enied them, for
the hair on their faces is scanty and stubbly in the extreme. One day
Juggroo saw his master putting some bandoline on his moustache, which
was a fine, handsome, silky one. He asked Pat's bearer, an old rogue,
what it was.

'Oh!' replied the bearer, 'that is the gum of the sal tree; master
always uses that, and that is the reason he has such a fine moustache.'

Juggroo's imagination fired up at the idea.

'Will it make mine grow too?'

'Certainly.'

'How do you use it?'

'Just rub it on, as you see master do.'

Away went Juggroo to try the new recipe.

Now, the gum of the sal tree is a very strong resin, and hardens in
water. It is almost impossible to get it off your skin, as the more
water you use, the harder it gets.

Next day Juggroo's face presented a sorry sight. He had plentifully
smeared the gum over his upper lip, so that when he washed his face,
the gum _set_, making the lip as stiff as a board, and threatening to
crack the skin every time the slightest muscle moved.

Juggroo _was_ 'sold' and no mistake, but he bore it all in grim
silence, although he never forgot the old bearer. One day, long after,
he brought in some berries from the wood, and was munching them,
seemingly with great relish. The bearer wanted to know what they were,
Juggroo with much apparent _nonchalance_ told him they were some very
sweet, juicy, wild berries he had found in the forest. The bearer asked
to try one.

Juggroo had _another_ fruit ready, very much resembling those he was
eating. It is filled with minute spikelets, or little hairy spinnacles,
much resembling those found in ripe doghips at home. If these even
touch the skin, they cause intense pain, stinging like nettles, and
blistering every part they touch.

The unsuspicious bearer popped the treacherous berry into his mouth,
gave it a crunch, and then with a howl of agony, spluttered and spat,
while the tears ran down his cheeks, as he implored Juggroo by all the
gods to fetch him some water.

Old Juggroo with a grim smile, walked coolly away, discharging a
Parthian shaft, by telling him that these berries were very good for
making the hair grow, and hoped he would soon have a good moustache.

A man from the village now came running up to tell us that there was a
leopard in the jungle we were about to beat, and that it had seized,
but failed to carry away, a dog from the village during the night.
Natives are so apt to tell stories of this kin