FASCICULA 
285 
Our first headman was a born leader—and he looked 
it. When first introduced at Mombasa to that huge 
swarthy personality, vast of frame and truculent of 
visage, a tremor of fear—let me admit it—would scarce 
be suppressed . 1 I trust it was concealed. The idea of 
spending months in the wilds, in company with that 
savage Soudanee, did disconcert for a moment; but no 
long time elapsed before we came to appreciate the 
treasure we possessed. Before that iron will (and 
obvious power to enforce it) difficulties and troubles 
melted like butter on hot toast—few, indeed, ever dared 
to confront it. Discipline, in savage Africa, relies first 
on the moral power; but when that fails, in the next 
resource force becomes the only law. 
Long afterwards when far away “ out-by,” at a 
remote up-country station, our friend the official 
representative of King and Empire asked us how this 
headman behaved; and on being told that we were 
thoroughly satisfied—that, in short, the whole routine- 
work ran like a machine—replied that he was not 
surprised; that, in fact, he quite expected it would be 
so. Naturally we inquired if our friend had ever met 
this savage chieftain before. “ Oh yes; he served his 
term of years here on the chain-gang ! ” “ The chain- 
gang ! What for ? ” “ Oh, I think it was murder.” 
Now to any one holding the ordinary British and 
altogether admirable respect for the Ten Command¬ 
ments, a reply like this, uttered more or less casually, 
gives pause. But on reflection one realises that moral 
standards in Central Africa possess a wider basis than 
obtains at home. Other countries, other manners; 
savage countries . . . well, not savage manners, but 
manners adjusted to environment. The conclusion I 
reached—and still hold—is that in Equatorial Africa, 
at the present epoch, you can’t have a better headman 
than a respectable murderer—a murderer on your own 
1 His portrait appears at p. 284, on the extreme right. Behind 
the author stands Enoch, his tent-boy; to his left sits Elmi Hassan. 
The lioness in the foreground unfortunately escaped the camera. 
