Of
course one was an 'Honourable;' [Footnote: Even the Coast English are
always confounding the Hon. John A. (son of a peer) with the Hon. Mr. A.
(official rank), and I have seen sundry civilians thus mis-sign
themselves.] as Mr. H. M. Stanley says, [Footnote: _Coomassie and
Magdala_. New York, Harpers, 1874.] 'mostly every other man is here so
styled.' They talked professionally of the 'Whig ticket' and the
'Re-publican party,' but they neither 'guess'd' nor 'kalklated,' and if
they wore they did not show revolvers and bowie-knives. They did not say,
'We air a go-ahead people,' they were not given to 'highfalutin',' nor did
they chew their tobacco. They were, however, accompanied by an extremely
objectionable 'infant,' aged seven, who lost no time in laying hands upon
Miss M.'s trinkets, by way of returning civility. Her father restored
them, treating the theft as a matter of course.
The citizens gave me sundry details about the 'rubber'-trade, which began
in 1877. Monrovia now exports to England and the Continent some 100,000
lbs., which sell at 1_s_. 4_d_. each. Gum-elastic is gathered chiefly by
the Bassa people, who are, however, too lazy to keep it clean; they store
it in grass-bags and transport it in canoes.
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