THE SPORTSMAN IN FRANCE. 287 



A bowl of stiff rum punch usually- 

 wound up the entertainment, and the 

 only reward exacted by the benevolent 

 major for his fiddling was a kiss from the 

 female votaries of Terpsichore — an offering 

 more relished by our military Paganini 

 than the widow, who viewed with a jealous 

 eye any infringement upon her prerogative. 



We contrived to pass our time very 

 pleasantly while under the major's banner, 

 whenever we repeated our visits to this 

 beautiful spot. Some anti-Waltonians, 

 envious of our happiness, were base 

 enough to spread certain evil reports as 

 affecting our morality, and even went so 

 far as to hint at the cure's baptismal du- 

 ties being on the increase ; but I can 

 assure my readers it was a groundless 

 calumny. 



To all those who may possess a fishing- 

 box near a salmon river, I beg to recom- 

 mend to their notice the following method 



