30 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST 



wire despatched earlier to Mombasa. Next we chose out the 

 loads it was absolutely necessary to take with us, and then we 

 divided these amongst our people. 



At this juncture a strange weakness came over the whole 

 of our force, each member finding his load too heavy, and 

 objecting to it for one reason or another. Everyone now tried 

 to assume as pitiable an appearance as he could, and it was 

 really quite comic to watch the wretched expressions they all 

 managed to put on as they were called up one by one for their 

 strength to be tested. Of course all this had no effect upon 

 us, and the now of words poured out upon us ended mostly in 

 wind, for not one was let off the double load or the square chest 

 they all agreed iu hating. We had especial difficulty in getting 

 the eighteen porters required for the iron boat, and we had to 

 use a great deal of persuasion and soft-sawder to reconcile the 

 men to their burden ; indeed, even then their yielding was only 

 apparent, for they took the very first opportunity on the inarch 

 to desert from the ranks. 



Directly a man had received his load he carried it off to 

 have a distinctive mark made on it, and also to get used to its 

 burden. Many of the porters stuck a forked stick into the load, 

 so as to get it more easily on to their shoulders ; whilst others, 

 especially the Wa-nyamwesi, liked to divide each load into two 

 parts, fasten each half at the end of a stout stick, and carry 

 the stick on their shoulders ; but of course this could only be 

 done with such things as wire, &c. 



A strict record is always made of the division of the loads, 

 which record is really quite indispensable, partly on account of 

 the many desertions at the beginning of every trip, and partly 

 because the porters who are discontented with their burdens 

 take every opportunity of displacing their contents. 



To wind up with, weapons were distributed to the caravan. 

 Eorthis we had 200 rifled muzzle-loaders, eighty breechloading 



