XY1 INTRODUCTION.

valuable servant is evinced in various letters written to him while he remained

in Kano, with the presents intended for the Sheik of Bornou ; but which were

first decoyed to Soccatoo, and afterwards meanly seized by the Sultan Bello,

on the pretext of their being, many of them, arms to be put into the hands of

his enemy, he being then in a state of war with the sheik. In one of these

letters he says, “ I hope you ride out every day, and amuse yourself in shoot-

ing and stuffing birds, as this will tend to keep you in good health. Attend

strictly to the duties of religion ; rely firmly on the assistance and mercy of

Heaven ; and, in all your difficulties and distress, this will bear you up like a man and he signs himself, “ his sincere friend and master.” In another

letter, dated from Soccatoo, he says, “ Pray to Heaven night and morning,

and read the church service every Sunday ; for a firm reliance on the justice

and mercy, and assistance of Heaven, will bear you up with cheerfulness and

courage, when all earthly friends and things fail. Farewell, and believe me

your sincere friend and master.”

Clapperton was, in fact, a kind-hearted and benevolent man, of a cheer-

ful disposition, not easily put out of temper, and patient under disappoint-

ments ; a virtue, indeed, which was frequently put to the test in the course of

his long peregrinations in Africa. Both he and his servant suffered much

from frequent attacks of fever and dysentery. His last illness continued for

thirty-six days, during which he was attended by his faithful Richard ; who

has given a painful and interesting account of his death, of the mode in

which he had him interred, of his own affliction, and the mournful state of

solitude in which he was left among a set of unfeeling wretches, who re-

garded Christians in no better light than their dogs. His own situation is

described in a letter which he addressed from Kano, after the death of his

master, to Mr. Consul Warrington, of Tripoli. It is as follows:

“ Kano, Tlth May , 1827. “ Honoured Sir, “ With sorrow I have to acquaint you of the death of my master, Cap-

tain Clapperton. He departed this life at Soccatoo, on the 13th of April, at

six o’clock in the morning, after thirty-six days’ illness, with a severe inflam-

mation in the inside, much regretted by me, as he had always behaved like

a father to me since I left England. I buried him at Jungavie, a small village