at xed, f RECORDS OF CAPTAIN CLAPPERTON'S LAST EXPEDITION TO AFRICA: BY RICHARD LANDER, HIS FAITHFUL ATTENDANT, AND THE ONLY SURVIVING MEMBER OF THE EXPEDITION : WITH THE SUBSEQUENT ADVENTURES OF THE AUTHOR. IN TWO VOLUMES. VOL. I. LONDON: HENRY COLBURN AND RICHARD BENTLEY NEW BURLINGTON STREET. 1830. 5139430. CONTENTS OF THE FIRST VOLUME. Page INTRODUCTION ix SKETCH OF THE AUTHOR'S LIFE CHAPTER I. List of the Gentlemen and others engaged in the Mission. The Brazen sails from Portsmouth- Touches at the Madeiras, Canaries, and Cape de Verd Islands Pursues and overtakes a French slave ship Falls in with H. M. S. Swinger Arrives and anchors at Sierra Leone The Au- thor's first illness . 15 CHAPTER II. The ship sails again Captures a Spanish schooner with slaves The natives on the coast come on I CONTENTS. Page board Vessel anchors at Cape Coast Sails from thence, and captures another slave vessel Arrives at Whydah, where Mr. Dickson lands His progress through the country, and reported death The Brazen comes to an anchor in Bada- gry Roads The Gentlemen of the Mission give a last farewell to the officers on board, and proceed on shore ........ 29 CHAPTER III. The travellers reach Badagry, and leave that city on the 7th of December Dr. Morrison's illness Arrival at Latoo Captain Pearce and the Au- thor attacked with fever Enter Jannah Con- tinued and alarming illness of the party Their progress Dr. Morrison returns to Jannah . 45 CHAPTER IV. Deaths of Dawson, Captain Pearce, and Dr. Morri- son Their funeral The survivors, after meeting with various occurrences, and experiencing the kindest hospitality from the natives on their route, arrive at Katunga, the capital of Yariba, on the 15th of January, 1826 73 CONTENTS. CHAPTER V. Page Residence at Katunga Ebo the Eunuch Pantomi- mic representation by the Yaribeans Departure from the city of Katunga Arrival at Khiama Wow Wow Manners of the People Boussa Mungo Park 108 CHAPTER VI. Widow Zuma's Love Adventures Departure from Wow Wow Arrival at Coulfo Civil war in Nyffe Ceremonies observed by the people of Coulfo at the end of the Rhamadan Tornado at that place, and its disastrous consequences The Travellers quit Coulfo, and proceed on their journey The Author attacked with dysentery His sufferings Noble conduct of Captain Clapperton towards him They enter ZegZeg Arrive at Kano . . . .150 CHAPTER VII. Residence at Kano Captain Clapperton leaves for Soccatoo History of Pasko, the Houssa Inter- preter Pasko's robberies and confinement Return of the Captain with the Godado, after an ineffectual attempt to reach Soccatoo His second departure from Kano His Letters . .198 Vlli CONTENTS. CHAPTER VIII. P.ge The Author quits Kano to join his Master His ill- ness on the road Anecdotes of the Natives, and his reception by them Pasko's new robbery, and elopement He is overtaken, and brought back The Tuarick merchants The Author's arrival at Soccatoo, the metropolis of the Falatah empire Residence there Pasko's dismissal, conduct, and marriage ........ 231 CHAPTER IX. Religion Laws Government Amusements, &c. of the Natives from Badagry to Soccatoo Slavery in the interior countries Timidity of the people State of the Arts amongst them Dry and Wet Seasons ........ 270 INTRODUCTION. ON my return from Africa in the summer of 1828, I was so ill with fever and debility, that I had neither spirit nor inclination to devote much time to the compilation and arrangement of my notes, and of the short sketches of charac- ter taken by stealth in the heart of that conti- nent. My duty and sole design, in laying my Journal before the British Government, were to satisfy Ministers with regard to my conduct after the decease of Captain Clapperton, my lamented master ; and to make them acquainted with the manner in which the property left in my charge at Soccatoo had been disposed of, in my hazardous journey back to the sea-coast. Besides, I had not seen my friends in Cornwall A5 X INTRODUCTION. for a period little short of thirteen years ; and it is quite natural to suppose that I should have felt a longing to re-visit the place of my nati- vity, after so protracted and painful an ab- sence. It is not to be wondered at, when all this is considered, that my printed Narrative, drawn up in haste, and without having received the benefit of even the slightest assistance, except from a younger brother, should be incomplete, and in many instances carelessly expressed. To remedy, if possible, these defects, and to insert the relation of a thousand amusing inci- dents which had been overlooked, I have in the following pages given my Narrative a new and a more complete dress ; and I sincerely hope that my countrymen will not be displeased at my humble but persevering attempts to depict, in true colours, the customs and ceremonies of the powerful nations or tribes inhabiting that vast tract of country lying between Badagry and the beautiful kingdom of Houssa. The natives of the regions traversed by Cap- tain Clapperton and myself ever regarded our writing apparatus with mingled sensations of INTRODUCTION. XI alarm and jealousy; and fancied, when they observed us using them, that we were making fetishes (charms) and enchantments prejudicial to their lives and interests. To this cause is attributable the absence of many particulars, both in my master's Journal and my own, which, though unimportant in themselves, serve to pourtray, and to place in a natural and lively point of view, the most conspicuous touches in the character of the African, and gradually to develope his passions, prejudices, and remarkable superstitions. We were unwilling to raise up enemies against us in a strange land, by continu- ing, in presence of the people, a practice which awakened their jealousy, and served only to make us objects of distrust and hatred to them all. Hence we were obliged to cherish in our me- mory various particulars which we were unable, at that period, to put on paper; contenting ourselves with the hope that, on our return to England, we should have ample leisure to devote to the accomplishment of that object; this was, however, unfortunately frustrated by the decease of Captain Clapperton. I myself have Xll INTRODUCTION. consequently taken the liberty, in the following pages, of attempting to carry into execution the project which that intrepid officer had in view when alive, and in the full hope of returning to his native land. The recreations and songs of the people, as well as their wars, laws, religion and govern- ment, I have endeavoured faithfully to describe. Of course it cannot be expected that a person in my humble situation of life should have powers of language sufficient to give these descriptions the fullest charm of which they may be sus- ceptible: yet I have done the best my poor abilities would allow me. I have translated several songs from the figurative language of the natives into the English tongue, adopt- ing the similes, and copying the mode of ex- pression, as nearly as the idiom of the former would permit ; while, in the absence of techni- cal terms relative to law, &c., I have chosen words which have appeared to me the simplest, and which indeed occur most easily to me. The engagements of the Falatahs with their sable neighbours can scarcely fail of being inter- INTRODUCTION. X1H esting in many points of view ; and their man- ner of making war is characteristic of African customs. That aggrandizing power, like the government of Russia in Europe, is making rapid and gigantic strides towards an enormous despotism ; and should it hereafter possess so martial and enterprising a ruler as its founder, Dandfodio, in the course of a very few years the whole of Central and Northern, if not of Western Africa, will be under the surveil- lance of the restless Falatah; and the worship of snakes and idols be supplanted by the fana- tical tenets of Islam ism. The history of the far-famed Borghoo-Arabian lady, widow Zuma, is correct in every particu- lar ; the elopement of that most bulky individual will, it is trusted, be found amusing in the extreme ; and the whole train of her adven- tui*es her passionate fondness for white men the marvel of her extraordinary plumpness her excessive hospitality the splendour of her retinue and domestic establishment her inordinate ambition in attempting to dethrone her lawful sovereign, the innocent and facetious Mohammed her mournful reverse of fortune XIV INTRODUCTION. her confinement the song of her maidens and her last request, are singularly remarkable, and strongly pourtray the disposition and habits of an eminent African belle. The narrative of Pasko, or rather, I should say, of Abbu Beer, our Houssa interpreter, con- trasted with that of the amiable and accom- plished Zuma, will not be found to be altoge- ther destitute of attraction, insomuch as it shows the manners and superstitions of his countrymen much more pleasingly than a laboured descrip- tion of them would do; while the archness, drollery, and dishonesty of the old scoundrel, together with his warm and deep attachment to the gentler sex, and his entire devotedness to their service, are accurately related, as the cir- cumstances which called those various passions into action took place. After the decease of Captain Pearce and Dr. Morrison, when my late valued master and my- self were the only Europeans left of the mission, Captain Clapperton for various reasons thought proper to style me his son, and the natives ever after regarded that gallant officer as my father. INTRODUCTION. XV Surrounded as we were by strange faces and strange scenes, cut off from all communication with civilized society, and wandering, far from our native country, and all that was truly dear to us, in barbarous regions, and oftentimes through long dismal woods, and awful solitudes ; we became linked to each other by the strongest of all ties. Ours, if I may so express myself, were kindred spirits; we entered into each other's views, shared each other's gladness and melancholy, hope and despair, and partici- pated in each other's feelings and amuse- ments. It was for the interest of both to do so. It would not have been well for any haugh- tiness or reserve to be manifested towards me under such circumstances, merely because acci- dent had thrown me into a lower rank in life than my master ; and it would have been unfeel- ing, nay unmanly, when bowed down by pain and wretchedness in the heart of Africa, for a British officer to refuse, for no other reason, to the humble companion of his wanderings that confidence and friendship which he had in some measure a right to expect. Such, happily, was XVI INTRODUCTION. not the disposition of Captain Clapperton ; the difference in our respective conditions was willingly levelled, as it certainly ought to have been, by that gentleman ; and for my part I may justly say, that my attachment for him was so great that I would cheerfully have undergone any privation rather than that he should have been a sufferer ; or, if necessity required it, would even have laid down my life with pleasure for the preservation of his. To Capt. Clapperton I owe the existence I enjoy at the present moment; and for him I would have sacrificed, and perhaps I did sacri- fice on particular occasions, every considera- tion of personal comfort or convenience. To " smooth down his lonely pillow;" to mingle my hopes, and fears, and distresses, with his ; and to render the transition from life to eternity as easy as possible, were my employments when the unfortunate Captain was stretched out upon his death-bed, in a dismal solitary hut in Soc- catoo; and these services themselves, Heaven knows, carried their own reward along with them. The affectionate grasp of the hand the INTRODUCTION. XV11 trembling eye the look of approbation and thankfulness expressed more eloquently and feelingly than words could have done the gra- titude of my heroic master and preserver for my humble endeavours to serve him, when his cup of pain, disappointment, and sorrow, was foaming to the brim ; and the readers of my " Wanderings" will excuse me for dwelling on this subject in the chapter devoted to the illness and decease of Capt. Clapperton, &c. At this distance of time and place even, I reflect on that gloomy and distressing period with emo- tion ; I recall to my remembrance all that passed there disease, suffering, loneliness, and death ; yet do I often wish that my latter end may be as gentle as was my master's ; more calm I do not expect it to be less free from pain it cannot be. After all that I have said on this subject, the charge of having assumed too much conse- quence in speaking so familiarly of Capt. Clap- perton, will not surely be brought against me ; yet in conversation I have heard it asserted that this sin was committed in my printed journal ; but the remark needs no refutation. I have not XV111 INTRODUCTION. chosen to alter this imputed consequence in the following narrative, simply because there is no apparent necessity for doing so; and in this opinion the generality of my countrymen will, I am confident, agree with me. My description of the savage manners and horrid barbarities of the people of Badagry, at the celebration of their monthly sacrifices, &c. is by no means exaggerated. At present these seem unknown to Englishmen ; and my reasons for not relating them before are already given. I had no intention of having my Journal printed, and therefore did not study to render the perusal of it interesting by inserting in it observations that did not come strictly within the compass of the plan which I had originally laid down for myself. In the composition of the following pages I must acknowledge my obligations to a younger brother, and (with the exception of the cus- tomary revision of the printed sheets) to him alone. I should feel both pleasure and pride in expressing, in this place, my gratitude for even a hint received from any other quarter ; but as INTRODUCTION. XIX this has not, even in a solitary instance, been the case, I have no such thanks to offer. Although unused to composition, my brother devoted, during the past summer, the little leisure which relaxation from his daily labour afforded him, to the office of copying my notes and observations, and putting them into something like arrange- ment. Having become impressed with my thoughts, he has " turned them to shape," and, entering warmly into my feelings, he has depicted my emotions, even as I felt them ; and the public will best discern whether they are true to nature or not. 1 beg to introduce this little Work to the no- tice of my countrymen with the greatest humi- lity. They will not judge of it by too severe a standard; they will not I am sure they will not accuse me of presumption in my feeble attempts to portray the manners and peculia- rities of a strange people. I have done the utmost to render the perusal of my Narrative agreeable ; and to give the reader a correct idea of the state of society in the interior of Africa. It were unreasonable to expect that XX INTRODUCTION. my limited knowledge should permit me to give a learned or laboured description of re- gions which had never before been visited by Europeans ; yet I repeat 1 have done the best my power would allow; and no one will, I think, feel any disposition to question the truth of this declaration. THE AUTHOR. TRURO, October, 1829. INTRODUCTION. Since the preceding introductory re- marks were written, His Majesty's Govern- ment have engaged me to proceed to Fun- dah, and trace the river from thence to Benin ; so that before the public will be put in possession of the following Nar- rative, in all probability, I shall be on my way to the Western Coast of Africa. In this new undertaking I shall be ac- companied only by my brother (John Lander), whose assistance in the com- position of this work I have already acknowledged ; and if energy and per- severance can avail us any thing, I have the best reasons for believing that it will prove as successful as my most sanguine expectations lead me to hope that it will. XX11 INTRODUCTION. At all events, nothing shall be wanting on our parts to accomplish the object in view. If we be so unfortunate as to fail in the object, I may say with confi- dence and without vanity, that it shall not be attributed to a want of proper spirit and enterprise ; since we have made the fixed determination to risk every thing, even life itself, towards its final accomplishment. We shall endeavour to conform ourselves, as nearly as possible, to the manners and ha- bits of the natives ; we will not mock their blind superstition, but respect it ; we will not scoff at their institutions, but bow to them ; we will not condemn their preju- dices, but pity them. In fine, we shall do all in our power to ward off suspicion as to the integrity of our motives, and the innocency of our intentions ; and this cannot be done more effectually than by mingling with the people in their ge- neral amusements and diversions. Con- INTRODUCTION. XXlll fidence in ourselves, and in them, will be our best panoply ; and an English Testa- ment our safest fetish. Clothed in this armour, by the blessing of God, we have not much to fear ; but if, by any casualty or unforeseen misfortune, we perish in Africa, and are seen no more, even then our fate will not be more dismal than that of many of our predecessors in the same pursuit, whose gallant enter- prising spirits have sunk into darkness, without a voice to record their melan- choly end. If this should be our case, our countrymen may, perhaps, be moved to respect our memory ; and, at all events, it is some consolation to know that the gap we may make in society will scarcely be observed at all ; or, if observed, soon filled up : " For we to the world are like a drop of water That in the ocean falls." London, Dec. 1829. LIST OF ILLUSTRATIONS. Portrait of Richard Lander . . . Frontispiece. Pelicans feeding their young . . vol. II. p. 16 Funeral of Captain Clapperton .... 78 Fainting Scene ...... 93 Crossing the streams at Yariba . . . . 215 Heads of Natives with Tattoo marks . . 218 Ordeal by Poison 257 ERRATA. Page 8Q, for Kang read Kong. Page 156, omit the preposition " to" after " lead me." From p. 134 to p. 69, for Soecasoo read Soccatoo. At the head of chap. II. p. 29, for Cape Coast read Papoe. SKETCH AUTHOR'S LIFE. MANY allusions to my earlier history occur- ring in the following pages, it may not, perhaps, be deemed impertinent on my part, if I should attempt to give a short and hasty sketch of my life, devoted