JOURNEY IN ASHANGO-LAND. 



CHAPTER I. 



THE VOYAGE. 



Objects of the Journey — Preparatory studies — Difficulties in obtaining a 

 passage — Departure from England — Arrival off the Coast — Miss the 

 mouth of the Fernand Vaz — Return up the Coast — Excitement of the 

 Natives — Old acquaintances — Changes in the bar of the River — Choice 

 of a settlement near Djombouai's Village — Bonfires and rejoicings on 

 the river banks — Commencement of disembarkation — Dangerous state 

 of the shore — The boat upset in the breakers — Saved by the Negroes — 

 Loss of instruments and stores. 



Early in 1863, after three years' recreation in the 

 civilized countries of Europe and North America, I 

 began to entertain the idea of undertaking a new 

 journey into Western Equatorial Africa. My main 

 object in this journey was to attempt to penetrate still 

 further into the interior than I had done hitherto, 

 taking the route of the Fernand Vaz River, the starting 

 point of my principal expedition in the former journey . 

 I had also a strong desire to fix with scientific 

 accuracy the geographical positions of the places I 

 had already discovered, and to vindicate b}^ fresh 

 observations, and the acquisition of further specimens, 

 the truth of the remarks I had published on the eth- 

 nology and natural history of the country. Beyond 



B 



