Every Evening One Of The Batoka
Plays His "Sansa," And Continues At It Until Far Into The Night; He
Accompanies It With An Extempore Song, In Which He Rehearses Their
Deeds Ever Since They Left Their Own Country.
At times animated
political discussions spring up, and the amount of eloquence expended
on these occasions is amazing.
The whole camp is aroused, and the
men shout to one another from the different fires; whilst some, whose
tongues are never heard on any other subject, burst forth into
impassioned speech.
As a specimen of our mode of marching, we rise about five, or as soon
as dawn appears, take a cup of tea and a bit of biscuit; the servants
fold up the blankets and stow them away in the bags they carry; the
others tie their fumbas and cooking-pots to each end of their
carrying-sticks, which are borne on the shoulder; the cook secures
the dishes, and all are on the path by sunrise. If a convenient spot
can be found we halt for breakfast about nine a.m. To save time,
this meal is generally cooked the night before, and has only to be
warmed. We continue the march after breakfast, rest a little in the
middle of the day, and break off early in the afternoon. We average
from two to two-and-a-half miles an hour in a straight line, or as
the crow flies, and seldom have more than five or six hours a day of
actual travel.
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