gentleman’s mind settled as to what goods he would take his
pay in, and were proceeding to investigate another gentleman’s
little fancies ; gentleman number one’s mind came all to pieces
again, and he wanted “ to room his bundle,” i.e. change articles
in it for other articles of an equivalent value, if it must be, but
o f a higher, if possible. Oh ye shopkeepers in England who
grumble at your lady customers, just you come out here and
try to serve, and satisfy a set of Fans ! Mr. Glass was evidently
an expert at the affair, but it was past 11 p.m. before we got
the orders written out, and getting my baggage into some
canoes, that Mr. Glass had brought down from Agonjo, for
N’dorko only had a few very wretched ones, I started off up river
with him and all the Ajumba, and Kiva, the Fan, who had
been promised a safe conduct. He came to see the bundles
for his fellow Fans were made up satisfactorily.
The canoes being small there was quite a procession of
them. Mr. Glass and I shared one, which was paddled by
two small boys ; how we ever got up the Rembwe that night
I do not know, for although neither of us were fat, the canoe
was a one man canoe, and the water lapped over the edge in
an alarming way. Had any of us sneezed, or had it been
daylight when two or three mangrove flies would have joined
the party, we must have foundered ; but all went we ll; and on
arriving at Agonjo Mr. Glass most kindly opened his store,
and by the light of lamps and lanterns, we picked out the
goods from his varied and ample supply, and handed them
over to the Ajumba and Kiva, and all, save three of the
Ajumba, were satisfied. The three, Gray Shirt, Silence, and
Pagan quietly explained to me that they found the Rembwe
price so little better than the Lembarene price that they would
rather get their pay off Mr. Cockshut, than risk taking it back
through the Fan country, so I gave them books on him. I
gave all my remaining trade goods, and the rest of the rum to
the Fans as a dash, and they were more than satisfied. I
must say they never clamoured for dash for top. The
Passenger we had brought through with us, who had really
made himself very helpful, was quite surprised at getting a
bundle of goods from me. My only anxiety was as to
whether Fika would get his share all right; but I expect he
did, for the Ajumbas are very honest men ; and they were
going back with my Fan friends. I found out, by the by, the
reason of Fika’s shyness in coming through to the Rembwe ;
it was a big wife palaver.
I had a touching farewell with the Fans: and so in peace,
good feeling, and prosperity I parted company for the second
time with “ the terrible M’pongwe,” whom I hope to meet with
again, for with all their many faults and failings, they are real
men. I am faint-hearted enough to hope, that our next journey
together, may not be over a country that seems to me to have
been laid down as an obstacle race track for Mr. G. F. Watts’s
Titans, and to have fallen into shocking bad repair.
X 2