Oh Ye Shopkeepers In England Who Grumble At Your Lady
Customers, Just You Come Out Here And Try To Serve, And Satisfy A
Set Of Fans!
Mr. Glass was evidently an expert at the affair, but
it was past 11 p.m. before we got
The orders written out, and
getting my baggage into some canoes, that Mr. Glass had brought down
from Agonjo, for N'dorko only had a few very wretched ones, I
started off up river with him and all the Ajumba, and Kiva, the Fan,
who had been promised a safe conduct. He came to see the bundles
for his fellow Fans were made up satisfactorily. The canoes being
small there was quite a procession of them. Mr. Glass and I shared
one, which was paddled by two small boys; how we ever got up the
Rembwe that night I do not know, for although neither of us were
fat, the canoe was a one man canoe, and the water lapped over the
edge in an alarming way. Had any of us sneezed, or had it been
daylight when two or three mangrove flies would have joined the
party, we must have foundered; but all went well; and on arriving at
Agonjo Mr. Glass most kindly opened his store, and by the light of
lamps and lanterns, we picked out the goods from his varied and
ample supply, and handed them over to the Ajumba and Kiva, and all,
save three of the Ajumba, were satisfied. The three, Gray Shirt,
Silence, and Pagan quietly explained to me that they found the
Rembwe price so little better than the Lembarene price that they
would rather get their pay off Mr. Cockshut, than risk taking it
back through the Fan country, so I gave them books on him. I gave
all my remaining trade goods, and the rest of the rum to the Fans as
a dash, and they were more than satisfied. I must say they never
clamoured for dash for top. The Passenger we had brought through
with us, who had really made himself very helpful, was quite
surprised at getting a bundle of goods from me. My only anxiety was
as to whether Fika would get his share all right; but I expect he
did, for the Ajumbas are very honest men; and they were going back
with my Fan friends. I found out, by the by, the reason of Fika's
shyness in coming through to the Rembwe; it was a big wife palaver.
I had a touching farewell with the Fans: and so in peace, good
feeling, and prosperity I parted company for the second time with
"the terrible M'pongwe," whom I hope to meet with again, for with
all their many faults and failings, they are real men. I am faint-
hearted enough to hope, that our next journey together, may not be
over a country that seems to me to have been laid down as an
obstacle race track for Mr. G. F. Watts's Titans, and to have fallen
into shocking bad repair.
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