VV(13) - Sjambok

[David Morris]

http://www.klausdierks.com/Namibian_Roads/3.htm

A typical report about travelling by ox-wagon during this period can be 
found in a book by the Swedish traveller, Peter August Möller, who travelled 
through southern Angola and northern Namibia in 1895/96.

"Unless the fore-oxen find the way by themselves, the first pair of oxen is 
generally led by a boy, a "leader (voorleier)", who walks in front of the 
span and whose responsibility it is to see that the road or the wagon-track 
is not lost, or, where there is no road, to select one himself; then comes 
the headman of the wagon, the "driver" himself. He drives the wagon and is 
responsible for it and all it contains. It is an important matter for the 
traveller to obtain a good driver and it is often difficult to find one. .. 
The driver has to know his oxen well and understand the art of handling the 
heavy whip, which consists of a long, strong stick, about four metres long, 
at the end of which is fastened the five metres long lash of giraffe hide. 
The whip, or "sjambok" as it is called, is always handled with both hands 
and when well handled is a terrible instrument - every lash sounds like a 
shot and strikes with unfailing accuracy the required place on the animal; 
sometimes the lashes come from above down onto the back, neck or ears, 
sometimes they strike from below the belly and legs. When necessary the 
driver runs now on the one, now on the other side of the span, and as fast 
as he shouts the names of the oxen, as fast the lashes rain forwards and 
backwards with such force that the hairs fly from the animals. In the 
intervals when all goes well the driver sits calmly on the front box with 
pipe in mouth, only occasionally shouting the name of an ox together with 
some coarse invective or other. The driver is assisted by one or two boys 
who help him to whip the oxen when necessary; further there is always a boy 
behind the wagon who handles the brake when going downhill and who looks 
after the oxen when they are grazing."

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