■i THE VOYAGE. Chap. I. 



hands, and having acquired some influence over them, 

 I could depend upon obtaining an escort to enable 

 me to advance into the interior. I do not know any 

 other point of the West African coast, between the 

 Congo and the Niger, where I, or indaed any white 

 man, could have any chance of penetrating more 

 than a short distance into the interior. After making 

 some inquiries, I found my best course would be to 

 freight a vessel specially to take me to the Fernand 

 Vaz. I therefore engaged with the owners of the 

 schooner Mentor, Captain Vardon, a little vessel of 

 less than 100 tons measurement, and all preparations 

 being complete, embarked on board of her at Grraves- 

 end on the 6th of August, 1863. 



Although I looked forward with great pleasure to 

 my new journey of exploration, I left old England 

 with a heavy heart. The land where I had received 

 so much kindness and sympathy, so much genuine 

 hospitality, and where I had made so many true 

 friends, had become to me a second home. I could 

 not repress the feeling of sadness which came over 

 me, and the pang I felt at parting was the greater 

 from the thought that I might never return from 

 an undertaking beset with such various perils. 



We were detained with a crowd of other vessels off 

 Deal, for several days, by a strong wind from the 

 south-west. I was much struck, part of the time, by 

 the strong contrast between the weather we had at 

 sea and that which prevailed on shore. With us the 

 wind was blowing strong and the sea rough, whilst 

 on land the sun was shining beautifully on the golden 

 corn-fields, and the reapers were at work gathering 



