ; and
to their repeated cries as they wandered through the woods the only
response was the wailing cry of this little bird, heard for the first time,
whose notes their excited imagination syllabled into pa-pa ma-ma, the
present Quichua name of the bird. This story had probably suggested
to the Spaniards the name of " the lost soul."

At Tarapoto they met a fellow-countryman named Hackett, em-
ployed in making copper kettles for distilling, and in all kinds of smith
and foundry work ; he had adopted the habits and manners of the peo-
ple and seemed settled in thj country for life. An American circus
company had passed through Tarapoto a few months before ; they had
come from the Pacific coast and were bound down the Amazon. It
seemed probable that the adventure did not pay, as Herndon's party
encountered traces of them, in broken-down horses, at several villages
on the river. They floated their horses down on rafts.

Chasuta, the port of the district of Tarapoto, is an Indian village
of twelve hundred inhabitants. "These Indians," says Herndon, "are
a gentle, quiet race ; very docile, and very obedient to their priest,
always saluting him by kneeling and kissipo; his hand. They are tolera-
bly good boatmen, but excel as hunters. Like all the Indians, they are
much addicted to drink. I have noticed that the Indians of this country
are reluctant to shed blood, and seem to have a horror of its sight. I
have known them to turn away to avoid killing a chicken, when it was
presented to one for that purpose. An Indian whom Ijurra struck did
not complain of the pain of the blow, but, bitterly and repeatedly, that
his blood had been shed. They eat mosquitoes that they catch on their
bodies, with the idea of restoring the blood which the insect has ab-
stracted."

Below Yurimaguas, toward the close of August, they entered the lake

866

EXPLORATION OF TUE RIVER AMAZON

country ; and hcnco to the mouth of the Ama7.on, lakes of various sizes,
and at irregular distances, border the rivers. They all communicate
with the rivers by channels, which are commonly dry in the dry season.
They are the resort of immense numbers of water-fowl, particularly
cranes and cormorants ; and the Indians, at the proper season, take
many fish and turtles from them. Many of these lakes are, according
to traditions of the Indians, guarded by an immense serpent, which is
able to raise such a tempest in the lake as to swamp their canoes, when
it immediately swallows the people. It is called in the Inca language,
*' Yacu Mama," or mother of the waters ; and the Indians never enter a
lake with which they are not familiar that they do not set up an ob-
streperous clamor with their horns, which the snake is said to answei'.

" On the 3d of September," continues Ilerndon, " we arrived at the
mouth of the Huallaga. Several islands occupy the middle of it. The
channel runs near the left bank. Near the middle of the river we had
nine feet ; ])assing toward the left bank wo suddenly fell into forty-five
feet. The Huallaga, just above the island, is three hundred and fifty
yards wide ; the Amazon, at the junction, five hundred. The water of
both rivers is very muddy and filthy, particularly that of the foi'mer,
which for some distance within the mouth is covered with a glutin-
ous scum, that I take to be the excrement of fish, probably that of
porpoises.

" The Huallaga, from Tingo JNIaria, the head of canoe navigation, to
Chasuta (from which point to its mouth it is navigable for a draught of
five feet at the loM'cst stage of the river), is three hundred and twenty-
five miles long ; costing seventy-four working-hours to descend it ; and
falling four feet and twenty-seven hundredths per mile. From Chasuta
to its mouth it has two hundred and eighty-five miles of length, and
takes sixty-eight hours of descent, falling one foot and twenty-five hun-
dredths per mile.

" We now entered upon the main trunk of the Amazon. The march
of the great river in its silent grandeur was sublime ; in the imtamed
might of its turbid waters as they cut away its banks, tore do>vn the
gigantic denizens of the forest, and built up islands, it was awful. It
rolled through the wilderness with a stately and solemn air. Its waters
looked angry, sullen, and relentless; and the whole scene awoke emo-
tions of awe and dread — such as are caused by the funeral solemnities,
the mhiute gun, the howl of the wind, and the angry tossing of the
waves, when all hands are called to bury the dead in a troubled sea."

They reached Nauta about noon on the 9th, having traveled <:wo
hundred and ten miles from the mouth of the Huallaga. Here th«y
purchased a boat, thirty feet long, and engaged twelve rowers and a
popero, and set them to work to fit it up with decks and coverings, pre-
paratory to exploring the Ucayali. They started on the 25th, and an
hour afterward arrived at the mouth of the Ucayali. This is a beautifiil
stream, with low, shelving, green banks at its mouth. Being the largest

ARRIVAL AT THE BRAZILIAN FRONTIER.

857

tributary above Brazil it is called by some the main trunk of the Ama-
zon, but it is not ntoro than half as wide at its mouth as the latter river.
They ascended the Ucayali as far as Sarayacu, Avhere they arrived on
the 18th of October. This was a neat-looking Indian village of about
a thousand inhabitants, under the government of Franciscan friars, of
the college of Ocopa. Ilerndon had intended to continue as far as
Chanchamayo, and also to examine the Pachitea, but he could not find
men enough at Sai'ayacu who Avere willing to go at that season, and
was obliged to desist from further explorations in that direction. On
this occasion he observes : " I felt, in turning my boat's head down
stream, that the pleasure and excitement of the expedition were passed ;
that I was done, and had done nothing. I became ill and dispirited,
and never fairly recovered the gayety of temper 'Mid elasticity of spirit
which had animated me at the start until I received the congratulations
of my friends at home."

They left Sarayacu on the 28th, and in eight days made the descent
to Nauta, which liad cost them twenty-three in the ascent — the distance
from Sarayacu to the mouth of the river being, by the channel, two
hundred and seventy miles. Two of the men deserted at Nauta, al-
though paid as far as Pebas ; and fearing to lose more, Hemdon col-
lected the few birds and animals he had Icfl here, and started on the
evening of November 5th. On the 8th, he arrived at the mouth of the
Napo ; found it two hundred yards broad, thirty-five to forty feet deep,
and of a gentle current. At Chorococha, a settlement just bebw the
Napo, he breakfasted with some Nauta friends, who were here salting
fish, and proceeding thence down the river he arrived at Pebas next
day. He remained a fortnight in this vicinity, where he greatly in-
creased his collection of animals.

On the 4th of December he reached Tabatinga, the frontier of Bra-
zil. The American flag floated over the boat, and when it was descried
at Tabatinga, the Brazilian flag was hoisted at that place. Hemdon
landed in uniform and was received by the commandant, also in uniform,
to whom he presented his Brazilian passport. As soon as his rank was
ascertained he was saluted .vith seven guns. The commandant used
much stately ceremony toward him, but never left him a moment to
himself until he was safely in bed on board his boat. He insisted on
furnishing Herndon with a boat in place of his own, which he said was
not large enough for the navigation of the lower part of the Amazon.
Herndon at first declined, but finding that the law of the empire forbids
foreign vessels to navigate its interior waters, he accepted the proposi-
tion, and exchanged boats ; thus enabluig the commandant to say, in
the frontier passiwrt which he issued to Herndon, that the latter was
descending the river in a Brazilian vessel.

The party resumed their journey aflier noon on the 6th. They
passed the mouth of the I§a toward evening on the 9th, and found it a
fine-looking river, half a mile broad at the mouth, and openmg into an

■"1

858

EXPLORATION OP THE RIVER AMi^ZON.

estuary of a mile in width. It was one hundred and tliirty-cight feet
deep, and had a current of two and three quarter miles an hour. On
the 14th they passed the Jurua, which is half a mile wide at its mouth.
The Amazon at this point is a mile and a quarter wide, (^oncoriiing
the Indians of the Jurud, M. Castclnau has some curious stories, and
gives the following passage from Padre Noronho : " The Indians, Cau-
amas and Uginas^ live near the sources of the river. The first are of
very short stature, scarcely exceeding five palms (about three and a
half feet), and the last (of this there is no doubt) have tails, .ind are
produced by a mixture of Indians and Coata monkeys. Whatever may
be the cause of this fact, I am led to give it credit for three reasons :
first, because there is no physical reason why men should not have tails ;
secondly, because many Indians, whom I have interrogated regarding
tliis thing, have assured me of the fact, telling me that the tail was a palm
and a half long ; and, thirdly, because the Reverend Father Friar Joso de
Santa Theresa Ribeiro, a Carmelite, and curate of Castro de Avelaens, as-
sured me that he saw the same thing in an Indian who came from Japuru."

On the 16th they encamped on an island near the mouth of the
Jupura. At this place Herndon estimates the width of the Amazon to
be four or five miles. It is separated into several channels by islands.
Next day they arrived at Egas, where they remained until the 28th.
They now parted with the Sarayacu boatmen, who thougli lazy enough,
were active and diligent compared with the stupid and listless Ticnnas
who were engaged to succeed them. Still floating onward down the
river they entered the Rio Negro on the evening of January 5th, 1852.
"We were made aware of our approach to it," says Herndon, "before
getting into the mouth. The right bank at the mouth is broken into
islands, and the black water of the Negro runs through the channels be-
tween these islands and alternates, in patches (refusing to mingle), with the
muddy waters of the Amazon. The entrance is broad and 8ui)erb. It is
far the largest tributary of the Amazon I have yet seen ; and I estimate
its width at the mouth at two miles. There has been no exaggeration in
the description of travelers regarding the blackness of its water. Lieu-
tenant Maw' describes it perfectly when he says it looks like black mar-
ble. It well deserves the name of * Rio Negro.' When taken up in a
tumbler, the water is a light-red color, like a jiale juniper water ; and I
should think it colored by some such berry. A body immersed in it
has the color, though wanting the brilliancy, of red Bohemian glass."

Next day they arrived at Barra, the capital of the province of Ama-
zonas. During a sojourn of six weeks at this place, Herndon obtained
much useful information respecting the country and its productions, and
the character of the rivers Negro and Purus. Having sent Mr. Gibbon
to look for the head waters of the Purus, he had hoped to ascend it from
its mouth, but now he was too much exhausted to undergo the hard-
ship and exposure necessary for a thorough examination of the river.

Having had the boat thoroughly repaired, and well fitted with palm

BRAZILIAN PUNCTUALITY.

859

coverings, ho sailed from Barras on the 1 8th of February. Ninety miles
below, 'i"i boat was made fast for the night to some bushes on the low
western bank of the Madeira. A large island occupies the middle of
the Amazon, opposite the mouth of the Madeira, and the latter is
divided by a smaller island. The wester* i mouth is three-quarters of a
mile wide ; the eastern one a mile and a quarter. Herndon looked long
and earnestly for the broad L that Gibbon was to cut on a tree at the
mouth of whatever tributary he should descend, in hopes that he had
already come down the Madeira, and, not being able to go up stream
to Barra, had gone on down ; but it was nowhere to be seen.

On the Ist of March the party entered the mouth of the Tapajos and
arrived at Santarem. This city is four hundred and sixty miles from
the Rio Negro and six hundred and fifty miles from the sea. It is the
largest town in the province, after Para; the official returns giving
it over six thousand five hundred inhabitants, of whom nearly fifteen
hundred are slaves. Herndon, however, estimates the population at
about two thousand, all the planters for miles around, and all the
tapuios engaged in the navigation of the river, being included in the
official returns.

Herndon left Santarem on the 28th of March, in the evening. The
delegado, whose men were employed in building, could muster him
only three tapuios and a pilot, and had, moreover, no conception that he
would sail on the day appointed ; as the people of the country never do,
by any chance. He proceeded, however, without delay, and floated
rapidly on toward the mouth of the immense river. At Gurupa, about
five hundred miles from the sea, the river is ten miles wide, and the tide
is very apparent. About thirty-five miles below Gurupa commences the
great estuary of the Amazon. The river suddenly flares out into an im-
mense bay, which is probably one hundred and fifty miles across in its
widest part. This might appropriately be called the " Bay of the Thou-
sand Islands," for it is cut up into innumerable channels. Tlie great
island of Marajo, which contains about ten thousand square miles, occu-
pies nearly the center of it, and divides the river into two great chan-
nels : one, the main channel of the Amazon, which runs out by Cayenne ;
and the other, and smaller one, the river of Para.

Entering these intricate channels, Herndon and his party arrived at
the Mojii, upoi which forty-five miles of descent brought them to the
junction of the Acara, which comes in from the south-east. The estuary
formed by the junction is called the river Guajara. The descent of the
Guajara brought them to the Para River, five miles above the city,
where they arrived in the evening, on the 11th of April. Herndon was
so worn out when they arrived that histead of going to the consul's
house for letters which he knew must be there, he anchored in the
stream, and wrapping himself in his blanket, went to sleep. On the 12th
of May he embarked in the United States brig Dolphin, having previously
shipped his collections on board of Norris's clipper bark the Peerless.

860

EXPLOnATION OP TUB RIVKtt AMAZON.

JOURNEY OF LIEUTENANT GIBBON.

On the ftth of July, 1851, liiputcimnt (iihbon loft Tiinna niul turned
Bouth-osxst, accompaijiod by Henry ('. Uii^lirtrds, a nativi; of Virginia,
and Jose C^asas, a IVruvian of Spanish dcsoont. A mestizo airicro, with
liis littlo son, drovo thoir train of mules. Tho route lay over an elevated
mountain distriet, in which they pn'sently camo in sight of tho great
valley of .luaja, stretching aw.ay to tho south. High, snow-covered
peaks bounded tho eastern view.

On leaving tho valley of Juaja they passed through a rough mount-
ain country, and in a few days arrived, by a long and tiresome descent,
at the town of lluancavelica. The town is situated in a deep ravine,
amid a duster of lotly mountains. It contains about eight thousand in-
habitants, and is tho capital of tho district. After visiting tho cpiicksilver
mines (libbon proceeded eastward toward tho town of Iluanta, where
he entered tho province of Ayacucho. "On this part of our journey,"
says tJibbon, "Indian girls, with chicha and chii/x' ior sale, .are seated at
the tops of tho steep ascents. Chicha is tho iavoriti; drink of the In-
dians. A party — g(>uerally old women — seat themselves .•iround a wooden
trough containing maize. Each one takes a mouthl'ul, and mashes tho
grain between her teeth — if sho has .-iuy — and casts it back into tiu>
trough in the most sickening manner. As the mill-stones aro often i)retty
well worn, tho operation re<pnres time and perseverance. The mass,
with water added, is then boiled in largo coppers, after which it is lell
to ferment in huge earthen jars. Chupe is the Peruvian national disli,
and may be made of any and every thing, so long as it holds its relation-
ship to soup. It is mado generally of mutton, potatoes, eggs, rice, all
highly seasoned with jieppcr, etc."

On the way a man in poncho and a traveling dress, Avith an Indian
girl behind on his saddle, overtook them and a<'C08ted tbem in Knglinli.
He was born in New Haven, was proprietor of a circus company, and
had been many years in South Amci ica. As they slowly wound their
way up the mountain, ho told his past history ; what he had seen, and
how often he thought of returning to New Jingland. " But nobody
knows me now," he said. " Years ago I heard of the changes there,
and don't believe I should know my native pla'^e. I have adopted the
manners and customs of these people, and if I shoiild return to the
United States again, I fear my earnings would not be sufficient. I have
worked in this country for years, and am worth nothing at last."

The approach to the Apurimac was among ild mountains ; on wind-
ing around one of them they came suddeidy in sight of the river, its
waters foaming as they dashed over a rocky bed. At another turn tliey
entered a tunnel, cut uito the mountain, which rises perpendicularly
trom the river side. Skylights aro cut through the rock, and as they

TTIR SKAT OP THR INCA8.

861

advnnco in altcrnato lifjjht tin<l darkiu'ss fho niulos iiro nhy find tlin nr-
ri(jr()8 shout at tho top of ilu'ir voi(;('Hut the train. They camn out at the
toil-houHc, which Htood on tho hiink ol' th(> abyss and was inha'jitcd V)y
two woujcn, a man, a child, a <Iof;, and two jujjfs of chicha. Thi* ropos
of tlie suHp(>nsion l)ridgt', of bark, wcro made fast to the posts which
supported the roof of the house. Gibbon thought best not to examine
to«) particuhirly how tiieso ropes were fastened. A windlass in the
middle of the house kept the ropes hauled up when they slack otV. ( )ii(>
woman, a good-looking black, was seated by a large jar of chicha, which
she sold to travelers, with her child on the other side; she spun cotton,
with a smoking fn-e close by to keep off the sand-flies, which were hero
in swarms. A white woman was seated l)y the windlass, holdijig her
head in her hands. She seemed to hav(! had the small-pox, but the red
marks on her face wi'vo caused by these annoying flies.

The bridge is eighty yards long and six 'eet wide, distant one lum-
dred and fifly feet above the dark green waters. There arc six floor-
ropes, crossed by small sticks, lasluMl with strips of hide to the cables.
This platform is hung to two side-cables by small bark ropes.

As they approached the city of Cuzco the population increased and
the land was more highly cultivated. By a paved road they ascended
a slight elevation in the valley, then passing under the lofty arch of a
stone a(iuc<luct, they halted to gaze upon the ancient curiosity of iho
New World — the city of Cuzco, centuries ago the seat of the Incas. It
was a beautiful view : close against the hills at the west end of the val-
ley stood the ruins of the Temple of the Sun, and near it rosi^ th(! steeples
and roofs of a large city. The floor of the valley was caipcted with
green, while afiir off were the snow-cappcul Andes in a clear blue sky.

"I found," says (libbon, "a very friendly disposition toward the
expedition, with a desire to aid me. The prefect offered twenty soldiers
as an escort in the low country, to the east of the Aiidcs. A number of
young men volunteered to accompany me. A meeting of the citizens
was held for tho purpose of forming a company to join me. At their
suggestion, the President of Peru was applied to for the payment of
twenty thousand dollars, appropriated by Congress, for the exploration
of the llio ]\Ia<lre do Dios, supposed to be the same with the river Piirus,
rising anutng tho mountains to the eastward of Cuzco. I Avas very
nmch pleased also to hear Jiat a spirited young officer had applied to
command the soldiers."

On tho IGth of September, he started for the head-waters of the
Madre de Dios. The road led along the valley of the Mapacho, then
ascended a stee]) ridge of mountains, and soon attained an elevation of
eleven thousand feet above tho level of tlie sea. Gibbon Avas obliged to
leave his instruments in Portocamba on account of bad roads, and take
barley for the mules. l?y law, tho cargo of a mule descending the
eastern slope of the Andes is one hundred and fifty pounds — one half
the usual load. On the 22d ho reached the eastern frontier settlement,

862

EXPLORATION OF THE RIVER AMAZON.

where one hundred men wore engaged cultivating the coca-plant. Tho
seed is planted in rows like maize. In two years the bush, five or six
feet high, is full grown, bearing bright green leaves, two inches long,
with white blossoms, and scarlet berries. Tho women and boys were
gathering the ripe leaves, while the men cleared the fields of weeds.
The gathering takes place three times a year, in cotton bags. The leaf
is spread out in the sun on mats and dried.

As the party advanced, they were obliged to dismount and literally
cut their Avay through the forest. A most diflScult struggle of twelve
hours brought them to the Cosnipata River, in the territory of the
Chuncha savagos. Next day they built a raft and attempted to cross
the river ; there were falls above and below, and as the river became
too deep for the poles, the raft lodged against a small island, after being
nearly carried over the falls. In the evening they lay down upon tho
rocks, under a heavy rain, with loud claps of thunder, which echoed up
the Andes. Toward midnight, an old Indian of the company awoke
them with tho cry that the river was rising ; the night was dark, and
the rain poured down. On striking a light, they found tliat a rise of
three feet more would carry them off, and that escape from the island
was impossible. The old Indian called Gibbon a bad man for bringing
him there when he could not swim. A mark was placed by the edge
of the water, which was roaring terribly, and they seated themselves
very uncomfortably to await their fate. In this state of anxiety, they
spent the rest of the night, but as daylight appeared, the storm
abated. The water soon lowered, and they passed over to tho opposite
shore.

Gibbon descended the tributaries to the main head of the Madrc-de-
Dios, but finding it impracticable to descend the river, he prepared to
retrace his steps. " At the end of the sixth day from the head of the
Madre-de-I)ios," he continues, " we arrived in Cuzco, after an absence
of twenty-one days. Richards was still much reduced, but gaining health.
The prefect exjiresscd his regrets at not being authorized to send trooi)s
with me, and asked the favor of a written account of my visit to the
east, in behalf of the Peruvian government."

On the 28th of October, the expedition left Cuzco, well supplied
with provisions by the kind hospitality of the people, and proceedcil
toward the south-east. " Tho night of November 6th," says Gibbon,
" we spent at Caracota. To the left of us we beheld the deep blue
waters of the great southern lake Titicaca. Tlie east wind troubled its
waters ; the white-capped waves reminded us of the trade-wind region
of the ocean. Large barren islands intercepted our view ; not a tree
nor a bush was to be seen ; the only living thing in sight was a llama,
seeking food among the tumbled-up rocks on the unproductive liills,
The scene is wild and deadly silent. Our only view was to the south-
east, where we saw tops of islands beyond tops of islands, backed by
mountain peaks. Winding round a hill, and descending a ravine, we

THE CITY OP LA PAZ.

868

como to an arched gateway, and enter the city of Puno. It is a diy,
dusty, unhiteresting-looking place, of about five thousand inhabitants, and
is the capital of the department of the same name. The town is situated
about a quarter of a railo from the west shore of Lake Titicaca.

!iiiii.Z\j-ji

ILLIMANI, HIGHEST PEAK OP THE ANDES.

They crossed the Desaguedcra by a floating bridge, at the southern
end of the lake, and continued their journey over the dry table-lands of
Bolivia. " Suddenly arriving at the edge of a deep ravine, we saw the
tile-roofs of the city of La Paz, near the base of the great snow-capped
mountain, Illimani. Descending by a steep, narrow road, and passing
the cemetery, the air was found loaded with the perfume of sweet flowers.
Springs of fresh water gushed out by the road-side, into which our
mules sunk their noses before we could get a drink. As we entered the
town, some one called out from a shaded piazza for our passports.

" La Paz is a most busy inland city. The blacksmith's hammer is hoard.
The large mercantile houses are well supplied with goods. The plaza is
free from markot people, for there is a regular market-house. The
dwellings are well built, of stone and adobe. The home and foreign
trade appears to bo possessed with a life seldom met with in an inland
town, without shipping or railroads. The people appear to be active.
There is less lounging against the door-posts. The place has a healthy
appearance."

864

EXPLORATION OP TUB RIVER AMAZON.

On tho Ist of December they (juittcil La Paz in a Bouthcrn direction,
proceeding along the edge of tlio great Titicaca basin, then turning
eastward among tho Andes, they came to the beautiful city of Cocha-
batnba, which has a population of over thirty thousand. The streets
are laid off .it right angles. On tho south of tho main plaza stands a
largi! cathedral, and ojipositc to it the palace occupies the whole side
of the block. It is remarkable for its handsome appearance, being
much superior to the palace in Lima. In the center of tho plaza is a
fountain fed by w.ater from a snow peak on the ridge in sight.

The President and his cabinet being hero on a visit. Gibbon hastened
to make a commercial proposition to the government. A Brazilian
minister had concluded a treaty of limits and navigation between his
country and Peru, and was now awaiting the action of tho Bolivian gov-
ermncnt to secure tho use of tho navigable rivers of Bolivia for the Brazils
alone. Gibbon decided to ask tho right to navigate these rivers by
steamboats or other vessels. In an interview with the President, the
lattur expre-ised the hope that a more direct route between the United
States and Bolivia might be found than Capo Horn ; to which the Presi-
dent replied, that ho had heard of Gibbon's arrival in La Paz, and was
glad to see him. " My country," said ho, " is in its infancy. I would
be the more pleased to join hands with tho United States, because wo
are all Americans. You may depend upon me for aid and assistance in
your enterprise."

Through the interposition of the British minister at Sucre, the Brazil-
ian envoy sent to Gibbon passports to the authorities on his route, and
also wrote to the governor of Matto Grosso ou his behalf.

On the I'ith of May, 1852, tho party bade farewell to Cochabamba,
and ibllowed a train of nineteen loaded mules toward the east. " On
the river bank the women seated themselves in a row to take the last
dram Avith the men who were going with us. They shouted, sang, and
danced ; then shaking hands all round, the arricros called to their
mules, and we all moved along single file on our way home through
tho river bed, which was now dry again, the wet season being just
over."

They soon began to descend the Andes, proceeding in a north-easterly
direction, along tho head waters of the Chapare. At Espiritu Santo,
they saw about a hundred Creoles cultivating patches of coca. " Tho
coca," says Gibbon, " is a great favorite of the Quichua Indian ; he
prizes it as the Chinaman does his opium. While the one puts to sleep,
the other keeps awake. The Indian brain being excited by coca, he
travels a long distance without feeling fatigue. While he has plenty of
coca, ho cares little for food. Therefore, after a journoy he is worn out.
In tho city of Cuzco, where the Indians masticate the best quality of
coca, they use it to excess. Their physical condition, compared with
those who live far off from the coca market, in a climate equally inhos-
pitable, is thin, weak, and sickly ; less cheerful, and not so good look-

the

NOCTURNAL KXPEUTKNCES.

805

ing. Tlio chowors also nso moro brandy and loss tamborino and
fiddle ; seldom dance or sing. Their expression of face is doleful,
made hidetms by green streaks of juico streaming from each corner of
the month."

ITaving rested their mules, they pushed on over a level road to
Vinchuta, the \mnt where the traders of tho province of Mojos roach
those of ('ochabamba with salt. "The next morning the govoriior
made his appearance, read our passports, and said there was a large
canoe ready for us ; that she might go off to-morrow. He scomud to
be an active little man and very obliging ; wanted to know all tho news
from Cochabaniba, and was constantly complaining he had nothing nici;
to give us, besides which ho was very particular to lot us know ho had
tho roads put in fine order, as ho had been ordered to do by tho prefect
of his department, as they knew wc were coming. The crew of tho
canoo were stout, fine-looking Indians of the Canichanas tribe. Thoy
stood before us with straw hats in hand, listening to the advice of tho
governor."

On tho 25th of May, thoy entered the canoe. It was made of a log,
forty foot long, and four foot wide, being one of tho largest used by tho
Bolivian Indians. From the stream they had a last view of tho Andes,
far back among tho clouds. They soon entered the river Chapare, which
was a hundred yards wide, and twelve feet deep, and increased as thoy
descended.

On tho 30th, thoy reached tho Mamoro, and continued their route
pleasantly along its rmootli, broad surface, sometimes traveling by night.

" After tho sun went down," says Gibbon, " tho bright moon lit up
our Avator-path through the wilds. The earth seemed asleep as we
watched tho nodding Indians at their paddles, which hung dripping over
the sides of tho canoe. At one moment a rustling noise was heard
among the canes. Wc swept close in toward the bank by the current.
Tho burning piece of wood which tho old captain kept on his part of
tho boat, disturbed the black tiger, or a serpent slipped softly from a
cluster of canes into the water to avoid us. As we turn, tho moon
shines directly up the river, and tho sheet of water appears like a silvery
way. We think of obstruction, and fear we are not going fast enough
to see the glad waters of the Atlantic."

Thoy arrived at Trinidad on the 30th of May, where their crew took
leave, and returned with the boat. Don Antonio, an active trader of
Trinidad, who owned the only two boats from the Amazon on tho upper
waters, which were of the proper build for the falls of the Madeira,
offered one of them to Gibbon, but he had no men to spare, and it was
necessary to wait and go with him to Brazil to get them. During this
long stay at Trinidad, thoy made acquaintance with the motley populace,
consisting of natives, Creoles, and Spaniards ; witnessed a bull-fight, and
other amusements and occupations of the people ; and meanwhile made
an excursion to Lorcto, twelve leagues distant.

666

EXPLORATION OP THE RIVUR AMAZON.

Over a hundred Indians died of small-pox while thoy were in
Trinidad, and the people were Btill suft'ering with it when they left.
The idea of being fastened up amid disease during a long rainy season,
while doubting by which route they were to lind an outlet to the
Atlantic, became daily more ])ainful to Gibbon. Finally, on the 14th
of August, Don Antonio found his cargo could not be disposed of in
Trinidad, and ho must return to Brazil with his boats. He had lirazil-
ian boatmen — negroes and mestizos — who came up from the Ainanon
with him, and were thought the only kind of people who could bo eni-
ployed upon the expedition.

The baggage was stowed on board the If/arite, over which the flag
of the United States was hoisted, and Don Antonio embarked his cargo
on the CobcrtUy from which the flag of Brazil was suspended. On
entering the Mamore River again they found thirty-three feet of water,
the current being one mile an hour. They stopped a week at Exaltiv-
cion, then continued down the Mamoro to its junction with the Itencz,
and ascending the latter, arrived at Fort Principe da Beira, in Brazil, on
the 7th of September.

A canoe came out with two armed negro soldiers, one of whom
politely gave his commander's coraplunents to Gibbon, with the request
that thoy would keep off". Gibbon sent up the letter of the Brazilian
minister, after which two old negroes, of the health-department, brought
the commander's invitation for them to land at the fort. When tlicy
landed, a young negro lieutenant in the emperor's army came to meet
Gibbon and oftered, in the most jjolite manner, to escort him to a house
in town. As they passed the guard-house the negro soldiers respect-
fully saluted the American uniform, but thoy handled the musket very
awkwardly.

When Don Antonio arrived, he had his boat fitted up for Gibbon's
party, and gave them as pilot a man who had passed up the Madeira
with him. The boat was twenty-three feet long, with four feet seven
inches beam. Her bottom was of one piece, cut out of a very large
tree, with washboards nailed rudely on the sides, caulked M'ith oakum,
and well pitched outside and in. The two ends were fastened up by a
solid piece of wood, also made water-proof. In this craft they set out
on the 14th of September, parting at the fort with Don Antonio, who
expected to be two years longer trading ofl" the cargoes of his two
small boats.

On the 20th of September they reached the falls. These consist of
a series of distinct rapids, several miles apart, down which they passed
the empty boats, and transported the baggage along the rocky banks of
the river. The channel is broken and obstructed by rocks, over which
the waters rush down in numerous streams, and keep up a continuous
deafening roar. It is impossib'^ to pass these falls with a steamboat,
fit any season of the year.

Below the falls the boat was carried along at a rapid rate by the cur-

TRBACHEUT OP THE BOaTMEN.

867

rent, which boiled up in groat globular Hwcllrt. Thoy did not, nowovcr,
proceed at night, as tho navigation was Htill obHtructcd by rocks and
occasional rapids, but at their encampment thoy became aware of a new
danger — tlio treachery of the blacks in their employ. Tlie one on duty
shot a dog which wos faithfully prowling tho woods around the camp,
pretending ho had taken it for an approaching tiger. Gibbon had
placed great confidence in this dog, from which ho expected a (juick re-
port of savages or wild beasts. From what ho had seen of tho men he
was convinced they Avero a rough, savage set who would put his party
to death as unceremoniously as tho dog, and ho ordered another man
on watch, at which they expressed an impudent dissatisfaction. Tlicy
lay at night with their pistols prepared for an attack, and by daylight
Gibbon was particular to let every man of them see his revolver ; ho
and Richards kept a close watch upon them night and day.

" "We are about to pass out of tho Madeira Plate," says Gibbon,
" having arrived at the north-east corner of tho territory of Bolivia. The
lands about the mouths of tlie Beni and Mamor6 are now inhabited by
wild Indians; some parts of them are froo from inundation. Cacao
grows wild in the forests. Tlio head of tho Madeira contains a number
of islands. Hero we find the outlet of streams flowing from tho Andes
and from the Brazils collected together in one largo river. Water from
hot springs and cold springs*, silvered and golden streams joining with
the clear diamond brooks, mingled at the temperature of 82° Fah-
renheit.

" The Madeira River flows throngh tho empire of Brazil, and keeps
the northerly course pointed out for it by the IMaraore. The first falls
we met were close to the junction of tho Slaraoro and Beni, called ' Ma-
deira,' three quarters of a mile long. It is difticult to judge the dif-
ference of level between the upper and lower surfaces of the river. As
the falls are shelving, and extend a great distance in length, tho distance
we run during tho day is not easily estimated. At one time we go at
the rate of fifteen miles an hour, and then not more than one mile in
half a day. This fall is not less than fifteen feet. Large square blocks
of stone stand one upon another in unusual confusion. The boat was
paddled through for a quarter of a mile, and by passing half the bag-
gage out over the rocks, she was sledded and floated through narrow
channels close along the eastern bank."

On the 23d they came to the Ribeiras falls, which are two miles
long. The baggage was carried five hundred yards over a path on the
oast bank. Don Antonio transported his vessels on wooden rollers here,
and was nearly one month getting up these two miles. The men were
anxious to see whether they could not pass this fall with the boat in the
water. They launched her down one shoot of twenty feet nearly per-
pendicular by the rope paintci-s in the bow and stern.

" On the 25th," continues Gibbon, " we came to a number of rocky
islands in the river, and took up our quarters on one of them for tho

868

EXPLORATION OF THE RIVER AMAZON.

night. We slept under blankets ; there is a heavy dew, and the night,
are quite cool. Richards was aroused by a severe pain in his ear ; he
was suffering all night long. The men told me it was common among
the soldiers at the fort, caused by exposing the ear to the night air and
dew. The only remedy reported was ' woman's milk,' which was not at
hand."

DESCENDING THE RAPIDS OF THE MADEIRA.

Descending the Arares Rapids and Pedroneira Falls next day, tlioy
at length reached the Paredao Falls, which they had much diiRculty in
passing. Here they were surrounded by a party of savage women and
children, and two unarmed men, who were quite friendly and manifesteil
j»reat curiosity at every thing they saw. The women were all ugly ;
the boys cheerful and good-looking. Some of the men who came after-
ward, left, their bows and arrows behind the rocks, and w.alked up un-
armed. The women carried their babies under the arm, seated in bark
cloth straps, slung over the opposite shoulder. The infants appeared
terribly frightened at the sight of a white man ; one of them screamed
ovt when Pedro milked the mother into a tin pot, for the benefit of
Richards' ear, which still troubled him. The woman evidently under-
stood what was wanted with it, and stood still for Pedro to milk her as
much as he chose.

The Teotoni Falls, at which they arrived on the 30th, were the raoet

CONFLUENCE OP THE MADEIRA AND AMAZON. 869

formidable of them ull. The roaring of the water over and through the
rocks was like distant thunder. Here Gibbon was attacked with severe
bilious fever, which prostrated him, and all the party were worn out
and haggard. The passage of the falls was made next day, by carrying
the baggage and transporting the boats upon rollers. The men were
busy from daylight till dark at the work. Five miles below they passed,
on the 2d of October, the San Antonio Falls, at the foot of which they
breakfasted with feelings of gratitude at having passed in safety the
perils of seventeen cataracts.

As they move on, the land becomes more elevated, and better adapt-
ed to cultivation. The forest-trees are small where the lands are free
from iiMindation. Small streams flow in from the east, while on the west
"madres," or large pools, have an outlet through the bank. They
passed swiftly along by the force of paddles, the current being only one
mile an hour, and arriA'ed by moonlight at the town of Borba, on the
14th of October.

" Borba," observes Gibbon, " is a small town of three hundred in-
habitants. Two rows of miserable wooden huts stand parallel with a
most distressingly dilapidated church ; bells, old and cracked, are hung
under a small shed near the door. There were no men belonging to
Borba to take us on. The authorities ordered the soldiers Mho came
with us to go on. I regretted this, as we were in hopes of getting rid
of these impudent, half-savage free negroes, who refused to obey the
authorities of the town. A larger boat was fitted out, and Ave pushed
off with three Portuguese passengers.

" During the 21st of October we lay all day by a sand island, unable
to proceed until evening. When the wind died away, we paddled on
by the light of the moon. As the negroes lifted their paddles out of the
water, we dipped the thermometer in the Madeira for the last time, 88°
Fahrenheit. Suddenly, the bow of our little canoe touched the deep
waters of the mighty Amazon. A beautiful apple-shaped island, with
deep-grccn foliage, and sandy beach encircling it, lies in the mouth of
the great serpentine Madeira.

" The distance from the foot of San .iVntonio Falls to the mouth of
the Madeira, is five hundred miles by the river. A vessel drawing
six feet water may navigate this distance at any season of the year.
A cargo froiu the United States could reach the foot of the falls, on the
Madeira, within thirty days. By a common mule road, through the
territory of Brazil, the goods might bo passed from the lower to the
upper falls on the Mamore, in less than seven days, a distance of about
one hundred and eighty miles ; thence by steamboat, on that river and
the Chapare, a distance of five hundred miles to Vinchuta, in four days.
Ten days more from the base of the Andes, over the road we traveled,
would make fifty-one days' passage from Baltimore to Cochabamba, or
fifty-niue days to La Paz, the commercial emporium of Bolivia, where

870 EXPLORATION OF THE RIVER AMAZON,

.ar^oes arrive generally from Baltimore in one hundred and eighteen
dTby ^pe Horn-often delayed on their way through the temtory
to P^ni from the seaport of Arica. Goods ^7 '^^ ^l^'^'YZtlT.
^o rnr^Ulera range to the Pacific coast, might get there one
r* ^rX eS^rrive f.» K„ro^ » *e e^ten. ^ of
the Unitea States, by two oceans or the old route.

RICHARDSON'S

TRAVELS IN THE SAHARA,

Mr. James Richardson, a native of the town of Boston, in England,
became interested, like many others of his countrymen, in the projv-ct
of suppressing the African slave-trade. While at Algiers, in January,
1845, he coj^ceived the design of visiting and exploring the celebrated
Oasis of Ghadames, lying in the Sahara, south-west from Tripoli. His
principal object was to ascertain to what extent the commerce in slaves
was carried on in the defiert, and what would be the most feasible plan
of preventing it. Full of this idea, he repaired to Tunis and afterward
to Tripoli, where he arrived on the 18th of May, of the same year.

At Tripoli, Mr. Richardson received no encouragement, but on the
contrary every one endeavored to dissuade him from persevering in what
they considered an insane imdertaking. Mr. Warrington, the British
Consul, nevertheless made application to the pasha on his behalf for the
necessary permission which was at first granted, but accompanied by
all sorts of remonstrances and objections. The formal permit and pass-
port were not given until the end of July, when through the persistence
of Mr. Warrington the pasha ordered passports to be made out for Mr.
Richardson, his servant, and camel-driver. On the 2d of August he left
Tripoli for Ghadames.

A caravan for Ghadames had started before him, but he pressed for-
ward and overtook it on the evening of the first day. He gives the fol-
lowing account of his equipment : " I had two camels on hire, for which
I paid twelve dollars. I was to ride one continually. We had panniers
on it, in which I stowed away about two months' provisions. A little
fresh provision we were to purchase en route. Upon these panniers a
mattress was placed, forming with them a comfortable platform. I my-
self was dressed in light European clothes, and furnished with an um-
brella for keeping off the sun. Thi« latter was all my arms of offense
and defense. The other camel carried a trunk and some small boxes,
cooking utensils, and matting, and a very light tent for keeping off sun
and heat." As it was the height of summer the heat was intense, but

872

RICHARDSON'S TRAVELS IN THE SAHARA.

after four days the caravan reached the castle of Yefran, in the Atlas,
where there was a cooler au*. Here Richardson was stared at by the
inhabitants, as ho was the first European Christian who had ever visited
the place. The commandant of the fortress, however, sent 'aim a brace
of partridges, with some milk and grapes, supposing that he had been
appointed British Consul for Ghadames.

At this place ho left the caravan, in order to visit the district of
Ilujban, in the mountains, the native-country of hL, camel-driver, Mo-
hammed. He was lodged in the house of the latter, and remained there
eight days, tro.;ted with the greatest kindness and hospitality by all the
inhabitants, many of whom came to him to bo cured of various diseases.
The shekh of the place, in particular, became very intimate and familiar.
" He offered to sell me his authority, his shekhdom," says Richardson,
" .and retire from affairs. I bid one thousand dollars for the concern.
' No, no,' said ho, ' I'll take ten thousand dollars, nothing less.' Then,
getting very familiar, he added, ' New, you and I are equal, you're con-
sul and I'm shekh — you're the son < f your sultan, and I'm commander
under the sultan of Stamboul.' The report of my being a consul of a
remote oasis of the Sahara was just as good to me on the present occa-
sion as if I had her majesty's commission for the consular affairs of all
north Africa."

On the 16th, ho left Rujban to rejoin the caravan. Nearly all the
mountaineers offered him their services, and were willing to leave their
homes and go with him anywhere. After four days' march he rcjomed
the caravan, and encamped on a plateau on the southern side of the
Atlas. After crossing the mountains ho expected to find a plain, cor-
responding to that on the northern side ; but the country was at first
undulating, and then sloped into a sandy level, beyond which rose other
lieights, called by the natives, Saharan Mountains. During his journey
over the desert, Richardson suffered much from the heat and want of
sleep, as the caravan traveled principally by night. " Every day," says
he, " until I reached Ghadames, there was a sort of point of halting be-
tween life and suffocation or death in my poor frame, when the European
nature struggled boldly and successfully with the African sun, and all
his accumulated force darting down fires and flames upon my devoted
head. After this pohit or crisis was past, I always found myself much
better."

The journey from Tripoli to Ghadames may be made in nine days,
but the caravan consumed twenty-three. " At dawn of day, on the
25th," continues the narrative, " we started fresh on the last march.
Just when day had broken over half the heavens, / saw Ghadames !
which appeared like a thick streak of black on the pale circle of the
horizon. This was its date-woods. I now fancied I had discovered a
new world, or had seen Timbuctoo, or followed the whole course of the
Niger, or had done something very extraordinary. Gradually we nearod
the city as the day got up. It was dusty, and hot, and disagreeable.

ARRIVAL AT GHADAMES.

873

My feelings were down at zero ; and I certainly did not proceed to enter
the city in style of conqueror, one who had vanquished the galling hard-
ships of the desert, in the most unfavorable season of the year. We
were now met with a great number of the people of the city, come to
welcome the safe arrival of their friends, for traveling in the desert is
always considered insecure even by its very inhabitants. Among the
rest was the merchant Essnoussee, whose acquaintance I had made in
Tripoli, who welcomed mo much to my satisfaction when thus entering
into a strange place. Another person came up to me, who, to my sur-
prise, spoke a few word? in Italian, which I could not expect to hear in
the desert. lie followed me into the town, and the governor afterward
ordered him to be my turjcman ("interpreter"). Now, the curiosity
of the people became much excited, all ran to see Hie Christiun !
Every body in the city knew I was coming two months before my
arrival. As soon as I arrived in Tripoli, the first caravan took the
wonderful intelligence of the appointment of an English Consul at
Ghadames. A couple of score of boys followed hard at the heels of
my camel, and some running before, to look at my face ; the men gaped
with wide open mouths ; and the women started up eagerly to the tops
of the houses of the Arab suburb, clapping their hands and loolooing.
It is perhaps characteristic of the more gentle and unsophisticated nature
of womankind, that women of the desert give you a more lively recep-
tion than men. The men are gloomy and silent, or merely curious
without any demonstration.

OHADAMEa

I entered the city by the southern gate. The entrance was by no
means imposing. There was a rough-hewn, worn, dilapidated gate-way,
lined with stone-benches, on which the ancients were once accustomed

874

RICHARDSON'S TRAVELS IN THE SAHARA.

to sit and dispense justice as in old Israelitish times. Having passed
this ancient gate, which wore the ago of a thousand years, we wound
round and round in the suburbs within the walls, through narrow and
intricate lanes, with mud walls on each side, which inclosed the gardens.
The palms shot their branches over from above, and relieved this other-
wise repulsive sight to the stranger. But I was too much fatigued and
exhausted to notice any thing, and almost ready to drop from off my
camel."

On his arrival, Richardson was conducted to a commodious and
tolerably clean house, not far from the residence of the governor. The
latter received him in a friendly manner, and was glad to make use of
his medicines for his eyes, which were afflicted with ophthalmia. Most
of the inhabitants seemed kindly disposed toward the traveler, and
though there were occasional cries of " Infidel !" as he passed through
the streets, he was not otherwise molested. He adopted the character
of a marabouty or traveling mendicant saint, and a physician, and was
soon busily occupied in administering to the wants of the sick, who
flocked to his house. He remained three months in Ghadames, familiariz-
ing himself with the life of the Sahara, and collecting information regard-
ing the routes to Soudan. He formed the design of penetrating as far as
Timbuctoo, and after a long consultation with the Touaricks, engaged
one of them to take him to that city ; but the plan was afterward relin-
quished. His journal of the residence in Ghadames is quite interesting,
though loosely and carelessly Avritten. Our limits will only allow us to
quote a few of the most sti'iking passages.

Soon after his arrival, he writes : " During the four or five days of my
residence here, the weather has been comparatively temperate ; at least,
I have not felt the heat excessive. To-day has been close and cloudy :
no sun in the afternoon : wind hot, ghibke. I continue to be an object
of curiosity among the people, and am followed by troops of boys. A
black from Timbuctoo was astonished at the whiteness of my skin, and
swore I was bewitched. The Ghadamsee Moors eat sugar like children,
and are much pleased Avith a suck of it. The young men carry it about
in little bags to suck."

Toward the end of September, Richardson writes : " To-day, resi-
dent thirty days in Ghadames which I have certainly not lost. My ex-
penses of living, including a guard to sleep in the house at night, and
Said, are only at the rate of eighteen pence per day ; this, however, ex-
cludes tea, coffee, and sugar. Besides, Shekh Makouran refuses to take
any thing for house-rent, saying, ' It would be against the will of God
to receive money from you, who are our sure friend, and our guest of
hospitality.' Few patients, in comparison with the past. As the Avinter
approaches, the cases of ophthsiania are less. In the precipitation of
leaving Tripoli, brought little ink with me, and most of that I gave away ;
so am obliged to go about the town to beg a little. The custom is,
when one person wants ink, he begs it of another.

there

Tripol

•How

whyni

They

Aft
ardson
ofGha
desert,

THE "SEA ON LAND."

876

" My taleb, backed with two or three Mussulman doctors, charged
me in the public streets with corrupting and falsifying the text of the
Word of God. 'This,' he said, *I have found by looking over your
Elengeel (Gospel).' It is precisely the charge which we make against
the Mohammedans. But our charge ia not so much corrupting one par-
ticular revelation as falsifying the entire books of the Jews and the
Christians, of giving them new forms, and adding to them a groat num-
ber of old Arabian fables. A taleb opened the Testament at the Gospel
of St. Mark, and read, that Jesus was the Son of God. Confounded and
vexed at this, he said, ' God neither begets nor is begotten^ (a verse of
the Koran). An Arab from the Tripoline mountains turned upon me
and said, * What ! do you know God ?' I answered sharply, ' /es ; do
you think the knowledge of God is confined to you alone ?' The by-
standers applauded the answer.

" In general, the ignorant of the population of this part of north
Africa, as well as southern Morocco and Wadnoun, think the Christians
arc not acquainted with God, something in the same way as I heard
when at Madrid, that Spaniards occasionally asked, if there were Chris-
tians and churches in England. But in other parts of Barbary, I have
founiJ^, on the contrary, an opinion very prevalent, that the religion of
the English is very much like the religion of the Moors, arising, I have
no doubt, from the absence of images and pictures in Protestant churches.

" Speaking to the Moor of the Sahara, I said, ' The Sahara is always
healthy ; look at these Touaricks, they are the children of the desert.'
He replied, ' The Sahara is the sea on land, and like sea, is always more
healthy than cultivated spots of the earth. These Touaricks are chiefly
strong and powerful from drinking camels' milk. They drink it for
months together, often for four or five months, not eating or drinking
any thing else. After they have drunk it some time, they have no evac-
uations for four or five days, and these are as white as my bornouse. It
is the camels' milk which makes the Touaricks like lions. A boy shoots
up to manhood in a few years ; and there 's nothing in the world so
nourishing as camels' milk.' Caillio mentions that the chief of the
Braknas lived for several months on nothing but milk ; but it was cows'
milk. Many of the Saharan tribes are supported for six months out of
twelve on milk.

" Treating some Moors with coffee and loaf-sugar, one asked me if
there were blood in sugar, for so he had heard from some Europeans in
Tripoli. I told him in loaf-sugar. ' What, the blood of pigs ?' one cried.
'How do I know?' I rejoined; 'if the refiner has no bullock's blood,
why not use that of pigs ?' This frightened them all out of their senses.
They will not eat loaf-sugar again in a hurry."

After giving up the idea of crossing the desert to Timbuctoo, Rich-
ardson resolved to proceed to Kano, in the kingdom of Houssa, by way
of Ghat and the un visited country of Aheer, or Asben, which lies in a
desert, south-west of Fezzan. Toward the end of November, prepara-

876

RICHARDSON'S TRAVELS IN THE SAHARA.

tions were made for the departure of a caravan to Ghat and Soudan,
and the traveler determined to bo of the party. The governor of
Ghadames, after some hesitation, gave his permission, and Shckh Ma-
kouran, the owner of the house in which Richardson lived, had a testi-
monial drawn up, and signed by the Kadi in behalf of the people of
Ghadames, stating that during his residence there ho had conducted
himself well, and had given offense to no one. lie then purchased a she-
camel for $25, hired another to carry the baggage, and procured a com-
plete Arab dress. The shckh, who had treated him with the greatest
kindness, furnished him with a store of cakes for the journey, made of
honey and dates.

The 24th was fixed upon for the departure of the caravan, but as the
day drew nigh the place was disturbed with rumors that the Shanbah, a
predatory desert tribe, Avere lurking in the neighborhood, ready for at-
tack. On the aflernoon of the appointed day, the camels Avere loaded,
and the whole population of Ghadames collected to see the caravan
start, but just as it was passing the gate, a man and boy who had come
in from the desert, cried out that the Shanbah were on the road. All
was now confusion and dismay ; the caravan halted, and a Senawanee,
or native of Scnawan, was sent forward as a scout. He did not return
imtil next day at noon, when he reported that the supposed Arabs were
merely a herd of stray cattle. The merchants, entirely relieved by this
news, at once put the caravan in motion.

"Mounted on ray camel, pressing on through the desert," says
Richardson, " my thoughts still lag behind, and as I turn often to look
back upon the city of merchants and marabouts, its palms being only
now visible in the dingy red of the setting sun, I endeavor to form a
correct opinion of its singular inhabitants. I see in them the mixture
of the religious and commercial character, blended in a most extra-
ordinary manner and degree, for here the possession of wealth scarcely
interferes with the highest state of ascetic devotion. To a religious
scrupulousness, which is alarmed at a drop of medichie that is prohibited
falling upon their clothes, they add the most enterprising and determined
spirit of commercial enterprise, plunging into the desert, oflen in com-
panies of only two or three, when infested with bandits and cut-throats,
the journeys the mean while extending from the shores of the Mediter-
ranean to the banks of the Niger, as low down to the western coast as
Noufee and Rabbah. But their resignation to the will of heaven is
without a parallel. No murmur escapes them under the severest do-
mestic afiiiction ; while prayer is their daily bread. Besides five times a
day, they never omit the extraordinary occasions. The aspirations of
the older and retired men continue all the live-long day ; this incense of
the soul, rising before the altar of the Eternal, is a fire which is never
extinguished in Ghadames! Intelligent, instructed, and industrious,
they are the greatest friends of civilization in north Africa and the
great desert."

A SENTIMENTAL ARAB.

877

The caravan consisted of eighty persons and two liundicd laden
camels. After traveling for three days in a south-eastern direction, the
road turned to the south, entered the gorge of a low mountain range,
and gradually ascended to an elevated table-land of the desert. Here,
for several days, the journey was exceedingly laborious and exhausting,
from the heat and blinding j^larc of the sand by day, and the extreme
coldness of the nights, which sometimes prevented them from sleeping.
" I notice as a thing most extraordinary," says Richardson, *' after seven
davs from Ghadamcs, two small trees ! the common desert-acacia. An-
other phenomenon, I sec two or three pretty blue flowers ! As I picked
one up, I could not help exclaiming, Elhamdullah (' Praise to God !')
for Arabic was growing second-born to my tongue, and I began to tliink
in it. An Arab said to me, ' Yakob, if we had a reed and were to make
a melodious sound, those flowers, the color of heaven, would open and
shut their mouths (petals).' This fiction is extremely poetical.

..=.t"^_^-xk.-..^~.'i:i.r

THE WELIiS OP MISLAII.

"But here in the center of this wilderness of sand," he continues,
"we had an abundant proof of the goodness of a good God. While
mourning over this horrible scene of monotonous desolation, and won-
dering why such regions were created in vain, we came upon The Welh
of Mislah, where we encamped for the day. These are not properly
wells, for the sand being removed in various places, about four or five
feet below the surface, the water runs out. Indeed, we were obliged to
make our own wells. Each party of the ghafalah dug a well for itself.
Ghafalahs are divided into so many parties, varying in size from five men
and twenty camels, to ten men and forty camels. Three or four wells
were dug out in this way. Some of the places had been scooped out

878

RICHARDSON'S TRAVKLS IN THE SAHARA.

before. Water iniiy l)e foiuid through all the valley of JMislah. A few
dwarfish j)alriis are in the valley, hut Avhich don't bear fruit. The
camels, fiiuliiig nothitijjj else to eat, attacked voraciously their branches.
These pits ai-c considered as the half-way station between Ghadanies
and Ghat."

On the i;Uh of December, the caravan encountered a company of
Touaricks, led by Ouweck, a predatory chief A halt Avas made, a
violent disjHite took place, and finally all parties, jifli-r liaving made their
customary j)rayers, squatted upon the ground, and commenced a solenui
deliberation. Kichardson, who took little notice of what was going on,
was lying upon tlic ground eating some dates, when he w.as informed
thiit Oiiweek had determined to put him to death, as he was a Christian
and an infidel. The people urged liim eitlier to give himself up, or ofl'cr
a ransom, but when the latter was proposed to Ouweck, he iiercely de-
manded a tliousand dollars. "Hereupon," says liichardson, "all the
jM'ople cried out that I had no money. The qitftsi-hwnd'it, nothing re-
ceding, 'Why, the Christian's mattress is full of money,' iwintiiig to it
still on the camel, for he was very near me, although I could not dis-
tinguish his features. The Touaricks wlio Irid come to sec mo before I
arrived at the well, observed, 'Ho has money on his coat, it is covered
Avitli money,' alluding to the buttons. All our people, again, swore so-
lemnly I had no money but paper, which I should change on my arrival
at Chat. The bandit, drawing in liis liorns, ' Well, the Christian has a
nagah.' 'No,' said the people, 'the camel belongs tons; ho hires it.'
The bandit, giving way, ' Well, the Christian has a slave, there he is,'
pointing to Said, 'I shall have the slave.' ' No, no,' cried the j)eople,
' the English have no slaves. Said is a free slave.' The bandit, now
fairly worsted, full of rage, exclaimed, ' What arc you going to do with
mc, am I not to kill this infidel, Avho has dared to come to my country
without my permission ?' Ilercat, the messenger from Ghat, .labour's
slave, of Avhom the bandit was afraid, and dared not lay a hand upon,
interposed, and, assuming an air of defiance, said, ' I am come from my
sult.an, Jabour ; if you kill the Christian, you must kill me first. The
order of my sultan is, No man is to say a word to the Christian.' Our
])eo])le now took courage from this noble conduct of the slave, declaring,
' If Yakob is beaten, we will all bo beat first ; if Yakob is to be killed,
we will be killed likewise.' Ouweck now saw he must come down in
his pretensions. The bargain was struck, afler infinite wrangling, for
two articles of clothing, of the value of four dollars !"

On the day following this adventure, the caravan reached the re-
markable group of rocky hills, called tln' JiTasr Goioon, or Demon's
Palace, and early in the morning of the 15th approached Ghat. The
plain contracted and became a narrow valley, between rocky ridges, in
the bottom of which appeared the dark-green belt of the palm-trees.
Richardson thus describes his arrival and reception : " We were now
met by the friends of the Ghadamsee merchants, but with the exception

our

and

were

from

youn^

condu

inff.

most

mereli

Perha

looket

CURIOSITY OF THK NATIVES.

879

of EssnousHoo aiul two or tlireo otln is, I rcceiviMl few salutes of wel-
coino ; and when avc got up to tlio gates of tlio city at noon, not a slnglo
person of our (ianivun oifeied mo the lea.st assistaneo, either in inter-
l)reting or otherwise. I folt myself in a most deplorable predicament,
but 1 reflected that all men nmst each one look alter his own business
BO our people were now each one occupied with his own atlairs. I felt
much tho Avant of a good i\[oorish or Arab servant. Said was of no
use whatever in this ease. Strangers and loungers crowded and clam-
ored round me, anxious to look at the face of ' the Christian.' It was
covered with my traveling handkerchief, and when I untied my face to
gratify their curiosity, they burst out with tho rude and wild e\])reHsion
of Hiu-priso, ' 1^7tyo/i .' Whooh I Whey l^

" Several of the Ghat people then asked mo what I wanted. I told
them, the Governor of Ghat. I was not understood. At last camo up

OUAT.

to mc a young Tripoline Moor of tho name of Mustapha, who volun-
teered his services .as Touarghec and Arabic interpreter, but of course,
our conversation was always in Arabic. Amid a cluster of Touaricks
and Ghat townsmen, the governor, was pointed out. Several shckhs
were present, but it appears they gave precedence to the governor's son
from a feeling of shamefacedness. Ilaj Ahmed's son is a very nice jjolito
young gentleman, as smart as a Parisian dandy. After a little delay he
conducted us to a house, in whicli some of his fiithcr's slaves were liv-
ing. It was a dark, dreadful, dilapidated hovel. The young gentleman
most earnestly apologized, protesting, 'the town is full of people,
merchants, and strangers. Wc have nothing better left in the town.
Perhaps yon will come and live in our house out of the tOAvn.' We
looked out our baggage, which had been conveyed for us by Arabs of

880

UICIIAUDHON'.S TUAVKLS FN TIIK HAIIARA.

our caravan, and were astoiiishtHl to littd it Kcattorcd nlioiit oiitsidn lljc
city gatoH, tho caravan jx'oplc having tlirown it down tlicri'. Ilowovor,
nothing was h)8t, and this at once inipresscd nio with the rcnmrkablo
honesty of the (Jhatoo jK'ople."

Uichardson was received in a very friendly manner by tho Governor
of (ihat, Sh(^klj .labour, tho chief marabout, and ailcrward by Shafou,
the Sultan of the country. Tho Touaricks arc more bigoted than the
inhabitant:^ of (Jhadauics, and ho was frecjucntly insulted in tho streets,
but ho was at least secure from violence, and found no serious
obstacles in tho way of jirocceding to Soudan. I lis means, liowever,
were scarcely sufllcient for the journey, his health began to sutler, and
he finally gave up tho plan, after having become Batlslicd of its entire
feasibilitv. lie remained in (that two months and a half, at the end of
which time he determined to return to Tripoli by way of Mourzuk. Tho
following passages from his journals M'ill throw some light on Touarick
life and mannorB :

" Every body, as was tho case at Ghadames, high and low, rich and
poor, young and old, wishes to convert nie into a good Mussulman,
bi'ing mortified that so quiet a Christian should bo an infidel. An old
sliekli paid mc a visit to-day, and began, ' Now, Christian, that you
have come into this country, I hope you "will find every thing better
than in your own country, and become a Mussulman, one loved of God.
('ome to my house, leave your infidel father and mother. I have two
daughters. I will give you both for wives, and eevon camels besides.
This will make you a sliekh among us. You can also bo a manibout,
and spend your life in pr.ayer.' I excused myself, by saying, ' I had
engagements in my country. My sultan would brand mc Avith disgrace,
and I shoidd bo fetched out of this country by tho Turks, •who were ahv.iys
the friends of the English.' The shckh sighed, raised up his aged body,
and departed, mumbling something, a blessing or a curse, upon my head."

One day he writes: "ILad a visit from sotno score of Touarick wo-
men, of all complexions, tempers, and ages. After staring at me for
some time with amazed curiosity and silence, they bec.atnc restless. Not
knowing wliat to do with them, I took out a loaf of white sugar, cut it
into pieces, and then distribuiod it among them. The scene now sud-
denly changed, joy beamed i.i every eye, and every one let her tongiio
run most volubly. They ask ed me, ' AVhether I was married — whether
the Christian women vrcvc pretty — whether prettier than they — and
whether, if not married, I should have any objection to marry one of
them ?' To all which questions I answered in due categorical form : ' I
w.is not married — the Christian women were pretty, but they, the
Touarick women, were prettier than Christian women — and, lastly, I
should see whether I would marry one of them whem I came from
Soudan.' These answers were perfectly satisfactory. But then came a
ptizzler. They asked me, ' Which was the prettiest among them ?' I
looked at one, and then at another, with great seriousness, assuming

THK I'ALAOK OF TMK DKMONS.

881

very ungtillant airs (tht; women tho nu'anwliil«> j^ij^j^linj; and coqnet-
tiiij?, and Honu; tlirowiiij^ l)iick their l>arracans, hIiuwIs I may call them,
furtiu-r from tlieir Nlioiililcrs, hariiitj their bosoms in true ball-room
Htyle), and, at last liillinjr back, and shuttinj^ my eyes, pliicin<; my lell
hand to my forehead, as if in j)rofound relh-ction, I exclaimed langnidly,
and with a forced nij,di, ' Ah, I can't tell, yon arc all so pretty!' This
created an explosion of mirth. Home of tho more knowinj^ ones iiilim;it-
inj; by their looks, 'It's Incky for yo»i that you have j^ot out of the
Hcrajic.' Ibit an old lady, dose to mo, was very an<<ry with nu': ' You
fool. Christian, take one of tho young ones; hero 's my daughter.'

"Nothing Hurprisi's tho natives of (that and Uie Touaricks so much
as my gloves. I am obliged to put them olV and on a hundred linu's :i
day to pleaso people. They then try them on, look at them inside and
outside, in every shape and way, expressing their utter astonislmiont by
the most sacred names of Deity. Some also, liavo not seen stockings
before, and examine tliem with much wonderment. IJut ihe gloves
carry tho j>alni hi exciting tho omotitm of the terrible. One said, aller
ho had put tho glove on his band, ' Ah ! ah ! whey, whoo ! that 's tho
hand of tho devil himself!'"

On the nth of February, 1840, Richardson left, fihat with a Touarick
(\*n'avan for Mourzuk. On jipproaching tlu; Denuui's Pulac(>, ho lefl tlu!
caravan and wandered off to tho wonderful natural fortress, with the <lo-
sign of procuring some curious geologi(V'd spci^ini'iis. Losing liimself
Hoon, however, among tho rocky n),i/.es, h(> wandered about all night
without finding any trace of tho road, 'ind in tho morning, nearly delir-
ious from thirst, sot oft* to wander back to (Jhat, when, after three hours,
he was fortunate enough to stumble upon his own party. The mer-
chants supposed that ho had been kilhd by tlie demons, and some; ol'
them said to him : " You were viuy foolish, you ought not, as a Chris-
tian, to have presumed to go to the Palace of the Demons, without a Mus-
sulman, who could have tho meanwhile prayed to God to preserve you,
and likewise himself. Tho demons it is who have made you wander all
night through the desert." Nothing of any sjjocial interest occurred dtu--
ingthcremainder of tho journey, and on tho 22d ho arrived at Mourzuk.

Richardson soon recovered his health, tmdcr tho hospitable care of
Mr. Gagliufti, tho English vice-consul at Mourzuk, and by the fith of
March, was well enough to start with a caravan for Tripoli. lie reached
Sockna, on the 21st, and halted there nine days. His route from (Jhat
to Tripoli was precisely the samo as that traversed by Dcnhain and
Clai)pcrton ; i\w. character of tho country and its inhabitants is de-
scribed in tho narrative of those explorers, and need not bo repeated
here. On the evening of tlio 19th of April, Richardson arrived at Tri-
poli, after a tour of eight months and a half in tho Sahara, during which
time ho traveled sixteen hundred miles. His entire expenses were less
than $300, which sum he earned on the road by writing letters to tho
London Times.

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RICHARDSON AND EARTH'S

EXPEDITION TO CENTRAL AFRICA.

JOURNEY TROUGH AIR, OR ASBEN, TO SOUDAN.

After his r(;tnrn to England, Mr. Richardson did not lose sight of
the project of a visit to Soudan, which he had been obliged to relinquish
at CThat, but cndcavorrd to enlist the sympathies of the public, and ob-
tain the sanction o*" government. Finally, in the summer of 1849, he
received a government commission to visit Central Africa on a political
and commercial mission. Drs. Harth and. Overweg, of Prussia, vho
were highly recommended by Humboldt, Ritter, and Encke, volunteered
to accomjtany him, the former as antiquarian and philologist, the latter
as naturalist, on condition that the Hritish government should defray
their expenses. Their oftor was accepted, a' d an appropriation of
14,000 made for them, in addition to which they received $3,000 from
the Geographical Society of Berlin, the King of I'russia, and other
sources. The explorers met Jit Tripoli, where they were delayed some
time for the purpose of having a boat constructed for the navigation of
Lake Tsad. Finally, on the .^Oth of March, 1850, the party started,
comprising a cari;van of forty ca'nels, with which they joined the ;jreat
semi-annual caravan to Bornon.

The route followed by the oxpedi^^'on from Tripoli to Lake Tsad
(Tchad of Denham and Clapporton), was not the direct road vi^ Mur-
zouk and Bilma through the country of the Tibboos, but one from Mur-
Eouk, deviating greatly westward and extending through the Tuarick
country, with the kingdom of Air to Kano, the great mart of Soudan.
The object of tliirt deviation was to explore countries never before visited
by Europeans. The expedition entered the elevated regions south of
Tripoli by the Gharian P:vss, near which is mount Tekut. As far as the
Well of Taboniah, situated at the foot of the northern edge of the
Hamada, many deep wadis intersect this table land, and the ruins of
several Roman monuments and columns were discovered by the travel-
ers. To the souih of Taboniah is the Hamada, an immense stony desert

88G

KXrKDITION OP RICHARDSON AND BARTII.

of 2,000 to 'J, 500 f(v>t I'lovatioii, uiul extending about 110 geograpliical
miles southward. As far as the eye can reacli, neither trees nor indica-
tions of wells are visible, and the scanty vegetation which occtirs, is
only found here and there in the trifling irregularities of the surface.
The ground is covered with smali stones, pyramids of which, erected
with great labor, serve as road-marks to th(> intrepid camel-drivers by
day, while the Polar star an<l Antares arc the guides by night. A(l(>r
six long days' Journey, the expedition reached the southern (idge of this
table land, which descends in perpendicular Avails to the Wady el llessi.
The monotony of the dreary bla«'k rock was relieved by the yeUow
sand, without whl<Oi tin? whole of Fezzan would be a lifeless wilderness,
as it is in the sand that the \M\hn trees grow, and in the wadis filled
Avith it that tin- wells are found. In the great Wady of Fezzan the ex-
pedition |»assd through a complete forest of [>alms, as well as through
cultivated fields of wheat and barley. Another small table land was
traversed li- tluj travelers, ailer which they reached Murzouk on the Gth
of May, 1 Hi >

Here they . compelled to make a long stay, as they wore await-
ing the arrival tr, ..i (ihat of the Tuarick escort, headed by Hateeta, the
well-known Tuarick chief, who calls himself" the friend of the English,"
from having escorted Oudney and Clapperton to Ghat. The journey
from INIurzouk to (ihat, geiu^rally accomplished in twelve days, occuj)ied
the travelers thirty-six, owing partly to the delay caused by Ilateetu,
partly to the slow rate oi' traveling of this old and decrepit man. The
travelers were, however, compensated by the discovery of some extremely
curious rock sculptures in the Wady Telissareh, which is situated
about mid-way between IMurzouk and Ghat. One of these sculptures
consists of two human bird and bull headed figures, armed with spears,
shields, ami arrows, and combating for a child. The other represents a
fine gi'ouj) of oxen going to a watering-i)lace, most artistically grouped
and skillfully executed. In the opinion of the travelers, the two works
bear a striking and unmistakable resemblance to the sculptures of Egypt.
They arc evidently of a very high antiquity, and superior to numerous
other sculptures of more recent date found at the same time, in which
camels generally formed the principal object. They most probably relate
to a period of ancient Libyan history when camels were unknown in that
part of Africa, and oxen were used instead.

At Serdalous, the road, till then from east to west, suddenly turned
almost due south, in the direction of the celebrated Kasr Janoon or
Palace of the Demons, a small range of hills composed chiefly of slate-
marl, and most curiously shaped, liaving the appearance of ruinous
cathedrals and castles. This region is held in the most superstitious
dread by the inhabitants, who never go near it. It had well-nigh cost
the life of Dr. Barth, who, on the caravan arriving on the spot, with
Dr. Overweg, determined to visit this curious group of hills. As they
could procure uo guide or companiou, they set off alone, while Mr.

SIC AUG II FOtt DU. liARTII.

887

^^??^ii^--p',;£^

TlIK I'AI.ACK Of THE DIOMONS.

Kicliardson pitclufd his lent at llio nearest well. TIk- day wore on, it
blew gales uf wind, and none of them returned. At last toward the
evening Dr. Overweg returned, but without liis companion, from whom
he had separated without seeing him again. Gi'eat fears began to be enter-
tained that an accident liad befallen the hitter. Search was commenced
just before sunset, and continued up to midnight, ])ut in vahi. At day-
break, the search was more vigorously resumed, and a considerable re-
ward was ollered as a stimulus to the Tuaricks, but the day wore on
without result. Just before sunset, however, the joyful intelligence was
brought to the camp, that Dr. liarth had at last been discovered, still alive,
and even able to speak. One of the Tuaricks had found him aboiit eight
miles from the camp, lying on the ground, unable to move. For twenty-
four hours he had remained in the same position, perfectly exhausted
with heat and fatigue. On seeing hi'e deliverers, lie could just muster
strength to say, " Water, water !" He had finished the small supply he
had taken with him the day before at noon, and had from that time
suffered the most horrible tortures from thirst. He had even drunk his
own blood : twenty -eight hours in the Sahara without water ! Tin;
Tuaricks could scarcely at first credit that he was alive ; for their saying
is, that no one can live more than twelve hours wlien lost in the desert
during the heats of summer. The doctor, liowever, being of robust
constitution, was well enough the next day to mount his camel, and
proceed with the caravan. The travelers arrived at (ihat on the iVth
of July.

At Ghat, the travelers remained a week : which time was by no
means one of rest or recreation, as they were continually harassed by
the greedy demands of the chiefs, and by the fanaticism of the inhabit-

888

KXPEDITION OF RICHARDSON AND BARTH.

ants : so much so, indeed, that they had but few opportunities of ex-
ploring the town and surrounding country, except when their medical
assistance happened to be required. Even old Ilatceta proved a faith-
less "friend of the English." On the 25th of July the expedition
letl Ghat.

"The departure from Ghat," so writes Mr. Richardson, "was, for
the most of us, an exciting moment. So far I had considered myself
comparatively on familiar grouui ; for although I had followed different
routes, the great points of Murzouk and Ghat were well known to me.
Now, however, we were about to enter upon a region totally unknown,
of which no authentic accounts from eye-witnesses, unless we count the
vague reports of natives, had ever reached us : valleys unexplored ;
deserts unaffronted ; countries which no European had ever surveyed.
Before us, somewliere in the heart of the Sahara, raised into magnif-
icence perhaps by the mirage of report, was the unknown kingdom of
Air, of which Leo Africanus hints something, but the names of whose
great cities are scattered, as if at hap-hazard over the maps, possibly
hundreds of miles out of their right position."

The travelers first passed Barket, a considerable town, surrounded
with palm-trees and gardens, and situated in a pleasant and picturesque
piece of country, nowhere exceeded in beauty in the whole region yet
traversed. On the 27th of July the expedition arrived at the well of
Akuru, and was there joined by a caravan of Kelowi Tuaricks, under
whose protection they were to proceed as far as Tin-Tellust, in Air, the
residence of the Kelowi prince. The scenery continued to be very
varied, so different from the vulgar notions of a desert, or level expanse
of sand. There were frequent ascents and descents, ravines and rocky
plateuis. On ihe 30th of July they came to a small lake inclosed within
inmiense rocks, ."ailed ^Vggeri Water, which is solely produced by rain.
Here the expedition began to be harassed by rumors of pursuing Tua-
ricks. On the 4th of August, the Wady and well of Falesseles Mas
reached. Here they stayed two days to refresh themselves, as they were
greatly f;itigued by the long days' marches which they had made ever
since leaving Ghat. They entered now upon a more elevated rocky
region, an extensive hamada, uninhabited for about three hundred
miles in a southerly direction.

On the 15th of August, not far from the well of Aisou, the travelers
expeiionced the first drops of Soudan rain, and a complete Soudan at-
mosphere, the clouds having a vermilion tinge, and the air being hot
and clammy. The next day a terrific tempest was experienced, with
thunder and lightning, and so violent a shower of rain that the travelers
got quite wet through almost in an instant. On the 17th of August, the
Aisou, or the Seven Wells, were reached. Here reports of ])ursuing
Tuaricks again alarmed the caravan ; but the enemy was outstripped,
and the travelers safely reached the borders of the kingdom of Air at
Taghajit, hoping to be hospitably received by its inhabitants, and to

ARRIVAL AT TI N-TELLU8T.

889

rest after the fatigues of a forced inarch. But they were sadly dis-
apix)iiited.

From this moment they were greatly harassed by the attacks of
what would seem to have been the lawless tribes of the border regions,
and hordes of all the blackguards of the surrounding districts, in number
gradually increasing from sixty to several hundreds. Earnest prepara-
tions to repel these attacks were now made by the mission ; whose force
consisted of about sixty men able to fight. To these, ammunition for
twelve shots was distributed. The demand made by the enemy to the
caravan, was, that the three Christians should be delivered over to them ;
but their servants, their escort, and the other members of the caravan
remained faithful to the travelers. Several times the enemy challenged
the caravan to battle ; but when the latter showed a bold front, ad-
vanced in a body well armed, and shouted out that they accepted the
challenge, the former retired, satisfied with the payment of a ransom.
At last, however, the affair became more serious ; and before the trav-
elers reached the town of Seloufiyeh, a troop of a hundred men, insti-
gated by the marabouts, demanded that the travelers should become
Moslems, or return by the way they had come, as no infidel had ever
passed, or should ever pass through their country.

The Tuarick escort of the travelers remained faithful and firm, and
by their negotiations, and by paying a heavy ransom, the enemy agreed
to the proposition that the travelers should be taken to Tin-Tellust, to
the great Sultan En-Noor, who should decide upon their case. On their
way to that place, they passed near Tintaghoda, the city of marabouts.
These marabouts, by assigning to have found the names of the travelers
in their book.?, and other reasons, had determined to receive them with
ojjen arms and afford them their protection as far as Tin-Tellust. It was
from these persons that they received the first substantial action of kind-
ness in Air, v iz., a present of two melons, some onions, and a small
quantity of whtiat. By a kind treatment the marabouts, it seems, hoped
the Christians would still be converted into Moslems.

Under the protection of this escort, they reached, on the 3d of Sep-
tember, the broad and spacious valley of Tin-Tellust. The town itself
is situated in the middle of this valley, with trees here and there inter-
spersed. This place, the capital of the mighty Prince En-Noor, on whom
the life and death of the travelers depended, and on which their minds
had naturally dwelt so long, was found to be much less imposing, consist-
ing, as it does, of only about one hundred and fifty houses and huts, and
being in fact nothing but a large village. The travelers ]ntched their
tents upon some sandhills overlooking the entire country. For the fii"st
time since many a day they felt themselves quite secure under the im-
mediate protection of En-Noor, who on their arrival sent them a kind
message.

The expedition now having fixed their encampment for their resi-
dence in the kingdom of Air, Mr. Richardson's chief care was that of

890

EXPEDITION OP RICHARDSON AND BARTII.

obtaining the signing of certain treat. is on the part of the chiefs, while
his scientiiic companions longed to uxplt."e tiie country around. On the
4th of September, the travelers were rect'ved by the Sultan Kn-Noor
in his palace, a long mud-shed, when they delivcv«>d a number of presents,
the largest yet given. All the .articles were carefully examined, b«it not
a word was said. The sultan, a venerable-looking black, but with some-
thing of an European cast of features, .about seventy-eight years of ago,
received the travelers favorably, assured them of his protection, and
ascribi'd the robberies they had suifered on the road as arising from a
general fermentation, a kind of revolution throughout the country.

By the 24th of September the friendly relations with the sultan had so
far increased, th.at Mr. Richardson i)aid a visit to his highness to refjuest
him to sign the treaty of .amity and commerce which he had prepared.
On this occasion En-Noor really seemed what he professed to be, the
friend of the English, and accepted both the treaty and the present of a
Bword with ardent manifestations of pleasure. This was a d.ay of rijoic-
ing and thanksgiving to the travelers, who hoisted the union-jack over
the tents and tired a salute ; for they found that with the friendship of
the chiefs, and particularly of En-Noor, who exerts paramount inHuence
in Air, the people were also showing themselves more and more friendly,
so th.at after a residcjice of several weeks the former felt themselves
quite at homo in th.at singular country. The fan.aticism gave Avay by
degrees, and the sultan became so much attached and condescending to
his guests, th.at ho visited them almost daily in their tents, took tea or
coffee with them, .and chatted with them like old friends. Thus the
months of Se{)tember .and October passed off pleasantly enough upon
the whole, and the travelers were only .awaiting the departure of the
great salt caravan of the sultan to Soudan, under whose protection they
were to continue their journey to the south.

During the sojourn of the expedition at Tin-Tell ust, Dr. Barth ob-
tained permission and protection to visit Agadez, the capitiil of Air, and
situated in the south-western portion, lie letl the former place on the
4th of October, escorted by a car.avan mounted on bullocks and camels,
the gener.al direction of his route being about S.S.E., .and the distance
to Agadez, in a straght line, one hundred and thirty-two geographical
miles, which he accomplished in six days going, and seven days return-
ing. It is an interesting tract of country, presenting a great variety of
scenery, now composed of fine valleys, now of mountain chains cut up
by defiles. Here and there charming sj)ots, green with herbage and
trees, particularly rich in doum-])ahns, .and of a truly tropical character,
greeted the eyes of the traveler, Agadez is situated on a hamdda or
table land, consisting of sandstone and gr.anitic formations. Its circuit is
three miles, including about seven hundred liouses, with seven or eight
thousand inhabit.ants. No author is known to have mentioned this
place before Leo Africanus, in whose time it was a flourishing town.
There arc traditions among the inhabitants, that it owes its origin chiefly

total
wJiio
the tr;
bodice
eiglit
j dred
I ulatiou
j places
a good
I On

campmi
caravan
eastern
ing wh
basalt,
I^aghzeiH
The nej
to a coB
forests
try a tri
Bargot.
On

AOADEZ.

891

to some tti'ocs coming from the north, probably belonging to the IJcrber
race.

Agutk'z roriiicrly contaiued not losa than from fifty to sixty thousand
inhabitants, tlicru being now only about eight thousand. At present
tho appearaiiec of the town is that of an almost ruined place, scarcely
the sixth part of it. Tho inhabitants arc ])artly merchants, partly arti-
zans. Ri'specting the degree of civilization of tho inhabitants, it may bo
mentioned tiiat then; are live or six schools in Agadez, where the boys
are taught to read the Koran, and to write. The v. omen seem to enjoy
great freedom. Some of them are pretty, and have Arab features; and
among the men J)r. Uarth observed fine faces and good iigures. The
population is so mixed that it would be ditlicult to mako out the type of
the original stock.

The kingdom of Air, as it is called by the Tuaricka, and Asbcn by
the ancient Soudan name, lies about midway between the Nile and the
western coast of northern Africa. From its nattu'al features it can
neither be considered as strictly belonging to the Sahara nor to Soudan,
but it presents a transition country, where tho various features of both
regions are blended and mixed together. On tho one hand, the tro])ical
rains extend all over tiie country to its northernmost extremity, which
is not the case in that j)art of the desert explored by Oudney, Denham,
and Clapperton, and lying to the east, nor in that portion lying to the
west.

The ])opulation is pretty considerable for a Saharan country, the
total number of inliabitants being estimated at about sixty-four thousand,
which is at least double that of the whole of Fezzan. It was stated to
the travelers, that the chiel'sofAir can bring fourteen thousand able-
bodied warriors itito the field. The largest town is Agadez, with about
eight thousand inhabitants, while Tin-Tellust has only about four hun-
dred and fifty. There are, however, about half a dozen towns, the pop-
ulation of each of which exceeds one thousand, while the great bulk of
places contain between that number and one hundred inhabitants, and
a good many contain not more than fifty.

On tho r2th of December, the travelers lefl their protracted en-
campment at Thi-Teggana, and on the 14th were joined by tho salt
caravan from Bilma. On tho 20tli December, they rested opposite the
eastern side of the celebrated Baghzen Mountain, Dr. Overweg ascend-
ing what may be considered its lower terrace. It consists of porous
basalt, and afforded a capital view of the high and steep slopes of tho
Baghzen, with its narrow gorges, tho home of grCiit numbers of lions.
The next day they descended along the Wady Unan which widens out
to a considerable plain further south, and passed through splendid
forests of the doum-palm, "which, laden with fruit, imparted to the coun-
try a truly tropical aspect. Christmas-eve was passed at a place called
Bargot.

On the 1st of January, 1851, tho travelers passed tho most barren

892

EXPEDITION OF lUOIIARDSON AND BARTU.

portion of the plateau, and descondccl by a gentle slope to Soudan. The
weather experienced in that region was bleak and cold, Avith a keen
bracing air from the north-eajt, under which the caravan sutTercd se-
verely, and several camels escaped from the numbed fingers of their
drivers. The next day the travelers got fairly out of the elevated des-
ert, and entered upon a wilderness of small tholukh-trecs full of birds'
nests, the soil covered Avith karcngia and other herbs. Great numbers
of ant-hills were met with. The same character of landscajjc continued
to the village of Nasamat, which was reached on the 3d of January,
Here flocks of sheep and droves of oxen betrayed the commencement
of an inhabited country, and a real blessing and haijpiness it was to the
travelers to be kindly received by the inhabitants, who are Tuari(!k8, and
belong to a tribe called Tagama. Plenty of i>rovisions were now ob-
tained by the hungry caravan : fowls and cheese, young ostriches and
eggs of ostriches, and the flesh of the giraffe, were brought for sale. Tlio
latter was relished, and its taste found to be somewhat like beef. Hunt-
ing the girafib is a great occupation with the peo{)le of this village, and
its flesh is a source of subsistence for them.

The caravan now entered Damergou, a frontier country of IJornou,
under the sway of the Tuaricks, greatly intermixed with people of Bor-
nou and Houssa. The expedition encamped on the 7th of January at
the village of Tagelal, which belongs to En-Noor. It was arranged that
the travelers should part here for a time and take different routes, in
order to explore as much of Soud.an as possible, making Kouka their
place of rendezvous. Mr. Richardson was to take the direct road by
Zindcr, Dr. Barth by Katshna and Kano, and Dr. Overweg by a cir-
cuitous westerly route through Guber and Mariadi. On the 11th of
January, 1851, they parted, never, alas, all tliree to meet again. "Wo
took leave," says Mr, Richardson in his journal, " one of the other with
some emotion ; for in central Africa, those traA'olers who part and take
divergent routes, can scarcely count on all meeting together again,"

The direction of Mr. Richardson's route w.as nearly due south for
about fifteen geographical miles, when it turned about south-east and
continued in that direction as far as Zinder. A protracted delay of
nearly four weeks was caused at Zinder, on account of a razzia sent to
the neighboring countries. Mr. Richardson was all this time well
treated, had good opportunities of making observations respecting the
country and people around, and also of collecting information generally;
provisions of every kind were supplied to him in abundance. Sad sights,
however, connected with the slave-trade, checked his delight and threw
a gloom over every thing else. During his stay the sultan went out in
person to hunt down the subjects of his own sovereign, that he might
pay his debts by selling them into captivity.

Zindcr has a population of about ten thousand soids. The mili-
tary force consists of cavalry and foot — one thousand cavalry having
Bwords, spears, and shields ; and four or five thousand bowmen, having

DEATH OP MR. RIOHAUDSON.

893

only bows and arrows. Tho houses of Zindcr are mostly built of doublu
matting, but a good number have mud walla and thatched roofs. Others
are built of inud. There are no nice mosques with minarets. The resi-
dence of the sultan is a fort of mud, with walls of some height ; it over-
looks all the other buildings. There arc two principal streets, nwuiing
from the south to the north ; one termuiating at the castle of the gov-
ernor, and the other in the market. These are of some Avidth, tliere
being spaces for a dozen camels to pass abreast. There are, besides,
many little scpuires before the houses of the grandees, where the idle
people loimgo, of which the streets are always full. The scavengers in
the streets of Zinder are the vultures and hysenas, the former walking
about in great numbers by day, the latter enter tho town in troojjs
by night.

On tho Sth of February, 1R51, Mr. Richardson left Zinder en rojitc
for Kouka, under an escort, and mounted on a horse i)resented to him
by the sultan. The general direction of his route was cast, througli a
fine wavy country, rising at times into high hills, with comparatively
few trees, and more sugar-cane ^lelds than in the northern parts of the
province. The country is veiy tino and park-like, and were it not for
the doum-palm, would be more like some of the best parts of Europe
than Africa is supposed to be. On the 11th of February, ho entered
Manga or Minyo, considered to bo the most powerful province of Uor-
nou ; and after passing a great number of villages — for the country is
densely peopled — reached the cajntal Gurai on the 14th. He was kindly
received by the sultan, and after staying for several days at Gurai, left
that place on the 1 9th of February. His route led through a tract of coim-
try which may be considered as the southern border of tho Sahara, for
the vegetation was stunted, and the fauna exceedingly poor. At Gusu-
mana, which forms the center of a group of several towns and villages, the
country was considerably improved. It is situated on a hill, overlooking
a steep broad valley, full of doum-palms, while in the gardens wheat,
cotton, and pepper are cultivated. Mr. Richardson reached this place
on the 21st of February, and here it was that he wrote the last words
of his journal, for a few days afterward he fell a victim to the fatigues
of the journey, and the influence of the climate. His last words seem
to hint tho cause of tho lamentable accident that speedily followed :
" Thermometer at sunset, 82°; weather very troublesome to-day, blow-
ing hot and cold with tho same breath." Spring was advancing with
its uncertain temperatures in central Africa. The thei' 'omcter stood
nearly 30° between the morning and afternoon. Doubtless, however,
the unusual fatigue of horse-exercise during the days that succeeded tho
departure irom Zinder may have contributed its share in breaking down
Mr. Richardson's strength.

Mr. Richardson died at Ungurutua, about six days' journey from
Kouka, the capital of Bornou, on the 4th of March, 1851, eleven months
after his departure from Tripoli. His fellow-traveler, Dr. Barth, hast-

894

KXPKDITION OF RICHARDSON AND BARTII.

cncd to tlio spot with laudnblo energy as soon as he heard of the melan-
choly catastrophe that had taken place, and secured all his ])apers and
effects, whi(!h he forwarded to the British consul at Tripoli. The journal
of the iil-flited traveler has since been publiahcd. IIo was forty-two
years of age at the time of his death.

From Tagelal, where the travelers separated, Dr. Barth Avent in a
direction about south-west nearly on a straight lino as far as Katshna,
thus entering the dominions of the Felatahs. A few miles from Tagelal
he passed Olaloal, the capital of Damergou, and about halfway between
that place and Katshna ho left, the town of Tasawa a little to the right
of his route, having to cross a dense forest before reaching the frontier
of the Felatah empire. This forest is rendered unsafe by gangs of Fe-
latahs. Arrived at Katshna, the capital of a B'elatah province, ho was
detained some days by the governor, who extorted from him a high
passage money. From Katshna to Kano, Barth took a more easterly
route than the one of Clapperton, and found the various streams ho
crossed running to the eastward. He arrived at this important j-lace,
the London of Soudan in a commercial point, in the beginning of F<>1..
ruary, and stayed till the beginning of March. During this time ho
collected a good deal of information respecting Iloussa, and but for this
would have been very dissatisfied with his visit to that city ; for he was
much molested by the inhabitants, and suffiired from the unhcalthincss
of the place by a slight attack of fever. In addition to this, he was
greatly disappointed by his commercial transactions, for the great amount
of goods he and Dr. Overwcg had been induced to purchase n ^ur-
zoniv — to 1)0 exchanged in the markets of Kano for Soudan n or

merchandise — fetched very low prices, and thus entailed a cons»L4^.aoic
loss, which, with the robberies in the Sahara, reduced liis means in a
degree little anticipated.

On the 5th of March, Dr. Barth left; Kano and reached Gummel, the
first considerable place withhi the Bornouese dominions, on the r2tli.
After staying a few days at that place, he continued his journey, and met
with a sherif on the road, who acquainted him with Mr. Richardson's
death. This sad account having been confirmed by succeeding travelers,
he hurried on as fast as possible, in order to fulfill the last duty to his
unfortunate traveling companion ; if too lato for his burial, at least to
make provision that his lonely grave would bo respected, and also to
take such measures as might be necessary for the successful prosecution
of the object of the mission. Having secured all Mr. Richardson's pa-
pers, Dr. Barth hastened on to Kouka, which he reached on the 2d
of April, 1851. On his arrival, he presented himself at once at the
shekh's palace, as one of the surviving Christians who had come from
England to bring him presents from her Britannic majesty. He was
received with great kindness and hospitality.

While awaiting the arrival of Dr. Overweg, Dr. Barth made prepa-
rations for the exploration of Lake Tsad, and collected information

8C!

di(

the

his

hom

]ivo

butt

plori

direc

Tsad,

Til

I Way H(
I whole
j beforel
I they \y
I to Kou
I than th
I This
it, to
arose
therefoi
tion of
arrival
compan
accomp.'
south wa
territor
Afargh
color of
of their
separate
The Mai
leather p
profusio
'egs. TJ
ear, but
Marghi
viJJage h,

n ;

ADAMOWA.

895

respecting every quarter of central Africa, with the zeal and inclefati-
gability which distinguish this enthusiastic traveler, though the state of
scanty provision and disorganization in which he found the whole expe-
dition on his arrival at Kouka, wore sufficient to have discouraged the
most energetic. In this dilemma, the Vizier of Bornou had lent hira
$100; with which he was enabled to pay some of the debts incurred
by Mr. Richardson, and part of the salary duo to his servants. On
the 7th of May, Dr. Overweg arrived at Kouka, and was welcomed by
his traveling companion as one who had made himself already quite at
homo. They received from the shckh a good house of large size to
live in, and were supplied daily with plenty of mutton, rice, wheat,
butter, and honey. Energetic preparations were forthwith made for ex-
ploring unknown regions, Dr. Barth directing his steps in a southerly
direction, and Dr. Overweg commencing the exploration of Lake
Tsad.

DR. BARTH'S JOURNEY TO ADAMOWA.

The great object of Dr. Barth and Dr. Overweg being to push their
way southward from Lake Tsad, with the ultimate view to cross the
whole continent of Africa and reach the Indian Ocean, they collected
beforehand as much information as possible respecting the countries
they were about to visit. Thus Dr. Barth, while on his way from Kaiio
to Kouka, received accounts of a country ot which till then scarcely more
than the name was known, and that it was situated south of Lake Tsad.
This country, called Adamaua, Dr. Barth inferred, from all he heard of
it, to be the most beautiful country of central Africa, and a strong wish
arose to reach and explore this region .at the earliest opportunity. He,
therefore, on his arrival at Kouka, directed all his energies to ihe realiza-
tion of his wish, and so far succeeded, that soon after Dr. Overweg'a
arrival at that place, he was enabled to start for the south, leaving his
companion to navigate Lake Tsad. Leaving Kouka on the 29th of May,
accompanied by a Bornoueso kasholla, or captain. Dr. Barth proceeded
southward, passing through the province of Uje. He then entered the
territory of a tribe called the Marghi, whom he thus describes : " The
Marghi are a very fine set of people, tall and extremely well-built ; the
color of some is black, of others copper color. They have a language
of their own. Their villages consist of groups of huts belonging to
separate families, and the huts are better than any I have seen in Bornou.
The Marghi are quite naked, with the exception of a simple band of
leather passed between their loins and fixed round their girdle, and a
profusion of neatly made rings of iron and ivory round their arms and
legs. The females perforate their under lips, and the males their right
ear, but neither of them make any incisions in their face or body. The
Marghi worship their god, called tambi, in holy groves, of which each
village has one, consisting of magnificent trees, surrounded by a ditch,

896

EXPEDITION OF RICHARDSON AND BARTH.

anri ibniiiiig a kind of citadel, whither they retreat during war with all
their proj)orty and what is most dear to them. They have also a rock
near Kobtshee, the capital, which is the object of great veneration, and
on which they perform ordeals very similar to those in the middle ages.
The death of au old man is celebrated with rejoicings, that of a young
man with grief and lamentations.

" The most imi)ortaut day," he writes, " in all my African journeys,
was the 18tli of June, when we reached the river Benue, at a point
called Tuepe, where it is joined by the river Faro. Since leaving
Europe, I had not seen so large and imposi.ng a river. The Benue, or
' mothc: of waters,' which is by far the larger one of the two, is half a
mile broad, and nine and a quarter feet deep in the chanu' 1 where we
crossed it. On our return, eleven days later, it had risen one and a half
feet. The Faro is five twelfths of a mile broad, and three feet deep,
which increased to seven and a quarter feet by our return. Both rivers
have a very strong cuiTcnt, and run to the west into the Kowara (Niger).
We crossed the Benue in bo.its made out of single trees, twenty-five to
thirty-five feet long, and one to one and a half feet broad, and forded
the Faro, which latter was accomplished not without difficulty, on ac-
count of the strong current. The Benue is said to rise nine days' journey
from Yola in a south-easterly direction, and the Faro seven days' journey
distant, in a rock called Labul. During the rainy season the country is
inundated to a great extent by the two rivers, which rise to their high-
est level toward the end of July, and remain at that level for forty days,
namely, till the first days of September, when the Avaters begin to fall.
Both rivers are full of crocodiles, and the Benue is supposed to carry
gold. After having crossed the rivers, with some ditficnlty to the
camels, we passed at first through some swampy ground, then through
a very fine country thickly hihabited, and reached Yola, the capital, on
the 22d of June.

" Yola is the capital of Fiimbina or Adamowa, and the residence of
the Sultan Mohammed Loel, son of the INIallem Adama, who conqucrcfi
this country, and on whose account it has received the name Adamow;i.
It is situated in a rather swampy plain, inundated during the riiny
season by an inlet of the river. It covers a large area, its dimensions
being two and a half miles from east to west, and one and a half miles
from north to south. All the dwellings, except the houses of the; sultan
and his family, consist of huts, built of mud. Having rode np to the
sultan's palace, wo wore lodged in the house of one of his chiefs, Arilo
(Jammawa. i\Iy letter of recommendation from the Shekh of Boriioii,
was delivered, and made upon the whole a good impression. It rcjirc-
.sented me as a stranger, aCiiristian — not without his 'holy book' — who
visited Adamowa, in order to explore there and ' admire the works of tlu'
Almighty God.' These latter words made the Fellatah cliief violent and
unmanageable. But worse than this, was the letter delivered by my
oompanioD, the kashella, in which tho disputed frontier-territory was

RESULTS OP DR. EARTH'S JOURNEY.

897

once more clumed by the Shekh of Boruou, and this in a rather ener-
getic manner. Consequently, on the 26th of June, after a three days'
stay in Yola, a message from the sultan was delivered to me, requesting
me to leave the town, and return the way I came. This most vexatious
order was delivered by Mallem Mansiir, the brother of the sultan himself,
and next to him in influence, and who had shown me much kindness
during my stay, and now endeavored to appease my vexatious feelings.
He said that I would be most welcome to the sultan, if I brought a letter
from his master in Sakatu, whose slave he was. I gave to Mallem
Mansiir the presents destined for him, who then annonnced to me that
the sultan, his brother, had sent two slaves as a present for myself, and
requested the present intended for him. I declared, that I must decline
his present, for in addition to it being a sin for mo to possess slaves, I
neither would give nor receive the smallest present from a sultan who
ordered me to leave his country in the manner he had done. Shortly
after this we left Yola, accompanied by two horsemen, who had orders
to conduct us safely to the frontier.

" With regard to the height of the mountains seen by me, I must
observvi, that the reports of snow-capped mountains in that region of
inner Africa, are without foundation, as not even the Alantika, the high-
est mountain of Adamowa, and probably exceeding ten thousand feet in
height, reaches the limit of snow. Most of the other mountains in
Adamuwa seem only three thousand feet above their basis."

Dr. liarth appears to have returned to Kouka on the same route he
came, where he safely arrived on the 22d of July, after an absence of scarcely
more than two months. The results of this journey, though short, are
unquestionably the most important, both in a geographical and commercial
point of view, of those which have yet been achieved by that expedi-
tion, for the magnificent river discovered by Dr. Barth holds out the hope,
that by its means will be laid open the vast unknown interior of Afiica
to our knowledge, as well as to the civilization and commerce of the
world. Two geographical questions of importance are also set at rest
by Dr. Earth's journey, namely, the non-existence of a great lon^tudinal
mountain chain which was supposed to stretch across central Africa in
the region traversed by that traveler, and the non-connesdon of Lake
Tsad with the Eowara.

B !

DR. OVERWEG'S EXPLORATION OP LAKE TSAD.

The boat for exploring Lake Tsad a; id its numerous islands had safely,
though with great trouble, been conveyed from the Mediterranean
across the desert to Kouka, laden in pieces on camels. The Shekh of
Bomou being on terms of war with the nat'tons inhabiting the eastern
shores of Lake Tsad, a journey round the lake was found impracticablo,
and Dr. Overweg therotbre determined on a cruise on the lake during

898

KXI'KDITION OF UlCUAUDSON AND DAIlTir.

tho ubHonco of his iHniiitaiiioii. AVith the assistance of Arab carpenturs,
ho put the boat loj^ether, and named it J^oni l^almcrston. It was
launched at Maduvri, oast of Kouka, when a vast number of people
flocked together to see and admire the strange boat. A harbor near
this point is the only place Mhere an occasional trade is carried on be-
tween the inhabitants of Bornou and those of the islands in the lake, tho
Hiddumas. Two of their boats happened to be in that harbor when tho
Lord Pabmri^ttm was launched. Dr. Overweg soon became friendly
with the crews, and engaged two of the men as sailors and interpreters,
in addition to Avhom he was accompanied by his servant, a Tripolituuiau
boatman, and Fugo Ali, a Sudurti chii'f.

On the 'JHth of June, Dr. Overweg end)arked at IMaduari, in com-
pany with two of tlu! l>idduma boats. For the lirst seven hours they
had to make their way through narrow channels between small islands,
and through dense reeds of a luxuriant growth, infested by herds of
v>iffun/tns, or hippopotami, which were no less disturbed and terrified
by the boat with its Mhile sails than the liiddnmas who Averc occasion-
ally met with, either in boats or swimming about with great rapidity on
pie»ies of floating tind)er. The hi])])opotami would often appear with
their heads above the Avater, and gape at the moving sails. Toward
evening tho open waler of the sea was reached; it is called inkibitl. At
night the boat was tied to a floating island of reeds, enlivened by hosts
of phosphorescent bisects. On the following day a north-ciisterly courso
was steered through the vast open expanse of the lake, the average
depth of which Avas fomid to be eight to twelve; feet. Floating islands
of reeds Avere met Avith in that open portion of tho lake, but scarcely any
fishes, hippopotami, or Avater-lowl, all of Avhich were plentiful in the nar-
row channels toward thi' shores.

On the :K)th of .lunc. Dr. Overweg continued his course Avith a fresh
breeze, in which the punts of the Biddumas, not having any sails, Avero
unable to keep uy> with the Lord PahtH^Hton. Toward the e\'ening tho
first island (if tl •• Hidilumas — Kangallam — was reached, after previously
sighting to the right hand the small island of Kamassa. Rounding the
island of Kangallam, and steering a more eastt^rly course, Seurora, a
larger island, Avas passed, and IMarea Avas rea(^hed, at which they landed
for the pui'])ose of taking in wood. The ilopth of tho lake at this point
was six feet only, and further on nine fe»!t.

Ijeaving Marea, a great number of islands were passed, of which
INfaddeh, Jer im, and lierom, Avere the j>rincipal ones. Near Marea the
fishes reapi)eared. At times tlu; ojM-n lakct Av:us seen, stretchuig soutli-
ward through tho narrow chaimels of tho adjouiing islands. In tho
same direction Avas seen an island i-overed with magnificent trees and
herds of cattle. The night was passed close to the island of Berom.
On tho Ist and iJd of July, the voyage Avas continued in an easterly
direction, through similar intricate channels formed by innumerable
islands, some of which were covered with fine pastures and trees, and

EXPLORATION OV LAKK TSAD.

899

inlialntiHl. On the litter day tlic; livrgo islanil llclarigo was rcai'licd, l»iit
previously llioy met n iiiiinber of its iriliabitaiits, from whom tliey learned
that their eliief, liavin.t( heanl of l)r, ()vorwe;,'\s visit, had j^'ono to the
ISornoucse shon; to fciteh him, and conduct him safely to liis residence.
No less kind than this act was tho reception of the visitors in the har])or
of IJelarif^o island. Immense multitudes of people collected round the
boat to welcome tho Christian, the salutation of the men consistiii!^ of
shaking l»y the hand, and of the women by unceasing exclamations and
songs. Dr. Overweg Avas conducte*! to n pleasant eminence to pitch his
tent, and abundance of milk and )»rovisions M'ero l)rought to liini and
his com])anions. Late in the, evening a grand jirocession took jd.'ice to
honor the guests, Avho were continually assured of the friendshii* of their
entertainers. Next morning, the whole of the inhal/itants, old and
yoimg, went to cultivates their cane fields; and tlio afterno(m was spent
ill festival asseirdilies, <lancing, and rejol(-ings, on which occasion Dr.
Overweg delivered his presents, consisting of a fewtobes, pearls, net.'dles,
rings, and sugar, which Avere «listributed among the community of the
island.

Dr. Overweg staytd four diiys in Helarigo, and vv.is treated invaria-
bly with the greatest kindness. The island of Helarigo stretches fnjm
north to south, and is about four miles long, and between one and two
miles broad. On the Hh he h^ft the island to <'xtend his cruise east-
ward. The sam(( labyrint' of channels and islands continued as before,
but the depth of the sea wiis somi'what gri-ater, namely fifteen feet.
After upward of two hours' sail the large island of Doji was reached,
where ])r. Overw<'g halted. Some (if tho people of Helarigo had
accompanied and followed him, not in Imats, but swimming across
the narrow channels with their hand-Moats. It appears that he was un-
able to extend his tour further t<» the oast,(.n account of the war be-
tween the people of Wa<lay and the l?iilduin!is, which was not yet
terminated.

The fact that tlic waters of Lake Tsad are fresh and clc-xr, is fully
contlrm(Hl by Dr. Overweg. A new feature now first brouglit out by
the researches of that traveler is its comparative shallowness, th'' sound-
ings taken by him ranging from eight to fifteen feet. Tho depth and
volume of water, as well as the superficial extent of tho lake, va' 'S
greatly in difl*erent seasons and periods. Inundatiuna and dmughts suc-
ceeding oacl» other produce such changes that the chan- < Is between
vaiiouH islands tlirough which Dr. Ovorwog Hailed without ulistnietion,
are frecpicntly laid <lry, and at other times the islands are inundated to
such a degree, that the inhabitants have to retreat with tlioir ))roi.orty
to the ranges and summits of the sandhills found in many of t ' elands.
Tlie gn^ater portion of the lake is occupied by a vast labyrinth of small
islands, the largest of which were found by Dr. Overweg not to exceed
five miles iu length.

900

EXPEDITION OF RICHARDSON AND BARTU.

EXPLORATIONS IN 1851 AND 1852.

No sooner had Dr. Overwcg rejoined his companion at Kouka, than
they planned another journey to be undertaken conjointly. Owing to
the recent death of the Stiltan of Waday, a country lying to the east of
Lake Tsad, the whole of that region had been involved in a civil war.
Tiio Uelad Soliman (the well-known powerful Arab tribe, fonnerly living
near the Mediterranean, whence they were driven away by the Turks
and subsequently occupied the regions to the north and north-east of
Lake Tsiul, forniing an alliance with Bomu), determined to profit by
this dissension of the people of Waday among themselves, and to invade
their country. Under their protection the travelers hoped to be enabled
to explore the countries to the north- east .and east of Lake Tsad, as
well as the mounttunous region of Borgou, situated about midway be-
tween that lake and Egypt, and never yet visited by any European.
Their kind host, the Shekh of Bornou, considerately equipped twenty
Arabs expressly for the purjjose of conducting them safe to the Arab
encampment.

On the 15th of Se})tember the travelers and their escort left Kouka,
and on the 1st of October they reached the encampment of the
Uelad Soliman near Bir-il-Korno, and were received in a grand style
by the Arab horsemen, who ])araded their celebrated equestrian evolu-
tions. The camp consisted of about one hundred Arab tlimilies, and a
division of Tibbus, together with about five thousand camels, several
thousand head of oxen and sheep, and two hundred horses — the whole
presenting an imposing and novel spectacle to the travelers, particularly
when on the march. From Bir-el-Korno the army moved on towar'l
Maw, the capital of Kanem, through districts situated northward from
that place, and inhabiteil by Tibbus. The western tribes of the Tibbus
of Kanem were already subjugated, and the eastern ones could nc^ stand
the first attack of the Arabs, but fled, and left their herds of camels,
oxen, and sheep, in the hands of the enemy. They rallied, howevev, and
succeedetl in raising all their neighboi-s in order to prevent the further
progress of the Arabs. The latter had already approached MftW to
Avithin a iew hours' distance, when, with an overwhelming force the
enemy made an attack upon theii- camp, which proved as unexpected as
it was decisive. The Uelad Soliniim were defeated, and put to flight
so suddenly, that Barth and Overwog saved their lives and instruments
only by a quick retreat. The army made a stand in western Kanem, in-
tending to renew their attack upon the countries eastward, as sooi? as
an auxiliaryforceoftheBomouese should have joined them. As this would
have caused an indefinite loss of time to our travelers, beside the uncer-
tainty of their progress, as depending upon the chances of an invading
anny, they determined to return at once to their heau-qiiarters at Kouka,
where they arrived without further mishaps, < i the 14th of November.

PROGRESS OP DR. BARTTI OBSTRUCTED.

901

On roacliing Kouka, tlic travelers learned that a largo army of the
Shekh of Bornou was about to leave for the south, to castigate the
people of Mandara, a country already known through Major Denham,
who there met with so narrow an escape on a similar (iccasion. Dr.
Barth and Dr. Overwcg, far from being discouraged by the dangers
their predecessor had undergone, or by their own narrow escape in their
late journey to Kanem, determined to accompany the IJornouese army.
The 2.')th of November was the day of departure. The army consisted
of upward of ten thousand horse, and the same number of foot soldiers,
with innumerable tiains of camels and other beasts of burden. The
eampaign lasted from the 25th of November to the 1st of February,
1852. The army penetrated to the distance of two hundred miles in a
south-eastern direction, into a country called Musgo, and returned with
a booty of five thousand slaves, and ton thousand head of cattle. Tho
country was very level, and abounded with marshes.

After a short rest of a few weeks, the two travelers left Kouka in
the end of March, 1 852, on two distinct journeys : Dr. Barth going in a
south-easterly direction toward tho Nile, and Dr. Overweg in a south-
westerly direction toward the Niger. Dr. Barth directed his way to
Masefia, the caj)ital of Bagirmi. Owing to tho intrigues of a native of
that cotmtry, who had recently returned from Kouka, and who consid-
ered himself not sufficiently honored by tho sultan and the vizier, the
most absurd rumors respecting the object of Dr. Barth's visit had been
spread about, namely, that he was a dangerous sorcerer, ard that ho
had come to cause mischief to the people and to dethrone the sultan. Ac-
cordingly a most determined opposition was shown him in the country
of Loggene, and ho was not allowed to cross the river Shary. Unde-
terred by these difficulties. Dr. Barth, by a circuitous route, went to an-
other ferry at Mele, about twelve miles lower down the river, where he
succeeded in crossing the river and thus entering the kingdom of Ba-
girmi, but his further progress was again forcibly stopped, and it was
only allowed him to send his letters of recommendation to the capital,
and to remain till an anr.wer sliould be returned.

lie reached the capital at last on the 28th of April, and though he
seems to have })een tolerably well received, ho was not allowed to ex-
tend his journey beyond that place. For this restriction he endeavored
to make up by collecting all possible information respecting tho regions
to the south and also to tho cast as far as Dar Fur, including Waday.
At last, on the 10th of August, after staying upward of three iiiouths at
Masefia, ho was allowed to commence his return to Kouka.

On the 24th of March, Dr. Overweg left Kouka, his route being
south-west. On tho 1st of April, he reached Oujeba, a large place, sur-
rounded with low walls of red clay. The vegetation of the region round
Gujeba is tolerably luxuriant ; there are no less than fifteen different
plants cultivated, and forty-seven different kinds of trees were enumer-
ated to him by their native names, thirty-two of them bearing eatable

902

EXPEDITION OF RICHARDSON AND BARXn.

fruit, flirce eatable roots and loaves, and twelve neither eatable fruits
nor roots ; forty difiorent animals are met with by the hunters of Gujeba,
including the civet, the musky secretion of which is collected. Gujeba
belongs to Bornou only since 1817, Avhen it was conquered by a com-
bined army of the shekh and the Uelad Soliman. Dr. Overweg was
kindly received at Giijeba, and a house adjoining the sultan's was given
him for his residence. When at home, he was contantly besieged by
visitors, who conducted themselves with the greatest propriety. The
playing of a small musical-box he had with him, put every one in rap-
tures, and there was an unceasing demand to bear the nolo as they
called that instrument.

Dr. Overweg left Gujeba on the 9th of April, after a stay of five
days. His route was nearly duo west. After crossing a considerable
range of hills, fornung a spur of the table land to the west, the large
town of Fika was reached on the 14th of April. Fika is surrounded
with a walled suburb, and the town itself has a very high wall with
double ditches. It is indeed most strongly fortified, and boasts of never
having been taken by an enemy, not even by the Fellatahs. It lies at the
opening of a valley, extending to the west into the mountains, and is
abundantly supplied with date-trees and water. The behavior of the in-
habitants to the travelers was by no means so amiable as in the places
visited previously, though they were readily supplied with a house and
plenty of provisions. On the morning after his arrival. Dr. Overweg in-
duced some of the inliabitants to ascend with him the hill which over-
looks the town. lie there enjoyed an extensive view over the vast plain
to the south, draining, it was said, into the Benuc. The Fellatah terri-
tory commences immediately to the south of Fika, the large town of
Naffada, also Bake — the former, only three hours distant — being plainly
discernible to Dr. Overweg. He was about to ascend a higher hill fur-
ther west, when messcngei's from the sultan arrived to command his
immediate return to the town. At the gate, the comers were greeted
by an immense assemblage of the people, by no means in a friendly man-
ner; the Fika men, who had conducted the stranger to the top of the
hill, were unceremoniously taken hold of and led away, and doleful cries
and lamentations were uttered by the multitude, sounding " La, la, ai,
ai, ai, yai, yai !" Dr. Overweg pressed forward through the crowd, and
reached his habitation without any violence being oifered to him. It
was afterward explained to him that this scene arose from his ascending
the hill, which affords so complete a view over their town, that the in-
habitants feared this knowledge obtained by a stranger could not but
be productive of evil. And such was the excitement, that one person
had proposed the stranger should at once be killed, in order to prevent
the aj)prehended ill consequences. The sultan assured Dr. Overweg
that tills manifestation was not justified by liis own feelings ; still it ap-
jyeared advisabU; to leave the town next morning. Accordingly the plan
of penetrating fui'ther in that direction was abandoned, and the trav-

and
Mr.
this

DEATH OP DR. OVKRWEG.

908

elers returnod northwarcl toward Dora. Fi-om this place they returned
to Kouka by a more sioutherly route, passinjij through the country of
the Marghi, and the province of ITje, whicli Dr. IJartli hud traversed on
his way to Adaniowa. Ho reached Kouka in safety, though greatly
fatigued by his journey, on the 22d of May.

Not long after Dr. Overweg's return to Kouka the rains commenced,
the first shower occurring on the 15th of June. He now began anx-
iously to expect Dr. Barth's return irom Bagirmi, as further operations
depended upon a mutual arrangement. The 24th of June was a joyful
day, the great caravan arriving from the north and bringing letters and
supplies so long expected. The dispatches from the British government
addressed to Dr. J?arth were at once forwarded to Bagirmi by a special
messenger, but it was not till the 20th of August that that traveler was
able to return to Kouka. During this ])rotracted delay. Dr. Overweg
had so far regained his strength as to make short excursions to the lake,
and in other directions. Dr. Barth, when arriving at Kouka, noticed
the change in his friend's appearance, who looked emaciated «nd had no
appetite. To avoid the dangers of the rainy season, to which he had
already too long been exposed, it was arranged that he should set out
from Kouka on an excursion along the river Yeou.

Dr. Overweg's health was satisfactory throughout this trip, and he
returned to Kouka on the 14th of September, in the hope of having re-
gained his health. Five days afterward, however, he was attacked by
fever, and after seven more days he M'as no more. It was on the 20th
of September tliat he felt seriously ill. At his own wish, he was re-
moved to Maduari, which is ten miles east of Kouka, and near Lake
Tsad. This is a very open and pleasant place, interspersed with trees,
and had always been a favorite spot witli the deceased. The boat in
which he had navigated Lake Tsad was also there. It was not till the
24th that he was enabled, with the assistance of three persons, to reach
that place. There was, however, no help. The most dangerous symp-
toms manifested themselves on his arrival, his speech becoming gradually
unintelligible, and, after much suffering, ho expired on the 27th of Sep-
tember, 1852, at four o'clock in the morning. In the aftenioon Dr.
Barth fulfilled the heart-rending duty of interring his only com])anion
and friend. Thus, at the early age of thirty, and sharing the fate of
Mr. Richardson, fell the second victim out of three persons composing
this enterprise.

EXPLORATIONS OP DRS. BARTH AND VOGEL.

MeaTitime letters and funds had arrived from England, and Dr.
Barth, finding his own health unimpaired, determined to carry on the
undertaking single-handed, regardless of the perils and privations that
awaited him. He made preparations to !«>ave for Sackatoo and Tim-
buctoo, but first took the precaution of forwarding all his papers to En-

904

EXPEDITION OP RICHARDSON AND EARTH,

gland. Hu finally left Kouka on the 25th of November, 1852, reached
Sackatoo in April, 1853, and entered the famous city of Timbuctoo on
the 7th of Septeniber. Atlcr this nothing was heard of him for a long
time, and the most serious apprehensions were felt concerning him.
Word at last reached Tripoli, by way of Bornou, that he had fallen a
victim to the enmity of the chief of the desert tribes around Timbuctoo,
who had sworn that he should never leave the city alive.

Previous to leaving Kouka, he had written to the British govern-
ment, requesting that another coadjutor might be sent out to supply the
loss of Dr. Uverweg. Dr. Edward Vogel, an ' distant of Mr. Hind, the
astronomer, volunteered his services, which ere accepted, and he was
also permitted to take two volunteers from the corps of sappere and
miners. This new party left Tripoli on the 28th of June, 1853, accom-
panied by Mr. Warrington, son of the English consul at that place. They
reached Mourzuk on the 8th of August, and were obliged to remain
there until the 13th of October, M'hen they started for Bornou with a
caravan of seventy camels. The march across the Sahara M-as very rapid
and fortunate, and in December they arrived safely at Kouka. The
next news which reached England, and which immediately followed the
account of the murder of Dr. Barth, was the death of Mr. Warrington,
and the dangerous illness of Dr. Vogel. The expedition seemed to be
fated, in every way.

After some months of painful uncertainty, came the joyful intelligence
that Dr. Barth was still alive and had left Timbuctoo, after a stay of
nearly a year. The report of his death had been invented by the vizier
of Bornou, who coveted the supplies belonging to the expedition, and
who would no doubt have taken measures to have the story confirmed,
for the sake of securing the plunder, had he not been deposed in con-
sequence of a political revolution in Bornou. What happened to Dr.
Barth dunng his stay in Timbuctoo has not yet been made known, but
it is said that he owed his safety to the friendship of the powerful sultan
of Houssa. He succeeded in exploring the whole middle course of the
Kowara (Niger), which no one but the lamented Park, whose journals
perished with huu, ever accomplished. In his journeyings in those
regions, he discovered two large kingdoms, Gando and Hamd-Allahi,
the very names of which were before unknown. He was treated with
the greatest reverence by the inhabitants, who bestowed upon him the
name of " Modibo," and seemed to consider him as a demi-god. He
reached Kano, on his return, on the 17th of October, 1854, and on the
Ist of December met Dr. Vogel, his associate — the first white man he had
seen for more than two years ! He probably spent the winter in Kouka,
and started in March or April on his return to Europe, as we find that
he reached Mourzuk on the 20th of July, 1855. Dr. Barth is not yet
thirty-five years of age, and with the boundless energy of an explorer,
intends returning to central Africa. He stands now, indisputably, at the
head of all African travelers.

EXPLORATION OF THE BENUE.

905

Dr. Vogel, after his recovery, imitated Barth and Overweg in ac-
companying the army of Bornou on ita annual foray to the south-east
in search of slaves and cattle. He went about ninety miles beyond the
furthest point reached by his predecessors, and discovered a large lake
and two or three rivers, the existence of which was not previously
known. The last accounts from central Africa state that he has suc-
ceeded in reaching Yakoba, the capital of the great Fellatah kingdom,
which Dr. Overweg endeavored in vain to penetrate. lie designs going
thence into Adamowa, where he will ascend the great mountain Alun-
tika, and push his way further, if possible, into the countries of Tibati
and Baya, lying beyond He will also endeavor to penetrate through
Baghirmi into the unknown and powerful kingdom of Wuday. It is al-
most too much to expect that Dr. Vogel will be successful in all these
daring designs, but he has youth, enthusiasm, and intelligence on his
side, and there are few difficulties which these three auxiliaries will not
overcome.

This account of the expedition has been compiled from Mr. Richard-
son's journals, published since his death, and from the publications of
Mr. Augustus Petermann, Secretary of the Geographical Society. It is
as complete as the data which have been given to the public, will allow :
but the work of Dr. Barth, who is at present (June, 1856), preparing a
connected narrative of his travels for publication, will first fully display
the vast results achieved by the expedition.

NAVIGATION OP THE RIVER BENUE.

When the news of Dr. Barth's discovery of the river Benue reached
England, and its identity with the Chadda, the great eastern affluent of
the Niger, was evident, Mr. Macgregor Laird — whose connection with
the unfortunate Niger trading expedition of 1832—33 will be remem-
bered — generously offered to contribute $70,000 toward fitting out an
expedition to explore the new highway into central Africa, He built at
his own expense a handsome steamer called the Pleiad^ and through his
representation, the British government was induced to contribute $20,000
toward defraying the expenses of the expedition. Two officers, Dr. "VV.
B. Baikie, and Dr. Bleck, of Bonn, were also appointed by the govern-
ment, provided with special instructions to take charge of the expedi-
tion. An unfortunate mistake was made in the choice of a captain, who,
through his mismanagement and drunkenness, and particularly through
his extravagance in the use of coal, delayed the enterprise; and at
length, in the midst of the voyage, Dr, Baikie was compelled to take
away his command.

The Pleiad \q^ Liverpool on the 17th of May, 1854, and taking on
board at Sierra Leone sixty or seventy black sailors, the best men for
navigating Afi'iuaa waters, and three black interpreters, they reached

906

EXPEDITION OP RICHARDSON AND BARTII.

Fernando Po on tlio 2r)th of Juno, and on the 8th of July commcnood
thi'ir explorations. The great rosult of tho expedition was that it
reached a point three hundred miles higher up the Iknuii than Allen
and Oldficld in 182:i ; they learned that they were only Hixty miles be-
low the T^outh of tho Faro, a southern tributary of tlu; Benue, and that
the Benui) was navigable during the raiiiy season as far as 11" 30' east
longitude. Had they found coal along the shores they might have pen-
etrated still further into tho country, but as they were not able to find
any, and had started on the expedition without axes to cut wood for tho
furnaces, they were obliged to return.

On the '21st of July, they reached tho city of Abo, on the Niger,
and on the 2d of August, they made tho mouth of the Beuue. Tho
river had fallen considerably, by which its ascent w.^s materially hin-
dered. On tho 1 7th of August, Dr. Baikio was obliged to take tho
command of tho steamer from the drunken captain. The vessel was then
in the countries Doma and Michi, and at the city of Ojogo, in Doma,
which they reached on tho 2;<d of August, they got their first and only
news of Dr. Baith, over whoso probable death all Europe was mourning.
A man who had come to Ojogo from Keana told about tAVo white men
who were in Keana when he left, and who had exchanged presents with
the sultan. Baikio showed him the vignette on the title page of tho
work of Petormanu, and he recognized tho white man in tho portrait
of Dr. Bartl), but n'markod that ho had a big beard now. Doctor Vo-
gol also was idontilied, except that he now had hair on his cheeks and
lips. When they arrived at this point, tho river had risen five feet, .and
they had no cause to complain of lack of water thereafter. On the 6th
of September they reached tho consider.ablo city of G.andiko, in the
kingdom of Kororofa. At first tho inhabitants manifested a disposition
to give the strangers a hostile reception, but when they were satisfied
of their peaceful intentions, they welcomed them hospitably. The king
paid Dr. Baikio a visit, and a friendly and profitable trade sprang up
between the city and the steamer.

The greatest difliculties commenced in Ilamaruwa. On the 18th of
September and the four following days, they had to contend with a cur-
rent of from two and a half to three knots per hour. The wood burned
poorly, and they made small progress. For two weeks there had been
considerable sickness on board. The crew suffered from swelled limbs ;
there were symptoms also of dropsy. The disease appeared to be of a
scorbutic character, and it was soon found that the ship's rations, seven
or eight gills of rice, with '•old water, were not sufficient for the exigen-
cies of the crew ; meat was therefore provided. On the 22d of Sc{>
tember they reached the city of Garowa, where an envoy from the
sultan of Ilamanuwa was waiting for them. He bore an invitation to
them to go up to the palace seven or eight miles from the city. This
country lies on the northern bank of the Benuti, and Messrs. Crowther
and Richards, who accepted the invitation, were well received by tho

INTERVIEW WITH THE SULTAN OF IIAMARUWA. 907

sultan. Tlu'ii l)r, ISaikii* went uj). Tho country is Inliuliitcd Ity Fulos,
who do not livi; upnii yams, but cultivato grain. In tiic villajjiis they
keep gouts ami jioultry, t'sj)('(!ially ducks. Tim road to the palacu' is
only a narrow jtatli througli a bttggy country thickly covered with grass
and bushes. Atli-r walking fourteen miu-.-, ihcy reached the capital on
the 24th, at sunset. It is built on a little eminence at the foot of a chain
of liills, and (Hiinmands an extensive prospect of the marshy plain. TIk;
liunger of the travelers was first whetted })y lialf an hour of sliaking
hands Avith the natives, and llien natisfied by various preparations of
milk, and with two well-known African dishes, foofoo, and palaver sauiie.
The city is two miles long, by a mile and a iialf in Itrcadth. The houses
arc round and quitt? large, well-])uilt and surrounded by large; yards.
The inhabitants arc Fellatahs, anu speak the Fulo or rather the I'ulo
language; most of them spealv also the lloussa language, whicli tlie
travelers imdi'rstood. The appearance of the people was pleasing and
sometimes even beautiful ; their intelligence is well-known in Africa.
Baikie had an audience with the Kultan. The foreigners were seated on
Turkish carpets. They did not see the jtrincc himself, for, according to
the custom of the country, a silken curtain was suspended before liim.
lie received some i)resents, and talked much about peace, friendship,
and future commerce, the wickedness of wars, of con*pu!st, and about
an alliance against common enemies.

Tlic crew was so much weakened by sickness that the steamljoat
could bo worked no further uj) tlie river. Dr. r»aikie with Mr. ^Nlay, on
the 27th, started up the stream in a boat. That day and tlie following
thi'y made but littU; })rogress, but on the third day the wind rose, and
they ran ra})idly before it. Before noon they reached Dulti, a village
which was then entirely submerged, with the exception of a dry spot
about a great tree. Hero they landed, and were soon surrounded by
flocks of rough, eavage-looking people, all entirely naked, women as
well as men. At first astonishment kept them quiet, and Dr. Baikie at-
tempted to get up a conversation with them, and get tliem into good
humor. Soon, however, they began to ho troublesome, and to press up
about them with the intention evidently of carrying off tlu'ir boat and
plundering them. A little sporting dog which the travelers had with
them fortunately showed his head at tliis juncture, and liis sudden ap-
pearance inspired the natives with such salutary fear that they imme-
diately retreated. As the doctor did not think it Avorth while to get
into a fight with three or four hundred men, armed with swords, spears,
bows and arrows, he gave the best-looking among them a few presents,
and shoved oft'. While they were looking about for another landing-
place, the natives suddenly came upon them in their canoes, and tried
to get them in the swamps and bushes along the bank, so that tliey
were obliged to put out for the open river. Hero they were safe, as
they could easily upset any canoe which might happen to be trouble-
some. When they had reached open water, the nme or ten canoes,

908 EXPEDITION OP RICHARDSON AND BARTH.

manned witli elglit or nine men apicco, tiirncd back and li'fl thorn. They
had already fixed that atlernoon as the limit of their upward voyage,
and, though very unwillingly, they headed thi.'ir boat down stream.

That i)oint was in latitude 9° 30' north, longitude 11" 30' east. They
could not give the latitude and longitude with greater accuracy, as they
were interruj)ted in their observal ions by the savages. They learned
that they were only sixty miles below the mouth of the Faro. On the
return voyage they experienced a tropical thunder-stoim, and when they
arrived at Garowa they found that the Pleiad was gone. The crew,
fearing that the river was falling, had compelled the mate to start down
the river, and wandering for awhile over flooded Jand they found the
steamer and continued the return voyage without interruption. On the
5th of October the river began to fall ; on the 20th they reached the
Niger, and on tho 4th of November at sunset they anchored before
Fernando Po.

On the average, the sick-list was moderate. Fever was in all cases
treated with heavy doses of quinine, and what must be regarded as al-
most a miracle in the African lowlands, there was not a single death
during the whole voyage.

to ass
title

BURTON'S

PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA.

In tho autumn of 1852, Lieutenant Richard F. Burton, of the Bom-
bay army, offered his services to the Royal Geographical Society of
London, for tho purpose of undertaking an exploration of central and
eastern Arabia. He was peculiarly fitted for such a journey by his long
residence in India, and his familiarity with tho Persian and Arabic lan-
guages, and their various dialects, to which advantages he added a
decidedly Sheraitic countenance. The Geographical Society favored his
plan, but tho Board of Directors of the East India Company refused to
grant him the three years' leave of absence, demanded for its prosecu-
tion. They gave him, however, an additional furlough of a year, in order
to pursue his Arabic studies.

He thereupon determined to prove, by actual experiment, that his
plan was practicable. Being supplied ■>vith rn- .ms by the Geographical
Society, he set out, determined to cross the unknown Arabian Peninsula,
either in a direct Une from Medina to Muscat, or diagonally from Mecca
to Makallab in tho Indian Ocean. On the 3d of April, 1853, he left
London, having, by the advice of a friend, already assumed the Oriental
costume, and embarked at Southampton as a Persian prince. He de-
ceived every body on the voyage, and on arriving at Alexandria was
gratified to see that he was looked upon as a genuine Moslem. At tliis
place he enjoyed tho hospitality of an English friend, who, tho better to
establish his assumed character, lodged him in an out-house. He lost
no time in securing the services of a religious shekh, plunged once more
into the intricacies of the faith, revived his recollections of religious
ablution, read the Koran, and agr'n became an adept in the act of pros-
tration. His leisure hours were employed in visiting the baths and
coffee-houses, praying in the mosques, attending the bazaars, and picking
up a little medical knowledge, which he judged would be of service.

" After a month's hard work at Alexandria," says he, " I prepared
to assume the character of a wandering dervish, after reforming my
title from *Mirza' (Prince), to 'Shekli Abdullah.' A reverend man,

910

BURTON'S PILGRIMAP.E TO MECCA.

whose name I do not care to quote, .sometime ago iiiitiatetl me into tbls
oriler, the Kadiriyali, nnder the high-sounding name of Uismillah-Shuh :
and, after a due period of probation, he graciously elevated me to the
proud position of a Murshid (master), in the mystic craft. I was therefon
sutticiei'tly well acquainted with the tenets and practices of these Oriental
Freemasons. No character in the Moslem world is so proper for dis-
guise as that of the dervish. It is assumed Ly all ranks, ages, and
creeds ; I»y the nobleman who has been disgraced at court, and by the
})easant wiio is too idle to till the ground ; by Dives, Avho is weary of
life, and by Lazarus, who begs bread from door to door. Further, the
dervish is allowed to ignore ceremony and politeness, as one who ceases
to ajtpear upon the singe of life ; he may pray or not, marry or remain
single as he pleases, be resjjectable in cloth of frieze as in cloth of <'uld;
and no one asks him — the chartered vagabond — why he comes here ?
or wherefore he gocs there ? lie may wend his way on foot alone, or
ride his Arab steed, followed by a dozen servants ; he is equally feared
witliout weapons, as swaggering through tiie streets armed to the teeth.
The more haughty and oftensive he is to tlie pco])le, the more they re-
spect him; a decided advantage to the traveler of choleric temperament.
In the hour of imminent danger, he has only to become a maniac, and
he is safi ; a madman in the East, like a notably eccentric character m
the West, is allowed to say or do whatever the spirit directs."

liefore leaving Kngla.-d, J>urton had neglected to provide himself
^vith a proper passport, and it Avas only after much delay and perplexity
that he obtained a certilicate from the consul at Alexandria, declaring
him to be an Indo-Uritish subject named Abdullah, a doctor by profes-
sion. He then took passage on the Kile steamer, and proceeded to
f 'airo, where he quartered himself in one of the native khans. lie liero
became ac(iuainted with an Egyptian merchant named lladji Wall, Mho
advised him not to let it be known that he was a I'ersian, as the latter
were very urpopular at Mecca, but to clioose some other character.
"After long deliberation about the clioice of nations," says he, "I be-
came a rathau (Aft'ghan). Jiorn in India of Aft'ghan parents, who had
settleil in the country, educated .-it Rangoon, and sent out to Avander,
as men of that rac(! frecpiently arc, from early youth, I av:is well guarded
against the danger of detection l)y a fellow-count lynian. To support
the character requires a knowledge of IN'rsian, IlindostanI and Arabic,
all of which I knew sufticiently well to pass muster; any trifling inac-
curacy Avas charged upon my long residence at Kangoon."

Hurton remained in Cairo some time, studying llie mysteries of the
^loslem faith under a religious cacher. The fast-month of Kamadau
occurred soon after liis arrival, and he Avas 'il/.iged to conform to its
)tainftjl rules. Dtn-ing this time ho continued to nuike preparations for
his depart in-e, l)y purchasing a stipply of tea, coffee, rice, sugar, dates,
biscuits, oil, vinegar, and tobacco, together Avith a small lent, three
water-skuis, and a box of medicines. lie also took about .t'80 in money,

KXClTINt} SCENE AT SUEZ.

911

the most of which lie soouro J in a bolt about hia waist. He picked up,
.^ a traveling coiiipauion, a boy, named Mohammed El-Basyuni, a native
of Mecca, from whom he bought the ^Vtmw, or pilgrim-robe, and the
shroud, Avhich all pilgrims carry with them. With this boy, and his
Indian servant, Shekh Nur, Burton at last set out for Suez, -with the
avowed purpose of proceeding to Mecca via Djidda, yet secretly deter-
mined to visit Medina on the way.

At Suez, he became acquainted with a company bound for Medina
and Mecca, and by making loans of various sums of money to the difter-
ent members, succeeded in securing their good-will. After some further
passport ilifficulties, which were settled by 3Ir. West, the British vice-
consul, who had been told to expect Burton, and saw through his dis-
guise, every thing was hi readin<'ss, and the company only waited for
the sailuig of a largo Arab boat, bound for Yembo or Djidda. "Iiii-
mcnse was the confusion," says Burton, " on the eventful day of our
departure. Suppose us standing upon the beach, on the morning of a
iiery July day, carefully watching our hurriedly-packed goods and chat-
tels, surrounded by a mob of idlers, Avho are not too proud to pick up
waifs and strays, while pilgrims rush about apparently mad, and friends
are weeping, acquaintances vociferating adieus, boatmen demanding
fees, shopmen claiming debts, women shrieking and talking >vith incon-
ceivable power, children crying — in short, for an hour or so Ave were in
the thick of a human storm. To confound confusion, the boatmen have
moored their skiff half a dozen yards away from the shore, lest the por-
ters should be unable to make more than double their fare from the
Ilajis. Again the Turkish women raise a hideous howl, as they are car-
ried off struggling vainly in braAvny arms ; the children howl because
their mothers howl; and the men scold and swear, because in such
scenes none may be siicnt. The moment we had embarked, each indi-
vidual found that he or she had missed something of vital importance
— a pipe, a child, a box, or a water-melon ; and naturally all the servants
were in the bazaars, when they should have been in the boat."

Scarcely had they embarked, and taken their places on the elevated
poop of their vessel, the Golden Tf7re, when a company of Moghrebbins
or Arabs of INIorocco, followed, and insolently attempted to dislodge
them. This proceeding they forcibly resistetl; clubs were used a"'^
daggers were drawn, and the fight soon became fierce and general.
Burton and his company, however, had the advantage of being raised
four feet above the others, and this enabled them to maintain their posi-
tion. " At first," says he, " I began to lay on load with main morte^
really fearing to kill some one witli such a weapon ; but it soon became
evident that the Moghrebbins' heads and shoulders could bear, and did
require the utmost exertion of strength. Presently a thought struck
me. A largo earthen jar full of drinkhig-water — in its heavy frame of
wood, the weight might liavo been one hundred pounds — stood upon
the edge of the poop, and the thick of the fray took place beneath.

912

BURTON'S PILGRIMAGE TO MECCA.

Seeing an opportunity I crept up to the jar. and, without attracting at-
tention, by a smart push with the shoulder rolled it down upon the
swarm of assailants. The fall caused a shriller shriek to rise above the
ordinary din, for heads, limbs, and bodies, were sorely bruised by the
weight, scratched by the broken potsherds, and wetted by the sudden
discharge. A fear that sometliing worse might be forthcoming made
the Moghrebbins shrink off toward the end of the vessel. After a few
minut '8, we, sitting in grave silence, received a deputation of individ-
uals in whity-brown burnouses, spotted and striped with what Mephis-
tophcles calls a 'curious juice.' They solicited peace, which we granted
upon the condition that they would bind themselves to keep it. Our
Iieads, shoulders, and hands were pcnitentially kissed, and presently the
fellows returned to bind up their hurts in dirty rags."

Leaving Suez on the 6th of July, the Golden Wire, after lying
aground a day or two off Tur, reached the mouth of the Gulf of Akaba
on the 11th. While crossing to the Arabian shore, it is customary for
pilgrims to recite the following prayer : " O Allah, O Exalted, O Al-
mighty, O All-pitiful, O All-powerful, thou art my God, and sufiiceth to
me the knowledge of it ! Glorified be the Lord ray Lord, and glorified
bo the faith my faith f Thou givest victory to whom thou pleasest, and
thou art the glorious, the merciful ! We pray thee for safety in our
goings-forth and our standings-still, in our words and our designs, in our
dangers of temptation and doubts, and the secret designs of our hearts.
Subject unto us this sea, even as thou didst subject the deep to Moses,
and as thou didst subject the fire to Abraham, and as thou didst subject
the iron to David, and as thou didst subject the wind, and devils^ and
genii, and mankind to Solomon, and as thou didst subject the moon and
El Burak to Mohammed, upon whom be Allah's mercy and his blessing !
And subject unto us all the seas in earth and heaven, in the visible and
in thine invisible worlds, the sea of this life, and the sea of futurity. O
thou who reigncst over every thing, and unto whom all things roturn,
Khyas! Khyas!"

At noon on the twelfth <lay after leaving Suez, the party entered the
harbor of Yembo. The to\\Ti, which is an ordinary Arab port, is built
on the edge of a barren plain b**tween the mountains and the sea. The
pilgrims at onco set about preparing for their journey to Mecca, and
having engaged twelve camels, set out on the following evening. They
traveled mostly by night, on account of the heat, and Burton conse-
quently had but little opportunity to observe the scenery. Near Bir
Abbas the caravan was waylaid by a liordo of Bedouin robbers, who
were not driven off until after a fight of some hours, and the loss of
twelve men on the part of the pilgrims. Burton thus describes his ap-
proach to El Medina : " Half an hour after leaving the Wadi el-Akik, or
'blessed valley,* we came to a huge flight of steps roughly cut in a
long broad line of black scoriaceous basalt. This is called the Mudarraj
or flight of steps over the western ridge of the so-called El Ilarratain.

thr

befo)
Mec(
toiicl
whicr

f»'0/)t|

build
Kahtd
astonl
vt'riojj

lookc
seconJ

saricsJ

B.1
atejy

MOSQUK OF KUDA AT MEDINA.

913

Be-

lt 18 Ijoly ground ; for tlic Prophet spoke well of it. Arrived nt tlio lop
wc passed through a laiio of black scoria, with steep banks on botli
sides, and after a few minutes a full view of the city suddenly opened
upon us. Wc halted our beasts as if by word of command. All of us
descended, in imitation of the pious of old, and sat down, jaded and
hungry as we were, to feast our eyes Milh a view of the Holy City. ' <)
Allah ! this is the Ilaram (sanctuary) of the Prophet ; make it to us a
protection from hell fire, and a refuge from eternal punishment! ()
open the gates of thy mercy, and let us pass through them to the land
of joy!'

"As we looked eastward, the sun arose out of the horizon of low
hills, blurred and dotted with small tufted trees, which from the morning
mists gained a giant stature, and the earth was stained with gold and
purple, lieforo us lay a spacious plain, bt)unded in front by the undulat-
ing ground of Ncjd ; on the left was a grim barrier of rocks, the cele-
brated Mount Ohod, with a clump of verdure and a Avhite donu^ or two
nestling at its base. Uightward, broad streaks of lilac-colored mists
were thick with gathered dew, there ]»ierced and thinned by the morn-
ing rays, stretched over the date groves and the gardens of Kuba, which
stood out in emerald green from the dull tawny surface of tVo plain.
IJelow, at the distance of about two miles lay El Medina ; at iirst sight
it apj)eared a large place, but a closer inspection proved the impression
to be an erroneous one."

On arriving at Medina, Burton became the guest of Hamid, one of
the company he joined at Suez, suid continued to reside with him during
his stay in the Holy City. Ho performed all the religious visitations
required of the j)ilgrim, and made excursions to Jebel Ohod (the scene
of one of Mohammed's battles), and the mosque of Kuba, in the vicinity,
while waiting for an opportunity to proceed eastward through the heart
of Arabia. lie gives the following description of the Prophet's mostpie:
"Passing through muddy streets — they had been freshly watered
before evening time — I came suddenly upon tho mosque. Like that at
Mecca tho a])proach is choked up by ignoble buildings, some actually
to\iching the holy ' enceinte,' others separated by a lane compared with
which the road round St. Paul's is a Vatican square. There is no outer
front, no general aspect of the Prophet's mosque ; consequently, as a
btiilding, it has neither beauty nor dignity. And entering the liab el
Rahmah — tho (late of Pity — by a diminutive flight of steps, I was
astonished at the mean and tawdry apjiearance of a place so universally
venerated in the; Mosleni world. It is not like the Meccan mos(|ue,
grand and simple — the expression of a single sublime idea ; tho longer I
looked at it, tho more it suggested the resemblance of a museum of
second-rate art, a curiosity-shop, full of ornaments that are not acces-
saries, and decorated with pauper 8))lendor."

Burton's design of penetrating the interior of Arabia was unf()rtun-
ately frustrated. " During the whole of the afternoon of Tuesday the

BUllTON'S riLGRIMAGK TO MECCA.

30th ATu,nist," says he, " the sound of firing among the mountains was
distinctly heard in the city. Through the streets parties of Bedouins,
sword and matchlock iu hand, or merely carrymg quarter staves on their
shoulders, might be seen hurrying along, frantic at the chance of missing
the fray. The townspeople cursed them privily, expressing a hope that
the whole race of vermin might consume itself. And the pilgrims were
in no small trepidation, fearing the desertion of their camel-mon, and
knowing what a blaze is kindled in this inflammable land by an ounce
of gtmpowder. I afterward heard that the Bedouins fought till night,
and separated after losing on both sides ton men.

"This quarrel put an end to any lingering possibility of my prosecut-
ing my journey to Muscat as originally intended. My disappoint-
ment was bitter at first, but consolation soon suggested itself. Under
the most favorable circumstances, a Bedouin trip from El Medina to
Muscat, one thousand and five hundred or one thousand and six hundred
miles, would require at least ten months ; whereas, under pain of losing
my commission, I was ordered to be at Bombay before the end of 3Iarch.
Moreover, entering Arabia by El Hcjaz, as has before been said, I was
obliged to leave behind all my instriiments except a watch and a pocket
compass, so the benefit rendered to geography by my trip would have
been scanty. Still remained to me the comfort of reflecting that pos-
sibly at Mecca some opportunity of crossing the Peninsula might present
itself. At any rate I had the certainty of seeing the strange wild
country of the Tlojaz, and of being present at the ceremonies of the
Holy City."

On the 1st of September, Burton left Medina for Mecca. The
caravan traveled entirely by night, greatly to his annoyance, as liis op-
portunities of observing the scenery and formation of the country were
thus greatly restricted. Beyond an attack of the marauding Bedouins, no
incident occurred on the way, and the caravan entered Mecca before day-
light on the 1 1th of September, one day before the commencement of the
pilgrimage. IJurton's real character was not suspected by any one, and
he performed all the required ceremonies with perfect it.ipunity. His
account of them corresponds very nearly with that of Burcl;hardt, which
has been given at length in this volume. After the eonc'usion of the
pilgrimage, he proceeded to Djidda, where he embarked for Suez, in
order to take passage for India. Lieutenant Burton is admirably quali-
fied for this journey, and his narrative of it is one of the most picturesque
and characteristic accounts of Oriental life which has ever been pub-
lished.

EXPLORATION OF LOO-CHOO,

UNDER COMMODOKE PERRY.

Ox the arrival of the American expedition to Japan, under Com-
modore Perry, at the harbor of Napha (or Napa-Kiang) in the Great
Loo-Choo island, at the end of May, 1853, the commodore determined
to send an exploring party into the interior, which had never been
visited by Eiiroi)eans. Tlie persons appointed for this service were the
Uev. George Jones, chaplain of the Jflssissippi / Mr. Bayard Taylor ;
Mr. Heine, artist; Dr. Lynah, surgeon; with four seamen and four
Chinese coolies for carrying the baggage. Mr. Taylor prepared the
following report of the exploration, wliich is taken from the narrative of
the expedition, published by order of Congress :

Monday, the 30th of May, was the day fixed upon by Commodore
Perry for our departure. We were ordered to cross the island to the
eastern shore, follow the line of coast northward, and return through
the interior, pushing our course as far as practicable, under our instruc-
tions to return v.'ltnin six days. All the stores having been procured,
and packed in convenient parcels, together Avith portfolios and drawing-
materials, implements for preparing birds, etc., we landed about 10
o'clock, and proceeded to the house of the missionary, Dr. Bettelheim,
which had been chosen as the rendezvous. The authorities had not
been previously informed of our intention ; and, as it was evident that
we should not be allowed to advance far without an escort, or espionage
of some kind. Dr. Bettelheim sent to request that a proper officer should
accompany us as guide. After waiting about an hour, and no person
appearing, wo decided to set out, believing that our guide would be
forthcoming before we left the city. In fact, we had no sooner reached
the main street, communicating with the road to Sheudi, the capital of
the island, than a portly personage, with a long white beard, and two
younger officers, with black beards and swarthy complexions, joined us.
A v.iuwd of curious natives had also collected, and followed us until we
left the city.

916

EXPLORATION OF LOO-CIIOO.

Kiu'li of tho mon oarrlotl a haversack, in addition to Jiis arms,
leaving about one hundred a'ld twenty i)ouiids' woiglit of haggago to be
diviiU'd among tiie four coohes. The ni«'n, Terry and 3Iit(rliolI, niarehed
in advance, tlio former carrying the Hag, while the other men, Sinitli
and Davii's, remained in the roar of the baggage ; this order was j)re-
served during the whole expedition. We had not proceeded half a mile
before our coolies showed signs of breaking down under their loads,
and, evi'U though we might force them to keep up for some time longer,
it was evident that we could not make much progress without further
help ; Mr. Jones, therefore, requested the portly old officer, who seemed
to have special charge over us, to supply us with four more coolies,
proniisiiig that they should bo pai<l on our return. After waiting half
an hour at the northern end of tho city, four sj)are young natives came
up -with band)oo poles, and relieved the Chinamen of half their load.
We now took the high-road to Shcudi, passing the salt creek which
comes up from the village of Tumo, by a bridge of one arch ; the crowd
turned back at this point, leaving us about a dozen followers, who
seemed to be attendants or subordinates of the ])rincipal officers.

Beyond the bridge we passed over a meadow, studded with singular
broken rocks, of secondary limestone, covered with clumps of jnne-trees.
The road then passed around the base of a hill, the front of which was
occupied by a temple of massive stone masonry. It was shaded with
large trees, resembling in foliage the Indian fig or sycamore. Paths,
over which tho hedges of bamboo formed complete arches, ran up tho
sides of the hill. On our right were meadows of bearded rice, a variety
wliich Dr. Lynah declared to be unknown in the southern States. The
country now became open and undulating, and covered with the richest
vegetation ; not only was all the low laml planted with rice, but tlu» hills
were in many places terraced nearly to the top, and the water carefully
conducted from field to field by artificial chamu'ls. The streams were
lined with thick hedges of banana, and tho knolls which dotted the
landscape were crowned with groves of tho Loo-(^hoo pine, a bcautifiil
tree, strongly resembling tho cedar of Lebanon in its flat horizontal
layers of foliage ; it is jirobably a new species. There was something
in the forms of the landscape whicn /emintled me of tho richest English
scenery, mixed with the superb vegetation of tho tropics. The views
on each sid(! increased in beauty as wo approached Sheudi, the capital
city of the island, which is scattered along the south-west slope of a
group of hills. The houses aro Jialf buried in foliage, and streieh over
an extent of a mile, the citadel, or residence of the viceroy, occupying
an elevated central position.

The day was dark and cloudy, threaiening rain, and fresh wind blew
in our faces as we climbed tho heights. Near tho summit we passed
through a high wooden gate, upon which were inscribed two Chinese
characters, signifying " the central hill,»' or " place of authority," and
entered the main street of the city, which is broad, handsomely paved,

shoi

the

Jivei

thci

che(

shac

of a

spec

aro II

libei

THE CUNG-QUA,

917

and lined with high ■walls, bohind which, and the foliage of their gardens,
the j)rincij)al dwellings are mostly concealed. As \vv reached the gate,
the flag was unrolled, and fastened upon the end of a musket. A line
grove of old trues, with crooked trunks, gnarled boughs, and thick,
dark-green foliage, attracted my attention on entering. Wo had jiot
proceeded fifty paces before the ofliccrs attending us beckoned to us to
enter a doorway on the right side of the street. Wu made a halt, and,
leaving men and coolies <"itside, went in. It proved to be a ('miff-fjuii,
or resting-place for traveUrs, or rather for officers of government, shice
in Loo-Choo there are no other travelers. Tlie CtOKj-qud corresponds
very nearly to the Turkish khan, except that, being ust'd only by persons
of some consideration, it is far more neat and elegant in every respect.
The house into which we were ushered resembliHl a private dwelling of
the better class. The i>rincipal apartment was carpeted with very fine
Hoft mats, and surrounded on three sides by an open verandah. Adjoin-
ing the building were kitchens and out-houses f«)r servants, and in front
a small yard planted with sago-palms and a tree resembling the Inocar-
jnis. We were })olitely received by a gentlenum ui a gray robe, who
performed the ko-tom toward us in the most approved style. Seats were
brought, and tea prepared after the Chinese fashion, served in small
cups. The attendant was directe<l, by signs, to wait first upon Mr.
Jones, who was thenceforth recognized as the head of the party. The
former served us on liis knees, both when ho oft'ered and when he took
away the cups. We remained but a few minutes, and took our leave,
evidently to the surprise and perplexity of our conductors, who did not
as yet comprehend our object.

On leavuig Najdia, Ave had noticed an expression of doubt and
anxiety upon the fiices of the natives, and this rather increased as we
proceeded. No remonstrance whatever was made to us, but our move-
ments were suspiciously scrutinized. Wlicn, therefore, we left the Cung-
qua, and, instead of retiirning, took tMir euurse directly onward through
the city, the faces of our convoy becairu* cU)uded, and an expression of
alarm commimicated itself to those of the natives whose curiosity had
attracted them around us. We soon reached the gate of the citadel, at
the foot of the massive walls, which, risuig through groves of trees, dom-
hiate over the city. The gate was closed, but had it been open, we
should not have jiresiuned to enter. The northern and eastern slope of
the hill is covered with splendid old trees, divided by winding, sluaded
avenues, on the sides of which many natives Merc sitting, « ith fans in
their hands. The sun, which shone out hot and cK'ar fitr an instant,
checkered this rich, park -like scenery with strong cotitmsfs of light and
shadow, and down through the depths of the trees illuminated the face
of a pool of water, so completely covered with the floating leaves of a
species of lily as to appear like a i>atch of green sward. Ve passed
around the base of the citadel to its eastern side, and, after some de-
liberation, took a paved road which led through the suburbs of the city

918

EXPLOUATION OF LOO-GIIOO.

in an cast-south-east direction. Wherever wo tinned wo could sec
scouts running in advance, and driving the iniiabitants away from our
path, so that a silence and desertion, like that which follows jtcstilenee,
took place wherever we moved. All with whom we accidentally came
in contact saluted us politely, but with a settled air of melancholy, which
I ascribed to the surveillance exercised over them by an unnatural gov-
ernment, rather than any ill-will toward us.

The northern side of Slieudi is a wilderness of rich vegetation. The
appearance of a flourisliing cocoa-palm, now and then, showed that the
climate is entirely tropical. The eastern suburb of the capital is com-
posed principally of bamboo huts, thatched with rice straw. The inhab-
itants were all liidden away out of sight, and blinds of split bamboo let
down before the doors. Wo took a road which led along the hills to-
ward the south-east, and after issuing from the capital, gained a ridge
whence Ave could see a long lino of the western coast, with the 8(puidron
riding at anchor in the liarbor of Napha. From this point the interest
of the journey j»roperly commenced, as wc were entering upon ground
which no one before us had ever explored. The limit of the excursions
made by others was Sheudi, and very few succeeded in entering that
capital. We wore, therefore, greatly cnlrveiuul by the prospect before
us, and pursued our way with more alacrity than comported Avith the
comfort of our disheartened conductors.

About a mile from Sheudi, the road turned more to the east, and
after passing through a dense wood, came out upon a hill, Avhence we
caught a glimpse of the sea on the eastern side. A temple, apparently
erected during the past year — for it Avas destitute of either altar or goil
' — stood in the shade of a clump of pines, and as it Avas now one o'clock
Ave halted for refreshment. Some of the natives brought Avater, Avhile
the men picked up suflicicnt dead Avood to boil our kettle, and in the
course of time Ave Avere regaled Avith tea and ship's biscuit. We olfered
the former to the officers, but they <lid not appear to relish it. The
Loo-Choo coolies, hoAvever, ate heartily of the biscuit, Avhich they had
better earned than our vagabond Chinese. They gave the name of the
place as Pifio. Mr. Heine took a sketch of it, and astonished the natives,
some forty or fifty of Avhom had collected to look at us, by firing at a
mark Avith his rifle. Immediately after leaving Pino, Avhence wo started
at 3 r. M., the paved road ceased, and the Avay became deep and miry.
The soil Avas a lead-colored, stiff clay, tho disintegration of shale rock,
Avhich here appeared for the first time. Wo had not proceeded more
than half a mile before we reached the dividing ridge or crest of the
island, and a magnificent panorama opened below us to the eastward.
The sea-line of the Pacific formed tho Iiorizon, and a spacious slieet of
water between two headlands which made out from the island led us to
suppose that avc were looking upon Barrow's Bay. BetAveen us and tho
sea lay an amphitheater of hills, cultivated to their vei-y tops, and
clothed with the greenest verdure. Their sides were carefully terraced,

foi

FIRST ENCAMPMENT.

919

and every advantage taken of the inclination of the soil, so as to collect
the rains for irrigation. Tlie cultivation Mas quite as patient and
thorough us that of China. Tlie picturesque ftjrniation of the Iiills gave
a great variety of outline to the landscape, which embraced a compass
of perhaps tweiity miles. Toward the west we overlook(!d all the coun-
try we had passed, as far as a headland in the north-west, which I took
to he Cape IJroughton. Mv. Heine took a sketch of the view, looking
eastward, while I attempted to take the western side.

Uesuming our niardi, we descended the ridge, which was about six
hundred feet above the sea-level. The clayey ]>ath leading down was
very wet and slippery, and the coolies fell and rolled over several tinu'S
with the baggage. I'assuig through gaps between the lower hills, wo
reached a semi(;ircular plain, nearly two miles in breadth, extending
around the head of the bay. On cither side was a village of thatched
huts, buried in trees. The scouts had already been before us, and the
natives lay concealed in their habitations. The tbrmer supposed that
we would take a ro.ad leading to a large village at the liead of the bay,
but as we turned abruptly to the nortliward, wc soon saw them running
across the fields to regain the road ahead of us. There were a number
of villages at the base of the hills, on our left, but so thickly studded
with trees that they were almost concealed from view. I collected a
number of ])lants, one of them a si)ecies of altluea, with a splendid scarlet
blossom. The road whicli we took led through the rice fields and was
very deep and nuiddy. While stopping to rest on a bridge over one of
the irrigatuig streams, our old condiU!tor came up with his two assist-
ants, and intimated to us by signs that it was time we should return to
the ships. The sun Avould soon set, they s.aid, and we should have no
place to sleep. We replied (also by signs), that instead of returning
we were going northward, ajid would not reach the ships again for five
or six days. They appeared greatly surprised .at this, and a little
troubled, since it was part of their duty not to lose sight of us. The
old fellow, who, in his haste to keep up, had slipped down in the muddy
road and soiled the liinder part of his robe, laughed heartily at the acci-
dent, and finally became resigned to th(! prosj)ect of the long tram]> be-
fore him. They then pointed to the west, saying that there was a Cung-
qua in that direction, where wo could spend the night. Our course,
however, was nearly north-east, and about half past five, having reached
a hill overlooking the bay, on the summit of whicli was an open space
surrounded with young jjlnes, we iletermined to encamp there. The
people objected to our cutting down the trees, and we made tent polos
by fastening together the bamboo staves used by the coolies. There
was a village on the slope of the hill below us, and .after some delay,
caused by the difficulty of interpreting our w.ants to the native officials,
we obtained four fowls, forty eggs, and two bundles of firewood. One
of our Chinamen, " A-shing," professed to speak the Loo-Chno Inngu.age,
but we soon found him :is miserably deficient in this as he was in all

920

EXPLORATION OF LOO-CllOO.

Other useful qualities. His coinruile, liowevcr, who spoke no English,
could write Chinese, and the message having been thus communicated
and written, was tinidly read by the old Pe-ching. The latter refused
to accept either cash or dollars, sayhig that they were of no use to the
people whatever, but that every thing would bo furnislied us. The
Chinese suggested — probably on tlujir own account — that wo should
pay the people in ship's biscuit, but we had scarcely enough for our
own waiits. It was at length decided that we should take what we re-
quired .'u»d settle for its value with the Pe-ching on our return.

The j)e()ple were tardy in bringing our firewood, and we were obliged
to cat our supper by the light of our camp lire. I succeeded in getting
a sketch of the bay, while daylight remained. It is deej) and spacious,
and j)rotected by reefs across the mouth, but, judging from the appear-
ance of the water, too shallow to be niade available for naval purposes.
A large village lies at its head, and several fishing junks were at anchor
before it. At night the plain s]>arkled with lights, some of them mov-
ing to and fro — jjrobably lanterns carried by persons passing from one
village to another. The olHcera determined to remain with us at all
hazards, and at their command the people brought up band)oo poles and
matting, out of which they erected a temporary structure beside our
tent. They were perfectly good-humorrd in their diuneanor, and sub-
mitted with great patience to what tho>' (rould not avoid. Before going to
sleep we arranged four watches of twt* hours each, from 9 r. m. until 5
A.M., and the subordinate native policemen kindled a lire and ke{)t a
com»ter-watch. We Avere all somewhat fatigued with our iirst march
of ten miles, but the mosquitoes were so terribly annoying that few of
us slept more than half an hour during the whole night.

Wo rose at dawn, and found the natives already stirring. The morn-
ing gave promise of fair weather. The Pe-ching and liis associates came
up and saluted us gravely as soon as we arose. It required about two
liours to cook and eat breakfast, strike the tent, and jjack the baggage
for cari'ying. When we were :ill re.ady we found eight native coolies
on hand, those whom we took from Napha having returned the evening
previous. Leaving Camp Perry (as we named the spot) we took a path
leading up a steep hill to the north. Winding around its brow, we de-
scended into a valley, surrounded by abrupt, scarped hills. A stream
flowing at the bottom of a deep gully, overhung with large banana-trees,
made its way out of this broad cul-de-sac toward the sea. We crossed
the valley on the ridges of swampy grass, between the flooded rice-
fields, and climbed a long and toilsome ridge, by wet, slippei^y paths,
leading up through copses of young pine. We had now gained the
spinal ridge of the island, and turned north-westward, over alternate
hills and meadows, along its summit. Tlie wood was principally pine,
but I observed several new varieties of shrubs, not in flower. Now and
then we pjissed the huts of the natives, generally in clusters of two and
three, but even in this secluded region notice of our coming had reached

she
pea

THE "BANNKU ROCK.

921

them, liiul the inhabitants wore hiiMen. I lookud into somo, uml IWmid
the interiors to eousist of ii singU- room, smolie-bliU-kL-nccl, mul lurnisiicd
with the rudest utensils. I'wo ol'tliem had a gratuij; of bamboo, raised,
like a floor, about six inclies above the ground, aul tlic thick mats which
servo the Loo-Chooans as betls were spread upon ti.! •

Mr. Jones letl the cam]) betl»re us, and we had not yet found iiiin.
Coming to a deep wooded gorge, with a stream flowing westward, we
tliscovered that our true course hiy further to tlie east, and retraced our
steps tlu-ougli the i»ino woods, and over uitland rice-meadows to an open,
gr.issy height, whence we saw Mr. Jones, surrounded by a grouj) of na-
tives, about lialf a mile to the south of us. In a short time we again
reached tlu3 summit-ridge, overlooking the bay, and enjoyed the view
of a superb landscape. The dividing ridge of the island, as we had
already noticed, is nearest the eastern shore, to which the descent is
much more abrui)t than on the western. The cultivation on this side is
also more thorough, and the crops more luxuriant. The knees of the
mountains below us were feathered with beautii'ul groves of the ].ioo-
Choo puie, intermingled with terraced fields of grain and vegetables,
while the plain below, through its whole swc^-^f oi" nil,ecn miles, was
brown with its harvest of rice. We counted a dozen villages, some of
them of considerable size, dotting its expanse. To the northward ex-
tended a long headland, far beyond what we had supposed to be the
extremity of the bay, and projecting from the island in a south-easterly
direction. It was now plain that we had not yet reached Barrow's Bay,
of which this headland formed the southern boundary. While halting
to rest our coolies, in the shade of a clump of phies, Mr. Heine shot a
raven, with a beak niu«'h broader than the European species. There
w:us a very large tomb, of a shape nearly circular, on the northern side
of the ridge. About two miles further, the road swerving a liule to the
west, we came upon a singular rock, rising high out of a forest of pines.
The summit, which was very sharp and jagged, was seventy or eighty
feet above the crest of the ridge, and being composed of secondary Him-
stone, lioneycorabed by the weather, it was an exceedij' /y striking and
picturesque object. While Mr. Heine stopped to sketch it, and Mr.
Jones to examine its geology, I climbed to the summit, which was so
sharp as to make it a most uneasy seat. Finding that it was the highest
peak in that part of the island, commanding a view Avhich embraced a
considerable reach of both shores, I ordered the flag to be brought, and
unfurled it from the top of the rock, while the men fired a salute from
the base and hailed it with three hearty cheers. We bestowed upon it
the name of " Banner Rock." The natives looked on, unable how to
understand our proceedings, but not in the least troubled by them. A
little to the north of where we were the island narrowed suddenly, be-
tween the head of the eastern bay and a dcej) bight, which makes in
on the western side, between Cape Broughton and the headland bound-
ing Port Melville on the west. I judged its breadth, at this point, to be

922

KXPLORATION OF LOO-OIIOO.

about lour mik's, in a Htraijjfht line. To the south-west I coulil sec the
position of Shcudi, eight or tcti miles tlistuiit. Tite laiulHeupe wan rich
and varietl, ail the IiIIIh being coated with groves of pine. We found
on the rock the " Wax-plant" of our greenhouses, in full bloom, the
8plenditl Hcarlet Althmt^ auda variety of tho J/u/iv/, ■with a large yellow
blos.soni.

Cojitinuing our march along the summit-ridge, wo came gnidu.illy
upon a wil .<<r and more broken region. Huge fragments of the Hanu;
dark limestone rock overhung our ])ath, or lay tumbled along the slopes
below us, as if hurled there by some violent natural convulsion. As tlic
liiil curved eastward, we saw on its HOuthcrn side a series of immensit
Hcpiare masses, separated by deep fissures, reaching down the side nearly
to its base. They were apparently tirty feet higli, and at least a hun-
dred feet square, and their tops were covered with a thick growth of
trees and shrubbery. In the absence of any traces of volcanic action, it
is difhcult to (conceive how those detached masses were distributed with
such regularity, and c.irried to such a distance from their original place.
The eastern front of the crags imder which we passed was studded with
tombs, some of them built against the rock and whitewashed, like the
tombs of the present inhabitants, but others excavated within it, and
evidently of great age. Looking down upon the bay it was easy to set!
thi't the greater part of it w.as shallow, and in some places the litth' tish-
iiig junks could not aj)proach Avithin half a mile of the shore. The rice-
fields were brought square down to the water's edge, which was banked
uj) to j)revent the tide from overflowing them, and I noticed many
triangular stone-dykes, stretching some distance into tlio water, and no
doubt intended as weirs for fish.

Ill less tlian an hour after leaving Banner Rock wo were surprised
by the discovery of an ancient fortress, occupying a commandini:, posi-
tion upon the siunmit of one of the spurs of the central ridge. Us out-
line was irregular, but "with a general direction from north-east to south-
west ; and while some parts of it Avere in perfect preservation, other
j)ortioiis were overgrown with vines and shrubbery, and hardly to be
distinguished from the natural rock ui)on which it was based. I*assing
through .an arched gJiteway, the road led to a terrace, overgrown with
trci's, upon which stood a structure of masonry resembling a cenotaph.
A flight of stone steps conducted us to another gateway, after passing
which, and a spacious vestibule, wo entered the interior of the fortress.
The sp:ice M'.as occupied by a luxuriant grove of trees, and at the further
end Avas a priv.ate dwelling of respectable appearance. Our Pe-ching
Avas already there, and tho master (Avhom our Chinese coolies designated
the " Japanese consid"), respectfully invited us to enter. The day Avas
oppressively hot, and wo found tAvo or three cups of Loo-Choo tea au
agreeable refreshment. Returning to the terrace, at the base of tho
outer A\all, Ave halted in tho shade to allow the men their mid-day rest
and meal. A flight of steep steps, cut in the rock, led downward on the

FOUTRKSS OF WAOAOUSKO. QOg

northern sitlo to !V grotto innliT tho foundation of the ciistlo, at tlio hot-
toni of which wan ii j»ool of cold, n\vvvt wiitcr. Thu j»I:u'c was (loin-
plcti'Iy overhung by dense foliage, and inaccessible to the beams ot"
tlie sun.

Wliile o\ir meal was {(reparing, Mr. Jones traced out a rough |»lan
of the fortress, and tlu- men took nu-asurements. The following aro its
dinietisions, ascertained with tolerable accuracy:

Lcngtii 235 ])acoH.

Breadth 70 "

Thickiu'HS of walls ftt bottom 6 to 12 "

ThickiicHH of walls at top 12 foot.

Ort'utost lioi^fht of outer wall, iiiDiiHuriiii^ ulon(? tho alopo 06 "

Height of all, from insiilo 12 "

Anglo of outer wall 00°

The material was limestone, and the masonry of adminible con-
Btructi(m. The stones, 8t)mc of which were cubes of four feet square,
were so carefully hewn and jointed that the absence of any mortar or
cement did not seem to impair the durability of tne work. There were
two remarkable points about the work. The arches were double, the
lower course being formed of two stoiu's hewn into ahnost a parabolic
curve, and meeting in tlie center, over which was the regular Egyptian
arch, with its key-stone.

The other peculiarity was, that in place of bastions, there were
square projections of masonry, presenting a concave front, which would
catch and concentrate tho force of a cannon ball, rather than ward it
off. But this fortress must have been erected many centuries before the
use of fire-arms of any kind could have been known to the Loo-Chooans.
Our Chinese pretended to give tho name of the place as Ching-King,
which are Chinese words, signifying the chiet or capital citadel.

We resumed our march at half past one o'ciock. The old Pe-ching,
" Chang-Yuen," who had become a little fatigued by this time, took a
ka-(foo, or Loo-Choo chair, and followed in our rear, leaving the par-
ticular charge of us to his subordinates. Tho scouts were sent sthead,
as usual, for our path descended again to the populous plain at the base
of the hills. We already perceived indications- of a fixed system in the
espionage to which we were subjected. Chang- Yuen and his two
secondary ofiicers were deputed to accompany us during the whole jour-
ney, while their do7,en or more attendants and helpers were changed as
we passed from one district of the island into another. Nothing could
exceed the vigilance with which they watched us. We might separate
into as many divisions as there were men, and yet each of us would still
retain his native convoy. We could neither tire them down, nor run
away front them. When, by chance, we suddenly changed our course,
we still found them before us. And though this was the result of a
jealous and exclusive system, yet they managed to give it the appearance
of being done through respect for us.

924

EXPLORATION OP LOO-CnOO.

I was curious to obtiuii some information regarding t\w domestic life
of the natives, and tVecjnv'ntly ijiitercd their huts unawares, in the hope
of finding them at their avocations Mitlun. In most cases 1 found the
huts deserted, but in some otb.'rs caught the merest glimpses of Loo-
Choo life, in its more humble aspects. Near the castle, while our con-
voy was passing aroimd a villag**, I slipjted into one of the alleys and
entorod a bamboo inclosure, within which wire five neat dwellings.
The mats were let down before the doors, but the people were all hid-
den behind screens and in lofts under the thatch, for on looking in I
found no <iue but a child and an old man, who immediately knelt down
.and knocki'd his foreliead on the floor before me. In another hut, in a
village on the plain, I fotnid an old woman and a girl of about twelve
years of age, both of whom fell on their knees, and held up their hands
with an expression which Avasat once imploring and reverential. A few
words of iViendly greetuig. though in English, encom-aged them, and I
shouhl no doubt have been able to inspect the interior of the hut, had
not one of the spies come up at that moment an<l driven them away.

In tl'c rich rice plains to which we descemled we found sugar-cane
for the first time, .<*()r////(/y«, or millet, and three varieties of the grain
known in the United States as "broom-corn." The road struck out into
the swampy rice fields, and we made for a green headland covered with
pirns. A village, almost completely buried in bowers and arcades of
bamboo, lay at its foot. As we were about entering, we came upon
two curious stones planted in the earth. The largest was about four
feet high, aiul from its peculiar form struck me at once as a linfjam, or
emblem of the Phallic worshij). The same idea occurred to Mr. Heine,
who m.ade a sketch of it. It was a very hard, dark-colored stone,
resembling porphyry, and the only thing we could learn from tlie natives
respecting it was, that they called it "/s/ifr." There is no trace of this
feature of the Hindoo religion existuig either in Japan, China, or Loo-
Choo. The discovery of this stone, if it should ])rovo to be a I'hallic
emblem, is therefore exeeedhigly curious. In the course of the atler-
noon we found two more, one of \\hich was j)rostrate and broken. In
conjunction with these renuiins, the face of the hill behind, f(M- a distance
of two miles, is almo&t entirely covered with excavated tombs, rcKjin-
bling the simpler forms of the rock tombs of Egypt and Syria. Our
native conductors, when interrogated respecting them, called thetn "the
houses of the devil's men," and seemed amused at our t.iking notice of
them. This fact, in a country where ancestral tombs are considered
sacred, r.s among the CHiinese, seems to point to the i:xistence of another
race on the island, in ancient times — a race who may have received the
worship of the Lingam from Java, or other islands where memorials of
it exist.

After an unavailing attempt to shoot a couple of herons in a rice
field, we kept a course nearly due north, passing through several beauti-
ful villages. The houses were surrounded with banana-trees, and the

V
()\

toj

gr(

utin

it g

Cun

DOMESTIC MANUFACTURES.

925

alleys completely overardunl with bamboo. In one of tl»o houses I
foiuul a woman weaving grass-cloth, in a loom of primitive constrnetion.
She ceased from work as I aj)proached the door, but connneneed again,
in obedience to my gestures. The shuttle was a little longer than tlu;
breadth of the stufi*, and thrown by hand. At vhc foot of the hill Dr.
Lynah foimd a \w.cii of lignite, which resembles coal, but is r.nfortdv.
ately no indication of its j)resence. We had a long and toilsnine ascent
up a barren hill which brought us again upon a cultivated upland. There
were three or four cattle grazing h.ore, the first we had noticed sini'.e
leaving Naj>ha. We saw a horse now and then, but this animal appeared
to be scarce. The dividing ridge betwt>en the bays was about three
jniles in advance, ami though the allernoon was nigh spent, and the
whole party was considerably fatigued, we determined to get sight of
Harrow's Hay before encamping. At last we reached a large village oti
the western sloj)e of the ridi.i Tt was surrcnmded with plantations of
banana, and a tall pine grove towered over it. Through a deep road
gate, cut in the crest of the hill, a fine picture of Barrow's Hay and the
mountains beyond presented itself to our view. The southern shorts of
the bay was :il>out three miles distant, and a singular range of rocks,
rising in d'tached square masses like the walls and towers of a ruined
«'ity intervened. The landscape was more richly wooded than those on
the southern bay, and the outlines of the lulls were rounder and more
gently undulating. We seenjed to have reached a region of a difl'erent
ge<)logi(^al character. Wo were about to i)itch our tent at this placi',
when the native officers gave us to un(h;rsland that there was a Ciauj-
qud a short distance furtlu r, and urged us so strongly to go on that we
shouKlere*! our muskets and haversacks and started again. Hut we had
a rough tramp of nearly three miles further, an<l finally came, with
bruised feet and aching shoulders, upon the last descent to Harrow'.-s
Hay. Picturesiiue <'rags stiidded the hillside, and a large village, com-
pletely covered w th thickets of banana and bamboo, lay before us.
Over it towered a \\^\ crag, rent through the center and surmounted with
a s(piare rock, like a ruined tower. We threaded the village by shaih^d
alleys, and at the further end, on a ppot commandhig a fine view of the
bay, found a handsome (\i>i(/~<ju(i, in an inclosure planted wiih trees.
A dignitary of some kind welcomed us, and we were at once served
with small cups of excellent tea. The sofl, thick mats, the shelter and
c(>mfort of the building wi're well worth the fatigue of our forced march.
Fresh water in earthen jars, with a scpiare wooden ladle floating on vho
top, stood ready for us, and thi're was a kitchen in the rear Avhero our
men could cook cor.veniently. The IV-ching came in afler sunset and
greeted us wif!i much cordi.ality. Kggs and fowls were iunnediately
furnished, and, as at om* fonner camp, all j)ayment was refused. The
utmost curiosity apjieared to prevail in the village respecting us, and, as
it grow dark, the circle of heads peering over the wall inclosing the
Cung-qvui :ncre!»sed rapidly, till there could not have been less than two

926

EXPLORATION OP LOO-CHOO.

or three Imndrcd. I'lros wore kindled all around ns, and the ruddy
glow thrown up by tlieni, and by the torches carried back and forth,
ilickered brilliantly over the dusty foliage of the trees.

A watch was set as before, and the mosquitoes being less annoying,
we all enjoyed u tolerable rest. The Chinamen M'ere, or feigned to be,
completely spent, and for the greater part of the day the baggage had
been carried by Loo-Choo coolies. The patience, good-humor, and
endurance of the latter, quite put to shame the worthless and deceitful
creaturis whom we had b'.'en indiscreet enough to bring Avith us. The
natives kept their counter-watch, and on rising before sunrise the next
morning, avc found that fifty or sixty of them had passed the night at
their camp fires. The olyect of the officers in having a watch kept
seemed to be both to prevent any of us from stealing a march upon
t!)om during the night, and to hinder any of the natives from annoy-

Mr. Jones made application for a boat to carry us across the bay, but
there was none to be had. The name of the village to which the Cung-
(lua, belonged Avas " Missikya." We set our little file in motion and
proceeded, by a pleasant path, over level land, a mile or two inland.
The cultivation Avas thorough, but confined mostly to beans and sweet
jiotatoes. The villages Avere so hidden away behind their alleys of tall,
arclivd baml)00 that the police scouts hmX little need to pi-ecede us. A
niitive guide ran ahead ; but as he cotistantly took the left-hand road,
hading into the middle of the island, evidently with a view of conduct-
ing us back to Sheudi, Ave finally halted at the foot of an isolated hill,
covered with Avood, and held a onsultation. The wild mountain-range
north of Barrow's Bay now a]ipeared on our right, and it Avas plain that
our course was leading us away from the head of the bay, which we
desired to reach. We therefore turned, in spite of the protestations of
the guide and the native officers, mid passed around the eastern brow
of the hill, Avhereon we foiuul two grottoes of soft, limestone rock. The
scenery here was a chiuiuing mixture of piiu! forest and culliA'ated field ;
and both in its features and its prevailing hue of dark-green resembled
the landscapes of southern (iermany.

In the bottom of the valley was a stream lined with bristling ranks
of the j}'inihi>iu.s\ or false jtine-apple. We Avere obliged to jtull off
(tin- boots and wade. Wi' here found a shrub Avith small white blos-
soms and bright-green milky leaves ; aiiotlier Avith yellow berries of a
powerful aromatic taste ; and a liliaceo'.is jdant, with a racine of fioAA-ers
resembling those of the snap-dragon, but white in hue^ with a fringe<'
lip of the richest orange. At one of the villages on the pla'.n I noticed
the i>lum and the orange, and a ncAv variety of the banyan, with very
small glossy leaves. lieyond the stream we struck into fragrant jiine
AA'oo Is, and finally into a dense forest Avhere the path was still Avet and
slipi cry from the rains, and the branches, meeting overhead, made a
perpetual shadi;. lliere were few flowers, and still fewer birds, hi this

kiK)

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Avitj

sal ill

it bi

the

of ,1

Befil

Avisll

"kJ

did
nah,
We <|

ARRIVAL AT HARROW'S BAY.

927

wilderness. In fact, thi dc-'^city of birds all over the island, considering
that they are not destroyed by the natives, is rather shjgular. The day
was very clear and hot, and the trees, while they shaded us, quite shut
off the sea breeze. The foliage Avaa ahnost tropical, consisting of dense
glossy-leaved shrubs and luxuriant ferns, overtopped by woods of pine.
Smaller paths branched olF here and there to the distant huts of the
woodmen. After ascending for more than two miles, we crossed a ridfe,
and the path became gradually more open, exposing a view to the west,
over high hills, covered entirely with copsewood and patches of pine
forest. The country resembled the wild lands of America. There were
swamps HI the liollows, and we began to look out for the wild boars
which are said to exist in this part of the island. Catching another
view to the eastward, we found ourselves near the head of Barrow's
Bay, and after a half Jiour's halt, to rest the coolies, set out again. Our
offi(!ial escort came up during the halt, much llvtigued, but as cordial
and good-humored as ever. Indeed, considering that all their trouble
and liitigue were caused by o '.rselves, we had every reason to admire
the unshaken patience with whiiih they submitted to our apparently way-
wai 1 course.

Crossing another hill, we passed down broad, well-trodden paths,
shaded by magnificent arches of foliage, through a neat village. The
houses were larger than usual, and there was an aspect of greater
wealth. Among ihe trees was one fifteen feet high, covered with cream-
colored blossoms, which exhaled the fragrance of nutmeg. An avenue
of pines led down from this lovely spot to a narrow plain at the head of
Barrow's Bay. The rice growuig in these parts was very scanty and
not yet in head. A large village, buried in trees, extended for half a
mile inland from tluj shore. AVe took a path leading down to the beach ;
but Mr. Jone.s, who was in advaiicso, entered the village, where he was
very courteously received an<l twice presented with tea and pipes. The
exhibition of his watch, and a pocket microscope, excited the unbounded
wonder of the natives. The village was named " Isitza."

We forded a salt creek and pitched our noonday camp on a piny
knoll, at the foot of the hills. As Mr. Jones had not arrived, we fastened
our flag to the top of a tree and fired signals. I took a bath in the sea,
with till! men, while our kettle was boiling. The water was excessively
saline, and the fine white ])articles of salt covered my flice like dust as
it became dry. At this point Mr. Jones found a stratum of gneiss, for
th«' first tune, at the water's edge. Our native friends drank three (Mips
of our tea and asked for some biscuits, which they seemed to relish.
Before starting again we had a talk with them about the route. Wo
wished to roach a point on the coast north of Barrow's Bay, marked as
"Kaneja" on our copy of the Japanese chart of Loo-Choo. T\w otlieers
did not sei'm to recognize .any such place, though they spoke of" Kaii-
niih," where th<«re was a Cung-(pia, thirty li, or ten miles distuut, and
we decided to reurh it, if possible.

928

EXPLORATION OP LOO-CnOO.

"Wo left at half-past one, taking one of the natives as a guide. The
path followed the lino of tho bay, and wo walked, for two hours, in deep
sand and crushed shells, around curve and headland. It was very toil-
some work, especially as the glare of the sand struck directly in our
faces. The beach Avas narrow and bordered with thick hedges of tho
p.-xndanus, the fruit of which resembles that of tho jiine-apple. Tho
mountains on our left were wild and uncultivated. There were occa-
sional paths striking up their sides ; but, although the compass told us
that the shore-path led us out of our true course, the guide refused to
take any of them. At the end of two hours wo reached a large village,
where tlio guide, who had followed us from " Isitza," levied a substitute
and turned back. A two-masted junk, of thirty or forty tons burden,
lay at anchor in a cove near this place. We were now approaching tho
nortluTu extremity of Harrow's Bsiy, and had a full view of tho long
headland south of it, aiul the four islands which lie, like a breakwater,
across its mouth. The bay appeared to be extremely shallow, except
near the entrance; and I doubt whether it would be of much value, as a
harbor, for shii)j)ing of large size.

Tlie jiatli, liualiy, turned off to the north, up a steep hill, which
brought us ui)on a rolling upland, covered M'ith abundance of wood.
The mountains we had passed exhibited an outline similar to the Cats-
kills, and there was nothing in tho scenery to remind us of the vicinity
of the tropics. Wo presently entered a line, broad avenue of pines, at
the extremity of which appeared a handsome house, with a tiled roof.
Our native conductors passed on into some bamboo arches, which de-
noted a village beyond ; but I slipped suddenly into the open entrance
and found a spacious house in the midst of tho garden, w!ji a small
Buddhist temple beside it. Quick as my motions had beei , tho mats
were already let down before all tho doors, and nobody was to bo seen.
Before the house was a plant .aboiit ten feet high, with largo scarlet
panicles of flowers. I had barely time to break off a cluster when one
of our officers came hurrying up and urged me by signs Jind words, tv
leave, saying that the bunyo, or governor, as he designated Mr. Jones,
had gone on. 1, therefore, followed him through the village to the Cung-
fpiii, which was larger and finer than any we had yet seen. It was like
an elegant private residence ; having a garden, inclosed by a square,
clipped hedge of jasmin, and a separate establishment for serv.ints
and attendants. There were rov,s of chrysanthemums (a flower nuich
esteciiicfl by the Jaj)anese) and two peach-trees in the garden, beside a
stout ainie/lui, clipped into a fanciful shape. We installed ourselves in
the chief apartment, on the soft m.atting, while the I'e-ching and his
ti-ain took the other buildui^. ^^n only supplies Ave could procure were
raw salt fish and sweet potatoes, with some roots of a native onion,
I>ickled in salt. Neither fowls nor eggs c juld be found. The natives
gave the name of tho village as " Ching," which, being a Cliinese word,
is evidently incorrect; but we could got no other, i'lie paper screens

SIX

vallj
somi
plur
carnl

lis

FIUK IN THE WOODS.

929

between the rooms were removed on our arrival, tea waa brought in,
and the natives busied themselves to make us comfortable ; but the
same unrelaxuig espionage, as at " Missikya," was kept up through tho
whole night. Again canip-lircs were kindled and guards posted around
U8, while crowds of curious natives pooped from behind the bushes and
walls to gratify their desire of seeing us. Mr. Heine, who had the first
watch, went out to the camp-fire, showed tho people his watch, and
other curiosities, and soon hud a large crowd of villagers gathered about
him ; but one of tho ofiiccrs making his appearance, a single word of
command scattered them in all directions, and they did not return
again. In the evening I oftcred a handful of cash to one of the boys
who had accompanied us from Napha. Ho refused it very earnestly, as
there were two other boys standing near ; but, watching an opportunity,
when he was alone, I ottered it again, when he immediately accepted it,
with gestures expressive of his thanks.

The Pe-ching, who 'lad fallen in tho rear, came up after dark, and
immediately sought us, to make his salutations. We found that he and
his associates had been keeping a journal of our proceedings, and had
already filled a roll of paper several yards in length with their remarks.
We had but few mosquitoes, and slept so Avell that I had same diftioulty
in rising for t'^e mid-watch. After much search, two tough old hens
were found for our breakfast, which we ate under the scrutiny of a
hundred eyes, continually peering at us over Avails, or popping out from
behind bushes. Whenever we noticed any of them the heads disap-
peared, but they returned again as soon as our gaze Avas removed.

Wo wore now commencing our fourth day, and it Avas time to think
of turning back shortly. After some consultation, it Avas determined to
foUoAV the coast for a short distance further, then strike across the island
in the direction of Port Melville, and reach in tho evening a point on
the Avestern shore corresponding to the latitude of our present camp.
On starting, the native ofliecrs Avere very urgent in requesting us to take
a road leading AvestAvard. We kept, hoAvevor, a course nearly due
north, and soon reached a hill, whence there was an excellent vicAV of
the country on all sides. The northern headland of BarroAv's Bay lay
behhid us. The general direction of the coast in advance was north-
east, stretching aAvay to a distant promontory. A spinal ridge of mount-
ains, covered with a wilderness of forests, ran parallel with tlie coast,
leaving a narrow strip of cultivated land next the sea. A column of
smoke ascended from one of tho northern peaks, Avhich Ave judged — and
rightly, as it afterward proved — to bo a fire in the woods.

Mr. Jones decided to make for a gorge between two peaks, ribout
six miles distant, and rather to the east of north. We crossed a deep
valley, Avith a salt creek at its bottom, and, after following tho coast for
some time, took a road which, after ascending a long barren ridge,
plunged into the woods. The further we advanced, the more dense be-
came the wilderness. The only persons we met were woodmen whom

980

EXPLORATION OP LOO-CHOO.

we B&vr occasionally felling trees with their rude axes. The path was
narrow, wet, and slippery, and for two or three miles a continual ascent.
At length wo reached a conical peak covered with trees. The ascent
was very difficult, and I halted Avith the coolies at the base, while Mr.
Jones, l)r. Lynah, and Mr. Heine, went up to obtain a view. Uy climb-
ing tho trees and cutting' away sonic of the limbs, they opened space for
a grand central panorama of the island, which Mr. Heine set about
sketching from a tree-to^'. Tho patii, which by tins time had dwindled
almost out of sight, passed direttly over tho summit. We found the
ascent like a staircase, and wore obliged to use hands ai.d feet to reach
tho top. The Loo-Choo coolies who carried our baggage made their
w.ny up with great difficulty. As we were all suffi2ring from thirst, I
started hi advance, M'ith tiic seaman Mitchell, tho Chinamen, and the
coolies. The path, which was now a faint woodman's trail, did not
appear to have been traveled for months. It was shut in by a species
of small bamboo, so dense as almost to exclude light, and a large, red,
hairy spider hau woven innumerable webs .icross it. Now ascending,
now descending, we pushed ourselves or crept through tho almost im-
pervious copsewood, for nc.irly two miles, till the ])ath became more
open, and a partial look-out to the westward showed us the China sea.
On the side of the nearest peak to the northward, we distinctly saw tho
woods on fire and a bare space of about ten acres studded Avith charred
trunks. The descent was very slippery, but becoming more and more
open, I at length recognized our position. We were ai)proaching tho
head of the deep bight south of Port iVIelville, and sei)arated from it
by an arm of the island, which stretches out to the north-west, at right
angles to the main body. The curious jjcaked island called tho " Sugar
Loaf," oif the jioiut of this pronu)ntory, was in view before us. The
western slope of the island at this jioint is covered almost entirely with
forests, tho cultivation being eontined to the bottoms of valleys and
ravines opening upon the sea.

Tlie path led across tho top of a narrow ledge about a yard wide,
with chasms more than a hundred feet deep on each side, and then
dropped to the bottom of the glen, where we found a stream of deli-
cionsly cool and sweet water. We all drank to excess, and then elimbcd
a little ridge beyond, where the air blew fresh, and sat down to await
the rest of the party. ^Mr. Jones found granite of fine quality in the
ravine, and we afterward met with another broad stratum in a rocky
gateway further below. Our only path niude for a village on the shore,
whither we repaired for our mid-day halt. The houses were lined with
luxuriant bananas, in blossom, aiul the lanes between the?n hedged with
the glossy inocarpnn, foruiiiig walls of foliage twenty feet in height,
outside of which were neat Avickcr fences of split bamboo. Near tho
village were three structures raised upon timber frames, and covered
with thatched roofs. They appeared to be storehouses, elevated in this
manner to preserve the grain from the moisture of the earth. Beneath

at I
col
wc

LOO-CIlOO COOLIKS

981

thorn were wooden platforms, oflbring us sliado and convenience for our
halt. The people brought »ia sweet potatoes, a small pan of salt fish, and
a pumpkin, which was all they could supply. Even these were refused
us tuitil the arrival of the Pe-ching, to whose authority all the others
deferred. The r:ii)i<lity of our march had left him in the rear, but he
came up after an liour, and set liimself to work with great good humor
to supply our wants. In order to shield themselves fnmi the heat of the
sun, some of his attendants had tied banana leaves around their heads,
and they all complained of fiitigue.

We left Ny-komma, as the village was called, about half past two.
At this, the most northern point we reached, we could not have been
more than eight or nine miles distant from Port Melville. The inter-
vening land was low, and anoth(>r day would have enabled us to reach
the head of that liarbor. The native ofiicials explained to us by signs,
and by tracing lines on the sand, that the road to Sheudi lay along ♦ho
beach, and that there was a Cung-fjua about twenty li distant. Wo
tramped along sandy beaches and over stony headlands, following tho
general course of the shore, and never diverging far from it. Tho bay,
or bight, marked with numorous abrupt indentations, presented some
fine bohl outlines of shore. Oflt' tho miuiy inferior promontories lay
rocky islets, covered with rich vegetation. The Mooded mountains on
our lefl were the same which we had skirted tho day previous on tho
northern side of Harrow's Bay. The lower slopes on this .side were
jiartially cultivatcul, but the ])rincipal thf)roughfare of the island, which
we were following, kci>t near the sea, and often ran for half a mile
through deep sand and shells. Th'^ scenery was extremely picturesque,
reminding nio of the coast of Sicily. Inside of the Sugar Loaf Ave espied
two small boats, with lug-sail' of v hite canvas, which the men declared
were our ships' boats ; but tl 's has niuce proved to be a mistake.

Notwithstanding tho sultr/ 'leat of the aflernoon, the Loo-Choo
coolies kept i)ace with us, untb-r their heavy loads, while our lazy and
complaining Chinamen lagged behind. These coolies were mostly boys,
from twelve to sixteen years of age. I noticed as a ciuious fact that, in
spite of the heavy loads they carried, and the rough by-ways we fre-
quently obliged them to take, they never perspired in tho least, nor
partook af a drop of water, even in the greatest heat. They were
models of cheerfulness, alacrity, and endurance, always in readiness, and
never, V>y look or word, evincing tho least dissatisfaction. Our ofHcial
conductors tlrank V)ut two or three times of water during the whole
journey. Tea appears to bo the universal t;everage of refreshment. It
was always brought to us whenever we halted, and frequently offered to
Mr. Jones, as tho head of the party, in passing through villages. Once,
at an humble fisherman's vil!,ige, when we asked for viizi, which signifies
cold water, they brought us a pot of hot water, which they call yu, and
were much surprised when we refused to drink it.

After a march of ten miles along the picturesque shore, we reached

982

EXPLORATION OP LOO-CIIOO.

one of tho loveliest spots on the island. It was a village perched on a
bold promontory, overgrown with the pine, banyan, and eago-pahn, at
the mouth of a charming valley which opened up between the hills to
the base of the lofty peak behind Barrow's Bay. A stream of sweet
water threaded the valley, which was covered with the freshest verdure,
and overhung with beautiful groves of pine. It was a picture of pastoral
loveliness, such as is rarely found in any country. Nothing struck mo
more during the journey than the great variety of scenery which tho
island incloses in its narrow compass. We passed through, at least, four
different districts, which bore but the slightest resemblance to each
other, either in features or character. We had both the groves of the
tropics and the wild woods of tho north ; the valleys of Germany and
the warm shores of the Mediterranean.

The village was large, thriving, and as neatly laid out and hedged in
as ^n English garden. Tlie 8crui)ulou3 neatness and regularity of tho
Loo-Choo villages was doubly refreshing to one familiar with the squalor
and filth of China. The sight of the Cung-qua, which occupied the place
of honor at the top of the promontory, completed our raptures. Its roof
of red tiles glittered in the sun ; a row of feathery sago-palms threw
their brilliant leaves over the wall of the inclosure ; the whitest and
softest of mats covered the floor ; tho garden blazed with a profusion of
scarlet flowers; and stone basins, seated on pedestals, contained fresh
water for our use. Its aspect for comfort and repose was a balm to
travelers as weary as ourselves, and I directed Terry at once to hoist
the stars and stripes ujwn the roof. I hastened back to make a sketch
of tho beautiful valley before sunset, while Mr. Heine occupied himself
with a view of the Cung-qua. A venerable old man, with a snowy beard
reaching nearly to his knees, approached tho bank where I sat, but upon
noticing me, made a proiound yet dignified reverence and retired. The
village was named Un-ua. We had not yet reached the region of fowls,
but the people eenc us two small fresh fish, with a pumpkin and some
cucumbeES. Our own stores were quite low, both sugar and pork having
been exhausted, sc that we had nothing lefl. but tea, coffee, and ship
biscuit.

The natives kindled a fire inside the grounds of the Cung-qua, auu
half a dozen of them sat around it all night. The morning was dull,
and a cap of mist on the mountain threatened rain. A bath in the sea
before sunrise refreshed us for the day's march. For our breakfast,
there were sent two long, eel-like fish, resembling the gar, a few young
egg-plants, two gourds, and a basket of sweet potatoes. So much time
was occupied in cooking and consuming these delicacies, that we did
not get under way before eight o'clock. Another consultation was held
with our attendants, who declared that Sheudi was ninety li distant, and
that it would require three days for us to reach Napha ; this did not
correspond with our own ideas of our position, and we determined to
attempt reaching Napha the next evening, as we bad been ordered.

A ClIINKSE "SPKCIFIC."

933

Wo passed through tlio village of Uil-fia, and over the headland to a
deep bay. The tide was running out, and instead of wading through
the sand around its entire curve, we made a straight line for the oppo-
nite shore, tramping through water two or three inches deep over beds
of decomposing coral. We had proceeded along the shore for an hour
and a half, when A-shing, one of the Chinese coolies, fell sick in c«inse-
quence, as it afterward appeared, of drinking sackee, and eating green
l»ea('hcs. His load was given to the Loo-Choo coolies, and he obtaint'd
a temporary relief by punching his throat, in three jdaces, so violently
as to produce an extravasation of blood. Counter irritation is the usiial
Chinese retnedy for all ailments, and it is fre<iuently very etlu^u^ious.
We were near a lishing village, and Mr. Jones endeavored to «)btain a
canoe, in which to send b<ith our Chinamen back to the vessel. The
Pr 'hing begged him to give up the idea, since one of the native officers
would be obliged to accompany them, and they all feared to trust thcjn-
selves in the frail craft. They brought a fcaffoo, or rude sedan, in which
they oftered to have the man conveyed to Napha, but 1" wan better by
this time, and declared himself able to proceed on foot. The ofllcerg
expressed the greatest satisfaction when they found that none of them
would be required to return in the canoe.

In tlie mean time the rest of us had pushed forward with the baggage.
Tlio morning was very hot, the glare from the white beach-sand struck
in our faces, and we began to tire of an endless tramp around cove after
cove, and headland al\er headland. We were now, as we calculated,
opposite the head of Barrow's Bay, and Sheudi was almost in a due
southerly direction ; yet the road still clung to the coast, as if intent on
carryitig us to the extreme point of Capo Broughton, thus greatly length-
ening our journey, besides which, our orders Avere to return through the
center of the island. In answer to all otir inquiries, the native ollicers
and guides pointed along the shore and were extremely anxious to pre-
vent our taking any inland paths. This excited our suspicion, and we
imagined their object to be to prevent our seeing the interior. Finally,
coming to a well-trodden path, which struck off up the hills, Ave shut our
ears to all remonstrance and took it. In a short time it brought us to a
handsome village, shaded not only Avith bamboo, but Ai'ith splendid
banyan-trees. Beyond it there Avas a vleep ravine, Avith a faintly-marked
foot-path leading to some Avater at the bottom. Again the natives en-
treated us to take a path Avhich plainly led to the shore. They pointed
to the gorge, crying "»>/2/," intimating that the path Avent no further
than the Avater. Xevertheless, seeing traces of a path on the opposite
side, Ave descended, followed by the unwilling officers and coolies. The
pool of Avater Avhich supplied the village was shaded by the largest pines
I saw on the island. They were seventy or eighty feet in height,
Avhereas the average is not more than forty feet.

Our suspicions did injustice to the natives, for we soon found that
they had our convenience in vicAV. Our path struck into a sido-branch

931

EXPLORATION OF LOO-CIIOO.

of the ravine, which, though not more than twenty feet wide, was a
rice-8wanip at the bottom. The sides were nearly jjerpendicular walls
of earth and loose rocks, so that m'o were obliged to plunge up to the
knees in mud. One of the men, Smith, sunk ho dee]) that it re({uircd
the strength of three ni]yt.ives to extricate him. When, at last we reached
the top of the hill, we found it covered with waste thickets, and no
path to bo seen except one on an opposite lieight, >vhich we reached
with some trouble. The path, an old and unused one, led us back to
the beach, which it now seemed impossible to leave. The coolies, who
had had a liard tug to get through the rice-swamp, took the whole mat-
ter very good-humoredly, and tlio otlicers laughed, as I thought, with a
sort of malicious pleasure at our discomfiture. The walk over the white
sand was doubly fatiguing alter this, and on the arrival of Mr. Jones we
determined again to make for the interior, especially as we had reached
the head of the last cove, whence the coast appeared to run almost due
westwardly to Cape Jiroughton.

Mr. Jones and Dr. Lynah, with the men Davis and Smith, took a
foot-jiath leading southward into the mountains, and after j)roceediMg a
little further along the coast I followed them with the seaman Mitchell.
Mr. Heine, with Terry and the Loo-Choo coolies, still kept the shore.
We (Mitchell and 1) reached with great difficulty the i>ath taken by the
first party. It ascended steeply through j)ine forests, alternating with
dense copsowood, for about two miles, till we gained the summit of the
ridge. The whole expanse of Barrow's Bay came full into view to the
eastward, while to the south wo looked beyond the promontory we had
been doubling so tediously, and saw the same deep cove we had beheld
three days before from the top of Banner Kock. J Jut all the interior of
the island was still a Avilderness, and for ten miles iti ailvance stretched
an unbroken forest. Our path did not apj>ear to have been much trav-
eled — other small paths branched from it, but the party in advance had
broken off boughs and left them as guides for us. I .as much spent
with the heat and the exertion of climbing so rapidly, and after drink-
ing out of a muddy liole filled with leaves, felt an attack of mingled heat
and cold, with an oppression of tho lieart, which took away all my
strength. Wo saw the other party on tho top of a high peak ahead of
us. The path crossed a ledge as narrow as a wall, Avith deep gulfs on
each side, and then ascended a rocky ladder, the steepness of which
took away Avhat little strength I had remaining — I was obliged to lie
down for some time before I could proceed further. A rain-cloud com-
ing up rapidly ovjr Barrow's Bay admonished us to leave our lofty look-
out. The path kept on southward through miles of wilderness, but the
natives who had accompanied us pointed to another, which led back
almost the way wc came, and which they said would bring us to a
Cung-qua. As there were no signs of the baggage, we were thus under
the necessity of retracing our steps almost to the shore. On our way
we passed through a singular gorge, which was closed up, in its nar-

STONE BRIDQK OVEU THE FI-IJA.

935

rowcst part, by fragments hurled from above by some convulsion of
nature. The stream flowing at the bottom disappeart'd for about fifty
yards, when it again issued to the light through a cavernous opening.

A raui now came on, which continued ibr two or throe hours, and
made the road slippery and toilsome. Wo passed through a village,
romantically situated in a wooded glen, and over uplands, covered with
groves of pine, the path gradually swerving to the south, till it Anally
struck directly across the promontory. A great part of the way was a
waste of wild thickets, with marshy hollows between the hills, AVe
saw, several times, the tracks of the wild boar, which the natives assured
us were abundant ; but wo were not so fortunate as to got a sight of
one. There were no traces of our baggage imtil we found the Pe-ching,
and two other natives, crouching under a bush to keep out of the rain,
and smoking their pipes. Finally, about half-past two, wo heard the
report of tire-arms, and soon after reached the Cuiig-(pii of " Cluuuli-
kosa,''* where Mr. Heme and the coolies had already been waiting some
time for us. Wo were uncertain whether the building Avas a bondjide
Cung-qua or the residence of a biini/o, or oflicer, for it Avas occupied,
when Mr. Heine arrived, by a personage of some kind with his attend-
ants, but immediately given up for our use. There was a crowd of at
least a hundred natives collected within the inclosuru and looking on,
with great astonishment, while Mr. Heine tired at a mark. AVhat
seemed most to interest them, next to the accuracy of his aim, was the
fact of the piece exploding without the application of tiro (nothing but
Japanese matchlocks ever being seen on the island), and its being loaded
at the breech. They appeared familiar with the nature of gunpowder,
and the use of our cutlasses ; but during our journey we never saw a
single weapon of any kind. There is &;ud to be a small garrison of
Japanese soldiers, both at Napha and Shcudi ; but, if so, they wero
carefully kept out of the way.

The Pc-cJiing, Avho soon afterward came up, informed us that wo had
come thirty //, and that Sheudi was still sixty li distant, and we could
not reach it on the following day. Learning, however, that there was
another Cung-qua tAventy // further, we decided to vest an hour or
two, and push on to it the same cvenmg. The people brought two
fowls, with abundance of eggs and cucumbers, and, hungry and tired as
wo were, wo made a most palatable meal.

We left again at half j)ast four. The road Avas ])road, well beaten,
and shaded by a double row of pine-trc( s. It ran in a south-eastern
direction, parallel with the coast, and :ibout two miles inland. The
country continued open, slightly undulating, a'.id pleasantly diversified
with groves of pine for four miles, when v e camo suddenly upon a deep
glen, ti-ivcrsed by much the largest stream we had seen upon the island.
I'lo roaJ. crossed by a massive stone bridge, of three arches, remarkable
for the size and rudo strength of the piers, each of which had, on the
inner aide, in order to protect it from floods, a triangular abutment,

IMAGE EVALUATION
TEST TARGET (MT-3)

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Photograpliic

Sciences
Corporation

33 west MAIN STREET

WEBSTER, N.Y. MSSO

(716) 872-4S03

^^^ <^'

i,..

936

EXPLORATION OP LOO-CHOO.

projecting ten or twelve feet. The sides of the glen were nearly per-
pendicular, and covered with wild and luxuriant vegetation. Toward
the sea, under a range of broken limestone crags that hung high over
the stream, were several ancient excavated tombs. A spring of excel-
lent water gushed out from the foot of one of these crags. Mr.
Heine took a sketch of the place, which was remarkable for its
seclusion and picturesque beauty. The natives called the stream the

On reaching a height overlooking the sea, we were agreeably sur-
prised with the sight of ihe squadron, lying off the furthest point to the
south-west, and between fifteen and twenty miles distant, in a straight
line. This encouraged us to believe that we could reach Napha at the
time appointed, and we pushed on rapidly and cheerily, for it was now
growing dark, and no appearance of the Cung-qua. The road ap-
proached the shore, and became a raised causeway, passing through
rich rice swamps. The natives whom we met in the dusk of the even-
ing took to flight on seeing us. At last, at half-past seven, weary and
spent with a tramp of twenty-seven miles, the native herald who ran
before us turned into a gateway, over which towered a magnificent
banyan-tree. We followed, and discharged our pieces in a general feu-
de-joie^ on seeing a Cung-qua Avith the lamps lighted, attendants wait-
ing with their trays of tea-cups, and a polite old gentleman standing in
the verandah to receive us. The Loo-Choo mats were never so soft, nor
the cups of imsugared native tea so refreshing, as on that evening.
Eggs, cucumbers, rice, and fowls w^ere immediately forthcoming, and
our men concocted a soup which, to our minds, could not have been
improved. The old Pe-ching made his appearance at a late hour, nearly
as fatigued as ourselves, but overflowing with cordiality and good humor.
A company of native guards kindled a fire under the banyan-tree, and
prepared to spend the night there. Our men were so fatigued that, in
anticipation of another hard journey on the morrow, we dispensed with
the usual watch. It was the less important, as we had found the native
guard exceedingly vigilant in keeping away all stragglers from our
vicinity. The light of the ruddy camp-fire, playing over the spreading
boughs of the banyan-tree, brought into strong relief the groups of
swarthy faces clustered around it, and presented a picture so fantastic
and peculiar that I sat looking at it long after I ought to have been
asleep.

The sound of rain upon the tiles of our Cung-qua awoke us fre-
quently during the night, and when we arose at daybreak the sky was
overcast, the roads flooded, and a steady dismal storm had set in. The
Pe-ching and his associates wished us to stay at " Pi-ko," as the Cang-
qua was called, until the next day, slapping their legs to indicate how
tired they were, and making signs of slipping up and falling down in the
mud. But we were inexorable, and they sent for a new set of coolies
to carry our baggage. We had another discassion about the distance,

RETURN TO KAPHA.

837

which ended in their declaring that Sheudi was sixty-five li and Napha
thirty li distant. This was absurd, and probably ought to be attributed
to the ignorance of the Chinese, through whom we communicated with
them. The coolies prepared themselves for the rain by putting on
shaggy jackets of grass, resembling the sheep-skin garments of the
Roman herdsmeii. Our men had their pea-jackets, and we were partially
protected by ponchos of gutta-percha and oilcloth. "We were delayed
in getting breakfast, and did not break up our camp until half-past nine,
when we set out, every body stiff and sore from the previous day's
travel. The rain was still falling, though not so heavily as at first, and
the road was an alternation of water and stiff mud, through which we
trudged with difticulty, and at the risk of leaving our boots behind us.
After rounding the head of the bight, we struck off over the hills to the
south-west, and in an hour and a half came upon another deep glen, in
the bottom of which wore two massive bridges over a stream so broad
and deep that it Avas doubtless a frith of the sea. We stopped an hour
to rest and enable Mr. Heine to take a sketch of the place. I noticed
that the heavy triangular abutments to the piers were here placed on the
side next the sea. The natives gave the glen, or river, the name of
" Machinatoo."

The rain had ceased by this time, except an occasional sprinkle, and
the road improved. Afl;er another hour the roads branched, that on
the left striking off up the hills to Sheudi. We kept on over the hills
toward Napha, the scenery gradually assuming a familiar appearance,
till finally, from a height covered with pine-trees, we looked down upon
the harbor and the American squadron. After fording a broad salt
creek, and crossing another ridge, we descended to the village Tume,
opposite Napha. We reached our starting-point, the house of Dr. Bet-
telheim, at 2 p. m., and there took leave of our worthy Pe-ching and his
two assistants, after having appointed a time to meet them again, and
endeavor to return some compensation for the provision furnished during
the journey.

The distance we traveled during the six days was one hundred and
eight miles, as nearly as we could calculate. Our trip embraced a
little more than half the island, leaving the extremity south of Napha
(which is of limited extent), and that part north of the head of Port
Melville, and lying on both sides of that harbor, for future exploration.

INDEX.

Aaron, tomb of, 207.
Ababdchs, cluiracter of 211.

Ariib tribe of, 208.

Abkoulgri. village and gold-washingao^ 2TG.
Abokko, kindness of 537.

Ins fidelity, 551.

Abon-Simbcl, opening of 23G. Bayard Tay-
lor's description of, 236.

- attempted excavation of, 233.
temple of 211.

Abn-Nocfa, description of 41D.

Abyssmian roads, 674 — Life, 671 — Supersti-
tions, 675, 681, 682— Government, 67C—
Climate, 677— Butchery.678— Habits, 679
—Dress, 680.

Acapulco, 72.

Adam (Canadian), sufferings of 311.

Adamowa, country of Central Africa, 895 —
Dr. Earth's visit to, 895, 897.

Addy Abo, province of, 673.

Adoua, appearance of 669 — Return to, 673.

Africaner, 563, 564, 567, 568

Alrican war-song, 498.

Association, 116, 117.

Agady, battle of, 271.

Agadez, the capital of Air, 890— Descrip-
tion of 891.

Agaro. battle of 275.

Aggcri Water, 888.

Ailat. village of, CG7.

Air, or Asbcn, a kingdom of Central Africa,
885 — Accountof Richardson and Earth's
expedition to, 885 to 892.

Aisou, or the seven wells, 88S.

Akaba, Oulfof, 912.

Akaitcho (Esquimaux chief), 293, 296.

320.

Akuru. well of 888.

Alantika, highest mountain of damowa,
897,

Alexandria, Ida Pfeiffer'a voyage to, 833.

plague ut, 230.

Alexei (the Kurile), 412, 415, 426, 435,
437.

Ah (Hadji), his dishonesty, 490.

Sultan of Ludamar, 101.

Allen (Captain Bird), commands the Soudan
on an expedition to the Niger, 553 —
Dangerous illness, 558 — Death, 558.

(Captam Wm ), accompanies Dr. Old-
field, 550 — Completes a survey of the

Niger, 551— Commands tlio Wilbnfurc'
on a second expedition, 553 — Arrival at
Eboe, 554 — Treaty with King Obie, 553,
— Reaches Damuggoo, 556 — Model farm
at the junction of tlie Niger and tho
Chadda, 557 — Ravages of tlie fever, 5,')i
— Return to tho sea, 557 — Vi.^it to tlui
Bights of Benin and Biafra, 5.)y — Model
farm abandoned. 559 — Return to En-
gland, 560.
Altai Mountains, 81 — Silver ore of, 81
Amazon, the, 85G, 858, 859, S69.

Valley of the, 69.

American exploration of the island of Loo-
Choo, 915 — Escort furnished to tho Amer-
icans by the authorities, 916 — De.scriptioit
of the roads to Sheudi, 91G — Tho Cung-
qud, or resting-place for travelers, 917 —
Suspicious demeanor of tho natives, 917
— Character of tho environs of Sheudi,
918 — Scenery near Pino, 918 — Thorough
cultivation of 919 — Precautions of the
authorities to prevent intercounso with
the Americans, 919 — A superb landscape,
921 — An ancient fortress in, 922 — Two
curious stones, supposed to be au emblem
of the Phalhc worship, 924 — Scenery
about Barrow's Bay, 925 — Scarcity of
birds in the island, 927 — A dehghtful
Cung-qua, 928 — Curiosity of tho natives,
929— A fine view, 930— Character of tho
coast scenery, 931 — Neatness of tho vil-
lage?, 'J6i.—JL Chinese remedy, 933 —
Mistaken saspicions of the natives, 933
— A vast fo, ost, 934 — ^The party come in
sight of t!.:' squadron, 936 — Arrival at
the starfng- point, 937.

Ancient rock-temple, !?.09.

Anderson (Alexander), 118.

'• death of, 123.

Anderson's Falls, 604.

Angostura, 58.

Ankober, view of) 658, 661.

Antelopes, 326.

Antioch, 201.

Apure River, 42, 43.

Apurimac River, 860— Bridge, 861.

Arab guides, singular custom o^ 209.

galutatioD, 623.

boats on Uie Red Sea, 666.

guide, superstition of, 206.

940

INDEX.

Arafat, encampment of tho Moslem pilgrims

at, 222— View from tho summit, 223—

sermon upon, 224.
Aral Sea, 328.
Arcliiletc, murder at, T22.
Arctic Sound, 297.
Argali (Mount), view from, 308.
Argo, Island of) 257 — Vegetation, 258 —

Colossi upon, 258.
"Asie Gentrale," 87.
Assiil Lake, 661.
Assyrian records, discovery of, 821.

throne, 819.

Astrachan, 85.

Atabapo River, 51.

Ataniipe, cavern of, 55.

Atbiira River, 216.

Atmospheric Rarefaction, effect of, 694.

Attah, king oC, 545.

" (king), treaty with, 566.
Atta, town of, 630.
Atures, Rapids of, 48.
■ Indians, fato of) 66,

Australian Bight, 774.

scenery, 737.

tribes, 780, 783, 784, 790, 791, 793.

Axuni, description of, 673.

Babylon, ruins of, 822, 823, 824.

Back (George), 289.

— — — his winter journey, 295.

(Captain), commands an expedition

in search of Captain Ross, 597 — Sails to
Now York, 598 — Proceeds to Lake Win-
nipeg, 598 — Ascends tho Saskatchewan,
599— Reaches Great Slave Lake, 600 —
Ascends Hoar Frost River, 601 — Arrives
at tho sources of tho Thlow-ee-choh, 602 —
Winter qtiarters, 603 — Starving Indians,
605— Sufferings of tho party, 006— Doatli
of two ravens, 607 — Departure for tlio
north — Embaiks on tho Thlow-ee-choli,
608 — Descends tho rapids, 609 — Meets
with Esquimaux, 610 — Sketches tho na-
tives, 610 — Arrives at tho Polar Sea, 611
— Lands on Montreal Island, 012— Gains
Point Ogle, 612— Returns to England, 613.

Badagry, 506, 520, 623— Extortion of tho
king of, 524.

Baghdad, 822, 824.

Baglizen Mountain, the, ascended by Dr.
Overweg, 891.

Bagimi, country ofj 901.

Baikio, Dr. W. B., appointed to take charge
of an expedition to the Niger, 905 — En-
ters tho Niger in tho steamer Pleiad and
attains tho highest point yet reached, 906
— Gets tidings of the death of Dr. Barth,
906 — Enters the kingdom of Kororofa,
900 — Sickness among tiie crew, 906 —
Well received by the Sultan of Hamaru-
wa, 907 — Difficulties with the natives
higher up the river, 907 — Return with-
out losing a man, 908.

Bakones, tribo of, 677

Balonno River, 778.

Eambarra, kingdom of; 107.

Bamboo, description of; 767, 768.

Bammakoo, 113.

Banks (Sir Joseph), 93.

" " 108.

"Banner Rock," 921.

Baobab-tree, 033.

Baarabinski, Steppe of, 80.

Barca Gana, 472 — His march to Mandara,
479— Interview with tiie Sultan, 481—
Defeatad by tho Fclntahs, 48.1 — Disgraced
and restored to favor, 489 — Wounded,
496 — Marclies around Lake Tchad, 603.

Baris, land of the, 038— People of, 639, G47.

Barket, 888,

Barnaul, 81.

Barrow's Bay, 92L

Bartli, Dr., accompanies Mr, Richardson to
Central Africa, 885 — Narrow escape in
the desert, 88G — Harassed by tlie Tua-
ricks, 888 — Enters tho kingdom of Air,
889— Visit tho sultan En-noor, 890—
Visits Agadez, the capital, 890 — Leaves
Air, 891 — Separates from his associates
on the frontiers of Bornou, 892 — Proceeds
to tho frontiers of tho Felatah country,
894 — Arrives at Kano in Soudan, 804 —
On tho death of Mr. Richardson, proceeds
to secure and send home his papers, 894
— Prepares to explore Lake Tchad, 894 —
Journey to Adamowa, 895, 897— Joins a
hostile expedition into the Waday coun-
try, 900 — Accompanies another army into
Mandara and Musgo, 901 — Travels to-
ward tlio Nile, 901 — Meets much oppo-
sition, and is finally turned back in Ba-
girmi, 901 — Rejoins Dr. Overweg, wlio
died soon after, 903 — Visits Sackatoo
and Timbuctoo, and explores tho middle
course of the Niger, 904 — Meets Dr.
Vogel, 904 — Returns to Europe, 904,

Batn el-Iladjar, 256.

Battakcrs, tribo of the, 84is 846.

Baouangketsi, country of, 574.

Bear (Captain Lewis's adventure with), 148.

Bears, tenacity of life of, 143.

Bechuanas, 669, 570 — Interment, 371 —
Rain-maker, 572, 573 — Abandonment of
wounded, 675 — Conversion, 576,

Becrof (Governor), his reception of Lan-
der, 542.

■ (Governor), relieves the Albert, 558.

Bedouin woman, compassion of a, 264.

honor, anecdote of, 441.

— — — intrigues of, 443, 444 — order of
march, 444.

hospitality of the, 445.

religion of the, 450.

— — alliance of the Syrian tribes, 450.

habit of cooking on the march, 451.

ceremony of reconciliation, 453 —

Their mardouffs, or war-dromedaries, 453
— Declaration of war, 464 — Custom of tho
hatfu, 464.

Bok

INDEX.

941

Bedouins, cliaracter of, 623.

Beo's Creek, 119.

Boor Springs, 708.

Bogiiarmis, battle with tho, 495.

Bolangcr, porilous advoiituro in a rapid,
302.

Bell (Mr.), his visit to Aby.ssinia, 661.

Bello, Sultaa of Houssa, 501.

(Sultnn), camp of, 513.

Belzoni, birth and education, 229 — Visit to
England, 229— Goes to Egypt, 2;i0—
Wouiidod by a Turkish soldier, 230 — Ar-
rival at Thebes, 231 — Adventure in a
tomb, 232 — P^xcursion to Nubia, 233 —
Return to Thebes, 233 — Explorations of
the tombs at Thebes and Karnak, 234 —
Opens tho temple of Abou Simbel, 236—
Opens tho second pyramid, 238 — Journey
to the ruin.s of Bemico, 238, 239— To tho
Oasis, 239 — Return to Eurojx;, 241 —
Death, 241.

Bonui-, river, 89G — Joins tho Niger, 896.

Beni-Abou-Ah, tribo of, 617, 618, 619.

Beni-Abou-Hassan, tribe of, 617.

Beni Geneba Bedouins, 718.

Bcni-Khaled, shepherd tribo of, 616.

Benowm, camp at, 100.

Berber, country of, 214.

king of, 261.

Bcrnice, ruins of, 239 — Mistake of Cail-
liaud concerning them, 238.

Berkol (Jabel), ruins at, 259.

(Mount), 282— Ruins at its base,

282, 283.

Bertat, people of, 277.

Bettelheim, Dr, missionary at Loo-Choo, 915.

Beyrout, 829, 832.

Bible, confirmation of the, 8 18.

Bigwhite, the chief, 193.

Bilma, 468.

Bird Rock, 534.

Biruio, town of, 475 — Court of] 475.

(old), ruins of, 487.

Birs Nimroud, 823.

Black "Waters, valley of the, 728.

Blacksmith (negro), 79.

Bleck, Dr., accompanies an expedition to
the Niger, 905.

Blue Lake, 746.

Blue Town, the, 736— hotel at, 736.

Bogoslowsk, copper mines of, 79.

Bohea Mountains, scenery of, 770 — Tea dis-
trict of, 771.

Bohrs, tribe of the, 637.

Bokhara, Rus-^lan intercourse with, 323.

dang^jrs of the route to, 324.

appearance of, 341 — Houses, 841 —

Inhabitants, 342 — Jews o£ 342 — Palaco
of tho Khan, 343— Markets, 343— Decay
of, 343.

■ women of, 345,

Bokharia, population of, 344 — Slave popula-
tion of, 344.

Boo-Khaloom, 465 — His illness, 466— Re-
ception in Be ou, 47 2 — Departs for Man-
dara , 47 8— I its at Musfeia, 48 2— Death,
485.

Bonny, mosseng from, 537, 638.

Bouplaud, Association with Humboldt, 23.

appointed superintendent of tlio gar-
dons at Malraaison. 75 — Journey to Para-
guay, 7j — luiprisonmont, 75 — Death, 70.

Borgoo Hunter, 509.

Bornouese Troops, evolutions of, 472.

Bornou, approach to, 469.

body-guard of Shekh, 472 — Shekh

of, 471— Sultan of, 475— Curiosity of tho
people, 476 — Anecdote of a Bornou lady,
470.

rainy season in, 489.

Shekh of, receives presents, 495—

Security of tho country, 503.

Defeat of the shekh of, 514.

Bolta, (M.), his di^scoveries at Khorsabad,

810.
Bottle-tree of Australia, 779.
Bourhad-Bota, ascent of the, 747.
Boussa, 510 — Sultan of, 510 — His statement

of Park's fate, 511 — His kindness to Clap-

pei'ton, 511.

kindness of the inhabitants, 529.

the

Bokhana, scenery of, 334.

khan of, 335.

the territorv of, 338 — Face of the

country, 339— Chmato, 336 — Cities, 340.

Boy (King), 640, 541, 54i.

Brazil, Ida Pfeiflbr's adventures in, 838, 839
—Indians of, 840, 841.

Brick Tea, 354.

Broussa, ride to, 823.

Bubaker, encampment at, 103.

Buddha, Moral Code of, 355.

Buddhist prayer, 353.

priest, 356.

priest, 772.

laws concerning corpses, 369.

Buffaloes, 144.

Bukhau, mountain and wella of| 333.

Bulgar, ruins of] 78.

Burckhardt (John Lewis), birth of, 197 —
Education, 197 — Visit to England, 198—
Employed by the African Association,
198 — Departs for the east, 198— Arrives
at Aleppo, 201— Proceeds to Damascus,
202 — Excursion to the Hauran, 202 — To
the Dead Sea. 203-205— Discovers Petra,
205— .\rrival at Cairo, 207— Ascent of
the Nile, 208— Reception in Nubia, 208
— Arrives in the territory of Sukkot, 210
— Reception in El Maliass, 210 — Decides
to return, 210 — R3aches Assouan, 211 —
Joins a caravan for Berber, 211 — Arrival
at El Mekheyrof; 214 — Proceeds to Da-
rner, 214 — Adventure at Darner, 215 —
Arrives at Shendy, 215 — Travels through
Takka to Souakin, 217 — Attempted extor-
tion of the governor, 217 — Arrival at Jid-
da, 218 — Visit to Mohammed Ali, 219—
Residence at Mecca, 221 — Journey to Me«
dina, 254 — Attacked by Bodouins, 224—

942

INDEX.

Procoofls with a caravan to Yombo, 225
— Sails for Cossior and arrives at Cairo,
226— Visits Mount Sinai, 226— Death,
22G.

Burdekin River, 789.

Burton, Lieutenant R. F., makes a pilgrim-
age to Mecca, 909 — Assumes the oriental
costume, 909 — Disguises himself as a
wandering dervish, 910 — Proceeds fo
Suez, 911 — Scene on an Arab boat, 911
— Enters the harbor of Yembo, 912 — Ac-
oompanios a caravan to Mecca, 912 — At-
tacked by Bedouins, 912 — Enters Me-
dina, 913 — His residence at, 913 — Pre-
vented from proceeding to Muscat, 914 —
Returns to Suez, 914.

Cabul, CSS.

Cailliaud (Frederic), early travels, 245 —
Embarks for Egypt, 245— Sets out for
the Oasis of .lupitcr Anunon, 24G — Ar-
rives at Sivali, 247 — Visits tho ruins of
Om Beydah, 250 — Arrives at tho Littlo
Oasis, 251 — Accused of niagic.il iirt?, 251
— Proceeds to Farafreh, 252 — To Daklel,
25."!— Visits El-Khargoli, 254 — Arrives
in Siout, 254 — Visits to Cairo, 254, 255—
Returns to Thebes, 255 — Proceeds to As-
souan, 255 — Arrives in Nubia, 250 — Ex-
.iraines tho temple of Soleb, 256 — Enters
Dongola, 257 — Visits the ruins atMerawe,
259 — ^l{eceivcd by Ismail Pasha. 2G0 —
Accompanies him to Berber, 261 — Pro-
ceeds to Shondy, 2G2 — Discovers the ruins
of Mcroii, 203 — Sails up tho Bluo Nile,
2G6 — Arrives at Sonaar, 207 — Mortality
among tho troops, 267 — Visit to Ibrahim
Pasha, 269 — Accompanies Ismail Pasha
into tlio negro country, 271 — Narrow es-
cape, 272 — Arrival at Faza.u'l, 27't — Es-
cape from a conflagration, 270 — Reaches
the country of Gamamyl, 276 — Examines
tho gold-washings, 277 — Defeat sit Sin-
gueand return, 278 — Embarks at Adassy
and return to Senaar, 279 — Visit to tho
ruins of Naga, 280 — Of Mesowurat, 281
—Return to Shendv, 282— Visit to tho
ruins of Mount Berkel, 282— To tho Oiisis
of Selimeh, 283— Rcturu to Cairo, 2S4—
Arrival in France, 285.

Cairo, 834.

Calabozo, 40.

Calcutta, Ida PfeifTer's residence at, 842.

Callirhoii, hot springs of, 803.

Calmucks, description of, 388.

Calpi, village of, 67.

Calumet Bluff, 133.

Cameahwait (Shoshoneo chief), 153, 154.

Camels, aa draught animals, 796.

Camping in the snow, 394.

Cannmg (Sir Stratford), 810, 814.

Canton, approach to, 76L

Ida Pfeiffer's adventures in, 841, 842.

Capo Disappointment, 170.

Caracas, 34— (Silla de), 34, 35

Carib Indians, 68.

Carichana, mission of, 47.

Caripe, mission of; 30.

Carpentaria, Gulf of, 791.

Carson (Kit), 697, 702, 700, 709, 722, 723.

Carthagcna, 61.

Cashghar, city of, 337.

Casks, negotiation by means of, 4 IS.

Caspian Sea, 86.

Cassiquiaro River, 53, 54.

Caviglia, (Captain), exploration of tho Pyr-
amid, 234.

Caxamarca, valley of, 69.

Cerro Pasco, 854.

Ceylon, 842.

Chaboneau, adventure of, 149.

Chadda, discovery of the, 634.

Exploration of, 550.

Chafare River, 804, 863.

Chasuta, 856.

Cliicha, a drink of the South American In-
dians, 860.

Chilluckitequaw Indians, lOG.

(Ihimborazo, Ascent of, 65, 66.

China, death of tho Emperor of, 358.

scenery of, 371.

great wall of, 372.

army of, 376 — a soldier of do., .H75.

Chinese officers, Humboldt's interview wifh,
82.

festival of tho new year, 376.

frontier, 389.

costume, 755 — Physiolog)-, 759.

tea-carriers, 770.

Clilobnikoff, 410, 421 — Makes a compass,
429 — Falls into a pit, 432 — Pensioned,
4S7.

Cliuga (Mount), frightful passage of, 748.

Cliupe, a Peruvian national dish, 860.

Chwostoff (Lieutenant), attack on tho Ja-
panese Kuriles, 411, 414, 433.

Clapperton (Captain Hugh), joins Major Den-
ham at Tripoli, 4(i3 — Separates from him
at Kouka, 491 — Proceeds with Dr. Oud-
ney to Katagum, 497— Death of Dr. Oud-
ney, 49S — Clapperton enters the kingdom
of lloussa, 498 — Arrival at Kano, 499 —
Procures an ixhibitioii of boxers, 600 —
Reaches Sackatoo, 500 — Interview with
the sultan, 501 — Suspicions of tiio sultan,
501 — Return to Kouka, 502 — Arrival in
Europe, 504 — Departure on his second
expedition, 505 — Proceeds to tho interior,
606 — Death of several of the party, 506
— Reception at Katunga, 507 — Detention,
608 — Arrival at Wawa, 510 — Proposal of
marriage, 510 — Reaches tho Niger, and
arrives at lloussa, 510 — Place of Park's
death, 511 — Returns to Wawa, 511 — De-
tention at Koolfu, 512 — Kilters Kano, 513
— Arrives at the camp of Bello, Sultan of
lloussa, 613 — Sojourn at Sackatoo, 513—
Last illness, 514 — Death, 516 — Burial by
Lander, 617.

Clarke's adventure In an Indian lodge, 163,

INDEX.

943

Clark's Rivor, 159.

Point of View, 174.

Clatsop Indiana, 173.
Coco, effects of, 864.
Cochabamba, 864.

Cochrane (Captain John Dundos), deter-
ininos to travel round tho globo on foot,
383 — Sots out for Russia, S83 — Loaves
St. Petersburg, 334 — Plundered by rob-
bers, 384 — Arrives at Novgorod, 385 —
Reaches Moscow, 386 — Crosses tho Ural
Mountains, 337 — Arrives at Tobolsk, 387
— His passports stolen, 387 — Arrives at
Omsk, 388 — Visits tho Chineso frontier,
389 — Proceeds to Bamaoul, 389 — Inter-
view with tho Governor-general, 390 —
Reaches Irkutsk, 390 — Descends tho
Lena in a canoe, 391 — Arrives at Ya-
kutsk, 392 — A winter journey, 393 —
Reaches Zashiversk, on tho Indigirka,
396— Suffers from tho cold, 397— Be-
comes a priest, '^97 — Reaches the Kolyma,
397— Travels with dogs, 398— Meets with
Baron Wrangel at Lower Kolymak, 399
—Attends a fair of tho Tchuktchi, 401—
Returns to Kolymsk, 402 — Ascends tho
Kolyma, 403 — A perilous situation, 404
— Reaches tho Omekou, 406 — Swims tho
Okota, 407 — Dangerous passage, 408 —
Arrives at Okotsk, 409 — Proceeds to
Kamtohatka, 410 — Marries a Kamtchat-
dale, 410— Returns to St. Petersburg, 410.

Cold, in British America, 290.

Columbia River, Head-waters of the, 152.

Great Falls of the, 164.

Lower Falls of tho, 167.

Motith of tho, 170.

Constantinople, 827.

Coppermine River, 293.

Narrows of tho, 295-

U96.

-Mouth of tho,

River, crossing of, 305, 306.

Cordilleras, scenery of, 852,

Cosnipata River, 862.

Cotopaxi, volcano of, 64.

Cossacks, of Ural, 85 — Religious worship,
85.

Cow-tree, 36.

Cracroft's River, mishap at, 300.

Cumana, city of, 28 — Customs of tho inhab-
itants, 29 — Earthquake at, 33.

Cumberland House, 289.

Cung-quas, the, of Loo-Choo, 917.

Curare poison, 64.

Cuzco, 861, 862.

Dakhcl, Oasis of) 253 — Antiquities of, 253.
Dale (Lieutenant), death of, 805.
Dalles, tho, 712.
Damara-land, 565, 566.
Damor, selling goods at, 215.
Daraergou, country of, 892.
Darauggoo, 637.

Danakil, country o^ 653— Danakil barber,
664.

Dark "Water, king of tho, 530.
Darkhan (Mount), 367.
Darkisch, city of, 456— Its inhabitants, 457.
D'Arnaud, 629.

Dar-Fur, anecc' to of pilgrim from, 633.
Darling River, discovery of, 684 — Explora-
tion of, 585, 580 — Junction with tho itfur-
rav, 591.
Dead Sea, Entrance into, 798 — .Sounding of,
799 — Southern extremity of, 800 — Tem-
perature of, 801 — Depression of, 804.
Deboni Arabs, chief of the, 653.
Demba (Park's black boy), 103.
Demons' Palace, 878, 881.
Denham (Major Dixon), appointed to com-
mand an expedition in Central Africa,
463 — Joins Captain Clapperton and Dr.
Oudney at Tripoli, 463 — Arrival at Mour-
zuk, 464 — Delay .it Mourzuk and return
to Marseilles, 465 — Return to Mourzuk,
466 — Tho expedition sets out, 466 —
March across tho desert, 407 — Approach
to Bornou, 469 — Arrival at Lake Tchad,
469 — Approach to Kouka, 471 — Recep-
tion, 472 — Visit to tho Sultan of Bornou,
475 — Curiosities exhibited to tho natives,
476 — Excursion to Lake Tchad, 477 —
Death of his horse, 478 — Journey to Man-
dara, 479 — Arrival at Mora, 480 — Visit
to the Sultan of Mandara, 480 — Battlo
with tho Felatahs, 483— Retreat, 484 —
Stripped and plundered by the Felatahs,
484— Narrow escapo from death, 485 —
Desperate condition, 485 — Retreat to
Mandara, 480 — Arrival at Kouka, 487 —
Expedition into tho Munga territory,
487, 488— Denham separates from Clapper-
ton and Oudney, 491 — Proceeds with
Mr. Toole to Loggun, 492 — Reception by
the Sultan, 493— Death of Mr. Toole, 495
— Of Dr. Oudney, 495 — Expedition to
Lake Tchad, 495 — Returns to Kouka,
497 — Meets with Clapperton, 497 — Ex-
cursion on tho eastern side of Lake Tchad,
503 — Return to Europe, 504.
Dcrr, capital of Nubia, 208.
Dorwazeh, description of, 338.
Dickson (Dr.), journey into Africa, 505,

506.
Diet of the Nubian caravans, 213.
Dinkas, tribe of; 631, 644.
Distress for want of water, 21.1,
Djbel Akhdar, 621, 622.
Dogs, as an article of food, 173.
Dongola, scenery of, 257.
(old), 258 — Ruins of a Coptic con-
vent, 258.
Drayhy (the), 444, 445 — March into Meso-
potamia, 447 — Becomes chief of tho Be-
douins in Syria, 453 — Defeats the Waha-
bees, 455 — Visits their king, 456.
Drowyer, his adventure with tho Indiani,

157.
Drinking a Fetish, 620.
Drovetti, his hostility to Belzoni, 234.

944

IJT DEX.

Dulti, opposition to Dr Blaikie at, 907.
Diinrorii, Lander's description of, 619.
Dyaka, tribe u^ 844.

I'^boo pooplo, war canocH of) 639.

town, 6;t9,

PJotooroop, island or, 411.

Kgga, town ofj 532 — Landor'.<» visit to, 632.

Ehrenborg, 71.

Electrical Eol, 40, 41.

Elopitnnt-hunting on Lake Tchad, 477.

Kl A is, G30.

El-( Jarah, village of; 247.

El liaiincr, wells of| .

El-ITanimar, skeletons at, 407.

El-Kcrr, cataract of; 279.

El Khargeh, Oasis of, 263.

El Mekhcyref; 214.

El Till, desert of, 207.

Encounter Bay, 593.

Encoslmr village, 179.

Engaddi, fountain of, 799.

English, Tartar description of the, 732.

Chinese idea of the, 741.

En-Noor, Sultan of Air, 889 — Mokes treaty
with Mr. Richardson, 890.

Esmeraldi, mission of, 64.

Esnc, expenses of living at, 211.

Esquimaux, 296.

Back's intercourso with, 610.

Franklin's intercourse with, 321.

Expedition Range, 788.

Eyre (Edward John), commands an expe-
dition into the interior of Australia, 773
— Encamps at the head of Spencer's Gulf
and proceeds to Lake Torrons, 773 —
Progress toward the interior arrested,
774— Proceeds westward from Spencer's
Gulf, 774— Visits Port Lincoln, 774—
Reaches the Great Bight, 774 — Reduc-
tion of the party, 776 — Great privations,
775— Robbery and murder, 7 7 6, 776— Ar-
rival at Albany, 776.

Falcsseles, "Wady and "Well of, 888.

Falls of the Missouri, 146, 147.

Farafreh (Oasis of), 252— Inhabitants of; 262,
253,

Farm (the model), 557, 559.

Fatouma (Amadi), journal of, 124, 125, 126.

Fatallah Sayeghir, joins M. de Lascaris,
440 — Escape from freezing, 444 — Travels
in disguise, 440 — Interview with the
Drayhy, 44'7 — Captured by Shekh Absi,
451— Suffering from thirst, 462— Falls
down a precipice, 454.

Interview with the King of the Wa-

habees, 457 — Convorsutiuu upon Chris-
tianity, 468— Disastrous termination of
his travels, 459.

Fatteconda, town ot; 96.

Fayoum, district of, 239.

Fazogl, country of, 271.

mountain of| 273— Submission to

the king, 274.

Felatah, empire of, 894.

Fezzan, sultan of, 465. , i

Wndy of, 886.

Fika, town of, 902.

Fire in an African Forest, 270.

Fitzpatrick, hia croeilng of Ui« Sierra Ne-
vada, 718.

Floyd (Sorgoant\ death of; 132.

Forday (King), 540,

Fort Ciiipewyan, 291.

Fort Clitsop, 175,

Fort Enterprise, 293 — Winter temporaturo
at, 294 — Occupation at, 294.

Franklin's return to, 310.

Fort Mandan, 139.

Fort Providence, 292.

Fortune (Robert), appointed to visit the tea-
countries of China, 763 — Roaches Ilong-
Kong and proceeds to Shanghai, 763 —
Prepares to visit the hill of Sung-lo, 763
— Passes througii Hong-chow-foo, 764 —
Discovers new trees, 764, 765 — Enters the
district of Hwuy-chow, 766 — Visits the
Sung-lo district, 766, 767 — Returns to
Shanghai 'tud ships tea-plants to India,
767 — Departs on a journey to tlie Bohea
Mountains, 767— Arrives at Fou-chow-foo,
767 — Sails up the Min, 767 — Describes
the bamboo, 767, 768 — Sails from Ning-
po up the Green River, 769 — Sails 'own
the Kin-kiang to Ilokow, 769 — ^Describes
the tea-carriers, 770 — Arrives at the gates
ofFokien and enters the mountJiins, 770
—Visits the hilla of Woo-e, 771— Tea-
farms, 772 — Returns to Shanghai, 773.

Foulah Robbers, 113.

Franklin (Sir John), appointed to explore
the northern coast of America, 289 — Res-
idence at Cumberland House, 290 — Or-
ganization of the expedition. 291 — Arri-
val at Great Slave Lake, 292— Winter
quarters at Fort Enterprise, 293 — Descent
of the Coppermine, 295 — Embarkation in
canoes on the Polar Sea, 296 — Land on
Hood's River, 297 — Continue their jour-
ney by land, 298 — Sufferings from cold,
300 — Failure of provisions, 300 — A musk-
ox shot, 301 — Diet of tripe de roche, 301
— Perilous situation of one of the party,
302— Perplexity of the party, 305 — Diffi-
culty in crossing the Coppermine, 306 —
Some of the party left behind, 308— Ar-
rival at Fort Enterprise, 310 — Sufferings
at the fort, 311 — Remainder of the party
arrive, 313 — Good example of Hepburn,
313— Murder of Mr. Hood, 315— The
murderer shot, 317 — ^The party reduced
to four, 318^Relieved by the Indians,
319 — Returns to Montreal, 320 — Second
expedition, 320 — Winter on Mackenzie's
River, 320— Exploration of the coast, 321
—Return to England, 321.

Fray, Juan Gonzalez, 60.

Fremont, (Col. John C), ordered to explore
the Rooky Mountains, 697— Departure of

8li
to
th
86

Rc|

del

86f

INDEX.

945

tlio expedition, fi07 — Arrival at Fi»rt Lnra-
mio, COS — DlRcouraKiiiR picture of tlio
country, C'Jrf — DotorniincH to proiiccd, G99
— Ueaclios tlio South Piws, 6D9 — Tribu-
larioji of tlio Colorado, TOO — Ascoiids tlio
Wind Rivor Mountains, 700 — Illness, 702
— tteaohoa tlio summit, 703 — Uoturns
homeward, 701 — Doscoiit of tlio Platto,
704— DosL-entof tho rapids, 704, 705— llu-
turn to St. Louis, 70G — Coiunmnds nii ex-
pedition to OiV)<on and California, 701) —
Arrives at St. V" rain's Fort, 70() — Crosses
the Uocrky Mountains, 707 — Kiiters Boar
Rivor Valley, 707 — liiicainps at tlio Boar
Springs, 701) — Dusuonds tlio river, 709 — ■
Arrives at tlio Salt Luke, 710 — Proceeds
to Fort Hall, 711 — Descends tlio Siiako
Rivor, 711 — Roacliea tho Wallaliwallali
and descends to tho Columbia, 712 — Ar-
rives at tho Dalles, 712 — Projects anew
route to tlio south, 713 — Arrives at
Tlainath Lako, 714 — Discovers Summer
Lake, 715— Pyramid Lake, 716— DifTicult
pas.'.af,'e of tho Sierra Nevada, 717, 718 —
Descent into Californrt, 719 — Arrival at
Sutler's Fort, 720 — Journey eastward,
720— Roaches tho Spanish Trail, 721—
Encounters a plundered party, 721 — Do-
feat, of the robbers, 722— Tabeau shot by
tho Indians, 723 — Arrival at Utali Lako,
723 — Return of tho expedition, 723.
Pulo3, account of the, 907.

Galilee, sea of, 796.

Gallatin's River, 150

Gamaniyl, country of; 27G

Gambarou, ruins of 2S8.

Gandiko, town of, 900.

Gay Lussac, 74.

Gazelle Lake, 644.

Gey.sors, the, Ida Pfoiffer's visit to, 836, 837.

Ghadamos, Richardson's residence at 873,

875 — Inhabitants of, 870.
Gharian Pass, 885.

Ghat, Oiidnoy and Clapperton's visit to, 4GG.
Richardson's residenco at, 879, 881

—People of, 880— Women of, 880, 881.
885.

Ghor, valley of, 205.

Gibbon, (Lieut. Lardner), joins Lieutenant
Horndon at Lima, 851 — Assists in prepar-
ing for tho expedition to the Amazon, 851
— Sei. .rates from Ilerndon at Tarraa, 853
—Leaves Tarma, 860— Enters the provinco
of Ayacucho, 860 — Meela with a Yankee
showman, 860 — Crosses the Apurimac,
861 — Arrives at Cuzco, 861 — Excursion
to the Madre de Dios, 861 — A night on
tho Cosnipata, 862 — Returns to Cuzco,
862 — Approaches Lako Titicaca, 802 —
Reaches La Paz, 863 — Arrives at Coclia-
bamba, 864 — Interview with tho Presi-
dent, 864— The coca-plant, 864 — Embarks
on the Chapare, 865 — Night traveling,
865 — Arrival at Trinidad, 865— Unpleas-

ant delaj', 86G — Reception at Fort Prin-
cipe da Boini, in Brazil, SGi! — Reaches
tho falls of tho Madeira, S6G— Treacherv
of the boatmen, 867— Pas.sago of the falls,
867, 868 — .\rrival at tho Amazon, 869
— Conimcrcial advantages of tliu route,
8G9, 870.

Gilbert, murder of, 790.

Gobi, desert of, «C9, 380.

Godey, adventure of, 722.

Goethe, 10, 87.

Golowiiin (Ciiptain Wa.ssili), dirooted to
survey the Kurile Islands and the coa.-<t
of Tartiiry, 411 — Reaches the island of
Eetuoroi)]), 411 — Fired upon by the Ja-
panese, 412 — lIuMs a coiiferenco with
them, 413 — Invited on shore, 414 — Taken
prisoner, 415 — Severe treatment, 41G —
Conducted to llakodudi, 418, 419-Ini-
prisonmont. 420, 423 — Removal to Mats-
mai, 423 — Tortured by Japanese curiositv,
424, 42G— IIopo of liberation, 427— Re-
moved from their Ciiges into a house, 423
— lOseapo, 420 — Fearful adventure, 430 —
Nijjht upon the mountains, 431 — Recap-
tured and imprisoned, 433 — Hears of tho
arrival of a Russian vessel, 434 — Second
winter in Japan, 434->-Removal to Hako-
dadi, 435 — Liberation, 436~Return to
Russia, 437.

Goorneh, sepidchral excavations at, 232.

Gordon, (Captain), his journey and doath,
284.

Goz Rajeb, ruins near, 216.

Great Basin, exjiloration of, 713 — First view
of; 715.

Great Bend (of tho Missouri), 134

Great Slave Lake, 292.

Green River, 707.

of China, 769.

Cruacliaro Cavorn, 31.

Guanajuato, 72.

Guayaquil, 72.

Gujeba, agriculture of the region about, 901.

Guntoo (Mount), 358.

Hadendoa Bedouins, 217.

Hakodadi, 419— Prison of, 420, 421.
' speech of the governor of, 436.

Ilalfay, country of, 265.

Hall (Fort), 711.

llama, 440.

Hamada, desert, description of, 885.

Hamaruwa, reception of Dr Blaikieat, 906.

Hang-chow River, 764.

Ilang-chow-foo, 764.

Harris (Major W. C), appointed by the
East India Company to command an ex-
pedition to Slioa, 649 — Proceeds from
Bombay to Tajura, C49 — Receives a visit
from tho sultan, 650 — Sets out for the
interior, 650 — Fearful suflferings of the
piirty, 651 — Roaches the country of the
Debeni, 653 — Interview with the chief,
f^rr. Detention at the Wady Killuloo, 655

i»40

I N D K X .

— InHolciiPO of (lin niitivPH, Ctr)— Croa.sca
tlio oiusis of Siiiti'lli, ().)(} — ArrivoH at tlio
H.iwasli, C.IO — Ufcoption in tlio kiii>{<l')iii
of Slio:i, (i57 — Asci'tiiln tlio mouiitniun to-
wani Ankolicr, 057, (iriS — A tliii'f-catclicr,
()5M — l{('i'(>|)ii()ii l)y tlio kiiif? S;»h(!liv Sc-
I.issic, tir>l> — I'liitr.uico into tlio oapilai,
OGl — Ilosidfiic-u at Aiikobcr, (J(il — I{('ll^;■
ioiiof llic hUliiopians, C(>1, 002 — ilahitsof
tlio jn'oplc. fi(i;i — t'omiiii'iciul troiity witii
(ho kiiitr, COJ.

liarriM (Moiint), 532, r,HC,.

iI;^tc•(•t;^ ft Tuiirii'k flliif, S8(J.

Ilaiiraii, tlio, i!02.

Ilaviiiia, 00.

llawalia llivcr, r>5C.

llccla, -Mount, Ida PfiM/Tvir's lacont of, 837,
8;i8.

lloiiie (Mr.), aiipointml to tlio Loo-Olioo ox-
]i('(lition, iilf) — Astoiii.slios tlio natives
with \m rill.', 018, !)20, 1):?5— Skotolus a
(,'ranil contral iiaiioraina of llio i.sland, !KI().

Hoinp palm, 7(54.

nopbnrn (.loliii), oonfiuot of 807.

olVoPl of hifl oxatnpio, .Tl."?.

Hornilon, (liioiitonaiit Win. Lowis), rocoivos
orilors to oxploro tlio valley of tlio Ama-
zon, 851 — I'l-oparaiioim lor llio cxpodi-
tion, 851 — Dopartnro fro:n Lima, 85'J —
Crosses iho CordilloraH. 852 — Visits tin;
Puy-pwy Alonntain, 85:( — .Vrrivcs ftl Tar-
Ttin, 851! — Tho party separates, 853 — W^-
its tho niiniii;; town of Cerro I'iwoo, 85 I
— l<:inbarks on tho iru.illn.Qro, 851 — " Tl, )
lost soul," 855 — A follow-eountrynian,
855 — Ileaehestlio Amazon, 85G— Asopiids
tho Ucayali, 857 — Arrives at tho frontiers
of Brazil, 857 — Roecption at tho fort of
Tabatinpa, 857 — lleaehos tho mouth of
tho Hio Ne'jro, 858— Halts at I3arr,i, 858
— I'iissos tho Madeira, 85'J — Reaches tho
month of tho Amazon, 859 — Returns to
the United States, 859. '

Ilillman (William), cnj^ai^od by Major Don-
ham, 463 — Illness 480 — Makes a gun-
carriage, 400 — Makes a cart, 502 — Re-
turns to London, 501.

Hippopotami, 531.

Hoar-frost River, 60L

Horns, 440.

Hood (Robert), 280.

murder of, 315.

Hood's River, 297

Horuemann, 108.

llorse-raeing L.nong tho Mongols, 364.

llorza, pass of, 482.

Hottentots, 662 — method of building, 564.

Houghton (Major), 93.

Houssa, boxers of, 500.

Houtson, joins Captain Clapporton, 606 —
Returns to Badagry, 508.

Huallago River, 854, 856.

Hue and Gabet, sent out to re-establish tho
French Catholic Mission at Pokin, 728 —
Ck)mmanded to proceed into the interior,

728— Knter Mongolia, 728— Cross tho
kingdom of (ie<'h('kten, 730— Arrive at
Tolon-Noor, 7.'II -The town dcHcribcd,
731— -Meets with the t^luecn of tho Klial-
ka><, 732 — Tartar mode of greeting. 732
— Pass through the couniry of Tehakar,
733— liost horses restored by Tartais
733, 734— Ruined city, 734— Hiirial of tho
kings, 735 — Roaeh the Jiliio Town, 735
— ('ro.ss tho Yellow Riv 'r and enter tho
Land of Otiihh, 737 — Desolate eoinitry,
737 — Pilgrims going to witness a lama
miraele, 738 — Arrive too late, 7:iO~Pa.><s
the Doljsooii-Noor, or J^alt Lake, 730 —
lieeross the Yellow River, 710 — Knter
tlie provineo of Kan-Sow, 741 — Danger-
(MIS road, 741 — .\rrivo at tho frontiers of
Thibet, 742— Study tho language, 742 —
Knter tho lluddliist monnstery of Konii-
bonm, 743— Proceeil to the Hlue Sen, 740
— .loin a Thibetan embassy to Lha-Ssa.
747— Aseent of Mount Cliuifa, 748— Ar-
rival at Lha-Ssa, 710— Lodgings, 750 —
Palaeo of tho Tall) Lama, 751 — Presenta-
tion to tho authorities, 752— DetPiition
■' examination, 752 — Projected mission
at Lha-Ssa 753— .Tealoiisy of the Chineso
minister, 753 — Departnro fioin Lha-Ssa,
751 — tJeaoh the (Miineso frontier 755 —
DilfieuUies coneorning dress, 755 — Chi-
iiiMO odor, 755 — Arrival nt Tehiiig-loii-
Ion, 750 — Reanh tho HIuo River, 750
— Disputes with tho Mandarins, 757 —
I-edgiiigs ill iv theater, 757 — (.'hine.>--o cu-
riosity, 7,'>7 — Descend the Ulue River, 758
— (!liiiieso physiology, 758, 750 — Cro.ss
Lako Pou-Yang, 750, 760— Arrival at
('anton, 701 — (Jrotesquo costumes, 701 —
Arrival at Pekin, 702 — Return to Ku-
rope, 762.

TTii'Nun's Bay Company, 687.

lluiiian-headed bull, diseovoryof] 812.

Humboldt (.VIoxandor von), liis birth, 19 —
Kdueation, 20 — Kntors tho university of
Frankfirt-on-the-Odor, 20 — First seicn-
tilie journey, 20 — Visits Switzerland and
Silesia, 21 — Desire of travel, 21 — Pre-
parations for his American journey, 21 —
Aleeting with Bonpland, 22 — Journey to
Spain, 22 — Voyage to America, 23 — Ar-
rival at Tcnerilio, 24 — Ascent of the
peak, 25 — Arrival at Cumana, 28 — Kx-
cursion to Arayn, 29 — Attacked by a
Zainbo, 32 — Departuro from Cumana, 33
— Arrival at Laguayra, 3-t — Ascent of
the Silla of Caracas, 34 — Departure for
the interior, 36 — Kxperimont with elec-
trical eels, 40 — Voyage on the Apura, 42
— On the Orinoco, '44-50 — On the Atab-
apo, 61 — On tho Hio Negro, 52, 53 — On
the Cassiquiaro, 53, 64 — Visits tho cavern
of Ataniipo, 55, 56 — Arrival at Angostura,
57 — Return to Cumana, 59 — Visit to
Cuba, f)9, CO — Sends his collections to Eu-
rope, 60 — Voyage to Carthagena, 61—

I N I) K X .

947

RondiPf* nngntfi, C2 — Arrivnl nt, Quito,
03 — AHi'ont (if I'ii^liiricliu, M — AHpctit, of
Cliitiil)<in»/o, (i.l-iJV — I'r<i('ci'(|Ht<) Iho Am-
a/.oii, (IH — Asc'ciidn ilH ii|)[)i'i- valley, 0!) —
ViHits tlio Hilvcr iiiincH of (Jimljfoyoc, <i9
— Arrival at ('axiiiiiarca, tilt — At Trux-
illi), 71 — At Liiiiii, 71 — Viwit to Mi'xico,
12— To the IJniti'.l StatoH, 73— Uotiirri
to Kuropc, 73 — I'liblicalioii «(' iiiti workH,
li — I'laiiH 11 joiirridy to Imliii, Tt) — Kisi-
(icnci' in I'iirl><, 70 — ScJs out for Russiiv
nnil Silicria, 77 — Arrival at Tobolsk, 80
— At tlio (!liiiwH(! IVoiitinr, 81 — At As-
traclian, H5 — Heturri to Uorlin, 80 — Mif-
(iioii to Paris, 87 — llcHidotico in Berlin, 88
— Pulilicalioii of " K<)flinos," 88 — LutiT
years, 88, 81) — I'orsonal apiioaraimo, 8S,
81).

Huriil' ildt (Williolm von), cdupntion, 20.

" •' lU'sitlctieo ut Albn-

no, 11.

IIuiiKor, Hunforingfl of Franklin's pnrtv from,
304.

Iluiii^ry O'eek, 180.

llurrie.ini! in tlio dosort, 217.

Hwuy-uliow diHtrict, 703.

Ibrali, town of, CI 9.

Ibraliitn Pa.slia, arrival nt, Rcnnn.lr, 2Gf).

I(!oIanil, 831-838— Habitations of, 835— Tn-
Jiabitanta of, 83G— Traveling in, 830.

Ilok Uivcr, 32,5.

Ile/.k, Salt works of, 83.

lllitnani Mountain, 803.

Imcrachism, 400.

Inca IiC(i;cncl, 70.

Incaa, ancient road of tho, 68.

Indian (Nonjuror outwitted, 290.

Indian vniior-batliH, 101.

Indus River, survey of, 083.

Irby and Man^lps, 235.

Irkutsk, city of) 390.

Iro River, crossing of, 354.

Isaaoo (Park's guide), adventure with a
crooodiio, 1''.0.

Journey in search of Park, 1 24.

Iflitza, villaj^'o of, 927.

latnail Pashiv, his expedition against Don-
gola, 255 — Camp at Assouan, 255 — Vic-
tory over tho Shyglieeas, 250.

His reception of Cailliaud — Diplo-

n jtic trick, 200- March to Berber, 260.
Arrival at Sennadr, 267 — Plans of

African conquest, 270 — March to Pazogl,
271.

Ilia search for gold, 277 — Repulse

at Singuu, 278.
His fate. 286.

Jannah, Clapporton's visit to, 606.

Japanese, treachery of the, 415 — Manner
of binding prisonor.s, 416.

Fear of suicide, 419 — Desire for

specimens of writing, 421 — Bathing, 422
— Extraordinary curiosity of, 424, 425.

Jarni, 100, 103.

.label Kora, Hretiery of, 220,

.lefliTHon RiviT, 150.

.lerni, town of 0.H7— Inhabitants of, C87.

Jcrusalciri, 804,

HiiO.

.IcHHo, (V)a.st of, 417.

Jidda, 218.

.^tllbJ^ 780.

.(oiiiiwm (Park's nrgro), 108.

ihiiics (Hev. (ieorne), iii)pointo(l on tho party
to i'X|iloro IiOo-(;ii(io, 915 — Recognized
by the natives as the eliief of llie parly,
917 — Makes a plan of an old fortress, 9'23
— I{e(;eption of at I.sitza, 927 — Return to
tlie wiuudron, 937.

Jordan, rapids of the, 797 — Pilgrims' batli-
ing-plaec, 797.

Jordan, valley of tho, 203.

Jorullo, volcano of, 73.

Jyurnal, singular method of keeping, 422.

Kinba. description of tho, 221.

K mrtn, Kingdom of, 99.

J'acuiida, 632.

i.aiider'<! second visit to, 550.

K.ij.iaga, kingdom of, 90.

Kid; I> Shergat, mounds of, 810.

Kan.ah.v, 114, 115.

Kaintcliatka, 410.

Kancm, eountry of, 900 — Military expedi-
tion into, 900.

Kano, Clapporton's description of, 490.

('lapi)erlon'H secotid vi.sit to, 513.

Town of, .■!04.

Kansas River, valley of 700.

Kara-kum, desert of, 328.

Karfi, tho slave-raerchant, 115.

Kasan, 78.

" Kasr Bint Faraoun" (Pctra), 206.

Kaar Junoon, or Palace of tho Demons, n
range of hills, 886.

Katsl'.a, capital of a Felatah prince, 894.

Katunga, city of, 507 — Description ofj 608.

Entry of tho Brothers Lander, 524.

Kataguin, Clapporton's reception at, 497.

Kee-ming, ancient temple of, 379.

Kcks, land of the, 635— Chief of, 036— VU-
lago of, 037.

Kcrak, visit to, 802— Chief of, 803.

Kerek, treachery of the shekh of, 204.

Khabour River, 820.

Khalgan, city of) 371.

Khalkhas Tartars, caravan of, 745.

Khata, ceremony of the, 743.

Khartoum, 643.

Khirgis caravan.s, 332.

Khirgises, songs of, 329- Habitsof life, 330
— tiovornment, 330.

village of, 325 — Punishment of a

criminal, 325— Tent of; 326.

Middle Horde of, 83.

• Sports of the, 84.

Kliinkhan Mountains, 370.
Khoja-Kul, lake of; 327.

INDEX.

Khorsabad, discoveries at, 810.

Kliung-ming, legend of; 366.

Kliutukhtfl (grand lama), festival of the, 362.

Kiakh ,', 349.

381.

Kiama, town of, 509.

Kilgou, fight at, 271, 212.

Kirree, Lander's adventure at, 638.

Kizil-kum, desert ofj 332.

Klencke, Description of Humboldt, 88.

Knees, protection of the, 397.

Knoblechor (Dr. Ignatius), education, 643 —
Joins the Catholic mission at Kliartoura,
643 — Accompanies the annual trading
expedition up the Whito Nile, G43 — In-
tercourse established with the Dinka-s and
Shillooks, 644 — Received with kindness
by the king of Kyks, 645 — Friendly in-
tercourse with the Ellittbs, 645 — Reaches
the country of the Khirs, 645 — Passes
the rapids of the White Nile and arrives
at tlie Bari village of Tokinan, 646 — As-
cends the peak of Logwek, 64ti — Baris de-
scribed, 647 — Return to Khartoum, 647.

Kolyvansk, porphyry works of, 81.

Koolfu, 512.

Koondooz, description of, 684 — Chief of, 685
— Horses, 685.

Kooniakary, 98.

Kooskooskee River, 159.

Koroom (Shekh), accompanies Cailliaud, 246
— Enters a remarkable well, 246 — Super-
stition of, 247.

" Kosraos," 88.

Kouka, 472, 489, 495, 497.

Kounboura, Lamasery of; 743, 744 — Mirac-
ulous tree of, 765 — Rules of, 745.

Kourdkoyloh, Forest of, 267.

Kouyunjik, excavations at, 817. 818, 821.

Krapr(Dr.). 657.

Kuba, mosque of, 913.

Kumadd.schero, Japanese interpreter, 423.

Kunashir, h.irbor of, 412.

Kuruman Mission, 569.

Kussery, 492.

Kuriles, chief of the, 412.

Kyks, tribe of, 645.

La Charettc, 130.

194.

Laird (Macgregor), joins Richard Lander in
a iiiorciiiitilo expedition to the African
coast, 543 — Enters the Niger, 543 — .at-
tack of tlio Eboes, 543, 544 — Interview
with king Obie, 544 — Mortality onboard,
545 — Ceremonies to prevent tho boats
from passing up the river, 645 — Reaches
the Kong Mountains, 546 — Sickness of
tho party, 547 — Ascent of the Chadda,
647 — Visit to Funda, 548 — Descends the
river, .')49 — Returns to England, 650.

Fits out an expedition to explore

tho course of the Niger, 905 — Obtains
the co-oi)eratioa of tlio British govern-
mout, 905.

LajeunesHo, adventure of, 705.

Lake (Captain), conduct of, 541, 542.

Lakono (king), 639, 640— His wifo, 640.

Lama costume, 728.

Lamartine, purchases tho journal of iTatallah
Sayeghir, 440.

Land of Grass, 737.

Lander (John), joins his brother Richard,
523 — Dangerous illness oi; 525 — Plun-
dered and almost drowned, 538 — Release,
641.

Lander (Richard), enters Captain Clapper-
ton's service, 505 — Detained at Kano
with sickness, 512 — Account of Clapper-
ton's last illness, 515-517 — Left at Sacka-
too, 518 — Journey southward to Dunrora,
519 — Recalled by the king of Zegzeg, 519
— Reception at Wawa, 520 — Arrival at
Baflagry, 520 — Return to England, 521 —
Embarks with his brother on an expedi-
tion to the Niger, 523 — DifBculties at
Badagry, 524 — Arrival at Katunga, 524 —
Reaches Boussa, 525 — Embarks on tiie
Niger, 526 — Detention at Yaouri, 527 —
Return to Boussa, 628 — Proceeds down
the Niger, 529 — Danger from hippopota-
mi, 531 — Arrival at Kacunda, 532 — Voyi-
age by night, 634 — Threatened attack,
635 — Reception at Damuggoo, 537 — Ar-
rested and plundered by natives, 538 —
Proceed down the river with their cap-
tors, 539, 540 — Arrival at the sea, 540 —
Rccoivcdi by an English captain, 541 —
Return to England, 542 — Accompanies
Mr. Laird, 543— Joins Dr. Oldfleld, 550—
Proceeds to Cape Coast, 661 — Plundered
and wounded by the Eboes, 562 — Death,
553.

La Paz, 863.

Laraniio Fort, 698.

Lari, description of, 470.

Lascaris(M.de), becomes tho secret agent of
Napoleon, 439— Settles in Aleppo, 439—
Employs Fatallah Sayeghir, 440 — Jour-
ney to Hums and Palmyra, 440 — Meets
with Siiekh Sahm at Corietain, 441 —
Attacked by Bedouins, 441 — Meets with
the Emir Nasser, 442 — Reception by Me-
hanna E\ Fadel, 442 — Residence among
the Bedouins, ,43 — Escape from freezing,
444 — Sends Fatallah to the Drayhy, 446
— Conducted to him by Fatallah, 447 —
Calumniated by a peddler, 448 — Battle
between the Drayhy and the Wahabees,
449 — Accomplishes an alliance of the
tribes, 450— Journey into Persia, 451 — •
Battle with tho Wahabees, 453— Dis-
patches Fntallali to the king of the Wa-
habees, 456 — Returns to Syria, 459 —
Death, 459.

Layanl (Henry Austen), first visits tho
east, 809 — Sets out to explore the ruins
of Nineveh, 810 — Arrives at Nimroud,
811 — First discoveries, 811 — The Pasha
interferes, 811 — Excavations continued,

INDEX.

949

812 — Discovery of colossal statues, 812,
813 — Suspends operations, 8i;i, 814 — Re-
sumes the work, 814 — Excursion to tlie
Tiyari Mountains, 814 — Aided by g;ov
emmont, 814 — Discovers an inscribed
obelisk, 815 — Relics transported to Bagh-
dad, 815 — Palace uncovered, 815, 816 —
Furtlier excavations, 816 — Returns to
Europe, 816-^ecoiid journey, 816 — Pro-
ceeds to Mosul and arrives at Nirnroud,
817— Continues tho excavations, 817 —
Discovery of Assyrian relics, 818, 819 —
Colossal lions, 820 — Historical tablets,
821 — Party dispersed by fever. 821 — Pro-
ceeds to Baghdad, 822 — Arrives nt Baby-
lon, 822 — Appearance of the place, 823 —
Palace of Nirnroud, 823 — Journey to dif-
fer and Wurka, 824 — Excavations, 824
— Return to Baglidad and Mosul, 824 —
Further excavations, 824 — Departure
from Mosul, 824.

Lebanon, plague on, 833.

Leichhardt (Dr.), sots out on an expedition
from Sydney to Port Essington, 786 —
Discovers Mackenzie's River, 788 — Fol-
lows the Burdekin, 789— Tho Mitchell,
789— Attacked by natives, 790 — Mr. Gil-
bert killed, 790 — Arrives at the Gulf of
Carpentaria, 791 — A native strays into
camp, 791 — Passage around the head of
the gulf, 792 — Ascends Roper River, 792
— Descends the Louth Alligator, 793 —
Kindness of the natives, 793 — Readies
tho sea-shore, 793 — Arrives at Port lis-
sington, 794 — Returns to Sydney, 794.

Lewis and Clarke appointed to explore a
route to tlio Paciflc, 129 — Departure of
the expedition, 130 — intercourse with tho
Ottoways, 131 — Council with the Sioux,
135 — Arrival among the Mandans, 138 —
Winter at Fort Mandan, 139, 141— Depart-
ure, 142 — Adventure with a bear, 142 —
With a buffalo, 144-Dangerou3 navigation,
144, 145 — Arrival at the Falls of tho Mis-
souri, 146 — Ascent of tho Jefferson River,
150 — Arrival among the Snake Indians,
151 — Cross the dividing ridge of the
Rocky Mountains, 152— Purchase of horses
156 — Departure from the Shoshonees,
158 — Descent of Lewis's River, 161 — Ar-
rival at the Falls of tho Columbi' " '1 —
First view of tho Pacific, 167 — ii.icarap
for the winter, 171 — ^Terriblo rain,?, 172
— Set out on their return, 176 — Meet
with friendly Indians, 181 — Recross tho
mountains, 186 — Tlie party separates, 187
— Encounter with the Minnetarees 188 —
Captain Lewis shot, 190 — Clarke reaches
the Yellowstone, 190 — Horses stolen by
tho Indians, 192 — ^Tho two parties unite,
192 — Arrival at St. Louis, 194.

Lewis's River, 161.

Lena River, 391.

Letorzec, joins M. Cailliaud, 246.

illness of, 268.

Lha-Ssa, approach to, 749 — description ofj
750— Dwellings of, 750— Women of, 751—
Police of, 752— Catholic mission at, 653.

Limmen Bight River, 792.

Lingam, a supposed emblem of tho Phallic
worship, discovered in Loo-Choo, 924.

Loo-Choo, island of, visited by ConiiiioJoro
Perry, 915 — Description of, 915-937.

Loggun, town of, 493 — Sultan of, 493 —
Country of, 493.

Lngwek, 646, 647.

Long's Peak, 697.

Lotus, description of the, 632.

Loui.siana, acquisition of, 129.

Ludamar, kingdom of, 100.

Lynali (Dr.), accompanies the Loo-Choo ex-
ploring party, 915.

Lynch, (Lieutenant W. F.), authorized to ex-
plore the Dead Sea, 795 — Proceeds to
Smyrna, 795 — Arrives at Aero, 796 —
Marches across the desert. 700 — Embarks
on the Sea of Galileo, 790 — Descends
tho Jordan, 797 — Difficult navigation,
797 — Reaches the bathing-placo of tho
pilgrims, 797 — Arrival of pilgrims, 798 —
Enters tho Dead Son, 798 — Encamps at
the fountain of Engaddi, 799 — Pillar of
Salt, 800 — Arrives at tho southern ex-
tremity, 800 — Desolate scenery, 800 —
Sufferings from heat, 801 — Excursion to
Kerak, 802— Return to tho Dead Sea, 803
— Journey to Jerusalem, 804 — Arrival at
the Mediterranean, 804 — Excursion to
the sources of the Jordan, 804 — Death of
Lieutenant Dale, 805— Return to tho
United States, 805.

Macao, 762.

Mackenzie's River, 321.

Mac'iuarie River, 581, 582.

Madeira River, 800, 867— Falls of, 807, 868.

Magdulena River, 61.

Mahass, territorj- of, 210.

Mahmals (holy camels), 224.

Maiya, 669.

Mai Jleegamy, his kindness, 486.

Makaroff, his rescue of Captain Golownin,

431.
Mallon Mansin, Dr. Barth is visited bj-, 897.
Malta, 199.

Mamore River, 865, 866.
Mandan Indians, 138, 139, 140.
Mandara, country of 480 — Sultan of| 481—

His horror of Christians, 481.

country of, 901.

Manga, or Minyo, prince of Bomou, 893.

Manna, 205.

Mansong, King of Bambarra, 108, 109.

122.

Mantchoo language, 374.

Maranoa River, 781.

Maraymy, his care of Major Donham, 48ik

Marghi, description of the tribe, 895.

Maria's River, 146.

Exploration of, 187, 188.

950

INDEX.

Masofia, towu o( 901 — Dr. Barth dotainoJ

at, 901.
Marty n (Lieutenant), 118.
Massawa, town of, and its climate, G6G.
Matiuskin, 401.

Matsmai, city of, 423 — Prison of, 424.
governor of, 427.

Majrpures, rapids of, 49.
McLeod (A. R.), 699.

McNeal, adventure of, 175.

adventure with a bear, 187.

MuWilliaui (Dr.), liis journal of voyago
down the Niger, 658.

Mecca, Burckluirdt's lirst view of, 219 —
Ceremonies of tiio Pilgrimage, 222.

city of; 914.

Mcdeenet-Abou, temjilo ofj 284.

Medical practice, Captain Clarke's, 181.

Midiua, 224.

(the Iloly City), approach to, 913—

Lieutenant Burton's visit to, 913 — Fight
among the Bedouins ofj 913.

Melville, Port, 921.

Momuon, colossal head o?, 231 — Itomovalof
do., 232.

Merawe, 258 — Night adventure at, 259.

Meriwether's Bay^ 121.

Meroe, discovery ot] 263 — Description of
the ruins, 203, 2Ct.

Mesowurat, ruins of, 281.

Meta River, 47.

Mexico, valley of, 72.

Meyeudorfl' (Baron), attached to a Russian
mission to Bokhara, 323 — Departure from
Orembourg, 324 — Arrival in the Kirghiz
country, 325 — Niglit search for water,
327— An-ival at the Aral Sea, 328— Tra-
verse the desert of Kara-kum, 328 — Cross
the Sir-deriii, 331 — Cross tho desert of
Kizil-cum, 332 — Entrance into Bokliaria,
333 — Arrived at the capital, 335 — Re-
ception, 336 — Winter at Bokliara, 339 —
Visit to Ourghenje, 340 — Return to Rus-
sia, 346.

Michel, conduct of] 311 — Shoots Mr. llood,
315 — Shot by Dr. Richardson, 317.

Milk, human, a remedial agent, 803.

Minnetareo Indians, 142.

Misiah, tho wells of, 877.

Missikya, village of, 926.

Missouri, north fork of, 145.

Head- waters of the, 151.

Mitchell (Col. T. L.), propo-ses to explore a
route from Sydney to the Gulf of Carpen-
taria, 77C — Departure of tho expedition,
777 — Crosses tho Darling and ascends
the Narran, 777 — Ascends the Balonne,
778 — Meets with tho natives, 778 — De-
Bcribea tho bottle-tree, 779, 780 — Sus-
picious movements of the natives, 780 —
Discovers tho Maranoa, 780 — Ascends tho
river, 781 — Finds a running stream, 782 —
Enters the tropics, 783 — Natives threaten
an attack, 783 — Recrossoa tho tropical line
and procoods westward, 784— -Discovers

tho Victoria River and follows it west-
ward, 784 — Returns to tho Maranoa, 785
— Returns to Sydney, 786.
Moffat (Rev. Robert), sent as a missionary
to South Africa, 661 — Describes Guat
Namaqua-lund, 561 — Proceeds to Byson-
dermeid, 563 — Arrives at Africaner's
village, 561 — Interview witli Africaner,
664, 565 — Excursion to Damara-land, 565
— A woman exposed to death by her
cliildren, 566 — Journey to tho Griqua
country, 567 — Visits Capo Town with Af-
ricaner, 567 — Astonishment of the colo-
nists, 507, 568 — Interview with tho gov-
ernor, 568 — Joins tiio mission at tho
Kuruman, 569 — Ignorance >jf the natives,
569 — Their indifference and perversity,
570 — Tliievish propensity, 571 — Funeral
ceremonies, 571 — Rain-maker, 572, 573 —
Visits Capo Town with natives, 573 —
Tlioir impressions of a ship, 574^ — Visit
to Miikaba, chief of the Bauangketsi, 574
— Description of tho country, 574 — At-
tacked by tho Barolongs, 574 — Visit to
tho Barolongs, 575 — Customs of the Bo-
chuanas, 575— Visit to the Matabele tribe,
577 — Villages in the trees, 577 — Recep-
tion by King Jloselekatse, 578 — Results
of missionary labors, 578.

Moghrebbins, or Arabs of Morocco, violent
conduct of, 911.

Mohammedan prayers, 912, 913.

Mohammed Ali, visit to Mecca, 222.

Mohammed, tomb of) 223.

Mongol salutation, 352 — Horsos, 352.

superstition, 353 — ^Manner of pro-
paring tea, 354.

songs, 357.

nobleman, 359.

Mongolia, scenery of, 356.
scenery of, 740.

— interview with thegoveruorsof, 361.
■ Christians of, 728.

Mongolian ruins, 367.

— — — city, ruins of, 734.

Montreal liiland, Oil, 612.

Montufar, Carlos do, 65.

Moor, 410, 421— Determination to remain
in Japan, 428 — Treachery of, 433 — Sui-
cide of, 437.

Moorish robbers, 104.

Mora, in Maudara, 480.

Morrison (Dr.), dcatii of, 507.

Morumbidgco River, 588 — Enters the Mur-
ray, 589 — Voyago uj) the, 594.

Mount St. Helens, 103.

Mountain of Little People, l;f j.

Mourgovan, queen of, 732.

Mour^uk, coldness of the uiglits at, 503.

Richardson's rcsidonco at, 881.

Mudarraj, description of tho 912,

Mugodjar Mountains, 327.

Multnomah River, 177.

Mummies, in tho tombs of Thebes, 235,

Munga, country of, 488.

INDEX.

951

Murzouk, town of) 88G.

Murray River, discoverj of, 680 — Mouth of,

592.
Muscat, city of, 016 — Imam of, 616 — Letter

of Imam, 617 — Wellsted's return to, t;i7.
Museu.a (British), 814, 816.
Musfeia, battlo of, 483.
Muago, country of, 901.
Musgow, people of, 482.
Music-box, effect of, on the shokh of Bor-

nou, 477.
Muak-oxon, 301.

Naga, ruins of, 230 — Groat temple, 281.
Naina(|ua-lanil, description olj 561, 602.
Nan-clio, town of, 760.
Naptia (N^apa-Kiang), harbor of 915.
Napoleon, plan of oriental empire, 439.
Narrau llivor, 777.
^iizar(jth, 832.

Nedjid, country of the, 456 — Capital of, 45'!.
Negri (M. do), arrival in Bokhara, 331, 335

— Hocoption by the Khan, 330.
Negro, Rio, 858.
Negroes, night-attack of, 273.
Nomr (Mek), Visit to Ismail Pasha, 2G1.
New Barcelona, 59.
Niciiolas, Emperor of Russia^ 77.
Nid'er, nioundi of, 824.
Niger, Park's first view of, 107.

scenery of the, 530.

perilous night-voyage en the, 633.

■ scenrry and inhabitants of, 546.
Nile, approach to, 254.

Forks of the, 265.

(White), passage of; by the Egyptian

army,
267.

265.

(Blue), 266— Scenery of the banks,

(Blue), 279.
Nimroud, mound of, 809 — Excavations at,

811, 815, 817, 820, 821.
Nishnoy Kolynusk, 3<J8, 399.
Norway House, 598.
Novgorod, 385,

Nubia, reception of the traveler in, 209.
Nubian Desert, 213.

ivtonso heat of the, 283.

Ny-komma, village of, 931.

Oasis of Jupiter Ammon, 239.

(the Little), 240 — Scenery and in-
habitants of. 240 — Foi'utain of, 240.

(the Little), map of, 251 — Jealousy

of the inhabitants, 251.
Obi River. 80, 81.
Ohio (King), 539, 540, 544, 545.

" reception by Captain Allen, 554.

Obri, 625 — luhaljitanls of, 625.

Odors, national, 755.
Ohod (Mount), 913.
Okota River, fording of the, 407.
Okot.sk, 409.

OldQeld (Dr,), aacenda the Chadda, 650
— Arrives at Rabba, 550 — Returns to

the soa, 551 — A?eonds the Niger to Id-
dah, 551 — Trade with the natives, 551 —
Sickness of the men, 552 — .VtUckod by
the natives, 552— Return to Eugland, 553.

Om Beydah, ruins of, 218, 249, 250.

Oman, Oasis of, 619 — Shores of, 026.

Omekon, district of the, 400.

Omsk, 388.

Ootlashoot Indians), 150.

Orenbourp, 323.

88.

Oregon, rainy season in, 1C3.

Orinoco River, 44 — Fisheries of turtle's
eggs, 45 — Rapids of the, 48.

bifurcation of the, 50, 54.

Oriz.iba, peak of, 73.

Orsk, 83.

O'omac Indians, 57.

Otto ways, 131.

Oubi, camp of, 671 — Interview with, 072.

Oudney (Dr.), associated witli Denliam and
Clapperton, 4 j3 — Illnes,s, 489 — Leaves for
Sackatoo, 4!) 1— Death, 495— Burial, 49S.

Oulou (Mount), 381.

Ourga, the, uj9 — Ceremonies at, 359, 360,
301.

• Description of, 366.

Ourghenji", fortress of, 340.

Overweg (Dr.), accompanies Mr. Richard-
son to Central Africa, 885 — Visits tho
Kasr Janoon or Palace of tho Demons, 886
— Ascends tho Bag'i?en Mountain, 891 —
Separates from hi? companions, and trav-
els through CJubei ind Mariadi, 892 — He-
joins Dr. Barth at Kouka, 895 — Coiii-
inences aloiio tho exploration of Lake
T*vd, 897 — Builds a boat and embarks at
Miduari, 898 — Description of Lake Tsad
and its numerous islands, 898, 899 — In
company with Dr. Barth, visit the coun-
try of tho Waday, 890 — Join the army of
tho Arab tribe, Uelad Soliraan, 891 — Be-
ing defeated, escape with difficulty, and
return to Kouka, 890 — Accompany »
Bornoueso army into Mandara and Musgo,
901 — Afler its return, proceeds alone to-
ward tho Niger, 901 — Reaches Gujeba,
901— Arrives at Fika, 902— Compelled to
leave the place, 902 — Ucturiis to Kouka
in poor health, 903 — Excursion along
tho river Yeou, 903 — Dies at Maduari,
903.

Oxus River, 691— Head-waters o^ 692.

Pacific Ocean, view of] 70.

Palyrma, ruins of, 202.

" " 442.

Painpou, plains of, 749.

Park (Mungo), birth, 93 — Early years, 93
— Departure for Africa, 93 — Roaideneo st
Pisania, 94 — Departure for tho interior, 95
—Arrival at tho Senegal, 97 — Reaches tho
Moorish kingdom of Ludamar, 100 — Im-
prisoned by Sultan Ali, 101 — Escape from
Benawin, 103 — Advonturo with robbers.

952

INDEX.

104 — Arrival at tlio Niger, 108 — ^Kindly
treated by a native woman, 188, 189
— Adventure witii a lion, 110 — Decides
to return, 1 1 1 — EucountLT with robbera,
113 — Residence at Kainalin, 113 — Re-
turn to England, 116 — Departure on the
second journey, 118 — Arrival at Pisnnia,
118 — Mortality among his men, 121—
Reaches tiio Niger, 122 — Trade with the
natives, 122 — La.st letter to England, 123
— Uncertainty respecting him, 124 —
Amadi Fatouma's journal, 125, 120 — Ilis
Iirobablo fate, 127 — Character and per-
sonal appearance, 127.
Parks, the, 723.

Parkyns (Mansfield), travels in the East
and determines to visit Abyssinia, CG5 —
Sails from Suea to Djidda, CG5 — Lands at
Massawa, 6G6 — Excessive heat, 6G6 —
Adopts the dross and customs of the peo-
ple, GG6 — Proceeds on foot into the inte-
rior, GG7 — Reaches a camp of wander-
ing Shohos, 6G8 — Invalid Englishmen,
G07-GC9— Arrival at Adoua, GGD— Visits
Prince Oubi, at Howa/.nyn, G70 — Do-
Kcription of the camp, 071 — Reception,
072 — Proceeds to Axum, 673 — Privations
and enjoyments of the traveler, G74 —
Reaches Addaro, G75 — Superstition of the
people, 075 — Sojourn at Rohabcit;i, 675
— Plan of government, 070 — Life among
the people, 07G — Sleeping between lines,
677— Health, 677, 078— Life at Adotia,
678— Habits of the Abyssiiiians, 679—
Abyssinian women, 680 — Hair-dressing,
G81 — Arrival at Khartoum, 682.
Parwan, pass of, C84.
Pascoe, knavery of, 514.
Pearce (Captain), death of, 500.
Pckin, approach to, 372 — Timkovski's en-
trance into, 373 — Dwellings, 373 — Shops
of the merchants, 374 — Great bell of, 370
— Elephants, 377 — Portuguese mission,
377— Climate, 378— Streets of, 379.
— ^— Catholic mission at, 727.
Peltier and Samandre, death of 313.
Perry (Commodore), sends an cxi)loring

party h-'o Loo-Clioo, 915.
Perrault, kindness of, 302.
Pctra, ruins of, 205 — Burckhardt's discov-
ery of, 206.
Pfcifler (Ida), early desire of travel, 827 —
Departure for tiio Holy Land, 827 — So-
journ in Constantinople, 827 — Excursion
to Broussa, 828 — First ride on horseback,
828— Embarks at Constantinople, 828—
Arrives at Joppa, 329 — Oriental iiospital-
ity, 829 — Suflerings on the journey, 829
— Arrival at Jerusalem, 830 — Excursion
to the Dead Sea, 830 — Adventure at the
convent of St. Saba, 831— "Visits Naza-
reth, 832— Arrival at Beyrout, 832—
Journey to Damascus, 832 — A victim of
the plague, 833 — Embarks for Alexan-
dria, 833— Oriental communism, 833 —

Arrives at Cairo, 834 — Ascends tlio Pyr-
amid of Cheops, 834 — Visits Malta, Paler-
mo, Naples, and Rome, 834 — Audience
with the Pope, 834 — Returns to Vienna,
834— Goes to Iceland, 834— Describes
the dwellings, 835 — Sojourn at Reykjavik,
830— Discomforts of travel, 836— Visits tho
Geysers, 837 — Ascent of Mt. lleela, 837,
838— Return to Vienna, 838— Embarks
for Rio Janeiro, 838 — A narrow escape,
838, 839— Visits the Indians, 840— Indian
hospitaUty, 840, 841— Arrives at Valparai-
so, 841 — Embarks for China, 841 — Visits
Tahiti, 841 — Ventures through the streets
of Canton, 842 — Visits Singapore, Ceylon,
and Calcutta, 842 — Proceeds to Benares,
842 — Visits Allahabad, Cawnpore, and
Agra, and proceeds to Delhi, 842 — En-
counter with a tiger, 843 — Arrives at
Bomb.iy, and proceeds to Baghdad, 853-a
Excursions to the ruins of Ctesiphon and
Babylon, 843 — Journey through Russia,
Armenia, Georgia, and Mir.grolia, to
Odessa, 843 — Description of Sebastopol,
844 — Returns to Vienna, 844 — Proceeds
to London, 844 — Embarks for Cape Town,
844 — Arrives at Singapore, 844 — Visits
Sarawak, 844 — Travels among the Dyaks,
844 — Visits Java and Sumatra, 845 —
Adventure among the cannibal Battakers,
845, 840 — Visits Celebes and tho Molucca
Islands, 840 — Arrives at San Francisco,
847— Visits South America, 847— United
States, 847 — Winter in the Azoro Islands,
847 — Return to Loudon, 847 — Personal
appearance, 847.

Philte, island of) 233.

Philadelphia, ruins of, 204.

Pichincha, volcano of, 04.

Pilgrim's Ford, 798.

Pilgrims to Mecca, appearance of| 222.

Piniicliin, portage olj 52.

Ping-Iveou, mountain o^ 741.

Pino, village of, 918.

Pi.sania, 94.

Plains of the Orinoco, 38.

Point William, 170.

Point Lake, encampment on, 295.

Polar Sea, Franklin's exploration of, 321.

storm upon, 296.

Port Essington, 794.

Pou-yaiig Lake, 700.

Prcuss, adventure of, 719.

Principe da Beira, fort, iu Brazil, 868.

Puy-Puy Mountain, 853.

Pyramid Lake, 710.

Pyramids, view from, 230.

Quamash Flats, 185.

Quindiu, pass of, 63.

Quito, 03, 64.

Quorra (Steamer), sickness on board of, 545.

Rabba, messenger from, 628 — Landers' De-
tention at, 631.

INDEX.

953

Babba, description of) 650.
Ruclio-Cliurin, convent of, 738, T39.
Rab Kesiili, pass of, 651.
Kains (Tropical), northern limit of, 4G9.
Reilijiivioh, 835.

834.

Rclianuo (Fort), 603, 605, 606.
RicaniH Indians, 137.
Ricliardson (Dr.), '289.

(Dr.), hazards his life in swimming

the Coppermine, 30G.

(Dr.), left beliind witli Hood, 308.

liis narrative, 315 — Slioots Michel,

317.

accompanies Franklin's second ex-
pedition, 320.

(James), proposes to explore tho

Oasis of Ghadamcs, in tho Sahara, ill —
Repairs to Tunis and Tripoli, 871 —
Leaves Tripoli, 871 — Equipment, 871 —
Visits tlie mountain district of Rujiban,
872 — Acclimation, 872 — Approach to
Ghadames, 872 — Native curiositj', 81^ —
Entrance into tho city, 873— Reception by
tlie governor, 874 — 13ocomes a pii3-siclan,
874 — Hospitality of tho natives, 874 —
Doctrinal controversy, 875 — Tiio "sea on
land," H75 — Character of tlio people, 876—
Joins a caravan for Ghat, 876 — Flowers
in tlio desert, 877— Tho wells of Mislah,
877 — Adventure witli a robber-eliietj 878
— .Vrrival at Gliat, 878 — Curiosity of tho
natives, 879 — Cool reception, 879 — So-
journ at Ghat, 880 — Invitations to Mos-
lemism, 880 — Female visitors, 880— A del-
icate question, 880, 881 — Departure from
Ghat, 881 — The Palaco of tlio Demons,
881 — Arrival at Tripoli, 881 — Joins Drs.
Barth and Overweg on a mission to Cen-
tral Africa, 835 — Departure from Tri-
poli, 885 — Proceeds by Murzouk to Ghat,
886 — Discovers rock-sculptnros in tho
Wady Telissareh, 886 — Serious adven-
tures at the Palaco of tlie Demons, 887 —
Arrival at Ghat, 887 — Fatiguing journey,
888 — Knter tho kingdom of Air at Tag-
hajit, 888 — Harassed by wandering tribes,
889— Arrival at Tin-Tellust, 889— Recep-
tion by tlio sultan of En-Noor, 890 —
Treaty witli En-Noor, 890— Visit to Aga-
dez, 890 — Account of Air, 891 — Ascent
of Mount Baghzen, 891 — Tho travelers
separate, 892 — Arrival at Zindo, 892 —
Arrives at Gurai, 893— Deatli, 893.

Rikord (Lieutenant), returns to Kunashir,
434 — Reaches Hakodadi, 436 — Ilia de-
scription of Golownin's liberation, 437.

Rio do los Americanos, 720.

Rio do Guancabamba, 68.

Rio Janeiro, Ida PfoilTor's residence at, 838,
841.

Rio Negro, 62, 63.

Robinson Crusoe, Burckhardt'a Arabic trans-
lation o^ 201.

Rock sculptures, 886.

Rocky
703.

Mountains, higliest pcp.k of tho,
Gates of tho, 149.

603.

■ Lewis's first view of, 143.

Rohabaita, life at, 675.

Roofoftiie world, 692,

Rose, Gustav, 77.

Ross (Sir John), 597.

Ru.ssi;), treaty witli Cliina, 350.

Russian prisoners in Bokliara, 334,

mission at Pekin, 350.

robbers, 384.

345.

Sabatior, 629.

Saeajawea, meeting with her relatives, 155.

Saekatoo, Clapporton's enlranco into, 501 —
Description of tho city, 502.

513.

Suliela Selassie (king), 659, GCl— Treaty with
664.

Singue, fight at, 278 — View from tho mount-
ain of, 279.

Sain-oula, robbers of, 729.

Salt, manufacture of, by Lewis and Clarke,
173.

plain of; 247.

Salt Lake (Great), 709— Voyage upon, 710,
7U.

Salvator River, valley of, 782.

Samdadchiemba, his appearance, 729 — Ad-
vice of, 730-737 — Leaves Hue and Gabet,
754.

San Carlos, mission of, 53.

San Fernando do Atabapo, Mission of, 51.

San Joaquin, country of^ 721.

San Sabii, convent of) 831.

Sandara, tho bearded, 742.

Sansanding, 109.

Sarayacu, 857.

Sarcophagus, found at Thebes, 237.

Sardanapalus, tomb of, 819.

Sargasso Sea, 26.

Sarslield, his employment of rockets, 547,
548.

SchkajefT, learns to rend and write, 433.

Scott (Sir Walter), 117.

Sebastopol, 844.

Second Pyramid, opening of, 238.

Sego, city of, 108.

122.

Selimeh, Oasis of; 283.

Semipolatinsk, 83.

Semmed, Oasis of; 620.

Senegal River, 97.

Senaar, king of, 268 — Fatal epidemic at,
268.

Sennacherib, palace of, 818.

Shammar, Arab tribe of, 814.

Shannon (George), lost, 134.

his adventure with tho Indiana, 169.

Shary River, description of, 492.

Shendy, 216.

Sheudi, capital city of Loo-Choo, 916

Shillooks, tribe of, 632, 644.

Sbirazi, village of; 62'2.

954

INDEX,

Slioa, scenery of, 657 — Detective police of;
658— KiiiK of, 659— Uoligion of, 662—
People o^ 662 — Manners and customs,
6G:}.

Shoshonoo TtuUans, 151, 152.

Captain Lewis's adventure with,

151.

Fremont's interview with, 708.

Shohos, tribe of, 6G8.

Shouaa Arabs, 406 — Manners of the women,
49G.

Siij'giiceans, curious custom of| 278.

Siboriii, charms of| 410.

Siberian postiloncc, 80.

liospitality, 391.

Sierra Nevada, 717, 718, 719.

Silla, on the Niger, 111.

SimanofT, allowed to vi.sit a Russian vessel,
435.

Since River, 61.

Sir-i-kol, valley of, 091- Lake of) 692, 693.

Sir River, crossing of) 331.

Sioux, interview with the, 699.

Sioux Indians, 134, 135.

Siway, Cailliaud's approach to, 247 — Scene-
ry of. 248— Inhabitants of, 249.

Slave River, 292,

Slave Lake (great), 600.

Smejevvskaja Oora, 81.

Snow-storms in the Arctic regions, 299,

Sobah, ruins of, 266.

Sobat River, 641, 642.

Sockiui, women of, 464.

Sokulk Indians, 162.

Soleb, temple of, 256.

Souakin, 217.

Soudan, 885, el seq.

Soumo (Mount). 368.

South Pass, 699, 700.

Southern Cross, 26.

Spanish Trail, the, 721.

Speranski (General), 390.

Sse-Tchouen, province ofj 755.

Stone Idol Creek, 137.

Sturt (Captain Charles), commands an ex-
pedition into Australia, 581 — Descends
the Macquario, 581 — Discovers the Dar-
ling, 584 — Descends the river, 585 — Re-
turns to Mt. Harris, 586 — Explores the
region of the Castloreagh, 586 — Returns
to Wellington Valley, 587 — Second ex-
pedition, 587 — Descent of the Morumbid-
goe, 588 — Reaches the Murray, 589 —
llostility of the natives, 590 — Discovers
the mouth of the Darling, 590 — Friendli-
ness of the natives, 591 — Arrives at the
mouth of the Murray, 592 — Reaches the
sea-coast, 593 — Ascends the Murray, 593
— Suspicious movements of the natives,
594 — Sufferings of the party, 595 — Re-
turn to Sydney, 595.

Sukhne, shekh and people of, 203.

Sukkot, territory of, 210.

Sumatra, Ida Pfoiffer's travels in, 846, 846.

Summer Lake, 715.

Sung-lo, hill of; 766.

Sutter (Captain), 720.

Suwelk, 624.

Sweet Water River, rapids of the, 704, 706,

Szalt, 204.

Taboniah, Well of, 885.

Tagama, a tribe of Tuaricks, 892.

Tajura, town of, 649— Sultan of; 650.

Takka, country of, 217.

Tale Lama, palace of, 751.

Tang-Keou-Eul, town of, 742.

Tarraa, 853, 860,

Tarsus, 200.

Tartar manners, 732— Encampment, 733—
Burials, 734, 735— Butcher, 740.

Tayf, 224.

Taylor (Bayard), accompanies the American
exploring party through Loo-Choo, 915 —
Enters a native dwelling, 924 — Is over-
come by fatigue, 934.

visit to Dr. Knoblecher, 643.

Tchad (Lake), first view of, 469.

eastern shore of, 496.

Tchakar, country of, 733.

Tching-tou-fou, town of, 756.

Tchogortan, Lamasery of, 745, 746.

Tchuktchi, baptism of the 401 — Camp of
the, 402— Jealousy of the, 402.

Tegerry, wells of, 466.

Tehama, terrible desert ot; 652,

Tekut, Mount, 885,

Telissareh, AVady, rock sculptures discov-
ered in, 886,

Tequendama, Cascade of, 62.

Terke, Japanese interpreter, 428.

Terra del Fuego, appearance of, 841.

Thakar, kingdom of, 730.

Thebes, Belzoni's description of, 231.

Thebes, Necropolis of, 234.

Thibetan Embassy, 746, 747.

Thirst, Mungo Park's sufferings from, 105 .

Thlow-ee-choh River, 601, 602, 608, 609,
613.

Tibboos, Sultan of the, 467— Country of the,
468 — Dances of the women, 4U8 — Aston-
ishment on seeing engravings, 468.

Tiberias, 796.

Tiger hunting, 843.

Tigris River, 760,

Timbuctoo, Dr. Earth's visit to the city of; i
904,

Timkovski, appointed to conduct the Russian
mission to China, 350 — Departure from
Kiakhta, 351 — Approach to the desert of
Gobi, 352 — Arrival at the Ourga, 359 —
Official reception, 360 — Departure from
the Ourga, 366 — Visit to Mount Darchan,
36: To ancient Mongolian ruins, 367 —
To a Thibetan temple, 368 — Crosses the
desert of Gobi, 369 — Arrives at the Great
Wall, 371— Enters Khalgan, 371— Ex-
amines the Great Wall, 372 — Arrival at
Pekin, 373— Visits the city, 374— The
temples, 376 — The Portuguese mission.

INDEX.

377 — Dcparturo from Pekin, 379 — Visit

to an ancient Mongolese tomplo, 379 —

Ro-enters tho desert of Gobi, 380 — Ilo-

turus to Kiakiita, 381.
Tiii^Tellust, valley and town of, 889.
Titicaea Lake, 862, 803.
Tlamath Lake, 714.
Tobacco, eagerness of Lewis and Clark's

men for, 190.
Tobolsk, city of, 80.
Tolon-Noor, town of, 731.
Tougou.si, ([Japtuiu Cochrano'a intorcourao

■with, 406.
Toolo (Mr.), arrival at Kouka, 491 — Illuosa,

492— Death, 494.
Torrens Lake, 773, 774.
Toukoulan Mountains, 393.
Toumat River, 275.
Touniet, country ofj 735.
Translation tlu'ough four lanRuages, li'2.
Trinidad (in Bolivia), Herudon's rcsidouco

•'t, 805, 86G.
Tripo do roche, 300, 301.
Tropical vegetation, 30.
Truxillo, 71.
Tsad Lake, 897— Explored by Dr. Overweg,

8y7 — Description of its iiilands and their

inhabitants, 898, 899.
Tsanker Island, 041.
Turbaco, air-volcanoos of, 61.
Turkestan (Chinese), 330.
Twisted hair, 160.

181, 182.

Tyrwliit, arrival at Bornou, 495.
Tzarsko, Selo, conflagration of, 384.

Ucayali River, 856, 857.

Uelad Soliman, tribo of the, 900.

Unguruta, town of, 893.

Ufl'-ila, 932.

Ural Mountains, inhabitants of, 387.

78.

Uralsk, 84.

Uruana, mission of, 40,
Usdum, salt mountain o^ 800.
Ustkamcnogorsk, 81.

Valparaiso, cstoras at, 841.

Vapor Bath, ^ ^poriment with, 184 — Cure

of an Indian chief, 1 85.
Vcta, tho sickness caused by rarity of tho

atniosphoro, 852, 853,
Victoria River, discovery of, 784,
Vogel (Dr. Edward), volunteers to join Dr.

Barth in Central Africa, 904 — Joins Dr.

Barth, 904 — Accompanies tho array of

Bornou on its annual foray, 905 — Hia

proposed explorations, 905.
Volga River, 85.

Wababees, Ebn Sihoud, king of tho, 455
— ni3 appearance, 450 — Treatment of
tho Drayhy, 450 — Ilis remarks on tho
Christian religion, 458 — ^Treaty with tho
Drayhy, 458.

Wahelollah Ind<..m8, 178.

Waddington a.id ilandbury, meeting with
Cailliaud, 257.

Wady Killulloo, scono at, 055.

Waled Ali, tribo of, 445.

Wallahwallah Rivor, 712.

Wandering Dervisfh, privileges of a, 910.

Wappatoo root, 173.

Warrington, Mr., sou of tho English consul
at Tripoli, acooinpaiiics I>r. Vogtl to
Koukn, 904— His death, 904.

Wawa, country ci; 510.

Dishonesty of tho king of, 529.

Wellsted (Lieutenant), employed by tho
East Inclia Company in tho survey of tho
Arabian coasts, 015 — Lands at Muscat,
010 — Proceeds to Mur, 010 — Reception
by tho Bedouins, 610, 017 — Accompa-
nies tho sliekh of tlm (Jcnehiia into tho
desert, 018 — Proceeds by tho oasis to
Scninied, 010, 020 — An Arab's attacli-
ment to his camel tested, 020 — Sojourn
at Neswah, 021 — Excursion to Djebol
Akhdar, 021, 022— Illness of the party,
023 — Proceeds to Sib, on tho coast, 023
— Hospitably ontertaint-d at Suweik, 024
— Travels inland to Obri, 024 — Hostility
of tho Widiabees, 025, (;2i'. — Reaches Su-
weik, (;2G — Returns to Muscat, 027.

Wcrno (Dr. Ferdinand), enters tho Egyp-
tian service and proceeds from Cairo to
Khartoum, 029 — .loins tho expedition
up the White Nile, 030 — Describes tlio
scenery, 030, 031 — Reachea tho country
of tho Shillooks, O.'il— Tho Dinkas, 031
— Doseribes tho lotus, 032 — Enters tho
land of tho Nuehrs, 633 — Cro.sses tho
Gazelle Lake, 034 — Kiiters tho land of
tho Koks, 035 — Describes a sunrise, 035
— Describes the inhabitants, 030, 037 —
Attack of fever, 037 — Natives fired upon,
638— Enters the land of the Bans, 03H—
Inhabitants described, 039 — Visited by
king Lakono, 039, 040 — ^Tho expedition
returns, 041 — Explores tho river Sobat,
641 — Encounter with a lion, 642 — Re-
turn to Khartoum, 642.

Whale, .skeleton of, 174.

Whang-szu, temples of, 376.

White Nile, .scenery of; 630, 631, 634— Sun-
rise on, 035, 638, 644— Sourco of; 647,

White-boar Island, camp at, 187.

Whitelock (Lieutenant), 621.

Wilberforco Palls, 299.

Wild animals of tlie Tropics, 43, 44.

Wild Boars, hunting with fire, 331.

Wind River Mountains, 700-703.

Windsor, adventure of; 145.

Winter Ridge, 715.

Wood (Lieutenant John), attached to a com-
mercial mission to AfTghanistan, 683 —
Surveys the Indus, 683 — Arrives at Ca-
bul, 683^et3 out with Murad Ali for
Koondooz, 684 — Obliged to return from
tho Pass of Parwan, G84 — Proceeda by

956

INDEX.

the Bamian route to Koondoo!!, 684—
Account of Koondooz, 684— Of the Uz-
becks and their horses, 685— Determines
to explore the Oxus, 685— Departure,
686— An Uzbeck's three best friends, 686
—Arrival at Jerm, 686— Detention by
winter, 687— Proceeds up the Oxus, 689—
The Yak described, 689— Ascends the
mountains, 691— Beaches the head- waters
of the Oxus, 692— Arrives at the Roof of
the "World, 692— Effects of great altitude,
6t 1— Return, 696. .

"Winter traveling in British Amenca, 291.

"Wissokaja Gora, 19.

"Woo-e-shan, hills of. 111.

"Wood River, 129, 130.

"Woodie, 411.

"Woolli, kingdom of, 95— Medma, capital ot,
95.

"Wou-chang-fou, town of) 159.

■Wrangel (Baron), 399. „

"Wrestling among the Mongols, 364, iJb&.

"Wurka, mound of, 824.

"Wylie (Australian), 115, 116.

Yakutsk, city of, 392— Society at, 392—

Hospitality, 393.
Yakut blessing, 398.
Yakuts, endurance of the, 391.

voracity of the, 395, 396.

Yak, the, 689— Ita habits, 690.

Yama-Cocha, Lake o^ 65.
Yankton Indians, 134.
Yang-tse-Kiang River, 156— Rapids o? 158.
Yaouri, city of, 526— Sultan of, 521— Lan-
ders' detention at, 621.
Yarkand, description of, 688.
Yarkend, city of, 331.
Yao-Tchang, theater of, 151.
Yellept, "Wallahwallah chief, 119.
Yellow-knife River, 292.
Yellow River, the, 136.
Yellowstone River, 142.
Yembo, plague at, 225.
Yembo, or Djidda, town o^ 912.
Yeou River, 411.

503.

903.

Yezidis, or Devil-worshipers, 814.
Yimmaha, 641.

Yola, capital of Adamoua, 896.
Yoriba, scenery of, 507— King of, 501.
Yorke (Captain Clarke's servant), 131.

Zaria, city of, 512.
Zashiversk, town of, 396.
Zegzeg, king oi, 519.
Zinder, description of the town of, 892. _
Zuraa, the widow, 510— Her persevering
attentions, 511.

. the widow, her fate, 525.

I Zyzauka, scenery of the, 403.

THE END.

No. 25 West Fourth Street,)
Cincinnati, September, 1856. i

Moore, Wilstach, Keys & Co.'s

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25 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

Jones' and Morrow's Practice.

T/u American Eclectic Practice of Medicine, liy I, 0. Jonks, M. 1)., late Prn/eiiBor of th»
Theury and Practice of Medicine in the Eclectic Medical Institute, Cincinnati, etc., etc. To
which are apjiended the posthumous writings of T. V. Moiiiiow, M. D., also lutt Professor
of the Theory and Practice of Medians in the tame Institute, (tc. Complete in two volunu$,
octavo, lij'jO pages. Price %1.

In Uicsc (lays of common scnso in medicine, all respectable pLysicians are Eclocticf.
— Boston Meilical and Surgical Journal.

That the Eclectic schools teach principles varying essentially from what is taught
in th(! A llojmtliic colleges, is unmistakable. o o o o The general and
ox tensive adoption of vegetable remedies, a perfect and efficient understanding of their
tiu'iapcutic properties, and of their applicability to diseased conditions of the body,
constitute cardinal features of the Eclectic practice. — Worcester Journal of ^ledicine.

It bears upon every page the stamp of Dr. J.'s vigorous, independent and practical
style of thought. Such a work has long been needed, and wo rejoice to know that it
has been produced. — Dr. Buchanan, iu Eclectic Medical Journal.

Tiie views maintained by the authors are stated with clearness and preision ; the
style is ilowing and lively, and the whole book is remarkably free from the verbiage
which is such a general feature of medical treatises. — N. Y. Tribune.

King's Obstetrics.

American Eclectic Obstetrics. By John Kino, M. D., Author of the American Eclectic Die-
pensatory, and Professor of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children, in the Ecleo- I
tic Medical Institute, Seventy Illustrations. One volume, 8vo., 7 50 pages. Price, ^i, \

I
Wo have carefully examined Dr. King's work, and can honestly recommend it as a '

safe and judicious guide both to the student and to the practitioner of Midwifery. —

Boston Medical and Surgical Journal.

King's Chart of Urinary Deposits.

Table of Urinary Deposits, with their Microscopical and Chemical Tests for Clinical Exam-
nations, By John Kino, M. D., Cincinnati. Paper. Price 60 ccntt,.

This is a very valuable chart, giving at a glance the essential facts in regard to the
various forms of urinary deposits, their chemical constituents, and their remedies.
There are thirteen well executed drawings, and several tables. This chart can be
framed and hung up in the physician's office, and thus easily referred to. We hear-
tily commend it to the attention of our readers. — New Jersey Medical Reporter,
March, 1355.

A very useful and valuable chart. We congratulate Dr. King on the manner in
which he has condensed this diflScult but important subject, so as to present a bird's
eye and clear view of the matter in the form of a chart.— Philadelphia Medical and
Surgical Journal, March, 1855.

IV FBESS.

The American Family Physician,

And Eoutehold Ouide to Health. By John Kino, M. D. One volume, octavo. With

numerous IllustratioM,

We recommend all ilie no>ft In the land to uel itarHr Unvkn and read titpm.

I'ittHburg Uazotte.

Man-of-War Life,

A Boy's Experience in the United States Navy. Sixth Edition. One vol-
ume, i6mo., illustrated. Muslin, 75 cents. Muslin, gilt, (i.

The Merchant Vessel,

A Sailor Boy's Voyages to Sec the World. Sixth Edition. One volume,
l6mo., illustrated. Muslin, 75 cents. Muslin, gilt, 9i.

Ready in September.

Whaling and Fiftiing,

By Charles Nordhoff, Author of "Man-of-War Life," "The Merchant
Vessel," etc. One volume, i6mo., illustrated. Muslin, 75 cents.

A writer who Is destined to cheer the family circle in many thousnnfl iiodscs <ui
many a winter in>;ht. He writes well — admirably; that is, simply and truthfully,
and in a very int resting way indeed. lie tells the story of the vicissitudes, as well
ns the pleasureH, of the life of the boy or man before the mast, so that no youth who
longw to be on the " deep blue sea" may hereafter say that it was out of his jwwer v>
loarn precisely what ho would have to encounter on becoming a sailor. The moral of
the work is excellent, and its style pithy and descriptive. — Washington Star.

Full of variety, and adapted to awaken the interest of young people in traveling
adventure, while it must greatly extend their geographical knowledge. — N. Y. Times.

Very striking and graphic Pictures of the life at sea, evidently authentic and very
instructive. 0000 jj„^g adventure enough to please, yet truth enough
to dissipate the charm of a sailor's life. — N. Y. Evangelist.

There is in them a vast amount of information respecting the commerce of the
world. — Presbyterian Witness.

These books are not for mere children, but for lads of some years and discretion.
They are remarkably well written. — N. Y. Independent.

One of the best and truest descriptions of seamen and of a seaman's life ever piven
to the public, and the reader is only left to wonder why one who can write so remark-
ably well, had ever any thing to do with the rigging. 0000 j|p
describes the various countries which he visited so far only, be it remembered, as tlicy
fell under his own observation — and this careful restriction and regard to the trutii
forms one of the principal charms of the works. — Boston Traveller.

lias a fine eye for observation and excellent descriptive powers. — Louisville Courier.

Multitudes of young readers will delight in these books. — Presbyterian Banner.

Since Dana's " Two Y'ears Before the Mast," we do not call to mind any more admi-
rable descriptions of a sailor's life at sea than are contained in these graphic volumes.
Herman Melville's nautical narratives are more highly spiced with piquant disorip
tive scenes, it is true, but for quiet, absorbing and, as far as a landsman can jud^e.
faithful accounts of life on shipboard, commend us to this anonymous author. Jle
somewhat resembles Capt. Basil Hall in his lively pictures of the routine of sea ser-
vice, but he is not so rambling nor so flippant as that celebrated " old salt." — N. V.
Tribune.

It (Man-of-War Life) is excellently ^ell written, is characterized by a high moral
tone, and impresses the reader with the truthfulness of its sketches, while it has all
the fascination of a romance. It is by far the best book for boys that we have ever
seen. It both instructs and amuses them. Indeed, there are few men who will com-
mence this book and lay it down unfinished. — Lexington, Ivy., Statesman.

MOOliE, WILSTACH, KEYS & Co., Fubliahers,

25 West Foiu'th Street, Cincinnati.

The Russian Empire.

Its Resourca, Oovernment and Policy , By " A Looker-on " from America, t-w volume,

\2mo., muslin. Price, $1 25.

Presents many new and important facte, touching the internal resources of Russia,
the imraeuse extent of her territory, the growth and character of her population, the
development and strength of her government, army and navy, her civilization, reli-
gion and social life. — Vincennes Gazette.

In it we are permitted for the first time to view the realms and subjects of the
Czar through the medium of thoroughly Auebican Spectacles. — Washington Daily
Organ.

Russia has the power, vigor and vit .lity in herself to complete her plans, and work
out her own will, be that for good or evil. o o o ^\\ jjgp schemes of pol-
icy, whether they relate to the training of armies, the encouragement of agriculture
and the arts, or education, are conceived on a scale of magnificence in proportion to
the vastncss of the Empire itself. — Xenia News.

Russia, in the opinion of the author, possesses a vigorous national life embodied in
a true organic unity, and is destined to exert an incalculable influence on the nrogress
of modern civilization. His volume presents an abundance of impresb-'^e cjnsidera-
tions in support of this opinion, derived mainly from a careful examination of Rus-
sion resources, but sustained by a variety of profound theoretical deductions. It is
written from ample knowledge, and with signal ability, and at the present juncture of
European politics, challenges the attention of thinking minds in both hemispheres, —
Harpers' Magazine.

A Great Book by Great Aattaors.

The Teachers' Miscellany.

A selection of Articles from the Proceedings of the College of Profetsiorml Teachers. By J.
L. Campbell, and A. M. Hadlet, of Wahash College. One volut.ie, 12mo., mwlin.
Price, $1 25.

CONTENTS.

I. Introductory. Albert i:*icket, LL, D.

II. Domestic education. T. J. Biggs, D. D.

III. Primary Education. George R. Hand.

IV. Duties of Teachers and Parents, Wm. H. McGuflfey, LL. D.

V. Discipline. Daniel Drake, M. D.

VI. Moral Influence of Rewards. S. W. Lynd, D. D.
Vn. Physical Education. Wm. Wood, M. D.

VIII. The Bible as a means of Moral and Intellectual Improvement. C. E. Stowe, D. D.

IX. The Formation of Society ; the propriety of including the elementary princi-

ples of our Government in popular instruction. By Hon. Judge McLean.

X. Classification of Human knowledge. Roswell Park, A. M.

XL Importance of Moral Education keeping pace with the progress of the Me-
chanic Arts. Rev. Beiyamin Huntoon.

XII. The Classics. Prof. T. M. Post.

XIII. American Education. T. S. Grimke, LL. D.

XIV. Mathematics. E. D. Mansfield, LL. D.

XV. Modern Languages. J. F. Meline.

XVI. The English Language and Literature. By B. P. Aydelott, D. D.

It consists of Elaborate essays on miscellaneous topics connected with education,
from the pens of some of the most distinguished men in the country. The essays
embrace a great variety of topics, covering nearly the whole field of education. We
need scarcely vouch for the real sterling value of this volume. — Michigan Journal of
Education.

It presents articles upon various themes of interest, by some of the truest thinkers
in the West. Such a compilation as the Miscellany presents has been much desired.
Every teacher should be provided with a copy for instruction and entertainment. —
Hamilton Intelligencer.

MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & CO., Publishers,

26 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

Farr's Ancient Hiftory,

Containing the History of the Egyptians, Aseyrians, Chaldeans, Medes, Lydiant, Carthage-
nians, Persians, Macedonians, the Seleucidw in Syria, and the Parthians. FromatUhentie
sources, both Ancient and Modern. By Edwabd Faru. Four vols., 12mo., muslin. Price,
$3. In Sheep, price, $3 60.

This work is much superior to ROLLIN, HAVINQ been RECENTIiT COMriLED FROM THE
LATEST AND BEST AUTHORITIES. IT HAS BEEN ORDERED FOR ALL THE TOWNSHIP LIBRARIES

OF Indiana, and must take ^ank as altogether thb best work op the kind for fam-
ily, SCHOOL AND OTHER LIBRARIES.

As a coiaprehensive ancient history, adapted to the use of families and schools, it is
probably the best extant, and will soon supersede all others. The style is terse and
vigorous, and at the same time easy and agreeable. The author has availed hinself
of all the modern, as well as the ancient sources of information, and carefully sepa-
rating the chaff from the wheat, gives ue only reliable facte. — Marietta Intelligencer.

We consider these volumes valuable, both to the youth and the more advanced student
of Ancient History, presenting as they do, in closer connection than we usually find
them in works of a general nature, the two sources from which all ancient history is
derived — sacred and profane history — and moreover, everywhere giving its due im-
portance to sacred history. The arrangement of the work we think highly favorable
to an easy and thorough understanding of the matter. In some particulars, we judge
it to be a decided improvement upon other works of the kind. — Western Christian
Advocate.

The compend of ancient history, by Mr. Rollin, has kept its seat in the library for
the want of a better to supply its place. Its author was distinguished for his indus-
try, and almost equally so for his credulity ; and his work is a mixture of fact and
fable, nearly as unreliable as it is entertaining. The volumes before us are based upon
the history of Rollin, but executed with a view to avoid his most conspicuous fault.
An attempt has been made to embody the truth and exclude the error, by a re-appeal
to the authorities, and the use of such new resources as have been made available sine?
the other was produced. The author appears to have executed his task faithfully,
and ihe work gives fair promise of usefulness. The style is clear and perspicuous, and
it will, we doubt not, bo a valuable addition to the library. — Cincinnati Commercial.

Moffat's Southern Africa.

Missionary Labors and Scenes in Southern Africa, By Robert Moffat, Twi..ity-three
Years an Agent of the London Missionary Society in that country. Twelfth Efl'-.cion.
One volume, \2mo., muslin. Price, $1 00.

The writer offers these pnges to the chcrches of his country as an humble contribu-
tion to their stock of knowledge relative to heathen lands. It contains a faithful
record of events which have occurred within the range of his experience and observa-
tion, and supplies much that may serve to illustrate the peculiar attributes of Afri-
can society. It may, he ventui'es to hope, tend materially to promote the study of
the philosophy of missions. It will furnish both the sage and the divine with facts
for which, perhaps, they were not prepared, and exhibit phases of humanity which
they have not hitherto observed. It will further show that, amid circumstantial dif-
ferences, there is a radical identity in the operations of human depravity, in Asia, in
Polynesia, and in Africa; and that while the Gospel is the only, it is also the uniform
remedy for the distress of a world convulsed by sin, and writhing with anguish. It
will present striking examples of the complete subjugation of some of the fiercest
spirits that ever trod the burning sands of Africa, or slied the blood of her sable off-
spring. He bequeaths his book as a legacy of grateful affection to the multitudes of
all classes, from whom ke has received tokens of personal kindness which while life
lastE, he will ever remember ; and as an expression of a deep solicitude to promote the
diffusion of the Qospel in that land to which his labors have been more particularly
directed.

MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & CO., PuhUshers,

25 West Povirth Street, Cincinnati.

Practical Lansdcape Gardening.

By G. M. Kern. Containing 22 Illustrations and Flans for laying out Groands,
with full dii cations for Planting Shade Trees, Shrubbery and Flowers.
Third Edition. One vol. i2mo.. Muslin. Price $1 50.

Mr. Eern has produced the right book at the right moment. — Putnam's Magazine.

His suggestions are in an eminent degree valuable, and hia opinions, (which are
expressed in clear, concise and lucid dif^tion), easily interpreted by even the most lim-
ited conception, fairly assert his claim to a station in the foremost rank of rural
improvers. — N. Y. Horticulturist.

It abounds in useful and tasteful suggestions, and in practical instructions. — North*
cm Farmer.

It is a very timely and valuable book. " * Better adapted to the wants
and circumstances of our people than any other upon the subject. — Ohio Cultivator.

No one can long walk hand in hand with Mr. Kern without being sensible that he is in
the hands of one who is worthy of all confidence. — Louisville Courier.

Has so nobly succeeded as to render his volume an invaluable acquisition to all.—
Boston Traveller.

It is plain in its details, and will be more valuable to the million than any work on
the subject of Landscape Gardening yet published. The mechanical execution of tbu
volume is the very perfection of printing and binding. — Ohio Farmer.

Admirably calculated to meet the wants of the public. — Boston Atlas.

By a careful perusal of this little volume, which will cost but $1 60, the purchaser
will probably find that he has learned what he has been all his life wishing to know,
and what will be worth to him more than ten times its cost. — Nashville Whig.

He descends to the minutest details of instruction, so that his book may be taken
as a manual for the practical operator. — N. Y. Evangelist.

Grape and Strawberry Culture,

The Culture of the Grape and Wine Making. By Robert Buchanan. With
an Appendix, containing Directions . r the Cultivation of the Strawberry.
By N. LoNGWORTH. Sixth Edition. One volume, i2nio.. Muslin. Price,
63 cents.

It contains much opportune and instructive information relative to the cultivation
of these two delicious fruits. — Michigan Farmer.

One of the books which pass current through the world on account of the great
authority of the author's name. — Hoboken Gazette.

There are no men better qualified for the undertaking. — Louisville Journal.

It deals more with facts, with actual experience and observation, and less with
speculation, supposition and beliet, than any thing on this topic that has yet appeared
in the United States. In other words, a man may take it and plant a vineyard, and
raise grapes with success. — Horticulturist

We can not too strongly recommend this little volume to the attention of all who
havo a vine or a strawl^rry bed. — Farm and Shop.

This book embodies the essential principles necessary to bo observed in the succcgs-
ful management of these fruits. — Boston Cultivator.

We have on two or three occasions said of this little book, that it is the best we
have ever seen on the subjects of which it treats. A man with ordinary judgment
can not fail in grape or strawberry culture, if he tries to follow its advice,— Ohio
Farmer.

MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & Co., Publishers,

26 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

i.WUl prove more generally usefnl than any otbcr work yet pnblUlieA om

OeoloKy.li

The Course of Creation.

By John Anderson, D. D., of Newburgh, Scotland. With a Glossary of
Scientific Terms. One volume izmo.. Illustrated, muslin. Price, $i 25.

It is thoroughly scientific, but popular in its style, and exceedingly entertaining. —
Zion's Herald.

The author's style is clear and engaging, and his graphic descriptions seem to con-
vey the reader at once into the fields of geological research to observe for himself. —
Ohio Observer.

Another valuable contribution to the cause of truth and sound science. Its value
is very much enhanced by the Glossary of Scientific Terms appended to it by the pub-
lishers; for scarcely any one of the sciences has a larger number of terms with which
ordinary readers are unacquainted than geology. — Presbyterian of the West.

We commend the volume to all who would be instructed in the wonderful works of
God. Chapters such as that on the " Economic History of Coal," and those on " Organ ic
Life " and " Physical and Mi ral Progression," have a special value for the student of
Divine Providence. — N. Y. Independent.

Dr. Anderson is evidently well skilled in geology, and writes with a freedom and
vivacity rivaled by no writer on the subject — except Hugh Miller.- Methodist Quar-
terly Review.

This book is intended for general readers — and such readers will be entertained by
it — but it is none the less thorough, and enters boldly into geological inquiry. — Boston
Advertiser.

One of the most interesting and valuable works on Geology that we have ever met
with. The author is a thoroughly scientific man; but his scientific accuracy does not
prevent the work from being understood by unscientific readers ; it is a very readable
book. — Louisville Journal.

ith
■ed
nd

(BS-

wo
ent
hio

Poetry of the Vegetable World.

A popular Exposition of the Science of Botany, and its relations to Man. By M. J.
ScHLEiDEN, M. D., Professor of Botany in the University of Jena. Illustrated with En-
gravings. Second American, from the London Edition of Ilenfrey. Edited by ALrHONSO
Wood, M. A., author of " The Class Book of Botany," etc. One volun'i, \2nw., muslin.
Price, $1 25.

Schleiden is one of the most distinguished and most accomplished botanists of the
present day. The exhaustless beauties of the vegetable world, its spiritual aspect,
lies beyond the reach of mere science. Herein lies the charm of this work. While its
author has everywhere exhibited the principles of science in the most attractive and
pcriiipicuous style, he has also contrived to blend with them the imaginative and the
spiritual, and thus to render his work the exponent of the relations of the plant to
the human soul. He has shown that the multiform vegetables of *he material
world are all ministering spirits. In a word, science and ^loutry are bcbudfully and
harmoniously blended together — Merchant's Magazine.

The originality of its views, the poetic charm of its illustrations, and the large
amount of positive instruction which it imparts, will recommend it to every reader
of taste and intel'geace — Harper's Magazine.

Prof. Schleiden's capital treatise on the teachings of the vegetable world would pass
muster with the most rigid utilitarian that ever existed. " '^ " It is as
interesting as the most attractive romance, as beautiful as nature, and as pleasing as
the finest poem. — Boston Atlas.

It is an interesting, amusing and instructive work. — Philadelphia Pennsylvanian.

MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & Co., PuhUshers,

25 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

Service Afloat and Alhore

Duriiuj the Mexican War. liy Lieut. Kathael t^i.iiMEs, U. S. N., liU F..;ii Li.'ntnMot nf
the Uime Squadron, and Aid-dc-camp of Major-Gemrul Iforlh, in the Hattax ../' /A, \\d-
hi/ of Mexico. One volume, Hro, iVicc, $1 7o. Illustrattd with numa^un LUhuyraplii
in beautiful style, by Onhen, and an official Map

His original descriptions are drawn with great felicity. Ho in a lively and spirited
narrator. His battle sketches are extremely vivid, and produce a deep impression
on the imagination. His pictures of social and domestic life in Mexico are apparently
true to nature, and present the attractions of a romance. Criticise s the military ope-
rations in a decided partisan spirit, but with evident ability. — N. Y. Tribune.

He is bold, capable, and coura;;eous. He can wield a pen or a sword with admira-
ble force an^^ dexterity. " " * As a writer, Lieut. Semmes is clear and cogent.
The firs* forty pages of the volume are occupied with a description of Mexico, its gov-
ernment and people ; and we know of no description of the kind, which brings the
condition of things in that unhappy country so distinctly before the mind of the
reader. The whole volumo, as a work of intellect, is worthy of a high place in the
department to which it be. ^ngs. — Louisville Journal.

Sailors are said to be persons of strong prejudices. And it is no small praise to the
author, to say that we have .'ever read a history evidently so fairly written, with
regard to the merits of the num'^rous claimants of military glory. o o o
We shall take our sailor and soldl<)r out of the ranks, and see what he has to tell of a
more amusing nature than battle fields. o o o After sailing about the
Gulf, and cruizing from Vera Crui to Mexico, and back again with our author, we have
arrived at the conclusion that he in as pleasant a companion as one might desire upon
a similar journey, and so commend him to the favor of the reading public. — Literary
World.

Burr and Blennerhassett.

The Life of Harman Blennerhassett, comprisin / an authentic narrative of tlie Burr Expedi-
tion, and containing many additional facts not heretofore published. By William. H. Saf-
FORD. Third Edition. One volume, \2mo., muslin. Price, 75 cents,

A volume on a subject of great interest. The fate of Blennerhassett, tempted from
an earthly Paradise by the wiles of Aaron Burr, and induced to risk his life, fortune
and honor on the ill-fated scheme of that brilliant adventurer, has excited sentiments
of pity and indignation in all who have heard of it. o o o j,ir_ SaflFord
has given us at length the interesting narrative. — Daily Times.

A substantial addition to the history of our country. — rresbyterian Witness.

Writtenby a judicious and able hand. o o o The life of the scientific
and distinguished Blennerhassett will be sought and read with deep interest.— Christ-
ian Age.

The materials for this volume have been gathered fh)m the best sources. — Presby-
terian.

One of the most interesting personal sketches that has lately been given to the
press. It delineates in graphic and true colors the rise, progress and disastrous con-
clusion of the great " Burr Conspiracy." — Ladies' Repository.

A man of cultivated tastes and peaceful disposition, he left his native country
because it was rent by political discord, and went in search of a home in the New
World — where he might pursue his favorite studies undisturbed. In an island of the
Ohio he found the realization of his hopes. o o o jjut his secluded habits
iid not content him ; and herein lies an invaluable lesson. Let it be scanned and
remembered by such as would exchange a life of active usefulness for unprofitable
repose. We were made not to vegetate, but to live and act. — Home Journal.

MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & Co., Picbliahers,

26 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

»-

Scenes and Legends

Of the North of Scotland. By Hugh Miller, author of "Footprints of
the Creator." One volume, i2mo., muslin. Price, $i

A delightful book by one of the most delightful of living authors. — N. Y. Courier
and Enquirer.

In this book, Hugh Miller appears as the simple dramatist, reproducing home sto-
ries and legends in their native costume, and in full life. The volume is rich in enter-
tainment for all lovers of the genuine Scotch character. — N. Y. Independent.

Fascinating portraits of quaint originul characters, aud charming tales of the old
faded superstitions of Scotland, make up the '.' Scenes and Legends." Purity of dic-
tion and thoughtful earnestness, with a vein of easy, half-concealed humor pervading
it, are the characteristics of the author's style. Added to these, in the present vol-
ume, are frequent touches of the most elegantly-wrought fancy; passages of sorrow-
ful tcndernbi<s that change the opening smile into a tear, and exalted sentiment that
brings reflection to the heart. — Citizen.

This is a book which will be read by those who have read the other works of this
distinguished author. His beautiful style, his powers of description, his pathos, his
quiet humor and manly good sense, would give interest to any subject. '^ ° There
is no part of the book that is not interesting. — Louisville Journal.

This is one of the most unique aud original books that has been written for many
years, uniting in a singularly happy manner all the charms of fiction to the more
substantial and enduring graces of truth. The author is a capital story teller, pre-
facing what he has to say with no learned circumlocutions We can not now call to
mind any other style that so admirably combines every requisite for this kind of wri-
ting, with the exception of that of his more illustrious countryman, Scott, as the one
Hugh Miller possesses. — Columbian.

The contents of the book will be as instructive and entertaining, as the exttn-ior is
elegant and attractive. Hugh Miller writes like a living man, who has eyes, and
cars, and intellect, and a heart of his own, and not like a galvanized skeleton, who
inflicts his dull repetitions of what other men have seen and felt in stately stupidity
upon their i;nfortunate readers. His observation is keen, and his powers of descrip-
tion unrivaled. His style is like a mountain-stream, that flows on in beauty aud
freshness, imparting enlivening influences all around. His reflections, when he
indulges in them, are just and impressive. — Christian Herald.

Tales so romantic, yet so natural, and told in a vein of unafi°ccted simplicity and
graphic delineation, rivaling Hogg and Scott, of the same land, will command a vast
number of admiring readers. — N, Y. Christ. Intel.

The interest of its facts far exceeds romance. — N. Y. Evan.

This book is worthy of a place by the side of the world-renowned volumes which
have already proceeded from the same pen. — Phil. Chronicle.

^t-

Roving Adventures.

By George Borrow, author of '* The Gipsies in Spain," " The Bible in
Spain," etc. With fine Portrait. One volume, octavo, muslin. Price, $i 50.

He colors like Rembrandt, and draws like Spagnoletti. — Edinburgh Review.
The pictures are so new that those best acquainted with England will find it hard
to recognize the land they may have traveled over. — National Intel.

We could hardly sleep at night for thinking of it. — Blackwood.

MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & CO., Publishers,

26 West Fotirth Street, Cincinnati.

Life of Dr. Chalmers.

lAfe of TnoxAB Chalmers, D. D., LL. D., tiUud In/ the Rev. James C. Moffat, M. A.,
Profator of Latin, attd Lecturer on II Mary in the College of New Jersey, Princeton
With a Portrait. Second Edition. One volume 12mo., muslin. Price, $1 25.

Professor Moffat has, in this handsome yolumc, with great tact and taste, man-
aged to condense the history of the interesting, exciting, and useful career of Dr.
Chalmers. It is a book for all to read who would trace not only the blazing traclc of
a great genius, but who would see genius, talent and power all combined for the good of
man. Dr. Chalmers combined the great and the useful in a largo measure, and was
at home both with the distinguished ones of the earth, and with the humblest of his
fellow men, and was admired and loved by all. — Cincinnati Gazette.

As an orator, a philosopher, a professor, a philanthropist, a successful parish min-
ister, and a learned divine. Dr. Chalmers stood foremost, not only among the great men
of Scotland, but of Christendom. — Commercial.

The memoirs of such a man as Dr. Chalmers should be in the hands of every one.
His life is a grand moral lesson — a golden example — a gospel of the 19th centuty.
His splendid talents, his intense application, his strenuous zeal, his glowing fhith, and
his humble spirit, might each have illuminated a distinct individual, and made him
famous ; — united, they dazzled, enlightened and warmed the world Times.

Chalmers moves before us — Chalmers speaks to us — we pass from chapter to chap-
ter, and page to page with the man we venerate, and catch the inspiration of his
genius and his goodness, o o o The author's idea of the work he attempted
to make is ours of that which he has accomplished. o o o Wg jjite t^Q
plan of letting such men as Chalmers speak for themselves in their biographies. —
Christian Herald.

*• «> " Prof. Moffat has succeeded, and we can not but believe his labor
will be widely appreciated. — Presbyterian.

o o o There is not much writing about the man. He is rather brought
upon the stage to speak and act for himself. — Christian Press.

o o o Thousands will heartily thank Professor Moffat for inviting them
to so rare an intellectual fbast Daily Ancient Metropolis.

Moffat's jEfthetics.

An fntroduetion to tfie Study of Esthetics. By James C. Moffat, D. D., Profetior of
Greek in the College of New Jersey, Princeton. One volume V2mo., muslin. Price, $1.

The title of this book may frighten some worthy people, with whom ^Esthetics is I
something mysterious, and, therefore, fearful. But the volume is a pleasantly writ-
ten and quite attractive treatise upon the beautiful in art — art of all kinds and of
every branch. Prof. Moffat seems to us a sound and clever writer. He docs not
assume to be original, but is systematic and clear, and very readable. The argu-
ments are illustrated by anecdote and quotations. — Boston Post.

Prof. Moffat has succeeded in making his definitions accurate, and his distinctions
clear and tangible. He has brought the aid of strong common sense to his task, and
while far from making up a volume of dry detail, has presented the subject in such a
light as to make it intelligible to all minds of ordinary strength.— Western Christian
Advocate.

The work of Dr. Moffat of Princeton, is simply what it proposes to be. ° " _" "
In simplicity of arrangement, and in the transparent beauty of its style, it is, we
think, far better adapted for a text book, than many another treatise of more pre-
tensions and fame. — Cin. Gazette.

It is a profoundly elaborate treatise, evinces a highly philosophical mind, and can
scarcely fail to secure to its author a recognized place among the lights in the depart-
ment of which he has treated. — Puritan Recorder.

MOOUE, WILSTACH, KEYS & CO., Publishers,

26 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

Romanism not Chriftianity.

A ttriet of Popular Lectures, in which Poperi/ ami Protestantism are contrasted ; showing th»
incompatihility of the former with Freedom and Free Institutions. By N. L. Rice, D. D.,
Pastor of the Central Presbyterian Church, St. Louis. Embellished with a fine Portrait
of the author, engraved on steel, by Jewett. Third Edition. One volume, l'2mo., muslin.
Price, $1.

EXTRiCT FROM THE PREFACE.

" The controversy between Romnnism nnd Christianity seems now destined to be the
great controversy of the nineteenth century. In Europe and America, Rome is mak-
ing renewed and vigorous efforts to regain her lost power ; but the United States is
her favorite field of missionary enterprise. The extent of our territory, the cheap-
ness of our lands, the fertility of our soil, and our free institutions, hold out strong
inducements to immigration from Europe. These, with other causes no less potent,
are flooding our country with immense crowds of foreigners, the very large majority
of whom are ignorant and degraded ; and a still larger number have learned from
infancy to yield implicit obedience to the teachings and ti-e commands of the Roman
clergy. This rapidly increasing population is placing in their handn a tremendous
power, which may well excite apprehensions in the minds of Americans.

" The Roman clergy, too, would seem to have become the friends of popidar education,
and are zealously engaged in establishing, in every part of our country, and particu-
larly in the great West, permanent institutions for the education of the youth of both
sexes. To aid them in this work, large sums of money are anniially transmitted by
societies in Europe, whose object is, to extend the influence of Popery. And although
the clergy disclaim any design to interfere with the religious views of Protestant
youths, thus inducing large numbers of Protestants to patronize their schools, they
do boast, in their letters to their European patrons, of the number of converts gained
there from our ranks.

" The time has come when it is most important that every man who is the friend of
true religion, or of free institutions, should understand the character of this growing
influence ; when Protestants should know what are the differences between us and the
church of Rome, and on what grounds they protest against her exclusive claims. They
will be zealously, plausibly pressed in every part of our land ; and therefore it is our
duty to place an antidote, if possible, in the hands of every family and every
individual.

The Puritans and Pilgrim Fathers.

A History of the Puritans and Pilgrim Fathers. The Puritans in England. £y Rev. W.
H. Stowell, Professor of Theology, Rotherham College. The Pilgrim Fathers. By D.
Wilson, F. S. A., Scot., author of " Cromwell and the Protectorate," etc., etc. One volume,
l2mo., mtulin. Price, $1 26.

It is the record of the hero age in English history, and of the origin of modern
social and religious liberty. This portable and cheap volume will undoubtedly enjoy
what it richly merits, a wide circulation. — Zion's Herald.

The entire story is written in a spirit of unusual candor and fairness, nejther seek-
ing to gloss over their faults, nor to depreciate the staunch and often heroic virtues
of the admirable men whose lives it portrays. The author displays a degree of enthu-
siastic veneration for the worthies whose lives and deeds he sketches, which, while it
in no way detracts from his merits as a reliable historian, will not fail to affect plca-
Burably every American reader of his pages. We commend the volume to the atten-
tion of the reading public. — Western Christian Advocate.

There is no history in which the American scholar should feel a deeper and more
lively interest than that of the Puritans and Pilgrims, whose principles are at the
foundation of our government, and whose virtues are interwoven with our history aa
a nation. — Newcastle Courier.

MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & CO., Publishers,

26 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

Three Great Temptations.

The Three Great Temptationa of Young Men. II ith several Lecturet addressed to Buntu$$
and Professional Men. By Rev. Samuel W. Fisher, D. D. Fourth Edition, One vol-
ume \2mo., muslin. Price, $1. .

CONTENTS.

THE SIKENS,

THE WINE-CUP,

THE CARIJ-TABLE,

THE CHRISTIAN LAWYER,

THE MOSAIC LAW OV USURY,

THE SLAYER OF THE STRONG,

THE PLAY-HOUSE,

THE WEB OF VICE,

THE PATH OF INFIDELITY,

COMMERCIAL MORALITY.

A work of unusual attraction. We know not where wc have seen these subjects so
impressively, yet so properly and guardedly examined. Far above common-place spe-
cimens. They expose dangers of terrible imminence, and urge persuasions of incom.
parable importance, in a way that offends not the taste, yet reaches the heart and
engages the thoughts. — N. Y. Evangelist.

Able and often eloquent. ** " ° A work which may well be put into the hands
of youth just entering upon life. — N. Y. Observer.

We shall put the book by upon one of the choice shelves of our private library.—
Boston Congregationalist.

The author's style is not less clear and forcible than ornate and eloquent - Detro't
Herald.

Characterized by earnestness, eloquence and adaptation to the end had in view — N
Y. Recorder.

Paints in vigorous language the horrible consequences of vice. — Boston Post.
We would that every young man in the land could be persuaded to read it carefully.
— ^Louisville Recorder.

The Chriftian Profession.

A series of Letters to a IHend, on the Nature, Duties, Necessity, Trials and Supports of the
Christian Profession. By Joseph Ci.ATBAnaH, D. D. Second Edition. One volume
16*710., Muslin. Price, 75 cents.

Extract from a letter to the Publishers, from Rev. Dr. Allen, of Lane Theological
Seminary :

Messrs. Moore, Wilatach, Keys ^ Co. :

Dr. Claybaugh's new work on the Christian Profession I have examined with consid-
erable care and much gratification. The practical truths connected with the subject
are presented with so much clearness and force that the book can not fail, it seems to
me, to be of great value to all Christians, and especially to those who are just enter-
ing upon a religious life. The sentiments are so Catholic that all Christians will be
able to use the work with like satisfaction and profit.

Yours truly, D. H. ALLEN.

All that is necessary to instruct the inquiring in respect to the nature, duties, im-
portance and necessity, peculiar trials, supports and consolations of the Christian
profession, is here presented in a series of fourteen letters, written in an easy, famil-
iar and graceful style, and with an unction suitable to the subject. It is just such a
book as pastors need to put into the hands of youth of their congregations. It should
be in every family and every congregational library in our church. — The Preacher and
Presbyterian.

The book is most appropriate to the times, o o o yfQ should be glad to see these
letters extensively circulated. — Christian Herald.

MOORF, WILSTACH, KEYS & Co., Publishers,

25 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

Hart's Mississippi Valley.

A Uittoty of the Valley of the Mississippi. By AnoLrHUS M. Hart, author of " Notet and
Incidents of American Revolutionary History," etc., etc. One volume 12mo., muslin. Price,
$100.

Nelson Cross, Esq., at a meeting of the Historical and PhiloBophical Society of Ohio,
reported on the " History of the Discovery of the Valley of the Mississippi." Mr.
Cross, at the conclusion of his report, says : " From a careful review of Mr. Hart's
work, and a comparison of its leading points with other histories, I am of the opinion
that the facts which the author has therein presented, may be relied upon as true ;
and much credit is due to him for his industry in gathering together so much valua-
ble information concerning the discovery and colonization of the Missisisippi Valley.

A succinct compilation from authentic documents of facts in the history of the Mis-
sissippi Valley, to the latest dates The work bears the marks of industry and dis-
crimination. — N. Y. Tribune.

Carries the story along spiritedly, and constitutes a trust-worthy authority.— N. Y.
Times

Easy flowing narrative, and graphic descriptive style, add greatly to the interest of
his work ; while the useful information it contains, commends it to all who desire to
know how the great West has been peopled, and its resources developed, amid the
vicissitudes and obstacles which the early pioneers and subsequent settlers encoun-
tered. — Nashville Banner.

A Buckeye Abroad.

Or Wanderings in Europe, and in the Orient. By Samuel S. Cox. Third Edition. Illt»-
trated. One volume, l2)no., muslin. Price, $1 25.

The narrative is lively and stirring. — Courier.

One of the very best of its class of travel narratives. — Knickerbocker.

The thoughts and observations of a thoroughly American scholar. — N. Y. Times.

We have read this book with a great deal of satisfaction. In his vigorous, ornate
style we recognize much of the glowing force of Gibbon. — Providence Journal.

The Kingdom of Brass.

Or the History of the World from the Birth of Alexander the Oreat to the Birth of Christ,
including the History of Judea during that period. By R. B. Bement. One volume 1 2mo.,
muslin. Price, $1 00. fmt ready.

Merry Old England,

And her Mttv /. By Miss Julia Cosnbb. One volume, 16mo., muslin. Price, 40 eenU,

MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & Co., Publishers,

26 West Fourth Street, Cinoiimati.

THE GREAT AMERICAN TEMPERANCE TALE,

Mrs. Ben Darby,

the Weal and Woe of Social Life. By A. Maria Collins. Third
Edition. One volume, i zmo., muslin. Price, $i.

The object of this Tale is to exhibit in different phases — in high life and in low
life — the accursed effects of intcmpernte drinking ; the bane of social life, the curse
of civilized man. The characters are well and sharply drawn, and the various scenes
are described with much spirit and graphic effect. — Boston Traveler.

It is not often that we read a stor^ of any kind, but we have broken our practice,
and have read this book, not only with pleasure, btit with a gratification which but
very few novels have ever afforded us. It is a quiet and simple, but still striking and
effective picture of American social life. — Chicago Tribune.

Has so many thrilling passages and well drawn characters, that you read it with
absorbed attention. It can not fail to achieve for Mrs. Collins an enviable popularity.
— Christian Herald.

Let this book circulate. It has a beneficent aim, and is the vehicle of admirably told
and most salutary lessons. — Presbyterian.

We know of no passage anywhere, more uniquely beautiful, more intensely absorb-
ing, more overpowering in the pathetic, than the thirty-fourth chapter. It is indeed
a gem. We doubt whether the celebrated chapter devoted to the death of Eva, in
Uncle Tom's Cabin, is superior. •> " " It is certainly the most powerful
temperance tale that we have ever perused. — Journal and Messenger.

Graphic, truthful, chaste, and deeply affect ing, the story winds itself into our feel-
ings, and we become absorbed in the plot, as if we beheld before our own eyes the
realities of the author's delineations. — Daily Sun.

Early Engagements,

And Florence, (a Sequel). By Sarah Marshall Hayden. Second Edition.
One volume, i2mo.. Muslin. Price, 75 cents.

The title indicates the character of this volume. The scenes are Southern and
Western, and the characteristics of each are faithfully portrayed. The plot is well
laid and replete with interest. The object of the author is to show some of the evils
resulting from early marriage " Engagements." She would teach the lesson that
" Evil is wrought by want of thought,

'••-—■ As well as want of HEART."

The style of the work is charming, and evinces deep thought and charming purpose
It is eminently calculated to interest all classes of readers. — Buffalo Express.

The subject discussed is one of deep interest ; one that never loses its importance,
and when so pleasingly presented in the earb of a finished domestic narrative, as is
this work, must have many eager students. 000 Written in a style of
great freshness and piquancy, we heartily commend it to our friends. — Louisville
Courier.

A very interesting and exciting story, which, while it is read with the deepest
interest, will at the same time convey instruction that may prove of inestimable
value. — Troy Times.

It is essentially a tale of paasion — of passion purified by religious principle. —
Republican.

A pure story of the heart's affections. a o o xhe characters are sus-
tained with great dignity and truthfulness to nature. — New York Observer.

I- * . MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & CO., Publishers,

i- ..'.:, J 25 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

VneavtleA I17 any other KAltlon In this Counlr)-, and HlmlUr to the eele-

bratcA iVldlnc Ktllltnn.

The Britilh Poets.

UOOBE, WILSTAOH, KEYS ft CO.,

Now ofFer to the Trade, at Publishers* Prices, a complete Collection of the
British Poets, from Chaucer to Wordsworth, embracing the whole Works of
the most distinguished Authors, with selections from the Minor Poets. Ac-
companied with Biographical, Historical, and Critical Notices. Edited by
F. J. Child, Boylston Prof, of Rhetoric and Oratory in Harvard College.

This series of the British Poets has secured the unqualified commendation of tho
press and the public, in all parts of the country, so that the success of the underta-
king is firmly established. It is universally acknowledged to be the best edition ever
issued, both in point of editorship and mechanical execution, placing it out of the
reach of competition.

Each separate work is sold by itself, and may be obtained in the following styles of

binding :

Black Cloth, gilt lettered, Per vol., 7o cts.

Half Calf, gilt, sprinkled edges. " |1 50

Half Morocco, gilt edges. " 1 76,

Full Calf, gilt, marble edges. " 1 76.

Sixty-nine volumes are ready for delivery, comprising the following: .

Akenside,

1 volume.

Beattie,

Butler,

Campbell,

Churchill,

Coleridge,

Collins,

COWPER,

Donne,

Dryden,

Falconer,

Gay,

Goldsmith,

Gray,

Herbert,

Herrigk,

Hood,

Eeats,

, Milton,

3 vol

Farnell, and

TiCKBLL,

1 '

Pope,

3 •

Prior, •

2 '

Shakspeare,

1 '

Shelley,

3 «

Spenser,

5 •

■ Surrey,

1 «

Swift,

3 '

• Thomson,

2 '

Vauohan,

1 '

Watts,

1 '

White,

1 '

Wordsworth,

7 '

Wyatt,

1 '

TOUNO,

2 '

UrOW IN PEESB, AND TO BE IS8ITED SHORTLY.

Moore, 6 vols. ; Byron, 8 vols. ; Marvel, 1 vol. ; Montgomery, 4 vols. ; Skelton, 3
vols. ; Scott, 7 vols.; Chatterton, 2 vols.; Chaucer, 6 vols.; Addison, 1 vol.; Southev,
8 vols.

The remainder of the series will be issued as fast as the volumes can be prepared.

Puke's Domestic Physician.

Ilomrnpalhic Ihwwstic Phi/tieiun, miititinin./ the Treatment of Ihnrastt, with popular erplan-
alioiu of Amitomi/, Phytiolnrm, Hijijime ami Ifi/druixtthi/ ; al»o an abridged Materia Med-
tea. Jli/ J. H. Pui.TE, M. 1). ,Si////i h'ditum. Enlaryed with gjiecial Ih/droj>alhie Diree-
lions, and illiutrated with Anatomical Plate), Twenty-firtt Thousand. One volume royal
V2mo., luilf morocco. Price, $1 oO.

For Aowiff ;>mr//fc this work is roconinicndcd ns superior to nil others, by Dr. Vnn-
ilerliurpli, of New York, Dr. Mull and Dr. Kossinan, of llrooklyn, Dr. Granger, of St.
Louis, and others of equal celebrity in ditt'erent portions of tlic country.

It is very comprehensive and very explicit. — N. Y. Evangelist.

A very lucid and useful handbook. Its popular language and exchi.xion of difticult
tcrniiiioldgy, are deciiled recommendations. Its success is good evidence of the value
of the work.— N. Y. Times.

This appears to bo a very successful publication. It tas now reached its sixth
edition, wiiich is a revised and enlarged one ; and we learn from the title page, that
twenty-one tliouaand copies have been published. Various additions have bien made
to the Ilonicopatliic directions, and the anatomical part of the work has l)cen illus-
trated with engravings. The work has received the approbation of several of our
most eminent practitioners. — Evening I'ost.

Pulte's Woman's Guide.

Woman's Medical Ouidt; containing Eaiaya on the Physical, Moral and Educational devel-
opment of Females, and the Ilomeopathie Treatment of their Diseases in all periods of Life,
together with directions for the remedial use of Water and Oymhastics, Jiy J. II. Pii.te,
I'rofiv.ior of Obstetrics and Diseases of Women and Children, Emeritus Professor of Clin-
ical Medicine in the Western College of Homeopathy, author of " Jlomeopathic Domestic
Physician," etc. One volume l2mo., muslin. Price, $1 00.

From Dr. Joslin, one of the moat distinguished Homeopathic physieians in the
country :

New York, May 2G, 18'JG.
Messrs. Moore, Wilsiach, Keys S[ Co. :

Oentlkmen : — Woman's Guide, by Dr. Pulte, beautifully and correctly depicts her
physical and moral development in the diflFerent stages and relations of life, and is
replete with excellent directions for the management of herself and offspring. The
book is highly creditable to its author, as a scholar, a philosopher and a Christian, and
is better calculated than any other, on the same subjects and within the same com-
pass, to remove many false notions and pernicious practices which prevail in society.
Respectfully yours, B. F. JOSLIN.

The style is beautiful and Rimple, the language appropriate, and the subject, intri-
cate and delicate though it is, made clear to the comprehension, carrying conviction
to the reader of the truthf'.ilne-3 of the author's remarks, and the necessity of living
according to his advice. We liave never met with anything of the kind so complete,
and so admirably a' ji ged -Daily Times.

As a contribution to popular hygiene, it may bo ranked among the most judicious
and instructive works on the subject that have yet been given to the public. The
delicate topics of which it treats are discussed with great propriety of sentiment and
language, while the copious information with which it abounds is adapted to lead to
the formation of correct and salutary habits. — N. Y. Tribune.

It is a careful and judicious work, worthy of explicit attention, and mothers,
whether of the Homeopathic faith or not, will iind it to their advantage to acquaint
themselves with Dr. Pulte's hints. — Columbian.

MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & Co., Pahliihcrs,

26 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

Teste on Diseases of Children.

.'1 llumeo/Hithic Trinlife on thr Diti'iiica nf (hilihfn. It;/ Ai.Pii. Tkhtk, Doctor in Medicine,
Memher of mcral karneil Societic*, etc. Trauslalal from the French, by Kmha II. Cotb.
One volumt, I'lmo., usiin. /'Wre, $1 '.T).

It is the only treatise on the Homuopatliio plan exprossly doTotcd to the dinonnpi of
chililren. Withnn'iit I'liinjiIi'tt'iicHS or dt'tiiil, it tloscribcs the i>rineipiil iliHcnHrd to
wiiich tlmt aL'c is siilijei't, to^otlicr witli their npproiiriato rtMiicdlcs. As n ini\tni.i1 of
diimoBtic pnictico, it iiiimt ln> wi'lcoine to tlio ri'i-i-ivcrH of iliiiiiiciiianit'8 systoin. — N. Y.
Triliiini'.

This is an oxcoUcnt worl<. " '■* ' It is distinjtiiichcd by cIchviu'ss of

statetnt'iit, pnicticiiliicHs of dirpction, and by originality of obsiTvalioii. Wlnit r ■ :
dors it parti<'iilarly viiliiabl*! to faJuilii's is tin- Himplicity of its dircctioiis, obviuti i
the doubt and uiicfrtaiiity wliicli attmil tlic attt'iujit to administer niediiincs ai'co • i-
ing to most Ilomoopatliic worlts. — ('lovolaiid U'ader.

Croserio's Obstetrics.

A Ifomfopalliic 3fiinual of Obstetrics: or a Treatise on the Aid the Art of Midwiferti may
dirive from llomeofiathi/. /?// Dn. C. Ckosehio, JfiAwi He I'EmhaHsade Ih Sardaiijne,
Memhre l)e Im Socii'tt! Hahnemannienne Ik I'ariit, etc., etc. Tramlated from (he French, by
M. Cote, M. I). Second Edition, One volume, l'2mo., mwUn. Price, 7/5 cent>.

It is only necessary to have it known that Dr. Croserio is the author of tlie above
work, to induce each practitioner of our schoo' to seek a coiiy of it wittiout delay. It
18 one of tliose few practical works which will aiil practitioners at the bcd.siile of the
sick. ^ '^ The vcduine may seem insigniticant, because it contains only 153
paj^ea ; hut our readers can hardly conceive of the amount of information whicii the
author has contrived, in the clearest manner, to express in a few words. '^' " '-
The practice is purely Homeopathic. — Ai.i. .our. of Ilom.

" " S'lows what Homeopathy has done, and can do. " " We take
pleasure in recommending it to Ilomeopathists. — North West. Journal of Horn.

Ilavinf; read the original, we can pronounce this a gooil translation. " " *
We think it a very excellent work ; such a book as has long been needed in Home o-
pathic practice, one manifesting in itself a great deal of clo.se and patient study and
research. — 1 hiladclphia Journal of Horn.

Rapou on Fever.

Typhoid Fever and its Homeopathic Treatment. By Aro, Kxrof, Doctntr en Medccine De
Faculte De Paris, Translated by M. Cote, M. D. One volume, V2mo., ntusHn. Price,
50 cents.

The original work, of which this volume is a translation, is understood by tiie stu-
dents of Homeopathy to be one of the moct valuable treatises on the suiyect that
exists in medical literature. It contains many original and striking views on the
characteristics of fever in general, while its practical directions in regard to tlie spe-
cific disease of which it treats, can not fail to suggest important hints to the intelli-
gent practitioner of every school. An interesting feature of this volume is a sjiirited
discussion of the use of blood-letting, and of water in the cure of typhoid fever.
The translation, which is from the pen of an eminent Homeop itiiic piiysician in
Pittsburg, presents the views of the writer in neat and compact English. In the pre-
vailing uncertainty of the profession with regard to the fatal scourge, to which this
work is devoted, its lucid reasonings, must prove acceptable to a wide circle of med-
ical readers. — New York Tribune.

MOORE, WILSTACH, KEYS & Co., FuhlisJiers,

26 West Fourth Street, Cincinnati.

Renouard's Hiftory of Medicine.

A History of Medicine, from its Origin to the Nineteenth Century, with an
Ap{>enclix, containing a series of Philosophic and Historic Letters on Medi-
cine of the present Century, by Dr. Renouard, Paris. Translated from
the French, hy C. G. Comegys, Prcf. Inst. Med. in Miami Medical Col-
lege. One volume octavo, muslin, $2 50. Sheep, Price, $3 50.

SYNOPTIC TXniiK OV C.«NT¥iNT»t

I. AOE OF FOUNDATION.

1. TRIMITIVE I'ERIOD: From the Origin of Society to the Destruction of Troy,

nsi, n.r.

■J. SAOUEU OR MYSTIC PERIOD: Ending with the Dispersion of the Pythago
roans, r^W K C.

;t. IMllI.OSOrillC period: Ending at the Foundation of the Alexandrian Librarv,
320. H. 0.

•1. ANATOMICAL PERIOD: Ending nt the Death of Oalen, A. D., JOd.

II. AOE OF TRANSITION.

A. OREEK PERIOD: Ending at the num.ing of the Alexandrian, ibrary, A. D., 640.

6. ARABIC PERIOD: En.ling at the Uevivol of Letters in Euroiw. A. D., 1400.

111. AGE OF RENOVATION.

7. ERUDITE PERIOD: Comprising tlic Fifteenth and Sixti-enth Centuries.

}i. REFORM PERIOD: Comprising the Seventeenth and Eighteenth Centuries

Frt>m iV<>/cMor JacAson, of the Univeraili/ 0/ Pcnim/Itvnia.

PHii.AnKi.rmA, May 1.

Ml/ Pfar Sir — Tho work you have translated, " HisUiiro do la Medccine," by Dr. P.
V. Ronouard, is a comjicndious, well-arr.inge<l treatise on the subject.

Every jiliysician and .student of medicine should Ih> acquainted with the liistory of
his seionee. It is not only interesting, but of advantage to know the views and tb<?
jnterpretations of th" same pathological condition iuvestigatcd at the present day, in
p;ist ajTcs. Tliey were handlini then with as much force and skill as now, but without
tho soiontitio light thatassists so powerfully modern research. Notwithstanding great
and truthful ideas, our valued facts and observations diawn from a study of nature,
are to Iw found in every era of our science, and in all 'he systems and doctrines that
have prevailed. Thoy are availaUe at this [inie, and shoi'ld not be neglected. Truth,
like the diamond, does not lose its brightness or its value ."Vom being imV'^d'.Vd in a
worthless matrix; it requires merely new setting to display Its benutv a'.d its worth.

Very truly yours, SAMUl^L .TACKSON,

The Wst history of medicine extant, and one that will find a place in the libvary
f>f every physician who aims nt an acquaintaroo with the past history of his profes-
sion. 000 There art» many items in it we should like to offer for tho

instruction and amusement of our readers. — American Journal of Pharmacy.

From tho pages of Dr. Ronou»rd, a very accurate acquaintance may 1m» obtained with
tho history of medicine — its relation to civilization, ivs progress compared with other
sciences and arts, ii, more distinguished cultivators, with the several tlioories and
vstonis proposoil by them ; and its relationship to the reigning philosojihical dogoias
of the several periods. His historical narrative is clear and concise — tracing tho
progress of uuvlicine through its throe ages or cpiX'hs — that of foundation or origin,
that of tradition, and that of renovation. — Am. Journal of Medical iScic.nce.

h ti uvrk 0/ prt\founii and curioiu rctftirch, and will till a j'larf in our Ku(fli$/i litcraiurf
irhirh haf hfretofore hem varnnt. It frffetitt a cmnpact iiVtc 0/ the f^ri\qrrii.^ 0/ Hiri/iVi;),- in
dificrriit iii;c.« ; a lucid n^'otition of the theorif* of ririii gfcls ; a clfitr drliutxiti'm of the
chanrjen of dijfrmit si/ftems ; toi/ethrr i/'ii' *hf heariiiji» of the whole on the progre»c. of civili-
sation. The work also aliounds in anmsiog and instructive incidents relating to the
medical profession. The biographical pictures of the groat cultivators of the science,
such as ilippocrntes, Oalen, .Wiccnna, Haller, Harvey, Jenner, and others, are skill-
fully drawn. Ih. Comegy* deservt* tht tkankt 0/ tiot onh/ the mrmltcru of the medical pro-
fetnion, hut niso of even/ .4mcrVciifi tcholar, for the fidelity and fuccttn with which his tufk has
htm perfoftned. — Harpers Magazine.

MOOllE, WIL? iWCH, KEYS & CO.. PiiNis/wK

26 West Fourth Street, Ciucii:ii..ti.

«BS

dicine.

Century, with an

Letters on Medi-

Translatcd Trom

mi Medical Col-

h so-

estruction of Troy,
n of the Pythago
txandriau Library,

'., 2(X).

library, A. P., G40,
«.A. 1)., 1400.

>nturii's.
ith Centuries

<Vi.

riKLPitiA, May 1.

deciiie," by Dr. P.

th the Jiistory of
iio views nnd' tho
c present <in.v, in
now, but without
ithstanding great
study of nature,
id doctrines tlint
cglectod. Truth,
g inil«';J.4pj i„ a

ty ai.d its worth.

KL JACKSON. ;
I

:• in tho libvary ;

ry of liis profos- :

to otler for tho '
arniaov. l
wobtainotJ witli '
lared with other

al tlii'ories and
Hijiliioal doguDis '
so — tracing tlio '
ation or origin,
jienoe. !

'"Sifflinh literature
.' <>/ nmtitine in
'rliiitiUion of t/ir
ri)t/resr, of cin'/i.
relating" to tlie

1 of the science,
hern, aiis skill-
Ifie tiietliciil /Trt-
fiieJi his task hia

... I

'iucii;iu.ti.