I sprang from the soft dust and landed among the dog fennel of a fence corner, in a flying leap. Then I looked. It was the Princess' father, tall, and gray, and grim, riding a big black horse that seemed as if it had been curried with the fine comb and brushed with the grease rag. "Good morning!" I said when I could speak. "Am I correct in the surmise that you are on the chase with a popgun?" he asked politely. "Yes sir," I answered, getting my breath the best I could. It came easier after I noticed he didn't seem to be angry about anything. "Where is your hunting ground, and what game are you after?" he asked gravely. "You can see the great African jungle over there. I am going to hunt for lions and tigers." You always must answer politely any one who speaks to you; and you get soundly thrashed, at least at our house, if you don't be politest of all to an older person especially with white hair. Father is extremely particular about white hair. It is a "crown of glory," when it is found in the way of the Lord. Mahlon Pryor had enough crown of glory for three men, but maybe his wasn't exactly glory, because he wasn't in the way of the Lord. He was in a way of his own. He must have had much confidence in himself. At our house we would rather trust in the Lord. I only told him about the lions and tigers because he asked me, and that was the way I played. But you should have heard him laugh. You wouldn't have supposed to see him that he could. "Umph!" he said at last. "I am a little curious about your ammunition. Just how to you bring down your prey?" "I use portulaca powder and tiger lily bullets on the tigers, and four o'clocks on the lions," I said. You could have heard him a mile, dried up as he was. "I used to wear a red coat and ride to the hounds fox hunting," he said. "It's great sport. Won't you take me with you to the jungle?" I didn't want him in the least, but if any one older asks right out to go with you, what can you do? I am going to tell several things you won't believe, and this is one of them: He got off his horse, tied it to the fence, and climbed over after me. He went on asking questions and of course I had to tell him. Most of what he wanted to know, his people should have taught him before he was ten years old, but father says they do things differently in England. "There doesn't seem to be many trees in the jungle."