ch man's couch was made simply of two mats
sewed together, and left open, not at one of the ends but at one of the
sides, so that a man could roll out of or into it more easily than he
could have slid, feet first, into a sack. It was large enough also for
two to sleep inside together, always supposing that the two were of
accommodating dispositions!

That they had now reached a land which swarmed with wild animals was
intimated to some extent by the running past, within fifty yards of
their bivouac, of a troop of elephants. It was daybreak at the time, so
that, having been thus rudely aroused, they did not deem it necessary to
return to rest but after taking a hasty mouthful of food, set forth on
their journey.

The usual mode of proceeding on the march was as follows:--They rose
about five o'clock, or soon after the appearance of dawn, and swallowed
a cup of tea, with a bit of biscuit, then some of the men folded up the
blankets and stowed them away in the bags, others tied up the cooking
utensils, etcetera, in bundles, and hung them at the ends of
carrying-sticks, which they bore upon their shoulders. The process did
not take long. They were soon on the march, either in single file, if
the path were narrow, or in groups, according to fancy, where the ground
admitted of their spreading out. About nine, a convenient spot was
chosen for a halt to breakfast, which meat, although not "_eaten_ the
night before in order to save time in the morning," was at all events
_cooked_ on the previous evening for the same end, so that it only
needed warming up. Then the march was resumed; a short rest was allowed
in the heat of the day, when, of course, Disco had a pipe and much
sagacious intercourse with his fellows, and they finally encamped for
the remainder of the day and night early in the afternoon. Thus they
travelled five or six hours at a stretch, and averaged from twelve to
fifteen miles a day, which is about as much as Europeans can stand in a
hot climate without being oppressed. This Disco called "taking it
easy," and so it was when compared with the custom of some travellers,
whose chief end would appear to be the getting over as much ground as
possible in a given time, in order that they may afterwards boast of the
same, and for the accomplishment of which they are obliged to abuse and
look ferocious at the blacks, cock their pistols, and flourish their
whips, in a manner which is only worthy of being styled con