266 ACROSS AFRICA. [Chap. 



August, less soinetliing important — siieli as the sale of a slave — occurred 

 1874. to attract their attention. The women, on the contrary, ad- 

 dressed all their energies to the momentous work of bargaining 

 and chaffering ; and as soon as they had selected the spot where 

 they intended to locate themselves, down went the baskets, and 

 the articles for sale were arranged on the ground. The sales- 

 women then, sitting in the baskets, squatted on the ground, and 

 looked like some extraordinary specimens of shell-hsh ; the bas- 

 kets doing duty as shells, and preserving their delicate persons 

 from contact with the damp earth. 



The whole of the purchasers and venders jammed themselves 

 in a compact mass, none standing a yard from the main body, 

 although there was plenty of room for them to have moved 

 about in comfort. But they seemed determined to squeeze to- 

 gether for three or four hours in a screaming, sweating, and, I 

 may add, stinking crowd, the savor of which ascended on high. 

 Suddenly a move w^ould be made by some person, and in 

 another twenty minutes the two thousand that had been as- 

 sembled were dispersed. 



Every day these markets take place on some neutral ground, 

 and the feuds in which the j^eople are constantly engaged cease 

 for the time the market is being held, as also during the pas- 

 sage of buyers and sellers to and from their villages. 



Except at Nyangwe, the market-places are in uninhabited 

 spots; and here there were only the houses of traders and the 

 huts of their slaves and porters, who had settled there princi- 

 pally on account of the market. The neighboring chiefs are 

 always to be seen on these occasions, and at Nyangwe they 

 lounged about the Arabs' verandas, talking of the price of ivo- 

 ry, goats, and slaves. 



I tried every means to persuade the people to sell me canoes, 

 but without avail. One hoary-headed old fellow said that no 

 good to the Wagenya had ever resulted from the advent of 

 strangers, and he should advise each and all of his countrymen 

 to refuse to sell or hire a single canoe to the wdiite man ; for if 

 he acted like the strangers w^ho had gone before him, he would 

 only prove a fresh oppressor to the natives, or open a new road 

 for robbers and slave - dealers. Others said they would bring 

 canoes if I paid for them in slaves ; but I replied that, as an 



