374 UGANDA [ch. xiii 



well-clad, well-behaved, fine-looking men, and did their 

 work better than the " shenzis," the wild JNIerii of 

 Kiku} u tribesmen, whom we had occasionally employed 

 in East Africa ; but they were not the equals of the 

 regular East African porters. I think this was largely 

 because of their inferior food, for they ate chiefly yams 

 and plantains ; in other words, inferior sweet potatoes 

 and bananas. They were quite as fond of singing as the 

 East African porters, and in addition were cheered on 

 the march by drum and fife ; several men had fifes, and 

 one carried nothing but one of the big Uganda drums, 

 which he usually bore at the head of the safari, marching 

 in company with the flag-bearer. Every hour or two 

 the men would halt, often beside one of the queer little 

 wickerwork booths in which native hucksters disposed 

 of their wares by the roadside. 



Along the road we often met wayfarers ; once or 

 twice bullock-carts ; more often men carrying rolls of 

 hides or long bales of cotton on their heads ; or a set of 

 Bahima herdsmen, with clear-cut features, guarding 

 their herds of huge-horned Angola cattle. 



All greeted us most courteously, frequently crouching 

 or kneeling, as is their custom when they salute a 

 superior ; and we were scrupulous to acknowledge their 

 salutes, and to return their greetings in the native 

 fashion, with words of courtesy and long-drawn e-h-h-s 

 and a-a-h-s. Along the line of march the chiefs had 

 made preparations to receive us. Each afternoon, as 

 we came to the spot where we were to camp for the 

 night, we found a cleared space strewed with straw and 

 surrounded by a plaited reed fence. Within this space 

 cane houses, with thatched roofs of coarse grass, had 

 been erected — some for our stores, one for a kitchen, one, 

 which was always decked with flowers, as a rest-house 



