I believe Lindert got the idea from the seller who sold him the sboula. It looks like his travels were predominantly in Eastern Africa, and therefore whatever he bought there, he simply ascribed to the location where he bought it, along with whatever tales the sellers gave him. In a day and age without internet and less than scholarly approach to collecting arms and armor from Africa, anything published was propagated as the truth. We are fortunate to have the benefit of better sources and works on the subject more than half a century later.
|