182 SPORT IN ASIA AND AFRICA 



for honey. For them, as for us, it was a gigantic 

 picnic. 



We did not make any zariba or thorn fence at 

 night, but pitched our tents in the shape of a 

 half -moon, with a large bonfire in front. Our 

 tents were in the centre, with the cook's tent 

 and the trophies on the right. Then came the 

 Somalis, who, as superior individuals, occupied 

 the post of honour, and the tents of the porters 

 were ranged in order round the rest of the semi- 

 circle according to the tribe to which they belonged. 



My warnings about the danger to be apprehended 

 from the crocodiles in the river were unheeded, 

 and the bathers and the fishermen were very 

 reckless, but for some days all went well. With 

 the most primitive tackle, the negroes used to 

 catch large quantities of coarse fish, which they 

 broiled on sticks over a fire ; and a wild bees' 

 nest was a great find. On one occasion Saasita 

 handed me a piece of honeycomb full of grubs, 

 out of the centre of which he had taken an 

 enormous bite, with the remark : "Mazuri Sana" 

 (It is awful good). He meant well; but it is 

 hardly necessary to say that I did not take the 

 second bite. 



The contempt of the Somali for the negro 

 porters was always a source of amusement to 

 me. " Those damned fellows, they stink so," 

 was a favourite remark of Abdu's. On the 

 whole, however, he treated them kindly and 

 fairly, though he apparently did not like Saasita, 

 and I occasionally had to use some diplomacy 

 to keep the peace. 



Some of our porters, though they were good 



