THE LAST FRONTIER 



He took an inordinate pride in our using the mini- 

 mum number of cartridges, and would explain to me 

 in a loud tone of voice that we had cartridges enough 

 in the belt. When we had not cartridges enough, he 

 would sneak around after dark to get some more. 

 At times he would even surreptitiously "lift" a few 

 from B.'s gunbearer! 



When in camp, with his "cazi" finished, Memba 

 Sasa did fancy work! The picture of this powerful 

 half-savage, his fierce brows bent over a tiny piece 

 of linen, his strong fingers fussing with little stitches, 

 will always appeal to my sense of the incongruous. 

 Through a piece of linen he punched holes with a 

 porcupine quill. Then he "buttonhole" stitched 

 the holes, and embroidered patterns between them 

 with fine white thread. The result was an open- 

 work pattern heavily encrusted with beautiful 

 fine embroidery. It was most astounding stuff, 

 such as you would expect from a French convent, 

 perhaps, but never from an African savage. He did 

 a circular piece and a long narrow piece. They took 

 him three months to finish, and then he sewed them 

 together to form a skull cap. Billy, entranced with 

 the lacelike delicacy of the work, promptly captured 

 it; whereupon Memba Sasa philosophically started 

 another. 



By this time he had identified himself with my for- 



54 



