A FRAGILE PAIR OF TROUSERS. 209 



nothing, believe me, reader, like being prompt in 

 action ; so I acted at once. The camp fires lit up 

 the surroundings, but on no place did they cast their 

 illuminations so brilliantly as upon the scene of strife. 

 The tout ensemble was so comical that even the 

 curiosity of the dogs at once brought them around, 

 when one and all simultaneously concluded that 

 there was something under that broad sheet of 

 canvas that they ought to try their teeth upon ; but 

 I intervened in the nick of time, and drove the 

 bellicose dogs off, for who was to know or could 

 be aware, I will ask any one, " which was t'other 

 and who was topmost ? " 



At length the "lean one" found the entrance, 

 and had a pretty good show of making an escape, 

 but he was firmly withheld from doing so by the 

 hand of his foe, who had a stiff grip upon the 

 leg of his trousers, which garments, as I have 

 formerly described as not owing the owner any- 

 thing, from the amount of service they had rendered 

 him, suddenly gave way, and the combat ceased. 



As host, I resolutely insisted there should be no 

 more quarrelling in my camp, so we adjourned to 

 the waggon. 



While Cigar was procuring the " square-face," I 

 had time to take a look around. There had been 

 damage done bodily more or less on both sides 

 but what mattered corporal ailments to the loss of 

 Paddy's breeks ? Everything, when you consider 



