BIRDS AT THEIR BEST 9 



rest and smoke their cigarettes ; and on each occa- 

 sion the funny one-eyed Portuguese would relate 

 some entertaining history. One of these histories 

 was about the Age of Fools, and amused me so much 

 that I remember it to this day. It was the history 

 of a man of that remote age, who was born out of 

 his time, and who grew tired of the monotony of his 

 life, even of the society of his wife, who was no whit 

 wiser than the other inhabitants of the village they 

 lived in. And at last he resolved to go forth and 

 see the world, and bidding his wife and friends fare- 

 well he set out on his travels. He travelled far and 

 met with many strange and entertaining adventures, 

 which I must be pardoned for not relating, as this 

 is not a story-book. In the end he returned safe and 

 sound to his home, a much richer man than when he 

 started ; and opening his pack he spread out before 

 his wife an immense number of gold coins, with 

 scores of precious stones, and trinkets of the greatest 

 value. At the sight of this glittering treasure she 

 uttered a great scream of joy and jumping up rushed 

 from the room. Seeing that she did not return, he 

 went to look for her, and after some searching dis- 

 covered that she had rushed down to the wine-cellar 

 and knocking open a large cask of wine had jumped 

 into it and drowned herself for pure joy. 



