FREE BOOKS

Author's List




PREV.   NEXT  
|<   549   550   551   552   553   554   555   556   557   558   559   560   561   562   563   564   565   566   567   568   569   570   571   572   573  
574   575   576   577   578   579   580   581   582   583   584   585   586   587   588   589   590   591   592   593   594   595   596   597   598   >>   >|  
ressed to Mr. Mungo Park, and contained an invitation to dine. The following is a copy of it: "Mr. and Mrs. Watson would be happy to have the pleasure of Mr. Park's company at dinner on Tuesday next, at half past five o'clock. An answer is requested. Strand, 9th Nov. 1804." The king, as well as the owner of the book, looked as greatly mortified as they themselves did, when they were told that the one produced, was not that of which they were in quest, because the reward promised would not of course be obtained. As soon as their curiosity had been fully satisfied, the papers were carefully collected and placed again between the leaves, and the book as carefully folded in its envelope as before, and taken away by its owner, who valued it as much as a household god. Thus all their hopes of obtaining Mr. Park's journal or papers in the city of Boossa were entirely defeated. At an early hour of Wednesday June 23rd, the king and queen paid the travellers a farewell visit, when the former particularly cautioned them against poison. They then expressed their acknowledgements to both the royal personages for all their favours and an hour or two after they had taken their departure, the Landers rode out of the city, accompanied by two horsemen as an escort, and a foot messenger to the sultan of Yaoorie. They journied along the banks of the Niger at an easy pace, and two hours afterwards entered a pleasant little walled town called where they were desired to halt until the following day the governor of Kagogie had been made acquainted with their intention, no less than three days before their arrival, yet no canoe had been got ready for their use, and when they expected to embark, "the king of the canoe," as the person who has the care of it, is ridiculously styled, informed them with the utmost unconcern, that it was out of repair, and that it would not be fit for their reception for some hours at least. In the course of the afternoon they repaired to the side of the river, for the purpose of endeavouring to encourage and hurry the workmen in their labour about the canoe. Promises and threats were employed to effect this object, but the men would neither be coaxed nor intimidated--they would not overwork themselves, they said, for all the riches in their possession, so that they were obliged to leave them and exercise their patience. The branch of the Niger which flows by Kagogie, is about a mile in width, but it is r
PREV.   NEXT  
|<   549   550   551   552   553   554   555   556   557   558   559   560   561   562   563   564   565   566   567   568   569   570   571   572   573  
574   575   576   577   578   579   580   581   582   583   584   585   586   587   588   589   590   591   592   593   594   595   596   597   598   >>   >|  



Top keywords:
papers
 

Kagogie

 

carefully

 

governor

 
exercise
 
desired
 

intention

 

riches

 

possession

 

obliged


called

 

acquainted

 

patience

 

journied

 

Yaoorie

 

sultan

 

messenger

 

pleasant

 

arrival

 

walled


entered

 

branch

 

afternoon

 

escort

 

reception

 
effect
 
repair
 

employed

 

threats

 

workmen


purpose

 

endeavouring

 

labour

 

Promises

 

repaired

 

unconcern

 

coaxed

 

expected

 

intimidated

 

overwork


encourage
 

embark

 
informed
 
utmost
 

object

 

styled

 

ridiculously

 

person

 

travellers

 

looked