RULING NATIVES

Evening Post, Volume CXX, Issue 8, 9 July 1935, Page 4

RULING NATIVES

A COMMISSIONER'S LIFE

DIFFICULT TRAVELLING

Mr. H. N. Hemans served his country for many years in S6uthern Rhodesia, and in "The Log of a Native Commissioner" he tells the story of his life's work as Administrator, says "Public Opinion." : "It must not be imagined that a march or scries of marches is in the nature of a picnic. Far from it," M.r. Hemans writes. "Perhaps the start is made on a bitter winter's morning when everything is covered in a white hoar frost which sparkles in the early rays of the sun, when one is so cold that it is with difficulty the triggerfinger is bent when aiming at a chance buck. "As the sun grows warmer you are drenched through and through from top to toe as the frost melts. The march continues and the moisture evaporates, but, if the water is far ahead, the sun gets hotter and hotter, and again the body is drenched, but this time in perspiration. "Much, too, depends on the ground to be covered. Sometimes the path leads through miles of sandy forest or along a river bed where the sand is so loose and dry that it is difficult to progress in booted feet. At other times through barren country seamed in every direction with '■ dongas so steep that the best f and really only way is to take both descent and ascent at a run, thereby saving much labour in climbing. HARD TRAVELLING. "Again, the path may run up and down rugged, stony, hills that have to be negotiated with care if a twisted or sprained ankle is to be avoided. Often the afternoon march has to be commenced at one or half-past if water is to be reached in time to make the night camp, and, should the objective lie to the east, the blazing sun pours down on to the neck and spine as it descends, until the brain gets dizzy and woolly. "After the sun was up and the day grew hot the many winged pests made one's life a perfect misery. It might be the tsetse with its sharp bite, the myriads of small mapani bees which tried to settle on every exposed' portion of the body including eyes, nose, and mouth, in search of moisture, or the wicked little sandfly, so minute thati-two thicknesses, of mosquito-net would not keep them out, and whose bite .was so irritating that it left itching lumps which were difficult to leave linscratched, and which resulted in many a cut when shaving. "Going through reeds in a river bed or when skirting the edges of some pan or vlei, clouds of moscjuitos were disturbed, and naturally visited their resentment on the intruders. Even on the Zambesi, at its broadest, the hippo-fly made itself a nuisance, taking as it did with every bite a.minute piece, of skin which resulted in numerous small, bleeding wounds." WORKERS IN IRON. There are many thrilling stories of wild animals —the elephant, lion, rhino, and buffalo —and the exploits are. modestly related. He enjoyed his work, and moved in and out among the tribes, and his study of the Batonka people is typical of the keen observation with which he views' the varied peoples under his care. Mr Hemans writes:— "The Batonka are skilful workers in iron. . . . Some of their spears, especially those in use when hunting lions, and in a lesser degree their fishing spears, were real works of art and fearsome, deadly weapons withali heavily barbed in such a manner •'that once the head had penetrated the Skih and pierced the flesh they could never work loose and out. "When hunting the lion it was:not so much their object 'to kill their quarry then and-there as to fling their spears, which had very light, thin shafts, and get home as many as possible. Once this had been done they were content to wait, knowing full wel that death must inevitably result. After a couple of days they would follow up and find the kill to retrieve the spearheads, from which the shafts had probably broken, in order to make fresh shafts and have • the'il spears ready for further use."