CHAP. V. POWERS OF ENDURANCE. 125 



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 constitu- 

 tion 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 on the days when it is solely to 

 supply their wants that, instead of resting ourselves, we 

 go at all. Like those who perform benevolent deeds at 

 home, the tired hunter, though trying hard to live in 

 charity with all men, is strongly tempted to give it up by 

 bringing only sufficient meat for the three whites and 

 leaving the rest ; thus sending the " idle ungrateful poor " 

 supperless to bed. And yet it is only by continuance in 

 well-doing, even to the length of what the wordly-wise 

 call weakness, that the conviction is produced anywhere, 

 that our motives are high enough to secure sincere respect. 



A jungle of mimosa, ebony, and " wait-a-bit " thorn 

 lies between the Chicova flats and the cultivated plain, on 

 which stand the villages of the chief, Chitora. He brought 

 us a present of food and drink, because, as he, with the 

 innate politeness of an African, said, he " did not wish us 

 to sleep hungry : he had heard of the Doctor when he 

 passed down, and had a great desire to see and converse 

 with him ; but he was a child then, and could not speak 

 in the presence of great men. He was glad that he had 



