the standard, I am ignorant. But I observed that,
while they were occupied in the task, th ey were
v e ry much interested, and that, when it was
finished, though it was only the size o f a la d y ’s
handkerchief, th ey manifested much delight.
Zanzibar possesses its “ millionaires ” also, and
one o f the richest merchants in the town is
T a ry a T op an— a self-made man o f Hindostan,
singularly honest and just; a devout Muslim, y e t
liberal in his ideas; a sharp business man, y e t
charitable. I made T a ry a ’s acquaintance in 1871,
and the righteous manner in which he then dealt
b y me caused me now to proceed to him again
for the same purpose as formerly, viz. to sell
me cloth, cottons, and kanikis, at reasonable
prices, and accept my bills on Mr. Joseph M.
L ev y, o f the D a ily Telegraph.
Honest Jetta, as formerly, was employed as
my vak ee l to purchase the various coloured
cloths, fine and coarse, for chiefs and their wives,
as well as a large assortment o f beads o f all
sizes, forms, and colours,* besides a large quantity
o f brass wire */if inch thickness.
The total weight o f goods, cloth, beads, wire,
stores, medicine, bedding, clothes, tents, ammunition,
boat, oars, rudder and thwarts, instruments
and stationery, photographic apparatus,
dry plates, and miscellaneous articles too nume-
* For list of cloths, beads, wire, &c., and their prices, see
Appendix.
rous to mention, weighed a little over 18,000 lbs.,
or rather more than eight tons, divided as nearly
as possible into loads weighing 60 lbs. each,
and requiring' therefore the carrying capacity
of 300 men. The loads were made more than
usually light, in order that w e might travel with
celerity, and not fatigue the people.
But still further to provide against sickness
and weakness , a supernumerary force o f forty
men were recruited at Bagamoyo, Konduchi,
and the Rufiji delta, who were required to assemble
in the neighbourhood o f the first-mentioned
place. Tw o hundred and thirty men, consisting
o f Wangwana, Wanyamwezi, and coast
people from Mombasa, Tanga, and Saadani,
affixed their marks opposite their names before
the American Consul, for wages varying from
2 to 10 dollars per month, and rations according
to their capacity, strength, and intelligence,
with the understanding that th e y were to serve
for two years, or until such time as their services
should be no longer required in Africa, and were
to perform their duties cheerfully and promptly.
On the day o f “ signing” the contract, each
adult received an advance o f 20 dollars, or four
months’ pay, and each youth 10 dollars,, or four
months’ pay.. Ration money was also paid them
from the time o f first enlistment, at the rate o f
1. dollar per week, up to the day we left the
coast. These conditions were, however, not
THROUGH THE DARK CONTINENT. VOL. I. G