ack from
England because he could not bear the thought of being absent from the
first collection of the hut tax! He is a good man.

We said good-night to him and stepped from the lighted house into
the vast tropical night. The little rays of our lantern showed us the
inequalities of the ground, and where to step across the bubbling,
little irrigation streams. But thousands of stars insisted on a
simplification. The broad, rolling meadows of the clearing lay half
guessed in the dim light; and about its edge was the velvet band of
the forest, dark and mysterious, stretching away for leagues into the
jungle. From it near at hand, far away, came the rhythmic beating of
solemn great drums, and the rising and falling chants of the savage
peoples.

(C) THE CHIEFS

We left Meru well observed by a very large audience, much to the delight
of our safari boys, who love to show off. We had acquired fourteen more
small boys, or totos, ranging in age from eight to twelve years. These
had been fitted out by their masters to alleviate their original shenzi
appearance of savagery. Some had ragged blankets, which they had already
learned to twist turban wise around their heads; others had ragged
old jerseys reaching to their knees, or the wrecks of full-grown
undershirts; one or two even sported baggy breeches a dozen sizes too
large. Each carried his little load, proudly, atop his head like a real
porter, sufurias or cooking pots, the small bags of potio, and the like.
Inside a mile they had gravitated together and with the small boy's
relish for imitation and for playing a game, had completed a miniature
safari organization of their own. Thenceforth they marched in a compact
little company, under orders of their "headman." They marched very well,
too, straight and proud and tireless. Of course we inspected their loads
to see that they were not required to carry too much for their strength;
but, I am bound to say, we never discovered an attempt at overloading.
In fact, the toto brigade was treated very well indeed. M'ganga
especially took great interest in their education and welfare. One of
my most vivid camp recollections is that of M'ganga, very benign and
didactic, seated on a chop box and holding forth to a semicircle of
totos squatted on the ground before him. On reaching camp totos had
several clearly defined duties: they must pick out good places for their
masters' individual camps, they must procure cooking stones, they must