In my quest for Africa-related illustration, I've delved into a couple old books found at Project Gutenberg. Besides a few usable illustrations, I also found a few interesting tidbits from the age of safaris, when the process for going out into the wilderness wasn't too different from what it might be like in a game of D&D.
What follows comes from a book called
In Africa, Hunting Adventures in the Big Game Country by
John T. McCutcheon.
For an African expedition involving four "adventurers", there were the following "henchmen"
 |
| Cook, toto and head man |
(1) Head-man: Runs the camp and the other henchmen; paid $25/month
(8) Gunbearers: Carry gun and other key equipment, skin beasts and collect
trophies; fire weapons when the boss is down; paid $25/month.
(4) Askaris: Native guards, keep up fires, scare away animals; $5/month.
(1) Cook: $13/month
(4) Tent Boys: Personal servants of the “adventurers”; wait on tables,
do washing, make sure water is boiled and purified, fill water bottles; $7/month
(80) Porters: Carry camp from place to place, each carrying 60 lb. on
head, then set up camp, get firewood, carry what game is shot by the
“adventurers”; $3/month
(4) Saises: Grooms, one for each mule or horse; $4/month
(20) “Totos”: Means “little boy”, they are not hired, but come
along as stowaways, carry small loads and help brighten the camp; paid food and lodging.
 |
| Gun bearer, askari, tent boy, porter |
By my count, that would be something like a sergeant-at-arms, 12 men-at-arms, one specialist (the cook) and 108 "torchbearers". The total cost is $542 per month.
It was required by law that each porter be provided with, at minimum, a water bottle, blanket and sweater. Uniforms, water bottles, shoes and blankets were provided for all others.
They had 20 tents for the entire expedition - if you assume one tent per adventurer, then you're looking at an average of seven or eight people per tent - probably more in some tents, since the head-man and cook probably got their own tents.
Supplies for a 6 month trip into the wilderness were as follows:
TWENTY CASES (RED BAND)
Two tins imperial
cheese.
One pound Ceylon
tea.
One three-quarter
pound tin ground coffee.
One four-pound tin
granulated sugar.
Two tins ox
tongue.
One tin oxford
sausage.
Two tins sardines.
Two tins kippered
herrings.
Three tins deviled
ham (Underwood's).
Two tins jam
(assorted).
Two tins marmalade
(Dundee).
Three half-pound
tins butter.
Three half-pound
tins dripping.
Ten half-pound
tins ideal milk.
Two tins small
captain biscuit.
Two tins baked
beans, Heinz (tomato sauce).
One half-pound tin
salt.
One two-pound tin
chocolate (Army and Navy).
Two parchment
skins pea soup.
One one and
one-half pound tin Scotch oatmeal.
TWENTY CASES (BLUE BAND)
Two tins baked
beans (Heinz) (tomato sauce).
One tin bologna sausage.
One tin sardines.
One tin sardines,
smoked.
Two one-pound tins
camp, pie.
Five tins jam,
assorted.
Two tins marmalade
(Dundee).
Five half-pound
tins butter.
Three half-pound
tins dripping.
Ten half-pound
tins ideal milk.
Two tins imperial
cheese.
One one and
one-quarter pound tin Ceylon tea.
One three-quarter
pound tin ground coffee.
One four pound tin
granulated sugar.
One quarter-pound
tin cocoa.
Two tins camp
biscuit.
One half-pound tin
salt.
One one and
one-half tin Scotch oatmeal.
One one-pound tin
lentils.
One tin mixed
vegetables (dried).
One two-pound tin
German prunes.
Six soup squares.
One ounce W.
pepper.
Two sponge cloths.
One-half quire
kitchen paper.
One two-pound tin
chocolate (Army and Navy).
SIXTEEN CASES (GREEN BAND)
Three
fourteen-pound tins self-raising flour.
Two cases (black
band) containing fifteen bottles lime juice (plain) Montserrat.
Two cases, each
containing one dozen Scotch whisky.
Two cases (red and
blue band) thirty pounds bacon, well packed in salt.
Two cases (yellow
and black band) five ten-pound tins plaster of Paris for making casts of
animals.
One case (red and
green band) fifty pounds sperm candles—large size (carriage).
Four folding
lanterns.
The following items to be equally divided into as many lots
as necessary to make sixty-pound cases:
Eight Edam
cheeses.
Twenty tins
bovril.
Twenty two-pound
tins sultana raisins.
Ten two-pound tins
currants.
Ten one-pound tins
macaroni.
Thirty tins
Underwood deviled ham.
Eighty tablets
carbolic soap.
Eighty packets
toilet paper.
Ten bottles Enos'
fruit salt.
Twenty one-pound
tins plum pudding.
Six tins curry
powder.
Twenty one-pound
tins yellow Dubbin.
Six one-pound tins
veterinary vaseline.
Six one-pound tins
powdered sugar.
Six tin openers.
Twelve tins
asparagus tips.
Twelve tins black
mushrooms.
Six large bottles
Pond's extract.
Twelve ten-yard
spools zinc oxide surgeon's tape one inch wide.
Two small bottles
Worcestershire sauce.
In addition to the foregoing we added the following
equipment of table ware:
Eight white enamel
soup plates—light weight.
Eight white enamel
dinner plates—light weight.
Three white enamel
vegetable dishes—medium size.
Six one-pint cups.
Eight knives and
forks.
Twelve teaspoons.
Six soup spoons.
Six large
table-spoons.
One carving knife
and fork.
Six white enamel
oatmeal dishes.
As our tent equipment and some of the miscellanies necessary
to our expedition, the subjoined articles were procured:
Four double roof
ridge tents 10 by 8—4 feet walls, in valises.
One extra fly of
above size, with poles, ropes, etc, complete.
Five ground sheets
for above, one foot larger each way, i.e., 11 by 9.
Four mosquito nets
for one-half tents, 9 feet long.
Four circular
canvas baths.
Twelve green,
round-bottom bags 43 by 30.
Four hold-all bags
with padlocks.
Two fifty-yard
coils 1 1-4 Manila rope.
One pair wood
blocks for 1 1-4 brass sheaves, strapped with tails.
Four four-quart
tin water bottles.
Two eight-quart
Uganda water bottles.
Four large canvas
water buckets.
One gross No. 1
circlets.
One punch and die.
This does not include medical and surgery supplies or rifles.
Personal supplies were as follows:
Two suits—coat and
breeches—gabardine or khaki.
One belt.
Two knives—one
hunting-knife, one jack-knife.
Three pair cloth
putties.
Three flannel
shirts (I actually only used two).
Six suits summer
flannels, merino, long drawers.
Three pair
Abercrombie lightest shoes (one pair rubber soles).
Three colored silk
handkerchiefs.
Two face
towels—two bath towels.
Three khaki
cartridge holders to put on shirts to hold big cartridges, one for each shirt.
One pair long
trousers to put on at night, khaki.
Two suits flannel
pajamas.
Eight pair socks
(I used gray Jaeger socks, fine).
One light west
sweater.
One Mackinaw coat
(not absolutely necessary).
One rubber coat.
One pair mosquito
boots (Lawn and Alder, London).
Soft leather top
boots for evening wear in camp.
Five leather
pockets to hold cartridges to go on belt.
Three whetstones
(one for self and two for gunbearers).
One helmet (we
used Gyppy pattern Army and Navy stores).
One double terai
hat, brown (Army and Navy stores).
One six-_or_eight-foot
pocket tape of steel to measure horns.
One compass.
One diary.
Writing materials.
Toilet articles.
How often to PC's bring changes of clothes with them on adventures?
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