The boys and young women whom I had liberated from the slave-hunters,
and who had acted as domestic servants, were well cared for at the close
of the expedition, and I secured them situations with well-known
respectable families in Cairo and Alexandria. Amarn, the Abyssinian boy,
who in intelligence had been far in advance of the negro lads,
accompanied his mistress to England at his express request, where he is
now regularly installed in our own household. The ulcerated leg from
which he had suffered for two years in Africa, was soon cured by the
kind attention of the surgeons of St. George's Hospital, shortly after
his arrival in London. (Amarn has now grown into a young man of about
18 or 19. He is a Christian, and in general good conduct and integrity
he has set a bright example to English servants and is respected by all
classes.)
A FEW HINTS.
I shall give the following hints as they occurred to me, and as I noted
them down at the time when in Africa: -
Medicine Chest. - Should be of teak, covered with zinc, with copper edges
and corners. The bottom should be first covered externally, to enable
the wet to drain off without touching the wood. The expensive canteens
purchased of Messrs. Silver and Co., although covered with metal on the
top and sides, had no metal beneath; thus they were a prey to damp and
insects.
All bottles in medicine chest should have numbers engraved on the glass
to correspond with an index painted on the inside of the lid. Insects
and damp quickly destroy gilding or ordinary paper labels.
Seidlitz powders and all effervescent medicines should be packed in
wide-mouthed, stoppered bottles, but never in papers.
Matches. - Bryant and May's "Victoria Matches" will stand the damp of the
tropics beyond all others.
Tarpaulins. - Should be true mackintosh; but no other preparation of
india-rubber will stand the heat of the tropics. No. 2 canvas painted is
better than any preparation of tar, which sticks when folded together.
All tarpaulins should be 12 feet square, with large metal eyelet holes
and strong lines. If larger, they are too heavy.
Bottles. - All wine or liquor bottles should have the necks dipped in
bottle-wax thickly. Metallic capsules will be bitten through and the
corks destroyed by cockroaches.
Milk. - Crosse and Blackwell's "liquid cream" is excellent. That of the
Anglo-Swiss Company was good at the commencement, but it did not keep
sweet after two years.
Shoes and Boots. - Shoes are better than laced boots, as the latter give
much trouble. The soles should not be too thick, and should be studded
with sharp nails. Two pairs of long, brown leather boots to reach above
the knee are useful for riding.
