ZANZIBAB. 17

and sit up night after night to watch him and give him food and water. It must never be forgotten that

the Wang'uana are really great children, and what

they need is gentle but firm treatment, and in

cases where punishment is considered necessary

great care should be taken to make sure that it is

justly inflicted, as they have a keen sense of unjust chastisement and strongly resent it.

Another class found in Zanzibar, and consisting

chiefly of negroes, are the so-called mafundi, or skilled

workmen, some of whom are usually found in an

explorer's caravan. They are mostly masons, car-

penters, ship-builders and blacksmiths, and we had

several of them attached to our party to assist in

building boats and houses when we arrived at our

destination in the distant interior. The rate of pay which these men receive is decidedly high compared with wages generally at Zanzibar, being, during

the whole of the time they are in the interior, ten

dollars per month besides their food. Some of them

are really good workmen, but the majority are idle,

careless fellows whose object is to shirk their work

as far as possible, and who consequently need con-

stant supervision. The carpenters sit down to do

almost everything, and use their tools generally in

exactly the opposite way to English workmen, pull-

ing the plane towards them and having the teeth

of their saws set the reverse way to ours. They have as great an aversion to a straight line as nature

VOL. i. c