human
The mane and tail then began to disappear; the lion went towards the bush where the skin petticoat lay; it was slipped on, and the woman, again in her proper shape, took up the child. The man descended, partook of the horse's flesh, but never again asked the woman to catch game for him.
gpt
This is very droll: but I think they must be very ignorant people to believe such absurdities.
human
I have Walwisch Bay. There is a broad sandy beach around it, and sand-hills heaped up in various forms inland, and the general aspect of things here is very wild and Arabian-like. The climate is healthy and good. It is hot in the beginning of the year; but from May until August it is cool and pleasant.
gpt
About three miles from Walwisch Bay, or Bay of Whales, is a Hottentot village, containing nearly 300 inhabitants, who are a friendly, harmless people, but very indolent and filthy. Both sexes dress alike, in the skins of animals sewed together with the sinews of the same animals, in the form of a blanket, which they throw over their shoulders, with the hair-side next to their bodies. The women are only distinguished by the profusion of their ornaments. These consist of shells, bones, and minerals of different kinds, and are worn about the neck and wrists. They are all expert hunters and fishers. They devour their fish raw, and the small ones without even divesting them of their entrails; what they cannot eat they pickle with salt procured at the head of the bay.
human
What nasty disgusting people, to eat raw fish!
gpt
In appeasing the cravings of hunger they are, in fact, horribly disgusting, being actually more fond of the entrails of cattle and sheep than of any other part; and when an animal is killed, these people positively devour its entrails raw, even before they are cold, while they will refuse to partake of the carcass, cooked or otherwise.
human
Now we pass on to Great and Little Fish Bays, which are on the coast of that wretched slave country, Benguela.
gpt
Ah! poor Africa is cursed with evils, unknown to the rest of the human race in any section of the globe--reptiles of the most deadly venom, beasts of unparalleled ferocity, deserts of sand, and moral deserts a thousand times more appalling. But her greatest curse of all is the white man's cupidity, tearing asunder the tenderest ties of human nature, and plunging villages and families into mourning and despair. The hyena, the tiger, the crocodile, are creatures existing by the will of God; the man-stealer is a sin-created monster! The depredations of the former are the effects of hunger; those of the latter avarice--the meanest passion that can enter the human breast.
human
It is now sixty years since Great Britain commenced offensive warfare against the African slave-trade; but grieved am I to say that little good has resulted from it; for the slave-trade is still carried on as extensively as ever. Our ships, which are continually on the look-out to recapture the slave-vessels, scarcely ever take more than fifteen in the course of twelve months; and the cost of maintaining this force to our country is 600,000_l_. annually. This money, in my humble opinion, might be more advantageously laid out--mean in reference to this degraded and demoralized quarter of the world, Africa. It might be expended in planting industry, knowledge, and security; in fact, in civilizing the wretched people; and surely that would more effectually check the slave-trade than the occasional capture of one or two cargoes. For the African slave-trade is not the _cause_, but the _effect_, of African ignorance, as any wretched creature there will seize and sell his more wretched neighbor for the paltry sum of a dollar.
gpt
This civilization will take years to effect; for deep-rooted evils cannot be destroyed in a day, among an ignorant and prejudiced people.
human
We are at Fish Bay. Dora, will _you_ continue.
gpt
Yes: Fish Bay is one of the finest places in the world for fishing with a 'seine,' by which thousands of barrels of excellent fish are caught in the course of the year.
human
What sort of a town is Benguela?
gpt
Small: it consists of not more than 200 houses, mostly one story high. Everything good to eat can be procured here; but there is no good water, except in the rainy season.
human
St. Helena was discovered by those pioneers of navigation, the Portuguese, on Saint Helen's day, the 21st of May, 1501. It is 1200 miles from the continent, in latitude 5° south, longitude 15° west. It is a beautiful island, inhabited by about 300 English families, whose ancestors took possession of it in 1600. The Portuguese stocked it well with cattle and fruit, and the English now benefit by their forethought. 'St. Helena,' says a clever writer,[20] 'is the dark monument of the most conspicuous man that has arisen within the period of certain history.' Of course that means Napoleon Bonaparte. I have done.
gpt
Ascension Isle lies between Africa and Brazil: it was discovered in 1508. It is about 39 miles in circumference, and of nearly a circular form. It has water only in one spot, called the Green Mountain, from the rich verdure with which it is covered. The natural productions are not numerous. Guinea-fowl have been introduced, and are now quite wild. Ten head of cattle were likewise imported, which have also taken to the woods, and are hunted by the garrison as required. This island was at one period overrun with enormous rats, to destroy which somebody with good intent imported a cargo of cats, which are now become as great a plague as their predecessors, keeping the sportsmen constantly on the alert to destroy them.
human
Well done, George! I am glad to hear you not only remember the information, but try to retain the phraseology of the geographers. That is the right method to improve your memory; do not halt at the trouble it cost you, for you will be abundantly repaid in the end.
gpt
We have only one more bay on this side of the equator to notice. Among the numerous bays on the western coast of Africa, first in rank stands Kabenda Bay, near Congo. It is a very fine harbor, and is so agreeable a situation that it is denominated the 'Paradise of the Coast.' The sea is always smooth, and debarkation easy. The town of Kabenda stands amidst delightful scenery, composed of lofty cliffs, verdant hills, and deep luxuriant vales; it is resorted to principally by slavers, who trade thither for slaves, ivory, and wood. The poor inhabitants, strange to say, notwithstanding their oppression, have a great respect for white men, and believe that they know everything, or, in their dialect, '_sabe ebery ting_.'
human
There is a fact worthy the attention of travellers connected with the kingdom of Loango, which you will perceive lies immediately north of Congo. It contains amongst its inhabitants numbers of black Jews scattered throughout the country. They are despised by the negroes, who do not even deign to eat with them. They are occupied in trade, and keep the sabbath so strictly that they do not even converse on that day; they have a separate burying-ground, very far from any habitation. The tombs are constructed with masonry, and ornamented with Hebrew inscriptions, the singularity of which excites the laughter of the negroes, who discern in these hieroglyphics only serpents, lizards, and other reptiles.
gpt
Crossing the line is no longer a novelty to such experienced voyagers as we are, and I think Dora may carry us on to our next station without further remark.
human
The Gulf of Guinea.
gpt
Plenty of sea-room _there_, Dora; but I hope we are to keep along the coast, for with the exception of Fernando Po and St. Thomas's, I know of no place where I should feel disposed to go ashore.
human
We are on a coasting expedition, although, for the _furtherance of science_, we occasionally sail out of the direct track; and as, in this instance, the mention of your inclination to visit these two islands implies some knowledge of their situation, we expect you will furnish the meeting with the requisite information.
gpt
Your mamma is very sharp upon me, George. Take warning by my case, and do not interfere with the pilot.
human
Ha, capital! Now, papa, Ferdinand Po!