Chapter 22
Chapter 9, Part A of A Voyage Around the World, Volume 1 by James Holman. This LibriVox recording is in the public domain. Native simplicity, resources of the blind, royal village, gathering of natives, native priests, royal feast, inhospitable treatment, uncomfortable quarters, vocabulary of the native language, beauty of the female character, women of Fernando Po, anecdotes, aspect of the country,
productions, preparations for the settlement, discovery of a theft, mimic war customs, native chiefs, female on board, monkey for dinner, flogging a prisoner, accident to a sailor, a voyage of survey around the island, river named after the author, geographical and meteorological observations, insubordination, a man overboard, deserter taken, death of the interpreter, method of fishing, visitors from St. Thomas, ceremony of taking possession of Fernando Po,
interview with the native chief, celebration dinner, indirect roguery, chief and his wife, hospital near Point William, the Ghana, mistaken sea, suggestions on the slave trade, fishing stakes, schooner on a mud flat. Thursday, November 15, soon after landing this morning, I fell in with a party of natives with whom I shook hands as usual when a young female whom I have frequently met in the marketplace with her parents, perceiving that I did not immediately
recognize her as an old acquaintance, with the most natural simplicity placed my hand on her bosom, in the presence of her relations and countrymen who all laughed heartily and appeared to enjoy my astonishment very much. If, however, any of us had ventured upon such a liberty of our own accord, the men would have been highly indignant, for they were extremely jealous of their women and did not like us to show them any marked attention by purchasing their articles first
or making them a present in preference to themselves. Such a distinction and contradiction to the usages of civilized society being considered derogatory by these savage lords of the creation. Matthew Elwood, the young man who had been sent into the interior, returned today, and I am afraid without having derived much advantage from his journey. I expect, however, an opportunity of adverting more fully to its results at a future time. A quantity of bricks
were landed for the purpose of constructing a forge. The natives soon found out that they possessed the property of sharpening their knives and began to show a very eager desire to become possessed of them. Friday 16, the natives have crowded upon us in such numbers that we have taken up the stakes which enclose the market, with the intention of holding it in future without the boundary line. Several unpleasant occurrences have taken place, partly the fault of our own people
who have been criminal enough to sell their tools and partly of the natives who have been eager to purchase them. The following are perhaps the average terms on which our barter has been conducted. An axe would purchase a sheep or a goat and three or four inches of iron hoop from two to four fowls, from eight to twelve yams or two or three calabashes of palm wine, each containing about one gallon. Saturday 17, the number and confidence of the natives continued to increase, as well as
the annoyance we experienced from their importunities. It had been found necessary to protect the market by a guard of soldiers. On returning from the market today, near the border of Hay River, a party were daring enough to snatch the sentinel's bayonet from out of his scabbard and throw it into the river. The soldier, however, succeeded in recovering it and to deter them from proceeding to greater lengths, fired his musket over their heads. This alarmed them so
excessively that away they scampered like a flock of sheep without daring to cast a look behind, indeed such is their terror of firearms, that it is only with the greatest difficulty that they can be persuaded to touch a musket. Monday November 19, the young man named Matthew Elwood, who had so recently returned from his visit in the interior, where he had been sent by Captain Owen with a view of acquiring some knowledge of their language, volunteered to repeat it, accompanied by another
young man, and they had now been two days at the same village a few miles distant from the settlement where the king resided. Anxious to lose no opportunity of obtaining information respecting the manners and customs of this singular people, I determined on joining the party and fixed upon the present day for my journey. I've ever throughout life, but perhaps more particularly since the loss of my sight, felt an intense interest in entering into association with human nature and observing
human character in its more primitive forms. This propensity I previously had opportunities of enjoying in some of the country's most remote from European knowledge amidst the wilds of Tartary and the deserts of Siberia, and I can refer to the indulgence of it many of my more pleasurable sensations. I know that the world declaims against the absurdity of an individual circumstance like myself professing to derive either pleasure or information from such sources and maintains that
traveling by the fireside would better suit those circumstances and convey an equally gratifying interest. I answer confidently that this is not the case and that I believe the intensity of my enjoyments under the system I have adopted equals if not surpasses what other travelers experience through journey with their eyes open. It is true I ascertain nothing visibly, but thank God I possess most exquisitely the other senses which it has pleased providence to leave me endowed with,
and I have reason to believe that my deficiency of sight is to a considerable degree compensated by a greater abundance of the power of imagination which presents me with facility to form ideal pictures from the description of others which as far as my experience goes I have reason to believe constitute fair and correct representations of the objects they were originally derived from. It must be recollected that I have formerly enjoyed the power of vision and although my
colorings may occasionally be too weak or too vivid it is fair to infer that the recollections of my former experience are sufficient to prevent me from running into gross inaccuracies or incongruities. Place me as some have suggested in the situation of the man in the forest and carry me in a limited circle around the same point under the assurance that I was traveling to distant and ever-changing scenes and support the stratagem by every circumstance calculated to give it the
fullest effect it would never impose upon me for the tact which nature and experience have given me and the inconceivable acuteness of perception I derived from it would immediately detect inconsistency scarcely appreciable by others and at once overturn and expose the deception which was being practiced. At three o'clock in the afternoon I left the Eden for King Cove at which place we found a few natives who assembled on our landing. Anderson the interpreter had been
appointed to conduct me but Mr. Jeffrey kindly accompanied me for the first half mile in expectation of leaving me in the care of a chief of our acquaintance however before we had proceeded far the assemblage of natives had become so great and their opportunities to purchase palm wine and other commodities so annoying that I was glad when he returned under the expectation that his separation from me would prove as it did a diversion which by drawing off a considerable part of the natives
would permit me to continue my journey with less interruption. I now advanced with Anderson as fast as the paths would admit being anxious to arrive at our point of destination that evening my companion however was desirous of passing the night at the hut of a chief in the neighborhood of the beach and endeavored to dissuade me from prosecuting our journey this evening. I've already spoken of the qualifications of this man as an interpreter and have now to observe that he
possessed others which made him a useful medium of communication with the natives. For instance he was a good tempered fellow could laugh heartily whenever they laughed eat and drink whatever was placed before him however pugnant to an european stomach and being somewhat of their own color that is not many shades darker they were inclined to be particularly partial to him. Our path was at first tolerably good and lay through a level country but when we had proceeded about halfway
became hilly rugged and slippery particularly after passing the second of two streams which intercepted our road. A number of the natives principally women continued to follow passing evidently a variety of jokes upon us and laughing heartily at every false step I happened to make before we reached the end of our journey the number had increased to many hundreds who shouted and hallowed incessantly at the novelty of our appearance similar to a european rabble when
following any extraordinary sight. To relieve Anderson who had the luggage I took hold for a short time of the arm of a native who conducted me well until we became surrounded by a crowd of his countrymen and then whether he felt compelled to answer their queries or was proud of his charge or anxious to exhibit the high confidence reposed in him I found him a very troublesome guide for he was constantly turning his head over my shoulder and speaking or hallowing
to those who were behind him. At length we arrived at the royal village where Elwood and his companion came to receive us at the hut that his majesty had appointed for our accommodation. It was so late that my countrymen were surprised to see us and the king having retired we were obliged to relinquish the honor of an interview until morning. I therefore took tea and was happy in lying down for repose after my fatiguing journey. It was not without much concern I learned from Elwood that
during the present visit neither he nor his companion had met with the hospitable treatment or attention which they had expected. On the contrary they had been compelled immediately after their arrival to expose the contents of their bags and actually obliged to surrender up to the king one half of the little stock of iron with which they had provided themselves for the purpose of barter. The consequence was that after paying three pieces to the natives who had
conveyed their luggage another for a couple of thousand presenting a fifth to Canning a chief who had been Elwood's principal friend on his former visit and to whom he had given this distinguished name to secure his good services they had only one remaining for their future resources and it was by no means satisfactory to be thrown upon the casual generosity of the natives. It is true they had with them some salt beef and biscuit and it was understood when they
quitted the ship that Captain Owen had engaged to compensate the king for their protection and entertainment. Tuesday 20 at daybreak we were visited by Canning and several other chiefs who brought with them a large yam and some palm wine intended for our breakfast. We were from time to time in reply to our inquiries assured that the king was coming. We waited however two hours in vain expectation and at length sent Anderson to inquire into the cause of delay when we were
informed that his majesty was busily occupied at his toilet or in other words having his head dressed in order as I supposed to enable him to appear with more dignity on this important occasion. About eight o'clock he made his entree accompanied by several of his chiefs at first his manner was somewhat reserved but after our short conversation which held up to him the prospect of receiving presents confirmed by the actual gift of two large knives from myself he became highly
animated loquacious and agreeable. He now ordered a plentiful supply of palm wine which he caused to pass freely round and after staying with us about an hour returned to his own residence from whence he shortly after sent us half a dozen yams. There was a native priest resident in our hut probably placed there to observe our conduct and who for the whole morning had been occupied in smearing himself with colored clay. We noticed that this man during our visit performed every
morning a few religious ceremonies and repeated prayers in which the natives appeared to join. After the king's departure he began to exercise some of the more mysterious functions of his office. I know not what the occasion was but the ceremony consisted in frequent repetitions of certain short sentences in which the individual on whom he was operating occasionally joined and in the intervals between these sentences he shook a bundle of rods over the head of the ladder making
at the same time a noise which resembled the squeaking of a pig. I'm unable to communicate but little respecting the religious sentiments of this people. The duties of the priest appeared to be more surgical than clerical of which opinion the following are illustrations. A female applied to one of the priests with an inflammatory tumor on the hand after making an incision into the tumor and squeezing it in a manner which made his patient grin with pain he blew and spat upon
the part. Upon another person with an abscess of the eye with an accumulation of some white matter in it he performed the following delicate operation. Having first applied his mouth to the part he began to suck it with great eagerness and perseverance after which he ejected from his mouth a chalky looking substance which he appeared to have extracted from the diseased structure. This process he repeated several times with a similar result. These were at least substantial duties.
A priest at a sacred corner in the hut with a particular seat which none else presumed to occupy. The former are respectable for dirt the latter formed of a large stone with four smaller ones which served for legs or supporters. I endeavored in vain to gain any satisfactory account of their funeral ceremonies. No indications of graves have been seen by our people and the probability is as is not unfrequently the custom in Africa that they bury their dead under the
earthen floor of their huts. I know not whether this opinion will be deemed as confirmed or not by the fact that in returning from a walk this afternoon we passed a closed hut with five hats hanging in front of it the owner of which we were informed had died shortly before our arrival. Our friend Kenning supplied us with a fowl for dinner and when it was dressed appeared perfectly ready to assist us in disposing of it. The following is probably the general mode which
these people adopt of hunting or catching wild animals of which we had the fortune this day to meet with a specimen. A goat which was very wild had been secured to a rail when taking fright of the approach of my companions they contrived by floundering to break loose from its confinement. The king and some of his chiefs were at hand immediately ran for some long grass nets rolled upon poles and which were about four feet wide these they expeditiously unfolded and then
encircling the goat very skillfully and speedily recaptured him. They have however other methods of taking wild animals or on enclosing yam plantations with stakes seven feet high they place traps at the sides of the fence. Wednesday 21 we returned his majesty's visit this morning at eight o'clock he received us on the outside of his hut and seated me on a stone at his right hand but immediately after a few words had been exchanged he made signs to us to return to our
own residence where on our arrival we found he had sent a sheep with a view of giving us a sumptuous feast. His majesty accompanied by his chiefs soon after joined us and they immediately proceeded to the operation of killing the sheep which was conducted in the following manner. The animal having been first hung up by the hind legs its throat was cut gear being taken affecting this not to wound the windpipe the blood as it flowed was caught in a calabash and then
given to the priest probably to be reserved for some religious ceremony. The next process was to skin the animal in doing which the operator commenced with a four leg then the corresponding hind one then the other four leg and so on he then proceeded to the abdomen and afterwards completed the operation in the usual manner. The gall bag and bladder were now extracted and thrown away after which the whole of the remaining viscera were removed and placed aside for
subsequent use. A large portion of the flesh from one of the shoulders was now presented to the king who cut it into the form of a long string beginning at the outside and proceeding to the center. This he wound round a stick and held over a blazing fire until half broiled and then dividing it into a number of small pieces distributed them to the party around him doing myself the honor of presenting me with the first piece. The remainder of the animal was in the next place taken within
our hut where the stomach and intestines without any other preparation than imperfectly squeezing out their contents were warmed over the fire and then in nearly a raw state divided among the natives who ate them with great relish the king receiving his portion with the rest. His majesty now presented our party with a leg shoulder breast and small saddle and afterwards divided what remained among his chiefs reserving the head for himself which after being well scorched
he ordered to be taken to his hut. A more curious part of the singular feast remains to be described on opening the animal it was found to be with young when the uterus containing two lambs each about six inches long was as a particular mark of favor or respect placed in my hands but not appreciating the gift so highly as probably had been expected I immediately laid it aside. After the departure of the king it was a second time brought to me and I now contrived by shaking
my head and other demonstrations to make them comprehend that I did not intend to make use of it and that it was entirely at their service. This was without doubt very agreeable intelligence for having pricked the sack to allow the liquor to drain away and laid it for a short time before the fire. The whole was divided into portions and eaten up apparently with avidity and delight. End of chapter 9 part a
