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The Landers were now placed in a most unpleasant predicament; they could not possibly obtain a canoe according to the promise of the king of Wowow, and to take those which had been lent them by the chief of Patashie, appeared such a breach of confidence, that they could not prevail upon themselves to commit it, but the necessity of the case pleaded strongly in their favour.
The current bore them rapidly along, and having passed down in front of one or two towns on the banks of the river, they came in sight of Lever, which was the place of their destination, it being about twenty miles from Patashie.
They had not proceeded far before they found that the smaller of the two canoes was so unsafe, that they were compelled to lighten it much. After passing several towns of considerable size, they reached a large and beautiful island called Patashie, very fertile, and adorned with groves of lofty palm-trees.
But when this was all done, they met with a sudden and unforeseen embarrassment, for the sable king of the dark water laughed at the idea of giving them a canoe on the faith of receiving payment from the prince of the Fellatas, and at first, he even refused to deliver up their own canoe, which they had brought from Patashie, and which they had kept with so much anxiety and trouble.
They had not the means of purchasing the canoes of the chief of Patashie, as the king of Wowow had adroitly managed to exhaust them of nearly all their resources; but when they began to talk of prosecuting their journey in the canoes belonging to the chief of Patashie, the canoe men stoutly resisted their right: fortunately, however, for them, their busy, restless friend Ducoo interfered on their behalf, and soon silenced their remarks, by threatening to cut off the head of him who should presume from that time to set foot in either of the canoes; and in order to give his menace the greater weight, he stationed two of his men to guard the forbidden boats till the sun went down, with drawn swords, and during the greater part of the night, another of his men paraded up and down the banks of the river near the spot as a watch, and this man kept up a noise by continually playing on a drum.
Here they were obliged to remain until the return of the messenger, whom they landed in the middle of the day, and sent to Wowow, for the purpose of informing the king of their departure from Boossa, and their intention to reside at Patashie till it might please him to send the large canoe, which they had purchased of him.
The venerable governor of Patashie, to whom they were under so many obligations, preceded them on the footpath, walking with a staff, and they reached the appointed place of embarkation exactly at the same moment as the canoes. After thanking all the friends that had accompanied them, they jumped on board, and pushed off from the shore, cheered by the natives that were present.
They had now no choice, if they wished to continue their journey, but to make off with the canoes which had been lent them at Patashie. On the 4th October, after further delays, they resumed their course, and being carried down by the current, were soon out of sight of Lever, or Layaba, and its wretched inhabitants.
On their voyage from Youri to Boussa, on the 2nd August, it varied from 75° to 92°. At Boussa it varied from 76° to 93°, but most commonly between 80° and 90°. At Patashie, generally between 74° and 89°, once 93°. Lever 77° to 93°. Bajiebo 70° to 95°. On the passage down the river below that place, on the 5th October, 78° to 94°. Belee 79° to 94°. Such has been the issue of this important voyage, by which the grand problem that perplexed Europe during so many ages, and on which, for a period of nearly forty years, so many efforts and sacrifices had been expended in vain, was completely solved.
They had seen also two other notes addressed to Park, one from a Mr Watson, and the other from Lady Dalkeith. It was not before the 30th of September that at length, having obtained the long-wished-for canoes, they were able to embark from the Island of Patashie, in the neighbourhood of Boussa. Cheered by the natives, they sprang on board, and the current rapidly bore them down the stream.
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