MANAGING A SAFARI 



out they are not there. The contrast with a well- 

 disposed safari cannot be appreciated by one who 

 has not seen both. 



The safari-man loves a master. He does not for 

 a moment understand any well-meant but mis- 

 placed efforts on your part to lighten his work below 

 the requirements of custom. Always he will beg 

 you to ease up on him, to accord him favour; and al- 

 ways he will despise you if you yield. The relations 

 of man to man, of man to work, are all long since 

 established by immemorial distauri — custom — 

 and it is not for you or him to change them lightly. 

 If you know what he should or can do, and hold him 

 rigidly to it, he will respect and follow you. 



But in order to keep him up to the mark, it is not 

 always advisable to light into him with a whip, 

 necessary as the whip often is. If he is sullen, or 

 inclined to make mischief, then that is the crying 

 requirement. But if he is merely careless, or a little 

 slow, or tired, you can handle him in other ways. 

 Ridicule before his comrades is very effective: a sort 

 of good-natured guying, I mean. **Ah! very tired!" 

 uttered in the right tone of voice has brought many 

 a loiterer to his feet as effectively as the kick some 

 men feel must always be bestowed, and quite with- 

 out anger, mind you! For days at a time we have 

 kept our men travelling at good speed by comment- 



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