60 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



selves midgets afloat in a pond and getting no- 

 where. 



Somewhere north of the equator before Father 

 Neptune in ancient style had come aboard and 

 ducked the lot of us we were treated to the 

 spectacle of how the German " sheep " reacts 

 under a joke. Each nation has its type of fool ; 

 and all, for the joyousness of mankind, differ. 

 On the bulletin board one evening appeared a 

 notice to the effect that the following morning a 

 limited number of sportsmen would be permitted 

 ashore for the day. Each was advised to bring 

 his own lunch, rifle, and drinks. The reason 

 alleged was that the ship must round a certain 

 cape across which the sportsmen could march 

 afoot in sufficient time to permit them a little 

 shooting. 



Now aboard ship were a dozen English, four 

 Americans, and thirty or forty Germans. The 

 Americans and English looked upon that bulletin, 

 smiled gently, and went to order another round of 

 lemon squashes. It was a meek, mild, little joke 

 enough ; but surely the bulletin board was as far 

 as it could possibly go. Next morning, however, 

 we observed a half-dozen of our German friends 

 in khaki and sun helmet, very busy with lunch 

 boxes, bottles of beer, rifles, and the like. They 



