52 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



appreciate the advantage of the method, and several 

 ploughs are already at work in their own Reserve. 



Now we will deal with his faults, not in any 

 missionising spirit, but merely from the point of view 

 of the settler. Firstly, our friend is an inveterate liar. 

 This delightful trait arises from the usual causes : a 

 desire to give information pleasing to his questioner, 

 laziness which forbids his verifying any information, or 

 an immoral desire for gain. The first two causes are 

 probably common to all natives ; in the last, in my 

 experience, he stands facile princeps. Where mendacity 

 is so ingrained a remedy is very hard to find, but the 

 evil may be mitigated by never believing a word he 

 says. I must confess that, where a boy continually 

 attempts to extract money by lies, e.g., says that he has 

 completed his task when as a matter of fact he has not 

 been near it, I believe that the " kiboko " has a some- 

 what salutary effect. Then this tribe are great at 

 conspiracy ; they are, in fact, born trade unionists. 

 Thus has a labourer a grievance, it is not his habit to 

 bring it up at once, but rather will he conspire with his 

 mates till such a time as he thinks that his master is in 

 a fix, when he will, if possible, whet his revenge and 

 avarice at the same time. Thus, on a farm the bullock 

 boys think that their rate of pay is insufficient or that 

 one of them has been unfairly treated. Will they 

 complain at once ? Not so. Rather will they wait 

 until such a time as their wages have just been paid and 

 when it is absolutely essential for some ploughing or 

 cross-ploughing to be done. Then will they come up 

 in a body and announce their intention of deserting en 

 masse unless their demands are instantly fulfilled. To 

 safeguard against this absolutely is impossible, but it is 

 well to provide against it as far as possible by trying 





