How I Found Livingstone Travels, Adventures And Discoveries In Central Africa Including Four Months Residence With Dr. Livingstone By Sir Henry M. Stanley
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Of All Men Sheikh Hashid Was The Man To Be
Consulted, And He Was Accordingly Invited To Visit Me At The
Consulate.
From the grey-bearded and venerable-looking Sheikh, I elicited
more information about African currency, the mode of procedure,
The quantity and quality of stuffs I required, than I had obtained
from three months' study of books upon Central Africa; and from
other Arab merchants to whom the ancient Sheikh introduced me,
I received most valuable suggestions and hints, which enabled me
at last to organize an Expedition.
The reader must bear in mind that a traveller requires only that
which is sufficient for travel and exploration that a superfluity
of goods or means will prove as fatal to him as poverty of
supplies. It is on this question of quality and quantity that
the traveller has first to exercise his judgment and discretion.
My informants gave me to understand that for one hundred men,
10 doti, or 40 yards of cloth per diem, would suffice for food.
The proper course to pursue, I found, was to purchase 2,000 doti
of American sheeting, 1,000 doti of Kaniki, and 650 doti of the
coloured cloths, such as Barsati, a great favourite in Unyamwezi;
Sohari, taken in Ugogo; Ismahili, Taujiri, Joho, Shash, Rehani,
Jamdani or Kunguru-Cutch, blue and pink. These were deemed amply
sufficient for the subsistence of one hundred men for twelve
months. Two years at this rate would require 4,000 doti = 16,000
yards of American sheeting; 2,000 doti = 8,000 yards of Kaniki;
1,300 doti = 5,200 yards of mixed coloured cloths. This was
definite and valuable information to me, and excepting the lack
of some suggestions as to the quality of the sheeting, Kaniki,
and coloured cloths, I had obtained all I desired upon this point.
Second in importance to the amount of cloth required was the
quantity and quality of the beads necessary. Beads, I was told,
took the place of cloth currency among some tribes of the
interior. One tribe preferred white to black beads, brown to
yellow, red to green, green to white, and so on. Thus, in
Unyamwezi, red (sami-sami) beads would readily be taken, where
all other kinds would be refused; black (bubu) beads, though
currency in Ugogo, were positively worthless with all other
tribes; the egg (sungomazzi) beads, though valuable in Ujiji
and Uguhha, would be refused in all other countries; the white
(Merikani) beads though good in Ufipa, and some parts of Usagara
and Ugogo, would certainly be despised in Useguhha and Ukonongo.
Such being the case, I was obliged to study closely, and calculate
the probable stay of an expedition in the several countries, so as
to be sure to provide a sufficiency of each kind, and guard against
any great overplus. Burton and Speke, for instance, were obliged
to throw away as worthless several hundred fundo of beads.
For example, supposing the several nations of Europe had each its
own currency, without the means of exchange, and supposing a man
was about to travel through Europe on foot, before starting he
would be apt to calculate how many days it would take him to
travel through France; how many through Prussia, Austria, and
Russia, then to reckon the expense he would be likely to incur
per day.
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