276 
LETTERS FROM 
no shells, and our only entomological prize 
was a single bad specimen of a butterfly re¬ 
sembling our wood argus. 
Before we entered the town again I cut a 
little switch, determined to make use of it to 
repel the crowds of begging children who 
had surrounded us in the morning. But 
their wretched appearance quite disarmed 
me, and I found it impossible to strike their 
naked backs. The little unfortunates soon 
discovered that my stick was perfectly harm¬ 
less, and we were again hunted through the 
streets from one end of the town to the 
other. 
When we returned on board in the even¬ 
ing, we made a discovery, which proved that 
we had not unjustly suspected the character 
of our shipmates, and which also accounted 
for the rapid consumption of our provisions. 
We found that we were in a den of thieves ! 
