542 INCIDENTS IN THE LIFE OF A RAT. 



yellow stubble, made a most varied and enchanting picture; and to u?, 

 who had never before seen anything like it, it appeared like fairy-land. 

 "Whilst we gazed on this beautiful scene we felt our hearts imbued with 

 the stillness, the peace, and the beauty of the place ; and felt almost con- 

 strained to forget all the turmoils and strifes to which rats are contin- 

 ually subject, and a disposition to be at peace with all our race, with 

 mankind, and all the world. I could not but forcibly feel the folly of 

 men who could live in such a peaceful, quiet scene, leaving it, and con- 

 gregating in masses together, to accumulate useless wealth, in noisy, 

 unhealthy, filthy towns : each contributing his mite of cunning, of deceit, 

 and of vice, to render his race execrable and by their abominable con- 

 gregated ingenuity rendering the lives of all loyal rats anything but to 

 be depended upon. 



We now hastily descended and quickened our pace through the park, 

 in order to regain our conveyance for Harrowgate, but saw it, to our con- 

 sternation, at a turn of the road, bowling away a mile before us. Being 

 thus disappointed of our conveyance, for it was vain trying to overtake 

 it, for the present we determined (especially as we began to feel the 

 cravings of nature) to stop at the first habitable abode we should meet 

 with, and proceed to Harrowgate at our leisure, and by easy stages, or by 

 the first conveyance. We soon came up to Mr. Sturdy's famed house, 

 at Harewood Bridge, where we found great numbers of our brethren ; 

 and were induced by their hospitality to stay a short time with them, 

 that we might enjoy the lovely scenery the country afforded. At length, 

 notwithstanding its rural delights, growing weary of its sameness, my 

 friend and I began to think of prosecuting our journey ; so next day 

 mounted a hay cart, going to the Queen, at High Harrowgate, where 

 we were safely deposited, after a comfortable nap of two hours. 



Though no one can impeach my loyalty, and say that I would not 

 give the Queen the preference to any other house, fit for the reception of 



gentlemen, and though Mr. D. , its jovial host, kept a most excellent 



table, and I enjoyed, during my short stay, some of the greatest rarities, 

 washed down with prime old port, yet I soon got weary of its monotony, 

 and its bleak situation on the top of a hill, exposed to the chill blasts 

 which swept across the Moor, whistling their mournful dirge on its un- 

 protected front, subjected me to continual attacks of the quinsey, (it is 

 well known that our race cannot bear cold, and cannot possibly exist, 

 according to Buffon, further north than Norway). I therefore determined 

 to leave, and find a more genial place of residence. My companion, 

 however, seemed to like his birth, and would not leave his quarters, liking 

 the venison inside, and careless of the cold blasts out ; so we parted, and 

 one fine moonlight night, I wandered out alone to find a new lodging. 



After passing a great number of large buildings, many of which 

 seemed capable of affording me very comfortable accommodation, I 

 arrived at last at a large dome supported by pillars, and the stench 

 which proceeded from under it soon convinced me that I must have 

 approached the celebrated mineral springs for which this place is so 

 noted. I forthwith proceeded to the wells, but on arriving within the 

 dome, the stench almost took away my breath ; but conceiving that 

 there must be something very tempting in the water, notwithstanding 

 its unpleasant odour else why, I reasoned, should it induce the human 



