FUETHER EXPERIENCES OP MR. FRESH. 
only was coffee not ready, but the fire was not even 
kindled in order to boil the water 1 And if that 
“boy"’ was bullied, threatened with immediate and 
severe corporal chastisement if he did not bring that 
coffee, the probability was he would bring it, made 
ill cold water ! — and after you had bolted it, out of 
a sense of duty, and bolted after the coolies, half- 
an-hour afterwards the boy would have all the hot 
coffee to himself, and, of course, would drink it all 
himself with infinite relish. Not only this, but the 
rice -flour roti, which you had slightly bitten, and of 
course found was quite raw and uneatable, would be 
taken back to the kitchen, and after being properly 
fired, devoured and eaten up by the hungry boy. 
On your return to breakfast you would ask, ‘“Where 
is that “rice roti?’^ it is surely well enough fried 
now. The prompt and ready reply would be, “Master 
went away in a great hurry, and did not call me 
to take away the things, and when I came into the 
room to see if master wanted any more coffee, master 
was gone, and the cat jumped off the table with 
the rice-bread in his mouth, aw^ay out amongst the 
logs in the clearing. I ran very fast after that cat, 
but could not catch. Master don’t know what a 
wicked cat that is, and master always making row 
with me and say I steal” (here he turned aside his 
head, apparently quite overcome with emotion, and 
wiped the tears from his eyes); “But, believe me, sar, 
and I never tell lie : it is the cat. Whenever master 
rises from table, that cat jumps up and eats up all 
that is there, and if I take away the things in a 
great burry, the cat watches me, and the time I am. 
in the bungalow he jumps up upon the kitchen table 
and shelf and eats up everything, and then master 
blames me and says I steal.” “‘Well, well,” cries 
master, “What between you and the cat, either or 
both, false or true, it matters little, for the result 
is the same to me.” Having no time to put off, 
away he goes for four or five hours’ work in the new 
clearing with only a mouthful of cold coffee and a 
bite of raw roti, to keep up the inner man. But 
although a great deal of time had been put off in 
waiting for cold coffee and raw roti, master was in 
plenty of time ! He need not have been in such a 
hurry, for he very soon overtook the coolies, which 
was at the big tree that bridged the stream, where 
they had all sat down to have their morning chew of 
betel. But on the appearance of “master,” they all 
got up and crossed the tree, one and two at a time; 
when they reached the other side, they, of course, 
considered it a matter of duty again to sit down 
and wait until their comrades had crossed | but even 
