Travels Of Richard And John Lander Into The Interior Of Africa For The Discovery Of The Course And Termination Of The Niger By Robert Huish
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The Direction Of The River Nun Was
Here Nearly North And South, And They Kept On Their Course Down The
Stream.
About a quarter an hour after they had entered the river Nun, they
discerned at a distance from them, two vessels lying at anchor.
The
emotions of delight which the sight of them occasioned were beyond
the power of Lander to describe. The nearest was a schooner, a
Spanish slave vessel, whose captain they had seen at Brass Town.
Their canoe was quickly by her side, and Lander went on board. The
captain received him very kindly, and invited him to take some
spirits and water with him. He complained sadly of the sickly state
of the crew, asserting that the river was extremely unhealthy, and
that he had only been in it six weeks, in which time he had lost as
many men. The remainder of his crew, consisting of thirty persons,
were in such a reduced state, that they were scarcely able to move,
and were lying about his decks, more resembling skeletons man living
persons. Lander could do no good with the Spaniard, so he took his
leave of him, and returned into the canoe.
They now directed their course to the English brig, which was lying
about three hundred yards lower down the river. Having reached her,
with feelings of delight, mingled with doubt, Lander went on board.
Here he found every thing in as sad a condition, as he had in the
schooner, four of the crew had just died of fever, four more which
completed the whole, were lying sick in their hammocks, and the
captain himself appeared to be in the very last stage of illness.
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