SALE OF IVORY. 401 



such a heavy crop as an old garden, and, judging from the size 

 of the maize and manioc in the latter, I can readily believe the 

 statement. Cattle do well, too. Viewing the valley as a whole, 

 it may he said that its agricultural and pastoral riches are lying 

 waste. Both the Portuguese and their descendants turn their at- 

 tention almost exclusively to trade in wax and ivory, and though 

 the country would yield any amount of corn and dairy produce, 

 the native Portuguese live chiefly on manioc, and the Europeans 

 purchase their flour, bread, butter, and cheese from the Americans. 



As the traders of Cassange were the first white men we had 

 come to, we sold the tusks belonging to Sekeletu, which had been 

 brought to test the difference of prices in the Makololo and white 

 men's country. The result was highly satisfactory to my com- 

 panions, as the Portuguese give much larger prices for ivory than 

 traders from the Cape can possibly give, who labor under the 

 disadvantage of considerable overland expenses and ruinous re- 

 strictions. Two muskets, three small barrels of gunpowder, and 

 English calico and baize sufficient to clothe my whole party, witli 

 large bunches of beads, all for one tusk, were quite delightful for 

 those who had been accustomed to give two tusks for one gun. 

 With another tusk we procured calico, which here is the chief 

 currency, to pay our way down to the coast. The remaining two 

 were sold for money to purchase a horse for Sekeletu at Loanda. 



The superiority of this new market was quite astounding to the 

 Makololo, and they began to abuse the traders by whom they 

 had, while in their own country, been visited, and, as they now 

 declared, " cheated." They had no idea of the value of time and 

 carriage, and it was somewhat difficult for me to convince them 

 that the reason of the difference of prices lay entirely in what 

 they themselves had done in coming here, and that, if the Portu- 

 guese should carry goods to their country, they would by no 

 means be so liberal in their prices. They imagined that, if the 

 Cassange traders came to Linyanti, they would continue to vend 

 their goods at Cassange prices. I believe I gave them at last a 

 clear idea of the manner in which prices were regulated by the 

 expenses incurred ; and when we went to Loanda, and saw goods 

 delivered at a still cheaper rate, they concluded that it would be 

 better for them to come to that city, than to turn homeward at 

 Cassange. 



Cc 



