I’m trying to remember the word for the baggage master of an expedition from the 1920s. I’m not 100% sure that there is such a word, but I seem to recall that there is. Not being able to recall it is bugging me.
I need it for a trivial reason - I’m writing up a set of characters for a 1920s Call of Cthulhu game set as a safari in Africa. One of the characters is the baggage master, and he’s the kind of guy who wants a fancier title than “baggage master.”
Any suggestions?
Loadmaster? Quartermaster?
Dragoman?
Quartermaster could work. I have this idea that there’s a colloquial term for it, though…
Might be Porter, but then he’d have to wear a red suit with a funny hat, and that might not go over too well. Unless they’re Defiance fans and they’d keep calling him the Night Porter, and that would really not go over too well.
Supercargo, maybe? That’s mostly boats, though.
Provisioner?
Thanks, all. It’s possible that there just isn’t the word I’m imagining…
Howdah hell should we know? 
Make no claims about my Google-fu skills but the less than prosaic title of “headman” throws up a few hits with the right context in conjunction with “safari”. Don’t know what the equivalent of headman is in Swahili.
IMHO quartermaster isn’t the term you are looking for.
http://www.kancoll.org/books/cutler/deschist/earlyexp-p6.html
Says that “baggage master” was a job title.
In Africa, a french or spanish word would suit a local who was employed for the job of leading the general workers.
Portero would be understood.
A found another term - the British royal guard has a position of “Gentleman Porter”,
a non-military manager of doing things of common nature, such as organising actual porters, butlers,cleaners, and other similar civilian staff (the gentleman status mean Manager.) Its a someone downgrading term due to the “Yoeman of the Guard” having a lowly sounding title.
If it was british royal family in the 1920’s, or organised by or with their staff, then the expedition might include “Yoeman of the Guard” or other Yoeman - there are numerous other military titles if it was UK military.
“Foreman” or a local equivalent would do.
Often a “Deputy” (of whatever title the leader took on) would take on sundry responsibilities.
(in the army, "lieutenant… " )
Mountaineering expedititions, especially in the Himalayas, use the term “sirdar” - it doesn’t have a direct translation, I don’t think, but it’s the title given traditionally to the Sherpa leader and colloquially to the person responsible for day-to-day administration and organization of the expedition. The sirdar plans who’s leading whom, who’s fixing ropes, who’s stocking advance camps, who’s resting, that sort of thing. Doesn’t have to be Nepali, or even a Sherpa, but for Everest expeditions (and probably any summit team in the Himalayas) it usually is.
Is this what you were thinking of, maybe?
You got the wrong word there. Portero, derived from Latin “portus”, door, means “doorkeeper, goalkeeper, janitor”. Someone carrying or hauling heavy stuff, especially if for pay, would be “porteador”. Someone carrying a message or disease would be “portador”. In radio or telecom, the “carrier frequency” would be “frecuencia portadora” or simply “portadora”, carrier. A plane carrier is “portaaviones”.
Majordomo? That seems to be rolling around in my brain, in company of references to African safaris.
Thanks, all. I’m thinking that perhaps I was deluding myself. Quartermaster it is.
Manciple?
Agreed, that’s the word. I had supernumerary edging its way in but you are correct.
Quartermaster is a quasi-military term but yes, it would do the job too.
Not a lot of call for Spanish in Africa. Portuguese, yes, Spanish, no.