100 THE GREAT COMPANIES 



Chemba, Tambara, and SaiKja, which are all, I 

 believe, directed by a superior official — a kind of 

 Collector of Revenues — who resides at Sena. 



These administrative officials lead a pleasant if 

 somewhat monotonous existence, and, for this 

 among other reasons, should be chosen with the 

 utmost care. Some I have known who were verit- 

 able walking encyclopsedias of general knowledge ; 

 they could tell you aU about native customs and 

 peculiarities, of natural history, and of curious 

 local conditions of various kinds. I am afraid, 

 however, these were the exceptions. The average 

 commandant, as they are styled within their dis- 

 tricts, does not as a rule occupy his spare time in 

 the pursuit of information calculated to widen our 

 knowledge of the obscurer pages of natural science, 

 and this is a lamentable fact which inseparably 

 connects itself with the unfortunate paucity of our 

 information regarding African flora and fauna. 

 He is, moreover, still swayed by that pernicious 

 system whereby, instead of being paid a fixed salary 

 for his labour, one which would be considered a 

 sufficient and remunerative living wage, he is, in 

 some portions of the country, still recompensed 

 by a comparatively low stipend supplemented by a 

 commission or percentage on the amount of his 

 receipts, both from hut-tax and native produce, 

 which latter he collects for export. It consists 

 chiefly of rubber and bee's -wax, and by rubber I 

 mean, of course, indigenous rubber of which very 

 large quantities are stiU obtainable in these parts 

 of Africa. Still, putting aside the by no means 

 onerous duties imposed upon them, the district 



