46 BEAUTIFUL BIRDS 
servants in that part of the world to kill the Great 
Bird of Paradise; for I don’t think the men in those 
countries would much mind what the women said to 
_ them. I cannot tell you which bottle it is, but it 
is none of those that I have told you about. The 
label upon it is not nearly such a grand one, and 
the powder is of a much coarser grain, for the man 
that the demon is going to blow it at is only a poor 
savage, who is black and nearly naked, and who is 
not able to serve him in such important ways as are 
people of a lighter colour and less scantily dressed. 
He is only fit to do little odd jobs now and again, 
and his wages are very low in consequence. Even 
what he gets he is often not allowed to keep, for the 
demon’s upper servants take them away from him, 
and he is not strong enough to resist. One of his 
odd jobs is killing the poor Great Birds of Paradise, 
and now I will tell you how he does it. Only you must 
not be angry with him, or even with the other people 
whose servant he stinks he is, though they are all of 
them really the servants of one master, that wretched 
little demon in the magic suit of clothes, which makes 
him seem nice to everybody, although he is so nasty. 
It is he you must be angry with, for it is he who does 
all the mischief, in the way I have told you. He 
gets people into his power; but, if you do as I tell 
you, perhaps you will be able to save them from him, 
