equally guilty. But his plan was far deeper
than that. At his signal each man in turn drew a bamboo chip from the
bag which the Colonel held; and when all were supplied, he ordered them
to come forward one by one, and give back the chips which they had
drawn.

He was obeyed; but scarcely had a dozen men passed, when the Colonel
suddenly sprang forward, seized a tall Rajpoot by the throat, and
shouted, in a voice of thunder, "You're the man!"

"Mercy, mercy, Sahib" (master), howled the culprit, falling on his
knees. "I'll bring back the money--I'll bear any punishment you
please--only don't give me up to the vengeance of Kali."

"Well," said the Colonel, sternly, "I'll forgive you this once; but if
you're ever caught again, you know what to expect. Dismiss!"

* * * * *

"I say, C----, how on earth did you manage that?" asked the senior
Major, as he and the Colonel walked away together; "I suppose you don't
want me to believe that you really _did_ get that idea in a dream?"

"Hardly," laughed the Colonel. "The fact is, those bamboo chips were all
exactly the same length; and the thief, to make sure of not getting the
longest, _bit off the end of his_, and so I knew him at once. Take my
word for it, there'll be no more thieving in the regiment while _I'm_
its Colonel."

And indeed there never was.

FOOTNOTES:

1 This story is perfectly true, and was told by its hero, Colonel C----,
of the Ninety-first Highlanders.

[Begun in No. 19 of HARPER'S YOUNG PEOPLE, March 9.]

ACROSS THE OCEAN; OR, A BOY'S FIRST VOYAGE.

A True Story.

BY J. O. DAVIDSON.

CHAPTER III.

OUR HERO'S FIRST FIGHT.

It was well for Austin that he had been struck by the small coal instead
of the heavier pieces, or he might have been killed outright; as it was,
after a dash of cold water, and a short rest in his bunk, he was almost
as sound as before. But the accident had worse results than a few
bruises. He was at once set down as an "awkward landlubber," dismissed
from his coal-shovelling, and ordered to do duty in the lamp-room.

[Illustration: STORE-ROOM.]

This was a dismal hole in the lowest part of the ship, where even what
little light there was had to struggle through an iron grating. Behind
the counter that ran half way round it stood several large iron tanks,
strongly padlocked, labelled "Soap," "Oil," "Waste," "Lamp Wicks," etc.
The floor was covered with various necessaries for