A Thousand Miles in a Machilla 



done better. We never had occasion to find fault 

 with him, and the only time he gave us annoyance 

 was at Fort Jameson, when he wanted to return 

 to his village in place of going on; however, we 

 persuaded him to remain and accompany us to 

 Broken Hill, and I do not think he regretted it. 

 Brought up at the Universities Mission,^ he spoke 

 very good English, and certainly did great credit to 

 his instructors. On being asked some questions 

 when he first came to us, he amused us by saying, 

 ** I am very clever." But he did not mean this as a 

 boast: the English servant's equivalent would have 

 been, *' I understand my duties." I believe his 

 position at Manga was that of teacher in the school. 

 Though quite black, his face was not remarkably 

 negroid; he always dressed European fashion, but 

 simply, and the things suited him and did not appear 

 out of place. Franco's great ambition was to possess 

 a strong sewing machine, as he had learned the 

 profession of a tailor. 



Next morning A went out for a long round 



in the forest, but except for a single bull eland, saw 

 nothing ; the kudu had been recently disturbed 

 and had left their usual haunts. In the afternoon 

 he tried another portion of the forest, and brought 

 home a Lichenstein hartebeest, the first we had 

 seen of that species. 



As the kudu had evidently left the neighbour- 

 hood of Manga, we moved next morning (3rd 

 September) to Chandawasika, about six miles 

 further on, and pitched our tents on some high 



1 See p. 282. 

 46 



