THEIR JUDGMENT OF GOODS. 36 J. 



to attend to my men for a considerable time ; but when 

 in convalescence from this last attack, I was thankful 

 to find that I was free from that lassitude, which, in my 

 first recovery, showed the continuance of the malaria in 

 the system. I found that my men, without prompting, 

 had established a brisk trade in firewood. Tney sallied 

 forth at cock-crowing in the mornings, and by daylight 

 reached the uncultivated parts of the adjacent country, 

 collected a bundle of firewood, and returned to the city. 

 It was then divided into smaller fagots, and sold to the 

 inhabitants ; and as they gave larger quantities than the 

 regular wood-carriers, they found no difficulty in selling. 

 A ship freighted with coal for the cruisers having arrived 

 from England, Mr. Gabriel procured them employment in 

 unloading her at sixpence a-day. They continued at this 

 work for upwards of a month, and nothing could exceed 

 their astonishment at the vast amount of cargo one ship 

 contained. As they themselves always afterwards ex- 

 pressed it, they had laboured every day from sunrise to 

 sunset for a moon and a half, unloading, as quickly as 

 they could, " stones that burn," and were tired out, 

 still leaving plenty in her. With the money so obtained 

 they purchased clothing, beads, and other articles to take 

 back to their own country. Their ideas of the value of 

 different kinds of goods rather astonished those who had. 

 dealt only with natives on the coast, Hearing it stated 

 ■with confidence that the Africans preferred the thinnest 

 fabrics, provided they had gaudy colours and a large 

 extent of surface, the idea was so new to my experience m 

 the interior, that I dissented, and, in order to show the 

 superior good sense of the Makololo, took them to the shop 

 of Mr. Schut. When he showed them the amount of 

 general goods which they might procure at Loanda for a 

 single tusk, I requested them, without assigning any 

 reason, to point out the fabrics they prized most. They 

 all, at once, selected the strongest pieces of English calico 

 and other cloths, showing that they had regard to strength 

 without reference to colour. I believe that most of the 

 Bechuana nation would have done the same. But I was 

 assured that the people near the coast, with whom the 

 Portuguese have to deal, have not so much regard to 

 durability „ This probably arises from calico being the 

 chief circulating medium ; quantity being then of more 

 importance than quality. 



