A Thousand Miles in a Machilla 



often very precocious, but their intelligence does 

 not increase proportionally to the growth of their 

 bodies. 



The only serious case of insubordination that 

 occurred throughout our journey from Blantyre to 

 Broken Hill happened soon after our arrival in this 

 camp. We were sitting down under the shade of a 

 big tree, on the other side of which our tent was 

 being pitched. I happened to look round and saw 

 an Mpika boy, who had been told by John to lend 

 a hand, suddenly rush at and strike him. The 

 Nyasaland boys ran at once to John's assistance, and 



a nasty row would have resulted but for A , who 



stopped the fight immediately, had the man seized 

 and securely tied to a convenient tree, where he 

 could do no further damage, and told him that 

 he would be returned to Mpika next day. He was 

 a troublesome fellow, who would have been dismissed 

 long before, but for the fact that he was one of the 

 strongest physically in A 's machilla team. 



The machilla capitao was put in charge of the 

 prisoner, and instructed to give him a sufficiency of 

 food and water. No further trouble ensued, and the 

 day passed quietly. 



Soon after A s return to camp that evening 



a deputation of Mpika boys, headed by the machilla 

 capitao, came to ask him in a most respectful manner 

 not to send the boy who had struck John back to 

 the boma, but to punish him himself. The delin- 

 quent was sent for and asked whether he would 

 prefer to return to Mpika for punishment, or whether 

 he would take a ** dozen " from his capitao, the 



202 



