FACTFINDER’S CROSSWORD

ACROSS

1 Volcanic rock found in South America (8) 5 A small amphibious military vehicle (6) 9 West Indian drink of wine, diluted, sweetened, spiced, etc (8) 10 A prehistoric tomb of erect unhewn stones supporting a flattish stone (6) 12 The puff-adder genus (6) 13 Muted or damped (mus) (5) 16 A three-legged pot (6) 17 A writer of historical records, year-books, etc (8) 20 An obsolete term for a spider (8) 21 Saul __ (1915 - 2005), Quebec-born novelist who won the Nobel Prize in Literature in 1976 (6) 23 Tom __ (b 1956), US actor who won an Oscar for Forrest Gump (1995) (5) 25 Indian soldiers in European service (6) 28 A hurdy-gurdy (6) 29 Capital city and seaport in west Africa (pop about 1 million), founded in the late 18th century (8) 30 A great hunter (Genesis X, 8-10) (6) 31 Small, fast-running antelopes of north Africa and south-east Asia (8)

DOWN

1 Chinese river rising in Kyrgystan, and flowing 175 miles into the Tarim River (4) 2 Former county town in the Borders (pop about 2,500), created a burgh of barony in 1490 (4) 3 Something trifling or unimportant (5,4) 4 Small city in northern Italy (pop about 100,000), on the Adige River (6) 6 A genus of fish akin to the tarpon (5) 7 Mary __ (1780 - 1872), Edinburgh-born mathematician and science writer (10) 8 Small town at the foot of the Campsie Fells (pop about 3,800), founded in the late 18th century (10) 11 A metric unit of weight, equal to 1,000 kilograms (5) 14 Town in south Lanarkshire (pop about 7,500), created a burgh of barony in 1541 (10) 15 Fishing village in Fife (pop about 1,750), created a royal burgh in 1541 (10) 18 A gas made from calcium carbide and water, used in welding (9) 19 To marinade and cook in spiced wine or vinegar (5) 22 The meadow-sweet genus of the rose family (6) 24 A simultaneous discharge of artillery (5) 26 An old measure of capacity for grain (4) 27 Large African antelopes, the wildebeests (4)