r were we to enumerate
the various modes in which every effort of man to act naturally,
legitimately, or progressively, is hampered, unless his business be the
buying and selling of human beings.

At first Harold experienced great difficulty in procuring men. The
master of the trading dhow in which he sailed from Zanzibar intended to
remain as short a time as possible at Quillimane, purposing to visit
ports further south, and as Harold had made up his mind not to enter the
Zambesi by the Quillimane mouth, but to proceed in the dhow to one of
the southern mouths, he felt tempted to give up the idea of procuring
men until he had gone further south.

"You see, Disco," said he, in a somewhat disconsolate tone, "it won't do
to let this dhow start without us, because I want to get down to the
East Luavo mouth of this river, that being the mouth which was lately
discovered and entered by Dr Livingstone; but I'm not sure that we can
procure men or canoes there, and our Arab skipper either can't or won't
enlighten me."

"Ah!" observed Disco, with a knowing look, "he won't--that's where it
is, sir. I've not a spark o' belief in that man, or in any Arab on the
coast. He's a slaver in disguise, he is, an' so's every mother's son of
'em."

"Well," continued Harold, "if we must start without them and take our
chance, we must; there is no escaping from the inevitable; nevertheless
we must exert ourselves _to-day_, because the dhow does not sail till
to-morrow evening, and there is no saying what luck may attend our
efforts before that time. Perseverance, you know, is the only sure
method of conquering difficulties."

"That's so," said Disco; "them's my sentiments 'xactly. Never say die--
Stick at nothing--Nail yer colours to the mast: them's the mottoes that
I goes in for--always s'posin' that you're in the right."

"But what if you're in the wrong, and the colours are nailed?" asked
Harold, with a smile.

"W'y then, sir, of course I'd have to tear 'em down."

"So that perhaps, it would be better not to nail them at all, unless
you're very sure--eh?"

"Oh, of _course_, sir," replied Disco, with solemn emphasis. "You don't
suppose, sir, that I would nail 'em to the mast except I was sure, wery
sure, that I wos right? But, as you wos a sayin', sir, about the
gittin' of them 'ere men."

Disco had an easy way of changing a subject when he felt that he was
getting out of his depth.

"Well, to return to that. The fact