Niger

these penetrated as far as Koomikoomi without
setting eyes on the unfortunate draughtsman from
Buccleugh. Mungo halted all the next day at
Doombila, and then, giving up Scott, again put his
caravan into motion. The roads were steep and
hard to travel, though Mungo notes that they
halted at a village en route where there was good
beer on sale. Rain kept off throughout the day,
but began again with the fall of darkness. Soon the
tents were sopping wet and the soldiers sought the
shelter of a nearby village. Again Mungo found no
sleep, trudging about in the dark downpour to keep
the asses from breaking loose and eating the corn
of the villagers. With the coming of the morning
light he sat down and made some interesting notes
on African law in the matter of ass-trespass.
Next day was the 19th of August, a memorable
day. Alexander was loaded into his hammock,
and the caravan climbed through mountains until
three o’clock. There, at the summit of a ridge,
Mungo 4 once more saw the Niger rolling its
immense stream along the plain ’ !
His heart rose high at the sight. Three-fourths of
the soldiers were dead (before he reached the town
of Bambakoo that evening three more of them had
fallen out and been left to perish by the wayside) ;
the carpenters from England were dead or dying
in remote villages back in the west; much of his
trade goods had been lost or destroyed : but there,
after the space of ten years of hunger for the sight
of it, was the Niger again !
G.N. SQI