A Thousand Miles in a Machilla 



duties on guns and ammunition paid, stores re- 

 packed, loads rearranged, heads handed to the 

 African Lakes Co. for despatch to England, and 

 the portmanteau containing our civilized clothes 

 packed for forwarding direct to Broken Hill. The 

 vicissitudes that overtook this same portmanteau 

 will be recounted later on. 



Of our Nyasaland boys the following only were 

 left: John, the headman; Franco, our invaluable 

 personal servant ; Moffat, the cook ; Laban, his 

 assistant; "Breeches," whose real name was 

 Mauridi; Saidi, gun-bearer and head shikari; and 

 four porters, Maso, Mgombo, Roberti, and Culli- 

 lombe. Maso and Mgombo were promoted to my 

 machilla team, while the other two were taken on as 

 gun-bearers. 



That morning the servants had plenty to do 

 packing and arranging our goods. Unfortunately 

 they were disorganized by the changes in the 

 caravan and the sudden break in their usual routine, 

 so that most of them were seized with a severe 

 attack of home-sickness, and some firmness was 

 required in dealing with them. 



" Cooky " turned up in a pair of check trousers, 

 which altered his appearance considerably; and as 

 he was inclined to be impertinent, I remarked to 

 John that Moffat had changed his manners along 

 with his trousers. 



By ignoring him utterly he got to understand he 

 was in disgrace, and so became more subdued. 

 Moffat was really a most excellent fellow in every 

 respect, but the clothes and the cessation from work 



132 



