AN UNPLEASANT ADVENTURE. 243 



I saw a gleam of light. I have a vague remem- 

 brance of being dragged out, plunged into cold 

 water, and savagely rubbed with a kind of 

 hempen rasp. 



As I became quite conscious of what was going 

 on, I was partly dressed, and lying on the grass, 

 the Doctor and the Major standing close by, 

 the bathers rubbing iny hands and feet ; whilst 

 Aunty, squatted on a log, was holding a cup 

 containing some steaming mixture. 



'0 Doctor!' I said, as well as I could articu- 

 late, 'a little more, and you would have had. to 

 bury me ; I was nearly gone ! ' 



' Waal, Cap'en, I kind of guess you must have 

 had a near shave for life, but it warn't meant no- 

 how. You see the Major and me just strolled up 

 to take a peep at the mustangs, and the darned 

 brutes stampeded, breaking clean out of the 

 " corral," arid went past the bath-house like mad. 

 The boys see 'em, and hearin' us a-hollerin', 

 made tracks right after 'em, and never thought 

 about your bein' a-steamin'. Old Aunty, by 

 sheer luck, heard you a-screamin' and a-snortin', 

 and it mighty nigh skeert the old woman to 

 death, for she thought " Old Hoof" was a-bilin* 

 himself. Up she came a-tearin' and a-shriekin' 

 that somethin' unearthly was in the steam- 



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