120 THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



as if all the waves of the Atlantic or the sands of Ara- 

 bia lay between. 



Maruta and his family of young giants did not fail to 

 claim their blackmail ; they received a total of twelve 

 cloths, five kitindi, and thirty khete of coral beads. 

 They returned two fine goats, here worth about one 

 cloth each, and sundry large gourds of fresh milk — the 

 only food I could then manage to swallow. Kannena, who 

 had been living at Maruta's village, came down on the 5th 

 May to demand 460 khete of blue porcelains, wherewith 

 to buy rations for the return-voyage. Being heavily in 

 debt, all his salt and coil-bracelets had barely sufficed for 

 his liabilities : he had nothing to show for them but 

 masses of Sambo — iron-wire rings — which made his 

 ankles resemble those of a young hippopotamus. The 

 slaves and all the fine tusks that came on board were 

 the property of the crew. 



Our departure from Uvira was finally settled for the 

 6th May : before taking leave of our " furthest point," 

 I will offer a few details concerning the commerce of 

 the place. 



Uvira is much frequented on account of its cheapness ; 

 it is the great northern depot for slaves, ivory, grain, 

 bark-cloth, and ironware, and, in the season, hardly a 

 day elapses without canoes coming in for merchandise 

 or provisions. The imports are the kitindi, salt, beads, 

 tobacco, and cotton cloth. Eice does not grow there, 

 holcus and maize are sold at one to two fundo of com- 

 mon beads per masuta or small load, — perhaps sixteen 

 pounds, — and one khete is sufficient during the months 

 of plenty to purchase five pounds of manioc, or two 

 and even three fowls. Plantains of the large and coarse 

 variety are common and cheap, and one cloth is given 

 for two goodly earthen pots full of palm-oil. Ivory 



