I fear, my joe, the good that I can do him, Or ev'n the minister, if he were here, Would be but little.

A rescue ship headed toward Formosa today with the 13 persons who lived through the wrecking of a Japanese airways land plane in a forced landing on Uotsuri Island. The stranded crew of four and nine passengers were sighted by the ship along the beach, 110 miles north of Formosa.

Investors face a quandary. Cash offers a return of virtually zero in many developed countries; government-bond yields may have risen in recent weeks but they are still unattractive. Equities have suffered two big bear markets since 2000 and are wobbling again. It is hardly surprising that pension funds, insurers and endowments are searching for new sources of return.

When the sun went down she could have seen the assiduous Squeaker lower the new prop-sticks and considerately stoop to gather the pegs his inconsiderate new mate had dropped.