sat up straight and watched the row with interested, rolling, pickaninny
eyes. A native policeman made the centre of a whirling, vociferating
group. He was a fine-looking chap, straight and soldierly, dressed in
red tarboosh, khaki coat bound close around the waist by yards and yards
of broad red webbing, loose, short drawers of khaki, bare knees and
feet, and blue puttees between. His manner was inflexible. The babu
jabbered excitedly; telling, in all probability, how he was innocent of
fault, was late for his work, etc. In vain. He had to go; also the kid,
who now, seeing himself again an object of interest, recommenced his
howling. Then the babu began frantically to indicate members of the
crowd whom he desired to retain as witnesses. Evidently not pleased with
the prospect of appearing in court, those indicated promptly ducked and
ran. The policeman as promptly pursued and collared them one by one. He
was a long-legged policeman, and he ran well. The moment he laid hands
on a fugitive, the latter collapsed; whereupon the policeman dropped him
and took after another. The joke of it was that the one so abandoned did
not try again to make off, but stayed as though he had been tagged at
some game. Finally the whole lot, still vociferating, moved off down the
white road.

For over an hour we hung from our window sill, thoroughly interested and
amused by the varied life that deployed before our eyes. The morning
seemed deliciously cool after the hot night, although the thermometer
stood high. The sky was very blue, with big piled white clouds down near
the horizon. Dazzling sun shone on the white road, the white buildings
visible up and down the street, the white walls enclosing their gardens,
and the greenery and colours of the trees within them. For from what we
could see from our window we immediately voted tropical vegetation quite
up to advertisement: whole trees of gaudy red or yellow or bright orange
blossoms, flowering vines, flowering shrubs, peered over the walls or