PARK RETALIATES.

177

son of this conduct; but, instead of obtaining satisfaction on this point, he was seized, deprived of his double-barrelled gun and sword, tied to a tree, and flogged; his boy was put in irons, and some people were sent back to Tambico for another horse belonging to an old man that was travelling with the party to Dentila. Park then told two of Isaaco's negroes, that if they would go with him into the village and point out the faranba's people (it being quite dark) who had come to take the old man's horse, he would make the soldiers seize them, and retain them as hostages for Isaaco. The negroes went and told this to the two chief men in the vil. lage, who declared that they would not permit it. They were able, they said, to defend their own rights, and would not allow the horse to be taken; So, "after an immense hubbub and wrangling, the business at last came to blows, and the faranba's. people were fairly kicked out of the village."

"I was now," says Park, "a little puzzled how to act; Isaaco's wife and child sat crying with us under the tree; his negroes were very much dejected, and seemed to consider the matter as quite hopeless. We could have gone in the night and burned the town. By this we should have killed a great many innocent people, and most probably should not have recovered our guide. I therefore thought it most advisable (having consulted with Mr. Anderson and Lieutenant Martyn) to wait till morning, and then, if they persisted in detaining our guide, to attack them in open day, a measure which would be more decisive, and more likely to be attended with success than any night skirmishes. We accordingly placed double sentries during the night,

178 THE COFFLE ATTACKED BY A SWARM OF BEES.

and made every man sleep with his loaded musket at hand. We likewise sent two people back to Jallacotta, to inform the dooty of the treatment we had received from the faranba, though at one of the towns belonging to the King of Woolli." Early, however, on the following morning, Isaaco was lib. erated, and in the course of the day his horse was recovered, and the tribute was paid to the faranba.

A few days afterward a singular accident befell them. The coffle had halted at a creek, and the asses had just been unloaded, when some of Isaaco's people, being in search of honey, unfortunately disturbed a large swarm of bees near their resting. place. The bees came out in immense numbers, and attacked men and beasts at the same time. Luckily, most of the asses were loose, and galloped up the valley; but the horses and people were very much stung, and obliged to scamper in all directions. The fire which had been kindled for cooking, being deserted, spread, and set fire to the bamboos, and the baggage had like to have been burned. In fact, for half an hour the bees seemed to have completely put an end to the journey. In the evening, when they became less troublesome, and the cattle could be collected, it was found that many of them were very much stung, and swollen about the head. Three asses were missing; one died in the course of the evening, and one next morning, and they were forced to leave one behind the next day. Altogether six were lost, besides which, the guide lost his horse, and many of the people were very much stung about the face and hands.*

*The occurrence of accidents of this nature seems to be not at all uncommon. Park mentions a similar attack by bees in his

PARK WRITES FROM BADOO.

179

On the 28th of May the party reached Badoo, whence, on the following day, Park had an opportunity of sending two letters to England by a Slatee who was going to the Gambia. In these he spoke confidently of success, and announced his expectation of reaching the Niger by the 27th of June; "and when," he adds, writing to his wife, "we have once got afloat on the river, we shall conclude that we are embarking for England. In the same letter he says, "I am in great hopes of finishing this journey with great credit in a few months; and then with what joy shall I turn my face towards home!"

first journey (see page 148); and his guide Isaaco, in a journey made in 1810, 11, thus records another, as happening to his people. "When on the very top of the hill, they were surrounded and attacked by such a quantity of bees, that my people and beasts of burden were scattered; when they were a little appeased, we went after our beasts, who had thrown away everything they had on their backs. I found one of my asses dead, being stifled by the bees getting into its nostrils, and one of my men almost dead by their stings. I had to give him something to bring him to life, and that with a great deal of pains."

180 BEGINNING OF THE RAINY SEASON.

CHAPTER XVII.

Commencement of the Rainy Season.-Alarming Sickness. - Gold Mines at Shrondo.-Arrival at Fankia.- Difficult Mountain Pass.-Increase of the Sick.-Hostility of the Natives at Gimbia.-Face of the Country.-Its romantic Character.-Sickness of the Men.-Park's personal Exertions.Dangers from young Lions.-The Guide seized by a Crocodile.-His Expedient to Escape.-Arrival at Keminoom.Depredations of the Natives.-Continued Sickness.-Five Men left behind.-Illness of Mr. Anderson.-Park's Escape from three Lions.-His View of the Niger.

66

[1805.]

66

It was on the 29th of May that Park wrote his cheerful letters from Badoo; within a fortnight afterward he "trembled at his situation." The cause of this fearful change was the rapid approach of the rainy season. On the 30th of May some drops of rain" fell. On the night of the 5th of June, at Baniserile, there was a squall, with thunder and rain;" the loads having been put into the tent, were not wetted; but one of the carpenters, who was recovering from an attack of dysentery, became " greatly worse.' On the following morning this man was so very weak that two soldiers were appointed to attend him and drive his ass. On the next day he became unable to sit upright, and frequently threw himself from the ass, "wishing to be left to die;" so that two of the soldiers held him by force upon the beast. In the afternoon he was "still more weak, and ap

ITS DISASTROUS EFFECTS.

181

parently dying;" Park therefore thought it best to leave him at a village on the route until the follow. ing morning, under the care of one of the soldiers. At eight o'clock, however, on the same evening, the poor man died, and, with the assistance of the negroes, was buried in the native place of sepul

ture.

On the same night (that of the 8th), the party were overtaken by a heavy tornado, with thunder and lightning; and on the next day five of the soldiers, who had stood under a tree instead of going into the tent, complained much of headache and pains in the stomach. On the 10th they halted at Shrondo, under a tree, and, before they could pitch one of the tents, they were overtaken by a very heavy tornado, which wetted them all completely. Park's hat was blown away and lost, as he attempted to fasten one of the tents to a branch of the tree; and the ground all round was covered with water three inches deep. Another tornado visited them in the night.

"The tornado which took place on our arrival," says Park, "had an instant effect on the health of the soldiers, and proved to us to be the beginning of sorrow. I had proudly flattered myself that we should reach the Niger with a very moderate loss; we had had two men sick of the dysentery; one of them recovered completely on the march, and the other would doubtless have recovered, had he not been wet by the rain at Baniserile. But now the rain had set in, and I trembled to think that we were only half way through our journey. The rain had not commenced three minutes before many of the soldiers were affected with vomiting;