RECRUITING 



enlisted carriers went to collect their baggage. 

 Only remained the headman and his fierce-faced 

 assistants, and the splendid youths idling up and 

 down — none of them had volunteered, you may be 

 sure — and the damsels of leisure beneath the 

 porticos. Also one engaging and peculiar figure 

 hovering near. 



This individual had been particularly busy during 

 our recruiting. He had hustled the men into line, 

 he had advised us for or against different candidates, 

 he had loudly sung my praises as a man to work for, 

 although, of course, he knew nothing about me. 

 Now he approached, saluted, smiled. He was a tall, 

 slenderly built person, with phenomenally long, thin 

 legs, slightly rounded shoulders, a forward thrust, 

 keen face, and remarkably long, slim hands. With 

 these he gesticulated much, in a right-angled fashion, 

 after the manner of Egyptian hieroglyphical figures. 

 He was in no manner shenzi. He wore a fez, a neat 

 khaki coat and shorts, blue puttees and boots. 

 Also a belt with leather pockets, a bunch of keys, a 

 wrist watch and a seal ring. His air was of great 

 elegance and social ease. We took him with us as 

 Cuninghame's gunbearer. He proved staunch, a good 

 tracker, an excellent hunter, and a most engaging 

 individual. His name was Kongoni, and he was a 

 Wakamba. 



139 



