On Lake Tanganyika, East African manufacturing's small boats and the canoes seized from the natives set off in a mighty procession with Msiri's men aboard. Beneath the boundless lake surface lay waters more than five hundred meters deep.
Msiri himself rode in a large human-powered vessel designed by the Kigoma shipyard, while sailors rowed its massive oars northward.
By the Limpopo River.
Several small wooden boats drifted along the gently flowing river toward East African territory.
"Mr. Yuris, what goods did you bring today?" Van der Mel asked the East African merchant Yuris who came up to greet him after he disembarked.
Yuris said, "Mr. Van der Mel, you came remarkably early today! You arrived at just the right time. A batch of Anda watches was shipped over from Dar es Salaam recently. Would you like to take a look?"
Van der Mel said, "Of course. But I don't think I've heard the name Anda watches before. Is it a new European product?"
Yuris said, "Naturally. These are genuine Swiss goods, made using Europe's latest techniques."
Van der Mel said, "Swiss goods? Really? None of the Swiss watches I've heard of carried this brand."
Yuris said, "That's why I said they use the newest manufacturing techniques. It's a new company—not just anyone has that kind of nerve."
Van der Mel said, "Can the quality be guaranteed?"
Yuris said, "Rest assured. Though it's a new company, its designers were famous local Swiss designers hired at great expense. The parts are polished through precision industry, with minuscule margins of error and an extremely low failure rate. So, would you consider it? There aren't many this time, only thirty."
Van der Mel said, "Let me see the goods first."
Yuris carefully took an exquisite little box from his satchel, unfastened it, and