THE COMMANDER OF THE EXPEDITION. 39 



the scenes. Seeing the prima donna come upon the 

 stage from an opposite wing, Mr. De Long picked up a 

 large pasteboard bouquet, which was one of the stage 

 properties, and marshahng his friends in a hne behind 

 h-im, advanced to meet her. She made some motions 

 which he failed to understand, and with his hand upon 

 his heart and his best bow he tendered the gigantic 

 bouquet. Just then a perfect shout went up from the 

 audience, and cries of " De Long ! De Long ! " were 

 heard. He looked around in bewilderment before he 

 took in the situation. His friends had abandoned him, 

 the curtain had gone up, and he was playing his little 

 piece before the great audience. It is scarcely neces- 

 sary to add that he made his exit without the slight- 

 est ceremony. 



Another amusing incident in Lisbon arose out of a 

 wao-er between Mr. De Long; and another officer as to 

 who could do the most with a horse in a circus ring. 

 Neither gentleman was a horseman ; what sailor is ? 

 but they were equally bold. Their first proposal was 

 to ride standing upon a pad, but the ring-master to 

 whom they applied would not give his consent. He 

 had once granted such a request for a similar purpose, 

 and brought upon himself a severe rebuke when one 

 of the parties, a young German nobleman, was seri- 

 ously injured. He would give the officers each a sad- 

 dled horse, and let them test their horsemanship to 

 their hearts' content. So they went through various 

 evolutions equally well, and jumped some low hurdles, 

 but neither could be proved to have outdone the other. 

 Finally the ring-master stepped forward and said : — 



" There is but one thing more I can sugo-est to de- 

 cide the wager, and that is for each in succession to 

 ride into the stable, take a turn round, come down the 



