“I have watched the gunbearers when I was a porter bringing in meat.” *
* Except in the greatest emergencies a gunbearer would never
think of carrying any sort of a burden.
This was pleasing, but it would never do, at this stage of the game, to let him think so, neither on his own account nor that of the real gunbearers.
“You will bring in meat today also,” said I, for I was indeed a little shorthanded, “and you will learn how to make the top incision straighter.”
When we had reached camp I handed him the Springfield.
“Clean this,” I told him.
He departed with it, returning it after a time for my inspection. It looked all right. I catechized him on the method he had employed-for high velocities require very especial treatment-and found him letter perfect.
“You learned this also by watching?”
“Yes, bwana, I watched the gunbearers by the fire, evenings.”
Evidently Fundi had been preparing for his chance.