36 PREPARATIONS IN ZANZIBAR AND ON THE COAST 



was not what you would call a first-rate caterer for the table, 

 but from long experience he was quite unrivalled in knowing 

 how to manage in the wilds ; he always carried his own cook- 

 ing-apparatus, one of the heaviest of all the loads ; so that, 

 take him all round, he was a great acquisition. 



We had brought some first-rate pack-saddles for the donkeys 

 from Europe with us, but our people only shook their heads 

 over them, and, what with their clumsiness in using the con- 

 trivances for fastening on the loads, and the stubbornness with 

 which the animals themselves resisted the new style of packing, 

 we only used these saddles until we had had some made of ox- 

 hide in the usual fashion of the country. 



Furthermore, there was no fault to find with our own 

 personal equipment, and I will only add here that we had 

 secured a certain amount of comfort for ourselves on the 

 journey, Count Teleki being, as already stated, an experienced 

 sportsman. He had also had much valuable advice from Sir 

 Eichard Burton, and he had taken every possible precaution 

 before leaving home to lessen the inevitable friction and worry 

 of a long journey through the wilderness. 



We were splendidly provided with weapons too. The well- 

 known English firm of Holland & Holland had supplied us 

 with a first-rate set of good shooting guns and rifles, which 

 never once throughout our Expedition left us in the lurch. 

 These included two double-barrelled 8-bore rifles, firing solid 

 bullets of hardened lead and a charge of ten drachms of powder ; 

 one 577-bore Express rifle, for explosive and ordinary bullets, 

 powder charge six drachms ; one 10-bore rifle ; two 500-bore 

 Express rifles, with a powder charge of five drachms ; two so- 

 called Paradox guns, which fire either shot or bullets ; and 

 various other guns. 



We had also a very good supply of instruments for taking 

 observations, for although our Expedition was not strictly speak- 



