SCO AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



drawn by a team of eighteen oxen. The biggest 

 brutes, the wheelers, were attached to a tongue ; 

 all the others pulled on a long chain. The only 

 harness was the pronged yoke that fitted just for- 

 ward of the hump. Over rough country the 

 wheelers were banged and jerked about savagely 

 by the tongue ; they did not seem to mind it, 

 but exhibited a certain amount of intelligence 

 in manipulation. 



To drive these oxen we had one white man, 

 named Brown, and two small Kikuyu savages. 

 One of these worked the brake crank in the rear, 

 while the other preceded the lead cattle. Brown 

 exercised general supervision, a long-lashed whip, 

 and Boer-Dutch expletives and admonitions. 



In transport riding, as this game is called, there 

 is required a great amount of especial skill, 

 though not necessarily a high degree of intelli- 

 gence. Along the flats all goes well enough, but 

 once in the unbelievable rough country of a hill 

 trek the situation alters. A man must know 

 cattle and their symptoms. It is no light feat 

 to wake up eighteen sluggish bovine minds to 

 the necessity for effort, and then to throw so 

 much dynamic energy into the situation that the 

 whole eighteen will begin to pull at once. That 

 is the secret, unanimity ; an ox is the most 



