40 THE AFRICAN TRADER,

again came near him, then ask a somewhat lower
price. On this being refused he would perhaps
make a movement as if about to return to his
canoe, without having the slightest intention of so
doing; and so the game would go on till the
captain would offer the former price for the article,
when, perhaps, the trader would sit on, time being
of no consequence to him, in the hopes that he
might still receive a larger amount of goods. On
other occasions the captain had to commence bar-
gaining, when he invariably offered considerably
"below the true mark, when the trader as invariably
asked something greatly above it. The captain
would then walk aft, and, perhaps, come back and
talk about the other ports he intended to visit,
where the natives were more reasonable in their
demands. Captain Willis was too cool a hand to
show any impatience, and he thus generally made
very fair bargains, always ‘being ready to give a
just value for the articles he wished to purchase.
As each jar of oil, each tooth or box of gold-dust,
or basket of India-rubber, could alone be procured
by this process, some idea may be formed of the
time occupied every day in trading.
Palm oil was, however, the chief article we