TRADERS ON THE BONNY RIVER. 39

The subjects of the sable potentate were now
allowed to come on board, and several canoes were
seen approaching us from different parts of the
shore. One brought a tusk of ivory, others jars of
palm oil, several had baskets of India-rubber, or
gum-elastic, as it is called. Besides these articles,
they had ebony, bees’-wax, tortoise-shell, gold-
dust, copper-ore, ground nuts, and others to dis-
pose of.

We soon found that the business of trading
with these black merchants was not carried on at
the rate we should have desired.

The trader, having hoisted his goods out of his
canoe, would place them on deck, and seat himself
before them, looking as unconcerned as if he had
not the slightest wish to part with them. Some
would wait till the captam came forward and made
an offer; others would ask a price ten times the
known value of the article, extolling its excellence,
hinting that very little more was likely to be
brought down the river for a long time to come,
and that several other traders were soon expected.
The captain would then walk away, advising the
owner to keep it till he could obtain the price he
asked. The trader would sit still till the captain