UGANDA JOURNAL.


 It is a fact that in Africa the boaster is often accepted at his own valuation,
and Sanders was not above creating an impression of what a wonderful and terr-
ible fellow he was by self-laudatory speeches at big palavers.
 He was, however, wise enough to admit that there were no infallible general
rules for the treatment of the African, and that the only possible rule was to
deal with him as an individual.
 He was also capable of an infinite patience and recognized that the African,
even if trained to perform a certain task to mechanical perfection, is yet liable
to have an off-day. On a certain occasion, for instance, when he was in a des-
perate hurry, he found that the wood-men fuelling the Zaire, had stacked all the
wood in the bows, instead of distributing it evenly about the deck, as for years
past they had been taught to do. All that the headman could say in excuse was,
"Lord, we thought it would be quicker that way". Sanders did not go off the
deep end, as might have been expected. (sT) He quietly ordered the wood to be
restacked.
 There were occasions too when he found a native in real trouble, and then
he could be as tender as a woman.
 A brief word must now be said about the other two problems which, in
addition to those of taxation and the preservation of law and order, confronted
Sanders. They were:-"Health", and "Gin."
 The latter was only an occasional problem and was dealt with by absolute
prohibition, rigorous search of the baggage of any trader who landed in the
Territories, and confiscation of contraband where necessary. If by any evil chance
a smuggler got away with it at the coast, or entered the Territories at some other
point, he was usually speedily detected and received a stiff sentence, for Sanders
administered justice no less rigorously to Europeans and Arabs than to Africans.
 The health problem was ever writh him, and, as there was seldom a Doctor
in the Territories, he could only adopt the most simple and obvious preventive
measures, in which he was assisted as far as possible by the Missions. It is per-
haps of interest that an attempt to introduce vaccination led to resistance as
stout as that of our local Malakites to anti-plague inoculation, though not on
religious grounds.
 The experiment was once tried (and soon abandoned) of appointing Bones
 Acting Medical Officer of Health. He attacked his duties with his usual enthus-
 iasm. The Residency was made uninhabitable with disinfectants; the cook
 found himself quite unable to comply with the regulations laid down for hygienic
 cooking and left hastily. Bones also insisted on sterilizing all the knives, forks,
 and spoons before each meal, and went about, while the craze lasted, in a gauze
 veil and rubber gloves.
 Sanders was not without worries of a comparatively minor character. Among
these may be mentioned the suitable entertainment and enlightenment of visitors.
In general he disliked visitors of all sorts, but had to accept them as a necessary

 (18) A propos of which Wallace truly remarks that some men fret their hearts out
in Africa, dealing with such little problems as ill-stacked wood.