ColonelEvelynWoodrecountsanincidentwhichtookplaceduringaBritishmilitaryexpeditioninWestAfricain1874.
"Thenativesoldierscarriedeverythingontheirheads,thuswhenamanmovedunexpectedlyeverythingcamedownwithacrashandwehadseveralfalsealarms.Toprovideagainst＊thistrouble,Iissuedtwocrossbeltsforeachblacksoldier.ForthreesuccessivemorningsInoticedthatonemanwasstillcarryingloadsonhishead.Ithreatenedtofloghim,andaskedwhyhehadrefusedtoobeyorders.Herepliedsimply,"Thebeltshurtme."Heopenedthefrontofhisshirtandshowedadeepholeinhisbodywhichhehadreceivedfromasluginaction,andintowhichhehadstuffedalumpofgrass.Thissavedmefromdoinganinjustice."
伊夫林．伍德上校記述了一八七四年英軍征戰西非期間的一件事：
「那些土著士兵把行李都頂在頭上，一有意外舉動，一切就『嘩啦』一聲掉下來，引起了幾次無謂恐慌。為免麻煩，我給每個黑人士兵兩條斜掛胸前的皮帶。其後連續三天上午，我看見有個士兵依舊把一切頂在頭上。我說對他要用笞刑，問他為什麼不聽命令。他簡單回答說：『掛皮帶，很痛。』他打開胸前襯衣，展示一個深深的子彈洞，他用草塞着。那是作戰時所受創傷。我幾乎寃枉了他。」
＊Provideagainst即「預防」，例如toprovideagainstacoldwinter是「做好準備過寒冬」。