120 AFRICAN CAMP FIRES. 



tion to a man. They disappeared down through 

 the wide gates of the customs enclosure, their 

 naked, muscular, light-brown bodies gleaming 

 with sweat, their Standard Oil cans dangling 

 merrily at the ends of slender poles. A moment 

 later they emerged, the cans full of salt water 

 from the bay, the poles seeming fairly to butt 

 into their bare shoulders as they teetered along 

 at their rapid, swaying, burdened gait. 



The moment they entered the square they 

 were seized upon from a dozen different sides. 

 There was no system at all. Every owner of 

 property was out for himself, and intended to 

 get as much of the precious water as he could. 

 The poor carriers were pulled about, jerked vio- 

 lently here and there, besought, commanded, to 

 bring their loads to one or the other of the threat- 

 ened premises. Vociferations, accusations, com- 

 mands arose to screams. One old graybeard occu- 

 pied himself by standing on tiptoe and screeching, 

 " Maji ! maji ! maji ! " at the top of his voice, as 

 though that added anything to the visible supply. 

 The water-carrier of the moment disappeared in 

 a swirl of excited contestants. He was attending 

 strictly to business, looking neither to right 

 nor to left, pushing forward as steadily as he 

 could, gasping mechanically his customary warn- 



