100 park's second journey. 



trymen, he was deeply mortified, and exclaimed, "Black 

 men are nothing !" expressing his surprise that Park could 

 find any motive for coming to so miserable a land as Africa. 

 Mr. Park had some difficulty in reaching home. He was 

 obliged to embark, on the 15th June, in a vessel bound to 

 America, and was afterward driven by stress of weather 

 into the island of Antigua, whence he sailed on the 24th 

 November, and on the 22d December arrived at Falmouth. 

 He reached London before dawn on the morning of Christ- 

 mas-day, and, in the garden of the British Museum, acci- 

 dentally met his brother-in-law, Mr. Dickson. The interval 

 of two years having elapsed since any tidings of him reached 

 England, had caused him to be given up for lost, so that his 

 friends and the public were equally astonished and delighted 

 by his reappearance. The report of his unexpected return, 

 after making such splendid discoveries, kindled throughout 

 the nation a higher enthusiasm than had perhaps been ex- 

 cited by the result of any former mission of the same nature. 

 To satisfy the public impatience, an outline was drawn up 

 by Mr. Bryan Edwards, accompanied with learned and able 

 geographical illustrations by Major Rennel. The entire 

 narrative was published early in 1799, and besides the in- 

 terest inseparable from the remarkable events which it de- 

 scribes, the merit of being written in a pleasing and animated 

 style has rendered it one of the most popular books Id the 

 English language. 



CHAPTER IX. 



Parle's Second, Journey. 



The discoveries of Park, in his first journey, though the 

 most splendid made by any modem traveller, rather excited 

 than satislied the national curiosity. The Niger had been 

 seen flowing eastward into the interior of Africa ; and 

 hence a still deeper interest and mystery were suspended 

 over the future course and termination of this great central 

 stream. Kingdoms had been discovered, more flourishing and 



