Chapter 8: African Experience
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The two sat across the reception table, "Mr. Stanley, can you tell me some interesting things about Africa?" Constantine said.
Hearing such words, Stanley looked at the young duke in front of him, thinking that he seemed to be a child who liked strange things in foreign countries.
"Okay," Stanley said, glancing at Nina in front of the window.
"He is my maid, Nina, it's okay," Constantine saw Stanley's action.
"Okay, then tell me about what you see in Africa. Our expedition team bought some unsalable cotton cloth that has been accumulated for many years from London, as well as some clothes that have been pressed in the warehouse, or simply some clothes that have been thrown away. I can only say that those things cannot be sold in any European country. Those cotton cloths are more like white clay and paste than cotton cloth," Stanley said.
"But what is the relationship between cotton cloth and white clay and paste?" Obviously, the African story is more attractive than the coastal scenery outside the window, Nina asked curiously.
"A beautiful and lovely lady like you really doesn't know the tricks. Those unscrupulous merchants will rack their brains to reduce costs and increase profits. How to use very little cotton thread to weave cotton cloth that feels particularly thick? The secret is to starch the woven cotton cloth. Some unscrupulous merchants directly use white clay mud to starch the cotton cloth. The cotton cloth treated in this way feels thick and bright in color. Some people who don't understand are easily deceived." Seeing that young and beautiful girls also like to listen to stories, Stanley told more interesting stories.
"Such cotton cloth can't deceive people, right? Won't it be exposed after washing it once?" Nina was more curious.
"Yes, people who buy this inferior cloth will shrink as long as they take it home and wash it once. It is no longer as thick and bright as before." Stanley looked like you don't know.
"Do Africans buy those tattered clothes?" Nina looked incredulous.
"Haha, why no one buys them? Do you know which natives they are? What do they usually wear?" Stanley was even happier when he said this.
"What do they wear? They should be animal skins. If they are called natives, they are ignorant and cannot make clothes," Nina replied.
"No, no, the temperature in the Congo River Basin is always between 25 and 40 degrees. How can they wear animal skins? It would be so hot that people would die. They wear clothes made of hay and leaves." The more Nina guessed wrong, the happier Stanley seemed.
"Leaves made into clothes?" Nina widened her eyes and looked incredible.
Constantine nodded thoughtfully. It seems that Africans also have the purchasing power.
"But Mr. Stanley, there is one thing I don't quite understand. The goods you brought, well, barely count as goods, what do those Africans use to buy them? I mean, they don't have pounds or francs to pay for them," Constantine asked.
Stanley seemed to be a little surprised that Constantine would ask such a direct question.
"Of course they don't have pounds and francs, but they still have their own simple currency, a copper rod, which the locals use as a trading currency. Of course, we occasionally trade some food, such as cassava, bananas, and sometimes we get some ivory," Stanley explained.
"So it seems that the copper mines in Congo are indeed rich?" Constantine asked.
"I'm afraid it's not just the rich copper reserves, elephants there can be seen everywhere, and ivory traders will definitely go crazy if they see them. When the locals saw us accepting ivory, they turned around and took out a lot of ivory for trading. According to my guess, they probably took it from dead elephants," Stanley replied.
"In the Congo River Basin, the most popular thing is the knives we brought from Europe. In order to get a sharp European steel knife, they are willing to exchange their entire fortune," Stanley said proudly.
It can be seen that this guy has made a lot of extra money. In the past two or three years, I'm afraid the money he earned from those Africans may not be less than the reward Constantine paid him.
"Moreover, in our base camp Kinshasa, the Congolese people there have a quirk. In order to get a piece of European fashion, they would rather starve and help us, work, just to wear clothes from civilized Europe, especially Parisian clothes. They will do anything to get a bright and beautiful dress. What's even more strange is that those people wear the European fashions that they have worked so hard to get, and flaunt them in public. The Africans around them will look at them with envy and jealousy. To be honest, their ostentatious mentality is really incomprehensible to me," Stanley said in amazement.
"Really? Spending all your wealth just for a piece of luxury clothing? Where can there be such a stupid person?" Nina looked incredulous and widened her eyes.
"It's a pity that you can't go to Africa to see it. The world is so big that there are all kinds of wonders, not just luxury goods. After seeing us hunting with rifles, those tribal chiefs were all stunned and often asked our expedition members if we could sell them some rifles. What kind of things do we want to trade with before we are willing to sell them?" Stanley looked proud.
It seems that there is indeed money to be made from adventures in Africa. No wonder so many people rushed to Europe in droves. It turns out that adventure itself can make one rich.
"It seems that Mr. Stanley must have made a lot of money from Africans, right?" Even Constantine was a little jealous. With the huge sponsorship from me, he made a lot of extra money for himself. Isn't this taking advantage for nothing?
Stanley seemed to see what Constantine was thinking, and hurriedly said: "Not all of them are pleasant memories. After all, there are many tribes in the uncivilized southern African continent, and they are not so easy to talk to. Africans don't all have the concept of trading. There are also malicious people who intend to rob", Stanley explained.
"Not only that, people in the expedition team often get sick and die. You also know the damn climate in the Congo River Basin, hot and rainy, malaria, dysentery, and annoying mosquitoes. In Africa, where there is a lack of medical care and medicine, almost everyone talks about it with fear", Stanley said here, feeling a little depressed.
"Your Excellency, most Africans are very optimistic and always smile. I think this is probably their natural character. In the Congo River Basin, plants are evergreen and there is no shortage of food all year round. For them, hunger and cold are a feeling they have never experienced before. I think they probably don't have this word in their vocabulary. Although they are uncivilized compared to Europe and do not have advanced science and technology like us, they live happily, self-sufficient, and always smile. Sometimes I even think that there is nothing wrong with living like them in mediocrity and ignorance? On the contrary, we, the self-proclaimed civilized and wise Europeans, rack our brains to satisfy our desires, busy and running all day long." Speaking of this, Stanley's mood became even more depressed.
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