Read Ebook: The Argosy Vol. 51 No. 3 March 1891 by Various Wood Charles W Charles William Editor

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Attacked by Fever--Death of my Servant--Mr. Hutton--Buildings in Progress by him--Indolence of the Natives--Cheapness of Living--The Fantees--Their Superstition--Description of their Idol or Fetish--Their Customs or Holidays--Native Music--Rum, their favourite Liquor--Proceedings on occasion of a Death--Mode of Burial--The King's Custom or Holiday--Character of the King--My Reception by his Majesty--Comparatively neglected by the British Government--Fetish Houses--Native Funerals--Want of Natural Affection--The Yam Custom--The Fantees, the worst of the African Tribes--Their Power of Imitation--Wild Animals--The Patakoo--Granite and Sandstone--The Dutch Settlement of Elmina--A fine Field for Botanists--State of Agriculture--Excessive Heat--Message to the King of Ashantee--Cattle--Artizans much wanted--Murder of an Ashantee Woman

Annamaboe--State of the Fort--Indolence of the Natives, and Difficulty in procuring Labourers--Domestic Slavery--Missionary Schools--Want of Education in the Useful Arts--Hints on this Subject--Vegetables and Fruits--Town of Annamaboe--Soil--Natives--Reception of me by the King, and Conversation with him--Mr. Brewe--Mr. Parker--Excessive Heat--Little Cromantine, its impregnable Situation--The Fort--Cromantine--The Market-place--Extraordinary Tradition--Wonderful Dwarf--An Adventure--Accra--Wesleyan Missionaries--Natives--their Habitations--Wives and Slaves--Situation of the Town, and Soil

Strange Articles of Food--Native Cookery--The River Amissa--Reception by the Caboceer of Amissa--Soil, Fruits, &c.--An Adventure--Visit from a Hyena--The River Anaqua--Arsafah--Soil, Fruits, &c.--Beautiful Birds--Moors and Arabs here--Cattle--Return to Cape Coast--Hospitable Reception there--Invitation from the King of Ashantee--My Reply--Visit the Neighbourhood of Cape Coast--Coffee Plantations--Indolence of the Natives--The Town of Napoleon--Eyau Awkwano--Fruits Growing Spontaneously--Bad Roads--Singular Mode of Carrying Timber--Cotton Trees--The Dwarf Cotton Shrub--Scene of a Sanguinary Battle--Djewkwa--Native Houses--An Intoxicated Caboceer--The Caboceer's Presents--Account of him--Return to Cape Coast--Sail for Whydah--Winnebah--Method of Curing Fish--Natives--Stock--Neighbouring Country--The Devil's Hill--Soil--Yanwin --The River Jensu--Beautiful Birds--The King-fisher

Native Laws--Roguery of the Natives; White Men fair Game--Superstition --Fetish-houses--Colour, Habits, &c. of the Natives--Prevalence of Drunkenness--Disgusting Neglect--Fashion in Shaving--Tally System--Population--Accra--Mr. Bannerman and his Hospitality--Danish Accra, partly Demolished--Occasion of this--Attempt to assassinate the Governor--English Accra, its Trade much reduced by Competition with Americans--Currency--Merchants' Houses--Fruits and Flowers--The Coromantine Apple--Natives most expert Thieves--Population--Circumcision--Mode of Carrying Children--Sleep in the Open Air--Manufactures--Fish--Difficult Landing--Salt Lake--Soil--Gaming and Drinking--Population of English Accra--Stock--Cruel Treatment of Horses--Want of Natural Affection--Sail for Ahguay--Boarded by an English Brig--Mr. Hutton's Factory at Ahguay--A Drunken Caboceer--His Dress and Attendants--A Principal Fetish-woman, her Dress--Dance performed by her--Natives of Ahguay--Slave-merchants--Cotton and Indigo--Markets--Treatment of Slaves--Characteristics of Africans--Fish--Method of Dressing the Crab--Alligators--Alligator-hunt--Plants and Fruits--The Velvet-Tamarind--Popoe--Mr. Lawson, a Native Merchant--Introduction to his Wives--Merchants, their Mode of Living--Slave-Trade--Population-- Manufactures--Gaming and Drinking--Kankie--M. de Suza's Slave Establishment--His House--His Domestic Slaves--Noisy Reception by the Caboceer--Treatment of Slaves

Gregapojee--Extensive Market at--Native Produce and European Manufactures--Popoe Beads, their Value; probable Origin of--Houses-- Situation and Soil of Gregapojee--Fish--Alligators--Population--Return to Ahguay, and thence to Whydah--Toll-house--Fish-trap--Travelling Canoe--Beautiful Scenery of the Lagoon--Oysters growing to Trees--Old Ferryman--Gibbets of three Criminals--Murder committed by them--The English Fort at Whydah--Character of M. de Suza--Treatment of Slaves--Hints with reference to this odious Traffic--Price of Slaves--Slave Hunts--Necessity for Education--Cruelty in the Shipment of Slaves--Visit to Avoga--Account of him--Reception by him--Mode of Riding--Bad Road--Reason for not Repairing it--Market at Whydah--Native Manufactures, &c.--Duties imposed by the King of Dahomey--His Enormous Revenue--Head Money--System of Government--Severe Laws, and their Result--Paganism--Abject Superstition of the Natives--Dangerous to show Contempt for their Fetish--Anniversary Offerings for departed Friends--Usual Termination of such Festivals--Snake Worship--Houses built to contain them--The Snake-Lizard--The Field-Lizard--The House-Lizard--Vampire Bats

Locusts--The Winged Ant--Its Destructive Nature--Horse attacked by them--Their Ingenuity in Building--Stock--Great Want of Mechanics--Portuguese Whydah--Emigrants from Sierra Leone--Their Deplorable Condition--English at the Fort of Whydah--Military Resources of Dahomey--Polygamy--Mode of Shipping Slaves--Brutality on these occasions--Porto Sogoora--Mr. Lawson's Slaves--Greejee--Toll imposed there--Zahlivay--Yakasgo-- Badaguay--The Cabbage Palm-tree--Wooded Scenery--The Palm-tree--Exploring Visit to the Haho--Misfortunes of Ithay Botho, Capt. Clapperton's Servant--Adventures--Curiosity of the Natives--Podefo and its Market--Alligators--My Crew mutiny from fear--Hippopotami--Superstition of the Natives--A party of Fishermen, and their Fish-traps--Base Conduct of the Fishermen--My Punishment of them and my Crew

My lonely Situation--Akwoaay, its Population, &c.--Kind Reception by the Gadadoo--Native House of two Stories--Gigantic Cotton-tree--Etay, a Vegetable of the Yam tribe--Voracity of the Natives--Soil, Manufactures, &c. of Akwoaay--Natives of Porto Sogoora--Visit of the Caboceer--Mode of catching Crabs--Great Heat--Visit from Native Women--Mr. Lawson of Popoe--Character of the Natives--Attempt at Murder--Nocturnal Visit--Superstition--Vicinity of a Fetish-house--Flocks of Monkeys--The Monkey, an article of Food--Disagreeable Situation--Cravings of Hunger--Visit to the Greejee Market--An Alligator killed--Usual Notice to the Authorities on such occasions--The Alligator used as Food--Cruelty of the Natives to the Horse--Return to Whydah--Bad Conduct of my Canoemen--Adventures--Arrival at Whydah--Preparations for my Journey to Abomey--Country around Whydah--Farms--Emigrants from Sierra Leone Slave-dealers--Generosity of the King of Dahomey--Soil of Whydah--Corn-mill--Ferns, Vegetables, Fruits, &c.

Manufacture of Salt--Death of Dr. M'Hardy--Falling Stars--Manioc, the Food of the Slaves--Crops--Mode of storing Grain--Superstition-- Hospitality of Don Francisco de Suza--A Tornado--Slave Auctions--Punishment for killing Fetish Snakes--Slaughter of Dogs, &c.--Dogs used as Food--An English Dog rescued--Thievish Propensities of the Natives--Falling Stars--Murder of two Wives--Adjito--A heavy Tornado--Robbed by my Servant--American Brig sold to Slave Merchants--Shipment of Slaves--Sharks--Death caused by one--Preparations for my Journey to the Kong Mountains--M. de Suza's Liberality--His Opinion of Englishmen

Set out on my Journey for Abomey--Savay--Torree--My wretched Condition--Azoway--Parasitical Plants--Aladda--Cotton tree--Atoogo-- Assewhee--Havee--A Butterfly-School--Whyboe--Construction of the Houses--Native Customs--Manufactures--African Character generally--Population of Whyboe--Akpway--An extensive Swamp--Ahgrimmah--Togbadoe--Scenery--Soil--Swarm of Locusts

Canamina, its Population--Adawie--Preparations for entering the Capital--Abomey--My hospitable Reception--Visit from Mayho, the Prime Minister--Message from the King--The Palace--The Market-place--Dead Bodies of Criminals hung up--My Reception by his Majesty--Ceremony on Introduction--Conversation with the King--Perform the Sword Exercise before him--His Approbation--Troops of Female Soldiers--The King's Person--Ceremony of the Introduction of Military Officers--Dress of the Female Soldiers--Introduced to the King's Chiefs--Visits--The King's Staff--Review of Native Troops--Feigned Attack on a Town--The King's Soldier-wives--Ashantee Prince--His Majesty's Opinion of England and the English--The vain Boasting of the Ashantee Prince silenced by the King--Principal Officers--The Dahoman Women formidable Soldiers

Visit to the King at his Palace--Description of it--Reception by his Majesty--Gaudy Dress of the Attendants--Masks, Ornaments, &c.--Occasion of the War between the Mahees and Dahomans, and its Result--The King's Walking-staffs--Dance performed by his Majesty--Another Review of Female Troops--Execution of Four Traitors--Horrible Occurrence--Disgusting office of the Blood-drinker--Ludicrous Scene--The King's Mother and Grandmother--Dance performed by them--Costume of the King's Favourite Wives--I perform on the Jew's Harp--I dance with his Majesty--His Message to the Queen of England--Ridiculous Customs--Court of Appeal established at Abomey--Character of the King--Domestic Slavery--A Slave-hunt--Military Distinctions--Want of Natural Affection in the Natives--Roguery of my Servant--The King's Commissions to me--An Interesting Incident--Murderous Attack on me by my Servant--Inquiry into the Occurrence--My Servant compelled to accompany me

Departure for the Kong Mountains--My Dahoman Guards and their several Duties--The King's Wife--Neighbouring Krooms--Soil and Aspect of the Country--Varied Scenery--Cana--Bobay--Illness of my Servant--Immense Blocks of Granite--Custom-house--Duties imposed--Milder Laws established--Dtheno--Travelling Traders--The Azowah--Destruction of the Shea Butter-tree--Its Manufacture declared to be lawful--Description of this Tree--Immense Mountains--Ruins of Managlwa--Destruction of that Town by the Dahomans--Beautiful Scenery--Markets--Setta Dean--Reception by the Caboceer--Dance performed by him--Setta--Serenade--Supply of Provisions--Custom of Tasting--The Caboceer's Speech--The Natives expert as Cooks--Variety of Food--Palm Oil--Occro--Presents from the Caboceer--The Widow's Mite--Harmless Deception--Presents to the Natives--Dance performed by the Soldiers--Situation of Setta; its Soil, &c.--Its Population

Wood Cuts.

DAHOMAN WEAPONS 226

DESCRIPTION OF THESE WEAPONS:--

No. 1.--A long straight dagger, with snake on the hilt, to bite the Mahee people.

No. 2.--A large heavy knife, with imitation of tigers' claws on the back, to hook the Mahee people when running away. This knife is about the substance of the English bill-hook.

No. 3.--A very broad, thin knife, with a Dahomey man in the act of shooting a Mahee man. This knife is made of silver, and is more for ornament than use.

Nos. 4 and 5 are King's battle-sticks: the angle of the handle into which the blade is fixed is the natural growth of the wood.

TRAVELS

WESTERN AFRICA.

On landing I was stopped by several Jews as well as Moors offering their services to show me the town and market, this day being their principal market-day. The town of Tangiers is strongly fortified towards the sea, but quite defenceless from the land. The houses are generally square, and nearly flat-roofed, and the whole town is built on a steep declivity towards the bay. There is no regularity in the streets. The main street is from the bay, or landing-place, close to which is the custom-house. It is about a quarter of a mile in length, narrow, crooked, and very badly paved, with shops on each side, similar to the butchers' shops in England, but not so clean. This street leads through the centre of the town to the outer wall, immediately behind which the market is held. The market-place is in a hollow immediately behind the town, but not enclosed in any way. It appeared to be well supplied with cattle and meat.

Their method of storing grain, in case of its not being sold or in case of rain, is very simple. At short distances from each other in the part of the market arranged or allotted for the sale of grain, holes are dug, about four or five feet square, and the same in depth, into which the corn is deposited until the next market-day. These pits are lined with wood, and when the grain or other goods are deposited, the cover is sealed by the market officer or sheriff, who regulates the price of every article of consumption exposed for sale.

The foreign inhabitants consist of various races, chiefly from France, Spain, Portugal, and England; the fewest in number are English, comprising only the English Consul's establishment. With the exception of the native Moors, the French and Jews are the most numerous, and their character is the same as I have found it in all countries wherever I have met them. The moment you set your foot on shore you are assailed by a host of Jews and Moors, eager to direct you to their houses to trade with them. The Jews are generally most successful, being more civilized than the Moors. They speak good English, as well as many other languages, and most of the Moors who can speak English or French, are employed by the Jews as "cads" to direct strangers to their employer's house. If they find you at all impatient at their solicitations, they invariably invite you to go to their house and drink a glass of wine with them. If you deal with them, you are supplied with a glass, or even two, but are sure to pay for it in the price of the article purchased. If you should not purchase any thing, whatever wine or spirit happens to be your choice, they are sure to be in want of, or it is so bad that they cannot recommend it; yet upon the whole they are preferable to the Moors. If you have money they treat you with great civility.

Their houses are remarkably clean, and their dress is very simple and graceful. Both male and female Jews dress in the Moorish fashion. They seldom seat themselves otherwise than on a mat. Upon my entering a Jewish dwelling, in a hall on the left-hand side, the occupant's daughter was seated busily engaged in sewing. She was certainly one of the most beautiful and graceful women I ever beheld, and readily offered to shake hands with me. On the opposite side of the entrance-hall lay a heap of wheat. The latter no doubt for sale, and probably the former also to be disposed of in the matrimonial market. On entering an inner apartment, I was introduced to the rest of the family, five in number, all remarkably clean. In the corner of this apartment was a young man, about twenty years of age, apparently a Moor, who showed article after article for sale, as a hawker would in England. Amongst the articles exhibited were French and Spanish cottons, morocco slippers of various patterns, silk girdles beautifully embroidered, and ladies' reticules of a very rich pattern, also beautifully embroidered with gold, on velvet of various colours, chiefly green or red.

I observed during my short stay only two different kinds of trade practised in Tangiers--shoe-making and gun-making. The gun-makers showed much ingenuity, considering the clumsiness of their tools: they even twist their barrels. In general, I cannot speak very favourably of the cleanliness of the Moors, as compared with the Jews. Their streets are very dirty,--sheep-skulls, horns, and other parts of different animals, being thrown into the streets; and on the outer skirts of the market-place may be seen a number of dead dogs and kittens, which have been carried there and left to perish, for they have not the humanity to put them to death by any other means.

I had an opportunity of visiting the Swiss Consul's garden, which is laid out with considerable taste, and abounds with fruit, among which I observed very fine oranges and citrons, and remarkably fine figs. There is also a burial-ground, where Christians of all nations are interred, amongst which were pointed out by my Moorish guide the graves of an English family, consisting of a father, mother, and two children, who had been robbed and murdered by the Moors.

I was informed by several of the inhabitants that it is very dangerous for any stranger to proceed more than a mile or two from the town, unless attended by a mounted soldier, who is appointed by the Governor, and receives a dollar per day.

The cactus grows here wild, and of gigantic size; although in the immediate vicinity of the town little vegetation is apparent. Of the minor class, the orange, citron, and saffron shrub, with some large aloes, are the chief plants I observed. The place seems altogether poor; but from information I obtained, it would appear that trade was much better some time back, before many of the Jews left the place on account of the disturbed state of the country. In fact, the inhabitants are now in hourly expectation of the French blockading the town. There is at present a Spanish frigate at anchor abreast of the town; and sinho states that he found it in his muniment chest among a lot of old title deeds, leases, etc., the first time he waded through them after coming into possession of his property. Neither he nor any friend to whom he has shown it can make out its meaning, and I must confess to being myself one of the puzzled. My friend is very anxious to have it deciphered, as he thinks it may in some way relate to his property, or to some secret bit of family history with which it would be advisable that he should become acquainted. Anyhow, he gave it to me to bring to town, with a request that I should seek out someone clever in such things, and try to get it interpreted for him. Now I know of no one except yourself who is at all expert in such matters. You, I remember, used to take a delight that to me was inexplicable in deciphering those strange advertisements which now and again appear in the newspapers. Let me therefore ask of you to bring your old skill to bear in the present case, and if you can make me anything like a presentable translation to send back to my friend the laird, you will greatly oblige

"Your friend,

"E. DUCIE."

The MS. consisted of three or four sheets of deed-paper fastened together at one corner with silk. The prefatory note was on the first sheet. This first sheet Ducie cut away with his penknife and locked up in his desk. The remaining sheets he sent to his friend Bexell, together with the note which he had written.

Three days later Mr. Bexell returned the sheets with his reply. In order properly to understand this reply it will be necessary to offer to the reader's notice a specimen of the MS. The conclusion arrived at by Mr. Bexell, and the mode by which he reached them, will then be more clearly comprehensible.

The following is a counterpart of the first few lines of the MS.:

The following is Mr. Bexell's reply to his friend Captain Ducie:

"MY DEAR DUCIE,--With this note you will receive back your confounded MS., but without a translation. I have spent a good deal of time and labour in trying to decipher it, and the conclusions at which I have arrived may be briefly laid before you.

"Now, my dear Ducie, it would be wearisome for me to describe, and equally wearisome for you to read, the processes of reasoning by means of which the above deductions have been arrived at. But in order to satisfy you that my assumptions are not entirely fanciful or destitute of sober sense, I will describe to you, as briefly as may be, the process by means of which I have come to the conclusion that the book used as the basis of the cryptogram was not a dictionary or other work in which the words come in alphabetical rotation; and such a conclusion is very easy of proof.

"Having once arrived at the conclusion that some book had been used as the basis of the cryptogram, my next supposition that each group of three sets of numbers showed the page of the book, the number of the line from the top, and the position of the required word in that line, seemed at once borne out by an analysis of the figures themselves. Thus, taking the first set of figures in each group, I found that in no case did they run to a higher number than 500, which would seem to indicate that the basis-book was limited to that number of pages. The second set of figures ran to no higher number than 60, which would seem to limit the lines on each page to that number. The third set of figures in no case yielded a higher number than 12, which numerals, according to my theory, would indicate the maximum number of words in each line. Thus you have at once a sort of a key to the size of the required volume.

"I think I have now written enough, my dear Ducie, to afford you some idea of the method by means of which my conclusions have been arrived at. If you wish for further details I will supply them--but by word of mouth, an it be all the same to your honour; for this child detests letter-writing, and has taken a vow that if he reach the end of his present pen-and-ink venture in safety, he will never in time to come devote more than two pages of cream note to even the most exacting of friends: the sequitur of which is, that if you want to know more than is here set down you must give the writer a call, when you shall be talked to to your heart's content.

"Your exhausted friend,

"GEO. BEXELL."

He was terribly chagrined to think that the act of genteel petty larceny, by which he had lowered himself more in his own eyes than he would have cared to acknowledge, had been so absolutely barren of results. That portion of his moral anatomy which he would have called his conscience pricked him shrewdly now and again, but such pricks had their origin in the fact of his knavery having been unsuccessful. Had his wrong-doing won for him such a prize as he had fondly hoped to gain by its means, Conscience would have let her rusted spear hang unheeded on the wall, and beyond giving utterance now and then to a faint whisper in the dead of night, would have troubled him not at all.

Next morning he went to one of the most famous bookdealers in the metropolis. The book inquired for by Ducie was not known to the man. But that did not say that there was no such work in existence. Through his agents at home and abroad inquiry should be made, and the result communicated to Captain Ducie. Therewith the latter was obliged to content himself. Three days later came a pressing note of invitation from Platzoff.

BON REPOS.

On a certain fine morning towards the end of May, Captain Ducie took train at Euston Square, and late the same afternoon was set down at Windermere. A fly conveyed himself and his portmanteau to the edge of the lake. Singling out one from the tiny fleet of pleasure boats always to be found at the Bowness landing-stage, Captain Ducie seated himself in the stern and lighted his cigar. The boatman's sinewy arms soon pulled him out into the middle of the lake, when the head of the little craft was set for Bon Repos.

The sun was dipping to the western hills. In his wake he had left a rack of torn and fiery cloud, as though he had rent his garments in wrath and cast them from him. Soft, grey mists and purple shadows were beginning to strike upward from the vales, but on the great shoulders of Fairfield, and on the scarred fronts of other giants further away, the sunshine lingered lovingly. It was like the hand of Childhood caressing the rugged brows of Age.

With that glorious panorama which crowns the head of the lake before his eyes, with the rhythmic beat of the oars and the soft pulsing of the water in his ears, with the blue smoke-rings of his cigar rising like visible aspirations through the evening air, an unwonted peace, a soft brooding quietude, began to settle down upon the Captain's world-worn spirit; and through the stillness came a faint whisper, like his mother's voice speaking from the far-off years of childhood, recalling to his memory things once known, but too long forgotten; lessons too long despised, but with a vital truth underlying them which he seemed never to have realised till now. Suddenly the boat's keel grazed the shingly strand, and there before him, half shrouded in the shadows of evening, was Bon Repos.

A genuine north-country house, strong, rugged and homely-looking, despite its Gallic cognomen. It was built of the rough grey stone of the district, and roofed with large blue slates. It stood at the head of a small lawn that sloped gently up from the lake. Immediately behind the house a precipitous hill, covered with a thick growth of underwood and young trees, swept upward to a considerable height. A narrow, winding lane, the only carriage approach to the house, wound round the base of this hill, and joined the high road a quarter of a mile away. The house was only two stories high, but was large enough to have accommodated a numerous and well-to-do family. The windows were all set in a framework of plain stone, but on the lower floor some of them had been modernised, the small, square, bluish panes having given place to polished plate glass, of which two panes only were needed for each window. But this was an innovation that had not spread far. The lawn was bordered with a tasteful diversity of shrubs and flowers, while here and there the tender fingers of some climbing plant seemed trying to smoothe away a wrinkle in the rugged front of the old house.

Captain Ducie walked up the gravelled pathway that led from the lake to the house, the boatman with his portmanteau bringing up the rear. Before he could touch either bell or knocker, the door was noiselessly opened, and a coloured servant, in a suit of plain black, greeted him with a respectful bow.

"Captain Ducie, sir, if I am not misinformed?"

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