Great African Travellers | Page 6

of
her son. The ball had passed through both his legs, and as he and his
friends would not consent to have one of them amputated, he died the
same night.
Going forward, on the 18th they passed through Simbug, the frontier
village of Ludamar. It was from hence Major Haughton wrote his last
letter, with a pencil, to Dr Laidley. After leaving the place, when
endeavouring to make his way across the desert, he was murdered by
some savage Mahommedans, who robbed him of everything he
possessed.
At this time, while Daisy was employed in fortifying a strong position
among the hills, his territory was overrun by his enemy, Mansong.
On the evening of the 5th of March Park reached the town of Dalli.
Here the people crowded in so disagreeable a manner to see the white
stranger, that his host proposed, in order to avoid them, going in the
cool of the evening to a negro village called Samee, at a short distance

off.
As he was now within two days' journey of the heathen kingdom of
Goumba, he had no apprehensions from the Moors, and readily
accepted the invitation. His landlord was proud of the honour of
entertaining a white man, and Park spent the forenoon very pleasantly
with these poor negroes, their gentleness of manner presenting a
striking contrast to the rudeness and barbarity of the Moors.
While thus enjoying himself, greatly to his dismay a party of Moorish
soldiers suddenly appeared in the place. They were sent, they said, by
their chief, Ali, to convey the white stranger to his camp at Benowm. If
he would come willingly it would be better for him, but come he must,
as they had orders to convey him by force; because Fatima, Ali's wife,
having heard much about Christians, was anxious to see one. Park,
unable to resist, was compelled to accompany them. The journey
occupied many days, during which both Park and his attendants
suffered much from thirst.
On the evening of the 12th they came in sight of Benowm, which
presented to the eye a number of dirty-looking tents scattered without
order over a large space of ground. Among the tents appeared large
herds of camels, cattle and goats. As soon as he was seen the people
who were drawing water threw down their buckets and, rushing
towards him, began to treat him with the greatest discourtesy; one
pulled at his clothes, another took off his hat, while a third stopped him
to examine his waistcoat buttons.
At length the king's tent was reached, where a number of men and
women were assembled. Ali was seated on a black leather cushion,
clipping a few hairs from his upper lip, a female attendant holding up a
looking-glass before him.
He enquired whether the stranger could speak Arabic, and being
answered in the negative he remained silent. The ladies, however,
asked a thousand questions, inspected his apparel, searched his pockets,
and obliged him to unbutton his waistcoat to display the whiteness of
his skin.

In the evening the priests announced prayer. Before they departed his
Moorish guide told him that Ali was about to present him with
something to eat. On looking round he saw some boys bringing a wild
hog, which they tied to one of the tent ropes, when Ali made signs to
him to kill and dress it for supper. Though very hungry, he did not
think it prudent to eat any part of an animal so much detested by the
Moors, and therefore replied that he never touched such food. The hog
was then untied, in the hopes that it would run at the stranger, the
Moors believing that a great enmity subsists between hogs and
Christians. In this, however, they were disappointed, for the animal no
sooner regained his liberty than he began to attack indiscriminately
every person who came in his way, and at last took shelter under the
couch upon which the king was sitting.
Park was after this conducted to a hut, where he found another wild
hog--tied there to a stick for the purpose of annoying him. It attracted a
number of boys, who amused themselves by beating it with sticks, till
they so irritated the animal that it ran and bit at every person within
reach.
A number of people came in and made him take off his stockings to
exhibit his feet, and then his jacket and waistcoat to show them how his
clothes were put off and on.
Day after day he was treated in the same manner. He was also
compelled to undertake various offices. First, he was told to shave the
head of one of the young princes, but, unaccustomed to use a razor, he
soon cut the boy's skin, on seeing which the king ordered