iously on Raj, but received such an awful whack on
the exposed flank from Isri Pershad, that he felt his case to be
hopeless, and sulked again. Going down on his knees he stuck his tusks
into the ground, like a sheet anchor, with a determination that
expressed, `Move me out o' this if you can!'

"Chand Moorut accepted the unspoken challenge. He gave the rogue a
shove that not only raised his hind legs in the air, but caused him to
stand on his head, and finally hurled him on his back. As he rose,
doggedly, he received several admonitory punches, and advanced a few
paces. Spearmen also were brought forward to prick him on, but they
only induced him to curl his trunk round a friendly tree that came in
his way, and hold on. Neither bumping, pricking, nor walloping had now
any effect. He seemed to have anchored himself there for the remainder
of his natural life by an unnatural attachment.

"In this extremity the khedda men had recourse to their last resource.
They placed under him some native fireworks, specially prepared for such
emergencies, and, as it were, blew him up moderately. Being thus
surprised into letting go his hold of the tree, he was urged slowly
forward as before. You see, we did not want to kill the beast, though
he richly deserved death, having killed so many natives, besides keeping
a whole neighbourhood in alarm for years. We were anxious to take him
to camp, and we managed it at last, though the difficulty was almost
superhuman, and may to some extent be conceived when I tell you that,
although we spent the whole of that day, from dawn to sunset, struggling
with our obstinate captive, and with the entire force of the khedda, we
only advanced to the extent of four or five hundred yards!"

Now, while this amazing story was being told by Giles Jackman to his
friends in Barret's room, a very different story was being told in the
room above them. That room was the nursery, and its only occupants were
little Flo and her black doll. The rain had cleared off towards the
afternoon, and a gleam of sunshine entering the nursery windows, had
formed a spot of intense light on the nursery floor. This seemed to
have suggested something of great interest to Flo, for, after gazing at
it with bright eyes for some time, she suddenly held the doll before her
and said--

"Blackie, I'm goin' to tell you a stowy--a bustingly intewestin' stowy."

We must remind the reader here that Flo was naturally simple and