More Hunting Wasps 



and the food had suddenly failed. The 

 farmers had to wait for the sun to repair 

 the disaster; but how were they to keep the 

 famishing new-born grubs alive for a few 

 days? They knew me for an expert in 

 plants; by collecting them as I walked 

 through the fields I had earned the name 

 of a medical herbalist. With poppy-flowers 

 I prepared an elixir which cleared the sight; 

 with borage I obtained a syrup which was a 

 sovran remedy for whooping-cough; I dis- 

 tilled camomile; I extracted the essential 

 oil from the wintergreen. In short, botany 

 had won for me the reputation of a quack 

 doctor. After all, that was something. 



The housewives came in search of me 

 from every point of the compass and with 

 tears in their eyes explained the situation. 

 What could they give their Silk-worms while 

 waiting for the mulberry to sprout afresh? 

 It was a serious matter, well worthy of com- 

 miseration. One was counting on her batch 

 to buy a length of cloth for her daughter, 

 who was on the point of getting married; 

 another told me of her plans for a Pig to 

 be fattened against the coming winter; all 

 deplored the handful of crown-pieces which, 

 hoarded in the hiding-place in the cupboard, 



would have afforded help in difficult times. 

 i88 



