tration: 33]

And after thousands and thousands and thousands of years, and after
Hieroglyphics and Demotics, and Nilotics, and Cryptics, and Cufics, and
Runics, and Dorics, and Ionics, and all sorts of other ricks and tricks
(because the Woons, and the Neguses, and the Akhoonds, and the
Repositories of Tradition would never leave a good thing alone when they
saw it), the fine old easy, understandable Alphabet--A, B, C, D, E, and
the rest of 'em--got back into its proper shape again for all Best
Beloveds to learn when they are old enough.

But _I_ remember Tegumai Bopsulai, and Taffimai Metallumai and
Teshumai Tewindrow, her dear Mummy, and all the days gone by. And it was
so--just so--a little time ago--on the banks of the big Wagai!

ONE of the first things that Tegumai Bopsulai did
after Taffy and he had made the Alphabet was to
make a magic Alphabet-necklace of all the letters,
so that it could be put in the Temple of Tegumai
and kept for ever and ever. All the Tribe of
Tegumai brought their most precious beads and
beautiful things, and Taffy and Tegumai spent five
whole years getting the necklace in order. This is
a picture of the magic Alphabet-necklace. The
string was made of the finest and strongest
reindeer-sinew, bound round with thin copper wire.

Beginning at the top, the first bead is an old
silver one that belonged to the Head Priest of the
Tribe of Tegumai; then come three black
mussel-pearls; next is a clay bead (blue and
gray); next a nubbly gold bead sent as a present
by a tribe who got it from Africa (but it must
have been Indian really); the next is a long
flat-sided glass bead from Africa (the Tribe of
Tegumai took it in a fight); then come two clay
beads (white and green), with dots on one, and
dots and bands on the other; next are three rather
chipped amber beads; then three clay beads (red
and white), two with dots, and the big one in the
middle with a toothed pattern. Then the letters
begin, and between each letter is a little whitish
clay bead with the letter repeated small. Here are
the letters--

A is scratched on a tooth--an elk-tusk I think.

B is the Sacred Beaver of Tegumai on a bit of old glory.