THE CARAVAN, HEADMAN, ETC. 177 
if he is dishonest, he has every opportunity of pilfering ; but 
at the same time it is better to trust him, as should he find 
that his master is suspicious, and goes too much into details, 
it is quite certain that he will ‘do’ him in other ways. All 
_ orders should be given to him direct. Whatever his pay may 
_ be—and there is no fixed rule—he is only entitled by custom 
_ to double a porter’s posho, whether it be rice, flour, beans, 
__ potatoes, or bananas, or cloth or beads to buy it with. Oncea 
week, or every ten days, it is as well to give him a few strings 
of beads ora piece of cloth to buy ‘kitiweo,’ which may be 
anything he can get, such as a fowl, honey, &c., to make his 
meal of flour or beans more palatable, when there is no meat 
in camp. It is a recognised thing that each headman is 
_ allowed one porter to carry his tent (which he supplies and 
_ makes himself), bedding, &c., and if he thinks himself a great 
swell he may ask for two porters—if he does, and he is really a 
good man, it is.as well to let him havethem. Besides carrying 
his belongings, these porters will cook his food, collect firewood, 
and fetch water for him. One neapara is enough fer every 
_ fifty ‘pagazi’ (porters) and ‘ askari’ (soldiers). 
___ A caravan askari is in reality a spare man, and there should 
be one askari to every ten porters. When the porters have 
been divided into companies or messes of ten men, each of these 
messes is put in charge of an askari. This man receives into his 
- care one ‘sufria’ (cooking pot), one ‘ senia’ (plate to eat off), and 
two axes to cut firewood, &c. He also receives from the headman 
_ the whole of the posho for his company, and is also responsible 
_ for the loads his men carry, and for their general good behaviour. 
_ Apart from seeing that the men of their own companies do 
_ their work, the duties of the askaris are various. They keep 
iS watch at night, turn and turn about, superintend the men 
building the ‘boma’ (zereba) ; stack the loads in camp, and give 
; their own men their proper loads in the morning ; carry the 
load of a porter (not necessarily one of their own company) 
} into camp, should he be taken ill or become lame on the march, 
) and run messages, &c. Although it is not the custom, it is not 
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