WATER-TIGERS. 69 



errand, and when I returned some two hours 

 later the Conqueror was still in an undecided 

 frame of mind. 



Thinking that perhaps he expected me to per- 

 form the office of sexton, I poked a hole and as- 

 sisted him into it. He seemed gratified, but the 

 next day he came out. His tomb did not suit 

 him, so I dug him a hole long enough for him to 

 lie down in comfortably. This suited better, but 

 it seemed to be a vexed question in Conqueror 

 II.'s mind as to which was the more proper, to 

 be buried with his head to the west or to the east. 

 He lay facing the east a while, but afterwards 

 changed to the other position. 



I felt conscience-stricken. Perhaps I had un- 

 justly accused the Conqueror. How did I know 

 he could dig ? What had he to dig with ? His 

 legs looked too weak, but I had thought he would 

 use his mandibles, in the way that I had seen 

 Carabidce larvae make holes in the earth. But 

 the ground-beetle-larva3 had always lived in the 

 ground and been used to the menial employment 

 of digging, whereas the Conqueror had had noth- 

 ing but water to go through. 



It was the righteous larva of Yeast-Powder- 

 Lid Lake that undeceived me. He was missing 

 one morning, and digging after him with a heavy 

 heart, for I had learned to expect that my 

 captives would escape, to my joyful surprise I 

 found him nearly at the bottom of the earth in 



