LAST WORDS 



not such a good pull, my husband's side walked 

 away with the other team. After it was over the 

 other side told the officers that at the last minute 

 a fresh man slipped on to the rope instead of the 

 sick man, no officer noticing it ; but one or two of 

 the other team saw, yet waited till it was over 

 before telling their officer. 



My husband's team was disqualified and lost 

 the prize, which was annoying, as it was really the 

 better team ; they also received a lecture on honour 

 in games, most of which was lost I expect on the 

 native mind ; they cannot understand that it is right 

 to play fair, but only that it pays better as a rule. 



If anything happened to their officer in war 

 they would be lost, but they will blindly follow him 

 anywhere, and for their own officer will do any- 

 thing, though they would resent the officious inter- 

 ference of any other. An officer who is both firm 

 and yet kind they look upon as a lord of creation, 

 and yet they have a great sense of justice, bearing 

 their punishments calmly if well deserved. But the 

 officer who gets up in the morning with a liver, and 

 vents it on them in petty ways of temper and ill- 

 nature, is intensely disliked by them, and he can 

 get little good out of them. They are but children 

 after all. One gets quite attached to their beaming, 

 ugly faces, and the Saturday morning parade of the 

 ladies and their children, all turned out in their 

 best clothes for inspection, is quite a sight. The 



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