WATER CARRIERS. 81 



ing easily along, and seemingly never giving a 

 thought to their burdens, often stopping and 

 standing on one leg in order to take a thorn 

 out of the other foot. 



Many a time, on a day of scorching hot wind, 

 have I waylaid the women coming from the 

 springs, and, after the usual Chowana (" Good 

 day ") given by all, and returned by me,* asked 

 for a draught of water. One woman would then 

 kneel gracefully on one knee, whilst I either 

 plunged my mouth, like a horse, into a huge 

 pot, or drank from a garrafao, neither very easy 

 tasks. Quite little girls balance large pots of 

 water they can barely lift as easily as the women. 



I like to watch a long file of women and chil- 

 dren coming up from the springs with water, the 

 first woman generally holding forth with great 

 energy, and the others uttering a long-drawn 

 " Ah ! " in chorus after every sentence, and 

 every one, great and small, with the inseparable 

 short pipe in her mouth. 



* The women invariably make two little grunts after the salu- 

 tation Choivana has been returned, perhaps to denote satisfaction 

 at my politeness, 



F 



