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He replied, they might have one for a hundred dollars, but being unable to command that sum they were finally obliged to apply to their friend, the king of Boossa, whom they had so unreasonably distrusted, and who cheerfully undertook to supply their wants.
This despicable vice of slander is universal in Africa, the people all speak ill of each other, from the monarch to the slave. They now found that they should be compelled to remain in Boossa, till the period arrived for their final departure from the country.
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.
The moment they found this to be his intention, they returned to their house, and having formed their resolution, they instantly despatched one of their men with a message to the king of Boossa, to the following effect: "That finding their presents insufficient to defray their expenses on the road to Guarie and Bornou, they were under the necessity of returning to the salt water to obtain more.
At no great distance from this place, and within sight of it, all the branches of the Niger meet, and form a beautiful and magnificent sheet of water, at least seven or eight miles in breadth, and it excited the surprise of the Landers, to know what became of so extraordinary a body of water, for at Boossa, the river is no more than a stone's throw across, and its depth is in proportion to its narrowness, but about an hour's walk from thence, it again becomes a noble river, and maintains its width, it was reported, even to Funda.
After waiting a few minutes, they were introduced to the king, whom they found in an interior apartment of his residence, in company with the Midilie, the title bestowed on his principal wife or queen. They welcomed the travellers to Boossa, with every appearance of cordiality.
After an hour's ride they drew near to the walls of Boossa, and soon arrived at the drummer's house, which had been their former residence.
The king, himself, repeated to them the promise which he had made to their messenger, that he would furnish them with a canoe sufficiently large to contain the whole of their people and themselves; but still some doubts arose in their minds, and should a canoe be denied them, after all that the monarch had said, it was their determination to take a canoe of their own accord, and steal away from Boossa by night.
The Boossa messenger, who had been so anxiously expected, at length arrived, and the spell, which had bound every one to the spot was dissolved in a moment; they were then conducted to the king, and formally introduced to him, but the grave eccentric old man shook hands with them, without taking them from the tobe in which they had been enveloped, or even condescending to look in their faces, for he never made it a practice to raise his head above a certain height, fearing that he should discover the person to whom he might be conversing gazing full in his countenance, to which he had a very strange, but unconquerable antipathy; the interview lasted but a moment, and they were hastily conducted to the house which was occupied by the late Captain Clapperton.
This singular fact favours the opinion, that a large portion of the waters of the Niger is conveyed by subterraneous passages from the town of Garnicassa to a few miles below Boossa. The travellers pursued their journey along the banks of the Niger, although the path was filled with water, and broken up by the force of the rains.
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