A young Scot was now in charge of the ball to see if he could succeed where others had failed. Mungo Park was one of the greatest African explorers in the history of the continent. He traveled twice. He saw the Niger at Bussa in 1795 for the first time. “I saw with infinite pleasure the great object of my mission the long sought for, majestic Niger, glittering to the morning sun, as broad as the morning Thames at Westminster, and flowing slowly to the eastward,” he said, perfectly expressing his joy at this success. I rushed to the edge, drank some of the water, and prayed fervently to the Great Ruler of all things that my efforts had been successful thus far!
The European geographers were awoken from their slumber by this glaring success. In addition, it was a tremendous success for the African Association, which announced right away that “a gate was opened to every commercial nation to enter and trade from the west to the eastern extremity of Africa.”
A few years later, Mungo Park, a man of extraordinary determination, set out to complete the task he had successfully begun, which was to locate the river’s outlet. He was accompanied by about 45 other Europeans, but his first attempt was unsuccessful. All 45 Europeans perished, and he himself passed away shortly after at Bussa. Isaaco, his servant, carried himself to the coast and handed the diary to the British government.
