All the goods purchased in London or Vienna had
been packed in serviceable and easily opened wooden
boxes. The material purchased in Zanzibar was sewn in
strong canvas, the average weight of a load being sixty-
five pounds. On the march, a porter beside this load
carried his rifle, whatever clothing he had for the
journey, and rations for from three to six days, as
occasion demanded. This brought the total weight of
the burden borne by each man to about eighty pounds.
To the European it may seem beyond the power of
the ordinary man to bear this any length of time;
but these porters, having been from earliest youth
accustomed to bear burdens upon their heads and
shoulders, were capable of bearing in this manner a
much greater weight and for a much longer time than
would at first be supposed.
The day preceding my departure, the Arab governor
visited my camp. I took advantage of his presence
to ask him to give an address to my men, warning
them against desertion, and threatening them with direst
punishment, should they neglect his warning, or refuse
to accept his advice. He made a speech which the
porters received with impertinent grins, much to the
chagrin of the Arab governor, and upon its conclusion
they gave three loud and boisterous hurrahs. Abdullah
Hamed, the governor, was much irritated, and the
return of his accustomed good humour was delayed
until after he had quaffed several glasses of sherbet
and uncounted but numerous cups of coffee.
At Lamoo I purchased a number of goats and
sheep. These, added to my donkeys, horses, and
camels, gave the camp a quite pastoral appearance.
D