HOW TO TREAT NATIVES 
113 
done flat in corkscrew ringlets that hung down on both sides of 
his face. Altogether his appearance was grotesquely ferocious ; 
hut we, having experienced the kind of courage contained in this 
mass of humanity, treated him like a naughty child when he, 
after the usual manner of his tribe, commenced to beg for every¬ 
thing he could see. Likewise Moheni, now formality was dis¬ 
missed, begged and begged till we were tired of him. 
The desire for white men’s things amongst these natives 
amounts to a morbid craving, likely to lead them to extremes if 
they felt safe in taking such measures. Our lives were one 
continued sustained effort of refusing demands made on us at 
one time after another for all and every single thing in our 
possession. We attributed this continued inconvenience to 
the pusillanimity of Franz, who, when told to give a stern reply 
to the importunities heaped upon us, made some evasive state¬ 
ment, which we of course could not understand, but which did 
not result in a bettering of the natives’ behaviour. I am afraid 
that many of our difficulties were aggravated by Franz’s unwill¬ 
ingness to speak out at the proper moment. On a trip like ours 
one wants a man of great courage, who should by his firmness 
of speech and behaviour be always on the verge of a quarrel 
with the natives, and when things have reached a certain pitch 
the master can interfere and restore peace by settling the 
difference. By this means one discovers how far it is really 
advisable to go with the natives/and by the exercise of a little 
tact can gain their goodwill and confidence, while the blame of 
a dispute is attributed to the interpreter, who, of course, cannot 
be made answerable for any responsibility. Franz was quite 
unfitted for such a post, but as we had no other to put in his 
place we had to make the best of it. 
Moheni, after getting blankets, beads, and other etceteras out 
of us, far more than we intended to give, agreed to supply us 
with sufficient bearers to take us up the Chobe to Matambanja’s. 
Canoes he would not let us have at any price, as it appeared to us 
that they were afraid we might take some unknown advantage 
if we had them. 
H 
