this juggler has done. The man who first
reported the discovery of this Nat, as the foolish Kachyens call it,
simply disturbed a monstrous spider which had lived in the trees which
he felled--that accounts for his seeing it. Finding animal food scarce,
the reptile ventured into this village and tried to get into one of the
huts. Its exertions were rewarded by the Kachyen coming to the door,
whom it accordingly seized. To continue its plan, which proved so
successful, needed very little reasoning power on the part of such a
cunning creature. No doubt this Maw-Sayah purposely left the door of his
hut unfastened each seventh night, and the spider thus became accustomed
to seek for its victim there, I daresay it came the other nights, but
the juggler was then careful enough to keep his hut well fastened."

"What do the sahibs propose to do?" interrupted Hassan. Denviers turned
to him, as he responded:--

"We will wait for daybreak; then, having dragged the dead spider out
where the Kachyens may see that it is no longer able to harm them, we
will take this Maw-Sayah down the mountain path away from the village as
poor as he came."

[Illustration: "YOU SCOUNDREL!"]

"A good plan," I assented, and we followed it out, eventually leaving
the juggler, and climbing once more into the howdah upon the elephant,
which we found close to the spot where we had left it, secured from
wandering far away by the rope which Hassan had used to hinder its
movements.

We entered Bhamo, and while we took a much-needed rest, our guide--as we
afterwards learnt--searched for and found the fugitive Kachyen, who, on
hearing that his safety was secured, hastily departed to the village to
rejoice with the rest of his tribe that the so-called Nat would not do
them any more injury.

_From Behind the Speaker's Chair._

III.

(VIEWED BY HENRY W. LUCY.)

[Illustration: "OBSTRUCTION."]

It is thirteen years since a new Parliament last blithely started on its
way with Mr. Gladstone sitting in the seat of the Premier. Since March,
1880, a great deal has happened, not least in the change of
circumstances under which the business of the House of Commons is
conducted. The majority of the House of Commons may be Liberal or
Conservative, according to a passing flood of conviction on the part of
the constituencies. When presumptuous hands are stretched forth to touch
the Ark of its procedure, its instincts are all Tory. For more than two
hundred y