THE LOVE OF LIFE. 149 



their vassals. Whichever had fallen victim in the fray, 

 the Ivilliputian people had certainly applauded. However, 

 the blind instinctive movement which leads us, in such 

 cases, to separate the combatants, induced me to inter- 

 fere ; and with the point of my umbrella, skilfull}', deli- 

 cately, and without wounding the two antagonists, I com- 

 pelled the stronger of the two to release its grasp. 



"The captive thus secured was, without form of trial, 

 adjudged to undergo our investigations as a punishment 

 for his fratricidal voracity. Our system, however, is not 

 to impale the insect — a horrible punishment and a pitiful 

 spectacle which has no end ; for a month afterwards, ay, 

 and more, you will see the poor transfixed wretches writh- 

 ing in agony. Ether generally kills them rapidly, and ap- 

 parently painlessly. Well, then, we etherized our prisoner 

 largely. In a moment he spun round and fell ; we thought 

 him finished. An hour or two passed, and lo ! he was 

 once more alive, once more upright on trembling feet, and 

 attempting to walk ; he fell, and again he rose. But, to 

 tell the truth, his gait was like that of a drunken man. 

 A child would have laughed at it. We had no desire to 

 laugh, being obliged to poison him a second time. A 

 stronger dose was accordingly administered ; but in vain — 

 he came again to himself. It was a curious circumstance ; 

 but it certainly seemed as if this kind of intoxication, 

 while weakening and almost paralyzing the faculties of 

 motion, had all the more keenly excited the nerves, and 

 what we may call the amorous faculties. The use he 

 sought to make of his vacillating step and last efforts was 

 to join a female of his species which he had found lying 

 dead, and placed upon the table. ' He felt her with his 

 palpi and trembling arms. He contrived to turn her over, 

 and tumbled about (very probably he could not see) to as- 

 sure himself whether she was alive. He would not part 

 from her; one would have sworn that he had undertaken. 



