302 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



skill or gift, but also lungs of brass and a throat 

 of iron. A transport rider without a voice is as a 

 tenor in the same fix. He may and does get 

 so hoarse that it is a pain to hear him; but as 

 long as he can croak in good volume he is all 

 right. Mere shouting will not do. He must 

 shriek, until to the sympathetic bystander it 

 seems that his throat must split wide open. Fur- 

 thermore, he must shriek the proper things. It 

 all sounds alike to every one but transport riders 

 and oxen ; but as a matter of fact it is Boer- 

 Dutch, nicely assorted to suit different occasions. 

 It is incredible that oxen should distinguish ; 

 but, then, it is also incredible that trout should 

 distinguish the nice differences in artificial flies. 



After the start has been made successfully, the 

 craft must be kept under way. To an unbiassed 

 bystander the whole affair looks insane. The 

 wagon creaks and sways and groans and cries 

 aloud as it bumps over great boulders in the way ; 

 the leading Kikuyu dances nimbly and shrills 

 remarks at the nearest cattle; the tail Kikuyu 

 winds energetically back and forth on his little 

 handle, and tries to keep his feet. And Brown ! 

 he is magnificent ! His long lash sends out a 

 volley of rifle reports, down, up, ahead, back ; 

 his cracked voice roars out an unending stream 



