ORDER AND CLEANLINESS. 1 55 



these extraordinary people wanted to know, after 

 their work was completed, why I was so anxious 

 about their lives. To enter into an explanation 

 with such wretches was utterly impossible, so I 

 refused information. The indifference to death of 

 some of these tribes, particularly those in the lowest 

 grades in the scale of the human family, is marvellous. 

 I am inclined to believe that they dread a few cuts of 

 of the shambok more than they do to die ; but in spite 

 all this they are a happy-go-lucky lot when they have 

 sufficient to fill their stomachs. At first, when the 

 Mantatees camped alongside of our laar, their resi- 

 dence was a perfect eyesore, and nose offender, from 

 the filth and ddbris of animal matter collected around 

 it. A military love of order, backed up by sanitary 

 precautions, made me insist that this should not be. 

 For a time little attention was paid to my orders ; 

 so, to command obedience, I stopped their rations. 

 Deprivation of food touched them on a most 

 sensitive point. They were clamorous, almost 

 defiant for a time ; but I was resolute. The Zulus 

 counselled their submission. Ultimately they took 

 the advice tendered them. Since then I have 

 never had occasion to find fault with the strangers 

 encamped by me, in this respect. I believe that 

 latterly they have learned the advantages of order 

 and cleanliness, thus proving that they are capable 

 of instruction in some matters. From the first day 

 that our Zulus joined us at Lorenzo Marques, I had 



