312 
TRAVELS IN AFRICA. 
Chap. XXX. 
fetch as much as one hundred rotls, or three thou- 
sand two hundred shells; that is, seven hundred 
shells more than in Kano, The great advantage of 
the market in Kano is, that there is one standard 
coin, which, if a too large amount of dollars be not on 
a sudden set in circulation, will always preserve the 
same value. 
But to return to the market. A small farmer who 
brings bis corn to the Monday market, or the " ka- 
sukii letenmbe," in Kiikawa, will on no account take 
his payment in shells, and will rarely accept of a dol- 
lar: the person, therefore, who wishes to buy corn, if 
he has only dollars, must first exchange a dollar for 
shells, or rather buy shells ; then with the shells he 
must buy a " kiilgu," or shirt ; and after a good deal 
of bartering he may thus succeed in buying the corn, 
be it some kind of argiim, wheat, or rice. However, 
these two latter articles are not always to be got, 
while more frequently they are only in small quanti- 
ties. The rice sold in Kiikawa is wild rice, the refuse 
of the elephants, and of a very inferior description. 
The fatigue to be undergone in the market 
is such that I have very often seen my servants 
return in a state of the utmost exhaustion. Most 
of the articles which are sold on the great Mon- 
day fair may also be found in the small afternoon 
markets or durriya, but only in small quantity, and 
at a higher price, and some articles will be sought for 
there in vain. But while there is certainly a great 
deal of trouble in the market of Kiikawa, it must be 
