In the wilds of Africa

Front matter

TN THE

WILDS OF AFRICA.

AUTHOR OF " IN THE EASTERN SEAS," "*OLD JACK/' ETC.

Preface

pools, or beneath it, to be reached by digging wells ; then, again, the alluvial soil in hollows of the beds of ancient rivers, becoming baked by the sun, holds the rain as in clay vessels for many months together. Thus the chief necessary of life is partly but not entirely supplied. Buried deep beneath the sandy soil, and thus protected from the scorching rays of the sun, grow a large number of tuberous roots, the stalks which rise from them creeping along the ground, and putting forth large leaves for their still further protection. The tuber, the leroshua, grows to the size of a child's head, and contains a mass of cellular tissue, filled with a fluid like that of a turnip. Water-melons also grow in profusion on this arid soil. One of them, the Gucumis caffer, is of large size — the cattle of a traveller, Mr. J. Macabe, crossing the desert, lived on them for twenty-one days, and when water was at length reached appeared not to care for it. Numerous animals eat both roots and fruits, satisfying their hunger and quenching their thirst. A large portion of the so-called desert is also covered with grass, and extensive patches of bushes and even clumps of trees are also scattered over it. Many other wonderful arrangements exist for the support of animal life in that arid region, exhibiting the unfathomable wisdom of the Creator, and his care for the support of those wild beasts of the desert, his creatures. Then let not man ever doubt God's love and protecting care,' but, like my friends, in all the trials of life, and though surrounded by difficulties and dangers which may appear insurmountable, struggle on, doing what is right and brave, assured that there is One above who watches over those who put their trust in Him.

Chapter I

THE BRIG "OSPREV " — CAPTAIN PAGE — BECALMED OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA. •

Object of the voyage — Senhor Silva, apassenger — Loss of first mate and some of the crew — Character of the second mate — Why I came to sea — My cousins and other passengers described — Peter Timbo — The sick captain and his son Natty — Obstinacy of the mate — The captain confides Natty to my care- -The mate refuses to heave the lead— Captain Page appears on deck, and dies - Behaviour of Kydd, the mate, and indignation of the crew — Burial of the captain — Rocks seen — The brig drifts past them — Kydd orders the crew to leave tho boatswain on the rocks — They bring him back — The brig drifts on shore .... 13

Chapter II. Wreck Of The "osprey," And Our Escape

Kydd's terror — His senseless attempts to get the brig off — Boat and men lost— fresh attempts to move the brig — The crew leave the brig — Crew murdered by natives — Peter Timbo offers to negotiate with the natives — Kydd attempts to quit the brig — Remaining boat lost — We prepare to defend the brig — A breeze comes off the shore — We build, two rafts — Launch the rafts, and embark on them — Natty nearly left behind — Sail out to sea — Blacks reach the brig — Kydd's raft disappears — A sail seen 37

Chapter III. On Board The Schooner

We make signals — The schooner approaches — Received on board, and treated politely — Another sail appears — Chased by the stranger — She hoists the English ensign — The schooner tries to escape — Lose sight of the man-of-war — Suspicions as to character of the schooner — Enter a river — Visit from a king — Slave barracoons and slave-dealers — Slaves brought on board schooner — Resolve to quit the slaver— Senhor Silva obtains our release —We land on the coast of Africa — Slaves drowned going off to the schooner 67

Chapter IV. Otjr Journey Inland

We watch the slaves sail away — Agree to proceed to the Crystal Mountains — Senhor Silva hires bearers for our luggage— Prepare to start -Visit to the river — Manviii

CONTENTS.

grove-trees — Flowering creepers — Jumping Johnny — Flamingoes and othei birds — Strange canoes seen — Commence journey inland — Flamingoes and numerous other birds on river — Make acquaintance with crocodiles and hippopotami— Vast nests of -white ants, and their habits — Sounds from an African forest at night — Damask parrots described — Carpenter birds 79

Chapter V. The Domains 01' The Gorilla

Journey continued — Buffalo seen — Gazelle shot — Buffalo of Tropical Africa — Meet native traders on a journey with india-rubber, ebony, and ivory — Uses of india-rubber — Palm oil — Fearful roar of a gorilla heard — Meet and shoot it — Eaten " by driver ants — Description of driver ants — Senhor Silva's house invaded by them — The mountains reached ..107

Chapter VI. The Crystal Mountain's. «

Travel along the top of the mountains — Bearers threaten to leave us — Timbo induces Chickango to remain — Reach a beautiful waterfall — Build our huts near the river — Hippopotamus hunted and killed — Form a raft of reeds — Hippopotamus described — "We cut a canoe out of a large tree— -A house-building ape — Young one captured— "We call it Chico — CynocepJialus anerbis, a huge ape — Mandrills — Canoe nearly finished • 127

Chapter VII. We Make The Acquaintance Of Our Neighbours

While employed on the canoe an elephant appears and scatters us — I climb up a tree— Natives approach, and kill the elephants — Seize me — Threateningaspect of affairs— My friends arrive, and peace is concluded— Bakelgs invite us to visit them — A second canoe begun — Our fort strengthened — Visit native village— The savage Pangwes described — An ape with a white nose — A chimpanzee seen — "We traverse the forest — Chickango and I attacked by elephants — Our dangerous position — Rescued by Stanley and Senhor Silva — Carry home the tusks — A diminutive gazelle — Attacked by another elephant, and save the life of a strange negro — Small monkeys and monkey-birds — Enormous ants * 153

Chapter VIII. Our Adventures On The River

Launch the canoe — Savagely attacked by hippopotamus— Narrow escape — Com- 'pelled to return home — Leo and Natty propose an expedition with Chico to the south— Supplied with vegetables from a deserted plantation — Illness of tgubo's sons — We visit his village, and bring them back to the fort 188

Chapter IX A Plight For Life

Our second canoe, named the Gazelle, launched — Expedition with Kate and Bella on the river — A Pangwe warrior appears — Warned by what we hear, resolve to proceed southward — Settle to take Igubo's sons — Our fort abandoned — <

CONTENTS.

Bak&eV village attacked, and set on fire — I wait for Timbo's return — Shouts of savages heard — Our flight in th? canoes down the river — The savages pursue us, and reach the bank we have to pass — Some swim off, but are seized by alligators — Fear of being cut off — Propose to land, but continue on the river — Eapids ahead — We shoot them— Find savages at the bottom putting off on rafts..: 199

Chapter X. Voyage Down The River Continued

Savages left behind — More alarms — Sun sets — Moonlight voyage — Camp on an island — Explore it — Our evening prayer — Savage animals near camp — A panther killed —Sunrise in the Tropics — Again land, and search for game and fruit — A herd of giraffes seen — One seized by a lion — Lion killed by Leo and Natty — Our banquet on giraffe — "Water-lizard flesh — Cooling fruits found — ■ Honey — A storm bursts forth — Deluge of rain — The river swells — A huge serpent appears- J am seized with illness — Eemain for several weeks unconscious— Events which occurred during my illness— Eeturn to consciousness 219

CHAPTER XL

OUR NEW HOME IN THE MOUNTAINS.

Beautiful landscape seen from our hut — A koodoo captured • -Koodoo described — How tamed— Chico steals koodoo's milk— His punishment — Senhor Silva and Chickango set off to obtain relief for us- -Excursion on the lake — Numerous quadrupeds and birds - Parr a Africana — A voset— Egyptian goose — Demoiselles _ Ibis — Seissorbills - • Bee-eaters— Green pigeons — Alarmed by hippopotami — Timbo reports a lion in ambush— Chico frightened — Alligator gets into the canoe and eats up our birds — Lion visits fort— ^Villagers bring us cassava roots and yams— How prepared for food-— Tapioca produced from cassava 242

CHAPTER XIL

INCIDENTS DURING OUR RESIDENCE ON THE MOUNTAIN.

An oryx caught— Oryx or gemsbok described — A young zebra caught — Stanley goes on an expedition- -A trip in the canoe with Chico — More birds seen — Armed plover — The crocodile's friend — Chico's sad fate — A lion waits for us on our return — A water-turtle cooked — A night alarm — A lion visits our cattle-pen, and carries off our oryx — Stanley returns, and promises to go in search of our visitor — The lion in danger 264

CHAPTER XIII.

STANLEY'S ADVENTURES AMONG THE PEOPLE OB* KABOMBA.

Hunting buffaloes—Charged by them — Take refuge up a tree — Reach the village of Kabomba — The chief and his people — An African idol — A hopo described — Mode of driving animals into it —Disgusting spectacle presented by the pit full of animals — A koodoo escapes— Net-traps described — Leave the village- Mango in a pit — A hyena found fearfully mangled — Stanley returns — His plan for shooting lion— Igubo attacks and kills a crocodile in the water — Eggs and young of crocodile found and described — Ichneumon killing young crocodiles —A family of saurians : three different genera 282

X

CONTENTS.

CHAPTER XIV.

STANLEY GAINS CREDIT AMONG THE NATIVES AS A LION-KILLER,

We fortify our village with cacti — Falcon and rock-rabbits — Serpent-eaters — A banquet for birds — A sociable vulture — Strangers come for help to kill man-eaters — Stanley sets out at night— Timbo's spring-gun kills hyena — We go to look for Stanley — Find him — He kills Hons and other animals — Charged by a rhinoceros — I shoot it — Returning home, I tread on a crocodile— Stanley gives an account of his night's shooting — Natives come to thank him — The zebra tamed — Bella rides it — More man-eaters killed 304

CHAPTER XV.

ADVENTURES ON THE LAKE.

The boys and I start in the Gazelle — Numerous wild fowl — A goose with armed wings— Lays its eggs in ants' nests — A water-antelope shot, but seized by a crocodile — "Worship of crocodile — A gale springs up — Driven before it during the night —Natty and I spring on to an island — Leo and Mango carried on towards the cataract — Natty nearly seized by a crocodile — Find its eggs— Build a sleeping-place in a tree — See crocodiles crawling about below us — In the morning see a canoe with blacks attacking hippopotami — We call to them — They take us off the island — Inspected by natives— Make friends with them — Go in search of Leo and Mango — Find the canoe, but no other clue to thenfate 326

CHAPTER XVI.

AMONG SAVAGES.

We suppose that our friends are prisoners — Arrive at the village — Its picturesque situation — Hospitably treated — Bee-hives and tame singing-birds — Anight of white ants — Eaten by natives and birds — Blacks, disguised as antelopes and cranes, stalking buffaloes and crocodiles — I hunt with natives — Their wonder at my gun — Young chief leaps on back of rhinoceros — Is carried away — I shoot it, and save his life — Still detained at the village — Mode of obtaining salt — We go out hunting — A herd of giraffes seen — I shoot a giraffe — In its dying struggles it scatters the natives — Meat offered to an idol — We resolve to escape 347

CHAPTER XVII.

OUR ESCAPE, AND JOURNEY THROUGH THE WILDERNESS.

A sleeping village — We climb over the gate — Rest on the way — Erect a bower in the wood — See a cheetah watching fawns — Cheetah kills a fawn, and I kill the cheetah — Venison unexpectedly provided — Cheetah described — We hear voices — The chief discovers us — His advice — We part — Journey on for three days — Build a hut — Natty seriously ill — Natty recovers slightly — Visited by wild dogs — They advance to attack us — A huge serpent makes a diversion in our favour — The dogs take to flight 365

CHAPTER XVIII.

MY ADVENTURES WITH NATTY IN THE DESERT.

Natty continues very ill — Our water nearly exhausted — While watching at night I fall asleep — Awake and see a lion close to me — My shouts frighten him away

CONTENTS.

— I set off in search of water — Fancy I see a pool — Deceived by a mirage — See gnus — Go in chase of them — Lions hunting with me — The gnus escape — Follow birds towards a fountain — A pool among rocks — Meet lions — Quench my thirst — Kill birds — Return journey — A dreadful dream-^-Lamed by a fall — Find the hut surrounded by dogs — drive them off- — I sink exhausted by Natty's side 385

CHAPTER XIX.

MY ADVENTURES WITH NATTY CONTINUED.

We are again short of water — I return to the pool and meet the lions — Get back to Natty — Narrow escape from a snake — Antidotes to snake-bites — Natty gets better and accompanies me — We rest at the pool — See hyenas watching a herd of buffaloes — Encamp again — Spend several days on the spot till Natty recovers—Move on — A storm threatens — Take shelter in the hollow of a baobab-tree — Baobab-tree described — Storm rages without — A spider with a trap-door to its nest — Various other spiders 401

CHAPTER XX.

OUR RESIDENCE IN A BAOBAB-TREE.

Caught in a spider's web — Mushrooms on ant hills — Lake abodes of ants — -A honey-bird leads me to bees' nest — I feed him — Conducts me to another nest — Plays me a treacherous trick — Find myself face to face with a lion — Retreat safely — Carry the honey to Natty — A cry for help heard at night — Find a zebra killed by an old lion — Save our little zebra's life — I kill a decrepit lion which had attacked it 419

CHAPTER XXL

ANXIETY ABOUT OUR FRIENDS A SEARCH FOR LEO.

Natty riding the zebra, we set off towards our mountain home — I manufacture a parasol — Build a hut and camp — See a troop of quaggas — The mountain reached — Our house burned — Friends gone — Go towards Kabomba — Reach it — Friendly reception — Obtain news of our friends — An idol destroyed — Expedition in search of Leo, attended by three blacks — A village reached — Find Mango there — Tells me that Leo has gone — A fat chief — My reception — White travellers heard of 436

CHAPTER XXII.

A SEARCH FOR LEO, AND AN UNEXPECTED MEETING.

I buy an ox — Set off with Mango — My three former attendants have fled — Journey on ox-back — We follow Leo — Zebra lost — Pick up Leo's knapsack and rifle — Leo discovered exhausted — Horsemen seen far off— We proceed at night — Leo carried on the ox — My anxiety about him — Camp fires seen — Charged by wild beasts 451

CHAPTER XXIII.

DOINGS AT THE CAMP.

The wild beasts turn aside — Welcomed at the camp — A travelling merchant — I take a ride with him — An unexpected chase of springboks — I warn Donald, who is about to take a dangerous leap— Return, and send for the game — Seed of

CONTENTS.

grapple-plant — Rhinoceros-birds- A white rhinoceros charges waggon — Account of rhinoceros — His activity and fierceness — How hunted — Set off for Kabomba 466

CHAPTER XXIV

EXPEDITION TO RECOVER NATTY.

Result of Timbo's visit to Kabomba — How the fort was burned — Fruit of fan-palms —Charged by an elephant — A gallop for our lives — A bustard shot — Kabomba reached — A litter for Natty prepared — Return journey commenced — A lion springs on Stanley — His fearful position — I fire, and save his life — Stanley fearfully wounded — "We carry him on Natty's litter towards the camp — Timbo 1 brings David — -The camp reached 4S3

CHAPTER XXV.

HUNTING ADVENTURES — JOURNEY ACROSS THE DESERT.

Oxen visited by a flock of the Buphaga Africana — Chase elands — I kill two — Attacked by kites — Encounter hyenas — A flight of locusts — Larvae of locusts — Cooking locusts — Birds eating locusts — Havoc made by locusts — Famine in the camp — We proceed— Expecting water, find a pool full of locusts 500

CHAPTER XXVI.

CROSSING THE DESERT.

Stanley recovers — Tsetse fly — Want of water — Find ostrich eggs— Chase an ostrich -—Capture it — How to cook ostrich eggs — Bushmen's mode of catching ostrich — The young of ostrich — Maternal affection — Courage of male ostrich — A trophy of ostrich feathers — Ostrich egg water-bottles — Desert travelling — Chase hartbeests — Separated from my companions — Suffering from thirst- Deceived by mirage — Find water-melons 514

CHAPTER XXVII

ASSAILED BY FOES, BUT RESCUED BY FRIENDS — CONCLUSION.

Fall into a pit — Visited by lions — Pulled out of the pit — My horse hauled out- • Welcomed at camp— Search for leroshfia — Want of water — Inhospitable natives — Shot at by natives — Push on to avoid them — Reach a sand-well— Scaly ant-eater — A thorny district — Prepare for attack — Waiting for the enemy— The natives approach — The enemy driven off — Return and surround i:s — Camp again assaulted — Wo retreat at night — Pursued by the enemy — Again surrounded — Besiegers dispersed by buffaloes — Old friends appear — Adventures of our shipmates 533

A PERILOUS CHASE,

Frontispiece

THE BRIO BECALMED OFF THE COAST OF AFRICA,

.. 34

NATTY STRUCK DOWN ON BOARD THE BRIG,

.. 51

ON THE RAFT,

.. 58

CANOE UPSET GOING OFF TO THE SCHOONER WITH SLAVES,

.. 77

CANOES OF NATIVES,

.. 87

ROSE FLAMINGOES,

. . 89

SCENE ON AN AFRICAN RIVER,

. , 93

NEST OF WHITE ANTS, AND VILLAGE OF WARRIOR TERMITES,

.. 97

SECTION OF A FORTRESS OF THE WARRIOR TERMITES OR WHITE

GAZELLES,

. . 108

THE EBONY-TREE,

.. 112

THE GORILLA,

. . 118

SENHOR SILVA'S HOUSE INVADED BY ANTS,

.. 123

STANLEY SHOOTING AN HIFl'OPOTAMUS AT THE FALLS, ..

.133

THE CYNOCEPHALUS ANERBIS,

.. 149

NEARLY CAUGHT,

. . 155

THE ATTACK ON THE ELEPHANTS,

. . 159

WHITE-NOSED APE,

. 169

ENCOUNTER WITH ELEPHANTS IN THE BUSH, . .

. . 173

ANDREW BESET BY ELEPHANTS,

.. 177

ATTACKED BY A BULL ELEPHANT,

.. 183

Attacked by an hippopotamus,

.. 191

a night scene,

.225

a lion rending a giraffe,

.. 232

scene on the lake,

. . 253

manioc, or cassava root, ..

.. 260

negroes preparing the manioc root,

.. 262

THE GEMSBOK, OR ORYX,

. . 266

THE IBIS,

. . 270

CROCODILE AND TROCHILUS,

. 272

THE LION IN THE CATTLE-YARD,

. 277

A CHARGE OF BUFFALOES,

.285

A HOPO, . .

. . 292

IGUBO KILLING A CROCODILE,

.299

ICHNEUMON KILLING YOUNG CROCODILE,

. . 302

SECRETARY BIRDS, OR SERPENT-EATERS OF SOUTHERN AFRICA,

. . 308

THE SOCIABLE VULTURE, . . . .

. . 310

xiv LIST OP ILLUSTRATIONS.

STANLEY KILLING THE MAN-EATER, . . . . . . . . . . 817

BLACKS ATTACKING AN HIPPOPOTAMUS, . . . . . , . . 341

THE YOUNG CHIEF CARRIED AWAY BY A RHINOCEROS, .. .. .356

RED BUSH BUCKS AND CHEETAH, . . . . . . . . ggt)

CHEETAH, OR HUNTING-LEOPARD, .. .. .. ,. .. 373

WILD DOGS AND SERPENT, . . . . , . . . . 381 hyenas watching a herd of buffaloes, .. .. .. . 409

acacia verax, baobab, and guinea-palm, . . . . . . . . 414

spider and nest with a lid, .. .. . .. ..418

THE PURSUERS PURSUED, . . . . . . . . . . 457

IN SEARCH OF THE CAMPj .. .. . .. ..461

THE CAMP BY NIGHT, .. .. .. . .. 463

CHARGED BY A RHINOCEROS, . . . . . . . . 475

A FIERCE ASSAILANT, . . . . . . . . 487

A FEARFUL POSITION, . . . . . . . . . . . 497

HUNTING THE OSTRICH, . . . . . . . . . . 524

IK THE WILDS OF AFRICA.

Chapter. I. On Board The " Osprey " Off The Coast Of Africa

DENSE mist hung over the ocean ; the sky above our heads was of a gray tint ; the water below out feet of the colour of lead. Not a ripple disturbed its mirror-like surface, except when now and then a covey of flying-fish leaped forth to escape from their pursuers, or it was clove by the fin of a marauding shark. We knew that we were not far off the coast of Africa, some few degrees to the south of the Equator ; but how near we were we could not tell, for the calm had continued for several days, and a strong current, setting to the eastward, had been rapidly drifting us toward the shore. Notwithstanding that the sun was obscured, his rays found means of heating the atmosphere, so that we felt much as if we were surrounded by a hot damp blanket.

I had already made a trip to the West Indies, and two to this terrible coast ; and as I had escaped without an attack of yellow fever, or cholera, when the Liverpool owners of the brig Osprey — commanded by Captain Page, an old African

OBJECT OF THE VOYAGE.

trader— offered me a berth as supercargo, I willingly accepted it. We were bound out to the Cape of Good Hope, but had arranged to touch at two or three places on the coast, to trade and land passengers. Among other places We were to call at St. Paul de Loando, to land a Portuguese gentleman, Senhbr Silva, and his black servant B-amaon. Our object in trading was to obtain palm-oil, bees'-wax, gold dust, and ivory, in exchange for Manchester and Birmingham goods; and for this purpose we had already visited several places on the coast, picking up such quantities as could be obtained at each of them. We had not, however, escaped without the usual penalty African traders have to pay — two of our men having died of fever, and two others, besides the captain, being sick of it. The first mate, Giles Gritton, and another man, had been washed overboard in a heavy gale we encountered on the other side of the Equator, and we were now, therefore, somewhat short-handed. The first mate was a great loss, for he was an excellent seaman and a first-rate fellow, which is more than could be said of the second mate, Simon Kydd. How he came to be appointed mate seemed unaccountable ; unless, as he was related to the owners, interest might have obtained for- him what his own merits certainly would not. Taking him at his own value, he had few superiors, if any equals.

I felt much for Captain Page. He took the loss of his first mate greatly to heart, and thus the incapacity of the second contributed considerably to increase his malady. Day after day he grew worse, and I began to fear much that his illness would end fatally. He was as good and kind a man as ever lived, and an excellent sailor.

I had not been knocking about the ocean altogether with my eyes shut, and had managed to pick up a fair amount of nautical knowledge. I did not intrude it unnecessarily; I had

WHY I CAME TO SEA.

a notion that I was regarded with a somewhat jealous eye by those who considered me a mere landsman. I" certainly understood more about navigation than Mr. Kydd, but that is not saying much. There were few things which I could not do, from handing, reefing, and steering, to turning in a dead-eye, and setting up the rigging ; and iew situations in which the fickle winds and waves were likely to place a ship with which 1 was not prepared to contend. Blow high or blow low, I felt myself at home on the ocean. My father had objected to my becoming a sailor, and had placed me in his countinghouse. The sedentary life of a clerk was, however, not to my taste, and I was very glad to abdicate my seat on the high stool on every decent pretext. Still I had done my duty when there, and my conscience was at rest on that score. Misfortunes overtook my father's house ; speculations were entered into which proved unsuccessful; and his long- established and highly-esteemed firm got into inextricable difficulties. In vain he and his partners struggled to maintain their credit. The final crash came, and although my mother's marriage settlement saved the family from penury, he had no capital with which to recommence business. I was too young to take his place. One of his partners died broken-hearted, and he had not the energy left to undertake the onerous duties he would have been called upon to perform. He and my mother and sisters retired to a modest cottage in Cheshire ; while his boys, of whom I was the third, had to seek their fortunes in the world. He had done his duty by us. He had given us a good education, and ever striven to instil into our minds the principles of true religion and honour. I shall never forget his parting advice when I started on my first expedition. " Ever trust in God, Andrew," he said. " Recollect that you were 'bought -with a price,' and 'are not your own.' You have no business to follow your own fancies, or to gratify any

(272) 2

MY FATHER'S ADVICE.

of the propensities fallen nature possesses, even though we do possess th%ni, notwithstanding what the devil and the world may say to the contrary. God has given you a body, but ever remember that he has given you a mind to regulate that body. To the animals he has given bodies, and indued them with instincts which we may say are unerring ; whereas man's mind, in consequence of sin, is prone to err ; but then again, in his mercy, he has enabled man to seek for strength from above to counteract the effects of sin, and so to regulate his mind that it may properly guide the body. I have no faith in high principles, unless those high principles are kept in order by a higher influence. Therefore, Andrew, read your Bible daily for guidance ; go daily to the throne of grace for enlightenment and direction, that you may keep your high principles bright and ever fit for action. Do not trust your feelings ; they may mislead you. Do not trust the world or your companions; they may prove faithless monitors or guides. Do not trust, as people say, 'manfully to yourself.' Self often proves treacherous." More to the same effect my father said. I have given briefly his observations. I did my best to carry out his counsel; and through it gained the calmness and courage with which I encountered difficulties and dangers which would otherwise have appalled and overwhelmed me. I was never addicted to talking to my companions of myself, or my principles and feelings ; and I sometimes blame myself for not endeavouring more,perseveringly to inculcate on others those principles which I knew to be so true and valuable. I now mention the subject, because I can say on paper what my lips have often refused to utter. But I have said enough about myself. 1

We had several other passengers on board, who, notwithstanding the risks which they knew must be encountered on the African coast, had, for the sake of seeing the country, come

CONCERNING OUR PASSENGERS.

on board with the intention of proceeding on to Cape Town, to which, as I said, we were ultimately bound. I will mention first Captain Stanley Hyslop, a near relation of mine, a nephew of my mother's. He was a military officer, and having sold out of the service, was going to settle in the Cape Colony, where his parents already were. He was accompanied by two younger brothers. David was one of the nicest fellows I ever met. He had been educated as a surgeon, and purposed practising in the country. The youngest, Leonard, or Leo, as we always called him, was an amusing little chap, always thinking funny things and saying them, and yet there was a simplicity about him which was very attractive. He had been sent to school in England, but being considered somewhat delicate — not, certainly, that he looked so— it was recommended that he should return to breathe his native air at the Cape. David was also, I should say, an enthusiastic naturalist, and the hope of increasing his knowledge at the places we might visit, had, besides his regard for me, induced him to take his passage on board the Osprey, just as his brother expected to get a few days sporting while the brig remained at anchor. I had seen but little of Stanley, but for David I had always felt a warm regard.