ing the public roads. Palms and papaws, pomegranates
and plantains, raise graceful branch and
frond above them, in pleasing contrast to the
grey-brown walls, enclosures, and houses.
The port of Ujiji is divided into two districts
— Ugoy, occupied by the Arabs, and Kawele,
inhabited by the Wangwana, slaves, and natives.
The market-place is in Ugoy, in an open space
which has been lately contracted to about 1200
square yards. In 1871 it was nearly 3000 square
yards. On the beach before the market-place
are drawn up the huge Arab canoes, which,
purchased in Goma on the western shore, have
had their gunwales raised up with heavy teak
planking. The largest canoe, belonging to Sheikh
Abdullah bin Suliman, is 48 feet long, 9 feet
in the beam, and 5 feet high, with a poop for
the Nakhuda (captain), and a small forecastle.
Sheikh Abdullah, by assuming the air of an
opulent ship-owner, has offended the vanity of
the governor, Muini Kheri, who owns nine canoes.
Abdullah christened his “ big ship” by some
very proud name; the governor nicknamed it
the Lazy. The Arabs and Wajiji, by the way,
all give names to their canoes.
The hum and bustle of the market-place, filled
with a miscellaneous concourse of representatives
from many tribes, woke me up at early dawn.
Curious to see the first market-place we had
come to since leaving Kagehyi,. I dressed myself
Ujiji.] THE MARKET-PLACE OF UJIJI. 3
and sauntered amongst the buyers and sellers
and idlers.
Here we behold all the wealth of the Tanganika
shores. The Wajiji, who are sharp, clever traders,
having observed that the Wangwana purchased
their supplies of sweet potatoes, yams, sugarcane,
ground-nuts, oil-nuts, palm-oil and palm-
wine, butter, and pombe, to retail them at
enormous profits to their countrymen, have
raised their prices on some things a hundred per
cent, over what they were when I was in Ujiji
last. This has caused the Wangwana and slaves
to groan in spirit, for the Arabs are unable
to dole out to them rations in proportion to
the prices now demanded. The governor, supplied
by the Mutware of the lake district of Ujiji,
will not interfere, though frequently implored
to do so, and, consequently, there are frequent
fights, when the Wangwana rush on the natives
with clubs, in much the same manner as the
apprentices of London used to rush to the rescue
.or succour of one of their bands.
Except the Wajiji, who have become rich in
cloths, the rural natives retain the primitive dress
worn by the Wazinja, Wazongora, Wanyambu,
Wanya-Ruanda, Kishakka, Wanyoro, and Wanya-
Nkori, Wasui, Watusi, Wahha, Warundi, and
Wazige, namely, a dressed goat-skin covering
the loins, and hanging down to within six inches
above the knees, with long depending tags of
B 2