1 JULY 1893, Page 31

The Story qf a Dacoity. By G. R. Dothan'. (W.

H. Allen and Co.)—The story of crime which fills the larger part of this volume makes a very effective picture. The enemies of Rudra Gowda, the headman of a village, bring upon him a cer- tain freebooter, who has his head-quarters in a Native State. How the robbery and murder arc accomplished, and how they are punished by the energy of the British Superintendent of Police, is told in a spirited fashion, which would, however, be all the more appreciated if Mr. Bothell' did not interject occasional observations of his own. Possibly, too, the reflections on the authorities and on the unequal distribution of good things, how- ever just they may be, do not increase the literary merit of the story. In a somewhat dramatic contrast to this sombre narrative is the sketch entitled "The Lolapur Week." Here we see Anglo- Indian society amusing itself with cricket-matches, dances, and the like. The people who keep the par Britannica so effectively have a right to their relaxations.