212 THROUGH ANGOLA 



answer which he thinks will please, or one which suits 

 his purpose ; or he may simply dissemble to gain 

 time and a knowledge of his visitor. For instance, 

 if asked if game is in the neighbourhood, he will 

 answer yes if he thinks this will please you, or 

 keep you in the village for his profit ; or he will 

 answer no, or give a wrong direction for the game, 

 if he wants to get rid of you ; while most fre- 

 quently of all, he will look stupid and pretend not 

 to understand, in order to gain time, and find 

 out more about you. 



The African's untruthfulness is equalled by 

 his lack of sentiment. 



Of love and affection, such as we understand 

 them, there is little. A mother gives her child its 

 food and is not unkind to it ; but in many years 

 in Africa I have never seen open affection between 

 man and wife, and rarely a mother play with her 

 children. The people are below the animal, if 

 affection is a standard of mental development ; 

 and that the negro lacks the finer qualities is shown 

 in his utter lack of jealousy and self-respect with 

 regard to his women. 



Though rarely deliberately cruel unless roused 

 by superstition or anger, the negro is absolutely 

 heartless ; he will ill-treat domestic animals and 

 will even be amused by their suffering. I have 

 seen natives amusing themselves by throwing their 

 axes at the head of a dying buck, and laughing 

 when the poor beast tried to ward off the missiles 

 with its horns. They were utterly astonished 

 when I beat them in my horror and anger. Bruce's 

 storv of the br.no net of a cent.nrv njvo in Abyssinia, 



