affectionate student who is about to leave
us, is an object-lesson in itself. The boarders, though comparatively
few in number, are really the nucleus of the school, and take a
prominent part in matches and in school life in general quite out of
proportion to their numbers. The missionary is constantly in contact
with them, and they come to him at all seasons, till the relationship
is more like that of a father to his family than of a master to his
students. Such students leave the hostel with friendly feelings towards
Christians and Englishmen, which show themselves in after-years in
the hospitable and hearty reception which they accord not only to
the missionary, but to others who may be visiting their village.

There is a swimming-tank attached to the hostel, and the boys bathe
every morning except in the coldest winter months, when they bathe at
the well, where the water is several degrees warmer. Woe betide the
boy who is found asleep after sunrise! for should the manager come
round and find him so, he is hauled out by two of the monitors, who,
seizing him by hands and feet, toss him far into the swimming-tank
before he quite knows whether he is dreaming or awake. A similar
punishment is inflicted on a boy using foul language, who is thrown
in, clothes and all, for purification from its stain. At one time
visitors often got opportunities of seeing the punishment inflicted,
but it is getting rarer now as the standard rises.

A strange fragment of frontier boyhood was Amal Khan. He was brought
down to us from Afghanistan by a friendly Sardar, who had taken an
interest in him. He was only about eleven years old, but his father
and most of his family had been killed in vendettas, and his ruling
passion was to grow big and strong, buy a rifle, and go in quest of
the murderers or their relatives. His gentle little face and winsome
manner seemed so out of keeping with the cold bloodthirstiness of the
remarks he used to make with the greatest naivete that he was looked on
as a kind of curiosity. Later on, when he had made some acquaintance
with Scripture, he used to like to hear the Gospel stories of the
gentleness of Jesus--the Good Shepherd, the miracles of compassion,
the parable of the Good Samaritan, and such like; but even then the
passion for revenge seemed to dominate his little breast, and he
finally went back to his village across the Afghan border in order
to apply himself more seriously to the object of his f