SOUTH AND EAST AFRICA 43 



mostly over trackless country, in an ordinary five-seater Ford, 

 carrying eleven cases of petrol at the start. 



The present price in South Africa of a Ford car complete with 

 spare wheel, is about 235. The running costs, including depreciation, 

 work out for veld work at about I/- per mile. 



Even preferable to the ordinary Ford car for expeditions is a 

 Ford 1-ton lorry with box body, fitted with a hood and a worm 

 drive in place of a differential. These lorries will carry a load 

 of 2.500 Ibs. at a speed of 15 miles per hour over reasonably 

 good roads, and average about 15 miles to the gallon; running costs 

 being about 1/6 d. per mile. The back wheels should be fitted with 

 oversize pneumatic cord tyres and the front wheels with ordinary 

 pneumatics. 



Such a lorry, in addition to 1.000 Ibs. of baggage and equipment, 

 would easily carry 20 cases of petrol, which at only 12 miles to 

 the gallon gives it a radius of operation of 960 miles, or say 

 1.000 miles. 



The inside can be converted into a comfortable sleeping compartment 

 or living room, and by pulling a tarpaulin over the lorry, in the 

 manner to be presently described, a verandah-like awning can be 

 fixed up all round it. 



The present cost of a lorry of this description, fitted with hood, 

 oversize tyres etc., is 250. 



While the Ford car and lorry can be strongly recommended 

 from personal experience, it is only fair to state that most strong 

 American cars are suitable for veld work, Reos and Hupmobiles 

 in particular have achieved a great reputation in South Africa. 

 The former are largely employed in South "West Africa and were 

 exclusively used by the Anglo-Portuguese boundary commission, 

 appointed some time ago to fix the Northern boundary of South 

 West Africa. Two six-cylinder Reo cars and a four-cylinder Reo 

 speed wagon formed the transport. The total distance travelled was 

 716 miles very largely over trackless country and this was 

 accomplished without a single mishap ; mechanical troubles accounting 

 for an aggregate delay of four hours during the whole journey. 



European cars of ordinary make are, as a rule, useless for veld 

 travel, as the engine is not sufficiently powerful in proportion to 

 their great weight, with the result that they are incapable of forcing 

 their way over bad roads, sand etc. They, moreover, almost invariably 

 have a very low clearance. 



As regards the speed of travel by motor car this will of course 

 depend upon the nature of the roads to be traversed, or upon the 



