After a few minutes he swear them in as special oonreturned with a telegram in stables. I'd use the prisoners his hand, and, sitting down too, only I can't trust the under the punkah lamp, wrote warders not to make fools of out a reply. Superintendent themselves.” Amari stood in the doorway. “And the Boy Soouts?"

“ All right, Superintendent,” asked Brown, who had resaid Evans; "send the men off cently formed a troop of these one time under Sergeant auxiliaries. Mensah. Stop at the post- Well, that's up to you, master's on your way down, Brown, but

you might and get this sent off to Acora post & few at the Bank. without delay."

What I fear is the Kroo Superintendent Amari of the boys. I've already seen Gold Coast polioe saluted and deputation of their headmen, withdrew,

and they say they oan't answer “Good man, Amari," said for the boys if the rice gives

“ Evans, subsiding into his deck- out. The Mission has already chair," he got his men ready out down the ration, as the within half an hour.”

town is short of rice, and heaven “What's it all about?” knows when we'll get supplies. said I.

Bat, on the other hand, I hear “Oh, another stunt at there is plenty of rice at the Acora; read it yourself as Mission, and they may be you're nearest the lamp." thinking of making a 'oorner'

I took the form and read in it. You're both ohopping aloud. It was

addressed to with me to-night, so we the Superintendent.

talk things over. "Urgent priority. Send We stayed for dinner. It every fit available man Agora was about 9 o'clook when we immediately. Consult D.C., heard hurried footsteps apand report time of departure.” proaching the bungalow and

“How many are going?” mounting the verandah. It was

“Twenty-eight, which leaves the Superintendent again, only Corporal Musa, my

“Well, Amari, anything gone orderly, and one man with wrong?” guinea-worm to hold the fort. "The men left two hours And of course there's Amari ago, sir, but the wire's down; himgelf.”

they can't get the message “What about the guard for through to Acora." the Bank ?" began Brown. “There's the coast line.”

“The Bank must take its “Down too, sir." chance like the rest,” replied

"A remarkable coincidence, Evans, "until I oan think of eh, Superintendent ?" something. Wait a minute !" “There's more than that, sir.” he exolaimed presently; "to- Amari hesitated, and glanced at morrow I'll make out a list of the unofficial Brown. all the men in this town who “Carry on, Superintendent,” are known to the police,' and said Evans, interpreting the

him say.

" Do you

look, “We're going to mobi- to the north the lightning lise Mr Brown's Boy Scoute." gleamed over the “bash” of

“Well, sir, I've got it from the co008 distriot. The land & pretty good source that breeze had now set in and there's going to be an at. chilled us with its damp, tempt made to get off to while the sea, broken on the Togoland in a surf-boat to- reef, shot up in miniature night by Mr Struve and some foamy waves at our feet. other Germans at the factory." Our hurried plans were com

Evans sat up: there is pleted; we know that somenothing seemingly that is be- where within hail the Superyond the scope of a D.C.'s intendent and Corporal Musa employment, as I've heard were watching, and that

farther off a few of Brown's think this is Boy Soouts, dressed only in true ?"

their cloths, were on outpost “I think it is, sir, for as duty. But we did not sopI was coming up Corporal pose that the presence of Masa reported that a boat's three white men, gathered toorew were collecting on the gether under such unusual beaoh. I sent the corporal ciroumstanoes, would escape back to the barracks to put the notice of any prowling off his uniform, and see if native, or, above all, of the there was anything unusual boat's crew, if they were on happening at the factory." the look-out.

We all got up at this and It struck me that to sit and went on to the back verandah. wait for esoaping patients of Half a mile across the valley mine on & smelly beach in stood the Mission faotory. It the middle of the night was was well, or, as it seemed to strange employ for a middleus, unusually well lit ap, and aged Medioal Officer, and the lights seemed to shift equally strange that the about from room to room, friends with whom we played though this, towards

towards bed- tennis should be setting out time, was nothing out of the in this fashion for their own oommon,

colony, to which the had “Where did Corporal Musa never seemed the least anxious say the boat-boys were?” to return.

" At the far side of the Then I realised uncomfort. Customs' beach, where the ably that none of us were factory surf-boats lie.”

armed, and that the Germans "Then to-night's the night!” probably bad revolvers. This exolaimed Evans; "who's for conolusion

shared by the beach, boys?'

Evans, who assured me that Half an hour later the same the presence of a medioal man party sat in the lee of a oanoe might come in handy later on. on, the unsavoury Sands of “Bat," said he, “unless we Takoradi.

a night oatoh 'em in the aot we have of fitfal moonlight, and far

Do 0&se, and I fanoy it won't

It was

be diffioult after this to seps

We concluded to quit, as rate the sheep from the goats, they say on the other side. А -in this instanoe, the Prussian heavy dow was falling, not a from the Swiss."

light showed in the native I began to feel very drowsy; town; the noise of harmoniums even the smell of innumerable was stilled in the olerks' fish-ovens in the native town quarters ; only the ory of the aoted rather as a sedative than fruit-bats circling round the as an irritant. My pipe dropped anoient palaver tree in the from my mouth, and I pulled market-place remained to make myself up with a start and night hideous. idly watched a falling star low We made for the factory, down out to sea, off Takoradi whose ill-timed illumination point, and wondered at its seemed to mock us. But this portent.

was not the worst. Pinned to “Did you see that light?” the looked door was a sorap of whispered Brown, for we had paper with the words in neat all quite naturally dropped our handwritingvoices like men engaged in “ Deutschland über alles.” some nefarious midnight enter- I pulled it down and was prise.

about to tear the paper

to “Falling star you mean," I shreds when Evans stopped me. replied.

“This," he deolared, “will be “Yon's no' a falling star, dooumentary evidence in the man Brown comes from oase." somewhere in the West of Soot- There are times when one land—“I doubt it's & ship's loathes the legal mind. flare.” We were

all wide Well, to finish now with the awake now, and presently saw Mission faotory, Evans hoisted a glimmer of light kindled the Union Jaok over it in the from the point. We looked at morning, and the sick constable our watohes; it was 11.30. with his carbine and bandaged

“They'll not come this night, leg squatted on the doorstep. I'm thinking,” said Brown, and we were pretty much of his As a role I wake early in the opinion. Then, as we held a Tropios, but slept late next counoil of war under that morning till awakened by the weary oanoe, & figure moved syren of a steamer hooting for between us and the skyline. all she was worth, like a liner It was Superintendent Amari. bringing in the New Year on

“They're gone, sir," said he the Clyde. While I was dressto Evans, who was now on hising, Evans came aoross from feet.

his bungalow with his field• Who are ?”

glasses. “The boat-boys."

“Have a look at that boat," " Damn!” began Evans, said he. I fooussed the glass "they've fooled us properly. and made her oat to be the Have you seen the factory?" Willi Woermann, &

small "Lit up still, sir.”

trader, flying the British flag

.

or

)

he pro

6

upside down. What in the demanded to be put ashore at world

German ship the nearest British port. The doing in Takoradi Bay, and German skipper and his enabove all, what was the mean- gineer told them to go to hell, ing of that flag ? Bat we its Teutonio equivalent, agreed that she wanted either whereupon the Kroo boys a dootor or the police, possibly seized the ship, locked up the both.

officers, and headed for TakoWhen we got down to the radi. scene of last night's fiasco “Morning time,” continued there was quite a crowd of the headman, 'we see canoe natives gathered on the shore, near de river and we t'ink we laughing and clapping their get plenty fish” hands. Soon afterwards we nounoed it “fiss.” “Here we pushed off in the Customs' boat, see four five white men lib for Evans with his orderly, the oanoe, so we go softly, softly, Saperintendent, the boarding an' by-an'-by dem white men officer, and myself. As we laugh an' sing an' point to de drew nearer we saw a row of flag. Then I t'ink dey no be grinning blaok faoes leaning proper white men but Germans. over the side, and several white So I stop de engine and ask faces, not grinning, looking 'what's matter?' They say, out of the port-holes.

'Where de Captain ?' and I We tied up on the other side tell him Captain he be siok." of the ship, a mammy chair “Where did you put the was lowered, and we made Captain ?” we asked. the usual undignified ascent to “Massa, we pat all German the main deok. Here we were in No. 1 hold under de batoh. greeted with an impressive Then de canoe some very near salute from a gigantio Kroo an' I see plenty plenty gun, boy, olad only in a loin-cloth but de gan no lib for dere and a German topee.

hand, gun lib for oanoo". “You be de big Commis- they had evidently put their sioner?"

revolvers on

the thwart,Evans admitted that he was. “they say, 'Headman, lower de " Where's the Captain ?" mammy chair,' so I say, 'all

“Captain he no lib, sar, he right,' an' I lower de mammy be German; I be captain now." chair quiokly, an' de canoe

It's no use to interrupt & break, an' all German men lib native, for he gets his say in for water, Soon dey oatch the long-run; but seldom oan rope an' come aboard all same å Kroo boy have had such black man, an'

man, an' dey curse an attentive audience. His plenty too much, massa. But story came to this : he and his de man who speak for canoe grow were shipped at Sierra who got big belly”-indicating Leone as anual to work the

a person of ample girth—"I ship down the coast. When no look him again, I t'ink one beyond Borracce they got the dam shark chop him. I look news of the war, and at once all men proper (watoh them),

and say,

Massa, Captain was under escort. The Willi

· want you,' an' dey say, 'all Woermann henoeforth Bailed right.' Den all boy take Ger- the seas as the Lady Clifford, man to chop room (saloon), an' taking motor-lorries and supdey say, “Massa, wait small plies to Togoland. The orew time, we go oall Captain,' were, I hope, suitably reward

.

, Then I go for door, an' say, ed for their double capture. you be tomfool, dis be English Evans sent in an official reship, I be Captain;' den I look port of the whole matter in de door."

due course, but up till now This then was how we re- the watchers on the beach of covered our Mission friends Takoradi have not received who had given us the slip the the thanks of the Colonial night before, and got out to Government. Nor do they sea in their canoe at the river's expeot it. mouth. Their next journey

C. H, P. LAMOND,