302 



THE ZANZIBARI 



did their work, and put up with exposure with the greatest 

 cheerfulness. Flogging was only necessary twice, and most 

 of the time we were rather like a family party. 



My first axiom in the treatment of my men was based on 

 Sir Evelyn Wood's maxim, when organising his expedition 

 against the Boers — the first thing to be considered is the 

 health of the baggage animals. My porters were my baggage 

 animals, and I made every arrangement I could for their health. 

 I tried to adapt my ways to their habits, for my nature being 

 more plastic than theirs I could more easily fit into a new 

 environment. But I never allowed the work of the expedition 

 to be interfered with, and if exposure were necessary the men 

 had to stand it. On Kenya, for example, they were kept at a 

 high altitude far longer than was good for them. 



My second axiom was to know as much as possible about 

 my men. I was interested in them as samples of African 

 natives, and was also anxious to learn all I could of their 

 language, habits, and temperaments, so that I might use the men 

 to the best advantage. I often spent a few minutes with them 

 at night, chatting by their camp fires, drawing from them 

 stories of their past journeys and telling them reminiscences of 

 my own. They may have credited me with a good deal more 

 disinterested benevolence than I deserved ; but I believe this 

 close intercourse with my men was the chief source of our 

 harmonious co-operation. Among other things, it impressed on 

 me that the Zanzibari are not a tribe but a class, and must be 

 dealt with accordingly. 



Only twenty-four of the men of my caravan knew to which 

 tribe they belonged, and these twenty-four represented no less 

 than fourteen different tribes — Wa-konde, Wa-zaramu, Wa-digo, 

 Wa-doa, Wa-makwa, Wa-degereko, Wa-gindo, Wa-ganda, 

 Wa-biza, Wa-kame, Wa-nyamwezi, Wa-nyasa, Wa-hadamu, 

 and Wa-pemba. 



The national characteristics of these tribes differ so widely, 

 that it is useless to treat the men as if they were all turned out 

 of one mould ; the difference of type, moreover, gives a diver- 

 sity of capacity which a leader may apply to the various needs 

 of an expedition. For example, the Wa-degereko are a 

 domesticated and agricultural race, men of enormous physique 

 but of a timid and essentially effeminate character, whose only 



