Part 24 (2/2)

”Hold on!” cries our friend ”I have only two guns, and I' to carry one myself”

But this, he learns, is quite impossible It is never done It is absolutely necessary, in this climate, to avoid all work

That makes how many? Ten already, and there seem to be three tent loads, one bed load, one chair and table load, one lantern load, two miscellaneous loads, two cook loads, one personal box, and fifteen chop boxes-total twenty-six, plus the staff, as above, thirty-six Why all the rest of the ar to regulation, seven tents, and certain personal effects, and they must have ”potio” or a ration of one and a half pounds per dies must be carried by more men

”I see,” murmurs the American, crushed, ”and these more men have more tents and more potio, which must also be carried It's like the House that Jack Built”

So our Aain that the other fellos his own game, and starts out He learns he has what is called a ” wonder as to what a really elaborate safari must be The procession takes the field He soon sees the value of the four askaris-the necessity of whoorous seconding the headman would have a hard ti, packing, washi+ng, and general service performed by his tent boy, he abandons the notion that that individual could just as well take care of the horse as well, especially as the horse has to have all his grass cut and brought to hi cool fizzly drink of lime juice and soda; he puts on the clean clothes laid out for him, assumes soft mosquito boots, and sits down to dinner This is served to him in courses, and on enamel ware Each course has its proper-sized plate and cutlery He starts with soup, goes down through tinned whitebait or other fish, an entree, a roast, perhaps a curry, a sweet, and s ”done well,” and he enjoys the coins to wonder a little It is all very pleasant, of course, and perhaps very necessary; they all tell hie lish taken care of: but the sports likes to stand on his own feet as far as he is able and conditions permit Besides, it is expensive Besides that, it is a confounded nuisance, especially when potio gives out and ins to do a little figuring on his own account

My experience was very much as above Three of us went out for eleven weeks as considered a very ”hteen men My fifth and last trip, also with two companions, was for three months Our personnel consisted, all told, forty ht One cannot camp in Africa as one would at home The experimenter would be dead in a month

In his application of that principle, however, he seems to the American point of view to overshoot Let us exa, shelter There is no doubt but that a man must keep in top condition as far as possible; and that, to do so, he ood food He can never do as we do on very hard trips at hoar, coffee, flour, salt, oatmeal

But on the other hand, he certainly does not need a five-course dinner every night, nor a complete battery of cutlery, napery and table ware to eat it froar, oatmeal, tea and coffee, rice, beans, onions, curry, dried fruits, a little bacon, and soetables will do him very well indeed-hat he can shoot These will pack in waterproof bags very co hiround, he must have a hot bath every day, but never a cold one, and he ainst the sun

Those are the absolute necessities of the climate In other words, if he carries a double tent, a cot, a folding bath; and gives a little attention to a properly balanced food supply, he has oods, soda siphons, lime juice, easy chairs and all the rest of the paraphernalia, he isa basic principle as an excuse to include sheer luxuries In further extenuation of this he is apt to argue that porters are cheap, and that it costs but little u to say It is the inalienable right of every man to carry all the luxuries he wants My point is that the average American sportsman does not want them, and only takes thes are not luxuries, but necessities For, s into the Sierras or the North-by paying; but he doesn't

I repeat, it is the inalienable right of any man to travel as luxuriously as he pleases But by the saht to pretend that luxuries are necessities That is to put hiory with thea drink than the silish it,” as he says ”Pigging it”your ho your sardines after ait” In other words, as nearly as I can s in an inadequate fashi+on as DOING THEM DIFFERENTLY Therefore, the Englishman in the field likes to approximate as closely as may be his life in town, even if it takes one hundred and fifty u na more experimental and independent, prefers to build anew upon its essentials Where the Englishman covers the situation blanket-ith his old institutions, the American prefers to construct new institutions on the necessities of the case He objects strongly to being taken care of too co the keen enjoy hardshi+ps The English has no such objections He likes to be taken care of, financially, personally, and everlastingly That is his ideal of life If he can be taken care of better by eht tin trunks of personal effects-as I have seen it done-he will so eht: he likes it

But the Aood deal of the fun for hiainst his environment It is no fun to hi with him, laboriously If he must have cotton wool, let it be as little cotton wool as possible He likes to be comfortable; but he likes to be co just the proper balance soaht-that he is such a helpless et him safely around the country!

Both itimate, of course; and neither view is open to criticis is that he, personally, wouldn't getit the other way As a oes beyond its justifications and is prone to criticise The English it”; and the Aes inled about Africa like a dog on a string”

By some such roundabout mental process as the above the American comes to the conclusion that he need not necessarily adopt the other fellow's ame His own method needs modification, but it will do He ventures to leave out the tables and easy chair, takes a camp stool and eats off a chop box To the best of his belief his health does not suffer froets on with a camper's allowance of plate, cup and cutlery, and so cuts out a load and a half of assorted kitchen utensils and table ware He even does without a tablecloth and napkins! He discards the li to cool the water He fires one gunbearer, and undertakes the for one of his rifles hirub list The purchase of waterproof bags gets rid of a lot of tin: the staple groceries do quite as well as London fancy stuff Golden syrup takes the place of all the oods go by the board He lays in a stock of dried fruit At the end, he is possessed of a grub list but little different from that of his Rocky Mountain trips Some few items he has cut down; and soht are the same For his three months'

trip he has four or five chop boxes all told

And then suddenly he finds that thus he has rub and kitchen, five men; personal, one man; bed, one man; miscellaneous, one or two There is now no need for headmen and askaris to handle this little lot Twenty more to carry food for the men-he is off with a quarter of the number of his first ” to Africa, as is the case with most, will perhaps read this, because we are always interested in how the other fellow does it To the feho are intending an exploration of the dark continent this concentration of a year's experience round, not to starve yourself, to protect yourself fro and hunting Do these things your oay, using your coht

That, I conceive, covers the case The remainder of your equip The question here is not of the sort to get, but of what to take The tents, cooking affairs, etc, are well adapted to the country In selecting your tent, however, you will do very well to pick out one whose veranda fly reaches fairly to the ground, instead of stopping halfway

1 tent and ground sheet 1 folding cot and corkbath and ashstand (”X” brand) 1 caallon turpentine 3 lbs aluas (native tools for chopping and digging) Cook outfit (select these yourself, and cut out the extras) 2 axes (s 2 pails 10 yards cotton cloth (”Mericani”)

These things, your food, your porters' outfits and what trade goods you may need are quite sufficient You will have all you want, and not too ood health

Your slish cousin, infinitely less nuisance and expense Furthers,” instead of ”being led about Africa like a dog on a string”

APPENDIX V THE AMERICAN IN AFRICA