FUNDI 



per. This far Fundi's history reads just like the 

 history of any ordinary Captain of Industry. 



Next morning, after the interesting ceremony of 

 rewarding the worthy, we moved on to a new camp 

 When the line-up was called for, lo! there stood 

 Fundi, without a load, but holding firmly my double- 

 barrelled rifle. Evidently he had seized the 

 chance of favour — and the rifle — and intended to 

 be no longer a porter but a second gun-bearer. 

 This looked interesting, 30 we said nothing. 

 Fundi marched the day through very proudly. 

 At evening he deposited the rifle in the proper 

 place, and set to work with a will at raising the 

 big tent. 



The day following he tried it again. It worked. 

 The third day he marched deliberately up past the 

 syce to take his place near me. And the fourth day, 

 as we were going hunting. Fundi calmly fell in with 

 the rest. Nothing had been said, but Fundi had 

 definitely grasped his chance to rise from the ranks. 

 In this he differed from his companion in glory. 

 That worthy citizen pocketed his five rupees and 

 was never heard from again; I do not even remember 

 his name nor how he looked. 



I killed a buck of some sort, and Memba Sasa, 

 as usual, stepped forward to attend to the trophy. 

 But I stopped him. 



197 



