We first knew that he had undertaken the case when we heard his voice
excitedly telling us not to move. Naturally we all turned to look at
him. He had got a butterfly net from somewhere and was lying flat on
his tummy and whistling seductively an alleged imitation of Philip's
usual remark. Philip, about thirty yards away, was eyeing him with
contempt.

Suddenly James gathered his limbs beneath him, sprang up, galloped ten
yards and flung himself down again, panting loudly. Philip, surprised
and alarmed, took refuge in a tree, whereupon James abandoned the
stalk (blaming us for having frightened Philip away) and retired to
think of another scheme.

Soon he reappeared with some pieces of bamboo and a square yard of
white calico, sat down solemnly in the verandah and began to sew.

"Is it a white flag? Are you going to parley with him, or what?" asked
Ansell.

"Trap," replied James shortly.

We watched with silent interest while he got more and more entangled
in his contrivance.

"I hope Philip'll know how to work the machine," said I, "because I'm
sure I shouldn't."

At last it was finished, and James took it out and set it. He
disguised it (rather thinly) with half-a-dozen oak leaves and baited
it with a lot of caterpillars, and retired behind a tree with the end