CHAPTER VIII.

Return to Baffo—Anxiety of my Caboceer—Rejoicings for my Return—Our March—Fine Plain—Plants—Neutral Ground—Natives of the Dassa Mountains—Agriculture—The Annagoos, dangerous Enemies—Poisoned Arrows—Poisonous Plants—Alarm of my Attendants on my plucking it—Fatal Effects of this Plant and Dread of it by the Natives—Number of the Natives blind, supposed to be the result of it—Unsuccessful Attack on them by the Dahomans—Spiral Rocks—Hostile Demeanour of the Natives—They follow us with Menaces—Some Account of these Mountaineers, and of the Dassa Mountains—The Blue Eagle—Cataracts—Beautiful Plain—One of my Cases of Rum broken by a Carrier—Twisted Marble of Variegated Colours—Path covered with Pepper-trees—Monkeys—Logazohy—Mayho’s Town—The Caboceer—The Merchants—Their Names—Carelessness with respect to Fire—Visit of the Caboceer.

I was told by some of my people whom I had left at Baffo, that the captain or caboceer had almost starved himself, having for some days after my march from Baffo to the Fellattah country refused food. He expressed his certain belief that in the event of his returning without me to Abomey he should lose his head. The character of the Dahoman is proverbial for being easily depressed, and as easily elevated. I was certainly a very welcomesight to all my people whom I had left at Baffo. Immediately after my arrival a messenger was despatched to Abomey to acquaint the King with my return. He had sent a messenger daily to Baffo to ascertain whether any tidings had been obtained of my safety. These communications were kept up by a number of messengers stationed at intervals between Abomey and Baffo. After a short palaver, in which my motives for clandestinely leaving Baffo were condemned by them and justified by myself, I broached one of the rum kegs I had left at Baffo when I left for the Dabadab Mountains, and gave each of my people a dram. This soon settled all differences, and in a short time the merry dance succeeded to doubts and extreme anxiety.

The whole of the following day, August 14th, was spent in rejoicing, drinking peto, and dancing; and early on the following morning arrangements were made for marching on our return to Abomey. My excellent old friend Kpatchie, the caboceer of Zoglogbo, who had spent the evening with us, was again at Baffo by day-break, with a guard of one hundred men to accompany me on the first part of my journey. The caboceer of Baffo, Agassadoo, had also one hundred men ready to accompany me, making in all, with my own people, threehundred armed men. My men, who accompanied me on my journey to Adofoodia, through the excessive fatigue which they had undergone and too freely indulging on the previous night, were so completely worn out and feverish, that it was arranged to leave them to their own discretion to return to Abomey by the nearest route; but with orders not to be later than ourselves in arriving in the capital.

With great satisfaction to myself and the Dahoman soldiers, we now commenced our march for the town of Logazohy, bearing N.N.W.Our march was across a fine plain, partly cultivated, with a crescent of mountains, called the Dassa Mountains, to the south and west. This valley, or plain, is well watered by small streams and springs of various qualities, and the surface of the soil is of a sandy clay. In crossing it I observed many different species of bulbous plants, of the flag tribe, which I had not noticed previously in any part of Africa I had yet visited; some of their blossoms or flowers appeared very much like the breast of a partridge in colour, and resembled in shape and texture the wing of the dragon-fly. A certain distance from Baffo, after emerging into the plain, is considered neutral ground between the Annagoos and Mahees, the former occupyingthe whole of the chain of the Dassa Mountains, and denouncing all intercourse with their neighbours on either side of the mountains. They are consequently deficient in every article of European manufacture, possessed by their trading neighbours. They are contented, however, with their own resources, and, according to the old adage, that necessity is the mother of invention, they are considered much more ingenious than their rival neighbours. They are also good farmers, and like the Mahees and Dahomans, in the vicinity of their own towns, they hold farms by hereditary right, a method which does not exist in any part of the West Coast. There, generally, after one man has obtained a single crop from any piece of land, he is too indolent to follow up cultivation for a second, and consequently the ground is either left to be overrun with spontaneous vegetation, or to be taken possession of by another party.

The Annagoos of the Dassa mountains are considered dangerous enemies, although by no means distinguished for their valour or gallantry, but on account of their superior skill in the manufacture of different poisons. Perhaps the opinion entertained of these people may arise from superstition, but it is certain that a plant from which the strongest poison is extracted grows in abundanceat the base of these mountains, and that with this the poison for their arrows is prepared. This plant grows about eight feet high, has a round stem about the thickness of a man’s thigh, and is of a greenish grey colour. Its stems are fluted triangularly, and shoot from the main trunk at regular intervals. The stems or major branches also send forth minor ones bearing a resemblance and proportion to the horns of a species of deer or antelope abundant in this country. It is of the cactus tribe, and the whole is of a fleshy nature, but quite smooth and without prickles, growing almost without soil on the bare surface of the granite rock, and receiving nourishment from its long fleshy roots, which run in different directions, till they find some narrow fracture or crevice, into which they insert themselves. Their growth is very rapid.

I had been cautioned by my Dahoman caboceer, early in the morning previous to our marching, not to touch either a flower or a shrub of any description, or even pick up a pebble, as I had been in the habit of doing when I observed any thing new on my journey. I took little heed of this wholesome injunction, supposing that his motives were merely to prevent any delay on the road, as the day was likely to be rainy. Uponobserving a succession of this plant, as I rode along, I carelessly laid hold of and broke off a portion of the stem of one, which was extremely brittle. A yell was instantly raised amongst my soldiers, and in a moment it was snatched out of my hand, and thrown a considerable distance from the path, while another soldier seized my horse’s head and pulled it on one side from the plant.

Upon inquiring the cause of such an unceremonious proceeding, I was assured, that I had run into extreme danger myself, as well as all those near my person, as this plant was the most deadly poison to be found in that country, and that even the vapour from a fracture or wound in the stem or any other part of it, from which a milky liquid almost in a stream exudes, which comes in contact with the eye, invariably causes total blindness, and death immediately any particle of the juice comes in contact with the blood. Be this as it may, I certainly observed in Logazohy and some neighbouring krooms an extraordinary number of blind persons, as well as blind dogs, which naturally excited my curiosity. I thought that this was occasioned by the ravages of the small-pox, but I observed that many were totally blind where no signs ofsmall-pox were visible, (though this disease is very prevalent here as well as in all the neighbouring kingdoms to the north and east of these mountains,) but upon inquiry, I found that the blindness was attributed to coming in contact with this plant.[17]

None but the inhabitants of the Dassa mountains, it is said, can safely make use of this plant. It was also stated to me, that three years ago, when an attempt was made upon a certain large town, on one of these mountains, the inhabitants poisoned the waters which ran near the Dahoman camp, from which the besiegers obtained their supplies, and in consequence, that some thousands of the Dahoman army perished in the most excruciating agony. On this account the siege was abandoned. No other attempt has ever since been made to take this town, though wells might be dug and water obtained with very little trouble, for springs are numerous and copious in this neighbourhood.

Previous to our arrival at the mountain-pass which divides the crescent, through which wemarched in crossing this range of mountains, we passed many singularly formed spiral rocks, upon some of which were resting immense blocks of the same material, placed horizontally. Upon several of these apparently dangerous precipices, men were perched, and even dogs with them, each man armed with bow and arrow, watching us as we passed. At the moment I was quite unaware of their motive for watching us so narrowly, and concluded that it was merely the curiosity of seeing us as we passed, but we had not gone more than a very short distance before I found out their motive. These selfish people, besides shunning all intercourse with other tribes, will not allow even a pebble, or any thing dead or alive, noteven a serpent, to be carried into another country. Not being made acquainted with this circumstance, (though I had been cautioned without any reason being assigned by my caboceer,) I asked one of my private servants to pick up a piece of stone of an unusual appearance. As soon as this was observed by them, a Dassa bowman ran up nearly alongside of me, raising several hideous yells, accompanied with menacing gestures. I did not know their language, and the Dahomans only understood what was meant by the bowman’s motions directing me to give up the stone. Hisyell brought in less than five minutes many hundreds of men and boys, all armed with bows and arrows, many of whom had their arrows already resting on the string. My caboceer, who had now placed himself alongside of my horse, reminded me of the caution he had given me.

The Dassa people were still advancing alongside of us, continuing their hideous yells. Observing this, I asked the meaning of their following us, and was told that they were singing the stranger’s praise, but their gestures and menacing attitudes convinced me that it was not so, though to drown the noise, my own people began a song in praise of the “king’s stranger,” as they called me. At last one of the Dahomans admitted, that, although he was unacquainted with their language, he was certain the Dassa people were cursing us. Upon this I remonstrated with the caboceer upon his suffering them to follow us in such a menacing manner, and begged him to order the additional guard to load their pieces, and give our pursuers a volley. He assured me that their pieces had been loaded previous to our leaving Baffo, and that each man had three bullets in his musket. He declared that he should like to give them a volley, which he knew would soon disperse them, but that the King had given him orders not on anyaccount to commence hostilities, except in the event of an attack, and then to retaliate immediately with all his force.

This was doubtless a more prudent course than I could at that moment reconcile myself to, having already experienced the advantage of taking the first step in an affray with Africans, but afterwards the King of Dahomey argued the injustice of a first attack, as we were only intruders in the Dassa territory, and had not come there to make war. I had my carbine and both pistols heavily charged with slugs, and could willingly have made the Dassa bowmen a present of a few when they first came up alongside of me, had the caboceer allowed me.

After accompanying us two miles in the manner I have described, that is, till we reached the neutral ground on theN.W.side of the mountains, they suddenly turned back towards their homes. My fine old friend Kpatchie, and also the caboceer of Baffo, soon afterwards left us to return to their respective abodes. It now came on to rain heavily, rendering the path, which is of a light clay, extremely slippery.

Before leaving the natives of the Dassa mountains, it may not be uninteresting to make a few observations respecting them. For generationsthey have inhabited this range of mountains, though they have been on several occasions disturbed by enemies, who however have always been repulsed with loss. Their mountains are extremely difficult of access; and, unlike any of their neighbours, they take the precaution to preserve sufficient food for some months, in case of a besieging force coming against them. This precaution, and the supply of water from the mountain springs, enables them to withstand the force and skill of any enemy. They speak a language quite distinct from that of the neighbouring tribes, one instance of the inaccuracy ofMr.Crowther’s assertion that all the tribes inhabiting the Kong Mountains, from the Niger to the Ashantee country, speak the same language.

I had several Yarriba and Houssa men with me, all of whom declared that they could not speak the Dassa language. These mountaineers are selfish and revengeful in the extreme, and are considered great cowards, for they depend chiefly upon the chances of poisoning their enemy. They are numerous on account of their never disposing of their slaves, and polygamy is, as in most African kingdoms, allowed to any extent. Their towns (those at least which we saw) were large and well-peopled, and their position judiciously selected for defence.They do not keep their cattle in herds on the plains, like their neighbours, but on the mountains, which have more vegetation than most of the Mahee mountains of the same height. They are great farmers and hunters. Regular markets of exchange are established with one another. It is said that they have a superior method of manufacturing iron, which has been observed in their arrow-heads. Their worship is pagan.

The west side of some of these mountains presents to the observer a most singular appearance, being composed of immense blocks of stone, (granite,) thrown by some volcanic power indiscriminately one upon another, resembling at a distance the large towns built on other parts of the mountains. The highest of the Dassa mountains, which is close on the left or south side of the pass crossing this chain, is two thousand five hundred feet high. The pass through these mountains is picturesque and grand; huge blocks of granite resting on pivots and angles, almost terrific to pass. The blue eagle, and various large birds of varied plumage and forms, give a wild grandeur to the scene. The pass is extremely rough, the traveller ascending and descending rocks, to the distance of a mile, to avoid the deep pools in the hollows between them, formed by the stream ofconsiderable size which runs in the same direction as the pass. The noise and gushing sound of the cataracts reminded me of scenes far distant. I should have enjoyed it much better had we not been annoyed by the Dassa people.

It is remarkable, that in all the mountains in the interior I have never observed a stone building, though stone might much easier be obtained than the clay with which they are invariably built; for instance, they carry clay from the plain for the purpose of building upon granite rocks, on mountain-tops elevated two thousand feet from their base. The lion, hyæna, and panther abound in these mountains, and often commit great depredations. The antelope is also a resident here.

After crossing the chain of the Dassa mountains, we entered another beautiful plain, quite open to a distance of many miles to the northward. The soil is of a light sandy clay and loam, well watered by small streams, running to the N.E.The ground, in consequence of the heavy rains, had, as I stated, become very slippery; and, whether by accident or intentionally I cannot determine, one of my Dahoman carriers, sent with me by Mayho, let fall from his head a large case, containing bottles of rum, breaking all but two. One of the soldiers who was close behindhim stated that this act was intentional, and the caboceer declared that he would report the slave’s conduct to his master immediately upon his return to Abomey. It was an unfortunate event to myself and the caboceer, especially as my stock of spirits was now nearly exhausted, and we had still many towns to visit, where in all such cases a present of a flask of rum is considered an indispensabledashto the caboceers and their head-men.

Immediately after the case fell from the man’s head, one of the soldiers placed it on its bottom, and I opened it. The box being pretty closely packed, we managed to preserve a considerable portion of the rum; but I had only two bottles, which I always ordered my own men to carry in their havresacks, filled with water. We poured out the water from these, and filled them with the dirty rum. The bottles having been packed with straw, some of the soldiers wrung out the rum into their calabashes, to drink. The remainder of the rum was distributed amongst my people, with the exception of the unfortunate carrier, whom the caboceer would not allow to taste it; and, as a farther punishment, he was ordered to change his load for a much heavier one. The plain was here thinly studded with palm and shea butter-trees.

After marching about thirteen miles, we entered a thick wood, which runs along the base of a second range or crescent of mountains, similarly situated to the Dassa mountains, but of much less magnitude, and thickly wooded to the top. The geology of this differs from the Dassa range, being composed chiefly of limestone, and a beautifully twisted or waved marble of variegated colours—yellow, white, blue, and red. After passing about five miles along their base, under large trees of various sorts, the rain falling in torrents, we arrived at the pass across this second range. The path, though well trodden under foot, was entirely covered with pepper trees, of the small Chili tribe, about ten feet in height.

These bushes proved very annoying for a distance of about two miles. The branches of the pepper-trees extended across the path at about four feet from the ground, where they were so firmly interwoven as almost to unseat me from my saddle, and being in full bearing at this season the annoyance was still greater, the seeds coming in contact with the face and eyes, and causing actual torture.

It was very agreeable again to see the open plain, which we found at a short distance from the mountains, beautifully cultivated. I forgot to mention,that during our passing over the last range, I observed some very singularly marked monkeys, having a white streak across the upper part of the forehead, white round the mouth, and on the tip of the nose. These were much smaller than the black or brown monkey, and of a slate-grey-coloured body. We passed several large shocks of beans or peas, of a description I had not yet noticed. They appeared to be very prolific, and were about the size of the horse-bean in England, but as white as our white pea; the stalk about three feet long, and also of a light colour. I found upon inquiry that these were preserved for seed, which were to be immediately put into the ground, though they had only been two days gathered. I was told that the seed would produce another crop in the space of two moons and a half. In this country they have also a great variety of the ground-bean and nut, which is also very abundant.

After twenty-one miles we arrived at the town of Logazohy, where, although completely drenched by the day’s heavy rain, we were obliged to remain in the market-place till the poor old caboceer, who was in a very delicate state of health, could prepare himself for my reception, as the King’s stranger. After the usual prostration and formsof welcome, by drinking water, and then rum, we were led into a spacious court-yard, where we observed a number of young female slaves, who were very handsome, busily employed in grinding corn. They seemed to have been taken unawares, for upon our approach they instantly fled. We passed into a second and much smaller yard, where a good house for myself and private servants was pointed out to me. This I ascertained belonged to Mayho’s traders, who are stationed here.

The town belonging to Mayho by right of conquest, the honour of accommodating me with this apartment was claimed by these men, Mayho having been appointed white man’s guardian or father during his sojourn in the Dahoman kingdom. This circumstance seemed to cause a certain degree of jealousy on the part of the caboceer and head men, who insinuated that the apartments were not sufficiently good for the King’s white stranger to lodge in. However, I expressed myself quite satisfied and comfortable. After being supplied with a thick rush-mat and a country-cloth, I stripped off all my wet clothes, and wrapped myself in the cloth.

The whole front of my house was open, consequently crowds, both young and old of bothsexes, pressed eagerly almost into my apartment, to see my white skin, which seemed greatly to excite their curiosity. In about an hour after our arrival, the caboceer sent ten large calabashes of ready-cooked provisions for me to distribute amongst my people, and a few minutes afterwards the merchants brought me thirty-three more dishes, holding about twenty English bushels, with one live Guinea-fowl, a duck of the Muscovy breed, and several common fowls.

The merchants, six in number, upon presenting me with the provisions, prostrated themselves, the principal a little in advance of the others, when after rubbing the upper parts of their naked persons with the dust, or rather mud, they raised themselves to their knees, upon which they remained resting on their hams, the custom always in addressing a superior. The principal or head man, acting as a spokesman, expressed gratification at having an opportunity of displaying their gratitude and good feeling towards their King and his stranger, who had condescended to visit their country, and hoped that this would not be the last opportunity which would be afforded them of testifying their good feeling to an Englishman. They said that it was owing to the skill and goodness of white men whobrought white man’s goods into their country, that they were enabled to keep up a trade superior to the kingdoms in the interior; then after expressing a wish that I would soon again pay them another visit, the head man begged that I would do him the honour to enter their names in my book. They were as follows:—

Zisau.Bossou.Degano.Ossou.Doyou.Bokaw.

The caboceer and merchants were previously made aware of our intention to visit their town, and were therefore enabled to get food prepared for us. A strong fire was kindled inside my house, and my wet clothes hung round to dry during the night. I have often been surprised at their carelessness with respect to fire. During the rainy season it is generally kindled inside their huts, which even in the centre seldom exceed eight feet in height, and though the thatch reaches within three feet of the ground, yet accidents seldom occur. It is true, they have generally little to lose by fire, the extent of their furniture being a stool or two, and a few earthen pots of native manufacture, in which they cook their food, and a few gourds or calabashes. The roof alone can be destroyed, the walls being thick and of clay, hardened by fire.

August 16th.—Early in the morning I was visited by the caboceer Chaou, who according to custom came to wish me good morning. He introduced all his head men to me, explained the nature of each of their offices. Soon afterwards, a number of the caboceer’s wives arrived, accompanied by double their own number of slaves loaded with provisions, which were presented to myself and people. As soon as this ceremony was concluded, the person appointed to taste each dish, as well as one of my own people, partook of a small portion of each, to show us that there was nothing poisonous contained in it. After the several dishes were all distributed, Chaou, in a whisper, begged the captain of my guard to ask if I would condescend to enter his own name and those of his head men in my book. Of course I readily assented, and entered as follows:—

Chaou.[18]Adjutabellee.Douzougoukeny.Amouzoukpway.Bozou-nogoodithay.Annessou.Aladee.Nah.Dosoutimee.Dojee.Adjobolee.Awalla.Alee.Atepwhahoo.Asseedaw.Agasahogloo.Kadjo.Kapo.

FOOTNOTES:[17]After my return to Whydah, I happened to mention this circumstance to a Portuguese slave-merchant, at the same time doubting the truth of the powers of this plant. He assured me of the correctness of this information, and that the same plant is to be found in the Brazils.[18]Caboceer.

[17]After my return to Whydah, I happened to mention this circumstance to a Portuguese slave-merchant, at the same time doubting the truth of the powers of this plant. He assured me of the correctness of this information, and that the same plant is to be found in the Brazils.

[18]Caboceer.

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