A HORNET-HAUNTED DINNER. 177 



be shifted occasionally, to escape the drip of water 



through the leaky roof, but we were comparatively dry 



and warm, and it was not till dinner was nearly ready 



that our troubles began. I had just brushed away an 



insect which in the darkness I thought was a big spider, 



when Alan called out that he was stung by something, 



which turned out to be a large yellow hornet. 



Another one, bigger and yellower, dropped from the 



ceiling as the ayah ran up with the lantern. And, 



looking above, the walls and roof were festooned with 



hundreds of venomous-looking insects, who, warmed into 



life by our fire, dropped one by one on the floor, and 



crawled about in a half-torpid state until thawed 



enough to fly. 



Now commenced a brisk slaughter, all hands busily 



engaged with shoes and slippers. For half an hour we 



worked hard ; but as we could not get at the myriads 



on the roof, the hornets did not seem to be appreciably 



diminished in numbers. At last one crawled over my 



ankle and bit me through the thick stocking ; and the 



ayah at the same time unearthing a small scorpion, I 



gave in. Alan, having found half a dozen hornets under 



the pillow of his bed, and been stung a second time, 



agreed with me ; and after a hurried, hornet-haunted 



dinner, we decided to return to our tents. 



The Lumbardar, hearing of our intention, came back 



N 



