Travels in West Africa

Travels in West Africa

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Title: Travels in West Africa
Author: Mary H. Kingsley
Release Date: June, 2004 [EBook #5891] [Yes, we are more than one
year ahead of schedule] [This file was first posted on September 17,
2002]
Edition: 10
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*** START OF THE PROJECT GUTENBERG EBOOK, TRAVELS
IN WEST AFRICA ***

This eBook was prepared by Les Bowler, St. Ives, Dorset.

Travels in West Africa (Congo Francais, Corisco and Cameroons) by
Mary H. Kingsley.

To my brother, C. G. Kingsley this book is dedicated.

CONTENTS
PREFACE. PREFACE TO THE ABRIDGED EDITION OF
TRAVELS IN WEST AFRICA. INTRODUCTION.
CHAPTER I.
LIVERPOOL TO SIERRA LEONE AND THE GOLD COAST.
CHAPTER II.
FERNANDO PO AND THE BUBIS.
CHAPTER III.
VOYAGE DOWN COAST.
CHAPTER IV.
THE OGOWE.
CHAPTER V.
THE RAPIDS OF THE OGOWE.
CHAPTER VI.
LEMBARENE.
CHAPTER VII.
ON THE WAY FROM KANGWE TO LAKE NCOVI.
CHAPTER VIII.
FROM NCOVI TO ESOON.
CHAPTER IX.
FROM ESOON TO AGONJO.

CHAPTER X.
BUSH TRADE AND FAN CUSTOMS.
CHAPTER XI.
DOWN THE REMBWE.
CHAPTER XII.
FETISH.
CHAPTER XIII.
FETISH--(Continued).
CHAPTER XIV.
FETISH--(Continued).
CHAPTER XV.
FETISH--(Continued).
CHAPTER XVI.
FETISH--(Concluded).
CHAPTER XVII.
ASCENT OF THE GREAT PEAK OF CAMEROONS.
CHAPTER XVIII.
THE GREAT PEAK OF CAMEROONS--(Continued).
CHAPTER XIX.
THE GREAT PEAK OF CAMEROONS--(Continued).
CHAPTER XX.
THE GREAT PEAK OF CAMEROONS--(Concluded).
CHAPTER XXI.
TRADE AND LABOUR IN WEST AFRICA.
CHAPTER XXII.
DISEASE IN WEST AFRICA. APPENDIX. THE INVENTION OF
THE CLOTH LOOM.

PREFACE

TO THE READER.--What this book wants is not a simple Preface but
an apology, and a very brilliant and convincing one at that.
Recognising this fully, and feeling quite incompetent to write such a
masterpiece, I have asked several literary friends to write one for me,
but they have kindly but firmly declined, stating that it is impossible

satisfactorily to apologise for my liberties with Lindley Murray and the
Queen's English. I am therefore left to make a feeble apology for this
book myself, and all I can personally say is that it would have been
much worse than it is had it not been for Dr. Henry Guillemard, who
has not edited it, or of course the whole affair would have been better,
but who has most kindly gone through the proof sheets, lassoing
prepositions which were straying outside their sentence stockade,
taking my eye off the water cask and fixing it on the scenery where I
meant it to be, saying firmly in pencil on margins "No you don't," when
I was committing some more than usually heinous literary crime, and
so on. In cases where his activities in these things may seem to the
reader to have been wanting, I beg to state that they really were not. It
is I who have declined to ascend to a higher level of lucidity and
correctness of diction than I am fitted for. I cannot forbear from
mentioning my gratitude to Mr. George Macmillan for his patience and
kindness with me,--a mere jungle of information on West Africa.
Whether you my reader will share my gratitude is, I fear, doubtful, for
if it had not been for him I should never have attempted to write a book
at all, and in order to excuse his having induced me to try I beg to state
that I have written only on things that I know from personal experience
and very careful observation. I have never accepted an explanation of a
native custom from one person alone, nor have I set down things as
being prevalent customs from having seen a single instance. I have
endeavoured to give you an honest account of the general state and
manner of life in Lower Guinea and some description of the various
types of country there. In reading this section you must make
allowances for my love of this sort of country, with