, 1888-01-29

listen, and then his def black fingers be.
a n search of tho sleeping mans peck.
cts. l braCcd myself, took n full breath
and was on him ut bound. Iscizcd him
firmly by the body, but he sanli down,
wrigglcd two or three times. and next
minute he was gone, upsctLing me by
grasping my feet. and hcaving away as
he went. 1t did not seem that he had
been ut work over ten seconds when l
grabbed him, and yet in that time he had
extracted the captains watch and wallet,
and several other articles. All were left
behind, but the thief had disappeared
like n shadow.
Perhaps the best way would have been
to give in and employ n c~howkadar, but
we We're both determined not TO be bull
dozcd into it. All portable articles not in
hourly use were put into a strong wooden
chest and kept under lock and key, and
both Of US were on the watch for any
new movement. \ couple of weeks had
passed, and we were beginning TO feel
safe. when the fellows attempted n very
bold game. a juEgler came to the We
randa and began to perform, and we
both went out. While the room was left
alone the thicvcs-thcre were three of
thcm-camc through the garden along
~ llNN III slllAt "a u llit llllbAlEl Allt
side exactly back of the chest. The cap
tain happened to look in just as the box
was being moved, and with q couple of
bounds he crossed the room and seized
one of the handles. / could not realize
the situation until the thieves had pulled
the chest half way ont, and by the time
l bad got around the bungalow they had
disappeared. How they could have To-
Gated the chest so exactly was n mystery
TO us, rs it had been moved several feet
only the night before. They cut neither
to the right nor the left, but exactly back
of it, and the space was only an inch
wider than the chest.
Tho next move created n ~sonsation in
Bombay. Opposite our bungalow, which
was on n side street. was one belonging
to n nativc-a known thief. The frater-
nifty had somehow got the idea that we
had a great pile Of money hidden in our
bungalow, and that the captain was
making gold nuggets by the wholesale.
He v,a5, as | said. experimenting with n
new explosive, and this probably started
the idea. Tho explosive was either dyna-
mite or something very near it. One
day after the captain had been fussing
around in the front yard for half an
hour, and while | was reading on the
vCranda, there was a terrible explosion.
Ii seemed rs if our house was lifted a
foot high and everything inside was
thrown into confusion rs it settled back.
II was an explosion which was felt for
half n milo around, and when we got
out doors we found n hole in our front
yard into which n couple of bullocks
could have been dumped. That wasn't
all, however. \ big ditch had been
o,pncl straight across tho street to the
other bungalow, and the bruised and
battered bodies of three natives were
thrown out within thirty feet Of the big
hole. 1t took ~ some little time TO figure
oJt what hadoccurred. The sly old man
and his pals had dug n tunnel from the
native bungalow To within three feet of
ouis. 1t was intended to pass around
the house and break ground inside, there
being no floors i'll our place. The OK
plosion, which tool place in an iron
kettle, was almost over the tunnel, and
the force was mainly downward. The
conclusion followed along the ditch and
blew the roof OFF the native bungalow.
Tho thieves were either creeping forward
or backward in the tunnel, and death
came to them 50 quickly that they never
new what hurt them.
Next morning a native priest, accom-
panied by Il scribe. called upon us to
secure our aCCOuHt Of the affair. The
captain had explained matters TO the
authorities, and there had becn no in
quest. The priest said that the sly old
man had been one Of his most devoted
followers, and rs he was n person of con-
siderable Importance in Nagpoor, where
he bad many relatives, IN account of his
death was to he published in the native
language. The visit was made us Mt an
early hou in the morning, while every
thing was lying around loose, and the
two men had scarcely left the house
when we missed the field glasses, a
pocket compass, q pair of shoes and two
or three other articles. a native de-
tcctive assured us that rho priest and
scribe were two notorious thieves, who
had come in that disguise to get ever
with us.
l was bitten by Il poisonous snake at
Bcngalorc, and for several weeks was
unable to leave my bed. While out Of
danger after the first two or three days,
enough of the poison circulated through
my system to keep me weak and fcvcrish
for a long time. While lying on my bed
on my right side l could look out on an
extensive hack yard. There was n path
running down To- a summer house, and
beyond the summer house was a thicket
and n rayiuc. Midway between tho
bungalow and the summer house and off
to the lcft Of the path, were the stables.
One forenoon. Us ! lay looking out on this
yard, | saw AZ almust'naEed native como
out Of the thiclSct, glide up the path and
turn into the stables. / knew from his
. ~