CARAVAN LIFE 



27 



which held :i number of small miscellaneous articles, such as 

 cartridge-extractor, matches, cigarettes, tin-opener, twine, scissors, 

 knife, &c. The ]\Invamwezi usually carried my waterproof on 

 his head and the tin helmet-box slung from the rifle. The pith- 

 helmet which I ordinarily wear, becomes as heavy as a lump of 

 lead if exposed to a good shower ; it is, therefore, placed inside 

 the shelter of the helmet-box at the first warning of a downpour, 

 and exchanged for an oil-skin sou'wester. With servants on the 

 march, it becomes necessary to treat certain duties, such as 

 the carrying of the waterproof, field-glasses, camera, &c., as 



MY FOUR "boys" ON THE MARCH. 



matters of routine, or else, when the occasion for their use 

 presents itself, the traveller finds that they have been packed 

 away into some load or other, and that they cannot be got at ! 

 Unless the traveller is very strong and robust, he cannot possibly 

 march with all he may want at a moment's notice slung on to 

 his own person. 



The short Wahima boy had charge of my buttertiy-net and 

 specimen-box ; he and the Mnyamwezi carried also an alu- 

 minium water-bottle each. It was the head-boy's routine-duty 

 to see that one of these bottles was filled with fresh-made tea 

 before the march began. I became quite a Chinaman in my 

 appreciation of cold tea, without milk or sugar, as a beverage on 

 the march. If I am fortunate enough to get some milk, I take 

 it with me in the other bottle. The great drawback to carrying 

 milk is, that unless the boys have been well-trained to keep 

 the bottle perfectly clean and sweet, the milk at once turns 



