Lander's Travels eBook

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

Lander's Travels eBook

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

Mr. Park related to the mansa the circumstance of the robbery, and his story was confirmed by the two shepherds.  The mansa continued smoking his pipe while he heard the relation, when, tossing up the sleeve of his coat with an indignant air, “Sit down,” said he to Mr. Park, “you shall have every thing restored to you.  I have sworn it.”  Then turning to an attendant, “Give the white man,” said he, “a draught of water, and with the first light of the morning go over the hills, and inform the dooty of Bammakoo that a poor white man, the king of Bambarra’s stranger, has been robbed by the king of Fouladoo’s people.”

He heartily thanked the mansa for his kindness, and accepted his invitation, but having waited two days without receiving any intelligence, and there being a great scarcity of provisions, he was unwilling to trespass further on the generosity of his host, and begged permission to depart.  The mansa told him, he might go as far as a town called Wonda, and remain there until he heard some account of his property.  Accordingly, departing from that place, he reached it on the 30th.  The mansa of Wonda was a Mahometan and, as well as chief magistrate of the town, was a schoolmaster.  Mr. Park lodged in the school, which was an open shed; the little raiment upon him could neither protect him from the sun by day, nor the dews and mosquitoes by night; his fever returned with great violence, and he could not procure any medicine wherewith to stop its progress.  He remained at Wonda nine days, endeavouring to conceal his distress from his landlord, for which purpose, he several times lay down the whole of the day, out of his sight, in a field of corn, yet he found that the mansa was apprised of his situation, for one morning as he feigned to be asleep by the fire, he heard the mansa complain to his wife, that they were likely to find him a very troublesome guest, as, in his present sickly state, they should be obliged, for the sake of their good name, to maintain him till he recovered or died.

The scarcity of provisions was at this time severely felt by the poor people.  Mr. Park, having observed every evening five or six women come to the mansa’s house, and each receive a portion of corn, inquired of the mansa, whether he maintained these women from charity, or expected a return from the next harvest.  “Observe that boy,” replied the Mansa, pointing to a fine child about five years of age, “his mother has sold him to me for forty days’ provisions for herself and the rest of the family.  I have bought another boy in the same manner.”

Mr. Park was much afflicted with this melancholy circumstance, but he afterwards observed that the mother, when she had received her corn, would come and talk to her son with much cheerfulness, as if he had still been under her care.

On the 6th of September, two people arrived from Sibidooloo with Mr. Park’s horse and clothes; the pocket-compass was, however, broken to pieces.  The horse was now so much reduced, that he saw that it would be impracticable to travel any further with him; he therefore presented him to his landlord, and requested him to send the saddle and bridle to the mansa of Sibidooloo, as an acknowledgment for his trouble and kindness.

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Lander's Travels from Project Gutenberg. Public domain.