NATURE IN RETALIATION 175 



louder as he ran. When in full flight, the gin tripped 

 over a mangrove root, and, spread-eagled, fell. The 

 boy came tumbling after, but the remnants of the crab — 

 the bony bud of a tail — stood erect and firm. Then the 

 pitying spectators seized Dilly Boy, and, holding him, 

 unlocked the pinchers. He rolled over — it was the only 

 easeful attitude — as he cursed all gins, crabs, and 

 dynamiters with wondrous fluency. And may the 

 potency of those coloured curses rest upon the latter ! 



