10 FROM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



I think, revealed a trace of their Eastern origin. They did 

 not care at all for beads, preferring the Maria Theresa dollar, 

 which they beat and make into silver ornaments. 



Our cheaper and gaudier materials, such as coloured 

 handkerchiefs and striped stuffs, went better among the 

 pagan tribes. Beads were not much in request till we came 

 among the Budumas of Lake Chad, and they would only look 

 at the white ones. Then later on, in the Shari-Ubanghi 

 region, little red and white ones were practically the only 

 currency among the natives, except salt. It is strange 

 and inexplicable to note how the demand for a certain article 

 varies among the different tribes and is even affected by the 

 colour. Red or white beads, or cloth, or whatever it might 

 be, that from one tribe could buy fowls and eggs and large 

 quantities of food, perhaps among a neighbouring people 

 would hardly buy anything at all. But the things which 

 were in demand equally throughout all peoples we came 

 across were looking-glasses, a fact which spoke plainly 

 of the one weakness that is universal with mankind. 



Later on, as our trade goods began to run low, we treasured 

 up all our old tins and bottles, which we discovered had 

 quite a wonderful trade value, and then we reaHsed that 

 our " boys " * had for a long time been making enormous 

 profits out of them. And it was some Httle time before we 

 could break them of the habit of causing them to disappear, 

 and a law had to be passed making it criminal for them to 

 pick up old bottles or tins, which had almost been thrown 

 at their heads a short time before ! 



It must be borne in mind that a matter needing consider- 



* A term applied to all native servants of the white man. It has even been 

 borrowed by the French, who have coined the word " boyesse " for women. 



