360 THE LAND OF THE LION 



on the administration the importation of the Indian coolie, 

 and in the wake of the coolie, who was ready to depart 

 when his work was finished, came the Hindi trader who 

 elected to remain. 



The Indian debauches the native wherever he gains 

 influence over him and leaves his dreadful mark wherever 

 he remains. He is a past master in all departments of 

 deceit and fraud. He is the worst element in the labour 

 market. He cheats the native workman and knows 

 enough of Indian law to avoid, when avoidance is pos- 

 sible, the just punishment of his rascality. He has no 

 permanent interest in the country. It is to him merely 

 an orange to suck as dry as may be. 



As far as one can see the Indian is likely to remain. He 

 makes himself useful in many ways. He supplies a rela- 

 tively cheap and fairly good railroad servant. None but 

 he work in stone, iron or wood; and no effort has yet been 

 made to educate the natural mechanical gift of the native, 

 to compete with him, in this all-important field. 



There are no savings banks of the natives and he there- 

 fore secures the savings of the black wage earners, and 

 sometimes absconds with them. To keep them safely he 

 charges the poor porter eight per cent., and then, of course, 

 lends the cash to someone else, at ten or more per cent. 

 The transaction is not an unprofitable one. Of course, 

 in speaking thus harshly of Indian influences in East Africa, 

 I do not forget that there are some honest and upright men 

 of that race. I speak of the Indian influence as it is gen- 

 erally felt in the country, and I have met no single man, 

 civil officer, or resident missionary, who does not assent 

 to the truth of what I have tried temperately to state. 



Now there arrives on the scene another incongruous 

 element, one, too, that must be reckoned with, namely, the 

 Boer. He, with a better eye for country than the Eng- 

 lish immigrant, has already fastened on the very best as 



