SUEZ 



were mountains; and the water all about us was the 

 light, clear green of the sky at sunset. 



Innumerable dhows and rowboats swarmed down, 

 filled with eager salesmen of curios and ostrich 

 plumes. They had not much time in which to 

 bargain, so they made it up in rapid-fire vociferation. 

 One very tall and dignified Arab had as sailor of his 

 craft the most extraordinary creature, just above 

 the lower limit of the human race. He was of a dull 

 coal black, without a single high light on him any- 

 where, as though he had been sanded; had prominent 

 teeth, like those of a baboon, in a wrinkled, wizened 

 monkey face across which were three tattooed bands; 

 and possessed a little Ibng-armcd spare figure, bent 

 and wiry. He clambered up and down his mast, 

 fetching things at his master's behest; leaped non- 

 chalantly for our rail or his own spar, as the case 

 might be, across the staggering abyss; clung so well 

 with his toes that he might almost have been classi- 

 fied with the quadrumana; and between times 

 squatted humped over on the rail watching us with 

 bright, elfish, alien eyes. 



At last the big German sailors bundled the whole 

 variegated horde overside. It was time to go; and 

 our anchor chain was already rumbling in the hawse 

 pipes. They tumbled hastily into their boats; and 

 at once swarmed up their masts, whence they fever- 



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