er traders were soon expected. The
captain would then walk away, advising the owner to keep it till he
could obtain the price he asked. The trader would sit still till the
captain again came near him, then ask a somewhat lower price. On this
being refused he would perhaps make a movement as if about to return to
his canoe, without having the slightest intention of so doing; and so
the game would go on till the captain would offer the former price for
the article, when, perhaps, the trader would sit on, time being of no
consequence to him, in the hopes that he might still receive a larger
amount of goods. On other occasions the captain had to commence
bargaining, when he invariably offered considerably below the true mark,
when the trader as invariably asked something greatly above it. The
captain would then walk aft, and, perhaps, come back and talk about the
other ports he intended to visit, where the natives were more reasonable
in their demands. Captain Willis was too cool a hand to show any
impatience, and he thus generally made very fair bargains, always being
ready to give a just value for the articles he wished to purchase. As
each jar of oil, each tooth or box of gold-dust, or basket of
India-rubber, could alone be procured by this process, some idea may be
formed of the time occupied every day in trading.

Palm oil was, however, the chief article we were in search of; but two
weeks passed by, and still a considerable number of our casks remained
unfilled. Fever too had broken out on board. Three of our men were
down with it, and day after day others were added to the number. The
two first seized died, and we took them on shore to be buried. This had
a depressing effect on the rest.

When we returned on board we found that a third was nearly at his last
gasp. Poor fellow, the look of despair and horror on his countenance I
can never forget. "Harry," he exclaimed, seizing my hand as I went to
him with a cup of cooling drink, "I am not fit to die, can no one do any
thing for me? I dare not die, can't some of those black fellows on
shore try to bring me through--they ought to know how to man handle this
fever."

"I am afraid that they are but bad doctors, Bob," I answered, "however,
take this cooling stuff it may perhaps do you good."

"A river of it won't cool the burning within me," he gasped out. "Oh
Harry, and if I die now, that burning will last for ever and ever. I
would give all my wages,