Page:Life in a thousand worlds.djvu/131

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126
LIFE IN A THOUSAND WORLDS.

abundant, similar to that found in our tropical regions. Many kinds of fruit, growing on the land, are sought after by the masters of the water. In the season when certain fruits are ripe whole expeditions go out to gather them. But how can they live away from the great body of water while plucking these fruits? Let me tell you how they manage it. They have what we would call water-wagons, very wide and short, and equipped with buckets. At the rear of one of these strangely shaped carriages stand four or six men abreast immersing their heads in the water of the wagon for a fresh breath as often as necessity requires. Thus they are enabled to travel over land to any desired locality, always being careful to keep near enough the water to cover any emergency.

When they arrive at the fruit each man takes his bucket of water and proceeds to work. He plucks fruit or berries for about thirty seconds and then ducks his head into his bucket of water for a fresh breath. Then he proceeds as before. When the water is no longer fit for breathing, he carries his