254 THEIR JUDGMENT RESPECTING GOODS. 
which reduced mo to a mere skeleton. I was then unable 
to attend to my mon for a considerable time ; but, when in 
convalescence from this last attack, I was thankful to find 
that 1 was free from that lassitudo which, in my first 
recovery, showed tho continuance of tho malaria in the 
system. 1 found that my mon, without prompting, had 
established a brisk trade in firewood. They sallied forth 
at cock-crowing in tho morning, and by daylight reached 
tho uncultivated parts of the adjacont country, collected 
a bundlo of firowood, and returned to tho city. It was 
then divided into smaller fagots, and sold to tho inhabit- 
ants ; and, as they gave larger quantities than the regular 
wood-carriers, they found no difiiculty in selling. A ship 
freighted with coal for tho cruisers having arrived from 
England, Mr. Gabriel procured them employment in un- 
loading her at sixpence a day. They continued at this 
work for upward of a month; and nothing could exceed 
their astonishment at tho vast amount of cargo ono ship 
contained. As they thcmsolvos always afterward ex- 
pressed it, they had labored 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 tho money so obtained they purchased 
clothing, boads and other articles to take back to their 
own country. Their ideas of the valuo of different kinds 
of goods rathor astonishod those who had dealt only with 
natives on tho coast. Hearing it stated with confidence 
that tho Africans preferred, the thinnest fabrics, provided 
they had gaudy colors and a largo extent uf surface, the 
idea was so now to my experience in tho interior that I 
dissented, and, in order to show tho superior good sense 
of tho Makololo, took them to tho shop of Mr. Schut. 
When ho showed them tho amount of general goods which 
thoy might procure at Loanda for a single tusk, I requested 
thorn, without assigning any reason, to point out tho fabrics 
thoy prized most. Thoy all at once selected tho strongest 
pieces of English calico and other cloths, showing that the) 
