LUXURIANT VEGETATION BOTTOMS. 253 



following anecdote, related by one of my friends, may serve as 

 an illustration. Two Englishmen, travelling in a hired car 

 riage, reached a lonely inn at a late hour, to which they got 

 admittance, and, after much solicitation, at length each took 

 possession of a bed. In a short time afterwards, the driver 

 wished to share one of the beds ; an altercation ensued with 

 the first possessor, who reluctantly yielded, in preference to 

 maintaining his position by animal strength. However much 

 the brutality of the driver may appear to be set forth in this 

 anecdote, the traveller was the more culpable of the two. In 

 such a climate as that of the United States, where people can 

 move from place to place in carriages of any description, every 

 body will prefer the W 7 hole of a bed to a part, and the circum 

 stance of the driver wishing to lie down beside the English 

 man, is evidence that a third bed could not be obtained. In 

 all probability, the customs of the district and sentiments of 

 the driver, placed both individuals on a footing of equality, 

 and it was unreasonable to attempt to exclude him from a 

 share of comfort, and more especially if the family put them 

 selves to inconvenience in furnishing the beds. If the Eng 

 lishman disliked nestling with the driver, he might have crept 

 in beside his friend, or quietly betaken himself to the floor. 

 I remember arriving at a large and well-conducted inn at 

 Melrose, Scotland, on the evening preceding an annual lamb 

 market, and learned that on such occasions travellers could 

 only have half a bed. In course of the evening, the waiter 

 whispered that my companion wished to retire for the night, 

 and pointed him out on the opposite side of the table. He 

 was a profligate and well-known character, and nearly intoxi 

 cated to insensibility. To have shared his bed was an idea 

 revolting to my feelings, and, after requesting that he might 

 be shown to a room, I stretched myself on chairs for the 

 night. 



The two foreign gentlemen, in whose company I travelled 

 from .-Detroit to Chicago, carried along with them a bed tick 

 of air-tight cloth, which was occasionally filled, and reposed 

 on by one of them. This is a very portable bed, and will be 

 found agreeable to travellers frequenting the wilds of America, 

 w.ho do not dislike being encumbered with luggage. A robust 



