ction
as Americans.

The trouble with Morocco arose from the fact that one of the native
agents, while returning from his rounds, was assaulted and robbed of
$1,200, the outrage occurring in broad daylight in front of the
consulate.

The merchant for whom the agent was working reported the matter to the
Moorish Government, and demanded that the thieves should be arrested and
punished.

Notwithstanding that these robbers were well-known characters, the
Moorish authorities made no attempt to bring them to justice, and paid
no attention to the protests of the Consul.

The agent and the merchant immediately filed a claim for damages against
the Moorish Government, and the Consul cabled to this country, asking
that an American gunboat be sent to Tangier, to show the Moors that the
United States proposes to protect her citizens.

The flag-ship _San Francisco_ and the cruiser _Raleigh_ immediately set
out for Tangier, one of the principal seaports of Morocco.

The appearance of these vessels had a very healthy effect on the
authorities. One of the robbers was immediately arrested, and the Moors
agreed to search for the other and bring him to justice.

* * * * *

A story comes from Oklahoma that gophers have completely destroyed a
canal which has recently been built at an expense of $40,000.

These gophers are little animals, striped and spotted, and about the
size of a large rat.

The Oklahoma Canal was built to bring the waters of the river through
the town, with the idea of erecting mills all along the banks and making
Oklahoma a more prosperous city.

It was laid out by expert engineers, and took a large amount of time and
money to build; it was five miles long.

When the canal was completed and opened, it proved a great success;
there was sufficient force of water to turn any number of mills, and a
great era of money-making appeared to be ahead of Oklahoma.

Unfortunately the soil through which the canal had been dug was porous
and sandy.

Before the work had been long completed, gophers appeared on the banks
and began to burrow their holes.

The water washed into the burrows, and soon a crevasse appeared, and the
canal swept through the sandy banks.

Repairs were attempted, and for a long time the people were so anxious
to preserve their canal that they continued these repairs at great
expense. Finally the Canal Company became discouraged; they could no
longer afford to