XIV.] SAIL-MAKING. 177 



ing to Syde ibn Habib — wbo bad met Livingstone botb in February, 

 Sekeletu's country and in Manyuema — and managed to hire it 1874. 

 from bis agent, tbongb at an extortionate rate. 



Tlie arrangement at tbe biring was ratlier amnsing. Syde's 

 agent wislied to be paid in ivory, of wbicli I bad none ; but I 

 found tbat Mobammed ibn Sabb bad ivory, and wanted clotb. 

 Still, as I bad no clotb, tbis did not assist me greatly until I 

 heard tbat Mobammed ibn Gharib had cloth, and wanted wire. 

 Tbis I fortunately possessed. So I gave Mohammed ibn Gha- 

 rib the requisite amount in wire, upon which he handed over 

 cloth to Mohammed ibn Salib, who, in his turn, gave Syde ibn 

 Habib's agent the wished-for ivory. Then he allowed me to 

 have the boat. The agreement was that she should be handed 

 over to me tit for sea, and, having been a long time hauled up, 

 she required calking, which was a tedious business. 



A sail was supposed to be forthcoming ; but all that ap- 

 peared were a few tattered rags of cloth, which they informed 

 me would be quite sulhcient for all sailing purposes. I could 

 get nothing better out of this agent, who, not contented with 

 having received as hire quite enough to buy two or three ca- 

 noes in honest trade, now wanted to cheat me in every petty 

 detail. 



In addition to his impudence in calling these rags a sail, he 

 stated that the oars were not included in the bargain, and I 

 must give a further amount for them. But I appealed to Mo- 

 hammed ibn Salib in tliis matter, and he decided tbat I was to 

 have the oars without payment. Tbe question of the sail he 

 gave against me. I therefore set to work cutting out and mak- 

 ing a lateen-sail, which frighten ed~nearly every one in the place 

 out of his senses, owing to what was considered its enormous 

 size; but the boat was a great lumbering craft, and needed a 

 large sail, so I held to my own ideas. 



While these matters were progressing, I learned that a small 

 party were going to Unyanyembe in company with a caravan 

 of AVagubba, intending to travel by night through the unset- 

 tled districts. I determined to seize this opportunity to dis- 

 patch three men to Said ibn Salim with letters for the coast, 

 and to urge on him the immediate necessity of forwarding at 

 the earliest opportunity the beads I had left at Mrima l^gom- 



