THE COUNTRY 353 



their lives so miserable that in the last fortnight of their 

 time they desert. That is what he has been aiming at 

 all along. The deserter forfeits all his wages, and can 

 be punished by flogging as well. That is what that child's 

 appeal means." Without delay the station doctor was 

 called in and on examination declared that the men had 

 been neglected and insufficiently fed. Potio was at once 

 served from the stores. For a whole week these poor 

 things were well fed and looked after and at the end of 

 it you would scarcely have recognized them. Meanwhile 

 the aggrieved contractor came to the Boma saying how 

 impossible it was for him to complete his contract with 

 such useless labour as had been supplied to him, and 

 asking for another draft to finish up with. His dismay 

 on finding his men feeding on full allowance of potio, at 

 his own expense, was ludicrous. He met with a recep- 

 tion he is never likely to forget. He paid for three weeks' 

 feeding in idleness, and he paid for their full three months' 

 work. So rascality that time did not pay him. And alas 



for life's tragedy, poor X got into some trouble soon 



after and shot himself. Everyone was down on him, 

 though surely he had somewhere within him the makings 

 of a man! 



Now it is only fair to the local authorities to remember 

 that they are keenly aware of the dangers attending the 

 contracted employment of the native. They cannot at 

 present rid themselves of the system, so they provided, so 

 far as they can, laws that shall defend the native against 

 just such outrages as this one to which I was a witness. 



They had lately passed a new ordinance, for instance, 

 which requires every employer of labour, whether con- 

 tractor or farmer, to pay a certain part of the wages due 

 to his servant in advance, and also provide him with 

 blanket and cooking pot. Now, such an ordinance would 

 work well in the case of hundreds of workmen engaged on 



