Treatment of Skins and Horns. 155 



I then went out into the bush to look for another kudu, 

 but without success ; and on returning to the tent I found 

 Marki had absconded, taking with him a small boy who 

 carried his blanket when marching. 



Another thing it is most difficult to make the natives 

 understand is that they must keep skulls and bones 

 seething with bacon beetles away from skins ; and I 

 constantly had to find fault with them for mixing them up. 

 When I had taught them to be careful in camp by putting 

 the skulls at one side and the skins at another, one would 

 imagine that they understood, and yet when I started back 

 for home they would place a skin on the ground, when 

 resting, and then quietly deposit a bundle of skulls right on 

 the top of it. This, to say the least, is aggravating, but 

 only what can be expected from human beings who have 

 not been blessed with moderate reasoning powers and the 

 gift of perception. However, with all their faults, they are 

 good, faithful servants, if kindly, but not familiarly treated. 

 Their best points are most prominent when one is travelling 

 in the wilds and shooting, for here they are in their 

 element. 



The grass was very sharp and hard near the Palombe 

 stream, as it is round Mausi Hill, and one day I saw a man 

 walking in front of me stop and look at his leg. I thought 

 perhaps that a snake had bitten him, so I said u Chi-ani ? " 

 (What is it ?) ; and he showed me a stem of thick grass 

 sticking clean through the full thickness of his calf. I pulled 

 it out, and he was all right ; but I was surprised at a piece 

 of grass being able to penetrate in this way, particularly in 

 a native who has a pretty tough skin. 



As I have mentioned, I always walk about and hunt in 

 bare legs ; and, although I got many cuts, scratches, and 

 bumps I never ran a stem of grass through my leg. 

 Once I got a long thorn right under my knee-cap, which 

 caused great pain, and prevented me walking well for 

 some time ; and, again, a thorn once penetrated a rope-soled 

 shoe I was wearing and broke off in the instep, but other- 

 wise my legs have not met with any serious accident 



