Part 12 (2/2)

Every one was interested and puzzled Father was a little inclined to laugh; he said it was probably the stuainst that in the genuine shrieks and groans following our shots 'Well, weto-ht'”

”And did you?” asked Eustace eagerly

”Rather! I should just think we did--father, a friend of his as staying with us, and the two boys I had been out with We rode, and e got to the spot the first thing as the huge stuht in the very place we had seen the gruesome object”

Eustace whistled

”But a tree couldn't shriek and groan,” he objected

”So _we_ said when father beganthe bark; and to our satisfaction there wasn't a single shot h we must have fired half a dozen between us 'We can't have seen this,' I said, feeling rather cock-a-hoopy; 'itour heads over the roup of huts not very far off He was gesticulating anda fearful fuss

We followed him in a fine state of excite before it We looked in, and there lay two dead pigs!”

”Two dead pigs!” cried Eustace

”Yes It was pretty hu, for it just proved we had aimed at the tree and s It was ainst us Moreover, aether to pay the Chinaman for his loss I never felt so small in my life”

Eustace could well appreciate the sensation after his own experiences

Bob took a very light view of the real visit the Orbans had had frohts before

”He wouldn't have hurt any one,” said the young fellow ”He was nothing but a cowardly thief, or he wouldn't have behaved in the way he did I's; it will be an incentive to other fellows to do the sa up here, no one will venture again I shouldn't worry if I were you, Mrs Orban”

”I will try not to,” Mrs Orban answered bravely

They had a quiet enough night again to warrant confidence, and every one felt rested and refreshed next day

Just after breakfast Kate appeared to tell her mistress that a Chinaman from the plantation wished to speak to her His na, and he was the plantation storekeeper, aand trickery, Mr

Orban declared, was no better than his neighbours the coolies who dealt at his shop

As soon as Sinkuood deal of bowing and scraping by way of politeness, and he had so rity that it was a long ti hiuessed he , and probably hoped to drive a good bargain in Mr Orban's absence, the cunning of the average Chinese being unsurpassed

After a considerable prea ree chinkee patter, and with so much self-praise interspersed, that it took the listeners' whole attention to unravel it

CHAPTER VII

PETER'S NIGHTMARE

So in his store waiting for custo, when the coolies' as over, and they had ti late, and Sinkuo to bed Suddenly there fell a shadow across the threshold, and a big black-fellow entered--a stranger who had never seen before What had he come to buy? Sinku--he had a fierce, wild face, and his voice made Sinkum tremble when he said he had not coa of the great ”Rat clan” now living in the Bush not far away He had found, he said, a white ht and held fast by the dreadful ”wait-a-bit” cane that will swing round man or beast at a touch, and hold them fast till they die of exposure and starvation This a said, he discovered sundry things which he now brought to the store to sell What would Sinkuive for them? The pay

Food was difficult to procure in the intense heat; the ground was arid and unproductive

Sinkuoods; he reeably, and indicated that he must have ”more, more” Tears of self-pity flooded Sinkum's eyes He had no choice but to obey, and at last the black-fellow left with a sack containing ten tioods the storeman had been forced to buy He had been cheated, cruelly used; he was a poor s were of no value--none; but if he had not bought them he would have been a dead man