36 THE LAND OF THE LION 
cleverly and well, and (for porters) are cleanly in their 
personal habits. They always hang together on the road, 
and in the bivouac, and you can tell them at once by 
the regularity of their line. ‘They take pride in keeping 
time and distance as they tramp along, and they start 
from camp in the morning and tramp home when the day’s 
work is done, to weird pipings and flutings of their own, 
on little reed pipes and oryx or water buck horns, care- 
fully guarded for such time-honoured usage. 
The Wanyamwazi want meat, and will eat any amount 
you give them. On the other hand, if meal gives out, 
many of the Kikuyus will starve; they are confirmed 
vegetarians, whereas when meat is plentiful, and the 
difficulties of providing potio is great, you can put your 
Wanyamwazi on half meal ration, and let him fill up on 
meat. On all these accounts they are admittedly the best 
porters in East Africa. I should add that they are easily 
disciplined, and in tent pitching, helping with cooking, and 
making themselves generally useful around camp, they are 
unequalled. Like all the rest of us, they have, of course, 
their weak points. On no account be induced to let one 
of them carry your extra gun. If you come across a 
rhino or lion they would be sure to let it off, possibly into 
your back. ‘They are, one and all, arrant cowards, and a 
gun in their hands is a dangerous weapon to anything 
and everything but the thing aimed at. ‘They can seldom 
be induced to beat a swamp or donga for a lion. I mean, 
of course, unwounded lion, for after a wounded lion no 
porter should on any account be taken. If you want him, 
go yourself alone with your gunboys. ‘To take porters in 
to cover after wounded lion, buffalo, or rhino is sheer and 
criminal folly. If some one is not mauled or tossed, two 
or three are likely to be shot. But I need not enlarge on 
this part of the subject, for, though the Wanyamwazi is 
a coward, he is not a fool, and he will most probably 
