West Africa the Elusive - forgottenbooks.com

West Africa the E usive

ALAN LE THBRIDGE

A u thor of The“

New Ru ssi a ,

”The Sou l of the Russi an

“ Germany as i t i s today, (fie .

LONDON

JOHN BALE , SONS DANIE LSSON , LTD .

O! FORD HOUSE

83-91, GRE AT TITCHFIE LD STRE E T , O ! FORD STRE E T, W . 1 .

To THE

GENTLEMEN E NA E RA ID ,

WHO FORFEITED THEIR LIVES IN MAKING

BRITISH WEST AFRICA ,

AND LIE AT RE ST, UNSUNG , AND FORGOTTEN

IN ITs SWAMPS , JUNGLE S AND DE SERTS ,

THIS BOOK IS DEDICATED .

1 2201 3 5

PRE FACE .

BOOKS Of trave l may be d ivided into two categoriesthose wh i ch descr ibe what the ir writers are meant to see ,and consequently paint everything couleur de rose ,

”

and those wh ich are framed on crit ical lines . The latter,

i f moderate and just , should be Of practical benefit tothe countr ies concerned , though , as a rule , the ir authorsare not popular with all portions o f the community .

I have tried in this book on West Afr ica to balancethe scales, and it has not been easy . When one i s , so tospeak ,

‘

a sem i - o ffic ial guest , i t seem s to savour Of ingratitude to comment adversely on matters which attractone ’ s attention . Yet what was the Object Of my m issionI was sent by the D a i ly Telegrap h , most certainlynot for a pleasure trip , but to describe West Africa Ofto - day frankly and fearles sly, in order that this crowdedOld England m ight decide whether the rather neglectedWest African colonies had Openings o f which the com inggeneration m ight avai l itself . Obviously

,gilding the

pill would be an outrage upon those who , troubling toread what was wr itten , felt drawn to take the plungeonly to discover the discrepancy between fiction andfact . This is the worst propaganda conce ivable . Thepatent line o f action to follow , therefore , i s to point ou twhere abuses exi st and show h ow they m ight beremedied , and I do venture to suggest that the ou t

sider, although he be a mere layman , can sometimesgrasp the flaw in a system , adm inistrat ive or mercantile ,more quickly than those actually concerned . Moreover

,

those in subord inate positions Of Government departments o r trading firms have long since learnt the fact

vi . PREFACE

that the muzzling order i s not confined to the canineworld and prefer to take the road Of least resistancerather than chance the loss Of their l ivel ihood throughdismissal . Nominally

,those having grievances are

invited to ventilate them ; anyone with the slightestWest Coast experience knows that to be an am iablelegend .

The recent dissatisfact ion in N igeria , i t is adm itted ina Government Report , portions of which I quote indu e course , showed that the temper Of the official worldin th at great colony had alm ost reached flash point .Had this condition been ignored there would have beenserious trouble

,and

,as I wr ite

,there i s sti ll room and

to spare for amel ioration of the lot Of the Nigerian C ivilServant .On the Gold Coast conditions are easier the average

Of prices i s lower,since the railway i s run on more

econom ical l ines than in Niger ia and transport chargesare less . L iberia

,the black man ’s Utopia , the paradise

of the fanatical emancipationist , I have touched uponwith the l ightest o f possible pens . That my remarksgave the maximum of Offence and that the local paperdescribed me as a fit companion for gaol -birds , merelymade me sm i le . This Opera - bouffe republic i s an anachromism in an era o f advance when every corner o f theworld i s needed for serious exploitation . If i t continuesto endure , it will be because Of i ts wealth and the inevitable international jealousy i ts occupation by any oneGreat Power would entail . SO much by way Of explanation of the pages which fol low .

I have certainly attempted to avoid wounding anyone ’s feel ings

,for at all t imes my wife and I have

rece ived assistance,kindness and much consideration .

My thanks must first be extended to Lord Burnham and the Da i ly Te legrap h ,

who made the journeypossible . Next I must mention His Excellency GovernorWi lkinson o f S ierra Leone and Mrs . Wi lkinson , who , ifreport be true

,are saying good - bye shortly to this

flour i shing little colony . The ir loss wi ll be very real ,for , faced with truly desperate difficulties over nativeaffairs, each in a separate manner h as contributed to

PREFACE

the continuing econom ic prosper ity of what was onceThe White Man ’s Grave .

” Monsieur Crommel in , theL iber ian Minister to the Court of St . James , gave memuch fr iendly advice and counsel . General Guggisberg ,during a trying tour to those not regu larly accustomed totropical travel

,I grew to know wel l and learned to

appreciate the value O f his fr iendship . A progressiveGovernor in the broadest sense , the destinies Of theGold Coast are in safe hands . To Major F . N . Jackson ,the Military Governor Of Brit ish Togoland , and to Mrs .

Jackson my wife and I owe a debt o f gratitude wecannot adequately express . S ir Hugh Cli fford , Governoro f Nigeria , extended to us Official hospitality, for whichI thank him . TO enumerate the names o f all those whoshowed us sympathy in fair weather and foul wouldbe impossible . They were legion , but I have not forgotten them and never shall .F inally

,I cannot close without grateful mention of

two great organizations—Messrs . E lder D empster andthe Bank Of Br it ish West Afr ica . Messrs . E lderD empster come in for a good many kicks , and it givesme peculiar pleasure to record our personally happyexper iences in their ships . Many circumstances m ilitateagainst t h e satisfactory running Of these vesselsclimate , crews , black labour , difficult ies o f adequatestorage and great length o f voyage . SO allowancesshould be made and complainants should remember thatthey are not the only folk with livers . The Bank ofBritish West Afr ica has helped many a Coaster ” overa stile and continues the practice . Perhaps the knowledgethat strict business does not recognize sentiment andthat they break away from tradition to that extent is thebest recommendation I can give them , not forgettingthe ir habitual and never- failing courtesy .

It is unlike ly that I shall ever see the West Coastagain , but with all its manifest faults it possesses a heartas warm as the sun which shines upon it and holds outa hand ready to shake that of a wayfarer . Let himrespond ; he will never regret it .It is impossible for me to close this preface without

acknowledging the tremendous help I have rece ived from

vfiL PREFACE

my wife in the preparation of this book . She ac compan ied me during the whole Of the nine months I wasin West Africa , and the strain and fatigue must havebeen very great . But on her return she insisted onsharing the responsibilit ies of this volume , which if itcontains anything Of value i s entirely due to he rinitiative .

ALAN LETHBRIDGE .

WE ST A FRICA THE E LUSIVE .

CHAPTE R I .

W HY elusive ? The query is a very natural one,and

the answer i s equally easy : E lusive because , in thisworld o f cramped spaces and increasing labour congest ion, here l ie vast terr itor ies which convey practicallynothing to the average cit izen , who , after all , i s themotive power behind the Br it ish Empire . True , therei s all the machinery Of adm ini strat ion to be found theresold iers

,police , law courts , and schools . There are

banks and commercial undertakings o f some magnitude .There are m ines and factories . Yet development hasbeen slow

,very slow, crippled by that one fact that the

general public cannot grasp what West Afr ica means ,and m ight mean had it not been for so long elusive .”

Every schoolboy is inoculated with the m icrobe o f asuperstitious dread Of the “ Coast .” Grown men shaketheir heads solemnly when it i s mentioned . Mothersand aunts roundly declare that the ir budd ing sons o rnephews shall never seek a l iving in such a horr ibleplace . Of course , this attitude i s extreme . Every spothas its drawbacks and people have been known to diein P iccadilly . A leading London surgeon made a verytrue remark when we were wilting under a perfectfusillade Of prophecies o f the bad end to which we werehastening by going to the Coast . It was a farewel lfam i ly party , and the lugubr i ty Of comment was reallyvery funny . The medical man li stened quietly

,and

then dryly remarked , Has it ever occurred to you,dear

people , that half my practice i s Obtained by the indisc re t ions o f those who take l iberties with themselvess imply because they are at home ? Place them in a

2 WE ST AFRICA THE ELU S IVE

land where they sense latent danger, and , ip so fa e to , theytake every possible precaution, and quite probably theirhealth may even improve .” Adm iral S ir ReginaldBacon , in his story Of the Dover Patrol , puts exactlythe sam e thing in a different way .

“ However, as i sfrequently the case , the more awkward a piece Of navigat ion the safer i t really i s , owing to the care and concentration o f attention at the moment which becomenecessary .

” And finally, what about the tight- ropewalker who was asked h ow h is father died “ He wasa tight - rope walker also

,

” was his reply ,“ and he fe ll

from his rope in a circus and was smashed up .

“I

wonder you care to follow in his steps you m ight cometo the same end ,

” said his questioner . “ Maybe , butwhat happened to you r father ?

” “ Oh ! he died‘

inbed .

“ D id he, now ? Well , I wonder you aren ’ tafraid to follow in his steps and gO to bed ! This byway Of introduction .

Ships , l ike people , have individualities . A passengersteamer bound for New York i s as far removed from aWe st African liner as chalk i s from cheese . In the firstcase there is fusion— that i s to say, fusion which wil l takeplace imperceptibly dur ing and after the voyage . Itslogical sequence i s the cur ious conglomeration Of peopleswh o make up the United States Of to -day . Upon aWest Afr ican liner , rightly or wrongly, there i s noquest ion Of fusion . There are Government Officials ,there are traders , there are m i ssionar ies , and , above all ,there are black men . If water and O i l never assim i late ,then , most assuredly, these equally diverse elementswill never do so . There i s a good deal to be said foreach . The m issionary may strike one as extreme in hi spoint Of view . The Government offi cial has a differentangle of vision from that Of the m i ssionary or Of thetrader . The black man stands aloof from all , and ,truth to tell

,one wonders whether he i s not sm i ling

perpetually at the affection displayed by the white manfo r his own white brothers . But there i s one point o fs im i lari ty amongst these confl icting elements , and thati s a wholesome dislike for the Coast , black men excepted .

It h as become a sort Of cult . Nothing that the Coast

WE ST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE 3

can produce or will ever produce i s aught but bad . Wedid hear one Officer say that the pineapples in S ierraLeone were passable , while all agreed that the shootingup in the bush was “ decent . But otherwise theLamentations of Jerem iah paled into insignifi cance bycompar i son . NOW destructive cr itici sm i s a very simplematter ; construct ive cri t icism i s not so easy . Thismental attitude

, so common amongst “ Coasters, i slargely induced by factors capable o f alteration . Themost important Of these factors we propose to mention ,and, we m ight add , in no spirit o f malice , but merely because Our m ission would have been useless were we notto comment with some freedom u pon matters broughtto ou r notice .

NO one will gainsay that , by and large , the influenceOf womanhood i s a stabilizing feature in the make- u po f manhood . More and more are men realizing thatit i s not good for man to l ive alone ,

” and even a poorspecimen Of her sex may have a civilizing influence .

TO emphasize the point , the very fact that a white manfee l s the responsibility o f protecting his own women- folkin a strange land i s all for his good . The t ime hasarr ived when a man Of common sense values the com a

panionsh ip Of a woman more than her looks , and , to thecredit of the woman be i t said , i t i s usually the manwho is responsible for keeping her safe in England

,even

when accommodation i s available on the Coast or upcountry . A great deal has been wr itten about theiniquities , so - called , o f those white men who, perforce ,make their home or the ir l iving in West Afr ica . NO

one would suggest that they are plaster saints , and , totheir everlasting credit

,they would be the first , indiv i

dually and collectively , to deny it . But undoubtedly th eabsence Of fem inine influence, Of those l ittle toucheswhich mean so much and represent “ home

,must

aggravate any tendency towards the common o r gardenvices to which human nature i s ever l iable . At the endo f a full day ’s work in a comparatively lonely station

,

what is there to do And i t must be pointed ou t thatthe white populat ion living in what m ight be describedas “ towns in West Afr ica i s very small . Some may

4 WE ST AFRICA THE ELUS IVE

find solace in shooting , though that represents expensewhich many a youngster cannot afford . Sometimesthere may be a tennis court , though this i s rare . Buti t i s impossible to shoot or to play tennis when it i sdark . SO what is there to do ? The temptations areObv ious . An enervating climate and loneliness will playthe devi l with anyone . The first essential needed tomake Of W est Afri ca a country where l ife m ay be l ivedunder normal conditions is proper accommodation ; thesecond , sufficient salaries to encourage domest ic life .Towards this consummat ion there are no insuperabledifficultie s. It i s as easy to build a bungalow Of aproper design, comfortable and commodious—most important essentials in the tropics—in West Africa as inIndia . Encourage this practice , and the whole aspectOf life on the Coast will be altered . Granted that thecolonization Of this portion Of the globe will never beeffectually achieved by white men , yet , by the introduction Of such methods as have been outlined

,there

appears to us to be no part icular reason why WestAfr ica should bear a stigma which i s not wholly just ified .

For too long has West Africa been regarded as a sortOf refuge for the destitute , as a species o f dustheap Ofthe Empire . Yet I remember that the late Mr . JosephChamberlain , when speaking at a Guildhall banquet ,m ade a comment to the following effect ° “ As long asGreat Br itain can produce the type o f men who areworking to -day as adm inistrators , soldiers or tradersunder the extremely d isadvantageous conditions atpresent exi st ing in We st Afr ica , so long need we haveno fear Of the future Of the Brit ish Empire . Thosewords probably had their little effect as a mental tonicupon the Coaster , W hatever his calling, sweating andstruggl ing

,doing his best for the commonweal . And

it has not been in vain . It would be useless to say thatthere are not pronounced antagonism s between classand class ; i t would be r id iculous to state that them i ssionary and the trader , the soldier and the politicalOfficer always see eye to eye . They do not . And yet ,such i s the contrariness of nature , there has undoubtedlybeen born a species Of freemasonry which binds these

WEST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE 5

very d ifferent people together . It is rather rem iniscento f the story told Of an Iri sh soldier wh o heard a disparaging remark made about the late Queen Victor iaat a wayside station in, let u s say, County Mayo .

Having knocked the offender down , and being askedfo r an explanation , he replied , Faith , she

’s my Queenand I can say what I want about her , but it

’s no t for thel ikes Of you , ye spalpeen !Such i s the Spirit Of the Coast .Las Palmas

,capital of Grand Canary , may wel l be

called the gateway to the West Coast . Were stat ist icsavailable it would be interesting to know how manyCoasters , outward and homeward bound , pass throughhere in a year, whi le it m ight be saddening to discoverthe number wh o have m ade thi s the ir final resting place .

Time was when it was the popular thing,in order to

avoid giving the Coast an unnecessarily bad name,hastily

to ship Off the very il l to Las Palmas,there to le t them

d ie o r recover as fate ordained . At least , so legend‘

h as

i t . Things have altered now,since E lder D empster

maintain a certain number Of direct sail ings betweenL iverpool , S ierra Leone , and Lagos , which means asaving o f some days i f nothing e lse . A l ittle pract ice inthe gentle art Of deduction and it i s quite possible tod ifle rent iate between the outward bound Coaster andthe homeward bound . The former i s Spick and spanin beautiful new clothes , but usually is hard up , whilethe latter i s badly in need Of addit ions to his wardrobe

,

but i s distinctly flush . Those from the West Coastform a curious and transient community Of the ir own

in Grand Canary , se ldom mixing with the touri sts, wh ounder normal conditions throng the i sland . Undoubtedly,t ime perm itting

,the best plan is to stay in the inter ior

o f the i sland,where

,at Monte

,i s an exce llent hotel , run

by an Engl ishman,and greatly patronized by jaded

Coasters ” who are trying to recover from the effectsOf the West Afr ican climate , which not only saps theirvitality

,but Often u psets the nervou s system . What

could be a more del ightful contrast to their usual environment than sem i -Alpine scenery, a garden bri l liant with


subtropical flowers and plants , cool and invigoratingbreezes from the hills

,and— absolute quiet ?

Getting to Monte i s quite an expe rience . The roadis steep and tortuous

, and Spanish chauff eurs are nottoo rel iable

,though , to be sure , there i s no speed l im i t

on the island . Our car broke down just as it grewdusk , and since we were about six m iles from ou r

destination , and the dr iver conclusively proved himselfno mechanic , the position did not appear prom ising .

We had no Spanish , and he knew no English ; neither ,for that matter , did those who were to prove fr iends inneed . The inevitable “ Ford ” approached , stopped ,and four men and a child simultaneously alighted . Thenensued a perfect pandemonium , everyone talked at onceand gesticulated wildly . Our motor gave an excellent andprolonged im itation Of a Maxim gun . In the intervalsOf this concert the fam i ly history o f the owners o f the“ Ford ” was given us in broken French by the onlylinguist Of the party . One was an engineer , another alawyer , another a widower and the father o f an extremelyshy Carmencita

,who viewed us with great suspicion .

At last our car was pronounced by the engineer and hischauffeur to be capable Of proceeding . We all shookhands and bowed solemnly . Our driver climbed intohis seat to the accompanimen t Of more farewel ls . Therewas more Maxim - gun noise , and— the car refused tomove After that everything was begun all over again ,and the skies grew dark . F inally , the engineer , by dinto f the most vivid pantom ime and a torrent Of words ,started our car himself

,and we continued on our way

with no lamps , up a winding road to Monte .It may seem that we have harped too much uponquestions Of health

,but the fact i s that this particular

source of conversation i s never long left untapped . Thereare the pessimists who regard this tour o f service asthe ir last

,and there are optim i sts who aver that the

Coast i s “ all right . One Of those best qualified tospeak with authority on the point told us that he hadlived in S ierra L eone on and Off for 20 Odd years .He had had blackwater fever e ight times—that, surely ,i s a record—enteric twice

,and had been actually carr ied


on to the ocean steamer four t imes , so grave was hisc ondition . Yet he looked as hearty and jolly as a sandboy, and was returning in our ship with never a quakefor the fu ture . Moreover , he was accompanied by hiswife , a fragile , charm ing woman , who had been withher husband most o f those trying years . That speaksfor i tself . Pluck goes a long way towards good health ,a deal farther than many realize .

CHAPTE R II .

L IBERIA i s included in this volume for two reasons.Its unexplored r iches , accounts o f which reach Englandin vague whispers from sources rel iable and otherwise ,the tales Of

“ big game ,” it s agr icultural productivity,

all stimulate the imagination and the desire for gain orsport . Therefore , it i s as we ll that the venturesomeshould real ize the difference between this Black Republicand the Colonies which form its boundar ies . Also , wewere fortunate to witness at Monrovia the inaugurationOf the new President , a ceremony which takes place—as

i t does in America—every four years,and ou r description ,

slight though it m ay be, may give pau se to thoseenthusiasts who seem to think that all men werecreated equal ,

” and that that equality includes mental ityand the ability for sel f- government .L iber ia i s a cur ious little S tate . It i s situated in a

sort of backwater ; it is seem ingly forgotten by thehurrying l iners wending the ir way to Br it ish , French ,or Spanish West Afr ican Colonies , as also by the giantships trading to South Afr ican ports . Mails arr iverarely and irregularly , ! and , in consequence thereof , tradeand commerce must suffer . Now, granted that itsgeographical situation renders it rather difficult Ofaccess , granted that the war h as hit i t mercilessly, owingto tonnage sunk and consequent paucity Of vessels , ye tthe fault Of this seclusion cannot be said to rest solely ,o r even mainly , upon these two factors . Ever since1848 , when L iberi a was recognized for the first t ime inhistory as an independent republic— let it be noted thatthis recognition came first from Great Britain , secondlv

Thanks to th e'

enterpri se o f Messrs. E lder D empster , this h asrecently b een much impro ved .

https://www.forgottenbooks.com/join

10 WE ST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE

The finances Of the Republic were in a very prec ar ious condition ; money must be had at all costs , or

national bankruptcy , internal rebell ion , and r iotingwould result . Yet the L iberian o f the governing class ,with a superb indifference to common- sense finance ,refused to allow the thesi s that the creditor has anunquestionable right to demand some form o f monetarysecurity upon cash advanced to a borrower . Afterinterm inable argument , the Customs was pledged , ande ven to - day this fact i s a very real thorn in the flesh Ofthe so - called L iberian patriot .At length the t ime has arrived when a change must

be made . L iber ia has only two alternatives . E ithersh e continues her career o f stagnation and indifference ,in which case sh e will undoubtedly merit her thenunavo idable fate of obliteration from the l i st of independent States, o r sh e may advance and develop alongnormal l ines , guided by friendly and sympathetic helpfrom the great outside world

,in which case there i s

e very possible reason why sh e should become animmensely r ich , thr iving , and prosperous country, witha teem ing , happy population

,the Utopia o f those

c oloured philanthropists who,without ulterior motives ,

have fought for the betterment Of the native races .This i s the legacy which has been bequeathed to thenew President , the Hon . Charles King , to wh om thee yes of the world will now turn . What Of him , then ?Let us first descr ibe him at home as we Originally saw

him . President King is a man o f marked individuality .

O f medium height and spare frame,he has whiskers Of

the Prince Consort type,which probably make him look

Older than his years . His experiences in Paris at thePeace Conference and his subsequent visits to Englandand America , have without doubt robbed him Of anyillusions he m ight have originally possessed . He i so utspoken , surprisingly outspoken , for , as a rule , theman of colour plus education is on the defensive , ast hough he were trying to peer behind one ’s eyes andread what lies beyond . Gifted with a keen sense Ofhumour , he could sm i le without bitterness at theidiosyncrasies o f his fellow- countrymen, and also at the

WE ST A FR ICA THE ELUS IVE 11

very manifest intr igues which took place daily amongstthe pseudo - international diplomats who suddenly arr iveda t Monrovia in remarkable quantities . SO much for theman . The President ’s wife i s a wom an of really rarec harm . Although a native - born L iberian sh e wase ducated at Washington

,and combines with a most

musical speaking voice and spontaneous sm i le theability to say the r ight thing at the right time and ine xactly the r ight way . The keynote Of the ir home l ifewas evidently simplicity . Though the President - elect ,as he was when we first saw him , was garbed in thec onventional frock coat and white waistcoat o f the upperc lass L iber ian , the room in which we were receivedm ight well have belonged to one of his humbler countrymen . Two or three easy chairs

,an upr ight piano, and

a few framed photographs ; nothing here to support thetales Of extravagance which one had heard Of other newc omers to the Executive Mansion .

After the customary greetings,we were told that , as

far as he knew , we were the first representatives of ag reat daily newspaper ever especially to vi sit theR epublic , that b e fully realized the value o f publicity,particularly to a small State l ike L iberia , and that hehoped that since this attention had once been extendedit m ight continue , and that the Da i ly Te legraph would ,in the future , voice L iberi a

’s needs . We then mades ome comments of a tr ivial nature upon Monrovia .

It is pretty,” he said

,but

,Of course

,i t i s merely a

jumble Of bungalows and houses put down W ithoutmethod in the bush . I must have roads , proper roads ,a nd that is one o f the first things I am going to se e to ;that and the building Of a new capital on modern andu p

- to - date lines , r ight away up country .

This was an eye - Opener , indeed , for u S. Certainlyh ere was advance , and no m i stake .

“ You se e , continued the President - e lect , this i s ar idiculous situation for the capital of a country l ikeL iberia , with great depth Of hinterland . Up countrywe have many different tr ibes speaking differentl anguages . They seldom or never come to Monrovia,p artially , no doubt, because they cannot spare the t ime

12 WEST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE

to make a tedious journey, Of, maybe , fou rteen or

fifteen days in order to pay their respects, W hile obtainingno commensurate advantage . Hence we never get toknow each other, and , as you wi l l readily understand ,bad feel ing may thereupon ensue, lead ing ultimately toacts Of violence and aggression necessitating the employment Of armed force to restore peace . If we are goingto develop , as develop we must , we must wake up to

facts , move the capital , as I say, and as a start , unti l wecan have a railway , make a really good motor road .

”

“Yo u are evidently a believer in motor transport ,

was ou r comment .Certainly . If an army in the field can be fed by

such means , then undoubtedly, as a start , and pend ingthe completion of a railway

,which must take t ime

,and

also cost s a great deal Of money, here i s a solution . G et

started ! That i s the whole point .Then the question Of finance . L iber ia i s enormously

r ich . She has rubber , t imber in the upper regions ,piassava (our chief export) , palm o i l and kernels ,ginger , r ice and coffee , and Calabar beans . Not so bad al ist , i s it ? Oh ! and then— yes— I had forgotten ivory .

Even in 1917 , when everybody’s energies had been

employed in a different direction,we exported nearly

two tons weight .”

Here we interrupted : But S ir Alfred Sharp , in a

recent speech , said he had been m i les through a L ibe r ian

forest and had never seen any game .

“ Then he must have gone to the wrong locations ,since ivory does not grow upon trees ,

” was the dryreply .

“ And as a matter of fact,in the north- easterly

port ion Of the Republic , wh ich is seldom i f ever visitedby Europeans , there are plenty Of elephants and manyother wild animals besides .

”

Gold we quer ied .

An industry requir ing development . Ch i efly fromalluvial washings

,we managed to export

,in 1917 , about

O f the raw article . And , consider ing that w ehave no modern apparatus nor appliances and no skilledengineers , that Speaks for itself .

”

We then turned to the question of immigrat ion .


There are three classes o f people we do not want ,said Mr . King , with a rather gr im sm i le : first andforemost , we don

’

t want coloured politicians . We haveplenty Of them here . Secondly, we have no need Ofunskilled labour . O f that also we have plenty . Thirdly ,it is quite useless for anybody to come here with a viewo f settling down , unless possessed Of a certain amount o fcapital . Monrovia itself is congested , and if people comeou t they must be in a position to build the ir own housesand stock the ir own stores , and wait patiently unti l , thecountry having finally awakened , as it certainly will if Ihave anything to do with it , they see the ir profitsassured .

S im ilarly , we must have steamers for the produce Ofthe agricultur ists we must arouse interest , by one meanso r another , in ou r m ineral deposits ; in fact , we mustawake a healthy curiosity as to what can be done inL iberia with competent aid

,and then I fee l assured that

the future Of this country, Of which I am the chosenleader , i s safe .

With that ou r interview came to an end , Mrs . King inher soft voice adding, as we descended the stairs , thatsh e looked forward particularly to see ing us at the ceremony Of the inauguration , and they both assured u s o f

their keen regret that we were obliged to leave thecountry so soon after that event .L ike a good many other places , Monrovia is di st inctly

attractive when viewed from a distance , but this attractt ion dim inishes in the same ratio as the di stance decreases . Seen from a steamer , one has the impressionOf a green , hil ly promontory, dotted w ith red - roofedbungalows . One ’s first disillusionment comes with thelanding , which is made in surf boats owing to adangerous bar which must be crossed to reach the town ,

and which annually takes a heavy toll Of l i fe andproperty . Fo r the benefit Of the uninitiated , it may beexplained that the average surf—boat i s from six to sevenfeet deep

,struts , to give addit ional strength , taking the

p lace o f seats . Hand luggage and passengers arel iterally thrown in without discr im ination

,and one

stands , very possibly , On one’s kitbag while steadying


oneself by clutching at the shoulder Of one ’s next - doorneighbour, while the thermometer regi sters 110 in thedistant shade .

The Customs House i s typical o f the L iberia o f today . It i s an edifice composed Of corrugated iron andkerosene t ins it i s also the playground Of al l the smal lMonrov ians, and it i s only the fact that but few travellersarr ive at one t ime which prevents the loss o f luggage .

Needless to say, lodgings are practically non- exi stent ,with the exception Of one hotel

, so- called , the advertise

ment for which , taken from a native paper, really mustbe quoted in full : “

Faukner’

s Hote l and Ice CreamParlor . Ice Cream , Cakes and Candies , Cold D rinks .You Owe It To Yourself TO Satisfy That Thirst . SO

D on ’t Forget To Drop In At Faukner ’

s . Boarders andLodgers Rece ived At Fairly Reasonable Rates .” Thelatter part Of the adverti sement i s certainly naive .

Be i t said that Mr . Faukner i s the Mayor Of Monrovia .

He i s an enterpr i sing negro from North Carolina, andhas latterly become a L iberian for business purposes .His idea o f a fairly reasonable pr ice i s anything froma pound to thirty shill ings a day for food and accomm o

dation which one would hesitate to Offer to a steeragepassenger . A gentleman Of resource , this ! He runs anice plant, and in this thirsty land people will part withalmost anything in exchange for this precious substance ;hence his profits are gigantic . H is “ Hotel and IceCream Parlor ” were formerly German property

,which

being estreated , had been handed over to him free Ofrent and all charges on the understanding that he shouldkeep it in When the whole L iberian navy sankat its moor ings— in other words , the septuagenariangunboat Lark, a gift from the Br iti sh Admiralty in them iddle o f the last century— i t was Mr . F aukner whosemechanical skill was consulted . If a ship runs shorto f coal Mr . Faukner will supply unlimited wood—at apr ice . Naturally, he arranges the Official and municipal

In just ic e to L iber ia this stat ement i s Open to quest ion ; at th esame t ime I have no t e quivalent evidence to contradict i t in to to .

”

—Th e A uthor .

WE ST AFRICA THE ELUS IVE 15

banquets,and since he i s always present at both , one

may be certain that the menu will be suitable to th eoccasion . He has something to do with the post Officeand i s a police court magistrate . In fact , this remarkable man

,starting from nothing, has made him self

the Rockefeller Of L iberia . The fascinations Of theubiquitous Mr . Faukner (wh o always greeted us warm ly ,in spite Of the fact that we did not patronize his Hote land Ice - Cream Parlor have caused this digression .

We were fortunate in find ing accommodation withMessrs . E lder Dempster ’s agent , Captain Beard , whowas the possessor Of an airy bungalow looking down overthe mountain paths and empty tins which represent th estreets o f Monrovia . The only creature in Monroviawh o enjoyed the t ins was Cuthbert , Captain Beard

’s foxterrier . Cuthbert was a very original person and no

account Of Monrovia would be complete without him .

TO begin with , he had selected his own name : no

Spot ,”or Dash ,

”or Jack for him . He heard th e

name Of Cuthbert one day, l iked it and an swered to itever after . His fondness for t ins grew a l ittle wear i someat t imes , for he demanded that they be thrown for himand he would then start in pursuit with shr ieks Of joywhich never ceased unti l he had retrieved the ident icalt in from its resting place and brou ght it back

, panting ,to the verandah . Tins were his Obsession . On one

occasion we were invited ou t to tea ,~

Cuthbert accom

panying us .“ There are no t ins here , said his master

,and

we may enjoy a little peace .

”

Hardly were the words out Of his mouth when webeheld Cuthbert , his eyes pleadingly searching for a.

likely vict im , his long undocked tail wagging , and one

slender paw placed on a tin so antique that i t made i tspresence known o f its own accord . Where he had foundit no one could say . He was an excellent dog in everyother respect , devoted to his owner and a good guard ,and we trust that when he goes with the other good dogsto the Dog S tar he will find plenty of tins to make himhappy .

Our boys , fresh from S ierra Leone, did not enjoy

1 6 WEST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE

Monrovia with its unfamiliar population and its scarc ityo f food . One came to us with a very lugubrious faceand announced “ P lenty bad place this ; I gO chasec hop , I no catch um .

” In spite Of the fact that theyboth adopted the latest Liber ian fashion in hair cutting( the head closely shaved with the exception Of a chasterosette Of wool in the m iddle Of the front) they werev ery glad to move on to a land where chop was moree asily “ caught .” Al so they were for ever cutting theirfeet on the broken glass which is spr inkled on the roads .These chamois tracks which take the place Of streets

a re in a bad condit ion , which may be gathered from thefollowing excerpt from an editorial in the L i ber i anN ews It i s truly a great blessing to us here thatthere are but few snakes and poisonous reptiles in thec ity , for if there were, many Of us would Often sufferfrom the ir bites . The time has now come for us noto nly to adorn and beautify ou r houses , but also to adornand beautify ou r city .

”There are absolutely no sanitary

a rrangements Of even the most primit ive sort , andthere i s no hospital . Seven years ago , in a burst Ofenthusiasm , the Government decided to build one ands ent for an European doctor to advise . In due coursehe arrived and happily is still there

,enjoying , as might

be expected , a tremendous practice, but the hospital hasn ever been built .There are no horses on account Of the t setse fly , no

motors , r ickshaws, o r other wheeled vehicles, for Obviousr easons , and the only hammock i s that possessed by theO fficer commanding the L iber i an Frontier Force . Naturally, there i s no street lighting . There i s no dr inkingwater , and not infrequently food supplies for the European

‘

colony run ou t and strict rationing is the order o fthe day until a ship arr ives . When we were there , therew as no sugar , m ilk, meat or eggs in Monrovia . But ins p ite Of thi s happy-

gO- lucky state of affairs the dignity

o f the Senate,consisting of nine members , and Of the

House Of Representatives , consisting o f fourteen members , is such that any member Of e ither arr iving at Parl iam ent House not properly attired i s liable to a fine Of5 dollars, or £1 . Proper attire consists o f a black frock



spot ? It really was most remarkable . Prior to thewar there were not half a dozen Spaniards in all L iberia .

In 1919 , every steamer was landing several , and if theaverage should continue it will not be long before Spainwill be numerical ly the most influential foreign colony .

Can it be , then , that Germany , realizing her lost chancesin this land o f budding Opportunity

,in this land which

must and will,we are sure

,emerge from the slumber Of

over half a century,i s using as her agents aliens to

German soil ? The suggestion is not far- fetched . Onthe contrary

,i t is uncomfortably probable . Hence the

necessity for Br itons to study this l ittle herm i t Republic ;that i s to say , if they desire to profit while there is yettime . Given resource

,patience , perseverance , and , above

a ll , tact , anything may be accomplished here . Mr .Mitchel l , the Comptroller of Custom s , gave u s information which confirmed this . He i s a native Of Virginiaa white man in every sense Of the word—and knowshis black brethren thoroughly . During his stay inL iberia he had visited portions of the country where noother foreigners had ever penetrated

,and the great

untapped m ineral wealth in certain districts had vastlyimpressed him . Should it be L iberi a ’s desire , the periodo f her stagnation i s over . But sh e will have to changeh er motto before real prosperity is hers .

CHA PTER III.

ON the day o f the Inauguration we began by wishingtemporary deafness had been vouchsafed to us . TheL iberian National Anthem heard

,not once but a hun

dred times , on an extremely hot morning , screamed ,shouted and yelled to the accompaniment Of a numbero f drums and an intermittent fife o r two , i s enough totry the patience of a saint . And there are few saintsin West Africa— unti l they are dead

,at any rate . The

L iber ians take their patr iotism very seriously and enjoyenormously the sentiment o f this poem ,

of which wegive the first verse

W ith heart and hand ou r country ’s c ause de fending,W e me e t th e fo e w ith v alour unpretending.Long live L ibe r ia ’

s happy land,

A home o f glor ious l ibe rty , by Go d’s command .

But to return to ou r p i ece de resi stance, the Inauguration . It took place in what is known as the“Square ,

” flanked on one s ide by the CongressionalBui lding— used on

'

Fr i day nights as a cinema hall—on

another side by the United States Legat ion , whilefacing the presidential chair

,as i t was arranged for the

ceremony, are the“Dutch House ” and War D epart

ment, the latter the Old Executive Mansion . A clumpOf trees afforded som e shade to the platform upon whichwe were seated , but the heat was stupendous and itwas Obvious that even t h e President felt it . Nom inallythe ceremony was fixed for ten O ’clock

,but , in point o f

fact , there was considerable delay, and the choir did no tbreak into Mozart ’s Let u S with a joyful m ind unti lwell past e leven .

0

The interim,however

,had no t been uninteresting .

First and foremost , a detachment Of the L iberianFrontier Force claimed ou r attention . They really are


an efficient corps,even if, as the Australians remarked

about a certain American regiment ,“ they are a bit

rough . Their uniform consists o f the conventionalkhaki shirt and Shorts

,with a red fez

,and they look as

i f they meant business . They are recruited from thenative races o f the interior , and let it be wr itten quitefrankly, that i s all in the ir favour . Then there was theMil it ia , a heterogeneous body—gaiters o f leather orcanvas , buttoned , laced , o r tied with string ; brown boots ,black boots

,white shoes

,black shoes ; pink shirts and

khaki ones : stiff collars protected by handkerchiefs , o rno collars at all . Majors and Officers Of superior rankwore Sporting uniforms

,which , at a hazard , were dis

carded by the United States Army before 1860. TheMilitia also possessed several bands— bands Of a wonderful type , composed mainly Of brass instruments Of greatsize and volume

,and o f drums . That the ir repertoire

was not extensive m attered no t one whit . A L iber iancrowd is not highly critical in the musical l ine , and noisecompensates for many shortcom ings . F inally ment ionmust be made Of the navy . Though the L iberian navylies at the bottom Of the ocean

,its personnel sti ll ex i sts ,

and its commander i s the ex -President ’s brother , CaptainHoward , who wears a uniform S im i lar in many respectsto that Of a captain , R N . He has under his commandsome thirty o r forty bluejackets, whose duties we werenever able to ascertain, thou gh they certainly lent colourto the inaugural proceedings .Thanks to the courtesy Of the President , we had ex

c e llent seats on a line with the presidential chair , andjust behind the Corps D iplomatique . Behind us werebanked the choir , consisting o f about Sixty men andmaidens under the conductorship o f a most versatilepersonage

,who

,in pr ivate l ife

,was a bar tender . There

being no carriages o r other means o f conveyance, thePresident must

,perforce

,walk ; and thus he made his

appearance,preceded by the inevitable band and heralded

by the Marshal Of Ceremonies , who wore a uniform notdissimi lar to that Of a Bri tish Adm iral Of the F leet .Then the choir sang and the inauguration began inearnest .


The adm inistration Of the oaths o f Office to the President and Vice -President , virtually the most importantportion Of the proceedings , occupied a very few moments .But not so the Presidential address . President Kinghad a good deal to say . It took him approximately anhour ; and if he be strong enough to insist upon thelegislation he outlined there in

,then L iberia really wil l

advance, and will leave behind her the stigma Of unpaiddebts, corrupt adm inistration , and a national policy whichthe most char itable can only descr ibe as la i ssez-f a i r e .

The President spoke under great disadvantage . Therewas an incessant noise from the people outside the stand .

Occasionally some playful spir it would let Off a firework,

and there was one gentleman who wanted all and sundryto know that he could blow a bugle . These distractionswere no t helpful

,and it says a good deal for the Pre

sident’

s determ ination that he managed to make us al lhear what he had to say . The salient features Of hisaddress were

,in the first place , his repeated— one m ight

almost say affectionate— reference to Great Britain . Ithappily occurred that the captain and some o f the Officersfrom His Majesty ’s Ship

“ Thistle were present,and

there can be no doubt that their attendance was veryhighly appreciated by the President . Other mattersupon which he touched were , particular ly, internationalrelations . The United States have lent to L iberia

sterl ing,

!on the condition that al l outstanding

international loans , together with the interest, shall bepaid Off, and that Comm issione rs shall be appointed bythe United States to advise the L iberian Governmentupon such questions as roads , the exploitation Of L iberi a

’snatural resources and the augmentation o f the revenue .

In parenthesis, one o f these Comm issioners , evidentlynot a born diplomatist , made a most illum inating remarkto us .We have virtually got a Protectorate , said he .

And ou r reply was , Oh is it as bad as that ?President King supplied a much better answer in the

This apparently , though promised, h as no t ye t been actually

22 WE ST AFR ICA THE ELUSIVE

very plainest language . In effect , he said— these are ,naturally , not his exact words We welcome assistancefrom al l the great countr ies Of the world and particularlyfrom the United States , whence we sprang . But Ishould like to make i t quite clear that the advent o f someAmerican advisers does not bespeak Am er ican controlin any sphere whatsoever . There will be no uncrownedking in L iber ia , and L iber ia will remain an independentnation, under God

’s will .”

At this part icular moment the American Comm issionerslooked self- consciou s , and small blam e to them .

He did , however , add that the progress Of L iberia w asdependent upon the interest shown to her by the GreatPowers , Great Britain and France— the greatest Powersin the world

,as he emphasized over and over again ; and

that , single - handed,L iberi a was lost in the present and

ever- insistent stru ggle for advancement . Then b e dealtat some length on the need for education , and , incidentally , he made some very wise and subtle commentsthereon . He explained that the native population OfLiber i a exceeded the Americo -L iberians by at least fiftyto one , that it needed intellectuality Of no small order tograpple with this great and ever- present native problem ,

and that the keynote Of success was to be found inmental training and education . In effect , tout comprendre serait tout pardonner .” Not a bad policy , if itcan be carried ou t . As m ight be expected , the l iquorquestion came in for consideration , and while the drasti cmeasures o f the United States are no t contem plated , aneffort i s to be made by which the vast sugar- caneindustry o f L iberia i s to be diverted from the manufactu re Of alcoholic dr inks to the more utilitarianpurposes o f au gmenting the world ’s su pply Of su gar ,which even here is deplorably short . Sanitation— mostterr ibly needed

,hospital accommodation , roads , transport ,

removal Of the capital , to all o f which we have referred ,rece ived attention . And , let it be re iterated , i f PresidentKing has character enough to carry out all his contemplated reforms

,then there i s no reason why L iberia

Should not grow up a vigorous , prosperous and pro

gressive Republic .


The proceedings concluded , lunch was served at theExecutive Mansion . It was no fault Of the Presidenthimself that confusion re igned supreme . Democracy ,somewhat held in check at the previous ceremony by theheight o f the platform and the presence o f the FrontierForce , now ran r iot . Never was such a scramble seen .

Many Of u s gave up the attempt to Obtain a mouthful Offood . Be it added that the most t ired people presentwere the President and his wife . To describe the mobwould be l iterally impossible . D iplomats jostled withKru boys . Cabinetm inisters received no more attentionthan the r ifl- raff from the r iver side , and the man withthe strongest voice and the qu ickest hand was th e bestserved . And thi s function actually lasted from aboutthree until six O ’clock . N O wonder people were wearyand tempers frayed . Again , the band must no t beforgotten . It played one tune with a persistence worthyOf a better cause . True , i t introduced var iat ions , apeculiar sort Of tremolo preponderating : but i t was farfrom be ing restful and some o f the European communityvisibly wilted under its effect . But , in a paradoxicalcountry like this

, one must take things at the ir facevalue and undoubtedly the presence Of the orchestra wasvery kindly meant , while the unfortunate performersapparently suflered as acutely as their audience .

Blowing an enormous trombone in a temperature Ofapprox imately 120

° F . must be a strain upon one ’snerves

,temper , and constitution generally .

In the evening there was a dance , an equally character ist i c spectacle . There was the same crush , the sameorchestra, playing automatically by this t im e , the sameperspiring crowd translated into young women waitingfor partners who apparently were otherwise occupied ;and there were , what we have never seen before at anydance , tables covered with exhausted human wreckagefast asleep . Let it be understood , these folk had no t

drunk too much ; but they had come a considerabledistance and they were t ired , just t ired . Any port in astorm i s a good motto , and there was no particularreason why the supper tables should not serve a dualpurpose on this occasion . Dancing was very difficult .


What with the crowd , the heat , and the eccentri cit ies o fthe band , it was not surprising that a goodly portion Ofthe invited guests found the ir way on to the verandahs ,where a faint breeze told one that it came from thenorth , maybe from England , the homeland of so manyOf us ex iles .And so the evening wore on , and it was with no regret

that we paid our final respects to the Presidential party .

Kindly fr iends—and ou t here one makes friends quickly—saw to it that , in spite o f precipit ous paths , we reachedou r temporary home in safety .

In all truth L iberia is a remarkable countryWe went up the S t . Paul r iver as far as navigation

allows . White Plains , at the comm encement o f therapids , i s a place which other peop le besides ourselvesseemed to have imagined m ight have a future . There i sa for lorn narrow - gauge railway

,long since overgrown

with weeds , and never Operated even in the hey - day Ofi ts prosperi ty . There i s one road over which Naturehas assumed control . There are bridges across which iti s unpleasant to walk , mementoes o f we l l -meaning buti ll- judged effort on the part o f the L iberian pioneer . Itwil l all have to be scrapped , and in the future undertakings Of this sort will need to be conducted alongrational , scientific and well - comprehended lines . It is afalse philanthropy which throws into the bush materialand money , which must be lost unless there i s thehuman element to watch over it and to guard it .As we were com ing down from White Plains we

struck a first - class tornado . The l ightning flashed , thethunder boomed and the rain was s imply torrential . Atleast we were in a motor launch with some sort Ofcanopy to shield us from the elements . As we shotdown stream we came upon three large surf- boats, fullto the gunwale with sweating , rain - streamed m i l itiamen .

O f course we gave them a tow , and then occurred one Ofthose l ittle things which make one swallow violently,and make one realize that , hidden away deep down ,there i s a chord Of human sympathy which extends farbeyond all barriers o f race , nationality or colour . Theboats had a band

,such as it was, and over the waters of


CHAPTE R IV .

W HEN we speak Of the Gold Coast in these days weinclude Ashanti and the Northern Territor ies and , alongthe littoral , a portion Of the Old S lave Coast . H istor i

cally it has been known,more o r less definitely S ince

the time Of the Phoenicians , those indefat igable merchants and seafarers , but the honour Of establishing thefirst settlements on the Gold Coast proper lies betweenthe French and Portuguese . The former claim to havebegun the ir trading Operations in the fourteenth centurywhile the Portuguese did not reach this coast until 1741 ,but the pre tent iou s Of the French to prior ity Of discoveryare based upon slender proof and are usually se t on ones ide . In any case they must have arrived hard upon oneanother ’s heels

,and have given ri se to the Afr ican belief

that Europeans were people Of no country who wereforced to voyage over the world in ships until they couldfind a spot where they could settle to the detriment Ofthe native populations .E lm ina was the first settlement of any importance ,

and then followed trading stations at Axim , Accra ,Shama , Christiansborg and Cape Coast , established underthe aegis Of the Guinea Company with John II o f

Portugal as chief shareholder,and the benediction Of

Pope S ixtus IV to guarantee i t . This last , which wasin the shape Of a Bull

,effectually prevented the arr ival

Of other nationalities and it was not unti l the Reformat ion that thi s monopoly began to totter . English , Frenchand Dutch adventurers then thought to turn their ships ’

bows towards the spot which the ir m inds had longcoveted

,and spent their time in trading tr inkets for gold ,

ivory and slaves,and in the equally congenial pursuit of

making war on each others ’ l ittle colonies .The first English effort was made by Captain Thomas


Windham and a Portuguese named Pinteado in 1553 . Itdoes no t seem to have been a peculiar ly happy voyage .

Windham proved to be a violent tempered man with nobus iness sense and his death

,which occurred at Benin ,

was the salvation Of the remnant Of the crew , alreadydepleted by the climate . Pinteado also died , heartbroken byWindham ’

s treatment,and ou t of the 140men

who had sailed from Portsmouth only fo rty returnedal ive . They brought back a r ich cargo , however , andothers , to o numerous to mention , soon fo llowed them toGuinea . It was S ir John Hawkins who was first amongthe Eng l ish to engage in the West African slave tradein 1562, although other nations had pursued it for manyyears , and in o r about 1563 an Act was passed legalizingthis occupation . The English , however , were no t ser iou s compet itors o f the Portu guese at thi s time in anyrespect ; i t was the Dutch who threatened the ir su premacy by the different attitude they assumed towards thenat ive chiefs and the ir peoples . Whereas the Portuguesepolicy had ever been to terrori ze and to intim idate byacts Of the grossest cruelty, the Dutch were scrupulouslyfair and just in al l the ir dealings

,and assisted fr iendly

chiefs in the ir wars against aggressive neighbours .Eventually the Portuguese drove the ir r ivals from theGold Coast , taking possession Of the stout fortress OfE lm ina and Of the other strongholds of the once flou r i shing Guinea Company . Then came Swedes

, D anes andPrussians , attracted by the lucrative results o f the Slavetrade , who founded their l ittle settlements , built the irforts and added their quota to the confused squabbleswhich were for ever breaking ou t between the Dutch andEnglish . Natives were bribed to take sides and contr ibuted to the barbarity Of the quarrel s to no small degree .

In fact the whole history Of the Gold Coast from theearly part Of the seventeenth century unti l the end Of

the e ighteenth is nothing but a recital Of aggressionsand retal iations which are only to the discredit Of allconcerned .

In 1751 the Royal West African Company sent ou t i tsfirst Governor , and it must be remembered that othernat ions had their Factors or Governors in the same towns


at the same t ime . It was not unt il 1822 that the GoldCoast became a Crown Colony

,and it was at one period

under the Governor Of S ierra Leone , and at anotherjoined with Lagos , now a portion o f Niger ia . It wouldbe interest ing to know how in those days Of slow com

m un i cat ion proper adm inistration was achieved . 1872

marked the ratification Of the treaty between Englandand Holland , whereby the Dutch handed over theirsettlements , and in 1886 the Gold Coast became aseparate entity under the Crown . Some traces Of thePortuguese occupation st il l remain . There are words incommon use in P idgin English

,

” corrupted from the iroriginal Portuguese . Amongst these are palaver(palabra) , fetich (feitico) , piccaninny (pi can ia) , and dashme (das me) , thi s last now meaning give me a tip .

Amongst names, Cape Coast has wandered farthestfrom i ts first significance , as the correct translat ion Of

Cabo Corso i s “ cruising cape . The name o f the VoltaRiver i s unchanged and E lm ina was formerly San Jorgedel Mina . The Portuguese forts at Axim

,E lm ina , and

the D utch forts at Beyin,E lm ina and Se c condi sti l l

exi st , some of them ruins, others even now in use .

But the Gold Coast i s too progressive to waste t imeon sentiment over these re l ics o f the past . Once theirusefulness i s gone and there i s the labour and materialavailable to construct newer and better buildings , theyare e ither demolished or the rain , and sun , and sand dothe work o f house - breakers and only lizards scuttle overthe crumbling stones and mortar . From the drowsybackwater Of Liberia to up

- to - date , hustling Accra i s,indeed

,a transformation . In Monrovia time i s for

gotten , and Rip vanWinkle - l ike , it would be easy to sleepthe years away and remain oblivious to the world ’s progress . In Accra the hour has sixty m inutes , and woebet ide the man

,be he omc ial or trader , who forgets that

fact . This city,for it i s a city , i s unlovely , truth com

pel s one to say as much . Vegetation i s scarce . Therei s a certain sameness about the streets with the ir uniform ,

bungalow - built houses border ing monotonously excellentroads which extend in al l directions for many m i les .That

,surely

,i s the keynote Of Accra— the recognit ion

WE ST AFR ICA THE ELUS IVE 29

in practice Of the wel l - be ing Of both white and nat ivepopulation . Here the fact h as been grasped that it i sfalse economy to house Europeans in any sort o f hovel ,as was too Often the case in the Old days

,and expect the

best ou t o f them . These commonplace bungalows arecomfortable and roomy

, w ith w ide verandahs , hygieniclavatory accommodation and bathrooms , and equippedw ith all the conveniences which go to make for healthin a climate which is far from perfect .In effect

,Accra i s utilitar ian and so far has not striven

after the beautiful or indulged in the gentle extravaganceo f th e

‘pu rsu i t Of the picturesque . Its atmosphere i sthat Of a young American town . N O one , apparently ,has t ime to walk . The aforementioned excellent road steem with motor cars— nearly all Of Amer ican makeand motor- cycles . Occasionally one encounters a r ickshaw, and it i s then safe to hazard that the occupant i sa retired nat ive merchant who has m ade his pile ou t Ofcocoa and now finds that he can dawdle as much as hewill and enjoys so doing . In 1911 the population wasapproximately TO - day it i s probably no t farshort Of double that figure and there i s no sign o f anylim it having been reached . Accommodation i s at aprem ium and as difficult to Obtain as a room was inLondon dur ing the period when the Government Occupiedpractically every hotel .It is an anachronism that Of all places along the West

Coast the landing at Accra should be the worst , withthe exception Of that at unimportant townlets like Addahand Saltpond . But here

,with steamers for ever loading

and discharging cargoes,passengers and mails , every

thing in the way of communication with the shore hasto be done by surf boat

,and , be it added , the landing

at the best Of times i s extremely unpleasant . Dur ingthe rainy season it i s frequently impossible , causingcongestion Of shipping and a good deal Of cr it ic ism o f

an adverse nature upon the enterprise Of the responsibleColonial author it ies . This

,though natural , i s not en

t ire ly justified , as it i s even beyond the task o f themaster m ind to dam the Atlantic , though the effort wasmade by the construction o f a breakwater at enormous


cost . This prom i sed some sort o f protection for landingboats , but the sea was not to be baulked and the embryon i c harbour has silted up until i t is now use less . ANaval Comm iss ion, however, has been out to the GoldCoast exam ining the coast carefully, with a view tofinding a location where a really practicable port canbe constructed , which will be an inestimable boon to thecolony , and will hurry on with everincreasing speed thealmost abnormal growth Of prosperity and developmentwhich it i s already enjoying .

Perhaps the adjective abnormal does no t accuratelyrepresent the remarkable change which has taken placeduring the last four or five years . It i s not simple Ofexplanation but i t i s a fact that the native has at lastrealized that agriculture can prove a direct pathwaytowards considerable affluence . The natural resourcesOf the country are infinite . During the war vastfortunes were made from cocoa . There appears to beno reason wh y this trade should not become a regularstap le industry for the whole Of the eastern portion Ofthe colony

,which i s rapidly being opened up by mean s

o f m otor roads . Palm O i l and palm kernels are othersteadily increasing exports

,and there seems every likel i

hood that,in the Northern Terr itor ies , ground -nuts

should prove an extremely profitable investment . ButOf thi s more anon .

The one really picturesque spot in this severelyhygienic town—and in West Africa the picturesque andthe hygienic are usually sworn foes— i s GovernmentHouse . It i s the Old D anish castle Of Ch r i st ianborg , awhite Irregular pile Of masonry

,turreted and battle

m ented , for all the world like one Of Edmund Dulac ’si llustrations . In its inner courtyard stand the guard ,bare - legged soldiers Of the West African Frontier Force ,with red fezzes and red - and - gold zouave j ackets , whichrepeat the colours o f the a lam ander and flamboyantflowers climbing above their heads . The l iving quartersare Spacious and lofty

,overlooking the ever- restless se a ,

th e monotonous roar Of whose surf is always in one ’s ears .With the exception o f punkahs and mosquito nets , l ifei s l ived as though this stage castle were on the D evon


c oast . One dines in the conventional dinner j acket atthe conventional hour , in a most beautiful thoughmodern dining- room , where only the breeze Of thepunkah and the soft voice Of the black butler saying

,

White or red wine , please makes one realize that iti s Africa and not Europe .To those who may possibly exclaim , How fright

fully uncomfortable it must be to wear black clothesand a boi led shirt

,

’ there i s a very good reply . Whitemess kit is rather an expensive luxury, particularly forthose wh o come ou t here to replenish their exchequerrather than further to deplete i t, and it i s most essentialthat one makes some sort o f change in one ’s clothes fo rdinner

,otherwise the dry- ro t o f slackness sets in . The

note struck at Government House i s im itated , consc iou sly or unconsciously, throughout the town and fromthere throughout the colony . Therefore , let the Harmattan blow furnace - l ike from the Sahara o r let the airreek with moisture , but do not discard the dinner - j acketo r the tai l coat . Another antidote to slackness is sport ,and o f this Accra has its full share . There are two golflinks

,innumerable tennis courts , a racecourse , polo

ground,and cricket club . The Governor i s himself a

well-known cricketer and an all- round athlete , and hisenthusiasm i s infectious . In some respects the GovernorOf a colony can be said to resemble , should he so desire ,the father Of a large fam i ly . Actually this i s as it shou ldbe in British Possessions Of moderate size , for in thesedays Of democracy it is futi le as wel l as injudic ious toinsist too much upon the prerogatives o f position . Atouch Of human nature now and again works wonders inall departments Of l ife , and the Governor wh o can findthe t ime and Show the inclination to enter into therelaxations and recreations o f all classes o f th e c om

munity to the exclu sion of none is indeed a very valuableasset . Everyone is genial , hosp itable , and ready tohelp

,even at personal inconvenience . And this tone i s

directly attributable to Government House .

The manager Of one Of the banks em phasized thepoint for u s , Yes , we are lucky ,

” he remarked ; I knowa place in the bush where there are only three white

32 WEST AFRICA THE EL'

USIVE

women and there are , if you will bel ieve me, threeseparate and dist inc t

’

c li qu es . Here there i s no suchthing . The Older members Of the European colony havethe ir nicknames o f affection , pure and simple . Wehave “ Aunt Betty , who looks after the newcomers ,and Mother , who honestly is a sort O f mother to al lthe naughty boys , and so on . It really is wonderful

,and

so restful .Now this sort Of atmosphere i s not only healthy tem

peram entally but also physically . Worry kills morepeople in a climate such as this than fever directlyder ived from the unwelcome “ Anopheles ” mosquito .

Wear iness Of m ind quickly begets weariness of body,appet ite goes, insomnia sets in and there i s anotherpatient for the Government doctor , and , as likely as not ,another passage to be booked for home . This shouldbe grasped by all those who may make up the ir m indsto come and r i sk the present with a view to the future .

Fo r there i s SO much to be done here by the m an Ofenterpri se , especially if backed with a m inimum Ofcapital . This country as a whole i s not a residentialone . A year i s amp ly long enough at a stretch , butfollowing certain regular pr inciples there i s no reasonwhy health should necessari ly suffer . After avoidingworry and taking a suffi ciency Of exercise comes thequest ion Of food . We have visited many bungalows ,both of Officials and traders, and we were struck by theexcel lence o f the dinners we enjoyed . There could beno doubt about it , these people were doing themselvesuncommonly wel l and one and all told the same tale .

The days of incessant tinned food , served upon dirtytables and m inus the accompaniments which are commonto all at home , are gone for ever , and there can be nodoubt that that lack Of comfort was responsible formany a physical breakdown blamed upon the climate .As for the upper- class natives , the plutocrats o f theGold Coast , who make o f Accra the Mecca Of the irendeavour

,they are enormously instructive to those who

have the eyes with which to se e . An example : A largecase fell overboard from the sl ings Of the ship in whichwe arrived as cargo was being loaded into the su rfi boats .


34 WEST AFRICA THE ELU SIVE

highest wages , and are prepared to go up in an increasingratio commensu rate with the difficulty Of Obtaining thenecessary hands . Small wonder, then, that there hasbeen a veritable exodus Of what one may call the coolieclass , that longshoremen for shifting cargo are as scarceas the great auk ’s egg, that servants are non - exi stentunless they have been brought from afar , and that eventhe chauffeurs Of well- to - do people are desert ing the irsituations to dr ive the inevitable Ford motor lorry withthe equally inevitable load of cocoa .

! One suspects thatall this development i s being watched with jealous eyesby those who were first upon the scene— and , in fact ,hearsay i s quite prepared to aver that the newcomerstands the chance Of e ither accepting the Offer Of thebig man and being bought ou t o r be ing crushed underthe heel o f a combine . How much truth there may bein this asseveration it i s hard to say , but , i f in the leastcorrect , measures should be adopted to abol i sh once andfor all a system which must prove in the long runabsolutely disastrous to the best interests of the colony .

These pr ice s have now dr opped considerably. Central E urope ,and Russia are no longer purch a sers . St ill upon a stabilized basecoco a h as a long and pro sperous future before i t after th e co llapseo f th e boom.

Ma t e Ko la , a Go ld C o ast Ch ie f w h o ga v e a n a e r o p lan e t o t h e Br i t is

N o t e th e s t a f f .

CHAPTE R V .

THE following is a true cocoa story . Those concernedare we ll known to us , and if in this Old world merit evermeets with just reward , they deserve just what they aremeeting with , namely success beyond the dreams Of theOrdinary citi zen who governs his day by the train whichtakes him to his Office and by the train which takes h imtherefrom . In the ir own way they are pioneers ; maybethe ir ancestors made history in some portion Of theEmpire ; w ith that we are really no t concerned . Bothmembers of the firm , a very baby Of a firm justfive months Old , naturally played the ir part in the greatgame o f war, and both emerged captains with medalribbons and distinctions which cause them e ither toblush o r to swear if mentioned in the ir presence . Bothwere Public School men— this in parenthesis . Also

,

perhaps more important , ne ither knew anything o f theintricacies of account keeping . But they possessedenergy , enterpr ise , and pluck in unlim ited quantity .

SO they put the ir heads together , faced a d ifferentmusic from that to which , maybe , they had grownaccustomed , bought steamer tickets to the Gold Coast,and started in as Cocoa Planters . The capitals aredeserved . Common sense appears to have done it . Afterfive months Only—five months as a time l im it soundsabsurd , but it i s str ict truth—they were when we saw

them m il lionaires in the making— that is to say, if cocoakeeps up to its present pr ice . They are suffer ing fromno illusions . Also they are doing something infinitelymore d i fficu lt—they are keeping the ir heads . The seniorpartner, aged about 26 , was on the point o f going hometo buy machinery and motor cars , and , let us hope, alsoto have just the good time he deserved .

But, surely, what these two youngsters have accom

36 WE ST AFR ICA THE ELU S IVE

pl ish ed others can do . This i s wr itten with the fullestidea Of the responsibil ity attaching to the printed word .

It does not necessar i ly mean that every D ick, Tom ,

andHarry can find in cocoa the wherewithal to buy a mansionin Park Lane . And there i s always the question Ofmental stability—most important— and general health .

Some folk could no t l ive l ives divorced f rom all thecreature- comforts Of England , emphasized by climaticdemands which are ever insistent upon the strongestconstitution . One ’s life has to be governed by certainlaws Of daily hygiene , and those who find such disciplineirksome should undoubtedly keep away . On the otherhand , there appears no reason to us why the man o f

enterpr ise could not go out and take h i s chance with therest , and , to use an Americanism ,

“ make good .

” Oneof the chief factors , as we have seen it , is the properunderstanding Of how to handle the native , whichmeans , Of course , native labour . Scientific knowledge Ofthe most advanced type i s quite lost unless the possessorthereof realize s that the -mainspr ing Of the machine i sactually the black man . To obtain your labour, to rentthe land , or buy it , to do anything and everything , it i sessential that it should be remembered that, no matterwho your father was or where you went to school , theblack man was here long before you counted in thestatist ic s o f the British Empire , and that he will existlong after you figure in the Obituary notices in the dailypapers . That is the chief element Of success , givennormal business training Of the most rudimentary type .

Also , it must be added that the black man is no fool ;he understands kindness very well—much better thanpeople seem to imagine— and , in addition , he has as gooda head for business as any one in Lombard Street . Hei s quite aware that great fortunes (the adjective is usedafter consideration) are be ing made and will be madefrom cocoa . Hence he i s inclined to be cautious overthe disposal Of property which may or may not be worththe collection Of supertax upon income .

Cocoa here is practically a weed . It crops three timesa year , and if the undergrowth is cleared there i s littleto fear from disease . Naturally, there are cocoa diseases ;


so there are potato diseases ; but the cocoa plant haswhat in insurance parlance i s called “ a good l ife .

” Itlikes moisture ; as a matter of fact, this colony has thelowest moisture average Of any cocoa - growing countryin the world , and if afforestation i s not resorted to it i spossible that cocoa may suffer

,but that will not be

within the l ife Of anyone who reads the above . Henceit seems fair to state that here i s an opening , and alegitimate one , for a man with confidence in his owncapabilities .The Om anh ene , or Chief, Of Kofor idua

,i s probably

one Of the r ichest o f the cocoa m agnates . As specia lcorrespondents Of the D a i ly Telegrap h , he was goodenough to receive us in audience . We were accom

pan ied by Colone l Colin Harding , theChief Comm i ssioner o f the Eastern Province o f the GoldCoast , while the Om anh ene had assembled many Of h i schiefs and m inisters to greet u s . The reception tookplace in his palace , a fine airy building , constructed uponEuropean lines . It was an unexpectedly impressive sight .Under a red umbre lla with heavy ye llow fr inge

,was

seated the Om anh ene , upon a leather throne SO studdedwith brass nails that it appeared to be gold . On his headhe wore a species Of crown composed of plaque s Of alternate silver and gold , laced together with green velvet .The sandals on his feet were Of sim i lar plaques , whilehis robe , which he wore l ike a Roman toga, was o f

Ashanti silk,a shimmer ing glory Of red and green and

gold , which had taken six months in the making andhad cost £100. After ou r introduction had been madehe extended to each in turn a Sl im brown hand coveredwith gold r ings o f extraordinary size and shape . One inparticular was about 3 in . in diameter and resemblednothing so much as a golden pincushion full o f long ,blunt , gold nails . Conversation was carr ied on throughthe medium Of an interpreter, althou gh the Om anh ene

i s able to speak very fluent English . On the other hand,

however,his suite knew no language but the ir own ,

hence the interpreter,in order that no doubt m ight ex i st

as to what transpired .

The gist of ou r conversation was as follows : We


explained that we had come to his country in order tomake it better known amongst the Br i tish public . Thispleased him . He then pertinently asked what was thec irculation Of the D a i ly Te legrap h . We gave him someidea and he was v i sibly greatly impressed . He askedwhether the great White King would ever send one o f

his sons here , to which we replied that Of that we had nodirect knowledge , but that we sincerely hoped SO . Hethen told u s that he had collected towardsthe purchase Of an aeroplane for the Br it ish Army inFrance . Our Ofli c ial conversation ended , we were introdu ced to all the members Of the suite in turn

,after

which we adjourned to the pr ivate apartments , wherethe King ’

s health was dulyand was followed by that o f the Om anh ene

himse lf . The interpreter was now dispensed with , asthe conversation had ceased to be Official .We then paid a visit to his six wives , handsome

women , all of them . Then we were Shown the Royalporcupines and the Royal racehorse , the latter rather afiasco, from a sport ing standpoint , as it always comes inlast in every race . The visi t term inated with the giftto us Of his photograph and also one o f his famouscarved Ashanti stools .

Kofor idua itself i s an what the cocoa in

where land se lls at £150an acre . It has good roads and the motor trafli c , par t i cularly that Of motor lorr ies , i s relatively speaking verylarge . The European population is numerous , includedin which may be noted three ladies , It would be untrueto call Kofor idua a health resort , but , with care , l ife canbe endured there for a year at any rate . One learnsmany lessons u pon the Coast and one unlearns manypreconce ived conceptions . But Of al l matters pertainingto health the greatest enemy is

there are many other places upon the globe nearer theEquator where the sun m ight be expected to be moredeadly . This i s not the case , however , and for theunacclimatized it i s l ittle short Of madness to attempt to


40 WE ST AFRICA THE E LUS IVE

was not a pin to choose between them save that onelooked angry and the other three phlegmatic . In lessthan five m inutes the angry one was discharged and therest fined five shillings o r five days . Another pleadedguilty with a virtuous air to r id ing a bicycle after darkwithout a lamp . He was promptly fined ten shillings o rten days , paid the fine and departed , stil l preserving hisvirtuous expression

,only rather enhanced if possible . A

third case : a man wh o , on the pr inciple that robberybegins at home , had stolen a tin Of sardines from hisbrother- in - l aw ’s stal l in the market . The chief witnesswas a m inute

'

and bow- legged boy o f 10, Obviously terr ified and overawed . In due course the evidence becameso conflicting , and also so complicated by the constantpopping. up like a jack - in - the box o f the injured ownero f the tin , that the case was ad journed to the followingday . A

We were fortunate , or unfortunate , according to one’s

point o f view , to be present when the Offences were Of sol ight a character . The advent of great prosperity inthis region has brought with it a correspond ing degreeOf cr ime , and , in one quarter , there were over 350

crim inal cases to be judged . It i s difficult to saywhether the ability to buy spirits lessens or increasessuch disasters . Certainly

,the negro , when inflamed by

drink , i s not a pleasant Object to encounter . But onecynical you th who was adm inister ing just ice in anotherpart Of the country put the matter in a different light .

“ Much better i f they get drunk,he said The

black man usually does that sort Of thing so thoroughlythat , however much he may want to murder , he i sphysically incapable Of doing much damage . A few cutsand bruises— some Of them on himself— are all he canachieve . But if a man is sober and really sets about itproperly , he can mess things up past the doctor

’s ski ll torepair .Conv icted prisoners are sent to gaol at Accra and

many are the amusing stor ies told about them , one o f

which must be related . It i s customary for gangs Ofpri soners to be sent ou t about the town to clean pathsand suchlike . It happened that a gang was sent one


Chr i stmas Day to the quarters Of the Chief Inspector OfPolice . Work proceeded along the usual lines (needlessto say i t was not at the pace which kills) , and at noon ,the regular “ chop ” hour , no food had arr ived . Timepassed , and nothing came . The Police Inspectorchanced to be S itting on his verandah and could no t helpbut notice the anxious glances cast at him by his involuntary guest s . Being the most kind - hearted Of menhe asked the cause and was told in the best WestAfrican pidgin English

,Chop no l ive .

”

“Why ? he asked .

“ It ought to have been hereages ago . What

’

s the warder about ? ”“NO be warder fault , answered the Spokesman Of

the party . We go tel l um we be asked ou t for chop .

History does not relate what the ir luncheon consistedOf that day

,but

,knowing the inspector personally , we

can imagine that they did no t fare badly .

D ealing with a white pri soner i s , indeed , a problemin a country l ike this

,where the prestige Of the white

man must be m aintained at all costs , and where , therefore, i t i s impossible for a white man to be put into anative gaol . In point Of fact

,such an Occurrence was

giving the Kofor idua author it ies many an anx iousmoment while we were there . However , even anunpleasant happening such as this may possess itshumorous side , as the following story will Show . Awhite man , under gr ievous provocat ion, caused considerable bodily harm to one Of his personal servants . In duecourse the case came up fo r trial at the assizes , where ,everything be ing taken into consideration , the cl imatepart icularly , which i s l iable to produce great irritat ion ,he was sentenced only to two years ’ impr i sonment .The question arose Of what to do with him , and eventually quarters were assigned to him in the house Of one Ofthe European warders . In sp ite Of his proven reputation for temper he was actually no t at all a bad fellowat heart , and the fact that he was known to be a firstrate cricketer was the cause Of the commencement of thecomedy . Owing to the sudden i llness o f one o f themembers Of the local e leven

,he was told to play . This

he d id , making top score for h is Side . After that he


was habitually smuggled into the team,became a most

popular member , and in due course was elected to thesergeants ’ mess where bygones were tacitly allowedto be bygones . Had it ended there probably nothingwould have been said , for in these parts Offic ialdom

i s easygoing and things not absolutely essential arefrequently looked upon with a paternal eye . But alas !one day a senior Off icer o f the West African FrontierForce found the sentr ies salut ing the del inquent withgreat gravity . And that ended his cr icket days andhis evening cocktail at the sergeants ’ mess unt il hisrelease .

Leaving Kofor idua before the sun was unpleasantlyhigh in the heavens

,we motored to Kibbi , and from this

journey Of only thirty six m i les we can begin to Speakwith positiveness of the trials Of motoring in tropicalheat . It Is exhausting . The su n beat s down upon thecanvas hood of the car and even when going at as rapida pace as the condit ion Of the roads permit , the atmosph ere beneath the hood is that Of a furnace . Woebetide the reckless man who takes Ofl his topee in them istaken conviction that the hood is sun - proof, for itis notAlthough the road surface left much to be desired

the scenery was beautiful . Upon e ither side lay m i leupon m i le Of unexplored jungle , SO dense that it wasimpossible for the eye to penetrate more than a few feetinto its depths . Cocoa trees , palms , climbing , swayingvines , which burst now and then into r iotous colour ,formed the undergrowth . And over all towered thestately Odum trees , with their straight , pale trunks andcrowns Of feathery le aves . The Odum i s the pr incipaltree Of the country in these parts . It i s a species o fmahogany and makes excellent furniture which willsurvive everything save the attentions Of the white ant .Kibbi itself i s really only a straggling village with a

Comm i ssioner to look after affairs,the sole white repre

sentat ive . It must be a very lonely post , and yet ou rhost was as cheery as a sandboy and op ined that bushlife was far preferable to working in towns such asAccra and Coomassie . One imagines that the evenings


must pall when reading by lamplight becomes almost atorture on account Of sand flie S and other insects . But ,on the other hand , these junior comm i ssioners are al lyoungsters with an instinct for adventure , and areusually armed against ennui with some hobby connectedwith native affairs . We encountered one who had takenup the study Of the nomenclature Of native villages

,and

had already Obtained i nteresting results . Thus he foundone l ittle town which was named in English “ Thehome o f good men .

” It seems this was something of am i snomer, since i ts chief i s now undergoing imprisonment for l ife . Another village owes its name to the factthat it is peopled by Ashant i imm igrants , who , however ,arrived too late in the day to secure the pick o f theland ; to be precise , they secured the worst , and bad atthat , hence its name o f We have settled in vain .

” It isevident that the etymology Of these cur ious names form sa study which conce ivably m ight result in far- reach ingconsequences , s ince light might thereby be thrown uponthe original location Of tr ibes Of the most Obscureor igins but Obviously with a great histor ical past , suchas the Cow Fulanis . Mention will be made o f theselater .The Om anh ene Of Kibbi i s a man Of considerable

standing , a member Of the Legislative Counci l and aC .B .E . One gathers that his task has not been an easyone , S ince the villages within h is terr itory are small , butcover a very large area , and over every conce ivabletopic they squabble amongst themselves . It is naturallyeasier to administer a large and closely populated community . Upon hear ing Of ou r arrival the Om anh ene

sent his messenger with congratulations and presents Ofa sheep , yarns and eggs . Now here let it be emphasizedthat the face value Of a “ dash ,

” as it i s called , hasnothing to do with its significance . In happier daysthe Mayor Of a Russian town , irrespective Of Size orimportance

,always Offered visitors of whose pre sence he

had heard the traditional bread and salt , emblems Of

hospitality and welcome . This was a sim ilar case andwe felt very pleased that the Om anh ene had rememberedou r journey , though , to be sure , it was the Da i ly

WE S' AFRICA THE ELUS IVE 45

in looking after i s adm inistrative fam i ly Of somehundreds o f chief . The female chief or chieftainess

,

was doing well , he ) la us , though it was an innovation .

He i s a “ fetish wr sh ipper , strange as that may seem ,

but were he anyt ing e lse he undoubtedly could notexercise the con'o l he does over his community ,which would not O ly be a local loss but an Imper ialone , as the Comm i ri oner frankly told u s .

Kibbi possesses a ur ions cl imate . The heat at noon isterr ible and enou n to try the temper o f an ostrich :night brings an an o sph e r i c coolness which makes itpossible to sleep u th one blanket o r even two . Ourboys informed s that it was cold past all place ,

”

and were no t ch e ced when they heard that M’

Prai so ,ou r next stop , ngh t be even colder , although theComm i ssioner ve em ent ly denied this . There i s acertain amount 0 friendly r ivalry between Kibbi andM

’

Praiso in the thrm om e tr i c line , each claim ing lowertemperatures tha ' the other . Certainly , fever i s notprevalent at Kibl and the agr icultural station thereflouri shes sat isfactci ly .

M’

Pra iso i s Si tuted on the western boundary Of thegreat Afram plainand were it in a more accessible partOf the globe w ou l speedily become the haunt of thosein search o f beam spots . Getting there from Kibbiwas something Of tIl undertaking . True , the distancewas not great

,sch e sixty m iles , but m i leage means

nothing here . I i s t h e character Of the road andtransport which e llS . In thi s instance we wereprovided with a f ord car , worthy Of a museum , inwhich to cover tb first forty Odd m iles Of the journey .

It must have lez the Ford works when that greatundertaking w as 1 its infancy

, and i f ever these linescatch the eye Of te i llustr ious gentleman whose name i simmortalized in I ese cars , he m ight like to purchasethat particular c s as a curio to be erected in the townOf its origin . II component parts were string, nutswhich came Off i showers , rust , wheel s which wobbledom inously

,and a o au ffeu r who frankly adm itted he was

learning . Inc i derally also , there was no horn or hooter ,a disturbing fac i r upon a road full Of curves and


Telegrap h he had in m ind . After proceeding with thenecessary formalit ies we were received by him and themajor ity o f his chiefs . The Honourable Nana OforiAtta , i s not at first sight SO intel ligent a lookingman as his “ brother Of Kofor idua . He i s Older andhis features are heavier . But when he speaks or givesany matter his silent attention one sees that here i s no tmerely intelligence but intellect Of no mean order . AllSpeeches were translated from English into Twi or v i ce

versa , by the interpreter, despite the fact that theOm anh ene knows English so wel l that he was able toprompt the interpreter when the latter was searchingfor le m o t j uste .

” This tedious business o f translationi s customary in order to avert suspicion from the m indsOf the less wel l educated that something may be said ordone , suggested or arranged

, o f which they are not

cognizant .And a lengthy process it was ! Under the oppressive

shelter of the mud roof , seated on a platform crowdedwith chiefs and attendant satell ites

,the conditions were

wel l - nigh unbearable . One Of the chiefs was a woman,we were interested to Observe , and the Queen Mother(properly Speaking Queen Aunt , as the succession goesfrom uncle to nephew) was a wonderful Old woman witha turban headdress which wobbled precar iously andgave ri se to much speculation on our part . We werelater told that sh e was quite bald and wore a pad o f

wool , which was never in th e r ight place , beneath herturban . These Queen Mothers are generally m ines o f

information concerning r i tes and ceremonies and arealways consulted where a question Of etiquette i s involved , the ir Opinion being the last word on the subject .As usual th e explanation Of ou r m i ssion was receivedwith enthusiasm

,and we then thankfully adjourned to

the Om anh ene’

s private re sidence , where we wereoffered the traditional champagne . This time weventured

,with thanks

,to refuse it , for with the heat

and the sun the results might have been d isastrous .

Nana Ofor i Atta is a subscriber to the Da i ly Te legrap h .

He l ikes books,eschews cards and gambling , and with

a sm ile remarked that he had quite enough on his hands


46 WE ST AFRICA THE ELU S I VE

unexpected,narrow , r ickety wooden bridges , along

which,at full speed , rattled lorry after lorry— Fords , al l

o f them— packed to the fullest capacity with cocoa .

Under the circumstances the only thing to do was toim itate as nearly as poss ible the cry Of the Old- timeLondon fireman and shout “ Hi , hi , hi !

” at the top Ofo u r voices , to the immense amusement Of everyoneexcept ourselves . At every slight rise ou r car stopped,and the villagers had to be commandeered to push ituphill

,and then to Shove it along for a hundred yards or

more in order to encourage the engine which wasdistinctly peevish . The scenery, which we had beentold was lovely, was lost upon u s, and all that we longedfor was the term ination Of as tempestuous a land voyageas we had ever experienced . O f course

, one Of theSprings went , for even the best intentioned Ford everput upon the road Objects to steeplechasing downhillover ruts and rocks and then be ing dropped into a hole acouple Of feet deep But we arrived at length at Jajade ,a village beyond which no road runs for vehicular traffic ,and where we found carriers and hammock boysawaiting u s .

Hammocks vary ; so do hammock boys ! In a hammock Of the chair variety , with trained boys , a journeyi s bearable ; with untrained hands and a hammock inwhich one must more or less recline, fourteen m i lesappear more like fourteen hundred . The interest i she ightened when , as in ou r case , it is impossible toexplain what one wants done . Our police escort orderlym anfully attempted to interpret our desires with theassistance Of a very handy- looking little whip

,but the

fact remains that when the moment arrived and we hadto continue on sh anks’s m are we were not sorry

,especially

as the rope Of the hammock conveying the lady Of theparty broke , and its occupant enjoyed an unexpected fallin a particularly rocky portion Of the path .

M ’

Pra iso i s approached by a winding track up a scarp ,feet high , and which r i ses sheer ou t Of level

country . TO get to M’

Pra iso this must be surmountedwilly -ni lly ; there i s no other approach for many , manym iles . Moreover, the track , which i s unsuitable, i f not


impossible , for hammock boys , mounts at least ft .in under a m i le . Add to that ' a tropical sun and , asfoothold , Sl ippery rock o r loose gravel , and it can beimagined that, at present , people do not visit M

’

Pra iso

except upon business . Once there, however , one forgetsthe trials Of the way thither in de light at the panoramaspread before the eyes . On a clear day it i s possibleto see the highlands Of Togoland , nearly 300 m i lesdistant . Between lies the Afram plain

,sparse ly popu

lated , portions Of i t unmapped , r ich in game o f al l kindsand with soil which Should render a good return ifscientifically farmed . It would be an ideal cattlecountry, were MARIE AIL‘? “gei sh a

-fly belt . But itwill be dé t ime

,

"

O be nomanner Of doubt , since there i s a magnet which Shortlywill draw labour thither .That magnet i s bauxite . S ituated not far from theDi str ict Comm iW ungalow in which we stayed i sa hill , feet in height

,which rejoices in the name

o f Mount E djuanem a . It i s composed Of nothing butbauxite , and without further de lay it may be explainedthat bauxite ” i s the basis Of aluminium . At a moderate estimate , we were informed that the value Of thisprovincial asset cannot be less than twenty m i llion poundssterl ing . Bauxite, as we saw i t , is a species Of hard , red ,clayey substance which can be polished and fashionedinto quite pretty necklaces or bracelets, much soughtafter by the native women . The machinery for thereduction Of this mater ial into the alum inium o f

commerce i s not over costly , but at present the difficultyin the way is that dreadful though beautiful scarp .

would pass along the u 0 therewould be erected an aerial railway for the conveyance Ofthe raw mater ial to trucks or to the smelting worksnear by . That i s, as near as may be , the proposal ; itcan only be a question Of t ime and expediency beforework commences .

The word expediency requires some explanation .

Very wisely it i s the policy Of the Adm inistrat ion to


encourage native chiefs to understand the value Of the irpossessions and to allow them to benefit rightly andreasonably thereby ; in other words , i t i s d iscouragingthe ephemeral company promoter, who only looks to hisown pocket and cares not a rap about the good O f thepeople and Of the country which he i s farm ing .

Adm inistration Of this type i s common- sense policy,for

it cements ruler and ruled by a bond Of mutual trust andfeel ing Of secur ity, and , moreover, the Gold Coast in thepast has been the happy hunting - ground Of SO manyfraudulent schemes that its reputation has beenundoubtedly sm irched . This i s now all be ing altered ,and the surest way to that consummation is the education o f the Chief regarding the potential value Of theresources at his disposal . Then let him grant concessions by all means , with the advice Of capable peoplebehind him

,and there will be a plentiful reward for

both part ies and satisfact ion all round .

CHAPTE R V I .

W E left M’

Praiso with a certain amount of regret .Cool n ights

,such as we had there and at Kibbi

,act

as a tonic to the j aded m ind and body after the tryingheat Of the day . Our personne l was increased atM’

Pra iSO by the gift Of a monkey, chr i stened by us ,on account Of her perpetual melancholy , with the nameOf that most dreary Of heroines

,Clar issa Harlowe .

Her one delight was to clap on her small head anempty cigarette t in

,and then stagger

,with the vague

gestures Of one bl inded , the length Of her chain .

Raising the tin She would take her bear ings,push it

down again and recommence her game . Would that allher exi stence had been spent in so harm less a manner !Accompanied by Clari ssa we retraced ou r steps toKofor idua and parted without re luctance or regretfrom ou r antique Ford car . Striking away eastwardfrom Kofor idua, this time in a car in first - rate condit ion and with an excellent driver

,we reached the town

Of Akuse . The road wound up over mountainous r idgesand down into valleys

,and gradually we left behind the

squat plantations Of cocoa trees with the ir glisteningleaves and quaint fruit growing on the trunks

,and

passed from roads which shake ou r bones in retrospectto a flat we ll -made surface on which we could go at afine speed .

Between the towns of Su nyana and Akuse there r i sesou t o f the plain a hil l with a sinister reputation . Indays gone by , Krobo Hill was undoubtedly the scene Ofmany human sacr ifices , and even now no native likes topass it on foot within easy reach Of it s base . Wehave heard it said that the pluckiest act Of thatplucky woman , Mrs . Gaunt , was when sh e was carr iedin her hammock by terr ified boys close to that spot .

4


N ow the motor road is at a safe distance and the oldroad i s c losed , but it is only some nine years ago that anat ive clerk se t ou t from Accra on his bicyc le to take uphis duties at Akuse and had to take the old road . D ayse lapsed and he did not arr ive . Inquiries were made tono purpose . F inal ly his bicycle was discovered in thescrub which grows tim idly and sparsely

,as though itself

affected by the revolting stor ies,a few yards up the hill .

O f the man himsel f there was no trace,nor has there

ever been . And Krobo stands evi l and brown in them idst o f the l ighter brown Of the plain , waiting patientlyfor i ts next victim .

Akuse possesses the unenviable reputation of be ing thehottest place in the Gold Coast . Whether this i sdeserved o r not it i s d i fficult to say , but certainly neverhave we fel t the heat so much . The Official se ttlemento r cantonment is situated at a di stance of about a m i leand a half from the town . It i s as ugly a place as couldbe found . In order to prevent mosquitoes, Shrubs havebeen cut down , grass burnt , and the surroundings turnedi nto a m iniature Sahara . Time appears to have beenwhen a numerous Official population was anticipated , butfor some reason that anticipation has not been fulfilled ,and a few gaunt , uninhabited bungalows , the home Ofwhite ants and rats—m i ll ions o f the latter , as we knowt o ou r cost - lend a sense Of desolation and decay to athoroughly unprepossessing place . Even the kindnesso f ou r hosts did not allay the feel ing, and that i s to saya good deal , since everything possible was done for ou rc omfort . And most surpr i sing of all , Akuse i s not anu npopular stat ion with those wh o reside there . A S

u sual , we v isited the paramount chief o f the neighbourhood

, a fine Old man with a‘ sense of humour and a veinOf matter - Of - fact honesty which was rather refreshing .

The Konor (Chief) , Mate Kolo , has been a good friend toGreat Br itain

,having fought on the right side in the

Ashanti War,a fact which has not been forgotten , and

which i s testified to by the number of framed autographed photographs O f bygone Governors whichd eco rate the wa lls Of his room . A S before remarked ,i t w as dreadfully hot , and the Konor did not Offer us

WE ST AFR ICA THE ELUSIVE 51

champagne , much to ou r delight . But he did Offer us,

and we did accept with gratitude,l arge bumpers o f i ce

c old beer .F or the rest Akuse i s merely a stopping place for

those , l ike ourselves , journeying further afield , though iti s the centre of a large adm inistrative distri ct

,whence

i t derives such importance as it may possess . Inadd i t ion , . th e River Volta flows near by, an importanthighway to the sea when there i s sufficient water . Wechanced upon it when navigation was at a standstil lpractically, owing to long- continued drou ght . In therains

,however , i t taps all the immensely r ich distr icts

border ing its left bank as far as the Togoland frontier,

and then small ocean steamers can reach Akuse withoutser ious difficulty . Our road lay down stream to ther iver mouth

,Addah . Owing to the exigencies o f the

situation,we did the nine hours ’ journey in a m inute

shallow- draught motor launch , formerly German pro

perty . It boasted one m icroscopic cabin , seven feet byfour at most , which we shared with an enterpr i singyoung Frenchman , bound for Lome . Outside seetheda noisy , thoroughly happy, black multitude . Thatsitting accommodation was insufficient mattered tothem not a whit . “Mamm ies with their babiessquatted on the roof o f ou r cabin and dangled the ir legsover ou r portholes . Our servants went promptly tosleep on the deck and over all floated that pungentperfume known as Bouquet d ’

A fr iqu e . It certainlywas not travell ing de luxe ,

” but for those possessed o f asense Of humour i t was quite entertaining . Moreover

,

we had Clar i ssa,the surest banisher o f ennu i . A West

Coast wag once remarked that one o f four things mustinevitably happen to a sojourner in these parts . Hee ither becomes neurotic , hypochondriacal , o r a dipsomaniac

, or el se he would keep a monkey . TO the lastwe have already pleaded guilty . Clari ssa was presentedto us by a weary - looking D i strict Comm i ss ioner . Wenow understand the source Of his wear iness—Clarissa .

Coupled with her expression o f permanent me lancholy,

Clar i ssa possessed the ferti le imagination Of an inventorand the trickiness o f Puck himself . She never Slept ;


also she had a great penchant for matches , red -hotcigarette ends

,and anything which t inkles when it

breaks,

Clar issa , on our down- r iver voyage , mostsuccessfully depleted our supply o f crockery and enjoyedherself immensely . That i s al l that need be wri ttenupon a very painfu l subject .The Volta River , between Kpong, where we embarked ,

and Addah , does not possess any striking characteristics .It i s S imply very wide and very shallow— at this season—with low - lying banks on which grow rough scrub , amonotonous landscape indeed . There are crocodiles tobe found here in great number , but it i s only in theearly morning or late evening that one has any opportun i ty Of shooting them . At the best it i s poor Sport ,and it i s worth notice that , in contradistinct ion topopular idea , the only portion of a crocodile

’s skin usefulfor commercial purposes in the making Of bags , pursesand such- l ike , i s that which i s found upon the stomach .

The small port of Addah , for some unknown reason ,has a bad name . Possibly the surf

,the worst upon the

coast,has something to do with it . Yet history recounts

only one steamer be ing “

wrecked actually upon the bar,though others have been driven ashore

,with the inevi

table toll o f human l ife . But to us i t appeared adel ightfu l place . The Official bungalows are situatedclose to the shore , and one can sniff the good Atlanticbreeze during the entire twenty- four hours . Bathing isdangerous owing to undertow, but otherwise the foreshore might wel l be backed by a promenade and a bandstand , and one m ight imagine oneself at a D evon seasideresort . That i s as Addah appealed to us . The town isclean and well laid o u t i t may have been incorrect , butthe inhabitants seemed exceptionally courteous

,in sp ite

of an overwhelm ing curiosity on the part o f the ladies tosee a white woman . Plenty have passed through , butthere i s a large floating population from the hinterland

,

and to these a white sister i s a novelty to be treatedwith respectful to leration , commensurate only with acertain surprise that one SO placed should ever deem i tdesirable to wander SO far afield . Addah is one of thecandidates in the running for portsh ip , if such a word


CHAPTE R V II .

W E were told by various cheerful pessimists at Addahthat the road from A t t i t i t i to Quittah was the worst thatthe m ind of man could possibly conce ive , so , with re co l

le ct iofi

ns of other awful roads , we set ou r teeth and prepared for something truly terrible . Like many otheranticipated horrors , however , it turned ou t to be muchbetter than we had pictured it . From Addah to A tt i t it ione goes by launch , and in the early hours Of the morningwe found this really exquisite . The sun rolled up thedense sea fog l ike a curtain and we could see the mangroves reaching the ir long brown arms into the slime Ofthe Volta swamps with enormous oysters clinging to

them , while flashing in the su n o r darting back into theshade were innumerable bright coloured birds . Thesluggish water teemed at one place with small jelly fish ;Opaque

,they looked a cross between mushroom s and

soap bubbles and bobbed serenely about a few feetbeneath the surface . Everything was calm and— as yet—cool . Consequently we climbed into a Ford , the distantcousin o f ou r antique acquaintance o f Kibbi , with serenem inds . This was the car concerning which we hadrece ived the following communication the day before :

“D ear S ir , the car and lorry in which you are in

dest itute o f for today at 2 p .m . , I beg to state that thedifferentia has got damaged and we are renewing thewashers . It cannot be ready at 2 p .m . , unless to-morrowmorning . Yours sincerely, and then followed a quiteunreadable signature .

We then learnt that the F i a, or Chief, of the Awunas,particularly desired to greet u S and we were not slow inaccepting the invitation . It must be explained that thischief occup ies a position o f peculiar prom inence and thathis kinsfolk are to be found all over the western portion

S r i l l . Fia o f A una .


o f Togoland . In the Great War b e displayed wonderfulenergy and helped the British to such an extent that hewas honoured by the gift Of a very finely chased swordfrom King George together with a huge silver medalcommemorating succinctly Br itain ’s gratitude . N o t aman to be overlooked , this ! Our road to Awu nagah layalong the sea - shore , fringed with palm s which lookeddel ightful . In places there were bumps but there aremany worse roads than this In the Colony .

Upon reaching Awu nagah we were conducted to theF ia ’s residence , in front o f which were stationed thepupils o f the local school , boys and girls , wh o sang GodSave the King as though they meant it . Undoubtedlythey did .

The nat ive population in this part of the Gold Coasti s intensely loyal and appreciates at i ts fullest value thejustness o f Brit ish rule . Following upon the NationalAnthem came introductions

,and then we were invited

to the Council Chamber,a handsomely furnished apart

ment , and an address was read to us , the following be ingits purport zThe F ia, who incidentally belongs to the Legislat ive

Council of the Colony , together with his advisors protested (a ) that Togoland should no t be handed over inany circumstances whatsoever to the French . He maint ained that racially they belonged one to the other andthat the cleavage was unnatural . Further , he remarkedthat his race who had helped the Br itish in the TogolandCampaign had done so largely from sentimental reasonsbecause they bel ieved Britain would unite them withtheir Togoland brethren once again as a fam i ly ; (6) i twas asked that a railway might be constructed fromA tt i t it i to Lome ; (c) that gunpowder m ight be sold ata reasonable price and not be subject to trade fluctuationscaused by profi teer ing . He rem inded us that at funeralsthe firing o f guns was a regularly recognized customwithout which the dead were not properly honoured ;(d) he complained o f the currency be ing paper which insuch a climate and carr ied by natives in the ir loin clothsquickly deter iorated

,became torn and was rendered

useless .


Now for some consideration o f the points raisedRegarding Togoland there can scarcely be much difference o f opinion . This former German colony was thefirst tangible asset o f victory for the Allies in the war .That it was SO l ightly secured was in no small measuredue to the action o f the F ia, who no t only found soldiersand transport but indirectly influenced his kinsmenacross the border to lay down their arms

,thus embarras

sing the Germans to such an extent that they wereultimately obliged to surrender . To hand over all thatportion o f Togoland referred to in the address i s littleshort o f lunacy apart from the doubtful , very doubtful ,political sense o f honour incurred thereby . To dividea tr ibe in two after the specific declarations Of statesmeno f all the all ied nations is wrong policy and it may verylikely lead to consequences no t yet appreciated inDowning S treet o r the Quai d ’

Orsay, but certainly wellunderstood by all upon the spot , whatever their positiono r calling . Plain wr it ing i s essential . The Frenchhave no legitimate local claim upon Togoland . Frankly,the subject peoples would prefer to remain under Germanrule than be switched Off and placed under the government o f the French whom they neither l ike nor understand . This i s nothing derogatory to France o r Frenchrule any more than there i s anything derogatory to theindividual when someone prefers Jack to Tommy . It i sa matter o f temperament, and while the Br itish are mostpopular with the natives Of Togoland , and of that therei s no doubt , the French are disliked and distrusted .

Natives have told u s - t ime and again, If not the British ,let us go back to ou r old masters . In any case thedivision Of a large and wealthy tr ibe into two sections bya stroke o f a pen is an act o f such an arbitrary characterthat it is hardly conce ivable that a Br it ish statesmanwith inte lligence and the fact before him would agree tosuch an act . That is one aspect of the affair .Then there is the commercial point Of view . Togoland

was the one German African colony which could boasto f an annual credit balance . Mo reover, this was increasing and the Germans had schemes without numberfor developing the latest resources o f this wealthy little


c ountry . Considering that it was British enterpri se andblood which secured it to the All ies , then assuredly andin view o f the preceding statement o f native desires ,Britain should der ive whatever commercial benefit i so btainable . O f its resources we shall have occasion torefer to at a later stage when we shall have visitedLorne , and personally inspec ted the u p - country distri ct swhere in are carried on such profitable enterprises asS isal growing — from sisal i s made rope— coco - nutplantations , from which are Obtained 00pm and so on .

For the nonce all that we desire i s to bring to notice thev ery just and reasonable claim put forward in the F ia ’ saddress , backed up by impressions formed upon the Spotand hazarded not without the most careful considerat ion .

The second point made by the F ia is really one o f

local interest . Contingent upon Britain retaining Lorne,

then assuredly a railway must be built upon the VoltaRiver thither . From many viewpoints Lome is in asadly neglected condition at present . Mails are irregularto the n

th degree . NO one ever knows when o r h ow

a mail i s to arrive ; an elus ive branch boat may bringone having taken six days en r ou te from Accra . Or e lsethe postmaster at Accra may decide that it is worthwhile for the Official and trading community to hear fromh ome , and a runner i s sent . But ther e i s no system andthat in itself i s deplorable . To get away from Lomemeans one or two alternatives . One may retrace thet rack we have followed and go to Addah

,launch u p

s tream to Akuse , and then motor , if one has the wherewithal to pay for it plus the automobile , to Accra , ad i stance from Akuse o f over fifty m i les . The other proposition is equally allur ing . Upon certain high days andhol idays , E lder D empster honour Lome with a visit fromtwo dear o ld boats called the Si r George and the Bi da .

R eference has been made to these even in the ChiefJustice ’s speech o f welcome to the present Governor o fthe Gold Coast , General Guggisberg , upon his arrival atC ape Coast . The Chief Justice spoke quite plainly

,and

therefore the subject needs no further notice from mypen , except that if the best i s to be made Of Lorne andthe contiguous towns o f Quittah and Addah

,then

58 WE ST AFR ICA THE ELUS IVE

speedily must be constructed a light railway linking thethree as far may be ; that i s to say, a flat -bottomedsteam carr ier would feed rai lhead at A tt i t it i with goodsfrom Addah , and thence a service o f inestimable valuewould be maintained with Quittah and Lorne . It wouldpay quickly upon capital outlay, especially if constructedupon the D ecauville system , as was carried out by theGermans in many portions to Togoland . From Lornethe ocean ships could be fed , more especially as at Lomethere is no surf difficulty, that having been overcome bythe construct ion o f a pier at which passengers m ay landin comfort and cargo handled in safet y . That disposesOf the traffic quest ion .

As regards powder , we are not in a position to makemuch comment with the exception that i t has beenbrought d irectly to ou r knowledge that profite e r ing on

an enormous scale i s going on , as the Customs ledgersShow . The amount o f money coined ou t of a barrel o fgunpowder after paying Customs dues , fre ightage andlabour

,would make the mouth o f the greediest pawn

broker in the East End of London water . The D i striot Comm issioner at Quittah , Captain Poole ,rendered a valuable serv ice to the native communitywhen he read the Riot Act and threatened to importthe art icle himself and retai l i t officially to the popu lat ion . The funeral customs referred to are quite harmless and bear the same relation to the funeral ceremonyas the use o f incense in a Catholic church . To profi teer over the necessity o f such a commodity i s a blotu pon West African trading firms .Paper currency also requires the minimum o f atten

tion if the quest ion i s studied without prejudice o r

commercial arriere pensée .

” It stands to reason tha ta shilling note pr inted upon paper indistinguishable fromthe envelope Of a telegram i s , apart from all el se , a

beautiful temptation fo r the wily , black“ Sharp cus

tomer ” to substitute the one fo r the other . This h a sbeen done in scores o f cases . The individual responsiblefor the colour of the one Shilling West African notedeserves the thanks o f the whole coloured criminalcommunity . Beyond that , in a hot country can any



sense o f humour does demand some outlet,and hence

we make no apology for quoting the following from theinevitable address .

“ Although you have not yet toldus the object Of your m i ssion or the purpose of yourvisit , we know it would only be to advert ise yourfamous papers , and to prepare important articles tosupport your Press . We therefore give you ou r wordthat we shall endeavour to support your Press . Yourvisit will ever rem ain l in our memory

,and you will

become ou r friends,and brother and sister

,for we are

be ing governed by the same King and under the sameflag . We wish you all success in your endeavours andfurther journey . Follows the Signatures Of all the localnotables . Certainly from this one m ay be perm ittedto deduce that the folk in thi s part o f the world reallydo we lcome the representatives of a Br it i sh daily paper,and that already the power o f public opinion is understood and valued . Also we shall be very disappointedif the circulation o f the D a i ly Telegrap h does not increaseat least by ten copies weekly !Quittah is a cur iously S ituated townlet . At places

it i s possible to throw a stone from the sea- shore intothe lagoon which lies at the back and extends for manym i les laterally . When we saw it the major portion wasdry sand

,and we were able to enjoy to the full a motor

run o f ten m i les o r more over a surface which was aslevel as a billiard table . We noticed a peculiar atmos

ph e r i c effect Quittah happens to be one o f the biggestmarkets in the Gold Coast , and natives come many m ilesto sel l their wares there . The dry lagoon form s anexcellent short cut from the hinterland , and we weretreated to a vista o f people , basket on head , walkingS ingle file

,and in what seemed never-ending procession .

And,as distance intervened and lessened the distinctness

o f vision , so also the people apparently increased inheight until those in the rear attained gigantic proportions and appeared as supermen stepping forth fromsome other world . There was an unbroken silence .

The sand deadened all sound , even the engine of theFord car appeared less noisy than usual , and the eyebecame puzzled by that neverending expanse of colour

WE ST AFR ICA THE ELUSIVE 61

less sand . We have seen the same effect translated intowhite in S iber ia during the winter , and we can testifythat there i s something uncanny about such monotonywhich causes the m ind to wander over a world ofinexplicable problems which are incapable of solutionhere below . For the rest , Qu ittah is a busy populousplace ; its bungalows are l iterally upon the sea- shore

,

and i t is not long since the hosp ital was swept away bagand baggage one stormy night . There i s a good CatholicChurch, as also one supported before the war by theBremen Mission ; there are stores in plenty , and aboveall and beyond all there i s abundance o f fresh food of allkinds —this last somewhat uncommon in these parts .

To -morrow we leave for Lorne , and we shall beinterested to study at first hand the var ious problem s o fthe S ituation there . At present the air i s thick withrumours as to the ultimate fate of the rather unfortunately placed colony . British troops have been withdrawnuntil there only remain sufficient for purely police dutiesand , so to speak , Major Jackson , the Brit ishComm i ssioner in charge , has his luggage packed andi s s itting on his boxes waiting for orders . Let us hopethat the order to quit m ay never come . If it does thenEastern Gold Coast will rece ive a stagger ing se t -backwhich it will take years to remedy, and which will befraught with consequences o f a character far more ser iousthan can be imagined from a casual glance over thequestion . But why be pessim istic ? It i s an error .Common sense and fair play have a way o f winningthrough , and ou t here i t is essential no t to allow thebogie o f depression to Si t on one ’s shoulders .

Meanwhile the sun i s shining and the Atlantic looksl ike the Mediterranean seen from the COte d

’

A zu r .

There are moments when one cannot comprehend whythis Coast should have the reputation it has , whynature ’s wonderful handiwork evidenced in flowers , trees ,gaudily- feathered birds , and scenery which would delightthe heart o f an artist , Should suffer from the seem inglyincurable ailment o f a Sinister name . Perhaps t ime willchange it perhaps the on - com ing t ide of new ideas maybring With it a fresh estimate of the West Coast . Most


fervently do we hope so , for, in spite o f all the difficultiesone i s bound to encounter in wandering through thehighways and by-ways o f this part of Afr ica , somehowit makes an appeal to the senses as though it weresaying plaintive ly

,Now , tell us please , that we are no t

so bad as we are painted .

”

CHAPTE R V III .

THE road from Quittah to Lome more nearlyapproached one ’ s idea Of a nightmare than any otherone had seen in that part o f the country . Even theluggage lorry , which usually charged ahead at someforty m i les an hour over any sort o f surface , protested ,and our medicine chest fel l o ff twice , reducing its contents to a pungent omelette as we sadly discovered later .But it would be doing Togoland an injustice to say thata ll the road was bad . After passing the Old Germanboundary , which i s now a preventive station

,the road

visibly improved , and after we had to search fo r super la

t ives o f excellence instead o f the reverse in descr ib ingthe highways made by the Germans in the ir formerc olony . Thanks to the kindness o f Ma jor Jackson ,

Commandant o f the Br it i sh forces in Togoland ,we had the opportunity o f trave lling some hundreds o f

k ilometres through the country , and it was the conditiono f the roads which most impressed us . In England onei s accustomed to measure a road for quality by com

parison with such we ll -known highways as the GreatNorth- road and that leading to Bath . As near as possible

,the surface u pon these routes i s as perfect as

human ingenuity and practically unl im ited financialresources can make i t . Yet look at a map o f Togoland

,find the seventh parallel , just south o f which

and m idway between the 0° and 1° longitude will befound a place called Missahohe . Follow with the forefinger

,almost directly north , a distance o f some th irty

m i les,and a village called Baika will be noted . The

road connecting these two places runs through ane xtreme ly mountainous region , offer ing su perhuman ,one m ight equally add appall ing , difficulties to the su rveyor , the engineer and the contractor . We have


travelled through the Brenner Pass in a motor,and to

those who are acquainted with it the i llustration affordsan apt compar i son . Only remember always that thelatter belongs to Europe , while this i s unexploitedAfri ca . The road corkscrews and zigzags on the br inkOf virtual precip ices , where , far below may be seenvegetat ion of an entirely different character from thatthrough which one i s passing . The trees are the highestand most majestic we have ever seen . They must beat least 150 ft . in height , possibly more ; est imate i svery difficult . Straight as a telegraph pole they r isetowards the l ight from the evergreen twilight of the irtropical surrou ndings without a vestige o f foliage , unti lat the ir tops they branch ou t into dense masses o f

feathery leaves which Shimmer and play with the sunwhich beats upon them . We were told that they werecottonwood and Odum trees . Sure ly here must be asmall paradise for an enterpri sing timber merchant .How that road was ever made is a perplexity

,but the

brains which fashioned it were the brains o f craftsmen .

A S regards labour , of course , i t was forced upon thenatives o f the region . There are those who will raisetheir hands in horror at the very thought o f whatto them appears an outrage upon humanity . Therei s another Side to that . When the Germans constructed that road

,and continued it as far as Yendi , due

north,and halfway between the ninth and tenth parallels ,

and so on to Sansane -Mangu , about thirty m iles northo f the tenth parallel

,they knew that they were construct

ing a commercial windpipe which would supply the lungso f Lorne with the merchandise necessary for its vital ityas a seaport . And incidentally they were Opening upto the natives a new channe l for the disposal o f theirwares

,and were turning a very poor population into a

community which now bids fair to become prosperous .

That the natives have realized this fact we saw whenin ou r presence a deputation from the village called uponMajor Jackson and asked for evenmore roads , and Offeredto find the labour i f the Adm inistration could supply aconstructor to Show them what to do . In this connection it is impossible to ignore what the loss of Lorne will


spell to these people . The exi sting railway to Palimefrom Lome , the feeder to this great road , under th esuggested scheme i s to pass into the hands o f the French .

Apart from Custom s , delays , and such like , there i s noguarantee as to freightage rates . A S an alternative route

,

there i s only the very lengthy and unsatisfactory journeyto Addah via the Volta River , thither through a prac t ically pathless country . The Germans , whatever may bewr itten for o r against the ir system o f colonization , wereem inently practical . Years ago they realized what weare only beginning to grasp namely, that facile meanso f communication

,lending themse lves to easy transport

,

not only Spell control in a strategic sense , but must alsoinevitably lead to commercial deve lopment . Therefore

,

the man on the spot , be he white or black , laments theloss o f Lome with an exceeding bitter cry , and D owningStreet cannot understand . The town o f Lom e has Germany stamped upon it with an indel ibility which noamount o f outside alteration will ever be able to erase .It has palm - l ined avenues which really are a delight tothe eye after the sandy unlove l iness o f the streets o f

Accra , the Gold Coast capital . These are intenselypractical , since they are broad , shady , and allow suchlittle breeze as there may be to wander at wil l throughthe stifling m idday heat . There i s a hospital , built uponthe latest l ines and equipped in a fashion which wouldmake the mouths o f doctors serving in tropical hospitalsin other parts of the world water . Again , that is praot ical and thorough . See ing to the health of the individual , be he Official o r trader , i s virtually only aninsurance prem ium upon the exi stence and success o f adependence in the tropics .

In Lorn e there i s no bugbear of surf . Germanengineers built a pier , once washed away, now rebuiltand strengthened

,from which one gets into the steamer ’s

boat with the same ease as one embarks upon a tenderat Plymouth . SO much is good and m ight wel l becopied . Even the Spir itual needs o f the people were notoverlooked

,and the Catholic Church i s a landmark for

many a m i le,and is certainly finer than anything of the

kind from Morocco to Cape Town . The Technical5


School attached thereto i s a model o f what such aninstitution should be . One can have furniture madethere, one can get a suit Of clothes tailored , one canhave a defective sparklet bottle or a wheezy automobilerepaired , effectively and without any loss o f time , and ,be it said , along this coast the last i s very rare . O fcourse , there i s a Lutheran Church , not so conspicuousas the Catholic Cathedral

,emphasis upon which has

been laid largely because,to anyone with a knowledge

o f Germany,it entices a rather interest ing ve in o f

speculation . Everyone knows by now that the Prussianis a Lutheran , that the ex-Kaiser heartily disl iked RomanCatholics and that only the Rhine Provinces and SouthernGermany represented Catholic ism in the Old GermanEmpire . Then why , may the outsider aptly query ,was the Roman Catholic Church made one of the mostprominent features in an Obviously o ffic ially

- plannedadm inistrative centre ? If one may hazard a guess , andwithout any precise guide before one , was it that themajor portion of the official population was drawn fromCatholi c Germany , that i s to say from Bavar ia or theRhine provinces If that be so , reconstructed Germany,or maybe a newly resurrected Bavaria , may yet findthese officials an asset not to be overlooked , since , assure ly as the sun shines , Germany will d iscover someColonial outpost to occupy . This is merely a train o f

thought which may interest those with a purview al ittle larger than the immediate moment . There i s alsoat Lome a Catholic Convent

,where four fresh- faced

Irish nuns , too recently arrived to have had the rosycolour drained from the ir cheeks , and a Mother Superiorfrom Alsace , are engaged in one o f the saddest tasksimaginable— the care and education o f half-black femalechildren . This is a painful subject but one which mustbe dealt with as it forms one o f the problems o f theWest Coast . If such things must be and will be untilthere i s a larger white society of both sexes , how shouldone deal with these l ittle unfortunates ? When theirfathers possess consciences they are sent to the Conventand a sum paid for the ir education . Education to whatend For some reason which possibly a scientist m ight



flat is comfortable and convenient ; in the tropics it i sthe reverse ; and the application of the principle showsh ow the most practical people may make the greatestm i stakes . If you want to fi ll your model hospital thenby all means make your white population live undersuch conditions .

Government House, as m ight be expected , i s a largebuilding standing in the m idst o f really finely laid - outgardens . It is battlemented and turreted in the bestand most modern German style . Take a walk along thefashionable suburban thoroughfares of Bremen or Hamburg , and you will see this type of building duplicatedmany t imes : the homes o f the r ich and prosperousmerchants hailing from the aforementioned cit ies . It i sa Species of architecture which usually makes no appealto anyone without a certain mental training which it i shoped will not be introduced into England . Some wouldcall i t vulgar pretentiousness . With that one can fairlysay that com fort never need be antic ipated . Was it notsome wag , who discussing this quest ion o f Teuton loveof the very ornate , descr ibed the style as early Pullmanor Late North German L loyd Be that as it may, theidea certainly fi lls the bill as regards Lome GovernmentHouse . Everything remains much as it w as in the dayswhen the Duke of Mecklenburg carried on the duties OfGovernor . Ev idence o f one ’ s eyes is sufficient to provethe haste with which the Germans departed from the irTogoland capital . Even library books

,toilet sets

,brick

a - brac,and framed photographs were left behind in the

hurry . And they all remain “ in statu quo ,” as one

m ight say . The rooms remind one of a German hotelthe vases holding flowers come from D resden , whilethe tables upon which they Stand are o f that incon

gru ou s species known as Art Nouveau . The climateo f Lom e i s truly abom inable . There comes a breezefrom Off the sea , as Lew i s Carrol said , after sunset, butit dies down about the t ime one goes to bed . The resulti s that one wakes in the early hours drenched to theskin with persp iration . In fact the mattress may evenhave to be changed

,and we know one man there who

could se e nothing smaller than a towe l effectively to mop


his face and who wore three pairs o f pyjamas a night .Then comes pr ickly heat ! Rather humorous to thosewho have it no t , like Sl ipping on a bit o f orange peel ,but a torment to i ts vict im s . There are golf l inks atLome and tennis courts , but i t made us uncomfortable even to think o f such exertions, though many intrep id spirits played daily and grew visibly thinner inconsequence . Therefore i t was with delight that wetook train fo r Palime , en route to Kluto where thetemperature was more endurable . Pal ime possesses aninterest ing market where one can pu rchase

,amongst

other things , the sun - baked pottery so dear to thenative heart and in which palm O i l chop

, o r“ ground - nut stew becomes a m o st

'

attrac t ive dish .

Unfortunately it is so brittle that even with the greatestcare its l ife i s not long . We brought two black hens

,

from which the natives drink palm wine,and a number

Of other utensils . The hens still survive, albe it somewhat battered , but the teapots and dishes arr ived inEngland ground to powder .From Palime we motored between rows of flower ing

flamboyant trees to Missahohe and on to Kluto,r e c e iv

ing a deputation on the way, the dignity o f which wassomewhat marred by the vi sion o f a m inute “ TeddyBear ” on the top o f the Chief ’s state umbrella . Missahoe was in the days o f the Germans the “ Residenzdes Kaiserlichen Bezirksamtes,

”o r D i strict Comm is

sione r , in plain English , and we followed the ir example . It i s a charm ingly situated Spot , but what waseven more charming was the drinking water, whicharr ived fresh and cool and clean from an u ncon

t am inated spr ing in the mountains through cementpipes . G . W . Stevens in his “With Kitchener toKhartoum has an illum inating chapter entitled ThePathology of Thirst ” With every word of it weagree

,except with hi s final conclusion . Whisky and

soda i s good . G in and soda is better . But even whathe terms that tr iumphant blend — gin , vermouth ,

angostura,l ime juice and soda , whether i t be taken by

the glass or the gallon , i s merely a prom ise o f joy,

c ompared to the soul - satisfying del ight of unfiltered ,


spring water . The point i s that it must be unfiltered ,and in how many places can one take that r i sk Rainwater from tanks , water drawn from doubtful streams ,all has to pass through a fi lter , and the result i s asinsipid

,unrefreshing and characterless as would the

most bri ll iant article from the most gifted o f war correspondents after i t had been throu gh a mesh o f presscensors . But Missahohe water ! A S one adm iring spectator watched jug after jug disappear ing down ou r

responsive throats , he ej aculated , Madame de Brinvill iers could not have taken more .

Not far from Missahohe,and upon a mountain over

ft . above the plains , i s Kluto . It cannot be called av i llage , a station , or a settlement . It consists merely o ftwo houses and a most glor ious view . Before the warthi s was the spot where sleeping S ickness was treated ,S ince in the valley below is a broad belt o f tsetse-fly,thus giving the German doctors many victims to becured o f this dread di sease . But now Kluto is used asan official health resort for

,men and women alike , and

nothing could be a more refreshing change from Lome,

o r , for that matter, from any o f the parched villages atthe foot Of the m ountains

,than the cool air there . At

night one actually needs one blanket , and sometimestwo—a very rare experience in these parts . There i san adjacent hill , the Hofberg , which looks down uponKluto

,and on it s summ it one can see the ruins Of a

house . There i t was , in the days o f the Germans,that

every couple m arr ied in Togoland had to spend the irhoneymoon

,and the house was known as Honeymoon

House .

” The road from Missahohe thither has been awide one , but i s now overgrown with weeds , elephantgrass

,and al l manner o f creeping vines . On many of

the trees are orchids , and we were fortunate enough tosecure some good specimens o f what may prove to beuncommon species . From the ruins o f

“ HoneymoonHouse ” one has the most extensive view to be Obtainedfrom any mountain in the range . While we were therea great proportion o f the vegetation was brown and dryfrom lack o f rain , and enormous bush fires smoked byday and flamed by night . But , even so , the panorama


from Honeymoon House was one which would docredit to Sw itzerland . Someone unkindly remarked as w esurveyed the view that the site m ight have been chosenbecause o f the fac ility with which an unsatisfactorybride—or groom—might be hurled down the mountainside with no witness to tell the ta le . Certain it i s thatthe house was destroyed by a tornado , and tradition nowhas it that the tornado came from the inside o f the building ! The beneficial effects o f Kluto as a health resortwe can vouch for personally . On our arr ival we werelanguid and dispir ited ; by the time we had Spent twonights in that cool mountain air, energy returned to us .Yet , grateful as we were for thi s rel ief, we could not helpregretting that the great work , originated , if we m i stakenot

,by D r . von Raben , o f studying , stamping ou t and

curing that scourge sleeping sickness , should have beenscattered to the four winds which may blow on Kluto .

Near by is a broad belt Of country infested by the tsetsefly, and the opportunities fo r sci entific research aretherefore vast . But nothing remains of D r . von Raben ’

s

efforts save a few mutilated book s in German , thrownaside as rubbish . Such action i s near - sighted anddeplorable

,and usually more expensive in the long run .

It remains to be seen what France will evolve fromKluto , but signs point to its being used by her as it i sby u s— as a sort o f health resort for jaded officials .Excellent as far as i t goes

,but , i s that far enough

CHAPTE R I! .

BY way o f preface , let it be understood that weare ne ither o f us agr icultural nor horticultural experts .

Also that,not be ing children , we accept with reserve

what we are told by folk with business axes to grindo r enthusiasts who allow the ir bel iefs to run away withthem . Before enter ing Togoland the very name o f“ sisal was unfam i liar to us, as probably it will be ‘to

the majority o f those who trouble to read what follows .S isal

,briefly

,i s the basi s o f possibly the finest hemp

rope obtainable,and unti l recently this peculiar

,pine

apple - looking plant had been regarded , if not exactly asa weed

,then distinctly as a plant lacking commercial

value . The Germans , however , with that inbornpatience over scientific research which , whatever peoplemay say, i s unden i able , quiet ly went in , and withoutadvertisement made the ir exper iments , which c u lm in

ated in astounding success just as they embarked u ponth e world war .Everyone i s aware that rope i s o f i ll im itable value asregards demand . In other words , as long as the worldendures there will be those who will pay for the finishedarticle

,from a steam ship firm who want hawsers to the

gentleman who fulfil s the Office o f publi c hangman .

Hence,when a common bush shrub, requiring the

m inimum o f ski lled attention , i s found to offer such aremarkable means to a financial end , then it may be saidto look from all normal points Of view as an uncommonlyl ikely investment . Facts and figures from an Officialreport are proverbially dull . But to i llustrate fully o u rgenuine interest in this ou t - Of - the-world Togoland plantat ion ,

some Space must be devoted to extracts from thisreport

,which we were privileged to se e . In the first

place,the efficiency o f a sisal plantation depends upon



o f such land is , for Obvious reasons , not difficult ; thepresent market for hundreds of acres of poor soil cannotbe said to be large . The capital outlay upon machinery ,factory build ings

,and light railway likewise i s not an

enormous item o f expense, and thus it resolves itsel finto the question o f labour supply . B e it mentionedthat the shedding machine known as the Corona , certa inly the best of its kind to be had , cost in pre -war daysa modest and it i s econom ical in horse - powerand hence in fuel . A clean , ful l- grown plantation shouldproduce tons Of fibre yearly from everyacres . This , again , represents a year i f thefibre fetches £45 a ton , and thus the Togoland enterpriseShould produce over per annum , with workingexpenses which could not exceed Of course,that i s the most favourable aspect Of the financial proposition , and the figures may be juggled with by hempmerchants and others to suit the ir own convenience , butsurely enough has been written to Show that the idea i sworthy Of consideration by long - headed business men .

Space forbids one to go too m inutely into the actualprocess o f manufacture , but ou r visit to the estate wasfull o f interest . It i s situated close to the highest hillin Togoland

,Mount Agu

, which has a curious history .

It i s precipitous and extremely difficult of access . Infact , we could never find that any white man had evermade i t s ascent . W ithal i t is thickly populated with anative tribe who formerly occu pied the surroundingplain , whence they were dr iven many years ago bythe Ashantees . They took refuge in the caves andcrannies o f this b i ll , and have never left it since , exceptduring the daytime , when some o f them work upon theS isal . They have the ir own farms , make the ir own

pottery,and weave their own clothes , and thus have no

reason to visit neighbouring villages in the plain , whichthey never do under any circumstances . Had one thet ime i t would be interesting to go among them and learna little more about them and the ir fetishes , for they areall followers o f fetish .

The gentle Germans,when they started the planta

tion,bought acres approx imately, o f the necessary


land for the remarkable sum of £40. Someone musthave been a humor i st connected with the deal , for afterconsultation with a native lawyer the price was raised to£60. History does not relate what the native chiefthought about it . The factory , which was in full -workwhen we saw it

,i s a compact building , in which every

bit o f space has been utilized . This obviates runningabout from department to department and cuts downworking cost . For the amount Of work accomp l ished iti s almost com ic to look at . But then everything in themanufacture i s so simple that elaboration is unnecessary .

The leaves , some o f them as long as five feet,and as we

sa id before , shaped like those o f a pineapple plant , areplaced upon an endless leather carr ier

,which transports

them to the Corona stripper . Short work is made o f

them there . Knives dissect them as though combingha ir , and a greenish fibre emerges

,with , i t must be

adm itted , a horr ible smell . It i s then thrown into atank to be washed of impur it ies and hung upon whatm ight we ll be clothes l ines to dry in the sun . Thefibre i s then brushed by a very S imple machine , which ,

incidentally , takes away a great amount o f powderextremely trying to the lungs o f the workers , who wereoffered masks in which to do the ir dut ies . The Ofler

was politely refused . The black man is a funny creatureon occasion , and maybe he thought they were a form o f

malignant juju . Then comes the baling and packing ,and the goods are ready for delivery . A S the conjurerwould say , There ’s no deception ; it

’s only knowinghow . And £45 or £35, o r even £25 a ton for theresult ; no wonder that we thought a little woefullyabout writers and the ir financial returns !One plantation o f S i sal looks exactly like another

except , naturally , where weeds have been allowed toaccumulate the plants have not h ad the chance o f

such expansion as when kept thoroughly cleared . Thel ife o f a plant is four years , after which it grows a polein the m iddle which , if removed , gives it an addedexistence , although the leaves are not so good in quality .

Hence , there has to be replanting , turn in turn , whichis easi ly accompl ished from a nursery where seedlings ,


o r bulbil s from older plants , are brought up . A bulbil ,for the benefit o f the uninitiated , i s a little growththrown ou t by a parent plant from i ts base . A plantat ion , therefore , with care , i s practically self- supporting .

SO much for the Togoland plantation , over which wewere led by i ts supervisor , Mr . Lyne , one o f the seniorspec ialists o f the day on the subject , and withal a trem endou s Optimist as to the commerc ial future awaitingthe exploitation and development of the industry .

F inally, it i s no secret that the Gold Coast Government are ser iously considering using the ir waste landsin this manner after suitable experiment and observation .

While in company with Mr . Lyne we happened to hearhim make an observation in German to an ordinarynative labourer , who replied in equally good , if notbetter , Germ an . We have ourselves met plenty o f

nat ives from French terr itory who all could speak quiteexcellent and fluent French . The German - speakingnative , we were told , was no exception , which leadsone to an interesting point . Why is it that in all Bri tishWest Afr ican Colonies the abom inable pidgin Englishi s st i l l adhered to ? It i s a language Of i ts own , and iti s no exaggeration to say that the newcomer has actuallyto learn it before he or She can do anything with nativeservants o r others . Surely it would be better in thenature of things

,and certainly more dignified , if an

order in English were given in English , and not something after this fashion : Mistress to boy , A nsam m anah ,

what for you go do this Where my tings lib I Sleep infor night ? You savvy , plenty good , you go take

’em buychop . Yo u be tief, boy , and master no go give you anymore dash . And so on a d infini tu rn .

There are schools in p lenty,where the budding native

child is seriously taught such valuable history, as thestory Of Romulus and Remus—one o f us really heardsuch a lesson— when

,i f those same infants were shown

how to speak the King ’s Engl ish , with the accent on

the King,some permanent good would result , and the

poor European would be spared many an hour o f

irr itation . Imagine a hot day and trying to explain toa lad

,who himself only imperfectly speaks this extra


ordinary dialect , that you are expecting three friends tolunch, one o f whom , having had fever , must have aspecial d ish prepared for him . It really does tax thepat ience of Job , and much must be forgiven masters orm istresses whom , forgetting the moralities o f th e ir youth ,

as taught by the ir parents,burst quite without warning

into the broadest and plainest vernacular . -Whichrem inds us of a quite del ightful chauffeur we had whoa lso used the vernacular to an extent which would havemade the mouth o f a hardened fo ’

c astle hand water .“My boy, we said , where on earth were you educatedHow did you ever learn such express ions The replycame very glibly .

“ I be Mission boy sah ! And,more

over , there i s another side to this quest ion o f pidginEnglish , and real ly a ser ious one at that .In countr ies such as these which we are vi siting one

i s dependent upon the services of an interpreter ininterviewing chiefs and at other official functions . Andthis necessity is not confined to visitors . O fficials themselves are often obliged to entrust the translation o f

matters o f importance to interpreters who are unableto understand ordinary English

,Therefore the weary

Official has to translate into “ pidgin what he wants tosay . The interpreter then translates what he imagineswas what the official wanted him to say , and heavenalone knows what the resultant communication will beas understood by the native m ind . For instance , thi shappened to us . At the request of the D i str ict Comm i ss ioner at one place we met an Om anh ene , o r chief ,o f great importance . He asked , through the Comm i ssioner , what we w ere , and the latter was wise enoughin his generation to hand the l ittle task to us . Weexplained with some detai l that we were special correspondents of the D a i ly Te legrap h ; that we were seeinghis country in order that people in England should betold something more about it than they knew , and thatwe hoped that our visit would be o f real and lastingbenefit to him . We took infinite trouble in choo singone - syllable words and making the phraseology as Simpleas was humanly feasible . Afterwards we leant howwhat we said had been handed on . It was as follows :

78 WEST AFRICA THE ELUS IVE

They be plenty big man for book . Talk of wasteenergy ! In this connection we rea lly must be forgivenfor the narration of an equally authentic l ittle story .

The name of the Governor we suppress merely becausehe has gone on to his reward , which , i f measured by theaffection and regard in which he was held by Official andnat ive al ike , will indeed be great . He was a very eruditeand intellectual man , and withal a very fine speaker,who could not manage to turn his best per iods into“ pidgin ” even had h e wished . To him i t was animpossibility . The phrase was something like this :It was truly wonderful that del icate ly nurtured womenshould be found who were willing to brave the dangersand discomfort s o f the pest ilential West Coast cl imate .

The translation ran :“He says hi s women be damned

sight finer than yours . Comment really i s needless .And , finally , for brevity o f telegraphic pidgin ” thefollowing i s pr iceless . It was sent by a brother - in - lawto hi s S i ster ’s husband , the si ster having just d ied :Orella kick bucket : what do One can best i llustrateand emphasize a point often by a little humour, andthose three quoted messages are sufficient to show wherethe need for education comes in .

The present Governor o f the Gold Coast, GeneralGuggisberg , a soldier o f great di stinction , as wel l as anadm inistrator who, though he has not l ived his life inthe latter capacity , has already shown what energy ,enterpr i se , and common sense can do , h as taken up thisquestion Of education with no uncertain determination .

In a Speech before the Legislat ive Counc i l in Februaryhe outlined a far - reaching policy , which should haveenormous results i f carried o u t in its entirety . To usean Amer icanism , he has

“ caught on to the fact thatthe infant schools Should have a separate organization ,

and should be in the nature of “ preparatory schoolsthat is to say , they should be there to prepare infantsfor adm i ssion to the primary schools . If infants rece ivea good grounding , and are taught to Speak English asi t should be Spoken , then truly an advance o f moremoment than people at home might imagine will havebeen made . In this country it appears to the travelling


outsider that the aim o f former adm inistrations h asbeen to get over the ground too quickly . Educationcosts a deal of money , and this has to be found somewhere , for all adm inistration i s a comprom i se as to whati s most urgent for the community at the moment .Again a compari son . No battleship has ever been

constructed which combined within herself maximum o f

gun- power o f any Ship afloat , max imum of protection ,maximum of speed . Something must be sacr ificed toobtain the one o f the three e ssentials which the designersmay deem most important . S im i larly, as we are dailylearning , the adm inistration o f a colony is not so easyas it appears

,even though there may be a good bank

balance and a loan o f respectable proportions has beenforthcoming .

General Guggisberg , be ing a Royal Engineer , hasstruck bed - rock by plumping first and foremost foreducation , an education of a new type . He has schemeso f every kind . He wants a mar ine parade from Government House to the port , a distance Of three m i les atleast . He wants railways and roads and bridges

,and

we are not at all certain that his enterpri se would ceasewith a municipal theatre . The latter i s not so im po ssible as the untravelled m ight imagine . The theatre atManaos , on the River Amazon , and in just as hot acl imate as this , is a magnificent one .

But to return to education ; the Governor has realizedthe crying need of the country for a proper education

,

not a grafted one . By this we mean that if you takea m ission - educated boy and throw him into the m idst ofadvanced branches of higher education, you immediatelyproduce the educated West Coast clerk , who rarely , ifever

,writes clear English , but who is perfectly willing

to do so i f given proper chance and instruction . Allthis takes time

,and one goes back to the Original point

,

“ catch them when they are young ”; they are full o f

intell igence and brain power, only the motive force hashitherto been wrongly appl ied . Bri l liant barri stershave come from the Gold Coast— educated in Br itain .

Al so excellent doctors , SO we are told ; but few i f any ofthem owe the ir primary educational start to the schools


which were here standardized . And SO back again tothe boys ,

” as they are generally called here . Most ofthem good l ittle chap s , faithful little chaps , and someof them would never desert one in any emergency . Theyonly want the education to develop them into men withgr i t and backbone which any country m ight envy .

True , they come from a different stratum from theGovernment clerk

,who usually has had the advantage ,

o r otherwise , o f some sort o f m iss ionary education .

That the latter i s better than nothing will be adm itted,

but the thorough tackling of the whole problem spellsadvance .



a concert in the evening at the Railway Institute .

There i s a regular colony o f white men at the abovetown, and that which struck us far more than the music ,which was above the average , was the fine physique andlook o f undoubted fitness

,the audience—mostly railway

men—possessed .

Here again was evidence that the day Of the bad OldCoaster was rapidly passing . Twenty years ago thisport ion of the globe was regarded as a refuge o f thedestitute , the drunkard and the divorced . The al li terat ion is not ours ; it was given to us to describe what“ had been, by an o ld , old sojourner in these parts .Well , that has all been altered and swept away neverto return , and as facilities for relaxation and amusementincrease so will the l ast remnants o f thi s Old and evi lreputation disappear . It seems to us as worth su gge s

t ion that all coast towns should have an institution alongthe l ines o f this railway institute at Sekondi .At Accra there i s nothing o f the kind , merely am i serable l ittle club , which lacks everything a clubshould possess except the hospital ity o f i ts members ,which i s prove rbial . We are wr iting o f bri cks andmortar , and if the Government can find a cool m il l iono r more to Spend upon public works , then sure ly theym ight find a few thousands to build a really good clubhouse for the benefit Of all , but chiefly for the conv en i ence of their own Official s .

It was from Sekondi that we started on ou r tourw ith His Excellency the Governor through l ittle knownparts o f the Western Province o f Ashanti , and theNorthern Terr itor ies . General Guggisberg i s one o f

those who bel ieves very strongly in see ing for himself .During the war his predecessor, S ir Hugh Clifford , forObvious reasons , was obliged more o r le ss to remain asnear telegraphic headquarters as m ight be . That meantthat it was impossible for him to visit the outer confineso f hi s l ittle empire , for that is what it really i s . For afortnight (that may no t appear m uch to the man in thestreet , but to a Governor it i s a long time) , he i s ou t oftouch with the world , and to send him information i sa diff icult and uncertain business . As in ou r case , he

WE ST A FRICA THE ELUS IVE 83

S imply d ives OR the plank into the sea o f obscurity, andin due course emerges at the term inal , where he cangather fresh information and the latest news .

In war such an undertaking would undoubtedly behazardous, and thus it was that S ir Hugh Clifford couldnever undertake this ambitious tr ip in its entirety andhence the Governor , in these remote regions , was a namerather than an entity . General Guggisberg wants toalter this and Show himself as be ing very much al ive

,as

being an cou rant with the local situations , as car ing asintimately for the welfare o f the nat ive in the backblocks as for his top-b atted brother in Accra o r CapeCoast as be ing

,in plain English , not merely a figu re

head . Accomplishing that i s sound adm inistrationindeed , and in due course i s bound to bear good fruit .But for the moment we prefer to place the polit icalaspect o f this journey on one side and describe at somelength the ways and means whereby a party o f tenEuropeans , including three women , trave l through anAfrican jungle with a certain degree o f comfort . Thosegood folk who make peri lous pilgrimages to the Southo f France or who think nothing o f going to “ LovelyLucerne ” have , we venture to say, no idea o f theamount of t ime

,patience and labour which i s expended

on the successful pilotage o f such a small party as oursin a country where the sweetness o f doing nothing i scarr ied to a fine art ; where glib prom i ses are as gliblybroken ; where the heat tries a white man

’s temper pastdescription and where , truly, only the wicked are at rest .Dunkwa , m idway between Sekondi and Coomassie on

the railway , was chosen for the first stop , a sort o f jumping o ff place , as it were , for ou r plunge into the u nknown .

We had cut down ou r luggage , had taken a tender farewell o f Clari ssa , and had been given an orderly throughthe courtesy o f the Inspector General o f Police at Accra .

This orderly was a delusion and a snare . He was anenormous fellow whose courage was in inverse proportion to hi s size and the only time he was really aweinspiring was when he was in the throes o f a nightmare .

Then he bellowed like a bull and ground his teeth hidc onely . But the carriers openly scoffed at him , and his


only Skill seemed to be that o f eluding any work . Withou r own boys he was intensely unpopular after he tooktwo o f the ir vests to clean o u r guns . A S we could notpronounce his name we called him Koko

,

” to whichhe answered very sulkily, and we discovered that in hi sparticular language koko ” meant “ hen . It was soappropri ate and we had grown so callous to his feel ingsby that time that he remained Koko to the last .From Dunkwa the following standing orders for the

party were enforced , o r perhaps we m ight say compliedwith as far as was humanly possible . But what is aneasy matter with discipl ined white troops becomes anightmare when a heterogeneous body o f carr i e rs

'

i s

concerned , and these excellent plans Often went agleyin practice .

(1) Ca rr i ers—The carriers will proceed in twobatches .

A .

”— Mess stores , tables , chairs , lamps, cookingutensi ls , knives , cutlery , &c .

“ B .

—Personal baggage,bedroom furniture

,&c .

A .

—W i l l proceed at an early hour .B .

—When the remainder of the colum n leaves .The A .D .C . and headquarters boys will accompanyA in order to prepare luncheon and the next camp .

(2) L oads— Europeans will not carry more than thefollowing loads

Bath

Bed

Tin boxe sMisc ellaneousBoy’s lo ad

Care must be taken that these do no t exceed 60 lb .

in weight .Boys have a h ab it o f putting the ir belongings amongst

the ir masters’ after the load has been weighed theymust be made to understand that this must on no accountbe done . Half a load per boy is ample for the ir requirements and any surplus they must carry them selves .They must in addition carry one hurri cane lamp .

The same carriers w i ll be supplied daily to eachEuropean as far as possible so that they may know theirparticu lar loads .


WE ST AFRICA THE ELUS IVE

At the hour the column wil l proceed .

(9) D a i ly Orders—D aily orders wil l be i ssued by the

pr ivate secretary stating time o f start , t ime up to whichbreakfast may be obtained and time o f luncheon , &c .

The “ Europeans o f the party were H is ExcellencyGeneral Guggisberg , his his pr ivate secretary , acaptain o f the Gold Coast Regiment in command o f theescort o f thirty soldiers (black) , a doctor, the wife Of theinspector- general o f police, whose long experience , goodhealth , good humour and general abilitymade her a mostvaluable addit ion to the party

,a female stenographer, and

ou r two se lves . Lastly there was what m ight be calleda “ floating population , which consisted o f the Comm issioner of that particular district in which we happenedto be , and sometimes also o f the Chief, o r Acting-Chief ,Comm issioner o f the province . The A .D .C . travelledahead , and upon him fell the onus o f preparing lunchagainst the arr ival o f the party , whatever that m ight be .

It was naturally impossible to foresee causes o f delay ,and so he had to stand by and be on the qu i vi c e andwaiting . Not a very pleasant task e ither , with thethermometer wobbling about in the 9o’

s, shade temperature ! In addition , he had charge o f all the stores, andhad to check them and se e none had been m islaid orstolen . Was it not G i lbert who wrote , A policeman

’slot is not a happy one Well , most assuredly, an

is not . The public usually associate this typeOf Official with a lavish display o f gold lace and decorations ,together with a heavy dragoon manner . Beloved indeedo f the ser i al novel i st i s the A .D .C . Yet litt le they know !At the ri sk of dissipating fond illusions , let it be wr ittenthat certainly the aide - de - camp o f a West AfricanGovernor has a job which is as hard as any yet inventedsince the days o f Adam . He is held responsible fo revery sin o f om i ssion or comm i ssion in his intricatedepartment . He i s briefly instructed by the Governor .He i s then told Off by the transport Officer . He i s nextharassed by the superintendent o f police . If any lady hasa complaint , i f sh e has lost while at Government Houseo r on tour the most m inute article , then She calls uponthe assistance o f the A .D .C . NO matter how tired he

WE ST A FRICA THE ELUS IVE 87

m ay be , sh e expects and receives attention Of the mostc ourteous type . He must exhibit the patience Of Job ,

the justice Of Solomon,and the psychic analysis o f a

Sherlock Holmes . He must never be tired ; he mustnever lose his temper he must no t m ind in the least ifhe m islays all his kit in an altruistic effort to save that o fothers he has never seen before

,and will probably never

see again , from losing the irs he is in turn a greengrocer,

a wine merchant , an expert upon fish , flesh , and fowl , andwithal he is a conjurer Of no m ean ability

,for wo e betide

him if he does not arrange a four - course d inner,and a

good one at that , from a few myster ious t ins . He i s thep laything Of circum stance , but one l aw he must Obey ,and that i s sm i le , sm i le , sm i le .

The private secretary i s a being on a different plane .

He i s a species Of shock absorber for the Governor . Hismanner must be Of that suave variety which will breakthe most irr itating Of news as though he were tell ing youthat a rich uncle had died and had left you his fortune .

He i s never abashed , and with outspread hands willwave away any difficulty as being o f no moment , thoughwhat hi s pr ivate Op inion is would no doubt be interesting .

At the same t ime he i s always busy over something , and ,a ccording to hi s own estimate , i s the one person whoreally works . And during the entire twenty - four hoursit i s a fact that he seldom h as a m inute he can really callh is own .

SO much fo r the two indispensable assistants aG overnor must have , and , be it added , he could never getthrough all the ceremonial functions he must attend didhe no t have the help o f such thoroughly efficient workers .The third individual to qualify for a halo i s the OfficerC ommanding E scort . His hammock is merely to beseen, not u sed ; h is meals reach him at strange hourso r not at all , and he exercises the brains Of Machiavell iand the agil ity o f that domestic animal , the flea , to be in“ the best posit ion in the column fitting for the bestsupervision o f the 400 carriers . The genus carrier i snot what he used to be . Motor transport i s , to somee xtent , the cause . But until this means o f locomotionbecomes universal there will be stretches Of country inwhich loads wil l st i ll be carr ied on men ’s heads . They


are now paid 1 s . 6d . a day and given the ir food,but ou r

four hundred were not satisfied wi th anything . In factwe were strongly rem inded o f Kipling ’s description o f

the comm issari at camel ’

E’

s a devil , an’

a o str i ch an ’ aorphan child in one .

” To Obtain the l ightest loads , to pu theavy ones down in the track and vanish for ever, to gorgethemselves to replet ion on the ir rations plus food lootedfrom the villages through which they passed , to go

weep ing and wail ing to the doctor with scratched toes o rpain for bel ly ”

(this last the result Of gluttony) , tosquabble amongst them selves : this was the l i fe of ou rl ittle army Of human beasts o f burden . Yet to do themj ust ice , there were shining exceptions . We have seenhammock boys stagger u p hil ls which looked form idableenough to the ordinary walker with never a word ofprotest , though with a human load o f some considerableweight . Rain they m ind not , sun they like , heat theyendure ; the only thing against which they protestveh emently is the blow o f a white m an who loses histemper and unjustly at that . Again , that is a phasewhich is fast passing . People lose the ir tem pers th eworld over , and in the tropics naturally more thanelsewhere . The nerve strain is greater and the willpower less . That i s one thing . But to str ike the objecto f your anger i s another , and time w as when a carr ierm ight expect l i ttle o r no mercy if he dropped a load o reven rested . That type Of “ Coaster belongs to a

bygone day .

Our d ifficulty with the carr iers was only one aspecto f the greatest problem with which the Gold Coast

,in

common with other countries , has to deal— nam ely ,that Of labour . The actual aboriginal i s wel l enoughuntil he comes in contact with the coast dweller ,wh o regards m anual labour as only fitting , apparently,for Europeans . He i s willing to be educated up to apoint , that he may become a lawyer , or a doctor , o r aparson . But he has no conception o r realization Of th etrue dignity o f labour . He cannot o r will not grasp th efact that the man using the sledge- hamm er i s every b i tas worthy Of respect as hi s brother wh o takes iniquitousfees for plead ing over twopenny lawsuits in the GoldCoast law courts . In thi s direction there seem s no Sign



rudimentary ideas how to Spend it once it i s in theirpossession , but who , none the less , have the glimmeringso f an intelligence as to the part they m ight play in thedestinies Of the ir country, who realize in a vague wayt hat a great world upheaval has just occurred

,and i s

only now quietening down , and who are beginningg ood sign—to be just a little jealous Of the ir homeland .

Then we saw the aborigines : people u ntouched, so far ,by the long arm o f civi l ization or educat ion , dwellers int h e lonely depths o f the forest belt . We also met withi solated D istrict Commissioners , to whom equally ou r

visit proved an event , and who had no t seen a whitewoman for longer than they cared to remember . Curiousfolk these ; they must be buoyed up by a peculiar temperam ent . Mails very rarely reach them Oftener thano nce a month o r six weeks . Society none . Thoughts

,

one may imagine , plenty . L iterally a year ’s serviceunder such condit ions i s the equivalent o f three yearsanywhere e lse . There i s a story, a true one , and typicalo f these “ Keepers o f the King ’s peace ,

” which willi llustrate the frame Of m ind induced by such ane xistence . Two D i strict Comm issioners , each homewardbound from a long tour , met near the rai lhead . NeitherO f them had seen a white man for close on a year , anda t sight o f each other they were dumb . They had ideas

,

m any o f them ,but they lacked the habitude o f expressing

them . For some t ime they S imply stared at each other,

a nd then the Spe ll was broken and they burst s imultaneou sly into speech . One discoursed fluently uponBurmah , a country he had never seen , but about whichhe had read much during his monastic l ife o f the pasttwelve months . The other, totally ignor ing his com

panion , descanted upon the charms Of Honolulu , o f

which he was equally ignorant from personal exper ience .

F or the first t ime in many weary months they were ableto translate the ir ideas into English words which wouldbe understood by a companion ; so they rel ieved the irsouls as a r iver long confined bursts its banks when theflood comes . Then there was another pause , and ones aid to the other “ Have a drink , Old man .

” Thanks ,”

r eplied the second , I think I will . And life for themr esumed i ts normal course after the year o f solitude .

lHAPTE R ! I .

BY the t im e we reached W ioso we had covered nearly100m i les o f thi s wonderful forest belt , and were able toform Opinions framed upon what we had se en . F irst andforemost

,we were now under no illu sions as to the dis

c omfort or otherwise of h am m ocking . One could imaginetediousness

,but in point Of fact monotony counts as

very little compared with the physical discomfortinvolved amounting almost to pain . Hence , wheneverpossible

,we walked , and when start ing in the early

hours Of the morning it is easy to cover e ight m iles o r so

before the sun gets it s fu l l strength , when , perforce ,one must have recourse to the hammock . Reve i llesounded at six in the morning , when the most tryingtime of the day ensued . There was terr ific confusion :a ll the carr iers shouting at each other in high - pitchedvoices ; ou r senior boy enter ing into an argument witha headman about a load , and a scrimmage as result .Breakfast was actually a standing meal

,all the chairs

h aving been taken away from o u r hut by an enthusiast ichammock - boy, who was determ ined that , cost what i tm ight , we Should not labour under the stigma o f be ingthe last to get ou r loads away . Once under way

,

things improved . Providing the road be not too bad—as a matter of fact it was a native road , clearedsomewhat for the occasion— i t i s pleasant enough totramp along with one ’s thoughts as companions . L ikewise , i t would be unendurable had no t one the gifts ofmeditation and Observation .

Portions Of the route had lain through tropical jungle ast hick as we have ever seen anywhere , jungle u ntouchedby the hand Of man , untrodden , myster ious , almost impenetrable The undergrowth was stupendous

,and one

c ould realize the difficulties exper ienced by the late

92 WE ST AFR ICA THE ELUS I VE

President Roosevelt when he hacked a way through justsuch forest when going from Paraguay to the Amazon .

But let i t be remembered that the Brit ish Empire i syoung in compari son with the silent depths Of the u n

canny belt through which we were passing . It r epre

sented century after century o f untrammelled Nature ,playing at will with its own creations

,twist ing and

twining growths feet in thickness around one another ,as though sardonically suggest ing a puzzle fo r the one toseparate itself from its unwilling mate . There i s anintense si lence in these areas of perpetua l tw i l ight . Thesun loses its power , there i s a curious coolness of atmosph e re ; one can walk without a topee , so thick is theovergrowth Of the interlaced trees . But above al l , andbeyond all— the s ilence . Even the hammock - boys andcarriers appear to feel it and hurry along

,anxious to ge t

once more into regions where the sun assumes its cu s

tom ary ascendency, and has, SO to Speak , no furtherstruggle with the powers Of darkness .Al l forests are myster ious

,al l forests touch some

chord o f the being , only in varying senses . Thus th elone ly forests o f Northern Russia, with their neverending m onotony Of pine and spruce trees , breed intensemelancholy . There i s vastness i ll im itable ; one feelsthat , al l things considered , man i s a very m inute atomin the universe

,and from that genesis spr ings the thesis

that somewhere and somehow Providence has made a

m istake over mankind . It i s the melancholy o f th e

Russian forest which inspired in its origin the tone o fthe genuine Russian outlook upon life

,and has made o f

the Russian the fatalist he i s .

Tropical forests breed a consciousness very differentin its effects . IS i t fear ? One tr ies to penetrate th erecesses of the undergrowth with no success . On e itherS ide Of the path lies a deep , green - black wall , peopledone knows with animals and birds and reptiles , thoughnone Show themselves

,wherefrom , one conjectures ,

emanates a curiously uncomfortable feeling Of be ingwatched . One attempts again and again to pierce th evei l , and was it , o r was it not , th at one saw , or thoughtone saw , a pair o f yellow eyes intently following one ?



reason bulbous plants seem to do well in this region ;there i s every form o f l ily imaginable in profusion

,

many o f them o f great beauty, though all must giveplace to the torch . Sometimes one reaches clumps o fbam boos enormous growths these . Such is the ironyo f fate ; transport them to the northern terri tory of thi scolony , and they would be worth the ir weight in goldfor hou se building . Transport lacks , unfortunately .

And so on , the catalogue Of wonders m ight bemultipl iedBut to come to hard commercial facts, here l ies a

ver itable E l D orado for the enterpri sing timber merchant .The area o f this untapped forest region amounts approximately to square m iles . From Wioso we couldse e clearly , m i les away, the mountains Of the FrenchIvory Coast . Between lay a vast sea Of forest ; thetops o f the trees therein giving the impression o f asuccession o f green waves breaking against the mountainou s skyline . All absolutely untouched

,virgin ,

wooded plain . There i s mahogany galore . SO muchis known . Beyond that i s large ly conjecture . However ,i t i s safe to hazard that here there i s valuable timber Ofevery conceivable species awaiting the woodman ’s axe ,the enterpri se of the capital ist , and , of course , theattention o f the road surveyor and o f the Governmentengineer .At a v i llage called D omenase we heard a wondrous

story . Knowing something Of native mentality , and ofits instinctive dread o f anything unusual , i t may havel ittle foundation in fact . Yet it i s of sufficient interestto record

,and the D istrict Comm i ssioner , who told it to

the Governor in ou r presence , was plainly impressedthereby . Briefly

,then

,he said that he had been

informed by many local inhabitants that at a d i stancefrom D omenase ,

“ far small ,” as the natives say , was a

village Of dead men and dogs . Further questioninge l icited the fact that by dead was meant that the menand dogs had become as stone , something after thefashion o f Lot ’s wife or the more rel iable Pompe i i . Itcould only be approached by a hunter ’s track throughthe very densest o f the jungle, and few besides hunters ,

WEST AFRICA THE ELUS IVE 95

who belong to the é l ite as far as courage is concerned ,had ever dared to visit i t . Far small ” would representabout fifteen m i les

,which would be a good day ’s march

over ground such as was indicated , and thus , with a

t ime- table to work upon , it was unfortunately im possiblefor us to branch aside and Spend two days o r more inelucidating the mystery . O f course , it m ight be som e

long- since deserted village which the native m ind h asconjured into a bad “ juju . On the other hand

, h ow

account for the men and , above all , the dogs . Might i tnot be the result o f some volcanic upheaval Might notthis remote village have suffered the fate o f Pompe i i ?Lack o f communication i s here a ver itable curse .

Bridges must be made upon proper engineering lines .Roads fit for transport must be provided , and it i s ananachronism that a polit ical Officer should be responsiblefor the roads within his territory

,when

,probably

, h e

knows no m ore about road making than he does aboutChinese music . Yet that is the system in vogue at th emoment . It is playing with a serious problem . Athome there i s discontent because there appears to be nooutlet for the energies Of those in want Of work . At thesame time the demands o f labour are increasinglyimper ious , foolishly so , as those who have travel led know .

But the outlet for this energy, the salve for this dangerousmalady in the body social

,can best be found by utilizing

to the maximum the latent forces within the Empire .

It i s useless to bury the talent ” in the ground , as theBible uncommonly wel l emphasizes . Also , it i s well toremember Lord Salisbury ’s d ictum , Before you argueover a geographical matter procure a large atlas .

” Thewords are no t quoted precisely , but to their practicalimport . It is hopeless to leave a colony alone and expectresults , even though a loan may be perm itted to a certainamount

,interest upon which must be guaranteed by th e

Colony ’s existing revenue . Common sense su ggests a

practical programme Of development . One b ears inEngland Often enough o f the wrong-headed parsimonyOf the Crown Agents . Without prejudice , i f the gentlemen composing that department could be forced to

travel for one year and imbibe real impressions, instead

9 6 WE ST AFRICA THE ELUS IVE

o f false ones , born in Offi ce armchairs , they m ight helpthe Empire instead o f standing in the way of advancewherever advance i s propitious . It i s impossible togloss over facts which hit one with such force , as factsmust do wh en one travels as we did , through m i les Of

dormant wealth , awaiting that intell igent operation ande xploitation which wou ld be a Godsend to the financialresources Of the Empire

,as well as providing the where

withal fo r a reasonably comfortable l iving for those o fher sons willing to take the Opportunity when it comestheir way .

Truly, Britain is a funny nation , or , rather , it suffersfrom an Official myopia which naturally tr ies its c itizens .Clear the aforesaid square m i les o f t imber,reserving such portions as m ight be thought advisablefor afforestation by experts , and the land SO clearedwould suit cocoa adm irably

, or even rubber . It certainlycould be utilized to good purpose , for of its r i chnessthere i s no doubt . Introduce the white element , and ,g iven a couple o f white men working as partners , therei s every reason for wr it ing categor ically that here l ies atthe front door, so to Speak , profitable employment , withthe added garnish o f leave home after a year ’s workupon the plantation . Hence the two partners ; turn andturn about would be the suggested arrangement .F inally , in connection with the vexed transport question ,why not use the Decauville railway system It certainlywould link up many port ions Of the country where thereare not too many hills , and would be cheap and practical .“D on ’t starve the West African Colonies ,

” i s the onlyadvice we can tender to those who hold the strings o f thenational purse , since we have the right , in common withall taxpayers in Great Br itain , to suggest proposalsl ikely to benefit the Empire in course o f t ime .

To return now to ou r j ourney, another point impressedus greatly . The natives we met in these parts are verymuch more independent than those nearer the coast andcivilization , SO - called . There i s a dignity in theirbearing which i s al l to the good . They are o f materialfrom which great things m ight be created , but that goalmust be approached with caution, since experience has



affords the only possible shade outside the nat ive houses.

And then there were the drums , of which we Shall havemore to say .

. The mechanicians, as we are tempted tocal l them , were real craftsmen . They put into theirlabours more energy than a gang of navvies workingupon a railway in England . They beat and rolled thedrum s to the manner born , as they indeed were . Theycan take the drumstick and draw it S lowly along theparchment , producing the we irdest wail , and the doingo f this looked SO simple that we tried it , and were foundwanting . They can make the good folk start dancingwith a couple Of beats Of the drum , they can make themabsolutely hyster ical after a treatment of three or fourm inutes . Even the hammock- boys were not immune .

Ou rs started as soon as they could hear the throb, andacted as though in a delir ium . One had to exhort ,threaten, and joke to get them to understand that beingthrown ou t o f ou r hammocks was attended with painfulconsequences , not alone for ourselve s . Then the“ dashes ” started arr iving . Invar iably they were thesame— l ive stock and the fruits o f the land . Theyarr ived in enormous quantit ies, and had to be recognizedby return presents of the equivalent value . With thenumber o f carr iers and retainers we had on tour, thetotal gift rapidly dim inished

,and nothing makes the

native more happy than “ plenty chop . He certainl ygot plenty on this journey .

Upon the arr ival Of the Governor, were the villagelarge o r small , he never fai led to address the assembledtownsfolk and outlined in the simplest phrases his policyand that which he desired the headman o f the villageand h is advisers to follow . Consider ing that to all inthis portion o f the country the Governor , the representat ive Of the King , had for too long been merely a name ,the good which was accomplished can be realized . It i sOne thing to S ing “ God save the King,

” and quiteanother to visualize for '

onese lf the true aspect o f thecase , namely , that every inconsiderable village in aremote stretch Of a far - distant land is , in al l truth , anintegral portion Of the Empire , a cog of small dimensionsin a m ightymachine . At all hazards breed the Imper ialspirit .


Wioso is a lovely spot , situated at the top of a hill ,commanding wonderful views . It should be healthy ,probably i s . But we met a doctor, a pessimist o f thetruly genial type , who , taking ou r printed itinerary , wentthrough it place by p lace with a running comment of anature something like this Wioso ; pretty place ,very ; wonderful views . Tried to save a blackwatercase there , but , o f course, fai led . Bibiani . Goodheavens ! are you real ly going there Shocking troubleI had there . Cerebrospinal ; youngster too . Couldn ’tSave him . Oh Lord ! and actually Wenchi . Well , Ihope you will be all r ight . That is all I can say . ButWenchi i s the last place on earth I ever wish to seeagain . Two Comm issioners in a year, i f you please ,pegged ou t . But there, I don

’t wish to depress you ,”

and so on .

He d id not depress us,and the health o f the party

when we reached Wioso was still good . It was atWioso that we were entertained by the ch ildren o f thelocal school . The programme was a var ied one , consist ing o f songs and recitations , the songs being renderedby a choir unaccompanied by music . This portion wasworthy Of notice, since the voices were really good , andit was evident that the master had spared ne ither t imenor trouble in getting the best ou t o f his charges . As aresult , this choir o f native children really sang exquisite ly .

On the other hand , th e recitations suffered from a defectwhich i s not confined to West Afr i ca . The poemschosen were hopelessly beyond the comprehension o f thereciters . For instance

,what can “ The L OSS o f the

Royal George signify to a native child who has neverseen the sea

,and whose knowledge Of a boat does not

extend beyond a dug- out canoe ? S im i larly,“ The

Homes o f England ” i s a r idiculous item for one whoregards a mud bu t as the epitome o f architecture Yetthose were two actual turns in the programme . Onehad a feel ing that th e performers were totally ignorantof the meaning Of what they were saying , and the irenunciation was exactly what it should not have beenit was , in

'

fact,the enunciation of the horr ible pidgin

English which the Governor i s anx ious to eradicate .

100 WE ST AFRICA THE ELU SIVE

Native children , if they are to accomplish anything,must begin at the beginning , and learn with simplicity .

Nursery rhymes properly spoken would have been moreacceptable fare for all of us than that to which we weretreated .

And to continue the catalogue o f m i stakes , the prizeswere really funny for those with the slightest sense o f

humour . One we noticed had to do with railways , anddepicted scenes such as a dining- car on the GreatWestern Railway, with a newly married couple choosingthe ir lunch from a menu- card

,whilst an Obsequious

waiter, napkin in hand , stands awaiting the ir order .

Remember that the school we are mentioning is a goodhundred m i les from any railway in the m idst o f thevirgin forest , and that even th en there i s no such thingas a dining- car on the Gold Coast railways , and ourstricture will meet with approval . At any rate HisExcellency cordially agreed with us . In thi s connectionwe cannot help but recount how we enjoyed hearing avery dim inutive black boy

,the servant o f one o f the

D i strict Comm i ssioners in Togoland , S ing“ Katie

,to

the accompaniment of a dulcitone . The Comm issioner ’swife in her spare t ime had taught him

,and , what i s

more,had explained to him the meaning Of every word .

The result was that this extraordinary little boy sangKatie

,my beautiful Katie G irl o f all the girl s I most

adore ,” with a depth Of feel ing which would have

rejoiced a London music - hall audience . It was anObject - lesson in its way, s ince here was the rawm aterial tuned up by commonplace patience andperseverance . Applied to those children about whomwe have wr itten above, the result m ight have beensimilar .From W ioso we retraced ou r steps to a most

unallur ing spot called Sefwi -Bakw i , chiefly remaining inou r memory on account o f the awful heat coupled witha suspicion that the roofs Of ou r huts were not sun - proof,and the intense pertinacity of the vil lagers to se e a whitelady in her bath . The l ighter S ide o f the picture wasafforded by Koffe , the boy belonging to one of ou r

party,who ruled his master with a rod of iron . This



shower bath , and dressing the following morning , withthe knowledge there was an eye glu edZto every crack inou r fort ress walls , was even more difficult . But on e

grows hardened to anything in time . Trekking dayafter day, gett ing up when darkness covers the land , anddressing hurr iedly anyhow and anyway, breakfasting bydawn , which is daylight within five m inutes in theseregions , and then getting away with a fire o f invectivesaddressed to recalcitrant carr iers

,makes a strain which

tells . But,let it be wr i tten that the Governor showed

the Soundest o f common sense in travell ing throughthese rather unprepossessing and out - Of - the -way d istr icts .For he had the opportunity Of deciding for himself twoextremely important questions , namely, whether therei s a promise for the future in this area , and what needsto be done to Open it by road and railway . N ow thesequest ions are in themselves simple Of theoretical solution

,

but the practical side i s quite another matter . Thusthere can be no doubt as to the potential value of thi sforest belt for every conce ivable tropical crop , butObviously to remove the harvest accruing therefromwould need transport , which , in turn , Spells money forroads and railways and a hundred and one other thingsnot created by a wave Of the magician ’s wand . Hencemeans must perforce be employed to Obtain that money ,and the ir very employment starts a whole crop of otherperplex it ies which have to be overcome . The Governoro f a country in a stage fit for exploitation must be,indeed , a many - sided individual .We have emphasized in a previous chapter just what

transport means to a colony like this . It m ay be expensive medicine , but i f the patient is no t to languishand become a nuisance to its neighbours , then, assuredly,i t has a r ight to claim the very best o f scientific attention . This has been denied to the Gold Coast in commonwith many other things . F irst and foremost , let thepolicy of the Colonial Office and Of the Crown Age n ts bemade manifest . A colony, that is to say a Crown colony,may borrow money if the Adm inistration can Show thatthe said colony i s in a posit ion to pay the interest uponthe capital borrowed ou t o f existing revenue . Mark the


word exi sting , and then explain how any m ine in thewhole of the world

,let alone any commercial under

taking , could ever have breathed the air Of financial l ifehad such a stifling clause been tabulated as a sine qu a

non o f existence . O f course,Colonial loans stand as

trustee investments,but times are altering , and it i s the

business , or should be, Of the Colonial Office and theirfinancial advisers to apply to such a colony as this thesame common- sense that undoubtedly they Show in dealing with the ir own pr ivate affairs . Hard words , maybe ,but true . Happily

,however

,there are more ways o f

crossing a street than one , and pr ivate enterprise cana ccomplish that which apparently cannot be arrangedwith Offic ial financial assistance . There are three railwayswhich must be constructed in this country if it i s todevelop as i t should

,and as i ts native inhabitants

d esire . The first i s from Coomassie to Tamale , thecap ital o f the northern terr itory . Secondly, rai lwaycommunication must be made from Sekondi , or whereverthe new deep -water harbour i s located , to Koforidua , inthe cocoa region

,of which we have wr itten , and thence

to H0 in exist ing Togoland,the latter place be ing wel l

within the Brit ish Sphere o f influence , no matter whatmay happen to the main portion o f the country itself .The third is from Dunkwa

,through the region we

c rossed , to Wioso and Bibiani , which would necessitatea junction at some convenient point , S ince the placesn amed are at the opposite apexes o f a tri angle Of whichDunkwa is the third . A glance at a map will Show thed irect ion o f these l ines and the country they would tap .

At Bibiani,where we stayed for one night , i s a disused

and deserted gold m ine . There is plenty Of gold in it ,but if the machinery must be Split up into loads not exc e eding 60 lb . in weight and carried e ighty m i les uponmen’

s heads , then it becomes a simple mathematicalproblem to estimate the cost o f one boiler plate . It i sprohibitive even with gold as merchandi se . A nd B ib ian i

i s not S ingular ; we passed several deserted m ines suffering from an exactly Sim i lar complaint on ou r route . Itreally i s deplorable . Shall we starve in the m idst Ofplenty ? these rel ics seem to say, and the answer


appears to be Certainly . We do not deny that youhave a r ight to exist, but it has been laid down in clausedash , sub - section dash, that a Colonial Government maynot and shal l not borrow money for developmentpurposes , unless and so on through the wholer igmarole Of red tape dear to the m ind of the Officialbureaucrat . Those deserted m ines made an un forge tableimpression upon u s .

We stayed a night in a deserted bungalow, which oncehad been a very good one , but which creaked om inouslywhen we walked around with sylph - l ike tread . W e

dined with the Governor at what had been the chiefengineer ’s house , l ikewise deserted , and ou r nerves wereShocked by the sudden disappearance Of the butlerthrough the floor . It was nothing really ; merely aboard o r two had given way, and he had made his wayto the basement without the aid o f stairs There wereengines for winding purposes , and trucks and cages tobe wound , rott ing away in Si lence . There was a locomotive which once had run upon its rai ls and hadem itted cheery whistles , no doubt , as i t tacked to and froaround the m ine precincts . A S we saw i t there was nodelusion . Poor l ittle fellow i t had fought a good fight ,and was near i ts end , a forlorn structure o f immovablescrap iron . Somehow, a locomotive seem s so full o f

v ital ity that one was compelled to gr ieve over this lostand forgotten warr ior . Nature had also done her b it ,and had ferociously overgrown the aerial railway with a

mass o f creepers , which slowly and sure ly were eatingaway from the t imber i ts heart and pr ide . Never wasseen a more m i serable epitaph on the supineness o f anyadm inistration . No matter that the Shareholders inthis and other m ines suffer . NO matter that the goldsupply Of the world i s short and that here is plenty .

NO matter anything, so long as the letter o f the Officiall aw i s followed and the bureaucrats in London are

sati sfied . They do say that the m ine at Bibiani i shaunted . The manager wisely died , and h is subordinatesfaded away from ordinary materi al and traceable causes ;but small blame to them if they do come back once in a

while and in a sardonic fashion gloat over the wreck and



the l ine had to be drawn . And yet withal there i s asubtle fascination in finding ou t day by day how nearNature it is possible to approach without incurr ing themost deadly discomfort . A l ittle touch o f the MarkTapley spiri t and over the !evening whisky and sparkletit i s no t difficult to put the daily tr ials all behind one

and sm i le .

We have commented before upon the lonel ine ss o f

the l ife l ived by a D i strict Comm issioner in the moreo u t - Of - the -way stations o f the colony, and , naturally ,stor ies o f all kinds centre in them . One that we heardi s worth the tell ing , though those who want the facts“ in extenso will find them in B la ckwood ’

s Magazine,since S ir Hugh Clifford used them for a very uncannystory . Al l that we can aver i s that we were told thema t first hand by one concerned , and naturally that madea greater impression upon us than the mere recitationo f hearsay . Br iefly, then, the

“ boys o f a certainComm i ssioner , who was stationed in one o f the d istrictswe passed through, started laying an extra place attable at every meal . At first the Official took noparticular not ice , since he was a hospitable soul , andmerely thought that the boys , knowing that , had placedanother seat on the Off- chance o f some t ired strangerturning u p . However, one day, ou t of cur iosity

,he

asked one o f the lads why he was SO careful to havethe extra place , and rece ived as an answer : I put unfor the other white master I often see in d is house .

”

S ince the master had never seen anyone and since therewas no white man on the Station except himself

,he

made further inquir ies , and found that everyone in theplace had seen the uncanny visitor . Now it SO happenedthat the Officer ’s predecessor had died there , and itwas pretty evident that here was an undoubted ghost .At first it did not greatly disturb the host , but as t imepassed it began to get on his nerves , with the result thatultimately he had to be rel ieved and sent home fora change . That is the bald story , but there i s somethingin it which must not be overlooked . For some reasonthe native appears gifted with the most extraordinarysecond Sight . He can sense the supernatural in a

WE ST AFRICA THE ELU SIVE 107

moment,and , let white men say what they will , he

i s . l ikewise a master o f black magic . T ime and againhave we been told Of occurrences which afford nonormal explanation . Incur the hatred o f a native , and ,i f so disposed , he can comfortably kill you at a distancewhen and how he l ikes . At least , that i s the tenouro f all we have heard , and the authority has always beeno f the highest . One case came to ou r own attention .

A native clerk , a man of education , drawing a goodsalary from the Government

,had only one eye . We

asked him h ow i t came about . Rather shyly heanswered

,Juju . Of course , we sm i led , and , notic ing

it,he re iterated the statement , adding that white people

d id no t understand the subject . It appears that he hadan enemy

,who wrote and told him that he would go

blind in one eye . At the time his Sight was perfectin both . Naturally he paid small heed to the matterunti l one morning

,sure enough

,his S ight in the left eye

was a trifle blurred . Rather uneasy , he consulted aG overnment doctor who assured him that there wasnothing in the least wrong . Reassured , he returned tohis duties . But the eye steadily grew worse , and thed octor , frankly puzzled , called in a brother professionaland carr ied ou t a most thorough exam ination . Thist ime they could see for themselves that something waswrong , but what it was they could no t diagnose . Other(doctors then tried their hands

,but all to no purpose .

The Sight o f the eye was going steadily and perceptibly ,without any known scientific r a i son cl

’

étr e . And ,e ventually the clerk became stone blind in that eye .

How explain it Conce ivably it m ight have been causedby some extremely rare defect or i llness , but even thenit m ight be expected that one medical man ou t Of manywould have been able to trace the cause . Besides , werethis an isolated instance

,i t m ight be put aside as a

chance happening . But such is not the case and one

c ould tell tale after tale Of the curious power some o f

these people possess . And,further

,i t may sound

r idiculous, but it i s a fact , that the average white manin his senses will never interfere with a nat ive “ juju .

”

The ir variety is without end,from a small bottle and


a lump o f what looked l ike mud which ornamented a

native hut in which we stayed , to a l ife - sized Objectrepresenting e ither a man or a woman , which is oftenfound outside villages, and which was erected to keepaway the influenza when it was sweeping throu ghthe land . That it was successful in its Operation doesno t seem to have been the case , but the native m indattached great importance to it , and , speaking personally ,we would not care to damage one of these tokens .


110 WE ST AFRICA THE ELU SIVE

whole, a greatness which brings with it national pr ide,individual secur ity and also contentment

,that nation

will rule over i t s neighbours . The A sh ant io andthe Fantee were absolutely o f the same race . Theformer were a proud nation o f brave and daring soldiers

,

l iving happily and contentedly under the most absoluteOf Kings . The latter , who lived and idled under thel icence o f ou r easy-going laws , were cowardly, lazy ,good- for - nothing vagabonds , with all the vices o f theAshant i but with none o f his manly courage .” Fromthis descript ion one i s tempted to compare the Ashanti swith the Prussians (with apologies to the Ashantis) , andthe remark concerning our easygoing laws ” rem indsus irresist ibly o f the crit ic ism o f a Prussianwhen , as a pr i soner Of war in England , he and his fe llowsenjoyed life under a kindly commandant . “The disciplineOf this camp ,

” he said resentfully,“ i s far too lax . It

would not be tolerated in Germany amongst ou r own

people , far less with prisoners . Our men here will bedemoralized by the t ime they get home .

”

But to return to the Ashantis . L ike the Assyr ians ,they appeared from the North “ l ike a wolf on the fold ,

”

and by dint o f unceasing wars and super ior powers Of

diplomacy e ither drove ou t o r forced into allegiance theweaker tr ibes . By 1640 they were a power to bereckoned with , and could count on an army o f close on

men should necessity ar ise .In the reign o f King Tutu , 1697 , the seat o f govern

ment was removed from further south to Coomassie , andit was also during his reign that the l iteral seat— or

Golden Stool of Ashanti—was fashioned, that GoldenStool which was afterwards the cause o f SO much trouble .The exact date o f the d iscovery of gold in Ashanti seem sto be unknown , but up to 1630 iron was current coin .

S lowly but surely, from 1697 to 1803 , the Ashantis grewin power . Oth er tribes , Fantis, A ssinis, A nam abos ,Akims

,D eukeras, aided half- heartedly by Dutch ,

Portuguese , French or English colonists in turn , had puttheir warl ike mettle to the test time and time again ,and with few exceptions the results were always favourable to the Ashantis .


It is remarkable that none o f the Europeans in Officialcapacity resident in the Gold Coast seemed to haveappreciated the fact that , Of all the tribes , the A shantiswere most worthy Of conciliation , both from econom icand political motives . The ir country was the r ichest

,

as they themselves were the most rel iable . It was thislack o f comprehension which was the cause Of the firstEnglish-Ashant i war and laid the foundation fo rfuture mutual distrust , m isunderstanding and disl ikewhich was to result in six more wars , some o f considerable d imensions

,between the proud and bell icose

Ashantis and the English . The intrusion, one canhardly call i t anything el se, o f the English into th e

domestic affairs Of the Ashantis was the cause o f thewar o f 1806 . The A ssin i s , Fantis and Anam abos, al lowing allegiance to the Ashant is became involved in awar with their masters . Retreating before the Ashantis ’

tr iumphant advance they sought refuge with theGovernor at Cape Coast . This gentleman , deceived andm isinformed by the chiefs and also alarmed at th eprox im ity o f the Ashantis, decided definitely and Openlyto defend the fort at Anamabo and to protect the threetr ibes . The S iege Of the fort lasted for two days andwas one of those small pages Of history one finds SO Oftenin the book Of British colonial possessions . A m inutegarrison , panic str icken refugees, insufficient stores andfl imsy fortifications on the one side , and a brave andnumerically super ior enemy on the other . The arr ivalo f re inforcements from Cape Coast enabled the garr i sonto par ley with the Ashanti s without loss o f prestige , andColonel Torrane , the Governor , now seemed for the firstt ime to appreciate the importance Of standing well withthis nat ion . He accomplished thi s in a manner one i shappy to find seldom in that same book Of colonialpossessions . To ingratiate himself with King TutuKivan im a of Ashanti , he del ivered up to the latter

’s veryproblematical mercy the Assini Chief whose safety h ehad guaranteed . This poor blind man was, in fact ,tortured to death , and the appreciation o f Tutu Kivan im a

was Of a sort to make the most hardened Official blush .

He said to Mr . Dupuis in 1821 :“ From the hour :

1 12 WEST AFRICA THE ELUS IVE

T orrane del ivered up Tch ibbu (the Assini Chief) , I tookt h e English for my friends , because I saw the ir Objectwas trade only and they did not care for the people .

T orrane was a man Of sense and he pleased meDoctor Clar idge tell s us that Torrane also took theA namabo refugees and sold them to the slave dealers .He was just in time ! for less than a year later the slavet rade was abol ished by Act o f Parliament .The second Ashanti War , 1811 , was marked by

various outrages upon Europeans,including the murder

Of the Dutch Governor , Hogenboom , and the virtualmurder of Mr . Meredith , Commandant at Winneba andt h e hero o f the siege o f Fort Anamabo in the previouswar . He was taken prisoner by the W inn ebas and diedas the result o f the terr ible treatment he rece ived atthe ir hands . The whole country was in a state o f

Uproar and the situation Of the few Europeans wase xtremely precarious , but Governor White adopted suchsevere measures in return for the murder o f Mr .Meredith that the coast tribes proceeded more cautiouslyf or many years to come .In 1816 , after the third Ashanti war , the Afr ican

C ompany decided to send a m i ssion to the King o f

Ashanti , spurred to this deci sion by the act ion o f theDutch who were already negotiating with him in amanner which threatened Brit ish trade . Mr . Bowdich ,a nephew o f the Governor, who made one o f theMission , was much struck by the Sp lendour o f theAshanti Court . It was the first t ime that any EnglishOffic ial had penetrated SO far inland and the contrastbetween the insignificant chiefs o f the l ittoral and the .

magnificent King Of Ashanti with hi s guard Ofs oldiers , was a revelat ion to them . The following readslike a page from the Arabian Nights The sun wasreflected , with a glare scarcely more supportable thanthe heat

,from the massy gold ornaments , which glistened

in every direction The caboceers , as did the irsuper ior captains and attendants , wore Ashanti clothso f extravagant pr ice from the costly fore ign S i lks which

Dupuis. Journal Of a Residence in A shanti,” 1824.



employed it as a trum p card on occasion . Anothertreaty was irregularly drawn up by Mr . Dupuis , thenthe Resident at Coomassie

,between whom and the

Governor there existed bitter personal enm ity , and thel atter refused to ratify it . This still further incensedthe Ashantis and the arr ival Of S ir Charles M’

Car th y asGovernor , in 1822, instead o f improving affairs as itShou ld and could have done , brought matters to a climax .

S ir Charles was also Governor o f Sierra Leone and knewnothing o f the character Of the

"

people now added to h isterritory . He was without competent advisers

,and the

jealousy o f the departingWest Afr ican Company for thi snew era prevented any o f its Offic ials from assisting himwith counsel or warning . He seems to have formed alow Opinion Of the Ashanti power and to have resolvedon crushing it , beginning by indirect methods , such asrepairing all forts , ignoring King Tutu and looking witha lenient eye upon the coast tr ibes in their rebel l ionagainst Ashanti Supremacy . The temper o f the Ashantis ,never very patient , was tr ied beyond its endurance , anda mulatto sergeant who flagrantly abused their king toone o f his subjects , w as seized by the Ashantis , madepr isoner and eventually killed . A punitive expeditionwas sent to Dunkwa by the Governor but it was am

bushed and its main purpose was averted , with the costt o the British forces o f six m en killed , four m issing andan Officer and thirty- eight men wounded . Still , i t wokethe Ashan ti s to a full realization o f the Governor ’sintentions and o f the gravity of the S ituation .

In 1823 , S ir Charles , content with the steps he hadtaken and fu lly satisfied that the Ashantis would remainpassive for a t ime , returned to S ierra Leone, leavingabout 500 regular sold iers on the Gold Coast . Im

mediately his back was turned the Ashantis began tomarch on the coast . This was the beginning o f thefourth Ashanti war

,the first in which regular troops

had taken part,the first in which actual pitched battles

in the Open had occurred . S ir Charles M ’

Car th y , brave ,deluded man

,returned to the Gold Coast and was

captured by the Ashantis at the battle Of Insam ankow

and was e ither killed by them o r comm itted suicide .


In this debacle the British lost nine Officers and 173 menkilled and three Officers and e ighty-nine men wounded .

Brit ish pres tige su ffered an almost irreparable blow , andat the same t ime the animosity

,hitherto quasi - latent ,

between the Ashantis and the Engli sh grew and remainedintense . B u t the war did not end with the death Of theGovernor . It continued with varying successes , until1824

, when , at the battle o f D odowa , when theOpposing forces were nearly equal in strength , theAshantis lost over men and the English and the irblack allies were victorious . This defeat , combined withthe advent Of pestilence and famine , compelled theAshantis to retire into the ir own te rr i tory, apparentlywith the feel ing that their ultimate su ccess was onlypostponed . Their satisfaction must have been greatwhen they heard that the Brit ish Government actuallyproposed to rel inquish the Gold Coast as a colony . Thecost o f the war, the catastrophes which had occurred(including the intolerable situation Of knowing that thehead o f a British Governor had decorated the King ’spalace at Coomassie) , and the rebell ion which stil lseethed and bubbled through the country , led the HomeGovernment to contemplate this rather ignom inious step .

Eventually there was a compromi se and the adm inis

tration of the colony was entrusted to a Comm ittee o f

Merchants in whose hands i t remained for fifteen years ,1828 - 1843 . There were two acting Governors dur ingthis period , but the one Governor , George Maclean ,

captain in the RoyalWest African Colonial Corps , standsout as a colossus amongst h is predecessors and manywho succeeded him . By dint Of firmness and dip lomacyh e concluded a satisfactory and dignified peace with theAshantis , he brought about a decided alteration for thebetter in the customs of the tribes on the l ittoral , saw toi t that justice (as far as possible in accordance withnative ideas) was adm inistered and enforced , and prom oted trade . In fact , so great was his success , that theHome Government decided once more t o take the GoldCoast under its paternal wing and appoint a Governorof its own

,while Captain Maclean was retained as

Judicial Assessor . Dr . Clar idge says in his “History

1 16 WE ST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE

o f the Gold Coast and Ashant i Thus the long andem inent services o f Cap tain Maclean at last receivedsome Official recognition We are g lad he d id not sayadequate recognit ion .

Commander Hill , R .N . , the next Governor , wasanother S ir Charles M’

Car th y , and soon irr i tated thesensit ive Ashantis . It must have been a form o f mentalt orture to Maclean to Sit by and watch the structure hehad built with so much care during fourteen years

,

crumbling , bit by bit , under the c lumsy hands o f another .Fortunately for him , he died at Cape Coast in 1847 ,leaving behind him a record o f which any man m ightbe proud .

In 1863 the fifth Ashant i war began , the ostensiblecause being the refusal o f the Governor , Pine , to returnto the King o f Ashanti a runaway Slave boy . This war ,while not o f long duration, was nothing but a series Ofd isasters— som e of them r ichly deserved— to the Br itisharms . Poor George Maclean

,as the King o f Ashanti

had called him , wou ld have found it d ifficult to restrainh is just indignation at the density of the Home Government at grasping the s ituation

,the wanton loss o f l i fe

through disease and m i smanagement , and the promptlowering o f Briti sh prestige to the point where i t - hadbeen when he took up his burden . Lord Wolseley trulysays that any attempt to relate the history of our earlyre lations with Ashanti would certainly neitherredound to the credit o f ou r arms nor to the intelligenceOf our Home Ministers . Once more the Ashanti s werenearly the means o f the abandonment o f the Gold Coastby the Brit ish , but again that project was relinquishedand a change o f policy took place . The colony , whileconsidered as a dependency Of S ierra Leone , had a re

sident Adm inistrator whose directions were to educatethe people to use those faculties which wou ld enablethem

,in course o f t ime , to govern themselves , thereby

at some future date a llowing the white adm inistrationto be el im inated altogether . A consummation devoutlyto be wished but which is st ill unattainable .

The sixth Ashanti war, 1873 -4 , m ight properly becalled a continuation o f the fifth . Peace had never been


118 WE ST AFR ICA THE ELUSIV E

last the true conditions had to be revealed , and LordKimberley , Secretary Of State for the Colonies , and Mr .Cardwell , Minister for War , showed what it was possibleto accomplish when two able men , one with a knowledgeof local conditions and Of past historical events

,decided

on prompt action . S ir Garnet Wolseley was made Civi lGovernor and Commander - in -Chief and was given acertain amount of discretionary power . He arr ived atCape Coast in October . The Fantis had a not unnaturaldistaste for war by this t ime . They had rel ied so Oftenon the protection o f the white men and had not foundi t e ither successful or prompt . Hence S ir Garnet re

c e ived but scanty support from them , and requestedthree battalions o f Infantry and some Royal Engineersand Artillery to be sent from home . Ashanti itse lf mustbe invaded if Bri tish prestige , already sunk so low that i twas hum i l iating to contemplate, was to be retrieved . Afew prel im inary encounters h ad taken place s ince S irGarnet Wolseley ’s arrival which had Shown the Ashantithat they had

'

in him a man Of a different mettle fromany o f his predecessors with whom to deal , and theybegan retiring beyond their own boundar ies . But morethan this was needed if a peace of any duration was tobe obtained . With his few regular troops , augmentedby small numbers o f apathetic and quaking Fantis anda fluctuating number of absolutely raw and undisciplinedmen from other tribes

,the Commander - in - Chief did hi s

utmost to harass the ret iring Ashantis and destroy theirmorale . The Ashantis

,however , conducted their retreat

in so masterly a way as to rouse the admiration o f theirwhite enem ies , and , at the same time , to inflict no smalllosses on them . By the end Of D ecember the reinforcements had arr ived

,Officers and men ; arrangements

for the invasion of Ashanti were completed and , for thefirst t ime

,European soldiers were to do battle with the

Ashantis in the latter ’s kingdom . The Ashantis were notjubilant . Spies and messengers had seen something ofthe Br itish preparations , the sacred tree of Coomassiefel l down early in January , 1874 , and var ious otheromens were not propitious for success to the Ashantiarms . A letter from S ir Garnet Wolseley to the King


brought consternation with it . After pointing ou t thefutil ity o f continuing the struggle , he Offered peace on

the following terms(1) Al l pri soners , Afr ican and E uropean , to be released .

(2) An indemnity o f ounces o f gold to be paid .

(3) The General and an escort to enter Coomassie ,hostages having been given for his safety , and a newtreaty to be signed there .

It was the third clause which stuck in the throats ofthe King and h is people . They were astute enough t ose e that the presence in Coomassie o f a victorious forcewould tell to the world—the ir wor ld— that the power Ofthe Ashantis was gone . After that would come theD eluge ! They tempor ized , and the British troopscrossed the Pra . Unfortunately the hostages designatedby the General were the he ir to the throne , his mother ,and four other princel ings . Al l were important personage s, and the two former could never have beensurrendered by the Ashantis , so the troops pressed on ,am idst skirm i shes with the enemy

,and won a hard

fought battle at Am oafu . Here the Black Watch part ic u larly distingu i shed themselves , and the Ashantis ,with everything at stake , were foes no t to be despised .

They retreated , rall ied and attacked repeatedly , and itrequired the aid of artillery and four hours ’ hard fightingto bring the battle to an end . N O one will ever knowthe exact figures of the Ashanti losses , but i t i s bel ievedthat they left between 800 and dead behind them .

Bekwai was then captured , and on the 3 rd FebruaryGeneral S ir Garnet Wolseley se t o u t on a quick marchfor Coomassie , fifteen mi les away . At Odasu theAshantis made their last desperate stand and foughtlike rats at bay . Again it was the Bla ck Watch whichbrought the fight to a conclusion and the description ,taken from B rackenbu ry

’

s“ Ashanti W ar ,

” as given byS ir Archibald Al i son

,i s well worth inclusion . The Black

Watch had been selected by the Genera l to lead theway out o f the vil lage of Odasu and march straight onCoomassie . In pursuance o f this the Hausa troopsbrought up a gun and fired down the bush path , andthen , to the complete astonishment o f the Ashantis , the


Black Watch charged . On first debouching from thevillage , a tremendous fire was Opened on the head o f thecolumn from a well- planned and strong ambuscade , sixmen be ing knocked over in an instant . But the flankcompanies worked steadily through the bu sh ; theleading company in the path sprang forward with acheer ; the pipes struck up , and the ambuscade was atonce carr ied . Then followed one o f the finest SpectaclesI have ever seen in war . Without stop o r stay the42nd rushed on cheering , their Officers to the front ;ambuscade after ambuscade was successfully carried

,

village after village won in succession,til l the who le

Ashantis broke and fled in the wildest di sorder down thepathway on the ir front to Coomassie . The ground wascovered with trace s of their flight . Umbrellas and warchairs o f the ir chiefs , drum s, muskets , killed andwounded covered the who le way, and the bush on eachSide was as trampled as if a torrent had flowed throughit . NO pause took place until a village about four m ilesfrom Coom assie was reached , when the absolute exh au st ion o f the men rendered a Short halt necessary .

”

The spir it Of George Maclean must have looked withpr ide on Colone l McL eod and his men of the 42nd thisday ! Coomassie was occupied without opposition

,the

King had fled,and during the night the inhabitant s

s ilently packed up their valuables and departed .

As the King did not appear to treat with the Commander- in - Chief, in Spite o f sending a message prom i sing to do so

,the l atter blew u p the palace and burnt

the town . This accomplished , and burdened by hiswounded

,and the rapidly increasing numbers o f sick

,

he returned to the coast before the rains se t in . Oneo f King Kofi Kar ikar i ’s chief adherents now Offered hisfealty to S ir Garnet Wolse ley, and thi s , com bined withthe destruction Of Coomassie , and the disturbing con

sc iou sne ss that the Ashantis were not invincible , causedKing Kofi to come to term s . Thus at relatively enormous cost o f human li fe , due more to disease than towounds , at enormous expense in material , peace oncemore descended on the Gold Coast , a peace which m ight,had Officials been more diplomatic and m inisters at home



grave old men and little boys stood ankle deep in thewater , calling the fish by name to come and be fed .

Eggs, plantains , and other dainties were held over thewater to tempt the appet ite o f the holy ones . For somet ime there was no response . Then , watching closely ,we saw a r ipple in a distant pool , and the agitat ion o f

the natives became intense .

“ They come ! The bigone comes .

“NO , not the big one . Yes ; he

comes ! ” And , sure enough, it was a very big one . Hemust have been quite 4 ft . in length , and resembled apecul iarly repulsive catfish . With one o r two lesserfollowers he came boldly and confidently into theshallow water , and raised his ugly mouth , and swallowedtwo eggs in rapid succession . The others contentedthem selves with bits o f plantain . No one would everdream of disturbing these fi sh , and i f it be true thatsome of the carp at Saint Cloud have seen “ Le RoiSole i l , then , surely , the fetish fish o f the Tano shouldnot be cast aside as a fish story .

”

F inally before dism i ssing this fascm at ing subject o f

fetish , it may be worth while recording that the ActingChief Comm issioner o f Ashanti presented us with a

very grim - looking juju in the shape of a stick whichhas been proven to have the m iraculous power o f killingany black man at whom i t i s po inted

'

in anger . Themanner in which the stick fell into Br itish hands i s asfollows : A fetish man had been going around terrorizingthe villages in Northern Ashanti . Complaint was made ,and the man was forthwith arrested . Brought beforethe court , he boldy adm itted the charge , adding that hewould demonstrate his powers if ordered so to do by theCommissioner . The latter promptly said , “ Try it onme .

” Whereupon the pr isoner repl ied that , while heclaimed no power over white men , he would rath er

‘

not .

The Comm i ssioner then said , Try it on my clerk .

The clerk trembled and turned pale yellow with fright .NO ,

returned the fetish doctor ,“ He has his hand on

the fetish book'

Of the white men . I will try it on thewhole court .” Before the Comm issioner could Open hismouth the entire court was cleared ; only himself , thepri soner and the black clerk , who by this time had the


Bible in his arms,remained . The Object in quest ion i s

about 18 in . in length , with the thickness o f a walkingsti ck . It is covered with dark blue

,nat ive - dyed cloth ,

and has a suspicious - looking lump in the middle . O fwhat that lump consists we should very much l ike toknow , but our curiosity , althou gh keen , i s not sufficientto make u S tamper with things we do not understand .

A point which must be m ade in connection both withAshanti and the Northern Territories i s that theseAdm inistrations are independent o f the Gold Coastproper, except in so far as they acknowledge a comm onGovernor who resides at Accra . They are also includedin the financial estimates o f the colony as a W hole , andrece ive mi litary aid if it i s requi red . Of course , theywork through the Secretariat

,which is the channel of

communication to the Governor . Beyond this they arefree . They have the ir own courts

,their own police ,

the ir own methods o f adm inister ing justice , and the irown internal adm inistration . N ow this may seem asmall matter , but , in all truth , i t is pregnant with importance for the future o f this colony . The matter ina nutshell is the simple fact that the courts Of Ashant iand the Northern Territor ies will no t perm it the employment o f native or European barr isters under any circumstances . They prefer

,and quite rightly so

,to deal w ith

the native population,be they chiefs or labourers . Now

the curse of the Gold Coast is litigation . Whatever maybe said about the total population o f the colony , thereare enough lawyers in the three towns Of Sekondi , CapeCoast and Accra to make a good - sized English countryv i llage . They fairly tumble over one another . Yetthey are all prosperous

,they all have their motors and

send their daughters to places like Cheltenham to beeducated . How on earth can it be done i s the naturalquery . The answer is that the gold m ine they are tapping i s the native chiefs . In thi s connection i t must beremembered that

,with very few exceptions , the word

“ chief,as here employed may mean little more than.

the headman of a village . For ever are these pettydespots quarrelling over land questions , the del imitations o f the ir boundaries , and so forth . In Ashanti


questions Of this nature can be pleasantly, swiftly, andsatisfactori ly settled w ithin an hour o r two, perhaps , atpractically no expense to anybody . Not so upon theGold Coast . The “ cocoa standard has set the pace .All these l ittle people have money

,and as soon as they

covet the ir ne ighbours ’ l and they fly to a native lawyer,or a native lawyer , even more probably, flies to them ,

and the interminable game o f l itigation starts . It maylast three m onths

, o r i t may last three years , the latteri f the lawyers think it worth while . Counsel are employed at altogether disproportionate f ees over the mostpettifogging o f matters , and so it goes on u ntil the r ivalclaimants Shake hands over having at least one thing incommon , they are in bankruptcy . This i s no exagge rat ion . In one case which came to ou r notice at Addah ,the time occupied over settling a l ittle dispute was afortnight

,and the defending counsel , who lost the case

for his cl ient , rece ived as a fee the sum OfAnother

,a ruling ch ief who shal l be nameless, since he

occupies a very important position, has the doubtfulpleasure o f an overdraft o f at his bank , everypenny Of which has been fr ittered away over lawyers .

Adm ittedly,here i s a difficult problem to solve , and it

does not come within our purview to suggest any solution . B u t , in the course o f conversat ion , h i s Excellencyd id on several occasions discuss the question and dep lorethe fact . Perhaps time and exper ience will teach thesel it igation - lov ing chiefs the futility o f the ir actions . Farbetter if they could be induced to combine to acceptarbitration from the Secretary for Native Affairs . Againstthis is the insecur ity Of a chief on his stool . He i s on lythere by popular election

,and in the matter o f legal

actions,presumably

,he must be guided by the wishes

o f his people . Altogether, i t i s an extraordinar ily thornyproblem .

From Tano Dumase we proceeded by slow stages toCoomassie

,over roads (roads by courtesy only) , W hich

taxed our hammock boys to the utmost . It i s a goodplan

,when making an early start , to walk in the fresh

morning air for the first h our or so . It i s about theonly time a white man feel s incl ined for much exertion ,


CHAPTE R ! III .

A T the present day Coomassie looks ,mo _rel ike an

Indian town than a i t i s thepr ide o f its residents that Socially it i s also like India .

There are real grass tennis courts , a real regimentalband , and , before the war , there was the best polo teamin the colony . Such it i s to - day , and yet , only twentyyears ago , the quaint little fort in the centre o f thetown was the scene of one o f the grimmest sieges o fBritain ’s many frontier wars . Only the fact that alleyes were turned on South Africa at that time , preventedthe s iege o f Coomassie from taking i ts proper place inhistory . The events which led up to this

,the seventh

Ashanti war , may briefly be summarized as follows : theAshantis , although defeated by S ir Garnet Wolseley,were not crushed and longed for revenge . Matterssimmered Slowly

,with scarcely- ve iled insolence on the

side o f the blacks and an ill - advised m ixture of severityand lenience on that Of

‘

the whites . Quibbles andevasions on both S ides brought about a unique situationin 1896 , when Pr em pi , King Of Ashanti , the QueenMother , four other near relatives and four chiefs werehandcuffed by the Governor ’s orders and in his presenceat Coomassie . Under the astonished eyes of his own

people who dared not attempt to rescue him , the Kingwas taken to the coast and eventually lodged with hisrelations in E lmina Castle . This was

,to the Ashantis ,

very much the same sacri lege as thou gh th e tomb o f theProphet at Mecca were removed to Par is . The sacredfetish tree at B antam o— the S t . D enys o f Ashanti— was

blown u p and the village burnt , but the Golden S toolcould no t be found , and the mausoleum where the kingswere bur ied had been emptied o f i ts contents before thetroops arr ived and skeletons and treasure hidden else


where . By thus deposing Prem p i the British sphere o finfluence was greatly enlarged

,trouble with Ashant i

seemed to be at an end and that country,deprived at one

blow o f its leaders , became a species Of Br itish Pro te ctorate . The only things which remained to the Ashantiswere their unconquerable sense o f nationality and a redhot hatred Of the ir “ protectors .”

Late in 1899 , the Golden Stool very nearly fell intothe hands o f the Brit ish . An Ashanti boy came toAccra and Offered to guide someone to i ts hiding p lace .

But his courage failed him at the e leventh hour .Captain Arm itage (now Governor o f the Gambia) , whowent with the boy to Bali

,was convinced that it was in

that vicinity, but the lad’s terror became so great that

nothing could induce h im to indicate th e correct path,

and the search had to be abandoned . The suspicions o fthe Ashanti s had been aroused concerning this attemptto “ steal what in the ir eyes was only less sacred thanthe person of their abducted King

,and therefore it w as

unfortunate that S ir Freder ick Hodgson should haveselected an early date thereafter to visit Coomassie .

A fort had been built there . It was about fifty yardssquare , with rounded bastions at each corner and loopholed walls about thirteen feet in he ight . It was builtpartly o f brick and partly o f the stone used in thebuilding o f the O ld palace , was entered by a S ingle stee lfaced door , and in addition to quarters for the Resident ,contained store - rooms , magazines and a well , andmounted five machine-guns and four 7 - pounders . Therewas a garr ison at Coomassie and the cost o f i ts maint enance and provisioning had to come out o f the exchequer o f the colony , as the Ashantis only gave agrudging amount o f labour as their contribution . It waswith the intention of extracting from them a tax o f

some sort which m ight l ighten the expense o f thegarri son and also to make a further search for theGolden Stool that the Governor made this expedition .

His escort consisted o f only twenty Hausas under asergeant

,and with him were Lady Hodgson , a doctor

and the Acting D irector of Public Works ; not a largeretinue for a Governor in the eyes Of a people to whom


pomp and ceremony were the only visible signs o f power .The Resident was on leave , the garrison was understrength by more than half, Great B ritain , as th e

Ashanti s knew well , was fight ing in South Africa ; inother words i t was “ now o r never .” The Governor ’ sspeech to the assembled chiefs , already on the verge o finsurrection , was the last straw . He told them pla inlythat Prem p i was lost to them for ever and that hispowers were vested in the Resident , except in war . Hedemanded interest to be paid on the unpa id w ar in

dem n i ty and asked the whereabouts o f the Golden Stool ,saying that he , as the representative o f the param ountpower

,should be sitting on i t at that m omen t instead o f

on a chair . Pe l ion on O ssa ! The fire was lighted witha vengeance . This was on March 28

,1900. By the

3 1st , when Captain Arm itage and an escort went out tosearch again for the Golden S tool , the country wassecretly arm ing and the first blood was shed on that dayat Bali . The l ittle column fou ght its way back toCoomassie and the information rece ived by the Governor from native and white sources showed h im thatmatters were very ser ious . Tro ops were ordered bytelegram from Accra

,Lagos

,Northern Nigeri a and

S ierra Leone and a messenger sent to the NorthernTerritor ies . Negotiations proved fruitless, ow ing to theimpossible position taken up by the insurgent chiefs ,and by Apri l 18 the Ashanti s had surrounded the townand the occupants o f the fort were virtually prisoners .Refugee s by the thousand were encamped close underthe walls o f the fort to gain the protection a ff orded byits guns , while the Ashantis burned and looted thevar ious m ission buildings

,soldiers ’ barracks , and the

“Z ongo ”

or Hausa section o f the town . The ra inyseason had begun and tornados were Of nightly occurrence ,which increased discomfort and disease . Two rel iefforces had arrived by April 29 , bu t they reached Coomassiewith small provisions and scanty ammunition , so thatthey were actually a disadvantage

,as food and powder

had already become a problem . The unfortunate r e fugees were soon reduced to eating any roots and leavesthey could find

,for the Ashanti system o f pickets was so



pomp and ceremony were the only visible signs o f power .The Resident was on leave , the garri son was understrength by more than half, Great Br itain , as th e

Ashantis knew well , was fight ing in South Africa ; inother words i t was “

now o r never .” The Governo r ’ sspeech to the assembled chiefs , already on the verge o finsurrect ion , was the l ast straw . He told them pla inlythat Prem p i was lost to them for ever and that hispowe rs were vested in the Resident , except in war . Hedemanded interest to be paid on the unpaid war indem n i ty and asked the whereabou t s of the Golden S tool ,saying that. he , as the representative o f the paramountpower

,should be sitting on i t at that m omen t instead o f

on a chair . Pe lion on O ssa ! The fire was lighted witha vengeance . This was on March 28 ,

1900. By the3 13 13, when Captain Arm itage and an escort went o u t tosearch again for the Golden S tool, the country wassecretly arm ing and the first blood was shed on that dayat Bal i . The l ittle column fou ght its way back toCoomassie and the information rece ived by the Governor from native and white sources showed h im thatmatters were very serious . Tro ops were o rdered bytelegram from Accra, Lagos , Northern Nigeria, andS ierra Leone and a messenger sent to the NorthernTerr itor ies . Negotiations proved fruitless , ow ing to theimpossible position taken up by the insurgent chiefs,and by Apr i l 18 the Ashantis had surrounded the townand the occupants o f the fort were v irtua lly prisoners .Refugee s by the thousand were encamped close underthe walls o f the fort to gain the protection affo rded byits guns , while the Ashantis burned and looted thevar ious mi ssion bu ildings , soldiers

’ barracks , and the“Z ongo or Hausa section of the town . The rainyseason had begun and tornados were o f nightly occurrence ,which increased d iscomfort and disease . Two reliefforces had arrived by Apr i l 29 , bu t they reached Co omassiewith small provisions and scanty ammunition ,

so thatthey were actually a. disadvantage , as food and powderhad already become a. problem . The un fortunate r e fugees were soon reduced to eating any roots and le av e sthey could find

,for the Ashanti system o f pickets was so


good that th ey were rarely successful in raiding near -byplantations .On May 11 , a truce was declared in order that the

loyal chie fs m ight try to persu ade th e others to com e toterm s , and in th e m idst o f this arm istice the reinforcem ents from the Nor the rn Terr itor ie s arr ive d— days be forethey were expe cted— to th e joy o f the garrison and th efury o f the Ashantis who no t u nju st ifiably suspe cte dcollu sion . This broke ofi negotiations at once , and th ere fu gees outside the fort

,who had been prom ise d food

by the besiege rs , were in as bad a plight as before , andthe food and ammunition brought by the newcom e rswas p itifu l ly smal l in qu anti ty . The rations o f th e

de fenders were reduced to am inim um and th e ammunitionwas conse rved as far as possible in case th e garri sonshou ld have to fight it s w ay ou t when supplies cam e toan end . Three o r four sorties we re m ade but they wereunsucce ssful , and it seem s as thou gh one on a largerscale would have be en better strategy , as nothing wasaccom pl ishe d beyond depre ssing the black tr00ps andencouraging the Ashantis . Sm all - pox also broke ou t

amongst th e refugees ; men , redu ce d to skele tons , wentmad o r fel l de ad , and others pr e ferring a quick de ath o r

slavery to this prolonge d agony , left the she lte r o f th e

fort and deserted to their foes . At last , th e state of affairswas so cr itical that i t was decided to send th e Governorand Lady Hodgson , and th e m issionar ies and the ir wivesdown to the coast under e scor t , leaving only CaptainBishop , L ieutenant Ralph , Dr . Hay and Native O fficerHar i Zenna to de fend th e fort with 109 Hau sas and25 c arrr ie rs . It was difficu l t to say which was th em ore dangerous situation and th e Governor undoubtedlythought he and hi s party were m arching to the ir death .

Fortunately , thanks to a certain am ou nt o f good for tuneand also to the skilful leadership o f Captain Arm i tage ,his gloomy prophecy was not ju stified . Me anwhile thelittle garr i son waited for th e prom ised rel ief . It wasLu cknow ove r again , only , thank G od ! without womenand children .


E ver th e labou r o f fi fty tha t h ad to b e done by five ,E ver th e m arve l am ong u s tha t on e shou ld be le ft al ive

,

E ve r th e day w ith i ts tra i tor ou s de ath from th e lo ophole s around,E ve r th e nigh t w ith i t s co ffinle ss corpse to be la id in t h e ground,Hea t li ke th e m ou th of a he ll , o r a de lu ge o f ca ta ra ct skie s ,Stench of o ffa l de cay ing , o r infin ite torm ent o f fi l es ,Thou ght s o f th e bre e ze s o f May b l ow ing ove r an E ngl ish fi e ld ,Cholera , s cu rvy and fe ve r , th e w ou nd tha t w ou ld no t b e heal ’d ,To il and ine ffable wear ine s s , fa lter ing hope s o f re li e f.

There i s no need to dwell long on this . Words , eventhose o f Tennyson , cannot de scr ibe i t . Only le t i t besaid that the hell i sh Indian heat is nothing to the realhe ll o f West Africa .

On July 15, e ighty- one days from the commencemento f the siege , Colone l Willcocks , Comm andant o f theWest African Frontie r Force , r e ached Coomassie withabout 800men . They had fought against a num er icallysuperior enem y in his own country , an enem y stim ulate dby repeated victories and with adm irably constru cte dstockades at all tactical points

,but they had won through .

At first the s i lence o f the fort brought th e sickeningsensation that they were too late . They could see onlygorged vultures and putrefying corpses . As the y nearedthe fort , however , they heard a bugle sounding the“ general salute ” and through th e gates totte re d thethree white offi cers and the few ghostly remnants o f thegarr i son who were able to walk . These three omcers rec e ived the following recognition o f the ir services : CaptainBishop was given a Dr . Hay , a L ieutenant Ralph rece ived a direct comm ission in the RoyalFusil ie r s . We have heard it said that “ they m ere lydid their duty

,

” but i t seem s to us that such de eds insuch a clim a te should h ave met with greater appre c ia

t ion . A l l three are de ad now , we be l ieve , and whe therthe native officer d ied during the s iege o r

“ l ived to fightanother day

,

” we do not know . He , too , was a fineman . We honour the mem ory o f the four who mere lydid the ir du ty .

” Colone l Willcocks re ce ived theWhich he richly de se rved .

Afte r th e rel ief o f Coom assie , th e campaign proceededrapidly . Kokofu was de stroyed and then the A dansis,a tr ibe which had su ppor ted the Ashantis , wer e defeated .


132 WE ST A FRICA THE E LUS IVE

puzzle the scientific investiga tor,and are naturally

se ized upon by th e native m ind as be ing th e hom e o f

ju ju .

” This is Lake Bosum tw i . In shape i t i s praotically C ir cular , with a diamete r o f som e five m i les .Surrounded complete ly by high hills (mou ntains in thi scou ntry) , i ts Shor e s are fr inged w ith reedy mar shes ,which w e can certainly vouchsafe produce as fine abrand o f mosquitoes as anyone could wish to se e . So

much is normal ; what i s abnormal i s the fact that noone has ever yet been able to plum b its depths toward sthe centr e , while , with the exceptions of a few paltrystream s , i t drains no watershed . It i s, in fact , a m iniature Lake Baikal , and i t would repay careful investigation , withou t a doubt . But here the native steps in . Iti s “ fetish no one may fish from a boat in its waters ,though the wily angler of the region overcomes thatdifficu l ty by carrying on his operat ions from a log , andi t was from a r aft that such soundings as have beenm ade were taken . Its guardians consi st o f seven nativechiefs in the neighbourhood , who arrange the feast daysand fast days of the fe tish fol lowe r s , and were absolu telyhorr ified when an official of utili tarian m ind su ggestedthat i t would m ake an exce l lent r eservoir fo r th e watersupply of Coom assie . Cu r iou sly enou gh

,however , the

water i s Sl ightly brackish , and so i t i s r easonable tosuppose that the se wor thy gentlem en w i l l be left undistu rbe d for the nonce .

Illness prevented ou r see ing as much o f Coomassie aswe Should have wished , and i llne ss o f anothe r sor t wasraging in the Northern Te rritor ies . Spinal meningiti s ,o r

“ spotted feve r , that deadly scourge fo r which themost Skilled have d iscovered no preventive , was decimating whole tracts of country . Towns were quarantined against i t , carr iers w e re dropping de ad by th e roadside

,and cou ntless num bers o f unfortunates crawled into

the bu sh to die u ntended . The Du rbar arrange d for th eGovernor at Tam ale had to be abandoned

,and the party

c u t down to i ts m inim um . That th e Governor went atal l speaks for his conside ration fo r th e natives who werew aiting to we lcom e h im , and who would have beenm ost fr ightfully disappointed had no t he appeared . It


would have been m isinterpreted , and , although shorn ofa ll the magnificence which would have surrounded theproce eding had times been norm al , Gene ral Guggisbe rgwas very wise in making the j ourney . The Nor the rnTe rr itorie s are at pre sent the least productive o f revenu eo f al l sections of the Gold Coast . The pau city o f popu lat ion

,du e to the constant pre sence o f ep idem ics , th e

dryness o f the clim ate , the im m ense d istances to becovered

,all tend to retard developm ent . At the Sam e

t im e , with the construction o f a railway from Tam ale toCoom ass ie , which would perm it of direct communicationwith the sea - por ts , in cour se of tim e agr icu l tu re woulddevelop . In the neighbourhood o f Salaga , r ice i s alreadybe ing grown on a sm al l scale , and if that indu stry weresuffi cien tly supported and the ever - pre sent labour d i fficulty ove rcom e , the im por t o f rice into the colony wou ldbecom e unnece ssary and food pr ices wou ld drop , a consum m ation most earnestly to be desire d . S im i larly

,

around Tam ale , exper iments have shown that the groundnu t will flou r i sh , and there are also vast areas fromwhich Shea- bu tte r cou ld be exported .

Fo r the benefit o f the uninitiated , Shea-butter i s oneof th e most useful ingredients o f m argar ine , and has thepecul iar property o f preventing it from going rancid andkeeping it sweet for any length o f t ime . B u t all thisi s for the future . Labou r , transport, finance— such are

the three obstacles to much present - day advance . Theproblem i s one we ll wor th tackling , only for the momentthere ex ists so much to be done in the south o f thecolony . Trains In the Gold Coast , o r certainly on theCoom assie l ine , seemed to u S to be del iberate inventionso f the Evi l One . It was a physical impossibil ity to leaveWithou t the m ost fearfu l scram ble . The train fromCoom assie to Tarqu ah le ft at the pleasant hour atin the morning . Now rem ember that trave l l ing in thispart o f the world i s not as i t i s in England , and everything has to be taken with one , from beds to baths .This involved getting up at about half- past four , swallowing a hasty meal , super intending the boys , whoothe rw ise pack everything wrong , hurrying down to thestation as best one may , and then , if as fortunate as we


were in catching the train,finding the boys not on

board . Having a tooth out i s nothing com pared to thetr ials o f losing one ’s boys .” One i s so absolu te l ydependent upon them . Our re t inu e o f two were genialblackguards . Occasionally We came upon unexpe ctedaddit ions to ou r equipm ent , and on inqu ir ing whencethey came th e head boy , with an ingratiating sm i le ,remarked , Me go tie f ’

em,sah . Me tink lady go like

’

em .

” The other boy,Tomm y

,from th e habitual look

o f despair upon his face , must have be en an acu te .

suff e rer from dyspepsia . Of cou r se there were m omentswhen both of them becam e positively in fu r i ating ; when ,for instance , they packe d a bottle contain ing an extrem e lyunpleasant - sme ll ing

,thick brown Sham poo upside down

and without a cork amongst one’

S a lways insu fficientcle an linen . Then speech fa i led ! Bu t by and largeour ru fii ans wer e ve ry good

,and

,without exagge ration ,

i t can be said that m any a dose o f fever can be avertedby an efficient boy .

Tarquah , ou r next stop , i s the s ite o f the first goldm ining operations by Eu rope ans in the colony . In thee ar ly days , about 1880, the Tarqu ah valley had th emost Siniste r reputation from a he alth standpoint o f

practically any settlem ent , bu t that i s al tere d now , andthough the he at i s sti l l intense th e death - rate i s fa ir lylow . As far as the gold m ines at Tarqu ah are conce rned , they are none o f them ve ry large or ve ry dee p ,and bear a close fam ily resem blance to al l other goldm ines the wor ld over . There i s nothing Spectacularabout a gold m ine . There i s a good de al o f treading inmuddy water and stooping Sideways there i s the sighto f black men working a dri ll

,which rem inded us un

com fortably o f v isits to the dentist ; and , above all andbeyond all

,the re is that choking , stifling sm el l o f th e

du st which clutches at one ’s throat and makes one feelhideously faint . That i s the or igin o f miner s’ phthisis .”

Each m ine has a club . Or iginally each clu b h ad a bar ,bu t i t w as decide d to discontinue th e l atte r except forth e sale of “ soft ” dr inks as Am er ica knows the me aningo f the word . The resu l t i s that th e clu b h as a negle cted ,rather inj ured air

,strongly rem iniscent of a sim ilar place


CHAPTER ! IV .

IN spite o f the pre sence of ice , soda water and e lectri cl ight Sekondi i s emphatically not a place in which tol inge r . Fate and illness com pel led som e stay , and we hadevery opportunity to stu dy the town , su ch as i t i s . It i suti l itar ian , so m uch can be adm i tted . It boasts o f railway works , Whe re in are carried on upon a sm all scaleS im i lar Operations to those to be seen at Swindon o r

Crewe , ne i ther o f them m ore picture squ e than Sekondi .Then , again , apar t from the sim ply stinging heat

,

Sekondi i s an ep itom e of noi siness . Try to rest in yourbungalow and you r lullaby i s the sounds o f hammer ingo f the worst conce ivable descr iption . S troll into thecourt- hou se and one wonders how on e arth the ove rstrained Comm i ssioners manage to adm inister justicewith th e te r r ific d in from outside . T ry the t ennis cour tin th e evening and there i s no change . One m ightimagine that some stu pendous work were in progress ,som e thing wor th while in the m aking , and there i snothing ! There is a half- fin ish ed bre akwate r and som esuperannuated crane s which ne ed all the local talen tavailable to keep them in working order . Beyond thatthere i s nothing

,and

,as the Chief Com m i ssioner

rem arked to us ,“ the only w ay in which to account for

th e ince ssant noise i s that , for aught e lse to do,every

native without a job bangs a pie ce o f corru gate d ironwith a ham m er . Hence even an en thusiast could no tdescribe Sekondi as r e stful , ne i the r i s i t su rpri sing thatthe white popu lation se em e d m ore t ire d and mor edepre ssed than any we have hitherto m e t . Ye t from th e

sea i t looks picture squ e . Ther e i s an o ld signal stationon a blu ff which Winks i ts nightly m essage to the trampsteam er on th e se a ’s highway . It also we lcom es anarrival with a cannon Shot ; the comm u nity are cheered ,

“


maybe , by knowing that a ship has found it possible topay a vis i t . The boys in the surf boats chant the irnative me lodies adm irably . It would be o f inte re st cou ldsomeone capture those m elodies and send them forreproduction at Queen

’s Hall .The red corru gate d roofs o f th e bungalows lend asplash o f colour to the background o f azu re blue se a ,

only ru ffied by a ve ry occasional tornado,and looking al l

the hotter fo r th e oily swe l l lazily rolling in from theAtlantic . The few Ships at anchor se em to bl isterunde r the wither ing heat . Within th e

“ town prope runfortunates in offices groan au dibly . They rum inateprobably over the adverse fate which sent them thither .

And then , when the evening com e s,the you ng folks

play at make - bel ief,and dance to a gram ophone , and

pass a few hours away in attem pting to im agine thatthey are back in all earne st in th e homes from whencethey have com e . From all o f which it m ay be im aginedwhat the port o f Sekondi represents , and that i t i s no t ,w e re i terate , a place in which to l inger . Approx im atelyabou t e ight m i le s away

,howeve r , i s th e ce lebrated

Takarad i Bay ; that i s to say ,i t may becom e cele

brated as th e new port o f the Gold Coast . Bu t thereis one que stion in connection with th e whole matterwhich m ust“ not be ove r looked , and , inde ed , mu st befaced in the most practical o f ways . It resolves i tsel finto one word In this colony o f the GoldCoast th e labour que stion has reached a m om entouscondition . It threatens to unde rm ine all that theAdm inistration m ay attem pt for th e benefi t o f itsinhabitants . Labou r i s dem anding and re ce iving exorbitant wages , ou t o f all propor t ion to what i saccom plished . Furthe r

,even tha t su pply i s so flu c tu a

t ing that no contractor cou ld place re l iance upon itssteady continuance . Possibly cocoa may have som ethingto do with this state o f things .The demand for labour in th e cocoa plantations far

exceeds th e supply, with the result that wages have beenrun up to fam ine prices . Equally , also , the populationo f the colony is

,for i ts are a , ve ry sm all , and with the

increase o f prosperity undoubtedly ex i sting this has been


badly fel t . The Gove rnor is doing everything humanlypossible to prevent th e appall ing in fant mor tality whichoccur s , bu t , granted i t i s m odifie d , i t will take at leasttwenty year s to br ing up the wage e arn ing popu l ationto normal . What , then , i s to be done ? Obviously th em alady demands a rem edy

,and that spe edily . Thus

,

for instance , the building o f a navigable harbour in thecolony cannot be stoppe d throu gh any su ch cause . Inaddition there are the m ines

,also languishing for m iners

,

ordinary workm en in point o f fact . There can be noargum ent that th e cl im ate i s not suited for a prolongedresidence by a Bri tishe r

,hence no one in the Em pire

i s losing any oppor tunity . Ove rseers , forem en , m ech an i

c ians, craftsm en o f all Skille d type s ce r tainly wil l bewanted and be em ployed upon du ty fi t for them

,and

leave o f service they m ust have i f they are to keep theirhe a l th . W hat i s required is a stable working comm unity

,

fi t to put in thre e or four year s ’ l abour at reasonablewages withou t going hom e . Everything suffers i f cont inu i ty o f e ffort cannot be maintained

,and the cost o f

e very public work i s mu ltipl ie d to the “nth

” degree .

It has been su gge sted that the only practicable solu tion i sassi sted im m igration . In Brazil i t h as worked wonde r s .The native Indian o f Brazil i s not capable

,in hi s present

state of developm ent, o f assisting in the exploitation o f

h i s country , which covers an enormous te r r itor i al area .

With its untold r i che s , i t was cle ar ly r ealized that som ething must be done , and done i t was— thoroughly .

There was e stablished an em ploym ent bu reau in everylarge centr e . Passage s were given A

by th e B razilianConsuls to like ly imm igants, irre spe ctive of national ity ,so long as they appeared able to face the cl im ate , and

the Latin races are able to stand the tropics more e asilythan others . And what has th e re sult been ? Greattracts of virgin Brazil have be en Opened u p to the l astingbenefit of not only th e Brazil ians , but o f the wor ld .

Ru bber , which would have la in u n touche d bu t fo r th ehand o f th e new imm igrant , has m ade i t possible for apoor m an to own a Ford car . The se im m igran ts havede lve d and du g , they are eve ry day m aking a newBrazil , where before a gr e at , hete rogeneous population



o f being haunted , E lm ina to the extent o f possess ing a

most unsavoury repu tat ion upon that account . Abouti t there are stor ies ga lore . Everyone i s suppose d tohave seen s om ething o r heard something . One verynaive offi cial told us a thri l l ing story of how the door o fhis bedroom myste r iously opened

, o f h ow he cowered insheer fr ight under hi s blanket , only to discover that ar is ing tornado was the responsible cu lpr it . Anothero fficial barr icaded him se lf in hi s room whenever dutycalled him to stay for a night o r so in residence . Andthen there i s the very uncanny and inexplicable thoughwel l - authen ticated account o f a br idge party upon theo ld ram parts which rem ind one to - day that the Por tugu e se wel l knew how to build and we re craftsm en of nomean meri t . The party con sisted o f one lady and thre eofficials . None o f them bothere d abou t th e su pernatu ralo r gave heed to rum ou r . They were m ere ly keen bridgeplaye rs and intent u pon the ir gam e . O f a su dden thelady pu t her hand to h e r eye s as thou gh dazzled . Askedi f anything were th e m atter Sh e denie d anything wrongand continue d playing . Followed a pause . Then againsh e clapped her hands to h e r eye s , gave an exclam ation ,and fainted dead away . E i the r sh e neve r wou ld o r

never cou ld te l l what She saw,but be ing in pe rfectly

norm al hea lth there m ust have been som e ra i son d’

etr e .

The br idge party cam e to an abru pt conclu sion , so muchwe he ard at fir st hand . For th e rest , repor t has i t thata headless lady pays noctu rnal visits to the room sheonce occup ied .

People m ay say rubbish,but i s i t ? If the walls

o f a castle su ch as E lm ina could speak what would theynot te l l ? One can im agine that in those early days ,upon a coast such as this

,with naught to do bu t wait

for th e next r e l ie f from hom e and for com panions ,adventure r s o f a type now unthought o f and undream t ,every manner o f tragedy may have been enacted behindthe walls of these pionee r strongholds . The Portu gu e sewere no respecters o f pe r sons , ne i the r we re th e Danesnor th e Du tch when the ir turn cam e to figu re u pon theGold Coast and m ake the ir m ark u pon West Afr icanhistory . And when th e Short , trop ical twilight i s upon


them , these castles re semble the em bodim ent o f theromance through which they have l ived . On ly one placethat we have e ve r vi sited quite seems to carry with i tthe same m ediaeval touch , and that i s He idelberg . Asim ilar atm osphe re pervades i t , a touch o f m elancholy

,

a touch Of faded m agnificence , a touch o f vanished handsand hearts which are for ever sti l l . Heaven knows thatth e West Coast i s the last place on earth in which tolook fo r rom ance , and yet these two towns are repletew ith i t . They stand alone in the ir significance in whathas been rather unju stly called “ He ll ’s Playgrou nd .

”

And it i s a great pleasure to us that ou r m emory o f th eGold Coast closed with a gl im pse o f these two strangeOld places . Truth to tell , l ife i s not pleasant to l ive ou tthere . Perhaps i t i s pleasanter i f one i s locate d in oneenvironm ent , and has Opportunity to m ake fr iends , toenter into the l ittle round o f social dutie s which are

made possible ou t here , to drink in the traditions whichar e m aking and have made th e Official l ife at al l possibleu pon Shor t financia l com m on s . E sp r i t d c corp s i s c e rtain ly not dead in th e Colonial service , when , u nder theweight Of every w orry conceivable , the young men andOld carry on as they are doing and w i l l do , and the inspiration emanates from the Chief him se lf . NO Governori s eve r popu lar with all classes Of the community . Fewwith the ir own staff. Maybe i t i s bette r SO . A dm in i

strators have a rou gh passage through the ir tour o f

service in such regions as the se . They m ust comm uneW i th them selves , accept advice from all and tru st none .

R ival influ ence s are too gr e at . The great m an standsu pon neutral grou nd .

Al l cou n trie s , i f prope r ly appreciated , i f under stood ,

have distinct personalities , for a l l the wor ld l ike humanbeings . Prope r ly to be appreciated , the Gold Coast mustbe known from wi thin it i s u ncom m u nicative , dull , crue lto the outsider . But intim acy br ings a change Of feeling . One can appre ciate the de fe cts o f a strong personal i ty, and the Gold Coast i s strong . Take away itsdefects

,and it wou ld really be colour less and lacking

the first elem ental to make i t habitable . There ismystery in it to satisfy the most hungry . There is a


wealth Of natural splendour in th e l i ttle - trodden hinterland O f the We stern Province . For others there i s theve ry r eal lu re o f m oney in abundance , of afflu ence beyondthe realm s Of care er s as l ived at hom e in the com for tableregions served by fifty trains daily be twe en th e hoursof seven and seven . It can offer the wonderfu l inspiration o f ever de siring to go fu rther, to see fu rther , tole arn more . There are regions in the north - easterndistr icts never vis ited by white men

,areas in which

game Of every var iety may be found,and which

,in more

habitable cl im es , wou l d give the call to the big game

hunter and the world tr ippe r who of late has grown tobe an institution in other countries . Its we alth i s u n

den iable , i t was not for aught else that the Portu gue sechri stened i t Gold Coast . Deve lop i t along scientificl ines

,treat i t as the modern ironmaste r wou ld treat a

foundry in a new country, humour i t, Spoil i t , see to itthat i t lacks no essentials to su ccess , and like the personal ity i t i s , i ts temperament will respond . Realize itspotentiali tie s , do not m ake Of it an enf ant terr i ble

am ongst the colonies o f the Empire , to be shunned ,scorned , condem ned , and nom inated th e playgrou nd Ofthe l ost and dest itute . G ive i t a chance , exam ine i t ,study i t

,and our visi t wi l l not have been in vain .



preconce ived ideas . NO su r f- boats he re . NO launchflu tter ing alongside and tediou sly br inging one to theshore . Not a bit of i t The landing was as easy as that atPr ince ’s Landing Stage at L iverpool , Shorn Of som e Of itsformalitie s . Not qu i te all ! For the fir st tim e sinceleaving L iverpool

,and after be ing u pon Spanish and

L iber ian Soil , we were polite ly but firm ly asked for o u rpassports . W e did mu rm u r that we we re staying withS ir Hu gh C l ifford , th e Governor , but the only answerwe got was “ It wil l be better so . That Official musthave fel t that h e was in e ffe ct a r e al cog in the machine ryo f the Em pire . A Shor t dr ive down the “ Mar ina , aprom enade along the fore shore com parable to m ostEngli sh se aside resorts

,only more p icture sque , brou ght

us to Governm ent House . This i s a Spaciou s , thre estorey bui lding with a p or ts co cher e and the generaleffe ct of having be e n picked up bodily from a Frenchprovince and placed , to its gre at astonishment , in We stAfrica . Here w e h ad

,for the first and only time ,

running hot wate r in the bath . Our head boy contemplated i t with awe and , afte r putting his finge r under thetap

,annou nced reverentially It be ho t ! ” After which

he probably adde d i t to th e l ist of “ white m an ju juand paid no fu r the r attention to it .B u t to r e turn to Lagos itse lf . If only seaside townsin England could afford to banish the boarding - house andits colle ague the lodging - house from th e front , then them i l lenn ium in sea frontage would have been reached , andmunicipal archite cts m ight find it worth whi le to comeand stu dy th e effe ct here o f gardens and pretty housesalong a m ile or two o f exce llent road . It is charm ing ,and no wonder that , in Spite of m osquitoes , which cer tainlydo ex i st he re in m i l l ions , in spite of a tem pe rature whichtr ie s tempers and tem pe r am ents to an abnorm al degree ,the inhabitants Of Lagos are most enthusiastic over the irtownship . Ha lf an hou r afte r landing w e we re watchinga chukke r o f polo , anothe r half hou r and w e were thegu est s of th e Tennis C lub and im bibing every knownspe cie s o f cooling and re freshing beve rage , and half anhour later and the m ost exce llent band of the WestAfrican Frontier Force was playing to tired golfers and


others the latest tu nes from the latest musical Londonsuccesses . Tru ly , we thought , in Spite o f havingexper ience d a very strenuous day, the lot Of th e“L agosi te

—to coin a word— does l ie in ple asant place s .This i s along the l ines of an Indian station in al l tru th ,

and poor l ittle Coom assie , with all i ts de lectableattractions i s but a feeble im itation . TO phrase theim pression created upon us in a few words is merely tore i terate that we sense d at last the influ ence of Olde stablished traditions upon congenial soil . The soi l hereis genial and the wor ld wags me rr ily . Afte r all , to l ivehappily and experience all the l ittle happinesses whichcan be found in places further from th e Equator is oneway o f establishing a sounder foundation for health ,which i s what we al l search for in these regions . SomeOpine that doctors are pessim i sts . We approach thepoint with Open m ind

,with the one reservation that you

must have congenial su rroundings . In that directionLagos has not fai led

,unless it be in the housing Of her

Official em ployees , o f which more anon . Lagos must bethe biggest coast town , with the possible exception OfDakar, in French te rr i tory . The markets , and there areseveral , are astounding . They rem ind one rathe r Of thebazaars Of Constantinople . They cross and intersect andtangle themselves til l i t i s a puzzle to divine whence onehas come . Moreover , the wares exposed , which varyfrom a packet o f fishing hooks— these lat ter we had notencountered elsewhere— to ornam ented calabashes wor thyo f the S ideboard in an Engli sh house , are al l eage r lybargained for interm inably In tru e Or iental style . It i snot a matter Of finance , one can but conje cture , SO m uchas a Specie s Of pastim e

,a sort Of poker a long native l ines ,

where th e m an who never moves a muscle of his face i sl ikely to win the game . There i s great anim ation in th estreets , animation which recalle d to u S Colom bo near th eGrand Or iental Hotel . There are few native booths ;the natives have given up that style o f architecture , andnow favour a m ixture o f what one may find in aPortuguese vi llage and the stu cco dear to those wh ode signed Germ an colonial buildings . Of course , thereare slums— there must be ; but during a motor drive

10


through the highways and byways Of Lagos they werenot apparent .At Accra

,outside the British segregation area and the

educated native qu arters,the town is an ash - heap , a

depository for refuse , and in ne ed o f thorou gh sanitaryoverhaul ing . This wil l explain probably the pre valenceof epidem ics there , su ch as that o f small - pox , which wele ft behind in full swing . There are epidem ics here asthere are in London o r Hambu rg or Buenos Ayres . Bu t

as far as the eyes Of the uninitiated m ay guide , eyes ,however , trained by exper ience in many countr ies , thewhole Of Lagos town is on a fair par with Am er icantowns Of Simi lar population in the southern portion ofthat continent . At any rate , the shacks we had grownaccustomed to see along th e coast were m iss ing , and wepene trated where we would .

- And i t m ight be addedthat the native population seem to get busy here , touse an Amer icanism , in sympathy with the everincreasing demands Of thi s capital o f West Afr ica .

To understand better the Significance o f the fu ture OfLagos , certain main features must be grasped . F irstand foremost , Lagos i s an island . Where the town wasfounded the builders l ittle recked that the tim e woulde ver arrive when i t wou ld outgrow its capacity to Copewith the population and accommodation alike . It i s ina small way on a sim i lar plane to Manhattan Island

,

which houses present - day New York C ity . Only he re theSkyscraper is an im possibi l i ty, and expansion must takeplace along other l ines . Tim e was when the mainlandof what i s actually Africa proper consisted o f densemangrove swamps , which harboured endless mosquitoesand accentuated the presence o f the dreaded malaria ,which is more o r less endem ic all over West Africa . Inaddition , at that time the Lagos rai lway was a very smallproposition

,with its term inu s natu rally upon the said

mainland , and with seem ingly little prospect Of evergrowing into the gigantic octopu s i t now is ; for , be i tr emembered , the am algamation o f the two N iger ias andLagos only dates from January , 1914 . Thus for someyears matters rem ained “ in statu quo

,business increased

but leisurely , and th e handicap o f the transhipment of


1 48 WE ST AFRICA THE ELUS IVE

And sti ll the work is going on . From powerful dredger spum ps are Operated which force through pipes the mudand shel ls dredged up to a d istance o f 500 yards .Continuously day by day this S ludge i s be ing depos ite dfarther and farther inland , making o f that dangerousswamp a foundation whereon , in the course o f the nextyear o r two , will grow u p warehouses by the score ,fronted by a wharf nearly a m i le in length with a deptho f thirty feet Of water alongside . In other words , twobirds have been killed with one stone ; a deep waterwharf i s being constru cted while an intolerable swamp isbe ing roped in to the service Of the community . Worko f that natu re needs li ttle encom ium . Imagine whatLagos will Spel l w ithin le ss than a decade . It wi ll beby far the largest port on the whole o f the West AfricanCoast .S ierra Leone , wi th its harbour o f Freetown , is a

wonder fu l natural expanse of water , which can comfor tably Shel ter a large fle e t o f war ships o r merchantmen .

But as Providence would have i t , i t serves merely as acoaling station , for the hinterland it drains cannot export raw mater ial in . any great quantity , S ince theterr i tory it cover s is sm all . But Niger ia , the largest o fthe Crown Colonies , i s alm ost staggering in the im m ensityo f its possibi lities , nay probabilities . Rem ember thatthe great m arket of Kano is one o f the most im por tantin the whole o f the Afr ican world . Remember that Kanoi s over 700m i le s from Lagos , and then real ize that tod ayi t i s possible , in fact normal , to ge t into th e boat train ,with d ining and Sleeping cars , and furnished comparat ivelyquite as well as the Cornish Riviera Express , and fortyeight hours later one finds oneself in that cu ri ous city ,colou red with the romance o f the Arabian N ights . It isworth while to recall also that only e ighteen years ago

Kano was almost as far removed from the visi tations o fwhite people as is the North Pole . It was then anindependent Em irate

,and i t boasted Of i ts isolation from

the contam inating influences o f modern civi l ization . Ithad its own traditions , which served wel l i ts purpose andprovide a fascinating page Of African history . In otherwords

,in the judgment o f those under the rule Of the


then Em ir , there was l ittle about which to complainaccording to the ir ideals . Bu t modern Opinion thoughtotherwise , and the he rm i t kingdom s Of the wor ld mustinevitably give way before the advance o f that pulverizingpower— evolution . And SO Kano fell , as did Sokoto andZaria ; al l o f them pr incipal itie s with histories andcivi lizations o f the ir own . Rom ance has disappeared ,maybe , with the hanging o f shunting trucks , with theshr i l l whistle o f the locom otive , and with th e clanging ofthe bell which annou nces the depar ture of a train . Onthe other hand

,there real ly has been a corresponding

gain . Thus , for instance , who would have im agined thatthe j eunesse dorée o f the Fulani nobili ty , a nobilityequal in antiquity and dignity to ou r own ,

a nobil ity whofor long held absolute sway over Central Afr ica and theWeste rn Soudan , would to - day be proving themselvesextraordinar i ly apt with the theodol ite , able to work ou t

compl icated mathem atical problem s with th e assuranceOf a senior wrangle r and fi tting themse lve s to bring intothe ir wor ld

,when fate calls them to take control , all th e

advantages denied to their fath ers,and which they wil l

now be in a position to hand on by proxy through otherinstructors to their people ? Thus the problems facingNigeria are entirely different from those which must besol ved by governors of other West Coast colonie s . A nd ,in addi tion

,there i s th e cl im atic question , which i s

worthy also Of consideration since i t is possible thatexperience may indicate that cer tain portions o f NorthernNigeri a, o r o f the Northern Province , as i t i s now called ,m ay be quite as suitable for white m en as corre spondingpor tions of East Afr ica . Granted the approach m ay no t

be inviting , nei ther i s Lorenzo Marqu e s o r th e EastCoast a health resor t . Th e tru th, as i t appears to us , i sthat th e medical profe ssion as a whole along the coastar e suffer ing badly from nerves . Or e l se , let it only bewhispered

,be ing hum an themse lves , very human and

very kind,they fe ar that if they balance the account on

th e r ight Side , and say baldly that We st Afri ca is ashealthy as Costa R ica

,Cuba

,Manaos— the latter i s much

worse,as we know— o r any Indian station , then le ave to

England may be cut down or the term o f service pro


longed . Personally,and wi thou t preju dice, one way o r

the other , we offe r this solu tion . Hou se your officialsproper ly ; le t them lead l ive s which are no t exotic— inother words , encourage a home atm osphere , see to i t that ,come what m ay , there i s i ce ava i lable at any point wherei t could be manu facture d at a reasonable charge ; spenda l ittle money upon cold storage , and do not arrange you rexpenditure as did one Governor o f whom we have heard .

He blandly remarked ,“ I can ’t get telegraph poles , but

I can get any number o f Officials, hence telegraph pole sare to me more valu able . It was th e rem ark o f th e

pioneer rather t han that o f the adm inistrator , and ifWest Afr ica

,and espe c ially Niger ia, with its latent

possibil ities dependent in the main upon hum an effort,be so treated , then advance cannot be expected .

Leaving these introductory remarks and reverting fora mom ent to the town of Lagos , one must no t forget thereally beautiful drive Of som e five m i les along th e frontto the end Of the breakwater . Polo , tennis , o r golf maypall , but nature at its best i s beyond that reproach .

Arrived at the be ach , one can bathe in the sur f o r

wander along the firm white sand with the roar o f theAfr i can breaker s fo r ever in one ’s ear s and th e wonde rful ,hungry

,green - grey waves for company . Here there i s

no room for m ere m aterial ism,and one can forget the

worr ies o f the moment , the discouragement born o f

i ll -health , the disappointm ent Of non - receipt Of letter sfrom hom e— al l those incidents which bu lk so largewhen viewed upon the Spot and appear so petty whene xam ined at a distance in the proper perspective . Thinko f the monotony Of som e bush station

,where the view

i s circumscr ibed , and where the only walk must bee i ther along a bush path

,with nothing to charm the

senses , or around th e l im ited area o f the cantonm ent .And then

,again , think o f the great waves rolling in

from the Atlantic , spe aking o f freedom ,and bringing ,

as it we re , prom ise for the futu re . No,Lagos i s a very

for tunate place , and al l in all , even with a dam p climateand mosquitoe s , which ar e amongst the most hungry w e

met, i t i s actually attractive . No one in th e wor ld moreenjoys a joke against himself than your West African .


CHAPTER ! V I .

ONE Of the fondest delusions o f th e great Britishpublic is the firm bel ief that enterprise o f the r ight sorti s habitually absent from al l ou r colonial undertakings .The Opposition Press are quick to make capital out ofsome error o f judgm ent , however m inute , but are un

commonly loth to allow that , as a matter o f fact , ou rmethods of colonial deve lopment are not only equal tothose employed by others , but usually are actual lysuperior . And s im i larly with what we may call theAmerican fet ish . People shake the ir he ads in amazement because , in the words o f the sensat ional papers, atown has been founded in a night, replete with hospital ,hote l and pol ice station , and this i s taken to evidencehow go - ahead other folk are and how slow and silly weare . For this introdu ction we make no excuse . It i sborn ou t of sheer adm iration , plus no t a l ittle surprise ,at what we have seen in Niger ia , and i t i s h eightenedbecause we have been able to realizeth ave been th is

recent Crown possessions Lagos , Northern and SouthernN igeria—now known as v lj cihggr ia

— are in that greatconglom erm fif fi fi fi

fi

gs“

an?“peoples which go to

make up the Br i tish Empire . Then i t will be worthconsidering in what state these territories were whenfinally p asses,

under the p rotection o f th e

and what th at-

flagc

has done for them in

American push as Opposed to Bri ti sh sleepiness , i t wi llbe del iberate prejudice which obscures his vision . F irstof all , although as early as 1862, Lagos was recognizedas a colony , i ts confines at that t ime were very circum

WE ST AFRICA TE E ELUS IVE 153

scribed , and it was only in 1889, that Lagos was extendedto th e boundar ies o f what was then Northe rn Niger iaand to th e border o f the Niger Coast Protectorate , laterknown as Southern Nigeri a .

In 1900 the Br i tish Gove rnment revoked the charterOW ‘ROyal Niger Com pany , which had trading andj u ridical r ights along both banks o f the N ige r far intothe hinterland . This com pany , after th e m anne r o f thO ld East India Company , had done a great work in Opening up the Niger to trade and in penetrating into th emainland and subdu ing such tru culent chiefs as that OfIlorin . But the t ime had arr ived for a change and verywise ly, partially no doubt to avoid international complications , the Niger Com pany were bought ou t by theImperial Government

,and what we re known as Nor thern

and Southern Nige r ia cam e into existence with separateadm inistrations and Governors . This state o f affairscontinued unti l 1906 , when Lagos and South Nigeri awere am algam ated into one body politic , and were knownas th e Colony and Protectorate o f Sou thern Nigeri a .

And , later, in 1914 , i t having been found that theadm inistration of Sou thern and Northern Nigeria couldmore practically be arranged were ther e one hom ogeneousbody , th e two were am algamate d , and were de signatedN igeria . These basic facts must be remembered i f oursubsequent chapters are to be under stood , Since su fficienttim e has no t ye t elapse d to allow o f a com ple te consol idation in every direction , and , inde ed , Of i tself that w i l lnever be absolute ly com plete , since in this vast terr i torythere i s su ch var ie ty o f race , langu age , rel igion andcustom , the latter o f transcendental im portance whende aling with such races as Hau sas and Fu lanis .F inally, to emphasize more easi ly to th e gene ral

reader what the Governor Of this colony has upon hishands

,and since to m any comparison with India conveys

l ittle,the are a of Niger i a equals that o f the Unite d

Kingdom , France and Be lg ium . Its greatest breadth i sover 700 m i les , and its length over 750. That affordssome idea o f the extent of terr i tory now directly unde rBrit ish control , which looks for i ts future to Bri tishadministration .

154 WE ST AFR ICA TE E ELUSIVE

Lagos , o f course , was an o ld- establ ished trading station ,and , as m ight be expe cted , was in a more advance d stageo f evolu t ion than her sister s when first declare d a colony .

Northern N ige ria was but a nam e , with l ittle revenueand a heavy annual deficit

,even upon an adm inistration

run on ultra - econom ic l ines . Short - Sighted people , evenas late as 1903 , talke d of Northern Niger ia as a waste ofmoney . It only Shows how otherwise well - informedpersons lack judgm ent over matte rs they are not real lycompetent to pass judgm ent upon . Southern N iger i amade a good revenue

,chiefly ou t o f square face ,

” inother parl ance

,trade gin . This the pagan popu lation

absorbe d to an alarm ing degree . Palm kernel s and palmO il , aiding the finances o f this colony, rendered i t apaying concern , and , incidentally , gave to the WestAfrican trade r the nickname o f palm o i l ru ffian .

”

So much by way Of preface to modern Nige r ia as wesaw i t . We left Lagos in a driving rain

,motor ing to

Iddo, where the railway station platform was crowdedwith chatter ing humanity . It m ight have been anAfr ican Waterloo S tation on a black Derby day , but itwas the usual condition at Iddo

,and no one but ou rselves

seem ed to notice i t . Abeokuta was ou r first stop . It i sa large , straggling city , and can make the prou d boast o fbeing the on ly town in Nigeria

,with th e exception o f

Lagos , which has ele ctric l ight and waterworks . Andthis was accompl ished by native adm inistration , with theexam ple o f Lagos as the incentive . Unti l a com parat ive ly shor t t ime ago Abeoku ta was an independentS tate , and proudly m ade and signe d treatie s w ith theBri ti sh Government as such . But , in spite o f theelectr i c l ight and running water , the country outsidethe town itse l f d id not flour ish

, and the Alaki , o r Chief,and hi s people were gradu ally convinced o f the factthat a l ittle guidance and tuit ion , as adm inisteredel sewhere in Niger i a

,wou ld be to the ir advantage

We were to have seen the A laki , but his illne ss prevented the m ee ting

,much to ou r regre t . However ,

accom panie d by the Acting Resident , we went to hi spalace . Such a strange m ixture o f th e o ld and new !At least a dozen grandfather clocks told us the ir r e


156 WE ST AFRICA TE E ELUS IVE

the o ld lady who always bowed her head in chu rchwhenever the name o f the Evil One was mentioned , be

cause ,” said She ,

“ i t i s best to be always on the safeS ide .

” To give an instance o f their att i tu de h we needonly quote the words o f a stout post - o ffice clerk , w ithpince-nez and the latest thing in ties . “ Ju ju

,

”h e

said , magister i ally, is no t black magic , I assu re you ;i t i s a sc ience when proper ly understood . He died aweek o r so later .

Between Abeokuta and Ibadan the country was notworthy o f especial notice . The trees were stunted andscrubby , and the cocoa plantations , o f which there aremany , were not vis ible from the train . Ibadan itself i sinteresting from its past warl ike history and i ts presentcommercial prosperity . The town , now o f huge proportions , was originally a camp for th e soldiers of the A lafin ,

who l ives, and rules with no uncertain hand , at Oyo ,some thirty m i les away . In 1897 the Ibadans, who seemto have a special affinity with the Ashantis , were fightingon fou r fronts s imultaneously and enjoying every m inute .

The A beoku tas had the ir heartiest contempt . Theywould chase them up to the walls o f the ir town , and thenindulge in an artistic massacre o f the unfortunates whowere Slow in fl ight . A s the A beoku tas have no wordfor brave in the ir language , i t i s e asy to se e why th estalwar t Ibadans were such faci le victors . There is astory o f a native barr i ste r from Lagos , who , at aboutthat time

,had an in te rview with the Bale— a sort o f

lord mayor— o f Ibadan town . He rashly asked whatwas the occupat ion o f the Ibadans . This pr oduced agreat commotion when translate d . When the hubbubdie d down the Bale rose and , looking scornfully upon hi squestioner

,said : “ He asks us what ou r busine ss i s .

This i s an im pe rtinence . Bu t I will tel l h im . We arerogues and vagabonds and robbers ! W e l ive byfighting and by rapine ! We glory in i t ! Now le thim re turn whence he has com e and trouble us nomore .

”

The present Bale i s a fine figure o f a man , but werather doubt if h e would be capable o f su ch a confess iono f faith . When we saw him he rece ived us in a large


room overlooking the red r oofs Of the town and thefarm s beyond . Throu gh the open arches we could se e

the stiff l ine s o f pol ice belonging to the native adm in istrat ion , and the usual cr owd o f interested spectators .Chiefs and councillors sat on the floor in a sem i - circle .

Two men waved enorm ous feathe r fans gently to andfro . At the Bale ’s fee t crouched h is Slave , aeuphem i stic term for the position of a private secretary ,and one not inappropriate in some other cases . Bothhere and at Abeokuta we saw fo r the first tim e on theCoast the Oriental prostration o f respect . No one savethe interpreter Spoke to the Bale withou t throwinghim self flat on the floor and touching th e ground severalt imes with his head . It i s an im pressive ceremony , andi t i s of interest to note that there i s no loss Of selfrespect involved . It was here that we were offe red kolanuts as re freshment , and tru th com pe l s us to say thatthey are a taste which we have never acquire d . Two

bottles o f gin and two very fine turkeys were ou r

dash from the Bale ; the former decl ined withthanks

,much to his surpr ise .

Lack o f t ime prevente d ou r visiting the A lafin at Oyo ,where he l ives in great state . Later in the day adeputation o f native business men cam e to have anaudience with one o f us . F irst and foremost i t must beem phasized that the Lagos trader , from long exper ience ,i s a veritable commercial genius . Report says that hei s str ictly honest , but drive s as hard a bargain as th ecutest comm ercial m an in the C i ty o f London . Th e

deputation consiste d o f Six representatives , of whom one

was a Mohammedan , who with dignity re fu se d the cupo f tea and cigar which appealed to the other s . It wasthe com m encem ent Of th e Ram adan , so o u r Moham m edanexplained . After tea and inquir ie s about o u r respectivehealths and fam i l ie s followed the ser iou s business o f theday

,alias com plaints . The le ad ing one was cur ious .

A S a private individual the rece iver of the deputationShook hands with the members the reof . Whereonthe spokesman said : S ir

,i f you shake hands with u S

,

why cannot the Residents In this country they thinkwe are poor clay . We are not . We are ignored ; we


are not fit for the touch o f the white man . Hurriedlyi t was explained that u no ffic ials could Shake hands withthe devil him self, i f they so desired , but officia l form shad to be observed , and that a white man seldom i f everhad th e opportunity o f thus gre et ing the King .

Apparently this explanation satisfied them .

Next upon this dre ary l ist cam e roads cocoa farmerssuffered becau se there was delay in getting the ir cropsaway as qu ickly as m ight be . Considering that theprovince o f Ibadan has a greater road m i leage than anyother province in Nigeria , thi s complaint was proofpos i tive that , having m ade money, the y wanted m ore .

G ive a native trader a taste o f the sweetness o f

possession , r ipened with the benign assistance o f thepowers above , and he w i l l grum ble because he cannothave the moon . These men , we learnt afterwards , wereal l practically mi ll ionaires , yet they expected improvement to come from the Government , and not throughthe ir individual efforts . An energetic farmer makes hisown road i f he sees profi t th erein , but naturally if hefinds adm inistrators wil ling to l isten to every breezewhich br ings with i t a whisper o f gr ievance , then th eresult wi l l be to make such adm inistration pate rnal tothe extent o f stulti fying orig inal efior t .

Waterworks were also clamou red fo r ; in point o f factthe Governm ent has already a schem e in view wh ichw i l l cost at least and which will be started assoon as the necessary m aterial i s on hand .

And finally the question o f land tenu re . Briefly , i tamounts to this , that from t im e immem orial , S ince , infact

,the beginning o f history as known to us in this

portion of the colony , the A lafin h as himself owned al lthe l and within his own terr i tory . Under advice fromthe English he has Shown him se lf ready to lease l and ,but not to se l l . To force h im so to do would be to createa situation which m ight we l l take a ser ious turn with SO

pugnacious a people . Furthe r , i t would not be str ictju stice . The Lagos trader , on the other hand , wants tobuy outright and posse ss freehold tenure , s ince he i swel l aware o f the vast potential wealth o f the regionhinc fi ller la chrymae. He may lease , but he may not



in su ch a way of l iving . Except in the market andunder the Shade o f an occasional cottonwood tre e , whichdoes duty as a club

, one sees but few people . Themarket , however , more than atom s fo r the emptystreets , and one cou ld easily spend many hours there .

When we went,we were accom panied by ex- Sergeant

Sanusi , Of the Nigerian Regim ent , a veteran o f theCam e roon cam paign , and a m an

,as he told us , o f

great heart . We did not doubt his courage , but wehad reason to be sceptical o f h is mathematical abi l ities .Ex- Sergeant Sanus i trying to dr ive a hard bargain inthe m atter of four baskets was a sight for th e gods .He talke d rapidly

,waved a handful o f the loathed

paper Shi l l ings , gave two to one person , took one back ,flou r ish ed fou r in front o f anothe r, forgot which manhe had paid , and eventu ally overpaid one basket owner ,who wisely took to his heel s . Poor Sanus i ! H i s honestywas as apparent as his incompetence . Basket s andpottery are both made at Ilorin . There are great redwater coolers o f the shape m ade famous by the “ FortyThieves . There are sm aller and more grace ful waterbottle s , and qu antities o f th e black pots and disheswhich ar e fireproof . One particular Shape i s used tocontain the gr e ase which is to anoint the first -born son .

Another i s fi l led with water and taken to a ju ju priestw hen a wom an de sires a male child . The pr iest putsthe requisite charm into the water , which i s thenthrown over the wom an . There are no statisti csavai lable as to th e e fficacy o f the charm !

At four o ’clock in the m orning a tornado swept overIlor in . To be suddenly awakened by the sound o f

r u shing wind , with the knowledge that torrential raini s soon to follow

,i s a trial both to nerve s and temper

anywhere , bu t e special ly so in a railway carr iage i n

a siding . Shutters refuse d to Shut,doors rem ained

obstinate ly open ; papers , norma lly secure , were havinga dam e m a ca bre in m id - ai r , and the re was generalconfus ion . Ther e was a sudden de athly S ilence whenth e wind pause d to draw breath . Then came the rain !It h eat throu gh every nook and cranny where i t couldfind entrance—and these were many—and through it


all the l ightning flashes i llum ined ou r discom fort . Suchthunde r we have rare ly heard be fore . It actually shookthe coach , and even the knowledge that i t was pe rfectlyharm les s cou ld not rob it o f its te rror s . It i s in times o fstress like thi s that one gropes for the sparkle t bottleand i ts com panion the whisky

,and heave s a S igh o f

re l ie f when the last rumble has die d away in thedistance . Which rem inds us o f a story with a m oral ,l ike Miss E dgewo r th

’

s tale s . A certain gentlem an on

this coast who was fond o f his glass accoste d a fr iendo f ours with th e rem ark , My de ar so and So , dreadfu lnews this , i sn

’ t i t ? You ’ve he ard abou t i t o f cou r se .

Poor o ld Dash gone ! It i s a rotten climate ! ” Towhich our fr iend m e re ly re turne d a m onosyl labic“ Rem em ber ! ” accom panie d by a charm ing sm i le , fo rhe i s a charm ing if sardonic m an . Answe red he wh ohad m ade the fir st rem ark

,with som e heat ,

“ You ’rewrong ! He didn ’t die o f that at al l ; he died of heartfailu re ! O f cou rse , th e dead are always m alignedou t he re . Look at thi s watch he gave me . The re are

my initial s in h is handwr i ting . Every tim e I look atthem I fee l wretched . What can I do ? ” To whichou r fr iend only repl ied with that sardonic sm i le he couldso wel l wear,

“ I Should erase them , and pu t in theirplace that one l i ttle word Rem ember ! ’ There i s adel ica te subtlety about that smal l episode which wil lm ake appeal to those with any sense o f hum our . Bu t ,as a m atte r of fact , i t i s not always Rem ember

” whichkills ; there are other causes .


CHAPTER XVII .

UNDOUBTEDLY d ignity i s the keynote o f N igerianMohammedanism . It was at Ibadan that we fir st sawthe se fiow ing - robed turbane

’

d fol lower s o f the Prophe tand watched them gree t each othe r . Sanu

,

” says one ,crouching and touching th e ear th w ith his forehead .

Sanu ,” says the othe r , doing l ikewise . Then follows

a lengthy var i ation on Sanu, accom panie d by prostrat ions , u ntil every form o f pol ite inqu iry and good w ishhas been exhausted . There i s , to We ste rn eyes , ane lement o f the com ic in all this , bu t no one can denyt h e dignity and grace o f th e salutation . At Zar i a wehad an au dience with the Em ir , o r at least the malemember o f the party was thus honoure d . The fem alemember sat outs ide the palace in a motor and was gladsh e was not a Moham m e dan wom an . It is againstestablished cu stom fo r th e Em ir ever to receive inau dience anyone Of the opposite sex and to this noe xception i s made : th e wife of the Governor i s placedin precise ly the same category as the wife Of thehumblest trader . It i s as i t Shou ld be . After al l , the secustom s were not born yeste rday— they are the fruit ofcentu ry - long tradition

,and vandal would be he who

wou ld d i stu rb them .

The Ser ike Zozo , as the Em ir i s named , was waitingat the entrance o f his palace to r ece ive the Resident andthe visitor . Be i t said that the visitor and the Em irwere Old friends . Long ago they had been acquaintedin d ifie rent circum stances— circum stances o f som e

anxiety, when a fractiou s Mahdi in Sokoto threatenedth e peace o f the whole o f what was then NorthernNige r ia . And it i s precisely in circum stances suchas these that acqu aintance ship ripens into fr iendship .

Hence , without exaggeration , two fr iends o f yore met .


The Em ir is the great - grandson of Mallam Musa o f theMellawa , a Fu lan i fam ily o f gre at note, and i t was hewho first brought Zar ia

,by force o f arms , under the

suze rainty o f th e Fu lanis , who conquered all thi s portiono f Afr ica in very m u ch the sam e way that the Br i t ishoverran Canada after the de feat o f Montcalm at Quebe c .

in numbe rs , bu t

bravery o f i ts leaders , plu s , m ost impor tant of al l , thewill to conquer . In parentheses , also , when one says“o ne o f the Me llawas ,

”one m ight as easily say in .

Engl ish one of the Ce c i ls,

”o r one o f any other great

terr i torial fam i ly , so we l l known are the se Fulaninobi l ity . The r eception took place in the l arge b allo f th e pa lace , a room o f fine proportions

,vaulted and

only rel ieve d he re and there by native m osaics . Possiblysome who r ead thi s m ay have se en a play called

“Th e

Drums of Ou dh the scenery o f that play as or iginallypu t on com pares adm ir ably with the Em ir

'

s receptionroom at Zar i a . A few cushions covered with a finespe cim e n o f a native cloth se rved as a couch forSe r ike Zozo , while the re were the conventional drawingroom chair s for th e white visi tors

,the only touch o f

vulgar m odernity in the scene . Behind the Em irsqu a tted his Wazir , o r Hom e Secretary , and one bodyservant . L ight fi lte re d in from small windows above ,rather after the style o f a clerestory , render ing th e

shadows m ore apparent and softening the hard outl ine s Of the Eu ropeans , with the ir angular clothes ;e verything e l se lacke d angles and blended into a sepiacolou r scheme .

Afte r greetings the Em ir dwelt a l ittle upon . olddays ; he had asked for the visi tor often and had beentold that he was trave ll ing in many other lands . Wasb e well , and wou ldn

’t h e stay with h im and le t himteach him Hausa , as he had m u ch he would te l l

him ? A sm i le . No ? Im possible ? We ll , no matter ,h e would be very happy if the visi tor would se e thetown as it i s and compare i t with those days he m ightremem ber . Ah He did remember them So d id heGreat days they had been , and he was glad to think th at


his Em irate had asked the Br i tish to come in and hel pto develop the l and S ince they had acted to h im l ike afather and mother , And this must be added , that , inthose longxago days the visi tor had r em inded this sel fSam e man of an oath he had taken to the Governoro f that period to be loyal ever and always to the GreatWhite King

,and the answer h e had received was in th e

tone o f some thing l ike m i l d reproof Is not th e oath o f

a Mohamm edan as good as the oath o f a Chr i stian ? ”

After which there was never any m ore doubt on e i therS ide , and England found as true an ally as Sh e ever wil lwhile this world lasts . Then th e conver sation veeredto the railway

,which in thi s part o f the world has so

completely r evolutionized comm erce , and with justifiablepride the Ser ike rem arked , It was hard work , bu t m ypeople did it . My population is under but w e

made the em bankm ents for the l ine from the bou ndaryo f Bida Em irate to that o f Kano Em irate , a distance o f200 m i les . Moreover, we did all the transpor t o f th erails , and helpe d to place them in position . I thinke very able - bodied man was em ployed , and i t was hardfor them , very hard but now they are glad , very glad .

Thi s was no exagge ration,S ince the Em ir i s by nature

one who de l ights to se e the fru i ts of progress , and who ,moreover , has a remarkable grasp o f the possibil itiesattendant upon m odern engineering . Asked what hi sCountry m ost ne eded , he was prompt to answer, Roads .

”

This appe ar s to be the common dem and upon all sides,

and i t i s wor th noticing Since i t proves that at l ast th ereserve of the nat ive has been broken down

,and he now

des ires nothing more than that the l ight and m ovem entfrom the great outside wor ld should pour in upon hisabode and chase away for ever the shadows whichobscure his advance in the world's commonwealth .

And so ou r conversation dri fted into the channel s o f

sim ple fr iendship,the old gentlem an insisting upon

coming outside to say good - bye . He certainly did no tlook his su pposed age o f 76 years ; in fact , he did notlook a day Older than in those remarkable weeks o f 1906 ,

but then it is difficul t to judge . That he carr ied himsel fas superbly as of yore was at le ast evident . A S the ruler



Providence desired a man should be— that i s thevisi tor ’s m odest estim ate o f his qu ondam friend , theEm ir o f Zar i a .

The Treasu ry at Zari a i s a modern p icture in an ancientframe . There i s a strong room made by a Bri tish m akerOf repute ; there are ledgers which hai l from Whitehal l ;there are receipts pr inte d in Arabic which came fromLondon there are native clerks in flowing native robes ,and who sprinkle upon their clothes a cur ious perfume

faintly rem ini scent o f the bazaars in Stam boul there ar efew chair s , mostly sofas and couches ; the re are room sand room s

,cou r tyards and courtyards

,al l vaulted and

bu i l t of the sun - dr ie d m u d which m ay be found by thosewho vis it Tim buctoo and the region o f the FrenchSahara . B u t in a corner a te lephone t inkle s , and abeautifu lly - gowned dignitary ru shes thereto

,and one

hears the usual Ha l lo ! Who ’s there ? ” Al l that i sm i ssing i s th e Gerrard o r Weste rn o r Kensin-

gton . Acur ious blending of East and West . The ledgers wewere pe rm i tte d to inspect , and we were told that thenative mallam s o r priests had li ttle difficulty in pickingu p the Latin alphabet . Th e Resident at all tim e s has th er ight o f an unexpe cte d visi t to the Tre asu ry to se e thateverything i s i n order , and afte r a lapse o f six m onthshe paid a flying vis i t

,and found the gigantic deficit o f

one Shilling and thr e epence . Could an Engl i sh bank doas wel l ? Cer tainly not be tter ! But the point wedesire to em phasize i s that with all that advance alongthe roads of u p - to - date accuracy and organization not onej ot or ti ttle of the original schem e o f Mohamm edanor thodoxy has be en abandoned .

“We wish to learn ,”

they say , but you must remembe r that we ar e no t asyou are ; we stand apart , by race and rel igion andtendency o f e very kind . We respect you r me thods , wel ike to learn , but there i t finishes : the gulf which dividesus can never really be bridged . We will he lp you , workfor you , and , if needs be , die for you bu t we r etain ou rown Character i stics . ” How much better than slavishim i tation !Th e town of Zari a has altered cons iderably in th e last

ten years . To- day i t m ight be m i staken for any North


African city . The horrible tha tched abominations onesees nearer the coast have d isappeare d , th e house s arepractically all o f th e bake d mud one finds fr inging th eSahara , and , marve llous to relate , the town i s as cle an asth e floor o f an hospital w ard . Thanks again to theEm ir, who has grasped th e fact that infanti le m ortal ityincrease s in th e dire ct ratio to th e lack o f ordinary sanitary pre cau tions brou ght into public use . He has hi s“D ogar i s, or native pol icem en

,who

,apart from pre

venting brawls and running in the few,ve ry few ,

pagan drunks , have the task of su pervising e veryquarte r o f the city and see ing that re fu se i s not allowe dto accum u late , and that th e e lem entary rule s o f sanitaryscience ar e observed . Zar ia , in 1906 , sm el t l ike an exagge rated ce sspool . Tod ay , one m ight be dr iving inBond Stre et . Which prove s tha t with Moham m e dans ,usu ally p e ople gifte d wi th in te ll igence super ior to thatinhe r i te d fr om pagan ancestry, where science le ads theyfollow . The m arke t i s a large one ; al so pr ice s ar e large .

One cannot blam e th e native Afr ican for thi s . W e

bou ght a comm on Die tz (Am eri can) l am p for 88 . Pr i cein England

,probably l s . 6d . Bu t th e Eu rope an stores

had none,and there were none at Ilorin , Ibadan o r e ven

Lagos,and so naturally , any port in a storm be ing a

sound prove rb, we paid and we re thankfu l . S im i larly

with cu tlery . No European store possessed a kn ife or

fork o r spoon— things w e had to have . W e found themin th e Zar ia marke t ; four forks , fou r knive s , fou r spoons ,as m ade fo r th e n ative popu lation , and nom inally hailingfrom Sh e ffie ld—one gu in ea ! If pr i c e s con tinu e u ponthat scale , then , assu re dly, Nige r ia will be a re sor t onlyfor m i l lionaires . Bu t , in point Of fact , such pr ice s arefictitiou s , and m u st drop once the railway is able to placei ts hand u pon the new rolling stock , th e

“ fons e t

or igo o f th e scarcity throughout the entire colony .

Zar i a has been su rveyed , and its teem ing narrow stree tshave been actual ly named

,thou gh th e nam e - plate s

rem ain yet to be de l ivered . They are pic tu re squ ebecau se o f the l i fe which throngs them . One passes agaily- capar i soned hor sem an with a long sword , i tssheath covered w ith red Kano leather , i ts handle cross


Shaped after the manner of those fami l iar to us fromp icture s o f the Crusaders

,mounted upon a pony which

perform s antics worthy o f a circus as it sees ou r motorSwing around th e corner . Its r ider sits ere ct as thoughmade o f stone

,moving never a muscle , and apparently

in per fect control of h is steed by me ans o f a cu rb alone(and what a curb) , a piece o f j agged iron for a bit , andsome embroidered leather for re i n

,ti ll , as w e com e

abreast o f h im,he raises hi s hand high above his head in

salutation .

What could speak more o f a bygone age with a background Of flat - roofed brown house s , for all the wor l d asthough taken bodily from som e O ld Te stam ent se tting .

The wom en , with the ir grace fu l , swaying draperies , andthe children tugging remorse lessly at their m others ’

r obes , raising a howl of m ingled fear and astonishmentas ou r sturdy li ttle Ford car Sw i ngs along , also be long tothe p ictu re . Away westward the su n is setting , andbanks o f black clouds be token the oncom ing of th etornado , which at this t im e o f the year is a daily o c

currence . In the market stalls are being rapidlycovered , the dust swe eps rou nd the corne r s in , e ddie s

Of ever - increasing violence . The wind soughs throughthe tre es , birds becom e uneasy , and fly hithe r andthither as thou gh in search

,as indee d they are , of

Shelter . A few m inutes pass , and there is a rol l o fthunder ; the tornado i s upon us . Streets teem ing withl ife have em ptied

,the m arket i s deser te d , and as the first

heavy drops o f r ain he rald the storm the scudding Fordalone remains in the p icture

,and

,truth to tell , its

occupants are none too happy at the prospect facingthem . An hour later , w i th the dust laid , the wate rgushing out o f wooden drain s into th e m ain channe l , theair freshened

,and the birds , hitherto strange ly si lent ,

breaking once more in to song , th e native wor ld againawakens to the bu siness o f th e day , that business , halfpleasure , which form s the mainstay of the Hausa

’s dai lytoi l . No t such a bad l ife , one reflects , as sm i l ing facestestify .

Away outside the ci ty is a sad l i ttle community .

It i s approached by an unfrequented road , and one



thus , beyond segregating these people at night , they areotherwise fr e e , and even do they m arry . The idea i snot ple asant , but , as ou r guide said to us , Why Shou ldwe interfe re with them It i s not the ir fault that theysu ffer . It i s the will o f Al lah , and i f they marry o f

their own why should we inte r fere ? ” Which brou ghto u t the astonishing statem ent that two lepers m ay marryand br ing into the world per fectly sound children . An

extraordinary fact if accu rate , and one which Shouldm ightily inte rest those absorbed in the fasc inat ing studyOf eu genics . We also learnt that with im proved houses ,more care for sanitation

,and a general u plift ing o f the

moral ton e,leprosy showed Signs o f dim inu tion , though

i t mu st be m any a long year ere i t i s placed undercontrol in i ts entirety . Me anwhile i t Speaks wonder sfor th e care o f the Em ir for his people that , unaske dand unaided , he has succeeded in thu s far segregatingthese people , who, incidentally , com e from all ove r th eEm irate , be ing reported as unsound by the ir local headman . In addition

,they rece ive a sm al l subsi stence in a

financial way,and are at liberty to buy what they like

in the local m arke ts . Afte r all , thi s i s a mu ch morepractical way o f offe r ing char i ty than the hard - and - fast

,

c u t - and - dr ie d m anner in which char i ty i s so oftenextende d in other coun tr ies .To turn to m atte r s more cheery . Exports from

Zari a are large ly hides and groundnuts . Cotton i s onth e incre ase ; experiments have be en made , and a Specialseed of Ame r ican plus native origin has been evolved ,with th e re sult that annual ly the ou tput i s advancing byleaps and bounds . But there are still many thousandso f acres u ntenanted which only ne e d the m inimum o f

cu l t ivation to Offe r r i ch returns . What a pity that thecl imate Should be unfr iendly to th e European ! It i sthou gh , and in Spite of cold nights and a high alti tudeblack -wate r fever i s m ore prevalent here than upon theactua l coast , with i ts m osqu i toes and dam p , ene rvatingtem peratu re . It m ay appear presum ptuou s for theoutsider to Offer su gge stions , bu t when one i s tour ingthrou gh a country it i s often the ou tsider who seeswhere practical amel ioration might occur , and where

WE ST AFRICA THE E LUSlV E 171

expenditure wisely applied might furnish th e best results .Thus Zaria Province i s undou btedly su ffe r ing from w anto f popu lation . The tendency i s for th e native to dr i fttownwards

,which in its tu rn se rve s to explain the high

mor tali ty am ongst children,and the prevalence Of disease

l ike ly to be harm fu l t o com ing gene rations . Sanitationcan accom plish a gr e at deal

, bu t not all . Wer e i tpossible , a good Bri ti sh doctor attached to each Em iratein an Official characte r , to stu dy only native qu e stions , toarrange native h OSpi tals , and to teach the young ideaelementary medical sc ience

,would be a ve ri table God

send in this country . The regular Colonia l servicemedical m an has his hands pre tty fu l l with Eu ropeanpatients , and re ally has not the tim e to give to th e al lim por tant problem s confronting anyone dealing ser iouslyw ith th e native que stion . In Ru ssia they have a systemo f unc e r t ified medical m en and w om en calle d Fe ldshers .”

They have undergone a prel im inary medical training ,but have not passe d exam inations to qu ali fy them as

regu lar practitioner s . Bu t they accom pl ish wonder samongst the pe asant popu lation in th e rural districtswhere the skille d m an r are ly pene trates , and where ,owing to Shor tage o f th e Skil le d article , no one need beexpecte d . N ow , if a native can be tau ght to handle atheodol ite and work ou t abstruse m athem atical calculations , then assuredly th e sam e m ate r ial could e asily betau ght the use o f a clinical therm om ete r , rough andready su rgery , and th e diagnosi s o f th e com m on scou rges ,su ch as sm al l - pox , th e various fevers , and vene reald isease . Unde r a skille d medical m an i t would not belong be fore th e nu cleu s of a u se fu l se rvice would beform ed , which wou ld be o f a ssi stance beyond words incombating th e evil s man i s he ir to , and w ou ld even tu allyassis t in bu i ld ing up a Sturdy

,strong

,and eve r - increasing

popu lation , which some o f the Em irate s at present sobadly nee d .

CHAPTER XVIII .

OF al l the Nigerian Em irates , Kano is the largest andm ost im portant . Time was when i t was the stormcentre o f warl ike tribes , but now , l ike most spots on theearth ’s surface

,i ts history is comm ercial and uneventful .

However, so prom inent a place does Kano occupy inNV e st Afr ica that i t would be unkind entirely to neglecti ts past picturesque glory . It was a blacksm ith nam edKano, so says tradition , who first se ttled here in searcho f ironstone , and gave the town his nam e . Certainly ,the de scendants o f th e earl iest inhabitants sti l l followth at call ing , but the legend i s silent concern ing the dateo f the founding o f th e c ity . It must have been beforethe tenth century

,however , as then

“ fore igner s firstcame to Kano , br ing ing wi th them horse s— animalsnever be fore seen in this par t o f the world . From thi st im e Kano ceased to be a collection o f houses peopled bythe descendants o f the fir st blacksm ith , and becam e anim portant town , the capital of a province conque red bythe invaders . Th e pre sent palace , o f which more anon ,dates from abou t the tim e that Chr i stopher Columbusd iscovered America , and at that per iod th e power o f th eEm ir o f Kano had reached its zenith . The people we repagans then and worshipped trees and serpents , sac r ificing black anim al s to the ir gods ; but Mohammedanismwas gradually re aching these heathen chiefs , and i tneede d only a shor t tim e to convert th e cou ntryside tothat faith

,although occasional lapses in times Of stre s s

were not unknown .

From the sixteenth centu ry to the nineteenth thehistory of Kano i s on e su cce ssion o f war s , du r ing whichthe Em irate paid tr ibu te to m any chiefs o f diffe ren tt r ibes . Then , in 1807 , th e Fu lani people , large num ber sof whom had been in Kano for many generations , decide d



retinue,to the Sultan o f Sokoto . - That stout -hearted

o ld warr ior , disgu sted at hi s gu est’s cowardice

,urge d

him to r e turn and save his reputation if nothing mor e .

Re luctantly he started back , but the news reached himon the way that Kano had alre ady been occupied by theBri t ish . This effe ctu ally extingu ished the sm all sparko f courage SO energetically fanne d by his friends atSokoto , and afte r a Speech o f tremendous bombast , inwhich he said that he would fight to the de ath

,he took

to his he e l s in the darkness,practically u nattended .

Eventually h e was captured , and has passed the r e

m ainde r of his l ife in ex i le at the town o f Lokoja in thesouthern por tion o f Niger ia . And so cam e to pass thedownfall Of Kano as an independent Em irate . But itsprosper ity was enhanced a thousandfold

,and one can stil l

picture to onesel f as one walks about the ancient townwhat it was in the Sultanate ’s rem ote days . Th e highmud walls with the ir m any gates could te l l the ir story o fs iege

,assault and civi l war . Th e galloping hor semen are

unchanged from th e t im e o f Alwali , th e last o f theHausas . The wom e n o f the better class are s til lpu rdah , and l i ttle nake d boys we ar ju ju charm s abouttheir necks while the y hold in Chu bby hands Mohamme dan rosar ies . Abou t th e stree ts lu rk th e sam e type o f

thin,fu rtive par iah dogs which used to swarm in

Constantinople . Here they share the ir food withvultures

, th e m ost re puls ive o f winge d creatures . B u t

one mu st not shoot the se birds— i t br ings bad luck . Sothey and th e dogs act as street cleaners , and ne itherseem to grow fat on i t .A S m ight be expected everything in Kano is upon a

large scale . Th e city , though , to be su re , not so verythickly popu l ated , cove rs the area o f a c ircum ference o fthirteen m ile s within its walls . Th e hou ses are al l flatr oofe d and made of sun - bake d clay which apparentlyi s impervious to the ste rne st tornado that ever troubledthis port ion of Nor th -Western Afr ica . Geograph icalposi tion is a riddle to those unacqu ainted with th e loreo f maps . Thus Kano is equ idistant be tween Khartoumon the east and Dakar , in French terr itory on th e we st ,whilst the j ourney over land to the former by bullock - cart ,


horse and camel i s a matter o f about thirty days . It i snorth o f S ie rra Leone , thou gh ge tt ing thithe r entai lsthe we ary journey to Lagos , o r som e othe r coast por t ,and then a ste amship jou rney Of at le ast five days , andall th e tim e one appears to be h ear ing northwards . Itis the configuration o f the Bight Of Benin which i sresponsible for this strange i l lusion

, one from which i t i sdifficult to free oneself . In area the Em irate covers

square m i le s,and boasts o f a population o f ove r

souls—a bigge r he ri tage fo r th e Em ir thanthat of the entire population o f the Gold Coast , Ashantiand the Northern Te rr itor ies combined . Follow ing th ecourse pursu ed at Zaria

,the male mem ber of the party

was rece ived by the Em ir . There was a tr ifle m orepom p and cerem ony , Motor ing to the city we wereaccom panied by a bodyguard of five hor sem en , one infront , one on e ach S ide , and two behind . They werem ounte d on stu rdy little ponies , which took ou r thoughtsback to the S iberian steppe s . The ir uniform was anything but “ uniform .

” They were just Splashe s Ofdel icious colour ing— blue s and reds and gre ens m e ltinginto a composite whole , rel ieved o f any jar r ing e ffect bythe action o f rain and sun , which long Since had softenedth e or iginal crudity o f e ffect . Swords dangled fromthe ir saddles ; the ir spurs , after the Mexican fashion ,were pol ished and burnished til l th e su n g l inted uponthem , and as a display o f horsem anship the manner inwhich they effe ctive ly cleared the road o f both pe ople andl ive stock was in itself a sm all lesson . They m ight almosthave been born upon the ir steeds , so wonderfu lly d id thel i ttle beasts respond to th e slightest desire o f the ir riders .Outside th e palace the Em ir was waiting , accom pan iedby an enorm ou s retinue o f Slaves . The latte r termmust not be m isunder stood . Nom inally Slaves

,these

individuals often u se to considerable em inence and carryon intrigue s worthy o f som e rom ance with an E asternsetting . The re was an indescr ibable am ount o f bowingand vocal greeting . The slaves , gowned for th e mostpart in “

r igas ” of great value— a r iga is a volum inousrobe , usually profusely em broidered and fashioned somewhat after the style of a kimono—se t up a spec ies o f

176 WE ST AFR ICA THE E LUS IVE

chant , and the vi sitor to be received passed through thefirst o f the massive ante - cham bers which lead to there ception - room . These chambers are al l o f a type ,v aulted and dark , with a sm al l rece ss l ike a j anitor

’s box,

in which S its the guardian of that particular entrance .

Every incom er i s scru tinized,and unless approved would

be e i the r turned back or arrested . Consider ing thatther e m ust be at least thre e o r four o f the se antecham ber s , i t is Obvious that the Em ir or his entourageintend to leave nothing to chance

,and unpleasant

visitors cannot e asi ly find an entrance . The audiencecham ber was very disappointing . The re were two smal lr icke ty chair s and a divan covered with an imitationsheepskin rug . Tha t was all the furniture

,and there

was a total absence o f ornam entation , mural o r otherwise ,o f any kind . Contraste d with Zaria ’ s reception - room i twas actually m e an . Th e Em ir him se lf, thou gh no t longin enjoym ent Of h is present position , is an O ld man . Infact

,he may not much exceed h is “ brother ” Zaria in

years , but he has no car r i age , and his age s its heavilyu pon h im . He walks S lowly and with difficulty . Wereone able to fathom the secre ts Of his m ind one would bein no whit su rpr i sed to discover that his inm ost thoughtwas

,What a bore : here i s a white man , and I have to

l isten to his tir ing chatter for at least a quarter o f anhou r .

” From which it may be gleaned that he i s not adiplomatist o f th e first water . We recal l a particularlyOffensive diplom at belonging to a fr iendly Power , who ,when he visited th e Fore ign Office in the O ld days , wasalways warm ly gr e ete d by one o f the then UnderSe cre tar ies of S tate r enowned for his urbanity Of manne runde r any and every circum stance . The latter told usthat i f ever in a difficulty as to what reply he Shouldmake

,he always fell back u pon one word ,

“ quite ,which , as he remarked , meant nothing . After a longconve rsation one m orning th e offensive diplom at departedand confide d to a fr iend at the St . James ’ C lub that hewas afraid the Unde r - Secretary ’s brain was going ; b eonly appeared to know one word , which he re iteratedwith su ch pers istency that eventually he (the diplom at)felt constrained to take a comparatively Speedy departure .


1 78 WE ST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE

Emir ’s answer was what m ight have been expected,

Madillah . After which it was evident that furtherparley would be mere waste o f tim e , and so , withmany secret Madi llah s,

” no doubt , the visitor took h i sdeparture .

Now , allowing for the difference between the mentality o f the European and the African , allowing for

centur ies o f undisturbed prejudice and preconce ivedideals , allowing for the ineptitude with which the neworder must be received by th e o ld , i t was instructive tofind such a thorough reactionary occupy ing the place inthe most u p - to- date and prom i sing o f all the provinces ’

o f Nigeri a . Here i s a sem i - potentate with an incom efrom the Government o f a year , plu s that whichhe draws from his own private resources

,moneys left to

him by inher itance , investments , and so on . Yet hi satt itude Of reaction is SO marke d as to be alm ost p itiful .He h as never been photographed ! “ Brother Zar ia

,

as judges say on the Brit i sh bench , gave his visitor twoo f himself . “ Kano apparently active ly resented thesu ggest ion that he had ever been so m i sguided as toal low himself to be perpetuate d by a cam era ! Just ou tS ide the compound surrounding the palace i s s i tuatedthe treasu ry , a fine o ld build ing with huge pane lleddoors which mu st be of great age . Within these aredark , tor tuous passages into which the l ight o f day cannever enter , with now and again sm all courtyards leadng into myster ious l ittle room s where in are carr ie d on

the huge financ ial transactions Of the Kano Em irate .

One long C loi ster - l ike hall needs special comment , however . Its proport ions are really exquisite, and when i ti s rem embered that the great pillar s supporting the roofar e entirely made o f mud , and that the roof is extrem elylofty , then it can be understood that the architects whofashione d it were master craftsmen . Twenty years agothis hal l played an im por tant part in the financial system ,

for i t was the treasu re house where in wer e stored them any m ill ions o f cowr ie Shel ls which then acted as curr ency . Those must have been halcyon days for themamm ies who had the cou nting o f them , Since byway o f paym ent they could help themselves to a handfu l


o r two , and n o one could poss ibly m iss so small anamount .Without be ing an enthusiastic motorist

,the Em ir

does not disdain on occasion to u se this method o f locomotion , and has a mud garage , which houses a coupleo f cars , built just outs ide the front gate o f the palace .

Th e Em ir o f Katsina, however , a subsidiary Em irwithin the Kano Em irate , has nine cars , constitu ting arecord in automobil ism amongst the Nige rian Em irs .Time prevented u s visiting Ka tsina , which l ie s remotefrom the railway

,and is additionally difli cu lt to reach in

the rains which were then upon u S . But w e heard fromthe resident that this Em ir i s a most enlightened individual , and a thorough - going sportsman t o boot . Often ,in the afte rnoons , when the work o f the day i s over , hewill don the garm ents o f one o f his ordinary su bje cts , andaccom panie d only by a h eater and a dog will wile awaymany an hour going afte r bu sh fowl and such , armedwith the late st thing in hamm erless eje ctor guns . H e

evidently be longs to the new school o f Em irs , wh o , intime , Should certainly become the e qu als in civil izationand upbr inging of such rule rs as those in the MalayS tates . They have th e birth and bre eding which , inthe long run , i s bound to te l l . They have age - longtradition and the foundat ion upon which to build soundand practical modern edu cation . Hence , given peace ,the re appe ar s e very reason why this Should be ac com

plish ed be fore so ve ry many ye ars Sl ip away . To revertto Kano for a moment there can be no dou bt as tothe extraordinary wealth within the Em irate , which atthe moment i s blocked for want Of rol ling stock u ponthe railway .

Outside Kano station , as we saw it , were hugemountains o f groundnuts covere d with tarpaulins . It

was estim ate d that the y repre sented a total we ight o ftons and this w as last season ’s crop , Of which , as

yet , not a nut had been moved . Even th e am p be forehad not been cleared , for the re stil l rem aine d severalhundred tons for transport to Lagos . Skins and hideswere sufie r ing from the sam e trou ble , and there seem edl i ttle hope Of betterment for som e time to come . At th e

180 WEST AFR ICA THE ELUSIVE

r i sk Of be ing unpopular , however , one could not but think,and in point o f fact the thought was endorsed by thebus iness community, a more enterpri sing pol icy by therai lway adm inistration might overcome many o f thesedifficulties . For , if England wer e too busy with ordersfor rolling stock , there was Am er i ca , and had notN iger i a had twelve locom otives therefrom within a fewmonths Then why not trucks N O doubt th e CrownAgents have an answer !

Par thians,Medes , and E lam i tes , inhabitants o f

Mesopotam i a,Ju dea , and Cappadocia , Pontu s and Asia ,

Phrygia and Pam phylia , Egypt and the parts o f Lybiaabout Cyrene

,and strangers o f Rom e , Jews also, and

prose lytes,Cretes and Ar abians . Thi s quotat ion could

not fai l to su gge st i tse l f to us as we stood in the crowdedstreets of Kano Marke t . There were Arabs from Tunis ,Tr ipol i and Egypt . There were the Shrouded Tuaregs

,

who wear the yashmak and carry swords . The re wereFu lanis

,Sem it ic in feature , and several shades l ighter in

colour than the ordinary native . There were Hausas ,pe ople from the “ coast ,

” people fr om the “ r ivers ,”

natives Of French Say ” and Zinder . All of thembu y ing , sel l ing , haggling , protest ing , arguing , in manylanguages , and with many gest iculations . There wasl iterally not room to walk , so great was the throng . Wehad to pu sh ou r way through the massed hum anity,which gave a l ittle to allow of ou r passage , and thenclosed up again . And , when one thinks that this marke tis held daily throughout the year , and that the samecrowd is always in attendance , one m arvel s what therecan be left to buy in the countr ies supplying i t . Truly,there i s eve rything in Kano Marke t . DO you wish clothThere i s Manchester cotton , cunning ly selected to pleasethe local taste in colou r ; there i s the native

“ Kanocloth

,cream or blue . D O you wish a

“ r iga or anysor t o f gown B u y you r cloth and take i t to any one ofthe hu ndred o r more tailors who Si t cross - legged in th e irstalls , each working a S inger sewing m achine . He willturn you ou t the latest Mohamm edan fashion andshades o f Mohammed - these on an elaborate design inwhatever colour you select . If , however, you are



r i sk o f be ing unpopular , however , one could not bu t think ,and in point o f fact the thought was endorsed by thebus iness community, a more enterpr i sing pol icy by therai lway adm inistration m ight overcome many o f thesedifficultie s . For , if England were too busy with ordersfor rolling stock , there was Amer i ca , and had no t

Nigeri a h ad twe lve locom otive s therefrom within a fewmonths Then why not trucks No doubt th e CrownAgents have an answer !

Par thians , Medes , and E lamite s , inhabitants o f

Mesopotam i a,Ju de a

,and Cappadocia

,Pontus and Asia ,

Phrygia and Pam phylia , Egypt and the parts o f Lyb iaabout Cyrene

,and strangers o f Rome , Jews also, and

prose lytes,Cretes and Arabians . This quotation could

not fai l to su gge st i tse lf to us as we stood in the crowdedstreets of Kano Marke t . There were Arabs from Tunis ,Tr ipol i and Egypt . There were the shrouded Tuaregs

,

who wear the yashmak and carry swords . There wereFulanis

,Sem i t ic in feature , and several shades l ighter in

colour than the ordinary native . There were Hausas ,people from the “ coast ,

” people from the “ r ivers ,”

native s of French Say ” and Zinder . All o f thembuy ing

,sel l ing , haggling , protest ing , arguing , in many

language s , and with many gesticulations . There wasl iterally not room to walk , so great was the throng . Wehad to pu sh ou r way through the massed hum anity ,which gave a l ittle to allow o f our passage , and thenclosed up again . And , when one thinks that this marke ti s he ld daily throu ghout the year , and that the samecrowd is always in attendance , one marvel s what therecan be left to buy in the countr ies supplying i t . Truly ,there is everything in Kano Market . Do you wish clothThere i s Manchester cotton , cunningly selected to pleasethe local taste in colour ; there i s the native

“ Kanocloth

,cream or blue . Do you wish a

“ r iga o r anysort of gown Buy your cloth and take i t to any one ofth e hundred o r more tailors who Sit cross - legged in th e irstalls , each working a S inger sewing m achine . He willt u rn you o u t the latest Moham m edan fashion andshades o f Mohammed —these on an e laborate design inwhatever colour you select . If , however , you are


prosperous you have your robe embroidered by h and .

There are plenty o f men Ski l led wi th the needle in otherstal ls who will do it . Some o f the articles they u se , thefem inine member o f the party was interested to see , havecome from Arabia itself , and even from Bulgaria . Thenyou want Sl ippers . Take your choice . There are redones o f Kano leather and dyed w ith the famous reddye o f Kano, some w ith hee l s and som e without . Thereare green ones , and others with as many colours asJoseph ’s coat ; o r there are sandals if you wish . Perhapsyou wish a case for your Koran . Take your choiceUndoubtedly you wi l l buy a native-made e iderdown

,for

th e nights are cold now in the rainy season , even thoughyou Sleep w ith al l your w indows tightly shut , as i s yourcustom at all tim es . And then , after providing for yourown needs , you m ay perhaps think o f the fem inine partof your fam i ly . Pu rchase some baskets , big ones andsmall , so that your wom en can carry loads on the ir headssuited to their age and strength . Som e wooden plattersalso , and som e strings of (Birm ingham) beads i f you arefeel ing particularly gracious . Then , for common u se ,

you wil l no t fail to take home some henna ” for tintingfinger and toe nai ls , sticks of antimony for the outliningof the eyes

,and the flowers o f the tobacco plant to chew .

Do not forget a bottle or two o f that especially strongscent which you l ike so much, and which tel l s o f yourcom ing long before you can be seen .

Your wife you will send to buy th e foodstufis . Shewil l get m eat in that Odiferous section o f the marketwhere a European is inclined to h old a handkerchief tohis nose , but where the natives si t placidly all day . Shewill bring back soya- bean cakes , guinea corn , red peppers ,Okra

,dates and onions . And perhaps , i f Sh e i s observant ,

Sh e wi l l speak on her return o f a fine camel , o f a sturdydonkey , o r a fleet horse which may be had cheap . For

this good service you w i l l g ive her, as a reward , one o f

the heavy s i lver bracelets which are so temptinglydisplayed

,and perhaps a nose ring for one nostri l , if you

are able to sel l the horse at a fine profit to a whiteBatur i wh o plays polo . Be i t understood , all this

takes t ime . An Or iental market i s not l ike th e S tock

182 WE ST AFRICA THE E LUSIVE

Exchange , though it exerci ses the same fasc inat ion oni t s devotees . The purchase o f one m inute h orn bottle inwhich to carry snuff may take half an hour It i s easyto imagine , and there i s probably a gre at deal of truthin th e surm i se , that at least one - third of the people inth e market mere ly drop in ” from force Of habit , andwithout the smallest intention o f bu ying so much as onebobbin of native str ing . There they stay , the whole daylong , hear ing th e latest gossip the wor ld ove r

,and

possibly going hom e with articles for which they havenot the sl ighte st use . As we were inspecting the horsem arket suddenly we heard a sound of shouting and thebeating of many drum s

,and saw above the he ads Of the

throng a white flag borne on a long pole . What did i tmean we aske d . The explanation was a qu aint one .

The y search for unm arr ied m en,

” said a tal l Old Hausa ,with a twinkle in his eye . NO able - bodied young manhas a r ight to rem ain unm arrie d he Should marry andhave many ch i ldren W e quer ied . He i s pe l ted withm u d and dust i s thrown over h im until he i s so ashamedthat he soon finds a bride .

” Not a pleasant custom ifadopted in Weste rn countr iesPassing from the m arke t , with its noise and colou r ,

one goe s down narrow ,tor tuou s streets to th e pri son ,

m ention o f which has be en made . It deserves m orethan passing notice , however , as here one See s thecomfor t and discomfor t of native m ethods wel l portrayed .

The pri soners we re all squ atting in th e pr ison courtyardwhen w e arr ived . The ir uniform , l ike a Gru yere cheese ,cons isted mostly o f holes , and the rem ainder was a coar sel inen jacke t w ithout S le eves , and sadly in need of washing . That and a loin - cloth was the extent o f the irraiment , un le ss one includes the fetters . Two b and twothey are shackled , a r ing on one man ’s leg being joine dto a sim i lar r ing on his mate by a long chain . Withthe consent o f the Governor the Em ir has powe rs o f l ifeand death . Many o f the prisoners we saw were servinglife sentences

,and many were confined the re unjustly ,

and are soon to be re leased by order Of th e Br i t ishCourt . That i s, to the native , the dark side o f

,

thep icture . To offse t i t is the lack of discipl ine , the



workers in the machine and carpenters ’ shops,and the

w ise instructor did not wish to send them disappointedaway , as they had come from a far part o f the provinceto learn how the white man make plenty money withhands .” Once the workers have becom e profic ient

,they

return to their homes and carry on their trade s th ere ,where they make as they hope plenty money .

”

Breakfast was provided for us by the versati le super in

tendent o f the school , in hi s house— an interest ingSpecimen of native architecture . Room after room w ithdomed roofs and arches instead o f doors , a quaint mudstaircase winding —rather uncertainly— u p to the nextfloor ; every room at a different level , every wall at adifferent angle ; no w indow exactly in plumb . And yetthe whole effect i s charm ing . The native house builderi s very fond of decorating the inside o f the roof with bitso f coloured china , or even with whole plates , if he canfind them . Apropos o f this , the agent o f the Bank o f

Br it ish West Afr ica at Kano has a pecul iar trophy . Inthe centre o f the roof o f hi s dining - room i s firmlyem bedded a dinner plate with a crest in the centre .

Cur iosity prompted h im to discover wh at it was . Invain he tr ied opera and field glasses , the light was notsufficiently good . At last b e mounted precariously on a

ladder and discovered that the plate bore the crest o fthe Cunard Steamship Company !There is anoth er school at Kano wh ich is as interestingin its way as the Industrial School . This is the SurveySchool . A S it was the month of Ramadan , th e Mohammedan t ime o f fasting , not all o f the pupil s were there ,but we saw enou gh to impress us favourably with themental ity o f the younger generation . Naturally, to usea theodol ite and to be able to apply a certain amount o fhigher mathematics bespeak a better order of brainpower than to make a hinge for a door or a brass candlestick . The faces o f the boys were strikingly intelligent ,and we were told that they took great pleasure in the irwork

,which was evidenced by the accuracy and neatness

Of the ir maps and the pride they showed in exhibitingthem to us .Kano in the old days surveyed its farm lands for th e


purposes o f taxation , but then a l i ttle palm Oi l froma rich farmer easi ly converte d his large plot o f land intoa small one on the map . Al l that is changed now , andthe boys turned ou t from this school are employed bythe Governm ent as competent surveyors .With the exception of those who l ive in the town o f

Kano , all l ive in buildings near the school , and theyounger ones are taught the rudim ents o f English .

There i s a rest-house inside the w alls o f Kano for thebenefi t o f non - o ffic ial Europeans , but it i s not frequentlyused

,judging from the ruinou s condition into which i t

h as fallen . It i s a pity that , at a place the Size of Kano ,there i s not better accommodation for th e frequenttravel lers who are obliged from bus iness reasons to visitit fo r possibly a week at a time . West African hospital ity i s proverbial , but the most w i ll ing heart cannotenlarge the cubic space of a house , and the unexpectedvis itor may have a rough t ime o f i t , particular ly in th erainy season , when even the best roof has been knownto leak like a Sieve . Th is recalls to us a strange bel iefin this part of the world . Everywhere one sees crowsfine black fel lows with white collar s . A l l the natives

,

with out exception , are firmly convinced that no crowlays an egg . When asked why and how there are youngcrows

,he wi l l tell one that the crows steal the eggs o f

oth er birds , take them up in the sky, and batch themou t into young c rows . By what process o f nature theegg o f , let us say , a partridge becomes a crow theycannot tel l , and the final retort always is , Have youever found a crow ’s nest ? O f course you have not . Noone ever has . SO how do you explain it ? ” Afterwhich crushing remark th ere is nothing more to be said .

No account o f Kano would be complete w ithoutmentioning the M .I . , or Mounted Infantry , the corp sd

’

e’

lz’

te o f West Africa , and unique on the continent ,inasmuch as the rank and fi le are all natives . Andwhat wonderful horsemen they are No p icked men atthe Naval and Mil itary Tournament have better controlof their horses . To see them on parade is a del ight toth e eye . At Kano there are four sections , each w ithh orses of a difierent colour— black , roan , grey and


chestnut . Perfectly groomed and trained,they sweep

past the spectator l ike Shining clockwork,and seem to

know the words o f comm and as we l l as do their r iders .The soldie rs wear a blu e and white turban and cummerbund , which at once differentiate them from the fezzedand belte d Before the war they were shodwith native boots , which added to their picturesqueness ,but that has had to give way , for purposes of e conomy ,to the ordinary Br i tish cavalry boot

,made even more

hideous and clum sy to accommodate the native foot .But these atrocitie s are the only jarring note in what isotherwise as e ffe ctive a l i ttle band o f horsemen as canb e found anywhere . There are

,unfortu nately

,only 600

o f them in all , divided amongst stations where thedreaded t setse -fly doe s not make the exi stence o f thehorse impossible . O fficers and sergeant -m ajor al l wearthe crest o f the Crown bird in the ir topees , which makesa badge at once S imple and distinctive . The crest i sl ike a sm all brownish brush with a base of soft black .

Were there more Crown birds and were not the l awagainst shooting them so stringent , they would soonbe come fashionable for b ats o f the Opposite sex, for asofter , mor e de l icate ornam ent could no t be found . Thebird itself is a species o f he ron , and the r e are a num bero f them

,serene in the ir im m unity , walking with long

legged dignity about the fie lds near Kano .

There has been som e idea o f doing away with theM .I . , bu t i t i s sincer e ly to be hoped that nothing o f thesor t will occu r . A l l the rom ance and colour i s beingexterm inate d from thi s pract ical world of our s , so , whi lethe Nigerian regim ent may murmur : “ It costsa year to keep u p the M .I . , not inclu ding the ir horses ,and look at u s— cheap and usefu l ! the sight o f the longlances and the blu e and white turbans i s thr i ll ingenough to stir the blood o f anyone save a Treasuryofficial . To rever t once more to stern real ity ; i t i s al amentable fact that th e only properly equipped hospitalfor Europeans in the Northern Province i s at Kadu na ,1 35 m iles from Kano , 50 m ile s from Zar ia , and closeon 200 m i les from th e Bauchi Plateau , with i ts largepopulation o f m iners and m ine Officials . There is a



class coaches . The train rumbled ou t o f th e station ,and the many spectators and loungers were obliged tofind some other occupation unti l this supreme momentcould be repeated three days later . Once more S i lencere igned , and the curtain of the past seemed again to fallupon Kano . A few came l s lumbered in from the distantdesert , an arab bestrid ing a dim inut ive donkey spedacross one ’s vi sion . Modern Kano was gone .

CHAPTER ! I! .

FROM Kano,w ith its teem ing Mohammedan popu la

t ion,with its culture , and its traditions , i t i s indeed a

far cry to Jos , which may ju stly be descr ibed as thec apital o f the great Bau chi Plateau . This tableland l iesat a height o f from ft . to ft . above sea level ,and i s approximately 200 m i les long by seventy m i lesbroad . It posses ses two points o f great interest ; in thefir st place

,i t i s the home o f Pagan tribe s , who are u n

d oubtedly amongst the most prim i t ive people in thewhole of Western Africa ; while , in th e second place ,the t in m ines o f thi s plateau rank am ongst the mostimportant o f the wor ld . There is no exagge ration in thestatement that , given time and oppor tu nity , a bookc ould easily be wr i tten concerning th e habits and c us

toms Of the Pagan communities . How they got there ,from what stock they are descended , the history of theirpast

,all i s ve i led in the profoundest secrecy . We were

t old by a pol itical officer , who had taken an interest inth e question , that he believe d that they had forme r lypossessed a comparatively high state Of c iv i lizat ion ,

'

and

that gradually they had drifted , gene rat ion by gene rat ion , into the ir present condition . In support of hisc ontent ion he instanced some rem arkable stone remainswhich are to be se en on the northern fr inge o f thet able land , causeways , br idges , and viaducts , neatlyfashioned from huge slabs o f stone , and certainly beyondt h e constructive ability o f any native race to be foundt o - day w ithin a thousand m i les o f the spot . On th eo ther hand , i t appears equally likely that when theFu lanis

,with their Hausa hordes , ove rran the Western

Soudan,these born warriors— for such they are—took to

t h e b i lls to preserve the ir independence . It is worthyOf note that they retained this independence until the


discovery o f the t in deposits led to active British intervent ion and the opening up of the plateau by the m iningindustry . Although th e plateau , owing to its altitu de ,has practically a temperate cl im ate , these people o f bothsexes despise clothing , and go about , to al l intents andpurposes , in a state o f nature . The only except ionwhich can be named is that women who are marriedwear what m ight be termed a very sm all bustle

,

” madeo f grass or leaves or plaited straw . But fem inine vanitybe ing the same the wor ld over , and thou gh these l adiesdo not Spend a large dress allowance , as may be imagined ,they sti l l have the ir own ide as of fashion . Thus

,some

o f them w i l l paint elaborate gar ters in red p igm entbelow the knee , while we have seen a veritable leade ro f society who had coloured her se lf blue from her hipsdownwards . Men and women Shave the ir heads

,and

the “ com ing ou t dress o f the debu tante is the Sim pleaddition to her toi let o f a long straw stuck through theupper l ip .

Before a young man may enter the bonds o f matrimony he i s put through a test o f endu rance to ascertainwhether he i s worthy o f a mate and is fitted to be aparent o f the next generation . The ordeal consists o fstanding before th e e lde r s and being be aten over theback

,legs , shou lde r s and abdome n with sticks and leather

thongs , several r ibs be ing Often broken du ring the proc e ed ing . In the l atter event , o f cou rse , the applicant forthis unpleasant form o f marri age l icence i s consideredas useless to the commu nity , as also i s he who Shoutsfrom pain . Shou ld he , however , pass h is exam ination ,h e takes the lady o f hi s choice without going throughany formality , su ch as asking her pe rm i ssion , and Shebecomes one o f the com m on wives o f the fam i ly

,for

communism as practi sed here is carried to the extremeconclusion advocate d by the Bolsheviks in th e earlydays o f the ir power— wom en as common property . It

must be adm i tted that this cu r ious state o f affairs hasapparently had no de ter iorating effect from a physicalstandpoint

,since both men and wom en are usually most

magnificent spe cimens o f hum anity .

A noticeable feature about these tribes is th e fact th at



When British troops encountered these obstructionsdur ing the Bauchi m i l i tary expedition o f 1906- 7 thecasualties suffered through the ir medium were terriblyheavy , and it was rather surpr i s ing that they were sti l lal lowed to retain them , which only goes to prove h owsa tisfied these pagans are with Br it ish rule

,and h ow

confident we are that they have no grounds for complaint and no desire to cause the adm inistration trouble .

In many respects the Bau chi P lateau rem inds one

forcibly o f the West o f Scotland . To a West countrym an , again , i t m ay speak o f Dar tmoor . There are vasthu mmocks Of bare rock which m ight easi ly be taken fortors . There are m iles o f magnificent pastu re har

bou r ing the fam ous Fu lani cattle , which are not unlikethe H ighland breed . And , above all , in th e ear ly morning , when the m i s t i s ju st commencing to r ise , whennature i s awaking to another day , and , except for theChirru ping of m yr iad birds , there i s th e wonde rfu l restfu l silence of the u pland which can only be found in theu pland and far removed from the hurly -burly Of th eplain . Then it seem s as though in al l reality the dearo ld West Country rou nd about Hay Tor , o r WideCombe , o r Peter Tavy and his s ister Mary had beentransplanted for th e nonce to far- away Niger ia . Alas ,however

,daylight and tin m ines dissipate romance , and

the countryside resem ble s,as inde ed it is , a hive o f

indu stry . The largest undertaking in connection withthe plateau is w i thou t doubt the gre at Ropp Tin Company , situ ated abou t for ty m i le s from Jos , and reachedby an adm irable m otor road

,constru cted in the bad o ld

days of faulty adm inistration by this enterpr i sing andgo

- ahead corporation .

It i s pleasing to be able to state that the Governmenthas now taken over this comm ercial ar tery , which , apar tfrom the m ine

,taps a portion o f th e cou ntry r ich not

not only in m inerals , but in farm s forme rly stunted bylack of communication . Consider ing that , during thew ar , t in was as scarce as could be , that i t was mosturgently needed , and that this undertaking is the fifthin the world as regards tin production , then what can besaid for an administration which del iberately ignored



sities for the carrying on o f the tin indu stry,and that

upon the pla te au there ar e num be r le ss sm al l concern spaying a r easonable d ividend to the ir shareholde r s , bu tto whom expense o f this sort spe l l s virtua l extinction .

Ropp happens to be weal thy , but in justice to its le sshappily S i tuated ne ighbou r s i t has m ade the strongestrepresentations to th e Adm inistration

,and the r e i s every

rea son to anticipate a radical change i n th e ne ar fu tu re .

Which i s al l to the good , for i t i s o f no u se to wr i te inbl inkers

, o r to tu rn a deaf ear when one i s trave l l ingthrough a country o f potential valu e to those in se arch

-as m ost are nowadays— o f a de cent l ive l ihood,after

all the b e - al l and end - all o f Im per ial acqu isi tion . A nd

the feel ing between the m in ing comm u nity and th e

m ining adm inistra tion has been ve ry acu te , thoughdefinite prom ise o f reform has dulle d tem porar i ly thatstrong su spicion that prom i se s ar e oft en mer e ly pi ecrust . Handle the m iners with sym pathy , adm iniste rin a broad -m inded fashion

,and br e ak the pedantic and

high -flown attitude o f th e official o f the past , and th erest will be easy . Then the r e will follow further explo itat ion , to e veryone ’s advantage .

Having su ffe red disillu sionm ent in se e ing gold m ineson the Gold Coast , w e were not prepared to find anythingwonderfu l in tin m ine s in Nige r ia . And ye t , to a certainextent

,ther e i s an e lem ent o f the dram atic abou t th e

Ropp m ine . There , in th e heart of this pagan country ,m i le s away from civi lization , i s the most u p

- to - datee le ctr ic plant anywhere to be fou nd . To look at theenorm ou s dr iving whee l s and to real ize the distancethey had to be transported before the pre sent motorroad was in e xi stence , m akes one marvel at the sublim eau dacity which carr ie d through su ch an u nder taking .

The plant controls th e two dredge rs which work ther iver bed for tin , thus expediting the work and m inim izing the amou nt o f m anu a l labour . Practically al lthe tin m ines on th e plateau ar e allu vial , which accountsto som e extent for th e num ber o f sunstroke s am ongstthe white m iners , for although this table land i s cool , th esun ’s rays are more deadly h ere than on the dam p seacoast where they are not so direct . At Ropp , however


there i s only one grave . It i s on th e slope of a hillbelow which a river ru shes in gentle cataracts to th eplain

,and one can see range after range o f mou ntains

stre tching away , strange ly dist inct , to th e hor izon . Apeacefu l and pleasant place in which to o r e st ! And inthe grave l ies a white woman , th e wife o f a m inemanager , who succum bed to influ enza during that awfu lperiod in We st Afr ica when black and white al ikedropped in the ir thousands be fore th e pe stilence . Thereare always flowers on the grave , place d there by thosewho knew and love d her , and by many to whom Sh e wasonly a name . Exile , whe ther i t be volu ntary or enforced ,br ings ou t the tender Side of m an ’s nature as we l l as th erough .

There i s another m ine , abou t thirty m i les from Jos ,which does not possess the Ropp motor road , Tru ly ,we fe l t i t somewhat in the natu re o f an achie vem ent togo the re and return withou t m i shap , althou gh with th emost skilful of dr iver s . Im agine m otoring fo r twentym i le s over p lou ghed fields , inter sper sed with gull ie s ju stwide enough to rack th e Springs o f any car and th eoccu pants the re of . The road , which was rathe r l ike animaginary l ine be tween two points , was lost and founda dozen time s during th e journey . Pagans working inthe fields looked at us in wonder . They have grownaccustom ed to see ing the white man flash by on asm ooth road , bu t that he and his juju Shou ld ventu reover su ch country as this cause d them to pause amoment in the ir l abou rs . And we

,bou ncing and

bumping on ou r way , and wonde r ing how m u ch longerthe tortu red spr ings would last , fel t that they we re rightto marve l . It was with rel ief that we final ly arr ived atth e m ine m anager ’s hou se , where we were gre ete d byhis “ boys ,

” who , qu i te unperturbed by th e advent offour unexpected gue sts , said they wou ld soon have lunchready for us all . A black cook is rar e ly upset by theunforeseen

,and the way he can conjure sufficient food

ou t o f a desert i s worthy o f notice by th e Indian jugglerswho produce a flowe r ing tree be fore one ’s eyes in tenm inutes . This particular m ine was not large ; therewas only the one white man there ; the country round


about looked as prom ising as the Giant ’s Causeway yet“ Ibrahim ,

”th e cook , served us and his master the

following lunch : Chicken soup (tinned) , salm on r i ssoles ,mutton cutlets and yams , chicken fr icassé (tinned) ,cherr ies and fresh le ttuce , cucumbers and c ofiee . Perhaps we l ingered too long at this hospitable shelter .

Certainly tornadoes overtook us on ou r way back ,and the discom forts we re increased by the rain , whichrushed like mountain streams down the previously drygull ies , obliterating the marks made by ou r wheel s inth e morning . Three separate and d istinct tornadoesgave us the benefit o f the ir com pany before we reachedJOS . The thunder and l ightning am ongst the ironstonehi l l s was truly appal l ing , and even the remark o f one o f

us that it was exactly like a bad storm at Drury Lanefai led to re concile us to the risk we ran . But everythingcom es to an end sooner o r later , and in Spite of om i nousskids when we reached the high road once more

,in

Spite of rushing through water so deep that the Spraywas flung high on each S ide o f the car , In spite o f being ,l ike Mr . Mantellini , dem ned , demp , moist andunpleasant bodies ,

” we eventually reached Tuton- an

Wada , the home o f ou r kind host , Colonel W . Laws ,D .S .O ,

Colone l Laws may be justly described as the pioneero f Nigerian tin . We have known him for many years ,and we can remember how , in 1905, alone and unaided ,he prospected the Plateau for the Niger Com pany .

Maybe some day he will wr i te his rem iniscences . Wehave urged him to do so ; i t would make the best o fgood reading for the schoolboy, or , for that matter , forthe grown man who has the cal l o f the wi ld and thedemand for adventure

,In his blood . Suffice it to

chronicle here a mere historic fact ; alone , as far aswhite company was concerned , and with the magnificentescort o f e ight sold iers— the most the DoubtingThomases ” o f the Administration would permit— thi sgentleman invaded the plateau on his own initiative , soto speak, overcam e resistance with diplomacy, or mockforce , harangued people s whose language was a closedbook even to native interpreters

,the said haranguing



grown retr iever,of no known breed , but possesse d o f a

capacity for su ffe r ing we have rare ly se en equalled .

H e was a bu sh dog , par iah , what you will but sinceh e was a baby b e had lived with h i s white master ,sleeping by his side at night , rece iving his food fromthose b ands , walking at h i s heel s by day . And at th eend o f a ye ar his m aste r had gone hom e , leaving Belah iin the charge o f Colonel Laws . Food he had in plenty ;th e best cushions and the m ost com fortable chairs wereat his disposal kind words and sym pathy were l avishedupon him . B u t to Belah i nothing m attered

,save that

he no longer saw the one who meant al l the worldt o him . Eve ry tim e a motor drew up at th e steps o f thebu ngalow he dashed out to it and was in a m omentsniffing the se at

,pushing aside it s occupants with hi s

grea t bulk . Eve ry morning he entere d ou r bedroom ,

previously occupied by his m aster , and hunted for him .

He was gentle , ate a l ittle when coaxed , and acceptedcare sses with a mou rnfu l patience , but at intervals thesoft red forehead would wrinkle into a puzzled fr ownand he would raise his head and bow l . They feared hew ou ld go mad from gr ief, this poor devoted mongr el .One wonde r s what he would have done had b e knownthat his idol neve r intende d to return . Wasn ’t i tGeorges Sand who said ,

“ The more I know men,the

bette r I love dogs ” ? We have never heard the fateo f Belah i , but we wil l never forget him .

The marke t at JOS, and thou gh w e seem to wr i teindefinitely about markets, i t i s there one sees the l i feo f the pe ople , was interesting though small . NakedPagan s

,Hausas in the ir volum inous robe s

,and Fulani

wom en with long braids of horsehair adde d to theirown wool , elbowed e ach other with sublime unconcern .

Ou r“ boys

,however

, wh o had been in a state o f

i l l - conceale d terror ever Since they had reached Zariawe re vastly intrigu ed . Feel ing the cold o f the Plateauacu te ly , they could not understand how the Pagansm anaged to exi st without many wraps , though theEve - l ike costum e o f the ladies brought from Ansum anah

the remark : “ The ir hu sbands no pay plenty m oney fo rdress for them , so they fi t catch plenty w ife Cheap .

”

WE ST AFRICA TE E ELUS IVE 199

A las ! i t i s not always true that th e less one wears theless expen s ive it i s . L e t hu sbands seeking the idealstate o f things m igrate to th e Bauchi Plateau andbe com e Pagans Th e l ittle Stools on which the womens i t in th e m arke t attracted ou r attention . About e ightinche s high , they ar e elaborately carve d and paintedblack , and make for a Eu ropean de l ightfu l footstools .One stou t dam e rem oved h e r stool from beneath her andhe ld i t o u t for inspection o r sale . At he ar ing the pr iceo ffered sh e indignantly popped down on i t again ; them ost definite negative imaginable . Eventu ally , however ,we acqu ire d tw o Of the se trophie s , from one of which itslate owne r aske d that She m ight remove a string o f

beads as they we re h e r especia l ju ju .

It was with regr e t that we le ft thi s invigorating airand packe d ou rse lve s into th e train for Zar i a . AsM’

Prae so on th e Gold Coast i s to Accra o r Sekondi ,so i s th e Bauchi Plateau to th e r e s t o f Niger ia , and i ts eem s a wa ste of Oppor tunity that the Gove rnment doesnot here establi sh a hospital and sanator ium . Official sm ight be adm i tted cost free ; ou tsiders might wel l paya re asonable fe e in order to fee l that they were nota ctua lly r e cipien ts o f char i ty

,which would be m ost

unde sirable . The grou nd nece ssary could be se cureda t sm al l cost , the expense of the buildings would no t

be dre adful,and m any a l ife could be saved which

o therwise , unfor tunate ly , finds i ts fini s som ewhere northo f the Canary Islands , with a piece o f canvas and a fewfire - bars as shrou d and grave . Ju dge no t the WestCoast m or tality by Officia l returns . They are correct inthem se lve s

,but i t i s possible to bu rke the tru th in m any

ways,and if th e individu al i s placed on board a ship

“ in extrem i s there i s no reason to inclu de him or hera s a gue st in the “ port o f m issing m en

” from Niger iao r the Gold Coast o r any other West African Colony .

Th e plateau is undou btedly the most healthy spot onec an find in the se regions ; i t i s ne arer the source o f

trouble than th e Canary Islands ; i t does not Offer thed anger o f trave l to England in ove rcrowded steam ersw ith doubtfu l m edical attention

,and if the rai lway be

improved a l i ttle i t i s easily approachable .

CHAPTER XX .

MOST o f us have been motoring along the wonderfu lE nglish lanes with every now and again a turn or twistbringing us upon th e unexpected

,maybe a piece o f

wind - swept , gorse- bloom ed common , maybe a solemn ,tree- crowned hil l dark with the mystery of age- longgrowth , and then , as suddenly, the eye has beenarrested . By wha t ? Out of the beyond has ar isen ,withou t apparent rhym e or reason , a curious edifice ,possibly a m onument alone in i ts sol itude ; poss ibly a

spur ious m onstrosi ty fashioned by folk who knew no t

Byzantine architecture,but thou ght they did ; poss ibly

som ething be longing to a school of thou ght which musthave been insp ired by Heath Robinson . And wondering

,who has not leaned over to th e chau ffeur, greatly

versed in the local lore , and asked , Wha t on earth i sthat ? ” The re sponse has always be en th e same , withSl ight var iations : “ Never heard o f Rackham ’s Folly

,

sir ? We l l known this way , sir . They do say h e

went o ff hi s head afte r his wife died , and that’s her

mem orial . Or e l se ,“ That ’s Tom kinson ’

s Folly . He

built i t because he thought it would be a sort o f l andmark for folk wh at lost the ir way ; at le ast that

’s Whatthey do say , but , Lord ble ss

’

ee , i t only be local gossip .

”

And so on . With all du e respect for i ts founder andthe genius which directed him , Kaduna very strong lyrem inde d us o f one of the se mental idiosyncrasies . Andthereby hangs a tale . When Nor thern Nigeri a that was ,was a m ere infant in arms and was looking anx iouslyfor something tangible which it could loftily term i ts

capital,the story goes

’

that a party of Governmentengine ers were sent out into the bush not far fromKaduna

’

s R iver to find a suitable site . It was hot . Th e

engineers and accompanying surveyors were thirsty,


202 WEST AFR ICA THE ELUS IVE

At Kaduna there i s a Gove rnm ent House,rarely

,very

rarely , visited by th e pre sent Governor, Wh o i s frank inhi s opinions about i t . It is the headquarters o f thec omm andant o f the Nige r i an forces— an excel lent choice ,as we shall Show . There i s a m agn ificent

- lookinghospital in course o f erection when w e Saw it to servea terr i tory which ought to have i ts own local hospital swere money for thcom ing . There i s an ice plant , a pologround , a cricke t pitch , a golf cou r se , a race track, andm i les o f beautiful m acadam ized roads— the be st we eve rsaw in West Afr ica

,outside of Togoland . Each

European bu ngalow is surrounde d by a com pound o r

garden— which you please— o f gre at size , an excellentide a if continuity o f occupation cou ld be ensu red .

Pe ople in West Afr ica are s im i lar to those el sewhere ,and they appreciate as mu ch as other s vege tables , fru it ,and flow er s— pe rhaps flower s most o f all , they are

humanizing . But if after ten months o f carefu l attent ion necessity and orders force the occu pant to su rrenderhis or her garden , then natural ly a feel ing wil l be bornthat it i s not worth whi le to do anything except to“ carry on so far as gardening is concerned . Fo r , bei t remem bered , even this l ittle p iece o f garden costsm oney to ke ep up , and people do not com e here forple asure . And so th e large gardens o f Kaduna are awe ary- looking com m entary u pon the fallacy that i t i spossible to m ake br icks without the ne cessary straw .

They seem to cry alou d and say : D O come and lookafter us

,and we will do ou r best for you .

” The n ewhospital aforem entioned wil l be a fine bu i lding . Wewent ove r i t . There are ram ps to the floors , preventingth e j olting that inevitably occurs when stairs mu st beclimbed to bring a “ case to a first -floor ward . Thereare room s to hold only one person , w ith four w indowsand two door s , thus ensu r ing ventilation which should ,from the unpractical lay-m ind , be a boon never to beforgotten in a swelte r ing cl im ate such as this . Thatthis Opinion does not me et approval from medicos or

nur ses at Kaduna m oves us not a whit . No one

approve s o f anything in Nigeri a unless they havefashioned

,framed

,and constructed it themselves— inc i


d ental ly a fundam ental error in adm inistration wher eperpe tu ity depe’nds alm ost entirely upon loya lty to th epre con ce ive d convictions o f those wh o have gone be fore .

It i s so e asy to de stroy and SO e asy to condem n . It i sSO ple asant to su rround one self with a barrage o f whatone i s going to accom pl ish and so gratifying to realizethat one ’s prede ce ssor fe ll far Shor t o f per form ancewhich wou ld have benefite d policy , pe ople , and public .

Kadu na Hosp ital prom i se s to be one o f the fine st in thi spor tion Of Afr ica ; such , at least , i s ou r unbiasedopinion .

And now to tu rn to o u r main them e : Was Kadunasuch a bad place to choose as nom inal capita l o f u nitedNiger ia ? We have pr e tty thoroughly exploited thecons ; m ay not the p ro s exist in spite o f pre judice ?Why

,ce r ta inly . The L ieu tenant -Governor , a practical

man in m any r e spects , Show ed us a map of Nigeria asi t i s to - day . H e gave u S a pair o f com passes , and askedus to try whether Kaduna was m ore or le ss the centre o f

the colony . W e tr ied , and we found that actually suchwas th e fact . He then rem inded u s that Niger i a wasnot a hom ogeneous whole , that the re we re m any conflic t ing inte re sts , r e l igiou s

,terri tor ial , and racial , and

finished up by pointing o u t that if De lhi had beenchosen capital o f India for terr itor ial re asons , i f thenew capital of Australia was not to be S i tu ated atSydney o r Me lbou rne , bu t el sewhere , then why shouldNigeri a have i ts adm inistrative centre at Lagos

,a mu ch

m ore r idiculou s proceeding than having th e capi tal OfEngland and the Em pire at Penzance . This sou nds l ikehard comm on sense . The re m ust inevitably be som e

central zone , and history has shown the futi li ty ofattem pting to adm inister a country from i ts confines .Sure ly one o f the cau ses of the Tsari st downfall , and

here we are both on solid ground , cam e from the very factthat Pe te r th e Great neve r com prehended the primefactor in the question of gove rnment, nam e ly , facil ityof acce ss to the capital . How many subjects o f thegreat Em irates o f the north o f this country can affordto visi t Lagos ? What do they know about theGovernment there ? What do they care if they are


told that a Governor , whom they have seen for one

m inute when he speede d by in a motor car on one o f

his per iodic tou rs , repre sented the King . It meansnothing to them , and if these things must be madepatent to the nat ive they must be adm inistered inlarge

,sou l - satisfying quantities . And if thi s appl ies to

th e Mohamm edan , how much more to the Pagan inwhat was Southern Niger ia , who stands sti l l steeped inhis S lim e Of pestilential indiffe rence to au ght save h isown fe ars . Open up things and banish the fiction thatbecause Penzance has a ple asant if enervating cl imatei t need be the centre o f the me chanism o f a largeundertaking . It is no t . O ther countr ies are grappl ingwith problem s larger than thi s , and i t m ust he insistedthat if S ir Frederick L u gard , one o f th e greatest BritishPro - Consuls who eve r breathed , err e d in m ethod , incom prehension o f the human “ ego ,

” in the sympathywhich usu ally accompanies the pioneer , he arr ived w itha Shrewdness su rpr ising in its intensity at the one

cardinal factor which m akes native adm inistration at allpossible Do not judge by preconce ived conclu sions ofanyone . Judge them by fir st - hand evidence .

” And forthat Kaduna was bu i l t . S im i larly i t may be r ightlyinsisted that as the m i l i tary centre of N ige r ia , th e focalpoint of m il itary action when the first axiom i s to strikequ ick and hard , Kaduna h as a great deal to be said for i t .In fact , i t would be difficul t to d iscover a situationoccupying a better strategic position .

SO much , then, for ou r visi t to Kaduna . But theresti l l rem ains one point which must receive due considerat ion

,since upon it depends not only the health and

wel fare o f all Officials , but their contentm ent ; we referto the ever- vexing housing que stion . At Kaduna wewere perm i tted to inspect bungalow after bungalow,

bui l t for al l the wor ld l ike so many peas in a pod , so alikewere they . A bungalow o f thi s type consists o f one .

central room Of fair proportions with a verandah runningaround i ts fou r side s . The occu pant m ay use his own

ingenuity and cut up this verandah to su i t his own fancy .

He may make , as we saw in a bache lor ’s lodging , anoffice , a bath - room , and a dining- room of m inute pro



Abou t the wor st possible Specim en Of building we sawat Lagos— a m onum ent o f Mid -Niger ian architectu reas di stingu i shed from the m u d hu ts o f Ear ly Nige r i antype

,and far le ss com for table . This w as a Gove rnm ent

Rest Hou se, and i s known local ly as “

Th e Che st o fDrawer s

,

” presumably becau se so mu ch is packe d int oso l i ttle space . It i s a shocking bu i lding in which tohouse white m en ,

many o f them obl iged to pass a wholeterm o f service within its walls . Each occu pant rece ive sone room in which h e must ex i st , except when h e i s atwork or i s having his me a l s in th e stu ffy l ittle commonm ess room . The we l l - todo may be long to the clu b andhave m eals the r e , and to som e e xtent m ake i t an ou tsidehom e

,bu t all this costs

‘

m oney , and th e average Officiali s no t a r i ch m an— to be pre cise , he i s wor se pa id thana m ine r at the present day in England ; w e wishm iners wou ld note that—whilst h e m ay have responsib i l it i es at hom e which also cost m oney . Hence , afterworking hou r s

,h e m ay find d istraction at th e tennis

cour t , li sten to th e band for a while , and then go back tounadu lterated discom fort and slovenline ss

,for i t m ay be

accepted as an axiom that th e native boy will no t taketrouble whe re he sees that no trou ble i s be ing taken .

We we re told of one Official who had Spen t thre e tou r s inthese pr e cise su r r ou ndings

,and we r e a ske d whe the r we

were su rpr ised if a m an unde r su ch conditions Shou lddevelop , i f he did not find Som e othe r m u ch wor se malady ,neu rasthenia . The answ er

, o f cou r se , i s in th e negat ive .

Hou sing is ju st as im portant in th e e fficiency Of th e en tireadm inistrat ive organization as m edical attendan ce theyare certain ly inte rdependent

,and the one m ight go far

to render th e other le ss necessary .

After thi s digression, fo r which the bunga lows at

Kaduna are responsible , we mu st rever t to that place .

S i tu ated abou t a m i le from the Cantonm ent i s th eBotanical Garden

, whence i s sent away e ve ry spe cie s . o f

fruit and flower trees su i table fo r planting in th e wholeo f the vast ar e a of Nige r i a . O fficia l s bu y the ir you ngtrees or plan ts

, bu t for the Em irs and m inor nativerulers inducem ents are he ld o u t to ge t them to plantalong the roads in the ir towns trees which in t ime m ight

WEST AFR ICA THE ELUS IVE 207

acqu ire econom ic value , such as pawpaw (a Species o fm elon) , bananas and such like . It i s a pity tha t therei s not more re sponse , but the edu cation o f th e native hasnot ye t gone as far as te aching h im the nutri tive andmedicinal value o f fru it , whilst as for vegetables , h ese ems stil l to be satisfied with the everlasting yam andOkra

,with which h e flavours his fou rrah or porr idge .

B u t these are only matter s o f t ime and patience , andthere i s no reason why in due course the native towns OfNiger i a should not be possessed of avenues l ined withall the fru it-bearing trees suitable to the cou ntry , atonce an asset of commercial value and a factor in th ebeaut ify ing o f what othe rwise i s apt to be com e u gly anddusty roadways . Further , at th e Kadu na BotanicalGardens are carried on exper im ents in the Shape o f

graft ing su ch things as the We st Afr ican mango, arather poor fruit, upon the We st Indian , i ts su cculentrelative . Th e re sult i s am azing , and now there is nore ason wh y m angoes fu lly equ al to the Jam aican var ietyshould not be as comm on in Niger ia as th e proverbia lwee d . F lower s rece ive attention , and many a lonelybungalow is m ade hom e ly by growth s of plum bago ,bo u rgainv i l l ia ,

and even rose s , al l the direct pr odu ct o fthi s garden

,founded in the most hum ble o f fashions ,

and now bidding fair to outgrow the reputation o f thewel l - known Botanical Gardens at V ictor ia, Cam eroons ,the pr ide and boast o f the Germans when they heldsway over that country .

W e had a delightfu l tea w ith the pre siding genius o fthe Gardens , which was still fu rthe r enlivened by thepresence o f thre e nu rses attached to the , KadunaHospital , one Of them just ou t from hom e . How freshand pink her skin was and how untired were her bigblue eyes ! Bu t the rest of u s, yellow ,

t ire d cre aturesthat we were , had ou r revenge , for she prom ptly fel l avict im to the everlasting yam j oke . Why is it thatthe word “ yam ” conju res u p vis ions o f fish, flesh o r

fowl , bu t never a vege table ? It is always so , and th efate o f the nurse at Kaduna who feared to go into th ebush lest sh e be bitten by a w i ld yam was l istenedto with rapt

'

attention by this tenderfoot who askedbreathlessly , And was sh e


S tories about yam s would fi l l a book in themselves,

but one we must give as i t redounds to the credi t o f theRoyal Navy . No t so many years ago H .M .S . wasO ff the West Coast of Africa , having amongst its complement of. Officers two m idshipmen . These twoyoungsters expressed a wish to go on Shore and do a bi to f Shoot ing , and the Captain , wh o was fond o f his joke ,solemnly told them that the y had his perm ission toShoot al l the yams they could find . Not knowing in theleast what manner o f animal a yam was and b e ing tooproud to ask, they left the Ship accompanied by theg r ins o f those who, in the ir tim e , had also been bitten .

At nightfall they returned , hot , t ired and empty handed .

Where are those yam s you prom i sed us ?” inquired

the Skipper .

“ We Shot one , s ir , but it fel l into ther ive r and we couldn ’t get i t ,

” was the astute answer .And no one knew whether they had d iscovered the ploto r no t , for those wor thy representatives o f

“ the si lentnavy ” kept their own counsel concerning the ir day ’sspor t .We had had a busy day

,and after a cordial farewel l

t o ou r kind gu ide through the garden, were not sorryto return to the L ieutenant -Governor ’s delightful housefor dinner . The word house ” i s used purpose ly

,since

Mr . Goldsm i th , ou r host , having the de sire to l ive l ife ash e thou ght it m ight be l ived even in the tropics , hadadded on to what was an unpre tentiou s bungalow anotherstorey, had fashioned the ins ide of the hou se to resem blea regu lar country hom e in England , and had spent tim eand ingenuity in making a really good English garden .

It was almost hard to realize that , as we ate ou r dinner,we were far away in th e m iddle o f great unknownNigeria . Unknown , why The answer , we suppose , i st hat the climate i s against tour i sts and fashion with ac apital F . Folk at home we thought at the t ime, and ithas s ince proved true ,

“ will ask us the same Oldbanal itie s on ou r retu rn .

“ You ’ve been to Africa,we

hear . Did you see ou r first cousin So - and- So ? He ’sd oing som ething at Nairobi couldn ’t have been far fromyou , and so on and so on . It seems almost im possiblet o implant in the conception o f the great British public


CHAPTER ! ! I .

THERE are three thousand m i les of the River Niger .Its sou rce i s in French Guinea , nor th and east o f

S ierr a Leone,and th enc e

’

i t wande r s,in a tru ly Afri can

and haphazard fashion , north- east , sou th - east , du e south ,south - e ast again

,and finally empties itse lf through many

mouths fr inged with mango swam ps , du e south oncemore into the Gulf Of Guinea . It i s oi ly and sluggishl ike the natives along its banks , and , l ike them , whenrouse d it i s Swift and terr ible . Unti l the railway cam ei t was a pack-m u le am ong r iver s , bearing the commerceo f the cou ntry , i ts people and the ir chatte l s up and downits broad surface . It i s mentione d by Herodotus and byPl iny who spe culated on its re lationship with the Ni leand knew not if it flowed east o r we st o r whe ther i ti t ende d o r began in th e thirsty sands of th e Sahara .

Many are the tragedies connected with i ts exploration .

The first known to u s is when John Ledyard , who hadwon his spurs as an explorer with Capta in Cook , wassent by th e Afr ican Association , a socie ty formed forp rom oting discovery in that cou ntry , in 1 788 ,

to bringinform at ion concerning this r iver

,and died at Cairo in

the sam e year . Then followed Lu cas in 1789 andMajor Hou ghton in 1 791 . The forme r ’s data was unre l iable , and the l atter, after ascending the river Gambia ,was deserted by his par ty and pe r ished m iserably . In1 795, Mungo Park m ade his first expedition , followingin the footsteps o f Major Hou ghton , whose body hediscovere d at Jarra . At last h e reached th e Niger afterincredible difficulties and bodily suffe ring . The r iver , ashe saw i t , flowed from west to e ast , and th e theory wasthen advance d that r the Niger and the Congo wereone and th e same .

In 1805, Park started on his second expedit ion , taking


w ith him a numbe r o f Europeans including h is brothe rin - law, Dr . Anderson . By the tim e they re achedSansand ig, 300 m i les as th e crow fl ies south -west o fTim buktu , Dr . Anderson and alm ost all the other whitemen were dead and there were sti ll many m iles tot raverse . Bu t Park ’s indom itable spir it w as u nbe aten .

In one le tter that he wrote at this tim e he said ,“ Though all the Europeans that are with m e shou ldd ie , and though I were myself half dead , I would stil lpersevere , and if I could not succeed in the Obje ct o f

my jou rney, I would at least die in th e Niger .

” It wasin Novem ber o f 1805 that Park left Sansand ig , inH .M . schooner Jo liba , actually a couple of nativeflat -bottome d canoes

,converte d and mended mainly by

his own efforts . “ In som e respects i t deserve s to rankwith the voyage o f Colum bus across the Atlantic . Thebourne was e qually uncertain

,the distance not so very

m uch less , th e peril s quite as great . Colum bus , too ,had always th e Option of turning back . Fo r Park the rewas no su ch door of e scape . Su cce ss o r death was hiso nly choice , and even success m ight m e an captivi tyo r worse . Fo r sole m eans of carrying ou t thiswonde rfu l ente rpr i se Park had nothing bette r than anunwieldy

,half- rotten canoe

,and a crew consi sting o f

an officer wholly unsuited to th e work,thre e Euro

,ean

privates,of whom one was mad and th e others sick , na

lastly,Am adi Fatum a , the gu ide , and three S laves— n ine

m en in al l . With this ‘Su ffic ien t force to protect me

from insult ,’ the canoe had to be navigated without

a p ilot for hu ndreds of m i les along a rive r stu dded atpar ts with dange rou s rocks , and everywhere infested bye qually dangerou s hippos— a r ive r whose banks wereoccupied for mu ch o f the way by fanatical Moors andTuaregs , while beyond were u nknown tr ibes of cannibals avages and other bloodthir sty natives .“ It was at theBou ssa Rapids that the end cam e . Can you pictu re i t ?Hostile natives le aped in the ir war dance u pon th e bankso n e ither Side , scream ing and Shou ting to th e be ating Ofd rum s . Down the r iver rushed th e poor canoe , i ts few

“ Mungo Park and th e Niger,” Thom son .

212 WE ST AFR ICA TE E ELUS IVE

occupants seeing the ir doom e ither in the crue l rocks one ither hand or from the poisoned spears which rainedupon them . The canoe hit a rock . It stuck fast .Everything o f we ight was thrown overboard and theypl ied the ir paddles desperate ly . But th e boat refu sedto move . Then the fou r m en ,

the last rem nant o f theexpedition , jum ped into the water toge the r , and Park

’

s

wish was r e al ized . Th e Niger Cl aim e d h im .

Afte r Park ’s tragic end cam e Captain C lappe r ton , R .N .,

i n 1825, who had penetrated to Sokoto in the previousyear . He adopted a d ifferent route , and , having by goodluck hit upon one o f th e mouths Of the Nige r , ascende di t as far as th e spot where Mungo Park had lost his l ifeand then w ent by land to Sokoto where h e died in 1827 .

Then cam e R ichard Lau der, C lappe r ton

’

s servant on

his final expedition , and after that th e work Of thegeographer s was no longer a matter of mere speculation .

In conne ction with Lau der,however

,it i s instru ctive to

read the le tter addr e sse d to him by Mr . R . W . Haybefore he left England

DOWNING STREET ,

D ecember 3 1 , 1829 .

SIR ,—I am d irec ted by Secre tary Sir Ge o rge Mu rray to

a cqu a int y ou , th at h e h as deem ed i t expedient to ac c eptth e o ffer w h ich you h ave m ade , to p ro ce ed to Afr ic a ,

ac com p an ied by y ou r bro ther , fo r th e pu rpo se o f a scer ta iningth e c o u rse o f th e G reat R iver which w as c ro ssed by th e

late Cap ta in Clapp er ton , on h i s jou rney to So c cato o .

Afte r giving m inute instructions regarding theinform ation desired , the letter continues

You are to take every oppo r tun ity o f sending down by th ec oast a br ief abstra c t o f yo u r pro c eed ings and observat ions ,furnishing th e bearer w i th a no te , se tting for th th e reward h ei s to have fo r h i s trou ble , and r eq u e st ing any E nglish p erson ,

to wh om i t i s p resented , to pay that reward , on th e fa i th th a ti t w ill be repa id to h im by th e Br i t ish Go ve rnm ent . Fo r th e

perform anc e o f this serv ice , y ou are fu rn ished w ith al l th e

art ic les which you h ave re q u ired for y ou r p ersona l c onvenienc e ,du ring y ou r jo u rney ,

toge th er w ith a sum o f two hundreddo llars in c o in , and in c ase , u pon y ou r arr ival a t Badagry ,

you shou ld find i t abso lu te ly necessary to p rovide you rse lf



Bluntly stated,the engine and three coaches were

derailed a few hundred yards after crossing a bridge ,and it was a m iracle that nothing worse happened . Wefe l t exceedingly sorry fo r the engine dr iver . As for ou rse lves , i t m erely m eant a shaking , a delay in reach ingMinna—the ju nction for Baro— and a scar city of wate rfor a Shor t t im e . Anyhow , we spent seven hou rs in them idst of the bu sh , and we can place i t on record for biggame hu nters that the triangle Zungeru , Minna , Baro i sexactly what it was repre sented to us as be ing , one o f

the finest terr itor ies in which to find gam e- exceptingelephants , giraffe s and suchlike— in the world . Withina m inute o f our leaving ou r carr iage a most splendidbuck bounde d away, and would have been a very e asyShot had we be en prepared for i t

,which , to ou r chagr in ,

we we r e not . At Minn a w e had a visi tor— th e blackpostm aster . One o f u s had done h im a trifl ing servicein the o ld days , and he had learned Of ou r presence inthe country and cam e to th e station to gre et u s . To bepostm aster at Minna i s an important post , and were j oiced that th e mer its Of thi s fr iendly soul had re ce ivedproper recognition . He presente d u s with a l ive turkeyo f en orm ous size , so we now had two—Mr . and Mrs.

Gobble - gobble , we called them , to ou r boys ’ greatdel ight .In du e course we arrived at Baro , and are able to con

firm th e L ieutenant -Governor ’s rem ark , that Baro wasl ike the inside o f a teacu p full o f scalding tea . Certainlyit was very hot ! A nd then it w as that we cheerfullyassured e ach other that things m ight be m u ch worse

,

and that the jou rney down r ive r would be a perfectp icnic . Awaiting us was the Nige r ian r ive r steame rV u lture , twin - Screw , tr iple - expansion engines , andreported th e faste st boat on the Niger , with a species o fflat - bottom ed hou seboat lashed alongside of her . Techn i cally ,

thi s kind o f craft i s called a canoe , bu t it i s verydi ffer ent from the native canoe , or so - called dug

- out ,in which one o f u s has travelled m any , m any m i les uponthe Nige r . A native canoe i s not so bad as it sounds , as

most pol itical Officer s can certify . Even in travell ingfrom the French frontier at 1110, through Jebba as far as


Lokoja , though the speed used no t to be exactly abh orm al , there was some sort o f comfort . In those bignat ive canoes there was ample room for a deck chair

,

one’

s boy sat behind , and at m e al times i t was very easyto run‘on to a Spit o f sand in order to have a bite

,or

e ven to anchor thereon for the night,which rem inds us

o f one o f th e most celebrated character s Niger i a haspossibly ever produced .

In the early days there was a Swedish captain employed by the Nige rian Mar ine . He was th e best ofgood sorts , and having found the discipline of theSwedish Navy somewhat irksom e , he had thrown in hislot with the othe r adventurer s in West Africa . Tod ayone would cal l h im a “ hard case .

” He would dr inkunadulte rate d Nige r wate r and unadulterate d whiskywith a sm i le and say that fi lters we re all rubbish

,and

that whisky was good for the l iver . When,as was not

remarkable , h e was sent hom e to England by a benevolent adm inistrat ion to be treate d in a Harley Streetnursing hom e fo r kidney trouble , and when the spe cial ists and nurses we re congratulating him upon hi swonderfu l recovery , he produ ced from unde r his p illowa bookle t upon th e ou tside o f which was the caption ,“ Every picture tells a story , and then infu riate d thedoctors by tell ing them that he bel ieved in a cer tain kindo f patent pill s . We ll , h e put his fate to the test on theR iver N ige r not far above Jebba , to be pre cise , at theBoussa rap ids , whe re Mu ngo Park was drowned .

Nothing could dissu ade h im from shooting them withall hi s kit , his stor e s and eve ry article that h e possessed .

It was in vain that the political officer r em onstrated withhim and told h im not to be s illy . His reply was veryS im i lar to that h e gave to th e m edicos about th e pills .It was , in effe ct , You do no t know everything . Thepol it ical office r went over land and met the genial captainat the bottom of the rapids . He was smi l ing as usual

,

and his raim ent consi sted of one solar topee . Everythingelse , clothing , stores , e tc . , had been lost , but he wascheerful , extremely cheerfu l , and em phasized the factthat he had accomplished som ething that Mungo Parkhad fai led to do . Men of that type built the Northern


N igeria as it was then , and fol low ing in the footsteps o fthe p ioneer i s not SO d ifi cu lt and usually is far moreremunerative .

One must be forgiven for rem iniscences,for l i ttle does

th e world know o f the early days when S ir FrederickL ugard , casting nom inal discret ion to the wind , captu red for the Emp ire those vast Em irates which makeup the gre at Mohammedan wor ld o f West Afr ica . Hismotto m ight have been H i t hard

,hit qu ick

,and don ’t

tell anyone .

” H i s tactics were almost N e lson i c .

We l l doe s one rem ember , after about fourteen days inth e quiet o f a native canoe , arr iving at the town o f

Jebba , which represented th e first glim pse o f c ivi l ization to those who had been for long strangers in a farl and . Th e Jebba of that tim e seem e d to us polit icalOfficers a gre at place . The re was a N iger Com pany ’ sstore whe re at one could buy things l ike t inned asparagu s . There was a resident who Occupied what hadbeen Governm ent House . And there was a hospitalwith actually white si sters who mu st have been amongstthe most spoiled mortals the Alm ighty ever sent onearth . T im es have

,however

,changed , and to use a

H ibernianism , the Jebba o f to - day i s not so m odern asth e Jebba Of those days . Ce rtainly the rai lway nowpasse s it , crossing the Niger over a su perb br idge , andthe re is a wonderfu l railway station— in appe arance across betwe en a mausoleum and a reservoir . O therwise

,

thanks to the railway , the im por tance o f Jebba hasdwindle d to vanishing point . Governm ent House , whichused to look down importantly on the rive r and thenative town , i s now a crum bling heap o f ruins , and theother official buildings have long S ince been obliteratedby encroaching bu sh . It was the e ver - absorbing healthproblem which caused S ir Freder ick L u gard to transferthe se at of Governm ent elsewhere , and Zungeru was thenext choice . Jebba has always been frankly unhealthy ,both for white and black , thou gh from different causes ,as we will indicate .

When w e passed through on ou r way to Zaria , a railway Official told us that the Shade tem perature in hisbungalow had been 107° for weeks . That was in the



one of the ar tificial islands formed by the sh r inkingNiger . The ir hu ts of woven grass mats were shapedl ike houses o f cards . Their long canoes were beached

,

Showing the ir black ungainly Shape s . Smoke from the irfires rose in the stil l ai r , and round the huts and fires w e

could se e th e slim black figures o f th e fisherm en and o f

an occasional p ic c in .

” In a few days,when th e supply

Of fish in the ir district was exhausted , they wouldtransfe r huts and fam i lies and canoes and settle temporar i ly e lsewhe re .

In Jebba i tse lf there i s nothing o f special interestsave two bronze figu res , abou t 3 feet in height , andObviously fashioned in anothe r part of Afr ica , or possiblyAsia . The se figu r e s , man and wom an , are th e chie fju jus of Jebba

,and stand ou tside the “ ju ju ” house

,

unde r a n eat roof o f thatch . The m an i s in a coat Ofm ai l ; the wom an , gorge ously attired , carr ie s a m irror .One o f us (the m ost inqu i s itive) was about to lay anim pious finger upon the lady , bu t was hastily rem indedthat this was a br each o f etiqu ette by th e fearsom e

scowl which decorate d the face o f the ju ju ” priestwho was present . Then we we re told that some year sago an enterpr is ing pol itica l officer desired to add thesestatue s to his colle ction . Th e wish was fathe r to th eact , but th e ou tcry from Jebba was so terr ible that hewas obl iged to send them back , and now they are

jealou sly guarded even from th e touch o f a “ whitemamm y ” !To rever t to ou r j ou rney in the V u l tu re , w e certainly

m anage d to trave l from Baro to Lokoja in twelve hours .Truth com pel s u s to say that , th e de ck - space on th e

steame r being very l im ited , we were compelled to spendthe t im e in the canoe

,which occasioned di saster for one

o f u s . It was gr i llingly hot , with no breeze except thatmade by the boa t in i ts passage . In such circum stanceseven a topee becom es an exquisite torm ent , and ,imagining that th e canoe was sunproof, i t was laidaside . Sunstroke followe d for both , and the two days

’

stay at Lokoja certainly posse ssed l i ttle interest for one

o f the party . As a matter o f fact , though the pri stineglory o f Lokoja as port o f entry , Custom s station , and

WEST AFRICA TE E ELUS IVE 219

deputy - capital of Northern N igeria has gone , i t sti l lrem ains

'

one o f the prettiest towns in West A fr ica . It .i s built on Sl ightly rising ground

,with at its back

Mount Patti , a forest - clad hill which i s a landm ark fo rtravel lers ; whi lst r iverwards the eye can trave l overm i les unm easu red of what was once l i terally the noman ’s land ” of Northe rn Niger ia— a r ich country , too ,r ich in timber , palm kerne l s and cocoanuts , r ich inguinea c om e and yam s , and the abode of as bloodthirstya set o f cannibals as th e m ost enthusiastic seeker afterexcitement wou ld care to find . W e were told that , tothis day , th e place posse sse s a bad nam e , and i t se em sonly yeste rday— to be pre ci se in 1904 —that O ’

R io rdan

and Bu rney , political and police Officers re spe ctive ly ,went to the m ost horr ible doom that can await l ivingman . Burney was lucky . He was shot de ad by thefirst volley o f poisoned arrows

,whereas his com rade

was captured alive , and , afte r suffer ing horr ible torm ents ,w as m assacre d to provide a feast fo r his foes . Rem in i

scenc e s o f such a type m ake for reflection .

From Lokoja as one glance s ove r th e Bassa of to - dayi t looks SO peac eful . Thanks to th e Nige r i t i s m ore o rle ss e ve rgreen , and one can alm ost im agine i t pe opledwith happy , thr iving se ttle rs from the O ld Cou ntry werei t not for that dre adful bar , th e cl im ate , and em ph at i s

cally it i s not we ll in this country to dwe ll too muchupon the morbid . Whatever e l se m ay happen in WestAfr ica , there i s no doubt that the sense of hum our o fth e individual , be i t natu ral o r acqu ired

,save s m any

difficult situ ati ons . Thu s i t was also in 1904 that th efollowing occu rr ed . In a m oment o f extrem e tem pe rnot uncomm on , be i t said , in the se parts— the captain ofone o f the Governm ent r ive r ste am e rs threw the blackmate overboard , when he was prom ptly e aten by acrocodile . Upon arr ival at Lokoja the captain was placedunder arrest on a charge o f wilfu l murde r . Rightly o rwrongly, all the white population we re entirely with th edefendant . Hence

,since from he adqu ar ter s a tr ial had

been ordered , the pol itical officer suddenly found thathe had urgent business elsewhere and proceeded on

tour . Th e officer comm anding the troops was taken il l


with fever . The Officer commanding the pol ice com

plained o f blackwater . Th e me dical officer , in reply toan urgent te legram saying that h e m u st try the case indefau l t o f th e others , te rsely r eplied that h e was to o busylooking afte r his patients ; and thus , having gone throught h e entire station from the point o f view o f senior i ty ,i t was eventually decided that the storekeeper shouldadm inister just ice .

In those days ju r ie s and counse l were unknown,and

“

there was a be autiful atm osphe re o f informal ity about allsuch proceedings . The storekeepe r , however , who incid entally was a Scotsm an , rose to the dignity o f the occaS ion , and , afte r he aring the evidence , said some thingl ike the following : “Wel l , m y lad , I

’

ve hear d all thee vidence , and there i s no doubt in m y own m ind thatyou have comm i tted the worst o f al l cr im e s

,that o f

wi lful m u rder . Therefore , i t i s m y du ty to pass sentenceo f de ath upon you in the form which the law orders .”

Wher e on followed sentence o f death , de l ivered in thebest O ld Bailey Style .

“Bu t , he concluded , taking

into cons ider ation the provocation you re ce ive d and thefact that this i s no country for white men , I

’ l l te l l youwhat I ’ l l do . I ’l l give you the Option o f a fine o fHe has long s ince j oined th e m ajor i ty , but they say thathe re ce ived imm e d iate prom otion for his remarkabled ecision .

Lokoj a i s also the focal po int o f the whole o f theNiger i an r iver system . About a m i le u p r iver

,the Niger ’s

g reatest tribu tary , the Benue , joins i t afte r travers ings ome 600 m i le s o f terr i tory , having its bir thplace in whatwas the Ge rm an Cam e roons . If the Nige r i s lonely , andu ndoubtedly it is , th e Benue i s fifty tim es m or e So . Asfar as the Cameroon front ier , a distance o f 480m i les , i twou ld be no exagge ration to state that there are no morethan twenty officials and pe rhaps th e same num ber o f

traders . Can it be wondere d at that for m any tem pe raments the lonel iness becom es almost intolerable ; that eventh e m ost hardened Optim ists be com e at first depre ssed ,a nd then dr i ft into backwaters of l ife which should neverhave be en One can wr ite of such things with expe r i

e nce behind one , but i t i s a fatal error which permits


Q

I. m the evidence , said someth ingit “ W my lad , I

'

ve heard all the

l b u no doubt in my own mind that

“ W m d afl cfim es , that of

I M i . it is my duty to pass sentenceI F m the (cm which the law orders .”

0! death , delivered in thefl y Cyk

“But

"he conc luded ,

“taking

the‘S s 8

.

E.

b no country for wh i te men, I’

ll tell youI’

! ( In you the option o f a fine of £l .

"

i n" the majority, bu t they say that

w it h m otion for hi s remarkable


lost ou r canoe . The captain was in a hu rry , theVu ltu re , as before stated , was very fast , whilst thetornado was a stinge r . We drove head on into it , andin less tim e than it takes to wr i te everything was awash .

There mu st have been at le ast three fee t o f water int h e canoe , and the only unperturbed person was ou r boy ,who was busily occupied in m aking cu rr ied eggs , andwho merely remarked , This no be plenty bad , sir ;boat he no fit S ink , and went on cooking in the mostunconcerne d manne r . That o u r bedding was soakeda nd som e o f our pe rsonal effects ru ined , m atte r ed not awhit to ou r che e ry optim i st . Cu rr ied eggs were his preoccu pation , and though he was wet up to the m iddle ,and th e water had begu n to pu t ou t his fire , he emergedsm i l ing with his dish , and didn

’t w e enjoy it ? Pe oplemay wr ite what they l ike , but th e We st Afri can boy is afaithful creature , and will endu re a great deal so longas h e thinks that his m assa and “ m i ssus appreciatehis service s .The Vu ltu re was run on to a sand bank , the water

was baled ou t o f the canoe , and we waited for the wavesto su bside . It sounds absurd to talk of waves on a r ive r ,bu t the Nige r at this par t must have been thre e o r fourm i les across , and in a boat whose gunwa le was only af oot above wate r i t did not r e quire a very he avy sea tomake progre ss dange rou s . A S we sat in the bow ,

r atherw e t bu t thankfu l that nothing bu t ou r soap had beent hrown overboard by the enthusiastic bale r s of the canoe ,t h e firem an and enginee r built a fire on the sand fromburning logs from the engine - room

,and Captain and

c rew cu r le d themselves up beside i t and went to sleep .

It was dark and we cou ld dim ly See the shore and tinySpecks of l ight which marked a native village . Thet ornado had cooled th e air som ewhat

,and little waves,

sm al l children o f those which had threatened to sink us ,lappe d gently against th e side o f the Vu l tu r e . After theheat and tu rm oil o f the day , i t was infinite ly re stful andwe gru dgingly departed . By cutting corne rs and goingthrough unfrequente d channe ls we made Onitsha , inwhat was practically record tim e .

On ou r arr ival , whatever may have been ou r phys ical



have often told us that the effect was so uncanny that i tupset everyone ’s morale . On this occasion , having wipedou t several villages , m assacred the sm all m i l i tary force onthe spot and destroyed al l the factorie s , they advancedu pon the Catholic m is sion at Onitsha , then inhabited byFather Zappa and a brother pr iest who was dying . Tohis lasting credit Zappa was not in the le ast pe rtu rbedsurroun ded as he was by hu ndr eds of Spe ar - armedsavage s , who circled round and rou nd the m ission , m akingneve r a sound but showing by their gestu res that the ymeant bu siness , he went ou t and harangu ed them .

F irst of all , he told them he was unarm e d , and thattherefore they could kill h im with th e gre atest o f ease .

Then he told them , within the m i ssion lay a dying man ,and w ould they not perm i t him to go to his Maker inpe ace ? S i lence . The natives me re ly close d a little .

The strain becom ing unendurable,he next tau nte d them ,

and aske d them whether they were afr aid o f an unarmedm an . Sti ll s ilence . Then he resorted to othe r methods .He told them they were s i lly . H e rem inde d them thatthe w hite m an had a long arm ,

and that the ir actionswould be visite d u pon them by the destru ction o f the irown l ive s , the ir villages , and even possibly the ir wivesand children . And finally

,as nothing se em ed to happen ,

he told them sem i - jocu larly to go hom e to the ir m amm iesand to be good children

,that palaver was no good for

anybody, and that he was quite certa in that the ir

mamm ies would suppor t his the ory . Marve llous torelate , without a Single sound , th e band o f attackersd isappe ar e d into the bu sh as S i lently as they had arrived ,leaving Father Zappa cer tainly th e m oral victor of theday . Moreover

,i t i s credibly state d that after that

episode th e last sign of rebe ll ion fl icke red and died .

Truly su ch a man de serve d we l l of the Br it i sh Em pire .

Som e hu ndred m i le s to th e east of Onitsha i s s i tu atedthe valuable c oalfie ld Of Udi . It i s alm ost im possibleto over - e stim ate the importance Of thi s undertaking toWe st Afr ican indu stry as a whole . Naturally , theNigerian r ailway system depends upon it , and now itis usual for Ships to bunker at Por t Harcou r t , whichl ies up one of the m any creeks of the Nige r delta .


The coal is of good qu al ity , and th e su pply i s supposedto be alm ost inexhaustible . But , and th e inevitablebu t com es in , there i s the question o f l abou r . S tr ikesucce e ds str ike with lamen table fr e quency , and it seem sas thou gh there w ere no m e thod Of eve r sa tisfying nativem iners . And th e trou ble doe s not end the r e . Taking aleaf from th e olde r civi l ization o f Gre at Br i tain , theyhave le arnt the strength o f c o - ope ration , and if them ine rs com e ou t th e rai lway m en j oin them

,followed

by the steve dores , longshorem en , and dock laboure rsat Por t Harcou r t . Th e poison of labou r unr e st hascer tain ly pene trated into th e native body poli tic andfound the re a happy germ inating grou nd , which leadsus to m ake a point which Shou ld be cle ar ly u nder stoodand appr e ciated in Great Br itain by a ll w h o are

inte re ste d in the advancem ent o f Br i t i sh We st Africa .

It i s thi s : Let i t be grasped that the re are m anye du cate d coa st na tives , chiefly r e cru ited from th e GoldCoast , who

‘

are natu rally pe cu liar ly suitable fo r thecler ical positions which they occu py in com m er cialo r adm inistrative u nde rtakings . These m en r e ad theEnglish pape rs . Althou gh they have neve r be en toEu rope they fancy they can visu alize th e position o f th ew orking classe s , and they argu e that wha t i s sauce fo rthe white goose i s e qually sau ce for th e black gande r ,and w hen the y read th e inflammatory spee ches ofce rta in Labou r poli tic ians re ason is thrown to thew inds , and temporar i ly they be com e fir st - rate r ebel s .Pu rpose ly i s th e w or d tem porar ily ”

u sed . With rareexceptions , a t he art they are all r ight , bu t the irtem pe ram ent i s m e rcu r ia l

,and passing excitem ent w i l l

sway them as e asi ly as a gu st of wind bends a fie ldof corn . Howeve r , the r e sults ar e patent to anyObserver , m ore par t icu lar ly to one who c an look backfifte en ye ar s and com pare that e ra with th e pre sent .We w r i te this with all se r i ou sness . If labou r unrestcontinu e s to Spread , i f th e native agitator with hi s l ightleaven of so - called e du cation and fed u pon th e u nhealthytheor ie s now be ing propou nde d by som e se ctions OfBr i tish labou r , continue s to flour i sh

,then assuredly th e

day wil l come when we shall be face to face with a15


situation in West Afr ica , and m ore espe cially in vastNige r ia , which will certainly cause grave anxiety tothose who ar e responsible for its governm ent .From Onitsha ou r way lay down r ive r to For cados .

Ou r stay at the form er had been ove r shadow ed bycom plications and yet w e we re sorry to le ave . Kindne ssw e had m e t with eve rywhere ; som e o f i t per fu nctory ,m ost of it , we are happy to say , spontaneou s and withou tthought o f re tu rn . Truly does Robe r t Loui s Stevensonca l l physicians “ the flower o f civi li sation , and atOnitsha w e m e t one o f the fine st am ongst th e m anyfine spe cim ens that i t h as be en ou r good for tu ne toen cou nte r . He and th e Resident and the l atte r

’s wifedid al l that was poss ible to m ake life be arable fo r twovery weary m or ta l s . And we w ere no t the only oneswho ben efite d by the ir pr e sence . The whole tone o f

th e station w as fine r,sane r and happie r than any

othe r w e have se en . A moral di s infe ctant need no t beu nattractive . Ce r tainly this one was not . It was asthough fem inine charm and wom anline ss in i ts truesense ,

adde d to m an ly truth and courage , had sweptaway al l th e ugly evil crawling things which lurk indark corne r s r e ady to bite and sting . To the se thre ewe c an neve r r epay th e debt Of gratitu de which we ow e

to them,but w e thank them and they wi l l u nde r stand .



bu t that he cou ld ensu re anyone imm u nity fo r sixm onths if h e wou ld take 30 gr . daily fo r a for tnight .Poor patien t ! We som ehow fe l t that his im m unitym ight be perm anent ! Anothe r m an with conside rableexper ience who had the care o f th e occu pants o f acer tain Governm ent hou se Shook his he ad over th e5 gr . a day theory , and said, N o ! no ! 5 gr .

Satu rday and Sunday night , and be par ticular that iti s taken at night tim e .

” Anothe r boldly plum pe d forno qu inine , adding that h e knew i t upse t th e dige stionand that he be l ie ved i t was th e cau se o f —blackwate r , them ost dre aded ailm ent of al l , and as de adly as cerebroSpinal m eningitis

,which annu ally carr ie s o ff hundreds o f

nat ive victim s .

Furthe r to qu ote m e dical theor ies and Opinions m ightbe tediou s to the ordinary r e ade r

,and m ost assu redly w e

ar e not wr iting for th e me dical profe ssion . Al l tha t w eare attempting to do i s to em phasize th e extr aordinarydiver si ty o f views held by those with expe r ience u ponthe pr im e and radical cause o f West Afr i ca ’s bad nam e .

And,e qu a l ly , i t m ay be that what we are wr i t ing may

inspire som e o f the r is ing and m ore ente rpr i s ing Stu dentso f m e dicin e se r i ou sly to take u p tropica l re sear ch . Thefie ld i s u n l im i ted , and , alas , th e worke r s are few . Taketh e case o f blackwa te r ; one is frankly told on al l side sthat its or ig in i s u nknown , thou gh the re are theor ie sgalor e . Th e percen tage o f r e cove ry nowadays m ay be

a fraction be tte r than wha t i t w as ye ar s ago , chieflydu e to be tter m eans o f transpor t , thou gh it i s no t u h

common for We st Afr icans to deve lop i t even afterthe ir arr ival in Gre at Br itain , and w e pe r sonally knowo f two case s , both fatal , one of which occu rred inEngland and th e othe r in Ire land .

W e have r e fe rred to ce rebro - spinal m ening i ti s ; adre adful ou tbr e ak of this m alady m uch spoil t th e gre atgood which General Gu ggisberg w as doing by his al lem br acing tour arou nd his te rr i tory . As we we repr ivilege d to accom pany h im we can state with au th o

r ity that the doctor s we re l i ter a l ly at the ir wits ’ ends toknow h ow to cope with th e ou tbr e ak . Segr egating campsand burning village s m ay be preventive measure s , bu t

WE ST AFRICA THE ELU S IVE 229

they ar e no t cure s . Not long since a m ost d istingu ish ed me dical comm i ssion was sent to the GoldCoast to find o u t whe ther , in the ir Opinion , yellowfe ve r ex isted in West Afr ica or whe ther what was takento be that complaint was m e re ly a var i ation of m alaria .

The ir invest igation s c ove r e d a conside rable pe riod , andthe ir findings we re em bodie d in fou r close ly fi l ledvolum e s . The verdict fo r the We st Coast was notguilty .

” A fortnight a fte r th e depar ture o f the c om

m i ssion both th e Gove rnor and h is wife we re down withundou btedly ye llow feve r , and now as w e passe d A ccrahom eward bound th e ye llow flag was flying from th e

fort and a str ict quaran tine w as in for ce .

Now , althou gh the r e i s su ch dissim i lar i ty o f view- pointam ongst th e m edical fra te rnity u pon the se and kindre dqu e stions r e lating to tropica l di se ase , u pon one subjectthey are u nan im ou s ; fo r som e r e ason the y cannotexplain , wou nds wi ll not heal satisfactor i ly on th e

Coast . If an Ope ra tion has to be u nder taken , get th epatien t som ehow e l sewhe r e , i f i t be on ly to the CanaryIslands . Given a good hospital , th e be st instruments ,white nu rse s

,and th e ne ce ssary ar ticle s o f die t fo r a

su rgica l case, and the re i s no t a We st Coast doctor who

w i ll will ingly under take a m ajor oper ation . Why won ’tth e w ou nds he al ? That m u st be fo r rese arch worker sto explain . Which br ing s u s step by Step to th e r e alcru x o f th e whole m atte r , which , Of c ou r se , i s m oney .

Th e We st Afr ican medica l se rvice i s a t pr e sen t hopelessly u nde r staffe d . Wr iting from m em ory , w e bel ie vethe re w e re thir ty - S ix vacancie s in the Gold Coast m edic a lse rvice a lone . W e can claim a s a pe r sona l fr iend a

che e ry optim i st who h ad th e sole charge of th e he altho f th e whole of th e Eu ropean and native com m u nity inthe B r i tish sphe re O f influ ence in Togoland , and that pr esum ab ly not be ing cons ide r e d enou gh fo r h im ,

his du tie stook h im as far as th e m ou th of th e Rive r V olta . A glanceat a m ap w il l Show tha t h e had an im possible task . Fo r

som e r e ason which i s beyond o u r ken , doctor s are not inclu ded in th e new schedu le of pay drawn u p fo r all whiteOfficials in Governm ent depar tm en ts . This i s not tosay that increases o f pay and be tte r conditions o f se rvice


ar e not in contemplation . We u nder stand they are .

Unti l the ir r e al ization , however , the supply o f cand idatesto fi ll West Afr ican vacancies wil l neve r approx im ate tothe dem and . The re i s a wor ld ’s dear th o f you ng m edicalpractitione r s suitable fo r su ch se rvice

,and u n ti l con

d i t ions are m ade m ore attr activ e i t i s a fact tha t theyw i l l no t com e forw ard . Gran te d , then , that the re i s noexaggeration in the above statem ent— and assure dly webel ieve the re i s not— how on ear th can mu ch researchwork be expe cted , and how is it to be encou raged ? Th e

Gove rnor s o f the var ious colon ies,both in public

speeche s and de spatche s , are continua lly pointing o u t

th e crying need fo r this m ost u rgen t o f se rvices , S inceupon it depends the e ffic ient and sm ooth working of th ewhole adm inistrative m achine ry .

There are two schools of tropical m edicine , one inLondon and th e othe r a t L ive rpool . They can boast ofa band o f de voted workers , bu t the call i s eve r fo r morer e cru its and m ore m oney . It i s a cur ious commentaryupon Br i t ish m entali ty that whi le we ar e th e gre atestColonia l Em pire in the wor ld , w ith r egion s del iberatelyinviting th e Skill and atten tion of me dical scientistsand pathologists

, w e Shou ld be ham pe re d fo r funds .

W e are cer ta in ly th e last people in th e w or l d to de cryl ibrar ies , pu bl ic parks , o r even th e gar i sh m em or i al sw hich ornam ent o u r pr incipal citie s and spe ak of th ebenevolence of som e departe d bene factors . What a

w onde rfu l m em or ia l i t w ou ld be i f som e m ill ionaireand the re appe ar to be plenty— w ou ld e re ct to him self a

l asting m onum ent by handsom e ly endowing and placingfor al l tim e beyond financial em bar rassm ent a su itableschool of tropical m edicine and re search , an amplehospita l for tropica l d isea se , and an endowm ent to r ende rindependent or com bined inve stigation possible upon th e8 c t !pF rom all of which i t m ust not be im agine d fo r one

m om ent that th e coast medico i s a grou se r o r a sad - face dm ope r . F ar from it . He i s the che e r ie st o f individu als ,and one o f the bu sie st . L e t othe r s be il l m ight we l lbe his motto

,but I haven ’t go t th e tim e . He pu ts up

w i th th e m ost irr i tating of c ircum stance s with the most



cause the doctor ’s inse cu r e influence to waver and fall .One m orning , looking out of our w indow at Kofor idua ,w e saw th e Chie f Com m i ssion er ’s order ly seated by th es ide Of the cook hou se with his feet in hot water wh i lethe sympathe ti c cook was plaste r ing his legs with som e

pe cu l iar m ixtur e . He had be en , i t seemed , m uchcr ippled with rhe umati sm and had be en in hospital fortr e atm ent . Then h e had found a native doctor whopr escr ibe d th e juice o f a ce rtain le af in hot wate r and an

Ointment consisting mainly Of du ng . For thi s presc ri ption th e order ly che erfu lly pa id £ 3 , and after one appl i

cation declared h e w as m u ch be tter . Natu rally , so

called doctors of thi s descr iption bitter ly r e sent theintru sion of th e white m an wh o w i ll depr ive them o f the irlu crat ive practice

,and work aga inst h im by fair m e ans

or fou l whene ver they c an . Patience i s not th e native ’sstrong point . H e m ust be cu red r ap idly o r h e losesfaith . The ju j u pr ie sts , w i th the ir spectacular r i tes ,im press h im far m ore than th e shorn and shavenEurope an physician who adm inister s a sim ple pill o r

powder w ithou t any beat ing of drum s o r ra ttl ing Ofbones . A S for infe ction i t w ould r e qu ir e , as SydneySm i th said

,a su rgical ope ration to ge t su ch an ide a in to

the ir sku lls . On e o f o u r boys w as discovere d to havea pe cul iar ly loathsom e and infe ctiou s di se ase . Havingsent h im ,

m u ch aga inst his w i ll , to hospital for trea tm entwe tried to explain to th e othe r that h e m u st no t use ! ’

s

m osqu i to ne t, on which he had alre ady ca st a covetous

e ye , withou t boil ing it in a disin fe ctant . Lau ghing andshowing his pe rfect te e th he m ade reply , I no fe ar . Ibe cle an boy . H e w as m ade to boil th e ne t bu t hi sattitu de w as plain ly that “

white m an be fool m an , andthi s w as a lad of com parat ive intell igence wh o had beento school at F reetown .

The re fore,when folk com plain , as w e have often

heard them do ,of th e We st Afr i can Medical Service ,

they shou ld be ar in m ind th e following : Th e scantm e ans at th e disposa l o f th e doctor s , th e diffi c u ltie s o f

all sorts u nder whi ch they w ork , th e sm a ll sa lar ie s inproportion to the ir service s and th e obst acles which ar e

placed in the way of im provem ent . Al l honour to them !


we say , and may they in the ne ar fu tu re re ce ive the irjust reward .

Of all th e controversie s which arou se m i sunderstandingsfollowed by enm i ty

,none i s m ore dangerou s than that

of m i ssionar ie s . We approach the su bject , there fore ,

w ith tre pidation , bu t in defence w e m u st fir st o f allplead that w e have trave lled pre tty wide ly over th e

world , and nothing broadens one ’s views m ore thantrave l or rende r s one m ore tem perate towards theopinions of othe r s . At present West Afr ica as a wholei s attracting a trem endou s am ou nt o f m i ssionary effor t ,Chr i stian as wel l as Mohamme dan . As w e shall showlater

, u nle ss w e are carefu l i t m ay also a ttract Bolshevikintr igue throu gh th e Moham m e dan com m u nity , asa lready that Ru ssi an poison has infected th e Mohamm edan wor ld o f Central Asi a , Afghan i stan and AsiaMinor . B u t that is anothe r story . I t i s beyond argument

,howeve r

,and a greatly preponderating m a j or i ty o f

those acquain te d w i th native adm ini stration wil l su pportu s in this : F ir st , that i t i s pr actically u seless to Offe rChr i stiani ty to th e Moslem in place o f his own be l ief ;and , se condly , that Moham m edan i sm i s far m ore easy o fass im ilat ion by th e Pagan than Chr i stianity . WestAfr ica is an Obje ct lesson to those w h o are not fanaticalextrem i sts , bu t are pr epared to ba lance the pros and

cons of a policy . V ery w isely Sir Fr ede r ick L u gard

laid it down as an ax iom tha t m i ssionar ie s o f anydenom ination should be discou raged fr om going to thegre at Em irate s , whe re the ir activi tie s wou ld m ost l ikelybe pr odu ctive of m i sunderstanding leading to d i stu rbance s . Fancy pe rm i tting a S inn Fe in m is sione r topreach in th e open a i r in a Prote stant section of BelfastTh e case s are re ally analogou s , fo r thou gh the Em ir sthemse lve s are fr iendly and d iscree t enough to tole rateth e u ninvited visi ts of the se gen tlemen they cannotcontrol th e actions Of the m or e fanatical of the irfollowe r s , and Mohamm edanism bre eds fanatics as all thew or ld knows .

S ir Freder i ck L u gard’

s deci sion cause d fe ar fu l heartburning , and w e were en te r ta ined by reading dreadfuldiatr ibes both u pon h im and our Ol d fr iend , Mr . Temple

,


who w as then Depu ty Governor of Niger ia . One regretsto say that th e publication which issued them w as

Canadian in or igin . On th e other hand,a ve ry hone st

gentlem an , a doctor and a m i ssionary com bined , statedthat after a ye ar in on e of the gr e at Mohammedancen tre s , h e had made one Chr istian conv e r t

/

from th e

Moslem faith , and added , Bu t I don ’t trust h im .

Fur the rm ore , th e presence o f a white m issionary o f

o f any denom ination is l iable to cau se,at any rate

,

superficial fr iction be twe en the pol it ical office r and theEm ir . The form e r always l ives at som e distance fromthe town . The m issionary , on the contrary , r e sides inthe town , and unle ss h e be a diplom atist o f th e veryfinest qu ali ty , i s only too apt , day by day , to hear nativegossip and t ittle - tattle

,and unknow ingly and indirectly

engender a fe e l ing that Here is a white m an who wil lsu ppor t upon occasion the m an against hi s master

,

which , assu redly , i s a ve ry dangerous gam e to playbetween a Moham m edan ru le r and his pe ople . Br iefly

,

that i s the si tuation , and it is intensified in a countryl ike Nige r ia

,where th e power of two - thirds o f this vast

area i s in th e hands of som e twenty Em irs .To br ing t h e m atter hom e a l ittle m ore forcibly ;

the Em ir of Kano has under his control a populationbigge r than that o f th e whole of th e Gold Coa st withits vast adm inistrative m achinery ru nn ing into hu ndredsof Officials

,whilst Kano province i s pol i tically adm in i s

t e red by abou t s ix white m en , a handfu l o f soldiers , anda few doctor s and Tre asury Offi cials . In othe r words

,

Br i tish ru le throu ghout all the Em ir ates i s suppor tedand uphe ld by th e Em irs themselve s , and once the irde arest convictions are tampe r ed with , th e whole fabr i co f ru le in those latitudes is complete ly underm ined . Som u ch

,then , for the Moham m e dan side of the qu estion .

With the Pagans i t i s entir ely diffe rent,and the policy

o f al l Gove rnor s has been to adm i t , irrespective o f

denom ination,al l those who ventured so far afie ld as

apostle s o f the ir respective be l ie fs .Apropos of m i ssion ar ie s

,here i s a story too good to

m i s s and i s r e la te d b y a m i ssionary him self , C . H .

Robinson , M .A . ,in his book on Nige r ia . Some Bri sto l



pli sh m ore than the pu r e ly Spir itu al . Th e fathe rs o f theRom an Cathol ic Chu rch and what was th e Base l Mission(a Ge rm an organization now taken ove r by th e ScottishMission) , stand in the fore fron t of introducing usefu llabou r first and then building u pon that fou ndationChr i stian te aching . On the whole , both have be en verysu ccessfu l as far as su cce ss c an ever be obtaine d in thism ost thorny of unde r takings . A Je suit pr ie st o f ve rygrea t exper ience in Ea st India , East Afr ica , and Br itishGu iana, enu nciate d to u s hi s own pe r sonal the ory, andi t will be al lowed that , by training , Jesuits are m ostexpe r t obse rver s . In e ffect he said ,

I am no t in thele ast su rpr i se d that pe ople pr e fer non - Chr i stian servantsto Chr i stian . Chr i stianity with nat ives e radicates fromthe ir system s su ch cr im e s as m u rde r , hum an sacr ifice ,and that fanatici sm which is pr odu ctive o f m urder . Inplace of the se they deve lop th e m in or but extrem elyunpleasan t qu al itie s o f lying and thieving . I e stimatetha t it wil l take 300 ye ars befor e a Chr i stianized nativec om m unity wil l be form e d which wil l Show the sam e

be lie f in the e fficacy of Chr i stiani ty which i s to be fou ndoften in th e deprave d of ou r own colou r .

”

It i s a l so unden iable tha t th e abu ndance Of var iou sChr i stian denom ination s pu zzle s th e Afr ican m ind .

One of u s once h ad a ve ry faithfu l cle rk , wh o ha i le dfrom Cape Coast Castle . To u se a colloqu ia l i sm h e wasa treasu re . H is wife having pre sen ted h im w i th a l i ttleson

,h e w as aske d whe the r h e w ou ld l ike i t baptize d by

th e Church of England Missionary Socie ty cle rgym an .

He b um m e d and haw ed a l ittle,and then said , We ll

,

sir , th e fact is I w as baptized a We sleyan,bu t I always

a ttend th e Rom an Ca tholic service s ; and on th e wholeI think it wou ld be ju st as w e ll i f m y boy were baptise dby a Ma l lam (a Moham m edan pr ie st) . Su ch a casei s by no m e ans e xceptional in fact

,i t i s com m on ; bu t i t

m u st not b e taken as r epre senting anything de roga torye i the r to th e good fa i th o r th e se lf- sac r ific e o f thosew h o bel ieve the y have h ad a call and r e spond the re to .

Afte r a l l,allowanc e m u st be m ade for tem pe ram ent ,

and no on e has a r ight,to im pu gn th e good faith o f

anyone who be l ieve s that what h e i s doing is what

WE ST AFR ICA THE ELU S IVE 37

his Maste r would wish . At the sam e tim e , that same

individu al may prove a fearful adm inistrative em barrassment , and in this m ater ially -m inde d wor ld o f 1921 thataspect require s a good de al Of conside ra tion .

To give an instance o f thi s sor t o f thing , a friend ofours who led th e two Tanganyika Expe ditions toldu s how a zea lous m i ss ionary near ly cost the white m en

the suppor t o f an influ en tial chie f in Cen tra l Afr ica .

He was an o ld acqu aintance o f o u r fr iend and the ywere on th e be st of term s . Som e year s e lapse d be forethey m e t again and o u r fr iend soon saw the re wassomething wrong . H e and those who accom panied h imwere treated with less respe ct and cou r te sy than o f old ,

and h e prom ptly tackle d th e chie f on th e matte r . Afte rthe u su al Afr ican e vasions th e chie f cam e bru squ e lyto the poin t . “ I think le ss of you white pe ople ,

”h e

said ,“ sinc e I have he ard what m anne r o f God you

wor ship . W e poor black m en w ou ld n eve r so dem e an

ou r se lve s , and the re you are— wor se than w e What

can you m e an ? ” was th e a ston ishe d r eply . W e havebeen told that yo u h ow be fore a cu r ly pig , was th eansw er ; a white m an cam e he re and told us so .

It i s the tru th . Afte r a few m ore qu est ion s th e actu alfacts were m ade c le ar . A m i ssionary h ad visi ted th eChie f and had u nwise ly attem pte d to u se th e expressionLam b o f God .”As the people in those par ts had no

She e p and had neve r seen one,the words for she e p and

lam b wer e no t in the ir langu age , and th e m iss i onaryhad done his best—o r wor st— by conve r ting Lam b intocur ly pig , and th e pre stige o f his cou ntrym en hadsu ffe red accordingly . It r equ ire d lengthy argum entand pe rsu asion to convince th e Chie f with tact thatan e rror had been m ade .

We r em arke d that th e Rom an Catholic pr ie sts andthe Scottish m ission s are indu str ia l ly car rying on a

gre at work . Many a We st Afr ican exi le ow e s a realu npayable debt Of gratitude to th e Chu rch MissionarySocie ty , whose m i ssioners are ne ar ly a lways doctor s andto whom , e qually with the official m edica l se rvice , th egrati tu de and affe ction Of every We st Coaste r shouldgo forth . Alas ! however , the l ist does not end there ,


and as a worr ied Offi cial remarke d at Lagos,What on

e arth are w e to do with people who come ou t hereso i l l- e qu i pped and i l l - prepar e d that the ir com ing i s

vir tu a lly su i cide What,indeed Tw o such instances

we re forced under our im m ediate notice . We forbe argiving th e nam e o f th e m ission , me re ly be cau se there i sno doubt in o u r own m inds that they re ckoned thatthey we re doing the correct thing

,even though to u s

m ate r ial i sts it se em s m isgu ide d .

One gir l , by trade a stenographer , was going ou t to

Niger i a at a m icroscopic salary unde r fou r year s ’ contract .Afte r three ye ar s , even the m ost flinty- he arted Londonfirm s always send their em ployee s hom e on long leave ,while the Gove rnm ent i s very m uch m or e generou s .The g ir l su ffer e d from goitre and heart di sease , andwhen sh e em barked u pon her m i ssion from Torontosh e was never so m u ch as m e dically exam ined

,althou gh

Sh e w as going to what i s always re ckoned one o f th e

m ost dange rou s cl im a te s o f the wor ld . Su ch an actionmay spe ak to som e m inds as m agnificent heroism

,

“m ai s c e n ’

e st pas l a gue rr e ,” ne i ther i s i t bu siness .

That you ng wom an , i t i s not unsafe to prophe sy , willretu rn to h e r r e lative s a vir tu al cr ipple , withou t havingaccom plishe d a fr action o f th e good sh e m ight havefou nd it possible to br ing abou t in som e othe r sphereo f action .

Th e othe r case was that o f a young w om an , Canadianl ikewise

,w h o w as going ou t to act as a m atron to a

native hospital run by m issionar ie s . Sh e r egarde dNew York as be ing a ve ry , ve ry long way from hom e ,So what sh e thou ght o f the Nige r c an be le ft to theimagination . H er e qu ipm en t was of th e m ost l im itedcharacte r

,and Sh e lau ghed about th e dange r s of the su n

u ntil sh e h ad r eason to fe e l i ts potency and re a l ize thattropical Afr ica i s no t London , Ontario . She , a l so , w as

u nde r a contract for fou r ye ars , and , thou gh one c an

adm ir e th e genu ine plu ck which m ade h e r say“ I w i l l

go ,

” i t i s qu i te re a sonable to con side r that those whosent her in su ch a state of pr i stine ignorance we rew rong .

As w e have wri tten above , i t i s a thorny problem , and


CHAPTER XXIII .

IT i s a com m onplace that the m ost certain m e thod bywhich the pe ace fu l governm en t o f what

,to all intents

and pu rposes , i s a n ew cou ntry can be m ost easi lyattained is by r ai lway c on stru ction . In spite o f i tsm any fau l ts , Ru ssian adm in istration in th e O ld days wasr e sponsible for opening u p the Whole of Cen tral Asia bythat stu pendou s l ine conn e cting Or enbu rg , in th e sou the ast o f Ru ss ia , w i th th e Khanate capitals of Tashkent andBokhara , Skir ting th e frontie r s o f Afghanistan , passingthrou gh Merv, and even tu a lly r e aching the Shore s o f th eCaspian Sea . It requ ire d th e m onum en tal en thu si asmand im agina tion o f an em pire bu i lder to conce ive sucha project , su rrounded as i t was w ith every im aginabledifficulty . Its con clu sion m arke d a re ign o f contentm entfor the region trave r sed u ntil th e dark days of th eTzar ’ s downfal l . This is m entione d by way o f a slightpreface

,in orde r to apprec i ate th e be tter th e splendid

tem e r i ty of S ir Fre de r ick L u gard , who stands as godfathe r to th e exi sting Niger ian rai lway system and to itssu gge ste d e xtensions , which , i f car r ie d out , re a l ly dose em to Offe r potentia l it ie s su ch as may in tim eencou rage Eu ropean imm igration into th e rem ote rpor tions of th e Colony , which are at present inacce ssibleow ing to lack of transpor t facil it ie s .In th e fir st place

,le t i t be u nde r stood that th e l ine

conn e cting Kano with th e Lagos frontie r , when Lagosand Nor the rn Niger ia we r e am a lgam ated , w as no t acapital expenditure which c ou ld be taken from anexi s ting revenu e . The m oney had to be borrow e d , andthere w as even fierce cr i tici sm as to whe the r i t w asw or th while to constru ct a railway throu gh what u n inform e d cri tics w e re plea se d to ca l l th e de solateNige r ian wastes . Sir Frede r ick , howeve r , was not


d iscouraged by opposition ; your born p ioneer never i sin fact, h e thr ives upon it . And so th e work was pushedever onwards , and now Lagos and Kano, 704 m i lesapart , are l inked up by a 3 - ft .

- 6 - in .- gau ge‘ railway , upon

which it i s possible to run the most u p-to date and

commodious composite dining and Sleeping cars . Conn ec t ing therewith are a few m inor branches , which nee dnot occupy the attention o f the reader . O f th e same

gauge the re i s al so a line connecting Port Harcourt,

the new harbour,with Udi , th e centre o f th e coal m ines .

O f course, in thi s world , it i s impossible to guarante ehuman foresight . When a m istake i s made i t i s veryeasy for the cri ti c to Shake h is head and say, So - andSO ou ght to have known better than that , and hence i ti s that th e l ine connecting Zar ia with the BauchiPlateau , the hom e of Nigerian tin , and the m ost im por tantfeeder that probably th e Kano -Nigerian Railway will e ve rpossess

,at pre sent 143 m i le s in length , i s o f a 2

_

ft . 6 in .

gauge . Needle ss to say, this has proved a severe Se tback to the traffic departm ent , ow ing to the transhipment Of goods which m u st take place at Zar ia . On theother hand , be i t u nderstood , the adm inistration itselfwas not re sponsible for this light ra i lway . In its or igini t was the conception o f the N iger Com pany , by whomthe necessary capi tal was found . Why som e understanding between the com pany and the adm inistrationwas not come to we cannot pre tend to say, bu t one

suspects that there was m ore than a l ittle je alousy on

one S ide coupled with financial stringency on the other .

Howeve r , i t i s now agree d that one o f the fir st Ope rationswhich wi l l have to be undertaken is th e widening o f

thi s gauge , and the re placing o f i ts rail s by those o f aheavier type . It is many year s s ince the Gove rnm enttook over thi s l ine , and presum ably be cau se o f th e war ,beyond ke eping the permanent way in su ch a condi tionthat the chances of an accident are not m ore than even

,

nothing appears to have been done to it .W e travelled upon the l ine from Zari a to JOS, a fullday ’s journey su fficient to break th e hear t of the mosth ardene d explorer . One leaves Zari a , nom inally , at tenm inutes pas t seven in the morning and arr ives at Jo s at

16


nine O ’clock at night , to use a colloquial ism , worn to afrazzle .

” That jou rney i s re garded with h orror byeveryone who i s com pel led to make i t . The vibrationcan be imagined when i t is stated that it i s impossible todr ink a cup o f tea o r to read a book, and Often barelypossible to retain a seat in a deck chair , for usually onefinds one ’s own furniture for the first - class carriages .Speaking from exper ience , be ing in the ward - room o f atorpedo - destroyer in a gale i s nothing to i t . Many arethe stor ies which one hears about it , but one we canver i fy , nam ely, that a m iner suffering from phthisis wasrecomm ende d by the doctor to go home as soon as hewas fi t to travel . Unde r ordinary c ircumstances thi send would have been achieved , but the Bauchi rai lwayintervened , the te rr ible jolting brought on haem orrhage ,and h i s last resting - place i s Zar i a . We mention thi smerely because i t i s of the most vi tal importance thatbefore au ght el se is attem pted in the way o f transportdevelopm ent this railway should be rebuilt completely ,thereby encouraging m ining and othe r industr ies on th eplateau, and at the same tim e render ing it access ible asa health resort to al l Europeans in this por tion Of Afr ica .

On the main l ine things are totally diff erent, and therei s a “ train de lu xe ”

w hich me e ts the incom ing mai lsteamers and i s known as the boat express . This leavesLagos at nine o ’clock at night and reaches Kano at

in the evening on the third day . This , i t must beadm i tted , does no t represent an excess ive speed ;including stoppages, i t averages four teen m i les an hour .

Aga inst this i t must be mentioned that north o f Jebbathe we ight o f the rail s i s only 40 lb . per yard , andbetween Jebba and Lagos i t i s 10 lb . more . As a methodo f compar i son , the weight o f the Great Western Railwayi s 90 lb . per yard . Ye t be tween Ilorin and Jebba w e

t im ed som e o f ou r running and found , that withoutexcessive vibrat ion

,we we re travel ling at a steady fifty

m i les an hour . Sometim es,with a heavily - laden train ,

the speed m ay drop as low as nine m i les , whi le atbanks it i s no unusua l thing for the train to go backwards and forwards unti l the engine gathers enoughspeed to carry it on to the other side . The roll ing stock



o f carr iers left Jebba on foot and marched or rode to h i sstation , when he could get a proper bath at night andate cle an , decently cooked food and slept in hi s camp bedin the rest house w ithout any companions (anim al o rhuman) , save , possibly, a man o f his own race . Bu t theNiger ian Rai lway may safely say : Nous avons changétout ce l a .

Another point which cal ls for improvement , i s theprovision o f carr iages for ladies on the l ine . In N igeri athere are many white wom en

,wives o f Offi cial s , traders

and m iners , nurses , m i ssionar ies and other s . Many Ofthese woman arr ive in the country , or leave i t , alone .

We heard o f one case , fo r the entire accuracy o f whichwe cannot vouch , where the daughter o f a m issionary ,under thirty ye ars o f age and a pretty woman , trave lledfrom Lagos to Minna in a compartm ent w ith threeblack men . If this be true , i t Should never be al lowedto occur again , and we cannot imagine the blunderwhich al lowed i t ever to occur .We re commend to the considerat ion of the Niger ian

Railway the excel lent plan o f the Governor o f S ierraLeone . A S far as w e know , i t i s this : Carr iage s are tobe constructed with a number o f u nf u rni sh ed com par tments in which one cam p be d , o r even two can bese t Up , leaving room for a couple o f chair s and possiblya small table . These can be booked in advance on

paym ent o f a smal l sum ,by a white man o r a native

(preference should be given to the white man , in ou r

Opinion) , and the j ourney made in relative cleanline s sand comfort . Ninety -nine per cent . o f the whitepopulation o f Nigeria would , we are sure , gladly paythe differ ence , as the alternative , particularly when thetraveller i s a woman , who usually has gre at prostrationon arrival and may have to spend a day o r so in bed ,with the doctor in attendance . Owing to th e war therei s undou btedly a shortage o f wagons , which adverselyoperate s u pon the takings o f the railway . A lso th e

ex i sting main line i s a S ingle track , thou gh w i th su fficientsidings . We have ou rse lves se en vast quantitie s o f rawmate rial awaiting m onth after m onth transport to thesea . We have also seen line after l ine of empty wagons


in sidings . The explanat ion given us was that therewere no locomotives and so the vic ious circle is formed .

The traders com plain of the rai lway the goods officialsblame the locom otive department the locomotive departm ent blame the war, which real ly has been convenientin that i t i s blamed for everything ; the steamshipcompanies blame the adm inistration because fr e ightsare hard to get ; and the steamship officials , in the ircomfortable chairs in L iverpool o r London , in turn blamethe ir captains , wr ite letters to the papers condem ningeverything wholesale , and deploring the unsatisfactorystate o f affairs . And yet it seem s to us hum ble outsiders ,who certainly had the oppor tunity of observation , thatthe basis o f the whole trouble i s the l ack o f reallyfirst - class rai lway initiative coupled with too m uchbureaucratic centralization . It wou ld not be difficul tto find fu r ther criticism

,but we do no t wish to appear

ungrateful . Only it i s one o f the errors into whicha trave ller i s only too l ikely to fall , that of paintingeverything couleur de rose when in his heart he canvery easi ly lay his fingers

'

upon th e defects o f a system .

In fair cr i ticism there can be no harm,more especially

when it i s quite devoid o f personal bias , and moreespecially when it i s tempered by the mem ory o f manyfr iendly actions tendered to us by those who ne i therknew nor cared who or what we were, but merelyextende d their hands as one sojourner in a far landto anothe r .

Of th e futu re o f the N igerian rai lways , however , wea re entire ly enthus iastic . There i s no qu estion about i tthat railway conquest is extraordinari ly fascinating , andwe are looking forward to the t ime when the railwaysystem of Niger ia w i l l not amount to m i les but to

and when i ts ram ifications w i l l be trans- continental . The se are not fantastic dreams , for did not S irFrederick L ugard , as long ago as Apri l , 1919 , Sketch ou tin his report of the amalgam ation o f Northern andSouthern Niger i a what might be done in the way o f railway constru ction in the near future ? In support o fwhat we h ave written regarding rai lway administration ,he Said :


It i s true,as I have said e l sewhere , that an - inade

quate sum has been spent upon rai lway maintenancedu r ing the war , and a cons iderable sum must thereforebe added to the capital account for additional roll ingstock, workshop equipm ent , and , in some sections , for th erenewal o f rails , but considering the increased cost dur ingthe war o f fue l and al l m aterials and o f war bonuses tothe staff, the financial position o f the rai lways must beconsidere d as em inently satisfactory . There is , moreover, every prospect of a large increase in earnings as

soon as the removal o f war re strictions and an adequatesupply o f shipp ing render the expans ion o f tradepossible .

”

As far as cargo i s concerned , the steam ships are there .

It i s now the land transport which i s at fault . Abovewe have m ade reference to the Port Harcourt and Udir ai lway , which at present i s able to supply steamers atthe harbour term inu s with coal , though that necessaryfor the main Nigerian railways and industries has to besea - borne to Lagos and then transhipped

,a lengthy and

expensive process . S ir Frederi ck clearly grasped thisimportant point and cordially approved o f a l ine con

ne ct ing Udi with Buke ru , the term inus o f the Bauchil ine . This would Offer no great engineering difficultie swith the exception o f crossing the R iver Benue , wouldopen up a part of the country which at the presentmom ent has been scarcely scratched , and would affordthe Bauchi t infie lds a speedy and cheap means o f

getting the ir ore away to the coast , w hilst i t wouldenormously fac i l i tate th e import o f machinery . In fact ,so unsatisfactory are th e conditions

‘

to - day in the tin~fields that we were told in all ser i ousne ss , owing to th ecost o f transport , that i t had been proposed to send th et in overland by carr ier o r by donkey to Loko , on th eBenue

,the reby avoiding the ex ist ing rai lway . Naturally

S ir Frederick ’s scheme would depend upon the altera‘

t ion o f th e Bauchi narrow gauge to the Nigerianstandard gauge . From Bukera , a l ine could then branchaway to the town o f Maidugari not far from the westernshore Of Lake Tchad . A glance at any map w i ll Showthe vast possibi l ities o f such a connection , running as i t



does through a country l ittle known , but where lead andS i lver are both supposed to ex i st, let alone tapping thegreat northern prair ies o f the province o f Bornu .

Further, he conce ived another necessary connectionwhich must com e in due cou rse , namely, a l ine betweenKano and Maidugar i , which would thus l ink up theN iger i an rai lway system into one gigantic tri angle .

Although no exact figu res are at present avai lable , it i se stimated that annually tons o f merchandisereach Kano from thi s port ion o f Bornu , which e i thercome in bullock - carts o r are head - borne . Cons ider ingthat the load carried on the head by porters i s only6olbe .

,and the cost of porterage i s no longe r as cheap as

i t was in the old days,i t can be grasped with ease that the

merchandise i s both plentifu l and remunerat ive . It i sbut reasonable to suppose , as has always been proved tobe the case , that the advent o f the railway would bringincreased population , and would attract to i t many ofthose nom ads who actually be long to the country

,as

apart from outsiders,and who make the ir homes

temporar i ly here and there over the i ll im i table grassplains which constitute the main feature o f thisinteresting region . It i s here that lately exper imentshave been made in the way o f cattle farm s throughBr itish enterpri se , the largest o f wh ich , at a place calledA llegnu ,

has been started by the powerful Afr i can ASSOc iat ion . It follows closely the l ines o f the Argentinee stanc ia , and w ith the opening- u p o f the cou ntry— buti t must be Opened up

—should be come a paying proposition . For the moment the difficulty appear s to beto supply water in the dry season , but in Sou th Am er icathis d ifii cu lty was fought and overcom e by the s inking ofartesian wells , and one cannot bu t imagine that it wouldbe money we l l Spent were experts financed by th e

N igerian Government thoroughly to explore the terri toryand to report upon the feasibil ity of such an Operation .

In previous chapters , again and again , we haveemphas ized the fact that it i s not fair for the pol iticalofficer, who i s expected to be an encyclopaedia o f generalknowledge , to make a report upon such abstruse matters ,and for the world to consider it as expert opinion . And

,


when one considers further the congested state o f theBritish Isles , which , in spite o f the war , become s dailym ore and more apparent

,the unem ployment and the

hope less sear ch after a l iving by those who gave the bestthey had for the Em pire , then surely i t becomes adu ty Of the Government or of any Colonial adm inistrat ion to te st i ts resource s to the utmost degree in ane ndeavour to find an outlet for the latent energies O fthose who are i ts own citizens . It i s a m istaken pol icyat this t im e o f day

,we certainly bel ieve , to lay down a

hard - and - fast law that we adm inister territor ies solelyfor the benefit o f those who occupy them . It is aspecious pie ce of pleading which makes an appeal to thewel l - todo sentimentalist . Bu t i f, by Opening up th ecountry and introducing mode rn methods the additioni s made of a leaven o f white enterpri se , inte l l igence , andeducation , then assuredly the original holder s of the l andhave sm al l cause for complaint against that adm inistration , which has for i ts ideal the social and econom icwelfare o f the native races under i ts control .Another badly needed addition to the Nigerian ra i lwaysystem i s that which would travel due north from Kanoto the frontie r Of French Zinder , and thence on to thecapital o f the sam e name , th e frontier be ing equidistantfrom th e two points . By this m eans Niger i a wouldcapture a ve ry large portion Of the fre ight travellingacross the Sahara to Z inde r , and thence through Frenchte rr i tory to Lake Tchad

,for ultimate de l ivery at

Maidugar i . S ir Frede rick L u gard estim ated that thepresent caravan trade from Zinder to Kano approximated

tons a month . The l ine would traverse a ve rythickly - populated country

,and would be able to handle

all the traffic o f the French territory , which at thepresent m om ent has no outlet to the sea . The exportthence o f hides and Skins i s enormous , and , obviously ,the French m erchant would prefer the Lagos route toZinder rather than the unce rtainty o f trans - Saharantransit . The French have in proje ct a trans - Saharanrai lway from some point upon the Mediterranean toZinder . But that i s no t yet . However , i t Opens up afascinating dream of wh at undoubtedly w i l l in years to



wh om such undertakings are fam i l iar . It does seemabsurd that , after the enorm ous amount of money wh ichhas been lavi shed upon We st Afr ica, not only one , but.all these terr itor ies should remain rem ote from theimmediate influence and interest o f the Briton . It is acur ious apathy which seem s to enve lop the whole coast

,

and i t is no exaggerat ion to wr i te that the averageBoard school boy could tel l more about Patagon ia thanhe could about Niger ia . The best cure for sucha state o f things i s to improve th e rai lway and steamsh ip.

travel .

CHAPTER XXIV .

WHEN Horace Gree ley , the great Amer ican public ist ,was asked by th e rising generat ion for his advice as t owhat they Should do , his invar i able answer was , GO

west,you ng man GO west It seem s scarce ly ne c e s

sary to point ou t that h e was not re fe rr ing to WestAfr ica

,but to the we stern States o f his own country .

At the sam e t im e,i t m ight not be wholly inapt to apply

the injunct ion to certain sections o f you ng Br itain , andsuggest the ir casting the ir eyes towards West Afr ica asa means whereby they m ight quickly assure them selveso f a comfor table independence . Advisedly have we

written certain sections . Dealing first with the comm erc ial careers open to the hardy and enterpr i s ing ,certain points must be emphasized , and the se we havem ade fairly cle ar in ou r pre ceding chapters . But let u sepitom i ze them again . O f a certainty nothing coulddamage present - day West Afr ica more than an influx o f

young m en totally unsuited by phys ique or temperamentfor the hardships and r igours which the y w i l l inevi tablybe called upon to encou nter . Therefore i t becomes anaxiom that the candidate for thi s prom i sing field Of

l abour must enjoy the be st of good constitutions , mustbe level -he aded

,and possessed Of that ballast which can

be st be gained by m ixing with others and noting fromwhat causes success o r fai lure has resulte d . The universi ty student , for instance , i s as a rule doubtful material .In the m ajor ity of cases , certainly in the Older univers it ies

,he has been brought up to depend to o much upon

the advice o f others ; he has been carefu lly Shepherdedupon his short journey through l ife , and the re fore h el acks th at initiat ive which i s a prim e essential fo rsuccess in the West Afr ican colonies . It i s not onlybusiness initiative . It is the instinct of know ing what


to do and what no t to do in every department o f l ifefrom he alth to recreation . Th is , in turn , will bespeakconsiderable strength o f character . Nowh er e in th e worldd oe s the adage ,

“Fac i lis e st descensus Averni ” more

“

f ully apply . Tem ptation o f every conceivable descriptiondoes no t wait to be looked for . It will greet him withoutstretched hands , whether i t be in the form o f congenial compan ions , cards , gambl ing, or the whisky bottle .

T hose are th e diffi culties which test the man and proveh is me ttle . But if

,after digesting the above , a young

m an comm une s with himself and says with confidence ,I can do this and more . I am physical ly as strong as

a horse , and to m ake a financial success I am preparedt o take r isks which , after all , thousands have done be foreme . I have had to knock about in the world as thosewh o have been born with Si lver spoons in the ir mouthshave not . I possess a decent m iddle—class education ,and I am determ ined to build a future for myself .”

Without hesitation, one may say that , barr ing th e

inevitable accidents o f l ife,that youth wil l succeed ; and

what is more , West Coast firm s o f repute are waiting towel com e him w ith open arm s . Be i t said , no t al l West‘Coast firms are trustworthy

,but any reputable pape r

deal ing with West Afr ican affairs wil l always be readyto give the neophyte straightforward and frank adviceu pon the matter . Time was when companies bearinghonoured nam es were not ashamed to enti ce into thei rem ploy clerks who were to rece ive the m u n ific ent salary:o f £50, £60 and £ 70, with free board and lodging and freepassages ou t and home , for the first three years o f the irs ervice . This was a disgrace and a Shame . It was ade l iberate incent ive to dishonesty

,more especially , when

c ouple d with the invitation was the hidden im plicationthat providing the returns showed so much per m ensem

in the com pany ’s books , no questions would be asked ast o any other money which m ight be m ade on the side .

”

T h e effects o f such a system were Obvious .It i s absolutely im possible for Bri ti sh adm inistration

‘to check eve ry dealing which takes place between thewhite m an and the native . Human nature be ing whati t i s, i t became the rule rather than the exception to



no t out o f pocket should the hospital claim them astem porary visitors . The worst that can be

’

said i s thatthe hours are rathe r long

,and that th e fir st term o f

service i s usually about three ye ars , according to thee x igencie s Of the situ ation . Once , however, that periodo f probation i s past they may confidently look forwardto a perpetual r i se in salary and an honourably e arnedc omm ission upon sales .Many o f the best buildings upon the coast

,and som e

are really be autiful house s , belong to such agents and“

the ir assi stants , who ar e provided with motor - cars ,belong to the local clubs , enjoy life as wel l as i t can bee njoyed , and eventually arr ive at the Legislative Counci la s official mem ber s . Ne ither nee d the ir operationscease there . Th e Afr ican and Eastern Trade Corporat ion , form erly the Afr ican Association , has tentaclese ve rywhere , as far afield as Baghdad , Constantinople ,Alexandr ia , and E ast Afr ica , Offer ing prom ise s Of betterc l im ate and more congenial employm ent to those whohave Shown the ir mettle .

A story m ight we l l be wri tten o f the organizer o f thi sv ast undertaking, who starte d as a ve ry sm all boy in av ery hum ble position in We st Afr i ca and i s now aMajor -Gene ral in the Bri t ish Arm y for services renderedd ur ing the war , and who can count h is income in tenso f thousands .Pe rhaps we have written enough to Show in assuccinct a manne r as possible what commercial Openingse x i st in West Africa fo r those suited to a commercialc are er , and who have the courage to go in and win .

The Governm ent service has oppor tunities for thosewho have no leaning towards the comm ercial world andlook forward pr incipally to an assured income with apension at the end o f the ir term o f service . L ike mostG overnm ent employment, th e emoluments are not large— in fact

,they were so sm al l that vast di ssatisfaction

h as ari sen amongst C ivi l servants generally em ployed onthe West Coast . The imagination o f the Treasury hasnever been its strong point . Necessari ly , i t i s concernedwith cutting down national expenditure , bu t i t i s r idi cufl ous that

,whi le m ill ions are being fri ttered away upon

wE ST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE 255

h air -brained schemes o f doubtfu l benefit to the country ,i ts servants , especially in West Afr ica , have been putinto such fearfu l financial straits that the Governors o ft h e respective colonies , to the ir l asting credit , protested“in the most forcible term s to the Colonial Office ,p ractically dem anding a definite and reasonable increase .

That discontent was r i fe may be gathere d from ac omm ittee repor t which , in its concluding paragraph ,states as follows : This dissatisfaction is intensified ins ome quar ters by scarcely ve iled distrust of the intentionso f the Governm ent in regard to the remedial m easuresthat may be under consideration . So acute i s thepresent tension of expectation that we have no hesitationin saying that any undu e postponement o f the finald e ci sion will ser iously increase the volum e of discontentby creating a further pretext for open agitation .

”

Thanks in no sm all degree to Lord Milner , the exC olonial Secretary , salaries have been im proved , and infu ture the budding political Officer will start with ani nitial salary o f £500 a year , which wi ll be incre ased ,Should he show abi li ty and Should vacancies ex i st , toa s much as £960 before he becomes a second - classr esident .Nothing will be gained by harping on bygones , but if

means had been intentionally sought to discourage youngmen from j oining the adm inistrative departm ents o f

West Africa , after having taken into consideration theabnormally increased cost o f l iving

,nothing cou ld have

been better devised ! If an offi cer,after fourteen years ’

service had only about £60 a year to allow his wife andtwo children in England , and if an Officer, newlyappointed , had absolute ly nothing to give to his wife inEngland after paying for his outfit and l iving expensesfor four months , then some thing must have beenrotten in the state o f Denmark .

”

These cases can be substantiated . At the same t ime,

with the alteration in salaries (which w i l l stil l furth erh ave to be au gmented to maintain a sati sfactory service) ,t h e West African C ivi l Service may now be said to offera prom ising field for the energet ic man o f good educat ion . For it must be remembered , in sp ite o f all thi s


argument about salar ies—most justifiable argument aswe consider i t— the Government servant has certainadvantages which the trade r has not . Thus his termo f service at the moment (and let us hope for the future)i s nom inal ly only one year , after which he has fivemonths ’ leave on ful l pay and a first - class passage ou t

and home . By the new scheme his wife also i s to beass isted to join him , since it i s manife stly im possible fora man with no pr ivate incom e and drawing, let us say ,£700 a year , to keep u p two establishments , as he otherwise must

,and to entertain officially, as he i s frequently

obliged to do . The entertainm ent allowance sometimesgranted is wholly insufficient , and we have been at astation where the unfortunate offi cial , happi ly unmarr ied ,was obliged to keep regu lar open house . This problemalso , however , i s in a state o f flux , and ow ing to th atdeterm inat ion which characterizes both the Governorso f N igeria and the Gold Coast , a remedy is certain tofollow .

We have dwel t upon the has - been , since the causeo f dissatisfaction o f Government em ployees has driftedhom e

,and was voiced in no u nce r tain degree in the

Br i t ish Pre ss . G iving a dog a bad name i s l iable toprejudice the dog , and since i t i s of vital im portance thatth e C ivil Service on th e We st Coast should go up andnot down , and that the cand idate s for i t should be o f thebest mate r ial ava i lable , it appeared to u s only discreet topresent both sides , the past and the present , and hopefu l ly to prophesy o f th e fu tu re . There actual ly i s noreason why the West African C ivi l Service should no t

l ine u p w ith those o f the Malay S tates and India,thus

giving it a standing and prestige which as ye t i t lacks .In du e course the introdu ction of a qual ifying ex

amination m ust undou btedly develop com peti t ion , whichw il l broaden the ranks of ava i lable candidates and makethe opportunities o f the Service better known and morehighly appreciated .

We have mentioned that the Governmental tour i sonly a year , nom inally , with leave at the end of thatt ime

,as against the average three years o f the young

trader . This needs a word of explanation . As we have



and thither at the ir beck and call , who have servantswithout number to keep away from them all th e pettyworr ies of housekeeping which be come so exasperatingin

,such a cl imate , and wh o , metaphorically, l ive Upon

the fat o f the land . This lack o f propor tion not seldomleads to m isunderstanding and dissatisfaction

,especially

when the dicta o f these autocrats i s given in directopposit ion to the best medical Opinion available . Inpoint o f fact , i t i s seldom that officials ge t home to time .

H itches constantly occur . Al so i t i s an unfortunatething that the long and devoted labours of th e deple te dstaff o f officials dur ing the war should now be cited as

proof that they are quite able to stay longer in thecolonies . It i s as though when a wom an

,nerved by

grie f o r courage , has carried— let us say— the inert bodyof her husband a distance o f many yards , she shouldbe thought capable of repe ating this feat in cold blood .

Many of us worked l ike Trojans du r ing th e war , andwonder now how we did it ! And those whose wartours in West Africa lasted twenty - two and twentysix months on end , doing the work o f two o r three othe rmen as we l l as the ir own , may we l l wonder i f theirreward i s merely to be “ da cape alegro u n pocoagitato .

It i s im poss ible to foresee accidents , and the roster o fany departm ent i s seldom so complete that the absenceof even one ind ividual upon temporary sick leave doesnot in a greater o r lesser degree involve all the other sin that department .Whilst not subscr ibing to everything which is writtenin the following lette r , port ions o f which we will quote ,and which was pu blished in that widely circu lated paperW est Af r i ca ,

yet th e wr iter , who is an andof considerable West African experience ,

deserve s attention as be ing one who can spe ak withau thor i ty : Why lengthen th e tour when so few su r

vive to enjoy th e pension at present ? One will answerthat health conditions have much im proved now . Ye s,in very local ized areas , bu t of that later . Is i t not truethat m any o f those who are in favour o f lengthening thetour have immediate commerc ial or Governmental in

WE ST AFRICA THE ELUS IV E 259

tere sts to serve , which interests may— i t is only human—obscure their viewpoint concerning the after - effectso f West Coastal service upon the great majori ty twentyyears hence ? A we althy busine ss man went forseveral thousands o f m i les into th e very heart o f CentralAfr ica on a r iver, in a superb r iver steam e r , speciallyfitted for h im , and accompanied by a physician whowould not allow h im to dr ink water from the ship ’ sfi lter without its be ing tested . L ife in th e ‘bush wasabsolutely unknown to h im exper im entally

,and su ch

were the conditions under which he trave lled that amosquito would have found it difficult to have go t nearenough to him to insert i ts proboscis . Upon the returnto England o f this same travel ler he dilated u pon thegood and healthy conditions of l ife in Central Afr ica ,and rem arke d that he would rather sai l a yacht on

the R iver Congo than he would on the Medite rranean .

Well , those o f us who have l ived three o r four yearsin that country without leave could

'

tel l a differentstory . Knowing this fact , the Optim i sm o f theremark upon sai l ing the yacht on the Congo in pre

ference was a p i ll bigger than I could swallow , thou ghI am in the pill trade . Let us not be m i staken . Letus look at the su bje ct broadly and comple te ly . Thenewcomer has to accommodate him self physiologically tonew condit ions o f atmospheric tem perature and m oistu re ,

food and water . He i s cut o ff from the pleasant su rroundings o f c ivilization , which probably have been themainstay o f his m ental tem pe ram ent .Again

,owing to th e Separation o f the newcom er from

his usual fr iends and pleasurable su rrou ndings , he i s aptto becom e discontented , fre tful , sle eple ss , agitated , andeventu ally he is labe l led ‘neurasthenia ,

’ and sent hom eas unfitted for tropical residence o r not suitable for th ejob .

.It i s remarked ,‘But what about th e excess for which

the men , and not the climate , are to blam e ?My rem arks above have been made on cases excluding

diseased ones,bu t i s the m an altoge the r to blam e ? I

m aintain that he i s not,only partly to blam e . If that

man had not been removed from his usual courses of


friendships and attractions and brough t into the trop ics ,the probabil ities are that he would not have becomediseased at all . It is because h e is in tropical conditionsthat he surrendered himself to excesses and became

diseased . He i s partly to blame , but so are West Africanconditions . Health conditions on the Coast haveimproved , there is no doubt about that . Yellow feverand malaria are much less prevalent than they were ,and hence the mortal ity amongst Europeans is less , too,and a very necessary improvem ent it is . ManyCoasters

,however

,are away in the ‘bush ,

’ far removedfrom civil ization

,proper houses

,comfortable bedding,

properly cooked food,adequ ate pure wate r, and at the

mercy o f the insect wor ld—i f insects have any m ercy inthe bush . Su ch is the lo t o f surveyors , builders o f railways , and all pioneers , as this country must have formany years to com e .

To be quite candid,the wr iter would not object to

doing five years continuously on the Coast , providedthat he was l iving in a good house , in a civilized andsanitary centre

,With good servants and congenial society .

These condit ions are only available fo r the few .

”

We make no apologies for qu oting that valuable opinion ,and when the conditions of l ife mentioned are obtainableby the many, then West Africa wi l l cer tainly deserve tolose much of its bad name . In the meantime , however ,Wi th the goodwil l o f those in author i ty , governmentaland commercial , West Africa , even now , offers Opportuni ties to those who , having read and learnt , are prepared to face facts as they are .



r iver . With t h e ebb mud banks appear , and then it i sthat through the steam y m i s t one often sees huge , uglycrocodiles su nning them se lves in th e warm th with one

eye watching incessantly for the over- venturesome childwho has wandered down to the stream from i ts homeam idst the mangroves , to find itse lf a vict im to one o f

these horrible repti les . No wonder the natives fear andloathe them .

Needless to say, here and there there are prom isingsettlements even am idst thi s waste o f mud and water .Thus , Warr i and Sape l li are both u p

- to - date l ittle townships , possessing qu ite a number o f factories , residentadm inistrative staff , and all the appurtenances whichbelong to a settled community . A s we did not visi tthem in person , we can only speak from hearsay, butthe bank manager from Warri , a naive Scotsman withthe most remarkable faculty o f losing money at “ freezeou t ,

” wh ich may be descr ibed as the national card gameo f Niger i a, assured us that li fe there was no t h alf so badas m ight be im agined . He explained at great lengththat , owing to i ts geographical position , Warr i was mostce r tainly not on the highway to anywhere

,and hence

both officials and trader s—and bank m anagers—were to al arge extent spared the painful and o ft - recurring visits o ftheir supe riors . And since in the tropics

,especially in

tropics o f thi s natu re , exercise i s as nece ssary as quinine ,tennis courts had been laid ou t , and they could evenboast o f an im provised golf l inks . The trade i s lucrative ,palm kernel s and rubber chiefly

,toge ther with any

amount o f mahogany, which at one tim e was an exporto f great valu e —thou gh apparently since the war itsmarket price has decreased .

Making the best - o f a bad job is one o f the best traitsin these r ather forlorn comm unitie s

,and then , as ou r

bank-manager fr iend remarked : “ You ’ve got to thinko f your increased salary all the t im e .

”

Teneriffe , Orotava , Santa Cruz , and Las Palmas arede l ightful places , all o f them ; but , as ou r canny Scotaffirmed with a satisfied sm i le

,They don ’t pay

managers in those places l ike they do m e up at Warri .That i s, o f course , only one side o f the p icture ; th ere


are others not so pleasant . To those with imaginationsthere i s a certain rather morbid fasc ination about thesesolitary, gloom y waterways , where often the only soundwhich breaks the s i lence i s the screech of the offalhunting birds which haunt the mangroves . No wonderthe Niger delta i s so full o f grim and uncanny tales o f

black-man m agic . For the following we can vouch .

The narrator i s sti l l in the land of the l iving , and insteado f he aling white men and black of nature ’s ailments inthe Niger delta , i s back in his own country amusinghim self with healing the ailments o f the var ious erringmotor - cars wh ich are now his prime consideration . Hewas stationed in a l ittle backwater , in which there wasone store , with one white man in charge , an officer incommand o f a smal l m il i tary escort— fo r thi s was anunruly portion o f the hinte rland , and that representedthe entire white community . Rarely , very rarely, didthey ge t their mails or news from the outside wor ld ,which all goes to make the European “ jumpy . Theactual work of unloading the incom ing cotton goods ando ther imports and sending away the rubber and palmkernel s was all done by Kroo boys recruited from theL iberi an coast , and who were rel ieved once eve ry threemonths and sent home . Their presence can be explainedby the fact that the native Pagans , whilst ready to tradeand barter , were m ost assuredly no t ready to assist inthe way o f m anual labour . The point is worth making ,be cause , in what follows , i t can be afii rm ed w ith certaintythat

,as the conjurer says ,

“ there was no collusion .

The Kroo boys l ive d in a shack , and were under themedical supervis ion o f the doctor . The black headmanhad complained , certainly ; he had nothing definite tostate

, bu t me rely expressed a forcible opinion that i t wasno good place . One morning a Kroo boy was reporteddead . This was not uncommon , and caused no particularcomm ent— though , to be sure , a post-mortem revealedno apparent cause of death . Next morning two menhad departed this l ife , and again post -m ortem s revealedabsolutely nothing . The Kroo boys , however , m uttered .

On the third morning four men were dead , and therewas someth ing l ike a panic . S ince the post -m ortem s


again revealed nothing, a consultation was held , and ,without more ado , the whole

'

gang were transhipped toanother station . In due course a fresh batch o f Kroom en arrived , and were housed in the sam e siniste rshack . Naturally they knew nothing of its history ,and , as i s the natu re o f Kroo boys , they arr ived in themost cheer ful of moods . The first night one o f thenum ber died . No cause of death was ascertainable , andthis time i t was th e doctor who was pertu rbed . Thesecond night two m ore m en passed away , and th e Krooboys looked worrie d . Th e third night four men wentto the ir last account , and white as wel l as black be camepanicky . What to do ? A conferenc e was h e ld , and i t wasde cided there and then to burn the shack down . A m atchwas applied , and in a few seconds th e dry thatch was aroaring m ass of flam e . Then it was that som ething fe l lto the ground and was se ize d by the headm an

, w h o

rushe d up to th e doctor,shou ting , He re be plenty bad

thing , sah ! F i t to kill al l m en , sah !” He held at

arm ’s - length two human finger bone s which had be entied toge ther with a bit o f native twine in th e shape o f arough cross . With ge sticulations and frenzied shoutsthey all gathered rou nd and said they wou ld r athe r swimaway from the place and r i sk crocodile s o r drowningthan have such a horr ible thing in th e station . Thequestion that then arose was what to do with it

,and

at th e instigation of th e doctor a deep hole was dugfar down in th e sinking sl ime

,and th e re l ic , ju - ju , o r

whatever i t may be called , was given an effectual bur i al .The cur ious par t i s that those men then returned toanother shack bui lt on the sam e ground , and , as thestory

,

books say ,“ l ived happily e ve r afterwards .”

Sceptics and cynics m ay sm ile th e sm i le o f greatsuper iori ty and say ,

“ O f course,coincidence ! V e ry

curiou s and inter esting,but coincidence . Grante d things

like that don ’t happen every day,but coincidence doe s

play odd pranks , and this was one of them .

” The sesame people , however , do not know the black man as heis in the coastal regions of We st Afr ica . They cannotgrasp the meaning or possibil ities o f black magic

,but

there are plenty o f those wh o , having seen , bel ieve , and



liquor was perm i tted to be imported into the thenNorthern Nigeri a

,except for sale to Europeans and

cer tain favou red nat ives such as Government clerks andthose employed in stores . Apparently there was cons iderable leakage . At least , so the supporters o f thel atter enactm ent affirm . Hence followed a Governmentordinance, prohibiting absolutely the sale or importationo f l iquor into the northern province s o f

,

i Niger ia for bothwhite m an and black al ike . If a white man , offic ial ,tr ader , o r m ine r wants liquor at the present day hemust first o f all apply to the local pol itical officer , whos igns his re quisition , wh ich must then be sent to theSecretary o f the Northern Provinces , who in turncountersigns i t , and then , and only then , i s the ordersent on to Lagos to the firm to which the order i s madeo u t . Naturally this occasions great de lay and an u ncommon amount o f irr itation am ongst the white population .

Again and again did we he ar the m ost acr imoniouscri ti cism o f thi s arbitrary ruling . It often happens that

,

be tween the signing of the original order and the receipto f the goods , as m uch as six m onths may elapse , duringwhich a whole comm unity may be enforce dly dry .

This was never intended . S ir Frederi ck L ugard himself wrote : “ Total prohibition of im porte d spir i ts forthe natives accu stomed to the ir use for decade s

,while

adm itting spir i ts for Europeans (and they should not , Ithink

,be prohibited in West Africa) , would violate the

pr inciple which forbids class legislation and would beunjust . The Mohamm edan rel igion insists that thosewho adhere to i t str ictly should be teetotallers

,though

experience has shown that this tene t i s very frequentlybroken by the followers of th e PG h e t in the Em irates .B u t , be that as it m ay, the re str iction was first introdu ced for the benefi t of the Mohammedan consc ience

,

bu t did no t take into consideration the enormous numbero f Pagan natives and others who dwe l l in those latitudes .We hold no br ief for e ithe r Side , though we do sugge st

that , as evidenced both in the United S tates and Russia ,a substi tute for bona - fide l iquor can always be found ,and also that the native population are adepts at manufac tu r ing the most deadly intoxicants which, from their

WE ST AFRICA THE E LUS IVE 267

im puri ty, are very pernicious to the human constitutionin a far greater degree than the im ported beveragewou ld be .

We cannot recall without a sm i le a most genial hosto f ours who affirmed that he was never shor t o f whisky .

He was a man o f scientific -m ind who enjoyed a glass ortwo . We tried his whisky

,and its potency was

undoubted .

Perhaps S ir Frederick L ugard may remember w ithamusement a l ittle joke against h im self . He was senttwo bottles of this liqueur fo r his opinion , and pronouncedit the best he had ever tasted . Inquiry followed , and ,behold , i t was home -brewed !However , to return to practical politics , this enact

ment needs revision,s ince we he ard , not from one but

from many authori ties , that it i s accom plishing prac t ically no good , merely because , as has been proved elsewhere , total prohibition i s a fai lure at the presentmoment owing to the fact that it i s so simple to manufacture something to take its place .

Before one arrives at Forcados , the mouth o f theNige r , one is perforce obliged to stop at Bu rutu ,assuredly one of the most de solate places plante d by thehand o f God on the whole o f the globe . It mu st beadm itted , however , that the hand of man has had something to do with it , since , before the N iger Companytook the place over as a r iver station , i t was pu re ,unadulterated mangrove swam p . To - day i t is a verysmal l i sle t carefully she ltered from every passing breeze ,and l iterally surrounde d on every side with stagnantwater and foul Swamp . The Nige r Company had enormous stores the re , together with engineer ing and repairworkshops . The se were recently all burnt down , andthey form a monument o f charred woodwork, twi stediron girders, and rusting machine ry which it will takemany a year to obliterate . Beyond that there i s a bankand a cemetery , togethe r with a small native marketpossesse d of an unenviable reputation . If a vagabondpopulation of whites i s a tough proposition to face afterdark, then assuredly a vagabond population o f blacks i svvorse .


One can recall the incident o f a youngster com ing ou tto join a trading firm

,who

,against the advice of eve ry

body , wandere d ashor e in the gloam ing ,' “ ju st to se e

w hat i t looked l ike ,”as he himse lf phrase d i t . It was

the last j ou rney o f exploration he e ver made . Two dayslater his mu ti la ted corpse was found water logge d in theSinister m angrove swamp . Emphatically , Buru tu is nogood place in which to rem ain . To Forcados it i s aboutan hour ’s steaming . One rounds a bend in the r iver, and ,r ight ahead on the left bank

, one see s the corru gated ironroofs o f this l ittle r iver se ttlem ent and beyond i t theexpanse o f the ocean . It i s hot , very hot , but withalthere i s an u ncertain bree ze borne in from the sea ; onecan watch the white c om bers breaking upon the usualWest Afr ican bar

,and , on occasion , the eye i s de l ighted

and the soul gladdened by the s ight o f what seems toone , after months inland , of an ocean - going steam er ofenormous size . Forcados i s hum an . E lder Dempsterhas made i t , not figuratively , but actually . Dredger spumped in clean sand from the sea-bed and re claim edthe horr id swam p , providing a more or less satisfactoryfoundation for the bui ldings which one finds thereto- day .

Th e E lder Dempster ’s offices are really excellent,and ,

except for th e inevitable lonel ine ss and the obviousd ifficulty in getting fre sh food and vegetables , there aremany worse places in the wor ld . There i s even a clubo f sorts , a tennis cou rt , while those who are fond o f thesea can em ploy the ir spare tim e fi shing and boat - sai l ing .

On th e whole it i s a ch eerfu l l ittle community . Thepr incipal pe r sonage is undoubtedly the doctor . He i sfu ll o f rem ini scences , all o f which are tinged with apecul iar ly sardonic humour . Thu s , if one quest ions himhe will tel l you with a sm i le that he always endeavoursto plant — note the term—his hopeless patients ou t atsea . In other words , by hook o r crook , he tr ies tomanage so that as few bur ial s take place on shore asposs ible . In his own words , Funerals at Forcados area great nuisance . If one tr ies to make a grave o f

respectable depth , one may depend upon it that , onceone digs through th e sandy sheath of the upper ground ,


270 WE ST AFRICA THE ELUS I VE

hook or crook he must find h is way up river to Lokoja,and then u p r iver again to Baro , and then make a longand tedious ra ilway journey via Minna Junction toLagos

,where , upon arrival , i f i t i s possible he wi ll find

that,owing to the exigencies o f th e moment , his berth

has be en taken . He then returns by the same route toawait better luck . We met one such case ourselves .The Niger Com pany ’s steamer , Mungo Park

,

” was agre at contrast to the speedy l ittle “

V u lture ” with itsm inute accommodation . It recalled to us a childishrhym e which relates

Now Cap ta in Parke r Pi tche ’s sloopW as ca ll e d th e co sy chicken coop .A tru ly com for table craftW ith am ple s tate room s fore and aft .

Actually , th e Mungo Park ’s am ple state rooms we ream idships

,and forward the re was a large dining- smoking

sitting - room where our own chairs could be put u p .

There were also two bathrooms and a kitchen . Themost striking r e sem blance to a cosy chicken coop was onthe lower deck where one would hesitate to estimate thenum be r o f m en ,

women and children who swarmed l ikeflies whereve r there was r oom to Stand , si t o r l ie . Theywere a happy lot , parti cular ly the naked brown babie s ,and we l iked to go am ongst them and exchange sm i leswith the w om en and nods with the m en . One m an w e

noticed , who had an extrem ely inflamed foot tied up w i tha dirty rag . An interprete r was found , who said i t h adbeen cu t with an axe some days before , so we took h imin hand

,m ade h im wash the u gly cut in clean water and

then in disinfectant and provided a spotle ss bandage o f

which h e was as proud as Punch . Af te r that we wereconsidered to be he aler s o f the first water and relays o fm en with varying com plaints were brought to us by theinterpreter- chaperon . Re sinol was greatly in dem andfor Skin trouble s and w e had the satisfaction o f knowingthat i t could at le ast do no harm and certainly seemed todo good

, while th e demand for fre sh water increasedenormously . Th e Capta in o f th e

“ Mungo Park wasalso i ll . He told u S plaintively that some one must have


poisoned him , but h is trouble easily yielded to treatment ,

” as the doctors say , and the grat itude o f this blackskipper was touching . Having heard one of us say w e

wanted lim e s , he managed , afte r m any vain attempts , toobtain a large quantity for which h e refused payment .It was a simple , patr i archal sort of l i fe which we led fo rtwo days on the Mungo Park , and one which was a.

we lcome change after ou r previous strenuous weeks .

CHAPTER XXVI .

THE problems confronting a Governor in West Africaare so many and var ied and so complex that

,afte r ou r

sm all gl impse o f the subje ct , we wondered h ow any manwould unde r take the task . He has four distinct sectionso f the comm unity to consider—h is officials , the merchants , the e du cated and the uneducated natives , notto m ent ion th e Crown Agents and the Secretary o f S tatefor the Colonies . Whatever he does he treads on someone ’ s pet corn . He i s e i ther too slow or in too m uch o f

a hurry , too extravagant o r too close - fisted,too pro -native

o r th e r everse,in the opinion o f the se various sections .

Wi thou t tact , patience , good tem per and a level head hem ay find him se lf i n the unenviable Situation o f the old

man with a donkey In E sop ’s Fable s , who, trying toplease everyone , fel l into the r ive r . What m ust be thesensations o f a Governor who sees h i s officials badlyhoused and unde rpaid and unable to extract from theHom e Gove rnment the whe rewithal adequ ately to betterthe ir conditions o f l ife The im aginations o f Se cretarie so f State and othe r O lympians are not notor ious for theire lasticity , and it is adm i tte dly hard fo r a man who goesin his motor to s i t in a cool office in Whitehall to realizethe cond itions under which som e o f the Colonial worki s be ing done . Also the le ss drain a colony i s uponthe Imperi al E xch e qu or , the greater the kudos to theGovernor . The merchants , also , cry

“ G ive ! give ! ”

l ike the daughters o f the horse le ech . They wantbetter landing faci l itie s , better transport , more c on

ce ssions from the natives , more o f many things , andto them these are o f greater import than the offic ialrequ irem ents . And what do th e native s want ? Thosewho have been given the doubtful blessing o f whiteman ’s education want social and official equality ; the



tions produced in them . The fault l ies rather withthose whose i l l - advise d attempts at im provem ent wereresponsible fo r their pr odu ction . The y m ay be stu die damong the people of those towns that have been longestoccupie d by Eu ropeans , and bette r stil l in S ie rra Leone ,

wher e the proce ss has be en carr ied furthe r and i ts effe ctsare there fore more pronounced . The moral i s undoubtedly to give the people more t ime and to aim atimproving them in ways that are suite d to their own

surroundings , prese rving all that i s good and onlyel im ina ting what i s bad in the ir own insti tut ions ,instead o f destroying eve rything of the ir own and thenforcing on them the manners and custom s and re l igiousbel ie fs o f a civi l ization that i s the outcom e of centu r ieso f l i fe in a diffe rent clim ate and u nder diffe rent conditions

,

which are qu ite unsuited to th e African .

” This i s thejudgm ent o f a physici an

,a psychologist , a histori an , who

knows where of he Spe aks . We our se lves contrasted thetrousered native ,

” as he is cal led in Nige r i a,with hi s

brothers of th e loin cloth or the Manchester cottontoga ” and with the gowned Hausa and Fu lani . Thereyou have an inte re sting compar i son . Hausas and Fulani sare Moham m edans . They ar e e ducate d—we ll educated—according to Or iental standards . Th e

“ bu sh m an

has no e du cation at all . But commend us to e i ther o f

these rathe r than to the native with a veneer o f

Occidental c ivi lization , save for the few“ exceptional

instances .”

It did not take long for us to see that the position of anewly- appointe d Governor i s veri tably not a bed o f rose s .There i s a spe cies of lull pregnant with expectation .

The older hands sm i le su perci liously and talk o f a newbroom . Th e younger one s are fi lled with hope thatchanges will be e ffe cted which wil l render the ir dutiesmore palatable , their mater ial positions more comfortable .

From this suspense spee dily emerges the governingfactor o f the si tu ation , whe ther the newcomer i s contentto adopt the pol icy o f his prede cessor—a com fortableproceeding— o r whethe r he propose s to think and act forhim self . Th e Governor o f the Gold Coast had com

m enc ed by eradicating the o ld system of centralization


of administrat ion by the u p- to - date method o f inaugu

rating a policy o f de centralization .

Withou t much exaggeration it m ight be said that theformer arrangement , wi th its intolerable de l ays , i tspigeon -holing o f grievances , i ts balefu l effect upon enterprise , its clogging o f progress , econom ic , social , andcommercial , was the means which brought ImperialRussia to an end , since Tsardom was the very epitomeo f bureaucracy with its attendant evils . S im i larly, in acountry su ch as this , where communications leave muchto be desired and mails are slow , unless initiative i sencouraged the whole adm inistration su ffe r s . L ittle byl ittle the poison is absorbe d into the system , until anAssistant District Com m issioner will decide nothingwithout referr ing i t to his super ior— the Distri ct Comm issioner—who in turn refer s i t to the Chie f Comm issioner , who sends it to the Secretar iat , which transfe rs i tto the Governor . It i s the story o f

“ The house thatJack built ” reve rsed . By the t im e that the point ati ssue has been decided , and the ve rdict has travel led backthrough th e same channel s , the or iginator o f the potherwill have gone on leave , and his succe ssor wi l l pu t i t onone side to await his colleagu e ’s return o r for a moreconvenient season .

” It i s truly wonderful that anythinge ver gets done

,and it i s not wonderful that , after a

treatment such as this fo r some ye ar s , a man becom e san automaton . It would be a marve l d id he not . In theSecretar iat at Accra no fewer than m inute pape r s

,

are rece ived eve ry two m onths . It i s a stagge ring figure ;s ixty a day . No wonde r the story i s told o f th e officialwho

,having spent the night in a rest -house which leaked

badly and sent in a m inu te thereon , found the sam eo ld thing in circu lation two ye ars later , when theoriginal com pla int had becom e me rged in th e inte restingquestion o f how many We sle yans there were in theGold Coast Regim ent . Meantim e , o f course, noth inghad been done to th e re st -house . Al l thi s i s now to bealtered

,and the most ju nior adm inistrative official i s to

be encouraged,in matters affe cting his own area , to de al

with officials o f other departm ents to be found there in .

Thereby wil l be created so many sel f- contained districts ,


which will only consult their parent d istrict over mattersof considerable mom ent , and so on up the scale to thefinal appe al to the Gove rnor . Thus

,if a road is required ,

the as he i s term e d locally , wi l l ascertain howm uch money has been allocated to him for pu blic works ,and will then consu l t with his own l ocal pu bl ic worksofficial , and with him de cide what i s to be done and how .

In addition , the per sonal qu esti on comes in . Armedwith powe r s such as these , any official i s bound to putmore he art into h i s work , and will be com e genuinelyintere sted , whe re as unde r othe r conditions i t i s to befeared that h e often regards his du tie s as a means to theend o f ge tting hom e on leave and having a good time .

It will al so effe ctu ally prevent parochialism . He wil lhave m ore to think about , and wi l l be stim ulated to comeou t o f the groove into which so m any sink , and viewthings all r ound from a different standpoint .There i s no reason why , be cau se a m an is stationed in

a lone ly place , he should grow to ignore everything conne c ted with th e ou tside wor ld . It i s a very poor ‘ policyfor Em pire - bu ilding . In his spare t im e , when there i snaught to do , no shooting maybe in the ne ighbou rhood ,the com panionship o f a pape r i s bette r than nothing ,bu t often , wi th ste am e r de lays and suchl ike

,m ail s get

he ld u p ,and hence there i s no paper . Fore ign news ,

Colonial news , anything and everything ou tside his immediate su rrounding s form a va lu able m ental ton ic

,and

included in th e news may wel l be th e l ate st doings o fth e colony itse lf . Now to this his Excel lency had alsogiven thou ght and had evolved a schem e for a weeklypaper which Shou ld circu l ate throughout the colony , oreven beyond , and shou ld be the medium no t only o f

d essem inat ing i tem s o f wor ld -wide inte rest , bu t o f br inging officials close r together by m aking known happeningsin the var iou s di str icts .We were m u ch struck by a pol itical ofli cer In one

province who had no ide a where Koforidua , a very impor tan t centre in th e E astern Province , was situated .

True,there was no spe cial reason why h e should , only

one would have thou ght that th e ge ography o f one ’sown colony would come before aught el se . Further,



It is looked forward to with interest , and gre at is thehe artburning when

,upon peru sal , the Sheet is fou nd to

contain , let us say , a long paragraph about the Czech oS lovaks

,another about th e French policy in Persia ,

another about the i llness o f th e Gre ek Premier , and acou ple of line s de al ing with the coal strike in Wales .No spor t news No football or cr icke t r e su lts The rem ay be an epoch -m aking pr ize fight , or a boat race , orsom e classic event upon the Tu r f . Ove rlooked ! Towanderers l ike ou r se lve s , the ordinary news of the ou t

s ide wor ld was what we wanted , since we m ay be inParagu ay o r Patagonia this t im e next year . But them an on the spot

,be h e official o r trade r , i s m uch more

inte re sted in th e local events in England o r mattersaffe cting th e Em pire than in a revolution in Peru .

Afte r all,i t i s very com prehensible . Hi s hom e i s in the

Br it ish Isle s , and that his favour i te choice won Th e

O aks, or that Well s be at Carpentier in ten rounds ,

re ally form s a t ic of conver sation for himself and hisfr iends

,whi le the other news does not . It is only a

m atter o f editing , and Messrs . R ente r have such a veryo ld standing o u t he re that i t seems bu t natural to br ingth e sm al l point to the ir notice .

It is im possible to paint in du l l enou gh colours them onotony o f r esidence on the West Coast , and even asm all thing such as thi s r e l ieve s i t a l ittle . The foregoing m ay al l have appe ared ve ry du l l to the aver agere ader , bu t i f a colony i s to be de scribed faithfully , th eplain facts of l ife , adm inistration , and so for th , cannotbe overlooked . Even wer e the cou ntry redolent withthe pe r fum e of roses and j asm ine , were song- birds foreve r S inging and th e whole o f creation speaking ofParadise

,sti l l there would always remain the som ething

which wou ld m ore o r le ss spoil the picture . And thiscou ntry is not l ike that . It i s hard . It is moneygrubbing— people do no t com e he re to do aught e l se butm ake m oney

,and plenty can be made . Sm all blam e to

them if they do n ot stay longer than i s ne cessary . Butth e o ffic ial— h e i s in a differ ent pos ition ; i t i s hi s l ivel ihood

,and his one chance o f ge tting away is prom otion

e l sewhere . Su rely , then , e verything im aginable shouldbe done to make things bearable . Therefore the salary


question must rece ive attention . Time was when th epolitical ofii cer started at £300 a year , not a princelysum in this cl imate . War came

,prices soared

,and it i s

actual fact that when th e time arr ived for h im to takehi s leave he had to run into debt to do anything at allin the way o f recreation at home . Here

,recreation , in

the prope r sense of th e word , does not ex ist . There i stennis , and som etimes golf ; both are duties in order tokeep as well as possible . There may be some sort o f aclub , generally not . Beyond that there is nothing . Ifon the top o f that you pile financial worry , no insu rancecom pany in its senses would give him a pol icy at anypr i ce .

Thanks to the Governor , war bonuses have beengranted to al l officials , but with pr ices as they are theseare actually insu fficient for the needs of l iving in a properway . Th e official has some sort o f position to keep up .

He may have a w ife at hom e ; pray heaven he has nochildren if he be a junior ! Upon the hill stands thebungalow o f . the trader who has done fairly we ll ; onlyfairly we l l , mark you . He w i ll be in rece ipt o f anincome o f pe rhaps a year ; his offic ial counterpart will be making his £470, since the war bonus is£ 170 per annum . This i s no exaggeration . The tradercan do what he l ike s , wear what he l ikes , work how hel ikes . The offic ial m ust always be spruce and neat . HeCannot transact his business in pyjamas

,as traders often

do . He must belong to the club if one exi sts ; at anyrate

,he must enter tain a little

,must buy an occasional

drink for the passe r -by, and Show good - fe llowship . Werehe to l ive the l i fe of a herm i t , he would qu ickly e ithergo the way o f al l flesh or lose his m ind . This i s nocountry for that form o f exerc ise known as cheesepar ing .

The aforement ioned £170 war bonus sounds a verypleasant addition to any smal l incom e . Ye t considerthe facts . Adm i ttedly

,pr ices have more than doubled

a ll round , considerably more than double d . Hence werethe ju nior offi cial to re ce ive £600 where h e had onlyrece ived £300 before the war , h e would stil l be no bettero ff, and probably worse o ff, S ince i t is merely on anaverage that pri ces have doubled . In point o f fact theyfluctuate in the various stores in the var ious distr icts

280 WE ST AFRICA TE E ELUSIVE

according to demand . Thus , in one place a bottle ofwhisky m ay cost 10S . , in another i t m ay cost 15s . , andwe have seen it sold over the counter time and again for£1 . The answer is always the sam e , If we can ge t i t ,we natu rally do . We are no t controlled from Londonand L iverpool as to m aximum prices

,only as to m inimum .

And w e are not here for pleasure , remember .

” Thatbeing the attitude o f the trade r , i t i s not surpr ising ifsome of them are not very popu lar . A bottle o f beercosts anything from l s . 3d . to 3s . thi s i s the very lightbeer which in England would cost , retai l , perhaps 6d . , o r

some thing in that region .

A few m ore examples . A packet of the most inferiormatches which we re eve r intende d to lighten the darkness is I s . A Du tch chee se costs one guinea , and butteri s 7s . a pound . Twelve common cotton col lars run to15s . These pr ices are taken at hazard ; there may bemore costly ar ticles . Of cour se , there i s an import taxof 20 per cent . u pon eve rything except books enteringthe cou ntry , so legitim ate ly the trade r can in a measureblame the Governm ent which takes away the war bonusby its own taxation , an adm irable example o f robbingPeter to pay Paul . And , further , we happen to knowthat there are many uncom m only kind firm s who assi sttheir unlu cky officia l brethren by granting the longestof credit and the easie st term s o f paym ent . It i s thesystem which is at fault , and not the individual .We have been told sem i - o ffic ially that a further increase o f salarie s al l round i s in contem plation , and maybe expected alm ost at once . Then let that increase beof the most gene rou s natu r e . We have studied at firsthand

,and can vou ch for the fact that , unless a junior

officia l has pr ivate means , i t i s not w ithin hum an powerto bring a wife ou t here , look after h er prope r ly , andhave a sufficient reserve in the bank fo r the rainy daywhich com es into all ou r l ive s when illne ss demandsextra care , and pe rhaps a passage hom e by the nextsteam e r . Im agine the anxiety br ed by such circum stances .Adm itting , as all observers do , that the presence o f

women has a refining influence u pon a community suchas this

,adm itting that a wife i s an incentive to her

husband to work hard with the prospect o f a jolly evening



in a budding town , such as Accra , i t should be necessaryto try every l ittle nat ive store in th e town for somecomm on comm odity like a padlock o r blotting paper ;that if a man wants a barber he m ust take any one hecan find ; that if a prescription has to be made up i tmust be done in the spare t ime of the native pharmacistat the native hospital and yet that a dress sui t i s der igueu r , that ladies m ust be gowned in th e latest mode ,and that the ar tificial semblance o f modern society mu stbe maintained . Truly

,i t i s an amazing paradox ! Th e

Governor o f Nigeri a has th e same problem s only moreso .

” To begin with , he has a C ivi l Service with tradit ions and an espr it de corps .

” In th e o ld daysNorthe rn Niger i a looke d down on Southe rn N iger i a andthey unite d only to gaze contem ptuously at the GoldCoast . Ther e i s a trace o f that remaining and i t requirestactfu l handling , for proper ly appl ied , i t i s good , andm isused i t m ay give r ise to jealousy . He has also ad iver sity of native race s, from the head hunters o f thesouth to th e Mohamm edans o f the north , which demandssu ch versatil ity as is rarely to be fou nd in one man . TheEm irs o f Northern Nige r i a m ore close ly approximate tothe le sser Rajahs o f India than any other native rulersin West Afr ica , yet even these Em ir s do not possess them ental calibre o f th e higher caste Indian . This i s ane rror into which those com ing from India to West Afr icaare very prone to fa l l , and i t seem s to us that appointments o f higher officials in the latter colonies couldw isely be m ade from th e exce l lent body o f men who havespent m any years on the West Coast , and who know itsintr icacies and recognize i ts e lusiveness . Possibly theColonial O ffice has appre ciate d this spe cification , asshown by th e appointm ents of General Guggisberg tothe Gold Coast and Captain Arm i tage to th e Gambia .

O f the l atte r colony we know li ttle o r nothing , so we donot venture to discu ss it . To S ierra Leone w e paid onlya flee t ing visit and the l i ttle we have to say about itand i ts hard -worke d Governor we have left to anotherchapter . An Ir i shman was once he ard to say to another ,“F o r a nate , clane and aisy job , give m e a bishop ’s . ”

We cannot say the same about the West AfricanGovernor ’s .

CHAPTER XXVII .

W E are all told from our earl ie st childhood that compar i sons are odiou s . It is possible

,however , that they

may be helpfu l . We can gene rally learn from ou r rival ssom ething wh ich has not occurred to us before , someo u tlook upon life which is strange to ou r tem perament ,bu t which may have a very real influence upon ou r su b

sequent actions . It is readily granted the world overthat Great Br itain i s the pre - em inent colonizing Powe ro f to - day , though the ave rage man in the stre et i s apt toforget that long before Great Br itain played such as tar part there were othe r great countrie s , particularlyPortu gal and Spain , which opene d up the world to theinfluence o f the civilization o f the ir pe r iod . One m ightmention the Dutch

,the Genoe se , the V enetians , and go

back still fur ther into the realm s of history to find vastem p ires which swayed the world

,bu t ar e now no more .

B u t , as a nation , we lack a proper sense o f histor icalperspe ctive . We are incl ined to l ive for today , to judgeby to - day , to ignore the past , and to regard the futurewith a certain snobbish com plaisance . Cr i tic ism i shated

,althou gh it may be he lpfu l , and you r true patri ot

i s the gentlem an who bangs the tub harde st and shoutsthat Great Br itain can do no wrong . Such a person is ,in point o f fact , a very poor fr iend to his own country ,and i s suffer ing from such a bad attack o f mental indigest ion that he deserves the sympathy o f those wh o

real ize that the tru est form o f patr i ot ism i s to profi t bythe pol icy o f others and to we igh we l l the diffe rences ofa dm inistrative treatm ent inc idental upon differences o f

tem perament .It wil l be adm itted that nothing in this world frame d

by human hands i s free o f fault . Bri ti sh colonizationin West Afri ca has , on the wh ole , carried with i t the

284 WEST AFRICA TE E ELUS IVE

traditional treatment of fair play and justice to the nativepopulation . Exceptions there have been , but actual lythey are not very Significant . A section o f the nativecomm unity will always and under all c ir cum stances

'

be

against white dom inion , in the fu tile be l ief that thenative can manage affa ir s very much be tter for him se lfthan unde r the su pe rvision of the European . That thisi s entire ly false in practice can be judged by the hopeless mu ddle ex isting in th e Republic o f L iber ia , with i tsopera - bouffe Gove rnm ent and i ts com pletely undevelopedresources due to lack o f local initiative . And th e sam e

may be said to apply to Hait i and San Dom ingo . Therefore

,i t mu st be allowe d that the whole o f the West o f

Afr i ca has benefited in a greater o r less degree by th eadvent o f the white m an . Let i t be re ite rated andemphasize d that scandals have occurred , that regrettableincidents have taken place , and that there has beensuffering infl icted u pon the black man in som e parts o fthe coast . But as one swallow does not make a summer

,

then assuredly i t i s r idiculous to condem n the whole o fEu ropean adm inistration , as some of our newly- bornfanatics do , for incidents o f only local im por tance .

Ther efore , we have no he sitation in de l iberate ly statingthat th e white rule a long th e coast

,while open to argu

ment regarding the e thics o f local adm inistration , h asbeen beneficial on the whole , and this appl ies to Br it i sh ,French and e ven German organization . Natu rally

,they

all differ in the e thics which gove rn them . Thu s , froma financial point of view , England h as looked after th enative at the expense o f th e Briti sh taxpaye r . Herpolicy h a s be en d istinctly pro-native , and in the processvast qu antitie s of m oney have been literally thrown intothe sea . This was no fau l t o f the Governors , except forthe fact that they d id not com prehend th e Afr icancharacter . Men of th e highest in tegr ity , they did no t

come to We st Afr ica with Wes t Afr ican exper ience .

They arr ive d full o f theor ie s based u pon pr eviou s exper ience in other tropical dom inions . B u t i t i s a cu r iousfact

, on e very well wor th em pha sizing , that , w i th th e

exce ptions o f General Guggisberg and S ir Frede r ickLa gard , for many ye ars Governors hav e be en drawnfrom ou tside sou rces .



and temperam ent o f everybody concerned than s ittingin the stifl ing verandah o f the l ittle clubs to be found inBriti sh coast towns .On the other hand , i t may be argued that the French

do not cu lt ivate sport to the extent that th e B r iti sh do ,

and that so much attention is not paid to that departm ent o f what r eal ly i s tropical hygiene . And thenanother point crops up , and this appl ies to what i sFrench terr i tory and what was Germ an al ike . If oneasks any E lde r Dem pste r captain what he thinks o f th eFrench and Bri ti sh Afr ican ports he will invar iablyplum p for the form e r . Sur f i s a bu gbear in We st Afr i ca .

It makes landing peri lous , and the handl ing o f cargo a

matter o f in te rm inable delay . Ships will l ie o ff a townl ike Accra for three weeks or a m onth owing to the factthat all goods have to be carr ie d pie ce by pie ce throughthe surf . At an enorm ous cost a br e akwate r was constructed which ce rtainly was m oney thrown into the sea .

No doubt i t provided em ploym ent for a hundred o f

experts who gave the ir wide ly d ivergent views uponwhat was to be done , and the result has been lamentable .

It i s quite useless .Presum ably another even more expensive scheme i s to

be taken in hand,and a harbou r is to be constructed at

Takoradi point , at th e cost o f a few m i ll ions . Those whoknow the coast wil l certainly watch the experim ent withinterest . Such politics ar e not practical . A t every l ittleFrench or German port one will always find a comm ono r garden pie r ru nning ou t su fficiently far into the sea toavoid the surf, and equ ipped, at any rate , with a tramwayof sorts for the transport of sea - borne cargo . Threecaptains wh o have been trading along the West Coast o fAfr ica for th e l ast twenty ye ar s gave i t as the ir opinionthat two piers at Accra , one for incom ing cargo and theothe r for ou tgoing would save m i ll ions o f m oney to theAdm inistration in the costly schemes they have in hand ,as we l l as be ing o f real a ssistance to th e ships o f theworl d which ar e unfortu nate enou gh to l ie ofi Accra .

The sam e might be wri tten o f Se condi , Sa ltpond,Winnebah , or , for that matter , o f any other o f th e Br i t ish WestAfr ican ports with the exception of Lagos , as already


stated , and o f Freetown . The outside r will naturallyraise the query,

“We l l , why on earth wasn't i t donebefore ? It cer tainly seem s Sim ple enough

,and from

the point of econom y, advisable . Tha t i s a qu e rywhich we ask ourselves

,which every E lder Dem pste r

captain and mate asks himself , and which every trade rin a fore ign ship echoes . The answer i s unknown tous all .The Germ an has a habit o f building to impress the

native . He wi l l put up a vast Gove rnm ent house o r anenorm ous cathedral regardle ss of cost because he thinksthat thereby the black man m ight be struck withadm iration for the efficacy of Ge rm an adm in i strativemethod . But , i f the Germ an had only realized it

,

what struck the black man more was the fact that , asat Lome , a puffing locom otive with a string of wagonsbehind wait e d at the end of the pier for Ships ’ cargoe s

,

and then made i ts noisy progress through the nativequarter o f th e town , stopping at the various warehouses

,and del ivering the goods with as m uch regulari ty

as the native postm an did the letters . True , a por t iono f the Lome p ier was washed away on one occasion , butit was speedily rebuilt at a very small cost , and is in asgood condition to day as ever it was . It i s worth whileadding that the surf at Lome i s infinitely worse thanthat at Accra . Mention o f Lome br ings to ou r m ind thefate o f thi s port ion o f Togoland .

The l atest i ssue o f The S tatesman ’s Yearbook givesa map o f the new French terr i tory , stating , Th e Br i tishhave now obtained about one - third of the cou ntry ,square m i les , bordering the Gold Coast te rritorie s , butno part o f the sea coast .” Our French fr iends wil lassuredly not take umbrage i f i t is pointed ou t that thisd ivision o f th e spoi l s of war i s an uncom m only advantageou s one to them as they get two quite good harboursin the aforem entioned Lom e and Anecho . It i s highlyprobable , howe ver , that these advantages w i l l be oflse t

by the disadvantages of be ing compelled to keep thepeace in the hinterland , no e asy matter , since many o f

the tr ibe s are divided , be ing now half unde r Bri t i sh andhalf under French rule , which h as caused a great deal


o f dissatisfaction amongst them . It i s impossible totravel throu gh the country and not be aware o f the d iscon tent which preva i l s . It is qu i te com prehensible , for ,l ike white people , the native doe s not like be ing changedbackwards and forwards be tw een two m aste r s . In theCam eroons the French have been equal ly fortu nate , andhave rece ived by far the l arge r sl ice , inclu ding anothere xce l lent h abou r in th e shape o f Duala . The re fore , i ti s no exaggeration to state that , with Conakry andDakar (both alm ost first - class naval - bases) , as far asWest Afr ica is concerned , they have a very good chaino f harbou rs .A glance at a map shows the enormou s extent of

Fr ench West Afr ican posse ssions . The ir hinterland i scontinuous from St . Lou i s , in Sene gal , as far as theEgyptian Sou dan . With the ir railway advance , whichi s progressing rapidly

,they will soon link u p this vast

territory,whi le in addit ion they are m aking a par ticular

point o f the construction o f motor roads in everydirection .

The study o f geography seem s rather neglected inEngland , bu t a gre at de a l may be learnt from the intell igent com prehen sion o f a m ap . W e m ake no claim tohave any know ledge o f th e gu id ing factor s in the gameof in ternat ional politics

, bu t having trave l led in manycoun tr ie s , w e have attem pted to obse rve and to u nde rstand . Poland m ay seem a far c ry from We st Afr ica ,but i s i t possible that one o f the factor s which sw ayedFrench politicians in su ppor ting Poland against theBolshevik regim e was th e knowledge that what theseagents o f unre st were attem pting to accom plish in theKhanate s o f Central Asia and o f Afghan i stan theym ightattem pt not on ly in French West Afr ica , bu t in al lportions o f the continent where the Mohammedan creedi s to be m e t It i s comm on enou gh to m e e t th e Meccapilgr im in the regions arou nd Lake Tchad , as wel l asin Senegal and th e Br iti sh West Afr ican l i ttoral .They com e from afar

,som e u pon ostensible business ,

others with no satisfactory explanations to give_

of

the ir presence unless i t be to proselytize , o f which agreat deal i s being done . Any stick being good enough


WEST AFRICA TE E E Lc srv E 29 1

st eamer cm e in and we h ad h ad to go al l th e way bac koverland o Lagos and poss ibly wai t th ere for an

indefiniq e r iod . We have briefly an imadverte d upo nthe lack c hote l ac commodation in a ll ou r Wes t Afr i canposse s s or . Th ough the h osp i tal i ty in th e se par ts 18

prover’

rza yet there comes a pe r iod wh en people mustsh i ft f ~~r I em se lves ; a wee k o r a fortnigh t even , and

one 2. aw e lcom e guest , but after th at pe ri od , w iththe kindi t in tent ions in th e world . wha t with th e

proh ib i t i l co st o f l iving , the di ffi culty in gettingprov is i on and th e lac k o f accommodat ion (fo r no one

i s singa ir in th i s respe ct) , one become s an ac tua lembarrasn ent , awkward fo r one

’s h o s t and infini te lymore disleasing for oneself .If a lzge organiza tion such as Messrs . Lyons wouldgo int ) Is matter serious ly we confidently be l ieve th eyw ould fii i t worth the ir wh i le to send out someone ,in wh osmrofe ssional ski l l th ey h ad confidence , to makea report ) r them . Freetown

,th e C lapham Junction o f

the W eSAf r ican trade ; Sekond i— the term inus o f th erailw ay rom the m inefie lds ; Accra— the capital o f

the Golc’

Coast ; Lagos—cap ital o f United Nigeri a—al lare sh ou

’

ng fo r hotel s run upon clean and respectablelin " n. w ith due regard to local contingencies , at asreasonab a cost as possible . We fully be l ieve th at th epr zfit s u n ld be stupendous . Nobo dy m inds paying goodm sne j: 11 those re quirements , but in an atmosph ereof s qu at: such as i s to be found in the only so - ca lledhote ls si st ing , more l ike shacks in m ining c amps inCo l oradcin the bad old days than plac es o f refre shmentand r es for wh ite women and men al ike in a tropicalcountry any th ing i s costly . No wonder th e Bri tishtrav e lle i wh o , after all , i s an asset o f immense value toany c orm un ity , as is prov ed by the annual incomeder iv e d by the It alian Government from the Britishtou ' he sitates at the idea o f paying a vi s i t to

e at Er ica unl ess h e be an ofli c ial guest .

290 WEST AFR ICA THE ELUSIVE

leases and tim ber concess ions were granted ; in fact ,they wou l d have to be able to give com prehensiveinform at ion upon eve ry su bject connected with thepar t icular colony to which they we re allocated . Thiswou ld m ean a special local knowledge born only o f

practical exper ience on the Spot .Fr om personal expe rience we can assert that theWest Coast official , wh o in due course gets his pension ,i s often hard put to i t to me et his expense s at home , andas often as no t becom es disgruntled and m i serable bywhi l ing away day after day in som e cheap boardinghouse t im e which m ight otherwise be we l l spent .Su ch folk wou ld jump at the opportunity o f adding tothe ir incom e by finding em ploym ent in one o f theseagencie s , and naturally from the ir year s o f service nonecould be bette r suite d for the j ob . Fu rthermore , suchagencie s would form a me e ting grou nd fo r coaste rs ;they would read th e latest papers and have a sm oke anda gossip withou t be ing pu t to th e expenses incidental tojoining a clu b . The aver age coaste r , as may be im agine d ,does not trave l thithe r for am usem ent

,and although he

may have money “ to go on a ‘splu rge ’ with when on

leave , to u se a colloqu ialism , yet there are very manywho are m arr ied and have r e sponsibil ities which obligethem to consider eve ry penny they spend . To su ch asthe se an agency run on the l ine s sugge sted , with i tsfr iendly atm osphe re , wou ld be a ve ri table boon and afocal point to which all in se arch o f information o f anysort cou ld find the ir way . A s far as memory serves u s,the French have such a place in Pari s . If w e m istakenot , i t sta r ted in a ve ry m ode st way as a sort o f r eadingroom in th e office o f th e Chargeu r s Réu nis S te amshipCom pany . We are , however , proverbially slow in doinganything radical , and i t always appear s to be le ft tosom ebody e lse . Bu t the re can be no harm in sugge stion ,and w e have now seen so m uch that we have nohesitation in hazarding one .

Thanks to E lde r Dem pste r ’s agent , we we re ableto catch the ocean boat from th e funny little harbour o f

Forcados . It i s ce r tain ly not a place in which to l inger ,but our plight would have been rather tragic had no


CHAPTER XXVIII .

IT i s doubtful whether any part o f the world producessu ch distinct and clear - cut hum an types as West Afr ica .

The traveller may make h is way from end to end o f i tsvar iou s colonies , and ye t he will never be m istaken forthe r eal article . There i s som e thing indefinable whichm arks a “ Coaster down as such , a som ething born o f

lengthy exper ience in this e lu sive port ion o f the globe .

And at once let it be cle arly under stood that th e o ld

fashioned ideas of th e l ive s l ived by official and traderalike ar e hopele ssly out of focu s , as some o f ou r previouschapters wi l l have emphasized . Human nature i s justth e sam e her e as e lsewhe re , only perhaps it errs in th ebest direction in which hum an natu r e c an err

,name ly ,

in that there i s ,“au occu r ,

" a deep bond o f sympathycem enting all these varying elem ents into one h om oge

meous whole when Coast ” interests are u nde r th e fire o fcr i tici sm . People qu arrel here as they do at homem aybe they gossip more , i f that be possible , than in th eave rage cathedral town in England ; the population i ssm al ler and the relaxations are less . Ther e are no moresaints and S inners than in any other Imper ial possession

,

only the fierce l ight li t by th e encouragement o f enterprising pu bl ishe rs has served to illum inate the black spotswhen they do exi st , to the exclusion o f the dull

,mono

tonou s grey l ived by the many— grey because truly it i sex istence only, to th e tem peram ent o f many . They l iveon from day to day and from m onth to month becausethey have responsibi lities which they adm i t and the priceo f which they will ingly accept . Hence , to preface the sefew rem arks

, one point may be r e cognized— a spirit Ofu ncom plaining plu ck . We st Afr ica has for so longe njoyed , or rathe r suffered from , unm er i te d stigm a thati t has undoubtedly made of those who belong to i t a class


to themselves , not a l ittle suspic ious of foreign eyes , aswe ll they may be after so long a per iod without anycham pionship . It is evidenced by the fact that oneLondon club almost universally affected by the Coaste r i sthe Sports . There they for egather , and i t is impossibleto enter at any time and not he ar Coast talk , drink aCoast cocktail and hear o f the l atest appointments .Frankly th e official classes provide the fewest types ofinterest . They are usually cau ght young after leavingthe Univer sity , and becom ing imbued with a cer tainsameness of vis ion concerning m ost matter s , they sharewith other profe ssions a fondness for talking “ shop .

”

S til l , here and there , one encounters individuals whowou ld delight the hear t of any novel i st .We once m e t a pol itical Officer , years ago , who in hisspare t im e had learnt th e whole o f Thackeray ’s V an ityFair by hear t . A l l one had to do was to open the bookat any page , give the imm ediate context , and he couldrattle on “ ad infini tum .

” He had be sides this book onlytwo othe rs in his perambu lating l ibrary , the Bible andWhitaker ’s Almanack . Asked why he had not learntthe form er by hear t

,he explained that i t would deprive

i t o f i ts freshne ss , and that it m ade a change to turnfrom i ts pages and ascer tain from Whitaker su ch fact sas the r ainfall in English towns or the world ’s birth - rate .

It keeps one ’s m ind in working order, he would asservate ;

“ i f one i s i ll one is ordered change of clim ate andd iet and so on . Then Why not have change of mentaldiet ? I can ’t afford to carry books about with me , butwith these three I am we l l provided .

”

On the other hand , we m e t an engineer of a differenttype altogether, one who m ight be aptly descr ibed as amechanical snob . He had the reputation of be ing acapable man ; he certainly did not possess a fascinatingmanner . We mention his type because i t emphasizes apoint which m ust be made . This man ’s m ind consistedo f cogwheels , crankshafts , and bearings . For aught elsehe had supreme contem pt . He asserted to us , not verypolite ly , that wr i ters o f any kind were unnecessary evi l s ,that papers never told the truth , that music was eflem inateand had never done any good to any one , that p ictures

294 WEST A FRICA THE ELUS IVE

and ar t were rubbish , and that he could not understandhow i t was possible to adm ire a view , a flowe r or a seascape . He had over looked the possible power o f thePre ss , the e ffe ct o f m i litary bands , the influence o f

l i terature,and the stim u lu s in every direction o f art in

al l form s . On a coast such as this , where m ateri ali smplays havoc with m orals and even physical health , suchviews are dangerous .Happi ly , the Gove rnors o f the colonies, through whom

must fi lter som e influence to th e outside , are men o f noordinary abi li ty in just those directions ou r friendde r ided . S ir Hugh C l ifford , o f Nigeria , has written anumber o f books . General Gu ggisberg , o f the GoldCoast , i s m i serable without music and told us he hope dto have an orche stra before long . He i s a m u sician o fcom prehension , moreover . Governor Wilkinson , ofS ierra Leone , i s a savant who , had he not arrived athis present em inence , could easi ly have occupied an impor tant “ Chair at any Universi ty . These are threecontradictions to the theory formulated against thosewho are interested in the Arts . Shorn of such relaxat ions , l ife here would r esolve i tself into work , tennis , anda gin crawl

,

” as i t i s appositely named in these r egions .In point o f fact , thi s was th e only instance we have meto f th e m ate r i al i st run r iot , bu t i t was easy for us to seehow harm fu l influence such as this m ight be to newcomers . The m an who has no use for children , music ,books and the more spiri tual side of l ife i s one to avoid .

But as a type , l ike a flea under a m icroscope , he is o fvalue , fo r he i l lustrates the latent dangers in his c omposition . In the o ld days traders wer e called palm o i l

r u ffians . For aught we know the nam e may l inger ,but , Speaking as we found them , they were all courtesyand kindne ss personified . Two we make mention o f

again as types . They m ay even recognize themselves ;one thing is certain , we shall not be sued for l ibe l .Im agine a very tall m an o f gigantic proportions , anda sm i le which never fades . A tremendously hard worker ,he expects and rece ives from his staff the same amounto f work in proportion to that accomplished by himself .He pays well , he tre ats his underl ings with a considera



fr iendliest intentions . L ikew ise,if those who have read

ou r preceding chapters wish to understand the truepsychology o f th e coastal entity , wish to understandsom e othe rwise inexpl icable theorie s he ld by highofficials and to fathom to its depths just what theWest Coast spe ll s , then it i s obviously useless to ignor eobst inate facts which face one . The gre ate st dange rhere for th e newcom er and o ld hand alike i s no t dr ink ,as people usually su ppose

,but unm i stakably gam bling .

In i ts essence there i s not the least harm in it . N o

earthly harm i s done by bridge or poker , or evenbaccarat , when th e players know with whom they ar e

playing . Bu t , unfortunate ly , a novice com es along and

plays with those by whom h e has been shown cour te sy .

Unde r stand , ple ase ,they do not want h im to gam ble ;

they pr esum e that h e has suff icient sense to stand ou t ,

i f h e considers i t i s wiser so ,or to pu t a lim i t on his

losse s . No one w e have ever m e t would blam e him forsuch an action ; they wou l d applaud it . But be i tremem be re d that am ongst the trading community the r ei s a trem endous amou nt o f money , they are virtuallycoining it , and if a cou ple o f hundred , o r

,for that

m atter , £ 500 change hands in the evening am ongstsuch people

,m ee ting the l iabil i ty i s e asy . B u t the

you ngster com e s along, o r th e inexper ienced elder , which

i s also not unknown, and having lost , plays to retr ieve .

Fo r that purpose he borrows m oney , will ingly lent atth e table , and when the morning com e s and the sultryWe st Afr ican su n begins its daily “ hate ” he real izeswhat th e night be fore has me ant to him . This i sno m awkish sentim ent ; i t i s hard common sense , towhich al l reputable West Africans will subscr ibe . Wepersonally have seen a host take a m an aside , andafterwards he told u s he had im plore d him , to u se hi sown words ,

“ to qui t . But doe s any sane person inthe wor ld suppose that such an adm onition carries anyW e ight when th e night i s growing o ld O f cou rse not .If only som e o f th e tragedies which do occur he re , ase lsewhe re , could be traced to the ir origin , it wou ld befound in m any cases that pour passer le temps " thegambling table h as made i ts call , and the resultant

WEST AFR ICA THE ELUS IVE 297

effects have been d isastrous . With which few wordsle t the subje ct be dism issed . Only i t may explain why ,when we wr i te o f distractions , o f m usic , or a theatreeven , i t i s not idle ideal ism or ru bbishy sentimental ity ;it is penned with a knowledge o f facts which really needalteration and am endm ent .There i s also the type which loves We st Africa withthe love of a hu sband

,a fathe r and a son . To him every

aspect o f i t i s e i ther del ightful o r inte resting and hewould ask nothing be tte r than to be laid , when the t imecomes , under his favou r i te cottonwood or baobab tree .

Some one h as tru ly said Hom e is not th e place wherewe lay o u r he ads , i t i s the place where we lay ourhearts . ” And thou gh West Afr ica m ay shr ive l th e skinsand waste the flesh of h er ardent love rs the ir hearts are

hers . To o u r thinking , the se m en are poets withou tvoice . They are worshipping an unkind m istress , tru ly ,but they have eye s to se e her in h e r few m om ents ofresponsiveness and the more Sh e flou ts them the greateri s their love . W e have m e t them ,

have seen the ir eye sas they took a r e luctant farewe l l o f what they he ld so

dear before sai ling for England,never to return .

Another type which is to be found i s the Boaster .

W e give him a capital letter and richly does h e deserve i t ,for he i s own brothe r to Baron Munchau sen , o f histor icmemory . Nothing is an obstacle to the Boaster .

” Hete ll s you of his present afflu enc e— s i de his racing stableat home and his newly pu rchased ancestral acres

,al l

S i tuated in a m ythical cou nty . He then rel ates how hehas ski lfu lly kept j u s t

“ within th e law ” and hin t sat many doubtfu l transactions . He describes the fear inwhich native chiefs hold him

,throu gh som e cunning

and timely em ploym ent of ju - ju . In fact,no bow is

too long fo r him to draw . And , as a rule , he i s reallya perfectly hone st em ployé of a perfe ctly reputable firm ,

whose wife and children live at Surbiton and possiblykeep a pony and governess cart or a Ford car o f anearly vintage .

It is only after be ing som e t ime on the West Coastthat a pecu l iar lack of something begins to make i tspresence felt . There are no children here Black babies


there are in plenty— solem n , l i ttle , sleepy things thatnod on their m others

’ backs ; black boys and gir l s , tooyoung to carry on the ir he ads anything heavier than ane m pty pannikin , walk sedately along the roads . Blackc hildren never seem to lau gh o r cry or play , and theym atu re e ar ly . But there i s no childish lau ghter and nopatter of baby fee t on the wooden floors of the bungalows .This dearth o f you th becomes at last alm ost oppressive

,

thou gh it is a ste rn nece ssi ty . Only in parts o f NorthernNige r i a i s i t safe to r i sk the presence o f a you ng wh i tel ife , for ther e fr esh m i lk is obtainable and the heat i snot so trying . W e saw one enchanting baby o f five

in Northern Nigeri a . Thanks to the climate and tothe unrem i tting care o f her mother She was wel l , but herm other was a wreck . Children cannot be left to theblack boys , however we l l intentioned they m ay be ,and there i s no su ch thing as a native ayah . To bringo u t a w hite nurse pre sents the following problems :Th e nurse m ay fall i l l , when her m istress wil l have herand baby on h e r hands ; she m u st e i ther take her mealswith her em ployers , which m ight not sui t e i ther side ,o r sh e mu st have her me als alone

,thereby requiring

extra work from the servants ; o r , ten to one , sh e willge t engage d to an im pressionable railway employé or

clerk in the Board of Works , and give notice withouta qualm . W e saw on e other white child in ou r travel s .It was pathe tic in its pallor and apathy . Its l ittle legs

,

which shou ld have been plump and sturdy,were merely

sallow broomsticks . And ' thi s in Spite o f the mostdevote d mother and tender care .

Tru ly , the l ife o f a mother on the West Coast i s nobed of rose s ! But it m ust not be thought that ex i stence among the fem inine e lem ent is a sad one . Thereare m any wive s who trek w ith their husbands into ou t

o f - the-way port ions o f the ir distr ict s and who enterinto the di scomforts and even dange rs o f the j ourneywith posit ive ze st . We recal l one athle ti c , fair - hairedgir l who thou ght nothing o f r i s ing at four in the morning ,

sl ipping into a “ bush skir t , breeches , and fieldboots , and tru dging along by her husband throughhu nter s ’ paths unti l the r i sing sun compelled her totake to her hammock . Her pet monkey and parrot



loving Wives . In th e ir own country,unfortunately

,the

fem inine elem ent predom inates , and they enjoy thenove l sensation o f being undisputed qu eens—even thoughthe ir kingdoms may be smal l . One such was knowncontem ptuou sly to refer to each new arrival as “

on e

m ore hussy ,” unti l someone aske d h e r what th e others

m ight perchance cal l h e r . There is also the butterflywife , who , unti l She finds h er soul throu gh sorrow or

i l lness , dance s the hours away as though Nature werenot waiting to exact th e inexorable penalty . For one

cannot burn the candle at both ends with im pu nity on

the West Coast , as m en and wom en have both learnt .These l i ttle Und ines u sually real ize the ir m istakes ear ly ,and settle down into the be st o f w ives and mother s .Which br ings us once more to th e problem of chi ldren .

Hard though it may be in India,i t i s st il l more bitte r

here . No white child must be born in the se regions ;no wise mothe r brings ou t with her a daughter unde rthe age o f e ighteen or twenty . Therefore , sh e mustmake her Choice . Shall Sh e leave her children to thecare o f relat ives , see ing them for four to Six m onthsyear ly , o r shal l sh e hersel f su perintend the ir upbr ingingand be content with her husband ’s society only du ringhis leave at hom e E i ther way there are str ings pullingat her hear t . E ithe r way the re i s anx iety and possibletragedy . The m ail ste am er s are both longed for anddre aded , and some tim e s those wom en a stranger m ightcondem n as fr ivolous ar e actu ally plunging into gaietyto provide an anodyne against thought . Therefore

,

taking them as a whole,all honour to the wom en of

the West Coast . One m u st not grudge them the ir sm al lpleasures nor be too severe upon the ir weaknesses .Amongst them there are m any heroines , true pioneers ,l ike the ir m en - folk . We have m e t with genuine k indness from eve ry one o f these types we have attempted tode scribe

,kindness which expe cted no return and aske d

for none . So,i f we have comm i tted them to paper , i t

has been with mal ice towards none . But , as beforeremarke d , to comprehend such a complex terr i tory asthat embraced by the term West Africa ,

” every S ide o fthe question must rece ive attention . This i s what wehave attempted to do in the foregoing chapters .

CHAPTER XXIX .

W E left For cados in the m idst of th e regular tornadoone m u st expe ct at thi s tim e o f th e year . Le aden Skiesseaward heralding a cre st of foam quickly transform e dinto Sp indr ift , a flutter ing of canvas weathe r - gu ards ,a few moments of su spense as w e bre asted unpleasantbreakers

,and the mamm y chair speedily took us on

board . Tru th com pe l s u s to say i t was a r elie f . Withinthree m inute s we were fr iends with th e Captain , withinfive with the chief enginee r , and within ten with thatmost im portant factotum upon all steam ships th e wor ldo ve r , the chief steward . The com for t Of our large cabinwas indeed a blessed anodyne to the variou s worr ies we

had encountere d in Nige r i a . Kind fr iends came to se eus o ff, and rather enviously wishe d us a qu ick passageand a safe one to the o ld country . And here le t usc hronicle two things ; the fir st

,the never - ending kind

ne ss we have rece ived from the captains o f th e E lderDempster boats in Which we have trave lled . Namesl ike Milson , Shoote r , and McD owe ll may no t be knownto th e express - travel l ing public , whose bu siness it i s tog e t home in the quickest poss ible t ime . But to thosewho pre fer com fort , conside rat ion , and we m ight add ,fr iendship , comm end us to th e E boats o f the E lde rDem pster Company . They make no Show . They dono t carry mor e than sixte en passenge r s . Also the ir dutyn ecess i tates the ir call ing at many Odd ports

,and thereby

m aking the ir run hom e longer than i t is by th e r egu larmail boats o f th e com pany . But to those who appre ciatec am arader ie and “ hom e l ine ss , then give u s an “ Eboat every time . Which leads us

,be ing rem iniscent

at the present mom ent , to ou r se cond statemen t . Whata blessing a banker i s ! And what a bless ing i s ac heerful one !


During our tou r,covering over e ight months , o f

necessi ty we have had m any de al ings with the managersand staff o f the Bank o f Br iti sh West Afr ica . In everycase we met no t only with a warm offi cial welcome , bu twhat to u s seem e d m or e im portant , a warm personalwelcome . If the tone o f an organization i s absorbedfrom headqu arte r s

,then assure dly the m anager and

assistants o f that bank in London , manager and

assistants whom we have never m e t , must be u n

commonly kindly and helpfu l folk . E ight months inWe st Afri ca te aches on e to comprehend h ow m uchfore thought repr esents

,and to what a great extent one

i s dependent u pon th e l i ttle things of l ife which go tomake up hum an kindness , and rel ieve a som e time srather sordid wor ld and its never - ending ru sh afte r th eelusive dollar . So m uch we can wr ite from ou r heartsabout the Bank o f Br i ti sh West Afr ica . In parenthesis ,with other banks w e we re never brought into contact ,but w e imagine that throughout the pr inciple i s th esam e .

We passed up the coast,grown so fam i l iar to u s ,

wi thout incident u ntil we put into the harbour ofCape Palm as

, th e sou thernmost por t o f L iberia .

Ar r iving the r e took a considerable time . It i s a por tin nam e only , and ships lay ou t about three m i le sfrom the shore . It i s a r ocky promontory , withapparently som e good house s on the point , th e so - calledharbou r lying to th e eastward

,guarded by the u sual

surf and a forbidding reef o f rocks . From the sea , inspite o f an occasional tornado which swept across th eShip and obliterated the mainland , i t looked rathe rattractive . Bu t the two passenge rs we embarked fromthi s delectable spot spee dily assur ed us that al l i s no tgold that gli tters . From all that they told us , i t.r em inde d us forc ibly o f that O ld p icture in Punch ,

where the chatty m an and th e s ilent passenger ar e

closeted toge the r in a fir st - class carriage on a non - stop,

train from Paddington to Reading . They were ju stpass ing Hanwe l l lu nat ic asylum when th e chatty o ld

m an r emarke d pleasantly , How be autiful th e l ights ofHanwel l look from the train ! ” The only answer th e



We should be very intereste d to learn from thatwri te r what othe r Bri ti sh West Coast community offerseven the doubtfu l amusem ent o f botanical gardens ,occasional picture shows , and a maze after the style o fHam pton Cour t . It i s non - exi stent . Fu rthe r , from whatstati sti cs did he glean th e fact that S ierra Leone to- dayi s m ore unhe althy than the Gold Coast o r Niger i a ?This i s giving a dog a bad name with a vengeance , andi t i s much to be regretted that the date o f the publication in qu estion i s 1920. S ince the adm inistrationo f Gove rnor Wilkinson , roads have been constructe d on

a sca le which is S im ply u nparalleled , and it i s pe rfe ctlyfeasible to r i de an ordinary push - bike for m any m ilesar ound th e town

,whilst the for tu nate owners of motor

car s at Free town c an trave l fifty o r sixty m i le s alongroads which a re only com par able with those we foundin Togoland . So mu ch fo r the efficacy o f hand -books .Fu r ther

,the motor i st m ay enjoy som e thing which i s

alm ost u niqu e in any Bri t i sh colony in th e wor ld . Hem ay trave l down to th e sea shor e along a perfect roadabou t five m i le s from Free town and there find am iniature Palm Beach as at F lor ida . He can m otoralong hard sand fo r m any a m i le

,with , on one side , the

gr e en o f th e Afr ican Shore , and on the othe r , the lazyr ol le rs br eaking in fr om th e Atlan tic , and occasionallylap ing over th e tyres o f h is car . This i s an exper im entnot l ike ly to be forgotten , and i t e asi ly ou tm e asu resanything w e have e ve r se en el sewher e on the whole o f

th e West Coast of Afr i ca . A S for clim ate , Me ssrs .E lde r Dempste r ’s agent h as be en a resident for many ,m any year s past . Th e he alth of th e office r s statione d inS ier ra Leone i s on the whole exce llent

,and i t i s no t

l ong since an old Coaste r , who prefe rred the climate o f

S ierra L eone to England died there— not from m alari a,

o r any kindred cau se , but from m ere o ld age .

It may be interesting to peruse the subje ct a l ittlefarther . The difficu lties be se tting the Governor o f

S ie rr a Leone are tota l ly di ffer ent from those confrontingother s e l sewhe re . In Free town itse lf , we were told that ,apar t from places l ike Penang and S ingapor e

,the re were

m ore national ities to be found than anywhere el se in the

wEST AFRICA THE ELUSIVE 305

world . Every known race o f West African nat ive canbe seen upon th e crowde d harbour front . In the townthe interested m ay find th e nationals o f all the Easterncountrie s o f Europe , al l nom inally engage d upon business

,but many u pon one knows no t what . W e can

re adily bel ieve that the Chief o f the S ie rra Leonepolice has one o f the most difficult jobs to tackle whichc an b e fou nd in any Br i t i sh posse ssion . Freetown ,

be ing a gre at Shipping centre , is th e attraction for eve rysort o f mar ine r iff - raff ; i t i s the care of the Adm inistration to watch ove r these unwelcom e sojou rners and se e

that they ne i the r com e to harm them selve s no r br ingharm to other s . A m ost unenviable undertaking . Eventhe actu al natives born in the land have inte rm arr ied tosuch an extent that they have lost all the vir tu es o fthe ir fore fathers , and are now m ere ly im bu e d w ith them an ifold vice s which they have picked u p from otherrace s and othe r lands . Inde ed , the most difficultproblem to solve i s that o f doing justice to allconce rne d .

Let i t be cle arly under stood that there i s no stagnation in S ierra Leone . Th e Governor has seen to that .No man has had a m ore difficu lt row to h o e o r has face di t more char acter istically . W e can be ar witne ss thatmany an evening afte r dark his Excellency , accom paniedsolely by his has gone ou t in his m otor - c ar anddr iven slowly through the highways and byways o f th eport o f Free town in orde r that h e m ight se e fo r him selfwhether the re was any racial distu rbance l ikely to

”takeplace

,and

,were ther e one , personally to use his own

influence to stop it . It i s not within th e scope o f thisar ticle fu r ther to em phasize this aspect o f S ierra Leoneand i ts Governorship , but w e should be indeed chu r l ishif, having se en for our se lves , we did not place on

record th e plain facts as they are , untinged with anypre judice on e ithe r side . Continued rain , ince ssantrain , rain which m ight r em ind one o f the O ld Te stamentflood , that i s S ierr a Leone in the wet season . And

,

frankly , we were not sorry when ou r good - he ar te dfr iend th e Governor strongly recommended us not togo u p

- country,s ince , as he said ,

“ you could not se e20


anyth ing . Our mem ories,however , o f S ierra Leone

wi l l long rem ain with us .Leaving S ierra Leone , the spir its o f the h om egoers

steadily r i se . The lights astern fl icker away , one byone into nothing , and the Coaster begins to look up hisclothes with a v iew to future eventu a l i t ies but in a boatsuch as ours

,not yet i s the prom ise d land . The mail

boats run from S ierra Leone to L iverpool in ten days ,without stopping at any interm ediate port s , but not soours . Pe rsonally

,we were rather glad o f i t . For who

would not care to while away twenty- four hou rs inSanta- Cru z de Teneri ffe , surely one o f the m ost beaut iful places in th e wor ld , and drink in to the full whati t means to go ashore , have meals at a regu lar hotel ,shop in regular Shops

,tip a laughing cab - dr iver , and ,

perchance , as we did,go a l ittle farther afie ld up and

up and up t i l l one arrive s at the town o f Laguna .

It al l seem s so rem arkable— thi s change from thetropical to the sem i - trop ical , from the land o f th e blackman to the land of the white . It i s so refreshing to givean order , even in broken Span ish , and be unde rstoodand answe red in good Spanish . It i s so refreshing tobe able to dr ink o f wate r which needs no fi lter ing , tohave a glass o f wine native to th e cou ntry, which costsonly a nom inal sum , and to scan the wonde r fu l profu siono f flowe r s and fru it which

,continu ing the whole ye ar

round , make o f Laguna a l ittle paradise on e arth . Tous it i s extraordinary that more pe ople do not venturethus far , not as gue sts

i

o f th e few hote l s , but as hou seholders . And ther e perhaps we are giving a secre t away .

Think o f £45 a year for a furnishe d hou se , furnished i ti s true with bare ne cessities , but stil l fu rnished . A nd

m oreover the re will be an inevitable garden , a mass o fbloom , and with every sor t o f hot - house fruit growingwild and at its le i su re . In addition , servants are e asi lyfound, the ir wages are sm all , whilst marve l lou s beyonde ve rything el se , r ate s and taxes are insignificant . It i sthe bu siness o f an hote l , naturally, to pay its stafl, andm ake a profit upon capital outlay . Ye t we had an exce llent luncheon at th e P inso de Oro , a hote l managedby Messrs . E lder Dem pster

,a luncheon beautifully


308 WEST AFRICA T HE ELUSIVE

corner i s a m ining engineer, going home because hishealth has given ou t . He says l ittle , but h e thinks agreat de a l , and the ne rvous twitching o f his fingersm akes one re alize that r e sponsibi l ity and worry awaith im . Th e boisterou s young m an , a sor t o f devil -m aycare fre e - lance

,who

,as al l th e Ship knows

,has be en

sacked by th e com pany which em ployed h im , and whohas kept him se lf going throu gh a Spe cie s o f forcedjovial ity , fee l s som ewhe re de ep down the loom o f th e

l and . He was going hom e to b e marr ied, and h e i s

figu r ing ou t as he near s the Scill ies how it i s going tobe done .

The re i s th e typical We st African adventure r , a fatcheery m an ,

with a sm i le and a lau gh for eve rybody,th e

worry o f all the Adm inistrations , and th e he ro o f m any atim e -worn tale ; he , a lso, i s pu tting behind him for them oment We st Afr ica and al l i ts works , and is taking farmore interest as to how he i s going to find com fortablewinte r qu arte r s fo r his invalid daughter . Ou r doctortalks o f m arri age , th e chie f engine er talks o f his childr en ,

and th e captain produce s a photograph of h is l i ttledau ghter looking like som e sm all sea - Spr i te in an oi l skinand sou ’

-weste r . Sh e will be on th e wharf to m ee t h im .

In fact th e hum an S ide o f natu re be com es em phasized .

In England one exists in the rare fied atm osphere o f um

re ality . It i s l ike bre athing day afte r day a steadycu rrent o f force d draught in a stokehold . It exh i la

r a tes fo r a tim e . Everything is banished u ntil tom orrow ,

bu t the true aroma which should make l ifere ally r athe r fragrant i s lacking .

As we si t in the captain ’s cabin ne aring Land ’s Endthe first mate suddenly pokes his head through thedoorway and says to the skippe r , Just been passingthe Egba

,

’ S ir . She Morsed to know if the L e th br i dge s

we r e on board,to which I replied ‘Yes . ’ Her answer

was Captain Milson ’s com plim ents , and good lu ck .

’

One o f us mu rmurs “ Ships that pass in the night ,and that was ou r good -bye to Afri ca .

CONCLUSION .

A T th e end o f a long journe y one always has regrets .F i r st o f al l there are the inevitable goodbyes which are

particularly unpleas ing when they are spoken in WestAfr ica . To be su re l ife i s unce r tain anywher e , but inWe st Afr ica “ the E lusive ” which be ckons its loversback to it l ike moths to a flam e , l ife i s m ore uncer tainthan au ght el se . Then again one r egre ts lost oppo rtun i t i e s . The whole o fWe st Afr i ca l iterally teem s withpossibil ities from th e point of view o f penman ship andt im e alone pr events a fu lle r e labora tion the r e of .Poor o ld m i sunde rstood We st Afr ica , you r ve ry nameseems to Speak o f for lorn hope s and spoi lt caree r s . Ye t

i t i s no t so . To those who have seen and unde rstandyou the re com es a knowledge that in reality , in spite o fyou r ye ar s , you are yet you ng , tha t you r sons are intruth gentlem en and brave (to whom thi s book has beendedicate d) , wh o knowing the r i sk they ran , whether theywere officials o r trade r s , che erfu l ly undertook th e r e

spon sibi l i t i e s o f th e si tu ation and did their bit and aredoing i t stil l in cementing into one cognate unit th eBri ti sh Em pire .

That We st Africa wil l ever be col loqu ially a whitem an ’ s cou ntry

,i s doubtful . Medical science advance s ,

but ve ry slowly judge d by th e span o f m an ’s l ife . Andthe We st Afr ican clim ate i s u ndou btedly pu zzl ing beyondthe l im i t s o f th e m e dical m ind . L i ter ally , for apparently no known re ason , people ar e here to - day and goneto -morrow . This u nce rtainty

,as m ight be expe cted ,

h as resu l ts in every dire ction . It le ads to a ce r tainamount o f recklessne ss which i s evince d in all sphere so f socie ty .

“ Eat,dr ink and be mer ry , for to -morrow

we die , i s the specie s o f m otto which apparentlygoverns the Coast . Only too frequently i t does no t


prove to be accur ate . B u t m uch m ay be forgiven thosewho knowing the r i sk have taken it . And if at tim esthe boredom of lonel in e ss ove rtakes th e we aker and theydr ink to find forge tfu lne ss and they gam ble to findchange o f atm osphere and they do u nholy things , whichthey wou ld not do we re they back in London o r L ive rpool

,the y must be forgiven ; for We st Afr i ca i s not as

othe r c ou ntr ies are . With its he at and its horror,i t i s

in tru th a par i ah . At th e pre sent m oment thus i t m u strem ain . Th e wor ld to - day i s ove rcrowded . We st Afr icain spite o f physica l disabilitie s owns brains and initiative .

G iven these sh e will advance and prove to th e wor ld thatth e dog with a bad nam e— to u se an Ame r icanism— canmake good .

” One o f th e Gove rnor s on th e We stAfr ican Coast wrote to m e r e cen tly that his colony wasfinancially in sore straits , and that e ven though h e washu sbanding al l his re sou r ce s , he was pu zzle d as to howh e was going to produce a satisfactory balance - sheet atthe end of th e ye ar . Now that colony i s a ve ry r ichone , but i t wan ts developm ent , which has be en he ld backin no sm al l par t by fear s regarding its cl im ate . G iventhat the condit ions pe rm i t an influ x to what may bete rm ed civi l ized socie ty

,given th e re s training influ ences

w hich follow edu cat ion and the healthy atm osphe reengende re d by social propinquity , by which i s u nderstood the ne cessary tightening o f bonds betwe en manand m an and wom an and wom an , which othe rwise becom e slack, then all will be we l l in that colony .

And it r em ains fo r u s to say som ething o f paramountim por tan ce

,and r ather l ike th e postscr ipt to a woman ’s

le tte r,i t com e s last in this book . Q u i te r ecently a lette r

cam e to u s from an unknown wr i te r - h e had read o u rar ticle s in the D a i ly Te legr ap h

— asking for advice overth e m atte r o f outfit . Not too w e ll fu rnished with thiswor ld ’s goods he h ad gone to som e adve r ti sing outfitte rand had be en suppl ied with an e stim ate of nece ssarie s ,which ran

,l itera l ly , into hu ndre ds o f pounds and

inclu de d article s which we re no t on ly not e ssential butwhich we re lu dicrou s . L e t th e in tending Coaste r - to - b e

consu lt any of th e thre e follow ing firms , and if expe r iencee ver teache s anything , we can most confidently assert


I N D E ! .

Abeoku ta , 154 Ash an ti,j ou rney to , 121A bo asa , battle of , 131 tou r throughWestern ProvinceAccra

,cocoa indu stry , 33 , 34 , 35 of , 82

em ba rka t ion d iffi cu ltie s, 81 chie fs , con ference w i th, 121

food , clothing and comm odi tie s , pe rsona l characte rist ics o f,

32, 33

Governm ent Hou se, 30

handling of sea - borne cargo ,286

l ife and socia l condi tions , 28 ,29 , 31 , 82

prospe r ity and deve lopm en t,

28,29

proposed ra ilway from Coom a ss ie to , 47 , 53

A dan si s , de fea t of, 130Addah

, 51 , 52, 57 , 58

cond it ion of, 52

Adm in istra tion , a lterations in pol icyby su cce ssive Gove rnors , 274 , 275Br it ish , influ ence and resu ltsof

,284

dangers of lack of in itiative in ,

275

decen tral ization su pplan tingcen tra liza t ion

,255

,274

Ge rm an m e thods , 287Gold Coast, 137 - 139

influ en ce and re su lts of,284

reform s in ,275, 276

Afram Pla in ,45, 47

bauxite r iches of,47

A fr ican Associa tion,210

Afr ican and E a ste rn Trade Corporation , 253 , 254

A gu ,Mou n t , 74

A .D .C exacting du ties of , 86Aku se

,49 -51

Alibu ,E m ir of Kano , 173

A ll egnu ,cattle farm s a t

,247

Am o a fu , Ba ttle of , 1 19Anam abo

,Siege of, 111 , 112

Ande rson , D r . , N iger explore r , 211Anderson ,

Ma jor,9

Arm i tage , Capta in , Governor ofGam bia

,127 , 129 , 282

Ashan ti,deposition of Prem pi , l 2o

independence of, 123

121

Wa rs , 112-119 , 128 - 131

Ashantis, de fe a t of , at Coom assie , 119golden stool of

,127

history of , 109 , 121racia l characteristics, 109 , 110s iege of Coom assie by , 128war indem n ity of , 128

Atta , Nana Ofor i, Om anh ene ofK ibbi , 44

A t ti t i t i and Lom e , n e ed for ra i lwaybe twe en

,57 , 58

j ou rney from Addah to , 54Awu nagah , 55

Awu nas , F i a of, addre ss by ,55

cla im fo r Br itish adm in istration in Togoland

,55, 56

g ift of cloth by , 59

Ba ika , 63

Bali,128

Bank of British We st Africa , 302

B an tam o ,sacred fe tish tree a t

,126

Barclay , Pre siden t, of Liberia , 9Baro , 213 , 214Bau chi m ilitary expedi tion (1906

192

Bau ch i plateau ,189

de scr iption of, 192exploita tion of, by Colone l

Law s , 196he a lthy clim a te of , 199su i table for hospi ta l o r

sana tor ium ,199

n ew ra ilway n eces sary for ,

Bau chi ra ilway , 197Bau x ite indu stry , 47

Bekwa i,cap tu re o f

,1 19

Benu e R ive r , 220B ibiani , gold m ine a t , 108su ggested ra i lway to , 103 , 105

Birth charm s , 160

INDEX 313

Bi shop,Captain , 129 , 130

Black m ag ic , 263 , 264Bla ckwa te r feve r , 228Bolshevik m ovem en t , sinister possi

b i l i t i es of , 97 , 289Bornu , 247cost of tran sport of m erchand isc from ,

247

su gge sted rai lway to , 247Bo sum tw i , Lake , 132Bou ssa Rapids , 211Br itish colon iza t ion , influ ence and

re su lts of , 283 , 284Ba kern ,

su gge sted ra ilway to Ud i ,246

Bunga low s , 204, 206Bu ru tu ,

267

Bu s ine ss openings and oppor tu n ities ,

Cadell , Major Mackay , 9Cam e roons , Br i tish and French

adm in istra tion i n, 288

Cam ping , on trek , 125Cann iba ls , 219Cape Coa st , 28 , 139 , 141Cape Pa lm as , 302Ca rdwe ll , Mr . ,

1 18

Cargo,

sea -borne,d iffi cu lties in th e

handling of , 286Carr iers

,84

pay of , 88Ca thol ic M iss ion s , 223 , 236 , 237Ca ttle farm s , 247Ce rebro- sp ina l m en ingi tis , 132, 228Children ,

clim ate u nsu i table fo r,

298 , 300

i llegitim ate (nat ive) , 66 , 67nat ive

,edu ca t ion of , 97 ,

100, 191

Chr ist ian denom inations , 236Chr is tiani ty , 233

am ong na t ives , 236Ch r i st i anbo rg , Ca stle of , 30Chu rch M iss i ona ry Soc ie ty ,

237

Civ i l Se rvants,advan tage s of

, c om

pared w i th trade rs , 256governm en ta l tou r of , 256,

inadequ ate salar ie s of ,206 , 279 , 280

increa sed expen ses of , 279 ,

lack of in i tiative am ong ,dange rs of , 275

le ave , 256

l ife and ha bits of , 279m ental recreations of, 294

C ivil Servants , red - tape and rou tineam ong , 275

type s o f, tra its andcharacter istics , 293 -297

Civi l Service,im proved condi tion s in ,

255 257

increased salarie s in,255,

279 , 280

open ings and careers in ,

254-260

r e form s in ,279

C lapperton , Capta in ,Niger explorer

,

212

C lerks , in We st Coas t fi rm s , 252, 253 ,257 ,leave of , 256life and socia l condit ion s of

,

Cl ifford , Si r Hu gh , 82, 83 , 294C l im a te , 149 , 227 , 259 , 260, 309

Coa lfi e ld of Ud i , 224 , 225Coa sters

,characteris t ics and sp ir it

of , 4 , 5, 292m en ta l re laxa t ion s of

,294-295

ou tfi ts fo r , 3 10prove rbia l bad habits o f

, 82

psychology of , 292, 296type s of , tra its and cha racter

i st i cs,2, 215,

293 -297 , 308

Cocoa indu stry, 30, 33 , 34 -36, 38

dem an d for labou r in ,137

Cocoanu ts , 219Colon ia l enterpr ise and deve lopm ent ,

152

Colon ia l Offi ce , pol icy , 102, 103Comm erce , see TradeComm ercia l care ers and Open ings

,

251 -254

Com m oditie s,257

a bsence and scarci ty of , 282incre ased cost of , 197 , 279, 280in Nige ria

,167 , 180, 181

Conakry , 288

C oom a ssie , 126and Accra , projected ra ilwaybe twe en , 47, 53

occu pa t ion by Br itish Force s120

re l ie f o f,130

Siege of,126 , 128

su ggested ra ilway to Tam a le,

103

tra in j ou rney to Tarqu ah , 133Cotton , cu lt iva tion in Zar ia Province ,

170

Cottonwood tree s , 64Creeks of Rive r N ige r , 261Cu lt of dislike for We st A frica 1 2

I N D E ! .

Abeoku ta , 15A bo asa , ba tt o f , 131Accra ,

co cozn du stry , 33 , 34 , 35

em banlt‘i on d iffi cu ltie s , 81food , ebb ing and comm odi ties ,32, 33

Govermen t Hou se, 30

h andli} of sea - borne cargo ,286

l i fe an socia l condi tions , 28 ,29 , 3 1 , 8

pro speay and deve lopm en t,

propose rai lway from Coom a ssie 54 7 , 53

A dansi s , de ft of, 130Addah

, 51 , 55 7 , 58

c ond i tn of , 52A dm in i stratn, a ltera tion s in pol icy

by su cesi va Gove rnor s , 274 ,275

Br i t ish influ ence and re su l tsof

,284

dangersf lack of in itiative in ,

275

dec en t l i zat i on su pplantingc ent ra l izi on ,

255, 274

G e rm am e th ods , 287

Gold Ca t , 137 - 139

influ en a nd re su lts o f,284

re fo rmm ,275, 276

Afram Pla in ,5, 47

bmi t e r iche s of,47

A fr ican A sso ct ion ,210

A fr ican and as te rn Trade Corporation , 253354

A gu ,Mou n t}

exac tg du tie s of , 86Aku se ,

49 -51

A libu,E m ir (Kano , 173

A l legnu ,c a t t lf a rm s a t

,247

Am o a fu ,Ba tt of , 119

Anam abo , si q of , 111 , 1 12Ande rson , D rN iger explore r , 21 1Ande rson , Mar

,9

Arm itage , Ci t a in , Gove rnor ofG am bia , l7 ,

129 , 282

Ashan ti,depot ion of P rem p i , 125

indepenm ce of, 123

Ash an ti,j ou rney to , 121

of, 82tou r throughWe stern Province

chie fs , con ference w i th , 121personal characterist ics of

,

121

Wars , 112-119 , 128 - 131

Ashantis, de fea t of , at Coom assie , 119golden stool of

, 127

history of , 109 , 121racia l cha racte ristics, 109 , 110s iege of Coom assie by , 128

war indem n ity of , 128Atta , Nana Ofor i , Om anh ene ofKibbi , 44

A t ti t i t i and Lom e,ne ed for railway

betwe en, 57 , 58

j ou rney from Addah to , 54A wu nagah , 55

A wu nas, Fi a of, addre ss by ,55

cla im fo r Br itish adm in istration i n Togoland

,55, 56

gift of cloth by , 59

Ba ika , 63

Ba li,128

Bank of Br it ish We st Africa , 302

Bantam o ,sacred fe tish tree at , 126

Barclay , Pre siden t, of Libe ria , 9Baro , 213 , 214Bau chi m il itary expedi tion (1906

192

Bau ch i pla teau ,189

de scription of, 192exploita tion of, by Colone l

Law s,196

hea lthy clim a te of , 199su itable for hospi ta l or

san a torium ,199

n ew ra i lway neces sary for

Bau ch i ra ilway , 197Bau x ite indu st ry ,

47

Bekwa i , cap tu re of, 1 19Benu e R iver , 220B ibian i , gold m i ne at , 103

su gge sted ra i lway to , 103 , 105Birth cha rm s , 160


INDEX

Cu rr ency in Togoland, 58 , 59Cypr iots, su gge sted im porta tion toGold Coa st

, 1 39

Dakar,288

Decau v ille l ight rai lway system , 105Dise ase

, 227

D is tric t Comm issioners , l ife of , 43 ,90, 106

Doctors, 229

a spects of th e work of,230-232

“na t ive , 232

D odown, Ba ttle of , 1 15

Dom ena se, 94

Du a la,288

Dunkwa, 83

su ggested ra ilway from , toWioso and Bibian i

,103 , 105

Dupu is , Mr. , Re siden t a t Coom assie,

114

E dju anem a , Moun t , 47E du ca tion , 76 , 79 , 97 , 99 , 100

indu str ia l,183

na t ive ,diffi cu ltie s in a dm in is

t ra t i on du e to , 97 , 273nat ive

,influ ence of newspaper s

on,277

E gu ngun , 155

E kum eku,na tive se cret socie ty , 223,

E lm in a,26 , 139 , 141

bom bardm en t and de stru ctionof

,1 17

ghost storie s o f , 140pu rcha se by Br it ish , 117

E ngl ish langu age,negle c t of

, 76 , 78

E u ropean c ivi l isa tion ,influ ence of,

166 -169

Fa tum a ,Am adi , 211

Fa ukne r,Mr . ,Mayor of Monrovia ,

14, 15

Fe t ish,122

of Lake B o sum tw i,132

Feve r,pre va lence of

,227

Fish,Sacred

,of th e Tan o , 121

Food , incre ased cost of , 197 , 257,279 , 280

Forcados,226

,268 , 269

Fore st j ungle , 9 1 , 93

Fre e town,148 , 303

am e n i t ie s o f, 303

deve lopm en t of , 303 - 305

Fren ch We s t African posse ssions ,exten t of

,288

Fu lan is,149

,153 , 1 63

fi ght ing cha ra cte r istics of,173

Fu lanis,Hau sas conqu ered by, 173

becom es a Crown Colony ,

,clim ate and health , 1 , 6 ,

cocoa indu stry , 30, 35, 36 ,

comm er cia l poten tia l it ies ,95, 137 , 142

condition of roads in ,45,

46,54 , 124

Dis trict Comm iss ioners in

dorm an t comm erc ia l re .

sou rce s of, 95, 96ea r ly trading sta tion s and

se ttlem en ts,26 -28

efle c t of Br itish ru le i n,

Governor of, 78h istory of , 26-28

idlene ss and i ll -disc iplineof n ative s of

,89

labou r qu e stion i n , 34, 36,88, 95, 137

lack o f socia l am en itie s in

neglect of transpor t faci lit ie s in , 102

p idgin ” Engl ish i n , 76

price s and wage s , 33 , 34 ,

progress and deve lopm en t

of, 28 , 29 , 137 , 138

r e tarded deve lopm en t of138, 139

schools and edu ca tion in ,

Gam bling,296

Germ an influ ence , 65, 66 , 68Germ an - speak ing na t ive s , 76Germ an s

,s isa l indu stry founde d by ,

72-74

G in ,154

,265

Gold,re sou rce s , 103 , 104

Gold Coa st,adm in istra t ion ,

137- 139

a ss isted imm igration , 138 ,

lawye rs’ and l itiga tion in,123 124

l ife and cond itions in , 141 ,309 , 311

native chie fs of, 165

na t ive s of , lack of discipline in , 89

n a tu ra l resou rces of, 30,

INDEX

Gold Coast , soc ia l im provem en ts , 4staple indu str ie s and ex

por ts , 30, 35, 36sugge sted ra ilways in ,

103 ,

su i table port nece ssary

t im ber re sou rces o f, 94, 96trave lling and transpor t

diffi cu ltie s,83

, 91

u npopu larity of, 1 - 3 , 309 ,3 10

Gold m ine s , 134Golden Stool , 127Goldsm ith

,Mr. ,

L ieu tenan tGovernor of Kadu na , 208

Goldsm ith ’s De se rted V illage ,201

Governm ent Adm in istra t ion , see A d

m in istrationOffic ia ls , see Civil Se rvan tsSe rvice , see C iv il Se rvice

Gove rnm en tal tou r , 256 , 257Gove rnor , adm inistra tive cha nges by ,

du t ie s of A .D .C . to , 86 , 87exacting na tu re of th e du tiesof , 141 , 272, 282Pr ivate Secre tary to , 87problem s i n adm in istrationcon fron ting

,141

,272, 282

Grand Bassam , socia l am en i tie s of ,285

Grand Canary , 5

Grou nd -nu ts,170, 179

Gu gg isbe rg , Gen e ra l , Gove rnor ofGold Coast , 78 , 79 , 82, 83 , 86 ,282, 284 , 294

on t h e valu e of a we llorgan ise d na tive pre ss

,277

vis it to Tam ale , 133Gu inea Com pany , 27Gu npowder , profi te ering in ,

in Togoland , 58

Ham m ocks, and hamm ock boy s , 46,85

,88

,9 1 , 125

Harbou rs , n ee d fo r constru ction of ,286

Hard ing , Col . Col in , 37

Hau sa s , 153 , 187conqu e red by th e Fu lanis , 173

H ay , D r . ,129 , 130

Hea lth and sickne ss , 187 , 227He a l th cond itions , 187

N ige ria,149

hou sing in re lation to,

205

315

Jackson , Ma j or , Comm andant ofBr itish Force s , Togo land, 6 L,

Jajad e , 46Je bba

,216 , 217

cl im ate of , 216 , 217Jos

,189 , 197, 198

Hea lth conditions , im provem ent i n ,

150, 205, 258 , 260

Offi cers , n eed fo r , 171H ea t feve r and m ala r ia ,

217

H e ll ’s Playgrou nd , 141Hem p rope indu stry, 72- 75

H ide s,170,

179

H ill,Com m ander , R .N .

,Gove rnor of

Gold Coa st , 1 16Ho

,sugge sted ra ilw ay to, fromKofor idu a ,

103 , 105

Hodgson, Si r Freder ick , expedit ion

to Coom a ss ie,127

Honeym oon Hou se , Klu to , 70

Hope - Sm ith , Mr . ,1 13

Hosp ita l a t Kadu na , 202

Bau chi P la tea u su itable fo r ,199

Hospita l s , ne ed for , 186, 187 , 23 1Hote l accomm odation , lack of , 285,

291

Houghton , Maj or , Niger explorer ,210

Hou sing-qu e s tion,204-206

Howard , Capta in ,20

Hu ts , na tive , 101 , 125

Ibadan , 156

Ba le of,156

growth and comm ercia l prosp e r i ty of, 156 - 159

land ten u re in , 158, 159I ddo

, 154

I llne ss,187 , 227

I lor in,159

ba ske t and potte ry indu strie sa t , 160

Imm igran ts , comm ercia l open ingsand ca ree rs f o r

,251 , 254

hin ts to , 251su gge sted Governm ent a ssist

ance to , 138Indu stria l School a t Kano

,183

Indu s tria l str ike s,225

Indu str ie s , ham pe red by t ranspor td iffi cu ltie s , 241 , 244 ,

246

Gold Coa st,deve lopm en t o f,

h ints on,138

N ige ria,170, 179, 193 , 224

Inte rpre ters , 77In toxican ts , 265, 266

3 16

Jos, high cost of food and c om

m od i t i es a t . 197ra i lway j ou rney from Zar ia to ,

241 , 242

Ju ju , 95, 107 , 122, 132, 140, 155, 217 ,232, 263

Jungle , trave ll ing throu gh, 83 , 91 - 93

Kadu na , 200, 201 , 204Botan ica l Garden , 206 , 207

form e rly cap ita l of Niger ia , 203founda t ion of

,201 , 204

hospi ta l,202

hou sing , 204-206

socia l am en i tie s , 201 , 202Kano

, 172

a rea and popu la tion , 175, 234

bu ild ings and a ccomm oda tion ,

178 , 180, 185

Ca ravan trade from Z inder to ,248

Em ir ’s Palace a t,175, 176

expor ts— grou nd nu ts , sk insand hide s , 179history of , 172- 174

Indu stria l School , 183m arke t life

,180- 182

pr isoners and prison l ife a t, 182

rai lw ay to Lagos , 241 , 242ra ilway sta tion ,

187

rap id deve lopm en t of , 148 , 149su ggested ra ilway to Ma idu gar i ,247

sugges ted ra ilway to Z inder ,248

Su rvey School , 184Em ir of , 173 , 175incom e of

,178

r e cept ion by , 175, 176Kan o -N ige rian Ra ilway, 241Ka tsina

,179

E m ir of, 179

K ibbi,42

clim ate,45

Distr ict Comm issioner a t,42,

43

Qu een Mothe r of, 44Om anh ene of , 43

Kim be rley, Lord , 1 18K ing

,Hon . Cha r le s , 10, 17

inau gu ra tion as Presiden t o i L ibe ria , 20-23

Klu to , 70hea lthy clim a te o f

, 70, 71

Hon eym oon Hou se a t , 70Kofo r i dua , cocoa indu stry of , 38

Om anh ene of , 37police cou r t a t , 39 -42

INDEX

Koforidu a , sugge sted ra ilway to , fromSekond i , 103valu e o f land in , 38

Kokofu,destru c t ion of , 130

Kola nu ts , 157Krobo H ill , 49Kroo labou r in Niger delta , 263

Labou r,88, 95

in Gold Coast , 34, 36, 88, 95,137

in Nige r de lta ,263

N ige ria ,191 , 225

Lagos , 143 , 285a ttraction s and socia l am en itie sof , 144 , 145, 150, 206de script ion and condi tion of ,146 , 150

extension of bou ndarie s o f , 153Gove rnm en t Hou se , 144Gove rnm en t Re st Hou se a t , 206grow th of trade and comm e rce ,147 , 153

history of, 152land tenu re in , 158 , 159

m a rke ts of,145

na t ive traders of , 157 - 159

ra ilway to Kano , 241 , 242ra ilway extension i n , 146 ,

147

rap id deve lopm en t unde r Br i tishru le , 144- 147 , 152, 153 ,

154

transport im provem ents in ,147

Lagu na , 306

Lake Bo sum tw i , 132Lake Tchad , 248Land tenu re

,158 , 159

Las Pa lm a s , 5Lau de r , Richard , explora tion o fR ive r N ige r by ,

212

Law s,Col . W . ,

196

Lawye rs and l itiga t ion in Gold Coast ,

Ledyard , John ,N iger explore r

,210

Lepe r colony a t Za r ia , 169Leprosy ,

170

Leverhu lm e,Lord , 221

L ibe ria , 8 , 302, 303

Br itish influ ence nece ssary for

prosperity of , 22, 25comm ercia l s tagna tion i n 9

10, 22

deve lopm en t of, 12, 1 3 , 22, 25Fron t i e r Force and Mi l i t ia of ,9 ,19 , 20

Ge rm an s and Ge rm an influ encein ,

17

inau gu ration of Pres iden t , 1923


318

Na tive pre ss, condition of , 277poten tia litie s o f

,277

trade rs, 157 - 159

Na t ive s , advance from barbarou s tocivil ized s ta te

, 97 , 273

Br itish adm inistration benefic ial to

, 284

dangers o f en forcing E u ropeancu stom s and re ligiou s be l ie fs on ,

97, 274

edu ca tion of , 76, 79 , 97edu ca tion of

,d iffi cu ltie s in

adm in istra tion du e to, 97 , 273

idlene ss and ill -disc iplin e of,

89

m en ta l deve lopm ent of , factorsin , 89 , 97 , 273 , 274

Na tu ra l re sou rce s,developm en t ,

transpor t n ece ssary f or , 102, 103N ige r ia , 148 , 219

unknown to general pu blic ,

vast wealth of , 94 , 96Newspape rs , po tentiali ties and va lu eof

,277

Niger Com pany , 153Niger de lta , bla ck -m an m agic of , 263

im por ts and exports , 263labou r i n , 263

Niger River , 147 , 153cond ition of , 261 , 262cra ft on , 214 , 218 , 270

creeks of,261

explorer s and exploration

jou rney down , 214-226 ,261 -267

n aviga tion on,221

se ttlem ents on,262

sou rce and cou r se of, 210tornado on , 222

N iger ia,am algam at ion of Lagos and ,

area of , 153clim ate , 149 , 150c o a lfi elds , 224

deve lopm en t u nder Britishru le , 152, 153 , 154 , 284fru i t and vege table s no t appre

c ia ted by na t ive s, 207fu tu re problem s in ,

149 , 248,249

high prices and scarci ty of comm od i t i es in

,167

history of, 153hou s ing qu e stion , 204, 205

indu strie s and exports, 12, 13,170, 179 , 193 , 224

INDEX

Odum tree s,42

, 64

On i tsha ,221

C a tholic m ission a t,223 , 224

r iver j ou rney to , 221, 222

Pagan tr ibes, 189h u ts and village s of , 19 1m arr iage cu stom s o f , 190re l igion of , 233

Niger ia , labou r qu estion in , 191 , 225

la ck of hosp ita l s in,186 , 187

Lagos o r Kaduna as capi ta l of ,203

l iqu or proh ibi tion in,265, 266

m il itary centre of, 204Mohamm edan na t ive s of

,162,

169

m issionarie s and re ligion ,233 ,

234

m ounted in fantry , 185na tive chie fs of

,165

na tu ra l resou rce s of, 148 , 219 ,248 , 249

open ing fo r imm igrants , 248ra ilway system of , su gge stedim provem en ts , 243-245

,246 , 248

ra ilway trave l ling , discom fortsof

,242

,243

rapid deve lopm en t of , 149 , 152,154

r iver system of , 220Sou th and North , am algam a

tion of , 153t in m ine s of , 192- 197

transport diffi cu lties in , 164 ,245

u nderpa id Governm ent officia l sin , 206

Nigerian Mohamm edan ism,162

Northern Territor ie s, independenceof 123

re tarded deve lopm en t of,

Pa l im e , 69

Pa lm ke rne ls , 154, 219Pa lm oil , 154

increa sing expor t fromGold Coa st , 30Palm o i l ru ffi an ,

”154, 294

Park Mungo , de ath of , 212expedition s to R iver Niger ,

210-211

Pa taboso , 101Pidgin English , 28 , 76

exam ple s of , 76 , 78 , 101Pie rs

,n eed fo r con stru ction of, 286

Pinteado , 27

INDEX

Place nam e s,43

Poole,Capt . D istr ict Comm issioner ,

Q u i ttah , 58 , 59Popu lariza tion of We st Africa toBr i tish pu blic , 289

Port Harcou r t , 224ra ilway to Udi , 241

Ports , su gge sted im provem en ts o f ,286

Prem pi , King of Ashan ti , depo s itionof

,126 , 131

Press , na t ive , cond ition of , 277Price s of food and com m odi tie s , 167 ,

197 , 257 , 279, 280

Pr isone rs and pr ison life , 182, 183Priva te Se cre tary to th e Gove rnor ,

87

Q u acks , na tive , 232Qu in ine a s spe cifi c for m alar ia

,227 ,

228

Q u ittah , 57 , 58addre ss of loca l chie f s at , 60condition of , 60

von Raben ,D r . , 71 , 231

Ra ilway carr iage s , im proved type of,244

Ra ilway trave lling, discom for ts o f ,

Ra ilway wagon s , shortage of , 244Railways , ne ce ssary for deve lopm entof na tu ra l re sou rces

,103

su ggested constru ction of inGold Coa st , 103 , 105N ige r ian

,240

,243

su gge sted im provem entsand extens ion

,243

,244

roll ing stock of , 242, 243 , 244R a lph , L ieu t . , 129 , 130Re l igion

,236

a spects of , 233Re lig iou s cu stom s

,162

R eu te r news , 277Roads , bad condition of, 45, 46 , 95,Free town , 304

Gold Coast , 45, 46 , 54, 95, 124Nige ria , 164 , 195

Togoland , 63 -65

Rope indu stry in Togoland , 72-75Ropp Tin Com pany , 192, 194

Roya l N ige r Com pany, 153Roya l We st African Com pany, 27Saharan Rai lway , 248

S t . Pau l Rive r , L iber ia ,24

Salaga , r ice indu stry of , 133Sansandig ,

211

San ta - Cru z d e Tene riff e, 306

l

l

!

socia l conditions in ,

306 , 307

Sanu si,ex- Se rgeant

,160

Sape l l i , 262

Schools, 76 , 78 , 99 , 100

indu str ia l , 183Scotti sh M ission s , 236, 237Se fw i -Bakw i , 100Sekondi , 81 , 82l ife and socia l condition s a t

,

136

ra i lway inst itu te a t, 82

su gge sted ra ilway to Koforidu a183

Ser ike Zozo , E m ir of Za r ia , 162- 164

Se ttler s , careers and openings f o r,

251 -260

h in ts to,251

ou tfi ts for , 3 10Shea - bu tte r

,133

Shopke eper s , open ings and o pport u n i t i e s fo r , 281

Sickness , 187, 227S iege of Coom a ssie , 126 , 128S ie rra Leone

, ,148L 303cl im ate of, 303 , 304socia l condi tions in

, 304,305

S isa l fi bre , 72

ou tpu t and m anu factu re,

73 , 74 , 75

S isa l plant , cu lt ivat ion of, 73 -75plantat ion s

, 72- 75

comm e rcia l and financia laspect of

, 73 , 74

labou r on, 73

Slave trade , beginn ings of . 27S leeping s ickn e ss , 70, 71 , 231Soc ia l am eni tie s , h ow im prov ed ,

150

lack of , 285Sokoto , su gge sted ra ilway to , f romKano o r Zar ia , 249

Su ltan of,174 , 249

Spina l m en ing i tis,132, 228

Spiri ts , prohibi tion of , 265, 266Spotted feve r

,132, 228

Squ a re face —l iqu or, 154 , 265

S te am ships , We st Afr ican,life on

, .

307 , 308

S tr ike s,indu strial

,225

Su r f boats , 13 , 24, 81Su rvey school at Kano , 184

320

Takarad i Bay , 137‘Ta lbot , Capt . Am au ry ,

265

Tam a le,Du rbar at , 132su gge sted ra ilway to, from

Coom a ss ie , 103u ndeve loped indu strie s o f , 133

‘Tano Dum a se , 121con ference w ith Ashan ti

chie fs a t , 121"Tano River , 121Ta rqu ah , gold m ines a t , 134tra in j ou rney from Coom assieto

, 133“Tem ple

,Mr . , 233

‘T im be r , va st re sou rces o f , 94, 96, 219T in indu stry , 192

ham pered by fre ightageand lack of Gove rnm en t suppor t

,

192,193 , 194, 197

ham pe red by lack and

cost of transport,246

ou tpu t and financia la spe ct of

,193

T in m ine s,Im per ia l im portance of,

193

Togoland , deve lopm en t of re sou rces ,56 , 57

French and Br it ish adm in i s

t ra t i on,287 , 288

Germ an - speaking na tive s, 76

Ge rm an road con stru ct ion, 64

gunpowder profi tee ring , 58

hem p rope indu stry , 72- 76

na tive cla im fo r B r i tish ad

m in istra t ion ,56

paper cu r rency , 58p idgin E nglish , 76popu lar ity of th e Br itish , 56s isa l plantat ions , 72-75

sta te of roads, 63 , 64

traffic and transport difficu lties ,57 , 58

Tornadoes , 160, 168 , 196 , 222‘

To r ran e , Colone l , 1 1 1 , 1 12Town s , gene ra l lack of accomm odat ion and socia l am en it ie s in 4

150, 285, 291

Trade and comm e rce , deve lopm en tof, h in ts on , 137 , 138, 289

ham pered by t ran ssport d ifficu lties , 241 , 244, 246 ,286

encou ragem ent of,by exhibits

of loca l indu str ie s in Britishtowns , 289

Traders’ a t Lagos , 157 - 159

Governm en t offi cials and,i n

com es o f , 279

INDEX

Traders, open ings and oppor tu n i t iesfo r , 252-254

,281

Trading stations,early establishm ent

of,26

Tran spor t difficu lties, 95, 102, 101,

105

Nigeria,164, 195, 240,

245, 246

su ggested im provem en ts ,286

230

Tse tse -fly, 70, 71

Tu ton- an -Wa da , 196

Tu tu ,k ing of th e Ashantis, 1 10, 1 11

Udi , c o alfi eld of , im portance to W . A .

indu stry ,224

ra ilway to Por t Harcou rt , 241su gge sted ra ilway to Bukeru ,

246

Vais , 9Vege ta tion

,Gold Coast , 42

Volta r iver , 51 , 52claim for ra ilway on

,57,

condition of , 52, 54j ou rn ey down , 51

Vu ltu re,

” Niger ian r iver steam er,

214, 218 , 221 , 222

Togoland , 57 , 58 , 63 , 64trade and comm e rce h am

pe red by , 102, 104 , 105, 286Trave l ling , cam ping du ring , 125

d ifficu ltie s and d iscom for ts o f ,83 , 88 , 91 , 95, 102, 105

hum ou rs of , 88ra i lway , 241 , 242, 244

Trave l l ing party , organ i sa tion and

standing orders fo r , 84Tropical m edicine and d isea se

,228

need fo r re sea rch inst itu te ,

Wage s , 137, 138Warr i

,262

Wa te r , 70lack of , 105

West Afr ican Agencie s , su gge stede stabl ishm ent of , in London ,

289 , 290

We s t African Com pany , 112, 114Wilk inson

,Governor , of S ierra Leone ,

294

Willcocks,Col .

,re lie f of Coom a ss ie

by , 130


Date post:	03-Feb-2022
Category:	Documents
Upload:	others
View:	2 times
Download:	0 times

West Africa the Elusive - forgottenbooks.com

Documents