CHASING A JACKAL 147 



bark all the way down to the ground, which it 

 entered. The concussion of the air was tremend- 

 ous. I was sitting at the open window facing it 

 only a few yards away, and the room was filled 

 with the smell of sulphur. I went down stairs, and 

 found that the old Grey Beard had been knocked 

 down in the kitchen by what he described as a 

 " ball of fire " passing the door, otherwise no damage 

 was done. Dozens of natives ran up with baskets 

 to pick up the bark for their firewood. To-day I 

 see that the palm trees on each side of the Casuarina 

 are burnt as black as a cinder ; so there is no safety 

 in rain in a thunderstorm. 



The dogs nearly always turn out some kind of 

 "sport" when with me, and to-day they found a 

 jackal in the jungle of the old tank. They have 

 not had one to run after for some time, and they 

 gave chase across and across the lawns, round the 

 paths, in and out of flower beds, till Nous was 

 ready to drop ; but he would not give in. The jack 

 is so much bigger, that they have no chance of ever 

 running him down, and as Nous is asthmatical, he 

 suffers extremely in a long chase, and quacks like 

 a duck as he tears about ; so I told the servants, 



