USELESS EFFORTS. 221 



natured face, and cunning ways. The fashion 

 in which he robs the maize fields is funny. 

 First he sneaks down in the dusk to the point 

 furthest from the hut, and then encirchns: 

 the stalks with his sturdy arms gathers 

 regular sheaves of maize and piles all his 

 harvest m a heap in the middle. When he 

 thinks he has made a large enough pile he 

 lies down on the heap and eats his supper at 

 leisure. 



We interfered no doubt a good deal with 

 the movements of Mrs. B. and her family 

 that night, and several times we heard them 

 sniff their contempt and move off a Httle way 

 from our neighbourhood, but they certainly 

 did not seem so anxious to get away from us 

 as they would have done had we met them by 

 daylight. 



Finding all our efforts useless we gave up 

 the attempt, and returnmg to the hut set the 

 bells, boys, clappers, &c. all in motion again, 



