THE CARAVAN, HEADMAN, ETC. 181 



march and in a hurry to get on, cloth or beads should be issued 

 to the men, who will buy whatever they like or can get. Cloth is 

 given out in pieces of four hands, each of which is called a 'shuka, 

 this being a measure from the elbow-joint to the tip of the middle 

 finger. A porter's allowance is one shuka ; an askari's, one and 

 a half, or six hands ; and a neapara's, two, or eight hands, which is 

 called a ' doti.' As, however, the price of food varies in differ- 

 ent places, and also according to the crops, information should 

 be obtained on the coast as to the number of days one shuka 

 will last in a certain district, as it will be a check to a certain 

 extent on the headman, and will prevent him from taking advan- 

 tage of his master. In order to curry favour with the porters 

 and some headmen do he might say that one shuka will only 

 buy four days' food, whereas it might buy six. Formerly, at 

 Taveta, a shuka was equal to six days' food, but it will in all 

 probability be more expensive now. Beads are given out in 

 strings, and it is very necessary to ascertain before leaving the 

 coast how many strings of each different kind of beads are 

 equal to a shuka. 



With regard to the arming of the men in a caravan for 

 defensive purposes, and the number of rifles it would be neces- 

 sary to take, it will entirely depend on the country in which the 

 shooting trip is going to be made and the disposition of the 

 natives of the country itself, as also of the natives of the 

 countries or districts the caravan would have to pass through 

 to get there. For a trip up to Taveta and the adjacent country, 

 as far north as Kimangelia, a short way beyond Useri, twenty- 

 five rifles would be quite enough ; but for a more extended 

 trip to the Njiri plains and beyond, it would perhaps be better 

 to take fifty, or at the most eighty, armed men. 



I have always considered the El Moran or Masai warrior a 

 very much over-rated individual, neither do I think he ever could 

 have been so awe-inspiring and terrifying as some writers have 

 represented him. Still, as the porters have a very exaggerated 

 idea of his fighting and bloodthirsty propensities, it is best to 

 inspire them with confidence by arming them well, thus assur- 



