hing of the sort, turned on
his heel, and walked off. We spent an hour on tenterhooks, and I began
to believe the German had simply become more suspicious than ever and
would keep closer watch on us without troubling at all about the men.
But at the end of an hour we saw the porters rounded up, and a chain
fetched out that was long enough to hold them all. They disappeared
within the boma wall. Ten minutes later suddenly Will pointed toward
the southward.

"Look! See what happens when the roofs of shanty-town take fire!"

Flames went up from the dry grass roof of one of the rectangular
Swahili huts. Within thirty seconds the askaris on guard at the boma
began firing their rifles in the air as fast as they could pull the
trigger and reload. Within two minutes the chain-gang was headed for
jail, where it was locked behind doors, in order that every askari in
Muanza might be free to pile arms and hurry to the fire.
It was not only askaris; the whole township turned out as to the
circus, with Schubert and his long kiboko ruling the riot. The other
sergeants were in evidence, but quiet, imperturbable men compared to
their feldwebel, plying their kibokos without wasting words, stirring
the whole world within their reach into action--if not orderly and
purposeful, action, at least.

Schubert climbed on a roof well to windward and safe from the sparks,
and directed proceedings in a voice that out-thundered the mob's roar
and crackling flames. To illustrate his meaning he seized handsful of
the thatch on which he stood and tore them out, to the huge discontent
of the owner. The crowd saw what he wanted and began at once tearing
off roofs in a wide circle around the fire so as to isolate it,
Schubert demonstrating until scarcely a handful of thatch remained on
the roof he honored and he had to stand awkwardly on the crisscross
poles, while the owner and his women wept.

Within ten minutes after the commencement of the fire there was under
way a regular orgy of roof pulling. Whoever had an enemy ran and tore
his roof off, and there were several instances of reciprocity, two
families tearing off each other's roofs, each believing the other to be
at the fire.

Muanza was a furious place--a riot--a home of din and tumult while the
fire lasted, and when it was put out it took another hour to stop the
fights between victims of the flames and unofficial salvage-men.

"D'ye get the idea of it?" asked Will. "D'ye see the