Travels in the interior districts of Africa: performed under the direction and patronage of the African Association, in the years 1795, 1796 and 1797 / by Mungo Park, surgeon ; with an appendix, containing geographical illustrations of Africa / by Major Rennell.

  • Park, Mungo, 1771-1806.
Date:
1799
Catalogue details

Licence: Public Domain Mark

Credit: Travels in the interior districts of Africa: performed under the direction and patronage of the African Association, in the years 1795, 1796 and 1797 / by Mungo Park, surgeon ; with an appendix, containing geographical illustrations of Africa / by Major Rennell. Source: Wellcome Collection.

Provider: This material has been provided by Royal College of Physicians, London. The original may be consulted at Royal College of Physicians, London.

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    $39 found to be missing. Every person immediately concluded that the slaves had murdered the freeman, and made their escape. It was therefore agreed that six people should go back as far as the last village, and endeavour to find his body, or collect some in- formation concerning the slaves. In the meantime the coffle was ordered to lie concealed in a cotton field near a large nitta tree, and nobody to speak, except in a whisper. It was towards morning before the six men returned, having heard nothing of the man or the slaves. As none of us had tasted victuals for the last twenty-four hours, it was agreed that we should go into Koba, and endeavour to procure some provisions. We accordingly entered the town before it was quite day, and Karfa purchased from the chief man, for three strings of beads, a considerable quantity of ground nuts, which we roasted and eat for breakfast: we were afterwards provided with huts, and rested here for the day. About eleven o'clock, to our great joy and surprise, the free- man and slaves, who had parted from the coffle the preced- ing night, entered the town. One of the slaves, it seems, had hurt his foot, and the night being very dark, they soon lost sight of the coffle. The freeman, as soon as he found himself alone with the slaves, was aware of his own danger, and insisted on putting them in irons. The slaves were at first rather unwilling to submit, but when he threatened to stab them one by one with his spear, they made no further resistance; and he remained with them among the bushes until morning, when he let them out of irons, and came to the town in hopes of hearing which route the coffle had taken. The information . XX2