196 THE GAME OF BRITISH EAST AFRICA. 



most of the morning, and so the first day's trek is often confined to just getting out 

 of a station. On the next morning, however, directly the word is given every porter 

 rushes for his load of the day before, and has it done up in no time, and without 

 further trouble all the loads have found porters. Here again the professional 

 porters show to advantage, for they know by experience that wasting time in packing 

 up and in wrangling over loads means wasting the most valuable marching hours of 

 the day, whilst with the unprofessional porters a wearying repetition of the first 

 day's sorting and apportioning of loads takes place, and there is a general fight for 

 the lightest packs, and when everyone has done up his load there will still be seen 

 other loads lying about without owners, due either to deserters who have decamped 

 during the night or through men dividing up their packages of the day before and 

 only taking half. Finally, when all is ready, the sun is high in the heavens, and the 

 march must be performed through the hottest part of the day. 



The tent should be given to men who habitually arrive first in camp. Nothing 

 gets straight till the tent is put up. During the rains it is e.xasperating to have 

 the greater part of the loads lying about and getting sodden by the rain owing to 

 the tent not having arrived. 



The usual pace of a good porter is from three to three and a quarter miles 

 an hour, exclusive of halts. The spirits of the men make an enormous difference 

 to the pace. They appear at their best during the last few days of a homeward 

 march, when they will often be quite indignant if they are not allowed to march 

 thirty miles or more during the day. 



The longest march by "time" that I have seen Wanyamwezi perform was a 

 day commencing at 6.30 a.m. and ending after sunset, with only four brief halts of 

 from five to ten minutes for water. The whole of the journey was performed 

 across country of very thick rank vegetation, with no paths, and up and down 

 steep hills. Although the actual distance covered was not more than thirty miles, 

 the thickness of the vegetation* and the steepness of the hills must have been 

 very trying to men carrying loads. 



When travelling by paths the route to be taken is generally indicated to the 

 porters behind by blocking all paths not to be taken. This is done by throwing 

 down a handful of fresh leaves or grasses, or by placing a branch in the mouth of 

 all paths not to be taken. However, such signs may be kicked aside by other 

 passers-by, and so, if one has nothing else to do, it is advisable to wait at stated 

 intervals for the caravan to catch you up. For in a doubtful case it never appears 



* The vegetation was matted long elephant-grass, which left one at the end of the day with rags in place of 

 the comparatively new pair of breeches one started in. 



