AN UNGRATEFUL CAT. 211 



leg, then a second, protruded from the hole, afterwards 

 came successive parts of a carcase, and last a woolly 

 head, in the teeth of which were firmly fixed the 

 corners of the kaross, thus transforming into a bag 

 this well-worn, greasy garment, and in its depths 

 obviously struggled something possessed of life. 

 With alacrity I helped the apparition to his feet, 

 hurriedly released him from his load, and opened it, 

 when, to my joy, I found the cubs inside, but, alas ! 

 one was dead, smothered, the other in extremis. 



In my younger days, at the time when I wore 

 the livery of our gracious Majesty, I have known 

 divine creatures, generally those whose age was 

 doubtful, with whom one of our fellows, possibly 

 myself, had lately waltzed, get overcome and 

 faint ; so had learned that nothing, under such 

 circumstances, was so likely to bring them round as 

 fanning, or, let me recall the experiences of those days, 

 stiff brandy and water, if procurable ; thus, having 

 none of the latter, I adopted the former curative to 

 resuscitate the juvenile caracal. As I had found 

 the benefit of this restorative in days gone by, so I 

 found it now ; the young cat gasped a little first, 

 then uttered some inarticulate expressions, and soon 



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