THE COUNTRY 353 
their lives so miserable that in the last fortnight of their 
time they desert. That is what he has been aiming at 
all along. The deserter forfeits all his wages, and can 
be punished by flogging as well. That is what that child’s 
appeal means.”’ Without delay the station doctor was 
called in and on examination declared that the men had 
been neglected and insufficiently fed. Potio was at once 
served from the stores. For a whole week these poor 
things were well fed and looked after and at the end of 
it you would scarcely have recognized them. Meanwhile 
the aggrieved contractor came to the Boma saying how 
impossible it was for him to complete his contract with 
such useless labour as had been supplied to him, and 
asking for another draft to finish up with. His dismay 
on finding his men feeding on full allowance of potio, at 
his own expense, was ludicrous. He met with a recep- 
tion he is never likely to forget. He paid for three weeks’ 
feeding in idleness, and he paid for their full three months’ 
work. So rascality that time did not pay him. And alas 
for life’s tragedy, poor X —— got into some trouble soon 
after and shot himself. Everyone was down on him, 
though surely he had somewhere within him the makings 
of a man! 
Now it is only fair to the local authorities to remember 
that they are keenly aware of the dangers attending the 
contracted employment of the native. They cannot at 
present rid themselves of the system, so they provided, so 
far as they can, laws that shall defend the native against 
just such outrages as this one to which I was a witness. 
They had lately passed a new ordinance, for instance, 
which requires every employer of labour, whether con- 
tractor or farmer, to pay a certain part of the wages due 
to his servant in advance, and also provide him with 
blanket and cooking pot. Now, such an ordinance would 
work well in the case of hundreds of workmen engaged on 
