Various Native Traits. 231 



masters' lives from wild animals, and in other ways. Cer- 

 tain races, such as the Yaos, Awemba, and Angoni, are 

 ahea.d of others in showing personal bravery ; and, with 

 regard to them accompanying their master on dangerous 

 enterprises, a good deal depends on their trust in their 

 master. If they know a man is a good game shot, they 

 will probably be willing to take risks that they would not 

 do with a white man whom they had seen betray fear, or 

 one who was a poor hand at killing game. Natives are 

 not prone to trust much to first impressions, and it takes 

 them some time to get to know a man. Therefore, it is 

 important that the magistrates, residents, or native com- 

 missioners in charge of districts should be kept there, and 

 not often changed to other districts where the conditions 

 are new to them, and where it will take them a long time 

 to obtain the full trust and confidence of the inhabitants. 



As a whole, the officials of all the British protectorates 

 and colonies of Africa are a good lot of men, although 

 some of the younger of them are inclined to impress on the 

 natives that they are the "big" masters, and that the 

 non-officials are nobodies. 



To properly understand this, it is necessary that a 

 European should have been an official, and then, when he 

 becomes a non-official, he is able to see the difference with 

 which many natives treat him. This shows clearly that in 

 many instances the natives only respect power, and, when 

 official power is wanting, they at once take advantage. It 

 depends greatly on the temperament of the non-official 

 whether he is treated badly by the natives or not, and he 

 has to assert himself with certain natives and prove that 

 he is quite able to safeguard his own interests. They soon 

 get to know whether a man can be browbeaten or other- 

 wise, and they are just like children in taking advantage 

 of patience and kindness. 



The natives living near civilisation are much worse in 

 this respect than the raw savages. Personally I much 

 prefer the latter, and I cannot bear the swaggering Blantyre 

 mission boy in European clothing, hat, and boots ; who 



