Page:Folk-lore - A Quarterly Review. Volume 20, 1909.djvu/63

Rh of an agreed price, and hence to a present, gift, or tip, in recognition of little services rendered.

Attached to each trading house were three or four linguisteres who acted as interpreters and trade touts. These men made long journeys into the hinterland, where, by their presents to various native traders and chiefs, they worked up a connection. In one journey alone they would sometimes give away 150 to 200 pieces of cloth (a piece of cloth, invoice price, being equal to 1s. 6d. to 2s.),—their own cloth, not the white man's. By-and-by a native trader would come in with, say, a caravan of rubber. The linguistere who had him as a client would be called, and he would conduct the caravan to his white trader. A conversation such as follows would take place, the white man and the linguistere talking Portuguese and the native trader and linguistere talking the vernacular:—

Linguistere to White Man: "How much for this rubber?"

It was then examined and weighed.

White Man: "200 pieces of cloth."

Linguistere to Native Trader: "He will give you 80 pieces of cloth."

Native Trader: "That is not enough, I want 170 pieces."

Linguistere to White Man: "They want 250 pieces."

White Man: "That is too much; I will give 210 pieces."

Linguistere to Native Trader: "He will give you 90 pieces."

After more haggling the white man reaches his limit of 220. After much talking, lasting perhaps a whole day, the native trader brings his price down to 150 pieces, and the linguistere works his up gradually to that amount. Being now agreed, the linguistere tells the white man to pay them 150 pieces, which he does in articles he has in his store. A case of beads may equal 8 pieces, a