220 SPORTING ADVENTURES 



I heard of an individual who sent a sample of 

 earth to New York to be essayed ; great was 

 his indignation when the answer came back to 

 say that it was worthless, for said he, " I salted 

 it myself," meaning that he had distributed an 

 ounce or two of gold dust amongst the earth 

 before sending it. This was a smart trick, but 

 the Yankee was the smarter man of the two. 



A gentleman living near Panama keeps a 

 pack of hounds, with which he hunts in the 

 neighbouring woods ; he kindly gave me an 

 invitation to a chasse. We drove from the city 

 before daylight, and arrived at the rendezvous 

 just as day was breaking, where we were met 

 by the huntsman and hounds ! They were, 

 perhaps, not exactly what an English fox-hunter 

 would have expected to have seen. The hunts- 

 man, who was on foot, was a withered old 

 native, armed with a " machete," or big knife, 

 with which to cut a trail through the woods; 

 his dress was of the lightest description con- 

 sistent with decency, being no more than a 

 cloth tied round his loins; no doubt it was 



