MOMBASA 



shoulders, muttering a word of warning to the 

 loiterers at every other breath — semeelay! semie- 

 lay! No matter in what part of Mombasa you may 

 happen to be, or at what hour of the day or night, 

 you will meet these industrious little men trotting 

 along under their burdens. 



Everywhere also are the women, carrying them- 

 selves proudly erect, with a free swing of the hips. 

 They wear invariably a single sheet of cotton cloth 

 printed in blue or black with the most astonishing 

 borders and spotty designs. This is drawn tight 

 just above the breasts, leaving the shoulders and 

 arms bare. Their hair is divided into perhaps a 

 dozen parts running lengthwise of the head from the 

 forehead to the nape of the neck, after the manner 

 of the stripes on a watermelon. Each part then 

 ends in a tiny twisted pigtail not over an inch long. 

 The lobes of their ears have been stretched until 

 they hold thick round disks about three inches in 

 diameter, ornamented by concentric circles of 

 different colours, with a red bull's eye for a centre. 

 The outer edges of the ears are then further decorated 

 with gold clasps set closely together. Many brace- 

 lets, necklaces, and armlets complete the get-up. 

 They are big women, with soft velvety skins, and a 

 proud and haughty carriage; the counterparts of 

 the men in the white robes and caps. 



71 



