. Travels in the coastlands of British East Africa and the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba; their agricultural resources and general characteristics . palm fibre—perhaps fastenings would be the better word—theyare used for tying rafters together, etc. In fact all rope forfastenings is made from this fibre, which is plaited. XX TRAVELS IN EAST AFRICA 381 The chief industry of the place appeared, however, to be themanufacture of coir ro[je. The mode of preparing it consistsin soaking the husks in sea-water for three to five months,after which they are beaten out and washed. An ordinaryheavy stick
. Travels in the coastlands of British East Africa and the islands of Zanzibar and Pemba; their agricultural resources and general characteristics . palm fibre—perhaps fastenings would be the better word—theyare used for tying rafters together, etc. In fact all rope forfastenings is made from this fibre, which is plaited. XX TRAVELS IN EAST AFRICA 381 The chief industry of the place appeared, however, to be themanufacture of coir ro[je. The mode of preparing it consistsin soaking the husks in sea-water for three to five months,after which they are beaten out and washed. An ordinaryheavy stick is used for beating out the fibre, and this appearedto be the chief occupation of the people here—tapping beingheard from almost every house. The cleaning of the fibre isdone chiefly by the women, the men making the rope and thefan-palm mat-bags. Clean fibre sold at one dollar a rope ^ is exported, and no coir fibre or copra. The soleuse of the nuts commercially is for their husk, the kernels andmilk being used for cooking and drinking. On my return to Hyphaene Palmsand Coconuts ^ t ^HypVisene 1- I Pdln\s and Coconuts T»f*. -^ SkotcK iMap of FAZA ■ ^ England I brought a few native samples with me. Thebrokers report upon them was as follows— Coil- fibre, poor, dirty, dull—sound value per ton, £\. Coiryarn, poor, dark colour generally, fair make, but somewhatirregular. Sound value per ton, ;^ 13 to ^^14.—November 9, 1893. Cattle on the island arc scarce and dear, prices rangingfrom $30 to $40, but sheep and goats, especially the latter,were fairly numerous. The inhabitants of Faza and of the north of the islandgenerally are all Bajoni—identical with the Guniahs so often Coir rope is only made into thin strands in Faza, beint^ twisted intothicker ropes at Lamu. 383 TRAVELS IN EAST AFRICA chap. referred to ; they are also called Watiku, and claim to haveoriginall) come from Arabia, and to have colonized all thecoast-land extending from Lamu to Port Du
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