34 AFRICA SPEAKS 



motive power just as they were by the ancient Egyp- 

 tians. They walk all day in a circle around a center 

 pole, the power thus developed being used for the 

 grinding of grain and expressing of oil. 



The town of Mombasa itself is a curious mixture of 

 Arab, Portuguese, and modern EngHsh buildings, 

 churches, mosques, and cathedrals. On a Sunday 

 those riding home from the impressive ceremony of 

 the Church of England or from Mass in the CathoHc 

 cathedral must pass where the faithful of Moham- 

 med are kneehng, row upon row, in the dim interior 

 of a mosque, bowing and praying to Allah. 



Narrow, crooked streets with liigh, iron-barred stone 

 houses, overhead passageways across narrow alleys, 

 mysterious balconies, and quaint, towering observation 

 shafts built by the Portuguese are found in the older 

 quarters, while in the new part of town are wide 

 roads, with fresh, airy bungalows set in open gardens, 

 elaborate houses built by the government for its 

 officials, cricket and bowHng greens, golf Hnks, and a 

 country club. 



We stopped at the club toward evening for a sun- 

 downer, which was served to us at Httle tables set 

 under the sky, by white-gowned black boys w^ho 

 silently stole about in their bare feet. As it grew dusk, 

 a gentle and cooHng breeze came in from the sea, and 

 at this best time of all the day we strolled over to the 

 lighthouse near the point to look out over the heaving 

 expanse of the Indian Ocean. We watched as the last 

 rays of the sun played in constantly changing colors on 

 the face of the ripphng waters, then turned to look 

 upon the waving coconut groves and beyond to the 

 distant liills of Shimba. 



