penitential white sheet and far too illustrious as a shroud."

_The Leader (British East Africa)._

We agree, but it would make a splendid halter.

* * * * *

THE WAY OF THOMAS.

Theory and Practice.

Scene._--Sand on the ---- Frontier of ---. A Cavalry outpost recently
arrived is sitting in a hollow in a vile temper, morosely gouging hunks
of tepid bully beef out of red tins. Several thousand mosquitos are
assiduously eating the outpost. There is nothing to do except to kill
the beasts and watch the antics of the scavenger beetle, who extracts a
precarious livelihood from the sand by rolling all refuse into little
balls and burying them. It is very hot._

_1st Trooper._ Shoot the devils, I would. I can't understand their
letting 'em go the way they do. The first one I meets I shoots. Killing
our wounded the way they do.

_2nd Trooper._ Ay, and killing's not the worst they do, neither. You
should ha' seen them, two poor fellows of ours wot was found. You
wouldn't be taking no prisoners after that.

_1st Trooper._ If I 'ad my way I wouldn't take no prisoners. 'Tain't
safe, for one thing. That was 'ow pore old Bill got done in; went to
take a white-headed old devil prisoner as might have been his
grandfather, and he up and strafed him in the stomach with a shot-gun.
Don't care 'oo it is. They say the women's as bad as the men.

_Corporal (darkly)._ Ah, shooting's too good for 'em, I say, after wot
they done.

_1st Trooper._ They do say they're starving now. Living on grass, 'alf
of 'em; specially after that lot of camels wot was captured.

_Corporal (darkly)._ Ah, let 'em starve, I say. Starving's too good for
'em after wot they done.

_2nd Trooper._ That's just it. They won't let 'em starve. As soon as
they've finished killing our wounded they comes into our camp with all
their families, and we feeds 'em up with dates and biscuits and probably
lets 'em go again.

_1st Trooper._ We're too soft-'earted, that's wot we are. Them Germans
wouldn't carry on like that; they'd shoot 'em quick and no more said.

_2nd Trooper._ Ay, you're right there, and when we gets home the first
thing we shall find is a relief fund to provide food for 'em.

_Corporal._ Well, they'd better not come near _this_ post; they won't
get no dates 'ere.

_Sentry._ Corporal, I can see 'alf-a-dozen of them blighters coming
along about a mile away. Shall I give 'em one?

_Corporal._ No, you idio