112 



CARAVANS. 



April, from Wanga and other little ' Bandars ' 

 on the coast. If the capital be $1000, they dis- 

 tribute it into $400 of beads, and brass and iron 

 wires (Nos. 7 and 8), with $400 of American 

 domestics and cotton-stuffs of sorts : the remain- 

 der serves to pay 40 porters, who each receive 

 $10 per trip, half before starting and the rest 

 upon return. After twenty days' march, these 

 trading parties arrive at Umasai and the ad- 

 jacent countries ; they remain there bartering for 

 three or four months, and then march back laden 

 with ivory and driving a few slaves purchased en 

 route. 



Our Nakhoda again showed symptoms of 

 ' dodging : ' he had been allowed to ship cargo 

 from Mombasah to Wasin, and thereupon he 

 founded a claim or rather a right to carry goods 

 from Wasin to Tanga. Unable to disabuse his 

 mind by mild proceedings, I threatened to cut 

 the cable, and thus once more, the will of Japhet 

 prevailing over that of Shem, we succeeded 

 about 1 P.M., not without aid from an Omani 

 craft, in hauling up our ground-tackle. The old 

 Biami, groaning in every rib, flirted with some 

 reefs, and floated into the open sea, whose combing 

 waves were foaming under a stiff N. Easter. As 

 we sped merrily along Said bin Salim busied him- 



