CHAPTER IX
ILORIN.
Magnificent Conflagration—Grassy Plains and Forests—Freedom of the Country from Beasts and Reptiles; why—Extravagant Wel-come—Nasamo the Executioner, and his Dwelling—Wifeless—Royal Present of Food—Prisoners—Interview with the King—Schools—Arabians—Mulatto—Musical Instruments—Banjo—Beg-gars—Looms—Gambari Market—Escort.
THERE was just light enough to enable us to see the dim outline of the walls as we approached Ilorin, and by the time we were within the gates it was dark, but the atmosphere was illumined by a brilliant light from the burning of grass in the plain to the right of the city—a magnificent spectacle. Except between Abbeokuta and Ijaye, where there is a dense forest through which it requires fully five hours to pass, forming the division between the territory of the Egbas and Yorubas, the country is clear, with only low scrubby trees much scattered, with an undergrowth of rank tall grass. In some places, from what cause it is difficult to say, there can be found no other kinds of vegetation than this grass, particularly in the neighborhood of large cities. Every year, after the harmattan winds, the natives set fire to it, causing an immense conflagration, sweeping over the country like a tornado.
From the mission-house at Ijaye, southward over an elevated country without the gate, we have seen a line of fire fully a mile long, driven by the wind so furiously as to entirely clear a space of ten or fifteen square miles in less than two hours, and still progressing out of sight, making a terrible noise. As it burns, thousands of birds and other small animals are driven out, and are immediately seized by hawks, which during the dry season are very abundant. It is from these fires, doubtless, that there is so little forest land and so few wild beasts, serpents, etc., in this country. During the whole time we were in Africa we saw only three living serpents, one about the neck of the man near the market at Oyo, one at Abbeokuta, and a small, but they say a very venomous one, on the road towards Isehin, where I also saw a few fine deer, which are always expert enough to get out of the way of these fires. We also saw a fawn bounding at full speed over the plain near Ilorin. The fire which so beautifully illumined the darkness as we entered the city was of the kind above referred to.
We met at the gate quite a concourse of persons, chiefly women, who gave us an extravagant welcome, and brought food and water. We partook of the latter only, and hastened to the house of Nasamo, the sheriff or public executioner, to which we were directed by the advice of the Rev. Mr. Reid, who had not long before visited Ilorin. His dwelling, at no time adapted to the purposes of hospitality, was still worse now that a recent fire in his neighborhood had compelled him, as well as all his neighbors, to remove the thatch from his roof. The entire building and grounds were comprised in an area of not over thirty feet square, and this space accommodated, with ourselves, more than eighteen persons, besides our horses. Nasamo, though evidently not less than seventy or eighty years old, is yet vigorous both in mind and physical constitution. He was the first important personage we met without a single wife: he had one who made him the father of three or four daughters, but since her death he has lived a widower. One of his daughters attends to his domestic affairs,
Early the following day we sent our interpreter to salute the king, and inform him of our visit to his capital, asking to be permitted as soon as possible to pay our respects to him in person. The interpreter was conducted to Dungari, the king's prime-minister, who received, and conveyed the message to his master. Shortly after we received a return salutation from his majesty, together with a large vessel of well-prepared native food, sufficient to feed both ourselves, and attendants for the day, also a similar present from Dungari. These presents were continued for the whole time we remained in the town, but after three or four days our servants and the other inmates of the compound retained, and consumed it among themselves, without even informing us of its arrival, a liberty we cheerfully granted for several reasons.
Every day we were requested to prepare to visit the king, but were continually put off with some slight excuse till the fourth day, when we were led into his presence. This unnecessary delay occasioned us considerable inconvenience, for we were in the mean time virtually prisoners, not being permitted to go out of our uncomfortable quarters until we had first seen his majesty, and obtained his gracious consent to see the town; and even after this consent was obtained, we were only permitted to go out accompanied by Nasamo. The excuse for this was, that he would protect us from harm by the people, a poor excuse, as we had not the least cause of fear, every one being remarkably civil and respectful towards us.
Our interview with his majesty, King Shita, was very interesting. Quite unexpectedly he permitted us at this first interview to see his face, a privilege he never accorded publicly to any who had before visited the place, at the same time informing us, that it was because he regarded us as his own people, descendants of native Africans. Besides the direct subject of our mission, we conversed on the forms of civilized government, his majesty asking many questions respecting Queen Victoria, and the ruler of the country from which we came, of whom the American missionaries had before informed him. As a "ruse," he invited us to accompany him to his mosque, to which he said he was just going. We accepted his invitation, but when we prepared to go, he laughed and again seated himself, saying that he was glad we seemed to have no prejudices against his religion; he was seated on a mat in a long piazza, usually entirely screened, but on this occasion the screens were drawn up just where he sat, so as to expose him to view, but still keeping out of sight many of his wives. He is an old man, and like the king of Abbeokuta has had the misfortune to lose an eye. He is not a pure Negro, but like many of the Fulanees in his town, one of his parents, most likely his father, must have been an Arabian; his physiognomy therefore is not purely Negro. He is a man of small stature, but well proportioned, and was neatly attired in a white tobe, turban, and red cap. He was surrounded by a number of well-dressed men, priests, officers of his court, eunuchs, etc., all of whom sat in a clean sheltered space before his piazza, but on the ground. We were placed about four yards in front of him, to the right of the company, except Dungari, who with our interpreter was on the right of us. Although the king understands Aku well, and therefore could converse directly with our interpreter, yet the customs of his court require, that all that is said be communicated to him in Fulanee by Dungari, who as before re-marked, (see page 61) is, except the king, the most important personage of Ilorin. He is by birth a Fulanee, but of the blackest type of Negroes, as are indeed ninety-five per cent of them; those who are lighter in complexion, or differ in physiognomic conformation, being more or less of Arabian intermixture. In common with many of the people he reads and writes Arabic, to teach which, there are quite a number of schools in the town. We saw there, in the market-places chiefly, several Arabians, some of whom had travelled immense distances across the continent, for purposes of trade, in which they all engage. Other travellers speak of "white people" in Ilorin, but although we spent as long a time there as perhaps any traveller had done, we were unable to find a single individual even as light as myself, though of twenty-five per cent negro blood.
One girl about twelve years old was met, who was evidently the child of some slave-trader of the coast, as she was certainly a mulatto whose father was a white man and not an Arabian, than whom she was much lighter in complexion. Every person in Ilorin is said to speak both the Aku and Fulanee languages, and we found no exception among those who were not foreigners.
The musical instruments of the people of Ilorin more nearly resemble those used in civilized countries, than those seen in other sections of Africa nearer the coast. In a large band which performed before the palace, there were several wind instruments, two or three of which were like our clarionets, and others resembled an English postman's trumpet. An old man came to play and sing for us very often. The instrument he used was the exact counterpart of the Banjo, only smaller, but played in the same way and producing similar music. Accompanied by our soi-disant jail-er, we made several excursions through the town. Except the existence of numerous mosques and markets, there is no material difference in the appearance of it from others. There were plenty of blind beggars, a sight quite unusual in other African towns, where we seldom ever saw a beggar. They are attracted to the place doubtless from the custom among the Mohammedans, (a religious custom,) of often ostentatiously distributing money among them.
As an example of the extent to which cotton fabrics are manufactured, we encountered one day in a ride of less than an hour more than one hundred and fifty weavers, busily employed at their looms. These weavers are seen also in the other towns, where they were formerly as abundant, but the influx of better and cheaper fabrics from England has very nearly superseded the necessity of them.
To the Gambari market, allusion has already been made as the greatest depot for the sale of slaves, besides which, there were exposed for sale fine horses, donkeys, mules, horse-trappings, swords, leather work, silk clothing, tobes, antimony, salt, cola nuts, stationery, etc. etc.
Tobacco is much cultivated by the people of Ilorin. They do not cure it like the Americans.
The day before we departed we received a special invitation to exhibit our curiosities—my watch, fowling-piece, etc.—to the king, which gave him much plea-sure, and induced the remark from Dungari: "Verily, if I had not a strong mind, I would embrace the customs and religion of such a people."
The next day we took leave of the king, who made us a second fine present of two mats, two pairs of beautifully wrought sandals, and three heads of cowries "to pay our expenses down." At our first interview, after receiving ours, he had made us a present of equal value. A horseman and two foot-soldiers were sent with us, as an escort, and quite a multitude followed us out of the town, wishing us a safe journey and blessings of every kind. The people of Ilorin are not all Mussulmans, there being also a large, almost equal proportion of Yorubas, heathens; these, headed by a powerful Balagun, occasion King Shita considerable trouble, and might one day remove him and his party from power, an object openly avowed. We saw a large number; of convicts about the streets, their legs chained so as to permit them a very limited and peculiar locomotion. Such prisoners are not found in other towns, being either sold into foreign slavery or decapitated as the penalty for their offense—the former, a kind of punishment the teachings of their religion forbid the Mohammedans inflicting on their own people.