The Savannah morning news. (Savannah, Ga.) 1900-current, 1903-12-13
BY ELLA MASSEY.

they got to the fording-there was no
bridge-they found that the river had
increased to three times it's usual size
by the seasonal rains and was running
like a mill-stream. Most people would
have turned back, but not these Aus
tralian girls.
Come along, JIM" shouted the first
of them to her escort. as she galloped
her horse into the rushing river. In a
moment the animal was swept off it's
feet, but struggled gamely and got
to the opposite side lower down the
stream. The other girls and their cav
alters followed, the men guiding the
girls horses. Several of them had mar
row escapes from drowning, and all
of them had their ball dresses drench-
ed. But they thought it great fun,
and their hostess fitted them out with
new clothes, of a sort, in which they
danced merrily until far into Christmas
morning
You mad people!" exclaimed the
hostess, when she saw them. why
didn't you turn back?''
Turn back" said the girl who had
led the way. I'VE never do that when
we are going to a Christmas ball
We'd rather drown"
There are other dangers which Turk
around Christmas time in the tropics
! Perhaps one of the colored servants
/ has grudge against some member
of the family for a fancied injury. If
this happens in the West Indies
Christmas. for some unknown reason.
is usually chosen for a time for re-
venge
While the Christmas dinner is being
prepared, the servant will manage to
mix up with the plum pudding, or the
turkey stuffing, ground glass, blue
stone, arsenic, or some other poison
Luckily, she also puts in some old rub
bish which she calls "obeah"-a rusty
nail, a cocks feather, or a lizards
skin-and the presence of these weird
articles tells the family that the poi
son is also there. If the would-be
assassin did not give herself away in
this childish fashion. the Christmas
dinner would often be a fatal feast.
A large party gathers around the
table and everyone is in great spirits.
There Is the usual Christmas fare
turkey ham, roast beef and so forth
Presently it is time for the plum pud-
ding to come In. Rum is poured
round 1t and lighted, and the butler
brings it in blazing, to the huge de-
light of the children. Each child begs
eagerly for a piece with fire on it,"
The hostess begins to cut the pud-
ding, and the knife strikes against
something hard.
What is the matter. my dear?" asks
her husband. Anything wrong?"
Il don't know" she says There
seems to be something hard in the
| middle of the pudding"
"Cut it right open and see what it
is"
She does So and in the middle Of
| the pudding are several large rusty
nails tied together with a piece Of
string.
What is it?" everybody exclaims.
what does it mean?"
Looks like obeah," someone sug-
:ests.
The cook is called in but she can
| not explain how the nails came in the
pudding.
II don't know nothing about it.
missis," she pleads. Same way you
gave me de pudding tied up in de
cloth, same way put it in de pot"
Call Jane and see IL she knows
| anything about it," the mistress COM
mands.
Jane, the housemaid, also processes
ignorance. The mystery remains I'M
solved, because the Creole negroes
never tell on one another. OF course,
the pudding is sent away uneaten. The
nails had probably been dipped in
poison; if not, some other poison had
certainly been put in the dish.
Three Christmases ago an English
woman was captured by "dacoits"
(outlaws) while she was at a ball on
a remote indigo plantation in India.
Christmas is a favorite day with these
outlaws for their operations. She had
strolled outside into the garden to
get cool after a dance for the Their
mometer was over 80 degrees. Her
partner left her for a moment to fetch
some lemonade, and when he returned
she was nowhere to be found. The
grounds were searched, but she had
disappeared as IL the earth had opened
and swallowed her up. Nobody could
solve the mystery, and the party broke
up in dismay.
Next day the planter who had given
the ball received a message from a ia
nous "dacoit" chief, to the effect that
his men had Kidnapped the woman,
and she would not be returned to her
friends until a ransom Of 5000 rupees
was paid.
The planter got the money together
and paid the ransom. and the woman
was able to enjoy a belated Christmas
dinner In her own home. Months
afterwards. the "decoits" were tracked
down by a detachment OF native po-
lice and captured. Some OF them were
hanged for murder. and the rest are
! still working In chains Ia the penlten-
uary IN Rangoon.