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About The North Platte semi-weekly tribune. (North Platte, Neb.) 1895-1922 | View Entire Issue (Feb. 27, 1900)
The South African wnr lias shown one thing in which tho Hoer la supe rior to the English and that thing 19 Kecrct flcrvlcc. Ab a Hpy tho Boer of tho Transvaal has no equal, as the English havo found to their cost. Since the opening of hostilities there has scarcely been n movo made on the part of tho Iliitlsh that did not scorn to ho fully anticipated hy the JJocrs, In fact, tho different signal defeats which have befallen British arms during the South African cam paign may he attributed to the clll deney of the Hoer secret ccrvlcc. Oom I'atil and Joubert, it is well known, havo spies everywhere, and owing to tho peculiar conditions under which tho wnr Is being carried on, It Is practically Impossible for tho Brit- lsh authorities to put n stop to tho leaking out of Information. Tho pres ent situation In South Africa Is some thing llko that In tho Philippines. Of flcora rind It dllllcult to dolormlno Just who nro frlondllcs and Just who nro to bo counted nmong tho enemy. How many epics, for Instnnco, thoro mny bo nmong the supposedly disaffected burghers of tho capo It Is Impossible to tell, This peculiar position of af fairs forced General Gntncrc not long ago to Issue a proclamation that any Capo Colony burgher traveling from town to town would bo arrested on suspicion, Ho forbndo them to go to market town.i ottencr than onco a week. This was obviously to prevent U:o dlcaomlnation of Information re garding tho movement and disposition of tho British forces. In tho town of Mnfeklng, too, early In tho wnr, Major Cecil wob forced to post up notices to tho effect that In formation had reached him that spies AN IDIOTIC JOKE i " Uy Which li. A. Hot horn Kent Ktt Kmpty For Ono Trip. "Tho lato Edward A. Sothom," said C. II. Tnlcott of Buffalo, at tho Fifth Avcnuo hotol, "was known far and wldo as a practical Joker, and many of tlioso ho porpctratod found tholr way Into print. Ho would go to any amount of pcrson.il inconvenience and troublo to carry out ono of his Jokes, and I ro member his tolling mo onco with great gloo how ho had got Into an empty ntngo lu tho lower part of Fifth avcnuo nnd succeeded lu riding tho length or tho routo and return without nny ono getting aboard or tho company receiv ing any fares except his own. Tho man ner In which ho accomplished this ho explained to bo as follows: Tho stage had proccodod somo three blocks, when It stopped to pick up n eouplo of wom en who had signaled it, whereupon Sothern, who could not of course, bo Hoen by tho driver, bogan to danco up nnd down tho interior of tho stage, wavo his arms about and grin and chnttor In idiotic and expansive mnh- ner. Tho women decided that they would havo nono of ttiat particular stago, as thoy did not consider riding with a lunatic us conduclvo to cither health or qulot of nerves. With every HUbscqucnt would-bo passenger thin manottvor was successfully repented until tho stage had roturncd to tho original . point where Sothern had boarded' It, whon, luckily for tho re oelpto of tho comnanv. an important ongagomont compelled him reluctantly to Jpavo It." Now York Tribune. Wlihoil Mo Wns .liuiov Ono of tho applicants for a consulate In Japan whllo Jamca 0. Dlalno wnu Decretory of stato was tho lato Samuel Klmbcrloy of Baltimore, who dlod In tho'sorvlco In Central America, unys tho Chicago News. After ho hnd pro- Heutod his credentials, Mr, llkUno said: "I should llko to appoint you, Mr. Klmbcrloy, but I, havo mndo It a rulo to recommend no ono who docs not speak tho language of tho country to which ho la sent. Do you speak Japa nese?" "Certainly, Mr. lilalno," Hald Mr. Klmbcrloy, "Auk mo somothlng In Japanese, and I'll niiBwor you," Mr Dlalno had not a word to say, but 1,10 Japanese post wont to nnothor man nil tho Bomo, and Klmbcrloy wont to Central America. Ono day Klmborloy met a young woman, who throw her i wlWHTV1 & fir 'fp;' J NOTICE. , ' MM&L I ' TMC .ARREST ---k esapac or a spy punt u u im u-i. 1 1 "V li MNI tilf J1 M tlCtCIU Mip,, CiQ weie operating in the town and that unless the same left Mufehlng by noon of tho following day they would bo ap prehended and punished according to the law governing all such casos. The startling number of times the Hrltlsh forces have been led Into nm lniHcmliM or have marched tin inspect ing against a Doer force thoroughly prepared to meet them nas naturally given her mujesty'a officers a very dls ngreeablo consciousness that their movements wero only too well known by the enemy. In fact, it Is known that Cape Town Itself Is full of Iioer spies, yet no effective move can be made toward stopping their opera tions. Tho knowledgo which the Boor possesses of the country, Ills well guarded means of secret com munlcatlon, and ho mobility of bis forces all unite to neutralize tho ndvnntngo which his ene mies possess In their more perfect organization, In discipline and In su periority In numbers. It explains to n great degree Just why tho llttlo re publics of South Africa havo been nblo to mako Bitch an excellent show ing when facing the most powerful and tho most aggressive empire In exist ence at the prcsont day. While tho Doer 13 by no moans a diplomat, ho Is in state and in mu nicipal affairs always a wily and foxy schemer. TIiIb perhaps explains Just why tho secret service system of tho Trnnsvnal lu tho most extenslvo and tho most effective nffnlr of Its kind In existence. When It Is remembered thnt tho "slmplo minded veldt bur gher" bus such nn adroit and experi enced secret service agent on tho con tinent as Dr. Loyds and It is borne In mind that this oltlclnl receives a salary of f80,000 a year for his services, somo Idea of tho faith which Oom Paul places In his spy system may bo se cured. Ur. Loyds goes about under tho official but delightfully ambiguous tltlo of "European representative of tho nrniB impulsively around his neck nnd klssod him. Seolng her mistake, sho drew back nnd angrily asked: "Aren't on Mr. Jones?" "No, madam." re plied Klmberley, bowing, "I'm not, but I wish to thunder I was." Flute l'enrll Indiittry. Pencils from slate dust molded by hydraulic prcssuro nro now made in largo quantities. They are much more popular than tho solid-cut slnto pen cils. Ono factory Inst year mado 25, 000,000 molded pencils. I.egnt New Ycnr Day. Up to 1752 tho 25th of March was tho beginning of tho logal yoar, though tho 1st of January was universally recog nized ns Now Year's day, A I'oiiml In Hid Vnril. Ono pound of Bheep'B wool Is cnpablo of producing ono yard of cloth. INDIAN BEARERS Whon tho Hrltlsh emplro la nt wnr, as might bo said of that empire during tho present time, tho war olllco la ablo to call upon subjects from all comers of tho earth. Canadians, Australians, Irlshmon, East Indians all aro rondy to respond to tho call of tho homeland, and curious Indeed nro some of tho forcoa which go to tho Trout uuder tho union Jack, Perhaps tho most out landish element in this motley army Transvaal." It Is said, Indeed, that some of the moht Influential conti nental newspapers liuve been subsi dized by the Transvaal government through the wily Dr. Leyds, and It Is known that he approached Lisbon over and over again on the matter of the purchase of Dclogoa Hay, but could not succeed In shaking Portugal's friendship for Great Britain, It Is a recognized fact that Leyds, by some means or other, has found It possible to obtain audience.-) with European rulers unwarranted by his own oillclal Importance or the Importance of the government whleh he represents. Hut i It Is rumored thnt this same gov ernment Instructs Its European agent to scatter his gold lavishly when onco ho has ascertained whero such gold will do the most good. It Is wortli whllo noting that the "special" expenditure, as such funds nro termed, of the Trnnsvnal gov ernment has amounted to ?1 1,435,- 000 during the lust fourteen years. This goes to show that tho secret ser vice of even nuch a sninll republic ns the Transvaal Is no Insignificant af fair. OVERINDULGED CHILDREN, Truth Which M Worth tho Attention of Ainorli'iui l'iirmt. . John Iluskln, at 75, had as keen a Konso of taste as most men have at 20, and greatly enjoyed new flavors, Bays tho Youth's Companion. My palate," ho once said, "serves mo now so well, because when 1 was a child I was giv en only tho plainest food. When I was a boy, too, I had but" ono or two toys nnd no nmusements. Henco tho keen delight which I take now' In ev ery llttlo plensurc." M. Itenun ex plained to a friend his habltunl cheer fulness in tho same way. "When I was young," ho said, "my life was slmplo and bare. I had few amusements. I kopt nil my Illusions; bonce llttlo things, which an Indulged child in o luxurious homo would senrcely notice, now glvo me an old man real hap piness." Hero Is tho hint of a truth worth tho nttentlon of American par ents. If they hnvo wealth, or even a moderate Income, their rontl oKort us ually Is to glvo to their boys and girls all tho pleasure!! In miniature which belong to middle age. Children aro early mudo famlllnr with the Idea of fashlonnblo clothes and Jewelry. Thoy havo their formnl luncheons and din ner parties, nnd oven balls, In which there nro tho stnto ad ceremony, and sometimes tho dishes, which aro to be found in tho entertainments of adults They aro overloaded with costly toys, for which they caro little. Tho dis appointed fnthor and mother wonder why tho child Is bored by now pleas ures. Thoy do not sco that ihoy aro robbing him In youth of tho relish and Keen senso ot enjoyment wnich wns meant to glvo zest and happiness to his wholo life. Still more cruel kind n cbs Is that of parents of moderate means, who nccuBtom tholr children to a Ufo of luxury, living to the full limit of their incomes, and when they dlo leavo them unprepared to struggle with tho world. IN SOUTH AFRICA nru tho Indian bcarors who did such good work nt and after tho battlo of Kcltfontoln. Although acting only in tho capacity of nurses nnd camp fol lowers, theso experienced und Intrc pld gatherers of the wounded wero tho moans of saving many a Britisher Ufo by tho dispatch and thoroughness with which they went over tho battlo field and carried tho wounded to places of safety, whore surgeons and stlmu JantB wore awaiting them. 8 SSXto TOOTHACHE A-gg;ttted ns the Cuurc of tlio Sudden Frenzy of lCIcptiiinl. "I told you tho other day about tho Sultan of Zanzibar's clock," said Rob ert Crawford, "but there wns another thing I heard of while In that country whlrh Is not without Interest. Tho Sultan ttECd to lake me round to show me the place and of what Its trade con sisted. It is the greatest clove raising country in the world, nnd ns such con veys comfort nnd rourngo to out be tween the ants theater goers tho world over. Other pplccs and cocoanut ropo aro also important features of their ex port trade. Hut In addition to tho rnlo of that which they raise within their own borders their revenues nre largely Increased by the trade lu Ivory. Zanzibar Is the greatest market for South African Ivory, which Is brought there In large quantities from the In terior. This Ivory Is placed in large warehouses, from which It h cither sold nt onco or else held therein for a better market. Tho man In charge of those warehouses was a very in teresting character nn cxpsrt in Ivory. He told m many curious things about It, and among others propounded tho following theory n an explanation of why elephnnts go mad and occa sionally run amuck: In the warchous? wero a pair of mngnlllcent tuska, meas uring 14 feet from tip to tip, which In Ufo must have been carried by a ver ltablo Goliath among o'.cphnnts. The export In showing me these tuslo pointed out tho fact that whllo one of the tusks was complete nnd (lawless, tho other was broken off at the point nnd showed deep scratches and abra sions throughout It3 length. 'Mow.' Enid he, 'if you will look near the bas you will find a holo made by decay that had struck Into the nerves nnd given that elephant a toothache, and think what a toothache of toothaches fourteen-foot tooth must have held. n his efforts to relieve this pain the lephnnt rubbed his tusk against rocks nd treoi and drove It Into tho earth, which mitllnted it in the manner you sco here. I have frequently come across laces where an elephant ha3 ripped up great spaces In a forcU and torn own trees, and I am positive that toothucho was the cause of this frenzy. An Oiophnnt In a circus going suddenly mad and killing his keeper Is not an uncommon thing, but I'll wager that n nlno cases out of ten If they would properly investigate tho matter they would find that tho brute's sudden frenzy sprung from so ordinary a r.aufco as common, everyday tooth ache.' "Now York Tribune. Frlzli tonln; tho Llnm, M. Foa, the French explorer, says that lions havo a wholesome fear oi African wolves, which hunt In packs, and do not scruple to attack even the Hon. There nro terriblo battles in which the )lon succumbs to numbers, nnd dies fighting. In connection with tho Hon'a fear of wolves, M. Foa tolls n story from his own experience. It wns a very dark night, so black that trees could not bo distinguished until the travelers wero close upon them Lions prowled about the party, ono of them roaring from a point so close as to havo an alarming effect on the nerves. Tho animals could not bo seen, but they could bo heard on all sides. Reaching a tree, tho men found ono of their comrades with rlilo cocked peering into tho darkness, trying to discover tho whorenbouts of tho onl mnls, that could bo plainly heard walk ng nmong tho leaves. A second man was trying to relight a half-oxtln-gulshcd torch. Still tho lions could bo heard coming nnd going In the darkness. At this point tho nn- tlvo servnnt whispered the advice to Imitate tho cry of wolves in tho distance. Tho pnrty at once be gan barking and shouting, "Hu! hu! hit!" in nn undertone, ns If tho pack wero still at n distance, while tho man nt tho camp mado tho samo well-lml tatcd cry. Tho effect was lnstantane ous. Thoro was the sound of a rapid Btampedc across tho dry leaves. Tho Hons decamped In n panic, driven olt by tho supposed approach of a pack of wolves. For tho rest of tho night tho party was undisturbed. The lllnoil Itril llnnner. Royal and national colors vary with nntlons and times, but slnco Cain slor Abel blood-red has bcon tho sign of rovolt. In tho earliest revolt known to history, whon tho Persians rose ngalnBt their king 4,000 years ago, they wero led by a blood-red banner, and during tho riots which took placo In Paris tho men In tho blood-rod caps wero followed by tho mob. A blood rod Hag waved over Bunker hill when tho Americans fought for liberty nnd It wns tho emblem of tho Gorman peasants In their great uprisings In 1421, 1192 nnd 1525. Dlood-red was tho color of tho trado union flags dur lug tho mlddlo nges, and It formed tho background of tho emblem of tho Swiss confederacy in 131S. A UIi-hhIhk In DUculus "A big fambly," Bald tho old colored Inhabitant, "Is sometimes n great blcssln' to a po man. I got nlno sons ol' o'n young. Ono got run ovor by n railroad, en I got damages out cr him; n'er ono had a leg shot off en durln do las' war, en do guv'mcnt come up han'somo fcr him; en nil do res' or dem has had do good luck tor git hutted In Bomo wny, en ever" time dnt como I got tlo damnges; so In my ol ngo I fcolln' mighty comtortnble, en I rises up nn calls dem chlllun bless cd! " Atlnntn Constitution. Senator Wolcotl'e Flno I.uw Library. Senator Wolcott'B famous law llbrai In Denver is tho envy of tho Colorado bar. Tho senator recently rofused an offer of $50,000 tor its 10,000 volumes WHEN BABY TALKS. IS MOVED BY PITY LIKE OTHER INFANTS. n.ither Dnfcitt for rnpn Sho Knows What She Mrnm When Sho Sees Ilor Otrii ltnsi In the Sllrror Jntr-roit In tho Itnblilt. Although the new baby has lapsed into the old or nnclent baby, It has re tained with the name a few vanishing harnctorlstlcs, which, even In their description, reveal the preponderat ing Influence of tho old. Tho now baby's father Is Btlll able to take com fort In the shredB nnd patches of his theory, says tho New York Commer- lal Advertiser. Ills suppression of tho little Infant In tho helpless days of her earliest youth, when for the sake of er nerves ho kept her in n dark room nnd forbade her the pleasures derived normally from tho pleased Idiocy of tho grown people who llko to dandle and chirp, has modified, even In theso days of tho baby's emancipation, her original nnd Intrinsic character. With pride the vanquished father points to tho fact that until recently tho new bnby could not talk. It is true that the baby's vocabulary is small for an ufant of its ago, but of Into sho has been stretching tho few words nt her control with accumulated intensity ot meaning, and tho obvious meaning of her utternncen Is thnt the old fomalo, which tho father sought to suppress, s strong within her. On Christmas evo tho baby's uncle brought her a Hvo rabbit only a few weeks old, nn nlblno with pink eyes and nose, nnd n whlto soft, body. The now baby Bald, "No, when tho rabbit for the ilrst time hopped into Its gaze, thus show- ng tho good old femlnino conserva tism toward otranger3. Hut tills stran ger wns pretty nnd young, und soon moved the instinctive lovo for the cunning In tho now baby's soul. Her blue eyes bulged townrd it many min utes in silence ns it darted about frightening tho now baby's mother, who thinks tho movements of tho rab bit most illogical. The new baby waved away with an anxious gesture any coarse adult who npproached tho object of her study. Then it was thnt she began to show the tender solicitude for what Is young, pliik nnd cute, that ia so characteristic of what has como to us all along tho lino of femalo history that It must hnvo carried n pang to tho now baby's father. Jlo connected it, no doubt, with tho now baby's pity for the sev ered tiger's head In the rug. It harked back to the existence of n soul in tho now baby, tho development of which soul we havo narrated In n former chnpter, and which tho father regard cd as a sign of emotional weakness, much In the same way that tho Ger man philosopher, Nietzsche, regards the capacity for pity In tho modern soul. Pity, thinks Nietzsche, introduc ed by the Christian religion, and fos tered by Wngner, Is n disintegrating factor In civilization, and with all old and useless people, ought to bo cllm inatcd. Thnt tho now baby Is uflllcted with the modern disenso and has a soul, the essenco of which, perhaps, 13 pity, was manifested again, to tho fath er's rcitoratcd pain, apropos ot tho rnb bit. For soon tho dellcato now baby, her conservatism overcomo, benmcd Interest and protection. Tho father then said, with a ghost of hope in his voice: "Do you wnnt tho rabbit?" "Sure!" shouted tho Infant, with nil the inherited emphasis of n long lino of babies In her volco, and with tho concentrated unction poured Into ono word on account of her small vocabu lary. Most words tho now baby' pro nounces with hesitation, feeling that tho rich meaning overlaps and she is conservative nbout agreeing with what sho Is not qulto certain of, but when Bho has a vivid word which llts a vivid feeling sho thunders it forth with tremendous Joy in mere expression which makes tho father tremble nt the Idea of n literary decadent. So, with perfect confidence that sho hod hit the right word, tho new baby shouted: "Sure!" A largo portion of tho remain der of tho new baby's vocabulnry is most fittingly used apropos of other young nnd pretty things. Sho knows what sho meaiiB when she sees her own imago in tho mirror. Sho caresses a lock of flno hair, and commends with that peculiar emphasis with which sho welcomed tho rabbit, tho baby In tho mirror for possessing something bo excellent. Sho Btates with great dis tlnctness, too, that sho has a slipper, which Is .light blue In color, and very dimly, nnd sho unmistakably points out tho fact that her hood and her stockings nro not so bad; indeed, qulto tho roverse. Sho does not feel tho llm Its of her vocabulary when she comes In contnet with tho radjatlng reality of something nB young and pretty no herself. It is as it sho recognized that such tilings represented her Platonic self or tho disintorcsted embodiment Into n particular erscholnung hero nn now of what has pleasingly exl3ted for all eternity nnd of tho beauty and de slrablllty of which sho may unhosl tatlngly feel confident and say "Sure! with all tho otrcngth of her lungs. Tho new baby, howevor, Is doomed to n vory trying ordeal. When sho begins to pity her father and finds that pity for what ho so Ideallstlcally, if mlstak only, represents goes ngalnst the etor nnl laws of her type, thoro will glv temporary pause to tho sureness or her "Suro!" nnd sho will hnvo to feol about for n subtler and sadder vocabu larly. Blion Trnile with Mexico. According to tho best statistics nvnllable, ovor ?300,000 worth of Amor lean shoes wore Bold In Merfico during ISO!). Mexican Herald, TOLD DY THE OLD CIRCUS MAN. Tho Greatest of All (llant Iliar a Ilnucl nt llrlrhluyltiir. Ono of the things that somehow used to plense tho old man very much," said tho old circus man, "was to see the greatest of all giants laying brick; nnd when ho was looking over n town n advance, ns ho nlwoys did, to seo what opportunities there wero for pre senting tho giant most strikingly to tho mind nnd eye of the people by comparison, he nlways kept nn eye out for buildings under construction; nnd If ho found a brick building going up nnywhere, that was up, say, two pr three stories, nnd that had bricklayers at work on it, on a scaffolding, laying brick, why, tho old man never failed to tako that street Into tho route of tho morning parndo oven If we had to leavo out somo moro Important street nearer the center of tho town. Whon we'd como to thnt building on tho line of mnrch tho giant would, apparently, discover It in passing; and tho minute ho saw It ho'd stop. He'd look at the men on tho scaffolding with overy In dication of interest; and then the ilrst thing you know ho'd step right out of his placo In tho lino and pick up two or three bricks from tho ground and then straighten up his head and shoulders up thero nbovo where tho men were at work, and then ho'd tnko a trowel right out of tho hand of on. of tho brlcklayera they'd all stopped work to look at him and go to work nylng brick. Of courso tho old mnn hnd halted tho parado long beforo this, and you'd seo it strung along tho road looking on, with half tho town looking on, too, nt tho greatest of nil giants laying brick on n wall that had already been carried tip threo stories, ho stand ing on tho ground ns ho worked. .Ills arms wero long enough so that ho could reach across over tho platform of the scaffold to tho wall easily. Ho might havo taken bricks and mortnr from there, but he didn't, ho would bend down and tako em from tho ground every time. A3 a mattor of fact, ho was a very good bricklayer, and I think the giant always enjoyed this work himself; and; ho'd lay a courso or two, between, say, two win dows, In good shlpshnpo manner and In good time, and then he'd hand tho trowel back' to tho man on tho scaffold that ho'd borrowed it from nnd step back Into tho line. Then the old man would glvo tho signal, and tho band would strike up, and tho wholo pro cession would face forward again, In cluding tho branches, theso being tho men thnt marched Immediately nhead of tho giant, carrying long poles with crotches at tho upper end, wherewith they lifted out of tho way and held up whllo ho passed under them, treo branches that might otherwise havo Impeded, him or compelled him to bend like an ordinary mortal in pass ing under them, which wo never per mitted him to do; and then away they'd all go, tho elephants nnd tho great giraffe, and tho knights in armor on horseback, and tho animals . In cages, and all tho glittering attractions of a circus, but with the groat brick layer towering high, easily tho great est of them all." , An Interesting Discovery, Router's correspondent at Phlllppop- olls says that an Interesting discovery has lately been mado by M. ueorges Souro, member of the French Archaeo logical School at Athens, In tho shape nf ft Thracian trlumnhal car of the later Roman perlod.or about tho fourth century A. D. It was excavated In the tumulus called Douhova (ghost's mound), nt tho foot of tho Rhodopes, near tho village ot Pastousnn, situ ated to tho southwest ot Phillppopolls. All tho metallic fittings of tho chariot. with small bronzo figures as docora tlons, and the harness for ono horso, wore found, together with flvo human skulls nnd several semi-decayed swords and lances. Tho discovery has so nleased Princo Ferdinand that ho has offered to glvo from his prlvato purso tho sum or io.ouu irancs, to which tho Bulgarian government will add 5,000 fruncs, nnd tho French another 5,000 francs, for tho purposo of continuing theso archaeological re searches In tho country. Whut Joseph Win. Tho Sabbath-school teacher had been telling tho class about Josoph, particu larly with reference to his coat of many colors, and how IiIb father rewarded him for being a good boy, for Joseph, sho said, told his father whenever ho caught any of his brothers in tho act of doing wrong. "Can any llttlo boy or girl tell mo what Joseph was?" tho teacher asked, hoping that somo of them had caught tho idea that ho was Jacob's favorite. "I know," ono of tho llttlo girls said, holding up her hand. "What was ho?" "A tattle-talo!" waa tho reply. Baltimore News. A (llcnnllp Omelet, A company of tho bird African French battalion stationed at Kcr (Tunis) has Just enjoyed tho most gigantic omelet ever made.- At tho requoEt of tho farmers In tho neigh borhood, tho soldiers wero sent on an expedition to annihilate the swarms of sparrows which wore playing hnvou with tho crop3. Tholr work finished, they brought hack ns spoils of war 5,000 eggs, which the regimental cook mixed with many pounds of other In gredients and made Into an omolot nearly seven feet In circumference Whut Money Woutit I(, Petry Patotlck Say, w'at's do mean In' ot "dolco far nlcnto?" It's In do paper here. Harvard Hasbcn Dat's w'at de world would call dU perfes3lon of ours If wo only had money. Phil adelphia Press. Lovo Isn't blind; U usually sees double. -1 -i.