308 
GLASGOW S DRUM. 
gow interpreted in a way that left no doubt of his 
having understood perfectly all that the “drum spoke.” 
He also said they could communicate by this means 
at very great distances; by the “ war-drum,” which is 
kept in every village to give and repeat these signals; 
so that there is intimation of danger long before the 
enemy can attack them. We are often surprised, 
to find the sound of the trumpet so well understood 
in our military evolutions ; but how far short that falls 
of the result arrived at by those untutored savages. 
This method of communication, is no doubt em- 
ployed by slave dealers, to give notice of the move- 
ments of our cruisers. 
Having found, that the steering compass in the 
'Wilberforce^ was very much affected by the local 
attraction, owing to the difference in the magnetic 
intensity between these regions and the latitude of 
England, where it was corrected ; several days were 
devoted on our return to Clarence Cove, to swinging 
the ship to the difiercnt points of the compass, and 
replacing the magnetic bai’S or correctors. The cardinal 
points were made exact, but N.B. remained very refrac- 
tory, the box of soft iron having little or no eftect. 
Several ships were communicated with, in the hopes 
of receiving letters and dispatches from England, as 
we began to be very impatient and uneasy at not 
receiving instructions, and the time was near at hand 
when we ought to re-enter the Niger, or abandon 
the enterprise. 
