Impressions of North-East Rhodesia 



many points of interest our route offered ; the second 

 spoiled the trip from a sporting point of view, and 

 tended to render somewhat monotonous the forests 

 and dambos through which we passed morning after 

 morning in never-ending succession. 



The third cause was a serious drawback. The 

 general inefficiency and **cussedness " — for want of 

 a better word — of our Mpika porters caused us 

 constant anxiety and worry ; so the feeling of 

 interest and comradeship which the African 

 traveller always tries to have for his black com- 

 panions was in their case impossible. 



When we reached Mpika the efficient labour 

 supply of the year had been pretty well exhausted ; 

 the men we got were for the most part the 

 dregs of the labour market, the ne'er-do-wells, 

 the weaklings, the sick, and others who, not 

 having earned their hut-tax for the year, were 

 persuaded by their village chiefs to make a final 

 effort to retrieve their position. Had we reached 

 Mpika earlier in the season we should have found 

 an ample supply of excellent boys available. 



Our visit to North-East Rhodesia was an after- 

 thought, consequently we made no previous inquiries 

 as to transport matters, the first question a traveller 

 usually ascertains. The ease with which we had 

 obtained porters throughout Nyasaland may have 

 made us somewhat careless, so that at Fort Jameson 

 we had merely asked the class of carrier we should 

 get at Mpika ; and being assured that there were 

 no better ones in Africa, we were entirely satisfied. 



The occupations of the African native of the 



249 



