By Tamarind and Mhowa. 97 



camp alone, or blew out the choke of my beautiful gun 

 with ill-fitting and wobbly-flighted spherical balls. Over 

 it all rose the thrn sardonic chuckle of the household 

 gnome ! 



An hour later my orderly, his knees tucked into my 

 pony's ribs, was fleeing east to the least distant railway 

 station, near which were sundry workshops. However, the 

 buffer spring of a locomotive was scarcely calculated to 

 allay my trouble which continued-, 



My despairing gaze fell on the open rifle-case. An old 

 spare " cocking-piece," with its long spiral striker-spring, 

 lay therein. Now spiral springs can be cut with a sharp 

 screw driver sometimes ; they are also capable of 

 uniting two given points nearly as well as a V shaped 

 spring. Melted alum will firmly unite separate pieces of 

 metal, especially if aided by a " frapping " of common or 

 garden thread. 



I stole a glance, drooping my left eyelid slightly the 

 while, at my household troll. He was dejectedly spring- 

 ing, squirrel-like, round the bole of a tree. 



Half an hour later my scantily-clothed companion pro- 

 truded a red and astounded countenance through the flap 

 of his tent, and as the Lee-Metford bolt clicked merrily a 

 second time, and I "snapped " the repaired lock again and 

 again in my glee, a faint howl from the tamarind leaves 

 intimated the complete rout of a discomfited elf. Strange 

 to relate, the rifle so repaired gave perfect satisfaction 

 during the remainder of that trip, accounting for bearSj 

 panthers, and tigers. 



To return to the jungles of Pipalda 



Crossing the fallow ground beyond the village, we 

 passed the burnt strip of the " fire-line," and entered the 

 reserve by a rough cart-track, along which we moved for 

 some distance in soft, cotton-soled silence. 



13 



