THE WATER SUPPLY 



the club, there is an unusual but most excellent 

 rule, which does not allow any member to offer 

 another a drink without incurring a fine of Rs. 5, 

 It might with advantage be copied in other clubs in 

 the Protectorate, for there the habit of standing and 

 being stood drinks has become a perfect burden, 

 especially to those who are not blessed with an 

 abundance of this world's goods. 



There are several wells in Kismayu, but the water 

 they contain is bitter and unpleasant to the taste ; all 

 the water therefore which is required has to be 

 fetched from the Juba River some nine miles away, 

 whence it is brougrht back in twelve-gallon tanks on 

 camels. But the slope of the ground is such that 

 whenever there is any rain, all the refuse and filth 

 from the little village of Gobwein is swept down into 

 the river at the only place at which it is practicable 

 to fill the water tanks, for further up there is an 

 abundance of tsetse fly. Consequently it is not 

 surprising that dysentery is rife at Gobwein and 

 Giumbo as well as at Kismayu, and it is marvellous 

 there is no more. 



Formerly the Treasury at Kismayu was the fort, 

 and around it were the officers' quarters when it was 

 a military station. Surrounding them was a high, 

 thick wall, which is still standing in excellent repair, 

 but the little town has now spread beyond it, and it 

 no longer serves a useful purpose, for conditions 

 along the coast are quite peaceful. 



The town of Kismayu, whose name is said to be 

 derived from the words " Kisima cha yuu," meaning 

 the "Upper Well," was founded by Abdul Malik bin 

 Muriani in the 77th year of the Hejira (694. a.d.). 

 At about the same time the little towns of Mogadishu, 



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