INTRODUCTORY. 3 



there is always the meat problem to deal with. I have been mostly on trek while in 

 this country, and my dislike to killing these animals does not induce me to carry 

 about expensive and distasteful tinned meats when there is game to be had easily 

 for the shooting. Nor should I feel justified in curtailing my marches so as to be 

 able to drive a flock of sheep about with me. Life has to be sacrificed to the needs 

 of a man's stomach (unless, indeed, he be a vegetarian), and there is not any great 

 difference between killing a small buck or a sheep for this purpose. 



So one kills a small buck when one can, and derives a certain amount of 

 satisfaction from supplying the table with one's own rifle. However, one does not 

 gloat over the performance, nor does one think it other than boring when such 

 necessary slaughter is described in glowing terms with all the setting of a sporting 

 adventure. For the purposes of the pot one can get practically all that is wanted on 

 the line of march, and one seldom need go out of the way when in game countries. 

 When one kills a bigger beast, such as eland, gnu, hartebeest, etc., much of it 

 goes to the porters, and some of it is made into biltong to tide over any gameless 

 region met with. 



This brings me to another consideration, and that is the porters. 



The usual porter's ration of a " kibaba " of beans or grain is not really 

 sufficient to keep a man in perfect health for any lengthy period carrying a 6olb. 

 load the while. He will do much better work, keep fitter, and be more cheerful 

 for a meat ration every now and then. 



Moreover, professional porters, accustomed to accompany shooting parties and 

 to eat their glut of meat, think very poorly of you if nothing is forthcoming. 



During a whole-day march, if there is no meat, the men have to go foodless 

 throughout the day, for their usual ration of " mbaazi " or " mahalagwe " takes 

 about two hours cooking before it is ready for consumption, and such a lengthy halt 

 as this would entail is frequently unfeasible. If they have some dried meat with them 

 this can be brought out and eaten in the course of a few minutes, and the men will 

 last out through the day much better. Thus the porters, too, must have their toll of 

 life, and this is arranged for by an occasional rhino, zebra, or hartebeest shot in place 

 of one's small buck. In fact, if one is constantly trekking about the country, one is 

 practically forced to do a certain amount of this plain-shooting. 



When so doing, one generally selects a male, and a good head in preference to a 

 bad, and a new species in preference to an old, so as to have an opportunity of 

 examining him at close quarters ; but, one does not necessarily go out of one's way to 

 hunt for an extra good head. 



This much for the actual shooting of these plain-dwellers. 



