814 ' HOME LIFE ON AN OSTRICH FARM. 



finds them so faint and exhausted that they are in no 

 hurry to begin eating. And no wonder, too, that 

 Moorish servants — never very far behind those of South 

 Africa in stupidity — are at this time a greater trial of 

 patience than ever. One does not like to be hard on 

 them, and the minimum of work is given to them ; but 

 everything is done so badly that their services might 

 almost as well be dispensed with until the fast is over. 

 Altogether, during this time of woe, the tempers of 

 employers and employed are about equally tried. 



Mohammed, our genius, who at the best of times was 

 sure to forget one or more important items of the day's 

 marketing, had on this occasion omitted just everything 

 that was necessary to make a dinner. The bread was 

 there, to be sure, so too were figs and dates ; but, all 

 having been put loose into the donkey's panniers and 

 well jolted along the roughest of roads, the eatables 

 had become so hopelessly mixed up with a large dab of 

 native soft soap, bought for the week's washing, that 

 they were only disentangled with difficulty, and the 

 most careful cleansing failed to make them fit for 

 human food. An earthenware jar of honey had been 

 bought ; but, being unprovided with a stopper, and left 

 to roll about in the pannier as it pleased, it had poured 

 its contents as a libation along the road, and, when com- 

 placently handed to me by Mohammed, was perfectly 

 empty. All the non-edible articles of the day's orders 

 had been carefully remembered, and stowed well away 

 from the soap ; but of fish, flesh, or fowl there was no 

 sign. The poor fasting man could not be sent all the 



