XV 
RETURN TO LAKE RUDOLPH 
367 
the authorised Government load are not, in my opinion, worth 
their “ posho ” (ration) as porters. 1 
That it is no hardship to good ones to do so, with the 
addition of gun, cartridge-belt, and sometimes several days’ 
rations, as well as their own odds and ends, is proved by what 
I have stated above, and also by the fact that I had mostly 
the same men on the second expedition who had been with 
me before. The hardship will be rather when they lose their 
occupation ; for they engage in it voluntarily, in preference to 
other work, and I had several mechanics in my caravan—a 
stone mason, a cobbler, etc.—who preferred the free life of a 
caravan porter to working at their trades. 
That porters are sometimes cruelly used by unprincipled 
Europeans when beyond the influence of public opinion is true 
enough, but such employers will not get Swahilis to engage 
with them a second time nowadays ; and injustice and harsh 
treatment often bring their own retribution by causing the 
failure of the expedition. For my part, I do not believe in 
excessive strictness. I find I can always get more out of men 
by treating them with consideration, and it is much pleasanter 
when a kindly feeling exists. Of course if any one is so 
unfortunate as to get a bad lot of men, severity may be 
necessary ; but mine never gave me any trouble, and I don’t 
believe there are any Africans that will follow one so faithfully 
and patiently into remote regions as these Swahilis, or Zanzi¬ 
baris, or whatever you may please to call the mixed lot of men 
who constitute the regular caravan porters one gets in East 
Africa. As to punishments, I rarely have occasion to inflict 
any ; and flogging I never resort to except in the most ex¬ 
treme cases, such as looting from natives or grossly insulting 
one’s headman, proved by ample evidence. A punishment for 
minor offences I found most suitable was adding some article 
1 Of course with a heavily - loaded caravan it is necessary to travel slowly. If a 
quicker pace and longer marches are desired, the loads must be reduced by nearly one- 
half. 
