RECRUITING. 153 



other, and of course did not notice the idle 

 beauties beneath the verandas. 



Hardly had we appeared, however, when 

 mysteriously came forth the headman a bearded, 

 solemn, Arab -like person with a phenomenally 

 ugly face but a most pleasing smile. We told him 

 we wanted porters. He clapped his hands. To 

 the four young men who answered this summons 

 he gave a command. From sleepy indolence 

 they sprang into life. To the four cardinal points 

 of the compass they darted away, running up 

 and down the side streets, beating on the doors, 

 screaming at the tops of their lungs the word 

 " Cazi "* over and over again. 



The village hummed like a wasps' nest. Men 

 poured from the huts in swarms. The streets 

 were filled ; the idle sauntering youths were 

 swamped, and sunk from view. Clamour and 

 shouting arose where before had been a droning 

 silence. The mob beat up to where we stood, 

 surrounding us, shouting at us. From some- 

 where some one brought an old table and two 

 decrepit chairs, battered and rickety in themselves, 

 but symbols of great authority in a community 

 where nobody habitually used either. Two 

 naked boys proudly took charge of our bicycles. 



* Work. 



