34 JOCK'S LAKE. 



rious as the first balmy breath of spring. But the next 

 moment I was nearly suffocated and strangling. I rushed 

 out. The punkies returned in stinging clouds searching 

 every nook and crevice and seam in my clothing and 

 swarming about my head. Back to flic smudge 1 \\cnt. 

 then out, then in, tin- horrors alternating At length. 

 utterly overcome in the contest, I murmured to my friend, 

 a-- he slapped and rubbed himself and shared the smudge 

 with me, "Benson, I've come a great \\ays to he very 

 miscr.ililc: Must a man up licre murder himself to -ave 

 his life?" 



The humor had pretty nearly gone out of him, but he 

 showed his white teeth in an ett'oit at a laudi. and replied, 

 "There's one hope left, tar-oil! Let ".- go lor it. And away 

 he went to the pile of luggage near by and limited up a big 

 black bottle. From this he poured out into his hand a 

 brownish, greasy liquid and rubbed it vigorously over his 

 face and hands, on his neck and well up into the root- of 

 his hair, doing which he gave forth odors Avhich in town 

 would have brought down upon him the censures of the 

 board of health as a nuisance. 



"Try it!" said he. 



"Can't, it smells so infernally. " 



" You'll like it, when you get used to it. Children cry 

 for it, up here. 



The stings were driving me mad. I sci/cd the big bottle, 

 and followed his example. Two sighs escaped me. one at 

 the sickening smell, one of great relief as the cloud of 

 winged sparks fell back from me in disgust, and I stoo.i 



