16 
PICTURESQUE VIEWS ON THE NIGER. 
1. At Rabba, the king commanded liis master of the horse — the Baba-n durki — to lodge us in his quarters ; which, though consisting of a great 
number of huts, did not afford us such elegant accommodation as raiglit have been expected from so high a dignitary. He was, however, very civil, 
and his wife did the very polite thing, by calling on us attended by her handmaidens. She reduced me, however, to a very considerable dilemma, by 
throwing herself on her knees before me. As I could not call to mind that I had ever received such a mark of attention from any civilized lady of 
my acquaintance, nor even of having read of such a precedent in any code of gallantry, I was utterly at a loss how to perform my part; — \vhether to 
receive her with the dignity of an oriental, or to descend to my own marrowbones in imitation of her politeness. I steered a middle course, and 
raised her tenderly by the hand, whereat she and her sable and glossy nymphs laughed immoderately. She doubtless was a fascinating creature, 
though a little unwieldy withal. Her hands and feet were deeply tinged with henna, and her lovely eyes with antimony. Her hair — thickly 
plastered with indigo — was enveloped in a sort of turban, and a country cloth encircled her waist with many graceful folds. I gratified her with a 
few trifling presents — the principal object of her visit — and dismissed the rosy-Jooted charmer, apparently well pleased with her visit. 
2. The king of Attah, or Iddah, had committed so many acts of incivility, as cutting off our provisions, poisoning some of our people, &c., that 
our acceptance of an invitation to visit him, may be deemed excessive rashness ; especially as the queen had prepared a feast for us. We, however, 
ate the smallest possible quantity of that of which she partook pretty freely, selecting our morsels from the immediate vicinity of ^vhere the royal 
finger had been plunged. There were, besides myself, Lander, Oldfield, Dean, and five Krumen ; and we took care also to be well armed, on entering 
the palace of the redoubted chief. 
His majesty was gaily dressed for the occasion in a profusion of tobes, necklaces, &c., which must have required no small sacrifice of comfort to 
ostentation. His legs were encased in a pair of boots made of printed cloth, with tops like brass fenders sticking out at right angles from his shins ; 
and his chief amusement was to make them jingle. In his lap, and suspended from his neck, was a gilt representation — or libel — of the human face, 
very like the " man in the moon." He sat on a large cushion, at the edge of a verandah of a thatched hut. The queen sat on the ground at his right 
hand, and behind, in the shade of the verandah, were his wives and female slaves. Some of the courtiers were respectably dressed, while others were 
in rags. Our worthy old friend Abokko was obliged to prostrate himself before his brother. The thatch was adorned with some pieces of 
Manchester cotton. We were seated under our gay umbrella, and the king was so pleased with our visit, that we had to make several efforts before 
we could get away. 
The last plate, lithographed by myself, is intended to give a general idea of the scenery on the banks of the Niger. The first, " Beaufort 
Island," is a very eligible situation for a factory. The other views shew the character of the mountains, which, above the Confluence, are all table. 
