MAEKET SCENES. 623 



sherds full of snails or small fishes, or young clarias capensis—^ 

 smoke-dried, and spitted on twigs — or other relishes, to exchange 

 for cassava roots, dried after being steeped about three days in 

 water; potatoes, vegetables, or grain, bananas, flour, palm oil, 

 fowls, salt, pepper, all are bartered back and forth in the same 

 manner. Each individually is intensely anxious to trade ; those 

 who have other articles are particularly eager to barter them for 

 relishes, and are positive in their assertions of the goodness or 

 badness of each article as market people seem to be in conscience 

 bound to do everywhere. The sweat may be seen standing in 

 great beads on their faces. Cocks, hanging with their heads 

 down across the shoulders, contribute their bravest crowing, and 

 pigs squeal their loudest. Iron knobs, drawn out at each end 

 to show the goodness of the metal, are exchanged for cloth of 

 the Muabe pa'lm. They have a large funnel of basket-work 

 below the vessel holding the wares, and slip the goods down if 

 they are not to be seen. They deal fairly, and when differences 

 arose they were easily settled by the men interfering or pointing 

 to me : they appeal to each other, and have a strong sense of 

 natural justice. With so much food changing hands amongst 

 the three thousand attendants much benefit is derived ; some 

 come from twenty to twenty-five miles. The men flaunt about 

 in gaudy-colored lambas of many folded kilts — the women 

 work hardest — the potters slap and ring their earthenware all 

 around, to show that there is not a single flaw in them. I 

 bought two finely shaped earthen bottles of porous earthenware, 

 to hold a gallon each, for one string of beads ; the women carry 

 huge loads of them in their funnels above the baskets, strapped 

 to the shoulders and forehead, and their hands are full besides ; 

 the roundness of the vessels is wonderful, seeing no machine is 

 used : no slaves could be induced to carry half as much as they 

 do willingly. It is a scene of the finest natural acting imagin- 

 able. The eagerness with which all sorts of assertions are made 

 — the eager earnestness with which apparently all creation, 

 above, around, and beneath, is called on to attest the truth of 

 what they allege — and then the intense surprise and withering 

 scorn cast on those who despise their goods : but they show no 

 concern when the buyers turn up their noses at them. Little 

 girls run about selling cups of water for a few small fishes to 

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