44 THE LAND OF THE LION 



often and needlessly his life is risked by stupid or reckless, 

 to say nothing of cowardly, sportsmen, and for some unac- 

 countable reason men who are utterly lacking in nerve 

 (I will put it as charitably as I can) do sometimes elect 

 to hunt big game, it is small wonder that, having been mauled 

 or tossed once, he is shy of undergoing that experience 

 again. All the same, if he will not stand, he is worse than 

 useless. The Wanyamwazi generally won't. The Kikuyu 

 do not pretend to. The Swahili will if they are sure of 

 their bwana's shooting powers. The Somali almost always 

 do, but then they set a monstrously high price on their 

 services, often demanding 75 rupees or more a month. 

 They are careless gun cleaners, break everything and 

 place the blame on someone else. They are lazy around 

 camp, get others to do the work they are paid for doing. 

 They are exclusive, fastidious, quarrelsome. But they are 

 keen hunters and brave men, and unless a good Wakamba 

 can be secured, one must, for dangerous shooting, be taken 

 along. They are absurdly confident of their own powers 

 of straight shooting, which are usually of the poorest, and 

 it is often necessary to teach them a sharp lesson on the 

 very first opportunity. 



When the sefari has settled a little into its "stride," 

 have your gunboys up and let them understand that you 

 know your own business and theirs as well. That you will 

 brook no disobedience, no departure from settled orders. 

 Such a gun must be carried, always. Such cartridges 

 must be placed always in such a pouch. Your rifle must 

 be handed you in a certain way, etc. Then enforce these 

 commands by constant drill, till automatically, these men, 

 on whom your life and limb will depend some day, know 

 instinctively what is expected from them. It is strange 

 how many sportsmen, not without experience in big game 

 shooting, neglect such necessary precautions as these, 

 and then loudly denounce the stupidity or cowardice of 



