Chap. VIIL POWERS OF ENDURANCE. ' 179 



after breakfast, rest a little in the middle of the day, and 

 break off early in the afternoon. We average from two to 

 two-and-a-half miles an hour in a straight line, or, as the crow 

 flies, and seldom have more than five or six hours a day of 

 actual travel. This in a hot climate is as much as a man can 

 accomplish without being oppressed ; and we always tried to 

 make our progress more a pleasure than a toil. To hurry over 

 the ground, abuse, and look ferocious at one's native com- 

 panions, merely for the foolish vanity of boasting how quickly 

 a distance was accomplished, is a combination of silliness 

 with absurdity quite odious; while kindly consideration for 

 the feelings of even blacks, the pleasure of observing scenery 

 and everything new as one moves on at an ordinary pace, 

 and the participation in the most delicious rest with our 

 fellows, render travelling delightful. Though not given to 

 over haste, we were a little surprised to find that we could 

 tire our men out; and even the headman, who carried but 

 little more than we did, and never, as we often had to do, 

 hunted in the afternoon, was no better than his comrades. 

 Our experience tends to prove that the European constitution 

 has a power of endurance, even in the tropics, greater than 

 that of the hardiest of the meat-eating Africans. 



After pitching our camp, one or two of us usually go off to 

 hunt, more as a matter of necessity than of pleasure, for the 

 men, as well as ourselves, must have meat. We prefer to take 

 a man with us to carry home the game, or lead the others to 

 where it lies ; but as they frequently grumble and complain 

 of being tired, we do not particularly object to going alone, 

 except that it involves the extra labour of our making 

 a second trip to show the men where the animal that has 

 been shot is to be found. When it is a couple of miles off 

 it is rather fatiguing to have to go twice; more especially 



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