П’ятнадцятирічний капітан

The Great Market-day

           Itischeaperthanthe"dioulis,"asilkfromSurat,withagreen,redoryellowground,whichisworthfromseventytoeightydollarsforaremnantofthreeyardswhenwovenwithgold.

           Asforivory,itwasbroughtfromallpartsofCentralAfrica,beingdestinedforKhartoum,Zanzibar,orNatal.AlargenumberofmerchantsareemployedsolelyinthisbranchofAfricancommerce.

           Imaginehowmanyelephantsarekilledtofurnishthefivehundredthousandkilogramsofivory,whichareannuallyexportedtoEuropeanmarkets,andprincipallytotheEnglish!ThewesterncoastofAfricaaloneproducesonehundredandfortytonsofthisprecioussubstance.Theaverageweightistwenty-eightpoundsforapairofelephant’stusks,which,in1874,werevaluedashighasfifteenhundredfrancs;buttherearesomethatweighonehundredandseventy-fivepounds,andattheKazoundemarket,admirerswouldhavefoundsomeadmirableones.Theywereofanopaqueivory,translucid,softunderthetool,andwithabrownrind,preservingitswhitenessandnotgrowingyellowwithtimeliketheivoriesofotherprovinces.

           And,now,howarethesevariousbusinessaffairsregulatedbetweenbuyersandsellers?Whatisthecurrentcoin?Aswehavesaid,fortheAfricantradersthismoneyistheslave.

           ThenativepaysinglassbeadsofVenetianmanufacture,called"catchocolos,"whentheyareofalimewhite;"bouboulous,"whentheyareblack;"sikounderetches,"whentheyarered.

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Roboto Lora
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