226 Wild Life in Central Africa. 



them harm, for they do not copy the best of the Europeans 

 they come across, as they have less to do with them than 

 the lower class whites, who assume friendliness so as to 

 get their money. 



The natives who go to the South African mines are 

 highly paid in comparison to the moderate wages they earn 

 in this country for their labour. Thus, they learn extra- 

 vagance and wants that are useless to them in their natural 

 lives. They learn to imitate the whites in dress, and thus 

 appear most grotesque, although they do not know it. 

 This sale of inferior European clothing is said to be good 

 for trade ; but, if fine races of savages are to be ruined 

 because this trade benefits a few low-class white traders, 

 it is time it was stopped. Again, natives love strong drink, 

 and we know how this has ruined and practically exter- 

 minated fine races of savages throughout the w T orld. White 

 men, with all their higher qualities of self-denial and self- 

 restraint, have often a great struggle to resist the drink 

 demon, so what can be expected of weak-minded natives ? 



The native is quite happy in his own country, and he can, 

 if he wishes, make more than enough to be comfortable. 

 The Government hut tax is moderate, a single month's work 

 will pay it, and a remission is allowed if a native works 

 for a white man for a month. In fact, I think it would be 

 a good thing if the tax were raised, as this would prove an 

 incentive to the natives to do more work. 



For three months they are pretty busy in their gardens, 

 but for the rest of the year they can idle and loaf about, 

 and they spend their time chiefly in drinking beer and 

 holding dances. 



A native is an expert in killing time, yet on occasions he 

 can work, hard, and his good qualities in this respect are 

 never more apparent than when he accompanies a white 

 man on a shooting trip. Then he gets heaps of meat, and 

 he enjoys the hunting and cutting up of the game, and 

 there is nothing he enjoys better than plenty of fat. 



The Angoni have that arrogance of race seen in all 

 fighting tribes which at one time were rulers of a great 



