The white ants and snakes show marked appreciation for the Europeans’ houses. In spite of digging deep trenches round outside, the ants, which are supposed to travel only a few inches under the surface soil, manage to get at the poles and so gradually undermine the safety of the walls. They are the most indefatigable workers. In one night the floor of a room will be covered with little heaps of soil which they have carried up; a mackintosh coat was half eaten away by these little pests that had discovered it on a peg behind the bedroom door. Sulphur, hot water, Keating, pepper, thrown down proved quite ineffectual in driving them off. The natives advised a European to leave the little ant-heaps for a few days until a crop of small mushrooms appeared on the ant-heaps, and that would satisfy the ants and off they would go to begin their work elsewhere. The experiment was tried, with the result that on the third day the floor was covered with tiny white fungi, and the ants really did disappear after that. I will not attempt to explain the reason scientifically. More stringent measures than passive resistance were needed for the snakes that came and built under the sitting room floor. Their appearance was first discovered by one of them leaving his top coat behind him in one of the rooms. One evening we were roused from our peaceful occupations hearing two rifle reports and a regular stampede outside our house; we rushed to the door, but were quickly told to shut it up, as a leopard was rushing about. Two shots had been fired, but missed it. A large search party was formed of excited, frightened natives with spears, rifles, and long torches, but all their endeavours were in vain. Three nights after that another and even larger leopard prowled round the houses, entered the donkey stables and dragged out a small baby donkey. In the morning an awful sight met our gaze on the path outside the stabling. The two hind legs had been completely eaten and the body torn open; the ground was covered with blood, and many claw marks were visible. The war drum was beaten, and, according to the law of the country, all the men turned out, from the chiefs to the poorest peasant, armed with spears and clubs. The excitement was intense, the King’s Hill was thronged with dancing, rushing natives, singing war songs and making dashing onslaughts toward imaginary foes. They all danced and rushed in step, accomplishing the curious body dance in perfect order. They tracked the beast and Mr. Fisher, who had led out the party, shot it as it gave one spring from its lair. The return home was a yell of victory, all assembling under the large tree on the top of the King’s Hill to salute the Katikiro (Chief Minister), who sat in state to wait the arrival of the prey. Afterwards all the wounded were brought to the dispensary for surgical attention; one arm was so severely cut with spears and torn by the leopard’s claws that I had to stitch it up.