lt and well proportioned, but their
best friends could not conscientiously pronounce them handsome; and
their unattractiveness was further increased by the expression of their
countenances which seemed to be compounded of suspicion, craftiness,
greed, and cruelty. They saluted me respectfully enough, however,
offered their presents, and then sat down, at my invitation, squatting
upon their heels in the usual native fashion, while I sorted out the
gifts which I intended to give them. These consisted of a bandana
handkerchief or two, a few yards of gaudily printed calico, a few yards
of copper wire, and a handful of mixed beads to each of the women; and
from the grins of appreciation of the recipients I concluded that they
were all well satisfied. Then, with the inquisitiveness of the lower
type of savage, they began to question me, not in a straightforward
fashion, but covertly and by roundabout processes, with the view of
discovering my motive for journeying so far from my own people;
whereupon I told them frankly that I was a hunter and trader, seeking
for ivory and gold. They did not seem to understand what I meant by
"gold" until I spoke of it as the yellow metal that shines when
polished, and showed them the ring that I wore; whereupon they nodded
their heads in comprehension, and shortly afterward rose and returned to
the village. But about half an hour later the headman and three others
came back to the wagon, bringing with them a number of rough-shaped
nuggets of a dull, ruddy-yellow gold, which looked as though they might
have been crudely smelted out of the quarried ore, and wanted to trade
them with me for beads and printed calico. The quantity which they
brought amounted to about twelve pounds avoirdupois altogether, which I
estimated to be worth between six and seven hundred pounds sterling; but
they fixed such an exorbitant value upon the metal that had I acceded to
their demands my stock of trade stuff would soon have been exhausted.
Of course the gold was worth far more than my entire stock of "truck",
but when I purchased the latter I had quite reckoned upon being able to
obtain for it as much gold as I could possibly load upon the wagon, and
still have "notions" enough left to supply all the presents that I
should probably find it necessary to make; therefore as soon as my
visitors pointed out to me what they required in exchange for their gold
I laughed at them, waved them away, and proceeded--not