A REJOINDER 115 



broken by stones thrown at night time. Blinds are 

 wrenched from their rollers and knockers from the 

 doors. Slates are knocked off the roofs. Old women of 

 eighty live in terror of these rowdies. The young 

 native children are bullied and terrorised by them. 

 They are viciously cruel to the cattle and dogs left 

 in their charge. They insult the visitors, making 

 personal remarks of an offensive character. They 

 collect in groups at corners, and cough, and guffaw 

 when a lady or a gentleman, or both, pass by. They 

 stand outside the open windows of houses where 

 visitors are staying and eavesdrop. They assemble 

 at dusk and nightfall when children are going to bed 

 and make as much noise as possible, by bursting 

 paper bags and in other ways. They deliberately 

 come up in groups where two visitors may be talking, 

 and commence whistling and laughing in an obviously 

 strained manner, while attempting i;o seem inoffensive 

 and unobtrusive. They chase and worry sheep in 

 lamb, causing premature birth and rendering the 

 sheep valueless. They carry false and unauthorised 

 messages from their guardians and obtain articles 

 of food by false pretences from the shopkeepers, 

 and then consume the articles among themselves. 

 They steal various articles when cases of goods are 

 being unpacked outside a shop, as soon as the shop- 

 man's back is turned. When taking messages to 

 the natives, the moment an opportunity occurs they 

 steal whatever is within reach. Some are such 

 perpetual thieves that the crofters send them back. 

 If they are rebuked by their masters for bad or 



