did a silly thing, for I swam round the ship in water where there are
many sharks. As I was drying myself on the deck I saw the high fin of a
shark above the water a little way off. It had heard the splashing and
come up to look for me."

"Weren't you frightened, Daddy?"

"Yes. It made me feel rather cold." There was silence while Daddy saw
once more the golden sand of the African beach and the snow-white roaring
surf, with the long, smooth swell of the bar.

Children don't like silences.

"Daddy," said Laddie. "Do zebus bite?"

"Zebus! Why, they are cows. No, of course not."

"But a zebu could butt with its horns."

"Oh, yes, it could butt."

"Do you think a zebu could fight a crocodile?"

"Well, I should back the crocodile."

"Why?"

"Well, dear, the crocodile has great teeth and would eat the zebu."

"But suppose the zebu came up when the crocodile was not looking and
butted it."

"Well, that would be one up for the zebu. But one butt wouldn't hurt a
crocodile."

"No, one wouldn't, would it? But the zebu would keep on. Crocodiles
live on sand-banks, don't they? Well, then, the zebu would come and live
near the sandbank too--just so far as the crocodile would never see him.
Then every time the crocodile wasn't looking the zebu would butt him.
Don't you think he would beat the crocodile?"

"Well, perhaps he would."

"How long do you think it would take the zebu to beat the crocodile?"

"Well, it would depend upon how often he got in his butt."

"Well, suppose he butted him once every three hours, don't you think--?"

"Oh, bother the zebu!"

"That's what the crocodile would say," cried Laddie, clapping his hands.

"Well, I agree with the crocodile," said Daddy.

"And it's time all good children were in bed," said the Lady as the
glimmer of the nurse's apron was seen in the gloom.

II--ABOUT CRICKET

Supper was going on down below and all good children should have been
long ago in the land of dreams. Yet a curious noise came from above.

"What on earth--?" asked Daddy.

"Laddie practising cricket," said the Lady, with the curious clairvoyance
of motherhood. "He gets out of bed to bowl. I do wish you would go up
and speak seriously to him about it, for it takes quite an hour off his
rest."

Daddy departed upon his mission intending to be gruff, and my word, he
can be quite gruff when he likes! When he reached the top of the stairs,
however, and heard the noise still