evidently protesting vigorously when the pilot cut him short, and said curtly— "Look here, I have had quite enough of this; tell him that I will give him five minutes to start heaving aweigh. If he doesn't start by then, I will lash the tug boat alongside, slip your cable, leave your anchor on the bottom of the river, and tow you up to town." "Yes, please," said the pilot. "And if you will get me a bucket of water I will have a wash. You might take my bag down to the saloon, and I will wash there." It was now daylight, and all the man at the wheel had to do was follow the tug. The pilot went below, and after having a wash, he asked Putriah if he had any boot blacking, as he had got his boots wet Putriah himself issued the coming off in the boat. Putriah, orders, and led the indignant apparently ready to do anymaster into the saloon. As thing to please, went off for soon as they got under weigh the blacking, and when he had the pilot went aft, told the man gone, the pilot took the magaat the wheel to steer after the zine from his bag, opened it tug, and leant against the in the middle, and folding it taffrail smoking a cigarette. back, placed it on the deck In the saloon below he could some distance from the bag. hear Putriah and the master, He put his feet one after anbut their positions seemed to other on a bench, and when be reversed, for it was the Putriah had finished the boots, former who was speaking stern- the pilot asked him to rub the ly, and the master was much leather above one of his big more subdued. The pilot was toes, and try to soften it, as rather mystified; he wondered he had a painful corn. Не if this could possibly be the then proceeded to pack his Putriah of the prison camp, bag, and as he did so he saidand then he remembered a strange hobby which he had taken up as a prisoner of war -the collecting of finger-prints. He had dozens of them which he had obtained from fellowprisoners, all certified, neatly pasted into a book, and labelled. Amongst them were those of Putriah, which he had obtained by a subterfuge, and he wondered if he could obtain another. Just then Putriah approached him full of conciliation, and asked, very politely, if he would like a cup of tea. "Chuck me that magazine over, but don't lose the place." To do this Putriah had to press the edges, and as he handed the magazine to the pilot, the latter was pleased to see some finger-prints, and more especially that of the thumb, on the margin. They arrived in the harbour, and after handing the brig over to the berthing officials, the pilot went on shore. On arriving at his bungalow he found his book of finger-prints, took out the page with those of Putriah, and after a bath and breakfast, he got out his car and ran down to the office of his friend, the commissioner of police. "The first thing to do obviously is to compare the prints,' said that official. "We will send them down to the fingerprint expert." Calling a peon, he wrote a note and despatched it with the prints. The pilot then told him about the boats coming alongside in the river, and also about the scene made by the master when he had given orders to weigh the anchor. "That looks as if your friend Putriah had turned to smuggling," said the commissioner. "It might be opium or cocaine, or both, although I cannot remember any of the native vessels being caught at it. However, that is a job for our friends, the Customs, and I shall warn them." Just then the peon returned with a note-undoubtedly the finger-prints were identical. "I will have friend Putriah carefully watched," said the commissioner. "If anything of interest happens I will let you know. Good morning. Many thanks." friend Putriah and the master to-day-two of the most dangerous anarchists in India.” He went on further to relate that, warned by him, the Customs officers had thoroughly searched the brig. They had found no opium or cocaine, and were about to give up the search when one of them happened to ask about some green cocoa-nuts which were stowed apart from the cargo in a small hatch below the saloon. The ever- ready Putriah explained that they were special ones, which were to be used for seed. One of the officers casually picked up a cocoa-nut and found it to be as heavy as lead. A police guard was put on board, and the cocoa-nut taken up to the arsenal, where it was found to contain a powerful bomb. The outer skin had been cut to allow the bomb to be inserted, and very cleverly closed again. There were about a hundred of these bombs on board. At the subsequent trial, when the pilot went into the witnessbox, Putriah was apparently unconcerned. He even con-. trived a little smile of welcome. The second question put by the prosecutor to the pilot was "You were in 1918 a prisoner of war at a prison camp in Germany?" Putriah's unconcern vanished. He gazed keenly at the pilot, and a sickly expression came over his face. For the first time he recognised his real Well, we safely jugged your conqueror. THE AFRICAN SCORPION. BY GAID SAKIT. MANY people doubtless know well the picturesque story in the Old Testament in which Rehoboam says unto his people, "My father hath chastised you with whips, but I will chastise with scorpions," and it remains to those who have met with chastisement by the whip to gauge the intensity of pain from a similar infliction from scorpions. As a boy at school I experienced the former in the natural course of events, and later in life I met with the latter, and I can well imagine the effect which Rehoboam's threat had upon his people. I have only been stung by one scorpion at a time, and I shudder to think of the pain from the beast in the plural. Western countries have many things to be thankful for, and I reckon that freedom from insect pests is one of their greatest assets. Now the scorpion is a curious beast in many ways. For one thing, it does not lay eggs as one would expect, but is viviparous-i.e., produces its young alive, and carries them on its back until they are sufficiently old to fend for themselves. To look at it is like a miniature lobster, varying in size from one inch to three inches in length from head to tip of tail, though I believe that in West Africa they are to be found as big as six inches in length. But size does not necessarily affect the power of its sting, which is contained in a bag in its tail. When it is likely to meet with danger it proceeds with its tail curled up over its head, and looks rather like a miniature ship under full sail. Another rather surprising thing about our friend is the great speed at which he can travel in proportion to his size, and his marvellous ability to find cover. I have killed them by fifties in a hole, and I cannot say that I have any feelings for them except of loathing and reverence for their sting. And of that I have a profound profound reverence! as 80 many others have who sojourn during the rains south of latitude 15° in Africa. In the dry weather one never sees them, for they are busy about their lawful occasions preying on smaller insects in the gaping fissures of the ground, but when the first rains come then begins the scorpion season. For, like most things with life except fishes, the scorpion objects to getting wet, and on the first trickle of water entering his fissure he makes for the open country and another form of shelter, and, moreover, he has to be quick about it, for the rain is of the "bucket " variety, and leaves no time for meditation. So it is that he makes for one's bungalow and the shelter pattern bed-put on the southafforded thereby. My bungalow from all outward view was impervious to every form of insect and crawler except sandflies, for it was surrounded by fine meshed mosquito wire buried in cement at the verandah level and turned in and secured under the eaves of the roof, so that it would appear impossible for any scorpion to intrude. Yet this was hardly the fact, for last rains I used to kill over thirty a night for many nights, and my bungalow was not nearly so badly infested as many others. potash potash very was an inky east side of the verandah so bed again, and thought of sleep, but not a wink had I for over four hours. It is a most extraordinary kind of pain-one cannot put a finger on it. The actual wound is not over sore, yet the pain seems to be all over the body; it will not allow one to remain still in any position for more than half a minute, and try as I would I could not get comfortable. I got up and walked about the verandah, and it still ached; I sat down, and it drove me to my feet; I lay down, and I wanted to get up again immediately. The hours dragged by, and in those hours I swore death and damnation to every scorpion alive, dead, and unborn! My ammonia was stale and the tourniquet useless, and there was nothing for it but to grin and bear it. And all through those weary hours I wondered how many more of the fraternity were crawling up the legs of the angereeb ! When the sun rose I felt too rotten to go out, and at about 7 A.M. managed to get some sleep. This was after my boy had brought my tea and I had told him of the fatality, and after much sympathy and kalam (talk), in which he averred that I should be aiyan khallas (very ill) all day, I managed to impress upon him that in future he was entirely responsible for my immunity from scorpions during the night season. My words evidently had a good effect, for in spite of his "Hadr Genabak" (All right, sir, which usually means nothing at all), I never had any cause for complaining of the presence of scorpions. However, he, doubtless, found a good many in the bedding when I was out. C was still very blearyeyed when I told him, and besides he was busy cracking a ginger-nut and, of course, smiled at my misfortune. I will not say he laughed; it was too early! "A war starts this evening," said I, "and you and I will have to go round the bungalow after sundown and strafe these fiends." C was not very keen at first; in fact, not nearly so keen as my suffragi (houseboy). However, that night after a sundowner, we each took a shamadan and went the rounds. We started with the side door by opening it gently in case any should fall off the top. Then the door-latchprobably a couple lurking in the slot into which the lock fits. Then the lintels of the doors— perhaps a couple lying curled up in the corner of the mosquito wire. Scrunch! Next the walls, to find a few unsuspecting brutes in the indentations of the mortar, the shutters, window-sills, dining-room shutters and doors-yes, a couple in the crack of the hinges— walls again-shouts of “agrab!” a scrunch. The bathroom; a big one on the ceiling necessi |