146 



THE LAKE REGIONS OF CENTRAL AFRICA. 



The African porter will carry only the smallest burdens 

 upon his head, and the custom is mostly confined to 

 women and children. The merchants of course carry 

 nothing but themselves, except in extreme cases; but 

 when the sudden sickness or the evasion of a porter 

 endangers the safety of his load, they shoulder it with- 

 out hesitation. The chief proprietor usually follows 

 his caravan, accompanied by some of his partners and 

 armed slaves, to prevent the straggling which may 

 lead to heavy loss ; he therefore often endures the 

 heat and tedium of the road longer than the rest of his 

 party. 



The loads of the Pagazi, it has appeared, are composed 

 of beads, cloth, and wire, which in this land of " round 

 trade" or barter, supply the wants of a circulating 

 medium, and they severally represent copper, silver, 

 and gold. For a detailed notice, the reader is referred 

 to the appendix ; in this place a few general remarks 

 will suffice to set before him the somewhat complicated 

 use of the articles. 



Of beads there are about 400 varieties, some of which 

 have each three or four different names. The cheapest, 

 which form the staple of commerce, are the Hafizi, 

 Khanyera or Ushanga Waupe, a round white porcelain, 

 the price of which averages at Zanzibar 1 dollar per 

 5 or 6 lbs. avoirdupois. The most expensive are the 

 Samsam or Samesame, also called Joho (scarlet cloth), 

 Kimara-p'hamba (food-finishers), because a man will 

 part with his dinner to obtain them, and Kifunjya-mji 

 (town-breakers), because the women will ruin themselves 

 and their husbands for them : these are the small coral- 

 bead, scarlet enamelled upon a white ground, they are of 

 fifteen different sizes, and the value at Zanzibar is from 

 13 to 16 dollars per 35 lbs. Beads are purchased from 



