BRITISH CENTRAL AFRICA 
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thirst of several hours under a broiling sun, combined with a long march and a 
heavy load to carry will soon make them “ sun-sick,” but I have never known 
a case of actual sunstroke, or any fatality to arise from exposure to the sun’s 
rays. 
Their strength, speed and endurance vary somewhat between tribe and 
tribe, some peoples being by inherited use and custom able to travel long 
distances and carry heavy loads, while others are bad walkers or bad climbers 
and of little use as porters. As a rule, however, the native is a good walker 
and without a load can travel easily thirty miles a day on foot. With a load of 
45 lbs. he can do a steady twenty miles a day when in good condition. The 
Wanyamwezi carriers of East Central Africa are celebrated for being able to 
carry loads of 100 lbs. and to keep on the march at a good rate of speed for 
twenty to twenty-five miles a day. No race that I know of within the limits 
of British Central Africa can do as much. The Wa-yao are the best carriers 
we possess. They can manage a load of from 50 to 55 lbs. with ease ; but the 
A-nyanja will scarcely carry any single load that weighs more than 45 lbs. 
The Wankonde people at the north end of Lake Nyasa only quite recently 
averred that they could carry no loads at all ; and certainly those amongst 
them who volunteered as carriers for my expedition to Tanganyika in 1889, 
though they seemingly started with the best intentions, so completely went to 
pieces after the first few days of porterage that in pity I had to relieve them of 
their loads. The Atonga are good carriers though not so good as the Yao. 
They are celebrated, however, for their confidence in the white man and their 
willingness to accompany him on journeys of very great length. The Makua 
and Alolo make excellent carriers. They probably rival the Yao in regard to 
the weight of loads they will cheerfully bear (50 to 60 lbs.) and the speed at 
which they will travel (twenty miles a day). It is rare to find even a native 
brought up in the plains who cannot climb mountains better than a white man, 
but those tribes who dwell in the hills are veritable goats in agility and sureness 
of foot. In ascending the steep face of a mountain like Mlanje it is marvellous 
to see native porters with a box of 50 lbs. weight on their heads crawling up 
the face of a rock like so many cats and not dropping their loads, which they 
will hold on with one hand while with the other they clutch at any little 
projection which may assist them, or use a long wand like a small alpenstock. 
They assist themselves a good deal with their slightly prehensile big toe and 
the foot gets a better grasp of a rounded surface than it does with the European 1 
who is booted. 
The women have considerable muscular development owing to the hard 
work to which they are put from childhood. The average muscular development 
in the men is good ; their figures are well knit and harmonious in outline. As 
regards pace in running they can outrun most Europeans and almost any native 
of India that has yet competed with them. They can likewise jump well. 
Here again the Wa-yao excel most of the other tribes. On the other hand in 
such experiments as we have made we have found that they could neither 
hurl a spear nor shoot an arrow as well as an average untrained European. 
Nor are they, as a rule, good at throwing ; yet, when cricket is introduced 
they soon pick up the idea of bowling. 
They are good acrobats. Here, again, the Wa-yao surpass the others. At 
our military sports or other great gatherings of this description Yao, Atonga, 
Makua, and Mambwe will turn somersaults, walk on their hands, stand on their 
1 At the same time the English seaman can probably climb better than any native. 
