nd to this Lady Catherine (the cat) had mounted, but now she
was surrounded, and her retreat completely cut off. There were ants to
right of her, ants to left of her, and ants in front of her; and as the
little creatures, led on by Shiny-pate the valorous, attacked her with
determined precision, the cat, with every hair bristling up on her body,
stood with glaring eyes, lifting first one foot and then another to
escape her tormentors. Sometimes she stood on her hind legs and
frantically tore the insects from her coat, but she wanted courage
enough to make the very high jump from the shelf to the floor.

Mrs. Wolfe and the children were so distressed at the sight, that
kind-hearted Chunga offered to try and save their favourite, and she
crept cautiously into the house, trying to avoid standing on the ants
with her bare feet. Lady Catherine's screams redoubled when she saw a
friend approaching, but she did not treat the black woman very kindly,
for as soon as she stood under the shelf the cat made one frantic leap
to her shoulders, and inserting her sharp claws, held on tenaciously.

It was now Chunga's turn to scream, which she did in good earnest; and
as she found she could not detach the cat, she fled from the house with
her burden clinging tightly to her copper-coloured shoulders, and ran
almost into the arms of John Lester, who was returning home. He was
quick enough to see what had happened, so, snatching up an old broom
with one hand he seized Lady Catherine with the other, and gave her such
a sweeping as she had never experienced before, and which, indeed, she
strongly objected to; but her cries were disregarded, and she was soon
free from the insects, and the children joyfully clutched hold of her.

[Illustration: "THE LIVING CHAIN OF INSECTS" (_p. 213_).]

But meantime Shiny-pate had been carried off in a coil of Chunga's hair,
whence he had crept from the cat's fur, and very uncomfortable he felt.
He knew that his single arm could never overcome the Indian woman; he
was deserted by his troops, and he had no one to direct him. He thought
he had better try to alight from his precarious position, and endeavour
to rejoin his men; but when he moved, Chunga--whose nerves were a little
upset--cried, "Oh! Massa John, brush me too, brush me;" and began
tearing her hair down to make ready for the performance. But just at
that moment another insect dropped from the tree above her down on her
arm, and administered such a