340 FEOM THE NIGER TO THE NILE 



next, which is an advantage for transport purposes, for 

 five days' carrying is the limit that any one man should be 

 called upon to do at a time. The commandant of each 

 station keeps a roster of the chiefs in his district and the 

 amount of labour that each has to supply ; so when a trans- 

 port is required from his station to the next, a chief is 

 called upon in his turn for the men, who know exactly 

 what is reqmred of them. 



It is admirable what a hold the Belgians have over the 

 natives by always ruling them through their chiefs. I have 

 seen as many as 500 men in a post ready for work at a few 

 hours' notice, and I have also seen cases in our West African 

 colonies where an official travelhng through the country 

 has had to wait a day or two before a resident could get him 

 twenty-six carriers. 



The Belgian native soldiers have their two parades a day 

 in the station when they are not on escort duty, and they 

 are never allowed to go into the villages unless under the 

 charge of a white officer. They are recruited from the tribes 

 of the district, and are generally sent down to Boma for their 

 training. Each man has to serve for seven years, after which 

 he may re-engage if he like. His pay is twenty-five centimes 

 a day. At the end of the month he goes to the store of the 

 post where he is allowed to choose whatever he likes in the 

 way of cloth to the value of his pay. For his food he is 

 given five " mitakos " per week or twenty-five centimes, 

 and he is also housed. For each month of good conduct 

 he receives r25 francs towards pension, but this is forfeited 

 should he incur a flogging of twenty-five lashes. 



Each soldier is allowed one wife who must do a certain 



