MOMBASA TO KIKUYU. 11 



The curious dress of these people, as well as 

 the manner in which they carry loads by a band 

 slung across the forehead, will be fairly obvious 

 from the figure (chap. xix. fig. 44). 



During all this part of my journey I had the 

 most incessant and wearisome trouble with my 

 caravan. Unfortunately the list of my men and 

 loads w 7 as not given to me till the very moment 

 of starting. On examining it, I made some curious 

 discoveries. It is the custom for arrangements 

 to be made that three rupees a month should be 

 handed to a porter's representative while he is 

 away on a caravan. Usually speaking this "family 

 remittance " is taken by the man's master if he is 

 a slave. I found, however, that my headman was 

 having the ivliole of his w 7 ages paid in Mombasa. 

 He was in debt to the I.B.E.A. Co., and this plan 

 was adopted to obtain the money ; his wages were 

 also nearly double what he had ever received before ! 

 Of course, being an ordinary human being, his 

 object w r as to spoil the expedition altogether, and 

 to get money out of the porters in every possible 

 way ; consequently these porters w r ere deserting 

 daily. 



At the Tsavo river I called a general meeting 

 and asked the men why they were running 

 away, as they had light loads, plenty of food, and 

 were only being chastised very slightly when they 

 stole things or disobeyed orders. One old fellow, 

 Mabruki Sirkali, who subsequently became my 



