MISSION TO ASHANTEE. 
91 
ciilars of the novelty, and they were again repeated to Baba, and 
were thus interpreted : " that some years ago, a vessel with masts, 
suddenly appeared on the Quolla or Niger near Boussa, with three 
white men, and some black. The natives encouraged by these 
strange men, took off provisions for sale, were well paid and re- 
ceived presents besides : it seems the vessel had anchored. The 
next day, perceiving the vessel going on, the natives hurried after 
her, (the Moor protested from their anxiety to save her from some 
sunken rocks, with which the Quolla abounds) but the white men 
mistaking, and thinking they pursued for a bad purpose, deterred 
them. The vessel soon after struck, the men jumped into the water 
and tried to swim, but could not, for the current, and were 
drowned. He thought some of their clothes were now at Wauwaw, 
but he did not beheve there were any books or papers/' This 
spontaneous narrative, so artlessly told, made a powerful impres- 
sion on my mind. I saw the man frequently afterwards, his 
manners were very mild, and he never asked me for the most 
trifling present. He drew me a chart before he went aivay, and 1 
dispatched some certificates for Major Fed die by him, endorsed 
with Baba's recommendations. I heard exactly the same thing 
afterwards from another Moor, but he had not been an eye wit- 
ness. I begged Mr. Hutchison, when I left Coomassie, to note 
any other report on the subject of Mr. Park's death, and he after- 
wards sent me the ms. a translation of which is in the appendix. 
I continued to call on Baba three or four times a week ; these 
visits afforded much information, for at each I found strange Moors 
Just arrived from different parts of the interior, sojourning with 
him. They always affected to deplore the ignorance of the Ashan- 
tees, and presumed it must be as irksome to me as to them. Baba 
telling one that I could speak different languages, he said that he 
would try me, and addressed me in several, all very uncouth to my ear, 
