Each Person Knows
The Station He Is To Occupy, In Reference To The Post Of Honor At The Fire
In Front Of The Door Of The Tent.
The two Makololo occupy my right and left,
both in eating and sleeping, as long as the journey lasts.
But Mashauana,
my head boatman, makes his bed at the door of the tent as soon as I retire.
The rest, divided into small companies according to their tribes,
make sheds all round the fire, leaving a horseshoe-shaped space in front
sufficient for the cattle to stand in. The fire gives confidence to the oxen,
so the men are always careful to keep them in sight of it. The sheds
are formed by planting two stout forked poles in an inclined direction,
and placing another over these in a horizontal position. A number of branches
are then stuck in the ground in the direction to which the poles are inclined,
the twigs drawn down to the horizontal pole and tied with strips of bark.
Long grass is then laid over the branches in sufficient quantity
to draw off the rain, and we have sheds open to the fire in front,
but secure from beasts behind. In less than an hour
we were usually all under cover. We never lacked abundance of grass
during the whole journey. It is a picturesque sight at night,
when the clear bright moon of these climates glances on
the sleeping forms around, to look out upon the attitudes of profound repose
both men and beasts assume. There being no danger from wild animals
in such a night, the fires are allowed almost to go out; and as there is
no fear of hungry dogs coming over sleepers and devouring the food,
or quietly eating up the poor fellows' blankets, which at best
were but greasy skins, which sometimes happened in the villages,
the picture was one of perfect peace.
The cooking is usually done in the natives' own style, and,
as they carefully wash the dishes, pots, and the hands before handling food,
it is by no means despicable. Sometimes alterations are made
at my suggestion, and then they believe that they can cook
in thorough white man's fashion. The cook always comes in
for something left in the pot, so all are eager to obtain the office.
I taught several of them to wash my shirts, and they did it well,
though their teacher had never been taught that work himself.
Frequent changes of linen and sunning of my blanket kept me more comfortable
than might have been anticipated, and I feel certain that
the lessons of cleanliness rigidly instilled by my mother in childhood
helped to maintain that respect which these people entertain
for European ways. It is questionable if a descent to barbarous ways
ever elevates a man in the eyes of savages.
When quite beyond the inhabited parts, we found the country abounding
in animal life of every form. There are upward of thirty species of birds
on the river itself.
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