le on if I feel lonely?"

"To summon assistance if you should require it."

"I have an idea that my whistle will be overworked. Shall I be able to
get a new one when the original's worn out?"

The Inspector thought there would be no difficulty in my getting
rewhistled.

"'One truncheon,'" I continued. "That, of course, is to trunch with. One
truncheon, though, seems rather niggardly. I should prefer two, one in
each hand. 'One note-book'--is that for autographs and original
contributions from my brother Specials?"

"For noting names and addresses and details of cases," explained the
Inspector. "For instance, if, when on duty, you saw Jack Johnson
committing a breach of the peace you would--"

"Blow my whistle hard--"

"Certainly not. You would take his name and address and note it down."

"And if he refused it I could then whistle for help?"

"No, you would at once arrest him."

"What's the earliest possible moment at which it would be etiquette to
blow my whistle?"

"When he offered resistance. Then you could whistle."

"No, I couldn't," I said, "not unless my equipment included one pair of
bellows. Do you mean to tell me that I should be expected to arrest a
man of infinitely superior physique to my own with no other weapons than
one armlet, one whistle, one truncheon and one note-book? Surely I should
be allowed to run for the Mayor and get him to read the Riot Act? If
not, I can only say a policeman's lot is----"

"Not a happy one?" put in the Inspector.

"I was going to say a policeman's lot is a lot too much. Would you
kindly cross my name off your list?"

"I crossed it off some minutes ago," replied the Inspector.

* * * * *

THE WATCH DOGS.

II.

DEAR CHARLES,--Another letter from the back of the front for you. You
will be glad to hear that your Terrier is settling down in his temporary
kennel and sharpening his teeth in due course. The time will come when
you may look your gift dog in the mouth and be not disappointed, we
hope, by the view.

We received orders a day or two ago to take up our beds and walk; that
is, a couple of officers and a hundred odd of the men were told off to
execute a flank movement on a neighbouring township where there is a
range, and do our damnedest with the poor old targets. So we put our
oddments in our pillow-case, rolled up our bedrooms into a convenient
bundle and trekked. We were assured that we should be back at our base