244 A COLONY IN THE MAKING chap. 



reported that the safety of the homestead was menaced 

 by the arrival of a gu-gu. After describing the malig- 

 nant propensities of the beast, the native invited the 

 lady's attention to the garden. There, clearly imprinted 

 in the flower-beds and in the dust, was the spoor of 

 some large and curious animal. Inspection proved 

 that the beast had approached and possibly scaled the 

 house during the night, but had retired towards some 

 thick jungle during the day. In a frenzy of terror the 

 settlers wife inquired how the immediate danger might 

 be averted. Luckily the head boy knew. He informed 

 her that if she would place one pound of sugar and five 

 pounds of rice on the floor of an outhouse the gu-gu 

 would be attracted by these, would eat them and do 

 no harm to the human inmates. The boy proved right. 

 In the morning the tracks led plainly to and from the 

 hut and the rice and sugar were gone. Truly thankful 

 for the scientific knowledge of her boy, the lady nightly 

 placed the sugar and rice in the outhouse and all went 

 well. The food was always taken, and not a hair of 

 either the lady or her children was injured. Curiously 

 enough, though the state of fear kept the unfortunate 

 lady drawn and thin, her head boy grew more rotund 

 of stomach daily ; a fact which proves how differently 

 human nature is constituted. On the day the master 

 came back a strange thing happened. The head boy 

 disappeared, never to be seen again, and from that day 

 no further trace of the gu-gu was seen near the farm. 

 One can only suppose that the gu-gu, satiated with its 

 orgy on the unfortunate boy, had retired once more to 

 the depths of the primeval forest. 



To revert to the more generally known fauna with 

 which the settler may become acquainted. The follow- 

 ing beasts are those which may be regarded as likely 

 to provide sport : — 



