THE TOUR 343 



authorities were quite powerless to prevent, and, 

 according to rumour, these opportunities were very 

 generally taken advantage of. More relief money, it 

 was said, was given by the Government than was 

 distributed, and pay was drawn for many more minor 

 officials than were ever really employed. Of the 

 correctness of this last rumour I once had an amusing 

 illustration. 



In the course of my morning walk I came on one 

 of these relief parties ; they were engaged in repairing 

 the road. The overseer in charge was standing by, and 

 with him were several children. All were quite small ; 

 the youngest he carried in his arms. The sight struck 

 me as odd. I asked my attendants what was its 

 meaning, whose the children were, and why they were 

 there. My attendants smiled, and informed me that 

 the children were the overseer's and also his assistants, 

 and were now engaged, they supposed, in overlooking 

 the labourers. 



The overseer, when I inquired of him, admitted the 

 correctness of my attendants' statement. The children 

 were, he said, his assistants, and he added that they 

 performed their duties as such most efficiently, even 

 the child in his arms never for an instant permitting 

 the labourers to loiter or idle. To confirm this 

 assertion, he called the child's attention to some 

 labourers close by. They had paused in their work 

 to listen to our conversation. The child had a switch 

 in his hand. Under his father's direction, he waved the 

 switch at the men, and made some inarticulate noises, 

 for he was too young to speak plain. The men appre- 



