Ii4 AN ANGLER'S BASKET. 



travelling with others, and in the carriage were a young 

 man and his wife, clad in mourning. The man was rather 

 "merry," and began to pass flattering compliments in 

 respect of his wife's good looks, and she was a very good- 

 looking woman. She objected to this, and was evidently 

 annoyed that he had taken just one glass more than she 

 thought enough. But the more she objected, the more he 

 persisted, in spite of her quiet kicks and impatient looks. 

 Finally, he appealed to us collectively to know if we did not 

 agree with him, that she was " 't best lewking lass 'i 

 Yorkshire ? " This was more than her natural modesty was 

 equal to, so she thus explained matters for our benefit 

 " He is not quite himself, as you see, gentlemen, and I 

 know you will excuse him, he has been to a funeral." 



An officer of the United States army told me this one 

 night, with what degree of exact relationship to actual facts 

 I do not pretend to say. He found himself one day belated 

 on his way to a distant camp, and in the country of the 

 Indians by whom he was quickly surrounded. The only 

 thing of any value he had in the trap with him which was 

 not in some way or other secured to his person was a three- 

 gallon keg of whisky, and this he determined to defend 

 with his life's blood if need be. But in order to further 

 conciliate the apparently peaceable intentions of his dusky 

 interviewers, he passed each man a nip of the blessed fire- 

 water, and the nips were no sooner disposed of, and the 

 virtues of the bottle nectar discovered, than the leader of the 

 band offered his horse in exchange for the keg. As this was 

 not accepted, whisky being priceless in the land to which 

 the Colonel journeyed, the horse of the second Indian was 

 added to the offer, then that of the third, the fourth, and 

 the fifth, until at last there were eleven magnificent horses 

 on offer as the price of three gallons of whisky, less 12 nips. 



