128 THE BONDS OF AFRICA 



braver natives in Africa than the Yaos. They 

 have their faults, of course, but a good Yao 

 servant is a possession to be treasured as a gem 

 of great worth. 



The founding of Nyasaland was thus not 

 achieved without the spilhng of much blood, 

 and it is deemed necessary to maintain a military 

 force in the country, for the Nyasaland Adminis- 

 tration not only guards its own territory, but at 

 the time of which I write, assumed responsibility 

 for the peace of North-Eastern Rhodesia as well. 

 And so there are numerous forts scattered through- 

 out the territory. Fort Manning is one of these 

 — a military post pure and simple, with a young 

 British officer in command. About sixty-nine 

 miles south-east of Fort Manning lies Lilongwe, 

 an administrative post or Boma. 



Between these two places there is little of 

 much interest to be observed. The road to 

 Blantyre, a well-beaten native track running 

 down its centre, the sides weed-clad, winds 

 through Achipata villages, past rest-houses, 

 across green "dambos," and through many 

 small forests. Occasionally the sight of game 

 breaks the monotony of the tramp, and I well 

 remember swearing at two fine sable antelope 

 bulls that I saw close to the road. One of 

 them indeed was a magnificent creature. I had 

 no licence to shoot in Nyasaland, and, more- 

 over, my ammunition was finished, after my 

 three and a half months' hunting in the Luangwa 

 Valley and towards Lake Bangweolo, and so I 

 had to stand and gaze in regretful admiration as 

 the antelope bounded across the road into the 

 bush. The sun glinted on his grand scimitar- 

 shaped horns, thrown back nearly to his withers, 



