HUNTING IN AFRICA 113 
to prevent the bloody edges soiling the skin. All blood 
harbours flies, and flies too often blow and ruin a good 
skin or pelt. 
See to it yourself, too, that all the meat is brought to 
camp. You are not legally obliged to give your porters 
meat. Potio is supposed to be ample provision for them. 
But you will find that most of the men require meat more 
than occasionally. The Wanyamwazi, who are likely 
to be the mainstay of your sefari, are good marchers, 
and if they like you, and have arrived at the conclusion 
that you mean to act fairly by them, will, in their turn, 
act fairly by you. I have always been open and above 
board with them. Sometimes for many days together 
I have had to put them on half rations of potio, sometimes 
to give them beans, the despised Kikuyu’s diet, instead 
of meal or rice. But when I can get meat they know 
they will have it, and so they are willing to strain a point 
to please me. I have told them I badly wanted to take in 
such and such heavy trophies, for instance, If these were 
to be carried many of the loads would be nearer eighty 
than sixty pounds. They have taken them up cheerfully, 
and in one instance I well remember made fifteen miles 
without water, on a very hot day indeed. 
So, as I say, see all your meat is brought in and neither 
on the veldt, nor yet in camp, wasted. But here you may 
find an unexpected difficulty. Half or more of your sefari 
are professed Mohammedans and these do not eat meat 
that has not been ‘“‘hallaled,” i. e., throat cut before the 
animal is dead. If the porters who happen to accompany 
you on a certain day, are Mohammedans, and you want to 
save a head skin, of course, refuse to have the throat cut, 
or, if the shot has killed the animal instantly, and so there 
is no possible excuse for throat cutting, they will need a 
sharp eye on them, if the unclean meat is to be carried 
in. It is a good plan judiciously to keep away from any 
