142 CAPTAIX TUCKEY'S NARRATIVE. 



to make himself intelligible, I thought he might be of use 

 and purchased him, giving an order for his value to be paid 

 on board the Congo, and taking care to explain to the 

 natives my motives for bujang him, as well as that I gave him 

 his liberty on the instant, and only considered him as a ser- 

 vant; and finally, that if we arrived at his country, I would 

 restore him to his friends. When this was explained to him 

 he expressed not the least mark of satisfaction, and permit- 

 ted the people to take off the cords which had served to 

 bind him with apparent apathy ; indeed our people seemed 

 to have more satisfaction in performing, than he felt in un- 

 dergoing, this operation. In concluding this bargain, I had 

 a specimen of the tedious manner of doing business amongst 

 the native traders, the intervention of the Mafook, Mam- 

 bouk, and a broker, being necessary between me and the 

 seller ; and each of these fellows expected two fathoms 

 of baft, and as much brandy as they could drink. This 

 roundabout way of trading, and the indecision of the sellers, 

 must, I should suppose, have been a great draw back on the 

 profits of the slave trade, by the time it kept them on 

 the coast; for I am assured, that though fifty slaves may be 

 brought to market in a day, not three are usually sold. 

 The same huckstering is indeed visible in every branch of 

 their trading with Europeans ; the possessor of a single fowl. 



