"Splendidly," said John, cheerful after his quick journey home. "That is, pretty well; in fact" (as his memory and his sense of veracity awoke) "I had the rottenest time I ever had in my life. That sounds a bit of a muddle, I know, but I’ll tell you all about it presently. How have things been going here?" "Splendidly: that is, pretty well; and I’m glad you’re back in time to prevent me from having the rottenest time I’ve ever had in my life. It’s just short of that at present." "What! Have those blackguards been bothering you?" "Worse! Lions!" "Oh! Is that it? I don’t know that they’re worse than the natives, though." "Yes, they are, because it doesn’t come to a fair stand-up fight. They’re cowardly, skulking brutes, and so disgustingly clever." John laughed at Ferrier’s aggrieved tone and look. "Well, I’ll get a bath and a feed, and then we’ll talk it over," he said. "I hope our people have behaved well?" "Oh yes! Lulu has been a mother to me--at a distance, of course; and Said Mohammed has been a delight three times a day. But go and get your bath; you’ll stand here talking for ever." Half-an-hour later John, having changed into a suit of white drill, was sitting at table with Ferrier in the little dining-room of the bungalow. It struck him as rather bare and cold-looking after Mr. Gillespie’s comfortable rooms, and he resolved, if things went well the second year, to buy a few bits of furniture. "It wants a woman, you know," said Ferrier. "She’d rig up some curtains and make things look cheerful in no time. But you’ll never get a woman to live among lions." "Verree true, sir--excuse the liberty," remarked Said Mohammed, as he handed the fish. "A lion among ladies is a most dreadful thing; for there is not a more fearful wild-fowl than your lion living." "That’s how he goes on," said Ferrier, exploding when the Bengali had gone for the joint. "That’s Shakespeare; next time it’ll be Milton." "Did Shakespeare write that rubbish about the wild-fowl?" "Why, that’s the excellent Nick Bottom in _Midsummer Night’s Dream_!" "Never read it: we only did _Julius Cæsar_ and _Henry V_. But tell me what’s happened." "Nothing, for three weeks, except rain. My word, didn’t it come down! I’m sorry to say some of the sheep died until we thought of covering them up at night. But a week ago I heard a lion roaring in the night, and in the morning a calf was gone. Last night it was two sheep. The boma’s not a bit of good to keep them out. Why don’t you put up some wire fencing?" "It’s expensive, but I will by and by."