58 THROUGH UNKNOWN AFRICAN COUNTRIES. 
small beads, brass chains, looking-glasses, needles, pocket- 
knives, and razors. The costly and really pretty orna- 
ments I had with me were not liked as much as the most 
ordinary chains. There was a great demand for cloth. A 
shilling’s worth of coarse American sheeting would buy a 
sword or knife, a bushel of durrha meal, or anything they 
possessed. 
The rain had made the road ahead impassable, so there 
was nothing for me to do but wait for a while in the town. 
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I spent the time however to advantage, as there was a great 
variety of natural-history specimens to be collected that I 
had not seen before. 
Fred left for the North for a two days’ elephant hunt, 
but he was not as successful in this trip as he usually 
was, and it was principally owing to my theodolite. They 
used to watch me in wonderment when I took observa- 
tions with this instrument, and it appears that my boys 
had told them that when I looked through the glass I could 
