Before leaving the villages entirely, we may glance at our way of spending the nights.  As soon as we land, some of the men cut a little grass for my bed, while Mashauana plants the poles of the little tent.  These are used by day for carrying burdens, for the Barotse fashion is exactly like that of the natives of India, only the burden is fastened near the ends of the pole, and not suspended by long cords.  The bed is made, and boxes ranged on each side of it, and then the tent pitched over all.  Four or five feet in front of my tent is placed the principal or kotla fire, the wood for which must be collected by the man who occupies the post of herald, and takes as his perquisite the heads of all the oxen slaughtered, and of all the game too.  Each person knows the station he is to occupy, in reference to the post of honor at the fire in front of the door of the tent.  The two Makololo occupy my right and left, both in eating and sleeping, as long as the journey lasts.  But Mashauana, my head boatman, makes his bed at the door of the tent as soon as I retire.  The rest, divided into small companies according to their tribes, make sheds all round the fire, leaving a horseshoe-shaped space in front sufficient for the cattle to stand in.  The fire gives confidence to the oxen, so the men are always careful to keep them in sight of it.  The sheds are formed by planting two stout forked poles in an inclined direction, and placing another over these in a horizontal position.  A number of branches are then stuck in the ground in the direction to which the poles are inclined, the twigs drawn down to the horizontal pole and tied with strips of bark.  Long grass is then laid over the branches in sufficient quantity to draw off the rain, and we have sheds open to the fire in front, but secure from beasts behind.  In less than an hour we were usually all under cover.  We never lacked abundance of grass during the whole journey.  It is a picturesque sight at night, when the clear bright moon of these climates glances on the sleeping forms around, to look out upon the attitudes of profound repose both men and beasts assume.  There being no danger from wild animals in such a night, the fires are allowed almost to go out; and as there is no fear of hungry dogs coming over sleepers and devouring the food, or quietly eating up the poor fellows’ blankets, which at best were but greasy skins, which sometimes happened in the villages, the picture was one of perfect peace.

The cooking is usually done in the natives’ own style, and, as they carefully wash the dishes, pots, and the hands before handling food, it is by no means despicable.  Sometimes alterations are made at my suggestion, and then they believe that they can cook in thorough white man’s fashion.  The cook always comes in for something left in the pot, so all are eager to obtain the office.

I taught several of them to wash my shirts, and they did it well, though their teacher had never been taught that work himself.  Frequent changes of linen and sunning of my blanket kept me more comfortable than might have been anticipated, and I feel certain that the lessons of cleanliness rigidly instilled by my mother in childhood helped to maintain that respect which these people entertain for European ways.  It is questionable if a descent to barbarous ways ever elevates a man in the eyes of savages.