TREK AND CAMP. 215 



of long grass by the roots and throw these on top, and in a few minutes a very 

 tolerable shelter is obtained. Bunches of long grass, with a waterproof sheet 

 thrown over, make a very comfortable bed should anything happen to your camp-bed. 

 When you have as many loads as your train can carry, and are still collecting 

 more in the shape of heads or ivory, it is with great relief that you cast away useless 

 or broken articles — empty tins, and all manner of things, thinking how much you are 

 reducing the overweighted loads. However, you are in reality effecting nothing at 

 all, for everything thrown away is carefully picked up again by one of your porters 

 and carried on by him, the only difference being that it is then carried amongst 

 his effects instead of amongst yours. The raw porter especially cannot leave 

 anything behind, but collects all odds and ends, and then carries what the Swahilis 

 call " mzigo wa fisi," a hyaena's load. So anything useless that you wish to 

 get rid of should be taken out at night or else carefully hidden in the long grass, 

 otherwise it will reappear again. 



Once a chief complained of having been robbed by my porters, who were 

 Bagandas, so I ordered a general inspection of loads. The articles alleged to have 

 been stolen were not found, but the collection of other things that were turned out 

 was rather surprising. The greater part of each native's private effects consisted of 

 discarded rubbish ; nothing had been considered so worthless that it could be left 

 behind. Even pieces of torn paper or cardboard, tin discs from tobacco tins, lint which 

 had dressed sores, and other equally worthless articles had been hoarded up, whilst 

 quite half the men had helped themselves to either potatoes or onions. 



A very simple expedient for making a stand for a washing-basin is to cut three 

 sticks and arrange them tripod fashion. The ends of the sticks should be stuck into 

 the ground and a piece of string tied round the middle, when a very serviceable 

 receptacle for a basin will result. The contrivance also saves the usual stooping over 

 a box. 



Many people think that a bath is essential if a good wash is to be enjoyed. 

 However, if anything happens to the bath or if it is temporarily used for other purposes 

 (such as in forming a receptacle for flour), a very good substitute for a bathe is to 

 wash after the manner of Orientals, i.e., to take a bucket of water and a cup and 

 pour the water over the body with the cup, then soap thoroughly, and afterwards 

 sluice down again with the cup. Swahilis use half a cocoanut attached to a long 

 wooden handle for this purpose, which is a convenient arrangement, as it permits of 

 water being poured down the back. 



Directly you arrive in camp you usually see the porter, whose duty it is to help the 

 cook, wandering round looking over the ground. He is searching for " mafiga," or the 



