African Game Trails 
261 
utterly different from any of the East Afri¬ 
can natives, and dressed in ordinary 
clothes. In addition there were various 
natives—primitive savages in dress and 
habit, but coming from the cattle-owning 
tribes. Each ox-team was guided by one of 
these savages, who led the first yoke by a 
leathern thong, while the wagon-driver, with 
his long whip, stalked to and fro beside the 
line of oxen, or rode in the wagon. The 
huge wagons, with their white tops or 
“sails,” were larger than those our own 
night. The longest halt is made in the day, 
for men and animals both travel better at 
night than under the blazing noon. We 
were fortunate in that it was just after the 
full of the moon, so that our night treks 
were made in good light. Of course, on 
such a march the porters must be spared as 
much as possible; camp is not pitched, and 
each white man uses for the trip only what 
he wears, or carries on his horse—and the 
horse also must be loaded as lightly as pos¬ 
sible. I took nothing but my army over- 
watering the oxen. Taking their last drink for three days. 
From a photograph by Kermit Roosevelt. 
settlers and freighters used. Except one 
small one, to which there were but eight 
oxen, each was drawn by a span of seven or 
eight yoke; they were all native humped 
cattle. 
We had one hundred and ninety-six por¬ 
ters, in addition to the askaris, tent-boys, 
gun-bearers, and saises. The management 
of such a safari is a work of difficulty; but 
probably no better man for the purpose 
than Cuninghame could befound anywhere, 
and he had chosen his headmen well. In 
the thirst, the march goes on by day and 
coat, rifle and cartridges, and three can¬ 
teens of water. Kermit did the same. 
The wagons broke camp about ten, to 
trek to the water, a mile and a half off, 
where the oxen would be outspanned to 
take the last drink for three days; stock will 
not drink early in the morning nearly as 
freely as if the march is begun later. We, 
riding our horses, followed by the long line 
of burdened porters, left at half-past twelve, 
and in a couple of hours overtook the wag¬ 
ons. The porters were in high spirits. In 
the morning, before the start, they twice held 
