Ill 



some privations. He should make up his mind not 

 to stand upon mere trifles as to eating and lodgment. 

 A certain amount of uncomfortableness gives zest to 

 one's piscatory adventures, and makes us feel more 

 intensely grateful for a comfortable fire- side, and a 

 full board, when we realize them. "We were once 

 ranging with a small party in this county with the 

 rod ; and, delighting in the wild freedom of going 

 whithersoever we liked, we wandered by the sides 

 of a good fishing stream, till we were far beyond any 

 human habitation. We grew desperately hungry. 

 At length we came to a little cottage, of rude and 

 primitive construction, into which we ventured. 

 We asked for something to eat ; oat-cake was pre- 

 sented, but no milk, butter, nor meat of any kind. 

 Hungry as we were, the dry oat-cake did not go 

 down with any relish. One of the party, in prying 

 about the corners of this rural abode, espied the 

 entire bone of a shoulder of mutton, with a few of 

 the integuments still hanging to it, but of real flesh 

 there was scarcely anything. We bargained with 

 the good wife of the house for the prize. It was laid 

 with great care on a peat fire, dusted liberally with 

 salt, and then divided amongst us. How keenly 

 did the singed scrapings of the bone make us relish 

 our oat-cake. They put us all in good humour. 

 Mutton never had such a taste before; and we 

 actually wished that all our legs of mutton could be 

 made into bone. We had the essence of all animal 

 essences the meat next the niarrqw the very 

 penetralia of the feast. No man can form a just 



