32 JOBSON AND MUKGO PARK. 



watched the progress of the intruders. The appearance and 

 customs of the human dwellers in the region were in keeping 

 with the utter wildness, and many were the wonderful stories 

 he had to tell his countrymen of the kindnesses and cruelties, 

 the fashions and follies, the graces and hideousness which he 

 saw, and the strange things he heard. But the goal was not 

 reached. Then, for a long time, the spirit of discovery, so far 

 as pertained to Africa, was dormant in England. And when it 

 revived a little in 1720, it was only to be assured, by the ex- 

 pedition of Captain Stibbs, that the theories of reaching the 

 interior by the Gambia had been only a delusion. 



While the English sought to ascend the Gambia, Senegal 

 was the Niger to the French, the stream by which they hoped 

 to reach the regions of gold. They founded the settlement of 

 St. Louis in 1626, but little was accomplished until 1697, when 

 Sieur Brue was appointed director of the company's affairs, 

 who made various journeys into the interior, penetrating as far 

 as Bambouk, distinguished still for its mines of gold. But 

 still there remained the vast blank on the map of Africa, and 

 the fabulous stories of wonderful wealth came floating up out 

 of the unknown, while the remotest extremities of land in other 

 quarters of the globe were being brought under contribution to 

 the general fund of knowledge and wealth. 



At length the African Association was formed in England, 

 and introduced a new era in African discoveries. First, Mr. 

 Ledyard, a born traveller, who had sailed around the world with 

 Captain Cook, had lived in North America, and journeyed to 

 the remotest parts of Asia, was sent out, and died in Egypt be- 

 fore even beginning the proposed journey along the Nile. Then 

 Lucas attempted to cross the desert from Tripoli ; the daring 

 Major Houghton fell the victim of Moorish perfidy, while boldly 

 penetrating the continent from the mouth of the Gambia. Then 

 came the celebrated Mungo Park, who was destined to take the 

 front rank of all the travellers of his day, whose dreadful 

 sufferings, and unrivalled heroism, and unconquerable perse- 

 verance were as much matter of astonishment and admiration 

 as the discoveries he made, and the exploits he performed. 

 "While Mr. Park was making his discoveries in Senegambia, 

 Guinea^ and western Soudan, Frederic Horneman was sent out 



