Iuka reporter. (Iuka, Miss.) 1888-1894, 1890-02-06
QUEER TRADING.
BAETERING WITH THE NATIVES
OF SIERRA LEONE

Wyatt, head salesman for a Cbica@o
irm OF furriers. e'o
"Where's Sierre Leone2' demanded
the reporter, falling at the moment 70
remember an assignment which had
vailed hlm TO any such place. ''Where
Is It, and what do people do thereg"
We'll, it's on the west coast of Afri-
ca, responded the man of muffs: "and
people there don't do much of any
thing only buy and sell and try to Get
gam. FIRST time ever saw one of these
things, and his hand CROPPED fondly in
The close fur of man-eating TIGER 81
thought il / could get pardon for going
INTO such heathenish place I would
never do so again. But some men are
born to wander, and they might as well
convert their possessions into portable
property one time as another. [ was
born III Massachusetts, but was taken to
England while only six months old. and
so have no vivid recollections of early
days In this country. Growing up in
London / learned the furrier's business.
and was sent to Sierre Leone as the
snb-agent of big English house. NY
principal at the trading post died of
African Jack, rs we call it, species
OF vlrulent malarial fever, and was
speedily promoted to his place-to the
place he had filled while living, mean.
olerre Leone properly is the pame of
the province, and the city to which that
title is generally applied is of right
called Free Town. 1t had when I left,
some three years ago, $4,000 inhabi-
tants, OF whom less than two hundred
were white, and nearly all of this small
number We're soldiers. The officers have
good quarters and the barracks are
among the best of their kind, but aside
from them there are not dozen build
ings III tho city that cost over hundred
dollars material, construction and all.
They are constructed of bamboo and are
raised above the ground from three to
ten feet, for no other reason, so far as L
can see, than that the custom is neces-
sary IN the Jungle, and having grown
accustomed to it, the darkies follow the
race habit, whether there is any sense in
it or not.
''The method of trading there is
different from that adopted in Chicago
slightly different Tribes from one to
five hundred miles i'll the interior get up
lot OF produce every year, and select
the strongest men, who load the stuff
little bundles on their heads and march
away through forests to the coast. OF
course there is not a sign Ct q road or q
bridge, and nothing but instinct in the
matter OF direction guides them, but
they generally strike the coast about
where they aimed to-that is, if any are
left, for they sometimes run afoul of a
war party, or the wild beasts get them,
OF the fever carries off the weaker ones.
Each man carries long, sharp knife
with hook at the point like hawks
bill, and with these they cut their way
through tangled underbrush ant
rank, twining grasses, such as this
country knows nothing about. WheI
they get within three or four days
Journey of the coast two or three run.
ners are relieved of their burdens and
sent on ahead to tell the traders the
'settee' is coming. They go about
among the agents telling what then
companions are bringing, inquirina
about prices and learning what can be
had in exchange. As The English gov
ernment is supreme atSierra Leone, and
one company of traders has the monopo
ly of British protection, of course the
natives only alternative is to take what
is offered or pack up and start on an.
other iaunt hundreds of miles up OF
down the coasta thing they seldom
do. But there is this ever before the
trader: He wants them to come back
next year, and so gives them us good
treatment us he can consistently with
private interests.
Gas soon as the runners announce the
approach ofa 'settee' the agent gets to-
gether lot OF servants and goes out to
meet the country merchants, taking
plong lot of presents and number OF
cattle for slaughter, some rum and
plenty of salt, for salt is the one thing
an African must have, and his rich con
tinent seems to have no provision
against this urgent need. Nothing Is
said about trading for the first day o.
two, and the agent only devotes himself
TO proving how dearly he loves the chill
dren of nature, but of course he is keep,
mo some kind of track OF the current
expense and has the final price OF goods
for sale constantly before HIM as sure
chance to play even. When the natives
have been properly wined and dlned
and all that sort of thing the agen'
climbs into his hammock and is
carried at the head Of the process
sion by four blacks down to the city ano
through the streets to the trading store,
the whole caravan following in a stray
Ring fashion and depositing their bun
55ies in heaps on tho floor The t. lk
about prices having been arranged, tne
Foods are weighed in and the men :, are
eiven good notes, as their credit Slips
are called, which call for the equivalent
value in anything wanted. me Amer,
can monetary system Of dollars ana
cents is used, as being the most SIMPLE
although no cash is used. The medium III,
Of exchange is simply imaginary. Ie eey
sell $40 worth Of produce and get Ny
worth Of goods, but no money IS reaiiy
used.
.sNow. each man has brought IRON
f;ftv to seventy pounds Of produce, an 4,
titan Ills total sales will not amount .
that many dollars, and even then ne l n''s
e. take It at agency or factory prices
mis- n is; d his only trip until next year,
and II may be tliat he is selling nov only
II; NJ, avn but friends goods, O.
Ms 49,, ,', ~ II. 1<,t, .,ff f,ffpU happen, ~