352 THE LAND OF THE LION 
to indicate how complex is the question. How is it being 
dealt with? 
The civil officers of each district are, among their 
other multifarious duties, expected to provide native 
labour for colonists settled within that district, as well as 
to furnish the necessary gangs to carry on department 
contracts. Natives in gangs of several hundreds may 
be seen marching off to build roads, cut wood, mend 
railway embankments, carry supplies, etc. And as there 
is only a very small staff of Europeans in the country, 
all such works have to be let out on contract to Hindu 
or Swahili contractors. Here at once arises a need of 
protecting the native. No one in his senses would advocate 
handing over natives to the tender mercies of a Hindu 
contractor. He would be overworked, underfed and driven 
to desert before the time he had engaged for had expired. 
By way of illustration, I will tell a story. Three years 
ago I was staying with X , the civil officer in temporary 
charge of animportant post. One afternoon three hundred 
miserable wretches crawled into the boma and seated 
themselves before the office. The officer came out and 
asked what was the matter. A little starved looking lad 
of certainly not more than twelve years separated himself 
from the dumb throng, came up alone, and said: ‘“‘Bwana 
beat me and let me go home.”’ The child then lay down 
on the ground, as the natives are made to do before being 
whipped; X took in the situation at a glance. “‘ Here,” 
said he, “‘is an instance of how these rascally Hindis go 
to work. I saw these people off to their Government 
job three months ago. They were in good enough shape 
then. Look at them now. Some down with fever, some 
with dysentery, and all of them starved. That devil has 
worked them harder and harder as their contract time drew 
to a close. He has harried them and beaten them and, 
having got almost three months work out of them, makes 
